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The Afterlife and Times of Myrtle Potter	By : NormanCharles Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Harry/Hermione Views: 19696 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: Okay, okay. I'm NOT JK Rowlings, I do not own Harry Potter. I make no money from writing these stories, I do it because it's fun and other people seem to enjoy what I write - the best of whom write review and tell me when I get it right and

Chapter List
- 9
- 10
- 11
Chapter 10: A Trip to the
Vaults

As Meacham held the door
open Harry and Hermione stepped hand in hand out onto the landing then froze.

A lone dementor hovered at
the base of the stairs. It appeared to be bowing with its skeletal hands
stretched toward them as if in supplication.

With a speed born of necessity
Harry quickly whipped out his wand and thought of all the things he associated
with Hermione and shouted �expecto patronum!�

A massive golden stag, one of
the dementor-killing varieties erupted from the wand and charged the
semi-corporeal demon, which flew into the ground at the speed of thought.

The patronus frantically
nuzzled the spot where the dementor disappeared; trying so hard to get to it
that he chipped the curb with his hooves trying to follow the soul sucker into
the ground.�

Harry kept Hermione behind him
as he advanced on the street, where he saw a gutter and a sewer drain.

�Damn that�s one odd-off bugger
of a dementor.�

He looked at the patronus an
asked �could you walk with us for a while, y�know, just in case it comes back?�

The golden stag nodded and let
the couple walk ahead before taking up a sentry position following them.

�We�re only eleven blocks from
the Leaky Cauldron, so I thought we�d just walk.� We can take a taxi or even
the Knight Bus if you�d rather?�

�No, I think a walk will do us
good.�

�Y�know,� he mused, �I�ve never
heard of a dementor showing up in broad daylight before.�

�That�s because sunlight hurts
them, he must have been in a lot of pain just now.�

�And he didn�t attack, just
floated at the base of the steps while I called up Prongs here.�

It was apparently possible for
a patronus to look smug.

�Something else,� Harry
observed, �it didn�t feel right.�

�How can you know how a
dementor feels, Harry?�

�No, I mean he didn�t feel
right to me.� You know how a dementor sucks all the happiness out of you?�

She nodded.

�I didn�t feel any of that,
just the shock of seeing it hovering outside my door at ten o�clock in the
morning.�

They walked in silence for a
few blocks.

�I hope the Weasleys are all
right� he said.

�Me too,� she agreed, �but it
could have been worse, at least they�re all alive.�

Harry nodded then added grimly,
�More or less, I wonder how Ginny�s doing with Ron?� I need to talk to her about
treating the KoA�s� at Hermione�s puzzled expression he clarified �Kissed of
Azkaban.�

�Will you be okay seeing Ginny
again?� she asked, unsure of how he would react.

�I really thought she was the
one, y�know?� he confessed �You and Ron were just about engaged and you seemed
so happy and Ginny and I were going to get back together and we�d be one big,
happy Weasley family.�

�You would have been good for
Ginny� she said, almost sadly �she went through quite a string of boyfriends
who, well, y�know, just wanted to use her.� But you�re not like that, you�re
loyal, and you don�t like being used so you don�t use people.�

�You would have been good for
Ron,� he said, barely audibly, �you would have given him focus, maybe a little
drive to better himself.� I never told you how I really felt about you because
it would have driven a wedge between us.� I was going to dance at your wedding
and be happy for you because you would have been hap � happy� at this his
composure began to shatter.

�What kind of miserable git am
I?� he groaned, �shagging my best mate�s girl as soon as he�s gone, and he�s
not really even gone is he?�

She grabbed him by his
shoulders and spun him to face her then pulled him into a fierce hug �it�s not
like that, love, I liked Ron, but we would never have gotten married, even he
realized that.� Listen Harry, I dated Ron so that you would be free to date
Ginny, I was going to dance with you at your wedding and wish you every
happiness, then I was going to move to New Zealand, because I couldn�t stand to
see you happy with someone, anyone else.�

He sniffed, �so you and Ron?�

�Oh puleeze Harry,
anyone who thinks we�d wind up together is delusional!�

He nodded his understanding and
took a deep breath as they rounded the corner to see the entrance to the Leaky
Cauldron.

�Thanks Prongs� he said to the
patronus as it faded away.

They walked into the pub and
saw what looked like the aftermath of a battle.� Wizards and witches and
assorted other magical creatures were lying all over the tables and floors.�
The only normal sight was Tom the barman wiping glasses behind the counter.

