Categories > Books > Harry Potter > Heir of Sword and Stave
Heir of Sword and Stave
Disclaimer: I own nothing related to the Harry Potter universe. Nothing. Nope, zip, nada. If I did, I wouldn't be writing this however, so maybe it's good I don't. Anyway, it all belongs to J.K. Rowling.
Chapter Two (Part One): Diagon Alley
(A/N: Hello, my awesome readers, Leonineus is back with another chapter of Heir of Sword and Stave, in fact it's a two-part chapter! Just in case you didn't get a chance to read the first (crappy) draft of this story, this chapter will tell you why this story is called Heir of Sword and Stave! I also implemented a couple of quick changes into the storyline for this double chapter, mainly following advice on what was good and what wasn't. In this double chapter, Harry will get a few surprises. Also, this first part of the chapter quotes directly from Philosopher's Stone. Well, that's enough rambling from me; ON WITH THE STORY!)
When Harry woke up the next morning, his first reaction was slight sadness. He loved the dream of flying with the four girls, even though he still had no idea who any of them were. Climbing off the bed, he pulled on his slippers and dressing gown, and went to the bathroom. While washing his hands, he happened to glance into the mirror over the basin. What he saw made his heart nearly stop. He didn't look like himself; he had sandy hair, grey eyes and somewhat tanned skin. Behind him he heard the door to his room open and Annette call, "Hello? You awake yet?" Harry was still too overcome with shock at the change in his appearance to do anything in response other than utter a strangled grunt, so that's what he did.
Annette opened the door to Harry's rooms and called, "Hello? You awake yet?" She heard a strangled noise she assumed was a response come from the bathroom, so she headed in that direction. Harry was standing before the mirror looking totally stunned. "What is it?" she asked.
Harry simply stared at his reflection for a moment, and then turned to her, "What happened to me? I don't look like me!"
Annette smiled, understanding and realizing she had forgotten to mention the glamour charms, "Oh, that. Yeah, Tom decided that it was too dangerous for you to walk around looking like you, so he put some spells on you to make you look different. Don't worry; you're still the same underneath." Harry sighed with relief.
Annette smiled at Harry, "Tom is going to take you into Diagon Alley today so that you can get some money out of your vault. Get washed and dressed; there are clean clothes in the chest of drawers." Harry nodded and scampered towards the shower.
A little while later, Harry stood beside Tom before a solid brick wall in the back yard of the Leaky Cauldron. Off to the right, opposite the (new) back door, there was still a massive crater sunk about four inches into the wall. They had run into a slight delay when Harry had first seen the crater; as he had had a sudden panic attack, thinking that Tom was going to beat him up for making a mess of the wall. It was this above all else that made Tom aware that Harry's relatives had a lot to answer for.
Harry's eyes were still very wide when the wall parted and revealed a winding alleyway behind it. Tom smiled at the look of amazement on the nine-year-old's face as they wandered down through the alleyway. Many of the people there seemed to know Tom; they greeted him cheerfully when they saw him, and asked why he was not in the Leaky Cauldron, to which he always replied that he was taking young Harold (Harry grinned at the nickname) to Gringotts to get out some money.
Harry looked everywhere he could as they walked along the alleyway. A shop selling robes, a shop selling telescopes, a shop selling owls… there was so much stuff here Harry would never have even dreamed of seeing before. Finally, his eyes fixed on the biggest building of them all; a towering marble edifice towering over the small shops below like a life-size marble statue in a model village. Tom must have heard Harry's strangled noise of amazement, because he smiled. "That is Gringotts, Harold. The goblins run it. That's one standing beside the doors, right there." Harry stared at the goblin as they walked up the steps to the Wizarding bank. The being was about the same height as Harry, with black eyes, long fingers and feet and a sly face that seemed to have a permanent scheming expression on it. The goblin bowed them into the building. Harry noticed an inscription carved into a second set of doors ahead of them.
Enter stranger, but take heed
Of what awaits the sin of greed,
For those that take, but do not earn,
Must pay most dearly in their turn,
So if you seek beneath our floors,
A treasure that was never yours,
Thief, you have been warned, beware
Of finding more than treasure there.
At Harry's confused expression, Tom turned to him to explain, "The protections around Gringotts' vaults are legendary. Spells, enchantments, even dragons. It's not just those, it's the depth of the tunnels going to the vaults themselves. You'd have starved to death before you got out, even if you did manage to find something down there!" They proceeded through the doors and into the main hall.
