Harry appeared in his room at Privet Drive, startling Dudley who was eating a MRE dinner. "Sorry Dud I didn't mean to scare you."
"It's alright Harry. I'm just not used to people or creatures popping out of thin air." Dudley told him with a shrug. "Your little friend Dobby had been popping in to clean and make sure Hedwig has food while you were gone. Did you have a fun time at camp?"
"It was awesome," Harry said and sat down and told his cousin all about his week at camp and about all the staff changes he had to make. "You're looking great Dud. I see the diet, exercise and potion are really working."
"Thanks for helping me with it Harry," he said. "I don't know how I would be holding up through all this without your help. My parents are still being completely unreasonable. I don't know what to do about them so I spend all my time either hiding in here or at the gym. I've been reading some of your books, I hope that's ok?"
"Sure," Harry told him. "There are some that can only be read by a Potter and a lot in goblin language so you won't be able to read those. There are few that I placed charms on so that only I could open as they have very nasty spells in them but since you can't open them there shouldn't be any problems. What did you read about?"
"I was reading about Wizard laws and history. I also read about squibs and how you can tell the difference between a squib and a muggle. I was curious if my mum was a squib since your mum was a witch. I haven't been able to figure out how to tell for sure. The only useable thing I read about is that squibs can see some magical creatures that muggles cannot and the only real proof is a blood heritage potion to see if there are magical ancestors." Dudley told him and Harry was intrigued. He had never really thought about the possibility that his aunt was a squib.
"We can go to Gringotts the wizarding bank and you can take a heritage test and see," Harry offered. "I have a portkey that will bypass the entire alley if you want otherwise I can show you around Diagon Alley as well first."
"Oh! I remember now, you got a letter from Gringotts this morning." Dudley said and went over to Harry's desk and brought back a small stack of letters. "Dobby screened your mail and said these could wait till you got back but I was supposed to give you the bank letter as soon as you got home."
"Thanks," Harry said laughing at the mental picture of Dobby ordering his cousin around. The letter was from Ragnok reminding Harry to check his Gringotts box as they had left letters that past few days with no response. He had written that he assumed Harry was either having too much fun playing or had been injured. He also stated that if it was the latter then he better let Nani look at him or they would both be in trouble. Harry pulled out his trunk and resized it before removing his Gringotts box to find the actual letter from the head goblin.
Lord Potter,
We were finally able to determine who made the withdrawals from your accounts from the time of your parents' deaths and your godfather's imprisonment. I have enclosed the list of dates, amounts and the person who authorized the withdrawal. I have also cross referenced those individuals' accounts and have included the immediate transfers of funds to other individuals. We have a strong case against everyone involved if you wish to press charges. Please inform us of your decision.
Ragnok
Harry looked over the list and was actually surprised at the amount taken from him. It was enough to fully support a large family for life yet it barely scratched the surface of his fortune. There was of course the annual stipend to the Dursley account that was given bi-annually and amounted to a total of $14,000 galleons over 14 years. There were also the annual withdrawals of Wizengamot dues, ministry taxes and once he was 11 his annual Hogwarts fees. Then there were the fraudulent withdrawals that were made before he was 11 as well as extra withdrawals made other than the ones he authorized.
Harry had known that Dumbledore had been steeling from him but he hadn't realized just how far it had gone. He paid himself a salary of $5,000 per month as Regent which equates to almost $850,000 galleons over the past 14 years. All of that went directly into the Dumbledore vault. The rest of the shady transactions were for things such as "research" and "legislation fees" and would be instantly transferred into Albus' toadies' vaults. There were also annual "Order Membership Dues" taken from not only his parents' but Sirius' vaults as well for $1,000 galleons each for members who were either dead or in prison and for an Order that was disbanded.
The withdrawals that made Harry's heart hurt though were the ones Mrs. Weasley had made in his name for school supplies. They were the only unauthorized withdrawals from his trust vault and it made him want to cry. He had realized that his friendship with the Weasley family had been orchestrated by Dumbledore but he had never thought Molly Weasley would steel from him. She took three withdrawals from his account each year starting the Christmas of his 1st year. At Christmas time she withdrew the maximum monthly withdrawal of $500 galleons under the pretense that Harry needed additional funds to buy his friends Christmas presents. She would then deposit $450 galleons into her own personal vault, not the family vault, and then use the rest to purchase gifts for her own family.
