Disclaimer: I wish I owned Harry Potter. Sadly, someone else does.

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CHAPTER 2 – THE WILL

"This way, Mr. Potter," Griphook said as he and Harry walked down a long tunnel, which ended in a cart very similar to the one he first rode last year when he had visited Gringotts for the first time. Harry stepped into the cart, Griphook following just a few seconds later. As soon as they were both inside, Griphook pulled a lever and the cart shot of like a rocket.
Despite the seriousness of the situation, Harry couldn't help but let out a whoop of joy as the cart sped through the cavern at a terrifying pace. It seemed, no matter the situation, his love for anything fast would be a prevalent part of him.

When they finally came to a stop, it was in front of what had to be the largest door Harry had ever seen. Standing at somewhere around fifty feet in height, and probably twenty or so in length, the door in front of him was made of some kind of metal, with a beautifully crafted image of a Griffin holding a sword in its mouth. And in the center of the door was a small surface of a smooth, almost glass like material with a hand print in the center.

"Place your hand in the imprint, Mr. Potter," Griphook said. "The vault will need to see if you are worthy of being the heir to the House of Potter."

"Test?" questioned Harry. No one had said anything about a test.

"That is correct, Mr. Potter," Griphook said, his lips twitching into a slightly unpleasant (to Harry at least) smirk.

"What happens if I fail?"

"Then you would die, painfully, as so many before you have."

Harry paled. He looked over at the small, almost innocent looking handprint, then gulped. "Gryffindor's charge forward," he muttered, screwing up his courage, the same courage that had carried him forward to confront Quirrel. He strode forward and without a moments hesitation (for fear that if he did, he would back out) placed his hand upon the imprinted hand print. For a brief moment, nothing happened. Harry began to fear that he had failed the test. His mind conjured up horrible images of himself being electrocuted to death, or burnt to ashes, or being impaled upon by spikes that jutted up from the ground. It wasn't until a bright flash of light emanating from the glossy surface with the engraved hand print flashed a brilliant white, that Harry was startled from his morbid thoughts. There was a soft 'clicking' sound from behind the doors. A rumble soon filled the air, and Harry stepped back in a moment of fear. Then, to his surprise, the door began to rise, ascending further and further into the ceiling until he could no longer see it.

His attention was turned away from the door, now vanished into the ceiling. He looked into the now open vault... And promptly felt his jaw unhinging. Riches did not being to describe what he was seeing. Large, neatly stacked piles of gold Galleons that reached the cieling, piles of silver sickles, and an unidentifiable amount of bronze knuts. There must have been hundreds, thousands of piles of money, all placed within one side of the vault, which looked to be the size of the Great Hall within Hogwarts.

On another side he could what looked to be family heirlooms; large golden plates of armor, weapons of all shapes and sizes, from swords to maces to battle axes, chest sets of varying shapes and sizes resided there as well, containing secrets that Harry knew not. In one corner of the vault Harry could make out several book cases filled to the brim with books, many of which looked ancient. Hermione would be having a field day if she were here. In the center of the room was a diaz, made of white stone. On top of it Harry could see two items, a piece of parchment, and a ring. It was the diaz that Griphook walked over to. He stopped in front of it, and then turned to Harry. "You may take a moment to look around. But when you are done, come over here and we shall read your parents will."

Harry nodded, and in something of a daze, pulled out his pouch and began shoving a few galleons into it. When he got to the will, it read:

To our dear and only son Harry,

If you are reading this, then unfortunately we are dead at the hands of Voldemort. This is our last and final will, and is valid. Anything apart from this is totally and completely void.

To our son Harry, we leave everything that we own. We also give you the title Lord of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Pottel. We were very close with Lord Peverell and his will is in the Peverell vault. He has also given you the title Lord Peverell. You may need to ask our friend Griphook to show you. We are so sorry that we cannot be with you, but know this, that we love you so much and will be with you in your heart forever. Here are some frames that you can set up so that we can speak with you.

We also need to tell you that we set up a valid marriage contract with the House of Greengrass. Lord Cyril Greengrass was a very close friend of ours, and we have a signed contract for whenever a daughter of Greengrass is born.

