Chapter Five

When the old goblin lead them to where the carts were, Harry and the two girls automatically went to the first available cart in the line. A chuckle made Harry look back.

"No Lord Potter-Black" the old goblin said, the smile on his face revealing the sharpest set of goblin teeth Harry had ever seen. "These carts do not take us to where we need to go. There is only one that goes where we need to go, and it is over here."

With looks of confusion on their faces, they followed the old goblin past the carts and down a dust filled corridor. Judging from the dust that rose into the air with each footstep, it had been years since anyone had used this part of Gringotts. They finally stopped next to an ancient looking cart perched on it rails over what seemed to be a mine shaft.

"Is that thing safe?" they all said at one, staring at it.

"Of course it is." The old goblin said with another toothy grin. "It wouldn't do for any of our customers to die in here. The lost galleons and the paperwork involved are a real hassle."

The trio stared at him for a few seconds before nervously getting into the cart. Harry and Hedwig sat together, while Tonks sat in the middle of the seat behind them. The old goblin climbed into the driver's seat and looked back at them.

"I recommend you hang on tight. This goes much faster then the other carts."

Harry and Hedwig were suddenly squeezed together as Tonks wrapped her arms around them.

"Ok." She said cheekily. "All ready to go."

The old goblin grinned evilly and released the brake. With a screech of metal, the cart dropped straight down.

And fell.

And fell.

And for a change of pace, fell some more.

Just when Harry though that they were going to be falling for all eternity, the cart came to a sudden halt, then shot forward like a bullet on rails that Harry couldn't see. Tonks' grip on Harry and Hedwig tightened as she struggled to stay close to them against the g forces that were slowly pulling their faces into an unwanted smile.

Just as suddenly as before, the cart halted it forward momentum, crushing Tonks into their backs. She started to hiss in pain when the cart dropped again.

"Did you guys design this thing to scare people?!" Harry bellowed at the old goblin.

"No!" the old goblin yelled back. "It's one of the best ways to protect the vaults! The only way you can get to them is with this cart, and only a select few goblins can drive it! If you were forcing to take you to the vaults against my will, the sudden changes would make it impossible to keep your weapon on me or keep me under a spell!"

As he finished speaking, the cart stopped its fall then shot off at an alarming speed again… sideways.

"I can see what you mean!" Harry yelled.

After three more minutes of sudden movements, the cart ride blessedly smoothed out. Tonks's whole body was green, including her hair, while Harry was looking winded. Hedwig however, had a face splitting grin and voiced the opinion that the goblins should have made it longer.

Now that the ride had smoothed out, Harry was finally able to look around in the dim light of the caves. The old goblin didn't even need to tell them that this section hadn't been used for a long time. The lanterns were dim with age and dust. Their faint light reflected off the fading crests of families that Harry remembered reading about in History of Magic that existed long ago in England, Ireland, and Scotland… and died out long ago. He was even sure that at one point that passed the bones of a dragon.

"Harry…" Tonks said slowly. "Look."

Harry blinked a few times and looked ahead. Coming closer was a single lantern that still burned brightly. His suspicion on what it was was confirmed when the cart slowed to a stop outside a vault door bearing the Potter Crest. His right hand tightened when he saw it, the lantern light glinting off the Potter signet.

"The last active vault in this part of the bank." The old goblin told them. "The Black vault used to be down here as well, but once Lord Black died, we followed his wishes and moved the contents of the Black Vault to the Potter Vault. It will be a shame to not enjoy the cart ride down here ever again."

Harry glared at the goblin who had an oddly wishful look on his face before noticing the three sets of eyes staring at him. "What? You don't think I know you are going to empty the vault? You would be a fool if you don't. I hope you brought enough trunks." Tonks merely snickered.

"Place your Head of House ring on the indentation in the door and then step back." The old goblin instructed him.

Harry nodded and did as he was instructed. At first, nothing happened, and then a low rumble echoed out from the door. Years of dust blew out as seam formed in the middle of the Potter seal that gradually grew wider. The screech of tired gears inside the doors echoed throughout the cave, hurting their ears, though the goblin looked like it was the most beautiful sounds in the world.

