CHAPTER 4
It was 5am and Harry was wide awake, unable to fall back to sleep due to his anxiety about the day ahead. He decided to get dressed after a quick show, then eat some breakfast to keep himself as preoccupied as possible. As he made his way in to the kitchen, he found that he was not the only one awake. Severus and Sirius were sitting at the kitchen table in silence with steaming mugs of coffee.
"Good morning," Sirius smiled at the sight of his Godson. "Would you like some tea or coffee? The kettle is still hot."
"I'll get myself a tea," Harry smiled as he begun to prepare some toast as well as his tea.
"How did you sleep?" Sirius asked.
"Not the best," he responded. "My mind was thinking about everything that could happen."
"I understand that," he sighed. "Just know that whatever happens, will happen. Whether it be good, bad or ugly, we will be right there beside you."
"I really do appreciate it," Harry smiled grimly as he walked over to the table and sat next to Sirius.
"We need to talk before we leave," Severus said quietly.
"About what?" asked Harry with concern.
"What you will do if the evidence can be produced," he replied instantly to soothe the worried man. "Shall you wish to press charges? Go straight to a trusted reporter? Or you could just have Gringotts deal with the matter themselves."
Harry sat in silence, chewing on his toast for a few seconds. He looked between the other two men with a frown on his face.
"I don't know," he said after swallowing his mouthful. "It's weird, you know? They were my best friends, my only friends. And to know they might have been in on Dumbledore's plan is so strange. It honestly feels almost wrong to press charges, but I think I should. Why should they get away with it just because I let my emotions get in the way?"
"I think you are doing the right thing, Harry," Sirius smiled, placing his hand on Harry's shoulder to offer him support. "It's not fair what Dumbledore did, and it wasn't fair they accepted it."
"Indeed," Severus sneered. "I suggest allowing both Gringotts and the Minister for Magic himself to investigate. That way karma can run its course twice."
"Slytherin's" snorted Sirius while shaking his head.
"Hey," Harry laughed, hitting Sirius' arm gently. "Slytherin's are the most cunning people I know. The Sorting Hat almost placed me in Slytherin, actually."
Severus snorted after hearing that while Sirius choked on a mouthful of his coffee. Harry patted his back until he was able to breathe normally again. Sirius turned to Harry with wide eyes.
"Are you joking," Sirius asked.
"One hundred percent serious," he replied with a smirk. "I was naïve to believe going in to the Slytherin house meant you were evil. Something I regret thinking and wished I could have gone with the Sorting Hat to be in the rightful house. I would have learnt some much more and reached my full potential."
"I am not hearing this," he whispered, clenching his eyes shut. "This isn't real."
"Oh hush," laughed Harry, finishing his breakfast. "Being a Slytherin isn't bad. Many traits do come in handy. How do you think I survived being on the run for so long?"
"Definitely not with your stupid Gryffindor bravery," Severus interjected, winding up Sirius even more. He smirked at Harry when the other man in the room almost turned completely red in the face.
"I do agree with Severus," Harry smirked back. "There were many times I had to think differently then how I had been while on the run. Hermione and Ron thought I was acting different after wearing the Horcrux around my neck. Part of it was. But part of it was me realising if I wanted to survive, I needed to adapt to the environment, to outsmart my enemies, to be strategic rather than idiotically brave."
"If you put it that way," begun Sirius with a frown, "Then I can understand. But to hear that my Godson was almost a Slytherin, I don't want to hear about."
"Whatever helps you sleep at night," he laughed, satisfied he had wound up the man enough.
"It will," Sirius sighed as he ran a hand down his tired looking face.
"Shall we consider leaving soon?" Harry sobered up, his nerves taking over.
"Yes," Severus said as he got up from the table. "The sooner we leave, the sooner we can start the process."
Harry nodded as he too got up. He quickly gathered all of the plates and cups, hand washing them in the sink before heading out in to the lounge room. Summoning his coat, Harry put it on and breathed out deeply.
"You will be okay," Sirius smiled.
"Thank you," Harry said, too nervous to smile back.
"Floo or apparate?" Severus asked after putting his own coat on.
"Floo to the Leaky Cauldron and walk from there," Sirius replied as he made his way to the fireplace.
