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Chapter 2: Goblins Aren't Scary

I decided to have nice goblins this story. Lily is going to need allies to help Harry. Well, I should say business like goblins.

Thanks for all the reviews and support.

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They waited in the hallway for Petunia to come downstairs. "I am going to go back into your head again, baby. I can't let regular people see me," Lily said, petting Harry's face.

"What are regular people, Mummy?" the shy boy asked, looking at that angel like face. He still couldn't believe his mummy was here with him. She was so pretty, not like his Aunt Petunia. She spoke softly to him too and made him feel like he was a good boy.

"People like your uncle and cousin," she tried to explain, hoping he understood. She knew he was a smart boy, but he was only six.

"Am I not regular?" he asked, not sure if he wanted to be like his uncle and Dudley.

"No, baby, you're special. You are my very special little boy," Lily said, running her hand over his unruly hair. "So, I have to hide from the regular people, so I don't scare them, okay?" she said, looking him in the eye. "Don't worry. I'll be right there in your head," she added, when she saw him cut a glance to the stairs.

"Okay, Mummy," Harry said, not really understanding, but he knew that his mummy might not want to scare others like she had Dudley. That and they might take his mummy away. She was different and he knew his aunt didn't like different, maybe these regular people didn't like different either.

"That's my brave boy," she said, then she disappeared into his head. He could still hear her. "See," she said, a cool voice in his head, "I'm right here."

It filled him with warmth, and he felt loved that his mummy was so close. Closer than even Aunt Petunia got to Dudley. It was a happy feeling for him, and it made him smile. He heard footsteps and he hid that smile. He knew his aunt didn't like it when he was happy.

"Where is my sister?" Aunt Petunia said, looking everywhere for the ghost that had haunted her all morning. She had hoped that her dreaded sister had moved on. After all, that's what ghost did when they finished their business, right?

"She's in my head. She says that she can still hear you," Harry said, looking at her with wary eyes. He didn't want her to hit him. "She says that she's watching you," he added, still looking like he was going to be hit.

Petunia just sniffed and jerked her head to the car. She put Dudley into his car seat. Harry didn't warrant one, and Lily was ranting in Harry's head. Harry didn't even say anything to his aunt. He knew he'd get hit if he did. He knew his mummy was using adult words. Ones that he was not allowed to use. Uncle Vernon used those words when he had a bad day at work. He made sure to tell Dudley that he couldn't use them until he was a big man.

The ride was a long one for a little boy with nothing to do. He looked out the window, but the scenery was unimpressive to him since all he could really see was the sky. That was until they hit the city, where the scenery changed to buildings. But Harry really couldn't see much of anything from where he sat. Finally, his aunt pulled up to a building that was near a tall building.

"Get out," she said to him. She had pulled up to the curb and put the car in park. She reached back and opened the door and waved her hand for him to exit the car.

Harry hurried up and left the car. His aunt closed the door and took off.

"Don't worry, baby. I know where to go," he heard in his head. "See that record store down the street? It's got a large record hanging from it," she explained.

"Yes, mummy," Harry said, when he saw a sign that had a vinyl record hanging from it. He had to crane his neck to see it, but it was there.

"I want you to go there as fast as you can. Just run for me, okay? Run like you are having a race with Dudley," Lily said, hoping to get her son to where he needed to be with little incident.

So Harry ran as fast as his little legs would let him. He weaved through the adults on the sidewalk and pushed a few aside a bit. Not hard enough for them to fall, he's only six, but enough for them to move. He got to the record store and next to it was a place called the Leaky Cauldron. Not that he could read the sign, but his mum could.

"Open the door, baby," Lily said, nudging him to the door with a mental image.

He went to the door and stood on tiptoe and grabbed the knob. He turned it and opened the heavy door. It was hard, but he put all his inconsiderable weight into it, which barely budged the door, but it did a bit. He fell inside when someone opened the door to leave.

"Here now, what's this," the woman said, picking him up off the floor. "Where is your mummy, little boy?" she asked, wiping the dirt off his shirt. She was straightening up his hair and fussing with the collar of his shirt.

"Bless my soul, it's Harry Potter," someone said, seeing the boy's scar. That person immediately got up and started heading Harry's way. A lot of people followed his example.

"Get out then. What would Harry Potter be doing here? You, boy, what's your name?" the woman who was in front of him asked. She had pulled him a bit deeper into the tavern, hoping that he would not get hit by the door.

