Harry sees Diagon Alley, Emma finds out some information, and Harry gets adopted magically. Emma's face in the gif says it all.

***

Fifteen minutes later saw Harry and Emma in a spare room in Newt and Queenie's house, Harry on the bed, under the covers with Emma tucking him in. Queenie had shown them their room and then walked out, letting Emma put Harry to bed. She told Emma to come back downstairs whenever she was ready.

She leaned down and kissed her son's head before smoothing his hair, and then she walked back downstairs to Newt and Queenie, the pair talking quietly by the fire, Newt with a piece of paper in his hands.

". . . can't, Newt," Queenie was quietly telling the magizoologist. "You know what he would say."

"But it's The', Queenie. I haven't seen him in almost eighty years! What's he going to do if we see him? Turn us in?"

Newt's voice was wavering, like he was trying not to cry, but Queenie remained firm. "I'm sorry Newt," She shook her head, running a hand through his hair. "It's much too dangerous."

Newt sighed, and nodded, conceding to the blonde, and Queenie kissed his head.

She caught Emma out of the corner of her eye, and shook her head, telling her not to worry about it, seeing the question on Emma's face. Emma nodded, walking into the room and placing her hand onto Newt's shoulder as she passed. He smiled at her in reply, then Queenie clapped her hands and began to speak. "I can take you to your apartment to get clothes and whatever else you need for tomorrow's meeting, Emma. We'd be gone 30 minutes at most - we'll have to walk because I've never been there, but I can Apparate - one of our magical forms of transportation - to the bakery." She paused, then looked at Emma sheepishly. "It is my understanding your apartment is only a few blocks from the bakery?"

Emma nodded in confirmation. "Yeah. We can do that as long as Harry is safe, and I know he is, then I'm alright with leaving him here with you, Newt," she said to the magizoologist. His smile widened like he had been given some sort of prize. He didn't know how right he was; Emma could count the people she trusted with Harry on one hand and have fingers left over. "So, the goblins . . . which, by the way, I am still having a hard time grasping that they run a bank . . . did they send a reply saying they could meet us tomorrow?"

Newt nodded in confirmation. "Yes, we have an appointment with them tomorrow afternoon at 2 o'clock, which is 9 am here and it's expected to take a few hours as no doubt Harry will have a lot of properties and titles and his family tree to go through," he explained.

Emma nodded, not thrown at all by the time frame, judging by the gravity on her face. "However long it takes will be worth it for him to officially become my son."

***

The next morning, at 7:30, Harry woke to his mother brushing her hand through his hair. He blearily rubbed at his eyes, leaning into his mother's touch. When his vision cleared, he saw her already dressed in jeans, a black t-shirt, and her red leather jacket. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail and she had brown heeled boots on.

Looking past her, he finally saw where they were. Currently, they were in a room with a queen-sized bed with white sheets and a light pink comforter with an off-white floral pattern all over it. He looked over to the other side of the room where he saw a redwood desk and matching chair. The blinds and the doors themselves were slightly open, letting the sunshine and a cool, refreshing breeze into the room. There was a closet next to the desk, and near that was an en-suite bathroom, of which the door was open and the light was on. The small boy figured it was on for him. Along one wall, floor-to-ceiling windows opened to a balcony that clearly wrapped around this floor of the house. From what he remembered from yesterday, the house had two stories and a ground floor. They had a big house for only two people.

"Are we still at Newt and Queenie's?" he asked, rubbing his eyes again and yawning. He caught sight of something moving next to him and jerked back away from it. A head with a long snout peeped out from under the blanket next to him and he relaxed when he saw that it was only Teddy the niffler. He reached over to pull him into his lap, and the niffler churred in pleasure.

"Yeah, kid," Emma nodded, ruffling his hair. "We have an appointment somewhere today so I can magically make you my son, so you need to get up and take a shower, okay? I'll set your clothes out on the bed for when you get out. Your favorite scented stuff is already in the bathroom and there are towels on the rack. Queenie took me home last night to get clothes and stuff for us so we can stay here however long we want or need. Sound good to you kid?"

Harry nodded in confirmation, making her smile and kiss the top of his head. "Okay mum," He yawned again, getting out of bed and stumbling towards the door. He paused and then turned back to his mother. "Can you turn on the water for me?" he asked, no longer shy when asking for things unless it was something he really wanted and was afraid she would say no. She never usually said "no" to him, so he was getting better at asking. When she did say no to him, it was usually something he was too young to have, so he never argued.

