Harry Potter NR.1_(2)

Legends of Potter
by Roff

WARNING! There is no pairing and Ginny is a good person.

Chapter One – Privet Drive

“GET UP BOY AND GET BREAKFAST READY!”

“Yes, Uncle Vernon,” said a groggy voice.

Uncle Vernon opened the bedroom door. “After that I have some chores for you to do outside.” Uncle Vernon almost seemed cheerful when he said that.

“Yes, Uncle Vernon” said Harry while putting on his glasses.

“HURRY UP,” Vernon growled then turned and went downstairs.

Harry Potter was not having a good year. For that matter, he was not having a very good life either. Stuck with his hateful family again for the summer was just not his cup of tea. They always treated him horribly while working him like a house elf or a “red-headed step-child” as they say in the states. Although Harry would be willing to bet all the gold in his bank vault that most, if not all, red-headed step-children were treated better than him.

Of course, Harry had a soft spot in his heart for red heads. The Weasley family contained some of his most favorite people in the world. Their youngest son Ron has been his best mate since they were 11 years old. They met on the Hogwarts Express the first day he went to the magical school. Ron’s younger sister Ginny was nice too. Harry had saved her from the evil dark wizard Voldemort and a giant basilisk at the end of his second year, which was Ginny’s first year. Their twin brothers, Fred and George, were a hoot, always pulling pranks, using twin speak when they talk to you, and being royal pains in the bum most of the time because they never seemed to know when to stop and be serious. Harry almost chuckled at the thought of them.

Harry then thought of his other best friend, Hermione Granger. Brown, bushy haired people were okay too, he decided. He knows that she was the only one able to keep him and Ron straight. School had just let out but Harry was missing his friends already.

Harry wished that his family was his only problem but alas there was a lot more he had been dealing with than just them. He was almost glad that Uncle Vernon woke him up so early. Harry was not having a very pleasant dream and welcomed the interruption, even though it was quite loud.

Harry had just got back from Hogwarts after the end of his 4th school year. During the year he had taken part in the Tri-Wizard Tournament where he was the 4th Tri-Wizard Champion. This was unusual because normally there were only three champions, one from each of the three major magical schools. Nothing too unusual for Harry though. No matter how hard he tried to stay out of trouble, it always seemed to find him.

There were three dangerous tasks. At the end of the last task in the tournament Harry had witnessed the death of Cedric Diggory, a friendly and talented Hufflepuff. He was also forced to give some of his blood in a graveyard ritual to return Voldemort to a new body. After that, Voldemort forced Harry to duel him before Harry managed to narrowly escape back to Hogwarts using the same portkey that brought him to the graveyard.

Harry had been dreaming about Cedric dying, seeing the green killing curse striking him down over and over. It made no sense to Harry. Voldemort said “kill the spare” and Wormtail killed Cedric just like that. He was not needed for their purposes so his life was taken like it meant nothing. It was difficult for Harry to keep from being sick every time that memory played in his mind.

Harry also dreamed about facing Voldemort and what had happened during the duel. He kept wondering why Voldemort would not leave him alone, why he had killed Harry’s parents, and why he had tried to kill Harry. What was so important about himself to cause Voldemort to want to kill him so badly? What did he ever do to Voldemort to deserve this? Since Voldemort tried to kill him when he was only one year old then what possibly could he have done to the dark wizard before that time? Drool on him?

He was sure that Dumbledore knew the answer but for some reason had chosen not to share the information. Probably Dumbledore thinks he was too young to hear about it. That just means that the information was likely very unpleasant. He still wishes Dumbledore would tell him everything. Harry agrees that he is very young but he also agrees that Dumbledore is very ancient. Harry likes and respects Professor Dumbledore but who really knows how old the professor is? In his eyes Harry may never seem old enough to hear the information that was being kept from him.

oo0O0oo

Harry had finished cooking breakfast and served it to the Dursleys. He was eating his breakfast finally while his Uncle Vernon was explaining what was expected of him today. Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, and Dudley were going out for most of the day to visit with Aunt Marge. Harry was to remain at the house with the following list of chores to do:

Cut the grass

Trim the hedges

Very carefully take care of Aunt Petunia’s flower beds, getting rid of weeds, mulching, watering, etc.

Remove everything from the shed

Repair the door to the shed. It is broken and about to fall off.

Paint the shed inside and out using the fresh paint in the shed.

Put together the shelving units that Uncle Vernon purchased (located in the garage) and set them up in the shed. Leave two of the shelving units to be used in the garage.

Put all things back in the shed organizing it neatly on the shelves

Clean out the garage and use the two remaining shelves for organizing and storage.

Harry was to have all this done before they returned later this evening because they would have a new list for him tomorrow.

Harry looked at the list again and thought to himself. “Well at least I’ll be able to stay busy this summer and keep my mind focused on something else…. Although, I’m not sure how I’m supposed to get all this done in one day without magic. That’s not going to happen.” Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, and Dudley left shortly after breakfast. After taking care of the dishes and cleaning the kitchen and dining room, Harry started on his chores outside.

oo0O0oo

Harry had the grass cut and trimmed. He had the hedges trimmed and the flower beds done. It was a little past lunch time and the shed looked daunting. He already knew the garage would take forever. “Impossible” he said to himself. Harry decided to fix him a sandwich for lunch before tackling the shed. He would need his strength. As he was enjoying his sandwich and crisps with lemonade to drink, his mind turned back to the shed, the shelves, and the garage which prompted him to wish out loud.

“Man, I wish I could use magic outside of school. I bet if Dobby were here he would help me.”

Harry heard a pop and there stood Dobby. Dobby hurriedly grabbed Harry’s legs and hugged them.

“Dobby is so pleased to see the Great Harry Potter again. Dobby will always come anytime the Great Harry Potter needs him. Just say Dobby’s name.”

“Dobby …uh…I’m sorry. I was not calling you. I just have a lot of work my family is forcing me to do and since I cannot perform magic outside of school I was just wishing I could and then said that if you were here I bet you would help me.” Dobby was nodding his head enthusiastically. “I did not mean for you to have to come. I am so sorry for wasting your time. Please forgive me and you do not have to be at my beck and call. You are a free elf and a great friend.”

Dobby started crying.

“The Great Harry Potter is apologizing to Dobby? The Great Harry Potter considers Dobby a great friend?”

“Of course you are my friend Dobby. I am so sorry. Please don’t get upset” pleaded Harry.

Dobby stopped crying immediately and looked right into Harry’s eyes. “Harry Potter is the greatest wizard ever to live. Dobby is very happy to help the Great Harry Potter. Dobby will take care of any work the Great Harry Potter has to do for his mean family.”

Harry almost took him up on his offer but then remembered something. “But Dobby, this is a muggle neighborhood. They should not see magic being performed and they certainly should not see a house elf, especially one using magic. It probably would be better if you go back to Hogwarts so no one will see you here. I will get the work done somehow. It was very nice to see you again Dobby.”

“No, Master Harry Potter, sir. Dobby can do all your work for you and no one will see Dobby or the magic. A house elf can do lots of things without being seen or noticed. The Great Harry Potter just needs to tell Dobby what needs to be done and Dobby will do it.”

“Wow, Dobby. Are you sure you don’t mind helping me?”

“It would please Dobby more than anything to help the Great Harry Potter.”

“Well then Dobby let’s take a look at the list and see where I left off.” Harry picked up the list and checked off the first three items. He then showed the list to Dobby.

X Cut the grass

X Trim the hedges

X Very carefully take care of Aunt Petunia’s flower beds, getting rid of weeds, mulching, watering, etc.

Remove everything from the shed

Repair the door to the shed. It is broken and about to fall off.

