"Oh, no, I am not going to make this easy for you. The work might help your cause. Her name is Cassandra Yaxley, the rest is up to you."
Sirius heard the name Yaxley and cringed.
Three weeks later Sirius was feeling much more comfortable with the idea of seeking out Cassandra Yaxley. From what he'd been able to find out she had been mostly disowned. Her family just hadn't done a casting out ceremony. It reminded him of himself. He wondered what she had done to gain the distinction. He decided to be Gryffindor about it all and sent her a note asking if they could meet.
Cassandra felt like snarling and throwing the book in her hands across the room, only her long ingrained habits of respect for books stopped her. She felt awful. Harry had given her a fairly simple research list this year but she was failing miserably just because she didn't have access to the right libraries.
Slytherin's library from the chamber would doubtlessly hold a lot of the information she needed but Albus Dumbledore was proving what an ignominious pain in the backside he could be. Cassandra figured she would have to wait at least three more months before she could look at those books. It would take that long to go through the courts. She packed up her materials and left the Endinburgh Magical Public Reading Room, and made her way back to the Kilted Wizard Pub where she flooed back to the Leaky Cauldron.
When she arrived home an owl was waiting for her. She was very surprised it was from Sirius Black, and it requested a meeting.
Harry worked hard all through autumn term. As the holidays approached he sent Cassandra his Christmas shopping list, he also told her which she should wrap and forward to him for distribution, and which she should send for him. He also sent her the sketch book he had filled with instructions to get him another the same size. The numbered sketches of his group of friends was to be taken out and framed before being sent to him and the rest were to be sent on to Jack along with a bottle of Rosemerta's Oak matured mead.
Harry had originally been startled by how much slush was in his trust fund. His first wardrobe with Jack to his surprise had only left a momentary dip in the balance. The goblins were that good at profitable enterprise. He guessed his dad must have been one spoiled and mean SOB, based on his trust fund and how much Professor Snape hated them both.
Harry took money seriously. He never blindly threw money at anything. To him money was first and foremost a tool. A tool that when carefully used was extremely useful. Money could be used for many things. Harry had been taught by his family's actions about how money could influence others. How money was useful in shaping the impressions of others. Thanks to his uncle he understood how a little money spent on others could buy him goodwill from those that didn't know him. The fundamental principle that the most important name to an individual is their own, by sending a small gift or a card Harry could give the impression that these other people were important to him whether they actually were or not. Money made this easy, but it also was a reason that Harry made a point of more personalized gifts to those who were really important to him. Thanks to Cassandra he now knew which charities existed in the magical world, and he made a point to support the ones he felt best matched his values.
In the year and a half she had worked for him Cassandra had proven her worth several times over by knowing who should be acknowledged and keeping track of dates for him. She had not only researched people for his dossiers, she had also quietly set up information networks about the ministry and the Wizengamot so she could keep track of persons of interest. Now that Harry had a better handle on his own income, he felt more comfortable deciding his expenses which was why in addition to a Christmas bonus Cassandra was getting a raise for Christmas.
Finally autumn term came to an end. Harry had distributed presents to his friends and had packed his trunk. Cassandra was meeting him at King's Cross with the two stage portkey and his travel papers for his trip and the presents for the Flamels.
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