Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Previously: The goblin left his tall chair and Shade tried not to smile when he saw how short these creatures actually were compared to him, the older man and the boy walking side by side after the goblin, further into the bank.

Parseltongue

"talking"

'thinking'

Letters/articles/books/etc.

Now, onto the story!


Bogrod led them towards a back hallway and paused in front of a tall black door with a silver plaque that read: Director Griphook.

Shade shot Severus a confused look but stayed silent when the older man waved him down as Bogrod opened the door, a strange hesitance in the goblin's voice, "Director Griphook? It's… It's The Lord. Lord Floy is here to see you."

The other goblin's eyes widened before snarling at Bogrod, "Leave."

He nodded and bowed to Shade before dashing off, leaving a very confused eleven-year-old and slightly less confused adult at the doorway. Severus shook his head and stepped into the office, nudging for Shade to do the same before they sat in the complimentary chairs in front of the desk, "Hello, Griphook. We would like to discuss Mr. Floy's financial standpoint."

"I see… Does Mr. Floy agree to this?" The goblin turned to Shade who swallowed thickly before nodding, "Yeah, I guess… What does this entail exactly?"

"Well, we will run a blood test to see exactly where you stand, which vaults are yours, and more. I can give you a quick overview at the moment but until the blood test is finished, we won't have more information for you other than the basics," Griphook explained as he took out a piece of parchment with a vial and a small ornate knife, "Now, I just need you to prick your finger and press the pad of your finger against the parchment. Then, just fill the vial a little towards the bottom."

"Wait, what?" Shade blinked a few times before looking at Severus, "Seriously?"

"Yes, do this and we can get you some money to buy the things you need for school," Severus muttered before nodding towards the knife.

Shade shot him an apprehensive look before grumbling about snarky bats as he took the knife in hand, chewing his bottom lip as he held the knife to the tip of his thumb. He winced when the knife dug into his skin and a few droplets of blood dripped from his cut, using his other hand to hold the vial under his thumb. The droplets that fell filled a little bit of the small container before he handed it back to the goblin, squeezing the sides of his finger to gather some blood at the tip before pressing it to the parchment.

He sat back and examined the cut as the goblin spoke, "Now we wait a minute or two and the basics of your financial information will appear on the paper. I will be right back, I just need to give this to our resident doctor."

Severus nodded and Griphook left the office with the vial of blood, leaving the two to themselves. After a moment, words began to bleed onto the parchment, dying the paper a crimson color from Shade's blood.

The young boy took the parchment from the desk and looked at it, his silver eyes staring at it before his brow scrunched in confusion, "I-I don't know what any of this means. Help me, please."

"Fine," Severus huffed before taking the parchment from the boy and reading it as well, his own expression mirroring Shade's as he read it over, "Hold on, this can't be right. According to this, you are not only a direct descendant of Salazar Slytherin but you are also a Prince."

"Let me see!" Shade exclaimed and climbed over his chair, reaching for the parchment but pouting as Severus held it away from him, "Behave until Griphook returns."

Shade sat back down and crossed his arms with a fake growl but he actually felt relaxed in Severus' presence, "Fine…"

"I see that the results are done," The goblin huffed as he returned to the office and sat behind his desk once more, "If I may."

Griphook reached forward and Severus nodded before handing the goblin the parchment, Shade watching the interaction with interest, "So, what does this mean? For me. I mean, it said I was a Prince? A Prince of what?"

"A Prince?" Griphook mumbled as he placed a pair of half-moon glasses on his face, "Ah, a Dragon Prince. I haven't seen one in centuries. Perhaps it's best that…"

The rest was lost on Shade as he stared at the glasses, something familiar sparking in his mind; he had seen those glasses before. His eyes widened when he remembered the night he left, an old man with half-moon glasses had taken him from them. A soft snarl left his mouth as he thought back on it, someone ELSE saw fit to rob him of his family, to place him somewhere else…

"..a.. ade… Shade… Shade!"

He snapped back to the present and looked up, his grip on the armrests deadly as his sharp silver eyes pinned Severus down, his pupils thin. Severus felt a strange shiver go down his spine, one he hadn't felt in a long time; fear.

"Shade, are you alright?" He asked softly, the atmosphere in the room thick and heavy with magic, "Griphook was asking if you would like to get your inheritance now."

The young dragon boy slowly relaxed his hands, his fingers popping as he leaned back in the chair and he calmed down, "Umm… Yeah, sure. Sounds… Sounds good."