Paint the shed inside and out using the fresh paint in the shed.

Put together the shelving units that Uncle Vernon purchased (located in the garage) and set them up in the shed. Leave two of the shelving units to be used in the garage.

Put all things back in the shed organizing it neatly on the shelves

Clean out the garage and use the two remaining shelves for organizing and storage.

“Great Harry Potter, sir. Dobby will be right back.” Dobby disappeared with a pop and returned about 5 minutes later. Harry had just finished the last of his second glass of lemonade and was ready to tackle the remaining jobs with Dobby’s help.

“Dobby has completed all the remaining tasks on the Great Harry Potter’s list. Is there anything else the Great Harry Potter needs Dobby to do for him?” Seeing the dirty plate and glass on the table from Harry’s lunch, Dobby waved his hand and they were clean and put away. The table was shining.

Harry sat there for a minute. “Uh,…Dobby? Did you say you were done with all my chores?”

“Yes, Dobby has completed the rest of the list. Please tell Dobby what else he can do for the Great Harry Potter.”

“Just a second Dobby, I will be right back.” Harry walked out to the shed and saw that it was painted, the door was fixed, the shelves were in place, and everything looked neat as a pin. He walked back into the house and went to the garage. The two shelves were setup and the garage was sparkling clean and organized.

Harry came back into the dining room and spoke to the little elf. “Dobby I know magic is wonderful but Elf magic must be outstanding. You have outdone yourself. Everything is perfect! Thank you Dobby! There is no way I could have accomplished all that the muggle way in less than a day.”

“Since I now know how fast you can do these things Dobby, then I will call you tomorrow if they give me more work than I can handle in the allotted time. You are a great friend, Dobby. How about I pay you for your work today and pay you for tomorrow as well if I need you then. I will not feel as bad about calling on you if you will accept some payment for your services. Would that be okay with you?”

“No, Master Harry Potter, sir. Dobby does not need payment for helping the Great Harry Potter. Dobby will return tomorrow and take care of any chores your mean family gives you.” There was a small pop and Dobby was gone.

“Little bugger” said Harry. “I have to figure out a way to get him to take payment from me but I have to be careful not to hurt his feelings.” He would ponder that at another time though.

“Wow,” Harry said, “free time.” He then decided he would take a shower and get cleaned up after his yard work. Then he could spend his extra time going through the remaining items in the ornate box he had found in his vault last summer. He did not have much time while at school due to the tournament and then with Voldemort coming back Harry had almost forgotten about it. He had only skimmed the surface of the box so far last night but everything he had found was very interesting to him. It was obvious that his parents left it for him to discover. He was anxious to go through the rest of it and see what else he could find.

As he took his shower, Harry’s mind wandered back to that day last year when he was visiting his vault to pick up some galleons for his school purchases and for the school year. He caught a glimpse of something in the back that appeared to twinkle or sparkle. He could have sworn too that it was calling his name. It sounded like what he thought he remembered his mother’s voice to be. How he could know for sure he was not positive but he still felt confident that it was his mother’s voice calling him. It just felt right.

When he moved some of the galleons out of the way to get to the back of the vault he found some shelves against the wall with several books on them and on one shelf he found the item that sparkled and twinkled at him. It was a small ornate box about the size of a case you would gift an engagement ring in. He could not figure out how to open it so he slipped it into his pocket to take another look at it later.

He had asked the goblin with him if he could have something to carry the books in. For a small fee, the Goblin provided Harry with a small bag charmed with both expansion and feather-light spells. Harry was able to take all the books with him so he could look them over later. He placed the small bag of books and the small ornate box in his trunk and pretty much forgot they were there for a good part of the school year. The small ornate box fell all the way to the bottom of his trunk forgotten.

When he had finally taken a look at the books he was shocked to find that many of them would have been highly useful his first year at Hogwarts. Most of the questions he had about the magical world were answered in the books. There were books about the muggle world as well but they were a bit out dated. Technology in the muggle world was growing fast and it was difficult to keep up with the changes. There were also several books that were meant to expand on more than what Hogwarts taught for the years on all the subjects. Harry had already delved into those as much as he could while at Hogwarts this past year. Some of the information was helpful to him during the tournament. He was planning to look at the rest of the books as soon as he could this summer. There were quite a few to go through. He had not counted them yet but estimated there were around 40 or 50 books.

His first priority though was to go through the rest of the items in the ornate box. The little box turned out to be a puzzle that he finally figured out last night, which was his first night back at Privet Drive. Harry had found it again in the bottom of his trunk. When he pulled it out and had it resting in his hand, he knew for certain at that point that the box had been calling his name and he was also certain that the voice he was hearing was his mum’s. Holding the little box in his hand close to his ear he could clearly hear the voice saying “Harry, Harry, I love you. This box is for you. Only you can hear my voice. You need to expand the box. It is a 5 compartment trunk. Kiss the box then place it on the floor. We love you, Harry.”

A bit misty after hearing his mum tell him she loves him Harry took a small break to gain his composure back. He then followed the instructions. Harry kissed the box and placed it on the floor. It very quickly grew into a very large trunk still as ornate as it was when small. He opened the first compartment to the trunk and found a note on top that let him know that as long as the trunk was sitting normally when he closes the lid it would shrink back to the small size but if standing on its side it will not shrink when the lid is closed. Harry was not sure why one would stand it on its side but nevertheless he would try to remember that bit of information in case he was missing something. The message was from his parents after all, so it could be important.

There were many items in the trunk and he barely got through the first compartment last night. He found a lot of small items in there including some jewelry, a nice gold pocket watch, and some pictures of his parents which he thoroughly enjoyed. There were some pictures with Sirius in them as well and a few of Remus too. He added the pictures to the leather photo album Hagrid had given him at the end of his first year. He found a couple of pictures that included Peter but he quickly put them aside. Just about everything was too interesting for him to not take his time. He hoped to make a good dent in the items today, starting with the second compartment.

Harry toweled off and put on some clean but baggy clothes. He still was wearing Dudley’s hand me downs that were way too big for him. When he was ready, Harry kissed the box and set it on the floor. The box expanded again and Harry opened the lid and the second compartment. The first thing he saw was what looked like a diary. It had his mum’s name on it so figured it had to be hers. Not wanting to wait he sat back on his bed and began reading his mum’s diary. It began with her first year at Hogwarts. There was a note written on the inside cover that congratulated Lily for being accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, that they hoped this would be useful for Lily to capture important memories, and it was signed “Love, Mum & Dad.” Harry sighed. Here was another set of grandparents Harry had never met and his Aunt Petunia refused to talk about them as well. Harry just wished once someone would be willing to tell him about his family. He often wondered about his parents and his grandparents. He thought how nice it would have been to get to know them all.

He started reading at the front and quickly found that although his mum sounded really intelligent most of the time there were a few pages that were just too girly for Harry. He did not think of his mum that way. When he came across some pages that talked about when she had her first period and then went on to discuss when some of her other friends had their first period, Harry decided that skipping forward was in his best interest at this time. He was not sure when, if ever, he would be comfortable with that subject. Harry was more interested in her older self anyway, especially after she started dating his dad.

Harry was fascinated with the diary. It was almost like she was talking to him with every word he read. He found a few spells written in the margins and some with whole pages devoted to a spell or two. He would definitely have to come back to those. Harry kept reading and was looking at some pages his mum wrote after he was a few months old. He found something very shocking. His mum wrote that Harry at a very early age was showing remarkable magical powers for just a baby. She was certain that Harry not only experienced accidental magic already but would swear that he even exhibited some control at times, such as summoning one of his toys. She decided to discuss with James and they would monitor the little power wizard for a few days. Each day the diary contained a history of magic little Harry was performing with some getting bigger, especially the accidental magic when Harry was either hungry, sleepy, or stressed.

