Chapter One Starting A New Path.

Harry lingered outside the Leaky Cauldron, nervously pacing in an alley across the street. The first part of his plan went off surprisingly well. The Dursley's let him keep his trunk and books, but locked up his 'fake' wand and broom. Harry was OK with this; in fact it was more than he was expecting to be allowed. Now however was when his plan was most in jeopardy of failing 'So much can go wrong.' he thought. 'Will I get caught? Will I be able to find anything that can help me? Will I be able to get money so that I can buy what I might need?.' Summoning his Gryffindor courage, he put on the 'borrowed' Ravenclaw robe and walked across the street.

Entering the Leaky Cauldron, the first thing Harry noticed was that the bar was almost completely empty. Tom the barman was even absent, Harry assumed that Tom must be in the back. Harry made his way through the bar and to the back courtyard unnoticed. 'So far, so good" It took Harry a few moments to remember which brick opened the passage to Diagon Alley. After about a minute of tapping with his wand, the bricks started moving and the Passage into Diagon Alley formed. 'Have to remember that brick for next time.' Harry thought.

Adjusting the baseball cap, Harry marched into Diagon Alley, his first destination was Gringotts. Harry knew that if he wasn't able to get some money the rest of his plans might fail. He might be able to steal some of the stuff he needed using his father's invisibility cloak, telling himself 'I can pay them back later when I van get some money'. The problem with this was there was too much of a chance to get caught. Deciding to put off the decision until later, Harry entered through the door to Gringotts.

Walking up to an empty teller, Harry asked "Excuse me…I would like to get some money from my vault but I don't have my key."

The goblin looked at Harry with a bored expression and said in a voice just below a sneer "Replacement key's cost 5 galleons and you will have to see your account manager or go the Identification Department."

" I'm not sure if I have an account manager." Replied Harry

The Goblin starting to look annoyed now asked "What's the name on the vault."

"Potter" Harry whispered. He didn't want anyone overhearing.

"Potter" the Goblin said louder than Harry would have liked. "You definitely have an account manager. The name's… Barkaxe."

"Really! I never knew that." Harry said sounding surprised. "Why didn't I meet him when I came here three years ago?

"How should I know? The Goblin responded, definitely sneering now. "If you didn't have your key you should have seen him then. How did you get into a vault if you didn't have your key? The goblin asked looking subspecialty at Harry.

"Oh, the person that brought me here had my key on him." Harry replied in a calm voice. He didn't want to draw too much attention to himself, and starting an argument with a goblin would be sure to draw unwanted attention.

"Well if you had your key, there would be no reason to see your account manager for just a simple withdrawal." The Goblin said, back in a bored tone of voice. Harry figured it was their normal tone. "It's pretty stupid to let someone else have access to your key."

"I didn't know anything about it at the time…" Harry said a little defensively. "…but your right. Do you know how I can meet my account manager?"

"Over there" pointing at a door to the left of the teller windows. "Go through the doors and to the window on the left. Ask the goblin at the window to see your account manager. Give your name and the account manager's name, and they will see if he is available."

"Thank you Mr…"

"Blackfang. Just Blackfang"

"Thank you Blackfang." Harry said, then turned and headed to the door. Entering Harry saw the goblin right where Balckfang said he (She, It) would be. Walking up to the window, Harry spoke "I would like to see Barkaxe please."

Not even looking up the goblin replied in the same bored tone as Blackfang. "And who is I?"

'Yup, must be the Goblin normal tone of voice.' Harry thought. Looking around and seeing no one nearby except a goblin guard Harry replied "Harry Potter."

The Goblin, now looking up but in the same tone of voice said "Really? Hold on, I'll see if he is available."

Coming back to the window about two minitus later "Barkaxe can see you now Mr. Potter, third door on the right. His name will be on the door."

"Thank you Mr…"

"Bloodfist"

Thank you Bloodfist." Harry started walking up the hall and the third door did have Barkaxe's name on it. Harry knocked and the door opened automatically.

"Come in Mr. Potter, and take a seat." Said the goblin behind the desk that Harry assumed was Barkaxe.

