A long time has passed since I uploaded the first chapter of this story. I have been out of work for a few months due to issues that are being resolved. I tried writing again and came up with enough to post. I hope people enjoy it.

The night passed the following morning, the trio was taken to an interrogation room once more. Hermione made it a point to sit on one end of the table and made Harry sit between her and Ron. None of them looked to have slept well at all.

Agent Smythe entered smiling followed by a second older man in a suit. He had a medallion around his neck with the Royal Seal on it.

"Miss Granger, Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley. May I present William Emerson, Special Envoy from her Majesty?" Smythe said in a formal tone.

"Good morning to you all," Emerson said in a pleasant tone. "I bring word from her Majesty to all three of you. She says she has been briefed on the recent events of her Magical Realm but we need your specific knowledge in your case to make an informed decision. Her Majesty is especially bothered by the reports of use of internment camps on Her subjects, the fact of a dragon appearing over central London near Her palace and your revelations about Tom Riddle and these horcruxes.

"Right now, Her Majesty has decided on a course of action that will include the three of you on a provisional basis. Your status has been modified to 'Loyal Resistance in the Magical Realm'. For now, you will have more freedom within this facility and be the responsibility of Agent Smythe. Please do not think this means you are officially exonerated of anything at this point, but you are being given the benefit of the doubt for now," Emerson stated firmly.

Harry and Hermione nodded in understanding while Ron looked confused by words he did not know.

"It means they will trust us a bit as long as we help them but not enough to let us go completely, Ron," Harry said to the ginger.

"Oh. Why didn't he just say that?" Ron huffed.

"He did," Hermione growled out. "He was being polite about it."

A soldier rolled in a television with a camera mounted on top into the room and left after setting it up. The screen lit up to show the interior of their room with the trio behind the table.

"Her Majesty wished to speak to you but it was decided that it would be impractical at this point in time to do so in person. We have arranged a video conference with her instead. There is no need to rise or make gestures of fealty. You will address her as 'Your Majesty' unless told otherwise. Speak loudly and clearly when answering," Emerson instructed.

The screen shifted to show the aged face of Her Majesty Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and of Her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith.

"Good morning, children," Queen Elizabeth spoke first as is customary.

"Good morning, Your Majesty," Harry and Hermione replied in unison as they had been taught in primary school to do to all officials; Umbridge would have been jealous at their response.

Ron was quiet until Harry nudged him. "Oh, hi your queen-ness," he said lamely.

Hermione closed her eyes and took a deep breath to prevent exploding at the ginger.

"We felt it necessary to speak with you directly. We have not had occasion to deal with the Magical Realms under Our auspices in many years. They had been given self rule and autonomy centuries ago as long as they maintained the Peace with the rest of Our Realms. Recent events in your part of the Realm have spilt over into the greater Realm. There have been many deaths with most of them being murder most foul. To this point, We have been able to keep these deaths out of the news but even the press has limits on how long it will hold back. Do you believe that the situation can be dealt entirely within the magical section of the Realm?"

Hermione looked at Harry first. He nodded to her to speak for them.

"No, Your Majesty. We personally do not think so," she said clearly. "The cabal currently in charge of the Ministry of Magical Britain are little more than puppets to terrorists and murderers. They mainly feel that all non magical people are beneath them and only good for enslavement, killing or worse."

The Queen nodded at this. "Our advisors have come to the same conclusion. Our historian, Dr. Junius at the Royal Archives has found for Us the original treaty to see if We are entitled to intervene. Fortunately, the treaty does allow Us to become involved in the situation as it has made itself known to the greater Realm. Is there any portion of the magical Realm that would be favorable to Us?"

Hermione thought but Harry spoke first. "The Goblins, Your Majesty. We three are not in a good light with them right now but they are most likely to aid you. They are warriors and bankers. They will go in the direction of the most long term profit and benefit for them."

"I see," the Queen said nodding slowly. "We were told of your incident with them by Mr. Emerson. We must ask this in turn. We were told your actions were for the benefit of Great Britain as a whole. Did you attempt to personally gain in the theft from Gringotts?"

"No, Your Majesty," Harry stated.

"No, Your Majesty," Hermione echoed.

Harry glanced at Ron who had just been sitting there. A jab of his elbow into Ron's side and an inclined head at the television got Ron moving.

