Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any affiliated Works mentioned herein. J.K. Rowling, Bloomsbury Co., and or Scholastic Books own or are entitled to any and all rights and or responsibilities affiliated with the works of Harry Potter and all monies made as such. I do not make any monies and write along this plotline for pure enjoyment reasons.

A/N: This story is being written as a response to a challenge posted by The Last of the Pendragons. A reminder to all dedicated fan fiction readers, I am in need of a beta so if you would like to take on this arduous task then please private message me.

Enjoy!

-Prie

Chapter 2 – Rightful Places

On August fifteenth Harry rolled out of bed at half past eight, his hearing was scheduled to take place at half past ten so he had two hours to dress, prep his case, and to eat and travel. He knew the law was on his side, but he always kept a backup plan in place.

After showering and shaving the little stubble he had accumulated over the past two weeks, Harry ate the breakfast that had been laid out by Kreacher. Harry had become extremely grateful for the services of the aging elf. Kreacher always had a delicious breakfast waiting for him by the time he was done with his morning wash-up and his snacks in the afternoon as he was finishing up his studies in the library were always a welcome event. Sirius still couldn't fathom how Harry had gotten into the good graces with the elf. He could be heard moping around Grimmauld Place asking questions of himself that were directed to the elf.

Hermione had been the hardest to placate followed closely by Mrs. Weasley. Molly for some reason seemed insistent upon Harry and Ron bunking together, but both boys, despite their extreme closeness, welcomed their own rooms. Mrs. Weasley was heard arguing with Sirius on more than one occasion after Harry's arrival about the room situation. She would always try to bring up how other members of the Order might like to stay instead of traveling to their homes. Sirius though would always win out when he would point to the crest upon the silver or some family heirloom. It was the Black crest and he was the last of the Blacks meaning that it was his home and his rules. Eventually Mrs. Weasley dropped it after her husband Arthur noted how the boys seemed fine and a little extra space for them would probably bring them closer together.

Hermione was a different story entirely; she would pester Harry nightly about where he went during the day. She would comment on how she combed the entire house and that he couldn't be found anywhere. Finally she just outright followed him from his room one day and into the library, but she was met with the same surprise as the twins. Regardless of how much she tried, Hermione never was able to get in.

"Harry?" came a knock from the door.

"Come in Sirius," he replied.

"Mr. Weasley is ready to take you to the Ministry. Don't forget your coin sack so that you can shop in Diagon Ally." Sirius took this time to pass Harry a sealed envelope. "Give this to whichever goblin helps you at Gringotts. They'll know what to do."

Harry nodded as he followed Sirius down the main stairs and not the back ones he had become accustomed to using. His thoughts were on the strange letter that Sirius had given him. Upon the front of the letter was the name Goldfist. Obviously the name was important to someone within the bank.

"Harry, are you ready?" questioned Mr. Weasley. He was wearing an old jacket with patches over the elbows that helped to hide the worn threads beneath the patches. It was a stark contrast to Harry's elegant robes. He had found them in the closet of his room. The robes evidently belonged to Sirius's younger brother Regulus; Harry had been given the story of the younger of the Black brothers' betrayal to Voldemort and his subsequent death.

"Yes Mr. Weasley, how are we getting to the ministry?"

"I know you had problems with the last time with the floo, but it is truly the fastest way. I'll wait for you at the Burrow and then we are going straight to the ministry." Harry just nodded his head as Arthur Weasley disappeared in the bright green flame from within the fireplace in the entry way.

The two stayed in the Burrow for only a moment before again disappearing in a flash of green.

The Ministry was an extremely impressive looking building. The floors were covered in black marble that glistened from the fine polish that was spelled on every night after the workers left. Large fireplaces lined the entry way, people were flashing in and immediately stepping away. Workers were walking everywhere with all sorts of odds and ends. Harry turned from looking at the high vaulted ceiling to see two Indian wizards exiting a nearby fireplace carrying a long carpet.

"They're trying to get the Ministry to allow flying carpets again," muttered Mr. Weasley in Harry's ear.

Finally after five or so minutes of mingling among the crowds and waiting in queue the duo arrived at the security checkpoint. A middle aged wizard sat behind a booth and was silently reading his news paper. Harry's picture was on the fold showing to himself after arriving back from the graveyard. Harry's anger at seeing the picture tempted him to just past by the lazing wizard without checking in, but he knew it would just paint him in a worse situation.

"Jonathon…JOHNATHON…yes thank you. We need you to please check in Harry's wand."

Jonathon took his wand and waved it above Harry's wand. A piece of parchment was conjured in the air that gave information about the user and the wand, he duplicated it and handed Harry the copy before grunting and waving the duo on.

"Harry I must get to my office. Amelia's office is just a few doors down that hallway. She is doing your hearing. I'll pick you up at lunch. Try not to get into too much trouble."

So as his instructions were given Harry followed them. He walked down the hall until he started seeing name plates.

Lord Parkinson

Baron Williams

Lord Malfoy

Lady Bones – Amelia Roslyn

Here it was. Harry knocked on the door. The handles were made of a shiny bronze that shined like the floors below. Harry wondered what the Ministry must be spending. As he waited for the door to open, he opened his robes and retrieved a large piece of parchment that had all of his notes.

After waiting a few minutes and still no answer Harry sat down next to the door and began reading the other name plates around.

Earl Smith

Lord Greengrass

Lord Black - ???

Harry noticed that where Sirius's name should have been were numerous question marks. They must signify that the ministry didn't know who the current Black Lord was. As Harry got down to the end of the hall he noticed a name that was extremely familiar to himself.

Duke Potter – ???

There it was, proof of his father and of his past ancestors. Harry decided that if Madame Bones arrived while he was looking at his family's office she would call for him as he was the only one in the hall. Harry got up and walked down the hall. It was a short trip and before he went to open the door he turned around.