Harry entered the room and looked around on his way to the offered seat. The office looked like what Harry assumed any normal office would look like. A large wooden desk, two uncomfortable looking chairs on one side and a comfortable looking chair that Barkaxe was sitting on. The walls were lined with filing cabinets and a small end table with what looked like some type of alcohol and glasses behind and to the left of Barkaxe. The only thing magical in the room that Harry noticed was the dangerous looking weapons on the walls, and of course the Goblin behind the desk. Barkaxe was dressed in what looked like to Harry as a 17th century style business suit, "Thank you for seeing me Barkaxe."

"That's my job Mr. Potter. Now what can I help you with?"

"I wanted to withdraw some money but I don't have my key." Harry shrugged.

"You don't have your key?" Barkaxe said with some concern in his voice. "Why don't you have your key? Did you lose it?"

"I never had my key." Harry said a little petulantly. "The first time I came here Hagrid had my key. The next year Molly Weasley got my school supplies and gave me a small money pouch. The next year I used the money I had on me to buy my school supplies. Hagrid also visited me and gave me some more money."

"You never had your key? Most irregular." Barkaxe started looking through a stack of papers on his desk "Yes, Here it is, Albus Dumbledore authorized a Molly Weasley to withdraw 25 Galleons on August 5th 1992, and a Rubeus Hagrid on August 5th 1993."

"How did Dumbledore authorize anyone to access my vault? Does that mean that Dumbledore has access to my money?" Harry almost shouted.

Rifling through the papers in front of him, Barkaxe spoke said, "Dumbledore is listed as your magical guardian. As a Ministry appointed guardian he has authority to withdraw money up to 50 galleons each year for school supplies and necessities. Anything over the 50 Galleon limit would have to also be approved by your account manager, me. He also can monitor both of the Potter vaults"

"The Ministry appointed Dumbledore as my magical guardian? And what do you mean both Potter vaults? I have more than one vault?" Harry said, shocked to his core.

Barkaxe looked surprised "No one ever told you about your family vault? Your guardian should've made sure you were informed by your 11th birthday. It's their responsibility as your guardian."

"No. No one told me anything, and I didn't know I even had a guardian until you just told me." Harry said. He thought to himself 'Why doesn't it surprise me that there is more that Dumbledore hasn't told me that I should know?'

"Most irregular." Barkaxe lifted a piece of paper. "There doesn't seem to be anything unusual in the withdrawals from the trust vault. 39 galleons 11 sickles withdrawn on July 31st 1991 to Harry Potter, 25 galleons on August 5th 1992 to Molly Weasley, and 25 galleons on August 5th 1993 to Rubeus Hagrid. The family vault still remains inactive."

"Family vault?" Harry asked, nonplussed.

"Yes, the Potter Family vault. I'm sorry to tell you this, but you won't have access to that vault until you come of age."

Harry sat there quietly for a few moments. 'I have a family vault? Too bad I can't get access to the money until I'm 17. It would come in handy but 50 galleons might not be enough to do what I need, actually only 25 galleons if Dumbledore is going to take out 25 galleons on the 5th. I don't know how comfortable I am with Dumbledore having access and being able to monitor my accounts.' Aloud Harry asked "I can only take out 50 Galleons each year?"

"Your Ministry appointed guardian can only withdraw 50 galleons a year. You have access up to 200 galleons a year, according to how your parents set up the vault."

"200 Galleons…wow! But Dumbledore would know if I took out the money, right?"

"Correct. It appears that you are concerned with Dumbledore having access to your vault? I can see how some of his actions could cause you some concerns. Is this correct?

"Other than just finding out he is my guardian, he seems to have a habit of not telling me things I should know. My family vault is just one example. I have come to realize that I can't trust him to look out for my best interests."

"That seems to be a little extreme Mr. Potter."

"There are other examples, but I don't feel comfortable discussing them."

"I understand, your reasons are your own." They sat quietly for a few minutes. "I might have a solution for you Mr. Potter. Your parent's set up a… secret account under your mother's maiden name. As her son you have access to this account. It was set up with no restrictions, so you have full access to all the contents. The Account was set up as to be unmonitored by the Ministry."