"Yeah, kid, of course, I can," Emma said, getting up from the bed and bending to pick him up and set him on her hip. He wrapped his arms around his neck as they walked into the en-suite and Emma set Harry on the counter to get his shower ready. Once Harry's shower was on its way she helped him down from the counter and walked into the room, "Call out for me when you are done so I can take you to the kitchen, okay?"

Harry nodded, and Emma closed the door. Harry got out of his clothing and got into the shower, being as quick as quick he could about it. Ten minutes later, he was out and drying off, calling for his mother so she could turn off the shower. She came in as he walked out and over to the bed. Laying on the bed was a pair of light blue jeans, a red t-shirt, and his black tennis shoes. He quickly got dressed but didn't put on his shoes yet. Emma came out and took one look at him, or his hair rather, then pushed him gently onto the bed and grabbed his towel to dry it more. He tried to squirm away from her but to no avail. After she attempted to dry it more, she shook her head.

"Kid, your hair is a menace," She muttered as she stared at his curls, which were sticking up every which way and grabbed his brush. "You need a haircut soon, bud," she told him. He hummed in annoyance, letting his mom attempt to wrestle the curls into submission. He yelped when she brushed through a particularly knotted piece of his hair and she smiled sheepishly down at him. "Sorry, buddy."

"It's okay, Mum," he grinned goofily up at her.

She kissed his head and then huffed when she ran a hand through his hair, feeling it curl under her fingers. "Your hair will never submit, will it?" she asked, already knowing the answer before Harry shook his head. "Thought so," she muttered, and then helped him off the bed. She grabbed her phone and her purse, and Harry grabbed his shoes, his jacket, and her hand, and together they walked downstairs.

They had to stifle their laughter when they heard Newt yelp from the kitchen, and they walked in to see Newt shaking out his hand, pulling it up to his mouth, and glaring at Queenie, who smiled sweetly at him in return and moved her wooden spoon to her other hand. Emma grinned when she realized Queenie had smacked Newt with it.

Queenie turned around and grinned when she saw Emma and Harry. "Ah, good! You're up! I was almost ready to come to get you. Now, we're going over a little early so you can have some time to get semi-used to the five-hour time difference. It'll be 1:30 pm there when we leave, which means it'll be 8:30 am here. So we have just over half an hour before leaving. So come on, eat some breakfast, and Emma, Newt, and I need to speak to you at some point today." Queenie finished, and Emma nodded, taking in everything that was just said.

She and Harry sat at the table as Queenie placed plates of what seemed like a full English breakfast in front of them. Newt smiled sheepishly when Emma raised an eyebrow at the only British person in the room who remembered Britain. "Just thought it might be a good idea to get in the spirit of the trip."

"Are we leaving after breakfast?" Harry asked, looking at Newt, who nodded then frowned when the boy pouted. "I wanted to see Adherion," he grumbled.

Emma ruffled his hair as Newt smirked. "We can see him when we get back, young Padawan," he informed Harry solemnly.

Harry's head shot up, and Emma raised an eyebrow at him. "You know Star Wars?" Harry whispered, his voice full of awe, and Newt laughed.

"Of course I have. Star Wars is awesome!" Newt told him, sitting next to Harry, and thus starting a conversation on who the best characters were in Star Wars as they ate.

Emma shook her head and picked up her fork, smiling fondly at her son and Newt. Harry was excited, which was good. She was glad he was excited about being her son magically and adopted in the eyes of the law. When she was given custody of him, she vowed to never cause him harm or unhappiness and she was glad she was succeeding.

Emma jolted as Queenie patted her shoulder, and she looked at the other blonde. "He's going to be okay, Emma. He's happy."

Emma smiled at her, kind of glad her new friend could read her and her mind so well. "Thank you, Queenie. I'm glad I'm able to help him. I always knew he was a special kid, but I didn't know until yesterday that he was literally special, as in prophesied special. I'm glad you're here . . . Newt, too. I doubt I could do this without you."

"And now you'll never have to," Queenie promised. "Newt and I started off together because of Dumbledore. We've stayed together because there's no one else we would rather be with . . . well," she tilted her head thoughtfully. "Except our siblings." Emma snorted into her drink, and Queenie grinned. "But you won't find anyone better to help you than us. We know Dumbledore's true self better than anyone . . . okay, except Theseus." She wrinkled her nose. "Poor man," she muttered. "He deserves a vacation. Preferably one that's a day for every year he's spent under Dumbledore."

Emma paused. "How long of a vacation would that be?" she asked, dreading the answer.

Queenie hummed as she thought. "Two and a half months?"

"So about the length of summer vacation?" Emma asked, and Queenie nodded. Emma hummed, internally wincing. Theseus's brother was a saint for dealing with Dumbledore for that long. "I can't wait to meet him, then."

