Summary: Harry Potter is just an eccentric school boy with some unusual talents. Lord Peverell-Black, on the other hand, is a magically and politically powerful man with the world at his fingertips and a war at his doorstep. [Time travel, no pairings.]

Shards of Time: The Master of Death

Chapter II
The Letter

"It's when we allow others to think for us, that the whole world suffers." - unknown

Harry was bored. Not in the sense that he didn't have anything to do—though he didn't, at the moment—but rather because he had to wait for his letter to Hogwarts to come. He wasn't sure exactly when the letter would first arrive, but he knew that it was some time before his eleventh birthday. Considering as that date was in exactly one week, he was starting to feel quite anxious.

Harry sighed as he quietly stepped out into the backyard of his relatives' home taking in the sight without really seeing it. It was early, so much so that the sun was only just beginning to peek over the horizon, but he couldn't sleep. So, instead, he was heading outside to have a long overdo chat with the Brazilian boa constrictor that he'd helped free from the zoo. Harry wasn't sure exactly why he'd done it, but it had just felt...right.

With a second sigh, Harry plopped down onto the grass right outside the back of the house to wait. He didn't have to do so long however, as just moments later the thick nearly seven foot long snake came slithering out from under the house. It curled up next to Harry and then raised its head to look at him.

Harry hesitated for a moment. "Er, hello..." He felt awkward and suddenly he realized that he'd never actually held a conversation with a snake before.

"Hello," the snake hissed back.

Harry paused again. He really wasn't sure how to go about this conversation. Finally, he continued, "I'm Harry Potter."

"I am Xiuhcoatl," the snake replied. Harry noticed now that he had a slight accent, even though he'd apparently been raised in captivity. "I thank you for freeing me. I am in your debt."

Harry blinked and exhaled in surprise. He opened his mouth to say something, but after a moment closed it, before opening it once more, only to close it again. Xiuhcoatl titled his head inquiringly. Harry was certain it would have raised an eyebrow at his actions if it had been physically capable of doing so.

"Uh, sorry," Harry said. "I just hadn't realized that snakes were so...intelligent." A blush was threatening to over take his face and he fought to hide it.

"Most are not," the boa constrictor conceded. Then he raised his head up proudly. "But I'm a Brazilian boa constrictor."

Harry tilted his head, waiting a second for clarification, but when Xiuhcoatlremained silent, he ventured a question. "...Sorry, but that doesn't really mean much to me; I don't know very much about snakes."

Xiuhcoatl gave a strange nod of his head, which Harry somehow interpreted into a shrug. He wasn't sure how he knew; he just did.

"It's fine; most don't know about us anyway. We boa constrictors are special though: We can sense both wizards and Speakers."

Instantly, Harry's eyebrow rose up into his hairline. "You can sense wizards and people who speak parsletongue?" he repeated, disbelief coloring his tone.

Xiuhcoatl nodded. "All of my species can, though no one knows why. We're just...different..." he said with another strange nod/shrug.

Harry paused again. "Wait," he said after a moment, "How do you know about wizards? Or about your abilities for that matter? Weren't you raised in captivity?"

Xiuhcoatl did his version of a shrug again. "I just know," he replied honestly. "Just as I know how to wrap around a prey to kill it the quickest, how to smell when its going to rain, or which mice taste the best."

"Instinct..." Harry murmured quietly. And honestly, it made sense, even if it was a bit complicated if once you thought about it too much. Harry melted into silence for a minute after that before he looked up at Xiuhcoatl once more.

"So, Xi-iuh-ca...Can I just call you Xi or something?"

The snake shrugged once more. "I do not mind."

"Right, well, Xi, I'm sorry about making you wait so long since I got you out of the zoo; this is the first chance that I've had to come out and speak with you."

"It is fine; I'm here to ssstay with you after all."

Harry jerked in surprise. "Ss-stay with me?"

"Of course. As I said, I am in your debt, and so I will stay with you."

Harry couldn't help but stare at Xiuhcoatl, dumbfounded, and the snake simply watched him back. He'd never expected that just freeing a snake could have such consequences. Almost all of the snakes that he'd spoken to had not been very intelligent—indeed, most of them could only really comprehend hunting, sleeping, mating, and predators—so Xiuhcoatl's intellect was a real shock to the system.

