Harry spent the rest of the day learning how his new gifts worked. The necromancy and inactive gifts could wait for now. The paths may be open to him for the rest of his gifts, but he still had to learn how to use his new abilities. Thankfully, the metamorphmagus ability seemed mostly intuitive since the animagus change only worked in small changes like a tiny patch of fur or scales on the back of his hand; he probably needed to learn more about his form before he tried further.
He remembered how clumsy Tonks was and only increased his height and build a small amount to make him appear older. He walked, cast, and jogged around the house in the two forms he’d decided would be his defaults for the family business. One was a young man with long brown hair and eyes who looked to be in his early twenties, while the other was an older gentleman with salt-and-pepper hair and blue eyes.
The next morning, he woke up with hair brushing the backs of his shoulders. He tied it back with a shrug when he got ready to meet with his two new masters. Master Pitman would be teaching him two days a week in the mornings, with the swords master coming in the afternoon.
“Good morning, Master Pitman,” Harry said with a grin when the man stepped out of the floo and did a slight double take at the changes the young man had undergone.
“I don’t mean to be rude, Lord Potter, but do you have any metamorphs in your family?”
“On the Black side, why?" he asked, already knowing he’d gotten something wrong.
“There are no potions or spells to change the length of a person’s hair. It can be styled or changed in color but not in length. It rather outs your abilities to have it change so drastically in such a short time.”
“That’s good to know. I’ll be more careful, but for now, I think I want to leave it this length. I won’t see anyone until the school year starts, so it should be safe.” Harry said with a sigh, already adding the item to his growing list of things to remember when he returned to Hogwarts.
“I would shorten it to chin length when school starts and slowly lengthen it a little each month. Most people will just assume you let it grow out over the summer.”
“I will, thank you. I wasn’t sure what you wanted to start with; there is a training room one level down.” Harry said, trying to put the matter aside for now, It was a pity he wasn’t dealing with most people when it came to his enemies.
“Let me see how large the space is, if it won’t work, we could ward a ballroom or simply set upwards outside.”
For the next few hours, Harry cast over and over again, magically exhausting himself as Pitman worked to improve his precision and speed in casting. Even just casting a stinging hex was exhausting when you were expected to cast ten, one after the other, at a tiny spot on a nearby wall. They did a short duel just so he could see at what level Harry was at. Harry was sure the duel didn’t last ten minutes before he was tossed like a rag doll to the floor, but he’d at least made the other man break a sweat.
He was left with instructions to continue the exercises every day, and he would be tested in two days when Pitman returned. After a quick lunch and a pepper up, Harry waited by the floo for Master Simmons to arrive wearing a slightly different face close to what he’d used as his disguise when interviewing the instructors; the tall man stepped regally through the grate and took in the space around him before turning to Harry.
“Thank you for coming, Master Simmons,” Harry said, offering a smile.
“I had to see the young man that Pitman was so eager to teach," he said with a small nod, the floo flared behind him, and he stepped out of the way as Master Pitman came through.
“Hope you don’t mind if I watch your session, Simmons?” Pitman asked, grinning widely, watching as Harry sealed the floo with a flick of his wand.
“As long as Mister Thorburn doesn’t,” he said with a frown, “This is meant to be our trial session, however. Will an audience put you off at all?”
“No, it should be fine.” Harry agreed with a nod, “Would you like me to show you to the training room?”
“Do you not have a dueling platform?” Simmons asked, glancing at the grinning dueling instructor that stood to one side.
“We do. However, I’d prefer to study swordsmanship in a less regimented form at first if you are willing.”
“You aren’t looking to learn for sport?” he asked sharply, watching the young man before him.
“No sir, my family has been decimated by the death eaters, and I prefer to be prepared.” Harry said firmly, meeting the man’s eyes squarely, “Several known sympathizers carry a sword cane or are known to be sword fighters.”
“Take me to the training room then,” the man said with a frown, gesturing Harry forward, “What do you know of sword fighting?”
