Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

In Servitude of the Dark: The Hand That Guides Me	By : xXxLuckyxXx Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Voldemort Views: 74965 -:- Recommendations : 4 -:- Currently Reading : 6
Disclaimer: All things Harry Potter belong to JK Rowling and her publishers. I just play in her world.

Chapter List
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Chapter 4 : Gringotts Revelations – July 10, 1993

Before Harry knew it, half the summer was already gone, and he hadn’t even started on his homework! In fact, Harry would’ve completely forgotten about the outside world if his Hogwarts letter hadn’t arrived in the middle of July.

Mr. Harry Potter,

The following is a list of available classes offered at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The 6 core classes, Transfiguration, Potions, Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Herbology, and History of Magic are required courses. You may select 2 other classes as Electives. Below the Elective Course Title is a list of equipment and books that are mandatory for the class.

Care of Magical Creatures

Instructor : Rubeus Hagrid

Book : Monster Book of Monsters by Duncun McClaw

Equipment : Dragon hide gloves

Divination

Instructor : Sybill Trelawny

Book : Piercing Through the Great Unknown, An Introduction by Mysti Avis

                Equipment : Crystal ball, tarot cards, divination tea cup

Runes

                Instructor : Bathesda Babbling

                Book : Beginner’s Guide to Runes and Wards by Harold Keystone

                Equipment : Rune stones

Arithmancy

                Instructor : Oswald Vector

                Book : Beneath the Spells, a Calculated Approach by Madam Summa O’Neil

                Equipment : None

Astronomy

                Instructor : Aurora Sinestra

                Book : Pluto and Beyond by Sheila Contessa

Equipment : Intermediate Level Constellation Map, Telescope (minimum 54 power lens, 5 inch diameter window)

Muggle Studies

                Instructor : Charity Burbage

                Book : To Understand the Magickless Mind by Robert Brown

Equipment : Standard Muggle Kit (includes muggle money, shrunken muggle cook ware, and muggle school supplies)

If you are interested in any other disciplines not offered by Hogwarts, you may submit a proposal to the Hogwarts School Board. This proposal must include the subject of your interest, a Department of Magical Education approved instructor who has achieved an E or better in their NEWTS in the subject of interest, and a syllabus that will also be reviewed by a representative of the Department of Magical Education.

Please have your proposal submitted by August 4^th to Lady Morticia Zabini, Chairwoman Hogwarts School Board.

Please have your selected electives submitted by August 24^th to Professor Minerva McGonnagall, Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Sincerely,

Professor McGonnagall,

Deputy Headmistress

Head of Gryffindor House

Harry flipped to the second page and noted that the rest of the supplies for the core classes were listed there.

Suddenly there was a loud bang followed by a muffled curse that made Harry snicker. He had been sick of the dark looks from his relatives and after Dudley tried to sneak into his room, Harry felt justified in teaching them a lesson. So, he casted an obscuro oculo curse on them that would last 24hrs. It was a temporary blinding curse, and every time one of his relatives ran into something, Harry mentally gave himself a pat on the back.

Ignoring the commotion in the kitchen, Harry turned to Marvolo and noticed the frown. “What’s wrong?”

Marvolo shook his head in disgust. “The elective courses now are even worse than my time,” he answered. “When Headmaster Dippet was in charge, we had the Healing Arts, Elemental Magics, and Swordsmanship.”

Harry latched onto the last one. “Swordsmanship? Like with a real sword?”

Marvolo nodded. “Oh yes. No doubt Dumbledore,” Marvolo sneered. “Thought it was a blood sport and got rid of it. So which classes are you enrolling in?”

Harry ran his eyes down the choices again, already mentally crossing out Divination and Muggle Studies. He also eliminated Care of Magical Creatures because of Hagrid. He had nothing against the man who first introduced him to the magical world, but he knew Hagrid was expelled before he could even take his OWLs, let alone his NEWTs, which according to Professor McGonagall was a requirement to be a teacher.   That left Astronomy, Arithmancy, and Runes.

“I’ll take Runes for sure,” Harry said, knowing how important runes were in warding and ritual magic. In fact, Harry had a rune of protection inscribed over his doorway. “But the others don’t interest me. Do you think I can ask for an elective outside of Hogwarts?”

