Miscalculation - Chapter 10

Harry strode through the doors of Gringotts. He waited patiently until he was able to speak with the goblin at the front desk. There were three types of people that he learned to never disrespect: the people who took care of your money, the people who prepared your food, and healers. Any of them could easily ruin his life in a matter of moments.

"Business?" The goblin asked without looking up from the ledger it was working in.

"New Lord Lestrange to inspect his vault," Harry stated.

The goblin paused, then fixed him with a glare. Harry held up his hand and showed the new lordship ring. The goblin narrowed his eyes.

"You were previously Lord Malfoy," the goblin said.

"Yes," Harry nodded. "I disowned that title and placed it under full control of Narcissa Malfoy. This is a separate matter."

"Will you be making this a habit?" The goblin continued to glare at him.

"Maybe," Harry replied with a shrug. "It depends on how many Pureblood Lords decide to attack me without provocation. They have the tendency to die when that happens. Who am I to turn down a Right of Conquest?"

A small twitch of the eyebrows was the only hint of a reaction the goblin gave. It was a few moments later when another goblin arrived. This one was visibly confused.

"The summons was for the Lestrange account," the new goblin stated.

I flashed him the ring. The goblins shared a tired look.

"This way," the account manager grumbled. "What is your business?"

"I want to take a look at my new vault," Harry replied with an amused tint to his voice.

"The former Lord Lestrange was here earlier today," the goblin snapped.

"And then he attacked me, I killed him, and claimed his title," Harry said as he gave a quirk of his eyebrows. "My next stop will be to the Ministry to dissolve House Lestrange, at least this branch of it. I think there might be a few in France."

The goblin said something in their native language. Harry understood just enough to know that it was an impressive string of profanity. Mingled among the tirade was something about paperwork. That was a fate he wouldn't wish on anyone.

"Would it be easier if I was to surrender the title to the next eligible Lestrange?" Harry asked.

The goblin shot him a look over his shoulder. It glared at him then gave a short nod.

"Let's do that then," Harry stated. "After I get a look at this vault. I would like to see my spoils."

The goblins' mutters eased off the profanity. Unfortunately, his handle on the goblin language wasn't nearly as good with normal conversation. His instruction came from nights of prolonged drinking with Flitwick. The Charms Professor had excellent taste in liquor and could drink enough to kill put three wizards under the table. He learned the hard way to never drink with Filius unless he was prepared to find his exploits on the front page the next morning. More importantly, do not accuse anyone with goblin blood of cheating. Harry had faced death many times but there had only been a few instances where he truly feared for his life. Finding himself at the end of the wand of a disrespected Charms Master and former Dueling Champion was one of those times.

"Wizard," the goblin barked.

Harry snapped out of his memories to find they were at the carts. He slipped into the seat. Apologizing to a goblin was never a good idea. Prove your intent through actions, words were useless. Another lesson learned from Flitwick. His mind began to wonder once more as the cart launched down the tracks. The Lestrange family was one of the older ones which meant their vault took a minute or two to reach.

He hoped that he wouldn't have to face off against Flitwick. The man was not just an amazing duelist, but Harry counted him as a friend. It would be a hard fight and one that he honestly didn't want. He wondered if he could become friends with him again. A younger Filius would be an interesting experience. He knew that Filius never joined the Order, but he wasn't going to count on the man staying on the sidelines.

The cart came to a lurching stop. It helped break him out of his thoughts. He waited for the goblin to open the vault. A disappointed sigh escaped his mouth as the interior was revealed. It contained a single item, The Hufflepuff Cup. He couldn't remember if this had been the case last time around. Harry shrugged. He stepped into the vault, hit the cup with the Killing Curse, and then returned to the cart.

"Is this the only Lestrange Vault?" Harry asked.

"Yes," the goblin stared at him with a complex look on its face. "The previous Lord Lestrange recently removed the valuables and transferred them to an unknown location."