"Right, well..." Harry stumbled over his words. Really, everything was an eye-opener now. He was tempted to tell the boa constrictor that there was no debt between them, but somehow he doubted that Xiuhcoatl would listen to him. A thought to Slytherins and honor crossed his mind, but he shrugged he thought away. "...I'm going to Hogwarts, a wizarding school, in just over a month and I doubt that they're going to let me take a snake of any type, let alone a seven foot long Brazilian boa constrictor."

Xiuhcoatl just shrugged, showing that he thought that that was Harry's problem, not his. And sadly it was…

The green eyed boy let out a sigh and began to search his mind for any good ideas. There had to be someway that he could bring Xiuhcoatl to school with out anyone finding out. Maybe...maybe...Wait! Maybe he could Apparate Xiuhcoatl to the area outside Hogwarts grounds, just outside of the Apparition wards!

Excited, Harry turned to Xiuhcoatl. "I can Side-Along Apparate you there!" he exclaimed. "You can stay in the Forbidden Forest-there will be a lot of food for you there."

Later that morning, Harry wore a small grin on his face as he finished eating his breakfast. The Dursleys ate on, oblivious to his mood. Just as he was finishing taking his last couple of bites, they heard the click of the mail slot and flop of letters on the doormat.

"Get the mail, Dudley," Uncle Vernon said absently from behind his paper. Dudley frowned, banging his fist on the table.

"Make Harry get it."

Why did this seem so familiar?

"Get the mail, Harry,"

"Make Dudley get it." Oh…This was the exact argument he had last time. Harry sighed am I really this childish, now?

"Poke him with your Smelting stick, Dudley."

Harry dodged the Smelting stick and went to get the mail. Three items lying on the doormat: a postcard from Uncle Vernon's sister Marge, a brown envelope that looked like a bill, and an envelope made of thick, yellowish parchment with the address written in emerald-green ink.

Upon seeing that last envelope, Harry nearly felt his heart stop. There it was: his Hogwarts letter. Just like last time it was addressed:

Mr. H. Potter
The Cupboard under the Stairs
4 Privet Drive
Little Whinging
Surrey

A large smile nearly split Harry's face in two. Quickly, he shoved the letter into one of his oversized pockets and then reentered the kitchen after smoothing out all expressions of joy from his face.

Harry had to wait another agonizing half an hour after breakfast before finally getting a chance to open the letter. He was outside, pulling some weeds out of the back garden on his Aunt's orders. Uncle Vernon had left for work, Dudley had gone out to God only knew where, and Aunt Petunia was inside talking on the phone—gossiping about other people as usual; her grating voice heard outside even with the door closed—so he was all alone.

Resting on his heels, Harry tossed the last weed away with a sigh. He glanced over the small garden to make sure that he hadn't left anything out. When he was sure that he was done, he quietly stood up and then sat down in the shade of the singe tree that decorated the backyard. Then he pulled out The Letter. It was made up two documents. The first read:

Hogwarts School
of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,
Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

Dear Mr. Potter,

We are please to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall,
Deputy Headmistress

Harry felt a smile returning to his face as he read through the familiar, comforting words. Glancing up, he noticed an owl was sitting on the roof of the house, watching him. No doubt it was one of the school owls.

Harry reached into his pocket and pulled out a pen that he'd taken from the kitchen earlier just for this purpose. Then he quickly wrote a reply on the back of the letter, saying that he gladly accepted and would be on the train on September 1st. Harry was tempted not to reply so that he'd get to meet Hagrid early again, but there were a bunch of things that he needed to do this time around that he couldn't do with Hagrid peering over his shoulder. Well, at least not without seeming too suspicious.

As soon as Harry was done with the letter and had it wrapped back up, the owl swooped down from the roof, picked it up in its talons, and then flew off.

Harry stared after the owl as it flew away. Only once it had disappeared did he turn his attention to the second piece of parchment lying in his lap. This one, he saw as he picked it up, was a list of all the items needed for the school year. Harry glanced over it quickly, nothing that everything was exactly as he remembered, before folding it up and placing it back in his pocket.

As Harry leaned back against the tree behind him, he started thinking of all the things that he would need to do in order to stop Voldemort. Destroying all of the Horcruxes was first and foremost on that list. And now that he knew what all of them were and where they were, he could get them a lot easier.

First of all, there was Tom Riddle's diary. He'd have to wait until his second year when Malfoy slipped it to Ginny before destroying it though.

Second was the rock on Marvolo Gaunt's ring. That he could easily pick up at the ruins of the Gaunt's house—he was fairly sure that Dumbledore hadn't gotten to it yet. And if the headmaster already had, well, that just meant that it would be destroyed eventually, without his help.

