VI.

If the three had known what they were flooing into, they probably would have stayed at the bank – or anywhere else than Grimmauld Place. Sirius went through the floo first, followed by Harry, then Remus. Tonks had gone back to the Ministry with her boss. As soon as Sirius landed, never mind dusting himself off, Molly Weasley yelled, "SIRIUS BLACK! JUST WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? NO NOTE, YOU'VE HAD US HALF SCARED TO DEATH!"

Seeing Harry behind him, she then said, "AND YOU, HARRY JAMES POTTER! YOU KNOW BETTER TO RUN OFF LIKE THAT WITHOUT AN ESCORT. I DIDN'T RAISE YOU TO BE SO IRRESPONSIBLE. GO TO YOUR ROOM NOW! I'LL DEAL WITH YOU LATER!"

Sirius let off a bang from his wand, "SILENCE!"

Molly was on a roll, "Don't you tell me to silence …" but the rest was cut off by a silencing spell from both Sirius and Remus.

Sirius said calmly, "Molly, if you would let us get a word in edgewise, I will tell you. But if you insist on bursting our eardrums, then you can pack up your brood and head back to the Burrow. You are my guests. As for where Harry was, he was with Remus and I and we were quite safe. Ron, if you quietly ask the others in the house to come to the kitchen, I will explain it all to you."

When they got to the kitchen, Sirius asked Kreacher to prepare a heavy tea. Finally, everyone was seated around the table, Sirius turned to Molly, "If you can be silent while I explain, I'll remove the silencing charm. One word and it goes back on. Nod if you understand what I just said."

Molly was furiously shaking her head. She had words for this man and she was going to say them! Sirius then said that he would keep the silencing spell on. Molly went for her wand, but Harry was faster and cast Expelliarmus, catching her wand in the air. While that was happening, Remus cast a silent sticking charm on her so she wouldn't be able to get up. He felt a body bind was going a bit too far.

"Last night, we had a family Yule celebration," Hermione already had her hand up. Sirius looked at her and then glanced at Molly, then back at Hermione. She got the message.

"As I was saying, last night we had a family Yule celebration in the back garden. During the celebration, information came forth that necessitated a trip to Gringotts. My account manager sent us a portkey that took us to a private area. Once there, both Harry and I conducted quite a bit of family business. At noon I underwent the Ritual of Judgement. Magic has judged me innocent of the betrayal of Lily and James as well as the other charges. Representatives from the Ministry were there and confirmed this. I am a free man. It should be in the Daily Prophet this evening. Now Molly, I am going to remove the silencing spell and if you can quietly ask your questions, I will try and answer them."

She couldn't help but blurt out, "Albus is dead! He was here, then let out a scream, then died. There must be some terrible dark magic here to have killed him!"

Sirius replied, "There was no dark magic involved. While Mother Magic judged me innocent, she exacted judgement on those who were. Cornelius Fudge is dead and I suspect Wormtail is as well. Magic judged Albus guilty for throwing me in Azkaban in the first place and then, once he knew of my innocence, did nothing to rectify the situation. Is there anything else you would like to ask?"

"But why did you take Harry with you? He didn't need to see that. You could have died and he would have witnessed it! He's just a boy!"

"Harry also had business with Gringotts and no, I'm not telling you what it was. I'll just say that Harry has come into his inheritance and is considered an emancipated minor."

"But he's too young! He shouldn't have to bear those burdens so early!"

"Mrs. Weasley, I haven't been a child since Dumbledore left me on the front stoop of the Dursleys. By forcing me into that tournament last year and then trying me before the full Wizengamot, the Ministry had already emancipated me. I just needed to claim it through the goblins."

Molly was finally out of gas. She quickly got up from the table and ran out of the room, reaching for a handkerchief as she did.

"Now, do any of you have any further questions?" asked Sirius.

Hermione asked, "What is the Ritual of Judgement and how did it free you?"

Remus, ever the teacher, spoke up for the first time, "Basically, you plead for Magic to judge you and your actions. Sirius was very specific in his request. But he also asked for judgement on his failure as a godfather. Magic acknowledged that failure, but did not punish him further for that."

"You make it sound like magic is sentient," Hermione said.

