Warfare

Chapter 1 – Money, money, money…

This was the last time the Dursleys were going to make him work for them and give him no food at all.

This train of thought had started yesterday morning, after he saw the Dursleys happily eating while he was working the garden, hungry, for the fourth time that week. Every time he finished in the garden, Dudley, along with his friends, practically destroyed everything he did. The Dursleys obviously blamed him for it and made him go to bed with no food or water. Today was the last day he decided.

Dudley was watching that Muggle movie called "The Godfather" while eating. They had to move the television to the kitchen because Dudley kept screaming that he was going to miss the best part, even though it was a DVD. Dudley was simply in love with this movie; he had been watching it everyday for the last six months. Even Harry was starting to know the lines, even though today it was the very first time Harry actually watched it. He enjoyed the movie, but thought that once a day for everyday in six months was too much. Lately, though, he had started to see how everything on the movie matched his own life, so he made a decision, one that would change his whole life.

Today everything was going to change even if he had to do something drastic.

He had had enough – even for him. Given his basic tendency to take everything thrown at him quietly, that was saying something.

After fixing the garden for the fifth time that week, he went to his bedroom to get his wand and to get ready to go to Diagon Alley.

The Dursleys were eating, and when they were eating they didn't pay attention to him – except to tell him what else to cook. Since he had already served them before working on the garden, they wouldn't notice him leaving the house.

After retrieving the wand from his trunk, he went to the door. On his way to the door, he passed by an old sports cap that Dudley had left on the floor. He grabbed it, placing it immediately on his head to cover his hair and scar, intending to disguise his appearance while in Diagon Alley. After hailing the Knight Bus he lay down on one of the free beds. He wanted to get to Diagon Alley as soon as possible, because the Order was probably watching and would soon follow him.

Reaching the Leaky Caldron, he donned his black Hogwarts robe from which he had ripped the House patch. He was able to enter the pub without anyone recognizing him, and he crossed immediately to the entrance to Diagon Alley without looking around. The Alley was empty. He didn't know if it was because of the more frequent Death Eaters attacks or because there weren't any students and parents out buying school supplies. He decided that he didn't care what the reason was for the Alley's desertion at the moment; he just cared about getting rid of his so-called relatives.

He went to Gringotts Bank. He was sure he would get the help he wanted from the goblins. The huge pillars of the bank were painted red, and there was a huge line of Wizards in front of the bank. He heard snatches of conversation referring to a bank strike. Apparently, this had never happened before. He decided to go straight to the goblin in charge. It figured that just when he made the decision to get rid of the Dursleys, something would get in the way.

"Excuse me, I'd like to talk to the goblin in charge, please," he said to the goblin that was in charge of the guards on the door.

"Who should I say wants to talk to him? You see we are on strike, Wizard. The last time anything close to this happened, there was a war between our people."

"I did not know this. Will you tell him that Harry Potter is here to talk to him?"

"OK," grumbled the goblin as he went inside.

After what felt like more than ten minutes, the chief of the guard came back with a goblin teller, who motioned for Harry to follow him. Just as he was following the teller inside he heard murmurs from the crowd that was not pleased that he was going in without waiting on the line. These voices were quickly quieted by the sharply barked order of the chief goblin guard for the crown to retreat 50 more feet before he was required to move them.

Harry had never seen Gringotts without at least a few costumers inside; it was very weird to see it so empty. There were no tellers at the counters. The only thing that was like before were the guards by the walls, though it looked like there were a lot more guards then he remembered.

They stopped at a door that read DIRECTOR. The goblin motioned for him to enter the office and left without a word. As he went in he noticed that this office looked like was owned by a Wizard not a goblin. It had pictures of small goblins within a cave, and there was a large roaring fire in the fireplace. The office looked very cozy to him. Behind a huge desk was an elderly goblin thatlooked like he could be over three hundred years of age. His beard was short and completely white and his skin looked a lot like old parchment, cracked along the surface. As he watched Harry looking at his surroundings, his face split in a wide grin.

