Disclaimer:
I solemnly swear that the literature and works of the Harry Potter Verse belong to JK Rowling, Bloomberg and Warner Bros. The only thing I own are the one-shot ideas that popped into my head and whatever OCs I would create for them. This is a work of pure fiction made solely for fun, constructive reviews will be welcomed, flames will be ignored. Any references to characters in real-life or fiction are purely coincidental. If I could make money out of my ideas, it would be nice...
Mischief Managed Damn It!
Title: Death And A New Life / Chapter 2
Posted Date: July 8th 2024
Tags: Harry faking death, selective character attacks, Emiya type Harry, Manipulative Dumbledore, Bad Lupin, Cult of Dumbledore
Tags not to be used: Bad Sirius
Harry Potter is dead.
The words echoed in Sirius's head while his body went cold.
Harry Potter is dead.
His heart felt torn between stopping and pounding against his chest painfully.
Harry Potter is dead.
His ears felt he was underwater as he stumbled back from his cousin, the sounds of the other people calling out to him and demanding answers muted from the news he got.
HaRrY POtTEr is DeAd.
His legs were moving outside of the room with his mind still in the clouds, not really processing what was said, or perhaps he did process the news, but did not want to believe.
Harry Potter is DEAD!
"Sirius, stop!"
The man ignored the order or the order's pathetic attempts to stop him and bounded out of the house before changing into his dog form to nimbly get away from them. He had to see the place himself, he needed to find his godson!
He had to!
In his desperation, his magic reacted strongly and he apparated in his animal form, something that many would claim to be impossible. Sirius did not know about the feat he performed nor did he care, all it mattered was that he appeared at Little Whinging as he wanted to and he could smell the smoke in the distance. The dog animagus moved quickly through the shrubs to cut through the surrounding blocks before he came to a rapid stop at the sight of the house that was putting up a good fight against the firemen dousing the place with water. The driveway and the surrounding streets were filled with the denizens of the neighborhood all watching the flames consuming the house, while a couple and their child was on the front yard looking dazed and confused with ash on them.
"Careful with them!" Sirius turned to see some of the firemen battling with the flames while some were leaving out from one of the bigger openings. What got his attention were the stretchers being used to bring out the possible bodies covered in sheets, and they were dealing with the smaller one. "Don't drop the kid."
"No." Sirius stumbled forward at that, not realizing that he had changed back. He recognized the couple and the fat kid as the Dursleys, and given their placement, that meant the bodies belonged to someone else, and the people saying it was a kid meant one thing that he prayed to be wrong. He moved a few more steps when the firemen stumbled and an arm appeared out of the cover, showing a scar on the arm that he recalled Hary showing him by accident during his fourth year.
"NNNOO!" Sirius came running only to be stopped by someone casting a Body Petrification spell on hum. He tried to force his body and magic to break it as he fell towards the floor only to be stopped byNymphadora who dragged him to a bushes close to the scene.
"Sirius, please listen!" The girl's sobbing request managed to cool his temper a little. "I know you want to get closer, but you can't be seen. Here, let me do this." To boot, she cast a low powered illusion charm on the both of them so that they won't be seen, then removed the petrification charm. "Okay?" Before he could answer, one of the firemen made a noise as he came out of the burning house.
"Hey, we may have found something!" One of the firemen called out to the police officer, the closest making his way to the man while avoiding some of the debris.
"What do you have?" The fireman held up what appeared to be a charred mask that had cracks on one side and a chunk removed around the left side of it. Even with the burnt appearance and the distance, Sirius was able to recognize the design and his heart stopped beating again for a few seconds as his eyes zeroed in on it.
"We think we found the remains of the one who started the fire, there was an arm found under the wreckage with what I think is a tattoo on it, can't really tell since it got burned badly, but it looked like a snake coming out of a mouth." The fireman waved the mask. "This was found near the arm and the guy whose face was burnt off. My mates found some weird message on the patch of wall not torched by the fire."
"What was it?" The officer took out his notepad to write down the details.
"It just said 'Long Live Voldemort'. Not sure who that is, but this reeks of Ku Klux Klan culture with the mask and what appeared to be dark robes." The fireman shrugged. Both him and the officer did not see Sirius and Nymphadora stiffening at the words he spoke. "There is also something odd with the building, one part of it is still intact."
"Why is that strange?" The officer asked. The fireman looked at the Dursleys briefly before motioning him to come closer.
"There is a cupboard beneath the staircase that did not get destroyed from the flames. There were locks on it that seemed excessive, so we broke them and opened the door." The fireman paused before continuing. "You might want to get your guys to check it out and document it." The officer frowned but got the other officers to check on the place.
Sirius on the other hand was not listening much, he was still stuck in place over the fact that a Death Eater had located his godson and effectively burnt him alive. And the worst part was his godson trying to get help only to be denied by Dumbledore, by his friends.
By his own godfather.
He barely felt the hand pulling him by the sleeve and then moved away by a teary Nymphadora who was essentially supporting his weight as he was catatonic from the shock despite the spell having worn off. A yell briefly drew their attention to the officers who had checked on the supposed cupboard coming to arrest the Dursleys with very thunderous expressions.
Sirius could not even draw much comfort at the arrests, too emotionally drained at the moment. Not to mention the popping sounds that followed shortly meant Aurors were arriving and he was a big target if found.
He allowed himself to be brought back to Grimmauld Place where everyone was waiting, each of their faces stroking the rage that had been building for some time as they asked the same question again about Harry, like they had the bloody right to care after forcing him with the Dursleys and keeping them apart.
And then the sight of Dumbledore coming towards him ignited that rage into a blaze.
"Sirius, my boy."
"CRACK!"
Screams and yelling came about as Sirius's fist connected with Dumbledore's already crooked nose, sending him back with spectacles and blood flying from the nose. Sirius really wanted to go over and continued introducing his fist to Dumbledore's face, but knew that others would try to stun him or anything to stop him, so settled for glaring at him.
"You bloody santimous bastard. You kept insisting to keep Harry there and not telling him anything. Now because of you and this bloody Order, I have lost my godson, the last link to James and Lily!" The man yelled at him. That brought a pause to the shouting briefly.
"Wait, what do you mean by that?" Sirius rounded on the man who had been at the forefront of keeping Sirius in the house.
"What I mean, Wormtail." His tone and choice of name acted like slaps to the face for Remus who took a step back with a shocked expression aimed at him. "Is that this old bastard in all of his stupidity left Harry to die alone in the muggle house thanks to a death eater who set fire to the place!" That brought back fresh noise from the others, but one stood out.