Marvolo took a moment to answer. “I have another alternative in mind.”

“Okay.” Harry nodded. “I don’t want sign up for something and end up realizing I missed out on something important.” This was going to impact the rest of his Hogwarts career after all.

“I can easily teach you runic magic and all that it entails,” Marvolo offered. “In essence, all of these classes can be self taught. What I cannot help you with is healing, however. And you already have a gift for it, which should be nurtured, and in any case it is invaluable. For basic healing, you can appeal to Madam Pomphrey.”

“I like that idea,” Harry agreed. “Merlin knows how often I get injured or something,” he muttered, remembering how Lockhart had banished all the bones in his arm. He never wanted to be that vulnerable again. “I have another spot available.”

“Another thing I cannot teach you is Politics,” Marvolo said. “As you know from my diary, I too was orphaned and raised in the muggle world. There are just things that magic raised children know that we do not. And anything I’ve learned after Hogwarts is outdated. I am sure the politics of the wizarding world today is far different from the one in my time.”

“Yeah, if I knew the taboo on Parseltongue you can bet I would have been more careful,” Harry replied, seeing sense in this as well. “But who can I ask to mentor me in something like Politics?”

Between the two of them, they debated on several candidates. Harry half expected Marvolo to suggest Draco’s father, but he was the first one to be eliminated. They didn’t want someone so obviously dark in case Dumbledore would reject it right off. They were already pushing it by requesting 2 unusual elective courses. In the end, all they could agree on was that it had to be someone who was familiar with the inner workings of the Ministry and someone who was Neutral.

Several hours after the Hogwarts Letter, came another owl, this one from Hermione. It was filled with excited babbling on all the extra classes she could take, how she had already finished her summer homework, and how amazing Greece was. At the beginning of summer, Harry had received owls from both his friends saying they were going to both be out of touch for a while. Hermione’s family took a vacation abroad every summer. Apparently it started out as an attempt to get Hermione away from her school books and became a summer tradition. Ron’s family was off to Egypt having won some kind of wizarding lottery contest. It was one of the few times they could afford a vacation as a family, and Harry didn’t begrudge him that, although he did feel it would’ve been wiser if Mr. Weasley saved it for an emergency or invested it somehow.

Harry decided to use Hedwig to deliver his request to Madam Pomphrey for Healing lessons and another letter to the Department of Magical Education for Pomphrey’s approval.

This was going to be Harry’s first trip to Diagon Alley alone---Marvolo didn’t count---and he was very excited. Harry spent most of his time between the letters playing around with the perfect combination of glamours. The end result was a shoulder-length dark-haired, blue-eyed, pale-skinned boy. Glamours couldn’t alter height, so unless Harry wanted to go as some kind of relative of Flickwick’s, Harry went as an 11 year old boy. Though he was nearly 13, he was shorter than his fellow classmates. It was something Harry grumbled about when they discussed his age, but Marvolo seemed to like his smaller stature.

Once Harry was on the sidewalk, he realized that he didn’t know how to get to Diagon Alley. “Umm, Marvolo, how am I supposed to get there?”

The answering smirk was not reassuring at all. “Just hold out your wand.”

Looking doubtfully at his friend, Harry did. Nothing happened for a couple minutes, and then suddenly a loud boom startled Harry so bad that he would’ve fallen over if it weren’t for Marvolo. Suddenly, where Harry once stood was a huge bus that was apparently invisible to the residents of Privet Drive.

And then the doors opened. “All aboard on the Knight Bus.”

Ignoring the snickers from Marvolo, Harry smiled at the driver. “Good morning. Can you take me to Diagon Alley?”

“A little young to be on yer own, ain’t cha?” the driver asked, looking at Harry critically. “What’s yer name anyway?”

This too, he and Marvolo planned for. “Xavier Rayne,” Harry answered, liking how wizardly it sounded. “And I’m meeting up with some friends.”

Fortunately the driver wasn’t so bright and didn’t ask anything more. “Well, Stan’s me name, and it’ll be three sickles.”

