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A/N: Potter me no own. Honor I have not.

Last time on The Power He has Not:

Gringotts

Curse Breaking Department

Potter Project Conference Cavern:

"Harry, what are you doing?"

"Just making use of the gift Tom gave me." Harry smiled. He turned to Ragnak, who had accompanied him. "Bank Manager, if I am possessed, kill me. Don't try for a cure, just kill me."

"Mr. Potter, the Curse Breakers are trained to..."

"Bank Manager, breaking the curse on one of these almost killed Albus Dumbledore. I don't want to risk any of these people. It's my problem, I'll deal with it. Might I bother one of your security Goblins for the loan of a sword?"

Ragnak narrowed his eyes calculating the risk to the bank; he then nodded to the security team leader, who handed Harry his sword hilt first.

"Thank you Glithort."

Harry approached the table, when he got within 20 feet of the snake, the sphere of magic dissolved into nothing, and Nagini's enchantments suddenly canceled. The 30 foot snake reverted to the five foot coral snake it had been prior to its capture by Riddle. The loss of its magics and protections disoriented the creature, and it convulsed on the table top. Harry swung the blade and severed the head. Without the magics or the life force of the creature to hold it in place, a fragment of Riddle's soul was released. Without magics to sustain the soul fragment, it dissipated with ahorrible shriek.

As soon as the other horocruxes entered Harry's area of null magic, the magics holding the soul fragments were sucked away and the soul fragments all died, one after another, each with its own death scream. Riddle's horocruxes were all gone.

Harry Potter and the Power He Has Not.

Chapter 29 - Carpe Diem

Gringotts

Curse Breaking Department

Potter Project Conference Cavern:

"It's over." He slumped into a chair by the table. He gazed at the puddle of snake blood, wondering idly if it had ruined the finish of the tabletop.

"Mr. Potter?"

"It's over Bank Manager. His horocruxes are gone. If not for that damned prophecy, anyone could kill him now."

"But the prophecy remains Mr. Potter."

"I know." Enough elation. Back to work. "Bank Manager, might I have a moment of your time?"

Gringotts

Ragnak's Office:

"So, what can I do for you Mr. Potter?"

"Bank Manager, I would like to ad these people to my will." He passed a piece of parchment to Ragnak, whose eyes widened upon reading it. "I try to take care of my friends Bank Manager."

Ragnak reflected on that for a moment, and nodded."And?"

"You're starting to read me Bank Manager. I would like to execute the bonus option for beating the target on the Horocrux project. I would also like to know the protocol for awarding contract employees personal bonuses."

"That is completely unnecessary. The Curse Breakers are well compensated."

"Is awarding contract employees against bank policy?"

"No."

"Alright. I would like 10,000 Galleons to go to each of them. Their efforts likely saved my life."

Ragnak gave him a toothless Goblin grin "Goblins also believe in paying our debts, real and imagined. It will be as you say Mr. Potter."

"Thank you Bank Manager. I wish to contract Gringotts for one further service."

"Indeed Mr. Potter? What department do I need?"

"I believe that calling for War Master would be agood first step."

Hogwarts:

Neville Longbottom was patrolling the castle. He wasn't a prefect, but his actions on the train had given him a certain license to enhance the security of the castle when he could. Something was going on. This he was sure. Classrooms that were supposed to be locked were found open. Potion stores had been raided of restricted ingredients. He had mentioned all this to both Cornfoot and Hermione, both said that they would look into it.

If the pattern he was starting to see was accurate, this should be the classroom used tonight. He turned the knob and was unsurprised when the door opened to him. There in the unused classroom were two young men kneeling over a cauldron.

"Well look boys, we've got a snoop." To Neville'immediate left he found a sixth year Slytherin who had his wand pointed at Neville's head.

The two kneeling immediately whipped out their wands and cast hexes in his direction. Neville grabbed the throat of the Slytherin by the door and pulled him into position to act as a shield. His shield slumped to the ground as Neville cast a pair of full body binds on the pair by the cauldron. He laid his prisoners side by side on the floor next to the evidence in the cauldron. With a cutting hex he flayed the right sleeves of the robes they wore. The Slytherin who had been at the door was marked.

"Well, Happy Birthday to me..."

Dunoon

Argyll, Scotland:

Jacky Armstrong had been the Master of the Caledonian MacBrayne ferry Lissy for almost 9 years, his crew was a good one that made 10 crossings a day, almost every day of the year. He had left the Dunoon pier only three hours before. He could not believe what he was seeing now. Over the town floated what appeared to be a giant skull with a gigantic glowing snake flowing through the eye sockets. Below this floating horror was what was left of the town. The buildings were a flame, the streets cratered, and not aliving thing visible.

This was insane. Dunoon was a town of almost nine thousand souls, there was no way for that many people to die in a simple fire in only 3 hours.

The only survivors of the town were the passengers of Armstrong's ferry and the few others who were not in the down when the disaster, what ever it was, happened.

Gringotts

Ragnak's Office:

Once the War Master had arrived, Harry outlined what he wanted to do, and what he would like to contract the Goblins to do for him.

"Existing treaties are quite clear. Goblin troops cannot take action in this without sparking another war."

"I understand that War Master. I do not want your troops to fight; in fact, I have no wish for Goblin troops at all. I asked for you for your expertise, which the Bank Manager and I have negotiated at the standard consultation fee plus 200 percent due to your obligations to the Goblin Nation and the constraints this is putting on your valuable time." He gestured to the map he had traced out. "I need your expertise to counter my uneducated assumptions."

Baglock looked over the drawing. It was a good plan. He made suggestions to make it better. "And where will you be for this?"

Harry pointed to where he intended to be. Baglock nodded. "Perhaps I've misjudged you Slikmor."

"The name you've given me has been demonstratably accurate War Master. Only time will tell if your assessment was correct or not."

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