"So there is a vault under the name Lilly Evans?"

"Yes."

"And I have full access?"

"Yes."

"And nobody knows about it?"

"Only those whom your parents would have told."

"And how much money is in this account?" Harry asked, excitement showing in his voice.

Barkaxe looked thru a few pages on his desk and removing a sheet from around the bottom of the stack "500,000 galleons."

"500 000 GALLEONS!" Harry shouted "And I have access to ALL of it?"

"Yes."

Harry sat back in his chair. After a few moments he asked, "If there is so much in the secret vault, how much do I have in my other vaults?"

"Let's see… 9,910 Galleons and 6 Sickles in your trust vault, and 14,851,426 Galleons 12 Sickles and 3 Knut's in the Potter Family vault. Plus other items of unknown monetary value."

Harry was stunned. Doing a quick conversion to muggle money in his head, he figured that Lilly's account made him a millionaire. But the money in the family vault made him a Billionaire… no a Trillionaire! He almost fainted. "How… how can I have so much money?" Harry spoke with a shaky voice.

"The Potter Family is An Ancient and Noble Family. They have been around for many generations and have acquired land and wealth over this time. They have also been conservative, but smart investors."

"I'm from an Ancient and Noble House?" 'Anoother thing Dumbass never told me.' Harry thought feeling surprised and a little angry. "And I have land? Does this mean I have a house?"

"You have several houses, some of which are rented out to many different families and businesses. I'm sorry to say that like your vault, you won't have access to the properties until you are of age."

"Why not?" Harry asked, disappointment showing on his face.

With the Potter will being sealed by the Wizengamot, and with no other arrangements being made with Gringotts, all Potter accounts have been frozen pending the Heir reaching adult status on their 17th birthday or by being declared an adult by the Wizengamot. All rents are still collected but the rates cannot be altered."

"The Wizengamot sealed my parent's will? Why?" Harry suspected Dumbass's hand in this. He was the Chief Warlock at that time.

"We never received a satisfactory answer to this. We were only told it contained 'State Secrets'." Barkaxe didn't seem impressed with the Ministry's answer. "So what can Gringotts help you with today Mr. Potter?"

Harry straightened up in his chair; he didn't even realize he was slouching. "I would like to withdraw some money. I would also like to ask a few questions and maybe a… favor or two?"

"Questions pertaining to standard account transactions are part of my job as your account manager. Anything beyond this, the answers, if I can give them, will cost a fee. Favors are the same, only at a higher fee."

From what Harry had heard about Goblins, this didn't surprise him. With access to the Evan's vault he figured he would definitely be able to afford anything he might need to purchase and the answers to some of the questions he had. "OK, sounds fair. First question… is everything we discuss in here confidential? You don't have to tell my guardian or anyone else?"

"Every Gringotts customer is afforded confidentiality Mr. Potter. Your guardian can monitor both Potter vaults and the Ministry can request Information if an account has had any activity. They will not be told what that activity was of course. They would also have to ask about a specific account, not just about a person's personal activity. I also don't see a reason to inform your guardian of anything spoken here."

Harry gave a relieved sigh, his summer plans might still work. In fact they might be easier now. "OK. Is there any way to use magic in a muggle area and not be caught by the Ministry?"

"Yes."

There was silence for about a minute before Harry asked "And what are those ways?"

The answer will cost you 6 Sickles Mr. Potter."

"Agreed."

"The most secure way that I can think of is to ward the property with a Fidelus charm and make it unplottable. If this is not possible, then a enchanted trunk that I have heard about from some of our more… less legal conscious clients. If memory serves, it is a multi-compartment trunk. One of the compartments is expanded to the size of a small flat and is warded to keep any magic performed inside undetectable."

"THAT SOUNDS PERFECT! Where can I find a trunk like that?" Harry asked excitedly.

"The answer will cost you 5 Sickles" Barkaxe responded, his tone not changing.

'Of course… two questions, two fee's, I'll have to be more careful in what I ask.' Harry thought to himself. "Agreed."

The closest and safest place that you can get one is in a shop called Borgin & Burkes. It is located in…"

"Knockturn Alley." Harry finished for him.