Harry counted out the coins and dropped them into the collection box. Then he chose a seat deep in the bus, not wanting to engage in anymore conversation with the nice driver.

In the next few minutes, Harry thought his life flashed before his eyes. The bus was going faster than it was physically possible, swerving wildly through Britain’s residential homes and those that it didn’t swerve around, the Knight Bus went right through! The first time this happened, Harry knew he lost a few years off his short life. So it was with great relief when the bus finally stopped in front of a familiar brick wall.

“I’m going to get you back for that, Marvolo,” Harry vowed as he stumbled off the bus. “You could have at least warned me.”

Marvolo shrugged. “And where would the fun be in that?”

Harry shot him a baleful glare, enviously noting that his older friend was as composed as ever, not a single hair out of place. Of course as a spirit, he wasn’t as affected by the physical world, but did the man have to look so perfect all the time? Pushing away the random thought, Harry went to tap on the brick wall in a pattern he remembered from his first trip to Diagon Alley.

Their first stop was the Gringott’s bank to get his vault straightened out. It was a persistent bother ever since Marvolo mentioned that Dumbledore may be monitoring his vaults. The line to the goblin tellers was short because they were early and because they beat the pre-Hogwarts rush.

When Harry met the teller, he was greeted with a harsh, “State your name and business.”

In addition to writing letters and learning glamours, Marvolo also couched Harry on the proper method of the goblin race. According to Marvolo, it was just common sense to treat the people in charge of your money with courtesy. So instead of responding in a similarly rude manner, Harry pitched his voice to that of mildly insulted but still refined.

“My name is Harry Potter and I hope this transaction would prove fruitful for us both,” Harry said, ending with a slight nod of his head.

The goblin’s head snapped up and a slightly embarrassed grimace took over his surprise. It wasn’t every day a goblin was put in his place by a human, especially in regards to goblin etiquette. “My apologies, Mr. Potter,” the goblin replied. “I am called Grapplehorn, and I too hope our business will bear fruit for both of us. Now what can I do for you?”

Harry chose his words carefully, not wanting to insult the prideful goblins, but also wanted to convey the seriousness of his business. “I have reason to suspect that the activities of my vault are not as confidential as I would like.”

“That is a heavy accusation,” Grapplehorn replied guardedly. “And do you have any evidence of this?”

Harry nodded. “It is my understanding that anyone who has a Family vault would receive regular account summaries.” The goblin nodded in confirmation. “Well, I haven’t received anything from Gringotts nor have my relatives.” Harry had checked with Vernon on that yesterday.

“Impossible!” Grapplehorn denied. “The Potter Family is one of our more distinguished patrons. Your vault even warrants its own goblin account manager.”

Marvolo had told him the same thing.

“Which is why I am here,” Harry said. “If information on my vault is being kept from me because of a mistake, I’d like to clear it. If it was on purpose…”

“Then the goblin will be held accountable, I assure you,” Grapplehorn finished. “We take the confidentiality of our patrons very seriously here.” He gestured to the side. “Please come around back and we will get this ugly business sorted out.”

Harry and Marvolo were led to a side door that led to the deeper offices inside Gringotts. §Be sure to ask for a witness for when we talk to your account manager§ Marvolo advised as they walked.

§I’ll ask Grapplehorn then,§ Harry decided, liking the goblin despite his earlier rudeness.

“Please have a seat and I will get your manager for you,” Grapplehorn said, inviting them into simple office.

“Grapplehorn,” Harry said quickly before the goblin could leave. “I’d appreciated if you’d join us as well.”

The request was obviously unexpected and by the shrewd look in his eyes, Grapplehorn knew this more than just a courtesy offer. “I would be happy to.”

While they waited, Harry and Marvolo reviewed what they wanted to ask the account manager, until something occurred to Harry. “Do you have a vault here too? You must because you are the heir of Slytherin, right?”

“Slytherin Lord, actually, since I am the last living descendent.” Marvolo nodded. “Unfortunately I cannot claim it yet.”

“Because you don’t have a body?” Harry guessed. “We should find a way to get your body back.”

“To do that I must merge with the one you faced in your first year,” Marvolo said. “He is the main soul piece.”

