I own nothing. Props to JKR!

Hello you beautiful people. I hope you are all well and good, and are off to a good start in the new year.

I know this update is long overdue. I had this chapter completed for some time, but I didn't want to upload it until I was ready to finish up Ch.4. It would've messed my train of thought up, and I already have too many things going on as is.

I'm going to be moving halfway across the country at the end of the week, so it'll be a few more weeks until I update this story again. I apologize for this, but like I stated in the beginning, updates will be sporadic and I'm doing this all out of the enjoyment I get from writing.

On that note. Thank you for all of the kind words in your reviews. I really do enjoy them. I hope you continue to do so.

P.S. This chapter may seem incomplete, and you would be kind of right. It was getting too long and wordy, so I decided to spill over onto the next chapter; and carry on with the story from there.

Thank you and enjoy!

That mysterious door ended up being the door to Sirius' new bedroom. It was simple like Harry's, but it was comfortable and something Sirius could make into his own. Not that he was complaining. Anything other than a cell in Azkaban would be considered the height of luxury to Sirius. That, and it was next door to his godson.

Sirius gave Harry a courtesy and answered his unasked question. "Don't worry. Your room was basically expanded, and then a wall was put up in the middle; so it's technically still your room. The enchantments are similar to that of magical tents.

Harry wasn't even going to begin to comprehend what kind of magic was needed to pull that off, but he was certain that magic would never cease to amaze him.

"Adding an enchantment for a second bathroom is a bit trickier." Sirius went on to explain. "It's beyond both myself and Dobby, so we'll still be sharing the bathroom across the hall."

Harry brushed away Sirius' concern. He didn't mind sharing a bathroom. Sharing a room was another thing entirely. Doing it for a couple of nights wouldn't be bad, but they would probably kill each other at the constant close proximity to one another. They both needed their space and privacy.

Sirius was delighted at how well Harry had taken to him, and how well he took to the change to his bedroom. He honestly didn't know if Harry would agree, or if he would eventually grow tired of having him so close. Sirius remembered what being a teenage boy was like. Even though his childhood was anything but normal or healthy, he still understood the need to be away with his own devices.

Admittedly, he was somewhat saddened and angry at what he knew to be the real reason behind his godson's acceptance. It wasn't there on the surface, but Sirius didn't need to be an expert in reading people to see it. It became even more apparent after spending the morning shopping with him.

Sirius was absolutely trying to spoil his godson. He had nearly thirteen years of shopping and bonding with the kid, but even Sirius knew that he couldn't make up for all of it with a morning of spending. Although he did try to buy everything Harry remotely looked at with interest, he didn't buy enough to clothe an orphanage.

True, he still bought a lot of clothes, shoes, and other things that didn't necessarily classify as needs, but he wanted to ensure Harry had everything he might need. He also wanted to slightly corrupt Harry on keeping his image up and for all to see. He wasn't aiming for him to be vain, but to at least strive for some self confidence. Merlin knows the kid needed it.

It also didn't matter if Harry outgrew it all within the year. A few months if I can help it, Sirius thought bitterly.

Sirius had to suppress the thoughts that wanted to turn his mood and appetite sour. Dobby had prepared a big lunch, and it wouldn't do to upset the excitable house elf who had done so much for them. He also didn't want Harry to think something was wrong.

But... things were wrong. Merlin, in so many ways were they wrong. Harry should have never been with the Dursleys. Sirius should have never ended up in Azkaban either, but that happened too. Sirius didn't know if he'd ever be able to be free from the guilt of knowing that his actions effected far more than himself. Him getting chucked into Azkaban doomed Harry to a fate that he was sure James and Lily would kill him for ever allowing Harry to suffer. Not to mention Charlus and Dorea.

Harry was a sweet, well-mannered kid, but it wasn't born from nurturing. It came from the need to survive. He would always speak in level tones, draw into himself to take the focus off of himself, and he never gave a response that wasn't calculated. True, he may have leaped in front of a transformed werewolf and flown on top of a Hippogriff, but Sirius didn't quite know what to attribute that to. It was definitely something worthy of a Gryffindor, or even more so, a Potter. But Sirius was suspicious of whether Harry valued his life so little as to sacrifice himself for the sake of others, or was he merely showing traits of those before him.