“Nothing, sir, but I have used one in a fight. Once you agree to sign the apprenticeship contract, I can show you the memory if you like.”
“Very well, does your House have any swords available? I’ve brought a training sword for today, but you will need to find a blade to use once we reach the higher levels.”
“I’ve had a house elf lay out the blades available in a nearby room. I would appreciate your insight on which would be best.”
“Show me those once we finish for the day.”
“Yes, sir, the room is just through here. Master Pitman, I had some chairs brought in earlier if you need one.” Harry said, gesturing the dueling master to the chairs along one wall.
“Thank you, lad, I’ll take a chair while you two get sorted,” Pitman said with a grin, dropping into one of the indicated chairs and leaning forward like he was watching a highly anticipated show.
Master Simmons looked over the room with a hum before turning and starting to pull training weapons and gear out of his bag. He helped Harry into a set of pads before handing him a practice sword and starting to don his gear.
“Practice a few swings, get used to the weight of it.”
“It’s heavier than the sword I used previously,” Harry said, grunting slightly as he made several slow stabs and slashes with the blunt weapon.
“It’s supposed to be a heavy practice sword builds up your muscles and lets you put more power into the blows when you use a real weapon. Keep going.”
“Yes, sir,” Harry said, huffing slightly as he kept moving, twisting and jumping slightly to see how restrictive the protective gear was.
“Alright, whenever you’re ready, we’ll begin with a basic duel. I want to see how you react during a fight.”
The fight was quickly over, but they spent the next hour dissecting why he’d acted as he did for each move in the fight and what he could have done instead. Harry then spent the rest of the session learning thirty new sword forms that he was instructed to practice for an hour a day.
“Not bad,” Simmons said with a nod as he and Harry stripped out of their gear. “Now, show me these swords.”
“It’s in the room next door,” Harry said, retying his hair back in its band and leading the two men to the next room.
“Quite the collection, Mister Thorburn,” Simmons said, looking over the rows of swords and daggers that had been laid out. “And the colored tags?”
“The color represents the level of magical enhancement on each blade.” Harry said, picking up a scroll from one table, “Red is lethal or illegal curses, yellow is non-illegal curses but still lethal, green is spelled only with runes or spells meant to strengthen the blade or its sharpness, and blue is unspelled.”
“For now, I would work with only the green or blue, once you receive your first mastery, you can start carrying an enchanted blade.”
“First mastery?” Harry asked, blinking at the sword master.
“Frankly, Mister Thorburn, you’re one of the more naturally gifted wizards I’ve had the delight of teaching. If you dedicate yourself to the art, you could have mastery in at least one style of sword dueling within a year. You have a natural gift for agility and judging distance that will put you well ahead of most beginners. Do you play a sport?”
“Quidditch, sir; I’m a seeker for my school’s team.”
“Keep it up; it’s given you an edge." he said flatly, “Now, these three blades should work for your current height. If you grow any more, we may have to change the blade length you work with. Ideally, you need to work with different weights and blade lengths until you no longer anticipate the strike, but for now, these should do.”
“Are you saying you’re willing to teach the boy then, Simmons?” Pitman asked with a grin.
“Yes, if you are still willing, I would consent to you becoming an apprentice of mine. I think you’ll go far if you ever do decide to compete in the coming years.”
“I’ll keep that in mind, sir,” Harry said with a grin, pulling out the contract and allowing Master Simmons to sign.
“Now, do I get to know why Pitman has been grinning at me like a monkey, or is it banned in the contract as well?”
“No,” Harry said, letting the slight changes he’d made to his features slip away, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Master Simmons; Harry Potter, at your service.”
“Merlin’s balls,” Master Simmons sputtered, gapping at Harry for a long moment before he pulled himself together.
“You did always say that you’d love to teach a Potter, Simmons.” Pitman put in with a laugh.
“You knew?”
“Not until I signed on the line myself.”
