Albus Dumbledore stormed into his office, and slammed the door behind him, waking his phoenix from his peaceful slumber. He was shaking with fury, and stray magic crackled all around the elderly wizard, as he paced the length and breadth of the room. He paused in front of his mahogany desk, and dipped his hand into an ivory porcelain bowl, to grab a handful of lemon-drops, and popped them into his mouth.

Once the sugary sweet sensation laced with some Calming Draught exploded on his tongue, he took a deep breath, and lowered himself on his leather arm-chair. He needed a clear mind to objectively think the situation over, and devise a proper course of action to counter the foolish mistakes of Minerva McGonagall.

He could not believe that she had the gall to betray him. What could have possibly possessed her to go against him, and everything he believed in?

The 'Greater Good' was more important, than her sense of right and wrong. Placing Harry Potter with his mother's muggle relatives, was crucial to his plans, and it would have to be rectified and soon. If he had to track them down, and modify their memories and cast some Compulsion Charms, then so mote it be. It was, but a small sacrifice on the path of greatness.

Albus nodded to himself, and patted himself on the shoulder for being so assertive in such an important situation, even under such duress. As he suckled on his candy, his thoughts edged towards the correspondence between Gringotts and his Professor, and he mused about how to turn the reading of the will to his benefit.

His eyes twinkled with delight, as he thought about the obvious. As smart as he was, he could very well make a list of the people, who would be invited to the reading, and gently coax one of them to be his eyes and ears. Obviously, he was a genius to think about such an ingenious tactic.

He leaned over his desk and grabbed a piece of parchment, scrambling in one of his drawers to find a functioning Quill and some ink. He dipped the pointed end of the Phoenix Feather into the scarlet coloured liquid, and started to compose his list.

"Minerva McGonagall." He frowned as he shaped the flow of the ink to form her name. She was the first, and most obvious choice, as the letters were proof of her invitation to the reading. He wanted to steer clear of her for now though, and instead keep an eye on her future movement. She was a wild card to his operation, so instead of manipulating her mind, he decided that it would be more to his advantage to let her roam free, and lull her into a false sense of safety, so she will show her hand in the right moment.

"Filius Flitwick." He sighed, as he wrote the name of his Charms Professor. He harboured some unrequited feelings for the tiny wizard for the past couple of decades, which would interfere with his willingness to actually meddle with him. He was aware that he was especially close with Lily Potter, so he figured that the Potters left some valuables to his name, but he didn't believe that he would be an actual threat to the placement of Harry. He sighed once more, and decided to leave him and his beautiful mind alone. He was not willing to coax or hurt him in any shape or form, not even for the 'Greater Good', at least for now. He held out some hope for a bright future for the two of them.

"Sirius Black." He actually smirked as he wrote down the name of the young Auror. He was aware that he wouldn't be able to do anything to stop him and his plans, because he was sitting in the esteemed company of Dementors, in Azkaban. He did not feel even the slightest tinge of guilt for throwing an innocent man into prison. The Black family's dark reputation played into his sly hands very nicely. No one in their right mind would bat an eye for sentencing him to Azkaban without a trial, except perhaps Amelia Bones, but that was of no consequence for now. As powerful as she was, she had no control over Cornelius, who was a sad excuse for Minister for Magic. The only person, who could possibly get in his way was Lucius Malfoy, but he benefited from the situation with Black in Azkaban, as much as he did, so he was safe. He was really glad about that, because Malfoy manipulated the young wizard into power, after Bagshot was murdered. What a tragic accident.

"Remus Lupin." He paused a bit after he added his name to the list, and leaned against the comfortable back of the chair, closing his eyes, and pondering about the unique predicament young Remus was in.

The werewolf was one of his most loyal subjects, as he felt indebted to him for allowing him to attend Hogwarts, even with his furry little problem. He chuckled softly to himself, and stood up to walk over to his private library. He ran his fingertips over the spines of his books that he had on magical creatures, and stopped when he spotted the ancient tome on werewolves.