Sirius replied, "She actually manifested herself to pronounce her judgement. I think everyone except the goblin elders were surprised by that."

Then Harry spoke up, "I've got some great news for us all! No more Umbitch! They searched her office and got those quills. It's a treaty violation for anyone outside of Gringotts to possess them. She's spending the rest of her life in the goblin mines!"

There was a loud shout from the students. Ron said, "Mate, you are going to have to tell us that story!"

"Later, Ron. Right now, I need to tell you all something before it comes out in the Prophet. It seems I'm not just Lord Potter. I have claim to three other houses. Two of them came through Dad's line. The other was a complete shock. I'm also Lord Gryffindor, Lord Peverell, and … Lord Slytherin."

Ron jumped back in horror, "You can't be! I thought Moldyshorts was the last heir of Slytherin!"

"Well, it seems that magic decided since I keep beating him, then I'm the better heir, and now Lord," said Harry.

"I guess I can live with that," said Ron.

Gred and Forge then asked in their twinspeak, "Does this mean … that you can now tell the snakepit … how to BEHAVE?"

"I don't know. I've got another appointment with my account manager in a couple of days to go over some of this. They've got to dust off some old records and figure out how this all works out," replied Harry.

Harry turned around when he heard the floo flare and saw the back of Remus' go through, "Where's he going?"

Sirius replied, "To Hogwarts. Minerva needs to know she's also without a DADA professor again. We need to find that curse and get rid of it!"

Once almost everyone had their questions answered, things settled back to its usual dull roar. Molly took her kids to St. Mungo's to see Arthur. Harry and Hermione stayed behind this time to give just the family time together. They both took a book into the sitting room to read while waiting for them to return; enjoying the quiet in the house.

Harry had noticed Hermione looking at him, but hadn't said anything. He knew she was trying to work something out and once she had, she'd ask. He had an idea of what had her piqued, but waited for her to verbalize it. After about an hour, she did.

"Harry, what happened to your scar? It's almost gone!"

"That was another thing we did at Gringotts. It seems that there was some dark magic attached to it and wouldn't let it fully heal. Their cursebreakers were able to remove the dark magic so it will now heal completely."

"There's a lot you're not telling me about, isn't it, Harry?"

"Yes, Hermione. Some of it is personal and private. Some of it I'm still trying to sort out. Some of it is ongoing. I hope I can let you all know more later, but for now, just let it go, please," asked Harry.

For once, Hermione accepted his reply.

- YAGP -

While the house was quiet, Sirius had a discussion with Kreacher about the duties to the House of Black.

"Kreacher, who do you serve?"

"Kreacher lives to serve the House of Black, Master."

"And can you say that you have been faithfully serving the House of Black these last few years?"

Kreacher went to bash his head into the wall, but Sirius stopped him, "Stop! I don't want you to punish yourself! I want to know if you need help. I know you've been with the House of Black for many years. This is a large house for one elf to maintain. We had four when I was a child. What happened to the others?"

"They went to Mistress Narcissa when Mistress Walburga passed. I stayed here to keep Mistress Walburga company," sniffed the elf.

"Do you know if the three elves that went to the Malfoys would rather stay there or return to the House of Black?"

"Two bees dead. Master Lucius killed them. The other one was freed when Master Harry tricked Master Lucius," said Kreacher sadly.

"What is the name of that elf?"

"Dobby, Master."

Sirius called out, "Dobby!"

The strangest elf Sirius had ever seen popped into the room. He was wearing many pairs of socks and several knitted caps on his head.

"Master Harry's Dogfather calls Dobby? What can Dobby do for Master Doggy?"

Sirius was trying so hard not to fall down laughing. He remembered this elf was just an elfling when he left for the Potters.

"Hi Dobby! I was asking Kreacher about the Black elves. He said you were the last one, but that you were a free elf. Are you actually free or are you bonded?"

Dobby could feel the magic of the Black family demand an answer, "I is bonded, Master Doggy."

"To whom are you bonded?"

"The Great Master Harry Potter sir!"

Sirius did laugh then, "Dobby, while Harry is my heir and is part of the Black family, would you rather serve House Potter and its lord?"