"Wait," Harry paused, concern shinning in his eyes. "Are you two going to wear glamour's or just walk around as is?"
"As is," Severus replied with a little bite in his voice. "I do not care who sees him or myself. News will spread eventually."
"I agree," Sirius nodded. "I can't keep hiding forever, Harry."
"Okay," sighed Harry. "Let's go then. But be careful."
"There's no need to worry," Sirius smiled warmly, stepping in to the fireplace with a handful of floo powder.
Harry nodded at him before the other was whisked away in another second. Harry turned around to Severus and smiled sadly. The other approached him slowly before engulfing him in a hug.
"You will be fine," Severus said in the silence before pulling away and disappearing in to the floo network.
Harry closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He replayed that moment over and over in his head to give him the extra bit of courage he needed. He remembered the strong, musky scent of Severus. The vibrations of his deep voice deep within his chest. The warmth of being held so close to another human. Harry shook his head as he turned towards the floo, grabbing a handful of floo powder and stepped in.
"The Leaky Cauldron," said Harry as he threw down the powder.
Stumbling out the other side of the floo network, Harry looked up sheepishly to find Sirius and Severus staring in amusement. Harry quickly cleaned himself off of soot, before nodding confidently to himself and leading the way out to the courtyard. After tapping the right bricks, the three men made their way swiftly down Diagon Alley towards the overpowering and magnificent building of Gringotts.
Not many witches or wizards were in the alleyway. Harry conclude that most would be at home mourning the loss of their loved ones or at Hogwarts helping to rebuild. The ones that were there paid no attention as they worked on repairing broken parts of their shops and cleaning up debris. The three men had already scaled the stairs of Gringotts and made their way inside before anyone could notice them.
Their shoes clicked loudly on the polished marble floors as they made their way passed the entrance hall and to the teller that was waiting patiently for them. Harry stood in front of the goblin that was staring passively down at him with Sirius and Severus right behind him. The goblin lifted an eyebrow, waiting for one of the three men to speak.
"Ah, could I speak to the Head Goblin of Gringotts," Harry asked nervously, his heart pounding a million miles an hour.
"In regards to what?" the goblin bit out ferociously.
"In regards to the Potter Vaults and estates," he replied, fidgeting with his hands.
The goblin merely got off his chair without saying a thing and headed down a corridor. He disappeared for a minute before he arrived back with a familiar goblin. The teller walked back to his desk and begun to fill out paperwork, ignoring the wizards.
"Mr Potter," the Head Goblin smiled, showing off his razor sharp teeth. "This way if you will."
The trio instantly moved to follow the goblin down the hallway and in to a small office with three chairs. Harry sat in the middle chair that was gestured to by the Head Goblin as he sat behind his dark, wooden desk.
"What may I have the honours of doing for you today, Mr Potter?" the Head Goblin smiled.
"There are a few things I need in order immediately," Harry sat up straight in his chair, his face impassive but his eyes gave away how truly angry he was.
"Of course," he responded, worry filling his voice. "I will do my absolute best to assist you."
"Firstly," Harry started after a few seconds of silence. "I would like a full list of all transactions from my vault dating back to when it was opened."
"Would you only like the trust vault, or all of the vaults in your possession?" the Head Goblin immediately started rummaging in the desk draw, trying to find the files while waiting for a response.
"I have more than one vault?" he said taken aback.
"Of course," he paused in his rummaging to look up at Harry. "We send monthly updates on all of your accounts. Have you not received them?"
"No," Harry whispered before clearing his voice. "I have never received a letter from Gringotts."
"Are you saying that for nearly eighteen years, you have never received a letter, not even one?" Sirius asked, disbelief in his voice.
Harry shook his head, confused at the situation unfolding. He looked at the Head Goblin who was frowning as well.
"Let me investigate the address they were sent to. I won't be long," the Head Goblin hopped off his chair and left the room.
"Do you think that Dumbledore withheld them?" Sirius asked after a tense silence.
"Yes," both Harry and Severus said in unison.
Sirius nodded his head as he got lost in his own thoughts. The silence continued to stretch on for a while until finally the Head Goblin came back in with a stack of paper.
