Shadow Warrior

    Chapter one

Disclaimer- I do not own Harry Potter, nor am I making any money from posting this story.

Authors Note: I have decided to re-write my story Shadow Warrior. I felt like I wrote myself into a corner with the original version and decided to scrap it and start fresh.

Harry ‘The-Boy-Who-Lived’ Potter growled as he flung his fifth year Charms book back into his school trunk. “These books are absolutely useless! I’ve already learned everything I can from them!”

He began pacing across his small room, absently rubbing at the thin scars on the back of his right hand. “I have to learn more spells, more magic. I have to get stronger if I’m going to have even half a chance at beating Voldemort.”

Harry sighed as he went though the prophecy that Dumbledore had shown him a few weeks earlier. “How can I find ‘the power he knows not? Could it be something that has to do with the muggle technology? Guns? Bombs? Does Voldemort know about guns? If the power is a gun, how in the hell am I going to get a hold of one? Where would I get the bullets? Or where would I go to learn how to shot straight? What if the power’s a bomb? I can’t buy a bomb. I don’t know how to build one, and I highly doubt that any library or bookstore would have a how-to guide on bomb building.

Those might not even be the ‘power’ I’m looking for. What else could it be though? Electricity? How can I use electricity to kill him? Does he know about electricity? Cars? You can run someone over with a car, but where could I get a car? I could steal Uncle Vernon’s, but I don’t know how to drive, and I don’t have a license. Plus he would report it stolen and I’d get in trouble with the police. Fuck! Why can’t I figure this out?”

Harry snarled and barely resisted the urge to punch the nearest wall. Only the memory of the painful consequences from the last time he had hit the wall kept his temper, and his fist, in check.

“I need to get away from here. Get out of this house, this neighborhood. I’m going crazy being cooped up here almost completely cut-off from my friends, barely knowing what’s happening in the magical world.  Thank god for Tonks’ letters. If not for her than I would have gone nuts by now.”

Harry’s thoughts turned to the usually pink-haired Auror, they had, at her suggestion, begun exchanging letters soon after he had returned to Privet Drive and, in doing so, had helped each other through the worst of their grieving over the death of Sirius Black.

Harry’s train of thought was derailed when he heard a soft hooting sound from his window. He turned and saw a large barn owl perched on the sill, a large envelope tied to its leg.

“Is that for me?”

The owl clicked its’ beak sharply.

“Sorry, stupid question.” Harry said as he approached the owl.

As soon as he had untied the letter, the barn owl flew away “Guess he wasn’t tired.”

Harry carried the envelope over to his desk and, after sitting, carefully tore it open. A small, folded piece of paper and a slightly smaller envelope fell to his desk. He picked up the piece of paper first and unfolded it.

Potter,

Be at the play park, behind the swings at five past eleven. It is a matter concerning the enclosed letter. Do not be late. The password is the answer to the question “What is the first thing that I really taught you?”

                   Mad-Eye

“Wonder what that’s about?”

Harry set the scroll aside and picked up the envelope, which was marked with a large stylized G flanked by a pair of knives.  He broke the wax seal and carefully pulled out the letter.

Mister Potter

This is the final notification of the reading of the Last Will and Testament of Sirius Orion Black. The reading will take place at 12 o’clock pm on the afternoon of June 25th 1996.

Your presence is requested, in accordance with the wishes of the deceased. Failure to appear will result in the forfeiture of all bequeathed funds and assets.

      Rebecca Holstan

                                Human Liaison in the Office of Inheritance and Legal Documentation             

Harry scowled down at the letter. ‘Why did Moody send me this? Does he want me to attend? Why didn’t I get this directly from Gringotts? And why does this say final notification? I never even got a first notification.’

He yawned and looked over to his alarm clock. ‘It’s already nearly two? I’m too tired to try and figure this all out tonight. I need to get some sleep, hopefully without nightmares.

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 Alastor ‘Mad-Eye’ Moody turned his magical eye towards his private fireplace when the flames surged upward and turned bright green. He slowly drew his wand and aimed it towards the fireplace as someone stumbled through the connection.

The new arrival brushed off some soot from his robes then raised his hands, showing that he was not holding any weapons. “There is no such thing as coincidence, sir.”

Moody lowered his wand slightly and turned to fully face the other wizard. “Kingsley, were you successful?”