"That is Dobby's greatest wish! To serve the Great Harry Potter sir!"

"Well let's make this official. Harry!" called Sirius.

Harry walked into Sirius' study and saw both elves standing there.

"Hi Dobby! What are you doing here? I thought you were helping out at Hogwarts," said Harry.

"Dobby was, but Master Doggy called Dobby and Dobby comes."

Harry looked at Sirius questioningly, "I was asking Kreacher about the other Black elves. It seems Dobby is the only one left, but he told me you freed him from Lucius. Good job, by the way! I asked him if he wanted to come back to the House of Black, but he told me he is already bonded."

Harry was a little sad, "But I thought you wanted to be free, Dobby."

"Dobby wanted to be free of nasty Master Lucius, Master Harry Potter sir!"

"Oh."

Sirius decided to spell it out for Harry, "Harry, house elves need the bond to live. The elves at Hogwarts are bonded to the castle and get their magic from it. It seems when you freed him, he bonded to you."

"Is that what you want, Dobby? Do you want to be my elf?"

"Oh Yes, Master Harry Potter! Dobby wants nothing more to be your elf!"

Harry looked at Sirius again, "Pup, just put your hand on Dobby's head and tell him you accept him as your elf. If you want him to be your personal elf, say so, or if you want him to be a Potter elf, say that."

Harry put his hand on Dobby's head and said, "I, Harry James Potter, take elf Dobby as my personal elf." There was a quick glow between them, then Dobby immediately started popping all over the room cleaning.

"Whoa! Dobby, stop for a minute," said Harry.

"Dobby has never felt like this before! Dobby has so much energy! Dobby could clean for hours and hours!"

"Dobby, if you are my elf, then there are some rules. First, you are not to punish yourself unless you talk to me first. Then we'll figure something else out. Second, you're to take care of yourself by eating when you should and getting enough rest. Third, this is my godfather's house, so I don't want you doing anything here without talking to Sirius or Kreacher since Kreacher is the head elf here. Are we ok?"

"Oh yes, Master Harry! You is a great and wonderful Master!"

Sirius asked, "Dobby, do you know of any other elves that would like to work for me?"

Dobby's ears bounced up and down like he was trying to decide whether or not to say anything.

Harry asked, "What is it, Dobby?"

"There is Winky. She's not been able to find a family since she was dismissed by Crouch. There also bees six Potter elves at Hoggywarts. They had nowhere to go when Potter Manor was broken."

Harry didn't even know there was a Potter Manor, "What do you mean, Dobby?"

"After Lords Fleamont and Ladys Euphemia died, nasty Death Eaters stormed the manor looking for Lord James and Lady Lily. Not finding them, they blasted holes all over."

Sirius said, "Harry, just ask for all the Potter elves to come to you. They will."

Harry felt dumb, but said, "Potter elves to me."

There were six pops, then shouts of "Master Harry calls us!"

Finally, Harry said, "OK, OK! I didn't know you were my elves until now. What are your names and what do you do?"

The older one spoke, "I am Samuel and am the head Potter elf."

Then in order they spoke, "I'm Emily and I'm the cook. I'm William and I maintain the grounds and greenhouses. I'm Cindy and I'm the lady's elf and nanny elf. I'm Burt and I maintain the house. I'm Joey and I am William's helper."

"I'm happy to meet you George, Emily, William, Cindy, Burt, and Joey. Dobby was telling me that Potter manor has been damaged and that you've been working at Hogwarts."

Samuel replied, "We were going to repair the manor, but the headmaster told us that you didn't want to own any elves and that we should come work for him at Hogwarts."

"Wait, you can repair the manor? I thought it was in shambles?"

"Oh No, Master Harry! The Death Eaters blasted a few holes, but nothing we can't fix. It will just take some time."

Sirius said, "Harry, I think you should renew the bond with your elves. Then if you want them to repair the manor, let them. You have plenty of time before you are going to need to go there."

Harry went through the same thing he had with Dobby and notice all six of the Potter elves seemed to straighten up more and looked healthier.

Samuel said, "Master Harry is a powerful wizard! We are happy to serve you." The other elves nodded as well.

"Samuel, I'll let you and the other elves go back to the manor and start your repairs. Could we borrow an elf to help with this place though?"

