Griphook returned after an hour and a half, as Harry was on his third cup of tea and all the little cakes were gone.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Potter, I have been closing access to the other Potter account, which the Headmaster of Hogwarts has been using, supposedly on your behalf as your guardian, to pay your relatives for your keep. A steep sum for the cost of the keep of a small boy," he added.
"Be damned he did!" Harry yelled, and the chinaware started shaking and rattling as his anger channelled his magic. "I slept in a cupboard and wore cast offs and ate half the time out of the bin!"
"You would be prepared to give a pensieve memory of this?" asked Griphook, as Snape laid his hands on the boy's shoulders.
"I would," said Harry.
"Then we shall file proceedings against your relatives," said Griphook, happily. "We cannot do so against the headmaster as he sent funds in good faith, but anyone who treats a child like that deserves prosecution. Your family solicitor will handle it."
"Will he also handle a change of guardian to one approved by my parents and available to me?" asked Harry, his magic under control. "I believe the next on the list who is available is Professor Snape."
"I wouldn't be lenient on you; I'm strict," said Snape, narrowing his eyes.
"I'm used to more than strict," shrugged Harry. "We may not like each other much but I trust you to tell me the truth, and to be a guardian, not a manipulative old ..."
"Watch your language!" barked Snape.
"... man," said Harry. "Why, sir, what word came into your head?"
"Several and all of them anatomically unlikely," said Severus, grimly. "Don't pull the innocent puppy eyes on me, young man!"
Harry grinned at him.
"No, it doesn't work," he said. "Griphook, can I leave that with you? And is there legal action I can take over the use of a blood quill as punishment?"
"Would you repeat that, Mr. Potter? I thought you said a blood quill was being used as punishement," said Griphook. Harry held out his hand.
"I did," he said.
"WHO-HAS-DONE-THIS?" demanded Griphook.
"Delores Umbridge," said Harry.
Griphook's eyes narrowed.
"She is an enemy of the nation," he said. "I am sorry for your pain. However, for your pain you are honoured as a warrior of the nation for being an instrument to destroy her."
"Good," said Harry.
"Excuse me, a moment," said Griphook, leaving. When he came back, he was flourishing a parchment.
"If you will put your name to this document outlining what you require," said Griphook.
Harry read it through, nodded, and they left.
"I do not answer to Uncle," said Severus.
"No, of course not, Mummy," said Harry.
"Next time anyone asks why I call you Mr. Python, I shall tell them that it's because you're a lumberjack and you're okay," threatened Severus.
"Sorry, sir!" said Harry, quickly. But he knew he had not really annoyed the man.
OoOoOo
Severus came out of Hermione's memory laughing out loud, something neither teen had ever seen.
"Miss Granger, Miss Granger, you have learned from rebukes and you have become a most devious girl. I believe I shall count you as an honourary Slytherin. That was beautifully done and quite, quite priceless. Do you mind if I make a copy of this and keep it for when I am down? It will always lift my mood."
"Feel free, sir," said Hermione. "And wasn't I awful? Was I like that for real?"
"Yes, but I forgive all for you learning to get over it," said Severus. "And for this wonderful moment in the pensieve. It was beautifully done. I could not have come up with a better way of irritating the old fool and yet keeping him from realising that we are on to him. Did McGonagall really say he was getting forgetful?"
"Yes, she forgot herself enough to sound off to me about how he was going senile, only she did it in Scots," said Hermione.
"Well, well, there's more to Minerva than I thought," said Snape. "And no, I don't usually gossip about other teachers to students, but you two are not students, you are the war effort."
"Understood, sir," said Hermione.
oOoOo
"Dobby is more than happy to take Harry Potter to see his solicitor, Dobby would like to be a free elf in livery to the Potter House," said Dobby.
"Will you take mail as well?" asked Harry. "I don't want Dumbledore noticing Hedwig bringing me letters, she is rather distinctive."
"If Harry Potter does the ritual to make Dobby an elf of House Potter, Dobby can be called by House Potter's solicitor," said Dobby.
Harry frowned.
