The idea of marked Death Eaters being chattel, I borrowed from "Charley does the Foxtrot—A new take" by Steve2. (Who in turn took the idea from "Charlie does the Foxtrot or Damn the Torpedoes" by Lady FoxFire.) I then took that "chattel" idea and have put my own evil twists on it, myuhaha.

In this story, I am mostly, but not completely, ignoring "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child."

Chapter 4
The Angry Goblin King

One second later
Still the day after the successful Gringotts break-in
Still in Director Ragnok's office, Gringotts Bank

Of the three magicals, only Narcissa was standing; Heir Potter and Miss Granger were unwillingly kneeling on the floor.

Director Ragnok yelled at the teenagers, "These are your crimes: Yesterday you two, plus Ronald Weasley and the thief Griphook, entered the bank in disguise or invisible. You, Mr Potter, Imperiused teller Bogrod when he challenged Miss Granger, who was disguised as Bellatrix Lestrange. You two, plus Ronald Weasley and the thief Griphook, broke into the vault of Bellatrix Lestrange. You two, plus Ronald Weasley and the thief Griphook, stole from the vault of Bellatrix Lestrange. Later, in order to make your escape, you two, plus Ronald Weasley, stole a Gringotts guard-dragon, and you two, plus Ronald Weasley, whilst riding the dragon, destroyed the front doors of the bank! You cannot deny these facts."

Heir Potter said, "Your statements are true but misleading—"

"Explain," the goblin growled.

"Once we entered Bellatrix's vault, I admit I intended to take the Sword of Gryffindor that was in the vault, but Griphook double-crossed us and he took the Sword, which we really, really needed. We didn't take any coinage. In the vault I saw a magical photograph of teenaged Tom Riddle, which I bloody wanted to destroy, but I didn't destroy the photo, nor did I take the photo with me. We—Hermione, Ron and I—took the Cup of Helga Hufflepuff, and that was all. If Griphook hadn't betrayed us and alerted the guards, we would've walked out of the bank—no need to steal the dragon, and no need to wreck the front doors. But we needed to get the Cup out of Gringotts. When the only way we could do this was to steal a dragon, we stole a dragon."

Narcissa spoke up. "Director Ragnok, may I speak?"

The clearly angry goblin grunted.

Narcissa said, "For seven years, Heir Potter has often been mentioned in letters that my son wrote home. Never has Draco mentioned any reason to believe that Heir Potter is a thief. But judging by Draco's letters, Heir Potter is insanely brave."

"Truly," said Miss Granger.

Narcissa looked at Heir Potter and asked, "Why did you want to steal the Sword of Gryffindor? Why did you steal Hufflepuff's Cup? After all, you can't very well display them on your mantle at Potter Manor—you'd be known as a thief instantly."

Harry answered, "The Cup was a horcrux—"

"A horcrux!" Ragnok yelled.

At the same time, Narcissa asked, "What's a horcrux?"

Heir Potter looked over his shoulder at Narcissa. "Do you truly not know what a horcrux is, or are you pretending? Your husband Lucius slipped the diary of Tom Marvolo Riddle into Ginny Weasley's book bag in August of '92. The diary was another horcrux. This is how the 'Heir of Slytherin' disaster started in our second year."

"I know nothing about this. Within a year of our marriage, Lucius began keeping secrets from me. Again I ask: 'The Cup was a horcrux,' what does this mean?"

Harry answered, "The Cup had a piece of Voldemort's soul attached to it. So long as this piece of soul wasn't destroyed, killing Voldemort's body wouldn't end him; instead, killing his body would again turn him into a wraith. I needed the Sword of Gryffindor to destroy the Cup—and therefore, to destroy the Cup's horcrux."

Ragnok snarled, "That wicked wizard made two horcruxes?"

Heir Potter replied, "Actually, he made seven—six intentionally, one accidentally. So long as even one of the seven was not destroyed, Voldemort wouldn't truly die. Now do you understand, Director Ragnok, why I went to such extremes to remove the Cup from Bellatrix's vault?"

Director Ragnok said, "Horcruxes are an abomination! Had you come to us and told us, 'Bellatrix Lestrange's vault has a horcrux in it; here's what it looks like,' we would've removed it and destroyed it without you making us angry."