“Yes sir.” Kingsley Shackelbolt said. “I delivered the message to him myself.”

“Good work, King. Go home, you shift was over three hours ago.”

“Yes sir. Do you need me to help you tomorrow?”

Moody shook his head. “No. I’ll have Tonks with me, she’s involved with the reading and she and Potter get along well. Besides, tomorrow is your day off. Take it. That’s an order.”

Ye sir.” Kingsley replied.

Moody reached into his desk and pulled out a small bundle of tissues paper, which he tossed to Kingsley.

Kingsley caught the paper and tossed it into the flames. He waited a handful of seconds before saying “I want to go home.”

The flames turned bright green and Kingsley stepped through.

Moody waited one minute then extinguished his fire with a jet of water from his wand then stood up and walked over to the darkened fireplace. He closed and locked both the flue and the grate by hand. After securing the fireplace, Moody reactivated the anti-communication and high-security wards, hen retired to his bedroom.

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 “God, I’m bored.” Harry muttered as he leaned back in his chair, balancing it on the two back legs, and stared up at his ceiling. “There’s nothing to do here.”

“I can help you with that, you know.”

Harry immediately sat forward, slamming the legs of his chair back on the floor, and twisted to face the speaker. He saw Tonks, wearing a set of baggy robes, leaning against his doorjamb.

“Tonks! What are you doing here?”

“I just got off work and have the next couple of days off which I want to spend it with you.” Tonks said as she pushed away from the doorway. “Do you mind if I take these robes off? They were definitely not made for comfort.”

“Yeah, go ahead.” Harry said, surprised that the older, and very attractive, woman would rather spend her free time with him rather than with people closer to her own age.

“Thanks Harry. I hate having to wear those damn rags.” Tonks said and promptly pulled her robes over her head, leaving her in nothing but a pair of very skimpy pink panties and an equally skimpy tank top. She tossed the robes onto Harry’s trunk. “Much better now.”

Harry looked Tonks over from head to toe, lingering on her firm, perky breasts and her long, shapely legs.

“Like the outfit?” Tonks asked

 “Uh-huh. It’s nice.” Harry muttered, stricken all but speechless by the amount of flesh Tonks was showing

 “I don’t know it’s quite a lot of pink to be wearing at one time.” Tonks said, tugging at the front of her tank top. “I think I should take some of it off. What do you think?”

Harry nodded dumbly.

“I thought so.” Tonks peeled the top of and dropped it to the floor, then kicked it to the side. Now topless, Tonks sauntered over to Harry “Are you still bored? Would you like to kiss me?”

Harry barely managed to croak out “Yes, please.”

“Good manners.” Tonks murmured whispered into his ear while stroking his cheek. “And good manners should always be rewarded.”

With that she took Harry’s hand and placed it on her bare breast. Harry instinctively squeezed the warm, soft flesh in his hand.

Tonks moaned softly at his touch. “Mm, your hand feels good. Now let’s see if your lips feel just as good.” She cupped his cheek and kissed him firmly.

Harry groaned when Tonks shoved her tongue into his mouth and pressed herself against him.

After nearly a minute of deep, passionate kissing the two pulled apart, gasping for breath. “Very good work, Harry. You deserve another reward. Tonks murmured and slid her hand down and rubbed his erection through his jeans. “My question is do you want me to use my hand, or my mouth?”

Harry groaned and ground himself against her hand. “M-mouth.”

“Good choice.” Tonks murmured as she sank to her knees and began unbuckling his belt.

A loud banging noise startled Harry, and he suddenly found himself in his bed and alone. “Damn it, it was only a dream.” Harry groaned, more than a little disappointed. “Beats the nightmares though.”

He heard another banging noise followed shortly by the sound of a car turning on and driving away. Uncle Vernon had just left for work.

Harry rolled over and looked at his alarm clock. It read ten forty-nine. “I’d better get going if I want to be on time for my meeting with Moody.”

He reluctantly climbed out of bed and staggered to the bathroom.

Harry made it to the play park with a little more than a minute to spare. He scanned the park and found it apparently empty.

‘Wonder where he is.’ Harry thought as he walked over to the swings and sat down on one of the few unbroken ones left. “This place sure has gone to shit. Don’t know why they don’t fix it, it makes the entire neighborhood look bad.”

