Chapter 15

"All the 600 vaults are Ministry vaults."

"What do you mean by Ministry vaults?

"The Ministry of Magic needs a number of vaults, budgets for different departments, funding for projects, even a budget so the house elves can buy the tea and biscuits. They have 100 vaults that are set aside for them, and vault 687 is one of those."

"So I have been stealing Ministry gold?"

"I doubt it. You are definitely registered to have access to the vault, but there are often restrictions about what Ministry gold can be spent on. I'll just look up what that vault is registered for." Gleamshard pulled a directory off a shelf behind him and flipped through it until he found what he was looking for.

"Let's see, vault 687, registered to the Ministry of Magic (I doubt you care when), let's see...current use. 'Bounty for the defeat of Lord Voldemort.' fourteen thousand Galleons. Access granted to Mr H Potter on 21st of December 1981."

"So it's OK? It's my money?" Harry asked, he really didn't want to find he had been unknowingly spending money that wasn't his.

Gleamshard nodded. "That's what the records say, so yes. You said Hagrid gave you the key, may I ask who that is?"

"Rubeus Hagrid, keeper of keys and grounds at Hogwarts, as well as the Hogwarts Care of Magical Creatures professor." Harry stressed Hagrid's full title slightly.

"Is he likely to have misled you, Mr. Potter?" Gleamshard asked.

"Uh… not likely. At least not intentionally." And that was true, Hagrid would never have told him that it was his parents' money if he had known otherwise. In fact, if he had known that it was a Ministry vault he would have probably told Harry that, to brag about how Dumbledore had set it up. If there were two things you could say about Hagrid, it was that he couldn't keep a secret to save his life, and he was extremely loyal to Dumbledore.

"Explain please."

"Hagrid is a good friend but he isn't… that's to say he… he is not the smartest of people. If Dumbledore gave him a key and said it was for Harry's money, he would probably just assume it was the, did you call it the Potter vault? He would likely think it was the Potter vault key." Hermione answered for him.

Gleamshard nodded taking notes. "Am I to take it then you don't have the key to your vault either then?"

Harry held up his key. "This is the only vault key I have."

"Then you will also need to replace that key." More notes were added to Gleamshard's parchment.

"What about the other two vaults the test said I own? What are they?" Harry asked, curious.

Gleamshard consulted his big book again. "They were apparently willed to you specifically. That means we should have the keys for them in our inheritance office."

"Were the vaults my parents' private vaults? You said the Potter one was a family vault, right?" Harry asked, trying to understand better.

"No they were left to you by Magnolia Ganders and Blair Ironbark."

"Who were they? I don't recognise the names." How could he have been left something by people he had never heard of? Were these more people no-one bothered to tell him about?

"I don't know about these two specifically, but the families of Ganders and Ironbark were heavily involved in the blood war. The Ganders were a family of Aurors, the Ironbarks a family of herbologists. Both families stood with the Ministry and were mostly wiped out with only a few elderly surveyors who have since passed. We will need to check their wills to be sure, but I suspect they had no heirs to give their estate to, so decided to will it to the person who killed the monster who destroyed their families. I'll check the wills and see what you were left and why." Gleamshard gave his opinion before he made a few more notes in his paperwork.

Harry didn't know how to feel about that. He was profiting from families being wiped out. Even if he had nothing to do with killing those people, there was a sense of ghoulish quality to it, like he was rifling through the pockets of a dead person looking for something that was of value to him.

Gleamshard pulled another folder in front of him and opened it. "Right, Mr. Potter, according to Mr. Olivander, current owner of Olivander's Maker of Fine Wands, the two of you have a contract for him to make and sell a product you designed. Is that right?"

Harry nodded that it was and saw Fleur's eyes widen in surprise.

"Well, you haven't as of yet opted to store your copy of the contract with the bank. While it's not required, you have a safety deposit box, so I recommend you make use of it. The main reason we at Gringotts wanted to talk with you about the arrangement is that Mr Olivander has transferred money to you, but we had no record of where to put the money and we couldn't just put it in the Potter family vault because it is dormant after having no activity for so long."

