~OOooOO~
After meeting with Lucius and the students that Harry wished to see, Remus headed to the Great Hall to use the floo. He was definitely going to cover his tracks on this trip; he went to the Hog's Head Tavern, then to the Leaky Cauldron, then back to Hogsmeade into the Three Broomsticks and then back to the Leaky Cauldron. By the time he stepped out of the floo for the last time in the Leaky Cauldron, the bartender, Tom, was looking at him as if he were crazy.
"I have my reasons, Tom...just don't ask."
Tom nodded and went back to wiping down empty tables. He tried not to get involved in the lives of his patrons; it just made for confused thoughts and a sour stomach when he did.
Remus stepped out into Muggle London and hurried into an empty alleyway where he apparated to The Lion's Den. He ended up in the large foyer of the house; it still looked the same way it had when James and Lily had brought him here to recuperate after a particularly gruelling full moon. He was greeted by an excited looking house elf.
"Hello Jemmy, do you know where Harry is?"
"Yes, Mister Moony; Master Harry is in the library with Mister Bill and Mister Charlie. You is wanting tea?"
"Firewhiskey, please Jemmy? I don't think tea will be strong enough for what I have to tell Harry." Remus walked through the corridors, trying valiantly to remember where the library was; it had been over sixteen years since he had been in this house. The last time he had been here was when Lily...no, James...was pregnant with Harry.
He followed the sounds of talking and laughter to find the library. As he opened the door, he found himself on the business end of five wands; Charlie had brought Fred and George to see Harry. The wands were put away to various apologies and embarrassed blushes...and two devious grins that should have frightened Remus, but only proved that the Twins were the latest incarnations of the Marauders.
"Sorry, Remus!" Harry's flush extended all the way to his ears. "I didn't think you'd be back tonight."
"It's alright, Harry; I didn't think I'd be back either." The house elf popped back in with the firewhiskey for them and a fizzy drink for Harry; Jemmy knew that Master Harry wasn't used to the firewhiskey and probably wouldn't like it.
Bill knew that something had to have happened after Remus' announcement that Harry had been found; otherwise, he probably would have stayed at the school. "What happened?"
The room went silent as they waited for Remus to tell them what was going on. "Bill, tomorrow, I want you to go to Gringotts and get a detailed report of Harry's vaults and how much he's worth. I want to know if the amount he's now worth is vastly different from what he was worth right after Lily and James' deaths. Both Lucius and I have reason to believe that Dumbledore has been helping himself to Harry's funds; if he hasn't been, then he was planning to." He told them about Albus' reaction to the emancipation and that the Headmaster probably had planned on using Harry's money for something. "I don't think it would be anything bad, but I just want to make sure that he can't touch Harry's money."
Bill nodded, knowing that Harry was worth quite a few Galleons. "Even though I'm removed from the politics of the wizarding world, I've heard that Dumbledore has a few pet projects that he's been trying to push through the Wizengamot. That's probably what he wanted Harry's money for; I'll get the reports and values tomorrow morning."
Harry didn't want to believe that the Headmaster could do something like that; but, then again, he also hadn't wanted to believe that Ron and Hermione could react the way they had to the news of who his fathers were. He felt his shoulders slump as he sat back against the sofa; this news hit him almost as hard as Sirius' rejection had. He felt an arm slide around his back and then he was being pulled into a warm, comforting embrace; he turned his head into the hard chest to hide his tears.
Bill held the crying teen to his chest and rubbed small circles on his back, trying to comfort him. Harry had always looked up to Albus Dumbledore, almost as one would look up to a grandfather; that image had just been blown to the far corners of the world. "I don't think he'd harm you, Harry. He probably just wanted backing for the laws he wants passed."
"I don't care; I wouldn't have had a problem with it, if he had asked...but he didn't! He was planning on doing something with my money without my permission; that's almost as bad as physically hurting me. He's no better than the Dursleys." Harry stiffened as he realised what he had said. He hoped that no one had caught on, but he was doomed to disappointment. He felt Bill's arms tighten and, when he looked at Remus, the expression on the werewolf's face was one of pure anger. "I'll explain later, Remus...just not tonight. You'd better get back before you're missed."
Remus took a few deep breaths to get his temper back under control and nodded. "Oh, one more thing...Lucius seems to think that Severus will try to force you to see him. Apparently, he's the type to ignore someone's wishes when they are in opposition to his. Lucius will try to keep him from trying too hard to find you, but he doesn't know how successful he will be."
Harry looked up at Bill with a question in his eyes. "No, Harry, he can't find you here. The house is under the Fidelius Charm and only the six of us, Poppy and your house elves know where it is; we have all been sworn to secrecy and none of the house elves will leave here without your permission anyway." Harry nodded and relaxed back into Bill's embrace.
Remus knelt in front of his godson and lifted Harry's chin up so that they could look into each other's eyes. "I promise that I will do my best to keep Albus, Severus and Sirius away from you until you are ready to deal with them. This is just one more thing that we're going to help you handle; just remember, you're not alone."
Harry hugged Remus before the older man went back to Hogwarts. Remus promised himself that he would recruit Lucius to help as much as possible; he didn't want anything else to hurt Harry like this. Just before he stepped through the flames, he looked at Harry, sitting in Bill's arms; he knew that Bill would be making the same promise to Harry and Remus felt a little better at leaving for the night...Bill would be there for Harry.