He gently lifted the thin text off the shelf, and carefully blew on it, so the dust that covered the leather-bound surface, scattered into the air. With a flick of his wand, he muttered a spell to clear the air, and sat back down, placing the book beside the list.

The Headmaster sighed wearily, and flicked the cover open, looking at the second page, that listed the contents. His eyes twinkled when he found the chapter on the 'Effects of Mind Magic and Mind Alteration'. He skimmed the pages, effectively finding the paragraph, that he needed.

"The nature of the werewolves is mysterious when it comes to the Mind Arts. Witches or Wizards, who were skilled in Occlumency and Legilimency, often have their skills magnified after their infection and transition into their wild side, courtesy of the magic of the Full Moon, becoming completely immune to the Mind Arts. Even the individuals, who were infected before learning the art of shielding their mind, or lacking these protective skills, become somewhat immune to the probing of the mind, or the control of the Imperius. The nature of the wolf personality is highly aggressive, and quite protective. Even while dormant most of the month, it edges under the surface of the personality of the werewolf, eager to burst out of it's cocoon, by any means necessary. Putting a werewolf under the Imperius Curse, or using Legilimency to inject false memories, or compulsions into the mind, is dangerous and highly inadvisable, unless one wants to die a most horrible death, or spend one's life howling at the Full Moon oneself."

Dumbledore frowned, and thanked his cleverness and thoughtfulness for reading, before doing something that would have had a tragic result. He wanted to put Harry Potter under his control, but it would be pointless, if in the midst of things, he would die or worse, transition into a creature. He shuddered at the thought. He could graciously tolerate beings, but he would rather die, than become one himself, because that would tarnish his glowing reputation.

He closed the book, and let it rest beside the short list of subjects, that were his pawns for playing the sheep, that was the Wizarding World. The Headmaster chuckled darkly at the thought of them letting him hold so much power over their heads. It astounded him that no one questioned the morality of the principle of him being in three very powerful positions, with him as Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards, and Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, as he had major influence and connections to families of nobility and power.

Over the years, he had perfected his kindly grandfather persona, and it worked wonders for him. He supposed he should be thankful for Father Christmas, who was his inspiration with his act. The fact that he seemed morale and Light enough to entice a phoenix to bond with him, was the delicate icing on the cake of manipulation. He had suspected that since then, poor Fawkes regretted agreeing to the magical bond, but he didn't show it too much, and helped him with the normal tasks he had for him, like flashing him in and out of places, letting him donate some feathers for Quills, and even for a wand or two, and using his tears, when he had a dangerous encounter and needed Healing aid.

Albus tilted his head to the side and peered at the golden perch, that was located near the ornate window. Fawkes was staring at him with his sad piercing blue eyes, and he felt like he was looking at his very soul. He flushed with a feeling of being flustered, and looked away. Sometimes he really had to pay attention to catch himself, before he let the fiery bird influence him with his goodness.

Albus Dumbledore did not consider himself a Dark wizard, or a Dark Lord, no, however, he was aware that some of his actions, albeit completely necessary for the Greater Good, were Grey at best. He did not like to personally dirty his hands, but if his plans demanded, he would find a third party to do his bidding for him, thus ridding him from any tinge of guilt that could surface in his conscience.

He closed his eyes and sighed, the wheels turning in his head over the remaining friendly connections the Potters had, as he needed to muse over the possibility of them being named in the will. After a pause in thought, he stood up and began pacing over the room once more, anxiously trying to remember the Potters' years at Hogwarts, and whom they used to hang out with.

He remembered Lily and James being friendly with Alice and Frank Longbottom, and he assumed that they would be named in their last testament, as the young men used to work together in the Auror force, however he was also aware of the tragedy that had befallen the Longbottom family. Bellatrix Lestrange had tortured the couple into a comatose state with the Cruciatus Curse, so if anyone could attend the reading in their name, it would be Madame Longbottom, and the formidable witch was someone, that he did not want to cross.