"What does Harry need to do to unfreeze the account?" Hermione asked.

"Sign some parchment work and visit the vault. It's not a complicated process, we can get it sorted once we issue Mr. Potter his new keys."

Griphook then returned with a metal box that was floating in front of him. The deposit box looked to be about a foot tall, a foot and a half wide, and two feet deep [H30cm W45cm D60cm approx]. The box floated over and settled itself on Gleamshard's desk. "Will there be anything else, sir?"

"Yes, I will need the Gringotts copies of the Magnolia Ganders and Blair Ironbark wills, thank you Griphook."

"Yes sir." Griphook said, but as he left Harry was sure he could hear him mutter "Bloody time waster, I was just in that part of the bank, could…" before the door closed and Harry couldn't hear any more.

During this Gleamshard was pulling out a small stone chest that had no seam. It had a lid shape and you could easily see where the lid was meant to open, but there was no gap at all. Gleamshard placed it on the desk next to the safety deposit box, before putting his hand on the chest and saying, "This is a Gringotts key change kit. To use it, you will need to place one of your hands on the box and the other on the lock of your deposit box. I, as a Gringotts account manager, will then have to place my hands on yours and chant an incantation in Gobbledegook." He explained.

"The first hands touching the box and the lock need to be a registered owner of the vault, or in this case the deposit box, that way only someone with the right to do so can obtain a new key." Gleamshard motioned Harry to the boxes "If you would, Mr. Potter."

Harry stood and approached the desk. He peered at the stone chest, and now he was looking closer he could see that it looked as though it was carved from a single piece of what he thought was granite, but he wasn't a geologist so he wouldn't bet on it. Then, he looked at the safety deposit box. Part of him wanted to leave it shut and keep the hurtful contract that he was starting to feel sure he would find inside locked away so that he could stay with Hermione. Another part of him couldn't resist the siren call of his parents' words, words they wrote, his parents' words that he could read.

He placed his left hand onto the stone chest and his right onto the lock that was on the top of the box in the middle of one of the shorter sides. Gleamshard put his hands over Harry's and started to repeat a mantra of guttural grunts and growling sounds that also had the unmistakable syntax of a language. Harry started to feel pulses of magic traveling between the key change kit and the deposit box. The pulses used him as a connection between the two, but they were also probing him as they passed, checking him for something that he assumed was proper ownership of the box.

He could also feel pulses that passed though his hands and realised that Gleamshard was under just as much scrutiny as he was. The pulses seemed to deem the two acceptable and changed into a constant beam of power. Light began to shine from under Harry's right hand, bright enough that even in the brightly light office the back of Harry's hand started to glow. It started to get hot, and then uncomfortably hot. It was about to become painful, but just then the light disappeared, the metal under his hand became cool to the touch, and there was a loud crack from the stone chest.

Harry stepped back from the chest when the crack startled him. As soon as his hand left the chest, the lid sprung open revealing a golden key. Harry glanced at Gleamshard, who nodded, and Harry picked up the key. Harry slipped the key into the lock of the safety deposit box, and with a twist the lid popped open. Inside the deposit box were stacks of parchment, so Harry began lifting them out and examining them. There were contracts (not unlike the one he had with Mr. Ollivander) selling products that other Potters had invented, Sleekeazy's hair potion, pepper-up potion and skele-gro among them. Pepper-up and the like were so common and easily made at home that there was only a small royalty when the recipe was printed in a book. The only one that regularly paid anything was Sleekeazy's hair potion. A quick look at the contract revealed that a few shares in the company who bought the potions rights from a Fleamont Potter had included a number of shares, providing the Potter vault with something every year.

There were also deeds to properties. One for a cottage in Godric's hollow, one for a small vineyard in France, and most surprisingly a townhouse in Hogsmeade. Harry couldn't believe it he owned a house in Hogsmeade - how many times had he seen it and not known? Had he seen it when he was at the train station every year since joining the school? Maybe one of the ones he had passed while walking though the village with Hermione? Or maybe it was one of the ones on a back street he had never gone down? He didn't know what he would prefer. To have walked past his house and not knowing, or to have somehow by luck avoided the house when he was so close.

