"Hmph. Well if I'd known you were going to still be asleep I would have stayed at the ministry."

This comment was met with a rather loud snore.

"Really, Harry, I don't think the wizarding public would be encouraged by their hero's lethargy."

Again, this comment was met with snores.

"OK, Harry, really, you need to get up, we have much to discuss."

When Harry refused to open his eyes, the tiny portrait of Dumbledore yelled as loudly as he could, "GET UP, GET UP, GET UP!!"

Finally, Harry began to stir, rubbing his eyes groggily and reaching for his glasses, before sitting up and groaning.

"Oh, hey Professor. Remind me to put you under my bed in future," said Harry, grumpy. It had been a week since his birthday, and he had moved into Grimmauld place, along with Ron and Hermione. They had spent the last week searching for the locket in the old house, but had had no luck. They now suspected it had been taken and sold by Mundungus Fletcher, which had frustrated them immensely. They planned on having a little chat with him about it today.

"Harry, I've just got word that my will has been processed," Dumbledore said, "and that my possessions and money are being distributed as we speak. The deed to the property and the money which I left you is already being put into a trust account, but you have to visit Gringotts to confirm all the details. Also, you have to pick up my Pensieve, and the memories I left you, which were moved to my vault shortly after my death, and have now been transferred to your vault. I recommend you do this today. Mundungus lives off Diagon Alley in any case, so you'll be able to stop by while you're there.

"My library has remained at Hogwarts, and as it is rather large I think that's probably where it should stay, at least for the time being. Moving it would take too long, and it's safest there."

After waking Ron, and finding Hermione already up and showered and making breakfast, they sat around the table, eating and discussing their plans for the day. Dumbledore had meanwhile returned to the Ministry, so it was just the three of them speaking.

"Well, why don't you sort out the will business, while we talk to Mundungus," suggested Hermione, gesturing to herself and Ron. Harry objected to this, not wanting to let his friends go off alone through Diagon Alley. Death Eater activity had become more and more open and regular since Dumbledore's death, and there had been several attacks on Diagon Alley in the past month. However, Hermione and Ron's argument that sticking together would take longer, and the longer they spent in Diagon Alley the more danger they would be in, eventually convinced him. Besides which, Mundungus lived a fair way off Diagon Alley, and so the two friends were quite safe.

Dumbledore had warned the trio that Voldemort most likely knew that the will had been processed, and that Harry had been left a considerable amount. As such, he knew Harry needed to go to Gringotts to confirm the details, and would most likely have Death Eaters stationed around Gringotts, waiting to jump Harry as soon as he showed his face. Dumbledore assured Harry that once he was inside Gringotts he would be safe from any external attacks, but just to make sure, Harry was going to try to get the entire business done under the cover of the Invisibility Cloak. Also, Dumbledore had advised Harry to do his business with Griphook, the goblin that had first taken Harry to his vault in Gringotts. He hadn't told Harry why, apart from saying that Griphook, unlike some other goblins, was sympathetic to their cause.

So it was that Harry found himself going out for the first time since his birthday. He put on his graphorn hide long-sleeved singlet, and as it was still unseasonably cold and foggy, pulled over it his new jumper, knitted by Mrs Weasley. He spent a fair bit of time trying to figure out how the leather strap and belt system given to him by Moody worked, but eventually figured it out. He attached the wand holster to the belt, and four of the nine compartments, two for his money pouch and diary on one strap, and the other two on the other strap for Dumbledore's portrait, and symmetry. Deciding to go all out with his birthday gifts, he donned the coat Mr Weasley had given him, leaving the hood down, and pulled on the dragon hide boots and gloves. As an afterthought, figuring he might as well take as much new birthday stuff as possible, he shoved the pack of Puking Pastilles Ginny had given him into the empty compartment he had. He smiled grimly, remembering that he still hadn't fixed things with Ginny. He kept procrastinating, not looking forward to eventually facing her. She had a temper, and Harry knew it.