Shaking his head to clear those thoughts away, Sirius' mind tried drifting into more pleasant thoughts. But with the memories of the lash 24 hours so raw, it was proving to be rather difficult. There seemed to be a question that kept coming to the forefront of his mind. A question that helped squash the feelings of guilt, but threatened to intensify his anger.

What was Dumbledore playing at?

Yes, Sirius had been able to gather that Harry lived with them in order to keep the blood protection within him alive, but how could Dumbledore honestly allow him to be mistreated and abused for all these years? He had to have seen the signs. Hell, his professors most definitely should have seen the signs. Was a blood protection really worth the protection it granted from the outside if it did nothing to protect from the things within?

Sirius redoubled his focus on his sandwich. There was too many questions that he didn't know the answers to. There were so many things that he wished to discuss with Harry, but he didn't want to be overstepping any boundaries. He barely had the kids' trust, something that most definitely wasn't freely handed out. But after discovering how little that Harry knows about himself from a familial and magical standpoint, how little did the kid know about everything else?

He was jerked from his thoughts by the beeping of his watch.

"Time to meet the goblins." Sirius said to Harry's questioning gaze. Harry nodded nervously, not sure how well it would work out. In truth, Sirius didn't know either. He just hoped that the goblins were still keen on keeping a client's confidentiality. That, or they wouldn't be inclined to accept bribes for a setup.

Dobby popped into the room with them and cleared the desk of the empty plates and leftover food. Sirius then took James' cloak from Harry per the game plan they discussed while shopping. Sirius hadn't seen it, or been underneath it in years. It brought back so many fonder memories of their time together, wreaking havoc and causing mischief, but now was not the time to be consumed with memories.

"Remember" Sirius spoke to Harry and Dobby, though he went unseen under the cloak. "Dobby pops us to the alley outside the bank. I put a small glamour on you, then you head to the bank. Make sure you cancel it before you reach the tellers. They do not like funny business. They care about discretion, but they will become exceedingly wary of being duped or hoodwinked."

At Harry's nervous but firm nod, Sirius couldn't help but to smirk, then he grew serious again as he explained further. "Ask to speak with the Potter account manager, Barchoke. Once you're in with him, hand him this letter." A letter appeared out of thin air in front of Harry which he took. "That is from the Black account manager, Hooktooth. It will explain the situation."

Sirius watched as Harry appeared to go over the plan in his head. It was reminiscent of James when he would be thinking something through, or genuinely nervous about something. But Harry didn't have near the same level of confidence as James once had, which was arguably a good thing.

Sirius was about to give his godson more words of encouragement before he saw Harry's whole demeanor shift. His shoulders cocked back, his face was set, and his emerald eyes had a faint glow to them. Sirius was momentarily taken aback. He'd only ever seen that demonstrated by one other person in his lifetime, and the memory of it forced an involuntarily shudder to occur.

Harry then gave a determined nod and spoke in a cool voice that had power behind it. "Let's do this."

Shaking himself, Sirius grabbed ahold of Dobby while Harry did the same. If Harry could see Sirius face, he'd see a look of awe and curiosity.

Soon, the trio were in a small alley outside of the white marble entrance of Gringott's bank.

Dobby immediately snapped his fingers, putting up an elves equivalent of a mild notice-me-not charm.

"Okay." Sirius said as he started waving Harry's wand around. He really needed to get his own soon. "Keep it cool and deliver the message. Don't worry about me. I'll see you again soon."

Harry now had shorter mousy brain hair, no scar, and brown eyes. He gave a determined nod in Sirius' direction as he took the wand back from the man. "Got it." Taking another deep breath, he steeled himself before making his way up to the front doors of the bank.

Once the iron doors closed behind his godson, he turned to Dobby. "Be on standby in case anything goes wrong."

Dobby, like Harry, gave a determined, if not a bit more nervous nod, then popped away from the alley.

Sirius, while still under the cloak, quickly made his way down the cobble street of Diagon Alley. With school being out for the summer, there was a bit more traffic to navigate himself through. He was thankful that the cloak was big enough to cover an individual standing well over six feet. If not, then he'd have to bend at an awkward angle in order to get anywhere while remaining completely invisible.

He was heading for a secret passage at the back of the bank. It was rarely used at all, and the witches and wizards of lower statuses had no clue of its' existence. It was either used for more shady business, or by those who didn't want to be seen entering or exiting the bank. Being apart of the Black family meant he was very familiar with the secret passage. It was most commonly used by the darker families, but was essential to all high status families during the first war with Voldemort.

