Apprentice

By danu40k

A visit from the future changes everything

Harry/Hufflepuff Wiccan

&&&&&

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

In a cupboard, under the stairs, was a small boy.

The boy was soon to turn 7 although he looked 5.

He had messy black hair that bespoke of many cowlicks, but it was his eyes that always stood out.

His eyes were a deep bright green.

His eyes usually wore glasses that he had problems seeing through, for, you see, he had been forced to pick them out of a donation bin since his aunt did not want to spend the money needed for him to see an eye dr.

The only thing that Harry thought looked good on him was a lightning bolt scar on his forehead. Something his aunt said he had gotten from the car crash his parents (no good drunkards) that had killed his parents.

It was the evening of the 30th of July and his birthday was tomorrow. And the only reason he knew that was because the school had told him when he first started.

Not that his aunt and uncle wanted him to go, but the government had said he had to go.

So they, reluctantly, gave him better clothes (not by much, but better) and sent him off to school, telling everyone that his parents had left nothing for his care and that they were doing this out of the goodness of their hearts.

At first Harry had done well in school hoping that his guardians would be proud of him. He was sorry to find that they were not, in fact, happy about it, and in fact, punished him for doing better than their boy Dudley.

His aunt Petunia was very slim in stature with a pointed face that reminded Harry of a giraffe. Her hair was blond and her eyes were a deadly blue.

Her husband, Vernon, was the opposite or his wife as far as looks went. Where she was skinny, he was fat. He had brown hair and a large mustache. His voice spoke with thunder when he was angry (and he always seemed to be angry at Harry)

Dudley took after his father in looks, only taking his hair and eye color from his mother.

Dudley was known by the children on his block, and from the children at school, as a bully.

He and his friends would go about terrorizing the areas children and causing vandalism after which they would blame it all on Harry.

This, added with what his aunt said, had the parents very wary of him, which further separated him from ever having friends.

This day had been normal, in that he had been forced to get up early in the morning to make breakfast for the family (Getting very little to eat himself) and then, as Vernon left, he was given a long list of chores to do before Vernon got home. If they weren’t done to Vernon’s expectations, Harry would not be able to eat dinner. It was not often he got to eat dinner, and when he did, it was table scraps.

At 9pm he was told to go to his room (the room being the cupboard under the stairs) while everyone else relaxed before the TV.

At the striking of midnight he received a visit.

His visitor was a ghostly image, and it was all he could do to not yell as he appeared. In fact the only reason he didn’t yell out was fear of what Vernon would do to him.

The figure was around 5’8” and was slim in stature. He had green eyes and messy black hair, much like Harry’s. In fact, if Harry didn’t know it was impossible, he looked like a grown-up him.

The figure looked kindly at Harry and spoke; “I know you are wondering what is going on.” he said. “Since the Fates owed me, I have been allowed to send you a message from the future.”

Younger Harry gaped at this.

Older Harry made a motion with his hand and a box appeared on younger Harry’s cot.

Opening it, Harry found several items.

Older Harry smiled as he watched. “I don’t have much time, so I will get down to business. You, Harry, are a Wizard.”

Younger Harry shook his head. Wizards were stuff of Fairytales.

“I know you are thinking that there is no way this could be, but I assure you I speak the truth. How else would I have come here, if not by magic?”

The elder Harry had a point, Harry thought to himself.

“Now to the important parts, and the reason I have come; before you were born there was a prophecy made that claimed that only either you, or a boy named Neville Longbottom, could stop a Dark Lord named Voldemort.”

“Voldemort and his Death Eaters were at the height of their powers at the time and no one felt safe from them. They knew that it wouldn’t be long before Voldemort came to rule over Britain and from there Europe.”

“Due to the fact that you were born at the end of July, or as the prophecy says;

‘The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies
Since your were born on the 31st of the seventh month and Neville was born on the 30th, you were both contenders for the prophecy.

Now Voldemort knew the first part, but not the second, therefore he went after the children to stop the prophecy from happening. He started with you because you were what is known as a half blood, meaning that one of your parents was born of magical parents and the other (your mother) was born of normal parents. Voldemort himself is a half blood whether he liked to admit it to himself or not. It is believed that that is the reason he went after you first.” Here the Older Harry paused to make sure the younger Harry understood everything.

He then continued; “Now, here is the part no one can give a good answer to, Voldemort found out where your family was hidden, thanks to a traitor named Peter Pettigrew, and attacked. He killed your father first, and then went up to your room where he found your mother trying to protect you. He killed your mother and then tried to kill you; only the killing curse backfired and caused him to disappear. Everyone thinks he is dead, but in reality he is hiding and trying to get strong enough that he can get a body again.”

Younger Harry looked at him in question.

“When the curse backfired, it forced his spirit out of his body, he has been trying every since to regain a body he can use.”

Younger Harry nodded, that had answered that question.

“In my time, Voldemort actually came to power again, and because I didn’t get the training I needed, it took longer than it should have to stop him, and many people, including friends, died because of it. I am here to see to it that YOU get the training you need so that he can be stopped earlier and for there to be fewer deaths.”

“I can not tell you the future, but I can tell you a few other things and make sure you get what you need to succeed.”

“The second part of the prophecy said this; . . . And the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not …The marking is your scar.

And it ends with; . . . and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives.’”

“In the box you will find, a bag of gold and silver, these are Wizarding money. The gold is Galleons and the silver is Sickles. You will use this to get to London and the Leaky Cauldron. There you will get a room for the rest of the night and in the morning you will go to Gringott’s. In the box you will also see a key. You will use this to show who you are, otherwise you will be ignored and sent on your way.”

“You are to meet with your account manager and give him the envelope that is in the box. The account manager is named Pickax, and don’t let anyone fool you into going to someone else.”

Younger Harry nodded as he tried to remember everything.

“Pickax should take care of you from there.” The elder told him.

Younger Harry thought for a moment and asked; “How am I supposed to get to London and how will I know where the Leaky Cauldron is?”

“You will take everything you can, and head out to the curb, there you are to concentrate on the special feeling you feel when ever you do something special or good, whether or not your family does. You will get on the bus and hand over the amount of money they ask for and say that you want to go to the Leaky Cauldron.”

