Disclaimer: Usually I write out a very specific disclaimer explaining exactly what it is I don't own but I find myself not really interested in doing so this time as it is very tedious. Suffice it to say I own nothing that was created by anyone else and I am not making any money off of this story or any of the other stories I have written.

AN: This story is self-beta'd; so there may be occasional grammatical or spelling errors that crop up every now and then and for those I apologize in advance.

Chapter 56: Unexpected Inheritance

It took Harry close to three weeks to catch up on everything that he'd been unable to take care of while he'd been trapped in his wolfish form. The first two days he had spent in bed recovering from his forced transformation due to the lingering magic saturating his body (something that hadn't bothered his wolfish form because magical creatures are born with magic flowing through every cell of their body; it was that free flowing magic that made them magical, after all). Once he was up and moving about, his body no longer feeling like one giant bruise, Harry was put through a battery of tests (medical, magical, and physical) in order to determine how his body and magic had been affected by his forced adaptation.

To start with, his eyesight, hearing, and sense of smell were far better than they had been prior to his transformation but no where near as good as they had been while in his wolf form and he still needed glasses, though his prescription had needed to be adjusted. His sense of taste was no longer as muted and there was no trace of his venom present as the needle like fangs from his wolfish form did not exist in his human form (thankfully). The same could be said for the anti-venom tears and healing secretions since both substances had been produced by glands that didn't exist in his human form.

He did retain the ability to hide within even the smallest of shadows (an ability that he would eventually call shadow masking) and his ability to ghost silently through the corridors had improved even without using his magic or masking ability to hide. Harry often annoyed his brothers and the other soldiers living and working on the grounds each time he managed to sneak up on them since they couldn't sense him approaching until he was there at their side. Unless he purposefully made a bit of noise; which he usually didn't bother doing since he was just enough of a prankster to enjoy making others jump.

Another thing to carry over from the wolf was his newfound need for physical interaction. He no longer flinched or cringed away from unexpected contact and to the surprise of many often initiated said contact without any hesitation. Public displays of affection (both platonic and romantic) weren't avoided like the plague they had been prior to his forced adaptation though he never crossed the line into indecent behavior. His relationship with Dorothy flourished under his newfound acceptance of intimacy and the young-mother-and-bride-to-be practically glowed with happiness due to the changes.

His appetite had been affected as well; no longer skipping meals when he got caught up in his work, consuming roughly twice the amount of food at each meal that he had prior to his transformation, and he could often be found snacking between meals (something that he'd never done before unless pushed by one of his brothers). His dietary preferences had also undergone a few changes. Like his wolf form, he preferred his meat a little less cooked than he had previously though he didn't eat practically raw meat like he had as a wolf. The amount of meat he ate at each meal had more than doubled as well, though he still ate reasonable sized servings from the other food groups as well. His new diet would see him continue adding weight in the form of muscle and regaining the thin layer of fat that he'd been lacking since the night his wings formed.

The final change they discovered was that the nerve damage done to his right hand and arm from the frostbite he'd suffered early on in space remained attached to the bones of his hand, wrist, and forearm instead of transferring back to his skin and the underlying tissue. This turned out to be the best thing to happen as there was a potion that could heal damaged bones (without needing to remove and regrow them this time). It took a full week to complete the treatment but at the end of that week the only reminder that remained of Harry's brush with the frozen vacuum of space was the fine tracery of scars that ran from his elbow to his fingertips. The arm would be highly susceptible to arthritis once Harry reached middle age (which for a wizard was between seventy and eighty years old) but in the mean time, he would no longer suffer each winter.

After the testing (which had been done over the course of three days), Harry had immediately made arrangements to bring in his new prospective employees. All seventeen men and women ended up signing an employment contract at the end of the tour; the scientists among them eager to get to work on what they considered the 'find of the century' while the rest were just happy to have work in the struggling economy (the war having affected the entire world and millions had been left both jobless and homeless with no prospects in sight; the highest numbers actually coming from the disarmament due to the high number of factory workers that were being laid off each time another factory closed). An impromptu feast was held in the Great Hall that night and afterwards there was music and dancing.

The next eight days were then spent settling in the new employees and their families, reviewing the current construction projects, reviewing the recent expenditures, approving or rejecting several proposals from the various departments, wading through the seemingly endless stacks of paperwork that had piled up over the month he'd been unavailable, and interviewing another eighty individuals. Harry felt as if he was pulled in twenty different directions during that time and if he'd had a time turner he'd probably have met himself both coming and going. As it was, he barely had any time to spend with the children or Dorothy, though he did see them at breakfast and again at supper as he made it a point to not hole himself up in his office for those two meals.