"Take all the time you need." The old goblin said once the doors were fully open. Harry, Hedwig, and Tonks slowly entered the vault and gasped as one.

The vault was massive, easily bigger then the Dursley's entire house, with a good chunk of the neighbor's houses thrown in to. A good third of it was devoted to a mammoth pile of gold Galleons, silver Sickles, and bronze Knuts. Quickly doing the math, Harry estimated that he could live to the age of 500, and barely have put a dent in it.

"So…" he said slowly in a sarcastic tone. "We are going to empty it?"

"Yep." Tonks said seriously. She pulled a messenger bag out from under her robes and starts shaking out its contents onto the floor. Dozens of matchbox sized trunks tumbled out, and Harry arched an eyebrow at her.

"We thought ahead and made sure that we would be able to take all if not most of what was in here, though I suggest when we get back to Hogwarts you get some help sorting through it all." Tonks explained as she started expanding the boxes into large trunks. "Maybe store the lot of it in that chamber of yours." She looked up at the skeptical look on Harry's face. "They have expansion charms in them Harry. They hold more then they look. How about you go check out the rest of the vault while I deal with the money?"

Harry nodded, and together with Hedwig, ventured deeper into the vault. Behind the, the clinking of coins filled the air as Tonks started directing the massive pile into several trunks, the coins sorting themselves into Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts. She smiles happily, having spent days making sure she could do this charm correctly.

Now that they were past the coins, Harry saw that the remaining space in the vault was separated into two separate halves. The treasures closest to him were no doubt from the Potters, while the back was separated by a massive tapestry bearing the Black family crest. He had a feeling he wouldn't enjoy going through that side of the vault.

Looking around, his attention was attracted by another large pile, this one made up of books. Harry chuckled, having no doubt that Hermione would be suffering from a full fledged orgasm if she was here. He poked through the pile for a couple of minutes, noting that many of the books were very rare, and wondered where they had come from.

The next thing that caught his eye was a large selection of Potters through the ages, though he was disappointed to discover not only wasn't there a portrait of his parents, but none of them were animated. He wondered if the magic that sustained them had faded, and made a mental note to ask Professor Flitwick about it.

"Master?" Hedwig called out. "Come look at this."

Turning away from the portraits, Harry followed the sound of her voice to several mannequins that were garbed in what could only be wizarding armor. What he found interesting was that only one set was male, while all the other were definitely for the female form.

"I've never seen anything like this." Harry admitted, running his hand over the chest plate of the male suit. He could barely feel the dents in the metal, no doubt from spell impacts. "I wonder how old they are."

"I would say sometime during the Hundred Year War." Tonks's voice said from behind him, making him jump. "Maybe sometime in the 1400s. The plate is thick enough to withstand sword blows and spear thrusts, but not thick enough to stop the later use of the long bow, which required much thicker plate. Whichever Potter owned this was a victim of such a bow." She pointed out a spot on the plate near the left armpit where the armor had been pierced by something, and then repaired. "The plates are the blood and guts of these suits, but it's the chain mail that makes its special." She pointed out the fine chain mail that was holding the whole thing together. "They provide protection, while allowing almost normal body movement. But for magical protection… that's where things get special. The back of the plate is covered with runes that absorb magic that hits the plate, so don't be trying to cast a spell on yourself while wearing this stuff, it most likely won't work. They were also usually backed by a dragon skin vest to cut down on any spell that punched its way through the plate, or found a weak point in the chain mail." She pointed out the green leather peeking out above the neck.

"Why wouldn't they all have that?" asked Harry.

"Simple." Tonks said with a laugh. "The armor was expensive enough. Dragon skin was even more expensive. They didn't have the harvesting techniques that we have now. Someone had to actually go out and kill one, a very dangerous job."

"Anything different with the female ones?"

"You mean beyond the obvious?" asked Tonks, walking over and examining one of them. The one she was looking at had the chest plate charmed to perfectly conform with the body of the female wearing it, while the stomach was protected by interlocking small plates similarly charmed as the chest plate that allowed for normal movement. While it was very "revealing," she had a hunch it would work perfectly with her powers. In fact, each of the suits was unique in its own way. "I can tell you that each one was made for a specific female at that time. Beyond that, I can't tell you much right now without looking at them in depth. However, that male one looks like it should fit you well. I am sure we could find people who can wear the others as well. "

"Wait." Harry said looking at her sharply. "You're saying we should use these? Aren't they rare?"

