I promised myself I wouldn't do this again, have two ongoing stories at once, but I can't help myself.
I have had this one in the works off and on for a few years and keep coming back to it. This one feels like a LONG epic that will probably hit somewhere between Acceptance and A Different Professor but I don't have that much written at the moment.

This has elements of Dumbledore, Molly, Ginny and Ron Bashing. Don't like, don't read.

I do not own the characters or world, those belong to JK Rowling, I just like to play with the what ifs.
All mistakes are my own.
I hope you enjoy

Elements of Law

"This court finds you guilty of performing magic in front of muggles." Minster Cornelius Fudge grinned maliciously down at him. "As this is your third offense and you have not completed your OWLs, that means automatic expulsion from not only Hogwarts but also the magical world."

Harry opened his mouth, once again trying to explain the circumstances that led to his use of magic in a muggle area. Trying to explain that if he hadn't cast the spell, he and his cousin might very well be dead for all intents and purposes. But it was no use. He had been silenced and no one was going to remove the spell to allow him to speak, even if it looked like some of them wanted to. Too many had voted to expel him. It seemed that even though some Aurors and Wizengamot members didn't agree, they couldn't stand against those who did.

"Auror Dawlish, bring me his wand," Fudge continued.

The Auror handed the wand to the woman in pink sitting in the seat to the minister's right. She had been the one to cast the spell that kept him from having a chance to give his side of the story. She scanned his wand, just as the man at the main entrance had, "Holly," she read from the report, "checked in by Mister Harry Potter. All appears to be in order, minister."

Her glee was worse than Fudge's. Harry was sure he would have nightmares of her in the days to come.

Fudge held out his hand for the wand, his gaze not leaving Harry's for a second. "As you are no longer a student of Hogwarts, you can no longer have a wand. It is my great regret that I must now snap your wand." Cornelius Fudge's voice was dripping with sarcasm as he gripped Harry's wand in both hands but paused before he destroyed it, "Had you followed the rules, like every other student at Hogwarts, you would not be here right now, Mister Potter. Be aware, had you not spread your ridiculous lies, you would have had this meeting with the head of the department of magical education, Madam Hopkirk, but because of your lies and influence, we thought it best to be transparent and allow all of magical Britain to see the rule breaker you truly are. Therefore, you were tried and found guilty by the entire ruling body of magical Britain."

With that he jerked his arms, snapping Harry's wand in two. A small part of Harry died in that moment. His wand had been a part of him. It was warmth and power. It had always represented his freedom and his ability to fight back when someone bigger tried to destroy him. With it gone, destroyed by the government, he was nothing again.

"Mister Potter," Fudge continued, "Due to your crimes, you will no longer be allowed in any area under the jurisdiction of magical Britain. Should you be found in Diagon Alley, Hogsmeade, Hogwarts or any other magical community, you will be arrested and transported directly to Azkaban where you will serve a minimum sentence of five years." Some around the room started muttering and for once it didn't sound like it was in Fudge's favor. "QUIET," the minister barked as he looked around the room, staring down those who looked like they would object. "As I was saying, you are furthermore an enemy of the magical world. This is the reason for the sentence I have put forth." He raised his wand and a small bang rang around the room, "I hereby close this session of the Wizengamot."

Many wizards and witches got to their feet, most heading for the exit. A few were looking at him with fear and pity. He heard one man ask another where Madam Bones was. Both wondered if the travesty that was Harry's trial would have been allowed to continue if she or her best Aurors were present.

"Hem, hem, Auror Dawlish," the lady in pink called over the muttering and movement around the room. "Please escort Mister Potter to muggle London. Make sure he does not make his way back into the Leaky Cauldron."

The Auror grinned, "Of course Madam Umbridge." Dawlish then flicked his wand, dispelling the chains on the chair that had wrapped around Harry when he had tried to stand to object to Fudge stonewalling him. Before he had a chance to move, however, Dawlish jerked him to his feet and started manhandling him out of the room.

Mister Weasley was pacing just down the hall and ran up when they drew close. "What happened Harry? I heard they found you guilty? How is that possible? Where is Albus? Is he straightening things out for you?"

"Move along, Wesley or I will arrest you for obstruction and aiding a known criminal," Dawlish growled and shoved mister Weasley into the wall. "Wouldn't want to lose your job considering how many mouths you have to feed. Wouldn't want anything to happen to any of them, would you? One of them works for the minister, doesn't he?"

The redhead gulped, seeing the threat quite clearly. Harry gave him a look he hoped said that he understood and jogged along with the Auror who was trying to hurt him as he dragged him through the halls.

