A/N: This story is on a 1 chapter delay. My supporters will get early access to future chapters before I post them here. Check out my profile if you want to support me or find me on Twitter as EreborMarkus. You can also find me by googling EreborMarkus.

I saw that a lot of reviews for the last chapter were in the general direction of fight/kill/work with goblins. So the Harry in this story is powerful but not like 'I am God' powerful. He has power in Magical Britain, but he can't straight up declare war on the goblins. Well... I guess he could but that'll be gg to his popularity, which he really needs. As for working with the goblins, the Harry in my story hates them. It might change in the future (It prob will) but that's not an option right now when they tried to fuck him over.

Harry barely stopped himself from falling down after he bounced off the wards surrounding Hogwarts. He had gotten so used to powering through most of the wards in his way that Harry had accidentally tried to apparate directly into Hogwarts.

Harry shook off the muddiness from being rejected by the wards and took out his invisibility cloak from the mokeskin pouch. Not for the first time, Harry reminded himself to prod Hermione about making something more convenient. The mokeskin pouch was handy to have, but with Hermione's tendency for unbelievable inventions, she must have a way to make another one of her muggle-inspired artifacts. A ring with a pocket dimension sounded nice.

While Harry fantasized about the possible future playtoys, he made fast progress to the headmistress's office under his invisibility cloak. Harry knew it was unlikely to meet McGonagall due to the school being on summer break. However, he still didn't want to take the chance on any of the paintings alerting her. Harry doubted that his former Professor would be pleased with parting from a priceless school heirloom.

Harry froze when he came upon the gargoyle guarding the entrance of the office. He had completely forgotten about this part. Harry didn't imagine that McGonagall would be as obsessed with sweets as Dumbledore was, so he couldn't even begin to guess what the password could be.

With no other ideas, Harry removed the cloak from his head and said, "Mind letting me through? You might remember me from all those years ago…."

Harry didn't even get to finish his sentence before the entrance started moving. "Well, that was easy," Harry muttered as he walked up after shoving his cloak back into the pouch. He would just get the sword and be on his way. Besides, Harry planned on returning the sword anyway, so it'll be like nothing had happened.

He was about to open the door to the office when Harry heard, "Come in, Mr. Potter."

Harry swore he had a flashback to his school days from that tone before walking inside cautiously. His eyes caught sight of the sword displayed proudly next to the Sorting Hat. There was just one problem now. For some reason, Professor McGonagall was on school premises… and she invited him in before he even knocked. Just like Dumbledore.

"Professor McGonagall, I didn't expect you to be at school."

The headmistress gave Harry a questioning look, "That's something I should be saying, Mr. Potter."

Harry cleared his throat, "Well, you see, I happened to need the Sword of Gryffindor for a short while."

She narrowed her eyes in a suspicious glare, "The fact that you seem to be surprised to see me when wanting to borrow a school heirloom makes me want to decline your request outright."

Harry fidgeted in place like a scolded student. Professor McGonagall finally pinched her nose and said, "I'm too old for this, Mr. Potter. Can't these antics wait until I retire next year?"

"I'm sorry, Professor. It's something that can't wait. I just need it to make a point to the Goblins. I swear that it won't leave my presence."

She sighed tiredly and said, "Take it. I don't want to hear what you need it for. Just bring it back to my office soon."

Harry felt a little pity for his old teacher. He knew that the Professor had plenty of peaceful years after he had left Hogwarts, but Harry was pretty sure she was now experiencing traumatic flashbacks from his adventures as a student. He gently took the sword off its holder and hung it on his waist.

Harry conjured a mirror and tried to make himself look as regal as possible, well, as regal as a wizard could look with robes on while Professor McGonagall looked on with a bemused look.

After Harry vanished the mirror, he said, "Thank you, Professor. I'll get out of your hair after I pay respects to Dumbledore."

Harry left the office after he received an affectionate smile from the headmistress. It had been a few years since Harry had found the time to visit Dumbledore's tomb. The reason Harry gave himself was that he had been too busy recently, but after discovering the base on Mars, Harry had to admit that the absence of visits was also to avoid recognizing how similar they had become. Sure, Harry's main reason to hide the Martian discovery was to safeguard the knowledge from bad actors, but a large part was to keep the control.