"What are you saying? He can't be dead." Hermione came forward to ask the man.
"He is dead." Sirius was barely holding back the urge to snap at the girl. "He was forced to deal with a death eater on his own and died taking the bastard down with him while being burnt alive! While you guys were happily playing warden on both of us!" Everyone started to start talking or yelling at that point while Dumbledore looked shocked. But it was what Ronald Weasley said that got through the noise and through Sirius's mind.
"No, he can't be dead. He is supposed to be giving me his bloody broom, map and cloak!" The red-headed boy spoke out loudly, his anger clouding his judgment and making him blind to the fact the noise level dropped for others to look at him. "He has to marry Ginny and get her pregnant so that we have ties to the fortune and then he can bloody die, that damn half-blood!"
"Ronald!" Molly yelled at him and this time Ron engaged his brain enough to see everyone else had moved away and looked at him and the other Weasleys like they were the devils. And that was when he realized he had let out something that he should not have said.
"What. Did. You. Say." Those closest to Sirius shivered and moved from the man whose eyes had gone blank and cold from the words. He also made sure to silence Dumbledore who was trying to interrupt with the house wards that for once were responding to him well. On a second thought, he also froze everyone while disarming them of their wands to make sure they did not attempt anything, leaving the red-head loudmouth to start talking.
"Nothing. I was just joking." Ron stammered while looking at both his mother and Dumbledore. That merely got Sirius's hackles up, and he decided on an experiment.
"You were saying something along the lines of line theft. That is not 'nothing' to joke about." Sirius spoke before getting into the pureblood persona that had been beaten into him since childhood despite his attempts to forget that training. "As the current head of House Black, I declare all in the room to be intruders to the House of Black, and demand the truth from one Ronald Weasley. Let Magic test my claim and help me with the intruders!" The room glowed briefly with a hum before the youngest Weasely male glowed a deep red while yelping. Sirius ignored the others trying to argue about this despite being silenced, he had found a possible outlet for his frustration and guilt, and he was going to use it.
"Tell me what you meant earlier, Ronald Weasley." The boy tried to resist, but the red glow around him got brighter and he let out pained groans before spilling his mouth out.
"Potter was supposed to marry Ginny and to get her pregnant so that there will be an Heir to carry on the Potter name if he dies. Dumbledore made the contract with Mum to make sure of it!" Sirius's head snapped to Dumbledore whose face had turned white at the admission. "He also said that Potter was going to die anyway in the near future so we just have to keep being at his side to ensure he knows who to give the fortune to!"
"Did you, your mum or anyone else try to feed my godson potions, or attempt any charms or spells? Have you done anything else to him without his knowledge?" Sirius demanded and the red glow brightened again to have the boy answering.
"Yes, Granger was in charge of the charms to ensure his loyalty and hexes to make him stupid, I dealt with the snacks with potions inside!" Hermione clearly wanted to refute that but she could not move her head. "We also made sure he can't get any books or get close to others to learn about the Wizarding World, he should not need to fraternize with those that won't agree with Dumbledore! They are dark wizards for not agreeing with him!"
"And what were you planning to do if Harry did not die so easily or get married to Ginerva?!" Sirius was trying to withhold his temper at this point. But seeing that the color did not change its intensity from Ron, he directed his attention to the other Weasleys. "What do you know!"
The interrogation continued for hours, going through each person to know who was guilty and who was gullible. At the least, the Weasley Twins were not involved and were clearly shocked and disgusted by both parents for their roles in Harry's life. Even Arthur was not truly innocent, having gone along with some of the plans to help alleviate the costs of living for their children, and turning a blind eye for some of the potion attempts. His cousin Nymphadora was clearly innocent and just gullible to fall for what was spoken of, while others were clearly not expecting the conspiracy and wanted nothing to do with the Order after this. On that part, Sirius at least had some companions to count on.
Then there were those like Molly who saw nothing wrong with doing what Dumbledore said, and were all trying to get their hands on the pie that was the Potter fortune. The muggleborn Granger (Sirius was actually considering the M word for her) was apparently being paid more in the form of rare books to read, regardless of her ability to comprehend about the magic. Her reasoning that Harry owed her for all the troubles brought about from their adventures and that he would be wasting their worth by not reading them almost had Sirius dishing out the hexes on her, only barely restraining himself. He did however give Kreacher an order to retrieve anything and everything belonging to the Potters currently in the house into a room that only he could access, and he did not need to care about the mess being made in the process.
The elf was actually happy to help him out in this case, and went above and beyond by getting other items that were taken from Harry, Sirius, or the families both were related to in some manner. Perhaps the elf wanted to see the expression on his face as he contemplated what to do with the traitors?
The part that really got to him was Remus proving to Sirius that he had effectively become the Wormtail for Dumbledore, giving up secrets that he had told him in the past and evidently working to get Harry under control, including obliviating his memories to remove his earlier knowledge of magic before Hogwarts and forcing him back with the Dursleys despite all evidence showing the abuse. And then there was the admission that the werewolf had been active in keeping Sirius away from Harry to avoid influencing him, because secretly he never believed Sirius to be innocent, all on the hearsay of Dumbledore. Between the two of them, they even planned for Sirius's eventual passing to ensure Harry would look to them for answers, along with tying Nymphadora to Lupin with potions to ensure the Black line stayed open for Dumbledore to get the vaults before eliminating her and her parents.
Sirius could tell that his cousin's budding crush on the werewolf had just crashed and burned from that admission.
And then there was the big meddler himself. While he may have Occlumency and possible means of countering Veritaserum on the spot, he could not do much against the wards of the Black family forcing him to tell the truth. And much of what he got out of him merely confirmed his fears and suspicions that the man had no intention of giving him a trial as it would give Dumbledore control over Harry, and he was already planning to perform Line Theft for the Houses of Potter and Black, and possibly others.
And worse, he had zero intentions of keeping Harry alive because in his view, the boy was fated to die by the hands of Voldemort.
All Sirius wanted to do was rage at them all, at the injustice that had stopped him from helping Harry, and ultimately led to his godson's death. He really wanted to hurt them all.
The problem was they could use it against him, and he was still a convict to the public's eyes.
Then again, he was both a Black and a Marauder with an axe to grind against the enemies before him.
