It was several days after the second task that Harry followed Sirius into the Headmaster's office. Sirius had scheduled the meeting to discuss some issues stemming from his position as Harry's guardian. Sirius insisted that Harry be present so he would be aware of what was going on with his accounts.
The Headmaster settled behind his wide desk in the hard, high-backed chair that was almost throne-like. Sirius sat with the unconscious grace forced onto him by his crazy mother as being 'proper' for a Pureblood. Harry sat next to his godfather silently as Sirius started to pull out some scrolls from inside his robe.
"Professor…"
"Albus," the Headmaster interrupted. "You haven't been my student in many years and I would appreciate you using my name - at least when we are in private."
Sirius merely nodded as he unrolled a scroll.
"According to the goblins, you were assigned by the Wizengamot as the executor of the Potter estate a week after James and Lily's deaths."
Dumbledore nodded. "That is correct, as per the wishes of their wills."
"The goblins were quite impressed with the growth of the Potter accounts under your control. They were almost respectful."
The Headmaster shrugged. "Much of it was not my doing. I did convince the Ministry that naming the Potter's house for a nominal 1G fee would be looked on poorly by the public when they were stealing from the orphaned Boy-Who-Lived. They in fact paid 12 per cent over the estate agent's estimated market value before the attack. Years of working with teenagers has made me rather good at playing the guilt card."
The old wizard's amused observation made Harry snicker. He wasn't sure if he could trust the old wizard but one had to admit the man played the disappointed grandfather role very well.
"I tried to block the printing of the Harry Potter books but was unsuccessful. The court felt that no reasonable person would confuse the real Harry Potter with the literary creation based on his name and surviving the Killing Curse."
"Tell that to Ginny and the rest of the bloody fan club," Harry muttered. "They all thought they knew me before they even met me! And then they get miffed when I tell them their 'facts' on my life are so much bullocks!"
Dumbledore nodded. "I agree, Mr Potter. Unfortunately, the courts did not. I was able to get you 8 per cent of the gross sales on all items based on your name or likeness. While Quidditch stars routinely see 15-20 per cent, it was at least something. However, the agreement only covered up until you entered Hogwarts. Anything based on your time since the start of your First year is 25 per cent of gross - hence why no new books have been released since 31 July 1991.
"Why the difference?" Sirius asked curiously.
Dumbledore smiled - almost cynically. "Well, the Boy-Who-Lived books are only vaguely based on Mr Potter. In fact they only use his name and family history - nothing that has happened since that October. So they really are fiction. However, anything that is used since his return to the Wizarding world is based on true events which give him the higher rate."
"That's even worse," Harry said in a near growl. "They knew they were lies and passed it off like it was my real life." Dumbledore noticed that Harry's eyes were almost glowing with power and even with his age, power, and experience the headmaster felt uneasy. He decided to change the subject and hopefully Mr Potter would calm down.
"I also invested in several Muggle mutual funds that have done rather well of late. I have my family's money invested in the same ones. Their value will not be included in the goblins' accounting as it is outside Gringotts control." Dumbledore pulled out a folder and slid across the desk to Sirius. The younger wizard picked up the folder and started classing through the papers. Almost against his own will, Sirius nodded in appreciation of how well the accounts had done.
Harry saw the impressed expression on his godfather's face. It seemed the Headmaster had done an excellent job of managing the Potter money. It made Harry want to trust the old wizard a bit more. But there was still something bothering him.
"Headmaster, why did you leave me with the Dursleys?" Harry asked in a carefully controlled voice. One did not need to be a master of Legilimency to read the carefully controlled pain behind Harry's voice. However, as a master Legilimencer, Dumbledore almost could feel it pressing against his mental shields.
Dumbledore sighed. "That is not an easy question to answer, Mr Potter. The short answer is simply that was the best place available for you. The 'why' of that is where the difficulties lay."
...
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