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More than Just Galleons | ||||||
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Category: Potter’s Affairs Challenge 2008-4 Characters:None Genres: General Warnings: None Story is Complete Rating: G Reviews: 17 Summary: Harry receives a lot of galleons from several sources. He tries to decide what he wants to do with his future. What will he choose? Hitcount: Story Total: 12486; Chapter Total: 3965 Author's Notes: This is my first foray into fanfiction writing. I love to read though I am not good in creative writing. Maybe writing about something familiar will help sharpen my dull tool. So, please review =)
Edited: Had to re-check some facts. |
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The smell of sausages wafted up the floors above the Burrow’s kitchen. It was Sunday and Molly Weasley has gone all out in preparing today’s brunch breakfast. All her children were coming over for a family gathering. It had been a few weeks since the last of the funerals and Molly had decided that she wanted her family together. Arthur was already up and reading the Daily Prophet in his usual seat at the table when the familiar swoosh of the Floo was heard. “Arthur, could you see who had arrived?” Arthur tried to lean over to poke his head through the kitchen door just as the door was pushed open. “Ooooff!,” as Arthur fell from his chair. “Sorry, Dad! Didn’t see you there.” He knelt down and held out his arm to help pull Arthur up. “Thanks,” said Arthur sheepishly. “George! You’re here!” Molly rushed over to her now non-twin son and gave him a big hug. George’s face began to turn to match his hair. “Mum, need … to … breathe,” he wheezed out. “Shush, come and sit.” Molly put a plate in front of George heavily laden of pancakes, bacon, sausages, and baked beans. “Eat up. The others should be down soon enough.” Right on cue, several pairs of feet were heard bounding down the stairs. “You know, mate, I really don’t want to see you feeling up my sister while only clad in a towel. And it’s not like I don’t see you two pawing each other often enough already.” “Hey! I was not trying to feel Ginny up. I was just … uhm… I bumped into Ginny on my way back to our room.” “Yeah, right. And maybe I’ll just let you tell Ginny what you did to her favorite underwear.” Ron smirked at Harry. He finally got him in trouble. Or so he thought. Harry groaned and turned a shade of purple. He wanted the floor to open up and swallow him now. Much as he loved Molly and Arthur like if they were his parents, they were also the parents of the love of his life. He did not want them to get the impression that he was taking advantage of their daughter while under their roof. George looked up with his eyes now twinkling in mischief. ‘Let’s see how Harry extricates himself from this and prove that he is Mum’s favorite son,’ he thought to himself. “Errr…, good morning, Mr. Weasley, Mrs. Weasley,” he nodded to them as he walked over to the seat furthest from both adults, just in case. “Did any owl arrive for me?” he said hoping to change the subject. Arthur nodded back and returned to reading the paper. It was as if he did not hear that bit of conversation. “Yes, deary,” replied Molly. “They are over the side counter. Quite a bit actually and all for you. Some official-looking in fact.” She presented Ron and Harry plates heaped with their favorites and kissed the top of their heads. She continued on to bustle around the kitchen cooking and humming. “I’ll open them later then.” “Ron, have you heard from Hermione recently?” Ron had already begun to eat and was about to shove another spoonful in to his mouth when he hesitated and replied, “Yeah. She’s coming but she’ll be late.” Ever since the trio decided they would go back to finish their seventh year at Hogwarts, Hermione began to spend more time with her parents. She had felt guilty for sending them away to Australia and had gotten them back three weeks ago with Kingsley’s help. Her parents were none too pleased with what she had done but conceded that her actions had the best intentions. “Wow, Ron, Hermione finally has you trained. You actually had some table manners,” George said cheekily. Harry expected Molly to chastise George only to find her trying to keep herself from smiling. Instead, she said, “Harry, maybe you should check on Ginny. She should already be down.” On cue, Ginny opens the kitchen door. “Hi, Mum! What a lovely day!”, said Ginny as she walked over to Molly to give her a kiss on the cheeks. “Morning, Dad.” “Hi, Harry,…” Ginny sat next to Harry and gave him a chaste kiss on the lips and a hug. Ron and George looked at each other. “What about us?!?” Ginny folded