“Good lord,” Simmons said with a laugh, “Your grandfather was a well-known swordsman in his day, Lord Potter. I’ve wanted to have a Potter apprenticed since I first saw him fight as a lad myself. It is an honor to meet you, sir, but don’t think that I’ll go easy on you because of your fame.”
“Please, call me Harry, and I sincerely hope you do your worst, Master Simmons. My life is too crazy to hope for things to be easy when my next battle happens.”
“Very true, now, what was this about you using a sword in a fight before?”
“Oh, give me a moment to get the pensive. Have you gentlemen ever seen a basilisk before?” Harry asked with a wide grin.
****
“Thank you for coming, Lord Thorburn.” Gold Kris said, eyeing Harry’s new form as he was escorted in.
“I hope your day has been most profitable, Gold Kris. Is Snape already here?”
“No, he’s arriving in a few minutes. I wanted to see your disguise myself." the goblin said with a harrumph, “You’ve done quite a feat, Lord Potter. Not a single ward was tripped on your journey here. May I ask for a drop of blood just to prove your identity?”
“Of course,” Harry said, pricking his finger and letting a drop hit the proffered parchment.
“No potions in your system, and you are indeed who you claim to be, most impressive.”
“I can give you an oath that my new…ability won’t be used to defraud the bank in any way. I just wish to be anonymous until Dumbledore forces my hand.”
“I believe you, Lord Potter, however, the Director may demand more concrete evidence.”
“I understand.”
A quick knock was all the warning they were given before Potions Master Severus Snape was shown into the room with a sneer. He took in the young man waiting for him and wasn’t impressed.
“Mister Snape, please have a seat. Lord Thorburn is the one I wished you to meet.” Gold Kris said, gesturing Snape forward.
“Pleasure to meet you,” Harry said with a nod, waiting to see what the other man would do.
“You seem rather young to be a Lord, Mister Thorburn,” Snape said, eying the single chair before Gold Kris with a grimace.
“Having the Dark Lord decimate your family tends to force even the most juvenile to step into their birthright, Potions Master Snape,” Harry said, clasping his hands behind his back and refusing to back down to the other man.
“You know who I am then?" Severus snapped, not bothering to apologize for his slight.
“Yes, and I know that you’ve worked as a spy against both sides of our current war. Before this meeting goes any further, I need you to sign a contract stating that should your bonds be severed, you will not rejoin the war effort under the Dark Lord or Dumbledore. The other items for your students and any others you wish to remove from the war are outlined in the second contract before you. You must sign the first before your mark can be removed.” Harry said flatly, body relaxed but eyes hard, Snape had done this to himself, and if he wanted Harry to help, then he needed to step up.
“You may peruse them at your leisure, Mister Snape, but none of us will be leaving this office until a decision is made.” Gold Kris added, laying out the last of the paperwork.
“Is it certain that I will survive the procedure?” Snape asked, eyes on the first contract.
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
“Yes, but I cannot say that it will be painless or that your previous employers will not be aware of your absence,” Harry said, watching the potions master gather up the contracts and start to read.
“You wish me to take apprentices?” Snape asked after several minutes of silently reading.
“Or to teach or, if you want, to simply brew,” Harry said with a shrug, “I have twenty years backlog of plant and animal ingredients in my warehouses that need to be used or sold. Selling them right now would flood the market, so I can allow you to experiment and brew as you wish with the caveat that anything you create while under my care would be sold under my family name for five years, with a portion of the profits going back towards the care of the others you bring in.”
“You don’t care what I brew? No stipulations?” The potion master pressed.
“No, I simply wish for anyone staying on my estates to be productive. My family has never been one to sit idle. If the students under your care do not wish to study, then they need to have some marketable skill or be willing to learn one.”
“Would you be willing to bring in tutors or allow them to be apprenticed to those outside the safety of the wards?”
“If they are needed, I will bring in tutors or try to arrange apprenticeships; I was hoping that the other adults would assist in teaching the children. I’ve spoken with Swords Master Simmons and Dueling Master Pitman, and they are willing to test the children for apprenticeships however, it will depend on the merit of the child if they are taken on or not.”
