Gringotts Wizarding Bank

Diagon Alley

London, England

A young man approached the giant gilded doors of Gringotts Wizarding Bank. Looking neither left nor right, he marched up the steps leading into the bank. The goblin guards stationed on either side of the doors viewed him with suspicion before opening the doors to let the young man in.

The young man was wearing a plain black cloak with the hood pulled up to hide his features. He was a little below average height for one of his age, almost 16 years old. His stride told everyone else in the Alley that he did not want to be approached at all and that he had a definite destination in mind.

Entering the bank, the young man approached the teller with the shortest line. Trying to remain as unobtrusive as possible, he waited for his turn with the goblin teller. While he was waiting for his turn, the young man started to reflect back over the past few weeks that had led him to this point in time.

Several weeks ago, the young man had led five of his friends on a quest to save his godfather from the hands of a mad man. The torture was supposedly taking place in the Department of Mysteries in the Ministry of Magic. Knowing it was most likely a trap, he had tried to stop his friends from accompanying him. Each one had insisted on coming along to help out. That had turned out to be a major mistake.

Just like he had figured, it was trap. He and his five friends had wound up facing off against 12 of the most vicious Death Eaters in Voldemort's ranks. They had been holding their own for the first few minutes until a silenced Death Eater cursed Hermione taking her out of the fight. Everyone else had slowly been taken out one by one until only he and one other remained.

In a chamber with a strange archway, he had fled with only Neville Longbottom still in the fight. Finally realizing that he had led his friends to their deaths, he had given the prophecy over to the leader of the Death Eaters, Lucius Malfoy.

Against all odds, his godfather had arrived with several members of the Order of the Phoenix. The battle was rejoined. At the end of the battle, his godfather was killed when he fell through the strange archway. In a blinding rage, he had pursued the one who had caused his godfather's death, Bellatrix LaStrange.

In the Atrium of the Ministry, he and Bellatrix dueled. The duel was interrupted when the one calling himself Lord Voldemort appeared. Before he could be killed, Professor Dumbledore appeared out of a floo fireplace. Dumbledore and Voldemort dueled until the snake like man tried to possess him and cause his death. The pain had been unbearable until he was able to push Voldemort out of his mind.

After the battle, he was sent back to the Headmaster's office at Hogwarts. The following discussion that had taken place had been very enlightening to the young man. It had also left him with a profound sense of weight. He was a marked man.

Upon leaving the Headmaster's office, the weary young man had gone to the hospital wing to check on his friends. As soon as he had entered, all of those that were conscious, turned on him saying that he was the reason that they had been injured and that they never would never talk with him again. It was all his fault. When he had tried to point out that he had not wanted them to come with him in the first place, the five that were awake hadn't listened to him at all. Madam Pomfrey had in the end forced him to leave the wing.

Returning the following morning to the hospital wing, the weary young man had ignored those that were still in the wing and had approached the bed containing the only unconscious person left, Hermione Granger. Not knowing if she would blame him or not, he had sat down next to her and grasped her hand.

Over the next several hours, the emerald eyed young man had thought about several things and come to some conclusions. He had stood up from the chair, leaned over the prone figure on the bed and had whispered into her ear that really cared about her and that he hoped that she would eventually forgive him for getting her injured. He had then given her a chaste kiss on her forehead. Before leaving the room, he had left note next to her that was spelled so that only she could open it.

Returning to the room that he had shared with the fifth year boys, Harry had collected his all of his things and packed them into his trunk. Making sure that he had everything and that the room was empty, he called for Dobby to take him to number 12 Grimmauld Place. Dobby had complied.

Once there, he had stayed in the bedroom that he had shared with one of his former friends. Collapsing on the bed, he had drifted off into the sleep of the dead. Dobby had spelled the door so it could not be opened.

His thoughts were interrupted by the goblin teller asking him what he wanted in a gruff mannor.

"I have some private business that I need to take care of," Harry said politely. "Could you be kind enough to ask my account manager if he has the time to see me?"

"Key please," demanded the goblin.

Harry handed it over to the goblin. Once the inspection process was over, the goblin teller told Harry to wait in one of the private meeting rooms that lined the side of the large room. Harry thanked the goblin, retrieved his key and made his way over to the suggested room.

Once inside the plush office, Harry took one of the chairs that was placed in front of the ornate desk. He resumed his musings.

He had stayed in the room for a few days just thinking. Dobby had been bringing him his meals and had turned a section of the room into a small bathroom for his use. Still wondering about Hermione, he had asked Dobby to keep an eye on her and to make sure that she was going to be ok.

After the days of brooding, he had finally left the room and had wandered down to the kitchen. The confrontation that had followed between himself, Remus Lupin and Molly Weasley had been epic. It had finally ended when Lupin had said that he should have died instead of his godfather. More angry than he had ever been in his young life, he had then stormed out of the house making sure to wake up the insane portrait of Sirius' mother. When he had left, he and those left in the house were no longer friends.

Once clear of the wards, he had summoned the Knight Bus to take him to Privet Drive. He had needed some time to think about what he could do in light of the current situation.