Thinking he looked quite dashing, decked out in his new gear, he grabbed his Invisibility Cloak, and went to meet the his friends in the kitchen before they left. As he walked in, however, it was to find Ron and Hermione in each other's arms, snogging each other senseless. Harry stood frozen to the spot as his friends continued, unaware of Harry's presence, before Harry spun around and walked out, embarrassed but with a cheeky grin on his face. Harry had been pretty fortunate in regards to walking in on those two. It had only happened once before, which he was thankful for. This time, upon entering the kitchen, he knocked first, which gave his friends time to separate and straighten their clothes, before Harry walked in.

"Wow, Harry, uh, you look, erm, nice," stuttered Hermione, noticing what Harry was wearing while at the same time beet red, trying subtly to increase the uncomfortably small distance between herself and Ron.

"Uh, yeah mate, looks good," added Ron, ears so red Harry thought they might catch on fire. Harry merely grinned at his friends' embarrassment, and thanked them for the complements. Soon they were ready to leave.

As soon as they were out the front door, they apparated into one of the side alleys of Diagon Alley. Harry had Side-Along Apparated with Hermione, as he was not yet confident of pulling it off successfully. Ron had only recently grasped the skill, but had not received his license yet. Throwing on his Invisibility Cloak, Harry said goodbye to his friends, who were off to find Mundungus' address, while Harry set off towards Gringotts.

Thankfully for Harry, Diagon Alley was almost deserted, so there was little chance of accidentally bumping into somebody under the cloak. As he neared the wizarding bank, he noticed several witches and wizards loitering around the vicinity. They had cloaks with large hoods on, so he couldn't make out their faces, but Harry assumed these must have been the Death Eaters Dumbledore predicted. Thankful for his Invisibility Cloak, he slowly walked up the steps, and stopped just to the left of the doors. Harry knew it would look strange for the doors to just open by themselves, so he waited for somebody to come in or out of the building. Eventually, an elderly witch exited the bank, and Harry quickly darted inside before the door closed.

Harry scanned the front desks, looking for an opportunity. Business was fairly slow these days, so only half the desks were occupied, but there were still three goblins who weren't tending to a customer or scribbling down notes and figures. Finally, he recognised Griphook, the goblin who had taken Harry to his vault for the first time, all those years ago, on the end. Taking the note he had written earlier that day in preparation from his pocket, he leant against the counter, and quickly placed the note face down. With a flick of his wand underneath the cloak, he pushed the note in front of Griphook's nose. He smiled with relief as Griphook picked up the note with surprise, and began reading.

To whichever Goblin may read this,

I am a customer here at Gringotts, seeking to sort out my business as inconspicuously as possible. As such, I am under the cover of an Invisibility Cloak. I am here to confirm the details and receipt of my share of Mr A. P. W. B. Dumbledore's will. I would be very grateful for any assistance you might lend me in order for me to remain inconspicuous as these I go about my business.

Yours sincerely,

H.

"Harry Potter," Griphook mouthed to himself as he finished reading the note, before looking up sharply, as if trying to spot him. Placing a "Closed" sign on his desk, he reached for a piece of parchment and began scribbling a reply, which he casually brushed sideways off the desk. Harry tried to Summon the note wordlessly, only succeeding in getting it to move a couple of inches, before whispering as quietly as he could, "Accio".

Mr H.

Meet me in my office in ten minutes. Go through the corridor that opens into the front office in the back right corner. It is the third office on the left. It will be a pleasure doing business with you again.

Griphook.

Harry smiled as he read the note. So Griphook does realise who I am, and he remembers me, he thought, relieved. This might be simpler than he thought. He scanned the massive room, and found the door he was looking for. He watched as Griphook had a quiet word with another goblin, who nodded and waved him off. Griphook walked over to the opening to the corridor he had indicated in the note, and disappeared from view. Harry waited the ten minutes he had been told to, and then followed. He found the door to the office open, and quietly walked in.

Seeing Griphook sitting at the desk, Harry whispered, "I'm here".

Without hesitating, Griphook calmly stood up and closed the door to the office.

"You can remove your Cloak now, Mr Potter," said the goblin as he sat back down in his chair. Harry revealed himself, feeling slightly embarrassed by all the sneakiness, feeling it was perhaps a little over-the-top.