With Harry following, Tom walked up to a goblin who was counting a bucket of amethysts, each about the size of Harry's closed fist, "Excuse me, I'd like to have a private conversation with someone about an inheritance?"
The goblin looked up, scrutinized Tom for a moment, then nodded and called, "Rocksnag!"
A goblin ran over at the summons and the first goblin continued, "Can you take these two into a private room? They have requested a private conversation concerning an inheritance." The goblin nodded and beckoned to Tom and Harry, whom followed him to an office off the hall. Once inside, the goblin walked round the desk and sat down. Harry and Tom copied him.
The goblin leaned back on his chair, "You mentioned an inheritance?" Tom nodded, glancing at Harry. Harry was eyeing the goblin with apprehension.
"Well," said Tom, "My friend Harry here needs to claim his inheritance."
The goblin surveyed Harry for a second and then nodded, "Very well. What is the name?" Harry told the goblin his name, and Rocksnag lifted a stone bowl onto the desk, laying a sharp knife beside it.
At Harry's confused look, the goblin explained, "We need to take some of your blood to verify your identity, Mr Potter." Harry glanced at Tom, whom nodded encouragingly, then picked up the knife and reluctantly made the cut in his index finger. Dripping a bit of blood into the bowl, Harry placed the knife on the table. Tom quickly took his hand and healed the cut. The goblin waved his hands over the bowl for a moment, then muttered something in an unfamiliar language. The bowl glowed softly as if in response, then a small golden key appeared beside it. The goblin moved to pick it up, but the bowl seemed not to be finished. Before everyone's eyes, three more keys appeared; one set with an elegant black opal engraved with a pentacle, one set with a royal blue sapphire engraved with a skilfully etched dragon and lion motif, and the last set with a large emerald, carved with an ornate S.
Harry glanced at the goblin, whom looked confused. Then suddenly a tightly furled scroll appeared out of thin air next to the keys. The goblin picked it up, unrolled it and read. If a goblin could faint, the goblin came very close to doing just that. His jaw dropped and Harry shuddered; the expression revealed far too many of the goblin's teeth for his liking. "What is it?" asked Tom. The goblin shook himself; laid the scroll down and turned it towards Harry. Harry and Tom leaned forwards to read it.
Inheritance of Mr. Harry James Potter.
Lines:
Potter (patriarchal line)
Myrrdin (patriarchal & matriarchal line; direct descendant)
Pendragon/Gryffindor (matriarchal line)
Slytherin (by conquest)
Titles:
Duke Potter
Lord Gryffindor
Lord Slytherin
Properties:
Camelot (destroyed)
Hogwarts Castle
Potter Mansion
Vaults:
#485 (Potter family vault)
#269 (Slytherin family vault)
#1 (Myrrdin family vault; special equipment required)
#2 (Pendragon/Gryffindor; special equipment required)
There was a momentary pause, in which Harry stared at the piece of paper, then he looked up, "Who are Gryffindor and Slytherin, what does by conquest mean, and why does this say I'm a Duke? Also, what is Hogwarts?"
Tom cleared his throat, "Harry, Gryffindor and Slytherin are two of the founders of Hogwarts School, which is where you will be going in two years' time. By conquest means you conquered the last living member of the Slytherin family in single combat, therefore you gain control of all the Slytherin family's assets as a result. I would guess this means that You-Know-Who was descended from Salazar Slytherin and when you defeated him, you took all his family's possessions as your prize for conquering him." Harry nodded, not really understanding, but agreeing anyway. "Also," continued Tom, "Something else surprises me. You may have discovered something unknown to the rest of the Wizarding world; King Arthur and Godric Gryffindor were one and the same. That it says "matriarchal line" beside it implies that your mother was King Arthur's descendant. As everybody knows, your father was a Potter, so the Potter title comes from the male line. The Myrrdin line however… I recall that name from hearing it long ago. I can't remember who it was though. Rocksnag, have you a family tree of the Myrrdin line for us to peruse?"
The goblin smiled slightly, obviously enjoying what was happening, "I can answer your question already; the most famous member of the Myrrdin family was your Merlin. Young Mr Potter here is a direct descendant of Merlin, royal advisor to King Arthur." That was it for Harry, his eyes rolled up into his head and he slumped to the floor unconscious.
