I hope everyone has been having a good month. I apologize that the update is towards the end of the month. I have just had several things going on with my family that cause me to put updating to the back of my mind, so once again thank you so much for your patience. I am already working on the next update so you won't have to wait nearly as long this time, that much I can promise.

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The link to my socials and the discord server is also on my linktree / StarStruckPanda

I hope you enjoy the chapter.

"You have to take risks in life to have an adventure." The Manticore Disney Onwards

Chapter 25

Dumbledore's Not So Great Day

Harry sat on his bed silently, his mind wandering for a moment as he continued to think about everything that had changed in such a short time span. From finding out his birth parents were still alive to discovering just how much Dumbledore had manipulated everything and everyone simply for the power it gave him. He couldn't help wondering about the most recent discovery again, thinking about the room Draco had discovered that had held the photo album and had basic personalization. He released a shuttered breath as he thought about the scenarios of what exactly it was that Dumbledore had taken away from the clear group of friends.

"Are you sure you want to go to Malfoy Manor? You know you're more than welcome to come to Gringotts with us." Sirius suddenly stated. Harry glanced at his godfather, watching as he leaned against the door frame with his arms crossed. Sirius had a sour expression on his face that Harry could easily figure was just from his worry about leaving him alone.

"I will be fine Sirius. It's just going to be Draco and his friends. It's a nice day so we'll probably spend some time outside but if nothing else we'll hang out in one of the sitting rooms. Narcissa is out visiting her sister with Tonks and Lucius is handling some things at the Ministry for most of today. Stop worrying about me so much. I'll be alright." Harry attempted to reassure him. He reached down, pulling his muggle sneakers out from under the edge of his bed, easily slipping them on. Sirius released a sigh, nodding as he watched his godson finish getting ready. He pulled him into a hug, squeezing him tight for a moment before letting go.

"Just be careful. I…will let you know as soon as we have any type of answers." He muttered. Harry offered him another smile before walking towards the sitting room that had the floo connected to Malfoy Manor.

Malfoy Manor Gardens

Draco was silent as he sat at one of the metal garden tables that his mother normally used for garden parties during the summer. The house elves had used warming charms around the pavilion to keep the group of teenagers comfortable while they spent time outside working on their holiday assignments. He reached across the table to grab one of the transfiguration books that he'd brought with him, glancing up when he heard Blaise grumble as Theo took one of his chess pieces out. Daphne was sitting in one of the bench swings that his mother was fond of, one of her potion journals open in her lap even though he could tell she wasn't reading it. If he had to guess she was pretending to read while keeping an eye out for Harry to arrive.

"Are you two going to do any actual work? Or just play your games?" he questioned, sitting back in his seat.

"Unlike you, I haven't had a busy holiday, so I finished with all my assignments already. Though I might need to go over that essay for McGonagall one more time." Blaise commented without looking away from the game. Theo smirked as his queen took out another piece causing Blaise to release another complaint.

"I finished my assignments the first week of break. I didn't want the Yule Ball and charity event to get in the way of my studies. Plus, you guys know me. I like to get everything finished as soon as possible." He added.

"Which is why it makes no sense to me how Granger is beating you in nearly every subject." Daphne commented, closing her book.

"Because I'm sure Dumbledore has a hand in that. She's so convinced she's the smartest witch of our age and if he wants to keep her in the palm of his hand, he has to make sure that's true." Harry's voice suddenly stated, catching all their attention. One of the Malfoy House elves bowed before popping out of view, leaving the group of teenagers alone. Daphne smiled, looking up at him when he stopped beside the swing.

"Makes sense. Plus, doubt he would want the top student of our year to be a Slytherin. It's bad enough that the top ten at least 4 are." Draco added, frowning as he thought about how much hate their Hogwarts house received. Harry couldn't help biting his lip as he thought about the end of their first year. It had always rubbed him the wrong way that Dumbledore had rewarded so many points at the End of year feast after Slytherin had already won the house cup. It had been wrong of the headmaster to take that away from them when they had earned it fair and square.

"Enough of that. We only have a few more days of break and I personally would like to enjoy it without having to worry about anymore charity events or stuffy balls." Daphne stated. Draco released a sigh, closing his book, figuring it would be easier to just finish his assignment later.

