Chapter 7: The Tongs (continued)
"Shade?"
"Yes little one?" Harry smiled up at him and Shade felt a warm glow inside.
"I want my name to be Emerald."
"That is a good name, why Emerald?"
"Cause of our eyes, and Mum's and cause Emerald's are lucky!" Shade smile.
"Alright, we can do the ceremony tomorrow."
"Ceremony?" Shade nodded.
"Oh Yes, Father will preside and bring you into the goblin nation - I have already received permission from the Ragnok. At that time you will be tested for your class - don't worry you will be a mage like me." he reassured Harry as the boy's face became concerned. "And I will start teaching you Gobblegook. Also you will get a signet, like mine that will tell people who you are and allow you to Port anywhere."
"Cool!"
"If I find you abusing that you will be grounded and that function will be turned off except for an emergency hideout. Understood?" Harry nodded vigorously. "Now, go to sleep little one, I will see you tomorrow." Shade left the room after casting a monitoring charm then he strode down the hall to the study. "Father." the older goblin offered Shade a glass of dark red liquid.
"How is he?"
"Fine, excited. He chose a name." The goblin gave Shade a Look and the man chuckled. "Emerald." the elder nodded
"That is a good name for him. I here you met the Weasleys." Shade nodded frowning into his cup. "Son?" he looked up, his eyes were dry he had not cried in years, he no longer felt capable of crying.
"They, they are so young. So innocent."
"That is why we are here, to preserve this place. And the people we loved." The goblin spoke softly. "It will not be easy, but nothing has been easy for us so this will not be."
"I know." Shade replied softly knocking back his drink in a single gulp. It burned its way down to his stomach. He stared at his cup and it refilled itself.
"Yous eating with that." Kip appeared with a tray of food Shade nodded after a long minute and took one of the sandwiches.
"Thank you Kip." She disappeared and he sighed biting into the sandwich, he wasn't hungry but he had learned not to disobey Kip on some things - it just wasn't worth it.
"She is brazen," chuckled Griphook as he helped himself to another sandwich.
Shade teleported to his office at Gringotts and made his way to Noktat's office. The paperwork was all in, all he needed to do was consolidate it. He had received the note earlier in the day, but with Harry's naming ceremony he was going late in the afternoon. The other Goblin offered him a sheath of papers when he arrived.
[This is everything you requested.] Shade flipped through the parchments. [Um,] he turned his gaze to the goblin. [Um, what do you intend to do?] The wizard goblin smirked darkly.
[Knock the wizarding world on its collective fat lazy bigoted ass.] The goblin blinked. [And I will do it in such a way they cannot ignore it. Sit back and watch the show Noktat. I am sure you will enjoy it.] Shade left the office proceeding toward his own, considering the next stage of his plan. He had already set it into motion - tomorrow would see the next stage. Suddenly he stopped and blinked at the man in the hallway - Severus Snape.
"Are you lost?"
Severus turned in surprise at hearing English and stared at the man.
"Not exactly." He answered gazing at the man who raised a single white eyebrow. Despite the white hair Severus decided the man did not look old. "My student told me to find the 'wizard goblin'. Her directions were inadequate."
"But?"
"But I have found you anyway." Severus smirked at the man's arched brow and watched a small smirk grace the man's face.
"I see, please join me." Severus followed the man back the hall he had just come down. "Does your student have a name?"
"Regina." The man nodded stopping before a door that looked like every other.
"Ah, the young healer." the man removed a glove. "You must be the potions master." the ring on his hand was pressed against a stone and the door opened revealing a comfortable lounge. Severus found himself ushered in and seated on a comfortable couch. "Would you care for some refreshment?"
"Yes please." Severus answered as he took in the rich, dark furnishings.
"Do you drink Gvnkx?" Severus blinked turning his attention to the man who was holding a decanter of red liquid. Gvnkx was a highly prized goblin alcohol.
"Ah, I have not yet had that pleasure." the man's smirk widened as he poured two glasses and carried them over offering one to Severus.