Harry said, "With all due respect, Director, I'd no idea what would happen if we told you about the horcrux. The worst-case scenario was that I tell Gringotts about the Cup-horcrux, then you owl Bellatrix, then the Cup is moved to someplace where nobody but Voldemort and Bellatrix knows where it is. This would have been disastrous for us who were fighting Voldemort, so I couldn't let this happen."

Miss Granger said bravely, "I agree with Harry, sir." She explained, "Admittedly we have no idea how Gringotts works—but in Harry's experience at Hogwarts, 'Tell the people in charge' results in nothing being done and time being wasted until Harry fixes the problem himself. That's why it was Harry, not a professor, who wound up killing the basilisk that petrified me."

"What?" Director Ragnok roared. "He killed a basilisk? Are you lying to me?"

Director Ragnok had heard nothing about a basilisk. Narcissa had known about students being petrified (Draco had written home about this), but neither Draco nor Lucius had told Narcissa that the cause of those petrifications was a basilisk, or that the basilisk had been slain. Nor had either male Malfoy told Narcissa who had slain the basilisk.

It was Narcissa who suggested that Heir Potter give memories of being in Bellatrix's vault and of slaying the basilisk, to show that Harry Potter was not lying.

Director Ragnok's attitude towards Heir Potter warmed up a little when he saw that in Bellatrix's vault, memory-Harry was surrounded by galleons but showed no interest in taking them. Director Ragnok clearly was impressed, reluctantly, when he saw memory-Harry stab the roof of the basilisk's mouth with the Sword of Gryffindor.

Director Ragnok said, "I shall let you two live—you two and Ronald Weasley, when he enters the bank."

Heir Potter and Miss Granger, who still were kneeling on the floor, sighed in relief.

Director Ragnok continued, "But don't think I'll let you off easily, Mr Potter—you shall be fined. Exactly how much, still must be determined."

Director Ragnok spoke words in Gobbledygook. The goblin guards saluted the director (their king?) and left.

Director Ragnok moved to sit in his fancy chair behind his huge stone desk, and conjured three chairs in front of the desk. Narcissa sat gracefully, and waited for Heir Potter and Miss Granger to take seats in the other two chairs.

By the time those two sat in the chairs, Narcissa had a plan of sorts.

One second later

Narcissa asked Director Ragnok, seemingly guilelessly, "How much does a genealogy/inheritance test cost? Miss Granger believes that all her ancestors are nonmagical, but I suspect that the truth is otherwise."

Miss Granger took a breath, looking ready to argue. Then Heir Potter murmured, "Hermione, go with it." Miss Granger instantly calmed down.

Director Ragnok replied, "The test is ten galleons for ten generations, regardless of the results."

Narcissa said, "One of the reasons we came here today was to get a genealogy/inheritance test for Heir Potter. Also for ten galleons, though I'm sure Heir Potter's results will be quite different from Miss Granger's."

"Quite true," Director Ragnok said, shooting Narcissa a sharp look. She was sure that the director had been tempted to overcharge Heir Potter for his test, had Narcissa not nailed down the price.

Heir Potter told Director Ragnok, "I'll pay for Hermione's test."

"Harry—"

"You can pay me back later, 'Mione. Maybe."

Director Ragnok yelled into a wooden box. Half a minute later, a young goblin ran in carrying two long sheets of double-width parchment. The sheets of parchment were each shiny, as if they had been coated with something.

Director Ragnok waved his hand, and ten galleon coins appeared on his desk. Ragnok waved his hand again, and the gold coins disappeared.

Director Ragnok put one sheet of shiny parchment aside, but moved the other shiny parchment so that one end of it was in front of Miss Granger. "Three drops of blood, please," he said.

Director Ragnok gave a small knife to Miss Granger, she sliced her finger, then dripped three drops of blood onto the parchment. Director Ragnok waved a hand, and the knife was clean of blood; he waved his hand again, and Miss Granger's finger was healed and bloodless.

Meanwhile, the three red drops of blood had disappeared from the parchment; then names and lines began to appear, in black, blue and green. (Black meant magical and blue meant Muggle; Squibs were listed in green.)

Given the similarity of their respective names, Narcissa was only surprised, not shocked, that Miss Granger was descended from Charles Dagworth-Granger, who was the previous Head of that House. According to the parchment, Miss Granger now was Lady Dagworth-Granger as soon as she claimed the title; she would inherit a ring, family crest and vault.