When Harry flipped the page he saw what had shocked him. After his mum and dad talked it over and looked at the evidence over several weeks they decided that they should bind Harry’s magic to prevent possible harm to himself or others. They would not bind it completely but make it so it was safe. When he gets older, and no later than the age of ten, they would remove the bind so he could learn to control the extra power before going to Hogwarts the next year. His mum cast the spell. Since it was a charm, his dad preferred that she do it.

Harry sat there for a while. He wondered if anyone else knew that his parents had bound his magic. He also wondered if it was still bound. After all, his mum and dad were killed when he was just one year old. It was not likely they removed the bind before that point. At school he was often told that he was a powerful wizard and definitely one of the most powerful students there. His magic always seemed to be a bit stronger than the others. Had the binding been removed already? Somehow he must find out for sure if his magic was still bound or not. There had to be a spell that would check it.

Putting the diary aside for a moment, Harry returned to the ornate trunk and began to look for more interesting stuff. He found several more books and wondered why they were in the trunk and not on the shelf with the other books in the vault. After checking them out closely he saw that they were very advanced books on different subjects – transfiguration, charms, defense, arithmancy, ancient runes, alchemy, and even magical creatures.

There were two small books he found very interesting. One was specifically about the subject of human transfiguration while the other addressed the one topic of animagus transformations. All the books were definitely past Newt level. He planned to read them as soon as possible. He hoped he would be able to follow along and that they were not too far over his head. If they were he would simply work his way up using Hogwarts text books. He should have a better grasp after completing the 7th year books.

Of course, he could just ask Hermione to help him. She will want to read them for herself anyway. He would not be surprised if Hermione had not already read and memorized the 7th level text books.

Harry was about to dig further down in the trunk to see if there was anything else down there other than books when he heard the front door downstairs. He quickly put the diary and a few other precious items back in the trunk and shut the lid. He then picked up the small ornate box and put it in his pocket.

“BOY, YOU BETTER HAVE ALL THOSE CHORES DONE OR THERE WILL BE NO MEALS FOR YOU FOR A WEEK,” bellowed Uncle Vernon.

Harry came down the stairs. “Hi guys. Did you have a good time?”

Aunt Petunia and Dudley looked at him like he had a third eyeball. Vernon blinked and shook his head to clear it. “Boy, you stay right there while I go check on your work. I want to see what you did not get done because you will not get fed for a week if all those chores are not finished.”

Harry shrugged his shoulders and said “Alright.”

Vernon walked out the back door. A few minutes later he came back through the house mumbling as he went to the garage. A couple of minutes later he came back in sputtering and stammering. “B…B…Boy there is no way you got all that done without using your m…mag…freakishness.”

Calmly Harry stated, “Uncle Vernon I did not use any magic to do my chores. You know as well as I do that the ministry does not allow underage wizards and witches to use their magic outside of school unless it is a dire emergency. Even then you may still get in trouble. Had I used my magic the ministry would have notified me of the infraction and I would be in trouble right now. There have been no owls from the ministry today because I have not used any magic since I left Hogwarts.”

“But…but…how? It is not possible!” Vernon glared at him.

Harry just had a marvelous idea.

“Okay, Uncle Vernon. Magic was used but not by me. I accidentally…”

“You had one of your freaky friends over while we were out? HOW DARE YOU! You know that I do not allow any of that freakishness in my house.” Vernon was moving toward Harry as he was saying this.

“Uncle Vernon?” Harry said quickly. “I am going to accept your offer.” Vernon stopped and looked confused. “You said if I do not complete all the chores you give me to do then I will not be fed for a week. Well, I am not doing anymore chores so I will not expect any food from you guys for the next week. You can have Dudley do the chores. He could use the exercise.”

“WHY YOU LITTLE FREAK!” yelled Vernon as he approached Harry.

“Dobby?”

Pop!

Dobby appeared in front of Harry. “Dobby is here Master Harry Potter, sir. Dobby is always pleased to help the Great Harry Potter!”

“Aaaaaaieeeeeeeh” screamed Petunia while Dudley was trying to hide his fat self behind one of the chairs in the lounge. Vernon staggered a few steps backwards in shock.

“W…w…what is that thing? That…that creature? Boy, you get that freaky thing out of my house this instant or I will…” cried Vernon while raising his hand as if to strike Harry.

Instantly Vernon found himself stuck to the ceiling where he could not move and a very angry creature had one hand pointed at Vernon, holding him on the ceiling with magic. Vernon blinked a few times. The strange creature seemed to be telling him something.

“…will not be harming the Great Harry Potter. Dobby will not allow it. The big fat oaf will keep his hands off the Great Harry Potter or Dobby will make sure he never touches anything again.”

“Dobby?”

“Yes, Master Harry Potter, sir?”

“Dobby, I have just made a deal with my uncle. If I refuse to do anymore of his chores then he has promised not to provide me with food for a week.” Vernon nearly soiled himself when the creature slowly turned his head back up toward Vernon and gave him the meanest glare Vernon had ever experienced. “I accepted my Uncle’s offer because I was hoping you could provide me with my meals for the summer? Do you think that would be alright with you Dobby?”

“Dobby will be happy to feed the Great Harry Potter for as long as the Great Harry Potter needs him to.”

“Great, Dobby!” said Harry. “You can bring my food straight to my room. That way you do not have to see my relatives again.”

“I told you boy that your freakish friends are not allowed in my house.” Dobby turned back to Vernon again and glared up at him as he was still on the ceiling. Vernon’s body was pressing harder into the ceiling and a few cracks were forming. Vernon looked intently into the creature’s eyes and changed his mind, “Well, I g-guess it would be o-okay if this f-friend brings you food.”

“Thank you, Uncle Vernon. Dobby you can put Uncle Vernon down now.”

“Are you sure Master Harry Potter, sir? He looks like he could stay up there and miss a few meals himself.”

“I’m sure, Dobby. Let him down. It will be okay now.”

Dobby shrugged his shoulders and said “okay.” Vernon promptly fell to the floor in a big crash. All the air was knocked out of him for several seconds.

As Vernon was struggling to get back on his feet and gain control of his breathing again, Harry began the introductions.

“Guys, my friend here is called Dobby and he is a house elf in the magical world. I helped Dobby a couple of years ago out of a bad situation. Ever since then Dobby has been willing to help me. He will not be in the way. The neighbors will never know when he is here. There is special house elf magic that allows him to do whatever he needs to do unnoticed. Here is the deal. You stay out of my way this summer and I will stay out of yours. With Dobby providing my meals we should have minimal interaction in this house. That suits me just fine.”

After Harry looked all three of them in the eyes once to make sure they each understood, he turned to go back upstairs.

“Dobby and I will be going to my room now.”

Dobby waved his hand at the ceiling and the cracks were removed leaving the ceiling looking like new.

The Dursleys just stared at Dobby with their mouths gaping. Either it was due to their first time seeing a house elf, seeing what he did to Vernon, or perhaps it was just due to the fact that Dobby wore very colorful mismatched socks and 4 hats. No one knows for sure.

Harry, with Dobby following, walked back up the stairs to his room. Harry closed the door. “Dobby, can you make it so no one can hear what goes on in my room but I can hear what goes on outside of it?”

“Yes, Master Harry Potter, sir.” Dobby waved his hand and the silencing charm was in place.

“Thank you, Dobby.”