The people watching him went white as they watched his face go blank briefly before a crazed smile took place on his face with a gleam in his eyes. Remus for one shivered as he recalled the last time the man had that look back in Hogwarts, it did not end well for some Slytherins wanting to spread the pureblood propaganda. And it was that look that had made people wonder if he was working for Voldemort, and the years in Azkaban did not help his case since he may have gotten a bit more unhinged.
"You people have been working to control my godson and to steal from him. You dared to believe you could screw over two Ancient and Noble Houses." Sirius spoke with a tone that reminded the older generation uncomfortably of Bellatrix Lestrange when she was in her moods fighting against them before her stint in Azkaban. "You have separated me from him, and because of that, he is dead. And you still try to play your games. Well not anymore."
"And what do you think you can do, Black?" One particular brave soul asked. "You do this, you will merely justify our beliefs that you are a criminal."
"You are right, I am a criminal in your eyes since someone decided to keep me under control by denying me my freedom." Sirius continued speaking calmly, and to his hidden delight, it scared them more that he was not raving mad. "Since that is the case, why don't I actually earn that infamy?"
"You can't do that to us!" Hestia called out to him. "You will be hunted for life for attacking us!"
"Like I am not already being hunted by Dementors with a Kiss-on-Sight Order?" Sirius raised an eyebrow. "Like I am not going to get attacked by the Aurors who are here and willing to do a fair amount of illegal actions just to help Dumbledore?"
"Sirius, surely you won't do this. Harry would not want this." That it was Lupin who dared to say this almost had the Grimm inside wanting to come out and tear his throat out, but Sirius reinforced the Occlumency to keep his calm.
"I would not know, since you lot had made sure of it. But I do know that Harry had to deal with traitors before, and knowing what I have learnt, I think he would approve of what I will do." Sirius kept up the coolness and it seemed as the werewolf appeared to realize how screwed he was.
Good.
"Sirius, you do this, you will just prove you ate as Dark as your family." Dumbledore spoke with a somewhat condescending tone that those who no longer supported the Order looked at the old wizard in disgust. In response, Sirius picked up the old man's weird wand and played with it, ignoring the sparks that came out of the end.
"You constantly harped about Light and Dark, yet your actions say otherwise. That you and your crew actively condone these actions, makes me wonder." Sirius looked at Dumbledore, and those facing him flinched at the dead eyes directed at him. "I wonder if your obsession with the whole Light-and-Dark labels made you Dark as well, after all, what type of person actively seeks to control a young boy to perform Line Theft and then conspire to kill said boy after getting the fortune."
"It is for the Greater Good that Harry had to follow my guidance." Dumbledore spoke with his eyes on the wand in a manner like it had betrayed him by showing sparks to someone else. "It is a pity that he had to die so early, but it was for the best."
"Is that so?" Sirius stopped twirling and gripped the wand tightly, making it erupt in darker sparks in response to his mood. "Well then, since everyone keeps saying I am Dark despite all I have done to fight the Death Eaters, maybe I should learn more from my heritage, since the Light is clearly at fault for killing my godson." Sirius now resembled the photos from two years ago when he escaped Azkaban. "And I intend to take my pound of flesh from you." Before anyone reacted, Sirius commanded the wards to stun the traitorous members into unconsciousness, with a little more power added to guarantee headaches when they woke up.
"Kreacher." The elf appeared next to him, and for once, the elf actually stood tall and ready, although based on what had happened, the elf likely thought it fitted the Black family notion. "I would like you to dump this lot" Sirius gestured at the bigger pile of stunned bodies "into the basement until I decide on what to do with them. They do need to be alive for the time being." Sirius spoke knowing the elf would want to try to be creative. Seeing the expression on his face and given his current mood, Sirius did give one concession. "Short of dismemberment and loss of sanity, you have my express permission to punish them accordingly for what they have done to the Black Family and my chosen heir."
Kreacher looked at Sirius with wide eyes as if he had managed to combine his birthday and Christmas together. The elf then straightened himself and bowed deeply with one arm around the waist while speaking formally for the first time in a long while. "Kreacher shall follow the order of Lord Black." He paused with the fingers in a snap position in thought. "Does the instruction include pranks, Lord Black?" Sirius did give a bit of thought on this before nodding, figuring the elf would have some ideas. The elf gave a very scary grin before snapping the fingers, making him and the pile of stunned bodies disappear, leaving him with those who were not part of the conspiracy.
"What will you do now?" Sirius turned to said people who looked to each other, but Nymphadora was the one that stepped forward.
"After what I had just heard, I do not want anything to do with the Order anymore." The young woman spoke firmly. "I am resigning from the Order, and I am going to find a way to get Amelia Bones to give you that trial ASAP. Knowing Dumbledore, he and his proxies will try to cause more trouble at this point."
"Same for us." Fred and George nodded with the others. Sirius took a deep breath to cool his rage as he considered what to do next.
"Sirius, as much as I would love to see you punish them, we need you to be free and fast, because Dumbledore will definitely use this to try and get rid of you." Nymphadora spoke. Before anyone could answer that, a tapping sound drew their attention to the owl who had arrived through the designated owl chute for them to deliver messages in secret. The owl landed on the table and faced Sirius while offering its leg that held a letter with a very familiar logo on it.
"Why is Gringotts writing to me?" Sirius took the letter from the owl and opened it, his eyes widening at the content.
"What the fuck?"
~ooOOoo ~
The mood in Britain changed rather quickly once news broke out within hours about the supposed demise of Harry Potter thanks to the loose lips of the Aurors sent to check on the residence on supposed accounts of spellfire. The Daily Prophet sent out a special edition of the news before the Aurors could stop them, and supposedly dropped the smear campaign faster than a lead ball.
After all, a death eater's branded arm and mask were found with the last message left by the attacker. The boy had to be telling the truth!
For all that Cornelius Fudge did to smear his name, he had vastly underestimated how much the populace still looked up to the boy who had ended the first war as an infant. People would argue that it was the parents, but the majority did not care. They were glad that the war was over and they could move out in the open thanks to a child who did something to the bad wizard. And now said boy was killed by a Death Eater who had discovered and invaded his relatives' home. And when they considered the smear campaign aimed at him since summer, it did not take long for the Howlers and cursed letters to start bombarding the Ministry, if not the populace making a personal visit to their offices to make their grievances known.
