As soon as Harry was in his room, Zedatx bid him farewell and apparated back to Gringotts. Harry looked over his room and sighed when he realized just how messy it was. He pulled out his holly wand and with a wave; he managed to get rid of all the old clothes that he never planned on wearing again. There was still ink on the wall and books scattered all over the floor, but Harry didn't bother with them. He gently put his egg on his bed and walked over to Hedwig.
"Hi girl," Harry said while he stroked Hedwig's feathers. "I found out that I inherited a lot of money from Sirius and my parents. I also went on a shopping binge and bought a whole new wardrobe. There was this girl named Sarah, she pretty much dressed me up for two hours like I was her doll."
Hedwig hooted and turned cold when she saw the egg on Harry's bed. She turned to Harry and hooted accusingly.
Harry glanced over his shoulder to see what she was glaring at. He laughed when he realized that Hedwig had seen the egg. "Don't worry girl, that's a familiar egg. You know that you're my friend, and I promise that whatever hatches out of that egg will never replace you."
Hedwig shook her head and hooted sorrowfully.
"I don't care that you're not a familiar," Harry objected. "You're my friend, and you've been with me for years. I would never dream of replacing you. My mum left me this egg, and she had three others that were sent to people who are truly my friends. I don't want you to feel like I don't love you."
The snowy owl looked at Harry sadly for a moment before she hooted and nipped at Harry's fingers gently. Harry smiled and continued stroking her.
"I'm going to be training tomorrow," Harry told her. "It'll only be a week or so to you, but it will be much longer to me." Harry paused for a minute when he considered who he could send his beloved owl to. The Weasleys were out of the question. He considered Hermione, but he didn't know of her loyalty to him yet. "I don't know where to send you girl," Harry sighed. "I don't know if I can trust anyone to take care of you."
Harry checked clock on his nightstand and saw that it was past 2 in the afternoon and there was still a lot to do. He took the trunk out of his pocket and enlarged it at the foot of his bed. Hedwig eyed the trunk with interest and Harry explained briefly that it was his mother's and what it could do.
He waved his hand over the latch to unlock the trunk and took out the two goblin texts. Next he opened the top and climbed in. The stairs went down about a floor, but the trunk was pitch black and Harry could barely see where he was going. He pulled out his alder wand and muttered "Lumos." As soon as he was at the bottom of the stairs torches lit up all over and lit up the trunk. Harry muttered "Nox," and pocketed his wand in the holster while he gaped at his surroundings.
The foyer where he was standing was bigger than the Gryffindor common room. There was an odd collection of paintings on the walls, but they all seemed to be sleeping and weren't moving. Harry walked forward and nearly had another heart attack when he entered the next room. He was standing in a room that could rival the Great hall in size. There were couches, tables and chairs scattered along the edges of the room, but it was obvious to Harry that this space was used to train. There were a few scorch marks on the walls that Harry assumed had come from an uncontrolled spell.
"I guess this is where I'll be training," Harry muttered to himself.
He continued to search through the trunk and found four different rooms. The rooms were the size of Harry's dorm back at Hogwarts with king-sized beds, but each one had its own private bathroom. Harry also found a rather large kitchen and a formal looking dining room. He also found a small swimming pool in the corner of the apartment, and he was glad that Sarah had convinced him to buy swim suits. Shortly after that Harry managed to find the library.
The library was absolutely huge. The ceiling was at least two stories high. There were bookshelves everywhere and they went as high as the ceiling. In the center of the library was a small circle surrounded by the bookshelves. There was an old desk and comfortable chairs in the small circle and Harry decided that this was meant to be a work station.
"This is amazing," Harry mused while clutching the goblin books tighter. "But how am I supposed to navigate through this library and pick out books?"
Harry quickly got his answer. As soon as he said his question out loud, an old book and podium materialized next to the desk. Harry walked up to it and ran his fingers along the cover. There wasn't a title on the book, but it gave off a very old magic. Cautiously, Harry opened the book and gasped when he saw that it was a magical directory. There were all sorts of titles that filled every page.
"This is so cool," Harry gasped. "I wonder what kind of books on defense they've got."
Right away the book glowed and the pages wiped clean. Harry panicked for a moment that he broke it, but then a long list of titles appeared on the page. There were titles like Dark Curses and How to Defend Against Them, Defense Theory and Its Practical Uses and Ancient Duels of the World. Harry gently touched one of the titles on the page and the title highlighted. Soon there was a 'whoosh' and Harry looked up in time to see a book weaving through the library. Harry held out his hand and grabbed the book when it stopped in front of him. Harry noticed that it was the same title that he had touched in the directory.
"Okay," Harry said, beginning to understand how the directory worked. He touched the title again and the book jolted right out of his hands back towards its spot. "Books on goblins," he told the directory when the book was out of sight.
Again the book glowed and the titles were wiped clean. Harry frowned when he saw that there were only a few titles. He told himself that he would ask Ragnok for recommendations on good books about goblins.
"How do I add books to the directory?" Harry mumbled to himself.
Instantly a silver quill appeared next to the book. Harry picked up the quill and began to write the titles in the book, the quill apparently didn't need ink. Once he was finished, the goblin books in his hands began flying away as if they had been summoned. Harry looked back down at the directory and saw that the two titles that he had written down were now magically added to the book.
"Well that takes care of that," Harry said cheerfully.
Harry made his way back to the training room and took a deep breath. He was going to be spending a lot of time in here, and he needed some help.
"Dobby, Winky," Harry called.
There were two loud 'pops' and Dobby and Winky appeared in the trunk. Dobby was jumping up and down in excitement while Winky looked rather nervous. Harry immediately noticed that Winky looked much thinner than Dobby and her eyes were still red from crying.
