Chapter Two

Breaking of Dawn

Harry was having a lovely sleep - deep, refreshing, and dreamless for the first time in weeks. His body, mind and face totally relaxed, one could almost see his spirit renewing if they watched. And someone was watching him.

A small, bent and wizened figure apparated in the room, silent as a ghost. He glanced around the room and bent over the sleeping Harry to ascertain the identity of the snoozing boy. Swiftly, with a pointy-toothed smile, he waved his long, gnarled fingers in intricate movements at the door, windows, walls and floor. Nodding to himself, he then held his hands, palm out and scanned the room, examining various colors of glowing auras that formed around some objects – books, Harry's wand, and the sneakoscope Ron had brought him from Egypt. Evidently content with what he saw, the strange figure sat down in the chair by Harry's bed, and gently cleared his throat.

Harry, a young man disturbingly use to danger, instantly awoke. Consciousness and action working in the same instance in time, he rolled and aimed his wand at the seated and amused figure, who simply waved a finger and sent the wand gently floating out of Harry's grip. Harry gaped, swallowed, and said quietly in a low voice "Griphook?"

"Greetings, Mr. Potter." The goblin smiled, showing an alarming number of the aforementioned pointed teeth. "I apologize for barging in on you". Harry glanced nervously at the door in the direction of his relative's room. "Do not worry – I put silencing charms on your room – we may speak freely."

"Er…. Ok" Harry shook his head to clear it a few times. He sat fully up on his bed, tucking his legs under to keep his feet warm. He looked curiously at Griphook and mumbled, "give me a couple minutes to wake up, ok?"

"Coffee or tea?" asked the goblin. "We have a lot to discuss, and I wanted to be assured of privacy when we did so. We goblins do not make a habit of waking our customers in the middle of the night, but I think you will find the interruption to your rest worth it".

"Coffee, please" Harry said gratefully, while reaching for his ratty but warm bathrobe. He watched fascinated as Griphook waved his long finger gracefully and conjured a steaming pot of coffee, two mugs, condiments, and a plate piled with cookies, pastries, and snacks. With his other hand he created a table to rest the tray of refreshments on, and a comfortable over-stuffed chair, which he then gestured to Harry to make himself comfortable in.

"Um, Griphook? I won't get in trouble for all this magic, will I?" Harry looked at the coffee and chair nervously. Another trial was not what he wanted to deal with, after finally getting back on his feet after two weeks of self-indulgent sorrow.

"No, Mr. Potter. Goblin magic is undetectable by most wizards. The Ministry will not pick up anything, I assure you. Also, as you probably noticed, goblins do not use wands, which leave distinctive magical registers. Now, make yourself comfortable and let's have a talk about your finances". Griphook himself took a mug of coffee – Harry noted that he drank it black and mused for a moment if goblins could possibly like fussy sweet things, and helped himself to coffee and a tempting fat cookie.

Griphook eyed Mr. Potter with a look that reminded Harry of Crookshanks, Hermione's ugly cat/kneazle mix, bird watching. He didn't feel nervous, but he felt like he was being examined closely. "Mr. Potter, why haven't you answered our letters regarding Mr. Blacks' will? For that matter, you have never come into the bank for your yearly account reports". Harry was lucky to have an empty mouth at that moment, for he sputtered and gasped.

"What?" Harry said. "I have no idea what you are talking about! What letters?"

"Ah" said Griphook, nodding to him self. "That's what we at Gringotts were afraid of. Please tell me, Mr. Potter – how many letters have you received from us over the years? Say from your eleventh birthday, on?"

"I've never gotten anything from Gringotts!" Harry's voice was rising in excitement. "What should I have been getting from you?"

The goblin lowered his mug of steaming coffee to his chest and looked him straight in the eyes. "Monthly statements, a copy of your parents will soon after visiting us for the first time, three letters regarding the will of Mr. Sirius Black, invitations for yearly account reviews…" he ticked off the list on his long fingers, "…shall I go on?"

"No, I've got the message" Harry sat back down, agitated but listening. "Someone has been screening my mail and keeping my money matters from me I guess. But who?"

"Tell me, Mr. Potter" continued Griphook "are you missing other mail that you are aware of? Do you hear from your friends on a regular basis?" Harry nodded. "How about your fans? Has the amount of fan mail and gifts increased or diminished this summer?"

Harry's mouth hung open and he did a decent imitation of a goldfish, gulping and gasping for a minute or two. "FAN MAIL? You've got to be joking – I've never received fan mail! Who'd write me?" But even as he said it, his face turned unconsciously toward his Aunt and Uncles' bedroom. They certainly wouldn't want him to know about any admirers, but could they have hidden owl deliveries for years? Also, his Aunt and Uncle seemed sincere in their deep rooted belief that Harry couldn't possibly be famous or good for anything.

