AN: Wow, I honestly didn't expect to get another chapter done so soon! Especially for this story. I was going to write the next chapter for Taking His Life Back, but then I got the urge to do another chapter for this story instead. I had a lot of fun writing this chapter and I hope everyone enjoys it. This story involves a lot more politics of the wizarding world than I've ever done, so I'm certainly out of my comfort zone in that respect, but I'm enjoying it regardless. I hope it turns out okay in the end.
Inside of Gringotts, a meeting was taking place as all account managers and head goblins sat, all with a stony expression on their faces. It wasn't often that a meeting of this caliber was called, let alone out of the blue and with such urgency.
"Goligarth? Do you have any idea what's going on?" Goligarth only grimaced, giving a small nod as his claws impatiently tapped on the table.
"Yes. Grufgon and Lagnuff will explain everything once they arrive, but this will be a gravely important meeting. A wizard has greatly disrespected magic and Gringotts, and by relation, our entire nation." The Goblin said, earning scowls and sneers.
"How can humans be so foolish?" Someone spoke up, a deep frown on their features. "We control their entire economy and provide a plethora of services. Yet, they so graciously treat us as second-class citizens and disrespect something of use to them." There were hums of agreement from around the table, even Goligarth.
"To make these matters worse, the wizard who was most hurt by the dishonor is someone who treats us with respect." The anger morphed into fury now, the room becoming restless as they waited on the remaining Goblins. It wasn't long until the rest of the account managers, including Lagnuff and Grufgon, arrived, the two Goblins taking a seat at the front.
"Lagnuff, Grufgon," Goligarth gave a nod in respect. "May your gold ever flow."
"And yours," The two responded in sync, their eyes hard as they shared a look at what was going to be unveiled. Grufgon gave the other goblin a nod, indicating that he should begin. Clearing his throat, Lagnuff turned his attention to the others.
"Nearly fourteen years ago, I was in charge of helping the Potters create their will, should anything happen to them." There was a moment of silence as the Goblins bowed their heads in respect to the passing of a life. "The two were very thorough in what they wanted to happen to their son, Hadrian Potter, should they be killed in the war. About three days ago, Hadrian Potter arrived to claim his lordship and heirship rings." One Goblin cleared their throat at that, getting Lagnuff to turn to them. Giving a bow, a Goblin known as Roventh spoke up.
"How was the wizard able to claim such a thing so soon? The earliest I've seen someone claim a lordship ring is sixteen." Lagnuff nodded at the question, understanding the confusion. It wasn't often something like this happened.
"The wizard is exceptionally bright. From what Hadrian Potter explained, he became of magical maturity during his previous school year. The boy, being only fifteen, was forced to participate in the Triwizard tournament." There were looks of shock at that, some of which were simply outraged. "He found a loophole in the tournament with his friend. Being that only those of magical maturity can enter and participate, he became an adult the moment he competed in the first task, considering his guardian or magical guardian didn't pull him from the competition."
"A clever wizard indeed." A goblin commented, smirking. Lagnuff smirked back with a nod.
"Which brings us to the problem. When the young man took an inheritance test, it showed him some…disturbing and damaging things," Lagnuff said, clasping his hands together. "He was unaware of the extended family members he had, having never been told of their relation to him. You see, in the original Will of his parents, they instructed him to be placed in an orphanage, if any of his godparents should be unable to take care of him." There were looks of confusion and apprehension.
"I was also there on the day of the reading and because of existing circumstances, all but one was able to be there for the reading. That wizard was Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore." There was a deathly silence, the apprehension growing. "In the reading, it explicitly stated that young Hadrian Potter should never be allowed to live with his mother's sister, in any circumstance. Lily Potter was adamant that her sister would only serve to make her son suffer, for her sister had always called her and any magical beings freaks." The look of anger and disgust multiplied at the term. Lagnuff continued.
"Even her husband, James Potter had testified to that during the creation of the will, saying that they were the worst sorts of muggles. The husband of Lily Potter's sister also called them freaks, often engaging in confrontations with them," The Goblin paused, looking at the others. "On file, the boy had three Godparents. He has two godfathers, being Sirius Black and Remus Lupin, who are mated. His godmother is Narcissa Malfoy. Had anything happened to them, then it was ordered that Hadrian Potter be placed in an orphanage. However," He gazed around him. "Even with two of his godparents being alive and capable of raising him, he was sent to Lily Potter's sister, courtesy of Albus Dumbledore." The outrage was immediate, many Goblins crying in outrage at the wishes of the dead being ignored.