"I cannot say that I am surprised, they guard it more closely than gold." Severus accepted the proffered glass and swirled the dark red liquid. The man settled onto the couch as will and lifted his glass. "Cheers." Severus repeated the gesture and sipped the alcohol. It was smooth, rich and burned its way down.
"Merlin!" the man chuckled, a deep scratchy sound, just like his voice.
"It is nice is it not?"
"Very." Severus took another sip of the exquisite liquid. "Thank you for sharing it." The white haired man waved it off.
"It is nothing for a goblin friend." The man took another large drink. "So few humans are friends of our nation." The man murmured staring into his drink. This man peeked Severus's interest.
"Then you are a member of the goblin nation?" The man raised an eyebrow at him.
"Of course. I am Shade, son of Griphook."
"And I am Severus Snape." the man just smirked and refilled his glass obviously not caring that they had forgotten to introduce themselves earlier.
"So, Severus Snape, how did you come to be a goblin friend and teach wizarding arts to a goblin?" Severus shook his head at the lightly mocking tone - teaching a magical creature wizarding magic was forbidden, against the law. But the man wasn't accusing him, for some reason he was amused.
"What do you know of recent history?" Severus asked stalling.
"You mean the idiot terrorizing the wizards a while back?" Severus nodded, even though he had never heard Voldemort referred to in quite that fashion before. "He used pain and terror I am not sure what he was hoping to accomplish, but he was no friend of this nation." Severus nodded slowly and frowned inwardly - any of the goblins could tell Shade, there was no reason to conceal the truth.
"I was one of his followers." his host simply raised an eyebrow. "Taking his mark was the worst decision of my life. One evening a number of young goblins were captured on a raid. The Dark Lord ordered them tortured and killed. I had requested test subjects for a new potion I was developing for him." Severus closed his eyes and took a large drink of Gvnkx. "There were six - a werewolf, two muggles, two muggleborns and Regina. I knew the potion worked, I had tested it on animals but the Dark Lord required that it be tested on the target species." Severus took a deep breath and a long pull of his drink. "I couldn't save the other five because the potion would be used later, but goblins they are physiologically different and they were not target species - it was an accident the three were picked up. I switched the potion with one that looks similar. The other poison simply kills humans, but goblins - I wasn't sure and it was all I had on hand." He looked at his companion, not sure why he was telling him all of this but he felt that Shade would not judge him. "The potion was designed to eat at the from the inside out liquefying their insides. Regina appeared to have simply died, she nearly did." He took another swallow. "I did her last then told the Dark Lord I wanted to do an autopsy. He left I set up wards and worked to save her life. I purged the potion them gave her a restorative. She was alive but unconscious when I transfigured her and took her home. She woke there several days later and when she was recovered I transfigured her again and took her to Gringotts." His host chuckled.
"I am sure that went over well." Severus snorted
"As you can guess I was escorted away and locked in a room with half a dozen goblin warriors. They brought in another goblin who found and untransfigured her.
"A goblin mage." his host commented with a nod looking entirely too amused.
"They demanded I tell them what I was doing." Severus shrugged finishing his drink. "I didn't say anything for a long moment then I said I was returning Regina." A soft deep chuckle escaped his host.
"That must have been an interesting interview."
"Yes." Severus replied dryly, "And a long one then they left me alone for hours. It evening when Regina came and got me. She thanked me introduced me to her parents, told me I was now a goblin friend and insisted that I come to visit." Severus shrugged.
"That was a good thing you did." His host gave a small smile. "Dobby." Severus blinked when a houself dressed in basilisk hide battle robes appeared.
"Shade wanting something?" His host nodded.
"Yes, how are you Dobby?"
"Dobby's being fine. Dobby and Kip is having fun with our cusy!" Severus was puzzled Shade spoke to the elf as an equal.
"I am glad you are enjoying yourselves. This is Severus Snape. Severus this is my adopted brother Dobby." Severus blinked but nodded at the elf.
"Dobby is pleased to be meeting Sir. Sir is Shade's friend?"
