( Gringotts Bank – Tuesday Lunch Time )
He watched with interest as his goblin account manager processed the information he had just been given and worked out the implications of the complex plan to fake his death in the coming days. The many details of the scheme were obviously being closely examined in the goblin's wicked mind. "I understand, Lord Potter, and I'll play my part. As far as the Ministry and wizarding Britain will be concerned, you will be dead," Bloodmoon agreed with a scheming smile.
Sipping some of his coffee, "Good," Harry agreed with his own wicked smile matching the goblin's own. "Can you also watch out for anyone who tries to take advantage of my death? I would like to know which vultures try to pick my corpse clean..." The goblin's grin grew even wider.
"So you have more victims to bleed?" Bloodmoon asked in delight, as he drunk some of his own blood wine, again finding it a rare joy to work with this particularly goblin-like wizard. He was already the envy of all the other account managers. When this scheme was over and came to light within the bank, he'd be even more envied at just how mercenary his client was.
"I just want to know who I should turn my... attentions... to next," Harry expressed with a wicked grin of his own. "I might as well use my 'fake death' to my advantage and help reveal possible enemies, those individuals that I need to watch out for in the future."
"Naturally," the goblin readily agreed. "It is always good to know who would slip a dagger in your back given the right opportunity, especially for someone in your position."
Neither of them needed to mention what Harry's position was. He was the last of the Potters, a rich orphan in a sea full of sharks that were constantly circling around him, looking for any sign of weakness, for any blood in the water to take advantage of. "Then we're of the same mind," Harry voiced with an amused smile, wondering if he wasn't a goblin in his past life.
"Would you like me to set aside some liquid assets to buy any of the Malfoy family's particularly choice assets which may come on the market following his trial? Or his co-conspirators' holdings for that matter?" the goblin asked.
That was a very good question, and he considered the question for a good couple of minutes as they sipped their drinks. "In general I'd say no. I'd rather focus my funds on developing the docks to their full potential," he voiced thoughtfully, knowing that the redevelopment was going to cost him around 8–11 million at initial estimates. The goblin gave him a curious look. He decided to elaborate, as it was in his best interests for his account manager to understand his thinking on this point.
"I'd rather not expand too fast and have issues with cash flow. It's the number one cause of new business failure after all. From my limited understanding of history, business empires, like kingdoms that expand too fast, will often have weak foundations. I want my financial empire to have strong, deep roots that will last for many centuries to come," Bloodmoon nodded in understanding, clearly following his logic now.
"I will also have the gold and assets I will absorb from the Malfoy family in compensation to work with, if something becomes available that I simply can't pass up. The Malfoy businesses will need to be integrated into my holdings as well, so I don't anticipate being all that interested in what goes up for auction."
"A wise choice," Bloodmoon commented.
"Thank you," Harry replied. "Plus it will help distract the circling vultures as they fight over the Malfoy family's corpse and the other corpses that will inevitably follow in the man's wake... However, I believe my godfather, at my suggestion, will take the opportunity to help pick the bones clean, or even subtly encourage the inevitable bidding war to reach unhealthy prices and thus put some of our enemies in some untenable places in the future when they win at too high of a price."
He chuckled evilly at his plan, at how his enemies' greed and their desire to one up their competitors would lead them to make some bad decisions that he could capitalize on later, at a significant discount, of course.
"I believe that the Black family vaults have the gold to spare for such a scheme," Bloodmoon nodded in agreement. Given the Potter/Black family's ongoing business partnership, he had to be well aware of the state of the Black vaults and assets.
"On a side note, would you be agreeable to providing me lessons this summer on magical finance and banking? For a fee, of course... I understand the basics and the underlying theory from the books you provided me with when we first met, but I lack the deeper knowledge. And I believe as a responsible Lord of my family, I should learn such things. As my account manager, my family's success is indirectly your success after all," Harry said.
"Why not ask your godfather?" Bloodmoon asked out of curiosity.
"Yes, Sirius could teach me some things, but he is not a goblin," Harry answered as Bloodmoon gave him another questioning look. He decided to explain further to put the goblin banker at ease. "We both know it's the goblin nation that controls the flow of gold in Britain, not wizards and witches, as much as they'd like to pretend, no matter how much we'd like to believe we do," an amused smile appeared on his lips at this.
"I'll consider it," the goblin replied evenly, giving no hint whether he would agree or not.
"Thank you."
...
( Number 12 )
Adding another battered old magical tome to his growing pile of chosen texts, he went back to the bookshelves looking for additional tomes and texts to read.
He had spent the last hour and a half since returning from the bank searching the old wooden shelves for security wards and charms, specifically anything he could use to help better secure his dorm room from surveillance.
However, one of the minor problems he was encountering was that the Black family clearly preferred security wards and charms that were often deadly or dark in nature, hence unsuitable for use at Hogwarts.
He was a cold-hearted bastard, but he wasn't that cold or heartless; he had no desire for someone to die just because they had attempted to open his dorm room door without his permission. However, while unsuitable for use at school, they were good pieces of magic to know and had a time and place to be used; he would study them when he had time.
They might even save his life one day. Of course, he would be hitting Hogwarts' own library in the foreseeable future, including its restricted section, for some actually usable texts on security and privacy wards for his room. After all, he was pretty sure that there would be no overly dark magic material there.
"Harry, we should really be getting you back to school now," Sirius voiced with a hint of disapproval, as Harry continued to work his way through the Black family library looking for useful tomes. "You're going to miss your afternoon lessons and fall behind."
He resisted the urge to snort at that ridiculous statement; he would never fall behind based on missing one lesson. "Just give me ten more minutes, please. I already know the material anyways. I'd have to miss a full year or more of lessons to actually fall behind, Sirius," Harry expressed, as he opened the pages of yet another book, before immediately discarding it to one side since it was unusable.
"You asked me to wait ten more minutes a half hour ago," Sirius voiced in protest.
"Really? I didn't notice," Harry idly observed as he quickly read through the contents page of the newest book.
"You know, you should really catalogue this library better. Half the books here are in totally the wrong sections! I would be done by now if this place was properly sorted," he griped, as he put the small book dedicated to sex magic back on the shelves in its proper place, whilst wondering how in the hell that got sorted next to books on wards, before finding a gruesome book on blood magic next to it.
'Perhaps there are potential uses for sex and/or blood magic in warding that I had no idea about? Weird... but fascinating.' A mental note was quickly made to explore this idea in the future.
"Why don't you do that this summer then?! Rather than moaning about it," Sirius countered quickly, as he put a book back on the shelf before moving behind another bookcase. "And don't try to change the subject! We need to get you back to school."
"Just saying, no need to get snappy with me, young man," Harry voiced whilst hiding his smirk behind a book, as he pulled his godfather's strings like a master.
"I also have to find a book on the compensation laws Madam Bones mentioned during our meeting. I'm strongly considering revealing my full status and titles to the world, but only if the compensation is worth it."
...
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