"No, your majestiness," Ron fumbled out.

The Queen overlooked Ron's uncouth response and continued.

"Then We shall contact the goblins. We are aware of their territory and Our envoys should be able to make contact quickly. We shall talk again in the future; hopefully in person," the Queen said before the monitor switched back to the view of the current room.

Emerson smiled at the three teens, but it slipped slightly as he looked at Ron. "You will be moved to a dormitory suite on the base shortly, but we ask that you do not attempt to leave the area without escort. We have assigned Agent Smythe as your contact person. The agent will be responsible for you. He will have possession of your wands and your personal effects shortly. For the moment, it will be just your clothing and whatever else you had on you. Agent Smythe should be able to provide some reference materials. Personal requests will all go through him."

Early that same afternoon, Reginald Smythe escorted William Emerson through the Leaky Cauldron into Diagon Alley and to Gringotts Bank. They drew a few stares but no one approached them.

The lack of business inside of the bank was obvious. Magicals were scared and they did not want to attract the attention of the Death Eaters or the Ministry. The pair walked to the head teller station. A young and larger than average goblin sat there and eyed them as they approached.

"Good afternoon," Mr. Emerson began but he was cut off by the gobln.

"You are not a customer of this establishment," the goblin said in a dismissive tone.

Mr. Emerson arched an eyebrow at the rudeness and decided to press onward. He pulled out an ornate envelope and held it up.

"Sir, I am William Emerson, emissary of Her Royal Highness, Queen Elizabeth the Second. I am charged and instructed to deliver this Letter of Greetings to a member of the government of the Goblin Nation in an attempt to establish diplomatic relations. To whom may I deliver my charge?" he said formally.

The goblin looked thoughtful for several moments before pointing to a bench on the side of his station.

"Please wait over there emissary. I shall send a runner down to fetch someone who can speak to you. It may take some time," the goblin said bluntly before going back to counting the coins before him.

It took more than three hours before a trio of goblins emerged from the back area of the bank. Two were obviously bodyguards for the third but he did not seem to need them. The sheer physical presence of the third was impressive.

The two men stood and looked back at the goblin while waiting for him to speak.

The large goblin spoke in a deep, gruff voice. "I am called Kneebreaker in your tongue. I am Third Overlord of the lands you humans call Britain. The First Overlord has charged me with meeting with you. You may present your words and offers to me to convey to our leaders should I find them worthy of passing on.

William nodded at the seriousness of the goblin. This goblin was important and very dangerous. Military etiquette from many years before kicked in along with his protocol training. He stood as tall as he could and spoke in a firm clear voice. "I am William Emerson, emissary of Her Majesty, Elizabeth the Second. I have been sent to deliver a Letter of Greetings to your government in the hope that we can establish diplomatic relations and work together in the defeat of a common enemy.

The goblin sneered at the letter and looked at Emerson. "Are you a warrior, human?" Kneebreaker asked while glaring.

"Many years ago, I served in Her Majesty's armed forces as a soldier. I currently work in Her service for diplomatic purposes," Emerson said proudly looking straight back at goblin.

"Not the best of emissaries but at least she sent a person who was a warrior to us, even if one of the least kind," Kneebreaker stated. "We are aware of your issues with the undead wizard. We are aware of much the surface thinks secret. I shall deliver your letter to our leaders." Kneebreaker motioned for one of his guards to take the letter. "Return in two days for a reply if we have not contacted your people first. At our next meeting bring the name of a place to meet so we can cut down on any excessive written back and forth piffle. Face to face is the best for meetings. Who is the wizard?" Kneebreaker said bluntly.

Emerson spoke before Smythe could do more than stiffen. "He is my guide to the magical realm. He is a first generation wizard and is sworn into the service of Her Majesty."

Kneebreaker nodded. "He is acceptable then. Most wizards are not worth the air they consume."

With no further business the Overlord turned and left. Taking that as dismissal the pair waited until he was out of sight before leaving the bank and Diagon Alley.

On the base, the Golden Trio was settling into the apartment assigned to them. A guard was on station outside the building but they were left alone inside. Their confiscated items were laid out on the table, including their wands. Hermione wanted to get changed but only outfit available was Bellatrix's gothic dress. She grumbled as she fumbled through her purse before pulling out the battered tent.