"Harry, ma'am," Harry said, not seeing any reason to lie.

"Relax, Harry, Mummy's here," Lily said, waiting to see what was happening. She didn't understand why all these people wanted to see her baby. She'd step in if they didn't back off.

"Cor, it is Harry Potter," the lady said, moving his hair aside and looking at the scar.

People started crowding around the boy and he scurried back until his back was against the door. "Mum," he cried out. He wanted his mum to come out and protect him, and he wasn't disappointed.

"What the hell is wrong with you people?" Lily said as she poured out of Harry's head. One second, he was alone, the next she was there next to him. She moved to stand in front of him. "Can't you see you are scaring him?" she screamed at them. Her hair flying around her head, making people back off immediately.

"Cor, it's Lily Potter, come back from the dead," the woman said, not quite scared, but very wary.

"That's right, you better leave my son alone," Lily said, stamping her foot. "Someone had better tell me what the hell is going on," she demanded, glaring at the adults that were accosting her son.

"He's the Boy-Who-Lived," someone in the back said like that explained everything.

"He's what? What does that even mean?" Lily asked, looking confused at the answer. She still hid Harry behind her. Not that it did much good, what with her being see-through. Still, it seemed to calm Harry down.

"He killed You-Know-Who," another person said, pointing their stubby finger at the boy, who was staring at them with wide eyes.

"You are not making any sense. A child killing a Dark Lord. I need to find out what is happening. Behave yourselves. Act like the adults you are supposed to be. Come, Harry, we have things to do," she said, putting her hand on his back and glaring at all the people who had scared him.

"Yes, Mummy," the boy said, he was moving around all the big people who were staring at him in a way no one had ever stared at him before. He wasn't sure what they were gawking at. "Why are they staring at me?" he asked, moving around a man who had not taken his eyes off his mummy.

"I'm not sure, baby, but they'd better stop," Lily said, her eyes were glaring daggers at the man.

Harry and Lily made it to the back of the tavern where there was a small courtyard. There was someone coming through the portal, so Harry hurried through at Lily's urging. They quickly went to the bank.

"What are those, Mummy?" Harry asked, looking at the humanoid creature that was standing in front of the place his mummy called a bank. He didn't know what a bank was, but he knew there was money in it.

"That's a goblin, honey," she answered trying to get him to move forward, but her hand went right through his shoulder.

"He's scary looking," Harry said, looking at the spear the goblin was holding.

"He is a bit, isn't he?" she agreed, then knelt down in front of him, making other witches and wizards all stop and stare at the ghost talking to a little boy. Lily didn't care that the magicals could see her. She wanted them to know she was around. Maybe she'd get her answers. "But, I'll let you in on a secret. They are really nice," she said, giving Harry a wink.

"Really?" Harry asked with a small child's awe. He looked at the scary goblin, who turned and winked at him. He giggled. "Okay, Mummy," he said.

She stood and once more put her cool hand on his back, and she shuffled him up the long set of stairs leading to the bank. People were still staring, and they were stopping and whispering about the odd couple. Harry and his mum stood in line and waited for the next available teller. When it was their turn, Lily guided Harry to him.

"Hello, Sharptooth," Lily said after reading the nametag, "I am Lily Potter, this is my son Harry. We would like to see Steelclaw," she said, nodding to the goblin politely.

"You are deceased," the goblin pointed out and then leaned over his counter and looked at Harry. "Do you have your key?" he asked the shy boy.

"No, sir?" Harry said, in a questioning manner.

The goblin leaned back and studied the couple in front of him. "I will tell Steelclaw you are here and see if he will see you. Take a seat over there," he said, pointing to a bench along a wall near a double door.

"Thank you," Lily said, guiding Harry to the bench.

"What do we do now, Mummy?" Harry asked, sitting on the bench, and kicking his feet back and forth.

"We wait," Lily said, floating back and forth in front of him. She was more worried than she let Harry know. The dead have no rights, but maybe she could do something to help her child.

Eventually a goblin came and led them to another room. This was set up as a meeting room. there was a table, some chairs and little else. There was a tapestry on the wall that depicted a battle between goblins and trolls. It was a bloody battle, that took up the whole wall. Harry was completely fascinated with it.

"Good morning," a goblin said as he walked into the room.

"Steelclaw," Lily said in relief when she recognized the goblin. "It is so good to see you again," she added, putting her hand on Harry's shoulder where he sat in one of the chairs. "This is Harry," she said.