"The chest plates alone are rare." Tonks answered, pointing to a pile of them on the floor next to Harry. "Intact suits that are more then 200 years old are almost unheard of. However, their ability to stop most spells is second to none, so yeah, we should use them, you especially. I highly doubt You-Know-Who is going to attack with any muggle weapons that might compromise it."

"Where did you learn all that Tonks?" Harry asked looking at her.

"Moody was my teacher." Tonks said with a shrug.

Harry nodded and left her to pack up the various pieces of armor and suits along with the books, while Hedwig helped him with the portraits. They briefly wondered what to do with a solid gold bust of his great great grandfather, but Tonks solved that by tossing it into one of the trunks that held the Galleons.

A rustling of paper distracted Harry and he looked back to see Tonks packing the books in the same manner that she had the money, making him wince. She would no doubt be chewed out by Hermione when she found out about it.

Once the biggest piles had been taken care of, Harry began to realize that a lot of what was left in the Potter section was the nick nacks that an old family tended to accumulate over the generations. Harry and Hedwig slowly drifted apart as they looked over the many items before they were packed up by a happily humming Tonks.

Hedwig was staring wistfully at what looked like a set of armor made for an owl. It was so beautifully made that she instantly wished she was still and owl so that she could wear it. She carefully carried it over to Tonks so that it could be packed up with the other armor.

Harry's attention was attracted by a red leather wand holster with inlayed hold runes to make muggles not notice it. He stared at it longingly for a minute before starting to walk away. He stopped and palmed his forehead when he realized that he owned everything in the vault. Walking back, he threaded the holster onto his belt and slid his wand into it, pleased at how well it fit.

The pair moved on, stopping every now and then to take a close look at some item or another, Tonks immediately packing the stuff that they had moved past. She was keeping a careful eye on the number of empty trunks they had available. She was grateful that they had prepared so many of them.

In the back corner of the Potter section of the vault was heap of broken furniture and various household items. Harry looked at it in confusion till he spotted a broken picture frame featuring his mom and dad. It was then that he realized that it was all that was left of his family's possessions from Gordic's Hollow. A hard lump in his throat, Harry knelt down and started picking through the pile. Hedwig stood behind him watching, and Tonks stopped for a few minutes to come rub his shoulders.

"I had always wondered what had happen to all this stuff." Harry said, unshed tears shinning in the corner of his eyes. He pulled out the broken handle of a Silver Arrow racing broom from the pile, no doubt his father's. "Why in Merlin's name didn't Dumbledore hide all this from me?"

"I don't know Harry." Tonks said. "But I can tell you this: we sure are going to find out. Dead or not, he is not going to be allowed to get away with this. You've suffered too much for that."

"Can you pack all this stuff too?" Harry asked looking up at Tonks, who nodded.

"Don't worry Harry." Tonks said gently. "We are taking everything."

"Except for twenty Sickles." Harry said quickly. "Take everything else."

Tonks looked at him curiously as the off amount, but nodded and resumed packing.

Getting up, Harry asked Hedwig to stay with Tonks and walked behind the tapestry into the Black section, cringing at the wave of dark magic that washed over him. The difference in the two families couldn't have been more striking. While the Potter family's treasures were battle focused, the Black treasures focused on greed, death, and torture. Still, there were several things that caught his eye.

Walking back to Tonks, he took three of the empty trunks from her.

"Hey Harry, you ok?" she asked.

"Yeah," Harry said. "There is a lot of dark stuff over there, so I don't think I will be taking most of it. There is some stuff I want, so I'll pack it myself."

"And these things have you blushing how?" Tonks asked with a shrewd smile.

"Nothing!" Harry said hastily. "I should be done around the same time you are. Be right back."

Hurry back into the Black section, he quickly threw the stuff that had caught his eye into the trunks, carefully making sure the two girls weren't spying on him. In the end, he took more than he thought he would, but there was still enough Dark arts tainted objects left behind to make him feel physically sick.

