HP-It's Not Paranoia If They Really Are Out to Get You

by calihiker

Abused children do not blindly trust adults/other authority figures. They often develop a non-delusional form of paranoia just to minimize their exposure to additional pain/suffering. They are weary of potential saviors, especially if "the system" has failed them. Imagine a less trusting Harry enters the wizarding world, one w/a confidant. Assumes Marauders graduated in '75.

2. Chapter 2: Send in the Clowns

AN: Still not mine. This is to correct a few errors I noticed when reading the second chapter. I have had writer's block on this for over a year now. I wrote myself into a corner and could not see a way out of it without extensively rewriting Chapters 1-3. I have now figured out a way out of the corner and am working on implementing it. My apologies for the delay. Look for Chapter 3 in the near future (or maybe Chapters 3-5. I have not yet decided how I will break up Chapter 3, which now stands at over 30,000 words and has not yet reached Dumbledore's goblin trial... I hope to have the chapter(s) working up to the trial out by 17 Dec 2022. Thank you for staying with me.

Chapter 2: Send in the Clowns

Just after Dudley's watch signaled midnight and the start of Harry's birthday, several massive booms echoed in the small hut.

Dudley muttered something about cannons just as the door was knocked completely off its hinges.

Vernon came storming down the stairs with a shotgun in his hands.

Things went downhill from there.

A massive man walked in the door. If Harry hadn't known better from his readings, he would have said the man was clearly a giant. He thought, "Maybe he was half and half." Harry wasn't sure and found that thinking about how that would work made him sick to his stomach.

While Harry was processing that, he realized that Vernon was shouting at the man to leave.

"You are criminally trespassing. Get out now!"

It was clear from Vernon's pale complexion that he was beyond scared.

When the large man took the shotgun and twisted it so it could no longer be fired and told Vernon to shut up before he made him angry, Vernon made a noise like a mouse being crushed under a heavy boot and grabbed at his heart.

Harry looked at his aunt and uncle. He could fell the fear radiating off them. His sense of social justice kicked in and he quickly stood and positioned himself in front of his aunt and uncle.

"I do not know who you are. However, my aunt and uncle want you to leave. They are correct. You are trespassing and are a bully. Please leave. You are not welcome here."

"NOW SEE HERE! I AM NOT A BULLY. I am acting on official business from Albus Dumbledore, der greatest wizard alive!"

"And that gives you the right to barge into someone's home uninvited and threaten them? Who the bloody hell do you think you are?"

Hagrid chuckled. "No doubt about it. Yer Harry Potter, son of both James and Lily Potter. I have something here for yer. I might have sat on it on my way here. It's not every day that yer boy turns eleven."

Harry growled out, "I am not your boy. I never have been and I never will be. DO NOT INSULT ME LIKE THAT AGAIN."

While Harry was talking, Hagrid had set a small cake on the tiny table next to the sofa.

"Donna get your knickers in a twist."

Harry growled again.

"I've also got yer letter here somewhere." After searching his pockets for a minute or so, Hagrid handed over a creased letter.

Harry cautiously took the letter, opened it, and started reading.

"First, I have already asked you and you ignored me. WHO THE BLOODY HELL ARE YOU?!"

"I am Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of the Grounds and Keys for Hogwarts. Obviously you know all about it, already."

"Uh, no. Where is this Hogwarts?"

"It's up in Scotland. Hidden from der muggles."

"Muggles?"

"People like them…that can't do magic."

"'People like them?' You sound like a bigot. Try not to be rude.

"And why would they be offering me a spot at their school?"

"You're a wizard, Harry."

"Please stop being so rude. I do not know you Mr. Hagrid. You have already implied an improper relationship by calling me boy. Now you use my first name without permission? This letter is addressed to Mr. Harry Potter. Normal rules of etiquette for school settings require all staff to refer to a person by their last name unless specifically given permission, which I have not given."

"But I knew you as a wee baby, Harry!"

"Again, do not be rude. I do not know you. You may have known me, but you most definitely do not now or you would not be doing everything in your power to drive me away from you. Unless you want me to refuse this offer…"

Hagrid blushed, "Now donna you go twistin' me words, Harry."

Harry turned to Vernon. "Uncle Vernon, what would you do if a staff member of Dudley's school started calling him boy and Dudley and would not stop when Dudley asked him to?"

"The same thing his school did last year for that other boy. I would call the police and see him tried and convicted of improper sexual relations with a minor."

"Tried and convicted" and "improper sexual relations" definitely caught Hagrid's attention.

"Now see here! I said no such thing. Harry, I don't know what yer problem is."

"Why should I want to go to this Hogwarts? What makes it a special secondary school?"

"It is der finest school in der entire world!"

"Really? Then why haven't I heard anything about it? I researched the best schools in the country and found a public school nearby that has given me a full ride scholarship for my secondary education. Over 85% of their graduates get into universities. I have already been there for three years."

"But yeh canna' learn magic there! Hogwarts is der best school of magic in der world and it's led by der greatest headmaster der world has ever seen, Albus Dumbledore!"

Harry countered, "This says that he is something called a Supreme Mugwump, a Chief Warlock, and a Headmaster. How can he be the best headmaster ever if he only does it part time?"

"Dumbledore is a very important man. He leads der Wizengamot and der International Confederation of Wizards."

"What is the Wizengamot?"

"It makes der laws for the witches and wizards of Britain. It also judges cases for breaking those laws."

"What is the International Confederation of Wizards?"

"It's der international body that makes laws that apply to all witches an' wizards throughout der world."

Harry sighed. "So he is the chief legislative officer and the chief judicial officer for an entire country, the equivalent of the Secretary General of the United Nations, and a headmaster. There is absolutely no way one person could do even two of those jobs and be adequate at either of them…let alone all three of them."

Vernon nodded his head in agreement. "We do not want our nephew to attend some crackpot school that doesn't even have a full time head to oversee it."

Hagrid growled and shouted, "Do not insult Albus Dumbledore in front of me. Harry Potter is going to Hogwarts and he will learn from the greatest wizard ever!"

Hagrid then pulled his umbrella up and pointed it at Dudley. A bright purple beam shot from the umbrella and hit Dudley causing him to squeal like a pig as a tail poked out of his behind and curled.

"Meant to turn 'im into er pig. Must be close enough that all der spell needed to do was add der tail."

Dudley screamed and ran to his parents.

The shack started rattling as Harry let loose his control on his magic.

"Undo what you did right now."

"Eh, why should I? He shouldn't have been eating your cake."

"Really? You are going to permanently disfigure him unless he undergoes a major surgical procedure to have that tail removed that will likely be expensive, painful, and impossible to explain because he was eating my cake, something that I do not have a problem with." Harry did have a problem with it, but he wasn't going to admit that right now.

"Harry, you need to calm down!"

"DO NOT CALL ME HARRY!"

His magic exploded from him and sent Hagrid flying out the door and crashing into the sea.

Harry had really lost his temper now. When the large man reentered the hut sputtering in his rage, Harry said, "Remove the tail now. Then get the fuck out. You are not wanted here and I will not be going anywhere with you."

Hagrid pointed his umbrella at Harry and said, "You need to call down, Harry."

Quick as can be, Harry pulled both of his daggers from his boots.

"You want me to calm down? Remove the tail. Then get the fuck out of here."

"I canno do that, Harry. Stupify!"

Harry dodged the spell, stepped in, and kicked the umbrella upwards. Unfortunately, Hagrid was still able to hold on to it. Harry's next kick wasn't very nice. Using full force with his most powerful kick, Harry nailed the large man square in his groin, causing him to drop the umbrella, coil in on himself, and groan.

Harry snatched up the umbrella and moved away from the man. "Make another move towards me or them and I will break this in half."

Petunia and Vernon watched in complete shock. Dudley was still whimpering and trying to hide his tail.

Hagrid backed up to the door and dug into his pockets again before pulling out an owl, a quill, and some parchment. As he wrote, he spoke aloud.

Dear Professor Dumbledore,

Weather is terrible.

Had some problems with Harry and the muggles. Need some assistance.

Since Bunny left, Ima stuck on the rock. Harry has my umbrella.

Hagrid

After that, Hagrid tied the parchment to the owl and threw it out into the wind.

"Nothin' to do but wait now." He then pulled out a bottle of some type of alcohol and too a huge swig of it.

Harry looked at the Durlseys, specifically his aunt. "Well, it looks like he is settling in for the night. I do not know what to do now. I do not trust him not to do something inappropriate if either Dudley or I are out here. If I fall asleep, he could get past me and get to you. However, if we all go into the other room, no one can see what he is doing. Yet, I've got his magic umbrella? We haven't seen him do any magic without it, right? So maybe if I have it on the other side of the door, he won't be able to do any magic. Other than his terrible strength. What do you think?"

