Preparation

As soon as Harry could he went straight to the Shrieking Shack to talk to Dumbledore and the Order. When he reached the door he realized that they would probably be following him or they would be desperate by this time. Realizing this he simply turned and called.

"Tonks? Is that you?"

"Yeah, Harry, how did you know it was me and by the way how did you know there was somebody here?" She asked.

"I just guessed it was you, since you are the only one in the Order to have enough faith in me to wait until you discovered what I'm doing before going screaming bloody murder to the headmaster."

"Thanks. But what were you doing with those men when you left Gringotts?"

"They are my solicitors, and I'd appreciate if you didn't tell anyone until next week."

"Ok, but you are not doing anything foolish are you?"

"No, Tonks, trust me."

"Okay, go home, Harry, I tell them that you went to Diagon Alley to have a stroll and that I reprimanded you and you looked really ashamed."

"Thanks." Harry knew he could trust Tonks, she really liked him, and knew about the wrongs done to him by the headmasters decisions.

Harry then decided to go back to the Dursleys one more time. Arriving at the door he was very put out when saw that Dudley and his friends had already in a day destroyed his whole week's work. He wasn't upset because of his aunt but because of the plants, they didn't do anything to be killed. He resigned himself and went inside.

"Boy, where have you being?" Asked his fat uncle with a red face.

"I was out."

"I knew that, but where were you? Doing your abnormalities I'm sure. Go to the kitchen and clean it, your aunt was obligated to cook dinner for us since you weren't around to do you job, you ungrateful bastard."

"Yes, uncl… Actually, no, I'm not going to clean your kitchen, I'm your nephew and not your servant."

"HOW DARE YOU! AFTER WE PAID FOR THE CLOTHES ON YOUR USELESS BACK!" Vernon spluttered spitting and coming to a rage that Harry never seen before.

"Tell you what, if you signed the papers to emancipate me I'll have you receive a check for the amount of 50 thousand pounds, how does that sound? Not only you get money but you also will get rid of me and will never see me again."

Vernon gapped at him, the boy must be crazy, he didn't have any money considering he lived all his life in their house as a favor for Petunia's sister. But he would humor the boy, maybe he had a rich friend who was really interested in the boy, and 50 thousand pounds was more money then he made in a year, so sure he would emancipate the boy. Let him deal with that old man, Dumbledeed or something like that.

"Yes, boy, if you can get that kind of money, I'll sign the papers. How long do you think you could finish the paperwork and get out of our lives?"

"I get right into it." Harry had now a new reason to be happy, he would leave the Dursleys and never come back and not only this he wouldn't have to answer to Dumbledore anymore.

He prepared to send an owl to Gringotts but decided against it, he would simply get in touch with the solicitors and ask them to deal with this.

To my hired solicitors,

I want to know if with the consent of the Dursleys would be easier and faster to be emancipated in the muggle world. If yes, could you come here ASAP? I just got them to agree and I'm afraid they could change their minds if they realize that I'm paying for their acquiescence and not a friend as they probably think right now.

Thanks, I'll await for your reply or your presence at Private Drive.

Lord Black

PS: Could you also pass by Gringotts and retrieve an amount of 50 thousand pounds? Thanks.

After attaching the note to Hedwig he went to his uncle to tell him that a solicitor would be there in no time to solve the legal issues and if they were all lucky would be able to solve everything by tomorrow. If it was the case he would not be forced to sleep there more than one more night. The Dursleys were simply happier then he ever saw them and he was happy himself but he never realized how much they didn't want him in their life. Yeah, they used him like a slave, and yeah, they mistreated him but he actually had the feeling that they would miss him even if it was because they would have to spend their own efforts gardening and cleaning stuff. He wasn't disappointed, he simply didn't care anymore, all he cared was to destroy Voldemort and live his life and not necessarily in that order.

After about two hours a car stopped in front of Private Drive and since it was an imposing Mercedes Benz, his uncle thought it was someone from work and told the boy off until the boy told him that those were his solicitors.

"Those are the solicitors, uncle Vernon."

"But, but, they look normal!"

"They are normal. What you mean is that they look like Muggles. Yes, they look like Muggles because they work on the Muggle world too, and they wouldn't be able to go to court with robes and stuff."

Harry went to the door to open it before the neighbors had time to wonder what those people were doing there.

