Harry Potter and the Power of Time

by RossWrock

Now AU, 6th Year, following OoTP. Tired of the way Dumbledore and the Order treat him, and ready to face his destiny, Harry dedicates long hours to muggle and magical training to take the fight to Voldemort for a change. Slight HPGW, not shippy though.

20. Aftermath

Harry Potter and the Power of Time

Chapter 20 – Aftermath

The early Sunday morning sun dawned bright as it rose over the still- damaged building tops of Diagon Alley. Off in the distance a clock struck the hour, and a tall man in a dark hooded cloak stepped away from the alleyway he'd been hiding in.

Not stopping to greet any other shoppers, nor pausing long enough to give any of the patrolling aurors a problem, the tall man led himself quickly through the double doors of Gringotts. Still open on Sundays, although for not as long, Gringotts was his only destination in mind for the day, and he had a lot of business to discuss.

"Fetch your manager, goblin," he snarled to the nearest employee. Normally, a goblin wouldn't stand for such insolent behavior. But this was a relatively young employee, and the tall wizard was not known to be polite. He came from one of the oldest and purest families to date, and had a reputation for pure evil, though he'd never been caught.

Not a minute later the tall man was seated in a private office, large and plush by goblin tradition, but only barely satisfactory by the man's normal standards. Across from the desk sat an old and reputable goblin; just one of the seven bank managers for the Diagon Alley branch. Or at least, he was as reputable as goblins could get. When it came to money, there weren't many things they weren't willing to do. And since Gringotts didn't operate under wizarding law thanks to the last Goblin Rebellion of 1723, that was truly saying something.

The goblin manager who went by the name of Gliptrot, as it was most closely translated from his native tongue of Gobbledegook, had little to no patience in the mornings for arrogant wizards. However, the most unusual request he'd just received from the man sitting across from him; in fact the very first words out of his mouth; was enough to peak his interest and make him forget about disliking the man.

"Would you repeat that, please?" Gliptrot asked. He wanted to make sure he heard correctly before approving such a large transaction.

"You heard me correctly, goblin. I want to transfer all funds in every one of my accounts, into vault number 833B. That includes all ready currency, all investments, all jewels and magical objects, and anything else you'll find. You may find some items of questionable merit, but I trust that they're no concern of yours. I want the transfer to take place by the end of the day, and if you need to increase the bank's normal fee to do so, you may. As long as the transfer takes place."

Gliptrot sat back in his chair as he considered the request. Never in the history of the bank had one wizard wanted to transfer not only his entire personal wealth, but in fact that of his entire family's, to another. And considering the wizard in question, Gringotts was due to make a small fortune just off the bank fees for such a transfer. There had to be a catch! Yet, as he drew up the appropriate paperwork for the man to sign, he couldn't come up with one feasible drawback. Only when discovering the name of vault number 833B's owner did the goblin again question the wizard.

"Are you sure about this, sir? You do know that vault 833B belongs to...."

"I'm not stupid, halfling! I know perfectly well who the vault belongs too. And why we're talking about your incompetence, you seem to be missing a vault number here. I said all my vaults, and that includes number 14V as well."

At mention of the V line of vaults, the goblin became more interested. Not known to the public, a person could only open a V vault if recommended by another vault holder. That was the way the system had been set up nearly fifty years ago by a very wealthy financial backer, and that was the way it had since remained. In fact, besides the owners of said vaults, only the bank managers themselves, plus a few security goblins, were aware of them. The group of one hundred vaults had been set up by wizard magic, and to this day it was the same magic that maintained security there. Except for routine patrols, no goblins did any kind of upkeep or maintenance on the V vaults. The vaults themselves weren't even connected to the normal Gringott's tunnel system. Specially designed portkeys were the only way to access the area.

"My apologies sir, but as you know, I'm not allowed to discuss even the existence of V vaults unless prompted to by a vault holder. I'll add that to the paperwork immediately."

The tall wizard just sneered and nodded in reply. He had little patience for trivial matters, and still had much to do that day. The goblin returned to drafting more paperwork to be signed, and the man sat perfectly still all the while. Except for the many signatures he had to give, only once did he break free from his statue-like pose. He had to scratch an itch on the inside of his left forearm. For little did the goblin know, although he would be wise to suspect, the tall wizard had the tattoo of a Dark Mark burned into his flesh.

Twenty minutes later all the paperwork had been signed and filed, and both parties left the cramped office satisfied. The tall wizard because he'd done what he'd set out to accomplish with little hassle, and Gliptrot because he'd just approved a transfer of funds that would make a bank profit of thousands of galleons in a single day. And as bank manager of the single largest branch of the exclusive wizarding bank, he himself would be entitled to some of those same profits.

Not watching the goblin he left behind him in his wake, the tall man swept out of the cavernous lobby, back into the sunny streets of Diagon Alley. His hooded cloak and black robes hid him from both the sun and any unwanted attention, and as soon as he appeared, the man was lost in the crowd.

Ten minutes later, another darkly dressed man entered the bank lobby. Not tall like his associate, but instead portly and hunched over, he had to wait in line to ask a teller goblin to see the bank manager as well. Although not as well respected as the first man, this one too was well known and not to be trifled with. So without another moment's delay, he was escorted into the same small office to have a meeting along similar lines.

Gliptrot, who had barely finished filing all the morning's paperwork, you could imagine was surprised when this wizard too asked for all his family's wealth to be transferred to vault 833B. Not the same sized fortune as the first, but still not by any means loose change, the man further went on to request that his vault number 34V be added to that list as well.

Not knowing what to say, except to ask for a verification of instructions, Gliptrot pulled the same reacquisition forms, and had the stout wizard repeat the process of the tall one just minutes before. There were less total vaults involved this time, and because the course of action was already familiar to him, the task was accomplished much quicker.

Not even a half hour after he first entered the bank, the stout wizard pulled his hood back on and exited the building. Now that it had been opened for over an hour, the bank's lobby was quite busy. So busy in fact, that nobody noticed that this stout wizard too briefly scratched his left forearm as he descended the stairs into the outside world.

When the third darkly dressed man was escorted into Gliptrot's office an hour later, he wasn't surprised at all. This time the wizard was another lumpy man, who looked something like the last one. In fact, they had been best friends all their lives, as were their sons, and mistaking one for the other was a common error made about them often. Not that the goblin knew that information, or even cared. No, he was too busy pulling the same reacquisition forms he already knew he'd be asked for. And sure enough, the same bizarre request to transfer his family's funds to vault 833B came not a moment later, included a transfer from vault 33V.

And so the process repeated itself. In the course of five hours that day, one darkly dressed wizard after another would walk into the bank manager's office, ask for the same transfer of funds into vault 833B, and walk out after signing in duplicate all appropriate paperwork. Only two things were similar in all the men. One, they all had a V vault that they wanted to empty. And two; all men, whether they scratched it or not, had a hideous skull and snake tattoo burnt into their left forearm. Not that Gliptrot would care, even if he had known. No, he was too happy with the bank's profit margin for the day. The slowest business day of the week, and he had set the highest bank profit record since the great sickle scandal of 1261; when half the world's silver sickles had been successfully counterfeited by a rouge group of aurors. A rebellion had broken out of course, and only after much bloodshed and death had a new agreement been made. All the stolen money was paid back in full to the goblins plus damages (accounting for the profit record), and in exchange for allowing the existing guilty aurors to live, the goblins were granted by the Ministry the right to arm themselves within the confines of the bank, to deter delinquent loans.

The Goblin Rebellion of 1261 though, as interesting as it may be, was not the last thought of the bank manager Gliptrot, as he watched the last darkly dressed man leave that day. No, instead, he thought to the owner of vault 833B, and how he must now be one of the richest men in Europe. Previous to the day the vault had contained hardly anything worth mentioning, but now, the owner had a commanding amount of money at his disposal. One almost wondered; what could so much money provided by such darkly dressed wizards be used for?

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ONE WEEK BEFORE

When the enormity of Amber's death finally hit him, Harry left the Great Hall in a storm of emotions. Behind him he could vaguely sense that Hermione and/or Ginny stood up to follow him, but were held back by Ron. Someone must of told him about Harry's relationship with Amber, and although it bothered him that one more person was let in on the secret, Harry later was at least grateful to his friend for giving him some alone time. Too many emotions were raging inside him; those of guilt, fear, shame, and most of all anger. It was a good thing Harry was so out of it that he didn't hear the snickers from Slytherin's table as he left breakfast. If Harry had heard, there would be no doubt that a certain blonde haired prefect would get a first hand taste of some of that anger. And it would have been a lot more painful than bouncing off the walls in a harmless prank.

Not knowing where to go, but wanting to be alone, Harry's feet directed him to the Room of Requirement, and Harry stormed inside without a thought why. He mind was too busy wondering why his double hadn't warned him of Amber's death. If Harry had known, he might have been able to prevent it. Of course, it didn't occur to him until later that that was impossible. The event had already happened, and therefore could not be changed. It was probably why he wasn't informed beforehand. If Harry had known about Amber's upcoming death, surely he wouldn't have been able to focus on the Death Eaters. It also made sense now that his future self wasn't the one to travel to Diagon Alley that night, and instead had taken his place at the feast. Being so close to the action, and yet knowing that he couldn't do anything to prevent future events, would have been too troubling for his future self. All these thoughts zipped through Harry's mind like a flock of rouge bludgers. Once inside though the room though, he was glad he picked the right destination. Harry had a lot of steam to blow off before he'd be safe around others, and the room knew that. For inside, there were only two items provided, both of which brought a grim smile to Harry's face; a cricket bat and a roomful of glass figurines.

Not having played since primary school recess, and not that often as Dudley had prevented it as much as possible, Harry wasn't all that familiar with the bat like other boys might be. It certainly wasn't his game of choice, but still the bat felt right at home in his hands. The leather grip was comforting as Harry lined up his first shot. Not even taking a practice swing, Harry heaved the heavy wood behind him in a graceful arc, and swung downward and then upward in a wide arc with all the power he could muster. The first target was a huge glass-blown vase, and with that first swing, the first huge explosion of shattering glass rang across the room.

Within minutes, Harry had broken every glass object in sight, and the room was already working on providing more behind his back. It worked that way for another ten minutes at least. Harry just stood in the middle of the room, turning in a slow circle, lashing out at the world; destroying all he saw. He wasn't even using a proper cricket swing anymore; instead just using the heavy instrument like a beater bat, swinging it any which way. Once he completed his circle, the room would provide new challenges, and the cycle would start again.

His mind drifted while he destroyed as much as he could get his hands on. Drifted to the night before, when he had portkeyed to his dorm room looking like much of the broken glass that now littered the floor. Not that he remembered it, of course. He had passed out even before he had arrived at Hogwarts. No, his double had told him later how he had looked, after most of the damage was repaired.

Knowing precisely what would happen, Harry's future self was ready with Hedwig and both house-elves when Harry portkeyed into the dorm room. He looked a boldly mess, with cuts all over his face, neck, and arms, a dislocated shoulder, and at least one cracked rib (his vest only protected from spell damage and sharp objects, not blunt force).

