Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Independence Day	By : Tumshie Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Harry/Hermione Views: 41288 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 7
- 8
- 9
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and other canon characters belong
to JKR I�m only having some fun.

Hermione had never been to the Gringotts vaults before, and
the ride both exhilarated and terrified her. Despite the reassurances that the
carts were charmed to stop people falling out of them, she was certain that if
she hadn�t been holding onto Harry she�d have fallen out of the cart. Deeper
and deeper they plunged the numbers on the vault doors when they could read
them getting smaller as they went. Finally the cart slowed and stopped and they
disembarked.

�Lord Potter, there is a ritual involved here which must be
carried through in the prescribed format, please read the card�

Harry read the proffered card several times to make sure he
knew the responses and stepped forward and placed his hand on a smooth piece of
wall. As his hand touched the wall a disembodied voice echoed round the
chamber.

�Who lays claim to this vault�

�I Lord Harry James Black Potter, son of Lord James Potter
and Lady Lily Rose Potter lay claim to the Potter family vault. By my magic and
by my life I vow to protect the family present and future.�

A beam of white light struck and surrounded him and the
voice spoke again. �You have been found worthy, Heir of Potter, name those who
can have free access.�

�Hermione Jane Granger has full and free access to the
family vault. Remus Lupin has access when bearing written authority from Lord
Potter.�

As Harry spoke the final words the rock face seemed to melt
leaving a cavern the size of the Great Hall of Hogwarts opened to view. Unlike
his Trust Vault, there were no piles of Galleons, Sickles and Knuts, rather
there were cupboards, chests, trunks and display cases.

On a black velvet cushion on a gold podium in the centre of
the cavern was a ring, Harry felt he was being drawn towards it and walked
over.

Griphook spoke, �Lord Potter, the ring on the cushion is the
ring worn by the Head of the Potter Family, you must wear it. Tradition states
that you wear it on the ring finger of your right hand until you are betrothed
or married and then you wear it on your left hand to signify your married
status.�

�The ring is imbued with many charms and protections, it
can�t be removed from the hand of a living person, and will return to the vault
when the current bearer dies. It will only be visible to those whom you want to
see it, another of the charms makes you aware if there is someone near who
wishes to harm you.�

Harry reached out and took the ring, he held it over the
ring finger of his left hand and looked at Hermione, she gave a nod and he put
the ring on. He felt a strange sensation, it was like a dam bursting within
him. A bright white cloud covered him, none of the others could bear to look at
him. After ten minutes the light had faded to nothingness, Hermione studied the
young man before her and could see no physical difference, however she could
feel the waves of power rolling off him.

Harry dropped into a light meditation. He searched out his
magical core and realised the block was gone, not a trace left, �wow� he
thought, �I�ll need to try an Animagus transformation today, to� see if I�m still Harry the puppy or Prongs
Junior, or maybe my true form will be something else.�

Harry looked around, his vision was blurred and he had light
spots dancing before his eyes. He reached up to his face to make sure he still
had his glasses on and found he did. He removed his glasses and looked round,
everything was clear, he could see properly.

�Remus, Hermione, I can see without my glasses, everything
is clear.�

He thought for a minute, everyone knew he wore glasses,
everyone expected him to wear glasses. That could be an advantage in a fight.
He looked at the frames he had worn since he had started school. His first
teacher had noticed that he was having problems in class and had forced the
issue to such an extent, that the Dursleys had been forced to take him to an
optician, he had been given his glasses the following week, and he�d worn the
same ones since.

He looked at the frames and thought of the style he would
have wanted to wear, as he watched the frames changed from round to octagonal,
from plastic to metal, and from black to gunmetal grey. The lenses changed to
plain glass but with a reactive lens so he wouldn�t need sunglasses. He put
them on and conjured a mirror and looked, the frames adjusted until he was
happy with them.

�Harry, why are you still wearing your glasses if you don�t
need them? And how did you change them? How did you conjure a mirror?� asked
Hermione, she had more questions but those were the ones that reached her
tongue first.

