Somewhere Safe Chapter 4

Harry woke up to the smell of breakfast. He had enough experience with the feel of the sheets and pillows to know he was still in the hospital ward before he opened his eyes. This wasn't his dorm. He sat up to see a tray of food waiting on the table beside the bed.

"Thank you." Harry swung his legs over the side of the bed.

The food was amazing, and he ate ravenously. Once he was finished with breakfast, he heard footsteps approaching. Harry busied himself getting dressed. His shirt was freshly laundered. It looked like his glasses had been repaired as well.

"Thank you again." Harry said as he put on his clothes.

"Good morning, Harry." Professor Dumbledore called.

"Good morning, professor." Harry returned. "Are we heading to Gringotts already?"

"The sooner the better." Dumbledore nodded. "I heard you had some visitors last night."

Harry nodded. Dumbledore waited a moment to see if he would offer more.

"Let's go." Dumbledore motioned for him to follow.

Harry took in the school around him as they walked. He ignored the stares as he followed. That was something he had plenty of experience in. It looked like Hogwarts. The paintings were the same, Dumbledore's office was in the same spot, and even the gargoyle was the same.

The office, however, was different. It was the same room, but the décor was much more refined. Not to mentioned it was actually organized. Harry wondered what had caused this Dumbledore to be so different than the one he knew.

"Word travels fast." Dumbledore chuckled.

Harry nodded. They came to a stop before the broad fireplace in Dumbledore's office.

"Gringotts." Dumbledore tossed a pinch of power and stepped through.

Harry did the same. He managed to stay on his feet for about two seconds before tumbling to the side. Somehow his glasses had stayed on. They didn't have any scratches either. Now that he had a moment, he could tell his vision was sharper as well. The elves had done something to them.

He stood, brushing himself off, just in time to see Dumbledore bow to a goblin. They spoke but the distance was just far enough to turn their words into a jumble of sounds. Harry waited until their conversation was complete before joining Dumbledore.

"Hogwarts will be paying for the service." Dumbledore turned to him. "They will need a few drops of blood."

Harry nodded. He was having a hard time finding the motivation to speak. Dumbledore and the goblin led him to a side room. It was empty aside from an onyx orb on a pedestal rested in the center. The walls were made up of shelves filled with sealed scrolls.

"Place your hand on the orb, wizard." The goblin ordered.

He stepped before the pedestal and placed his hand on the orb. It began to grow warmer against his skin. Just when it was approaching the edge between unpleasant and painful, the feeling stopped. The goblin took a sealed scroll from the wall then tapped it to the orb. A single strand of crimson began to swirl among the onyx. It started where his hand was, circling lower until it reached the spot where the scroll rested. The crimson line steadily slid onto the scroll.

Harry waited as the last of the crimson thread faded away.

"Remove your hand, wizard." The goblin waved a hand at him dismissively.

Another goblin entered the room. They took the scroll without a word before leaving. Dumbledore followed after the goblin and Harry followed him. For some reason the were led to another section of the bank. The door to the room was ornate and wide enough for Fluffy to get through comfortably. It swung open without a command.

A thick stone table rested in the center of the room. The ceiling had a strip of glass that appeared to be the same size directly above it. Harry froze at the doorway. A group of people waited near the table. He had only seen them in pictures, but he recognized Lily and James Potter. There were two raven-haired boys looking that looked bored out of their minds with them. As was a much healthier Sirius Black.

James saw Dumbledore, giving him a nod. The man gawked as he saw Harry. Lily noticed her husband's sudden silence. She turned to see what had captured his attention. Her face went blank as she laid eyes on Harry.

"What are they doing here?" Harry whispered.

"This is House Potter business." Dumbledore explained as he moved deeper into the room.

The old man didn't bother to check if he was following. Harry was startled out of his fugue when the goblin cleared their throat.

"If you're ready to proceed." The goblin spoke in a long-suffering tone.

The scroll rolled out along the stone table. Motes of light drifted down. The squiggles of crimson began to take the form of words.

"Harry James Potter." The goblin read the results. "Child of Lily and James Potter, displaced. Heir of Gryffindor through Deeds, displaced. Heir of Slytherin through Conquest, displaced. Heir Potter through blood, displaced. Purged Horcrux via displacement. Potter Family Curse, vision. Underdeveloped Magical Core. No potions or compulsion detected. Malnourished. Four fractures along his ribs that require attention. Three fractures along the right leg require attention. Six fractures along his left leg that require attention."

"What does that mean?" Harry asked.

"You have multiple fractures to your bones that healed incorrectly." The goblin stated flatly.

"I got that part." Harry snapped. "What does Displaced mean?"

"You're not from this world." Dumbledore answered. "Thank you for your time, master goblin."

The goblin didn't acknowledge Dumbledore, or the others, as it stalked out of the room.

"Mom." One of the boys called.

"Is he our brother?" The other asked.

"Is he me, but I got lost time traveling?" The first one asked.

"That would be so wicked." The other said.

Harry blinked slowly. The world began to blur. Gray crept in on the edges of his vision. Someone was talking. Maybe. There was noise that could have been words. Harry swayed on his feet. The world went black.