"That fool! He was the only one at the reading! He would have known to not send Hadrian Potter to those muggles."
"It only gets worse." Lagnuff offered with a grimace. "Lord Potter told Albus Dumbledore of the abuse he was dealing with at his muggle relatives, only for the man to ignore him and explain that he had to be there." There were shocked gasps across the room, even from some of the more stoic Goblins. In their world, children were treasured and sacred, never to be hurt. "And until he took his inheritance test, he was only aware of Sirius Black being his godfather. It's likely the headmaster of Hogwarts never told him about his other two godparents to simply keep him in an abusive household." Roventh made a disgusted face at the implications, tapping his claw in agitation.
"I find it odd," Roventh began, a calculating gleam entering his eyes. "That the Headmaster of Hogwarts was the only one to be at the reading." A grim look crossed Grufgon's face and for the first time, the head of Gringotts spoke up.
"That's because it was intentional." All eyes were on the head goblin. "It was a few days after the Potter's deaths when the reading of the Will was requested. However, being that Sirius Black had just been arrested for the murder of twelve Muggles and a wizard, the Headmaster implored Gringotts to hold off. That way it would give Remus Lupin, Sirius Blacks mate, time to mourn." Then he paused, scowling. "The day the Will reading finally came to be was on the day of a full moon."
"He purposely prolonged the wait so Remus Lupin wouldn't be able to show up?" Goligarth breathed, shakily clutching the table. "What of Narcissa Malfoy?" Grufgon's scowl deepened as he pulled a packet from his coat, goblin magic protecting the papers as he laid them on the table.
"In custody at the Ministry for questioning regarding her husband and her role with the death eaters." Grufgon pulled out another paper, flipping it to the side. "While we have always stayed out of the affairs of the political side of the wizards, Lord Potter provided us with some useful information based around the previous war, and we found a corrupt correlation." There was a picture of many wizards and witches, and with them came background papers.
"Dumbledore created a secret organization to fight the death eaters," Lagnuff began to explain, taking over for his friend. "While it isn't as secret these days, at the time it had been very well hidden. That being said," Lagnuff frowned. "It seems that some of the members of the organization had also been part of the ministry." Looks of realization were beginning to unfold, many becoming more agitated by the second. "It's theorized he used the members from his organization to act as informants on when Narcissa Malfoy would be interrogated."
"Another transgression." Goligarth mused, thinking off all the wicked wizard had done to purposefully put a child in an abusive home, therefore intentionally ignoring the wishes of the dead.
"There is one more piece of damaging information," Lagnuff said, pulling out a copy of the will. "While I had been the one to help write the will, I was not the sole executor. Albus Dumbledore had been named executor in making sure young Lord Potter be placed in an orphanage if his godparents were unable to take him." Roventh narrowed his eyes at that, crossing his arm in thought.
"When he is tried for this, it is likely he will use Remus Lupin being a werewolf as a reason for not leaving young Lord Potter with him," Many of the Goblins hummed in agreement, despite the anger in their eyes.
"He will also use the fact that the Malfoy's were associated with the death eaters as a reason." Another spoke up, making everyone nod in agreement again. Lagnuff spoke up again, needing to make another point. It would be the final one to bring all of their magic together.
"Yes, he will likely use that in defense, but that won't matter in the end. James and Lily Potter knew of Remus Lupin being a werewolf, and he was still named as a Godfather regardless. The same with Narcissa Malfoy. Even if Lady Malfoy was associated with the Death Eaters, they still trusted her to raise Lord Potter. The Potters told me they explicitly trusted the Malfoys to raise their son, and even if there was room for doubt, the Black Family Curse would have prohibited Lady Malfoy from harming Hadrian Potter. He is of Black blood as well and is family. Despite all of their wishes and preparations, Albus Dumbledore completely disregarded them." Powerful magic was growing around them, startling to form together as Lagnuff added one more thing. "It's one thing to disregard the wishes, but Albus Dumbledore also deliberately went out of his way to ensure their wishes were not met."
