Dinner had gone delightfully well, Harry had felt out of place being the only one who didn't speak French, but Hermione translated for him. As it was his first time abroad they decided to order him something he would be at least somewhat familiar with; hachis parmentier. It was essentially a French shepherd's pie to ease his discomfort over foreign food.

"Don't worry, Harry. You'll learn the more you're exposed to the language. It's the best way to learn a language anyways. It will have a certain dialect, but that's to be expected," Abagail laughed.

They made polite small talk over dinner, avoiding talk of the magical world since they were blending in. It wasn't that hard as the Duke and Duchess were telling dinner jokes and amusing work stories. Harry laughed glad to be part of a normal family dinner. He didn't know the occasion for the celebration and didn't ask in case it was about him. He had enough attention on himself to last a lifetime, so he was more than happy that they were treating him the same way they treated Hermione. Attention was given almost equally, their mum however had a twinkle in her eye whenever she looked at Hermione.

Once they arrived Harry was stunned with how large the castle was. He hadn't been anywhere as large in the muggle world. He had assumed it was as hotel though with its massive size. It wasn't Hogwarts, but for the muggle world it was pretty breath taking.

Hermione kept looking in the corner of her eye to see what Harry's reaction would be to their chateau. So far he was quite astonished, so she was highly curious to see what his reaction would be when he found out it was one of their homes.

She had decided to leave Rita at their home in London, the water plant she left in the jar would be suitable enough to eat. She did a bit of research on the journalist's animagus form and was able to establish that aside from eating other bugs, she would be able to eat water plants. The witch was less concerned as she had at least made it so the horrid journalist wouldn't starve in her captivity. It was better than bringing a witch with a grudge to a warded house, she wouldn't make it. Hermione wasn't fond of trying to test her ward's limits when someone who harbored ill will was forced over the ward's barrier line. For all she knew it would possible kill or handicap the other witch for life, which wasn't something she wanted, despite holding her captive.

As they got out of the car Harry looked up at the chateau barely believing that it was part of the muggle world. He knew from history books that they existed, but it was different seeing a photo and seeing one in person.

"Welcome home, Harry," Abagail said softly with a smile.

Harry quickly looked at his new mother with shock, "Home?"

Abagail laughed, "Yes, home. This is one of our homes. It's a chateau, we usually spend holidays here or just come for a weekend trip. In those cases we have someone come air it out before we come in if we've been in England too long. I mean if we didn't take a plane, it would just be a train ride away. Some people even swim to France through the channel," she said finishing with a shrug.

Harry blinked before slowly nodding, his eyes a little glazed as he took it all in. He knew in theory how close France was, however having never been, he usually didn't think about it. Yet he was more stunned not having known that Hermione had a large home in France. Not so much as a home as so much as a castle. He assumed it would be a common home, perhaps a floor or two, much like the one in London.

'With how Ron is, it's no wonder she didn't want to tell us though. Bloke is sensitive when it comes to money things. Why mention a second home, let alone a castle, when he could barely handle that she's able to buy candy from Honeydukes every Hogsmead weekend?'

Albus waited a few days before making a trip to Gringotts, he didn't want his visit to raise suspicions. He was extremely concerned about the termination of the contract between Harry and Ginevra. Molly had called practically hysterical, which at first he thought was her being her normal overdramatic self. After she sent him the very official letter from Gringotts though he felt a mix of anger and fear. The goblins weren't a race he wanted tangled relations with as they were the ones who managed his gold.

Although it wasn't just his gold, they also had an account for Hogwarts, so he needed to maintain a healthy relationship with them. As Headmaster he was allowed to make certain decisions without the board of governs getting involved, however they also had a treasurer to look over the account. Still he was the one who made the most visits, if he didn't send one of the staff members, he had to make sure he didn't personally step on their toes.

Walking up to the closest teller he gave them his best grandfather's smile, "Good morning, I would like to check the Potter account today."

The goblins were all aware of the situation concerning Albus Dumbledore and decided to marginally allow their natures to show. He may have been in charge of the Potter account, so he did not outright steal from them. He did lie to them and stole from one of their wealthier account holders. One who was not involved in the magical world in any way and was denied essential rights to his finances.

"Name?"

"Albus Dumbledore," he replied cheerfully.

"Which account?"

"The Potter account," he said smoothly and reached into his pocket to take out the key, "Here is the vault key and," he lifted up his wand for show, "my wand."

"The Potter account is currently being audited and the vault is inaccessible at the moment," he said with a sneer.

"I beg your pardon? Inaccessible? How will the boy afford new clothes for the new school year? He's still young, I'm sure by the end of the summer he'll have grown a few inches," he said with a small frown.

'Audited? Why would the account be audited and essentially frozen? I haven't done anything out of the ordinary. I have the account key.'

"The vault will be accessible when the audit is over, Mr. Dumbledore," his sharp teeth glinted threateningly.

"I would like to speak with the account manager: Ragnok," Albus replied.

"Of course," the goblin turned around and started speaking gobbledegook to a fellow coworker.

