DISCLAIMER – Harry Potter and its affiliates are the sole property of JK Rowling. The idea is mine, but the characters are not.

DISCLAIMER 2 – The characters will be VERY OOC. I have changed some of the GOF book. IT WILL BE DIFFERENT. Be warned. If you don't like the story, please don't read it. I am writing what I want and not what you feel I should write. If you want a story to go a certain way, then write your own. Do not badger me because you don't like the character attitudes, or typos that you may find. I am fallible like everyone else and will miss some from time to time. (I will strive to fix those that are noted.)

NOTE – SLASH! HP/CD

DEDICATION – This story is dedicated to DZ2. Thanks for the inspiration.

Chapter 1 – Drawing of the Names

Harry and Hermione were sitting there listening as the names came out of the Goblet of Fire. Viktor Krum had already been chosen as the Durmstrang champion. Fleur had already been chosen as the representative for Beauxbatons. It was all down to who would be the champion for Hogwarts. Many people had their fingers crossed for their favorite.

Some of the professors were sitting there with a curious look on their faces. The goblet was having a hard time choosing a champion for their school. Severus was watching the Golden Trio with curiosity. Harry had a nervous look on his face. To Severus it seemed as if he knew that somehow his name would come out of the goblet. Hermione was holding his arm as if she too felt that something was against him and his name would come out. Ronald was looking at the couple with disgust and jealousy on his face.

Next to them sat the only female Weasley, who was looking at them with suspicion in her eyes. Severus gave a sigh of disgust of his own at their display. The Weasleys were part of Dumbledore's entourage. Severus was disgusted with the blind faith that the red headed family showed the old fool. He could only wonder what was going to happen to Harry Potter next. He would never admit it to the public, but he was genuinely concerned for the young man.

Minerva was sitting next to Severus. She could tell the younger professor was sitting on pins and needles waiting for the goblet to spit out a name. The two of them had, had a conversation the night before with the other heads of house. All four came to the same conclusion in the end. Now was just a matter of waiting to see if their fear would unfold or not.

"I'm telling you that Harry Potter's name will come out of the goblet," said Severus to his counterparts. "The boy has the most rotten of luck when it comes to things like this. I have no doubt his luck will be against him again."

"There is no way that Harry would enter his name into the goblet," said Minerva shaking her head. "Cedric and Hermione wouldn't let him. Neither would Mr. Longbottom or Miss Lovegood. Those students are determined to stay by Harry's side. In some ways, it's like Mr. Diggory is in love with Harry."

"I didn't say he entered his name," said Severus sharply, correcting the older woman. "I may be hard on him, but I know he wouldn't do that. Despite public appearances, I don't hate him nor do I think any ill towards him. You all know that I have to do what I do to keep my cover as a spy for both the four of us as well as for the Dark Lord and Albus. I'm actually quite proud of the boy. I'm also quite aware that he hates his fame and prestige."

"From what I hear from others, you fail him just about every day in your classes with him," remarked Pomona. "How can you say that you are proud of him and fail him all the time? His potions can't be all that bad, can they?"

"Mr. Potter is actually ranked third in his year in potions," said Severus. "Draco and Miss Granger are going back and forth with the top two spots and Mr. Potter is right behind them. I only SAY I failed him. He is actually one of my better students. He is ranging between a very high EE and an O at the moment. He knows what's going on and has been working with me in the evenings to make sure his grades stay up."

"If only Mr. Weasley would leave him alone, he would do much better in his classes than he does," remarked Filius. "The boy just won't do his own work and he is constantly at Mr. Potter to skive off lessons and such. Harry is in my top five, but he could be so much better without the influences of Mr. Weasley. More than once, I have seen Mr. Weasley distract Mr. Potter and cause his spells to fail. The punishments that I give to Mr. Weasley don't seem to faze him at all. He just keeps on and on. Harry has been trying to study and Ronald just won't let him."

