Disclaimer: Stealing is wrong. No matter what Lexi tries to convince you. I do not own Harry Potter, nor am I trying to steal him. I'll return him when I'm done.
Chapter 14: Criminal Acts
Harry had been home for two days now and his world was still spinning. Everything that he accepted as fact during the term about his parents and their death was wrong. It was hard to believe that Sirius Black was not evil. In fact, according to Lexi, Sirius was probably the only person he and Lexi could trust. It was just a lot to take in.
However, since Black did not act as a threat, Harry was going to give him the benefit of the doubt, at least for the time being, for Lexi's sake. Harry would still be cautious around Black, but Harry would not actively try to harm him again. Not that Lexi would allow him to fight with Black.
Lexi and her attachment to Black was another issue that concerned Harry. Lexi always looked to him for guidance and love. But now that Black was in the picture, Harry could see that she turned to him. Even though he knew it was foolish to do so, Harry felt as though he was losing his sister.
Today Harry and Lexi were to embark on their first journey together into the magical world together. Gringotts had wanted to meet with them, so Sirius insisted that they do so as soon as possible into the holidays. Even though Harry didn't trust Black, he could tell that the man was worried about something to do with the letter.
Sirius and Remus had arranged for Remus to escort the two children to Diagon Alley. Harry had attempted to protest this since he didn't necessarily trust Remus either, but Sirius put his foot down. Lexi and he were just children. They needed to have an adult accompany them into a public place, regardless of how Petunia and Vernon had treated them in the past.
The Dursleys were another interesting subject for Harry. Since he and Petunia, he refused to call her aunt anymore, had their discussion, the behaviors of the Dursleys had radically changed. Vernon and Petunia tended to ignore the Potter children's every move. The only Dursley who had any interaction with them was Dudley.
Dudley had been miffed with both Harry and Lexi since he returned home from school. He was very upset that his parents had given the freaks his second bedroom. However, Dudley was quite surprised when his mother refused to take it away from Harry and Lexi. Harry assumed that Petunia must have had words with Dudley since the lard did not actively taunt or tease them anymore even though he occasionally sent them dirty looks behind his parents' backs.
"That is horrible!" Lexi cried, her thoughts bringing Harry back to the present, where he had just finished telling the long overdue story of his first Quidditch match.
The three of them, Harry, Lexi and Black were sitting in a grove of trees near the playground park off of Magnolia Crescent. Even though there was snow on the ground, Black had taught Harry a charm to cast on them so they would not feel the cold.
Having Harry cast a charm served two purposes. Not only would it keep them warm while they were out in the crisp cold December air, but it also tested whether or not the Ministry could detect Harry performing magic at home. So far he was warning-free.
"So, you're saying that a swarm of Dementors attacked your Quidditch match?" Sirius asked with a dumbfounded expression on his face.
"Yes," Harry calmly replied. He had imagined lightly broaching the subject with Lexi, however, Black's presence and his superior knowledge of the wizarding word, was making it difficult for Harry to down play the seriousness of the situation.
"We're talking about the same Dementors that had been ordered to Hogwarts to protect you from me?" Sirius clarified.
Harry snorted at Sirius's question. That was definitely one way of looking at things. The foul creatures brought to Hogwarts to protect him, nearly killed him.
"I don't remember them reporting this in the Daily Prophet," Sirius continued scratching his forehead. "What did they say in their write-up of the incident?"
"What do you mean?" Harry asked genuinely confused.
"Well, this is an important news story. Dementors guarding Hogwarts attack students," Sirius said with his hands framing the imaginary headline in front of him. "What was their take on the incident?"
"Umm," Harry began a bit embarrassed, "I don't recall anything being written in the papers about this."
"Hmm," Sirius said while scratching his chin. "That is really odd; usually the Prophet would jump at a chance to report something like that."
A sudden crack altered the trio to the arrival of their missing companion. Remus Lupin appeared out of thin air in the hidden grove of trees Harry, Lexi and Black had been waiting in.
"Hey, Remus," Sirius said, not dropping their previous conversation, "Did you hear anything about the Dementor attack during Harry's first Quidditch match?"
Remus's eyes bugged out of his head. If Harry wasn't so embarrassed with the topic he would have laughed at Remus's expression.
"There was a Dementor attack?" Remus finally vocalized.
"Oh, yeah," was Sirius's response. Harry almost swore Remus and Sirius were having a silent conversation with each other due to the way the two of them kept staring at each other without saying anything.
"I think that is something that should be looked into," Remus finally said, before turning towards Harry and Lexi. "However, that is something that can wait for the moment since there are two children who are supposed to go to Diagon Alley today."