Samuel and Kreacher seemed to be carrying on a mental conversation. It was Kreacher who spoke up, "With the help of the Potter elves, we can have Grimmauld Place as good as new in five days. Will that be satisfactory, Masters?"

Sirius was surprised it wouldn't take that long. He thought it would take a team of elves weeks to get things put back together and quickly accepted.

Samuel added, "Mistress Dorea was a Black and we have her memories of Grimmauld Place to go by. Do you have any specific requests for the rooms?"

Sirius and Harry sat down with the elves and planned the rebirth of the House of Black. Sirius would see if Winky wanted to serve the House of Black later.

- YAGP -

The Weasleys returned to a changing Grimmauld Place. Kreacher had easily moved Walburga Black's portrait to an unused room in the house and placed the shield of the House of Black in its place. It was a much more welcoming sight for anyone entering the house. Cindy had taken over the kitchen and cleaned it up, although it still needed some work. She'd popped over to the Wizarding grocers and restocked the pantry. She'd then made a healthy dinner for the residents and guests of Grimmauld Place.

Harry had taken Samuel with him to explain things to Hermione about elves and their need for a bond. The elves didn't view it as slavery. While they couldn't leave their masters, they had their own ways of getting around bonds when there was abuse. Samuel explained that every Potter elf knew that if they were unhappy, they could go to Master Harry and asked to be freed. Once she talked with Samuel and Harry, she had a better understanding of elves and, while she still didn't like the appearance of slavery, she knew Harry and hopefully Sirius) would treat his elves right.

The first thing Sirius had done was have them collect all dark objects and place them in the Master's study. He would hire Bill, through Gringotts, to go through them and cleanse what was cleanable and give the rest to Gringotts to dispose of. Bill would get a nice sum of money for his work and Sirius wouldn't have to give someone else the secret to Grimmauld Place. Speaking of the secret, with Albus dead, that meant everyone who knew about the place was a secret keeper now. He would have to speak with Filius Flitwick about renewing the spell.

Only three owls were allowed into Grimmauld Place: Hedwig, Pigwidgeon, and Errol. Albus could use school owls if he told them the secret, but so far had not made use of them. They were just finishing dinner when the three owls flew in with copies of the Daily Prophet. Sirius immediately sent Kreacher to Diagon Alley for more copies. He figured other members of the Order of the Phoenix would be piling in once the news was public. Tonks had arrived just in time for dinner and was filling in the group on the events at the Ministry.

"Madam Bones is currently the acting Minister until a new one is elected. Some folks wanted to convene the Wizengamot immediately, but she said there was enough confusion without adding them to the mix. Someone started a rumor that the goblins had killed Fudge and were trying to get the Ministry to declare war on Gringotts. It got even wilder after that. I only came by to give you a quick report, then I've got to go back to the Ministry. It's a zoo!" she said, with her hair turning to black and white stripes like a zebra.

The Daily Prophet was surprisingly accurate. Gringotts had issued a press release concerning the events of the day (minus Harry's lordships). The Ministry had also issued one and the two were surprisingly similar. The headline was, "Sirius Black Innocent! Magic declares him free!" In smaller panels on the front page were articles about both Fudge and Dumbledore's deaths. Buried in the back on page 6 was a note about Umbridge.

Remus said, "Minerva is considering delaying the start of the next term a week to give her time to find professors for both DADA and Transfiguration. I did suggest she may want to employ Professor Potter for the younger years, but she turned down the idea," he said as he ruffled Harry's hair.

Sirius said, "I wouldn't be surprised if she needs a Potions professor too. With Dumbledore gone, Snape doesn't have any protection. I wouldn't put it past him to do a runner."

Over the next hour, members of the Order of the Phoenix wandered in. With Albus gone, no one knew what to do with themselves. Finally, Mad-Eye stopped by and they called an Order meeting. Molly shooed all of the teens upstairs, but Sirius held Harry back.

"Harry is staying. He's an adult and this war is about him as much as anyone else. He's already faced Voldemort more times than many of you in this room."

