There's A Conspiracy!
The parchment completely befuddled me. Sure, being the heir to Merlin was something most people could only dream of, but now I was being told I was also the heir to Pendragon?
Clawgrab settled back into his chair, his attitude now much more respectful as he patiently waited for questions I had. I folded the paper and placed it in my pocket, planning to show Alice when I got back "home." Perhaps she had some knowledge of the history, having been alive for over a hundred years.
"So, Clawgrab, what does this mean for me?" I asked, sitting back down and crossing my legs. Somehow, knowing my ancestry in this world made me feel a little lighter.
Nodding, he cleared his throat. "Well, sir, there are a lot of things we need to do, but I suggest either your professor leaves until we complete all proceedings, or she takes an Oath of Silence against her bloodline."
McGonagall's mouth fell open at Clawgrab's words, the shock clear at the extremes the goblin will go to ensure the privacy of the meeting.
"Professor, I'd rather not put you through this kind of situation. Could you leave until we're done here?" I asked, smiling at her. Not that I didn't trust her, but I trusted Dumbledore even less.
He always had his claws hidden in something.
After speaking to Alice about our initial meeting, she expressed her concern about his 'obtaining' my family ring. Legally, he should have returned it to Gringotts for safekeeping, but he had avoided their spells that would return it to the vaults.
McGonagall nodded, stepping back and turning to leave the room. As soon as the door closed, Clawgrab activated some mechanism, and I could see magic flood the room, layers of protection and safety magic encasing us.
"I thank you for heeding my words, Lord King," he said as tea was placed in front of me.
"Lord King? Uh, what do you mean?" I asked, confusion clear on my face.
Without responding, he walked to the back of the room and placed a key into a hidden safe. Waving his hands, an intricate magical combination appeared as he twisted the magic around, something like a Rubik's cube of security.
Placing his hand inside the vault, he pulled out a folder that was almost bursting at the seams. He placed it on the table before taking a seat.
"Though we cannot track your family tree, the test has confirmed your legitimacy to your family's inheritances. Le Fay, better known as Pendragon, is the direct line of King Arthur, the old ruler of Britain."
Opening the folder, he placed a couple of documents in front of me.
"These here show your assets, along with title deeds, to lands and shares in businesses. Now, we could spend the better part of a month going through each asset the Pendragon side of your family has, but it would be easier to explain that you hold ownership of a significant portion of British soil, both Muggle and Magical."
I was even more confused, but then I realized that King Arthur and his family would have granted rights to people to use their land. Therefore, the vaults must have been continuously gaining income for hundreds of years.
"That's... a lot to take in, Clawgrab," I said, taking a drink of the tea. My gulp was audible in the silent room.
"Along with the Pendragon fortune, the Ambrosius family is more focused on the magical portion of Britain. From businesses to even portions of the Ministry, you have a share of ownership over crucial potions, inventions, and patents."
He had an enormous grin on his face, and I could only assume it was because of the amount of money filled in my bank vaults. I was quite curious about reading through the documents, but I knew this wasn't the right place to investigate.
Pulling out another item, Clawgrab placed a box in front of me, opening it gently as he turned it to face me. Inside was another family ring, similar to my Ambrosius one, though this one had the insignia of a bird holding a sword in its claws.
"Please wear the ring. Though the inheritance test is complete, this is rightfully yours and will signify your choice to accept the assets and titles."
Nodding, I placed it on my right hand, on the finger next to my first ring. As soon as it settled on my finger, the ring resized and fit perfectly. The warm sensation I had felt previously appeared once more.
"Clawgrab, can I ask, how was Dumbledore able to elude Gringotts and hold on to my Ambrosius family ring? He claimed to have found it by chance and had been waiting for me since the day my name was registered at Hogwarts."
Looking at me in confusion, Clawgrab sat in silence for a couple of minutes before standing up. "Lord King, please allow me to see the ring!" he exclaimed, the urgency in his voice startling me.
Nodding, I removed it and put it in his hands. Waving his free hand, I could feel the magic swarm around the ring as it hugged the metal. He stood there, his eyes watching the ring for any changes. The situation confused me, but I sat there silently.
"That bastard!" Clawgrab exclaimed out loud.
"I apologize for the grim news I am about to reveal to you, but the only way Dumbledore could hold this ring is if the previous owner died in his hands, as he could forcibly contain the ring. It is impossible for the ring to return to Gringotts if the owner is alive, and after their death, it would appear here in an instant."
His words made me freeze in anger. 'Dumbledore killed my parents? But that makes little sense. What the hell would he gain from doing that? For fuck's sake, he's part of the Order of Merlin himself. He even mentioned an oath.'
