As I predicted, it has taken me forever to get this chapter written, and I am very sorry about that…I have a busy life and it leaves very little time for me to sit down and just write. Its spring break though, and even though I won't be posting this until the end of break, as I am currently in Virginia, I will start working on the next chapter asap and try to have it out faster then this one if I can. But its coming to the end of the year and that isn't entirely likely. So just hang in there with me…

Italics- flashbacks

Chapter 2

Keys

Harry stared at the digital clock resting beside his bed. Time seemed to have slowed down much to his displeasure. The clock read 10:31, a horrible time in Harry's opinion. He still had an hour and twenty-nine minutes until he would finally be of age. He had been waiting all day, and time had made sure to slow down as the day had grown longer.

Harry remembered what his uncle had said that evening when they had been eating dinner.

The food on Harry's plate had not moved for the past five minutes, he wasn't hungry; he was anxious, ready to leave. Not that he had eaten much lately. Ever since the lightening strike his appetite had been quite low; therefore, he hardly ever ate as it was.

His uncle cleared his throat in the way you get another persons attention.

Harry slowly looked up from his fork that was moving his food around his plate in a preoccupied manner, "Yes Uncle Vernon?"

"You turn seventeen tomorrow." He observed. He had obviously chosen his words carefully, he didn't want Harry to seem 'better' then Dudley by saying that he was coming of age on the morrow.

"Yes."

"I expect you to be gone by tomorrow afternoon."

Harry just smirked and looked down at his food, which he continued to move around his plate, occasionally he took a bite.

Harry smirked at the memory, well, his uncle would obviously be surprised when he woke up at his usual time to find the door to his room open with a brief note on a made bed addressed to him saying that he was gone, and if he survived the war, and they survived the war, they might see each other again.

Harry had already written the note and put it on his made bed. The room was quite spotless, all of his things were packed away in his trunk – except his invisibility cloak and wand – and Hedwig's cage stood empty but clean in it usual place. He was obviously anticipating the time that he was to leave. Once the clock hit midnight Harry was going to shrink Hedwig's cage and put it in his trunk, then he was going to shrink his trunk so it would be easier to carry. Hermione was going to meet him at the front of his house at 12:05. She was going to apperate them both to The Leaky Cauldron, and with Harry under the invisibility cloak she was going to get him a room for the night. All the following day Harry planned on taking care of things in Diagon Alley, and then he was going to floo to the Weasley's house.

When Harry looked up at the clock again it read 10:57. He could hear his aunt's soft foot steps go by his room. Both Dudley and his Uncle Vernon were up still.

Near 11:30 Harry heard his uncle walked by his door.

By now Harry was starting to get fidgety. He kept opening up his trunk and looking to make sure he had everything then he would close it, only to open it a moment later and leave it that way. A few minutes later he picked up Hedwig's cage and sat it on his desk so that it was closer to his trunk.

Harry did a three-sixty and looked around his room; he dropped to the floor and pulled up the loose floor board. There was nothing in there. He stood again and glanced out the window, it was a clear night and the moon was nearly full. No owls would be coming to him. He had sent Hedwig to the Weasley; something that Harry was sure would confuse Ron when he tried to send her off with his present. Hermione would tell them tomorrow though when she arrived. A smile lifted his face at the idea of Mrs. Weasley becoming frantic to make sure everything was ready for his birthday dinner that he was sure she would plan for when he got there that night. The smile of his face slowly disappeared as he thought about what it would be like after the war.

He hoped that the Weasley family went untouched; he couldn't bear it if anything happened to them. They were his family now that Sirius was gone. Harry shook away the thoughts and looked over at the clock again. 11:50.

He whispered to the empty room, "Ten more minutes…Just ten more minutes." He took a deep breath and let it out and began to pace again, scratching absentmindedly at his right arm. There was no bandage on it now; he had taken it off after dinner with no intention of leaving his room until midnight. His arm hadn't bothered him since the night at the hospital. But for the past six days Harry had felt something stirring within himself that he could not explain. He had started to become more restless, and unable to sit still, he hardly ever ate, never hungry, and was never tired, lately he had been going on only a few hours of sleep. Something was changing, and he didn't know how to describe it. Whenever he contemplated this feeling he would wish severely that Dumbledore was still alive for him to ask questions, and just thinking about his expired professor gave him an empty feeling in the pit of his stomach, and he felt so alone. There was no one for him to go to with questions.

