birds singing and Harry woke up feeling rested. Harry had never known how restful sleep could be, but ever since he had the Horcrux removed from his forehead he slept like a baby. But enough woolgathering, today was the day he'd move to the ancesteral Potter Manor. He couldn't wait to actually live there. To walk were his father had walked before him, to wake up and just live in the same place his father and all the Potters before him had grown up.
He was really glad that the Tonkses didn't mind him moving away otherwise it would have been a very difficult decision to make for him. He wouldn't have wanted to start their relationship as family members with strife. But Potter Manor was his home and luckily Andromeda, Ted and Tonks understood that.
He walked down to the dining room for his breakfast and he was surprised to see Ted, Andromeda and Tonks already seated. Tonks was clearly in her usual bad morning mood as he expected but Ted was unlike his usual cheery self, sitting there half asleep.
"Goodmorning all." Harry said to his new family members. This would be the first and last breakfast he'd have with them while he was actually living here.
"Wotcher, Harry!" Both Tonks and Ted mumbled grouchingly. Harry could definitely see the strong father-daughter resemblance there.
Meanwhile Andromeda said calmly and politly, "Thank you and goodmorning to you too, Harry. Did you have a good night of sleep?"
"Yes I did, thank you for asking. I hope that your first night here was good too?" Harry asked Andromeda.
Andromeda said that they had slept well and that there was mail waiting for him on the side table in the living room. Harry nodded in thanks but decided to eat his breakfast first.
They ate their breakfast together and after that was done, Tonks and her father were able to talk again. Harry went to the living room to take a look at his mail. But before he left, Tonk asked him for a private moment. In the hallway without her parents being able to overhear she asked him if it was still alright to ask Effy to deliver a letter to Charlie Weasley. Harry told her that of course it was alright and immediately called Effy for her. Otherwise Harry had a strong suspicion that Tonks would have kept the letter to herself for as long as possible.
Still, he was glad Tonks had decided to reach out to Charlie Weasley. Charlie was a good man and Tonks needed all the support she could get. Harry couldn't imagine being separated from Hermione for as long as Charlie and Tonks had been.
That done, he walked to the living room to see a letter from Gringotts laying on the side table and Harry quickly opened it. It was from Bloodaxe and what he had written was amazing news.
Lord Black,
We of Gringotts are glad to inform you that after some help from a source in Hogwarts and yourself we were able to discover that the fifth Horcrux has already been destroyed and the sixth we found in the ever changing room you told us about.
All six Horcruxes are now destroyed and the only one left is Nagini, the snake which we will move to destroy after a meeting between the two of us.
Another interesting bit of news is that the fifth Horcrux was found destroyed in the Headmasters office. Our source told us that he didn't destroy the horrible artifact unscathed. The Headmaster is dying.
We estimate he has a less then year of life left.
We invite you for a meeting tomorrow at 11 o'clock to discuss the last steps in the plan.
Sincerely,
Bloodaxe
Accountmanager of House Black
There was only one Horcrux left now! Voldemort was almost mortal once again. Harry ran to the kitchen to tell the people still sitting there. They too were very happy to hear the news and hugged Harry.
He really couldn't imagine what would have happened if he never found out about the Horcruxes. He was now almost sure that Dumbledore knew about the Horcruxes too. He wondered how long Dumbledore had known about them.
Wait, didn't the Headmaster tell Harry a few years ago something about Voldemort leaving a piece of himself in Harry that night? Did that mean that Dumbledore knew about the Horcrux in Harry's head?
And if so, why hadn't he done something, anything about it? The goblins had quite easily created a ritual for living Horcruxes so why hadn't Dumbledore gone to the goblins if he hadn't known how to take it out of Harry himself?
It couldn't be that the Headmaster had been counting on Harry to die when facing Voldemort, right? He was a teacher and Harry had thought that the man cared about him. Was this what Hermione and her parents meant about grooming him? Was Albus Dumbledore grooming Harry to die at the right moment at Voldemorts hands so that all the Horcruxes would be gone?
The three in the kitchen with him saw him getting paler and paler and they were getting worried. Andromeda laid a hand on Harry's shoulder and asked him carefully what was wrong.
Harry startled when he felt a hand on his shoulder but then hesitantly explained what was going on in his mind. He told them what Hermione told him in her letter and what he just thought about the Horcrux that was only recently taken out of him.
When he told them he could feel Andromeda's magic rising in the air around them. Her hair started to rise up and suddenly she felt and looked a lot more like her insane sister, Bellatrix Lestrange. Tonks hair had turned bright, dark red and even the always happy Ted had his mouth tightly pressed together.
