Mark_Ward
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Chapter 12: Rags to Riches
🕑 Added 2020-07-18 23:57:45 +0000 UTCPicking up the Potter lord ring first since it had to do with his closest kin, Harry closely scrutinized it. The ring was of a black-greyish metallic color the width of a quarter of his finger on the center of it was a coat of arm a Golden Aquila within a read and gold shield and in its talons was House Potter written boldly. Then on the edge of the ring where words that read; Deeds, Not Words!
Turning the ring around in his palm, Harry held it out, took a deep breath, and put on the ring in one single motion. Once the ring was in his left ring finger thankfully nothing seem to have happened until the ring started to adjust itself till it fit snugly.
Letting out a breath he did not even know he was holding back, Harry presented the lord's ring to the room at large. "It worked," Harry announced and looking himself over, he added, "and I am still alive."
"Well that is good and all, pup," Sirius declared, "but you got four more rings to put on before you go start celebrating."
"Ah, shit," Harry muttered as he looked up the four other rings that awaited him.
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"Yes," Harry declared as he gazed up at the five different rings on each of his fingers on his left hand. It was a pretty good decision on his part, if he was going to lose a hand, let it be only his left then his right hand, he figured. However, he somehow survived through it and came out alive with 5 different lordships within hand.
"I finally did it," Harry uttered with a sigh of relief.
"I never had any doubts you would, pup," Sirius voiced.
"You're lying," Harry declared.
"Okay, I had bets going on inside my head for a 4 to 1 odds."
Laughing at his antics, Harry turned to face the goblins and asked, "So do I have to carry around all these rings?" It would be obstructive if he were to have rings on all fingers.
"You can fuse them all into one ring," Gorkit stated, "just think of it and it will happen."
Doing as the goblin instructed, Harry made the thought and watched as all five rings flowed into one single ring. "Wow," Harry uttered as he gazed at the simple black band.
"Now if you can have a seat," Gorkit said as he waved at harry's chair, "We will need to review all your assets and you shall begin your lordship duties."
"Alright sure," Harry said as he sat back down in his seat. "What are these lordly duties I must perform anyways?" Harry asked, in his opinion, it really couldn't be that hard, can it?
"There are numerous things that will occupy your attention Master Potter," Barnott answered. "You need to maintain your properties, manage your assets, expand your family magic, run your business, formulate more patents to keep your repository competitive, arrange alliances, lobby for rights, claim your seats and participate in the Wizengamot, organize parties and gathering, see to your vassals."
"What the hell, that is a full-time job all on in itself," Harrys shouted as he kept on listing to the goblin list more and more duties.
"Yes," Gorkit stated, "and you have five whole Great Houses to manage. That is why we told you to forget about the other Lesser Houses you have Heirship over and stick to the more prominent and well to do Families."
"No shit, sherlock," Harry cursed, where was the simple he was imagining about. Was this what all Pure-bloods got up to during their working hours.
"For now," the goblin king uttered, "you will need to pick and choose new account managers so you can go over everything since there hasn't been one for over 300 years on just the latest house to die off."
"Won't Barnott do?" Harry asked as he signalled with his head towards the plump looking goblin.
"I am sorry Master Potter but I will be stepping down as the Potter account manager for all that has transpire under my supervision," the goblin solemnly declared. "Nevertheless I can never take on all the duties for 5 Great Houses."
Staring fixedly at the goblin, harry inquired, "How long have you been serving as the Potter account manager, Barnott?"
"40 years, Master Potter," the goblin replied though from the confusion written on his face he clearly had no idea where this was heading. However, he respectfully decided to not ask and play along with the young wizard.
"So you have been faithfully serving my parents for countless years?"
"Yes, and your grandparents as well, Master Potter."
"Now tell me," Harry asked, "does anyone have the wealth of knowledge and know-how about the Potter accounts then you?"
"No, Master Potter," the goblin polity answered.
"Well then that settles it," Harry uttered as clapped his hands together in total finality, "you will continue with your services."
"But Master Potter," the goblin exclaimed, "I can not. I have failed you and your family deeply."
"Everyone in this room knows who betrayed the Potter family, Barnott, and it clearly wasn't you," Harry stated. "Anyways, I like you and I rather have you as my account manager for the Potter family assets."
"Master Potter," the goblin called out as he looked close to crying once he heard Harry's remark. Then standing up with his head held high and the best savage look he could intimidate, he declared, "I promise you, Master Potter I will have you coffers flowing and your enemies bleeding beneath your feet."
"Thank," Harry replied, though he wasn't sure of the sudden bloodthirstiness that the goblin should, all the same, he appreciated his newfound confidence and eagerness to serve.
Finally turning back to face the goblin king, the young wizard stated, "As you can see I will be keeping Barnott on retainer and about the other Houses, I will count on your nation's discretion to find me the four new account manager."
"Will do," the goblin king answered as he nodded his head.
Speaking up, Barnott interjected, "If so, then I shall act as your account manager for all five accounts during the interim, Master Potter. Now if you can look closely at the parchments laid out before you, they shall list all your family's assets."
