Disclaimer: I own nothing recognised as belonging to someone else.

Author's Note:

Pairings aren't all that important in this fic, but there will be crushes and flings along the way.

I stood idly in the shadows of the conference room of Gringotts, my cold-charmed hooded trench coat, black, meshed well with the darkness of my corner. Shamus, whom I had gotten to know quite well and was currently living with, had temporarily charmed my scar gone, my skin normal, though pale, my eyes a shade of pale hazel and made me look eighteen as opposed to my actual age of sixteen.

Gazing around the room, I noticed that Dumbledore and a few Weaselys didn't look so much sad as chagrined, namely Ginerva and Ronald. Hermione Granger was crying, true, but I wasn't entirely sure if it was for me as a friend or me as a person. Remus looked like hell, but it was expected. Snape looked surprisingly sombre, as did the representatives from St Mungos. All present were expected to attend the small, private 'funeral' after the proceedings, where the song played as the coffin was cremated was a muggle song I had chosen personally, which was both appropriate and hinted subtly.

The goblin, who was to read the 'Will', cleared his throat and looked around. "Is everyone here?"

Dumbledore gave a falsely watery smile. "I believe so, Mr Jabberknoll."

I vaguely noticed from my cool numbness that now that I was not as recklessly emotional as I once was, I was no longer as inclined to fall for falsities.

The goblin frowned as he took in the faces around the table. "Is a Mr Vashti S. Frost present? The Will most clearly states that he must be present for the reading or the Will will not be read."

Thwarted anger flickered over the Headmaster's face so fast I'm sure only myself and my solicitor, Jabberknoll, saw it. He covered up quickly with a worried but hopeful smile. "But surely that cannot be the case? I'm sure Harry-"

"My brother was most adamant in his desire that I be here, Headmaster Dumbledore." Everyone but the goblin jumped at my charmed Russian accented voice and gave me a deer-in-headlights look.

"Mr Frost. How nice of you to join us." Jabberknoll gave me a nod and a quirk of an eyebrow that was the goblin equivalency of dry amusement.

I returned the nod and gave the old wizard a cool stare. "Harry, himself, sent me a letter right after he completed his Will, making it quite clear that I be here to stand in his stead." I stalked past the startled humans and seated myself between Remus and Jabberknoll. I nodded for the goblin to continue.

"Please sign your name as a record of attendance and agreement to the final wishes of Mr Potter." Everyone signed their names.

Jabberknoll cleared his throat and began the reading, smoothly interrupting any queries that may have been made.

"I, Harridan James Potter, being of sound body and mind, do here state my final will and testament.

"To the Weasleys I leave fifty thousand Galleons for being the family I never had. To Hermione Granger, I leave twenty thousand Galleons which will be placed into a trust fund until graduation from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry or until she is no longer a student there. To Remus Lupin, I leave the Sun House in Liverpool and fifty thousand Galleons to be used at his discretion.

To the Order of the Phoenix, I leave Grimmauld Place and one hundred thousand Galleons to be used exclusively for the betterment of the Order as a whole. A goblin will be left in charge of all transactions to ensure the money is used for the purpose it was left for. To Weasley's Wizarding Wheezers, I leave one hundred Galleons for experimentation and expansion. To St Mungos Hospital, I leave five hundred thousand Galleons for the betterment of medicine and magical care. To Gringotts, I leave two hundred thousand Galleons to overhaul the wards and defences on the condition that the premises become a sanctuary for the innocent if they should need it.

To Severus Snape, for putting up with a job you hate with people you hate, eg children, I leave you two Galleons and a copy of Belladonna Nightshade's 'A Thousand and One Obscure Potions and How To Use Them'." Snape looked well and truly shocked that he had gotten anything, let alone acknowledgment that Harry had seen him for what he really was, but also having gotten one of the rarest known Potion books in the world. "All remaining items, assets, monies, vaults and estates are to go to my half-brother, Vashti Sable Frost with the request that he keep an eye on Remus and give him a place to stay if he needs it."

I stood and bowed to the reader of the will, hand over heart. "Pro Vos." (1)

"Wait a goddamned minute!' Ronald Weasely stood and slammed his palms down on the table, drawing a cool look from both myself and Jabberknoll, and shocked ones from almost everyone else. Ginvera and Dumbledore made a better effort to hide their dismay.

Jabberknoll raised an eyebrow. "Is there a problem, Mr Weasely?"

"Damn straight, there is! Why was he left so much when we were left so little?! We were his friends for years and he just came onto the scene! Why does he get so much?!"

I had a smile on my face with my head bowed and eyes closed as I rode out the Weasely boy's jealous rant. When the redhead was finished, I spoke calmly and levelly, enraging my once-friend even more.

