When Boredom Strikes

Harry woke up one morning and decided today was going to be a boring day. He didn't know why he decided that, what with evil teachers and even eviler dark lords after him, but today he was going to be bored out his skull.

His prediction came true. Hermione nagging at them to do homework; Umbitch with her sickly sweet voice adding a new horrible rule to the list; Snape breathing down his neck at every opportunity he had.

He knew for others that would be as far away from boring as possible, but for him it was just another Saturday at Hogwarts.

In an effort to cure the boredom before dinner, he headed for the Room of Requirement. Upon getting there, and making sure no one else could get in, he then wondered what he could do. Should he read, train, learn to juggle knives?

'Wonder what else is here?' he thought out loud.

The room began to morph around him, changing from the training room he set up for DA to what appeared to be the world's biggest junk room. Piles upon piles stretched out before him, some hitting the ceiling.

'Wow! So this is what a thousand years of stuff look like'.

Harry spent a big of time wandering round examining whatever caught his eye. It was peculiar just how much unusual stuff was here. Amongst the worn out books, ripped canvases, left behind trunks and old furniture lay shiny pieces of jewellery, extravagant busts and statues, and he even thought he clocked an actual gold brick.

'You'd think the teachers would try and do something with this lot, some of it can still be used'.

An odd idea jumped into his head.

'I wonder how many wizard space trunks it would take to pack the whole lot?'

He blinked when a scrap of parchment appeared before him, grabbing it before it could flutter to the ground. It read:

Potion and Herbology Related Items = 10

Weapons and Armour =5

Jewellery and Jewels = 5

Miscellaneous = 20

Equipment = 15

Furniture = 20

Clothes = 5

Books = 20

'Wow, considering what's here a hundred trunks isn't all that much. I love magic sometimes!'

Harry grinned. For once he had done all his homework, there was no quidditch thanks to Umbitch, and DA wasn't due to meet up until Tuesday. He'd just thought of a way to stave off boredom for a while.

'Hogwarts, can you move the stuff that gets used please'.

A bunch of stuff disappeared, nowhere near enough Harry thought.

'Seriously, all this stuff and only that much actually gets used?!'

He eyed a decaying table close to him. There was no way even a repair spell would fix it.

'Hogwarts can you also move the unusable stuff into a far corner please. And anything living'.

Just to be on the safe side he thought as the table vanished, along with some other bits and pieces. He'd check to see what may be scurrying around the room later.

'Are there any wizard space trunks here?'

Next to him appeared around forty trunks. Harry spent some time checking exactly how large the interior of each trunk was.

'Alright these would do for the things that don't take up too much space'.

He checked the list again.

'Accio clothes!'

He pointed his wand at one of the trunks, allowing the clothes to fly inside, switching to another trunk when the first got full, and so on until he hit the fifth one. When nothing else appeared he closed the lids over and labeled them "clothing".

'Accio jewels and jewellery!'

Shiny things came at him from all directions, and were directed into five more trunks. One item, a crown of sorts, paused in mid air just before one of the trunks. Harry was about to move it in manually when he noticed it seemed to have an almost sickly aura about it.

'Alright I'm leaving this one be, pity really, it's really nice looking'.

He directed it into the corner where the broken stuff had been placed. With the trunks labeled Harry continued packing the rest until all that was left, besides the broken stuff and the stuff people used, was the books, furniture and miscellaneous things.

'Kinda looks like a huge classroom now. I'm gonna need to get some more trunks'.

A slim book appeared in front of him, which turned out to be a catalogue for a trunk shop.

'Oh cool! I can ask Hedwig to get more'.

He eyed the trunks he'd already packed, then decided to place locking charms on them and pile them in a corner. As he left the Room of Requirement he idly wondered why he didn't feel all that guilty about his idea. His plan was to shift through the stuff (which would take ages), pick out what he wanted to keep, and sell the rest. It would cover the cost of the other trunks he needed, plus he was super curious about what treasures he might find.

'They owe me. I've been saving their asses since I stepped into Hogwarts. Heck I was their savior long before that. I deserve some compensation'.

And with that any guilt he might have had left and he happily headed up to the owlry to talk to Hedwig.

