The Black Phoenix

Chapter 1

Disclaimer:

All recognizable characters and situations in this story are the property of J. and various related publishers. The author does not claim to own any of these characters and is not associated with any of the franchisee owners. This story is meant purely for non-commercial recreational purpose and no copyright infringement is intended.

Privet Drive, Little Whinging

July 1

To say Harry Potter was angry would be an understatement. He was incredibly pissed and you could feel it a meter away from him. Even the Dursleys picked it up and didn't bother him.

Given Harry had a very short fuse, one might wonder what was the problem this time. Harry had just seen his Godfather fall through the veil only to have Dumbledore dump on his head that he was the savior of the wizarding world and it was his job to kill Voldemort. Harry thought of telling Dumbledore to piss off then and there but kept his calm.

He was sick of the the wizarding world. They were a bunch of sheep who believed what others wanted them to believe. He honestly wondered if he really wanted to save them. He was sure that his parents would agree with them. No parent wanted their son to be burdened with the fate of the wizarding world.

And the Daily Prophet. They were worse. Last year they slandered him and called him an attention seeking brat. Now they touted him as the Chosen One who would bring them peace. He would gut the next person who called him the Chosen One.

"Argh! Why cant my life be simple." Harry bitterly wondered.

Just then a rustle of feathers alerted him to the presence of a majestic looking owl. It held a letter with the Gringotts seal on it. Wondering what Gringotts would need with him now he removed the letter.

Lord Potter,

It has come to our attention that you have not been made fully aware of your wealth and your true heritage has been hidden from you. We at Gringotts express our humble apologies at this oversight and ensure you that we will take all steps to ensure that this is remedied as soon as possible. This letter will also function as a portkey to Gringotts. When you are ready to leave just tap the letter with your wand and say 'Gringotts'. It will take you directly to a private meeting room where we can discuss at length with all concerned matters.

We await your arrival.

Lord Ragnok,

Chairman of Gringotts.

Bemused, Harry wondered what he should do. "What if it's a trap laid by Voldemort", he wondered. But something told him that it wasn't a trap and the allure of learning about his heritage was too much for him to resist. So he tapped the letter with his wand muttering "Gringotts". He felt the familiar jerking sensation behind his navel as he closed his eyes.

Gringotts Private Meeting Room

July 1

Harry opened his eyes to find himself in one of the most opulent chambers he had seen. The walls were filled with portraits of ancient goblins. The ceiling was dome-shaped with flamboyant golden trimmings. It was then he noticed a stately looking goblin seated behind a huge desk filled with paperwork.

The goblin rose and welcomed Harry. "Thank you for coming Lord Potter. I am Ragnok, the chairman of Gringotts"

"How could I not after knowing what the meeting was about? And please call me Harry, Mr. Ragnok."

"Very well Harry. I am sure you must have a lot on your mind so we shall start without further ado. Please be seated."

Harry sat down opposite the goblin and waited for him to start. He noticed several legal documents lying on the table all bearing different seals. He recognized some of them but a few were alien to him.

"Harry, as I mentioned in the letter, the reason I wanted to talk to you was regarding your heritage. It seems not only have you been made aware of your parents will but also about your family's history or specifically the Potter history." said Ragnok.

Harry blinked. It had never occurred to him that his parents might have left him a will. He asked Ragnok, "Why now? All these years I never had any information regarding my parents. Why contact me out of the blue."

"It is the responsibility of your magical guardian to intimate you of your inheritance. It seems he has failed in that responsibility and we were not aware of his breach until now." replied Ragnok.

"Who is my magical guardian?" asked Harry although in his heart he was afraid of the answer.

"Albus Dumbledore" replied Ragnok.

Harry could feel his anger threatening to overwhelm him. "Damn that manipulating bastard. What right does he have to keep this knowledge from me?" he fumed. Afraid that he might lose control, he took long calming breaths to control his anger.

"Tell me everything." he commanded Ragnok not noticing that his voice had taken an ominous tone.