A light flashed through the room as the Goblins closed their eyes, the magic cracking as it circled in the air. It lingered until all the goblins finished, finally vanishing in another flash as they all made a clear vow.
"I've been instructed by Lord Potter to bring Albus Dumbledore down for disrespecting his parents and Gringotts. Now, we make plans to ensure his humiliation." Lagnuff nodded to Grufgon, knowing he had more to add.
"And, we will be further investigating The Order of the Phoenix and those who had potentially provided confidential information. The more evidence we find, the more charges Lord Potter, and Gringotts can bring." Grufgon stated, sensing the end of the meeting drawing near. "If we play this perfectly, not only will the wizard be put on trial for ignoring the wishes of the dead, but he will be put on trial for child negligence in ensuring a child to be placed in an abusive home." Many of them scowled at the sheer wicked behavior, especially since it was a man in charge of hundreds of children.
"We will need to inform the ministry of the breach of confidentiality. Perhaps we should use someone of neutral leaning?" Roventh supplied, causing Grufgon and Lagnuff to nod in consent.
"One small issue with that is the lack of neutrality." A Goblin by the name of Falamor added. "While we do stay out of politics, we are hardly blind to what is going on around us. One of our own is a professor at Hogwarts, and he has never been keen on Dumbledore, to begin with. We have another great divide resurging. Those who are either loyal to Dumbledore or fear him, and those who are not."
"Yes…there is hardly a neutral party these days," Roventh nodded with a deep frown.
"While that is true, we already have a candidate in mind." At the curious gazes, Grufgon smirked. "William Weasley is already employed with us and he has connections to the ministry. He will be able to not only inform them, but he has already expressed interest in acting as our representative when needed." All the other Goblins smirked in return.
At that moment, Albus Dumbledore stopped in his tracks as a feeling of sheer cold shot through him, lingering for a moment and sending a deep chill down his old bones.
"Are you sure you have no interest in teaching next year? If something were to happen to Professor Babbling…." Harry trailed off innocently, making Barty snort.
"As enticing as that sounds, I'd rather not drink Polyjuice potion again for as long as I live." Chuckling, Harry leaned into the death eater as they read their respected books on the sofa.
"I know…Polyjuice potion is a real pain. At least it smells worse than it tastes I suppose." Harry amended, unaware of the way Barty was looking at him. Turning a page, he startled when the death eater laughed.
"When did you try Polyjuice potion?" Pausing, Harry grinned a little sheepishly.
"We brewed in my second year to sneak into the Slytherin common room." He confessed, grinning more at the incredulous look on his friends' face. "To be fair, I kept being accused of being an evil dark lord because I could talk to snakes. The chamber of secrets was opened, and we thought Draco Malfoy was the heir of Slytherin, which is kind of hilarious now considering that I was an heir of Slytherin." He chuckled slightly. "So, we took the potion and polyjuiced ourselves as Crabbe and Goyle," Harry added with a grimace.
"Merlin, that's even worse than being Moody." Barty winced in sympathy, earning a laugh from the younger wizard.
"It was uncomfortable, but Ron and I managed to get through it. I don't see how you were able to be Moody for ten months." Barty simply shrugged.
"I learned to become accustomed to it. The magic eye was handy for a while, too. I made sure to completely damage it before they took it. That sort of artifact would benefit the Order too much. It could see through your cloak, for the most part."
"I figured. I saw your reaction one night when I was sneaking about. I was a little surprised that you didn't give me detention for it." Harry admitted, flipping another page. "Maybe I was always your favorite student?" He teased innocently.
"You did grow on me surprisingly quickly." The death eater spoke with a small smile on his lips, eyeing Harry through the corner of his eyes. "I was constantly wondering how you ended up in Gryffindor and not Slytherin or Ravenclaw." Color tinted Harry's cheeks at that and he shifted a bit to peek up at him.
"Ravenclaw? I'm always told I would have done well in either Slytherin or Gryffindor, but no one's ever told me I would make a good Ravenclaw." The younger wizard laughed softly, still flushed. "Hermione, for sure. Me? I don't know."
"Your friend is hardly a Ravenclaw." He snorted. "She's very intelligent, yes, but she lacks many other characteristics. I could see her as a Slytherin before a Ravenclaw." Harry blinked in confusion at that statement, leaning into Barty more.