"He is actually in my top three in my class as well," said Pomona. "Something tells me that it has something to do with the fact that he does all the yard work around his home when he is away from the school. I can't believe that they treat that boy so badly. No one deserves to be treated that way by anyone. I'm glad that you found out and alerted us to the problem Severus."

"I suspected that something wasn't right for Harry," admitted Severus solemnly. "Why would the heir of the Potter fortune come to school looking like death warmed over all the time? Also why would he be wearing such horrible clothing? The Potter family is one of the oldest and wealthiest families of Britain. I think that the Black family is slightly older than them. If there are others, I don't know of them."

"What if he doesn't know about his heritage or vaults?" questioned Filius thoughtfully. "Didn't Minerva say that Albus was adamant about him not knowing his heritage? What if the old fool has been dipping his hands into the Potter family vaults? He needs to know his heritage. Even if I have to sit him down twice a week, I will teach that boy his place in this world. He needs to know what he owns and has. It's only fair that he knows."

"I will look into it first thing tomorrow," promised Minerva. "I will deal with this once and for all. It's time that Harry gets what belongs to him and be done with it. I'll deal with it the day following the naming of the champions. I'll personally take him to Gringotts myself. As the Deputy Headmistress and his Head of House I am allowed to do such things. I want to know who his LEGAL guardians are, both magically, and non-magically. I don't care what Albus says. There is no way that he is that young man's magical guardian. James and Lily would have named successors. From what I remember, Albus named himself guardian over Harry and made all the arrangements for his care. It wouldn't surprise me to know that he knew that Harry would be abused where he placed him."

"Just tell us what we have to do to assist you," said Severus quietly. "We will help in any way that we can. It's time that Mr. Potter knows who and what he is. As you all know, I despise child abusers. It is QUITE obvious that he is being abused and has been for a long time. I want it to end. I may not have fond memories of his father, but I do have them of his mother and he is more like her than anything else. He may look like James, but he is ALL Lily. Even I have to admit that James Potter was skilled at what he did though. He was in the top five of the school during our time along with me, Lily, Remus, and Sirius."

The other three Heads of House agreed with that sentiment. They knew that Harry had a hard life and they wanted to help him in any way that they could. If it meant banning together to go against the Headmaster, then so be it. It wasn't like the old fool could stop them in this. If he tried it, they would get some bigger guns to shoot with and stand with them.

Coming out of his thoughts, Severus watched as Cedric Diggory's name came out of the goblet as the champion of Hogwarts. He saw Harry shake the older boy's hand and smile at him. From there, he watched as Cedric made his way to the chamber on the side of the Great Hall. He was just about to give a sigh of relief when the goblet flared up again and spit out another name.

"Damn," he muttered low enough for Minerva to hear. "I was hoping against all hope that this wouldn't happen. There goes his luck hitting him in a bad way again. He and Granger look upset and furious, but both also look resigned."

"You and me both," she muttered in response as Harry was called. "We will have to do something about all of this. I don't want him harmed if we can help it. This tournament is too dangerous even for someone of Harry's capabilities."

"He's a CHEAT!" yelled Ronald Weasley as Harry's name was called. "He is just looking for more fame. He can't be allowed to compete in this tournament. It's just like him to try and get more of a spotlight for himself. He always hogs the spotlight while the rest of us have to work hard for what he gets served to him. It isn't fair."

"Let me see," said Severus interrupting smoothly. "Twenty points from Gryffindor for that uncalled for outburst Weasley. If you open your mouth once more, I will make it one hundred. As you have no idea as to what you are saying, it may be prudent for you to keep your mouth closed unless you actually know what you are talking about. Other than that, we don't want to hear another word from you. Should you open your mouth again; the punishment will be most severe."

