The Only One
by Roff

Chapter One

I had just completed my fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, a magical boarding school located in Scotland. I was now back at home with my relatives, the Dursleys, a situation that left me feeling nauseated at best and desperately angry at the worst.

Normally, I would have rather stayed at Hogwarts or with one of my friends for the summer instead of going home to my relatives but this year it was different. You see, I screwed up. I fell for a trick played on me by the dark wizard Voldemort. I've known for a long time that he wanted to kill me but no one bothered to enlighten me as to why until a few days ago.

That had to be the worst day of my life and believe me I've had some doozies. Just prior to the nice chat I shared with Professor Dumbledore, my school's Headmaster, I'd led five of my friends to the Ministry of Magic and into the Department of Mysteries to save my godfather from Voldemort who was torturing him, according to the vision I had anyway.

The only problem was my godfather Sirius Black did not need saving. He wasn't even there. It was all a trick by Lord Voldemort who put images into my head to convince me to go to the Ministry and retrieve a prophecy made about the two of us. We ran into about a dozen of his Death Eaters and fought them all over the Department of Mysteries before the Order of the Phoenix showed up to save us.

Sirius was leading the Order when they arrived, anxious to save me from my own stupidity. All my friends were injured, some very seriously, during our fight with the Death Eaters. If it weren't for the Order showing up we likely would have all been killed and it would have been my fault just like it was my fault that Sirius had to come and save me from myself.

Unfortunately, his own cousin, Bellatrix Lestrange, killed Sirius and he fell through the Veil of Death when her spell hit him. I caught up with her in the Ministry Atrium and tried to punish her for it but I didn't have what it takes to follow through with it. Fortunately, for her, she was saved by Voldemort who showed up and told me I had to mean it before those kinds of spells would work. Unfortunately, for him, Dumbledore showed up and took on the dark lord for me.

They pretty much fought to a standstill and Voldemort managed to possess me for a bit to try and get the upper hand. It didn't work because I figured out if he can send images to me then I could send images to him, especially when he's already inside my head. I picked some good ones I knew he wouldn't like and shared with him all the love I had for Sirius and my friends.

He left pretty quickly after that.

Even though the aurors arrived with Minister Fudge, he managed to get away and he took his favorite Death Eater, Bellatrix, with him to places unknown. Dumbledore sent my friends and me back to Hogwarts and to Madame Pomfrey to get us patched up. He met with me in his office when he arrived back at the castle.

Even though the prophecy I picked up was smashed during the fight Dumbledore told me what it said. Turns out, he was the one the prophecy was given to when it was made. After I heard it, and he explained that he believed it meant that I am the only one who can kill Voldemort, I trashed his belongings the best I could when my magic lashed out all over his office everywhere, except at him.

I was so angry with him for keeping this secret from me, for not telling me that Voldemort could trick me like that. If I had known, I could have avoided going to the Ministry and getting Sirius killed. Dumbledore had a lot of fancy instruments and silver trinkets all over his office. I doubt I left one fully functional. The odd part was he just sat there all calm and collected and let me destroy his office and belongings.

His calm demeanor just upset me more so I left and stormed out of his office when I ran out of items to break. I was afraid I would go too far and attack him. I was that upset and now, as I understand it, I have to kill Voldemort since I'm the only one who can do it. Either that or I'll be killed by him.

Perfect.

When Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, and Dudley picked me up at Kings Cross they took one look at my face after I sat down in the back seat of the car and promptly ignored me all the way home. They knew something was wrong but they decided not to be interested. That was just fine with me. I wasn't in the mood for talking or dealing with them anyway. I swore to myself that if they call me freak one time before we got home I was going to curse them all to oblivion. Maybe we would all die in a car crash if I did. Their deaths would be justified and my suffering would be over.