Molly tried to stop him, but Sirius reminded her again that she was a guest and was not the head of the Order. While some of the others (Daedalus Diggle in particular) thought he was too young, nobody else protested. They ran through the events of the day with Sirius expanding a little more on the events in Gringotts. They all decided to wait and see how the Ministry reacted with a strong acting Minister. The one thing they did decide to do was to stop their guard rotations at the Ministry. With Arthur's injury and the new regime in charge, they didn't want to take any further risks with the few members they had. They would meet again in a week unless something else startling happened.

Bill was about to leave when Sirius asked him to stay for a moment. He took Bill up to the Lord's study and showed him the pile of dark artifacts the elves had found, "I've written a letter to Bloodslayer for you to take. I'd like to hire you to either cleanse them or get rid of them. There're also some books in the library that should be checked out too. I'll pay double whatever your normal fee is. This saves another person coming inside the Fidelius."

Bill was honored to have been asked and said so. Sirius also told Bill about the horcruxes in case he was asked to help with that search too. He'd run across a couple in the tombs in Egypt, so he knew what to look for as well as be wary of.

- YAGP -

Harry had been moved out of the room with Ron and into the Heir suite. Buckbeak had been released and told to go back to Hagrid's. Sirius sent a note back with the hippogriff telling Hagrid that "Witherwings" would be better suited to stay at Hogwarts than with him. The elves had already redecorated both the Master and Heir suites to the two's preferences. These suites were up one floor from the one the Weasleys and Hermione were staying on. This gave both Harry and Sirius some additional privacy. At ten to eleven, Harry met Sirius in his room to take the portkey to the Ministry. At exactly eleven the portkey activated and they found themselves outside the Department of Mysteries.

Harry took one look and said, "This is the hallway I've been dreaming about!"

Sirius said, "I wonder if Voldy's been trying to get you here to hear you-know-what. That would make sense."

Suddenly there was a third person there. He said, "If you will follow me, we can get this over with quickly."

Sirius and Harry followed him into a circular room with a dozen doors. As soon as the door closed, the room started spinning. When it stopped, the Unspeakable said something unintelligible and a door opened. They followed the individual into a room with row upon row of crystal balls of different sizes. The Unspeakable stopped at row 97 and pointed at the crystal ball that was labeled "S.P.T. to A.P.W.B.D. Dark Lord and (?)Harry Potter."

"What do I do?" asked Harry.

"Pick it up and I'll take you where you can hear it," said the Unspeakable.

Harry did as directed then followed the person (you couldn't tell whether it was a man or woman) to a small office. He told Harry to place the orb in the holder, then tap it with his wand. When he did, a shadowy figure resembling Sybill Trelawny rose up and said, "The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies. And the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not. And either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives. The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh dies…" (OP37)

Harry sighed resignedly, "I always knew it was either him or me. He keeps coming after me."

The Unspeakable replied, "I think you are overthinking this, Lord Potter. While it says that either must die at the hand of the other, I don't think it necessarily means your physical hand. You can appoint someone to act as your hand. While it would be optimal if it were you, I don't think you must take this verbatim. Your hand is already in motion with the destruction of the horcruxes."

"But what is this power he knows not? I don't think I'm particularly powerful and there's nothing really special about me," Harry said.

"I think that is something that could be debated forever, however, let me tell you what I think. Voldemort is a loner. While he has followers, he has no friends. He has no one he can trust. You, on the other hand, do have friends and those you can trust. You are trusting the goblins to find the other horcruxes. You trusted me when I asked you to come here."

Harry turned to Sirius, "Is this what the Order has been protecting? Is this why Mr. Weasley was hurt?"

"Albus never really said. He said there was something in the Department of Mysteries that Voldy wanted. Something he didn't have last time. He just didn't tell us specifically what it was."

The Unspeakable said, "If I may. I have heard through channels that Voldemort only heard part of the prophesy but not the entire thing. I think if he had, he wouldn't have tried to kill you at all."

"So, you think if he heard the whole thing, something would change?" asked Harry.

"I didn't say that. I did say that if he had heard the whole thing, he would have thought through it more carefully instead of going off like a Gryffindor."

"What do we do now?" asked Harry.

"There are several options. First, you could put it back where you found it. If Voldemort was able to get in and retrieve it, I don't think it would make much difference. Second, you could take it with you; or finally, you could destroy it."

