9. Time to see the Banker
It was early the next day. I was wearing my regular clothes, although loose, they were still comfortable enough, at least for now. I needed a wardrobe, and I would do that soon.
If the weather permits...
Entering through the large doors of the bank, I go to one of the tellers.
"Good morning, warrior. I would like to have an emergency meeting with Account Manager Potter." I say, giving the goblin a calm smile.
"A young wizard, who knows the correct way to call us, interesting. Manager Potter, is it? And who would you be for such a request?" He had a raised eyebrow, and I knew he knew who I was.
"Harry James Potter." I answer, keeping my calm smile.
"Follow me." he says, getting down from his chair and leading me through some corridors further into the building. We go up two flights of stairs, until we reach a long corridor. Several doors, with different colors and names attached to them, were presenting themselves in my vision.
This view, even through the glasses that impaired my vision, allowed me to read each name on the plaques. On the doors, the name of the manager, followed below by the families.
Some doors were clean, which led me to believe that the manager was without a house to look after, or God and Merlin knows why.
We stopped in front of a door. It read: Account Manager Eyred, since 1952.
Immediately below, there were only two houses that she seemed to look after, Longbottom and Potter.
The goblin guiding me knocked three times on the door, when we heard a thin, shrill voice shouting come in. As soon as he opened it, my vision was flooded by the ugliest and most bizarre creature I had ever seen.
It was like seeing a gremlin, taller and more robust. The goblin was wide, with a face that looked like she had bathed in lava, and her skin had melted until it created strange folds. Her lips were marked with bright red lipstick, and her eyes were basically the same color.
"Ma'am, the heir to the Potter house requests an emergency meeting." says the goblin who guided me to the room.
"About time, Potter boy. I thought I would need to send Goblin force to look for you." says the goblin, her shrill voice rising an octave, while her hand motioned for entry and pointed to the chair in front of her desk.
"Excuse me, ma'am. But I have never received any letter or news from the bank, so apart from my first year, when I first came to the bank and was taken to my vault, I have not had any contact, either by letter or physical." I explain.
"The old heron explained your situation in person, Mr. Potter, but that is no excuse for never coming to my office. Family business for which I need your authorization or denial, as well as permissions to continue my work." she answers, looking at me with great interest.
"Excuse me, ma'am, but who would the old heron be?" I ask, confused.
"Who else but Albus many names Dumbledore? He says that, since he lives with unkind uncles, he doesn't want to put himself at risk of being robbed by them." she says, taking me by surprise at the end.
"I see, ma'am," I say finally, thinking for a moment. "I would like to know, what is in my power to change, and what requests can I make, regarding the old Potter house?"
"What can I change, Mr. Potter? Basically everything within certain contexts. This includes who your recognized magical guardian is, the amounts in your named vaults, the companies in the name of the family you belong to.
All of this is yours, and since your parents, unfortunately, cannot, for reasons of force majeure, assume these responsibilities, this falls on your lap, or on someone appointed by you, in good conscience.
The old heron only asked me to keep things until he could introduce himself to me, which gives the man a point for not trying to steal from you. And notice I said try, because that's an important word here." she explains, in a somewhat stern manner, reminding me of McGonagall.
"Okay, he didn't steal from me, or try to. I understand that." I confirm the 'businesswoman' in front of me. "I want to appoint Remus Lupin as my guardian and legal representative to manage my affairs until I am 17, or emancipated, whichever comes first.
I would also like to know the status of Potter Manor, where my grandparents lived. If it is habitable, I would like to request the help and services of Gringotts, for repairs and protection of the residence, as well as any improvements if they are not already in the house." I indicate my requests.
Eyred looks at her paperwork, looking for something. After apparently finding what she was looking for, she gave a quick read, jotting down something and moving on to the next sheet.
"Here is the situation of the Potter residence. I have noted what I believe would be useful to add to the wards of the place." she declares, handing me the sheet.
With a brief but careful reading, I realize that there is not much damage, since my grandparents died because of the disease that previously had no cure. After a proper cleaning, and the replacement of the old wards, adding something would be easy.
"Thank you." I say, handing her back the sheet. "I would like to add a spare Floo, for possible unwanted guests, while the main one remains a secret for friends and family. May this new floo throw them into some space in the dungeon if there is one." I say my idea to add.
"Precautionary, Mr. Potter, I am glad to see that quality. I will remove the costs from your family account, as well as the other requests." she says, with me nodding in agreement. "Anything else?" she looks at me with interest.
"Create an employment contract, and send it to Remus Lupin. Make him the butler and advisor to the Potter family, I will leave the salary for the madam to stipulate what she believes is appropriate. I would also like to add a protected place in the mansion for possible transformations of him during full moons.
Since I believe in your abilities, madam, I can rest assured that my family's accounts are increasingly full, and not the other way around." I finish, looking at her with interest.
"Potter rich, my earnings increase. It is in my interest to earn more, which makes it in my interest for the accounts to increase more and more, Mr. Potter. Potter." she replies with a hideous smile.
"Can I expect that when the new Potter house is ready, only I will know about such a place? And that I will be notified as soon as it is ready, please. I would also like some undated, voice-activated portkeys, in the form of rings or hair clips, with the word NOX, as the activation key, taking its bearer to the mansion safely." I ask, getting up from the chair.
"I will do so as soon as I finish your order, Mr. Potter. Self-adjusting I presume? Single use?" she adds the questions.
"I appreciate that, and yes." I start heading towards the exit. I stop at the door, "Sometimes one of my house elves may come to give a message or warning, but I will send a note, with your name and permission to do so. See you soon, ma'am."