"Thank you for coming, did you guys bring the papers?"

"Yes, Lord Black, and we were very happy that your relatives decided to sign it too, because it would take almost a week to solve without their cooperation. Here it is, mister Vernon." After an uncomfortable look from Harry, the solicitors understood that his relatives didn't know about the inheritance so dropped the honorific.

"Where do I sign?" Said an impatient Vernon, missing completely the type of address his nephew received by the well dressed men.

"Right here, mister Dursley, and may I congratulate you on the inheritance of 50 thousand pounds?"

"Yes, yes, thank you. When do I get the money?" Vernon directed the question to his nephew who only nodded to the man in the suit.

"Here it is half and the other half I'll bring right after the papers are filled and approved, probably in a couple of hours. Thank you and see you in a few hours."

"Okay. Go and make good on your word." Vernon could not believe he had that kind of money in his hands. It was too much money, almost seven months pay and the men would bring the rest in a couple of hours. He couldn't believe that on top of that he was going to get rid of that ungrateful boy he had to put up with because of the threats made by that weird Dumbliblii guy. Oh, god was good and was rewarding his patience with that no good of a boy.

After awaiting for a couple of hours in which Harry was permitted, to the chagrin of Dudley, to watch tv while Petunia cooked a huge cake in celebration of the freedom from the freaks they would get, the solicitors came to the door and with smiles on their faces addressed their employer.

"Lord Black, its our pleasure to inform you that after being filled and the court deciding that you or your relatives didn't need to be heard you are now an emancipated minor and as such able to do everything an adult would be able to. We also want to inform you that the solicitors and major employees of your holdings were also notified of the will of the late Lord Black and you should receive shortly a contact from them regarding your businesses."

"Thank you. Now I have a good question for you."

"Of course, Lord Black, what can we do for you, we are still under contract."

"I need a ride to Diagon Alley."

"Sure." The solicitor said with a smile. He had thought that something was missing in his work and was happy when he understood that the boy was pleased and completely satisfied with their work.

"Wait just a minute while I get all my stuff together."

Jumping the stairs he entered the bedroom he had inherited from Dudley and started putting everything he owned into his new trunk. He would organize stuff later, right now he just wanted to get out of here.

As he passed his relatives he made a hand wave as goodbye, no need to waste even a word on them. Just as he reached the car two figures came out of nowhere and intercepted him.

"Excuse me, where do you think you are going?" Said a disturbed Moody when faced the two probably muggles in suits.

"We are going away and get out of my way, Moody." Harry said with confidence. He was with his solicitors and if they did anything to him he would sue them. From now on he was going to use his biggest weapon against wizards, his knowledge of the muggle world.

They started to get in the car when Moody took hold of Harry's arm.

"What do you think you are doing?" Harry spoke in low tones.

"You are not leaving this house. Not without Dumbledore approving it."

"Excuse me, kind sir, but what does Dumbledore have to do with you? And what does Dumbledore has to do with where Lord Black here is going?"

"First, I work for the man. Second, he is the leader of the light and as such…"

"As such he must know that the laws should be obeyed and that personal freedoms are very important." One of the solicitors interrupted right before extricate Harry's arm from the iron grip of Moody.

"Now we are leaving, and if you or anyone try to stop us we will file a grievance charge against you and Dumbledore that will make you and all your families regret the day you crossed our path." Said a now very annoyed solicitor.

"Let's go, Lord Black."

"Yes, let's go." Harry was stunned, he never thought anyone could shut Moody up, but his solicitor did.

"To freedom."

Harry was very interested in getting to Gringotts so that he would finally be able to put his business in order. He would be able to wage a completely different kind of war against Voldemort and his so called Death Eaters. He would make them regret the very day they thought the Muggles were worthless. He had to find a way to hire a history professor and maybe just a… What was the name again… He had seen it in one of the old war movies Dudley saw a few summers back. An analyst with specialty on warfare logistics, that was it. He remembered how the guy on tv said that a prepared army would always win an unprepared army even if they were in smaller numbers. He also remembered the guy saying that every kind of conflict could be solved the same way a war was dealt with. So that's what he was going to do, he was going to solve his conflict with Voldemort the same way the Muggles solved war and business. He was going to destroy his support bases and interrupt his supply lines, he would starve. Having decided what he was going to do, Harry had only two things in mind at this moment, get to Gringotts and go to a video store to buy "The Godfather". It had all those insightful quotes he could always use in his life dealing with the Death Eaters.

