Chapter 3
Vernon Dursley was enjoying a leisurely breakfast as he had no work today, he would have no work for the next few days at least, compliments of the four cracked ribs he was nursing from his confrontation in the station. The reason Vernon was enjoying his breakfast was two fold; the person who broke his ribs could never be a freak after blindsiding him with a tackle like that. Rugby was only taught in the best schools and the man's whole bearing and carriage screamed elite education, the final cherry on top was both he and his wife being doctors.
For some nonsensical rational Vernon could accept the beating and endured the pain like a badge of honour since it came from the kind of person he aspired to be. The main reason he was enjoying his breakfast though was that they seemed finally to be rid of the freak; a full scale celebration would be under way just as soon as these bloody painkillers could be replaced with the more pleasant Scotch variety – single malt at least.
His Glenfiddich goals were put on hold by the ringing of the doorbell, Petunia returned with a gentleman wearing a suit that Vernon would kill for.
"Vernon and Petunia Dursley, arrangements have been made wherein your nephew need never return to you again. All that is required is your signatures on these documents to make the whole thing legal and binding."
The official looking documents and gold pen were practically snatched out the man's hands and speedily signed by both parties.
The signed documents made their way into an elegant dragon skinned briefcase as the man asked, "Just to be perfectly clear here, neither of you want anything to do with you're nephew ever again?"
Two affirmative answers and the man's smile tuned distinctly predatory, "I really hoped you'd say that, Ok everyone it's time to move."
About twenty people entered the house and began packing the Dursley's possessions into boxes that they'd brought with them for this very purpose, when the pictures of darling Dudley started to be removed from the walls Petunia found her voice.
"What the hell do you think you're doing? Who are you people? Leave my son's pictures alone," she screeched.
This was the scene that Albus and Minerva burst into, panting after running from Arabella Figg's house having used her floo. They were expecting a battle to be in progress or even the dark mark floating above the house but nothing could have prepared them for the muggle removal men.
With ruthless efficiency they set about de-Dursleyfying number four Privet Drive while a speechless Vernon watched as his whole life passed before his eyes, literally passing before his eyes as it made its way out the front door and onto the removal van.
Albus actually shouted, "STOP! I don't know what's going on here but I demand you cease these actions immediately."
The man in the suit faced up to the wizard, "You admit you have no idea what the situation is here but you still demand we stop, that's quite a display of arrogance on your part don't you think?"
Albus was pretty miffed that not one worker paid him the slightest heed and continued their tasks uninterrupted.
"You have no idea what you're dealing with here; I really must insist you stop these actions at once."
"On the contrary Mr Dumbledore, it is you who has no idea what he's dealing with, but again with your usual arrogance are still issuing orders even though you have no right to be here and are currently trespassing."
Only the mention of his name stayed the old wizard's hand from reaching for his wand, he was at an informational and numerical disadvantage here so tried to balance out at least one of them. "I didn't catch your name sir though it would appear you know who I am, I would like to know who I'm dealing with."
"Oh I apologise if I've given you the wrong impression here, you are not dealing with anyone. All the dealing has already taken place and didn't require your presence or input, good day to you and your companion sir."
Albus tried a different track, "Petunia what's going on? Where's Harry?"
Petunia was tying to sort out in her head just how this whole situation started, "He didn't appear off the train and when my Vernon asked a little bushy haired freak if she'd seen him her father attacked and broke my poor loves ribs. We were told if we signed some documents we would never have to see the little shit again and now these men are stealing all our possessions."
She was answered rather sharply, "Excuse me Mrs Dursley; we are simply moving your possessions to a secure storage facility until you can find alternative accommodation."
Dumbledore's complexion would make a pint of milk seem colourful but Vernon beat him to the next question, "What do you mean? This is our house and you can start putting all our stuff back where it belongs before I call the police."
"We both know who the real owner of this house is, Dumbledore here used the Potter money to buy it as well as the firm you work for but was unable to give you the deeds because that was against banking regulations as he didn't have full control of the Potter vaults." The man turned on Albus, "Didn't stop you trying though did it and would you like to see what your generosity with someone else's money bought?"
Minerva and Albus were dragged over to the cupboard under the stairs where the now clearly angry man ripped the door right off it's hinges and locks, "This was Harry Potter's bedroom for ten years, bedroom is probably not the proper term for somewhere you get locked in with little food while looking through the door grill at your relatives stuffing their faces. Are you proud of your achievements here Dumbledore, perhaps we could add it on to your illustrious list of titles? Right after Order of Merlin First Class it could read meddlesome fool who allowed child abuse on the boy who saved us all."
Minerva was on her knees weeping at the stick drawings done in crayon on the wall, a man and woman had a child standing between them and all were holding hands. The drawings were labelled with a child's scrawl 'mummy', 'daddy' and 'Harry' was in the middle. "I waned you, I repeatedly warned you, how could you do this to that little boy?" She was sobbing and while the first part was aimed at Albus the Dursleys were definitely included in the last part.
"It was for the greater good," whispered Albus. All his carefully laid plans had just gone up in smoke, he could feel the wards were down and with the Dursleys being evicted there was no way to repair them.
"Who are you to decide the greater good for the last scion of the ancient and noble house of Potter?"
The old wizard was starting to get seriously pissed off at this man when he had more important things to deal with, like finding Harry. "I am Albus Dumbledore, Chief…"
He didn't get to say any more as the man interrupted his spiel, "I m well aware of the many titles you currently hold and I am also aware that none of them gives you the right to make decisions for the current head of the Potter family. You are both trespassing here and I would ask you both to leave now."
"I am the magical guardian of Harry Potter and will not be leaving until I find out where he is, and you still haven't told me your name!"
"Just because you say something doesn't make it true no matter how much you wish for it or steps you take to try and force it. My name is Griphook and I'm in charge of the Potter vaults as well as legal and financial advisor to the current Lord Potter."
"You're a goblin?"
"And you're a wizard, now that we've got that cleared away I musk ask you again to leave my client's property."
"Harry can't take up his inheritance yet, he's too young."