Trouble is I didn't really want them dead. I've never liked them because of the way they abused me all my life or at least since coming to live with them when I was 15 months old. Having them die was not my wish. Never living with them again would work for me just fine though. I could only think of one person and his followers that I wished would die. Oh yeah, I had no problem wishing for his death and his number one follower was of particular interest to me.

For the next few days, besides showers, bathroom breaks, and only a little food, I stayed in my room thinking about the prophecy. Oh occasionally my owl Hedwig would nip my fingers to get my attention and insist I talk to her but other than that I concentrated on the prophecy and figuring out what it really means. Prophecies are notorious for being vague and usually it isn't until after it's fulfilled that anyone recognizes the full meaning.

However, Dumbledore said that it means I am the only one who'll be able to kill Voldemort and Dumbledore's known the prophecy for about 16 years. That's plenty of time to get a handle on what it possibly means. In addition, Dumbledore is well known for his intellect. Even his guesses usually work out and come true. But, is he right about this?

The prophecy says –

"THE ONE WITH THE POWER TO VANQUISH THE DARK LORD APPROACHES. . . . BORN TO THOSE WHO HAVE THRICE DEFIED HIM, BORN AS THE SEVENTH MONTH DIES . . . AND THE DARK LORD WILL MARK HIM AS HIS EQUAL, BUT HE WILL HAVE POWER THE DARK LORD KNOWS NOT . . . AND EITHER MUST DIE AT THE HAND OF THE OTHER FOR NEITHER CAN LIVE WHILE THE OTHER SURVIVES. . . . THE ONE WITH THE POWER TO VANQUISH THE DARK LORD WILL BE BORN AS THE SEVENTH MONTH DIES . . ."

"Either must die at the hand of the other. Either. must. die. at the hand. of the other. Perhaps Dumbledore was right. If this prophecy is real then I am the only one who can kill Voldemort."

"…Wait a second, it says 'either must die' so if I'm the only one who can kill Voldemort wouldn't it stand to reason that the prophecy also means that Voldemort is the only one who can kill me? It's saying that one of us will kill the other in the end. That would mean I can't die until then, right?"

"If that's true then how far does that go? Could I fight Death Eaters and they won't be able to kill me? Well, that may be but they could still capture me and take me to Voldemort who could kill me. This could get tricky."

I thought it over some more.

"They could also torture me for a long time without killing me. None of that sounds like fun."

I set my mind to working on the details and trying to cover all my bases before I bought into my theory and took any action. Truth be told, with no parents left and my one surrogate parent recently killed as well, I was not all that chuffed about being killed myself. Plus, living with my relatives was way past what I wanted to continue to put up with.

I was still deep in mourning over Sirius and testing my theory out on some Death Eaters did not feel all that farfetched for me to try, to be honest. If it doesn't work then I'll simply join up with my parents and Sirius in the afterlife. No big deal, given my life as it is right now. However, if it works I will know that the prophecy is absolutely true and can prepare accordingly.

It would certainly be nice to take out all of Voldemort's followers so he's the only one left. That sure would make it a lot easier to kill him.

The problem though is I need more work on my fighting skills. I've improved a lot and even taught the D.A. this past year when we had that toad of a teacher who refused to teach. Still I have to improve if I plan to take on fully trained Death Eaters. I don't want to be tortured and turned over to Voldemort. He could definitely kill me.

Maybe playing it smart would help me too? Could there be any Muggle ways to fight Death Eaters? Something they wouldn't expect but give me an edge, an advantage? I would have to look into that.

After a week of planning and finding my feelings had not lessened at all, I decided it was time to make some changes. First, I needed to get to Gringotts and get some money. If I was going to leave Privet Drive and take on some Death Eaters then I would need that. Maybe the goblins could help me some too if I asked properly. Surely, they know people who could help me or point me in the right direction.

