New chapter, you guys! :D

Thanks so much for all the lovely reviews! So glad you liked the chapter!

So, hope you like this one too, I will write some more info regarding next chapter at the end, so make sure to read that! Also, the next chapter might be a bit slow, since I'm going back to the UK, and moving into my new apartment (whoohoo!), so it might take a while to get settled in and such. I'll try to update as soon as possible, but just giving you all a heads up that it might take a little longer than what you're used to :)


Sirius was lying in an alcove, his human form discarded for the favour of his more preferred animagus form. Ever since Azkaban, he never felt completely safe unless he could slip into the relative anonymity of a dog. People noticed a haggard looking man wandering the streets, but nobody seemed to pay any attention to a dirty mutt. Even while here, in Dumbledore's office, Sirius chose to stay hidden in the shadows and await his next move. People generally saw his a crazed madman, but that was simply the image that had been attached to him. Despite being at the mercy of the Dementors for twelve years, Sirius Black was still the man he used to be in all respects.

However, at this moment there were more pressing matters on his mind than his possible unstable mental state. He had arrived at Hogwarts just minutes earlier, desperate to find the headmaster to tell him the horrible news about Harry, but when he had made his way up to Dumbledore's office, the old man was gone. Seeing that running around trying to find him was no use, Sirius decided to stay and wait for him to come back. After all, he himself could use some time to process what had just occurred at Malfoy Manor.

It still seemed inconceivable that Harry, James and Lily's boy, would choose to stand side by side with Voldemort, the man who killed Harry's parents, and oppose Dumbledore, who had only the boy's best interests at heart. Sirius growled deep in his throat when remembering the lies that Harry had obviously been told about Dumbledore stealing and going behind his back, lies which the still gullible boy believed in. Once again, Sirius was hit with a sense of overpowering guilt at not having been there for his godson during his upbringing. If he had only been there to make sure nothing bad happened, Harry may still have been here with him, those green eyes of him looking up at him with a brilliant grin and Sirius would ruffle his hair, just as he had used to do with James.

His musings were cut short when a loud crash was heard and Dumbledore stormed into the office, slamming the door behind him. Sirius' first impulse was to immediately jump out from his hiding place, but the headmaster's facial expression made him stop dead in his tracks. Those usually friendly blue eyes were now filled with such hatred, animosity and pure rage that Sirius, despite all he had seen during his long life as an auror, was shocked.

"That little whelp! How dare he do that to me, who have done nothing but good to him?!" Dumbledore fumed and paced back and forth over the office floor, Sirius still remaining undetected.

"What could've possibly happened back there? My only theory is that their cores must have started reacting to each other and the added power of Tom's magic caused Harry's to lash out, but for that to happen the little brat must have had some rather deep-seated suspicions of my intentions."

Falling down into his high-backed chair, Dumbledore grew pensive and his eyes seemed to emit a light that Sirius found oddly disturbing.

"Now, there can be no doubt that the hold I used to hold on the Potter brat is slipping. I can no longer use him for my purposes, but he might still be of some use yet… I'm sure the youngest Weasleys will be more than pleased at the possibility of slandering the Golden Boy's name a little." A twisted smile had deformed the headmaster's face for but a fraction of a second, but it was enough for Sirius to instantly make up his mind. With the same patience he had used when waiting for his chance to escape Azkaban, he now used to remain well hidden in Dumbledore's office and when the old man exited through some connected door, a mangy black dog slunk out of the office, yellow eyes glittering with some unidentifiable emotion.


Hardly registering the fact that, not only the two male Malfoy's, but Voldemort as well, were accompanying him, Harry strode through the streets of Diagon Alley. At the moment, he had one objective and that was to find one of the Goblins and see for himself just how much that blasted headmaster had stolen from him. No longer did Harry doubt what Voldemort and the Malfoys had told him about Dumbledore. He had seen for himself, through the old man's own eyes, how he had cheated, stolen, lied and used Harry for his own, selfish gains. Harry could hardly remember the last time he had been this angry with someone, but he hastily put away those thoughts. If he let himself wallow in hatred for the headmaster, then he would get nothing done. Right now, the best thing he could do to get his revenge was to act and act he would.

The raven-haired boy was so singularly focused on the task at hand that he didn't notice how a pair of blood red eyes followed him, narrowing slightly at how Harry's fists clenched and unclenched, and how the boy had clenched his jaw tight. His whole body looked like a strung wire, ready to snap any minute. However, they soon reached the milk-white stairs to the impressive bank, and they all entered.

It took Harry some time to get used to the change of light, coming from the bright day of the outside and into the, though not dark, more dimmed atmosphere of Gringotts. Lucius stepped up and, guiding Harry with a light hand on his elbow, directed them all to a free goblin.

Looking down an exceedingly long and crooked nose, the creature seemed to look straight through Harry, as if he were just particles that could be plucked apart and inspected, but Voldemort stepped forward and bent close to the goblin.