Disclaimer: I own nothing related to the Harry Potter universe. Nothing. Nope, zip, nada. If I did, I wouldn't be writing this however, so maybe it's good I don't. Anyway, it all belongs to J.K. Rowling.
Chapter Two (Part One): Diagon Alley
(A/N: Hello, my awesome readers, Leonineus is back with another chapter of Heir of Sword and Stave, in fact it's a two-part chapter! Just in case you didn't get a chance to read the first (crappy) draft of this story, this chapter will tell you why this story is called Heir of Sword and Stave! I also implemented a couple of quick changes into the storyline for this double chapter, mainly following advice on what was good and what wasn't. In this double chapter, Harry will get a few surprises. Also, this first part of the chapter quotes directly from Philosopher's Stone. Well, that's enough rambling from me; ON WITH THE STORY!)
When Harry woke up the next morning, his first reaction was slight sadness. He loved the dream of flying with the four girls, even though he still had no idea who any of them were. Climbing off the bed, he pulled on his slippers and dressing gown, and went to the bathroom. While washing his hands, he happened to glance into the mirror over the basin. What he saw made his heart nearly stop. He didn't look like himself; he had sandy hair, grey eyes and somewhat tanned skin. Behind him he heard the door to his room open and Annette call, "Hello? You awake yet?" Harry was still too overcome with shock at the change in his appearance to do anything in response other than utter a strangled grunt, so that's what he did.
Annette opened the door to Harry's rooms and called, "Hello? You awake yet?" She heard a strangled noise she assumed was a response come from the bathroom, so she headed in that direction. Harry was standing before the mirror looking totally stunned. "What is it?" she asked.
Harry simply stared at his reflection for a moment, and then turned to her, "What happened to me? I don't look like me!"
Annette smiled, understanding and realizing she had forgotten to mention the glamour charms, "Oh, that. Yeah, Tom decided that it was too dangerous for you to walk around looking like you, so he put some spells on you to make you look different. Don't worry; you're still the same underneath." Harry sighed with relief.
Annette smiled at Harry, "Tom is going to take you into Diagon Alley today so that you can get some money out of your vault. Get washed and dressed; there are clean clothes in the chest of drawers." Harry nodded and scampered towards the shower.
A little while later, Harry stood beside Tom before a solid brick wall in the back yard of the Leaky Cauldron. Off to the right, opposite the (new) back door, there was still a massive crater sunk about four inches into the wall. They had run into a slight delay when Harry had first seen the crater; as he had had a sudden panic attack, thinking that Tom was going to beat him up for making a mess of the wall. It was this above all else that made Tom aware that Harry's relatives had a lot to answer for.
Harry's eyes were still very wide when the wall parted and revealed a winding alleyway behind it. Tom smiled at the look of amazement on the nine-year-old's face as they wandered down through the alleyway. Many of the people there seemed to know Tom; they greeted him cheerfully when they saw him, and asked why he was not in the Leaky Cauldron, to which he always replied that he was taking young Harold (Harry grinned at the nickname) to Gringotts to get out some money.
Harry looked everywhere he could as they walked along the alleyway. A shop selling robes, a shop selling telescopes, a shop selling owls… there was so much stuff here Harry would never have even dreamed of seeing before. Finally, his eyes fixed on the biggest building of them all; a towering marble edifice towering over the small shops below like a life-size marble statue in a model village. Tom must have heard Harry's strangled noise of amazement, because he smiled. "That is Gringotts, Harold. The goblins run it. That's one standing beside the doors, right there." Harry stared at the goblin as they walked up the steps to the Wizarding bank. The being was about the same height as Harry, with black eyes, long fingers and feet and a sly face that seemed to have a permanent scheming expression on it. The goblin bowed them into the building. Harry noticed an inscription carved into a second set of doors ahead of them.
Enter stranger, but take heed
Of what awaits the sin of greed,
For those that take, but do not earn,
Must pay most dearly in their turn,
So if you seek beneath our floors,
A treasure that was never yours,
Thief, you have been warned, beware
Of finding more than treasure there.
At Harry's confused expression, Tom turned to him to explain, "The protections around Gringotts' vaults are legendary. Spells, enchantments, even dragons. It's not just those, it's the depth of the tunnels going to the vaults themselves. You'd have starved to death before you got out, even if you did manage to find something down there!" They proceeded through the doors and into the main hall.