The clock struck midnight and Harry stopped pacing and shook his thoughts from his mind, no time to think of that now. Pulling out his wand he shrunk Hedwig's cage and added it to the mess of his trunk, he was going to need a bigger one, this one was packed and he couldn't imagine trying to fit several new books in it with out having to shrink nearly everything he owned. With a small sigh he shut his trunk and shrunk it as well and pocketed it.

He opened the door soundlessly; Dudley was still awake, the sounds of the television in the living room drifted up to him. Tip-toeing down the stairs he skipped the ones he knew would creak if he stepped on them. Wand still out and his cloak over his arm Harry opened the front door and peered outside. Hermione hadn't arrived yet; there was still a minute or two until he expected her. With that he stepped outside and looked at the neighboring homes, all their lights were off, no one was awake except his cousin.

A small pop signaled Hermione's arrival, leave it to her to already be a master at Apperating. "Hey!" her voice was a whisper, but she smiled at Harry.

"Hey, thanks for coming." They hugged for a moment, "No ones awake so don't worry about being seen." He pulled his cloak on and pulled up the hood so that he was completely invisible. Hermione jumped in spite of herself when Harry latched onto her arm. "Sorry…"

"You're fine, it's just…weird." She admitted, "Ok, ready?"

Harry whispered a quick 'yes' and held on tight as she Apperated them. Even after experiencing it a few times Harry still wasn't used to the strange suction sensation.

They arrived at the entrance of The Leaky Cauldron. Hermione looked around for a moment; the room was quite empty, and dark. A shuffling sound signaled Tom's approach.

Harry squeezed Hermione's arm to let her know he was there and to reassure her.

"Hello…" Hermione called in her normal voice, not wanting to be too loud. She took a cautious step forward, leaving the small entrance hall.

Tom appeared suddenly, "Looking for a room m'lady?"

Hermione nodded, "Sorry I'm so late."

"No problem miss. Is it just you." She nodded, "Well then follow me…" he turned away from her and began to slowly mount the stairs. He stopped at the second room and opened it with a key, which he placed in her hand immediately after using it. "How long will you be stayin' miss?"

"Just the night…" answered Hermione breathlessly.

Tom nodded and wondered off.

Harry back up against the wall as Tom passed him, he watched him disappear out of sight as he went down the stairs. After a moment he turned and slipped through the door that Hermione had left open.

Once the door was closed Harry pulled of the cloak, "Thanks Hermione."

She smiled, "No problem, when do you want me here tomorrow again?"

"Nine."

"Ok, I'll see you then." She smiled at him.

Harry nodded and watched as she disappeared out of thin air. Turning around Harry surveyed the room, it was nothing special. It contained a four poster bed with a small bedside table, a wardrobe, mirror, and a small desk. There were two windows hidden behind one large curtain as well. With a small sigh Harry reached into his pocket and removed his miniature trunk and set it on the bedside table, along with his invisibility cloak and the black cloak he had worn. He placed his wand under his pillow and dropped onto the bed, not bothering to change. It wasn't long before Harry fell asleep.

Harry woke the next morning around six; he had gotten a little over five hours asleep, more then usual. Sitting up he rubbed his eyes and looked around wearily. Yawning he got out of bed with his wand and picked up his trunk, and after placing it on the floor he enlarged it with a simple wave of his wand. On top of all of his things Harry had left a change of cloths, clothes that didn't fit him.

As he pulled on the clean clothes Harry thought about his day ahead. He planned on going to Flourish and Blotts, Gringotts, he would maybe get a new trunk, and he wanted to look around a few other random stores. He added to his list going into muggle London and buying a new wardrobe of real clothes, he could probably actually use Hermione on that trip, he was okay with picking out clothes, but he was sure that Hermione would be better.

With a small sigh he closed his trunk, but he didn't shrink it yet, incase he needed to find something else in it later on. He pulled on his black cloak and tossed his invisibility cloak onto his bed with his wand.

Bored he went over to the curtains and pulled them back, it was still dark, but dawn was approaching on the horizon from what he could tell, it was starting to lighten in the east. Besides that his view was kind of boring, he only got to look over a muggle intersection in London. Turning away he returned to his trunk and pulled out one of his old Defense books, getting the book out took time itself.

He sat down at the head of the bed, his back resting against the head board and pillow, and his knees up so he could prop the book against them. The book was from his fourth year, meaning they didn't actually use the book that year, so he could start anywhere he wanted. He found a chapter they never covered and began to read.