The room was ornately decorated with a Wizengamot robe hanging in the corner from a coat rack. The desk sat in the center of the room with two large leather chairs opposite it for guests to sit at with a further addition of a few small couches that one passed as he entered the room. Like the rest of the Ministry building, his family office was polished and gleamed in the magically made light coming from above. His window seemed different from what he would have expected. It didn't show the outside, even though Harry had concluded that they must be magically done because he was currently underground, but instead showed the current occupants of the Potter Office a large ocean bottom with fish swimming every direction.

Coming back up the lift Amelia Bones was currently festering with anger. First Fudge had come to her office at eight in the morning and demanded that she be down in courtroom ten within ten minutes for a trial. When she asked him what the trial was for because she had an appointment with Harry Potter to discuss what happened that required him to attempt the Patronus Charm in a heavily populated muggle and in view of a muggle. Didn't the boy know that it was against the law to do so? To make matters worse she had to sit next to Fudge in her capacity as both head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and as the Bones Proctor because he little niece was too young to take the seat of her late brother. Sitting next to Cornelius Fudge never became a pleasant thing. He would rant and rave at any injustice that the Prophet would throw against the Ministry, but today was even worse because she had to listen to the man moan and groan about Mr. Potter for two hours. Then after waiting till ten thirty she removed herself with the rest of the court after finding Harry Potter guilty of breaking the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery. She hadn't even been totally convinced as to what law the boy broke, but was forced to expel him from Hogwarts because of his guilty plea by lack of attendance. It really tore her heart apart that a boy who had suffered so much and who her niece Susan said he was such a gentlemen would be arrested on sight and removed from the magical world. Oh what her Cousin James would say at such a thing.

Amelia was going to head down to the DMLE and drop off some paperwork, but had to put her family robes back in the office before going to her other office. As she turned to open the door she noticed a door open down the hall. Now this usually wouldn't have bothered her, but said door hadn't been opened in almost twenty years. Harold Potter, whom she had met only a handful of times once out of Hogwarts, had died and his son James never had time to take up his mantle with the war going on.

She strode down the hall to the Potter office and the first thing she noticed wasn't the lack of a name, but the addition of a name.

Duke Potter - Harold James Potter VI

"Hello," Amelia called out.

"Hello, I'm by the bookshelves. Come in and take a seat I'll be right there." came a reply from an unknown person. This concerned her because no one was supposed to enter these offices without their owner being there or if they were part of the maintenance crew. She had already forgotten what she had read on the plaque by the door.

"This is Amelia Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, come out slowly with your hands where I can see them. You are under arrest for trespassing within the office of a Titled Family."

Harry heard this Amelia Bones person declaring herself to himself. He didn't know what to do; he didn't think he had done anything wrong. The door had opened when he turned the knob and it was his family name. Didn't that mean it was his office? All he wanted to do was see what was inside and when he saw the law books decided to see if there might be more information in them than the somewhat limited selection he had at Grimmauld Place because of their lack of a self-updating subscription.

Reasoning that it could only hurt him more and because he believed this was the person he was supposed to have his hearing with, Harry came out from behind a bookshelf with his hand up in the air.

"Is there anything I can do for you?"

"You can start by telling me what you are doing in a family office of one of the oldest families in Wizarding Britain."

"Excuse me? This is my family office. Madame Bones was it? Could you at least lower your wand? I came to your office this morning for my hearing with you and you weren't there so I decided to look around while I waited."

Amelia stood still, Harry potter was standing before her. If what he said was to be believed, he arrived in time for a ten-thirty hearing. Harry Potter was supposed to have received a notice from the Ministry over a week ago confirming the change in time and venue, yet he arrived at the original time. This was extremely alarming to Amelia. Something was amiss.

"Be that as it may Mr. Potter…"

"Duke…"

"I'm sorry?"

"Duke Madame Bones, Duke Potter. I am your grace, the Duke of Potter to commoners and to you Madame I am Harry," said Harry with distinction. He knew from his studies that everything he did must be proper and firm. It would not help him any to be shown as lacking in front of his social peers.

"Be that as it may Harry, you were supposed to be in court this morning at eight-thirty," rebutted Amelia. Harry could pull his name and family around, but she would pull her rank within the Ministry.

"That might be true except for two issues; I never received notification for a change in venue, and all dealings with breach of Article five, clause nineteen point three of the International Statute of Secrecy, Revised 1951 clearly state that someone within the Department of Magical Law will hear the case of the defendant before recommending further actions. You Madame were supposed to meet for my hearing at half ten this morning and I am not required to stay because you missed your appointment, but I understand that you are busy and decided to wait."

Harry eventually invited Amelia to sit in his family office and told her about what happened the night the dementors attacked his cousin and himself. The entire time Amelia took notes on a spare piece of parchment, her current mood had been put down slightly after being talked down upon by a fifth year but understood that he was merely stating laws that she is charged with overseeing and enforcing.

In the end Amelia was left with more questions than answers. First was why a lack of notification was sent to Harry for both his eleventh birthday and the changed venue of his hearing. Something wasn't right and she could sense underhanded foul play. It would be her official recommendation that Duke Potter have all charges against him dismissed, but because of the unusual circumstances regarding the boy she was forced to bring the boy back in for a full hearing as to understand why certain timely events kept passing Harry by.

"So next week, Tuesday, at one in the afternoon I have another hearing?" asked Harry.

"Yes, but it will be more geared towards acquiescing why you are not receiving official notifications."

Harry and Amelia bid farewell to each other. Harry locked the family office with a blood-line charm he read about in the Black Library and set off to find Tonks so she could take him to Diagon Alley.