Harry frowned at the memories that plagued him from his first year. He didn’t like that version, but if it got Marvolo a body… “We can go find him,” Harry offered.

Marvolo sighed, something that surprised Harry. It seemed like such a normal thing for the apparition to do. “It is not a matter of locating him,” Marvolo countered. “I already know where he is.”

“Then what’s wrong?” Harry asked confused. “If you need my help, I don’t mind. Not after everything that you’ve done for me.”

Marvolo smiled fondly at the ever helpful boy. He could tell that Harry’s offer was made because he genuinely wanted Marvolo to be happy. It was a novel concept, not ever having anyone do something for him simply because they thought it would make him happy, without any ulterior motives. This aspect of Harry’s personality was one of the many reasons why he hadn’t made contact with the main soul yet. While Harry was still vulnerable and oh so impressionable, Marvolo was wary to introduce Harry to the crueler persona of Lord Voldemort. Now, how to explain this to Harry without scaring him off.

“Marvolo?” Harry prodded when the other man was silent for too long.

"Do you recall the difference between Tom Riddle and myself?” Marvolo asked.

Not knowing where his friend was going with this, Harry answered anyway. “Yes. Riddle was just a little older than I am, still a teen. He was more emotional,” Harry remembered how quickly Riddle had switched from obsessive fascination to fury so easily. “You talk like an adult. You’re more patient with me. You’re taller and look older.”

Marvolo nodded to all this. “When my soul was ripped off I was in my 50’s, not counting the years that I’ve lived inside of you. When merged with my 16 year old soul piece, Tom Riddle, I am now somewhere in my late 20’s. You don’t know this, but before I merged with Tom Riddle, I was every bit the cruel and driven man who had killed your parents.”

Harry’s eyes widened as he shook his head. “But you’re not like that!” he protested, unable to reconcile his friend, Marvolo, with all the horrible stories he heard about.

Seeing the slightly anxious look, Marvolo gentled his tone. “No, not anymore, I am not. Not after merging with my more innocent 16 year old soul piece. And also, having lived your life with you has also changed me.”

Hearing this, Harry smiled, reassured.

“Do you realize what this means when I merge with the main soul?” Marvolo continued, seriously. “That soul does not know you as I do, and has only known hatred and anger towards Dumbledore and yourself. Sometimes I can feel an echo of his hatred, when it is strong enough. He is mad from spending years as a wandering spirit and is blaming you for the loss of his body.”

The smile slipped from Harry’s face. “You’re going to disappear?” he asked fearfully. “But I don’t want you to leave!”

Marvolo shook his head. “Eventually I must merge back with him,” he said and quickly moved to put his arms around the now distraught boy. “But just as Tom Riddle’s soul has gentled me, so too will I calm Lord Voldemort’s soul. When we come together, it will be a merging of souls and personalities, and I will not allow any harm to come to you, my Little Serpent. Even if it is from myself.”

Harry burrowed his face into Marvolo, wanting to hold him tightly, but the apparition wasn’t solid enough to withstand any overt physical pressure. “Are you scared?” Harry asked in a small voice.

“No. It will be a step closer to becoming whole,” Marvolo said and tilted Harry’s chin up so their eyes would meet. “But I do worry for you,” he admitted. “Which is why I am waiting until you are stronger before I let my counterpart know about me. It is my wish that we will all be together, but if his madness overcomes him and attacks you, I need to know that you can defend yourself when I am not there to watch over you.”

Harry was touched and humbled. Here Marvolo was, feeling incomplete and without a body. Nothing was stopping him from seeking the rest of himself, but he was holding back for Harry’s sake. For Harry’s sake, he was willing to go without a body for however long it took Harry to become stronger. Before Harry could utter some sentimental appreciation, a knock came at the door.

Harry quickly put the conversation behind him and quickly rearranged himself before calling out, “Enter!”

Two goblins followed Grapplehorn inside. One was rather old, judging by the greying hair and wrinkles around his eyes. He had a quiet and dignified air around him, and his clothes were formal but not too extravagant. The other was younger, looking slightly nervous, but his hair was oiled back, his clothes brightly colored, and the shifty glitter in his eyes made Harry more cautious. Grapplehorn introduced the younger as Griphook, the current Potter account manager, and the older as Battleborn, the former Potter account manager.

