Chapter 5 – Change of Fortune

A/N: I'd like to remind anyone who might have forgot that I did not write any of the Harry Potter novels. I own no part of the Harry Potter franchise and hope to receive no compensation for my writing...except maybe a Review (hint, hint).

Harry's morning started early. He had received an owl Friday morning with a simple message from the Minister. "Meet me outside of Gringotts seven o'clock Monday morning. Come alone. – Shacklebolt"

Harry arrived at Gringotts promptly at seven as requested. The building was near the intersection of Diagon and Knockturn Alleys and it towered over the neighboring shops. In the morning sun, the soft white marble of the building and crooked columns shimmered. As he stood there waiting he once again read the warning posted near the entrance:

Enter, stranger, but take heed
Of what awaits the sin of greed
For those who take, but do not earn,
Must pay dearly in their turn.
A treasure that was never yours,
Thief, you have been warned, beware
Of finding more than treasure there.

Harry shivered when he remembered coming across exactly what had been waiting when he and his mates had gone searching the bowels of this very building just a few months before. As he reflected on that fateful trip, the Minister apparated at the steps beside him with at least thirty witches and wizards. He gestured for Harry to follow and walked up the steps to the bank entrance with the witches and wizards not far behind. Before the Minister reached the top step he was met by the manager of the bank, Kratchak, and his assistant.

"May I help you?" asked the the bank manager.

"Yes, We'd like to come inside and speak with you for a moment," replied Minister Shacklebolt.

Several more goblins had stepped outside the bank doors and were watching with some apprehension. It was not every morning the Minister arrived with a mass of wizards. Kratchak gestured to Harry, "I've already explained, Minister, this wizard is no longer welcome in our bank and his assets shall be seized due to his unauthorized entry into the vault of the Lestranges and the damage that resulted from his exit. The conversation is closed."

The Minister smiled. "I'm sorry, I am not here to discuss the case of Mr. Potter at all."

"Then what are you here for?" asked the manager warily.

"I'm here to seize the bank." The Minister's happy demeaner did not all reflect his seriousness.

"What? What do you mean? I don't understand," was all that the bank manager could stammer out. The other goblins looked at him and then at the Minister in disbelief.

"I don't see why you look so upset, Kratchak," smiled the Minister. "You set the precedent. By unilaterally seizing the boy's assets without trial you inspired me to do the same. Mr. Potter only entered the Lestrange vault to retrieve a stolen item - one specific item that aided Voldemort in the commission of treason. I can only assume that your bank is as guilty of Conspiracy and Treason as Mr. Potter here is of breaking into your facility as you seem rather upset that he removed the item. As a result, I'm am here to seize the bank and ask you please remove yourselves from the premises."

The goblins stood open-mouthed. The Minister was beginning to enjoy this. "I have invited a few large depositors to remove their assets so they may avoid embarrassment when the process begins. Once they have withdrawn their gold I will then invite any other depositors to do the same by end of day. At the end of business today I shall officially seize and liquidate the bank and a new wizard-run institution shall take its place. The assets of any known Death Eaters shall be liquidated and set aside in a fund for the help of any wizards or witches that have been displaced from job or home due to the War."

"But...But...You can't do that. We have a charter and there is no proof that we had any knowledge," was all that the goblin could say.

"We granted you a charter in good faith based on the fact that you would protect the assets of the wizards and witches of this world. We believe you have broken that trust by knowingly holding a dangerous stolen item for a witch who was in the process of committing treason. As a result, you nearly allowed the entire wizard world to fall into ruin. You nearly were the seeds of your own destruction. If this boy had not broken into this establishment Voldemort might be dismantling your bank right now."

"But you are wrong. We had no way of knowing." Kratchak looked genuinely concerned. The seizing of the bank might be fought on legal grounds but if enough depositors emptied their vaults by end of afternoon then the bank would become insolvent – this would make seizure moot.

"Really? So if you had known that the item that was removed from the bank was an item that Voldemort relied upon to remain in power and that the item had been an old Hogwarts artefact stolen from an old woman then you would have let Mr. Potter in to take possession of it?"

"Happily, if these facts could have been proven."

"And Mr. Potter would not have had to have broken into Gringotts?"

"Certainly not."