"Mr. Potter, I'm Grnulaak, the manager of the Diagon Alley branch of Gringotts Bank. What a surprise to meet you in the middle of the first strike in our history. To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"The pleasure is all mine, Mr.Grnulaak. I'm embarrassed to say that I didn't know of this strike and I'm very curious about it. What exactly has the Wizarding world done now?"

"Just Grnulaak, please. You do not seem to have much faith in your kind, Mr. Potter, and I have to say that is really refreshing."

"I know enough about the Wizards that work in the government to know that if they do something it's probably the wrong thing to do."

"Unfortunately you are correct. Yesterday a new law was passed by the ministry. All magical businesses must have a majority Wizard partner, and that includes Gringotts Bank. This is very complicated; not because we don't want Wizard partners, but because we simply do not trust that many Wizards and it would take a lot of Wizards, or one extremely rich Wizard, to buy a majority in our bank. So you see, we think that Minister Fudge is trying to force us out and get the control of the Wizarding world's finances. If the ministry gets the might of Gringotts Bank to back it up, then it will be able to confiscate money, proprieties, and anything else they want to get their hands on."

"I can see how that can be a problem." Harry could immediately see how bad things could go for the Wizarding world if the corrupt Ministry got their hands on the money and properties of anyone they wanted. They could seize the properties of innocents, like Sirius! And worse, what if Fudge decided it was important enough for him to make a pact with Malfoy? This could not happen!

"What can I do about it?"

"Do you really want to do something about it?" The elder asked in a cautiously excited tone.

"Of course. I can't let them have it. Actually, I came here for help getting my emancipation from my awful Muggle relatives, but for that I need to be emancipated in the Wizarding world. If I could get enough people interested in investing in the bank, you would get partners that you trusted, they could get good press for saving the bank, and I could get my freedom."

"Actually Mr. Potter…"

"Call me Harry, if I'm going to help you and you're going to help me, I think we can consider ourselves friends."

"Okay Mr. Pot... I mean Harry. As I was saying, if we get your emancipation we wouldn't need anybody else to help us as you yourself enough money in your family vault to buy the majority shares needed. Actually, this would not begin to empty your vaults; you are the richest Wizard alive since your inheritance of the Black fortune."

"Ahhhh…" Harry was completely speechless, he knew Sirius had left him money, but he didn't know how much. He also knew his family was rich but the kind of money this goblin was talking about was something completely off the charts.

"Excuse me, Harry." The goblin was confused by Harry's shocked reaction, and was becoming curious as to the reason for it.

"How much money exactly do I have?"

"Considering all your vaults, proprieties, rents, investments?"

"Yes, considering it all."

"I couldn't be that precise by memory; let me call the goblin in charge of your accounts."

He then pressed a button on his desk and instantly a goblin appeared on the door. He spoke to the elder in their language in a manner that seemed completely subservient and left immediately to do his bidding.

"He will be here in a moment," said the elder goblin, with a smug expression.

"Okay."

Within five minutes a much younger goblin entered with a stack of papers in his arms, and bowed respectfully to both the elder and to Harry.

"I am here as requested, venerable director." The goblin seemed to be in awe in the presence of the director.

"Good, you were fast. Mr. Potter here wants to know exactly how much money he has in all his accounts."

"Sir, I cannot give you that figure now; I can give to you and Mr. Potter the amount in his vaults. If that would suffice, I can then have a complete accounting in two or three hours."

"That would be fine. Could you please tell me the amount of money I have in all my vaults?"

"That would be my pleasure, Mr. Potter."

He shuffled thru the papers that he had brought and started summing up numbers.

"You have today 38,000 galleons in your trust fund for school, the dowry vault your mother had has 12 million galleons, then your father's personal vault with a little over 120 million galleons. Finally you have the two family vaults that you own – one for the House Potter with almost 700 million galleons and one for House Black. This the largest single family vault in any of our braches, with a balance of approximately 40 billion galleons."

"How much! This can't be right! Could you redo the math?"

"It is the last count, sir, from yesterday, so it is a close estimate. Of course, you must add interest for the day, which is considerable since your holdings get our large corporation rate. Yours is the largest account handled by Gringotts Bank; you are the richest Wizard alive."