"Our records show that the letters have only gone to two address's in your lifetime," he said as he got back up on his chair and placed the paper neatly in front of him. "The first is obviously where you lived as a baby in Godric Hollows. And the second address was always sent to the Headmaster's office at Hogwarts as Albus Dumbledore was your elected magical guardian. However we always sent a spare copy to the magical guardian to pass on to the actually account holder."
"Merlin," Sirius whispered, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I can't believe it."
"Neither can I," Severus commented. "But I had a gut feeling it would be true."
"That what would be true, if you don't mind me asking?" the Head Goblin asked with a frown, overhearing the conversation.
"Dumbledore appointed as Harry's magical guardian and having full control over his accounts," Severus replied with a sneer.
"Are you meaning to tell me Harry was not aware of any of the accounts transactions, or worse that he never knew Albus Dumbledore was his magical guardian?" he asked with shock, the colour draining out of his face.
"Yes," Harry spoke up, also in shock.
"My, oh my," the Head Goblin gasped.
"The main reason we are here today is to investigate whether or not Dumbledore took money out of my vault," Harry paused. "No my vaults, and gave money to the Weasley family as well as Hermione Granger for years."
"That's impossible," he shook his head, but stopped as realisation dawned on him. "The only way an account holder can send long term payments is to have signatures every three months to continue the payment plan. I can assume I know the answer, but I need to ask anyway. Did you receive any letters asking to renew the payment plan?"
"No," Harry sighed. "Can you highlight any transactions from my vaults that go to any of the Weasley family members or Hermione Granger."
The Head Goblin clicked his finger before passing over a stack of papers to the tense young man. While Harry begun to read over the papers, the Head Goblin left the room to locate the two other goblins that were in charge of the Weasley and Granger accounts.
"Results?" Severus asked, no longer able to stay quiet.
"Money was sent directly to Granger's account dating back to our first year at Hogwarts," Harry mumbled as his eyes glided over the pages. "And it looks like money was sent to several different accounts of the Weasley family."
"Who received it?" Sirius interjected, just as eager to find out.
"Well it went to Ginny when she started at Hogwarts by the looks of it, and it stopped the night the war ended," Harry ran his finger along all the different highlighted names, his mind overwhelmed by the information. "To Fred and George the year before I started Hogwarts all the way up to when they left Hogwarts. Percy received payments for one year which was my first year at Hogwarts. Payments were sent to Ron the year before we started Hogwarts, all the way up to the end of the war. Lastly, and probably the hardest to read, Mrs. and Mr. Weasley were receiving payments for a lengthy time. They started a few months after my parents died and ended the night of the war."
"What?" Sirius asked after a shocked silence.
"Yeah, they've been receiving it for that long," he sighed, scrunching his forehead up in anger.
"Wait a second," Severus's face went blank, pale. "If Dumbledore died, how was the payment plan maintained? Where were the letters sent then?"
All three looked at each other in puzzlement. Their minds were reeling, trying to figure out the answer. Just then, two goblins entered the room with the Head Goblin. The two new goblins summoned a chair either side of the Head Goblin.
"Do you have a copy of all of the approvements for the payment plan to continue?" Harry asked immediately, panic and fury evident in his eyes.
"We do," the Head Goblin nodded, summoning the documents. "However, before we hand them over, may you please show us your signature. We would like to compare all of the signatures."
Harry nodded as he grabbed the self-inking quill and parchment that was placed in front of him. He quickly and neatly jotted down his signature 'H. J. Potter' in a swirl of fancy yet legible letters. Shoving the parchment towards the Head Goblin, he held out his hand for the documents. After receiving the pile, he immediately started to flicker through them, scrunching his face as he went.
"These aren't my signatures," Harry mumbled, pulling out one dated from three years ago to show the Head Goblin.
The Head Goblin lay the parchment and the earlier signature side by side, eyebrows shooting up immediately. Indeed it was very clear to see the differences between the two. While the one Harry provided them was written in cursive and contained the letters 'H. J. Potter', the other was written out in print and contained the letters 'Harry Potter'. The three goblins looked between each other, disbelief running through them.
"Look at these ones," Harry said as he shook his head. "These were from six months ago. Compare this to the other two."