Instead of dumping him outside the ministry building, Dawlish Flooed them to the Leaky Cauldron. When they arrived at the Leaky, Tom jumped from where he was leaning against the counter and started toward them, the look on his face was one of outrage. Before he could get himself stunned or worse, Harry shook his head. Tom hesitated, looking from Harry to Dawlish, but he did shift further behind the counter. Thankfully, Dawlish missed the entire exchange.

A moment later, Dawlish literally threw Harry out the door and onto the sidewalk in front of the Leaky Cauldron. Harry almost landed on top of an elderly woman walking her corgi. At least it wasn't a bulldog…

"Good luck, Potter," Dawlish spat sarcastically. "I do so hope I see you again so I can throw you into a cell in Azkaban like you deserve." He turned to go, not noticing the odd look he received from the dog walker, but paused to reinforce the silencing spell. "Let's see how you enjoy being unable to speak for however long that spell lasts." It was then he noticed the lady and the look on her face. Dawlish flicked his wand and Harry watched as her face went blank and then she turned and walked away as if she hadn't stopped at all, her dog barking as she pulled him along. The Auror smirked and slammed the door behind him as Harry watched in silence.

Harry closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Try as he might, he could not keep the tears at bay any longer. His life was over. He had nowhere to go and no way to get in contact with the few people who actually cared about him. Without Hogwarts, Dumbledore would surely insist that he return to the Dursley's but that would be certain death for any wizard, especially one without a wand. Vernon already nearly killed him every summer, it would only be worse if he were there every day again.

Deep down he knew eventually someone would come looking for him, but his rational mind was not working at that moment. All he could seem to focus on was the utter hopelessness of his current situation.

"Finite," he heard behind him. Whirling, he found Tom standing there in the doorway, a resigned look on his face. "How about you come in and have a bite to eat."

"If they see me in there, they will throw me in Azkaban."

"Won't see you if you go in disillusioned and directly into a private room." Tom pulled him to his feet and cast the disillusionment spell, "someone is waiting for you inside. Couldn't be seen in the main room just in case this happened. Had Dawlish seen your friend, they would have been arrested for no reason other than they were connected to you." Tom pushed him along, somehow without looking like he was pushing an invisible person. "Come on, Harry," Tom whispered, "up the stairs and last door at the end of the hall. Got to hurry now, Dawlish or another crooked Auror will be back soon to make sure I'm not hiding you."

Harry nodded numbly, forgetting that the man could not see him, but he did pick up his pace. When they got to the end of the hall, Tom flicked his wand in a strange pattern and Harry heard the lock on the door click open. "I will be locking the door behind you, lad. It will only open for me, or from the person inside so no one will find you here."

"Thank you, Tom," Harry choked out, it was barely above a whisper. "I don't know if I will ever be able to repay you."

"You already have, Harry." Tom placed a hand on his shoulder, "you pay me back by standing up for what is right. I know the truth and I will be ready for the coming darkness because of you."

Harry bit his lip and nodded once, there was nothing left to say. With a last glance Harry stepped through the door and into the room. The door closed behind him and locked with a loud click but he didn't hear it. He was too stunned to hear the lock or the door closing. His whole attention was on the person waiting for him.

"I am so sorry, Harry," Remus stood and nearly jogged across the room so that he could take the boy into his arms. "I wanted to be wrong," he groaned as he pressed his nose into Harry's messy hair. "Merlin, I wanted to believe that things could go our way for once."

The green-eyed teen didn't know what to say so he just clung to the thin man in threadbare clothing. Despite his best efforts, he shook with suppressed emotion.

"Let it out, cub," Remus whispered. "I've got you."

The dam broke. The emotion Harry had been holding back for years finally broke through and he allowed himself to cry. He allowed himself to rage. He allowed himself to feel the emotions he had buried since the day he realized his family would never love him, never care for him. For the first time in ten years, Harry allowed someone to see what he hid behind the masks he wore.

Remus Lupin was stronger than he looked. While he hated most of his affliction, there were some fringe benefits. When Harry collapsed under the weight of his unleashed emotion, Remus said thanks to the increased physical strength Moony gave him. He lifted the terrifyingly small teen and carried him to the divan a few feet away. The young man probably didn't even register the change in location but he sure used it to his advantage. Harry all but crawled into Remus's lap as he let his emotions run free.

"I've got you, Harry," Remus whispered over and over again as he held him, as he rocked him gently. When Harry's sobs started to subside, he tightened his grip so the boy would not leap away in embarrassment. "I am here for you. Don't run away from me, Harry."

The young man looked up through the fringe of his bangs, looking for reproach, disgust, indifference, but all he saw was acceptance and love. "Why are you here?" Harry asked, confused and lost.

"Aren't you glad to see me?" Remus gave Harry a small, mischievous smile, hoping his question would lighten the mood. He was rewarded by a snort. It was a good thing Harry had gotten it. He would have felt terrible if he had sent the boy into a panicked explanation of the motives behind his question. "I am here for you, as I always intended to be. Before I get to what brought me here, I have a few questions about what happened to you today." Harry nodded so he continued, "Did Albus show up?"