“In the box you will find a necklace, it will make you look older, so they will not question why you are out so late.”

Younger Harry nodded as he added that to the list of things he needed to know.

“To further aid you, I will be going along with you until you reach Gringott’s after which I will leave you in the hands of Pickax.”

Younger Harry sighed in relief over this, and, gathering his meager possessions, opened his cupboard door and headed outside.

&&&&&

The bus ride was exciting and much like Harry envisioned a rollercoaster ride was. When they finally arrived at their destination, Harry thanked Stanley and headed to the Inn.

Once inside, he asked the night manager if he could get a room, putting it under the name James Evans as his older self had told him.

After paying for the room and breakfast the next day, Harry headed off to his room and to the best bed he had ever slept in.

The next day came with Harry sleeping in a bit. After getting dressed, he came downstairs and got the first meal he hadn’t cooked himself.

He asked direction to Gringott’s and Tom, the barkeep, was even nice enough to open the entranceway to Diagon Alley for him.

Harry stared in awe as he slowly went from window to window, looking at things, before finally making it to Gringotts.

Once inside, he found what had to be goblins.

The goblins were short, about the size Harry was, they had dark skin and long fingers and feet. Some had pointy beards and most were bald headed.

Harry headed up to one of the counters and asked; “May I please see my account manager?”

“Key please.” The bored goblin replied.

Harry handed it over, and, after looking at it, the goblin summoned another goblin and that one showed Harry to an office and told him to wait.

Harry watched as his older self smiled at him and disappeared.

It was soon that another goblin entered the room. This goblin was dressed in finer clothes than the goblins outside the office. He looked at the key that his assistant had given him, then at Harry.

“You are not the proper age to be the Potter Heir. Who are you before I bring you before the goblin court for daring to steal from Gringotts.”

Harry thought for a moment, then remembered his necklace. He carefully removed it, showing his proper visage.

Pickax frowned and, moving his fingers at him for a moment, nodded that this was Harry’s true visage.

“You have shown that it is easy to get in here to claim the rights to the Potter fortune. Therefore I will need further proof that you are indeed Harrison James Potter.”

Harry was stunned, he didn’t know his name was actually Harrison, but then again, he used to think his name was boy.

“What do you need me to do?” Harry asked.

Pickax summoned his assistant and told him something in gobbledygook and it wasn’t long before he was given a small container filled with liquid.

“I will need 3 drops of you blood which will be placed in this container. I will mix the potion and place drops onto a parchment, there your true genealogy will appear.

Harry had no problem with this, and took the offered knife to prick his finger.

Pickax received to requisite amount of blood and then began to mix the contents.

Once done, he pulled out a very large piece of parchment and then placed a small drop of the mixture onto the bottom of the parchment.

After a moment, lines began to appear, each connecting to others.

It took quite awhile to finish, and when it did, Pickax looked at it. Pointing his finger at several things and mumbling to himself.

“You are indeed Harrison James Potter.” He said, extending his hand. “What may I do for you today?”

Harry handed over the envelope addressed to his account manager.

Pickax took it and, after opening the sealed envelope, he began to read. His eyes widening as he did so.

“Tell me what happened that brought you here.” Pickax said.

Harry told him his tale about being visited and how he got the box and the envelope with Pickax nodding as he did so.

Finally Harry came to the end with Pickax looking at him tapping the envelope.

“Do you know what is in here?” Pickax asked.

Harry shook his head.

“In here are instructions on how to take care of your needs. We begin by doing an audit on ALL of your accounts. If we find tampering or theft, then we are to act quietly, but surely, to insure that everything is returned to you.”

Harry nodded.

“We are to, discreetly, give you a full physical and aid you in returning to health if need be.”

Harry nodded slower this time.

“We are to aid you in your education so that you may use your station to its fullest.”

Harry raised his eyebrow in question.

“You are the heir of a very prominent family, one of the oldest, if not THE oldest in the UK. This gives you power if you know how to use it.”

Harry nodded at that.

Pickax motioned Harry to look at the parchment.

“This is you.” Pickax said as he pointed at a line. “This is your father’s line.” He traced it going from father to first born son, until he finally stopped at the last line. “This is your patriarchal founder, he was named Gwalchmei. He was first squired to Lord Gryffindor and then knighted to serve under his banner. In repayment for saving his Lords life and defeating the Dark Lord of the time, he was allowed to marry Lord Gryffindor’s granddaughter. And through their lines came your family. You are directly related to Gryffindor through your grandfather, and you are the last surviving heir.”

Harry was enthralled; here was his family and history. He had always wanted to know and now he could.

Pickax returned a bit closer to Harry’s and he said; “This is your ancestor Cardin. He was a Knight during the Middle Ages. As his ancestor before him, he climbed the ranks and was knighted in time to battle their Dark Lord. By defeating him and his followers he was given the rank of Duke and given over the lands that once belonged to the Dark Lord. In return for saving the King’s life he was given the hand of his daughter, thereby aligning the two families together.” Pickax looked at Harry for a moment, “It is also where your family gained an enemy in the family Foys. They had been followers of Lord Vio and, after his defeat, had been branded traitors. Their rank taken from them and their patriarch killed for his treachery. The Foys later married into the Mals family, uniting the two into the Malfoy family. This family is one of the leaders in the Purebloods who feel that only Purebloods should have power or an education. Lucius Malfoy was a follower of the last Dark Lord; Voldemort. With Voldemort’s death he was arrested as a Death Eater and was supposed to go to trial. However, due to his position and money, he was let go on the premise that he was under mind control at the time. You should be careful around either he, or his family, since they still hold hatred against you and your family.”

Harry nodded solemnly.

Pickax placed his finger back on Harry’s name. “Here is your mother’s line.” He followed a line to Harry’s grandmother. “Here you see your grandmother was adopted after the end of the WWII.”

Harry nodded.

“Your grandmother on your mother’s side was a witch before her adoption. She went to Hogwarts under the mistaken identity as a Muggleborn, Much like a number of others at the time. Her true last name was Acheson, meaning inscription or memorial. Her line runs here, to Merlin’s time, and the knight Bedwyr. It is said that his family knows where King Arthur is buried. Whether this is true or not, I have no idea. Your Founder’s great grandfather is said to be a cousin to King Arthur and the one who helped keep the peace between such different men as those in the rest of the Round Table.”

