2 files changed, 395 insertions, 386 deletions

diff --git a/novellas/a-little-greed.mdwn b/novellas/a-little-greed.mdwn
index f28b230..82c41ea 100644
--- a/novellas/a-little-greed.mdwn
+++ b/novellas/a-little-greed.mdwn
@@ -1,9 +1,9 @@
 [[!meta title="A Little Greed"]]
 
 Harry grows up with a different sort of guardian, and a different view of
-Wizarding Britain.
+Wizarding Britain. Very OOC Harry.
 
-This novella has [[notes|outlines/a-little-greed]] I use while writing.
-Likely spoilers, and subject to change as I write.
+This novella has [[notes|outlines/a-little-greed]] I use while writing. Likely
+spoilers, and subject to change as I write.
 
 > [[!inline pages="./*" archive="yes" description="A Little Greed" sort="path"]]
diff --git a/novellas/a-little-greed/01-pragmatism.mdwn b/novellas/a-little-greed/01-pragmatism.mdwn
index 8b676c1..37411f7 100644
--- a/novellas/a-little-greed/01-pragmatism.mdwn
+++ b/novellas/a-little-greed/01-pragmatism.mdwn
@@ -1,383 +1,392 @@
-[[!meta title="Chapter 1: Pragmatism"]]

-

-4 Privet Drive in Little Whinging was a perfectly normal house in a perfectly

-normal neighborhood. The hydrangea bushes at the front of the house sparkled

-with dew in the early November morning.

-

-Petunia Dursley opened the door, and discovered what simply had to be the worst

-practical joke she had ever encountered. There was a baby on her doorstep.

-

-A *baby,* of all things. In a basket, of course. There even appeared to be a

-letter.

-

-She collected the newspaper. With a sigh, she also brought the baby inside. It

-would not do for the neighbors to see a baby abandoned outside her house, after

-all. At least it was asleep.

-

-The very last thing her life needed was a storybook baby abandoned in front of

-her house. Her own child was already causing enough trouble. This was all the

-sort of thing Lily would appreciate, not her.

-

-Now there was a thought. Perhaps Lily would take the child. Petunia made a

-mental note to contact her sister as soon as possible. Last she'd heard from

-Lily, there was some trouble and she'd been told that all contact had to go

-through the lawyers at some bank called Gringotts. Goblins, if you can believe

-that. Whimsical nonsense; Petunia was glad *her* child would never get caught up

-in such a *stupid* culture.

-

-Petunia set about preparing breakfast for herself and her family. The baby was

-set aside for the time in the living room; it had waited outside in the cold,

-and as far as Petunia was concerned she was already doing it a favor by allowing

-it indoors. As the eggs cooked, she absently read the letter which had

-accompanied this morning's unwelcome guest.

-

-Well, now there's something. Her freak of a sister had gotten herself killed,

-and the child was her nephew, Harry. Of *course* Lily's son would get dumped on

-her in such a manner. It was just like her.

-

-But then, it *wasn't* just like her. As much as Petunia loathed her sister, she

-knew Lily would never abandon her child like this. Lily was always a responsible

-girl; if there was even a chance Petunia would be named as guardian of the

-child, she'd have been told. And no money to help raise the child? Lily's

-husband was rich! Sure, it was *freak* money, but Vernon's paycheck was going to

-stretch just to cover the expense of their own child. With two children to care

-for, they would simply never afford that vacation home in Majorca!

-

-No, this wasn't right at all. Something was missing. There must be an upcoming

-will reading, or perhaps the freaks thought they could get away with

-shortchanging her. Unacceptable! No-one takes advantage of Petunia Dursley!

-

-And with that, Petunia made up her mind. Breakfast set aside to cool, she jotted

-down a quick note to Vernon (fortunately, they were already planning on taking

-Dudley to his first zoo trip today; Vernon could handle that on his own) and set

-out towards downtown London, basket in one hand and letter in the other.

-

-There was no way she would let that freakishness infect her family without some

-compensation.

-

-<hr />

-

-In a castle in northern Scotland, an aged headmaster watched the silver

-instruments in his office. The wards had activated, yes, but then stopped

-charging minutes later. Well, that was nothing to worry about; Petunia would

-love her nephew just as she loved her sister, and must simply be taking Harry

-for a quick checkup at the doctor's office or something. Smiling to himself,

-Professor Dumbledore sucked on a lemon drop and turned back to the business of

-running a school.

-

-<hr />

-

-Charing Cross Road, find the bookstore next to the record shop, start looking

-for freaks. It took Petunia less than five minutes to identify someone who

-clearly had no business walking around *normal* London, and a 30 second

-conversation about her sister who just died and "I'm to meet with the Goblins

-but need help to reach their bank" to determine that this particular freak was

-not a magic user. The second freak she identified was, and Petunia found herself

-with a willing escort into the Leaky Cauldron.

-

-Dark, dank, and straight out of the middle ages. Oh, she remembered this place

-well. How anyone could possibly think that magic was anything but trouble when

-*this* was the first introduction to the magical world, she would never know.

