Disclaimer: JKR owns it all. I just snuck in under the fence to play in her most excellent sandbox. I make the same amount of money from this as I do from working on a nuke submarine and flying alien spacecraft. In other words, none at all.
Chapter 10
New Paradigms
Potter Redoubt
Godric's Retreat
This was the first time that Harry had visited the ancestral home of the Potter family. He had been spending all of his time at the two main Black properties, 12 Grimmauld Place and Walburga's House. His new property manager, Walden Pinklowe had suggested that he at least visit the other properties to decide what he wanted done with them.
As he toured the empty manse, he knew that he had somewhat of a lifestyle problem with all of these properties. As far as manor houses, just how many mansions could one person, or even one family, live in? They were not the kind of properties that a person could rent out for income, anyone who could afford to rent it could also afford to buy their own. For one moment, he had the insane thought to remove the magic from the house and sell it on the muggle market. Pinklowe quickly dissuaded him from that idea, suddenly putting an ancient 55 room mansion on 150 acres of land where none had ever existed before would bring up more questions than he could answer. At the present time, he was walking through the house with Pinklowe trying to decide what he should do with it.
"This place is filthy! What happened to all of the house elves?"
"Your grandparents were famous for taking in aged house elves that had been discarded by their families when they began getting a bit infirm. Between the time of your grandparent's deaths and now, all of the elves died. We found the corpses of elves, all dead of natural causes, in over 20 different places. I hired a crew to bury them in the Elf cemetery on the southwest corner of the property."
"Well, the first thing is to get a staff in here to clean the place up, then I want a skeleton crew here to keep it up. I will have my administrator elf handle that. I will probably not be living here, or even visiting much, but I can't let it go any farther downhill. Should I need extra staff here, I will bring them with me from the other places. I believe that I will be having the goblins catalog everything in here with an eye toward moving a lot of it into the Potter vault. Now, you mentioned other properties, I believe?"
"Yes, you have a block of flats, 15 of them, in London, commercial properties in Diagon Alley and Downtown London, plus various single family homes throughout Great Britain. The commercial properties, the flats and the single family homes are being rented out. All except for the Diagon Alley properties are rented to muggles. You also have a vacant lot in Godric's Hollow and the recently acquired property in Surrey on Privet Drive."
"The Privet Drive property needs to have new wards put up, since I don't want to rent it out. I want the wards keyed to my magical signature, not like the old blood wards. I believe that I am going to have a use for it in the near future. Also hire an interior decorator to completely change the look inside. Keep nothing of the previous owners. I will give you their address to send their belongings to." Pinklowe made a note in his planner and nodded.
"I'll get started on that right away." With that, Pinklowe appearated out of the mansion.
"Kreacher!" Harry's administrator elf popped in. "How can I serve you, My Lord?"
"I want you to get all staff elves from both houses who are not working at their full capacity and bring them here to start cleaning this place up. I also want you to acquire a skeleton crew, just cleaning elves, to remain here at all times. The elves that you acquire for this house should go through official channels. They will wear uniforms with the Potter family crest and be ready to serve anyone, and I mean anyone who I happen to put here. Should I decide to spend time here, I will bring staff from the Black properties to work the kitchen. I do not foresee actually using this property for at least a few years, but I don't want it to deteriorate. Make sure all of the elves you get are fairly young. Is that understood?"
"Yes, Lord Black. I will have the new staff hired by tomorrow and the house in order by the end of next week. Does Lord Black have anything else for Kreacher?"
"As a matter of fact, yes. After the house is cleaned, I will be having someone in to catalog everything in the house, with an eye toward storing items off the premises and into the Potter family vault."
"We can do that, Lord Black. I can put together a list so that you can decide what you want to move out."
"In that case, make it so. Thank you, Kreacher." The little elf swelled up with pride.
"Lord Black is a great master! He thanks Kreacher!" The elf said this with a sense of wonderment.
Harry smiled inwardly. If Hermione could see him now, with staffs of house elves at three properties, she would disavow knowing him.
"Kreacher, I need to get back to the Manor. I will be having a visitor coming soon. Let me know later what you will need to get everything done. Just make sure that you leave the cooking staff wherever I happen to be." With that, Harry went to the fireplace, tossed in some floo powder, called out "Walburga's House," and disappeared into the floo system.