On the fifteenth day after regaining his human form, Harry helped supervise the transfer of the Universal Police Force Headquarters back to the Winner Estate in Saudi Arabia. At the same time, a satellite office of the U.P.F. was scheduled to be built in New Hogsmeade which had by default become the capital of the Wizarding Nation since Hogwarts itself was a school and a reserve. Harry's entire squad was listed as reserve officers in the force after expressing their desire to remain with Harry though Zechs continued to play bodyguard for his sister while she remained in Hogwarts as Harry's guest until the Sanc Kingdom could be rebuilt (something that would take a several years due to the lingering radiation from the nuclear warhead that had been dropped on the small nation).

Quatre, Heero, and Duo moved back to the Winner Estate with the U.P.F. though they planned on visiting frequently while Trowa and Wufei both opted to remain at the castle to continue helping Harry. Most of Quatre's sisters returned to space at that point, though a few of them ended up staying to help out with the U.P.F. and Iria was officially hired as Hogwarts Director of Medical Staff. The young doctor had grown to love the castle and the young children whose health she'd been entrusted with during the months she'd been living at the castle.

Upon returning to the castle two days after the transfer, Harry, Dorothy, Trowa, Cathy, and Obduro were invited to the Veterinary Clinic to witness the birth of the five centaur foals. The three fillies were born first; one with red hair and a burnished chestnut coat, one with deep brown hair and the speckled coat of an appaloosa that was mostly brown with a white rump liberally splashed with speckles and spots of black, gray, and brown, and the third one with pale blonde hair and a dark cream colored coat. Obduro named the chestnut filly Caleo, the appaloosa filly Stella, and the palomino filly Luna.

The two males were born shortly after the three fillies had found their legs and the first one had coal black hair and a slate grey coat while the other one had light brown hair and the coat of a brown and white painted pony. Obduro asked Harry to name the two colts and after much thought, Harry named the paint male Firenze (in honor of the centaur that had once saved his life) and the gray male Orsus. An hour after their birth, all five foals were outside in the paddock frolicking around while an emotional Obduro watched over them.

Harry was back at the clinic the following afternoon for the births of the next four house elves. Dobby and Winky had both been invited to the birthing and the two eldest house elves were over the moon both over the invitation and the knowledge that they were no longer the only elves in existence. Harry named one of the new female elves Betty and one of the new males Marty while Dobby named the second male Zippy and Winky named the remaining female Pinny. Harry bonded all four elves immediately after they had been named and then allowed Winky and Dobby to take them up to the castle.

Like when Dobby and Winky were born, Harry would spend the first two weeks carrying around a pair of elves (spending half a day with each of them in alternating pairs while the elves watched over the other two) in order to establish an emotional bond with the elves in addition to the magical bond. Once the four new elves matured enough to demand work of their own, one pair would be assigned to work in the green houses while the other pair would be assigned to help in the kitchens.

Once he was caught up with everything, Harry focused on filling those positions that were still open in order to decrease the workloads of everyone (including himself). He was also working on an immigration policy since New Hogsmeade would need people to open businesses in order to thrive since the village couldn't rely upon Hogwarts (and Harry) to support it indefinitely.

While he was doing that, Trowa led a second expedition down to the floor of the Black Lake to retrieve the various skeletons that had been documented during the first expedition; including the magically fossilized skeletons of several merfolk, grindylows, a few plimpies, lobalugs, a few hippocampus, and an assortment of various skeletons belonging to mundane loch life (such as fish, eels, aquatic snakes, aquatic frogs, aquatic insects etc). The group also caught a number of living specimens for the smaller magical aquatic species (such as the plimpies and lobalugs). Wufei, on the other hand, continued to work on magical data bases containing all of the information on magical creatures and plants (which when combined, contained over seven gigs of data) to fix the various bugs that cropped up now and then after the two systems were linked together.

The cloning program had been well established by this point. Magical birds, insects, invertebrates, reptiles, and small mammals were the easiest to work with since their gestation periods were the shortest. The creatures that required a longer gestation period were slightly more difficult mostly because they tended to be far larger than those creatures with short gestation periods. Currently there were a handful of unicorns, a few winged horses (of several different breeds), a couple of thestrals, a pair bicorn, and some hippogriffs due the following spring. The more dangerous creatures (such as trolls, red caps, hinkypunks, graphorns, and dragons) weren't scheduled to be added to the restoration program until there were adequate security measures (and personnel) put into place to prevent injuries in the event that one of the creatures managed to escape and go on the rampage.

That was in addition to the creatures that Harry relocated from the various nexuses throughout the British Isles as he resumed his weekend forays in the hopes of bringing as many animals back to Hogwarts as possible before winter set in once again. Most of the various creatures were getting up there in age but they were starting to find the offspring of the youngest generation that had been born in the years after Harry had appeared on the deserted island off the coast of Japan four and a half years earlier. It was a heartening development since it meant that nature was helping the magical creatures to make a come back on their own and would offer additional genetic variances and bloodlines to mix with the bloodlines of the clones.