OOO

It was a few days later when he was able to get his order in. The shop keeper thankfully didn't ask questions about the large amount of trunks, Harry supposed the man probably got enough large orders all the time, either that or he didn't care since Harry paid upfront. Another thing about magic Harry liked, send a note to the Goblins asking them to make the transaction and it all goes through without him needing to be there in person.

Hedwig had to make a few trips, and each time she returned with a heavy package, containing around twenty shrunken trunks, Harry rewarded her with plenty of bacon and treats to keep her in a good mood.

The Room of Requirement was starting to look very empty now. The stuff that was still used (like the blackboards for DA) occupied just a small area, while the completely broken things had been either burned or transfigured into targets to be used in DA meetings.

Harry wasn't going near the crown with the creepy aura, it remained in a corner.

It was odd though, not once had Harry thought to tell the others what he was doing. Of course once he sorted through the mountains of things he would share anything helpful with them, but he didn't really want to tell them about the rest. Not even Hermione and Ron.

There were only a few living creatures in the room, thankfully none of them were really dangerous. A swarm of Cornish Pixies were chased out a window, the Flobberworms (Harry wasn't sure how they got in, but then how'd the rest get in) were gathered for potion ingredients, the Boggart was repelled back into it's box which was securely locked (he could use it for DA meetings he supposed), the Doxies were seen to with pest spray (and then gathered along with their nests for potions), and the Flitterbys were cohered into the cage that once held a strange five legged skeleton. They were pretty, they'd make nice pets Harry thought.

The Chameleon Ghoul scared the hell out of Harry when it appeared out of nowhere. A petrificus totalus saw it freeze in place, and since it appeared to work Harry hit it with a few more just to be sure. It rather looked like a statue, he had a sudden urge to place it near the Slytherin common room.

With a grin Harry decided to do just that. And as luck had it Draco was the one to come across it, and he was with Umbitch at the time. No one could tell who had been the one who's mad screams echoed round the dungeons.

OOO

'Alright, time to see just what I have in these'.

Harry had left the trunks in the room, for fear of them being discovered if he took them to his dorm room. With a sigh he got to work, reaching for the nearest one. This little project of his had so far taken up three weeks, so much for getting rid of boredom for a simple weekend. But Harry was having fun with it, and as long as he finished his homework, attended his classes, suffered through "remedial potions", and went to DA, he was able to keep his project a secret.

'That's a lot of hats'.

The trunks that held clothing were mostly full of old hats, cloaks and robes, though there were a few oddities, like the smelly pair of glittery socks that Harry was sure had something to do with Dumbledore. He figured he'd clean them up then give them to Dobby. It was almost as if some students had just up and left without their things. Harry suddenly remembered Myrtle, that one of these trunks of supplies might have been hers, and wondered just how many students had died since Hogwarts first began.

Harry steadily worked through the rest of the term, gaining the suspicion of Umbridge since he wasn't causing problems. But, because he wasn't causing problems she couldn't find any excuse to put him in detention very often, even though she tried her hardest.

The amount of strange and bizarre things Harry found was quite unbelievable:

Thousands of books (and yes he did attempt to count them, gave up after he hit two thousand and realised there were still piles more)

Broken furniture (easily fixed)

Flying catapults

Fanged frisbees

Chipped bottles of congealed potions (kept because the thought of using them on Voldemort and his deatheaters to see what they did was very tempting)

Corked bottles whose contents still shimmered evilly

What looked like Dragon eggshells

Several rusting swords (needed a good solid clean and repair)

A heavy bloodstained axe (no questions asked about who the blood belonged to)

An enormous stuffed troll (no questions asked in general)

Hats, jewels, and cloaks

A chipped old bust of an ugly warlock

A few, heavy, broomsticks (would have been taken to the broom shed, until Harry tried picking them up)

Some of the chess pieces used in the protections for the Philosopher's Stone (they even waved to him as he sorted them)

A record turntable that "skipped" (he was pretty sure someone in the muggle world could fix it easily)

A banjo

The five legged skeleton that was in the cage used for the Flitterbys (he had no idea what it once was)

A set of dominoes

A statue of the first Headmaster of Hogwarts (cheery guy)

A mirror that looked suspiciously like the Mirror of Erised (Harry didn't bother looking very closely at it just to be sure)

Chinese lanterns

Several flasks containing seeds and dried fruits

An Astrolabe shaped object which may have come from Dumbledore's office

Several glass stands

Several trophies that had long since passed their prime, but the gold was still sellable

And that was just the unusual stuff, he wasn't going to bother listing out the really bizarre stuff otherwise it would give him a headache.