her arms and turned her nose up. “I don’t want to hear from you two. Not after what happened.” “But that was a week ago!” Ron blurted out. “And the prank wasn’t even on you. It was on Harry!” In a blink, Ginny was out of her chair with her wand tip pointed at Ron’s nose. “Now listen here, Ronald! No pranks on Harry. He’s mine! You don’t get to prank him.” Harry could only be amused by the scene. Ginny was only half a head taller to Ron who was still sitting down. And yet, the taller older brother was quivering under the fury of the littlest redhead. Both Ron and George had taken turns in pranking Harry after they caught the couple snogging by the pond. Harry had taken the pranks in stride. After all, so long as the brothers did not attempt to kill him for being intimate with their only sister, he did not mind. But Ginny somehow got wind of the pranks and gave them both Bat Bogey hexes that lasted for hours. Even Arthur could not dissuade his daughter to cancel the hexes on her brothers. Several Apparition pops were heard from the living room that heralded the arrival of the rest of the Weasleys. “In here, dears” shouted Molly. Bill, Fleur, Percy, Audrey, and Charlie hustled into the kitchen and took their seats around the table unmindful of the wand that was still pointed at Ron’s nose. Finally, Percy spoke up. “Ginevra, maybe you should sit down and have breakfast first. Ronald’s punishment can wait, you know.” Ginny glared at Percy but said nothing. She went back to her seat beside Harry, huffily and started scooping some oatmeal including several strips of bacon onto her dish. She began to eat while still shooting sharp looks at Ron and George. Several conversations began to go around the kitchen table as everyone began to eat. Harry looked up as Ginny reached for his hand and entwined his fingers with hers. He smiled to himself and thought, ‘This is what family should be.’ It was minutes later when Bill piped up and said, “Oh yeah, Harry, before I forget. Griphook is expecting you on Tuesday. He said that the goblins are willing to allow you into the bank this one time as you need to settle some financial issues with them. He also said that maybe when things die down some more, they might think about the ban on you stepping inside the bank premises. Unfortunately, your breaking in the more highly secure vaults still have some of them in an uproar.” “Okay. Thanks, Bill.” HPGWHPGWHPGWHPGWHPGW After breakfast, Harry grabbed the letters and went up back to the room he shared with Ron. He closed the door behind him as he kicked off his trainers and sat crossed-legged on his cot. He opened the first letter. It was from Kingsley. Dear Harry, As you already know, as Interim Minister, one of my major projects is to manage the aftermath of the war. If you could come by the Ministry at your convenience, I would like to sound out some ideas with you. Yours truly, Kingsley Shacklebolt Minister of Magic Harry groaned as he finished this letter. Although he knew Kingsley will no take advantage of him, he dreaded what Kingsley wanted to talk to him about. It was not even a week since the Battle at Hogwarts when rumors circulated regarding Order of Merlin awards. Harry was supposedly expected to receive the Order of Merlin — First Class for his defeat of Voldemort. He brushed off the rumors. He did not defeat Voldemort to receive the award. He defeated Voldemort because Voldemort endangered everyone else and had to be stopped. He got up and went to the desk near the door rummaging for some parchment and a quill. “Aha!” He started to write, Dear Mr. Shacklebolt: I will be in Diagon Alley this coming Tuesday to attend to some personal business. I would be happy to drop by in the afternoon. Yours, Harry Potter HPGWHPGWHPGWHPGWHPGW Ha rry woke early that Tuesday. He had two meetings today and he was not sure what to expect. Blearily, he reached for his glasses and put them on. Ron looked peaceful and was snoring loudly. Harry got up from his cot and looked through his rucksack for a clean towel and headed for the loo. Ten minutes later, he was back in the room and dressed for the day. Or at least, he tried to. All he found that still fit him was a pair of Muggle jeans and an old Weasley jumper. He was glad that he had the black robes he had Kreacher obtain for him for the funerals held weeks before. Mrs. Weasley was already busy making breakfast when Harry entered the kitchen. “Good morning, Mrs. Weasley.” “Good morning, Harry. Busy day today?” “Yes. Lots to do today.” “I heard. Eat up.” Molly served him a plate of toast, baked beans, and hashers. “Thank you.” HPGWHPGWHPGWHPGWHPGW As Harry walked up the stairs leading to the doors of Gringotts, he thought about