Three hours later, and two dozen shrunken feather light charmed trunks with their internal expansion charms stretched to the limits, but they were finally done. They were leaving more than they thought, but the only money was the 20 Sickles in a neat pile just inside the vault door. With a solid thud, the doors closed a final time on the Potter vault.

It was a quite group that took the wild cart ride back up to the bank. Tonks tried to talk Harry and Hedwig into waiting for her while she emptied her vault, but they insisted on going with her. So naturally they learned more about Tonks then what they had planned for when they got to her vault.

They stood there watching in amusement as a bright red Tonks hurriedly tossed dozens of leather outfits, corsets, collars, whips, and chains into a pair of trunks.

"Gee Tonks." Harry said with a smirk. "You didn't tell us that you were a Dom."

"Shut it Potter!" she snapped, hurling a large coil of rope into one of the trunks. "I'm not…" she said in a softer voice that left Harry smiling triumphal. "Normally…" she finished in a voice so soft that not even Hedwig heard her. Hedwig just looked confused about the whole thing till Harry leaned over and whispered what they were referring too.

"Remus is a lucky man." Hedwig said echoing Harry's words from earlier with a grin.

"Oh hush."

She spent a few minutes more packing away her stuff before closing her vault door and led the way back to the old goblin and the cart for the ride back. Harry and Hedwig teased her the entire ride.

Once they got back to the lobby, their guide was quickly approached by another goblin and quickly told him something. Harry was instantly on his guard when he watched the old goblin's face first take on a furious expression, then one of disgust.

"Quickly!" he snapped at them. "You must follow me at once!"

"What's wrong?" Harry asked, his hand darting to his wand handle. He noticed that the lobby was empty of other customers.

"Someone has tipped off your Ministry that you are here and they have issued a warrant for your arrest. Their… Aurors… are here, but the guards outside are denying them access for now. We must hurry. It is only a matter of time till blood is drawn. Now come!"

Harry scowled, having no doubt that the so called Aurors were dressed in black robes instead of red and sported white masks.

"Bugger!" exclaimed Tonks, whipping out her wand. Harry looked at her in concern, remembering that she was an Auror herself.

"You going to arrest me Tonks?" he asked her with an arched eyebrow.

"No, and you damn well know it." She snarled. "How are we going to get out?"

"Why do you think I am telling you to follow me?" the old goblin snapped. "Follow! Now!"

Looking at each other, the three of them followed the old goblin, ducking their heads when they entered a goblin sized door.

"What about Remus?" asked Tonks.

"Your wolf has already appareted away." The old goblin said, ignoring the hurt look on Tonks's face. "Less talking and more hurrying!"

Muttering under their breaths, they were lead to a mine cart that looked even older then the one that took them to the Potter Family Vault. The old goblin pressed a rune on the wall and a long string of lanterns stretching into the distance flared to life.

"This is our one way escape tunnel." He started to explain when more lanterns flared to life and started to flash in a steady red pulse. In the distance an alarm started to blare.

"Quickly!" the old goblin snapped at them. "Your so called Aurors have breached the doors! Get in now!"

The three quickly scrambled in, the old cart groaning. Tonks buckled herself in, and then glanced at the old goblin.

"Where does this go?"

"You'll see." The goblin said, laying a finger on another rune on the wall. "When you get there, tell the goblins that meet you that Lord Raganok orders them to seal their end of the tunnel. Tell them that the tale of Moria has come true."

Tonks and Hedwig looked clueless to what Moria meant. Harry however, had read muggle literature, widened his eyes in shock.

"NO!" he screamed as the old goblin smiled at him toothily. "Don't…!"

His cry vanished into a distant yell as the goblin raised his finger and the cart shot off.

"Goodbye Harry Potter." He said softly. "I hope we do not meet again for a long time."

He turned away, and began to walk back towards the sounds of clashing metal and spell fire. He pulled a ring off his finger and threw it aside. Gone was the old goblin. In his place was a goblin well in his prime, powerful muscles rippled under his skin, protected by a gleaming suit of golden armor.

As he neared the lobby, a bloody goblin skidded around the corner and stopped, staring at him in shock.