The botanical portion of the cloning project was due to start as soon as the newly hired agricultural staff settled into their offices and labs. They would then have the rest of fall and all of winter to run whatever tests and experiments they needed in order to prepare for the planting season in spring. That would give the researchers time to finish the various databases that were being put together, give them time to finish inventorying Harry's plant based potions ingredients, and allow Harry to track down live plants, seeds and bulbs, or dried plants from which D.N.A. could be extracted for those species that were extinct and for which he didn't have any seeds or bulbs (such as the Whomping Willow – which had been destroyed during the muggle attack on the castle).

One of the five greenhouses that had been built earlier during the summer had already been seeded with a few magical food crops. They mainly focused on those crops that would be crucial for the survival of all of the creatures due to the large increase of the various populations thanks to Harry and the others importing the animals from other nexuses. A few medical crops were being grown as well in order to replenish the ingredients for those potions that Harry had used the most since returning to Hogwarts.

That wasn't taking into consideration the mundane crops (such as fruits, berries, vegetables, herbs, and spices) that were growing in the kitchen greenhouse. Harry was thankful that he'd already hired several individuals to take care of the greenhouses and monitor the growing crops because he himself had no time to spare to do any gardening; he was having enough trouble just keeping abreast of the various ongoing projects taking place within Crystal Valley and hiring more hands to help with the work.

Relena was a godsend during that time as she brought her experience of reestablishing the Sanc Kingdom to the table and willingly offered advice and suggestions. Zayeed didn't hesitate to help either; the Winner patriarch helping Harry to create a better financial plan to run the reserve, going over and revising the business plan that Quatre had helped Harry put together when he first rediscovered Hogwarts, and helping to write up the various policies that would be needed to make certain everything ran smoothly. Dorothy made herself indispensable by becoming a political adviser for the rising Wizarding Nation; her training and experiences as the heir to the Catalonia Estate and a former spy for her grandfather and the Romefeller Foundation making her an ideal diplomat or ambassador. She also kept Harry centered and made certain that he paced himself so that he didn't burn himself out by trying to take on far too many responsibilities.

It was upon their urging that Harry finally caved and agreed to announce his budding nation to the world; though he would not be making any mentions of magic to the world at large. There were many advantages for going public; it would make the Wizarding Nation legitimate (which meant they could gain a direct voice in the E.S.S.C. and make it far easier to entice new businesses into New Hogsmeade), it would give the Wizarding Nation a measure of protection in the event of an invasion, it would allow him to ask for aide on behalf of his nation, and give the world something to focus on other than his status as the Demon of the Stars. There was also the fact that it would make Harry a slightly more appealing and acceptable suitor to be the leader of a growing nation as opposed to being the homeless vigilante pilot of a dangerous mobile suit.

Four hundred years earlier, it would have been all but impossible for Harry to establish his small corner of Scotland as a separate kingdom without going up against the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom of the past didn't exist any more though; the once great island nation (formed from the countries of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales) long since carved into about twelve smaller countries in the wake of the Magical Genocide and the wars that followed. The boundaries of those smaller nations, bar Northern Ireland, were constantly shifting as the power shifted within the various countries in each conflict. The brief war between the Alliance and OZ had destroyed the governments of seven of the twelve countries and that saw the other five countries striking hard and fast trying to lay claim to as much territory as they could.

Scotland was one of the seven that had been ravished by the war as they'd fought back against both OZ and the Alliance with a vengeance and the current state of anarchy would allow the Wizarding Nation to rise undisputed by a formal government within its country of origin. It would also, in a few years time, allow the Wizarding Nation to expand as Harry would conquer or purchase additional land during the continued upheavals as more than one of the countries would try to swallow the Wizarding Nation thinking that its small size meant that it was weak.

Establishing himself as the leader of a nation now meant that when those attempts were finally made, Harry would have the backing of the E.S.S.C. and the U.P.F. when it came time to defend his nation instead of appearing as if he was the one trying to invade another country. That had been one of the successful arguments that Dorothy, Relena, and Zayeed had used to convince Harry to announce the existence of the Wizarding Nation now instead of waiting until he was more firmly established.

Once Harry's agreement had been secured, the castle became a place of temporary bedlam as they scrambled to prepare their petition to the E.S.S.C. The first order of business was to decide what to call the new Wizarding Nation and after much consideration, Harry chose to call it New Avalon (an unoriginal name but one that had historical significance for the magical community). Next was to determine what kind of government New Avalon would have; Harry wanted to establish a parliamentary system since that was what he knew best (having grown up as a British citizen until he was torn from his time).

The problem was that the Wizarding Nation was currently just too small for such a system to be implemented because, technically, New Avalon was home to exactly twenty-one New Avalonians; Harry, his son, the other seven wizardlings, the six centaurs, and the six elves. And while Harry considered all of his employees and his family as part of the new nation; the truth of it was that there were only twenty-one magical beings living within New Avalon.

In the end, Obduro settled the matter by stating that it was time for the Wizarding World to crown its king and New Avalon became an official monarchy; Harry having long since been the ultimate authority when it came to reclaiming and rebuilding what was lost. He would, of course, have a council of advisors to help him make decisions and to help him rule the small kingdom effectively and efficiently.

