Disclaimer:
Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K Rowling.
I own nothing but the original characters I make.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
-Author notes-
Chapter 76: The Potter Vault
"But why are their vaults here? I have read about the eleven families who formed the old Wizard Council. And the founders of Hogwarts are not mentioned there. " Said Harry.
"That's because they were part of the original council that was created much before Hogwarts existed. But left shortly after the school was founded…or maybe they were forcibly removed, is hard to tell. There is little information about that era. What we do know is that the four founder families had some disagreements with the other members of the council. Afterward, they were replaced by four families that were considered worthy enough…Lestrange, Rosier, Malfoy and Parkinson." James explained.
"Those four…I see now." Harry could speculate about the cause of their conflict. He doubted these old families were pleased to have their magical knowledge taught to everyone who attended the school.
"Later on, there was one more replacement in the Council."
Lily said.
"The motive was a lot clearer this time…that family died out and disappeared so it had to be replaced."
She pointed at one distant door.
"That one."
Harry approached the door with curiosity. It was rare for an old wizard family to go completely extinct. Something major, like a war must have happened.
"Is that…!" the symbol displayed at the top of the door was something very familiar to him. Luna and her father had spent many years studying their history. But he never expected to find their vault here.
"The Peverells…"
"That's right! Do you know about them? Not many people do. We don't understand for sure what happened to them. But there is an old tale related to that family." Lily said.
Harry felt a strange sensation when he approached the door. Some sort of connection.
'What is this?'
"Wizards!" The angry voice of the goblin resounded all over the chamber.
"My time is gold and I don't appreciate it when is being wasted."
"Right, let's open our vault then, let's not anger this good goblin any further." James went to the door with the symbol of their family.
The goblin grumbled something in his language and walked to their vault.
"Harry, come on," Lily called for him when she saw he wasn't moving.
Harry gave the Peverel door one last look before following his mother. He wondered what was that about. What could be inside that vault?
He arrived in time to see the goblin inserting the key in the middle of the mechanism and giving it a twist. The gears started to turn but the door didn't open yet.
The goblin pulled out a small knife and gave it to James.
Harry saw his father make a small cut on his finger and smear a drop of blood on a black plate situated next to the key.
"This is a necessary step. The door will not open without the blood of a Potter." James said this while looking at Harry.
"I understand." Harry understood that his father wanted to remember this well enough in case he had to come alone next time.
The blood disappeared from the plate almost immediately and the mechanism came to life again.
The door creaked and opened, leaving a big circular entrance into the vault.
"Let's go." James went first and as he set one foot inside the room, this one became illuminated by dozens of magical torches.
"Whoa…" Harry had never seen a mountain of gold this big. Even the one he once saw inside the Lestrange chamber, paled in comparison.
"I know…I was also shocked the first time I saw it." Said Lily.
"Our ancestors made some wise investments, money is not something we have to worry about thanks to them. Now follow me…I think is around here." James walked around the mountain of gold and went further inside.
Harry walked while looking around the vault. There were lots of things in here. Paintings, furniture, clothes, and many boxes filled with who knows what is stored inside. It almost reminded him of the Room of Requirements, but whoever organized this place did a much better job than Hogwarts elves.
"Oh, before I forget. I promised Lyra to bring her something from here. It was the only way to convince her to stay at home with Holly. She really wanted to come here and see the family vault." Lily recalled.
"What are you thinking of getting her?" James really hoped it was something legal at least.
"Just some nice piece of jewelry. Mabe a ring or some pendant."
James breathed a sigh of relief.
"There are boxes filled with that kind of stuff over there." he pointed.
While his mother went on her quest for jewels, His father walked up to a big wardrobe that had been placed in one corner of the vault.
"Harry, help me move this thing. And remember, no magic here."
"Not even a bit?...that looks really heavy." Harry stared at the ancient piece of furniture.
"If you don't want to see those books, that's fine by me." James crossed his arms.
'Why do I have the feeling that this is some sort of punishment?'
"Fine, let's do this…"
The wardrobe was even heavier than Harry had initially thought, and despite their best efforts, they were only able to separate it from the wall by dragging one corner away.
"T-That…should be good enough." James was feeling a bit out of breath.
Harry examined the wall behind the wardrobe but nothing strange could be seen at first glance.
"Are you sure is here?"
"I was told the secret compartment was in a corner, behind an old wardrobe, so it has to be here," James replied.
It was then that Harry noticed a small imperfection on the smooth rocky wall.
"There is something there" He pointed with his finger.
"Mmm…let me see." James ran his hand around that area until he felt something move.
"Here it is!" He said with excitement.
He applied more pressure and a small part of the wall moved aside, revealing an opening, no wider than fifty centimeters.
The space looked small but was enough to hide a few important objects.
"Come on Dad, let's see what's inside." Harry urged his father.
A.N: - In case you were curious. The original eleven members of the Wizard Council are :
PotterGryffindorSlytherinRavenclawHufflepuffGreengrassBlackCarrowLongbottomBonesPeverellAnd the substitute for the Peverells ended up being the Gaunt family. -