Griphook was having none of Dumbledore's attempts to block what must be done here today, "Under certain conditions he can, we at Gringotts are quite happy to state that those conditions have been met."
"I was appointed his magical guardian by the Wizengamot and won't allow this to proceed any further."
"You took Harry away from his legal guardian and sent him here to this hell, that guardian was then illegally imprisoned in Azkaban by the same body that appointed you guardian in his place. We at Gringotts don't recognise your right of guardianship and neither do the Potter vaults, which is why you couldn't remove the deeds to this house after purchasing it."
Vernon Dursley was quiet as all the pieces fell into place and reality hit him harder than being tackled in Kings Cross Station. Had he been magical Vernon would have wholeheartedly embraced the pureblood philosophy as he was a firm believer in the class system that had seen the British Empire straddle the globe. He was good at his job because he could play the system, knowing when to kowtow and who to push in the quest to ascend the social ladder of life.
He was unknowingly dealt a royal flush but now was going to be royally screwed because he really did put his ace in a hole, or the cupboard under the stairs to be exact.
Jenkins mentioned his spinster aunt's OBE at least once a day while he had an actual lord staying under his roof, and not just any lord but the one who owned the entire company. Vernon had not only held the winning hand but an unbeatable hand with which he could have ruled the company and moved into an entirely different social circle. The fact that his nephew could perform magic was no longer a consideration, commoners were freaks but the nobility were eccentrics.
He had held the power in his hands and pissed it all away over some petty hatred of what the boy was, whatever Vernon's punishment it could never match him imagining what might have been and how he'd lost it forever.
Vernon was drawn out of his musings when the man in the suit addressed him directly, "Mr Dursley you are currently in possession of a company car, as your employment contract with Grundings has been terminated please hand over the keys."
Petunia braced herself for the eruption that never occurred, her husband meekly handed over the keys before astonishing his wife. "Please inform Lord Potter that we wish him well for the future,"
Vernon didn't know it but that statement just saved his family many thousands of pounds, he had signed an agreement that allowed Lord Potter to charge the Dursleys rent for living there eleven years for free. Griphook had been given a lot of leeway from Harry in how severe their punishment should be; loosing their house, job and car would do for now with the rest being held in reserve if needed later. The Dursleys had been neutralised as a sleepy pyjama-clad Dudley followed his bed down the stairs, wondering what the hell was going on.
Dumbledore though had had enough and drew his wand, "I demand you tell me where Mr Potter is at once, he needs protecting."
Griphook dropped the glamour and drew his sword, "I couldn't agree more that Lord Potter needs protection but I think he needs it from you, he was placed in your care from the first of September and was nearly killed on multiple occasions. Your unbelievable presumption that only you can offer him the protection he needs doesn't stand up to the most basic of scrutiny. You are currently standing in Lord Potter's property pointing your wand at a Gringotts representative who's undertaking official duties for his client, none of the titles you are so fond of brandishing give you that right or will save you should a spell leave your wand."
The removal men had also dropped their glamour's as Albus found himself facing a plethora of goblin blades, each easily sharp enough to shave his whiskers off in an instant.
Dumbledore actually began to feel fear, not at the blades but more that Harry knew the prophesy, had discovered his heritage and clearly had the goblins on his side. He wasn't supposed to be independent and resourceful, at this rate Albus wouldn't be needed and that was unacceptable to the headmaster.
He pocketed his wand before assisting his depute back onto her feet then spoke to the Dursleys, "What will you do now?"
It was Vernon who answered without taking his eyes off the blades that thankfully weren't directed at him or his family, "We will stay with my sister which should give us time to get organised."
Albus nodded and helped Minerva out the door; they had an appointment with the dentists.
-oOoOo-
Ron Weasley came down the stairs for breakfast supporting green hair and blue freckles sending Molly into a rant, "Fred, George can't you lay off your brother? He's had a traumatic experience with his friend turning on him and doesn't need you doing the same. Why didn't you both protect him at Hogwarts?"
"Well mother dear, when you insult the wizard that just defeated you-know-who for at least the second time, then we think he got off lightly."
"Not to mention every witch in Hogwarts wants to kill him."
"Especially our three chasers as he cost us the best seeker we ever had."
"And don't forget Granger, a first year ripping McGonagall a new one was a sight never to be forgotten."
"So we're just toughening little Ronnikins up for Hogwarts."
"With the whole of Gryffindor."
"And every witch in the castle after his blood."
"He's in for a very bumpy second year."
Molly's gaze shifted to her colourful youngest son, trapping him like an insect in amber, "Why did you lie to me? I wondered why Minerva was giving me funny looks yesterday when I was complaining about your treatment."
Ron's head was down and no sound was passing his lips, there was no point in trying to get any sense from the twins which only left one option.
"Percy I want to know what happened and I want it straight, just the facts will do."
Percy cleared is throat as if he was about to pass judgement at the Wizengamot, "Ron apparently congratulated Potter on finding a practice girlfriend until something better looking came along, he then asked if he could aid Ron in the same quest but with the condition that the said witch couldn't be too ugly. Considering that Potter fought a fully grown mountain troll in defence of his now girlfriend I find myself in reluctant agreement with Fred and George, Ron got off lightly."
Molly rubbed her temples as the ramifications of her youngest son's actions played in her head; he'd been best friends with the most wealthy, famous, rich, powerful, millionaire, single wizard in the country and had a young sister who drooled at the mention of Harry's name. She was aware Ron was the poorest of her sons when it came to academics but she didn't think he was this bloody thick, Molly would have to do a grovel to get her girl into Potter's company and after that, anything could happen.
Apart from the wealth, anyone who could defeat you-know-who more than once was a great addition to the family… "What did you mean by -at least the second time?"
"Oh didn't you know?"
"You-know-who has been teaching us defence all year."
"Harry killed him at the end of term."
"We thought Dumbledore would have told you."
The resulting shriek was like a sonic boom that broke glass, knocked birds out of trees and had dogs trying to cover their bleeding ears with their paws.
