Mrs. Figg bent closer to Harry and told him in a hushed tone, "The people running this place are of a different race – they are goblins. As you could see, they look like short, stout humans. They are powerful and prideful. Be as polite with them as you can. I believe that they can help you with your scar."
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She could say no more. A group of goblins came into the room. One, who looked the oldest, spoke. "Stand up, child, and step forward, so we can all stand around you."
Harry didn't like being called "child" much more than being called "boy" but he did as requested. The goblins started moving around him, making some noises and waving their arms in various ways. He could see colourful foggy forms appearing momentarily around him and disappearing quickly, only for some others to take their places. Turning his glance to Mrs. Figg he noticed that she was as fascinated as him.
Discover moreBooksRead BestsellersRead E-BooksRead MythsFind Family LawyerThe goblins stopped after a while and seemed to confer together in a language he couldn't understand. Eventually, the older one spoke again. "We found several problems we can fix. The severest one, as expected, is your scar. We can heal it, but it may take a few hours or even a full day. The other problems can be corrected either along with this or with a short treatment later. Do you want us to proceed?"
Harry wasn't sure what to say. "Will it hurt?" he asked.
The goblin didn't hesitate. "It can hurt, but we'll give you a po… medicine to make you sleep, so you won't feel any pain. Then, after you wake up, it will be like any other injury that heals. It may tingle and feel tender for a day or two until it's completely healed."
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"Then I want to do it!" There was no trace of doubt in Harry's voice.
The goblin turned to Mrs. Figg. "Do you agree? His guardians too?"
She smiled nervously. "I have his guardian's written approval and I agreed to the treatment. It was my initiative to do it."
The goblin nodded. "Very well. I wonder why he wasn't treated much sooner."
She looked apologetic. "I wasn't sure I could persuade his guardian earlier nor was I sure he could get your treatment."
The goblin didn't respond. Instead, he turned to Harry. "Take off all your clothes. You may keep your underwear, if you like, then hop on this bed."
Harry remembered his visit to the local hospital some years earlier. The bed looked similar to the beds there, only simpler. He quickly undressed completely, not minding staying naked and then climbed onto the bed, which was surprisingly comfortable.
Discover moreHire BabysitterschildrenFan fiction booksFan fiction appWriting forum accessA goblin brought a small glass with a blue liquid in it. "Drink it all and then lie down."
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The drink was quite tasty and he was a bit thirsty. He gave back the glass, put his head down and knew no more.
–..–
When Harry woke up, he wasn't sure where he was. It wasn't his room, nor his old cupboard. He then remembered going to London and meeting the goblins, undressing and having a drink. Had he fallen asleep?
"Awake, at last?" he heard a gruff voice at his side.
Harry turned his head and saw that same older goblin, only he looked quite tired.
"Aren't we starting the treatment?" he asked.
The goblin seemed amused. "We've already finished your treatment, Lord Potter. We removed a very dark entity from your scar. We could then heal it completely. We also took care of your stunted growth and some old injuries that had not been treated. I'm sorry to inform you that we have also found and removed some illegal binds on your mind and magic and some monitoring and tracking charms, also illegal. We removed them all. I expect your eyesight is also improved, but we're going to test it before you leave. Right now, I believe some food and drink would be welcome. You may get dressed now."
Harry found his clothes at the foot of his bed, just the way he had left them. He got dressed quickly. The room felt much cooler than when they had first arrived. Looking around, he found Mrs. Figg napping on a nearby couch.
"Your meal, Lord Potter," he heard another goblin call.
He turned to the goblin and found a table loaded with food, quite a bit more than he could eat, yet he also felt quite hungry.
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"How long did I sleep?" he asked.
"About six hours. You missed lunch and it's past dinner time now," was the answer.
"Did Mrs. Figg get something to eat?" he asked.
"She was free to get her own meals. You weren't."
His hunger prevented him from asking any more. He ate with gusto and was able to eat most of the food on his tray, feeling quite surprised when he noticed. By then, Mrs. Figg was awake again, but she refused to join his meal. "It would do me some good to eat less," she told him.
Soon after he finished eating, Harry was called to another room, where his eyes were checked and corrected, he assumed. "You now see as well as any human your age," the goblin told him. "Come back in about forty years if you feel your eyesight changing and we'll correct it."
Another goblin came in, wearing what looked like a business suit, the kind Uncle Vernon normally wore, only much smaller, of course. "Lord Potter, before you leave, I'd like to discuss some other matters, if you please."
Harry glanced at Mrs. Figg. She didn't seem to know more than him. "Alright. Can Mrs. Figg come along?"
The goblin shook his head. "She can wait for you in the visitors' waiting room. This discussion is strictly for you."
Harry looked at Mrs. Figg again. She nodded her agreement.
"Fine. How long will it take?"
"Not long; probably less than an hour. Then if you're worried about the time it takes to go back, we can save you most of it, if you like. I'll explain later if you don't mind."
Harry sighed, "Alright. Let's do it." He also noticed another goblin speaking with Mrs. Figg and waving his arm invitingly.
He followed 'his' goblin to a well-furnished office and sat on a comfortable chair in front of the goblin's desk.
"Let me introduce myself first. I'm Sharpclaw, the main Potter account manager for the last thirty-five years. I knew your grandfather and met your father when he was a mere baby. I've noticed some irregularities concerning your account since you lost your parents but was unable to do anything without your input or your guardian's."