It wasn't until the sun had risen fully and the clock on the wardrobe read nearly 7:30 that Harry stopped because a shadow kept flickering on his face making the bright rays of the sun hit his eyes in uneven intervals, much to his annoyance. He looked out the window and caught sight of an owl approaching. Jumping up, he opened the window and the owl flew smoothly in and landed on his shoulder after turning about in the room.

Harry looked at the letter curiously, it looked very official. He untied it from the owl's leg and sent it on its way.

Without further ado Harry opened the letter quickly and found the same slanted hand writing that had written his name on the front of the envelop. He opened the letter completely and found that it was from Gringotts. With increased curiosity he began to read.

Dear Mr. Potter,

We would first like to congratulate you on your coming of age. Secondly it is our duty to inform you now that you are of age, that there are three certain wills that involve you, and upon your next visit they will be read to you and the various items mentioned in the wills' will be left in your possession.

Upon your next visit to Gringotts approach the goblin at the head of the hall.

Runeoak

Harry stared at the letter, thinking. How could he possibly be involved with three wills? There was Sirius, his parents? That seemed absurd in itself, why would he just now be getting it? Wait…Was it because he was of age? Harry's brow furrowed as he thought. Then Harry remembered, Dumbledore had been in charge of his vault, but now that he was of age, he was. So was Dumbledore the third will? What would Dumbledore want to possibly give him?

Harry sat contemplating on it for another half an hour before he stopped and just figured he'd wait and find out more when he went to Gringotts in a little under and hour. Much to his relief Hermione arrived about thirty minutes later. While he was packing away his book and shrinking his trunk he gave the letter to Hermione to read.

"Oh, Harry." She looked at him with a mixture of pity and sadness as she realized how much he had lost, "Do you want me to come with?"

Harry looked up after pocketing his trunk, he had figured she would ask him that, but he shook his head, "No, I think I'll be fine. But," he smiled, "I could use your help later."

"With what?" asked Hermione curiously.

"Clothes shopping."

Hermione smiled and laughed lightly, "When do you want me to be here?"

Harry thought for a moment before answering, "Around three, met me down in the common area…I'll probably be in Gringotts a while and I need to go to a few other shops."

"Ok." She nodded, having a feeling she knew what he was going shopping for.

Harry threw his cloak on, "Lead the way 'mione."

Hermione smiled to herself and left the room, she handed the right amount of sickles to Tom, who was waiting at the counter. Harry followed her to be brick wall; she tapped the proper bricks while Harry removed his cloak, "See you around three." Hermione smiled at him briefly before disappearing.

Once the bricks had stopped moving Harry walked into Diagon Alley. It was deserted; of course it was early in the morning, but usually there were at least a few people out and about.

Cautiously, he took a step into the Alley and looked around as he began to move further down the Alley. He glanced into a few shops as he passed them, he could see owners moving about in their shops or sitting at their counters bored. At least he knew he wouldn't be held up later when he went shopping after Gringotts.

When he reached the bank he looked up at it wearily, not really wanting to go in. Inside he would hear or read the last words that some of the closest people to him had ever written. He let out a small sigh and began to mount the stairs. Each step felt so heavy, like it was so much work.

Once inside Harry found an empty hall. There were few goblins at work at their desks. He approached the desk that was at the head of the hall as his letter had instructed him to do.

"State your name and business." Ordered the goblin hardly looking up at him from the papers he was writing on.

"Um…Harry Potter and I got a letter this morning." He held up the piece of folded parchment.

"Ah, Mister Potter." The goblin immediately set down his quill and looked at Harry. "Follow me if you will." He got down from his high chair and came around the desk, motioning for Harry to follow him just before turning away.

With out hesitation Harry followed the goblin. He was lead on a longer journey then he expected. They went through an intricate set of marble and stone corridors, and turned several times; passing many great wood doors that appeared heavy when Harry glanced at them. They were carved with delicacy, something that Harry had not been expecting from the goblins. He had always thought their hands were in stone and metals.

Suddenly the goblin stopped in front of him, and when Harry looked up he found himself at the end of a hallway before a set of great double doors. They were polished dark, and were designed similarly to the other doors that they had passed already, except, it looked a little more elaborate. Whoever or whatever was behind that door was very important or it was a room left for very important circumstances.

