A/N- Hello everyone! Here is another chapter of Noctis Umbra. This chapter will be a mixed bag of light and dark, with a healthy dose of manipulation and a surprise at the end. As far as updates go, I think I'll have to revise my estimate from once a week to once every two. Sorry folks. Enjoy, and as always reviews are appreciated!

Part 1: The Return

Chapter 4: Inheritance

July 5th, 1995

The office of Master Gartooth, the official account manager of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Potter was quite lavish. The walls, floor and ceiling all matched the white marble of the bank's exterior, and it was decorated with many bookshelves and tables of rich oak. His desk, a large mahogany masterpiece, was centered in the room atop a carpet of deep crimson. His chair and the two in front of the desk were plush dark leather, soft to the touch. The walls were decorated in tapestries depicting battles of old, and directly behind the desk was a large fireplace complete with a few more chairs and what could only have been a painting of the goblins familial crest hanging above the mantle.

Gartooth himself was imposing in his own right. He was a full head taller than most other goblins and was rather lithely built for one of his species. His clothes were fine and perfectly tailored, the only thing that separated his attire from that of his coworkers at the bank being the large potter family crest on the left breast of his jacket.

Currently Master Gartooth sat at his desk, multiple sheets of parchment spread out before him and a growing pile to his left. Every few moments several new sheets would appear just above the pile and float down to stack themselves neatly in his inbox. His ire grew with every sheet. For the past hour he'd been sitting there preparing for a visit from someone he'd expected to never actually meet in person. At least, not for several years yet. And to add to his frustration, this meeting would be far from a simple annual account audit that he'd held many, many times over his long life.

A normal audit of accounts was planned for. It required research and preparation. This meeting had not only been called for by someone who was, as of now NOT the head of his family or the executor of their accounts, It had been called for by a child. A child who hadn't even had the courtesy to request a meeting from Gartooth himself! He'd sent an elf to the office of the bloody Head Goblin! And to Gartooth's complete astonishment the Head Goblin had not only approved the meeting but allowed the child to have a portkey that would deposit himself and his mate directly into his own office! Gartooth had been all but commanded to meet with the boy almost immediately and to maintain the highest levels of secrecy throughout. So now here he sat, waiting for a child to appear in his office and demand information of him that he could only hope to provide, thanks to the short notice.

Gartooth grinned wolfishly, folding his hands and sitting up straight at his desk as the wards triggered the sensation in the back of his mind to alert him to impending visitors. The two of them were about to learn a harsh lesson in Goblin etiquette. What greeted him was far from what he'd expected.

Instead of a pair of scared children appearing before him, likely to be thrown back from the force of the portkey, a confident pair of young adults appeared on the other side of the room, neither appearing even the slightest bit ruffled. The young man, he presumed to be Potter, was dressed well in a pair of dark slacks and a crisp white oxford. He stood tall and looked Gartooth directly in the eyes, his gaze unwavering. The young woman was dressed in a simple but elegant pale blue sun dress that stopped just below her knees. Her eyes scanned the room for a moment before coming to rest on Gartooth as well.

"Master Gartooth." The young man said, striding towards him.

"Mister Potter, I presume?" Gartooth said, finding his voice.

"Indeed." Harry said smoothly. He motioned to the young woman to his left. "This is Hermione Granger."

"Pleasure." Hermione said. She couldn't help the slight amount of bitterness in her voice, but she did manage to keep from glaring at the goblin. Gartooth had barely even glanced at her since their arrival, and when Harry had introduced her, he'd given her a curt nod and that was it. As usual with magical Britain she was barely even acknowledged. Her status as a muggleborn practically made her a second-class citizen. Maybe even third class.

"Have a seat." Gartooth grumbled, motioning to the two chairs in front of his desk. The two sat down, Harry smirking slightly. The goblin was obviously off balance, and Harry knew why. He'd likely been expecting Harry to be a nervous and fumbling teenager, barely able to understand the intricacies of the bank. Instead he was the vision of a young lord to be, well dressed and regal. Harry crossed his legs and leaned back into his chair, interlacing his fingers. Hermione simply sat there with her hands folded in her lap, staring blankly at the goblin.

