Harry's education continues in the Wizengamot and with other matters. Sowsbreath is enjoying this expedition among the pureblood bigots too much and tweaking his Vault Holder's nose is fun too! Then everyone gets a kick in the pants.

CHANCE SCENE &&***

Extinct Houses

While they waited for a report from the DMLE on discoveries at the homes of the dead persons, Griselda Marchbanks waved the parchment once again and asked, "How do we replace these members? The Wizengamot must continue to meet."

"The neutral seats go to cousins who will join the Wizengamot or appoint proxies, like the two wizards who represent the Potter family until Mr Potter achieves his majority," stated Albus Dumbledore, interjecting himself into the conversation at last.

"At seventeen?" asked Fudge.

Amos Diggory spoke up, "In 1982, Albus Dumbledore provided Mr Doge and me with contracts to act as proxy for these seats until the boy is twenty-five years old."

"What about the Selwyn, Travers, and Parkinson family seats?" asked Phidias Limewick, the sole member of the conservative group present.

"And the four Black family seats?" asked Fudge, counting votes in his head. "The goblin document lists Lucius Malfoy, Greg Avery, Thomas Mulciber, and Evan Rosier as being dead."

The goblin cleared his throat and in a loud voice stated, "Minister Fudge sold the Selwyn seat to the Black vaults the day after the ministry seized their vaults. Fudge received a payment of ʛ50,000. You will have to ask him where the gold went because he did not deposit the cheque into a ministry account."

There were several angry mutters and more dark frowns directed toward the minister.

"The Parkinson seat defaulted to the Black vaults in lieu of repayment of loans," Sowsbreath continued. "A similar situation exists for the Travers family. Their debts to the Black vaults are great enough that it would cost the ministry in excess of ʛ75,000 to repay the debt before they could auction the seat."

Marchbanks snorted, "Lord Black will hold seven seats among the conservatives!"

Fudge asked, "Who decides the proxies for Lord Black? We must have representatives!"

Sowsbreath grinned and stated, "No one decides! Those seats are placed into stasis effective immediately."

"YOU CAN'T DO THAT!" yelled Cornelius Fudge who drew his wand and moved to fire a spell at the grinning goblin. However, Madam Marchbanks cast the Expelliarmus spell to disarm the minister. After grabbing the man's wand from the air, she frowned at the nervous man and pointed toward his chair. In the minister's box, Harry watched everything carefully.

"Vault Manager, can you explain your previous statement? What gives the goblins the right…makes you think the goblins have the power to place seven seats into stasis?" the elderly witch asked.

"Gringotts does not have this power," Sowsbreath admitted. "It was the wish of Lord Arcturus Black and clearly stated in his last will and testament."

Sitting forward, Amelia Bones asked, "What was the direction stated in Arcturus Black's will, Vault Manager?"

The goblin consulted a scroll before reading, "If a new Lord Black had not been seated after five years of Lord Arcturus's death, Gringotts was to use their ministry-granted magic to place all seats associated with the Black family into stasis."

Amelia Bones asked, "What will release the stasis on these seats?"

"The Wizengamot must recognize the lawful Lord Black as chosen by the Black family magics."

Lady Marchbanks grimaced. When Dumbledore attempted to speak again, she waved one hand at the wizard and the chamber's magic silenced him. Looking once again at the goblin, she asked, "And when will that occur?"

"When Lord Black decides he is ready to step into the cesspool that is politics in Magical Britain," replied Sowsbreath with a grin of his black and gold teeth.

Harry thought the vault manager would enjoy the opportunity to bite a few Wizengamot members.

'And he doesn't show any fear,' the young wizard noted carefully. 'He might be nervous and afraid, but it doesn't show.'

Offended to hear their body referred to as a cesspool, several members of the Wizengamot rose and threatened Sowsbreath with imprisonment or beheading. Loudest among the protestors was Cornelius Fudge, hopeful of distracting the members of the Wizengamot. The ʛ50,000 galleons he'd pilfered last week gave him almost enough gold to disappear. He needed just a few thousand more before he could vanish into other magical societies around the world.

'They don't understand goblins,' Harry realized as he listened to the insults and threats cast toward the goblin who managed all business loans. As Harry continued to watch his vault manager, he decided that rather wanting for others to think he was 'a Slytherin in Gryffindor,' there was more power to be 'a Goblin in Gryffindor.'

