Disclaimer: Everything you recognize belongs to JK Rowling.
From the last chapter...
Harry almost felt crass as a plan for new negotiations with the goblins took form in his mind, one that could help him defeat Voldemort. Cursed or not, perhaps the Njarishka was right – great things followed the horrible in his life.
Chapter 27
Harry lost count of the number of grow rooms in the sprawling underground cave system. Time after time, Harry saw Nagurk and the Njarishka turning their heads away from doorways as if out of habit. He'd do that too if sunlight caused blindness in humans.
While Harry was sure goblins had used wands against humans in previous wars – else why would the ministry ban them – it still seemed cruel to take away their ability to grow crops. Harry almost stopped in his step as he realized why the goblins were willing, even eager, to sell their food to humans. Once humans ran out of money, goblins would accept farm labor for food. Perhaps floo connections would be established to the growing rooms to keep their location a secret. Humans would be all but enslaved as they worked for food at penurious rates under binding contracts.
He shook his head, troubled. How he wished Ollivander were here! The wandmaker would know if the ministry's action were human-centric and bigoted or if there was a reason he hadn't thought of. He could almost hear Hermione's cautionary voice in his ear, telling him that not all was as it seemed in the magical world.
Harry studied Nagurk in front of him. The steady gait, the raised head with thick hair pulled back tightly in a warrior's knot. From what Harry could tell, their most recent peace with goblins rested on two things: a prosperous income through no ministry interference at Gringotts and their ability to grow their own food. He'd done his best to ensure the first, and maybe he could provide the second.
An idea flickered across his brain like a flash of lightening and excitement flooded through him as an answer occurred to him. Maybe they could create magical grow lights for the goblins while at the same time learning the secret to it for the manor! Then they could grow food in every room, not just the ones with windows. His tired muscles became energized at that realization, and he walked with a spring in his step despite his aching feet. He nearly bumped into Nagurk when he stopped suddenly and turned around.
"Harry Potter, we've fulfilled our end of the bargain." Nagurk pointed a bony finger at a rickety ladder leading up to a narrow hole covered by the same brown rock they'd spent hours walking through.
Harry locked eyes with Nagurk, the smaller goblin tilting his head upward at Harry. "I will fulfill my bargain." He didn't want his throat slit by Nagurk's sword before he finished his offer. "But I would like to open negotiations for a second bargain. Assuming you are satisfied with the results of the first."
Nagurk's eyes narrowed and shifted to the Njarishka. She nodded back to him after flicking her eyes up and down Harry's body. Examining the curses, no doubt. If his mother's protection spell hadn't continued containing the other two, he had no doubt Nagurk would throw him and his party out on their collective ears.
"Speak!" Nagurk took a step toward Harry, closing the already small space between them.
Harry crouched down to look Nagurk in the eyes. "This one piece of information, if known ahead of time, will allow you to take action to protect the bank and your people."
"Yes, yes." Nagurk waved Harry's words away. "Don't waste my time, human boy."
There went his effort at diplomacy. Harry shrugged. "Alrick Armstrong is Volde-" He stopped and corrected himself, hoping he was imagining Augusta Longbottom's heated stare on the back of his neck. "Alrick Armstrong is You-Know-Who."
"Scared of a name?" Nagurk sneered.
Harry clenched his hands. "Looking ahead would mean realizing that name will be placed under a Taboo." His voice grew cold. He'd just imparted crucial information, and the goblin was nit-picking about his word choice? "You have days to prepare now. Will you help the goblins remain strong and free?"
Nagurk ignored Harry's speech. "What proof do you have that this country bumpkin is actually Voldemort?"
Harry heard gasps behind him, clothes rustling as people cringed at a word, a collection of letters. Perhaps his friends were even now looking around them to see if Voldemort had sent his thugs. Who knew how fast that demagogue was working? Perhaps even now the most evil wizard of their time had been sworn in by the Wizengamot in an emergency session.
"My scar." Harry pointed at his forehead where the lightning bolt lay hidden. "If I make eye contact with Voldemort, I get a splitting headache centered in my scar."
The Njarishka stepped forward. "Yes." She looked at Harry's forehead. "The evil curse centered in your scar could link you to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named." She shot a glare at Nagurk. "If he cursed you when he tried to kill you as an infant." She shivered as if an unseen wind chilled her as she again examined the curses floating around Harry trying to burrow their way through his mother's protection.
Nagurk turned on his heel, placing his back toward Harry. His legs twitched like he wanted to pace, the only sound echoing off the walls coming from their breathing. Harry felt the irrational urge to tell Neville to quiet it down. What could they do at this late stage of their journey? Toss them out? Or make you slaves, came the insidious thought.
When Nagurk whirled back around, Harry's whole body tensed. He tried to smooth his face into a calm mask. He had to appear strong for the next round of negotiations.
"The goblin nation thanks Harry Potter for fulfilling his end of the bargain. You and your company may go free."
Despite himself, Harry let out a sigh of relief.
Nagurk's mouth twitched slightly up before he glowered again.
"I have a second offer to make, Nagurk." Harry heard the restless shuffling of his friends behind him.
The goblin raised one eyebrow and waited.
"But first I need to talk with Arthur and Bill." And everyone else, Harry added silently. They had no pressing disaster threatening them this time that required immediate action. After the goblin nodded his approval, Harry turned around. Bill held Fleur's hand tightly, tension tightening the muscles of his free arm into ridged cords.