"I don't want him abusing that," he said. "Hmm, suppose I give you specific orders to only obey him if you feel like it?"
Dobby jumped up and down, his ears flapping.
"Master Harry Potter thinks of everything to help elveses!" he squeaked, adoringly. "Will Harry Potter make silly girl who frees elves his steward when she is of age?"
"I don't know," said Harry. "I'd as soon make Snape my steward, so he can act for me as more than my guardian. Can I have more than one steward?"
"No, but there is other positions which is important," said Dobby. "Professor Snape has the bad-feeling power-drain thing in his arm."
"It drains power? That's not good."
Dobby shook his head.
"No, not good, steward should have full power." He frowned. "Master should have full power. Master Harry Potter needs his ring to adopt people."
"I didn't know that. I think my solicitor will give it to me."
"Dobby will go and see solicitor and explain things," said Dobby.
oOoOo
"It's no good, I can't do a diagnostic spell on the damned mark," said Severus, testily. "And I refuse to ask Albus, who I know has learned Parseltongue. You'll have to teach me."
"He learned it? I wish he had mentioned this when I thought I was going insane because the basilisk was speaking and I thought only I could hear it. What is he playing at?"
"Games of being the world's one and only saviour, that's what," said Severus. "He mentioned needing to learn it to question Tom Riddle's uncle."
"Can you learn it with legilimensy from me, to speed things up?" asked Harry.
"No, but if I teach you and show you inside your mind some diagnostic spells, I could ride along while you cast them - if you will trust me to do so."
"A month ago that would have horrified me," said Harry. "Now, I'm like, yeah, I trust you because I understand you better."
"I wish I understood you when you speak in teen not in English," said Severus. "Very well, the spell is specialis revelio which is a useful spell for all sorts of things, including the composition of potions."
"I've seen you cast that, it's a sideways figure of eight motion, and a circle," said Harry.
"An infinity symbol and the enso rune from the east," said Severus severely. "You might as well know what you are casting and why."
"Yes, sir," said Harry. "No time like the present; climb in and make yourself comfortable."
Severus rolled his eyes. The way the boy put things was excruciating.
He performed a more extensive spell than a simple legilimensy, impossible without the cooperation of the subject, and raised an eyebrow that Harry's increasingly well held blue world shaped a sofa from a cloud for him. He sat gingerly on it and looked down on his now swooning body.
"SSSSSSS Specialis Revelio SSSSSS" they cast in unison on the dark mark. Harry had no experience of curses, but Severus did, and with the ability to use Harry's parseltongue he was able to decipher the layers. Harry could feel his mentor's excitement.
"Good, now take my head and look me in the eyes so I can get back into my body," said Severus. Harry did as he was bid, and the vacant black eyes resumed animation as the faint 'pop' between his ears and residual headache told him that Severus had vacated his own mind.
"You got excited," said Harry.
"Yes, yes, I did," said Severus. "For a man of so much power, Riddle is remarkably limited in his thinking. It has a power-draining component in it, a trickle most of the time, and the ability to take more. It is a portkey, and a protean charm, and it suppresses empathy, the only subtle part of it. That's about it. It is hidden with the use of parselmagic. If I make a chant, can you translate it?"
"Only if I can see a snake ... but of course, I'll be looking at the snake on your arm," said Harry.
"Good. I think we need to unlock your core first, and as it's the weekend that will give you time to get used to the fact that your magic is going to be flowing much more strongly. Be aware you may be subject to bouts of accidental magic."
"I'll try to only have them around Umbitch so she ends up thrown across the Great Hall," muttered Harry.
"Foolish boy, when she is around, that is the last time you want to be displaying accidental magic. Though of course she is likely to be setting it off. What?" Dobby popped in.
"Harry Potter's solicitor is wanting pensieve memories of the blood quill incident," he squeaked. "Guardian of the House Potter must show his memories of seeing the scar too. Solicitor thinks he can prosecute under endangering a Great House by attacking its Head in Wardship as well as other charges."
"I like my solicitor," said Harry. "Sir?"
Severus got down two vials.
"Place your wand to your temple, think of the incident, and draw it out as a strand of thought," he said. "No spellwork, the wand knows what you want."
