They landed with a clatter in a small marble room about the size of a supply cupboard. It was completely empty aside from the torches mounted on the walls. There were no windows, the only light coming from the torches. The firelight was much softer than the electric bulbs used in the Hidden Leaf but it left them vulnerable to what may be lurking in the abundance of shadows the flickering light created.

The only way in or out was a single bronze door. The door's edge was carved with intricate designs inlaid with gold. The door lent validity to the letter that claimed to be from Gringotts Wizarding Bank. He could think of no other place aside from a bank that would need such an ornate door.

He couldn't stop the smile spreading across his face. He felt a flutter of hope that wherever they now were they were free from the stigma of the jinchūriki that had haunted them in their Hidden Villages. He took a deep breath feeling ready to begin fresh in this new place, at least for the next month or maybe he would stay longer. He hadn't yet made up his mind.

He reached down without thinking to pull Gaara to his feet. He saw Gaara's shocked expression when he grasped his hand. He felt his stomach sink when he realized that his friend didn't expect kindness even when it came from him. He would change that. He attempted to let go not wanting Gaara to feel uncomfortable but Gaara held onto his hand tightly. He glanced at Gaara again but he was looking at the ceiling not him. His cheeks were a little flushed and he had never seen his eyes so full of life. It was almost like no one had ever been willing to touch him before. With a shrug he looked up to see what had caught Gaara's attention.

There were painted images on the ceiling of things he had never seen before. More important than what the images were of was the fact that the images were moving. It was unlike any jutsu he had ever seen. In fact he felt the golden power inside him shifting in swirls. He got the impression that the golden power was happy about being there.

Taking a deep breath he turned his attention back to the only exit. He squeezed Gaara's hand for comfort pulling him toward the door. Once he was close enough he could see strange writing carved into the centre of the door. With a snap his golden power allowed him to read it just like it had when his letter first arrived.

The carving on the door was a poem:

Enter, stranger, but take heed

Of what awaits the sin of greed,

For those who take, but do not earn,

Must pay most dearly in their turn.

So if you seek beneath our floors

A treasure that was never yours,

Thief, you have been warned, beware

Of finding more than treasure there.

The golden power surged again once he finished reading the words in his head. He felt the power snap into place within his mind. He knew he would not be able to steal from this bank just as he had known that Sasuke and Sakura could not betray his trust when they swore to keep Kurama's death and the resultant transformation a secret.

"Can you read the words?" he asked Gaara.

Gaara nodded with a frown on his face. He seemed to be distracted by his own thoughts so Hadrian let him be, for now. He pushed on the door firmly expecting it to be locked. He was surprised at how easily it swung open. The well oiled hinges prevented the door from making a sound so their arrival could have gone unnoticed if he had anything other than an orange sweat suit to wear.

His eyes widened as he peeked around the side of the door. There was a vast marble hall on the other side. About a hundred stumpy little creatures with very long fingers were sitting on high stools behind a long counter. They were scribbling in large ledgers, weighing coins in brass scales, examining precious stones through eyeglasses, and doing other bank-like things. There were too many doors to count leading off the hall in addition to the one they would enter by once he determined it was safe. Hanging from the ceiling was the largest crystal chandelier he had ever seen. The ceiling itself was made entirely of glass that looked up at a gloomy grey sky.

Deciding there was no immediate danger he pulled Gaara toward the nearest free creature sitting at the marble counter. They walked up to the counter drawing the stares of several of the bank's other patrons who were looking at him and Gaara, or rather their outfits, strangely. He assumed it was because their clothes were very different in style to the long flowing robes the other patrons wore. What did surprise him was that there were no shortage of bright colours among the soft loose fabrics. It was clear that these people were not fans of blending in to the environment. But even with so many bright colours on display he could only see one other person in orange but their's was a much softer sunset shade. He decided the first thing he would do once he got access to his trust fund would be to buy a new wardrobe of nicely coloured robes.

"Hello," he greeted the creature behind the counter.