Newt looked up from his breakfast, "He can't wait to meet you either, Emma." He smiled and ruffled Harry's hair before huffing when Harry whined. "Oh, my bad, your highness," he playfully bowed, making Harry sit up straighter.

Emma shook her head at their antics and finished her breakfast, taking both her and Harry's plates over to the sink. Newt followed with his and Queenie's plates, and Harry got up, grabbing his shoes to put them on.

Queenie stood, and Emma finally looked at her outfit. She was wearing a light yellow sundress with pale pink lace surrounding the bust and the skirt cinching around her waist. She had on light brown ankle-heel boots, and her blonde hair was curled like it always seemed to be, but Emma had a feeling that wouldn't last long. She was right, for as soon as Queenie turned around, she grabbed her wand from the table, waving her hand over her head, changing her features and hair color. She was now a red-head, and her hair was pin-straight and went down to her waist. Then she turned to Newt.

He was wearing a button-up yellow shirt with black stripes - Emma thought it made him look like a bumblebee. She heard Queenie snort and saw Newt looking at them curiously - and black slacks with smart black shoes. His hair was curled and unruly at the top like it always was, but Queenie quickly changed it to the same color as her own hair, and it was buzzed on the sides, but spiked on the top. She changed his features until he looked like he could be her twin.

Emma checked her own appearance in the mirror in the foyer. Her hair was frizzy, but that wasn't anything new. She brushed the frizz back from her face and nodded at herself in the mirror.

She was really doing this, wasn't she? She was going to magically adopt Harry, make him her blood. Her biological child. She was beyond excited, but she was worried. She didn't have magic, she didn't have the ability to protect him if something happened. But, she reminded herself, that was what Newt and Queenie were there for: to protect him from the things she wasn't able to. She took a deep breath, steeling herself, and then turned around, finding Harry and Newt back in a conversation about Star Wars and which was the other's favorite and why, and Queenie was smiling knowingly at her.

Queenie clapped her hands when Emma nodded, signaling she was fine, grabbing Harry and Newt's attention. "We're going to Apparate. Newt, would you take Harry? We're going to the Leaky Cauldron." Newt nodded and Queenie kneeled in front of Harry, taking his hands. "Now, this will feel very weird, sweetheart. It'll feel like you're being pushed through a too-tight tube, and you may feel dizzy and/or nauseous when we land, alright?" Harry nodded.

Newt picked up Harry and put him on his hip as Emma grabbed Queenie's hand. "Now, both of you hold on, very, very tightly," Newt said, and Emma and Harry nodded.

With that, Newt and Queenie flicked their wands and they were on their way.

***

When she and Queenie landed, Emma bent over, fighting off nausea. When Harry and Newt landed, Harry looked sick, but he was faring better than Emma, who Queenie had to rush over to a bin.

Queenie quickly cleaned Emma up, and waved her wand over Harry, checking on him. "Both of them are fine," she dismissed, and Newt rolled his eyes, but he nodded and set Harry on his feet.

The child was in awe as he finally took on where they were. Goblets and trays were floating and flying through the air and there were people in robes and cloaks with pointy hats walking around and seated all around them.

The sight was even more incredible outside.

Emma gasped and almost choked on her breath. The sight was incredible; people were walking in and out of shops and going about their own business. Children were running around, laughing, and standing in front of shops with their faces pressed up against the windows looking at the products. Mothers were yelling, and fathers laughing, families were walking down the streets holding bags of God only knew what. There were groups of women walking around, carrying bags and gossiping. It was full of people, and the sight made Emma smile. This was her son's world, and she would do her damn best to keep him safe so he could stay in it.

Diagon Alley was bright with colors and laughter could be heard amongst the crowd . . . and the window displays were even moving. Harry couldn't believe it all felt normal, like this wasn't the first time he had been exposed to the magic of this magnitude. It felt . . . right! It felt like this was where he belonged. He felt like this at the reserve too, but here, it was so much stronger! He felt at peace.

Harry and Emma's attention was distracted by everything and anything, so they weren't watching where they were heading. They were too busy looking around and gawking like idiots. Luckily for them, Newt and Queenie were steering them in the direction of Gringotts. She was glad she had decided to place Harry on her hip so she didn't lose him in the crowds of people.

Harry wished he had about eight more eyes. He turned his head in every direction as they walked up the street, trying to look at everything at once: the shops, the things outside them, the people doing their shopping. A plump woman outside an apothecary was shaking her head as they passed, muttering, "Dragon liver, sixteen Sickles an ounce, they're mad. . ."

Emma shuddered at what she was grumbling at. "Dragon's liver?" she repeated, looking slightly sick.