He had made sure that he had arrived on the doorstep of #4 well before his uncle was due home. His confrontation with his aunt had been short but intense. He had informed her that all he needed was few days to sort some things out, that he wouldn't be a bother and that he would let her know what his decisions would be.

Over the course of the next several days, he had stayed in his room, only going out of it to use the bathroom. Dobby had continued to bring him his meals and bring him updates on Hermione's condition. Besides Dobby and his owl Hedwig, who had shown up just after he did, his only other visitor had been Auror Tonks. She had been sent to check up on him when it was realized that he had returned to Privet Drive. She had stayed for only a little bit, then had left.

On the fifth day of his self imposed isolation at Privet Drive, he had come to some conclusions based on what he had learned from the Headmaster and reflecting over several of the major events that had happened in his life so far. The conclusions that he had come to were irrefutable based on the evidence of his so-called life.

He had decided that it was time to leave the Wizarding World and not come back. Since his friends and Lupin had turned on him and the one person that he had started to consider to be a grandfather had been manipulating his life from the get go, it was time to break ranks and leave. He had concluded that since there was nothing left for him to fight for in the Wizarding World, it was time to move on and live his life as best he could until Voldemort came to end it.

These thoughts and conclusions had brought him to Gringotts. If he was going to disappear, he needed to set some things in order first.

A polite cough brought him out of his musings. A tiny goblin was sitting behind the desk looking attentively at Harry. He also had several files and scrolls with him

"Oh, sorry," Harry said sheepishly. "I was thinking about some things that I need to do. Can you help me out, Master Griphook?"

The shock was evident on the goblin's features.

"You remember my name, Lord Potter?"

Smiling at the tiny goblin, Harry nodded his head.

"Yes I do, Master Griphook. You were the first goblin that I met here at Gringotts and you were the one who took me down to my vault for the first time. Please, I am just Harry. I have done nothing great enough to be called 'Lord'. Besides, from my understanding of goblin society, you earned your position, I apparently, am just inheriting it."

Again taken aback by the attitude of this young wizard, Griphook had to smile.

"Very well then, Harry. You may call me Griphook then. Now how can Gringotts help you today?"

Leaning forward in his chair, Harry studied the tiny goblin in front of him for a moment before speaking.

"I have learned a few things recently that have led me to the conclusion that I need a break from the Wizarding World for a while. I don't know how long I will be gone for so I need to setup some way for me to access my vault from the Muggle world and possibly withdraw Muggle currency. Is there a way to do this?"

Cocking his head to one side, Griphook studied the young man in front of him. Nodding to himself, he began to speak.

"You of course know that since you are still underage you will not be able to access every Potter vault, only your trust vault. However we can arrange for you to have what is called a debit card. It will act just like a Muggle credit card, but will deduct the amount of the purchase directly from your trust vault, Harry. Understand?"

"Um, what do you mean 'every Potter vault'? I thought that I only had the one vault. How can there be more than the one vault?"

"Are you not aware of just who the Potters are, Harry," Griphook said in shocked voice.

Shrugging, Harry said that no one had every told him about his family history, only about his parents.

"Harry, you are the sole heir to a Wizarding line that can be traced back to Godric Gryffindor and to Merlin. Your Family has been very helpful to other magical races that inhabit magical world, especially goblins. Without your family's support over the years, we would not be where we are today."

Pulling out a very large piece of parchment, Griphook expanded it.

"As you can see here, Harry, your line stretches back to a time when the Greeks and Romans ruled the known world. Your line is the oldest known line still in existence. There are a few others almost as old as yours, but they reside in Asia, Australia or in other European Countries."

Harry was gobsmacked. This couldn't be real, it had to be a joke, but the goblins had never lied to him. He also knew that goblin documents could not be duplicated or forged. Looking at his account manager, Harry's eyes showed his shock.

"Yes, Harry, this is real. It is all true. We goblins who work for the Ancient Families can not lie to our account holders. It is why we have the trust of the Ancient Families."

Harry simply nodded.

"On another matter, it would seem that you are the main beneficiary of Sirius Black. There are a few other distributions from the estate, but you will also be taking over the Black Family House as well, Harry. There will be a reading of his will next month on the 10th at 10 in the morning. You are required to attend Harry."

He nodded again.

At this point, the desk dinged. Griphook simply opened a drawer and pulled out a simple but elegant wallet. Looking it over to make sure that everything was in order, he passed it over to Harry.

"That Harry, is a magical wallet that will allow you to withdraw Muggle currency in any form that you choose. There is also the debit card in there that we talked about earlier. The wallet is shielded against theft and detection. You can also use it to withdraw Magical currency as well. Is there anything else that you require, Harry?"

Looking over the wallet and checking out the debit card, Harry was lost in thought for a few moments.

"Actually, there is, Griphook. Who has access to the Potter Family Vaults? And do you have a way to remove spells from a person? Also, did my parents leave have a will?"

Pulling out another sheet of parchment, Griphook looked at it for a moment. He had decided to take the questions in order of relevance.