Harry’s eyes got huge over this; his ancestor was a Knight of the Round Table! Then he thought a bit. “I thought King Arthur was a myth.” he said.

“Only to the Muggles, in truth he really did exist and many claim to be from Merlin’s line. When in truth, Merlin had no descendants that survived to this time,” was the answer.

At Harry’s questioning look, Pickax told him, “Muggle means Mundane or normal human, one who can not use wanded magic. Squibs are people who can not use wanded magic and who are born of magical parents. Muggleborn’s are those who can use wanded magic and who are born with Muggle parents. Purebloods come from strictly wanded magical lines. A few of the modern Purebloods call Muggleborns Mud Blood meaning Dirty Blood. This is, of course, an insult.

One of the things you will learn is who each of the Purebloods are and where they stand in things so that you can make up your own mind who to ally with and who to ignore. I can only advise.”

Harry nodded at that. “You said wanded magic like there are others, are there?”

Pickax nodded at this; “There are many other forms of magic, some using herbs and potions, some using runes, all of these you will learn at Hogwarts. Then there are others such as what they are now calling Wiccan, or Earth Magic. There are Religious Magics that require a belief to work them, there is Blood Magic, which the government here claims is dark magic and therefore against the law. All of these are wandless magic, though if you wish to learn them you can, if you have the power for them.”

Harry grinned and nodded.

Pickax smiled back. “We shall check when we do your physical. If you can do these types of magic, you will have to have a tutor since Hogwarts does not teach them.”

Pickax summoned another goblin and asked him something in gobbledygook with the other goblin heading back out of the room.

A few minutes later a woman came in and bowed to Pickax, then looked at Harry.

“This is Healer Markham.” Pickax told Harry. “She will be over seeing your physical.”

The Healer, a woman of medium height and red hair with soft blue eyes, smiled at Harry, “If you would come this way Lord Potter.” She said as she held out her hand to him.

Harry thanked Pickax and then followed her out of the room.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Harry was taken to another room after following his Healer through various hallways. Inside, he found what looked like a normal room with a table bed and chairs, as well as a table with parchment and a quill lying on top of it.

The Healer got down a shrift and told Harry to get undressed and put that on.

She then left him alone so that he could do so in privacy.

When she returned, he was sitting in one of the chairs waiting for her.

She had him get on the bed table and pulled out a wand, waving around him, and then pointing the wand at the parchment.

Harry was amazed to see the quill writing down things without her doing anything.

After she was done, she looked over the parchment and then over to Harry.

“Well,” She stated, “It seems you’ve had hard times.”

At Harry’s look, she told him; “I see here that you are suffering from Scurvy - which you only get if you don’t get enough fruits or vitamins, Rickets - meaning you are lacking vitamin D so either you are not getting as much sun as you should or you aren’t getting vitamins you would get from, say, milk.”

Harry nodded to himself; that had made sense knowing his family the way he did.

“Frankly I’m surprised you are walking around since your body is in such bad health. From what I can tell it is your magic that is basically keeping you not only alive, but up and functioning. Your short height is caused by your malnutrition and while I find that your eyesight is partially genetic, it is also caused by your poor health. You’re lucky to have any teeth at the moment since between your malnourishment and what looks like abuse, says that they should all be gone or rotting in your mouth. Your bones are brittle and I am surprised that they aren’t broken more often as opposed to the abuse your system shows.” She looked grim.

Harry was afraid that it was too late to do anything about it and at his look the Healer smiled at him. “Don’t worry, with the aid of magic and potions we will have you right as rain.” She told him.

Harry sighed in relief.

“I’m going to put you on a strict diet and potion regime and I want you to follow it to the letter, do you understand?”

Harry looked troubled. “I don’t think my aunt and uncle will agree to it.” He told her.

“Never worry about that.” She told him as she motioned him to get off the table bed. “There are ways to take care of that as long as you have the money. And as Lord Potter, you DO have the money.”

She smiled at him and left him to think about that as he changed back into his clothes.

When he had finished dressing, she led him back to Pickax’s office to discuss what should be done now.

Once she entered, she handed Pickax the parchment she had worked on and left the room after smiling at Harry.

In the office, Harry found lunch waiting for him and, at Pickax’s nod, began to eat.

Pickax read over the parchment, then sighed as he called up another goblin.

This goblin came in with more parchment which Pickax read over and signed, after which, the goblin left.

After Harry was done with his meal, Pickax had a goblin come to clear it away, and then he got down to business.

“I have ordered the audit of your vaults as we had agreed, and now it is time to work on your health.”

Harry looked at him in question.

“There is a way to heal you to the fullest in a short amount of time. This would also get you the time and tutors needed to get you up to speed in what you must know.” He paused to gage Harry’s reaction. “We have, for a price, an area that we can set out of time if you will.”

Harry brightened up at this. This sounded cool.

“While one year would pass for you, only one week would pass for the rest of the world. We use this for when we need more time to handle something.”

Harry nodded at this, excited that he could do this.

Pickax smiled at this. “While you are gone, we should have the answer to you audit done and will be ready to discuss what we have uncovered.”

Harry nodded again, slightly bouncing in his chair.

Pickax got out of his chair and motioned Harry to follow him. There he led him further into the warrens of the bank and to an area that had been blocked off in rooms with a large center tying them together.

“This shall be your home for the next year. I will now turn you over to the Healers and teachers that will be your companions.”

A goblin came out of one of the rooms. Pickax greeted him in gobbledygook, and then handed him the same parchment that the Healer had given him.

A few more things were said between them and, after shaking Harry’s hand, Pickax left them to head back to his office.

&&&&&

It was a different Harry that emerged from the time rooms, this one was confidant where before he had been a bit timid, he wore clothing that fit him as opposed to the cast offs from Dudley, he had glasses that were actually to his prescription and looked good on his face as opposed to ones that had been picked out of a bin at the local welfare shop.

He had a runners body, slim in stature, but able to go long distance if he was required to.

