Chapter Thirty-Six – We Learn More about How Things Really Are
"I'm not sure that would be a wise thing for me to do. Your mother is staying at my house and I don't want to give you the ability to Apparate there. It's a matter of my security. I could bring your mother back to my office, if you want to see her".
"My mother has been staying at your house? Alright, I won't take offence if you don't want to take me home with you. Meeting in your office will be fine. Eventually you'll figure out that I really am not a threat to you. The Death Eaters hate me almost as much as they hate you. You're a fellow Great Family kid now, anyway."
While Harry and Narcissa were meeting, Draco asked, "Why do you think Lord Montaigne raised the issue of my Dad's release, during that meeting? He also really wanted my father taken back to his jail cell. He succeeded, although father certainly didn't help his own cause. He refuses to recognise that his side lost, and things have changed."
"Because he really wanted to talk about Bruce and needed Harry as an ally," Hermione replied. "He thought because he has just made a deal and agreed to open the exciting new world of The Keeper to Harry, that this was the likeliest time to get Harry's help to convince the Minister, especially if the Minister is willing start being generous with the less severe threat that your father represents. Harry doesn't like Bruce, but he doesn't want to see him Avada Kedavra'd, either, so he might look favorably toward some sort of leniency. Frankly, Harry is likelier to blurt out the administration's bottom line position on Bruce, than the Minister or Shacklebolt. Lord Montaigne is still in a dream world about Bruce's future. I know Victor Krum and Monsieur Delacour. As to your father – I don't think Lord Montaigne wants your family involved in a discussion of his affairs. I think he also saw your father's actions as destroying his friendly atmosphere to plead for Bruce. Your father really underestimates how much Lord Montaigne resents your father strong-arming him to marry off his daughter to you."
"He also underestimates how much I resent it."
Hermione continued. "I can guarantee you that if Bruce is released on exile, anywhere, even if he is thoroughly Confunded to block his magical powers and sense of his own gloriousness, he'll be hunted down and killed in a far slower and more painful way than a judicial 'Avada Kedavra'. If Lord Montaigne were thinking even halfway straight, he'd realise that. Even his daughter knows that to be the case. As for me, it's nice that my parents have enough money to stay in this world, should they choose, and that Ron and I will be able to lead the lives we wish, but I still can't help feeling that I've just been bought, in a rather tawdry way. A lawyer could probably win us as much or more, but now it seems like a present from Lord Montaigne and your father, for which future payment is expected. Really, it's far more wealth than I need or want. The Elves will make good use of a large part of it."
Draco was prepared to disagree, but before he could open his mouth, Harry returned with Narcissa. We all went into Harry's office.
"Harry said that you were anxious to see me," Narcissa said to her son. "I stayed here primarily to sign a paper for Harry telling the Goblin King that I forgive Harry for breaking into the family vault in order to steal the Voldemort horcrux, I hold the bank blameless, and ask the bank to view the theft as in the best interests of all magical creatures, because of the emergency need to stop Voldemort. I also confirm my part in stopping the Dark Lord. Harry also asked me if I had changed my mind about being willing to have our family reunited if Lucius were released on parole and whether I would guarantee your and my good behavior. I told him that I want to live with you at Hogwarts, but I'm not willing to include your father, just yet. I haven't ruled it out, forever, but he reminded me today why a reconciliation with him is unlikely to succeed. I hope I didn't over-step in promising your good behavior, as well as my own."
"That's what I wanted to talk to you about. I am worried that father will be murdered if he stays in jail. I don't really want to live with him and I'm not at all sure that you should be with him, but I don't want him to die. I certainly want Dad out on bail and if you are willing to live with him, so will I, but where would we live? The Death Eater threat isn't over, and I doubt Dad would be any happier living with you at Potter's house than I would. Nor do I think Harry would feel safe with us there. I'm surprised you've gotten on okay living in that dank place by yourself. I do hope that you and Dad can make peace and that you can support his release, even if the two of you never see each other again. I think that without today's blowup, he would have been set free very soon. Now I just don't know. I really am very worried about him being murdered while he's in jail. I know that Dad said that, but I was already thinking it. I asked Potter to put in a good word."
"I've had Kreacher to keep me company and Harry had another guest at the house for a time, which made for a nice change of pace, once we got to know each other. I thought perhaps you and I could stay at Hogwarts for a time. It would be safe, and we might work up to visits from your father. He would be away more than he was there. Part of the reason the Minister would release him would be to raise money. Your father wants the estate back and the Minister wants revenue. If that's what is needed, I'll go into the Muggle world and steal money myself. That's all that your father will do. I won't be comfortable doing that, or spending a lot of time among the Muggles, but if that is what it takes to keep you safe, then I shall do it. I will not have either of us being dependent upon your father. It isn't safe. Don't frown. I promise to think some more about a reconciliation. Perhaps your father wasn't trying to dominate me today. It is hard for him to be anything other than the old Lucius… at least in manner. I won't say that he definitely can't try living with us at Hogwarts – at some future time."
