Adelaide jolted up, banging her head on what felt like a wooden shelf. She let out a quiet painful groan, rubbing the sore spot on her forehead before looking wide-eyed at the familiar room she was currently in.
"Fuck, I forgot about the Dursleys" She whispered to herself, laying back on her ridiculously thin mattress and began contemplating what to do about her so-called family.
"Hello, Adela" A deep voice was heard from within her mind, making her jolt up and once again, bang her head on the wooden shelf.
"Fuck!" She hissed, holding her head with her eyes clenched shut. "Mort, is that you?" She whispered, hoping her aunt and uncle would not have heard the loud bangs.
"Yes, little love. This is how I communicate, and you don't need to speak out loud to respond"
"Oh, thank Merlin, I don't want to look crazy" She responded, hearing a deep chuckle from the deity.
"I wanted to inform you that I removed all blocks and compulsions from your system. You'll need to learn to control your magic because it is a lot more powerful than in your previous life, but don't worry about anyone re-applying them, being my mistress makes you immune to all bad potions, compulsions and blocks"
"Really? Oh, I could kiss you!" She gasped in excitement and relief, receiving another chuckle from Mortem.
"You're only ten, Adela. Wait a few years and we can discuss it" He teased, making Adelaide thankful that he was unable to see her because otherwise, he'd notice how red and hot her face had gotten.
"Up! Get up!" Adel cringed at the high-pitched voice of her aunt Petunia. Sighing in frustration as she heard the cupboard door unlock. "Now!"
Adelaide tiredly left the cramped cupboard under the stairs, smiling to herself when her cousin, Dudley huffed upset that he was unable to push her back inside as he intended. She followed Dudley into the kitchen where her uncle was sitting with a newspaper in hand.
"There's the birthday boy!" Petunia cooed, kissing her son's large cheeks as he stared at the table full of presents greedily.
"Cook the bacon and don't burn anything" The older woman demanded as she spotted Adelaide in the doorway.
"No" The room fell silent as the three Dursleys stared at Adel in shock. She leaned against the doorway with her arms crossed over her chest, a smirk appearing on her face when she noticed how purple her uncle's face was turning.
"You do as we say, girl" Vernon shouted, shooting up from his seat and in doing so, his large stomach caused the table to jolt which resulted in the pile of presents to tumble over.
"Not anymore. If I am to make breakfast, I'll be doing it for myself. I'm sure your delightful housewife can make your meals for you and your little dudikins" Petunia was too busy consoling her hysterical son to hear what Adelaide had said, and so she missed the signs of her husband's temper thinning.
"Cook. The. Bacon. NOW!" He roared and stomped towards her, his hands out to grab the ten-year-old girl but before he could reach her, his whole body froze and the other two in the room watched in shock as he fell backwards with a loud *thump*.
"What did you do you freak?" Petunia screeched as her face grew pale, dropping down next to her husband as Dudley stood to the side, shaking.
"I'm a witch, Auntie, it's what we do best"
Petunia froze and stared up at her niece with fear-filled eyes, not knowing where she found out the one thing she and her husband agreed to keep secret.
"Don't look so scared, Petunia, I won't be here for much longer. I'll be needing some money so I can go to Diagon Alley, I'll find a place to live whilst I'm there" Petunia silently pointed towards her purse which was sitting on the side table by the kitchen door.
"Thanks for that, I hope to see you... Never" Adelaide grinned as she pocketed the money she took for her journey.
Adelaide walked out of the room towards the door, waiting until the door was open before freeing Vernon from the spell. As she walked further away from Privet Drive, a bright smile formed on her face and a skip appeared in her step unintentionally.
"Well done, little love"
ϟ 9¾
Her journey to the Leaky Cauldron was long but uneventful, and when she appeared outside of the dark shabby pub, a wistful smile appeared on her face. She had spent many nights there and had wonderful memories with her second family, the Weasleys but unfortunately, those memories also include a certain bookworm.
Shaking those thoughts away, she pushed open the doors and made a B-line towards Tom the bartender, avoiding making eye contact with anyone.
"Hello sir, I was wondering if you can open the archway to Diagon Alley for me, please" Tom looked down at the young girl with a concerned frown and then looked around for anyone who may be related to her.
"Of course child but where are your parents?" He asked softly as he gestured for her to follow him to the back.
"My parents passed away sir, I'm heading to Gringotts" Tom looked down at the polite girl with a sad smile as they appeared at the brick wall.
"I'm sorry to hear that, be careful out there okay?" She nodded with a small smile and watched as he tapped his wand against certain bricks.
A wide smile crept onto her face as the wall opened up, revealing the bright and busy town of Diagon Alley. All around her, Adelaide sees mothers and fathers with children in tow, clutching their Hogwarts lists in excitement. She wandered through the crowds, B-lining straight to Gringotts as she decided that after, she would go shopping for new clothes.
It wasn't long until she made it to the large white building of Gringotts Bank and with a little jog to the top of the stairs, she was met by two guards who bowed as she approached. Without a second thought, she bowed back with a smile before entering the building, completely missing the shocked looks on the guard's face.