Healing the superficial cuts that Avery had caused was the first thing that got fixed, to stop the loss of blood. Already Harry had lost too much, and whatever means Madame Pomfrey might use to cure such a problem Harry had never found out in his limited reading material about healing. Hedwig's tears were no good to replace lost blood, and Harry couldn't be brought to the hospital wing, because it would prompt too many questions.

In the end, the future Harry had used a primitive blood transfusion spell he looked up real quick. It wasn't as effective as blood replenishing potions normally, but because it was his own blood being used, it worked better than expected. Harry's body didn't have to fight off rejection or try to assimilate the new blood like it normally would.

After that, Harry regained consciousness, and things went more smoothly. Having his arm reset into his shoulder joint was momentarily excruciating, but compared to the Cruciatus practice he was used to, it was bearable. His cracked rib or ribs were healed with some simple spells, and the only type of potion Harry actually took was a general purpose pain reliever. Unfortunately it acted as a stimulant, so Harry couldn't sleep, but that didn't matter. Hedwig used the time to bathe Harry in her tears, to reliever all his aches and pains, and his future self caught him up with the night's activities at Hogwarts, so he wouldn't be caught off guard with something one of his friends might ask him. Hearing about Draco's little flight through the Entrance Hall even made Harry laugh, which wasn't too smart considering his broken ribs. He couldn't wait to see Draco's face next week when he himself was the one to curse the Slytherin.

Harry's double also made sure to secure the five Death Eaters each in their own cell. He wasn't worried that one of them might have been revived or caused trouble, because he knew from his own experience that that wouldn't happen. They'd be interrogated later once Harry was up to it, but for now they were searched for magical objects, stripped of their wands and unnecessary belongings, and only revived once they were in the confines of their stone cells.

The next morning when Harry woke up alone, he was still sore and spent, but he was once again functional. It actually surprised him that Dumbledore was able to pick up so quickly on his discomfort, but at least he was able to think of a believable excuse. Now hours later, still swinging the cricket bat, those slight aches and pains were a thing of memory.

Harry didn't know how long he stayed in there, but it was long enough to make his arms tired. In fact, the only thing he was certain of was that some of the later figurines of glass that he destroyed were of people he knew. Those last objects were solid glass, not hollow or frail like the others, and Harry really had to lean into them with the bat before they were destroyed. One was a bust of Snape, Harry knew. There was also an image of Voldemort, of both Malfoys, of Bellatrix Lestrange, and to Harry's lesser pleasure, one of the Professor Dumbledore as well.

Although Dumbledore hardly belonged grouped with that motley crew, at the time Harry didn't care. He just wanted to lash out at those who had hurt him, and those that he held responsible for all his pain and suffering. It was that last round of images that Harry smashed, that finally appeased him, and calmed him down enough to think logically about what had happened. It was a good thing that Harry didn't recognize all of that last group, otherwise he might never had calmed down at all. For the Room of Requirement had read Harry's subconscious mind, and had provided a bust of himself with that last group as well. It was a good thing that Harry didn't see he blamed himself just as much as the others. He'd been down that road before, and it led nowhere good.

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Remus Lupin wasn't surprised that Harry missed the early morning meeting he'd been promised. For he had read the latest paper too, and although he didn't know about Harry's personal relationship with one Amber Starr, he did know that Harry would feel some guilt and anger anyways, no matter who the victims were.

In fact, with a loud confident knock that sounded just before lunch, Harry presented himself much sooner than Remus would have thought.

"Come in, Harry." He knew it was Harry because of his smell. One of the small perks of being a werewolf. There was something off about the smell though, and Remus figured it out the second he saw his late friend's only son walk into his office.

"My god, Harry! What happened to you. You look nearly worse than I do!" The last full moon was only five days gone by, and Remus was still recovering.

Harry didn't know what Remus was talking about, but by looking at the wall mirror at Remus's suggestion, he saw that his face and neck was littered with small nicks and cuts obviously caused by the flying glass. It was the blood that Remus had smelt. Funny, Harry didn't notice them being caused. He was mind was obviously elsewhere. At least any bits of glass that might have been imbedded in his skin disappeared when he exited the room.

Harry just sighed as he plopped down in an armchair, and took out his wand to cast some healing charms. They easily took care of the small abrasions, and after convincing Remus that no, he didn't need to see Madame Pomfrey, they finally got around to having a long overdue discussion.

"Well, you promised an explanation for last night," Remus demanded. "I still don't see how it was possible for you to be in Diagon Alley. According to the staff you were accounted for all of last night, and never left the castle. But I'd recognize that patronus anywhere, and even if you didn't whisper to me to keep quiet, I would have known you were there. Besides being the only golden patronus I've ever seen or even heard of, the shape of a stag is also very recognizable. You're lucky Dumbledore was busy trying to break the Death Eaters' shields at the time, otherwise things could have gone much less smoother last night."

"What did you end up telling everyone, anyway? I'm sure they all noticed the gold patronus. Not to mention, the destroyed Dementors." Harry was actually interested in the cover story Remus came up with. It had obviously worked somewhat, although Dumbledore still made that crack earlier about things not being fully explained.

"I told everyone that the patronus was mine," Remus admitted. "Nobody noticed my wolf because everyone was admiring your beautiful stag. It made sense that it would be a stag for me as well, because James was a good friend. Plus, I helped you learn your patronus back in third year, and I claimed that it was one of the happiest memories of my life to help out a friend's son. Basically I admitted that my patronus changed form, and since no one's seen my patronus since before I taught you yours, no one knows that I'm lying."

Harry wrinkled his brow in objectivity. It was believable enough to think that Remus's patronus had changed form to his friend's animagus form. After all, James spent three years learning the skill especially for him. The only thing that would be suspicious was that Harry also had the same form, and Harry wasn't even sure if that was possible. Could two different wizards have the same animal totem as a patronus? Luckily, it didn't matter. Remus explained that because the spell was gold instead of silver, nobody made the connection to Harry. Why would they? Who would have thought that a sixth year student was at the scene of the crime, fighting off evil wizards?

"But how did you explain the gold color, then?" Harry asked.

"Well," Remus admitted, "that was the hard part. I couldn't think of a possible explanation, so I just pleaded ignorance. After all, that's what really happened to you. When you do figure it out, let me know, as I've got Dumbledore and Flitwock breathing fire down my throat, wanting to know the answer to that question. Dumbledore's suspicious I think, but he really can't argue with what everyone saw. How else can you explain the dead bodies of so many Dementors? Filius almost made me try to produce the charm, to see if I could repeat the same results. Even without the gold color, like you can't reproduce, it would have been hard to explain another shift in my patronus's form. Luckily though we had more pressing matters to worry about at the time, and I promised to research the occurrence and get back to them.

"Oh, good thinking," Harry said. The most believable lies were the simplest, and by having Remus just tell the truth, it left everyone confused about the ability. Well, not everyone, now that Harry knew how the gold patronus was caused. Quickly, Harry filled Remus in about Prong's tattoo on his forearm, and how he now knew that was the reason.

"So your tattoos finally showed their power, huh? It's about time. I was starting to think that they weren't going to pay off." Remus was speaking to himself more than anything else at this point. It was the type of verbal brainstorming Harry had come to expect from his friend. "I guess then that means that other wizards can't produce a golden patronus, unless they too have a magical tattoo. But what are the chances that their tattoos would have the same power? Almost nil, really. I guess this is just one more special talent you'll have to deal with Harry. Maybe we could somehow round up rouge Dementors, and then bring you in to exterminate them? No, the Ministry wouldn't go for that. The Order might, but then we'd have to let them in on our little secret." Remus continued mumbling to himself until Harry brought him back to reality.

"Ah, Remus? You still there?"

"What? Oh, sorry Harry. Just lost in thought for a moment. Anyway, you never explained what you were even doing in Diagon Alley last night, and how you managed to even get there." The look of intellectual wonder was gone from his eyes now, and Remus's tone also became harsher. He was questioning Harry now as an authority figure, not as an friend.

Not wanting to give away his secret of using the time tuner yet, Harry just admitted that he'd portkeyed out of the castle right after the feast had ended. And since Remus was only aware of Harry being in Diagon Alley towards the end of the battle, that made perfect sense. Harry claimed that he had a vision of the Dementors, and entered the battle because he knew he could help. There was no need to worry the werewolf about his injuries, or his other battles. Remus had enough on his mind already, and the only reason Harry got off so easily was one, because Remus had a busy schedule, and two, Harry had proved beneficial to the fight by showing up when he did and destroying the Dementors.

Remus did his part by giving Harry a detailed description of the battle from his perspective, as well as the clean up afterwards. It was only then, after the Order had returned from Azkaban (being too late and leaving the investigation for the aurors to handle), that Remus and the others had started to clean up the damage, and had noticed the two casualties. Peter Growkins, the man kissed by the Dementor, hadn't his soul restored to him because obviously the Dementor who had kissed him had fled the scene before Harry's patronus could attack. And then the other one; Amber. Remus didn't know about her and Harry, so he described her death with just as much indifference. Just another casualty of war; no special than any other.

"The girl we found crushed under falling debris. A young boy claimed she had pushed him out of the way of a falling boulder, so she died a hero. There's talk from the Ministry to award her a special accommodation for her actions."

Harry just nodded as tears welled up in his eyes. Softly he whispered, "Yes, Amber would have liked that."

At Harry's strange remark, Remus took a closer look at his pseudo-nephew. Something was wrong. "Yes, her name was Amber. Amber Starr I believe. How'd you know that, Harry?"

Harry didn't even consider not answering the question. Normally he would have, but the morning spent smashing objects to smithereens over and over again had helped him blow off some steam. Now he was just left hurting, and sad. Harry guessed he could open up to Hermione or Ginny about this since they knew about Amber already, but Harry didn't want pity from his friends. Remus wouldn't pity him. He'd lost people too, more so than even Harry had. He'd understand.

"Besides being in the paper, I knew her." Harry explained, with almost an emotionless expression on his face. "She attended to me this summer when I got fitted for robes. Actually, she more or less picked out my whole wizard wardrobe. We spent the better part of two hours together that day, and she asked me out on a date when I left. I wasn't sure about that, being a target for Death Eaters and all, but I promised to meet her if I ever returned to Diagon Alley. I did once, and we snuck into muggle London to have lunch. It was actually very nice; the best date I've ever been on. Not that that's saying much, as I've only had two. Still, Amber was very easy to get along with, and she even kissed me when the day ended. I haven't seen her since, but we've been writing to each other once a week since school's started. She was even going to meet me in Hogsmeade this past weekend, but had to work at the last moment. She promised to come next time though. I guess now that will never happen. Trust me to know the one person who died in that whole attack. It's always the people I'm close to that suffer."

Tears streamed silently down Harry's check as he finished, not that his steadfast voice gave way the fact that he'd been crying. He wiped at the wetness with the back of his sleeve, and didn't say anything more. Neither did Remus.