Marchbanks, Bones, Scrimgeour and Dumbledore realized the goblin's statement meant that a wizard had been accepted by the family magics and become Lord Black. A wizard with Black family blood wore the ring and, in their minds, Sirius Black became the most likely candidate. They planned to organize a hunt the same day.

Fudge spoke up, "Seven seats in stasis won't throw the government out of kilter. We will still have seventeen voting seats."

"I'm afraid there are other problems, Minister Fudge," Sowsbreath announced.

Lady Marchbanks sighed and asked, "What are the new problems, Vault Manager Sowsbreath."

"A vault manager at Gringotts overlooked this same problem with the Potter estate in 1985 and then two more vault managers who ignored similar problems in 1986 and 1988."

"The Potter estate?" Marchbanks asked before she turned to frown at Dumbledore who had returned to his seat and attempted to look calm.

"The Last Will and Testament for the Potter estate to be executed was that of Lord Fleamont Potter," Sowsbreath explained. "The will of James Potter has never been executed."

The goblin looked at Dumbledore, curled his lips, and swallowing the sputum he wished to expel at the wizard. "Lord Fleamont Potter's will specified that all seats under the Potter banner go into stasis after five years without a lord recognized by the Wizengamot. James Potter never took the Potter ring after his father's death in 1980, so the Potter seats are in stasis retroactively."

Everyone in the chamber watched as Amos Diggory and Elphias Doge were ejected from the Potter box and thrown into the gallery with the spectators.

Harry stared, beginning to feel his temper straining to be set free. If his father had been Lord James Potter, the family magics would have forced him to prepare, plan or flee from Voldemort's threat and Dumbledore's control. His parents would have survived, and he would have had a more normal life.

Fudge continued to play with the numbers and declared, "That's only nine…nine seats in statis. That leaves us with fifteen seats! We will have a quorum until Mr Potter is seventeen and Lord Black appears."

"No, you do not," Sowsbreath said. "I regret to announce that two Vault Managers ignored problems in 1986 and 1988."

"Please explain before we all expire from a lack of oxygen in this chamber," Lady Marchbanks complained.

"During an audit of accounts, Gringotts discovered that funds willed to Mr Harry James Potter were diverted to other accounts by two goblins. Since this revelation, both goblins have had their heads cracked open by sledgehammers and the funds restored."

If anyone had been paying attention to Albus Dumbledore at that moment, they might have noticed a drop of sweat slide from the old wizard's hairline, down his cheek, and disappear in his beard, as Sowsbreath continued, "Worse, two seats willed to Mr Harry James Potter were hidden by these two goblins and their human confederate."

"What two seats?" demanded Lady Marchbanks from her chair as Chief Warlock. "Tell us!"

"Harding-Rollings in the Coalition of Neutral Families, and Stepford-Sackville from the Crown Federation," the goblin replied, once again dispersing parchments to Griselda who immediately dispersed them to the members and notables in the chamber.

Cornelius Fudge sat and looked confused as the details were announced by the goblin.

"In February 1986, Alois Harding-Rollings knew he was dying from Dragon Pox. He summoned his solicitors from his sick bed and wrote his Last Will and Testament that bequeathed his entire estate to Harry James Potter without exception. There were no relatives left in the family and if the will had been properly executed, the Harding-Rollings seat would have gone into stasis.

"So, the proxy, Mimsy Ploughman has been lying to me?"

"Yes, Lady Marchbanks. She never met with Alois Harding-Rollings to receive his proxy to vote his seat in the Wizengamot," Sowsbreath explained, grinning at the nervous witch seated among the neutral members of the Wizengamot.

"And what happened with Stepford-Sackville?"

"Lord Wilford Stepford-Sackville never recovered from the murder of his entire family by Death Eater terrorists in 1980. He tried to carry-on for eight years, but in 1988, he contracted a muggle wasting disease that Saint Mungo's could not treat. Rather than seek medical attention from a muggle healer, Wilford allowed magic to take its course. Before he died, he wrote his will with the help of licensed solicitors and left his estate to the young wizard he believed had taken revenge against the Death Eaters. The Stepford-Sackville estate included one voting seat in the Wizengamot."

Turning toward Clarence Brown, Griselda demanded, "Mr Brown, did you at any time meet with Wilford Stepford-Sackville and become his proxy by his word?"