"I wouldn't get in trouble with the Ministry if I destroyed it?" Harry wasn't so sure about that, even with Fudge gone.

"The only ones who would know it was gone are the three of us and the Keeper of the Hall. The Keeper is under oath to keep his silence. Even if tortured, he could not reveal any secrets without it killing him."

"What do you think, Sirius?" asked Harry.

"I think one less thing for us to worry about would be a good thing, Harry."

"I can just smash it on the floor? It's not protected by an unbreakable charm or anything like that?"

"It's no different from any crystal ball in Sybill Trelawney's classroom."

Harry took the sphere in both hands and paused for a moment, then thrust it as hard as he could on the stone floor. Once again, Trelawney rose up to pronounce her prediction, then faded. Once she finished, Harry cast Evanesco and all traces of the prophesy were gone.

"Well, pup, that's one loose end tied up. I'd say it's been a productive day," said Sirius.

"One more question, Lord Black. Do you know how many horcruxes were made?"

"We were told there were six plus an unexpected sliver that was in Harry's scar. The sliver has been removed and Gringotts has possession of two of them. One was destroyed by Harry in second year."

"May I ask where your information came from? We've been trying for years to figure out how Voldemort survived. We'd come down to a couple of possibilities, with a horcrux being one of them. We've never heard of anyone making multiple ones."

Sirius barked a laugh, "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Lord Black, this IS the Department of Mysteries! It's our job to believe in things that most people don't."

Sirius gave him a quick rundown of the Yule celebration and Lily's appearance. He then asked Harry to describe the resurrection ritual used to bring Voldemort back.

"Thank you both. You've answered a lot of questions we've been trying to get answers to for a while. We repeatedly asked Albus to talk to you, Lord Potter, but he has refused. The information you've given us tonight will help us help you rid this world of the Dark Lord. Rest assured that the Department of Mysteries is here to assist you and even act as your hand if needed."

Harry and Sirius thanked the Unspeakable and then were escorted to an area where they could floo back to Grimmauld Place without going through the Ministry Atrium.

- YAGP -

The next few days were quiet at Grimmauld Place. The Weasleys spent most of the day at St. Mungo's with Arthur. While they were out of the house, Bill would come over and work his way through the mountain of dark objects the elves had discovered. He was able to cleanse a great deal of the items, but some were so badly corrupted that their only redemption would be in a goblin blast furnace. He removed the hex from the grandfather clock that shot bolts at people as well.

The elves continued their rehabilitation of the house as well. Most of their work was done during the night, but with the Weasleys away, they worked quickly on those guest rooms. On Christmas Eve, they returned to find all of their rooms redone. They were all done in tasteful, neutral colors. The windows were clean with new drapes. Molly wanted to say something about working the elves too hard, but they had worked miracles on this old house.

Harry, Hermione, and Sirius had gone out shopping in the muggle world for some of their gifts. Hermione was going to spend Christmas and Boxing Day with her parents. There was a traditional family luncheon on Boxing Day they expected her to attend. Harry had gone to a novelty store and stocked up on some gag gifts for the twins. He was sure they could adapt them to magic. For Mrs. Weasley he had gotten her a nice set of muggle cooking spices. He'd had a look at her spice cabinet when he'd visited the Burrow and noticed how limited her choices were. For Ron, he'd gotten him a book on chess masters and their strategies. Hermione had to help him find something for Ginny that didn't seem too personal. Hermione suggested some nice stationary with her initials embossed on it and a fountain pen. For Mr. Weasley, Harry found an erector set and got him Auto Repairs for Dummies. Harry had already picked up a variety of sweets for them. He'd already bought Hermione a gift certificate for Flourish and Blotts and an elegant ostrich feather quill. Harry picked up a couple of pairs of jeans and a new pair of trainers. He'd let those who asked know that he really needed some nice clothes for both worlds.

Mr. Weasley was released from St. Mungo's bright and early on Christmas morning, so they'd postponed opening presents until he got there. He was still weak, but the bites had finally healed. While Molly had tried to shield him from some of the more disturbing news of the past few days, St. Mungo's was a hive for gossip. He'd heard all sorts of rumors and conjecture about the events, so he was glad when he could sit down with the adults and find out what was truth and what was fiction.