When they reached the Leaky Cauldron he decided to ask the solicitors if they knew some people to help him with his plans.

"Excuse me, I'd like to know if you guys know someone to help me with a few problems."

"Sure thing. But you'll also be able to get help from your own employees. They would be more than happy to give you any kind of help you need."

"Great. Now I just have to meet these employees."

"Just wait because I think the Director will arrange something for you."

"Ok."

Harry resigned himself to wait until he talked to the Director to figure it out what to do. He left the solicitors saying his thanks and a goodbye and made a beeline to Gringotts. As he got there he noted that there was no line in front of the bank and the goblin guards were on their classic place on either side of the great doors. As soon as he got there he also noticed that the goblins instantly recognized him even with the sports cap hiding his scar, and both bowed in sign of great respect. Harry gaped at what he remembered from the history lessons of Professor Binns was a sign of respect only deemed to the great goblin chiefs. He entered a little fazed by the honorific recognition and went straight to the nearest teller.

"Excuse me, I want to talk to the Director please."

"The Director don't see customers, if you want you can have a talk with a lower employee of the branch, if not I'm sorry but you still will not see him." The goblin was very put out, what nerve of this wizard, wanting to talk to the highest ranking employee of the bank. He didn't know who it was but whoever it may be he was in for a bit of disappointment.

"Sorry to bother you but I was directed by the Director to look for him when I came here." Harry was a little put out too, since the goblin not even raised his face from the large book he was writing in.

"The Director doesn't speak to…" The goblin raised his head while speaking and simply froze, a terrified expression on his face. He realized he was at the moment speaking, if you could consider speaking almost biting his head off, to one the most powerful beings of the goblin's nations. He was the new owner of Gringotts and as such able to grant exquisite promotions or the worst punishments.

"Mr. Chairman, I don't know what was in my mind, I'm so very sorry. I didn't realize you were coming today. Nobody told me. I'm sorry, I'll get the Director this instant."

"Thanks…" Harry didn't have time to finish as the goblins bolted as fast as a cartoon he had seen once with a coyote and a weird bird, that went by speaking "Beep Beep". Harry was amused that living in the Wizarding world, speaking with goblins and doing magic, he still thought the bird of the cartoon weird.

"Mr. Chairman, if you could come this way please. The Director is already waiting for you on the main meeting room."

"Thank you. If you could point the way..." Harry was wondering why the new title, Mr. Chairman, because it sure was a title less important than Lord Black. He remembered that his uncle company had a chairman as well, with a board responsible for the election of the president of the company as well as other stuff, but he didn't remember what the chairman was supposed to do in such boards.

As Harry got close to the last door with a couple of guards, he noticed that no customers came this far into the bank. He had some privileges since he bought the shares of the bank, assuming that the Director had already done that. It was a sure thing considering the guards' sign of respect and the honorific title used by the bank employee.

"Hail chairman!" Both guards said as they clasped their fists and bowed their heads in Harry's direction.

"Hail guard persons, goblins, whatever…"

The guards smiled and opened the door to grant him a clear path thru the huge doors. When the doors were completely open he could see that not only the Director was in attendance but also that there were other high ranking goblins around a huge table with the Gringotts crest carved in its center. The goblins were probably from other branches or tribes since they wore different colors on their uniforms. The uniforms were similar to the one the Director used, so Harry deduced that they had a similar rank or in the bank or in their tribes.

"Hi everyone." Harry said in a voice that carried thru the hall.

"Hi Mr. Chairman. I'm pleased to announce that you were unanimously elected by our board as the new Chairman of the bank with all the responsibilities and privileges." The Director gave Harry a big grin at the face the boy made as the sound of more responsibilities.

"But of course you can choose your advisors, and they will be able to sign almost any paper in your stead." A now relived boy stood at the entrance.

"Ok. Thank you all for your confidence in my abilities to take our bank to a new era of riches and prosperity." As he said it he saw that most of the other goblins were also grinning at him and when he finished all of them were standing and with heads bowed left the hall.

"What did I do wrong, Director?" Harry was suddenly worried that he had somehow offended the goblins.