Remus didn't know what to say, actually. It was something of a bombshell that Harry admitted to not only knowing the victim he'd not previously put a name to, but knew her well. He'd never had any kids for himself, and Remus didn't know how to give the proper comfort. So instead, he said nothing. At least nothing was better than saying the wrong thing, and Remus knew Harry hated pity and unfelt-sympathy. Anymore reprimanding he had planned to give Harry about being at the sight of the battle was completely forgotten. After a few minutes of awkward silence, where Harry composed himself and Remus looked over some paperwork, Harry broke the silence with a new topic, much to Remus's pleasure.

"So," Harry asked, "what's the Order been up to lately. I've not asked in awhile, but I wonder what they're going to do now after the latest attack."

Glad to have something more comfortable to talk about, Remus filled Harry on most of what the Order of the Phoenix was up to. He couldn't be specific, as Dumbledore had withheld most details from him as per their agreement, but he still knew a lot about their plans.

Since Harry's press conference, Kingsley and the other aurors had been called off the hunt for Sirius, and were now assigned to guard the school, as part of the rotating shifts. In their down time they kept close watch in the Ministry, to see which personnel might be trusted, and which might be not. Most of that time was spent making sure that Fudge wasn't causing any trouble. Since his humiliation by Harry, he'd managed to stay in office, but just barely. He blamed his whole staff for the mistakes, and had them all reassigned to low level positions, like had happened to Percy. Umbridge had gone missing after the Quibbler and Daily Prophet articles, and Fudge used that to his advantage saying she had been passing Ministry laws in his name, without his knowledge or consent. It was all lies, Harry and the others knew, but none of the Order could prove it.

Bill and Charlie Weasley had returned to their normal jobs after the summer ended. They stayed home just long enough to attend the press conference with Harry, and then left for Egypt and Romania respectfully. Bill still commuted home on the weekends, but Charlie only attended Order meetings when he could. Otherwise, he was given the task about training small breeds of dragons for possible defense purposes. It had never been done before by wizards, but after remembering the dragons the goblins used in the low level vaults, Harry thought that if anyone could get the job done, it would be Charlie.

Remus, since he was stationed at Hogwarts anyways, was given the job of keeping an eye out for students that might have Death Eater ties. Mostly the upper level Slytherins, but Harry wasn't surprised to find that some Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws were on his watch list as well. Remus refused to give Harry the names, as he said it would hurt his case if Harry acted any different towards them, and Harry eventually gave in. At least there were no Gryffindor names on the list. That Remus told him, anyway.

Kingsley, Tonks, and some of the other aurors stationed at the castle, who were part of the Order, spent parts of their nights sneaking around, secretly spying on the students. Dumbledore had provided them with the common rooms' passwords and locations of secret passages, so it made the job much easier. And since Harry knew that Tonks and the others had access to invisibility cloaks, he could guess how they went about spying. Harry thought he'd have to take a closer look at the Marauder's Map at night, and not just when he was patrolling.

Apparently Snape had had a close call earlier that fall while talking to some former friends in Knockturn Alley, and had barely escaped capture. He'd been forced to fight off two Death Eaters before he was able to apparate away, and then quickly return to Hogwarts. Since then, Dumbledore had not allowed the man to leave the castle alone, and only Mundungus Fletcher kept up with spying on the seedy underworld on Diagon Alley. It was just too much of a risk for Snape anymore, now that Voldemort was made public, because he had too high a price on his head. It was not forgotten that Snape had jumped sides to spy against Voldemort.

"Besides," Remus joked, "if Severus gets caught, then who'd make my Wolfsbane Potion? We can't have that, now can we?"

Other than all that, the Order wasn't doing much else. They just listened for possible gossip about Voldemort's plans, continued to make sure Fudge wasn't further corrupting the Ministry, and made sure that there was always a safe number of trained wizards guarding the area around Hogwarts' grounds, whether they were Order members or Ministry aurors.

"Now though, I'm told we'll also be helping the Ministry arrange similar auror patrols in Diagon Alley. The damage has already been mostly cleared away, but Dumbledore feels that restoring the public's feeling of safety when in Diagon Alley is the largest concern for now. He claims we can't show that we're afraid, and must stick to the way that things have always been. So from now on, there will always be at least ten aurors present in Diagon Alley during peak hours, and less for round the clock surveillance. That probably started earlier today."

"So Dumbledore's not doing anything about tracking down the escaped Death Eaters from Azkaban, to try and recapture them? What about the Ministry? They can't just sit idly by, can they?" Harry couldn't understand how Dumbledore and the others could just sit back and be content to play defense. If they never actively sought out to find the criminals, then how did they figure they'd be caught?

Remus just sighed. "No, not for now, anyway. The Order doesn't have the time or resources right now to take on that type of responsibility. Hopefully news of Azkaban's liberation will push Fudge out of office once and for all, and we can only hope someone worthy gets placed in office in his stead. We've had Order members working politics in the Ministry, just for that occasion. I only hope we can garner enough support when that happens. If not, we could be in bigger trouble then with Fudge in office. Imagine if Lucius Malfoy becomes the new Minister? Already news of his involvement in the Ministry attack last summer has quieted down, and he still has a lot of connections to powerful friends in office. Or just as bad, he could place his financial backing behind a seemingly good candidate for the office, just to turn him into a political puppet. It's all more complicated than it looks Harry, and Dumbledore's doing the best that he can."

The two talked of more pleasant things while they had a private lunch together, but Harry's couldn't keep his mind totally off what Remus had told him. Somehow, Harry just didn't think Dumbledore and the Order was doing enough. With all their members and resources, they still were only waiting and watching, never acting for themselves. Harry alone, with no one's help but his own, had single handedly managed to capture Peter Pettigrew, Avery, Sean Hazelton, plus four other Death Eaters. Yes, he'd been extremely lucky, and had gotten injured. Yes, he was working outside the law, and taking dangerous risks. Yes, he knew that Dumbledore would never take the same type of actions that he had, to neutralize some of Voldemort's Death Eaters. 'Still,' Harry thought, 'it's at least tangible progress, which is more than I can say for the Order's results. I don't care if I break a hundred Ministry laws and decrees, as long as I continue to show progress.' And progress was just what Harry was accomplishing.

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As it turned out, Remus wasn't far off with one of his predictions that day. Later in the week, the Daily Prophet announced that the public outcry from the two Death Eater attacks caused a special meeting of Ministry of Magic heads and the Wizengamot, to discuss Minister Fudge's impeachment.

By law, it took a majority vote of the Wizengamot to impeach a Minister, and Fudge thought he was safe as he owned more than half of the corrupt assembly. Amelia Bones and Dumbledore were some of the more outspoken of those that had voted in favor of removing Minister Fudge from office, but still it wasn't enough. With a vote of seven against impeachment, and four in favor, Fudge remained Minister of Magic.

However, it was department head Arthur Weasley who pointed out that the Wizengamot's vote could be overruled by a two thirds vote of all department heads. Such a vote hadn't been taken in over a hundred years, but fortunately the law wasn't one of the ones Fudge had had time to change during his time in office. A mistake he'd sorely regret.

There are seven main branches in the Ministry of Magic, and a multiple number of individual departments in each. Thirty three of the Fifty one Ministry office heads were required to be present to take a vote of no confidence, and luckily that day here were forty seven department heads present. Only thirty one needed to vote in favor to overthrow the Wizengamot's decision, and they had that in spades. Apparently Fudge hadn't spent enough time or gold spreading his influence around the Ministry heads, and thirty nine of the forty seven present chose to elect a new Minster; one who might possibly do a decent job for a change.

The paper didn't report on Fudge's reaction to the news, but Harry's could only imagine the spluttering and yelling that had gone on. One day, Harry would have to ask Dumbledore to see the memories of that scene.

It had taken another six hour meeting to decide on a temporary solution, as a vote such as that hadn't happened in over a hundred years, and hadn't been successful in three hundred. But as the long day came to an end, it had been decided. A proper public vote open to any political candidates would take place as normally scheduled come next September, and until then Madam Amelia Bones was promoted by her peers as acting Minister of Magic. Having an Order member in such a high position certainly made Harry very happy, and when he read in the paper her first decrees as Minister, he was even more thrilled.

As her first act as Minister of Magic, she named Arthur Weasley (former Head of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office), Amos Diggory (formerly of the Department for Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures), and Arnold Peacegood (former Head Obliviator) as her three Under-Ministers. Kingsley Shackelbolt was named in her place as Head of the Magical law Enforcement Division, and Albus Dumbledoe was approved as Chief Warlock to investigate and question all members of the Wizengamot for possible evidence of corruption. All in all, it was a very good day for the Order of the Phoenix.

------------------------------------------------------------

Thursday was always a long day for Harry. First he had Defense Against the Dart Arts where Rofordit had run out of volunteers to try and best her. Harry, Hermione, and a few others had yet to throw their name in the hat, but more than one person had tried multiple times to win a duel against the elderly witch. Ron couldn't understand why Harry didn't try himself, but Harry only smiled and politely refused. He was too busy learning at his own pace, and didn't want to have to explain his advanced level of spells to his professor or the Headmaster should they ask. And Harry knew it would be next to impossible to beat her just using sixth year spells or less. So he didn't even try.

When not dueling her students, Rofordit had proved to be a very capable educator. Her theory lessons were short and to the point, and her choice of material wasn't useless or impractical like that of so many other DADA professors Harry had had. Just two and a half months into term, already Harry and his classmates had learned another shield spell besides Protego (to be used for physical objects; not magical), sense deprivation spells, that temporarily deprived the target of hearing, sight, or sense of touch, and they had learned about some more dark creatures. This time though, they were more advanced then Hinkypunks and Red Caps. Already, Harry had been fascinated by tales of Nundus, Chimaeras, and Banshees, and how to defend against them. She didn't touch too much on less harmful creatures, as she didn't want to overlap with Hagrid's curriculum, but she also talked briefly about some others known to be menaces.

Acromantulas were actually on that short list, and Ron and Harry shared a small smile between them. Professor Rofordit had caught the smile too, but she didn't mind. In fact, she was fascinated with their tale of Aragog and his family, and made them tell the class about their experience second year. Since Ron had made an art of telling the story over the years, and his version was often more entertaining and over-embellished then Harry's, Harry let him have the center stage. Ron liked the attention, and Harry preferred to be left out of the lime-light, so both were happy. According to Ron's story Harry was nearly eaten until Ron ran over one particularly nasty spider with his family car, and cast the charm to repel the "eight legged freak." Clearly Rofordit at this point had doubted his story, and kindly asked Ron to the front of the class to demonstrate the spell to defend against an acromantula. Needless to say that she was surprised to find he was quite capable, and went on to show the class the incantation. Ron earned ten pointed for Gryffindor that morning, more than Hermione even. A very good class, only made better by all the congratulations he was getting from different students about his dad's recent promotion.

