Prologue: The Dark Roads

Disclaimer: No be owning Harry Potter ( or anyone I use to reference/cameo/base/etc.)

EDIT CHAPTER: This is an edit. It adds and subtracts a few things. There's about another three hundred so words in the first chapter, plus a Disclaimer that I didn't notice I hadn't put. I also took out the subterranean Japanese guys, and changed it so that Harry's trained by the Goblins instead.

" The Good fighters of old first put themselves beyond the possibility of defeat, and then waited for an opportunity of defeating the enemy." Sun Tzu, the Art of War.

" A man must not live under the same sky as one who has injured his Lord or Father." Article 51 of the Constitution of the Warrior by Tokugawa Iesayu.

" Do we, the grand jury of the Wizengamot, indict Harry James Potter on the charges of using an Unforgivable Curse on another, Reckless Endangerment, and Trespassing in Classified areas?"

Harry lifted his head, and was amazed to see an unanimous vote. All 562 votes for yes. This is unreal! How can these fools possibly believe the lies that Fudge is spouting? He thought venomously. He saw the faces of so many purebloods, so often ripped apart by the ideals of either Supremacists or Progressives, to be united. For them to be united would have brought a tear to Sirius Black's eye, but that tear of happiness would be shed in favor of drawn wands in anger at the cause.

Cornelius Fudge was a lame duck. He knew it. Everyone knew it. In a few weeks, he would be out of office anyway, so this was nothing more than a leap of faith to go out in a blaze of glory. Amazingly, the incumbent, Amelia Bones, was more than supportive of Fudge's last ditch attempt to screw Harry. That's when Dumbledore came in.

Dumbledore pulled a massive turnabout of opinion in the five minutes after Harry had driven off Voldemort in the DOM. For a man who had never changed his ideals in the last hundred years, this was a pretty amazing show of change. From supporting Harry utterly, claiming he was the savior of the Wizard World, to condemning him for the use of an Unforgivable that hadn't even worked. At least he wasn't being blamed for Sirius' death yet. Key being yet.

Fools are easily deceived and easily manipulated. Zealots are even easier. Given that the Wizarding World is encompassed entirely of such zealots, those who sit as spiders profit the most. Lucius Malfoy and Albus Dumbledore were two such spiders, and unfortunately for Harry, neither was on his side.

Though Malfoy was currently on his way to Azkaban for being a Death Eater, there was little doubt where a good percentage of the vote would go. Many houses, including those that were known for being neutral, often sided with Malfoy's bloc just to avoid conflict. Had Harry been raised with a Wizard family of Purebloods, like the Longbottoms, he would have known that the Malfoy bloc of power had been frustrating Dumbledore's since before the Dark Lord fell the first time.

Harry sank back in the Chair of the Defendant. He didn't have a lawyer, or any legal counsel for that matter, only his prior experience. In short, he was screwed. He hoped that the trial would be delayed long enough for him to at least try to get a message out to someone, anyone, to try and help him. Little did he know, there was one such person sitting in the Wizengamot right now.

Wallace Dandridge sat in the Wizengamot, disgusted at the scene unfolding before him. Unfortunately, there wasn't much he could do to help Harry Potter, outside of trying to raise an army to destroy the Wizengamot. His close friend from school, Damien Greengrass, said he might be able to get a firm to try and help Potter, but given the bad press this was already getting, that was unlikely.

Damien muttered, " Shame Fudge was able to get Potter into this courtroom so fast. Otherwise, we might have been able to get him some quality assistance."

Wallace grimaced, " Not likely. The best we can hope for is that the Goblins got some dirt on Dumbledore and they can use it to commute Potter's sentence. Guilty or not, he's going into the joint, and he's going in for a long time."

" So, whatever happened to a fair trial? I mean, this is a little rushed, there isn't anything any of us can do."

Wallace grunted, " Yeah, except being forced to vote status quo to keep the others from jumping us. Life sucks to be a mid major family doesn't it?"