One hundred goblins sat on high stools at the long counters, scribbling in ledgers and weighing coins on brass scales. Adelaide approached a goblin whose focus was purely on the document in front of him, she waited patiently until he noticed.
"Hello, Goblin warrior, I'd like an inheritance test please," She said politely with a small bow of her head, the goblin's sneer turned into a look of surprise before calling out to another in their native language.
"Follow him"
"Thank you, sir" She bowed once again before following the goblin through small corridors until they arrived at one of many offices. The goblin knocked on the door and entered when called upon, Adelaide followed close behind and bowed slightly to the Goblin behind a large dark oak desk.
"Good morning, Goblin Warrior. Thank you for seeing me" The two Goblins exchanged looks of surprise before the one who escorted her left, leaving her with the older-looking Goblin.
"Please sit down-" Adelaide smiled at the Goblin before taking a seat at his desk. "My name is Sharptooth, how can I help you?"
"Hello, sharp tooth. My name is Adelaide Bella Potter and I'd like an inheritance test please" Sharptooths bushy eyebrows shot up and much to her shock, he didn't look at her forehead for the scar that thankfully, was no longer there.
"Cut your finger and place seven drops of blood," He said as he pulled out a dagger and parchment. She did as she was told and had to only wait a few moments before words began to appear on the page.
Name: Adelaide Bella Potter-Black
D.O.B: 31st July 1980
Age: 11 and 17
Father: James Fleamont Potter and Sirius Orion Black (Magically adopted)
Mother: Lily Potter Nee Evans.
Godparents: Remus Lupin, Alice Longbottom Nee Fortescue and Sirius Black (illegally imprisoned)
Godsibling(s): Neville Longbottom
Titles: the girl who lived, Mistress of death, Lady Magic's Chosen
Lady ship(s): Potter, Peverell, Gryffindor and Slytherin
Heirship(s): Black
"Wow," She breathed out as she looked at her ladyships, not expecting to be the head of two Hogwarts houses.
"Mistress of death?" Sharptooth gasped, staring wide-eyed at Adelaide who smiled sheepishly at the Goblin.
"Y-Yes sir. May I take up my ladyships and heirship?" Sharptooth nodded frantically before calling out to another Goblin, ordering him to collect the rings.
"Is there anything else you need today, Mistress?"
"Please, call me Adelaide or Adel, sharp tooth and yes, is there any way I can use the money in my vaults without having to keep coming here? And by taking up my position as head of my houses, does that make me emancipated?" Adelaide noticed a look of concern flashing in the goblin's eyes but it disappeared just as quickly as it came, leaving his expression calm and emotionless.
"We have our brand new cards that can be used in both the magical world and muggle world. For now, only those with a lot of galleons have been able to afford it but from what I can tell, you will have no problem in that department. Would you like one?" Adel nodded her head immediately, wondering why she never thought to have a meeting at Gringotts in her previous life.
"Dumbledore didn't want you to" Mortem's voice echoed through her head, making her jump slightly.
"Of course, that bastard"
"Here we go, Adelaide" Sharptooth said with what she could describe as a type of goblin smile, which was quite unnerving. She took hold of the shiny gold card and placed it in the back pocket of her baggy jeans.
"Thank you, Sharptooth"
"You're quite welcome and to answer your second question, you becoming the head of your houses does indeed make you emancipated. We have a list of your properties if you'd like them?" Excitement shot through her at the thought of finally being away from the Dursleys and having a place to call home.
"Yes please, that would be great" Sharptooth gave her a small nod and pulled out a parchment from his desk drawer before handing it to her.
Adelaide was shocked at the number of properties she owned, especially when Hogwarts was on the list also. As she went through the list, she noticed that she had a lot of holiday homes around the world but what caught her attention was Potter manor, where generations of Potters had lived and grew up in. First things first though, she had to visit a certain werewolf.
It wasn't long until the rings were brought up and Adelaide was accepted by each house. As each ring was applied, she felt the magic and power that they hold and it made her feel extremely proud to be the head of each house. After a respectable goodbye to Sharptooth, Adelaide made her way back into Diagon Alley and decided it was about time she got herself some clothes that fit her.
Her first stop was Madam Malkin's, which provides the customer with all sorts of dress robes, travelling cloaks and casual wear. She decided to buy four travelling cloaks, all in dark colours like black, dark grey, Green and Dark red. Next was casual wear which included trousers in all styles, shirts, jumpers and ankle boots. even though they were a little out of style for her taste, she knew that the wizarding world was behind in their fashion which is why Adelaide decided that Muggle London was her next stop after finally getting her eyesight fixed. Thankfully, she was able to get rid of her horrendous circular glasses and whilst doing so, the woman placed a charm over her eyes to help with her mage sight, which could get a little overwhelming at times. The charm dims the brightness but not enough that she was unable to use it.
She did not expect shopping in the Muggle world to be so overwhelming but equally exciting. There were hundreds of shops to choose from and for the next five hours, she went from one to the other, picking out anything and everything she liked. Her favourites were the tight black jeans, three leather jackets and heeled boots.
After the long day she had, she decided to book a room at the leaky cauldron for the evening. The moment she entered the room, she fell back on the old but comfortable bed and fell asleep immediately.