"Uh… no, Lady Marchbanks," Lavender's grandfather admitted. "Dumbledore said there were questions about Wilford's testament, and for the greater good I became the proxy for Stepford-Sackville. The headmaster gave me a contract until Mr Potter becomes twenty-five."

Sowsbreath added, "Chief Warlock, both of these proxies have been paid from those family vaults for all these years."

Lady Griselda Marchbanks was forced to sit back in her chair and hold her head in her hands. When she could speak again, she turned to Amelia Bones. "Director Bones, the Chief Warlock asks that you investigate the laws violated by this theft and determine who should be arrested, charged, and tried before this body for stealing votes."

"Does Gringotts intend to recover the stolen – misappropriated monies?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

"The monies are being recovered even as we speak, Chief Warlock. Funds were garnished from the vaults of Albus Dumbledore, the Brown family, and Miss Ploughman," the goblin announced. "And both seats have been placed in stasis."

When the magic of the chamber ejected, Mimsy Ploughman and Clarence Brown, the overweight wizard and witch bowled over three rows of spectators in the galleries.

Figuring the number of voting seats left in the Wizengamot; Cornelius sighed – only eleven seats were in stasis. That left thirteen seats to form a quorum.

'Saved,' he thought. 'We're saved.'

While the Wizengamot waited for news from the DMLE, Lady Marchbanks turned to Sowsbreath again. Pointing to the list of dead, she asked, "What else is hidden in this document?"

Sowsbreath cleared his throat and continued, "Because of these deaths, Gringotts declares the following minor houses extinct: Goyle, Crabbe, MacNair, Carrow, and Dolohov. All males of these houses are dead, and any surviving females will be provided pensions, but all vaults are encumbered by mortgages or loans with the Black Family Vaults. Therefore, Gringotts awards all coin, artefacts, properties, and other assets to belong to the Black Family Vaults in payment of debts."

"The magical houses of Avery, Mulciber, and Rosier are also declared to be extinct as all males with any claim to the name are dead. There are four females in the Avery family who will be cared for with monies from the Black Vaults as directed by Lord Black. All vaults were encumbered by mortgages or loans with the Black Family Vaults and the bank awards all coin, artefacts, properties, and other assets to belong to the Black Family Vaults in payment of debts."

"The magical house of Malfoy is declared extinct as all males with any claim to the name are dead. Per the betrothal agreement for the marriage of Lucius Malfoy to Narcissa Black seventeen years ago, if the Malfoy family became extinct, all assets became the property of the Black family."

Thinking about the marvellous manor house where the Malfoys lived, Cornelius became angry. That manor house would make an excellent residence for the current Minister for Magic. He protested, "Now, see here! Gringotts can't interfere with vaults of extinct houses! The ministry must review each estate and determine the disbursement of the assets when there isn't a male heir!"

Sowsbreath grinned, his obsidian teeth with golden tips shining in the light of the Wizengamot chamber. "Like the ministry did when it attempted to seize the Parkinson vaults? And like you did with the Selwyn vaults? There were eight thousand galleons in the Selwyn vaults when you – the ministry – seized them. Where are those galleons today?"

Loudly Cornelius exclaimed, "The ministry has many expenses!"

"You gave those galleons to your supporters – including members of this body. And you threw three elderly witches beyond the wards that protected their homes when you took possession of everything the Selwyn family owned. Two pureblood witches died from exposure after two nights in ditches alongside the roads near their former home. The last one found refuge with the Greengrass family and will be cared for with a pension."

The silence among the members and public audience lay heavily on Fudge's shoulders. He felt the eyes of every witch – young and old – piercing his soul with silent curses for throwing elderly witches from their homes.

Flailing about, Cornelius dug the hole deeper, "Witches can't inherit! Only a wizard can inherit an estate! And everyone knows witches are incapable of handling money."

Amelia Bones moved slowly toward Cornelius before she stopped and growled, "Cornelius Fudge, my niece inherited the Bones estate when our family was murdered by the Death Eater terrorists. You should thank Merlin you weren't minister then or I would have dragged you to the duelling piste and carved you into pieces!"

Grinning still, Sowsbreath announced to the minister, the members of the Wizengamot and the public, "Gringotts records show Minister Fudge walked away with the liquid assets of the Selwyn vault and sale of the Wizengamot seat in a feather-light wallet in your robes, Minister Cornelius Fudge. None of those monies ever were deposited into any ministry account – payroll, maintenance, etc."