"Lord Raganok!" he exclaimed, dropping into the best bow his injured body would allow. "Wh-what are you doing here? You were supposed to leave on the escape cart!" Raganok scoffed.

"Did you really think I would abandon my own capital during an attack? How little you must think of me."

"But sire!" the injured goblin protested. "We can't hold them. HE is here leading the attack!"

"Come now." Raganok said sternly. "We all knew this would come to pass eventually. It is why we sent away our families weeks ago. Feel joyous in that fact that we get to fall in battle so that the one destined to protect him can get away, and not feel the cold embrace of time as it strips us of our health."

The injured goblin hesitated, and then nodded.

"Come now." Raganok said. "My blade thirsts for the blood of our enemies. See if you can get down to the high security vaults. It will be interesting to see their reactions when several of our dragons join the fray."

Smiling fiendishly, the two goblins entered the lobby and the pitched battle being fought there. By the time the sun set that day, not a single goblin still lived in the tunnels of Gringotts London, but every single corpse had a smile on its face. They had died as their race had always lived: fighters to the bitter end.

~Birds Of A Feather~

It had taken a long time, but at last the red orb had reached its destination.

Hogwarts.

Streaking in low over the lake, it dodged a few lazy grabs by the giant squid and past the few people soaking up the sun on the lake shore.

Passing through the wood of the main doors, it paused. For the first time, it wasn't 100% sure where to go. It felt the pulls in a dozen different directions. To the sobbing werewolf sitting on the steps near it, to a small office next to the potion lab, to a red and gold themed dorm common room high in a tower, to a tree back by the lake… it was too much to choose from. So it stayed still and waited for fate to guide it.

Eventually, it sensed another presence nearby, one that felt like many wrapped into one.

"Let us help you…" it whispered to the red orb. "Let us help you do what needs to be done…"

"OK…"

Following the presence upwards, the red orb passed many of the students and refugees that now called Hogwarts home. Not for the first time it cursed the existence of Tom Riddle.

The presence faded away once they got to a stone gargoyle in front of a staircase. It didn't matter. It knew exactly where it needed to go now.

Rocketing up the stairs, it came to a stop over a desk with five items on it: an ornate sword with a ruby encrusted hilt, and old wizarding children's book, a silver cigarette lighter, a letter to the Minister… and a golden snitch. The red orb hesitated for a second, and then sank into the snitch.

Instantly, the snitch unfurled it wings and darted into the air, thrashing about in distress. With a sudden crack, it split in two and fell to the floor.

From the two halves the red orb started growing, going from its spherical shape into a more defined form. It slowly solidified into that of a naked woman. A woman with long red hair and piercing green eyes.

Lily Potter was back in the world of the living, the Ring of Resurrection glittering on her right hand.

A/N: Well, there you have it. Yet another chapter written, typed, and posted! I hope the visit to Vault satisfied you, though I do apologize for killing off the entire British population of goblins. I assure you that later in the story it will become a very very important factor.

I must admit, the ending was a surprise to me as well. What the ink from my pen had put down and what I ended up typing couldn't be more different even if I tried! Yes, the red orb was Lily Potter's soul (no, I won't explain the how's… yet), and the original plan called for her to stay in a non physical form. Most of that plan is still in play, it will just take place farther down in the story.

In answer to some of your questions, yes, if you haven't realized it by now, this is a Harry/multi fic. No, it won't include every single girl in Hogwarts. No, Lily won't be joining it. Think of the title of the story, then think of who in the Potterverse it might apply to. Leave your guesses in the reviews. Those who get it right will get a shout out in the next chapter.

Also, some of you have been complaining that I have written Harry to be too weak. You're right, I have, and on purpose. Harry is just a human. Strong magically, yes, but still just a human. Almost dying changes people, and it will take Harry awhile to get back his "damn the torpedoes!" attitude. Add in that your one constant companion since you were eleven suddenly turns into a very attractive human, and your mind would be overwhelmed as well. Don't worry, he'll get better, and stronger then ever.

Anyways, it is time I wrap this up and get started on typing up the next chapter.

Don't forget to review, vote in my pole, and leave guesses for the pairings!