"Why so close to the dungeons, Albus?" Snape asked as they came to a stop before the portrait guarding Harry's new quarters.

Harry stepped forward to examine the incredible portrait of a giant snake surrounded by hundreds of smaller ones, all slithering around one another. The painting almost appeared to pulse with their constant movements, not a single blank space to be seen through the hundreds of writhing reptiles.

"The Governors approved Harry's request to move the Defense classroom from the third floor to the larger classroom off the Paved Courtyard," Dumbledore explained. "This room is the perfect halfway point between his classroom and your office and quarters. As you two will be working closely together for the term, I thought it a good placement. If Harry wishes to change quarters next year then I will gladly accommodate him, but for now he'll be here for both of your convenience."

Harry grinned at the man, turning away from the painting he'd slowly been becoming hypnotized by. "It's great," He said happily. "And you're right that it'll make getting around easier. It's even closer to most of my classes than Gryffindor was. I absolutely love this portrait. What's it of?"

Dumbledore smiled, looking at the picture with pride. "That was a moment of brilliance on my part, if I do say so myself. It's the nest of a Basilisk, painted by Salazaar Slytherin himself. You can set your password in parseltongue, if you like, or in English. She understands both, but only speaks the first."

Harry turned back to the portrait. "Well, I guess I'll put it in English for now, since you said my friends could visit on the weekends, as long as I'm not in here alone with any of them. What's something no one would guess? Oh, I know!" He started to lean forward to whisper the password, but Dumbledore stopped him.

"Would you like us to step away for a moment, Harry?"

The boy looked at him like he had two heads. "Why? I trust you both not to abuse my password, and Professor Snape will be here all the time anyway. It's just easier. You'll be able to enter whether you know it or not, in any case." Having explained his logic he leaned towards the large snake. "Hello," He hissed.

The Basilisk, which had been sleeping, opened her eyes. "Greetings, Speaker, I am called Isis. These are my children, and together we will guard your quarters. The old Speaker who painted us cast spells to make whatever room we protect impenetrable without the password. We protect every point of entry." Harry grinned at this news, but listened as Isis continued. "We cannot be destroyed, or confused. Speak your password, and if you ask it of us, you can set three questions for unknown guests."

Harry considered this and nodded. "Alright, besides these two wizards with me, and anyone I tell you at a later date, they have to tell you my favorite stone, which is onyx, my favorite day of the year: November 1st, and they have to finish the quote 'A rose by any name would…"He paused to let Isis know that she would stop there. "The correct answer is 'smell just as sweet'. I have to ask, though…how will you ask the questions? There aren't any other Speakers in the school, and the Headmaster said you couldn't speak English."

"In the case that non-Speakers wish entry, the Creator spelled my eyes that I might project my thoughts to appear in English before the non-Speaker who seeks to pass. What is your password, Speaker?" The Basilisk asked again.

Harry blushed and leaned back. He closed his eyes and concentrated on speaking English. "Belladonna," He said clearly, just loud enough for Isis and the professors to hear. She nodded her large head and the portrait swung inward. Harry led the way into the brightly lit space, stopping in the middle of the sparsely furnished living room. It was humongous. He wasn't sure what to do with it all.

Snape, apparently aware of what he was thinking, smirked. "Bookshelves, Mister Potter, and a kitchenette," He chuckled.

Harry looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "You could fit a gourmet kitchen in here and still have room for another two."

Dumbledore chuckled. "It is rather large, Harry, but it only has an arm chair and a desk. Once you've furnished it properly, it won't look quite so big." Harry decided to take the older wizard at his word and moved further into the quarters. He opened the door closest to the entrance and found it was a coat closet. The next door he checked was on the right wall and opened into a good-sized room that Dumbledore said was a bedroom or office space. On the same wall he found a small, comfortable bathroom with Cerulean blue tiling and black fixtures. On the back wall he opened the door next to the desk and stared at it in confusion. There were shelves and hooks on the walls, and a line of cabinets under a wooden counter that ran the length of the left wall. In the back right corner he could see a storage closet filled top to bottom with shelves.

"Ah, a Potions lab," Snape said, looking into the room. "I would guess the previous tenant was the resident Potions Professor."

Dumbledore nodded from beside Harry. "Back when I first taught Transfiguration, the Potions Master stayed in these quarters, before Horace Slughorn got the post and moved his office and quarters to the Sixth Floor."