Harry had been excited to read something that was written by his parents, yet so far nothing here was in their hand. It was getting to be a disappointment, yet a part of him also noted that he hadn't come across any betrothal contracts. However, there was still more in the box so he didn't want to hope. The next thing Harry pulled out knocked him speechless. He had to sit down and stare at the large envelope and the words written on the front.

The last will and Testament of James and Lily Potter

Hermione, who had been looking at the parchment work after Harry, noticed that something had disturbed him and went to comfort him and find out what was wrong, but Fleur (who hadn't been handed any of the parchment to read) had been watching Harry and was quicker off the mark.

"Are you okay, Harry?" Fleur asked as she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"I never knew they had a will," Harry's voice was barely over a whisper.

"You should read it, maybe they left you a message in it." Fleur encouraged.

Hermione was at his other side, now doing her best to be supportive and trying not to glare at Fleur. She wasn't totally successful, but was subtle enough that Harry was clueless.

Harry opened the envelope, pulled out the will, and started to read.

This is the combined last Will and Testament of Lily Potter and James Potter. We make this will while being of sound mind and sound body. Upon writing this will we renounce any previous last wills and testaments and state that this is our true last Will and Testament, on the date of August 23rd 1981

The section continued for a while mostly talking In legalese before continuing.

If on the death of Lily Potter, James Potter is still alive, then all assets are to be transferred into his name. I wish my husband the best of luck with raising our son.

If on the death of James Potter, Lily Potter is still alive, then all assets are to be transferred into her name. I wish my dearest wife all the luck in the world in raising a son, the heir of the Marauders.

If neither Lily Potter nor James Potter survive, then all assets are to be transferred to our son Harry James Potter.

The will listed off a number of assets but there was nothing Harry hadn't already learned of since he arrived at the bank today.

There is also a trunk we left in the Potter vault at Gringotts, to be retrieved by Harry before he attends Hogwarts. The Goblins know to ensure that Harry takes the trunk during his first visit to the vault. The trunk is Lily's old school trunk, and in it is a number of things Harry will need, a few things we want him to have, and a letter from each of us.

There were letters for him. From his parents. Things they wanted him to have. The only things he had from either of his parents were his father's cloak and his father's map. He didn't have anything of his mother's, and even the map was only partly his father's.

Notice for the DMLE: should we have died at the hands of Voldemort or his band of bigots inside our home at Godric's Hollow, please be aware that we used a Fidelius Charm in our protections, and only our secret keeper could have revealed the secret to another person. Our secret keeper was Peter Pettigrew, not Sirius Black as we lead people to believe.

Order of custody for Harry James Potter, if one of his parents is not still alive around to take care of him.

1st - Alice Longbottom: Sworn godmother to Harry by unbreakable vow.

2nd - Sirius Orion Black: Sworn godfather to Harry by unbreakable vow.

3rd - Minerva McGonagall: Family friend and ally.

4th - Appoline and Sebastian Delacour of France: Family friends and invested in Harry's safety

5th - Remus Lupin, we know the law says you can't, but if the laws change you have our full trust to do what is best for Harry.

Should these choices be unable to raise Harry, he is to be placed with a family only after they take an unbreakable vow to never work with or for Voldemort. That psycho is way too interested in our son.

Under no circumstances is Harry to be placed with Lily's sister Petunia; both of us fear for the safety of any magical child left in their care.

The document contained for a short while after that before ending in his parents signatures, and the signature of the witnesses Marlene McKinnon and Frank Longbottom.

Harry was surprised at the list of guardians in the will. He already knew about Alice, Neville's mother, as he remembered what Madame Longbottom had told him in the private room at the Leaky Cauldron 14 months ago. Uncle Moony had mentioned Sirius Black, but he had said that Sirius was the one who betrayed his parents and that the man was in prison where he belongs. Yet according to his parents' will, Sirius was never in a position to have betrayed them. He didn't know what a Fidelius Charm was, but his parents seemed convinced enough that only Pettigrew was in a position to betray them. Professor McGonagall was a surprise. The only hint that he had that she was more to his parents than their head of house at school was the Nimbus 2000 racing broom that she had gotten him. But, that had seemed to be more of a favour to the Gryffindor Quidditch team by their Quidditch-obsessed head of house.