"I will go get the potion then," Griphook grumbled as he struggled to step down from the chair once more, leaving the two alone again.

"What's wrong?" Severus asked, his voice probing but calm.

"Nothing," Shade spat, a little too quickly for Snape's taste as he stood from his chair and stepped closer to the boy, kneeling in front of him with a neutral yet understanding expression, "You don't have to tell me but if you want to, you can. It might make you feel a bit better."

Shade was silent for a moment longer before he frowned, feeling his eyes begin to water as he sniffed and rubbed his eyes with his sleeve, shame welling up in his gut when he realized he was crying, "I… I remember my parents. An old man with half-moon glasses took me from them. I don't know why… Did they not want me? Was I not good enough? I-I wanted to find them but… What if they let him take me for a reason?"

Severus' expression softened when Shade began to sob softly, questions falling from his mouth that were hushed when Severus grabbed his hands gently, "I cannot speak for your parents but I don't think they gave you away for no reason. Perhaps it was to protect you. If we find out who your parents are with this blood test, I will try to help you find them. Does that sound alright?"

"...Yeah, that sounds good," Shade sniffed and tugged one hand back, wiping his now wet face with his sleeve, "But until then, I don't have anywhere to stay…"

"I have a family you can stay with until the school year begins," Severus answered almost immediately as Griphook returned with a silver potion and walked over to the two, "This potion will help you reveal your dragon form. According to our doctors, it will not hurt and you will be alright afterward. If you would like, Professor Snape, you may examine it."

Severus nodded and took the potion from Griphook, waving his wand over it before humming, "That will do."

Shade chewed on his lip before taking the potion, uncorking it to look into the small glass vial, "If you're sure…"

The two nodded and waited as Shade continued to swirl the liquid around in the vial before downing it all in one go. Griphook took a cautious step back and Severus stood up as they waited for something to happen and, secretly, Shade was waiting too. He wiggled in the chair when his back began to feel incredibly uncomfortable, a disgruntled frown crossing his face as he scratched his arms and face.

Slowly, he began to change. The cloth on his back began to rip as large dark appendages pierced through his skin, black in color with patches of silver and green scattered over the webbing. Scales poked through the skin on his cheeks, the patches of scale beginning from his cheekbones down a few inches in the shape of rounded triangles, more scales peeked through his hair on his temples and connected to those on his cheeks.

He looked down and his nails bled black with sharpened tips, blavk scales trailing up his arms and stopped at his elbows with more patches of silver and green, the scales hardening and sharpening at his elbows into points. As he stood up, the shoes on his feet that were already worn down were torn apart as the change affected his bone structure. His feet changed in shape, his heel elongating with his toes changing as well until they were the same size and shape as a dinosaur raptor's paws. Scales on his paws trailed up his legs and ended at his knees with the same design of scales from his arms on his legs.

He jumped when he heard a new ripping noise and glanced over his shoulder before looking under his arm at the new tail that poked out from his pants, the new appendage around a foot longer than where his leg ended with two fins on the end. It was also black with patches going here and there, scales narrowing from where his tail met his body and trailed up his spine to connect with those on his back. His shiny black hair grew a little bit to just a smidge below his shoulders with a few new additions to it, silver and darker green highlights peeked through the black locks.

He couldn't stop the smile that spread across his face as he laughed, "Oh my god, I can fly? This is wicked!"

He paused when he saw his tongue dart out of his mouth while he spoke, sticking it out all the way. It had lengthened to reach an inch below his chin and the tip was forked, the original pink turned a dark grey, growing skinnier towards the fork in his tongue. He smiled as he shifted his shoulders a bit and his wings fluttered uselessly before snapping open, smaller than he anticipated but big enough to the point where they would carry him.

"Lord Floy?" Griphook cleared his throat and Shade turned to the small goblin, a light blush dusting his face but it was slightly hidden by his scales, "Sorry, what were we discussing?"

"We were discussing whether or not you would be willing to apply for a card with the bank. It will be hooked up to your vaults so that you may make purchases without having to come back for more galleons," Griphook rumbled and Shade nodded before pursing his lips, "Well, I do have one question. What's a Galleon? I don't think I understand the financial system here just yet."

Severus nodded and pulled three coins from his pocket, showing them to him one at a time, "The large gold one is called a Galleon, the medium silver one is a Sickle, and the small bronze one is a Knut. There are twenty-nine Knuts to a Sickle and seventeen Sickles to a Galleon."