"No, he didn't."

"Who did you meet with?"

"The Wizengamot."

Remus blinked at that; it was unexpected. "The whole Wizengamot?"

Harry hesitated but shook his head, "I don't think so. The room was about half full and there were a few people commenting on missing people. One man seemed really concerned about the fact that someone named Madam Bones was not there."

The werewolf nodded, "Well that explains why the trial was allowed to happen, Amelia Bones never would have let this happen. She is a stickler for the rules and heads the Department of Magical Law Enforcement." He tilted his head in thought, "Who led the trial?"

"Minister Fudge and some creepy lady in pink," Harry shuddered. The woman was creepier than Quirrell with Voldemort growing out the back of his head. Of anyone in that room, she would be the cause of his future nightmares of that day. "She silenced me before I could explain. No one stopped her."

A vicious growl escaped Remus, "Umbridge." He shook his head to calm himself, "And that explains the rest," he sighed. "Fudge is, from what I can tell, incapable of doing anything on his own; his lack of conviction is why Malfoy gets so much leeway. He essentially owns Fudge. The undersecretary, Dolores Umbridge, is another story. She is a vindictive, racist, elitist, who has no love for anyone but rich pure bloods prepared to line her pockets. She has single handedly made life for people like me nearly impossible in this country. If she had her way, werewolves would be exterminated on site, and muggle-borns would wear tracking spells or power suppression cuffs at all times."

Remus shook his head, "That isn't important right now, what is important is helping you." He knelt on the floor in front of Harry, placing his hands on the young man's knees. "You are my family, Harry, and I will do everything I can to protect you."

"How did you know to be here?" Harry asked, needing to know. "Mister Weasley wouldn't have had time to contact anyone and Tom made it seem like you had been here since before the trial finished."

"I had a bad feeling, cub. I headed here right after you left the house this morning." He got up to pace, needing to move so he didn't destroy the table or other furniture in his rage. "I have been analyzing a few things that have happened since I returned and I did not like what I found. I have come to the conclusion that I, no we, can't trust Dumbledore."

Harry nodded, "After today, I can't help but agree. He didn't come and they threatened to throw me in Azkaban for five years if they ever saw me in magical Britain again." He took a deep, shuddering breath, "What am I going to do?"

"You are going to be a teenager," Remus said emphatically. "You are going to go to school and make friends. You are going to date and get into trouble that doesn't involve a mad man trying to kill you. You are going to have the childhood I suspect you have never been allowed to have before." The tired man stared intently at his nephew, "Play quidditch, join a band, study to become an animagus, do anything you want."

"How can I do any of that though? I haven't been to muggle school in years so I am ridiculously behind and I was just banished from the wizarding world and my wand snapped! Not to mention the dark lord that has been trying to kill me my entire life." He was starting to sound hysterical.

"Was your wand snapped?" Remus asked with a conspiratorial look. He knew it was the quickest way to stop Harry's panic attack.

"I saw them do it," he said hesitantly. Remus's question had thrown him off. "I heard her say it was the one I checked in."

Remus nodded, "I'm sure it was, but was your wand the wand you checked in at the front desk?"

That gave Harry pause. He honestly wasn't sure. It had looked like his wand but he had no idea if it had felt like his wand. He hadn't cast any magic that morning, it was summer and he was already in trouble for casting magic outside of school so he didn't want to chance it and he had been so distracted he probably could have picked up Ron's wand and thought it was his and they looked nothing alike. "Remus," he raised his eyes to look at the man in wonder, "what did you do?"

"I switched your wand with one I found lying around in Grimmauld." His smirking grin was infectious. "It was definitely a holly wand but I have no idea what the core was; for all I know it could have been made with Ashwinder ash. All that mattered was that you checked it in and it was made of holly." Remus reached into his sleeve and pulled out the wand in question, "I believe this belongs to you."

Harry took the wand reverently and sighed at the feel of his wand in his hands. He wasn't sure how he had not noticed the difference now that he was holding his wand again. "You are officially my favorite person in the entire world and you are now and forevermore the greatest prankster of all time."

Remus bowed jokingly, "Why thank you, young man."

Both man and teen chuckled. It was good to laugh when everything around you seemed to be falling apart.

When their amusement died, Harry shook his head, "Having my wand certainly helps but that doesn't change the fact that I am not allowed back in the wizarding world."

