"But the ruins are still owned by my family, right?" Harry pressed. "Meaning that it could be rebuilt at some point?" Ragnok stared at the boy for a moment, before smiling.
"I believe so, yes." The Director replied, liking the child more and more. "If you wish, Mr Potter, as part of the audit we could send specialists to ascertain the condition of Pottere and Ravenna..." Harry grinned in response and nodded enthusiastically.
"That would be awesome!" Harry replied excitedly, before controlling himself. "Er, what I mean to say, is that I would very much appreciate finding out exactly what my vaults and holdings entail..." Ragnok chuckled at his response, nodded and made a note on a ledger.
"I will see it done, Mr Potter."
"Thank you," Harry replied, relieved. "Moving on from Pottere and Ravenna, though, what does inheriting the founder lines mean in terms of Hogwarts castle?" Ragnok frowned in confusion at his question. "I mean, does my being the heir of Gryffindor and Ravenclaw...change anything?" The goblin pondered the question in silence for a moment.
"That's...a difficult question to answer." The Director replied. "While it is probable that the founders owned the castle collectively, which potentially gives you a claim to it, attempting to press such a claim now would be next to impossible. Hogwarts is independent of the Ministry of Magic, so I would imagine that the castle is now owned by the school." He paused again for a moment, before continuing. "In the past, heirs of the founders have served as guardians of the school, and later accounts have told they were able to manipulate the castle's defences. It is possible, therefore, that you MAY have some level of control over the wards." Harry perked up at that and leaned forward.
"Oh?" Harry questioned.
"When building Hogwarts castle, I believe the four founders bound the wards of the fortress to themselves through their blood." The Director explained. "A common practice for family wards, even today. It is possible that through your blood connection to the founders, you may have some control over the wards. How much, I do not know, I am afraid." Harry nodded at his explanation.
"I see, thank you for that." Harry replied, before hastening to explain himself. "I don't have any designs on the school, by the way," he clarified, "I'm sorry if it came across that way. I was just curious what being their heirs meant." Ragnok smiled at his hurried words.
"Not to worry, Mr Potter," Ragnok chuckled, "I did not think you had intentions of taking over the school." They both laughed at that.
With the matter settled, Ragnok once more focused on the obsidian bowl and waved his hand over it. As he did so the liquid within began to drain away, leaving three objects sitting on the bottom, which he quickly retrieved and placed in front of Harry.
Three rings lay before him on the desk, each a symbol of the three families. The Potter ring was the least ostentatious of the three, though still grandiose. It was a gold filigree band, decorated with a bright red garnet, and the Potter crest carved on a gold disc.
The other two rings were in a league of their own. The Ravenclaw ring was inlaid with a diamond and sapphire, the Gryffindor ring held a large red ruby, and both had a representation of their crests carved into the rings. The metal used, however, was unidentifiable to Harry. It looked to be a cross between white gold and silver, but had an almost ethereal shimmer to it.
"Director," Harry asked, "do you know what metal this is?" Ragnok picked up one of the rings and studied it briefly, before replacing it on the table.
"I believe it is mithril, Mr Potter." The goblin replied. Harry's eyes widened and he stared at the rings in shock.
"Mithril is real?" He asked in disbelief. He only knew of the magical metal from the Lord of the Rings books by J.R.R. Tolkien.
"Very real, Mr Potter," Ragnok replied amusedly, "though I can understand your amazement. It is an exceptionally rare metal, and one of the few naturally imbued with magic. It is difficult to find and almost impossible to forge if you are not a highly skilled smith." Harry nodded faintly as he studied the rings more closely. "Once you are ready, you can put on the rings. That will confirm your ascension to the head of each family."
With a confident nod, Harry picked up the Potter family ring. Taking a deep breath, he slid it onto his finger. Almost immediately, the ring shrunk to fit him perfectly. A feeling of warmth and comfort washed over Harry, as the ring pulsed on his finger. It seemed to exude power, and he could feel his magic entwining with the magic of the ring.
As the sensation faded, he shivered and rolled his shoulders, ready for the next. Reaching for the Gryffindor ring, he quickly slipped it onto another finger. Putting on the Potter ring had been like climbing into a hot bath. Putting on the Gryffindor ring felt like being struck by lightning. The sheer power of the ring was immense, as was the power of the Ravenclaw ring, which was added to his finger in short order. As the last of the unusual sensations faded away and the rings settled into inactivity, Ragnok rose from his seat and bowed deeply to Harry.
