Chapter Text
The large man- well…giant, was really all Harry could think of. He stood beside Harry, gushing about Albus Dumbledore and Harry’s parents, as if they were so great and hadn’t been drunks like his aunt and uncle said. Well, Harry had enough experience with adults to play the game of being a believing child, regardless of what he thought. Harry stood there quietly, nodding when it felt like he should, but ultimately just waiting for this to be over. He could tell by the look his uncle was giving him that he was going to be in for the worst when this stranger was gone.
“Well, ‘bes be going,” the giant man said.
There was a heated discussion between his uncle and the giant. Harry stood to the side. He didn’t really think he would be able to go but when He was prompted by the large man and Vernon was still chasing after Dudley because of his new tail… well, Harry shrugged. He knew that many people believed in ‘better the enemy you know than the one you don’t,’ but Harry wasn’t too keen on the idea of walking away from an opportunity to ditch his relatives, even if it was only for a few hours. Hagrid called them muggles though, so that seemed more accurate than actually referring to tormentors as relatives.
The pair made their way to London, Harry only adding to the conversation because it was clear that this giant wanted him to. Harry couldn’t be bothered because his mind was whirling with the information that Hagrid was trying to dump on him. If this man Albus Dumbledore was so great, why had he not stepped in when Harry was left with the muggles? If he was truly so popular and famous, why didn’t anyone care that he was abused or neglected?
It didn’t help that Harry was physically a freak, and no, not just because of his scar. But the fact that the muggles had hated his parents and the fact that harry cost them so much money, he was always reminded of what a freak he was and how useless he was to them.
When they arrived to the Leaky Cauldron, Hagrid pulled Harry in front of him, revealing his lighting bolt scar to everyone who was there. In moments, Harry was swarmed by the young and elderly alike. Oh Harry could handle things like this, but he absolutely hated it. He silently accepted the attention of all these people who were apparently so indebt to him, loving towards him and his family, despite the side of his face aching from the most recent hit that the fat muggle had given him, leaving a searing bruise on his temple. No one cared about the bruising or open welts across his back as they slapped him and pulled him into hugs. Harry just gritted his teeth and said nothing.
‘Maybe this was the new hell,’ Harry thought to himself.
Hagrid finally ushered them through the pub, making their way to what Hagrid referred to as the Gringotts Bank. Harry wanted to be impressed about the magic he was witnessing, but all he wanted was to sit. Take a breath, drink some water. His last meal had been before the crazy muggles hid them away on the small island almost two full days ago. Didn’t stop Hagrid from having a full breakfast on their way through Diagon Alley, saying that harry was much to small to be eating the fattening foods Hagrid picked for himself.
“We need to access Mr. Potter’s Vault,” Hagrid said dutifully, and much too loudly in Harry’s opinion, to the creepy mix between hog and human that was barely 3 feet tall in front of them once they arrived at the bank. “’An I’m here on Hogwarts business as well.”
The goblin leaned over the podium and looked at Harry before turning to Hagrid with a nasty sneer. “And does Mr. Potter have his key?”
“Oh,” Hagrid said, patting himself down before producing a small gold key. “Here it is.”
The goblin glared openly at Hagrid, extending his hand, palm up for the key. Harry was glad the goblins ire wasn’t directed at him; he took a small step from Hagrid, not wanting to attract the fury of this goblin.
“The key,” the goblin prompted him harshly when Hagrid didn’t pass it over. Hagrid sputtered and then dropped the key in the goblins hand finally.
The goblin turned behind him and said something in a language Harry didn’t understand, but Harry didn’t have to wait long before another goblin, who seemed somewhat younger than the first, approached Harry.
“This way, Mr. Potter,” The goblin said gruffly before turning and immediately walking away. Hagrid cleared his throat.
“Erm, ‘bes we go together, Harry,” Hagrid started to follow when the original goblin at the podium held his small hand up.
“You are here on other business, Mr. Hagrid. Another will be along shortly to further assist you while we tend to Mr. Potter. We are far too busy today for specialized preferences.” The goblin gestured to a waiting area to the side, opposite of where Harry was going. He didn’t mind, maybe he could give the overbearing giant the slip.