He caught a flicker of movement out of the corner of his eye and slowly reached for his wand, which was stored in his right hip pocket.

“Stop right there.” A harsh voice growled in his ear. Harry felt the point of a wand press between his shoulder blades. “Put your hand back on the chain, nice and slow.”

Harry complied, cursing himself for being caught so easily.

“Now, what is the password? You have twenty seconds before I curse you.”

The message Moody had sent him the night before flashed through his mind. ‘What was the first thing he taught me? What did he teach us that first day? He did use spiders to demonstrate the Unforgivables that first day. No, that was Crouch. Moody didn’t teach anything that year.’ He shifted slightly and felt the weight of his wand against his thigh. ‘Wand safety!’ “Basic wand safety. Don’t keep your wand in your back pocket. You might blow a buttock off.”

The wand was removed and the voice returned “Good Potter. Now, stand up and walk towards the back fence. Tonks is waiting with a timed portkey.”

“What’s this about?” Harry asked as he began walking.

“Not now, when we get to where we’re going. We don’t have the time, nor the security to discuss it here.”

As they approached the fence Harry felt a slight tingling sensation and Tonks, dressed in snug fitting muggle-style clothes, suddenly appeared leaning against a nearby tree.

Harry felt himself blush as images from his recent dream rushed to the forefront of his mind and he couldn’t help but wonder if she was wearing pink panties like she had been in his dream. ‘I’d like to see her in pink panties, or naked for that matter.’

“Keep moving Potter. We have a tight schedule to keep.” Moody growled.

Harry muttered a quick apology and continued to walk towards Tonks.

“Hey Harry.” Tonks said, flashing him a bright smile. “How are you?”

“Pretty good, all things considered.”

“Enough talking. We need to get going.” Moody growled. “Bring out the portkey.”

“Right away Boss.”  Tonks replied and unbuckled her belt. She pulled it free and held it out for the other two.

“Grab hold Potter. It activates in less than thirty seconds.”

Harry grabbed one end of the belt, blushing slightly at how warm it was, and noticed the other end floating in mid-air. Almost instantly he felt the familiar and uncomfortable sensation of portkey travel.

Several seconds later rush of wind faded and the portkey deposited them in a dimly lit room.

“Ugh, I hate portkey travel.” Tonks muttered as she climbed to her feet. “Never can stick the landings.”

“Where are we?” Harry asked, looking around the murky room, trying to pierce the gloom.

A fire suddenly erupted in a nearby fireplace, bathing the room in a warm reddish-orange glow.

“It’s a private meeting place.” Moody, now visible, said as he walked towards the rooms single table. “Sit down, both of you. We have important matters to discuss.”

“What matters are those, sir?”

“Black’s will. The reading is today in less than an hour, and you have been named a beneficiary.”

“I know about the reading. I read the Gringott’s notification that was in your letter last night.” Harry said. “But I don’t know why that was the first time I received anything from Gringott’s before then?”

“Dumbledore doesn’t want you to attend. He plans on claiming your inheritance by proxy and giving you whatever he deems ‘safe’ when you’re ‘ready’.”

“Why did you send me the notification, and why did you want to see me?”

“Because I happen to disagree with Dumbledore. You deserve whatever Black has left you in his will. Nobody has the right to take that from you. That is why I intend to get you to that reading.

Without you there to legally claim your inheritance it is all too possible that supporters of Voldemort will get a hold all the money and property held by the Black family, Headquarters specifically. If they do gain control of the Black family assets it could prove disastrous for all who oppose him.”

“I’ll be escorting you to the bank.” Tonks said. “I’ve been named in the will as well, so it’s only natural for me to be there.”

“Do I need to put on a disguise or something?” Harry asked.

“You’ll be wearing my invisibility cloak on the way to the bank.” Moody growled. “But you must not wear it past the main doors. The goblins forbid the usage of camouflaging magic within their walls. The penalty for violating their laws is quite painful and messy.”

“When do we leave?” Harry asked.

Moody handed Harry the invisibility cloak. “Right away. Take good care of this cloak. It holds great sentimental value and I would be very disappointed if anything were to happen to it.”

Harry stood up and donned the cloak with practiced ease. “There, all set.”

“Let’s get going, Harry.” Tonks said and as she walked towards the door. “Keep close.”