After DADA, and a training session with his double in his trunk, was Transfiguration. The students were still working on cross-species work, because it was very difficult. Often, a transfigured animal would attack itself, if the change wasn't complete or made correctly. That happened to Neville, when his mouse was transfigured into a canary. He choose a canary because of his fondness for the twins' sweet which he had helped test (although unknowingly), but didn't think of the possible repercussions. Now that he didn't take Potions anymore, Transfiguration was Neville's worse subject, and although he completed the physical change, he must not have had as much success on the animal's mind. Once the canary was completed, it took one look at itself and went into convulsions. Apparently, it was explained by McGonagall after it pecked itself to death, the mind was still that of a mouse, and therefore went into shock. It didn't have the higher intelligence to accept the transfiguration, so therefore harmed itself in fright because birds were natural predators of mice. Neville felt bad that the creature had dies, but since Professor McGonagall reprimanded him much more fairly then Snape ever did, he didn't let the failure bother him. Evidently, he wasn't the first student to fail in such a matter, nor would he be the last.

Harry and Hermione were more successful than Neville. The first two to finish the exercise, Harry turned his mouse successfully into a pig, and Hermione transfigured hers into a mallard. Others in the class made the change too, but not as perfectly. Terry Boot from Ravenclaw had an armadillo on his desk, but one that still had a mouse's tail. Draco Malfoy of course turned his mouse into a snake. He'd gotten the mind transfigured correctly as the snake wasn't scared of itself, but its scales weren't as sleek as they ought to be. They had bits of fur on them; clear remnants of a mouse.

After the winter holidays, McGonagall explained that the class would be moving on to other challenging work. Human transfiguration would be explained in theory (to prepare the students for practical work in seventh year), and large object transfiguration and conjuration would be taught as well. Those skills Harry had already learned, as he'd been forced to learn how to conjure and transfigure most of his Hideaway's furniture. Still, the human transfiguration stuff sounded interesting. Harry was still having trouble with any progress in the Animagus department, and the extra theory study might help.

The D.A. that night was successful as always. The beginning students who had met the night before had learned half the material the D.A. had learned the year before already. Meeting weekly, plus having Remus and Cho's assistance in class, helped tremendously. The advanced group was still working on their patroni, as Harry thought it was a worthy spell to learn. Now that the Dementors were free from Azkaban and attacking the public, it made more sense then ever, and none of the students were complaining; not even Zacharias Smith. Harry also showed the group some binding spells to conjure ropes and ties, some small illusions to use while hiding either yourself or a location, and some offensive stuff as well. The offensive spells he taught were nothing like the advanced magic he was practicing himself, but it was still useful.

Hermione right away favored the "Contendo Fabopera" spell, which shoots out conjured bean-bags from the end of a wand. It isn't as effective as muggle bean-bag devices (like those found in shotgun shells), but the spell's still fired fast enough to cause some damage, or at least confuse an opponent. And because the bags are physical objects, not magical energy, normal shield spells like Protego won't block against it. Instead, physical barrier shield spells, like the one Voldemort used in the DoM, or what Snape tried to use in Dumbledore's office, were needed. Eventually, Harry would teach the group those as well.

Ron preferred some of the physical training Harry began to show the group. Because he was joining in on the gym equipment work-outs with Neville occasionally, Ron really liked the chance to grapple with some of the other guys in the group. Harry showed them the basics of wrestling, and explained how they weren't allowed to hit or kick anyone, but were only allowed to use grips and holds to throw an opponent to the ground. Remus at first wasn't comfortable with allowing the D.A. to fight in such a manner, but after a demonstration by Harry where he disabled both Ernie and Justin without the use of a wand, Remus allowed it. Harry promised he knew enough of what he was doing, and in the case of an emergency, the hospital wing was never too far away. Plus, lately Hedwig had taken to joining the group when they met, and her tears were better than almost anything that Madam Pomfrey could offer up.

Ginny and Neville had been more impressed with some of the illusion and confusion spells that Harry had showed them. They didn't take nearly as much power or concentration to cast; so it was possible to use more than one spell at a time. Instead of power of concentration, they were most successful when used creatively, and Ginny and Neville had no problems doing that. Neville became quick at thinking on his feet, as it closely related to his position as beater. He constantly had to be ready for anything, and he said that waiting for an unknown spell to show itself was much like noticing a bludger bearing down on you without much warning. Ginny was used to creative thinking thanks to her brothers Fred and George, and often times her series of light curses and hexes were more debilitating than any one single curse or spell could be, no matter how powerful it was. She'd also taken to showing the group her famous Bat Bogey Hex. Not even Harry had read about that one in all his many books, and after he'd heard about its effects on Draco Malfoy the year before, he made sure it became part of his arsenal.

Quidditch practice was held that night after dinner, and the team was gearing up for its next match against Hufflepuff. They didn't have to worry about rough and illegal play like they did against Slytherin, but Harry still wanted the team to work on their weaknesses. Both Neville and Frank were spending quality time in the weight room Harry had set up, and already were lasting twice as long on the pitch without having to take a break. The three chasers were working better too, although they still had to use their hand signals. But their unique practice drills and the spending of more time together was helping out more than they expected, and Harry thought that while during the Hufflepuff match they might still be a little loose, by the time Gryffindor played against Ravenclaw, they'd be a well oiled machine.

And as if the day wasn't long enough already, Harry had his last detention with Hagrid that night. The first one Wednesday night was easy. Hagrid had mentioned the possibility of borrowing Hedwig to give his classes a lesson about Phoenixes, and when Harry agreed (with Hedwig's permission of course), the two had spent the night in Hagrid's comfortable hut drawing up lesson plans for the following week. Thursday night however, Hagrid had different plans. It was time to venture into the Forbidden Forest, he said, to try and mend the rift with the centaur herd. Harry thought it might not be such a good idea for him to accompany Hagrid because of his and Hermione's venture into the forest at the end of last year, but Hagrid said that's specifically why he had waited for Harry. Hagrid wanted Harry to explain his actions, so the heard would know he wasn't intentional or arrogant. He had simply been trying to escape from a professor that had abused her position, and not known the centaurs would be angry.

Whatever he had to do, Harry figured, would be better then what Snape had had in mind for his punishment of treating Draco like a human balloon. When Snape had heard from Draco about what Harry had done the night of the attack (he just heard about the levitation spell, the colorful tights were not surprisingly left out of the story), he had marched up to Harry at the next day's breakfast and demanded to know what Harry was thinking. Harry hadn't had any words with Snape in over a month, and had no problem therefore keeping his calm and explaining that he retaliated to one of Malfoy's normal insults. Harry admitted he was wrong, notified Professor Snape he had already been punished, and then went back to eating his meal.

Snape however wasn't so successful in keeping his calm, and demanded that Harry turn his attention away from his food and back to him. He then proceed to give a two minute lecture about how spoiled and pompous Harry was to think that he could get away with treating one of his students like that, and not think he'd be further punished. Snape had then gone on to demote fifty points more from Harry, as well as another twenty points from his friends, who he knew had witnessed the crime, but had done nothing to prevent it. Snape also assigned a week's detention to Harry to be served with him, and thinking he had won, turned to leave.

"Sorry Professor, but that won't be happening." They were the first words Harry had said since Snape had started his tirade, and they were just the words to send Snape off over the edge.

"Why you little brat! Twenty points from Gryffindor, for your insubordination. Who are you, to tell me what will be and won't be happening?"

Setting his spoon down in his cereal bowl, Harry turned his head up to face his ex-professor for the first time in over a month. Calmly, because he knew he would get in more trouble if he lost his temper or insulted the man, Harry replied, "You ask me who I am? Well, I'll tell you. I'm the student who's already been reprimanded by the Headmaster, and had previously told you that I won't be serving any detentions with you ever again, not wanting to put up with your blatant favoritism. I'm the student who thinks it's unfair you demote points from my friends when in fact they did try to get me to stop cursing Malfoy, but yet don't take points off your own house for them instigating the fight in the first place. And most importantly, I'm the student who's being interrupted during my personal time; interrupting my meal in fact, by the petty and unjust accusations I've come to expect from you; the very professor who I made sure I'd never have to associate with again. I suggest, Professor Snape, that if you have a problem with my involvement in levitating Draco, or my punishment for doing so, you take it up with the Headmaster. Seeing as I explained the situation to him fully, and he was the one to administer my detentions in the first place, it's really him you should be complaining to. And as I don't have anything more to you to say, I'll ask you now to please leave so I can continue with my breakfast. That's who I am, sir."

All around Harry, students were holding their laughter in for they knew it wasn't a good idea to get on Snape's bad side. The whole dining room had quieted down to listen to Snape's tirade, and so had heard Harry's response as well. But suddenly, a laugh escaped someone's mouth from the Ravenclaw table, and that broke the dam. Laughs rang out from all directions, and even Harry began to laugh at the look of pure horror on Snape's face. It seemed that he wasn't aware that the entire school population had been listening in on his conversation. What's more, he couldn't subtract points from anyone, as most of the whole school was involved with the laughter, including the staff and most of his own house. Only Draco and his goons shared the scowl Snape shot towards Harry before he stormed out of the room.

Needless to say, no additional points were deducted from Gryffindor that morning, nor was Harry required to attend additional detentions. Harry had walked a fine line in dealing with Snape, but since he remained calm, polite, and impartial, there was no real ground for any additional punishment. Professor Dumbledore had a hell of a time convincing Snape of that in his office later that day in a private meeting, but being the Headmaster, he did.

Shaking the memories of that morning out of his head, Harry couldn't help but fiddle with his dagger as he noticed Hagrid not only took his crossbow but a long spear into the woods with him. Harry's fears were alleviated though when they met the herd. Bane spoke with both of them grudgingly, and accepted that the trouble last year was an accident. Having Grawp move out of the Forbidden Forest didn't hurt the situation either. Hagrid almost blew the conversation when he started to talk about having his brother back to visit for the holidays, but wisely Harry turned the conversation's direction to other pleasant matters.

In the end the centaurs said they'd return to their peaceful ways when dealing with Hogwart's staff, as long as any trips into the forest were limited, and they were left alone in peace. If they wanted any contact, they'd make themselves known, and only then. Firenze was also still forbidden to return to the tribe, or even the forest, as his position hadn't changed any. Harry tried to convince Bane that he wasn't working in servitude of wizards, but instead worked besides them as an equal, but his pleas remained unnoticed. And every time Harry thought he might be getting through to one of the centaurs (more than Bane had joined in by now), he'd be interrupted by a centaur commenting on how bright Mars was, or how the alignment of the seventh house of Jupiter was strong tonight. Then, when the conversation would return away from the stars, Harry had lost any gain he though he'd made.

Truly exhausted, Harry returned to Gryffindor Tower late that night, well after the second group of prefects had already finished their patrol. Hagrid had wanted to stop by and see Aragog also, but Harry had pleaded against it, describing his day's schedule. Thankfully Hagrid agreed, and Harry didn't have to use the argument that he wasn't particularly fond of Aragog. Harry wasn't to sure if Hagrid had ever heard of his and Ron's run in with the giant spider years earlier, and he didn't want to be the one to tell Hagrid that his "friend" had tried to eat them.