The goblin stepped forward and knocked on one of the doors loudly before opening it a moment later to reveal a well sized room that was decorated nicely. Furthest from them sat a goblin behind a great oak desk. He looked very old, and like he had seen many days.

Harry jumped slightly when the goblin beside him spoke, "Harry Potter, sir…" then he bowed himself out closing the door behind him, leaving Harry alone with the goblin.

"Ah, Mr. Potter, I had not been expecting you so soon, I only sent the letter this morning."

"Well, I was closer then usual."

"Ah, that explains it. The Leaky Cauldron I presume?"

Harry nodded; he was a bit thrown off by the goblin's kindness, as goblins were known for their shrewd nature.

"Please, take a seat. You don't want to be standing during this whole transaction." He gestured to a plush chair on the other side of his desk. As Harry came forward (moving for the first time since he had entered) and finally took a seat, the goblin pulled some things out of one of his desk drawers. "As I informed you," he spoke as he sorted the items, "you are involved with three separate Wills." He looked for an affirming nod from Harry before continuing, "The respectful Wills are from, your parents, Mr. and Mrs. Potter, your godfather, Sirius Black, and the late Headmaster of Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore." He set out an envelope for each one; close enough for Harry to reach. "There are two letters from your parents, as well as a general, or should I say vague, list of what is in your hereditary vault."

Harry interrupted him here, "Hereditary vault?"

"Yes, the vault that had been passed down through the Potter family line for many, many years. I believe you may even find things from the medieval era in there." He said honestly, "Instructions were to pass it onto you once you were of age." He paused searching Harry's face. "Now, if I may continue, here is the key to that vault." He placed a key on top of the envelope that Harry didn't pay attention to for the time being. "Next, is your godfather's vault. I believe you were informed by Albus that he left you nearly everything." Harry opened his mouth but the goblin stopped him, "He also left some items to Remus Lupin, mostly money." Harry nodded as his unasked question was answered. "He also left you a letter and the Will is also enclosed with it. Here is that key as well." He placed a darker key on top of the envelope. "And finally, Albus also left you a letter, along with a smaller vault with things he thought you might find useful in the future, at least that is what he told me. The remaining items will be distributed up on the wills reading in three days." He stopped as he placed the last and final key on top of the last envelope.

Harry looked at the three envelops and the keys that rested on top of them, he didn't know what to say.

After a good amount of silence the goblin spoke again, "The smaller vault that was under your name will be removed and the remaining money will be transferred back to the Potter vault where it came from." Harry nodded vaguely. "You my take the time now to read the letters if you choose to, or you can go visit the vaults, or you can leave and come back later if you wish."

"I will read the letters later…" he looked up at the goblin finally, "But I think I will visit the vaults."

"That settles it then." The goblin hopped off his chair and disappeared behind the desk that was taller then him. A moment later he appeared making his way around the desk. "Thank you from coming Mr. Potter." He held out a hand to shake Harry's with, "It was a pleasure meeting you, and if I have been told correctly, you will be an easier client to deal with then most."

Harry raised and eye brow at that statement, but he smiled none the less and stood straight as he released the goblin's hand. He swept the three keys and envelops up off the desk and followed the goblin to the door, who spoke once more before opening the door. "You are not required to attend the reading of Albus Dumbledore's Will in three days; he had wished that I spoke to you in private." Harry nodded, "You will receive a formal invitation none the less, and come if you please." He opened the door, "Good-bye Mr. Potter."

Harry stepped out of the office and was met by the same goblin that had brought him to Runeoak's office. He glanced back as the door shut behind him.

"Will you be seeing the vaults, Sir?"

Harry looked back at the goblin, slightly annoyed that more then just Runeoak knew about his vaults. But he answered none the less, "Yes, I will."

"Follow me then."

Harry was lead back through the twisting corridors, but they stopped when they had reached where the carts were waiting to be loaded. It appeared that this goblin would be the one to take him down. "What is your name?" asked Harry curious.

The goblin glanced back at Harry slightly put off, "Pelock, if you must know." His reply was terse as he boarded the cart.

Harry followed him onto the cart and he looked down at the keys for the first time to find out the numbers of the vaults he would be going.

"To vault ninety-seven first." Announced the goblin just before the cart took off.

Harry's eye brows rose, he had never heard of such a low number, most were up in the three hundreds. He sorted between the keys and found one with the Hogwarts crest embedded in the end, and ninety-seven carved in small numerals on one of the ridges. It was gold and thick, but it lay light in his hand when he tested its weight.

