Magic meets dinosaurs

Part 6

Their arrival at the Leaky Cauldron went relatively unnoticed. This was partly because Harry's scar was covered by his bangs and partly because the three men seemed to be instinctively shielding him. Harry nearly burst out laughing at the stray thought of them as raptors protecting him as their baby. Thankfully he'd managed to contain his snickers until they got to the portal into Diagon.
The look on Alan's face when he saw the wall open and Diagon beyond it was priceless. It also made a warm feeling build in Harry's chest at sharing something so important to him with the man, as if he was really his father. Alan did nothing to dissuade him from thinking such things when he pulled Harry close as they walked through the crowd. Harry felt more than a little uncomfortable between the crowd and his nominal inability to get out of Alan's gentle grip but he forced it down. He knew that Alan wouldn't hurt him but he also remembered how much Vernon had hurt him whenever he was within arm's reach.
As they ducked into the bank Harry saw a flash of blond hair matched with an acid green quill stuck behind one ear. The glee he saw in her eyes and the way she was obviously heading towards them had lead curling in his gut. Then he remembered her animagus form and wondered if he could get the goblins to make sure she wasn't in the upcoming meeting. It would also give them something to be aware of if someone attempted to rob the bank again. That decided he opted to ignore her if she accosted them inside the lobby. She did.
"You who! Harry dear! What on earth are you doing here? And in the company of Lucius Malfoy?" She said cheerfully as she trotted up to the group. Harry just groaned and buried his face in his hands.
"Friend of yours?" Alan asked, eyeing the witch warily.
"No!" Harry said vehemently. "She's supposedly a reporter but she's just a lying bitch."
"Now, now, Harry, she may be a lying bitch but she is a popular lying bitch. Let me handle this one," Lucius muttered low enough that only their group could hear it. He quickly raised his voice only to drawl at the reporter, sneer clear on his face. "Miss. Skeeter, if you are that desperate for an interview kindly contact Mr. Potter via his guardian. If you had written such things about my son as you have done about Mr. Potter you would be in Azkaban right now.
Skeeter stopped dead and actually looked at their group. The nearly unanimous glares from all four of them had her hesitating before deciding to ignore it and keep going.
"Considering it was his magical guardian who gave me permission to write whatever I like about the Savior I really don't see a problem," Rita said sweetly. The way their eyes hardened told her that perhaps she had said something wrong.
"As the Headmaster is no longer Mr. Potter's guardian in any fashion I suggest you consider that permission revoked," Severus said flatly, itching to curse the witch bloody.
"We wouldn't want the Aurors to accidentally find out about your little bug problem, now would we?" Harry growled, resisting the urge to pull out his wand and hex her despite his still depleted magical core and the risk of coma. The flinch that Rita gave in response had all three adults wondering what exactly Harry had on the woman.
"You'll have to speak to the press sometime, especially with your sudden disappearance from the ministry and the panic of your friends. I believe that the Auror search still hasn't been called off," Rita pointed out reasonably. "I'm perfectly willing to conduct the interview under magical oath of content fidelity. I'm even willing to sign a full contract to that effect if you make me your press contact."
"Then you're also willing to share with these three about your bug problem?" Harry asked with wary curiosity, gesturing at his unintentional escort. She hesitated before reluctantly nodding her agreement. He looked at the three men in question as they studied him.
"Its up to you but I want one of those magically binding oaths on top of the legal contract. Would you be willing to help us work out that contract Lucius?" Alan asked, accepting Harry's nod as a yes.
"Certainly but it might be prudent to find... ah," Lucius began just as they were approached by a goblin who motioned for them to follow.
Alan wasn't as surprised about their overall appearance as he thought he would be. He also remembered some of the stories about goblins and firmly kept himself between the goblin and Harry as the, now, group of five were led further into the bank. He would take no chances that his son would be stolen away or harmed by these strange beings. Sometimes, he really wished that he had never even heard of Jurassic Park or John Hammond. The nightmares still caused him problems from time to time and he was sure that some of the magical world was going to feature prominently in his next one. Alan just hoped he didn't wake Harry when it happened.
They were led down various halls into a sumptuous office very clearly for important clients. There were plenty of books on the shelves, various small magical items scattered around the room, and lots of obviously important papers practically burying the tall wooden desk. Alan started to take a seat but was stopped by a subtle shake of Lucius' head. They waited patiently for the goblin sitting behind the desk to acknowledge them. He finished scratching out whatever he was writing and set his quill down before addressing them.
"Mr. Potter, Gringotts would like to know why you have ignored all of our attempts to contact you," the goblin said politely, completely ignoring the adults for the moment.
"If you've sent me a letter I've never received it," Harry said with a frown. "I only ever get mail from my friends and Sirius, so almost nothing."
Everyone but Alan stared at him in shock. Dr. Grant had a sudden sense of foreboding about his son. He gently tugged a bewildered Harry into a backwards hug, putting his back to his father's chest.
"Someone must have a mail ward on him. There is absolutely no way he wouldn't be sent literally hundreds of letters and gifts," Lucius muttered darkly. "Many of them have legal connotations from large gifts to legal bequests. Completely aside from the various thank you notes that are likely still sent."
"Can we write up that contract now?" Rita asked quickly. "Parts of this meeting are clearly going to need to be published and I don't want someone else stealing my scoop!"
"I definitely see why you don't like her," Alan said softly into Harry's ear making the teen snicker and nod in agreement.