Harry handed over the parchment, his hand shaking with anger. The Head Goblin placed it next to the other two and shook his head in shock. The signature on this one was completely different from the others. It was written in cursive and in barely legible handwriting was ' .'. The three goblins looked at each other before silently nodding, knowing what action was needed to be done.
"There is something we can do to confirm who wrote these signatures," the Head Goblin said. "We have a unique branch of magic to trace the magical signature of any witch or wizard that has written on the paper."
"Really?" Harry asked in astonishment. "Let's do it then."
The Head Goblin nodded, leaning forwards in his chair and hovering both his hands over the parchment that Harry had written on minutes prior. He closed his eyes as he concentrated on the difficult magic. After a minute of silence, the parchment begun to glow a green colour, reminiscent of Harry's own green eyes. The Head Goblin opened his eyes and removed his hands from above the parchment. A second later in a green mist, letters started appearing from thin air.
"Harry Potter," the Head Goblin read out. "As excepted."
Without hesitation, the Head Goblin started the process again with the second parchment that was from three years ago. After a minute, an almost transparent blue light engulfed the parchment. Soon the same mist started to rise as letters formed one at a time.
"Albus Dumbledore," the Head Goblin almost growled out.
"No shock there," Severus spat under his breath.
After taking a breath to calm himself, the Head Goblin hovered his hands over the third and final parchments. The silence was tense, everyone in the room wondering who's name was going to appear. A darker blue than before started to glow around the parchment. They all held their breaths as the mist appeared. Unconsciously the three men leaned forwards in their seats, trying to make out the letters.
"Arthur Weasley," the Head Goblin said as he opened his eyes.
"What?" Harry asked with shock.
"Arthur Weasley must have taken over once Dumbledore died," Severus pinched the bridge of his nose. "I cannot believe this."
"We can lunch a full investigation in to where all this money has gone and who was involved," the Head Goblin said. "I have with me the two goblins that handle all of the Weasley's accounts. Together, we will work to get justice for you."
"Thank you," mumbled Harry, a frown on his face.
"I am truly sorry Mr. Potter," he continued to say after a second of silence. "Is there anything else we can do for you today?"
"There is one more thing I need to enquire about," he said as he sat up straighter in his seat, sobering up and pushing back his emotions for now. "Has the will of my Mother and Father been read?"
The Head Goblin reached down in to his desk draw and pulled out a large, yellow envelope. The official seal of Gringotts still untouched. Harry saw the names of his parents written in thick black ink.
"How unusual," the Head Goblin murmured. "Normally the will would have been read by now."
"Unfortunately nothing is normal when it comes to me," he chuckled darkly. "Can we arrange the will reading?"
"Of course," he said as he signalled for the other two goblins to leave the room. "When would you like it to be read?"
"I understand that Remus and Tonks wills will be read soon," he said with a quiver in his voice. "Would it be possible to do it on the same day? Maybe after their wills have been read."
"Certainly," he shuffled for some papers in his other desk draw. "For you, I will make it happen."
"I appreciate everything you have done," he said with a small smile, standing up. "May your gold always flow."
"May your opportunities always flourish," the Head Goblin nodded as he busied himself arranging all of the paperwork.
Sirius and Severus followed Harry out in to the main lobby, silently appreciating the authority and respect Harry had carried himself with throughout the entire meeting. Sirius knew that he, himself, would have absolutely lost control if that was him in that position.
"Do you have the energy to apparate?" Severus asked quietly.
Harry shook his head no. He was beginning to feel emotionally exhausted. Everything he had learnt during that meeting hadn't truly sunk in yet. His mind was reeling with all of the information, consumed by a mix of so many emotions. From anger to hurt, to relief to It was almost as if Harry was walking in a daze as he left Gringotts.
Harry barely registered the hand on his shoulder or the fact he was side apparated in to the Atrium inside of the Ministry of Magic. He was led all the way to a desk where a witch sat silently sorting through paperwork.
"May I help you?" the witch asked without looking up.
"I require an urgent meeting with the Minister of Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt," Harry said after Sirius slapped the back of his head to get him back to earth.