"Shame," he said with a sigh. "Close the vault or swap it over to the next in line, whichever is easier. I need to disown the Lestrange Lordship too. Do I do that with you or the Ministry since I'm passing it down the line?"

"I can handle it," the goblin snapped. "I am the account manager."

"Then let's go to your office," Harry said ignoring the tone.

~§~

Lily, James, Sirius, and Remus had relocated to another location. They hadn't settled on where they would stay in the long term. Until then they decided to switch between the many properties the Potters owned. Most magical means of transportation were unavailable to them with this late in Lily's pregnancy. Instead, they used magically enhanced cars. They blended in perfectly with the muggle versions and most Pureblood wizards didn't even think of them as an option.

"He claims to be your son from the future, the tale of the Peverell brothers is true, and that Death herself gave him a boon of protection," Remus stated.

"Don't forget his life story that sounded like that blowhard Lockhart wrote it," Sirius chuckled. "Defeating troll and a possessed Defense professor in his first year." He paused before adding. "Being immune to Veela allure, able to throw off the Imperious, and outflew a dragon too."

"Yes," Lily said as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "That about sums it up."

"The bit about your sister seemed spot on, Lils," James said.

"And you believe him?" Remus asked.

"He had the Peverell ring," James replied. "He knew about the ritual in the Potter Tome and was able to point out where Sirius was positioned."

"The ring could easily be faked," Remus countered. "Sirius forgot to silence his steps or mask his scent."

"And the ritual?" Lily asked.

"He could be a distant Potter relation," Remus answered after a moment. "I won't deny he could pass as James' brother."

"Or son," Sirius cut in.

Remus rolled his eyes.

"Regardless," Remus said with a slight edge in his voice. "He confessed to killing a number of people. The Lestrange's might have been self-defense, but the others weren't. In case it slipped your minds, you two are Aurors."

"He claimed to be responsible," James countered. "We can't arrest him without proof."

"He wouldn't be the first to try to take credit for the clout," Sirius added. "The deaths of Malfoy, Nott, and Avery haven't been reported. Don't forget that Pettigrew was splashed on the front page."

"Let's start with what we do know," Lily said. "There hasn't been any word on Malfoy, Nott, or Avery missing or dead. Multiple witnesses and their memories place Avery at the scene in Nocturn Alley earlier today where an explosion killed a large group of suspected Death Eaters. Moody and Bones confirmed his claims of killing the Lestrange brothers and claiming their Lordship via Right of Conquest. Eyewitness accounts show Bellatrix fleeing shortly before the Aurors arrived."

"I thought I was the Auror," James teased.

"There's a reason the Unspeakables approached her and not you, Prongs," Sirius said with a broad smile.

"As Sirius stated," Lily continued without commenting on their interruption. "Pettigrew's death was announced in the paper. No one has publicly claimed responsibility for it, so anyone could. The magical signature didn't match anything on file, including the fight in Diagon."

She paused for a moment.

"He claims to be our son," she rested a protective hand on her belly. "Finally, and most concerning, he stated his intentions were to overthrow the government, place himself as king, and remove the Death Eater threat."

"We should tell Dumbledore," Remus said.

"That's what you always say," Sirius grumbled.

"He leads the Order," Remus replied with a slight edge to his voice. "The same one we all joined, unless your somehow forgot."

"His arm was neat," James spoke up to break the tension.

Remus and Sirius failed to fight off smiles.

"Do we believe him?" Lily asked.

"Does it matter?" Remus countered. "He admitted that his plan was to overthrow the Ministry and become king. There's no such thing as a bloodless coup. It doesn't matter if we believe him or not. In the end we're trading one tyrant for another."

The group sat in silence for a long moment.

"We all know the Ministry is corrupt," Sirius finally said. "I can count the number of honest members of the Wizengamot on my fingers and not need my other hand."

"It's not that bad," Remus rolled his eyes.

"I tell you the Mot is corrupt, and your argument is that it's not that bad?" Sirius snorted. "I thought you were the smart one."