Throughout all this commotion the youngest Weasley had sat unnoticed and unconcerned, she'd spent the night with her Harry's jumper therefore had spent the night in Harry Potter's arms. He'd confessed his undying love to her and promised she'd never have to wear anything second hand ever again. They were to be married and their only slight disagreement had come with the naming of their children, her son would be called that over her dead body!
-oOoOo-
Harry was pacing up and down in a private room at Gringotts, Griphook had brought him up to date as soon as he'd returned from Privet Drive and Harry was quite pleased that he hadn't added penniless to the list of Dursley woes. It was the meeting that was sure to be taking place now at the Grangers that had him so on-edge, there were two dozen goblin warriors ready to portkey there at a second's notice if Hermione called for help but that was a last resort as it would force them all into hiding. He'd taught her how to sync the mirror to herself and how to contact him last night but this waiting was even more painful than the goblin growth potions he endured throughout the night.
Griphook watched the young wizard who wore his heart on his sleeve march back and forth and almost felt sorry for taking his gold this morning, accounts of how he'd handled Dumbledore were already making there way into every corner of the bank and doing nearly as much for his reputation as being awarded the Potter finances to manage by the client now in front of him.
Any goblin would have forked out good gold for the opportunity to get one over on the wizards; the fact that it was Dumbledore and Griphook was being paid for his troubles elevated the goblin to a level of respect greater than he'd ever imagined obtaining. Yes he would help his young client with anything that he needed, but charging the appropriate amount of gold for the service since that was the goblin way.
Harry stopped and in one fluid motion had the now vibrating mirror in front of his eyes, desperate to find out if their plan had worked.
-oOoOo-
The doorbell went at the Granger household and the inhabitants were sure it wasn't Avon calling, all three put on their game faces as Dan went to answer the door.
Albus and a still shaken Minerva waited as Dan opened the door, "Professor McGonagall and can I assume this is Headmaster Dumbledore?" a nod was all that Dan needed, "this is brilliant, just the two people I wanted to see so thank you very much for dropping by. Please come in as I don't think this is a conversation we want to have on the doorstep."
Albus couldn't help but think this was going better than this morning, little did he know what awaited him inside.
Dan introduced Emma before offering them both seats, cups of coffee were provided though Minerva appeared as if she required something stronger.
Pleasantries over, Dan waded straight in, "Professors, perhaps you could explain to me how my daughter was nearly murdered in a bathroom by a creature that had no business being anywhere near a building full of schoolchildren?" Not giving them time to answer he continued, "If that one's too difficult how about assigning her detention in the middle of the night to a place forbidden to all students because it's too dangerous, accompanied only by a man who was previously expelled from your school and not allowed to perform magic."
"Hagrid has my complete trust," said Dumbledore as his morning instantly went from bad to worse.
"What about your defence professor, did he have your complete trust? Didn't being possessed by a homicidal psychopath automatically disqualify him from a position where he could teach magic to children? What kind of establishment are you running?"
"Hogwarts is one of the best magical schools in the world," was Dumbledore's standard response.
"You will forgive me if I have some trouble believing that at the moment, speaking of trouble my daughter now tells me she has a boyfriend who seems to be a bloody magnet for trouble and keeps drawing her into it as well. I understand he beat another boy up so badly he needed to be hospitalised and my daughter was forced to miss the leaving feast because of it, you left two kids alone in their dorm unsupervised as punishment? I'm sorry but when I was a boy being sent to your bedroom with your girlfriend would certainly not have constituted a punishment."
Albus had no answer to that and Minerva actually looked to be still in shock from this morning's revelations, she probably couldn't have repeated a word Dan said.
Dan was winding up for his big finish, "There is nothing in the world more important to me than my daughter's safety therefore this wasn't a hard decision to make, she will not be returning to Hogwarts in September and the bloody boyfriend will get a kick up the arse if he comes anywhere near my girl again."
Hermione had been sitting quietly in the corner with her head down but this was her cue, with her hands over her face the sobbing girl rushed from the room and the slamming of her bedroom door left no doubt of her new location.
Dan watched her depart before commenting, "She may hate me for a while but I would much rather that than see her injured or even worse."
Dumbledore's mind had kicked into top gear, here was a means to get Granger away from Harry and be totally blameless into the bargain. He could string the Gangers along awaiting his signature while using their daughter as bait to catch the troublesome little shit, if he wanted a girlfriend then Molly's daughter or someone like Hannah Abbot would be pressed into service, meek and easily controllable.
Adopting his kindest grandfather persona Dumbledore replied, "While it saddens me greatly to see a student of your daughter's potential leave Hogwarts I cannot in all honesty say I blame you, I shall make arrangements to have the appropriate documents drawn up and will get them to you as soon as possible."
Dan slapped 'the appropriate documents' straight onto Dumbledore's lap, "I think you will find these in order Headmaster, we'd planed a holiday touring Europe and this will now include choosing a new school for our daughter. She had all the information already in her trunk, apparently love's young dream had even considered running away together. Thankfully our daughter had more sense than to take off along with him though after meeting the boy's Uncle I cant help but wonder what my daughter sees in the lad. The sooner we get her away from this Potter boy the happier I'll feel."
Dumbledore was trapped into signing, he tried one last ploy. "Do you think I might speak with your daughter about Mr Potter's disappearance, we real are quite worried about him?"
It was Emma who answered, "I really don't think that's a good idea, he asked her to run away with him and when she refused he left her on the train. We found her crying and being shouted at by the boy's obese uncle at the station, we've never actually met the lad and all Hermione knew was that he was going to the bank to get some money out. We really want to draw a line under this and move on with our lives as soon as possible."
Dumbledore signed the form and handed it to Dan who scrutinised it very carefully, "When will you be leaving?" the old wizard asked.
"As soon as we can arrange it," answered Dan, "I want Hermione out the country as quickly as possible, her involvement with this boy ends today."
Dumbledore wished them well before taking Minerva by the hand and asked permission to use their enclosed back garden to apparate away.
Hermione came back down the stairs but her father still had his serious face on, "Hermione we've got your freedom back which means you can go to school anywhere in the world, I know you like Harry but this is your future we're dealing with here and hard decisions may have to be made."