She would then make a withdrawal near the end of the school year for another $500 galleons 'to get him through the summer." All of that would go into her personal vault. She then would withdraw another $500 galleons for school supplies for him that he usually only saw half or less of, the rest he assumed was used to buy the Weasley kids' supplies. Right before school started again she would withdraw another $500 galleons for spending money while at school. All of which would be placed into her personal vault.
A detailed spending sheet of Molly Weasley's personal vault was included so Harry could see just what exactly she was using his money for. He had helped fund their trip to Romania his 1st year to see Charlie, paid for ½ their family trip to Egypt, bought Ron's broom and assorted other larger priced treats for the red-heads. Harry just wondered if all the family knew or if it was mum Weasley's dirty little secret. He also noted that Dumbledore paid her $200 galleons for each week Harry stayed with them over the summers, even last year when they were all at Grimwald place.
With some sadness he realized that he was funding the entire Order of the Phoenix and didn't want to pull his money entirely but was upset that it had been going on so long. He decided that the first step would be to stop any future withdrawals from his accounts accept for those with his authorization. He would then get info from the twins and Charlie about their mother before making any decisions there. He did authorize Gringotts to place a hold on her personal account if she tried to withdrawal a large amount or move any of it. That way, if they had all known he would not feel guilty by taking it all away again.
He also had Gringotts place a hold on the Dumbledore account so that the good Headmaster would have to explain to Ragnok why he took $5,000 galleons a month when the maximum allowable salary to a Regent was $5,000 galleons a year and the Potter regent was only supposed to be paid $2,500 galleons per year and allowed to live on a Potter property. He told Ragnok to hold off pressing charges if Dumbledore returned all $800,000 galleons of the stolen money. He just wished he could be present to see the old man taken down a peg or two.
The next morning Harry and Dudley took a bus into London so they could visit Gringotts about Dudley's magical inheritance if there was any. Harry was back in disguise and with Dudley having lost so much weight neither boy would be recognized. "Are you sure you want to do this Dud?" Harry asked him one last time as they approached Gringotts. Harry had been watching Dudley's varied reactions to the wizarding alley and could see the amazement in his cousin's eyes.
"Yes," Dudley said knowing he needed to know or he would always wonder.
The boys made their way into Gringotts and over to an open teller. "My cousin and I wish to speak with Ragnok at his earliest convenience." He said in English and followed up with, "May your gold grow always," in Gobbledygook.
They were quickly led into the head goblin's office where Ragnok was waiting for them as Harry had sent him a request through his Gringotts box. Harry explained that Dudley was curious if either he or his mother were squibs since Harry's mum was magical. The old goblin was just as intrigued as the boys were and he showed them to a ritual room where they could do a blood heritage ritual. The only problem with the ritual is that it required magic to perform so Harry would have to have it done as well to power the room with his magic and it would perform Dudley's as well.
"The reason this ritual has never been performed on non-magical humans before to my knowledge is that it forms a bond between the wizard and the muggle. Since you two already have a family bond as cousins it will just strengthen that bond and will not cause any more personal type of bond." Ragnok explained and Harry realized it would almost cause a bond like his to Dobby if they hadn't already had a family bond.
The ritual was fairly easy. Each boy stood in a golden circle in front of a golden bowl and after Harry chanted the ritual words they would each use a golden dagger to cut their hand and let their blood flow into the bowl. The goblin would then finish the ritual magic and heal their wounded hands. Their blood would flow from the golden bowl to enchanted parchment that would list their genealogy as well as the list of vaults they owned, had access to or were heir to.
After the ritual was complete they were led into an adjoining room and were met by Nani who was holding vials of potions for each of them. Harry weakly introduced Dudley to Nani before he gratefully accepted the potions she handed him. Within a few minutes both boys were refreshed and ready to read the results of the ritual.
"Well Mr. Dursley, it seems your hunch was correct." Ragnok said as he joined the two boys with their results. "Your mother is a squib. It seems your grandfather Evans was a squib and last of his line and your grandmother Evans was a very weak witch who was expelled from her family when she did not receive a Hogwarts letter. You are also technically a squib, not a muggle Mr. Dursley and therefore are entitled to your inheritances, as long as no more than 30 of your net worth is withdrawn to the muggle world."
At Dudley's confused look Harry explained, "Dud, he's saying there is a vault or two in your name but that you have to leave most of it here in the wizarding world. You can use up to 30 of the total amount in the muggle world but the majority must stay here to help support the wizarding economy."
