Summary: What if Harry Potter was raised by the goblins of Gringotts? How much different would that make Harry? When he gets to Hogwarts, will he be sorted into Gryffindor…or Slytherin?

NOTE: Millicent Bagnold was minister from 1980-1990. Cornelius Fudge was minister from 1990-1996. THIS IS IMPORTANT in the story. Harry Potter was born in 1980, the year Bagnold was elected. All of this information, excluding the year of Harry Potter's birth (which is an estimate), can be found in "Ministry of Magic" on Wikipedia.

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. Is it bad that I wish I did?

Prologue

November 1, 1981.

The Day After Voldemort Is "Defeated"

"We demand payment, Minister Bagnold."

"I understand, Radnork, and I believe we can come to an agreement. I was merely stating the obvious: I doubt we have anything that you would want, need, or agree to that would satisfy you as payment."

Normally, this discussion would have happened in a more public area, such as the courtrooms, but it was instead occurring within the minister's own private office.

Millicent wasn't going to say anything, and she doubted the goblins would either, but she had actually, personally, requested that this conversation take place in her office. After a long day of courtrooms and instructions, she would rather be in her office than another courtroom.

Being minister was a very hard job, and all of the jobs that came with being minister were even harder. Today in particular was very difficult, seeing as You-Know-Who had just been defeated. Though Millicent would much rather say, "Screw this place," and go home to celebrate with her family, she had dedicated herself to the ministry and she had to stay at work.

Millicent was very grateful that everything had worked out in her favor for this conversation. Excepting the fact that the conversation itself was in the goblins' favor.

There were three goblins in her office as of that moment. Radnork, Goblane, and Zignok. All three were, as far as she could tell, chosen to be representatives for the goblin-kind and were hired/chosen to be the ones to persuade this agreement to go in their favor.

Millicent had no doubt that these goblins were by far the best in the art of persuasion. (A/N They are NOT the best in persuasion! You'll realize later exactly why they were sent to talk with the minister, but it's not because of the reason Millicent concluded.)

Millicent also knew that there was only one reason the goblins were here in her office on this day: they wanted something.

When the goblins signed the contract that bound them to the goblin bank all those years ago, there was only one reason they signed it. Although they were trapped and cornered and had nowhere else to go, they would have allowed themselves to be slaughtered if there had been nothing for them in the contract they signed.

There were three things that caused them to sign the contract. The first was that they were allowed to live. The second was that they were allowed to have jobs—even if their options were limited only to those of the Wizarding Bank. The third was that they were allowed three things to ask for in their enslavement, though those things were allowed to be denied should they be seen as unfit by the minister/ministry.

If none of these had been present in that contract, they would have fought back against the wizards cornering them and the entire race would have been eliminated.

They had already asked for one thing. If they were going to ask for something else today as Millicent suspected they were, then this would be their second. They would only have one left.

"You do have something we want, though," Zignok said in his gravelly voice from his half-hidden place behind the other two. By the look of wisdom in his eyes, Millicent could tell he was much older than the other two. Though Millicent was far more wary around him than the other two, she was grateful he was now the one speaking. It looked like he was going to get straight to the point rather than dance around the issue like the other two had been doing.

Millicent's eyes darted to the clock. Half an hour had already gone by and she needed to be somewhere in only fifteen minutes.

Abandoning any sense of etiquette and care, she asked, "What is that?" and then added on, "You are aware that asking for this will be using up one of your favors, correct?"

"We are aware of that," Goblane piped up in his higher-pitched, much squeakier voice.

Zignok shot a look at Goblane that he couldn't see because his back was turned, but it didn't look like he was too happy with the interruption.

"We want Harry Potter," Zignok said bluntly.

Millicent was both startled and confused.