Motioning toward Rufus and Amelia with one claw, Sowsbreath sent duplicate stacks of parchment to their hands. Cornelius nervously glanced about the chamber and gauged his chances of reaching the door before a spell caught him. He sighed and decided to take his chances with the Wizengamot. 'At least I cannot be sent to Azkaban or kissed.'

CHANGE SCENE &&***

A Pile of Rocks

While the Wizengamot members gossiped or fretted for the next fifteen minutes, the Chief Warlock and the Director of the DMLE engaged in a whispered conversation and alternated looks between Albus Dumbledore and Cornelius Fudge. Harry debated with himself if they were deciding which wizard to arrest first. He grinned, 'I wonder if there are enough wands in the DMLE offices right now to take down Dumbledore?'

A Patronus rooster flew through a wall and three spectators before dropping into the well of the chamber to deliver a message to Director Bones. Everyone leaned forward to eavesdrop, but the message was replayed for her ears only.

Harry wondered if that was just part of the command in the charm to send a message or an additional charm. 'I shall have to ask my DADA professor next term.'

Madam Bones shared none of the details of her message with the Wizengamot. The waiting continued for ten more minutes during which several persons from the gallery grew loud and were escorted from the chamber by Auror guards. Finally, Head Auror Rufus Scrimgeour came through the door with a large porcelain dish floating in the air behind him. His security coven remained in place as he conjured a sturdy table and moved the dish to sit on the table.

'That's a large Pensieve,' Harry thought, recognizing a magical device that looked larger than the one in Dumbledore's office.

"Chief Warlock Marchbanks, Minister Fudge, Director Bones, Members of the Wizengamot, and distinguished guests, I come from Malfoy Manor with grave…serious news," Scrimgeour stated. "The manor house is gone."

"Do you mean it has disappeared?" asked Dumbledore, suggesting to the Fidelius charm.

"No, Headmaster, it is buried underneath tonnes of stone."

Various questions were shouted out including, "Stone? Buried? How is that possible?"

"Are you certain you were at the correct location, Rufus?"

Past her last shred of patience, Griselda Marchbanks strode across the chamber and stood beside the chair occupied by Dumbledore. The elderly witch hissed, "Albus Dumbledore, the Wizengamot is insulted by your lack of manners but that ends today! If you ever refuse or forget to address another person in Magical Britain properly, I decree that you shall be barred from attending any meeting of the Wizengamot for not less than thirty days for each offence and you will pay a fine of five galleons – if the goblins leave that much in your vaults after today!"

Huffing lowly as the witch returned to the centre of the chamber, Dumbledore managed to remain silent despite his anger and embarrassment. Back with Scrimgeour and Bones, Marchbanks asked, "Head Auror Scrimgeour, if Malfoy Manor is buried underneath a mound of stones, how could you be certain that you were in the correct location?"

"The apparition coordinates for Malfoy Manor are well known in the DMLE offices. The wards on the manor house itself are powerful and lethal; Mrs Malfoy brought knowledge of the Black Family wards to their marriage. But the wards around the property are muggle-repelling, Notice-Me-Not, and notification wards."

"In addition, the gardens are intact, and Mr Malfoy's white peacocks were present."

"Director Bones?" asked Marchbanks for confirmation.

"I am satisfied that Head Auror Scrimgeour is reporting accurately on the situation at Malfoy Manor."

"Shall I share my memory?" Rufus asked.

"Please do," commanded the chief warlock.

Harry watched the middle-aged wizard use his wand to draw a grey worm-like figure from the side of his head and deposit it into the swirling mists of the Pensieve. Then he tapped his wand on the side of the Pensieve and a ball of light rose to project the memory in the air for everyone to see.

The Auror was outside a small wizarding house speaking with an elderly witch – her son, daughter-in-law and grandson had apparated away the previous evening to observe the proper Yule festivities at Malfoy Manor. She explained, "My grandson Marcus was very excited about their celebrations but would not tell me why. He is a wonderful young wizard!"

At that moment, Rufus received a Patronus message, "Come to Malfoy Manor! Do not delay! Come at once!"

Harry believed the voice he heard in the Patronus message was Horace Makepeace, the Lead Auror in his escort for the day. Rufus made his excuses to the suddenly concerned witch before he apparated from Lincolnshire to Wiltshire.