�Din�t have the heart to tell
em� t� go home, so I let em� kip here f� the night� he said as he rinsed two
more glasses �that was some party las� night, wot?�

Harry smiled at Hermione, �oh
yes Tom, some party indeed.�

�I kin see you two don� need no
sobering charm� he grinned.

�Not today, but I think your
customers will be needing them before long.�

The old barman smirked and
pointed to the shelf with the sign, �Guaranteed Hangover Potion, Three
Galleons.�

Harry laughed, �Always knew you
were a good man of business, Tom!�

They tip-toed over the
slumbering patrons and entered the Alley.� Merchants were cleaning up after the
party, streamers hung from every horizontal surface.

�We�ll be needing a visit to
Gringotts, then Madame Malkin�s.�

They climbed the stairs to the
wizarding bank and walked in, it was nearly deserted, only a few merchants
making deposits or getting change for the day.� They walked up to one of the bored
looking tellers.

�I�d like to make a withdrawal
please.�

The goblin sat up behind his
ledger, �name please.�

�Harry Potter.�

What little noise there was in
the bank ceased, you could have heard an owl�s feather drop.

A very old goblin appeared at
Harry�s elbow �could you come with me please, Mr. Potter?�

�Is there a problem?�

�No sir, no problem at all, but
we should not be discussing certain matters in the lobby sir� the goblin
gestured to an open door.

�May Hermione come with me?� he
asked.

�Of course, Mr. Potter, anyone
with eyes can see that you are mate-bonded.�

Hermione�s eyebrows lifted,
�mate-bonded.�

�Aye; and it�s a rare thing to
see two young souls finding themselves so early in life� the goblin said by way
of explanation.

�I like the sound of that�
Harry said and smiled, �we�ve always been best friends, now we�re mate-bonded,
whatever that means.�

Hermione looked very serious as
she explained, �Harry, mate bonding is the goblin equivalent of marriage; mate
bonds form when souls merge, in essence, the couple shares a single soul.�

�Mine or yours?� he asked, only
half-jokingly.

�Both actually, it means our
souls combine,� she looked deadly serious; �it means we can�t ever be
separated, even by death.�

�So if one of us dies?�

�The other will still have the
bond, and will probably follow close behind.�

Harry looked thoughtful for a
moment, �I think maybe my parents were-mate bonded, um, Hermione, are you all
right with this? It seems pretty serious.�

�Just ask yourself two questions,
Harry, how do you feel about spending the rest of your life with me?�

He smiled.

�Harry, I�m going away
tomorrow, I can�t see you anymore.�

He looked so devastated that
she had to pull him into a fiercely loving embrace �oh Harry, I didn�t mean that,
I just had to know because,� she choked out the words �because that�s how I
feel about you too.�

He sniffed and said, �I guess
we�re well and truly mated then, huh?�

She nodded in agreement as they
entered the conference room.

�Mr. Potter, Mrs. Potter� the
honorific caught both teens by surprise, �I beg your pardon; is there some
other form of address that you would prefer?� the goblin asked.

�Um, no,� Harry put in, �if
it�s okay with you?� he asked Hermione.

�Within these walls I prefer
Mrs. Potter,� she said smoothly, �in business dealings outside the purview of
Gringotts I would rather be Miss Granger.�

The goblin understood
completely �to business then.�

He turned to face Harry and
said �you are the last remaining member of the Ancient House of Potter, and as
such have certain duties and obligations upon reaching your majority, which,
according to our records, was three months ago.�

�Well, yes, I was a bit
preoccupied� Harry said by way of apology.

�Ah yes, fighting the dark lord
and all his minions, nice piece of work that, by the way, very well done.�

�Um, Thanks?� Harry said,
almost as a question.

�The maintenance fees on your
properties at Godrick�s Hollow and more recently, Number 12 Grimauld Place have
been in arrears for,� the goblin shuffled a few papers on his desk, �here it
is, in arrears for seventeen years, at a rate of 17 Galleons, 6 sickles, and 2
knuts per year compounded daily for seventeen years . . . carry the one, 209
thousand Galleons, and 2 knuts.�

Harry was shell shocked, he
thought he was well off, and now it turns out he�d inherited debt?

�Um, at least the knuts cancel
out, right?�

�I can see this is a bit of a
shock to you Mr. Potter, your trust vault has been depleted but your family
vault is untouched, and if you will appoint a manager for your properties, they
can go back to making money rather than incurring debt.�

�How is that Mr. um, I�m sorry,
I don�t know your name.�

�My apologies Mr. Potter,
Sharpclaw head of the clan Sharpclaw at your service sir.�

�How is it that my family�s
properties have been making money Mr. Sharpclaw?�

�Mr. Potter, Godrick�s Hollow
is the burial place of your ancestor, Godrick Gryffindor, and to this day is a
favorite tourist spot among witches and wizards from all over the world.�

�So people are visiting the
burned out ruin of my old home to visit a gravesite?�

�Actually, Mr. Potter, they�re
visiting the tomb of Godrick Gryffindor, I�m afraid your old house is now a car
park.�

Harry began to see red.