The third Horcrux was Slytherin's locket. This was safely tucked away in Grimmauld Place, where Harry could easily get to it. Harry wondered offhandedly whether or not he still owned that piece of property. If he did, then it certainly would be quite helpful to get it without having to sneak around behind everyone's back.

…Plus, was anyone even living there? And what of Sirius' mother's portrait...?

Another of the Horcruxes was Hufflepuff's cup. Just knowing that it was still it Bellatrix's vault in Gringotts made Harry sigh and throw an arm over his eyes. It had been difficult enough stealing it once with the help of his friends, but getting it a second time, and by himself, was going to be nearly impossible. Harry decided that he'd leave that one alone for a little while, until he could figure out someway to get it out safely.

Fifth was Ravenclaw's diadem, which was in the Room of Requirement. Harry would have no problem finding it again; he could clearly remembered where Voldemort had left it, among the mountains of lost items.

The sixth Horcrux was Nagini, Voldemort's snake. Harry honestly had no idea where she was at this point in time. He'd just have to wait until Voldemort showed up with her before he could take her out.

And then there was the final Horcrux. Himself. Harry let out a sigh as his shoulders dropped. He had no idea what he was going to do about that. He couldn't even tell if getting himself killed destroyed the Horcrux because of the whole "going back in time" thing.

At the moment, there really wasn't much that Harry could do about the Horcruxes that were out of his reach. He could, however, get the Gaunt ring, Slytherin's locket, and Ravenclaw's diadem. He'd take care of the diary in his second year and he'd eventually figure out someway to get to the cup. The only Horcruxes that would really be a problem were Nagini and himself.

Coming to that conclusion, Harry's thoughts shifted away from the Horcruxes and toward his next problem: the Deathly Hallows. The cloak, the rock, and the wand. It'd probably be best if he gathered them up again as well.

Getting the cloak wouldn't be too much of a problem. He would just have to wait until Christmas and Dumbledore would give it back to him…Hopefully. The ring would be easy to get a hold of too, so long as it was still at the Gaunt's home. Not to mention that getting it would also take care of one of the Horcruxes.

And then, finally, there was the wand. At this point in time it was still in Dumbledore's possession. Harry had absolutely no idea how he would get a hold of it. The only way he'd gotten it last time was because Draco Malfoy has disarmed Dumbledore, and then he'd stolen the Malfoy heir's wand. And even then the wand itself had been in Voldemort's possession. Harry figured that he'd leave considering how to get the Elder wand for another time, if he even decided to try to get it at all. Just leaving it with Dumbledore for now seemed to make the most sense—not only would it be safe, but it would save him time.

Harry sighed for a third time. It was going to be insanely difficult to gather up all of the Horcruxes and the Deathly Hallows, but he would do it anyway. He had to.

And now he had years to do it all, not just months with Death Eaters at his back.

The third thing that Harry would have to do was increase his ties to the political world, loathe as he was to do so. Unlike in the first war with Voldemort, the second war had been mostly political and had ended up with Voldemort completely taking over the Ministry. Harry couldn't let that happen, not again.

The only way to stop this that Harry could see was to grow in strength politically, and perhaps even get closer to Fudge, if only to stop Lucius Malfoy from influencing the man so much. His fame would definitely help out this time, no matter how much Harry despised being in the limelight.

The fourth thing that Harry needed to take care of was helping out his friends. This time around, he could help them be prepared. If only they could all perform more spells, and perform them well, then they could help stop Voldemort. This time, no one had to die. No one had to even get hurt.

Harry raised his right hand away from his face, looking at the smooth skin on his hand. He felt so young now, even though he'd never been "old in the first place". Staring at his unmarred, unscarred skin only furthered this feeling.

"Boy!" a screech suddenly came from inside and Harry jerked up. "What're you doing, lounging around? If you're done weeding the backyard, then start on the front!"

"Yes, Aunt Petunia," Harry replied. He then scrambled to his feet before she could start screeching again, pushing his thoughts of the wizarding world away. He'd only have to deal with his relatives a little bit longer and then he'd get to meet his friends for the first time.

...Again.

Harry waited another month after receiving his letter before acting. By that time his birthday had come and passed without incident and his Aunt and Uncle were none the wiser to his knowledge about the wizarding world. Maybe they had thought they were successful in "stamping the magic out of him". Finally, on the 30th of August, two days before he'd have to go to Hogwarts, Harry stepped out of the cupboard with all of the determination that he'd garnered over the years.