By the time the Christmas holidays ended (and with the help of a time turner he'd found that looked remarkably like the one Hermione used) Harry was able to get through all the trunks and work out what he wanted to keep (which included said time turner, how could he not keep it) and what he would sell. Five trunks of stuff he kept for himself, mostly filled with books of all things (Hermione would be so proud of him) and ten more were kept for DA. Taking a risk one night, he snuck out the castle using his invisibility cloak and managed to cause enough of a distraction at Hogshead to floo to the Leaky Cauldron. Once there he headed swiftly for Gringotts, trunks shrunk down and stuffed full into his schoolbag and one he'd borrowed from Ron. Both bags were charmed featherlight, which was the only reason he wasn't crawling through the corridors and down secret tunnels. He thanked Merlin that the magical world didn't have nine to five hours, and that the Goblins didn't ask many questions as he made for the nearest teller and took off his cloak.

It was only when he got there that he realised he could have just used the time turner. Bah!

'Can I help you?' the surely looking being asked.

'Is there someone I can talk to about selling a lot of things, or if not can you point me in the direction of any shops that are willing to buy stuff?' Harry asked.

The Goblin peered at him, then jumped down and had Harry follow him down a corridor and to a door marked "Barchoke's Office"

'Bachoke is the manager for the Potter finances, he'll be able to help you'.

'Thank you' Harry said and the Goblin knocked.

'Enter!'

Harry stepped inside, closing the door behind him.

'Mr Potter, what can I do for you?'

Harry started to bring out the mini trunks.

'I have a lot of stuff here that I'd like to sell, if any of it is worth anything that is'.

'I see' Barchoke said, eyeing the growing pile of trunks.

Harry noticed his gaze and grinned sheepishly.

'Sorry, there's eighty five trunks here, all of them have wizard space on them. May I?'

Barchoke nodded and Harry was able to enlarge the trunks to their normal size, or at lease some of them, otherwise he'd completely flood the office. The Goblin came over and examined them, peering into most while disregarding a few.

'From what I can see, there are things here we will not buy, some clothes and other items, however the rest we can probably make a deal on. Do you have an idea of what you'd like to sell them for?'

'Sort of. Although I'm willing to haggle' Harry replied.

Barchoke gave a bit of a grin and nodded.

'Very well. This will obviously take some time, and you should not be out of school, therefore we shall take these down to one of our closed off rooms. We have a special time device that allows us to slow time down within these rooms. It allows for a minute on the outside to be an hour on the inside'.

'Wicked!' Harry exclaimed.

With the help of some guards they carted the trunks down and Barchoke secured the room.

'There, that will allow us to conduct our business while still allowing you time to get back before your disappearance is noticed'.

'Thank you'.

Haggling with Goblins, Harry found, was quite fun. Barchoke was clearly an expert on values, and while Harry was practically a novice the Goblin didn't hold it over him. Barchoke even explained the purpose of some of the items, something that caused Harry to decide to keep a few. The dark art detectors for example, Harry had assumed he'd got them all and yet there were a few obscure ones he hadn't recognised. One item caught the Goblin's attention, he called it a vanishing cabinet. Although broken Barchoke said that it could be mended, and it had a partner. Where that partner wound up they didn't know, however Barchoke mentioned he might do a search, since vanishing cabinets were quite rare.

By the end Harry felt a fair price had been reached, leaving him with just two trunks of worn clothes and bits and pieces that he could hand in to a second hand shop. Except for the record turntable, he was going to take that back with him come the summer.