"Mr. Potter," Steelclaw said, nodding his head. "Mrs. Potter, you are not supposed to be here," he said, looking at the apparition. "What I mean is, no one knew you were a ghost. You did not register as one when you died," he explained.

"I don't think I'm a regular ghost," she said, sitting on one of the chairs next to Harry. "I think I'm Harry's protective magic," she added, then explained. "When Voldemort came to… k. i. l. l. my son, I put a protective spell on him that required me to… d. i. e. and it would save Harry," she said, hoping that her son couldn't spell simple words. "I think I'm a ghost that manifested from that spell. I remember everything up until the moment I… d. i. e. d.," she finished, hoping the goblin understood what she was trying to explain.

"I see," Steelclaw said, rubbing the triangular goatee that adorned his chin. "That is entirely possible," he agreed, thinking hard on the scenario. "What is it that Gringotts can do for you today?" he asked, pulling out some paper and a pen. They used such implements for convenience purposes.

"Can you answer some questions for me?" Lily asked, leaning forward a bit. "Where is Sirius Black? Why was Harry given to my sister? What happen to our wills? Why wasn't there a stipend given for Harry's care? What the devil is the Boy-Who-Lived?" she fired off, thinking of the most important questions in her mind.

"In order, Azkaban, Dumbledore, Dumbledore, Dumbledore, there is a legend that surrounds your son about the night you… departed. It stated that young Harry vanquished the Dark Lord. Rubbish if you ask Gringotts, but the wizards believe it. Enough that we have a separate vault for all the post he's been getting since that night," he said, tapping his long spindly fingers on the table in agitation.

"What!? Sirius is in Azkaban? Why?" she asked, completely blown away by his answers.

"For giving you up to the Dark Lord," Steelclaw said, like it was the obvious answer.

"But he wasn't our Secret Keeper," she said, looking around the room like the real Secret Keeper would appear and tell the truth. "That was Peter Pettigrew."

"Sirius Black was accused of killing him," the goblin said, looking at Harry and giving him a pen and paper to draw with. He had a feeling the adults were going to be talking for a while.

"There has to be some mistake. Can we see the court records?" Lily asked, wanting to get to the bottom of this. She did smile at Harry making scribbling pictures on the paper he was given.

"There are no court records. There was no trial," Steelclaw said, bracing himself for the blowup he knew was coming.

Lily puffed up ready to rant, then she looked at Harry and took in a deep breath. "Our wills name the Secret Keeper. In both of them. I need the most cutthroat lawyer you can find. I want Sirius out of prison," she said, knowing she could do little in her current condition. But Harry's account manager can act as liaison. "While he's at it, he can go after Dumbledore for whatever he can think of. I noted that he was the reason Harry was with my sister, and the reason said sister didn't get as stipend. I need to retroact one for her and set it up until Sirius can claim custody."

"How much?" Steelclaw asked, taking out another pen and started writing. He jotted off a quick note and dropped it in a slot in the table.

"We agreed in our wills that the person would get fifty galleons a month for Harry. I don't want her to have the full retro, because she didn't spend that much on him, so half that. Round it up to an even ten thousand," she said, waving her hand idly. "Then the full two-fifty a month," she added, hoping that Sirius didn't stay in prison for more than a few weeks. She was loath to give her sister money.

When she had finished there was a knock on the door.

"Enter," Steelclaw said, knowing who it was.

In came a wizard that was dapper and well dressed in a modern business suit. "You asked to see me?" the man asked as he nodded to the ghost in the room with a bemused expression.

"Ah, Alexander, this is Lily Potter, I am hiring you under her orders as liaison for her son. She wants Sirius Black out of prison," Steelclaw said, waving the man to sit next to Lily. "She also wants you to go after Dumbledore."

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Lily. I am Alexander Preston. Most call me Alex," he said, with another nod of his head.

"This is my son, Harry," Lily said, putting her hand on Harry's shoulder. "Say 'hi', Harry," she instructed.

Harry lifted his head from his art and looked at the nice-looking man. "Hello, sir," he said, turning a bit and holding out his hand like his primary teacher told him too. He had to reach past his mum to do it, and he hoped that was okay.

"It is nice to meet you, young man," Alex said, shaking the hand and then turning back to the goblin and Lily.

"Finish your picture, Harry," his mum said, looking at the scribbles that vaguely resembled a spring day.

"Okay, Mummy," Harry said, taking up the pen again and drawing another tree.