I guess she hasn't gotten over Barty Crouch's death yet, Harry thought sympathetically.
"The great Harry Potter has called Dobby and Winky?" Dobby asked excitedly. He looked to Winky expectantly and his ears drooped when he realized that she wasn't excited to be there.
Harry smiled and knelt down so he was eye level with the two elves. "I called you here Dobby because I wanted to ask you something. Have you and Winky made an elf contract to work for Dumbledore?"
Dobby shook his head immediately while Winky eyed Harry suspiciously. "Dobby and Winky are still free elves," Dobby said proudly. Winky whimpered at the statement and Dobby flinched. "Dobby is sorry Winky," he said turning to Winky. "Dobby knows that Winky does not like to hear that."
Winky smiled weakly at Dobby. "Winky is okay," she said quietly. "Masters Crouch is gone and Winky must get used to hearing that she is a free elf."
"If you want Winky," Harry started. "I called you two here to ask if you would like to consider becoming my house elves."
Dobby immediately burst into tears. "Dobby would be honored to work for Harry Potter! Harry Potter wants Dobby for his house elf!"
Harry smiled and put his hand on Dobby's shoulder. "Of course I want you to be my house elf." He turned to Winky and said gently, "I understand if you feel like you can't serve another wizard. But, I can promise you that I will treat you well and I won't take you for granted."
Winky looked at Harry with a stunned expression. "Why does Harry Potter want Winky? Winky is a bad elf, she didn't listen to Master's orders and was given clothes. Harry Potter shouldn't want a bad elf!"
She continued to rant about how she was a bad elf. Tears began pouring out of her eyes and she began to tremble. The sight broke Harry's heart. With a warm smile, Harry pulled Winky into a gentle embrace and patted her on the back while she finished crying.
"You aren't a bad elf," Harry told her. "The fact that you are still so dedicated to your old master even after this long shows me that you are a great elf. I would personally love to have that level of dedication in my elf."
Winky looked Harry in the eye and pulled away looking horrified that she had just cried on Harry Potter. "Winky is so sorry! Winky got Harry Potter's clothes all wet! See, Winky is a bad elf!"
"Winky," Harry said a little firmer. "If I thought you were a bad elf I wouldn't have called you. I don't mind that you cried on me, in fact I hope that you would come to me if you had a problem or if you needed something."
"Harry Potter really wants Winky? Winky can hold her head high again, knowing she is serving a great wizard?"
Harry nodded. "Will you work for me?"
Winky nodded enthusiastically and started crying again. Dobby stopped crying and was beaming. "Dobby and Winky will be great elves to Harry Potter! Does Harry Potter want to form the contract now?"
"That would be great Dobby. But, I don't know how to form a contract."
"Harry Potter must take out his wand and claim Dobby and Winky." Dobby instructed.
Harry nodded and pulled out his alder wand. He held it in front of his face and said, "I, Harry Potter, Lord of the Ancient and Noble Houses of both Potter and Black, do hereby claim Dobby and Winky to become my house elves."
There was a light green flash that covered Dobby and Winky, but it was quickly gone. Once the light faded Dobby burst into tears and Winky stared at Harry in disbelief.
"Master Harry Potter is Lord Potter-Black?" she gasped. "Master could get any house elf and he still wanted Winky?"
Harry grinned sheepishly and put his wand away. "Sorry, I forgot to mention that. Do you still want to be my elf?"
"Of course!" Winky cried. "Winky is just surprised! To serve a Lord is a great honor for an elf!"
"I'm glad that you're happy," Harry said truthfully. "Would you guys like a tour of the trunk?"
"Trunk?" Dobby asked curiously.
"Oh we're in a trunk right now," Harry said bluntly. "When I inherited my titles, I also inherited my mum's old trunk. This apartment is in that trunk and has everything including a library and pool. I'll give you a tour in a bit, but I want to explain what's happening."
Harry spent some time explaining what had happened at Gringotts, his new wand and his shopping binge. The two elves' eyes widened when Harry explained that he was going to be training in the trunk and that there was a time compression rune on it that Harry planned on activating the next day.
"I'm going to need one of you to take care of the trunk and patch it up. And the other one I'm going to need to take care of the food and feeding all of us."
"Winky is a very good cook," Dobby said with a bright smile. "Dobby can clean the apartment while Winky cooks for Lord Potter-Black and his goblin master."
"And yourselves as well," Harry said immediately. "I want you guys to eat with us at all meals. You aren't slaves here."
Dobby burst into tears immediately. "Lord Potter-Black treats lowly Dobby and Winky like equals! Dobby always knew that Lord Potter-Black was a great wizard, but still can't believe how great!"
After Dobby calmed down, they finished going over the details about what they needed to do. Harry gave Winky his watch so that she would be able to tell what time it was outside of the trunk when she went shopping. She nearly cried when Harry gave her some galleons and told her to go buy materials to make new uniforms. After much assurance that Harry wasn't giving them clothes, Harry gave the elves the tour and explained that they could apparate in and out of the trunk. Winky immediately began inspecting her new kitchen while Dobby told Harry that he would begin to work on the apartment while Harry took care of things outside of the trunk.
Harry climbed out of the trunk and closed the lid and locked it. He sighed and collapsed on his bed. He was about to close his eyes when he felt something missing. Alarmed, he searched all over his bed and cried out when he noticed that his egg was gone.
"Where is it?" he asked frantically. Turning to Hedwig he asked, "Hedwig! Where's my egg? The Dursleys couldn't have seen it while it's in the pouch!"