He was only thankful that the room at the bank had the time slowing device, and that it provided food, drink, bathroom facilities and a place to sleep. Barchoke had explained, after seeing just how much stuff Harry had brought, that it might take a few days or even weeks to get through and value it all, which made the time slowing room even more important. His prediction wound up coming true, they spent just over twelve days in that room, which only amounted to roughly five hours in real time, plenty of time for Harry to hand in the pile of clothes and other stuff and head back to Hogwarts before sunrise.

'If I may ask Harry (spending that much time with someone calling you Mr Potter was slowly driving Harry mad. He'd asked Barchoke to call him simply Harry), was there anything left in that room of yours?'

Barchoke meant it as a joke, judging by the amusement in his eyes.

'Not much, a bunch of stuff that people were still using, and some completely trashed things that I either burned or transfigured into something else to use for training. Oh and a really nice silver crown, but I decided to leave that cause it had this really bad feeling aura about it. A dark aura I guess you could call it' Harry replied.

'A dark aura you say? Interesting' Barchoke murmured.

'Harry if possible I'd like to examine that crown. When you take the things to the junk shop please keep one of the trunks and put the crown inside. Owl it to me and I'll ensure it is dealt with. I will of course pay you for it's worth'.

Harry suddenly realised that the Goblins would be a lot more suited to handling dark items than the Witches and Wizards they catered to. After all they were the ones who trained the cursebreakers, according to Ron who's older brother Bill was one.

'Sure Barchoke, I'll send it as soon as I can'.

The Goblin nodded, then smirked.

'Well then Harry, shall we head back to my office to settle the price?'

OOO

Harry left Gringotts with more money than five purebloods could earn in their lifetime, and that wasn't including the money he already had. He was completely flabbergasted that all that supposed junk had sold for so much. But then it was centuries worth of stuff, so obviously there would be things with far more value than others.

After casting a quick glamour he handed the two remaining trunks to the junk shop keeper, stating that he wanted to keep one of the trunks and the turntable, and quickly headed back to the Leaky Cauldron. Another distraction later and he was back in Hogwarts. He was asleep before his head hit the pillow, a big grin on his face. Staving off boredom was far more fun than he thought.

Next time though he would use the time turner.

The next day, after DA training, he carefully levitated the crown into the trunk and shrunk it, running up to the owlry to ask Hedwig to send it to Barchoke. With much petting and some strips of bacon the snowy owl was away and Harry was left to wonder just what dark magic was on the crown. A few days later he got a letter from Barchoke stating that the crown was in fact the legendary diadem of Ravenclaw, and thus instead of buying it he would send it back to Harry to display in the school, after he got rid of the sickly magic he'd found on it.

Harry had heard from Hermione about the diadem of Ravenclaw. He was almost giddy with glee at being the one to find it.

The Goblin was rather horrified to find that the diadem had played host to a portion of Voldemort's soul. Thankfully Goblins knew just how to get rid of such a taint without damaging the host, and Barchoke was able to cleanse the precious artifact. After he'd sent it back with Hedwig he started to wonder. What if the dark lord made more than one?

'Griphook!'

The younger Goblin rushed in.

'I want a team of our most able warriors. The dark lord has made horcruxes and I want all of them hunted down'.

Griphook's eyes widened and a snarl curled his lips. Horcruxes were one of the darkest kind of magic there was.

'I'll see to it immediately Master Barchoke!' he exclaimed and ran out the office.

Barchoke settled in his chair, wondering if he should talk to the young Potter heir about what he'd discovered. After careful consideration he decided he would tell Harry, which would turn out to be a fortunate thing, not just for him but for magical Britain.

Barchoke had a busy schedule ahead of him.

OOO

Harry had spent time properly packing the stuff he wanted to keep, and had decided to take his belongings from his own trunk and put them in the wizard space on, he figured he would put the five wizard space trunks (shrunken down of course) into his school one. He hoped he didn't upset the balance of physics.

It was as he was taking things out that he came across the gift Sirius had given him, still wrapped at the bottom of his trunk. Eagerly, and a little guiltily as he'd forgotten about it, Harry unwrapped it. A smallish handheld mirror, rather plain. Confused Harry turned to the note that had fallen out.

"Dear Harry

The marauders used this mirror to communicate, mostly to get ourselves out of trouble. All of us had one, the one you're holding belonged to James, I have mine, Remus accidentally smashed his during the full moon, and the rat got his confiscated by Filch. To use your one hold it up and say Sirius Black.