Friday morning dawned early, and Harry decided to skip his morning work- out, he was so tired. He'd only gotten five hours sleep since coming back in from Hagrid's detention, and that wasn't nearly enough. Thank Merlin he only had one class that day. Maybe he could even take a nap that afternoon, after his practice session.

A letter that came to him at breakfast however changed all his day's plans. A large strange owl delivered a thick parchment envelope to Harry, which had a bulky item in it as well. Harry was just studying the strange seal on the envelope, when Hermione interrupted his thoughts.

"Harry! Have you seen the paper today yet? Isn't it great news?" Harry had absolutely no idea what she was talking about, so he asked her.

"It's Sirius," she explained. "There's a story on page three that says Minister Bones finally pardoned him, and explained in detail how he was never guilty. Now that Fudge is out of office, she made it one of her first tasks. And although Wormtail escaped from Azkaban with the rest of the Death Eaters last weekend, he was already interrogated by aurors under Veritaserum. Isn't that great?"

Harry couldn't help but smile and agree. Although it was much too late to make any kind of difference to anything other than Sirius's memory, it still felt good that now Harry could talk about his godfather without whispering in hushed tones. The world now knew Sirius had never betrayed his friends, and that did mean something.

"And guess what?" She continued. "The Ministry normally gives out a healthy compensation for wrongful imprisonment cases. But since Sirius isn't alive anymore, they've donated his reward to charity. Ten thousand galleons have been donated to the Order of the Phoenix, to 'assist in their ongoing efforts to combat dark wizards.' I guess the Minister being part of the Order does have some advantages. Now they can afford to have more people work for them, perhaps. It must be hard to have so many agents working in secrecy, and not be able to hold down a normal job because of the hours. Now the Order can afford to pay its members if they need to."

That, Harry wasn't so sure would be the case. Hermione didn't know just how limited the members of the Order of the Phoenix really were, but Harry did. He doubted the ten thousand galleons would be given to the members just to pay for their time. Most likely, Dumbledore would gain control on it, and use it as he saw fit. And who knows how that man's mind worked.

Turning his attention back to his letter, Harry saw a small crowd gathering at the Hufflepuff table. A group of students were pushing their way in to sit next to Susan Bones, no doubt thanks to her new popularity of being the Minister's niece. Harry could only laugh at the irony, and wasn't able to hold it in. Startled by the loud noise, some looked his way, and one of them happened to be Susan. She was looking decidedly uncomfortable with all the attention, and she sent a mock glare at Harry for laughing at her. He just smiled, and mouthed the words, "Now you know how I feel," right back at her. It was true too, and she just sighed before turning back to her breakfast. Currently, some second year Hufflepuff was buttering her toast for her, much to her annoyance.

Having opened the letter, Harry saw the same strange seal again on top of the letterhead, and this time recognized it as the seal of Gringott's bank. He'd never gotten a letter from the goblins before, but one look at the opening line on the short note told Harry all he needed to know about what the letter was about.

Dear Mr. Potter,

In accordance with his wishes, enclosed please find the key to the
Black Family Vault, now your property as bequeathed to you by Sirius
Black. As no doubt explained to you by Mr. Albus Dumbledore, who
received a similar letter the day after Mr. Black's death in June, all
funds and possessions have been left to you in accordance with his
last will and testimony. Please accept our apologies for only now
sending you a personal notice, but we could do so only after the new
Minister of Magic recently reported his unconditional pardon. It was
Mr. Black's wish that you not publicly be involved with his affairs,
until such a time as he could be proved innocent. Until then, he
wanted all legal matters handles through Mr. Dumbledore. We will
require your presence at the Diagon Alley branch office sometime in
the next two weeks to finalize paperwork, and there's no need to
arrange an appointment. Simply ask for one of the seven bank
managers, and please allow about two hours to review the sizable vault
contents.

With regards,

Urenthor
Senior Bank Manager, Gringotts, Diagon Alley

Huh? At first, Harry didn't know what the letter was talking about. Surely Sirius's family vault and all his available funds were seized by the Ministry once he was imprisoned? Then Harry read the letter over again, and looked over the old, tarnished, ornate key as well, and things became more clear. Harry still didn't know how it was possible for Sirius's vault to be active and now his, but he did understand the other name mentioned in the letter. Albus Dumbledore. Any surprise there? No, not really. Harry had learned too much about his Headmaster to be surprised that Dumbledore might have his manipulative hands in the situation, and Harry swore he'd meet with the goblins as soon as possible to figure out just how far Dumbledore's involvement went.

The rest of breakfast went by in a blur, as Harry was too focused on the ramifications of what the letter had meant to think about anything else. Because of this, Harry made a major slip in Arithmancy that morning, and for the first time, answered some of Professor Vector's questions incorrectly. Even Ginny, sitting next to Harry like always, looked concerned. Harry had never gotten any questions about the reading material wrong before. He told her after the first week of classes it was because he had already studied the material, not knowing that he couldn't enter sixth year classes until he took his OWL. That was believable enough, so Ginny just took Harry's high proficiency as normal. After all, if she was forced to repeat fourth year classes, she too would know the answers to most, if not all of the assigned readings.

After his blunder, Harry managed to focus his attention back on class, and he made some significant advances on his personal stunner. Since learning about the spell used to create Dementors from Seth, Harry had all but given up working on the personal stunning spell. Trying to find a way to stop the Dementors was so much more important. But because of the recent Diagon Alley attack, when a personal stunner could have came in handy, Harry decided to finish the spell quickly before returning work to the Dementors.

"Mr. Potter, would you stay after class please?' Professor Vector asked when the bell rang. Harry was already halfway to the door talking with Ginny, and it took a moment for what she said to register. Ginny offered to wait for him, but not knowing what the Professor wanted, or how long it would take, Harry told Ginny to go on ahead. She had another class to attend still, and he was done for the day.

"Yes, Professor?" Harry asked. He couldn't believe the two simple questions he had missed in class was reason enough to keep him behind class, especially considering his normal perfect behavior. Plus, he hadn't any type of personal relationship with Professor Vector like he did with some of the other staff. Remus, Professor McGonagall, or even Snape had reasons to speak with Harry about personal matters. Professor Vector didn't. Hell, Harry had never even talked to the lady before he'd taken her class.

"I noticed you attention was wavering in the beginning of class today, Mr. Potter," she began. "And although it was only a slight mistake in your calculations, I was wondering if there were any problems you've been having?"

Harry thought for a moment how to answer, but figured the truth wouldn't hurt. "Not really, Professor. I was just thrown a little this morning by an odd letter I received. Plus I didn't sleep real well last night. I was out in the forest with Hagrid serving detention after a full day of classes, Quidditch practice, and a D.A. meeting, so it took a lot out of me. Sorry about the wrong answers I gave."

Professor Vector only nodded slowly. She was a bit surprised that he was serving a detention when normally he seemed like such a role model student, but of course she did know of certain grudges her associate Professor Snape held. No doubt, he had something to do with the detention after such a busy day. "No trouble at all, Mr. Potter. I was just surprise is all, considering you've yet to miss a question or assignment. In fact, considering that you normally finish class work in a matter of minutes, and then work on your own equations, I'm surprised a single restless night was enough to cause your blunder."

Harry's eyes shot up from his desk, where he'd been looking, to the face of his Arithmancy professor. She looked momentarily amused, before continuing.

"Honestly, it looks as though it comes as a shock to you that I know. You didn't really think I wouldn't notice, did you? After nearly three months of class?"

Harry had the good sense to look embarrassed. "I'm sorry," he apologized, "it's just that I expected to enter sixth year level classes, and I studied real hard this summer to catch up on the work I missed. It wasn't till the first day of school that Professor McGonagall told me I'd have to attend a fifth year class. In all honesty, I've done all the reading and year's equations already. So when I finish early, I just work on some other stuff."

"I am aware, Mr. Potter. Minerva informed me of the situation before our first class together, and after our first month of classes, I knew that you already knew the material. In fact, from the time it takes you to complete your assignments in class, I expect you've done a fair bit of work in sixth year level material as well, haven't you?"

Harry nodded. He felt real uncomfortable; not because he had been caught doing advanced work in class, but because he thought the teacher hadn't caught on.

"As I expected," she continued. "In fact, I expect that you'd do well in sixth year Arithmancy, or possibly even in class with the seventh year students. Only three other students do I considered to knowledgeable beyond their current level. Hermione Granger, you're friend I believe, and Terry Boot are both perfectly capable of moving onto seventh year material, as you might be. The other is a third year Ravenclaw who already entered Hogwarts with OWL level knowledge, seeing as her mother works as a spell creator for the Ministry. However, while I might be able to convince the Headmaster to promote them in their studies, you unfortunately are unable to advance to take sixth year level classes without sitting for your OWL exam. It's because of this that I allow you to work on your own as long as your assignments are complete and satisfactory. I'll allow you to continue this as well, as long as you spend the time on school studies. While I prefer you to work on advanced Arithmancy, I recognize you might become bored or overworked with so much Arithmancy. Feel free to complete your other subjects' homework if you like. Just make sure to keep to school related work only, and that doesn't include Quidditch. Understand?"

Harry was smiling now. He thought he'd be in trouble for working on his own, but as it turns out it wasn't a problem at all.

"Thank you, Professor. Actually, I haven't even been working on other subjects in class; only Arithmancy. I set a project early in the summer that I'm almost complete with, and that's what I've been working on."

That seemed to perk Professor Vector's interest, and she asked Harry what he'd been working on. Clearly the Dementor spell was out of the question, but Harry had no reservations about telling her about the personal stunner. He even told her why he though to modify the spell in the first place, as it would have proved to be advantageous during his fight in the Department of Mysteries.

"I'm most impressed, Harry. Is it OK that I call you that?" Harry nodded. He much preferred his first name to "Mr. Potter." "Mr. Potter" sounded almost as bad as "Boy." Maybe it had to do with Snape only referring to him by last name. "Harry" was just much more comfortable.

"Spell modification is NEWT level work, and the personal modification you're adding, while potentially useful as you've pointed out, has no real market value. I'm surprised you're pouring so much time and energy into a spell that can't be marketed."

Harry just cocked his head. Market Value? "Professor Vector, what do you mean about marketing a spell? I'm just developing this so no one else can revive someone I've stunned."

"Well," she explained, "personal modifications to spells, while relatively easy enough to engineer, have no demand from the Ministry for development because they only work for the person who completed the spell work. Simply put, once you finish the spell, it will only work for you. All the calculations, whether you realize it or nor, are more individual than you know. You'll learn more about that in seventh year. That's why it's rare for a spell to be personally modified. It only works for the spell creator. Even after you're done, the spell will only work for you. If I tried to cast it, for example, it wouldn't work. Sure, I could use your notes to modify the spell myself, but it would still take some time. That's what I meant by not having a high market value. The Ministry usually pays spell creators for their completed formulas, but only if they're usable by the general public. Spells that are only made for portions of the public, like a contraception charm for females perhaps, don't fetch as high of a price. A completely personal spell, like the one you're developing, would sell for hardly anything at all. A few sickles at the most, perhaps."

