The Goblin dragged the knife quickly through the flesh of Hayden's arm, before he could even gasp. The cut was clean, and precise. Almost as if it had been well practised on other victims. Red blood welled out and began to drip onto the stone floor.

"What was that for?!" Hayden exclaimed at the ill-mannered Goblin. The Goblin just rolled his beady eyes at him.

"I told you I needed a blood sample, Mr Hayden. Try to keep up." The Goblin said slowly, as if talking to a very little and very stupid child. Hayden gave his best withering glare in response. The Goblin didn't seem to notice, he simply picked up the feather and stabbed it into his bloodied cut.

"Ah!" Protested Hayden, but the the Goblin paid no heed and allowed the feather to continue to suck up Hayden's blood. Some of the remnants of that potion were still on the quill, they stung worse than having lemon juice rubbed into them. Hayden almost wished he was back at Privet Drive juicing lemons for Aunt Petunia.

Just when Hayden though he was going to embarrass himself by crying like a little girl, the Goblin withdrew the feather. He placed it on a spare piece of parchment, once again it rose with an invisible force and began to write. Hayden could see names and lines joining them... It was a family tree. When he went closer, eager to see his family's line, the Goblin snatched up the parchment.

"Oh, Sir! I didn't know it was you! What are you doing in this humble guise, I can't help but wonder... We all thought you were dead, but we had suspended your account just in case...You have always treated the Goblin kind well, well that is to say, you treated us as you treated everyone else. No more, no less, you respected us to some degree and you gave us back many of our relics. You should have said it was you. Your on some mission for one of your masters, no? I won't intervene... Well as long as it obeys protocol of course." The Goblin babbled, Hayden couldn't help but stare on with confusion.

"What?"

"Worry not, sir, I will not give you up. As you know, goblin folk were strictly neutral, like yourself. I will gain nothing from telling, and of course, if I did, it would be bad for business. Well you are related to Harry Potter... Then again, a lot of wizards and witches are related to each other at some point. But I will inform Griphook that you are close enough related for my liking. I will also reopen your old account. Think of it as a favour from an old friend."

"Wait, what?" Hayden said, completely perplexed.

"Oh I get it, sir, playing dumb. Not going to give the game away? Very well, sir. I will play along, but only because I like you. Now follow me and we will find Griphook." The Goblin said, and gave him a stage wink.

Hayden gave up then and there trying to reason with the Goblin. It was obviously quiet mad. As in, so insane that one should not even approach the damned Goblin for fear of it's illness was catching.

<br />

Griphook started to lead Harry and Hagrid to one of the doors leading out of the hall, Hagrid roughly put one of his hands on the Griphook's shoulder. Harry knew Hagrid probably didn't mean to be so rough, he was just so big. Griphook on the other hand didn't understand at all. The goblin indignantly squawked and turned to face the giant man.

"Er. This letter here is from Dumbledore." Hagrid said, "It's about You-Know-What in vault seven hundred and thirteen." He than thrust the letter into Griphook's hand.

The goblin read through the letter very slowly and with great care. He then inclined his head upon finishing reading.

"Very well." Griphook said and then led across the hall to a different door. "This way will be much faster." he held the door open from Hagrid and Harry.

Behind the door was a small stone passage way, lit by flaming torches. But harry didn't notice much of the scenery, he was to focused on the letter that was still in Griphook's long-fingered hands.

Harry finally built up the courage to ask what it was. The Dursley's hated questions. Their were specific rules against them, but Harry's curiosity got the better of him.

"Hagrid, what's in vault seven hundred and thirteen?"

"Can't tell yeh that," said Hagrid mysteriously. "Very secret. Hogwarts business. Dumbledore's trusted me. More'n my job's worth ter tell yeh that."

Harry nodded, but his shoulders slumped slightly. While Hagrid hadn't shouted at him like Vernon did whenever he asked a question, it was obvious he still found him nosey. Hagrid was a nice man. He hadn't rebuked him, but...

Harry shook such thoughts out his head and got into the small cart Griphook had called for. Hagrid had much more difficulty getting in.

The cart jolted forwards, and was soon hurtling done the tracks. Griphook wasn't even steering the cart, it moved with it's own will, and apparently, speed. Hagrid looked slightly green as they whirled around twisting corners and flew down the descending hill in the vaults.

Harry could swear he saw a burst of fire, but when he tried to gaze closer to see if it was they turned a corner at a jarring speed.

"Was that a dragon?" Harry asked Hagrid, but the wind had carried the sound away and Hagrid didn't seem to have heard. When he went to ask again, Hagrid put up a silencing hand that he quickly moved to his mouth, as if trying to stop himself from being sick.

Moving at the speed they were, Harry felt like the wind was actively trying to pull his face off, but he tried to keep his eyes wide open. As the descended lower Harry saw an underground lake whiz past where there were stalagmites were growing from the ceiling... or was that stalactites? Harry told himself to remember to ask Hayden which was which. He would know that kind of thing.