As Harry approached the front door, his Uncle Vernon suddenly stepped out of the kitchen, in the middle of tying his tie.

Seeing Harry out of his "room", he immediately boomed out, "Boy! Where do you think you're going?"

Hearing his voice, Aunt Petunia and Dudley peeked around Vernon curiously. Harry stopped in his tracks with his hand resting on the door handle. Turning slightly, he looked back at his relatives.

"Why, to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, of course," Harry replied, smiling brightly at the absolutely dumbfounded looks on his relatives faces. "I'll see you again on the twentieth of June!"

And with that Harry quickly slipped out the door.

An hour later found Harry walking down the crowded streets of London. After leaving his relatives, Harry had Apparated to the nearby train station—and then marveled for a moment in the revelation that he could indeed still Apparate, despite his "age". From there he'd bought a ticket to London using money that he'd stolen from his relatives. Harry hated to steal, but he figured that after he got to Gringotts he'd have more than enough money to pay the Dursleys back what he'd taken many times over.

Once in downtown London, Harry had quickly begun to walk down the streets and was now on Charing Cross Road, just approaching where the Leaky Cauldron stood.

As soon as the famous little building came into site, Harry felt relief wash over him, though he wasn't sure why. It just felt so good to see something of the wizarding world after having to stay with the Dursleys for so long. Taking a deep breath, Harry stepped inside the pub.

The inside of the Leaky Cauldron was just as dark and shabby as it'd always been. Unlike the first time he'd been here however, the people didn't stop to stare at him. Rather, they just glanced up to see who had come in, and then went back to whatever they'd been doing. Harry hung his head forward slightly as he closed the door behind him, just to make sure that his scar was completely hidden.

The first thing that Harry did was walk over to Tom, the bartender. Luckily the man was standing on the far end of the bar, where no one could eavesdrop on what Harry would say.

"Um, excuse me, sir," Harry said, doing his best impression of a wide-eyed young child. "But I need to get into Diagon Alley and I don't have a wand yet. Could you help me out?"

Tom looked around the pub, a concerned look coming onto his face. "Where're your parents, son? Are you here all alone?"

Harry nodded, adding a tremble to his bottom lip. "Yes, sir," he replied quietly. "I'm alone. My parents didn't want to come because they're Muggles. I'm going to meet my Aunt in Diagon Alley though. She's a witch!" He let out what was hopefully a bright, childish smile.

Tom smiled, his concern fading from his face. "Alright then," he said sidling out from behind the bar. "Just follow me."

Tom led Harry out to the small, walled courtyard behind the Leaky Cauldron. There, he showed Harry where to tap the bricks to open up the Alley—for when Harry got his own wand, he said.

As soon as the Alley opened up, Harry did his best to stare wide eyed at everything. Then he profusely thanked Tom and slipped away with the excuse that his "Aunt" was waiting. As the bricks closed behind him, Harry looked back at it, before starting on his way

Harry walked down the crowded streets of Diagon Alley with a smile on his face. It felt great to be back amongst witches and wizards, with magic all around him. And everyone looked so happy. It wasn't at all like it had been during the second war with Voldemort. Everyone had been so terrified back then. But the people would never feel like that again, not if he could help it.

Determinedly, Harry walked up to the snowy white building that towered above the rest: Gringotts. Standing beside its burnished bronze doors was a stony-faced goblin wearing a uniform of scarlet and gold. The goblin bowed as Harry passed him and, to the goblin's shock, Harry replied with a bow of his head, before pushing the doors open.

Immediately inside was a second pair of doors, silver this time, with words engraved upon them:

Enter, stranger, but take heed
Of what awaits the sin of greed,
For those who take, but do not earn,
Must pay most dearly in their turn.
So if you seek beneath our floors
A treasure that was never yours,
Thief, you have been warned, beware
Of finding more than treasure there.

Harry smirked as he read the poem, remembering how he, Ron, and Hermione had managed to break and steal Hufflepuff's cup. They'd probably been the first people to ever steal from Gringotts before, though Quirrel, spurred on by Voldemort, had managed to break in once.

Harry nodded once more as a pair of goblins bowed Harry through the silver doors and into a vast marble hall. About a hundred more goblins were there, sitting on high stools behind a long counter, scribbling in large ledgers, weighing coins in brass scales, and examining precious stones through eyeglasses. There were also many doors leading off the hall, towards where the carts were. Harry immediately made for a counter, dodging other people as they stood in lines, or haggled with a goblin.

