Disclaimer: I do not own this. Do not earn money on this. I didn't even plan to.
Warning: this story has slash themes. Slash mentions. And slash scenes. Deal with it.
A/N so where we left off…. Ah. Well Harry comes back. Eventually. And Snape… Well Snape is Snape, just worse. this is where the muse seems to want to be. It is compelling me to make Snapes life miserable and show what trouble Harry is getting into.
Minerva's POV
They trudged down to the dungeons and she opened his portrait. He hadn't made a sound as they left the wards. The farther away they moved the more robotic his movements. She sat him on the couch and walked to the kitchen to get some tea. When she returned Slytherins portrait looked down at them with a worried gaze.
"What has happened?" She opened her mouth but the shuddering breath from the younger man gave her pause.
"He left. "It came out a hoarse whisper.
"Yes yes through the portrait hole."
Severus jumped from the couch and pointed his wand at the portrait. He flicked it at the picture frame sitting on the mantle. "No he left. As in apparated to Merlin knows where. I can't feel him. I was a bastard. Even I would leave me. "
Slytherin raised a single black brow. "Go after him. "
She watched as Severus gripped his wand tighter. "Did you not just comprehend what I just said? No one knows where he went. I wouldn't even know where to start."
The look from the portrait could have scared a cow into curdling its own milk. "So what are you doing you imbecile? Nothing. You're sitting here wallowing in your own self pity allowing him to get farther away. Why not go after him. Instead of giving him the chance to escape show that you are there. Go after the little snake and show your remorse."
Severus hung his head. "I tried. And he still left. You think I wanted him to go?"
"Yet here you are."
Harry's POV Gringotts
"Mister Potter, I am unsure if I understand your request."
Harry sat at the desk in front of Griphook; he had been for the better part of an hour.
"I need you to lock my vault to anyone but me. I will be going away and will be here only every couple months. I need you, the account manager, to watch over it and not tell anyone what is going on."
The goblin raised he clawed hands and scratched his chin. "Mr. Potter I am not sure if you are aware, but you do have more than one vault. As for the rest it can be arranged. "
"There's more than one?" he stared incredulously at him. He pulled out a book and placed it onto the desk top.
"Yes there are a total of 57 vaults under the Potter name and another 15 under the Black name. "
"That's not possible the black vaults belong to Sirius. And I'm not a Black."
"Well Mister Potter, you were named the heir to the Black legacy when your Godfather past. If it is any consolation your great grandmother was a Black. "He opened the book and passed it across the desk to Harry. "This is a record of all the transactions for the past 17 years. I want you to look it over and tell us if there is any discrepancy."
Harry looked at the book of date after date. "Is there a possible way to split this information up and show the trust fund, Potter Vaults, and Black Vaults?" The goblin snapped his fingers and the information rearranged itself. "Ah well that makes this so much easier. This top page is all I have ever authorized or done myself as it is the trust fund." He turned through the potter vaults. "Everything else to do with the Potter vaults I have no recollection of. Who authorized it?"
The book was pulled back to the goblin as he shifted through this information. He pointed out a few things. "These numbers here are investments your parents made before they died that are continuing to bring in income. All other dealing with these accounts was authorized by your magical guardian."
"And who would that be?"
"Albus Dumbledore."
He pulled the book back across to him and looked at the numbers again. "But… why would he take my money?"
"There could be many reasons though the fact that the Dumbledore's are well off contradicts all those."
"Is there a way to get the money back?"
The Goblin smiled and wrote a brief note before nodding. Harry decided that the smile might just make it impossible to sleep later that night. "Of course we can. That will be no problem. Would you like us to do the same for the Black accounts?"
Harry looked back through the book. "Yes if there are any transactions that were not done by Sirius or were authorized by him." He pushed the book back to the goblin.
"Some of these where done by other members of the black family. Would you still like us to do this?"
"Which members?"
"The first and foremost are the cousins. Narcissa and Bellatrix."
"I don't want them having access to the vaults. The can keep whatever money they have already taken but any items, I want returned." A black ring with an emerald appeared on his right hand. A ghost of something past through him. The papers on the desk ruffled a bit, "what was that?"
"The Black magic has recognized you as the heir and now Lord Black. You will probably experience some changes the next coming months due to its acceptance. You are the head of the family. Any Black, whether married or not, will have to listen to you."
He looked at the ring a second longer before looking up. "What why?"
"The Black family is one of the oldest pureblood families. In the system they are at the top. Just under the Potters. But because you are Lord Black and above all the families that they have married into, they must obey you. You could take so much from them as the new head so they will likely try not to lose your favor. If they have already lost your favor I advise you to give them all one last chance. Outside of families they can be different."