Hedwig looked at Harry and hooted scornfully. She turned her head pointedly underneath the bed. Harry looked under his bed and sighed in relief when he saw that the egg was safe. He pulled it out and dusted the pouch off.
"How did you roll off?" he asked exasperatedly. "You're still an egg!"
The egg warmed again before moving slightly. Harry flinched in surprise when the egg moved and he thought for a moment that it was going to hatch. He let out a breath in relief when the egg stopped shaking and cooled down. He put the strap over his shoulder and walked out of his room.
Judging by the sounds of slobbering in the kitchen, Harry assumed that the Dursleys were home and it was time for dinner. Harry walked downstairs and into the kitchen. His brilliant detective skills were spot on, sitting at the table were the two land-bound whales, and his aunt was scrambling to make sure that there was plenty of food on the table.
"Hello," Harry said politely. "How was London?"
Vernon looked up from his over-flowing plate and glared at Harry. "What's it to you boy?" he demanded. "We didn't buy you anything."
"I didn't ask if you did," Harry said through gritted teeth. "I was just asking how your day was."
"It was fine," Vernon grumbled while he began inhaling his food again.
Petunia, who had been eyeing Harry and looked confused at his polite tone, motioned with her hand for Harry to take a seat. "You might as well eat," she said indifferently.
Harry nodded in appreciation and sat next to Dudley, who was scooting his chair as far away as he could.
"You weren't here when we got back," Vernon said accusingly. "Where does a freak like you go?"
"I went to my bank to get my inheritance," Harry said simply. He smiled at Vernon's furious expression and Dudley's envious one.
"Well where did you get those clothes?" Vernon snapped. "We damn sure didn't get those for you."
Harry shrugged and helped himself to a piece of fried chicken before Dudley inhaled it. "I bought a new wardrobe with the money I got. I also got a trunk from my mum."
"How much money did you inherit?" Vernon asked greedily.
"I inherited wizarding currency," Harry said coldly. "It's of no use to you." Harry didn't feel like mentioning that wizard currency could be exchanged for British pounds. "But, in the wizarding world I'd say that I'm one of the wealthiest in England.
Vernon gaped at the nephew he hated in disbelief and anger. "How come a freak like you inherits money while good people like me are working hard to put food on the table?"
You put plenty of food on the table, Harry thought. The amount of food you and Dudley go through in one day could feed a normal family for a week.
"I wanted to tell you that you won't see me for the next week," Harry said mildly. "I'm not leaving the house, but you won't see me."
"Where are you going freak?" Vernon sneered. "None of your kind will take you yet?"
"I'm going to be training," Harry said coolly. "All you need to know is that you won't hear me see me and you won't need to feed me. I'll be happy and you'll be happy. But you cannot go in my room during this week."
"It's my bloody house!" Vernon roared. "Who do you think you are, banning me from my own house?"
Harry took another bite of chicken and shrugged. "I just thought that you wouldn't want to be hexed. If you enter my room you might get hit by a wayward spell."
Vernon grew pale, Petunia nearly dropped the plate of food she was carrying and Dudley immediately grabbed his bottom. "You cannot do magic outside of school," Vernon sputtered. "You'll be expelled again."
"I can do magic outside of school now," Harry said simply. He pulled his holly wand out and said, "I can show you if you'd like."
"Put that ruddy thing away!" Vernon shouted fearfully. He began growing purple and kept a wary eye on Harry's wand. "Fine," he snapped. "We won't enter your room."
"Thank you," Harry said pleasantly while he pocketed his wand. "I'll be gone from 9 in the morning till next week."
Vernon grunted something and continued to angrily shovel food in his mouth. They finished the meal in relative silence, but Harry caught each fearful glance that his family shot his way. He quickly finished his meal and left the table with a polite 'thank you for dinner' to Petunia. He made his way back up to his room and performed a locking charm on his door.
"It feels so good to be able to do magic," he told Hedwig who began to hoot and pointed to the window with her wing.
Frowning, Harry walked over to the window and saw that a small owl was struggling against the wind to fly to Harry's window. Harry instantly recognized the owl as Ron's hyperactive pet, Pidwigeon. He saw that the owl was clutching a letter and Harry felt his heart warm up with hope.
"Ron must be a true friend," he said excitedly to Hedwig. "He must have received one of the eggs and he responded to the letter attached!"
Harry stretched his arm out of his window and caught the little owl before it got blown away. The small owl hooted cheerfully and flew right over to an irritated Hedwig. Harry quickly opened the letter and frowned when he realized that it wasn't Ron's handwriting.
Dear Harry,
How are you? You haven't written to me since the summer began and I've been worrying about you. In case you are wondering about Pig delivering the letter, I was visiting Ron for the week and I wanted to send you a letter, I'm returning home tonight. I'm staying home for the summer, but my parents want to spend some time with me, so I might not join you at the Burrow or wherever until late August. I hope that you aren't still blaming yourself for what happened at the ministry, it wasn't your fault. I've already gotten my homework done and I've become real familiar with the ways of the Ancient Houses and their power in the Wizengamot. Their magic is fascinating, and I'm just sorry that I couldn't ask Sirius more about it. Again, it's not your fault. I hope that you'll write to me soon.
Take care. Love,
Hermione J. Granger
Harry was so disappointed at the fact that Ron hadn't sent the letter that he almost missed the fact that one letter in Hermione's letter stood out from the rest.
"'I've become real familiar'…she got an egg!" he exclaimed to Hedwig. "She got an egg and she knows what it is and that she can't tell the Weasleys about it! She also knows that I'm the new Lord Black. Damn, Hermione is so brilliant."