Before he could answer Remus spoke. �This is proof of how
much like James he is. James� eyesight was fixed when he first wore the Potter
ring, but like Harry he chose to hide the fact. He had his lenses charmed to
allow him to see through things, much like Moody�s eye.�

�Hermione, I don�t know how I changed them, transfiguration,
I think, I just thought of what I wanted them to look like and it happened. As
for the mirror I just wanted one and it appeared.�

Harry looked around and saw another ring on the podium and
immediately knew what it was.

�Hermione, this is the ring worn by the betrothed of the
Head of the Potter House, it is yours, can I put it on your finger?�

�Yes, my Lord� she replied and thought �Lord? Lord? When
did I start calling Harry my Lord?�

�Hermione, you acknowledging me as Lord Potter is the answer
you needed to give, it allows you to wear the ring� and with that Harry placed
the ring on Hermione�s left ring finger.

As with Harry, a bright white cloud enveloped her and again
it lasted for about ten minutes, they looked at each other and knew that they
had made the correct decision.

Remus looked on amazed, he had watched James and Lily go
through the same process but had never felt such power flowing off any couple
as he did now. Griphook looked totally unfazed but in his mind he was compiling
a report for the Goblin Council, if he was right the two spoken of in Goblin
Legend had come together.

They looked round the chamber, noting things they needed to
investigate further, and amazed by the quantity and quality of the paintings
and other artwork. As they were about to leave Harry remembered they had to do
some clothes shopping and looked for some Galleons.

�Griphook, I need some money for shopping, where is the
money stored.�

�Your money is stored in a separate vault, linked to your
Trust Vault, take this pouch and press the key for your vault against the
Gringotts symbol, that will allow you to access up to 500 Galleons per day. For
larger transactions we have �borrowed� Muggle technology, we use what they call
a �Credit Card�, but in our case the card will only allow you to draw money
equal to the funds you have available.�

�What about Muggle money?�

�The Potter Trust has dealings in the Nonmagical world, your
family have several personal accounts with different banks, your cards will be
ready for collection when we get back to the lobby.�

�Thank you for your assistance, now are the keys for Potter
Manor held here?�

�Yes, open the cabinet to the left of the vault door, only
the current Lord can touch the keys, and only he can give permission for people
to enter the house. Please understand that when these rules were made wives
were seen as little more than the property of their husband, the last two Lord
Potter�s have tried to alter this but couldn�t.�

Harry opened the cabinet door and looked, there on a
key-ring was the most intricate key he�d ever seen, it was a cruciform key
(teeth on all four sides of the shaft), below the key was an envelope with the
words �read me first� on it. As the letters were in red flashing ink he
followed the instructions and opened the envelope and pulled out a piece of
parchment and read.

As you are able to read this letter you must be the newest
Lord Potter and for some reason have not been instructed on how to gain access
to Potter Manor by the previous Lord. The key for Potter Manor is a Portkey
which is voice activated. The first time you use it the password is �take me
home.� Once you are at the Manor the head elf will show you the parchment that
allows you to set your own password.

The Portkey function will also transport you anywhere
within the Wizarding world, all you do is state your destination and the key
will transport you to the nearest Portkey point. Anyone touching you when you
activate the Portkey will be transported with you.

Harry took the key and put it in his pocket and looked at
Griphook. �We were wondering last night, and I�ve only just remembered, what
happened to Headmaster Dumbledore after the will reading?�

�He was released after paying a fine of one thousand
Galleons for interrupting a Will reading without due cause, he is also banned
from entering Gringotts for twelve months and his account will have no interest
added for the same period. You need to be careful round him, he is extremely
angry with you.�

�Thank you, Griphook, we will be. Now is there anything else
we need to take with us?�

�Yes,� the Goblin replied and handed an envelope to Harry.
�This envelope contains a statement of the cash assets in your vault, it
updates automatically when you make a withdrawal or deposit to help you keep
track of your finances.�

�Thanks, now time to shop!�

After another thrilling ride back to the main lobby and a
brief side trip to collect his new cards, they stepped out into the late
morning sunshine, Harry was sure that they had spent more time in the bank but
it was still only 11:30 a.m. They said goodbye to Remus who was going to spend
some time reading the rules of the Potter Trust in preparation for the next
meeting. They made their way to Madam Malkins Robes for all Occasions to start
their clothes shopping.