"Well, maybe I am being rash, Kratchak. Maybe we could talk more about this inside and we could do away with the whole 'seizing of the bank' business. I'd expect that Mr. Potter be cleared of wrongdoing considering the circumstances." Shacklebolt looked at the goblin witnesses and they nodded their heads in agreement. "He should have full access to the bank after an explanation of misunderstanding and apology for any damages he may have caused." Shacklebolt looked at Harry, "And he should have access to any assets that belonged to him before this whole misunderstanding."

"But, what about the damages? Who will pay?"

The Minister grinned. "The offending party of course. The Lestranges were the holders of the offending contraband. I believe we can provide a decree by end of day that would give you power to seize their assets in order to pay for damages. The remaining assets would be placed in a fund to help displaced wizard and goblin families. We only need to go inside and discuss details." The witnessing goblins nodded and smiled. They would have no problem with this turn of events at all.

"All the same, I believe that these witches and wizards wish to withdraw a significant portion of their deposits until this matter is resolved." He gestured to eight of the wizards behind him and the manager gulped. These few depositors represented at least 12% of the overall assets of the bank. "Your staff can help them with arrangements while we speak inside." Now the look on the faces of the goblin spectators became sombre. This business needed to be resolved quickly. Just like any bank, the deposits secured investments and loans made around the world. If more than 15% of the banks assets were called upon at any time then the bank would not have enough gold to function. Such a large withdrawal might become public and cause a run on the bank. The bank would become insolvent and might be forced to close.

Kratchak and the Minister stepped inside and a few moments later everyone else began to file inside as well. Harry remained on the steps not knowing what to do. Kratchak suddenly poked his head out of a door and said, "Come in Mr. Potter." Harry carefully and slowly made his way up the remainder of the steps. He wished he had a cane or at least a rail to lean on.

Once inside Kratchak's office the goblin smiled ruefully, "Well played Minister. You realize that if you'd forced yourself in we would have fought?"

"Yes, and we would have outnumbered you. There couldn't be more than twenty in the bank."

"It would have been an even fight. Still, it was the logic that did it. We goblins will not be happy to have Potter back..." He looked at Harry with a touch of menace, "but seeing that the Lestrange vault contains much more gold and a few goblin made artefacts we will see his admittance as a fair trade. I will make the case that Harry stole not one galleon but only removed the item that did not belong here in the first place."

"And Harry will make an apology to the Bank." said the Minister.

"And Mr. Potter is not allowed to tell the story of how he got in or out of the bank to anyone." This time Kratchak looked to Harry.

"Definitely," promised Harry. "Will Hermione and Ron be allowed in if they promise the same?"

"Yes, if they wish to open accounts then they may do so." he replied to Harry. Then Kratchak's real intentions were made known, "The Goblin made Artefacts in the Lestrange vault will be released to us...in addition to the compensation for damages?"

The Minister considered then shrugged. "Done. But the remainder goes to the fund as discussed." Kratchak rubbed his hands together with glee.

Kratchak looked at Harry closely. "You are a lucky boy but I'd be careful yet. One of the goblins may still hold you responsible and try to take your life. I will give you a list of trusted employees. Have one of them with you at all times in the bank. They will respect you but do not count on them to like you."

"One more thing Mr. Potter," Kratchak advised. "I am aware that you have not taken a full accounting of your assets since you inherited the Black Estate. It would be prudent to return soon to make a full appraisal. Several of your assets have not been dealt with in some time and your account manager should receive instruction how to proceed."

"My account manager? Why would I need a manager? Professor Dumbledore told me that I received gold from Sirius roughly equal to what was already in the vault. He said it was added to my vault once the will was read."

"Yes, that is true. But I think he understated your inheritance. Yes, you only inherited an amount of gold equal to that of your holdings at that time. That was because Sirius has been financing the Order of the Phoenix for nearly four years." Harry looked to the Minister and he confirmed with a nod. Kractchak continued, "Before his death he had set aside enough money to provide for the Order for several more years. He also gave away a very large portion of the Black gold to several worthwhile institutions. This put a large drain on the gold in the vault and had reduced the actual gold holdings of the Black family by nearly 97%. You must understand though that the business interests of the Blacks were extensive."

