Harry came slowly awake. Even before he managed to open his eyes, he could feel the connection to the wards humming at the back of his awareness. He scanned the wards and manor, looking for problems he would need to deal with today. He altered the wards to allow Hedwig to enter and leave at will, but all other post had to be gathered from a drop box just outside the wards. He would need to get her a collar like the Gringotts owls wore that would protect her from hexes and tracking spells.
He spent the next hour or so simply lying in bed as he reviewed the manor and the other properties that were also connected to the Potter wards. He noted the farmland that had been fallow for years that was slowly being tilled by teams of house elves, and the warehouses that were being reorganized and cleaned. Each time he reviewed an area, the house elves present would pause and grin at each other, sensing the attention of their returned Master as he reviewed his holdings.
Finally, he forced himself out of bed, noting that Hedwig was out hunting even though it was just after sunrise. “Early girl,” he murmured to himself as he got cleaned up and dressed in the clothes one of the house elves had laid out for him. He pulled on the clothes with a slight frown since they were not anything he had purchased before setting the issue to the side since they fit well. He dug through his trunk for his original study schedule. He needed to start getting organized.
Harry paused when he realized that the wards were saying there were dangerous items in his trunk. He emptied his trunk, laying out the items the wards said were dangerous onto the table with a frown. It was a strange mix: his potions spell books for each year, his jumpers that the Weasleys had given him, a small stash of lemon drops from Dumbledore, a small box of chocolates from Ginny that he had forgotten about, his invisibility cloak, and a few other random notes and books that he had collected in his time at Hogwarts.
“Tibby?”
“Yes, Master Harry?”
“Can you take these things to the library and put them on one of the tables there?”
“Tibby will do it right away," she said with a determined nod. A snap and pop later, the items and Tibby were gone.
“Thank you, Tibby,” Harry said with a small sigh to the empty room as he gathered up his papers.
One good thing about claiming the wards was that he now knew exactly where everything was and could find his way. He made his way to the library, setting his papers next to his belongings.
“I need a house elf who’s not busy," Harry said softly once he was seated.
“How can Tea help Master Harry?” A small male house elf asked, popping in nearly silently.
“Can you let the kitchen know that I will be having my breakfast here while I work? I also need a way to easily find books in the library.” The wards were not helping him with finding a book unless he already knew the name of the title he wanted to find, they just showed him that it was in the library if he asked for a general subject.
“Master can use the catalog.” Tea said, snapping his fingers and causing a large volume to pop into existence in front of Harry. “The catalog lists all the books in the Potter libraries and where they are held. If Master wants a book that is not in the manor, he just has to ask for Tea to fetch it.”
“Wonderful, thank you, Tea.”
“Master is most welcome. Tea will be getting Master’s breakfast now.” Harry opened the catalog with a grin and started to search for books on spell detection. It was only a few minutes later before Tea popped back in with a breakfast tray of toast, already buttered and with jam the way Harry liked it, eggs, bacon, and a cup of milk and tea waiting.
It took several hours of reading and casting detection spells, but Harry finally had a list of what had been done to each item. His potions books were covered in spells to make him angry and distrustful, the cloak was charmed with locator and loyalty spells, and the lemon drops with calming and loyalty potions. The Weasley sweaters had been spelled for loyalty and affection, while the chocolates held a mild love potion. The rest of the items were a mix of loyalty and emotional control spells.
It was maddening. Someone wanted him to seem unbalanced and angry, to distrust and hate Snape and Slytherins, and to love the Weasleys and Headmaster. They wanted him emotional and out of control while at the same time fiercely loyal and underpowered. No wonder he ran toward trouble like a niffler toward gold. It was crazy, they wanted him loyal to the light to a fault, yet hampered by a lack of knowledge, emotional control, and magic so that he was running to his death at every threat. It was a miracle he’d survived as long as he had.
In a small burst of anger, Harry ordered an elf to bring him a trunk to store the items. He would keep everything like it was. He might have to prove the Headmaster’s meddling at some point, and evidence was never a bad thing. He left out the invisibility cloak, hoping that he would be able to remove the charms affecting it. He would replace the books with new copies and check his belongings regularly to see if they had been respelled.
Harry quickly pinned out a growing list of things that he wanted to be checked when the goblin healers examined him. He needed to make sure none of the potions had long-term effects and a way to prevent himself from being re-dosed. He almost wished there was a way to not have to return to Hogwarts, but the Headmaster was too influential with the Ministry and would just find a way to force him back. He just had to protect himself until he turned seventeen, and then Dumbledore would have no legal power over him as his “magical guardian,” not that that would stop him from trying. Harry would just have to try and be one step ahead.