A bored looking assistant gave them a glance and went back
to chewing her gum not realising the commission she was missing on the sale.
Madam Malkin, however was watching and approached and greeted them.

�Good morning, how may I help you today? Hogwarts robes?�

�Not today, Ma�am.� Replied Harry. �We both need a selection
of everyday and dress robes, in addition if you can supply them, some Muggle
clothes. Hermione will select the colours and designs for all of them.�

�Harry,� hissed Hermione, �You don�t need to buy me things.�

�I know, its not a case of need to, but want to.�

Madam Malkin called over an assistant and they measured the
couple for their new robes. Hermione picked out the colours and Harry asked
that the robes be made to measure rather than off the peg and resized.

�Your order will take a week to get ready,� Madam Malkin
informed them. �now do you want any extras added?�

�What extras do you offer?� asked Harry.

�We have charms that keep you warm or cool depending on the
weather, sizing charms that allow the robes to adjust up to two sizes up or
down, stain-proof charms which protect your robes from spillages, these are
especially good for the dress robes. We can also charm them to repel most light
hexes and jinxes.�

�Okay, we�ll have the all the charms on all the robes, I
would also like my Family Crest on two of the sets of the dress robes.�

�Which family, dear?�

�Potter, and we need it on two sets of Hermione�s robes
also.�

Only her sheer professionalism stopped Madam Malkin from
gawping at Harry, her assistant wasn�t just as professional but managed to
change the look of surprise very quickly.

�Of course, Mr. Potter, we have the pattern in our stock
room, can we add your endorsement to our list as we have in the past?�

�What do you mean?� he asked.

�Look here� she replied and showed him the shops endorsement
list which read. �Madam Malkins Robes for all Occasions, suppliers of robes
to: followed by a list of the prominent Wizarding families. Included in the
list were the Malfoys, the Crabbes, the Goyles, Parkinsons, Bulstrodes, Bones
and many other surnames he knew from school.

�Not at the moment� he replied. �I want to keep the fact I�m
reviving the family name quiet for the time being. Maybe later. Now can you
help with Muggle clothes?�

�Sorry, but we only have a small selection, but Glad Rags
along the street have a wide range as they have expanded into the Muggle
world.�

�Thank you, Ma�am, now what do we owe you for the clothes�

Madam Malkin led them over to the cash desk and started
calculating the total. �With the charms packages the cost is two thousand
Galleons, sixteen Sickles and thirteen Knuts. We�ll make that two thousand
Galleons straight, now cash or card?�

�Card, thank you� said Harry producing his new acquisition,
he then reached into his pouch and took out two hundred Galleons, �Please
accept this for your exemplary service, and also if anyone asks you haven�t
seen me or Hermione.�

�Thank you, Mr. Potter, I hope we can do business for many
years to come.�

�Likewise, Ma�am, please contact me via Griphook at
Gringotts when my order is ready.�

�Certainly, Mr. Potter.�

The young couple made their way down the street to Glad Rags
where they proceeded to purchase a new wardrobe of casual clothes. Harry tried
to buy all dark colours but Hermione insisted that he buy some lighter ones
explaining that if they were going on holiday on St. Kitts they would need
lighter colours. They also bought some swimwear but Hermione refused to show
him what she had selected. Harry paid extra to have their purchases delivered
to Griphook at Gringotts, the Goblin would have them forwarded to the Grangers
house.

