Harry Potter The Surprise

Dumbledore could tell he was being stonewalled. The smirking goblin wasn't even trying to hide the fact the little bastard was enjoying deliberately not telling Albus what he needed to know. "Surely you must see Harry needs guidance on matters the boy is not yet equipped to deal with by himself. As his magical guardian, this lordship farce should never have been allowed to proceed without me being consulted first."

"Your laws were followed to the letter, Chief Warlock. Are you saying your own laws are inadequate?"

"All I'm saying is that, with any law, there are always exceptions to the rule. Harry is clearly an exception to any rule, therefore this lordship should not now stand." The little bastard's grin just got wider, letting Albus know he wasn't going to like this answer any better than those he'd already heard from this particularly obstinate goblin.

"Magic itself decreed Lord Potter as being worthy to hold the position of Head of his House. Neither Gringotts nor the Ministry have the right or ability to interfere with that judgement."

Albus was still promoting the same argument he'd been pushing since entering Gringotts - namely that Harry should be back under his control - when he noticed the goblin wasn't actually looking at him anymore, rather staring at someone who had just entered the bank.

Remus was having a good day, right up until he spotted Albus Dumbledore inside Gringotts. If that wasn't bad enough, Dumbledore was currently arguing with the specific goblin Remus was here to see - Barchoke.

Dumbledore would only be arguing with Barchoke if he'd discovered Harry was now Lord Potter - and out from under Albus' control. Only that could explain his clearly agitated state, Albus was agitated to the point of drawing unwanted attention to the pair.

Since getting to know the goblin in charge of the Potter accounts, Remus could now discern the tell-tale mannerisms that indicated the little guy was enjoying the opportunity to put Dumbledore in his place.

As news of his new position was bound to leak sooner or later, Remus intended to try and use this news to keep Dumbledore off balance - and see what they could squeeze out of him.

"Good morning, Senior Account Manager. I'm sorry Albus, but I actually have an appointment with Barchoke here. You're going to have to take your business elsewhere."

Playing along, Barchoke enjoyed twisting the 'lack of knowledge' knife into Dumbledore's guts. "Good morning, Steward Lupin. I have some very good news about the bit of business House Potter wanted done." Both hid their smiles well as Dumbledore almost dislocated his neck with the speed his head spun around to face Remus.

There was hope in his eyes as Albus reached out to Remus like a drowning man spotting a potential rescuer. He was still Albus Dumbledore though, so immediately attempted to take charge of the rescue boat. "Remus, Harry appointed you Steward? Thank goodness for that. We have much to discuss…"

Wasting no time, Remus let him know just who was in command here. "Albus, Harry didn't appoint me - he offered me a position. I took an oath of Stewardship - to House Potter, not Harry. That oath is telling me it would not be in my house's best interest to discuss any business with you. Knowing how the oath works, I'm sure you understand. This is powerful old family magic, that could cost me my magic if I work against House Potter."

"Surely you don't think I would wish House Potter any harm? We must be able to work something out? Harry needs my guidance."

Having not taken any oath, Harry simply wouldn't allow him to, Remus now played on Albus' knowledge of what a Steward would be allowed to do if he was oath-bound. "You currently have Harry held in isolation, and are trying to force unjust punishments onto him. My oath sees this as you working against House Potter's interests, there's nothing I can do about that. This is magic at its most basic, Albus, it can't be fooled by mere words or meaningless gestures."

Trying not to show how desperate he was, and failing miserably, Albus was practically pleading with the professor he'd sacked scarcely a few days ago. "Remus, what can I do to help with this matter? I am well aware magic at this level can't be fooled, and would never dream of putting you in any danger."

Neither Remus nor Barchoke believed that last bit for a second. Both knew Albus Dumbledore would sacrifice anyone to get what he wanted. They were trying to use this trait against him.

"Back-off from trying to control every aspect of Harry's life. He will be spending the summer with me, putting together his tutoring package for next term. Do this, and I will guarantee you he will be on the Hogwarts Express come September."

"That's the best I can offer you, Albus, and it will be a struggle for me to get you that much. Harry is a very headstrong young man, your current behaviour is pushing him more and more into a corner. I guarantee you he'll come out fighting - with leaving Hogwarts and Britain being well within the bounds of possibilities should that happen."

"Remus, I can't tell you how much of a disaster that would be. We can't allow that to happen, we just can't."

Nodding in agreement, Remus pushed ahead. "You say you want to work with me, then back-off - before it's too late. When Harry makes his mind up about something, there's probably only Hermione who has any chance of getting him to change it. Since you currently have her in isolation too, she's far more likely to be cheering Harry on. If you'll excuse us, Albus, I really do have pressing House Potter business to discuss with Barchoke."

It was a thoughtful Albus who nodded and slowly walked out of Gringotts.

They had hardly sat down in Barchoke's office when the goblin could contain his curiosity any longer. "Everything you've told me about Lord Potter leads me to believe you just made a terrible deal with Dumbledore. I know I must have missed something but I'm struggling to see what it is."

It was a smiling Remus who answered, it wasn't every day you got to put one over on Dumbledore. "If Dumbledore goes for this, and I'm sure he will, it buys us a summer where neither he nor the ministry will interfere with what we're doing here. That could be the difference between our school opening in September or not."

Barchoke agreed with every word of that, but it still didn't answer his original question. "What is the point in opening this school if Lord Potter is attending Hogwarts?"

"Ah, but I never said he would be attending Hogwarts, only that he would be aboard the express. Even if he did go back there, first sign of trouble Harry would be out of the castle. On past records, he wouldn't last a week in Hogwarts."

Loud laughter rang around the tunnels of Gringotts, before the two got down to serious business. Details of Remus' meeting with Albus and Barchoke would be making it's way to Harry later, courtesy of Dobby.

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