"Thank you," Harry said, stunned.

"I must tell you that you have also a considerable number of shares in several Wizarding and Muggle companies, such as: the Nimbus broomstick company, of which you have over 34 percent; the Comet broomstick company, of which you have almost all the shares; a potions ingredients company called Pieces, Dashes & Pints, the foremost supplier of rare potions ingredients in the world, a little over 52 percent; and a bookstore in Bulgaria called Stradivarius that specializes in old tomes and is considered the best source of books on old spells, 95 percent. You also have a controlling interest in three Quidditch teams: the Holyhead Harpies, which are the current champions of England and the only British team you own; the Vrasta Vultures, a Bulgarian team that is almost all the players of the Bulgarian national team, except for those still in school. The Vrasta Vultures are also the current European Champions. They have won the competition seven times. The last Quidditch team you own is Transylvania, which is one of the oldest and most highly regarded teams in the world. Besides the aforementioned, you own several smaller Wizarding businesses around the world. In the Muggle world you own stock in a soft drink company called Coca-cola; you are the largest single owner with a little more than 21 percent of the overall shares. You also have shares in an American beer company called Budweiser, with a little over 48 percent of shares. You own a conglomerate that controls several other businesses such as Amazon, Mercedes-Benz, Ebay and Warner Bros. You are also well invested in other world class companies in several other fields. Your fortune is unparalleled in both the Muggle and Wizarding world."

"This is too much…"

"There is an old goblin saying that says 'There isn't too much in the world to be too much'."

"Yes, but I mean… It's too much. How much I would need to get a controlling interest in Gringotts?"

"You would need about 12.5 billion galleons. As I told you, even the government doesn't have that kind of ready money at its disposal, but you actually do."

"Okay, let's get me emancipated so that I can buy Gringotts."

"Right away, Harry. Griphook, I will need Jones and Jones. They are the best solicitors in the Muggle world, as well as in the Wizarding world, and we need them to solve the mess that is Mr. Potter's guardianship."

"Right away, sir," said the goblin in awe. He never thought the day would come that he would have a Wizard boss. If it had to happen, though, it was best that it was Mr. Potter; after all, every time he met him he was polite and nice – even to goblins.

"Great. I'm going to go take a look around Diagon Alley to see if I can get my hands on some books I really wanted. I should be back around four, is that time enough to get the solicitors?"

"Mr. Potter… I mean, Harry, that is more than enough time. We will even be able to file the papers for you emancipation by then."

"Great, so I'll be back at four."

"Great, ask the guards for Griphook and he will update you. It will be great to have you as partner. Goodbye Harry."

"Goodbye and thank you."

Harry then went to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions to buy some robes and other clothes that would be more suited to meet with Muggle and Wizard solicitors. As soon as he got there he saw that he was in luck because he had never seen the store empty. Since it was now, he just walked in and looked around for the attendant.

"May I help you?" said an attendant. She probably fresh out of school since she was wearing the same kind of clothes he saw the seventh year girls wear on Hogsmeade weekends: short skirts and a pretty blouse.

"I sure hope so. I'm in need of a complete wardrobe both Muggle and Wizarding."

"Do you have any preference in color or fashion for the robes?"

"I want the robes all in black; the same for the Muggle clothes, except for some jeans. I also would like to have the robes and clothes enchanted, so what kind of enchantments do you have available?"

"I can make them auto ironing so that you never have to be worried about being wrinkled, I can also make them auto-adjust for growth, so that you won't have to come here to fit them too often. There is also an enchantment that provide for a color change so that you can have only one of each outfit and choose the color on a daily basis."

"Great! I want all the enchantmentson all the clothes."

"That'll be costly…"

"That's ok."

"Great."

The young lady took her time choosing from the best and telling him that all would be ready in a couple of hours. After he signed for the purchases on a Gringotts' Authorization of Transfer, he left, intending to go to the bookstore and then to get a few other items.