But it was a different part of Miss Granger's genealogy that made Narcissa stare. She stabbed a finger down on the parchment and pointed out, "Look here, Miss Granger, you're descended from Ramses Malfoy," Lucius's great-grandfather.

Miss Granger peered at the parchment. "Uh-huh, Ramses Malfoy through his Squib son, Stephanus Malfoy/Steven Moffitt. Hm, Ramses and I are four generations apart, which makes Draco and I..."

"Third cousins," Narcissa said.

Heir Potter grinned. "Oh, Draco will love hearing this."

Miss Granger glanced at Narcissa, then replied to Heir Potter, "I'm not happy either, you know. I'm related to the ferret."

Miss Hermione Granger became Lady Hermione Dagworth-Granger by donning a ring that shrank to fit her finger. Director Ragnok handed her a vault key.

She said, "When Ron sees this"—the ring—"this will pretty much kill our friendship." Heir Potter nodded.

Then it was Heir Potter's turn to drip his blood and to get his ancestors listed. But Heir Potter asked, "Instead of ten generations for ten galleons, how much for fifteen generations?"

Director Ragnok replied, "That will be one hundred galleons."

Heir Potter asked angrily, "How do you figure that?"

Director Ragnok replied, "Ten generations means 2 047 names. Fifteen generations means 65 535 names listed—thirty-two times as many. Per name, wizard, you're getting a bargain."

"Fine," snapped Heir Potter. "Take the hundred galleons from my trust vault."

Director Ragnok waved his hand twice, and a pile of galleon coins appeared on his desk, then disappeared.

Half a minute later, Heir Potter's parchment had lengthened and widened, and was filling up with names—tiny names. Even so, the parchment was almost solid with black, blue and green names, and lines connecting them.

The Potter line of direct patrilineal descent was at the left edge of the parchment—Harry James Potter, son of James Charlus Potter, son of Charlus Fleamont Potter...

Narcissa was shocked to see so many blue (Muggle) names and green (Squib) names on Heir Potter's genealogy. Heir Potter's "Muggle-born" mother, Lily Marie Evans, was actually the daughter of two Squibs. Even more startling, Lily Evans was descended on her father's side from a Yaxley Squib, and on her mother's side was illegitimately descended from Ronald Lancelot Weasley. Nor was Lily Evans Potter the only Muggle-born who was the wife of a Potter—six times in fifteen generations, a Lord Potter was married to a black-named witch with blue-named or green-named parents.

Something else caught Narcissa's eye: A problem that was considered to be "universal" among Noble families, the Potters did not have. The Potter line passed unbroken from wizard-father to wizard-son—no "Lady Potter" Head of House was listed because her brothers were unborn or were Squibs; and no "Lord Potter" was the son, grandson or great-grandson of a Potter Squib.

Narcissa wondered if the two facts, that the Lords Potter had so many Muggle ancestors, and the Lords Potter did not sire Squibs, could be related.

Narcissa was so fascinated by the strange goings-on in the Potter genealogy that it took her a while to realise that Heir Potter and Lady Dagworth-Granger were talking excitedly about something different.

Directly under the black, blue and green names of the Harry James Potter genealogy was the following text—

.

Lord Black (pending claim of title)

• Black Manor in London, England (unplottable)

• Black winter house in Dover, Kent County, England (unplottable)

• Black Island, Caribbean Sea (unplottable)

• Black family vault 21—coinage G26 496 346

• Arcturus R Black personal vault—coinage G289 697

Lord Potter (pending claim of title)

• Potter Manor in Gwynedd County, Wales (damaged, wards down)

• Potter holiday house in Languedoc-Roussillon Region, France (unplottable)

• Potter holiday house in Campania Regione, Italy (unplottable)

• Potter family vault 14—coinage G44 835 372

• Harry J Potter trust vault 687—coinage G48 135

.

These things did not surprise Narcissa. What did surprise Narcissa—and, it seemed, the teenagers as well—was what else was written at the bottom of the parchment—

.