-Even so early in the morning, the bar was packed with uncouth cretins

-congratulating each other and celebrating somebody's death; simply *disgusting*.

-

-There were some glances at the basket, but Harry was covered by his blanket and

-amazingly still asleep, and Petunia's brisk manner saw her quickly out the back

-door with the barman opening the way for her and no further questions asked.

-Most of the patrons seemed to be caught up talking about some Boy-Who-Lived,

-which didn't sound at all impressive an accomplishment to Petunia, but at least

-they weren't trying to talk to her.

-

-Cauldrons! Brooms! Owls! Petunia was disgusted by such a blatant display of

-freakishness. Somehow, it was even more loud and colorful than she'd remembered

-from her sister's shopping trips. There had better be a lot of money waiting for

-her if she was to put up with this nonsense for some child. Perhaps, with the

-right upbringing, he might never need to learn about magic. Petunia made a

-mental note to ask about that.

-

-She marched down the alley with her nose held high, exuding such an air of

-aloofness that most who saw her assumed she was an oddly-dressed pureblood and

-stayed out of her way. Those who didn't were simply brushed aside; Petunia had

-no desire to waste any more time on their sort than she had to. Such filthy,

-disturbingly-attired creatures as these witches and wizards were simply

-undeserving of her acknowledgment.

-

-Upon reaching the stern white marble facade of Gringotts Bank, Petunia entered

-and walked to the first free teller she saw, thankful that it was still early

-enough in the morning that she would not have to wait in line with any freaks.

-Finding herself ignored, she coughed loudly before ringing the desk bell that

-sat immediately in front of the Goblin.

-

-Axeblock looked up from his paperwork and acknowledged her with a fierce scowl

-and slight twitch towards the dagger hanging upon his belt. Seeing that this

-failed to send the bothersome Human who dared to interrupt his work scurrying

-away, he relented slightly and began his interrogation of this pest.

-

-"What do you want, muggle?"

-

-Petunia had never dealt with the Goblins in person before, but really, bankers

-were bankers, weren't they? And she was the one stuck with an extra child, here!

-Calling upon her deeply-ingrained sense of betterness and the pure knowledge

-that these freaks owed her something for the atrocious invasion of her life, she

-looked down her nose at the teller and made her demands.

-

-"This," and here Petunia deposited the basket and letter in front of the teller,

-"was deposited on my door this morning. If my sister left me her child, she

-would have left money to care for him. I know she had lawyers here. I demand

-compensation for this atrocity. I want this taken care of, immediately."

-

-Axeblock was not completely prepared for this situation. His first customer of

-the day was a muggle. A very rude muggle, who for some reason had decided to

-walk up to the Foreign Tax-Related Disbursements desk. Bringing with her what

-appeared to be *the* Harry Potter, the same Boy-Who-Lived which all the foolish

-wand-wavers were carrying-on about. From what he could tell, she either wished

-to dispute her own guardianship of said child, or she was attempting to exchange

-it for currency. In either case, the solution was the same.

-

-"I'm sorry, I shall have to summon a superior. Please accompany me to a private

-room where you may wait."

-

-Petunia was quickly and quietly shuffled off to a waiting room with some

-less-than-comfortable chairs and horrible magazines about something freakish

-called "Quidditch". Reluctantly, she settled in and proceeded to stare at a wall

-while the Goblins got on with getting her some money. Harry was resting in his

-basket, unceremoniously placed against a wall.

-

-<hr />

-

-Meanwhile, the Goblins were in something of a panic. Axeblock had called his

-immediate superior Bloodrock, who had brought in Throwhook from Wills and

-Inheritances and Beltlock from Unusual Currency Exchanges. After a very brief

-interview with the muggle woman, Beltlock was dismissed and Throwhook ran off

-to summon Sharpaxe, the current Head of the Potter Accounts. The active foreman

-noticed all this activity and called Steelgash from Potential Difficulties, who

-upon hearing the situation summoned Urgnok from Wizarding Relations to

-assist. Urgnok understood *exactly* who the Boy-Who-Lived was, and sent an

-urgent request for advice to Ragnok, supreme branch manager and effective head

-of Goblin government in Britain.

-

-The situation was unacceptable. Less than a day after Dumbledore had strode into

-*his* bank and *demanded* that they seal the Potter will, and it was *already*

-causing problems! Letting the Wizards inject their loathsome politics into

-Gringotts affairs had never ended well for Goblins before, and this time looked

-to be no different. Still, Dumbledore was politically powerful; Ragnok could not

-order the will unsealed without risking further damage to Goblin rights in

-Britain.

-

-Legally, it was a messy situation. After some further questioning, Ragnok

-determined that the Dursley was unwilling to accept the boy without monetary

-compensation, an admirable if somewhat troublesome trait. Ragnok was also

-somewhat endeared to her by her rampant hatred of Wizard kind, which he shared.

-Still, without a will reading, no such compensation was possible; the only funds

-available were the boy's own trust fund, which would not unseal until his

-eleventh birthday. All Potter Family assets were locked away until the heir's

-majority, barring a will that stated otherwise. Without any way to acquiesce to

-the Dursley's demands for compensation, there was no other alternative; the

-guardianship of the boy must be changed.