"I think I'm going to add two days of detention to that," said Minerva taking over. "I suggest that you return to your common room and keep your mouth closed. We will deal with this situation. You accusing a fellow house mate of cheating should NOT be part of this equation and your remark was seriously uncalled for. Mr. Potter, you are required to come up and join your fellow champions in the anti-chamber. We will help you solve this problem somehow. You have my promise that we will find out what's going on."

"NO," said Harry suddenly shocking everyone with his venom. "I didn't enter my name and I don't want to participate in this tournament. Cedric is the champion and I refuse to participate. There has got to be a mistake that was made somewhere. I don't need, nor want, more fame or money. I already have more than enough of both. Please fix this. I don't want to enter and I don't want to compete."

"You have to my boy," said Albus gravely. "You will lose your magic if you don't participate. That will lead you to losing everything else. It's in your best interest to just accept this and get it over with. Please head up here and we can discuss this later in private."

"Draco Malfoy," called Harry suddenly, ignoring the Headmaster. This bold move astonished all who were watching. "I have NEVER asked you for anything. I'm asking you right now for assistance though it pains me to do so. I refuse to leave this spot and agree to anything unless I talk to someone that knows more political things than I do. Can you get your father here right now? I will pay him for his services if I have to, but I need help and I'm not above consorting with my nemesis to get it."

Severus and Filius smirked at this. It seemed that Harry was pulling the wool over many eyes if he knew that he could hold this off as long as he could. Minerva sat there for a few moments without being able to speak. Harry had never talked back to her in this fashion before, but she was secretly proud of him for sticking to his guns. That he was willing to defy everyone to stand for his honor and integrity made it all the more special.

"Harry," said Dumbledore next. "You will desist in behaving so childishly and come up here. There is NOTHING that you can do about this situation. You have NO choice but to participate. The goblet constitutes a magically binding contract of which you can't get out of. So stop embarrassing this school and come forth. You are testing my patience and I have very little left of it. The longer you desist, the angrier I will become."

"Actually," said Hermione interrupting him rudely. "There is a way that he can get out of this. All we are asking for is a couple of hours. If by the end of that time, we can't get this worked out, I will support Harry as he competes. We are just asking for a couple of hours to get our facts and information correct. At that time, we will present what we find and let the panel decide from there."

"NO!" thundered Dumbledore extremely angry. "Harry must compete. Miss Granger, you will mind your own business and stay out of this or face expulsion. Harry, I insist that you come up here THIS INSTANT! I WON'T ask you again to do as you are told. This nonsense has gone on long enough. I am VERY ashamed of you for your intolerable behavior."

"Ah, Dumbledore," said Crouch nervously at the tone in the older man's voice. "There are loopholes that can be used to circumvent this situation. It's obvious that Mr. Potter didn't put his name in and doesn't want to participate. If he can find a way out of this, then I suggest that you let him make the attempt."

"Harry will do what I tell him to or else," snarled Albus, as the Ministry member paled at the venom in his voice. "He WILL participate or he will serve detention for the rest of the year. I'm through pampering him. He will do as told. He has already embarrassed this establishment and he will be punished for that. The longer he desists and acts so immaturely, the harsher the punishment will be."

"Threatening a child?" asked a course voice from the entrance. "Mr. Potter, you and Severus Snape, along with Minerva McGonagall, will accompany me back to Gringotts immediately. You are being requested by the Malfoy family in accordance to this tournament. I will personally see to your safety while not in the school. The authorities at the Ministry of Magic have been notified, and Amelia Bones will be handling this on that end by accordance with the Minister for Magic and the Queen of England."

"The Goblins have no jurisdiction here nor does the Ministry," snapped Dumbledore trying to keep a reign on his anger and the situation at the same time. "Who are you to come in here unannounced and make these statements? I'm Harry's magical guardian and he will do what I tell him to. Anyone interfering with that will face charges with the Wizengamot. I'm not playing games here. Someone needs to listen to what I'm saying before something bad happens."