After a quick visit to the Apothecary to purchase some
tanning and sun protection lotions they went to the Portkey point outside the
Leaky Cauldron. Harry pulled Hermione into a tight embrace and gave her a quick
kiss and activated the Portkey, �Take me Home.�

Harry had never had a Portkey journey like it, he felt a
warm fuzzy feeling in the area of his navel which spread to the rest of his
body and just as quickly it disappeared and they were standing outside the
gates of a magnificent manor house, later Hermione described it as being equal
to Blenheim Palace.

A house-elf �popped� into existence on the other side of the
gate and looked at the young couple and opened the gate.

�Welcome to Potter Manor, Lord Potter, please follow me.�

�Certainly, what is your name?� asked Harry as they followed
the elf toward the house.

�I am Ceri, head elf of the Potter family, currently we have
six elves bonded to the family, but if you are going to open up the houses we
will need more staff, you will need a Valet and your betrothed will need a
Lady�s Maid who will also be the nanny to your children.�

�Ceri, I notice that you wear clothes and not a tea towel,
why is that?� asked Hermione.

�The badge of bonding is wearing the Family Crest, not the
piece of cloth it is attached to. The Potters always insisted that the Family
elves wore clothing appropriate to the tasks they were doing, we all wear the
Crest with pride. We don�t accept wages but there is a jar of Galleons for us
to use if we need to buy anything. Our basic needs are met from the Potter
Trust. We have quarters in the attic that we can decorate to our own design.�

By this time they had reached the front door, Harry inserted
the key into the lock and opened the door. Ceri handed him a card and he read.
�I, Harry James Black Potter, Head of the Potter Family lay claim to the Potter
Lands as is my right. I grant access to Hermione Jane Granger, Roger Granger,
Jill Granger and Remus Lupin at all times. Hedwig the Owl is granted freedom to
find me at any Potter House.�

Harry read the other card and read it. �To change the
default password on the key to Potter Manor, touch the key with your wand and
think of� the word you want to use, and
then repeat it�

Harry took out his wand and touched the key with it, �Sodor�
and repeated it. He read further, reusable Portkeys for those allowed
unlimited access to the Manor can be made by touching your wand to an item
personal the user and saying your password. The Portkey will be personalised to
the user. Any guests will need to be sent a one-time Portkey to allow them to
visit, again these should be personalised so only the guest can use it.

He turned to Hermione and lifted her left hand and touched
his wand to her ring and thought �Sodor� �and repeated the thought. He looked into her eyes and opened their
link. �Hermione, your ring is now a reusable Portkey similar to the key, to
use it think the word �Sodor� and you will be transported to this entrance
hall. It will also take you anywhere in the Wizarding world as the house key
does, when we get back to your parents I�ll make them Portkeys which will
transport them between here and their house so they can visit.�

�Ceri can you please arrange a light lunch to be prepared,
and while we are eating you can tell me if there are any major repairs needed
for the house, after that Hermione and I will be visiting the house on St.
Kitts for a few hours.�

�Certainly, Lord Potter, if you come through here soup and
sandwiches will be served, will spicy pumpkin be okay? It is what was being
prepared for the elves.�

�That will be fine, please call us by our given names which
are Harry and Hermione, except on formal occasions where you will refer to us
as Lord Harry and Lady Hermione. I noticed that you speak very good English,
not the patois that most elves use is there a reason for this?�

�Yes Lo, Harry, all elves can speak good English but most
families forbid it as to allow it would mean they would have to recognise that
elves are intelligent, sentient beings.� Replied Ceri as he led them into a
room. �This is the family dining room, all meals are served here unless you
specify otherwise, there is also a large formal dining room which can seat up
to fifty, this room can seat a maximum of twenty.�

�Thank you, Ceri,� said Harry.

As they sat at the table plates of sandwiches appeared along
with a tureen of soup. As they ate Ceri listed the repairs required and Harry
asked that they be carried out. He was told that the elves would be able to do
everything required, and would be called back from the other houses that day.