-

-The contents of the will could not, legally, be read to determine a replacement

-guardian. Still, the *existence* of the will was not in doubt; nor that it had

-been trusted to the Goblins of Gringotts to execute. This implied that the

-Potters trusted in the judgment of Goblins to see to the care of their child.

-Ragnok acknowledged that Gringotts had already failed the Potters by bowing to

-political pressure from Dumbledore, but he would still accept the implied

-responsibility to find a proper guardian for the boy. And in any case, no-one

-else could be trusted with the task; Dumbledore had already proven that the

-Ministry of Magic was incapable of placing the child; as its representative,

-he had chosen a guardian who lasted not even 12 hours before demanding to be

-removed!

-

-So, Ragnok ruled that guardianship of the boy was now a Goblin matter. They

-would, in good faith, find the best possible guardian for Harry Potter.

-

-As a matter of simple formalities, Beltlock was once again summoned.

-Negotiations commenced, and less than two hours after entering Gringotts,

-Petunia left much happier than she had expected to, having officially sold Harry

-to the Goblins for £2500 and a prepaid taxi home. She was given a receipt in

-exchange, marked with her own blood, the blood of Beltlock, and the blood of

-Harry Potter. She viewed the experience as a triumph over freakishness, and

-planned to have the receipt framed as soon as possible. Obviously, it would not

-be displayed anywhere prominent, where someone might see it, but she would

-treasure it nonetheless. Perhaps she could hang it in the supply cupboard, under

-the stairs.

-

-<hr />

-

-A tinkling sound attracted Dumbledore's attention once more to his silver

-instruments. He was pleased to see that the blood wards were again active; the

-blood of Harry Potter was in the home of the Dursleys, and that blood was loved.

-Dumbledore smiled, and returned to his paperwork. Later this evening he would

-tell Minerva her worries had been for naught. Another plan managed flawlessly.

-This deserved another lemon drop.

-

-<hr />

-

-And now, Ragnok considered the problem of where to place the boy. He could not

-be placed carelessly; already, Harry had acquired scores of potential enemies

-in the followers of Voldemort. In any case, a Wizarding family was not a healthy

-place to raise any child; every Goblin knew that Wizards were without exception

-rude, incompetent, and downright useless. No, he would have to go somewhere he

-could have a *real* childhood, with all the opportunity he deserved to grow into

-a well-rounded adult member of society.

-

-Besides, Sharpaxe would have plenty of spare time now that the Potter accounts

-were idle, and had been trying unsuccessfully for a child for some time now.

-Ragnok had no doubt he would make an excellent father for Harry. There was no

-better place for a child to grow to adulthood than the marble rooms and stone

-caves of Gringotts; any Goblin you asked would agree without hesitation.

-

-There were other advantages as well. The boy would grow to be The Potter of

-Potter, heir to an Ancient and Noble house and its corresponding seat on the

-Wizengamot. Having a Goblin-raised Human on the Wizengamot would be a tremendous

-leap forward for Goblin rights. And as the Boy-Who-Lived, he was already being

-canonized by the Wizarding public; he was clearly an asset to the Goblin nation

-if used properly.

-

-Yes, this could work well for the Goblins. Harry would be raised as one of them,

-trained both in the arts of war and the arts of politics. He would be a force

-for change in the backwards society of the Wizards, and greatly assist in the

-long-term plan of equal rights for Goblinkind.

-

-If nothing else, the Wizarding public was sure to send him gifts. Already the

-mail wards Dumbledore had instructed them to setup on behalf of Harry Potter

-were forwarding hundreds of letters to a vault dedicated for that purpose. Some

-of those letters had money! Money which, by virtue of being money, rightfully

-belonged in the hands of Goblins!

-

-And if Harry Potter was recognized as a member of Goblinkind by Gringotts, then

-he could access those funds for his own purposes, and the consequent betterment

-of the Goblin economy. And the Potter accounts! The vaults were officially

-sealed until his majority, but as a Goblin he could enter them for security

-audits. And once Harry was inside the vault, the possessions and gold within

-were unarguably his, so he could not be accused of stealing if he brought

-anything out when he left. It was disgusting to just leave all that gold sitting

-around for decades; really, this was better for everyone.

-

-Without any further hesitation, Ragnok promoted Sharpaxe from Head of Potter

-Accounts to Head of Harry Potter Affairs. The child was whisked off to a Healer

-so the bank could be assured its asset was in prime condition, and Sharpaxe was

-dispatched back to his apartment to prepare an appropriate living space and

-acquire whatever food, clothing, and any other essentials that were likely to be

-required in the immediate future.

-

-As Sharpaxe set off to notify his wife and clan, one thought repeated in his

-mind: "Humans grow fast and tall. He will outgrow his swords quickly. I must

-requisition extra funds for additional weaponry immediately."

-

-<hr />

-

-Goldknife was a very skilled, very bored Healer. Gringotts had little call for

-healers trained in Human physiology, and there hadn't been a new opening for a

-Disemboweler in *years.* Still, she was dedicated to maintaining herself as the

-best. She practiced her skill with diligence on the Human cursebreakers injured

-on the job, and yearned to someday practice her *art* on those who attempted to

-steal from Gringotts.