Ted put a hand on Andromeda's arm as to calm her down and Harry was happy to feel te magic around her settle down a bit. His new Aunt was quite scary when she got angry.
They were quiet for a moment before Ted broke the silence when he said, "My wife told me that Madam Bones recommended you to sign a restraining order. Did you do that?"
Harry nodded and replied, "Yes, I did that the day after Amelia told me to. She said she'd file it discretely at the Ministry since she didn't want anyone to know she was in contact with me. She'd make sure Dumbledore signed it."
Andromeda let out a relieved breath, "Good, that means he can't come close to you. Do make sure that you will never be alone with him, Harry, he is clearly not to be trusted with your wellbeing."
She continued with a fierce look, "I also think that it is time to cast some discreet revealing spells at the man when we get a chance. There is really something wrong with him and we need to know if it is a health issue or if he has a secret evil personality we didn't know about before I curse him for his actions."
Harry agreed with her. He needed to know if he was wrong about the man he used to think about as a sort of grandfather or if he had a undiscovered health problem they could help him with. Althought according to the goblins it was very possible that Dumbledore had only a year left to life because of the Horcrux he destroyed.
Meanwhile Tonks was still very angry so Harry suggested that perhaps she would like to let out some steam in the training room. The dummies were indestructable even against a very angry and pregnant Black witch. At least they should be. Probably.
Tonks left for the training room and Harry called for Effy again and for Dobby so that they could help him move to Potter Manor.
"Effy, Dobby!" Harry called. Dobby and Effy appeared at the same time, looked at each other, blushed and quickly looked back at Harry.
Harry had to fight to keep the smile of his face at seeing how the two Elves reacted to each other. It's really cute and Harry was glad to see Dobby getting over Tessy. Effy was a very cute Elf and a much more practical choice anyway. Because if there had been children between Dobby and Tessy, where would they have lived?
No, if Effy and Dobby worked out it would be a lot better but it would always have been their own choice. Harry would not involve himself in his Elves love lives. No, he could barely manage his own.
He asked Dobby to take the clothes, books and other school stuff from the Lord rooms to the master suite of Potter Manor. Then he asked Effy if she could take Hedwig and her chicks to the owlery in Potter Manor. The owlets had grown more than Harry had expected and now they could be safely moved. According to the book Hermione had shared with him, Hedwig and her owlets could have been moved sooner but Harry wanted to make sure they were safe. He was glad that he wouldn't have to miss Hedwig in his new home.
The Tonkses had asked him to come to Grimmauld Place for a last dinner tonight so that they could celebrate him finding his own place. Not that they wanted him gone but it was very nice of them to want to celebrate something with him. This was going to be the first time he would celebrate something with his new family.
Effy popped in to tell him the Hedwig and the owl chicks were safely in the owlery of Potter Manor and that they were very happy to be there. Harry was glad that the move went well. You never know with the three mischievous owl chicks. That he still had to name.
Then Effy offered him her hand and they popped over to Potter Manor. His new home.
Harry spent the whole day exploring the Manor. He put his grandparents activated portrait in the living area so he could talk to them more often. He explored all the rooms and even found his father's old childhood bedroom. It was a wonderful discovery but Harry could see why his father was such a brat when he got to school, he had clearly been a very spoiled child.
After another talk with his grandparents in which he asked a lot of questions about his father and grandparents, Harry discovered that his grandparents had a very difficult time to get children of their own when they were still alive. Even with their magical lifespans it was only later in life, after a ferility ritual that his father came to be. By then his grandparents were in their late sixties and had almost given up hope.
So happy they had been with their little boy, that they hadn't been able to say no to any of his wishes. It had made for an arrogant, spoiled if kindhearted boy, who became a bit of a bully when things didn't go as he wanted. Harry really disliked this part of his father and his grandparents could see it.
It had all come to a head before his fathers sixth year. His grandparents found out about the bullying of their sons yearmate Snape and took their son to task. It had been the first time Fleamont and Euphemia ever punished their only son.
But it was the wake-up call he and they themselves had needed. James started to improve his behavior, study more seriously and stopped the bullying of Snape. His grandparents meanwhile took a good look at themselves and their parenting style. They all needed to change and change they did. It took a lot of work, his granfather told Harry, to look at yourself and decide you needed to change. To become better.
James had a serious talk with his parents and while they impressed on their son that bullying was never alright, it was alright to defend himself. If Snape were to attack first they expected him to finish it. To never be cruel but to finish it immediately. He was their only son and Heir of House Potter and he needed to live.
It was a interesting talk with Harry's grandparents. To see how he might have been raised if his parents had survived.