Hedwig hooted in agreement and continued to glare at Pidwigeon. Harry chuckled and watched while the little owl once again took off out of the window and was almost immediately blown away.
"Hermione is a true friend," Harry said to himself. He felt a little guilty for doubting her, but he couldn't stop smiling. Knowing that she wasn't using him or pretending to like him felt good. "Now I know where I can send you," he told Hedwig cheerfully.
Harry quickly grabbed a spare piece of parchment and a quill and ink. He wrote out a letter and he looked back to read it through.
Dear Hermione,
I'm doing as well as can be expected. Are you okay? You were hurt pretty bad and you were still hurting when we got back home. I'm so sorry that I didn't listen to you, but I promise that I'll respect you and your advice from now on. I'm glad that you're becoming so familiar with the politics of the Ancient Houses; I bet that Professor Binns will love talking to you about the topic when school starts. I'm personally trying to become more familiar with the ways of the goblins. I've been reading about them in our History of Magic text.
Now I'm gonna ask you a favor. The Dursleys are having company for the next week and they've told me that I can't have Hedwig in the house. Would you take care of her for me for the next week? I'd really appreciate it. Hopefully I'll be able to talk to you after the Dursley's company leaves. Don't worry about me, I'm studying hard and getting all of my homework done.
I'll talk to you next week. Thank you for being my friend,
Harry
He smiled when he couldn't pick up anything obvious in case it got intercepted and rolled up the parchment. He tied it to Hedwig's leg along with a package of owl treats.
"You're gonna stay at Hermione's for a while okay?" he asked the owl. "Please be on your best behavior."
Hedwig rolled her eyes to Harry's surprise and took off. Harry watched his owl fly away and sighed. He walked over to his trunk and took out all of his clothes. Next he opened the trunk and walked back in. There were still a lot of preparations for the next day when Harry began his lessons with Ragnok's finest warrior.
Harry was out cold by the time his head hit the pillow that night. Between helping Dobby and Winky set up their rooms, (the two elves had insisted on sharing quarters and had magically enlarged a closet), moving most of his stuff from his room at the Dursley's to his room in the trunk and worrying about what else Dumbledore had manipulated, Harry was exhausted.
There were two things that worried Harry a lot about being gone for a week to train in his trunk. The first thing was that he might miss the letters from the other two owners of the familiar eggs. And the second thing was that Dumbledore would notice that he would was gone.
"Dobby can pop into Master Harry's room to check for letters many times a day," Dobby had told him. "And Dobby will also keep an eye out for wizards spying on Master Harry's bedroom."
Dobby's words had comforted Harry a little, but he couldn't get rid of the feeling that something was going to happen, and soon.
Harry's alarm began to buzz at 7:30. He was on his feet immediately and ran to the bathroom to shower and brush his teeth. Once he was done getting freshened up and dressed, he threw his toiletries and his other last minute items in his book bag and left it by the trunk along with his egg. He checked the window to see if he had gotten any letters during the night, but there was no sign of any letters or owls.
Frowning slightly, Harry walked to the kitchen and began making breakfast. He decided that since he was awake and ready, he might as well cook breakfast for the Dursleys. The bacon was just about finished when Petunia walked into the kitchen and glanced at the table full of food.
"I thought you were leaving today," she sniffed. "Did the freaks decide to cancel on you?"
Harry brushed off her comment and smiled politely. "I'll be gone by 9. I was making myself breakfast and thought that I might as well make enough for you guys." He looked at the clock on the wall and smiled when he saw that it read 8:40.
Petunia followed his glance towards the clock and sneered. "You better eat fast; I don't want you to miss your freak friends. Where are they picking you up anyway?"
"They're picking me up in my room," he said simply. He took his time eating and left the table by the time that Vernon and Dudley entered the kitchen, woken up by the smell of food. "Have a nice week," Harry said pleasantly.
He walked up to his room and checked the clock. It was 8:50, and Harry didn't know if goblins tended to be early. He paced back and forth in his room, anxiously waiting for the clock to reach 9. He locked his door, and performed a locking charm with his alder wand just to be safe.
There's no way that the Dursleys can get in here, Harry thought smugly.
While Harry was admiring the alder wand's locking charm, the clock on his nightstand flicked to 9:00. Harry heard a soft 'pop' from behind him, but before he could even turn to greet his new master, he felt a cold, sharp point digging into his neck.
"Never forget your back," a deep scratchy voice said from behind Harry.
The point went away and Harry breathed in relief. He turned around and saw a goblin sheathing a sword and glaring at Harry. The goblin came up to Harry's waist and had a very distrustful look in his eyes. There were scars covering the goblin's body and the goblin was dressed in just a tunic that went to his knees and a simple pair of breeches. Even though the goblin was dressed simply, he looked very much like a warrior.
The goblin scoffed and hoisted his pack over his shoulder. "I am Zux Greatkiller. I shall be your master for the next seven months. But I warn you now, just because Ragnok found you worthy does not mean that I have as well. You will only earn my respect by working hard."
Harry nodded and bowed respectfully. "Yes Master Greatkiller. I will work very hard and I hope to be worthy of your respect by the time our time is up."
Zux nodded approvingly and glanced around the room. "I hardly hope that this is where we will be training."
"Not at all Master. We will be training in here," Harry walked over to the trunk and opened the lid. "Inside I have two house elves that are waiting for our arrival. Should I activate the time compression runes now Master?"
"Yes," Zux said. He agilely leapt into the trunk and began walking down the stairs while Harry activated the rune and grabbed his bag and egg.
Harry caught up with Zux in the training area. The goblin was inspecting the space and was muttering to himself occasionally. Harry watched the goblin until Dobby and Winky came running in and bowed low.
