A/N – Thank you to everyone who has reviewed. I'm going to try and keep the chapters between 2000 and 4000 words in order to keep posting more frequently and pause where it seems to make sense.

Chapter 4 – Where There's a Will There's a Way

Hermione arrived at a set of double doors. When Fangtooth opened them she saw a large conference table and a very old goblin she assumed was the Director. Her heart leapt as she recognized the young man who was talking to the Goblin.

"Harry!" she ran over and enveloped him in a big hug. "I'm so happy to see you! Are you OK? Why are you here? Why am I here? Dumbledore wrote me a note saying you had to be isolated for your own safety and I wasn't to contact you. How did you get here? The order will be going spare looking for you."

"Whoa, Hermione,

Breathe. I'm happy to see you too. I'm fine and a lot better now that you are here. As for why we are here it's for Sirius' will. I'll explain everything else once Moony gets here."

At that moment the doors opened and the last true Marauder came in and embraced Harry.

"Hey pup. You don't know how happy I am to see you. How are you holding up?"

"I'm fine Moony, no really I am" Harry said seeing the concerned glances from the other two since, for Harry, "I'm fine" could mean any physical state short of death.

"Hi Professor."

"Hermione, I haven't been your professor for a number of years. Please call me Remus or, better still, Moony."

"OK Moony" she smiled.

Harry looked at the old goblin, "Ragnok, is it OK if I explained a few thing before we move on? I know you must be very busy and I don't want to waste your time."

"Oh, no problem Harry. When you arrived I changed my schedule to leave the whole day open for you if necessary. I always take involve myself personally when one of our oldest family clients is involved."

Remus noted the familiarity between Harry and the old goblin and smiled and shook his head. Only Harry would be on a first name basis with Ragnok after having just met him.

Harry motioned Hermione and Moony to have a seat. Once they were comfortable, he started telling the events of the past 24 hours. He told them about the letter and the portkey (leaving out the rest of the papers for now). He described how his door had been unlocked and how the Dursley's were on vacation.

When he got to the part about Dumbledore's note, Remus was fuming and Hermione looked like she could have exploded.

"How dare that old coot," she growled, "isolating you and trying to take your inheritance. I hope you told him to get stuffed."

"Actually Hermione, I wrote him a nice note saying that I would not walk out the door of number 4 until it was safe to do so, and I gave him permission to represent me on the fourteenth. " He noticed the shocked looks in both their faces. He grinned and continued, "I don't know exactly what he's up to, but I didn't want to start irritating him until I could plan an escape. Besides, I figured Sirius would have planned for this and that I'd be hearing the will today so there will be nothing of consequence for Dumbledore to get on the fourteenth. Since I got here by portkey, I never walked out of the house."

They all laughed a bit at this. Suddenly Harry got an idea. "Do you two want to read the letter he left me?" Seeing them nod, he pulled out the letter and handed it to them. As they started reading he wondered what would happen if two people read it at once.

The blushes were immediate. Hermione sputtered "Wha, what? How could he write this about Remus and me? Harry what is this all about?" Remus just sat there very, very red.

Harry burst out laughing and fell off his chair. In between laughing fits he managed to say "I give permission for Hermione Granger and Remus Lupin to read the letter I have just given them," before he fell over again in another fit of laughter.

Hermione and Moony looked at the letter again and there was Sirius' writing to Harry. By the time they were finished, Harry had composed himself. Remus had a distant look in his eyes and Hermione was fighting back some tears.

"Sorry for the first part. I just wanted to test Padfoot's enchantment abilities on people I trusted first." At this Remus started laughing as well and Hermione had an amused smirk.

Harry continued, "as for the information he mentioned and the conspiracy, we can get to that later. I still need to get you caught up on one thing before we start the will. One of the last things Sirius did was start the process to adopt me." He paused, now with a beaming smile, "I went through the blood adoption process just before you two were sent for. I'm now Harry Potter-Black."

Remus grinned. He was right the old dog had done it. He was overjoyed.

Hermione was confused, "Blood adoption?"

"Basically it's different from a purely legal adoption in that I had to mix my blood with some from Sirius and it then drew back into my body. Since I now have Black family blood flowing through my veins, I am considered a full member of the Ancient and Noble Hose of Black while still retaining all my rights as a member of the House of Potter."

"I guess that catches us up." Harry said. He looked over at the old goblin, "Ragnok, I think we are ready to proceed."

Ragnok nodded in agreement and unbundled a short stack of parchment he had in front of him. He cleared his throat and began to read:

"I Sirius Black being of questionably sound mind and godlike body do hereby declare this my last will and testament. All previous wills are declared null and void. This will has been witnessed and certified by Director Ragnok of Gringotts."

Ragnok flipped the page, "Great, now that the legal crap is out of the way I can speak whichever way I want. If this page is being read then you are here Harry with the beneficiaries of my will who you completely trust. If I could guess right now I would have to say that Moony, and a certain cute bookworm are here with you."

