Disclaimer: Everything belongs to J.K.R.
Author's notes: Another big thank you to Shygui, who edited this chapter. You are amazing!
10
A week after Malfoy had been shipped off to Azkaban, the waves about his threats in the courtroom still went high. Today's lead article of The Prophet demanded that his case should be reopened, so that he'd get an appropriate punishment for his threats against the Chosen One.
Harry let out an angry snort at that. What about the threats against the Greengrass family? Truth be told, Cyrus Greengrass was not his favourite person, but it was depressing that the Wizarding press thought the threats against his wife and daughters were not as significant or newsworthy as a threat against him.
He took a bite of the toast in his hand and turned the page of the newspaper that lay beside his plate in search of something more sensible to read.
He didn't care much about Malfoy's threats. Not that he was exceptionally brave, or confident in his prowess, but Kingsley had assured him that Malfoy didn't have the power anymore to act on his threats - at least at the moment: his coffers were as good as empty, and his cronies would join him in the hospitality of Azkaban very soon.
Narcissa and Draco wouldn't dare to go against him. While he was indebted to them for saving his life at Malfoy Manor and during the Battle, they were just as tied to him with debts of their own. Added to this he had used his influence and testimony to keep them out of jail.
Ginny, Hermione and Ron hadn't been happy with him about that. They had had a huge fight, however, maybe for the first time he had asserted himself against them, and defended his decision, instead of retiring into himself and waiting until the storm was over and they were back to normal.
Malfoy was a backstabbing coward, but no murderer. He had been a frightened kid who had been hung out to dry by the adults in his life, just like him. It was only luck that Draco had ended up on the losing side of the war. The humiliation the Malfoy name had gone through was punishment enough. There was no need to send him to Azkaban on top of that.
'Another helping of eggs and bacon, Harry?'
Mrs Weasley's voice startled him out of his thoughts, and he looked up.
'Thank you, Mrs Weasley, but I'm good.'
They were alone in the kitchen. Mr Weasley and George had already left for work, and Ginny was still asleep. Harry let out a soft chuckle. His girlfriend wasn't a morning person, in contrary to him. She loved to stay in bed until Mrs Weasley yelled for her to get up. Even then the dark circles under her eyes still talked of too little sleep. He sobered and put his half-eaten piece of toast back on his plate.
They were all still suffering from the repercussions of the last year. Most likely she still cried for Fred every night when alone, until she fell asleep. Maybe he ought to do something nice for her today, to take her thoughts off her grief for a while. A picnic in that secluded clearing in the woods beyond The Burrow sounded good. They'd be out of Mrs Weasley's sight, and maybe they'd be able to do a little more than snogging…
Heat crept into his cheeks, and he lowered his head over his plate. There was no need to alert Mrs Weasley. He swore that woman was a powerful Legilimens when it came to Ginny and him.
A pecking at the window made him look up. A long-eared owl sat on the window sill. The letter attached to its leg bore the seal of Gringotts.
Mrs Weasley went to the window and let the owl in. As she reached out for the letter, the owl pecked at her with its sharp beak.
'Ouch!' Mrs Weasley withdrew her hand at a lightening speed. She had not been fast enough: a bloody scratch appeared at the back of her hand. She glowered at the owl and took her wand out of the pocket of her apron to heal the cut.
The owl flew to Harry and held its leg out to him. Harry untied the letter, his brows furrowed. His stomach tied itself into a knot. What did the Goblins want from him? Was this about his break-in at Gringotts?
The owl left as soon as Harry had untied the letter. He broke the seal and unfolded the letter.
His stomach dropped to his shoes, and he let out a soft moan. Why in the world did he have to have that second helping of bacon and eggs? He folded the letter and stood up.
'I need to go to Gringotts.'
Mrs Weasley eyed him, concern in her eyes. 'It's about the break-in, isn't it?'
He nodded.
The concern on Mrs Weasley's face became more pronounced. 'In that case, you ought not to go alone. Let me Floo-call Arthur; he'll -'
Harry shook his head. 'That's nice of you, Mrs Weasley, but I don't have the time for that. The letter said the Goblins want to see me right now.' He stood up and stuffed the letter in the back pocket of his jeans. 'Don't worry, I'll be fine. If I'm not back by dinnertime, inform Kingsley.'
