She came downstairs stopped as she saw him sitting on the couch reading a book. His back was facing her so he hadn't noticed that she was there and she preferred it that way unlike her sister who was ecstatic by his company.

It had been a few days since Harry Potter had started living in their house and as he and her parents had expected she did not take this well. So her parents had talked to her that night Harry came to their house and told her everything. To say she was surprised would be an understatement as she had never expected any of it. And the fact that her parents knew his mother…that their mothers were very close friends…she didn't know how to process it.

But unlike other people of her age Daphne was very mature which is why she knew her parents trusted her with almost everything. She had seen how hesitant he was…even now. That was to be expected, especially from a guy like him. With new revelations and a new family, who could take it all and feel normal about it?

Harry had often come to her as a shy, reserved kind of a boy. She had based her assumptions on the fact that she had barely seen him talking to other students – even in Gryffindor – other than his friends Ron and Hermione. If they weren't around then he mostly kept to himself.

But there were rumors surrounding him but being the kind of girl Daphne barely believed in those or any rumors. They were also very weird and sounded impossible. It was said that in their first year Professor Quirrel was actually a host for he, who must not be named and that Harry had defeated him. Then there was the whole fiasco surrounding Slytherin's heir in their second year and the fact that Harry could speak parseltongue sort of confirmed that theory for many students.

Then at the end of last year a new rumor spread that he had apparently battled hundreds of dementors all by himself. It sounded as ridiculous as Snape praising a Gryffindor.

In all honesty she didn't know his real nature…his character or what he was like as she had never talked to him but there was one thing about him that she liked and it was his open animosity towards Draco. No one, not even a hot-headed Gryffindor had enough confidence to stand up to Draco unless they were muggleborns and didn't know who he was. It technically was the same case with Harry though.

Apparently he was raised by his muggle relatives in a muggle environment and knew nothing about magic until the day his Hogwarts letter had arrived. So it was pretty obvious that he didn't know the big names in Magical Britain. That and he and Draco's animosity had started since day one after they'd come to Hogwarts.

So there was one thing about him that she approved of but that didn't mean she was accepting him living with them. The fact that she had no say in this was something she understood but yet wished that her parents had at least told her about this before they actually had him come and live with them.

Harry put the book down when he felt someone was looking at him. He turned around and saw Daphne just standing there looking at him with an expressionless face. It was her normal look but he knew that she didn't feel welcoming of him and he could understand why. He had a few theories and he believed at least one of them to be the reason for her disapproval of his presence in her house.

Number one was that all of this had happen somewhat suddenly. It was the same for the Greengrass family as it was for him. His second theory was that he was a Gryffindor and she was a Slytherin. Their house rivalry and animosity was like an unspoken law of the very nature itself. His third theory was Daphne herself.

He'd noticed her once or twice and unlike other Slytherins she barely talked to anyone other than her friend Tracey Davis, a fellow Slytherin in the same year. Other than that she was famously called Ice Princess, firstly because character-wise she was as cold as ice itself and secondly her beauty was known in all of Hogwarts. In fact, it was rather annoying how much Dean and Seamus had talked about her last year and now that he thought about it Harry knew this year was going to be the same. Those two were like the male version of Padma and Lavender, gossiping about other girls and spreading rumors.

But he couldn't ignore the fact that Daphne was indeed beautiful even though he didn't have any type of feelings for her. He simply didn't care about such things. His days at Hogwarts – when he wasn't in any danger – was spent in the company of his two best friends, doing assignments and flying on his broom whenever he wasn't practicing for Quidditch.

But now that he was living with her he knew things would be different. Two people who had never talked or barely looked at each other were now living together. Harry had to reluctantly agree to his new living conditions after a thorough discussion with Matt and Anna. What they had said made sense and if it was really true that Dumbledore didn't want Harry to find out about his parents' will, he wanted to know why.

He had also discussed with Matt and Anna about his parents wanting to make him an emancipated minor. Becoming so would make Harry take his own decisions which could come in handy seeing the situation he was in but Matt suggested that he kept his emancipation a secret as long as necessary.