"I apologize for the long wait," Grapplehorn said. "But the Potter accounts had a change of managers and I had to find both of them."

Harry nodded to accept the apology. "When was the account manager changed?"

It was Battleborn who answered. "Almost 12 years ago."

Harry subtly traded looks with Marvolo, neither having missed the significance of the date. "And why was this?"

"It was my fault," Battleborn admitted. "To my dying shame, I had misplaced your parent's will. When it came time to read it, it was no longer in the vault."

"Ask him who was the executioner of the will and who assigned Griphook as vault manager," Marvolo said and Harry repeated the question.

"It was Albus Dumbledore, of course. As for who assigned your new manager…" Battleborn and Grapplehorn turned to the youngest goblin.

"That is confidential information!" Griphook shot back, looking down at the other two goblins. He wasn't even paying attention to Harry.

Harry's eyes narrowed. What he had thought was confidence was actually arrogance and attitude. "It is my vault!" Harry demanded. "I believe I am entitled to such information. And while we are on that, why haven't I been given an account summary? Even after I re-entered the wizarding world?"

"Your account summaries and any and all informations pertinent to your estate was delivered to your Keeper."

Seeing the confused look on Harry's face, Marvolo quickly explained. "A Keeper is someone akin to a mentor. They are assigned to politically or magically important children, who for whatever reasons were muggle raised. The idea was this Keeper would teach the child about the wizarding world and help him handle financial and political affairs until the child can do it on his own."

It sounded a lot like what Marvolo was doing for him, but then a horrible suspicion was dawning on Harry. "Don't tell me Dumbledore is my Keeper?"

Griphook nodded firmly. He was either corrupt or a Dumbledore worshipper. "In his great wisdom, Lord Dumbledore volunteered himself to oversee your wellbeing." Definitely a Dumbledore worshipper then.

From the side, Harry noticed the look of distaste on Battleborn's face. "You don't approve?" he asked.

Battleborn snarled, showing rows of very sharp teeth. "Wizarding politics has no place in Gringotts," Battleborn said. "But in my humble opinion, that human makes a habit of overstepping his bounds, putting his overly bright eyes where it is unwanted."

Harry was beginning to wonder how on earth this goblin, who was very much living up to his namesake, got pushed aside for the other pompous idiot. He liked Battleborn's blunt honesty and fighting spirit. Standing up, Harry came to a quick decision. "For Griphook's offense against me, I want him fired and put under an oath of secrecy. He will speak nothing of this meeting to Dumbledore or anyone who reports to Dumbledore. If you don't do this, than I will take this up with the Gringott's authority." Harry silently thanked Marvolo for forcing him to review the Gringott's Procedural Manual last night.

"You can't…!"

"There is no need to be hasty," Grapplehorn quickly silenced Griphook's objections. "A dismissal will be filed and processed immediately, Mr. Potter."

Harry nodded. "And I would like to re-instate Battleborn as my account manager. He must have done a good job if my Family still remains in your favor."

"It will be an honor," Battleborn bowed. "And may this partnership bring you riches for many years to come."

"And to you as well," Harry returned before turning to Grapplehorn. "I think everything is fine now, and if you don't mind I'd like to go over my estate with Battleborn now."

Getting the hint, Grapplehorn took a firm hold on an indignant Griphook and shuffled them both out the room, leaving Harry (and Marvolo) with Battleborn so they could conduct their business in privacy.

"I believe the first order of business is your account summary," Battleborn began immediately after the privacy spells were up. "Is it correct that you have not seen even a single one yet?"

Harry nodded.

"Then we will start there, and I'll explain as we go," Battleborn said and snapped his fingers. Another parchment appeared between them, only this one was blank. "Many wizards are now wary of any magic that asks for blood. It is your right to refuse, but then you risk missing out on an inheritance that would have been identified as yours if you had claimed it with blood. Are you willing to provide a sample of your blood? I only need a couple drops."

"Did my parents perform this ritual?" Harry wanted to know.

Battleborn sneered. "Your father was rich enough and didn't care to perform the Blood Inheritance Ritual. Likewise, your mother also steered clear of anything that used human blood."