He walked the short distance from Madam Malkin's to the bookstore. Inside it was smaller then he remembered, but maybe it was just that he had grown. The bookstore was also empty, so Harry just calmly chose the books he wanted. He purchased a couple of books on Wizarding law and some books on the history and stats of the Quidditch teams of today. He wanted to know everything there was to know about his teams! He also searched for a book on the Wizarding companies like the one he had seen his uncle reading for Muggle companies but found none. The clerk advised him to look for a periodical called Top 100 Wizarding Businesses of the last 100 Years, which could be found on Knockturn Alley at a store named Flanagan's Periodicals.

After a short walk he arrived at Flanagan's Periodicals. It was the second store in on Knockturn Alley.The dark windows didn't let him see if there was somebody inside, not that he really cared since he was there only to order a subscription. He entered the store like he owned it; he had learned from talking to Shacklebolt that the people in Knockturn Alley were more willing to help when power was openly showed.

Just as he entered he was greeted by an older man who looked like had 80 years old.

"May I help you my lord?" The attendant said with a low bow.

"What do you mean with this milord?" Harry said, with more than a little embarrassment.

"My door is enchanted so that when any lord of the old families come in I'm instantly notified. That way I don't lose any good business and stay on the good side of all members of the old families."

"Oh, that explains that. Very well, I'm here to subscribe to the business periodical."

"Yes my lord. Here is the form for the subscription. All you have to do is tap your wand to it and it will be filled, then you will receive your subscription by owl. Here is the Gringotts transfer authorization. Thank you."

After signing the credit sheet Harry turned and left wondering from where this lord stuff was coming from. He decided to ask the goblins. If anyone knew, they would. As soon as he left Flanagan's, he saw a potions ingredients store that looked rather dark. He decided to have a look at what kind of things they had for sale and also find out what the price was on some of the products.

When he entered he saw a woman who appeared to be in her thirties with long black hair. Her hair was neatly bound in a single braid that fell to her waist. She had some kind of grease applied on her hair, so it shone with an unearthly shine; obviously this was the same product that that greasy git of a potions professor of his always applied to his hair. He always thought that the git simply didn't shower enough, but now he realized that he probably used this product so that no strand of hair was in his way when brewing potions. After all, it was imperative that none of your hair fall into the cauldron when brewing even the simplest potions.

Harry looked around the store with appreciation. This place was definitely better for those who were serious about brewing potions. He could see that the ingredients were neatly labeled and the store was neat as a pin. He didn't have to wonder how Snape got his ingredients anymore; he had always wondered how the man could stand to shop in the same store as kids buying kits for school, with all the noise and mess they created.

"How can I help you young man?" She had a smile that could have illuminated a small room. He wondered if she was accustomed to having children in her shop or if she was wondering if he was lost. Her next question solved his doubts.

"Are you lost? Diagon Alley is right down the corner."

"No ma'am, I just wanted to know if you carried books on potion making, and also I'd like to know the price of a few ingredients."

"Oh, what do I have here? A connoisseur? No, young gentleman, I don't carry any books, not even in potion making. It's simply not done. Since the beginning of time books were put for sale separately from ingredients. In what other way can I help you?"

"Ok, I just thought that would be easier to look for in a single place for anything on the subject, but it's alright. I was wondering, are there any ingredients that come from a Basilisk, and how much would those ingredients cost?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, but currently I don't have any Basilisk ingredients, and yes, of course, there are a lot of ingredients that come from Basilisk. Its eyes are used in charming rituals; this is one of the ingredients that were used frequently many years ago. Its skin can be used in a series of other potions and rituals. Actually, the truth is that there are so many parts of the Basilisk that can be used in magic that it's simply too much to explain in a few minutes. The fact that they are all but extinct puts the price very high; today they would go for tens of thousands of galleons."

"What, the whole Basilisk?" Harry asked interested.

"No! My god! That would be a treasure. That cost is for a few grams of its eye or a few grams of its skin. As I said they are all but extinct, and when they are truly gone there are a few of the older potions that are simply going to be lost. We've been using ingredients from dragons and other reptiles in experiments, trying to replace the Basilisk, but to no avail; they simply are the most magical."