"First and foremost, I am Harry's closest surviving Potter relative and, as such, am entitled to the Potter Hereditary estates, monies and items. Secondly, I have been corresponding with Harry since the end of his fourth year via muggle communication systems such as telephone, letters and, on two occasions, face to face meetings. Through the school year we used my owl, Snowshadow, who bares a marked resemblance to Hedwig. The only person in England who actually knew about my existence before Harry was Sirius Black and thus he cannot be here as an accountable witness." I paused here to give Dumbledore a Look. "And, last but certainly not least, you, Mister Weasely, are in enough trouble as it is with the Gringotts goblins for fraudulence. "

Weasely paled and sat down, ignorant of the stares of everyone but Dumbledore and Ginerva.

I nodded to Jabberknoll and left the room. I still had to get ready for the 'funeral' in an hour's time.

I'd never been able to fully explore Diagon Alley before on my own. I had been startled when Shamus had told me that there were, in fact, seven side streets along the main one, not just Nocturn Alley. There was also Centre Alley, which was made up of cafés, restaurants and other social places; Factu Alley, which sold furniture and other home goods; Natur Alley, which was basically a groceries market; Gradu Alley, the fashion district; Leisure Alley was for hobbyists and pet shops; and, last but certainly not least, was Structure Alley. Aside from being filled with dance, social and strip clubs and bars, it was also rumoured to be the local hangout of other races and half-humans who could pass as normal witches and wizards.

I was, at present, picking up my outfit for the funeral from Woven Shadows in Gradu Alley. Two days prior, just after I got out of the hospital, Shamus had taken me on a shopping spree when he saw what had passed for clothes for me. Once I had decided that I liked faded black cloth as opposed to shiny black leather, Shamus had introduced me to his niece, Charmane ("Call me Char."), who worked in Woven Shadows. From what I understood, Woven Shadows was the wizarding equivalent of 'Pretty & Twisted'.

Beneath the hooded trench coat, I wore simple faded black jeans that were comfortably stretchy and flared at the bottom, a black cotton tank-top that left my mid-riff bare and metallic black Dock Martens. At Shamus's insistence, there was a Celtic cross on a black cord wrapped around my neck.

An off-hand comment from Char, which I really wish she hadn't made, had had Shamus growing my hair to lower back in irritating wavy fly-away almost-curls. There were two locks on either side of my face that were especially annoying in that they curled over my cheeks, framing my face in an upside-down heart shape. I thought I looked like a girl. Shamus thought I looked cute. Char actually told me I looked out and out fuckable.

The shop was seemingly empty but for Char and wonderfully dark and cool as opposed to the blasting heat outside. I was already unbuttoning the coat before the door closed as I made my way through the racks of dark clothing towards the girl at the desk.

Char Winner was twenty-one with a most odd obsession with the colour blue. Her short hair was midnight blue, her contact lenses were winter blue, her lips were coated in a blue lipstick called asphyxiation and her clothes were royal blue leather. I wanted a tongue piercing like hers.

Obsession aside, Char was a maneater. I would have been unnerved if she hadn't decided I was more of a little brother/high maintenance pet in the first ten minutes of our meeting. The first thing I had noticed about her, aside from the notable colour obsession, was that, while a total egotist, it was nearly impossible not to like her; hate her, yes, but you still came back. It was like she oozed charisma.

I dropped my coat on the counter next to her and I swear she jumped half a foot.

Char blinked her big blue eyes up at me and gave me a reproachful look, dog-earing the page of the horror book she was reading. "You could have made some kind of noise or something. Honestly, you're just as bad as the bloody vampires."

I raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Vampires?"

And, yes, I had noticed the three people I assumed to be vampires coming towards us from the boots section.

"Yeah. There sneak up and scare the beejeebies out of you. It's irritating as hell."

The vampire in the lead, a tall, gorgeous male with honey-brown eyes and long straight black hair in a high ponytail, smirked in mischievous glee and reached out to tap Char on the shoulder.

My hands were inches from my ears when the vampire's hand reached her. Therefore, my ears were firmly plugged when Char let out an unearthly shriek.

Char whipped around and socked the vamp in the jaw, sending him stumbling back a few steps. The other two vampires were still laughing at the poor girl while the one she had socked was giving her a shit-eating grin.

Char was berating the vampire who had startled her, but I had since tuned her out. She called the one who had scared her 'Seth'. The other boy in the group, who sported a pair of almost lavender eyes I was sure were natural, had long hair which was an odd assortment of black, royal purple and gold and skin the colour of cocoa. He was small and slender and not entirely cute, more feral, but it was close enough to describing him; his name was 'Honey'. The last and only girl had black eyes, skin as pale as my own and long, bone-white hair that hung past her butt in much the same manner as mine did. Her name was Susan.

I sighed. This was really cutting into my free time. I had to be at the funeral in half an hour.

"Char?" Char and Seth ignored me but 'Honey' and Susan glanced at me and looked away before snapping their heads around to stare at me, shock and something else blatantly displayed across their faces.