When Harry had realized how Dumbledore manipulated the events around him, and by large, the wizarding world, Harry had promised himself to be different. And for over a decade, Harry had kept to that promise. He had toiled in the Wizengamot to gather like-minded allies while letting the opposition have their say in the passed bills. That may seem to be exactly what Dumbledore did, but Harry didn't hold multiple positions of power like his deceased mentor. That was a difference that significantly reduced the official authority that Harry held… the keyword being 'official.' This had led to slow but steady progress that Harry and his friends wanted to see in their society.

Harry would have been content to keep that status quo if the need for urgency hadn't hit him like a speeding train around a decade ago. The urgency being the realization of the slow march to death that the magical world had fallen into. That slow but steady progress had turned into a single-sided slaughter. Harry bulldozed bills through the Wizengamot whenever he thought them to be important by using his extreme popularity. Most of the Wizengamot members followed Harry's lead either because they were sycophants or feared his growing power. All Harry could say about this method was that it worked, and it worked well. While Harry got his way, it left him with the feeling of being a puppet master, a dictator of the wizarding world without the title.

That was a dangerous feeling to have because this time, unlike with Dumbledore, Harry had stuck his fingers in magical societies other than Britain. The only thing that comforted Harry was that he was well aware of this and was able to justify it by reassuring himself that it was only temporary. There would come a time when the world didn't need his guiding hand… but that time was not now. Not with magicals so oblivious to the dangers of muggles advancing leaps and bounds while they stayed stagnant.

Harry reached the edge of the wards and disapparated to the tomb. It still looked the same as all those years ago, the preserving charms doing their job. He brought up his trusty mokeskin pouch, removed a small black stone, and thoughtfully rubbed it with his thumb. When Hermione learned of Harry just dropping the resurrection stone in the forest during the final battle, she demanded that he find it so it could be safeguarded. And so, it had been his constant companion for nearly twenty years, with Harry resisting the temptation to use it ever since. Now, however, it was necessary.

Harry turned the stone over in his hands three times before a shade of his long-dead mentor looked down at him with a smile.

"Hello, Harry."

With a nostalgic smile, Harry replied, "Hello, Professor."

"It's been quite a long time since I passed onto my next adventure. I've been watching your life, and while it's not what I expected, I am nonetheless glad to see the man you grew to be."

When Harry looked at his mentor's shade with skepticism, Dumbledore let out an amused chuckle.

"Did you think that I would condemn you for the actions that you thought necessary? You've seen me in my twilight years, my boy, and I was far more concerned with stopping Voldemort's influence from seeping further into our society. Even before Voldemort's time, I was far too weary after the war against Grindelwald to do what you are aiming to accomplish. And believe me, Harry, I dearly wished to do what you are doing."

Harry asked, "You would have let the muggles get massacred to allow the Delacours to gain a firm grip on Magical France? What about when the Italian government's corruption almost killed an entire generation of magical schoolchildren? I knew about it, and I did nothing to stop it since the outcome afterward would favor me."

Dumbledore's eyes dimmed in sadness as he saw his protege's self-loathing. "It is a little far-fetched to put those two failures solely on your conscience. What can a single wizard do to stop something that horrendous in countries that don't want the help?"

Harry closed his eyes and shook his head, "That's the excuse I gave myself, and frankly, professor, it sounds like bullshit, doesn't it?"

There was a brief period of silence before Dumbledore broke it, "I happened to share a saying with a budding dark wizard in my younger days, 'For the Greater Good.' It had been... perverted by the atrocities the Dark Lord Grindelwald committed in his crusade against the world. Still, I ironically followed that saying to my death."

This was something that Harry didn't know. He was aware that Dumbledore and Grindelwald used to be friends, but never that his mentor kept such a hated phase in his heart until the end.

Looking at Harry's stunned face, Dumbledore nodded somberly, "It wasn't to dominate the muggles, of course, but I was well aware of what they were capable of. What the Americans did to Japan put me on full alert, even though my peers preferred to pretend as if it was business-as-usual. The muggles now had a weapon to mimic our ancestors' most devastating attacks when they still consorted with demons. But, this time, the muggles had thousands of these abominations that would activate with a push of a button."

"It's not likely that anyone is mad enough to use one of those bombs, Professor."

