Here is the next chapter. Please read and review thanks, love Angel x
The Ministry was in chaos. None other than Peter Pettigrew had returned from the supposed dead claiming to have framed Sirius Black for everything and calling out the Ministry on how stupid they'd been for not investigating it properly. He'd said as his master had commanded that the guilt was too much for him. Sirius was sent for at once stunned to hear that Peter had handed himself in over his guilt. He was relieved to be free. He was lucky that in his animagus form that Dementors couldn't affect him so had left him alone choosing instead to torment the others. As for Peter he'd been sent through the veil so fast his head had spun. Walburga Black had suffered a fatal heart attack on hearing not only was Sirius the new Lord Black but he'd been innocent the whole time. She had become so anxious and stressed while exhausting her magical core casting spells here, there and everywhere all over Grimmauld in anger that she'd essentially caused her own demise and it was in this way Kreacher found her. She had been vile to him and he was relieved she was gone. Sirius had immediately registered himself as an animagus for safety reasons so that charge could not be thrown at him later on.
Dumbledore heard about it and was devastated he was free. At least with Sirius in jail or otherwise occupied he'd leave Tom alone. It didn't have to be jail of course he was just angry that Sirius was free to see Tom at all. He had gone straight to Tom when he'd found out where he was living and was stunned at not only how nicely he was treated but how little they cared about the magic he did. Tom smiled when Sirius turned up explaining that after he was seventeen he'd be free to leave this residence over his mother's protective magic something Sirius accepted readily. Once they were alone in his room he cast a compulsion on Sirius when he'd not been looking and made him bring anyone good back into the family whilst casting out Bellatrix Lestrange and Narcissa Malfoy. He did so it taking immediate effect. He then erased it from the mind of Sirius and would therefore make it look like the old Black Lord had done it and not him. Take that Lucius! He would like to see how Lucius would pay his way out of this one mother fucker. If he did anything else after this point bribe wise his son would suffer instead. Oh Lucius had better watch out. Slytherin had a new master and he didn't play games.
The only reason it was even the paper in the first place that he'd been bribing the new minister of magic was because Rita Skeeter had needed a new juicy story. Dolores Umbridge had come out calling the claims a lie and saying that the minister would never do that. However she was only saying this because she fully supported Lucius in what he was doing and begrudgingly admitted that as a true pureblood in this one sole scenario he was better than her. She would never have admitted he was better than her otherwise. Thankfully Lolly was a clever house elf and rather good at copying sensitive documents without being seen. It was through these copies that he had seen exactly what laws Lucius was forcing through. Some laws were ridiculous such as a law which stated that if no pureblood was available to take on a certain role within the ministry one was to be found for the job at once whether they were actually qualified or not. It was such a joke. He'd make sure Lucius regretted that decision. Plenty of halfbloods were smarter than most purebloods and even some muggleborns were too. He'd spent some time studying them after asking Lolly to get some inheritance tests from the bank and some blood of certain muggleborns. What he had learned had shaken him to his very core and then made him laugh.
All of these muggleborns had either great grandparents or great, great grandparents who were squibs of pureblood families which did essentially make all muggleborns obsolete. At least they were almost certainly all halfbloods now. This did change things for sure and he'd be changing his approach to things now. He wanted more than anything to have a fair government which wasn't corrupted in any way and he would work to slowly but surely weed out those diseased people within the ministry who couldn't abide by the rules they themselves had set. He would do so using spells which weren't dark either as this would highly confuse everyone and he liked that. He would save all the dark spells for his followers who had escaped jail. When he had learned of why Lucius had escaped Jail he was admittedly furious. He claimed to be under the imperious curse and they also let him go to be with his new son. What a fool he was as were they for actually believing his lies and letting him free. If they had not been pureblood he knew they'd have placed him in jail so fast his head had had spun.
He'd be interested to see how Draco Malfoy was raised. He got the name from an article where the boy was mentioned having won a prize from the daily prophet. He had seen the pompous boy in the photo smiling with his father and sneered before wandlessly setting it alight and throwing it into the already smouldering fireplace of his relatives who had their fire lighting. He wanted to be the one to burn it first himself. He had worked like a Trojan on his occlumency and it was now right back where it had been at the height of his popularity. It was wonderful and once more like fort knocks. You'd be hard pressed indeed to get in now.