Kratchak continued on, "The Black's interests could easily replace every Galleon currently in your vault twice a year every year without any management on your part. Your current holdings are already five times what they were when your accounts were co-mingled. Your accounts manager, though, believes that with some changes he could easily triple that amount."

Harry gasped, "But I have no idea how to manage money."

"Neither have the Blacks for more than a few years. All you need to do is listen to your manager and give him guidance. You will understand when you speak." Kratchak smiled.

Three hours later Harry walked out of Gringotts with a bag of Galleons and a smile on his face. He'd begun the day worried that he was penniless.

Once Kratchak had granted him access to his accounts the rest had been easy. Harry had a long list of things he wished to take care of. With Kratchak's help Harry quickly made the transition from "barred" to "very important person" at the bank. He'd been promised a seal by end of week that would allow him to make large transactions outside of the bank with only his signature and a copy of the seal provided.

He'd set an appointment to have a will made. He'd realized despite being surrounded by death he'd never considered what would actually happen if he died. Now, he had Teddy to consider and he wanted to make sure that those closest to him were taken care of if something happened. After careful consideration he decided to follow in Dumbledore's footsteps and leave a significant portion to Hogwarts if he passed and did not yet have any children of his own.

Harry also had a trust set up for Teddy which would provide monthly payments to Andromeda for the care of Teddy and a few Galleons set aside for when Teddy came of age and was ready to make his way in the world. He knew that Andromeda would argue with him but he would insist. Although Tonks had a small pension to cover Teddy's expenses Lupin had been nearly penniless most of his adult life. Such was the lot of a werewolf. Harry owed his life to Lupin. He also knew that the early death to the elder Ted Tonks had put the family in a bit of a bind. So as not to stir up too much trouble he made the amount enough to cover expenses but not too extravagant.

Harry now walked the streets of Diagon Alley. He'd only been to the Alley twice since Christmas. Both trips had been to Gringotts. The most recent he was denied access and it had seemed pointless to walk around without any more than a few Galleons to spend.

Now that he took the time to look around he realized that the entire area was run down. Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour was boarded up. Twilfitt and Tattings, an upmarket robe shop had a sign posted that said that at the present time it would buy and sell second hand robes "as long as the robes were of the same quality that Twilfitt and Tattings has always prided itself." Sugarplum's Sweets had a sign posted that said "We apologize but Sugarplum's will be open a limited number of hours from May to 31 July."

Harry wondered what, if anything, he could do to help.

He knew it would have to wait. For now he needed to get away. He'd hoped the Gringotts appointment would go well because he would need plenty of Galleons. Harry's next stop would be to see Shacklebolt at the Ministry and then he'd be on his way. Harry had unfinished business to settle and now that he was healthy enough to perform magic the sooner he could finish this the better.

Hermione rushed into the Auror's Office on the second floor of the Ministry. She knew this was a training day for Ron and she hoped to find him in his cubicle. She was having difficulty finding her way around when she ran into Ewan Duncan. "What do we owe the pleasure, Miss Granger?"

"I'm desperately looking for Ron. Is he in the office today? I hope he's not in the field." She was fidgeting and he could tell she was worried. He motioned for her to follow him, "I'm sure he can see you for a few moments. We've had no solid leads in a week so the trainees are in the office learning to recognize and disarm simple traps and wards."

When they reached Ron's cubicle he was leaning over a box and both Neville and Zacharias Smith watching him. Winking, Neville placed a finger over his lips and with his other hand he gave the signal to wait a minute. Suddenly an ear piercing screech erupted throughout the office and Neville nearly cried with laughter. The others had their hands over the ears and Hermione couldn't hear herself yell to "make it stop!"

Finally Neville flourished his wand and when the screech stopped she could only hear yells from several Aurors to "silence that rubbish!" and laughter from Zacharias and Neville. Ron looked up and had already broken into a rant, "How in bloody hell are you better than me at this? You couldn't take care of your own sodden frog when I met you! Now you disarm traps like a ruddy genius. It's Bollocks! Bloody bollocks!"

When Ron finally realized it was Hermione laughing at him loudest he went red from his roots to his toes. Ewan patted her shoulder to let her know he was returning to work and the others walked away laughing – but not before Neville called out over his shoulder, "Don't forget you owe me a Sickle."

