Deveraux's School for Magical Beings

Chapter Nine

                 ~Harry Potter~
We didn't spend much time going through my vaults-after all, there was quite a few of us, and we had spent a lot of time talking, but we had found keys to eight buildings and according to Rapclaw, they were all homes. One, he had explained, was a manor house in France. The others were safe houses that could be found throughout England-other than the one that was in Africa deep in the jungles.
I took the keys to all of them before turning to Severus, "How do I ward the buildings like you did your house? So that only the invited can enter?"
Severus smiled lightly and stated, "I will teach you. We can visit each home and put up the wards. Are any occupied, Rapclaw?"
Rapclaw looked over his book and shook his head, "They are bound by family wards. Asleep until the heir visits and awakens them. This is old magic-the houses are probably damn near sentient by now. May I suggest you have cursebreakers and ward breakers on hand?"
Severus raised an eyebrow, "Rapclaw, would you care to write us up a contract with Gringotts? Goblins and the select few wizards you employ are the best curse and ward breakers in the world. Its why you work on the pyramids."
Rapclaw nodded and added, "Depending on what wards you want I can also have a wardmaster added to the team?"
Severus nodded, "That would be best. If you could, please have them start at the home in France." He looked at me, "That is where you wanted to live while at the school, isnt it?"
I nodded, "You and your family could come and stay with me. Eiris is going to be going to the school too, isn't she?"
Winona wrapped her arms around me, making me still slightly before I returned her hug,  "That would be wonderful, Harry, thank you. Besides, I certainly wouldn't have you be living there on your own. A manor house would be lonely for one person."
Minerva cleared her throat and spoke, "Harry, I believe that you should know that you will not be the only Hogwarts student going to Deveraux. There are, as always, a few students who have gotten their inheritances. Among them, for the first time in generations, is Neville Longbottom. Luna Lovegood has also received one and I believe a first year-younger sister to Blaise Zabini."
A smile spread across my face, "Great! People I know!" Suddenly remembering what Severus and Aloysius had said about pureblood families, I frowned and questioned, "Are their families okay with it? Have any of them been disowned or anything?"
Rapclaw cleared his throat and stated, "Neville Longbottom cannot be disowned as the last and only heir. However, Augusta can claim to no longer be a member of his family, which she has. She has retired to a cottage that was a part of her dowry. Luna and her father would never disown one another given that Xenophilius is also a magical being. However, Emilia Zabini has been disowned, poor girl."
I looked at Severus, "I want to meet her. I want to make sure she's safe and she has a place to live. What does Blaise think of his sisters disownment? He used to talk about her a lot. I remember him telling Malfoy about her in Potions."
Severus shook his head, "I have no idea. However he practically raised her, so I imagine the boy is less than happy with his mother and grandfather. Rapclaw, where is Emilia now?"
Rapclaw pulled out another book and frowned, "An orphanage called Generous Lives, in Wales."
I held my hand out to Rapclaw and stated, "I'll be back, Rapclaw, to finish the contract with Gringotts." We shook hands before he bowed, fist over heart, and so I copied the action before I asked, "Am I able to adopt people now that I'm an adult?"
Both Rapclaw and Severus nodded, so I squared my shoulders and stated, "I will adopt her then. I'll have a little sister, if she'll have me. If not, then I'll find a caretaker and set her up in one of the England houses."
Rapclaw smiled, "You are a very admirable person, Harry. Not many people your age would hear about someone being disowned and want to adopt them."
I shrugged, "I've always wanted a family. I've never truly had one before, and I know what it's like to have your family hate you for something you can't control. Emilia...She doesn't deserve it. She's only eleven."
Rapclaw nodded in agreement and stated, "Please come by within the next few days to finish the contract so we can get started. I should have all the loopholes closed by then. I don't want anyone to be able to disclose anything they see or hear in your homes."
I smiled brightly at him, "Thank you, Rapclaw, for everything."
We made our way out of the bank and Minerva stated, "Not all of us should go, I believe."
Iris and Nathaniel both smiled slightly and Iris stated, "We wanted to see if there were any other children in need, so may we accompany you?"
I nodded and Aloysius and the others all stated they would stay and check out the alley before heading home. Eiris and Augustus both took the time to hug me before they left with Winona, and so Severus, Minerva, Iris and Nathaniel all got ready to apparate, Severus holding his arm out to me.
Once we arrived, I straightened my clothing and checked my glamour before we headed inside. Severus handed me my papers that stated I was an adult and emancipated and we headed inside.
What I saw inside floored me, there were magical beings of all types in the room, and one lone witch or wizard bossing them around.
Anger fueled me as she struck one of the older children, and I cleared my throat and said icily, "Excuse me, who runs this orphanage?"
The woman turned quickly and gaped at the sight of us before she cleared her throat and stated, "I do!"
I glared, "These children have all had inheritances then?"
At her nod, I stated, "I'm going to adopt them all. You seem like a poor caretaker, and as someone who just got out of a bad home situation, I won't leave here without them."
She sneered, "Who are you??"
I drew myself up to my full height and snapped, "Lord Potter! Also known as the Boy Who Lived! Do you want to change your tone before I have your face planted all over the front page paper as a child abuser?!"
She paled, apologizing profusely, and I simply pointed to the boy she had struck and snarled, "Apologize! And get him some ice!"
She hurried into another room and I questioned, "So...Um, are you all orphans?"
Most shook their heads, and the boy who had been struck stated, "We've all mostly been here since we were kids. We inherited early and our parents didn't want us. We brought shame to our families. Why are you interested in us?"
I sighed and pulled out a chair, sitting down, and started explaining. "Well, you see, I recently got my own inheritance while at my muggle relatives home. I have no other family. They...they beat me, pretty badly. I wrote a letter to Professor McGonagall, the lady in green, and she and Severus, the guy with the black robes, they saved me. When I was at Gringotts I heard that a fellow Hogwarts student, Emilia Zabini had been disowned for having an inheritance. I planned to adopt her and go to Deverauxs school with her. Gringotts was able to tell me she had been brought here. I had no idea that there was an orphanage of magical children or I would have come sooner."
Iris spoke softly from next to me, "None of us knew. Don't worry, we'll be looking into it. Do you know if there are any other orphanages like this one?"