"You are, at the moment, barred from returning to wizarding Britain. That ruling has no hold over the rest of the world. The only way for that to happen is for you to be presented to the International Confederation of Wizards and they would need to try you and find you a danger to magic itself. If that were to happen, your magic would be bound and you would be delivered to a muggle prison to live out the rest of your life. This has happened only once in the history of the ICW." Remus made eye contact with Harry, "It will never happen to you as a trial before the ICW requires the use of Veritaserum and none of those representatives would be cowed by Fudge, Umbridge or Malfoy. I doubt most of them would be too fearful of Voldemort because they actually trust their Aurors."

"At the moment?" Harry wondered, catching the start of Remus's explanation.

"At the moment. What Fudge and Umbridge did is completely illegal. While no one said anything, there are going to be members of the Wizengamot that were present who will be outraged by what they did. One or more may go to Amelia Bones." He ran a hand through his hair, "That may not do anything now, because Fudge has been busy stripping power from the Aurors and giving himself more power, but when Voldemort is defeated and Fudge's lies and incompetence are laid bare for all to see, the people will get rid of him and those fighting for what is right will fix the mistakes he made. One day, you will be exonerated, or magical Britain will fall under the dark reign of a madman."

Harry nodded slowly, "What do I do in the meantime?"

"Like I said, you be a teenager. Let an adult handle all the rest."

The young man frowned and looked down, "But I don't have an adult." It came out as a whisper, but Remus heard it anyway. "My guardians hate me and will probably kill me when they find out I have to live with them again. I won't have time to even do my school work because of the mountain of 'chores' they will be assigning me. If they have their way, I will probably be rebuilding their house and making it into a mansion by hand!"

"You're not going back to the Dursleys, Harry." Remus put all the calm and reassurance he could into his voice as he spoke. "You won't have chores and you will not be building a house unless you want to go into construction for a living."

"Dumbledore won't allow that! I begged him not to make me go back. I used to sleep in the cupboard under the stairs. My first letter was addressed to the cupboard under the stairs for Merlin's sake."

"Albus bloody Dumbledore doesn't get a say!" Remus exploded. When he saw Harry jump, he took a calming breath and took a sip of water. "I am not mad at you, but I am done listening to Dumbledore. He has proven he can't be trusted to defend his own allies, unless they are former death eaters that is. The people he should trust most, he ignores. You should be his first priority because you are and have been at the top of Voldemort's kill list since the day you were born. The fact that he didn't show up to defend you today just proves that he doesn't care about you beyond what you could become in the fight against Voldemort." Remus sat back down on the sofa, "If you will let me, I would like to be the uncle I was always supposed to be. I would like to protect you, stand in front of you, guard you from those who would hurt you or use you." He looked at the ground for a moment, weighing his words. "If you will trust me, I have a plan that may allow you to be free of this responsibility and darkness."

"You have been planning this for a while, haven't you?" Harry asked in shock. "Planning this for me?"

"Of course I have, Harry. You are my family, even if it hasn't seemed like it." He smiled sadly, "I wanted to stay as your teacher and I lied that day in my office. I had no intention of leaving because it meant leaving you without a shield at the school but Dumbledore essentially fired me. He made it seem like it would be impossible for me to continue teaching and that if I tried, he would not be able to stop Umbridge from arresting me and disposing of me." Before Harry could comment, he continued, "To make matters worse, he stole my letters to you."

That gave Harry pause, "He what?"

"I wrote to you all year," he smiled ruefully. "I thought you were mad at me when you didn't reply to a single one. I knew what he had done when you asked if it would be alright if we wrote to each other when you thanked me for the Christmas gift that Sirius and I sent you. When I confronted him, he said he didn't want to distract you from preparing for the tournament." He made a disgusted face, "The worst part is, he made me believe him."

"How did he do that?"

"A very powerful compulsion charm," he sighed. "Normally those don't work on me because of the wolf inside of me. The caster has to be ridiculously powerful to circumvent his protections to get to my mind."

"He wanted to isolate me," Harry slumped in defeat. "If he was doing that, what else was he doing to me?" He got up and started pacing, "Did he plan for me to go against the protections during first year? And what kind of protections are they if first years can beat them? Hermione getting past one or two maybe, she reads everything she can but Ron and I? That makes no sense. How is it that he never figured out what Slytherin's monster was when he had decades to research it but Hermione managed it in a few months? Did he know that Moody was not really Moody? Did he know that the fake Moody was the one who entered my name? Did he let it happen? What did he have planned for me this year?"

"I don't have answers for those questions, Harry, but I think at least the part about your first year is probably correct. If you, Ron, and Hermione managed to get past protections meant to guard the Philosopher's Stone, then they were probably designed with the three of you in mind."

"Yeah, that honestly makes more sense than thinking flying keys would stop a powerful dark wizard," he shook his head. "Enough of that for now, this information just proves that I can't trust the headmaster so I can't rely on him, nor do I care to even consider his opinion. What do we do now? You said you had a plan."