Lexi started giggling. She really seemed almost bubbly with the idea that she was about to enter the wizarding world's largest shopping district. Harry couldn't help but be excited in response to her attitude and behavior.
"Alright, let's go!" Sirius said while standing up. "We've got a Knight Bus to summon."
"Let's go?" Remus asked for the group. "We've got a Knight Bus to summon? Sirius, you are acting like you are coming with us."
"Of course I am!" Sirius replied in an indignant tone.
"No, you are not," Remus said with as much authority as he could muster. "Are you insane? Do you think you can just waltz down Diagon Alley with your godchildren without a team of aurors showing up to take you out?"
"Duh," Sirius said with a bored tone. "I'll be going as Padfoot. It's not like anyone knows of my animagus form. Right?" Sirius looked straight at Remus as if asking him something.
"I have never uttered your secret to anyone," Remus replied in a quiet tone.
"Well," Sirius began clapping his hands together, "I guess that means I can go."
Without further argument, Sirius transformed into Padfoot and started to run out of the woods. Remus rolled his eyes before following, and Lexi merely laughed at the behavior of their parents' friends. Harry couldn't fight off the smile that was threatening to show on his face. Perhaps this was what a real family was supposed to be like.
~*~
The ride on the Knight Bus was absolutely horrible. Harry was too preoccupied on his first journey on the Knight Bus to realize how bumpy and rocky the ride was. He had been too focused on finally seeing Lexi again. However, this time he had Lexi sitting right next to him, she was sandwiched between him and Black in his dog form.
Every few moments the bus would sway back and forth causing Lexi and Harry to crash left and right with the movement of the bus. Lexi seemed to be enjoying it, as if it were an amusement park ride, while Harry just couldn't wait to get on solid ground again. Harry almost chuckled at the thought of how Lexi would react to the cart ride to their vault once they got to Gringotts.
It was decided that the first thing their small group would do was go to Gringotts and meet with Ragnok. Then take some money out of the Potter vault and go Christmas shopping. Harry knew for the past few days since he had shared his plan with Lexi, she had been bouncing around unable to hide her glee at the prospect of shopping.
After what seemed like an eternity to Harry, the Knight Bus finally stopped at the Leaky Caldron and odd group made their way off the bus. The wind blew around them as they headed towards the pub and the entrance way to Diagon Alley. Pulling down on his hat, Harry was glad that Remus had the foresight to pick him up a baseball cap to wear that day. With all this wind there would have been no easy way for Harry to keep his fringe covering his famous scar. The last thing he needed was people constantly gawking at him all day.
The quick walk through the pub lead them to the brick wall and the entrance point to Diagon Alley. Harry suddenly wondered if bringing Sirius along in dog form was a good idea. In the muggle world, animals were not allowed in stores. However, the conductor of the Knight Bus never batted an eye as Sirius jumped onto the bus. Perhaps, people viewed pets differently in the magical world?
A cracking sound coming from the brick wall shook Harry from his thoughts. Remus had pressed his wand on the bricks in the correct code to open the hidden door. They were about to enter the center of the magical shopping district. It was more wonderful then he had remembered.
A sudden gasp from his right made him turn his attention to Lexi. This was her first time seeing Diagon Alley and that was a special experience. She was looking at everything with wide open eyes, as if she was attempting to see everything that Diagon Alley had to offer from the brick entrance way.
"Ready?" Remus asked as Harry realized that he too was standing as stationary as Lexi was.
"Of course!" Lexi said as she began to bounce on her toes, apparently unable to hold in all her excitement. Padfoot barked excitedly as he began to prance around her as the two of them followed Remus into the alley.
Harry slowly followed behind the three of them. He was truly amused at Lexi's reaction to Diagon Alley. With all of her excitement rushing forward, Lexi began gliding around gracefully looking at everything the alley had to offer. Her moments were so fluid and full of life, Harry almost swore she was dancing. He had never seen Lexi this excited or genuinely happy before and it broke his heart. With her small frame and adorable features, she almost looked like a dancing pixie, so innocent and sweet.
Lexi deserved so much and he failed to deliver on it. Harry knew deep down that it was Petunia and Vernon were supposed to be the ones providing for Lexi's happiness, but since they didn't it was his responsibility. Something had to change. The only problem was, Harry wasn't sure how to do that.
Before Harry knew what hit him, they were standing in front of the massive doors to Gringotts bank.
"I'll be waiting right out here for the three of you," Remus said quietly from Harry's left. Sirius had thought it was best for just Harry, Lexi and himself enter the bank. Since Sirius was their godfather he had a right to be at the meeting while Remus could not boast the same.