"Will I be able to take enough to pay for my school tuition?" Dudley asked Ragnok hopefully as he had not told Harry that his uncle had told him he would not be paying anything for his freak son.
"Your school expenses are not included in the amount you can take into the wizarding world. All school expenses can be paid directly to your school. It is only for things like muggle properties or investments that you cannot take more than 30." Ragnok explained wondering how he came to be friends with such wealthy young humans.
Harry looked at his genealogy and was shocked. He looked at his mother's side first so he could help explain to Dudley what it meant. The first thing he saw was that his grandmother was in actuality Jasmine Hope Crouch, older sister of Barty Crouch Sr. She was expelled from the family and sent to the muggle world when she didn't receive her Hogwarts letter. She was not a squib yet she didn't have enough power to perform the magics on the OWL exams so never received a letter. Her parents changed her name and sent her to a muggle finishing school. Now he and Dudley were the last of the Crouch line. Dudley as the elder of them was the rightful Head of family but would not be able to use the Wizengammot seat as a squib so Harry would be the acting head unless Dudley produced a magical offspring.
The more shocking information was that his grandfather Marcus Heath Evans was the grandson of Morfin Guant who Harry had recently read was a direct descendant of Slytherin. He had been researching Voldemort to see if he really was the Heir of Slytherin. The reason he had believed himself to be the heir was because he was the son of Merope Gaunt who was a direct descendent but not heir as she had an older brother Morfin who everyone believed died without having an heir. Harry's grandfather was the grandson of Morfin and one of the local tavern maids. She obviously didn't want Morfin to know he was the father but by blood her child Heath Patrick Evans was the heir of Slytherin, not Tom Marvolo Riddle. Heath was a squib and never knew of his magical heritage. He married a muggle woman and gave birth to Marcus who later married Jasmine and they had Petunia and Lily.
"So I really was the heir of Slytherin, or at least the current magical heir?" Harry asked Ragnok in shock and also realized that his gift of Parseltongue was not transferred from Voldie but from his mother's side of the family.
"So I'm an heir to one of the Hogwarts founders?" Dudley asked shocked. He had read about the founders and how powerful they were. It was hard to imagine that he was related to any of them.
"You Mr. Dursley are actually related to 2 of the Hogwarts founders as the Crouch family was the last remaining descendents of Rowena Ravenclaw." Ragnok said enjoying the stunned looks both boys gave him as they continued to trace up their genealogy. The old goblin couldn't wait for Harry to start examining his Potter side as there were more fun surprises in store.
Harry turned to his Potter line thinking there could be no more surprises than from his mother's side and decided he should never doubt his penchance for NOT being normal. He saw that his father was a true descendent of Godric Gryffindor and although he had already suspected as much it was still surreal to see his name connected to the founder of his house. "I guess I really am a true Gryffindor then," Harry said with a smile. "Dumbledore had told me when I pulled Godric's sword from the sorting hat that only a true Gryffindor could have done it. I imagine that is why the sorting hat listened to my pleas to be in any house other than Slytherin as well."
"It also explains the great wealth the Potter family has amassed," Ragnok told him with something resembling a goblin smile on his face. "The founders were very wealthy and opened some of the very first vaults here at Gringotts. Did you know that Gryffindor is actually a descendent of Merlin himself?" The old goblin asked and pointed to the very top of Harry's genealogy causing him to sit down in shock that he could actually be related to Merlin!
"Any other surprises?" Harry asked, not really sure if he wanted to know any more.
"Just the one," Ragnok said gently and pointed to the top of the line from where Harry's grandmother Marguerite Lynn Potter nee Wilson was descended from. There at the top was Helga Hufflepuff.
"So you're telling me I am directly descended from all four of the Hogwarts founders and Merlin himself?" Harry asked waiting for someone to come in and say they were joking.
"Well 100 or so years ago many people could say they were related to one or more of the founders but with the wars most of the pure-blood families have died out and with them the genes of the great ones. They have all joined together again in you and that is why you are so powerful young Harry. It is why it was you who were destined for greatness. You will restore the great families and bring peace to all magical kind." The wise old goblin told him solemnly with a deep bow and Harry knew what he was speaking was true. "You are the true heir if Hogwarts."
Harry and Dudley went to visit their new vaults. Dudley tried to get Harry to take over control of the vaults from their mother's side but Harry told him no. Dudley was the Head of the Crouch family as well as the only true heir of Slytherin. He would keep the money and turn it over to his first magical child when they were of age. Dudley still didn't understand the importance necessarily of his heritage but knew that he needed to keep it quiet and definitely not tell his parents.