Ragnok sensing the young man's mood chose not to call attention to it. He said "I have your parent's will here. It says they leave all their properties and wealth to you and also states conditions for your custody should anything happen to them. You were to be placed with Sirius Black, the Longbottoms or the Bones. Under no reason were you to be placed under the Dursleys. It explicitly stated so. It seemed that Dumbledore had circumvented your parent's wishes. That was what that got us interested in you and we found out how you were kept in the dark about your family and inheritance."

Harry's eyes smoldered as he thought of the injustice Dumbledore had committed. With forced calm he asked Ragnok, "How can I revoke Dumbledore's Guardianship?"

"You have to claim the inheritance of the House of Potter and you will automatically be emancipated as the head of the house. But before we move to that we have some additional matters to take care of. As I mentioned in the letter you have some additional heritages to claim." said Ragnok.

"Additional Heritages? How could that be? I thought my mother was muggle-born."

"Indeed. Your mother was muggle-born but your father's family is one of the oldest families in the wizarding world. You are the sole survivor of several extinct family lines. So it is up to you to claim them." said Ragnok.

"Then why didn't my father claim them?" asked Harry.

"Gringotts usually does not inform people about their additional heritages for fear of vesting too much power in their hands. But in your case we thought we might make an exception. As it could aid you in your battle against Voldemort." replied Ragnok.

Harry was taken aback. "What makes you think I would be fighting Voldemort. Its not as if a mere boy like me can defeat him."

"Come now Harry. Voldemort has repeatedly tried to kill you since you were young. He would not expend so much energy if you did not pose a threat to him. Also the Prophet's been touting you as the Chosen One. While I don't believe everything the say they mostly have a grain of truth behind it. And my instinct tells me it's more than a grain this time around." said Ragnok.

Harry nodded as he digested what Ragnok said. "So tell me about the heritages."

"I think this will give you a list of all your inheritances." said Ragnok handing Harry a piece of parchment.

Harry looked at the parchment and his eyes widened in shock. He swore loudly and stared at the parchment unbelieving.

Potter

Black

Gryffindor

Hufflepuff

Ravenclaw

Slytherin

Emrys

Harry could not believe his eyes. He was the heir of all the founders and besides he was the heir of Merlin himself. He could feel the world tilting. He kept for waiting for someone to shout "Fooled You."

"It is true Harry. We at Gringotts do not jest about such matters." said Ragnok.

"But how?" Harry asked wondering how everything that happened to him was always life-changing.

"The Potters are the direct descendants of Merlin himself. They married into various other lines as well. But due to various clan wars and battles against dark lords most of the families perished. Only the Potter family survived, barely, that too. Since all the founders married into the Potter line at one point or other, they are eligible for the inheritance as the oldest of the families. As for Slytherin when Voldemort's spirit left him 15 years ago, we at Gringotts considered him dead. His current form does not mean anything to us." said Ragnok.

Harry nodded numbly. "How do I claim the inheritances?" asked Harry.

"Just sign these documents with this blood quill. The contract is binding." said Ragnok.

Harry signed the documents. He winced as his signature was cut into his wrist. Once he finished signing all the documents seven rings appeared before him. Ragnok motioned him to wear them. Harry picked them up and slipped them on his right ring finger. The rings instantly merged to form a single ring.

Immediately Harry felt a rush of power within him as soon as the rings merged. He felt years of alien knowledge enter his mind. Things that he had never heard of became trivial to him. He could literally feel his core expanding. The power he felt was enormous. Nothing could have prepared for the onslaught of the senses. To the untrained eye, it would seem as if Harry was in pain and clenching his teeth. But when looked carefully one might notice the magic swirling around him. After what seemed an eternity the onslaught stopped. Harry sagged in his seat.

"What the hell was that?" asked Harry breathlessly.

Ragnok himself seemed mystified. "I do not know Harry. Maybe you could tell me?" he asked.

"I have the knowledge of Merlin. I know every instant of his life. I know it as if I lived his life. Bloody Hell! I even know about Merlin's mistresses.

