Harry Potter:Raised by Wolves

Named Heir to the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black

His mind immediately flashed to the man in the newspaper—Sirius Black, with his gaunt face and wild hair.

What a funny coincidence.

It was a fairly common surname, after all.

Blood Heir to the Ancient House of Peverell

That was a name he had never even heard before.

Who were the Peverells?

Conquering Heir to the Ancient House of Slytherin

Harry choked.

Heir of Slytherin?

How could that possibly be?

What did it mean, conquering heir?

He waited, staring at the parchment, half-expecting more bombshells to appear.

Several long seconds passed, but no new ink formed.

Farlig cleared his throat.

"Congratulations, Mr. Potter," he declared. "Four very respectable houses. I'll update our records and have the vault ownership adjusted accordingly."

Gorrak studied the parchment, his expression unreadable.

"It has been a long time since someone claimed the Slytherin vaults, Mr. Potter," he murmured, looking thoughtful.

"How very interesting."

Harry swallowed hard.

"How is that possible?" he croaked, eyes wide.

"When an ancient family line dies out or the last remaining heir becomes ineligible to inherit, the title can be transferred in several ways," Gorrak explained.

"In your case, when you defeated the Dark Lord Voldemort—believed to be the previous blood heir to the Slytherin line—you ended the direct succession. The magic deemed you a suitable replacement.

"You must share some blood connection with Salazar Slytherin, but within pureblood families, that is not uncommon.

"The Slytherin family magic is unique in that it prioritizes magical strength and purity over direct lineage.

"When Voldemort entered Gringotts as a youth and took a Line Test, he was ineligible to inherit the Slytherin line. No doubt his core was already tainted with too much dark magic for the family magics to accept him."

"But wasn't Salazar Slytherin a dark wizard?"

Confusion was plain in Harry's voice, and Gorrak let out a rough chuckle.

"Your wizarding history books are not as accurate as your people believe, Mr. Potter," he remarked.

"Salazar Slytherin was no true dark wizard.

"His father, Septimus Slytherin, was.

"We believe that Salazar himself changed the conditions of inheritance after witnessing the twisted state of his father's magical core.

"The practice of what wizards now consider 'dark magic' was, in those days, a neutral form of spellcasting. Instead, the true definition of dark magic refers to the blackest of the arts.

"The Dark Lord must have begun practicing truly heinous magic at a very young age for his core to be considered unworthy."

Harry opened his mouth to ask why goblins didn't just tell wizards the truth.

Then, he thought about how wizards treated goblins—and other magical creatures.

His jaw clicked shut.

No one would believe them even if they tried.

"So… what does all this mean for me?" he asked, his throat dry.

"What does it mean to be heir to all these houses?"

"At present? Not much," Gorrak admitted.

"You will be unable to take on your full responsibilities until you come of age. However, heirs to ancient bloodlines play an important role in wizarding society.

"You are the future of your people, Mr. Potter.

"It is your duty to preserve and uphold your family magics and prepare yourself for your Wizengamot seat when the time comes.

"I would advise you to reach out to other family heirs and discuss the role with them.

"I'm afraid goblins know little about wizarding customs beyond the financial and legal aspects."

He leaned back in his chair.

"The confirmation through the Line Test will also grant you access to any vaults under the names of these families," he continued.

"However, due to your age, many will require a guardian's approval for access.

"I can have a portfolio assembled listing your vaults and properties and sent to you within the week."

"If I may, Mr. Potter," Farlig interjected, stepping forward, "it may also be in your best interest to research independently what it means to be the heir to such ancient houses.

"There are undoubtedly many books on the subject.

"Of course, you do have the option to reject your Wizengamot seats and any adjacent responsibilities.

"If you do, they would continue to be held by your proxy."

There was a brief pause before Farlig added, almost casually—

"I believe that proxy is currently Headmaster Dumbledore."

Harry stiffened.

Inside him, something hardened.

Dumbledore had been making decisions on his behalf for years.

No.

No more.

"No," he said immediately, without hesitation.

"I'll take my place. I'll learn."

He didn't fully understand what this all entailed yet, but one thing was crystal clear—

Dumbledore would not be making decisions for him anymore.

Not now.

Not when he was seventeen.

"Excellent choice, Mr. Potter," Farlig murmured approvingly.

"Should the goblins of Gringotts ever be of assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us."

"You've already done more than I ever expected," Harry admitted, his mind still spinning from everything he had learned.

"I—how much do I owe you for all this?"

It occurred to him belatedly that goblins were not known for their generosity.

Surely, they wouldn't do something this important for free.

Farlig and Gorrak shared a knowing smirk.

"We will deduct the necessary expenses from your vault and owl you the bill, Mr. Potter," Gorrak informed him.

"I shall send it alongside your portfolio.

"I will also include recommendations for an account manager, should you wish one, as well as investment opportunities.

"The money in those vaults has lain dormant since the fall of the Dark Lord Voldemort—if not longer.

"Seeing it back in circulation would make goblinkind very happy indeed."

If there was one thing Harry had learned from being forced to live with Vernon Dursley, it was that investing money wisely was important.

"I would appreciate that, Gorrak. Thank you."

"It is our pleasure, Mr. Potter."

Farlig clasped his hands.

"Now," he said with a hint of amusement, "I believe you originally came here to withdraw money from your vault?"

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