Black Manor (Walburga's House)
Later that evening
Harry sat across the room from the fireplace with his wand in his hand, laid next to his leg. The two Aurors he had requested from the MLEO stood on either side of the fireplace, wands pointed at the hearth. The fire turned green, then Draco Malfoy stepped out of the fireplace. He was immediately braced by the Aurors, who frisked him for any weapons while Blinky disabled the floo.
"He's clean, Lord Potter-Black. Should we stay in here?"
No, Go have a cup of tea and some scones in the dining room." Harry had a quick thought. "Wait up just a second. Malfoy, lift your sleeves." Draco did so, revealing unmarked forearms. "Good enough. You guys can get a bite until its time to reopen the floo. I have anti-apparation wards up, so unless you hear me being murdered, you can probably relax." Harry smiled at Draco over this, and surprisingly enough, Draco returned the smile, although his seemed pretty strained. The Aurors left the room to be pampered by his cooking elves.
"Blinky, please bring Mr. Malfoy and myself some refreshments. Warm Hennessey for me…" Harry cocked his head at Draco.
"Same for me. I might as well try something new." Blinky popped out, returning in just a minute with the drinks.
Draco sipped the cognac, and his eyes widened in appreciation. "Damn, this is good! Where do you get it?"
"Any muggle spirits shop. Don't worry, muggles may make it, but its not contagious." Harry snickered, seeing Draco's look at actually having muggle made products pass over his lips. After the elf had left, Harry got down to business. "I admit that I was a bit confused that you would contact me. We have not exactly been bosom buddies the past few years."
"Coming to you was not my idea, it was my mother's." Seeing Harry's surprise, he went on. "My mother never wanted to be a Death Eater, she was just so intimidated by my father that she went along with him. She has reached the end of her fear though, since I am supposed to be marked in two days. My father may want to bow and scrape at that half-blood's feet, but I will never bow to him. Mother and I are related to the House of Black, you are the head of that house. I am coming to you for protection."
Harry was stunned. He had been an enemy of Malfoys for so long that he just naturally believed that Draco would serve Voldemort willingly. He thought of something else.
"Is it just you scheduled to get the mark?"
"No, it is most of the 6th year Slytherins. Pansy, Daphne Greengrass, Nott, Avery, Crabbe and Goyle. The only ones who want to go through it are Crabbe, Goyle, and Avery. The rest of us are looking for a way out. If we don't take it, we will be targets by our own parents. My father will disown me, so will the others fathers. We will then be in danger of being murdered."
"You know, Malfoy, last year if I had heard this, I probably would have just said that it sucks to be you. I am not sure what I can do, but I will help somehow. It may mean that you miss this school year at Hogwarts though. For right now though, I will need you to get hold of your friends who do not want to be marked and bring them here tomorrow." He thought about something. "No, that won't work. The house is under the Fidelus Charm. Instead, firecall me in the morning and I will set up a meeting place."
"Thanks, Potter."
They spent a bit more time chatting about the new sorting system at Hogwarts, then Draco said his good-nights and left, followed by the Aurors. Just before the Aurors left, Harry gave them a message to pass onto Madam Bones.
He was just getting ready for bed when Blinky knocked on his door. "Lord Black, an owl came in with a letter for you. It gave me the letter and left." He held out an envelope.
Harry took the envelope and opened it.
Harry:
We are back at the Burrow. After the trial, Dad took us all to Romania to visit Charlie. He and Mum had a lot to think about, they were terribly disappointed in Dumbledore. They really had no idea what he was up to. Mum just kept crying about how she could have raised you and you wouldn't have had to go through the abuse at the Dursleys.
I am starting to get used to the fact that you are my cousin, but it still feels weird. Ginny is crushed. She was so stuck on you, now she finds out that you are a relative. She got sick to her stomach thinking about what could have happened if you two had gotten together and fallen in love, then found it out. I believe that she was in love with you already.
We have a lot to catch up on, can you call us or come over sometime before we leave for school?
Your cousin (that STILL sounds weird!)
Ron
Harry grinned, feeling his burdens lighten. He had been so worried for the Weasley family, the only real family he had ever known. It was a bit of a surprise about Ginny though. Sometimes he was really dense when it came to girls. Scratch that, he was ALWAYS dense when it came to girls! Harry went over to his writing desk, jotted down a quick answer, then called Blinky to send it off with an owl.
