Chapter 3
Albus Dumbledore was almost apoplectic when he was finally released from the hospital wing to discover that he could not remember Sirius Black's address to floo-call him to scold him. He had had several howlers from Molly, who had also complained that Sirius Black had paid Bill Weasley to add new wards to The Burrow, and had made her look foolish in the eyes of her eldest son.
Albus suspected that this changed little in the way Bill viewed his irritatingly loud mother; he, Charlie, and Percy had left home as soon as possible, after all.
Well, if he could not control Sirius, he could control Harry. He sent Fawkes to collect him.
Fawkes refused to go.
Albus must wait to see Sirius at the August Wizengamot meeting, where Sirius was to be recognised as Lord Black, and Albus would cast doubts on his suitability to take up that mantle, based on his instability through years in Azkaban and on emancipating Harry.
He discovered Harry's emancipation when told he had not enough money in his account for the new robes he bought as a consolation for his injuries from the Black wards. He charged into Gringotts to be met with unwelcome news. He was no longer receiving payment as Potter steward!
Sirius would pay for this. This was why he had made sure Sirius went to prison, to prevent Harry from getting away from him!
He did not consider that if he had let Sirius take Harry, and made himself available as an advisor, he might have been given more trust. His very manipulations to make sure of things had led to losing the trust of the Boy-who-was-hyphenated.
His last resort was to send his patronus with a message.
"Harry, my boy, you will find yourself in danger if you continue to rebel, Black is not stable."
.
"So, that's how he plans to play it, is it?" said Harry, grimly. "Padfoot, I think you should check into St. Mungo's for a full psychological work-over, or whatever they call it, to present documentation of being perfectly sane."
"Good idea, pup," said Sirius. "What are you going to do about Albus?"
Harry grinned.
It was not a nice grin.
.
Albus was almost bowled over by the very corporeal, glowing, golden stag which was far stronger now the brain leach was no longer draining Harry.
"Albus, old man, the more you tighten your grip, the more systems will slip between your fingers. You underestimate the power of the force."
"What are you like, Harry!" scolded Hermione.
"Blame Dan," said Harry, who had enjoyed being taken to cinemas or watching on video Dan Granger's favourite films. "I think that ought to annoy Grand Moff Albus."
"He'll take it out on you when we go back to school," said Hermione.
"We're only bound to go to Hogwarts until we have OWLs," said Harry. "We could have Remus tutor us to NEWT, and maybe hire specialist tutors for things he can't teach us, so we can go faster than normal."
He was hit by a bushy-haired missile squealing in delight.
...
"We retrieved a ring with a very nasty curse on it in the old Gaunt shack, Lord Black, and one in Hogwarts, which needed a team of infiltration elves to remove, one is in a live snake who may cause a problem, and the last is in the vault of, we believe, your cousin, Bellatrix Lestrange," said Saul Croker. "The goblins will not hand it over."
"Did you explain what it was?" asked Sirius.
"Of course not!" said Croker, shocked. "However, if you remove Lestrange from your family, you could go into her vault to regain her dowry..."
"And only the value of her dowry and any familial things she owns," said Sirius. "Leave it to me. The ring belongs to Harry when you've cleansed it of curses and of the Horcrux; he's Lord Peverell and as such overlord of the vassal family, Gaunt... now that's a thought," he added.
.
"Ragnok," said Sirius, pleasantly, "Whilst I would like to wish your enemies at your feet, crushed by your gold, I fear that there's a little problem."
"What do you mean, Lord Black?" asked Ragnok.
"What I mean is, how happy will you be when everyone in wizarding Britain withdraws all their money from your bank, for aiding and abetting the dark lord known as 'Voldemort'?" said Sirius.
"We do not aid that vipielniongovnem aroganchek," snarled Ragnok.
"But you do, my friend," said Sirius. "In my cousin Bellatrix's vault there is a horcrux of his which he asked her to hide; and when the DOM asked nicely for you to hand it over, you refused. What am I to think but that you want to aid him?"
"Lord Black, never imply such a thing," Ragnok's eyes blazed in anger. "The man from the DOM did not ask, he demanded, and did not tell me what he wanted to retrieve. We protect the vaults of our investors, even if they are in Azkaban. As you well know, or Dumbledore would have robbed out your account."
"What, and you did not ask why they wanted access to one item? You're slipping, Ragnok. If you had known, what would you have done?"
"The same as I did; throw the little lekkoduk out. And then I would have had the thing removed and destroyed. And confiscated the rest of the vault."
"Well, then, Ragnok, can I leave it in your hands to do that? I understand there is a fee, is that the confiscation of the whole?"
"Since you have alerted me to the problem, you are owed an award of half what is in the vault."
"I'll settle for any books, trunks, and paintings," said Sirius. "Any gold, jewellery, weaponry and so on, I leave to you as a thank you for expediting a familial embarrassment."
"You make generous terms, Lord Black."
"I want to increase the power of my family. If you are satisfied, you will help me increase the family wealth. I will be casting Bellatrix Lestrange out of the family."
"Perhaps you will wait until we have dealt with the abomination; as her overlord, you can give us some authority which makes it easier."
"Certainly," said Sirius, cheerfully.
Well, that made life a lot easier.
.
The books and paintings arrived crated; and one book fell open at a particular curse.
Sirius whistled.
"Harry," he said, "How'd you like to cure Neville's parents?"
"Very much," said Harry. "In time for the Wizengamot meeting?"
Blue-grey eyes met green ones with a mischievous twinkle, and identical grins.