When they pulled to a stop Harry looked up and found a plain vault door before him. He got out of the cart and paused to regain his balance.

"Key please…" Pelock held out a waiting hand.

Harry entreated him by placing the key firmly into the goblin's waiting hand and waited for the vault to be opened. His eye brows rose considerably when it had opened completely, he had not been expecting all that was in the vault by any means. He stepped into the vault cautiously, as if he were afraid he was going to defile a holy place.

The vault was approximately the size of Harry's old one; it contained a lot of things though. There was a small pile of gallons over in the corner that his former headmaster had obviously not known what to do with. But the remainder of the vault was filled with books old and new on three shelves lining two of the walls, as well as two separate trunks filled with what he could only guess, and there were two tables in the center of the room holding different gadgets of all sorts. He approached the two tables first and looked at what was on them. He smiled suddenly as he recognized one of the items, Gryffindor's sword. The only different thing was that it was in a red sheath that matched the ruby in its hilt. After letting his hand run over it for a moment he replaced it and looked at the other items that ranged from a strange looking watch to an assortment of already filled potion vials and potion ingredients. Among the potions was a particularly large vial of a clear liquid, veritaserum or truth potion. There were other strangely color potions clear and thick that had labels on each of them. Moving away from the tables he approached the book shelves and immediately began to look through all the titles. He found several on fighting the Dark Arts, books on Charms and potions, and one of the last he looked at was one on the Founders of Hogwarts, he pulled it out immediately and shrank it and pocketed it. After that he went back along the shelves and picked out a dozen other ones that he thought could be useful, and pocketed them as well.

That left the trunks. He had no idea what could have possibly been in them. Clothes maybe? He pushed the first one he came to open and peered inside. Well, he had been partly right; there was a small stack of robes on one side of the trunk. The rest was filled with a few different things. His laughter suddenly rang out as he caught sight of a box at the bottom of the trunk that was labeled Wizard's Chess, Ron would defiantly be wanting a go at that. Sitting on top of where a few magical devices that Harry didn't recognize. One was a wooden box that was the size of his palm, it had glass on the top so you could look into it, but it was empty with no way of opening. Beside that was a strange looking glove that was fingerless, it had ornate lines that swirled along it in exquisite designs. At its center a metal ball rested, unmoving. There were also two rings, one gold and the other silver, there had to be more to them then scene. The final item was a simple silver chain necklace that did not have anything on it, nor did it have any clasp to take it a part some something could be put on it. Finish, Harry stood up straight, but did not close the trunk; he simply stepped over to the next one right beside it.

This one was a little more evasive; when he opened it all he saw were boxes, of different sizes and color. The largest rested in the center with a small silver key on its top. Harry picked up the key and looked at it curiously for a moment before looking back down at the black box. After finding the key hole, Harry didn't hesitate in opening the box. Inside he found the last thing he had ever expected to see, a pensieve. Its contents didn't swirl though; it was under a freezing charm, obviously placed on it to keep the contents from spilling. Closing the box, he pocketed the key and looked at the other boxes, there were four other boxes. He opened them one by one. In the smallest he found a time turned, in the next he found Dumbledore's put-outer, in the third he found two sets of two way mirrors, and in the final box he found a well used wand holster. He stood straight and looked around the room again, leaving the second trunk open as well.

Moving around the room he gathered potions, potion ingredients, the watch he had seen, Gryffindor's sword, a magical map he had found on one of the tables, and a few other devices resting on the tables. Putting all these into the trunks he then closed the trunks and shrank them. These he placed in the Never-Ending Pouch he found on the table as well, he put the books also in the pouch. He looked about one more time before leaving the vault and retrieving its key from Pelock.

They next traveled to a vault much further below the surface, its number 853. The trip wasn't as long as Harry was expecting it to be, but it wasn't short. As the speeding cart slowed Harry looked down at the keys, this would be his parents vault, no, his ancestor's vault. This key was a light gold and a thin mold, the end curved into an elegant 'P' along the rim the vault number was present.

Getting out of the cart, Harry handed the key to Pelock before he could ask for it and waited for it to be opened. When he caught sight of the inside he felt his knees weaken, he grabbed on to a large column for support.

The inside of the Potter vault was massive, nearly the size of the Great Hall, maybe not as tall, but very similar in length and width. The whole thing was full of various items, some very ancient looking. Like the armor that Harry could see at the back.