~OOooOO~
Albus paced the area in front of his desk as rapidly as an old man could. It had been a month since Harry had been found and he still didn't know where the boy was. One of his new laws had failed to pass the Wizengamot because he hadn't had enough backing; another one was slated to go up for vote that day and Albus was quite certain that it would also fail to pass...he really needed the Potter fortune behind him. He didn't know why he hadn't taken the money when he had the chance; the only reason he could think of was that he didn't need it at that time and thought that he would have plenty of time to talk to Harry about supporting his laws...they would benefit Remus, after all.
An owl rapped at the window and he stepped over to allow it entry; the owl flew to his desk and held out its leg for him to remove the letter. Once Albus had removed the letter, the owl took off again, not waiting for a response. His curiosity piqued, Albus opened the letter.
Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Professor Dumbledore,
This letter was sent to you to so that you know why I am remaining hidden. Remus told me that you requested a meeting with me, but you weren't willing to write a letter stating your reasons for wanting that meeting. The only place I will meet you will be in a room at Gringotts where I can be assured of my safety. I've been informed of your reaction to my emancipation; I can only assume that you were upset at the loss of my Gringotts vaults.
I know that you had four laws that you wanted pushed through the Wizengamot and that you wanted my money behind you to get those laws passed. You do realise that all you had to do was ask for my help before and I probably would have given it. Now, however, I know that I can't trust you to have everyone's best interests at heart.
Keeping that in mind, I requested copies of the laws you want passed (as is my right as a member of the Wizengamot myself). I have re-written them, adding some things and removing others. They no longer resemble the laws that you want in place. Once all of your 'projects' have been shot down, I will be introducing my version of the same laws. The Wizengamot will be told that they are rewrites of your laws and will be told what has been changed; this should make considering them a little more palatable to them. You will be told when my version of the laws will be up for a vote and you are always more than welcome to request your own copies of them, just as I did with yours.
Do remember, if you will, that, just because you are Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, it does not give you the right to use someone else's money as you please.
Sincerely,
HJ Potter
Albus ground his teeth together, trying to relieve the frustration; this is not what he had expected from Harry. The boy hadn't had much of a backbone until now; he could only assume that his association with Lupin and the elder Weasley boys had given him the courage to stand up to him.
And, then, there was the situation with Severus. Albus knew that Severus was angry over his son's apparent defection, but there was nothing that could be done for it; the emancipation was completely legal. He also knew that Severus still wouldn't admit, out loud, that he was Harry's father; Albus believed, though, that he had finally accepted the relationship in his mind. It only remained to be seen what Severus would do to find his son.
~OOooOO~
Lucius stared at his friend, anger beginning to boil to the surface. "You want me to do what?"
"It's obvious that I will not be invited to where he is living; I want you to bring Potter to me. He needs to learn that he shouldn't disrespect his elders and, as his father, I am the best one to show him the error of his ways." The look of predatory anticipation on Severus' face was enough to make Lucius' stomach turn over.
"Dear God!" Lucius whispered, "What are you planning to do to him?" He schooled his features to appear that he agreed with Severus. "Tell me!"
Severus smirked; Lucius was such an easy mark. Just hint at torture and he was practically salivating at the thought. "Oh, nothing horrible, I assure you. He has embarrassed both Albus and myself; he needs to learn that this is unacceptable behaviour for the heir of three substantial estates. Granted, he is already in possession of the Potter fortune, but he has yet to get his hands on the Prince estate and the Black fortune. I need to speak with Black as well, but I think I can convince the mutt to come around to my way of thinking."
"So...you're going to punish your son for taking care of himself. Congratulations Severus; you've sunk lower than I ever thought you were capable of. No, I will not help you." He held up a hand to forestall Severus' objections. "Something that you seem to have forgotten is what the man has gone through; and, yes, I called Harry a man, because he is. Not only is there what you and the Headmaster have put him through, but there is also the beating that his former friends subjected him to; Lupin also believes that his home life with Lily's sister left quite a lot to be desired. Then, before most of that, was the stress of worrying about whether or not he was going to survive his encounters with the Dark Lord." Lucius stared at Severus with cold eyes before continuing. "I refuse to allow you to harm Harry...if necessary, I will Obliviate you to keep you from your plans. You won't remember that Harry is your son and will have no memory of what you have planned. Do not try me; you will not win."
Severus knew that Lucius was right; he might be one of the best at Legilimency and Occlumency, but Lucius was the Master of Obliviation. If Lucius wished for him to have no memory of Harry being his son, then there would be no memory. He couldn't allow that to happen; he had finally accepted that Harry was his son by James Potter and he wasn't about to allow the boy to slip through his fingers. Severus couldn't figure out why Lucius was behaving like only the child had been wronged, when neither of them had known about Harry's parentage. He didn't honestly think that Harry would hold his behaviour against him...how wrong he was.
~OOooOO~
Yes, I have decided that Severus will be delusional about his relationship with Harry for a little bit...he will eventually see how wrong he can be. We will be hearing from Sirius in the next chapter, along with some female companionship! Don't worry, though, Harry and Bill will get together soon!