The Crouch vault was separate from the Ravenclaw vault as the family had never consolidated them. Harry was intrigued that the Ravenclaw vault required two family members to grant entrance and realized that without that safety precaution all the contents would have made their way to Voldemort through Barty Jr. There were hundreds of new books for Harry to read and they packed all of them away into Harry's trunk which he had brought just in case. They would buy the supplies later to copy all the books and return them but for now they would remove them rather than spend hours in a vault.
They were also admitted to the Slytherin vault, which also needed two blood relatives to be able to remove any contents. Harry had wondered why there was so much need for secrecy on the vault that was empty save a portrait of the founder and thousands of books.
"Come my children, let me tell you the true tale of the Slytherin family," The founder spoke to them and they listened to him tell them how it was his young son Salazar Jr. that became a dark wizard and that he was the one who quarreled with the other founders after killing his own father. The young Slytherin had been married for less than a year when a mob of muggles burned her alive for being a witch. She was with child and young Salazar murdered every being in the village where the muggles lived in retribution and began a campaign of evil against muggles and anyone who was associated with them, forgetting that his beloved wife was a muggle born herself.
He told them how all money and items of worth were sold off over the years as his descendents tumbled father into poverty and the once powerful line descended into squibs. He told them of how his descents transferred anything they could to their own vaults to thwart the need for two descendents and how almost 70 years ago a descendent named Marvolo Gaunt had brought his young son and daughter to the vault and cleared it of everything that would fetch a price, including the remaining Slytherin heirlooms. Only the books remained as they were too heavy for the man to carry and as he could barely read himself thought them to be worthless.
Harry explained to the founder that they needed to borrow all the books to make copies and then they would return all the originals once they were done. He even swore an oath to return the books to their proper place in the vault and the founder allowed them to be taken without a fuss.
The Gryffindor vault had long since merged with the Potter family one but the Hufflepuff vault was still accessible. They found another treasure trove of books as well as thousands of preserved plant cuttings and seeds. Harry knew he would have to bring Neville here to determine which could be cultivated.
They returned to the surface and hired the help of two librarian goblins for the rest of the week to copy each of the priceless books from the founders' vaults. They told the goblins to apparate directly to Harry's room after dinner as they wanted to shop the alley first. Harry showed Dudley around and the two boys just had fun spending money for the afternoon. Dudley had even splurged and tried a bite of each of Florean's different ice cream flavors. They stopped into the Magical Menagerie to buy Hedwig some more treats and see if they had anything special for Fawkes or Beauty. Dudley was drawn to one of the back corners of the room and Harry followed incase it was something dangerous. They found instead a beautiful golden retriever puppy begging to be let out.
"It's like he's calling to me Harry," Dudley said in awe as he gazed at the small dog.
Harry could see a familiar bond begging to form between the two and realized they were supposed to be together. "Then lets take him home Dud," Harry said with a grin as the puppy yelped for joy as Dudley reached in and took him out.
"What about school?" Dudley asked worriedly. "They will let me bring a pet but it's a big extra fee."
"Dud, do you not remember what we were just told about your school expenses? Besides, every magical being needs their familiar and you have just found yours." Harry said with a grin. "Besides, even if your school says no Dobby can care for him while you're gone."
"Mum won't like it," Dudley said halfheartedly as if he was still trying to find a reason to say no.
"Tough," Harry said with a laugh. "Remember that I own the house!" The two boys and the golden puppy finished up their shopping and made their way home. They took the Night Bus this time to get their faster and because of the dog. Dudley looked a little green when they were done and all three of them were glad to get off the bus.
The boys spent the rest of the day at the gym. Dudley had done well in the two weeks Harry had been gone. The boys were almost on even ground in their weight training and cardio classes. Harry was still exceptional in martial arts with his natural quick reflexes and his previous fighting experiences. Dudley was more advanced in their kick-boxing class just because of all his time in the boxing ring. He was looking forward to getting back to boxing at school as now he would be in a weight class with good opponents. His super heavy weight class was basically a bunch of out of shape and overweight boys and the winner was usually the one with the strongest punches since they all tired out so fast.
"I can't believe how much weight I've lost!" Dudley told Harry happily as they walked back home after their workouts. "The potion is great because it keeps me from having sagging skin from loosing so much so fast. That was one of my fears was that I would look like I had loose skin hanging off all over."