Next he needed to establish the legislative and judicial aspects of the government; his memory of his godfather's wrongful imprisonment spurring him to make certain that there were checks and balances in place to ascertain the truth of an individual's guilt or innocence. He also did considerable research in order to make certain that the laws of New Avalon wouldn't give rise to the prejudices that had been rife within the former magical society and that no sentient being would be suppressed or ostracized simply because of their species.

That included making certain that one's magical heritage and lineage or lack thereof would not place them as second class citizens within New Avalon. In some ways, the fact that the number of different sentient beings currently in existence was limited to three (humans, centaurs, and house elves) helped because there were far fewer chances of them stepping on each other's toes (or traditions) while establishing the rules and laws that would govern the nation.

Once the basic framework of the new government was established, the next step was to face the E.S.S.C. in order for New Avalon's sovereignty to be recognized. In order to do that, Harry would need to prove that he held legal claim to the land upon which his nation would stand, that the nation was financially and economically sound, that the nation would at some point in the near future be self-reliant, and have the backing of at least one other nation.

Harry already had the deeds to Crystal Valley, Hogwarts, and Hogsmeade and had had them since Quatre had helped him establish Crystal Valley as his ancestral home over a year ago. New Avalon was already well on the way to being established as an agricultural nation and a list of products and services that New Avalon could offer in trade to other Nations within five years already prepared. Harry also already had the backing of the Sanc Kingdom and the Winner Corporation (Relena, Quatre, and Zayeed all supporting Harry and New Avalon without any hesitation) in addition to having the support of General Po as the commanding officer of the U.P.F.

That just left Harry with the need to establish New Avalon's financial independence and while Harry himself was fairly well off; not even his considerable fortune would be enough to satisfy the requirements simply because the bulk of his fortune was based upon the current worth of his liquid assets that didn't include much by the way of ready cash. He could conceivably sell off all of his gold, silver, platinum, and gemstones to obtain the cash but then the total wealth of his fortune would drop drastically due to the inevitable flooding of the market with his commodities. He could also use the precious and semi-precious metals to mint his own currency but then that would still leave him without the bulk of his fortune.

The solution to the potential problem was, in Harry's mind, simple; he needed to excavate the ruins of Diagon Alley and Gringotts Bank to claim what money and treasure the vaults held.

Harry left Wufei, Relena, Cathy, and Dorothy to plan the three largest events in New Avalon's future (the petitioning of the E.S.S.C. to recognize New Avalon as a new nation, his coronation as the King of New Avalon, and his and Dorothy's wedding) while he planned a two week long expedition into New London in order to excavate Diagon Alley and (if there was time) St. Mungo's Hospital. It would be the longest time Harry spent away from Hogwarts in over a year, though his absence would have less of an impact than his month long sojourn as a wolf since he would still be available to handle any emergencies that cropped up and if needed could return home in the blink of an eye.

The excavation team that would be working with Harry to unearth the largest magical center in the former United Kingdom would include Trowa, Takoda, Brian, Ricardo, and Patricia (the other half of his squad remaining behind to carry out their duties around Hogwarts), Abdul and a handful of the Maganac Corps (Rashid having decided to establish a permanent Maganac base in New Hogsmeade with Abdul taking command in order to watch over their wayward wizarding nephew), and a small handful of Harry's newest employees (most specifically the archeologists, geologists, and paleontologists that he'd hired since the expedition was right up their alley of expertise).

Their planned base of operations for the duration of the expedition would be the former Black Manor; Phineas having taught Harry how to adjust the wards to allow the rest of the expedition access without him being required to be present at all times. Their first target was actually the former Ministry of Magic in order to comb through the entire building to gather up anything magical that Harry had missed the first time; including Merlin's remains so that the famous mage (if that was actually whose remains they were) could be laid to rest in a more secure location.

As they gutted the entire building for anything useful (including salvageable furniture or building material) Harry carefully removed the various wards and enchantments that had been in place for the better part of seven centuries. His justification; the removal of those wards would reduce the strain those wards and enchantments placed on the nearby ley line nexuses (of which there were three; including the one Gringotts was sitting on top of). The fact that dismantling the various enchantments revealed hidden caches of various worth was a bonus in Harry's eyes.

The Ministry expedition also helped familiarize those who'd not previously participated in one of Harry's magical forays with the what they could expect when they finally ventured into Diagon Alley and ultimately into Gringotts. During the two days it took to completely gut and dismantle the Ministry, Harry made certain he taught those new to the team how to avoid ending up cursed and how to distinguish a wide range of magical artifacts from the ordinary junk. The scientists on the team were in seventh heaven over their first real look into the magical society's past and the opportunity to be among the first to truly study an ancient civilization that had been extinct for over four hundred years; a rarity in the current age.

