Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and this wonderful world of imagination. It truly belongs to J.K. Rowling and I'm just having some fun with her characters.

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One Last Chance

Chapter Ten: Gringotts

"Mr. Potter," a loud voice boomed over the many goblins who were all trying to grab a hold of Harry's hand. The voice stopped the other goblins who parted in such a way that there was a path left open for the older looking banker to come and stand in front of Harry and his friends.

The older looking goblin was not alone. There were two goblins flanking either side of this goblin that had an air of authority around him. The species are known for their cunningness, but this one looked like some sort of royalty among them.

He walked up to Harry and stood in front of him. He was almost two feet shorter than Harry, but that did not stop him from scrutinising Harry from head to toe, or stop Harry from squirming under the close scrutiny. Harry felt like he was caught in an act of stealth.

He held out his hand and said in the same booming voice, "Mr. Potter, I'm Grins Gringotts. I am the one in charge of Gringotts. I have a lot to talk to you about, but first I'd like to thank you for removing the evil wizards from here and also let you know my displeasure in your act of theft a few days back."

As Harry shook his hand, he made a promise to himself, I will never try to break into Gringotts and I'll teach my children the same. "You're welcome," Harry said looking anywhere but in Grins' eyes.

"This, Mr. Potter," Grins continued, dropping Harry's hand and pointing at the goblin to his right, who was eyeing Harry in such a manner it gave Harry, and the others, goose bumps, "is Argnook. He is the manager of all wills and testaments wizards and witches make as soon as they have a vault here. And this," he said pointing at the goblin to his left, "is Bircug, who is in charge of your accounts and has been for the past sixteen years, six months and seventeen days, from the night your parents died."

"Oh!" was all Harry could say.

"Well, why don't you join me in my office? There is much to discuss with you, Mr. Potter," said Grins, turning around and leading the way to the main hall with its many doors. Grins lead Harry, who tugged on Ginny's hand and made sure the others were following before trailing behind Grins into a door on the right of the hall. There was a passage lined with portraits of many goblins. There were names under each portrait, along with their birthday and death day.

At the end of the passage, an ornamented statue of a goblin was present. Halfway into the passage, there was an arch on the right; Grins walked into it. There were two goblins there who bowed down to Grins, opening the door within. Grins stood back and let Harry and Ginny enter, but he refused to let the others enter, despite Harry's claims about their being family.

Bill tugged Ron and Hermione back to the hall to find out about his previous job, and if he could still work there.

****

Harry entered the door, and saw a huge stand filled with parchment stacked under various names; he recognised a few names like Malfoy and Bones. He scanned the same stack and found Potter there too. Grins sat on one of the chairs and Argnook went to the shelf and pulled out the entire bundle of parchments under the name of Potter, while Bircug sat down next to Grins.

Argnook took a few parchments that Bircug passed on to him, and asked Harry for his blood.

"Why?" said Ginny, frowning at the goblins.

"Well, Miss, for Mr. Potter to see the actual will of James and Lily Potter, he needs to prove he is a Potter, and what better way than his blood,"said Argnookkeeping the piece of parchment out for Harry to drop his blood.

Harry took out his wand and conjured a needle, poked his thumb, and let a drop of blood onto the sheet of parchment that Argnook held out for him. As soon a drop of his blood fell on the parchment, the writings on it appeared and Ginny healed Harry's finger despite his exasperated looks.

Argnook cleared his voice and read out from the parchment,

"I, James Andrew Potter, son of Andrew Wulfric Potter and Catherine Amelia Potter, in sound health do declare this as my last will. The following vaults and their contents are to be handed over to my wife, Lily Evans Potter, in the case of my death. In case Lily Evans Potter is unwell and/or incapable of handling the vaults (in case of events like death), as given in writing by St. Mungo's; then the Vaults and their contents are to be handled either by Sirius Black and/or Remus Lupin and/or Peter Pettigrew and/or Albus Dumbledore until Harry James Potter is of age.

The vaults concerned in the above statement are-

Potter's Vault:

The contents of this vault include:

91 78 940 Galleons

86 45 689 Sickles

4 56 784 Knuts

Deeds to:

Potter Manor at 48 Godric Hallow

Potter Cottage at 16 Godric Hallow

A plot at 178 Main Street, Devon

A Muggle apartment at 18 Queens Road, London

Various trunks of previous Potters

Various jewellery (approximately 3 45 000 Galleons, over 100 pieces)

Family tapestry

Various valuable potions ingredients (dry) and

Potter journals.