"What do you need me to do, then?" Harry asked.
"According to regulations, I first need to positively identify you. I used a drop of blood from your scar to do that, eliminating the need to prick your thumb. I then need to present the current state of your account. I'm not sure you can understand most of it at your age, but I'll try to make it simple enough for you to have at least a general idea of your assets."
Sharpclaw took a deep breath before opening a thick ledger and resuming talking. "By the time your grandparents died, your account was one of the largest in Gringotts. Unfortunately, shortly before you were born, your father started spending very large sums of gold, presumably to fight the rising dark lord at the time. A large part of that gold went to one Albus Dumbledore, who was supposed to head the fight against the dark lord. Maybe he did, but most of that gold stayed in that man's vaults and was not used for the fight. By the time your parents died, the family vaults were almost empty of gold. Luckily for you, your trust vault was untouchable. You're also lucky that he couldn't sell most of the other Potter assets. At the time, many wanted to sell and nobody wanted to buy."
From the sound of it, Harry thought that his father didn't act wisely at all. Why would he give so much to a man who kept it for himself instead of using it for the intended purpose? He felt the need to chastise his father for spending so much gold without assuring it was used correctly.
"Due to that situation, most of those assets stayed your property and started gaining you a very nice income soon after the war was over, refilling your vaults, although not to the same level as before."
As Sharpclaw stopped to check some more information in his files, Harry asked, "Is there a way to get back whatever was transferred to this Dumbledore and not used as intended?"
The goblin shook his head sadly. "Since there's no record of the intended purpose of the transactions, they could be gifts, for all that we know. We can't legally take it back."
Harry sighed. He didn't like it at all, but… well, it was no news that he had very little control of his life. In a way, no child had much more. "All this happened before that night, though. You said there was something later."
Sharpclaw nodded. "That also concerns Dumbledore. As the chief warlock, he sealed your parents' will and assigned himself as your guardian. Then, in his guardian role, he took out a monthly stipend, converted half of it to muggle money and moved it to a muggle bank. The rest went to his own vault. Can you say that it was used for your upkeep?"
Harry shook his head. "Never! Uncle Vernon, if he got the money, never said anything about it, at least I heard nothing. He only complained even about the smallest expense that my presence brought. He and Dudley, my cousin, eat about four times as much as I do, but he's constantly complaining about the cost of feeding me. As for Dumbledore, I don't remember ever seeing him."
Sharpclaw wrote everything attentively and thought for a moment before asking, "Who is the woman who brought you here?"
Harry smiled. "Mrs. Figg. She's been my babysitter since I can remember. My relatives would leave me with her whenever they wanted to go someplace without me. They consider the cost worthwhile to just be free of me. At least Uncle Vernon thinks that way. She's very kind to me but a bit weird, in a good way."
Sharpclaw nodded. "Do you think she could be sent there by another? She moved to that neighbourhood shortly after you were left with the Dursleys."
Harry shrugged. "I don't know, but she's been much kinder to me than my relatives, although my aunt is alright now. She also let me read some books about magic."
Sharpclaw lifted his head in surprise. "Can you do any magic already?"
Harry lifted his hand. "Yes, I can. Lumos!"
All five fingers lit like small flashlights. "Wow, it's much brighter now than before!" Harry exclaimed before saying, "Nox!" making his fingers return to normal.
Sharpclaw looked a bit stunned before he wrote quite a bit more. "Who knows about this?"
"Only Mrs. Figg. I learned this from her book, but it didn't work too well with a stick, at first."
"You mean a wand?"
Harry shook his head. "I don't know how to make a wand. I just took a fallen small branch, cleaned it a bit and used it to try some spells."
It took a moment for Sharpclaw to return to the matters he needed to discuss. "So, Lord Potter, do you want me to start investigating the money taken by Dumbledore since you were left with your relatives?"
"Sure! He'd taken that from me but didn't use it for my benefit. That's thieving, I think." Harry paused for another thought. "But if he pays Mrs. Figg to keep an eye on me, I think she deserves it, although he didn't do anything even at times my relatives were awful to me. They're better since I found ways to handle them."
"What do you mean?"
Harry smiled with evident mischief. "They can't eat if they prevent me from eating. Anyone who tries to beat me suffers from sudden pains in his arms and legs. I protect my aunt that way too."
This was way more than mere accidental magic. Sharpclaw was sure of it. These feats of magic were more than most wizards could do. Or goblins. He suddenly considered himself lucky to be associated with such a powerful young wizard. He would certainly report to his superiors about this.
After a bit of contemplation, Sharpclaw reached a decision. "Lord Potter, I believe that you may benefit from taking your Lord ring at this stage. It can enhance your magic and also protect you from most magic cast on you. Judging by what our healers found, you may need that protection."
Harry nodded, but had a question, first. "Why do you keep calling me 'Lord Potter'? I'm just a child, you know."
Sharpclaw seemed amused. "Your family is called 'The Most Ancient And Noble House Of Potter' as you can see on these documents. The heads of all noble families are called Lords in the magical world. Some of the newer noble families have restrictions to only allow older children or only adults to become Lords. Most ancient families, like yours, have no such restrictions. This doesn't change much in practical terms, since you still need a guardian until you reach adulthood and can only control your political position then, but it allows you some privileges at Gringotts, at some shops and at Hogwarts, the school you're expected to attend after you reach eleven.