"Well, Mr. Potter" growling Griphook in a low voice "do you not find it strange that the whole wizarding world knows you, knows of your heroism and exploits, or believes lies written of you in the Daily Prophet that aren't factual, and yet you never get mail about it, except at Hogwarts? After ridding the world of Voldemort for a time, do you not think that there would be many grateful people who would remember your birthday, or the anniversary of the loss of your parents? Who indeed has kept this from you."

Harry sat back in his chair still gaping slightly. "I take it you have an idea?" he asked after a while.

"Well", said Griphook, with a snarlish smile, "the first place I'd look would be my magical guardian".

"Magical guardian?" Harry asked, puzzled. "What is a magical guardian? I don't have one that I know of".

Griphook looked less than pleased. He frowned and reached into a leather satchel that was sitting on the floor by where he was sitting. "Mr. Albus Dumbledore made himself your magical guardian when your parents died – here is the paperwork on that. We found it slightly irregular at the time, seeing that he wasn't going to adopt you, to claim custody of you, but it was properly filed with the Ministry, and we goblins tend to keep our noses out of other peoples' business."

Harry glanced over the parchment, which proclaimed Dumbledore to be his magic guardian, and benefactor in case Harry died. "What does this give him legal right to do?" he asked, rubbing his forehead with his hand.

The goblin smiled, but it resembled a snarl more than warmth. "This document gives Mr. Albus Dumbledore the right to everything a parent can do, Mr. Potter – handle your finances, pay himself a salary for 'caring for you', screen your mail, choose your living place – shall I go on? Ever since the settling of your parents will, he has been paying himself 2,000 galleons a year maintenance from the Potter vaults, and removing substantial amounts of money. The only thing he cannot do, which was attempted on several occasions, was to sell property in the Potter estate, or have access to the vaults. He only controls money until you tell him to stop."

Gnarled hands lifted the cup to drink once again, as the shrewd glittery eyes looked over the young human. Harry was pale with obvious anger and confusion. Taking a gulp of coffee of his own, Harry took a deep breath and spoke in a serious tone "OK, Griphook – I've got a ton of questions. I don't know where to begin – um, how many vaults and what property? I was only aware of one vault – the one I get my school money from. Can I see my parents will? Can I stop Dumbledore's guardianship? What about Sirius' will?" He winced at using his godfather's name, but watched the goblin expectantly.

"One thing at a time, Mr. Potter. It is only 1 A.M. – we have plenty of time to discuss these matters, and I feel sure you will want to meet more with us to iron out details. First, let me extend the deepest apologies from Gringotts' Bank. We take serious pride in protecting our customers, and we have not done that for you. Once we realized you were not being properly represented or cared for, we started an investigation. We will address each and everyone one of these issues."

"First of all" Griphook continued, pulling out another sheaf of parchment from his bag, "I have listed your assets as of 5:05 P.M. yesterday. The vault you visit yearly is merely your school fund established by your parents. As you can see" he handed the parchment over to Harry, "you have 3 Potter vaults, and the properties listed."

Harry's eyes bugged out of his head as he read the list. He was so thankful the Weasleys couldn't' see this – it was hard enough getting gold out of his school vault and having to deal with Ron's jealousy. He tried to give money to the Weasleys on several occasions, once even transferring some without telling them, but it was returned the next day with a polite thank you note. They were proud people. The extent of the wealth just floored him – over 12 million galleons, rare books, jewels, magical items and more. As property went, he owned not just Godric's Hollow, but also had an ancestral manor home. Harry was one wealthy wizard.

Griphook allowed himself a brief smile at Harry's shock. This was one of the more pleasant aspects of his position with the bank. But he turned serious again when he continued. "Now here is a copy of your parent's last will and testament. You should have been given a copy when you turned eleven." He handed it over to Harry, who took it with trembling hands.

Wading through the 'legalese', Harry felt the tears welling in his green eyes. In a nutshell, the will stated that in case of both their deaths, Harry was to be raised by (in turn, depending upon survival as this was in war times), Sirius Black, The Longbottoms, The Bones, or the Tonks. The will clearly stated that under no circumstances should Harry be given to the Dursleys to be raised. There was also no mention of Dumbledore anywhere in the document. Financially, everything would be left to Harry with a 2,000 galleon a year stipend going to the family raising him.

Rubbing his forehead again, Harry looked at Griphook questioningly. "Is there some chance that Dumbledore never read my parents will?"