-

-But today, a new patient arrived. Goldknife was informed that she would now be

-responsible for this Human child's healing until he reached majority. Funding

-was allocated from the freshly-created Department of Harry Potter Affairs for

-any needed wages, ingredients, and record-keeping. This was pleasant news; it

-wasn't Disemboweling, but at least it was something to do. And there was always

-the hope that he would try to escape while under her care.

-

-Harry was quickly determined to be no more injured than expected for a young

-child who had had a house collapse on him. He was hungry, but Human milk was a

-common enough ingredient in certain kinds of potions that she was quickly able

-to satisfy that need. More worrying, however, was the rather persistent magical

-reading that seemed to reside in his forehead. Careful analysis revealed the

-presence of an incomplete horcrux. This required some difficult decisions to be

-made.

-

-Steelgash of Potential Difficulties was again summoned, and he was able to

-verify that the signature on the horcrux matched that of a Human already known

-to the bank, one Tom Riddle. This was fortunate, as Riddle had no active

-contract with the Goblins for the protection of any horcruxes. Even if he could

-press such a claim, Harry was determined to be a legal claimant of any horcrux

-left on his person by Riddle according to the time-honored Right of Spoils of

-War, and thus his health would take priority. Legally, the horcrux could be

-removed.

-

-Still, the process had serious complications. With such a risk to the patient,

-the final decision must lie with the Head of Harry Potter Affairs. A runner was

-sent to find Sharpaxe, eventually locating him sampling the wares of various

-weaponsmiths. Sharpaxe, having the situation explained by the Healer,

-immediately grasped the essential difficulty.

-

-"You can remove the horcrux, but doing so will destroy the scar?"

-

-"Unfortunately, yes. The two are one and the same; without the horcrux to burn

-against his soul, his own magic will heal over the scar quickly."

-

-"But the scar is a mark of honor! Surely he will wear it as a badge of his

-glorious victory!"

-

-"He is too young to understand. When he is older, he will be able to embrace his

-scars. Now, they will heal."

-

-"Then, we leave the horcrux until he is properly educated. Then his magic will

-recognize the scar as his own, and the horcrux can be removed."

-

-"Unacceptable," Steelgash interrupted, "Harry Potter is to be trained as a

-Goblin. Tom Riddle is not. The horcrux is a compromise, and cannot be present

-during his training."

-

-Sharpaxe scowled for a time, before presenting a compromise, "Harry deserves

-recognition of his victory. You propose to deny him natural recognition as a

-matter of bank security. I will agree, on the condition that Harry is afforded

-compensation for this loss, to include special dispensation for the unlimited

-use of a glamour that matches the scar as it is now."

-

-This was a steep price. Normally, glamours of any kind were prohibited in many

-areas of Gringotts, and scar glamours especially were heavily restricted to

-"inherited" scars and important marks of office. Still, no-one could deny that

-Harry had earned a scar which he already wore, and the bank forcing the

-*removal* of a genuine scar won in battle was a unique event.

-

-"Agreed. An enchanted device will be constructed to hold the glamour. I will see

-to the details."

-

-Sharpaxe hoped this would be enough. He promised himself that he would do

-everything in his power to see Harry raised in a proper and honorable manner,

-and that Harry would enter adulthood with many glorious scars. With any luck,

-that would help satisfy the terrible loss Harry would surely feel for having his

-first trophy stolen so unfairly.

-

-A contract was hastily prepared and signed in blood between the two, and

-detailed images of the scar drawn for the construction of the glamour. Goldknife

-prepared a simple runic array for the removal process, and summoned several

-underlings to assist. Within a few moments, the Goblins had donated enough love

-of money to overpower the inherent hatred of the soul fragment, dispersing it

-forever.

-

-As she wiped some leftover black residue off Harry's forehead, Goldknife saw

-that his beautifully violent scar was already starting to fade and smooth over.

-With a grimace, she vowed silently to herself that someday she would make amends

-to the boy for the harm she had just caused him.

-

-Harry's last stop for the day was an examination by the Matriarch for any

-prophecies that entangled his fate. She was an ancient and hideous Goblin,

-blinded at an early age when she first showed signs of divinatory talent and

-locked away in a dark cave to focus on improving her talents. After years of

-rituals and practice, she could feel the influence of the future on any brought

-before her.

-

-The blind Oracle passed her hand over Harry, her face locked in a growl of

-concentration. Long minutes passed, with the uneven smoke of torches coiling

-around her cramped burrow, causing little Harry to sneeze.

-

-With a pained moan, the Matriarch relaxed before giving an utterly terrifying

-smile. Staring eyelessly into the darkness, she delivered her reading.

-

-"This boy is four-score-times marked by prophecy. His life shall be rife with

-conflict and war. Enemies great and small await him."

-

-Sharpaxe let out a relieved breath. He had worried that, as a Human, Harry might

-not be destined to be a true warrior, and that he would have to contract out for

-enemies to challenge his new ward. This way was better; with natural adversaries

-selected by fate, Harry was sure to have the best opportunity possible to become

-a mighty warrior. Not to mention, this way cost less.