"Actually, you AREN'T, his magical guardian," said the goblin snidely. "We have the paperwork at the bank. You took it upon yourself to be named his guardian when others were already in place. When young Heir Malfoy contacted his father, they contacted us immediately. His magical guardian is none other than Severus Snape. The Dursleys are not blood related, so technically they CAN'T be his non-magical guardians. That title belongs to none other than Narcissa Malfoy and Minerva McGonagall, as Sirius Black is currently running from the law for a crime he didn't commit. As for whom I am, my name is Ragnok Stonehammer. I'm the Goblin King here in the British Isles."

"This is impossible," yelled Dumbledore again as many in the hall all bowed or curtsied to the goblin. "You still have no jurisdiction here. What I say goes in this school. Get out immediately before you incite a war between our races. You are making a mockery of the truce between our people. So long as I am Headmaster here, we will do things my way. This is your last warning on the matter. I shall not repeat myself to you or to anyone else."

"Really Dumbledore," stated Olympe smoothly. "Is this how you treat everyone here in Britain? I was under the impression that only those OF AGE could participate in this tournament. It seems that you are determined to put Mr. Potter into danger by forcing him to compete. It is obvious that he doesn't wish to do so. While I have no doubt that he is a strong willed and strong minded, as well as, an intelligent and powerful individual, the crux of the matter is, is that he is still underage and therefore NOT allowed to participate. Let's not forget that you are disrespecting him by calling him by his given name while you don't do that to any of your other students, staff, or guests. Now you are disrespecting the King of the goblins who has a higher statute in life than you do. If this is how you are going to behave and go about things, I don't think I want any of my students to participate in this tournament."

"Are you going to abandon your champion?" asked Albus furiously turning his anger upon her. "She has to participate. All four names that came out of the goblet, has to participate. There is NO way of getting around that. The Goblet of Fire constitutes a magically binding contract and NONE of the four of them can get out of it."

"Enough of this," snapped Ragnok. "Lord Potter, Master Snape, and Madam McGonagall, will you please come with me so that we can deal with this immediately? I have more important things to do with my time than listen to an old man rant because he can't have his way. We will be back in about two hours. Until then, I'm sure the hosting school can do something to entertain their guests. If not, I'm sure the guests can do something to amuse themselves. My time is valuable and I want to get a move on."

Severus, Harry, and Minerva all quickly joined Ragnok at the doors. Harry looked over to Draco and smiled in thanks as the blond nodded his head in encouragement to him. He turned and saw that Neville, Luna, and Hermione were all smiling at him in support as well. Remarkably, so were the Weasley twins.

"You have more surprises coming for you this night," called Luna in a sing song voice. "Things for you will be a whole lot more interesting before this night is out. At least you will learn the truth about so many lies and hidden agendas this evening."

Ragnok looked at the girl curiously for a moment before he astounded everyone by bowing low to her. When she gave an elegant courtesy in return, the hall let out the breath it was holding. This was an amazing sight to see for all present. For whatever reason, Luna was being held in high esteem with the King of the British Goblins. As a general rule, goblins don't place themselves below those of a human much less one that hasn't reached their full magical potential. That the king of said goblins bowed to her meant that she was indeed a special individual.

"Lord Crouch, Madam Maxime, and Professor Flitwick, if you would be so kind as to protect that trio as well as the three champions, I would deeply appreciate it," said Ragnok addressing the panel pointing to Harry's friends. "Miss Lovegood is especially being held in high esteem by the goblins from this moment on."

With that being said, he escorted the trio out of the doors and then out of the castle. From there, he pulled out a portkey from his pocket and landed them in his office. Another goblin was setting up things on his desk when they arrived.

"Hello Griphook," said Harry smiling at the goblin. "It's nice to see you again. I sincerely hope that your gold has been flowing and your blade has stayed sharp since our last meeting."

"It has Heir Potter," said Griphook. "Forgive me, but how do you remember who I am? Not many would make the effort to remember who we are despite the fact that we handle your finances and valuables."