Finally remembering the use for his legs, he walked forward, making his way into the large vault. He just walked around for a while, glancing at things. He saw various weapons, armor, hundreds of books, magical instruments of various shapes and sizes, tables held glittering objects, portraits (that did not move) leaned against the wall and each other, and at the back was a very large mound of gold, much larger then the one that had been in his smaller vault before.

After a while, Harry found himself at the entrance again. A table rested at the front of the vault holding a few things. A few scrolls of parchment were rolled up neatly and rested side by side on the right side of the table. To their left was a thick book that was unlabeled, and at the right hand corner of the table was a small stack of thin books that looked to be journals. Towards the front of the table a broadsword rested in its sheath. On the front most part of the table, in the center, rested a ring hold three keys together. Harry reached out to touch the hilt of the sword.

"Ah, so James did produce an heir…I thought he had been lying."

Harry spun around so fast he was endanger of falling over when he stopped, he looked around searching for the owner of the voice, but he didn't see any other living creature there except for Pelock, who was waiting by the cart. "Who's there?"

The voice chuckled, "It would do well if you were to look up a little."

Harry raised his head and found a portrait grinning at him.

"Ah, you look just like James."

"So I've been told."

"Yes…" the portrait's grin faded slightly at Harry's tone. "Who are you?"

"Me? I would be Gregory Thomas Potter." The man it the portrait presented himself with a flourish of his hands as he went into a low bow. "A very distant relative of yours, and since we are at introductions: what is your name good sir?"

"Harry James Potter." He clumsily imitated the portrait's bow.

"You are James's son correct?"

Harry nodded, now taking the time to study the inhabitant of the portrait. He had the same shaggy, un-kept, black Potter hair, dark, chocolate brown eyes, but a tanner complexion then Harry himself had. He was wearing ancient robes that must have been from centuries earlier, they were similar to what Dumbledore tended to wear where.

When Harry didn't say anything more the portrait spoke again, "What has come of James?" he asked curiously.

Harry's brow furrowed lightly, the smoothed again as he realized that the portrait obviously did not have any outside connections, and that he, Harry, was the first to visit the vault since his father had before they were killed.

The portrait continued when Harry didn't answer right away, "I was quite surprised when he came in years ago with many of his possessions. He had said he was moving, but then he never returned. I wasn't sure what to think when he didn't return to retrieve any of what he brought in; I just figured he had no need-"

Harry couldn't let the portrait go on, "He's dead."

"What did you say?" asked Gregory taken aback by Harry's interruption.

"He's dead…" repeated Harry softly, half-heartedly.

To say the portrait was shocked would have been an understatement, he just stared at Harry his mouth partly open in surprise and what may have been interpreted as horror. "Dead?" he repeated with anguish, "When? How? Why?"

Harry raised his hands to feign off anymore questions. "Sixteen years ago this Halloween, killed by Lord Voldemort who was after me."

"Sixteen years?" Gregory seemed to dive into his own thoughts for a few moments, "That's about the time that I saw James, he never said he had a son. Of course he didn't speak to me much on that visit, he was quite solemn really."

Harry nodded his eyes studying the floor rather then looking up at Gregory.

"Who is this Voldemort character? Why would he want to kill you, since you would obviously only a babe at that time?"

"Because of a prophecy." He looked up at Gregory. When he spoke next there was venom in his voice, "Because of a damn prophesy naming me his counter part, the part that would defeat him some day. They died because Lord Voldemort wanted to kill me."

Gregory observed Harry with interest, "How is you're not dead though? This Voldemort character seems to be someone with great determination."

Harry smiled ruefully, "I am the only known survivor of the Killing Curse because my mother gave her live for me, there for invoking ancient magic that Voldemort did not think of. It destroyed him for a time, but he back thanks to his Horcruxes." Gregory flinched when Harry mentioned the Horcruxes. "I have to kill him." Harry finished.

Silence fell between them temporarily as Gregory absorbed all that Harry had said. With him occupied Harry turned away for a moment to observe the contents on the table once more. Curious, he reached out and picked up one of the thin notebooks that rested in the corner. He opened it to the first page and smiled, there on the paper, written in an adolescent's script, was The Marauders. As he flipped through the pages he saw several different sets of hand writing and crude drawings. The whole of the journal was filled except for the last five pages. He closed it slowly and smiled down at it.

