"You...were not aware?" Ragnok asked incredulously, before falling silent. "Mr Potter, I will be frank. The reason I decided to handle your request personally was because of some...discrepancies we have found with your accounts." Harry frowned.
"Discrepancies?" Harry repeated.
"Yes, indeed." Ragnok replied grimly. "The list is unfortunately quite extensive. Funds transferred without records, and items removed from Potter vaults, for example. It is supremely unusual, and has drawn our attention." Harry's eyes widened with shock.
"I...I see," Harry murmured faintly.
"I hasten to reassure you, Mr Potter," Ragnok continued hurriedly, "that Gringotts bank finds this situation unacceptable. We have wanted to launch an investigation into this for some time, but require your permission or the permission of your magical guardian to do so." He sighed. "All attempts to contact you have been unsuccessful, and all communications to your magical guardian have been ignored..." A look of confusion flickered over Harry's face.
"I'm sorry, magical guardian?" Harry asked curiously. The Director's eyes widened with genuine surprise and shock.
"Mr Potter, a magical guardian is a minor's representative and protector in magical matters." Ragnok explained uncertainly. "One of the duties of your guardian should have been to inform you of your parent's Last Will and Testament. Surely yours has been in contact with you?" Harry shook his head.
"I'm afraid not," he replied. "I don't even know who my magical guardian is." Ragnok leaned back in his chair, staggered by this revelation.
"This situation has become all the more alarming." He murmured to himself. He paused briefly before continuing. "Mr Potter, do I have your permission to launch an investigation into this?" Harry nodded emphatically.
"Yes, you absolutely have my permission." Ragnok nodded.
"Thank you, Mr Potter," the Director replied, before scribbling a note onto a piece of parchment. "I will have my colleagues begin the investigation immediately."
Once the instructions to launch the investigation were finished, the note shot up into the air and flew out of the door. Harry waited as the Director did this, not wishing to interrupt, and spoke again after the note was sent.
"Director," Harry began carefully, "who is my guardian?"
Ragnok did not respond immediately, frowning thoughtfully as he looked out across the room. After a moment, however, he called for the clerk waiting outside. Briefly conversing with the clerk in the goblin tongue, said goblin hurried off and returned quickly with a piece of parchment he handed to the Director.
"Your magical guardian," Ragnok began, scanning the piece of parchment, "is one Albus Dumbledore." Harry nodded calmly, already knowing that Dumbledore had condemned him to the Dursley's.
"Dumbledore," Harry murmured, as if in thought, "he is the headmaster of Hogwarts, correct?" Ragnok nodded.
"Indeed," the Director replied, "though...it is unusual. The headmaster of Hogwarts usually serves as the magical guardian for muggleborn students, but it is unusual for the heir of a noble family to not appoint their own guardian." Harry frowned.
"What does that mean?" Harry asked him carefully, and the goblin shrugged.
"By itself, very little," Ragnok replied. "With everything else, however..." he paused, "I think there is more going on here than is immediately apparent. Perhaps we will find out more in the will of your parents."
After calling for the clerk outside and issuing another set of instructions, they waited for his return. In short order, the clerk hurried through the door carrying a wooden, ornately carved box, and a number of folders and binders.
"Mr Potter," Ragnok began, arranging the items in front of him, "shall we get the will reading out of the way first? Then I should be better placed to answer any queries you have regarding your birthright." Harry nodded in agreement.
"Yes, please do, Director."
Ragnok nodded, and picked up one of the binders. Reaching inside, he removed a yellowed piece of parchment, embossed with a wax seal featuring the Potter crest. Opening the document, Ragnok skimmed through it briefly.
"Most curious," Ragnok announced, glancing at Harry, "it would appear that this document has not yet been executed." Again, Harry knew full well who was responsible. For appearances sake, however, he furrowed his brow confusedly.
"Should my parents will not have been read shortly after they died?" Harry asked. Ragnok nodded.
"Yes, it should have been." He paused, reaching for another file and flipping through. "It would appear...that someone in the Ministry prevented the reading and execution of the document." Harry's eyes widened with shock.
"What?" He exclaimed. "But why?" Ragnok did not reply immediately, and reached for the will once more.
"I am not certain." The Director responded, before glowering at a name on the bottom of the document. "However, this is painting a rather unflattering picture of an individual named in several of these documents..." Harry frowned.
"Who?" He asked.