He gave Mrs Weasley a small hug, left the kitchen, and walked to the Apparition point just outside the wards of The Burrow.
A split second later he re-appeared at the public Apparition point in Diagon Alley. It was still early in the morning, and the alley was only sparsely populated by wizards and witches who hurried to get to their jobs in the shops of the alley. The cupola of Gringotts gleamed white in the morning sun, unblemished as if never a dragon had broken free through it, three bank robbers on its back.
Harry held his head low as he hurried down Diagon Alley to the bank. Two Security Trolls still guarded the entrance. The moment Harry tried to step inside the building, they swung their clubs at him and growled something in Troll.
'Uh - I need to get in there. I got a summons this morning,' Harry said.
The Trolls stepped closer, bared their teeth at him and swung their clubs even more threatening.
What now? He needed to present himself to the Goblins, but these damned Troll guards wouldn't let him in. Harry scratched the back of his head until enlightenment hit him. Of course, the letter! He pulled the letter out of the back pocket of his jeans and handed it to the Troll next to him.
The Troll grumbled some more, squinted at Harry through narrowed eyes, and took the letter. He put it close to his face and sniffed at it.
Bugger, Trolls were so stupid they probably couldn't read. How was he supposed to make the idiotic creature understand that he needed to see the Goblins?
The Troll raised his head and shouted something in Troll into the bank. Harry had no idea what he'd said, however, it didn't sound good.
The next moment the doors of Gringotts flung wide open, and Goblin warriors stormed out, clad in dragon skin armour and armed with nasty looking halberds. However, these were not your average, small Goblins. Each of them at least reached Harry's shoulder.
Harry had no time to react. The two Goblin warriors at the top swooped down on him, grabbed him by his upper arms, and held him in a dead grip. They seemed to be as strong as Giants, and their long fingernails hurt like hell where they dug through the thin fabric of his faded t-shirt into the soft flesh of his arms.
The blood rushed in Harry's ears, and he pressed his mouth shut to stifle the scream that welled up in him. What were they going to do with him?
The Goblin to his left snarled a command in guttural Gobbledygook. Four warriors lined up in front of them. They gripped their halberds with both fists as if ready to strike. The remaining guards moved behind them. They looked as belligerent as the guard in front of them. Another command in Gobbledygook, and the warriors set into motion in a double quick march.
His bad physical state took its toll. Harry couldn't keep up with their pace. After a few steps his guards dragged him between them into the bank like a sack of potatoes. They dragged him through the counter hall and down a hallway that seemed to have been cut into rough stone. Torches at the walls cast the hallway in an eerie light.
His pulse raced, and he broke into a cold sweat. At the same time, he was hyper aware of everything going on around him. The cadence of his wardens boomed in his ears like thunder. A cold draft blowed through the hallway and dried the sweat on his skin. He shivered.
They reached a tall double door, made out of a dark, almost black wood, and adorned with golden hinges and fittings. It was guarded by another troop of Goblin warriors. At a sharp command in Gobbledygook the doors opened in front of them and gave entrance to a huge cave.
The cave was lit by torches, and at its end, three iron chandeliers suspended in the air and cast a bright light on the platform below.
Behind a judge's table, cut out of the rough stone of the cave, sat twelve Goblins en banc. They were clad like the warriors who had captured Harry. Behind each of them, a tall halberd leaned against the back of the cave. The twelve Goblins were ancient, but that didn't make them less intimidating than the warriors who had dragged him into the cave. They gave him looks which it appeared were calculated to make his blood freeze in his veins.
They were successful, if this was indeed their desire. He clenched his teeth to prevent himself from asking blubbering questions.
His wardens thrust him upon a rock in front of the podium. Heavy iron chains were attached to the stone. The moment Harry touched the plinth, they wrapped around his legs and upper body, pressing him so tight against the rough stone at his back that his shirt was ripped and the cold stone dug into his flesh, making it difficult to breathe.