Gartooth opened his mouth to speak, but Harry cut him off. Gartooth seethed silently.

"Let us begin with an apology, Master Gartooth." Harry said. "I understand that this is most unusual, and I'm sure we've disrupted your busy schedule."

"Indeed." Gartooth said, taken aback.

"You see it has recently come to my attention that there may be some less than, shall we say, acceptable things going on with my family's accounts, and as the next Lord of House Potter, it is my duty to intervene."

Gartooth shifted uncomfortably.

"And what might these things be, Mr. Potter?"

"I have come to suspect there are people accessing my family's accounts without our permission." Harry said, lingering on the last few words. Gartooth started.

"Impossible!" He bit out. "Access to accounts is strictly controlled. Especially in the case of accounts held by Noble Houses."

Harry held up his hands in a gesture of surrender, attempting to calm the seething goblin.

"I agree with you, Master Gartooth. It shouldn't have been possible for this to have happened, but I believe it has." Harry said. "At no fault of the bank, of course. I believe someone has manipulated the documents regarding who should have access to our vaults, likely around the time of my parent's death." He leaned forward in his chair, leveling the goblin with a hard look. "I've come here today for your assistance. I need access to the main Potter family vault, not just the trust vault that I've been able to access so far."

Gartooth sat back in his chair, gobsmacked. This little upstart! Not only did he have the gall to insinuate that the bank had failed in its obligations to his house, but he wanted them to violate wizarding law!

"Mister Potter, clearly you are not aware, so allow me to educate you." Gartooth half said, half growled. "Gringotts Bank is subject to the laws of inheritance set forth by the British Ministry of Magic. I cannot give you access to that vault until you reach majority. Then, and only then, will you be able to enter."

"I believe the last will and testament of my parents is within that vault." Harry said. "Not the version that the ministry has on file, either. The original, true copy of it sealed with the blood of my family."

Gartooth finally snapped.

"INSOLENT BOY!" He roared, standing from his chair and slamming his hands down on his desk. "YOU HAVE THE NERVE TO SUGGEST THAT I FAILED TO PROPERLY FUFIL MY DUTIES?"

Harry remained seated, unflinching in the face of the goblins anger. Gartooth stood there glaring at him, chest heaving.

"I insinuated no such thing, Master Gartooth." Harry said forcefully, his tone commanding. "I believe you executed the will that was given to you."

"Enough of this farce!" Gartooth snarled. He snapped his fingers and the large double doors to his office flew open, two goblins in security uniforms entering. "This meeting is over, young Mister Potter. You have insulted the honor of both myself and this office, and I will hear no more of it. Come back when you've learned some respect!"

Several things happened at once that Gartooth didn't expect. First, the young woman sitting next to Potter simply glanced over at the two sentinels and they went flying back into the hall, the doors slamming shut once again. Then, to Gartooths surprise and horror, magic began to radiate off Potter in waves. In barely a moment the room was filled by his power, invisible to the naked eye but practically crackling in the air around them. The boy hadn't moved, simply remained seated in his relaxed position. When the goblin met his gaze, he swallowed thickly. The boy's green eyes were glowing with power.

"We are far from finished."

"Y-you will not threaten this bank!" Gartooth stammered, trying to regain control of the situation.

"Wizarding law." Hermione said. The goblin blinked in confusion.

"What?"

"You mentioned that Gringotts is bound by wizarding law." She said. "If that is the case, then you are required to investigate claims of fraudulent activities, are you not?" Hermione asked casually.

Gartooth sat back down into his chair, dumbfounded and breathing heavily. Potter's magic had receded some, but not entirely.

"IF a falsified will had been provided to this bank, regardless of how, then it is your responsibility as the manager of the Potter accounts to investigate this and to execute the proper will, if one is found."