Hagrid let out a kind of happy grunt of relief when the cart stopped moving. He all but jumped out, he wobbled over to wall and steadied himself against it. He was breathing deeply. He looked like someone who had just rode a boat in the middle of a storm, or ran a marathon in which there was a sudden earthquake. It wasn't a pretty look at all.

Why is he here? Harry wondered as he stared at the giant man who rescued him and his brother from the Dursleys. I know that he was sent here because the headmaster needed someone to tell them about their magical heritage... But how did the headmaster know that we didn't know? And why didn't he send someone to save us sooner? Harry recalled how Albus Dumbledore had just sent Bertie with that letter.

Hagrid himself was nice enough, Harry mused to himself. Harry had enjoyed Hagrid telling them in his story that his father wasn't a drunk that killed himself and his mother in a car crash. Hayden had always hated their father for abandoning them at the Dursleys.

Harry hadn't taken it as personally as Hayden had. He had just thought their father was irresponsible, Hayden had taken it that their father had abandoned them. And now Hagrid said that their father was a hero. That he'd tried to defend to them. Harry wanted to be brave like that. What Hayden thought now that dad was a hero and not a scoundrel was another matter.

"Your vault, sir." Griphook said to Harry as he unlocked the doors. Inside were mounds of large gold coins, columns of silver and stacks upon stacks of small bronze Knuts.

Harry did a double take, amazed at the apparent wealth his parents left him. And Hayden, Harry mentally added. This is as much his as mine.

Some jealous, and snide part of him told him that he didn't have to give Hayden exactly half. That this was the first thing that he truly owned himself, but now, like normal he would have to share with Hayden. That now that he broke free of the Dursleys giving nothing to him, and taking all that he did have away, surely he shouldn't have to share it.

Harry squashed that part of himself. He squashed it to the pits of his heart, and locked it there. Hayden was the only person who would ever look out for Harry. And Harry should be the same back to him.

Hagrid seemed to mistake Harry's quiet thoughts for awe of his parents wealth. "All yours," Hagrid said with a smile. "Yer didn't think yer parent would leave yer nothin'?"

Harry ignored that comment. "I didn't think it'd be this much... Well, I don't how much this is anyway."

"The gold ones are Galleons," he explained. "Seventeen silver Sickles to a Galleons and twenty-nine Knuts to a Sickle, its easy enough." Hagrid helped pile some of the gold coins into bag.

"You think this will be enough for Hayden and me to get through school on?" Harry asked. While the piles in front of him looked like a lot, he had no idea what the wizarding currency was to the Muggle one. Was a Galleon a pound? How many pence was in a Knut? Or was it visa versa, and Knuts were much less then a penny was?

"Get through school on? Harry this is a small fortune by most peoples standard!" Hagrid exclaimed.

Harry breathed out a sigh of relief – he'd been worried that he and his twin would have to go to to Hogwarts on a scholarship or some such thing. Hagrid handed Harry the bag he'd been placing coins in.

Harry was interrupted by the sound of one of the cart screeching to a stop outside the vault they were in. Harry turned to see his brother getting out of the cart. The Goblin they first met was with him. The Goblin crossed the room and greeted Griphook, and seemed to strike up a conversation in hushed tones.

"Hi, Harry." Hayden said, smiling one of his rare true smiles at his brother. Harry returned in kind. "Hi, Hagrid," Hayden added thoughtfully, "er, is all this stuff ours?"

"'Ello there, Hayden, we're right to go. What about you though? Got all that bank stuff sorted?" Hagrid asked warmly.

"Yeah, I think so." Hayden said, a little uncertainty was present in his voice though, Harry noted mentally. He seemed unsure of himself, though Harry reckoned he was the only one who noticed. "We are, right?" Hayden asked the Goblin.

"Yes, of course, sir. Unless there was something else you required?" The Goblin said politely. Harry's eyebrows rose in confusion. That's a change of tune, he thought to himself. Just before that Goblin was positively rude to us... Maybe it's impressed by all this gold.

"Right then, we can go ter my stop an' then we'll head out get you lads some ice cream, an' maybe get me a drink." Hagrid said jovially.

"Of course, sir." Griphook and the Goblin said together at exactly the same time. It unnerved Harry a great deal.

"Can we go more slowly?" Hagrid asked, eyeing the carts waiting outside the vaults warily.

"One speed only," Griphook replied. "It was vault seven hundred and thirteen, was it not?"

"Er, yeah. Great." Hagrid sighed a resigned sigh and follow Griphook to the cart. Harry felt sympathy for his new giant sized friend, but some things just can't be changed. Harry himself rather like the rickety cart. It was just like how he imagined a roller-coaster would be like.

A problem occurred to Harry as he and Hayden went to join Hagrid in the cart. "How are we all supposed to fit in?" He asked.