-

-Knowing everything he needed to know about Harry's future, Sharpaxe carried him

-off to his apartment. It was nearing evening, and Harry would need to be fed

-soon. Most likely he was still too young to strangle his own rat, but, there was

-no point in denying him the opportunity to try.

+[[!meta title="Chapter 1: Pragmatism"]]
+
+Petunia Dursley opened the door, and discovered what simply had to be the worst
+practical joke she had ever encountered. There was a baby on her doorstep.
+
+A *baby,* of all things. In a basket, of course. There even appeared to be a
+letter.
+
+She collected the newspaper. With a sigh, she also brought the baby inside. It
+would not do for the neighbors to see a baby abandoned outside her house, after
+all. At least it was asleep.
+
+The very last thing her life needed was a storybook baby abandoned in front of
+her house. Her own child was already causing enough trouble. This was all the
+sort of thing Lily would appreciate, not her.
+
+Now there was a thought. Perhaps Lily would take the child. Petunia made a
+mental note to contact her sister as soon as possible. Last she'd heard from
+Lily, there was some trouble and she'd been told that all contact had to go
+through the lawyers at some bank called Gringotts. Goblins, if you can believe
+that. Whimsical nonsense; Petunia was glad her child would never get caught up
+in such a stupid culture.
+
+Petunia set about preparing breakfast for herself and her family. The baby was
+set aside for the time in the living room; it had waited outside in the cold,
+and as far as Petunia was concerned she was already doing it a favor by allowing
+it indoors. As the eggs cooked, she absently read the letter which had
+accompanied this morning's unwelcome guest.
+
+Well, now there's something. Her freak of a sister had gotten herself killed,
+and the child was her nephew, Harry. Of course Lily's son would get dumped on
+her in such a manner. It was just like her.
+
+But then, it *wasn't* just like her. As much as Petunia loathed her sister, she
+knew Lily would never abandon her child like this. Lily was always a responsible
+girl; if there was even a chance Petunia would be named as guardian of the
+child, she'd have been told. And no money to help raise the child? Lily's
+husband was rich! Sure, it was freak money, but Vernon's paycheck was going to
+stretch just to cover the expense of their own child. With two children to care
+for, they would simply never afford that vacation home in Majorca!
+
+No, this wasn't right at all. Something was missing. There must, she thought, be
+an upcoming will reading, or perhaps the freaks thought they could get away with
+shortchanging her. Unacceptable! No-one takes advantage of Petunia Dursley!
+
+And with that, Petunia made up her mind. Breakfast set aside to cool, she jotted
+down a quick note to Vernon (fortunately, they were already planning on taking
+Dudley to his first zoo trip today; Vernon could handle that on his own) and set
+out towards downtown London, basket in one hand and letter in the other.
+
+There was no way she would let that freakishness infect her family without some
+compensation.
+
+<hr />
+
+In a castle in northern Scotland, an aged headmaster watched the silver
+instruments in his office. The wards had activated, yes, but then stopped
+charging minutes later. Well, that was nothing to worry about; Petunia would
+love her nephew just as she loved her sister, and must simply be taking Harry
+for a quick checkup at the doctor's office. Smiling to himself, Professor
+Dumbledore sucked on a lemon drop and turned back to the business of running a
+school.
+
+<hr />
+
+Charing Cross Road, find the bookstore next to the record shop, start looking
+for freaks. It took Petunia less than five minutes to identify someone who
+clearly had no business walking around normal London, and a 30 second
+conversation about her sister who just died and "I'm to meet with the Goblins
+but need help to reach their bank" to determine that this particular freak was
+not a magic user. The second freak she identified was, and Petunia found herself
+with a willing escort into the Leaky Cauldron.
+
+Dark, dank, and straight out of the middle ages. Oh, she remembered this place
+well. How anyone could possibly think that magic was anything but trouble when
+this was the first introduction to the magical world, she would never know. Even
+so early in the morning, the bar was packed with uncouth cretins congratulating
+each other and celebrating some lord's death; simply disgusting.
+
+There were some glances at the basket, but Harry was covered by his blanket and
+amazingly still asleep, and Petunia's brisk manner saw her quickly out the back
+door with the barman opening the way for her and no further questions asked.
+Most of the patrons seemed to be caught up talking about some Boy-Who-Lived,
+which didn't sound at all impressive an accomplishment to Petunia, but at least
+they weren't trying to talk to her.
+
+Cauldrons! Brooms! Owls! Petunia was disgusted by such a blatant display of
+freakishness. Somehow, it was even more loud and colorful than she'd remembered
+from her sister's shopping trips. There had better be a lot of money waiting for
+her if she was to put up with this nonsense for some child. Perhaps, with the
+right upbringing, he might never need to learn about magic. Petunia smiled
+inwardly at that thought; it would be just perfect if Lily's son grew up to be
+normal. Steps would have to be taken early on to cur any freakish tendencies.
+
+She marched down the alley with her nose held high, exuding such an air of
+aloofness that most who saw her assumed she was an oddly-dressed pureblood and