"I see you've heard of it?" Barkaxe asked, a little surprised.

"I've accidentally been there once about two years ago. Floo mishap."

"I see, any other questions?"

"Yes. Is there any way I can get my health checked by a doctor privately… and how would I arrange to see him secretly?"

"The answer for 2 Sickles."

"Agreed."

"If you are not afraid, we can have you visit one of our goblin healers at this Location, discretion is guaranteed. We can also arrange for a wizard healer to visit you at a location of your choosing. Gringotts trusts these healers, but we can't guarantee their discretion. There will be a fee of 6 galleons for the examination if done by the goblins, or a service fee of 2 galleons to set up an appointment with the wizard healer. His fee will be between the two of you."

'It would be nice to have a healer that could come to me, but where would he come to? Right now secrecy is the most important thing, and I'm not afraid of goblins.' Harry thought, out loud he said, "Ok. I'll go to the goblin healer. When can I see him?"

"I can arrange an appointment right after this meeting concludes." Barkaxe spoke while pulling a blank piece of parchment in front of him.

"Wow, that's convent. Yes please set it up." Harry was feeling relieved. 'Things are going good so far.'

"Any other questions?" Barkaxe replied while writing on the piece of parchment then setting it in an empty tray on his desk. A moment later it disappeared.

"Yes. Are there any books you can recommend that will help me train my magic? Are there any books II should get to help me know what to expect and that can help me prepare for my future in the wizarding world? Can you make me a list?" Harry asked hopefully.

"I don't really know many titles of the wizarding books that are available, but I can provide you with a list of subjects that will prove helpful. For a fee of 15 Sickles. I would also recommend asking Mr. Borgin about what books he might have on the subjects that he carries that are not Ministry Approved."

"Agreed" Harry was a little disappointed in not getting any specific titles, but anything will help.

"Anything else?"

"Do you know where I might acquire a…Time Turner?"

"1 Sickle."

Harry was surprised the price was so low, but responded "Agreed."

"I'm not certain, but Mr. Borgin has been known to find certain items for good customers."

Harry now understood the low price. He received a suggestion, not an answer. "I might be making some large purchases today Barkaxe. Is there a way to carry a large amount of galleons around without looking like I'm carrying around a lot of gold? It doesn't seem like a good idea to advertise my wealth in a place like Knockturn Alley."

"Quite right. We offer an expanded money pouch to our wealthier clients. It looks just like the regular money pouches we normally offer to our regular clients, but it has a few special features. It is expanded on the inside to allow storage of proximally 100,000 Galleons. Most clients don't store that amount, but the space is available to them. It also has a special security feature; the pouch can be set to your magical signature. It can't be opened by anyone else, unless you key in their magical signature too. Be warned, a powerful enough or skilled enough individual will be able to break these protections. This applies to all magic, so keep that in mind before completely trusting anything." Barkaxe warned. "The fee for this pouch is 5 galleons."

After a few moments Harry spoke. "I'll take one... If the price includes the information on how to key other people into the pouch."

"Very good Mr. Potter." Barkaxe gave an approximation of a grin, "It will be ready by the time you are ready to visit your vault. Anything else?"

"Yes. I have to spend most of the summer in the muggle world. Do you convert magical currency into muggle currency? Do you have any connections to a muggle bank and can you set up an account, or will I have to set it up myself?" Harry asked curiously.

"We can convert your magical money into muggle money at one Pound for one sickle and a 5 % fee. We can also set up an account in a muggle bank for 2 galleons. There is also a 2 % fee on any money transferred. We even provide suitable muggle identification for a fee of 5 galleons."

Harry thought the fees were pretty high but since he didn't know how to set up a muggle bank account, or even if he could, being underage, he would accept the cost. He also didn't want his 'family' to know about his money, so he asked "Does the muggle bank account or identification have to have my real name on it?"

"Of course not, Mr. Potter. We find that most clients that use this service prefer an alias. You will have to provide the information for your new identity. We then set up all relevant documentation. Everything appears normal to the muggles. Even their government won't be able to tell that the documents are false." Barkaxe responded smugly.

"I definitely want that Barkaxe. What to you need for the identification?" Harry said excitedly.