After listening to some of Marvolo's views of magic and blood, Harry was more cautious about what his blood could be used for, but with Marvolo's assuring nod, Harry finally agreed.

Battleborn struck Harry's outstretched finger with a small needle, as quick as a snake, and before Harry could even register the pain, a couple fat droplets were already dripping onto the blank parchment below. Harry's natural healing abilities kicked in and healed the wound.

Words began to materialize starting from where the drops of blood were caught, and the words spread from there. The ink had a red hue to it, making Harry think some of the ink was drawn by his blood, especially as the drops were being absorbed and finally disappeared.

It was sort of creepy.

NAME : HARRY JAMES POTTER

Gryffindor - Heir by Blood Vaults : #8 (69,258,459 galleons and assorted items) Properties : Gryffindor House. Hogwarts   Gryffindor Manor. England   Godric's Hallow. England   Entitlements : Hogwarts School Board Seat    Potter – Heir by Blood Vaults : #132 (48,032,268 galleons and assorted items) #686 (-108,084 galleons) #687 (45,100 galleons) Properties : Potter Manor. England Vacation Home. Italy #4 Privet Drive. England   Investments : 61% Daily Prophet stockholdings   25% Medi-Potions stockholdings Entitlements : Wizengamut Seat, 4 votes

Black – Heir by Name

Slytherin - Heir by Magic

Collections Account Vaults : #782, #985, #639 (Total 96,284 galleons and assorted items)

After reading through the list twice, Harry still didn't know what he was looking at. The only thing he recognized was the Potter Accounts. What in Merlin's name were all these other accounts doing under his name?

Seeing Harry's blank look, Battleborn took the liberty to explain. "Starting with the basics," he began. "There are three ways to inherit something, the first is by blood, which means through the family." He pointed a clawed finger to Gryffindor and Potter. "You are the closest living descendent of Lord Gryffindor, and you are a Potter by birthright. The second is if you are named an heir, which is what happened with the Blacks and the Collection Account."

Harry nodded in understanding. "And what about by magic? Slytherin?" Harry highly doubted Lord Voldemort would want Harry Potter as his Heir.

"Yes, very curious," Battleborn said thoughtfully. "Usually a magical heir is created when an adult shares his magic with a child, whose core is still developing. This is often done in old pure blood families under a magical adoption ritual."

Hearing this, Harry shot Marvolo a look, who in turn shook his head. They would discuss it later.

"The next thing you'll notice are the other inheritable assets, such as properties and investments the Family has," Battleborn continued lecturing. "At the moment, you only have access to the Gryffindor and Potter Properties since you are the last living descendants. The other properties are closed off to you until the current Lord has given you access. That is why their assets are not listed here."

Harry nodded in understanding. He would look into his Properties later. "What about the Entitlements?" he asked.

"Entitlements are privileges, such as voting rights, granted to the Lords of a Family. Because no one holds the seats now, when you turn 15 you will be responsible for attending these civic duties in the name of your Family."

Now that Harry had a better idea what he was looking at, he studied the Summary more carefully and noticed something odd about the Potter vaults. "Why are there three Potter vaults?" He only recognized the last one as the one Hagrid had taken him to when he first came to Diagon Alley.

"Yes. The vault system can be a little complicated," Battleborn answered. "The first vault listed is always the Family Vault. The second listed is your Trust Vault, if one was created for you as in the case with the Potters and the Blacks. When a minor becomes 15, it will become his Retainer Vault. Or if the minor becomes Lord of the Family, such will be the case for you concerning the Gryffindor and Potter accounts, the Retainer will be absorbed into the Family Vault. The Lord, you, will then have controlling power over the entire Family Vault."

Harry took a moment to process all that information. "So Vault #686 is my dad's Retainer Vault? How come it hasn't been absorbed into the Family Vault when he became Lord Potter?"

"Ah, yes. That is thanks to your grandfather," Battleborn murmured. "Your grandfather, Charles Potter, was a financial genius, a trait that unfortunately didn't get passed onto the son. Because of this lack of money-sense and his…immaturity, Charles Potter created an account completely separate from the Family's. Any earnings or debts on the account was solely James' responsibility."

