Here is the next chapter. I hope you like it. Please read and review love Hermione xxx
Harry sat forward and looked at Griphook with an interesting expression on his face after his tears had dried. "Griphook is this legal? I only ask that because as a child I had to go with my uncle Vernon to a will reading for his mum and that will only included her and not her husband" he said as Griphook smiled.
"In the muggle world you are not allowed to have a dual will however here in the magical world dual wills between spouses are exceptionally common. It is indeed legal. I would personally advise you to wait until another year to have it read in the presence of everyone else. No one would need to know you've already seen it. Would that be agreeable to you as that way you can know more then Albus Dumbledore realises. Also whilst looking into what he did we can now surmise he put money into the account of Hermione Jean Granger however she flagged the money herself and didn't spend it. Her account manager has informed me that she didn't care where the money came from just that she herself didn't put it there and refused to spend it. It has since been returned to your accounts. You can rest easy as she appears to be one of the only honest friends that you have right now. What most customers here don't know is that if money is transferred illegally to someone's account we can tell how much went there because of trackers and so on, on the cash. We can detect the money which went into the Weasley family account further went on into the accounts of both Ronald and Ginevra Weasley. Because the money is stolen money we can see what they spent it on. We couldn't see this otherwise. I will tell you that of the sixty thousand galleons they took in total twenty thousand remained in the main account while twenty thousand went into each of the other two accounts. Would you like to know what it has been spent on?" asked Griphook as Harry looked thoughtful indeed.
Did he really care what they'd been spending it on? He actually was curious now as he could only imagine what Ron had bought and sighed loudly. Now he was furious Ron had, had, the gal to ask him for more money to his face. What a fucking prick. He'd be dropping Ron like a hot potato and indeed a conversation with Draco Malfoy was necessary. He did severely dislike the boy but that was because of Ron and in light of his recent findings that was no longer fair. If Draco screwed up by himself then he was on his own totally but he did deserve one chance knowing the truth. It might change his views of Harry. "Yes I would like to view what they've been buying please. Also when you're done please send a message to Draco Malfoy stating that I wish to meet him here alone. He and I need to have a serious talk" he said as Griphook prepared the files and then read out the contents.
"This is for the account of Ronald Billius Weasley. He has spent three thousand galleons on the latest top of the line broomstick and accessories to go with it. He spent a further one thousand galleons on books to do with quidditch. One thousand galleons were spent on new clothing. One thousand galleons were spent on new shoes for every occasion including quidditch and balls should the need to attend one ever actually arise. He spent five thousand galleons on sweets, drinks, quills, parchment and robes. He then spent two thousand galleons on jewellery. He has seven thousand galleons left in his account" he said as Harry sneered.
"Why am I not bloody surprised that most of it went on food! I swear to god he's a savage. I mean really!? And the asshat couldn't ask me for it no? Oh he'll be in for a shock for sure the next time we meet. No one ever steals from me and gets away with it. He'll be made to suffer for sure. Now tell me what Ginny spent the money on and let's get this charade over with!" he snapped banging his fist on the table in rage. I mean even thinking of Ron was infuriating right now.
"I understand your ire but together we'll get them all I promise you! Now Ginevra Molly Weasley's account was filled with the same twenty thousand galleons. As I said before we can only track what she did with the money as it was stolen money. If it were not stolen we could not track it. Three thousand galleons were spent on a racing broom of the highest order. Two thousand galleons were spent on racing gear to go with the broomstick again of the finest order. Two thousand galleons were spent on sweets and drinks. Three thousand galleons were spent on shoes and clothing. Three thousand galleons were spent on make up. Two thousand galleons were spent on a new trunk and school supplies. Lastly five thousand galleons were spent on various jewellery items. She does not have any money left in her account as she has spent it all. It would seem Miss Weasley likes shopping and sees no problem spending all of someone else's money. I have been informed Draconis Abraxas Malfoy is here with his father who insists he cannot see you alone. Don't fear him however as he is not allowed to use his wand in the Goblin nation without risking being killed on the spot where he stands" said Griphook as Harry snarled and then asked for both of them to be brought in whereupon Lucius sneered heavily at him.