To hide my intentions I had also started working hard on my Occlumency. Snape was a horrible teacher and never really taught me anything that helpful during our lessons but I've experienced his and Voldemort's intrusions into my mind enough times to know what that feels like. I also knew what it feels like to enter someone else's mind. I had done that to Snape when I put up a shield and made his Legilimency spell backfire on him. I managed to see his memories for a brief time. Of course, that's when my lessons ended.

In truth, I wasn't all that upset about it.

I worked with what I did know and what I'd figured out. Snape had only told me to clear my mind each time before he attacked but that helped me some, although it took a good while to actually accomplish that. What I needed was a good book on Occlumency to help me further. I'm not sure why Snape never recommended a book to use. I suppose that would have been too helpful and he would have had less time to inflict pain on me, the sadistic git.

Yes, a trip to Gringotts was in order. If I didn't do something soon I was going to go crazy. But, how to get there? I've taken the Knight Bus before but I'd have to get past my minders who were watching the house 24/7 in order to do that. I had my invisibility cloak but it was still too risky. Finally, I called Hedwig over and had her take a letter to Gringotts that requested a meeting to discuss my account and other concerns I had. I also asked if they could provide a portkey straight into their bank so I could avoid being noticed.

I wasn't sure if they would do that but it was worth a shot. I am an account holder after all so maybe they won't mind.

Hedwig was happy to have a job to do. I had not heard from any of my friends and I hadn't owled any mail to them either. I just wasn't in the mood. Perhaps they were giving me some room after what happened at the Ministry or maybe they wanted nothing more to do with me after the danger I put them all in. I wasn't sure what to think. I petted Hedwig and talked to her a bit before letting her go since I hadn't paid her much attention the past few days. She liked the attention but was anxious to be on her way so she could deliver the letter. I opened the window for her.

"Please hang around for a reply Hedwig. Hopefully, they will reply quickly. If not, then come on back and I'll just wait on their Gringotts owl."

Hedwig hooted at me and flew out the window. I knew she'd been worried about me since I lost Sirius. Sometimes she acts like a mother hen, trying to protect me from all harm. Right now, she was my only companion. Sirius was gone; no mail from my friends, and the Dursleys hated me with a passion. She was all I had.

I sent her off about 10am and was not sure when to expect her back. To pass the time I began reviewing all the spells in my textbooks that I was supposed to already know. I used a ruler as my wand and made sure, as I read the name of each spell that I knew immediately the wand movement and incantation. If I was unsure then I reviewed it.

I didn't realize how much time had passed until my stomach growled loudly. I looked at the clock and saw that it was 1:43 in the afternoon and I hadn't eaten anything all day. I decided to go downstairs and find something to eat. Aunt Petunia usually kept fixings for sandwiches and crisps around just in case she was not there when Uncle Vernon or Dudley were hungry. I should be able to find something.

It was Saturday so Dudley was likely out roaming the neighborhood. I saw my aunt and uncle in the lounge watching TV when I went through the dining room and into the kitchen. I didn't stop to acknowledge them and they chose to not acknowledge me. Obviously, they never bothered to call me when lunch was ready so ignoring me was still on the agenda. At least that's what it looked like.

After I fixed a ham sandwich from some slices I found in the fridge and grabbed a few crisps to go with it, I sat down with it at the small kitchen table with a glass of water. I was enjoying the feel of food hitting my empty stomach when Uncle Vernon walked in. He was evidently getting something to drink during a commercial break.

He saw me eating and stopped what he was doing.

"Boy, what are you doing eating at this hour of the day? Lunch was two hours ago."

"Sorry Uncle Vernon. I was busy and suddenly realized I hadn't eaten anything all day so I just fixed a small sandwich until I can eat a real meal later."

"There won't be a later for you. You had better enjoy that sandwich because that's all you're going to get. We waste enough money on you."

Aunt Petunia had joined us in the kitchen when she heard Uncle Vernon ranting.

"How would you like it if I left here for good in a couple days?"

"For good?" asked Uncle Vernon.

