Flash Forward.

Chapter 81: CH-81



While he stood there with his feet a shoulder-width apart, and his arms a little out from his sides, Hermione began to scan. Daphne, quite curious, came over to help. Almost immediately, as she was starting at the top and from his front and working her way down, she came across one.

"Got one!" Daphne exclaimed. "A tracking charm affixed to your glasses. I'll transfer it to a quill in your school bag. That way, it'll seem to work while you're in school, but won't as soon as you're out of here."

Harry quickly picked up a quill and watched as Daphne transferred the tracking charm to it.

"And another!" exclaimed Hermione from down near his feet. "One on your left shoe. It's more recent than those on your cloak, too." Just as Daphne did, she transferred that over to the quill, too.

As Daphne went to set the quill aside so she could continue scanning, Hermione again suddenly said, "Here's another. It's on your belt."

So, Daphne again held the quill for her as she transferred the charm.

"This is ridiculous!" Harry grouched. "Just how many does Ol' Twinkles think he needs on me to keep track of me?"

"At least one more, Harry," said Daphne from where she was looking at his left wrist. "There's another on the timepiece on your wrist." A pause and then, "Nope. There's also one on your wand." As she worked to move those two to the quill, Hermione stood back frowning.

After a few moments, as Daphne finished moving the last tracking charm, Hermione snapped her fingers and exclaimed, "Of course!"

"Of course, what, love?" asked Harry, still looking around himself.

"The tracking charms that were on you," she replied. "They were all on items the Headmaster thought you'd always be wearing or carrying."

"Huh?" he asked, confused.

"She right," Daphne firmly nodded. "You change your clothes at least every day, and magical washing strips them off; and, any charms that may have been on your direct person, we know would have fallen away due to the bond; therefore, the only ones that make sense are the ones that are on items you would have on you all the time and wouldn't be washed.

"Such as your glasses, your belt, your wand, your watch and your shoes," continued Hermione.

Frowning, Daphne asked, "You only have one pair of shoes?"

"Well, no," said Harry. "Two pairs. My school shoes and the trainers I wear at the Dursleys."

With a roll of her eyes, Daphne said, "First chance we get, we're taking you clothes shopping."

Wanting to change the subject, Harry said, "While I'm out, would you two please scan everything I own for more such charms? Including my trunk and Hedwig's cage. And Hedwig herself."

"Yeah; and we'll scan everything I own while we're at it," Hermione acknowledged. "That old fool really wants to keep an eye on you, doesn't he?" asked Daphne.

"Yep," he replied. "He needs to know where his little pet weapon is at any time." With a sigh, he said, "Well, I'd best be off if I want to get back here before lunch."

He gave each girl a quick kiss and said, "I'll be back as soon as I can."

He donned his invisibility cloak and made his way outside and to the Whomping Willow. A quick knockback jinx on the 'knot' on the trunk, stilling the tree for the necessary few moments, and he was through to the Shrieking Shack.

Once in the shack he donned his glamour and made his way to the Three Broomsticks, where he used the fireplace to Floo to the Leaky Cauldron. A nod of greeting to the barman, Tom, and he was through the back door and into the Alley, then through the magical archway into the Alley proper, and soon was walking into Gringotts.

Entering the bank, Harry made his way to a vacant teller and waited to be acknowledged.

When the goblin finally looked up it said, "What do you want, wizard?"

"Good morning, teller," Harry respectfully replied. "I need to withdraw some gold from my vault and am currently not in possession of my key."

The goblin glared back at him and half-snarled, "You are responsible for the safety of your key, at all times, wizard. You will be charged for a replacement."

"Understood, Teller," Harry replied.

After another long glare, the goblin withdrew some parchment from under his desk and placed it, and a small ritual knife, on the desk before him.

"Prick your finger with the knife and allow three drops of your blood to land on the circle at the top right of the sheet," the goblin instructed.

Harry stepped closer to the teller window and softly but firmly said, "When I do this, I need you to continue to address me as nothing more than 'wizard', Teller goblin. I do not want other bank customers to learn of my identity. Do you understand?"

The goblin stared back with a look of curiosity before he said, "It will be done."

With a nod of acceptance, Harry raised the tip of the knife to the pad of the middle finger on his left hand, and gave it a sharp jab over the parchment.

Pulling the knife away and placing it, hilt first, towards the goblin back on the desk top he held his left finger directly over the spot marked on the parchment, allowing the blood to drip free.

Once the required three drops fell he pulled his hand away and pinched off the flow by directly squeezing it with his thumb pressed on the small nick.

The goblin dipped the knife into what Harry knew to be a combined antiseptic and bodily fluid destroyer before he dropped it into a small tray set to the side. All the while, both he and Harry stared at the sheet of parchment between them.

It took a few moments, before the magic of the small ritual led to words suddenly appearing on the parchment, a lot like how they appeared on the Marauders' Map. Harry was watching it from an upside down perspective.

As it finished, the goblin flicked his head up to look back at Harry in shock. There was just the slight hesitation before he said, "Come with me, wizard." Harry stepped back as the goblin rolled up the parchment sheet and placed a 'closed' notice in his window. Then he gestured for Harry to go to the end of the long bench of teller windows; Harry complied.


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