Dobby looked around the room and thought for just a minute. This is where the Great Harry Potter will be spending his summer? The bedroom was tiny. Harry’s bed was too small and lumpy. His desk, if you could call it that, was broken and wobbly along with its chair. There were a lot of broken toys and equipment in one corner of the room. This will just not do thought Dobby, not at all.

In a flurry of motion and magic the room changed. The bedroom was magically expanded to twice its size. The old broken desk was replaced with a very nice large mahogany desk with plenty of room for Harry to work. A very nice leather office chair replaced the old wobbly one. Harry’s bed was transfigured to resemble his nice comfortable bed at Hogwarts. The corner was cleaned up of all the broken toys and equipment. Even the closet was expanded. The room looked completely different.

“Dobby, this is great but what if someone else sees this?” asked Harry.

“Dobby made it so that your mean family, and any other muggle, will only see what was here before. If a magical being sees it then they will see what you see” explained Dobby.

“Incredible,” declared Harry. “Dobby, you are one special friend and can do some amazing magic! I am starting to think I should have called you sooner. You are right handy to have around.”

Dobby stared down at the floor, shuffled his feet nervously, and looked as embarrassed as he felt.

Harry smirked and walked over to his school trunk and pulled out two pairs of different looking socks that used to be his Uncle Vernon’s. Harry mismatched the pairs and walked back over to Dobby, kneeling down in front of the little elf.

Harry placed his hands on Dobby’s shoulders. “Dobby, I’m sorry to embarrass you but I meant every word. I know that you are not used to being complimented, especially after spending so much time in service to that horrible Malfoy family. But Dobby, listen, you are my friend and I compliment my friends when they do something good. Believe me, this is not just good” Harry said, looking around the room, “it’s great!”

Dobby raised his head to look at Harry Potter.

“Dobby, since you will not accept payment from me for your services, I have decided to give you a special gift because of the special gift you just gave me today.” Harry held up the two mismatched pairs of socks to Dobby. Harry explained, “These socks are special. You can use them in a pair like this or you can match up the identical ones to form different pairs.”

“Thank you Master Harry Potter, sir! These are great! Socks are my favorite gift. I do not think I will be matching them up though. That is just not right.”

Harry laughed and said, “Somehow I knew you were going to say that.”

“Master Harry Potter, sir. Dobby will be back at 6:30pm with your dinner. What would the Great Harry Potter like to eat?”

“Surprise me, Dobby. I will eat whatever you bring me. Thanks again Dobby.”

Pop!

oo0O0oo

Harry discovered that there were just more books and some manuscripts left in the second compartment so he opened the third compartment. He found it full of clothes, very nice clothes that looked brand new. A lot of them were robes with the Potter crest on them. They were in several nice colors. He found several pairs of pants, including 5 sets of slacks in various colors like black, navy blue, gray, and forest green. There were also 5 sets of blue jeans, 3 sets of black jeans, a dozen or more long-sleeve button-up and pull-over shirts, some T-Shirts with funny sayings, 2 pairs of dress shoes in black and brown, some deep green dragon-hide boots with matching dragon-hide pants and jacket, 2 new sets of trainers, a dozen pairs of socks, and a dozen sets of boxers.

“That’s a lot of nice clothes. Too bad they are not in my size.”

In the fourth compartment Harry only found one thing – another note. “Harry, this compartment is intentionally left empty so it can be used for whatever else you would want to store in it. However, before you move on to the last compartment you should stand the trunk up vertically on its end and up against a wall, start to open the 5th compartment and the trunk will do the rest.”

Harry did as he was instructed. He stood the trunk on its end up against a wall in his bedroom. He grabbed the 5th compartment lid to open it but when he pulled it the trunk changed into a door and looked just like a door to an adjoining room. Harry opened the door and walked into a nice furnished living room with a comfortable looking sofa and couple of cushy chairs around a large area rug.

He found a lot of bookshelves covering one short wall from floor to ceiling with several books on the shelves as well. There was a small kitchen and dining room off to the left and a hallway to the right with a small loo half way down the hall and two nice bedrooms on each side at the end.

Each bedroom had a queen size bed, two walk-in closets, and a loo with a shower. In one of the bedrooms he found that the closets were completely full of more nice clothing. There were men’s clothing in one closet and women’s clothing in the other. Harry could not believe all the nice furnishings and all the clothes. The space was not cramped at all. It was hard to believe all this was inside one compartment of that trunk.

“I love magic,” he said with a smile.

Harry came back into the dining room and noticed a small item on the table that he missed before. It had a button on it with a note that said “Press the button.” He sat down in one of the dining chairs, then slowly but carefully pressed the button. Two full-sized images of his mum and dad suddenly appeared before him. Harry jumped up from his chair and stood there staring. “Mum? …Dad?”

“Hi Harry, I bet you look handsome,” his mum said. She was looking right at him.

“Yeah, Harry. I bet you are handsome because you certainly inherited all my good looks,” Lily elbowed James in the side. “Of course you got your mum’s beautiful eyes,” he quickly added. His dad was looking right at him as well.

“Nice save James, but we need to get down to business. Harry, I wish we could really talk to you and give you the biggest hug but if you are seeing this memory that means we are no longer there for you. I am so sorry sweetie. I promise you that your dad and I did everything possible to prevent this from happening. We were in great danger and obviously something must have gone horribly wrong in all our plans if we did not make it. I am quite sure though that Sirius took really good care of you. You guys are so inseparable these days, especially when he’s in his animagus form. You and Snuffles are real pals.”

“Harry, same goes from me,” his dad said. “We planned well I thought so I am not sure what could have happened. Your mum is right, though. You and your godfather are like two peas in a pod. I am sure growing up with Sirius was not too bad even though I wish I was really standing next to you right now, kiddo. There is so much we could have done together, father and son, Potters through and through to the end.”

“Okay, James, stop getting mushy. Potter, Potter, hoo-rah,” Lily said with a smile. “We both would have loved to see you grow up and be there for you, Harry, because we love you with all our heart. However, there is a lot we need to share with you in this memory. We will go over the trunk in finer detail to make sure you fully understand all of its functionality. We will also give you a guided tour of this little hide-away explaining how everything works with the kitchen appliances, loos, etc. Basically it’s all magic but we will explain it better and tell you why we have it and its intended use.”

“That’s just cracking the surface, sonny boy.” Harry’s focus switched to his dad. “I will also be telling you about your ancestral home and how you get there. Of course, there are more properties owned by the Potter Trust but we will not get into those for now. We will concentrate on getting to Potter Place first. The rest of the properties can come later.”

“Back to me, Harry” his mum said. “Let’s go to one of the bedrooms. Follow me.” Harry followed his parents into the bedroom with the closets full of clothes. “Harry, this is the bedroom your dad and I were going to use. You will find the closets full of nice clothes. You can wear any of them that you want.”

His dad threw in “You might not want to wear any of your mum’s clothes.”

“Very funny, James, but I am sure he knows that already. Harry, all the clothes in this trunk, including the ones hanging in the closets and the extras in the 3rd compartment are all spelled to auto-adjust the fit when you put them on. I am quite good with charms, you see. If you can use any of them feel free. They are all brand new. I am sure you know by now that the Potters are very well off. I was not raised poor as my parents did quite well but compared to the Potters we were broke.”

“As Potters, we do not flaunt it but we do take advantage of it and enjoy it as much as we can” his dad added. “In the end, money can always be replaced. Friends and family, and the ones we love, are the precious, irreplaceable items.”

“Don’t I know it,” Harry said.

“Your dad bought me all those clothes in my closet. There are a lot of nice ball gowns and robes in there that some pretty girl you fancy might want to use on occasion,” his mum said with a wink. “Your girlfriend could use some of the jewelry in the first compartment that you should have found already, but the really nice stuff is in the Potter family vault which you cannot access until you are an adult. Don’t worry though, it will be well worth the wait,” she said with a smile.