‘Not a problem.’ Harry thought, his eyes almost magnetically drawn to her slightly swaying ass.

“Keep an eye on where you’re going.” Moody said loudly, either to Harry or Tonks.

“Yes, Boss.”

“Yes, sir.” Harry and Tonks said simultaneously.

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Ten minutes later the pair had threaded their way through the early morning crowds of London and Diagon Alley and were now climbing the stairs of Gringott’s. As the approached the bronze doors, the goblins on guard narrowed their eyes and lowered their wicked-looking pikes.

“Show yourself at one.” The goblin on the right demanded. “Or both your lives will be forfeit.”

Harry quickly pulled off the cloak and raised his hands defensively. “I had no intention of entering your establishment wearing the cloak.” He said as he folded up his cloak.

The goblins raised their pikes. “You may enter, but be warned. If you put the cloak on you will be executed at once. You will not be warned again.”

Once inside the bank, Tonks led the way to the nearest open spot at the counter. The goblin looked up with a sneer. “What do you want?”

 “I am Nymphadora Tonks and this is Harry Potter. We are here for the reading of Sirius Black’s will.”

“We will show you to the appropriate office, provided that you can prove your identities.”

“How do we do that?” Harry asked.

“With these.” The goblin said and, with an unpleasant grin, pulled out a long, thin black quill with oddly sharp points and two strips of snow white paper.

Harry eyed the familiar quills with distrust and absently rubbed at the thin scars on his right hand.

“This is a blood quill.”

“I’m well aware of what a blood quill is, and what it does.’ Harry interrupted, barely able to keep his voice free from contempt.

“Sign one of the strips. If you are who you say you are, the paper will stay white. If you are lying, then you’ll be ‘escorted’ to our dungeons.”

Harry nodded and quickly signed the paper, wincing slightly at the pain. Tonks took the quill and signed her paper. When both strips remained white, the goblin turned and barked something in an inhuman language.

A second goblin trotted up to the desk and answered the first goblin, again in the inhuman language.

“Mister Potter and Miss Tonks, Stoneclaw here will guide you to the appropriate office. I will properly dispose of the proof of your identities.”

“Please follow me. “ Stoneclaw said, gesturing to a long corridor.

“Harry, how do you know about blood quills? “ Tonks asked. “They’re highly restricted items. No one outside of the Ministry or Gringott’s should know about them.”

Harry showed her the back of his right hand. “Delores Umbridge forced me to use one to write lines for detention.”

“That’s criminal! You need to tell someone about that, get her locked up.”

“I’ve told McGonagall I’m pretty sure that Dumbledore knows too. Neither one of them has done anything about it, either that or Fudge let her get away with it somehow.”

Before Tonks could respond, Stoneclaw came to a top in front of a large oak door.

“This is Lord Hammerfang’s office. He will be officiating the reading.”

Stoneclaw knocked sharply and called out in the goblin language. A deep, booming voice from within answered.

“You are free to enter.” Stoneclaw said while bowing slightly and opening the door. “I must return to my station now.”

Inside the office, at the far wall, was a massive desk that appeared to be carved from a single piece of ebony. Seated behind the desk, in an elegant black leather chair, was a large, burly goblin with a squat, domed head.

The goblin waved them forward. “Come in, sit down. The reading will begin shortly.”

As Harry walked deeper into the office he had a chance to examine the furnishings. Grotesquely realistic goblin heads line one wall. A large rack of broken swords, axes, clubs and war hammers lined the opposite wall. A war hammer with a wicked looking spikes on the back end and the bottom of the shaft was mounted on the wall behind the desk. Half a dozen simple wooden chairs were arranged in a semi-circle in front of the desk.

“Sit down.” Hammerfang urged. “You are the first to arrive. Would you like some refreshments while we wait for the other attendees?”

“No thank you, Lord Hammerfang. That will not be necessary.”

“It’s rare to see one so young with such good manners.” Hammerfang said with a laugh. “It can be quite refreshing.”  

Harry shrugged. “I’ve never be accused of being normal, sir”

Someone knocked at the door and called out in the goblin tongue. Hammerfang responded and the door swung open.

“Get out of my way, filthy beast!”