Harry squeezed his eyes shut for a brief second. This was going to be very, very bad.
The Goblin warriors lined up to the left and the right of the rock Harry was chained to.
Silence descended onto the cave. The Goblin warriors to his left and his right stared straight ahead, but the twelve ancient Goblins in front of him kept looking at him as if they were considering the most painful ways to kill him, resurrect him, and then do it all over again.
The silence dragged on.
Harry's breath came in short, ragged gasps. He'd known the risk of a break-in at Gringotts. At that time, the price had seemed worth the risk. It still was, even in hindsight. Now the time to pay the piper had come.
He looked at the Goblins in front of him. Yes, they were out for his blood. So, he wouldn't make it out of here alive.
He gulped. He wasn't afraid to die: he'd been there already and knew what to expect. But why did it always have to be him? And why right now, when he thought he finally was going to have the happy life he'd always dreamt about? He'd found the girl he wanted to spend his life with. He wanted to marry her, have children with her… That would never happen. That he wasn't allowed to say goodbye to Ginny was the meanest blow of all.
'Wizard, do you know why you've been summoned in front of the Goblin High Council?' the Goblin at the leftmost side said. His voice was barely above a whisper, but in the quiet cave it rolled like thunder.
Harry was about to shake his head, but halted. He remembered the talk he'd had with Bill about Goblins, back at Shell Cottage. Goblins had another view of the world than wizards, and different values. Even though a highly intelligent species, they still were treated as inferiors by wizardkind and resented it - with good reason.
This was a trick question. His heart thumped in his chest, and sweat trickled down his back. If he denied, they'd take that as a proof that wizards always tried to wriggle out of the consequences of the offenses they committed against Goblins. If he answered in the affirmative, he laid his head on the executioner's block. What by Merlin was he supposed to say?
However, he had broken into Gringotts. He had stolen a valuable object from one of their vaults. He had compromised their security and undermined the trust of their customers. He had freed one of their dragons, though involuntarily, and damaged the building. It was time to face the music.
He squared his shoulders. 'Yes, I do. I'm here because I broke into Gringotts, stole a valuable object, freed the dragon that guarded some of the high security vaults, and damaged the building as I fled on the back of said dragon.'
The Goblins froze. Another heavy silence descended on the cave. The ancient Goblins in front of him didn't go as far as to stare, but the surreptitious looks they cast at each other from the corner of their eyes betrayed how much his answer had surprised them. Good. Surprise was the mother of attack. If he managed to throw them off balance, he might even be able to talk himself out of this mess - with a damned big portion of luck.
The ancient Goblin at the leftmost side cleared his throat. 'Very well,' he said. 'Wizard, you have just admitted to having committed the biggest offense imaginable to Goblinkind. Under Goblin law, this offense can be punished with death. How do you plead?'
That was it. He had to sign his own death warrant. He looked the ancient Goblin straight into the eyes.
'Guilty.'
He closed his eyes. The memory of Ginny, eyes blazing, and the feeling of her lips on his had helped him once through what he thought were his last minutes on this earth. They'd also help him this time.
However, his mind went blank. No matter how hard he tried, the memory of Ginny's face slipped just out of his reach.
He opened his eyes wide - only to look at the most disconcerting sight no wizard before him had ever seen: twelve ancient Goblin warriors bared their pointed teeth at him in broad grins.
'You are a very unusual wizard, Mr Potter,' the leftmost Goblin said.
'Uh - thanks, I guess. But, please, call me Harry.'
The ancient Goblin let out a rumbling laugh and clicked his fingers. The heavy chains fell off Harry's body. They rattled and heaped at his feet in a small mountain.
'Call me Ragnok,' the ancient Goblin said.
Harry nodded, and he had to grip the rough rock with one hand to prevent himself from falling. His voice deserted him. One minute he thought he'd forfeited his life, and the next moment the Goblins were grinning at him and set him free. That was a lot to take in. He took a deep breath and tried in vain to get his trembling body under control.
'You are the first wizard ever who has committed a serious offense against the Goblin nation and who had the sense to admit to his crimes and earned himself the right to enter into negotiations with us,' Ragnok said.