"Yes, for good. Never to live here again. As it stands, I would be gone for good next summer anyway when I turn 17 but that's too long of a wait for me. I'm talking about right away, in just a few days at the most."

"How are you going to do that Harry?" asked Aunt Petunia. "Professor Dumbledore wants you to stay here."

"Let's just say the Professor and I are not seeing eye to eye these days and I have a really good reason to leave and not tell him anything about it. I should find out today or tomorrow if my plan will be feasible. After I do I will let you guys know my date of departure."

"Do I need to drive you somewhere to get this done? Because I'd be happy to do that if it gets you out of my house permanently," said Uncle Vernon.

"Thanks, but I doubt that will be necessary. I'll let you know though if my other transportation plans don't work out."

Uncle Vernon grunted then turned and went back to the lounge forgetting his drink on the counter. Aunt Petunia just stared at me while I finished my meal and washed the dishes in the sink. She had gone back to the lounge by the time I had finished and turned back around. She took Uncle Vernon's drink with her. I went back up to my room to continue my review and wait on Hedwig's return.

When I opened my bedroom door, I found Hedwig already there with a Gringotts letter attached to her leg. I closed my door and took the letter from her.

"Thanks Hedwig" I said as I gave her an owl treat. "Sorry, I got hungry and was downstairs getting a bite. Let's see what Gringotts says,"

I opened the letter and read my reply.

Mr. Potter,

I was so grateful to get your letter. I hope you are doing well. I knew your parents and have taken care of the Potter accounts for a very long time, ever since your great grandfather Henry was a young boy in fact.

The letter you have in your hand is a portkey. If you tap your wand to it and say, "activate" it will bring you straight to Gringotts to a special room where we receive clients like yourself. Since you are still underage, there is no need to worry about using your wand to do this. The portkey activation will not alert the Ministry.

As I am the Potter Family Accounts Manager, I am always at your disposal. Anytime you are ready to visit, I will make myself available to you.

May your gold always flow.

Best regards,

Kurlig
Potter Accounts Manager
Gringotts

Why would the Potter family have an account manager at Gringotts? I thought my vault was all that was left to me. Well, only one way to find out.

I made sure I looked presentable and slipped on one of my Hogwarts robes for a more wizarding look. I put my invisibility cloak in my pocket just in case I needed it then told Hedwig I would be back later tonight.

With a tap of my wand on the letter and the word "activate" I felt the familiar hook in my stomach when I left Privet Drive. I landed in what looked like a bare office with no furniture. I had just straightened my robes when the door opened and a goblin stepped in.

"Your letter please?" he asked holding out his hand.

I handed him the letter, which he took and looked over.

"Ah, Mr. Potter. Kurlig is available to see you now. Please follow me."

"Thank you."

I followed the short goblin through a maze of corridors until we came to an office with a door. He opened the door and indicated I should enter ahead of him. I walked in to see an old goblin coming around his desk to greet me.

"Kurlig, Mr. Potter is here to see you," the short goblin announced then left closing the office door.

"Mr. Potter, please come in and have a seat. You were just a baby when I last saw you. Your father James and your mother Lily came in with you when you were only one I believe. They were such proud parents and enjoyed showing you off."

"Thank you sir but may I ask a question?" I asked sitting down.

"Certainly, Mr. Potter that is what I am here for. You are an important account holder and I will answer all your questions to the best of my ability."

"That's just it. Why am I an important account holder? Isn't vault 687 a small account? That was all that was left to me. It's the only vault key I was given."

"What? Do you not know of your heritage? The Potter family? Their standing in the wizarding world?"

"No, sir. No one has told me anything of worth about my family. I didn't even know I was a wizard until I received my Hogwarts letter. I've been forced to live with my horrible Muggle relatives since my parents were killed. I would give anything to not ever have to go back there."

"Very well, Mr. Potter—"

"Harry, please. Just Harry."