He thought for a moment before shaking his head. "I see no reason why my opinions may change of them but I will do as you suggest."
The goblin bowed his head.
"If I am the Lord Black why am I not the Lord Potter?"
Griphook thought for a moment before looking at him. "Each families magic recognizes the Lord in a different way. I am unsure what you have to accomplish before it recognizes you."
Harry shrugged then shrugged. "Why do the Potters have more vaults then the Blacks?"
The goblin shook his head. "Until you are the Lord Potter that is something I cannot tell you."
Harry stood. "Then I guess that's all I require." He hesitated. "Can I get a list of all black properties?" the goblin handed him a small stack of papers before he finished standing. He nodded as he took it and the leather bag sitting on the desk. "Thank you Griphook. I trust you will tell no one?"
"Yes Lord Black. Though the Members of the Black family know there is a new head."
He nodded his head and walked from the room. As he walked through the building he felt more than saw the familiar magic. He looked to the side and saw Narcissa Malfoy talking to a goblin; he shook his head and continued walking to the apparation point.
`Number 12`
He landed in the street and walked towards the black door. It seems the place just doesn't change. The door opened before he touched the handle. The place was dark. And it was silent. It seemed that no one had been there. He nodded that was good. The door closed silently behind him as he made his way down the hall. He felt the wards for any holes and paused in his walk. It was curious; anyone who knew of the house could get through the wards.
"That needs to be changed." He felt the wards shift around him, changing to his specifications. No more holes. He nodded his head and continued into the kitchen. Muttering was coming from the cupboard, Kreacher. He looked around the dimly lit room and grimaced. The first thing they were going to do was clean this place.
"Kreacher!" the cupboard door opened a fraction and dull black eyes squinted out. "Now!" the elf moved through the door and looked defiantly back at Harry.
Harry looked around the room again. "We are going to clean the house. We are NOT going to be getting rid of anything. But I refuse to see this place constantly covered in dust." Kreacher looked around the room. Before looking back at him, wringing his hands in the towel wrapped around his body. Harry noticed this and sighed. "You do not have to ask me to speak. I would like us to get along. Now where do you think we should start?" the elf pulled on his ears.
"You are to be Kreachers master?"
"Yes, will that be a problem?"
"Will master be demanding all dark things thrown like the ginger blood traitor?"
Harry looked calmly at the elf for a moment. "We will not be getting rid of anything. But I will not tolerate you using the words mudblood or blood traitor. You can mutter them to yourself all you want but do not say them where I or anyone else can hear you. Okay?"
"Master will be like traitorous son of mistress?"
"Sirius? No I will not be a master like him. Can we just start cleaning and then you can decide what you think of me okay?" Getting annoyed Harry pulled out his wand and started cleaning the room. Starting with the pile of dishes collecting dust on the counter. Charming them to clean themselves and put themselves away he moved on to hours of work.
' hours later'
"FILTHY HALFBLOOD!"
"SHUT IT YOU OLD BINT."
"HOW DARE YOU…"
"GET IT THROUGH THAT PAINTED SKULL OF YOURS I AM HERE AND THERE IS NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT! I am now the Lord Black. For your information I am not a half blood. Magic doesn't just appear out of nowhere. The Evens are squibs and that makes magic on both sides … so pure blood. Just shut it and get used to it. I would like to come home at least half the time without having some dead crazy purist screaming at me!"
Walburga Black glared at him. "You are not even a Black, how the Family magic accepted you over my nieces I shall never know."
"You know I told the goblin the exact same thing but it turns out that my grandmother was a Black. You sister I believe. That does make me part of the Black Family. Hello Great Aunt." At that Harry Potter Black waved at the portrait and headed back down the stairs. Kreacher looked at him with wide eyes as he headed towards the door.
"Master be leaving?"
Harry turned and looked at the elf. The house was much cleaner now that they had been working on it. "Yes Kreacher, I will be leaving. Keep this place clean will ya? I will call you if I need you but I need to go train. And I cannot do that here. But I will be back." Kreacher wrung his hands in the dirty towel.
"Kreacher will wait for master then." With a nod the elf looked up at Harry.
"Thank you Kreacher. I want you to look clean too. We are the house of Black. So find yourself a new black towel to wear." He grabbed the door handle and stepped into the night.
"Potter…"
A/N so another chapter… I really didn't know how to end this but that it. Cliffy. Just don't kill me for it. This chapter feels like it has nothing in it and oddly I feel disappointed with it. but that's how it is for now. I will be writing up the next soon. Though I should probably update some others before I have people hunting me down. Until next time!