"We won't be long," Lexi said with a large smile plastered to her face. Harry stared shamelessly at her smile. He would work very hard to make sure she smiled more often.
~*~
Lexi was in a state of constant awe. Everything around her in Diagon Alley was far more exciting and wonderful than she could have ever imagined. Harry and Sirius did not do it justice in their descriptions. Once they had entered Gringotts Bank, her small family politely waited in line to speak with the goblin their meeting was with. Even though they had a scheduled an appointment, Sirius had told them before they left to wait in line.
According to Sirius, the secret of dealing with goblins was to show them respect. Not many wizards and witches bothered to show the goblins who managed their finances the proper respect. For that the goblins did no more than the bare minimum to assist them. Just a hint of respect and dignity towards a goblin would go a long way in improving a person's portfolio.
Standing in line was not very exciting. Lexi wished she could go explore around the lobby of the bank, however, Harry had put a quick stop to that. As soon as she went to wander off, Harry grabbed the sleeve of her jacket preventing her from walking away.
"Please, Lexi," Harry said in a low voice, "Just stay here with me. While we are in the wizarding world, please just stay close by."
Lexi merely nodded her head in agreement. It was the same speech he gave her before they left Privet Drive. Even though she thought it was stupid for her to need to stay within arm's reach of Harry, she would do it to keep him happy.
After waiting for twenty minutes, it was finally their turn. Lexi nearly skipped as she and Harry made their way to the available teller. However, before Harry could reach the open teller, a pushy, small woman wearing a green robe with a black bow on the top of her head walked in front of them. Lexi hissed back a foul word she learned from Sirius.
That rude toad! How dare she just walk in front of them like she and Harry weren't even there!
Taking two deep calming breaths, Lexi tried to center herself. She didn't want her hair change color in the middle of the bank because she was angry. Sirius had told her that was an ability best kept a secret. Instead of letting herself get mad, she kept all of her attention on the toad like lady. Lexi was determined to learn more about her.
"I am the Undersecretary of the Minister!" The toad exclaimed in a very rude voice when Lexi began to eavesdrop. "Don't you understand who you are dealing with?"
Lexi nearly giggled. This woman obviously had no idea how to deal with the goblins. If this woman was an example of an employee of the ministry of magic, then Lexi wanted nothing to do with the magical government. Not only were they disrespectful, but they had hurt her family.
Suddenly Lexi noticed the woman had placed her carpetbag on the floor near her feet while she was telling the poor goblin off. Sticking out of the woman's carpetbag was a slender piece of wood, a wand.
A wicked thought suddenly crossed Lexi's mind. Since Sirius escaped from Azkaban he did not have the privilege of having his own wand. Didn't the ministry kind of owe him one? It would be so simple for her to merely grab the wand while the witch's attention was still on the goblin in front of her.
However, before Lexi could decide to do anything, another teller had opened up and Harry grabbed her arm and pulled her away from the toad-like witch, Padfoot following quickly behind.
Oh well, perhaps this was for the best.
~*~
"Key," the goblin asked without ever lifting his eyes from the ledger in front of him.
"I'm sorry, sir," Harry replied in the most respectful voice he could muster. "I am not here to visit my vault. My sister and I have a meeting with one of the managers of your fine establishment."
The goblin slowly lifted his eyes off the ledger, and took a long moment to study Harry and Lexi. Harry suddenly felt very nervous to be examined so closely. Yet, before Harry could say or do anything the goblin began, "I'm sorry Mr. and Miss Potter, please step over here and Griphook will take you to the location of your meeting."
Suddenly Padfoot jumped on the counter and barked at the teller.
"I see," the goblin muttered. "Yes, you should join their meeting. It was a wise decision for you to come as well."
Harry shared a wide eyed look with Lexi. Apparently goblins spoke dog.
Harry and Lexi went over to the area that goblin had pointed to with Sirius not too far behind. Not more than a few seconds later, a goblin appeared before them.
"Mr. and Miss Potter and guest?" the goblin asked in what could be considered a friendly tone.
"Yes," Harry replied. He decided long ago he would be the spokesperson for their group.
"Please follow me," the goblin said as he quickly began to walk away.
Harry, Lexi and Sirius were merely a step behind the goblin. The long and winding corridor was a sight to be seen. Everywhere Harry looked there were statues and beautiful paintings lining the walls. At Hogwarts the art work reflected wizards and events of great importance in the wizarding world. Here in the inner sanctum of Gringotts everything was goblin-related, which in a way made sense due to the goblin nation being the ones in control of the bank.
Lexi for her part looked as though her eyes were going to completely pop out of her head. She looked as though she was drinking in all of the sights and sounds related to bank. Harry had to admit that this back area was far more impressive than anything he had seen when he visited his vault for the first time. Apparently the goblins took much more interest in the area where they worked compared to where the wizards frequently visited.