His head filled with dueling thoughts and emotions, he got in bed for an uneasy sleep.
Gringotts Bank
The next morning
The goblins had set up a conference room for Harry to meet with the Slytherin students and Madam Bones. Since the fathers of the students were wanted Death Eaters, the students were in danger every minute that they were out of sight. If Voldemort or his followers got wind that the students did not want to become servants, their lives would not be worth a knut. There was also the problem that outside of their wealthy families, they had no protection or assets.
"If your fathers are arrested and convicted, your inheritances will probably be stripped and distributed among the Death Eaters victims. You will end up completely without support. Being related to the House of Black, Mr. Malfoy could ask for Harry's protection, but he would have no legal ability to do the same for the others. You would probably be disowned by your fathers, that would mean that you could not even inherit your titles and seats in the Wizengamot. You would be paupers." Madam Bones was giving them the worst case scenario.
"Better poor than dead," Draco said. The others nodded in agreement. "What about my mother?"
"Should she turn herself in and testify against the others, she can be granted Witness Protection status. This is actually an idea that we got from the American muggles. Their law enforcement uses that to help break up criminal gangs. She would probably want Harry to annul her marriage to Lucius. She would then become a Black, subject to Harry's guardianship and protection."
"Let's wait to do that until Lucius is arrested, Madam Bones. I would hate for all of these guys to be punished for doing the right thing. How would you set up the arrest?"
"I will put tracking charms on them that they could activate when their fathers joined them. We would then overwhelm them with force and arrest them. Would you give them sanctuary after the arrest until everything is sorted out?"
"Absolutely! I can put them up at the Black Mansion. I will give you the coordinates and you can give them portkeys they can use as soon as the Aurors show up to arrest the parents. My house elves can take it from there."
"Very good. I will also make one for Narcissa if that is alright with you." Harry nodded in agreement and wrote down the coordinates of 12 Grimmauld Place. With that, the students and Madam Bones used the floo to go to the MLEO offices to have the tracking charms put on and the portkeys made. Harry stayed to thank the goblins and make some arrangements for further security.
After Harry left, Flickaxe and Griphook were discussing what had happened during the meeting. They had watched the entire thing, then put their memories of it in the vials.
"Griphook, if they do this thing, the bank will lose control of all of those vaults. The funds will be distributed among muggles and poor wizards, who will just spend it. There will also be several seats lost in the Wizengamot to people who could become Potter-Black's allies."
"What can we do about it?"
"The way I see it, we need to get the fathers out of the way before they can be convicted. That way the estates will remain intact. We also cannot allow them to disown the children. Their heirs will owe Potter-Black their lives and their fortunes. What I want you to do is put together a crew that can piggyback the tracking charms, arriving with the Aurors. When the children portkey away, kill the parents, make it look like the Aurors did it. If you have to kill the Aurors, do it quickly and leave no survivors."
"May I make a suggestion?" When Flickaxe motioned for him to go ahead, Griphook spoke. "If we do it that way, they might still lose their inheritances. I suggest overriding the tracking charms so that we are notified first. We come in, kill the parents, stun the children and activate their portkeys. Then take the bodies of the parents, put them in a public place and set off the Dark Mark. That way it will look like Voldemort killed them. We will take their masks and cut off their limbs so that the Mark does not show."
Flickaxe sat back in his chair in shock. This Griphook character was one crafty goblin! He had better keep an eye on him or Griphook would be sitting in his chair having him for an afternoon snack.
"I like that plan. Go ahead with it. Griphook, I am going to put in a recommendation that you become the new account manager for the Malfoy account. I think that it is time that Screwtail be replaced. He has allowed the Malfoy wizards far too much freedom in putting the estate in danger. They have been giving large amounts to Voldemort, helping to keep the wizarding world in chaos. If you get this promotion, guide young Draco Malfoy wisely."
"Thank you, sir. May you kill your enemies and bathe in their gold." Griphook bowed and left.
Flickaxe let out his breath in relief. This would solve two problems. He would get the credit for saving the accounts, Griphook would be promoted and be so busy managing that account that he would not be able to undermine Flickaxe. Flickaxe and Griphook would dine on Screwtail at Griphook's promotion party, and if Griphook screwed up on the account, Flickaxe would be snacking on him.
Life was good.