"Your magical guardian, Mr Potter." Ragnok replied grimly, before focusing once more on the will. "This document will need to be officially read in the near future. However, I believe that doing so now will draw...negative attention to you, Mr Potter." Harry nodded in understanding. "Therefore, as you are the primary beneficiary, I would suggest that we conduct an unofficial reading now. Is that agreeable?" Harry nodded in relief.
"Very much so, Director," Harry replied, reassured, "thank you." Ragnok nodded, before focusing on the document and reading the sections applicable to Harry aloud.
Last Will and Testament
Of
Lord James Andrew Potter, head of the Most Noble and Ancient House of Potter, and Lady Lillian Cassandra Potter nee Evans.
We, Lord James Andrew Potter, and Lady Lillian Cassandra Potter nee Evans, being of sound minds, not acting under duress or undue influence, and fully understanding the nature and extent of all our property and of this disposition thereof, do hereby make, publish and declare this document to be our Last Will and Testament, and hereby revoke any and all other wills and codicils made by us.
III. Disposition of Property
We declare that should we precede our son, Harry James Potter, in death, he should replace Lord James Andrew Potter as head of the Most Noble and Ancient House of Potter. We devise and bequeath our property, real or personal, to Harry James Potter.
VII. Guardianship of Children
We direct that should Harry James Potter still be a minor after our deaths, his guardianship should pass to his godfather, Sirius Orion Black. If Sirius Orion Black is unable or unwilling to stand as guardian, his guardianship should pass to his godmother, Lady Alice Longbottom. If Lady Alice Longbottom is unable or unwilling to stand as guardian, his guardianship should pass to Prof. Minerva McGonagall.
We direct that should the aforementioned be unable or unwilling to stand as guardian, his guardianship should under no circumstances pass to Petunia Dursley. His safety would not be guaranteed in her household.
IX. Personal Addendum
We wish to thank those friends and family who will help Harry through this difficult time. We also wish to say, directly to Harry, that we love you and hope you will grow up into the brave, noble, intelligent person we want you to be. We love you and will always be with you, no matter what comes, every step of the way. Remember us fondly.
Signed, published and declared by the testators as and for a codicil to our Last Will and Testament, in our presence, who, at our request, in our presence, and in the presence of each other, have subscribed their names as witnesses at the time and place aforesaid.
1st October 1981
Sirius Orion Black
Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore
Remus Lupin
Lady Alice Longbottom
Lord Frank Longbottom
As Director Ragnok read through the relevant sections of the document, Harry's mind was a maelstrom of emotions. He grew angry with Dumbledore for blatantly ignoring his parent's Last Will and Testament and preventing it from being read. For a man who proclaimed to be their friends and care for Harry, it was a betrayal of the highest order.
His fury was soon washed away by feelings of grief and pain, as he listened to the personal message left for him in their will. Meeting and conversing with his parents for the first time in Kings Cross had helped heal some of his emotional trauma. However, hearing their heartfelt and loving words overwhelmed him, and Harry began crying openly into his hands.
As Ragnok finished the reading, he looked up at the crying eleven year old boy and sighed tiredly. Goblins were not an emotionally demonstrative race, and so the sight of this child crying made him feel deeply uncomfortable. Ragnok could, however, empathise with the boy's grief. Moreover, as he analysed the situation and began to piece things together, the goblin began identify with the child's initial angry reaction too.
While waiting for Harry's emotional outburst to subside, Ragnok studied the boy's appearance and demeanour. Immediately obvious was the clothing of the child. To begin, each item was old and heavily worn. This was not a sin in and of itself, as Ragnok knew a great many families struggled to keep their children in new or well repaired clothing. Such families made every effort to repair and maintain what they did have, however, so as to avoid the cost incurred by buying anything new as long as possible.
The clothing worn by Harry showed no signs that there had ever been any attempt to repair it. Indeed, there were many holes and loose threads in his very thin looking jumper, and his trousers appeared to be barely holding together. As he silently leant to one side of his desk, Ragnok could see that Harry's very tattered and beaten trainers were being held together with tape. That was definitely the solution of a child's mind to such a problem, and not one of a caring guardian.
Furthermore, the already poor clothing was not even well fitting. On the contrary, the garments seemed almost absurdly large on the small and slight frame of the boy. Again, he knew that families struggling to make ends meet would often reuse items from one child to another once it had been outgrown. But if this was the case, there was an extreme size difference between Harry and the other child, and not in terms of height.
