Hello everyone. I hope everyone is staying safe during the New Year. Sorry the update took me a little longer than I would have liked. But I hope everyone enjoys this update.

I'm currently working on a more…defined schedule for updates since I am planning on starting to update a couple of my other stories again. So keep any eye out for those updates as well.

I've seen several other writers creating social accounts to keep more in touch with their viewers. So, I have created a Facebook account called Snowbeam that you guys are more than welcome to send me a friend request on. I will use it to easier interact with everyone, post updates about my Works in Progress and post little polls and such. Please feel free to send me a friend request on that account and I should start posting soon.

I DO NOT OWN THE RIGHTS TO ANY OF THE HARRY POTTER CHARACTERS

All reviews are read and appreciated.

"Forge new path with your own power" – Gaara, Naruto

Chapter 21

Problems at Gringotts

Harry was silent as he once again found himself sitting next to the pond, the golden egg resting on a patch of grass against his leg. He sighed before he leaned back, looking up at the sky. Remus had managed to figure out what the noise was that the egg had released but he hadn't been able to bring himself to open it again. He was nervous about what the hint would tell him if the judges had decided to have to hint spoken in mermish. A shadow fell over him for a moment, Hedwig's wings catching the morning sun as she glided through the air, returning from her nightly hunt.

"Good morning my beautiful girl." He whispered once she'd landed on his knee. She released a pleased hoot as he brushed his fingers along the top of her head. He couldn't help getting lost in his thoughts again as he sat in the comfortable silence with his owl. The morning sun along with the calming feeling from the magic around the pond helped ease the stress he had been feeling since the mess with the tournament had started. The crunching of leaves startled him from his thoughts, causing him to jerk up with his wand grasped tightly in his hands.

"Woah pup, it's just me." Sirius stated, holding his hands up to show he meant no harm. Harry only sighed before he put his wand back into the holster strapped to his arm.

"Sorry. I know nothing can hurt me here but I'm still on edge." He explained as he pushed himself to his feet. Hedwig released a hoot before she took flight, flying towards the house while her master stood with his godfather. Harry couldn't help smiling as he watched his faithful company fly free, glad she was able to stretch her wings whenever she felt the need instead of constantly being locked in her cage. Sirius couldn't help smiling at the relax look on his godson's face, something that he didn't get the chance to see very often. He couldn't help the feeling of guilt as he thought about the night Lily and James had died. He'd let his grief and anger get the better of him and he'd gone after Peter instead of making sure his godson was properly taken care of.

"Have you had breakfast yet? We need to leave for our meeting with the goblins soon, but you know Izzy isn't going to let you go without eating something first." Sirius commented as they walked through the gardens back towards the manor. Harry had barely opened his mouth to respond when Izzy popped into view, fixing them both with a look as she stood there with their arms crossed. Sirius couldn't help laughing, figuring that look alone answered his question.

"Come on pup. Before we make her angry." Sirius laughed, placing his hand on his godson's shoulder, steering him into the house. Harry sat in silence at the table, poking at the food on his plate with his fork as he once again got lost in thought. Sirius glanced at him occasionally as he ate his own food, not failing to notice his lack of attention.

"So what are you both making a trip to Gringotts for? Tonks questioned as she stepped into the room, combing her fingers through her hair in an attempt to tame it.

"My account manager sent me a letter that he wanted to meet with me today about a few new things they found sorting through my files." Harry explained as he glanced at her. He couldn't help laughing as how her hair managed to stick up in several different directions, uncontrollably. Izzy released a sigh before she snapped her fingers, using her own magic to help the clumsy witch.

"Miss Nymphadora is a witch. You know magic." The house elf stated before she turned back to her own plate. Tonks hair flashed red for a brief moment at the use of the name she hated so much before she took her own seat, reaching across for the plate of eggs.

"Did they say what they found? Or are you just walking in their blind?" she questioned.

"They didn't say anything in the letter but I'm sure it's something important or Griphook wouldn't have asked me to come in as soon as possible." Harry responded with a shrug.

GRINGOTTS

Harry walked through the atrium with his hand tightly gripped Padfoot's fur, glancing around at the witches and wizards that were waiting to speak with the goblin tellers. He took a deep breath in attempt to calm his nerves and keep his magic under control. It didn't matter how much of a friendship he had gained with the goblins; they wouldn't look kindly on anyone losing control of magic in the middle of their bank.

"How may I help you?" the goblin teller questioned without looking up from counting the gold coins on his desk.

"I have a meeting with Head Bank Manager Griphook?" Harry stated, hoping he managed to keep the shakiness from his voice. The goblin glanced up for a brief moment before he nodded, standing up before vanishing through the door behind him. Harry glanced over his shoulder occasionally as he waited for him to return, tightening the grip he had on the black fur between his fingers. He released a breathe when the goblin finally returned, gesturing for him to continue down one of the narrow hallways that was held the offices for the account managers for the Lords and Ladies of the wizarding world.