Dumbledore refuted, "Madmen get into power quite often, just look at the examples littered in both magical and muggle history. While I didn't get the opportunity to deal with the weapons since Voldemort ended up requiring all of my attention, your actions are something I view admirably since they are quite similar to what I wished. I have made mistakes in my life, Harry. Mistakes that cost an inconceivable amount of lives, but I would like to think my end goal to be an admirable one. I had become a tired old man that had no courage to do what must be done, but I see hope for our kind in you."

Harry looked away with suspiciously teary eyes, making Dumbledore smile at him. It had been something that Harry needed to hear, the guilt of what he had done and what he still must do weighed on him heavily.

"It seems to be time for me leave, but before I do, I must ask," Dumbledore said before glancing at his tomb, "Are you planning on using the wand?"

Harry quickly shook his head, "No, I can deal with the goblins without it. This is not the time for unneeded conflict, not when what they want from me is something I'm willing to give. Their greed will be their own downfall."

With a satisfied nod, Dumbledore shimmered out of existence. It was odd, talking to a shade in daylight, but Harry felt that he needed that conversation desperately. However, a niggling thought in the back of Harry's mind said that the shade's advice was exactly what he wanted to hear. Almost as if the shade had plucked it from his mind, but Harry quickly threw away that possibility for his own peace of mind.

Harry took a few minutes to gather himself before deciding to get a move on. It was nice to get validation for his actions from someone Harry had looked up to, but there was no time to waste time basking in that feeling. Focusing on the entrance to Gringotts, Harry apparated to Diagon Alley.

Harry appeared with a soft pop in the middle of a busy street. The shops were buzzing with witches and wizards that squabbled over the price of the wares. The normalcy around Harry still brought a smile to his face after experiencing the stark desolation during Voldemort's reign of terror.

He turned to see the goblin guards staring at him menacingly. That was all too normal with the usual surly attitude goblins have towards humans. Still, there was a look of actual hatred while glaring at Harry. He just gave them a cheeky wave. After all, what can mere guards do to someone like Harry Potter?

"Harry! Over here!"

Harry looked over curiously to see Ron standing at the side of the building.

"Ron? Does the Head Auror have to do patrol duty now?"

Ron rolled his eyes and said, "Funny. I got an otter-shaped patronus an hour ago telling me to 'help my only friend' in Hermione's snooty voice. So here I am. Why are we outside Gringotts? Another break-in that you need help with?"

That last sentence was said with a smile, but it quickly dropped away when Harry didn't deny it.

"Mate, seriously. Tell me it's not a break-in."

Harry complied, "It's not a break-in."

Somehow that didn't reassure Ron, and he was proven right with Harry's following sentence. "I do, however, need to get access to a goblin forger."

"Oh, that's all then? A BLOODY forger? Harry, you might as well ask for the wealth of the Goblin King! There's no way they'll let you have access to one."

Harry nodded at all of Ron's points. His old friend was right. What Harry was going to ask was foolish, but he also had the most extensive vaults in Gringotts along with several businesses in the wizarding world that could fetch quite a sum of gold to entice the goblins.

"I have a plan, Ron, don't worry about me."

Ron groaned and said, "Fine! Let's go then. I want to see how you'll wiggle out of this one."

Harry raised a brow, "Who said you'll be coming in with me?"

"You bloody well believe that I will! I'm not going to let you go inside with that kind of request without protection."

Harry laughed at Ron's fuming face, "Relax, Ron. The goblins know better than to try anything with me. They missed their chance at a rebellion when the magical world was divided, and even they know it's far too late for one now. While they could do considerable damage, they would get destroyed in return. The worst I will get in there is a rejection."

Ron rolled his eyes in exasperation and was getting ready to go on a long rant before a junior Auror interrupted him, "Umm, Sir? We have a few Aurors tracking down a dark wizard, several Aurors have been injured, and they're asking for backup."

The poor kid jumped back at the string of curses that exploded out of Ron's mouth. Harry then got a glare along with an order to stay put before Ron rushed away.

Harry chuckled in amusement and immediately ignored Ron's orders by walking up the stairs into the bank. He ignored the glares that followed him from the goblins and walked up to a rookie teller, "Hello there, Harry Potter here to hire a forger."

The young-looking goblin looked at Harry like he was mentally deficient. Not an unfair reaction to the sentence that came out of Harry's mouth.