Before Hermione could ask Ron grumbled, "Ruddy git bet me I couldn't disarm the trap without setting it off. I don't know how but he picks up traps and wards twice as fast as me."

"Have you considered reading the material they assign you?" replied Hermione. When he shrugged she remembered the reason she was here and she began fidgeting again, "Harry's gone."

"What? Where?"

"He came home just after noon and told me he had something to do and he'd be gone a while. He stepped into his room and came out with a bag about a half hour later. He gave me a hug and asked me to let everyone know he'd be back when he could. Before I got over the shock he'd already stepped outside and and was gone." Hermione sat down, "He didn't tell me anything. He didn't say where to, how long, why. I didn't say anything on Friday but he and Ginny had a talk and she said she needed space. It's really hurt him that she's been avoiding him and I wonder if that just didn't put him over the edge."

Ron thought to himself. Harry had always been both the strongest and most fragile of all of them. He was also the most unpredictable. He could be anywhere doing anything. With no family and no plans to return to Hogwarts, if Ginny had told him off then there was nothing tying Harry to any one place. Harry could simply disappear on a whim. "I'm his best mate and I have no clue where he'd go."

Hermione shrugged her shoulders, "Neither do I."

Harry sipped Butterbeer from a nearly clean pint and waited patiently for his contact. He'd rented a room for the evening and had plans to leave at dawn. He'd had a few things to collect before his trip but this item was most important of all. Shacklebolt had quietly gotten him intelligence and contacts for his final destination but the equipment he'd had to collect on his own.

The table he sat at was rough hewn wood. Harry couldn't see out of the dingy windows but he wasn't making much effort. What he could see were the shapes of three men as they made their way past one of the windows and then skulked through the doorway. Each sat at the table nearest the door and loudly made crude jokes about some witch he was sure he'd never met. When the story was finished and the barkeep was nowhere to be seen they began to grumble. Harry continued to drink quietly.

A few more minutes and the group grew restless. One of the men got up and slinked to Harry's table while the others watched, amused. His hair was greasy and unkempt and his breath was horrid. His robes were dingy but carried the Ministry seal. "How about you buy an old Auror a drink? By the looks of you ye might have some Galleons to spare."

Harry didn't bother to look up or reply. He really had hoped to avoid a confrontation but he could tell this one was inevitable. He was currently performing an inventory of the other two blokes waiting at their table. He was nearly convinced that if these men had any kind of magical talent they'd be better dressed and haunting less seedy establishments. Most likely they were low end lackeys that had been guarding Hogsmeade and were now simply avoiding the law.

"Son, I asked you a question. How about that pint?" The man was now inches from Harry's face and his breath nearly made Harry wretch. The bloke called out to his mates, "This boy here has lousy manners. What you say we Aurors teach him a lesson?"

"I wouldn't try that, Smithwick," announced a man with a ratty white beard and dingy old robes as he laboured down the steps.

"Why is that?" He looked irritated that the barkeep had gotten involved but seemed at least somewhat entertained that the old bloke might doubt his abilities.

"Go ahead and make trouble but my Galleons are on the 'boy' there as you call him. In fact, I am willing to wager as many Galleons, Sickles or Knuts as you have that you will be walking out of here today without your wand." Harry recognised a familiar twinkle.

The greasy young man bared a nearly toothless smile. "All I've got on me at the moment is a few Sickles but I'll be happy to wager one for the sake of gamesmanship. What gives you so much confidence in this young boy?"

For starters, the wand that he has pointed at you from under his robe is your own." Aberforth was behind the bar now uncorking a bottle of firewhiskey. He poured two fingers into a dingy glass and took a sip as the young man Smithwick fumbled around his robes and finally asked, "How?"

Aberforth took another sip and chuckled, "The boy lifted it off you while you were chatting with me. Much more efficient than a disarming spell in my opinion. Do you lot plan to order drinks or do you prefer to settle up on that wager and leave?" Smithwick flushed red at the sound of his own mates' sniggers but quickly recovered. "What makes you think I'll pay?" asked Smithwick silkily, "We still have two wands and the most this little runt here has proved is that he's a fair thief."