He was glad his father changed his ways, that he stopped being a arrogant toe-rag as his mother used to call him. Harry hated bullies so to hear that his father had been one, instead of the hero he had always been told, had been a shock. Still, at least his father had grown up to be a good man. Snape might have been bullied as a child, which is horrible yes, but he became a bully himself. Even worse, Snape, an adult, bullied the children in his care.
To clear his head from that conversation, he went for a fly on the ground of Potter Manor. This evening he would go back to Grimmauld Place of his celebration dinner but now he just wanted to fly after spending most of the day exploring inside. The skies were a beautiful blue and there was a nice strong breeze for flying. The grounds of Potter Manor were beautiful and clearly well taken care of by Effy.
He couldn't wait to show his home to his friends. To show Hermione this house. She would love the library he was sure and probably the rest of the house too. He hoped so at least.
It was the next morning that Harry woke up in his new bed in his new home. It had gotten a bit late last night with the Tonks family but it had been a great night. He even got to try a small glass of wine! It was disgusting but Andromeda said it would probably get better when he was an proper adult. Harry wasn't so sure about that. He would rather just stick with butterbeer from now on.
Tonks had been very happy that evening because she had gotten a reply from Charlie. Harry didn't know what it said but she didn't stop smiling the whole night so it must have been a good letter. He was glad for his cousin.
They played games, ate good food and talked, getting to know each other. Ted had been surprisingly competitive at the muggle boardgames they played for such a calm man. Though Andromeda won most of them with a calm smile on her face that was intimidating to look at. Tonks was a force of chaos and enjoyed it tremendously. Harry, just took it all in with big eyes and after another loss, just decided to give it his all. After that he won a few games to Ted and Tonks surprise. His aunt just winked at him when the others didn't see.
It had been a fun night.
Kreacher had been the one to bring him back late that night. The wards told him the old Elf went for a bit of a look around before popping back to Grimmauld Place. Hopefully liked the old Elf this Manor too. Harry went to bed with a smile on his face and fell asleep before he even hit his pillow.
His new room was just as big and beautiful as the room in Grimmauld Place but just like the rest of the house, was this room much more to his taste with the lighter colors. Grimmauld Place had cheered up a lot since he moved in this summer with Kreachers co-operation but it was still a bit gloomy. It was a wonderful room to wake up in. The sun shining through the big windows made everything look even brighter and Harry loved it.
Today he had another meeting with the goblins and Harry hoped that they could talk about Voldemorts final defeat. Harry had a plan for that and he hoped it was a good one.
Like he had said before, the Prophecy said that one had to die at the hand of the other. But Harry really didn't want to kill anyone, even Voldemort, if it wasn't necessary. He was sixteen years old. He wouldn't be able to defeat Voldermort anyway in a duel. Again, he was only sixteen. He still remembered the duel between Dumbledore and Voldemort at the Ministry of Magic. How tiny he had felt seeing their power and knowledge in action. Harry, while powerful, just couldn't match that with his sixteen years.
Now Harry had read that since he was a Lord, he could appoint someone to act as his Hand. Kinda like a bodyguard, acting in the Lord's name kind of thing. A Vassal.
In this meeting he wanted to discuss his plan and maybe ask if there were any goblins who wanted to act as his Hand for however long it took to get rid of Voldemort. Clearly, the goblins were a lot more competent then most of the Wizards he knew. The Witches he knew on the other hand..
But before he send his Gran after Voldemort he wanted to try the goblins. He liked the idea of it being a goblin who finished Voldemort. Voldemort being ended by one of the creatures he so distained seemed a bit like poetic justice, if you asked Harry.
Goblins were strong warriors with their own kind of magic and they hated Voldemort for creating Horcruxus. He had faith that they could kill Voldemort. Now he just wanted to know if it was possible with what the Prophecy said.
Harry ate his breakfast with both Dobby and Effy who was very surprised at this habit of them but she did like eating breakfast together as a family. She had indeed been alone for a very long time and was overjoyed to have people around her again.
After breakfast Harry went to the portraits of his grandparents and they told him another few stories about his father growing up. It was great to know some of the thing his father got up to as a young child but Harry was a bit sad that he wasn't able to see his fathers face when they told him the embarrassing stories. They were hilarious.
He hoped they also had a few about Sirius.
Soon it was time for the meeting and Dobby quickly popped him over to the usual meeting room. When Harry popped back in the room he could see Bloodaxe sitting as usual behind his big desk. The goblin stood up to greet him and Harry walked towards him so he could take a seat and start the meeting.
"Welcome, Lord Black, to Gringotts." This was the usual greeting from Bloodaxe and Harry was glad that he now knew for sure how to respond politly.