A feeble cry sounded from above, and I heard the woman curse under her breath as she stormed out, shoving ice into the boys hands as she went to shove through towards the stairs. I got in her way and said, "Who's up there? A kid? A baby?"

She nodded, "We have seven infants, three newborns, three that are under a year, and one that just turned a year old. They were born inherited, from wizards."

Iris, Nathaniel, Severus and I all made our way upstairs, ignoring the woman who sputtered indignantly, and I noticed several of the older children, some teenagers, followed us up. We came to what appeared to be the nursery, and I gently pushed the door open, gasping slightly at the sight of the beautiful children lying in cribs throughout the room.

A mocha-skinned teenager, about my age, stood gently swaying with one of the newborns. One of the teenagers that had followed us swept by, picking up one of the other newborns, and without thought I walked over to the third newborn, gently picking her up, cradling her. She was gorgeous, slitted green eyes, pointed ears, and black hair. I cooed down at her, "Hello, little one, what's your name?"

The mocha-skinned girl spoke, "That's Branwen, the one Leander is holding is Whimsy and I'm holding Rhonwen. They're triplets. They were born two weeks ago, on the first. Their mother noticed their eyes and ears and immediately brought them here, not even a full day after they were born. Leander, Atlas and I named them. Atlas is their older brother. The same thing happened to him. He's twelve. I don't know why the woman keeps having children when she should realize by now that she's only going to give birth to inherited."

I looked up at her, aghast, and exclaimed, "Not even a full day after giving birth to them she just-she just left them here??!"

She nodded, "She's a cold-hearted bitch, that Parkinson witch. Got one normal daughter, and just got rid of the ones she doesn't want."

I choked, "Parkinson??" The girl nodded, still gently swaying with the sleeping newborn in her arms. I sighed, "My name is Harry...I-I'm thinking about taking all of you with me. I'm emancipated, and I-I saw that woman strike a boy. I originally heard about a girl named Emilia Zabini who is a new inherited. She got disowned."

The girl set the newborn down in the crib and spoke sadly, "Emilia hasn't left her bed since she was brought here. Poor darling won't eat, drink or anything. I can show you to her room, if you'd like? My name is Freya. I'm the oldest child here. What did you mean, taking us all?"

"My name is Harry Potter, um, and I recently became one of the inherited. I was left at my muggle relatives when my parents died when I was fifteen months old, and when I inherited they-they didn't understand. They hated me before but-but they beat me, quite badly, when they saw my new form. My teachers, Professor McGonagall and Severus Snape, they saved me. When I was better, they took me to Gringotts, since the only ones who knew I was a member of the inherited was the headmaster, and them, that nobody would stop me from gaining my title and emancipation. I had planned on adopting Emilia...Hoping-hoping to be like an older brother, or at least something similar. I knew her older brother, we weren't friends, but...When I saw the other boy get hit by the person who was supposed to care for him it...It struck me hard, and I decided that since I had plenty of room in one of the houses that I inherited when I got my title, that I would just...Try and take all of you."

Freya smiled sadly at me, motioning as if she wanted to take the baby from me, but I shook my head, holding the baby closer to me, and I explained, "I want...I feel a connection, like I need them close. Are they...Do you know what they are?"

Freya pulled her arms back and smiled kindly, "Are you a fae, or half? I've noticed that the faerie's are particularly possessive of their own kind. Atlas barely leaves the room. They're all fae, or half-bloods, really."

"I'm a half-breed. A dragonette and a fae."

A boy who looked like the triplets walked in, a scowl overtaking his face as he noticed me holding one of the triplets. "Let go of my sister, twat. I don't let strangers hold them. Put her down."

I cleared my throat and said, "Atlas? Y-you're a fae? I'm also a fae. I'm hoping to take all of the children here and let you live in one of the homes I own. I'm not a threat."

"Drop your glamours, and show me you're telling the truth then."

I drew in a deep breath and let go of the magic holding the glamours on me, and heard all the teenagers in the room let out a gasp.