After James and Lily had explained to Harry all about the trunk and its uses, James asked Harry to pause the memory (by pushing the button twice). Next, he wanted Harry to go back out and get the pocket watch found in the 1st compartment, bring it back in and start the memory rolling again.

With his parents’ memory paused, Harry left out of the room/trunk and went to his school trunk where he had put the pocket watch. He was thinking about using it as his own watch. Harry was not sure what his dad wanted to show him with it but he felt a bit of excitement coming on. While he was getting the watch out of his trunk, Dobby appeared with his dinner.

“Hi, Dobby, is it time to eat already?” Harry’s stomach growled and he realized just how hungry he really was. He hadn’t even thought about food for a while. He had been very distracted and was quite happy about it.

“Dobby has brought the Great Harry Potter his dinner.”

“Have you eaten Dobby? I would love it if you would join me for dinner. I am sure you brought plenty for both of us.”

“But Dobby is a house elf, sir.”

“I know you are a house elf but why does that matter?”

“The Great Harry Potter is a wizard, a very great wizard. No wizard has ever asked Dobby, or any other house elf Dobby knows, to sit down and eat with him before.”

“Really? That’s odd. Well, it’s about time then isn’t it? Dobby, you may be a house elf and I may be a wizard but no matter what we are still friends, correct?”

“Yes, Harry Potter is Dobby’s greatest friend.”

“Okay, so as my friend I am asking you to join me for dinner. I am not asking you as a wizard to a house elf but I am asking you as your friend. Do you accept?”

Dobby paused for only a second. “Yes, Harry Potter, sir. Dobby will be pleased to eat dinner with the Great Harry Potter.”

Harry and Dobby enjoyed a great dinner that included some of Harry’s favorites – Shepherd’s Pie and Treacle Tart for dessert.

When done, Harry asked Dobby a question. “Dobby, see that door over there? I created that with a trunk I found in my Gringotts vault. Can you make it so that it is not noticeable by anyone, except me?”

“Yes, Harry Potter, sir. Dobby will make it so only you can see the door.” Dobby waved his hand at the door and cast the spell.

“Thank you Dobby. Thank you for dinner and thanks for eating with me. Tomorrow I will not need breakfast. I am going to be up late working on something so I will sleep in tomorrow morning and will not need you to bring me food until lunch. Okay?”

“Yes, Harry Potter, sir. Dobby will see you at lunch.” Dobby left with a pop and all the dirty dishes went with him leaving a very clean room.

After letting Hedwig out for the night, Harry hurried back into the room/trunk with his pocket watch in hand. Going back to the table Harry pressed the button to continue the memory.

James started. “Harry, now that you have the pocket watch I need to tell you a secret. That is no ordinary watch. Yes, it functions just fine as a watch but it is also a portkey, a very special portkey. That watch is a Potter portkey. It will take you to the Potter ancestral home which is called ‘Potter Place.’ Once there you will learn about your heritage, be able to speak to your ancestors via their portraits, receive all kinds of help on anything you want to know or do, and you will be able to do all sorts of amazing things. The house and lands are protected by various charms and wards of the strongest nature. The house and lands are also unplottable. You can perform underage magic there without fear of the ministry finding out. I do not want to tell you much more. I think it would be best to have you go there and let our family fill in the blanks. The head house elf should still be there although she is quite old. Her name is Mattie. She will take care of you. She met you when you were a baby and even changed your nappy a few times. I am sure she will be happy to see you.”

“Yes, she will Harry,” his mum cut in. “She fell in love with you the first time she laid eyes on you. Mattie is the sweetest house elf but she knows her stuff so rely on her. She has taken care of the house and helped raise many Potter children. She will be able to catch you up to speed at Potter Place.”

“One last thing, Harry, before I show you how to operate the watch.” His dad looked worried. “I just realized while your mum and I were getting this ready for you that if we are dead then that means you are the last of the Potters. Harry, I do not want to put any pressure on you but I must insist that you take very good care of yourself, that you marry a beautiful and talented witch (she will probably have red hair), and that you have lots of Potter babies. It would be a major tragedy if the Potter name died out. You will understand better what I am talking about once you have been to Potter Place. The Potters have played a very important role in the history of magic in this country. A lot will be lost if our name dies out. Take care of yourself, Harry. I love you.”

“I agree Harry,” his mum said. “You may not know it but the wizarding world owes a lot to the Potter family. It is up to you to keep up the tradition. We know you can do it sweetie. I love you.”

“Okay, James, tell him what he needs to know about the watch. We have to wrap this up.”

“Right, Harry, let me show how the portkey works. Each Potter location has a phrase that you utter to go there. For instance, to get to Potter Place you merely need to hold the watch in the palm of your hand and say “Legends of Potter” but don’t say it yet as I am not done. Get Mattie to help you so you can learn all the locations. The watch is also capable to learn additional locations. If you wanted to add the location you are at now then you could do that. However, Simon or my dad is better at explaining it than I am and they can actually interact with you while we can’t since this is a memory.”

“Who is Simon?” Harry asked.

James smiled, “I bet you asked who Simon is, right? Simon is your great-grandfather, several greats to be exact. I forget how many greats it actually is but he goes back quite a ways. He was one of the most knowledgeable and best teachers of all the Potters, not to mention extremely powerful. His portrait can be found in the library. If you have a question he is the best person to ask. If he cannot help you then he will know who can. Also, don’t forget to visit your grandparents’ portraits in the study. My mum and dad will not only be ecstatic to see you but they will be very helpful to you. Dad was an unspeakable and mum was a healer. They can answer a lot of questions and teach you many helpful things. You got all that, Sport?”

Lily spoke up, “Oh, Harry, I almost forgot. If you have not read my diary yet then you should definitely read it. I wrote down some good spells in there, mostly charms. They should be very useful to you. Also, you need to know that we bound your magic when you were just a few months old. All this is explained in the diary as well. You were a very powerful little baby so we did it to protect you from hurting yourself or anyone else. We had plans to undo the bind no later than the age of ten so you could have a year to adjust to the extra power before attending Hogwarts. We were going to have you spend a lot of time at Potter Place after that so you could use your magic and adjust to the extra power. You need to know that as of this time when we made this memory your magic is still bound. Since we are not around you will need to ask your grandpa or Simon to help you determine if you are still bound and how to remove it. It could be that Professor Dumbledore noticed it already and removed it for you. However, I am sure you would have noticed if he did. Given the amount of raw magical power you were showing at such a young age, unbinding it should cause a big surge within you that you will feel and notice. I am certain of that. You will likely have to lie down for a while once it is unbound. Good luck, sweetie.”

“Harry, this memory is coming to a close,” his dad said. “We wish you all the best and want you to know that we have done this so no matter what happens you can come out on top. Potter Place is now yours. It will be a safe haven if you need it and a place to learn as much as you are willing to learn. Take advantage of it.”

Harry’s parents stood next to each other with his dad’s arm on his mum’s shoulders and her arm around his waist. They said together in perfect harmony, “Harry, always remember that we love you.” They smiled and disappeared.

Harry sunk down on his knees and cried harder than he as ever remembered. That was the longest amount of time he had ever seen his parents and it was a glimpse into how wonderful it could have been. He so wished they were with him now.

When Harry could not cry anymore he went into the loo to wash his face and clean up. He then went out of the room/trunk back into his bedroom. He got out the new clothes and put on a pair of his new boxers. He liked the fit. He put on a black pair of slacks and socks along with a gray button-up shirt. He put on the black dress shoes and one of the black Potter robes. Grabbing his wand and saying goodbye to Hedwig who had come back in, Harry pulled out the pocket watch and gripped it in his hand.