"Yes Dobby," his host's voice cut in smoothly. "I was wondering if you could bring us some food. We've had Gvnkx."
"Shades! Dobby is telling you no drinks without food! Kip be very mad!" Severus watched his new friend sigh and look at the elf apologetically; it was funny to see a wizard being berated by a houself.
"I know Dobby. Could you please not tell Kip [? I'll eat now and we just drank is." The elf gave Shade a measuring look then nodded.
"Okays, I tell Kips you want food with drink."
"Thank you Dobby." the elf disappeared and Severus chuckled shaking his head.
"You have an interesting family."
"Yes, well we are an odd but close family, two wizards, two houselves and three goblins." His host shrugged rising fluidly. "We should eat at the table."
Shortly after they were seated Dobby returned with a reasonable sized dinner for two.
"Thank you Dobby."
"Yous welcome Shade." the elf replied before disappearing.
"Your, um brother, is an odd one." His host chuckled.
"Dobby has been free for 27 years."
"Ah." As they ate in silence Severus wondered why he felt so at ease with this wizard. As they began on dessert Severus broke the silence. "If you don't mind my asking, how did you become a member of the Goblin Nation?" Shade gazed at him for a long moment and Severus feared that he had overstepped his bounds.
"I was an orphan," Shade's jewel like eyes seemed fixed on something in the past. "My wizarding guardian left me with muggles and tried to steal what I had of my heritage. When I was 21 I was fed up with wizards and their bigotry. I approached my good friend and mentor, Griphook for assistance. With the permission of the Ragnok I was adopted. I have been a goblin for 18 years now." Severus blinked - Shad did not look 39. He noticed his host smirking at him. "More Gvnkx?" After a moment of consideration Severus nodded. "It is admittedly my favorite alcohol."
"It is delicious."
"Hmm, how are you getting home?" Shade asked with a frown.
"Aperation then walking." Severus noted that his host looked confused "I work at Hogwarts." the look of confusion did not abate. "Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and wizardry - there are anti-apperation wards."
"Ah," Shade shook his head. "It takes too much concentration. You will find that, until you get used to it, Gvnkx causes it to be difficult to concentrate." Shade rose and went to the large desk and removed a thin strip of metal. "Here."
"What is it?" Severus asked looking at the thin strip of grey metal.
"An unformed goblin ring." Although unsure what that meant Severus accepted the band of metal. As soon as it touched his skin it slithered to the first finger on his left hand and wrapped around the finger. Severus frowned at the crest that appeared - the Prince Crest with a Potions master rune. He glanced up at Shade inquiringly.
"It is not harmful. If you desire it can be invisible. It serves two main purposes- Identification as any goblin will know you are a goblin friend by it."
"And the second?" His host smirked.
"Transportation. It can take you wherever you like, from wherever you are provided it is not warded against. And wizards - they do not ward against goblin magic. You simply need to know where you wish to go, a memory - yours or some one else's." Shade shrugged, "Oh, Gringotts is warded. Unauthorized travel is rerouted to the travel room. You are, of course, welcome to come here if you desire." Severus nodded slowly. "
"This is amazing."
"Try it." Severus thought of Hogwarts and found himself standing in his quarters. He went back. "Well?"
"Amazing."
"I am glad you like it."
"Will you get in trouble for giving me this?" Shade shook his head with a smirk.
"No. I am not surprised that Regina did not give you one, neither she nor her parents would have access to them." The white haired man's smirk deepened and Severus guessed he could see his curiosity. "I made that one just now." Severus arched an eyebrow, Shade simply sat on the couch and Severus joined him. "what do you know of the structure goblin nation?"
"Banking and the Ragnok is in charge." Shade opened his mouth but was interrupted by a chime.
"Ah, it is time foe me to go home." Severus met the glowing eyes. "I will have to educate you on the goblin nation another day. Severus was surprised by how pleased he was by that.
"Very well, until next time." Shade nodded and disappeared silently. Rising Severus took a vial from his pocket and filled it with Gvnkx - his curiosity was to strong to resist testing it.