"I'm sorry, but that won't be pos-" the witch said before she finally looked up. "Oh Merlin, Mr. Potter! I will see what I can do for you."
The witch stood up with immediately with a furious blush on her face. She disappeared in to the floo network in a hurry. Sirius chuckled as he shook his head.
"I can't believe that," he said. "Her attitude changed so quickly."
"Perks of being the one and only Harry Potter I guess," Harry said with a slight sneer.
"Mmmmmm," Severus hummed in agreement.
The floo the witch had disappeared in to came to life as she reappeared, stumbling a little on her way out. She flicked the soot off her shoulders and adjusted her silky green dress.
"The Minister is waiting for you. Level one, as you know," she said in a hurry. Just as the three men started to turn around, she spoke up again. "I'm so sorry, Mr. Potter! I didn't mean to-"
"It's fine, just forget about it," Harry sighed, making his way quickly to the elevators.
The three of them hastily made their way down to level one, ignoring the stares, gasps and whispering. They walked up to the door of the Minister of Magic's office. Everyone cowered as they saw the intimidating presence of the trio, getting out of their way in fear of angering any of them.
"Mr. Potter," Kingsley Shacklebolt opened the door before any of them could knock. "Come in."
Kingsley stepped aside as he allowed the three men to walk in to his office. He shut the door behind them and conjured an extra chair for Sirius to sit on. Walking behind his desk and sitting down, Kingsley couldn't help but stare at the breathing Sirius Black.
"Black," Kingsley continued with a nod of acknowledgement.
"Kingsley," he smirked in response.
"I assume this urgent meeting has a nothing to do with the fact that Black and Snape are alive," he said as he leaned back in his chair, clasping his hands together.
"Very much so," Harry nodded. "This matter is in regards to the Weasley's in fact."
"How so?" he asked with a frown forming on his face.
"We have just been to Gringotts bank and uncovered a web of deception, greed, theft and fraud from the entirety of the Weasley family as well as Albus Dumbledore," he said with barely withheld anger.
"Indeed," Severus chipped in. "Gringotts are launching their own independent investigation into the matter. However I suggested we bring the evidence to the Minister himself and take legal action against them if you and your team deem there is significant evidence to persue a case."
Kingsley mused for a second on everything. He looked at the anger held on Harry's face. He knew that look very well. It was a look of pure betrayal. Nodding his head, Kingsley decided he owed Harry this for all he had done, all he had sacrificed, over the years.
"Okay," he agreed, grabbing a piece of parchment and a self-inking quill from his draw. "I will open an investigation. Let's start with from the start. Then I shall require a copy of all the memories for evidence from each of you. After then, I will send a team to Gringotts to collect evidence."
"Thank you so much," Harry sighed in relief.
"It's no problem," Kingsley smiled sadly, getting ready to start writing. "Just a heads up, however, word will spread rather fast in a few days. It will be out of my control. You know as well as I how clever a certain reporter is at collecting stories."
"Yes," he said while shaking his head. "I understand. I am prepared for whatever comes my way. As long as justice is served."
All of the men nodded their heads in understanding. Harry had to hold back all of his anger and animosity he was feeling as he begun to share the details of how he came to learn of the betrayal. Severus couldn't help but stare proudly at the young man beside him. He had been through so much, yet he was so mature. Mature than any other man he knew.
Apparating back to the safety of Severus' home, the three sighed in relief. Finally able to relax after such a stressful day. It was close to dinner and all three stomachs growled in sync at the lack of food. Sirius grinned sheepishly as he walked in to the kitchen to grab the phone.
"What do you want for dinner tonight?" he asked walking back in with a smile.
"I don't care," Harry said, rubbing his eyes. "As long as I eat before I go to sleep, I don't care what you order. I just need to be on my own for a little while. Come get me when dinner is here."
Harry made his way up the stairs and to his room. He closed the door before walking over to his bed and flopping back on to it with a huge sigh escaping him. Closing his eyes, he tried to relax, to release all the stress that was pent up inside him. But he frowned as he mind was clouded with flashes of images of a certain dark eyed man. He rolled over on his bed, groaning in frustration. Why can't he just forget about the little crush he had on the old Potions Professor and just be normal?