Harry nodded, and did as he was told. Severus drew out his memory of seeing Harry's hand.
Dobby giggled and disappeared with both vials.
"Is he enjoying overthrowing her as much as we are?" asked Severus.
"Yes, she isn't nice to the elves," said Harry.
"Very well, let me release your core," said Severus. "You'd have thought that if the old man was crazy enough to let you go in for the Triwizard, he would at least have released some of your core to give you a better chance of survival."
"I've been thinking about that, and I've been a fool," said Harry.
"That goes without saying, but in which particular?"
Harry grinned. Insults from Snape were almost a form of affection now.
"The contract stated that whoever put their name in made a binding contract that if they did not compete, they would lose their magic. Now, I was competing essentially as the proxy for Barty Junior, but he put my name in. He made the contract. If I'd had the sense to refuse, he would have lost his magic, not me."
"That is actually brilliant reasoning," said Severus. "Occlumensy is doing wonders for you. Your writing has improved as well," he added.
"The thing in my head is an impediment," said Harry. "But why didn't Dumbledore work that out? He hasn't got a horcrux in his head to stop him thinking and he's supposed to be brilliant."
"He's powerful but he isn't as clever as he thinks he is," said Severus. "And he got himself so wound up that you had to compete or lose your magic, he didn't think it through. Alas, nor did I, because I am afraid I would have challenged you to prove you hadn't put your own name in by sitting it out and watching whoever did do it take a fall."
"If you'd presented me with the reason, I'd have sat it out willingly," said Harry. "My friendship with Ron started falling apart at that point, and though he patched it up after the dragons, it's never been the same. Hermione has apologised for being led by Dumbledore not to write to me. Ron never has. I'm starting to dislike him, because he always has some disparaging remark about someone on his lips."
"He reminds me of Peter Pettigrew," said Severus. "Not a leader, but ready to poke anyone who was down. No wonder the rat chose him!"
"Sir," said Harry, "If I have more power, and as I have a part of Riddle, could I try to use your mark to portkey in Pettigrew, to take him to the ministry, so Sirius can be free?"
Emotions chased themselves over Severus' face. And sudden glee won out. Dumbledore could have arranged a trial for the mutt using the children's memories. And his. Dumbledore wanted the mutt a safely confined fugitive, a prisoner in his own home, to prevent him claiming custody of Harry, as the boy's godfather. And if he willingly aided in this, that removed the threat of the Kiss by dementors and that meant that Sirius would owe him a life debt.
He hoped it would cause the mutt as much anguish as it caused him to owe one to James Bloody Potter.
"It's a good idea," he said. "And if we take off my dark mark before I turn him in, he cannot claim me to be a death eater. I am going to enjoy this; I loath Peter."
"Good," said Harry.
Severus was quite euphoric as he performed the ritual to release the bound core of a minor. Apart from a wave of energy from Harry which broke several bottles on his shelves and knocked Severus flying, the after-effects were not too bad.
"Avoid too much sugar while it settles down," he said.
"Hermione doesn't let me eat too much anyway," said Harry.
"For goodness sake! She's not your wife."
"I'm starting to consider it as a possibility though," said Harry. "She is my best friend, after all. And it would send a message that I chose a muggle born girl, like my father."
"There's also the Weasley girl who would be a suitable alliance to your house."
"Yes, but Ginny is too much like a house elf, she is all over me like a rash if I show her any attention and she guilt-trips if she goes against her mother. I've been talking to her, as you suggested, about the diary, and her being possessed, and shown her how to relax so she won't have nightmares, and I'm afraid she's treating me rather like death-by-chocolate, something to gobble up as fast as possible in order for it not to melt."
"What a truly horrible vision that has given me."
"Yeah. I'm sorry for Ginny, and especially in having such a dork for a mother, but she is clingy," said Harry. "I couldn't send her off to do a job, and expect to get it done. It takes people like Hermione and Neville."
"Really? You find Longbottom reliable?"