"Why's that?" He asked, bookmarking his page.
"I get the sense that she wants to prove herself, like you. From watching how she works and sets goals for herself, there is an obvious level of ambition inside of her. Not all muggleborns eagerly consume the knowledge of our world, but I think it's clear she wants to stay here. She feels like she has more to prove because of her blood status."
"Yes," Harry agreed with a small smile, having had a similar conversation with his friend in the past. "She's always loved learning, but she changed a lot of her study habits after our run-in with Malfoy in my second year. Ever since then, she started practicing her spells more and more, wanting to show she was just as capable of performing magic."
"I dread to imagine what the Malfoy brat said to her." There was a serious look on Barty's face and Harry hummed.
"He called her a mudblood and told her she had no right to possess magic," Harry said with a frown, watching the way Barty clenched his fist, a storm brewing behind his brown eyes.
"I can't say I'm too surprised that he used that slur. Maybe I will come to teach again, just so I can transform the git into a ferret." Harry let out a laugh at that, a shine returning to his eyes. "Has he used that language with you?"
"No, but I attributed that to the fact I'm a half-blood. If he plans on calling us that slur as well, then he's going to have to man up and call Blaise Zabini the same thing," Harry informed with a smirk. "As much as he tries to promote blood purity, he often overlooks the fact that a lot of Slytherins are half-bloods. I don't know if his sole issue is with muggleborns or not."
"Knowing the type of man Lucius is, the issue lies with muggleborns. From a young age, the Malfoy family heir is taught by the head of the house to respect blood purity. Abraxas Malfoy was very stern with Lucius, much like how my father was to me." Feeling the tension, Harry frowned as he listened. "While I'm no fan of Lucius, I can sympathize with some of his childhood. It's a shame that he never tried to fight the teachings he was taught. Draco still has time to change."
"What about Narcissa? It's weird knowing that she's also my godmother."
"Narcissa is a wonderful woman. She might be part of the most ancient and most noble house of Black, but she was never the extreme like Bellatrix and some of the others." Barty smirked as he thought of his friend. "She loves children more than anything. I remember when she first announced her pregnancy. I had never seen her so happy." He then sighed. "And as much as a git her husband is, they are devoted to each other." Harry smiled a bit, reopening his book as he made himself comfortable against Barty again, oblivious to the slight flush.
"It's a shame that Dumbledore stopped me from living with her. I didn't have any love growing up until I came to Hogwarts. She sounds like she would have been an amazing mum." Barty hummed, letting his hand card through Harry's hair absentmindedly, smirking at the pleased sigh.
"I would have rather you been with her as well. Those monsters you were placed with…" He trailed off, still slowly stroking the raven hair. He only stopped when Winky popped in, bowing her head, and doing a small curtsey with her new uniform.
"Lord Crouch and Lord Potter be having a visitor." Harry huffed in slight dismay as Barty stopped playing with his hair, not wanting to move yet.
"Thank you, Winky. Please send them here." Barty answered, missing the warmth when Harry gradually pulled away from his side to look more presentable. With the knowledge that only a select group of people knew of his whereabouts, it meant that their visitor had information for them.
It wasn't long before a man who looked to be a few years older than Barty walked in, carrying a stack of important documents. Harry rose an eyebrow but smirked when emerald eyes met amber, the link they shared immediately flaring. If it weren't for the link they shared, Harry would have never guessed it was Tom.
"You didn't mention popping by today," Harry commented, sensing Barty's confusion.
"Impromptu meetings can serve a purpose, little snake." Harry snorted at the nickname, a small smile forming at the familiarity it provided. There was no denying he derived pleasure from a simple, yet, endearing name. Besides Sirius calling him feathers, he never had a nickname growing up. Unaware that he was still smiling, he felt Barty move closer to him, their arms pressed against each other.
: You must be blocking your magic, otherwise, he would have figured it was you already.: Harry commented, earning a small smirk from the man.
: I think he's beginning to understand now. I suppose my new face confused him.: Tom answered in return, watching as realization dawned.
"My lord!" Barty moved to stand up and bow but was stopped by the man raising a hand.
