57

CHAPTER FIFTY SEVEN:

When Harry returned to Hogwarts it was to find a message from Amelia waiting for him. The Ministry must be in complete chaos right now, Harry thought in disbelief when he read that all the Death Eaters had been apprehended and placed in holding cells. Frankly, he would have combed through the Ministry first, to find sympathizers and clean up the corruption, but he should have expected her methods to be different from his.

Besides, questioning people under Veritaserum in such a way is probably illegal, he admitted grudgingly. …If they even had enough Veritaserum for it. But hey, as long as there's enough for the Death Eater trials it's fine, right? Maybe Severus knows where the Ministry gets their Veritaserum from… Are there licensed vendors, or Potions Masters who only brew for the Ministry?

With a small shake to clear his head, Harry set the parchment down again. The Death Eater trials would start the next day, and he wasn't prepared yet.

"Off to Gringotts," he muttered. It was time to find out just what he had gotten when he had invoked right of conquest.

OoOoO

Severus looked up when the door to his quarters slid aside, and frowned slightly at the dazed look of his lover.

"What is the matter?" he asked, giving the younger man a quick one-over to check for injuries.

"Well," Harry began, walking over to the couch and sitting down heavily, "I went to Gringotts today to find out what I had received by right of conquest…" Words failing him, he simply handed Severus the roll of parchment he held.

"…I see," Severus eventually said, his voice somewhat faint. "It was to be expected, no? You were aware of the Malfoys' wealth, and despite their claims to the opposite they never were the richest Purebloods in Britain…"

"Severus, no amount of foreknowledge could have prepared me for that sum of money," Harry pointed out. "And I won't even get started on the items and properties! I thought I was going to get what was in their vaults, and perhaps their houses, but I claimed absolutely everything these people owned! Investments, shops, furniture, heirlooms, manors and everything in them! It's crazy!"

"It is the way of the wizarding world," Severus said levelly, and Harry smiled wryly.

"Well, it's going to give me one hell of a headache."

Severus blinked at that, lowering the parchment. "Why- ah. The children?"

"The innocents, Severus," Harry agreed wearily. "I hadn't wanted this kind of responsibility, but now I am forced to decide what to do with the money. Whether to let them live in their own houses and give their possessions back. I even legally own their clothing; did you know that? If I wanted to, I could kick them out of their own houses without a knut or even a shirt to their names! It's insane! Nobody should have that much power over someone," he said fervently.

"I agree," Severus inclined his head. "And yet I had thought that you had come up with a plan for this case?"

Harry deflated. "Well, sort of… I had decided that as long as the innocents agree to being educated about the Muggle world they would be given a trust vault and be able to continue living in their current home, and that if they refused they would have to fend for themselves. But now, if someone refuses my terms, does that mean that they'll have to leave without anything? They'll lose any job they currently hold, and you know it! They would have no choice! I'd be no better than Voldemort!"

Severus laid a calming hand on Harry's knee. "Voldemort would never have had these thoughts," he said quietly. "You are far better than him."

"But I'm still taking away their free will," Harry said, sounding younger than Severus had ever heard him before.

"No," Severus replied. "Give them the choice, and tell them that should they refuse they will be able to sell their house and take any material goods within that house with them. I doubt many buyers will be interested in the houses, being Death Eater domiciles," Severus grimaced, "but you have enough funds to buy them off them for a reasonable price. Whether they would ever be able to hold a job after the trials is questionable, but having enough furniture to sell should give them a fair amount of money, should they figure out how to sell it in the Muggle world." He sounded skeptical at the chances of that happening.

"What about the children?" Harry asked, worrying his lip. "If the parents decide not to take my offer, they take away that chance from the children as well, and it's they who will grow up with resentment…"

"Harry," Severus said gently, reaching out a hand to cup his lover's cheek. "That is not your worry. A parent is morally obligated to ensure their children's' best possible future – whether they do so or not is not yours to decide. Worry about the children that do not have parents to support them."

A small smile alit Harry's face as he leaned into Severus's cold hand. "That's actually dealt with," he said. "The children that don't have magical family to go to will be under Narcissa Black's care in the Black mansion – along with several house elves and at least one Muggleborn or squib, of course – and each will receive a trust vault in their name. Death Eater children that are already of legal age but whose vaults I received will either get the same deal as the older innocents or a vault with a slightly higher sum than the children, and a word to their employer, should they have one, that they not be fired because of the parents' mistakes. I don't know if it'll be enough, but…"

"That sounds fine," Severus soothed him promptly. "If they are independent and bright, then it will not be a problem." In his experience, however, Pureblood children grew up coasting on their forefathers' laurels, and rarely learned to hold a paying job. Most would accept Harry's terms, or come crawling back a year later asking to be offered the same terms again.

"Really?" Harry bit his lip, sighing when Severus drew him in to his side.

"Really," the man reassured him. He was interested in how things would play out, but feared that it would lead to heartache for his younger partner. Setting the parchment aside – he would worry about his lover being the richest man on earth later – he gathered Harry into a proper hug. Tomorrow would come soon enough.

OoOoO

Meanwhile a Hogwarts student lingered outside her Head of House's door, unsure whether to ask for help or not. The trials would be public, no doubt, but it would tarnish their good name – nobody knew her parents were Death Eaters, and she knew, she knew that they were forced into it.

You don't even know that they've been discovered, she argued with herself. Maybe they weren't on the list Lord Potter-Black mentioned in the Daily Prophet article. Going for help now would only ensure that they get a trial, and you know that the Ministry is likely to simply toss all Death Eaters into Azkaban! She shuddered at the thought of her parents in that horrible place and wrapped her arms around herself for comfort, though even the warm wool of her cloak couldn't keep away the chill she felt.

But what will happen to us if they're gone? She bit her lip. Nobody's going to care for the Death Eater brats, nobody! Lord Potter-Black may say that we're not to blame for our parents' mistakes, but those are just pretty words; any politician would have said them.

Wait until the trial, another part of her brain cautioned. No need to ask someone for help and make you beholden to them when you don't even know yet whether help will be necessary.

But I need to get the help before the others, she argued back. Once the trials begin everyone will be clamoring for help, and those who don't have any other family to turn to will go to our Heads of Houses first. I have to ensure that I don't get there too late!

The internal debate continued for several seconds longer before, squeezing her eyes shut, she reached out a quivering hand to knock on the wooden door before her.