The goblin was sure to use 'polite' terms not taking the chance that the wizard would be able to understand the language. They didn't want to raise any alarms with the human, they wanted to catch him alone in the most unsuspecting way. It was a good thing they did as the Headmaster was familiar with most languages that could be spoken in the country.

'"Blavork, go get Ragnok. Tell him that we have a client that wants to speak with him about the Potter account." Of course I want to speak with the goblin in charge. I want to get to the bottom of this. That marriage contract is an important part of my plan! He oversaw the termination and I want to speak with him personally. I had given him specific instructions to keep the contract away from the boy's eyes. He shouldn't even have the authority to make such changes if he did see it anyways. I'm in charge of the bloody account!'

The goblin had been waiting for his visit as soon as the letter was sent out concerning the contract termination, so he was able to calmly meet the wizard in the lounge.

"Mr. Dumbledore, if you would follow me," he said, turning around knowing that the old human would do so.

Albus took a breath as his nostrils flared, before following the goblin to a room his was quite familiar with. He waited as the goblin opened the door before making his way inside and helping himself to one of the seat in front of the desk.

The goblin before him took what seemed like leisure time getting into his seat, making a show of going through the filing cabinet, grabbing a few thick files, and getting comfortable. Albus almost ground his teeth in frustration at the subtleties that hinted at a time consuming meeting.

"Mr. Dumbledore, I have been informed you have concerns…," he trailed off, waiting for the wizard to bring up his grievances.

Albus interlaced his fingers together and looked the goblin in the eyes, subtly trying to perform legilimency. He had done so from time to time on the tellers in the main lobby, the normal skimming he did, but never one on one. He never saw more than the faces the tellers were seeing. It wasn't until now that he saw his own face, it was like looking at a mirror with minor irritation emotions.

"Mr. Dumbledore, do refrain yourself from trying to assault my mind. It is unseemly," Ragnok growled, flashing his teeth.

Albus's bushy eyebrows rose swiftly, unaware until now that the goblins were using their own kind of occlumency to keep him out. They weren't thinking blandly of the clients in front of them, rather he saw the person they were seeing, what he could already see.

It made sense considering that they were in charge of sensitive information…

"My apologies. I let my mind slip as I'm simply flustered as to how the account has come to be audited. It's the first time that I've been involved with such a situation as this," he said benignly.

Ragnok kept a straight face as he snarled in his mind. He slid his hand across his desk, subtly raising protective shields and charms on his side of the desk.

The history between goblins and wizards had made it a standard precaution. They were in charge of high profile accounts, there was no stealing to be had in Gringotts. Of course there were oily witches and wizards who had tried in the past to confound or imperio goblins into allowing them access of vaults or information. Thankfully the farthest a witch had gotten was to a vault, of which she tried to steal and was such burned and buried alive by the riches she desperately wanted.

"Yes… While I understand your concerns, please refrain from doing so again," he said with an obvious show of his teeth.

Albus briefly narrowed his eyes at the goblin wanting to flash his own teeth in response. Of course he had been in the wrong for trying to gain entrance into his mind, but it rankled him to be in the receiving end of the subtle threat.

"Of course, once again, my apologies, Ragnok," he nodded, "I've asked to speak with you about the reasoning of the audit and the letter pertaining to the termination of the marriage contract between Mr. Potter and Miss Weasley. Mrs. Weasley floo called me in tears asking why I had done so, but I had to admit to her that I did not. She showed me the letter and the termination was completed in your presence. As the person in charge of the account, I would like to rectify this matter, as I was not the one to order the termination and Mr. Potter cannot do so as I am in charge of his account."

The wizened wizard watched the goblin shrewdly, but instead of seeing the reaction of someone who was guilty he saw a flash of what could be identified as a cheeky grin.

"Mr. Dumbledore, I'm afraid that is no longer the case. As Mr. Potter is now emancipated and legally an adult, he is legally in charge of his account."

"I am certain that is not the case. Regardless if he is considered an adult, Mr. Potter is still under aged and his will was left with strict instructions that he was not to be in charge until he was of age," Albus said firmly.

"You are partially correct in that. Mr. Potter is considered an adult, he is legally emancipated in our world. In the muggle world he is still considered under-aged. However, before he was left in the care of a family. Of which you know made you guardian."

Albus felt an uneasy feeling creep into his lower abdomen.

"Mr. Potter is no longer in the care of a family. He has been officially adopted, cancelling out the need for a guardian. As such he is no longer your concern."

"Preposterous! I would have known if someone tried to adopt him. I would have received an owl informing me of such a process," he said loudly.

'And I would have stopped it immediately!'

"The process was done in the muggle world, but is still legally binding, official, and recognized in the wizarding world. In such a case you would not receive an owl, and it was done with those he was in care of present."

Albus paled before thinking quickly trying to bring this back in his favor.