Lucius nodded graciously and conjured a standard contract, incorporating the already discussed restrictions, including an accuracy and truthfulness clause. The penalties he listed made her pale but she didn't hesitate to sign it with the contract blood quill grudgingly provided by their goblin host. Severus and Alan also signed it, after honestly explaining the quill to the muggle man. Harry watched the quill almost nervously, rubbing at the scar on the back of his hand. The over use of the blood quill under Umbridge's care had made it intensely sensitive and affected how he viewed the magical item.
"I never thought I'd literally be signing something in blood," Alan said wryly as he watched the inevitable marks magically heal themselves perfectly. They were all finally asked to take a seat in the various chairs.
"Imagine having to write with one of those things for four hours nearly every night for a year," Harry pointed out with a grimace, still rubbing his hand.
"Ah, yes, I will have to get her brought up on charges," Lucius said darkly at the reminder. Severus growled in agreement as Rita scribbled down the disturbing tidbit. Alan mentally added one more person to his Rexy Snack list. He was still deciding if Rita should be on there for the obvious grief she'd given Harry.
"Could we get Dumbledore brought up on charges about the Basilisk, the Dementors, and whatever Fluffy was?" Alan asked curiously. They all just blinked at him in surprise before Harry burst out laughing. The joyful sound had everyone relaxing a bit despite the slightly hysterical edge.
"I already acted in regards to the Basilisk but it didn't last. The fact was that the Basilisk was a part of the castles defenses from when it was first built. The Dementors were the Ministry's fault and Dumbledore fought their placement at the school. Fluffy... who or what was Fluffy?" Lucius asked in puzzlement.
"Dumbledore used a Cerberus by the name of Fluffy, owned by Hagrid, as the first defense of Flamel's blasted stone in Harry and Draco's first year. The door wasn't even secured properly beyond a simple spell that nearly any student could get past. He also insisted on flat out announcing not to go to that area at the opening feast! I tried to get the stone moved elsewhere or at least the obstacles changed so that the students would be in less danger but I was overruled," Severus fumed. It was clearly a sore spot and all of them could see why.
"Yeah, that was... weird. We did try to get a teacher to deal with both Fluffy and someone trying to steal the stone. It didn't work very well so we dealt with it ourselves," Harry said with a careless shrug.
"I definitely agree with him staying in your quarters so you can keep a better eye on him during the school year," Alan said with a laughing groan. "He really shouldn't be so used to such dangers and adventures. Hell, adults should be terrified of facing some of what he's lived through. Whoever his previous guardian was should be charged with neglect and child endangerment."
"Headmaster Dumbledore was Heir Potter's previous magical guardian, Petunia Dursley was his previous muggle guardian," the goblin offered the official confirmation toothily. He was clearly enjoying the discussion and just as clearly not a fan of Dumbledore. "As Heir Potter claims to have never received correspondence with the bank I am forced to ask if he ever authorized someone else to withdraw money from his account or shared his key with someone else. The Dursleys have been receiving a stipend to assist with raising Heir Potter. A stipend that they will be called to account for as, according to the thinness of Heir Potter's features and clearly stunted height, they appear not to have been using it for its intended purpose. It does not bode well for his previous accommodations if a full school year at Hogwarts has passed and he is still so thin."
Harry blushed deeply in embarrassment and refused to look at them.
"Brat, we need to know what they did to you at some point. For now answer his question and tell us if they fed you properly. I saw some of the damage on the healer's report. It was one of the reasons they accepted your father's adoption claim backed up by whatever you told them about the events on the island," Severus commanded softly, knowing first hand how hard it was to say anything about such mistreatment.
"I never had my key and they never asked before getting my money for my school supplies. No, they didn't... fed me," Harry answered equally softly, eyes focused firmly on his lap.
"I know that was hard but I'm glad you told us," Alan said sincerely before pulling Harry into a hug. Harry buried himself in Alan's chest and just hid there as best he could. He shook from the force of mixed relief and grief as he accepted that his own blood would never treat him as human.
Rita much to their disgust was frantically writing notes about the issues Harry had pointed out, including his neglect. Severus was already glaring at her and plotting to take her aside to discuss whether or not she would be allowed to publish the information on his previous home life. Harry needed to be taken care of and healed, whereas the Dursleys needed to be punished.
"As we have covered some of the more immediate concerns may I ask why you came to Gringotts today?" the goblin asked politely, giving Harry a chance to compose himself.
"Ah, yes, Dr. Alan Grant and Potions Master Severus Snape wish to blood adopt Mr. Potter to keep the Ministry from forcibly removing him from their care. This will also prevent them from once more placing him with someone who would harm him," Lucius said promptly, his mind brought back to the original reason they were there.
"Once the blood adoption occurs would you be willing to go over certain... irregularities in the Potter account?" the goblin asked, growling a bit on the word "irregularities".
"Yes," Severus said harshly, switching from glaring at Rita to glaring at the goblin.
The goblin nodded his acceptance and quickly sent for a double dose of the needed potion. The adoption potion arrived promptly only to be poured into an over sized goblet. A silver knife was produced to help provide the blood.
"Will my status as a muggle affect the potion?" Alan asked worriedly, eyeing the knife and hoping he wouldn't be doing something dangerous or stupid with it. He gently moved Harry into his seat before moving to stand next to Severus as he examined the potion for quality.
"Since the brat is magical and we won't be the ones having our blood altered, no. If you were the one being adopted another potion or magic would need to be used because you don't have your own magic to support your end of the bond. Were you attempting this alone you would need to add double the blood to make it work and the side effects would be exaggerated. As it stands we each add three drops to the potion allow it to sit for a full minute and then the brat drinks it," Severus explained shortly, adding his own blood to the goblet quickly and efficiently before cleaning the blade and offering it to the paleontologist.