Harry turned to face the door and saw Draco Malfoy pushing his way past Remus Lupin. Narcissia Malfoy followed the werewolf in. Arthur Weasley walked in last and shut the door behind him.

“Good, now that we are all here the reading can begin.” Hammerfang said once everyone had been seated.

The door swung open once more and Albus Dumbledore strode in, moon and star spangled robes billowing dramatically. “Ah, Hammerfang, I see that I am not too late.”

“You were not invited to this reading, Dumbldore.” Hammerfang all but growled. “Remove yourself at once.”

“I am not here on my own behalf. I am here on behalf of young Harry Potter. He regretfully could not attend and asked that I do so in his stead.”

“Thank you for being so prompt, Headmaster.” Harry said politely. “But I was able to reschedule certain things and was able to attend after all. I do apologize for wasting your valuable time, sir.”

Dumbledore’s usual cheery smile dropped for a split second before returning at full force. “No apology necessary, Harry. I was happy to help.”

“As you are no longer needed here, Dumbledore,” Hammerfang said, his voice pleasant but his smile and the gleam in his eye anything but. “I’ll ask you once more. Please remove yourself at once.”

“Of course Hammerfang.” Dumbledore replied after a brief hesitation.

Once Dumbledore left, Hammerfang cleared his throat. “Now that everyone is here, we can begin.”

He produced a scroll of parchment. He broke the wax seal and unrolled it.

“The following is read directly from the Last Will and Testament of one Sirius Orion Black.

‘I Sirius Orion Black, being of sound mind and sound body, do hereby bequeath all of my worldly possessions as follows.

To my cousin Bellatrix Lestrange nee Black, in accordance with the Black family charter regarding convicted criminals; bequeath you nothing.

To my cousin Narcissia Malfoy nee Black, I bequeath the sum of five hundred galleons and our great grandmothers favorite jewelry, on the condition that she never sell them.

To my cousin Draco Malfoy, I bequeath my library of charm and etiquette books along with the strong recommendation that he study them well.

To my cousin Nymphadora Tonks, and by extension her mother Andromeda Tonks nee Black, I leave the sum of thirty-five thousand galleons, ownership of 12 Grimauld Place, the Black family tapestry, to do with as you please and twenty-five percent stock in the Daily Prophet.

To my close friend Remus Lupin, I bequeath my summer cottage in Southwell, the sum of twenty thousand galleons and forty-five percent stock in Agatha’s Apothecary shop.

To Arthur Weasley and his family I leave the sum of six thousand galleons, my un-modified Triumph motorcycle, and ten percent stock in Zonko’s Joke Shop.

 To my godson Harry potter, I bequeath all remaining funds in the Black Family vault after legal fees and other obligations have been paid. I also leave the enclosed documents to sign in the event that my death comes before he reaches his majority.

In closing, as my last act as head of the Black Family, I hereby and officially declare the Black Family line to be extinguished upon my death. All properties held by the Black family that have not been bequeathed are to be sold and all proceeds, minus applicable fees, are to be donated to Saint Mungo’s Magical Hospital.’

Hammerfang placed the scroll on his desk. “That concludes the reading of the Last Will and Testament of Sirius Orion Black. As of now all funds and assets are being delivered to your respective vaults. Those of you who were bequeathed property will receive the deeds and all necessary paperwork to assume full ownership of said properties within the week.”

Hammerfang reached into his desk and withdrew a medium sized jewelry box and a bundle of papers tied with a crimson ribbon. He handed the box to Narcissia

“Missus Malfoy nee Black, this now belongs to you, under the conditions previously mentioned.”

Narcissia took the box with a muted ‘thank you’ and rose to leave the office. “Come along Draco.”

Draco leapt to his feet, his face red with anger. “No! I will not leave until I get what is mine! I refuse to have these filthy beasts and blood traitors touch my money. I demand that all of the Black fortune and properties be transferred to me at once!”

Hammerfang slowly rose to his feet, eyes narrowed and teeth bared. “You are dangerously close to insulting my honor, little human. Choose your next actions wisely, lest your head ends up on my wall.”

“Draco!” Narcissia snapped. “Leave. Now. Or I will disown you. I refuse to have such n embarrassment as a son.”

“When father hears about this…”

“He’ll do nothing.” Narcissia snarled. “He’s a bigger coward than you are. Leave now, or not only will I disown you, I’ll leave you to face Lord Hammerfang.”