With Harry following, Tom walked up to a goblin who was counting a bucket of amethysts, each about the size of Harry's closed fist, "Excuse me, I'd like to have a private conversation with someone about an inheritance?"
The goblin looked up, scrutinized Tom for a moment, then nodded and called, "Rocksnag!"
A goblin ran over at the summons and the first goblin continued, "Can you take these two into a private room? They have requested a private conversation concerning an inheritance." The goblin nodded and beckoned to Tom and Harry, whom followed him to an office off the hall. Once inside, the goblin walked round the desk and sat down. Harry and Tom copied him.
The goblin leaned back on his chair, "You mentioned an inheritance?" Tom nodded, glancing at Harry. Harry was eyeing the goblin with apprehension.
"Well," said Tom, "My friend Harry here needs to claim his inheritance."
The goblin surveyed Harry for a second and then nodded, "Very well. What is the name?" Harry told the goblin his name, and Rocksnag lifted a stone bowl onto the desk, laying a sharp knife beside it.
At Harry's confused look, the goblin explained, "We need to take some of your blood to verify your identity, Mr Potter." Harry glanced at Tom, whom nodded encouragingly, then picked up the knife and reluctantly made the cut in his index finger. Dripping a bit of blood into the bowl, Harry placed the knife on the table. Tom quickly took his hand and healed the cut. The goblin waved his hands over the bowl for a moment, then muttered something in an unfamiliar language. The bowl glowed softly as if in response, then a small golden key appeared beside it. The goblin moved to pick it up, but the bowl seemed not to be finished. Before everyone's eyes, three more keys appeared; one set with an elegant black opal engraved with a pentacle, one set with a royal blue sapphire engraved with a skilfully etched dragon and lion motif, and the last set with a large emerald, carved with an ornate S.
Harry glanced at the goblin, whom looked confused. Then suddenly a tightly furled scroll appeared out of thin air next to the keys. The goblin picked it up, unrolled it and read. If a goblin could faint, the goblin came very close to doing just that. His jaw dropped and Harry shuddered; the expression revealed far too many of the goblin's teeth for his liking. "What is it?" asked Tom. The goblin shook himself; laid the scroll down and turned it towards Harry. Harry and Tom leaned forwards to read it.
Inheritance of Mr. Harry James Potter.
Lines:
Potter (patriarchal line)
Myrrdin (patriarchal & matriarchal line; direct descendant)
Pendragon/Gryffindor (matriarchal line)
Slytherin (by conquest)
Titles:
Duke Potter
Lord Gryffindor
Lord Slytherin
Properties:
Camelot (destroyed)
Hogwarts Castle
Potter Mansion
Vaults:
#485 (Potter family vault)
#269 (Slytherin family vault)
#1 (Myrrdin family vault; special equipment required)
#2 (Pendragon/Gryffindor; special equipment required)
There was a momentary pause, in which Harry stared at the piece of paper, then he looked up, "Who are Gryffindor and Slytherin, what does by conquest mean, and why does this say I'm a Duke? Also, what is Hogwarts?"
Tom cleared his throat, "Harry, Gryffindor and Slytherin are two of the founders of Hogwarts School, which is where you will be going in two years' time. By conquest means you conquered the last living member of the Slytherin family in single combat, therefore you gain control of all the Slytherin family's assets as a result. I would guess this means that You-Know-Who was descended from Salazar Slytherin and when you defeated him, you took all his family's possessions as your prize for conquering him." Harry nodded, not really understanding, but agreeing anyway. "Also," continued Tom, "Something else surprises me. You may have discovered something unknown to the rest of the Wizarding world; King Arthur and Godric Gryffindor were one and the same. That it says "matriarchal line" beside it implies that your mother was King Arthur's descendant. As everybody knows, your father was a Potter, so the Potter title comes from the male line. The Myrrdin line however… I recall that name from hearing it long ago. I can't remember who it was though. Rocksnag, have you a family tree of the Myrrdin line for us to peruse?"
The goblin smiled slightly, obviously enjoying what was happening, "I can answer your question already; the most famous member of the Myrrdin family was your Merlin. Young Mr Potter here is a direct descendant of Merlin, royal advisor to King Arthur." That was it for Harry, his eyes rolled up into his head and he slumped to the floor unconscious.
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