"Blimey! Merlin definitely wasn't the pure wizard we were led to believe. Nor was Morgana the epitome of evil. In fact both of them had very similar ideals. Both believed in power. To them there was only magic. No Light and Dark magic. Just magic. I wonder how people twisted their legend to this extent."

"Ah! It is the wizard's inherent chauvinism. Perhaps that is how the story of Adam and Eve came to be too. You seem to be surprised Harry. Yes, I am well versed in Human Mythology. In fact I find it most fascinating."

Harry nodded thoughtfully thinking about the travesty of goblin history they were taught at school.

"I am in the difficult position of having to tell you something that you might not agree. But alas it has fallen on my shoulders." said Ragnok.

Harry blinked. "Please tell me. I assure you I will not over-react."

"Oh! I am sure you will not over-react. I am sure your reaction will be perfectly reasonable. But it is necessary, no vital, that you do this.

"Harry, You must travel back in time."

Harry blinked. Once. Twice."WHAT?"

"I repeat. Harry, You must travel back in time."

Harry's mind was a blank slate. Not only had he been thrust with the knowledge that he was the heir to the most powerful wizard in the world. Now he was being told point blank that he had to travel back in time. This just was too much to take. As he started to shout at Ragnok, he held out a hand to forestall anything he might have said.

"Please Harry, hear me out till the end and judge the situation for yourself." Harry stared at him for a long moment and nodded grudgingly.

"For generations we have held the knowledge that there would rise a savior among us who would help bring balance to the magical world. We have passed this knowledge through the generations so that one of us might execute the instructions. It has fallen to me now."

"And you believe I am the savior." asked Harry incredulously.

"Yes. There are several signs that point to that fact. They are signs that would be obvious only to a goblin. Rest assured, that I am extremely certain that these signs are true. I would not even consider telling you this."

"Another Prophecy!", Harry muttered disgusted.

"I see you do not believe me. It is really hard to believe, I know. But it is the truth."

"How do I know it is not a trap? I do not know of any ritual that can send me to the past. How do I know this is not a plan to hand me over to Voldemort." snarled Harry.

"Yes. I know why you would be reluctant to believe my words. If it makes you feel better here it goes

"I hereby swear on my magic that I do not intend to cause Harry Potter or any other magical being any harm due to my actions. Also I swear that I only hold the magical world's interests as foremost in my mind. So mote it be."

Harry could feel a cold gust pass him as the oath was swore. He was flabbergasted. No goblin had swore a magical oath to his knowledge before much less to a wizard. He shook his head unable to believe what was happening.

"Why me? I am not as pure as you might think. I can feel the darkness within me and I can feel it growing ever since I wore the rings."

"Purity has nothing to do with balance. In fact purity seeks to destroy the balance. What the world needs now is not a Light or Dark Lord. What we need is a Grey Lord. One who does not abide by the established rules of right and wrong. One who will reshape the fabric of magic itself. I believe it is you." said Ragnok passionately.

"You seem to be asking an awful lot from me. I came here to claim my inheritance and now you ask me to take on the burden of the magical world." said Harry angrily.

"I would not ask it of you if I thought anyone else could do it. I believe you are the only person who can do it." stated Ragnok.

"Also think about the situation here. You lost your entire family. Hundreds have perished. Dumbledore has been manipulating you. Do you honestly believe the world right now is worth living? You might make a difference in the past. You might prevent several deaths from occurring." He paused before dropping his wild-card, "You might have a chance to meet your parents."

Harry flinched and glared at Ragnok with hatred and anger. But a gleam of hope could be seen in his eyes.

"I know I am not being fair with you but I want you to realize the importance of this. As much as I hate to do it, I am not above using the most persuasive arguments for the purpose."

Harry glared at Ragnok as he thought over what he said. He knew that Ragnok was right. The situation was extremely messed up. And now that he knew Dumbledore could no longer be trusted he was not sure how much he could achieve alone. After Dumbledore was one of the most influential wizards. Going against him wouldn't be easy.