Their third day in New London saw Harry using the Gringotts Nexus to locate the former Diagon Alley since Charring Cross Road no longer existed. Surprisingly, when he found the entrance to the old alley, he found the Leaky Cauldron still standing (if looking far more decrepit than it had back in the nineteen-nineties). That find saw Harry moving their temporary base from Black Manor to the Leaky Cauldron for the duration of this portion of their expedition since it meant they were less likely to draw attention to their presence in the city. The accommodations were also far more pleasant in Harry's mind since he wasn't living in the house where his godfather, honorary uncle, and his first friends had died the slow death of starvation.

The rest of the third day was spent clearing out everything salvageable from within the old pub; including the preserved cache of magical beverages and foods in the basement and collecting all of the furniture from the rooms upstairs. The fourth day saw the group entering the ghost town that was Diagon Alley and Harry shivered in discomfort as he took in the ruins of the once thriving market place. It was a depressing sight as most of Harry's memories of Diagon Alley were from his summer before his third year when he'd lived at the Leaky Cauldron for an entire month and spent his days exploring the alley. A cursory inspection of the buildings that lined the crooked cobbled street of the alley revealed that all of the businesses had been packed up in their entirety; which meant Diagon Alley had potentially been evacuated instead of ransacked.

A subsequent inspection of Knockturn Alley, Mystic Alley, and Paradox Alley revealed them to have been similarly abandoned. It some ways, it was far more disconcerting to travel the silent streets than it had been to walk through the ruins of Hogsmeade after Fawkes had flame-napped him. The biggest difference between the two ghost towns was that while Diagon Alley showed signs that a battle had taken place on its streets, it had not been reduced to rubble like most of Hogsmeade had and it gave the impression that it could spring to life at any given moment; only it wouldn't because there wasn't anyone to bring life to the community yet.

Harry spent most of the fifth day testing and examining the wards that surrounded Gringotts. He knew the goblins could be vicious when it came to thieves and their preventative measures were without equal; and he had essentially come to rob the bank. On the sixth day, Harry returned to the bank alone for the second day in a row in order to start dropping the wards; the rest of his team transporting their earlier finds back up to New Avalon to make room for whatever they found within the bank. Wolfstar hovered off to one side; the suit his only backup if things turned ugly since there was a chance the wards would lash out at him the moment he attempted to breech them (something he hadn't wanted any of the others on hand to get caught up in since they would have no protection against the defensive magics).

It was therefore anticlimactic and more than a little creepy when instead of having to spend hours unraveling the wards protecting the bank, Harry was welcomed by the wards the moment his magic reached out to them and greeted by name by the magical portrait of goblin named Ragnok the Pigeon Toed (according to the label on his portrait).

"Greetings, Harry James Potter, son of James Charlus Potter, and adopted son of Sirius Alphard* Black; I bid you welcome to Gringotts. I have long been waiting for your arrival."

"How do you know who I am and what do you mean you have been waiting for me?" Harry asked as he lowered his wand and let his eyes search the immediate area for anything he might have missed; his paranoia kicking in over the unexpected turn of events.

"Knowing the names of each and every single one of our clients is a matter of goblin pride," Ragnok declared in an imperious tone as he half glared down at Harry from his perch above the engraved poem on the main doors that warned would be thieves not to take Gringotts' security lightly. "The fact that you are also the sole heir of Gringotts insured that I would personally greet you upon your arrival in order to prevent the unworthy from stealing what rightfully belongs to you and your descendants."

"Okay, you lost me at the part where you just told me I was the sole heir of Gringotts because last time I checked I was not a goblin nor am I in any way related to any goblins that I know of. And even if you knew my name from before that still doesn't explain how you recognized me considering that I don't really look like I did the last time I set foot inside of Gringotts more than four hundred and sixty years ago. I also haven't gone by my birth name in almost two years."

"The Council of Elders named you our heir when it was decided that we would march to war against the muggles the moment that it became clear that they would kill us indiscriminately due to the actions of Dumbledore, Grindelwald, and Voldemort. The reason why we chose you as our heir was because we knew that you would be the only one to survive the purges because it was Gringotts that made it possible for Mr. Black to throw you through time. As for how I knew you were you; you still greatly resemble both your father and your grandfather despite the changes that time has wrought on you and your magical signature has not significantly changed since the last time you entered the hallowed halls of Gringotts; so it matters not what name you call yourself now."

"If Gringotts helped make it possible to send me through time," Harry slowly began as he latched onto what he saw as the most important revelation as he focused his mismatched eyes on the painting in front of him. "Can you tell me why the device he used to send me through time malfunctioned and took me four hundred and sixty-six years into the future instead of the forty-five that my godfather originally planned to send me? Can you also tell me why it was that I ended up being de-aged upon my arrival in this time by half my age?"

"I do not know why the device malfunctioned though it is possible that Mr. Black made a mistake when he programmed the target destination. As for the regression you say you suffered upon your arrival; I could not say without knowing exactly what it was that went wrong with the device. Do you still have the device? It should have left a record of when and where you ended up and documented any anomalies it detected during the transition."