Harry's eyebrows went up. "That seems pretty drastic," he pointed out.

"It may seem so," Battleborn said. "But it was a good thing Charles had the foresight to plan this, especially once James Potter graduated Hogwarts. Under the misguidance ofDumbledore," he snarled. "James donated his entire, not insignificant wealth, to fight the war. And not to speak ill of the dead, but by the year of his death, he had amounted a debt of more than 100,000 galleons, as you can see here, denoted by the (-) before the galleon amount. Nothing I did could change your father's mind."

Harry's eyes grew wider and wider as the story unfolded. Now he knew why Battleborn disliked Dumbledore so much. Harry couldn't believe how foolish his father had been, and felt grateful for his grandfather. Harry was sure that if it was left to his father, Harry wouldn't have anything to inherit. It was a callous way of thinking, and Harry felt slightly guilty, but he couldn't find it in himself to respect a man who unthinkingly squandered his family's resources to a war that wasn't his to fight. In fact, it could be said that once Lily was pregnant, they should have escaped and moved to Australia or something. Instead, they stayed in the warfront, despite knowing their son was the target of maniacal killer.

Harry shook his head, disappointed in his parent's choices. "I would like to pay off my parent's debt," Harry said. "Is that possible?"

"There is no need to," Battleborn said. "Once your parent's died, their debt died with them. Your grandfather ensured that the debts of the father would not be visited on the heir. Vault 686 is just empty."

"No," Harry said. "You're right, my parents are dead, but those they borrowed from may still be alive and I want them to be compensated."

"Very well," Battleborn sounded hesitant, though now he looked upon the boy with respect. Clearly the son was not of the same mindset as his father. "I will file the transaction after we are through here and it will be taken out from the Family vault."

"Thank you," Harry replied. "Now, what is the Collection Account?"

This got a wrinkly smile from the goblin. "This is something you don't see done for individual people, but it is a common practice for certain organizations, especially those that depend on charity," Battleborn explained. "Gringotts opens a special account, the Collections Account, for those that receive a certain number of significant donations. For instance, there is one for St. Mungo's, and anyone who wants to donate money or an entire vault, simply transfers it into the Collection Account."

"Okay," Harry said slowly. "But why do I have a Collection's Account?"

This caused Battleborn to snort. "Do you ever wonder how you can be hailed as a boy hero and not receive any gifts for it?" He gestured to the paper between them. "And apparently, some are so thankful they've signed over entire vaults to you. And that's not to mention all the little gifts. Surely, those you've received?"

Harry shook his head numbly. "I've gotten nothing," he said. "I didn't even know I was a wizard until I got my Hogwart's letter…so all this time…they must think I'm a selfish, spoiled brat!" Harry's voice rose higher and higher at the indignation. "Is there a way I can get a list of people who've sent me gifts so I can thank them properly and explain that I didn't mean to ignore them?"

Battleborn looked started at the tidbits of information that Harry let slip. "Well, I can get you the names of some of the bigger contributors. The smaller gifts were probably redirected to your trust fund, if you didn't receive them."

Harry shook his head. "I would've remembered seeing random gifts in my vault the last time I visited," he murmured, putting the mystery aside for now. "So what's next?"

"Next, you claim your inheritance," Battleborn answered, and this time he clapped his hands three times. Three books appeared on the desk and a small box. "These books are the Potter, the Collections, and the Gryffindor accounting books. Because there is no current living Lord, you automatically gain control of them."

Harry flipped onto a random page in the Potter book and groaned in dismay when he could only recognize every third word. He hoped Marvolo could help him with this.

The next item was the Heir Rings, which were held inside the small box. "By putting on the Heir Rings, you are formally accepting your inheritances. These rings provide you minor magical protections, mostly against coercion and mind magic. In fact, if you have any occlumancy training, they will fortify it. This was a precaution most rich families had, simply to avoid being tricked or coerced into giving up all their possessions. Rather clever, I think."

Harry nodded in agreement and slipped the Gryffindor and Potter rings on his right hand. Their weight felt heavy on his bony fingers, but they also felt right.