"If I may inquire does his new… family, know of the wizarding world? If the process was done in the muggle world surely it would be breaching statue of secrecy if they are unaware. A wizarding family wouldn't have bothered with the muggle world and even a squib would know that it would be more binding done in our world. Considering such angles I think it would be best if I was still in charge of his account. For all we know they may not know the due process concerning galleons! I'm merely looking out for the boy," he said putting on a grandfatherly façade.

Ragnok grinned deviously, putting his elbows on his desk and folded his hands in front of his face before placing his chin on them, "There is no need for concern Mr. Dumbledore, they are indeed aware and possess a grand amount of knowledge concerning the due process of our money. If you are concerned about his age not meeting legal standard, despite being legally emancipated, he came in with his family and was in the presence of his new parents when they looked over his account information."

"Regardless of that, Mr. Potter was supposed to marry Ginevra Weasley upon reaching adulthood. With the tournament being in place during a school year it was for the best for both of them to postpone the marriage until after term. Afterwards he had an ordeal that had him facing a hearing within the Ministry. Termination seems to be a breach of the contract in my opinion."

"Mr. Potter was within his rights to terminate the contract, Mr. Dumbledore. It is not your concern any longer. The Weasley family was left with instructions that should they have an issue with the matter they were free to contact us and we would have told them similar. Mr. Potter was in his legal rights, and thus he terminated the contract."

"That contract was made before he could walk! It is standard to uphold marriage contracts whether those affected were part of the agreement or not!

Albus banged his fist on the desk before him, releasing a large wave of magic. Normally such an outburst would terrify others who were in the room, let alone the one who was the reason for such anger to be released.

The goblin before him however merely frowned at his behavior.

"While it is usually standard among wizards, it is still possible to terminate such contracts. It is usually family politics that keep those affected from saying anything and going along with it. Another typical reason is that the dowry was already paid, and then it is an impetuous decision, however not impossible."

Albus glowered at the goblin before him.

"It is prudent for those involved that Mr. Potter marry Miss Weasley. She is the seventh born and therefore a most amenable marriage prospect. It would be beneficial for both parties, so I must insist that you overturn the voiding of the contract."

"Mr. Potter was fully informed of that fact before he made the decision," he sneered.

The gall of the wizard in front of him was enough to push his patience. Albus Dumbledore's behavior was a reminder of why there was such an imbalanced relationship between the races.

"He is still a child!"

"Mr. Potter is an adult and was comprehensively advised while making his decisions."

"By whom!?" Albus shouted, his plan wasn't going accordingly and without the necessary and insured funds he would barely be able to afford the Order's expenses. It was a voluntary vigilante group, but he still paid for the expenses. They had to afford potion ingredients, food, questionable items that would assist them, and bribes he had to pay for information and votes!

While he was not vocal or obvious about it, he was a damn good politician and even he had to ensure he had enough votes. He occasionally allowed himself to lose a battle if only to keep from seeming suspicious and he always made them take vows of silence. He was a leader of the Light, but even he had to do some backhanded things to do what was best for the Greater Good.

"His family and his lawyer, Mr. Dumbledore," he responded gutturally, his voice was like rocks rolling against each other.

Albus glared at the goblin, his wand hand was itching to shoot a spell at him.

"What about the reason for the inaccessible audit? I have his key, my wand, and I'm on the approved list for access," he said irritably.

"Just as you've been informed, it is being audited for suspicious transactions. Mr. Potter has seen his statements and has informed us that he hasn't seen a knut of the galleons he or his caretakers were to be given."

"He must be mistaken. I have given him his allowance and as his guardian I was given the stipulation," he said hoping that the goblin wouldn't see through his fabrication.

"His lawyer had shown us statements that say otherwise. Your access has be revoked and we demand your copy of his key back. I would like to personally inform you that your vault is also being audited and any missing funds that belong to the Potter vault will be taken from yours," Ragnok said in a low growl.

The old wizard sat there shocked for a few seconds before lifted his wand and pointing it at the goblin.

"You will do no such thing! I was within my rights as his guardian –"

"You were never Mr. Potter's proper guardian. He was unaware of the wizarding world until he was of age to attend Hogwarts. He lived with his muggle family, of whom never received the stipulation they were supposed to receive to help with living costs. You lied to us with your greed. You did not specifically steal his galleons but they were misappropriated, which we will not tolerate as he is one of our best accounts."

Albus glared at the goblin before abruptly standing up, "Confundus!" he hissed.

The shield around Ragnok flared upon impact and activated an alarm. The thin goblin glared at the tall willowy wizard.

"You will be charged a fee for that, Mr. Dumbledore. You will also be escorted off the premises and suspended for six months," as he said this a small troop of five armed goblins came into his office, their swords and armor glinting dangerous, "Good day."

Albus blanched at his faux pas not realizing that he didn't have a chance. He normally would have tried to fight the other race if he had been alone, but the goblin's craftsmanship was imperious to most magic. He was essentially defenseless and on goblin territory. He stowed his wand and held his hands up slowly.

One of the goblins patted his robes before reaching into a pocket and taking Harry's key. Ragnok raised his hand and summoned the key from the security soldier.

As he was told, Albus was escorted from the building by the group of armored goblins.