"That's a fair question and it deserves a fair answer." Aberforth lazily sipped his whiskey, "I think you'll pay because you'd prefer I did not kill you. You see, the boy there has a streak of goodness in him that would probably limit him to stunning and binding you and sending an owl for the Ministry. He doesn't mind that our Galleons pay to house petty hooligans. Fortunately for you, today he prefers privacy over justice or I believe he'd have disarmed and bound the lot of you already. Me? I don't feel the need to bother with wasting space at Azkaban for the likes of you. I don't mind killing you on the spot. So, either pay me my Sickle or order a drink."

One of Smithwick's mates stood up and walked over to the bar. He placed a Sickle on the bar and made his way for the door. Before Smithwick could protest the bloke hissed, "Let's go now!" and walked out. Smithwick quickly followed his two mates. Aberforth called out after them, "You can pick up your wand tomorrow!"

"Trouble just follows you, doesn't it?" asked Aberforth as Harry finished his Butterbeer.

"Like a shadow," grinned Harry into his pint.

"I once knew a young bloke who couldn't seem to take a step without it leading to trouble. I firmly believe he enjoyed it though. He was always plotting and planning and saving the world. Whiskey?"

"No, another Butterbeer. Do you miss your brother?"

Aberforth opened a bottle of Butterbeer for Harry and carefully filled his now empty pint glass. He then uncorked the firewhiskey and poured another two fingers for himself, "I do now. It's always amazed me how brilliant he could be when ridding the world of evil but that he was such a catastrophe when it came to his personal decisions."

"You mean the ring?"

Aberforth took a sip, "The ring, the wand, my sister, my mother...Grindelwald...everything. But finally the ring, yes. Albus was such a model of control when it came to serving others but he was a total mess when it came to his own life."

"I know the feeling. I can't help but hurt those around me. Everyone I love is either dead or can't stand to be around me." Harry took a large swig.

"Boy, I assure you it doesn't matter. Whether you are like my brother," Aberforth made sure to look deep into Harry's eyes, "or you are like me – if you live long enough everyone you love will eventually die. And don't get too big a head. Those that loved you did not just die for you. They died for all of us...even common old men like me."

Aberforth drained the glass, "Besides, something tells me that everyone that loves you didn't suddenly bolt for the doors. My guess is it was a certain someone that you had a fancy for as well?" Harry didn't answer. "Boy, women come and go. I imagine with your celebrity you might have your pick. That said, you'll only meet one or two in your life that are so special you can't do without them. If you feel this woman you fancy is the 'one' then you need to find out quick what it is that has come between you and fix it. Women weren't made to wait for men...waiting is a man's job."

"I think it has to do with this," Harry motioned to his body. "She saw me after I was cursed and she hasn't been the same ever since. A few nights ago she still couldn't look me in the face."

"Don't be so sure it's your looks. Women place much less premium on that sort of thing. I'd wager you a Galleon or twenty that the one you fancy is worried about something more than a few scars. Otherwise she wouldn't be seen with a short scrawny boy with messy hair and spectacles now would she?"

Aberforth's eyes moved to the door and his voice returned to the growl Harry was more accustomed to, "I think someone is here for you."

Harry turned to see a short round man waddle up to the bar. Well dressed, though well out of fashion, he carried his own glass and a decanter of fine port wine. Aberforth actually rolled his eyes and placed two Butterbeers on the bar for Harry, "It seems your Professor has brought his own refreshment. I'll let you serve yourself while I go on to bed." Aberforth began walking toward the steps, "Once you are done close up behind the Professor and pay up your tab..and leave my Sickle as well. If anyone comes in to rent or drink tell them I'm closed. If they refuse to leave - curse them."

Aberforth was gone before Harry could argue. Instead he stood up and shook Slughorn's hand. "Professor," he said with a smile.

"Harry my boy," replied Slughorn, "The Slug Club will be back next term. Can I count on a visit? You are always well received by my guests and students alike. Master of Quidditch, Defeater of Dark Lords, TriWizard Champion..."

Harry couldn't help but laugh. "You make me sound like a mythical hero."

"Harry my boy. You are better than a mythical hero. You are real and alive. They could write a book about you...a whole series, in fact. You could make millions of Galleons selling them. Maybe even a billion Galleons if you sold it to Muggles as well. They could make their own little version of moving pictures. I think they call them 'movers?' Or even pictures on their 'tellers.'"