Doing as told, Harry flipped over the first small pile named Potter family and turned to the first page.
House of Potter
Title: Earl of Powys
Vassals: House Boot(Baron), House Cole(Knight)
Total Assets: 15,874,933 Galleons, 63,012,752 Sickles, 489,943,771 Knut
Private Properties in Great Britain: Potter Manor-- Powys(Unplottable, Fidelus, Blood Ward), Potter Wizarding Tower-- Yorkshire(Unplottable, Fidelus, Blood Ward), Potter Knightly Fortress-- Kensington(Unplottable, Fidelus), Potter Villa--Scotland, Potter Estate-- Wales, Potter Mansion-- North London, Potter Studio-- downtown London, Potter Cottage-- Godric's Hollow...........
Private Properties outside Great Britain: Potter Vineyard-- Portugal, Le Potturis Chateau-- France, Lily's Lagoon--Italy, Marauders' Den--Florida, Potter Retreat--Caribbean islands, Potter Hotel--Eygpt, Potter Lair--Istanbul, Potter Citadel--Jerusalem......
Shareholds: Sleekeazy's Hair Potion Company(100%), Daily Prophet(27%), Fleetwood(82%), Rolls Royce(42%), Firebolt Broom Manufacturer(51%), Florean Fortescue's Ice-Cream Parlour(68%), Nimbus Racing Broom Company(34%), Taxis London(23%), Honeydukes Company Ltd.(22%), Sovereign Theatre(33%), The Kingly Court(21%), Peachy Witchy(19%), C. Gilbert & Co. Ltd.(61%), Incantation Records(27%), Magical Chrome(13%), London Estate(5%), Wand Tuning(37%), Schletters Distillery(74%), Enchanted Feather Co.(53%), Kowalski Quality Baked Goods(77%), Scribbulus Writing Implements(81%), Quality Quidditch Supplies(45%), Wiseacre's Wizarding Equipment(64%).........
Patents: Probity Probe, Two-way mirrors, Golden Snitch, Boots of Speed, Invisible Ink, Omnioculars, Bag of Tricks, Beautification Potion, Volubilis Potion, Brooch of Shielding, Laughing Potion, Confusing Concoction, Emerald Potion, Dust of Sneezing and Choking, Invisibility Potion, Drowsiness Draught, Murtlap Essence, Invigoration Draught, Oculus Potion........
Turning from page to page, Harry read the about the Title which made it obvious that he was real-life nobility and if that wasn't enough proof then there were the two vassals he had-- a Knight family, and Baron.
Ow, Harry knew about the ranks of nobility within the Wizarding Families, there was one in-depth reading he had done were some Black Family member bragged about his family noble heritage. At the bottom where the Knight Houses; the lowest rank of Nobility but not of the peerage.
Then there was Baron Houses-- the first step into the peerage, which include families like the Wood, Prince, Weasley, and Goyle. Next where the Viscount Houses-- houses of average power which included families like the Lovegood, Scamander, Lockhart, Zabini, and Dumbledore. After that were the Count Houses-- Houses of moderate power like the Crouch, Nott, Greengrass, and Malfoy. Then there were the Earl Houses-- families that stand at the near peak in Great Britain these include the Black, Longbottom, Lestrange, and Potter Houses as he just found out. After is the Marquis Houses which you rarely see around including the Peverell and Ollivander.
Finally are the Dukes which are only made up of four families Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. Last but not least is the supreme House of Wyllt, the one, and only Arch-Duke House. Also as each and every young wizard and witch should know there is the Royal House of Pendragon-- the Monarch which has long been extinct just like the Arch-Duke family.
Moving on Harry got to the asset part and his jaw nearly dropped when he saw it. Doing the quick math in his head it came out to be that he had over 20 MILLION GALLEONS in liquid assets just sitting there in his account, and as a side note that meant he was HALF A BILLION rich in muggle exchange.
"Wow," Harry simply said, it really just felt like he went from rags to riches in a single moment and found out he was a prince as well. Harry always knew that his family was well off-- 10,000 Galleons set aside for just for him and a 1,000 more deposited each year for school and all he could ever fancy was a good indication, but he had no idea he was this filthy rich.
Wanting to really make sure this was all true and not a dream, Harry turned the stack over to Barnott and asked, "Am I really this rich, Barnott, or have I lost my mind and am seeing things?"
Chuckling at his godson's final remark, Sirius shook his head, but sid nothing and let Barnott do all the talking.
"Yes, Master Potter all this wealth is real and yours, however, you did lose a quarter during the war in support of the light faction."
The loss of all the gold during the war never registered in Harry's mind as he only saw endless zeros laid out before him.
The next thing that captured Harry's attention was all the properties-- there were just too many to count that it was ridiculous. "Hey, Barnott, what about all these properties?" Harry wondered about, as he wanted to learn more about them.
"Oh yes, the Potter Manor is the ancestral home of the Potter, though you can not visit right now since it will need to be cleansed since sadly it is where your grandparents died and it might be contaminated with Dragon Pox. Potter Wizarding Tower is where all the family research and experimentation goes on and new assistance will need to be hired since nearly all the old staff left. A new force will need to be trained at the Potter Knightly Fortress since many House Potter Hit-men and women died in the war.