�And who authorized the car
park on my family property?�

�No one Mr. Potter; neither was
anyone stopping them, and as you may know, it�s easier to get forgiveness than
permission.�

Harry stood up, angry.

Sharpclaw raised a placating
hand �Mr. Potter, I am going to do something that I hope you will never share,
I�m going to give you a bit of free advice.� First get a layer, a good one,
then get a good account manager for your properties, otherwise, the rest of the
Potter fortune will simply evaporate.� Lastly you are the Boy Who Lived, the
Man Who Triumphed, the one who delivered the elves from bondage, use that fame
to your own benefit, because if you do not, someone else surely will!

Harry took a deep breath, �can
you recommend a good layer?�

�I can, but I know that you are
familiar with the Chief Justice of the Wizengamot?�

�Judge Vance?�

�The same; come to me for
banking advice Mr. Potter.� To find a good layer, ask a judge.�

Harry wasn�t as broke as he
feared, but he wasn�t as well off either, still he could stand to buy some new
clothes so he and Hermione took the cart to his family vault to asses his
finances.

�Mr. Sharpclaw, may I have
copies of my family�s ledgers please, I�ll need them to give to the layer and
the accountant.�

�Of course Mr. Potter� the
goblin agreed.

Within minutes Harry had an
accounting of his assets, real estate: Number 12 Grimauld Place, the property
on which his parent�s home used to stand in Godrick�s Hollow.

�You would have thought an
Ancient Family would have a manor somewhere� Hermione mused.

�May I,� Sharptooth asked, and
flipped to the third page of Harry�s assets.

�Ah,� Harry said, a little
dumbstruck, �it seems I, um, we have a nice little mountain home in
western Canada, a town called Banff.�

Hermione�s eyes grew wide, �did
you day Banff?�

�According to the deed, we own,
um a mountain and a Swiss-style chalet.�

�Harry, that�s in the Canadian
Rockies and it�s one of the most beautiful places on Earth!� she practically squealed.

�Sharpclaw flipped to the last
page of assets and pointed with the sharp claw of his index finger.

�And an island in the Caribbean� he said, blowing out a deep, calming breath.

Sharpclaw cleared his throat,
�you will need a competent accountant and a properties manager as well as a
good lawyer Mr. Potter.�

�Mr. Sharpclaw, would it be
possible to have a goblin as my accountant and properties manager?�

The look that the goblin gave
Harry was enough to make him wonder if he had just inadvertently begun the next
goblin war �if the request is out of line Mr. Sharpclaw, please excuse me, I�m
not that familiar with wizard and goblin customs and I just thought . . .�

In a voice fraught with emotion
the goblin asked, �What made you think that a goblin could be responsible for
the assets of two of the Most Ancient wizard families?�

�Um, again, no offense meant, I
just thought that since you, the goblins I mean, pretty well handle all of the
banking anyway that you would know best how to put it to good use.� I mean no
one knows wealth management better, right?�

�And you are sanguine with the
idea of a goblin handling your finances?�

�Well, yeah, but if we can�t
have a goblin manager I would use whoever you recommend?� the last part came
out like a question.

Hermione put a reassuring hand
on Harry�s shoulder and explained, �Mr. Sharpclaw is just surprised that the
scion of two ancient houses would trust a goblin to manage his wealth and
properties, most wizards consider goblins to be beneath them and treat them
with contempt.� It�s why goblins are so short, no offence Mr. Sharpclaw, when
dealing with wizards and witches.�

�That�s just crazy, you�d have
to be an idiot to treat the people that handle your assets like that, how does
that make the goblin�s want to work hard on your behalf?�

�It doesn�t, Mr. Potter� Sharpclaw
admitted, �but if you�re in earnest, I will have at least four applications for
the positions of accountant, financial advisor and properties manager by two of
the clock this afternoon, sir.�

�Please, Mr. Sharpclaw, just
call me Harry?�

�Only if you�ll call me
Sharpclaw, Harry.�

�Sharpclaw it is then� he said
and extended his hand, which the goblin took, accidentally scratching� Harry�s
wrist in the process.