Things turned very ugly when some people from the Ministry attempted to pass a bill to take the contents of the Potter Family so soon after the DMLE confirmed the findings. Those individuals quickly found themselves pelted with tomatoes and other rotten vegetables by the citizens before getting a cell in the DMLE department with angry Aurors prowling about. It got worse when the initial findings were complete and there was evidence of someone having sent out Dementors to attack the boy in the muggle world, only to be beaten to it by the mysterious Death Eater, and with a few muggles having their souls sucked away in the process. That said person was also one of those spearheading the move to grab the Potter Vaults meant there were plenty of Aurors willing to drag one Dolores Umbridge kicking and screaming in chains to the interrogation chair in front of the Wizengamot and forced Veritaserum down her mouth without much care if they were to "accidentally'' overdose her, with only the stern word from Amelia Bones staying their hand barely.
Barely, if only because she wanted to do it herself.
Hearing her spewing out her plans to attack Harry and others with no remorse or consideration to potential collateral damage, along with the idea of using a full Wizengamot panel to expel the boy at least if not throw him into Azkaban, meant she was bound for a VIP suite at Azkaban's maximum security levels with Dementors patrolling outside of her cell. But further investigations revealed her role in many of the murders of those considered not pure of blood, half-breeds, or even prominent members of selected families to either advance her position or to silence those who found out about her actions or secrets of Fudge and their compatriots.
With the evidence proving she had no qualms to go for children and from all walks of life, she was effectively in Azkaban for life, with the possibility of her getting the Dementor's kiss in the near future. They were just deciding which was more appropriate and they were not listening to Dumbledore's well-worn "second chances" speech.
Fudge, while not found guilty of conspiracy to murder, was found guilty of bribery, possible sedation to the Crown, abuse of power, tampering of evidence and the latest issue of attempting line theft on Harry Potter. It did not help his case when several vials of Pensieve memories were delivered to the DMLE on the day of his trial showing him in unfavorable light from Harry's second, third and fourth year, showing how he had ignored instances that could potentially end his career just to maintain the face of peace in his administration. The last vial showed the truth of Cedric Diggory's death and how Fudge had removed the one lead the DMLE could have interrogated with careless use of a Dementor.
He was effectively voted out of office and had a one way ticket to Azkaban, barely avoiding the Dementor's Kiss despite calls from the public and one very incensed Amos Diggory who had to be restrained by the Aurors as he was able to fight against the spells meant to secure him down. An interim Prime Minister was needed, and it went to one Rufus Scrimgeor who immediately made sure that the DMLE was well funded and equipped to handle the worsening situation, along with permissions to conduct raids for Amelia Bones.
And for all their attempts to take the Potter Vaults, they were answered by a representative of Gringotts who was quite annoyed at the fact the wizards dared to attempt stealing from someone who barely passed away in a few hours before, and took great pleasure in telling them (along with others eavesdropping) that the Potter Vaults were in lockdown as previously requested by the late Harry Potter before his untimely demise due to irregularities and the goblins were now executing a will that he had made in their presence with all the necessary checks by three separate Healers to confirm his health and mental state.
That bit of news effectively shut most attempts to claim the vaults while setting off a nest of ants with people trying to see who could be potential beneficiaries to the Potter Fortune. While not absurdly rich, the family line was still in the upper echelons for a reason, and with the tributes that had gone to them over the years, it was going to be a substantial amount.
Lucius Malfoy was on the run, having his crimes exposed by Cornelius and Umbridge along with him trying to get the Potter fortune did not do him any favors. And then there were the Pensieve memories showing his appearance in the graveyard and his involvement with Hagrid's illegal arrest in Harry's second year and then the attempted attack on Harry around the end of the year. While interrupted by the house elf, the word "Avada" with the wand glowing green was more than enough proof to show that the man had intended on killing Harry Potter with the Unforgivable Curse. It was honestly a question who was more eager to go after him, the Aurors who having been chomping on the chance to take him out, the parents whose children were around during the year of the Basilisk terrorizing the castle, or unknown to the public, Voldemort as he cursed the man for losing the plot and was forced to leave the Malfoy premise for a new hiding spot before the Aurors arrived to raid the manor.
Lucius was not the only one getting hunted down. Several of the "upstanding citizens" were being rounded up for questioning due to their connections to Malfoy and the recent attempts to get the Potter Vaults, and then people started demanding answers when a list of names with crimes attached was sent to the Quibbler and the International Magical Times for all to view along with the memories from the tournament. Things got messy to say the least when the Aurors came to bring them in only for them to start a spell fight that saw a few Aurors injured and some of the Death Eaters taken down with extreme prejudice while the others fled the scene and went into hiding.
The Daily Prophet however was also held accountable for their role in the smear campaign, and it was made worse when Rita decided to write up a new article that suggested Harry deserved getting killed in such a manner, stating how the boy should have watched his back spouting words and trying to slander the "Upstanding Citizens".
It barely took a couple of hours after sending out that particular article before the building of the news company became under siege by the populace who connected the dots on who was responsible. The first wave came in the form of canceled subscriptions and Howlers screaming at Rita Skeeter. Then the building was physically surrounded by people trying to find the reporter and the curator to "talk", and started throwing rotten fruits at them and other reporters from the press. When Barnabas Cuffe attempted to state the usual "Freedom of the Press", the people decided they would tell them upfront their thoughts on the two.
By the time the Aurors had arrived to contain the situation, notably slower towards those just throwing regular hexes or handling those attacking Rita Skeeter, the Daily Prophet was completely ruined. The press machines were damaged beyond repair with all the blasting hexes, slime curses and other spells that made them impossible to use anymore, and the building was so structurally unstable that even repair charms would be unable to keep it up for long, thus considered condemned to live in. The reporter and curator were arrested on site, and brought to the DMLE cells where it came out that Rita was an unregistered animagus who had used her beetle form to spy on confidential meetings and to give information to people like Malfoy or Umbridge, which only increased her sentencing for Azkaban.
Even if the building was repaired, odds were high that the Daily Prophet would go bankrupt by the end of the month with the number of canceled subscriptions sent to them. The Quibbler on the other hand saw increased subscription rates with the news they were giving out.
Now this would seem like a victory for the faction led by Albus Dumbledore, after all the power base of the Dark faction was completely gutted with the rug pulled from under the major players and supporters. Their puppet that was the previous minister had his strings removed and sent to the gutter, and perhaps the best part was the Dark Lord being revealed to be alive and waiting to attack.
It would be the case if not a spate of issues that had happened roughly the same time as the arrests.