"Greetings Master Harry," they both greeted. Dobby turned to the goblin and gave a smaller bow of respect. "And greetings to you as well goblin warrior," he said. "My name is Dobby and Dobby is hoping that goblin warrior will not hesitate to request Dobby's assistance."
Winky bowed to Zux as well. "My name is Winky, and Winky is in charge of the kitchen. Winky is not terribly familiar with what goblins like to eat, so Winky hopes that goblin warrior will inform Winky of what he likes."
Zux looked at the two elves with interest. It was rare for a goblin to be treated respectfully by house elves. "Thank you for your hospitality. My name is Zux Greatkiller, and if I need anything I will ask."
Harry smiled at the exchange. Just by watching the exchange between two races that normally didn't get along well gave him hope that the bridges between races weren't completely destroyed yet. "Would you like me to show you your room Master?" Harry asked respectfully.
"Yes, I shall deposit my belongings and then we shall go over your training schedule," Zux said coolly.
Harry showed Zux where he would be staying while Dobby ran to the training area to do some last minute cleaning and Winky ran to the kitchen to make some human and goblin friendly snacks.
Zux's eyes widened when he saw the room he would be staying in. Every piece of furniture had been magiced so that it was the perfect height for a goblin. Even though Zux was Ragnok's finest warrior, he had never before had such great living conditions.
"I had Dobby charm everything in your room and bathroom so that it would be a comfortable height for you," Harry explained when he saw Zux's expression.
"These quarters will do fine," Zux said curtly. "Now, you shall change into your training clothing while I unpack. I expect to see you in the training room in five minutes."
Harry bowed and hurried to get changed. He ran into his room, secured his egg on his bed, and threw on a pair of sweatpants and a loose t-shirt. He ran back to the training room and waited anxiously for Zux to show up. So far, Harry got the impression that the goblin really didn't want to be there, and that Zux was very serious when it came to his skills.
The sound of a sword being pulled from its sheath was all the warning that Harry had. Harry turned around just in time to dodge a swipe from Zux. The goblin was coolly watching Harry and continued to strike out.
Each strike was powerful and nearly knocked Harry back. He used his seeker reflexes and managed to dodge most of the blows, but a couple blows lightly scratched him. Zux kept his face expressionless while he continued to go through different sword techniques. Harry began panting after five minutes of evading the goblin and cursed when Zux suddenly leapt at him and used his weight to push Harry to the ground. Harry grunted when his back hit the floor and felt his breathing labor even more when Zux remained standing on his chest. Zux had his sword pointed at Harry's throat and poked it intentionally so that it drew a thin line of blood.
"Never forget your back," the goblin repeated while he wiped Harry's blood off of his sword before sheathing it. He jumped off of Harry's chest and sat cross-legged in front of Harry. "You, like many wizards, like the physical endurance to continue fighting for long periods of time. We will have to fix this."
Harry nodded and sat up. He winced when his cuts began to sting and he made a move to touch them when Zux growled.
"A warrior wears his scars proudly," he said. "Unless you have broken a bone or have seriously injured yourself, you will not heal your wounds. I haven't given you any serious wounds. That scar on your forehead is living proof that you have done what no being has before by surviving the killing curse. And yet I can tell that you try to hide it and are ashamed of it. If you are to be my student, then you must be willing to wear your scars with pride for they mark your accomplishments."
"Yes Master," Harry mumbled.
Zux glared at Harry until Winky came running in with a tray of food. She gave a little start when she saw Harry bleeding, but Harry assured her that he was fine and she left the food and returned to her kitchen. Zux took a piece of barely cooked meat from the tray and shoved it in his mouth.
"Before I go into further details of what you will be doing, Ragnok instructed me to give you this." He dug his hand into his tunic and pulled out an old piece of parchment and handed it to Harry. "This is the goblin copy of the Legend of Hogwarts. You may read it now."
Harry anxiously opened the parchment and carefully read the prophecy.
When war has torn across the land
And those who are pure turn against those who are mixed
Four shall rise and defeat the two foes
One foe of Darkness and one foe of Light
The founder's magic shall return
And through them shall the bridges restore
Through a bond so true shall they unite
To unlock the secrets of Hogwarts
Gryffindor shall lead
Ravenclaw shall plan
Hufflepuff shall protect
Slytherin shall redeem
Only together can both foes be conquered
And only together shall they survive
Harry read through the prophecy twice and frowned. "I think I have read this before, but Ragnok told me that the goblin version was slightly different. What's different Master?"
Zux grinned. "There is more to the prophecy. But that part I shall keep to myself until you accomplish your training, that's assuming that you do manage to survive training."
Harry noticed then that the parchment was torn at the bottom. "Very well Master."
"We will be starting off with your physical training," Zux told him. "There is no point in training you to wield a blade if you are too tired after a couple of swings. We shall do physical training at 7am sharp. You will need a full breakfast before each day, but don't be surprised if you end up losing your breakfast for the first week. We will do physical training until 12, after which we shall have lunch until 1 before doing some light weapon training. We shall train with weapons only until 4pm, and in the beginning we shall mainly be going over what types of weapons there are and their practicalities. I will start some heavy weapons training with you once your endurance has improved and after we find a goblin weapon that suits you best. After weapon training, I shall teach you the goblin language and some simple goblin magic. You will be unable to do much goblin magic, but I can teach you to apparate the goblin way, it is easier and quieter and you do not require a license. We shall train your mind and magic until 6, then we shall have dinner and you will have free time. But, I suggest that you use your free time to read the books that Ragnok gave you. Weekends you shall have off, but I still expect you to do some training on your own."