• Gift vault 1778 to Harry J Potter (1981)—coinage G22 000

• Gift vault 1779 to Harry J Potter (1981)—coinage G8 600

• Gift vault 1780 to Harry J Potter (1981)—coinage G10 000

• Gift vault 1781 to Harry J Potter (1981)—coinage G15 000

• Gift vault 1782 to Harry J Potter (1981)—coinage G16 885

• Gift vault 1783 to Harry J Potter (1981)—coinage G27 000

• Gift vault 1784 to Harry J Potter (1981)—coinage G5 000

• Gift vault 1785 to Harry J Potter (1981)—1981 Nissan Skyline automobile (in stasis)

Titles and property of Tom M Riddle, claimable by Right of Conquest

• Riddle Manor, Little Hangleton village, Lancashire County, England (unplottable)

• Thomas H Riddle saving account 39567030, Barclay Bank—£126.48

• Tom M Riddle personal vault 2711—coinage G245 185 956

• Chattel: All Dark Mark-marked Death Eaters who are still alive—too many to list

• Chattel Houses (in which the Head of House took the Dark Mark and became Riddle's chattel)—Avery, Crabbe, Flint, Goyle, Lestrange, Macnair, Malfoy, Mulciber, Nott, Parkinson, Rookwood, Rowle, Scabior, Selwyn, Travers, and Yaxley.

Lord Slytherin (Heiress: Delphini Riddle)

No property. Ring is lost.

• Slytherin family vault 4—coinage G83

Lord Gaunt (Heiress: Delphini Riddle)

Ring is destroyed.

• Gaunt hovel, Little Hangleton village, Lancashire County, England (unplottable)

No Gaunt family vault

.

Heir Potter asked, "Narcissa, what does this mean, that the Death Eaters are now my 'chattel'?"

Narcissa replied, "Everything they owned, you now own. You get their votes in the Wizengamot. Their vaults are yours. You can Apparate directly into their family manors and their wards won't stop you. Their house elves must obey you. You also own chattel people as slaves—you don't need the Imperius or the Confundus to command them. You could command the Carrows to jump off the Astronomy Tower, and they couldn't stop themselves from leaping to their deaths."

Lady Dagworth-Granger blurted, "That's horrible!"

Harry was thoughtful. "But it's also useful."

"Harry!" Lady Dagworth-Granger yelled, sounding horrified.

He shrugged. "The living Death Eaters can cause trouble in the future—except I have the power to stop them now. So long as the living Death Eaters can make trouble, the Dark Lord isn't truly vanquished, Hermione. I have to think about this."

"Harry, the Imperius is outlawed for a reason. You're talking about something the same as that."

Narcissa shook her head. "Not so. Legally, commanding one's own chattel-people is quite different from Imperiusing them. Laws that the Purebloods passed, make this quite clear; it's not Heir Potter's fault if he takes advantage of those laws to hoist the Purebloods on their own petard."

Heir Potter looked over the parchment and said, "There is something else I need to figure out, once I claim all this: Who is Heiress Delphini Riddle, and what do I do about her?"

Narcissa felt a magical oath release her. She said, "Delphini Riddle, born 16th June 1997, is my niece. She's the child of my sister Bella and the Dark Lord. Right now she's in Malfoy Manor."

Heir Potter said, "Now she's an orphan in nappies. Poor girl."

Lady Dagworth-Granger said, "You know she'll be evil when she grows up."

He sighed. "I do know that, but I also know that an orphan's life is awful. Tom had a shitty childhood because he was an orphan, and I had a shitty childhood because I was an orphan. When you're an orphan, no adult cares for you, no adult fights for you. Bollocks—even if she's born to be evil, I can't just drop her off at an orphanage and say, 'Good luck, kid. Write me in ten years when you get to Hogwarts.' I need to figure out a way to give this baby girl a better life than Tom and I had."

Director Ragnok said, "One minor consequence of Right of Conquest is that even if Mr Riddle and Mrs Lestrange died with wills—which they didn't—their wishes wouldn't matter. You are the child's guardian now, Mr Potter."

"Oh my," said Heir Potter.

Lady Dagworth-Granger said, "Harry, you're the only magical person in wizarding Britain even to think about adopting the child of Voldemort and Crazy Bella. I don't know whether to hug you and to kiss you, or to smack your arm for talking foolishness."

Narcissa said, "Here's a suggestion: Blood-adopt her. Then magically and genetically, the child would be yours, and her evil blood-traits would be diluted."