"Don't be self-conscious, Mr Potter," said Griphook seriously, seeing Harry's expression. "You were right to be cautious. There are servants of the Dark Lord looking very hard for you today. You are lucky you chose me to give your note to. There are some among us who would hand you over to the Dark Lord in a second, given the price on your head."

"I thought goblins didn't get involved in human affairs," said Harry, nervous, realising that he could have been in big trouble.

"Goblins care about goblin affairs, and goblin treasures," said Griphook, rather stiffly. "Voldemort happens to have an abundance of these, gained through treachery and malice. There are some among us naïve enough to believe he would actually pay us if we handed you over."

"So that's the only reason you didn't hand me over?" asked Harry, his anger flaring briefly. "Because there was nothing in it for you? Just not worth your time?"

"Don't be so childish, Mr Potter," replied the goblin levelly. "The Dark Lord despises all non-humans. He tells us he will make life better for the goblins, but I don't believe it for one second. If he establishes control, we will be among the first to be forced into a life of slavery and humiliation, forced to bend to his will in the running of this bank, or banished from the job entirely. Incompetent and arrogant as the wizarding leadership has been in recent years, at least we have had our freedom and rights. You are our only hope of retaining that, Mr Potter. So while it is true, goblins as a rule don't meddle in human affairs, when human affairs undoubtedly affect us, I feel it is my personal duty to do my part for the side most benefiting me and my people. As such, it would be an honour to help you carry out your banking requirements in safety."

Harry looked into the proud eyes of Griphook, and felt a remarkable amount of respect for the goblin, as well as a great appreciation that the goblin understood what Harry, and his mission, stood for.

"Also," continued Griphook, his proud features softening slightly, "you are a friend of Dumbledore's, as is clearly shown in his will. Dumbledore asked me to help you, should you ever request it. You may not know this, but it was I, as a favour to Dumbledore, who allowed your godfather, Mr Black's possessions to be sent to your vault last year, despite his status as a wanted criminal. That is why neither you nor your legal guardians had to do this last year. It was quite unofficial, and….illegal," said Griphook, his eyes glinting mischievously. "Dumbledore was a champion for the rights of goblins, and all manner of non-magical sentient beings, for as long as I can remember," continued Griphook, casting his eyes down briefly. "That is why I considered him a true friend and ally, human though he is. I gave him my word to do the same for you, and I will."

"Thank you, Griphook," said Harry, feeling humbled. "I think I'm going to need all the help I can get."

"Yes, well, let's get down to the business at hand," said Griphook, shuffling a pile of parchments. "First, here are the details of the trust account," he said as he handed Harry a small wad of parchment "You need to sign a document saying that you've received these documents, although copies will always be available from here as well. We'll do that later.

"Also, there is a matter of the items left to you but not put into the trust account. The Pensieve and memories are in your vault, but I have to take you to see them so you can sign another document, confirming this receipt. As the library was never in the possession of Gringotts in the first place, that is not a matter we need to address."

Harry put on his Invisibility Cloak again, and he followed Griphook to a cart. Griphook told Harry to keep his Cloak on until they were underway, but once they started moving, to take it off and hold onto it, as otherwise it would fly off. It was only once their cart had begun to slow down as it approached Harry's vault that Griphook nodded for him to put the Cloak back on. Harry still held on tight, however.

Taking his vault key from his pocket and handing it to Griphook, he waited as the goblin unlocked the vault.

"Here it is," said the goblin, pointing out the Pensieve among the embarrassingly high piles of gold, silver and bronze within the vault. Harry gazed sadly at the treasure which had formerly belonged to Dumbledore, and picked it up.

"I think I'll take this with me now," said Harry, as the phials of silver liquid memories jingled in the basin. As an afterthought, Harry bent down and stuffed as many Galleons as would fit into his money pouch, figuring it would be handy to keep as much money on him as possible.

"OK, time to go," said Griphook, growing impatient. "We need to get these documents signed, and then you're free to go."

Harry threw on the Cloak and exited the vault, Griphook following, and soon they were on their way. Harry covered himself again with the Cloak as he felt the cart slow. As he climbed out after Griphook, he saw a goblin and a wizard rounding the corner and coming down the corridor leading from the entrance area to the carts where Harry stood.