Damien laughed bitterly. Wallace's family was a Noble, but not Ancient family that didn't have the money to support the extravagant games of the other families. Damien's was the other way around. Ancient, but not noble. The Greengrasses accumulated most of their wealth via marrying off the daughters that the line was so apt at producing. It seemed that the Greengrass luck had finally run out, because Damien's wife couldn't have any more children, and he had two daughters.

Dumbledore, who had been quickly reinstated as Chief Warlock, declared, " The Trial of Harry James Potter is scheduled for a week from today! Adjourned!"

Wallace frowned heavily as he stood up. One week to see what was going to happen. Probably just a stall tactic to make Potter wallow in his own guilt until he just straight up admitted he was guilty. But Wallace had heard great things about Potter. He wouldn't give in that easily. So Wallace hoped.

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( Gringotts)

" Director Ragnok, this is disturbing news. Harry Potter to be tried for crimes against the Ministry? This could mean the loss of a very wealthy and influential family, if the Ministry tries to seize his assets."

The Vice Director, named Snare, answered, " Which they most certainly will, because everyone here knows that Lucius Malfoy controls the Minister. Either he or Dumbledore will get it. Whoever strikes first. Which means we need Martial Order from the King himself to override. Doing so will risk another war."

Ragnok, a noble looking goblin who looked almost like a short human, hissed, " The consequences are unavoidable. But this gives us the opportunity to mould Potter as WE want him. As a Champion of the Goblins…"

Griphook, the Potter Estate manager, whispered in awe, " A Champion? There hasn't been a Human Champion in over a thousand years! As you recall…."

Ragnok rolled his eyes, " Yes, yes, Salazar Slytherin didn't work out, but he is an aberration. Most Goblin Champions succeeded in making massive improvements to our state of being. As I was saying, with Potter as a Goblin Champion, the final Bastion of Hate shall be overthrown."

All the goblins in the conference hissed in displeasure. Britain was known throughout the world for its….disfavor…for nonhumans. That, of course, is being nice about it. There were over a thousand Goblins Clans scattered throughout the World, and only the twenty in Britain were scorned. The Gringotts clan was often viewed with great dishonor by the others for tolerating such downright hatred and dealing with these humans.

" Are we in accord,", a dwarf in the background muttered, catching everyone's attentions. Ragnok asked, " And what do you mean by that, Merchant King Varrac Tethras?"

"What I mean is this. If this boy Potter, is all you say he is, then why is he in this situation in the first place? Being gullible is not a trait I want in our Champion, Director Ragnok."

Griphook nodded, " I agree with the Merchant King. If Potter has been so easily manipulated into this situation, than he is not someone I would want as our Champion."

Another Dwarf, named Delmi, spoke up, " I am not so worried about how Potter got INTO this situation. I am more worried about how we are going to get him out. "

Varrac nodded, " Agreed. Dumbledore and Malfoy as manipulators isn't exactly lost upon us. Hell, if Malfoy was such a stuck up dick and supporter of the Dark Lord, then I could swear they were working together. In fact, they may have even had an 'Agree to Disagree' sort of thing going on there. Maybe more…."

Ragnok broke in, " We are not here to debate about what MIGHT be going on. What we are here for, is to debate the present and immediate future. We did some looking in, and found that both Malfoy and Dumbledore have been using Potter's family estates to fuel opposing sides of the battle."

Griphook grimaced before beginning the official report on his predecessor, " Manager Ironhide was found to be taking bribes from both sides in exchange for limitless access to the Potter Estates. Given the nature of their crimes, the gold has been through so many phantom networks, most of it isn't even in Gringotts anymore, that we can't recover it. Potter has gone from king of men to pauper based on the actions of two men working for opposing sides of the same fight. Luckily, Lord Black named Potter as the primary beneficiary of the Black Will, so Potter will have some money left. "

Both Goblin and Dwarf hissed in anger at the report. The Merchant King shouted, " We should have these men's heads for this! Crimes of this nature warrant an immediate execution based on the Goblin Human Treaty of 1360!"

Ragnok yelled back, " You think I am not aware of this? This is my bank after all, Varrac! Don't insult my intelligence!"

Varrac jeered, " Then perhaps you need to pay more attention to what's going on in this bank of yours."