"That… is correct." Gartooth said. Realization hit him. The boy must've relayed his suspicions to the office of the Head Goblin via the house elf. That's why they agreed to such an unusual meeting and allowed him the portkey. If fraud had occurred the bank could be held responsible as the fiduciary of his Family's interests. The boy had set the board before he'd even entered this office.

The two teens simply stared at him, both smirking.

Checkmate.

Roughly an hour had passed since the initial meeting and now Harry and Hermione sat alone in Gartooth's office, now seated at a low table with tea and some light biscuits on it. Neither had spoken much since Gartooth had begrudgingly departed to visit the main vault, but given their relaxed postures as they waited, neither was uncertain of what was to come.

Sure enough, the double doors flew open and Gartooth entered, a roll of parchment in his hands. The expression on his face was ashen, and despite the fact that he had entered with security sentinels flanking him, he shoed them away and closed the doors behind himself.

He walked over to the two teens and stood before them.

"It seems you were… correct, my Lord." He said, his voice wavering.

Harry smirked, not failing to notice the change in how Gartooth was addressing him. For his part, Gartooth at least had the wherewithal to look sufficiently subdued.

"The will that was located withing your familial vault does not match the one that is on file at the Ministry or with our department of records." He said heavily. "We have verified that this is the true will, sealed with blood magic just prior to your parents' untimely demise. Per its instructions you, or your Godfather Sirius Orion Black, and only in the instance of him acting on your behalf, were to be granted access to the Potter family vault. The trust vault you've been using was never meant to be established, and therefore will be closed and all keys to it rescinded. Furthermore, the will is quite clear in its intentions that should anything have happened to them, your parents intended you to be placed in the care of Lord Black until you reached majority."

"Clearly that won't be possible." Harry said dryly.

"Indeed." Gartooth bit out. He was absolutely livid, and simultaneously mortified. "Due to Lord Black's current legal status he cannot be your guardian, and your Parent's will was clear that you were not to be placed under the care of ones Vernon and Petunia Dursley."

"Then what's to become of him?" Hermione asked innocently, already knowing the answer.

"If you were younger you would remain under the charge of the Headmaster of Hogwarts, as it's always been for orphans and muggleborns, but due to your age and current status as the last scion of an Ancient and Most Noble House, magical law dictates that you will be emancipated at once, and that you shall be awarded the title of Lord Potter immediately, that you may execute your family's interests to the fullest extent."

"So there it is, then." Harry said. A triumphant smile broke out on his face.

"On behalf of Gringotts and this office I formally apologized for my earlier behavior. I assure you that this bank will launch a full inquiry into this, and that whomever is responsible will be found and punished." Gartooth said, bowing lowly. "On my honor, I will serve you fully as the manager of your House's accounts, Lord Potter."

It had taken several hours more for them to sort things out with the bank, but finally the two exited, walking down the steps hand in hand.

As per their originally agreement, Gartooth had taken an oath to keep the meeting and everything that had transpired a secret, including Harry officially taking the tittle of Lord. It would come out soon enough, but not before he was ready. Harry had also made sure several things were brought up to them from the vault, all of which would be vital to them in the coming weeks and months.

Now the two strode down Diagon Alley, relishing in their success.

"I'd call that a resounding success." Hermione said, smiling brightly.

"All according to plan." Harry said, grinning mischievously.

"You even managed to plan all that without my help." Hermione said, grinning back at him.

"You wound me, Ms. Granger." Harry said dramatically. Hermione slapped his arm and he laughed. "I did think your transfiguring our clothes was a nice touch. When did you do that, by the way?"

"I didn't want you to look frumpy on your first day as a lord, so I did it right before you touched the portkey."

"Well done." Harry said, glancing down at her.

"What would you like to do now, my Lord?" Hermione said playfully, standing up on her toes to kiss his cheek. Harry gave her a mock glare, which only made Hermione beam at him.