+stayed out of her way. Those who didn't were simply brushed aside; Petunia had
+no desire to waste any more time on their sort than she had to. Such filthy,
+disturbingly-attired creatures as these witches and wizards were simply
+undeserving of her acknowledgment.
+
+Upon reaching the stern white marble facade of Gringotts Bank, Petunia entered
+and walked to the first free teller she saw, thankful that it was still early
+enough in the morning that she would not have to wait in line with any freaks.
+Finding herself ignored, she coughed loudly before ringing the desk bell that
+sat immediately in front of the Goblin.
+
+Axeblock looked up from his paperwork and acknowledged her with a fierce scowl
+and slight twitch towards the dagger hanging upon his belt. Seeing that this
+failed to send the bothersome Human who dared to interrupt his work scurrying
+away, he relented slightly and began his interrogation of this pest.
+
+"What do you want, muggle?"
+
+Petunia had never dealt with the Goblins in person before, but really, bankers
+were bankers, weren't they? And she was the one stuck with an extra child, here!
+Calling upon her deeply-ingrained sense of betterness and the pure knowledge
+that these freaks owed her something for the atrocious invasion of her life, she
+looked down her nose at the teller and made her demands.
+
+"This," and here Petunia deposited the basket and letter in front of the teller,
+"was deposited on my door this morning. If my sister left me her child, she
+would've left money to care for him. I know she had lawyers here. I demand...
+compensation for this atrocity. I want this taken care of! Immediately!"
+
+Axeblock was not completely prepared for this situation. His first customer of
+the day was a muggle. A very rude muggle, who for some reason had decided to
+walk up to the Foreign Tax-Related Disbursements desk. Bringing with her what
+appeared to be *the* Harry Potter, the same Boy-Who-Lived which all the foolish
+wand-wavers were carrying-on about. From what he could tell, she either wished
+to dispute her own guardianship of said child, or she was attempting to exchange
+it for currency. In either case, the solution was the same.
+
+"I shall have to summon a superior. You may accompany me to a private room and
+await resolution there."
+
+Petunia was quickly and quietly shuffled off to a waiting room with some
+less-than-comfortable chairs and horrible magazines about something freakish
+called "Quidditch". Reluctantly, she settled in and proceeded to stare at a wall
+while the Goblins got on with getting her some money. Harry was resting in his
+basket, unceremoniously placed against a wall.
+
+<hr />
+
+Meanwhile, the Goblins were in something of a panic. Axeblock had called his
+immediate superior Bloodrock, who had brought in Throwhook from Wills and
+Inheritances and Beltlock from Unusual Currency Exchanges. After a very brief
+interview with the muggle woman, Beltlock was dismissed and Throwhook ran off to
+summon Sharpaxe, the current Head of the Potter Accounts. The active foreman
+noticed all this activity and called Steelgash from Potential Difficulties, who
+upon hearing the situation summoned Urgnok from Wizarding Relations to assist.
+Urgnok understood exactly who the Boy-Who-Lived was, and sent an urgent request
+for advice to Ragnok, supreme branch manager and effective head of Goblin
+government in Britain.
+
+Ragnok found himself faced with a plainly unacceptable situation. Less than a
+day after Dumbledore had strode into his bank and outright demanded that they
+seal the Potter will, and it was already causing problems! Letting the Wizards
+inject their loathsome politics into Gringotts affairs had never ended well for
+Goblins before, and this time looked to be no different. Still, Dumbledore was
+politically powerful; Ragnok could not order the will unsealed without risking
+significant further damage to Goblin rights in Britain.
+
+Legally, it was a mess. After some further questioning, Ragnok determined that
+the Dursley was absolutely and completely unwilling to accept the boy without
+monetary compensation, an admirable if somewhat troublesome trait. Ragnok was
+also somewhat endeared to her by her rampant hatred of Wizard kind, which he
+shared. Still, without a will reading, no such compensation was possible; the
+only funds available were the boy's own trust fund, which would not unseal until
+his eleventh birthday. All Potter Family assets were locked away until the
+heir's majority, barring a will that stated otherwise. Without any way to
+acquiesce to the Dursley's demands for compensation, there was no other
+alternative; the guardianship of the boy must be changed.
+
+The contents of the will could not, legally, be read to determine a replacement
+guardian. Still, the existence of the will was not in doubt; nor that it had
+been trusted to the Goblins of Gringotts to execute. This implied that the
+Potters trusted in the judgment of Goblins to see to the care of their child.
+Ragnok acknowledged that Gringotts had already failed the Potters by bowing to
+political pressure from Dumbledore, but he would still accept the implied
+responsibility to find a proper guardian for the boy. And in any case, no-one
+else could be trusted with the task; Dumbledore had already proven that the
+Ministry of Magic was incapable of placing the child; as its representative, he
+had chosen a guardian who lasted not even 12 hours before demanding to be
+removed!
+
+So, Ragnok ruled that guardianship of the boy was now a Goblin matter. They
+would, in good faith, find the best possible guardian for Harry Potter.
+
+As a matter of simple formalities, Beltlock was once again summoned.