"I don't know what happened to the strange device that Sirius strapped to my chest; I had passed out shortly after he activated it due to the pain and it was gone when I woke up on a deserted island close to five years ago."

"Then it may be impossible to determine exactly what happened. Did you have any other questions, Mr. Potter, or did you wish to view your inheritance now?"

"I have millions of questions but I doubt you wish to hear them all," Harry dryly retorted as he gave the portrait a wry grin before he stared off up the deserted alley. "I suppose the most important one would be; are there any goblins still living within the bank? Actually, are there any goblins still living anywhere in the world? I know countless creatures and beings were lost through the centuries; to both the purges and because of the dwindling magic."

"There are no goblins, Mr. Potter, and all that remains of our once proud race are the bones of the children that we hid within the bowels of Gringotts when we still believed that there was a chance that we could win the war against the muggles. The only goblin voice that you will ever hear is mine as I am the only goblin portrait in existence and I only exist because the Elders needed someone to stand guard until the day you came to claim your inheritance."

"Tell me, Mr. Ragnok; what would you be willing to exchange to see the children of goblins walk the earth once more as equals alongside of wizards, centaurs, elves, and other sentient magical beings?"

"I would give most anything if such a dream could become reality but it is too late for the goblin race."

"Would you be willing to allow me to remove the bones of the goblins within the bank so that I might take them back to Hogwarts to the men and women that could make that dream a reality? Would you be willing to teach me how to raise the next generation of goblins? Would you be willing to set aside old prejudices and work alongside myself, squibs, and open-minded muggles in order to bring goblin-kind back from extinction? Would you be willing to accept me as the future king of the newly reborn Wizarding Nation of New Avalon and agree to become one of my trusted advisors?"

"Magic can't bring back the dead," Ragnok countered flatly though there was a measure of longing in the old goblin's face and voice.

"You're right; magic can't bring back the dead. However, science can create new life that shares the physical traits with those who were lost. The souls of the dead may have passed on but their bones carry the seeds of new life in them and muggles have studied the science of cloning for hundreds of years. Already we have brought back house elves and given rise to a new generation of centaurs and dozens of other magical creatures that were on the brink of extinction."

"If you can prove to me that you can do what it is you claim you can do; then I will do whatever it is you ask of me so long as it is within the ability of this portrait to do so."

"I will need the bones of several unrelated goblins so that the scientists I hired to help me rebuild the magical world can collect a wide enough range of genetic variances to ensure that the goblins thrive as a species. They will not destroy the skeletons completely but they will need to take samples from them which will cause some damage to the bones. Once they have what they need from the remains, I will personally see to it that the dead are given a proper burial so that their souls might rest in peace. And while I know you said that I inherited Gringotts, I would like your permission to relocate everything within the walls and within the tunnels below the bank to Hogwarts."

"Gringotts and everything within its wards are yours to do with what you will, your majesty; and that includes the bones of the dead. When you are finished with the skeletons, you would have my eternal gratitude if you would cremate the remains and add their ashes to the fires of the forges deep within the bowels of Gringotts where they will strengthen the fires of the next generation."

"I have not yet been crowned king, esteemed elder, and as a future member of my advisory council you are entitled to call me by my name even after my coronation. And you will have my eternal gratitude in return for your willingness to allow me the chance to bring goblin-kind back to this world for our world will be better for their presence."

"You spoke of a new name earlier; do the people in this time not know you as Harry Potter?"

"My adopted family and a small handful of others know that I was born as Harry Potter but for the past two years I have gone by the name of Taliesin Bard. I will answer to both even if so few people still address me by my birth name."

"An interesting choice of names," Ragnok stated as he studied Harry with calculating black eyes. "I should greatly like to meet the one who gave you your new name so that I might hear their reasons for selecting that particular name."

"I chose that name myself when I left Earth to follow my brothers when the war we fought extended out into space. Out of all the historical figures that I had learned about since I entered the magical world at age eleven; I felt I could relate to the Taliesin of old because like Taliesin, my new life started when I was washed up on the beach of the deserted island where I ended up. It was a connection to all that I was and all that I am."

"I was actually wondering more on the reasons behind the selection of Bard as your new surname."

"It felt right and the Taliesin of history was a bard; a teacher of history, a spreader of truth, a poet, and a prophet whose words touched the lives of those who heard him speak or sing even long after his death."

"When the singer who sang amidst the stars returns home and the last mage walks where only dust has grown for fifteen lifetimes, he shall herald a new golden age," Ragnok chanted as he stared at Harry with an unreadable look. "Those that dare stand in opposition to the wolf shall fall beneath his blade when he fights on the wings of chaos and their remains will be but dust on the wind while those that tie their fate to his shall rise again from the ashes of madness. Stand ready through the ages for the heir's return, for he shall bring with him a light long lost to the treasured tunnels of the warrior clans when fast approaches the day for him to take his place as magic's rightful ruler."