Harry knew he was rambling.

Vernon started to growl, "Boy!"

"Hush, Vernon. I would feel safer with all of us in the other room, including you, Harry. You are the only one who managed to stop him or even slow him down. He scares me and I don't want him to hurt my Dudders anymore."

"But, Pet?"

"No, Vernon. You saw what that 'man' did to your gun. I prefer our chances with Harry beside us to us alone. Look what he did to Dudders!"

Harry woke early the next morning when he heard Hagrid speaking, "Ah, Professor McGonagall. I'm glad ya came. Young Harry doesn't seem to want to go to Hogwarts. He attacked me and he stole my umbrella."

Harry opened the door and calmly said, "You dare sit there and lie to her when there are four witnesses to what you did last night? You broke in, threatened my uncle, destroyed private property, made racist remarks, repeatedly implied that I had an improper sexual relationship with you despite my asking you to address me properly, gave my cousin a tail stating that you were trying to turn him into a pig, refused to remove it, and then attacked me repeatedly. All of this despite my uncle and I repeatedly asking you to leave.

"How are your nuts by the way?"

Hagrid paled a bit and then said, "You shouldna tell tales, Harry."

"Telling tales, am I? Dudley, please show the Deputy Headmistress your tail."

At Petunia's urging, Dudley waddled out. After briefly showing McGonagall his tail, he quickly waddled back into his parents' room.

"Hagrid! What were you thinking? Never mind, obviously you were not."

McGonagall then raised her wand and muttered an incantation that Harry could not hear. A cat made of glowing mist appeared in front of her. She spoke to the cat, "Headmaster, we require your assistance with Mr. Potter. Hagrid has made quite the mess of things."

As soon as she finished speaking, the cat tore off in a flash.

Less than five minutes later, a flash of flame announced the arrival of Albus Dumbledore.

"What seems to be the problem, Professor McGonagall?"

Harry spoke up, "Oh, please let me tell you."

At Dumbledore's nod, Harry said, "Your groundskeeper broke in, threatened my uncle, made several racist remarks, destroyed private property, repeatedly implied that I had an improper sexual relationship with him despite me asking him to address me properly, gave my cousin a pig tail while admitting he was trying to turn him into an actual pig, refused to remove it, and attacked me repeatedly. Through all of this, my uncle and I repeatedly asked him to leave. Then, worst of all, when Professor McGonagall arrived, he lied to her about it."

"Harry, my boy, obviously you are overreacting."

"JESUS H. CHRIST! Another fucking pervert who implies I have an inappropriate sexual relationship with him. WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE? I have not given you permission to call me by my given name. You should address me in a professional manner as Mr. Potter."

Dumbledore looked like he had been slapped.

"My boy, I assure you…"

"I AM NOT YOUR BOY! I NEVER WILL BE YOUR BOY!"

Harry then turned to Professor McGonagall and asked, "Is your entire society so awe-fucking-struck by this ass that you let him refer to children as his sexual play things?"

"Mr. Potter, calm yourself. Headmaster, Mr. Potter is correct. He has not given any of us permission to call him by his first name. Please address him appropriately. I assume that the phrase 'my boy' has a very different connotation in the muggle world?"

"The muggle world?"

"Sorry, Mr. Potter. Wizarding society refers to the non-magical world as the muggle world."

Harry snorted and said, "because that is not insulting or condescending in any way. By the way, that is the same racist comment that Mr. Hagrid used last night."

Dumbledore had been silent during the exchange as he tried to wrap his head around the idea that Harry thought he was a pedophile.

"Harry, my boy…"

Harry pulled out the acceptance form, took a pen from his pocket and wrote, "I decline your 'invitation' to attend your nightmare of a school and refuse to be put under the control of a man who refers to me as his sexual play thing. Harry James Potter."

Harry then handed the pen and paper to his aunt who wrote, "I agree that my nephew shall not attend this backwards school. Petunia Jane Dursley nee Evans"

Vernon followed, "My nephew shall make other arrangements for his education. There is absolutely no reason to send him to a school led by a pedophile. Vernon Dudley Dursley"

Vernon handed the letter back to Harry.

Harry then turned to McGonagall and asked, "Professor, could you please remove the pig tail from my cousin and make sure that your groundskeeper did nothing else to him?"

"Of course, Mr. Potter."

While McGonagall was taking care of Dudley, Dumbledore stated, "Mr. Potter, you must give Hagrid back his umbrella."

"Not until you are ready to leave. He has already assaulted us with it several times."

"I insist that you do so immediately."

Harry sighed and then kicked the umbrella with enough force that it broke in two parts. He then handed it to Dumbledore, who looked horrified by the action.

McGonagall had finished checking Dudley over and stated, "All traces of the spell have been removed. I cannot find anything wrong with him."

The strange bird trilled a soothing sound and then flew over to land on Harry's shoulder and started picking at his hair.

As McGonagall was walking past Harry, he handed her the "acceptance form" with the formal rejection.

McGonagall read the writing, sighed, hung her head, and said, "I assume nothing I or anyone else can say will change your mind?"

"No, ma'am."

"Very well. The law requires that you obtain instruction until you pass your OWLS, typically taken in fifth year. I will send you information for some of the other British institutions. You can also hire a private tutor."

"Absolutely not. I forbid it. I have already withdrawn the funds to pay for your education from your trust vault and had it transferred to Hogwarts. This nonsense ends right now my boy."

The old man then pulled his wand and said, "Obliviate!"

Harry's magic responded instinctively and tried to block the spell. His magic was boosted by Fawkes' own magic. Still, his eyes glazed over.

Dumbledore then said, "You all had a nice, uneventful meeting with Hagrid and have decided that Harry will attend Hogwarts and that he will leave immediately with Hagrid to get his school supplies."

"Merlin, Albus! What do you think you are doing?"

"Needs must, Minerva. Now, let us leave before they all come around. Fawkes."

Fawkes trilled sadly but then flew to Dumbledore and McGonagall.

Right before they flamed out, Dumbledore pointed his wand at Hagrid's umbrella and said, "Reparo," which caused it to restore itself to better condition than prior to Harry breaking it.

With the combined effort of Harry's own magic and Fawkes' boost, Harry had his original memory of the event along with a clear memory of Dumbledore had done. However, he decided that now was not the time to admit that.

"Well, we best be going. Lots ter do today."

"Where are we going and how will we get there?"

"We will take the boat to shore and then travel by muggle means to London to do your shopping."

"And how will my family get back to shore if we take the boat?"

"Let them worry 'bout that."

"I am not abandoning them on a rock with no food, almost no water, and no way to reach the shore."

Fortunately, at that moment, Fawkes flamed back in and offered his tail feathers to Hagrid.

"Ah. Dumbledore must have sent Fawkes ter help us travel. Great man, Dumbledore."

Harry was fairly certain that Fawkes was there on his own accord but did not say anything.

"When will I be back?"

"You should be home by dinner."

Petunia had been the first of the Dursley's to come around. She commented, "We will see you then. I have a bit of a headache and need to lay down."

"See you later, Aunt Petunia. I hope you feel better soon."

Fawkes flamed the two of them directly to the steps in front of Gringotts before flaming out again.

"First, we need ter get yer money. I need ter get something else from a different vault as well. Special errand for Dumbledore."

The two of them waited in line until a teller was available.

The gruff goblin looked up with a glare.

"Harry Potter needs to withdraw funds from his trust vault."

"And does Mr. Potter have his key?"

"No, sir, I do not."

Hagrid spoke over Harry, "I've got it here somewhere." Hagrid then started searching through his pockets.

"Why do you have my vault key?"

"Dumbledore entrusted me with it. Great man tha' Dumbledore."

"And why did Dumbledore have my vault key?"

"Donna ya worry 'bout it. Dumbledore has yer best interests at heart."

"How could someone I've never met have my best interests at heart? He doesn't even know me!"

The goblin almost looked gleeful at this exchange. He spoke after Harry's last question.

"Mr. Potter, if you are willing to give a drop of your blood to prove your identity, your account manager can cancel all other's access to your vaults."

"Now wait just er minute!" Hagrid was clearly angry. "Donna you be involving yourselves in der headmaster's business!"

"Today is Mr. Potter's eleventh birthday. He needs to meet his account manager anyway."

Hagrid tried to intervene again, saying, "Dumbledore donna want him to meet with yer kind." However, he stopped when several guards came up to him and put their weapons against his flesh.