And indeed there was a chance, a slim chance at best that he could make a difference. Save a few. But the clincher for him was the chance that he might see his parents. Even though he couldn't them who he really was, at least he could have the comfort of being near them if not their friend. He mulled it over for a long time weighing the pros and cons. Ragnok waited patiently for Harry to think it over.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Harry sat back and looked at Ragnok. "I will do it." he said simply. Ragnok breathed a sigh of relief. "But,", he continued, "If you try to trick me in any way, you can rest assured that I will make your life a living hell. You will wish you had never met me." It was said in such a cold voice that Ragnok shivered for a moment and felt as if a cold hand had wrapped around his spine. And looking at Harry's blazing emerald orbs he knew that it was not a threat but a promise.

He nodded. "You will not have a need to do it. I can assure it."

Harry looked at him for a long moment and then asked, "When do I leave?"

"Now if you wish. I can arrange all your inheritances to be delivered to you in a trunk in another 10 minutes."

"Now! But I haven't told anyone ab...". He trailed off. What could he tell them? He could imagine how that conversation went. "Hey Guys! Sorry about this, but I have to make an urgent trip to the past. The goblins want me to restore the balance of the magical world. I ll meet you in my future.". He shook his head at his stupidity. It was better if he did this soon. That way no one could interrupt him.

He looked at Ragnok and nodded. Ragnok clapped his hands and called out "Griphook. Get me the contents of all these vaults and put them in an bottomless trunk and bring them here immediately."

Griphook nodded at Ragnok and took off. Ragnok turned to look at Harry and motioned him to follow him.

Goblin Ritual Chamber

July 1

He led him to a large chamber with some sort of ritual circle drawn in the center.

"This is the ancient goblin ritual circle that is needed to travel in time. By itself it is not capable of aiding time travel but when coupled with this it can". He showed Harry a brilliant white crystal. "It is the most precious treasure of goblins. It is called the Lapis. It will provide the necessary power for this ritual. But this can be used only once. After which it will lose its capability to power the ritual."

Harry looked at the stone and nodded. At Ragnok's direction he stepped inside the circle. Griphook ambled into the room levitating a trunk before him. He placed it inside the circle and walked away.

Ragnok looked at Harry and said, "I have set your destination to the Merlin manor itself. So you can get settled there and plan what to do. I guess that you will travel to sometime in the 70's but I do not know the exact time you will be traveling to. So any questions?"

"What about my inheritances. Will they be still valid in that time-frame?"

"I do not know fully about the working of time but since you have the rings with you you should be able to access the vaults and ancestral homes."

Harry nodded and motioned Ragnok to start the ritual. Ragnok placed the stone in the center of the circle and motioned Harry to stand near it. When Harry was in position, he pointed a gnarled finger at the crystal and started chanting something in Gobbledegook. The crystal started emitting light slowly

The light grew until it completely blinded Harry. Then a huge flash occurred and Harry and his trunk vanished completely.

Ragnok looked at the circle for a long moment and with a long sigh retrieved the Crystal.

"So it is time begin." A cloaked figure stepped out from the shadows.

"Yes. It is time." said Ragnok "But are you sure this was the right thing to do. We left him at sea without any knowledge. What if he creates a paradox?"

"He will not create a paradox." the cloaked figure stated with ironclad certainty.

"Yes. You would know better than anyone else I suppose." said Ragnok thoughtfully.

The man nodded in reply and said, "I have to say you are a master actor Ragnok. If I didn't know better I would be convinced that you were speaking the absolute truth. The Oath was a masterpiece. Told him what he wanted to hear but left out the important part. But then he was always naive."

"Why thank you. That is quite a compliment coming from someone like you." He bared his teeth in a ferocious smile.

The man chuckled and said, "Well, now that he's out of the way. Let us begin our work. We have been patient for too long."

"Yes. We shall begin." said Ragnok.

Both of them turned and walked back to their inner chambers to discuss their plans as Harry Potter, the boy who lived was rippling through the fabric of time.