Harry's head was swimming with too much information after he left Arithmancy that day. After her explanation the value of Harry's personal stunner, Professor Vector went on to explain to Harry the worth of the different classes of spells, and the Ministry guidelines and repercussions for creating such formulas. His spell, for instance, could be considered illegal to use, if he wasn't willing to reverse it, and was not a licensed auror or hit-wizard. Because naturally, stunning someone in the middle of a street, and not having anyone else be able to revive them, could be classified just as bad as death. What if Harry were injured, or died, or was just unwilling to reverse the spell. Yes, too much information.

Harry had spent one whole free period discussing spell creation with Professor Vector, so lunch was only minuets away. The weight of the Gringott's letter still in his pocket, Harry made his way to Remus's office. He wanted to ask if the man had the afternoon free, like he did, so he could get the trip over with. Plus, having Remus on hand might be beneficial, considering they'd be discussing Sirius's estate. Remus might have some inside information to offer, and he could provide some emotional support if it was needed. And Harry didn't know a thing about inheritance, so perhaps Remus would be able to look out for his interests, in case the goblins weren't. At the least, Harry knew there was no way he would be allowed to go to Gringotts on his own during school hours. Yes, he could escape on his own, but he'd probably be publicly sighted, so it was best if everything was legal.

"Remus," Harry called out, entering the office without even knocking. A student had just left from a tutoring session on his way to lunch no doubt, and Harry could see that no one else was in the office. "Do you have some free time this afternoon? I need to make a trip into Diagon Alley, and I'm sure the Order would like to provide an escort."

Remus thought he was joking, so Harry had to quickly explain about the Gringott's letter requesting his presence sometime in the next two weeks. Seeing as how the meeting couldn't wait until the winter holidays, it only stood to reason that Harry would have to leave school at some point. And since he hadn't any classes Friday afternoons, it really was the best time.

"Well, I do have one meeting scheduled with a third year Hufflepuff about History, but I suppose I could reschedule that for Monday. She just wanted to go over her essay about a goblin rebellion before class on Wednesday, but we'll have plenty of time before then. So, I see no problem, as long as you're allowed. I'm not an official Hogwarts professor, so I can't give official permission for you to leave campus. You'll have to ask Professor Dumbledore or McGonagall first."

Harry nodded. "I'm going to ask them at lunch, but I don't really see a problem. Is it OK if we leave right after eating? The letter said it might take some time, and I want to get back as early as possible. How about I meet you in your office right after lunch, and we leave from here?"

Remus agreed, and Harry made his way up to Gryffindor tower. He didn't want to wear his school robes into town, so he packed an extra pair in his school bag, and barely made it to lunch to find a decent seat. Ginny asked him about staying after class, and at the mention of Arithmancy, Hermione joined in the conversation as well. Harry explained to his friends about the extra work he'd been doing, and how Vector said she'd allow him to continue, and how impressed she was also. Ginny wasn't too enthused about the extra work Harry had admitted to, but Hermione was ecstatic. She could tell him all about personal spell modifications of course, and went on to describe some of the more popular spell theories and categories she'd heard of. Ron was starting to roll his eyes at her diatribe, and Harry knew he had to shut her up somehow fast, before Ron would be less tactful about it.

"Hermione," Harry interrupted her, "do you know that Professor Vector said that besides me, only three other Arithmancy students were capable of advancing levels in their study, and one of them was you. She said you and Terry were the best students in her class, and both of you would easily fit in with the seventh year students."

It was a nasty trick, but it worked. Hermione blushed immediately at the praise, and forgot what she was saying about Ministry guidelines. Ron started a conversation about the hair dying potion he'd learned to brew earlier that week, and all were happy again.

A foot from under the table nudged Harry's leg as he bit into his tuna salad, and from across the table, he saw Ginny smiling his way. "Good job," she said. Harry just gave a short laugh back. Ron wanted to know what had been so funny, but neither would tell him. When Ron started to huff about the indignation of it all, Harry and Ginny only laughed harder. This time, it took Hermione's interruption to calm things down.

Right after lunch, Harry headed to the Transfiguration classroom with the second year Slytherins and Hufflepuffs. The class didn't know what he was doing there, but left him alone. They were too busy cramming for a quiz before the bell rang. Humorously, Harry noticed that they were turning rats into goblets that week.

"Mr. Potter" Professor McGonagall addressed from the front of the classroom, "I do believe you're in the wrong class, unless you'd like to repeat third year, that is?"

There was a small tittering of laughter from the students, but Harry didn't mind. It was unusual for someone to interrupt a class they didn't belong to. But since the bell hadn't yet rung, Harry didn't feel that bad.

Approaching her desk, Harry drew out the letter he'd received that morning and showed it to her. After explaining his intention and need of visiting Gringotts, he asker her permission.

"So you see Professor, Mr. Lupin (he didn't want to say Remus in front of the third years) already agreed to accompany me, as long as I got permission first. Seeing as I don't have an afternoon class, and I have only two weeks to contact them, I thought this would be as good of a time as any. Since you're my Head of House, I figured I'd ask you."

"I think this is something you should ask the Headmaster, Harry. I'd feel much more comfortable if he were informed about this."

Harry had expected that in an answer, but was prepared. Pointing to the section of the letter that mentioned 'As no doubt explained to you by Mr. Albus Dumbledore,' he said, "Professor Dumbledore already knows about it, you see. I just don't want to have to make the trip all the way up to his office, be forced to eat a sherbet lemon, and then argue with a bunch of retired Headmaster and Headmistress portraits before reminding him of why I'd come. Remus is hoping to not miss any tutor sessions, and I want to return to school as early as possible. I though that coming to you would just be faster."

The bell had just rung, and McGonagall was arranging papers on her desk, not paying full attention to Harry anymore. "Well, if the Headmaster knows about this, as you say, then I see no problem. I expect to see you back for diner though. Don't use this excuse to escape into muggle London for a fast food meal, or to stay further and shop. Straight to Gringotts and back, is that understood?"

Harry smiled as he left for the door. Over his shoulder he called out, "Perfectly, Professor McGonagall. I'll just be going now." Harry wanted to leave as quickly as possible before Dumbledore got wind of this. The old man never was left long not knowing a secret in his school. However, Harry thought of something, and just couldn't resist teasing his Head of House about it. Turning back to face her, with the door held open, Harry asked, "Oh, Professor! Did you ever get to try those Warheads Professor Dumbledore has?"

McGonagall froze from arranged her desk at mention of the muggle sweet. Slowly picking her head up to look at him, Harry thought he saw a brief grin before her lips pressed into their familiar expression. "Mr. Potter, those are the most vile and disgusting concoction I've ever been forced to sample at the Headmaster's request. If you had anything to do with introducing them to him, or provided them either, it would behoove you to do so no longer."

Harry thought she might have said more, but Harry was about to burst out laughing, and quickly closed the door behind him before he could. Laughing at McGonagall's discomfort, while perhaps being acceptable if they were peers and in private, was not appropriate in a full classroom of her pupils.

Once he had her permission, Harry made quick work of exiting the school grounds. He met Remus in his office only making a quick stop in the boy's lav to change robes. Remus didn't mind holding Harry's book bag in his office while they were gone, and soon the two were leaving the front doors to the castle. Not needing to travel illegally or covertly, Harry suggested the easiest way to get to Diagon Alley would be to walk to the Three Broomsticks, and floo to the Leaky Cauldron. Remus knew that Harry could apparate, but since he wasn't licensed, the floo network was agreed upon.

Neither Urenthor or Gliptrot was the bank manager on duty that day, but an elderly goblin by the name of Vladenski (or Vlad, for short) was available. He escorted Harry into the comfortable office, and asked Remus to join them at Harry's insistence. Normally Harry wouldn't be required to have an escort, but because Harry felt he had nothing to hide from Remus, the goblin saw no reason to forbid it.

It took over an hour to explain to Harry what all of the paperwork was, and what it all meant. Basically, Sirius had left everything to him as sole beneficiary. This was all explained in the letter that Dumbledore received the day after Sirius's death, just because Sirius figured Dumbledore to be the temporary guardian of Harry at the time. He fully expected that Dumbledore would explain the situation to his godson, as well as the inheritance, until a permanent guardianship was worked out. It surprised the goblin, but not Harry or Remus, that Dumbledore had never even mentioned the letter.

A wizard's will wasn't much like a muggle one, Harry learned. There was no statement from the deceased, or a gathering of beneficiaries to hear the departed's wishes. Instead, a bank or wizarding lawyer was left with a set of instructions to be followed. In Sirius's case he left instructions with Gringotts, as he didn't know he'd ever be pardoned at the time he wrote them. Gringott's laws were noticeably different than wizard ones were, Harry made note.

That's the reason why Sirius's funds were never seized. Because as result of the last goblin rebellions, goblins had been left in complete control of all wizard banks, and the banks functioned under goblin law, not wizard. Therefore, Sirius's imprisonment in Azkaban for twelve years had no bearing at all on his accounts. In fact, because a majority of funds had been left untouched in long-term investments upon Sirius's capture, he'd actually done real well for himself. Now it even made sense how Sirius had afforded to buy Harry a Firebolt his third year, just months after escaping prison. After all, if his accounts were frozen or seized, how would he have been able to afford such a broom? There was a downside to the laws too, Harry thought. Sirius wasn't the only one who applied to such laws. What about all the real criminals captured? Hmm, Harry would have to think further about that later.

The trip to the vault (lower level, number seventy three) was just a formality to place the vault key in the door, and key Harry's signature into the security circle. The key would remain in the vault doors until his death or he decided to transfer ownership to another. It was in the office above, after the quick trip to the vault had been made, that Harry found out all the interesting stuff.

One, besides the vault's contents, Harry was also left the residence at Grimmauld Place (and all it contained), and a small vacation property on a small Mediterranean island. Two, while technically Harry inherited everything himself, Sirius had left instructions for him to spread some wealth around, as Sirius would have liked. Sirius knew that Remus was too proud to accept money for new robes, or that the Weasleys were too stubborn to accept a little help for being so kind to Harry over the years when he couldn't, so he instructed Gringotts to instruct Harry to do these things on his behalf. As Harry had more than enough money in his own vaults, he didn't think spending some of Sirius's on others would be a problem. And thirdly, and most excitingly, Sirius had already signed permission for Harry to spend the vault's contents however he'd wished. Being an underage wizard, normally that couldn't happen. But since Sirius was the boy's legal guardian, and he had drafted the document before his death, it was binding. Therefore Harry had unlimited access to the Black Family Vault, unlike his own.

It didn't take too long to sign all the appropriate paperwork once the situation was fully explained to him. The vault was just as filled with money and oddities as the Potter vault was, and Harry was encouraged to return at his convenience to more thoroughly go through the vault's contents. Investments, shares of companies, and "questionable items of interest" all demanded attention, according to Vlad. Harry knew from his brief trip to the vault that there was hardly any room to sort out the vault's contents, and asked Vlad what could be done about that. The vault would sit untouched for now, but Harry promised that he'd dedicate some time during his holiday vacation to attend to the business the goblin recommended. However, he'd need proper room.