Once inside Griphook's office Sirius shifted back, claiming the seat at his godson's right as he looked at the goblin. The Potter goblin manager looked at the young boy, not failing to notice how he sagged in his chair for a brief moment before regaining his composure.

"Thank you for meeting with me so soon Lord Potter. The reason I asked you to come during your Yule holidays is because with your permission to do something. I was looking through the files we've updated over the last few months since you first came in and I realize we didn't remove the blocks on your magic." Griphook explained. He leaned forward as he watched Sirius and Harry exchange looks of concern.

"That's fine but...is there any way we can test to see what blocks I still have? I know according to the test when I first came in some of them had already been broken." Harry finally questioned after several moments of silence.

"Of course. We do a more detailed one than the inheritance test we did right after your birthday. If you'd like to take that test than the price can just be deducted from your vault." Griphook explained.

"The more detailed one could tell us exactly who placed the blocks on your magic. Which we can use to file charges with the aurors when we're ready considering we have a pretty good idea just who it was." Sirius suggested. Harry glanced between his godfather and his bank manager before he firmly nodded.

Both males sat in silence as Griphook read over the parchment, waiting for him to explain which blocks were still stopping Harry's magic from growing stronger.

"Several of the blocks have already been broken either partially or completely broken which we'd assumed but there is something that is causing me some concerns. You are still wearing your Lordship ring correct?" Griphook questioned, glancing at the young wizard. Harry tilted his head slightly, going to nod before he faltered for a moment, his eyes growing wide. Sirius frowned slightly when his godson suddenly covered his eyes with a groan.

"Pup? What's going on? Where's your ring?" he questioned as he leaned forward in concern.

"I took it off the night of the Yule Ball. I didn't want Dumbledore to see it since I knew his attention was going to be on me more than it usually was. And I didn't think I would need it while we were staying at Malfoy Manor." Harry muttered after staying silent. He could only imagine just what it was on that parchment that had the goblin concerned.

"The reason I ask is because it seems someone managed to slip you another disloyalty potion that was directed to Severus Snape and the Malfoy family. Which we will break during the ritual so that won't be a further concern, but I do feel the need to stress to you again just why you need to wear that ring." Griphook explained with a sigh.

"Pup, why didn't you say anything? We could have cast a notice me not charm on the ring or Remus could have figured something else out. You know that ring has charms on it that are meant to protect you." Sirius firmly stated. He couldn't help the frustration he felt at his godson seeming lack of care for his own wellbeing at times.

"I just forgot Padfoot. It wasn't like it was on purpose or anything. You know I've only been in the magical world since my first year. I'm still not used to all of this…stuff." Harry muttered, sinking lower in his seat. He crossed his arms as he attempted to avoid the annoyed look he was receiving from his godfather.

"Oh Harry, what am I going to do with you?" Sirius muttered, shaking his head. Harry couldn't help flinching at the disappointed tone in his godfather's voice, his mind going back to the Lucius and Narcissa for a brief moment. He could roughly figure just when the potion had been slipped into his system again since it felt like all of their progress had disappeared once he'd gotten to Malfoy Manor. Which gave him a small clue that something had happened at the Yule Ball even though he'd thought for sure he would be safe, that no one would do something to him around the people from the ministry and the visiting schools.

"Can we just get this over with please?" Harry whispered, hanging his head so his bangs fell in his face, attempting to hide the tears that were starting to cloud his vision. Sirius sat in silence as he watched Harry follow the goblin out of the office further into the bank. He sighed as he reached up to run his fingers through his hair with a groan. He knew that he would need to let his cousin know what was going on, but he could already guess just what type of fight that was going to cause. They had all told Harry how important it was to always wear his Lordship ring. He dug into his pocket, pulling out the 2-way communication mirror, debating on calling Remus while Harry was with the goblins to let him know what they had found out. After several minutes of just staring at his reflection in the mirror, he finally decided against it, not wanting to worry the werewolf anymore than he already was. Harry was going to be perfectly fine after the ritual was finished so there wasn't really anything else anyone could do at that point in time.

GRINGOTTS RECOVERY ROOM

Harry released a low groan as he attempted to push himself into a sitting position, his entire body aching at the feeling of more magic than it was used to. He reached up to brush his hair out of his face as he took several deep breaths in an attempt to stop the room from spinning.

"How are you feeling Lord Potter?" Griphook questioned as he stepped into the room with one of the goblin healers.