"I do. He's not a squib, whatever people say, he's trying to work with his father's wand, and how can he do that? The wand choses the wizard. And like I can remember my mother pleading for my life and dying, he can remember his parents screaming. I've been teaching him how to relax and clear his mind too."
"Maybe I should work with him, too, then," said Severus, frowning. The more people Harry had as backup, the better his chance of succeeding in killing Riddle. Maybe Longbottom's core was also bound, by trauma, or by either of the controlling adults in his life. He would also talk to Ginevra Weasley. It would be fun to send a howler to Molly for a change, to accuse her of neglecting one of her children.
Nobody ever said he was nice, after all.
It would be nice, however, if Harry could learn to control his released core in short order. The phrase 'bouncing off the walls' when referring to hyperactive teenagers was not supposed to be literal.
oOoOo
Harry was still getting his magic under control when he arrived, with Dobby, in his solicitor's office, where he managed to reverse gravity and remove all the solicitor's clothes as he arrived.
"Oh shit, and I was hoping to make a good impression," he said, in disgust. "My legal guardian just undid the binding on my core and I don't think it likes apparition."
"Dear me, considering the stories I've heard about what you have done over the years, if you did them with a bound core, you will doubtless be a very powerful wizard indeed," said the solicitor, calmly restoring his room and clothes with a flick of his wand. "Don't worry about it, I am sure you will soon settle it down. I always find a good game of quidditch helps matters."
"Can't; Umbitch has taken my broom because she's there to suppress the truth about Voldemort being back," said Harry, sullenly.
"Ah, yes, Mr. Potter, I think you will find we have that little matter well in hand," said the solicitor. "Permit me to introduce myself; I am Arnold Adler, of Legal Eagles Incorporated, family firm to the Potters. May I ask who bound your core? It is common in toddlers who display early accidental magic, was it done by your parents, and nobody knew to undo it?"
"Professor Snape says it had the mark of Dumbledore on it."
"Dear me, rather unprofessional of him, though he may have done it when you were small for your own protection. Not good that he forgot."
"My head of house, Professor McGonagall, has noticed he has been very forgetful of late," said Harry. Might as well have the head made uncomfortable too, if the solicitor could do anything.
"Indeed? Unfortunate. I will see if I can speak to the governors."
"Thank you, sir. Er, my ring?"
"Indeed. You can wear the heir's ring, which is here; but we need to check whether the Head of House ring will accept you."
"I don't understand; am I not the head of the House of Potter?"
"Oh, unquestionably; but as you are under 17 the ring will probe you and see if it counts you mature enough to be head of house before you reach your majority. If it does not, you may try on every birthday until you are 17. If it does, then you will be legally an adult, and the declaration of guardianship of Professor Snape becomes superfluous."
"So I will be able to do magic out of school?"
"You will be obliged to do magic out of school to restore the wards of your various properties, and set the repair and cleaning wards, tell the wards who is, and who is not permitted in and out and so on. The heir ring is sufficient to set a steward to some of those duties."
"Good. Let me try the ring."
"Here is the heir ring," Adler passed it over, and Harry slipped it on. "And the Head of House ring. Place it on your finger, and it will either grow hot, in which case you will have to let it drop off onto the table, or it will resize to your finger." He gave a whimsical smile. "I had to spend some time researching this."
Harry took a deep breath, and slid the Head of House ring onto his finger. With a faint chime, it resized.
"Apparently it recognises you as an adult. Good; I will file the paperwork with the Ministry that you are no longer subject to underage trace, and will let Gringotts know. This means there is no question of guardianship."
"Can I sue Professor Dumbledore for ignoring the wishes of my parents and acting against my direct interests?"
"You certainly can, your parents' wishes are quite clear, and they have provided a list of suitable people without his name ever appearing. Although the first three on the list are unavailable, Professors Snape and McGonagall are living and well, although there might be problems with the ministry considering Mr. Lupin to be a suitable person. Werewolves are not considered reliable parents."
"So if a werewolf marries and has a family, his children are taken away, even if they inherit lycanthropy and would benefit from having a parent who understands?" asked Harry.
"No, they are left to rear their own children," admitted Adler. "I did not say it was fair, or right."