That left him with a few other names: Fiona Flitwick, Selene Lovegood, Marlene McKinnon, Dorcas Meadows, Emmeline Vance and Andromeda Tonks. While they were mostly members of the Order of the Phoenix, for some reason he highly doubted any of them would take kindly to being coaxed into delivering information to him.

Miss Flitwick was out of the equation, by the simple fact that he was Filius' daughter, and as such, she was untouchable to him. He did not want to deal with an enraged Flitwick raining down on him, that would most certainly break his heart into millions of tiny pieces. No, if he hoped for any possible future relation with him, he needed to respect him and his family, so he swiftly took her off of his mental chess table.

Miss Lovegood was not an option either, as her intuition and her knowledge of the character of those closest to her was uncanny, and the aging wizard always felt uncomfortable around the beautiful witch. Her presence was simply unnerving to him, it was as if she knew his deepest, darkest secrets and thoughts. He thought it a very good idea to keep his distance.

The rest of the witches were a possibility for manipulation, especially Miss McKinnon. Dumbledore knew for a fact that the mind of that young lady was as open and expressive, as the rest of her. She was a very outgoing and frighteningly sincere person, with her heart on her sleeve. She was part of the Order, and a skilled witch in her own right.

He nodded to himself, and added her name to the list, circling it slightly, and scrawled a question mark before Lupin's name, because despite what he read about werewolves and influencing their minds, he was certain Remus was his best choice at accomplishing his goal. It was only a question of how he should circumvent the difficulties, but he wasn't Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, the most powerful and clever wizard since Merlin, for nothing. Although, that did not mean that he couldn't influence Miss McKinnon as well, as an insurance policy of sorts.

He turned towards Fawkes and smiled. "Well, what do you say, old friend? How about we invite some good company?" He asked serenely, and the phoenix stared at him, shaking his head and turning towards the window. He knew what his bonded wizard was planning to do, and it sickened him.

Fawkes trilled sadly, and reminisced about the time he met Dumbledore. He held so much more hope in himself, but over the years his aura had become darker and darker, and it was like he did not even notice, or did not want to. He did not know how to help him see himself. He wanted out of this bond, but he couldn't escape, unless he met someone with a heart and spirit so pure, that it would over-ride this flat bond they shared with the Headmaster, but for that to happen, he would have to be allowed among people, and that was simply unthinkable.

Albus frowned at the reaction of his familiar, but moved towards his fireplace anyway, and contacted the McKinnon witch. He knelt on the hard marble floor, and dipped his head into the glowing blueish flames.

"Greetings, Miss McKinnon." He said softly. "Would you be so kind as to floo to my office? We have something to discuss." He indulged her.

The brunette witch raised an eyebrow, as she noticed the Headmaster floo-calling her. It was highly unusual, because usually he paid no attention to her. "Of course, Headmaster. Is it about Order business?" She inquired.

"Yes, it's rather urgent." He said gravely.

"I will be right over, sir!" She replied, her heart beating faster. Did something happen? Did someone die? Why would he call her out of all the other members? She froze and panicked at the thought that something may have happened to her little brother.

She grabbed a handful of floo powder, and made the journey to the Headmaster's office, falling ungracefully on the marble stone floor. She blushed slightly, as she scrambled to her feet, and flicked off the dust and dirt from her clothes, with a well aimed spell.

"It's nice to see you, Miss McKinnon." Albus chuckled, an amused light twinkling in his eyes. "It's not often that one sees such a delightful arrival." He said playfully, causing the young witch to flush scarlet.

"I am sorry, Headmaster. Floo travel was never my strong suit." She mumbled, and looked at the elder wizard with a concerned expression. "May I ask what is the urgent matter we need to discuss?" She asked, her voice laced with poorly-masked fear.

"No need to look so frightened, my dear." He said softly, when he noticed her expression. "I would like to talk to you about James and Lily Potter, if you don't mind?"

Marlene looked at him with shock on her face, and a deep pain reflecting in her eyes. "It's horrible! They died way before their time." She whispered, her voice cracking. "The worst of all is that they left behind a small baby, who will grow up without the tender loving care of James and Lily. It breaks my heart." She burst into thick tears, her hands trembling, as her fingers fidgeted with the edge of her cloak.