They were ushered into a small room with only a large table in it. To Harry it looked as though it was a conference room of some sort.
"Ragnok will be with you shortly," Griphook said with an eerie smile before he left them alone in the room.
"Wow, Harry, this place is so cool!" Lexi enthused as soon as they were alone. "What do you think, Padfoot?"
Sirius barked happily in reply to Lexi's question. Harry idly wondered if this was typical behavior for the two of them. It's not like Sirius would walk around Surry in his human form. Perhaps she would talk to him, and he would attempt to reply using barks?
Before Harry could explore that thought any further, the door on the far side of the room opened to reveal a very old goblin standing in the doorway. The goblin held himself with an air of importance, and Harry instinctively believed him to be Ragnok.
"Mr. and Miss Potter, thank you for coming," the goblin said as he entered the room and took a seat at the table opposite Harry and Lexi. "Mr. Black, no one here will expose your secret, please feel free to transform into your real form."
Just like the goblin asked, Sirius changed back into his human appearance and took a seat on the other side of Lexi. "Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to meet with me and my godchildren, esteemed Ragnok."
"The pleasure is all mine," Ragnok replied with a toothy smile. "Now that the pleasantries are out of the way, shall we move on to business?" Ragnok looked directly at Harry when he asked the question and Harry immediately nodded in the affirmative. "Splendid!" the goblin said while clapping his hands together above the table.
"When Mr. Potter came to visit his vault in September, he asked the goblin he was speaking with to perform an audit on his account," Ragnok began to explain. "We were not permitted to perform an audit on an account without the permission of one of the account holders. In the case of the Potter family account, we needed the permission of either Harry James Potter or Alexa Lily Potter."
Harry just stared at the goblin, unsure if was supposed to say anything at this pointing. Looking next to him, Harry could tell that this was not catching Lexi's interest. She seemed to be off in her own little world, mentally speaking.
"The results of our audit," Ragnok continued and Harry turned his attention back on the goblin in front of him, "were a bit shocking. Were any of you aware that the wills of Lily and James Potter were not read?"
Harry shook his head in the negative, and then he turned and looked towards Sirius. He seemed just as confused as Harry was.
"Since the late Mr. and Mrs. Potter's wills were not read, the inheritances of Harry and Alexa Potter were not properly placed into trust," The goblin exclaimed a bit nervously in Harry's opinion.
Harry had no clue as to what that meant, however, Sirius was furious.
"Who prevented the wills from being read?" Sirius demanded to know.
"Albus Dumbledore was the Wizengamot member who blocked the reading of the wills," Ragnok replied.
Sirius began cursing up a storm. He jumped up out of his chair and began pacing the room for several minutes. After he started to calm down he retook his seat as if nothing had happened.
"Where does this leave my godchildren's finances?" Sirius asked in the most solemn tone Harry had ever heard from him.
"The Potter family account has one hundred and two galleons and three knuts in it," the goblin replied.
Harry's heart immediately dropped out of his chest. This was bad. They didn't have any money.
"What happened to all the money that was in my vault?" Harry spoke up. Truly confused since it seemed that he had a small fortune in his vault the last time he was there.
"The only withdrawal since your visit in September was the tuition fee for attending Hogwarts," Ragnok readily replied.
Harry knew that most of the things being said by Sirius and Ragnok were well over his head. However, at least Sirius knew what was going on.
"Who has taken the most?" Sirius asked after a few moments of silence.
"Surprisingly it was the Abbott family," Ragnok replied to Sirius' confusing question, "With a withdrawal of three thousand galleons. Most families only requested a thousand to two thousand galleons, probably not realizing how much damage their small request would cause. However, there is an impressive list of families who demanded assets from the Potter estate, thus draining most of the estate's resources."
"What does that mean?" Harry asked, a bit frustrated since he didn't know what was going on.
"When a will is not probated in the wizarding world, a relative by blood, no matter how insignificantly connected has an opportunity to claim an inheritance from the deceased wizard or witch," Ragnok replied. "For example, Lucius Malfoy claimed an inheritance of one thousand galleons from the Potter family in the name of his wife, Narcissa Black Malfoy. Mrs. Malfoy was born a Black, just like your grandmother. Therefore, the Malfoys have a right to inherit."
"That is just utter crap," Lexi exclaimed, speaking up for the first time. "It's like those people decided to steal from us since our Mum and Dad died."
Ragnok flashed Lexi a wide toothy smile. "I completely agree with you, Miss Potter. However there are a few things you need to know." Ragnok took a few moments to consider his words before he continued.