Harry felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end as the words of what suspiciously sounded like a prophecy washed over and through him like a wave of fire and ice. He disliked prophecies on general principle as they reminded him sharply of the fact that he'd not yet finished going through Dumbledore's memories and notes and that there were still potentially four horcruxes that needed to be destroyed. It was also a reminder that he'd not yet found the time to speak with the portraits of the former headmasters and headmistresses as Everard had requested.

Sighing, Harry shoved his insecurities and suspicions to the back of his mind and ran his hand over his face before he addressed the portrait once more, "I'd ask what that was supposed to mean but I think I understood the gist of it enough to know that right now I don't want to know; though I am certain Obduro will be more than happy to speak with you regarding what sounded an awful lot like a prophecy once I introduce the two of you. In the mean time, maybe you could tell me what kind of defenses I will be facing once I enter the bank and how I can safely turn them off? The team of individuals that will be helping me move the contents of the bank's vaults up to Scotland is comprised of non-magicals and I do not wish for them to be harmed by something I missed because I didn't know it was there."

"The wards have already been keyed to your magical signature and you will find the master control rune in my office on the top floor of the bank. If you remove my portrait from the door and carry me with you, I can direct you through the numerous halls of Gringotts. You will also find the master map of the underground tunnel network in my office with a list of the protections that were placed upon each vault within the bowels of the bank."

"Perfect; I was worried about the very real risk of getting lost within the tunnels and knowing what I will be up against for once will be a refreshing change of pace. If you will give me a couple of minutes to send a message to the rest of my team, I will see what I can do to free you from the door."

Ragnok nodded and Harry flashed him a small smile before he stepped back away from the door so he could climb up inside of Wolfstar in order to make his call. It didn't take him more than a few seconds to raise Trowa on the radio and he quickly filled his brother in on what he'd found so far (leaving out a number of details that would be easier to explain in person) and asked the green-eyed pilot to bring back additional crates and boxes since they'd already used half of the packing supplies they'd brought while clearing out the former Ministry and the Leaky Cauldron. He then grabbed the duffel bag holding a supply of shrunken crates from the ceiling rack before he dropped down out of the suit and shrunk Wolfstar down to a more manageable size so that the sentient suit could follow him into the bank.

Slinging the bag over his shoulder, Harry returned to the bank's entrance to let Ragnok know he was ready. He spent a couple of minutes carefully removing Ragnok's portrait from the door so that the goblin could show him the way to his office. He then hesitated a brief moment as he stared at the silver doors of the bank before he pulled them open and stepped into the darkness beyond. The cathedral-like lobby of the bank was as dark and silent as a tomb and Harry felt exceedingly small in the cavernous room that was devoid of all life. The emptiness of the room only emphasized the desolate air that had engulfed the deserted alley and Harry had to fight the urge to tiptoe across the vast expanse in the hopes that he wouldn't disturb the vengeful souls of the dead goblins that he imagined guarded the bank from would-be-thieves.

Having never before been in the upper levels of the bank, Harry couldn't help but marvel over the sheer number of weapons and armor on display in the hallways. There were also countless tapestries and paintings depicting epic battles frozen in time interspersed with magical and non-magical paintings of historical castles, historically magical places (such as Stonehenge, the Mayan Temples, and the Egyptian pyramids), and enchanted landscapes. There were even magical portraits of famous witches and wizards from ancient times that had been considered friends of the goblin nation or were historically significant figures (such as particularly memorable ministers, healers, or inventors). One hallway was filled entirely with thousands of flags, banners, and family crests of allies, enemies, and important clients.

If Harry had bothered to look inside some of the rooms they had passed, he would have found collections of priceless treasures and artifacts from different cultures and empires through different centuries (such as the treasures of Egyptian pharaohs, Spanish pirates, Japanese and Roman emperors, and Mayan priests). Countless treasures and artifacts that had been recovered, purchased, stolen, and hoarded by untold generations of goblin treasure hunters throughout their lifetimes in centuries past. There were also rooms filled to the brink with goblin crafted and enchanted weapons, armor, and jewelry. All in all, Gringotts held a wealth of priceless historical artifacts that hadn't been seen by a living soul in almost five centuries; some of it even predating the creation of Hogwarts (and that wasn't even counting what their many clients had deposited within the vaults below the bank).

Once they reached Ragnok's former office, Harry wasted no time in taking complete control of the wards so that he could deactivate the more lethal defenses that would have prevented the excavation team from entering the bank and from removing anything from the premises. He then studied the map and list of vault protections but found a major problem; both items were written in gobbledygook and Harry didn't read gobbledygook. Ragnok could act as a translator but carrying around a portrait with him everywhere he went in the bank would be a hassle since he needed both of his hands to work. Luckily, the problem was easily solved with a few goblin books that were designed to teach wizards how to speak gobbledygook that included; the full gobbledygook alphabet and pronunciation guide, a gobbledygook to English dictionary, a gobbledygook to Latin dictionary, and a twelve book series of gobbledygook lessons.