Harry was led down a small hallway just off the main chamber before the goblin stopped abruptly. He opened the door to a small but luxurious office. He gestured for Harry to enter but made no move to follow.
“Another will be along shortly,” Was all the goblin said before pulling the door closed behind him.
Harry looked at the room. It was obvious the office belonged to a goblin, but thankfully the seats for the guests were intended for regular sized humans. Hagrid would have filled the room to the brim if he had come. Harry was grateful for the breathing space, even if only for a time.
The door creaked behind him and three goblins Harry hadn’t encountered yet waddled in. The first was dressed in a very small muggle like suit, while the others were wearing what Harry assumed was the uniform of the bank. The suit-goblin looked to Harry before pointing at the chair.
“Sit,” the goblin said, his voice commanding and rough. Harry did so quickly, not interested in upsetting the creature in any way. The goblin moved across the room before settling behind the desk. He shuffled a few papers after placing Harry’s vault key on the desk in front of him. The key made a clink of the surface of the desk.
The goblin eyed Harry intensely but Harry knew better than to speak unless he was asked to. He wasn’t about to ignore a lifetime of lessons from the muggles just to sate his curiosity.
The goblin leaned back in his chair for a moment. “I am Ragglerock. I’m the acting steward of the Potter Estate.” the goblin said before pointing at the other two who stayed standing at the door. “These are witnesses since you are underage and alone in my office.” The goblin held Harry’s gaze as he spoke. Harry gave a small nod to show he understood.
“Did the giant bruise your face like that, Mr. Potter?” The goblin asked pointedly.
Harry’s hand lifted to his head where he knew there was a blooming bruise that was green and purple and black.
He shook his head. “I just met him today.”
The goblin narrowed his eyes. “And he had your vault key?”
Harry gave a small shrug. “Yes.” The goblin seemed to wait for more so Harry added, “Erm- I didn’t know I had a vault.”
The goblin’s eyes narrowed and he took out a piece of parchment before setting a quill to it.
“This is a transcription quill for my records, Mr. Potter…Who hurt you?”
The goblin was, admittedly, scary. But Harry had a feeling that this was his nice voice.
Harry swallowed. Was this going to be a trick of some sort? To think that help is around the corner but when he accepts it it’s ripped away? Harry knew that the Dursley’s enjoyed their attempts to lull Harry into comfort right before laughing at him for having the gall to think such a thing.
The goblin said nothing. He didn’t offer pleasantries or tried to soothe Harry’s worries, he just waited. When Harry spoke, the quill began to stroke against the parchment.
“The muggles that raised me,” Harry answered, his voice quiet.
“Muggles?” The goblins eyes shot up. “You were under guardianship of a wizard. Are you saying that you were not in fact with him these past ten years?”
Harry’s eyebrows raised and he shook his head slightly. “My Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon and my cousin Dudley,” Harry said.
Harry got the sense that the goblin was irate, but it was hard to tell a difference between his moods.
“And Albus Dumbledore?” The goblin prompted Harry.
“What abouthim?” Harry asked, confused.
“You know who he is?” The goblin pressed.
Harry gave a small shrug. “Hagrid mentioned him today.”
The goblin eyed Harry.
“What do you know of the wizarding world?” The goblin asked finally. If all someone did was merely shrug at the mention of Dumbledore, then it was a highly unusual event to Ragglerock.
“Erm,” Harry said unsure. “I only found out about it this morning, a few hours ago.” Harry admitted.
The goblin summoned something from a shelf before eyeing the other two goblins and walking around the desk to where harry sat.
“Mr. Potter. I have a potion here that I want you to drink. It will help me get the facts necessary for moving forward. The effects will only last for a few minutes. It’s illegal to use this without explicit permission.”
Harry was unsure what to say, but for the most part, this goblin was the most upfront and caring creature Harry had ever encountered. Hagrid seemed like he had a kind soul, but he didn’t even ask about Harry’s mark or his broken glasses.
Harry said nothing but with a small nod, he reached for the potion.
The goblin gestured his hand away and instead unstoppered it to reveal a drip tip.
“Stick your tongue out,” he instructed before dropping three drops of the liquid on his tongue.
Harry felt his mind go immediately fuzzy. The goblin stared into Harry’s eyes intently before giving a small nod.