When Rufus stopped spinning in the spell, he faced a mound of stone – large boulders smashed together and piled high. Around the edges of the stones were several window shutters, and some shattered glass but there were no other signs of the five-story manor house that stood here only yesterday.

Harry stared.

Taking a deep breath, he swore, 'I will buy enough needles, yarn, cloth, buttons and bows for every elf in Hogwarts to have the towels that are better than any other elf in the whole of the United Kingdom. That's enough rocks to build the Tower of London ten times.'

There were the formal gardens and peacocks that had been mentioned. Scrimgeour ordered Makepeace and his coven to reinforce the existing wards around the property to repel any muggles and for other Aurors to investigate for signs of any remaining wards that had protected the manor house. Then Rufus mounted a broom to fly around the mound of rocks.

The stone formation was oblong, longer east to west than north to south. Harry decided that meant the house had been positioned for one long side of the house to catch the morning sun and the other to catch the afternoon sun. The line of tall trees on the west side of the house supported his observation. There was a crest of stone that ran from north to south, mimicking a small mountain range.

"As you can see, the stone is uniform in colour and doesn't show any sign of ever being exposed to sun, wind, or rain."

"Is there anything else, Head Auror Scrimgeour?" asked the chief warlock.

Grimacing, the wizard replied, "Yes, ma'am."

Rufus paused as if he didn't want to continue but then he said, "There are four ghosts around the house – all persons listed on the Gringotts list."

"Who?" demanded Cornelius Fudge.

Tapping the side of the Pensieve again, a second part of the memory played. First, a face familiar to Harry Potter appeared; Peter Pettigrew's ghostly visage retained the rat-like face he'd worn after spending years as Scabbers, the pet rat in the Weasley family. As a ghost, Peter begged for Sirius and James to forgive him. "I was weak! I was wrong! I led the dark lord to Godric Hollow that night! I was the secret keeper! Forgive me! I can't go to perdition! Forgive me! I killed the muggles and hid as a rat for twelve years! Please forgive me! Let me go… I want to go to Avalon!"

One ghostly witch identified herself as Marcella Flint. She confirmed that her husband and son had been in the house before she died. Her blubbering confused everyone. "He killed Marcus! My son was afraid, and he just killed him! I don't know what happened after. I just held my boy while everyone screamed and ran around."

Screaming that he couldn't be dead, the ghost of Walden MacNair ran around the mound of rocks swinging a ghostly axe and trying to bust open the boulders. Only the peacocks seemed to fear the ghost.

The last ghost was Draco Malfoy. The boy's face was stained with ghostly tears as he asked, "Have you seen my mother? I want my parents! Please, where is my mother?"

The obvious sadness of the ghost proved too much for the Boy-Who-Lived; Harry buried his face in his hands and cried. He had done this thing.

Seated beside Potter, Undersecretary Marsha Turnblad consoled the young wizard and explained, "Your friend will pass over in a day or two. His parents will call to him from the other side, and he'll be reunited with them. Just like Mrs Flint will hear her son and husband calling her to join them."

CHANGE SCENE &&***

Back to Hogwarts

Before 2:00 PM, Lead Auror Makepeace and his coven escorted Harry Potter back inside the entry hall of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. They were greeted by the sour visage of Deputy Headmistress Minerva McGonagall who argued with Professor Pomona Sprout about the end of term examinations concluded earlier that month.

"How did the trial turn out?" asked McGonagall.

Makepeace replied, "High Inquisitor Umbridge was found guilty and thrown through the veil in the Department of Masteries."

"Is Potter upset about that?"

"Mr Potter learned that many of his classmates were killed yesterday, McGonagall. He heard the ghost of Draco Malfoy calling for his mother," Makepeace spat, angry after everything he'd seen and heard that day. "Naturally the young wizard is upset!"

"Elf!" Pomona called. Dobby appeared and followed the kind witch's commands to take Mr Potter to the infirmary for Madam Pomphrey to provide care.

"Don't give Potter's tears any weight!" McGonagall demanded of the Lead Auror.

Ignoring the witch's comments, Horace Makepeace turned his back on the deputy headmistress and walked out of the school.

CHANGE SCENE &&***

Perhaps Chief Warlock Griselda Marchbanks should have remembered the following quote from Niccolò Machiavelli: 'Never do an enemy a small injury.'