Draco snorted in disgust and stormed out of the office.

“Narcissia bowed deeply to Hammerfang. “I apologize for my sons’ dishonorable conduct, Lord Hammerfang and I thank you deeply for showing such restrain. I am prepared to pay whatever fine you deem necessary.”

“I will not punish you for his misdeeds, Missus Malfoy. You are not to blame for his behavior.”

“Thank you, Lord Hammerfang.” She bowed again and faced Harry and Tonks. “I am truly sorry for you loss.”   She said then left the office.

Hammerfang turned to Harry and handed him the bundle of papers. “This is for you, Mister Potter.”

“Thank you, Lord Hammerfang.” Harry said as he untied and unfolded the papers. “Emancipation papers?”

Hammerfang nodded. “The late Mister Black had them drawn up and signed. All they require to go into effect is your signature, and the signatures of two witnesses in addition to my own.”

“Tonks, will you be one of the witnesses?”

“Sure, Harry. I’d be happy to.”

Harry turned to face Arthur and Remus. “Would either of you be the second witness?”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea Harry.” Remus said. “Dumbledore-”

“I’ll do it.” Arthur cut in. “I’ll be the second witness.”

“Thank you Mister Weasley.”   

“Arthur, I really don’t think- ”

“If you’re not going to help, Remus, then leave. I don’t care what Dumbledore thinks; this has to be done.”

Remus looked as if he were going to protest for a few seconds before getting up and walking out of the office.

“Okay, I’m ready to sign.” Harry said. “Do we need to use a blood quill?”

“No, normal ink will suffice.” Hammerfang replied and handed Harry a gold fountain pen, fashioned to look like a quill. “Sign at the bottom of the last page and the emancipation will take effect at once.”

After the humans had signed the document, Hammerfang signed it himself and stamped his person sigil beside the signatures.

“Congratulations, Mister Potter. You are now legally an adult. And as the oldest adult of the Potter Family, you are now the Head of The Potter Family. As such, you now have unlimited control of, and access to, the Potter Family vault and full ownership in any and all surviving properties and businesses held by the Potter Family. All applicable deeds and paperwork will be delivered to you shortly, and legal counsel, if needed, will be provided free of charge.”

“I thought my vault was the Family vault.” Harry said.

“No, that was your personal vault, established, by your parents, when you were born. It holds but a fraction of the wealth that the Potters own.”

“Oh, well, I’d like to visit my Family vault, if possible.”

“Right away, Mister Potter.” Hammerfang said. He pressed a small button on his desk and growled something in the goblin language. “Someone will be with you momentarily to take you to the vaults.”

“Thank you, Lord Hammerfang, you’ve been most helpful.”

“If that concludes our business, Lord Hammerfang, I’ll be leaving now.” Arthur said. He stood up, nodded to Harry and Tonks and left.

Moments later the office door opened and a short, thin goblin entered. “Visitor to the vaults?” The goblin asked.

“Tonks, do you want to come with me?”

“You really shouldn’t ask a girl a question like that until after you’ve at least bought her dinner.” Tonks replied with a grin. “You might send out the wrong kind of message.”

Harry blushed as he realized that his question could be taken in more ways than one. “I meant, do you want to come to the vault with me.”

“Yes, I’d like to. But you really should be take care to be more clear when you speak, you don’t want to get a bad reputation after all.”

Six minutes later they were standing before a blue glowing lichen.

“Is this my vault door?” Harry asked

“It is.”

“How do I get it to open?”

“To open the door you must place your hand on the lichen. It will test you to insure that you are a Potter and not an impostor. If you are not an impostor the door will open, if you are, however, you will loose your hand.”

“Okay, seems simple enough.” Harry said, stepping forward and raising his right hand.

“Are you sure you want to risk your right hand, Harry? You’ll have a hard time performing certain activities without it.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Harry said hastily while trying not to blush.

“You do write and cast spells with your right hand, don’t you? What did you think I was talking about?”

Harry ignored her and pressed his hand against the lichen. The lichen flashed brightly then a section of the wall slide sideways, revealing a smooth walled tunnel with a slight downward slope.

“My duties prevent me from going any further.” The goblin said and stood at attention in front of the tunnel entrance.”

Harry nodded to the goblin and started down the tunnel with Tonks following close behind.