Best to use it where no one can see.

Love Sirius"

Harry rushed to his bed, pulled the curtains over and cast a privacy spell.

'Sirius Black' he whispered.

The mirror's surface seemed to ripple, and a moment later his godfather's face appeared.

'Harry! What took you so long?!'

Harry laughed a bit, discreetly wiping away a tear. If he'd just thought to open the gift when he first got it, he'd have been able to talk to Sirius about Umbitch and Snape.

'Hey Sirius. Sorry about that, I sorta forgot about it. It's been a bad year'.

His godfather's grin faded and he looked concerned.

'Are you ok Harry?'

The dam burst and Harry found himself telling Sirius everything. By the time he'd ran out of things to say he felt as though a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

'I don't know who to curse first, that Umbridge woman or Snape!' Sirius growled.

'Listen Harry, I got a few lessons in occlumency and the way Snape's "teaching" you isn't helping at all'.

'I kinda of figured that. I'm getting more headaches than anything else' Harry muttered.

'Have you spoken to anyone?'

'Well I tried talking to McGonagall and Dumbledore, tried telling them about Umbitch as well. But Dumbledore's been ignoring me since my trial, and besides he's gone now, and McGonagall won't listen to me, she says I need to keep my head down. I've been getting less detentions but even then Umbitch still a way to punish me, and Snape's been no help at all. I really don't know what to do Sirius'.

His godfather looked thoughtful for a few moments.

'Why don't you talk to the Goblins. You said you were friendly enough with Barchoke?'

Harry nodded.

'Yeah, after I handed in all that rare stuff for him to buy'.

Sirius sniggered.

'I can't believe you raided almost a thousand years of stuff. I wish I could have seen it all when it was in…what did you call it?'

'The Room of Requirement' Harry supplied with a grin.

'Yeah, wish I'd seen it there. Pity the marauders didn't discover that room. Aw well, probably for the best. Talk to Barchoke Harry, if anything else he'd probably be able to give you some advice. I would recommend a lawyer, I'm not sure if the Potter one is still on retainer. The Black one is, but I'm supposed to be a wanted criminal, and the guy's a shady one, wouldn't recommend him for you'.

'I'll do that Sirius, thanks for the advice. I guess that means I'll have a chance to use the time turner this time' Harry said.

'I'll meet you at the bank Harry, just tell me when you're ready to go. I miss you pup, and staying in this stuffy house all day every day is driving me mad' Sirius replied.

'You're already mad!' Harry laughed.

Sirius did the mature thing and stuck his tongue out.

'I'll wait until the weekend, Friday night perhaps' Harry said.

'Alright, Snuffles will meet you at the steps. Mind yourself Harry, I can't believe I'm saying this, but try to keep out of trouble'.

'Try being the word, trouble finds me' Harry replied.

Sirius told him how to deactivate the mirror and they said goodnight. Harry fell asleep with a smile on his face.

OOO

'YOU MEAN TO TELL ME THAT I HAVE PART OF VOLDEMORT'S SOUL IN MY HEAD?!'

Harry and Snuffles and entered the bank late on Friday evening, heading straight to Barchoke's office after stating why they were here. Barchoke had wasted very little time in telling Harry about the diadem, and his suspicions about other possible horcruxes. Understandably shocked and horrified, Harry suddenly thought of the possible link to his scar and Voldemort, and if it was related. He explained this to the Goblin.

Barchoke had asked if he could examine the scar, and nearly scared the hell out of Harry and Sirius when he suddenly bellowed at the top of his voice in gobbledygook. Another Goblin rushed in, more words were spoken in Goblin tongue, and finally Barchoke addressed the pair.

'I apologise for that Mr Potter, Lord Black, it appears that your scar is playing host to a portion of the dark lord's soul'.

Which was the reason for Harry's current outburst.

'Correct. Whether or not it was accidental, the fact is that Voldemort placed a slither of his soul into you, thus turning your scar into a horcruxe. This is vile magic, some of the darkest there is' Barchoke explained.