Heir Potter nodded. "It's a thought."

Heir Potter asked Director Ragnok, "Would you please explain 'Right of Conquest' to me?"

Ragnok answered, "Normally when you die, your property is given to your heirs and assigns. If you died because a Head of House killed you, this changes nothing—all your property goes to your heirs and assigns, whilst the Head of House wizard who killed you gets nothing. But if a Head of House tries to kill you but you, in defending yourself, instead kill him, then his property doesn't go to his heirs and assigns, it goes to you. Mr Riddle was Head of House Gaunt and Head of House Slytherin, he has tried on many occasions to kill you, but today you killed him. His property is yours."

Lady Dagworth-Granger stabbed a number on the parchment with her finger. "The amount of galleons you gain by ROC is insane, Harry."

Director Ragnok said to Heir Potter, "Now that we know how rich you are, it is time I levy your fine."

Narcissa said, "Understanding, of course, that Heir Potter will move his hoard of coinage and treasures to DwerfBank Suisse, should he feel that your fine is unreasonable, considering that he stole only a horcruxed metal cup and a dragon. Whilst you also understand that the dwarves would be eager to help Heir Potter transfer everything."

Director Ragnok scowled at Narcissa's mention of the dwarves-run magical bank in Switzerland, which fiercely competed outside Britain with Gringotts.

Lady Dagworth-Granger said, "The dragon we stole, it was blind. You can't charge Harry full value."

Director Ragnok said to Heir Potter, "If you can be compassionate to the child of your enemy, you are either a kind wizard or a foolish wizard, but you are not a thieving wizard. I will reclaim vault 1783, which has the most coinage—twenty-seven thousand galleons—of all your gift vaults; then you, Lady Dagworth-Granger and Mr Weasley will again be customers in good standing in Gringotts."

Harry nodded. "Thank you, Director Ragnok. I accept your fine, and look forward to again enjoying good relations with Gringotts."

After this, it took only twenty minutes for Harry to claim his twenty Houses, to put on his twenty House rings, and to be issued his forty-two new vault keys.

When all this was done, Harry asked Director Ragnok for permission to draw his wand, received the permission, then drew his wand and pointed it at the ceiling. Harry looked at Narcissa and said formally, "Narcissa, I as Lord Black restore you to the Black family. You no longer are part of the Malfoy family, and thus are not chattel. So mote it be." Narcissa glowed for a second.

Narcissa curtseyed to Harry as she said to him, "Thank you, Lord Potter. I like having free choice."

Harry asked Ragnok for permission to summon a house-elf, received the permission, then called Kreacher. Pop.

Harry was greeted with "How can Kreacher serve disgraceful halfblood master?"

Harry ordered Kreacher, "Bring Black Manor's Ward Ledger here." Pop. Pop. Kreacher was holding the old book in his hands.

Harry explained to Hermione, "This book says who can enter Grimmauld Place. Family can Portkey in or Apparate in, Friends can Floo in, and One-Time Visitors can Floo in once."

Harry opened the Ledger and crossed out every name under "Friends," including Hermione's name—

"Oi!" she said.

—then Harry wrote Hermione's name and Narcissa's name under "Family."

Harry closed the Ward Ledger, handed it to Kreacher, then said to the old house-elf, "Narcissa Black again will be living at Black Manor. Come when she calls you, and obey her orders. In the meantime, clean the place up, to Narcissa's satisfaction. Will you comply?"

Kreacher no longer looked surly; instead, he looked relieved. "Kreacher will comply. Kreacher lives to serve the House of Black."

Narcissa said, "Go now, Kreacher, but listen for my call." Pop.

Then Harry said to Director Ragnok, "Hermione and I need to marry as quickly as possible. What are our options, both magical and Muggle?"

Director Ragnok looked meaningfully at Hermione's stomach before he answered.

As Lord Potter-etc, Lady Dagworth-Granger and Narcissa walked out of Director Ragnok's office and returned to the Gringotts lobby, Lord Potter-etc said, "Narcissa, you were amazing. I was sure that Hermione and I were dead meat, but you calmed Ragnok down and got him to see reason."

Lady Dagworth-Granger smiled at Narcissa. "I'm sure your words about DwerfBank Suisse nudged the director into lowering Harry's fine. Thank you."

Lord Potter-etc nodded. "I'm in a good place right now, and it's all because of you."