"Curses!" Dumbledore slammed his hand on the table that had the Daily Prophet for the day. He had effectively barricaded himself inside of his office in Hogwarts to get peace from the Howlers and cursed mail coming at him, along with getting away from the judgemental looks from some of the staff. He also cut off the Floo Network to ensure no one could enter his office, along with having the elves deliver his food to him directly. He breathed heavily while glaring at the headlines that showed his face, wondering how it all went wrong.
Despite the ICW helping to kick out out Cornelius and removing a good number of his opponents, Dumbledore was not let back to his old positions of Supreme Mugwump or Chief Warlock, because the investigations have shown he had erected monitoring wards to keep an eye on Harry Potter in his youth before coming to Hogwarts, which meant he should have known that the boy would have been in trouble. Further investigations showed the cupboard beneath the stairs still having the boy's blood and body fluids from his early childhood, and the room with the window bars that managed to survive the flames, all painting a bleak window into the life of the boy praised to end the war.
Combined with the vitriol spilled out by the Dursleys when they were interrogated along with the boy's memories sent out anonymously, the old wizard was on very shaky waters, especially when the investigators found blood wards erected in the area. Something that earned him flack given his constant derision towards any 'Dark' magic, yet he used a parasitic magical ward to place a magical child under and in a residence that had apparently been logged as not suitable to raise a magical child by the late Potters previously but was "mysteriously" rewritten on that night. Such wards meant the child would have lost a fair amount of magic to power the wards to protect residents that did not deserve such protections.
There was also the issue of people having learnt of his plans to steal the Potter Fortune through Line Theft, with many of his supporters turning away or going into hiding for their relations to him, with only his more devoted still sticking by his side. But even then, the divide was now there, and Dumbledore was getting glances from them as if they were trying to confirm their own thoughts on the matter.
He cursed the name of Sirius Black heavily for the man to have forced the plans out of Ronald and Molly Weasley, Remus Lupin and Hermione Granger, and purposely sending the others out first with all the recorded memories sent to someone outside to ensure no one could wipe away the memories of the conversation, before he threw them out of Grimmauld Place two days after the confrontation. By the time Dumbledore woke up in his office with a splitting headache, the news had spread too far, and then there were the revelations that came from Potter saving his memories about his adventures despite his attempts to restrict his movements and memory removals.
It was too late to put a lid over this.
The Weasley family was split on the matter, and there was talk about the eldest son who had taken over the headship preparing to invoke the Rite of Separation to forcefully divorce Molly from Arthur, and to throw her, Ronald and Ginerva out of the Weasley and Prewett Family Lines for their roles against Harry Potter. Arthur was not let off the hook at the moment, since the man had agreed to take the money from Harry's vault despite knowing it was wrong. William Weasley (In Dumbledore's mind, he never liked the abbreviation of such a good name) had gone to the goblins to check him and the family over, and they had confirmed his suspicions that the family had been subjected to potions and charms, some of which was done by Molly to have her "perfect" family, this making it easier for him to take over the headship.
Dumbledore was glad that he had used a different wand on Arthur, Molly, Ginerva and Ron to keep certain spells on them for his own work, but he now had to consider whether the family was going to be of use to him. William did not forgive him or his parents at the fact he lost the chance to court Fleur Delacour when she heard what had happened to her sister's savior and promptly left the country, not helped when Molly had all but admitted to considering the usage of potions to either "keep the French bint in line" or to drive her away.
Percival Weasley was currently on the bench given his behavior towards the family and his views towards Harry Potter, but he would be allowed to be with the others as he was just trying to help the family in his own manner, even if he was being stuck up on the matter. He was more or less like his elder brothers, wanting to get away from Molly and her overbearing attitude, but he also had ambitions to be seen as more than just another Weasley and to disassociate from what he felt was the disgrace of his father, something that would be more likely to happen given the revelations.
Remus Lupin had to leave the country shortly after he woke up in the middle of Knockturn Alley, his role in erasing Harry's memories while forcing him in the Dursley residence and the plans to eliminate him and Black having been exposed in the worst manner possible through the international papers and with the populace's hatred and fears towards werewolves now at an all-time high thanks to Fenrir Greyback, the man had to quickly leave the borders before the populace decided to add wolf fur into the collection. Andromeda Tonks, previously one of the Blacks, was going on a hunt for his attempts to take her daughter away from her.
There was the unsaid notion that this would also deal a big blow in their efforts to have the werewolves on their side, Dumbledore would be considered anathema to them, not to mention Temus who was already an outcast among the werewolves with his work. Voldemort could use the moment to add numbers to his army if he wanted to.
Miss Granger was not contactable, and when he tried to visit the residence, he found it completely empty of any belongings and furniture. There was a letter left for anyone attempting to find them, stating they were leaving the country to get away from those who saw fit to "infect" their daughter to aid them in harming another child. Dumbledore would have to consider whether to get her back or cut her off to reduce some loss.
The few contacts left in the Ministry had informed him about the Aurors who had joined previously currently getting raked over the coals by Amelia Bones who was spitting mad and demanding their allegiance, with only Nymphadora getting off somewhat better thanks to Alastor and her clear reluctance to do anything illegal along with the proof that she was just naive. She was forced into a prolonged probation period that required weekly updates and desk duty with a monitoring charm set to check her at random periods, which was harsh but that was better when compared to the others who were severely demoted and sent outside of his reach like Hestia patrolling Knockturn Alley, or Kingsley who was given the duty of guarding Azkaban for an unstated period of time, and they would be monitored at all times for any sign of rebellion or disloyalty. The only reason they were not sent to Azkaban suites was because Amelia needed the numbers for the upcoming fight, and even then she made it clear she would review their cases with stern eyes.
With the populace learning of those plans and the many hits to his reputation, he did not have any influence over the trials that saw the few arrested Death Eaters getting sentenced to the Veil if not the Dementor's Kiss for their crimes. There were those demanding their vaults to be confiscated to pay off damages to the victims and to the Potter Vault, while some of the more practical were thinking of using the gold to aid the DMLE. At the same time, his vigilante group had been declared illegal by the state and his companions were getting rounded up for further questioning by the ICW on account of Harry Potter and other matters.
Even with the high possibility of losing his position as headmaster on account of all that was found, Dumbledore was reeling from the loss of his weapon and the news that the boy had a will made for the moment. He had no idea when Harry had it done or how he could have gotten past the guards, unless it was during Mundungus's shift. If it turned out to be the case, he was going to let the man rot in Azkaban for costing him so much. He had drafted out a will that should see the fortune put into his hands for the Greater Good, but the goblins would likely challenge it since he did not approach them, and with Harry's status, his will would be more important.