A squeaky voice replied, "Harry Potter is only to be shown to his vaults and nothing else. You know that you are blacklisted, wizard."

"That I might be, little goblin, but won't your superiors be interested in what I'm willing to pay?"

The teller glanced at the sword hanging on Harry's hips and sneered, "There is nothing that you could trade for the services of a revered forger, wizard."

Harry shooed him off, "Run along and tell this to a goblin with higher authority."

By this time, the rest of the denizens of the wizarding world noticed that Harry Potter was in their midst. Seeing the slowdown caused by people gaping at Harry, the teller growled before he hopped off the chair and waddled off.

"You're wasting everyone's time, wizard."

Harry glanced at the guard who just spoke and smiled at him. It was always amusing to rile up the goblins when Harry knew they could genuinely do nothing to him. While he 'started' this feud, the goblins were the ones that escalated it. So, of course, Harry would oblige.

A few minutes later, the teller returned with an older goblin with a permanent snarl on his face.

"Harry Potter. Come with me."

Harry gave a smile to the gossiping witches and wizards behind him before following the older goblin. Wordlessly, they walked further and further from the bank lobby before stopping at an ornate entrance of an office. In Harry's opinion, it was a bit over-the-top. Still, from the reverence he could see in the goblin leading him, this must be the office of someone important.

"Bow and pay your respects when I open the door."

Harry held back some laughter at that and simply walked in when the door opened. He was a little impressed at the amount of gold that lined the walls of the office. Not because of how good it looked, but at the level of gaudiness it achieved.

"Bow, Wizard!"

Harry looked at the guard stationed in the office that barked the order and retorted, "No problem. Only if you give me gold in tribute."

The guard's grip on the spear he was holding tightened, and just when Harry thought he might have a fight on his hands, a gravelly voice spoke out, "Enough. Why have you come here, Harry Potter."

Harry looked at the wizened goblin sitting behind the desk in a gold chair and said, "I'm sure your subordinate told you. I require the services of a goblin forger."

Gnarled fingers clasped together as the goblin looked at Harry taking a seat without being offered. He said, "That request is laughable for any wizard, let alone one reviled as you, Harry Potter. What made you think that we would ever entertain it?"

It was at this point that Harry had to decide what his gold was worth. If this was a month ago, he would have never had even a sliver of thought about giving up his wealth. But Harry now knew that his future was in the muggle world, and goblins avoided the muggle financial system like the plague. You see, goblins loved metal, especially gold, and muggle currency were just pieces of paper that were backed by the trust in the governments that issued the money. The goblins, of course, saw this as a scam, so they refused to get involved.

"From what I understand, the sword on my hip has been desired by your people ever since Ragnuk failed to steal it."

The previously calm goblin snarled, "Steal? You mean to take back what was rightfully his. My ancestor was cheated by that accursed Gryffindor!"

Harry realized that he was apparently talking to goblin royalty, but that didn't really change his situation, "Whatever happened, the sword is in my possession. I'm offering this as a trade for your forger's time."

The goblin clenched his fist before saying, "You underestimate what you will have to pay, wizard."

Harry leaned back in the chair and asked, "Then tell me what it's going to cost me."

With a sneer, the goblin said, "Every single Knut in your vaults along with the proceeds from the sale of the businesses you own… along with that sword."

Clearly, the goblin wanted to anger Harry since no magical lord would even consider something so steep. This was actually something that Harry would be willing to do, but he obviously couldn't show that he was ready to pay such a ridiculous price.

"You must be joking! I'd be willing to pay the galleons that are in my Potter vault and nothing else."

With a condescending chuckle, the goblin shot it down, "Then you might as well leave. My offer isn't open for negotiation. You will either take it or leave my office."

Harry let himself display visible frustration before pulling out the mirror to call Hermione. He quickly put up spells that would hide his conversation when Hermione's beautiful face appeared in the mirror.

She immediately got to the point, "Harry, did you get the goblins to agree?"

"Not yet, love. I want to make sure that this is something we absolutely need. There is no turning back from this."

Hermione grimaced and said, "Unfortunately, this is the only way I could think of making this accursed storage device. Make sure that the goblins don't sneak something into the contract to completely screw us over."

"That goes without saying, Hermione. Alright then, that's all I needed to hear. When do you think you'll be ready for the forging?"