"You were the first goblin that I spoke with," said Harry smiling at the memory. "You were with me when we went to my vault for the first time. I like riding in the carts. The speed and accuracy are really something that I enjoy. Plus you helped make me smile when you explained about that other vault. As morbid as it was, I could tell you were trying to be nice to me."

"You are definitely a unique wizard Mr. Potter," said Severus smoothly as a knock sounded on the door interrupting the conversation between Harry and Griphook. "Not only did you remember him, but you gave a perfectly well spoken greeting. How did you know what to say to him? That isn't normally something many witches and wizards do."

"Professor Binns is always teaching us about the goblin wars," said Harry slowly and politely. "We asked if there was a special project that Hermione and I could do for extra credit. He directed us to a specific book in the Restricted Section that details the proper protocol for speaking with the goblins and other magical races. Hermione and I studied the book and we got the extra credit. I really like learning. At home I wasn't allowed to do better than Dudley, so I held back. I guess the tradition just followed me to Hogwarts."

"No more holding back," said Minerva sternly pointing at him. "You will not hold back anymore. We will deal with things as they arise, but you are to do your utmost best from this point on. We want you to move from the top ten into the top five students in your year or better. While you are high up in some of your classes, you are really lacking in others."

"Yes Ma'am," said Harry slowly. "I promise to do my best. I would like to do better and I think with the proper help, I could be in the top five of the entire school."

"We shall help you Mr. Potter," said Lucius walking into the room followed by Narcissa. "We know basically what's going on thanks to being able to listen to the events in the Great Hall. The Weasley twins really are good at the products they make, which is why we will endorse them when they finally get their own shop. Getting back to the problem at hand, we need to get you out of the tournament."

"As I stated in the Great Hall, there are a few discrepancies in what Dumbledore mentioned," said Ragnok. "We will cover all bases while we are here. Something tells me that we have more than the tournament to cover this day. We will get to as much of it as we can in the allotted time we were given."

"May I ask a favor from you as Harry's magical guardian?" asked Severus. "Is it possible to check that Dumbledore hasn't dipped his hands into the Potter family fortune? I know that Harry only believes that he has the one vault, but I know for a fact that he has more than his trust vault."

"Are you telling me that all that gold in that one vault is just a trust fund?" asked Harry in astonishment. "There is so much in there that, I just figured that it was all I had. Am I to understand that I have more than that?"

"Have you not been getting your account statements?" asked an astonished Griphook. "They tell you what is in each of your five vaults. We send them out once a month. You should have been receiving them each month since you turned eleven."

Harry sat down heavily and almost missed the chair. A flick of Severus' wand ensured that he landed in the chair itself and not on the floor. At the shock on his face and his body language, the goblins started to growl angrily. Minerva and Narcissa were also looking fairly angry. It was apparent that Harry wasn't getting those statements. Someone had intercepted the mail and was doing something underhanded behind closed doors with Harry's money.

"I told Dumbledore not to leave Harry with those people," said Minerva looking ready to breathe fire. "They are the worse sort of muggles imaginable. Severus found out that he has been abused since that night. I haven't been able to circumvent the blood wards on the house to see if there is anything I can do."

"Those aren't blood wards," said Griphook while Ragnok nodded his head. "There are wards there, but they aren't blood wards. It would be impossible as Petunia and Vernon Dursley are not blood related to Mr. Potter. We will make sure that Mr. Potter is healthy, whole, and free from all binds before he leaves this office tonight. I have Curse Breaker William Weasley at Privet Drive now trying to take down the wards."

"As his magical guardian and his non-magical one, can we get copies of his bank statements to hold for him until he is trained in what to look for?" asked Minerva. "Narcissa is his guardian and I was James' godmother."

"Madam Malfoy is his godmother," said Griphook looking at a sheet of parchment. "Mr. Potter is related to the Malfoys. Lily Evans was adopted from an orphanage when she was young. Apparently the Malfoy line had a squib in it that caused the magic to skip somewhere."