It bared its tiny sharp teeth in an approximation of a smile which looked more like a disgusted sneer. The thing's small, beady black eyes examined him and Gaara from top to bottom before dismissing Gaara who had yet to do anything but stare the thing down with narrowed suspicious eyes. He didn't let his discomfort show on his face as he waited for the thing to speak. He hoped it would understand his language as the voices around him were speaking a language that made no sense at all.

"Do you have your key?" the creature said with a growling, but not deep voice.

The thing was able to speak in his language which relieved him of some of his worry. Unlike most of the creatures scurrying about in red and gold uniforms the ones behind the counter all had black robes similar to the other patrons but more simple and less soft and flowing. He didn't know what kind of key the creature was asking for. He did however have the letter the bank had sent him. He put it on the counter pushing it toward the thing to signal it should take it.

"I only have this letter," he told the creature as it lifted the letter to its face.

Understanding lit up the clever pointed face, "Mr. Potter, welcome to Gringotts. Garnok is the goblin in charge of your accounts. He will come to speak with you shortly."

It was nice knowing what the creatures were called. It would be nice to no longer have to call them creatures and things in his head, it had felt rude when they were clearly an intelligent if not human species. Having said his piece the goblin quickly wrote a note on a piece of very thick paper. He sent it off with the first red and gold uniformed goblin that passed him.

"Is there something else?" the goblin asked quite rudely.

"Can you exchange currency?" he asked pulling his bag off of his back.

"We can," the goblin told him.

Gaara who had his funds in the pocket of his pants emptied his wallet onto the counter first. The goblin counted the currency before making a mark in the ledger that was open on his side of the counter. He reached beneath the counter brining up a small stack of gold coins. He counted out ten gold coins, fifteen silver coins, and four bronze coins.

"Ten galleons, fifteen sickles and four knuts," the goblin said passing the coins to Gaara.

He wasn't sure how much robes cost but for the amount of money Gaara gave the goblin it didn't seem like he was getting much back. He waited for Gaara to take the coins and put then away. He finally found his own wallet filled with all the money he had when he left the Hidden Leaf. He laid out his money on the counter, he felt like he had brought a little more than Gaara as his friend hadn't had a chance to empty out his savings.

"Twenty-five galleons, ten sickles, 2 knuts," the goblin counted out. He slid the sickles, knuts, and a few the gold coins into his frog wallet but they were much bigger than the coins used in the hidden villages. He swept the rest loose into his bag figuring he could clean it out later. The goblin sneered at him and he felt his cheeks redden.

They moved to the side to allow the next customer in line to speak with the goblin. The person who was dressed in bright blue robes handed the goblin a small golden key before the goblin could ask. He assumed that was what the goblin had originally been asking him for.

A few minutes later a rotund goblin waddled out of one of the doors behind the counter before stopping in front of him, "I am Garnok, follow me."

The goblin then began waddling back toward the door he had come from. With a small nod toward the goblin who had helped them previously he and Gaara followed Garnok through the carved bronze doors. They found themselves in a long marble hallway dotted with silver doors which were just as intricately carved as the bronze door he had entered the lobby through had been. Some of the doors were inlaid with various coloured gemstones. They were led through one of the doors about halfway down the hallway into a richly decorated office. Garnok took a seat in a plush leather chair behind a large mahogany desk featuring a complex carving of knots. Sculptures, piles of gold and jewels, along with several tapestries littered the perimeter of the room. In front of the desk were four plain but sturdy wooden chairs.

"Sit down," Garnok told them.

He was beginning to realize that goblins were very blunt. He appreciated the bluntness only because he felt it was more honest than polite platitudes that meant nothing to the person using them. Gaara took the chair farthest from the door angling it so he could keep an eye on both the goblin and the door. He took the seat next to him leaving the two chairs nearest to the door empty.

"The letter advised you that there were certain conditions which needed to be met in order to receive access to your trust fund once you reached the age of eleven," the goblin paused for a response.

As there was no new information in the sentence he simply nodded indicating that the goblin could continue.

"The conditions laid out by your parents were simple. You must have magic, as I understand from your mother's will there was a chance you could have been a squib due to her family line being muggle. If you have magic the second condition was that you must attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to complete your magical education," Garnok advised.