"I'll work very hard," Harry said with a respectful bow.
Zux nodded and took the parchment back from Harry and put it back in his tunic. "We're starting late today, but we shall stick to the training schedule." He waved his hand and a large number of weights appeared. There were also what looked like old fashioned punching bags and bows scattered about. "We'll start off light with laps." He waved his hand again and the training area expanded, now it was the size of a running track. "Start running, four laps in this room is the equivalent of a mile, which will be fine for today."
Harry nodded and stood up. He stretched his legs quickly before running towards the edge and began doing laps. Harry thought that his experience as a seeker on the Quidditch team kept him pretty fit, but he quickly realized that just riding a broomstick, evading bludgers and looking for the snitch wasn't exactly a hardcore workout. He barely finished the second lap before he started to pant very hard.
It's actually kinda funny, he thought to himself. I've fought a basilisk, took part in the tri-wizard tournament and survived three Voldemort attacks, all while I lack the physical endurance to run a mile without getting exhausted.
By the time the mile was up, Harry was bent over his knees gasping for breath. His t-shirt was covered in sweat and his face was so red that it could rival Ron's hair.
Zux watched Harry with an amused expression. "You did better than I thought you would," he admitted. "I was expecting you to collapse halfway through." He walked over to Harry. "Endurance and strength will come in time, but only if you work at it. Now, on your hands and knees, we'll be doing some pushups and sit-ups. Give me twenty pushups."
Harry opened his mouth to argue, but Zux silenced him with a glare. "Yes Master," he mumbled and began doing some traditional pushups.
Harry made it up to fifteen pushups without too much difficulty, but Zux then decided to make the last five more difficult and climbed on Harry's back. The goblin didn't weigh a terrible amount, but the extra weight was enough to make Harry tremble with the effort. After Harry finished the pushups Zux immediately moved him onto sit-ups.
Physical training was beyond brutal, and Harry had no idea how he was going to last seven months. Zux managed to fit numerous grueling exercises in the three hours that they had to work out. He made Harry do lots of weight training, more running and he even began working Harry on speed. Zux was true to his word; Harry had to run to the bathroom twice during his workout to empty out his stomach. Every time that Harry ran to the common bathroom, Winky, who had been watching, would look at Zux in dislike. The goblin assured her that Harry would survive longer thanks to this, and Winky returned to her kitchen.
Finally, the clock in the training area chimed 12, and Harry was allowed to put down the weights that he had been using. His whole body was shaking and he looked paler than he usually did. Harry immediately collapsed into one of the chairs against the wall. Winky was by his side in a heartbeat carrying a large pitcher of iced water and a few goblets.
"Can Winky get Master Harry anything else?" she asked anxiously while she set the water on the table that sat next to the chair.
Harry shook his head and poured himself a glass of water. "I'm okay Winky, is lunch almost ready?"
Winky nodded. "Winky has finished making lunch. Would Master Harry like lunch to be served in the dining room?"
"I don't think I could make it there," Harry joked weakly. "Here would be great Winky."
Winky immediately ran to the kitchen to bring out the lunch. Zux walked over to the chairs and sat down to help himself to a goblet of water.
"You did better than I thought you would," he admitted. "You will grow stronger in time, but the first week tends to be the hardest."
Harry smiled tiredly. "I guess I'm a typical out of shape wizard huh?
Zux shook his head and took a sip of water. "You are far from typical Lord Potter-Black. Ragnok told me of your promise to be a kind Lord, and at first I didn't believe him. But, even after knowing you for a couple hours I can tell that you do not see yourself any more important than myself or your two house elves."
Winky came running in the room with a large tray of food before Harry could respond. She placed the tray on the table and bowed deeply. "Can Winky get anything else for Master Harry or Zux Greatkiller?"
"This is perfect, thank you Winky," Harry said and Zux nodded in appreciation. "Where is Dobby?"
"Dobby is working on the pool area Master Harry. Shall Winky fetch him?"
Harry grabbed one of the sandwiches. "I was wondering if you and Dobby would like to join us."
Winky's eyes widened and they began to shine with unshed tears. "Master Harry truly is as kind as Dobby told Winky. But, Winky is afraid she must decline Master Harry's kind invitation. Winky still has much work to do to get the kitchen fully operable and Dobby is very dedicated to finishing the pool. Winky and Dobby would be honored to join Master Harry for dinner later though if it pleases Master Harry."
"That would be great," Harry said. "Thank you for lunch Winky, it looks great."
Winky smiled and bowed before heading back to her kitchen.
Zux watched the whole interaction with a smile and helped himself to some more meat. "When you finish eating, you may take the rest of the time off. Remember though, we start weapons training at 1 so I don't recommend taking a quick nap."
"Yes Master." They finished lunch in half an hour and Harry went to his bedroom. He looked in the mirror and groaned when he saw how gross he looked. His clothes were still dark with sweat, his hair was sticking to his face and his glasses were sliding off.
"I guess I should change," he said to himself.
He quickly took off his sweaty clothes and left them in a bin by the door where Winky had told him to leave his dirty clothes. Once he was changed he checked the clock and sighed when he realized that he only had a half an hour until he started training again. His muscles were completely sore and he could barely keep his eyes open. He climbed on his bed and picked up his egg and took it out of its pouch.
As soon as the egg was in his hands it grew incredibly hot. Harry yelped and put the egg back on his bed, half expecting his bed to catch fire. The egg flashed red a couple times before it calmed down. Tentatively, Harry reached forward and touched the egg. It was still warm, but nowhere near as hot as it had been.
"What the heck was that?" Harry asked out loud.