He had sucked up anything and everything he could in the last year, including; knowing the 500 families and where he stood in them, proper Wizarding (as well as Muggle) etiquette, and he knew several languages including Latin, Greek, and Gobbledygook. He knew how to hide his mind from those that would read it. He had studied several forms of wandless magic including and especially Earth Magic (Which the goblins used)

He was studying the Wiccan religion as a way of doing more with his magic. He liked the discipline of both Earth Magic and Wiccan, and tried to live by the Three Fold Rule in his dealings with himself and those around him.

He had learned the basics of several Martial Arts including; Tai-Chi and Aikido. He had found that the family sword that Gwalchmei had gotten off of Lord Alan Bane was still in the family, and had begun training in how to use it, using a rattan sword instead of the real thing - for now.

He had also gained the names of those who would continue his lessons outside of the Gringotts.

He was met outside the chambers he had gotten to know so well, by Pickax, who was happy to see the changes in his young ward.

After giving thanks as well as saying goodbye to those who had taught him so much, Harry followed Pickax back to his office.

Pickax was glad to see that Harry had learned his Gobbledygook so well, and had switched to that for the rest of their meeting.

“I have finished the audit, and what I have found is most disturbing. The one who is supposed to be your Regent has been abusing his power. Dumbledore has been siphoning funds from your family vault to his own and has been using that money to pay off his debts. This has been going on since he became Regent.”

Harry calmed himself as he had been taught. “What can we do about this?” He asked.

“Dumbledore is a powerful person and it would be hard to go after him and have others believed he could do such a thing. Also you don’t want you Regency to be up for grabs. Malfoy would love nothing better than to get his hands on you and your family fortunes.”

Harry nodded at that.

“Yet, again, we can not have this continue.”

Harry again nodded to show his agreement.

“I propose that we come to a middle ground and contact the head of the Department of Law Enforcement. Madam Bones has newly gained the office, and everything we have seen of her shows that she is honest in her goal of the Law. As soon as she is made aware of the problem, I suggest that she and I get a hold of Dumbledore and let him know what we have found. If nothing else we can ban him from accessing any of your money or things.”

“Meanwhile, you will stay out of it and be at home where he can find you so that he can insure that you have no knowledge of what has happened. This way we can see what else he has been up to since he will think that that is all we know.”

Harry grinned at the twisting thoughts that brought up. He had been studying goblins for a year non-stop and had learned much of their way of thinking, and the thought of using Dumbledore’s own plans and workings against him, brought a smile to his lips.

“Right now we are checking on all of the other accounts he has access to, and when we have gathered all of our pieces, we will contact Madam Bones.”

Harry nodded that he agreed with this approach. If you have the time, it is best to use it to your best advantage.

“I would still like for him to be barred from my accounts if possible.” He stated

Pickax nodded, then; “I would like to have him think that nothing is amiss. It would be best if nothing changes, at least as far as he knows. That includes banning him from your family account, or at least what he thinks is your family accounts. I propose we move your family vault to a more secure area and place a watch on the old vault. There, we will place money that we will allow him access to; just not allow him full access. Everything in the vault will be false, or at least as much as we can do and we will monitor what he takes, be it money or things. When we are ready, we will spring the trap and force him to explain himself. We will also put a hold on his accounts so that he can not remove the money without our knowledge. We will do this with the other vaults as well so that we have a very tight case. We may not wish for this to go public so that we can save you from getting someone like Mr. Malfoy or one of his cronies as your new Regent, but that does not stop us from letting him know that we WILL go after him for the others and stop him from getting anything else that belongs to you. We will force him to repay everything and to return everything he has taken.”

This last was said with a growl and a smile that showed Pickax’s teeth.

Harry smiled with his teeth as well.

“Next we have an accounting of the money that was removed from your vaults to pay the Dursley’s for your care.”

Harry growled at this. He had been told that the Dursley’s had been being paid and he wanted THEM to pay for what they had done to him.

“Again, we must be careful. If it becomes known that you have been abused by your relatives, you WILL be moved to a so called ‘Proper’ household. Which again means it would likely be Malfoy.”

Harry sighed and nodded his head that his advisor was correct.

“We can, however, force them to pay back all that they have been given.” Here Pickax showed Harry a total of the amount owed him which was over 133,000 pounds, which included a 30 percent interest rate. But that was not all; Pickax had also added in a 500,000 pound abuse fee to force them to PAY for the abuse they had forced upon him, making for a debt of 633,000 pounds.

Pickax also recommended that they buy the property and all of their debt so that they would be paying him back for that as well. Pickax was more than willing to destroy their credit rating so that they could never again get a credit card or buy a new car or even new toys for Dudley, without Harry’s permission. Pickax had a copy of their debts and had figured out how much per month they would be paying him and for how long.

This would leave the Dursley’s with 200 pounds a month to spend on themselves, though Harry would be magnanimous and allows them money to entertain people for Vernon’s business. After all if he doesn’t have a job, he can’t pay Harry back.

He had also set up an account for their food stipend which would force Vernon and Dudley to go on a diet since it wasn’t as large as they were using now, but would cover their food bill to an extent.

Harry was satisfied that they would be punished in a way that they would feel.

&&&&&

By the time Harry had finished with his business and shopping, two weeks had passed and whether he wanted to or not, it was time to head home.

He had made sure that a human lawyer as well as a bodyguard.

Once the door was opened, Vernon started yelling at him about how he thought he COULD come back. He stops when he sees that Harry had brought others with him, both in suits.

The first was an imposing man of about 7 feet in height and 300# of pure muscle.

The other was a shorter man of about 6’ and weighed around 200#.

Behind him, you could hear Vernon’s sister Marge telling him to kick the ungrateful brat out, with Dudley laughing.

“Mr. Dursley?” The large man who was obviously some sort of bodyguard for the smaller man, asked.

Vernon nervously nodded his head.

“May we enter? Or would you like to conduct business out here?”

Vernon backed up and allowed the men (and Harry) to enter.

Petunia came out and saw the expensive suits and tried to smile at them.

“Please won’t you come into the living room.” she said nervously.

Marge and Dudley came in wondering why there was silence instead of yelling. Seeing the suits, Marge became gracious and simpering, while Dudley decided that if he was good (like when Mum and Dad had company) he could make some money off of this.

“Harry dear, why don’t you go to the kitchen and get these nice men something to drink.” Said Petunia, motioning Harry out of the room.