“I was not aware that Swords Master Simmons was taking apprentices at this time,” Snape said slowly, his mask cracking slightly as he blinked in shock, Simmons was a world-renowned fighter and had refused for the last twenty years to accept any apprenticeships since his last apprentice died in a duel.
“I’m his only current apprentice, and while he is open to testing the children, he won’t guarantee any more than that. Some may be offered to other Masters for testing given his approval.”
“You are his apprentice?” Snape asked, scanning over the young man before him like he was reanalyzing every tiny detail for clues.
“I hope to complete my first mastery late next year.” Harry offered with a small smile, surprised that he’d managed to shock the man.
“Congratulations.” Snape said with a nod, picking up a quill, he signed the first contract and handed it back to Gold Kris, “I agree with most of the items on the second contract, but there will need to be a few changes.”
“Would you like your mark removed now, or did you want to finish the contract work first,” Harry asked, waiting to move until Snape decided.
“The contracts first, please. As much as I would like the… mark removed, I need to make sure my snakes are safe first.” Snape said, frowning.
“Not just your snakes are in danger.” Harry pointed out with a frown of his own.
“They are the ones I can reach.” Snape said with a sigh, “There are a few others, cousins of my students, we can discretely inform, but most of the other houses are firmly in either Dumbledore’s or the Dark Lord’s hands.”
Harry grimaced but agreed as they settled in to correct the contract. Two hours later, Gold Kris finalized the changes and made clean copies to be signed by each student who wished to be removed from Hogwarts. Snape would contact those he could discretely before the school year started and bring them to Gringotts to be tested for potions and stripped of any harmful bonds or spells. Gold Kris supplied him with a new portkey to a remote manor that would be housing most of the students. Harry had completed altering the wards yesterday, and they would set the secret keeper later this week.
“Are you ready, Master Snape?”
“What must I do?" Severus asked, watching as Harry approached.
“I need to hold your affected arm and ask that you remain as silent as possible while I’m working.”
“We have a healer waiting in the hall; you will be seen as soon as the mark is removed.” Gold Kris added, watching the two humans intently.
“Very well, begin when you are ready,” Snape said, rolling back his sleeve to expose the mark as Harry took a knee next to his chair.
The dark mark sat stark against his pale skin, the edges red and irritated. Harry placed his hands on either side of the man’s arm, holding it firmly in case he tried to pull away. He slid into the trance-like state that was coming easier and easier as he allowed his magic to swell within him.
Dark chains of fire, smoke, and ice twinned throughout Snape’s body and magic, hooking spikes and thorns into his very essence. The icy chains were Dumbledore’s, and Harry shattered these first, thawing and healing the ragged areas that he could. The fiery chains writhed and tightened as he worked as if sensing that they were next.
The mark hissed and screamed as Harry started breaking the chains bound to it. The snake coiled its way through the bindings, striking at him as he snapped the next chain. The magic was frantic, flailing at anything it could, damaging even its host as it sought to end the attack. As he broke the final link, it roared, spitting curses in parseltongue while Harry scrambled to block the blows it was trying to land on both himself and Snape. He could hear Snape screaming as he poured fire and magic into the mark, determined to burn out the darkness, caging the potion master.
Gold Kris activated the wards on his office when Harry’s very skin began to pulse with visible magic, mist rising from the floor to twine around him. The rising magic in the room rattled the pictures and weapons on the walls, rustling his papers and making the air heavy with ozone, like lightning about to strike. Harry’s clothes and hair moved in an invisible breeze as the magic continued to build. The wards themselves began to glow as they fought to ground the growing charge that was filling the room, instinct had Gold Kris throwing himself into the nearest corner as the room exploded in a wash of pure magic and heat.
Snape shivered and gave a strained moan as he fought to stay still and not pull his arm away. He almost could feel the bindings and vows he had made to both of his masters being chipped away, each strand parting with an increasing sting of pain and heat. The dark mark on his arm glowed with a sickly green light as it fought back, the smell of burning flesh filled the room as Snape screamed.