If McGonagall was listed as a guardian for him shouldn't she have listened when he told her about the Philosopher's Stone? Or stepped in when he was being bullied in his second year. Sure, she had done more last year when LeStrange had targeted him, yet everything was strictly what he would have expected from a head of house. Sitting in on interviews with Madame Bones, stuff like that. If she was close enough to his parents that they considered her as someone to take care of him, shouldn't she have done more? Told him about his parents, or taken more of an interest when she found out he needed new guardians because his relatives had treated him so poorly?

Not knowing what to think or feel, Harry returned to the deposit box and pulled out more paperwork. There was his birth certificate, both muggle and magical, and his mother's and father's birth certificates were there too. He found his parents' marriage certificate as well. Then, he found what he hoped not to find: the betrothal contract between him and Fleur, signed by his father and Fleur's mother.

Harry read through the contract, and while he had expected it to be complicated it was relatively simple. It basically said that due to the bond between him and Fleur, the two of them were to be married by Fleur's twenty-fifth birthday. There were no get-out clauses, no complicated conditions or requirements, just a deadline they had to be married by.

Harry's brooding was interrupted by the sound of quiet sobbing to his left. Hermione had read the contract over his shoulder and had realised instantly what it ment. Harry put his arm around her and pulled her into a hug. Hermione began to sob louder as she cried into his shoulder. Fleur tried to say something, but Harry glared at her and she shut up before she could say more than a syllable. Harry felt a slight pang of guilt at how hurt Fleur looked, but his priority right now was Hermione. Knowing Goblins didn't exactly like humans wasting their time, while holding Hermione, Harry asked, "Is there anything else we need to do? Other than visiting my main vault, I mean."

Gleamshard stared at him holding Hermione with a look that gave away nothing, which Harry was sure was a mask hiding his disapproval. But the goblin said nothing about it as he answered Harry. "I need to give you a copy of your latest statements and we need to go over the wills of Ganders and Ironbark. I suggest you visit your vault and retrieve the trunk left for you there, then go and get a spot of lunch before coming back here. I should have your statements ready, and I will have had time to examine the wills to see what needs to be done."

"I would like to request a test of the magical bonds for the three of us." Fleur spoke up apparently having had enough of sitting there quietly. "The house of Delacour will pay for them."

"What's a magical bonds test?" Harry asked, confused.

A magical bonds test was developed to help us ascertain property rights. It detects magical bonds between people, creatures and things. For example, if a couple gets divorced, then who owns the family owl? Well, that is greatly affected by anyone having a familiar bond, but also who gets which house elves? Who owns a contested magical item? It's also used to determine things like magical marriage if the paperwork is not available. In short, it shows every magical bond that a person has." Gleamshard explained. "Such tests are not cheap, however. They are 100 galleons each."

"Papa would not mind me using some of the family gold for this." Fleur shrugged.

Hermione pulled herself together a little and asked. "Why on me?"

Fleur looked at Hermione as kindly as she could given the situation. "I have a hunch, please. I is asking you to trust me. I know you don't like me much in this moment, but if nothing else we are the teammates this year, yes? I need you for that, I would not do anything that will hurt you if I can be helpng it." Hermione scoffed at the last bit. "OK, I won't do anything else to hurt you. It is not like I knew about you before I got to Bretagne.. uh Britain," Fleur amended quickly.

"OK. I'll take the test." Hermione was still not comfortable around Fleur, and Harry couldn't blame her for that.