"I have a cousin that was a squib," said Lucius. "She passed away during childbirth. We never learned what happened to the baby as she had the child out of wedlock and so forth. Who was the father of Lily?"

"Tobias Snape," said Griphook looking for the information on the paper. "This means that Mr. Potter is Professor Snape's blood nephew as well as a child of the Malfoy line. Harry should NEVER have left the magical world as he has magical relatives alive and ready to do what they could for him. Add in that he is a member of the Black family as well, and someone did something they shouldn't have."

Minerva gasped as Severus sat heavily in the chair. He was shocked to know that the child he hated all this time was his nephew and the woman he loved was his sister. It left a bitter taste in his mouth at the thought that had things gone differently, that he would have ended up married to, and more, with his own flesh and blood.

"Don't worry Uncle Severus," said Harry softly patting him gently on the arm. "We will work this out. Together, we can do anything. I have faith that things will work out as they are supposed to. Mum must not have known that she was related to you or I would have been given to you instead of Petunia and Vernon. Does this mean that I don't have to go back to those horrible people anymore?"

"Oh you can believe that you are NEVER going back there," said Severus viciously. "They will be punished for what they did to you. I promise you that. I don't care what anyone says, they will suffer for what they did to you and then some. No child deserves to be treated as you have been. Even if you weren't related to me, I would still want to teach them a lesson that they would never forget."

"No," said Harry quickly. "We don't want you getting into trouble for dealing with them. Let's just let it go and look towards the future. Now that we know we are related, we can work on building on that and take it from there. I don't want anyone in trouble for dealing with them. Please tell me that they didn't get any of my money while I was in their care."

"Unfortunately, we can't tell you that," said Ragnok quietly. "They got two thousand pounds a month for your upkeep. We can get it back however. Plus there is a way to punish them that won't get anyone into trouble. As for where you will reside, there are three options that you can go with. One being that you can live with Professor Snape as he is your uncle. Next, you can live with Professor McGonagall. The third is that you can live with the Malfoys as you are related to them as well."

"We are proud people," said Lucius carefully. "We do NOT work for the Dark Lord despite the image we present. We have an important image to uphold. We would be honored to have you in our home. Severus may join you if you and he wish and Professor McGonagall may come and go as she wishes to check up on you if that will ease her mind."

"From there, we can undo all the damage that was done to you by those disgusting muggles as well as assist in the removal of all magical binds that are upon you," said Narcissa. "Your mother may not have been in the family, but there is no reason why you should be alienated. We can help you if you just let us."

"I'd like that," said Harry slowly after thinking for a moment. "You are my godmother. We have to start somewhere. I think it's well past time we got to know each other better. Thank you for caring. It will make things easier for me now that I can be myself and learn without fear."

"Listen to them child of mine," whispered a voice that wasn't familiar to Harry. "They are our chosen representatives for you as you are my chosen warrior. They can be trusted. Let them assist you in your endeavors. Those that have wronged you will suffer. When the time is right, I will reveal to you how I may assist you. For now, just train and study hard as the son of Ares is out and about in the world. You are my son and I will be with you always. Of that you can depend."

"Harry, are you ok?" asked Narcissa. "You got lost there for a moment. Are you feeling ill or something?"

"There was a strange voice," said Harry as he got his bearings. "He said that the son of Ares was out and about in the world and that voice said that I am his son and chosen. What does that even mean? I know who Ares is, but I don't understand the message that was sent via the voice just now."

The goblins were out of their chairs and bowing low to Harry before he could even finish his statement. The others were in awe of this movement. Never before had the King of the Goblins bowed to anyone so regally or low before. Even the bow he gave to Luna was nothing like the one he now gave to Harry.

"You are the son of Zeus," said Griphook when he could get his voice working. "He is the King of the gods. If he said he will assist you, then you are indeed more special than we thought. You already bare his mark. We should have realized this a long time ago."