"Oh… I don't know if I'll remember those conversions but okay," Shade shrugged, his wings tightening at the motion which made him sigh, "Okay, the novelty has worn off. Griphook, how do I change back?"

"I have just the thing for that," The goblin walked over to his desk and picked up two rings that he had gotten beforehand when the test was finished, handing them over to the child with two ornate keys on a keyring, "The rings are for your protection. This ring is to let others know that you are a Dragon Prince, the other ring is the Lord ring of Slytherin, and you must wear both at all times because they have protection charms weaved into the metal."

The Dragon ring was a thick silver band with an emerald embedded in the center with a circle of small onyx stones surrounding it. The Slytherin ring was a thinner black metal band with a darker emerald in the center and a circle of small diamonds surrounding it, the Slytherin house crest rested as an image inside the green gem.

Shade looked at the two beautifully crafted accessories in awe that he was barely aware of the fact that the Dragon Prince ring was suppressing his dragon features until he returned to how he looked when he first arrived. Shade took the keyring and tied the thin string that Griphook handed him to the ring before tying it around his neck.

The small goblin walked behind his desk and reached into one of the drawers before pulling out a shiny gold card, the only thing engraved on the surface was a large ornate G for Gringotts in the center, "If you would not mind, the cut you have on your hand is still fresh, yes?"

"Well," Shade looked at the cut that had stopped bleeding but was still a bit red around the edges, "Define fresh."

Griphook tsked and shook his head before handing the boy the small knife again, "We need your thumbprint in blood in order for you to use this card. It is linked to your vaults and is a much easier way to use your funds instead of carrying around a small sack full of coins that could be snatched."

Shade nodded and took the card from him before placing it in his lap, taking the knife from his hand before slicing into his thumb again, muttering angry curses under his breath as he pressed his thumb against the G on the card.

Severus raised an eyebrow at the soft cursing but looked towards the child as Shade cleared his throat, his voice taking on a girlish quality as he fluttered his eyelashes with a smile, "Oh, if only there were a wizard around who could heal the cut on my thumb. Wherever would I find such a brave and noble-"

"Shut your tiny mouth, now," Severus snapped as he whipped out his wand and slashed it downwards at Shade's hand, the small wound healing as the young child smirked before sticking his tongue out, "Thanks, Professor."

"...You may call me Severus outside of the castle," Snape huffed as he stood and cleared his throat, his expression souring as he pursed his lips and his brow creased, "Good Day, Griphook. We must be going now, school supplies and what-not to buy. Come, Shade."

His robes fluttered around him as he headed for the door, the young child handing the knife back to Griphook with a thank you and a smile before they left the office.

The two made their way out of the bank and towards the large, ornate doors before Snape hummed, "Flourish and Blotts would do well for the moment. They will have your books in stock and you may pick up a few books you would like for light reading. Don't pick too many though, there are many books at Hogwarts you will have the opportunity to read."

"Then… What should I buy?" Shade was suddenly overwhelmed with the thought that he had money, he could buy whatever he wanted, whatever he desired as long as he had the coin; it almost scared him.

Severus raised an elegant eyebrow before herding the young dragon towards the store, "Decide when we get there."

The older male pulled the door open for the child to enter first before following after, Shade's bright silver eyes glinting in the low light as his eyes widened.

Shelves upon shelves of books stood before him, his for the taking as his breath left him, "Wow…"

He shot a glance back at Severus to make sure he had permission and once the professor gestured towards a basket near the entrance, the young dragon was off. He picked up an old basket and held it in the crook of his elbow as he walked around the store at a rather fast pace, gathering up his school books on the list and a few history books that would help him understand this strange new world he was thrown into.

When he was done gathering his books, he looked for the register so that he could pay and headed in that direction but was forced to stop when a boy around his size with blond hair ran into him while rounding the corner, sending them both to the ground.

Shade reached for his basket and looked it over to make sure none of the books had fallen out, flinching when the blond boy stood with a sneer marring his rather elegant features, his voice laced with an air of arrogance, "Watch where you're going! You could have damaged something of mine!"

Before he could respond and get a good look at the boy, the blond was walking away in the direction he had come. Shade quietly picked himself up and stepped up to the counter, handing the golden card over to the shopkeeper who bagged his books and shrunk them for him. He looked at the shrunken bag with fascination before placing it gently in his pocket, careful not to damage the small items before he headed back towards the front of the store.