The Potter Villa and Potter Mansion still stand but they will need to be refurbished since they haven't been used since your grandparents' times. The Potter Estate has been severely damaged during the war when it was attacked by Death Eaters. The Potter Cottage as you sadly know has been destroyed."
Stopping the goblin right there, Harry affirmed, "So basically all our Properties are in need of repair."
"Not quite so," the goblin answered, "Yes all your private properties within Great Britain might be damaged in one form or another, but I do know for sure that the your Potter Studio still stands and your parents did live in it before they moved to the Potter Cottage so you can find some of their belongs there."
"I will have to make to visit it then," Harry muttered to himself as he really would enjoy walking within the very walls his parents lived in.
"Also your properties outside Great Britain still stand and they are doing quite well. The Potter Vineyard is still producing fine wine till today. You can visit the Potter Retreat and Le Potturis Chateau at any time. The Potter Hotel might be providing accommodations but the penthouse is still reserved for you. The Lily's Lagoon and Marauders' Den are still operational," the goblin continued.
"Ah, we need to go there pup," Sirius cut in, obviously speaking of the Marauders' Den, "You would love it there, wrangling with alligators, canoeing in the rivers, agh and the parties!"
Giving his godfather a second look, Harry asked in a disbelieving voice, "Did you and my father really wrangling with alligators?"
"Yep," Sirius replied as he had a far off look, "and we hunted some sharks and tangled with some giant snakes."
'Dang!' Harry thought, 'talk about living to the extreme.'
"Ah, if we can get back," the plump goblin interpreted.
"Oh, yes do continue," Harry said as he waved the goblin on.
"Now for the Potter Lair and the Potter Citadel nobody know where it is as it has been lost to the ages of time."
"Interesting," Harry said, he would have to look into that whenever he got the time.
"Well for now, make sure you ran things along and have all the Potter families properties repaired and set it back to proper standard."
"Will do Master Potter," the goblin replied as he bowed his head in acknowledgment.
"What about these shares I have, and these patents as well?" Harry then asked as he moved along to the next topic.
"Ah, yes, these are all the hard work of countless generations so make sure to keep track of it and invest some more."
"Mhm, yes," Harry said as he looked over everything that his family invested in, "I see here a few muggle companies," Harry pointed out which was a shock to him since he had no idea wizarding families where interested in muggle stuff.
"Oh, yes," the goblin replied, "Your family invested all over-- their philosophy was money was money!"
"That is good," Harry said as he was about to bring forth his own idea. "Could you mark this for later Barnott."
"Yes, Master Potter what is it?"
"I want you to invest into some muggle technological!"
"Are sure, Master Potter?" the goblin asked as a bit of doubt crept into his face.
"This is not something to be done lightly, boy," Gorkit uttered as he scowled at the young wizard's reckless spending.
Even Sirius wade in, "I never imagined that I would say this, but the goblins are right. Muggle business are fickle, at best they last for a few years while wizarding inventions last for hundreds of years."
Ignoring them all, Harry stated, "I made my mind up on this; Barnott invest in big tech companies like IBM, Sony, Microsoft, Apple, and Intel." Harry didn't want to go into detail and even if he did, it was clear from everyone's prejudices that they weren't going to listen to him. Technology is the future! Even if these wizards and witches can't see it, Harry won't miss out on it.
"While you are at," Harry added, "could you also invest in Oil, Energy, Telecommunication, and Banking companies," Harry threw in the mix since why not! He was already a rich boy and there really wasn't much he was going to do with his wealth so best to grow it. Oil, Energy, Telecommunication, and Banking are lucrative industries and even if he wasn't going to get a big share of the pie like Technolgy since it was in its infancy age, he would still be making bank for decades on end.
"Of course Master Potter," the goblin said as he looked a bit downcast and resigned.
Giving in as well, Sirius patted his godson on the back and sighed, "To be young again. Taking risks and trying new things out. Well, you will always have our other fortunes so you will well to do and it can be a good lesson."
"Sure," Harry said, not making any other comment, his godfather will see one day that today he made the best investment ever. "Now, I wanted to talk about my other fortunes. Are we done here with the Potter."
"No, no, Master Potter," the goblin said as he shook his head vigorously. "There is more, much more Master Potter!"
"There is more," Harry repeated, as he soo wanted to get done with this.
"Oh, yes, there are countless gems, jewelry, treasures, art pieces, magical items, rare ores, legendary alchemical substances, mythical magical ingredients, weapons, armor & robes, wands, and staffs that we will need to catalog. Oh and most importantly your Family Grimoire is down below in the vaults. Also, there are the countless small stashes your ancestors have hidden around in the globe which you can use whenever you are in a pinch. Thus we will need to talk about that. Then there is even more; you will need to claim your seats in the Wizengamot...."
"Okay, okay," Sirius said stopping the goblin in his tracks. Harry didn't know at that moment if he wanted to kiss the man or shout his name in admiration. "We will get back to this on a whole 'other date. Right now we have appointments to keep and numerous things to do. So how does that sound."