Harry smiled that his godfather – no his FATHER – knew him so well. He looked over at Hermione whose face was twisted in such a way that she didn't know whether she should be offended or flattered.

Ragnok continued, "So, without further ado, let's get to the good part – me giving away the Black stuff to anyone but the family. To Hermione Jean Granger, I leave the entire contents of the Black library. Hermione, many people would say a number of the books are dark magic and should never be read. I trust that you have a good soul, a sharp mind, and a strong enough conscience to not use any magic with evil intent. If you do not know your enemy and what they can do, then you will surely fail."

Hermione was in awe. She had been in the library before and there were hundreds of books some of which were close to a millennium old. She had never been allowed to read any – Molly would not allow it. Now they were hers to read and study. Sirius obviously trusted her more than any other adult in the Magical world. She felt humbled by his words.

"Oh yeah, Hermione, when I said the entire Black library, I also meant the books which are contained in the Black vault in addition to the ones a Grimmauld. Second, leave you a sum of two million galleons, which is being deposited to your new vault that is being set up as this is read. The books will also be moved from the Black vault and Grimmauld place to your new vault until you can find another place to store them. The last thing I leave you is advice. Tell the person you love about your feelings. You see, he's a bit dense to the point where he can't see what is in front of him."

Hermione almost choked on the last bit. Just what did Sirius see that tipped him off? He was right though; she would have to take the initiative to get her wizard.

Ragnok looked at her, "Miss Granger do you accept this inheritance." Unable to speak at the moment she nodded. "Good, not if you will just sign this, your vault will be allocated and your gold and library moved to it."

He passed her a parchment and when she signed it, he passed her the key to her new vault.

Ragnok began again, "To my good friend Moony, I leave my entire wardrobe, two million galleons and the full set of my Marauders journals. My dear friend and brother, you can't refuse me this time. You must promise me though that you will share the journals with the two others in this room and most of all that you will take care of our pup and make sure he succeeds in what the fates have laid out for him."

Remus sat stoically with tears running down his face. He mouthed a barely audible, "On my magic and my honour as a Marauder I promise."

He also signed the parchment which Ragnok passed him and received a key in return.

The old goblin started reading again, "Now to Harry Potter-Black my son – Merlin that has a good ring to it – I leave the remainder of the estate. Ragnok can tell you the details, but I assure you that you will live comfortably no matter what you decide to do. Now Harry, take what you want and give the rest to whomever you feel like – it's yours now. Now a more important thing Harry – as my son you now inherit the title of Lord Black and become the head of the Black family. Just think of the look on Draco Malfoy's face when he learns that this title is not his. You see if I had no heir, it would have gone to the next Male heir in line that would have been Draco. Director Ragnok will now give you a box, if we have done this correctly you will be able to claim what is inside."

Ragnok gave Harry the box and he opened it cautiously. Inside was a ring. Ragnok informed him that this was the Black family Head of House ring. He knew that Sirius had died when the ring returned to its box at Gringotts. Harry picked up the ring and slid it on his finger. It resized itself to fit. Ragnok looked pleased "Congratulations Harry, the Black family has accepted you as its head and you may now use the title of Lord Black."

Ragnok announced that they could not complete the reading. "Harry, there is one more thing I can give you. Ragnok has signed emancipation papers. You are now considered an adult in the wizarding world with all the freedoms and responsibilities that go with it. Ragnok can remove the tracking charm on your wand before you leave. I love you son. Please take some advice from this old dog – Live your life to the fullest, make it through this conflict, and for Merlin's sake tell that girl your feelings. Don't mourn me pup, I don't regret a thing and I want you to remember that getting to know you and being able to spend time were some of the happiest experiences in my life. James and Lily would be so proud of the man you've become. "

After that last section there wasn't a dry eye around the table.

Ragnok waited for the group to compose themselves. He then pulled out another sheaf of parchment. "Harry, there is one more will here. Now that you are emancipated, you can claim your Potter inheritance. Would you like to hear your parent's will now, or at a later time?"

This new revelation shook Harry to the core. Hermione saw his reaction and went to sit beside him. She took his hand and said in a low, almost whispering voice " Harry, are you OK? You don't have to do this now."

Harry tightened the grip on her hand, "I'm alright, I think. It's just I never knew that they left me anything. I never really learned anything about my family and the news that there was a will and that I would get something from them when I was an adult is shocking to say the least. I thought my vault was the only thing my family had. Remus, why didn't anyone tell me?"

Remus looked a little nervous and almost refused to answer the question. Then as he started to speak he relaxed considerably. "Albus made all the other beneficiaries swear a wizard's oath not to reveal to you anything about the will or the Potter heritage – something about "the greater good". I guess that oath has run its course now that you know about the will. Only Albus knew what was in the will besides the sections that were meant for other people."

Harry seethed inside over the old man's actions. It was the type of secrecy he had come to expect from the man who had this obsessive need to control Harry's life. He smirked and thought, "That starts changing today. I'm taking control of my life and my destiny."