He assumed the reason for the magical condition was due to the Uzumaki line usually having chakra instead. His mother was a talented shinobi who was a jinchūriki before him. He knew there was no need to worry though because he felt very connected to the golden power inside of him.

"First we will need to make sure you are a wizard and not a squib, I will also verify that you are Hadrian James Potter," the goblin said.

Garnok reached down to a cupboard under his desk pulling out a pair of knives and two small bowls. He placed those onto the top of the desk before pulling out a bottle with a black liquid that looked like ink inside it. The goblin set a bowl in front of both of them. He assumed the goblin was making an attempt at not ignoring his friend which he appreciated.

"Three drops of blood in the potion," the goblin said handing each of them one of the knives.

He saw Gaara take the knife but he didn't use it to cut himself right away.

"Aren't you curious what that stuff will do when we add our blood?" he asked Gaara coaxing him into testing the ink first.

Garnok had pulled out two long sheets of the thick paper he had seen the goblins at the counter using for their memos. Gaara looked at him searchingly before shrugging and cutting one of his fingers. It healed immediately before any blood could escape. He frowned at Gaara's finger wondering if it was because of their chakra. He tested it by trying to cut his own finger. He felt a brief sting but just like Gaara his chakra healed him instantly. He smiled knowing that as a shinobi instant healing was invaluable but now it brought up concern for how he was going to get three drops of blood in the ink/potion. He decided to cut himself again but this time he didn't remove the knife from the wound so it would hold the cut open long enough for it to bleed.

He let three drops fall into the bowl nearest to him noticing that Gaara was doing the same in the other bowl. Once the blood had fallen he removed the knife and the skin knit together instantly closing the wound. He looked at Garnok who was looking at them strangely but the goblin didn't ask so he felt no need to give up his life's history. He would do his best to keep what he realized was a pretty good advantage to himslef.

Garnok took Gaara's bowl first to show them what would happen. He swirled the ink around in the bowl until it turned silver. Garnok then poured it onto one of the papers he had placed on the desk. The potion moved on its own to spell G-A-A-R-A in the same strange writing as the letter that was sent to him.

"You have no last name," Garnok stated, "You need a last name to register."

"Register for what?" Gaara growled.

"Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Mr. Potter was registered by his parents before he was born. As you are from a continent with no Magical community you will not be registered at any school," it was the most they had heard Garnok speak, "For one galleon we will offer the service of registering on your behalf."

"Sabaku," Gaara said handing over one of the golden coins he had exchanged earlier.

The silver ink on the page flowed to create more of the strange letters, S-A-B-A-K-U. That meant the previous word was Gaara's name spelt in the writing of this place's people. That was interesting. He wondered how they would complete an education in this country if they couldn't read the writing or understand the language.

The goblin nodded before picking up his bowl, "Now, Mr. Potter."

Unlike Gaara's potion his ink turned a brilliant gold colour the same as his golden power, though he supposed he should call it magic now. Like he had with Gaara's the goblin poured the ink onto the page but unlike Gaara's his branched into a chart that vaguely resembled a tree. On one half the branches were filled with letters on the other there were names but there seemed to be generations missing in between. Directly above his name was the names of what he assumed were his parents, though he couldn't read the letters to know what their names were.

"We can't read what it says," he told Garnok.

With a sigh that seemed more annoyed than necessary, Garnok climbed down from his chair. He watched with confusion as the goblin waddled out of the office. He wasn't sure the goblin was very wise to leave them in a room with gold and jewels just laying around in piles. And yet every thought he had to just take some was quickly pushed away by a surge of magic. That meant he was correct about the words carved into the back of the door binding him in some way. His magic would not allow him to rob the bank. He wasn't surprised by that but what did surprise him was that Gaara also had magic.

"I wonder if your chakra was dormant in the womb because you had magic," he mused aloud.

Gaara glanced at him with wide eyes, "Maybe."

"Guess it doesn't really matter but I'm glad I didn't bring you here only to have to say goodbye because you couldn't stay," he smiled at Gaara whose lips twitched upward in what was his version of a smile back.