"Dad…"
"No Hermione, you need to listen. You may be mature for your years but you're still a child and our responsibility, we should never have sent you to a school we couldn't even bloody see. Where you go next is going to be a decision that we as a family will decide, I'm not discounting Harry's option but you will be going where we think will be best for you, do I make myself clear?"
Two genuine tears made their way down Hermione's cheeks, "Dad, what I was trying to say was that my mirror was active, I contacted Harry from my room and he just heard every word you said."
The silence that followed was only broken by Harry calling Hermione's name from the mirror, she lifted it up to talk to him.
"Listen Hermione, I agreed with every word your father said, I only wish I had someone who had my best interests at heart helping me. I'm delighted that everything went brilliant this morning and your dad must be one hell of an actor to pull that off."
Dan was actually relieved; he'd never intended to hurt Hermione as causing his daughter's tears burned like acid into his heart. "Thanks for understanding Harry and supplying the documents was a great help, you should have seen the look on his face when I dropped that bombshell into his lap. I don't think your headmaster has had a good morning."
"Thank you Mr Granger now just how fast can you be ready to leave? I still don't trust them and Griphook will handle all the travel and accommodation issues, you need to get away before they start becoming desperate. So far they've stayed within the law but the longer I'm missing the less likely that is to remain the case."
It was Emma who answered, "Harry, we can't let you do that. We're more than capable of paying our way."
"Mrs Granger my inheritance has so much in it I will probably need a month just to read it all, if you wish you could pay me back by giving me some advice since I've never even set foot in a hotel before and now I find myself owning quite a few."
Hermione had herself back under control, "Listen Potter, your job is to make sure the 'Harry option' is so good that these two moaning Minnie's have no room whatsoever for a complaint, you understand!" Her brilliant smile removed any hint of malice and even had her parents laughing.
A beaming Harry responded in kind, "Yes dear, as usual my brilliant girlfriend is once more correct. Keep this mirror with you at all times and let me know the minute you're ready to go, we think the best thing to do would be to book you into a London Hotel and then have you set to fly out next day. Anything else can be worked out when we meet, I can't believe how much I'm missing you and it's only been one day."
Hermione was feeling the exact same way and nothing would part her from this mirror, "When do you think it will be safe enough to meet?"
"Not soon enough but I don't want to say anymore because it would appear we're up against more than we thought, apparently I have a godfather who's been in prison without a trial since the day after my parents were murdered. I have letters here proving he was innocent of at least one of the crimes he was never actually charged with and a goblin legal team are working on it at the moment. The problem being the people who put him in there are all still around and hold powerful positions in the government and there's nothing these people hate more than having their mistakes pointed out to them. The justice system seems to work along similar lines as their press, gold and influence wins over the truth at every turn."
"You be careful Harry, just thinking of you being dragged back to Hogwarts without me there to keep you out of trouble is breaking my heart. I don't want our only contact for the next few years to be these wonderful mirrors so, as much as I want to see you, do not take any unnecessary risks please."
"I won't, be sure to say 'Hi' to Hedwig for me or she'll be nipping my ears the next time I see her."
When they ended the call Hermione noticed the big smile on her mother's face but it was the concern she saw on her father's that had her worried.
Hermione's casual mention of 'years' had hit Dan as hard as her very serious boyfriend remark and left him at rather a loss on how to proceed. Here was this boy who got into scrapes but risked his life protecting his daughter, had committed the ultimate act of irresponsibility by running away yet appeared the most mature and responsible twelve-year-old he'd ever spoken to, apart from Hermione of course. His home life was horrid yet he was a Lord, a bloody prince if Hermione was to be believed who'd just offered to take care of their summer holidays. The boy was an enigma who Dan couldn't wait to meet but they would have to see about binging their holiday plans forward first, whoever was giving Harry his advice had been right on the money so far and if he was worried that they should get out of there then Dan would be a fool not to take that seriously and Daniel Granger was nobody's fool.
-oOoOo-
All the way back to Hogwarts Minerva had refused to speak to him; Albus left her at the entrance hall and made his way up to his office. Unfortunately there was no respite waiting for him there either, just a howler from an extremely upset Molly Weasley who promised a personal visit later on that day. In his chart of shitty days this one was already top ten and that promised visit had the potential to push it into the top three. Just occasionally Albus wished he was addicted to something a bit stronger than his lemon drops.
-oOoOo-
The Grangers entered a different world from the moment their car drew up to the Ritz, they were greeted by people who parked the car, dealt with their luggage and the manager led them right passed the desk and strait into an elevator. When they got to their assigned suite with views onto Piccadilly Circus followed by an introduction to their private butler, the obvious elegance and opulence on casual display had the three Grangers glancing at one another in disbelief.
No sooner were they alone when Emma had to let rip, "Jesus Hermione if your boyfriend is trying to impress us then you can tell him he succeeded big time, how can that young lad possibly afford this?"
"That's easy, I own the hotel. Hello Mr and Mrs Granger I'm…"
"HARRY!" was shouted from the smallest Granger who was a blur as she launched herself at her boyfriend.
Hermione was entangled with Harry, kissing him as though they'd been apart for years when a noise behind them reminded her of what she'd just done.
She released Harry and muttered "Oh Shit!" before springing back and lifting Hedwig's cage from where she'd dropped the poor bird at the first sign of her boyfriend.
"Oh Hedwig girl I'm so sorry but I know you'll understand because we both love him so much, don't we girl?"
It was after this admission that a seriously red-faced young wizard was left to complete the introductions to his girlfriend's astonished parents, "Hi I'm Harry Potter!"
Chapter 4
Awkward didn't even begin to describe the situation that Harry was faced with; gathering all his courage he stuck out his hand and thankfully Mr Granger shook it. Mrs Granger was a different matter as he discovered where Hermione had learned her hug technique, "Pleased to finally meet the boy who saved my daughter's life though the location could have been a bit more romantic."
"Mrs Granger by the time that Troll had finished you could hardly tell what the room had once been; I still find it hard to believe we walked away from that uninjured."
