Note (1): I have yet to decide which way Dumbledore be leaning in this story (Good-But-Slightly-Clueless Headmaster or Not-So-Good-But-Not-Evil-Either Manipulator). A poll will be up on my profile shortly. Please vote on which you'd prefer, as I currently have the plot pulling me both ways.

Note (2): The actual idea that sparked this story, was my character was a goblin, until Harry got to go into the vault, but then I switched, and my character ended up being Lucius Malfoy.

Pairings: None

Word Count: 2,277

Amelia Bones rushed to Gringotts. An urgent letter had come for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement about Malfoy's attempt to steal the Potter boy's money. It didn't pass her notice that the letter came after the Prophet broke the story. With any amount of good luck, and the backing of the outraged public, Lucius Malfoy wouldn't be getting off so easily with an 'I was imperius-ed!' defense.

"Ah, Madame Director Bones," the goblin said, ushering her into the office. "I am Ripjaw, the goblin in charge of finding the account holder named Harry Potter. It is a pleasure to meet you, though I believe we both wish the circumstances were different."

"Yes. Do you have any idea where he may be?"

"No. We can't search every Malfoy property without a warrant, and we can't get one from your Ministry – restrictive laws against goblins and such." Amelia frowned. "We have, however, taken a Merlin Stone and started scouting the area around the properties. If it begins to glow, we will know where he is immediately."

Merlin Stones were stones used by the goblins to determine how powerful a child wizard or witch was. Many purebloods had their children tested to get a list of those with similar power levels. It was used mostly to find proper future spouses for a marriage contract before the child turned eleven. Any contracts created after the child was eleven could be voided by the child themselves.

"But Merlin Stones only glow when the person using it is touching it."

"Young Mr. Potter was a powerful child. The stone began to glow when he was within the archway entrance to Diagon Alley. It was the reason his godfather was able to name him his heir to the Black Family Fortune."

"Wait a moment – godfather? Sirius Black is his godfather?"

"Yes."

"A properly-bonded godfather?"

"Yes."

"Then how is it he betrayed the Potters to their deaths? The magic involved would never allow it!"

"That's what we keep trying to tell you people when you demand we freeze his accounts."

"Another injustice done. I will see what I can do about him later, but for now, we have a missing child to find."

Amelia wasn't surprised to see Narcissa Malfoy waiting for her in her office when she got back. Though her meeting with the goblin Ripjaw had gone well, or as well as a meeting between a human and a goblin could have gone, the use of the Merlin Stone was slow going.

"Lady Malfoy, I'm afraid the Malfoy money won't be able to buy your husband out of this one."

"And I'm afraid it will," Narcissa said. The fact that she actually looked afraid did surprise Amelia. "My husband has many connections, and I wouldn't be surprised if he used them, and had all this painted as a misunderstanding with the goblins at fault."

"That could start another goblin war," Amelia protested.

"Do you think he'd care? It's not like we keep all our money with the goblins. And we have plenty of other properties to go to. Perhaps one closer to Durmstrang. I've been wanting to send Draco there."

"What is it that you're here for, exactly, Lady Malfoy?"

"I don't know where my husband is keeping the boy, but with him currently in custody, and Draco not yet seventeen, I am currently in control of the Malfoy family. I would like to give the DMLE permission to search all Malfoy properties, in return for nothing found there being used against me or my son in any way."

"We clear out all the dark objects, and you get off scott free?"

"Any of the dark objects you find no doubt belong to my husband anyway. And I'm sure quite a few of them are illegal – more charges you can add to his list of crimes. The more crimes, the less chance he has of getting off."

"Why?"

"I'm sorry?"

"Why do you want Lucius Malfoy in prision?" Narcissa stood slowly, and transfigured her beautiful dress robes into a plain t-shirt and pair of shorts. Bruises covered her body, varying from a sickly looking yellow, to a dark black color.

"He did that?"

"No. Lucius knows he can't touch me with harmful intent – my father managed to slip that into our marriage contract. That doesn't stop him from passing me around to his friends."