"No, you didn't," said Harry. "Can I sit on the Wizgamot as I am now a legal adult?"
"Oh yes," said Adler.
"Good. I will need books on law, simple enough to introduce me to it, and on legal procedure. Will you obtain them for me? Also on custom and the major families."
"I think you are a worthy head of house, Mr. Potter, and I am looking forward to acting for you in all matters," said Adler. "I will have those books brought to you. Now you have affirmed me as your solicitor as an adult, I can call on your elf to run errands."
Harry nodded.
"He is a free elf, and needs livery," he said.
"I will arrange a version of the Potter livery," said Adler. "I will also look into which other House rings you may claim, which have gone extinct. Peverell, for example. It descended to the Gaunts, but I have a feeling your claim may be better. Like many scions of the great houses, you are descended from all four of the founders, and as such their Houses are not available, but as they gave rise to many cadet branches, those branches might be."
"Good grief," said Harry.
He returned to school in something of a haze. Hermione was waiting.
"Ron was looking for you," she said.
"Let him look," said Harry. "I'm an adult; look, my ring has accepted me, and that means I am free of the wand trace."
"I bet you aren't," said Hermione. "Once you have a wand with a trace on it, they probably continue to trace you, they just can't do anything about you doing magic."
"In that case, why don't they trace Riddle's wand?" asked Harry.
"Because they don't believe in him, silly," said Hermione.
"I suppose that has a sort of warped logic," sighed Harry. "I need to tell Snape he will not have the onerous duty of looking after me and begging a corner of his couch anyway for part of the summer."
Hermione slipped her arm into his and they went to the dungeons.
Malfoy with his goons waylaid them.
"What do you want, Potter?"
"G reetings, scion of the noble house of Malfoy. The head of the noble and ancient house of Potter greets you," said Harry.
"Wh ... what?" Malfoy quavered.
"My dear boy, weren't you brought up better than that?" drawled Harry.
"G ... greetings to the ... the HEAD? Of the house of Potter? You can't be head unless the ring accepts you," said Malfoy.
Harry extended his ring.
Malfoy bowed.
"Congratulations, Lord Potter," he said. "You've learned the etiquette too. Congratulations on that. And the mudblood?"
Hermione bowed before Harry could react.
"Greetings, scion of the noble house of Malfoy, from first generation witch, Hermione Granger, of unproven bloodline," she said.
"You think you have a bloodline?"
"I know I have a bloodline; magic doesn't just appear in the population, you know, somewhere in my family tree will be a squib or a wizard who misbehaved himself. Since I'm actually rather good at potions, and since Hector Dagworth-Granger was a son of a daughter of the Granger family who kept her name to please her father, I'm postulating a Granger squib, and I plan to have a heritance test to find out," said Hermione. "It's not important to me; what counts is that I have inherited the ability from somewhere. But I acknowledge that the named families have been a part of the development of the Wizarding world, adding to its sum total of knowledge, especially the noble and ancient ones."
"Oh." Malfoy was taken aback. "What are you doing?"
"I'm going to see my Godfather, Professor Snape," said Harry, slightly stretching the truth. "I discovered that my mother left instructions that he was my Godfather."
"He's going to just love that," said Malfoy, with heavy irony. "He's my godfather, so you can't have him as yours."
"Nothing in the rules about that," said Harry. "You can have multiple godfathers, and be godfather more than once. But if we are godbrothers, maybe we ought to start again now I know more about the wizarding world than when we first met. I don't like you, but I can't say I believe I'd be very nice if I had your father as a father."
"Leave my father out of it!"
"I'd be glad to," said Harry. "Of course, I have had the opportunity to cast surreptitious spells on Snape's dark mark, using Parseltongue. Did you know it suppresses empathy? Think about whether you want it, Malfoy, and whether you want to stop loving your mother."
Malfoy went ashen.
He knew that Potter was a parselmouth and it was a fair bet that the Dark Lord used parselmagic. Somehow he did not doubt this statement. He stood aside with a brief bow, and kicked Crabbe and Goyle until they bowed too. This new Potter was going to be both easier and harder to deal with.