"We need a name, date of birth, location of birth, and location of current residence. We can use any location you choose, but I would recommend letting Gringotts chose your current address. We can set up a Post Office box to receive any correspondence that you may receive in the muggle world and have it forwarded to you. It would be located in London at a location we control. Of course there is a fee of 10 sickles to set up and 3 sickles a month to maintain."

"That sounds useful. Ok, set it up. My name will be..." Harry thought for a few moments "... Evan James. I was born in London and my birthday is October 31st. I was born in the year..." Harry tried to decide if he should be older, younger, or stay the same age? Deciding he could get away with saying he was a year older, Harry announced "1979."

Writing everything Harry said down on a piece of parchment, Barkaxe replied "Very good Mr. Potter. We will set up an account with Barklay's in London. If you will sign your new name on the bottom of this parchment, we can start setting up your new account. You will be able to adjust your account at the bank. How much would you like to transfer into this account?"

"I would like to transfer a total of 1 million pounds into my new account. I would like it if the fees could be taken from my Evan's Gringotts vault."

"That can be arranged." Barkaxe said while writing on a piece of parchment. After placing it the tray, he spoke. "This account takes about an hour to set up, everything should be completed by the time you finish with the healer."

So far this day was going good. Harry discovered he was filthy rich, found out information on how to secretly train... Or at least where to get the information, and now he had a new secret identity. It might have been expensive but definitely worth it, he could afford it after all. "Thank you for all of your help so far Barkaxe. Now for the favor I asked about earlier. Would it be possible for Gringotts to provide me with a way to hide my identity while I do some shopping in Knockturn and Diagonal Alley?"

"Yes."

Harry realized he didn't ask what the way might be. "What can be done, and what will the fee be?"

Barkaxe smirked, a dangerous look on a Goblin, and spoke. "We can place a special Goblin Notice Me Not and Confundus Charm on you. It lasts got about 5 hours. This charm makes anyone who is looking at you not notice or recall any of your specific features. This service costs a fee of 2 galleons."

"That sounds perfect! But it only lasts 5 hours? What if I need more time?"

"There are certain objects that can maintain similar charms for longer periods. But Ministry laws prohibit us from selling said items"

"And where might i find said items? Let me guess. Borgin & Burkes?"

"One sickle."

"Fine."

"Yes."

Harry groaned' "Can I have the charm applied right before I leave the bank?"

"The healer can cast the charm on you at the end of your appointment, unless you require any other services. In which case, you would come back to my office to apply it."

"I'm definitely going to get that charm. If I have any more questions later do I have set up an appointment? Do I just come in or can I owl you?"

"You can owl me if you choose, but anything involved with the movement of funds has to be done in person unless previous arrangements have been made. Also, owls aren't a secure form of communication. With your secrecy issues, I would not recommend putting anything in a letter you want to keep private. I should normally be available if you come in, but if you know beforehand when you will be visiting me an appointment would be recommended."

Harry thought for a moment. That seemed like prudent advice. He figured that over the summer it would be easy to sneak back to London if he needed to adjust anything with his accounts, or if he needed anything from Diagon or Knockturn Alley. It would be harder once he got back to Hogwarts, but he could always use the secret passageways to get out. "Sounds good. I think I am ready for the healer now."

"Let's arrange to take you to your vault. First, just to be clear, which vault do you want to visit and which vault will all the fees and transfers be removed from? And will you need new Keys?"

"Everything from the Lilly Evans vault please. And yes, I would like a new key for both the trust vault and Evans vault."

"Do you want do deactivate any keys that are in another's custody?"

"No... Leave the others alone… for now."

"Very well, follow me Mr. Potter." Barkaxe stood up and left the office. "First we need to pick up your new money pouch." Walking back to the window that Harry first approached when he entered, Barkaxe spoke to Bloodfist in gobbledygook. He handed Barkaxe a pouch, 3 pieces of parchment, 2 keys, and an envelope "Here if your new keys for the Evans and Potter trust vault." He said handing over one gold, and one black key. "The gold key is a standard key for your trust vault. The black key has to be set up to recognize your magical signature. We will set this up at the same time we set up your pouch. In fact let's do that now." He handed Harry the pouch. "Hold the pouch in your wand hand and try to cast a spell as if the pouch was a wand. You don't have to say the spell aloud, just try to get the feeling of casting a spell. This is called 'pushing your magic.' Most people find the Lumos spell to be easiest. We will need to do three steps to complete this ritual."