Both rulers felt their hands go to their weapons, but a swift intervention by several on either side prevented a confrontation from erupting. Varrac muttered some curses in Dwarven as he sat down, with Ragnok doing the same in High Goblin. Griphook muttered, " Now that we have settled our differences, we can get back to the matter at hand. What are we going to do to get Potter, preferably away from, Azkaban? If he ends up there, then he will likely be worthless to us. He's already a scrawny bug, little more than a semblance of what he should be."

Ragnok muttered, "Yes. Yes he is. Though I have only seen him from afar when I dare venture outside of the bank, he is scrawny, with obvious signs of abuse and torment. If he's sent to Azkaban, he will be ruined for any task set to him. His charges. How serious are they?"

Another goblin, the secretary of the Justice department, pulled out some papers, " Very serious by Wizard standards. Reckless endangerment, use of an Unforgivable Curse, Trespassing in a classified area, attempted murder, manslaughter."

Griphook sneered, " Extensive list there. He'll either get life in Azkaban, or he'll get the Kiss. We can't let either happen."

Varrac smirked, " Then there's only one thing we can do then. Force the Wizards to commute his sentence to us. Naturally, we have to make sure he serves some type of penalty, so a year in the Dark Roads sounds good…"

" A YEAR? Most men don't survive a DAY, much less a Year! Are you out of your mind, Varrac?"

The Dwarf had to wait for the outrage to die down before answering, " Potter isn't going to be like the others. He will not be thrown to the Darkness and tried by fire. He will be trained, and he will be given the Rite of Command. Our warriors will be more than happy to school him in the Art of War."

Ragnok smiled, " Now that is a good idea. Potter will be taught all that he needs to know to succeed as our champion. So, is this how we want it?"

The Council voted unanimously. They would try to intervene in Harry's name. Now they just needed a plan. Naturally, it was Varrac who thought of something first.

" We need to get Fudge on our side."

Griphook rolled his eyes, " Insanity! The man hates goblins more than he hates mudbloods."

Varrac sighed, " Come now, Griphook. It isn't that hard. The man hates goblins, but he LOVES gold. We simply need to make him an offer he can't refuse. One hundred million galleons."

All the goblins shouted, " WHAT?"

Varrac sighed again, " Like you don't have hundreds of times that amount here in the bank. Either way, he's out as Minister here in a few weeks anyway! Just slip a clause in about him having to stay Minister or he loses the money. Boom, you get it all back."

The goblins continued to grumble, but in the end, they agreed. Varrac chuckled, because it looked like Ragnok had just signed his soul away when he wrote the note. Varrac grabbed it, read it, and exclaimed, " Now we just need someone to deliver it. How about that new girl, Fleur Delacour?"

Ragnok perked up, " The French girl? Sure why not, she doesn't have any allegiances outside of herself, though she is spending an unusual amount of time with our top cursebreaker Bill Weasley."

Varrac smiled, " Filed away for extortion another day. Now, get that notice down to her department, and we can begin."

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(Minister's Office…Later that Day)

" Cornelius!" Dolores Umbridge's atrocious voice fluttered over his announcement speaker, " A Ms. Delacour is here to see you on Gringotts business."

Cornelius Fudge huffed in anger, " Send her in, and tell her she better hurry up! I don't have time to deal with that filth."

A few moments later, the most beautiful woman Fudge had ever seen walked in. Strangely, Fudge was completely unfazed by her Veela Aura, something that would be of great interest to her later. Fudge barked, " Alright what do you want?"

" Ze bank of Gringotts 'as sent a request of ze Minister. Zey wish for you to read it without me in ze room."

She plopped a large folder down on his desk, and left. Fudge grumbled about paperwork, until he read it. At first he was angry. He couldn't believe the Goblins would want him to override Dumbledore's and the Wizengamot's sentences on Potter! They wanted him to hand it over to them. In exchange, they were offering an inordinate amount of money as a bribe. Over a hundred million galleons! As Varrac had predicted, Fudge didn't bother to read the contract before signing his name to it.