Remus sat down in an armchair and gestured for Harry to sit as well, "I do have a plan but nothing is completely set just yet. Much of my plan depends on answers to questions that we can't answer just yet. Ultimately, I want to leave the country and get you registered in another magical school."

"You think that another country would be willing to listen to my side of the story before just believing what the ministry said," Harry guessed.

"I do. Our ministry's reputation has been tainted by the way certain things were handled last year, not that their reputation has been that great in the last fifty years. The riot at the World Cup, the mishandling of the Triwizard tournament, the fact that a student died at Hogwarts, and the fact that not one but two individuals have escaped from Azkaban and one is still on the loose. All of that has made the British wizarding government look incompetent. Your name will also open doors for you. If another nation can gain your favor just by talking to you, they will." When Harry scowled, he chuckled, "I know you hate your fame but it won't be as bad in other countries and there are some benefits to it. As long as you don't turn into Malfoy, I think you're fine."

"That is not going to happen," the teen rolled his eyes. It didn't matter what Malfoy you were talking about, Lucius, Draco or Narcissa, they all thought they deserved special treatment. "How are we getting out of here? I don't have a passport."

"We are going to need to make a trip to Gringotts."

"If I'm spotted, they will throw me in Azkaban."

"First of all, legally they are required to allow you twenty-four hours to get your affairs in order with Gringotts. Not allowing that could cause issues with the goblins and no one wants that right now. Secondly, I want you to wear your cloak when we walk through, just so we don't draw attention, there is no need to show our hand here. Lastly, even if someone saw you in Gringotts, the bank is sovereign territory, they can't arrest you there without further angering the Goblins; attempting to do so would bring out the warriors who will defend their territory with blades."

"I didn't bring my cloak," Harry frowned, "I didn't want to chance the ministry confiscating it."

Remus frowned, "A notice-me-not with your hood up will have to do. The Alley isn't that busy just yet and if we stay in the shadows and move quickly no one should notice us."

"Then let's head out now, the sooner we go, the sooner we know what we need to do," Harry had no idea what Remus needed from Gringotts but at least he could get money out of his account. It wouldn't fix anything emotionally but at least it would mean he wouldn't starve. With a bit of money, they might just have a chance of not winding up dead in a ditch due to a Death Eater attack because they had nowhere to go.

…

Walking through the alley without people seeing him was nice. While he wasn't invisible, their eyes just slid right off him. It made it so that he could walk without dodging well-wishers or curses. He also made a point to make a list of places he might want to stop before he was officially no longer allowed in the Alley. Sure, he could ask someone to get things for him until he left the country but the only person he trusted at that moment was Remus.

He was actively not thinking about his friends. Harry wanted to be able to trust the Weasleys and Hermione but something about the way Remus reacted when he said he didn't bring his cloak had him concerned. A part of Harry wondered if Remus had looked for the cloak and found it missing. The rest of him just assumed that Remus didn't think to look for it at all.

Stepping through the doors to Gringotts and having the armed guards nod at him was a bit disconcerting. Though, he was relieved that they didn't react like wizards did when they saw his face. Goblins didn't care who he was, he was just an account holder to them.

Remus led him to one of the tellers, the most intimidating one. Harry wondered if he did that because the line was shortest or if there was another reason. "The most important Goblin on the floor is often the one you least expect," Remus whispered to him. "This goblin almost always has the most hostile look or the most unkempt work space to try and deter wizards." He nodded toward the longest lines that had formed at the desks of the goblins with the finest looking suits. "What most don't know is that goblins who work the floor are among the least powerful of the nation, only cart drivers have less power."

By this point the line ahead of them had cleared and they were next. "Well met, master Longclaw," he bowed his head respectfully but did not allow the goblin to leave his sight. "My companion and I need to see his account manager to discuss some legal issues and we would appreciate your discretion."

Longclaw nodded to Remus and then turned his attention to Harry. The young man knew he saw through the charms making him less obvious. He tried to appear confident without seeming arrogant.

"Follow," he grumbled and got up from his chair, headed to a door behind his desk.

The wizards had to jog around the desk to catch the door before it closed behind the gruff goblin. Longclaw was making his way briskly down the hall and Harry could see he was headed directly for an open elevator. They went up a floor and then down a maze of corridors with so many turns Harry was not sure he could find his way out without getting lost; he wasn't entirely sure how there were that many corridors to begin with. Gringotts was large but he didn't think it was that large.

He stopped in front of the most opulent door they had come across and knocked twice before opening the door and stepping through before the goblin in the room could attempt to answer. "Potter and his wolf are here to see you, Brayclaw," the grizzled goblin scowled before stepping aside and waving them in.