+Negotiations commenced, and less than two hours after entering Gringotts,
+Petunia left much happier than she had expected to, having officially sold Harry
+to the Goblins for £2500 and a prepaid taxi home. She was given a receipt in
+exchange, marked with her own blood, the blood of Beltlock, and the blood of
+Harry Potter. She viewed the experience as a triumph over freakishness, and
+planned to have the receipt framed as soon as possible. Obviously, it would not
+be displayed anywhere prominent, where someone might see it, but she would
+treasure it nonetheless. Perhaps she could hang it in the supply cupboard, under
+the stairs.
+
+<hr />
+
+A tinkling sound attracted Dumbledore's attention once more to his silver
+instruments. He was pleased to see that the blood wards were again active; the
+blood of Harry Potter was in the home of the Dursleys, and that blood was loved.
+Dumbledore smiled, and returned to his paperwork. Later this evening he would
+tell Minerva her worries had been for naught. Another plan managed flawlessly.
+This deserved another lemon drop.
+
+<hr />
+
+And now, Ragnok considered the problem of where to place the boy. He could not
+be placed carelessly; already, Harry had acquired scores of potential enemies in
+the followers of Lord Voldemort. In any case, a Wizarding family was not a
+healthy place to raise any child; every Goblin knew that Wizards were without
+exception rude, incompetent, and downright useless. No, he would have to go
+somewhere he could have a real childhood, with all the opportunity he deserved
+to grow into a well-rounded adult member of society.
+
+Besides, Sharpaxe would have plenty of spare time now that the Potter accounts
+were idle, and had been trying unsuccessfully for a child for some time now.
+Ragnok had no doubt he would make an excellent father for Harry. There was no
+better place for a child to grow to adulthood than the marble rooms and stone
+caves of Gringotts; any Goblin you asked would agree without hesitation.
+
+There were other advantages as well. The boy would grow to be The Potter of
+Potter, heir to an Ancient and Noble house and its corresponding seat on the
+Wizengamot. Having a Goblin-raised Human on the Wizengamot would be a tremendous
+leap forward for Goblin rights. And as the Boy-Who-Lived, he was already being
+canonized by the Wizarding public; he was clearly an asset to the Goblin nation
+if used properly.
+
+Yes, this could work well for the Goblins. Harry would be raised as one of them,
+trained both in the arts of war and the arts of politics. He would be a force
+for change in the backwards society of the Wizards, and greatly assist in the
+long-term plan of equal rights for Goblinkind.
+
+If nothing else, the Wizarding public was sure to send him gifts. Already the
+mail wards Dumbledore had instructed them to setup on behalf of Harry Potter
+were forwarding hundreds of letters to a vault dedicated for that purpose. Some
+of those letters had money! Money which, by virtue of being money, rightfully
+belonged in the hands of Goblins!
+
+And if Harry Potter was recognized as a member of Goblinkind by Gringotts, then
+he could access those funds for his own purposes, and the consequent betterment
+of the Goblin economy. And the Potter accounts! The vaults were officially
+sealed until his majority, but as a Goblin he could enter them for security
+audits. And once Harry was inside the vault, the possessions and gold within
+were unarguably his, so he could not be accused of stealing if he brought
+anything out when he left. It was disgusting to just leave all that gold sitting
+around for decades; really, this was better for everyone.
+
+A grisly smile crept across Ragnok's face. Without any further hesitation, he
+promoted Sharpaxe from Head of Potter Accounts to Head of Harry Potter Affairs.
+Harry Potter was placed in Sharpaxe's hands, and with the briefest of ceremony
+adopted into his clan.
+
+Harry looked up at his new father and gurgled happily. "Well," thought Sharpaxe,
+"I'll have plenty of time to work on fixing that."
+
+The child was whisked off to a Healer so the bank could be assured its asset was
+in prime condition, and Sharpaxe was dispatched back to his apartment to prepare
+an appropriate living space and acquire whatever food, clothing, and any other
+essentials that were likely to be required in the immediate future.
+
+As Sharpaxe set off to notify his wife, one thought repeated in his mind:
+"Humans grow fast and tall. He will outgrow his swords quickly. I must
+requisition extra funds for additional weaponry immediately."
+
+<hr />
+
+Goldknife was a very skilled, very bored Healer. Gringotts had little call for
+Healers trained in Human physiology, and there hadn't been a new opening for a
+Disemboweler in years. Still, she was dedicated to maintaining herself as the
+best. She practiced her skill with diligence on the Human cursebreakers injured
+on the job, and yearned to someday practice her *art* on those who attempted to
+steal from Gringotts.
+
+But today, a new patient arrived. Goldknife was informed that she would now be
+responsible for this Human child's healing until he reached majority. Funding
+was allocated from the freshly-created Department of Harry Potter Affairs for
+any needed wages, ingredients, and record-keeping. This was pleasant news; it
+wasn't Disemboweling, but at least it was something to do. And there was always
+the hope that he would try to escape while under her care.
+
+Harry was quickly determined to be no more injured than expected for a young
+child who had had a house collapse on him. He was hungry, but Human milk was a
+common enough ingredient in certain kinds of potions that she was quickly able