Bidden by the Gringotts magic, Fleur came in almost immediately after he signed. She grabbed the folder, and whisked off. The goblins held a feast that night. In the process, they "accidently" destroyed a very important item in the Lestrange Vaults. That item was the Chalice of Hufflepuff. Another Horcrux lost to accident.

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( A Week Later…Harry)

The Trial came and went. Harry was surprised at the Schism that it had created amongst his friends. Hermione came right up and spilt everything, even lambasting him for his choice of curses in the fight, but Ron had praised his valor. Ron's testimony went like this.

" I don't care who died, or who almost died, or whatever. Harry fought like ten Aurors that night, and led us better than Dumbledore could have if he was in the same situation. I know he's done some amazing and outrageous things, but to take on the Dark Lord's Top Units without fear? Not even for himself? He did it because he thought Sirius had been captured. And we joined him because we didn't care what happened. We followed him into battle, because he is a leader who can inspire people to greater things than they are capable of. Unlike you Fudge, Harry is man we can believe in and fight for, no matter the opposition. No matter how bleak the situation. Whether it's Voldemort himself, or Peter Pettigrew, I would charge in to battle if Harry's leading us."

Nice as it was to know that Ron was still loyal, he didn't really do much for Harry in terms of convincing people of his innocence. If anything, it only made people believe that he was going dark more than they already did. In fact, the people supporting him seemed to be doing more damage than good.

Harry really didn't like his trial one bit. Luna had been confined to St. Mungo's Insanity Ward half way through her testimony because half the court couldn't figure out what Nargles were. Neville hadn't helped, because no one believed him at all. They could believe Ron, because Ron at least showed some common sense, but Neville's version was a tad fanciful to say the least. Even if it was what happened.

Dumbledore, though, he was the nail in the coffin. He said that he had seen Harry use an Unforgivable, and that he knew that Harry should have known better. Thus, Harry was going dark and needed to be confined. Being Mr. " I'm A God Amongst Men" Dumbledore meant that everyone immediately took his word for it. There were a few who didn't believe, but they were outnumbered significantly. In fact, the final vote was 560 to 2. The only two who had voted against Dumbledore's charges were a minor lord named Wallace Dandridge and a lord named Damien Greengrass. Harry recognized the name, so he figured that Damien must be Daphne Greengrass' father.

Dumbledore announced, " The Court has found Harry James Potter Guilty on All Accounts. He will face the Dementor's Kiss for his crimes."

" Objection."

The entire courtroom froze at the sound of Cornelius Fudge's voice. Fudge shouted, " I invoke the powers granted by Article 1a of Section 12f, paragraph 19h of the Charter of the Wizengamot!"

Those who knew what it was drew heavy breath. Dumbledore recovered momentarily, " Article 1a is being invoked by the Minister of Magic. The Minister of Magic now has the ability to relegate Mr. Potter's sentencing to an Outside Party. May only be used during Times of War, and is used when the Wizengamot is deemed to biased to render a healthy penalty. Minister Fudge, who do you relegate the sentencing?"

Fudge announced, " I relegate the Sentencing of Harry James Potter to the Goblin Clan of Gringotts!"

A battalion of armed goblins marched in, led by the Director of the bank himself. Ragnok shouted, " And we accept the sentencing of Harry James Potter!"

Narcissa Malfoy shouted, " What is this madness?"

Lord Flint shouted, " Goblin Filth cannot be allowed a voice in matters like this! It belongs solely to the Wizengamot!"

Ragnok produced a document, " I think you will find that you are wrong. Under the Goblin Treaty of 6 B.C. E. as written by Augustus Caesar himself, a Ruling Party of a Wizarding Government may assign any task to the Goblins. This rule has been unaltered for over a thousand years."

That blasted a big hole in the Wizengamot. Ragnok declared, " Harry James Potter will serve one year in the Dark Roads for his crime. Good day to you."

With that, the goblins literally drug Harry out of the Wizengamot chambers.

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( Deep Gringotts)

Harry had never seen this part of Gringotts before. This was beneath the vaults. This was a passageway. His Vault Manager, Griphook suddenly halted him. He shouted, " Welcome, Lord Potter, to Khazad, the Goblin City. Thule is the Dwarven City that sits adjacent to us. You are seeing what no human has seen since Salazar Slytherin. And we rather regretted bringing him here."

