Disclaimer: If you recognize a character, place, fantastic creature or anything else in this story, be assured that I not only do not own it, but am rather borrowing it for my own dark purposes. They are just props on which to exercise my deep, rich, fertile imagination. Muahahaha!

A/N: Thanks for the R&R's. I realized when I read the story after some sleep, that I had screwed up on the goblin scene. I originally had Harry going to Griphook's office, but then Griphook ended up as a minor cameo while the boss goblin was Flickaxe….my bad.. (Author self flagellates himself with extra long linguini noodle… much better) My only reasonable excuse is the fact that I wrote the chapter long after I should have been in bed… like 2am..

Chapter 2

Truth and Consequences

Harry awoke the next morning feeling better than he had in years. He looked in the closet, but found nothing appropriate to wear for his trip into the seedier side of the wizarding world. Knowing that the Black family was a typical Dark Slytherin trained family, he was sure that there would be appropriate clothes, all he needed was to find them. Putting on his most commanding attitude, he called out, "Kreacher!"

Suddenly appearing, bowing and scraping, the elf asked Harry how he could be of service. Harry looked at him, amused. It was amazing how the little elf's attitude had changed. No longer was acting demented, as Harry had suspected, Kreacher was about as crazy as a fox. The whole insanity thing had been an act. This did not mean that Harry had forgiven his part in the death of Sirius, however he needed every ally he cound get this time, even if they were scheming nutters. In retrospect, Harry thought that scheming nutters might be exactly what he needed right now.

"Kreacher, I have need of your service. I wish to go into Knockturn Alley today, but I do not want to be recognized. I have not found any appropriate clothes for that purpose. I wish for you to rectify that situation. I will also require breakfast, nothing too heavy. After I have eaten, I will have additional assignments for you. Make no mistake, if you fail, I will not be forgiving, but should you serve me loyally, there will be great rewards. Lord Black rewards loyalty. And that is another thing. I shall no longer be referred to inside this house as anything but 'Lord Black' or 'My Lord'. 'Lord Potter-Black will also be acceptable, however it is not my first choice. Please notify all of the family portraits of this policy. Say nothing to Phineas however until we can free him from the spells placed upon him by Hogwarts. Is this understood?"

Kreacher's eyes, if anything, got even bigger than Harry would have thought possible. Here was a master he could serve joyfully! He was practically wiggling like a puppy as he bowed and scraped before Harry. "It shall be done immediately, My Lord!" With a pop, he disappeared, only to reappear mere moments later, buried under a mass of robes. He quickly laid them out on Harry's bed, then left as quickly as he had appeared.

Harry collapsed on the bed, laughing. By acting as Kreacher and Mrs. Black wished him to act, he had gained them as allies. For the first time, he began to see the wisdom of the Sorting Hat when it wanted to place him into Slytherin. Had he not been influenced initially by that idiot Malfoy and Ron, he would probably not argued with the hat. Slytherin did not necessarily mean evil, but rather cunning. Harry knew that he would need every bit of that cunning just to survive, let alone prosper. He needed to build alliances with powerful people, and not just on the side of Light. The problem with the wizarding world was that they refused to recognize any shades of grey. You were either Light or Dark and neither would associate with the other, even at the risk of losing their entire way of life. Harry thought that because he was heir to both a Light and a Dark family, he would be able to bridge that gap. He would need a lot of help, and a lot of training.

Recovering from his laughing spell, Harry looked at the robes that Kreacher had brought him. Picking one up, he tried it on, then looked at himself in the mirror. He was amazed at what he saw. Staring back at him was not Harry Potter, but rather a disreputable looking dishwater blond, hook nosed person. The robe obviously had a glamour spell placed upon it. He quickly tried on the other robes. Each one had a different face attached to it. There were even robes which turned his appearance into that of a witch rather than a wizard. Harry's face split into a wide grin. It was at that moment that Kreacher reappeared to tell Harry that his breakfast was ready.

