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- 8 - Magic trains wizards as much as wizards train their magic

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Ian brought Rancor to Harry. The explanation was going to take more information than he had. Ian needed back up to express all of what he understood. There was a lot of magic that went beyond what wizards knew.



Rancor poked Harry in the shoulder to gain his attention.



“Mr. Potter, you asked for a description of what happened and why you needed an extraction procedure. I am here to discuss what Gringotts has done to protect your wealth and describe the goblin magic involved in this procedure.”



While Harry convalesced on the recovery bed, Ian asserted himself so Harry knew he wasn’t alone. Ian also had questions he wanted Rancor to answer. “Rancor, could you start with that justice ritual? Harry only remembers pieces of what that ritual entailed?”



“Mr. Potter, you joined my clan by sharing magic with goblins. Griphook was cast out of the ritual circle because the magic embodied by that circle deemed him unfit for the magical bond the other two goblins were willing to share. They explained that you would gain clan status if you shared magic in the ritual. Griphook’s deceit reflected Gringotts Bank’s duty to you. We are bound to redeem your account as a bank client and reclaim our honor as clansmen against those who orchestrated this deceit.”



Harry turned to his side so he was facing Rancor and Ian. “I remember the ritual taking a long time. Did something bad happen during the ritual?”



“No. Something profitable happened when goblin and dwarf magic joined yours. Since you are not aware of how magicals handle threats, you may not understand how you benefit. You had a horcrux feeding from your magic. It acts as a leech by burrowing into your body, magic and soul trying to take you over. It is not only a threat to your life, but it is blight to your magic.”



“Ian, you said the leech was blocking me from remembering what happened. How did you get involved in this?”



“The circle dwarves and goblins contacted me as your wizard friend to advise them on your behalf. Magicals see opportunity in hardship. The goblins wanted to begin to redeem the debt the justice ritual revealed. You expressed your life debts to defunct lines could not be satisfied because no female Potter could adhere to the magical contracts. Magic took your misfortune and gave you a way to fulfill those vows and continue to live normally.”



Rancor explained more. “Magic had to decide how to compensate you for the leech, Tom Riddle; his role in killing your parents and your grandparents; taking your life, body and magic without consent; and consigning you to the life of neglect and abuse with your muggle family. Goblin and dwarf magic provided a vessel for Tom Riddle’s use so magic could negotiate a settlement.



Goblin magic can ensoul Tom Riddle in a new entity. Our policy is to kill all species who dare to circumvent the life span by murdering innocent life. We use older domesticated animals as the new vessel.



Dwarves force murderers to repay their debt to the affected families. When the murderer has repaid the wronged families, they have the option of rejoining society. The debtor is forced to learn difficult lessons by becoming what the family needs most.”



Ian took over. “The justice ritual took your need for retribution as a guide for punishing Tom Riddle. Magic demanded Tom Riddle give you a means to fulfill those defunct wizarding lines. He will be bound to you as punishment until he frees you from your debt.”



Harry asked Ian, “How is that possible?”



Ian answered. “Griphook told you that Gringotts needed you to fulfill those contracts to those families because their family accounts were still outstanding. Griphook tried to deceive you in acting quickly when you have sufficient time to produce heirs. Hemlot Potter established a 400 year grace period. Magic gave you, Tom Riddle. He will produce those heirs for you.



In order to comply to the contract, it will be your magic and essence which fulfills the bargain. Before you get the wrong impression, there are muggle ways to get gain your essence to use for these heirs. The dwarves have a means for you to give a magical transfusion to these heirs. Magic will restore these defunct lines.



Since Griphook deceived you and the Potter accounts have substantial irregularities, Gringotts is willing to house Tom Riddle during this period. We will give you each child birthed during this procedure. You have nine months from now to figure out how you will raise each child.”



Rancor explained the procedure. “The justice ritual gave everyone an idea of what it would take for you to have control of your life, body, and magic. We could not perform the extraction procedure right away. Tom Riddle knew what was going to happen. He tried to direct your attention to other areas so you would not remember to extract him. The dwarves brought the shaman and we consulted a goblin healer. Ian stood in for you as a wizard healer.



Tom Riddle possessed you several times over the first few days so he could negotiate terms for his stay with the goblins. He is trying to find a way to be permanently ensouled again. We explained our stance on horcruxes and what we will do when we find any other horcruxes. As he has continued to press his cause, we’ve pointed to the dwarves as being Riddle’s best option for bringing his pieces back to together.



Your memory is distorted because Tom Riddle has possessed your body periodically since he joined you. He could not absorb your life or your body. Your magic is too strong for him to completely take you over. Before we performed the procedure, he told us he would not cooperate if he had to retain any memory of who he was or what he had done to deserve this punishment. We locked his memory inside you, so he could fulfill the debt. He wants his memories back when these births are completed.



Goblins would kill the horcruxes. Dwarves would release Riddle when he completed his debt. You, wizard, will have to decide for yourself what would be best for wizards.”



Ian described the aftermath. “The actual extraction worked fine. Riddle’s new body has taken the form of a 16 year old woman. He is starting his first pregnancy. There was a complication with the memories. When Tom Riddle had his new body, he tried to fight to keep his memories and leave the room. The goblins restrained him and took away his entire personality along with all his memories.



Your body rejected the memory extraction process. We don’t know how your magic retained Riddle’s memories, but you have them. We don’t think you have access to them.



You’ve been here for two hours trying to regain your memory. I’m willing to take you to St. Mungo’s to run a complete diagnostic on you. What do you want to do?”



Harry paled as Rancor and Ian told him what happened. “Do I really have a say in this? How is it justice for Tom Riddle to have Potter babies? Why would magic spawn new life by using such a flawed vessel?



