Harry Potter The Final Straw

The Leaky Cauldron was bustling with patrons when a disguised Sirius Black stepped into the dimly lit establishment. Conversation was noisy and there were clouds of smoke drifting near the rafters.

Stepping up to the bar, Sirius sat down and in a fake posh London accent ordered, "Gilly Water, please."

The Innkeeper, Tom, looked over the well-dressed stranger in front of him and said, "Right away guv'ner. Would you like a spot to eat too?"

Thinking it over, Sirius figured that it would be a good test of his disguise to sit and eat lunch in the Leaky Cauldron. If things got tense, he figured that it would be easier to escape from the pub than any building actually in Diagon Alley. Smiling at Tom, Sirius said, "Please, I'm famished. Do you have Beef Wellington on the menu?"

"We do. I'll place that order for you. It should be ready in about fifteen minutes. Feel free to sit here and eat or if there is a free table you can sit there and your meal will be delivered to you." Tom said before limping off towards the kitchen to let the elves know what to start preparing.

While he was waiting for his lunch to arrive, Sirius was pretending to read the Daily Prophet but he was really reflecting upon the morning's events. He felt much better knowing that Andromeda and Ted were filing the guardianship paperwork for Harry and Hermione.

It had only taken a few moments to convince Annabelle that it was in the children's best interests to get them both a registered Wizarding Guardian. After she agreed, Remus had run off to talk with Andromeda and Ted and to fetch the necessary paperwork.

After his run in with the Wizarding Legal System, Sirius wouldn't put it past the Ministry, or Death Eaters, to do something completely underhanded to bring Harry under their control. He wanted every possible loophole that anyone could use to get Harry closed. The guardianship, and his adoption into the Black Family, were the two easiest ones to exploit. Now that they were taken care of, Sirius felt that he could rest easier.

Reflecting on his shopping trip to Harrods a couple of hours ago, Sirius half shuddered, half snickered at the same time. He didn't know how John kept up with Annabelle. She was a shopping dynamo! He had to admit that she had a very good eye for fashion though.

The colored contacts had taken a bit of time to get used to but now he couldn't even tell that he was wearing them. Annabelle had also added a pair of wire rimmed glasses to complete his new look.

Annabelle had sent Winky to procure a dress cloak to match his new pinstriped suit. When they had asked the helpful elf where she had purchased it, Winky blushed and finally admitted that she made it herself.

Upon closer inspection, Sirius realized that the cloak was lined in Dragon Hide for a bit of extra protection and weight. It wouldn't flap open in a breeze and that would allow him to conceal things easier or to have his wand already drawn if he wanted.

He was pulled from his thoughts by the arrival of his lunch. Digging in, he idly reminisced about having drinks with James, Remus, and Peter during the summer holidays in what seemed like another lifetime. He was so lost in his thoughts that before he realized it, he had finished his meal.

Glancing down at his new watch, he discovered that it was getting late and if he didn't hurry, he was going to be late for his rendezvous with Ted at the bank. The plan was to have Ted keep a look out for any known Death Eaters while watching Sirius' back.

Sirius tossed a couple of galleons on the table to cover the cost of the meal and waved to Tom as he headed out of the pub and into Diagon Alley. He nodded to Ted as he entered the bank.

Stepping into Gringotts, Sirius felt another sense of nostalgia wash over him. The Goblin bank really was timeless. Goblins hated change unless it benefited them in some way. As he stepped over to a free teller, he was reminded of the first time that his father brought him down to the family's vault.

Knowing that he didn't really have any other avenue, Sirius realized that he would be closing a portion of his family's legacy in Gringotts. Looking up at the Goblin teller, he said quietly, "I need to visit my vault." as he handed his key over to the creature.

The Goblin inspected the authenticity of the key for a moment and then scrutinized the human before him. This was the key to a very old family vault that had not been accessed in person in over thirteen years. He didn't want to risk angering such a wealthy client, even one on the run from the law.

Stepping down from his booth, the Goblin's guttural voice was surprisingly high as he growled out, "Follow me."

They hopped into the cart and it shot off into the depths of the mines towards the Black Family Vault. After five minutes of twists and turns, the cart came to a halt outside of a very ornate set of double doors. The Black Family Crest was engraved on the stone doors in sharp relief, simple, yet elegant. The motto, 'Always Pure,' was written underneath the crest in homage to maintaining the purity of the family bloodline.

After the Goblin opened the vault, Sirius held out his hand for his key. Once it was returned to him, he said politely, "I would like a moment alone."

Closing the door behind him, Sirius turned his focus to the contents of his family's vault. Finding what he was looking for in the corner, he dragged the trunk into the center of the room and proceeded to open it.

Finally locating the largest compartment, Sirius began to levitate the galleons into the chamber. Leaving a few hundred gold galleons in the vault, he switched to loading silver sickles into a different compartment.

Twenty minutes later, all that was left in the Black Family Vault was a few hundred galleons and an equal amount of sickles and knuts. Sirius had even taken all of the heirlooms and placed them into the remaining sections of the trunk. Finished with loading the trunk, he pulled out a Moke Skin pouch that was highly enchanted to be much larger on the inside and slipped the trunk into it before returning it to the pocket in his robes.

Careful not to let the Goblin see what he left behind, Sirius slipped out of the vault without opening the door fully. Once he was seated in the cart, the Goblin started for the surface.

Tipping the offensive creature to ensure his silence, Sirius made his way out of the bank and towards the Apparition point in the Alley. He nodded to Ted before he turned on the spot and vanished with a pop.

Once the Goblin was sure that Mr. Black was gone, he quickly left the main lobby of the bank and headed off to send a message to Lucius Malfoy. Mr. Malfoy had come in the day before and quietly let it be known that he would pay handsomely for information on anyone that accessed the Potter or Black Vaults.

Reappearing in the foyer of Grimmauld Place, Sirius called out, "Dobby!" When the small elf appeared, he smiled down at him before pulling out the shrunken trunk and saying, "Dobby, this trunk contains the Black Family Fortune. Would you place everything in it into the underground vault and then return the trunk to me please?"

Taking the shrunken trunk, Dobby said happily, "Of course Master Sirius. Do you need anything else?"

Shaking his head no, he replied, "No thank you. I'm going to head down and have a little chat with our guest before we decide what to do with him."

Remus and Sirius had created an underground chamber in the basement and then placed it under the Fidelius Charm as an added layer of protection in addition to the other precautions that they had taken. They planned to do the same thing at the Granger's for the contents of the Potter Vault as soon as they could get Harry to Diagon Alley.

While Sirius was having a nice chat with Barty Crouch, Jr., Dora was about to have an entirely different talk with her boss, Amelia Bones.

Knocking on the door to Amelia's office, Tonks was slightly nervous about what she was about to do. If things went pear shaped, it could land her unemployed or in Azkaban.

When the muffled, "Enter." came through the door, Dora stepped inside and sealed the door behind her with a few spells.

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