Potter Elf Vault:

The contents of the Vault include:

1 00 000 Galleons

10 000 Sickles

10 000 Knuts

(The elves usually handle this so that they have what ever is required to keep the Potter properties in liveable conditions.)

The Following vault's key is to be given to my son, Harry James Potter in case of my death, regardless of his age.

Potter Trust Vault:

The contents of the vault include:

2 90 680 Galleons

1 00 980 Sickles

98 750 Knuts."

Harry was stunned. He was not sure what he heard was true or was just a fragment of his imagination. Harry turned to look at Ginny, to confirm what he had heard. She looked equally stunned. Her eyes were huge, and she was staring at the goblins, as if they had grown an extra head.

Argnook then got up to the shelf and brought out another set of files. There was a small envelope addressed to Harry attached to it, which was handed out to him as Bircug asked for more blood. Harry, recognising the handwriting, tore open the letter. There was only a piece of parchment with a note on it, with a chain and dollar in it.

Harry,

space

This dollar belonged to your mother. She gave it to me yesterday, just before they went into hiding. I have no idea how old you are as you read this, and I do not know whether or not your parents are alive. The locket is not very grand, but what makes it the most precious dollar is the pearl. What makes that pearl special is it will never wear out like most other and the shine will never be lost. The only reason for this is that your father and later on your mother had placed some charms on it. This was your father's gift to Lily on their first date. Although they got together in the end of our sixth year, it was not until the first Hogsmeade visit in our seventh year (which got postponed three times and was only in May) did they go out on an official date. Your father placed a charm he had read about in one of the books in Hogwarts. The charm made the pearl warm whenever James was thinking about Lily. It got cold only when he was in mortal danger. Lily never took it off from the day James put it on her, not even for her wedding, when she could have worn more exquisite jewellery.

I do hope you find someone one day just the way Lily and James found each other, until then, hold this to your heart.

Love

Sirus

space

P.S: I think Lily is pregnant again. She is so angry all the time. Don't tell anyone this, but they were trying for another child.

Harry looked at the chain and dollar closely, indeed it was very simple, a tiny gold wire held a very tiny ruby and the pearl below that as if it were falling. The chain was very thin and delicate, made out of gold, and Harry could not wait to put it on Ginny.

He looked up to see her, but Ginny was busy studying her nails. She seemed to have been disturbed, but Argnook started reading out the next will.

"I, Sirius Black, son of Orion Black and Walburga Black, in sound health do declare this as my last will and testament. The following vaults and their contents are to be handed over to my godson, and, in case he is not of age, the vaults will be guarded by James Andrew Potter or Lily Evans Potter or Remus John Lupin or Peter Pettigrew or Albus Dumbledore in case of my death. If Harry is either dead/proclaimed unwell to handle these matters, it will be handed over to Remus John Lupin.

Black Family Vault:

6 93 74 940 Galleons

1 96 65 689 Sickles

64 56 784 Knuts

Deeds to:

Number 12, Grimmauld Place

Plot no.178, Hogsmeade

Various jewellery (approximately 76 45 000 Galleons, over 500 pieces)

Other family heirlooms (approximately 98 70 000 Galleons)

Sirius Black's Vault:
62 23 780 Galleons
6 34 200 Sickles

5 87 978 Knuts"

Harry could not digest this news. He was shocked. He had no idea what to do with all this money, he knew Sirius would want his vault back, but would not want his family vault. Potter's vaults—Harry had no idea what his parents would want and what they would want him to keep. He threw a glance at Ginny, who sat slumped in her chair not looking up. He had never seen her look so miserable.

"Mr. Potter, I want you to sign to confirm taking over charge of all your properties. I will be in touch with you soon for another matter. You will receive an owl later on in the month regarding the other matter. We cannot finish with it now, as the heads of the other branches of Gringotts will have to be present, as it concerns their business too. You will have to make a will after that, but I suggest you start making a list of people who may be your beneficiaries. With so many properties and vaults, you'll also have to give the key other people to handle it as well. I'll owl you a letter containing your will format, if you step up here with Argnook and give him all details of where the owl should be sent," finished Grins leaving no place for arguments.

****

Bill watched his sister walk out of the Hall her forehead creased with worry. He watched with sad eyes as she has walked along with Harry, although she was not looking at him. He remembered wondering if he had lost his sister to a man already during his wedding. He hated himself for not having a problem with Harry, how could he? After Harry had saved his sister, father and brother over the time they had come to know him. How could anyone hate Harry Potter for he was not a person you could feel that way about?

****

"I could not help it, Lils," Petunia started, her eyes filling with tears. "I... I knew he was your child, and he had your eyes, and they haunted me forever. His behaviour and a few mannerisms are so much like you despite him looking exactly like your husband.