The goblin behind the desk in the office raised an eyebrow at the retreating goblin before rolling his eyes, "I respect my cousin for working the floor and not killing someone but sometimes I want to challenge him for not respecting my position," he then turned his attention to the humans. "Well met, Mister Potter, I am Brayclaw, and I have been the Potter account manager for nearly fifty years. I am glad to finally meet you but I would like to speak with your magical guardian. He should not have kept us from meeting for so long." His eyes turned to Remus, "Who is Mister Potter's magical guardian? Our records show it should have been Sirius Black but with him being placed in Azkaban that would have been impossible until very recently."

Remus blinked, "I am honestly not sure and should have thought about that. Both Harry's godparents were incapable of taking responsibility for him directly after the attack that took his parents. Because of where Harry ended up, I suspect that the Potter Wills were ignored because there is no way that Lily would have allowed Harry to go live with his aunt."

Brayclaw nodded and pressed on a rock on his desk. The rock flashed red once before returning to its original gray coloring. "We can look into that while you are here." He turned his full attention to Harry, "Please sit, Mister Potter, we have much to discuss."

While Harry and Remus took their seats, Brayclaw was pulling forms from his desk drawers. "Just before you arrived, I received word of your expulsion from Hogwarts and the British wizarding world. The court records are concerning as you only spoke one word during the entire trial. There is not even a record of you making a noise after replying yes to the question of whether you performed a Patronus spell in a muggle area." He looked up from the scroll he was reviewing, "I would like to get your side of the story for our records while you are here. It would be ideal if you would consent to holding a certain goblin artifact while we question you but it is not required."

"What would this… artifact do?" Harry asked hesitantly. He could guess but he would rather have clarification before making any decisions.

"The item is called the 'Truth Dagger.' It does what you would expect considering the name; it compels the person holding it to tell the truth. We goblins like our weapons," he grinned wickedly, "when one lies while holding the blade, it cuts your hand. The more you lie, the more you bleed. The bigger the lie, the more blood that flows."

Harry nodded, "I would be more than happy to hold the Truth Dagger. I have no reason to lie to you or anyone."

"Very good, we can get to that after we deal with what you hoped to accomplish by coming here today."

Harry looked to Remus, who nodded. "I brought Harry here today in the hopes that Gringotts could help us set up a new life outside Britain. The ministry has made it impossible for either of us to live safe or free lives here and we are tired of it."

"That can be arranged," he made a note in his ledger, "is there anything else you were hoping to accomplish today?"

Remus placed a hand on Harry's shoulder, "I think it would be beneficial for Harry to undergo an inheritance test. Firstly, to prove he is Harry Potter as he is not in possession of his key and we are not sure where it is and secondly to see if there are any other vaults that he has access to by blood or magic."

Brayclaw smiled again, this time a little bit of his sharp teeth peaked out between his lips. "Very good, Mister Lupin. Do you know who has Mister Potter's key?"

"I believe Molly Weasley has it but I am not sure where she got it from." Harry answered quietly. "When I first came here, Hagrid had my key and he kept it with him. I think he got it from Headmaster Dumbledore and I would bet a great deal of money that he returned it to the headmaster after he left me. Mrs. Weasley had my key second year and I did manage to hold on to it after shopping that year. She got a hold of it again last summer to take care of our shopping while we were at the World Cup and she never returned it."

"Has anyone explained the importance of a vault key to you, Mister Potter?" Brayclaw asked though it sounded like he knew the answer. Harry shook his head feeling sheepish, which caused the goblin to nod, "Once a young witch or wizard turns eleven, if they have a trust vault, they are considered responsible for that vault. How they handle the money in that vault allows Gringotts to determine what type of account we should recommend when they reach adulthood. Additionally, giving your vault key to others allows them to take money from you whenever they want and there is nothing we can do about it."

"I understand," Harry frowned, "I should have seen that sooner but I have never had money before and never had to think about it. I started thinking about it gradually over the years, especially when I saw Ron lamenting about not having money to buy frivolous things. By that point, Mrs. Weasley already had my key and there wasn't much I could do about it then."

"There may be something we can do for you under the circumstances. Your magical guardian failed to impart pertinent information to you and barred us from meeting so I could not fill in the gaps. If your magical guardian or another adult figure robbed your trust vault of money at any time between the death of your parents and your eleventh birthday, they will be punished automatically. If money was removed from your vault when you were at school, we may be able to return the funds by transferring them from their own vaults."

He removed an elegantly carved bowl and an equally magnificent knife from a deep drawer in his desk. "Before we get to that, let's perform the bloodline test. It is very simple; I will need to make a small cut in your palm. I will collect eighteen drops of blood in this ceremonial bowl. After a little goblin lineage magic that I cannot explain or share, I will pour the blood potion on this sheet of parchment. The parchment is charmed to react in a certain way to the ritual I will perform on your blood. The blood will use magic to trace back your line and reveal which lines you are connected to, even if there was a time when no magic remained in the line."