Gregory's decided to interrupt his thoughts, "Why, you must have turned of age recently to be down here."

Harry looked over his shoulder at the smiling portrait, he nodded slightly amused, "Yes, today."

"Well congratulations my boy!"

Harry laughed lightly, "What are all these things." He gestured to the objects on the table.

"James set them there on his last visit. That sword is your ancestral sword, handed down from eldest son and so forth. Many years ago it was traditional for the eldest son to learn hand to hand combat and how to use the sword, but times have change apparently." He said as he observed Harry's clothes for a moment. "The large book is a record of your family history; it's not the leave the vault. The key belong to the Potter manor, I think your parents home, and the one with the ruby belongs to one of the several trunks here. The journals were your fathers I think, and the scrolls are legal documents, except for the one furthest to the right, that contains a magical family tree. I would suggest you don't remove those from the vault either." He finished.

Harry nodded, "I think I'll look around a little more then and decide what to take."

Before Harry moved away Gregory spoke again, "I would suggest taking up residence at the manor again, it's a safe place where you can count on no one finding you, its unplotable."

Harry looked back at Gregory slightly surprised by the information.

"Your father didn't stay there because he found it a little too large for his comfort even though he was raised there." His voice had a hint of humor as he told Harry this.

Shaking his head and laughing lightly Harry turned away once more, setting the journal where he had taken it from, and made his way through the large vault once more, this time looking at the items more closely and even picking up certain things and pocketing them if they were small enough. After a while he pulled out his pouch and began loading it with the books he pulled down, dragon and gryphon hide armor, various weapons or items he found interesting, potions and their ingredients, and a variety of other items. Most of the trunks were full of armor, cloths, and weapons. Seeing as he didn't need it all, Harry only took what he needed. It was over an hour before he returned to the front. Picking up the keys and journals from the front table he shoved them into the pouch. He touched the swords hilt and pulled his hand back.

"Take it, Harry. It may come in handy in the future."

Harry's brow furrowed but he didn't look back at Gregory, he kept his gaze upon the sword. After another moment of hesitation, Harry stretched out his hand and took the sword.

The sword felt like it was made for his hand, the balance was perfect; of course Harry didn't really know this, it just felt right when he held it. He shifted his grip so that he could hold the hilt with both hands. The leather under his hands was smooth and sleek, yet he could grip it perfectly fine. Just holding it felt right to, Harry. Gripping it around his sheath he looked around at Gregory once more, giving him a final smile before he left the ancient vault.

"Ok, to the last vault." Harry told Pelock as he sat down in the cart. He shifted through the keys as the cart wound its way even further down the cavern. The key was just the same as the name of the House of Black, it was black and angular. The end was diamond shaped and contained a piece of glass in its center, etched into the glass was the number 956.

As the cart pulled to a stop Harry looked up and was face to face with a dark looking door. He wasn't sure whether he wanted to enter the vault now, but he stood up none the less.

Pressing the key into Pelock's waiting hand; he stepped back and watched as the goblin opened the vault.

The inside of the vault was quiet grotesque. At least more then Harry had been expecting. Its contents looked similar to that of the Potter vault, but the majority of the books were about dark magic, and the weapons looked more deadly compared to those in either of the vaults he had been in.

Harry opted not to stay there very long. He only gathered a few potion ingredients and pre-made potions, and some journals that seemed interesting when he opened them and looked inside for a moment. As he made his way out he paused near the door as a normal looking leather pouch sitting on the floor caught his eye, dropping his head to the side lightly with a curious expression he went over to it and picked it up. It was heavier then he was expecting. The bag opened effortlessly with one hand, the draw strings hadn't been tied. Its contents were the larges jewels he had ever laid his eyes on. From sapphire to jade to diamonds, in the midst of them all was a dark looking rock, when he pulled it from the bag to get a better look he saw it had the same glint as opal, only it was black. As he returned it to the pouch he caught sight of a small scroll, without reading it he pulled the strings tight to shut the bag and placed in his pocket gently. Harry now left the vault.

When he finally left Gringotts there was a little more activity in the Alley, but not much more. A majority of the people he saw were huddled in groups and moving quickly trying to get their business for the day done with so they could return to the relative safety of their homes. Where was anyone safe these days though? With both muggle and wizards currency, Harry stepped down onto the street not really intending to spend much time in the shops any longer, not after all that he had taken from the vaults, he was sure he had plenty to read up on and to look through.