"Listen here, we need a private room. We have some serious matters to discuss. It revolves around someone having stolen from this young man here, and we are very much interested in hearing how Gringotts could have allowed this to go on."

The man hadn't even tried to disguise the threat in his words, and the goblin seemed anxious to defend the honour of the esteemed bank, but then appeared to think the better of it when taking a second look at that peculiar eye colour of the man in front of him.

"Very well, Mr Riddle. If you would all follow me." With a surprisingly agile jump, the goblin left his chair and directed them all towards the back of the room, where a row of inconspicuous doors appeared. Opening one of them and ushering them all in, the goblin sat down at the head of the table.

"So, could you please explain the matter to me? I assure you, Mr Potter and Mr Riddle, that Gringotts is entirely innocent in whatever has been going on and that we are just as interested in catching the perpetrator as you are." With a grim smile, he added "after all, we can't have the bank's honour on the line like this."

Harry leant back and allowed Lucius to explain the whole situation. Despite the fact that he was the one personally afflicted by Dumbledore going behind his back, he still didn't feel up to the task of cleaning up the mess. Never mind how he behaved outwardly, Harry was tired. Not only from all that had happened to him the last two weeks, but also mentally exhausted from the strain of seeing people he thought loved him and cared about him, be revealed as fickle and treacherous human beings. It pained him and there was still a small part of him that wished he had never known anything, that he could've continued to live in ignorance and kept his friends. Shaking his head quickly, Harry tried to clear his mind. There was no use longing for a future that could have been, and he knew perfectly well that despite the pain it brought, he would rather know who his true friends were than to stay by the side of those who only used him for their own gains.

The goblin, Grimwold, had now gotten all the information that Lucius knew regarding Dumbledore's theft, and the creature's eyes narrowed.

"I think I have gotten all the information I need. Headmaster Dumbledore got access to Mr Potter's vault because he was the boy's guardian at the time. As this position of trust has been revoked, so has his access to all belongings of yours stored here at Gringotts, Mr Potter. However, to make sure that nothing of this nature will ever happen again, we can perform a small ritual that will make it so that your express permission must be given before any money or item is removed from your vault. If this is not given, anyone attempting to steal from you will be… severely regretting it." The twisted smile that appeared on Grimwold's face unnerved even Voldemort.

Harry didn't think twice about, but nodded stiffly. "Do what you have to do, Grimwold. I'm sick of people going behind my back."

The goblin nodded, excused himself and disappeared, only to reappear a few minutes later, carrying a small goblet and a knife. Putting the items in front of Harry, he grabbed Harry's arm. "It will be a simple blood ritual, as that is the single-most effective tool for keeping what you own out of greedy hands. I will only need a few drops."

Voldemort looked like he wasn't too happy about the situation and red eyes followed the knife without blinking, the man ready to jump up if he sensed that something was not as it should be. However, this worry of his was completely unnecessary, as Grimwold simply pricked Harry's palm, squeezed out three drops of blood into the goblet, and used the tip of the knife to swirl it together with some substance already in the goblet. Giving a satisfied nod, the goblin disappeared again, taking the knife and goblet with him.

"Well then, Harry. Now that this has been dealt with, do you want to shop for supplies? You need some more material to work on, now that you have learnt the basics of magic during your first year." Lucius said, but Harry shook his head.

"I still want to know just what has been removed from my vault and how much." He said, a steely determination is his eyes that Voldemort couldn't help but find very attractive.

As if he had sensed Harry's wish, Grimwold popped up again, seemingly out of thin air, and bowed slightly. "As you wish, Mr Potter. I happen to have the necessary documents here with me, as I had a feeling you would want the information."

A small stack of papers was handed over to him, and Harry quickly skimmed them, calculating in his head. The result was more positive than he had anticipated. Voldemort raised an eyebrow at him, and Harry handed them over to him to read without a word.

"It seems like Dumbledore only stole a small amount, but there were some items there that I would like to get back." Harry demanded. "First of all, Dumbledore has not informed me that the Potter name is an ancient pureblood line, and that there are estates connected to that name. Are there any other Potters out there or am I the only one left of the line?" He was trying to make his voice sound steady and demanding, but he couldn't deny that there was a small quiver when asking if, despite all odds, he might still have living family members.

His heart sank when Grimwold shook his head. "I'm sorry, Mr Potter, but you are the only heir to the Potter line and estates. However, Dumbledore has only kept this information from you, he had no authority of taking anything from either the estates or the vaults connected to the Potter line. Only the vault left you by your parents has been stolen from."

Harry nodded, but wasn't truly listening. He didn't particularly care about being the heir to a pureblood line or about having more money than he could possibly spend during his lifetime. Dumbledore stealing from him had been a matter of principle, the headmaster had breached the trust, the sense of family, Harry had in the man, and as such, he felt the need to look into the situation. Now that everything had been brought into light, Harry only felt like getting away from the stuffy bank, and back into the light of the Diagon Alley streets.