Bowing low, the little elf inquired, "Master is pleased?"

"Kreacher, you have outdone yourself. I will overlook you addressing me as 'Master' rather than 'My Lord'…. This time." The elf trembled and banged his head against the floor. Harry let him do that for two reasons. The first was that he still had a bit of residual anger toward the elf, although that was quickly going away. The second reason was more important. Kreacher expected him to act that way, and would have been suspicious otherwise.

"Enough. I am going to go eat now." Harry left the room and went down to the kitchen. Although he could tell that Kreacher had really tried to please him on his meal, he quickly came to the conclusion that Kreacher was not a very good cook. This was something that he would have to change, and quickly. Finishing up, he left the kitchen and went to the portrait of Mrs. Black.

"Lady Black, I require your wisdom and service." Shocked, the portrait quickly recovered and, curtseying deeply, pledged her assistance.

"I require a staff of house elves suitable for this Most Ancient and Noble house, but I do not want to obtain them through official channels. I also require a new wand, one that cannot be traced or monitored by the Ministry. I should control them, not the other way around."

Mrs. Black swelled with pride. Not only had the Heir, the new Lord Black recognized her with the title of "Lady", something her worthless husband and sons had never done, he had also shown respect for her wisdom instead of treating her as some mindless female good for nothing but breeding. It was at this moment that the portrait decided that she would serve this Lord and, as hard as it was for her, forget the fact that he not only had Light wizards in his bloodline, but also the mudblood taint. "It must have been an accident at the hospital. He MUST be a pureblood Dark wizard, accidentally switched at birth. That means that some poor pureblood family is suffering with a blood traitor's whelp. Oh well, their loss, our gain!"

"Certainly, My Lord. I realize that Kreacher is an awful cook, but there has not been much call for it. He is a wonderful administrator elf however, loyal to a fault to those who show their worthiness. Let him choose your staff. The Black family has always had unofficial channels we could go through. He will be discreet, just tell him what you want and he will do it. As far as the wand, you will need to go to Knockturn Alley and see the other Mr. Ollivander. He and his brother had a falling out some 50 years ago and split their partnership. His wands are well built, powerful and made without meddling from the ministry. Every Dark family uses him for their untraceable wands. He is also a better wandmaker than his brother. Any wand over 50 years old in his brother's shop was crafted by him."

"Excellent. I knew that I could count on you. I have one other thing that we need to speak about. This will require every bit of patience and cunning that you possess." Seeing her puzzled look, Harry continued. "I have needs to build alliances, even if they are temporary. This will require me to interact with people I would rather destroy than work with. It will even require me to act as their host occasionally. I know your delicate sensibilities…" At this, Harry gave an inward snort of amusement. "Regarding polluted blood and blood traitors. I will need you to put on your best, most gracious attitude toward these mongrels. They are part of my plan and I can always dispose of them later, once I have achieved my goals. We can always have the house elves disinfect the areas that they have touched."

Mrs. Black looked slightly scandalized, but nodded her agreement. Now HERE was a Dark Lord who would have been a natural Slytherin. As if reading her thoughts, Harry told her that the hat had originally wanted to place him into Slytherin, but it would not have served his ultimate goal. Mrs. Black thought that this made her Lord even more cunning than she had originally believed.

"I will do as you ask, but may I suggest an even better remedy? I have, as part of my inheritance, a manor house left to me by my father. No one knows of it, and it was not included in the Black Family holdings. I had meant to hand it over to my husband, but my mother advised against it, just in case I needed a place to escape to should the marriage fall apart. The deed has been signed, and it is hidden under the top drawer of the dresser in my room. It is yours, My Lord. You are my Heir as well as the Black Heir. My will has never been opened or read, it is located with the deed. It does not name you specifically, it just leaves everything to the Head of the House of Black."