A certain snowy owl was suddenly on his shoulder and almost butting heads with the boy, "Hello girl, did you miss me? We should be together soon."
Hermione returned and had her arm around Harry with her head placed on his free shoulder, it was a pretty powerful image and Dan knew they were in trouble.
He now understood Hermione's comment about their magic giving them a push as his bookworm daughter was never this demonstrative with emotions yet looked so at home with her boyfriend's arm around her. The sight of the witch, wizard and his familiar was so potent that even the non-magical Grangers could see the bonds between the three and their daughter's unknowing declaration of love suddenly didn't seem so ludicrous.
"Harry you've grown and put on some weight, no glasses?" asked Hermione, still holding Harry.
"The goblins have been an immense help, they were so peeved at what Dumbledore had done they're helping me for cost. I have no idea what that means but it seemed like a great honour so I graciously accepted; do you know what that means?"
It was Emma who answered, "It means basically that they're charging you their lowest price Harry, that's only usually done for special customers."
"Well apparently Dumbledore repeatedly tried to gain access to the Potter vaults but was denied, the vaults let him buy the house and business because I was living with the Dursleys but wouldn't allow him to get his mitts on the deeds."
Their assigned butler appeared, "My Lord, tea is served in the sitting room."
They made their way into another part of the suite to find tea, sandwiches and cakes waiting for them, Hermione was trying not to laugh at her boyfriend's reaction to being addressed as 'my Lord' though Harry got some payback when he held his girlfriend's chair for her to be seated and said 'my Lady'.
None of this byplay was missed by Dan who was looking at Hermione as if she was a different girl to the one he'd known all her life. "Can you tell us some of what you found out at the bank?" he asked.
"There were letters from my parents that answered some of my questions, they had been in hiding from Voldemort and were betrayed but not by the man in prison for the crime. Our friend Neville's parents were also some of the people Hermione and I saw in an album but the goblins told me they were attacked and lost their minds, they've been in hospital for as long as I was at the Dursleys. The same photo was in the vault and anyone else in the picture can go to hell as far as I'm concerned, we're trying to get my godfather a trial but the rest of them have no excuse for abandoning me to my relatives. We have to do it quietly though or Griphook reckons my godfather will be used as a bargaining chip to force me back into Hogwarts."
A thoughtful Dan asked the question both of them had been dreading, "Would Hermione be a bargaining chip?"
He could see the look of fear in Hermione's eyes as Harry shook his head, "I will not lie Hermione, we discussed this on our mirrors last night and will just have to take our chances. Mr and Mrs Granger, your daughter is terrified that once you know the truth then you will take her away and we won't see each other again until she's seventeen."
"Why seventeen?" asked Emma.
"Seventeen is the age she becomes an adult in the magical world, Hermione would never run away from you and I wouldn't let her damage what I've wanted my whole life. Hermione is the first person ever to give me a hug, she was my first kiss and her admission earlier is the only time someone has said they love me. Hermione is the most important thing in the world to me and should anyone get their hands on her they would have my complete an undivided attention, Hermione isn't a chip she's the entire game."
Harry had to stop and take a few deep breaths before he could continue, Hermione holding his hand was a great comfort. "Voldemort is not dead, he's gone for the moment but we're sure he will return and I'll be his main target again. Most of the stuff said or written about me is rubbish but everyone knows the name of my best friend, the person I would do anything for which paints a rather large target on her back. This was not a situation either of us had any control over and I'm afraid I can't apologise for knowing Hermione."
This earned Harry a kiss on the cheek from his nervous girlfriend, both were dreading what the Granger parents were going to say.
It was Dan who broke the silence, "We will not be rushing into any decisions here so you can both relax for now, we all seem to have the safety of a certain young lady at the top of our agenda. Ok Harry, you've had time to mull this over so I would like to hear your thoughts, dreams and plans."
"I plan to live sir, my parents hid themselves away and died so I could live, I owe it to them to live my life to the fullest and intend on doing that. My plan is to learn and train so that when I'm old enough I will have a chance to end it once and for all. People in the magical world are terrified of Voldemort and won't even say his name so it will come down to me or him though hopefully not for many years."
Emma was happy to let her husband handle the questioning though she did smile at the kids, trying to disperse the atmosphere of interrogation rather than chat.
"What can we do about Hermione being a target?"
"Sir I don't want her on the same continent as that monster, if he finds us my number one priority will be getting her to safety. Once she reaches seventeen I don't think any of us are going to have a say in what she does."
Hermione smiled at her boyfriend and tried to allay her parent's fears, "I want to train with Harry and be the best that I can, when the time comes that he has to face that monster I would like to be at his side but only if I was good enough and over seventeen."
"You don't intend to go looking for him Harry?"
"No sir, if I never saw him again it would be too soon. He'll come for me or send people after me then, depending whether I'm ready or not, I'll either fight or try and escape to train some more. I'm only twelve on my birthday and probably wouldn't survive a fight with an adult wizard never mind Voldemort in a new body, it's going to take a good few years before that changes. Knowing that I didn't think it would be practical to hide away in some cabin in the wilderness, shutting myself off from the world. My plan is to do the exact opposite and enjoy everything that life has to offer. I want to attend concerts, visit museums and art galleries, spend Saturday afternoon's browsing through bookstores and picnicking in the park on Sundays. All those things would be so much better with Hermione by my side but I would completely understand if you didn't think it was safe enough."
Emma took pity on the boy who was almost pleading with them now, "Harry I'm assuming that these picnics will not be taking place in Britain? Can you give us any details?"
"I'm sorry Mrs Granger but I really don't want to say anything at all about the location but I would be happy to take you there after dinner tonight."
Emma got a slight nod from her husband before answering, "That sounds like a plan to us but I'd like to ask a small favour, since I was a little girl I've dreamt of flying on a broom – could I fly with you sometime?"
Harry didn't need to answer, his smile lit up the room.