Narcissa blushed. From time to time, Lucius had thanked Narcissa for acts of diplomacy that she had done for him; but Narcissa always had felt like Lucius had thanked her only because some etiquette book had told him to do so. Whereas now, Lord Potter-etc's words and the bushy-haired Lady's words sounded heartfelt, and both teens were smiling at Narcissa—she felt appreciated for the first time in her life since she had left Hogwarts.

Harry said to Narcissa, "Riddle's daughter Delphini still is in Malfoy Manor, right? Where she'd been raised by Bellatrix?"

"And by Debby, one of the Malfoy house-elves. But Bella asked Euphemia Rowle to raise the child if Bella couldn't."

Harry said, "No. No orphan needs the shit of being raised by a Death Eater's wife who's not close kin. I call Malfoy house-elf Debby."

Pop. It was obvious at a glance that Debby was Dobby's sister—fortunately, Debby was not so excitable as her brother. "How can Debby serve new Lord Malfoy?" she asked.

Harry replied, "First of all, I'm Lord Malfoy by Right of Conquest, not by inheritance; so my name isn't Malfoy, it's Potter—Harry Potter. Secondly, the little girl, Delphini, still is in Malfoy Manor, right?"

"Yes, Lord Harry Potter-Malfoy sir. But Femmie Rowle wants Mistress Narcy to let her take baby to Rowle Mansion."

Harry said, "No. Keep the girl there at Malfoy Manor, and you elves take care of her, till either my wife and I adopt her or we decide not to adopt her. Can you do that?"

"Debby can, Lord Harry Potter-Malfoy sir!"

After the house-elf popped away, Hermione said to Harry, "You hate the idea of even Voldemort's daughter being raised by someone who doesn't care for her, don't you?"

Elsewhere in the Gringotts lobby

Draco Malfoy was angry and scared.

According to the Malfoy account manager, everything that House Malfoy owned, right down to the towels in the bathrooms, now belonged to the Dark Lord's killer: Harry Potter. And Draco himself, as a marked Death Eater, now was Potter's slave.

What would happen now? Potter was not an angry person (usually), and he was not a vengeful person—but if Potter were inclined to take revenge on anyone, the "anyone" would be Draco Lucius Malfoy.

Draco felt doomed.

Down amongst the Gringotts vaults

Harry and Hermione went to Harry's trust vault just long enough for him to fill a bottomless moneybag with several hundred galleons. Then they went to the Dagworth-Granger vault.

Hermione already knew that there was more than G20 000 (£100 000) in the vault. But the vault also had books, mostly about potions, starting with Potiones Maked Simplex. Harry gave Hermione a half-hour, then he had to basically drag her out of the vault.

Once the teens were back in the Gringotts lobby, Lady Dagworth-Granger puzzled Narcissa (and annoyed Draco) by walking to a teller queue, instead of walking out the (nonexistent) front doors as Draco so clearly wished to do.

It turned out that the bushy-haired new Head of House had gone before a teller to convert a sackful of gold galleons into several hundred pounds' worth of Muggle Britain notes. Narcissa was polite enough not to ask Why would you want to do such a thing? Everything you could possibly want to buy is in the magical world.

When the foursome walked into the Leaky Cauldron, Lord Potter-etc called for Debby, and told her to bring the Malfoy Manor Ward Ledger. In the Ledger, Lord Potter-Malfoy crossed out all "Family" entries except for Narcissa, Draco and Delphini, then wrote in the names of himself and Lady Dagworth-Granger. All the names in the "Friends" section were unpermitted at once, with a giant 'X' on each of two pages. The name of "Euphemia Rowle" also was lined through. Lord Potter-Malfoy gave the Ward Ledger back to Debby and thanked the house-elf for her time, then Debby popped away.

Narcissa thought, Who thanks a house-elf?

Once the Malfoy Ward Ledger was updated, Lady Dagworth-Granger surprised Narcissa again. The teen girl gave her future husband a look, then said to Narcissa and Draco, "You two Floo back to Hogwarts. There's a book I want to buy in a Muggle bookshop."

Lord Potter-etc laughed. "Just one book, Hermione?"

She slapped his arm.

Narcissa had no idea of the eventual results of Hermione Dagworth-Granger buying this one Muggle book.