Glancing behind him in slight annoyance at his elder's abrupt way of saying what they wanted, Radnork turned to Millicent. "It has come to our awareness," he began, "that Harry Potter's parents have been killed. We are aware that Albus Dumbledore tried—and still is trying—to place him with the boy's only living relatives. However, as the ministry was made aware, Potter's relatives have a history that causes one to believe they may be abusive to the boy as he grows. We have heard that you, the ministry, has intervened and is now trying to find a suitable home for him. If nowhere is found, you will have no choice but to place him with his relatives, because there is no proof that they will be abusive.

"As a solution, we will gladly take the Potter boy and raise him. We will feed him, clothe him, educate him as is appropriate for his age, instruct him in wizarding society, and do all that is necessary for a boy his age."

To say Millicent was shocked right then would be an understatement.

"You want," she said slowly, "to raise Harry Potter."

"That is what was said," Goblane squeaked.

"It is a perfect solution, isn't it?" Radnork asked. "You have a home for Harry Potter—one that will not be abusive," Millicent had to wonder where they got their information from. She didn't think the debate about Harry Potter's relatives was public knowledge. "Not to mention that we use up another of our favors. After this, we'll only have one left. It works out."

Millicent, though she knew she wasn't the smartest—she had been a Hufflepuff in her youth, she was no Ravenclaw—wasn't stupid enough not to realize exactly what the goblins would gain in their guardianship of Harry Potter.

Harry Potter was already a celebrity. By raising him to be sympathetic to the enslavement of the goblins, they would gain significant ground in their efforts to be free from the ministry. When Harry Potter grew up, he would have access to two, possibly three, seats on the Wizengamot. One seat would be due to his inheritance of the Potter line, the second would be for his inheritance of the Black line, by his relation of godson to Sirius Black (unless Black had a son, which Millicent highly doubted). The third seat that he might possibly have access to would be due to an election by the people.

The Wizengamot had fifty seats. Twenty were seats that could only be passed down by inheritance. Twenty others were assigned to the heads of departments, such as the head of the Unspeakables, the head of the Department of Magical Artifacts, etc. The last ten were elected by the people of Britain, by vote. Oftentimes, the people chose to elect people for the last ten spots that already had a spot.

For instance, Lucius Malfoy had two spots on the Wizengamot. One for his inheritance of the Malfoy line, and the other for being elected for another spot under those ten spots. Because of this, he had significant influence in the ministry, no doubt to his pleasure.

The twenty seats that were passed down by inheritance had two votes. The twenty other head of department seats had one vote. And the ten people that were elected seats had three votes. Thus, Malfoy had five votes within the Wizengamot.

Harry Potter, however, would have four, or possibly seven, votes on the Wizengamot. Not to mention that Harry Potter's choice would have influence in all the other seats. No doubt, in order to get on his good side, other seats would choose the same vote as Harry Potter, no matter what his choice was.

If the goblins were to raise him and influence or push him in the direction towards freeing the goblins, they could easily claim their freedom if they went about it the right way.

Because of this, the answer should have been a definite no.

However, Millicent paused.

She thought back to all those years ago, when, as a child, she had walked into the Wizarding Bank for the first time with her parents.

Her parents had told her stories about goblins, and she had thought up, in her imagination, different visions of what they would look like. Though she knew they weren't the most pleasing to the eye, Millicent had always imagined they would, at least, look happy.

Instead, the first time Millicent looked at a goblin, she could only note with child-intelligent eyes that they looked very sad. She knew right then that they were suffering in their enslavement, even if they did not show it consciously to the wizards. Only those intelligent enough—those such as children—could tell that they were in pain.

Remembering this, Millicent looked right at the goblins in her office and said clearly, "I will see what I can do."

…

As it was, is seemed that Millicent could do quite a lot. In the end, the guardianship of Harry Potter went to the goblins.

…

So, how was it for a prologue?

Expect the next chapter later today or tomorrow :)

Reviews are appreciated (of course)!

Btw, I apologize for the title. "Goblin Raised" was the only thing I could think of. Suggestions would be appreciated. Credit WOULD be given.