With a roar of magic, the balance tipped, and the mark was burned away, leaving only reddened scar tissue behind. Snape gasped as the burning turned into healing warmth. He glanced around the room in shock, realizing that the chair beneath him was smoking and the heavy wooden desk lay shattered to one side.
Thorburn slowly released his arm and stood, moving quickly to check on Gold Kris, who had warded himself into a corner. Snape glanced back to his unmarked arms in disbelief. He’d hoped that he’d be freed for real this time, but after Dumbledore had used him when he attempted to atone for his mistake, he hadn’t truly believed it would ever happen. Nothing was ever truly free, but this Lord Thorburn was offering time and space to heal and relearn how to live, something no one had ever offered those of the dark.
“I believe, Lord Thorburn, next time we attempt such a removal, it will have to be done in the warded halls below the bank.” Gold Kris said grumpily, taking in his wrecked office, “Was the endeavor successful?”
“Yes, the mark was removed, as well as all his bindings,” Harry agreed, standing stiffly to one side, watching his former professor gaze at his arm in childlike awe.
“Master Snape, may I let the healers in to check your condition?” Gold Kris asked while he was moving towards the door.
“What? Yes, that’s fine.” Snape said with an absent nod, not looking up from his arm.
“I believe, for once, the bank will take care of the cost of the repairs. We should have anticipated such a violent response.” Gold Kris said, dropping the wards and opening the door for the guards and healers, “As you can see, we are fine,” he snapped, dismissing the guards with a snarl as the healer quickly started checking Snape over.
“How is our client, Healer Hekla?” Gold Kris asked once the healer had completed her initial scans.
“Surprisingly well, he might be a bit sore and exhausted while his magic and body recover, but there is nothing I can offer beyond advising him to rest.”
“The rest of our business can be conducted at a later date, Master Snape, if you wish to retire?”
“I’m afraid I might need to.” Snape said shakily, standing, “Thank you, Lord Thorburn. I am in your debt.”
“Help me keep the students safe in the coming year, and we’ll consider it even,” Harry said with a nod, shaking the potion master’s hand.
*****
"Thank you for coming today, Madam Tonks," Gold Kris said, gesturing the woman and her family to the waiting chairs.
"You mentioned that a customer might need my services in the message. Can I get a little more information on the issue?" Andromeda asked, settling into the chair closest to the desk while her husband and daughter sat by the door.
"Of course, here is what we currently know. Names have been removed until you agree to take the case, of course."
"That’s fine," she said, starting to read the thick file.
Gold Kris called out and arranged for snacks to be brought in to the others while their relative worked. He watched the lawyer start taking notes after the first few pages. She was getting more and more upset the further she read.
“This is horrible, how was a child treated so badly? Why did no one step forward to help him?”
“Because his abusers were relatives assigned by his guardian who was neglectful himself,” Gold Kris said with a growl, “He is currently recovering from the years of abuse, but we are trying to put a case together to bring charges against those who have wronged him, it is a long list, Madam Tonks.”
“I generally don’t work in child abuse cases? Why was I requested for this case?” she asked, closing the folder to cover the magical pictures showing the scar-covered body of the young man, his face blurred with spells.
“Because you and your family are related to the victim,” Gold Kris said, ignoring the way the humans froze in shock, trying to place who they would know who’d been abused under their noses, “If all of you are willing to take a vow of silence on the matter we can give you the full files and explain our reasons for the meeting. I must also ask that Miss Nymphadora Tonks include the Order of the Phoenix in the exclusion vow. If word of this case gets back to the wizarding government or Headmaster Dumbledore before we are ready to bring the case to court, the perpetrators could attempt to hide the evidence, the victim could be killed or attacked in the attempt, and we cannot have that happen before he is fully protected.”
“Surely Dumbledore would never,” Tonks started, only for Gold Kris to interrupt at full volume.
