Harcourt & Ripley Ltd Waiting Room, Monday 15th July 1996

Idly sat in a comfortable wing-back chair in the waiting room of lawyers Harcourt & Ripley, Harry let his mind drift. His thoughts roamed through things that may be considered normal for a teenager - wondering what his friends were doing, to eventually things very unusual for an average teen boy... Reflections on the death of his Godfather Sirius Black, and the conflict within the British Magical World driven by Tom Riddle under the namesake of 'Lord Voldemort'.

The thinking about Sirius' death felt like a horrifically large weight upon his shoulders, driven by the thought that if he had not fallen into Voldemort's trap so easily, that his Godfather would still be alive. This sentiment had until a couple of days previously deprived Harry of sleep, and hovered around him like a shadow that only he could see and feel. However, just as suddenly as Sirius had fallen through the Veil, Harry had stumbled upon a new angle to this whole subject;

Sirius died because he was being too childish in fighting Bellatrix, more than that , she hadn't even tried to kill him with that curse. It was just luck - that bitch hit him with what looked like a stunner and he tripped through a curtain. He could have just as easily been hit by a lorry - especially likely with his running around on his own as a dog.

The apparent blame having shifted away from him, Harry had finally slept. While grief still washed over him in waves, it did not overwhelm him like it had been doing.

Harry felt this latest wave of grief begin to ease. Finally he was able to take in the significance of the room he was in, and what it could signify for him. He had quickly realised that his aunt had attempted to set him up to waste his time at best - or land him with a dead man's debts at worst. Looking around the well appointed waiting room, and feeling the sheer comfort of the chair he was sat in, Harry began to gather a small sense that maybe his aunt's idea was going to turn out well for him. A thought, originating from a part of his brain he realised might well be his inner Hermione flashed through his head - it would be totally illogical in these times for lawyers to search for years for the unknown family of a dead man to try to saddle them with debt, and honestly, Harry, scammers wouldn't target a penniless teenager with a scam this intricate now, would they?