-oOoOo-
Albus was eating lunch and contemplating his woes when inspiration struck, he was being lambasted for his choice of defence professor last year and needed to divert attention away so he could concentrate on the more important issue, the hunt for Potter. He had been thinking that Hogwarts needed a high profile name that was beyond reproach, someone who could change these howlers into letters of congratulations, a wizard who has an adoring public and lots of books to sell to impressionable children with compulsory book lists.
This Eureka moment was a great relief to the old wizard who had almost begun to question himself after Potter running away and Minerva's refusal to even speak with him but his idea of having a world famous wizard teaching the students of Hogwarts confirmed once again his brilliance.
An invitation signed by Albus Dumbledore and delivered by Fawkes should be enough for the vain wizard to be interested, subtly pointing out that each professor gets to set their own required book list should seal the deal and he would even get paid into the bargain.
Albus wouldn't be surprised if fights broke out when the announcement was made as all the mothers currently sending him howlers diverted that energy into trying to get closer to Hogwarts newest professor.
-oOoOo-
The Grangers had returned from dinner to find Harry had returned and was once more waiting in their suite; he'd politely declined their offer of eating in the suite because they didn't want to arouse suspicion in case they were being watched. It was only with great reluctance that Hermione had agreed and Harry had left to get some business dealt with.
After receiving his now customary greeting from his girlfriend Harry spoke to her parents, "Mr and Mrs Granger, I have a gift here for Hermione but I wanted to explain it to you both first. It's a gift that provides protection from curses and a means of magically escaping from any situation."
All three Grangers had the breath taken from them as Harry took out a diamond pendant and placed it around Hermione's neck, "Take your wand and touch the jewel then say a password that will transport you to safety. Make it something that you won't use by mistake or it could be rather embarrassing if you just disappeared in the middle of a conversation."
"Harry is that real?" asked Emma.
"I know nothing of jewellery Ma'am and the pendant came from my family vault but Griphook assures me this provides the wearer with the strongest protections available which is all that matters."
Dan was positive that was a genuine diamond and though their income was nearer the top end of the scale there was no way in hell he could have afforded something like that for his wife far less twelve-year-old Hermione.
She placed the tip of her wand against the diamond and said, "Thunderbirds are go!" which got a chuckle out of Harry. "Where will this take me?"
"You will be portkeyed instantly into Gringotts and the office of my accounts manager, trust Griphook with your life because he can make any arrangements needed for your safety."
Dan was mesmerized as the light played off the jewel but the sparkle in his daughter's eyes easily outshone the mere diamond, her boyfriend had truly pushed the boundaries of the perfect gift. It was already said that diamonds were a girl's best friend but this one actually surpassed that as it kept Hermione safe and gave a means of escape that greatly improved her father's peace of mind.
Harry put his arms around Hermione, "You have to promise me that you'll never take it off, the portkey will only work if it's touching your skin."
Hermione just nodded, who could say no to those green eyes.
Harry eventually remembered her parents were standing watching them and reluctantly let Hermione go, he reached into his pocket when Emma interrupted him.
"You pull another diamond out of there and my mind is already made up," she joked but could see instantly that it had backfired.
It was a red faced Harry who answered her, "It was my intention to provide you both with means of protection and emergency escape, I didn't want to do it straight away in case you thought I was trying to buy my way to your decision."
Emma could see that she'd really embarrassed the boy who had no frame of reference for being teased, she gave the lad a reassuring hug. "Harry I was just teasing, Dan and I will both sleep better at night knowing Hermione now has her own personal escape diamond that looks at least three or four carats."
"Griphook said it was seven but I was reaching for the portkey to take us to our hideout." Harry didn't notice how both Granger parents reacted to the news of the diamond, he just assumed it was fear of portkeys and proceeded to explain how they worked. Harry was using one to get from here to Griphook's office and thought it was great.
Everyone held on to the piece of rope and Harry touched it with his wand resulting in four people sitting on a floor while looking through a massive window at one of the most recognisable icons in the world.
"Harry if this was supposed to be a secret then I'm afraid I know where we are," her tone was half joking but laced with undeniable awe for the fact that they'd just travelled across the Atlantic Ocean in practically no time at all. She couldn't help but ponder on the thought that they certainly wouldn't be the first people to flee their country in the face of evil to gaze upon 'Lady Liberty', there might be a more powerful symbol of freedom in the world but she couldn't think of one at the moment.
-oOoOo-
Minerva McGonagall was at a crossroads in her life, she'd blindly trusted a wizard who'd allowed a young child to be abused. Her life at the moment was filled with what if's as she tried to steer it back onto a course where she could look at herself in the mirror without wanting to be sick.
She'd remained friendly with Lily and James after they'd graduated and remembered Harry as a bright, bubbly baby. The young man who appeared at Hogwarts last September bore none of those characteristics and if it wasn't for the fact his parentage could be determined by a mere glance she would have wondered if this really was their son.
Harry was so shy to the point of being introverted but his friendship with Hermione seemed to be solving that problem at an amazing pace. Their other friend Ronald appeared quite happy to be anchored into his childhood by an overbearing mother who was determined not to let her children grow up. This more than anything had led to the inevitable split as the maturing pair simply outgrew the red head that was holding them back.
Minerva loved teaching and didn't think she was being boastful when she said she was good at it but Hogwarts had ceased to be a school and become almost a social experiment for Dumbledore to amuse himself with. There was Severus whose bias was encouraged rather than reprimanded while Sybil's tea leaves predicted enough disasters to have the school closed down annually. Now he was employing a wizard who spent more money on beauty products than all the witches teaching in the castle combined. Once again her inner self was telling her this wouldn't end well.
It had taken two twelve-year-olds to point out the error of her ways, Miss Granger that night in the dorm and Mr Potter by running away, leaving Minerva facing some hard questions and difficult decisions.
Dumbledore's inability to even consider he might not know what's best for everyone was at the very centre of the problem, he seemed to have some master plan where people were moulded into the part he wanted them to play. Minerva was sure that if her father was still alive he would have been extremely disappointed in the way she'd become the headmaster's lapdog, blindly carrying out his orders even when she knew them to be wrong.