"Please have a seat. I owe Draco an explanation about something and he needs to hear me out. I will not harm you. When my parents died I was sent to live with the vilest muggles known to live. I was abused all throughout my childhood living in cloak room or cupboard if you will under the stairs. I learned one month before I came to Hogwarts I was a wizard from none other then Hagrid. He was not a good choice as he might have meant well but he was not well equipped to give me any useful information I could learn from about our world. All he had told me was that any wizard who ever went into Slytherin was evil. Because I was bullied all my life by my relatives I was worried I'd never even make a friend in this world because I'd never had one before. That was when I met Ronald Weasley and he repeated the same things about Slytherin to me. When I met you and you acted in a very spoilt and arrogant way I immediately assumed you would mean me more harm so I rejected your offer of friendship and for that I am sorry. I judged the book by the ridiculous looking cover and I should not have. Having come from the life I had in the muggle world I can say I was willing to trust anyone who showed me a shred of kindness which happened with that scumbag Weasley. Let's just say he and I will never be friends again. When it came time for me to be sorted I asked the hat not to place me in Slytherin over all the bad things I'd heard about it which is why I then ended up in Gryffindor" he explained as Lucius' jaw fell slack. If he'd expected Harry to say anything it wasn't this.
"Mr Potter if I might may I please ask you to forget what happened between us before. I had no idea about your childhood. Who is your Magical Guardian? He or she must have known life was bad for you there. I am a lot of things a lot of people do not like however child abuse I will never tolerate and I don't care who you are either. Even if it was Weasley I would still object. To ever harm someone as gentle and innocent as a child is unforgivable. If I may ask why are you no longer friends with Ronald Weasley as you say?" asked Lucius who oddly looked like someone had thrown something highly distasteful at him. Harry had never seen this side to him. Draco just sat there quaking not knowing what to do or say.
"My Magical Guardian is Albus Dumbledore and he didn't wish for me to know anything of our world until the right time which is why he sent someone as useless as Hagrid to come and show me our world for the first time. Hagrid is an idiot. I'm sorry personally he's lovely but when it comes to anything magical he's a total fool. He just doesn't know an awful lot about magic so he often sounds like an idiot when he tries to explain any of it to me. Dumbledore put me with my relatives and because of a blood ward he placed there I have to spend two weeks a year with them but convincing them to go on vacation at that time will be no problem as it's the house the blood wards are keyed to not the people. Albus Dumbledore has been taking money from my vault and giving it to the Weasley family. Just before you came in here I was learning what Ron and Ginny had spent my money on. It is for this reason I am not their friend any longer and they are in for a rude awakening when school resumes. Hermione Granger was given money also but flagged it and refused to spend it as she didn't place in her account herself. Dumbledore did that for her. She at least was honest enough in that she didn't spend the money at all and the amount was returned to me! None of the other Weasley children were given money so they are innocent in this" he snapped once again banging his fist on the table as Lucius watched his magic swirl out from around the boy as it momentarily trashed the office surprising all present. His rage was palpable and you could certainly feel it in the air.
Once he was done Griphook looked at him in surprise. "Mr Potter it is safer to get this done in here when it can be rectified in an hour. Gringotts will charge you fifty galleons for the damage done as we know you couldn't help it however the repairs to be done will cost that much ok?" he said as Harry looked at him seriously.
"Griphook I am very sorry about that but I am so angry right now I could not help it!" he said as Lucius righted himself and seemed to remember where he was.
"Mr Potter I am indeed troubled by what you have said and must admit what you have told me changes everything and I mean everything. House Malfoy is now willing to offer you any assistance you may need should the need arise. I can surmise from what you have told me that after the two weeks are up you will need somewhere to go and I was wondering if your family has any properties you can live in?" he asked as Harry looked thoughtful. The man had tried to kill him yesterday but here he was in awe offering all this help to him because he'd been abused as a child. It was quite clear that child abuse was something Lucius would never get over. Possibly he'd been abused as a child. Maybe this is why he hated it so much. He'd need to look into that idea one day.
"Thank you for your concern Mr Malfoy. My family has one remaining home which I can only live in when I'm seventeen. I shall be purchasing my own home when we are done in this meeting after Griphook brings me a possible prospectus on homes to view. Forgive me sir for asking but did you have a troubled childhood it's just you seem so concerned about child abuse? I'm sorry if I've offended you or anything it's just I didn't realise people could care about things like that. When I first came to school Poppy Pomfrey treated me for broken bones and severe malnutrition but did so anyway without saying anything to me about it. I mean to say she merely healed me and got on with it. No questions were asked" he said Lucius looked ready to spit fire. Clearly he'd touched a raw nerve.