It can only be activated by a goblin from the inside, and only during a previously determined window of time. Sirius would have to wait until his letter made it to Hooktooth.

A few minutes dragged on before the wall Sirius was pacing in front of started to rumble. Stone bricks started to melt away, and an arch opened up to reveal a lot corridor that appeared to have been dug out of a mountain. Torches lit along the walls of the dark cavern, and they lead up to an broad iron door.

Sirius breathed a small sigh of relief before casting another look around. He wasn't kidding when he told Harry that the goblins didn't like funny business. If he were to cross over the wards wearing an invisibility, then - well - Sirius didn't feel like imagining the things that could possibly happen to him.

Tucking the cloak under his arm, he crossed the threshold. The wards felt like a wave of water washing over him. He didn't react to the wall resealing itself behind him.

Per custom, Sirius extended his hand towards the silver handle on the door, but didn't attempt to twist it for entrance. He felt the prick on his hand as it drew his blood, and watched as the door glowed a faint white. The prick on his hand magically sealed itself.

He didn't jump when the heavy iron door slammed open, but his heart did sink as the power of the unknown attempted to overwhelm him. He was temporarily blinded by the light that poured into the cavern.

"My eyes do not deceive me." A scratchy voice growled from beyond the doorway. "The white sheep of the Black family is once again in my midst."

Sirius wanted to smirk, but his nerves prevented it from forming. He took a hesitant step inside the bank, and his eyes immediately found the goblin behind voice. "Hooktooth." He greeted with a nervous nod.

Hooktooth, an older goblin, has been the Black family account manager since before Sirius was born. The goblin was very much like his grandfather: cold, surly, and downright menacing. It made for an interesting, yet strong, relationship between the two. Sirius had no way of knowing how Hooktooth would react to seeing him, especially after everything that's happened.

Hooktooth's beady black eyes looked Sirius up and down, examining him for all he was worth. He suddenly stopped, and gave Sirius the last response he was expecting to get out of the goblin. He snorted. "You've either got a set of balls greater than your grandfather's, or you're just as foolish as he always claimed you to be."

Sirius stopped his body's normal reaction, which was to nervously chuckle. Instead, he thought of his godson and the importance of getting this squared away. He steeled himself, and brought himself to a proud stance. He refused to waver under the narrowed eyes of his family's account manager.

"Hooktooth." Sirius greeted again, this time more firm. "It's been a long time. May your gold flow, but your

"Cut the shit!" Hooktooth barked. "You" he pointed an accusatory finger at Sirius. "better thank whatever deity above that nothing can reawaken the dead. If so, then there would be a line waiting to curse you for all you're worth, not that that's saying much."

Sirius, properly cowed, stood there with his head bowed and nothing else to say. Hooktooth looked at him long and hard before shaking his head. "Follow me. Young Hadrian is anxious to see you."

Hooktooth turned and started walking. The goblin and wizard walked in strained silence. Sirius could tell that the goblin had more to say on the subject, but he restrained himself in order to stick to the task at hand. The goblins were very punctual, but Sirius knew he was in for a proper tongue lashing in the near future.

The two stopped outside of a mahogany door with a golden handle, a sight that was familiar to Sirius. After giving two sharp knocks on the door, Hooktooth was granted entry from a baritone voice on the other side.

"Sirius." Said Harry at once, relief dripping from his voice at the site of his godfather.

Sirius grinned. "No worries, pup."

"For now." A cold baritone voice cut in.

Sirius turned to see an even older goblin than Hooktooth. Like Hooktooth and Arcturus Black, there were extremely noticeable similarities between Barchoke and Charlus Potter. His white hair was slicked back, his eyes were cold and calculating, and he had a cool demeanor that was meant to fool people into relaxing in their presence. His baritone voice was rich and radiated power. He could be snarky, sure, but he was as no-nonsense as they came. It wasn't missed by anyone that he examined Sirius as if he were judging him for every past wrong he may or may not have committed.

Barchoke turned to Hooktooth and gave a formal nod. "Thank you, Hooktooth. This meeting is long overdue, and I'm sure you're just as interested as I am in what will come from this meeting. I'm sure it will be" He paused to give Sirius a near feral grin. "Enlightening."