Their leader said, "Step away from the young heir."

Unfortunately for Hagrid, by then he had drawn the attention of every person in the bank, including one Rita Skeeter, who was furiously taking notes.

Once Hagrid was away from him, Harry turned back to his teller and said, "Thank you, Mr.?"

The goblin responded, "My name is Dragonbite."

"Thank you for your help, Mr. Dragonbite."

"Just Dragonbite, no need for the mister."

"Yes, sir. How do I meet with my account manager?"

"It just so happens that my father is your account manager."

Dragonbite then rang a bell and when a messenger goblin came over, he said, "Take Heir Potter here to see Dragonflame."

Every teller in earshot of Dragonbite paused in what they were doing and turned to look at Heir Potter. Harry picked up on this immediately and knew something significant had just happened.

The messenger, however, gave no sign of any surprise and said, "Yes, sir. Come with me, Heir Potter."

Having no experience with goblins, Harry did not understand how significant it was that the goblins were calling him by his title. Most others in the bank did not realize what it meant either, but they did understand that a goblin addressing anyone by a title other than human, wizard, or witch was very unusual. As such, Harry was completely unnerved by all of the stares the rest of the occupants of the bank lobby were giving him.

However, Harry had learned long ago that showing you were unnerved never made the situation better and often made it much worse.

Once more, Harry turned to Dragonbite. "Thank you, again, Dragonbite. I hope you have a good day."

The messenger goblin had a nametag that said, "Griphook."

"Nice to meet you, Griphook. Are you having a good day?"

"I am, Heir Potter. Are you?"

"Not really. It has been rather trying. That out there was the best interaction I have had with Hogwarts staff since they attacked my family."

Harry snorted, "Even though I'm not supposed to remember it anymore, I bet Hagrid won't forget getting kicked in the balls anytime soon."

Griphook smiled at that and commented, "Ah, a warrior in the making, are you?"

"I need to be able to protect myself, don't I?" Harry was not sure that Griphook had been sincere in that comment. In fact, he was fairly certain that the goblin was mocking him. Already unnerved by what had happened in the lobby, Harry went to full alert suddenly not feeling very secure at all with the goblin next to him.

"Of course."

A few seconds later, Griphook knocked on an ornate door.

When told to enter, Griphook opened the door and said, "Heir Potter is here to see you about his accounts."

"Thank you, Griphook. That will be all."

"Thank you, Griphook. I hope the rest of your day goes well."

"You as well, young warrior in training." Griphook then left, closing the door behind him.

Again, Harry detected a sense of derision in Griphook's tone. Shaking it off, Harry turned to see an older goblin sitting behind an ornate desk.

"Heir Potter, before we get started, I will need to verify your identity. I hope you understand."

"Of course. Dragonbite told me that I would need to give a drop of blood?"

"Yes." The goblin then conjured a small pin.

"Prick your finger with this and then let a drop of blood fall onto this parchment."

When Harry got closer to the desk, he read the goblin's nametag, which read, "Gripclaw."

Warning bells started ringing in his head. Griphook had shown him derision. He was supposed to be meeting with Dragonflame, a name no one in the lobby had contested. Instead, a goblin named Gripclaw wanted his blood. The names Griphook and Gripclaw indicated a familial relationship.

Stepping right up next to the goblin as if to take the pin, Harry grabbed the goblin's arm and threw him onto the ground as hard as he could. Before the goblin could get up, Harry had one dagger across his throat and the other hovering right above his heart with enough pressure to draw blood.

He practically hissed, "What game is this?"

Moments later, a security team entered the room followed by an elder goblin.

Harry recognized them as the same security team that had stopped Hagrid earlier.

Every one of the goblins present had shocked looks on their face. However, the security team recovered quickly.

Three of those goblins quickly took custody of Gripclaw.

The elder goblin then spoke to him. "Warrior-in-Training Potter, I am Dragonflame. Can you tell me what happened that resulted in you drawing your blades on this goblin?"

This time, Harry detected no derision, only respect. Now that his adrenalin rush was fading, Harry started to shake and realized that he could be in serious trouble for attacking the goblin.

Dragonflame was close enough that Harry could read his nametag.

"I apologize Account Manager Dragonflame." Harry carefully put both of his daggers away in his boots.

"I was told that I would be meeting you. Gripclaw demanded that I provide him with blood to prove my identity. When I got close enough, I could see the name on his nametag and realized something was wrong. I had already gotten a sense that something was off from Griphook. I, um, had not yet thought of what I would do after I took him down."

Dragonflame laughed (at least, Harry thought it was a laugh) but then turned serious. "Did he get any of your blood?"

"No, sir. He wanted me to let a drop fall on that parchment."

Dragonflame walked over to the desk and muttered something in a language that Harry did not understand at all. Whatever Dragonflame had muttered caused the parchment to fill with text.

I, Harry James Potter, assign control of all accounts, properties, and vaults to Clan Grip. Should I die before reaching my majority, 25% of my estate will transfer to Clan Grip. The remaining 75% will transfer to Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore. No subsequent document will hold a higher claim unless said document explicitly overrides this document by name. I sign this document with my blood as proof of identity.

After Harry read the document, he started swearing.

Dragonflame spoke again, "I give my most sincere apologies on behalf of the Goblin Nation. Clan Grip has absolutely no honor, no integrity. I have no doubt reading that document that you would have had an untimely end in the near future. Obviously Dumbledore, Griphook, and Gripclaw were involved in this. I wonder whom else.

"Gripclaw is Dumbledore's account manager."

"Thank you for coming to check on me so fast.

"We studied contracts in my business studies classes. I have to admit, the document is a beauty, though: an unnamed document that requires it be explicitly named in order to be overridden…a true Catch-22."

Dragonflame responded, "I am not sure what a Catch-22 is, but I agree the document would have left you with no way to renounce it in the future. It is a most despicable thing."

"Am I in trouble for drawing my blades and attacking Gripclaw?"

This time, the leader of the security detail laughed. "Absolutely not. As you so accurately realized, you were in danger from Gripclaw. You detected a plot was afoot and took decisive action to protect yourself and your interests. I agree with Manager Dragonflame: you, Heir Potter are definitely a Warrior-in-Training. Trust your instincts. However, in the future, if there are any goblin security officers at hand, you should not draw your weapons, especially not your wand."

"So what happens now?"

"My son signaled me that you were coming. When you did not appear, I called for Bloodblade's security team, one of the best at Gringotts. Now, Trainee Potter, we shall go to my office and carry out your business."

"I just wish that I could expose that condescending prick Dumbledore as the fraud he is."

Dragonflame's face took on a very scary appearance that Harry thought was a smile. "Once we verify your identity and talk about your accounts, you can do so. Bloodblade, notify Chief Account Manager Princess Ragnup about this treachery. Then, see to the interrogation of Gripclaw and Griphook. After reading this document, I am certain they will be facing trial for some very serious crimes. I am sure Trainee Potter would like to attend if King Ragnog would permit it."

When they reached Dragonflame's office, he called for a human curse breaker and a small tray of food for Harry. Harry quickly snacked on the pastries while they waited.

When the human arrived, he introduced himself as Carey Winston.

"Curse Breaker Winston, analyze this parchment and inform Trainee Heir Potter of your findings."

Winston's eyebrow rose at the titles. He then scanned the parchment several times in several different languages before turning to Harry.

"Trainee Heir Potter, this is a standard parchment spelled to use blood to accurately identify a person and to identify what, if any, accounts, properties, and vaults they have access to. I can find no indication of any sort that anything else has been done to this parchment." Correctly realizing that something had happened and that he was here to reassure Harry, Winston continued, "I am the highest ranked human curse breaker here at Gringotts, London."

Harry nodded his head before turning to Dragonflame. "Thank you for taking this step to put me at ease after the treachery of Clan Grip."

He then turned to Winston, "Thank you for taking the time to verify that this document is legit and that it is safe for me to add my blood to the document.

"Account Manager Dragonflame, I would like to prove my identity now."

Dragonflame then took a match from a cup on his desk and transformed it into a needle.

"Prick your finger with this needle. Then let seven drops of blood fall to the parchment. After the seventh drop falls, I will revert this needle to a match. Then strike the match so it burns and destroys any residue of your blood. Always be careful not to leave any of your blood lying around."

Harry raised an eyebrow and asked, "So when he made a metal needle appear, that would have left him with a sample of my blood that he could have used against me?"

"Correct."

Harry did as instructed. Dragonflame then dismissed Winston.

The paper filled with text that Harry carefully read.