Glancing at his watch as he walked Harry found that it was well after twelve, he had spent the better part of four hours in Gringotts. It was shocking at first, then it made sense, there had been a lot there for him to discover. Deciding that lunch would be a good idea, he made it was back to the Leaky Cauldron to get his midday meal.

Much to his relief his lunch did not turn out to be the event he was expecting, seeing as the Leaky Cauldron was actually void of people and Tom was too distracted to notice who he was. So, for the first time in public Harry enjoyed a meal undisturbed.

Shortly after one Harry left the pub and returned to the Alley to find something that would occupy his time for the next two hours. His answer came in the way of clothes, even though he would be shopping for some later he did need some proper wizarding apparel, especially since the ones he wore at the moment were four inches too short. Turning around, Harry made his way towards Madam Malkin's.

She had been ecstatic upon Harry's entry. Service had apparently been nearly nonexistent for the past week and she hadn't known what to do with herself. Therefore, upon Harry's appearance, she felt that she should provide him with the best service she possibly could. With in an hour Harry had been fitted and was leaving with two completely black cloaks and a dark blue and green one. He left accompanied by several 'thank yous' and 'come agains.'

When he left the store he still had a little under an hour to spend before he met up with Hermione. He spent about fifteen minutes going in and out of different stores looking for something interesting. The fourth store appealed enough to his interests that he ended up staying there for a better part of his time. It seemed to be a store that offered items for travelers. Seeing as Harry would be doing a lot of it his self in the future he decided to look around it. When he left at ten minutes to three he had bought a back pack that was similar to the pouch he had found in Dumbledore's vault. It was able to hold more then usual, but it didn't seem to offer the same depth as the pouch; though, it automatically had a feather light charm on it. Harry found it to be a lot easier to handle then his usual trunk, and it was also much cheaper to buy.

When he later arrived in the Leaky Cauldron to wait for Hermione he put all of the bags from his purchases in the back pack as well as the pouch and the cloak he was wearing at the moment, he didn't want to go into muggle London looking like a wizard, he'd stand out too much. There were enough strange looking people about because of the war and he didn't want that extra attention from muggles.

"Hey Harry."

He looked up quickly and saw Hermione standing beside the table he was at. "Hey Hermione." He smiled and stood.

"Ready to go shopping?"

Three hours, five stores, and several bags later Hermione was finally finished with treating Harry to his first real muggle shopping experience, and that was enough to last Harry several years in his mind. Tired and hunch backed due to the several bags that his arms were laden with, Harry trudged down the street beside a happy Hermione as they made their way back to the Leaky Cauldron. Once there Harry stuffed the bags into his magical backpack then looked over at Hermione's questioning gaze.

"Bought it a little before you got here, had some time to kill and money to spend."

Hermione nodded in a some what understanding way, "So are you going to come back to the Weasley's with me?"

Harry nodded, "Yeah…actually," he held up his hands at Hermione's look to protest, "I'd like to go to the ministry to get my Apperation license.

"Well…it's a little late actually." Said Hermione looking down at her watch to conceal her surprised expression, "We can go tomorrow, you, me, and Ron that is."

Lips pursed in slight annoyance as his lack of watching the time, Harry nodded and agreed. He didn't say anything more, but put his hand on Hermione's arm so she could Apperate them to the Weasley's.

After watching Harry for a moment Hermione apperated away and they disappeared with a small pop. The pair reappeared several yards away from the Weasley's house. Harry immediately let go of Hermione upon feeling the sucking sensation lift. Despite the mood he had left the Leaky Cauldron with the sight of the house made a small smile appear on his face. With out a word he walked towards the house and as he neared the door he reached out to take the handle, as he did Hermione call out behind him, "Harry, wait-" she stopped as Harry's hand landed on the doorknob and he looked back at her.

"What?"

"Nothing, just wanted to come in with you…" she trotted towards him to catch up avoiding his gaze as he neared.

Harry shrugged it off and opened the door and stepped into the house. The smell of Mrs. Weasley's cooking drifted towards them from the kitchen just down the hall. Just the familiar feel of the house made Harry relax. He pulled off his pack and set it down and started to make his way down the hall.

Hermione followed in after Harry looking down at the door knob curiously for a moment before closing the door and following after Harry, her thoughts whirling.

Sorry if there were any mistakes I didn't get around to revising…