'Can you get it out?!' Harry squeaked, while Sirius sat as white as a ghost.

'Indeed we can, though I suspect it will be painful. You see Harry as far as we are aware, you are the only living being that has been turned into a horcruxe'.

Harry hung his head with a frustrated huff.

'Of course I am' he muttered.

The Goblin continued.

'Exactly what to you do to get rid of the soul portion?' Sirius finally recovered enough to ask.

'I assume you mean without destroying the vessel? We perform a simple ritual, removing the piece from its hiding place and inserting it into a pig. The pig is then slaughtered, which will also kill the soul piece' Barchoke explained, pushing a button on his desk which called for a Goblin who after a quick word hurried out and returned with something calming to drink.

Harry almost snatched the cup from the smaller being, gulping down the liquid and sighing as he immediately felt calmer.

'Barchoke I want this out of me. I don't care how much it hurts'.

The Goblin nodded.

'I thought you might say that. We can start the ritual immediately'.

Nodding Harry put the cup down and stood, then suddenly thought of something.

'Barchoke, in my second year I came across a diary that held a memory of a young Voldemort. It had possessed a friend of mine and was draining her life to feed his. Do you think that was a horcruxe?'

'I believe it might be. Where is this diary now?' Barchoke replied.

'Oh, I stabbed it with a Basilisk fang and the spirit form of Voldemort appeared to die. I gave it to the Headmaster afterwards' Harry replied.

'A Basilisk fang! Good Frith where did you obtain one of those?!' the Goblin exclaimed.

'Can we possible get the soul piece out of Harry first, then we can talk about this in more detail?' Sirius suggested impatiently.

'Yes, yes, my apologies. Come with me' Barchoke hastily replied.

An hour later Harry lay taint free on a bed in the Goblin hospital wing, and had explained everything that had happened since he first received his Hogwarts letter. Of course this was after he had recovered from the very painful procedure of removing the soul piece from his scar, said scar was now almost invisible, and for the first time in his life Harry felt great, like a weight had been lifted from him. Barchoke had asked him to start explaining his life from the beginning, so that was what he did. The Goblin had looked quite angry at the manipulations his young account holder had gone through.

'Harry you have been through quite a few adventures in your short life. Quite frankly one of those would be enough to put off most adults. I assume you will be looking for the services of a lawyer soon?'

'Yes, Sirius mentioned that my family had one on retainer' Harry replied.

'Indeed you did, however the man was killed during the last war, not too long after the attack on Potter manor. However I do know of a good company that would be happy to take you on as a client. And it will have nothing to do with your fame. Smith and Smyth are fair and trustworthy and someone I'd recommend. If you like I can send them a report and ask that they take on your case' Barchoke said.

'That would be great. I'm sick and tired of people making money off my fame, but mostly I'm sick and tired of people trying to use me and put me down because of who I am. When you speak with them, can you mention that I'll only be willing to give interviews with the Quibbler. My friend Luna's father is the owner of the paper and although they're a bit odd they've never printed lies about me'.

Harry then paused and grinned.

'Hey Sirius you think I'd be able to sue the Malfoys for the diary incident'.

Sirius burst out laughing.

'If you're able to then I'll proclaim my love to McGonagall!'

'Oh I'm holding you to that. Barchoke I want everyone that has done me wrong put down and put down hard' Harry spoke.

The Goblin grinned.

'I'm sure we can work something out. I'll send out a report to them immediately. There is one thing I should say, I believe you might like it. These adventures, the tournament especially, and what you have hinted about in your life before Hogwarts, gives you a clear case to file for emancipation, should you choose to'.

Harry was stunned.

'Emancipation…so what…what would that mean for me…?'

'You would be seen as an adult in the magical world. You will receive the Potter ring, giving you the title of Lord Potter, and full access to the family vault, which normally you would gain access to when you turned seventeen'.

'My family vault? I didn't know I had one' Harry said.

'All noble families normally have a family vault and a trust vault for any children. This ensures that the child does not overspend any family fortunes. The Potter family have amassed a fair amount of wealth over the years. They are by no means the richest, but they have invested wisely and saved well. Before your rather large deposit, you had an overall balance of eighty three thousand six hundred and nine galleons, plus a small amount of knuts and sickles. Of that, nine thousand is available to you in your trust fund'.