"All that was like a slap," Petunia's voice faltered, but she continued. "One second I hated your very existence, and the very next second you were not there. You left. You died. You..." Her voice choked up with her tears and she fell into her sister's embrace.

"Oh Tuney!" Lily sighed. "I always loved you, no matter what you though of me. It did hurt; my big sister hated who I was and was jealous of me. It killed me. I wanted to be just like you, but I was something so very different, and I could never be like you."

"I'm sorry," Petunia whispered, stepping out of her sister's embrace and looking down at her fingers. "For everything I've ever done horrible to you, for everything horrible I let happen to your son; for not being there for you when Mum and Dad died; for blaming you for everything that was wrong."

"Petunia," Lily waited until she looked up, "I wish things were different and...but its not, and I just want to know why you hated me so much? Or as I'd like to think pretended to hate me so much?"

Petunia turned away from her sister, facing the door. "I hated you for dying out on me and hated Harry more because he survived. I read in that letter Dumbledore had left me. You jumped in front of the curse that was meant for him. I blamed him for your death."

Lily's face was etched with anger and horror. "You blamed an innocent baby for my death?" Her voice remained controlled and calm.

Petunia had tears in her eyes but her sister's words were just too hard to face. She let them slip. "Yes," she barely whispered. "I'm not proud of it, but it was all I could think of. Every time I saw his eyes, they reminded me of you, of Dad and even Grandma. So much I had missed in my life because of my stupidity."

Petunia was sobbing by the end of it. Lily went over to her and pulled her into her arms as if she were a small child. I can't bare to see her like this, even after she just confessed what she had done to her son. She pulled her over to the window and settled down on the floor ready to erase the horrible past and create a new future. She had after all been given another chance to life.

****

"James?" Lily whispered, holding her sleeping sister in her lap as she was seated leaning against the wall on the floor.

"Need any help here, Lily?" James asked, giving her a small smile, worry etched on his features as she saw the dried tear tracks on her beautiful face.

She took a deep breath and shook her head, giving him a small smile of her own. "It was not too bad, just some hurt egos and hearts. Not to mention lots of emotional stress," she said as a way of explaining why her sister was sleeping, or why she had swollen red eyes and tear streaks along her cheeks.

James nodded once and pulled out his wand to levitate Petunia.

"Everyone cleared out. Sirius used a good amount of U-No-Poo for that thug you call brother-in-law," James said casually as if he were discussing the weather.

Lily glared at her husband, more tears leaking out.

"Lily..." His shoulders slumped. "I'll set them straight, and only heaven knows why I'll be doing that."

"I want my sister back, James," said Lily, her voice breaking. "Please don't try to ruin my efforts. Harry will be devastated if he knew we did this, after him repeatedly telling us not to."

"Don't play that guilt card with me, Lily," said James, in a cold tone and turning away from his wife's eye, guiding Petunia's body out of the door. "Harry is my son, and you know it as well I do that watching him suffer at their hands, he deserves more than what we have laid out for them."

"We are not the ones to decide what they deserve or not, James."

"Be that as it may be, I'm guilty of having gotten myself killed; I've got a second chance and I'll make the most out of it. No one gets away after treating my son the way they did. I'll spare your sister, simply because she means a lot to you, but I'll be damned it I don't wait until a week to counter effect the U-No-Poo."

He left, and his wife followed him as he guided Petunia's sleeping form to the Portkey waiting in Sirius's hands.

****

"Ginny, are you going to stay there all day, or are you going to come out sometime soon?" asked Bill as he let his head bang against his sister's closed door.

It had been mere hours since they all had returned to the Burrow, and Ginny had not said a word to anyone since they had returned from the Wizarding Bank.

Bill heard some shuffling around the room and then footsteps inching towards the door before it flung open. Bill sighed at the sight that met him. His sister's shoulders were slumped and she looked like she had been thinking for a long time. Her room was a mess; all the contents of her closet were all over her room. Suddenly she flung herself into him and started crying as she clung to him tightly. Bill had no idea how to handle this. He did not want to bother his parents with this, but he could hardly know what to do. He never remembered a time when his sister had cried.

A/N: I was busy with exams and well real life is sometimes so much fun you just don't want to go away from it. My beta Eric pointed out that, everyone seems to be crying as the story progresses, I'd just like to say wait and watch they just are out of the war. I guess only a few more chapters before a big time jump. Thanks to my beta Eric and Ameli that these chapters are as good as I think they are! It might be a while before I update again, as I'm heading out of town for a week or maybe more.