Harry furrowed his brow. "Why would he do that? That's seems an inexplicably silly place to have his quarters and office if his class was in the dungeons."

Dumbledore smiled. "He had been certain the Governors would at some point approve his request to move Potions out of what he termed the 'dank and creepy bowels of the castle', despite knowing there were more reasons to keep the class where it was. Horace Slughorn was always a touch odd." The aged Headmaster winked at Harry, who snorted at the irony of Dumbledore saying someone else was odd.

He closed the door to the lab. He had the year, at least, to figure out what to do with it. Maybe he could convert it to the workout space he'd been thinking of for the second bedroom. He moved to the last door in the room, which stood at the center of the back wall. When he opened it he gaped at what he supposed was his master bedroom. It was big, but not terrifyingly so. A king bed, chest of drawers, and an armoire would cut the space down to size, with enough room for some shelves, his trunk, and maybe a nice carpet to put in front of the fireplace. The thing that had him gaping, though, was the French doors that led onto a stone balcony, large enough to hold some plants and a small table for two. He made a beeline for the doors and stepped out. After a quick look down, he realized he was dangling over the cliff that supported the Great Hall, but further north so that he was just above one of the deeper parts of the Black Lake. Dumbledore stepped up beside him.

"Professor Blidworth had a long infatuation with one of the merfolk in the lake. She was very sweet, though with a bit of a temper. Eventually, their inability to mate in any way forced her to leave him, but I remember he used to come out to this balcony and stare mournfully into the lake. He tried to drown himself once, but the Giant Squid grabbed him before he even hit the water and replaced him neatly here on his balcony. He left not long after, convinced the lake creatures were out to drive him to insanity via depression. He was a very sad man," The Headmaster remarked, frowning has he looked over the lake.

"What happened to him, Headmaster?"

"Last I heard he'd gotten married, had a few kids, and anonymously funded a delightful Muggle attraction in America called 'Sea World'. From what I understand, it's a large aquarium with some shows and interactive exhibits."

Harry snorted, and he could hear Snape groaning behind him at the ridiculousness of it all. He walked back into the empty bedroom and went to the door on his right. He expected to find a linen closet, but instead found a large ensuite bathroom. It was done in beautiful cerulean and onyx tiles, the fixtures all the same black as the other bathroom. The tub was gigantic, capable of holding an entire Quidditch team, and beside it was the linen closet he'd been looking for, the same size as the small guest bathroom.

"So what do you think?" Dumbledore asked. "Are the rooms fitting for you, Professor Potter?" His eyes were twinkling madly as he looked at Harry over his glasses, and Harry smiled abashedly.

"They'll take some getting used to, especially without Seamus and Ron's nightly battle for the title of 'loudest snore' to lull me to sleep," He admitted, blushing at being asked his opinion on the accommodations. "And, to be honest, it's far more space than I know what to do with. But I like the location, and the color schemes in the bathrooms are really neat. Plus, the balcony is a nice bonus. It's more than I deserve, really. I'm still a student; I'm only a real teacher three days a week. I get that I can't stay in the dorms, so I can't be tempted to help students on the homework I assign, but I sort of expected a converted storage closet off my office, or something like that."

Dumbledore waved him off. "Nonsense, Harry, you're practically a full-time faculty member. I've seen your transcript, and if the listings weren't fully booked before the scheduled time for Hogwarts NEWTs, I would immediately recommend you for early graduation. You're beating Miss Granger out in every class you have with her, but you didn't hear it from me."

Harry blushed deeper, but didn't say anything. He looked at Snape, pleading for a rescue, and the man stepped forward. "Headmaster, Potter and I should probably go. We still have to stop at Gringotts, and the sooner we leave, the more likely that any furnishings Mister Potter wishes to order will be delivered before we return this evening."

Dumbledore nodded and Harry gratefully followed the Potions Master back into the living room, where the older wizard started a fire in the fireplace. He pulled out a small leather bag and threw a pinch of floo powder into the fire, calling for Diagon Alley. The flames turned green and he gestured for Harry to go first. Harry stepped into the fire and closed his eyes tight as he felt himself start to spin wildly. He hated floo. After a moment he felt himself begin to slow and opened his eyes just in time to see The Leaky Cauldron spin into existence. He stepped out, stumbling, just as Snape came through behind him.