Harry James Potter

Date of Birth: 31 July 1980

Acting Lord and Heir of the Most Ancient and Most Noble House of Black

Acting Lord and Heir of the Most Ancient and Most Noble House of Potter

Father: James Charlus Potter (deceased, will unexecuted)

Mother: Lily Marie Potter nee Evans (deceased, will unexecuted)

Sworn Godfather: Sirius Orion Black (incarcerated pending trial)

Sworn Godmother: Alice Piper Longbottom nee Holly (incapacitated, St. Mungos)

Accounts:

Black Investment Trust Fund (limited capacity until majority)

Harry James Potter Donation Trust Fund (2,398 G 12 S 23 K available now)

Harry James Potter Investment Fund (500 G available now. Remainder unavailable at present)

James and Lily Potter Memorial Donation Trust Fund (limited capacity until majority)

Marjorie Simpson Investment Fund (1,500 G available now)

Potter Family Investment Trust Fund (limited capacity until majority)

Properties:

4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey (occupied: rent to own, 1/8 acre, in default by £ 94,395.29)

Black Chateau, French Riviera (uninhabited, unplottable, 7 acres)

Black Cottage, Kent (uninhabited, unplottable, 49 acres)

Black Flats, Diagon Alley (50 housing units, all occupied; Ground floor occupied by Flourish and Blotts)

Black Island, Caribbean Sea (uninhabited, unplottable, 3,207 acres)

Black Manor, London (uninhabited, unplottable, 1/8 acre)

Black Paradise, Crete (uninhabited, unplottable, 700 acres)

The Dog House, London (uninhabited, unplottable)

Lily's Pad, Cambridge (uninhabited, unplottable)

Potter Cottage, Godric's Hallow (damaged, unavailable, operated by Ministry of Magic, 1 ¼ acres)

Potter Hunting Lodge and Preserve, British Columbia, Canada (uninhabited, unplottable, 64,009 acres)

Potter Manor, Wales (destroyed, 12,805 acres)

Potter Reef, Coral Sea, Australia (uninhabited, unplottable, 700 acres)

Wicks Cottage, Suffolk (uninhabited, unplottable 17 acres)

Vaults

Black Family Vault, 201 (401,686 G 16 S 2 K, limited access until majority)

Black Heirloom Vault, 202 (misc. possessions, limited access until majority)

Black Trust Vaults, 203-246, 248-285 (empty)

Black Trust Vaults, 287-298 (supervisory control over)

Harry James Potter Trust Vault, 625 (10,000 G)

Harry James Potter, Black Trust Vault, 299 (20,000 G)

James Charlus Potter, Personal Vault, 1301 (stagnant, 5,90 13 K; £ 50,000)

Lily Marie Potter, Personal Vault, 1306 (stagnant, 2,000 G; £ 50,000, misc. possessions)

Marjorie Simpson Personal vault, 2229 (stagnant, 1 G, misc. possessions)

Marauders' Honor, Personal Vault, 1305 (stagnant, 1,56 K; £ 2,500, supervisory control over)

Peter Pettigrew, Personal Vault, 1304 (active, 188 G 12 S 5 K, misc. possessions, supervisory control over)

Potter Family Vault, 601 (empty)

Potter Heirloom Vault, 602 (empty)

Potter Trust Vaults, 603-624 (empty)

Prongslet, Personal Vault, 1306 (stagnant, 5,000 G; £ 50,000)

Remus Lupin, Personal Vault, 1303 (frozen, 326 G 16 S 11 K; £ 512.36, misc. possessions, supervisory control over)

Sirius Orion Black, Personal Vault, 1302 (stagnant, 5,000 G; £ 50,000; supervisory control over)

Sirius Orion Black, Inheritance Vault, 247 (stagnant, 11,078 G, 1 S, 22 K; limited access until majority)

As Harry read the document, he had many questions.

"What does 'supervisory control over' mean?"

"First, I have already recalled the keys to all of your vaults. That means the existing keys turned to dust." Dragonflame pulled open a drawer on his desk and chanted in Gobbledygook.

When he finished, Dragonflame handed Harry his new key.

"Until such time as you ask for each vault to have separate keys, this key will permit you direct access to any vault you wish to access.

"Now, back to your question. 'Supervisory control' indicates that it is a vault that you can enter, take from, or give to as you see fit. However, for the Black Vaults, that control only exists so long as your Godfather is kept in prison. Should he escape or be found innocent, he would resume that control. At least, that is until you reach your majority. At that time, the transfer of power would be complete and you would become the new Lord Black. Right now, you are, as it states, the Acting Lord Black."

"What does it mean that I am the Acting Lord Black? Acting Lord Potter?"

"It means that, until you reach your majority, you are the acting lord of the family. You can make decisions subject to certain limitations.

"For example, you could sign a betrothal contract for yourself or any child of the House of Black.

"However, if Sirius Black were freed from prison for whatever reason, he would take up the mantle of Lord Black. He would then have one month to reverse any decisions you had made while he was incapacitated.

"The same is true when you reach your majority. At that time, you will become Lord Black and Lord Potter. You would have one month to review every decision you made while underage."

"Unless Sirius is released first."

"No. I was asked to witness this along with the former account manager for the House of Black. Sirius Orion Black notified Lord Arcturus Polaris Black that he was naming you as his heir in all matters. At the time, Sirius was Arcturus's named successor.

"Arcturus Black visited you and your parents at St. Mungo's and personally tested your magic.

"Sirius Black never wanted control of the family.

"Arcturus Black made a deal with him. If Arcturus Black should die before you reached your majority, Sirius Black would take up the mantle of Lord Black until the day you reached your majority. At that point in time, you would become Lord Black.

"They memorialized this on a document that was witnessed by the Potters, the Black account manager, and me. They signed the document when you were seven days old by adding a drop of your blood, Sirius Black's blood, and Arcturus Black's blood.

"Even if Sirius Black decided he wanted to take up the mantle of Lord Black, he would not be able to. That document abdicated his right to hold the position as more than a placeholder."

"I see." Harry was overwhelmed with that information.

"Why did Arcturus choose me to succeed him?"

"The document actually comments on that." Dragonflame pulled open a drawer and pulled out a piece of parchment. "Read this paragraph."

While I am still a firm believer in the idea that purebloods are better for passing on the family magics, I have come to realize that purebloods are not the end-all, be-all of breeding. In the past decade, two children of the House of Black have been born with power that surpasses the previous generations. Both Harry James Potter and Nymphadora Andromeda Tonks have more power than any Black since my generation. Further, Nymphadora if a full metamorph, something that has not been seen in the Black family for over 100 years. At one day old, Harry had magic rolling off him that could be detected easily by everyone in the room. The Potters placed a block on 75% his magic so that he would not appear abnormal. In contrast, look at Draco Malfoy, a Black child from two purebloods. His magical strength at seven months did not reach Harry's blocked magic at one day old. I firmly believe that Nymphadora and Harry will be the ones who bring the House of Black back to its glory.

"Is there still a block on my magic?"

Dragonflame wrote a note on a piece of parchment and then snapped his fingers.

"I have summoned one of our human healers to inspect you. Until the healer arrives, we should continue going over your portfolio."

"What about vaults 1301-1307?"

"Your father created each of those vaults I do not know why, but you are 'Prongslet.' Upon your father's death, Marauders' Honor closed. Shortly after your parents' deaths, the Wizengamot passed a law that froze Remus Lupin's vault until you claimed control on or after your eleventh birthday."

"Why did they do that? Does Mr. Lupin have his own vault?"

"No. Ministry law prohibits werewolves from having any sort of vault or fund within Gringotts. With your parents dead, the Ministry saw this as a loophole that they quickly closed. Although it did not specifically state it was against Mr. Lupin, he was and continues to be the only person this law has applied to."

"Discriminating against someone because they have an illness is repugnant to me. Please reopen Mr. Lupin's vault immediately."

Dragonflame made a notation and then said, "It is done. A letter is on its way to let him know that he now has full access to his vault again."

"What does 'limited capacity until majority' indicate?"

"That means that you can turn control of your investments over to me or another account manager. You can specify that we invest up to 50% of the balance of those accounts. You can also tell us sectors in which you wish to invest. Gringotts guarantees that those investments will not lose more than 5% of their value. In exchange, Gringotts keeps 50% of the profits earned from the investments with half of that going to my clan as your account manager and the other half going into the insurance fund."

"So, the better you do, the better I do?"

"Exactly."

A knock at the door interrupted the two. Dragonflame called out, "Enter!"

A human woman entered the office.

"Account Manager Dragonflame, you asked for a human healer?"