"You mean Tellies? Yes, I'm sure you know a few people that would like to speak to me about that. I imagine they'd cut you in a bit too?" Harry had grown accustomed to Slughorn's deal-making and petty acts that paid for his comfortable lifestyle. It was the very reason he'd contacted him. "How about for now you help me with what I need and we can talk about my story another time?"

Slughorn grew more serious but Harry was nearly sure that the worry that crossed his face was a negotiation ploy. "You realise what you are asking me for is illegal? For you, of course, I'd be happy to do anything."

"Professor, I'm only asking so I can save myself the trouble of Muggle travel and avoid unwanted attention. I am sure the Ministry will not come down on either of us for this. My reason for discretion is merely to keep prying eyes out of my business. I'd be happy to pay 200 Galleons."

Slughorn had a gleam in his eye, "Harry, I've had my eye on a special little something for myself and am only short 500 Galleons. As you know, my salary at Hogwarts is not enough to keep a man of my tastes content for long so I dally in a few side jobs as well." He pulled out a small metal box, "I imagine that in the course of defeating the Dark Lord you must have made good use of the Felix Felicis you earned our first class together. I have another bottle in here freshly brewed today I'd be willing to part with. I could part with it and satisfy your other request for 600 Galleons."

Harry chuckled to himself, "Sir, you have no idea how useful that potion turned out." Harry was beginning to enjoy the haggling and the back and forth, "I didn't want to part with too may of my Galleons before my trip but I'd give you 500 Galleons for both the portkey and the bottle there and if everything works out I promise to make it to at least one of your Slug Club parties."

"Deal, my boy!" an excited Slughorn happily shook Harry's hand. He pulled out an old wind-up pocket watch. "Fortunately, I've been to Sydney. I'm going to place you in a nice quiet tavern called Darling's End. You'll enjoy the place. It is the pride of Botany Way – the magical equivalent of Diagon Alley in Sydney." He closed his eyes and recited a small verse while passing his hand over the pocket watch and then setting it to three. He then closed his eyes and recited a similar verse while making the same hand motion over the pocket watch and then setting it to nine. Slughorn then gave a devilish little grin.

"I know you didn't ask Harry but because you are so generous I'll make this into a permanent-use dual-action portkey. Do you have a silver Sickle?" Harry checked his bag but he'd not had the opportunity to make change since he'd picked up his Galleons. He picked the Sickle up off the bar and handed it to Slughorn - replacing it with a Galleon. He'd settle up the rest in the morning when necessary, "How about this?"

"Thank you Harry." He then held the silver coin over the watch and recited another incantation. He pointed his wand at the Sickle which seemed to be sucked into the wand. When he pointed it at the pocket watch a blaze of silver passed from the wand to the watch and it glowed for a few seconds before returning to normal. He then handed the watch to Harry, "I've placed a permanent charm on the watch so that it will now serve as a port key so long as the hands and the wind-up work on the watch. When you set the watch to twelve the watch and anyone touching it will travel to Darling's End. When you set the watch to six the watch will port anyone touching it to the Leaky Cauldron near where everyone Floos in. I even included a safety so that if someone is standing at the location, it will move you a few feet over. No need to port into another person's body – that is both embarrassing and messy."

"Agreed. Thank you so much for your help Professor...and your discretion."

"Likewise, Harry," he was made to look even more like a walrus when he began to softly clap as Harry poured a pile of Galleons onto the counter and began counting them off one by one. After fifty or so he began to grow bored and asked Harry, "May I?" Harry nodded and Slughorn pointed his wand at the pile. With a small whisk the 50 Galleons Harry had counted off and another 450 from the pile were whisked into a small bag by Slughorn's side. The two men shook hands and said their goodbyes and Harry closed up as requested – not before returning the unused Galleons to his own bag. Harry then trudged upstairs to get sleep. Merlin only knew how long it would take to find the Grangers.

A/N: Slughorn is one of my favourite professors. He is imperfect but often well meaning. I'm also intrigued with ways to incorporate Aberforth. Let me know what you think about the scene in the tavern before you continue to the next chapter.