"Your situation is so dire because your parents drew up a will after the birth of Miss Alexa Potter," Ragnok said folding his hands on the table in front of them. "Had your parents remained will-less, the Potter family vault would simply be locked up until the next member of the direct Potter bloodline attempted to access it. Since there was a will, any blood relation could contest it to gain some form of an inheritance."
"With the Potters' will not being read, distant blood relations could simply make a petition with the ministry to obtain funds as an inheritance," Ragnok continued. "We could not lock one of the vaults due to there being a will, and unfortunately due to ministry law we were forced to distribute the funds as the ministry ordered."
"Vaults?" Harry asked. Had his parents had more than one?
"Yes," Ragnok replied. "We were able to lock one of the vaults listed under the Potter family assets, due to it being opened by Mrs. Lily Evans Potter. Since she never changed her name on the vault paperwork to Potter, only her direct blood relations can access it."
"Was the contents of this vault mentioned in the listing of the children's assets?" Sirius asked.
"No," Ragnok quickly replied. "There was no money within the vault, only material objects."
"What if you just give Harry and Lexi access to the House of Black vault?" Sirius asked, trying to come up with a solution to their problem. "That way they can have as much cash as they need."
"Unfortunately, due to the regulations of the House of Black account created when it was opened, only born Blacks may have access to the account," Ragnok regretfully explained.
"Well, take a couple hundred thousand galleons from the House of Black vault and give it to the children," Sirius said regaining his cool. "That way the kids won't have to worry about any money for a while."
"Could I make a suggestion?" Ragnok quickly interjected.
"Go ahead," Sirius replied.
"It may be best if we open new vaults for both Mr. and Miss Potter," Ragnok began. "That way no one else can claim inheritance rights on this money. Personal vaults are under a different set of rules than family vaults," Ragnok said turning toward Lexi and Harry, as if that explained why his idea was better. For the most part Harry realized it did.
"Alright, that sounds good to me," Sirius said while rubbing his chin.
Harry almost objected to this plan. If he didn't completely trust Black, he didn't want to be in Black's debt either. However, Lexi was watching him and elbowed him in the side, preventing Harry from saying anything.
"May I have a word with Mr. Black alone?" Ragnok asked Harry and Lexi.
Lexi nodded in the affirmative, pulling Harry out of his chair and out of the room.
~*~
Ragnok reclined back in his chair as he surveyed the man in front of him; Sirius Black, the innocent convict. The goblins were well aware that Peter Pettigrew was still alive. His will was never released to be probated. How stupid wizards could be sometimes. There had to be someone who worked for the Wizengamot who would have noticed this as well. Unfortunately, if someone did notice this, who knew were that person's loyalties lied with.
The goblins of Gringotts and the ministry were having difficulties at this point. The ministry kept trying to take more and more liberties with the goblin nation and their rights as defined by the last goblin/wizard treaty were being encroached upon. The goblins were just waiting for the next civil war to breakout between the wizards. When that happened the goblins were not going to be siding with the ministry. Perhaps the Potter family and the injustices they too had faced at the hands of the ministry was just the catalyst the goblins needed to start that war.
The goblins had considered backing Voldemort during his insurrection against the main populist of the wizarding world back in the 1970s. Unfortunately, Voldemort was an arrogant wizard who would have made things worse for the goblin nation. The fact that he tried to steal from one of the Gringotts vaults just a few months earlier was a perfect example of why the goblins had chose well in ignoring Voldemort's offers of alliance.
"So," Mr. Black began, bringing Ragnok back to the present. He seemed a bit lost as to why he was here alone when this meeting was to be about the Potter family. "Why do you need to speak with me without the children?"
"Mr. Black, I'm here to make you an offer you can't refuse," Ragnok replied while smiling at Mr. Black with his kindest smile.
"What kind of offer are we talking about?" Mr. Black asked his interest was clearly peeked.
"You and I both know the Ministry of Magic will never clear your name," Ragnok began, watching Mr. Black for any sign of agreement. When Mr. Black nodded his head, Ragnok felt free to carry on. "Do you really want to spend the rest of your life hiding as a dog?"
From the look on his face it was clear that Mr. Black would rather do anything other than that. "So, what are you proposing to do about it?"
"You're going to die," Ragnok bluntly replied. "And an identity of your choosing will be born for you to use to live out the rest of your life and gain physical custody of your godchildren."
The look of shock on this wizard's face was one that Ragnok would remember for a long time. Obviously the man had considered his future options several times, but Ragnok doubted that he every thought of anything as permanent as what he was proposing.
"How?" was all Mr. Black could say when he finally regained control over his motor skills.