Ragnok pursed his lips as he took in each indicator, which painted a very dark picture. As he waited for the boy's tears to subside, however, he froze. While Harry had been crying into his hands, one of his large sleeves on his jumper had slid down his right arm. It was not the sleeve that drew Ragnok's gaze, but the series of circular marks running along the outside of his arm. His blood boiled as the picture of Harry Potter's upbringing grew even darker.
"Mr Potter," Ragnok called suddenly, drawing the boy from his tears, "your arm..."
Initially confused by the goblin's words, Harry looked down at where Ragnok had gestured and stiffened. He had forgotten about the old and yet new scarring along his right arm. In the earlier part of his first life, Harry had simply chosen to hide the marks from everyone with long sleeves, ashamed and embarrassed of the damage inflicted by his uncle. As he got older, however, he just ignored and slowly forgot about his scars over time.
Now, though, seeing Ragnok's eyes fixed upon the marks, Harry knew it was probably time to let the cat out of the bag. By the look on the Director's face, he already had an inkling of what his relatives had put him through. Slowly, the goblin held out his hand to Harry and looked him in the eyes.
"May I?" Ragnok asked. Harry nodded, and proffered his arm.
The goblin took it gently and slid the sleeve all the way up his arm to inspect it. Ragnok's jaw clenched as more and more of the marks were revealed. In all, there were ten circular scars along the length of his right forearm, some much older than others. Anger surged within the elderly warrior once again.
"How..."Ragnok growled, before controlling himself, "...how was this done?" Harry sighed, before replying.
"Cigarette burns," Harry answered quietly, "from my uncle. His idea of a birthday present, one for every year I have been alive." He smiled faintly. "He never got the chance to give me my eleventh, on account of my rescue by Mr Hagrid." Ragnok stared at Harry for a moment, before looking back down at the wounds on his arm.
"Are there more like this?" The Director asked grimly. Harry hesitated for a moment, a feeling of panic surging within him, before he suppressed it.
"Yes," he replied simply, "many more." Ragnok jaw tightened once again, and Harry could see the anger his reply elicited reflected in his eyes.
"Can I take it, that the...'relatives' mentioned in the will," the goblin looked back at the will briefly, "the Dursley's, are your current custodians, and the..." his lips curled into a snarl, "individuals responsible for your injuries?" Harry nodded in response.
Without saying a word, Ragnok stood up and walked to the door. As before, the goblin clerk was waiting just outside, and after a few quiet words from the Director, he shot off down the corridor, looking visibly shaken. Seeing the curious and suspicious look on Harry's face, Ragnok hastened to assure him.
"Worry not, Mr Potter," Ragnok reassured, as he returned to his seat, "I did not inform him of what we have just discussed." Upon seeing Harry relax at that, he continued. "I asked my colleague to arrange our best healers to be available for you in our medical wing." Hearing this, Harry stiffened once again.
"Healers?" He asked warily.
His logical side reasoned that this would be helpful in the long run, undoing the damage Dumbledore and the Dursley's had done to him. However, another much louder part of his mind was deeply distrustful and very frightened about revealing all the abuse he had been put through. Ragnok immediately noticed his disquiet, and replied.
"They are the magical equivalent of doctors," Ragnok responded, in case he was unsure about the term. "Please do not think I am forcing this on you," he continued, "the decision of whether you go to see them is yours, of course. I merely wanted them ready and prepared, should you wish to make use of them." Harry frowned, but nodded at his words.
"I do appreciate the offer, Director, and I thank you for it," Harry said, "but I feel compelled to ask why? What do you stand to gain from helping me in such a way?" Ragnok was silent for a moment, as he considered his reply. "I meant no offence..." Harry continued hastily, taking his silence for affront.
"No offence was taken, Mr Potter," Ragnok replied, "and I understand why you feel the need to question my motives." He paused again, ordering his thoughts. "When I invited you to this meeting, I did not realise the true scope of this situation." He answered honestly. "It is far worse than I could have imagined. Thefts from Gringotts' vaults, ignoring and sealing a will, illegally placing a minor with unapproved guardians, physical abuse and neglect of said minor..." he trailed off, clenching his fist tightly as he restrained his anger. "That Gringotts goblins may have contributed to this situation, even slightly, is an insult to our good name that I cannot allow to stand!" With that, he thumped his hand down on the desk. "You have been wronged by us, Mr Potter. And I wish to begin to make amends." Harry stared at the goblin appraisingly for a moment, before offering a small smile.