"Mr Potter I am on the board of Governors and I can tell you that all cases like this must be reported to us all at once so the situation can be dealt with despite who the child is. It is quite clear she didn't want to tell us but the more likely story is that she was somehow prevented from telling us. I've known that witch more then thirty years and she'd never ever willingly let something like that slide. I will investigate it at once with the witch in question. As for your question I did not have a nice childhood and we will simply leave it there. I will never allow the abuse of a minor while I am still breathing. Despite my bad choices in the past I care very much for children and indeed their welfare" he said as Harry looked annoyed surprising him.
"Pardon me Mr Malfoy but I may hate Ginevra Weasley over all that she has done to me but I would never put her life at risk like you did. That book you gave her which I in turn destroyed was a horcrux and I bet you didn't know that did you?" he snapped as Lucius shocked everyone by fainted out cold. He was revived and placed in a chair with a calming draft handed to him.
"I was naïve in my youth. The dark lord was a charming man and could make you believe anything he chose to if he wanted to. He promised me power and luxuries beyond my wildest dreams and like a fool I believed him and he marked me. It was a grave error but I had no idea those items were horcruxes. I know where they are but not what they are as I didn't hear him say that. He was talking to someone before about them and I was eavesdropping on him. So focused was he that he didn't know I was there. There is a horcrux in a shack in Little Hangleton, one resides in the home of Regulus Black or did before he died, one is in the Lestrange vault and one is in the room in which all things are hidden at Hogwarts on the seventh floor. I don't know what they are though. Would this mean if you find them all and destroy them he can never return? I don't wish him to return however I don't wish to share our world with mudbloods who wish to challenge our every way of life and why we do what we do. Just come into our world do things as we always do happily and leave whenever you choose. Don't try to question and change everything as that will never work. I can see Dobby chose to bond with you. He will keep you safe" he said as Harry looked at the man who somehow seemed as though he'd aged horribly in the last few moments. It was then that Draco found his voice and spoke.
"I am in Slytherin and I would advise that we keep up the rivalry between us whilst at school as it can be useful if people think we still resent each other. This will allow people to believe we do not have contact and they may tell either of us information which would be useful to both or one of us. I can see why you did all that you did. You were a dickhead last year and so was I. That is all I can say on the matter. I have no idea why Snape resents you so much but for the head of our house he is shocking at hiding that he does. I don't know why but I hope he gets better because it's a bit annoying. I am sorry for everything that happened with your vaults and the manipulations of the people who were suppose to be your friends. I Draconis Abraxas Malfoy do hereby swear on my life and magic that any information shared with me by Harry Potter will not leave this room or my lips unless he should give me express permission to do so. Even if I should be potioned I vow to never reveal anything without your permission. I gave you that vow because I know otherwise you will be stressed out thinking we may tell others about it which we won't. I wish to start over and say I am sorry you were misinformed about our world and my house. May we be friends one day because I sure hope so. I'm so sorry you didn't have a good childhood and then got abused here as well" he said as Harry looked shocked to the core. He didn't expect Draco to do or say the things he had just said and done but here they were. Lucius looked proudly at his son. He still hated mudbloods but didn't wish to be associated with Lord Voldemort any more. He had a reputation to keep up after all.
"Draco I think a fresh start would be good for us all to be honest. Thank you for understanding. I regret to say I know why Snape hates me and I won't be tolerating his crap next year. I don't care what he does. I am not my father and the sooner he realises that the better. You did not have to give me the vow yet you did any way. Thank you for that. I must say I am relieved me being abused as a child won't get out unless I say it should. For once I have some control over my life. Because you have given me a vow without being prompted I am shocked to be saying I trust you more than any friend excluding Hermione that I've ever had. Possibly when I get my new home you could come by and visit sometimes. It would be nice to be able to talk to and trust someone other then just Hermione as that would get lonely after a while!" he said as Draco smiled slightly extending his hand to Harry once more who took it.
Unbeknownst to them Griphook had alerted the goblins to the locations of the objects and they had gone to get them separately with teams of curse breakers Bill Weasley in one of them. They could not get access to the Black Property but the Black house elf which was listed in the house elf family register was called and came looking very confused. When questioned about an item his master Regulus had left he burst into tears and handed the locket over and was told to wait for a while. They went into a warded a room and returned ten minutes later with the destroyed object as he thanked them profusely for doing the right thing and helping him to fulfil his masters last dying wish. At last he had done it. Master Regulus would be so proud of him he just knew. I did it master! He muttered before going home full of the joys of life and began cleaning his home with vigour as it would need to be spotless in case anyone from the Black family called to visit.