Griphook shook his head. "The very next morning after your parent's death, the bank investigated. We learned of Mr. Reubeus Hagrid taking you from the home and bringing you to the Dursleys. When questioned, our representative learned he was acting under Dumbledore's orders, but when he confronted him with a copy of the will, we now understand Mr. Dumbledore altered our representative's memory so we were led to believe he had removed you from the Dursleys and followed your parent's wishes. It wasn't until recently, when your accounts came up for review, we started to realize things were not, shall we say, kosher?"

"But why?" asked Harry weakly. "Why would Dumbledore do this – allow me to be raised by these monsters? I could have had a real home! I know Sirius was in Azkaban and the Longbottoms incapacitated, but Susan Bones could have been my sister, or Tonks! I could have had a real family". Harry bit his trembling lip, resolving not to cry. "Have I truly had to live here just because of my blood protecting me?"

"What do you mean, Mr. Potter?" asked Griphook cautiously.

With a shuddering breath Harry started to explain. "Dumbledore told me my mother died trying to save my life, which put a powerful protection charm on me. By living with a blood relative several weeks a year, it gives me magical protection from Voldemort and his gang."

"What utter nonsense" snorted Griphook derisively. "Nothing of the kind. Yes, your mother's sacrifice protected you from Voldemort, and gave you some interesting side affects, but the only thing protecting you here are the wards placed by wizards. No more, no less. The same wards can be placed anywhere."

Harry was angry now. He leapt to his feet and started pacing the room, punching his fist into his hand repeatedly. Griphook gave him time to calm himself; quietly sipping coffee and watching him regain control. Finally Harry cooled down enough to sit again and face the goblin. "Fine" he spoke through gritted teeth. "Obviously I can not trust Dumbledore. Why would he do this – what did he gain?"

Griphook snorted and flashed his fearsome teeth. "That's easily answered, Mr. Potter. First of all, the money is nothing to sneeze at. Our records show that since declaring his guardianship, he has taken 1,057,903 galleons from you. And wizards would know of the child maintenance money for keeping you – he could legally keep that money for himself and the Dursleys would never know there was money that could have been theirs. Mr. Dumbledore is not poor, and has been putting your money away all these years, not touching it. Perhaps he plans to fund the upcoming war? Secondly, I think by controlling you, he is controlling a weapon of his choosing. A weapon is a powerful thing – it can change governments and destinies. You have been prophesied as the one to save the wizarding world, am I correct? By keeping you poor and miserable, no doubt you see him as some sort of savior every September first? "

Harry made a derisive sound. "I use to. I started figuring out last year how manipulative he was, and really resenting how he kept me from knowing what was going on all the time. He really never seemed to be there when I needed him – I really stopped trusting him completely a while back. Seems like I had good reason." Harry folded his arms across his chest, glaring out the window. "Fine" he said suddenly. "I don't care about the money he took – I seem to have plenty. But how to I get him out of my life?"

"Mr. Potter, I will list your options, and if you wish, give you my advice". Harry nodded appreciatively and waited for him to continue. "The most obvious option is to naturally have him claimed an inadequate guardian. He has broken several laws regarding your care – it would be easy to terminate the guardianship, and perhaps even press charges. You could have him fired as headmaster, if you wish. This is not the course I recommend however."

Harry took a moment to fantasize Dumbledore in a striped jail suit, behind bars with a large boyfriend named Bubba. With a tight smile he nodded and said, "Please continue".

"I recommend doing nothing at the moment" Griphook paused and raised his finger in the air to stop Harry's angry interruption. "At least it will appear that way. Let me continue, Mr. Potter. Mr. Dumbledore is an extremely powerful and manipulative wizard. If he realizes "the jig is up", to borrow a Muggle phrase, he will do whatever it takes to resume his plans. He will kidnap you, hide you away, seize control of all your liquid assets – I have no doubt of it. If you pretend you know nothing of this, we will monitor both your account and his very closely. As it stands, he has enough money to pay back every knut he stole from you – we will freeze those funds without telling him. If he tries to empty his vaults, the money in question will be charmed to automatically transfer to your own. The money is earning the same interest in both accounts – it will not harm anything to leave things 'as is'. As to the guardianship, I have a proposition after we discuss some other matters. You do need to break from Mr. Dumbledore's influence, but you need other things more – much more."

Griphook paused and took a breath and some coffee. He passed over the pastries for a rather tough chunk of meat jerky. Harry didn't want to know what beast had provided the meat, but the goblin was shredding the snack with a ferocious enjoyment that was fascinating to watch.