“Are you being abused at home?” The Goblin asked.
“Yes,” Came Harry’s voice from far away. Even though Harry had already said it was the muggles who has hurt him, he didn’t want to outright accuse them… but he had no power to stop it.
“How are you being abused?”
“Beatings mostly, but I’m also not allowed to eat like my cousin.” Harry’s face went red at the inability to control his tongue.
“Have you met Albus Dumbledore?”
“No,” Harry felt temporary relief at that one, it wasn’t as embarrassing.
“I'm aware of your carrier status as it is documented as a requirement for effective Stewardship Accords planning. Have you been sexually abused due to your carrier status?”
“Erm,” Harry didn’t know what that meant. The goblin grunted, seemingly pleased at that at least.
“Have you been touched inappropriately between your legs?” The goblin said, business-like.
Harry felt like he could die. “No,”
The goblin nodded.
“You’ve been beaten, starved, and denied proper clothing.” Harry gave a small nod. “Where do you sleep?”
“At my uncles and aunts home,” Harry said, trying to placate the force that made him answer honestly. The goblin sensed it.
“You have a proper bed,” The goblin said, before adding, “A room to yourself, privacy,”
Harry shook his head. “I have a cupboard, under the stairs, with some pillows and Dudley’s old sweaters.”
Harry’s face burned red. The goblin said nothing else but he conjured a glass of water before holding it up to Harrys mouth.
When Harry looked at it hesitantly the goblin nodded. “This will wash away the effects of the potion.”
Harry drank it quickly. He wished he could say it was only because he wanted to be done with whatever had just happened but he was so dehydrated that he never tasted anything sweeter.
The room was silent for several moments as the Ragglerock seemed to consider him. Finally his sharp voice filled the room as he conversed with the other two goblins in a different language.
Finally, Ragglerock summoned a plate of small sandwiches, he pushed them, as well as another glass of water closer to Harry. “Eat.” The goblin all but said in a hiss. “I will return.”
Harry was promptly left alone. He eyed the sandwiches. They weren’t messy and dripping like what Dudley normally ate. The bread was clearly whole wheat and he could see lettuce, pickles and tomatoes on it, small bits on onion chopped and a green paste like substance, maybe avocado? Harry took a bite.
To be fair, Harry would have ate them even if he didn’t like the taste, hunger being the hell of a thing it was. But he was shocked at how delicious the small sandwich was. The plate only had 6 sandwich squares but harry ate all of them before chasing it down with the full glass of water.
He sat in the room alone long enough to become sleepy, his stomach hurting from being overly full. Harry had just started to drift off when he heard the door open again.
He sat up straighter in his chair as a tall, severe woman entered the office with a man close behind. She had black hair with a blond streak on the side. She looked like a beautiful angel, if Harry was honest. But her face said she was anything but that. She didn’t look pleased to be in the room, and if she was displeased, the man behind her doubly so.
He was taller than her despite her heels, and he had on immaculate robes that made harry think he must be a king. His hair was long and almost white, adding to the regal appearance, though Uncle Vernon would have said something very different. The man didn't seem to look at anyone so much as look down on them, and Harry was no exception.
The goblins followed into the room. Ragglerock conjured a third seat for the extra guests to be able to sit comfortably before slipping back into his seat behind his desk. The woman sat but the man stood imperiously next to her, his eyes trailing over Harry with disgust.
Ragglerock tapped the parchment that had transcribed their meeting with a long claw and it duplicated itself immediately.
The woman was staring at Harry with a very guarded and disinterested gaze. Harry looked down, knowing that the mark on his temple was easily visible to them both. He didn’t deserve to be hit, and he knew that he wasn't treated the way that a child should have been treated... He had heard and caught glilmpses of many shows that depicted happya nd loving familyes.. but it still gave him a sense of shame. As if it was proof that he was as terrible as his Aunt and Uncle said. Whoever this couple was, he was sure they already hated them. Good thing they weren’t in his family or he was sure he would be in for it.