He spent the rest of the day researching the Potter family and every book he could find on combining Houses. There weren’t many. Everything he found reinforced the idea that combining two magically powerful families was dangerous, but the Potter family had been quietly doing so for generations. Several older houses, including the Perevell line through Ignotus Perevell, merged smaller branch families with larger Houses if they were the last of the line during a marriage.
The main issues he was finding were old marriage laws. If he kept all his Houses separate but claimed them as head of House, then he had to have a wife for each House to continue that line. If he combined them, he could have one wife and his children would each be given one of the Houses to run upon his death. Considering how often he thought he was going to die in the last few years, marriage and children had never even been on his list of things that would happen to him.
He would need to talk with his account manager about setting up an ironclad will should anything happen to him. If everyone wanted him dead, then the least he could do was ensure that those hunting him got nothing to benefit them in his demise.
****
The next morning, Harry again dressed in the nice clothes and robe left out for him. Ruefully, he eyed the fine materials and cut of the outfit, and he probably looked like a pureblood in these clothes. He needed to understand why the “traditional” side was so associated with the dark while the relatively new muggle-loving faction was so firmly light. The two factions sat at the extremes of the scale with no hint of a middle ground. There had to be a way to follow the old magical values and spell craft without pushing it into the sacrificial side of dark magic, just as you could use light spells without rejecting every spell that “might” be dark.
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
After eating a small breakfast, Harry activated his portkey. Gold Kris had not said what time to arrive, but being early was never a bad thing. He was quickly shown from the portkey area to Gold Kris’ office without fuss or notice from other customers.
“Thank you for coming so promptly, Mister Potter. I have gathered all the necessary paperwork to either combine or uphold both the Potter and the Black houses.” Gold Kris said with a snarl-like smile. It was nice to see that the owner of such prominent accounts was respectful to those who helped his wealth.
“Thank you for arranging the meeting, Account Manager Gold Kris. I have several items I want to discuss with you. I’ve been reading as much as I could find about House traditions, but I couldn’t find much on combining Houses. Can you explain the process to me?”
“Combining Houses is not a common practice. In ancient times, it was common for Houses to combine and merge their magic, wealth, and knowledge in hopes that new magical abilities would arise. The Potter family is a bit of an anomaly in that it has absorbed over twenty other Houses since its founding that Gringotts is aware of. Most of them, however, were small families that had little power.”
“Are there any drawbacks to combining Houses?”
“Yes.” Gold Kris said sternly, looking angered at being interrupted. “When two magically powerful Houses are combined, there is no way to predict how the magic will combine. Family gifts or affinities may be lost or gained; a predominantly light family may start having members who have dark affiliations. It is impossible to predict. I can say that when two Houses that possess powerful magics combine, there is always a resurgence of both new and old abilities that had been thought lost to the bloodlines.”
“So there is no way to predict how the two Houses’ magic will combine?”
“Generally, the magically stronger House will hold sway, but there are always exceptions.”
“Are there any legal drawbacks?”
“By becoming the head of a House, you are now considered a legal adult, and any actions you take in the future that result in...legal inquiries will have you judged at trial as such. As the head of House Potter, you will be able to take your seat in the Ministries House of Lords when you turn eighteen and will have several votes, one for each House you represent.”
“I take it Dumbledore is currently voting with those House votes?”
“As your magical guardian, he is allowed to vote as your proxy however, since he is Head of the Wizengamot, he is only able to vote when not standing as Head and not for any legislation he has sponsored.”
“Will it be common knowledge that the Houses have been combined?”
“Those within the families will be given notice of a change of Head of House. This announcement can be withheld until the will reading of your Godfather if you wish.”
“Yes, please do that,” Harry said, considering his options. “What responsibilities will I have to the remaining Blacks?”
“You will be their new Head of House and, as such, will have all the normal powers a Lord would have over his people. You can allow or break marriage contracts, add or remove members of the family, and cancel or create accounts and stipends for the family members. The list is the same as you would have over any remaining Potter family members if there were any.”
“Can I get a list of all stipends and account access for the Black family? I know they are helping fund the current war, and I would like to see those funds removed from that effort.”
“I take it you wish to combine Houses, taking House Black into House Potter?”
“I do.”
“Very well. I will see that the full inventory of the Black vaults is included in the files we are compiling.” Gold Kris said, waving to a stack of leather-bound volumes to one side of his desk. “The Black family is known for their...need to have control. Their House magic will most likely fight the merge, and the binding can be quite painful. Do you wish to conclude our other business first?”