"Very well, Harry and thank you. I think it best to get you access to your family vault as soon as possible. You will learn much about the Potters that way and what they mean to the wizarding world."

"Family vault? The Potters have a family vault?"

"Why yes Harry. The Potters have had a vault here for hundreds and hundreds of years, almost a full millennia. The problem we will have is with your age. You have to be an adult to have access to your family vault."

"Is that why I was not told about it? Is it because I'm still underage? I'll be 16 at the end of this month so it's going to be another year before I can access my family's vault?"

"You should have been told about your family vault already. Someone failed in that regard. In fact, I was expecting you to come see me when you turned 11 but you didn't. That must be why."

"No surprises there."

"However, Harry, since you are the last remaining Potter and are only a year away from adulthood, we should be able to get you emancipated so you can be declared an adult. Once that happens you can live wherever you want and have access to your family vault. You will also be able to use your wand outside of Hogwarts."

"How do I get this done?" I asked anxiously.

"The fastest way is to get your relatives to sign this waiver." He produced a form that he laid on the desk before me. "Once they sign it indicating that they approve of you taking care of yourself then it will be a snap to get the paperwork filed and approved."

"It's that easy?"

"Mainly because you are the last remaining heir of the Potters and as such Potter affairs need to be handled by a family member. It also helps that you are just a year away from adulthood. Usually heirs like yourself are approved right away. Gringotts has a method of getting these applications approved easily if we have all the right signatures."

"Their signatures should be no problem. They want me out of there as much as I want to leave. I can get that done easily."

"Excellent then you will be free in short order. What else can I help you with?"

"I was wondering if you had contacts in the Muggle world for certain items of interest."

"What kind of items?"

"I'm not sure yet. As you know, I've been attacked by Voldemort and his Death Eaters on several occasions. This pattern has no hope of stopping unless I put a stop to them. I was wondering if the Muggles had something I could use to protect myself with when I have to fight Death Eaters again."

"Do you mean something like Muggle firearms?"

"Maybe, I'm not sure. I would have to be trained on something like that. I know absolutely nothing about how to use them."

"You should probably wait until you access the Potter Family vault. I believe your grandfather Fleamont has a collection of Muggle firearms in there. Maybe they will work for what you need?"

"That sounds promising. Do you know of anyone who could train me on how to use them?"

"That, I can do. We have many contacts in the Muggle world. Most are Muggleborn witches and wizards. Just let me know what you decide on and I will find the right person to train you."

"Thanks Kurlig. I really appreciate all your help. Now, can you help me with finding a place to live? If I am emancipated then I will need a home to live in as quickly as possible. In fact, I need a home right now anyway. I can't continue to live with my hateful relatives. It will also need to be warded against Voldemort and his Death Eaters. In fact it would be best if they are not able to find me at all."

"Yes, I can help with that. You actually already have a home you could use that belongs to the Potters. The Godric's Hollow house was too excessively damaged to use. It will need to be repaired before it is livable again. Potter Place is also in bad shape due to Death Eaters causing a good bit of damage. However, your family has another house that formerly belonged to another section of Potters and was never discovered by the Death Eaters."

He looked down at a piece of parchment then looked back up.

"It was barely used by the main family of Potters, your family Harry, so they never drew much attention to it. It is big enough though that you would be smart in bonding with an elf or two to maintain it, especially being on your own."

"Did the Potters have elves?"

"Yes, they did. Good ones too. Very devoted to your family they were."

"What happened to them?"

"They all passed on after your grandparents passed. All of them were quite old. James never took on any others after that. Godric's Hollow was small enough to get by without them plus your mother was used to doing things for herself."

"Did my grandparents die when the Death Eaters attacked?"

"No, not at all Harry. Had anyone been there when they attacked, especially your grandparents Fleamont and Euphemia, it would have been a completely different story. Those two were not to be trifled with. No, your grandparents died in 1979 of dragon pox. They were very old. I think James was 19 when they passed. They were already old when they had him. In fact, they were worried that the Potter line was coming to an end before your grandmother finally became pregnant with your father. They thought it was a miracle. It certainly was unusual at their age but they were both magically powerful which often helps."