Once it was decided Matt went to the ministry and had Harry become his and Anna's official ward in care. He also paid the ministry official a little extra to bury the documents deep within the records so it wouldn't be found easily if not at all. After that the three went to Gringotts where Harry's emancipation test was taken and he received full control of his family's affairs and wealth via a ring which all family heads wore. He could easily hide it so no one could know that he was emancipated, or that he was the head of his family.

He also asked Barefang about the investigation and Barefang informed him that it was goblin Griphook who was involved in the theft and that he himself had confirmed that it was Molly Weasely who was stealing money from his vault. All of the money was going to a personal vault she had opened in her name which Gringotts had now sealed and Griphook had been tried as per goblin law. Barefang also informed Harry that the stolen money will be put back in his vault in a few days' time.

After the long day had come to an end Harry was somewhat relieved but there were more questions in his mind. The first thing was that he was supposed to leave for the Burrow this coming week but now he realized that he couldn't. He couldn't look at the face of the woman whom he'd previously thought as a motherly figure now that he knew that she had stolen from him. He also didn't know whether other Weaselys were in on this so he had decided not to go to the Burrow.

That meant he was going to live with the Greengrasses until he left for Hogwarts and while he was somewhat okay with it his mind wandered over to Daphne. He really didn't want anyone to feel burdened because of his presence and Daphne seemed to feel exactly that apparently.

She was exactly the opposite of her sister Astoria who, by now, had proclaimed Harry as her brother. Wherever he went she went with him. If he was in the garden she was with him. She wouldn't eat unless he ate with her. Matt had told him that Astoria always wanted a brother and now that Harry was living with them her wish was fulfilled.

In all honesty he liked being in her company too. He often wondered whether he'd had a younger sibling if his parents were still alive. So in a way his wish for a sibling was also fulfilled as he wondered if this is what it meant to have a family.

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When Molly Weasely found herself surrounded by a bunch of aurors she didn't know what was going on. She had come to Gringotts to withdraw some money when she was ambushed by them in the atrium as other people looked at her and the aurors in confusion.

As she stood there in utter shock an auror, the head of the auror group walked up to her and presented her with a document. She looked at it and her whole body trembled. It was an arrest warrant of her for committing the crime of stealing from someone else's vault. At the bottom of it she saw that the warrant was requested by the goblin nation.

Her head turned to where Griphook often sat during his shift and saw another goblin in his place. Her anger flared. That blasted creature had stabbed her in the back. Maybe she should've increased his share when he'd asked for it. She didn't know that he would throw her under the bus because of it.

"Molly Weasely," the auror said, "you are hereby arrested for stealing money from vault 687 with the aid of one goblin called Griphook. Until proven guilty or innocent of the accusation you will remain in auror custody. If there is someone you want to call or meet it will be arranged on your behalf."

She stood shell-shocked when a bright flash of light grabbed her attention. Of course there was a reporter with a camera in Gringotts. They were everywhere, sniffing into other people's matters for a spicy article. She gritted her teeth but said nothing. After all these years she had understood that letting her anger take control of her during delicate situations could worsen them. So she simply stood there as an auror cast a binding spell on her before the group took her back to the ministry.

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"I appreciate it, Kingsley," Dumbledore said as Kingsley's face disappeared from the fireplace. Dumbledore looked out the window towards the school grounds. Hogwarts would open within a week for its new term and preparations for the Tri Wizard Tournament were on full swing. Platforms were being constructed on the surface of the black lake and Professor Sprout was overseeing the maze's growth in the Quidditch ground.

The tournament had taken some of Dumbledore's liberties this year because Hogwarts was chosen as the host for this tournament. This meant that he would have to stay in the castle for the majority of the year as he mentally cursed Molly. He had told her not to be greedy, to have patience and ultimately she will have Harry's fortune for herself, but no. She went out of her way to make a copy of Harry's vault key and dragged Griphook into it and now the he was facing goblin justice.