Draco was watching Harry intently and noticed how his new brother seemed to shrink in on himself and that his eyes seemed glazed, like he wasn't really there, but thinking of something completely different. With a discreet signal to his father, Draco motioned towards Harry, and Lucius seemed to get what was going on instantly. Within a matter of a few minutes, the blond had thanked the goblin for his assistance, made sure that Dumbledore or any other Order member had no access to any of Harry's property, and then they had all walked back out of those white doors. Stopping on the top step, Voldemort again turned to Harry, who seemed to have quickened up a little from the fresh air and light of the outside.

"I'm sure you understand that sending you back to Hogwarts would be a bad idea, as that makes you an easy target for Dumbledore's manipulations." Before Harry had a chance to object, he continued, "I will personally tutor you, either at Malfoy Manor or at Riddle Manor. However, there are some subjects that I feel others to be more competent in teaching you than myself. Potions, for example, is definitely an area where Severus excels and who therefore would prove a more efficient teacher to you than I would be."

"So, I would be going back to the castle for my Potions lessons and then go back to Malfoy Manor when done with them?" Harry asked confusedly, not really seeing how this could be practically possible.

Voldemort nodded. "As Lucius is on the School Board, he is in a position which allows him to pull a few strings. All subjects which I think you would be better of learning at Hogwarts, will be organized so that you will have no problem attending them."

Draco, who had grown tired of just standing around, grabbed Harry's arm and pulled him in the direction of Quality Quidditch Supplies, where a small group had already formed outside the showcase window. Harry laughed and let the blond lead the way, happy to be outside and cheered by the prospect of going back to Hogwarts, despite only for a few times a week and also having Dumbledore breathing down his neck. While at Hogwarts, he would have the opportunity to spend more time with Hermione, as well as Draco. Maybe he could become better friends with Blaise and Daphne, who he had only briefly talked to at the ball, but who seemed like nice enough people once you got to know them.

Voldemort watched the two boys disappear into the broom shop, doing his best to quell the feeling of dissatisfaction he got when Harry left his side. This growing feeling of protectiveness he had for the boy had almost become a matter of concern, but the Dark Lord was not one who would admit to having any other feeling than possessiveness. Harry was his fiancée, and as such, he should stay by his side. However, even he had to grudgingly admit that forcing Harry to stay put next to him at all times would hardly improve the relationship between them.

It confused him, these feelings. For so many years he had been working so determinedly to further his goals and ideas, though he experienced setbacks and failures along the way. He had tried to create Horcruxes, had started quite early on in fact, but while creating his sixth one, the ritual had backfired, leaving him nothing more than a weak shadow of himself. Quirrell had been useful then. Though a weak, blubbering idiot, he was too scared to go against his Lord's orders, and Voldemort had been able to regain his strength while attached to the back of the man's head. Unfortunately, his condition also left something to be desired of his mental stability, and when he finally regained a corporeal body of his own, he had been furious when he realized that his crazed form had tried to kill Harry Potter while searching for the Philosopher's Stone.

After this incident, Voldemort had decided, albeit with much reluctance, to retrieve the pieces of his soul that he had already placed in the various objects of his choosing. Immortality was one of his primary goals, but it could be attained in other ways than making himself an unstable lunatic. The ritual he had gone through to once again become whole had left him unable to do much for weeks, but he finally regained his strength, as well as his ability to feel more than rage, hatred and sadistic glee. Though he was by no means a caring or considerate man, Voldemort was human. What the ritual hadn't undone, however, was his appearance. As if Nature was making a point of what happens when one decides to fool her, Voldemort still looked like a strange human-snake hybrid, with red eyes, no nose and pale, icy cold skin. Thus he still used his disguise when around Harry, at least for now, as he didn't want to scare the boy away.

Shaking himself out of this wallowing in past events, Voldemort quickly began walking down the stairs with an air around him that made passers-by jump out of his way. Lucius hurried after him.

"My Lord, may I ask what you have planned?"

With a sneer, Voldemort glanced at him, but answered anyway. "I have a fiancée to take care of. There is no way I'm letting him walk around Diagon Alley without someone there to make sure there are no pesky Order members around to obey whatever stupid order Dumbledore has given them."

With that, the Dark Lord left Lucius behind, not looking behind him. Because of this, he never noticed the slight, knowing smirk that graced the blond's lips.


So, this chapter was supposed to deal with the entire Diagon Alley shopping adventure, but I decided that that would simply be too long a scene, and I also think it was kind of natural to end this chapter where I did (though it's kind of a cliffie...) But look at it this way: the next chapter is bound to be all about overprotective Voldie and suspicious Harry, so that's gonna be fun, eh?

Also, wonder what Sirius is going to do now... You'll just have to read the coming chapters to find out!