New York City was like no place Harry had ever been. Of course he hadn't been all that many places so that wasn't saying all that much but even people who have traveled the world have found New York to be in a class by itself. To begin with Harry had never seen so many tall buildings in one place. Not even in London had he seen such a thing – although it must be said that he hadn't ever really seen anything of London beyond Diagon Alley, the Leaky Cauldron, Charing Cross, and Kings Cross Station.
Harry had heard the saying that "everything is bigger in New York City" and he could well believe it. Just driving past the Empire State Building or seeing the Twin Towers from a distance was enough to drive that saying home. And then of course there was Stark Tower in midtown Manhattan which had recently been completed and was the new headquarters of Stark Industries, a technology company so famous that even Harry had heard of it, mainly when Uncle Vernon mentioned it in conversation with Petunia since it seemed that Grunnings Drills sometimes did business with Stark Industries.
Eventually they reached Wall Street and once the professor's car was parked Xavier guided Harry down the street to where they needed to go. Harry pushed Xavier's chair some of the time but most of the time the professor managed without needing his help. They walked past a large building with a very classical facade that had columns starting on the third story and rising to support a top section that contained several Greek figures. A lot of people were entering and leaving that building.
"The New York Stock Exchange" said Professor Xavier as they walked past it, "one of the great centers of the United States financial world and indeed the entire world. The entrance to Colony Alley is next to it but like with the Leaky Cauldron you'll have to look carefully to see it."
"Have you been to the Leaky Cauldron?" asked Harry.
"Once with Albus" said Xavier, "my mutant powers allowed me to see it even though I'm not a wizard." Xavier stopped his chair. They'd come to the end of the Stock Exchange building and were at the place where it bordered another building.
"This is the place" said Xavier looking at that border. Harry also looked and to his amazement it looked as if a new building had appeared there pushing the other two buildings apart. He had the weird feeling that only he and the professor could see this happening. The building had a number 13 above its entrance and announced itself to be "The Dragon's Lair." It was a very clean, sleek, and modern building. Harry and the professor entered it. Inside there was a foyer with a receptionist who directed people one of two ways. Either to the left in order to enter the bar and restaurant or straight through to the back of the building which let out into Colony Alley itself. Unlike Diagon Alley there was no extra trick you needed to pull like tapping a wall to open the arch. The back of the Dragon's Lair let out directly into the alley without any further obstacles.
Colony Alley was quite different from Diagon Alley. Where Diagon Alley was "quaintly old" with buildings that looked like they were at least a hundred to two hundred years old Colony Alley was very modern emphasizing concrete, stone, and steel as prominent building elements. Instead of being narrow it was wide, wide enough that Harry thought it was more of a street than an alley. It was paved with regular sidewalk material rather than cobblestones and was completely straight. The stores were similar in that they sold the same basic magical necessities as those in Diagon Alley but they all looked much more contemporary in their appearances. The people moving around the alley did as well. Almost no one was wearing robes. Instead people were wearing modern clothing and were indistinguishable from normal mundanes. In fact, if Harry hadn't known this was a magical area he wouldn't have thought there was anything unusual about it.
One thing that was similar to Diagon Alley was the New York Gringotts building itself. Like in London Gringotts was the largest building in the alley rising above the others. It was also a white marble building with a classical front. It looked rather like the New York Stock Exchange building only on a smaller scale. As they neared the front of the bank Harry saw that in addition to the steps up to the doors there was a ramp on one side that would allow him to push Xavier's chair up to the entrance. That was something that the London building didn't have.
Harry and the professor entered Gringotts and went up to a free teller who happened to be right at the end of the row of teller windows.
"Good morning" said the goblin at the teller window and Harry noticed immediately that he seemed friendlier, even more relaxed, than the Goblins at the London Gringotts, "how may Gringotts help you today?"
"I'm from Britain" said Harry, "and I was wondering if it's possible to access my vault from here?"
"Certainly" said the goblin, "do you have your key?"
"Yes" said Harry who produced it and handed it to the teller. The teller looked at it carefully.
"Harry Potter is it?" asked the goblin.
"Yes" said Harry.
"Have you ever been apprised of your full holdings?"
"What?" asked Harry taken by surprise, "what do you mean? My parents only had one vault – didn't they?"
"Oh no Mr. Potter" said the goblin, "that's just the trust vault your parents opened for you when you were born. It's certainly not your only vault. Your family is very rich, one of the richest in the world. Do you wish to learn exactly what you possess?"
"I do" said Harry even more surprised now. The goblin nodded, put a "closed" sign by his window, got off his stool, opened the gate next to where he had been sitting and motioned for Harry and the professor to follow him. He led them down a long corridor to a conference room at the end of it.