“That won’t be necessary Mrs. Dursley. What we have to say needs him in the room.”

The adults glared at Harry thinking that he was in trouble and, through him, them.

The lawyer pulled out his briefcase and sat it on the living room table.

“The bank I represent has been going over several accounts, including Mr. Potter’s, and we have found several irregularities.”

Vernon and Petunia paled at this, with Marge going “Well get on with it.”

“We would like to know why Mr. Potter has not been taken care of as you were instructed and paid to do.”

Marge told them how ungrateful the child was, going to such nice men such as themselves and taking up their time for nothing.

Vernon and Petunia hemmed and hawed over this.

The bodyguard left the room, taking Harry with him.

Vernon and Petunia were nervous when Harry showed him his cupboard. Showing him the bed and his clothes.

“I see that Mr. Potter is correct in that his living arrangements were below what even the blindest Children’s Welfare Agent would allow.

Our Dr. has had a look over Mr. Potter and has found several disturbing things about his health as well. This adds to the list of things that have been proven in his statement.”

Marge was about to say something when Vernon did the impossible and shut her up.

It finally dawned on her that this could mean trouble to her brother, and maybe her.

Dudley looked on as the adults became uncomfortable, feeling that as long as he was quiet and helpful, he would be overlooked.

The lawyer opened his briefcase and pulled out a folder.

“In here is a listing of monthly payments given to you for Mr. Potter’s care.” He handed it over to Vernon.

He pulled out another folder; “Here is a listing of his medical problems as well as a listing of scars, showing his mistreatment.” he laid it on the table, where neither Vernon, nor Petunia, dared touch it.

Marge finally caught on that these people were about to cause problems and she knew that her brother and his family had not been nice to the boy and it looked as though that was coming home to them.

She turned to her brother, “You told me that you weren’t getting any money for the boy.”

Vernon squirmed in his seat as he laid the folder he was looking at, down.

The lawyer looked at Marge and picked up the folder he had placed on the table; “Our files show that Mr. Potter has numerous dog bite marks that correspond with his accounts of you allowing your dog to attack him.” he pulled out the forms and showed her.

She grabbed them and balled them up, throwing them over her shoulder. “What a bunch of lies. My Ripper would never harm anyone.”

The man pulled out another folder; “This is a list of the complaints made against you for having your dogs attack people, as well as complaints over your running of a puppy mill. Your place of residence is even now being raided and the dogs taken into the care of others.”

Marge paled at this at first, and then turned red. “How dare you do this, you have no right.”

The man pulled out a sheet from the folder he had marked Marge Dursley and handed it to her. “The authorities would like to see you about several counts of tax fraud, as well as the complaints I have already stated. There is a policeman waiting for you outside to take you to see the authorities.”

The bodyguard opened the door to let the police enter. The man handed over the arrest warrant and they took that, and an angry Marge, away.

It finally dawned on Dudley that this wasn’t a game, and that this was serious and he could be in trouble.

The bodyguard returned and placed himself in the doorway to insure that no one could get out without going past him. Something that the Dursley’s noticed.

The lawyer pulled out another folder and handed it to Vernon. Vernon tried not to take it, until the bodyguard grunted at him.

“This is an accounting of your debts.”

“Now see here, I don’t have that many debts!” And angry Vernon shouted.

The bodyguard grunted again to catch Vernon’s attention and causing Vernon to calm down.

“If you will look at the folder, it is set to explain each and every debt that has occurred.”

Vernon opened the folder and the first thing he saw was the money owed to Harry which was in the hundred’s of thousands of pounds.

“There is no way I owe the boy that much!” Vernon was now purple and only calmed down when the bodyguard moved towards him.

“If you would look at monthly allowances you have been given for Mr. Potter as well as interest and payment for the abuse he has suffered at your hands, you will find that it does add up. Further more, at the advice of his account manager; he has bought this piece of property as well as your other debts. This will allow you to make one payment instead of several. It also means that you can not sell the house or your cars, until they are paid off. And there will be no third mortgage on the house to get it paid for sooner.”

Petunia gasped, and her husband grabbed his chest.

The man pulled out another folder (making the Dursley’s wonder ‘Just how big is that thing?’) and pulled out a set of papers. “This is your payment schedule. You will notice that it is broken down to show just what is being paid when.”

Petunia took it since Vernon didn’t look all that well.

“This can’t be.” She exclaimed. “This means we only have 200 pounds to last us through the month.”

It was Dudley’s turn to pale. With only 200 pounds, that meant that he couldn’t get as much stuff as he needed.

“We have budgeted a clothing allowance as you can see. If you wish to use that money elsewhere, that is up to you. If you wish to not eat as much and spend the money elsewhere, that is up to you. We have also allotted money so that you can entertain for business. Spending that elsewhere is NOT up to you, but up to Mr. Potter.”

The Dursley’s looked over at Harry and saw someone who they had made; he was looking blankly at them and not giving an inch one way or another. Just like Vernon and Petunia had done to him over the years when they were punishing him.

Dudley looked at his mother at first, then at Harry. If he read things right, Harry was now in charge of the money.

Dudley started to sweat a bit knowing that he had treated Harry very poorly and that he wasn’t likely to get any extra money out of him.

The man looked first at Petunia and then at Vernon, “If you so much as yell at Mr. Potter you will be fined 500 pounds. Do you understand this?”

Petunia nodded her head shakily, while Vernon continued to hold his chest.

The lawyer pulled out his final folder. “This is an agreement that you will pay off your debts to Mr. Potter and that you will NOT abuse him either mentally, physically, or emotionally. Mr. Potter will be taking the guest room, since Marge Dursley will not be staying here. Dudley’s toy room will be cleared out and used as the guest room. Mr. Potter will pay for it to be redone so that others can stay there.

Mr. Potter will be paying to update the house and refurbish it. There will be new wiring, plumbing, paneling and painting as well as wallpapering. The kitchen will be revamped as will the basement. All appliances will be redone as well. These will all be at Mr. Potter’s expense, as will the new landscaping and yard care.”

Vernon calmed down at that. ‘At least we will get something out of it’ he thought to himself.

“Each room will be gone over. Before each room is done you will have to remove everything you wish to keep. Anything left will be taken from you.”