"Well while those two are enjoying their game of chess, though I'm pretty sure Theo is just stringing Blaise along since I know he could have finished it four moves back, would you like to take a walk through the garden with me Lord Potter?" Daphne questioned, offering him a smile. Blaise jerked his head around, sending her a playful glare before returning to their game. Theo could only shake his head in amusement. She couldn't help laughing at the grin Harry offered in return, feeling happy that he had grown relaxed and comfortable around them compared to how things had started at the beginning of the school year.

"I would be honored Heiress Greengrass." He responded, holding out his hand to help her up. Draco rolled his eyes, a smirk on his face as he watched his twin. He knew that while they weren't official courting, their mother wouldn't be happy about them wandering around by themselves.

"I think I'll tag along with you two. Knowing Blaise, he's going to want another match even though we both know Theo is just going to beat him again." He sighed, standing up. He stretched for a moment before walking out of the pavilion behind Harry and Daphne. He shoved his hands in his pockets, shivering at the sudden rush of cold air. Harry glanced over his shoulder when Draco complained under his breath, laughing at the expression on his face. Daphne pulled her winter cloak tighter, the snow crunching as they walked through the freshly fallen snow.

"Have you figured out the next tournament yet?" she questioned, glancing at Harry for a moment.

"I think so. I was talking about it with Draco the other day after Remus figured out the egg wasn't just screaming. It was singing in mermish. So maybe it has something to do with the Black Lake at Hogwarts. I still have another problem though." He sighed. He couldn't help shifting slightly as he looked down at the snow. Daphne glanced over her shoulder at Draco, a confused look on her face as he simply shrugged.

"Is it anything that any of us can help you with? We still have a couple weeks before the next task." She offered, gently reaching out to grab his hand.

"I'm not a strong swimmer so that's an issue. Plus, I still need finish researching figuring out a way to stay under water for an hour." He replied. Draco frowned slightly as he thought about the research, they'd been doing the last several couple days at Potter Manor, hoping to find something. However, since it was just the two of them since Sirius and Remus had so many other things currently on their minds, they hadn't managed to have much luck yet. They'd been looking up different spells, but nothing they'd found so far was either strong enough to last the full hour or it wasn't a spell Harry could learn in such a short time span.

"Maybe after lunch we can drag Blaise and Theo inside to search through the Malfoy library? Might have better luck with a couple more sets of eyes." She suggested, hoping to help ease his worries.

Gringotts

Remus couldn't help releasing a deep breath as he walked through the bank lobby, Padfoot sticking close to his side as he made his way towards one of the goblin tellers. Harry had already written a letter to Griphook the day before and sent it with Hedwig, so they knew the Potter Bank manager would be expecting him, however, that did next to nothing for his nerves.

"I…have an appointment with Bank Manager Griphook?" Remus stated, absently reaching down to grab Padfoot's fur in an attempt to ground himself. The goblin didn't acknowledge them for several moments, continuing to write something on a piece of parchment.

"Continue down the hall, last room on the left." The goblin grumbled after several awkward moments. Remus softly thanked him before walking down the hallway, keeping an eye out for anyone that might recognize him and report to Dumbledore. Once they were safely in Griphook's office, Sirius shifted out of his animagus form.

"Lord Black, Mr. Lupin, I received a letter from Lord Potter that you were needing to speak with me about a mind specialist? May I ask what this is possibly about?" Griphook questioned, looking up from the paperwork that was on his desk. Remus shared a look with his best friend for a moment before he released a sigh, pulling the photo album and picture from a bag he'd brought with them.

"Harry discovered this in one of the rooms in the manor that was supposed to be vacant. However, we found out from the Potter family house elves that it actually used to be James Potter's room while we were still in Hogwarts until break of our second year." He explained.

"What we wanted to talk to you about is the fact neither of us have any memories of any of these photos being taken. So, we're figuring that Dumbledore probably obliviated us and possibly Severus Snape. Harry suggested possibly asking if there was a member of your staff skilled in the mind magic that would be able to help us?" Sirius added. Griphook leaned back in his chair, a sour expression on his face as he was once again faced with issues caused by Dumbledore.