"Wait here" he said, "while I inform my superiors that you're here. They'll be summoning your account manager over from London who will explain everything to you."
"I didn't know I had an account manager" said Harry.
"Of course you do" was the reply, "all of the old families do and yours is one of the best." With that the Goblin left the room leaving a still surprised Harry behind with an impassive Xavier.
"Did you know about this?" Harry asked the professor.
"No" said Xavier, "I know nothing about your family beyond what I've heard from you and Albus."
"Oh" said Harry.
"You seem surprised" said Xavier.
"I always knew I was well off" said Harry, "but I never knew I was incredibly rich. I wonder why no one told me?"
"When the account manager gets here I'm sure you can ask" said Xavier. The two then lapsed into silence. It wasn't long before the door opened again and this time two goblins entered the room. Neither one was the teller. One carried a large book with him that was easily recognizable as a ledger. The other carried some parchment.
"Greetings Mr. Potter" said the one carrying the parchment, "I am Scarmaker, the head of the inheritances department here at Gringotts, New York and this is Sharpshard the Potter account manager who has just arrived from London."
"How do you do?" said Harry politely to the two goblins, "the man with me is Professor Charles Xavier who is my current guardian for the summer." Xavier nodded at the goblins who nodded back to him.
"Now before we do anything else" said Scarmaker as he spread a piece of parchment on the conference table, "we will need to fully confirm your identity. If you will please donate three drops of blood to this parchment it will tell us exactly what you are heir to." Here he handed Harry a small knife. Although he felt rather dubious about this Harry nevertheless pricked a finger and watched three drops of his blood fall onto the parchment before the cut healed itself. The blood sank into the parchment and then lines of text began to appear:
Harry James Potter
Born July 31, 1980
Father: James Charlus Potter
Mother: Lily Potter nee Evans
Heir apparent to the following lordships:
House Potter (blood)
House Peverell (blood)
House Gryffindor (blood)
House Hufflepuff (blood)
House Ravenclaw (blood)
House Slytherin (blood and conquest)
Heir Presumptive to House Black
"Oh, wow" said Harry looking at the parchment, "I had no idea about all of this. How am I the heir to any of the Hogwarts founders? And what is the Peverell house?"
"The Peverells are the ancestors of the Potters" said Scarmaker, "the primary Gryffindor and Hufflepuff heirs married into the Potter family centuries ago. Your mother is descended from a squib descendent of Rowena Ravenclaw and you are the last surviving descendent from the Ravenclaw line through your mother. As for Slytherin there are two connections. A descendent of Slytherin's younger son married into the same Ravenclaw line that eventually produced your mother. However that was a junior line for house Slytherin. The senior line is the one Tom Marvolo Riddle, whom you know as Lord Voldemort, is descended from. Riddle had no children and you were the next in line after him. The lordship passed to you on the night you defeated him as a baby as his body was destroyed. Technically and legally he died that night even if he hasn't fully passed over. For all intents and purposes he is dead. Even if he should manage to come back somehow the lordship will not revert to him. Hence you are now the heir of all four founders."
"But why was my mother the heir to Slytherin and Ravenclaw and not my Aunt Petunia?" asked Harry, "she's older than my mum."
"She doesn't have magic" said Scarmaker, "to claim the lordships one has to have magic and Lily was the first in her line to be magical in generations hence the lordships passed to her and from her to you."
"I see" said Harry, "and the Black heir?"
"From your godfather Sirius Black" said Scarmaker.
"I didn't know I had a godfather" said Harry, "where has he been all of this time?"
"That's something we will be discussing" said Sharpshard speaking for the first time, "and we have much to discuss. But first I will answer the question that I'm sure is uppermost in your mind which is why you've never been told about your inheritances before. Am I right?"
"You are" said Harry. Sharpshard put the ledger down on the table but didn't open it yet.
"You must understand a Potter tradition that dates back many years" said Sharpshard, "if your parents were alive they would be the ones to tell you what I will now tell you. The Potter family has been very secretive about its full wealth for a long time. They – you as the only surviving Potter – are known to be a very old family and a very wealthy one. What the other old families of the wizarding world do not know is that the Potter fortune is by far the largest one in the wizarding world. Period."
"Really?" Harry's eyes were bugging out.
"Really" said Sharpshard, "this is kept secret for a couple of reasons. First, to avoid envy by other families. It's one thing to be rich and on the same level as your peers. It's another to be much richer than they are."
"I understand" said Harry.
"The second reason is also the reason why the Potter family has become so wealthy over the years. Your family is the only one of the old families that thinks investing in the muggle world is worthwhile. They have kept this secret to avoid the ramifications of being known amongst the pure blood families as 'muggle lovers,' 'mudblood supporters,' or 'blood traitors' although you may feel differently."