his first visit accompanied by Hagrid all those years ago. How different things were then. He knocked on the door and a Goblin Harry did not recognize answered. “You are not allowed inside the bank anymore. Leave now!” Harry hesitated. “Ummm… Griphook is expecting me. He made arrangements for my visit today. Maybe you can check with him,” he said expectantly. Just then, Bill arrived at the steps. “I am sorry, Slate, but Griphook did ask Harry to come in this time to discuss his account. I’m sure additional security arrangements had been made to ensure there will be no problems during the visit.” Slate nodded and let Harry and Bill through. “Very well, Mr. Potter. Please wait inside the room third from the left wall. Griphook should arrive momentarily.” “Errr… Thank you.” “I’ll wait with you until Griphook arrives then, Harry.” Three minutes later, Griphook entered the room carrying quite a few folders filled with parchment. “Ah, Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley. Thank you for coming.” “Good morning, Griphook. Now that you are here, I shall leave Harry with you. Harry, I’ll see you at the Burrow soon.” Harry shook Bill’s hand and gave him a one-armed hug. “Yeah, see you soon.” As soon as Bill closed the door behind him, Griphook cleared his throat and said, “Mr. Potter, shall we begin?” Harry nodded and sat on the sofa opposite Griphook. “Call me Harry, please.” “Very well, Harry. I had arranged for this meeting with you so that we could discuss your financial standing with the Gringotts. I have here several folders for your vaults with us.” “I am not sure I understand, Mister, err…, Griphook. I mean I have my vault and the key to the vault. I haven’t really touched my vault the last year or so. I think I still …” Griphook cut him off. “No, Harry. I don’t think you understand. The vault which you have a key with is the trust fund your parents set up for your use while in Hogwarts. When you turned seventeen, you had stood to gain access to the rest of the Potter fortune and the Black estate as well. But because of extenuating circumstances last year, we decided to hold off discussions until the situation was more stable.” Griphook opened the first folder and handed Harry a stash of parchment. Potter Trust Vault Current Balance as of August 15, 1998 286,000 Galleons 25,982 Sickles 18,899 Knuts Applicable interest rate is 5% per annum. “As you can see, Harry, you still have a substantial balance left in your trust vault.” Harry had a gob smacked look painted on his face. All these years, he had never really asked for an accounting of his trust vault. He wasn’t really extravagant in his spending and at the back of his mind, he had expected that he would need to make the gold last as long as possible. Griphook opened a second folder and handed Harry a second parchment. It read: Black Estate Vault Current Balance as of August 15, 1998 30,685,921 Galleons 590,341 Sickles 809,035 Knuts Applicable interest rate is 6% per annum. Various magical trunks containing Jewelry, paintings, suits of armor, and personal items estimated to be worth 35,000,000 Galleons if sold at market price today. In addition, the Black estate owns five parcels of land, one of which is Unplottable at the moment. The other four are: a thirty-room country home in Bath, a cottage in Plymouth, a twenty-room manor in Manchester, and a four-story flat in Liverpool. Harry knew that the Black estate was substantial but it still surprised him. A third parchment was handed over. Harry presumed it to contain a summary for the Potter estate. Potter Estate Vault Current Balance as of August 15, 1998 21,984,366 Galleons 126,904 Sickles 95,348 Knuts Applicable interest rate is 6% per annum. Various magical trunks containing Jewelry, paintings, suits of armor, and personal items valued at 28,000,000 Galleons if sold at market price today. In addition, the Potter estate has a diversified stock portfolio; owning shares in various Magical and Muggle companies in several countries. Also part of the Potter estate are two properties: Potter Cottage and Potter Manor both in Godric’s Hallow. “As you can see, Harry, you have substantial gold and holdings with us at Gringotts. Although our account managers such as myself try to take care of all our clients’ needs, we try to advise our clients to hire a separate financial manager. At present, it is I, Griphook, who has been standing as your financial manager. However, events that took place a few weeks back have prevented me to keep the position since.” Harry cringed at the recollection. The Goblins probably mistrusts him more now than most wizards. He was, after all, the first person to successfully steal something from the vaults in 300 years and he actually did it under Griphook’s nose. “I’m sorry about that. I believe that the Minister provided some sort of explanation for that incident.” “Yes, yes. But for security purposes, we have to be strict.” “Okay. Do I have to decide now? Will you be able to provide recommendations for trustworthy financial managers?” “No, you don’t have to decide immediately. But it should be soon. I will send a list along to Mr. Weasley if you like. You can go over the recommendations at your leisure.” “Good. Thank you very much.” Harry left the front steps Gringotts in a daze. ‘What will he do with all that gold?’ However, his day was just beginning. He still had a meeting with Kingsley. Harry directed himself towards the Leaky Cauldron and entered the pub unmindful of the other patrons inside. He headed towards the bar and ordered a cold butterbeer to calm himself down. As soon as he finished his bottle, he paid for his drink and asked to use the Floo. Soon enough, Harry appeared at the Ministry Atrium and walked into the direction of the Minister’s office. He entered the outer office and was greeted by Penelope Clearwater. “Hello, Mr. Potter. The Minister has been expecting you. Please take a seat while I announce you.” Penelope smiled at Harry before getting up and letting herself through the door behind her desk. Almost instantaneously, Harry heard footsteps inside. The door opened and the familiar booming voice was heard. “Harry, thank you for coming.” Kingsley Shacklebolt held out his hand to give Harry a handshake. It was a very firm and enthusiastic handshake in Harry’s experience. He did not even notice that Kingsley’s other arm was also extended to pat his shoulder a couple of times. “My pleasure, Minister Shacklebolt,” Harry demurred. “Nonsense, Harry. We go way back. Call me Kingsley.” “Errr… okay, Kingsley. What can I help you with?” Kingsley nodded. ‘Ah, straight to business.’ “Come on, let’s go inside my office.” Kingsley ushered Harry inside his office. Harry looked around the interim Minister’s office. Except for the very large table and chair for the Minister’s use, a filing cabinet behind the desk, and two visitors’ chairs, there were no other furniture inside the office. Well, maybe except for the portrait whose duplicate hangs in the Muggle Prime Minister’s office. “Please sit, Harry.” Harry saw that Kingsley pointed to one of the visitors’ chairs. Surprisingly, to Harry at least, Kingsley sat on the other visitors’ chair opposite Harry. “Now, I am aware of your dislike of the Ministry as a whole in the past years. There is nothing I can do to undo the past. I would very much like for you to hear what I have to say and then you decide what your next action would be.” “Fair enough.” Harry replied and nodded for Kingsley to continue. “You may have heard of rumors that are circulating that you are to receive the Order of Merlin First Class…” Harry moved to interrupt. However, Kingsley had anticipated this and therefore raised his hand to quiet Harry and continued, “In clarification, it is not only you who is expected to receive an award. Those who had participated would all be acknowledged including some to be given posthumously. What you might not know is that the Ministry had seized all vaults of all known Death Eaters. The Goblins had been surprisingly cooperative in this regard. Now, the proceeds of these seizures would be distributed to the victims of the wars as well as to the heroes of the wars. You, Harry, are expected to receive a substantial amount being both a hero and a victim of the war. You suffered more losses than most and made many sacrifices. I urge you to accept as a token of the Ministry’s gratitude and regrets. We do not mean for your losses and sacrifices to be alleviated with the monetary payment. It is just that what the Ministry can offer to you. I expect your friends and loved ones can offer more of what you might need. You do not have to decide now, if it comes to that. Take a few days and let me know. The Order of Merlin awards will be a public ceremony lest you forget. I sincerely hope you can attend.” “I will not take too much of your time,” Kingsley said as he stood up. He took a piece of parchment that was inserted in a folder that was on top of the desk and handed it to Harry. Harry took the parchment and said, “Ummm… okay, I’ll get back to you.” A soft knock was heard and Penelope opened the door and brought some parchment for Kingsley to sign. “Penelope, would you mind escorting Mr. Potter here to the door?” “I’m sorry Harry but I have some matters to attend to.” “Don’t worry, I know my way around.” Harry said with a smile. |
| Reviews 17 |
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