"Well it's quite simple really," Ragnok replied. "We will liquidate all of the assets of the House of Black. We would divide the money into three main accounts, the one for Mr. Potter, Miss Potter, and your new identity. This way the ministry would have no control or access over any of the funds tied up to the House of Black."
Mr. Black raised his hand to stop Ragnok; it appeared that the man had a question. "How would you have the ability to do this?"
"The accounts for the House of Black have been tied up since the death of your mother," Ragnok patiently replied. "You are the sole head of house. Since you were incarcerated you had no ability to access the account. You cousin's husband, Lucius Malfoy has made several attempts over the years to take control of the Black family fortune. However, since you lived, he had no claim to it. Only you have the power over the House of Black accounts."
"Basically, I can liquidate all of the assets; pretend I die and then leave Narcy and Lucy only two knuts to rub together?" Mr. Black asked with glee in his eyes.
"Yes, you may," Ragnok replied a little surprised at the pettiness of this particular wizard. Taunting the Malfoy family into thinking they would inherit a fortune but only really leave two knuts. That would be only something a goblin would do. Perhaps this wizard had some goblin ancestry?
"Why are you helping me?" Mr. Black finally asked the question Ragnok was most hoping to answer.
"You are the guardian of Mr. and Miss Potter by all rights," Ragnok quickly began. "The wizarding world has treated neither Potter heir in the way they deserved. I have no idea why Dumbledore refused to read the Potter will but the consequences are devastating for those children." Ragnok steeped his long fingers in front of his face before continuing.
"I fear that the Potter children may accidently lump us goblins in with the wizards who had hurt them," Ragnok continued. "We know Mr. Potter is destined for great things and we would rather have those two children see us in a favorable light. By helping you, it will help us achieve our goal."
Mr. Black nodded his head in understanding.
"So, how am I supposed to go into public under a new alias?" Mr. Black asked. "I know I could use glamour charms or such, but that would run the risk of coming undone in the magical world. Or am I just supposed to pretend I am a muggle?"
Ragnok could not hold back the large tooth filled smile he shot Mr. Black.
"Have you ever heard of a muggle procedure called plastic surgery?" Ragnok saw Mr. Black shake his head in the negative. "It's a process to permanently change a person's appearance without magic…"
~*~
Lexi had been patient for so long. She knew everything that they were going through at Gringotts was very important. For crying out loud, they needed money to be able to attend Hogwarts! The only thing that really caught her interest during the meeting was the fact that Albus Dumbledore was the reason she and her brother were poor.
If it wasn't for Sirius they wouldn't even have enough money for either of them to attend Hogwarts past Harry's first year. But Sirius, her wonderful godfather fixed everything and she had nothing to worry about. Now that the specifics had been figured out, she was more than ready to get on with the rest of the day. She wanted to see everything that Diagon Alley had to offer.
But here she was with Harry, merely standing around in the back hallway of the bank, waiting for Sirius to finish. Lexi started to walk a little bit away from Harry. She wanted to look at all the pretty pictures and things on and near the walls.
"Lexi, stay here," Harry commanded. "I don't want you to get lost."
Lexi couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Harry, I just want to see the beautiful art work," Lexi said in a bit of a whine, but she knew that would do nothing for her brother.
"If I may," the goblin that brought them to the meeting, Griphook, interrupted their sibling spat. "I would be willing to accompany Miss Potter around the bank while Mr. Black and Ragnok's meeting concludes."
Lexi shot Griphook a brilliant smile. She knew Harry wouldn't be able to refuse without seeming rude.
"Are you sure that would be no trouble?" Harry asked cautiously.
"Positive," Griphook replied with a toothy smile.
"Alright," Harry reluctantly agreed.
Lexi grabbed a shocked Griphook by the hand and pulled him quickly away from Harry.
"Thank you," she began as they walked down the hallway, "for getting me away from my brother. For some reason he has been way too over protective today." Lexi turned to look Griphook in the face only to notice he had a very shocked expression on it. "Is something wrong?" She instinctively asked.
"I'm sorry, Miss Potter," Griphook said once he regained his composure. "Wizards usually never touch creatures that are seen as below them."
"Oh!" Lexi said terrified that the she had insulted him. "I'm the one who is sorry; I hope I didn't offend you?"
"Of course not, Miss Potter," Griphook replied. "I am truly honored that you do not see yourself as above my station."
"Why would I?" Lexi asked a bit confused about the customs of the wizarding world. "You and the rest of the goblins at Gringotts have been nothing but nice to me and my brother. Why would we be better than you? We're all magical; shouldn't we all be seen as equals?"
"Most wizards have a very different opinion," Griphook said solemnly.