"Are you talking about the Greek God?" asked Harry in shock. "I am his son and chosen? He told me to trust you all that you are their representatives. I don't know who else he meant, but that's what he said."

Harry repeated word for word what the God told him. From there, everyone in the room had a speculative look on their face. They knew that they had to make a stand and help Harry at all costs.

"We all know that there are gods and goddesses in the Greek pantheon," explained Severus. "There are also minor gods and such as well. There comes a time when they pick out a mortal to represent them on earth. They usually mark them. You already have the lightning bolt on your forehead. It is a rare thing for them to all join together to choose a champion. There must be more going on than we know for them to step in and defend you like this. We shall know more soon I'm sure. For now, let's just take care of other business."

Over the next two hours, it was discussed on where Harry would live, who was going to watch out over him, and what he was in possession of in regards to finances. Severus was given a list of binds that were on Harry, and between him and Minerva, they agreed to get the four Heads of House to assist in the removal of them all.

"As I own Grunnings, I want Vernon fired," stated Harry almost hissing in anger. "This way, he can't dip his hands into my money anymore. As for what they got from Dumbledore for my care, let them keep it, but I want it to stop. There is no reason they should get money from my vaults anymore for my upkeep. It isn't like they used it on me to begin with. This is the only punishment that I want inflicted upon them. Also make sure it is known that he has probably been stealing from the company for years."

"Not to worry Lord Potter," said Griphook with a feral grin. "We will ensure that your wishes are carried out to the fullest. We will see to it that the company gets a complete overhaul and makes a better profit for you. Do you have anyone in mind to manage your accounts for you?"

"Would you do it?" asked Harry quickly. "I don't really know any other goblins except you and King Ragnok. Also, can we make sure that Dumbledore can't get his hands on my money anymore? Do we even know where it was going?"

"He was paying the Weasley family with some of it," said Griphook pulling out a sheet of paper and reading it. "It was mostly used to pay for their tuition for school. Molly made one small withdrawal during that time for your school supplies, but for the most part, that is what your money was used for. Dumbledore was using the money to finance the Order of the Phoenix. We can put a stop to that. It isn't his money to use like that."

"Hmm," said Harry. "I don't want any punishment to come to the Weasley family for this. Let's put a stop to anymore coming out of my vaults to pay for them. While I like the Weasley family bar a couple, there is no reason why I should have to pay for their schooling. From what I'm to understand, the school has a fund already for that."

"I will be having a talk with some people about this," said Lucius furiously. "Dumbledore overstepped his bounds by doing this. They will not be allowed to break the law and slide by. Albus is using his titles to do what he wants and no one is willing to go up against him. He will be stopped. I promise you that. We have to make sure that we rob HIM of everything that he holds so dear and I don't mean money. I want him to lose his titles, prestige, and any other importance that he thinks HIS fame will protect him from losing."

"Let's push for a trial for Sirius," said Harry thoughtfully. "He never got one, and it's time that he did. This way, he can live his life and not have to worry about the dementors or anyone else ever again. I will pay for it should I need to, but I want him free."

"The Black family vault has more than enough money in it to pay for that," assured Griphook. "As you are the heir of the Black family fortune should something happen to Lord Sirius, then there is no problem with you being able to use the money in those vaults to pay for it."

"For now, we need to get you back to Hogwarts and deal with the old fool and his plans," said Minerva. "We have to put a stop to him and all his schemes before he goes overboard and kills someone. There is no reason for him to be allowed to have access to Harry or his money ever again. From now on, you are to go nowhere alone and you are to have a Head of House with you during every meeting from here on out with Dumbledore."

"All of us Heads know that there is something going on and we are all going to help you," assured Severus. "If you EVER have any troubles, please bring it to our attention immediately. We can't help you if we don't know about it. You no longer have to do it alone."