Harry was pretty sure his jaw had hit the floor.

'Um…Barchoke…How come you never explained this before…?'

'I assumed you knew. Your guardian should have made you aware of this'.

Sirius winced, something Harry noticed.

'So…you're my guardian Sirius?'

'I should have been pup, then I got myself thrown in Azkaban. I honestly assumed you'd be taken care of and told all this by who ever else was listed on your parents wills'.

'Well my relatives never told me anything about this, although if they knew I had that kind of money they would probably keep it for themselves' Harry said with a scowl.

Barchoke frowned.

'Well, you have this money available to you now, that is if you successfully become emancipated, and as I say you have a very strong case for it'.

'So I gain a title and another vault, and bee seen as an adult? You mentioned investments, does that mean I have…um…'

'Business shares and stock?' the Goblin supplied.

Harry nodded.

'You have a few, yes. I have kept an eye on all your shares, monitoring their rise and fall in value, and followed the business trends as closely as I could. Some I made the choice to sell, as they were loosing you money. As your account manager, loosing your money would loose Gringotts money, you understand'.

'Yes I do, thanks, I wouldn't have a clue what to do anyway. Can you continue that, or maybe give me a crash course in business shares?' Harry asked with a grin.

Barchoke grinned back.

'I'm sure we could come to an agreement, but for the time being I will of course continue to keep an eye out'.

'You also have a seat in the Wizengamot, although you wouldn't be able to take it until you reach twenty five, but you can ask for a proxy to sit in your place. They will be able to vote depending on your view' he continued.

'So I could vote against laws like those for Werewolves?' Harry asked eagerly.

'You can, whether or not your vote is enough to turn the law is another matter entirely' Barchoke explained.

'Oh, right, yeah I guess that would make sense. But I can still try to make a difference, as long as someone else does the actual voting?'

'Correct. The last thing you have, or had, was a few properties. Potter manor was destroyed in a deatheater attack, as was the cottage in Godric's Hollow. Both lands are still under your name, so should you wish to rebuild or sell it is up to you'.

He allowed Harry a moment to collect his thoughts. Sirius pulled his godson close, thinking of James and Lily.

'Now at the moment, the most important thing that emancipation will do for you, is get both Snape and Umbridge off your back. To attack a child would be cause for concern, but to attack a lord would see immediate justice' Barchoke then said.

'Well then, I'd like to file for emancipation' Harry said with a smirk.

Sirius sniggered.

'Very well, I'll draw up the papers and have you sign them. It may take a few days for them to go through the system, and we will need to be sneaky in order to get the ministry approval we need. You needn't worry about that though Harry, we Goblins have ways of getting our paperwork seen to. I'll send you an owl with the result' Barchoke replied with an evil grin.

Harry was kept under observation for a while longer before the pair were allowed to leave the bank and get back to Hogwarts. Sirius promised to see Harry back to the bank to accept his ring, the pair hugged and Harry hurried to the place he used the time turner. Once more he fell asleep with a smile on his lips.

OOO

'Where do you keep disappearing off to Harry?'

Harry repressed a sigh. He knew his friends were just worried for him, but the constant nagging to talk was getting annoying.

'I told you I've been working on a project'.

'So you say, but how come you won't tell us what you're doing?' Ron asked.

Harry shrugged.

'It's not all that important. I just felt bored one day and decided to try something new'.

'Harry if you get yourself into trouble over this…' Hermione warned.

'I won't Mione. Ok maybe I will a little but if I do it won't be my fault. I'm just doing what I should have been doing this whole time. Besides, I'm studying, I'm doing my homework, I'm keeping out of Umbridge's way, and I'm trying my hardest to learn with Snape. You can't ask any more of me' Harry replied.

She huffed and rearranged the books in her arms, storming off to the library.

'Mental that one!' Ron muttered.

Harry grinned.

'A little, but it's not right to make fun of her. Look Ron I know you're worried about me. With everything that's happening this year, plus what happened with Cedric last year, I am upset at times, heck I'm angry at times, but I'm not pushing those feelings away, I'm letting them out privately. I mean do you really want to sit with me when I blubber away like an idiot?'