He had learned via Lolly that the Weasley family were still being paid by Albus Dumbledore to befriend him. At least he could say his money was not being used here. He didn't really care where the dirty money came from because it didn't matter to him if it wasn't his money. He had remembered Mrs Weasley from before and she had been highly overbearing back in the day. More than likely it was probably worse now. He hadn't bothered with her back then as she had been a poor pureblood and not of consequence to him. Her opinions of him had never mattered either. Quite frankly most people either feared or hated him and he was ok with that. They were either ignored or shut up depending on what he felt like doing or what type of threat they actually posed for him at the time. He would see what she did this time but if she put a toe out of line he'd be on the defence immediately. In fact maybe the Weasley's needed a reality check. He'd see to that when the time for it came. He wondered who Albus would send when he got his Hogwarts letter. This would be the most interesting thing of all. Would he send someone competent or not. If he had to guess he would assume not as he'd want Tom to be as in the dark as he could with old faithful Dumbledore coming in to show him everything and saving the day or at least looking like that was what he was doing.
He had plans today in Diagon Alley and Lolly would depositing him in an alleyway beside the bank. It would be wonderful and he'd have somewhere else to go afterwards. He'd be spending the weekends from Friday night until Monday morning in a manor of his choosing. While he was there wherever there turned out to be he'd practice all kinds of magic and experience magical freedom for a while something which made him very happy indeed. Two years of magical freedom before Hogwarts sounded like a good idea. He'd practice much dark magic and would study the new Ministry approved booklet of spells which were not considered dark thoroughly. Every spell had loopholes and you could use them in certain ways which were dark except no one ever seemed to think of that for some reason. For example the lumos charm could easily blind someone if too much power was put into it and likewise the levitation charm could kill someone if you levitated them so hard and fast that their skull smashed on quickly hitting something such as the ceiling or a firm wall. They were all idiots and would learn their lesson the hard way.
Straightening himself he climbed the steps and entered the bank. Today he'd be asking for an inheritance test. They didn't know about the one he'd already taken and would assume his accounts had been locked down without keys to access them because he had never come there before. It didn't matter. He approached the counter confidently.
"Hello dear Goblin and may your enemies blood taste your blade and pool at your feet. I am Thomas James Potter and I'd like to know if I could take an inheritance test please!" he asked kindly as a goblin made to run away but was stopped by a tripping jinx and held in place using magic for now.
"Where is he running off to?" he asked feigning curiosity as the Goblin he was dealing with looked up and frowned.
"That is a good question heir Potter. Where are you going in such a sudden hurry Bloodthorne? Do not even attempt to lie to me because you will not win. You were trying to run out of here faster than a bat out of hell. Don't tell me you're scared of him?" he sneered as Bloodthorne squeaked all eyes on him now. Tom released the magic holding him in place as he seemed to relax for a moment. Griphook had felt the magic but had assumed it was accidental and didn't mind it in the slightest as accidental magic often happened in the foyer such as someone changing the colour of a parchment, levitating a few weights and things like that. All harmless things of course!
"Eh Griphook of course not. Um I was just going to let his magical guardian Albus Dumbledore know he was here. He asked me to let him if young Heir Potter came in here at once!" he said attempting to explain away his actions.
"It is on the file here that he is his own magical Guardian and what's more I am in charge of their account not you. What else did he have you do?" he asked slapping a bracelet of some kind onto one of his hands as the goblin paled considerably.
"Well he asked me to take money from several old and unimportant accounts to give to him and I have done so although I honestly cannot remember which accounts they were for some reason unknown to me!" he said seriously and honestly as Griphook rounded on Tom looking furious.
"Heir Potter please look away now! He has committed grievous crimes and should be punished as such!" he said as Tom turned away in time to notice the large Bank doors closing before him. He heard a quick slash and saw a slash of blood on the side of one of the counters there before it disappeared. He saw the goblins head roll and smiled. If he'd been doing Dumbledore's dirty work for him he deserved to be punished. He was however stunned when a marble door to his left opened with a creaking noise permitting the king of the goblin nation to enter the hall where he looked furious.
"Account manager Griphook step forward NOW! Bloodthorne was my nephew why in the name of the nation have you beheaded him?!" he demanded as Griphook held out his hand which the bracelet was now in which Ragnok grabbed and examined before cursing up a storm.
"What Bloodthorne did Heir Potter is most inexcusable and nephew or not he deserved what he got. I will not shed tears over him. Account manager Griphook for your great insight you are hereby promoted and will manage any and all accounts Heir Potter here inherits in his blood test I shall be having him take in a moment. All other accounts you hold will go to others. He is our main priority for now. Come with me both of you!" he commanded leaving at once and entering his office.