The door to the office opened again and Garnok waddled in with a pair of cloth bags. He climbed back onto his chair and pushed a bag toward each of them. He pulled out a thin silver chain with a clasp on one end and a large yellow stone on the other. Next to the stone was a small hoop for the clasp to attach.

"The bracelets are charmed to allow you to speak, understand, read, and write in English. The spell will fade as you learn the language on your own. Once you know the language the stone will turn white to indicate it can be removed," Garnok explained, "The cost for the charmed bracelets is five galleons each."

He smiled at the goblin, "That's fine, this is worth the expense."

He pulled out his frog wallet and passed over five galleons. Gaara did the same next to him. He watched the goblin smile as he greedily swept up the coins. Goblins seemed to adore money so it wasn't any wonder why they decided to run a bank.

Garnok nodded as he slipped the bracelet on. He felt his magic connect with the magic in the bracelet and was finally able to read the letters on the paper. The page was a family tree the chart following the path of his direct ancestors. His father's name was James Fleamont Potter and the names above him stretched back several generations until the page ran out of room after the name Ignotus Peverell. His mother's half of the tree was more sparse but the names were Uzumaki beginning not with Kushina as he had expected but with Lily Uzumaki/Evans née Potter which he knew for a fact was not the person who gave birth to him.

On his mother's side there were only … names above his mother's. Based on the size of the writing there were two generations between her and the last magical relative who was called Arian Uzumaki. Four generations before him was Lucan Uzumaki. Three generations above him was Raine Uzumaki née Stygian, and directly above her Selene Uzumaki née Slytherin. From the top of the tree he could see that two magical bloodlines married into the Uzumaki clan, Stygian and Slytherin.

Garnok carefully read over the bloodline chart, "This was not done for your mother as she was came to us as a muggle born with the last name Evans. Most pure bloods do not perform lineage tests as they have family trees in their homes which magically update with each birth and death. You have two titles you can claim that your parents did not claim for themselves as they were unaware of them."

"What do you mean by titles?" he asked curious.

"Potter is an ancient and respected house with old money but it is not noble. However, the houses of Peverell and Stygian are both ancient and noble. There have been no known living heirs to claim lordship of the houses in several centuries leaving the vaults to collect interest. Slytherin is a founder of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizadry but his descendants squandered his fortune away centuries ago and no longer have any vaults at Gringotts to claim," Garnok said irritated.

With a grumble Garnok once again climbed down from his chair and left the office. He exchanged glances with Gaara who looked pensive. He was unsure how the conditions for his trust fund along with his apparent titles would translate to him returning to the village. He was beginning to suspect the only way he would return to the Village Hidden by Leaves in one month was if magic somehow allowed for time travel which was ridiculous.

"I will not go back," Gaara informed him.

"Back to the Hidden Villages?" he clarified.

Gaara nodded, "The feeling here is more comfortable."

He wasn't entirely sure what Gaara meant but he could respect his decision to leave. When he was younger he had dreamt of finding a place like this. A place where no one knew about shinobi or what a jinchūriki was. Somewhere people wouldn't look at him with cold eyes always a moment away from violence and cruelty. He had not yet made up his mind but he did not want to abandon Gaara. He didn't want to abandon Sasuke either. He would wait to find out exactly how much he would be giving up before making any final decisions.

"I'm not sure what I will do," he confessed.

Gaara nodded in understanding but frowned in a way that made his heart hurt a little. They sat in silence waiting for Garnok to return. When he did he was followed by one of the goblins in a red and gold uniform. The goblin was pushing a bronze cart that had a large stack of documents. There were also several boxes on the cart that seemed like the ones he had seen in the window of a jewellery store once. Garnok eyed his chair dubiously as if wondering if the climb up would be worth it. He glanced at the other goblin before making his final decision and once again climbing onto the chair.

"This is Griphook," Garnok introduced the new goblin.

Griphook nodded his head in greeting before transferring the various stacks of thick paper from the cart onto the desk. The stacks were separated into groups held together by leather folders.