At the end of the meal Harry asked to be shown the Portal to
St. Kitts and the other Potter homes Ceri led him to a door which sat to the
left of the main door as you entered. �To go to one of the other houses you put
your hand on the doorknob and say the name of the house, if you don�t say the
name, it opens to a cupboard. Anyone holding your hand will be transported with
you. There is a house-elf looking after the house who will give you any
information you wish.�

With that Harry took hold of Hermione�s hand and said �St.
Kitts� and opened the door. They stepped through the door and found themselves
in a beautiful colonial style house. An elf �popped� beside them and spoke.
�Welcome Harry and Hermione, my name is Lupe, Ceri informed me that you were
coming and how to address you. Please read this card.�

�I, Harry James Black Potter, Head of the Potter Family
grant access to �Montego House� to Hermione Jane Granger, Roger Granger and
Jill Granger at all times. Lupe, can you tell us about the house and grounds
please?�

�The house sits in two acres of land and is surrounded by
woodland on three sides, the fourth side faces the beach. The grounds are
warded against Muggles using repelling charms, anyone approaching will get the
sudden urge to go somewhere else. Magical folks are kept out by similar
measures. It is safe to swim in the sea off the beach as the reef is warded
against harmful sea creatures, Gillyweed grows naturally on the reef to allow
guests to swim freely.�

�The house itself has six bedrooms, a family room and a
large kitchen/diner, there is no cook, but the cook from Potter Manor will come
and prepare meals as necessary. There are also beach huts which can be used as
extra bedrooms if necessary.�

The young couple walked out onto the beach, Harry conjured a
pair of sunglasses and a sunhat for Hermione and a baseball cap for himself to
protect them from the sun. Due to the three hour time difference it was only
ten a.m. local time, they wandered down to the shoreline and looked at the
inviting water and decided to go for a swim. They retreated to the nearest
beach hut and got ready to go swimming. They took out the guaranteed waterproof
sun protection and tanning lotions and after reading the instructions they
carefully applied them, each taking great care to ensure the other was
completely covered, they took the advantage of being on their own and went
swimming naked.

For the first ten or so minutes they swam around, splashing
each other and generally having some fun, they swam over to the reef and Harry
did a shallow dive looking for a special plant, then he spotted it, Gillyweed.

He remembered the size of lump that had given him an hour in
the lake at Hogwarts and gathered two similar sized lumps and swam back up to
Hermione. They looked at each other and ate the weed and felt the pain in their
necks as they grew gills. They dived toward the bottom of the lagoon and looked
at each other, they moved closer and drew each other into a kiss, the lack of
need to breathe through mouth or nose meant the kiss didn�t need to stop, hands
began to wander, soon followed by lips and eventually they began to make love.
The sensations were incredible, the sand soft against their skin. They hadn�t a
care in the world no thoughts of Voldemort and his pretensions about world
domination or Dumbledore and his manipulations, they only had thoughts for
themselves.

After they had finished making love they swam around for a
little while examining the large starfish and sea urchins and shoals of
multicoloured fish all of which had no fear of man, all too soon they felt the
pain in their necks that meant they had to surface and reluctantly they did.
They considered eating more Gillyweed but as neither was sure how much could be
safely eaten they decided against it. They climbed onto the top of the reef and
Harry conjured a blanket and they lay down in the sun. After some time they
felt the day heating up and decided that even with protection that they should
head for the shade so they swam back to the shore and used the outside shower
to wash the salt off their bodies and hair.

They quickly dressed and went back to the house. �Lupe�
called Harry and the elf �popped� beside them. �We will be coming back here in
two weeks for a holiday, please prepare the Master bedroom and to be on the
safe side, three guest rooms.�

�Certainly, if you tell Ceri your arrival date he will let
me know so I can get fresh food from the local market, or from Britain if you
don�t want to eat local food.�

�Local food is fine� said Harry and led Hermione back
through the Portal to Potter Manor.