"The house was empty when the Death Eaters attacked it and if it wasn't for the wards the damage would have been a lot worse. Then of course, three gryphons came out of the woods behind the manor and killed a few of the Death Eaters before the rest decided it would be best to leave and portkeyed away. James had me send a team of goblins out to seal the house and re-enforce the wards so it would not be damaged further. James made sure the goblins were not attacked by the gryphons while they worked."

"The Death Eaters were attacked by gryphons?"

"Yes. The Potters treated them like pets but they were never actually tamed. I think there's a whole family of them over there. They run wild on the lands surrounding the manor. When the Death Eaters attacked, they came and protected the house even though they knew no one lived there anymore. This happened just before you and your parents went into hiding. I'm sure they will still be around if you ever go visit."

"That's good to know. So where's this other house?"

"It's a beach house in Wales right on the coast of St. George's Channel. It was originally built in 1756 and is two stories tall. It has six bedrooms plus a master suite. It should be in good condition due to the wards. It was originally purchased by your grandfather's older cousin and reverted back into the Potter family after that section of the Potters all died out leaving no heirs."

"That sounds perfect but perhaps a little big for just me."

"As I mentioned you will likely need to take on an elf or two to maintain the property. Plus, since you are still under age it would be good to get an elf right away because until you are emancipated and can apparate you might find it difficult getting around unless you like taking the Knight Bus."

I shook my head no. I would rather not take the Knight Bus unless it was my last choice. It was not fun the first time. Then I remembered that I just might already know of a house elf that would like to work for me.

"Kurlig, if I called a house elf to me now can he get to me here without any issues?"

"You already have a house elf?"

"Not exactly but I do know of a free one that will do almost anything for me if I ask, especially since I helped free him from the Malfoys who were abusing him."

"Yes, if he will come at your call then he can get to you here. We do not block house elves as they do a lot of banking for their masters and sometimes clients need them to fetch something for them when they are here in a meeting."

"Great. Let me see if I can call him. If not I will have to send him an owl. Dobby? Can you come here please?"

It only took a couple seconds before a small pop was heard and Dobby appeared in the office right next to me. He grabbed my legs and hugged them then stood back giving an eye over to Kurlig before focusing back on me.

"Master Harry Potter, sir. Dobby is here to help the Great Harry Potter. How can Dobby be of service?"

"Thanks for coming Dobby. I have a question for you but you will have to keep what I tell you a secret. Can you do that and not tell anyone unless I give you permission?"

"Yes, Harry Potter, sir. Dobby will always keep the Great Harry Potter's secrets."

"Okay, Dobby. I am planning to leave my mean relatives and move into a Potter home that I have. It's really too big for just me and I would need help keeping it clean and maintaining it. I will also need help getting around until I can learn to apparate. Do you know of an elf who would be interested in working for me and helping with these needs?"

"Oh, Harry Potter, sir" he said trembling with excitement. "Dobby would be so pleased to work for the Great Harry Potter. Dobby will do anything for Harry Potter sir. There's no need to ask another elf."

"Are you sure Dobby?"

"Yes, Dobby is very sure. Harry Potter is the greatest wizard ever. He is the kindest and bestest friend Dobby has ever known. Dobby will be honored to serve the Great Harry Potter."

"Alright, Dobby, how much do you want me to pay you to work for me? Would five galleons a week work or do you need more?"

"No, no, no, Harry Potter. Dobby would rather be bonded with the Potter family than be free and get paid. It would make Dobby very happy."

"But I thought you liked being free, Dobby?"

"Dobby only likes being free from the Malfoys and only if Harry Potter does not need an elf. Dobby would not give up his freedom for anyone except Harry Potter. Dobby only wants to work for the Great Harry Potter."