Harry watched the man step out of the flames with perfect grace and balance. "You have got to teach me how you do that." He said, admiration clear in his voice.

Snape grunted and brushed the soot off his dark robes. "Albus asked me to inform you that he had a discussion with the Goblins of Gringotts and that you should 'expect a surprise'. I will accompany you to the bank and get you started, but I'm afraid I will have to leave shortly after to go and gather my things from Muggle London. I expected your quarters to be better furnished, but as they are not, we will have to shop for furnishings first. If I have not returned before you are finished, I'm sure you're capable of finding one of the stores here in the Alley that specialize in furnishings. Do not leave Diagon Alley, am I understood?"

Harry nodded quickly, and Snape moved immediately past him and through the pub, headed for the entrance to Diagon Alley proper. It was a silent walk to Gringotts, and Harry took the chance to note where the second-hand furniture shops were. He desperately hoped the surprise Albus had mentioned was some money, because he feared today's shop would deplete his small vault entirely. When they reached the bank, Snape immediately approached one of the tellers that didn't have a customer. Harry grinned when he saw it was the one Goblin he knew.

"Hi, Griphook, how've you been?" He asked cheerfully.

The Goblin looked at him in surprise. "I've been well, Mister Potter. What business can Gringotts help you with today?"

Snape spoke before Harry could. "Mister Potter will need to convert some gold into Muggle money, and wishes to notify the bank that one or more large bills will be placed against his vault throughout the day."

Griphook logged the information on a roll of parchment after a smaller Goblin had brought him Harry's file. "As a stipulation of his trust fund, any large bills numbering more than once a month must have a logged reason that falls under the guidelines set forth by James and Lily Potter, deceased, if Mister Potter is still enrolled at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

Harry rolled his eyes at the lengthy way of asking 'why are you spending money when you have room and board already paid for' while Snape replied dutifully. "Mister Potter will be purchasing furnishings and clothing to suit his probationary appointment as the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts School."

Griphook ran his pointed nail down each page as he searched through Harry's file for something specific. After a long minute he looked up. "Please excuse me for a moment." He turned and spoke in Gobbledygook to one of the Goblins at a desk behind his, who stood immediately and disappeared off further into the bank. Harry stood, nervously chewing his lip, as Snape huffed in irritation and glanced continuously at the clock on a nearby wall. After a few minutes, he turned to Harry.

"I'm sure you can finish your business, Mister Potter. If they allow it, tell them you would like a Muggle debit card to use for the day, so we don't have to return here again halfway through shopping for your attire," Snape said. He walked away before Harry could ask how much he should get if they said 'no' to the debit card.

Now twice as nervous as he'd been before, Harry shifted on his feet as Griphook simply looked over some other files he had at his desk. Just as he was getting to the point where he was sure he'd chew a hole through his lip, a Goblin approached the desk from behind Griphook. This Goblin was different from the rest, he wore what seemed like a very expensive suit and carried a small cane.

"Mister Potter, I am Burgdorf, Keeper of the High Vaults. I oversee the vaults of Gringotts' richer clients. I would like to speak with you in my office regarding your inheritance," The stuffy Goblin said.

Harry thought Burgdorf was a bit stuck up, and didn't feel comfortable following him to an office alone. He felt about an inch tall around this Goblin, and got a bad feeling about being alone with him while discussing his money. "Er, alright, but can Griphook come? He can help translate any legalese I can't understand, and I trust him implicitly with my gold."

Burgdorf sniffed and glared at Griphook who looked at him smugly in response. "Very well, Mister Potter. Please follow me." Harry let Griphook go before him and followed both Goblins beyond the desks to a large, spacious office. Once they were all seated, Burgdorf spoke. "Mister Potter, upon your graduation from Hogwarts you would have received a letter notifying you of your full inheritance. The vault you have been accessing is your trust fund, and only upon graduation would you gain full access to your many vaults and properties. If you were to leave school you would be unable to access any vault before your 17th birthday. However, certain clauses were put in place by your parents in the case of their deaths, so that you could temporarily access one of the smaller vaults for emergency expenses in the case of continued enrollment. One clause, as given by Lily Potter, was an employment clause." He pulled out the file Griphook had been studying before this whole thing started and began to read. "In the case of Harry James Potter gaining a position as Student-Teacher or Probationary Instructor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry while still enrolled, he is to be given full access to his inheritance as specified in the case of graduation from said school."