Right now though, Dumbledore had to do some damage control and figure out how to get the Potter Vaults along with preparing Neville Longbottom for his destiny. All that fortune was going to waste since the primary boy was dead after all, and the other boy would need to step up to the plate to save Britain.
In his rush to better handle this, he ended up missing a trial that was snuck into the dockets for the end of the week, and it would send him in a worse mood when he found out much too late.
~ooOOoo~
"Sirius Orion Black, based on the evidence on hand and Pensieve testimonies provided by the late Harry Potter, we find you not guilty of the charges that were set on you previously." Griselda Marchbank had a stern expression, but even she could not stop the pity inside her at the sight of the broken man seated before her in the chair in front of the full Wizengamot sitting. The man finally had his trial after years of being in Azkaban without a true conviction and three years on the run, but the possible happiness of being free was extinguished by the news of his godson having been killed in the home of those bloody muggles by a Death Eater. The man was hit further at the information that even in death, the young man had found a way to get his godfather the trial needed to be free by preparing a set of memories and a letter sent in the event of his death to the DMLE and to news outlets like the Quibbler and the International Magical Times to present the proof.
The man did not react to the verdict, his eyes bloodshot from the tears he had shed up to that point and despair evident on his face. Those on the Wizengamot that might take pleasure at this were keeping tight holds on their Occlumency to avoid backlash from those currently eyeing them with glares as though they could sniff out their intent. Sirius did not care about that or anything, his thoughts were on his failures.
He had failed to save James and Lily.
He had failed to stop Peter.
He had failed to stop Dumbledore interfering with Harry's life.
He had failed to see the greed in people trying to go after Harry's family inheritance.
He had failed to save Harry.
And now, he would not have the chance to make things right for his godson.
"Aurors, please help Lord Black to the room to recover." Griselda looked at the ones closest to him. "You will guard him properly and not let anyone come near, understand?" Her tone left no room for mistakes and the Aurors nodded their heads before they slowly moved him out of the chair and towards the doorway. Griselda then turned to the other members. "We have finished the trials for the day. Any other business before we end the session?" A wand light in the corner drew her attention and her inward frowning at the member.
"Yes, Lord Nott?" At this, Sirius who had passed the door had stopped to turn despite his guard's attempts to move him along. The Wizengamot member in question stood up from his seat.
"May we ask about the prosecution of Dumbledore?" Lord Nott asked in a deep tone that caught everyone's attention. "Given the recent developments, should we not bring him in for questioning?"
"That is currently being handled by the DMLE, but I can tell you that the ICW is now involved." That got the members and the audience in a buzz at the severity. "It would appear that the handling of the Triwizard Tournament had drawn a fair number of eyes on us, and Mister Potter had apparently prepared his memories to be sent abroad in the event his godfather was still not given a trial at the time of his death. Albus's dismissal from the ICW was just what they needed to conduct investigations." The woman sniffed a little and blinked her teary eyes at the fact that the community had failed the boy so much that he had to look elsewhere for justice. "Right now, they are monitoring the Ministry and Hogwarts especially in light of all that had gone on there in the time Mister Potter had been in school. If that is all? Yes, Lord Barnes?"
"This is regarding Hogwarts. As you have just stated, the ICW is now monitoring the school. Given the issues Dumbledore is involved in, should we not suspend his role as headmaster, and make someone else an interim headmaster? Or is Hogwarts going to be closed? And what about the staff in question?" Others nodded in agreement at that.
"That is being discussed with the Board of Directors. Again, with what was shown from the memories by Mister Potter, much has been hidden from the public eye, and the ICW are basing this as a criminal case." Madam Marchbanks allowed the chatter to go on before raising her hand to silence them. "The staff of Hogwarts will be monitored and questioned heavily, but there is a distinct possibility that we may have to bring in outside aid to help with the position since they are likely compromised. More actions will be applied as we go on, hopefully we can send our children to Hogwarts on September 1st without disruptions. Any other questions?" Madam Marchbanks looked ready to throttle Lord Nott as he stood up once more.
"I also wish to inquire about the execution of the Potter Will, and what will happen to the Potter seat." The man spoke in an attempt to sound sorrowful, although not quite successfully with the glint in his eyes. "We know that Dumbledore has been negligent with his guardianship over Harry Potter and possibly other orphans, so I am deeply concerned regarding the fortune if it gets stolen."
"This is not to be discussed in such a public setting." Griselda interrupted the man with a glare directed at him and at the reporters who were writing about the trials with a couple now writing the man's words. She was just thankful that Rita was in a prison cell at the moment. "And in any case, that is likely to be handled by Lord Sirius Black and the goblins handling the execution of the will as they had stated when Fudge and his toads tried their luck. That family line has lost enough, and I will not have this session, or future sessions, being railroaded again over discussions or arguments regarding the fortune of someone recently departed so callously. The Ministry, or the Wizengamot, has no right or connections to demand anything from people's fortunes, nor are we to steal from them. If I must, I will make a law to stop this nonsense. This session is over!" She slammed the gravel hard enough that it cracked the table a little before the man could interrupt and stood up to leave with a definite step to make it clear that she was not going to be pulled into that argument.
Sirius knew that he had to give that woman a bottle of Fire Whiskey for having to deal with the likes of Lord Nott and Malfoy for stopping them from getting Harry's inheritance, but another part of him was having to consider what to do with the people that were persistent with obtaining Harry's family fortune. Sirius only knew a little about it before Fleamont and Euphemia's deaths, but he knew that they were absolutely paranoid about the security and made it clear that the main vault was to be shut tight and accessed in person only with conditions added. James was only able to get a larger stipend during his latter years in Hogwarts, and even after his parents' deaths, the instructions were not changed to grant full access, something that Sirius was a little thankful given what he had been hearing from others while awaiting his trial, and what he knew from those greedy bastards from the Order.
What really worried him was Dumbledore being very secretive about Harry, and after his godson's death, trying to demand his fortune. He knew that the last war was quite expensive, and Dumbledore had urged James to help fund the Order for their missions. He also knew that Dumbledore somehow got Harry's key for the trust vault and had at times loaned it to Molly. And after that day of interrogation, Sirius knew he would need to check the bank statements later when he got Gringotts to make sure nothing else was missing from sticky fingers.