“Legends of Potter” and Harry was gone.

Chapter Two – Potter Place

Harry noticed that he did not feel the pull behind his naval like his other travels by portkey but nonetheless he knew he was moving from one place to another. That was obvious, especially when he saw his bedroom at Privet Drive disappear and then he reappeared in a nice room with walls made of finely decorated wood. They were of a reddish-brown color. Not too light and not too dark he thought, but a very nice brown. He quickly noticed on one wall, the one he was facing when he arrived, there was a life-sized, full-bodied portrait of a man. He did not notice any door to exit the room.

“Hello there, young man! Whom may I say is calling?” Harry noticed the middle-aged man in the picture had black untidy hair much like his own, although his eyes were a light blue. Taking a good look at Harry’s face and eyes, he stammered “Oh my.” Shaking himself, the man in the portrait stood up straighter and said “My name is Andrew Alan Potter and if I’m not mistaken your name would be Harry James Potter. Correct?”

“Yes,” said Harry. “Did you say your name was Andrew Potter?”

“Yes, my dear boy. I happen to be your great, great, great, great grandfather and I am most pleased to see you again. Of course, the last time you were here you were just a baby. Perhaps we can share a better conversation this time around? Not that you weren’t talkative last time, it’s just you were not very easy to understand; at least it was difficult for me. Your mother Lily seemed to understand you just fine though. You would jabber away and she seemed to know everything you were saying,” he smiled at Harry.

Harry gave him a big grin. “Grandfather?”

“Now, we will have none of that, Harry. You will find a lot of grandfathers in this house so you will need to stick with first names to keep down the confusion. I assure you, it will be perfectly alright with the others as well. Although, you may want to call your dad’s parents Grandpa and Grandma. I am sure they would get a kick out of that.”

“Okay, Andrew. It is very nice to finely meet you and talk to you. I have wanted so badly to meet my family so this is a very special occasion for me.”

Andrew smiled and nodded.

“Can you tell me what room this is, Andrew?”

“Yes, of course, Harry. This is the Receiving Room. Anyone who apparates here, takes a floo here, or takes a portkey here lands in this room. I make sure they are meant to be here and if so I announce their arrival. It is not a good place to be if you do not belong here but I will not get into that now. Across the hall is the Leaving Room. My wife, who is your great, great, great, great-grandmother, Carolyn Anne Potter, oversees that room. Be sure to go by and see her.”

“Now, hold on to your hat Harry. I am about to announce you and I am positive there will be a lot of excited portraits and house elves after I do. Have no fear though. We are all family here.”

“Thanks, Andrew.”

Andrew left his portrait for a few seconds and returned.

About the same time as Andrew’s return, a door appeared where there was not one before and an elderly elf approached Harry. She was dressed in a very nice uniform with the Potter crest proudly displayed on the front left breast area of the black dress jacket she had on. She was also wearing a grey skirt and a white jumper. She had the biggest smile on her face. Harry could hear quite a few voices coming through the now open door. They sounded excited.

“Young Master Harry, it is so nice to see you again. Why you are practically grown. You were just a tiny baby when I last saw you. James and Lily were so proud of you and loved you so much. I miss them terribly still…”

“…My apologies, Master Harry, for my reminiscing. My name is Mattie. I am the head elf for the Potters and I am at your service. You are the last of the Potters and sole owner of everything Potter. I will help you as much as I can to learn what you need to learn in your new role. You are obviously a Potter through and through so I am positive you will do just fine.”

“Mattie,” Harry responded, “it is so nice to meet you. I must insist that you call me Harry, just Harry. There is no need to call me master.”

“Harry, I will be honored to call you by just your first name. You are a credit to your Potter heritage. The Potters always treated the house elves as favorite employees instead of servants. I see you are no different. However, there will be times when it will not be appropriate for me to address you as such. I will have to address you formally like before or in some cases even more formally. I will know when those times come so do not think anything wrong of me when I do. Just know that I am doing what is needed at the appropriate time. I will return to our less formal address you have granted me when that time has passed. Do you understand?”

“I cannot think of a time when it would not be appropriate for you to use just my name but you are much wiser than I am so I will trust your judgment during those times you feel I should be addressed formally. I am sure there will be much more I will need to learn besides the ‘appropriate times’ you mention and I am sure you are quite capable of teaching me what I need to know.”

“I will do my best Harry” Mattie said smiling.

Harry smiled back. He knew he was going to like Mattie very much and not just because his parents had praised her. “My parents mentioned you in a memory they left me, the same memory that taught me how to get here. They spoke very highly of you and apparently were very fond of you. I can see now why.”

“James and Lily were the best. It is tragic what happened,” Mattie replied looking a little sad.

Mattie quickly changed the uncomfortable subject. “There I go again. Harry, are you ready for a tour of Potter Place? There are many elves and portraits anxious to see you.”

“Yes,” said Harry. “My parents also mentioned that I needed to talk to Simon in the Library and I believe they said my dad’s parents were in the Study. There are a couple of things that I need to have them help me with.”

“Yes, Simon and your immediate grandparents can be very helpful to you. I will be sure to introduce you when we get to the Study and the Library. We will see all the elves first in the Banquet Hall. It is nearby. Then you can see a few portraits on the way to the Study and Library.”

“Thank you.”

“Follow me, please.”

Harry followed Mattie out of the Receiving Room and into a rather large hallway. To his right it opened up into a very large room. Across the way was another door to the Leaving Room.

“Oh, let me say hello to Carolyn while I am here. I will just be a minute.”

“Sure, Harry. Take your time.”

Harry quickly met Carolyn who was very happy and pleased that Harry stopped by to say hello. He spent about a minute with her and came back out to a waiting Mattie.

Mattie led him into the large room where he met 20 other elves. They all appeared very excited to see him.

“Hello,” said Harry. “I did not realize there would be so many of you. But, nevertheless, I am so pleased to make all of your acquaintances.” All the elves grinned at him. “This place must be a lot bigger than I thought to need this many elves. Elves are so efficient so Potter Place has to be huge.” The compliment was not lost on any of the elves, including Mattie who smiled.

“You are correct, Harry. Potter Place is rather large and its lands are quite large as well. We need all of these elves just to take care of the manor and the lands. It is not as big as Hogwarts but other manors most anywhere would have to say “they are not as big as Potter Place.”

“I see,” said Harry. “I suppose introductions are in order?

After all the introductions were done with the house elves, Harry checked with Mattie to make sure they all understood about “appropriate times” and when given the go ahead he made sure they were all comfortable with calling him Harry. He made some big impressions on all the elves when he insisted on that.

Harry also learned that some of the elves worked outside a good bit with the lands and animals and that Potter Place is self-sufficient, providing meat, eggs, and vegetables from the grounds. An elf called Jojo was pointed out as the one in charge of the livestock, which included horses, cows, sheep, and goats.

According to Mattie, this part of the estate actually made a good profit. The horses were bred and some sold periodically for a great deal of money. They had a few quality stock horses. They also had quarter-horses that were used around Potter Place. Most of the quarter-horses originally came from the U.S, and most of those from a large ranch in the state of Texas. They occasionally sold a quarter-horse for profit but not as often as they sold thoroughbreds which are quite expensive. Some of the thoroughbreds were originally imported from Kentucky, a state in the U.S. known for its racing horses. Their breeding stock was second to none Jojo told him.

The cows were bred and used for beef at Potter Place as well as sold for beef to the market. Sheep provided wool to the market and the goats, a more recent edition, provided milk to a special market whose demand appeared to be growing. Harry was also told that there were plenty of chickens tended to as well. They provided eggs and poultry for Potter Place.