"Well," Vlad said, "I suggest you open another account, to use for that purpose. We have a line of vaults that offer much more space, but not as much prestige or exclusiveness as the lower level of vaults. Still, they're perfectly well guarded and maintained, and as it could prove to be only a temporary account for you until you sort the Black Vault content, I think it's just the solution."

With Remus's help, so that he knew he wasn't being ripped off, Harry agreed to the vault. His only question was if house-elves were allowed access on their own. It wasn't a normal request, but as long as Harry gave permission, and a goblin oversaw the visits, it wouldn't be a problem. Since Harry thought he'd assign Dobby the task of going through some of the Black assets while he was still at school, Harry did give permission, for both him and Winky, just in case. Harry also requested that Griphook be in charge of dealing with the elves or Harry, if a problem arose. Harry was already comfortable with the goblin, and now that he was no longer chaperoning wizards in mine carts, he thought that Griphook might like the added bonus. It was part of the new vault's fee to give the managing goblin a bonus, and Harry thought Griphook would appreciate the gesture, even if he might have to deal with an excited Dobby on occasion.

After another round of paperwork was signed and filed, Vlad handed Harry his new vault key. It was different than his others, much larger, and Harry asked about it.

"Oh, you see sir, this line of vaults is just as old as most within our walls, it's just that they've only been accessible to the wizarding public for two hundred years or so. Before then, they were used mainly for trolls and giants; hence their size. Now however, with the giants leaving the United Kingdom, and trolls becoming less intelligent due to inbreeding, we've no need for so many vaults to remain unoccupied. Yours for instance is only the 833rd vault in the B line of nearly three thousand."

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Harry tried to convince Remus to spend the afternoon buying new robes, but at his refusal, the two returned to Hogwarts by way of floo right before dinner started. Harry just had enough time to pick up his bag in Remus's office, run back to his dorm room to drop off his books, and change back to his school robes, before his friends dragged him back down the staircase.

Dinner was a terse affair, not because Harry didn't enjoy the food, but because Remus, Professor McGonagall, and Dumbledore were all shooting glares in Harry's direction. Apparently, they had figured out that Dumbledore didn't really know about the trip, regardless of what his letter had said. Harry didn't care though. "Serves him right," Harry mumbled through a mouthful of potatoes. "Old coot should have told me months ago, when he got his letter about Sirius. Besides, I had to go anyway."

After dinner, before he could escape back up to the sanctity of his common room, or better yet his trunk, Professor McGonagall caught up with Harry and told him he was expected in the Headmaster's office. No surprise really, but Harry was tired. He thought he'd at least be allowed to wait until morning to have this discussion. Sulking, Harry made his way to the familiar gargoyle.

Dumbledore was alone, and right from the start expressed his disappointment in Harry.

"Harry, why did you lead Professor McGonagall to believe that I approved your going to Diagon Alley today? I did no such thing, and what's more is you should know that I wouldn't of."

Harry wasn't going to take it though. He'd not done anything wrong, and Dumbledore was just upset that Harry had once again discovered something the Headmaster was hiding from him before he had a chance to run damage control. He said as much.

"You should have told me this was going to happen months ago, when you got your letter. Do you know that the bank manager was actually surprised that I didn't know a thing about what I was doing there today? It takes a lot to surprise a goblin, too. I felt like an idiot, being so unprepared. You had no right to keep this from me. Sirius left his wealth to me, not that I want it, and I have to find out from a bloody owl when you've known for months!"

Pretending not to notice Harry's raised voice, Dumbledore replied. "The reason I didn't discuss the letter with you earlier, is because it contains more information than you should be privy to; Order of the Phoenix information. Then when you went missing, I became convinced that you hadn't the maturity to be allowed access to so much money. Truth be told, I'm still not sure, as you still refuse to share any information about where you've been with me. I can only imagine you wanting to spend your next summer on that Mediterranean island, where nobody is available to look out for you. At least at Grimmauld Place there will be Order members around all summer, as well as the Weasleys."

"I'm not going back to that place!" Harry said furiously. "I've told you that already. In fact, since I now own it, I'm free to do with it whatever I want. Maybe I will check out that vacation home. You know, get a tan, meet some local girls; the stuff normal teenagers get to do. You'd have me locked up like a prisoner with Buckbeak!"

"Harry," Dumbledore sighed, "we'll discuss where you spend next summer later, when you've had more time to think about your safety. This is hardly the time to be making decisions, as you're clearly agitated. Perhaps it's been a mistake these past few weeks to pretend like all our problems have been solved, when visibly they're not."

"You don't get it, do you?" Harry asked. He'd calmed down some, but was still adamant about trying to get Dumbledore to understand. "We won't be discussing anything of the sort. I already know where I'm spending next summer. And since my visit to Gringotts today, I'm also already in complete control of Sirius's assets. The only way you're going to learn my plans about any of it is to stop treating me like a helpless child, and recognize it's my own life we're talking about here. It isn't decided by majority rule. There's only one vote, and it's mine. So until you recognize that, I don't think I have much more to say to you. Seeing as I got proper permission from my Head of House to visit Gringotts as I needed to within two weeks anyway, and I went properly accompanied as well, I don't think you have any grounds to punish me. And with that said, I don't think we have anything else to discuss."

Dumbledore looked old once again. Harry had gotten better at keeping his temper, and arguing with an emotional child, breaking furniture and magical instruments, was much easier to deal with that a calculating and rational equal. "Harry, for now why don't we just give ourselves some space and time to think about what would be best for all concerned? Then, at the beginning of next summer, we'll move you to Grimmauld Place where we'll discuss your future living arrangements. At least you won't have to move back in with the Dursleys. I think that should show you I'm not totally unreasonable. Hopefully by then, you'll have settled down some to talk reasonably."

Harry just laughed in frustration. No mater what he did, no matter what he said, Dumbledore just didn't get it. Well, he had tried. Now he much didn't care anymore. 'I know,' Harry had a quick idea, 'maybe this will open his eyes up some. I'm sure Sirius wouldn't mind, and it won't really inconvenience anyone.'

Harry stood up to leave. "Professor Dumbledore, my stand now had been the same for months. No amount of time is going to change my mind. So no, I won't be moving into Grimmauld Place next summer, because it won't even be mine any longer. I plan to sell the property the first opportunity I get. I'll allow the Order to continue using it until the winter holidays, and then I'm afraid you'll have to move out. I request that you remove the Fidelius Charm as well by then. Hopefully I'll get a good price, and will never have to set foot in the hell-house again. I'm sure Sirius would feel the same way, seeing as it held so many unpleasant memories for him. I'm sure you can find another suitable location to hold Order meetings. If not, perhaps you can put those ten thousand galleons you arranged the Ministry to give you 'on behalf of Sirius' to work. Now if you'll excuse me, I'd like to get to sleep early tonight; I've had a long week."

As he left Harry heard Dumbledore sigh into his hands, but Harry didn't care. He tried expressing his feelings and opinions to the old man, and he got nothing but grief and more lies back in return for his honesty. If it took selling Grimmauld Place to uproot his power position and show him that Harry was capable of making his own decisions, then so be it. Harry only hoped Ron would forgive him for selling the place after he'd spent so long ridding it of doxies.

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There was another early morning Quidditch practice Saturday, and Harry let Ginny run it completely, as he just sat in the stands watching. He wasn't in the mood for having fun. He had too much pent up frustration. Acknowledging that, Harry decided what to do. After all, what better way was there to make yourself feel better than to interrogate a bunch of Death Eaters.

Sean Hazelton had been very quiet in the weeks since his interrogation. Harry had checked up on him at least once a day in addition to the elves, although Sean wasn't aware. Harry only hoped the others would soon follow his example.

Avery was the loudest and most vocal of the new Death Eaters. His Achilles tendons hadn't healed properly, and he was now permanently hobbled. The first man Harry had captured in the Diagon Alley attack, the one he'd punched in the face, wasn't known to Harry. He had suffered a broken nose, and again it hadn't healed properly. Harry didn't care if these men became disfigured or not, as long as they were kept alive. It was more mercy then they showed their victims.

There was another unknown man, and then two more that Harry did recognize: Crabbe and Goyle senior. Goyle's face had been badly burnt from Harry's fire spell, and already new baby pink skin was forming over the scabs. Crabbe and the other man were left unharmed, although those two were taking isolation the worst. Avery, Goyle, and the first still yelled and demanded to be seen whenever they were fed, but the other two had stopped days ago. At first they had yelled like the rest, but then they cried, and then there was silence.

Having the rest of the day to himself, Harry spent a lot of time questioning each man. He chained each up before entering their cells like he had with Hazelton, but these hardened men he didn't offer a meal or pity. They had done more than just that of their initiation into the fold; they were true monsters. Harry had brewed a batch of successful Veritaserum by then, and used it willingly. The men didn't even know they were under the potion's effects. Harry had stunned each man before entering the cells, to chain them to the walls. Before he revived them, he slipped three drops of the clear liquid into their mouths. The men might guess why they were being so truthful, but as long as they didn't witness the illegal administration, there was no way for them to later testify against Harry.

The two men Harry wasn't familiar with gave up very little. They were new to Voldemort's ranks; being too young to be in service during his last rise in power, but were willing followers all the same. They knew mostly low level Death Eaters like themselves, and some of the inner circle, but not much else. They were just the working class Death Eaters, not meant to hold Voldemort's great secrets.

Crabbe and Goyle knew little more. More intelligent than their sons, they gave up some of their comrades, and told Harry about some of the students at Hogwarts their sons were supposed to keep an eye out for. It was a list of possible initiates, he was told. Harry recognized most of the names, and was even surprised by a few. Taking the names down on parchment, Harry promised to let Remus crosscheck the list against his own later.

Avery of course had the most useful information to give. He could name every single member of Voldemort's inner circle, and provide locations and addresses of them as well. He also knew the location of Voldemort's two bases of operations. Both were unplottable, and only allowed the Death Eaters to apparate when summoned by the Dark Mark, but Avery knew where an emergency portkey was kept. The portkey was to be used in case the inner circle had to meet if Voldemort was ever captured or killed. Voldemort didn't consider that a possibility, but he'd been beaten once before already. So while he didn't know of the portkey's existence, a few of the inner circle did. It was actually Lucius Malfoy and Walden Macnair that created it.

There were many other secrets as well, and it was hours before Harry exhausted his list of questions. He'd only stopped to eat a small meal and have a short practice session with his double, and then continued with the interrogation. At four in the afternoon, when the last of the Veritaserum's effects wore off the last prisoner, Harry stunned all six. Releasing them from their bonds, the only other thing he did was pluck a few hairs from the top of each of their heads.

Yes, it was Harry under the disguise of polyjuice that entered Gringotts the next day, after taking his portkey in the Forbidden Forest, and then apparating away undetected. Avery was the first vial he drank from, and the taste hadn't gotten any better in the four years since he'd last drank the vile potion. Polyjuice was one of the potions Harry kept in stock, and he had just enough to make six small vials of the different Death Eaters.