Albus looked down sorrowfully, taking a leaf out of his kindly grandfather persona, as he tenderly patted the sobbing girl on her shoulder. "There, there, Miss McKinnon." He muttered gently, and motioned for her to sit in the comfortable chair in front of his desk. "Would you fancy a lemon-drop, my dear?" He offered generously, and his eyes twinkled with delight when she accepted.

"Thank you, Headmaster." She whispered, and reached into the small golden bowl, and took a candy, plopping it into her mouth. As she twirled it around her tongue, the hidden potions made contact with her, her body instantly relaxing, as her eyes glazed over.

The sneaky wizard smiled widely, and did a switching spell with his own supply of lemon-drops. The ones he offered to the dazed witch was for his guests, and that batch was laced with a Loyalty Potion, and his own concoction, to make the subject more willing to accept his gentle nudging to the right course of action.

"Are you alright, Miss McKinnon?" He asked, and the girl looked at him kind of dazed and confused.

"Of course, Headmaster, never better." She had a strange smile on her face. "What can I do for you?" She asked rather eagerly, and the wizard had to hide a smug grin at his brilliance.

"All in good time, dear child." He muttered, and then asked an important question to his mission. "Have you received a letter from Gringotts recently?" He wondered, his voice impatient.

"Oh, yes, I did." She bobbed her head in reply.

"Were you invited to the reading of the Potter will?" He looked at her curiously, and hoped that was the case, because she theoretically could have had other business with Gringotts.

"Yes, sir." She nodded again, looking blankly at him.

"Good." He smiled serenely and asked another question. "Would you do me a favour, Miss McKinnon?"

"Anything, sir!" She smiled that strange smile again and bobbed her head in the positive.

"Anything, you say?" Dumbledore's expression would have turned positively feral, if he didn't have to stick to his grandfather persona. "Very well, my dear. Since I am busy that morning, and cannot attend the will reading, I would like you to be my eyes and ears, and then tell me everything that happened, right after the situation is done with." He said in a smooth, hypnotic tone, that seeped into Marlene's subconscious.

"It would be my pleasure, Headmaster." She said eagerly and looked at him with a blank look. "Can I do anything else for you?"

"Thank you, Miss McKinnon." He smiled. "Oh, certainly. Please don't tell anyone that I cannot make it to the reading, or that we had this conversation. It should be our little secret." He said, and indulged her in a gentle pat on her cheek. If he was remotely interested in witches, he would have probably thought about other things to ask of her, but that wasn't the case, so he snapped his fingers, and caught her when she was falling.

"Oh, Miss McKinnon, you are a treasure to my cause." He smiled, and laid her on the floor, calling for a House-Elf.

"Sippy!" He exclaimed in an authoritative voice, and a run-down, depressed-looking House-Elf appeared in front of him, only to cheer up at the possibility of having something to do.

"Yes, Headmaster? You called Sippy. Sippy is happy to serve." She squeaked and looked eager to please the Head of the School. "What can Sippy do?"

"Please pop Miss McKinnon home, and see to it that she is perfectly healthy by the time she needs to leave for her appointment at Gringotts tomorrow." He instructed.

"Sippy is doing that, sir. Sippy will go now and guard Miss Kinny 'till tomorrow." She vowed, and disappeared with the witch.

Dumbledore sighed contently, and decided that this part of the plan went smoothly. The girl was ridiculously easy to manipulate, because she was too open and trusting, well, that was her mistake, and his advantage.

Now he could implement the next phase of his plan, and this would be the challenging part. How to coerce a werewolf into doing his bidding, without him knowing? Nothing came to his mind just yet, but he would wing it, after all he was a genius, he could do this.

Albus decided that he would apparate to Remus Lupin's location, perhaps that would make the wizard-turned-creature more accommodating to his gentle coercion to his way of thinking on the Harry Potter matter. Nonetheless, he needed to be quick and witty to pull this off. He turned on his heel, and apparated on the spot, after all his magical signature was keyed into the castle wards, giving him easy access to coming and going, whenever and wherever he pleased.