"So, you want Black out of prison? May I ask why?" Alex asked, pulling a pen and notepad from his briefcase. He, like the goblins, used pen and paper. He worked in the muggle world as well as the magical. It was easier to blend in the muggle world and come here, then blend in the wizarding world and go there.

So, Lily explained what happened before the night she died and how Peter was the keeper.

"I'll see what I can do to get him a trial. I can't guarantee that he will be free, but there is precedence about keeping someone in prison without trial. However, I feel that it would be better if we brought all this to light. Can I get a look at your wills?" Alex asked, jotting down some notes.

"I'm hoping you will have them read, and execute them," she said. "Sirius was the executor, but…" she trialed off.

"I'll see what I can do," Alex said, flipping to a new page in his notebook. "Now tell me your grievances about Dumbledore," he said, poised to start taking notes.

So, she laid out what Steelclaw had told her the man had done to her baby.

"I can think of at least three laws that he violated. I'll have to talk to my business partners, but I think we have a civil case," he said, putting the notebook back in his briefcase. He stood to leave and go back to his office. He had a lot to do if he was going to pull any of this off.

"Thank you, Alex. I know that we just met, but I believe you may be just what Harry needs for justice," Lily said, standing and looking at him with a great deal of hope. "Harry, say goodbye to Mr. Preston," she instructed.

"Goodbye, Mr. Preston," Harry said, standing and holding out his hand again. He hoped that was the right thing to do.

"It was a pleasure meeting you Mrs. Potter, Mr. Potter," the man said, shaking Harry's hand and then leaving.

"You were such a good boy," Lily told her little man. "I think ice cream is in order." She then turned to Steelclaw. "I need that retro money in the form of a check that can be cashed in the muggle world. The stipend needs to be the same, sent to Harry's address, which is #4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey. I also need a money belt for my little man here," she said, looking with pride at Harry who had returned to his picture.

"We have a goblin sized one. It cost more, since there are anti-theft charms on them," Steelclaw said as he wrote out the check for her sister. "Who am I making this out to?" he asked after he had filled in the rest.

"Petunia Dursley," Lily said with great disdain. "We need to get some coins. I don't know where the key is, but we don't have it and I need it back," she said, wondering where it landed.

"I'll call it back in just a second," the goblin said, finishing writing the check. When he was done, he went to the door and called something out in his own language. He went back to his desk and put the check in the belt he had taken off his own waist, and then he moved around the desk and spelled the belt around the boy's waist.

Harry looked up from what he was doing and noted that he now wore a belt. Which was good because his trousers were too big. He wondered if it was a gift, but he decided that clothes weren't presents.

Minutes later, there was another goblin at the door. He was carrying a bowl and a knife. "I need to get a drop of Harry's blood," Steelclaw said, gesturing for the goblin to put the bowl down.

"I understand. Harry, baby, come here," Lily called, patting her lap. He moved to stand in front of her and looked at her beautiful face. "Mr. Steelclaw is going to prick your finger. Can you be a brave boy for Mummy?" she asked, her face looking like she believed he could.

Harry looked at the wickedly sharp knife and looked at his mum with scared eyes.

"You can close your eyes if it helps," she said, looking at him like he was a brave boy.

Harry put his hand on the desk and looked away at his mummy's face. He never felt the knife nick his thumb. He just looked at his mum's soft face.

"There now, all done," she said, nodding to his hand.

"Really?" he asked in wonder. He hadn't felt a thing.

Steelclaw put the blood in the bowl and waved the dagger over it and enacted a few words. When he was done speaking a silver key laid in the bottom of the bowl. "There you are, Mr. Potter. Don't lose this," the goblin said, handing the key to the child.

"Do you perhaps have a chain?" Lily asked, knowing that a six-year-old boy could not be held responsible for such a thing without help.

"For a small fee," the goblin said, pulling one off his own neck and putting the key on it. He then put it around the child's neck. "There now, only you can take it off."

"Thank you, sir," Harry said, picking up the key and chain and admiring them. This was the first gift he had ever received. He was going to treasure it forever.

"We need some muggle cash for the belt and some sickles for ice cream and the Knight Bus," Lily said, patting her son's shoulder.

"We can do that up front," Steelclaw said, shuffling them from the room and to the teller. He told them what was needed and went back to his office. He was going to go over the books. He needed to know who had had that key.

"Come, Harry, let's get my brave boy some ice cream," Lily said as she led him further into Diagon Alley.