"Why? – no don't answer that" said Harry, "having met some of the pure blood children at Hogwarts these past two years I think I know why that is."
"Indeed" said Sharpshard, "British pure blood bigotry has done a lot to hold back the British wizarding world. Well, a couple of centuries ago your ancestor, Zachary Potter, approached us about making investments in the muggle world. This was right after America had become independent from Britain. He thought there were a lot of opportunities for investment in the new country. He was right. He also trusted our judgment to make investment decisions for him, granting us 20 percent of the profits – which is a huge amount. No other wizarding family has ever treated us like that. As a result we have worked quite diligently to raise the Potter fortune as much as we can as it raises our fortunes too. The Potter account is the biggest one Gringotts has and only the best and most experienced Goblins get to manage it. I have been your account manager now for 25 years and I have worked quite hard to continue building your holdings."
"I see" said Harry, "if I get rich you get rich."
"Exactly Mr. Potter" said Sharpshard.
"So" said Harry, "just how rich am I? And why haven't I been told this before?"
"I'll start with your second question" said Sharpshard, "it is a Potter tradition that Potter children are not told just how wealthy the family is until either they come of age in the magical world at 17 or their parents or guardians feel that they are mature enough to handle the information early, whichever comes first. The terms of your parents' wills state that this tradition will continue with you."
"I didn't know my parents had wills" said Harry.
"They did and they were duly executed" said Sharpshard, "if you wish to read them I have copies here which I can give you. The terms are simple: other than a few bequests to close friends the entire estate descends to you."
"Why are you telling me this now?" asked Harry, "I won't be 17 for over four more years."
"True" said Sharpshard, "but your magical guardian feels that you have the maturity to be told early. He sent word to Gringotts last week authorizing us to release this information to you the next time you visited the bank – whichever branch it should be. When you gave the teller your key he notified his superiors here who sent a summons to me in London and I took an instant portkey over here right away."
"Who is my magical guardian?" asked Harry, "and why did he decide I'm mature enough to handle all of this now?"
"Albus Dumbledore is your magical guardian" said Sharpshard, "as well as the executor of your parents' wills. He didn't tell us the exact reason he authorized you being told early. He simply said something about 'recent events at Hogwarts.'"
"Wait a minute" said Harry, "Dumbledore is my magical guardian? Is he the one who sent me to the Dursleys?"
"Yes" said Sharpshard, "he sent you there because everyone on the list your parents left of potential guardians for you was either dead or incapable of taking care of you. Their first choice was Sirius Black but he's in Azkaban prison. He's the one who betrayed your parents to Voldemort."
"What? Why?" said Harry, "and if he did that why am I his heir?"
"I do not know Mr. Potter" said Sharpshard, "but that's a very good question. Remus Lupin was second on the list but he's a werewolf and by British magical law is banned from taking custody of you. He's not even allowed to have any sort of regular contact with you unless you initiate it. Frank and Alice Longbottom, parents of your classmate Neville, were tortured to insanity by Death Eaters after Voldemort fell and have never recovered. Peter Pettigrew, another friend of your father's, is dead – Black killed him. Lastly Marlene Mckinnon, a friend of your mother's, is also dead having been killed in a Death Eater attack. That's the whole list Mr. Potter. The wills said that if none of these people were available the headmaster should use his best judgment in placing you."
"And he placed me with the Dursleys" muttered Harry, "why them? Why not someone else?"
"Harry" said Professor Xavier speaking up for the first time since the meeting started, "I can ask him to come to the school if you really want to know."
"Yes please" said Harry.
"Now Mr. Potter" said Sharpshard, "we can get down to the contents of your estate. This includes liquid assets, properties that you own, and a list of your investments." He opened the ledger and took out three pieces of parchment and slid them across the table to Harry. The first one Harry looked at was the list of his vaults, yes vaults as in several of them. All of the various houses each had their own vault with the amount of money (in galleons) written beside it as well as any objects, artifacts, books, weapons, etc. that might be there. At the bottom of the parchment was a single figure of the sum of the value of the combined contents in the vaults.
"Oh wow" said Harry when he saw it, "that's a really high number." Professor Xavier looked at it with him.
"Yes it is" he said quietly.
Next Harry looked at the list of properties. He owned several properties in different parts of the world. In Britain there was Potter Castle in Wales, the Godric's Hollow cottage where he had been living when Voldemort attacked, and a flat in London. He also owned properties in other parts of the world including a house by the beach in New Zealand, an ancient Roman Villa in Italy (apparently still in mint condition), a traditional Japanese house in Kyoto, Japan, a bungalow in Tanzania right on the border of the Serengeti National Park, a mansion in Beverly Hills, California, a house in Valdez, Alaska ("why do we have that?" Harry asked himself), and a penthouse right here in Manhattan on Park Avenue.