“Mr. Potter, under the Stewardship Accords governing ancient houses, Gringotts retains the right to intervene when an heir is found to be under sustained harm that threatens the continuation of the line. There are no other Potters besides yourself, and your mothers' relations have proven unsafe. You have a named Godfather, Sirius Black, but he is in prison. This is Lady Narcissa Malfoy and her husband, Lord Lucius Malfoy. Lady Malfoy is formerly of the Black family. As Black’s only family member who is alive, not disinherited from the Black family, and not in prison, Lady Malfoy is your closest legal relative of magical blood. I am lawfully, and temporarily, revoking the magical guardianship that has previously been granted to Albus Dumbledore. Your new magical guardian will be Lady Malfoy, effective immediately.”
Harry’s eyes went wide as he glanced back at the couple. Apparently, they were just as surprised as he was.
“What do you mean that his mother’s relations have proven unsafe?” The man asked, voice sharpening. “Surely we are not calling discipline a form of abuse.”
Harry’s face burned, and he dropped his gaze to the floor.
“Mr. Potter,” The goblin ignored Lord Malfoy. “Every ancient house has a Gringotts-appointed Steward assigned to protect the continuity of the line. We of the Goblin nation do not make habits of intervening in wizarding affairs without direct evidence to support the need. Given that you are the last heir; I have concluded that the Houst of Potter is at risk of extinction, permanent damage, and possibly magical destabilization.” The goblin rolled the copy of parchment that his magical quill had transcribed their earlier conversation on and held it out to the Malfoys. Lucius sneered but reached for it nonetheless. He apparently had no love for this goblin either, so at least Harry wasn’t the only one Lord Malfoy seemed to be irritated with. “This is temporary until the ministry completes their investigation regarding the allegations I will make in regard to the Potter Estate.”
The goblin grabbed Harry’s vault key and held it for a moment, before giving it directly to Harry.
“This is your key to your vault. No one else should have it unless it is your desire for them to.” Harry accepted the key and slid it into his pocket. The goblin looked at the Malfoys. “I will alert the ministry immediately to the change in guardianship for Heir Potter but until the ministry’s final determination, I am satisfied of his safety and the continuity of the Potter line with this change.”
Lord Malfoy sneered but said nothing. It was clear that they didn’t want Harry in the same way that Harry didn’t want them. It didn’t help that the goblin seemed to be giving a subtle threat to the Malfoys. All Harry could hope was that they at least didn’t hate him as much as the Dursleys had, but Harry couldn’t see that being the case with the way they eyed him.
The room was silent for several moments before Ragglerock pointedly said, “You may leave.”
Harry stood with the Malfoys and they filed out of the room with Harry just a step behind them. They reached the main lobby and Harry saw Hagrid there.
“Ah, Harry, ‘bout time,” Hagrid stood before realizing who Harry was with. Hagrid stepped towards them, but he froze when lord Malfoy pulled out an elegant stick, a wand maybe, and held it a Hagrid’s throat. Lady Malfoy grabbed Harry and pulled him close to her, but still managing to shield him away from Hagrid.
“Wha’s this Malfoy!”
Hagrid shouted loudly, drawing the attention of everyone near them, witch, wizard, and goblin alike.
Lord Malfoys voice was cold. Harry was sure that he didn’t mean a single word that he said. “Potter is under our protection, and you’re not to go near him. If you have a problem with that, go tell your dear Dumbledore.”
Hagrid’s face went red. “Now see here!” He shouted. He tried to step around Lord Malfoy but he only found Lord Malfoy’s wand pressed harshly into his chest. Hagrid glanced around him. “‘Arry,” Hagrid called. “This lot ain’t safe!”
Harry said nothing. It had been made clear as day to him, and he was sure to the Malfoy’s, that they were to see to his wellbeing. Thanks to the bank and to this ministry that Harry knew nothing about. But he had two things to admit. First, he liked that they were protective over him, even if they might cause their own pain. The thought that they wouldn’t let anyone else hurt him had to be a step up from what he endured at the hands of the Dursleys, who would let Dudley and his friends hurt Harry in the name of their fun. And the other thing? They didn’t seem all to pleased with this Dumbledore fella either, and that was pleasing to Harry.
Lord Malfoy gestured for his wife to walk ahead while he held Hagrid in the spot. Harry stayed close to Lady Malfoy. Only a few moments passed before Lord Malfoy was with them again. As they stepped out of the bank, he grabbed Harry’s shoulder harshly and turned on the spot.