"Yes. When he was born, Trainee Heir Potter had 75% of his magic blocked. The plan was to remove at least 5% of that block per year so that he would have his full power before puberty. We believe the block is likely still active and that no one bothered to release it as planned once Trainee Heir Potter's parents died."

"I see. Trainee Heir Potter, I would like your permission to scan you."

"Thank you, Healer?"

"I am Healer Elsa Booth."

"Nice to meet you Healer Booth. Please continue."

Healer Booth took a roll of diagnostic parchment out of her bag, set it next to Harry, and then cast a spell that linked Harry to the parchment. She then began casting diagnostic spells, starting with a diagnostic for any blocks on his magic.

As she looked over the history of the blocks, she said, "Lily Potter cast a bind on 75% of your magic when you were one day old. On your first birthday, she decreased it to a 65% block. On the night she died, she completely removed the binding.

"That same night, Albus Dumbledore cast a binding on 80% of your magic. That binding is still in effect. Dumbledore's block was particularly nasty in that it was adjustable. Eighty percent of any new growth in your magic was also bound."

"Can you remove it?"

"It is not safe to fully remove such a large block at once. If I had to guess, your mother removed that block to give you added protection against You-Know-Who. I can try to partially remove Dumbledore's binding. However, it may be necessary to remove the entire thing and then cast another binding that is not as strong.

"I am only willing to free 5% of your magic at a time. That 5% will result in a doubling of your magical power as there is an exponential relationship between your magical capacity and the power that you can release. I am willing to remove 5% every three months so that you can adjust to your growing power."

"Please do so."

The healer started casting. After several minutes, she stopped. "There is no way I can just reduce the binding. I will have to remove it and impose my own bind instead."

"I understand. Please proceed."

Nearly every goblin and many of the humans in the bank felt the rolling waves of magic Harry released when the binding finally snapped. Security guards flooded into Dragonflame's office only to stare in wonder at the youngling that was floating above the ground while one of their healers frantically cast spells on him.

Dragonflame quickly informed them, "An illegal block on his magic had to be removed. Healer Booth is trying to impose a weaker binding that can slowly be removed. We are not under attack."

The lead guard tapped his breastplate in several places while muttering in Gobbledygook. Within a few minutes, four other healers were in the office and helping Booth with her casting. It took all five of them to finally impose a binding on Harry's magic, which was warring with them because it was finally free and did not want to be suppressed again.

With a last flash, the rolling waves of magic ended and Harry dropped to the floor in a faint.

One of the healers transfigured one of the spare chairs in Dragonflame's office into a bed.

"He will likely be out for at least ninety minutes. Please do not disturb him. With your permission, Account Manager Dragonflame, one of us will return in an hour to check on him further. In the end, we were unable to block 75% of his magic and had to settle on 60%. That is why the process took so long."

Dragonflame acknowledged them.

Bloodhook, the goblin in charge of the security team that had raced to the office said, "I must make a report to the Royals. Surely they all felt those surges. I shall leave a team of three outside your office to help protect Trainee Heir Potter."

"Thank you, Bloodhook."

Harry awoke 45 minutes later groaning. "What the bloody hell happened? I feel like I was run over by a lorry."

"Please remain resting, Trainee Heir Potter. You were not expected to awaken so soon. I have already sent for one of the healers that treated you earlier."

An out of breath Healer Booth entered the office at a trot.

"Trainee Heir Potter, our apologies. We fully intended to have someone here when you awoke. I am sure that you have questions."

"What happened?"

"Do you remember giving me permission to remove Dumbledore's block on your magic and then re-establish a binding of my own?"

"Sort of. It is kind of hazy."

"Your magic was furious at having been bound so long. You were radiating waves of magic. I am told it was sensed all the way to the Royal Palace. I was unable to bind your magic afterwards.

"It took five of us to bind you. Even then, we were only able to bind 60% of your magic. While I had intended to release 5% of your magic, we ended up releasing a full 20% of your magic.

"What you need to understand, Trainee Heir Potter is that each additional 5% of your magic that is unlocked doubles your power capacity. When the initial collapse occurred, your power was over 65,500 times as powerful as when you entered the bank.

"Since you have no experience with controlling that much magic, the power fled your body in waves only to be regenerated by your larger core.

"You are leaking magic even now. The release of 20% of your magic means that your power is sixteen times as strong as when you entered the bank this morning."

Booth handed Harry an arm brace.

"I suggest you wear this arm brace. It will absorb your excess magic and will slowly build up your core."

"How does it work?"

"Once you put this brace on, it will pull in your excess magic and begin charging the gems. As you can see, there are thirty different gems on here. Each gem is capable of holding a certain amount of power. Once it is fully charged, you will experience the effect of that additional bit of power.

"As soon as you put the brace back on, you will effectively feel as if you have 78% of your magic bound. By tomorrow, it will feel like 77%. By Sunday, your available power will have doubled. Your available power will continue to grow over the next month."

"This must cost a fortune. I do not think I can repay it."

"Prince Ragnok personally gave me this to offer to you. He said that during the brief time we were struggling to control your powers the wards of Gringotts absorbed a noticeable amount of power and are stronger than they have been in several decades.

"All he asks in turn is that you permit Gringotts to use your excess magic stored in these gems to further recharge the wards on the bank."

"Will that cause me any harm?"

Both Dragonflame and Booth told him, "Absolutely not."

Dragonflame then continued to explain. "You would need to come into Gringotts and will be escorted to the ward room. There, you will be asked to add a drop of your blood to each of the thirty gems and to the primary ward stone. Once they are linked by your blood, the Royal Family will carry out a ritual that will transfer only the power in the gems to the wards."

"How common is it for something like this to happen?"

"It is not. However, this brace is one of nine that we constructed to be able to bind the power of a powerful wizard. These serve as temporary binds as they can be charged over time. The leg braces are more controlling. Each of them has forty-seven of our largest diamonds and slots for up to two more.

"Those diamonds are sufficient to capture up to 98% of the magical power of the most powerful mages on Earth. Each of the diamonds is actually much larger than it appears to you. The slots have runes on them that permit each to hold a diamond as big as my head.

"Had you been wearing the two leg bands, it would have taken you at least six months to fully charge the diamonds. As you neared the end of the six months, we could add two arm bracers and then removed one of the leg bands so we could replace it with a fresh one. For someone of Dumbledore's power, it would take over a year to charge the diamonds."

Harry had paled considerably throughout that description.

Seeing Harry's unease, Dragonflame said, "I apologize Trainee Heir Potter. I did not mean to imply or even suggest that the Nation would use the bands on you to suppress all or even a majority of your magic.

"Prince Ragnok sees this as a business transaction, I am sure. You are suddenly facing a backlash of power you cannot control. The Nation has the means to assist you. In exchange, the Prince desires your consent to use the power that you bleed off to help the Nation protect Gringotts."

Harry nodded. He then read the document that accompanied the bracer. It said exactly what it Dragonflame had said it would. It also expressed that Harry was free to remove the bracer at any time.

Harry asked Dragonflame, "Would you please use your chant from earlier to show me if this parchment has any hidden clauses?"

Dragonflame smiled at Harry in approval. "Of course Trainee Heir Potter."

Dragonflame then chanted again. To Harry, it sounded just like the chant inside Gripclaw's office. When the chant revealed nothing new about the parchment, Harry's mind was somewhat set to ease. However, he was concerned that this might be a trap and that the entire day may have been orchestrated.

However, struggling to control his magic was taking a toll on him. Harry signed the document.

Healer Booth then showed Harry how to add and remove the bracer by himself. Harry's comfort increased when he noticed that he could remove it himself if he needed to.

Healer Booth then scanned Harry and said, "Yes, your bracer is working as it should. How does your magic feel now?"

"It feels more powerful than before but also in control."

"Good. You will need to see me or another healer at least once every five days to ensure that the bracer is still working correctly."

After Harry and Dragonflame had both thanked her, Booth left.

"Are you interested in continuing our discussions, Trainee Heir Potter?"

"I am. Am I correct that as an Account Manager, you are above the tellers? And that the tellers are above the messengers?"

"Exactly."

"How long will it be before Dragonbite advances to an account manager?"

"Unless he gets very lucky, it will be another 50 to 150 years."

"I see. Would it help him along if I gave him control over the Marjorie Simpson funds? I mean, I see that it is not a lot of money, but I have full control over those funds right now. Maybe I could learn something about business from having him manage those funds and working with me."

"It would be a conflict of interest for me to advise you on that decision. On one hand, my clan and I stand a chance to gain. On the other hand, both my son and my clan stands a chance to gain. I will call for the Chief Account Manager and she can give you advice."