Another elf took care of the garden that provided fresh vegetables for the meals. There were plenty of produce so it was sold to the market as well. Any other meat they needed for Potter Place such as pork was acquired through trade.

Harry found it amusing that the biggest market Potter Place had was Hogwarts. All this time at school and he never knew he was eating his own meat and vegetables. Since these kinds of dealings with food were dealt with by the elves only, Potter Place was able to continue providing beef and produce to the school without interruption. The witches and wizards of Hogwarts and other businesses they sold to, such as restaurants, normally left it entirely up to the trusted elves that had a budget to purchase food items; therefore, they did not know where the elves bought the food so Potter Place remained hidden.

The market for wool existed in both Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade where the clothing shops like Madam Malkin’s bought the wool to make their clothes. Mattie kept track of the profits and expenses. Harry decided that he would have to take a look at the lands tomorrow. He hoped he would be allowed to ride one of the horses.

Mattie continued with Harry through the manor giving him the grand tour. The Banquet Hall where he met the elves was massive, as large if not bigger, than the Great Hall at Hogwarts. There was another room off of the Banquet Hall equally as large that was used for Balls and dancing. It included a raised stage at one end for live entertainment.

Harry met a lot of relatives in portraits as he travelled through the manor. It was getting late so he made sure they all knew he would come back to visit when there was more time available. He basically just said hello and had them introduce themselves to him so he could keep moving.

The kitchen was extremely large with a small table that would seat 6 in one corner next to a window. There was a dining room next to the kitchen which was entered through large swinging doors marked IN and OUT to prevent accidents during busy times. He imagined it was for normal and/or guest use. Although much smaller than the Banquet Hall the dining room itself was quite large with seating for two dozen people easy. He noted the size of the room allowed for expansion of the table to seat more if needed.

They finally made it to the Study where Harry was introduced to his grandparents. The Study contained a large desk, several pieces of nice furniture, some comfortable looking sofas and chairs, and a nice fireplace. He was surprised to see that his grandfather had hair much like his own and his grandmother had long dark-red hair. His grandfather had hazel eyes and his grandmother had brown eyes. His grandmother was very beautiful. “Hello Grandpa and Grandma! I have been waiting for as long as I can remember to get to meet you. Finally, at last! I realize that you are not the real thing and I missed out on that but I think magical portraits are the next best thing and I will take that over the nothing I have had for so many years.”

Harry’s grandparents turned toward each other and smiled. His Grandma said to his Grandpa “Did you hear that? He called us Grandpa and Grandma. Isn’t that the best sound you have ever heard?”

“Indeed, my dear, it is. My ears have never been so happy after all these years.” He turned back to Harry and said, “Harry, my name is Henry James Potter and I am, as you already know, your grandfather. We are so proud of our son James and your mother Lily for giving us you. We are definitely not the real thing but our portraits are of the highest possible quality, so we are as close to the real thing as you can get.”

“Sweetie, my name is Elizabeth Marion Potter and I, of course, am your grandmother. I am so pleased to see you again. If I could exit the picture and give you a big hug and kiss nothing would hold me back,” she said with tears in her eyes. “You can call me Elizabeth, Liz, Beth, or even Marion but if you want to continue to call me Grandma, I can guarantee you will never do anything wrong in my eyes.”

“Same goes for me, son” his grandfather chimed in. “I do like the sound of Grandpa.”

Harry’s Grandma continued where she left off. “You were only a baby last time but what a handsome boy you have become, just like your father. Oh, and those beautiful green eyes from Lily make you quite the catch. I bet you are real popular with the girls” she said with a wink.

Harry smiled and blushed.

“Your grandpa here was an unspeakable and he still has a portrait in the Department of Mysteries at the Ministry of Magic because they like to have his help on things. Because of that we know all about what happened to Sirius and that you had to go live with your Aunt Petunia. Now, don’t get us wrong because we love Lily with all our hearts but that poor dear had the misfortune to have a sister and brother-in-law that are absolutely worthless. I do hope you were not treated too badly while in their care.”

“Well, Grandma, I can’t say it has been a great time but recently we came to a mutual agreement between us that will keep us both out of each other’s hair. As a matter of fact that is one of the reasons I needed to talk to you guys and Simon. I have some questions that my parents said you and Simon could help sort out. Would that be okay? Could you guys help with a few issues?”

“Harry you look a little thin but otherwise appear healthy. Do your questions have anything to do with healing?”

“No, Grandma. No healing questions for now.”

“Then I will just sit back and stay out of the way while you chat with your Grandpa.”

“Thanks, Grandma.”

“You’re welcome, dear”

“Harry, fire away I will help you in any way that I can. If we need Simon we will get his help as well. What can I do for you? All you need to do is ask” his Grandpa said smiling.

“Okay, Grandpa, here goes.” Harry paused then yawned real big. It was late and he was getting very tired. “Sorry about that. I have not been sleeping well and I’ve had a rather busy day.”

“Perhaps you should go to bed and we can pick this back up tomorrow, Harry. Mattie has a room all ready for you, right Mattie?”

“That I do Henry. Young Harry can sleep in the Master suite and get himself a very nice rest tonight. I had Lucy get it ready.”

“Thanks, Mattie, you are very thoughtful but these things cannot wait until tomorrow. I have to get them figured out before I can rest. I will have to return to my Aunt and Uncle’s by lunch and hopefully I will be able to work it out with your help so that I can stay here and not have to go back.”

“I see,” said Grandpa. “Let’s get to work then so you can get some rest.”

“First,” said Harry, “since I have to return tomorrow before lunch I was wondering if I could get help with the watch to add my bedroom at Privet Drive to the portkeys? Second, my mum told me in the memory they left me that when I was just a few months old they bound my magic because I was having big accidental magic bursts. They were afraid I would hurt myself or others accidentally. They did not bind it completely but they had plans to unbind it no later than the age of 10 so I could have a year to adjust to the extra power before starting Hogwarts. They were going to have me stay over here a bit that year so I could practice my magic without detection. It is fairly certain that my parents never got a chance to unbind my magic since they were murdered when I was only a year old.”

“I am not certain if Professor Dumbledore discovered it and may have reversed it already but my mum said that when it’s reversed she is sure I will have to lie down for a while to recover. Dumbledore may have or Madame Pomfrey may have during one of the times I was injured and unconscious in the hospital wing but I do not recall any time when I was conscious that I felt anything like that. So, what I want to know is how to check to see if my magic is still bound.”

“Lastly, in order for me to stay here, I need help with how to make my relatives think I am still there this summer. In addition, should Dumbledore, my friends, or anyone else that comes to visit me show up at the house I will need to be alerted so I can portkey back to my bedroom there and pretend I have always been there. I am not ready yet to let anyone else know of Potter Place. Can you help with these items?”

“Certainly Harry. Not a problem. I would like to consult Simon on some of this though to get his opinion. He is right handy with these kinds of things and often knows the best and quickest way to solve issues. Tell you what, have Mattie take you to the Library which is right next door and I will meet you over there. You can be introduced to Simon and we will work together quickly to solve your problems so you can get some rest.”

“Okay, Grandpa. Shall we head next door to the Library Mattie?”

“Follow me.”

While they were heading to the Library, Mattie told Harry that she could tell him all the places and phrases to the different Potter houses that he can access via the watch. She suggested they do that tomorrow or another day when he was not so tired. Harry readily agreed to wait.