"They can become invisible if you want," Battleborn said, looking on in pride when the rings accepted their rightful owner. He had high hopes that the Potter estate would once again return to its original glory. "Simply turn it so it is right-side up for you to hide it. To show it off, turn it upside-down."

Harry decided to keep his Potter ring exposed and hide his Gryffindor one for now.

The rest of the meeting was fairly standard. First Harry cancelled any keys that were not in his possession, which meant the one Mrs. Weasley held was useless. Thankfully, neither Dumbledore nor the Weasleys had interfered with his Trust vault, something he had been secretly worried about. And then he obtained a Gringotts' card, something like the muggle debit card, that would withdraw from his trust vault. It was tamper proof since it needed to be in contact with the Potter ring to activate. Finally he had the accounting books all shrunken and placed into his pocket.

A/N: A/N: Thank you for all those who reviewed! I've written several stories, but this story is the first I've had the guts to post, and all your reviews have convinced me this is worth to continue publishing. I know the Gringotts stuff is a little tedious, but like the previous chapter it was necessary. I recently got a rather painful flame about making Harry too rich and stuff, so I changed it because I partly agreed with the flamer. However, I won't always change things to make people happy. You know what they say about too many cooks. Canon implies Harry is the descendant of Gryffindor and canon implies the Potter were well off, so that had to be kept. I added the Slytherin stuff because the horcrux Harry carries sort of makes him magically adopted into the line. Don't worry, his many inheritances won't play a large part in the story. Harry won't suddenly becomes some political powerhouse who can suddenly overthrow the ministry or something. I hate those stories as well.

I was warned by a very nice reviewer to keep Dumbles from being too evil, and I agree, but in this story he's far more manipulative than canon (or not since Dumbles let Harry get abused and intended for him to die in the end). In my story, Dumbles hasn't done anything explicitly illegal, like stealing from Harry, but he did make it so James Potter gave up his fortune for the war effort. My Dumbles will work within the boundaries of the law, but just barely. Also, I got the idea of James being a financial washout from one fanfiction story, but I've forgotten what it was or who wrote it. If anyone can tell me, I will make sure he/she/it is properly attributed.

Next up will be getting Harry all geared up. Here's a teaser to reward those who slogged through my lengthy Author's Note:

Teaser:

It was a week before school started when Harry got some disturbing news by way of the Daily Prophet. Marvolo suggested he subscribe to it, even if half of what they printed was just gossip. In big bold letters, the headline read, "Sirius Black Escapes from Azkaban!" A little further down on the page was a vivid recount of how he had betrayed the Potters, how he then killed 12 muggles and one of his best friends, how he was considered You-Know-Who's right hand man.

Harry cracked open the diary. Marvolo, come look at this! Quick!

Harry tried to sit still as he waited for his friend to finish the article. He wasn't sure what he felt. On one hand, this was the man who betrayed his parents and was partly responsible for his parents' death. On the other, he had done it on Voldemort's, or rather Marvolo's orders, and if Harry could forgive Marvolo then surely he could do the same for this Sirius Black. Maybe this Sirius Black could even help Marvolo where Harry, as a child, could not. As Harry thought about it more, he was surprised to realize that the idea didn't appeal to him. If he was honest with himself, he wasn't ready to share Marvolo with anyone yet. Yes, Harry knew this was selfish, but he felt there was something special that bonded him to Marvolo and he was afraid to lose it to someone who had once been his right hand man.

Harry refused to think of it as jealousy.

Finally, Marvolo looked up, his face serious. "It wasn't Sirius Black who betrayed your parents," he said. "As far as I know, he was loyal to Dumbledore and a close friend of your parents. It was Peter Pettigrew, the man Sirius Black killed, who was the spy."

"Then he's been wrongly imprisoned all these years?" Harry asked, horrified at the thought.

Marvolo shook his head. "I don't know," he admitted. "But Sirius Black was a former auror and known for his impulsive wildness, especially in battle. Indeed it is because of his unpredictability that makes him so formidable. He certainly has the skills and hotheadedness to kill Pettigrew and take 12 muggles in one blow. But he never was one of my Death Eaters."

End Teaser ;)
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In Servitude of the Dark: The Hand That Guides Me