Title: Diverging Reality
Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters: Lucius, Harry, Gringotts Managers
Chapter: 14
Word Count: 1753
Warnings: nothing really

Edited by: eiliagh
AN: For those of you on AO3, you're getting a double post today because the last week has been meh. For everyone else, enjoy!

"Thank you, Goldrag," Lucius said, bowing slightly to the Black Family management assistant as they stood in front of the door to his meeting. The young goblin nodded and spun on his heel, knowing that he wasn't ranked high enough to be allowed the normal greetings and dismissals yet, but still rather pleased that he had received a thank you.

It wasn't often he heard them.

Turning to the other door as it opened, Lucius fully bowed to Silverhook, the Black Family manager, before he stepped into the office, allowing the door to shut behind him with the magic of the bank wards. He smiled at Harry, the young man already there and shifting through the new statements from the bank as he waited.

"Please forgive my lateness," Lucius said, walking over and placing his briefcase down at the conference table. "Young Heir Zabini had an emergency that has called him home. It seems as if someone has decided to take offense to the fact that his mother is still cursed, and tried to attack the wards," he explained. "I had to see him off to deal with the idiot."

Harry looked up from the paperwork, smiling and nodding in understanding. He tapped a piece of parchment set off to the side, the looping handwriting that of Blaise. "Heir Zabini was nice enough to send a letter with a house elf explaining what was going on and warning that you might be late if you saw him off," he said, watching as Lucius sat down with a smile. Placing the statements into his satchel, he turned to his goblin manager. "Shall we begin?" he asked.

"Of course, Heir Potter," Silverhook said. His sneer was just enough to show his respect for the two.

Despite what people might have thought of the two, Lord Lucius Malfoy and Heir Black-Potter both showed the right amount of respect to each Goblin in the nation and were returned that respect. What seemed rude to the humans were common courtesy to the goblins. "As you have predicted, young Miss Weasley has tried to find ways around the fact that you will only pay for her needed school supplies. And only those supplies. She has also bought several...personal items that speak of her possibly wishing to try to seduce you."

"She will find that possibility rather hard to do," Harry stated, shaking his head. "Even if I did like women, I would not wish to sleep with her in any way, shape or form. I do not wish to sleep with a woman who reminds me of my mother as it is. Much less one who is known to play sexually with others outside of a betrothal contract that allows them to do so."

Lucius coughed into one of his hands, trying not to laugh at the words. "Ah, Master Silverhook, I do have a letter to be delivered to the Slytherin and Gaunt family manager if you could call someone please," he requested. He pulled out a thick letter from his master and handed it over. "Lord Slytherin is unfortunately unable to come to Gringotts for the next few days due to medical reasons, but the letter contains all of the information that he wishes to have looked into and to share with Heir Black-Potter."

Silverhook took the envelope with a nod, reaching out to press a rune to call a messenger to the room. A young goblin, barely out of what would be considered his teenhood and learning his trade, came in and bowed, taking the envelope. He stayed put long enough to learn just where he needed to go before he left with the letter with another bow. Silverhook returned to his own files to continue their business.

"Miss Weasley has also been heard speaking about how she is unable to have any kind of fun due to the betrothal contract that she is in. Less so then before but still some complaints," he stated, reading off the pages in front of him. "Here is the list of everything that has been reported so far. Her own brothers have reported a few things. One Heir Weasley, Mr. Fredrick Weasley, Mr. George Weasley, and Heir Ronald Weasley-Prewitt have all reported that she is intent on getting you into bed to 'train you' on how to please a woman, most likely to gain control over your marriage. It seems as if she is still of the mind that she can do this."

Harry pulled a face at that, Lucius watching him with some amusement. "Again, I do not wish to bed a woman. And I do not wish to have a partner who reminds me of my mother. In any way." He shuddered. "I'll have to watch out for her trying to get me into bed before and after."

"Please do. I shall send her an official reminder of how she is to act during your time as betrothed and during the length of the marriage," Lucius told him. Harry nodded his head in agreement.