It was the explanation of Sirius's will that got Harry thinking. If Death Eaters, even convicted ones, still had access to their money and vaults, then what was to stop them from going into hiding, or continuing to live like normal? If they didn't have the funds they were used to however, it would make things much more difficult.

So Harry had questioned each Death Eater about their finances. Besides the normal family vaults, most had a separate account for their spouses, and their children as well. Avery even had a few hidden vaults his family didn't know about. And all of them, excluding Sean Hazelton, had a V vault.

The V vault line, as any Gringott's bank manager could explain, was an exclusive series of vaults set up nearly fifty years ago by a powerful young wizard named Tom Riddle. The goblins at the time didn't know what the "V" stood for, but over time had come to guess. Now however, they were bound to honor the original agreement, and could do nothing to stop Voldemort's closest followers from accessing their V vaults. Each Death Eater of enough importance was issued one, and it was a private account except for one exception. Tom Riddle had access to all of them, and could withdraw or deposit money freely if it suited him. For the past two years he had only withdrawn of course, but what he promised his followers in the future was enough justification for what he took. The V vaults were Voldemort's lifeline; the money off which he lived. Once Harry found that out, he knew he couldn't leave the money there for his enemy to use. So that's when Harry forged his plan.

So acting like a complete ass to the goblins, much as he imagined Avery might himself, Harry had made the first request to transfer all of Avery's funds to vault 833B. It wasn't originally what he had in mind for his new vault, but it would do. Harry didn't feel bad for Avery's family, either. His wife and kids had thrown their hat in with that lot years ago, and still had enough material possessions to get by. Perhaps their newly discovered poverty would even show them humility?

Crabbe was the next flask Harry drank from, not five minutes after he left the bank as Avery. He simply transfigured his robes to fit his new portly body, and waited a few minutes more before repeating the process.

After seeing how startled the goblin manger was, Harry waited longer the next time, before retuning as Goyle. He spent an hour simply roaming the streets, thinking about the reaction Voldemort would have when he discovered five of his Death Eaters missing, as well as their money. Would he think they fled his service? Or would he know they've been caught, just not by whom? Harry could only wonder.

And so the process was repeated over the next few hours. Harry would enter the bank in the form of one of his captured wizards, use his knowledge obtained through interrogation to deplete the wizards of all their funds, and drink a new vile of another Polyjuice Potion. The extra he kept (clearly labeled) just in case he might need it one day, and as Harry portkeyed back into the Room of Requirement, where he had left from, Harry couldn't help but be pleased with himself.

Returning to Gryffindor Tower to get ready to travel back in time, Harry met his friends in their usually place by the fire. They'd given him a wide berth this weekend since his apparent bad mood started to show early Friday morning. They had asked about the letter that night, and after repeating his conversation with Dumbledore, they let him have his space Saturday and Sunday. Now though, he seemed to be in happier spirits, and Ginny greeted him as he plopped down in an empty armchair.

"Hey Harry, ready for your patrol tonight? Cami said she found a new broom cupboard she heard is a hot spot. Up for a little investigating later?"

Harry just smiled. "As long as I don't find you and some random Slytherin or Ravenclaw in there, I'll be fine for tonight."

Ginny laughed while at the same time turning red, and Ron snorted into the pumpkin juice he'd been drinking. "What have I told you about mentioning that again Harry?" Ron demanded. "I said never to mention it again. I guess you're felling better than, seeing as you're no longer moody?"

Harry could only nod. "Well Ron, I've had an interesting day, that's for sure, but I think things might be looking up."

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AUTHOR NOTES:

Well, that's chapter 20 for you! I hope I had a lot of people guessing about eh beginning part. I know a lot of you in my yahoo group were discussing all types of possibilities, and I don't think I read one that was even close to being correct. Things are also picking up if you haven't noticed. My next major events will be happening around Christmas in the story, and that will be only a few chapters from now. So please, review and let me know what you think. And thanks to those of you who write and let me know about those darned typos I keep on making. Not having a beta, it's hard sometimes. But one of these days I promise to go through and clean up all my mistakes. Until then, I hope my writing's clear enough to understand. Later all!

Molly Morrison – Thanks for your perceived input. I've been waiting for your opinion since your last review, when you noticed something wrong. I agree about the action, and have to think more about the adult interaction. Harry's just a teen still, so when he does interact with other characters, it's normally other teens. We'll be seeing more of Remus though from now on, and more DE captures, so I guess that will help solve the problem. Thanks for keeping me on my toes.

Darkmoore – I realize about the multiple time tuners (two now, but three during the summer), and I think I mentioned that there was carved out spaces for them in the copy of Hogwarts: A History that Harry used to hide them. If I didn't, I'll make that correction on my Schnoogle revision. And about spell/grammar check. Like I've said many times before, I don't have any betas, nor do I want any at this point. Still, the few mistakes I do make are minimal, and don't distract from the story. If someone wants to pay me to make my work perfect, than I'll be happy to go back and spend countless hours proofreading. Until then, everyone will just have to deal with the level I've hit. And if it bothers you, then read the Schnoogle version. By the way, I've noticed your own fics have problems maintaining the same tense throughout. See, it's a universal problem. Nobody's perfect.

Professor Loganberry – Since Hogwarts serves food buffet style, I think it's reasonable for a chicken and beef dish to both be on the table. Maybe Harry just really likes Yorkshire pudding? I know I sometimes go crazy, and have chicken flavored StoveTop Stuffing with a pork dish. A wild and crazy guy, I am.

DragonStorm316 – Thanks for the complement. It's funny really, that I'm doing a successful job of portraying all my characters' emotions, when I myself am very unemotional. Seriously, I don't ever get mad or happy, I'm just in a constant state of zen. Maybe I'm just writing how I'd like to be able to react. Who knows, but I'm glad that it works for you.

Tanydwr – Um, I was kidding about the "too many reviews." Actually, I'm getting kind of nervous because the number per chapter has gone down. I hope it's only because PoA was recently released, and that it will go back up shortly. And no I don't mind you talking about your own fic, as long as it doesn't become a habit. I actually started to read it a few weeks ago, but stopped after Ch. 5 or so. I just didn't like the fact that everyone accepted that she had lived a whole, muggle life in the future, and knew all about them. You didn't spend enough time developing the characters as you introduced them, and suddenly she's got parents, brothers, Sirius and James, all acting like best friends, and that the coma never happened. If you ever do a rewrite, spend more time explaining the situation right after she wakes up in St. Mungo's, and is reintroduced to everyone.

Lauren – Do you know this is your first review in many that hasn't had a negative thing to say? I guess that means I'm getting better, so I bow to your appreciation of my "genius that is Ross' writing skills." I still think you're nuts though. Glad you liked the Warhead. I almost didn't include it because it's mentions pop references, but I thought the situation was very in-character for Dumble to try a new lemon sweet. I do add a bit of humor at least once per chapter like that, but you must remember that this isn't a humor story. If you need another dose, go back and read chapter 7. Or better yet, have you visited some of the links on my Yahoo group? Two are for stories (one is a hilarious H/HR ship) that are entirely humorous, and should appease your appetite. Speaking about H/Hr, I don't care if pictures of the PoA premiere have Emma and Dan rounding third base; that still says nothing about Harry and Hermione in cannon. Sorry, luv!

Cobalt 45 – This has never been an angsty fic, and it's not turning into one. So Harry won't get too hung up on Amber's death. As for total number of chapters, I'm guessing about 30-35. Fic will be over 400,000 words for sure. I'm going to limit my sequels to 250,000 words though. Being too long-winded is one of my biggest mistakes.

Snitch20 – I haven't seen you in a while, so it's good to hear from you. You're one of my first reviewers you know. Yeah, I don't like that full blown love stuff either, that's why so far I've made Harry/Ginny's relationship purely physical. And Cho's still in the wings too, you know. Sorry you didn't like the teaser, but that's what they're there for. I won't do too many in the future, and when I do, you always have the option of not reading them. If you can really do that? I know I couldn't.

N/A – Sorry to burst your bubble, but Set was not the God of Chaos. Egyptian mythology, to my knowledge (and I have a book right in front of me), doesn't even have one of those. You might be thinking about Nun and Naunet, primeval deities that were part of the eight gods who "created the world." They are abstract concepts, not gods strictly speaking, but are both sometimes credited with snake-like appearances. No, according to the text I'm reading, "Set represented the cosmic opposition of darkness and light." True at times he appeared more evil than others, but that's just the constant evolution of Egyptian mythology. In fact, at times they have multiple gods merging into one. I'm just writing all this to show you I have done some research about my writing. Plus, I'm a big fan of "Stargate," which delves deeply into Egyptian mythology.

Jeffreyf – It may seem like low power level spells to you, but remember, Harry wasn't trying to fight, he was using guerilla warfare. Sneaking up on the enemy and then stunning them. When Avery found him out we might have seen some advanced magic, but he didn't have his wand at that point. Don't worry, you'll see some major ass kicking in the future. I'm saving it for the end.

Numba1 – Don't blame Ginny for Amber's death. The crack I made about killing her to pave the way for Ginny was just a joke. I can see that you don't like H/G ships, but like I've always said, this isn't an official one. It will just be more H/G than anything else.

Neo - Last chapter was only the second time I've used a flashback. And when it does happen, it's supposed to be surprising. In my opinion, it keeps my writing from becoming stagnant, and throws a few twists into my writing style to set me apart from others.

HermioneGreen – Sorry you had to restart the chapter so many times because of the length. I do realize they're starting to get away from me. The last one was the longest yet at 22,000 words (30 pages), and I've seen whole fics that aren't that long! I can only hope I'll be able to limit most future chapters to 20 pages, which was my original goal.

Bluetattingman – Sorry, but I have thought my fic out quite thoroughly. The Ministry is corrupt and inept, so Harry has decided to take on more responsibility himself, even if that means breaking some laws. This certainly isn't the first fic to do that, nor will it be the last. I don't see him becoming a comic-book hero, nor is he torturing his prisoners. In fact, without the effects of Dementors, he's treating them better then Azkaban would, which is where they belong in the first place. Don't blame me because the wizarding world is harsh on its inmates. I do thank you though for your honesty, though. You're the first negative review I've gotten in months, and I was starting to think that odd.

Qwesntarr – Sorry, but I can only answer that question so many times. Just scroll back through the AN's, and I'm sure you'll see me addressing Harry's aging at least 5 times.

Coolwhip0306 – I mentioned Grawp a few chapters back. He's living in France now with Maxine, and Hagrid visits whenever he wants thanks to a portkey set up by Dumbledore. Having him in the Forbidden Forrest was just doing more damage to the already strained relationship with the centaurs. Still, because of the portkey he's in reachable distance. Don't worry, you'll see more of him soon.

I don't respond to everyone's reviews personally, just those that have comments or questions. Especially now that I'm receiving so many reviews per chapter, I just can't fit them all in. So if you've written to say you liked my story and are waiting for more, than thank you.

I also now have a Yahoo! group addressing new updates my story, as well as pictures, info about live chats, etc. If interested, please visit. A link to the site is on my bio page.