"Sirius told me about that," Lexi said with a disgusted look on her face. "They are wrong you know."
"Perhaps they are, but they are set in their ways," Griphook replied regretfully. "Your brother is right to worry about you here in the magical world. There are many elements out there who would try to cause harm to either you or your brother because of who you are. Unfortunately, your brother made many enemies at a young age."
"Voldemort's supporters?" Lexi asked even though she knew she was right.
"I am surprised that you do not fear his name," Griphook replied with wide eyes.
"He's gone," Lexi replied with a shrug. "It's not like he can hurt anyone any more. Voldemort is just a name."
Griphook looked a bit troubled for a moment, as if he was debating on whether or not he should say anything. However, he eventually spoke again.
"There are many people in our world who believe that Voldemort is gone," Griphook began. "But there are still a select few who don't think he is completely dead, as if he wasn't human enough anymore to die." Griphook's eyes bore into Lexi, trying to get her to understand the seriousness of his words. "It is very likely that Voldemort may not actually be completely dead. You and your brother need to be aware of this."
Lexi knew that look on her face must have been one of complete shock and horror. Griphook, the kind goblin, had just said her parents' killer may not be dead and implied that he might come after her or Harry. This was not good. She would have to talk to Harry and Sirius about this later in the evening.
"Umm, thank you for warning me of this," Lexi said in as confident of a voice as she could muster. She felt like something very important had just happened that perhaps she didn't completely understand yet. But it was time to go back to their original purpose, or Harry might just cancel the rest of the day's activities.
"Will you show me with the various pieces of art work are?" Lexi asked Griphook, truly interested in goblin art.
"Of course, Miss Potter," Griphook readily agreed.
As the unlikely duo began to explore the various pieces of art work related back to goblin history, the pushy toad like woman from earlier in the day came thundering down the hallway. The woman's fat cheeks, green cloak and black hair bow still reminded Lexi of a large toad with a fly stuck on its head.
"The Minister of Magic will be hearing about this!" the woman shouted as she was being escorted by two goblins from what looked like a conference room. "I will be in contact with the Department of Magical Creatures!" the woman continued to holler.
"You," she thundered pointing towards Griphook. "Get these idiots off of me!"
Griphook reluctantly was sucked into the dispute with the rude toad woman. However, there was one thing that caught Lexi's eye. The woman's carpetbag was held loosely at her side, and the same wand from earlier was sticking out of it, right next to Lexi's hand.
As far as Lexi was concerned this was fate. Sirius needed a wand, and here was one for the taking. Carefully, while everyone's attention was directed elsewhere, Lexi slipped the wand out of the bag, and put it up the sleeve of her shirt.
Immediately the guilt of stealing crashed down on her, so Lexi quickly and quietly took several steps back from the woman and the wandless carpetbag. Lexi continued to repeat one thought over and over again in her head. She had to take the wand, she and Sirius needed it.
After five minutes, Griphook was finally able to escape the woman's angry clutches and rejoined Lexi.
"I am very sorry you had to see that," Griphook apologized for the woman's behavior.
"That woman was so rude!" Lexi firmly declared and Griphook began to laugh.
Lexi smiled at the croaking laughter coming from Griphook. Goblins were really fascinating creatures.
~*~
Harry was getting rather impatient. Sirius seemed to be taking forever, Lexi had walked off with a goblin, and he was stuck waiting for both of them. Harry hating having Lexi out of his sight but he couldn't refuse the goblin's offer without sounding rude. Now he just paced back and forth waiting for Lexi to return and his fears could be put to rest.
"Thank you again," Sirius's voice could be heard as he exited the conference room. Well that was one member of their party retuned. As soon as Sirius stepped out of the room, he immediately transformed back into a dog.
Not more than ten seconds later Lexi came strolling around the corner talking with Griphook. Alright, everything seemed to be normal and no one seemed to be hurt. But that didn't mean Harry could stop himself from being cautious where his family was concerned.
"Harry!" Lexi cried as she turned the corner. "You would not believe all the stuff related to goblin history around this building. According to Griphook, only one wizard has ever bothered to study the full history of the goblin nation. What was his name again?" Lexi asked turning to Griphook.
"Cuthbert Binns," Griphook replied with a toothy smile. Harry idly wondered if he was related to the Hogwarts History of Magic professor.
"Well, you should be heading off now," Ragnok's voice caught Harry off guard. He hadn't noticed the other goblin joining them. "It has been a pleasure doing business with all of you. We will owl each of you with the information we have discussed."
With those final words Harry, Lexi and Sirius were escorted to the main entrance of the bank.
"Alright!" Lexi cried when they exited the building. "Time to go Christmas shopping!"