“If you refuse to sign, then you must leave. You’ve already vowed silence on what you’ve heard here, and if you speak to anyone about this meeting, you risk losing your magic. If Gringotts hears about the attempt, you will be banned from the bank, and your accounts will be seized.”
“Surely, it’s not as bad as that,” Ted asked, glancing at his wife’s strained frame.
“The guardian attempted to defraud the victim’s account, Mister Tonks and Gringotts does not deal lightly with known thieves, much less thieves of children.” Gold Kris growled, “I must know your answers before we can move on.”
“Can you give us a moment to decide?” Andromeda asked, handing back the file.
“I cannot allow you to leave the office, but you may have your moment," he said with a nod, gesturing them to the seats by the fireplace.
“Thank you," she said with a relieved nod.
She gestured the other two to the far corner of the room, away from the door, and sighed as she looked at how angry her daughter was. Nymphodora had always been one to see things in black and white, even as a child, and she was not sure how she would take the news once the child’s name was revealed. Ted would probably follow her lead, but she needed him to understand the gravity of the situation, there could be no slip-ups, and as a muggle-born, he would be punished more severely.
“How can he demand that, Mom? I have vowed to the Aurors and Dumbledore. He can’t ask me to keep this from them.” Nymphodora said.
“Even if it meant keeping a relative safe?” Andromeda asked, moving to stand before her daughter.
“We don’t have any relatives that are children! There’s no one in school with black blood right now.”
“Both Harry Potter and the Malfoy child have relatives who were in the Black family; would you want Harry to be hurt or killed if you went running to Dumbledore or the Aurors?”
“Dumbledore would never hurt Harry!”
“It’s not Dumbledore knowing, it’s anyone, Nymphodora! If word of this kind of abuse hit the papers, the child could be killed, whether from your lips or Dumbledore’s! The more people that know about the abuse, the more likely it is that someone will talk. They are asking for our silence to keep the child safe, as an auror, you should understand that.”
“Of course, I want to keep the child safe, Mother, but why can’t we tell Dumbledore? Surely he’d want to help?”
“If the victim has requested that the case be sealed, then no one can speak of it until it goes to court; once the trial starts, then we would be able to alert him if it still was needed.”
“Fine, but I don’t like it,” Nymphodora said with a snort, turning away.
“Ted?” Andromeda asked with a frown, not liking how bratty Nymphodora was being but didn’t want to start an open fight in Gringotts.
“I’m fine with keeping quiet, at least this way, the child won’t have to deal with the added pressure of the press. The wizarding reporters can be vicious.” Ted said with a shudder.
“Are you decided then?” Gold Kris asked as they approached his desk.
“Yes, we are willing to take a vow of silence on the case and all involved,” Andromeda said, speaking for the group.
“Very well, there is one more matter that needs to be addressed today. As a result of this case, Gringotts has done a full review of every account and vault where a member was a student of Hogwarts. We have found roughly eighty students who were under potions or spells meant to alter their personalities or reactions to various events. We are offering to scan your family for the same potions and spells and facilitate their removal as needed.”
“So many? But why are you inventorying the vaults?”
“Because items were discovered that had been spelled to harm the users, such as the child’s school books. Many of the students of Slytherin and Gryffindor house have been affected.”
“We will submit to the scans,” Andromeda said firmly, something was going on, and she wanted everyone as safe as she could make them.
“Mother,” Nymphodora protested, only to quell at the harsh glare Andromeda leveled at her.
“No, there will be no argument in this, Nymphodora. Testing you and your possessions from Hogwarts will do no harm if you aren’t affected, and if you are, I want the spells removed.” Andromeda snapped, “As the Head of our family, I demand it.”
“You’re not the Head of House Black,” Nymphodora said, hair cycling through various colors, showing her anger.
“There is no Head until the will reading with Sirius gone, but I am your mother and the eldest magical relative in our family. I will force the issue if you refuse.”
“This is ridiculous. They won’t find anything.” Nymphodora snapped.