The Library was quite large. The bookshelves were from floor to ceiling which was at least 2 stories tall. There were rows and rows of bookshelves throughout the room. Every single one was loaded with books. Hermione would be in heaven here. On one prominent wall overseeing all the books was a large portrait of a middle-aged man, obviously a Potter with black hair and grey eyes. His hair was a bit longer and in a ponytail which made it lay down correctly instead of sticking up at odd angles like Harry’s. Harry’s grandpa had joined Simon in his rather large frame and was already filling him in on Harry’s problems.

Simon saw Harry and Mattie enter the Library so he turned toward Harry and greeted him. “Harry, it is my pleasure to finally meet you. I have heard some great things about you and I have no doubt they are all true. I am Simon Ignotus Potter, your great, great, great, great, great, great, great grandfather.”

“The pleasure is all mine Simon. You do not know how long I have waited to be with my real family, to get to know them, and spend time with them. I am honored to make your acquaintance. My parents spoke highly of you in a memory they left me.”

“Yes, I spoke often with James and Lily. We shared a lot of information with each other. Your mum even consulted me on binding your magic because she wanted to make sure she left you a normal amount to use while growing up. I understand that you are not sure if your magic is still bound and would like to find out.”

“Yes.”

“Okay, but before we go further there is something we need to take care of first. When you go back to your Aunt’s house you may need to use magic so we are going to make sure you have a wand you can use that the Ministry cannot trace.”

“Mattie, can you pop back to the Study and grab the box of wands for us?”

Mattie popped out, was gone for a few seconds, and popped back in holding an ornate wooden box. She placed it on the small table next to Harry.

“Thank you, Mattie. Harry, inside this box are all the wands we were able to hang on to through the years. They were the wands of your grandfathers, grandmothers, uncles, aunts, etc. In all of these Potter wands hopefully you will be able to find one that will be a good substitute for your current chosen one. If so, you will be able to use it when away from Potter Place and your magic will not be detected. It will be quite handy until you are of age and can use your own wand without worry. Open the box. Only a Potter can open it. It is locked with a very strong blood ward.”

Harry reached over and opened the lid on the box. It was not even locked.

Simon spoke up. “There was never any doubt about you being a Potter, Harry, but if there happened to be any doubt, that just proved you’re a Potter and removed any possible case for doubt.”

“How so?” asked Harry. “The box was not even locked.”

“Close the lid Harry and I will show you.” Harry closed the lid.

“Mattie, you open the box,” said Simon.

Mattie gave it her best try but she could not open the box. She then stepped back beside Harry. Harry walked up to the box again and he opened it without any effort. It appeared to not even be locked to Harry.

“Blood ward, Harry. Only a Potter can open that box. Got it?”

“I’m impressed” said Harry.

“Okay, that lesson is over” said Simon. “Let’s have you try some wands and find one that will work almost as well as your own. Start with Henry’s since he is closest to you then try Elizabeth’s. They are all labeled in their separate holders. Too bad we do not have James or Lily’s wands. I believe they might have been destroyed with the house. Otherwise we would start there. Typically the closest relatives work best, but not always.”

Harry looked in the box and saw that it was much larger internally than it was externally. The wands were all held in separate holders that were labelled with user name and description of the wand.

“There is an expansion charm on the inside to accommodate all the wands” noted Henry. “Any new wands that are added to the box will automatically be given their own space.”

“The box detects the owner and wand description then creates the label based on that info so you know the core, length, and wood used just by reading the label” added Simon.

Harry was getting a few sparks from his Grandparents wands but nothing like he gets from his own. Simon had him keep trying each time going further back to a more distant relative with about the same or less success. Finally Simon had an idea. “Harry, I have an idea. You are not having much luck and this is taking a lot of time. Your magic was bound and may still be. If so that would mean you are likely a very powerful wizard. I was a very powerful wizard in my day and never met anyone with as much power as myself. I am not bragging, just being honest. I would like you to find my wand and give it a wave.”

“Good idea, Simon” said Henry.

Harry looked further back in the box until he found the wand marked as Simon’s. The label read:

Owner: Simon Ignotus Potter
Wood: Holly
Length: 12 inches
Core: Dragon Heartstring

Harry pulled it out and it felt very warm in his hand. He gave it a wave and sparks flew out just like his own wand. Harry smiled and turned toward a long aisle and cast a spell.

“Expecto Patronum”

A large white stag erupted from the wand and ran down the aisle before turning back and walking back to Harry. It stood there for a minute looking down at Harry for direction before fading away.

Henry said, “Oh my word, Simon, did you see that? Harry is not quite 15 and he can cast a patronus like that? That is incredible Harry!”

“Yes,” said Simon. “That was one impressive patronus. I believe your dad’s animagus was a stag?”

“Yes, I suppose that is why my Patronus is as well.”

“When did you first learn to produce a full corporeal patronus, Harry?” asked Simon.

When I was 13, in my third year, there were a lot of Dementors at Hogwarts searching for Sirius who had escaped from Askaban. They affected me greatly. I would always hear my mum screaming and see the green light of the killing curse from Voldemort as he killed her and that same light coming at me when he tried to kill me as well. Professor Remus Lupin who taught defense that year taught me the spell so I can fight them off. It really came in handy when I had to save Sirius from about a hundred Dementors. My patronus was able to drive them off before they could perform the kiss and suck out his soul. I could not let that happen to my godfather. Besides, he’s innocent.”

“13, huh? Now I am really impressed” said Simon. “I was 16 before I was able to produce a full corporeal patronus and driving off 100 Dementors is no small feat. I expect we will hear of great things from our very young, but very powerful, Harry Potter” he said to Henry. “If your magic is still bound then I think we are going to be in for one big surprise.”

“Okay, next issue” said Henry. “Harry let’s detect if you are bound while we are on the subject and if you are then we will remove it just before you go to bed. Sound like a good plan?”

“Yes, that makes sense. I am anxious to know whether or not my magic is still bound but since it will make me tired to remove the binding then we should do that last. I am already tired.”

Henry started. “Harry, the charm to reveal what spells have been cast on you and still remain is Specialis Revelio Corporis. Specialis Revelio can be used to reveal magic on an object such as a book but adding Corporis to it signifies it is to reveal any magic cast on a person. You can cast this charm on yourself without issue. This is good since we have no other witches or wizards here to help us out with the casting. Mattie please provide Harry with a full length mirror he can stand in front of to see what the spell reveals. We will see as well and help you, Harry.”

Mattie waved her hand and a full length mirror appeared for Harry to use. Harry stood in front of it and cast the spell on himself. In the mirror he saw some items come into focus. Around his scar was a green color but it was unidentified as to what it was. Near his heart was a red color labeled with the word “BOUND” and near that was a yellow color labeled “TRACKING.”

Harry was speechless.

Simon spoke up. “Harry, it looks like you have 3 pieces of magic still applied to you. Unfortunately, there is nothing we can do right now about the green one attached near your scar. We will definitely be researching that one. We know the circumstances and how you received the scar so we can research it I think without needing any extra input from you. However, if we come up with any questions about it we will ask. Until then do not trouble yourself about it. You were hit with a killing curse and lived. I would be more surprised if nothing showed up. However, on the other two we can definitely remove those. We know your mum cast the binding on your magic but who put the tracking charm on you?”

“My best guess would be Professor Dumbledore. Other than that it could be a disaster in waiting. Is there a way to reveal who cast it?”

“Yes,” Henry said, “but you cannot cast that spell on yourself. It will require a very knowledgeable witch or wizard to cast that successfully. At any rate, it is not that important. We know you have a tracking charm that is there without your consent. I can show you the spell to remove it and that will be that. You are pretty safe if it’s Dumbledore but if an enemy has cast it on you it needs to be removed right away. You can always run the Specialis Revelio Corporis spell at any time to see if you are being tracked again.