Sirius subconsciously gulped under the gaze of the two goblins, mainly Barchoke's, but he steadied his gaze on the eldest goblin. Harry was casting anxious glances between the goblins and Sirius. Sirius could see Harry about to open his mouth before Barchoke cleared his throat.

"Now." Barchoke started. "As I was telling Hadrian before your arrival, he is long overdue to accept his heirship ring to the Most Ancient and Most Noble House of Potter. From what information I have gained, my suspicions are slowly being proven correct, but not to worry. It seems your... godfather... has set to correcting past wrongs. With young Hadrian finally in my presence, real strides can be made to undue this cock up, as well as, the machinations of a meddlesome old coot."

That was a lot to take in for Sirius. He had already gathered that he was on the shit list of not one, but two goblins. It would probably be for the best if he remained silent, but something stuck out to him.

"Your suspicions?" Sirius asked.

Barchoke considered Sirius for a moment, his eyes narrowing slightly. With his jaw set, he growled out. "Someone has been preventing Hadrian from learning of his proper station. He's totally lacking in the knowledge of our world, your customs, and his heritage. Not to mention, he hasn't been receiving my summons. All of which could've been prevented if someone hadn't gotten themselves locked up."

"Sirius is innocent." Harry interrupted hotly.

Barchoke snorted. "Of killing muggles and a traitor? That I have no doubt. Of abandoning his duty as godfather, a member of the Black family, and a member of the Potter-Black alliance? That remains unanswered."

Harry went to open his mouth to retort, but Sirius held up his hand to stop him. Sirius' heart swelled at how Harry stood in defense of him, but there was more to this than Harry could see.

"It's true." Sirius conceded, much to Harry's confusion. "I as good as killed Lily and James myself when I gave people my word to protect them. I damned Hadrian to a life of abuse, away from his kind, when I swore to James and Lily that I would keep him safe and raise him as my own."

Sirius took a steadying breath, all while holding the gaze of he two goblins. "It's my fault. Not all of it, I assure you, but I played a big part in it. I didn't come here expecting to be forgiven. I came here to try and help fix the things that I should have prevented, as well as, to ensure nothing like that ever happens again." He ended his plea with a voice filled with determination, along with a look in his eyes that was reminiscent of his grandfather, something that spoke volumes to the goblins in front of him.

The quartet sat in silence for a few moments, digesting the words of the broken man in front of them. Sirius knew what to expect when he came here. He was just glad they let him say what he had to say before they passed judgment on him. They could have easily reported him and had him locked up, or they could have dealt with him they way his grandfather or Charlus would have had them do. But he wasn't doing this for himself, he was doing it for Harry.

Barchoke was the first to break the silence. His eyes were still cold and calculating, but he seemed to be somewhat satisfied by what he heard. "It doesn't take much for a man to own up to his past transgressions, but it does take a strong man to do everything in his power to repent of them. Quite frankly, I'm glad that you're here."

That caused both Harry and Sirius to jerk their heads up in attention. Barchoke proceeded to frown. "Not because I'm willing to forgive you. That will take some time. But it does allow me to inform young Hadrian of his station, and prepare him for when he takes up his mantle as Lord Potter. Charlus would smite me where I stand for failing to carry out my duties as not only the Potter account manager, but as a friend to the family."

"Friend to the family?" Harry asked in confusion. "I thought goblins didn't like wizards."

"We don't." Barchoke said simply. "But we goblins have respected the Potters for centuries, and they've given the same in return. They've never treated us as beneath them, and have respected us for what we do and what we represent. They're a family of warriors, like we are a civilization of warriors. There is no higher honor than being a warrior to a goblin."

"Warriors?" Harry echoed the word that stuck out to him.

Barchoke bit back a retort. Instead, he looked to Sirius. "I'm sure your godfather could explain some more, in time. For now, let's carry on."

Harry looked to Sirius who tried his best to give him a reassuring smile. Sirius, meanwhile, was breathing a subtle sigh of relief. It was mostly unheard of for goblins to not interfere with the affairs of wizards, especially when the affairs pertained to only wizards. This meeting, like many before it, is the exception.

The Potters and goblins always had a great deal of mutual respect for one another. That was mostly a guarded secret amongst other wizards. The closely guarded secret was the relationship between the head of the house and their account manager. Having a great deal of personal respect for one another leads to a much deeper relationship than just account manager and account holder.