Harry gasped in awe. The Goblin City was made of absolutely pitch black stone. It looked like it was made from the same stone that Isengard from Lord of the Rings was made from. On the other hand, Thule looked like Minas Tirith, the White City. Contrasting natures.

" Just like Dwarves and Goblins. Goblins are the warriors, and the Dwarves are the Engineers. Together, we function as one body, one organism, one being. One mind, one soul, one body. Dwarves are primarily merchants and thinkers. They are the imagination. They have weapons that would even shame the Nuclear Bomb of the Muggles. Thank the gods that they have never been unleashed on the topside."

Harry was confused, " Gods? You Goblins have a religion?"

" Yes, we follow the Norse Mythology. We just use slightly different names for some of them. Like we have Loki as Lothis, which in High Goblin means Human Traitor. And no, Gobbledegook is not our actual language. It's just a cruel debasement that we use around humans to make them feel stupid."

Harry's eyes were caught by a massive Golden Aquila that was emblazoned on the walls of both Khazad and Thule. Griphook commented, " Oh yes, I forgot about that. We have Odin as King of the Gods, but the populace follow mainly what is called the Imperial Creed. A God Emperor to rule us all. We the Goblins call him Altaris Inceptuous, or Emperor of the Human Gods. But enough Goblin Culture for one day. We need to get you to the Clansmen who shall be teaching you."

Harry raised an eyebrow about the clansmen part, but figured he would find out shortly. Griphook laughed, " Ha! Lord Potter, you've been chosen for a very special role in these battles. You are a Champion. You will lead the armies of the Legion against the Dark Creatures. Let us go meet your instructors here."

Griphook gestured at some noble looking Goblins wearing ornate black armor. Griphook forced him into a bow, " Honored Silverstrike, this is Lord Potter."

The head goblin smirked, " Ah, this is Lord Potter then. He's a scrawny sewer rat, like most good for nothing wizards, but he'll be a real man after we're through with him."

Griphook looked Harry, " These are your combat instructors and your Goblin Masters for your time here. You are honor bound to follow their commands unless they tell you otherwise. At least, until after you finish your training."

Silverstrike sneered, " Which will be in the equivalent of five years up top, is only six months down here. Remember that. Magic is so potent, that it slows the perception of time. That's also the reason we don't allow Magic users to use their magic down here. Could have potentially deadly ramifications, plus that's how the Dark Creatures are created. "

Harry nodded grimly, " I understand, Honored Silverstrike. It is an honor to be trained by you."

Silverstrike looked at his companions, " I like this guy. Keep ya head up kid, and you'll do fine. Unlike the other trash we get every day, you've got some real talent to ya ass. It pleased us to hear you've killed a Basilisk, fought a dragon, and driven off Dementors. If nothing, you've got courage. And Courage is Honor. Honor is everything to Goblins. I heard you've got some real scars to show for them."

Harry figured the Goblin was asking to see them, so he promptly removed his shirt, and the Goblin Commander whistled, " You sure you haven't been down here before, Lord Potter?"

"Naw why?"

The goblin took a good look at all the scars Harry had from fighting and child abuse, " Because I know some Goblins who would kill to have scars like some of these. How'd you get that one under the armpit?"

" My uncle decided to hit me with spiked bat that time. Luckily, I didn't get hurt too bad. Most of these scars, aren't really that important anyway."

Silverstrike laughed, " First things first. We got to get rid of that no confidence pussy personality of yours. It'll get you killed down here."

" And just how do you plan on doing that?"

Silver continued to chuckle, " When you kill to live, your personality tends to change."

" I guess it does."

Silver shouted, " Come now, Lord Potter. Let us get your equipment. You've used a longsword before, so using it and a shield shouldn't be too much of a problem for you. Well, once we build some muscle on you. You going to be liftin', a lot. You know, pullin' boulders, helping move the iron, etc. Once you've bulked up enough, we'll go get the equipment. It'll take a few months, but with our workout program, you're gonna like the way you look."

Harry chuckled at the Goblin Commander's last lines. God did he end up regretting that.