He couldn't care less about that right now, but had the presence of mind to realise that the Goblins expected a sign of sufficient humility of him. 'I'm honoured, Ragnok,' he said. His voice was barely above a whisper.
'So you should be,' Ragnok said and clicked his fingers once again.
The cave morphed into a conference room with cream coloured walls. A thick oriental carpet covered most of a gleaming hardwood floor. A long conference table, made out of mahogany, stood where seconds before the judge's table had been. The twelve ancient goblins remained in their seats, but instead of the warrior gear they now wore conservative business suits.
Harry looked at the wall behind them. The halberds were gone. He heaved another deep breath.
Ragnok nodded at the warriors who still guarded Harry at both sides. A sharp command in Gobbledygook, and the warriors turned around and marched out of the room.
As soon as the door closed behind them, Ragnok motioned with his hand to a chair that had appeared opposite of the ancient Goblins. 'Sit down, Harry.'
On legs as wobbly as jelly Harry walked the short distance to the table. His vision swam, and everything around him seemed oddly distant and unreal. He plopped into the chair just the second his legs threatened to give out under him. He took a couple of deep breaths. This was the worst moment imaginable to faint on the Goblins. This was not yet over, and he needed to keep his wits about him.
'As you have already admitted that you have committed crimes against the Goblin Nation, we now ought to talk about what you can do to put the injustice we suffered through your actions back to rights, Harry,' Ragnok said, and gave him another grin that showed way too many pointed teeth.
Harry gulped. 'Right,' he said. His voice sounded stronger, but still as if it didn't belong to him. He cleared his throat. 'As it seems, I'm not in the position here to make demands. Why don't you just tell me what you want from me?'
Ragnok's face once again morphed into that disconcerting grin.
Couldn't he stop that? Harry squirmed.
The ancient Goblin clicked his fingers. A sheet of parchment appeared on the table in front of him. He pushed it towards Harry. 'That's what we demand as compensation for the damage you caused to our bank and our reputation.'
Harry took the parchment in his hands and read the column that was written on it. Each charge was listed. The single demands were all follow-ups of the damage he had caused, and didn't sound exaggerated. It was the total at the bottom of the line that had him gasp. 'That's a damn lot of Galleons,' he said, and looked at Ragnok. Was there enough money in his vault to pay for that damage?
'Oh, you're good for it, Harry. This is your current vault statement,' Ragnok said. Again, he clicked his fingers. Another sheet of parchment appeared in front of him, and he shoved it to Harry.
Harry pulled the parchment towards himself and studied it. He suppressed another gasp. He'd never known that there was so much money in his vault. Of course, he'd never asked…
He compared the numbers on both sheets, and did some quick calculating in his head. If he agreed to the demands of the Goblins, he had exactly one Knut left in his vault. Greedy little bastards.
His face hardened. He looked Ragnok square into the eyes. 'If I agree to sign over everything that's in my vault to you, I want something in return for that.'
Ragnok frowned, but nodded. 'Name your demands, Harry.'
'Firstly, I want a signed agreement between Gringotts and me that all demands from the break-in are settled, and that Gringotts isn't going to come after me with additional demands at a later time.'
Ragnok exchanged looks with the other Goblins.
Harry's hands became clammy. Would they agree?
'Accepted,' Ragnok said.
He almost slumped in his seat, but pulled himself together. This was not yet over. 'Secondly, with this agreement all demands Gringotts might have against Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley are also settled.'
Ragnok grinned. 'I was already wondering when we would come to your friends, Harry. But we accept.'
Harry shifted in his seat. This was too easy. Why were the Goblins that accommodating? He took another deep breath. 'Thirdly, Gringotts agrees to continue to accept Hermione Granger, Ronald Weasley and me as customers from now on.'
'Oh, but of course,' Ragnok said, and made a dismissive gesture with his hand.
Harry narrowed his eyes at him. 'Alright, where's the catch?'
For the second time that day Harry was exposed to a sight no wizard before him had ever seen: twelve ancient Goblins breaking out into laughter.