Newt nodded, used to it by now. "When a dragon dies, their organs, like their hearts, livers, spleens, and more are harvested to help the Wizarding World. A dragon's heartstrings are used in wandmaking." Newt explained, and Queenie patted Harry on the head as he stared up at Newt, horrified.

A low, soft hooting came from the left of the group, from a dark shop with a sign saying Eeylops Owl Emporium - Tawny, Screech, Barn, Brown, and Snowy. Several boys of about Harry's age had their noses pressed fastest ever against a window with broomsticks in it and they looked almost like they were drooling over them.

There were shops selling robes, shops selling telescopes and strange silver instruments Harry had never seen before, windows stacked with barrels of bat spleens and eels' eyes, tottering piles of spell books, quills, and rolls of parchment, potion bottles, globes of the moon.

"Welcome to Gringotts," said Newt.

When Emma looked up, she saw a snowy white building in the center of Diagon Alley. It was the biggest by far and looked old, regal, and imposing. On the front of the building, it read "Gringotts Wizarding Bank."

Standing beside its burnished bronze doors, wearing a uniform of scarlet and gold, was -

"That's a goblin," Newt quietly explained as they walked up the white stone steps toward him.

The goblin was about a head taller than Harry. He had a swarthy, clever face, a pointed beard and, Emma noticed, very long fingers and feet. He bowed as they walked inside. Now they were facing a second pair of doors, silver this time, with words engraved upon them:

Enter, stranger, but take heed,

Of what awaits the sin of greed,

For those who take, but do not earn,

Must pay most dearly in their turn.

So if you seek beneath our floors

A treasure that was never yours,

Thief, you have been warned, beware

Of finding more than treasure there.

Guess it's a bad idea to steal from Gringotts, Emma thought dryly.

A pair of goblins bowed them through the silver doors and they were in a vast marble hall. About a hundred more goblins were sitting on high stools behind two long counters, scribbling in large ledgers, weighing coins in brass scales, examining precious stones through eyeglasses. There were too many doors to count leading off the hall, and even more goblins were showing people in and out of these.

Newt led the way to what looked like the head goblin, as he was sitting at the very end of the two rows, in-between them at his own desk. Queenie made sure no one else was watching them before she took off her and Newt's glamours. Newt took a piece of paper from his pocket, handing it to the goblin. "I am Newton, Heir of the House of Scamander," he introduced himself lowly. "I'm here on behalf of Harry Potter. He is here to be adopted . . . blood adopted."

The goblin's face twisted into a grimace, which Emma had a feeling was meant to be a smile. "Very well, Mr. Scamander. And who is Mr. Potter to be adopted by?" The goblin looked past Newt at Harry, who hid behind Emma.

"Emma Swan, Gornuk," Newt told him. "She's from the Muggle world and recently learned of the magical world." Gornuk straightened and nodded, shuffling in his seat and getting off his chair. He looked to a second goblin that was closest to him, and the goblin bowed as a sign of respect.

"Griphook, take over for me. I'll be gone for a few hours, if anything immediately requires my attention, I will be in the Adoption Hall," Gornuk announced, and the other goblin nodded immediately and got up onto the chair that he had been sitting on. "Follow me, Mr. Scamander," Gornuk said, and Newt followed behind, tugging Queenie's hand and Emma picked up Harry and set him on her hip and walked behind them.

They walked into a circular room with white stone walls, and a big round table made of what looked to be redwood and had chairs all around it. There was a pitcher of water in the middle of the table next to a teapot, with tea cups all around it and milk and sugar on a tray next to those. Emma had no doubt that they were kept cold by magic and changed out daily.

"Now, Miss Swan, Mr. Potter. The adoption itself is very quick, but we do need to make sure you are who you say you are, so we are going to do an inheritance test to see if you are. After that, if it proves to be true, Mr. Potter must claim his titles and his vaults, but since he is no more than a boy, you, Miss Swan, will become his regent, meaning you control all of his assets, properties, and vaults. Now, he is the heir to many houses, are you fully prepared for that?" Gornuk asked, and Emma took a deep breath, looked over at Queenie and Newt to see them smiling at her, and then looked down at Harry, who was looking up at her.

Emma steeled herself and looked back at Gornuk with a nod. "Yes, I am fully prepared to do so," she confirmed, and Gornuk nodded.