Dumbledore had only one goblin inside Gringotts to keep eyes and ears into its matters and now because of Molly's stupidity he'd lost him too. He knew he couldn't interfere with the Goblin law so Griphook was gone for good. All Dumbledore could do was get Molly out of the situation seeing she had asked for him. After that he and Molly will have a little talk about controlling her greed.

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Harry folded the letter as he looked at it. The letter was from Hermione. Molly had been arrested with her trial still pending as a date for it hadn't been fixed yet. Hermione didn't know the reason behind Molly's arrest from what she'd told Harry in the letter which meant that the Weaselys and more specifically Ron had not told her about it. Harry knew he'd have to be there when Molly's trial happened as he was directly involved with the case seeing as it was his vault that she had stolen from.

On a positive note the Weaselys had to cancel their trip to watch the final match of the Quidditch World Cup. He knew Ron wouldn't be taking it very well as he'd been looking forward to it ever since Arthur had got those tickets. But none of it bothered Harry. He had been thinking of excuses for not going to the Burrow and now he didn't have to. The news about Molly's deeds would've already spread by now. He could see the headline in the evening edition of the Prophet.

"Harry?" He turned around and saw Matt. He, too, had a letter in his hand. Harry hadn't told them about Molly stealing from him or that he knew about it. "We need to talk."

They both went out in the gardens to get some privacy. Matt didn't want her youngest to hear them. She was still very young for all of this. "Did you know…about this?" he asked looking at Harry.

Harry knew after everything that had happened he couldn't hide things from them so he nodded. "I came to know about it the same day I found my parents' will," he said. "Barefang realized that someone was using a copy of my vault key and asked if I had ever given anyone my key."

"It was Molly, wasn't it?" Matt asked. Harry nodded. "This situation creates a possible problem for us." Harry looked at him. "You know why we are trying to keep all of it down – your parents' will and you becoming an emancipated minor. We still don't know why Dumbledore never told you about the will and illegally sent you in the care of your relatives. With Molly's arrest he will definitely know something is off."

"You mean to say that Dumbledore is aware that she was stealing from me?" Harry asked realizing what Matt meant to say.

"She and her family along with a few others are some very closely trusted people of Dumbledore," Matt said. "They were members of his Order back in the day."

"Order?" Harry asked.

"It was a small band of people lead by Dumbledore to fight you-know-who and his followers," Matt said. "They were called the Order of the Phoenix." He then looked at Harry. "Your parents, Sirius and Remus, along with the Weaselys and some other people were part of it. I am sure there must be a picture of all of them somewhere in your vault."

Harry couldn't believe it. "Was it a legal group?" he asked.

"It wouldn't be now," Matt said, "but back in those days anyone fighting against you-know-who and his army was seen as an ally of the good. That, and you-know-who had targeted the ministry so there was no law to break." He then paused for a moment before taking a long breath. "Anna and I have given it some thought," he said slowly. His tone was completely serious, "and we have some theories."

"About what?" Harry asked.

"We think that Dumbledore is not who he wants people to see," he said. Harry looked at him with wide eyes. "I know it's shocking for you but hear me out. I want you to ask yourself this question – why would Dumbledore not want you to know about your parents' will? Why would he put you in the care of your muggle relatives when your parents had already mentioned three families, three magical families to be your legal guardian? You said that you had asked Dumbledore in your first year if you could live in Hogwarts as you didn't want to go back to your relatives."

Harry hadn't told them that the Durselys abused him. All he had told Matt and Ann that they didn't like magical people and so when they found out that Harry was a wizard they didn't take it very well.

"Did he say anything to you?" Matt asked.

"He told me that it was for my safety that I should live with them," Harry said. "He said that Voldemort's followers would try to harm me and that living with my relatives was the only way I could be safe."

Matt flinched every time he heard Harry say Voldemort's name so casually but it was starting to grow on him. He thought about what Harry had just said and there was only one conclusion he could draw out of it. "From the way I think," he said, "Dumbledore told you that probably because he must've erected a ward around your relatives' place."