"Yes, please," Harry requested as he frowned at his files. "Silverhook, if you could create copies I would be pleased to pay the proper fee. But not a knut over two galleons."

"Three and the permission to stalk your future wife in a bit more depth," Silverhook returned, Harry nodding. He took the quill and parchment that had been filled out by the wards of the room and signed off on it. With that done, he turned to Lucius, raising an eyebrow at the man.

"Lord Slytherin wishes to meet with you sometime over the Easter holidays to discuss things in depth due to letters not being fast enough for this," Lucius said, pulling another letter from Voldemort and handing it to Harry. "He is willing to meet with you in one of the Duality Conference rooms. His vault will pay for the proper fees since he is taking up some of your time," he said.

Harry took the letter from him and tucked it away into a special pocket of his satchel with a nod. "I will agree to this, but I wish to take over half of the fees. Have him set it up for whenever he is able to, around noon, and I will be there. We will discuss what we need to discuss everything in depth. I have a few questions of my own," he said, looking at Silverhook.

"I will speak with Griphook about the meeting and with Lord Slytherin's manager to help set it up," the Goblin promised. Harry nodded.

"Your help is welcomed, Silverhook," Harry said, crossing his legs. "Tell me, how is Draco? Is he enjoying the start of his vacation?" he asked Lucius as Silverhook wrote out some notes.

"He is. He was quite happy to arrive home and safely rest after the last few months," Lucius said, smirking slightly. "There are a couple of few people who are not happy about the fact that he and Heir Parkinson had to break their engagement, but he is starting to learn what it means to be ambitious and smart."

"Considering that now you aren't under such intense scrutiny, this is a good thing for him," Harry said. "Is Lady Malfoy thinking of taking on the Black name once more once your contract has finished?" he asked.

"She has plans to hyphenate her name so that she can still be considered a part of the Malfoy Family. I have already signed off on that decision and she will be writing to you after the holiday," Lucius said, Harry nodding his head. "I also have the first half of the marriage contract fully rewritten. The other half, we are hoping, shall be done a month before the wedding takes place."

"That's good," Harry hummed as he took the papers, sitting back to read through the written contract. "A copy has been given to you, Silverhook, correct?" he asked.

"Yes, Heir Black-Potter. I will be going over it carefully myself with the help of Griphook to make sure that it all fits in with your charters," Silverhook stated, nodding his head. Harry smiled.

"Good. Solicitor Malfoy, has the fitting for Ginevra's wedding dress been set up?" Harry asked, looking at Lucius.

"Yes. I have sent out the notice of her appointment and she will receive it the day after you return to classes. It has been set up for that Hogsmead weekend, and the letter warns that if she does not attend the fitting that it will be her vault that is fined the three hundred galleons for wasted time and not your own vault," Lucius told him.

Harry smirked, rather pleased about that little twist that had been placed into the engagement contract. Should she miss an appointment that Harry had set up for her, without a very good reason, it was she who took the monetary hit for wasting, not only Harry's time but, the time of the person who she was supposed to meet for the appointment. "Very good. Is there anything else that needs to be discussed?" he asked the two.

Lucius thought for a moment. "I do have all of the information that you asked me for but that can be gone over during your Easter break," he promised as he pulled out several thick manilla envelopes.

He was still so amazed at what the non-magicals of the world had created to help their day to day life, and had started to carefully put money into bringing things over, and one of them had been the manilla envelopes.

He had actually gone to that side of their world and tested out a computer at a New Blood's mixed household, finding that he wanted one. Or at least something that would allow him to type out his personal notes instead of having to write them down all the time.

Silverhook shook his head as Harry tucked the envelopes into his bag, standing and shaking hands with Lucius before bowing to Silverhook. The Goblin stood and bowed back to the two humans before Harry left via the floo to return to Grimmauld Place. He was staying there for the Holidays with Remus. The werewolf had been working with Kreature, Winky, and Dobby to restore the home back to its former glory, now that the wards had been cleaned out and updated.

Harry wondered how the new year would treat him, but pushed the thoughts aside at the happy greetings from his unofficial godfather and Kreature.