"Is the same ritual that I need to do to allow someone else access to my vault or money pouch?"

"Yes but there is five steps for that ritual. Everything is explained on this parchment." Barkaxe pointed to one of the pieces of parchment on the desk. "Now put the pouch in your palm and hold it out. I will put my hand on top of yours with the pouch between us. I will speak a few words. When I finish, push your magic into the pouch. This will cause it to recognize your magical signature. After that I will speak again to conclude the ritual. We will repeat this for the key."

Harry held his palm out with the pouch on top. Barkaxe placed his hand over Harry's and started to speak in Gobbledygook. Harry started to get a little concerned. He didn't know Gobbledygook. Barkaxe was quiet and so Harry tried to push his magic into the pouch. He noticed strange symbols on the pouch glow slightly. Barkaxe started speaking in Gobbledygook again and when he stopped, the symbols faded.

"There, the pouch now recognizes your magical signature. Well done Mr. Potter, some wizards have trouble with this ritual."

"It didn't seem that hard, but I don't know any Gobbledygook. How will I be able to perform this if I can't speak the language?" Harry asked, a little concerned.

"This parchment has the words used spelled out phonetically. With practice you should be able to get it. If not you can always come here to get it done. For a fee."

Harry took the offered parchment and looked it over. It seemed to be relatively easy to understand, but there were 5 steps listed unlike the 3 steps Barkaxe used. "There seems to be 5 steps on this list, why the difference?"

"The steps we took were on a blank pouch, meaning that it had no magical signature attached to it. To add an extra signature the first 2 steps have to be used to recognize your authority to change the settings and then allow the addition of another magical signature. The following three steps are the same."

"Ok. That makes sense, otherwise anyone can add their own magical signature if they get a hold of my pouch or key."

"True. There are other ways to attach your magical signature to an object, but this is the most secure.
Now let's do your vault key." After the ritual was complete, Barkaxe handed Harry the envelope. "This is your new muggle identification."

Harry opened the envelope and saw that there was a birth certificate with the name Evan James on it. There was also a rental agreement with a London address listed. Finally there was what looked like a muggle passport. It had all his false information on it, but no photo. "There's no photo on the I.D."

"We have to do a similar ritual to the one used on your pouch and key. It locks in your magical signature but allow you to change the photo. We will provide the first photo. To change it you need to set a photo over the previous one and send a pulse of your magic into the I.D. This will change it. The first two steps of the ritual are the same but the third step is a little different. Now Mr. Potter book over here and prepare for a flash." Barkaxe spoke while pointing behind Harry.

Harry turned around and was almost blinded by the flash. When his vision cleared he saw that there was a photo of him that didn't move. It was like a normal photo, not a wizard photo.

"Now Mr. Potter place this photo over the square needed for the photo and send a pulse of your magic."
Harry did as asked and was surprised when the photo shrunk and fit in the designated Square. It now looks like a real ID. "Will any photo work?" Harry asked.

"Any photo, but remember it will show the complete image of what is in the photo so you might need to crop the image before attaching it." Barkaxe then handed Harry one of the two pieces of parchment 'This is the list of suggested subjects for you to look into. And this..." Barkaxe handed Harry the final piece of parchment "Is a receipt for all services provided so far."

Harry took the parchment and looked it over. He saw the total and thought 'That's a lot of money!. Everything seemed to checks out OK.' "Thank you Barkaxe. I didn't know what to expect when I first arrived at Gringotts, but you have been most helpful."

"It seemed that today is a profitable day for both of us. Now let me call Smashrock to take you to your vault and then to the healer." At that moment a goblin appeared at Barkaxe's side "Take Mr. Potter to vault 1136. When he has finished his business there, escort him to healer Sharpblade."

The goblin nodded and said "Follow me Mr. Potter."