Dragonflame then wrote a note that Harry read upside down before it disappeared in a flash of light. "Advising Trainee Heir Harry Potter and have come into a conflict of interest. Would like to see Chief Account Manager Princess Ragnup at her convenience."

As Dragonflame had expected, the Princess did wish to speak with Harry due to everything that had happened that morning. She came to the office less than five minutes later.

"First, on behalf of Gringotts, King Ragnog, Prince Ragnok, myself, and the rest of the Royal Family, I wish to apologize. We do not tolerate theft and we do not tolerate conspiracies to harm or kill any of our clients, especially by one specifically entrusted with the care of said clients.

"Gripclaw, Griphook, some of their known accomplices, and the rest of Clan Grip are currently being questioned to determine the depth and extent of the conspiracies and thefts. Unfortunately, it appears that you are not the only one.

"Please trust that as soon as the investigation is complete, justice will be served."

Harry bowed and said, "Thank you Chief Account Manager Princess Ragnup."

"I appreciate the deference, but it is not required in this setting. 'Princess' is a sufficient title. I can see why you earned the title 'Heir' with the front tellers. I have also seen Gripclaw's memories of his deceit and your response. Your official title within Gringotts Bank will be Trainee Heir Potter until such time as advance to Warrior, Lord, or Friend befits you or until such time as the title is rescinded due to your actions."

"Thank you, again, Princess Ragnup. I am honored to be recognized by the Royal Family."

The Princess turned to Dragonflame. "Your grandson Dragonfang has just completed his first twenty-one year military rotation, correct?"

"Yes, Princess."

"I shall have Royal orders issued to assign him to further train Trainee Heir Potter in weapons techniques, etiquette, and Gobbledygook. It is the least we can do since he exposed this scandal for us."

Harry was curious and asked, "I know in the non-magical world, banks have auditors that look over the accounts. Do you have something like that? If so, how were they able to do this to others?"

"We do, Trainee Heir Potter. In this case, Senior Auditor Raveneye was involved and certified everything as accurate."

Harry nodded and then said to both of them, "I appreciate you giving me a title and bestowing the honor of training. However, with your permission, while we are in more informal settings such as this, please, call me Harry."

From the glances between the two goblins and their slight smiles, Harry was pretty sure that he had just passed some test.

"Thank you, Harry. You may address me directly as Dragonflame as well."

"On an unrelated matter, I would like to thank you on behalf of Prince Ragnok for what you have done for our wards and for agreeing to let us use your leaking power to recharge them further. Prince Rangok would have come personally, but he had to attend to another matter. My brother does, however, send his regrets."

The Princess then asked Harry to explain the situation of the conflict of interest to her to the best of his knowledge.

When he finished, she asked, "Why do you want to give Dragonbite this opportunity?"

"Because he stepped in when something was clearly wrong and took action to protect my interests. That is something that, as far as I can remember, only one other has done. I do not know if he did this out of annoyance at Dumbledore or at Hagrid's ranting, for personal or clan gain, or because it was the right thing to do. However, I like to help those who help me."

The Princess replied, "That is sound reasoning and something that I can fully support." She then pulled out a piece of parchment and wrote down the instructions for permitting the transfer of just that one account to Dragonbite's management. She also included instructions that Dragonbite was to assist Harry in learning how to manage properly his estate. She had Harry sign it with a blood quill and then she countersigned it.

She then looked at Dragonflame and said, "I know many of my account managers would have signed off on this without hesitation as the potential conflict was rather small. However, I appreciate the extra care since some in our department has already attempted to harm Harry. If there are any further conflicts of interest, please let me know."

Harry spoke up. "I'm sorry, but I do not understand how my family vault and my family heirloom vault are both empty. Can either of you explain to me what happened to everything my family owned?"

Dragonflame sighed. "We need to gather the relevant parties to have the Potters' wills read. Let us set a will reading for 8:00 PM tonight. I will contact the relevant parties and invite them here. Given what has come to light today, I suspect there is fraud there as well."

Harry's stomach took that opportunity to growl that caused Harry to blush deep red.

"Do not worry about it Harry. I only gave you a small plate of food and that was nearly four hours ago. I will have the human side of the cafeteria send up a full meal."

Just then, a parchment appeared on his desk. Dragonflame read it and sighed again. "The great meddler is outside causing trouble."

Princess Ragnup grinned in a way that almost made Harry crap his pants.

She then muttered a phrase in Gobbledygook before saying, "The anti-phoenix wards are up as are the dampeners on wands. Let us go great the old fool and introduce him to our hospitality."

As they left Dragonflame's office, Princess Ragnup and Dragonflame began conversing in Gobbledygook.

"He reminds me of his grandfather, Charlus."

"I agree, Princess. His willingness to stand up for himself, his sense of justice, and the fact that he is willing to place trust in us even after what Clan Grip tried to do."

"I think he will soon become a Friend of the Nation."

"That would please me greatly. I had a sense that James and Lily Potter would have eventually become Friends of the Nation had they not been so involved in the war.

"With the titles and power that Trainee Heir Potter has, he will make a formidable ally in the near future."

"Yes. Without his actions today, this discussion would not be taking place yet. However, if he continues along these lines, I expect he will be declared Friend before the end of the year."

As they were approaching the lobby, the two of them ended their discussion.

The three of them arrived in the lobby at the same time as Bloodblade's security team. Three other security teams were already in the lobby.

Unfortunately for Dumbledore, Rita Skeeter had come back to see if she could get additional scoops and was hiding on the ledge of an upper window watching with glee. She too had felt the mysterious surges of power that had sent the goblin guards into a fury.

As soon as Dumbledore saw Harry, he shouted out, "Harry, my boy! You need to come with me at once."

Harry growled out, "How many times do I have to tell you old man? I am not your boy and I have not given you permission to address me so informally. You need to stop implying that I am your sexual play thing or I will sue your ass for defamation."

Dumbledore made to grab Harry only to find himself in the same position as Gripclaw…one blade against his throat, the other against his heart and breaking skin.

"Keep your hands off of me, you perverted old freak. Touch me again and I will cut you."

Dumbledore attempted to apparate out with Harry only to find that the wards were too strong for him to overcome. He then attempted to activate his portkey only for that also to fail. Finally, he called out, "Fawkes!"

To Dumbledore's surprise, the phoenix did not come to him, but was heard from outside of the bank trilling a sorrowful tune.

Princess Ragnup stated, "Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, you are hereby charged with assault and battery against, attempted assault with a wand, and attempted kidnapping of a Friend of the Goblin Nation, all within Gringotts. You are also charged with conspiracy to commit line theft, conspiracy to commit murder, fraud, and conspiracy to defraud. Additional charges will likely be added at a later date. Guards, take him into custody!"

"I think not."

Dumbledore then attempted to draw his wand only to have Harry quickly stab his hand with the blade previously covering the fool's heart.

Dumbledore dropped the wand. Harry quickly grabbed the wand, surprised that it gave off sparks. Harry tossed the wand towards Bloodblade and returned his knife to the old man's chest.

"I warned you."

Dumbledore used his off hand to send several of the guards flying into the walls behind them.

Harry didn't wait to see what else the old man would do. Instead, he flipped him over and cold-cocked him upside the head with the butt of one of his daggers. When Dumbledore awoke a few minutes later, he was in the very leg bands that Harry had just learned about and had several goblin blades pushing against his body.

Turning to Harry with a glare, he snarled, "You fool! You have no idea what you have done."

Harry then turned to Bloodblade. "I apologize for drawing my weapons in Gringotts when you and your teams were present."

Bloodblade turned to him with a smile that scared the hell out of Harry. "Friend Potter, one of your rights as Friend of the Goblin Nation is to carry your weapons and to freely use them to assist the Nation in times of trouble. Your actions this afternoon clearly fell into that category and reflect highly on you."

The rest of the day passed with Harry making decisions about the investments and the accounts over which he had supervisory control.

As Harry did not know much about the magical world, he was particularly interested in investing in the non-magical world. However, he had rather limited currency with which to do so.

Harry had suggested that the goblins melt down some of the galleons and exchange it for pounds in the non-magical market. However, he quickly found out that would not be possible because the treaties between the goblins and the Ministry of Magic explicitly prohibited the goblins from exchanging the gold into muggle currency in any form other than the Ministry set rate of 1 G = £ 5.

"However," with that same smile as before that scared the crap out of him, Dragonbite said, "nothing prohibits you from doing so."