Alan nodded his acceptance and took the silver knife. He used it to very carefully slice into his palm before dripping three drops into the potion. Lucius kindly healed the cut as Severus cleaned the blade and swirled the potion. They waited the minute before Harry was offered the goblet. Making a face Harry downed it in one go and fought to keep it in his stomach even as he gagged. Severus rolled his eyes but also took the goblet to magically clean it as he watched Harry for any immediate changes. Harry finally got his stomach under control just before collapsing backwards into his seat with a moan.
"Is this supposed to happen?" Alan asked worriedly.
"The magic is fixing most if not all of the damage his relatives did to him all at once while incorporating our blood. We will be his parents once the process is done. I had honestly forgotten that it would more than burn a bit since he has more changes to make because of the damage. We can't even give him a pain reliever because it would interact badly with the adoption potion," Severus admitted with a grimace, picking Harry up and settling him in his lap. He held the younger wizard close to help minimize the thrashing and offer comfort.
Harry fought not to scream as he felt his bones re-break and re-align before fusing together in molten fire. The burning in his blood as the metamorphosis swept through his system, sinking into his muscles and bones, had him wanting to thrash. His hair got softer and more silky, loosing some of the wildness. The bright green of his eyes gained flecks of blue-grey. Harry gained nearly four inches in a matter of seconds before finally passing out in Severus' arms.
"We need a nutrition potion and a blood replenisher," Severus barked out, swearing under his breath as he kept Harry from falling while writhing and unconscious in his arms. He had the potions in his hands in less than five minutes. Spelling them directly into Harry's stomach they watched as the movements calmed and he gradually moved from unconsciousness to a more natural sleep.
"Severus, if it was this bad..." Lucius asked hesitantly.
"He will be on a potions regime for several months," Severus said grimly. "I thought he had the bodily resources to take the potion without a problem with how he plays Quidditch. He's going to hate me pulling him off the team until he's at least a little healthier. He's also far far to light. I should have realized what that meant."
"Hey, don't beat yourself up about it. Getting the information out of him even under that weird contract with the Raptors is like pulling teeth, or trying to shatter diamond," Alan scolded lightly, trying to distract himself from how much pain Harry was in. Severus nodded miserably but also allowed the forming adoption bond to urge him into cuddling Harry closer.
"This is unacceptable. Master Goblin, I would like to press charges against his previous magical guardians on the grounds of what we have seen today," Lucius said, fury clear in his eyes and tone.
"Would Mr. Potter's current guardians also like to press charges? Perhaps launch an official investigation into the Potter accounts?" the goblin suggested carefully. Alan picked up on the implications faster than Snape did.
"We would," Alan said savagely. "If possible we would like all misappropriated assets recovered."
"Excellent!" the goblin practically cackled. "You have no idea how long we've been waiting to do that. We despise thieves."
"I have to get to the prophet to get this published!" Rita said in excitement only to find herself stuck to the chair she was sitting in.
"You may cover the adoption and the fact that his previous caretakers didn't do their job. You may also cover the fact that we only went to the extreme of blood adoption because the Ministry would forcefully remove him from our care. That we were working under the belief he might be placed somewhere inappropriate or equally abusive. I can not stop you from publishing the fact that Salazar's pet Basilisk was roaming the school in his second year or the fact that Dumbledore housed a Cerberus inside the school during his first. You have permission to publish the fact that Harry is the one who killed the Basilisk without aid beyond a phoenix and a sword, which was likely taken from him afterwards. You do not have permission to discuss his accounts, lordship, or emotional stability. Its a miracle he hasn't broken yet," Severus said in his most menacing voice. Rita actually squeaked as she cowered back in her chair nodding vigorously.
"You may not publish anything about the magical contract with the Raptors we mentioned. If you say anything about why I adopted him you will cite a life debt, which is true but isn't the whole of the matter," Alan said judiciously. "You also may not hint or in any way convey the possibility of an investigation and us pressing charges against anyone... yet. There's no reason to screw up the investigation before we've got proof to use against them in court."
"Of course, of course!" Rita agreed eagerly.
"If you don't behave I'll tell the Aurors about your beetle form," Harry rasped coming around enough to glare at the reporter.
"Beetle?" Lucius asked with raised eyebrows.
"She's an unregistered animagus," Harry said before collapsing into a strong fit of coughing.
"You're lungs must have been damaged at some point," Severus growled, scrabbling through his pocket for a cough potion he had on him because one of his Slytherins was down with a cold. Feeding Harry the cough syrup immediately helped and allowed him to settle back in his magical adoptive father's lap exhaustedly.
"Stupid chemicals in my cupboard," Harry murmured dazedly, making them all freeze in absolute shock.
"Chemicals? Who the hell keeps chemicals in the same room as a kid?! What did he mean about a cupboard?" Alan demanded with a growl of his own.
"Was my room," Harry muttered with a blush, still to out of it to know what he was saying. Rita looked at them expectantly, practically begging with her eyes to be allowed to publish this.
"No," Severus snapped at her, getting a puppy dog pout in return.
"It might help," Lucius pointed out softly.
"He didn't tell us on purpose and if we break his trust now he'll shut down. It will eventually kill him," Alan pointed out, reaching over to run his hands through Harry's hair.
"Do you have a cot and an unused room we can borrow for the night? I don't think it would be wise to move him far. The potion is still working," Severus asked the goblin softly. The goblin nodded and quickly made the arrangements before leading them to a room where they could stay for the night. Rita quickly escaped to write up and get her article published.