"Then please wait here. Take a seat anywhere near that chair," he told them and pointed to a chair that looked almost like a high chair, and knowing it is meant for Gornuk, Emma took Harry's hand and went to sit next to the throne-like chair as Newt and Queenie sat on the other side of them, directly across, as Gornuk walked into the small room off to the side of where he was standing. He came back out a minute later, holding several pieces of old-looking paper, a dagger, and a small bottle labeled in Latin that read 'Sanguinis Adoptio.' Emma had a feeling it was "Blood Adoption" in Latin. He sat everything down on the table in front of his chair and then climbed up, settling in place.

He placed two of the pieces of old paper in front of Harry and Emma and grabbed the dagger. The dagger was pretty, and it was clearly made a long time ago. It was encrusted with dark blue, almost indigo sapphire gems, and was made of pure silver. The handle was roughly the size of Gornuk's hand, and the rest of the dagger was the blade. Emma could see the very, razor-sharp edge of the knife and she held back a wince.

Harry shied away from the dagger, and Emma placed a hand on his back. "How are we supposed to do this, Gornuk?"

Gornuk held out his hand, and Emma caught Newt's eye, and he nodded in encouragement. She placed her hand in his and brought the dagger up, but didn't touch her with it yet. " I will need to cut your hand. And after that, you will need to place your hand on the piece of parchment in front of you, and it will glow golden if you are telling the truth about who you are. Then, as the golden shine disappears, it will leave writing on the parchment, detailing who you are and everything about your family."

Emma stiffened at that. That meant everyone present would find out she had no parents and had a kid when she was seventeen and in prison. She looked at the dagger as if it was suddenly her worst enemy, and Newt cleared his throat. "Emma, it won't hurt for long. It's magic - it'll heal as suddenly as it happened."

"That's not what I'm worried about," Emma muttered, then she sighed. "You or me first, kid?" she asked in resignation. She figured her past would come out one way or another . . . might as well be here and now.

"Can you do it first?" Harry mumbled, still looking nervously at the dagger.

Emma took a deep breath, then nodded. "Yeah, kid, I can."

"If you'll just lay your palm flat for me, Miss Swan," Gornuk gestured.

Emma held her hand out flat, palm up, and Gornuk quickly drew the dagger across her skin. Emma barely flinched as the cut opened, and blood pooled into her hand. She quickly flipped her hand and pressed it into the parchment. The sheet glowed gold immediately, and Emma's eyes widened when she felt the cut on her hand seal. "Whoa."

"The goblin nation welcomes you to the world of magic, Miss Swan," Gornuk bowed.

"Huh," Harry peered at the glowing parchment. "That doesn't look so bad."

Emma took a deep breath as the glow dissipated. "It wasn't the cut that worried me, kid." When Gornuk gestured for her to lift her hand, she did, bracing herself for what she saw on the parchment.

What she saw, however, was something she didn't expect to see at all.

Inheritance for Emma Ruth Swan

Immediate Family

David Nolan: father (status unknown)

Mary Margaret Blanchard: mother (status unknown)

Henry Mills: son (alive; adopted by unknown mother)

Ruby Lucas: godmother (status unknown)

Blood Status

Muggleborn

Houses

None

Emma's jaw fell open as she finished reading the parchment, well aware the others were watching her reaction. There were only two items on that parchment that didn't surprise her . . . well, one and a half, actually. "What the hell?" she finally sputtered.

"I must say, that is one of the most peculiar tests I've seen in my time at Gringotts," Gornuk quipped.

"Why's that?" Newt asked, fidgeting and looking from Emma to the parchment.

Emma sighed, gesturing for him to look. "Apparently, I'm not as 'Muggle' as we expected."

Queenie perked up in excitement. "You're Muggleborn!"

"Apparently," was all Emma could say as she rubbed her temples. God, she was going to need a headache reliever after this.

Newt's eyebrows shot up as he looked at the parchment. "Three statuses unknown?" he asked. "How's that possible?"

"Unknown," Gornuk said dryly. "Often if that is the case, we find someone has been put in some form of stasis . . . however, that is often typically followed by the person's status while they are in stasis. It would seem Miss Swan's parents and godmother are in some form of stasis, but it is unknown whether they are dead or alive." He looked up at Emma curiously. "Miss Swan, what can you tell us about your parents?"

"Not a thing," Emma shook her head, pouring herself a glass of water. "I was abandoned by the side of the road as a baby. I grew up an orphan, was in and out of foster homes constantly . . . " She shrugged uncomfortably. "Made bad decision after bad decision until I had to straighten myself out."

"Oh." Queenie's voice was quiet. "After . . . ?"