"Thank you kindly Ragnok your majesty. It is an honour beyond measure. With my blade these accounts will be thriving in no time!" he declared as Ragnok smiled at him. They all sat down and Tom was asked for his key and Ragnok was once again outraged when he didn't have it even more so when it had been documented that he did have it. Obviously that information probably entered by Bloodthorne was false. Once he took the test they gasped.
"Heir Potter or shouldn't that be Lord Potter now. You currently own one quarter of the wealth in this establishment so we have no choice but to supply you with a rose gold key which we will be imbibing with a small sample of your blood so it may never be stolen from you. If you would permit could we place an invisible rune on your forearm so that if you ever forget your key we can scan the arm and know it is you. This does prevent people under that infernal polyjuice potion attempting to steal from you. You will not feel the rune ten minutes after we place it on your arm!" he suggested as Tom nodded deeply a custom of respect to show the goblins.
"Your majesty it is an honour beyond measure that you would think to do so for me and I must of course accept. I wish to know of all the manors I have inherited which one is the most secure?" he asked as they gently exposed his forearm and placed the rune there which stung a lot at the start but then died down disappearing as a sample of his blood was placed on the key which glowed a feint colour accepting the blood into it.
When he'd been previously checking out his accounts and things he'd actually missed the Addlemore family completely on error. In fairness though he did have more than enough other families to be looking at; at the time so it did make sense he'd have missed it.
"Yes well as you can see all houses have merit but Addlemore House is the most secure as you would need to write someone's name into the warding book if you wanted them to know where you lived and access your home. It is a beautiful castle style manor with turrets located in in the Lake District of County Cumbria. If you go there today I would urge you to check that ward book immediately so you can cross anyone's name off the list who you do not wish to access your home. They may have house elves although I am not sure. Here take this box as it will send your banking mail to you directly. Here are your Lordship rings and you must place them on slowly one after the other to combine into one ring!" he instructed as Griphook nodded to show he agreed. He placed the Potter ring on first followed one by one by the others. As for the Dravens house and so on he wore the necklace which him the Lord of those houses. Right now he felt literally drunk on power and swayed as he was granted perfect occlumency, legillimency, wandless magic and metamorphmagus abilities by each different house. To say he was now a huge powerhouse would have been an understatement. He was handed a wand by Griphook who asked to channel his magic into it for as long as he could. He was confused by the request but did so feeling himself calm down and essentially power down as it were. All this excess magic would have been harmful for anyone to keep inside them so it was stored in this special wand conduit. When they took it back to the foyer the still closed doors remaining shut Tom was asked to throw the wand as hard and fast as he could into the air. Feeling highly confused he did so as it burst open the magic rushing from it and blinding the entire room and indeed everywhere inside the bank as the magic set about repairing everything it could see and touch before it dissipated. When it did dissipate Ragnok stumbled.
"It is in this way we have always released excess magic on goblin soil and usually such magic does some good but this is immense. You have cleansed our entire bank and for good too. Our foyer even looks new! I daresay anything which was in disrepair is now fixed. I am left with no choice but to ask you to kneel down before me please" he enthused with a smile as a stunned Tom did so. Whatever this was it hadn't happened last time around and certainly not to anyone he knew of either. He knelt before Ragnok who shouted out some commands in Gobbledegook as everyone around him scurried around very quickly. All the tellers came forth now wearing bright red robes and holding swords all joined together above their heads in a circle. He removed his sword from his scabbard. It was glittering and jewelled with a mother of pearl handle. He grabbed a scroll from the hovering silver platter beside him and opened it, reading it whilst alternating putting his sword on either shoulder of the young stunned boy.
"I King Ragnok the third of the Goblin Nation do hereby knight Lord Thomas James Potter Riddle Slytherin Gaunt Dravens Addlemore and Peverell as a trusted knight of our realm. We grant unto you your own goblin forged sword to be carried on your person at all times even if it should be minimized for schooling. May you have the blessing of the entire nation upon you young Lord. May you have a duty of Goblin guards always as and when you should require them at any hour of night or day. From now on you are granted sole permission to floo inside the bank directly at any time of day or night. If you ever learn to apparate you may do that also. We thank you for your gift in repairing the goblin nation. Your magic has insured our homes and lands will be fertile for many years to come and we thank you!" he ended with a few fierce shouts in gobbledegook which everyone else joined in with banging tankards of ale onto the desks before them. Where had they gotten the ale from? He wondered idly. He was so stunned that he did the only thing he could do in that moment, he fainted.