Dudley gasped at that, HIS THINGS!!

“They will start with the attic and work their way down.

Mr. Potter has graciously allowed storage unit to be brought in so that you may place you belongings in there and protect them while work is being done.”

This calmed down Dudley since it meant that he could keep all of his things

“Mr. Potter will be paying for his own food, which you will have none of, since you refused to feed him real food. Mr. Potter will be paying the utilities, meaning he has access to ALL of them. This includes bathing when he wishes, use of the toilet when he wishes, washing his clothes and things when he wishes, heating or cooling his room as he wishes, using the electrical equipment in his room or in any room if he wishes, and he has the right to put you on a utility budget if the utilities get to outrageous. Something he was told over and over again. HE was told that he could not shower or use the toilet because of the water expense, he could not use any electrical appliance outside of his chores because of the cost, it was made perfectly clear that he could only have clean clothes when they began to cause a stink or when the neighbors noticed, and then he was punished for it. We have taken into account the utilities that have been used in the last year and will be using that as our meter. If you go over that, you will be rationed. Do you understand this?” He looked at each of the Dursley’s getting their nod.

The lawyer handed over the agreement so that they could sign it.

“You are allowed to read it. I think you will find that everything I have told you are in this agreement and that I have left nothing out. This agreement is to insure that you can not say ‘I did not know.’”

After the family had read the agreement and had signed it, the bodyguard came over to witness it and then the lawyer notarized it. He gave the Dursley’s their copy, a copy to Harry, and kept the original.

Getting up and heading towards the door, he and the bodyguard bid the Dursley’s goodbye, with a final warning. “We WILL be in constant contact with Mr. Potter; do we have an understanding on that as well?”

The Dursley’s nodded and closed the door behind the lawyer and his bodyguard.

Vernon looked as though he was going to explode, only to have Petunia lay a hand on his arm and says; “Not now. Wait until you have calmed down.” He grunts and then heads off upstairs

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Harry grabbed his trunk and headed up to his new room with Dudley following.

“So I guess this means I’ll have to go to you to get my spending money.” Dudley told him.

Harry looked at him; “No. You will still have to get it from your parents, however, I don’t think you will get much anymore, and that includes Christmas and your birthday. Oh and Dudley? Next time you bully someone and I catch you, YOU will lose 500 pounds. You…NOT…your parents. Do you understand this?”

Dudley gulped and nodded, heading off to his room.

&&&&&

Harry wasn’t the only one busy during this time; Pickax had also been working on Harry’s behalf and the behalf of the others who were under Dumbledore’s care.

&&&&&

The next day dawned bright and clear, as Harry got up and went to do his PT and then run to the school and around the track and back.

When he came back, he headed up to shower, and then changed his clothes, taking his dirty sweats and adding them to yesterday’s dirty clothes.

He could hear the Dursley’s awaken and begin their day, and smiled with the knowledge that it would not be long before September came and the Dursley’s extra money left them and headed to him.

Harry and the Dursley’s watched as the first truck arrived with the storage unit. Harry had also hired movers, who began to bring things out of the attic and into the storage unit.

Harry turned to the Dursley’s “While they are working on the attic you WILL be going through everything and getting rid of the junk. And by junk I mean something other than things my family left me. You have one week to do it. If I find you have not done it, I will get rid of everything in the unit. Understand?”

He went to go through things to make sure he got everything that was in storage.

The next week was hard on the Dursley’s, while they made sure to tell everyone that they were going to fix up the house, they had to also kowtow to a boy they were used to having do all the work

&&&&&

While this was going on, it was time to work on the yard, starting with the fence. It needed to come down and a new one (this one with Blood Protection built in) was going to be put up.

&&&&&

Finally the last day came and Harry saw that only part of the unit had been gone through.

He turned to them as they were sitting down for dinner.

“You have until noon tomorrow to get everything cleared away. If I find things that have not been gone through I will take it that you want them gone.” He left them there to eat while he headed up to his room and to his trunk.

In his trunk, he had the equivalent of an apartment which included a working kitchen. It was here that he took his meals, and it was here that he worked on the homework he had been given.

It was also here that he did his weight workouts and practiced his Martial Arts.

The next day found the Dursley’s madly going through the rest of the unit so that they could save as much as possible.

Harry was polite and gave them until 2pm when it appeared that they couldn’t finish on time.

After that, they were moved from the unit and their stuff was taken inside, with the rest taken to the dumpster Harry had had brought in.

It didn’t take long to get everything moved just in time for the bedrooms brought down and placed in the unit.

“But Harry…Where are we supposed to sleep?” asked a whining Petunia.

Harry looked at her and decided to be nice and gave her enough money so that they could get a hotel room for the next week. On condition that they, again, clean out their stuff. And that he would be going through things as well since his mother’s jewelry was not in his bank where it was supposed to be.

Petunia blanched…Not her jewelry!

While the Dursley’s were at the hotel, Harry headed to the basement and placed his trunk there, planning on staying there for the week.

&&&&&

The fence was done and the fence’s wards were in place. Now it was time to work on the yard itself.

Since the front yard was full of workers and equipment, it was decided to start on the back.

Here, after they cleaned up the bricks and placed lattice work against the house, they brought in Ivy to grow on the lattice work

They planted new trees and made places hidden areas with benches in them so that you had quiet places to go and think.

There was a table near the sliding glass door which led to the kitchen, for Petunia’s garden parties.

Along the sides of the house, were archways covered in Ivy, leading to the backyard.

Along the fence were Petunia’s prize roses and other flowers.

&&&&&

The time had come to bring the authorities in. Madam Bones was due in any second, and Pickax was busy making sure he had everything waiting for her.

Madam Bones was a broad, square jawed woman with graying hair. Thick eyebrows and a monicle over her right eye.

After the pleasantries were over, Pickax got down to business, and before the hour was out, Madam Bones was furious.

‘How could something like this happen under every ones noses?’

She was prepared to bring Dumbledore before the Wizengamot, his position be damned, when Pickax’s cooler head prevailed and he told her that they last thing they needed was for Harry Potter to fall into the hands and powers of the Malfoy family or their cohorts.