It took a few minutes as the young wizard continued to cough. Finally, Harry managed to swallow the potion and his coughing eased, allowing him to breathe more comfortably.

"Thanks," Harry whispered hoarsely, leaning heavily against Severus.

"Rest, Harry. We'll handle everything," Alan said softly, brushing a strand of hair away from Harry's face.

The goblin nodded, signaling the end of the immediate conversation. "We will commence the investigation immediately and notify you of any findings. The bank will also ensure that no unauthorized withdrawals are made from Heir Potter's account going forward."

"Thank you," Alan replied, his voice filled with gratitude and determination.

Rita, still under the effects of the sticking charm, looked at Harry with a mix of frustration and respect. "I will abide by your conditions," she said, her voice devoid of its usual sharpness. "But you owe me an exclusive interview, Harry."

"Fine," Harry muttered, closing his eyes. "Just not now."

As they prepared to leave the bank, Lucius and Severus flanked Harry, ensuring his safety and comfort. Alan walked beside them, his protective instincts heightened. The journey back through Diagon Alley was uneventful, their presence warding off any unwanted attention.

Upon returning to the Leaky Cauldron, they headed straight to their rooms. Harry was gently placed on the bed, still exhausted from the ordeal. Alan sat beside him, holding his hand while Severus and Lucius discussed the next steps in quiet tones.

"We need to keep a close eye on him," Severus said firmly. "The potions regimen will start immediately, and I'll make sure he gets the rest and nutrition he needs."

Lucius nodded in agreement. "And we must prepare for the backlash once the news hits. There will be questions and potentially dangerous reactions from those who have wronged him."

Alan sighed, looking down at Harry's peaceful face. "We'll face it together. As a family."

Harry, despite his weariness, felt a warmth spread through him at those words. He was finally safe, finally cared for. And he knew that no matter what challenges lay ahead, he wouldn't face them alone.