Dudley sat in the kitchen, just staring out into the Stars... he was... confused. Everything he learned was pretty intense... he wanted his mom... but that wasn't possible. The space pirates had killed her... Dudley had spent hours crying into the arms of the "Companion" who agreed it was monstrous of the crew to kill his parents, and expect him to be grateful.

The Goblins had given him something called a "Calming Draft"... and the plump boy had to admit, he was a lot calmer. He was still sad, but it was more a numb pain.

The Goblin King, or "Overseer" or whatever he was called, had come on board. He was currently negotiating the price of selling access to their space internet.

Harry was sitting nearby... looking just as miserable and mystified.

"What do you care?" Dudley felt just enough to muster a glare. "You hated them."

Harry looked up at the wider, though not that much taller, child. "I... never hated them... I just wanted them to... to love me back... now... that can't ever happen..."

Dudley eyed his cousin. Strange how that comment didn't make him angry. "We're stuck here... aren't we... with the people that killed the last of our family."

"We still have each other..." Harry looked at him, hope in his eyes. Along with the sorrow... he was mourning people... that despised him.

Dudley didn't know what to say... he hated the freak to. With good reason.

"Do you remember when you first moved in?" Dudley asked. Harry just blinked. Clearly he didn't. Sure, he was only a year old at the time... but so had been Dudley... and he doubted he would ever forget.

"I do," Dudley informed. "Things would blow up for no reason. Boils would cover my skin whenever you wanted something of mine. My parents didn't know what to do... then I stood up to you. I forced you to stop... and I protected the school from you... but none of that mattered... you ended up killing my parents anyway..."

Harry hung his head, "Sorry..."

Dudley felt a spike of rage from the calm. "I don't WANT you to be sorry! I want you out of my life!"

"I'm afraid that's not possible," one of the Goblins stepped in the room. "With your parents dead, that leaves you under the domain of House Potter. The magical world takes familial bonds very seriously. And even squibs are the responsibility of their magical family members."

Although most pure blood wizards tended to disregard those relations.

Dudley sighed, feeling annoyed, but the emotions weren't allowed to go passed that. "Great, just great," shaking his head."

Griphook eyed the child. "The negotiations are complete. Captain Reynolds now has legal guardianship of you two, as recognized by Goblin law."

Dudley groaned, feeling his annoyance peek a bit, before immediately dropping. "You're giving us to the person who killed my parents. Is this a 'finders keepers' law?"

"In a sense," Griphook informed. "It's called 'right of conquest'. If a Goblin family destroys another family. They legally gain all their possessions, their gold, and become responsible for their children."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Seriously?"

Griphook nodded, "By Goblin law, the main Potter Vault now belongs to Captain Reynolds. You will keep your trust fund. And The Captain will be obligated to set up one for Dudley as well."

Recognizing Mal as a Goblin Ally, was the best way to pay him an appropriate fee, as well as grant custody of the children... but such an Honor was not given lightly, not by the Overseer. Although he considered it fair for all the space humans could offer them.

True, it was very little work on the spacers part, but the knowledge was invaluable. Which was quite the admission for Goblins.

They had offered to make the Captain recognized as an Ally of the Goblin Nation. Which was a title just as priceless. It gave him numerous benefits, without limiting him to Goblin Law. He wasn't technically a citizen. If anything his title put him higher then nobles, and extended to the rest of his family. For all eternity, unless a descendant did something truly heinous, and lost their status.

Then, in order to gain the blue prints of Serenity, the Overseer offer to enchant the ship. Promising to provide various extension charms, protection wards, and making the ship completely self sufficient. Including providing them with farms for both magical ingredients, and magical foods.

"To get this recognized by the wizards however." Griphook pulled out 5 potion viles.

Dudley full out sneered, "Why would I WANT to be recognized by the wizards. Just wipe my memory, like Dad kept telling me you lot do, and drop me off at my Aunt's."

"That's not possible," Griphook shook his head. "The Captain is officially recognized as an ally to the Goblin nation. And as he wants to claim his Right of Conquest, we Goblins are honor bound to facilitate it. But Wizards don't recognize such a sacred right, so you must drink the Blood Adoption potion."

Dudley blinked, "What's it do?" not being the brightest kid.

Griphook raised an eyebrow. "It will make you biologically related to the Captain." at the blank look the Goblin further explained. "It will make you his son... by blood."

Dudley sneered, "No bloody way!!!"

Harry asked, "Why isn't the Captain here?"

Griphook shook his head, "That is not yet appropriate. As the account manager to the Potter Vaults. It falls to me to prepare you. Captain Reynolds wants to be here, but we Goblins would not permit it. The paperwork, for right of conquest, is still being filed. So he isn't legally your guardian yet."

"And he never will be," Dudley insisted. "I'm not drinking that!"

Griphook was suddenly on top of Dudley, Force feeding him the potion. The boy struggled, but the Goblin managed to get him to swallow every drop.

Harry was just gaping. He knew Goblins could be intense, but bloody hell!!! Then Griphook looked at Harry.

"I'll drink it!!!" The boy swore. Not wanting to be horse fed, like his cousin.

Dudley wanted to cry, but the feeling only lasted a moment before being replaced by a deep calm. He drank the second potion on his own. It was to reestablish the blood wards. Focused on this ship as the base, and Dudley as the source.

The other Goblins had already laid down the ruins, for the potion to fuel the wards.

Harry took both his Adoption potion, and his blood wards potion, without a fuss. Then Dudley had one last potion.

"A magic blesser?" Dudley blinked.

"It will give you magic." The Goblin explained, as simply as he could.

"I don't want it." Dudley glared. The last thing he would do was to turn himself into a freak!

Griphook raised an Eyebrow. "Part of the bargain, for the blueprints to this ship, was every member of the crew got a dose. As well as books on Goblin magic."

"Well I don't WANT it!!!" Dudley snapped... and ended up getting force fed that one to. Two out of three wasn't bad. Not by Dudley standards.