“That wasn’t a very impressive door.” Harry said as they walked. “I was kinda expecting something grander than that for a vault door.”

“You mean like a door covered in gold with a giant ‘P’ made out of gems in the middle?”

“Maybe not that grand, but something more than a bit of moss on the side of a wall.”

“A low profile vault door is more secure than a flashier one, makes it less obvious. And the whole hand loss thing makes it even more effective.” Tonks said.

“Good point.”

The tunnel flattened out and soon opened into the actual vault. Enchanted torches and chandeliers ignited as they approached, illuminating the vault’s contents in a flickering light. The vault was far more organized than the other vaults he had seen.  

To his immediate right was a small library’s worth of bookcases, all crammed full of books and scrolls. Dozens of clothes racks, holding cloaks, robes and bolts of various fabrics stood of to the left. Just past the bookcases he could see tables loaded down with jewelry. Chests and trunks were lined up opposite the tables. Gold and silver, in stacks of bricks and piles of coins, filled the rest of the vault.

Several feet in front of him, Harry saw an oddly shaped sword hovering a few inches above an obsidian pedestal. The sword was slightly curved, like the fang of a giant serpent. It had no pommel, just a metal cap at the end the hilt, which had strips of black hide wrapped in a crisscrossing diamond pattern. The scabbard was black with swirls and splotches of dark gray. The cord of an amulet was wrapped around the scabbard, near the oddly small, rounded cross-guard.

“Have you ever seen a sword like this?” Harry asked.

Tonks shook her head. “No, I haven’t.”

Harry walked forward, unable to take his eyes off the floating weapon. He reached out and wrapped his fingers around the scabbard. A rush of warmth and magical energy washed over him the second he touched the sword. The amulet flashed briefly and the pedestal slowly melted into the floor.

“Was there anything particular that you wanted to look for in here? Or did you just want to take a look a your vault?”

“I want to look through those books over there, see if I can find some decent spell books.”

“What type are you looking for? I might be able to help you with that.” “Offensive or combat magic mainly, something that I can actually use in a fight. But I’d take anything more advanced than my old school books really.”

“I’ve still got my old Auror training manuals. You can have those if you want. And I’m pretty sure if you ask nicely Moody will lend you some of his books.”

“I’d like that.” Harry said.

“Alright I’ll get them to you later today.” Tonks replied.

“Well, if you’ve got those manuals, I don’t need to look around right now. I’ll come back later when I have something I can use to carry stuff.”

“Before we go, let me put a notice-me-not charm on that sword if you’re going to keep it. You can get in a lot of trouble, both with the Ministry and the muggles if you get caught carrying a sword around.”

“Okay, go ahead.” Harry said and held the sword out.

Tonks mumbled under her breathe and tapped the sword with her wand. “There, it’s covered. Let’s get going.

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Far away, in a decaying, shadow draped temple, an old man sat, cross-legged, meditating. A gentle breeze wafted through the temple, ruffling the old man’s hair. He opened his eyes.

“The Kage no Ken has once more been claimed. A new warrior of Shadow has been chosen.” The old man turned his head to the right. “Find who now holds the Kage no Ken and train them in the Arts of Shadow. Use the Way of Dreams.”

“Yes, master.” A voice whispered from the shadow. “I will not fail you.”

The shadows grew deeper momentarily and the old man closed his eyes once more. “Soon the Shadow will rise again.”

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“Severus,” Voldemort said, idly stroking Nagini as he gazed at the potions master before him. “How are you progressing with the task I have given you?”

“Very well, Master.” Snape replied. “I have already begun brewing the first set of potions. They will be ready for the next step in two weeks time.”

Voldemort nodded. “Good. Begin searching for suitable candidates at once. I do not care where you find them. You will be handsomely rewarded if you are successful in this endeavor.”

“Yes, Master.” Snape replied.

“Does the old fool remain ignorant?”

“He still trusts me implicitly, Master. He listens to my advice concerning Potter.”

Voldemort smiled. “I will allow you to deliver a suitable demise for him when the time comes. Return to your potions, Severus, and send Wormtail in.”

“At once, Master.” Snape replied and bowed deeply before leaving.

 ‘Soon this world will be mine. And I will cleanse my world of the filth that infects it.’

    End of chapter