Dragonbite commenced to set up the appropriate brokerage accounts and bank accounts for Harry. "You will need a human adult to 'supervise' your transactions. Who would you like to be named on the accounts?"

"Bryton Chase is my mentor and sensei. He is muggleborn and lives close to my house."

"He is the one who taught you to fight, correct?"

"Yes."

"I am sure he will be quite proud of you when he hears of your exploits today. You did not start either confrontation, but you finished them both. I am certain that you did not reveal all of your abilities as well.

"Getting back to the brokerage accounts, I suggest that you do not sell too much gold. It would be noticed by both the ministry and the non-magical government. Perhaps 500 G from the Simpson Trust and 250 G from your personal Investment Trust."

"That sounds reasonable, I guess."

"After the will readings tonight, you can make the investments. I will prepare all of the documentation to provide to the non-magical government to show that your parents' wills were not read until now and that their gold deposits have been inactive for until now. Marjorie Simpson's will was read on 29 December 1981. Each galleon had a worth of £ 748.71 at that time versus the current value of £ 611.66.

"In contrast, your investment trust fund was automatically established on the day you were born. On that date, each galleon had a worth of £ 1,448.59.

"This means that you have is called a capital loss, which can be used to offset any capital gains made this year. That is important because the non-magical government charges a 40% tax on all capital gains above £ 2,500 for a trust fund."

Dragonflame was surprised to see that Harry had followed everything he had done.

"Do you have any questions so far?"

"No. I understand everything we have discussed so far. This is like my business studies classes that I've taken these past couple of years."

"Good. Good. Finally a human who understands how the financial world works."

The two spent the next several hours discussing where Harry would invest from the two accounts he could play with.

At precisely 8:00 PM, Princess Ragnup, Dragonflame, Dragonbite, and Harry entered a conference room.

Seated around the table were Augusta and Neville Longbottom, Andromeda Tonks, Amelia Bones, and Remus Lupin.

Princess Ragnup personally led the proceedings.

"Good evening. Thank you for coming on such short notice. A grave injustice was done to Friend Harry Potter and to all of you. Gringotts intends to begin the process of correcting that injustice today. In fact, we have already started.

"This proceeding is for the reading of James Charlus Potter's and Lily Marie Potter nee Evans' wills. These wills were sealed under fraudulent pretense. Fortunately, as Friend Potter has reached his eleventh birthday and has requested the wills to be read, we can now address the fraud.

"Both of these wills were personally witnessed by Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore. James Potter left a memory of the signing of these wills which Dragonbite will now play."

Dragonbite pulled a small pensieve from the cabinet behind the conference table and poured a memory into it. He then tapped certain runes on the device with his finger causing the memory to play out as a projection above the pensieve.

Five people stood around a table at Hogwarts: Lily Potter, James Potter, Alice Longbottom, Sirius Black, and Albus Dumbledore.

"Albus, Lily and I have prepared new wills that we will file today. We would you like for you to witness them. There are certain things we wish to make certain are revealed and want to make sure that you can testify as to having personally seen us verify this information.

"First, earlier this morning, Lily and I switched secret keepers at your suggestion. Sirius will continue to act like a decoy while the actual secret keeper is Peter Pettigrew.

"Second, should something happen to us, we have listed several appropriate guardians for Harry. Our first choice is that he be placed with his sworn godmother Alice Longbottom and her family with the understanding that Harry is to spend at least one weekend per month with his sworn godfather, Sirius Orion Black. We think it is most important that Harry be able to grow with his godbrother.

"If Alice is not available for whatever reason, he should be placed with Sirius with the understanding that Sirius is to involve Amelia Bones and Andromeda Tonks in Harry's life. Sirius should also ensure Harry spends time with his godbrother.

"Should Sirius not be available, Amelia Susan Bones has agreed to raise him so that he will be around other children his own age. She also understands that Andi and Neville should be involved in Harry's life.

"Next on the list is Andromeda Tonks nee Black. While her daughter is significantly older than Harry, she clearly adores him and would make a great big sister. Again there should be frequent contact with Neville.

"Should Andi be unavailable as well, Harry should be placed with any of our friends from Hogwarts who are willing to swear an oath to never willingly allow Harry to come to harm from death eaters or Voldemort. This includes our muggleborn friends who may have left the wizarding world. A list of fourteen additional names are included here: we each selected seven that the other could agree with.

"Under absolutely no circumstances should Harry be placed with his biological aunt Petunia Dursley or any of her family."

"My will states the exact same placements as James' does."

"Third, whomever Harry is placed with shall receive a stipend of up to 100 G per month for his care. All expenses must be documented in order to be paid.

"Fourth, Harry is to be raised to know our culture, his place in society, proper etiquette, politics, and the basics of magic. He should also learn how to defend himself without a wand.

"Finally, all of the Potter wealth is to be locked down until Harry reaches his eleventh birthday. Until that time, Account Manager Dragonflame or his named successor will oversee the vaults and can invest up to 25% of the liquid assets as he sees fit under the agreement of 50% of the profits reverting to him, his clan, and Gringotts as they see fit to distribute it.

"When Harry turns eleven and takes up the title Acting Lord Potter, he can increase the amount that Dragonflame can invest to 50% under the standard Gringotts terms.

"I am serious Albus. I do not want any of the funds used for any other purpose until Harry comes of age. As I told you last week, I have greatly depleted the Potter liquid assets for this war, but I will no longer be funding it. Neither will Harry. This is his birthright and it will be there for him when he comes of age."

After Dumbledore verbally acknowledged the instructions and that he understood them, both Potters signed their wills with Dumbledore, Sirius, Alice, and the other Potter as witnesses.

After the last signature was in place, each document flashed before five copies of each were produced: one for the Potters, one for each witness, and one to be filed with the Ministry of Magic.

Dumbledore informed them that he would file the one with the Ministry of Magic. He then asked, "What about a copy for Gringotts?"

Lily informed him, "Dragonflame drafted the documents for us. A copy was automatically sent to Gringotts and is on file there."

For just a few seconds, Dumbledore's eyes turned hard.

The projection ended.

Princess Ragnup told the assembled crowd, "Lily Potter, Sirius Black, and Alice Longbottom also provided memories of the same event. There are no differences between them. You may view them if you so desire."

During the viewing of the memory, Amelia Bones had set up a dictaquill and parchment. The mention of fraud had caught her attention and the showing of a memory to verify that a person had witnessed a will signing was most unusual.

Next to dictaquill, she had another parchment and was rapidly taking notes with a quill.

Neville had fallen asleep but Amelia, Remus, Andromeda, and Augusta looked furious.

The adults' anger only built as the actual wills were read.

After the will readings, each of the other humans in the room introduced themselves to Harry.

All four of the human adults swore to Harry that they had no recollection of the custody arrangements and all they could recall was that Harry had been placed with a loving family in the non-magical world for Harry's own protection.

Harry acknowledged their words, "Thank you. However, do not worry yourselves about this. I have already seen the level of manipulation that Dumbledore does without thought."

Harry had seen that Chase was one of the fourteen names on the list of approved friends.

"Dragonflame, Sensei Chase is on this list of approved names. He has spent a lot of money on me over these past few years. I do not think he knew about my parents' wills or he would have told me. However, he has made sure to train me in the basics of magic, wizarding culture, some wizarding politics, and how to defend myself without a wand.

"Although he was not officially named my guardian by anyone in authority, can he be reimbursed for the funds he spent on me?"

The three goblins conferred for a few minutes before coming to an agreement.

"So long as the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement is willing to give a written statement to the effect that she believes Bryton Chase served as a suitable guardian to the extent practically under Dumbledore's ministrations, we see no problem in releasing the funds to reimburse him.

"However, right now there are no funds in the Potter Family Vault to pay for the expenses. We expect that to change after we try Dumbledore and his coconspirators within Gringotts."

Amelia Bones' head shot up at that. "How are you going to try Dumbledore? Doesn't our treaty prohibit trials in absentia?"

"Yes. However, we became aware of Dumbledore's participation in the conspiracy this morning. When he came inside Gringotts, we activated several wards that would prevent him from leaving or fighting effectively. We then sent three teams of goblin guards to capture him. Before they had a chance, Dumbledore attempted to kidnap Friend Harry. As a Warrior-in-Training, Heir Potter appropriately defended himself and disarmed the fool. We then placed him in magic suppression cuffs. He is currently sitting in one of our cells."

The princess concluded, "He will be enjoying our hospitality for at least a week before his trial can be arranged. We are still trying to uncover all that he has done against the goblin and wizarding nations through his treachery at Gringotts. Friend Potter is not the only victim. So far, we have uncovered several others who all met untimely deaths before the treachery could be exposed."