He arrived in a dimly lit, run-down room, that looked painfully empty, except for a single bed, some weary blankets covering the surface, with yellow pillows adorning the headboard. There was a simple oak wardrobe, that was half open, revealing that the man barely had any clothes. Under the small window, was a tiny wooden desk, with a matching chair, that had a haphazardly arranged cloak thrown over it. The other side of the room was dressed with some book shelves, that were filled to the brim with books of all sizes and colours.

The Headmaster sighed heavily. He was aware that the poor werewolf had sketchy living circumstances, but he didn't imagine it was this bad. He frowned, and shook his head slightly in pity. He walked over to the bookcases and would have just begun skimming the titles, when Remus rushed into the room, his stance alert, his eyes raging with anger, and his wand pointed at him.

"Remus, my boy, is this the proper way to greet a friend?" His eyes twinkled with amusement, and the shocked man had the good sense to be flustered at the old wizard's question.

"Oh, it's you, Headmaster! My apologies, I wasn't expecting anyone, much less a friendly connection, when I felt my wards come crashing down." He muttered, and ran his fingers through his sandy brown hair. "I have been on the edge, ever since James and Lily were murdered. The thought of our best friend betraying them..." He mumbled tearfully, his shoulders shaking from the emotions he was trying his best to hold back. At the same time, the manipulative meddler had a light bulb go off in his head, and decided to turn this conversation to his advantage.

"It is very tragic indeed." He said sadly, patting the young werewolf on his shoulder. "This is actually the reason I have decided to stop by. I have some sensitive information on the Black-Potter situation." He indulged Remus, in a low whisper.

"You do? Please share it with me, I deserve to know! They were my best friends, and now they are gone. If you know something important, please put me out of my misery!" He said in a feverish voice, leaning towards the Headmaster, grabbing onto his purple cloak in desperation, catching himself in the act and flushing with embarrassment, at the disrespect he was showing. "Er, I apologize, my emotions were getting away from me."

Albus had an amused light in his eyes at his reaction, and he was certain he could trick him into taking a magical oath for information's sake, and then use it to his advantage afterwards.

"I cannot indulge you with what I know, because of the sensitive nature of the matter. I would need a magical oath from you that you would not accidentally share these matters with others." He explained gravely, joining his hands behind his back.

"Are you certain there is no other way?" Lupin asked with a serious tone.

Magical oaths were highly volatile when agreed on without proper thinking and wording. Remus Lupin did not want to jump into a magically binding contract between him and Albus Dumbledore, unless he absolutely had to. His mind, and the wolf inside of him, were swiftly against this idea, but his heart was all for it. He needed to know some things. He needed to make sure that Sirius would pay for his crimes, for betraying the Potters, for murdering Peter, for turning into the despicable man, that he had once sworn never to become. He needed to make sure that little Harry was well looked after, that he would grow up with people, who loved him and cared for him. People, who wouldn't care that he was the saviour of the Wizarding World, who wouldn't care that he was the Boy-Who-Lived.

"I am afraid we have no other choice, Remus." Dumbledore confirmed.

"Very well, Albus, but know that the only reason I am agreeing to a magical oath is so I can reassure myself that Black gets what he deserves, and that Harry is looked after." He nodded.

"Understandable, my boy." Dumbledore nodded and smiled a serene smile. "Please repeat after me. 'I, Remus John Lupin, swear on my life and magic not to disclose the sensitive information that Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore shares with me about the Peter Pettigrew situation with Sirius Black, and the predicament of fifteen months old Harry Potter, and promise to share any information I come upon for the next forty-eight hours.'" He articulated clearly, and sucked in a deep breath, waiting to see if he repeated the words.

Remus arched a brow, deep in thought about the wording of the oath. It seemed rather specific, however it also seemed quite harmless, and only binding for the next two days, which wasn't bad at all. He ended up raising his wand, and repeating the oath, word for word.