"I need some of my things that are still in here," she stated to the guard as she walked outside. The soldier wondered where the tent had come from but just nodded as Hermione set up the tent. Back up guards arrived from nearby to watch. Hermione had gone in and out of the tent several times pulling out a dozen books and a pair of suitcases before she paused.

"Would you like to inspect the inside?" she asked the guard she considered her 'personal guard' as he had been on station the most with her.

The soldier looked to his sergeant who nodded permission. "Flap stays open" was his only word of warning. The guard went to the opening and looked around in awe.

"Blimey. It's a lot bigger on the inside than on the outside," he whispered.

"Space expansion runes and charms," Hermione replied casually as she looked behind her cot for something.

"Huh?"

Hermione huffed a bit. "It's sort of like a TARDIS, okay?" she said giving a frame of reference the soldier could understand.

The soldier nodded animatedly as he understood that better. Doctor Who was still well followed even being in reruns for years. That recent movie was kind of iffy in his opinion.

The girl grumbled finally as she pulled out one last book from behind her cot and turned to leave. She ushered the guard out and followed. The tent collapsed and self folded with a touch of her wand. She turned to the pile and was ready to cast a featherweight charm.

"Lads," the sergeant ordered before Hermione could cast anything. The soldiers stepped up to her books and they were carried up to her room along with her luggage. She flushed slightly and thanked the guards.

The goblins contacted the Parliament the following day with approval of meeting at Windsor Castle and sent a list of demands for discussion as well. The fourth item on the list was that Harry, Ron and Hermione be turned over as thieves for prosecution and disposal.

The face to face meeting got off to a bad start. A large goblin in gleaming battle armor strode into the room with two aides behind him.

"I am the Second Overlord of this region. I am authorized to speak for the First Overlord. Where are the thieves?" the warrior goblin said bluntly before anything else.

"I am General Pickering. I am Her Majesty's representative for this negotiation. Her Majesty regrets the incident but she has sanctioned it after the fact. She will not turn the youths over to you as she endorses their actions and takes the responsibility of their act upon Britain itself. The item in question must be destroyed and the reasoning for the incident is sound. She regrets any loss of goblin lives and that they did leave on the dragon but nothing else was removed. Her Majesty will not budge on that point and offers suitable and reasonable reparations in their place," the retired general who was named negotiator stated.

The goblin frowned at the diplomatic talk for 'No' but admired the stand the British took about not turning over their people. The point had merely been added as a sop to the lesser goblins that ran the bank and as a test of the surface dweller's mettle. So far, the British had passed.

"Filthy lucre is no replacement for lost honor. But it is a point to be considered as you claim a sound reason for the act. I would hear this reason for myself. Bring the one named Harry Potter here," the goblin stated after a brief pause as he continued his probing of the man opposite him. They could not fight physically but he would have his measure of the man in other ways.

That request had been expected and Harry was waiting nearby. Minutes later he was brought in.

The goblin looked at the thin 17 yr old and snorted. He was not impressed. "The bankers made you out to be something special, boy. You look less than impressive but your eyes tell a different story. Show me your scars and prove to me that you are a warrior and able to speak to one as an equal." The goblin expected the boy to back out at this point.

Harry was tired of waiting. His scar had kept him up most nights since being taken prisoner. Ron and Hermione were not currently on speaking terms and used him as a go between. Now this goblin was treating him like Vernon had by calling him 'boy'. Without a word, Harry pulled the tail of his shirt from his pants and pulled it off over his head.

The scars from the basilisk fang, the dragon spike and the knife cut from Wormtail were the most prominent but dozens of smaller scars crisscrossed his body both front and back. "Seen enough?" Harry said in a challenging voice.

"Impressive," the goblin stated. "The bankers were not lying about that at least. So, why steal that cup? It was not of much value. Mere brass and a bit of magic are not worth the effort you took."

"Riddle turned it into a horcrux. At first, we believed we made a fair bargain to obtain it with the goblin Griphook but he betrayed us and broke his deal. We could not risk being captured and executed so we took off on the dragon with it. We felt beforehand that simply asking for it we would be denied and it would vanish again," Harry said.