"That would be your familiar expressing its anger with you."
Harry turned around and saw Zux leaning against the doorway with an amused expression on his scarred face.
"What do you mean?"
Zux laughed. "Your egg has talked to you before hasn't it?"
Harry looked at his egg before turning back to Zux. "You mean when it warms up?"
"Well eggs can't exactly talk can they? Your familiar may not have hatched yet, but it's still talking with you."
"So why did it burn me?"
Zux rolled his eyes in amusement. "How else is it supposed to tell you its angry?" He chuckled again before leaving Harry alone with his egg.
Harry stood at his egg in confusion for a couple moments before he sat down on his bed and pulled the egg in his lap. "So you're angry with me?"
He got two warm pulses in response.
"I don't exactly know how to find out why you're angry with me, so I'll just do trial and error. Is it because I didn't notice that you rolled off my bed yesterday?"
He got one warm pulse.
Harry scratched his head and sighed. "Is it because I'm training with Master Zux?"
He got two warm pulses.
"Oh I get it. You don't like that I'm not going to be paying as much attention to you."
Two faint warm pulses.
Harry smiled sadly and hugged the egg gently. "You feel lonely because I've left you all by yourself in here while I'm working with Master Zux. Would it make you feel better if I bring you in the training room with us?"
Two warm, happy pulses.
Harry laughed and picked the egg up. "Why don't we go visit Dobby and see what he's doing with the pool?"
Again, two happy pulses.
Harry put the egg in the pouch and threw the strap over his shoulder while he walked out his door. The pool was down the hall from the library, and Dobby had seemed very excited about improving the pool.
When Harry opened the door to the pool, he forgot all about his weariness and gasped at the sight. Overnight, Dobby had turned a typical pool into a lake with a waterfall. The waterfall was ten feet over the deepest part of the lake, and Harry guessed that it was to serve as a slide due to the stairs that had been magiced into the rocks. There was healthy grass surrounding the pool and the whole room looked like an ideal place to swim.
Dobby was snapping his fingers close to the waterfall and the water flowed a little faster. His eyes were a little bloodshot from lack of sleep, but he seemed very excited about what he had accomplished.
"This is amazing Dobby," Harry said as he walked over to his friend.
Dobby yelped in surprise and turned around to bow hastily. "Master Harry surprised Dobby. Dobby was hoping to finish last night, but it wasn't perfect enough for Master Harry."
"What are you talking about Dobby? This is bloody brilliant!"
Dobby blushed at the praise and looked up at Harry. "Dobby thought that Master Harry would miss being outside, so Dobby decided to make the pool look like it was outside. Dobby is still working on the sky and is trying to create a breeze. Does Master Harry really like it?"
Harry couldn't stop smiling at Dobby's thoughtfulness. He hadn't thought about how he would be stuck behind stone walls for seven months, but Dobby had been thinking about Harry's best interests.
"I love it Dobby, I can't wait till it's finished. But please don't work yourself to exhaustion over it. Why don't you take a break and finish it tomorrow?"
Dobby's ears drooped slightly. "Does Master Harry not want to swim tonight after training?"
Harry shook his head. "I can live until tomorrow for a swim. I just don't you exhausting your magic in attempt to finish this right away."
Dobby's ears perked up again and he bowed. "Master Harry doesn't want Dobby to get tired," he sniffed. "Dobby always dreamed of serving Master Harry ever since he freed Dobby from his old, bad masters, and Master Harry is an even better master than Dobby ever thought."
Harry grinned in embarrassment and his egg kept warming and cooling, almost as if it was laughing at him.
Outside the pool room, Harry heard the clock begin to chime and he swore under his breath. He said a hasty goodbye to Dobby and he sprinted towards the training room. Zux was looking impatient in the center of the training room when Harry entered, and Harry gulped when he saw that the goblin was surrounded by weapons.
Harry quickly put his egg on one of the chairs and secured it in place with some pillows. Once he was sure that the egg wasn't going anywhere, he sprinted, much to his leg's protest, towards the center and bowed deeply to his master.
"I apologize for being late Master," Harry said sincerely.
Zux snorted and picked up one of the weapons. "When I was training, if I was ever late I had to go through arrow dodging exercises without my armor. I will not do this to you, human skin is much more fragile than a goblin's, but if you are late again then I will take action."
Harry held his bow and apologized again. "I was admiring Dobby's work in the pool room Master."
"You can swim on the weekend when you have time off," Zux snapped. He picked up a large axe off of the floor that was half of his size and gave it an effortless swing. "Today for weapons we will go over the basics. This, obviously, is an axe and is only used by the more thickset warriors. If a goblin does not have the strength to pick it up, then he will not have the strength to wield it. What do you suppose are the advantages and disadvantages of using an axe as a weapon?"
"Um, the axe is heavy so it would be slow," Harry said hesitatingly. Zux nodded encouragingly for Harry to continue. "But because of that weight the axe also has more power and could easily take out an enemy if the wielder has enough power behind the swing."
Zux handed Harry the axe, who nearly dropped it, unprepared for the weight. "That is correct. I do not expect you to be an axe wielder, but weapon diversity is important for a warrior."
Harry nodded and took a couple steps back from Zux before he gave the axe a couple of swings. The weapon just felt wrong in his hands, and the effort of holding onto the weapon alone was making Harry sore.
"I thought as much," Zux said while he held his hand out for the axe. Harry handed him the axe and Zux gently placed it on the ground before picking up a bow. "Goblin bows are much more durable than human ones. What would be the advantages and disadvantages of wielding a bow?"
"A bow is a long range weapon and can be used while hidden," Harry said thoughtfully. "But if someone sees the arrow coming at them it can be evaded. Plus arrows aren't always strong enough to pierce armor."