"We will start with the Keys and rings. The documents regarding the contents of your vaults and other holdings will wait until your guardian arrives," Garnok began.

"Sorry, but what do you mean guardian?" he had a bad feeling.

"Mr. Potter, you and Mr. Sabaku are underage. You will need a guardian while you are not at school due to your father being incapable of assuming responsibility for your care," Garnok said as though it was obvious.

In the hidden villages as soon as you were made a genin you were considered an adult in the eyes of the law regardless of your actual age. He had lived in his own apartment since he was five years old. Before that he was on his own at the orphanage as the caretakers in charge hated him for being a jinchūriki. He was not at all happy about the idea of having a guardian trying to put restrictions on his movements or behaviours.

After the initial indignation he realized something else that Garnok said was confusing him, "You're speaking like my father isn't dead."

"After your presumed death and the actual death of Lily Potter, James Potter attacked the man who had betrayed their location to He Who Must Not Be Named. In the process he killed Peter Pettigrew and thirteen muggle bystanders. He is currently in Azkaban Wizard Prison and will remain there for the rest of his life though the public sympathies mostly are in his favour," Garnok explained.

"Your Godfather Sirius Orion Black has been contacted regarding your guardianship as stated in Lily Potter's will," Griphook added.

"Great," he said very sarcastically so there would be no misunderstanding of exactly how not great he thought it was.

At least being imprisoned was something he would consider a valid excuse for not trying to find your only child if you were still alive. He wondered what this Sirius Black person would be like. He would know before he left the bank if he was willing to tolerate the man or not. Griphook carried over the first box along with a silver chain so thin it was difficult to see. First he was handed the chain.

"The chain is charmed to be unbreakable. So only you will be able to remove it. It can be worn on your neck, as a belt, wrapped into a bracelet, the choice of how you wear it is yours but always keep your vault keys on you. We do not issue new keys if you lose them," Garnok warned.

He took the chain carefully holding it in both hands. It was difficult to get past just how thin the chain was. If it wasn't catching on the light he wouldn't be able to see it at all. The small box that was in Griphook's other hand was passed to him next. Inside was a small golden key with the letter P built into the bow.

"The Potter Vault key, you will gain access to all of your vaults when you become a legal adult when you turn seventeen," Garnok advised.

There was a thin loop at the bow of the key so it could be strung onto the chain. He let the key slide to the middle of the chain wondering how many keys he would be getting. He would hate to jingle with each step and give away his location to everyone in earshot.

"Are the keys also charmed unbreakable?" he asked.

"Yes, and silenced," Garnok told him with a proud grin.

Griphook brought over two more boxes. Both held keys that were silver in colour. These keys were both bigger and more ornate with a coat of arms behind the letters on the bows. One showed another P while the second had an ornate S.

He looked at Garnok as he strung the new keys on the chain, "The Peverell and Stygian Vault keys I presume?"

Garnok nodded. The smallest key was given to him next. This one had HP built into the bow so he assumed it was for his vault.

"My trust vault key," he didn't pose it as a question as he was sure that was what it was.

He put the chain around his neck so that the dangling keys would be hidden inside his sweater. There were still three small boxes left on the cart. He assumed they were the rings that Garnok had mentioned earlier.

"Noble magical houses have heir rings that only accept an heir they deem worthy," Garnok advised, "When you come of age you will return the heir rings to Gringotts in exchange for the lordship rings."

Griphook brought over two of the three ring boxes. The first ring was silver with a deep blood red stone, inside the stone was the image of the Peverell coat of arms. He put the ring on the index finger of his right hand. He felt his magic connect with the magic in the ring which felt similar to his own but older. It glowed briefly before shrinking to fit his finger. The second ring had the Stygian coat of arms. It was silver with a deep grey stone that shifted in the light so it looked like it was made of shifting shadows. His magic repeated the process with the ring accepting his magic before it shrank to fit his right ring finger.