It would still take him two days to learn enough of the language (using the Absorption Spell that Sirius had taught him) so that he could translate most of the gobbledygook he came across without having to rely upon Ragnok for the translations. It would take another six days before he finished absorbing copies of the remaining books so that he could learn enough of the language to read, write, and converse to be considered fluent; something that had pleased Ragnok to no end because it had been four and a half centuries since he'd last heard his language spoken by another.

Over the course of the eight days that Harry was learning the language of the goblins, he and his team were also packing up the upper levels of Gringotts one room at a time. He ended up having to bring in additional help to pack up the entirety of the upper levels due to the sheer volume of treasures and weapons found. When he learned from Ragnok that the merchandise and equipment from all of the businesses in the four alleys that surrounded Gringotts had been packed up and stored down in the vaults when the magical shopping district was evacuated, Harry made arrangements to extend their stay in New London by another two weeks in order to start emptying the vaults.

Thankfully, all of the magical merchandise from the various businesses of all three alleys was already packed into crates; otherwise, it probably would have taken months to sort through the merchandise and equipment from more than sixty magical businesses. Harry was also thankful that the goblins were known to keep meticulous records of everything in their possession (including the contents of each and every vault regardless of who owned the vault) which meant that the excavation team did not have to create an inventory of the items they were packing. Even then, they only managed to transfer the contents of about one fifth of the total number of vaults and those had mostly contained the merchandise and equipment from the various stores.

If not for Harry's magic, it would have taken far longer to pack up as much as they did; as it was he didn't have the time to spare to search out and inspect the ruins of St. Mungo's Hospital during this trip. He did, however, take half a day to slip off to King's Cross Station where he collected the abandoned and forgotten Hogwarts Express from within Platform Nine and Three Quarters. He'd have to make time to come back to finish clearing out the vaults; he would have just stayed longer but he'd already spent a month in New London and there was much that still had to be done before he was due to face the E.S.S.C. in order to file his petition. Harry would make plans to return to New London after the New Year in order to finish transferring the contents of the vaults and to deal with St. Mungo's Hospital and the other magical buildings hidden within the city.

Upon his return to Hogwarts, Harry immediately turned over the goblin remains to Dr. Watanabe and his staff in addition to the skeletons of several dragons, griffins, cerberuses*, and sphinxes that had once guarded a number of the vaults. The rest of the items that had been brought up to Hogwarts from New London were shifted into storage until Harry could find the time to sort through everything and do a more thorough check for curses and dark magic.

Ragnok's portrait, along with the other magical portraits of witches and wizards, joined the portraits of the former headmasters and headmistresses of Hogwarts in the former headmaster's office (or in the cases where they already had a portrait in the office, the newly recovered frame was hung in the library). The two hours Harry had spent hanging the many newly relocated portraits had also been spent listening to another lesson in magical history and tradition given by Everard Peverell, Dexter Fortescue, and Phineas Black (the latter mostly just making snide and snarky comments).

Translations: Latin to English

Caleo – to be warmed or inflamed
Luna – moon
Orsus – a beginning, undertaking, or initiative
Stella – star

Notes:

Cerberuses – not certain if this is the proper plural form for cerberus or not but it fit and I didn't want to just call them hellhounds since I earlier established that hellhounds and cerberuses were different creatures with the former being a descendant of the latter
Hippocampus – a creature that is half horse and half fish
Lobalug – a sea creature with a spout like mouth and a poison sac that was used as a weapon my merfolk
Plimpy – a fish like creature with long legs

Sirius's middle name – fanon usually gives Sirius the middle name of Orion so that his initials spell out S.O.B. and while it is his father's name, reflective of his teenage behavior, and more than a little amusing I chose not to follow the crowds. I picked Alphard for his middle name for two reasons; one was that Uncle Alphard was Sirius's favorite uncle (hinting that at least one of his parents was fond enough of the man to allow Sirius to spend time with him) and the man wasn't blasted off the family tapestry until after he'd left Sirius his fortune upon his death (which would have meant that it was conceivable for his parents to have used the man's name as a middle name for their son).

United Kingdom – my projection of the collapse of the United Kingdom is in no way meant to reflect upon the current state of said kingdom; it is merely a plot device that I am using to allow for the formation of New Avalon. My reasoning for the collapse is that a lot of things are bound to have changed over the course of four and a half centuries aside from an improvement of technology and the colonization of space stations. The individual nations that rose out of the collapse won't play much of a part in the story (which is one reason I didn't name them all) and their governments won't be mentioned in any depth.

AN: And there you finally have another piece to the puzzle about how Harry ended up in the future and the fate of Diagon Alley. I hope to have the next chapter up some time tomorrow. Enjoy! ~ Jenn