Ron made a face.

'Not really Harry, sorry. Alright I'll talk to Mione and we'll stop pestering you. But you know it would be nice to see just what this project's all about'.

'Trust me Ron, when I'm done I'll tell you. You'll love it' Harry said with a grin.

The red head grinned back and they headed after Hermione.

OOO

It took the Goblins four days to push through the emancipation papers. Barchoke wouldn't tell Harry how he got it through the ministry, but the Goblins wry grin told a story of its own.

The evening after Harry received the letter of confirmation it was time for another trip out the school. After the last time, where he was almost caught by Neville, Harry had charmed his bed to look like someone was sleeping in it, complete with snores, and pulled the curtains over. Thankfully Neville had been a good guy about it, figuring Harry was just sneaking off on another adventure. He told Harry to try not to get caught and loose points, and to be careful of Umbridge and her squad, and went back to bed, hiding an amused smile.

Sirius met him at the steps and once again they headed inside the bank.

'Strange how the Goblins don't bother about you being a supposed wanted criminal' Harry said.

Sirius shrugged.

'I'm a customer, even if I was a wanted criminal they wouldn't bother with me, as long as I keep doing business with them. Plus it's a jab at the ministry, you know how much they hate the ministry'.

Harry sniggered.

'Pup, I know you're now classed as an adult, but I hope you'll still come to me if you need anything' Sirius then said hesitantly.

Harry paused, then spun round and pulled his godfather into a hug.

'I'll always need you Sirius, I still want to live with you'.

The man had to blink back tears as he hugged his godson. Harry smiled a watery smile up at him.

'I'm not ready to say goodbye to you just yet. Give me a few years when you've embarrassed me in front of a girlfriend'.

Sirius barked out a laugh.

'I'll hold you to that pup!'

Barchoke invited them inside, grinning as he slid over a box towards Harry.

'The ring will shrink when you place it on your index finger, indicating your new status as Lord Potter. Once that is complete, I will show you to your family vault and go over your stock and shares'.

The ring felt warm on his hand, Harry grinned at it and they headed down to his vault. He'd brought the trunks with him and deposited them with his family treasures, keeping just a few books he thought would help him with training.

That done they spent time going over his shares and stock. Harry had no issues with what he was spending his money on, so what he had was kept as is. The last thing they did was discuss a proxy for his family vote. After a bit of thought Harry decided to ask Remus, not only was the man very sensible and more up to date with the laws than anyone else Harry knew, but he was also a Werewolf and wouldn't that be a kick up the pants to those stuffy purebloods.

Sirius absolutely loved the idea, and could picture his friend's expression already.

'Well this has been the most interesting few weeks I've had. I look forward to hearing about any future adventures, now that I know you are as prepared as can be to handle them' Barchoke said.

Harry grinned.

'Oh I'm sure you'll find some amusement in them. I thank you for everything you've done for me Barchoke, and everything you're doing for Wizarding Britain'.

'No need for thanks Lord Potter, it is enough that Gringotts are doing more to stop the dark lord than the ministry. Lord Black the moment we come across that rat you can be sure we will let you know. I'm sure Amelia Bones will be quite interested in talking to him'.

'I'm sure she will, thank you' Sirius replied.

'Well we'd better head back. Barchoke may you gold always increase and your enemies cower at your feet'.

'You are getting good at that Harry, thank you' the Goblin spoke with a bow.

The pair left the bank, making a quick stop to buy a magical camera. Harry wanted to record all the hilarity to show to any future kids. Snuffles barked in agreement

As they headed back to Hogwarts, both were thinking the same thing.

Amazing what can happen when boredom strikes.

***BONUS OUTTAKE***

Sirius underneath a window with a guitar, muttering about evil godsons holding him to his bet.

'What's new pussycat? Woah, Woah!

What's new pussycat? Woah, Woah!

Pussycat, pussycat

I've got flowers

And lots of hours

To spend with you.

So go and powder your cute little pussycat nose!'

'SHADDUP BLACK!'

Professor McGonagall pours a bucket of freezing cold water on top of him.

YELP!