Harry motioned everyone to move closer in the small confines of the tunnel. "Before You-Know-Who can be vanquished, I have to find several items. At least one might be guarded in Gringotts." He hoped that description made it sound like he was searching for a magical weapon to use in fighting against Voldemort, like Merlin's staff. He didn't like so many people knowing even this. Voldemort, no doubt paranoid, would guess Harry's purpose even from these few words. He decided he would encourage Madame Malkin, whom he hardly knew, to take a supporting role in the war and stay in Potter Manor for the duration.
"Is that what your meetings with Dumbledore were about last year?" Neville asked as he shifted his weight from one sore foot to the other.
Surprised, Harry nodded. He'd thought he'd camouflaged those meetings with studying and time with Ginny.
"What do you want to trade for access to those items, Harry?" Arthur asked, cutting to the core problem.
"I thought we could send some of us in to cast light charms as needed." Harry worked to keep his voice at a whisper even as excitement honed it to a sharp edge. "We could learn their charms for magical grow lights and use them at the manor."
Arthur shook his head. "That's no good. We'd be their slaves for the rest of our lives, at their beck and call every time the charm died out. That could be as often as every day."
Harry let his breath out in a whoosh. This was still their best option for finding a horcrux hidden in Gringotts. Voldemort would be foolish to pass up the most secure storage place in the magical world. But the price was high. Higher than he could ask of them. He opened his mouth to volunteer, but closed it again as Arthur began speaking.
"Oh, what an excellent idea if I do say so myself! Why didn't I see it before?" Arthur rocked back and forth on his feet, eyes fixed on the wall behind Harry's head.
"See what?" Harry leaned forward.
"Wendell Ollivander, of course!" Infectious excitement danced in Arthur's eyes.
Harry grinned. "How does our wandmaker -" Harry stopped and almost laughed out loud in delight. Ollivander could make the goblins wands!
Augusta's dry tones dampened the good humor. "You may want to consider the ministry may have had a reason to ban wands from goblins. Endless goblin wars and dead wizards by the score."
That drew Harry up short. Perhaps goblins raised food underground with magic centuries ago, but their never-ending wars with humans finally ended in their magical subjugation. They kept their innate magic, but had to watch their fellow goblins go blind as their power to both feed themselves and make magical war on humans was stripped from them.
Augusta Longbottom had a point.
Fleur's lilting voice rang through the stillness. "'Ave you considered a single-purpose wand? Many wands made from Veela hair are suitable for ze one purpose it was made for."
Harry shot a quick glance at her. Why would anyone want a single-purpose wand?
She must have seen his questioning look. "Ze single-purpose wand is very focused. Very good for zat one purpose."
Perfect. Harry looked around their group. Everyone nodded their agreement. Harry grinned and raised an eyebrow at Bill, pointing his chin at where the goblins stood. He'd had enough high-stakes negotiation for today. He'd just make sure that Bill made it clear these wands wouldn't be capable of concentrating light into lasers. The last thing he needed to do was give the goblin nation another weapon when they looked down on all humans as thieves dishonoring their race.
"Would you, as a representative of the goblin nation, be willing to negotiate another mutually beneficial trade?" With those words, Bill began haggling for their future ability to fight the war against Voldemort.
The attraction of feeding their families without going blind kept bringing the goblins back to the negotiations, but one insurmountable obstacle kept them from agreeing.
"What you ask – stealing from our customers whose belongings we have sworn to protect - would bring shame upon the entire goblin nation," the Njarishka said, her long silver hair almost bristling with agitation.
"I offer the goblin nation a way to feed itself without causing its children to go blind." Bill didn't miss a beat as he replied.
The quick murmur of voices behind him was stilled by a harsh whisper from Neville's grandmother. Harry repressed an urge to smile.
No reply met him this time. Harry ran through several persuasive arguments in his head. The goblin nation reminded him of how Japanese people placed an emphasis on familial and national honor. He was asking these goblins – and any others involved – to shame themselves in the eyes of their brethren.
Harry parted his dry lips and spoke for the first time as he hoped that adding information wouldn't be considered entering the negotiations themselves. Bill wouldn't know they could destroy a horcrux in Gringotts if they had time. "If possible, these items would not be removed from the actual vault, and the item itself would not be damaged." Harry hoped. Maybe Hermione could create a solution of basilisk venom that wouldn't destroy the suspected horcruxes. If they could get their hands on more venom.
This met with the goblins' approval. Theft had been downgraded into an unauthorized visitor to a vault. But then suspicion narrowed both goblins eyes. "And you would accomplish this feat of agriculture how?" Disdain dripped from the Njarishka's voice.
Here Bill played their final card. "I would ask a wandmaker to create single-use wands that would cast light for only beneficial purposes." And if Ollivander couldn't do that, they would create weak wands that wouldn't harm humans. The last thing they needed to live with was enabling another goblin war that could decimate magical society for centuries.
Nagurk turned his head to the side and spit at Bill's feet. "Agreed. If we can grow our own food, we will allow you access to touch the desired item in a vault. But you will remove nothing." He thundered out the last word.
Nagurk bared his teeth in a sharp-toothed smile, and Bill and Nagurk began haggling over the fine details in their agreement.
With the danger finally past, Harry's muscles relaxed and he noticed details he'd pushed to the side. A parched mouth, a gaping hole where his stomach should be, and his sweat-encrusted body. He wanted water, food, and a bath, in that order. Then he could figure out how to recharge his mother's protection spell without killing himself in the process.
To be continued...