Quite simply she couldn't be that witch any more and be able to live with herself, Hogwarts had been her home but now felt like her prison and fully understood Mr Potter's actions. She just hoped he managed to stay out of Dumbledore's clutches long enough to have some life, tears were falling onto the parchment as she penned her resignation to the board of governors. After all her years teaching she had a bit of gold saved so could afford to take some time figuring out which direction her life was now going to take, her only set criteria was that it be opposite to the path chosen by Albus Dumbledore.
-oOoOo-
Dan Granger sat on a terrace drinking a glass of fantastic wine as the sun set over the harbour and the lights of New York provided one of the most recognisable skylines on the planet, there couldn't be many people who wouldn't recognise the Statue of Liberty. Dan was trying not to chuckle at the audacity of the plan Harry and the goblins had devised as well as being slightly overwhelmed at the thought that magic could hide an entire floor of a five star hotel so that it couldn't even be seen from the outside.
Apparently they would not be able to remember it when they left unless told the address by Harry, now that was powerful magic.
"Harry did you have this done especially for your needs or was there always a magically hidden floor in this hotel?" asked Emma
"My family did a lot of business in the muggle world and, unlike other purebloods who want nothing to do with it, were very comfortable using the best that both had to offer. The hidden floor has been here since the hotel was built though I had it adapted to include a gym, training room and potions lab."
"One of our biggest worries has been that we would lose Hermione to a world we know nothing about but you appear determined to stay rooted in our world, was that a conscious decision or is it just a case of hiding in a place they wouldn't think to search for you."
"Mrs Granger the magical world is steeped in pureblood traditions that do nothing but hold it back, quills and parchment, owl post, candles and betrothal contracts."
"Betrothal?" squeaked Hermione.
"Yes, there are currently nine contracts with my name on them at Gringotts, offering all sorts of enticements to marry certain witches that are going to be disappointed."
Dan couldn't help but laugh at the lad's predicament, "Do I need to get pen and paper out Harry?"
"No sir, I'm pretty sure that your daughter feels the same way I do, when we choose to get married it will be because we've found the person that we want to spend the rest of our lives with, not some business arrangement. I'm also pretty sure that Mrs and Miss Granger would throw you over the balcony if you even attempted such a thing."
"Oh I don't know Harry I might even thank him if he picked the right wizard." Hermione kissed his cheek while her mother couldn't contain her laughter as her husbands joke had rebounded on him and left the poor man gulping down his wine.
"To answer your question Mrs Granger I have known about magic for less than a year and tend to consider myself a muggle who can perform magic rather than a wizard. My intention is to follow my family's tradition of taking the best that both worlds have to offer, both Hermione and I know people who would be terrified if placed in a big city so that was also behind my thinking for coming here."
"I must admit it would be a relief to be able to pick up the phone and talk to her not to mention being able to come here for a few days now and then, we really missed Hermione last year."
Harry could see Mrs Granger liked the idea of Hermione being here so decided now might be the right time to push a little in his attempt at a yes, "I would be delighted if you wished to join us here, as you can see accommodation isn't a problem and I'll bet New York needs dentists just as much as Crawley."
Emma couldn't help but smile at the sweet boy, "Harry there are all sorts of regulations to be sorted through and setting up a practice here would cost a fortune, it's a nice idea but just not practical at the moment."
Harry handed her a couple of documents that rendered her speechless while peaking Dan's interest, he took them out of his wives trebling hand and couldn't believe what he was looking at, "Where the hell did you get these? How is this even possible?"
Harry was tempted to say 'magic' but wisely decided now was not the time for flippancy, "Those are genuine green cards allowing you to work here and I have a list of property that would be available for you to set up a practice. I would quite happily give you the money needed to start the business or we could do it as a loan - but at cost of course."
Emma was hugging the life out of Harry before he even realised she'd moved, "Hermione, anyone who'd do that for his girlfriend is a very serious boyfriend and a definite keeper!"
Dan was still trying to wrap his head around the whole thing, "Harry how do you know all these things? How is this possible?"
"Sir I know nothing of business but that's why I have Griphook, the goblins are geniuses at business stuff and nothing is impossible for the right price. I can set up a meeting where he can go over the many options available to you. That's what he does with me, I tell him what I want or what the problem is and he provides options for me to choose from. He's one of the few people in my life that I know I can trust, yes I pay for the advice but that's just the goblin's way of life. He also invests my fortune wisely ensuring I have more than enough money to pay for that advice and since he also receives a percentage of the profits he makes me then everyone is happy."
"It's just a pity we have that flight to France tomorrow, I would really like to meet this Griphook as soon as possible." Dan's words received an enthusiastic nod from his wife and enthusiastic didn't come close to describing Hermione's reaction to her parent's unspoken consent.
Harry found himself with his second Granger girl wrapped around him in as many minutes though this one was trying to kiss him senseless at the same time, when she came up for air her reaction was pure Hermione and helped with her parent's unease at the sight of their daughter kissing, there would be some talks taking place before they moved in here.
"Oh Harry have you any idea how many bookstores there are in New York? When will we start our tuition and meet the professors?"
Harry held up his hand to prevent the thousand more questions he knew she was desperate to ask, "Jake!"
The butler from earlier appeared, "Yes my Lord?"
"The Grangers are going to be staying with us so can we lose the disguise?"
The butler morphed into a house elf wearing a robe with the Potter crest prominently displayed, "Jake is a house elf, he and his wife Sophie will be taking care of us while we live here. What's with the 'my lord' I thought we had agreed that it was to be just Harry?"
"No my Lord, you agreed while I pointed out that it wouldn't be proper behaviour for a house elf. Am I to assume that we require three replacement Grangers for tomorrow?"
"Yes please and tell Griphook that we will meet tomorrow afternoon to sort out a lot of the details." Jake gave a formal bow before disappearing right in front of their eyes.
Hermione's eyebrows were raised so high with unanswered questions that they almost melted into her bushy hair, "Replacement Grangers?"
"There will be three people who will appear identical to you that will board a plane tomorrow, once they're in France they will simply transform back to their normal selves and the Grangers will have disappeared. Anyone watching will see you boarding and leaving the plane placing you three firmly in Europe. We can use the same method to provide sightings where and when it suits us keeping all their attention focused on Europe and away from here."