"I, Remus John Lupin, swear on my life and magic not to disclose the sensitive information that Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore shares with me about the Peter Pettigrew situation with Sirius Black, and the predicament of fifteen months old Harry Potter, and promise to share any information I come upon for the next forty-eight hours. So mote it be." There was a flash of magic, that sealed his promise, and he felt an uncomfortable tug at the back of his mind.

The older wizard had to hide his delight. "Thank you, my boy, that was a wise decision." He nodded, and went into detail about the imprisonment of Sirius Black, and the circumstances of Harry Potter. These were mostly information everyone had at their disposal, spiced with a few breadcrumbs of things the public wasn't privy to, like how Black didn't have a trial.

"It serves him well, that back-stabbing bastard!" Remus was a little bit out of his mind with anger towards Sirius, but it was completely understandable. Not only did he betray their friends, murdered another friend, orphaned Harry, but he also betrayed him. How could he? The werewolf within him was raging, like sea waves were rapidly rising and falling, during a heavy storm.

"I couldn't agree more, my boy." Dumbledore said gently, doing a little mental dance in his mind for being such a genius, playing on his emotions like this. "Poor little Harry is out of a set of loving parents because of him, I hope he finds his comeuppance with the Dementors." He added and then sighed. "Remus, would you mind doing me a favour?" He looked at him, worry portrayed in his eyes.

"My sentiments exactly!" The werewolf agreed and then nodded. "You know I would do anything for you Headmaster, I am forever indebted to your kindness and generosity that you displayed in my Hogwarts years." He smiled a small smile.

"Oh, think nothing of it, my boy." He waved it off. "Well, I know that the Potter will reading is tomorrow, but I have a previous engagement and unfortunately cannot attend. Would you mind filling me in of the details over lunch tomorrow?" He asked kindly.

Remus knotted his eyebrows together, and wondered what could be more important than attending the reading of the last testaments of the Potters, but then he thought about the amount of responsibility that being Albus Dumbledore must come with, and nodded his consent, after all he already had done so much for him, it was only natural that he helped him out.

He felt the uncomfortable tug at the back of his mind once more, but he chose not to pay attention to it, because he knew that the magnificent wizard would never lead him astray. He trusted him beyond words, and beyond measure. He had no way of knowing how wrong he was, and how betrayed he was going to feel, once his manipulations would be pointed out to him.

"I can do that, it has been a while since we had lunch together." He smiled, and the old wizard patted him gently on the shoulder.

"Then it's time to rectify that, my boy!" He said in a jolly manner.

The two spent a few more minutes talking about next to nothing, and the Headmaster apparated back to Hogwarts, feeling accomplished, and basking in his own self-addressed glory for the day.


The mood was extremely different in the Gringotts underground tunnels, and in the Healing Chambers. The goblins, who had clearance to know about the Harry Potter situation, were either extremely pissed off, and planning to murder some witches and wizards, or they were frantically preparing for the Horcrux extraction ritual, which demanded a steady heart and mind, not to mention the high amount of magical power, and the delicacy of required skills to accomplish this most daunting feat.

Director Ragnok stood in one of the corners of the Chamber, with tiny Harry resting in his muscled arms, as he was supervising the preparations. He promised Healer Zaire, that he would be present for the extraction, and he was intent in seeing that promise through. He had feelings of affection for this small child, feelings that he never expected to feel for a witch or a wizard, and it had taken him by surprise.

Ragnok could only assume that his inability to conceive a child with his mate had something to do with it. The fate that this dragon-egg sized human baby was born with, was a sombre one. No one should lose their family at such a tender age, and no one should be marked by such powerful Dark Magic, especially not the saviour of Magical Britain. However, he also knew that great heroes would always be surrounded with even greater tragic circumstances, that would aid them to be the strength and pillar of their community. The mighty goblin warrior had every intention to guide him through the trials and tribulations that would inevitably befall him.

It was unprecedented that a goblin would take interest in a wizard, but he felt it in his gut, that this course of action would benefit the Goblin Nation on the long run, and one day see an important step towards improving Wizarding-, and Goblin relations.