"So, you're saying that my mom could be a descendent of a pure blood line that ended in a squib child?"

"Correct," he nodded while reaching out his hand toward the young wizard.

Harry frowned. "Is there any other benefit to performing the bloodline test outside of verifying identity?"

The Goblin almost smiled. "Do you know, Mister Potter, that a Goblin Account manager is incapable of lying to their account holder? It is due to a vow we take, and the pride we take in our jobs." he continued before Harry could answer. "I would suggest that the Potter Heir trace his entire bloodline for a number of reasons. Firstly, it would reveal any additional vaults at your disposal. There is also a chance of finding out the possibility of familial abilities; some abilities are only passed on through bloodlines and can remain dormant until unlocked by magic or circumstance. If you had one, I could unlock it instead of making you wait for certain criteria to be met allowing it to unlock naturally. Lastly, there are some families that are exempt from certain restrictions both within Gringotts and in the magical world."

"Would the cost of this full trace put a noticeable dent on my vault? I'm assuming this isn't something done for free and I don't know when I will be able to begin to make more money so I can't spend it frivolously."

The Goblin laughed, loud and long. "Mister Potter, you could buy the country of Wales and not put a noticeable dent into your financial holdings. That is a bit of an exaggeration of course but the Potters are ridiculously rich for a number of reasons. Families with long lines accumulate money partially because of interest but in the case of the Potters, they made smart investments, owned or were part of a number of successful businesses throughout the years and it was rare for a member of the family to not make enough money through their career to support themselves without dipping into the family holdings. Potters are trained not to rest on their laurels. Paying for bloodline test would be like buying a cup of coffee."

"I'm rich?" Harry wasn't sure what he thought of that. Sure, he had felt rich seeing his vault for the first time, but he had been realistic enough to know that would not sustain him throughout his adult life. "I thought my only vault was the one I visited the first time I came here with Rubeus Hagrid."

The Goblin shook his head. "That is your trust vault. It is intended for your use during school and as I said before to test your ability to manage money so I can better assist you in the future. There are at least a few other vaults that will become available to you after certain restrictions are met." His account manager frowned, "I will have to look into this further. But, before that, may I perform the identity check and bloodline test?"

"Of course," Harry extended his hand toward the Goblin, "I assume the cost can be taken directly from my account."

Harry placed his hand in the goblin's and waited for the sting of the knife cutting across his flesh. It hurt less than he thought it would and wondered if perhaps the knife was charmed to numb the flesh around the cut. Brayclaw muttered something over the bowl after collecting the proper amount of blood; he also poured four drops of a gold liquid into the bowl. The bowl and the liquid within flashed silver and a whisper of dusky silver smoke rose from the solution. With a smirk, Brayclaw dumped the contents of the bowl onto the parchment.

In both amazement and horror, Harry watched the blood solution sink and disappear into the parchment. He felt a shudder run through his body and a phantom pain spring from the long scar on his right arm caused by the Basilisk's tooth. A moment later, his name appeared in an elegant script at the top of the paper. From his name a line appeared, connecting him to his parents. From his father another short line connected him to his own parents. Name after name appeared on the sheet of paper, tracing back his family line centuries; interestingly, he saw a Black was his great grandmother. Surprisingly, a dotted line appeared from his mother's name, after a short time, a new name, a new line, began to track back from his mother. It seemed she was a descendant of a squib line after all.

It took longer than he expected. After about five minutes, the writing stopped and there was a flash of light. When the light faded, the writing on the parchment was no longer the color of blood but was instead black as the ink on Brayclaw's desk.

Master Brayclaw studied the parchment closely. Tracing Harry's magical line from his name to the end. "Well, Mister Potter, you are who you say you are. I have also found a number of very interesting things in your blood history. You have a number of options at your disposal. To start, I would like to inform you that you are the last descendent of the noble line of Peverell. The Peverell line is unique in that to be considered the heir you must be related both by blood and magic. Blood is easy to determine; magic is much more difficult, unless you have Goblin means at your disposal.

"Now, you cannot be the Magical Heir if you are not a blood heir as I said this is easily determined and obviously you are related by blood as your blood recognizes your ancestors or I would not waste your time explaining. A Magical Heir must inherit a number of magical gifts that the last Lord, and every Lord before, held. You hold those gifts Mister Potter though some have been bound by a powerful wizard."

"What gifts do I hold that makes me the Magical Heir of the Peverell family?" Harry looked at Remus, but the older man seemed just as interested and confused as he was.

"I will start with the gifts that you are free to use without them needing to be unlocked. First, is the gift of the serpent tongue. Despite what people claim, Slytherin was not the first nor is his family the only line in Britain to speak the noble language of snakes. The oldest family of magical human blood in this region to speak it is the Peverell line, though they did not advertise this fact."

"The oldest human line?" Remus queried.