The change in the Manor was incredible, after just three
hours the place seemed as if it had been given new life, there was nothing you
could put your finger on, it just felt alive.

�Harry, Griphook from Gringotts has been in touch, the
Potter Trust will meet in two days as requested. He asked me to tell you that
unfortunately none of the previous Board Members are alive. The Board needs to
be at least five members strong, at the moment it consists of Mr. Aberforth,
Minister Cornelius Fudge, Professor Severus Snape, Mr. Mundungus Fletcher and
Ms. Mafalda Hopkirk, with Professor Dumbledore himself as Chairperson. He asked
that if there are any others you want to invite to the meeting you are to owl
him. I also need to inform you that a female Snowy Owl has taken up residence
in the Owlery and won�t let any of the staff approach her. She was accompanied
by a phoenix who has taken residence next to her.�

�There are also two house-elves waiting in the kitchen
requesting to speak to you, their names are�

�Dobby and Winky� said Harry and Hermione in unison.

Two pops sounded and the named elves appeared. Harry looked
at the elves and spoke first. �Dobby, are you willing to be bonded to the House
of Potter?�

Almost before Harry had finished speaking Dobby had said
�Yes�

�Dobby, your job will be to work as my Valet. You will speak
true English not house-elf patois, Ceri will inform you of your duties and
issue you with your uniform.�

He looked at Hermione and nodded.

Hermione knelt and looked Winky in the eye. �Winky, are you
willing to be bonded to the House of Potter?�

Large tears speared in Winky�s eyes and she whispered �Yes�

�Winky, your job will be to work as my Lady�s Maid, and in
the future to be nanny to any children. You will speak true English and not
house-elf patois. Ceri will inform you of your duties and issue you with your
uniform.�

Winky hugged Hermione tightly and thanked her, and then
turned and hugged Harry and finally Dobby.

Harry asked for parchment and a quill and wrote a quick
letter to Griphook,

Griphook,

Thank you for the information, I want Mr. Remus Lupin, Mr.
Roger Granger, Auror Tonks, Mr. William Weasley, Madam Amelia Bones, Professor
Minerva McGonagall and yourself to be present. Myself and Hermione will also be
there, please do not inform the current Board Members of who else will be
there, let them convene and then we will enter together.

Harry J. Potter

As always Hedwig arrived as he sealed his letter, he knew of
no other Owl that did this, she landed on his shoulder, alongside her was the
Headmaster�s phoenix who perched on the banister of the grand staircase. Harry
greeted his old friend and fussed over her feeding her Owl Treats from the
packet he kept in his pocket, Hedwig took all the fussing he gave and nibbled
gently on his ear and then fussed at his hair, almost as if she were trying to
groom him.

Harry offered up his arm and Hedwig shifted her perch, he
lifted her up to eye level and spoke to her. �Hedwig, the elves wearing my
Crest will take care of you, I will send letters to them and they may need to
send letters to me, this is our new home, okay?�

Hedwig seemed to nod in acknowledgement and held out her leg
for the letter to be attached and then flew off to Gringotts.

Fawkes started singing from his perch on the banister.
Somehow Harry and Hermione knew he was asking for sanctuary. They knew from
their Care of Magical Creatures classes that a phoenix could only bond to one
living wizard or witch at a time but that in extreme circumstances would leave
their bonded and seek sanctuary.

Harry spoke out. �Fawkes the phoenix is granted sanctuary at
Potter Manor until such times he feels free to move on. Ceri please ensure that
Fawkes� needs are taken care of�

As Ceri agreed Fawkes disappeared with a quick burst of
Phoenix song and a flash of flame.

The young couple�s day ended with Hermione treating Harry to
a meal in her favourite Italian restaurant. They walked back to the Grangers
house and after a quick goodnight to her parents went upstairs to bed. It had
been a momentous day so after a quick goodnight kiss they fell asleep wrapped
in each others arms.

Next chapter: What happened to Dumbledore and the Dursleys
- 7
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Independence Day