"Good morning," Harry said politely. The Goblin looked up at him and set his eyeglass down. "I need to take some money of my vault, but I'm afraid that after my parents died I was never given my key and I do not know who posses it right now."

The goblin scrutinized Harry for a moment, frowning fiercely. "May I have your name then, sir?"

"Harry Potter."

The goblin's eyes widened, his gaze instantly wandering up to where Harry's scar was hidden behind his hair. Harry had to resist the urge to reach up and flatten his hair against his forehead.

"Right, well then," the goblin said, "You can get a new key for your vault." The goblin turned away for a moment. "Kaflag!" Immediately, a short goblin hurried up them. "Take him to get a key remade. Room WC-24, I believe," he ordered.

The short goblin, Kaflag, sketched a quick bow toward Harry and the other goblin, and then began hurry away. Taking long strides, Harry followed after him.

Kaflag led Harry through a pair of black doors opposite the silver entrance ones. From there Harry followed him down a long, wide hallway that was filled with numerous goblins and a couple of humans. Finally, after just a minute, Kaflag stopped before a door with a plaque reading WC-24 on it. He made another quick bow to Harry and then hurried off without a word.

Harry stared off at where the goblin had been for a moment before shaking himself out of his reverie. He then looked back up at the door in front of him and, after taking a deep breath, stepped inside.

The door led into a medium sized office. In the center of the room was a large wooden desk that had numerous unrecognizable instruments scattered across it. Harry was momentarily reminded of Dumbledore's office, though he hadn't seen any of these devices in it. Despite the appearance of the room, however, the first thing that Harry's eyes were drawn to was the goblin sitting behind the desk.

Upon hearing the door close behind Harry, the goblin looked up. Seeing a young wizard standing there, he set down his quill and tucked away the parchment that he'd been writing on before folding his hands on his desk.

"How can I help you?"

Harry hesitated for just a moment before approaching the goblin and sitting down in one of the seats in front of the desk. "I need to get a new key for my vault. I was told to come here...?"

The goblin continued to peer at Harry. "Well at least you managed to get to the right place," he sneered condescendingly. "Where are your parents?"

Harry forcefully pushed down his annoyance. Why was everyone always asking for his parents? He was eighteen now for Merlin's sake—though, granted, he didn't look remotely like it.

"Dead," Harry replied shortly.

The goblin's eyebrows rose slightly. "Well then, can I have your name?"

"Harry Potter."

The goblin's eyebrows rose even further. "Harry Potter," he murmured. Surprisingly, he didn't try to steal a glance at Harry's forehead. "Interesting..." The goblin paused for a moment and when he spoke again it was at a normal volume. "Well, I can understand why you don't have your key then."

The goblin began shifting things around on his desks, pulling out some different papers. "Yes," the goblin said without looking up, "I can get you a new key for your vault. You'll just have to take a test and fill out some paperwork."

Harry blinked, surprised. "Test?"

"Yes, Mr. Potter," the goblin replied tersely. "A blood test to make sure that you're really who you say you are and not someone else in a disguise."

Harry nodded in understanding; that made sense. Otherwise anyone could just waltz in and get a key to someone's vault.

Finally, after a moment, the goblin pushed a single piece of parchment toward Harry. The parchment was completely blank except for an empty, thumb sized circle at the top.

"Place your thumb in the circle," the goblin instructed. "When you feel a prick, pull away."

Harry did as he was instructed and, when he pulled away, the circle had turned red, soaked with a small amount of blood. Harry stuck his thumb in his mouth to suck away the excess blood, though the prick had been so small that it wasn't even bleeding anymore.

As Harry stared at the paper, words began to form on the page. They were written in the same shade of red as his blood. It read:

Harry James Potter
Son of James Potter and Lily Potter nee Evans

Race: Human
Special Afflictions: None
Born: 31 July 1980
Current Age: 18

Special Afflictions…? Wait—current age?

Harry glanced up at the goblin, fear welling up in him, but the goblin's eyes were still riveted to the parchment. Moments later Harry saw why, as more words began to form:

Blood heir of House Potter
Blood heir to the Potter fortune
Blood heir to the Potter estates

Blood heir of House Peverell
Blood heir to the Peverell fortune

Magical heir of House Black
Magical heir of the Black fortune
Magical heir of the Black estates

Harry couldn't stop the slight smile that came to his face as he read over the paper. So he had still inherited from Sirius, had he? That was very good. That he was also the heir of the Peverell's was interesting though—he'd known that the Potters were descendents of Ignotus Peverell, but not that House Peverell was still technically a House after so long a time of dormancy.