Please abide by our will. The following is an order of the people that Harry is to stay with once we are deceased:

Sirius Black (his godfather, magical guardian and our closest friend). Our secret keeper was Peter Pettigrew and he betrayed us to Voldemort. His animagus form is a rat.

Minerva McGonagall (his godmother)

Cyril and Roxanne Greengrass (very close friends and marriage contract)

Frank and Alice Longbottom (we have a strong alliance with House Longbottom)

Amelia Bones (close friend and another strong alliance with House Bones)

Please note, UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES IS HARRY TO STAY OR GO ANYWHERE NEAR THE DURSLEYS. MY SISTER PETUNIA HATES US AND ANYTHING TO DO WITH MAGIC.

Oh, and Dumbledore is not the person who he seems to be. Please be careful. He has forged a marriage contract between House Potter and Weasley, but it is void.

This is James and Lily Potter signing off.

Witnessed by: Albus P.W.B. Dumbledore

Harry was so angry after reading the will and shouted, "I KNEW IT! DUMBLEDORE HAS MESSED UP WITH MY LIFE! I SWEAR I WILL GET HIM BACK!"

Harry took time to compose himself and as he was going through the heirlooms and parchments, he found a note from his father which read:

Severus Snape,

I would like to sincerely apologise for the hell that we caused for you at school. We were only joking, but I felt that it went too far, so please accept my deepest apology. I would have apologised to you sooner, but the circumstances of Voldemort chasing us prevented me from doing so. Anyway, this is a real sincere apology and please do not hold a grudge against my son Harry.

James Potter (Prongs)

Harry had tears in his eyes when he read the will and his father's note. He knew that he had to speak with his potions professor to sort this out. After composing himself, he said, "Griphook, I am ready to take over as Head of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter."

Griphook said, "Very well, here is the ring. Put it on and you are now recognised as Lord Potter." After Harry put on the ring, a bright light shone and Harry felt greater magical power. Griphook said, "Now we take you to the Peverell vault."

When they came into the vault, Griphook showed Harry the will, in which everything was left to the heir, who is Harry. When Harry put on the Peverell ring, a flash of light glowed and he felt even more power and protection. He had the rings protected with the highest form available, so that he would even notice if anyone would try to hex him from behind. He thought, 'This would be good for Malfoy if he tried to do anything to me.' After the rituals, Harry visited the vaults of Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin, and put on the rings and a bright flash of light came upon him, as if he felt that Hogwarts answered to him as Lord Hogwarts. He knew that there will be a real surprise in his second year at school.

"Congratulations Lord Peverell. While there is no marriage contract, you still have to find a wife to be Lady Peverell. You may choose anyone you wish, there are no restrictions," said the goblin.

Harry took it all in and then asked Gripook, "Do you have some sort of debit card for the Potter vault, so that when I make purchases, I can scan the card and the bank automatically deducts the amount from the account?"

Griphook replied, "Of-course we have this card. You can use it anywhere in the magical or muggle world. We have this for our most noble clients, and you are one of them, so after our appointment we can easily arrange one for you."

Harry replied, "Thank you Griphook. You have been very good to me. Perhaps we can leave the reading of Sirius' will for now? I am sure that he is still alive. The thing that puzzles me is that my friend, Ron, has a pet rat. He told me that it was at their home for 11 years, so I wonder if this is Pettigrew? The rat also seems to be missing a toe. I must have someone from the DMLE at the Ministry to examine that rat. Thank you for everything, Griphook."

Griphook replied, "Thank you Harry, and may your enemies all fall before you."

A/N: Some people commented on how the Potters knew that Pettigrew betrayed them. Their keeper was originally Sirius Black, but by his advice, they changed it to Peter. Now James and Lily still trusted Peter as a friend, and had no prior knowledge. They felt that if they were killed at the hands of old Voldy, it was Peter's doing and his betrayal of them. They considered him as a friend, not an enemy.

Also a thank-you to pokemaster12 who came up with a suggestion for the extended version of my first paragraph. I have updated it, using the author's suggestion.