"Allow me to be the first to greet you with your new titles, your grace." The Director announced. "Greetings, your Grace; Duke of Godric's Hollow, Duke of Ravenna, and Earl of Pottere." Harry smiled embarrassedly at the goblin, before bowing in return.
"Greetings to you as well, Director Ragnok," Harry replied, "but in the future, could you please just call me Harry?" The goblin laughed loudly at his request.
"Only if you do so in return, Harry," the Director said with a smile, and Harry nodded in agreement.
"Hmm," Harry murmured to himself, "all those titles are going to be a mouthful..." Ragnok chuckled.
"Worry not, Harry," Ragnok said amusedly, "while that is your full title, one of your titles must be primary over the others. Despite it being your birth name, as an Earldom the Potter family actually has juniority to the founder's lines, as you might expect." Harry nodded thoughtfully.
"So which founder line has seniority?" Harry asked curiosity.
"Neither." Ragnok responded simply. "They are equal, in that respect. You may simply choose one to serve as your primary title." Harry was silent for a moment, pondering over his choices, before nodding.
"Then I think I will go with Gryffindor," Harry replied assuredly, "the name just...feels right, if that makes sense." Ragnok nodded and smiled.
"Very well, Harry." The Director replied, making another note on his ledger. "I have made note of title that holds primacy, Duke of Godric's Hollow. Also, as I mentioned previously, your ascension also serves as your emancipation. As far as the law is concerned, you are now considered an adult. All associated records with Gringotts and the Ministry of Magic will be updated to reflect your new status." Harry nodded in reply.
At that moment, a wooden clock hanging on the wall began to chime the hour. They both glanced over at it, to see that it was one o'clock in the afternoon. The Director withdrew a pocket watch from his jacket to confirm the time.
"Hmm, it would appear that our discussion took the better part of an hour." Ragnok murmured, before focusing on Harry. "I believe that most of our business has been concluded, Harry." Said wizard beamed at the goblin and held out his hand.
"Indeed, and thank you for all your help," Harry said gratefully, as Ragnok shook his hand.
"You need not thank me," the Director reminded, "as I said before. We at Gringotts owe you restitution for our mistakes." Harry nodded in understanding, not wanting to insult him by disagreeing. "Before I have a colleague escort you to your vault, I once more offer you the opportunity to have our healers take a look at you."
Harry considered this for a moment, but quickly made up his mind. His parents had told him that the goblins could remove the horcrux from his scar, but it was not something he could just ask for out of the blue. This offer, however, opened up the opportunity for them to discover it by themselves, while also potentially healing much of the damage he had taken from his relatives.
"That would be brilliant, thank you." Harry replied thankfully. "I had planned to find a wizarding hospital to see if they could help me, but if your healers can help me while I am here, that would be excellent." Ragnok smiled, before leading Harry out of his office and down the corridor to the medical wing.
"The healers we have in Gringotts are some of the best in the country," the Director informed him, "you will be in safe hands. While you could have been treated at St. Mungos wizarding hospital just as well, I believe that word would quickly leak out that they were treating the Boy-Who-Lived. With Gringotts, you can be assured of your privacy." Harry grinned widely at that statement.
"Well, that makes it perfect." He exclaimed, drawing a chuckle from the goblin.
As they walked, Harry took a deep breath and smiled. So far, things had gone about as perfectly as they could have done. He had developed a rapport with the head of Gringotts, received his inheritance, and was hopefully about to have the piece of Riddle removed from his forehead. If successful in that regard, he and Hermione would have the opening they needed to send horcruxes to Ragnok for destruction.
'So far, so good,' Harry thought to himself, 'let's hope things keep looking up.'
After another hour spent in the Gringotts' Medical Wing, Harry walked into the lobby of the bank with a spring in his step. His brief time in Gringotts had been exceedingly productive, and laid the groundwork for further success down the line.
As Ragnok had promised, the Gringotts healers were brilliant at their jobs, and had very quickly ascertained the various things wrong with his body. Their detailed diagnostic scans lifted the curtain on the level of abuse he had been subjected to by his relatives: bone deformities, scar tissue, malnutrition, and stunted growth.
To their credit, the healers remained calm, collected and professional as they took in the damage. After seeing the scope of the harm that had befallen this child, however, the healers halted the examination and stepped aside to speak with the Director angrily in their native tongue. A short time later, an incensed Ragnok turned and spoke to Harry.