"I think a late lunch is in order." He said, grinning back at her. Hermione raised her wrist, checking the small gold watch she was wearing while absentmindedly tucking a stray strand of brown hair back behind her ear with the other. Harry couldn't help but stare at her.

"Well, we should find a spot to apparate then." She said, dropping her voice slightly. Despite the precautions they'd taken to not be noticed when they left the bank, she still didn't want to be overheard. "My parents won't be home for a few more hours. We could order some take out?" She said, glancing at him hopefully. Harry laughed.

"I see time travel hasn't taken your love of Chinese food from you." Harry said, shaking his head.

"Over here." Hermione said, pointedly ignoring his comment and pulling Harry towards a secluded alley between a few of the shops. They walked down a bit until the found a spot and were seconds away from apparating when Hermione cried out as she was jerked back by her hair.

"HERMIONE!" Harry yelled, reaching for her but he stopped short as he felt a wand pressed into his back.

Hermione was struggling against the man holding her, clawing at the hand that had grabbed her braid with both hands. He was much larger than her and was garbed in the robes and mask of a Death Eater. He pulled up hard on her hair, and Hermione cried out in pain and her resistance lessened.

"Ello luv!" The man said gruffly.

The one with his wand buried between Harry's shoulder blades laughed.

"We got lucky, that we did." He said. "Sent here to do some killings and send a message and we have two walk right into us."

Harry didn't recognize either of their voices. Foot soldiers then. He saw the one holding Hermione by the hair grin sadistically under his mask.

"This one's a shapely little thing. Kill that one and we'll have some fun with her."

That was all Harry needed to hear. Slowly, as not to reveal his movements to their attackers he spun the small black band on his right ring finger. It hadn't been visible before, and once he'd spun it the spell hiding their identities and restricting their magic was removed.

Hermione had done the same, and all at once magic filled the air around them. Before either of the two Death Eaters could react the one with his wand on Harry screamed as his arm twisted around several times over, bones snapping with a sickening crunch and blood spraying as they punctured the skin. He crumpled to the ground, bleeding and wailing.

The large one holding Hermione made to help him but stopped suddenly. He glanced down only to see Hermione's faced turned towards him, her eyes dull and hollow, her expression blank. A sudden blast of wind came down the alley, but the girl didn't even so much as twitch as he held her. Fear filled him, and he opened his mouth to speak but was distracted by a feeling of warm wetness on his robes. Confused, he glanced down and barely had enough time to process the fact that he had a gaping, bleeding hole in his torso before the arm that was holding the girl detached, coming off cleanly as if it had been surgically removed. He screamed in agony as blood sprayed the wall to his left, stumbling backwards until he tripped over a rubbish bin. As he fell another blast of wind swept through the alley and before his body could hit the ground his remaining limbs and his head separated from his body, his remaining blood spraying everywhere.

Light returned to Hermione's eyes and she broke out of her trance. Seeing the carnage she had caused made her stomach turn and she fought the urge to pitch over and vomit, but her panic for Harry took over. Turning frantically back to him she found her fear was unwarranted. Harry stood above the man that had tried to kill him, who was currently writhing on the ground screaming frantically. Just as Vernon had been, he was swatting at the air around himself, screaming at something to get away. So complete was his fear that he swung both arms, despite the bleeding ruin that was his right.

Harry's eye was blood red and glowing once again, this time brighter than before. He'd closed his left eye and dark power filled the air around them. The man froze and screamed louder than Hermione had ever heard a man scream before, his expression beneath his mask one of pure, raw, gut clenching terror. He only went silent when his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he passed out, his mouth foaming.

Harry glanced at her for a second before looking back down at the Death Eater. He held out his hand, fingers spread and palm open. Without so much as a second though he released a wandless, silent bludgeoning hex, exploding the Death Eaters skull and painting the wall and ground around him with blood and brain matter.

Hermione ran over to Harry, grabbing his hand and glancing around furtively. Once she was sure nobody had witnessed what happened she reached for her magic and the two disapparated, vanishing with a thunderclap.