"Goblins do not normally have much to do with the mind magic wizards are known for. While we have a couple members on our staff that are masters of the magic of the mind, however, since they are few and far between their schedules are constantly full since they attend to far more than just this branch of Gringotts. I can request their schedules and send you a list of dates that any of the members of that group have available to meet with you?" Griphook sighed. He leaned back in his chair as Remus and Sirius shared a look. Both adults nodded in agreement, figuring that accepting his current suggestion was the best they were going to do without attempting to find someone else that wouldn't be able to keep the current circumstances to themselves. They were already attempting to keep the truth about Harry's heritage and how he ended up with the Potters a secret without adding anything else on top of that.

Severus was silent as he sat in one of the goblin ritual chambers, his hands covering his face as he attempted to sort through the memories and feelings that were uncovered all at once. Memories that had been locked away by powerful magic for nearly 20 years, memories that didn't seem to have a place among his careful organization. He fought to stop the tears from falling as he regained what he hadn't realized he'd lost.

Memories of his first two years at Hogwarts, studying and playing pranks with the Marauders. Memories of spending the holiday breaks with James and his parents at Potter Manor. Remembering their promises to get him away from his abusive father until he was suddenly informed by the headmaster that he was no longer welcome around the high-ranking family that he'd started to consider his own. Memories of how strong Hadrian's magic had felt shortly after his birthday and that aching pull after his disappearance before it had simply vanished.

The potion master released a ragged breath, quickly wiping away the tears that trailed down his cheeks. His head felt clear for the first time in many years, free from the compulsion spells and loyalty potions he'd been given by Dumbledore. He felt like a fool for not having caught onto what the headmaster was doing when he was a master of both legilimency and occlumency. He didn't want to believe that someone had managed to trick him, to force him to do things he didn't agree with, to be someone he wasn't.

"Lord Slytherin waits for you once you are ready Potion Master Snape." One of the goblin warriors stated, standing near the entrance to the ritual room. Severus managed a stiff nod, quickly taking several deep breaths in an attempt to stop his panic attack, knowing while the Dark Lord was stable, that didn't mean he was a patient man. After locking the emotions behind strong barriers in his mind, he stood up, standing next to the ritual table.

Marvolo looked up from the parchment in his hands when the younger male was escorted back into the room. It was rare to see the crestfallen expression that was on his face, the dark lord easily figuring out just how much his follower was hurting.

"Now that that matter is taken care of, I did wish to speak with you about the Prince account. Your grandfather, the late Lord Prince, named you as his heir in his will. We have attempted to reach out to you by letter multiple times, however, our most recent attempt Headmaster Dumbledore showed up with a letter carrying your signature that you did not wish to claim the title and named him as your proxy." The bank manager explained. Severus couldn't help staring at the goblin, shock clear on his face. He had only met his grandfather a handful of times and that was only after he had graduated from Hogwarts and his father had passed away after drinking himself to death. While he had shown him the Prince legers and explained some of the family potion business, he'd never actually told Severus he was the heir to the Prince name.

"Wait, how could Dumbledore claim proxy without Severus actually being in attendance during that meeting? Isn't that against bank policy?" Marvolo suddenly stated, pulling him from his thoughts.

"That is correct Lord Slytherin. And when we informed the Headmaster of this he was not very happy, however, he never rescheduled the meeting to have Lord Prince attend to sign the necessary paperwork. Which led us to believe that somehow the Headmaster was receiving the messages instead of the desired recipient. He was also barred from another fault that he had named himself proxy to on the same day, however, I cannot inform you just which family that was." The goblin stated, nodding. Marvolo and Severus shared a look, both of them having a guess just to which family vaults they were. Lucius had informed them both that Dumbledore had had possession of Harry's vault key and that he among others had been stealing from the boy's vaults.

"If possible, could I claim the lordship today?" Severus questioned, shifting slightly in his seat.

Severus was silent as he stood in the bank lobby waiting for Lord Slytherin to finish speaking with the goblins on private matters pertaining to his own estates. He glanced at his hand, absently twisting the Lord ring that now sat there. He took a deep breath, slowly releasing it as he once again thought about everything he had learned during the meeting.

"Severus?" a voice he dreaded to hear sounded behind him. The potion master froze for the briefest of moments before turning to face the newcomer. Remus walked towards him with his black dog at his side. Padfoot released a low growl as they got closer, only going silent when Remus grabbed the back of his neck in an attempt to calm him.

"I would have thought you had already returned to Hogwarts since the students are supposed to return in a few days." Remus continued, hoping to have a civil conversation with his old classmate. Severus couldn't help thinking about the memories that had been retrieved, remembering the times he'd studied with Remus and Lily in the library. Joking around with the two of them until Madam Pince kicked them out for causing a disturbance.