As only two of his houses were considered noble he wondered what was inside the third box. It looked like it was the right size for a third ring but to which house he had no idea. Before he could ask however, there was a knock on the door. With a nod from Garnok, Griphook opened the door where another goblin was standing before a tall human man. The man had wavy black hair to his shoulders and piercing silver eyes. He felt himself go tense at the arrival of the visitor wondering if this was the man who was to be his guardian and steal his independence. What if he tried to take him away from Gaara who had no one else in this country to rely on.

Gaara must have seen him tense because he felt his hand wrap around his and squeeze it. HE felt the knot of tension in his chest ease as he leaned back in his chair. He listened to the goblins converse in their own language for awhile before the man was allowed in. He saw the man glance at his and Gaara's joined hands before smiling slightly. He took the chair closest to the door allowing some distance to be maintained by the empty chair between them.

"Mr. Potter, this is Lord Sirius Black. He has agreed to be your guardian and has accepted the role for Mr. Sabaku as well," Garnok told him.

He felt immensely relieved that he wouldn't be left alone in a new place with this man. Not that he had any reason to distrust him apart from the general don't trust anyone until they earn it shinobi philosophy. The fact that he was willing to take in Gaara who he had no previous connection to was a huge point in his favour. Because of that he allowed himself to smile politely at Lord Black.

"Hadrian, you have no idea how happy I am to finally get to meet you," Lord Black said with a friendly open smile, "You look just like your mother but you have your father's hair."

Sirius leaned toward him, his body language open fully trusting him. He eyed the man critically. He was someone his mother had trusted to care of him in her will. That meant he had to be at least somewhat trustworthy. He wasn't sure how different the wizarding world was from the shinobi world but he couldn't get rid of all the lessons his home had taught him. One of which was that this man was foolish for underestimating him just because he was a child. He left himself open to an attack. With his training this man would be dead before he could blink. That was if he decided to attack him which he had no intention of doing.

"It is nice to meet you, Lord Black," he said formally but with a friendly smile.

"Sirius, please. Lord Black was my father," he said with a barking laugh.

Sirius was far too carefree for his liking. It didn't help that barking in any form reminded him of Kiba and Akamaru who got on his nerves. He felt his smile grow a little more strained. He just had to remember it wasn't Sirius's fault. Then again the carefree attitude was to his advantage if he manipulated the situation correctly.

"It is nice to meet you, Sirius," he corrected, "This is my friend Gaara Sabaku."

"Good to meet you Gaara," he said happily behaving informally with them already.

He shared a look with Gaara. He suddenly felt better about having a guardian. Sirius was trying so hard to impress him that he would likely keep all of the freedoms he is accustomed to having. He didn't dislike Sirius at all. In fact he felt a bit worried about him.

"You as well," Gaara replied.

He turned back to Garnok, "Was there anything else we needed to know?"

"One more thing you are on record as Lord Black's heir until he produces a male child of his own blood," Griphook brought him the last ring box.

He glanced at Sirius who nodded excitedly that he should put the ring on. He felt like three rings on one hand would look too gaudy so he put the ring on his left index finger. His magic met the magic of the ring. It had to spend a longer time, negotiating he thought, before the ring finally accepted him and shrank to fit his finger.

"Dorea Black married into the Potter line which means you have only a very slight claim to the Black lordship. Your claim is made stronger by magic accepting me as your Godfather before you were born," Sirius confided once the ring accepted him.

He smiled, "I see."

Griphook handed Sirius the folders that had been sitting on the desk, "The ledgers for Mr. Potter's accounts."

Sirius looked at the pile of folders in his arms with a mournful expression bordering on disgust before sighing. He pulled out a thin piece of wood and the documents shrunk down so he could put them in his pocket. He felt his eyes widen at how easily Sirius was able to use magic. He wanted to know what that stick was but felt reluctant to admit weakness until he knew he could fully trust Sirius.

"We'll go through those later," Sirius said with a wink at them not seeming to notice their shock.

"Follow me," Griphook said leading the way out of the office.

He nodded goodbye to Garnok who was pulling out other work to do. He got a small nod in return which he counted as a victory. He followed Sirius, with Gaara still holding onto him which he didn't mind, out of the Bank through a large set of double doors which he assumed was the main entrance. He was curious what Sirius had planned for them.