"The serpent's tongue was first spoken by the High Elves. It was theirs to teach and they chose a select few to instruct. The High Elves are the only ones capable of teaching the language, once taught it will be passed down the line, each inheritor will have the ability to speak it without training. The trick is learning the difference between their native tongue and the serpent tongue. The ability can only be passed through the blood line it was taught to and no speaker can teach it a spouse or adopted family member." He paused allowing his words to sink in, "You are a descendent of one of these blood lines, Mister Potter.

"Next, you have the gift of Changing, as we call it. I believe your people call it being a Metamorphmagus. This gift has been bound by strong magics and I sense that your form is paused at one that is not entirely what it should be. It should be easily rectified once your gift is released."

"Wait," Harry interrupted, "are you saying that this isn't what I should look like?"

"It is close, Mister Potter but certain things were altered slightly. I cannot say for certain what is incorrect but there is something off."

"I think it's your hair, cub." Remus scrunched his face in thought, "I have this odd feeling it was lighter and less wild when you were a kid. More red hints maybe?" He shook his head and turned his attention back to the account manager. "Is there anything else we should know, Master Brayclaw?"

"Indeed. Your gift for shifting shapes is rarer still. While it is not uncommon for Wizards to be able to change into a single animal form, you have the ability to change into a family of animals should you choose to study the discipline."

"When you say a family of animals, what do you mean?"

"I cannot tell you your form family, it would make it near impossible for you to change if I told you outright. Finding your form is half of the process to becoming your inner animal." Harry nodded in understanding to this. "What I mean by a family of animals is that were your first form a cat, you could potentially transform into other feline animals, such as a lion or tiger. The same could be said of a birds, dogs or equines.

"The last bit I would like to share about your paternal bloodline is your Elvin blood." Brayclaw turned the long family tree to face Harry. "This here is the beginning of your magical blood," he pointed at the first male name on the list, which was directly under a more feminine name. "Bariel was a High Elf and loved a mortal man. She birthed his son and though she could not stay with him, for it is forbidden, she watched over her lover and child from a distance. When the time came, she instructed the boy on the magics of the Elves, of the elements. He was the first of your line to speak to snakes. Baron Peverell was the first of his line to carry magic so he learned when she was willing to teach him.

"Every child born from his life after carried magic. Yours is the only line goblins can find that has never produced a squib, though there are branch families that did. Elvin magic is strong so it has kept magic in your line but the Elvin gifts do not appear in every child born of the line. They rarely show and almost never all show in one individual. You are the first magical Heir of the Peverell line in over four hundred years. Goblin records show only three before now. Baron's son, Ignotus Peverell and the last child born with the Peverell name, Amalie Potter nee Peverell."

"What does this mean exactly? Do I carry Elvin blood?"

"Some families do carry Elvish blood, those that were most respectful of the elements were often visited by elves. Your line is simply the purest as your family has never betrayed the sanctity of life and nature. You may find you have an affinity for elemental magic if you chose to study it. You may also find you have an innate ability to protect your mind or at least resist attempts of outside forces to control your mind. Lastly, you will most likely live longer than your average witch or wizard. I cannot say for sure as it has been hundreds of years since we have had a true Magical Heir to an Elvish bloodline."

"Is there anything in his mother's history that we should be aware of?"

"The Merisel and Castor lines, both of whom she is descendent of, are not as interesting as the Peverell line but they do have their quirks. Both lines have been absent from magic for a long time. Their vaults lie in the bowels of Gringotts collecting dust. The Castor line was a merchant line of some regard. They have no magics that are family based that you need to be aware of but there should be some interesting items in their vault. The Merisel line is a bit more impressive historically speaking. They were said to be the leading experts on blood magics, back when blood magic wasn't illegal due to fear and the use of blood." He looked down at an open book on his desk, skimming his finger along the page. "There should be a number of Grimoires in the Merisel vault that would explain their practices and the purpose for each ritual. Though it would behoove me to tell you to tread carefully there, blood magics might not all be dark like most ministries would like you to believe but they are dangerous if not done correctly."

"This is a lot to take in, Master Brayclaw." Harry frowned and rubbed his temple. "I don't think I have a lot of time to contemplate or comprehend it right now due to the uncertainty of my immediate future. You said I had options, what options are open to me at this time?"

"Before I get to that, I would like to do some digging into your accounts, it may give you a more options or at least allow you refine your plans. While I do that, I would like to offer you both a place to rest and eat. I should be finished in an hour at most."

Remus sensed this was important to the account manager so he took over for Harry, "That would be acceptable and appreciated, Master Brayclaw. I am sure Harry is hungry, he barely ate before heading to the ministry this morning."

"Perfect, I will have Grimsfellow lead you to a meeting room and bring you food. I will collect you when I have finished with my investigations."