Sirius barked in agreement and Harry couldn't hold back his laugh of joy as they joined Remus. His family's good mood was infectious.
~*~
Dolores Umbridge was a very important woman, thank you very much. As the Senior Undersecretary to the Minister she was responsible for a wide range of very important tasks. Why for instance today, she had to go to Gringotts to collect information on how much they paid their employees.
The ministry felt Gringotts was over inflating the job market and stealing valuable potential employees from them. This had to stop. Those goblins had strict guidelines that they had to follow based on the laws the ministry had created. The greedy, filthy bankers would have to bow to the power of the ministry.
Of course they initially refused to comply with her wishes. Now she was going to go back with a team of aurors to force the goblins to follow the law. Dolores walked back into her and placed her handbag on her desk. All that was left was to fill out the auror requisition form.
Dolores reached into her bag to grab her wand, however, it wasn't there. She began to panic. Dumping the contents of her bag all over her office floor she searched and searched for her wand. But it wasn't there. Dolores saw red.
She knew she had her wand before she entered the bank. Someone or something had to have stolen her precious wand. Her wonderful yew and unicorn hair wand that was perfect to use for bureaucratic work. Those damn goblins would pay for what they had done.
Stomping out of her office, Dolores grabbed the closest employee that she could.
"Get me Amos Diggory," Dolores roared at the shaking mid-level bureaucrat. "Get him for me now!"
~*~
This had to be one of the best days of her life, Lexi mused as she, Harry and Sirius returned to Privet Drive. Remus Disapparated from Diagon Alley, after seeing the three of them onto the Knight Bus and Lexi was kind of sad to see the man go. While she wasn't his greatest fan, she knew that Sirius trusted him. Since Sirius trusted Remus, Lexi knew she should do so as well.
The rest of the afternoon had gone by in a flash as they went shopping around Diagon Alley. Ragnok had given Sirius a bag full of galleons from his family's vault so Harry and Lexi could use the money to buy Christmas presents. Harry was hesitant to take Sirius's money so willingly but it's hard to fight with someone giving you puppy eyes.
After spending two hours shopping, they were done gathering all the gifts they needed and a few extra things for themselves. Harry had insisted that she get an entire new wardrobe, and he picked up a few more items for himself. Sirius and Remus had watched over the whole thing approvingly. The two Marauders seemed just as excited as she and Harry were about the clothing changes.
The book store was amazing and Lexi and Harry had greedily purchased several books for themselves. Lexi had noticed that two of the books Harry chose were about blood wards and magical oaths. She decided to read them as well after Harry was done, even if the magical concepts may be over her head.
All and all it was an exciting and magical day. Now that they were walking home, Lexi knew she had to tell Harry and Sirius about her conversation with Griphook.
"Um, guys," Lexi hesitantly started. "Can we talk when we get back to number four?"
"Sure, Lexi," Harry readily agreed and Sirius barked his consent.
The odd trio walked to the shed behind number four, where they had spent a lot of time talking over the past few days. After they closed the door, Sirius immediately changed back into his human form.
"So, what's up, pixie?" Sirius asked. Pixie was Sirius's new nickname for her. Lexi didn't necessarily appreciated the name since he had decided on it due to how riled up she could get. Apparently when ticked off, Lexi reminded Sirius of a vengeful pixie.
Ignoring Sirius's use of her nickname, Lexi launched into a retelling of the conversation she had with Griphook. Immediately Lexi could tell that both Harry and Sirius were upset over what she was sharing. Once her story was over, everyone stayed silent for a few minutes.
"Damn it," was all Sirius could say. Harry just looked speechless.
"Why should we be afraid of Voldemort's followers?" Lexi asked but she wasn't done with just one question. She had several hours to think about what she wanted to ask. "Why would they be after us? And for that matter, why did Voldemort try to kill Mum and Dad?"
Sirius knew her questions had been addressed to him, and he took a deep breath before launching into his tale.
"You see," Sirius began looking between her and Harry, "Before Harry was born, a prophecy was made…"
~*~
A/N: Thank you everyone who has reviewed, you guys motivate me to keep on writing. A huge thank you to swanpride for helping me workout the kinks in this chapter, and to zephy for her beta work. I will be looking for an additional beta who is strong with spelling and grammar to assist me for a few weeks while zephy is recovering from surgery. If you are interested send me a pm or an email. If not the chapters won't be up to snuff until zephy gets back.
One more chapter till we're back at Hogwarts. I guess this is becoming my new theme song: Ripple, ripple, ripple... Let me know what you all think of the latest changes. ;-)
Foria
Next Chapter: Holidays with the Grangers