That urgency got heightened after he had collected the stuff taken from him on his arrest and left the office with an Auror guard to protect him from the people in the Ministry with news of his trial still trickling down the rumors vine. The vultures called reporters were swarming about hoping to get a quote on his experience or what he would do regarding Harry's funeral. It was only thanks to the Aurors pushing them back and helping to guide him to the Floo that Sirius held back from cursing the ones that were demanding about his plans to do with the Potter fortune. He was able to get back to Grimmauld Place without much interruption, thankful for the fact he had replaced the original Fidelius with his own and himself as the Secret Keeper. He was not going to let Dumbledore or his crew back in this place again even if he hated it a lot. Sirius took the quiet moments to steady himself and to consider what needed to be done before letting out a sigh. He really wanted to drink and pass out, but he had let down his godson too many times, and he had to make sure that the will was being carried out.
A small part of him was also hoping that the life stone would say that he was alive and just hiding somewhere.
After freshening himself up, and briefly looking at the mantelpiece where he had placed the wand taken from Albus, Sirius let his guard know about traveling to Gringotts, and then they went through the Floo to Gringotts Floo Reception Point, the Aurors helping to keep an eye out for the people who were staring at Sirius like he was the boogeyman. Sirius was too numbed to consider all that and just made his way to the atrium to wait in line.
They barely hit the atrium when a group of goblins appeared from a room and made their way to him, their presence parting the crowd like the Red Sea. The one goblin dressed in an expensive suit stepped forward while the guards stood around them with eyes looking for attackers.
"Sirius Orion Black, sworn godfather to the late Heir Potter?" The goblin asked for confirmation.
"Yes." Sirius hated the fact everyone kept referring to Harry as the "late" Potter.
"Please come this way." The goblin led the way to the door leading to the office of his account manager while accompanied by the guards making sure people got out of their way, their halberds and gleaming eyes being good deterrents for anyone thinking of waylaying the man. Sirius entered the office while the guards waited outside to ensure true privacy.
"Sirius Orion Black." The goblin manager looked to the man that had become his latest client. "I won't beat around the bush and claim that all is rosy. I will at least offer my condolences."
"Thank you, SharpTooth." Sirius did not care about decorum and just collapsed in the chair offered to him. He was just exhausted from all that had happened, and he was not certain if he was ready for this.
"There are some matters that need to be tended to, but right now, one requires your immediate attention." The goblin reached into the drawer and pulled out two letters. "The first one is the official invitation for the upcoming reading of Mister Potter's will." That statement alone broke much of the resolve that Sirius had and ended up leaking out tears as he silently took the invitation from the goblin. "The second is a personal letter to you from your godson." That got him to look up sharply and reached out only to stop just as quickly, hesitating to take what was possibly the last correspondence he would ever get from his godson. The goblin manager grunted in irritation and thrusted the letter into his hands. "If you want, you may read the letter over there. But don't take too long, you need to handle some tasks and time is money." SharpTooth pointed a finger at the corner before continuing with his work. Sirius looked at the letter in his hand with great trepidation, uncertain if he wanted to do this. Given what was said with his last correspondence with Harry, this could be what would break his back. With agonizing slowness, Sirius got up from the chair and moved to the corner of the room, his hand paused at the wax seal that showed the Potter seal, then with a breath, Sirius broke the seal and took out the letter to view.
From his desk, SharpTooth kept a close eye on the wizard while doing his own paperwork. The goblin watched the man's expression alternating through different emotions with more tears going down his face before the man took a deep breath and his face took on a resolute expression that showed that he was pulling himself together. He continued his work even as the wizard came back to the table.
"Manager SharpTooth." The wizard paused for a second. "I need your assistance along with the Potter manager regarding certain matters involving the Potter vaults. I understand there are already arrangements for them, I just think he may wish to know that the Ministry and others are trying to get their hands on them with less than legal methods."
"Very well." The goblin made one last annotation before closing the book and getting off the chair. "Follow me." The goblin and wizard left the office and made their way to the Potter Manager's office only to meet a particularly unwelcome person.
"I demand that you let me talk to the Potter Manager!" Dumbledore was outside of the office trying to get past two guards who were already brandishing their spears and one goblin with armor over a suit looking at the wizard like he was dirt beneath the boots that he wanted to scrub clean off. "It is vital I speak with him immediately."
"Mister Dumbledore, you have been persona no grata with Gringotts ever since we found out about your interference with the Potter Will, your handling of the late heir, and finally, your thievery with those" The goblin said something in his language that Sirius was not certain of but was clearly not a nice word, "who dared to rob Gringotts of not only the Potter Inheritance but those of other orphans. Those traitors have been dealt with, and the only reason you are still drawing breath in these halls is because Director Ragnok had spread the word that if you attempted to do this, we are to inform you of certain details regarding your accounts, and I mean ALL Your Accounts." The goblin had a very unpleasant and toothy smile showing his thoughts on the matter. "They have all been closed and pending investigations for thievery. That includes your anonymous bank accounts in the muggle world used to spread the money around before rounding back to your account, the Dumbledore and orphan vaults illegally subverted in Gringotts and the supposed vault for your little group of thieves."
"You cannot do that!" The old wizard exploded at that proclamation, his magic rolling out in waves and drawing some human attention along with more guards running in anticipation for a fight. "Those are my vaults! And you have no jurisdiction in the muggle world!"
"Correction, they were your vaults." The goblin was practically swooning at this, and that was a very scary sight to Sirius. The goblin then dropped the smile and glared at the old wizard. "And just because you moved money out into the muggle world does not mean we do not have means to get to the muggle banks. They all have some connection to Gringotts and that means we can track any and all who try to steal heirlooms from others. We have suspected your little schemes for some time, and it was only thanks to the late Harry Potter that we can finally conclude it. And do not attempt to claim damages, we have already sent letters about the accounts, but I guess that with your constant casting of mail wards, the letters have been buried." A snap of the fingers got the guards aiming their spears at him. "Now leave. Or don't leave, that would make my brethren eager for a commission."
Dumbledore seethed at the perceived disrespect to himself but could not argue against the goblins whose eyes were practically begging for a chance of a fight. The old wizard turned only to pause at the sight of Sirius and his goblin manager, and for a moment, Sirius could see the storm behind those eyes and he knew that if not for the setting and people, Dumbledore and him would have words with wands.
"Why is he here? Sirius Black should be in Azkaban or getting the Dementor's Kiss!" Sirius wondered if he increased the volume just to catch the attention of everyone in the corridor, but that only brought more goblins to the escalating situation.