- YAGP -

The day after Boxing Day found Sirius and Harry back at Gringotts. Their first stop was with Healer Greatclaw. She did a thorough diagnostic on both Harry and Sirius. Harry wasn't sure he wanted to know what the healer had been muttering under her breath, but he was sure it wasn't flattering.

"Lord Potter, how do you have both basilisk venom and phoenix tears in your blood?"

Harry rubbed the back of his neck and then said, "Well, it's kind of a long story."

Healer Greatclaw looked at him as if to say, 'I'm waiting' so he gave her the abbreviated version of the Chamber of Secrets.

"Lucky for you that you are now immune from most poisons, although I would not want you to skip an antidote to prove the point. The phoenix tears repaired a lot of the damage to your body, but there is still evidence of malnutrition. I will give you a thirty day's supply of nutrient potions that should repair most of the damage. Expect to be hungry and expect to experience a growth spurt. Instruct your elf to provide you with snacks throughout the day. I will send Madam Pomfrey a summary of my findings. Do you have any questions?"

"No, Healer Greatclaw. Thank you for your assistance."

The goblin then turned to Sirius, "Lord Black, you are also going to get your own stock of nutrient potions. You haven't had the benefit of phoenix tears to heal your body, so you will have to do it the hard way. I want you in here for monthly checks until I tell you differently."

Sirius knew not to argue with a goblin, "Of course, Healer Greatclaw. I will ensure I am here on the 27th of each month until you release me."

I'll have the potions sent to Bloodslayer's office for you both. He's expecting you."

They were escorted to Bloodslayer's office to find Griphook and Bill Weasley waiting for them.

Bloodslayer began, "We have tracked down the other horcruxes. One is somewhere in Hogwarts. Another is in the former Gaunt house. The final one seems to be moving around. It appears as if the qaparHa'chuq used a living being for one."

Harry looked at Sirius and they said together, "The snake."

Bloodslayer asked, "The Dark Lord has a snake?"

Sirius answered for Harry, "Yes. It's very large and very venomous. It can be controlled by Voldemort as well."

"That will make things a bit more difficult, but we can work with it now that we know what it is. We have done an inspection of the Gaunt house; it's actually more of a hovel. There are a number of protections around it that we believe require a Parselmouth to disable. We would like to request Lord Potter's assistance. There will be a team of qualified curse breakers with him to ensure no harm comes to him. Gringotts will pay him the hourly rate for a curse breaker trainee for his time."

Sirius was completely shocked. He'd never heard of Gringotts paying for something if they thought they could get it for free. They were intent on seeing these things destroyed.

Sirius replied, "I would like to accompany him, if that is possible."

Bill spoke up, "It's too dangerous for you, Sirius. The team we are taking have worked together for the past two years. We're familiar with each other's strengths and weaknesses. We'd not only have to worry about Harry, but also you. I promise we will take good care of him."

"Harry, it's up to you, pup," said Sirius.

Harry thought for a minute, "I'll do it. When do you want to go?"

"Tonight, if we could. The sooner the better. Then that will just leave the snake and whatever it is in Hogwarts," replied Bill.

Bloodslayer handed Harry a sheet of paper to sign stating just what Bloodslayer had said. Then he handed him a quill, "This will bring you to the Gringotts portkey arrival point at nine this evening. That will leave us with just the one in Hogwarts. Lord Black, do you think you could assist us with securing an appointment with the new Headmistress?"

"I'm sure I can. I'll talk to her this afternoon and arrange it."

Seeing that the horcrux discussion was at an end, Griphook spoke up, "Lord Potter, could you tell us more about your encounter with a basilisk? They are very rare and bring a very good price."

Harry sighed and gave them the short version of the Chamber of Secrets as well.

"As far as you know, the basilisk is still there?" asked Griphook.

"Uh, yeah. You need to be a Parselmouth to get into it."

"Perhaps you can go with the team to Hogwarts and show us the basilisk. Gringotts would be interested in recovering and rendering the beast and selling what you would like to sell for a reasonable fee."

