A/N I wanted to write a Harry is Lord Potter story which included good relations with the goblins. This is what came out. I hope you enjoy it.

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters you might recognise the names of.

Chapter 1

Harry picked up the mail from the doormat at number four, Privet Drive and absently handed it to his uncle before being shooed out of the kitchen. This was a routine morning for Harry, he had known nothing different. Once his uncle had gone to work and Dudley to school, he would get the leftover breakfast but he was not to interrupt their family mealtimes.

He entered the living room as he always did at this time, to make a start on his long list of chores for the day. He had learnt to read and write at the local primary school, but he barely ever turned up there now. He just got laughed at for his clothes, or Dudley would make up something new to get him into trouble. It made his life a lot easier not to be there. Even biased teachers couldn't blame an absent student of classroom pranks. Plus if he didn't go, he could then finish the list of chores he was given and might even be allowed some free time before he had to cook dinner or be Dudley's punchbag. His aunt didn't seem to care whether he went to school or not, as long as he didn't upset her Dudders, stayed out of her way and completed the chores.

He heard a sound at the window and looked up from polishing the fire grate. There, on the windowsill, stood a large tawny owl with something attached to its leg.

"Shoo!" Harry whispered harshly. "I've already done that windowsill. I don't want to have to do it again! Go away!"

The owl just stared at him and held out its leg. Harry ignored it and finished polishing up the grate. When he looked up, the owl was still there.

"Go on! Shoo!" Harry said again, motioning with his hands. "You flew in that window so you can just fly out again."

The owl spread its wings and Harry gave a satisfied smirk. That gave way to shock however when he felt the weight on his shoulder and foot being pressed into the side of his face.

"Alright alright, I'll take you outside then," he muttered.

The bird squawked and manoeuvred itself further around so that it had one foot on the bridge of Harry's nose.

"Get off you stupid thing!" Harry swatted it with his hands, but the owl just flapped around his head. "What is it you want with me anyway?" he snapped.

The owl stopped flapping, landed on Harry's arm and held out its leg again. This time Harry looked at what it was carrying. It was a rich envelope with an old wax seal holding it shut.

"Like a carrier pigeon, but the shop was obviously out of pigeons that day wasn't it?!" He chuckled drily at his own joke. "Who is this for then? Bet it's another of Dudley's ideas of a joke." He untied the letter and the owl flew back off to the windowsill, where it started to preen its feathers.

Harry inspected the envelope. The design on the seal was a circle with ten points around it and each point connected to every other it was not directly next to with a straight line. It was quite a pretty pattern, he thought. Around the edge he also saw some lettering.

"Gr...in...gotts" he said slowly. "Gringotts." He shrugged and turned the envelope over, realising that he should probably get on with delivering it so he could go back to cleaning. If he'd done the living room before breakfast then there was a chance he might get finished early.

He got the shock of his life when he saw, neatly printed, the words Harry James Potter. Nobody ever wrote to him, the only time his name was ever written down was when his relatives got letters asking why he wasn't at school! Even those had stopped now. Hearing noises in the kitchen, he hurriedly shoved the letter out of sight - baggy clothes were good for one thing at least - and sprinted into the cupboard under the stairs. He wasn't to be seen when Uncle Vernon was leaving for work, the man said he didn't want to be reminded of Harry's existence after his nice breakfast.

Letting his heart rate return to normal, Harry pulled out the letter again. There was no stamp and no address but yet that carrier-owl had known exactly where to come. He would have to do some research on owls and carrier pigeons to see what made them able to do that.

"Well I suppose I should see..." he muttered as he tore open the envelope. Thick parchment, covered in the same precise handwriting fell out. Harry's mouth dropped open as he read, but by the time he'd finished he was laughing quite heartily. He read it again, certain he'd not had this much of a laugh in months.

Dear Mr Potter

As you will turn eleven in a few months time, and will receive your invitation to Hogwarts, we would like to meet with you to discuss your intentions for the Potter Estate.

You will be recognised as the Potter heir from your eleventh birthday and due to the unfortunate death of your father, you will inherit the title of Lord Potter at that time as well.

You will not have full access to all of the Potter vaults until you become of age, but we will try honour your wishes as best we can.

Please reply back with a time to suit you for a meeting. If no meeting is possible prior to your eleventh birthday, please inform us.

May your gold ever flow and your enemies crumble.

Griphook

Potter Account Manager

Several phrases were flying around Harry's brain as he lay giggling on his tiny mattress. Most started with "what the..." He felt his stomach rumble and went to see what was left over from breakfast and see what was the best way to reward Dudley for such a good morning.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

A week later Harry saw the same owl again, in the same place, sitting on the living room windowsill. He had done nothing about the last letter in the end, deciding that Dudley would never do anything enjoyable to or for him, so if he didn't respond, maybe it would be repeated. He took the letter with much less ceremony this time, and managed to finish cleaning the living room before the end of breakfast.

Sitting in his cupboard again, he opened the strange envelope and read what was in for him this time.

Dear Mr Potter

Our records show that our first communication with you was received and read but not replied to; we would be most appreciative if you could do so at your earliest convenience.

If transport is a problem then please note that this letter has been charmed into a portkey and will activate with the phrase "fortius quo fidelius". Please bring your guardian(s) with you.

May your vaults be ever increasing and your enemies quake before you.

Griphook

Potter Account Manager

Languages were a thing that had always come easily to Harry. So easily in fact, most of the time he didn't even realise it wasn't English he was seeing. Spoken or written, he just knew instinctively what everything meant. With no-one to tell however he didn't realise how unique this gift was.

"Hmmm. Strength through loyalty. Nice phrase," he muttered as he headed down for breakfast.

The owl wouldn't leave. Last time it took Harry throwing it out of the window to get it out, he didn't think Aunt Petunia would be pleased with an owl in her pristine living room, but this time it was following him around everywhere. Every time he tried to catch it, it avoided him and kept sticking its empty leg in his face. He was glad his aunt was out at her weekly women's meeting. He could have hopefully sorted it by the time she got back and if he worked at double speed he might even get all of the jobs done.

"Look!" he roared at the owl "I don't know why you won't go, but if someone's playing a prank on me it's a bit useless because they're not here to see it!" The leg was in his face again. "You want the letter? Fine! Here you are!" He grabbed a pen and wrote three letters on the back of the parchment before throwing it at the owl which, miraculously, managed to catch the paper in its beak and flew off as if nothing untoward had happened.

Harry went out into the garden and started weeding. The vegetable patch was very vulnerable right now and he didn't want to face his aunt if something happened to her pumpkins or cabbages.

Finishing outside several hours later, Harry absently washed himself with the garden hosepipe - if he brought mud inside he would just have to clean it later. His mind was thinking about the two letters he had received. He almost wished the dratted owl was here so he could have something to shout at instead of having to think. He found himself in his cupboard before he knew where he was, holding the other piece of parchment in his hand.

"Strength through loyalty" he murmured with a small smile. "Fortius quo fidelius." His smile turned to shock as he felt a sharp tug in his stomach.