It felt like my world had spun. Sure, I didn't know or even remember my parents of this life, but they were now my flesh and blood. What happened to them? I know they disappeared, but was it because of Dumbledore or some bigger plot at hand?
Taking a deep breath, I exhaled the stress that had accumulated in my body. "I've checked it before, but there is no sort of tracking or curses on it, correct?" A second opinion was always helpful.
"Nothing of the sort, though I am curious why Dumbledore held onto the ring. I apologize, Lord King. Even the contents of your family's vaults are hidden from us because of the sheer status of your bloodline." He seemed downtrodden, but I appreciated the honesty; I wasn't expecting how helpful he had been.
Standing up, I walked over to Clawgrab and outstretched my hand. "I am grateful for everything you've done today. When I come back, you'll have time to show me the vaults. I need to spend some time thinking about everything."
Giving me a toothy grin, he extended his pointy hand and shook it.
**********
I had pretended to be fine after the meeting, letting McGonagall believe nothing was amiss, mainly alluding to the fact that I needed some time to understand my new and singular inheritance.
Lying wasn't something I enjoyed doing, but I couldn't trust anyone who was close to Dumbledore currently, not until I figured out the whole situation.
Arriving back in her office, I thanked McGonagall for her time chaperoning me and quickly left her, making my way to my bedroom. It took a couple of minutes as I weaved my way through students spending their free day off messing around in the hallways.
Slamming the door open, I found Alice lounging about on the windowsill in her cat form, enjoying the sunlight filtering through. Hearing my abrupt entrance, her head snapped in my direction as she turned back into human form.
"Theo, what's wrong?" she questioned, bouncing towards me and wrapping her hands around my neck. The worried look in her eyes made me calm down almost instantaneously; her golden irises were mesmerizing to look at.
Wrapping my arms around her waist, I pulled her into a deep kiss, my tongue escaping, parting her lips softly, and pushing past her teeth. She had a surprised look in her eyes before melting into the kiss, her tongue darting forward, both of us exploring each other's mouths, our saliva mixing as Alice moaned lightly in my mouth.
Releasing her from my grip, I let out a content sigh, placing my forehead against hers. "It's been a long fuckin' day. You'd better prepare yourself."
**********
It took every ounce of my willpower to stop Alice from bursting through the school and killing Dumbledore where he stood. Her anger was something I had never seen before, and it had made me like her even more. For someone so bubbly to show unbridled rage for you, it truly warmed my heart. Maybe I was a bit messed up?
"It's fine. I will get the answers eventually," I said, placing her head on my chest as she huffed in anger. "More importantly, Alice. I'm fuckin' loaded, we're fuckin' loaded!" I shouted in happiness. Though I wasn't always a person who cared about material possessions, I'd rather be rich than poor.
She giggled at my excitement, her hands holding my body tighter. "I don't want to rain on your parade, but I'm already rich," she said smugly.
Clicking my tongue at her, I lightly poked her head. "No, my dear. You may be filthy rich, but from the documents I've lightly looked at, I'm the 'fuck you' kind of rich. Enough to save a couple of countries from recession and not make a dent in my savings."
It was really fun to brag to her because we both knew that we weren't being serious; it was just fun.
"I didn't know I would have a sugar daddy at my age," Alice purred into my ear as she bit it slightly, her chilly breath making my body shiver with excitement.
Kissing her neck gently, I cupped her curvaceous ass cheeks as I pulled her into my embrace. "Well, I can't promise I'll always be the smartest with understanding relationships, but if I make a mistake, you can run my bank dry in retaliation."
Hearing my words, she laughed out loud before standing up and walking to the bathroom. With a slight wink, she closed the door as I heard the shower start.
"Now... I should test my ultimate move." Standing up, I used my magic to create a ball of light that had been imbued with the concept of infinity.
Raising my hand, I focused on the ball of magic as I attempted to remove the infinitely floating light. Envisioning the magic dissipating similarly to the curse that had affected Alice, I held my concentration, repeatedly pushing my magic to surround the light.
Seconds turned into minutes.
Alice had left the shower and was sitting on the bed, watching intently. The minutes turned into an hour, as I continued to erase the infinity. Slowly, I could see the magic being torn apart from the inside as it disintegrated piece by piece.
Finally, after a couple of minutes, the spell disappeared, turning the room into darkness.
I couldn't help but laugh out loud as I launched myself onto Alice and held her dearly in my arms.
"What was that? You just stopped your magic, right?" she questioned.
Shaking my head, I kissed her cheek in happiness. "No. That, my dear, was me cancelling a spell that in theory, should be completely impossible to cancel."