When Harry looked back up from the parchment he found the goblin staring expressionlessly at him. Forcing himself not to flinch away, he stared back in silence for the shorter being to say something, which he did while glancing down at the paper.

"This," the goblin began, tapping the Peverell name, "Is surprising. It has long been known that the Potters have descended from the Peverell line, but never before has one been the heir to House Peverell. Indeed, I believe that the Peverell name had supposedly died out with Ignotus Peverell's granddaughter.

"It's also interesting that you're the magical heir of House Black as magical heirs only come about by being named as such in wills. And considering as the last Black, Lord Arcturus Black, just died a month ago and you were not named in his will, that it very strange indeed. The heir of House Black should have been the last male of its bloodline, Sirius Black, but as he's currently incarcerated, the title of heir has automatically reverted to you. As is stated on the Blood Parchment, you are the heir of House Potter, Peverell, and Black, effective immediately because you are of age."

The goblin looked down and began sorting through papers once more. Harry opened and closed his mouth several times, looking like a fish out of water as he tried to come up with something to say.

"Aren't..." he finally began weakly, "Aren't you going to ask me...?" He was utterly confused as to why the goblin wasn't questioning him about his mismatching birth age and current age, something he would have done to someone else in his position.

The goblin only glanced up at him before looking down again. "No, Mr. Potter," he replied. "I'm not. It's your business and yours alone. And if you believe I will tell someone, then please think again; it's client confidentiality. The Blood Parchment will be filed of course, but only the highest ranking goblins will be able to view it again." He then returned to the parchments in his hands, leaving Harry to stare at him, dumbfounded.

Harry nodded slowly, not sure what to say to that. That was good though; he wouldn't want the Ministry to know and come charging in at him for something he really could not explain.

"Now," the goblin said, handing a stack of papers to Harry, "Fill these out. There is one set of papers for each key." Harry reached out for the papers, then froze as the words caught up with his brain.

"Each key?"

"Yes, each key. Where did you think the fortunes that you're now heir to are held? In accordance to old family laws, you now have a total of seven vaults in your possession: the trust vault that your family left you, the main Potter family vault, the Peverell family vault, and four Black vaults. The Black vaults include the main Black family vault, the personal vault of Sirius Black, the personal vault of Bellatrix Lestrange nee Black, and the Black personal vault of Lord Arcturus Black. You have gained Sirius Black and Bellatrix Lestrange's vaults as you are the head of the family and they both are currently incarcerated.

"Also, you should know that, with the creation of these seven new keys, any old keys will automatically turn black and thus be unable to open any of our vaults"

For a moment, Harry just stared at the goblin before him. He owned Bellatrix's vault? He had it, just like that? Just because she was in prison? He couldn't believe that he had access to it—and by extension, Hufflepuff's cup—so easily. He'd expected that he'd have to come up with another wild, nearly fatal plan to break into Gringotts.

The goblins last sentence also made him grin. The old keys would become inactive? That was perfect; even if Bellatrix got out of jail again, she would be unable to get into her vault without his permission.

Twenty minutes and several piles of paperwork later, Harry finally left the goblins office. It had taken forever to fill everything out, but the seven keys grasped tightly in his hands on a ring showed that it was worth it.

The goblin whom had helped Harry stepped out of the office just behind the young boy. "Come along," he said tersely, and then began to lead the way back to the main hall.

Harry followed him quietly, his thoughts running a mile a minute at what this implied. Now all he had to do was go down into Bellatrix's vault and retrieve the cup.

A/N: I'm a bit hesitant about making Harry the heir to three houses, but technically all three of them are canon. After all, we know from the seventh book that Harry was given control of Sirius' assets and that through the Potter line he's the last of the Peverells. More about specifically why he's been given control of the House of Peverell when it should have dissolved long ago will be explained in the future. Oh, and I should also mention that Arcturus Black is in fact a canon character who died in the summer of 1991. He's on Rowling's Black Family Tree.

Anyway, the reason why Harry now has Sirius' vault even though Sirius was disowned is because being incarcerated means that the control of his vault automatically given to his closest kin, regardless of family affairs. Also, Harry got control of Bellatrix's vault but not Narcissa's because Bellatrix's husband is also in jail, so control of the vault couldn't go to Rodolphus Lestrange. (Their spouse becomes their "next of kin"). Sorry if that whole part was a bit unclear.

[Shi]