"Now, about the last will and testament of Mr. Sirius Black" said Griphook, and Harry gulped guiltily – he hadn't thought about Sirius for a couple hours now, which made him feel ashamed and relieved at the same time. "We can not read the will without all parties present. Mr. Dumbledore has insisted that as your guardian he is to be your representative, and that you are too bereaved and do not wish to attend. We have refused to allow him entry to the reading. We would like to schedule it for this Thursday, and have you present in a portrait to take part in the reading. We have a special painting of a crowded room of wizards that is in one of our larger offices, and in these occasions it is simple to charm yourself to be one of the background people – unnoticed by the occupants in the room, but fully cognizant and able to see and hear everything. Mr. Dumbledore will know you are in this house, as your body will still be here, and nobody at the reading will be able to report back that you were there."

Harry grinned. "That sounds cool – sort of like spying! Will any of us have to say anything?"

"No, just attend and listen, and then sign papers afterwards. I personally will be here with you during the reading, standing guard over your physical body, and witnessing the forms for you to sign when you are back." Again the glittering eyes watched Harry's face carefully, searching for signs of fear or weakness.

Griphook cleared his throat before continuing. "Now before I get to my proposition, I have a request from you". Harry looked up surprised at the goblin – what did he have that a goblin could want? "I would like you to tell me about yourself – tell me everything that has happened to you in regards to being a wizard and your childhood. With your permission, I'd like to engage you in a type of occumency. I will not read your thoughts – only share the mental images of the memories you choose to share. Think of it as an invisible penseive".

Fear gripped Harry for a brief moment. Occumency with Snape was nothing less than the brutal rape of his mind. But Snape loathed him, and Griphook, on the other hand, always treated him with respect and was obviously looking out for his best interest. Harry smiled as calmly as he could. "OK, Griphook – I trust you".

Harry and Griphook spent the next couple of hours reliving Harry's less-than pleasant childhood, spending particular time in each of the instances Harry could recall of using 'accidental magic'. The shared memories with Griphook were surprisingly gentle – not the brain bludgeoning that Snape delivered, but a soft breeze of inquiry gently whispered across his mind. There was no embarrassment or force, and Harry was totally at ease.

Next they covered Harry's school years. Griphook seemed to pay particular attention to anything to do with Dumbledore, Snape, his friends, and other personal interactions. He seemed to dwell a lot on Ron and Ginny, or anything that was dangerous. When they finally finished with the pain of Sirius's death, Harry gave a heartfelt sigh and collapsed back in the chair. The goblin shook his head and said, "You have been sorely treated in your life, Mr. Potter".

Griphook leaned forward and took Harry's two hands in his own. Harry was startled at such a gentle gesture from such a warrior-like creature, but faced him in the eyes to see what he wanted. The goblin said quietly "now let me share myself with you".

Harry was instantly transported into a penseive-type state – traveling through the childhood and life of Griphook the goblin. Time must of moved at different rates for the dream-like state and reality, because if questioned afterwards Harry would swear he shared years and years worth of memories with Griphook, but only a few short minutes had passed. Harry got to live the magical world through the eyes of goblinkind, and it was jarring, to say the least. He got to experience the lust of battle, the pride of business, and the shameful treatment from the humans. The long tortuous months of history with Professor Binns and the goblin wars was so one-sided and inaccurate it was an embarrassment to education. The goblins had an amazing and rich culture spanning thousands of years before the wizards ever broke from the muggles and crafted their clumsy magic.

Clumsy was the word for it. Harry was amazed to see the difference in goblin magic and wizard magic. Where most wizards were useless without a wand, and dependant on the Latin tongue for spell casting, goblins seemed to reach down into themselves and weave magic out of their very souls. Words and wands were silly and superfluous. That goblins were not 'allowed' to use wands was a matter of much amusement to the goblin community. Apparating for goblins was quiet and accurate – none of the loud and jarring banging and falling that wizards prided in. It also left no magical 'register' behind, so it couldn't be traced or spied upon. Creating from nothing was as simple as imagination for the goblins, where humans had to rely on transfiguration.

As the intimacy of memory sharing faded and Griphook release Harry's hands, Harry stared at the goblin with amazement and respect. "Griphook, I'm sorry I never asked you or anyone at Gringotts what goblins are like. I never really thought about it, and that's wrong".

Griphook smiled, showing his teeth that Harry now understood was a source of pride for a goblin. "If you had asked, we would not have shared. But please know, Mr. Potter. That 'prophecy' that Mr. Dumbledore shared with you is not entirely true. He altered it to throw both Voldemort and yourself off track. We goblins have our own prophecy concerning you, and it reads differently. We need you, and we need you strong and well-trained – not crippled and clueless as Mr. Dumbledore has kept you. We goblins dream of a day when all magical beings can live in the world as equals. So," Griphook smiled even wider, showing even more of the dangerous teeth, "how would you like to be trained in goblin magic?"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------