"Thank you Director," Harry replied, relieved and delighted that he seemed to have elicited the help of the goblins, at least in the interim, "I appreciate that. I am glad I have found someone in the magical world I can begin to build a relationship of trust."
"Your thanks is not necessary, Mr Potter," Ragnok said firmly, "Gringotts has wronged you, and we will make restitution." He then smiled in return. "As to the latter, I am glad you feel that way. Engendering trust between parties leads to good business. And speaking of business," he said, pulling the wooden box in front of himself, "I would suggest that we get back to your parent's will, if that is agreeable?" Harry nodded.
"Yes, lets," Harry responded.
"Very well," the Director replied, as he opened the lid. "As you are the last heir of the most noble and ancient house of Potter, you are to be the next head of your family. This, as you will have gathered from the document, will give you a title and change your legal standing from a minor to an adult." Harry nodded in understanding. "There is more, however. Due to the...political instability," he remarked with distaste, "of the last century, a great many pureblood family lines have had no direct heirs, and thus no one eligible to claim headship of the family." Harry frowned.
"What does that have to do with me?" He asked curiously.
"Well, most of the pureblood families are interrelated the further back you go," Ragnok explained, "so it is possible that you might be the only heir of other lines too. We can find this out by performing," he lifted an item from the box, "a blood test."
The item in question turned out to be a small bowl. It appeared to have been made from obsidian, a dark glass-like material that glistened in the candle light. Though it was hard to see from its black surface, Harry could make out runic script carved around the rim of the bowl, reminding him of Dumbledore's pensieve. Though initially empty, Ragnok quickly produced a bottle of clear liquid from within the box and poured it in.
"So," Harry asked, as Ragnok set up the blood test, "I could be the heir of another family line?" The Director, not breaking from his preparations, chuckled to himself.
"Do not get too excited, Mr Potter," Ragnok said amusedly, "while it is possible that you could be the heir of another line, I believe it unlikely." Harry frowned in confusion.
"How come?" He asked curiously.
"When he was a little older than you," Ragnok began, finishing his preparation, "your father took this test too. Unfortunately, he was not an heir to an unclaimed line." Harry nodded in understanding.
"I see," he remarked, "a shame." The two shared a chuckle, before returning to the matter at hand.
"Now, the blood test is very simple, Mr Potter." Ragnok began, retrieving a small, silver knife from the box. "I will cut your finger with this blade, and allow three drops of blood to fall into the bowl. The blade will not cause pain, and the wound will heal once the blood has been extracted. Are you ready to proceed?" Harry nodded.
"Absolutely," he answered excitedly, holding out his hand.
The Director gasped Harry's hand, as he had before and carefully pressed the point of the blade against the tip of his thumb. Gently squeezing the wound, Ragnok waited for the required three drops to fall into the clear liquid. The moment the last drop fell, the blood began to swirl around the liquid, as if it was caught in a whirlpool. Harry, meanwhile, felt a minor tingle in his thumb as the wound closed, and drew his hand back to inspect it. As promised, it was completely healed.
As the blood in the bowl began to settle, Ragnok carefully dipped the corner of a small piece of blank parchment into the liquid. Almost immediately, the blood was drawn from the bowl and began to seep onto the parchment. As they watched, the blood staining the parchment morphed into legible writing, as if penned in red ink.
"There we are," Ragnok announced with a smile.
Lifting the corner of the page from the bowl and shaking off some residual dampness, the Director began to read. Quickly, however, a look of immense surprise passed over his features and he stared at the parchment, unmoving.
"Hmm," the Director murmured to himself, "most surprising..." After a moment, he glanced up at Harry, before beginning to read aloud.
Blood Inheritance
Of
Harry James Potter
By blood and by magic, Harry James Potter is eligible to claim the following titles and headship of family lines bereft of lordship, as the sole surviving heir.
The Earl of Pottere, Most Noble and Ancient House of Potter
The Duke of Godric's Hollow, Most Noble and Ancient House of Gryffindor
The Duke of Ravenna, Most Noble and Ancient House of Ravenclaw
As Ragnok read through the list, Harry stared at him in utter disbelief, mouth agape. He was the last heir of Godric Gryffindor and Rowena Ravenclaw? The legendary wizard and witch who helped found Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry? This was ludicrous; it had to be a mistake. Carefully, Harry licked his lips and swallowed the lump in his throat.
"Director," Harry rasped, "how...accurate is the blood test?" A look of mild irritation passed over the goblin's features.
"I understand your astonishment, Mr Potter," Ragnok replied firmly, "but please do not question the accuracy of the ritual. It could be construed as an insult to Gringotts." Snapping out of his shock, Harry quickly back pedalled.
"I apologise, Director," Harry said regretfully, "I meant no disrespect to you, or Gringotts Bank." Ragnok nodded in acceptance. "I was just...overwhelmed by..." he gestured to the parchment.
"I realise that, Mr Potter, no offence was taken." Ragnok continued. "I am just as amazed by the results as you are. This...is most irregular. The parchment, however, is not wrong. The ritual traces ancestry through blood, and is never wrong." Harry nodded, still rather pale.
"So I am really the heir of Gryffindor and Ravenclaw?" Harry asked, astonished. "How can that be possible?" Ragnok shrugged.
"To answer just how you are related to the founders," the Director retorted, "would require looking back through over a millennia of records. Such a task, while not unfeasible, would take a great deal of time. If you truly wish to know, I could assign the task to some of our researchers." Harry thought about it for a moment, before shaking his head.
"I would not wish to waste the time of Gringotts for the sake of my curiosity," Harry replied with a smile, "perhaps in the future..." Ragnok nodded, before continuing.
"If it helps," the Director remarked, "I would imagine that you are related to the founders from your mother's ancestry, as opposed to your fathers. As I said before, your father took this test as a child, and did not show any connection to the founders." Harry nodded.
"I see," Harry murmured. "So, what does being the heir of the founders actually mean?" He asked.
"In all honesty," Ragnok began, "very little. As with the Potter family, you will take on the head of house position and lordship. You will also inherit the Gringotts vaults for each line, and their contents. Certainly a considerable amount of gold, and possibly artefacts, though I would need to audit the vaults to find out what exactly there is." The Director hesitated for a moment, before continuing. "At one time, these titles would have also come with large holdings, centred on your ancestral seats of power..." Harry tilted his head, confusedly.
"But they don't anymore?" Harry asked.
"Yes and no," Ragnok replied. "A century ago, you would have been able to claim ownership of the magical settlements of Godric's Hollow, Ravenna, and Pottere in England. However, while you still have a claim on the holdings, there are issues with enforcing it. The once wholly magical settlement of Godric's Hollow has become mainly muggle, and so the magical families who remain are forced to hide their nature. Ravenna and Pottere, regrettably, are nothing more than ruins." Harry's eyes widened at that last piece of information.
"There is a magical town called Pottere?" He asked in amazement, but Ragnok shook his head.
"There was," the goblin said, "at one time. Unfortunately, Ravenna and Pottere were destroyed in 1945 during the Global Wizarding War begun by Grindelwald, and they were never rebuilt." He sighed and rubbed his eyebrow. "After the war, magicals shied away from the large magical settlements of the past, and chose to live hidden amongst muggles. A terrible shame, to be sure."
Harry nodded politely as he listened, but his heart raced as he thought of the possibilities owning a magical settlement had. While it was in ruins now, it did not preclude him rebuilding it in the future. It could become a stronghold, a safe haven...a home. A warm feeling settled in his chest as he thought about a home for him and Hermione.