�I apologize sir, I mean Harry,
goblins do not shake hands in greetings and you are the first wizard to offer
his hand in friendship to me� he took a small, very sharp dagger from his belt
and asked Harry to please hold it, point up.� As Harry complied Sharpclaw used
the point of the dagger to scratch his own wrist.

�I had to do that sir, I mean
Harry, because I have your blood on my hands you must have mine on yours.�

�Are there any other things I
need to know, should I be banging my head on the table or something about now?�

The goblin laughed, a high
nasally sound, �No Harry, we�re all good and even now.�

The goblin got serious once
more, �you�ll be wanting this Harry� and handed over a lacquered box, about the
size of a book.

Harry opened the box and saw
four rings.

�The first ring is the Potter
family ring; it can only be worn by the current head of the house of Potter, at
the death of the patriarch the ring returns to this box in this vault.�

Harry remembered seeing the
ring in the pictures of his father, worn on the ring finger of his right hand.�

�The other rings are your
parent�s wedding rings� Sharpclaw explained, �They were charmed to return to
this box in like manner.�

Harry ran his finger over his
dad�s wedding band, then his mum�s engagement ring and complimentary band.� He
lifted the family crest ring from the box.

�I suppose I should start
wearing this now?�

�It is your privilege and your
responsibility Harry� the goblin agreed.

Harry placed the band on the
third finger of his right hand and was a little startled when it sized itself
to fit.

He pocketed one other ring from
the box before placing it back on the shelf from which it had come.

�We�ll need enough galleons to
buy some new clothes and a few sundries, how much should I take?�

�For a full wardrobe, I should
think 150 galleons each, and sundries, well, that depends what they are.�

�I don�t suppose you have
something like a credit card?�

�No, but we can charm your
moneybags so that they can access your galleons directly.�

�That will do, thank you, I�d
like two please.�

Hermione looked startled, �no
Harry, that�s your money.�

He took both her hands in his
and said earnestly, �it�s not my money, it�s not your money; it�s the
money.� We�re mate-bonded and I think if that�s good enough for the goblins
it�s good enough for us.�

Sharpclaw sniffed, then hawked
and spat, �bonding vows always make me cry Harry� he said, obviously
embarrassed.

�Come along Mrs. Potter, we�re
embarrassing our goblin friend� Harry smirked.

What he didn�t realize was that
by naming Sharpclaw �goblin friend� he had cemented the clan of Sharpclaw to
the clan of Potter for the next ten generations.

The cart ride to the Black
family vault was as exciting as usual, just too short.� In the vaults he saw
many objects chained to the wall or inside metal cages held with iron chains
and locks.

�Sharpclaw,� Harry asked,
eyeing the objects warily, �is there an inventory of the contents of this
vault?�

�Of course, Harry� the goblin
replied, and produced a thick sheaf of parchments.

�The Goblet of Poison, deadly
to any but the scion of the House of Black, Terpsichorean caltrops, elfin
silver undergarments which will turn any blade or projectile point, eye
daggers, scrotum scythe . . .�

Harry paled as he read the
list, �are all of these objects charmed, or rather, cursed?�

�I�d have to say the most are,
yes.�

�Is there anyway to dispose of
them?�

Sharpclaw looked pensive for a
moment, �I tell you this as a goblin friend Harry, I could tell you that we
goblins would �dispose� of the objects for you, but in fact we would sell them
to whichever dark wizard gave us the best price� he shrugged apologetically.�
�The best way to ensure these objects will never be used against you is to
leave them where they are.�

Harry pondered that for a
moment; then nodded in agreement.

The goblin handed Harry another
lacquered box, similar to the one in his other vault, inside were the ring and
two sturdy silvery chains with pendants that were, in fact, two small stoppered
bottles inside finely wrought silvery leaf-work.

�Mr. Black�s last will and
testament makes you the head of the Black family, you may wish to wait before
placing the ring on your finger, Harry� Sharpclaw advised.

�Why is that?�

�As head of the Black family
you can be called on accounts for the actions of your family members, namely
Bellatrix Black, Narcissa Black, and by blood association, Draco Malfoy.�

Harry pinched the bridge of his
nose with his thumb and forefinger, �I really need someone to teach me
about the rights and responsibilities as the head of a house.�

�The head of an Ancient
House, Harry� Sharpclaw corrected.

�Any suggestions?�

�One, but I think you�ll
hesitate to accede to it� the goblin smirked.

�Who?�

�One of the black family
members is languishing in a lower cell in Azkaban at this moment, contemplating
the next fifty years or so in a windowless cell, with only vermin for company.�

�Who?� Harry repeated.

�Narcissa Black Malfoy.�
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The Afterlife and Times of Myrtle Potter