"I'm in your estate, Crouch. There's no need to bow to me here." He swiftly informed, lowering his hand. "I've come to personally inform you of the plans for the ministry." Tom sat in an opposite chair, smirking. "As you can see, my appearance has already started to change. In this new body I will be going by the name of Octavian Alexander Sayre, and thanks to Lucius, I am already growing in popularity among Wizengamot." Harry held back a snort at the name, knowing full well where the inspiration came from.
The Dark Lord passed the papers ahead, handing the copies to Barty and Harry.
"I fully intend to claim you as my heir publicly at the next Wizengamot." Tom informed, "Which happened to be a day of voting." Barty's eyes lit up at that and the death eater sat straighter.
"Oh…" Harry realized, his own eyes lighting up. "Is that why you asked for those memories of Sirius the other day?" Voldemort smirked and gave a nod.
"Yes. I intend to pass a vote to give those captured in the first war a real trial. Amelia Bones is already starting to side with a majority of my points in the meetings, and it won't be hard to sway her. She knows the minister is inept and is actively siding against him in the meetings," His smirk was practically contagious.
"Once they're confronted at the fact that many were placed in Azkaban without a trial, they'll be forced to open their eyes and see the corruption around them…" Harry trailed off. "I'd like to…help with that." He admitted. "To make a statement to the public as well. I think it's time they realized how unjust their system is."
"You realize that Dumbledore will know you no longer align yourself with him?" Harry sighed and nodded.
"I do. I care about clearing Sirius and Barty's names more." The raven-haired wizard stated, smiling when Barty brushed their hands together. "And it's time for them to know about the order…well, the Goblins are working on that too."
"Oh?" Tom was unaware of this tidbit, as was Barty.
"Lagnuff and Grufgon contacted me today. They're planning on informing the ministry of the order and the leaked confidential information from the members." Harry explained. "Then they plan on revoking his order of Merlin. They already removed his status as chief warlock." Harry felt the delight coming from Tom's end of their family link.
"I wondered how that came to be. He only holds two seats, and they're not very powerful ones. Most of his votes tend to be useless."
"Merlin, I can't wait to see his reaction when you reveal me to be your heir." Harry chuckled, already imagining the flabbergasted look on the headmaster's face and the fact the man couldn't question it made it all the sweeter.
"Which reminds me," Tom pulled a ring from his pocket, placing it on Harry's palm. "This is the Gaunt ring. It's the heirship ring for the Slytherin house as well. The Lordship is this," He motioned towards the necklace clasped around his neck.
"Thank you," Harry flushed, putting it on next to the Gryffindor one as the magic formed between the two. "I have the memories that you requested as well," He waved his hand, the two vials appearing. Tom looked impressed as he accepted the vials, noting the wandless magic with surprise. "What?" Harry asked, seeing, and feeling the surprise. Barty chuckled.
"Wandless magic," He informed, making Harry snort at the reminder.
"Right. I forget that it's not that common, especially for someone still in Hogwarts." He looked at the papers again. "What day will the voting be?"
"Next Friday. I'll pick you up then," The Dark Lord announced, standing up to take his leave. "I presume you have the needed robes?"
"Yep! Barty bought them for me," Nodding in approval, the Dark Lord vanished, causing Barty to sigh softly before pulling Harry into a hug.
"You don't need to make yourself a notable enemy to Dumbledore because of me," Barty mumbled softly, pulling the younger wizard closer to his chest.
"It's not just you, it's also for Sirius….but mostly for you," He admitted with a flush, wrapping his arms around the death eater as he returned the hug. "You and Sirius were both innocent and none of you were given a fair trial. Just because Bellatrix admitted to torturing them didn't mean you did…." He clung tighter to him. "I hate your father for ignoring your plea. If you hadn't killed him…" Harry trailed off again, flushing when Barty ran a hand through his hair again. "You deserve to walk down Diagon Alley without wearing a glamour, and you deserve to live your life without being held back."
"With you and the Dark Lord, it will come to be." The Death Eater smiled at the optimism that Harry and his lord provided.
"Merin…" Seraphina Nott breathed out, along with Kingston Longbottom as they looked at the two seats before them.
"What is it?" Someone asked, looking around. Their eyes widened soon enough at what they saw before them.
"I haven't seen these seats in such a long time." Kingston Longbottom walked over, gazing at the seats with awe. "It seems like the Gryffindor and Peverell seats have returned to us."
Dumbledore could only stare at the new seats with a newfound feeling of dread.