After finally calming down, Madam Bones agreed that this was not an option. From there it was just a matter of figuring out how they were going to force Dumbledore to turn over the money and items that he had stolen.

&&&&&

Finally the second story was done and ready to be moved into.

Dudley had thrown a fit when he found out that he was going to lose his second bedroom, but after a swat to his bottom, he was too shocked to care anymore and started a fit over being hit.

When Vernon threatened to do more than swat his butt, Dudley shut up.

After everyone was moved back in, it was time to start on the first floor with everything being moved out to the unit to become ready to be gone through.

By now August was half way over with the house scheduled to be finished in time for school to start.

They only had the main floor and the basement to do with each taking a week (Magic is wonderful)

Once everything had calmed down, Harry was to get new tutors as well as start school.

He was going to get a Martial Arts instructor for Aikido and an instructor for his sword work. He was also going to get an instructor for Magical Theory so that he would be on par with those who had private tutors in the Magical World.

An instructor from the local Coven was also going to come so that he could again take up his Wiccan studies. And a tutor for his Earth Magic Lessons.

&&&&&

September began and with it they finished the rest of the house. There were new appliances as well as counters and cupboards in the kitchen, and a new washer and dryer in the basement, and Harry had paid for an indoor gym to be placed there as well.

The Dursley’s were beside themselves over the change, and were more than happy to tell everyone about how they had had it done.

They were happy that is, until they discovered that the lawyer had been right and they had only 200 pounds plus food and gas for the cars money.

Harry had made sure that the bodyguard had shown up for that, just incase.

&&&&&

Dumbledore was shocked when he arrived at Pickax’s office to find that Madam Bones was there as well.

He was even more shocked when his misdeeds were placed before him, and the threat of taking this to not only the Wizengamot, but the public as well. After all, they did not want Harry to find out that a trusted family friend and Regent had stolen from him.

Dumbledore tried to say that it had been for the greater good and that he had spent the money to help aid the children that survived the war.

Pickax proved him wrong by showing that the money had gone to pay off his debts and the debts of his Order of Phoenix.

Dumbledore was stymied, every excuse he came up with, Pickax was able to counter, and until finally he sighed and asked; “What do you have planned?”

“Total repayment and return of everything you have taken.” Was the reply “You vault has already been seized so that reparation could be gotten from that.” Pickax told him.

“How am I supposed to pay everything back if I have no vault?” Dumbledore asked.

“A payment plan has been put into effect. The majority of your various vaults (including your hidden ones) have been used to pay back Mr. Potter. The objects that you have stolen from him, that were in your vaults, has been placed back with their rightful owner. You only need to repay the rest of your charges and return the rest of the items you have stolen.” Pickax handed over a large piece of parchment with a list of everything he had taken, not only from Harry, but from others as well.

“As you return them, we WILL be going over them to make sure you return the actual items and not facsimiles.”

Dumbledore bowed his head, and then sighing, he agreed to the terms.

&&&&&

With the rest of the house finished, Harry had them begin work on the front yard. Here, he decided to be different from the others in the neighborhood.

He had them place a waterfall in the right hand corner near the sidewalk. In front of the waterfall were benches and small rocks placed around the benches in a Zen pattern.

He had birch trees planted in a circle surrounding the center of the yard, with an Herb garden placed in the center. The center of the herb garden was cut into two with and arched pathway from the sidewalk leading to the door in the center and the herbs around it.

The arches would have roses growing up and around them come spring.

The outside of the house had had the bricks cleaned and the area around the door and along the bottom half of the first floor were done in stone so that they went with the both the front and the back.

Down at the bottom of the driveway were period lamps to light the way into the driveway and to light up the yard near there.

There were small lights scattered strategically around the yard to highlight it to its maximum effect.

The pine tree that was on the left hand side of the yard was strung so that they could have it lighted for Christmas, and the house was also arranged so that they could easily put up Christmas lights for the holidays.

Every one told the Dursley’s how their yard would be the talk of not only the neighborhood but Surrey as well come spring and summer.

Petunia both loved and hated the new look.

Inside she had all new everything and outside was a dream come true for her gardening side.

However she could no longer look over the fence to see what her neighbors were doing and she could not even move the blinds a little to look out the front with out every one knowing, since Harry had installed insulated windows with the blinds in the middle and not on the outside.

Vernon was the same as his wife, he both loved the new look and hated it, though not for the same reasons.

He loved being the envy of the neighborhood. Something he had strived for since moving in.

The problem was, he was in effect renting the house from the boy, and he could not stomach that.

And the problem with THAT is that he could do nothing about it and he knew it.

Dudley had been ostracized from his so called friends. He could not pay them any money or buy them things like he had before, and now he refused to gang up on the other kids.

His old friends taunted him about being fat and a coward and there was nothing he could do about it.

And now they were blaming him about Harry getting the nerve to fight back and win.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

With school starting, the goblins had arranged for Harry’s tutors to arrive.

First there was Master Edwards. A medium heighted wizard with grey eyes and brown hair. He taught Aikido and Sword Work. He was also very good at Runes which Harry wanted to learn.

Next was Master Lin who was a Master of Tai-Chi and would also be teaching him Magical Theory, and History. Master Lin was Tibetan Monk before the Chinese invaded his country and took over. He had managed to escape and headed elsewhere to study.

Finally there was Mistress McKay who was a member of the local Coven and was willing to teach Harry about Earth Magic and the Wiccan Magic and ways.

Harry’s new schedule was PT and running in the morning, after which Tai-Chi lessons from Master Lin, followed by a shower and breakfast.

School from 9am - 3pm and then home for tutoring.

Master Edwards for Aikido on Mondays, and sword work on Tuesdays, Master Lin Magical Theory on Wednesdays, Master Edwards for Runes on Thursday, and finally Wizarding History with Master Lin on Friday.

On the weekends; he would get up and do his PT, then head for breakfast before doing his weight training, he would then spend the day with Mistress McKay learning more herbs and potions as well as Earth Magic and Wiccan Magic, astronomy and divinations.

After his tutoring, he heads up to eat dinner in his trunk, and then work on his homework, after which, he would meditate and then head to bed.