I frowned at them. "Take a picture, that way I can be flipping you off even when I'm not in the room."

Susan smiled and 'Honey' laughed in amusement, but they both looked away. I turned my attention back to Char and Seth.

"Char? Char!" I blew air out of my nose, lips tight and eyes glaring when she ignored me again. Alright, then.

"CHAR!" Both human and vampire gave me deer-in-headlights looks, their attention caught by the echoing voice that came from my throat whenever I used any of my magic these days. I pulled my power back and addressed the girl. "Char. I have twenty minutes to get changed and get to the funeral. You have my outfit. Please get it."

Char pursed her lips irritably, but left to get the clothing without a word.

"So…" I gave Seth a Look. He ignored it. "What school do you go to?"

"None. I'm home-schooled."

He muttered a "Damn!" under his breath before continuing. If I had been human, I wouldn't have caught it, but since I'm not, it's a moot point. "Why not?"

I threw out my pre-prepared response. "IQ of roughly 304. I only got letters to preppy schools because public schools didn't want me making the other students feel stupid." I gave Seth another Look. "I made it very clear to Mother what I would do if she sent me to a preppy school." I bared my teeth in a more-snarl-than-smile. "She wasn't willing to take the chance."

"I see."

The look of thwarted interest on his face was rather amusing.

"Here you are. You can use the change rooms if you want." Char seemed to be over her moment of being miffed. I took the parcel wrapped in black paper with a nod, picked up my trench coat and moved to change rooms.

I put proximity wards and locking charms on the change room door just in case. Vampires, after all, are renown perverts, and these three had obviously taken an interest in me.

Damned if I knew why.

…Please note that I am ignoring the fact that some would say that I am damned.

I put a one way silencing charm on the door so I knew what was happening outside, but they couldn't hear what I was doing. I would assume they thought it was a simple both-way silencing charm since as soon as it went up, they began speaking about me.

"Who is he?" I'm pretty sure that was Seth.

"Vashti Frost. Damned fuckable, isn't he?" That was Char. She sounded amused. The bitch.

"Is he legal?" That was Susan…I think. There wasn't any other girls…I don't think.

"Sorry, babe. As far as I know, he's just turned sixteen."

"Is he gay? Or at least bi?" I think that as Honey, but I wasn't sure.

Char snorted. "For all I know, he could be into ducks. The guy's harder to read then ancient Egyptian. I do, however, know that he's both naïve and oblivious to subtle sexual advances and gets flustered when confronted with blatant sexual advances. I'm almost positive he's a virgin, so there's a chance he doesn't know his sexual orientation."

There was a happy sound. "Well, I guess it's a good thing I specialise in virgins, then."

I rolled my eyes at the arrogance in Seth's voice. 'Well,' I mimicked in my mind as I zipped up the coat, 'I guess it's a good thing I specialise in playing dumb, then. Heaven knows I got enough practice with the Weasley Twins and their propositions.'

I blocked out the four perverts' speculations of what I'd be like in bed in favour of regarding my reflection.

I liked it. I looked like a noble but angsty Dark Prince from a fantasy novel…You know; the kind that falls for the tragic heroine, turns good and ends up carking it at the end of the book.

I was wearing slate-black pants made from dragon-hide and heavy, black combat boots that climbed up my calves to my knees, the fitted leather and tight lacing making my legs look longer. The coat was awesome. It was high collared but slightly open and sleeveless, clinging across my chest to my hips were it let peak a triangle of flesh around my belly-button before flaring out with its starch-induced billowing to my ankles. The coat itself was a faded black cloth that looked to not be able to decide if it was cloth or leather, and so settled for looking like leather but acting and feeling like heavy cloth. I'd pulled my long hair into a high ponytail and outlined my eyes with kohl.

I looked both conservative and rampantly slutty. It was dark enough and covered enough skin that no one could complain without me being able to take offence; especially if played the depressed and grieving, but still tragically noble brother estranged by circumstance and a stupid old man.

Damned I looked good.

Vain? Me? Never!

…Well…maybe a little. But only since I changed form.

I folded my other clothes and put them into a sub-space pouch I attached to a loop at the back of my pants under the coat. I pulled on the black shadow woven gloves and tucked my new wand (Snow Hound fur and Ebony, eight-and-a-half inches) into a hidden pocket in the hem of the lower half of the coat. I nodded to my reflection and put on the trench-coat, pulling up the hood. I took down the wards and charms and exited the room.

I put a pouch of Galleons on the counter and took off towards the door with a "See ya!" and a pause which lasted long enough for me to tell Char "And I'm allergic to ducks."

Then I was out the door and making for Gringotts again where I would floo to the Eternal Rest Funeral Home (the Wizarding one).

The four people left in Woven Shadows all flushed deeply when they realised what the duck comment meant.

I had obviously heard them.

1. Latin. Means 'For You'.

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