"I'm honored Dobby but you must tell me if you ever want to be paid. I don't mind paying you."

Dobby nodded happily

"So, how do we bond Dobby?"

"Master Harry Potter only has to state that he wishes for Dobby to bond with the Potter family and Dobby will accept."

I thought about it for a few seconds.

"Okay, here goes. I, Harry James Potter, wish for you, Dobby, to bond with the Potter family and to keep our secrets as a Potter family elf, never to reveal our secrets to anyone else unless given permission by the head of the Potter family."

"Dobby accepts this bond to the Potter family and promises to serve the Potters to the best of his ability and always keep Potter family secrets."

A bright golden light enveloped both Harry and Dobby as the bond took hold.

"Congratulations Harry and Dobby. Your bonding was powerful. Never have I seen such a bright golden light in all my days of witnessing an elf bonding. It signifies how strong your bond will be. The two of you must think very highly of the other."

Dobby just beamed at the high praise.

"You might say that Kurlig. Is there anything else we need to discuss?" I asked.

Kurlig reached into his desk, took out a house key and gave it to me.

"This is a portkey to the house in Wales. It will take you to the edge of the property. Just tap it with your wand two times. Since you are a Potter, you will be allowed in through the wards. Once you get to the house place your hand on the doorknocker so it can recognize you as a Potter and it will let you in. After that you should be able to apparate straight into the house or have Dobby take you there."

"Thanks. Can I get some galleons? I need to spend a good bit on clothes, food, possibly things for the house, etc. So, I will need a good bit. I will also need pounds for Muggle items."

"Let's do this Harry. Here's a card that will work as a credit card in Muggle stores and inside the Alley, it will draw straight from your vault. How many galleons and pounds do you wish to withdraw?"

"Well with the card I'll not need as much but let me go ahead and get a thousand of each. I'm sure Dobby will need some money for upkeep of the house and groceries, etc."

"Very well. Don't forget your form for your relatives to sign." Kurlig picked up the form and handed it to me. "Follow me and I will take you back to the lobby where you can collect your galleons and pounds," he said as we took off walking.

"Also, here is a report," he handed that to me as well, "that lists all your funds and assets of both vaults, including all the items in your Potter Family Vault. You may want to look that over when you get a chance. After your emancipation, monthly statements will be owled to you from then on."

"Thank you. I will take a look at it. Can I just send Dobby back with the form once it's signed or do I need to come back for that?"

"You will need to come back as we will need your signature before it takes effect. Once we prepare it, a copy will appear in the ministry where it will only take a few minutes to get the approval back. Then you will sign and it will be in effect immediately with copies going to all the right places. I will give you a pocket version that you can show to any auror that may stop you if you are seen using magic. Normally that doesn't happen though. They usually assume you're 17 when you're so close to that age already."

I just nodded as we stopped at one of the teller desks in the lobby. Kurlig spoke in Gobbledegook to the teller who gave him a sack of galleons and an envelope containing the pounds. He then handed both to me.

"Thanks Kurlig. I expect I'll be seeing you a little later with the form to file. We are going to go to the house first to have a look and then I'll have Dobby take me to my relatives to get my things and their signatures. Remember," I said looking at both Kurlig and Dobby, "no one is to know about all this, no matter who asks, and especially no one is to know where I am living. I do not want to have to fight Death Eaters there."

"Not a problem Harry. I will look for your return."

"Oh, Kurlig, does Gringotts offer a service for applying the Fidelius Charm? I just might need it on my new house to keep me hidden and I would be the secret keeper."

"Yes, we do. You can tell me when you return if you need that service performed. We should be able to get someone out there by Monday."

"Thanks again Kurlig. I really appreciate it."

Dobby and I walked over closer to the exit before I had Dobby hang on to me while I activated the portkey to Wales.

With a hook behind my navel, we disappeared from Gringotts.