The face of the goblin darkened. The anger and honesty of the human showed in his eyes and countenance. He had not been told THAT about the bauble. The bankers were holding out on their masters and would need to be reminded of their place in the hierarchy.

"I see. It seems that we lacked certain information on this before coming. Your legacy on deposit was to be confiscated by the bankers for your actions but I judge that those actions to have merit. We shall limit the removal to three parts in ten of raw specie and gems, all goblin wrought goods and half of the remaining valuable wrought items. We split the items evenly, you choose which half to retain. Artworks and tomes remain yours. We also have no use for wizard things so all of those goods remain yours. The Crown must also contribute to this for sanctioning the action and payment for the other two who have nothing of value to offer. It would consist of any goblin wrought items not given as personal gifts to an ancestor. Currently viewable museum pieces may remain in place but ownership passes to goblins and pieces are to be returned to us when removed from display. The fact that some humans can acknowledge the quality of goblin work and desire to view it pleases the First Overlord."

"In principle, that is acceptable. We can settle the fine details later," the negotiator said.

"With regard to your other points, the Queen and her Parliament recognize your people and government as a sovereign nation and not a part of Great Britain even if the borders intermingle. She does not wish for communication to cease between us as nations like it had in the past. Treaty had assigned that right to the magical portion of the Realm but they have forsaken that duty. Therefore, by default on the part of wizardkind, under treaty it is being reclaimed by the Queen," the negotiator stated.

"Good. The wizards are narrow minded fools. They believe Gringotts to be the center of goblin civilization as if those bankers were the best of us," the goblin replied. "We are much more than that."

"I agree. You might live beneath us but that does not mean you are beneath us as a people," the negotiator said.

The goblins took a few minutes to converse in their own language.

"You have the wisdom of a warrior with the tongue of a politician. Your queen made a fine choice in you," the lead goblin said in admiration. "Your honorable actions in protecting your people in the form of Harry Potter and his compatriots have earned the right to my name. I am called," the goblin spoke a number of syllables in his native language. "It means 'Warrior who beheaded a dozen foes in battle'. You may address me as Headhewer," he finished.

"With the political side of things settled, we may get to true business. This horcrux troubles me. My magic advisor tells me to make one the magics invoked are among the most foul known above or below the surface. Have you managed to destroy it?" Headhewer asked.

Harry looked nervous at that. "Not yet. We had planned on destroying them all at once."

"THEM?! You mean that monster made more than one of those horrors?" the goblin mage broke in.

"Yes, he did," Harry replied.

Headhewer turned and looked at the mage and spoke harshly at him for breaking in. The mage spoke back just as intensely but not as fierce. After several minutes Headhewer nodded and turned back to the British.

"Tell us about what you know if you would," the goblin said in a tight voice.

"Seven. Riddle made seven in total. Three have been destroyed. We have two more and were heading to get another when we were … taken into custody. Riddle recovered the one we were going after from Hogwarts instead and he keeps the final one with him. From my visions I see it is some kind of tiara and his snake Nagini," Harry explained.

The goblin mage paled at the first word and grew worse as Harry spoke. The other aide kept him standing.

"Seven innocents killed," the mage muttered.

The British negotiator spoke up. "Perhaps we should take a short break?" He knew that proud people hated showing weakness and he could see the mage was on the verge of a breakdown.

Headhewer nodded after a glance at the mage. "You must understand. Goblins are a small race in recent centuries. Young are precious to us. To knowingly harm one is an unpardonable crime. But this monster has killed SEVEN to make his abominations. We must destroy these things as soon as possible."

The goblins walked off to a side room a guard indicated while Harry sat heavily in a chair. Less than a minute later, the goblins returned in swift steps.

"My aide shows his true mettle after all. He would rather we get the information than wait for him to recover. As with any true warrior, he will push his emotions aside to get the job done and deal with his feelings afterwards. So now, we continue. We must destroy the ones you have before the enemy has a chance to recover them. He will be allowed to speak to pass on information now."

The mage stepped to the table from his place behind Headhewer.