Remus glared at him.

"We aren't getting anywhere," Lily snapped. "James, what do you think?"

"He's dangerous," James said after a moment of thought. "The Ministry does need reformation, he's not wrong about that. The Dark Lord and his minions need to be stopped. As much as I hate to admit it, Dumbledore and the Order aren't enough."

"You're fine with him tearing everything down and starting again with him in charge because the world isn't perfect?" Remus asked. "I still say that we should tell Dumbledore."

Lily glared at Remus. Her wand snapped up at an impressive speed. Remus was hit with a stunner followed by a sleeping spell then lastly obliviate.

"Lils!" Sirius squawked.

"He would have run to Dumbledore the moment he left the room," Lily said silently daring them to argue. "We'll decide on our own."

James gave a single nod in reply.

"Fine," Sirius shook his head. "Just don't scramble my brain too."

Lily woke Remus up. The werewolf rubbed his eyes and tried to subtly wipe some drool from the corner of his mouth.

"Sorry about that," Remus cleared his throat. "What were we talking about?"

~§~

Harry Potter, formerly Lord Malfoy, formerly Lord Lestrange left Gringotts an hour later with a skip in his step. Finding whoever was the next in line for the Lestrange Lordship had taken longer than expected. He couldn't just abandon the title unless he wanted to take a trip to the Ministry. Naming an heir or steward was an option that he unfortunately didn't fit his situation. The reason for his improved mood was the fact that the closest blood relative was a Squib that had been discarded from the family. It didn't erase the stress from the meeting with his parents, but it did help a little.

It was annoying that the Lestrange fortune had been moved elsewhere. He didn't know how much it had been, but it was more important that it stayed out of Voldemort's hands.

Harry couldn't be too disappointed. That was another Horcrux destroyed. During his days hunting Death Eater remnants, he had done some research on the cursed things. There wasn't a lot of information, even true dark wizards didn't mess with them, but he found some interesting little bits. Seven was the maximum amount that a person could make. Any more than that and the soul would shatter completely. Technically, they would still be alive, but they would be less than a ghost and the body would wither away.

He guessed that there were probably five in total, including the ones he had destroyed, in the current time period. The Gaunt Ring, the Ravenclaw Diadem, the Hufflepuff Cup, the diary, and the Slytherin Locket. He would need to check the cave to see if the locket had been placed yet. Unfortunately, he didn't know exactly when Regulus stole it. He also would need someone to drink the damned potion to get to it too. A wicked smile played across his face as an idea sparked in his mind. There was a pink toad that could do the task splendidly.

Harry strolled through the street until he arrived at the Apparation Point. A quick spin and a pop brought him to the exterior of the cave. The place was dark and dreary even at mid-day. There was a miasma of twisted magic emanating from the cave. He recognized the familiar stain that Voldemort left behind.

He stepped off the stones, forgoing the boat. Rather, his feet hovered a couple of inches above the water. He had worked out how Voldemort flew but could never get the hang of it. The sensation just felt wrong after years on a broom. Instead, he used it to walk on air when the need arose. Or if he wanted to show off a little. He didn't trust walking on the water with the Inferi lurking beneath it.

Walking over the water was significantly faster than the last time he had been here. He made his way to the raised pedestal where the basin rested. There weren't nearly as many Inferi in the waters, but that still didn't mean he was going to take the chance to wake them. He hated the damned things.

Harry stared into the basin at the Locket. He held his hand over the fluid and concentrated. The twisted energy that identified Voldemort's soul was pungent enough for it to be instantly identified. Perfect, he wasn't sure how old Regulus was at the moment, but hopefully this would spare him. Though, a trip to Grimmauld could be interesting. There had to be some interesting items that had been lost during Kreacher's lonely watch. It was also likely that Mundungus snagged a few things before he was caught with the locket. That could wait for another day. He had a trip to the Ministry to find his volunteer.