+to satisfy that need. More worrying, however, was the rather persistent magical
+reading that seemed to reside in his forehead. Careful analysis revealed the
+presence of an incomplete horcrux. This required some difficult decisions to be
+made.
+
+Steelgash of Potential Difficulties was again brought forth, and was able to
+verify that the signature on the horcrux matched that of a Human already known
+to the bank, one Tom Riddle. This was fortunate, as Riddle had no active
+contract with the Goblins for the protection of any horcruxes. Even if he could
+press such a claim, Harry was determined to be a legal owner of any such horcrux
+left on his person, as there was no record of Riddle ever having been his
+guardian. Legally, the horcrux was a gift, and could be destroyed.
+
+Still, the process had very serious complications. With such a risk to the
+patient, the final decision must lie with the Head of Harry Potter Affairs. A
+runner was sent to find Sharpaxe, eventually locating him sampling the wares of
+various weaponsmiths. Sharpaxe, having the situation explained by the Healer,
+immediately grasped the essential difficulty.
+
+"You can remove the horcrux, but doing so will destroy the scar?"
+
+"Unfortunately, yes. The two are one and the same; without the horcrux to burn
+against his soul, his own magic will heal over the scar quickly."
+
+"But the scar is a mark of honor! Surely he will wear it as a badge of his
+glorious victory!"
+
+"He is too young to understand. When he is older, he will be able to embrace his
+scars. Now, they will heal."
+
+"Then, we leave the horcrux until he is properly educated. Then his magic will
+recognize the scar as his own, and the horcrux can be removed."
+
+"Unacceptable," Steelgash interrupted, "Harry Potter is to be trained as a
+Goblin. Tom Riddle is not. The horcrux is a compromise, and cannot be present
+during his training."
+
+Sharpaxe scowled for a time, before presenting a compromise, "Harry deserves
+recognition of his victory. You propose to deny him natural recognition as a
+matter of bank security. I will agree, on the condition that Harry is afforded
+compensation for this loss, to include special dispensation for the unlimited
+use of a glamour that matches the scar as it is now."
+
+This was a steep price. Normally, glamours of any kind were prohibited in many
+areas of Gringotts, and scar glamours especially were heavily restricted to
+"inherited" scars and important marks of office. Still, no-one could deny that
+Harry had earned a scar which he already wore, and the bank forcing the removal
+of a genuine scar won in battle was a unique event.
+
+"Agreed. An enchanted device will be constructed to hold the glamour. I will see
+to the details."
+
+Sharpaxe hoped this would be enough. He promised himself that he would do
+everything in his power to see Harry raised in a proper and honorable manner,
+and that Harry would enter adulthood with many glorious scars. With any luck,
+that would help satisfy the terrible loss Harry would surely feel for having his
+first trophy stolen so unfairly.
+
+A contract was hastily prepared and signed in blood between the two, and
+detailed images of the scar drawn for the construction of the glamour. Goldknife
+prepared a simple runic array for the removal process, and summoned several
+underlings to assist. Within a few moments, the Goblins had donated enough love
+of money to overpower the inherent hatred of the soul fragment, dispersing it
+forever.
+
+As she wiped some leftover black residue off Harry's forehead, Goldknife saw
+that his beautifully violent scar was already starting to fade and smooth over.
+With a grimace, she vowed silently to herself that someday she would make amends
+to the boy for the harm she had just caused him.
+
+Sharpaxe removed Harry from the Healer's presence and took him to be fitted for
+his first set of armor. At such a young age it was doubtful that he would be
+able to properly wield any weaponry, but it was important to get used to the
+feel of the equipment as early as possible.
+
+<hr />
+
+Harry's last stop for the day was an examination by the Matriarch for any
+prophecies that entangled his fate. She was an ancient and hideous Goblin,
+blinded at an early age when she first showed signs of divinatory talent and
+locked away in a dark cave to focus on improving her focus. After many years of
+rituals and practice, she could feel the influence of the future on any brought
+before her within moments.
+
+The blind Oracle passed her hand over Harry, her face locked in a growl of
+concentration. Long minutes passed, with the uneven smoke of torches coiling
+around her cramped burrow, causing little Harry to sneeze.
+
+With a pained moan, the Matriarch relaxed before giving an utterly terrifying
+smile. Staring eyelessly into the darkness, she delivered her reading.
+
+"This boy is four-score-times marked by prophecy. His life shall be rife with
+conflict and war. Enemies great and small await him."
+
+Sharpaxe let out a relieved breath. He had worried that, as a Human, Harry might
+not be destined to be a true warrior, and that he would have to contract out for
+enemies to challenge his new ward. This way was better; with natural adversaries
+selected by fate, Harry was sure to have the best opportunity possible to become
+a mighty warrior. Not to mention, this way cost less.
+
+Knowing everything he needed to know about Harry's future, Sharpaxe carried him
+off to his apartment. It was nearing evening, and Harry would need to be fed
+soon. Most likely he was still too young to strangle his own rat, but, there was
+no point in denying him the opportunity to try.