She trailed off, glancing at Harry, and Emma sighed. "I was a thief for a time," she admitted. "During that time, I met a man who was a few years older and had more experience. I had run off from a foster home, thinking I was old enough to live on my own. I wasn't, I was sixteen when I met him. He was a thief like me, and we started doing small heists together. I thought I was in love with him until he set me up to take the fall for him for a crime he had done before he met me. And while I was in prison, I found out I was pregnant. There was no way I was ready to be a mother by then . . . so, after the baby was born while I was still in prison, I signed closed adoption forms. I didn't want to know what happened." She swallowed thickly, looking down at the paper. "I guess now, I know."

"Oh, Emma," Queenie sounded wrecked.

"It was my life choices," Emma gave a weak smile. "I can't change them."

Harry, who had been silent up until that point, asked in a small voice, "You have another kid?"

Emma leaned down, tilting Harry's head so he looked at her. "I had another kid," she gently corrected. "Harry, I was in a much worse place then than I am now. I was a teenager, I was in prison, I had no way to support myself . . . every kid should have the best chance as they grow up. I was screwed up back then. That best chance wasn't going to be with me."

Harry looked down at his hands, fiddling with them in his lap. "Do you think you're my best chance now?" he asked.

"Oh, kid," Emma swallowed, mentally chanting don't cry, don't cry so she didn't dissolve into tears. "I'm far from the girl I was then. If you still want me to be your mother, then yes, I would like to be your best chance."

Harry took a deep breath, then nodded. "I do."

Emma fell back into her chair in relief. "OK, kid," she nodded.

Newt was eyeing the parchment in distaste; it was a look Emma didn't like on the magizoologist's face, but whatever was bugging him, he didn't say a word. "Every inheritance test is copied for Gringotts' records," Gornuk explained, carefully rolling up the parchment. "This, Miss Swan, is your copy."

"Thank you," Emma cleared her throat, taking the parchment.

Queenie silently extended her hand, and Emma gratefully handed the roll to her. "Now," Gornuk laid out a second sheet. "For Mr. Potter."

Harry took a deep breath, then held out his palm, hand trembling ever so slightly. Gornuk carefully laid the cleaned dagger across his palm, then drew it quickly. Harry flinched as blood was drawn, then he pressed his bloody hand onto the parchment. "Good job, Harry," Newt murmured.

The parchment flashed gold, and Gornuk nodded in satisfaction. "Welcome back to the world of magic, Harry Potter."

Harry carefully removed his hand from the parchment, peering at his healed hand in amazement. He was brought back to the matter at hand when Queenie gasped loudly and Newt sputtered "Bloody hell!"

Gornuk, on the other hand, actually chuckled as he reviewed Harry's inheritance. "You, Miss Swan, are going to be a busy woman."

"Why?" Emma asked, genuinely confused as she looked over Harry's test.

"Emma," Newt swallowed hard. "You . . . you have no idea how powerful you're going to become as Harry's guardian."

The soon-to-be mother and son exchanged bewildered looks, then directed their sights down to the glimmering ink on the parchment.

Inheritance for Harry James Potter

Immediate Family

James Potter: father (deceased)

Lily Potter (née Evans): mother (deceased)

Sirius Black: godfather (alive; incarcerated)

Blood Status

Half-Blood

Houses

Heir to the House of Potter

Heir to the House of Slytherin

Heir to the House of Peverell

"Is it because there's three of them?" Emma asked, raising an eyebrow.

Gornuk cleared his throat. "The House of Potter carries a great deal of weight on its own . . . but, Miss Swan, Lord Salazar Slytherin was one of the four founders of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry. He was known as one of the most powerful wizards in magical history." He tapped the final house on the parchment. "As for the House of Peverell . . . well, the House of Peverell is an ancient magical family. One of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, a group of the first wizarding families in Great Britain. The House of Scamander is on that list," He nodded toward Newt, who nodded back. "Mr. Scamander, here, is his brother's heir; he is a powerful ally for young Potter."

"The most powerful Houses in the Wizarding World are the ones associated with the founders of Hogwarts," Newt explained. "But the House of Peverell . . . " He trailed off. "Well, frankly . . . that makes Harry the wizard to know. The Peverells were rumored to have gotten the upper hand over Death itself."

Emma blinked. "You're kidding."

"I'm not," Newt shook his head. "I wish I was. Looking at this . . . it's no wonder Dumbledore wants Harry so badly."

Gornuk shook his head, baring his teeth in a grin. "It is my pleasure to be involved in any plans that conspire against Albus Dumbledore."

"Well, consider this one of them, and likely many more to come," Emma sighed, rubbing her forehead. "So by becoming Harry's blood-adopted mother, I'm going to be running these houses until he becomes of age . . . which is . . . ?"

"Seventeen," Newt supplied.

"Seventeen." Emma whistled lowly. "OK. Ten years . . . I can run three houses for ten years." She paused. "I think."