“Then let them find nothing!” The older woman snapped back before turning to Gold Kris, “We will consent to be scanned whenever the curse breakers are available.”
“I will call for them now.” Gold Kris said, dropping a note into a slot on his new desk.
Two hours later, Andromeda was watching her child with concern as the goblins arranged for her to go through a complete magical purge that afternoon. The young auror had been spelled with several loyalty and binding spells that had been in place since her years at Hogwarts. She also had part of her metamorphmagus abilities bound at some point in her childhood, which was why she struggled with the changes in height.
Ted was declared free of spells and potions, but Andromeda had several small compulsions and loyalty spells removed that had probably been placed by her relatives when she was a child. Her relatives she could almost understand, given how bad her childhood had been, but the mass manipulation of the children at Hogwarts chilled her.
Once the purge was complete, Nymphodora huddled in a blanket on the bench next to her mother. She couldn’t understand how so many spells had been applied without her knowledge; she was an Auror, and she should have noticed something.
“I know it has been a long day for all of you, but I would like to show you the full files. Once you’ve reviewed them, I can arrange for a meeting with the victim if you are willing?”
“Yes, perhaps in the next few days.” Andromeda said, rubbing Nymphodora’s back, “I want to have both of us go through the purging potions before we make any decisions, however.”
“Of course, here are the files. Please let me know if you have any questions.” Gold Kris said, handing over a stack of folders.
They each took a copy and settled in to read. The soft “Dear Lord, Harry.” broke the shocked silence as Andromeda realized just how bad things had been for the Boy Who Lived. If the press got hold of this information, the wizarding world would be turned on its ear, and the population would be out for blood, either Harry’s or Dumbledore’s, depending on what side of the fight they fell on.
“How is Harry doing? Is he recovering?” Tonks asked, needing to know her cousin was okay as tears filled her eyes.
“I believe Lord Potter is doing well. He is finally learning about his heritage and working to repair the damage that Dumbledore has done to his family holdings. I will ask him if he’d be open to meeting with you on Friday, he was the one who originally wished to inform you of the situation but was unsure of your reaction given the way the wizarding population seems to loathe and laud him depending on the day.”
“The Tonks family will help in any way he needs,” Andromeda said firmly.
“The will reading is not until next week, but it would not hurt to inform you that Lord Potter has taken over the head of House Black as well. He has reinstated your inclusion as well as that of your daughter and authorized the return of the full dowry to your accounts.”
“Harry’s the new Head?” Nymphodora asked, sniffing softly as she wiped her eyes, how could she have been so blind?
“He decided to combine House Black with House Potter however, that won’t be announced publicly until the court case.” Gold Kris revealed with a frown. He never liked handing out such sensitive information without the account owner present.
“Sirius must be howling with laughter, a sixteen-year-old Head of House. It’s the ultimate prank, done under everyone’s noses, as well.” Andromeda sniffled with a soft, watery laugh.
“Is there anything else you need from us, Gold Kris?” Ted asked hesitantly, “If not, I think we need to head home to regroup. We can come back Friday and sort out any other issues.”
“No, you are free to leave. The rest can wait until you meet with Lord Potter. I must remind you, however, that you’ve signed the contracts, and the consequences will be most dire should word get out.”
“We understand,” Andromeda said, gathering Nymphodora up as she stood, guiding her still shell-shocked daughter towards the door.
“Might I remind you, Dumbledore is a known legilimency user, if your shields are not adequate, I would avoid his company for now.” Gold Kris added.
“Thank you, we will,” Andromeda said with a frown, she’d studied Occlumency, but she wasn’t sure about Ted.
“I’ll have to take a leave of work.” Nymphodora said, blinking at her mother, “We could say it’s a family emergency, tell Dumbledore the same.”
“That should work for the short term until we talk to Harry.”
Gold Kris watched the exhausted family leave his office with a frown. He hoped Harry wasn’t placing too much faith in his more distant relatives. The younger Tonks had always seemed flighty and too trusting of those in power; perhaps this would open her eyes.