Elsewhere Little Hangleton was eventually found and the ring destroyed but not before it claimed the life of a goblin who had tried it on over the compulsions on it. He had died as the ring didn't know how to react to being worn by something which was not a human and had reacted violently killing him. It was quickly sequestered into a bag and brought back to the bank where it was still thrashing about trying to harm others around it. This was the darkest cursed item Bill had ever seen. He shuddered as he slit the bag and released the object which flew into the warded room where it was promptly destroyed but not before putting up one hell of a fight. Bill Weasley flooed over to the school with an order from the Goblins to search the room of requirement for a dark and dangerous item which could be a danger to the students.
"If it is this dark Mr Weasley I should accompany you to aid you in your task" said Dumbledore looking very concerned indeed. Merely he was concerned with what it was and taking the glory of destroying it for himself. He would be most popular after saving the lives of the students once again even if no students were currently at the school. He could merely say he destroyed it later on or something. He could also get glory this way. Man did he love hero worship and glory when it was aimed at him that is.
"I am afraid Professor you may not interfere in this case however you may come as an observer if you wish" he said as Dumbledore smiled. He attempted mind control on the boy only to see he was probably wearing something to protect against it when nothing happened. They both went to the room of requirement where Bill and his team spread out searching everything monitors in their hands two whole hours later one of them went off making Dumbledore jump as he hadn't expected it to be so loud. They all went to the sound of the beacon to see him levitating Ravenclaw's Diadem. Before Dumbledore could say anything however a bowl was produced from somewhere which had a huge cavity in it and the diadem was thrown in the horcrux being destroyed the wailing spirit of Voldemort dying out and screaming shocking Dumbledore as he stood rooted to the spot in fear. He had planned to be brave and save the day however as he felt his wet robes he realised he'd pissed himself with fear. Embarrassed he asked to be excused and returned to his personal quarters to clean up. Checking his monitor all of the horcruxes were now gone. His attempt to control Harry had gone out the window and all was lost or was it? Maybe at seventeen Harry would have to have a serious accident after he'd married Ginny and have that accident blamed on Voldemort while she was left with all of his money. That could work too now considering that Voldemort was now gone for good.
Back at the bank they'd been talking for ages so much so that they didn't notice three hours had passed. They only reacted when Lucius' arms burst into flames causing him agony as he whipped out his wand severing it off at once as did most death eaters in the country with a wand. The arm fell off burning to ashes and dying as he cauterized the wound quickly. Draco had screamed but if he'd not done it he'd be dead. For an expensive fee a limb regrowth potion was supplied by the goblins who informed him that the arm would grow back but he'd need to spend the night in their infirmary before heading home tomorrow. He was taken to bed whereupon he asked Harry and Draco to come nearer to him. Elsewhere Severus who had secured this potion years ago from the goblins for a hefty price took the potion and headed straight for bed as it took twelve hours to complete the healing process. Once a limb had been severed the witch or wizard who had done so had a maximum of one hour before they would be unable to replace the limb. Bellatrix Lestrange and those in prison with marks without a wand had all died as the spell consumed their bodies killing them as the dark magic attached to their marks died bringing them with it agonizingly.
"Mr Potter now I must rest but at last I am free which is good. I am a master occlumens like Severus Snape and it is for this reason only the dark lord does not know I never killed anyone. I did torture people but I never killed anyone. If I did not torture people I would have been killed on the spot by the lunatic and I needed to live to support my family. What's done is done. Please allow me to help you in choosing your new home. I feel it would be good to get good magical advice on what type of home to buy" he said as Harry looked genuinely impressed.
"I am disturbed that you tortured anyone but at least you lived to see your son grow up which my parents did not. I would appreciate your help. Griphook I will be buying two homes. One in the muggle world for future use should the need for me to be in that world arise however I want the wizarding home to be more opulent!" he said smiling as he was handed the prospectus for the various homes. After looking through the book he eventually chose a two bedroom, two bathroom detached home in the muggle suburb of Brixton London. It would serve him perfectly well in the muggle world when he needed to be there and he would be having it warded and a floo installed there. The home he chose in the wizarding world had six bedrooms, four bathrooms, a large kitchen and pantry, formal dining room, office and informal dining room. He was delighted with his purchases. Changing his mind both homes were put under the fidelious charm with him being the secret keeper. Draco was safely returned home after he was given the address to the magical home so he could visit Harry there. He was only given the address after giving a vow to never betray him or his address to anyone on his life and magic and he had done so. He was very excited with his new homes and would be returning to the Dursley's soon a changed man. They'd better watch out because when he does it will be explosive for sure.