Gornuk chuckled. "Did you not hear me say you have an ally in Mr. Scamander, Miss Swan?"

Newt laughed as Emma blushed. "I'm a little out of my wheelhouse here," the woman muttered.

"That's why we're here, dear," Queenie giggled.

Emma ran a hand through her hair. "Thank God for that."

Gornuk was muttering under his breath, tracing along the ink. "Curious," he finally said loud enough for them to hear.

"What is?" Newt asked, scooting forward.

Harry tilted his head, seeing what Gornuk was tracing. "My godfather?" he asked.

"Indeed," Gornuk nodded, narrowing his beady eyes. "You see, Mr. Potter, each goblin at the bank is in charge of certain families in the magical world. I, myself, handle the affairs of each of the Sacred Twenty-Eight. I have done business with your parents . . . and your godfather. I was the one who oversaw the ritual Lord James and Lady Lily completed to make Sirius your godfather . . . and I know that for his name to still be on this parchment, he would not have broken any of his vows to bring harm to you."

Queenie's eyes widened. "Including betraying his oath as a Secret-Keeper?"

Gornuk nodded grimly. "Especially such an oath."

Emma closed her eyes. "You're saying Sirius Black is likely wrongfully imprisoned."

"That is my assumption, yes," Gornuk nodded, making Harry whimper. "Unfortunately, I was not entrusted with the knowledge of the Potters' Secret-Keeper, nor was I ever made aware of their location when they were killed. Without that knowledge, there is little I can do to confirm Sirius Black's innocence here at the bank."

"We'll find a way," Emma said firmly. "Somehow, we'll find a way."

Gornuk nodded, rolling up the parchment. "Any assistance Gringotts can provide, we will. Now . . . shall we proceed with the blood adoption?"

Emma turned and looked at Harry, who perked up in his seat. "Last chance to not be stuck with me, kid," she warned.

Harry grinned. "Let's do it!"

Emma laughed at his enthusiasm, then watched Gornuk wave his hand. A small, gold chalice inlaid with rubies and opals appeared, into which Gornuk poured the liquid silver contents of the small bottle. Next to the chalice was a dagger of dark-colored steel; if Emma tilted her head just so, it appeared purple in the torchlight. "If the child being blood-adopted is the heir to multiple houses, it is law that a ritual dagger belonging to the oldest house should be used," Gornuk explained, tapping the dagger. "The chalice is from the Potter vaults. This dagger is from the Peverell vaults. Your hand, Miss Swan?"

Emma extended her hand once more to the goblin, watching the dagger glide across her palm. When her blood beaded, she took a deep breath and held her hand over the goblet. "How much is needed?" she asked.

"Seven drops," Gornuk answered.

Emma nodded, carefully squeezing her hand into a fist, making more blood well from the cut. She counted each drop as it dripped into the silver liquid, then quickly pulled her hand back when seven drops were swirling in the potion. Before their eyes, the blood and potion combined until the silver potion was now diamond white. "Oh, Merlin," Newt's eyes were as wide as saucers.

Emma cleared her throat. "Uh . . . does that mean something?"

"A blood-adoption potion typically turns the color of the parent's magic, should it ever manifest in a color form," Gornuk answered with a grin. "Miss Swan, I am going to enjoy working with you if your magic is white."

Emma sighed. "Newt? Queenie?"

"Yes, Emma?"

"Yeah, hon?"

"I blame you for all of this."

"Oi!" Newt protested as Harry giggled maniacally from his chair. "What did I do? Queenie's the one who brought you home!"

"Who's the one Harry latched on to, Mr. Magical Creature Whisperer?" Queenie smacked Newt in the arm, making him yelp.

Gornuk shook his head in amusement. "Yes, I do believe I have new favorite clients," he remarked, taking the chalice in a long-fingered hand. "Now . . . Mr. Potter?"

Harry inched forward, eyeing the potion. "And all I have to do is drink?" he asked.

"Yes," Gornuk nodded. "Drink this potion, and your magic will recognize Miss Swan as your mother in magic and blood."

Harry nodded, then carefully took the chalice with both hands. He carefully drank the potion, then blinked and looked down at the empty chalice. "Tasted like apples," he muttered.

Newt gave Queenie a bewildered look. "This is mental."

The two pieces of rolled parchment abruptly flashed, and Gornuk smiled knowingly, flattening the pieces to reveal additional writing. "Congratulations, Miss Swan . . . and Mr. Potter-Swan."

Emma's eyes widened, seeing their new results.