"Surely your former Family Head can do something about this?"

"Perhaps," Narcissa said, re-transfiguring her clothes and sitting back down. "If he were not already in Azkaban as a convicted Death Eater." Black! Narcissa had formerly been a Black – meaning the Family Head was Sirius Black. Amelia made a mental note to send her secretary to get the files on his arrest and trial.

"I see. Will you be pressing charges against those that did…that to you?"

"No. I'll have enough trouble as it is with me screwing my husband over. The men who did this won't dare to touch me now that my husband isn't around to control me."

"Alright," Amelia said, as she took a piece of McCarthy's Contract Creation Parchment™ – Create legal contracts with ease! and began writing. After she finished, she handed the contract to Narcissa for perusal.

Contract for this date the Thirty-First of July in the year Nineteen Ninety-One between Lady Narcissa Malfoy of the Malfoy Family, and Madame Director (Lady) Amelia Bones of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

I, the aforementioned contract holders and the undersigned, agree to willingly uphold the directives of this contract to the best of my powers.

I, Lady Narcissa Malfoy, in control of the Malfoy Family for the foreseeable future until my husband, Lord Lucius Malfoy is released from detainment by legal authorities, or my son Draco Malfoy, ascends to Lordship over the Malfoy Family, give the Department of Magical Law Enforcement permission to search any property owned by the Malfoy Family and to remove any illegally-held objects or persons in those properties. The Department of Magical Law Enforcement has the next three months to search the properties.

I, Madame Director Amelia Bones, and all members of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement beneath me, will not arrest, charge, or harass Lady Narcissa or Draco Malfoy for anything found in the next three months at the properties Lady Malfoy has given us permission to search.

This contract, upon being declared valid, will be in effect until all members involved in the contract are deceased.

There were two places for signatures, Amelia's and Narcissa's, at the bottom. Narcissa nodded after she finished reading it, and they both signed it. They held their breaths for a few moments, both giving sighs of relief when the parchment began glowing white, indicating it had been validated by magic.

"This is a list of all the properties the Malfoy Family owns," Narcissa said, handing over a thick roll of parchment."

"We will contact you as soon as we are done with one of them, though we will not be telling you which ones we will search next. I'm sure you understand."

"Yes, of course. Wouldn't want you to be accused of doing your job improperly. I would suggest not using these Aurors," Narcissa said, handing over another roll of parchment. "They are in Lucius' pocket, and likely to do something to get all the evidence thrown out on a technicality."

"Thank you for the warning." Narcissa nodded and stood to leave when Amelia stopped her. "Lady Malfoy, were you aware that Sirius Black was, and still is, Harry Potter's godfather?"

"No. Obviously, they were never properly bonded considering the circumstances that saw him sent to Azkaban."

"According to the goblins, they were properly bonded." Narcissa sat back down.

"Then how is it he betrayed the Potters?"

"I don't know. I'll be getting his files later on today, but I can't bring anything in front of the Wizengamot except the accused for trials, something specifically requested of me by the Chief Warlock, or something that has to do with the Bones Family. This falls under none of those."

"You want me to bring it up?"

"That's the idea. You are formerly a Black, after all. That makes him your Family Lord, especially now that Lucius is out of the picture."

"I see. I will be sure to bring it up at the next Wizengamot meeting. That's…?"

"This Friday. I'll have Black's file sent to you before then."

"Thank you."

"And thank you, Lady Malfoy. You have no idea how much help you've been." Narcissa left the office. Amelia sighed and leaned back in her chair with her eyes closed for a few minutes. Then she got up, and stuck her head outside the door.

"Rebecca?" she caught her secretary's attention. "Get me the files on Sirius Black."

"Yes, ma'am." Rebecca got up to get them.

"Oh! And while you're at it, I want Harry Potter's files as well."

"Yes, ma'am."