The clan that managed the Potter accounts were considered family by the head's of the Potter family. Mainly due to the amount of good service that they provided, but also for their willingness to go above and beyond when requested of them. The fact that the Potters of centuries past fought against unjust persecution of the race most certainly helped in the matter.

With that in mind, it would explain the hostility shown towards Sirius from Barchoke. He and Charlus were friends in every sense of the word, and James was on his way to maintaining that relationship with the elder goblin. When Harry grew old enough to become involved with the family affairs, he would continue with maintaining that centuries old bond between goblin and wizard. Not only did Sirius' actions go against the wishes of the Potters, he jeopardized Barchoke's position and relationship with the family as well.

In other words, Sirius was on Barchoke's shit list, and you never wanted to be on a goblin's shit list. He just hoped that Hooktooth would go easy on him when the time came for him to speak.

Looking to his godson, he could see the frown marring his features. Sirius was once again taken aback because, it reminded him of the look James and Charlus would have when they were trying to soak in new information.

Barchoke, for his part, was doing a good job of just going over the basics. He knew that Harry wasn't ready to hear all of the in's and out's of the Potter accounts and holdings. He did take joy in seeing his godson's jaw drop to the floor when Barchoke gave the numerical value of the Potter's holdings. Sirius, Barchoke, and Hooktooth all snorted when he revealed that he only thought he had his trust vault to his name.

"The final matter we need to attend to is claiming your right of heirship." Barchoke said after getting a nod from Harry to continue with his dealings of the Potter's holdings and assets.

Harry gave a determined nod, though Sirius could tell his mind was spinning. "What do I need to do?"

"Hold up your hand and make your claim." Barchoke explained patiently.

Harry raised an eyebrow at Sirius who nodded encouragingly.

Harry turned back to Barchoke unsurely before closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. When he opened his eyes, the trio of wizard and goblins were met with a glowing set of emeralds. "I, Hadrian James Potter, do hereby claim my heirship of the Most Ancient and Most Noble House of Potter. May the family magic judge me accordingly, so mote it be."

A bright gold and maroon glow shrouded Harry momentarily before it faded, leaving a golden ring on his pinky finger. It was how Sirius remembered it when James wore it. It had three bands of gold woven together with a center cut ruby. Each band contained a word each: Veni, Vidi, Vici.

"Veni, Vidi, Vici?" Harry read the Potter family motto with a frown on his face.

"I came, I saw, I conquered." Answered Barchoke with a smirk, or maybe a grimace. "A story that you will learn once you read the Potter Ancestral Book of Magic."

"How do I get that?" Harry asked.

"Call it to you." Barchoke answered patiently.

Harry didn't know whether to look sheepish or indignant, but he shook himself and closed his eyes. A few seconds later, a sizable leather-back time materialized in his hands.

"Woah." Was all Harry could say as he thumb the cover of his ancestral book.

Sirius could see the emotion and awe reflected in his emerald eyes. This was on of the only connections he had to his family. One of many that had unfortunately been kept from him. Sirius was certain that Harry's mind was reeling with the fact that his father had read that book.

Before Harry could get lost in the pages of the book, he cleared his throat. "You'll have plenty of time to read it later." Sirius said gently. Harry blushed a little, but held the book securely to himself, a small smile tugging on his lips.

Sirius smiled as well. The first few steps had been taken today, and he'd be damn if he'd let anyone stop further steps from being taking.

"So." Sirius said, turning his attention back to the two goblins. He was sort of surprised to see amusement and other signs of sentiment on their gnarly faces. "I believe now is the time to take care of the other half of today's business."

In response to Sirius' statement, Hooktooth turned to Sirius and gave him a feral grin. It was not a nice look. It was one that, much like his Grandfather's, spoke of much pain and suffering coming his way. Sirius gulped involuntarily causing Barchoke to chuckle. "You two can handle this alone. I'll take young Hadrian down to his vaults."

Harry gave Sirius a worried and questioning look as he went to stand from his seat. Sirius tried his best to look calm and reassuring, but if the sweat that he felt was any indication, there was nothing reassuring about his expression.

He watched Harry as he hesitantly followed Barchoke, casting another worried glance between Sirius and Hooktooth. Hooktooth almost looked giddy. Well, as giddy as a goblin could look. The door had barely clicked shut before Hooktooth starting lashing out at him. 'At least it's not grandad.' Sirius thought to himself as he cowered in his seat.