From 3fb94049063c90237c7265adce3b4405e73aa687 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Julian Blake Kongslie Date: Sun, 1 Jan 2012 23:03:24 -0800 Subject: Starting actual writing on A Little Greed. --- novellas/a-little-greed.mdwn | 9 + novellas/a-little-greed/01-pragmatism.mdwn | 383 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 2 files changed, 392 insertions(+) create mode 100644 novellas/a-little-greed.mdwn create mode 100644 novellas/a-little-greed/01-pragmatism.mdwn (limited to 'novellas') diff --git a/novellas/a-little-greed.mdwn b/novellas/a-little-greed.mdwn new file mode 100644 index 0000000..f28b230 --- /dev/null +++ b/novellas/a-little-greed.mdwn @@ -0,0 +1,9 @@ +[[!meta title="A Little Greed"]] + +Harry grows up with a different sort of guardian, and a different view of +Wizarding Britain. + +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 new file mode 100644 index 0000000..8b676c1 --- /dev/null +++ b/novellas/a-little-greed/01-pragmatism.mdwn @@ -0,0 +1,383 @@ +[[!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. + +
+ +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. + +
+ +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. + +
+ +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. + +
+ +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. + +
+ +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." + +
+ +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. -- cgit v1.2.3