"I had a few matters I needed to attend to before returning. Lucius asked me to come with Lord Slytherin today since he only recently returned to the country." Severus explained, easily slipping the lie they'd discussed in. Remus' eyes briefly gained an amber coloring to them at the mention of Lord Slytherin before he managed to regain his composure. He knew losing control of his wolf in the middle of Gringotts wasn't an ideal situation.

"There was something I was hoping to speak with you about. Harry and Draco were exploring some of the older rooms in Potter Manor the other day and they found this. I wanted to ask you about it?" the werewolf stated, pulling the old photo album from his robe pocket. Severus froze at the sight of the old leather cover, his hands balling into fists at his side. He knew exactly what was in that photo album, remembering hiding it in the room the Potters had given him that summer after their first year. The empty promises they'd made to him about not returning to his deadbeat father and broken mother, about being safe with them.

"You know what it is don't you? You know what's going on and what's missing from our memories?" Remus demanded, his voice growing louder, gaining the attention of witches and wizards around the lobby. Marvolo stepped out of his bank manager's office, glancing around the lobby, searching for Severus. He frowned when he caught sight of the Potion master standing with his head lowered and his hands balled into fists at his sides. Remus continued to demand answers, his magic flaring as he attempted to keep control of both his wolf and his magic.

"I do not think this is the time nor the place for this confrontation. If you will excuse us, Lord Prince and I still have a few more matters to attend to in Diagon Alley before he has to return to Hogwarts. Excuse us." The older lord stated, walking up to stand at Severus' side. The potion master made no sounds of complaint as he grabbed his elbow, leading him out of the bank. He struggled to keep his emotions in check, determined not to show any further signs of weakness in front of so many others. The duo walked through Diagon Alley, neither making any comments about what happened in Gringotts bank lobby.

"Severus, I didn't expect to run into you today, my boy. I thought you'd have returned to Hogwarts by now to make sure the Hospital Wing was stocked up on the proper potions." Dumbledore's voice suddenly stated. Marvolo glanced over his shoulder, frowning for a brief moment before schooling his features, refusing to give the meddlesome old many any kind of reaction. The young wizard turned to look at the headmaster, his normal sneer on his face. Dumbledore offered them a smile, the normal twinkle in his eyes.

"I had a few things to attend to at Gringotts today before I returned to the school. And Madam Pomphrey has assured me that everything in the Hospital wing is ready for the school year to start back up." Severus explained, hoping to old man would take the hint and not keep them standing in the middle of Diagon Alley for very long. Even though it was after the holidays, the wizard community was still very crowded, and he wanted to escape back to the silence of his potion labs.

"I see. I hope everything has gone well? Wouldn't want to have to deal with the goblins more than necessary." Dumbledore commented, a chuckle in his voice, even though they both knew how much he detested the goblins since Harry had reclaimed his vaults before the beginning of the school year had begun.

"Headmaster Dumbledore perhaps if you didn't make it your mission to block certain children from learning about the heritage the goblins wouldn't detest you so much." Lord Slytherin sneered, glaring at the man that had done so much harm to the wizarding world. Dumbledore seemed to falter for a brief moment before turning his attention to the older male that he had chosen to ignore.

"I assure you; the Daily Prophet has the situation completely incorrect. I have not kept anything from any of the students under my care. I'm unsure where Mrs. Skeeter has gotten such outrageous claims this school year Mr.?" Dumbledore objected.

"Slytherin. Lord Marvolo Slytherin." Marvolo stated, holding out his hand. The color seemed to drain from Dumbledore's face, the twinkling in his eyes fading as he stood staring at the wizard he knew to be the Dark Lord.

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I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I know I hinted at and introduced a couple new twists. I do want to say this is not a story where Severus Snape is paired with either Remus Lupin or Sirius Black. It is strictly friendship/acquaintances.

Remember to leave me a review on any thoughts, opinions, suggestions or if you spotted something that I missed when I was going through and double checking everything. I always try to respond as soon as I have a moment to. However, a reminder, flames are not needed. I know this type of story is not for everyone. I truly appreciate all my readers for sticking with me as the story has continued and hope to see you again.

Until Next Chapter,

Snowbeam12