"Lady Black, I am honored that you have entrusted this to me. I shall use it wisely. It will keep the undesirables out of this house, something upon which we both desire." With that, Harry bowed to the portrait and went into the study, inwardly doing a silly mental dance, something which would not have impressed either Mrs. Black or Kreacher. Speaking of Kreacher….

"Kreacher! I require you!" The house elf appeared immediately.

"Yes Mas… Lord Black? How can Kreacher serve you?" Harry did not call him on the whole 'Master' mistake, old habits for old elves must be very hard to break.

"Kreacher, I have spoken with the Mistress, Lady Black. She suggested that I have you choose a suitable staff of house elves through 'unofficial' channels to serve this Most Ancient and Noble house. I also want a full staff for Lady Black's manor house." Seeing Kreacher's puzzled look, Harry informed him of the documents in Mrs. Black's room and instructed Kreacher to obtain them for him. Kreacher disappeared and returned moments later with the parchments. Harry looked them over and put them in an inside pocket of his robe. He made plans to visit the house at the earliest possible moment. He fixed his gaze upon Kreacher and gave an inward sigh. He would prefer to keep Kreacher more or less out of the loop, however at this point, he did not have many options.

"Kreacher, I name you my chief elf. You shall be my representative in dealings with the staff. I will require skilled cooks, kitchen workers and cleaning elves. I want this house and the manor house returned to their former glory. Is this within your capabilities?"

Kreacher pulled himself up with more pride than he had ever seen in a house elf. "It shall be done as you require. I pledge myself to your purposes, My Lord." At this, the filthy rag that Kreacher had been wearing faded away, to be replaced with a brilliant uniform resembling that of a doorman for a high society hotel. Kreacher disappeared and reappeared going down on one knee and holding out a large signet ring.

"This is the signet ring of the Head of the House of Black. You will need to write your instructions down and use the ring to seal them with wax. This way Kreacher can access the family vault to pay for your purchases and the binding of the staff."

Harry took the ring, placed it on his finger, then wrote out his instructions and sealed the parchment. Kreacher bowed deeply and disappeared to do Harry's bidding. Harry had purposely signed the parchment, not with the name 'Harry Potter', but rather with just the title, 'Lord Black'. Although Dumbledore was undoubtedly aware that he was now Lord Black, he would just as soon keep the rest of the wizarding world guessing. He had several things to do before he could come out in the open.

It was funny how things worked out. When he had slipped into Gringotts the previous day, his intention was to empty his trust vault and disappear into the muggle world, possibly fleeing overseas to make a new life for himself and just let the wizarding world sink in its own corruption. He even had plans to let Voldemort know that he was out of the game and just pitch the rest of the ingrates over the side. Seeing Dumbledore in Flickaxe's office however, made him realize that, like it or not, he had a responsibility. Harry decided that Voldemort would never allow him to just leave, that he would always be looking over his shoulder for Death Eaters and other enemies. He also realized just how much he wanted the people who had used, abused and manipulated him over the years to pay, starting with the Dursleys.

Harry looked over the different glamour robes, finally settling on one which made him appear to be about 30 years old, with an arrogant pureblood appearance. The glamour had shoulder length sandy brown hair, tied back in a ponytail, a diamond stud in one ear and an eye patch. Harry realized that with the glamour, his eyeglasses did not show, and even though the patch covered one eye, he could see perfectly well through it. He decided to, as soon as possible, either obtain contact lenses, or even better, laser surgery to correct his vision. He wanted to change his appearance on a more permanent basis so that he would not be constantly gawked at. He then put the robes over his oversized hand-me-down muggle clothing. Going downstairs and bidding Mrs. Black good-bye, he went to the fireplace and floo'ed directly to Gringotts.

When Harry walked up to the security goblin, the goblin smiled and asked him if he wanted to speak to his account manager. Seeing Harry's confused look, the goblin explained that the security measures of Gringotts could see through any type of glamour spell. They could also not be fooled by polyjuice or muggle style makeup. Identity theft was not a problem at this bank.