"In case you have not heard, Lord Black has been exonerated with evidence by the Wizengamot, and released with all charges dropped unanimously. Curious how real evidence and proper procedures make this so obvious after so long, especially for someone who was once the Chief Warlock during the period." The earlier goblin answered with another toothy smile. "As such, Lord Black can come into Gringotts and unlike you, he does have some business with the Potter Manager. Now you have wasted enough of our time." The sneer that replaced the smile showed his thoughts on the matter.
"Leave. Now."
Sirius kept a close eye on Dumbledore as the goblins prodded the older wizard to move along, clearly not liking that he was being ushered away from Sirius. Only once he was gone down the corridor and the corner did Sirius let out a breath.
"He is ready to see you now." One of the guards answered, and Sirius was ushered into the Potter office where a relatively young goblin was sorting out books and parchments at a fast pace, barely glancing at Sirius while his hands continued to move efficiently. Before he could speak, the goblin raised a hand while looking to the guard.
"Check us please." The guard nodded and slammed the butt of the weapon to the floor, releasing a wave of magic that spread about and out of the office, before Sirius's shirt had two spots on his sleeves. "What the? Listening charms?" Sirius blinked at the spots. "But I removed all the charms before coming here."
"Fresh too, given that you had passed through Thief's Downfall earlier." His goblin manager narrowed his eyes while waving a hand to check it before growling. "Apparently the wizard still insists on sticking his nose into matters not his own."
"Increase the fines by another 100 galleons." The new goblin manager spoke, prompting the others to grin maliciously while Sirius could only pray he never ended up on the receiving end of those smiles.
"Lord Black, my name is Barchoke, currently the new manager for the Potter vaults." The goblin introduced himself to Sirius. "I only had the pleasure of meeting Mister Potter for a short while when the treachery within our halls was discovered through the audit. I am sorry for your loss." Sirius closed his eyes and took a breath to contain his emotions, his Occlumency not helping with the pain. "It may be just as well you are here, for there are some matters that must be concluded. You have questions?"
"Yes." Sirius hesitated but forced himself to pull out the invitation for the will reading. "This may be redundant to ask since I have this letter, but?"
"The lifestone of Harry Potter." The goblin nodded and reached into a drawer to pull out a linen bag. Untying the knot, he reached inside and pulled out a dark marble orb that was tarnished. "As you can see, the lifestone has gone dark. There is no mistake." A part of Sirius broke at that knowledge as he stared at the last bit of hope gone. He did not want to see the evidence in front of him, that of proof that his godson was now gone.
He had failed him.
He had failed James,
He had failed Lily.
He had failed all he could care of.
"Is there anything else?" Barchoke asked while depositing the stone back into the drawer, a little louder than needed to knock the wizard out of his funk.
"Forgive me if this sounds insulting, but given all that has happened, I need to know. Is there any way for people to challenge the Will Reading and obtain my godson's vaults?" Sirius asked while clasping his hand. "I had been hearing plenty of people trying harebrained ideas to get the Potter Fortune, and I know Dumbledore is going to try something despite his dismissal from the government. The Ministry is split on this matter, I just want to make sure no one tries to snatch this from him even in death."
Barchoke looked at him with a stern eye, giving Sirius the impression of the goblin looking into his soul, before he nodded. "That is a logical fear. I can say that Mister Potter had undergone plenty of checks to ensure he was cleansed of the potions and spells that had inhibited his actions over the years, before he wrote his will in front of several witnesses including two ICW officials and Lord Ragnok himself." Sirius's eyes bulged at that bit of info. The head goblin of Europe's Gringotts branches was one that no one had the chance to meet, even his grandfather did not get a chance to glimpse at him. Add to the fact the ICW were called in, this was going to be a really explosive Will Reading of the century.
"Due to the conspiracy perpetuated by Dumbledore, Lord Ragnok saw it fit to include himself as both the witness and the binder to ensure no one dares to steal from Gringotts again." Barchoke's expression looked almost murderous. "The treacherous clan that helped the wizard was made an example for sure."
"I see." Sirius nodded before looking up in panic. "Wait, the Weasleys had an illegal marriage contract!"
"Yes, we knew about it. That -" Barchoke said something in his language that Sirius was certain his own bank manager had used earlier, "tried to include a clause that would see the Potter Fortune effectively split among the Weasleys and Dumbledore in the event of Harry's death." The Grim inside Sirius was practically snarling and begging Sirius to hunt them down.
"Thankfully, Mother Magic had deemed it invalid right from the beginning. Even if they had tried to sign it, the backlash would be quite spectacular." The manner the goblin spoke suggested he was disappointed not to see it in action. "And at least Mister Potter had caught on the deception to prepare for this. Those involved have been blacklisted and we will make sure they spend time in Gringotts. We have also done a ritual to recall all items stolen from the Potters and any other family lines Mister Potter was potentially related to with help of the inheritance tests."
"That's good." Sirius relaxed at that point. It was going to be a toss-up as to whether the Weasleys involved would do time in Azkaban, but he knew the goblins hated theft and the loss of honor with a passion. He looked at the letter still in his hand and drew a breath. "Can I at least ask if Harry designated someone he could trust?"
Barchoke looked closely again, and this time Sirius could see the danger signs from the glint in his eyes and the hand twitching for the knife. He held still for the goblin to assess him before the latter answered.
"Mister Potter went through many steps to ensure his family legacy would not go into the hands of Dumbledore, Voldemort or the Ministry. That includes ensuring the new head of house if needed." Barchoke answered before picking up his quill. "If that is all?" Sirius knew a tone of dismissal and decided not to push his luck too far. Thanking Barchoke, he followed SharpTooth out of his office, thinking he needed to get some matters done before leaving.
Barchoke waited for the door to close, then waved his hand to check for charms and hexes, before he pressed a button on the table to activate the intercom system. "Lord Black has just left my office and is about to leave Gringotts after handling matters with his manager. Monitor his progress. Also make sure those idiots from Dumbledore's group do not interfere with him or our operations." After a confirmation from the other person, he pressed another button to end the call before turning in his chair to face the goblin who had just entered his office. He quickly got off and bowed to him.
"Lord Ragnok, the date has been set for the Potter Will Reading."
"Good." The goblin's growl sounded like rocks knocking against each other. "We should prepare for the incoming wave of demands about the will reading and the fortune in the next few days."
"How much chaos can we expect?" That question drew a snort from Ragnok.
"Enough to see those wizards squirm for their actions."