Harry Potter, the real Harry Potter, shivered in the dark. He was in a dungeon cell of some sort. A strange rat-like creature called Dobby appeared with another tray of food – if the watery oatmeal could be called food.

Still, he got more food here than at the Dursley's. And less chores. He wouldn't really mind it so much if only it were a little warmer, or perhaps he had a better not-so-holey blanket, and if the man with long blond hair would stop pulling on his.

A strong stench reminded his nose that it was still there, and Harry added occasional trips to the bathroom to the list of things that would make this place better.

"Can Dobby be doing anything else for the Great Harry Potter?"

"You could let me out to use the bathroom."

"Oohhh," Dobby whined, pulling on his ears. "Dobby can'ts do that Harry Potter sir. Master Malfoy says you has to stays in the cage. Dobby is sorry."

"That's alright Dobby. This place is still better than the Dursley's house I guess."

"The Great Harry Potter sir, doesn'ts like his home?"

"That place is not my home. It never has been."

Unnoticed by everyone living on Privet Drive, Number Four flashed red once – twice – and finally a third time. The Blood Wards keeping any wizards not keyed into them away from the house fell quietly.

A little gizmo in the office of Headmaster Albus Dumbledore gave its final few spins of life, before it too died quietly. Dumbledore wouldn't notice it until much, much later.

Rebecca was from a minor pureblood family called the McCarty's – not to be confused with their more popular cousins, the McCarthy's, whose brand of Create-It-Legal-Parchments were used almost everywhere in the Ministry of Magic. Still, her Uncle, technically Great Granduncle, Jared McCarthy, had gotten her the job as secretary to the Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

Madame Director Bones had been wary at first, of a pureblood getting the job due to family connections, but quickly warmed up to her when she had proved herself by getting one of the Minister's undersecretaries, one Delores Umbridge, to sit down and wait for her appointment, instead of just barging in fifteen minutes early as she usually did.

Rumors of how she did it had mutated rapidly, and she wasn't quite sure which version of the story got to the file clerks, but it had to have been one of the worse ones, as every one of them was now frightened to death of her (save that one strange man in a kilt). Still, it made her job of getting files a lot easier.

"Sirius Black's file," one clerk said in a squeaky voice, before disappearing back into the archives. Rebecca frowned. For such a dangerous and well known criminal, you'd think the file would be a lot thicker. She shrugged it off. It wasn't her business. She was just a secretary. Let Amelia deal with it.

"I can't seem to find Harry Potter's file," another clerk – the strange man in the kilt – said.

"It's got to be down here somewhere," Rebecca said. This was the Ministry Archives – everything was down here somewhere.

"Yes, but I can't seem to-" Rebecca saw three quick red flashes.

"Are you alright?"

"Hmm? Oh, yes, I'm fine. Ah! Here it is. Harry Potter's file. I don't know why I couldn't see it before." Rebecca frowned again, wondering if the red flashes had anything to do with it. She'd tell Amelia about it when she handed in the files. Her heart stopped as she saw Potter's file. It was even thinner than Black's.

"Shouldn't there be more here."

"I…I suppose so. Yes, in fact, I'm sure it should be thicker, but that's the only file we have on Harry Potter."

"You're sure? What about those red flashes from earlier?" He looked at her puzzled.

"What red flashes?"

"You didn't see them?"

"No. Are you sure you weren't just seeing things?"

"Doubtful. My family is resistant to mind tricks. Thank you anyway."

"Of course. Have a nice day."

"You too." Something strange was going on, and Rebecca wasn't sure she liked it.

Sirius Black lay in a fitful sleep, in even worse conditions than Harry Potter. Sirius had no blanket at all, and his own gruel might have well has been a rock. The cooks of Azkaban had been taking cooking lessons from Hagrid, Sirius had thought one day.

He got a little amusement from the thought until the Dementors had sucked that from him too. The only thing they hadn't touched was the mantra currently keeping him sane.

I'm innocent. I'm innocent. Innocent. I'm innocent. I didn't do it. I'm innocent. It wasn't me.

Innocent.