Zux nodded approvingly and handed Harry the bow and an arrow. "Try to draw that bow. I merely want to see if you possess any potential."
Harry nodded and tried to arrange the arrow on the bow. Zux eventually guided Harry's hands to the correct placements and stepped back while Harry drew the bow. Harry aimed for a tapestry that hung twenty feet in the opposite direction of where Zux and his egg were. He drew the bow and grunted when he realized just how difficult it was. Once the bowstring was drawn, he let it go. Harry smiled, but quickly scowled when he saw that the arrow had barely made it five feet.
"I do not believe that you are a bow wielder either," Zux chuckled while holding his hand out for the bow. "You have a more agile build and you lack the upper body strength to draw the bow effectively. It is quite possible that you will become a decent bow wielder with training, but it is not your ideal weapon."
They went through weapon after weapon from daggers to clubs. Harry thought for a moment that he would be good with a sword like Zux was, but he felt terribly clumsy when wielding a blade. Harry was getting more discouraged with each weapon while Zux was becoming more and more curious.
Harry had just proved that he was not a hammer wielder by nearly dropping it on his foot, and was handing the weapon back to Zux. "Maybe I'm not meant to wield a goblin weapon," he said sadly.
Zux placed the hammer back with the other discarded weapons and noticed that he hadn't brought any more weapons with him. "You are a very curious student Lord Potter-Black. I brought all of the standard weapons, but obviously you are not suited for any of them."
"Are there any other weapons that you didn't bring?" Harry asked desperately.
"Of course there are," Zux snapped. He bit his finger while he tried to think of what uncommonly used weapon would suit Harry.
Harry was not terribly strong, he had a more agile build and his reflexes were very good. Zux thought for a long time before he smiled and waved his hand again. Inside of his hand materialized a sword that was shorter and thinner than the swords that Harry had already tried. It didn't have a guard and its hilt was about six inches long.
"What type of sword is that?" Harry asked.
Zux unsheathed the sword and inspected it thoroughly. "This is a samurai sword. I have never heard of a goblin warrior wielding one, and they are almost never made by goblins. This is the only goblin-made samurai sword in Gringotts, but I doubt that anyone will even notice that it is gone." Once he decided that the sword was in good condition he sheathed it and passed it to Harry.
Harry took the sword and unsheathed it. He grabbed the hilt and gave the sword a couple of swings. It wasn't as heavy as the previous sword had been, it felt easier to maneuver, but it didn't feel nearly as powerful. Harry opened his mouth to ask a question when Zux unsheathed his own sword and quickly ran up to Harry.
Instinctively, Harry blocked Zux's blade with his own, but the goblin was easily overpowering him. Harry stepped to the side and slid his sword out of the lock before he tried jabbing at Zux. The goblin easily dodged the attack and began attacking again. It was easier than it had been when Zux had attacked him earlier that day. He managed to block most of Zux's strikes, but it wasn't long until Zux struck Harry's sword so hard that it flew right out of his hand.
"That was good," Zux complimented while he sheathed his sword.
Harry walked over to pick up the samurai sword and sheathed it. "But I couldn't hold onto it. And I couldn't overpower you."
Zux scoffed and walked over to where he had sat down before. He motioned with his hand for Harry to take a seat as well. Harry slowly limped over, picked up his egg and sat down.
"You should not expect to defeat me until towards the end of your training," Zux said bluntly. "I am one of the finest goblin warriors on this earth, and no newborn can expect to defeat me."
"Newborn?" Harry asked, slightly offended.
Zux chuckled and refilled his goblet with water from the fresh pitcher that Winky had brought out. "A newborn is what goblins call those who are new to training. When you are more skilled I shall stop calling you that. Now, you did exceptionally for one who had never wielded a blade before. A samurai sword may not be for brute strength, but neither are you. Even when you train and get into shape, you will still have an agile build. Nothing can change that. But, with dedicated training, your agile build will prove more useful than you think in battle. Wizards with stocky builds have more difficulty dodging curses."
Harry nodded and hugged his egg which was warming comfortingly. "I guess that's true. I guess I'm just a little disappointed because I figured that I would fight in the war as a Lord of two Ancient Houses with a wicked cool weapon."
"What defines a weapon as 'wicked cool'?" Zux challenged.
"I guess power does," Harry mumbled.
"And why do you believe that power makes a weapon better than any others?" Zux continued.
Harry bit his lip in thought. "Because power destroys. If I was more powerful I could've stopped my friends from being hurt at the ministry and I could've stopped Voldemort from coming back."
"Power is important in battle," he agreed. "But it is not the only factor in victory. What you lack in physical strength you can make up for in skill. If you were truly skilled with that samurai sword and I just picked up my blade, who do you think would win?"
"I would," Harry muttered.
"Why?" Zux challenged.
"Because what I lack in power I make up for in skill. Do you think I could defeat Voldemort if I was more skillful than him?"
Zux sighed and looked at his hands. "I am sorry to tell you Newborn that I do not know. But, I believe that you could give him a run for his money if you work hard enough at it."
They finished their day by going over the basics in the goblin language and some goblin magic theory. Zux was surprised that Harry seemed to have such a natural tongue for the goblin language. By the time that Harry had finished dinner and had free time, he could barely put one foot in front of the other. He took a quick shower and got the history book that Ragnok had given him. Zux peeked in Harry's open door on his way to his own room and smiled when he saw Harry fast asleep on his bed with Ragnok's book on his chest and his egg in his arm.
Zux closed the door and laughed to himself that the next seven months were sure to be interesting.