"Well you only have a few weeks of potion left and then we will see just how far down you are. We'll go shopping after that so that you have a good wardrobe that fits. Now that you have access to money you can afford to buy more if you loose a lot at school." Harry told him with a grin. "By the way, under absolutely no circumstance are you to mention to either of your parents the fact that you have money in the wizarding world. I know they hate magic but I doubt it extends to the large stash of gold in your name at Gringotts. Let them believe that I gave you the money for the clothes and for school, that way there is no way your dad can somehow muscle your inheritance away."
"I wasn't planning on telling them anything anyway," Dudley said with a sour look on his face. "I still can't believe how they are acting. I never really knew what narrow minded ignorant people they were. I would move out but I'm not old enough yet."
"Yeah, I thought that it would be nice to kick them out of the house but with you being underage it's just easier to keep them there." Harry said with a shrug. "They aren't going to be in very good moods for the rest of the summer either. I heard that there are several bills they can't pay and the bank has refused any additional equity loans on the house now that they realize they never owned it in the first place."
"What are they going to do to get extra money?" Dudley wondered aloud.
"Well it is the 90's, your mum could get a job. It's not like she has any kids at home to take care of or anything. Your dad will have to sell his super expensive car, their time-share, and neither will be going on vacation or buying designer clothing any more." Harry told him with a grin as he imagined someone actually hiring his aunt.
"Mum will probably try and sell off everything in the house before she breaks down and gets a job." Dudley said also with a smirk. "Do you think Dobby can do some sort of sticking charm or something so that she can't take any of my things from the house?"
"Good idea, I'll talk with him and see what he can do. There should be a ward or something we can place that doesn't let them take thinks that are ours or that should rightfully belong to us." Harry said as the two entered the house.
Dudley was surprised to see the Headmaster of his school Smeltings sitting in the living room when they arrived. "Good evening Headmaster," Dudley said politely wondering what the man was doing there. "To what do we owe the pleasure of your company?" He was glad to see that Harry was still standing with him as he had a feeling he would need his cousin's support very soon.
"Your father informed us that you would be no longer returning to Smeltings and I have come to take care of the paperwork. It is almost finished now Mr. Dursley. I hope you will be happy at public school for your remaining year." The man told him.
"I am afraid I don't understand," Dudley said, understanding too well that his father was trying to do everything possible to ruin his life. "I will certainly be attending Smeltings in the fall. I have just come from the bank where my cousin helped me set up a school fund. I will have more than enough money to pay the tuition even without my father's help."
"Your father informed me that you wanted to leave Smeltings not that it was a monetary issue," the headmaster said sending a disapproving look at Vernon who was glaring at both boys and turning purple at being discovered.
"My father does no like my new attitude of being tolerant of others and no longer a bully. He is repulsed by the idea that I was in counseling this past year. He had threatened to not pay for my education anymore. My cousin has excess money in his trust from his parents and has offered to pay for my last year so I can continue at Smeltings and even to pay for college if I can get my grades turned around enough to be accepted. Since I have become friendly with my cousin, whom my parents hate, they have cut off all funds. I suppose it is for the best that Harry here has offered to pay since my father can no longer afford the tuition himself due to falling into great personal debt himself." Dudley told the man who was aware of some of Dudley's problems the year before and who had complimented him on getting his life back on track before the summer break.
"Well then I will just tear up this paperwork then," the man said with a smile. "I will be very glad to have you back with us for your final year Mr. Dursley. If you encounter any more family problems over the summer, please feel free to contact me at the school. And I must say that your diet and exercise program is doing wonders."
"Thank you Headmaster and I appreciate your support. I will have my bank and solicitor contact you soon with the details of my education trust. Thank you for coming in person." Dudley said and showed him to the door before turning around to have a good row with his father. "So you thought you could try and ruin my education like you ruined the rest of my life?" He growled.
Harry watched the whole exchange in silence. He was glad that Dudley had worked it all out and was impressed with his polite and respectful way of dealing with his headmaster. He sat down on the loveseat to watch the fight between the Dursley family. He wondered how long it would last and if he would be able to threaten his uncle again. One thing he knew was that as soon as Dudley was of age he was kicking the walrus and the horse to the curb. He didn't mind so much their horrible treatment of him but there was no excuse for how they were currently treating Dudley. He wondered how his aunt and his mother could possibly be from the same family.