Dan shook his head in admiration, "I'm looking forward to meeting this Griphook even more now and thanking him for helping keep my family safe."
"What about all our stuff in London?" his girlfriend asked.
"As soon as you decided to stay here Jake and Sophie placed all your stuff in your new rooms, anything you need from home can also be fetched, house elves are at their happiest when they're helping people and these two have been desperately waiting to work for years."
"Don't they have any children?" Emma couldn't believe the boys face could go that shade of red; he'd kissed their daughter right in front of them but looked mortified at her simple question.
"Their law dictates that they must gain the head of their house's permission to have children, it was the first thing they asked me. I said yes and have already got Griphook looking for a way to throw that law out."
"Are they slaves Harry?" he could see the horror in Hermione's eyes at the very thought.
"No Hermione they get paid though Dumbledore blocked it, both have just received their back money and a raise."
Dan couldn't help it, he was howling with laughter at Harry's discomfort. This was the fist time he'd seen him acting like a kid, "If they've got eleven years back money and permission to start a family then it's a good job your mother can cook as I don't think we'll be seeing them anytime soon."
Emma joined her husband's laughter, not because she thought the joke was funny but at the kids' reaction to it as Hermione's face now matched Harry's for colour.
-oOoOo-
Hermione felt like a princess as she looked around the room she'd woken in and almost had to pinch herself for assurance that it was real. Room really didn't do this justice as her four poster bed appeared small in relation to the rest of the space; she had a dressing room and a bathroom to die for while the large glass doors opened onto her own private balcony with a telescope for looking over the harbour.
There was also her own sitting room complete with hi-fi and TV with another section set up for studying that had a computer with attached printer, no more parchment and quills for her.
When she glanced at her sitting room she was reminded of being sat down there last night by her mother for a woman to woman chat.
"Hermione from what your father and I have seen of Harry he seems a very nice boy but we're worried about your level of intimacy and think you're too involved for your age."
"Mum even you have to admit that the last few days have been pretty dramatic, our need for contact would appear to increase with the situation, we were both worried that you and dad would keep us apart for whatever reason and this has turned out better than we could have dreamed. I get my parents, my boyfriend and lessons in magic while staying in a five star hotel in New York. Harry and I hug a lot because he's never had that in his life and its my way of letting him know that I'm there for him, once things settle down to our new normal so will our relationship."
"We're just worried dear that you're moving to fast, there are all different stages of a relationship and to be honest my concern is that anything Harry asked you to do would receive an automatic yes, I've never seen you behave like this before."
Hermione could see where her mother's concern was coming from so decided to be brutally honest, "Mum you're right, if Harry asked me I probably would say yes but what you have to understand is Harry would never ask, I'm dating a boy who gives me a fabulous diamond to keep me safe and then makes arrangements so I won't have to worry about my parents and he still thinks he's the lucky one. When our relationship moves to the next level it will be because I think it's time and Harry will probably have to be talked into it for fear of upsetting me but that won't be for a while yet. When Harry's hands eventually make it up my jumper I want him to find something there that makes the journey worthwhile, not the couple of beestings I have at the moment. I hope to be pure on my wedding night and pray that it's Harry there with me but if things with Voldemort turn bad then I would go to Harry and offer whatever I am to help him."
Hermione had verbalised thoughts that had been lurking in the deepest recesses of her mind and felt both drained yet cleansed by speaking them out loud.
Emma held her daughter in a hug while her brain tried to edit that last statement into a format she could tell Dan that wouldn't result in Harry's body being found on the sidewalk in the morning. "You were serious when you said that you loved him?"
"It's hard to describe mum, it's like Harry owns a piece of me and I'm only complete when he's near. The wonderful thing is Harry feels the exact same way but doesn't know how to put it into words, he tells me though every time he hugs or kisses me in a way that no words ever could. Had we been separated our mirrors may have kept us sane but the pain would have been there, you said I would do anything Harry asked and if he'd wanted me to run away with him I'm not sure I could have said no. With this set-up we would never have been found but Harry wouldn't even consider it, all his life he's dreamed of having a family and wouldn't take me away from mine for his benefit. That's Harry James Potter, my boyfriend and those other witches can take their betrothal contracts and use them for toilet paper because he's mine."
Emma detected the first hint of doubt from her daughter and held her tighter, "Anyone can see he's yours honey which is what's got your father all riled up, he wanted to go and have a talk with Harry but I don't think that would be appropriate since we've only just met. You might want to have a word with Harry though as delaying tactics is all I've got at the moment, some boy is trying to steal his little princess's heart and he doesn't care if the boy's a Lord, he's still not good enough as far as your father is concerned."
Hermione was drawn from her musing by Sophie popping into her room and laying out her clothes for today, "Would my Lady prefer a bath or shower before breakfast?"
"I usually have a shower Sophie and why the 'my Lady'?"
Sophie's tone was that of a mother answering a child's stupid question, "Are you not Lord Potter's Lady? Breakfast will be served in thirty minutes." She popped out the room leaving a very thoughtful Hermione Granger behind; she just hoped hr father accepted the elves explanation without an explosion.
-oOoOo-
Dumbledore watched on as his former friend of many years left Hogwarts for the last time, she still refused to speak with him but at the moment Filius and Pomona were making up for the deficit by berating Albus at every opportunity. Both were positive that the headmaster was directly responsible for their friend's resignation with subsequent departure and Albus was at least grateful Minerva had kept her reasons private.
In the meantime it had taken all of his considerable persuasive powers to stop Filius also resigning with Pomona's reaction not far behind him; Albus was beginning to wonder if there was a conspiracy in place to prevent him searching for the Potter boy as all he had managed to accomplish so far was to have the Grangers followed.
He now needed to find a new transfiguration professor as well as head of Gryffindor; the other vacant position was settled by the actions of Filius and Pomona. Albus needed someone he could trust implicitly and not have them ask too many questions so Severus Snape was the new Depute of Hogwarts.