Once Harry had been escorted into Flickaxe's office, he handed over Mrs. Black's will and the deed to the manor house. He grinned at the shocked look on the goblin's face. Harry had never seen a goblin flummoxed before, and he was thoroughly enjoying it.

"Well, well… This is a surprise. We have been looking for this will for quite a while. Even though Walburga, Sirius' mother was a Black by birth she was a second cousin to her husband. The two branches of the family had quite a bit of distrust for each other, so it would make sense that she would hold her property separately. Unfortunately, other than this property and some family heirlooms and personal effects, her side of the line was pretty poor. They had some very bad investments over the years, not to mention a bit of family embezzlement."

Harry thought a bit. "In that case, please move her assets into the main Black family vault and close out her old vault. No sense wasting space."

"May I suggest a different solution? Keep her vault and move all the non-monetary items into it from your other vaults. It is quite a large vault, with a very prestigious location, very near to your other vaults. We can, however close your trust account vault and move that money into your other vault. It is a newer vault that would be useful for us as a new account vault."

"Sounds good to me. I would also like an audit of all items in my vaults. Anything that has been removed illegally must, I repeat, must be returned. I am not contesting the money that Dumbledore took as a stipend for my muggle relatives, I will deal with that in a different manner, however if he took anything else that he should not have, I require it to be returned."

Flickaxe grinned. "It just so happens that he has removed many small objects from the Potter family vault over the years. Your Grandfather was quite the inventor, and he made several objects and knick-knacks which he patented but never marketed. It seemed that if it whirred, spun, or ticked, he had a hand in creating it."

Harry thought back to when he had become a one-wizard wrecking crew in Dumbledore's office. "Oh, great. I probably destroyed all of the things that Dumbledore removed."

"Not by a long shot. We recovered the damaged items and repaired them, but there are several things left that he appropriated. As we speak, they are being returned to your vault."

Harry imagined what Dumbledore's expression might be as his ill gotten booty was disappearing from his office. This was such a great mental picture that he shared it with Flickaxe. The goblin grinned and flipped a switch on his desk. What appeared to be a large screen television appeared on the wall of the office and Harry saw Dumbledore scrambling around his desk, grabbing objects only to have them disappear from his hands. When the last Potter property had been reclaimed, the office was much more bare. A parchment appeared on the desk with the Gringotts seal. Dumbledore noticed it, opened it and scanned the contents, then screamed with rage. The picture went black and the television disappeared back into a recess in the wall.

"What was in that parchment that set him off like that?"

"I just notified him that your property had been reclaimed, and that all of the damaged property that we recovered was repaired by our master crafts-goblins, with the repair bills charged against his vault. Since he was holding them without your permission, it was his responsibility to keep them safe, even against you."

The goblin then got very serious. "I have one other thing that you must know. It is information which we just received and has to do with your mother. You have been raised believing that your mother was a muggleborn, correct?"

"Yes, what of it?"

"That information was incorrect. Your mother and her squib sister were adopted at a very early age by Mr. And Mrs. Marcus Evans. She was placed with them by Albus Dumbledore following the deaths of her natural parents. The Evans had knowledge of the magical world, that is why they were so supportive when she received her Hogwarts letter."

Harry growled. "Will the infernal meddling of Dumbledore follow me forever? Who then were their natural parents?"

"Lily and Petunia's natural parents were Cassius Prewitt and Amanda Weasley. They were siblings of the parents of Arthur and Molly Weasley. It was believed that their daughters perished with them. Dumbledore however was believed when he reported that the children were dead. Because of the adoption, they never had any claim on the estates of either wizarding family."

"So, the Weasleys are my, what, cousins?"

"Yes, although they do not know it. Albus Dumbledore has manipulated them just as he has every one of his supporters. Have you never noticed the resemblance between your mother's picture and Ginny Weasley?"