"Access to your trust is limited to you , your magical guardian and your godfather. Before you ask, your magical guardian is Albus Dumbledore. And it would seem that there have been some withdrawals before you rejoined the magical world, Harry. Did you receive any money prior to your first personal withdrawal?"

"Um, no," Harry said thoughtfully. "According to my relatives, I have been nothing but a burden to them and have cost them loads of money to house and feed."

There was a dangerous glint in his eyes as he said this.

"I see," Griphook said gravely. "We will have to investigate where that money went. None of your other vaults have been touched except to add the interest gained over time. Do you wish to make any changes to your access list?"

With a nasty grin, Harry gleefully informed the goblin to remove Dumbledore from the access list.

"As for your parents, yes there is a will. It has not been executed though for some reason. Would you like it to be executed now or at the will reading for Lord Black?"

"I guess now is as good a time as any," Harry sighed.

"Very well, Harry."

Opening another file on the desk, Griphook read through the parchment in it. After a few moments of reading, the tiny goblin looked up at Harry.

"It's a pretty standard Head of House will, Harry. There are a few distributions, but nothing unusual. You will have to get married to the lady of your choice within a year of you reaching your age of majority or if you are emancipated before that time. You will also have to produce an heir within the following year. As of now, you have access to several properties. We can place one of them under Fidelius Charm if you wish."

"Also, there are some personal letters here from your parents."

Griphook handed them over to Harry along with the list of residences that he now owned.

"You also have various forms for ownership is several businesses throughout the Magical and Muggle world. Your rate of return from those ventures is enough for you to live quite comfortably for the rest of your life. There is a curious note here from my predecessor. You own 100% of Grunnings, the drill manufacturer. The company was purchased completely just prior to your parent's death. Do you know anything about that, Harry?"

Leaning back in his chair, a thoughtful expression crossed his features. From the list of residences, he knew that he owned the house that he had stayed in for most of his life. Now he had just found out that he completely owned the company that his uncle worked at. A slow smile gained prominence.

"Master Griphook, can you arrange for someone to go over to Grunnings and look into the actions of the company? Especially anything that deals with my uncle. He is one of the Directors there, I think."

Again, the tiny goblin cocked his head to the side. A nasty grin appeared on the goblin's face. It would have scared a lesser person than Harry.

"Of course, Lord Potter. It shall be done as soon as this meeting is over with."

Nodding, Harry returned to the list of properties. Griphook then brought the final question.

"Harry, why do you need a healer or cursebreaker to remove spells that have been placed on someone?'

"Huh," Harry stated with confusion, then he remember his question from earlier. "Oh, something that Dumbledore said to me awhile back. Something about watching me more closely than I had realized. I am wondering if he had placed some sort of tracking or monitoring spell on me is all."

Shocked by the way that the young man in front of him said it, Griphook immediately called for both a healer and a cursebreaker. They arrived within moments.

Turning to the newly arrived beings, Griphook stated his request that Harry be scanned for abnormal spells. The two others set to work, while Harry kept reading the properties list.

"Griphook, what can you tell me about this place in the Bahamas?"

Looking at his own list of properties, Griphook had to smile at Harry's choice.

"That has been a vacation home for the Potters since mid 1700s Harry. It also comes with a few elves to help keep the place in working order."

"And this one in Italy?"

"That one was purchased in the late 1800s as a retreat for the Potter House to hold Family meetings and reunions. I understand that is has a very nice view and it also has a few elves who keep it in working order."

"I would like to stay at that one for the time being. Is there any way I can get there by portkey?"

"Of course Harry. Just one moment."

By this time, the healer and cursebreaker had both completed their scans of Harry. They both looked at Griphook. He nodded for them to list their results. The healer spoke first.

"Lord Potter, there appears to be a non standard tracking spell placed on you along with a health monitoring charm. Both of them can be removed safely."

"Lord Potter," the curesebreaker said in a gruff voice, "along with those two spells there is also a loyalty spell that seems to be fading rapidly and a minor block on your metamorph ability. Those can also be removed without any danger to you. Do you want me to remove the spells?"

In complete shock, Harry could only nod his head in agreement. The healer and cursebreaker both raised their wands and pointed them at Harry. A soft golden light enveloped him for a few seconds then faded. Their task complete, Griphook motioned for them to leave the office. They left. The desk dinged again.

Griphook simply took the portkey from his drawer, a simple pen, and handed to Harry.

"That portkey will take you directly to the villa in Italy and bring you back directly to my own office here at Gringotts. Do you still want the property warded with the Fidelius Charm, Harry?"

"Yes please. I need someplace quiet to think and I don't want to be disturbed. Will this bring me back on the day of Sirius' Will reading?"

"Of course. Is there anything else that I or Gringotts can help you with today Harry?"

Thinking things over, Harry shook his head negatively. Standing up, he reached over the desk and shook the goblin's hand, thanking him for his time and service. Griphook responded in kind saying that a representative of the local Gringotts branch would meet him at the villa a few minutes after he arrived.

With a further thank you, Harry pulled the hood of his cloak up to cover his features and left the bank. It was time to do some shopping and disappear for awhile.