"Nothing, Harry, with that simple statement you managed to make all of the heads of the Gringotts branches to support you. They left because it was the goblin way to show you that they knew that your time was more valuable then theirs and that their heads were bowed… Well that was simply unheard of, I mean for the branches' Directors do that to the Chairman. You will do fine here."

The Director gave Harry lots of paper to sign and told him that he could do it all after he read them magically, by just pressing his bleeding finger on a certain place on the table.

The Boy-Who-Lived let out a sigh and started to read. It was everything about business and promotions and demotions, and after asking about a couple of them, he simply put his finger on the spot the Director showed and waited for the prick that signaled that his blood was taken and then stood so that he could talk to the Director about his own affairs.

"Director, I really need to know more about my businesses. What should I do about them in the Muggle World? Do I have to sign anything?"

"No, Mr. Chairman…" At this point Harry needed a few explanations so he interrupted the goblin with a raised hand.

"Why not Lord Black? Doesn't Mr. Chairman rate lower then lord?"

"You would be right if you were talking about wizards, but for us, goblins, there is nothing higher then the board of directors of the goblin bank. You are now one of the very few that have power over the financial world."

"Ok. Thanks for taking the time to explain."

"Sure. Now as I was saying. You don't have to sign anything. All your businesses were notified that the heir of the Black state was instated and signed everything he had to, so he was officially recognized. So as of today you are already in power, so to speak."

"Thanks again, but how do I get in touch with those that were managing the state?"

"You don't have to worry, we were doing the managing thru some of our human employees. They are here now just waiting to talk to you as we finish our little meeting."

"Great. I'll talk to you in a bit then. Just to be sure can I trust these people?"

"Yes, Harry, these employees are magically bound to do what you want with your states. They serve the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black for more than twelve generations. They are the most apt from their families, even when they are not the heirs. This was an area of content within the oath, since the pureblooded families tend to leave everything to their oldest sons, and the oath made them choose who was really the best for the position. You won't have to worry about them, they are bonded to your family by name and magic. If you want a comparison, a good one would be royalty, the vassals of the king, they are bonded the same way. So you are pretty safe. The oath they took is in the family vault, and you can see it anytime you want."

"I think I want to see it before I talk to them. To be on the safe side."

"Of course. Just go to any goblin and ask to be taken there."

"Great. I'll come to talk to you before I leave. Thanks."

"Goodbye, Mr. Chairman."

Harry hurried and passed by a throng of people who was visibly waiting for him outside the meeting room. When he reached the first goblin he asked to be taken to the Black family vault and was directed to it. A few minutes later he was in front of the vault and was asked to cut his hand and place it on a tab that was placed on the door. After pricking it and placing the hand there, he felt a jolt run its course thru his veins and reach his heart and then went back thru his arm to his injured hand. A minute after it the door swung open to reveal the most absurd quantity of money any one would be able to imagine. Differently from his own vault, this one was build inside like a mansion room. A few doors, a lot of bookcases and money, a lot of money. He went directly to a pedestal that held what was apparently the family ring and a book.

He was wondering if he should wear the ring now that he was the head of the house when the ring simply disappeared from its base and reappeared in his middle finger, resizing itself to his finger. Just as he felt the ring, the book swung open to the desired page where the oath of vassalage was placed.

The Noble and Most Ancient House of BLACK

Oath of Vassalage

I hereby swear by my blood,

by my breath and my children,

by my magic and my honor,

that I will obey without question,

keep the secrets of,

give silence when demanded of,

bow whenever seen anyone of

The Noble and Most Ancient House of BLACK.

I also give my word that all my descendants and

All my family line will obey

the Head of the Noble and Most Ancient House of BLACK.

May my eyes be ripped from its sockets,

The flesh torn from my bones,

My children be stripped of any honor,

My proprieties destroyed completely,

And my soul be trapped forever as a ghost

If I ever attempt to betray or displease my Lord.