"Sure I have, but I never really thought much about it. I always kind of chalked it up to that old song about being attracted to a gal just like the one that married dear old Dad."

"Well, Ginny Weasley is a carbon copy of her mother at that age, who was remarkably similar in looks to Dorthea Prewitt, Molly's great grandmother. Your mother also got her looks from Dorthea."

"Well Flickaxe, I must say that you have given me a lot to digest. I have some other business to attend to, so I must bid you good-bye for today."

"A pleasure Lord Black. I see that is what you prefer to be called, so I will do so. To get to your new manor house by floo, just name your destination as "Walburga's House. Floo is the only way to access it at this time."

With that, the goblin and the wizard shook hands, blessed each other with long life and rivers of gold, then Harry left.

Going quickly to Knockturn Alley, Harry made his way to the wand shop. It was not advertised as such, and had Harry not known what to look for, he would have missed it. Entering, he was greeted by the owner, a wizard who looked to be a twin of the man he purchased his wand from. Harry got right down to business.

"I require a new wand, one that will not be a direct line to the Ministry. The wand that I now use also has some properties which make it unsuitable for some uses."

"May I see your wand?" Harry handed it over and Ollivander stiffened.

"Sir, while my brother remembers every wand he ever sold, I remember every wand I have ever made. This is one of them. I sold its brother to a young Slytherin student over 50 years ago. That student did great and terrible things with it. My brother told me to whom he sold this one, Mr. Po…"

"Lord Black, if you please." Harry said this with all of the authority he could muster. "I am the Heir of not only the Most Noble and Ancient House of Potter, but also the Heir of the Most Noble and Ancient House of Black. If you must, you may think of me as Lord Potter-Black, but you will never speak my name to anyone else. Is that understood? I insist that all my dealings be confidential. Make no mistake, I do not suffer fools or people who cannot keep their mouths shut."

Ollivander did not see the teenage Harry Potter, he only saw the imposing figure of the glamour that the robes provided. "Y-yes, sir. Let me find you a suitable wand."

Twenty minutes later, Harry had a wand which, if possible, worked even better than his Ministry registered wand. It was also Holly, but had the feather of a Black Phoenix instead of the one from Fawkes. It had the added attraction of having no Ministry registration as well as no tracking charm. Before he left, Ollivander had one further suggestion.

"Lord Black, should you like, I can remove the tracking charm from your old wand. You mentioned that you were emancipated; there should be no reason that the Ministry should have any business tracking your magic."

Harry had not thought of that. It did make things much easier. "Make it so." The charm removed, Harry paid Ollivander roughly triple what he had paid his brother for the original wand, then made a quick exit.

Leaving Knockturn Alley, Harry went to Madam Malkin's robe shop in Diagon Alley. Taking off his robe, he instructed her to put the insignia of both the House of Black and the House of Potter on the breast. He also ordered 6 sets of dress robes in various colour combinations as well as everyday robes. He paid for them from his money bag and told her that his elf would pick them up.

Slipping on his invisibility cloak, Harry left Diagon Alley and entered Muggle London. He removed his cloak and caught a cab to Herrod's department store. Using the credit card, he purchased a decent muggle wardrobe, everyday clothes, workout gear and a couple of high quality suits in the event that he needed to blend into a crowd. He then went to a wireless store and purchased a cell phone. He had no idea who he was going to call, but figured that he would find some use for it. He had one stop left to make before returning home.

Catching a taxi to a used car lot, Harry purchased a nondescript Cooper Mini, a car that would blend in with the lower income neighbourhood of Grimmauld Place. He would have preferred to purchase a new sports car, but anyone such as an Auror or Order member would have expected that. He also was tired of calling taxis and waiting until they came to him. Regular taxis arriving with regularity at his residence could also tip off unwelcome watchers to his location. So he purchased the Mini and, by trial and error, learned how to drive it on the way home. Fortunately this did not include the striking of other cars or pedestrians, so Harry figured out that he was coming out ahead in the deal.