"He said that my mother's sacrifice protected me from Voldemort's killing curse," Harry said grabbing Matt's attention. "And that it was because of that that I needed to stay with my mom's family so that her protection wouldn't weaken over time."

Matt looked at him in shock for a moment before clearing his throat. "Harry," he said, "why didn't you say this before?" Harry looked at him confused. "There is something we need to check, if that's alright with you?"

Harry nodded slowly, wondering what Matt was talking about. Twenty minutes later he was in the basement with Matt and Anna. The couple had talked about something Harry had no idea about but he was told that he would be told about it once they had confirmed it.

He was made to stand in the center of a rune drawn by Anna in nothing but his underwear. He felt a little exposed but complied with Anna's instructions. She then placed some rune stones around him before activating them as Harry felt a warm feeling wash over him. Ann kept the stones active for about half a minute before casting a non-verbal spell as Harry felt a slight burning sensation in his stomach. He could see Matt and Ann's surprised looks as they looked at him.

"Your guess was right," she said to her husband as Harry realized they were looking at his stomach. So he, too, looked down and to his shock there was a scarred rune around his belly-button.

"Wha…What is that?" he asked, his voice shaking.

Ann cancelled the magic as the scar disappeared slowly. Harry felt a little weak so she handed him a rejuvenating potion. Once he felt better he looked at them and asked the same question again.

"That is a blood-protection magic," Ann said. "I can't believe that she would go this far but seeing that she's your mother I wouldn't doubt it either."

"What are you talking about?" Harry asked as his hand went over to his stomach.

"Your mother cast a blood protection on you, Harry," Ann said. "It is a very old and powerful magic not known to many, especially since the ministry forbid the use of blood magic over a century ago. I am shocked beyond words to find it on you but I am also somewhat not surprised as I sort of expected Lily to do something like this to save you from…him."

"What…is this?" Harry asked.

"In basic terms it is a blood protection charm," Ann said. "The runes are…ancient but from my understanding this protection around you is the reason why you-know-who's killing curse didn't…kill you."

"There has never been a case where an unforgivable curse was blocked by anything magical," Matt said. "No shielding charm, no wards and no conjured items can block an unforgivable spell. Your only option is to dodge it or block them with something physical. To say that this charm protected you from the killing curse shows just how strong ancient magic really is."

"But it doesn't sit right with what Dumbledore said to you about why you have to stay with your relatives," Ann said. "He probably thought that because of this blood protection charm you will stay safe with Lily's sister. He must've thought that in her presence this charm will maintain its protection around you but that can't be."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"Your mother used her own blood to cast this charm on you," she said. "Humans, even as family members like siblings, have a biological difference in terms of their body constituents. As a healer I know this and even in muggle medicine, what they call as DNA is found to be not a hundred percent match between two siblings or between a child and his parents. The protection your mother used on you can only be powered by her and her presence only so living with your aunt is pointless."

"Which means that it can't protect me from his followers," Harry said realizing. Ann nodded. "So that means that I don't have to go back to my relatives!" He could feel the excitement within him but he hid it from the Greengrass couple."

"But something tells me that Dumbledore knew about this," Matt said grabbing Harry's attention. "Seeing how powerful and knowledgeable he is, it's almost impossible that he didn't know about it. And in that sense by sending you to live with your relatives he put you in more danger. Seeing that your blood protection protects you only from you-know-who, you would've been better protected in a magical home from his followers."

Harry realized Matt's words made sense.

"From the way I see it we need to know of Dumbledore's motives," Matt said. "He is the one who never told Harry about his parents' will. He illegally sent him into his relatives' care and one of his very close followers stole from Harry. It is impossible that he is not linked to it."

Harry stayed silent as he thought about all of these revelations. There was confusion and emotions all over inside his head from the things that he, Ann and Matt had discovered this week. But one thing was clear – he had definitely been lied to by the people he cared for and looked up to so much.

"What can we do about it?" Harry asked looking down at his feet, his voice all serious as Ann and Matt looked at him.

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Thanks for reading…