He promised himself he would find a way to stay with Hermione. Hermione was there for him in first year when he had to face Voldemort. She had saved his life when she set Snape's robes on fire, she got him though the traps Dumbledore had set for Quirrell. Hermione had stood by him when everyone thought he was a muggleborn-hating murderer, Hermione had stood next to him when Bellatrix was trying to kill him. She had given him a home, shared her family with him. His love for her was what let him cast a true Patronus, and his love did the same for her. Hermione was not some teenager's crush to be discarded like yesterday's rubbish. She was the very foundation for the future he wanted to build. He didn't care what kind of bond he had with Fleur, what he had with Hermione was stronger.

Harry was shaken out of his thoughts when Gleamshard asked Hermione a question. "Can I please have your full name then, miss? For the bond test paperwork."

"Hermione Jean Granger."

Gleamshard nodded and wrote that down before he paused and looked at Hermione again. "You wouldn't happen to know if you are related to the house of Dagworth-Granger, would you?"

"I doubt it. I'm a muggle born witch. I don't have any magical relations."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that if I were you, most muggleborn are descendants of squibs. Would you consider taking an ancestry test?"

"How much is it and why do you want me to?"

"For how much, it's ten galleons. As for why, there is a vault with a large sum that was left by one Hector Dagworth-Granger, but as he had no heir it's just sitting there doing nothing. The bank wants this money back in circulation."

"How does the test work?"

Gleamshard pulled out a briefcase from one of the cupboards behind his desk and opened it, revealing a quill, a writing board, and a large fire opal that was bigger than Harry's hand. "You place your hand on the stone. The quill will then write out a family tree for you. Muggle names will be in black and wix will be in gold. It's painless and quick."

"I'll pay for it," Harry said before Hermione could say anything.

"Harry, you need to stop being so reckless with your gold." Hermione admonished him like she always did. Harry took a strange comfort in that. No matter what happened, Hermione still had every intention of looking out for him.

"It's worth it to see if you can inherit some gold. Besides, I found money today I didn't know I had. I can spend ten galleons on my girlfriend."

"Fine," Hermione sighed. "I'll take the test."

After Gleamshard said it was okay, Hermione put a hand on the stone. The quill sprang to life and began to write name after name creating a full family tree for Hermione. It started with her parents, then her grandparents and their cousins, and then her great grandparents and even more cousins. And so on and so on, until 5 minutes had passed and the quill set itself back down in its case. A page of parchment floated over to Gleamshard.

"Well that was a little unexpected," said Gleamshard as he examined the page.

"Excuse me, what is unexpected?" Hermione was barely able to hold back her curiosity.

"You have absolutely no magical traces in your family history whatsoever. Do you realise how rare that is? 99% of muggle borns have at least some magical ancestry. It could be wix or something more exotic, such as a Veela or a goblin, but they are almost never completely without any magical heritage, even if it was 20 to 30 generations back. You are a true new well of magic."

"What does that mean for me?" Hermione was a little shocked to hear this.

"What does it mean for the ground when it is struck by lightning? Your life is your life, your power is your power. Do with it as you see fit. It is just a mystery as to where your power came from." Gleamshard handed Hermione the copy of her family tree. "Gringotts has no use for this, maybe you will find it interesting."

Hermione took the parchment and the three of them left the office not long after, when Griphook returned with the wills that Gleamshard had sent him for. Once was done with his delivery, Griphook showed them the way back to the lobby so that Harry could go and reclaim the Potter vault.

A/N

Sorry it's a bit of a short one, but this felt like a good point to end this chapter.

I know a lot of fics put Sirius as the 1st choice guardian for Harry. I however think this is more realistic. Alice Longbottom, who already has a child, and therefore has facilities and experience to deal with the baby. Sirius does not. Given that, I think she would make a better 1st choice to look after Harry. It's not about trust, it's about experience.

And haha drop-kicked in its ass. How many thought I was going to have Hermione take over the house of Dagworth-Granger? I actually like the concept that squibs have muggleborn descendance, but in this case I feel it would take away from Hermione's character.

I was wondering what everyone thinks Harry's animagus form should be? I already have Hermione's planned But the idea's for Harry's are a lot more flexible so I would love some feedback. Only rule is mundane animals only. He isn't going to be a shadow panther or a dragon or anything like that