Harry stared at the snooty Goblin. "Okay, so what's the problem? That sounds pretty straightforward," He said nervously.

Burgdorf looked at Harry as though he were a moron. "Mister Potter, the Potter fortune is one of the largest in the Wizarding World, and certainly one of the oldest. I cannot, in good conscience, give you full access to this vast empire without insisting you appoint a manager of your estate. If you do not, you will quickly find yourself overwhelmed by investors looking to steal your money. As a manager of many accounts, I can promise you that some of these requests can be insistent and persuasive, and it would take a Goblin to spot the false opportunities and to pass along the ones that best suit you or your accounts' previous investments. I personally recommend myself, as I currently manage the estates of many other respectable Wizarding families. I have drawn up the contract, all you need do is sign."

Harry frowned and grabbed the contract. Fred's lessons and Snape's reinforcement of the warning about persuasive contractors came suddenly to mind and Harry began to scan the contract for the trap he could feel Burgdorf was hoping he'd fall into. His vision swam as the words blurred together. He couldn't read legalese, and he desperately wished Snape had stayed to help. Glancing over, he saw Griphook staring at Burgdorf with a look of pure venom. When he saw Harry looking at him, he glanced at the contract and shook his head ever so slightly. So Griphook knew it was a trap as well.

"I have a better idea," Harry said, placing the contract on the desk, unsigned. "I don't really know you, Burgdorf; you've never presented yourself to me, even this last summer when I turned 17. I can't very well trust someone I don't know with my parent's fortune. They entrusted it to me, to take care of, and if I sign it over to you, I'd feel like I was doing them a disservice. I mean you already manage some estates, as you said, and I think my parent's would prefer to have their estate managed by a Goblin with more time to dedicate to it, particularly if it's as large as you say. Griphook has always handled my money before, he was even the one who signed the waiver when I had to reimburse the Weasley's for the car incident, so I know I can trust him to handle investor's properly, and he knows me well enough to send along the opportunities I would consider, not just cookie-cutter investments. I would like for Griphook to be my Estate Manager, if he would accept the position." He looked to the Goblin he'd met on his very first day in the Wizarding World. "What do you say, Griphook?"

The Goblin nodded. "I would be honored to manage your estate, Mister Potter. What will you offer in return for my service?"

Harry considered that. "Well, what do you have now?"

"My current wage is a Sickle and four Knuts an hour, and Gringotts provides a small apartment near Knockturn Alley," Griphook answered. Harry could see the truth in his eyes.

"Alright, well how about a larger apartment, so long as it's less than 10 galleons a month, and a wage of four Sickles an hour? And of course you'll get an office, even if it must be outside of Gringotts. I can't very well expect you to concentrate on my estate if you're amongst the noisy bustle in the lobby," Harry suggested.

"Very well, Mister Potter," Griphook answered. He snapped his fingers and a contract appeared before them, outlining everything they had just agreed to. Harry picked up the quill, ignoring the glare Burgdorf was sending them, and signed where Griphook indicated he should. When he'd finished, the contract placed itself in his folder, which jumped into Griphook's hands while the other contract burst into flames.

Burgdorf spoke, trying his hardest to seem cheerful…as cheerful as a Goblin could be in any case. "Congratulations, Mister Potter, you now have full-access to your estate. Allow me to give you and your Estate Manager the use of my office, so that you may discuss today's business." He left quickly, and Harry looked at Griphook.

"I really just want to do what Professor Snape said before all this happened, and get a Muggle debit card for my accounts," He said, worrying his lip. "And I guess I'll need a full statement for what exactly I've inherited, and a monthly statement on how much I've spent. Oh, er…what's the conversion rate from Wizard money to Muggle?"

"One galleon is 100 pounds, a Sickle is equal to 50 pounds, and a Knut is 25 pounds," Griphook listed as he copied Harry's requests into the file. "Very well, Mister Potter. Wait here whilst I retrieve your card. I will send your statements within the week." Harry thanked the Goblin, and when he'd left the office, he breathed deeply, releasing it in a huff. That business crap had been hard, but he was a little proud of himself for how well he'd handled it, considering. For the most part, he was in awe at how rich he was. By Muggle standards, even the Weasley's were upper middle class. He had a new respect for just how rich Hermione's parents must be. After a minute, Griphook returned with the card and they exchanged goodbyes quickly. Harry was unbelievably happy when he stepped out into the bright sun.