"We are ready to begin, Director." Healer Zaire said, and motioned for him to place the baby on the stone table, in the middle of a ceremonial circle.

The extraction ritual aged the majestic goblin by at least a decade. No one should have to be standing on the side-lines and witnessing such a small being screaming his little heart out from the excruciating pain he was experiencing.

A circle of goblin Healers were surrounding Harry, as they created a wave of powerful and intricately woven spell storm, that was soon concentrated into the lighting-bolt shaped scar on his forehead, as they began chanting in their most ancient and sacred tongue to amplify the process. There was a stream of some black gooey liquid that was flowing out of the opening of the wound, and it gave off an ear-splitting scream of fury and agony.

"I am Lord Voldemort, and I am going to kill you all now!" The voice hissed, and one of the goblin Curse-Breakers, who was invited to the ritual for his part in it, raised his fingers, and started chanting and old Arabic spell, that would send the slither of split soul to the Afterlife.

Once the remains of the Dark Lord had cleared from the room, the circle of Healers changed their chanting to a more subtle and effectively gentler tone, and their collective magic healed Harry's forehead completely, leaving only unblemished skin, erasing the marked identity from him forever, which he would be thanking the Goblin Nation for in his later years.

"That seemed very taxing, Healer Zaire. Please take the rest of the day off. You and your team of Healers will be rewarded with a feast tomorrow." He said and the goblins let out a moderated victory yell and thanked their Director for this most generous gesture.

"In the name of my team and myself, I thank you graciously for the honour of dining in your company, Director. It's a gift, that is invaluable to us." Healer Zaire said sincerely, and placed Harry Potter back into his arms. He could see that Director Ragnok had taken a shine to this baby, and that told him everything he had to know about the foreseeable future. Things would get really interesting over the years, and the elderly Healer could only hope he would live to see the changes Harry Potter would bring to their world.

Ragnok nodded and made his way towards his private quarters, with Harry in his arms. To say that his bonded mate was surprised, was an understatement. They had a lot to discuss, and spent the rest of the night between talking and taking care of an understandably fussy baby, but it made them feel a sense of completion, that they were missing from their life.

If the Potter will did not name a suitable guardian for him, they would have adopted the tiny wizard themselves, and raised him as their own child, but since he was aware that James and Lily Potter named a very well suited individual to be his guardian, he would make sure that Harry Potter would be comfortable with the goblin culture, and he had no doubts that would be the case, since his guardian had some goblin blood flowing through his veins, which made his plans that much easier.

The next morning, he made his way to the private room used for will reading purposes, with Griphook by his side, as they allowed entrance to the group of witches and wizards, who were named in the Potter will. It was quite a sizable amount, but he wasn't surprised at all, since the Potters were a highly regarded couple, even in goblin circles, which was a rarity.

"Good morning! I am Director Ragnok, and the goblin standing by my side is Griphook, The Head of the Potter Accounts. We are gathered here today to read the last will of James and Lily Potter, as instructed to us." His voice was raspy, and it radiated power.

The gathered company looked solemn, and there wasn't a dry eye in the room, except for the goblins, of course. They all waited to learn about the last wishes of the couple they loved so dearly.


A/N: Originally, I told myself that I would include the reading, no matter how long this chapter got, but then it felt like such a natural place to stop. I know, I am an awful tease, but I am planning the reading to be long as well, with people interacting with each other, and Dumledore's manipulations either shining or falling to pieces. He is a real piece of work, and he is only going to get darker and darker. He is not a good person in this story, and he won't redeem himself at all, it will only get much-much worse. Honestly, I just want to get this chapter out there for you to read, as soon as possible. It has been so much fun to write, and I am really excited about what you guys think of Dumbledore's plans.

I would also like to express my thanks and gratitude to Ken, (PDog99), for helping me. and being my constant support, and a source of good ideas that I will implement in the future. He also helped refine the paragraph I have written about werewolves and the Mind Arts, which I really appreciated, because I was struggling with it a little.

Also, as per usual, thank you for all the reviews, favourites and follows. You guys are the best!