'There is no catch at all, Harry,' Ragnok told him, still chuckling. 'You know that you're the Potter heir, don't you? That vault -' he indicated with his hand to the vault statement in front of Harry -, 'That vault is your father's old trust vault his executor set up for him after the death of your grandfather. That's the only gold you currently have at your disposal. The bulk of your gold is held in the Potter family vault, but you'll not be able to lay your hands on it without your executor's agreement. However, you'll be able to do so when you're thirty. You're still a very rich wizard, Harry, and Gringotts will be honoured to do business with you.'
Harry leaned back in his chair. That explained a lot.
Ragnok clicked his fingers yet another time. A third sheet of paper and a blood red quill with a pointed tip appeared in front of him. He pushed the parchment to Harry. 'Will that suffice?'
Harry read the parchment. The conditions of his settlement with the Goblins were listed on it in neat penmanship. 'I agree,' he said, and pushed the parchment back to Ragnok. 'After you, if you please.'
The ancient Goblin chuckled once again. 'You've got a very level head for business on your shoulders, Harry.' He picked up the quill and signed the settlement, not heeding the cut that appeared on the back of his hand as he did so.
Harry made a face. He hated blood quills.
After Ragnok, the other eleven Goblins also signed with their blood. Harry was the last one to sign the settlement. He pushed the settlement across the table towards Ragnok.
'Very well,' the ancient Goblin said. He duplicated the signed settlement with a click of his fingers and gave the original back to Harry.
Harry folded it and put it into the mokeskin pouch he wore around his neck.
Ragnok stood up and held his hand out to him. 'It was a pleasure to do business with you, Harry. I'm looking forward to many prosperous deals for us in the future.'
He'd bet the old bastard did. Harry forced a polite smile on his face, rose from his chair and shook the Goblin's hand. 'The pleasure is all mine, Ragnok.' He heard how the tall doors behind him opened, bowed to the eleven other Goblins and took that as his cue to leave the room.
The feeling of surreality stayed with him as he walked out of the bank and to the Apparition point. By now, Diagon Alley was crowded by early morning customers. Many bright smiles and respectful greetings were directed at him. Harry nodded and waved into the crowd, and even managed to smile, but he'd be hard pressed to describe the wizards and witches he acknowledged.
The morning with the Goblins had been - intense. He reached the Apparition point and took a few, deep breaths to center himself. He had no desire to splinch himself.
A last, deep breath, and the next second he stood in front of the gate to The Burrow. He stumbled and grabbed for the gate post to keep his footing. Damned, since when was Apparition that exhausting? He took a look over the overgrown hedge. Ginny was in the vegetable garden, tending to the plants.
She straightened up when she heard his steps. A smile appeared on her face that didn't quite reach her eyes. She was always so concerned for him.
'Harry, how did it go with the Goblins?' she asked.
Instead of an answer, he took her in his arms and kissed her deeply. He had to make sure that he still was alive, that he still had a future…
She put her hands on his chest and gently pushed him away. 'What was that for?' Her voice sounded amused, but her smile had vanished, and her eyes searched his face as if she didn't like what she saw there.
'Can't a guy just be happy to see his girlfriend?' he asked. Why bother her with what he'd been through this morning? She already had enough to worry about, with Fred gone, and her parents and George still having a hard time comprehending the loss. After all, his encounter with the Goblins had been just another hair-raising adventure in the crazy life of Harry Potter. He'd been through worse.
'Something's bothering you,' she said. Her eyes still scrutinised his face.
He shrugged. 'I made a settlement with the Goblins about the break-in. I agreed to pay for the damage, but they'll leave me and Ron and Hermione in peace about that from now on, and even agreed to do business with us in the future.'
Her face became tense. 'How much?'
He gave another shrug. 'About everything that was in the vault I inherited from my father.'
She paled at that.
Harry pulled her closer and gave her a short kiss. 'Don't worry about that, Ginny. True, I'll be pretty broke until I start Auror training in September, but I'll manage. I'll earn enough for a living after that.' At least, if he managed to fool the healer about his condition during his upcoming health exam…
t.b.c.