"Sore…confused…drained." Harry muttered, pulling his knees close to his chest as he thought about how disappointed his godfather had been with him. His thoughts began to wonder to the last few interactions with his family, his stomach sinking as he thought about how they had left things between them. Even though Severus had constantly continued to make him feel unwelcome, he hadn't helped the situation any with his own temper.

"Sirius Black is waiting for you in my office still. Do you think you are ready to return?" Griphook questioned, not failing to see the broken look currently on his face. Harry sat in silence for several long moments before he finally managed to nod. He wanted to finish their meeting so he could return to Potter Manor and hide himself away in his room.

Sirius jerked his head up when the door opened, watching as Harry walked in first before being followed by the goblin account manager. He could easily see the drained expression on his godson's face, reaching out to squeeze his shoulder once the teen had sank into the chair next to him.

"Well the cleansing ritual was a success. However, there was something that did cause us a small amount of concern because there seems to be something that has latched onto young Lord Potter's magic. It flared out when his magic was unbound. We'd like to continue to keep an eye on it with further testing as he grows but as of right now it's not registering as anything dark and it's not causing him any issues." Griphook explained once he'd sat back down at his desk. Harry couldn't help flinching slightly at the noise Sirius made, glancing at his godfather for a brief moment in an attempt to figure out what he was possibly thinking.

"Do you have a way of knowing if it's something recent or if it's something that could have latched onto him…when Lily and James died?" Sirius questioned, thinking about all the questions that had been raised with Voldemort's 'death'.

"We have no way of actually knowing. As I thought I made clear, we aren't exactly sure what it is. Just that it's something strong and has seemingly latched onto his magic but it is not causing him any form of harm." Griphook explained, clearly growing irritated.

MALFOY MANOR

Narcissa was silent as she sat in the family sitting room near the fire, a book lying abandoned on the seat beside her as she watched the dancing flames. Draco watched his mother from the doorway, feeling regret knowing that she was distressed because of Harry leaving Malfoy Manor. While he wanted to blame his twin for abandoning them without a second thought, he knew that how he had been raised and treated had everything to do with it. The previous Gryffindor refused to let anyone in, and it seemed even harder to get him to trust either.

"Draco I know you're there." Narcissa finally stated after her son stood in silence for nearly ten minutes. She turned her attention away from the fireplace to watch him. Her words seemed to jerk him from his own thoughts, spurring him to walk further into the room.

"Do…you think he'll come to the ball?" he questioned, his voice faltering for a moment. Narcissa couldn't help the doubt that settled in her stomach, remembering how distraught her youngest had been before he left. Her silence seemed to be all the answer Draco needed as he claimed the spot beside her, carefully resting his head against her shoulder. Narcissa couldn't help smiling slightly at the action, reaching her hand up to rest it against his cheek. It wasn't often that he let down the masks they'd trained him to have, even in the comfort and privacy of their home. Lucius stood in the doorway watching his wife and heir, a concerned frown on his face. He had hoped they were making progress with Harry but in just one-week things had seemed to take a horrible turn.

"Master Malfoy sir. A letter." One of the house elves stated, gaining his attention. He glanced down at the magical creature with raise eyebrow, watching as he dropped into a low bow with it's ears dragging against the floor as he held the silver tray over his head. Lucius wordlessly took the letter, turning it over in his hands. The envelope had been sealed with vibrant green wax and a snake that was coiled up. It was one he easily recognized since it was one he had grown up seeing his entire life. The Malfoy lord took a deep breath before he opened it, slowly pulling the parchment out. Narcissa watched her husband, having heard the house elf speak.

"It seems…the dark lord has managed to progress his plans far sooner than originally thought." Lucius stated without looking away from the letter. Narcissa didn't miss the hopeful look that crossed her husband's features for a brief moment. Draco glanced between his parents for a brief moment before he stood up, excusing himself from the room so they could talk about whatever was in the letter. Lucius closed the door once his son had left before he waved his wand, casting a privacy charm encase he decided he wanted to try, and ease drop on the conversation. Narcissa watched in silence as he made his way over to the couch, sitting down as he tightened his grip on the parchment.

"Does it say anything about Harry? About what his plans are going forward?" she questioned.

"He…he's going to attend the Yule Ball to speak with those that have remained loyal to him." Lucius muttered finally, glancing at his wife with a worried look. Both of them were clearly thinking about the same thing, the small chance that Harry still attended the Yule Ball.

I hope you all enjoyed this update and continue to support it as the story goes on. Reviews are always appreciated, and I do read every single one that I receive. If you have any questions or would like to make a request or suggestion, my inbox is open. I do try to send a message of thanks for every review to show my appreciation.

However, I want to remind everyone that flames are unneeded. This story is just for fun for myself and my readers.

Keep Dreaming Big Dreams

Until Next Chapter

Snowbeam12