Harry was stunned for a few moments. To give this kind of loyalty was something beyond reason. He realized that it was probably because this had been written a long time ago, and that at the time people had different thoughts about loyalty. He wouldn't force anyone to serve him like this. It was almost completely slavery. If what he remembered from the few history lessons he kept awake for was right, to strip someone of their honor was not only do it socially but also from their manhood and womanhood. He remembered that when Professor Binns told the class about the strip of honor of the old days Hermione was shocked and explained that to do that the men wouldn't be able to marry and the woman were literally striped naked on the streets and raped by passersby with no penalty. The ghostly Professor agreed that it was a barbaric old custom but as several other barbaric customs it was still in force in the Wizarding World.

He gaped. For someone to hand over his family like that… And all other descendants, it was beyond barbaric.

He had to agree that today, probably like in the old days, loyalty could be seen as the only way to survive for a great family, since the plotting among nobles was huge and assassination among the same was not unheard of. It would give him at least a couple of people that he could trust, and if he treated them well and agreed with everything about their own families he could live with that. They would be free. More free then he ever was with the Dursleys.

The Dursleys, he couldn't forget them. There should be something that he could do to help him to forget them, maybe send them to the other side of the world. Yes, maybe he should do it. He also had to keep from scowling when he remembered about Umbridge. He had to get her back. She wouldn't be an assistant to the current Minister for Magic after what she had made him go thru. No, he would not forget the pleasurable time he spent with her. He would repay her in kind.

Now that he had money and people he could trust implicitly, he was ready. Now it was going to start. He was going to repay everything that was done to him, not as revenge but as justice and a reminder that nobody messed with a Potter, especially one that was also a Black.

He made a beeline to the lobby where he knew his employees were waiting for him. As he got there he noticed that several looked chagrined. He wondered why, and decided that it would need investigation. He decided to address a young man in his late twenties that was all smiles.

"Excuse me, but I think we all need to talk and that now would be a good time to do it. You make sure everybody come in."

"Of course, my Lord. Please everyone come in." Said a more then pleased young man.

He was well built and resembled Charlie Weasley but with more aristocratic features. His hair was as black as the night, but that was true about almost everyone in here except from the beautiful woman that had a pale blond hair that looked a lot like the platinum blond of the Malfoys but with visibly more life. She was probably a little older then Harry, about twenty, and she wore a dress that was revealing but at the same time obstructing his eyes on all the places he wished were not covered. She smiled a small smile when she noticed he was looking at her, what made Harry promptly blush to the roots of his hair. He decided that he should be in business mode and simply put aside the girl.

When entering the huge office Harry didn't think twice and seated on the head of the table, waiting for everyone to sit down. As he saw that everybody was seated, he decided that this was the moment to start.

"Welcome all. I'm here as the new head of The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black." And with that pronouncement he knew he had their attention and their loyalty, since he sensed the magic of the oath permeate the room and everyone raised from the place of seat and bowed to him.

Probably more than a few were hoping that the boy forgot or even didn't know that he had to declare himself to them to receive their oath of fealty once again, but that was now past. Since he asked, he would receive their loyalty and obedience if not out of love or fear, out of honor.

They all seated themselves again with a renewed energy coursing thru them. Now they were here with a purpose, to serve their Lord.

"As we all can see, the magic of the oath you all have taken is in force and recognizes me. Is there any question about me or my heritage before we can move on to business?"

"I think I can say on behalf of everyone here that we are pleased that you, my lord, came to your heritage. The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black has being without a head for too long to be good for business." An old man all dressed in black velvet and with hair white as cotton said in a clear voice.

"I have being serving this house for over eighty years. Since Lord Markus, who were the grandfather of Lord Sirius's father, we don't have a Lord that is more interested in making a profit and take care of his family than help a Dark Lord to rise."

"That is treason, Camulus! How dare you judge our previous masters!" Said one of the men in the back of the room. He was obviously a supporter of the last few Lords of the house and was very uncomfortable in the presence of the new Lord. He seemed to know that things were going to be different from now on.

"Its ok. What is your name?"

"Johan. Johan McTribe, my Lord." As he said it could be seen in his eyes the pride in naming his heritage.

"Johan, the late Lords are of no consequence right now as I'm the only one you must worry about. I'm your Lord and as such will enforce my authority if needed be."

"Of course, my Lord. I didn't mean to be disrespectful." A chastised Johan replied.

"Forget it. Now let's talk business. Who is at this moment the responsible for the Wizarding world business? I know that the Muggle world business is being conducted by a few of Gringotts' employees."