<br />

After one nauseating and cramped trip down to bowels of Gringotts, Hayden had decided that while Hagrid was generally nice man, if a little bit emotionally blunt, he needed to wash himself twice as much as he currently was. The ride down had upset Hayden's stomach, and he felt as if he was about to be sick all over the stone floors of Gringotts once the cart pulled to a shuddering stop.

Hagrid appeared to share his weak stomach, while Harry the insufferable git, enjoyed the damned ride. His brother, so full of curiosity, jumped out of the cart and was practically dancing with excitement as he waited for Griphook and the Goblin to open up the mysterious vault.

Once Hayden had managed to figure out how to use his legs again, he walked closer to the doors of the vault. It was covered in locks the looked more like decorations, they shined and glimmered in the low torch light. Hayden reached out his hand to touch one of the locks-

"Don't!" Commanded Hagrid, and roughly pulled him back from the door. "You never know what spells the goblins have placed to stop thieves."

"Theirs nothing terribly severe on them," Griphook said somewhat nastily. He rose his long-fingered hand and stroked it gently down the centre of the door. "If anyone but a Gringotts goblin tried that they'd be sucked in through the door and trapped there."

"How often do you check to see if someone's trapped inside?" Harry asked the question that had all but begged to be asked. Hayden could see by Griphook's nasty blossoming grin that the answer was not going to be a nice one.

"About every ten years."

Hayden's curiosity ran away with him and he peered inside the vault, but the contents of it proved to be anti-climatic. Harry looked rather disappointed too, that the vault wasn't filled with rubies or gold or at least something a little bit awe inspiring.

Instead, their was simply a small grubby looking package lying in the centre of the room. Hayden covered up his annoyance that there had been all this mystery for nothing, by going over and picking up the package.

"Best be giving that to me, Hayden." Said Hagrid, his deep voice filled with something that sounded suspiciously like suspicion. "I never said yer could touch it. That's Dumbledore's business you've got in yer hands there."

"I was just getting it for you!" Hayden exclaimed defensively, "you know, being helpful."

Hagrid just took the package off him wordlessly, and stuffed it in the pocket of his huge coat. Hayden glared at the pocket it know rested in. Although he had longed to know what it was, he wouldn't open it or anything. Why doesn't Hagrid trust me? He though to himself as once more they all jumped inside the cart. Does he think I'm evil like the wizard who killed mine and Harry's parents? I haven't even done anything...

Whilst brooding over the unfairness of it all, the cart sped upwards towards the light.

"Hey Hayden, what's the difference between a stalactite and a stalagmite?" Harry asked him.

"Stalactite grow from the celling cause they 'hold on tight,' and stalagmite's grow up from the ground 'with all their might.' Now shush, or I'll be sick." Hayden answered, already his insides felt all queasy and wobbly.

"Thanks, your really smart, you know that right?" Harry responded, smiling. Suddenly that cart trip didn't feel all that bad to Hayden.

<br />

Hayden had never had any money. Never. Not even the pocket money that parents give children to buy themselves a treat from the school canteen.

He had money now.

He wanted to use it.

He did not want to have to wait with Hagrid to get ice cream, he want to go right now and buy a book on wizardry, or some real clothes. Or anything.

Harry wasn't a patient person by far, Hayden knew that. He knew his brother must also wanted to get his school things. Maybe, they could both convince Hagrid to let them go off and do something. To run and revel in their finical independence.

Harry was already far ahead of Hayden.

"Hagrid, that ice cream line looks a bit long. How about Hayden and I go to one of the shops and buy a few things off our school list to save time. You know. While we wait for the ice cream and all."

"Er, alright Harry. If that's what yer want," Hagrid said. "That's where you can get yer uniform. Best head there, I can catch up to you then." He point over to shop that bore the sign 'Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions.'

"Great! Thanks, Hagrid." Harry said, then grabbed his brother's hand and rushed off to the store.

Hayden had to jog to keep Harry from ripping his arm off.

The Madam Malkkin's was a friendly feeling store, homely even. As soon as Harry had dragged Hayden in, a squat smiling witch greeted them and introduced herself as Madam Malkin.

"You both for Hogwarts to, dears?" The witch asked them kindly. Her words sort of spilled out of her mouth at a fast rate, and before either Harry or Hayden could reply she was going on about another young man being fitted out up the back. She babbled on about how she was very busy these days, but that was quite alright, and how wizarding twins was unusual, and say what was your names were again?

"Well, I'm Hayden Potter, and this here is Harry-"

"Potter! Oh my. Imagine, Harry Potter and his Shadow in my store. Come, I shall have you both fitted right away! Come, follow me." The witch exclaimed and bubbled away happily.

Just inside the room they were talking in front of, a yelp could be heard. Apparently the boy being fitted in there had accidentally been stabbed with a needle by the assistant when she heard that the Potters were here.

Madam Malkin stood Harry and Hayden on stools either side of the unfortunate boy. His own pale and angular feature appeared surprised, but he covered it up.

"Why, hullo there, did I just hear you two are the Potter twins?" He asked with extreme politeness. "I'm Malfoy, Draco Malfoy."