His head whirling from all of this information he now looked at the list of investments he had and there were a lot of them. Quite a few of them were in the magical world of course; he learned he owned a large share of the Daily Prophet, as well as shares in Flourish and Blotts, Quality Quidditch Supplies, and lastly all of Hogwarts itself.
"Is this because I'm the heir to the founders?" asked Harry.
"Yes" said Sharpshard, "you are the owner of Hogwarts as the founders' heir. As the owner once you come of age you will be able to dictate any changes in the school that you might want to make and not even the Board of Governors will be able stop you. In the meantime I would advise you to keep this information quiet. It has been many years since an heir to any part of Hogwarts, let alone all of it, was known. If that gets out, well I'm sure you can imagine what would happen"
Harry shook his head as if to clear it. He didn't comment because it was just one more shock among many others. Instead he looked at the muggle investments that he had. This took the proverbial cake. His family owned stock in a lot of major companies and not just small amounts of stock either. Among those listed he saw that he owned five percent of Microsoft, seven percent of Worthington Industries, and ten percent of Stark Industries, to name just a few. It was clear that this was the real reason why the Potter family fortune had soared upward in recent years.
"My God" said Harry completely overwhelmed when he was finished, "I had no idea I was this rich."
"Mr. Potter" said Sharpshard, "you're one of the wealthiest people in the world as well as being Gringotts' top client. Your fortune is comparable to those of the Sultan of Brunei, your own Queen Elizabeth II, Tony Stark, Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, the Walton family, and the Worthington family."
"And all I wanted to do today was get some cash to go shopping" said Harry weakly. Sharpshard and Scarmaker both grinned.
"That's easily taken care of" said Scarmaker, "you just tell us how much money you want and we'll have it brought over right away. Meanwhile I suggest you carry one of these from now on." Here he handed Harry a small black card the size of credit card.
"This is one of our Black Debit Cards" said Scarmaker, "we only give them to our wealthiest clients. It will act in place of cash both in the magical world and the muggle world. When you buy something it will arrange for money from your account to be sent directly to the seller. It's enchanted to only work for you so if you should lose it or it's stolen you need not worry about someone else using it. Once a month we will send you a statement of your accounts."
"Thank you" said Harry, "I guess I won't need cash after all."
"You should always have some on hand" said Xavier, "there are still places that only accept cash."
"He is right" said Sharpshard, "I would suggest around 50 galleons. At the exchange rate here in America that will give you a few hundred dollars."
"Could I have half of that in wizard money" said Harry, "and half in dollars?"
"Yes" said Scarmaker writing a note and handing it Harry, "give this to a teller and he'll get you what you need."
"Thank you" said Harry, "does Professor Dumbledore know how rich my family is?"
"No" said Sharpshard, "even as the executor of your parents' wills he is not privy to that information. The wills simply say that the estate descends to you. They do not say how large it is or what the full contents are."
"I'm glad" said Harry who found that comforting somehow, "I can just see every girl my age trying to propose marriage to me because of this. I don't suppose my family has any marriage contracts, do we? I heard some of the pure bloods talking about them and I don't like the idea of being forced to marry someone because of some contract that was made when I was baby."
"Have no fear of that" said Sharpshard, "it's a longstanding rule of the Potter family not to have arranged marriages. The only one who can set up a marriage for you is you. Your parents couldn't do it and any guardian you have now can't do so either."
"That's a relief" said Harry, "so is that everything?
"I have one more question Mr. Potter" said Sharpshard.
"Please call me Harry" said Harry.
"Very well Harry. Do you wish to retain me as your account manager? Or do you wish to use someone else?" Harry looked at him in disbelief.
"Account Manager Sharpshard" he said, "I think I would have to be the biggest idiot in New York right now to change account managers when you've obviously done so much for my family. Please keep on doing what you're doing."
"Thank you Harry" said Sharpshard with a small bow, "I'm honored by your trust and I won't betray it. You may keep those parchments. They are copies. Here are copies of your parents' wills" he slid a thick envelope across to Harry followed by a small box, "and this box contains the keys to your various properties. They are labeled."
"Thank you" said Harry, "I really appreciate all of this. I hope we can continue to make lots of money together."
"So do I" said Sharpshard, "may your gold always flow and may your enemies never see you coming. Good day Harry. It's been a pleasure doing business with you." He nodded again and left the room. Scarmaker gestured toward the door.
"I will take you back to the lobby" he said.