Harry heard some muffled yelling behind Hermione as she said, "At least a week from now. Try and keep the date flexible."

Harry nodded at that before asking, "What's going on behind you? I think I hear a man screaming."

Hermione sighed tiredly, "It's the wandcrafter I found. I'm teaching him a rune sequence as a trade for some engravings I'll need during the forging. He's… odd."

Harry heard excited laughter as Hermione rolled her eyes before she said, "I have to go, Harry. Good luck."

After Hermione closed the connection, Harry took down the spells to find the goblin guards surrounding his chair at high alert. Harry ignored them and spoke to the goblin in charge, "I'm not a fool goblin, and I know you're aren't one either… probably. I am willing to give you what you want if you give me some muggle currency in return. However, the sword goes back to Hogwarts, and that is non-negotiable."

The goblin let out a harsh laugh, "If you want that worthless paper, then so be it. We will give you a tenth of the rate your ministry sets. As for the sword, it falls into my hands today, or there is no deal." That last sentence was said with a bit of mockery.

Ignoring that, Harry did some quick math and figured out that he could barely fund Trivia Industries for a year with this amount of money. That was far too tight for Harry's tastes.

Harry looked at the sharp grin on the goblin's face before acting like he was enraged, "You're going to let me walk out of this bank when I'm willing to hand you all of my wizarding gold on a platter? Did your brain turn into flobberworms, goblin?"

The guards growled at Harry again, stepping forward as a threat. Harry ignored that show and stood up in a rush, "Then it looks like there's nothing else to be said."

When Harry moved to actually walk out, he heard the gravelly voice say, "…Wait. You can keep that sword, but the rest of the deal stands.

Harry didn't bother to sit as he replied, "I don't think so, goblin. Give me half the going rate that the Ministry sets for muggle money, and we have a deal."

Narrowing his eyes, the goblin royal said, "Why does a wizard need so much worthless paper? You know as well as I do that if gold isn't enchanted by the Goblin Nation, it's worthless in the magical world. Buying muggle gold won't make you rich again."

Harry scoffed, "Don't waste your breath asking questions you won't get the answer to. Now tell me, do we have a deal?"

"Done. Now get out of my office and talk to Grimtooth about the contract."

Harry asked, "Grimtooth?"

The goblin's eyes twitched in anger, "The one who led you to my office."

Recognition flashed in Harry's eyes, "Ah, him. Very well, I hope to never be in your presence again, goblin."

"Same here, wizard. Though with you soon to be penniless, there won't be a reason for you to ever step in these halls again."

Harry just rolled his eyes and walked out to see Grimtooth waiting for him. "Wait here, Harry Potter. The contract will be ready in a few minutes."

"Hmm," Harry nodded, "Make sure to include a clause that requires the forger to work with whoever I want until the item is successfully completed."

Grimtooth narrowed his eyes, "That would be a waste of ink, wizard. A forger wouldn't let an imperfect object leave his hands."

"Still, I prefer to have it in writing. Ah, one more thing. I'll need the forger to be ready in a week's time, but I want the flexibility to be written into the contract too."

Harry watched Grimtooth grumble and walk off. Harry's mind went to the new problem he would soon have. He wasn't sure how it would be possible to deposit hundreds of millions in muggle cash into a bank without setting off every alert possible... It might be time to pay another visit to the Prime Minister.

Harry stood there for some time before the goblin came back with parchment and quill in his hands.

"Here. Sign this and get out of the bank."

Harry carefully read over the contract, finding that it was straight to the point. The goblins must have thought that there was no point in cheating someone who would already be penniless in their eyes after signing the contract. Since there were no issues, Harry took the quill and signed at the bottom. He felt the expected pinch of pain on his hand as the blood quill worked as intended.

Before he handed the contract back, Harry made a duplicate for himself and said, "I'll see myself out. Expect me in a week, Snagtooth."

The goblin just sneered, "It's Grimtooth," and walked off, making Harry chuckle. He was just glad that he didn't have to deal with goblins anymore, even though the visit went smoother than expected.

While the goblins thought they had 'won' today. Harry could take comfort in knowing that the Goblin Nation would unknowingly forge the key to a limitless future. They were just lucky that using the elder wand for this would have been a waste.