“Yes, let’s get as much as can be done today. Then I would like to see about having the remaining curses removed before I claim House Black.”
“A sound plan, Heir Potter. You mentioned other items you wished to discuss today?”
“Yes, I have a list,” Harry said, handing over the small stack of parchment. “I would like to see about having a will drawn up and ensuring its ability to prevent the Headmaster or his affiliates from gaining control of any of my House’s assets should I die unexpectedly. I also have evidence of potions and various spells to control my emotions and loyalty being placed on my belongings and gifts I’ve received. I need a way to shield against such tampering and want to make sure no long-term damage has been done.”
“Should the Headmaster ever lose his political power, you would have a most damning legal case against him.” Gold Kris rumbled happily.
“I have no direct evidence that he was anything more than the mastermind pulling the strings, and as it stands, too many people see him as a savior and man of the light.”
“Pity they never thought to ask the Goblin nation. We have a very dim view of those who steal, Lord Potter. Rest assured that we will do everything we can to prevent him from ever touching your accounts again. There is little Gringotts can do, however, outside of the bank.”
“Thank you, Account Manager Gold Kris. Even having one person on my side is better than it was only a few days ago.”
“You are most welcome, Lord Potter. Perhaps it is time that the wizards started to remember just who they have entrusted their gold with," he said with a snort. “But enough, let me summon the healers, and we will get started. We have much to do today. I will arrange a meeting with the Potter family lawyers in the next few days as well.”
“Would it be possible to change lawyers? I have no way of knowing just how under Dumbledore’s thumb they are since they never bothered to contact me in any way. Should they not have met with me as their client?”
“Legally, they merely had to deal with your magical guardian. Dumbledore may have prevented any such contact. I will see that your legal representatives are quietly investigated before your meeting. If they are found to be corrupt, there are several independent lawyers who Gringotts can vouch for.”
“Thank you.” Harry said with a nod, “Who will be notified of the change in House status exactly? Will Dumbledore be informed that I’ve been made head of House Potter?”
“Since Dumbledore is your magical guardian, he should be aware of such changes already if he were fulfilling his guardianship duties as the law requires. A notice will be sent to the ministry, but these kinds of missives tend to be overlooked or misfiled. I doubt anyone beyond the relevant family members will be notified unless you make the matter public. They will not be able to do so since announcing it would be against your wishes.” Gold Kris said with a nasty smile that made Harry snort in agreement.
“Good. When will the will reading be?”
“That is up to you, Mister Potter, but the original date was to be at the end of the month. This can be pushed back a few weeks, but it might draw attention you wish to avoid.”
“Let’s keep it at the end of the month for now. I probably will need a way to attend unseen.”
“That can be arranged. Now, the ritual room is ready. You will be examined by the healers before the spells are removed.” Gold Kris said, moving from behind his chair and gesturing for Harry to follow him. “There is a potions regimen that can be undertaken to remove all foreign magic from a person’s body. I will have the healers add the potions and instructions to the package they are preparing.”
“Package?” Harry asked, raising an eyebrow in concern.
“When core bindings are left in place for too long, like the magical restrictions meant for an infant, they can cause long-term damage if not removed slowly. The healers have created a daily potions regimen that should assist in your recovery, slowly removing the bindings and allowing your magic to recover at a steady pace. All the dark bindings and spells will be removed completely today. The spell circle will strip all foreign magic from your body.”
“Thank you, that sounds perfect.”
Gold Kris showed Harry into a circular room with runes and words in gobbledygook carved into the walls and floor. He was directed to strip and leave all his belongings on a shielded table to one side before stepping into the center of the innermost circle of runes. The circle would strip away every enchantment that was currently in place on whatever was placed in the center. The healers quickly came forward and started their scans, filing sheets of parchment with their notes. Once the scans were complete, the goblin healers and curse breakers moved to the outer ring of the circle and started to chant.
The rings of runes slowly began to glow as each wizard, witch, and goblin pushed magic into the warding. When it finally hit the inner ring, Harry felt it wash over him in a wave of heat, his skin beginning to glow as the spells were ripped from him one after the other. The heat increased as spell after spell was broken, spiraling away from him in sparks of light and ozone.
Harry gasped as the heat continued to increase. Light seemed to be trying to spear into his bones, into his chest. God, it hurt. He was being burned alive. The light slammed into his forehead, ripping his scar open as Harry fell to his knees screaming. The light ate at his vision, consuming him, and he let himself fall into it as it burned him to ash.
The Healers gathered the unconscious boy and moved him to a nearby room where he could be treated and allowed to sleep. None of them had seen such a spell breaking in centuries. This boy would be destined for great things if he survived this trial.