Hemlot Potter signed a hundred or more binding contracts in his life. How is it possible for Riddle to have that many children?”



Rancor responded to part of Harry’s questions. “Wizard, magic is an independent entity for magic wielders. If Riddle is producing a means to satisfy the contracts, your line can move forward without the debts encumbering your fortunes. The blood curse Asgard Potter placed on his line refuses to spawn new Potter children into bondage. You are satisfying the essence and magic personally. Magic supplied Riddle with a new body. Riddle is supplying the actual vessel. It might have something to do with his desire to take life before 1981. He might see the other side of death in repeatedly giving life. Only magic itself knows.



You will be responsible for rearing these children, but they won’t ever be Potters. They will take over the governance of this world. You will have much to teach them. If you do it in the right manner, our world will change for the better.”



“Harry, let me take you to St. Mungos. You can ask me anything you want about raising children, this debt Gringotts is trying to fulfill, the magical pull these children will have on your magic, or any other situation that arises. Some duties are worse than others.” Ian finished his point and collected Harry’s clothing.



He asked Rancor about a portkey through Gringotts’ wards. “Since Harry can’t really process what has happened, Riddle might have been blocking or disrupting more of his mental functions than we originally thought. Please inform the shaman and the Goblin healer that they may be called in the next few days if I can’t work out what is wrong here.”





Meanwhile Grace Diggory had her first meeting with Xi Chang.



“Thanks for inviting me here today, Grace. Cho has talked to me about Cedric, but I didn’t realize that the relationship had developed as far as it has.”



“When Cedric started to defend Cho’s virtue and consciously blocked other suitors from gaining Cho’s attentions, we felt it would be important to get them married before the inevitable happens.”



“Cho is already under a marriage contract. She has been engaged since she was four years old. Her binding requires that she produce at least one heir and learn skills which will honor her husband’s family.”



“Did she take the compatibility test yet?”



“No. Why would she need to take any test when her finance has already been identified and contract reached?”



“House Diggory claims a love match which supercedes all contracts for this girl. Have you asked Cho what she wants? If you ask her and follow the standard for British couples, you will find we have tradition on our side. If you want us to work a compromise out for this other suitor, we are willing.”



Xi looked up to the ceiling. As her body relaxed, it seemed she reach a conclusion about what must be said to a new possible family member. “You might have British tradition on your side. The problem is the Chang family is a maternal line. It never made sense for our people to continue lines through males while they continued to fight wars and die.



When Cho has children, her firstborn girl will be the heir of our family. Her next child is promised to her fiancé. If it is the law of Britain that a love match trumps, then Cedric will have to get used to having a wife with two husbands. Cho cannot leave this marriage. It brings together two branches of a feuding family. The Chang family will be united again after 12 generations. The goal is too vital for our future for us to let Cho’s or Cedric’s hearts dictate.



If you wish to stop this discussion while we bring Cho and Cedric into this discussion, I’m willing to wait. It makes sense to bring each participant into this negotiation because they will all have to live with the outcome.”





Across the British isle, Hogwarts completed the work needed to open the school. She used the Sorting Hat to explain the changes to the Board of Governors. Four people had resigned because they had contractual conflicts. Lucius Malfoy, Augusta Longbottom, and Anita Vance waded through countless breaches the Board of Governors committed over the centuries. In the last ten years of governance, the Board had taken a back seat to Albus’ excesses. Hogwarts indicated that the Board of Governor’s dereliction of duty would no longer be accepted or tolerated.



The three seats plus Hogwart’s input changed the school governance structure. The Deputy Headmistress would no longer be head of house and a transfiguration teacher. She would be able to teach special sections of transfiguration, but she would no longer be able to wear more than one hat at a time. The Headmaster had to spend 20 hours on school administration. The Deputy Headmistress had been asked to do too much over the last few decades. If the Headmaster failed, he could be replaced completely or have a co-Headmaster installed to even out the responsibilities.



The head of house positions for each house could be retained by Professors Flitwick and Sprout. In order to comply with the freshly enforced rule, they had to concede some of their teaching or mentoring duties to another faculty member(s). Professor Snape was a special case. He had been acting as potions master, head of house, and potions instructor. His responsibilities to the school infirmary were enough to keep a normal apothecary going. He did not need the extra head of house or teaching responsibilities; whereas, Professor Flitwick and Sprout had the option of sharing their workload. Professor Snape would have to fully hand his tasks over to another faculty member.



Governor Malfoy won over Governors Longbottom and Vance in allowing to Professor Snape to be solely responsible for the infirmary. He described Snape’s inability to find time to create new potions after his success in bettering Wolfsbane. Governors Longbottom and Vance required Mr. Snape to take on NEWT students so the infirmary would be fully stocked. They also referred back to the Founders’ history of providing potions to the larger wizarding community. Although the practice had been discontinued under Headmaster Dippet, Lady Hogwarts required the Board of Governors to be true to the school’s founding priniciples.



The Heads of Houses were meant to be a central planning committee for Hogwarts resources. Hogwarts noted how the grounds, the farms, the Forbidden Forest, and surrounding mountain had grown wild due to poor maintenance and lack of use. It was the Heads who came together in times past to determine how best to use the land and all within to give the students useful lessons outside the classroom. Hogwarts decided the division of responsibilities would let the teachers worry about grades, ranking, and their field; while the heads would be worried about students’ activities outside the classroom. Detention would be supervised by the Heads, so they could be useful.



Hogwarts was satisfied. Although the headmasters played an important role in making Hogwarts what it was today, the teacher and staff interaction with students made Hogwart’s reputation stick. By the time school opened, McGonagall and Dumbledore would both find their attention focused on hiring more teachers for the expanded number of subjects Hogwarts offered and wooing British students back from abroad. They would not be able to keep up with all the changes she had in store this year.