Now that he no longer needs to fear that he would be beaten for doing better than Dudley in school, Harry was excelling. At the instructions of his tutors, he worked hard on his math to insure that when the time came he would be ready to take Arithmancy at Hogwarts, as well as history so that he could see the whole picture where Muggle history and Magical history merged.

&&&&&

September passed as well as October. Dumbledore had finished returning everything he had taken from Harry’s vaults and was now working to pay off the rest of his debts. And while he was still Regent to the Potter’s, he no longer had access to the vaults and he knew that sooner or later he would be held accountable to Harry as well.

&&&&&

Harry spent the time either in school or with his tutors.

They took him to various places as part of his tutoring, these places included; a true Zen garden for his meditation, the park where he was encouraged to play like a normal boy his age, the various museums, and places like the Tower of London to help study history.

He was taken several times to the Coven so that he could be there for major works around the Wiccan holidays such as Equinox, and was set to go there for Solstice.

He had finally gotten into his mother’s family vault and was allowed to take the family Grimoire and history book. He also gained entrance to the Potter’s family vault where he took the family Grimoire and the family history books.

He went through his parents vaults as well, taking the photo albums and diaries. And it is there he placed the family jewels that Petunia had taken.

When the first snows came, he had people hired to shovel the sidewalk, the driveway, and the walkway leading to the house from the sidewalk.

The yard itself became home to several different types of birds, all of whom Harry had set up to feed.

Pickax had located the Family Castle, which Harry’s founder had been given. And, with Harry’s permission, began to repair it as well as reclaim the land around it.

Much of what was left had become either part of the Royal Preserve, or had become home to a small township. With the town itself excited for the jobs as well as the thought that with the castle repaired they could bring in the tourists.

&&&&&

Time passed a Harry continued to learn.

It wasn’t to long before he found himself to be very good at Runes and could be found incorporating them into his other studies as well.

The yard truly was the envy of all those who saw it and there were several magazines who came by to take pictures of it, much to the joy of his aunt.

Harry spent a lot of time in the garden, both front and back. He worked on the herb and flower gardens each day during the summer and prepared the gardens for the coming seasons in the spring and fall.

When the time came closer to his going to Hogwarts, Harry’s tutors began teaching him the history of Hogwarts and the other Founders.

He already knew the history of Gryffindor thanks to the family history, and now he was learning about the others as well.

When they were going over the various houses, Harry was told the best and the worst of each house and after quite awhile, Harry finally decided that if he had a choice, he would go for Hufflepuff.

He knew everyone was expecting him to go to Gryffindor, but he also knew that there would be a lot of expectation for him to be the best at being a Gryffindor. Something he didn’t want.

He knew he could easily be a Ravenclaw, but again, he would have to meet others expectations. He knew there was no way he could or would be in Slytherin. He would be damned if he was going to place himself in the mercy of his family’s enemies.

That left Hufflepuff.

There he could thrive.

He was quiet person, and very introspective. He loved to work in the yard and meditate. He could sit and BE with nature for a long while. In fact, it took others interrupting him for him to come out of it if he hadn’t set up a timer.

Master Lin and Mistress McKay added to this with their teachings. With Master Edwards teaching him the meditation that could be had with the proper work in both martial arts and sword work.

He felt that the quiet of Hufflepuff would serve him well.

&&&&&

Harry, through Pickax, had arranged for a meditation garden and greenhouses to be built for him while he was at Hogwarts. After all the board of Governors wanted to make sure Harry came to their school as was proper and if that meant a mediation garden for his religious beliefs then so be it. They would also accept his religious teacher and caretaker of the gardens.

In the center of the greenhouse gardens, was a Zen like garden with a waterfall in the center and benches surrounding so that people could sit and either talk quietly or study.

Surrounding the waterfall were birch trees and other plants, all arranged in a pattern which would invoke peace.

There were pathways which led to the other greenhouses.

The first greenhouse was actually a hot house which housed tropical plants used for healing as well as fruit trees.

In the second greenhouse were a mixture of Muggle and Magical healing plants and herbs.

The third was set aside for Muggle plants and flowers

With the forth set aside for Magical plants and flowers

Professor Sprout was so taken with the arrangement that she asked if she and her 7th years could help maintain the greenhouses and the hot house.

Master Lin, along with Harry, agreed and gave her a few books on the various plants she was unfamiliar with.

&&&&&

Finally it was time to seriously think about schooling at Hogwarts.

He had received his letter and Master Edwards would be taking him to Diagon Alley to do his shopping.

While he had been to Diagon Alley many times, there was nothing to compare to going there knowing he was shopping for school.

His first stop was the bank and from there the book store. He already had most of the books and had read them as well, but there were a few books that were last minute items such as the books that a new teacher wanted them to learn from. Defense came to mind.

His next stop was Migua’s Wand Shop, to pick up his wand. He had had found the wood and the magical items needed for it and was only waiting for it to be finished, which was today.

He had been told that everyone else went to Olivander’s, however his father’s family had always gone to Migua’s. In fact they had helped found the shop back in the 1600’s, and ,while not as old as Olivander’s, it still was one of the best at specifically fitting each person to their wand, whereas Olivander’s you had to go through each wand until you found one you could use.

He already had his robes, and his telescope and a few other things, so that left the cauldron shop so that he could get new cauldrons and the apothecary so that he could refill his potion case and get the other ingredients he would need both for potions and for his own Works. Both in Earth Magic and with Wiccan.

&&&&&

He spent the time waiting to head out to Hogwarts and wishing his teachers well.

He knew that Mistress McKay would not be following him and would only be there via correspondence using the goblin post box.

Basically you put your mail to go out into the box and it was taken, by magic, to the goblins, which, in turn, sent it to whoever you wished to receive it. And the reverse happened when someone else sent him something. The letter would appear in his box when someone had sent him something.

Master Edwards, however, would be there on the weekends to help him continue his studies. With Master Lin there to help with the meditation greenhouses that had been set up.

He had spent several months in preparation of Harry’s arrival at Hogwarts and the greenhouses and hot house were ready.

Professor Sprout had been very happy over the newest addition to her greenhouses and had given ideas as to what should be planted there as well.

She had already asked for and received permission and funding to build a hot house for Hogwarts so that they could grow their own tropical ingredients, using this area for her 7th years to learn from.

&&&&&

End Chapter One:

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