Inheritance for Emma Ruth Swan

Immediate Family

David Nolan: father (status unknown)

Mary Margaret Blanchard: mother (status unknown)

Harry James Potter-Swan: blood-adopted son (alive)

Henry Mills: son (alive; adopted by unknown mother)

Ruby Lucas: godmother (status unknown)

Blood Status

Muggleborn

Houses

Lady Regent of the House of Potter

Lady Regent of the House of Slytherin

Lady Regent of the House of Peverell

Inheritance for Harry James Potter-Swan

Immediate Family

James Potter: father (deceased)

Lily Potter (née Evans): mother (deceased)

Emma Ruth Swan: mother by blood-adoption (alive)

Sirius Black: godfather (alive; incarcerated)

Blood Status

Half-Blood

Houses

Heir to the House of Potter

Heir to the House of Slytherin

Heir to the House of Peverell

Queenie let out a delighted squeal, clapping her hands in excitement. "Congratulations, both of you," Newt smiled widely.

"Thank you," Emma smiled dazedly, wrapping her arms around Harry and pulling him close to her. Harry went into the hug gladly, nuzzling into Emma happily. He finally had someone who chose him wholly and completely . . . hell, even using magic to make him her actual son in blood. Emma could even already see how the potion worked: his skin tone was similar to hers, and while his eyes had retained their previous color (Newt and Queenie would later admit they were a dead match to both Emma and Lily), they were now shaped like hers.

"Now, we still have a large amount of business ahead of us," Gornuk said, rolling the parchments back up. "I will endeavor to make this as fast as I can. First, however . . . these are very powerful houses not just in Magical Britain, but in the entire world. Many ambitious families would do whatever it takes to stop Harry from inheriting these seats. Should anything happen to you, Miss Swan - " Harry balked at the thought, and Emma ran a hand through his hair. " - who shall your son be placed with?"

Emma didn't hesitate. "Newt and Queenie."

Queenie's face drained of color, and Newt gulped. "Emma . . . are you sure?" he asked in a hushed whisper.

Emma nodded, completely serious. "There's no way I'm letting anyone under Dumbledore's thumb or anyone with Voldemort's influence get Harry," she said. "And you two, and your siblings, know better than anyone of the danger he's in. I trust you to do what's best for Harry should anything happen to me."

Newt's eyes darkened, and he nodded. "I accept."

Queenie took a deep breath, nodding in agreement. "As do I."

"Very well," Gornuk nodded, using a quill to write on a piece of parchment. "In the case of Lady Regent Potter's death, the guardianship of Harry Potter-Swan will go to Newt Scamander and Queenie Goldstein."

Newt grinned at Harry. "I guess we're stuck with each other, Little One."

Harry grinned back. "What's wrong with that?"

Newt laughed in agreement. "Nothing at all, Harry. Nothing at all."

"Now," Gornuk folded his hands, giving Emma a piercing look. "Are you ready to hear what you will be overseeing as the Lady Regent of Harry's houses?"

Emma braced herself. "As ready as I'll ever be."

"Good," Gornuk grinned. "Let's begin."

***

Well. . .that was a chapter. Hi! Welcome to one of the longest, if not the longest chapter in the prequel. We had more planned for this chapter, but then it got to long, so we just decided to put it into chapter eight. I think we did good with not completely overdoing the "Harry gets his inheritance at Gringotts" trope in every HP fanfic, like, ever. This chapter has alot of fluff in it, so. . .thats good. BTW, Gornuk is a canon Goblin, and the description of Diagon alley are mostly accurate. I literally used the first book as a helper. So, that's why the disclaimer is up there. It's like that in Chapter Eight as well. With the harry potter books, there will still be alot of canon, just not as much as you know. . . normal canon XD

We worked hard on this one, so we hope you all enjoyed it! What did you all think? Tell us! We love hearing your thoughts on it! What was your favorite part? What was your least favorite?

As always, stay safe, stay reading and stay cool (in all ways, but especially this summer heat!) xx

~ Miss Singer <3

***

Emma is just on a never-ending roller coaster of loopdeloops, isn't she? XD The poor woman, learning she not only has magic, but her parents are somewhere out there, too! And now everyone knows about Henry . . . she just got put through the ringer, and her son isn't even in Hogwarts yet.

Really makes you wonder how Season 1 of OUAT is gonna go now that Emma's got all this knowledge and belief that she never had before, huh? ;)

Anyway, we didn't want to embrace too many cliches while at the bank, but hopefully the small amount we did (all the inheritance stuff and whatnot) was acceptable to everyone. As for those houses Harry is born into? Don't worry, we have plans about how they all fit together.

Next chapter, there's still some stuff to handle in the Alley before it's back to the States.

~ Miss Moffat