Harry spoke, "Ragnok if you would be so kind. I would like to hear the sections of the will that specifically pertain to me. All of the other sections were dealt with 15 years ago."

Ragnok read through the will and began, "To our son Harry, we leave the balance of the Potter estate to be given to him on the day he legally becomes of age. On that day he will also receive the Potter family ring and become the head of the House of Potter. Harry will also assume sole control of the access to Potter Manor and all of the associated grounds. The Potter house elves will also be loyal to him alone on that day until such time as he marries and has children. If we, his parents, should pass away before his coming of age, he should be given into care Sirius Black, his godfather who will be his legal and magical guardian. Should Sirius Black not be able to perform these duties, Harry should be given to one of the following guardians in this order: Remus Lupin, Frank and Alice Longbottom, Ted and Andromeda Tonks, or Arthur and Molly Weasley. Under no circumstances should Harry be given to our only remaining relative Petunia Dursley and her husband Vernon. The Dursley's hate the magical world and ourselves and we want Harry to grow up in a loving and caring environment aware of his heritage and the magical world."

Hermione felt the hand she was holding tighten its grip. Harry had an intense look on his face. This was the same look she had seen when he stared down Lucius Malfoy in the Hall of Prophecies.

Harry spoke his voice full of quiet anger and resentment. "That old bastard. He went against my parents' explicit wishes. I've lived most of my life ignorant of my heritage and the wizarding world. Before I went to Hogwarts I grew up friendless, beaten, abused and made to feel like I wasn't even worthy of the air I breathed. Ragnok, if this was in my parent's will, how come I went to the two people my parents expressly said I was not supposed to go to."

Ragnok sensed the flow of magical energy coming from this irate wizard. He had to calm the situation before one of his now largest clients lost faith in the Goblin nation. "Harry, when Dumbledore came to review the will, he used his powers as Supreme Mugwump to override the will. He claimed that you were already placed with guardians who would keep you safe and that you had to be hidden so that the remaining Death Eaters could not find you. He never revealed where you were and also got the Wizengamot to declare him your magical guardian. We had no choice but to follow the orders of the Wizengamot and the Supreme Mugwump."

Harry understood. Albus was a master of manipulation and used his powers and status to override the will. Harry decided to move past this for now. Ragnok had handed him a box with the Potter Ring. He put is on his other ring finger and it too accepted him and shrunk to size. He looked up and asked; "The will said something about Potter Manor. All of a sudden, I know where it is, how do I get there?"

He looked around the room, it seemed like the others had not heard him. "Hello?" They all looked at him. "Potter Manor?" They turned away again. This was very strange. "Ragnok, what about Potter Manor and the house elves?"

"Harry, you can summon your head elf just by calling him."

Harry was confused. Ragnok answered about the house elves, but every time he mentioned the Manor they acted as though they hadn't heard a word he said.

"I would like to meet the Potter head elf."

Almost immediately the elf appeared at Harry's side. "Master Potter, it is good to see you again. We have been waiting far to long for your return. My name is Jeeves."

"Hello Jeeves, please I do not like being called Master. Please just call me Harry and instruct the rest of the elves to do the same."

Harry was impressed with this well-dressed, well-spoken elf. "Jeeves, I have a ton of questions, but two come to the top. First most of the elves I know can't speak with even basic grammar but your English is excellent. Why is that? Secondly, why do the others in the room ignore me when I ask about Potter Manor?"

"Mas… Harry, your mother hated the way that most elves spoke and took it upon herself to teach the Potter elves how to speak properly. We now teach any younger elves to speak the same way. As for the Manor, powerful and ancient wards protect it so that only those granted access to the Manor can actually know about it. I can retrieve the book of access if you wish." Harry nodded and the elf disappeared and returned with an old book. Harry opened it. There were only two names on the page. – His and Albus Dumbledore's.

"Jeeves, can I take people off the list?"

"Yes Harry, as soon as they are removed, all memories of Potter Manor will be erased. They will never know that it existed. Look at the man across the table. He used to spend a lot of time with your father there, but he has no memories of it."

Harry erased Dumbledore's name and added Remus Lupin, and Hermione Jean Granger to the list.

In his office at Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore felt fuzziness in his mind and the feeling that he had forgotten something but he just could not pinpoint what it was. It was very annoying.

Back at the bank Remus smiled. "Thanks you Harry, I just got a whole ton of memories back from my times with Sirius and your father."

Harry smiled. He looked at Ragnok, "Is there anything else for today?"

Ragnok looked at the papers, "There is no other pressing business. Would you all like to visit your vaults?"

They all agreed and followed Ragnok out the door.

A/N – I'm still kind of building the plot line. For those wondering about the identity of him you will still probably have to wait for a few more chapters. I will give you one hint – it's not Albus ;-). Harry will find more information about the conspiracy in his vaults but most of it will still remain a mystery. When everything s revealed, I think the mystery and suspense will be worth it.