"We must rely on ancient information now. Lore says he can only create new ones if he can split his soul. We had at first assumed he had simply distorted his original body through dark rituals to survive but with the knowledge of horcrux that theory changes. We know that the enemy's current form is a mere homunculus, possessing no soul within it. You cannot split a horcrux so we have a small advantage. The enemy must absorb one of the remaining horcruxs to regain a true body before he can create additional ones. There is a window of time for us to be rid of him before he can create more. The ritual to reabsorb a horcrux is more like a birth than anything else, light magic. Then he must wait at least one lunar cycle for his body to stabilize before he can create a new horcrux."

"We can worry about Riddle's actions later. Our first priority is to destroy the horcruxs already gained. Where are they?" asked Headhewer.

Harry pulled out his moleskin pouch and opened it. He reached in to remove Hufflepuff's cup and placed it on the table.

"And the other?" Headhewer demanded.

Harry lifted the fringe of his hair covering his scar.

"In here," he replied calmly.

The goblin mage gasped "Of course, the 'Boy Who Lived' would have been the seventh victim." and started forward but was stopped when the guards came to alert.

"I must examine this scar," the mage said in troubled tones. Harry nodded and stepped closer to allow the goblin access.

The mage pulled out a monocle of some kind and placed it over one eye. He muttered in his own language as he touched and prodded the black lightning bolt shaped curse scar. After several tense minutes the mage looked back to Headhewer.

"It is true. The scar does contain a soul shard but it is not a true horcrux. Some other outside magic is wedged in there protecting the boy's soul from the corrupting influence of the shard. It would be possible to remove the thing but it does touch his life force and draws on his power to exist. It would be dangerous and possibly deadly but he might be able to survive if his will is strong enough," the mage reported.

"Knowing his history and the rumors about him, I would venture the following hypothesis. The protection that is between the boy and the shard is what also kept the killing curse off him. The shard must have been split off by the wizard Riddle and when the feedback from the killing curse failure destroyed his already weakened soul. Part of his soul remaining in his body was ripped away by the curse and sent onward. The shard intended for a horcrux planted itself in the boy instead of the intended vessel but could not form into a true horcrux because of the protection. Riddle's spirit and will survived because his soul was anchored and so his consciousness did not pass on. This is only a hypothesis but a reasonable one."

Headhewer nodded gravely. "How long until you can rip that shard out of him? Better to die in the attempt than to simply be slaughtered as a sheep to destroy it."

"We would need to do so in a hallowed spot with many protections to prevent the shard from possessing another being. One resides in our caverns near the surface city of Manchester. We could do it at any time but sooner is better," the mage stated.

Harry nodded in reply. "Some choice; surely die to kill Riddle without removing it or possibly die to remove the thing. I would prefer to live so I will go through with the removal."

The British diplomat was trying to keep up but his lack of magical knowledge was keeping him understanding most of this. "What is all this about souls, shards, removal and things?" he bellowed.

Harry turned and looked at him.

"My scar is a cursed connection to Riddle. It houses a shard of his soul. The goblins can remove it but doing so might kill me in the process." Harry pondered for a moment. "It might be best to think of it as a cancer that needs to be removed before it kills me."

The diplomat thought before nodding. He understood that analogy. "Her Majesty would be upset if you died needlessly. Her orders were that you are not to be turned over to them for crimes."

"We have settled the crime issue already, so he is safe and under the protection of the Overlords if he goes through with the removal. That the removal could kill him is another issue entirely," Headhewer replied. "Our cursebreakers can deal with the cup easily enough and cleanse it completely. There is no sense in destroying something of value simply to remove a curse. That applies to both the artifact and the boy."

Harry was silent while General Pickering and Headhewer discussed things. He did not want to die but he knew his options were limited. Some chance was better than no chance. But he wanted something in return.

"I want a pledge from the goblins that if I die during this ritual, that the goblins will see to the end of Tom Riddle and send his remaining soul onward," Harry said in a quiet voice.

Headhewer looked at Harry with a slight bit of respect. Part of it was for going through with the ritual, the rest that he would ensure that someone would vanquish his foes if he could not.

"We can agree to that," Headhewer stated. "We would have done so as he is something we will not suffer to exist knowing now what he has done."
"So, to Manchester then? Harry inquired.

(A/N) One of my favorite movie lines is 'Life's not fair, is it?'. I destroyed my health at work and spent the last six months unemployed getting it back. Fortunately, I had saved to pay I made in the process and can get by. I have been reading my old writing again and pulled this bit together. Hopefully, thigns will progress faster.