"Sure. I mean I don't have any use for a huge dead snake. Will it be any good? Wouldn't it have rotted out by now?"

Griphook gave a sound that sounded like a laugh for a goblin, "No, young Lord. Basilisk venom is its own preservative. If it is as large as you say it is, then this will be a very profitable venture for both of us."

There was a knock on the door and a runner brought Harry's and Sirius' potions to them. Sirius quickly called for Kreacher to take them back to the house for them.

Later that evening, Harry had dressed in dark clothing with his new dragon-hide boots. He'd pleaded a headache and had 'gone to bed early.' Sirius was with him when the portkey activated and he found himself back in Gringotts. Bill and his team of four other cursebreakers (both human and goblin) were there to meet him. Bill introduced everybody.

"Harry, I think you understand the seriousness of this trip. But I want to go over the ground rules with you. You are to stay next to me the whole time. This chain is an emergency portkey to the Gringotts Infirmary. The activation code is 'Emergency.' When we get to the site, I'll walk you through what we've found so far. You'll see there's a dead snake nailed to the door, but we've found quite a few other snakes in the vicinity. If at any time you feel unsafe, just yell 'Abort.' Do you have any questions?"

"No, I think you've covered most of it. I'll just stick with you."

"Good lad. OK, everybody touch the rope and we'll be taken to the site."

Harry still wasn't comfortable with portkeys after the events of the Triwizard Tournament, but he was getting better. He actually stayed on his feet this time. The got in single file with two team members in front and two behind them. They worked their way through the overgrown brush until they reached a spot they'd previously marked.

"OK, Harry. See if you can get the snakes to come out," said Bill.

Harry took a deep breath and said, "SS Is anybody here? SS"

They all heard a rustling around them, then three snakes slithered over to where Harry was.

The dark gray with red bands seemed to be the leader, "SS Speaker! You have returned! We have guarded your home as you asked and let no one pass. SS

Harry replied, "SS You have done well, my friend. My friends and I have come to retrieve what was left before. Please let us pass. SS"

The snake came over and sniffed at Harry's pants leg, "SS You do not smell like the Speaker who put us here. I was told to attack anyone else. But you smell like our Queen, The Great One. SS "

Harry figured they were talking about the basilisk, so he figured he play that up, "SS Yes, I was bitten by The Great One, but I slayed her and her body now lies in shame. I command you to let us pass or my friends and I will slay you as well. SS

The three snakes rose up and bowed their heads towards Harry, then began to slither up the path to the door. When they reached the door, the not-so-dead snake on the door animated and demanded, "SS Who is invading this place? Begone before you become food! SS "

The leader snake said, "SS This speaker smells of the Great One. He claims to have slain her. SS"

The snake on the door looked at Harry and then sniffed the air around him, "SS He does smell of the Great One. We must obey the orders of the Great One above all others. What do you demand, Great Speaker. SS"

Harry had felt his Peverell ring heat up the closer he had gotten to the shack. He had an image of a ring with a strange engraving. He replied, "SS We wish to enter and retrieve what was left here many years ago. It is a lost artifact of my family that has been missing for many years. SS"

The door creaked open. Bill was the first to enter and was followed by the other curse breakers. It didn't take them long to find what they were looking for. Bill felt a strong compulsion to open the box, but he slammed his Occlumency shields down. He put on a pair of dragonhide gloves and picked up the box they found hidden in the floorboards and quickly dropped it into the lead box they'd brought with them. As soon as the lid closed everyone felt better. The group quickly filed out. Harry thanked the snakes for their help and turned to leave. They quickly returned to Gringotts. They'd barely been gone an hour. Now all Harry had to do was sneak back into Grimmauld Place without being seen. Bill sent a Patronus to Sirius that Harry was ready to come home. Sirius then opened the front door. Bill apparated Harry to the park across the street who then put his invisibility cloak on. Once inside the door, Harry tugged on Sirius' robe to let him know that he was home.

Up in Harry's room, Sirius got a quick rundown of Harry's evening activities and was quite happy things had gone well for the team. He confirmed that Minerva was expecting the team from Gringotts there tomorrow. After a quick hug, Harry took a quick shower and then went to bed. It had been a full day!