He made a slight bow with his head and said, "Thank you, Bloodaxe, for your welcome." Gran had thaught him the different kind of bows he should make in different kind of situations. Harry was very happy that with his titles he never had to make the full bow to someone, unless he ever met with the Monarch of Britain or something.
As they went to sit down the goblin said, "As we already informed you in the letter we sent you, the last two Horcruxes have been destroyed. This leaves only the snake Nagini whom never leaves her masters side. We have a plan for that but is there anything you can tell us that could make things easier in destroying the false lord permanently?"
Harry nodded and explained what he knew from the Prophecy and how he wanted to ask if it was possible to appoint a Hand who then could defeat Voldemort in his name instead of Harry himself like the Prophecy demanded. Either must die at the hand of the other.
Bloodaxe nodded thoughtfully and told him that he would have to talk this over with the King and their own divinition experts. Bloodaxe hoped in the privacy of his own mind that it was possible, his daughter would never forgive him if he let the boy go up against someone like the false lord. He told Harry that it might be good plan and if he was willing to wait here for a while Bloodaxe went to have his talks with the goblins necessary.
Harry agreed to wait. He wanted to have this done as soon as possible. He hoped that the King would think his plan could work. He didn't want anyone to die for him but he really thought that the goblins would have the best chance at defeating Voldemort. Better than a sixteen year old the rest of Britain seemed to want at least.
It was an hour later that Bloodaxe came back into the meeting room to see a lightly napping Lord Black. He tapped the boy on his shoulder and was amused to see the boy shoot upright.
Harry woke up feeling something very sharp close to his neck and he quickly sprang up. He was a bit embarrassed to see an amused looking Bloodaxe standing close to him.
They both went to sit back down again and Bloodaxe started talking, "Our experts agree that it is possible for you to appoint a Hand to take care of the so called Voldemort for you. The King is willing to have three of our best warriors become your Hand, Lord Black, but only if you release them from the duty as soon as Voldemort is dead."
"Of course! I don't need a Hand if Voldemort is dead and unable to come back ever again." Harry was quick to assure his Account Manager. He didn't want people bound to him if they didn't want to be. He didn't want people bound to him period.
"Good, I thought you would say that." Bloodaxe reached for the bell on the side of the desk and rang it. It was only a little bit later that three goblins walked into the room.
Harry thought that two of the three goblins were male and that the last one was female but it was a bit hard to see when all three had their armour on.
Bloodaxe stood up to introduce the three warriors to Harry, "Lord Black, these are one of the best warriors of their generation. They are very much able to kill the false lord now that he is almost mortal again. These proud warriors are Paincleaver, Opaldagger, and Bob."
Bob? Harry had to fight very hard to keep a straight face at the last name. He didn't know that some goblins had human names. It was hilarious to find out that one of the top warriors of the goblin nation was named Bob.
Bloodaxe continued with, "Warriors, this is the Lord Black. Now please take the oath and then you can move in on Tom Marvolo Riddle aka the false lord Voldemort."
The three nodded as one and Paincleaver stepped forward first, "I, Painceaver, Vow to defend you to my best abilty for the duration that Tom Marvolo Riddle or any of his soul-shards still walk this earth. I Vow to take care of your enemies as if they were my own for as long as Tom Marvolo Riddle lives. This I Vow, so mote it be."
Then it was Bob stepping forward to give the same oath in a surprisingly deep voice, "I, Bob, Vow to defend you to my best abilty for the duration that Tom Marvolo Riddle or any of his soul-shards still walk this earth. I Vow to take care of your enemies as if they were my own for as long as Tom Marvolo Riddle lives. This I Vow, so mote it be."
Now it was time for the last one to step forward and Harry was right in his suspicion when he heard her voice, "I, Opaldagger, Vow to defend you to my best abilty for the duration that Tom Marvolo Riddle or any of his soul-shards still walk this earth. I Vow to take care of your enemies as if they were my own for as long as Tom Marvolo Riddle lives. This I Vow, so mote it be."
Harry was so relieved to hear the vows made. It felt like a weight of his shouders that he didn't have to become a murderer just to be able to live his life. He would have done it if he had to but it was such a relief that he didn't have to kill anyone. He wanted revenge, yes, for his parents and Cedric's deaths but this way felt better. These goblins would do now what he couldn't on his own just yet.
With a grateful bow to the three goblins who agreed to take this duty from him Harry said, "Riddle is probably in the Riddle Manor of Little Hangleton with Nagini. Thank you all and good luck."
The three warriors bowed back and popped away. Now he just had to wait.