"There are a couple of Basilisks for sale at the Magical Menagerie, but nobody wants to buy them since they cost too much and are considered evil. The ministry passed a law that states that any magical creature acquired apart from owls and cats must be reported by the store to the Control of Magical Creatures Department. Nobody is willing to spend a few thousand galleons on a pet that will also put you on the Aurors "shit" list. There is also the fact that you probably would spend as much as the price for the basilisk in preparing a safe feeding environment for him, since they can't be domesticated. It's quite expensive. I'm sorry for being in 'professor mode' but I get intense when think that the ministry is speeding the extinction process for several magical creatures."

Harry wondered if he should go and buy the basilisks just to prevent them from falling into the wrong hands. Yes, he decided, he definitely had to go there. "It's ok. I don't think I like the idea of the ministry being able to choose which creatures should be extinct. Now, tell me how much it costs to fit a complete potions laboratory, and I mean completely fit it, with equipments, ingredients, books, etc. Just imagine that I had hired you to fit a completely new laboratory. How much would it cost?"

"Uh… I don't really know. The ingredients I sell here, and as they are from usually the same ingredients company I should be able to make a good price, but the equipments are made by different companies and therefore makes it difficult to make a whole sale with discount, if you want the best quality, and it's all I sell here because low quality supplies get you in to trouble when you are brewing, it should be in the vicinity of two hundred thousand galleons. You must remember that these kinds of orders are almost never done. It usually is just an update from one of the older pureblood families. Usually they have a new son that have a distinct interest in potions in spite of the family general lack of interest in potions. That's usually the bigger orders. Even I, and I've been working here for more than fifteen years, have never had the opportunity to fit an entire laboratory."

"I see… Maybe when I get to build my own laboratory I'll get in touch."

"Yes that would be lovely, thank you for your business."

He left without another word. Just as he was exiting the store he noticed that there was something of a commotion on a store on the other side of the sidewalk, there was an old man arguing with a wealthy looking young man. As soon as he got a good view he realized that the old man was from the trunk shop named Trullers' Trunks and Trouble. He intended to shop for a new trunk, so he just waited for the confusion to die down so he could go there. He didn't have to wait long since after a few minutes, they seemed to notice that people were watching the display and parted. The young man left Knockturn Alley and the old man went inside the store, visibly upset. Harry counted to ten and went inside after the man.

When he entered the store he noticed that almost all of the store's interior was constructed in wood, and all of it was smooth and had a subtle sheen. He decided he liked the store, and he also decided that not all the stores in Knockturn Alley were evil. After a few minutes of looking at the trunks, backpacks and traveling sacks available for sale he started to whistle, not to get attention, but because he was really enjoying looking at the interesting stuff the store sold.

"Yes, how can I help you?" said the disgruntled old man he had seen on the street.

"I'm in need of a Warlock's Trunk, one of those that has a complete room inside. Do you have those?" Harry was really anxious to get a trunk like the one the fake Moody had; with a trunk like that he could simply go there when he wanted to be alone or even for his training.

"Yes, in fact, I do have one of those for sale, but it's very expensive and I don't think you could afford it." The old man seemed to think that the last line was a dismissal because he simply turned and started to go back inside, visibly upset at another lost sale.

"I hate when they do that." Harry murmured and thought that people that judged other people by the way they looked didn't have any business being in consumer related functions.

"SIR, I DO THINK THAT I CAN AFFORD THE TRUNK." He said it loudly, so that the man, who had returned to his workshop, could hear him.

"Are you sure, boy? I really don't want to waste any more time like I did with that boy who just left. He said he had money and he looked like he had money but as soon as I told him the price of the trunk he asked for he said he had to go talk with his parents and ask them for the money."

"No, sir, I really can afford anything you may have in here."

"I don't think you know how much these things cost."

"Ok, how much?"

"For example, the one you mentioned costs about 2000 galleons." The old man seemed pleased and sure that Harry would be stunned by the price of the trunk.