"Maybe I should have let the sorting hat place me in Slytherin," said Harry miserably. "Things would have been so much easier had I let it. I fought it at the time due to all of the bad things that I heard about it. I also didn't have a very good meeting with Draco the first day I was back in the magical world."

"While you carry the Slytherin magic, you don't carry the Slytherin blood," said Ragnok kindly. "The Potter family is the only known descendants of Gryffindor. If the sorting hat wanted to place you in those houses, it is for that reason alone."

"Actually the hat couldn't decide on any house," said Harry with a blush. "It said I would have been an asset to any of them for me to be in. That's what took so long during my sorting. I would have gone to Slytherin willingly, but Hagrid and Draco didn't really make it all that appealing. Let's not forget that Ronald Weasley made sure I despised the house before I even got to Hogwarts. The deck was stacked against Slytherin long before I even really knew about anything."

"I will see to my house," said Severus in a calming manner. "It's time to bury the hatchet. Things will be easier for you from now on. You have my word on that as a blood relative. I will not tolerate them belittling you or causing trouble for you from now on. I have noticed that you try to avoid the conflicts at all costs. Sometimes, you are just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"What should I call Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy?" asked Harry nervously while gesturing at them. "I have no doubt that I should still call my professors Professor in public, but what do I call cousins once removed or what have you?"

"You can call us Aunt and Uncle of course," said Narcissa as Lucius nodded his head in agreement. "We are blood after all in more ways than one. Family does for family. We will do for you what you should have had done all this time. We will help in all ways possible."

"Draco's not going to like that I'm the heir of the Black family fortune," sighed Harry. "He is probably going to be mad at me. I don't need him to be upset with me for something that isn't my fault. It isn't like I asked Sirius to name me heir. I know he can't have children of his own due to such close proximity to the dementors for so long."

"You leave Draco to me," said Lucius in a soothing manner. "You are related to the Blacks just as much as he is. He will prove to be a very valuable ally to you in the near future. I promise that he will start minding his manners where you are concerned. Also, we would like for you to come to our home, which is now your home, for Christmas and Easter. The goblins will see to it that the proper papers are recorded with the correct departments at the Ministry. Also my contacts and influence within the Ministry will assist in that endeavor. While at school, let Draco teach you what he knows about running an estate. We will work with you on the finer details as we have time."

"I have one last thing to say and then we can leave," said Harry looking at Lucius. "I'm sorry about tricking you into losing Dobby. I just acted on impulse and I did what I could to help him. Recently I discovered that he bonded himself to the House of Potter. I hope that this doesn't affect our future relationship."

"You acted like I expected you to act," said Lucius smiling at the teen in front of him. "I'm proud of you for being able to outsmart me. Not many can claim they have done so. As for Dobby, he will be very loyal to you and your family. Elves need to be bonded or they will die, as I'm sure that Miss Granger discovered in her research. If he had to go to someone other than us, I'm glad he is with you."

"Thanks Uncle Lucius," said Harry with a smile. "Well, shall we head back to Hogwarts? I'm sure we are in for one major fight when we return. Something tells me that Dumbledore hasn't given up on his prize just yet. We will have to use all of our combined brainpower to get him to just leave things well enough alone."

"I have no doubt of that," said Ragnok as he stood to escort the group back to the castle. "We will sit with you as you hash this out with Dumbledore. Count on the Goblins of Gringotts as YOUR allies Lord Potter. While we are dealing with that, Griphook will deal with your accounts, both magical and non-magical, and move them to a higher security vault. Expect your new key tomorrow. It will be a special key that is charmed to go to you and no other."

Harry bowed low to the goblin king and waited as the portkey took them to the gates of Hogwarts. From there, Minerva opened the gates and they all headed in to slay the dragon.

AUTHOR'S NOTE – I hope that this story has started out ok. Thanks goes to DZ2 for the idea that sprouted with this. Please let me know what you all think.