Bones' dictaquill was still scratching away.

"What are his current charges?"

The princess answered, "From his activities inside Gringotts today that were against Friend Harry Potter, we charged him with physical assault and battery, attempted assault with a wand, and attempted kidnapping via apparation, portkey, and phoenix. We will also be hearing a case of slander against Friend Potter.

"From his actions with his account manager Gripclaw, seventeen counts each of conspiracy to commit line theft, conspiracy to commit premeditated murder, fraud, and conspiracy to defraud. As our investigation continues, those numbers are likely to increase.

"From his known actions against Friend Potter's family vaults, possession of stolen property, theft, fraud, and embezzlement. Over 50,000 items were stolen from the Potter Heirloom Vault, many of which are irreplaceable. When he was arrested, Dumbledore had two Potter relics in his possession. Both were returned to the Potter Heirloom Vault as will any others that we can recover.

"Unfortunately, we can neither charge nor try Dumbledore for corruption, abuse of power, or kidnapping for his previous actions. Only you can."

Amelia Bones sighed. "If you are willing, I would like to review your evidence. For any and all charges that I believe there is sufficient evidence to go forward with, I will do a joint press conference with you to summarize the charges and the evidence. That should prevent a riot against Gringotts."

Dragonbite chuckled, "Well, some of the evidence will be in tomorrow's paper. Rita Skeeter was inside the bank when Rubeus Hagrid attempted to take control of Friend Potter's finances and prevent him from conducting his business. She was also present when Dumbledore tried to kidnap Friend Potter and to draw his wand against the young man. I do not know what she will write about, but do not be surprised if there are accusations of pedophilia in the paper tomorrow.

"I am sure the gossip has already started to spread as there were precisely forty-six other humans in the lobby."

Amelia groaned. Tonight would be a very long night.

The princess then spoke up. "Madam Bones, my brother Prince Ragnok is personally overseeing the prosecution of Dumbledore's crimes. He would gladly meet with you tonight if you are available. I did not get a chance to say so earlier, but he specifically asked for me to arrange a meeting time with you since he knew I would be seeing you at this reading."

Amelia nodded. "It is getting late, but this is going to blow up in all of our faces."

"If everyone would sign their acknowledgements of the bequests from the will, we will disperse the funds and then this meeting will be concluded."

Everyone thanked the princess and started completing their parchment-work.

As soon as Amelia Bones finished with hers, Harry asked her, "Madam Bones, my summary of funds states that my godfather is 'incarcerated pending trial.' Is it normal to hold a prisoner for nearly eleven years before giving him a trial?"

Bones paled. "He never got a trial?"

Harry showed her the bank document.

"No, Mr. Potter, that is not normal. I will look into this as soon as I can. Actually, no. I will ask someone I trust implicitly to look into this tonight."

She then cast a patronus and spoke to it. "Shacklebolt, please come immediately to Gringotts. I have a very time sensitive matter that I need you to take care of. This should not be discussed with anyone else."

"Princess Ragnup, can we use this conference room for a few more minutes?"

"Of course, Madam Bones. When your auror arrives, he will be directed to this room. Prince Ragnok is on his way and should be here in about ten minutes."

"Thank you, Princess Ragnup."

Turning to Harry, she asked, "Mr. Potter, are you willing to wait here for a few more minutes to show Auror Shacklebolt your document?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Dragonflame then spoke, "As his Senior Account Manager, I will stay to verify the document's authenticity as well."

"Thank you, Senior Manager Dragonflame."

A few minutes later, a tea service arrived with both goblin and human delicacies.

Shacklebolt arrived less than a minute after the tea service.

"Madam Bones, I apologize it took me so long to get here. I was out on a date with my wife."

Bones cringed. "Please give my personal apologies to Sarah."

"Of course. What is going on?"

"We have extensive evidence that Dumbledore ignored the Potters' wills even though he knew they proved Sirius Black was innocent."

Amelia then showed Shacklebolt the transcript of the memory as well as the will reading that verified what she had told him.

"Are we sure the wills were actually done by the Potters?"

Dragonflame took that question. "Yes. The Potters each put a drop of their blood on both of their wills. The magical signatures are definitely theirs." He then handed the wills over to Shacklebolt and Amelia to conduct their own tests, which also verified the documents were what they appeared to be.

"Okay. I do not see what the problem is. That should be enough to get Black a new trial, right?"

Harry spoke up. "Only one problem with that."

He slid his parchment over to Shacklebolt and pointed to the line describing Sirius Black's current status.

"Bloody hell. Is this accurate?"

Dragonflame spoked, "This document is an official Gringotts identity parchment. To the best of goblin magic, it is accurate."

Amelia continued, "That is where you come in. This is only a small part of a major firestorm that is about to rain down on us. I need you to quietly go to the archives and verify that Black never had a trial. If that is correct, come back here immediately and I will sign a secret authorization permitting you to personally go to Azkaban, take Black into custody, and bring him back to one of the level nine holding cells. Feed him up and get one of the mental healers to help him.'

Kingsley nodded. "It should not take too long for me to get that information. Will you be here long?"

"I should be here for the next several hours."

"Understood. I will return when I have something definite."

After Shacklebolt left, Harry yawned deeply.

"I will get Friend Potter back to his home safely. It has clearly been a very long day for him."

"Thank you, Senior Account Manager Dragonflame. Shall I continue to wait in here for Prince Ragnok?"

"Yes. He should be here shortly."

Around midnight, Kingsley returned and reported that there was no trial. Amelia then issued a Sealed Writ of Habeas Corpus for Sirius Orion Black and sent Shacklebolt to recover the poor man and help him heal.

Bones sat with Prince Ragnok until 3:30 in the morning going over the evidence they had against Dumbledore so far.

The evidence she saw over the night was overwhelming against Dumbledore. It included Harry's own memory of his confrontations with Hagrid and Dumbledore inside Gringotts.

In addition, the prince provided her with documentation showing the transfer of 75% of the value of seventeen vaults into Dumbledore's personal vault after the untimely and now suspicious deaths of sixteen muggleborns and half-bloods who were the last of their lines. The most surprising was that the seventeenth had been a pureblood who had been raised by his squib sister after the rest of the family had died out. The crimes extended back nearly a century.

Finally, the "official documentation" showed Dumbledore removing thousands of items from the Potter Heirloom Vault, ordering the sale of all of the non-liquid assets other than the properties (which he was prohibited from selling), removing all of the liquid assets, and then ordering the sale of all of the other Potter family heirlooms. Someone highly placed in the Department had arranged it so that Dragonflame's books showed what should be in the vaults while Gripclaw's books showed what actually was in the vaults. They were still searching for the co-conspirator that made that feat happen.

After they had reviewed all of the evidence, Amelia sighed and said, "I agree wholeheartedly with all of the charges and will stand with you at a press conference tomorrow , er later this morning. When the trial takes place, would it be possible to have six media representatives present? I would like to do a lottery with two slots for local media, two slots for international media, and one slot for a mixed drawing of all the unselected media representatives. The sixth slot I would like to leave to the Wizarding Wireless so that they can broadcast the entire proceeding live. That way, no one should be able to claim it was an unfair trial."

"That is reasonable. We also invite you and the head of Goblin Relations to be present as representatives of the Ministry of Magic."

"Thank you. Might I also suggest the Acting Chief Warlock or Witch as representatives of the Wizengamot? It will either be Tiberius Ogden or Griselda Marchbanks."

"Both of them are well known to us. We have no issues with either of them. You should invite both to attend."

"Shall we schedule a joint press conference on the steps of Gringotts later this morning?"

"Does 9:00 AM work for you?"

"Yes. Shall I meet you here or shall we meet on the steps?"

"Meet me here and we will walk out together, escorted by my personal guard."

"That sounds good. Is that everything, your majesty?"

"I believe so, Madam Bones. Have a good night."

Without another word, Prince Ragnok and his guard exited the room.

Amelia left the bank and apparated back to her office. From there, she sent owls to each of the country's news outlets as well as several foreign outlets that could easily get there by nine in the morning. In each case, she included the paragraph, "This story is sensational enough on its own. I ask that you send your reporters best known for their factual, unexaggerated reports. The issue is rather serious and we want to give people a sense of the magnitude of the issue without giving them reason to suspect it is being blown all out of proportion."

Before leaving, Amelia also left a note for the day desk monitor that she would need a dozen extra aurors spread throughout Diagon Alley beginning at 8:00 that day and extending until at least noon.

The exhausted head then apparated back to her home, took a sip of dreamless sleep potion, and fell asleep.