"Ok, if you think that's a lot…" He wasn't too upset by the salesman's attitude, but he really wanted to prove himself to the old man.

"You have that kind of money?" asked the now unsure salesman.

"Yes, as I said before, I can buy anything I want from this store."

"Ok, I'm really sorry for the outburst, but the other young gentleman kept me busy for the biggest part of the day yesterday; then came back here today and only just now informed me that he couldn't afford it. I know that's no excuse but the fact is that business is down since the return of the dark lord."

"That all right, I understand. Now let's see what I need…" Harry wandered again around the store and started asking some questions about the trunks.

"What are the Warlock Trunks you have around here?"

"Well these three upfront are the latest models. Any of them would serve you well for the better part of a century."

"Great tell me their features."

"Well this is the most simple we have; it's simply a small room with about ten times the storage a normal trunk would carry. The second one, this in red and gold is a little better, but not that much bigger, it's simply a two storage room pack, just twice the size of the other. The green and silver is simply the best of the non customized trunks we have here it has two bedrooms, a bathroom, a kitchen and a training room. It's considered the best out there."

"What do you mean by non customized?"

"Well, we can do the trunk however you want, your budget is the limit. We can create a whole village inside a trunk, even small cities, your imagination is the real limit, and of course as I said before, your purse." He finished with a wolf smile that made Harry instantly think of Remus.

"Well, how long would you need to build one customized for me? I'm asking because I have appointments and can't be without a trunk."

"Of course depending on the requirements, the most it has taken us to build a trunk is 6 hours, but that is with everyone in the workshop working on your project. It would be costly. Tell me exactly what you want and I'll be able to give you a exact time frame."

"I want a library, the biggest you can put in, something that would put Hogwarts' library to shame; I need a master bedroom, a master bathroom complete with bathtub, a kitchen, staff quarters for at least ten, complete with facilities, a potions laboratory with enough space for ten people, training quarters for the training of ten people, guest quarters, four bedrooms will do, space for a green house, and finally a huge space for a vault."

The old man seemed to have being made young again, he was writing furiously on a notebook, and as Harry added on a whim each part of his trunk the man seemed to relax a bit; it seemed that Harry's order would sustain the store for a month.

"Yes we can do it. It will take about four hours to be made ready. It'll cost you 4987 galleons, is that all?"

"No, do you have a bottomless backpack? I mean something that I can put anything and just think about something and retrieve it from the backpack?"

"Yes we can do it too. It's 500 galleons. The backpack is not truly bottomless; it'll simply store about 100 times what it should."

"Great, I'll take it."

After retrieving the money from the pouch he had got from Gringotts and paying upfront Harry left, saying he would be back for his trunk, taking the backpack with him.

Now there was only the Magical Menagerie left.

When he reached Diagon Alley again he wandered into the Menagerie to see the basilisks the woman in the potions store had mentioned.

As he entered he noticed that the store was completely devoid of costumers. This seemed odd, since every time he stepped inside the store before, he noticed a lot of Wizards and children looking for pets or supplies for their pets. Now all he could see was two people and both of them were employees.

"Excuse me, ma'am, I'd like to see the magical animals for sale if you please." He said to a lady who looked a lot like his transfiguration professor only with a perpetual smile on her lips.

"Of course, young man, you want an owl to take to school right? Here they…"

"No, ma'am, I want to see what other types of magical creatures you have for sale here."

"Oh, ok. Are you sure you don't want an owl, they are very intelligent and can deliver mail for you?" the woman said with an expectant look on here face, obviously thinking she was dealing with a first year or a Muggle born. Harry rolled his eyes and very patiently waited for the woman to realize he wasn't going to change his mind.

"Well, if you are sure…" She grumbled and led him to the end of the store thru a door right after the cats, which were kept in small cages on the wall.

"Here they are." She said proudly knowing that hers was the best collection of magical pets in Diagon Alley.

"Okay…" He looked around but couldn't see the basilisks.

"Where are your magical snakes?"

Suddenly she looked a bit uncomfortable. Harry notice, so he asked, "what's the matter?"