"I am, my Lord." One of the few that seemed to be quiet and observant in the room raised and answered. His clothes seemed to be made of the blackest silk, and differently than the others, he carried a cane and a large book.

"I have here the entirety of the Wizarding business you own, control, or even have a small participation. I have the records that are updated magically thru Gringotts' archives. There is also a copy of these records that is kept on the family vault that is completely safe and updated magically from my copy. This copy is magically protected so that only Black family members are able to read or write in them being the only exception the main custodian of the files. Me. I'm at your service day and night, also may I say to you that it is an honor to be able to serve the House of Black once more?" The man seemed a little emotional about it, but it was understandable. The last Lord was in prison for over twelve years, the one before was killed and deemed a dark wizard officially, and god knows what before that. They were without leadership for over twenty years. That would change.

"You may. And I'll add to that that it is my honor to be the head of the more important house in the Wizarding world. But let's go back to business. What I want to know is how many of you deal with normal day-to-day business. "

Seeing that nobody was rising, he started to feel uncomfortable.

"Sir, we only oversee the business, I don't think my Lord understands the proportion of your businesses." Said the beautiful girl seated in the back.

"I understand. What I really need to know is this could you handle more? The reason that I'm asking this is because I really only want my vassals knowing about all my business. I'm intending to remove the employees from Gringotts and put the Muggle world businesses on your capable hands."

Silence. There was pride in their eyes, but something was holding them back.

"I want to know which one of you are so prejudiced about Muggles that rather have my house loose money than to deal with them."

"I don't deal with Muggles!" Said an overheated young man looking to be about thirty.

"Show both your forearms!" Harry now had his wand out, and as head of house understood what was meant as completely loyal when instantly every men and woman in the room had their own wands pointed at the same man, and as his custodian had put himself between Harry and harm's way.

"Yes, my Lord." The defeated men said. He couldn't fight the oath that bounded him to be true and obey his Lord.

As he slowly raised the hem covering his arms a black tattoo of a skull with a snake coming out of its mouth appeared.

"Did you intend to betray me?" Harry said with contempt in his voice.

"No, my Lord! Even if I wanted, I couldn't. All I wanted to do was to serve you and put that crazy man behind me. I never wanted to follow him, I joined only at the insistence of your godfather's mother. She was the mother of my head of house and as such could pressure us to do things she wanted, even if she couldn't benefit directly from our oath, she still got something."

"I'll believe in you right now if you take the oath again and add to it a binding magical oath that you are to never betray me and obey me and not the Dark Tosser." Harry was annoyed that even among his vassals Voldemort had a foothold.

As the oath was taken Harry searched every man and woman to see if there was another Death Eater. Satisfied that there none other he decided to let them all know his plan.

"I'm planning to win this war. Not for the Ministry, but for myself. I need a life and I don't really believe I'll get one while Voldemort is out there. Listen, I'll destroy Voldemort the Muggle way. I cut his reinforcements before he gets them. I'll make sure he doesn't have a single galleon to be able to buy his Death Eaters a ticket out of Azkaban. And more important I'll kill his sorry arse because if he thinks that wizards are great at wage wars, he must have never studied history.

There was a cheer bigger than Harry expected and all the non senior advisers started to leave so that Harry could start plan the Dark Tosser's defeat.

"I need some things and I think that one of you can help me. First, I

need bodyguards. Not Wizard ones, but Muggle, special forces or

something like that. Maybe some Squibs if you can find any. Second, I need to get in touch with the Minister so that he understands who he is dealing with now. Third, I want to buy the Daily Prophet. You do

understand that when I say buy, I don't want to buy stock, I want to

have complete control. Fourth, I want to buy a Muggle business called Grunnings. It's a company that makes drills. After buying it I want a certain Vernon Dursley to be transferred to a parent company on Australia, give him a raise, tell him that he has to move right away and pay for the moving. I just want them as far away from me as possible. And finally, I want to hire some Muggles to teach me

something about business and add to that that I want each and every one of you to have some class with one of the Muggles that I'm going to choose. You all must understand that the Muggles have very much to teach us, especially on guile and betrayal. I'll wait here for you to do what I requested. You all have four hours. You can go." At the last command, the senior advisers paled but remained impassive other than that.

"Thank you, my lord" They said in unison and left in a hurry to do

their Lord's biding.