"Griphook," said the strange goblin stiffly when they reached each other.

"Bladetooth," replied Griphook, equally terse.

"Where's your customer," asked the goblin named Bladetooth suddenly, surprised.

"I wasn't with anybody," replied Griphook coolly. "I was merely checking the contents of a vault, as per the request of a customer and personal friend of mine."

"That's not what the wards say," replied Bladetooth, starting to grin malevolently.

"OK, yes, I had a customer," said Griphook, caught. "My customer would rather remain hidden for the time being. In any case, he isn't here anymore. I told him to go ahead. I would say he passed right by you when you stopped."

Harry looked at Griphook nervously from under the Cloak. His goblin friend clearly didn't want this other goblin, Bladetooth, finding him.

"You've got Potter, haven't you?" said Bladetooth, starting to show signs of anger now. "You're just making us goblins enemies in the eyes of the Dark Lord by getting involved with him. You're a fool, Griphook."

At this, the wizard accompanying Bladetooth started to look nervous. He clearly didn't want to get involved in such a confrontation. His agitation obviously began to show, as Bladetooth controlled himself, before beckoning his customer forward and brushing past Griphook without a word. Harry had to quickly move out of the way to avoid the angry goblin, and he noticed Bladetooth turning back and scowling, seeming to stare straight at the spot where Harry stood, before climbing into the cart and setting off.

"Don't say a word until we get back to my office," said Griphook quietly, walking briskly along the corridor. When they reached the office, Griphook closed and locked the door, before heaving a sigh of relief.

"That was Bladetooth. He's one of the goblins here I was warning you about before," said Griphook, as Harry removed his Cloak. "The fool. He doesn't realise that there's no bargaining with the Dark Lord. His pride lets him believe the goblins will play some important part in the Dark Lord's scheme.

"Anyway, we should hurry. Once he's finished with his customer he's bound to try to find you. Here, sign this," he said, handing Harry a piece of parchment, "and this," handing him another. After signing the two documents and handing them to Griphook, the goblin rose and headed to the door, but before Harry could cover himself with his Invisibility Cloak, a small voice whispered from one of Harry's pouches.

"Ahem, Harry, it's Dumbledore. Could we talk? It's rather urgent."

Griphook stood rooted to his spot, surprised, as Harry pulled out the portrait of Dumbledore.

"Ah, hello Griphook," said the portrait as Harry pulled it out. "I take it you've been helping Harry with my will then?"

"Uh, yes, Albus," said Griphook, recovering. "We'd just finished, actually."

"Oh, well, sorry to hold you up, but I have some rather bad news, I'm afraid," said Dumbledore, the concern on his face evident. "Voldemort has taken far less time to seize power than we expected. Scrimgeour was Imperiused, probably sometime today, and I'm not sure by whom. I noticed briefly as he was walking past my portrait, he momentarily broke the curse. As I said, I'm not sure who performed it, but whoever did it didn't do a very good job of it, or else Scrimgeour has even a stronger will than I suspect. In any case, I would think it wouldn't be long before Voldemort himself recasts it. At least we know now."

"What does this mean for the Order?" Harry asked, his mouth dry. He caught Griphook's eye, and saw the alarm in the goblin's expression.

"Well, for the Order as a whole, it will be much the same as usual, at least for the moment. Voldemort will want to keep his cards close to his chest for the time being, until more of the Ministry is under his control. However, it won't be long before you, and by extension Miss Granger and the young Mr Weasley, will need to go into hiding, but that is for another conversation. Oh, and from now onwards the Floo system is completely off limits, though I'll see what I can do about Minerva setting up an unofficial and illegal direct line between Headquarters and Hogwarts. I really should get back to the Ministry now. It is a must that I remain informed. Be safe, you two," said Dumbledore's portrait, a grim smile on his face, as he left his frame.

Harry cast a meaningful look Griphook's way.

"You must leave, now," said the goblin, anxious. "Bladetooth will most likely be back soon."

As if on cue, a knock came on Griphook's door, and Bladetooth's muffled voice was heard