"Well, I did have a couple of basilisks, and a few other snakes, but the ministry collected them and killed them. I don't know why. Something about the right to live was only for light creatures… If you ask me it's all bullshit. I'm sorry for the language but I lost quite a bit of money and my pets were killed, so I'm not happy about it. How exactly could they be evil since were only born a few weeks ago? "

He had conflicting thoughts about it. He didn't want the basilisks around to turn people to stone, that's why he was going to buy them; but he never intended to kill them, especially if they were only babies. It made Harry think that the ministry really didn't know what it was doing. Instead of going after the Malfoy and other known death Eaters, they were trying to get to creatures that killed only for food. That sucked.

"Ok ma'am, I was here just for the snakes. If you get one could you owl me?"

"Sure thing, what was your name again?"

"Lord Black." He thought that if he identified himself by his newest title people would have a hard time knowing who he was. The fact that owls would still be able to find him was just a bonus.

"Sure thing Lord Black."

"Thanks."

Now he just had to wait for the agreed upon time with the goblins. After walking around for about two hours he went to Gringotts. As soon as he saw the long line at the door he called for the guard and asked him to direct him to Griphook and informed him that the director had instructed him to come at this hour to meet with his solicitors. After a brief wait he was summoned inside by the same guard and was directed to a rear door made of pure gold. When he entered he was met by a group of people, two he already knew as the Director and Griphook, the other two were dressed in nice looking Muggle suits. One was very tall. Harry thought that he could have been from another race altogether. He probably reached seven feet, while the other was small, almost the size of professor Flitwick. Both were obviously human, however. He waited patiently for the introductions that he was certain were coming from the director.

"Harry, this is John Johnson Jones and that one is Johnson John Jones. They are brothers and work as solicitors both in the Muggle and Wizarding world. They are simply the best and have been the private solicitors for Gringotts Bank for many years."

"MisterDirector is forgetting to say that we are under contract since we were approached after winning over two dozen law suits against Gringotts," said the smaller man with a huge grin.

"Yes, yes, he is right, we had to hire them or they would simply have made us bankrupt."

"True, true." The huge man had the most pleasant voice. Harry could see him speaking to the jury and could imagine the way they probably hung on every word. This man was probably one of the best in his business and he obviously knew it.

"A pleasure to meet you all. I'm Harry Potter, and as probably was already indicated by the director, I intend to have myself emancipated, and that is what I need you for, gentlemen."

"Yes, he already told us and we can tell you that we already filed the necessary paperwork. The hearing in London will take place next weekend, the one on the Magical world can be today, if you are available."

"That's great, of course that I'm free today. But how is it so fast, both here and in the Muggle world? I've heard of people that wait for months to get it done."

"You are forgetting our best feature: in the Muggle world we simply file and magically make the system think that we waited for months. In the magical world it is very fast, since all that it is needed is a sworn statement by you that you and your family agreed on your emancipation and your permission for the documents to relate the abuse you've suffered over the years as it is in your memory. After the claim is validated, you are automatically passed over to your next of kin and if you don't have a next of kin, you are simply emancipated. Since you don't have anyone related to you, you are going to be emancipated and that is that. After it is done, nobody, not even your headmaster or the Minister of Magic himself, can do anything about it."

"Great, let's proceed."

"Ok, just one more thing. Just as the Director implied we have been working for Gringotts for a while and since you are not yet emancipated and therefore cannot access most of your money, we'd like to discuss payment."

"Of course, how much would you charge for this kind of service from the general public?"

"About twenty thousand galleons for the whole proceedings."

"It's ok, I've got that in my vault."

"Great, then let's do it."

They left together for the ministry building to ask for the emancipation, which took an even half an hour, and he was an emancipated minor with all the privileges and obligations that it incurred. Harry never felt better in his life even if the ministry official told him that he had to wait for the result of his emancipation hearing in the Muggle world for it to be in full effect, but for now he was free to use his vaults and anything to do with business.

Hearing this Harry decided what was going to be his first move on the business world. He would destroy the Malfoy's fortune and with it a good part of Voldemort's support system.