"Do you really think McGonagall would allow him to live at Hogwarts, since his last visit was an attack? I'm not sure that I want him there with Pansy. He'll just try to force me to send her home."
"Harry said that Lucius took a pledge to be on his good behavior. You could ask Professor McGonagall tonight. We can talk to your father, but I don't want to do that just yet. Your father is correct that we both need a week to cool off. Lucius can live anywhere. Until he can raise enough funds to get the estate back, he'll find any place as good or as bad as any other and spend most of his time working and sleeping in the City. It'll give him hope and freedom and a chance to be responsible for his own defense and survival. The Minister will have to give him a long leash: he has no way of supervising him in the City, so why keep him on a choke collar when Lucius is at his temporary home? If Lucius ever wants to escape, he'll just slip away from work and never be seen again. He won't do that because he doesn't want to lose you. I'll make certain that he doesn't interfere between you and Pansy. That will be an absolute requirement of his living near either of us."
Harry had four copies of the note to the Goblin King. Narcissa and Harry had each signed all four, Harry giving two to Percy for the Ministry and Harry's copies, saving one for the King, and giving the other to Narcissa. It looked like it was going to be a long, boring wait for the meeting to end, but then Cassy came out and joined us. She looked at me and explained her presence. "It was like Minister Weasley noticed that I was still there and gave me this 'what are you here for' look. He just said, 'this must be very boring for Cassy, she'd likely be far happier joining the other students'. I took that as a very strong hint to depart. I know that for some reason, my father wanted me to stay in the meeting. I'm not even sure why I was here today. My father said Lucius Malfoy thought my presence would be 'beneficial'. So here I am. This is a very nice office Harry, although I see you have done absolutely nothing to personalise it. You should make the effort. You'll feel much more at home and visitors will both get a better impression of you and more of a sense that you are in charge on your own turf, rather than having just borrowed somebody else's office."
"I've not been Deputy Minister long," Harry said apologetically, "but I do sort of feel like an interloper who is here only because Minister Shacklebolt was injured. It's going to take a while to get used to my new position. I find your comment a little unusual by the way, since your office space back at the castle is more impersonal than mine. Although, I admit, the little office that Professor McGonagall gave me back at Hogwarts, so I could do Ministry business during the mornings, seems a lot more like my space than this does. I have moved a lot of my books and things, including my broom, into that office. I visited this office so many times when it was Mr. Weasley's that I still think of it as his. During the campaign, it was weeks until he could bring himself to move into Shacklebolt's space and still, he verbally apologised every time we entered the Minister's office saying, 'Kingsley will always be the Minister to me'. Percy uses this office as much as I do. I guess what I really need to do is get a more appropriate office for Percy. He has a smallish one that's way too far from here. He and Callista handle the Deputy Minister business, when I'm at Hogwarts."
"Well, to answer your question, I'm very definitely squatting in a corner of my father's space. Now that we are officially trainee Keepers, I am going to insist on a space that is clearly mine. I've heard quite a lot about Percy from my father. He should make a very effective assistant for you." Looking directly at Percy, she continued, "You just have to make sure he doesn't start thinking of himself as the Deputy Minister, even just when you're at Hogwarts."
This shocked Percy to attention. "No, I'm very definitely the assistant in this office. I conduct business during the times when Harry is at Hogwarts, as he wants me to do, but I don't finalise anything until after I review it with him the next time he is in the office. There aren't many things that I or the Deputy Minister get to decide, anyway. We advise the Minister and do what he doesn't have time to do."
"I wasn't suggesting otherwise, just kidding you a little about your very well-known ambition," Cassy replied, smiling sweetly. "Although, I'm not sure the Minister didn't ask Harry to leave the meeting, in order to get rid of Percy. I certainly felt awkward sitting there. I guess I needed to be there for the part about Harry and me and the Keeper and Lord/Lady duties, but it seemed very rude to be listening to discussions of other people's families. I didn't want to stay but didn't know if it would be rude to get up and leave. That whole situation is a sordid mess. Restitution is important, but I don't think the three families who were discussed would be pleased that I sat in on the discussion that took place after you left. I think Draco's father wanted both Draco and me present for the discussion of the Parkinson family. The Minister excused me just as that was about to start."
"I need to meet with the Minister and Shacklebolt to review where my advisors and I stand in this administration," Harry vowed. "My advisors at Hogwarts ought to be able to attend important meetings at the Ministry. I know one change I'll make, Percy. I want you and Callista to make a written list of all the business that you tentatively transact in my absence and things that we jointly decide when I'm here, so that I have something to review with Hermione, Ron, and Ginny when I get back to Hogwarts. Where is Callista, by the way?"
"I sent her to find the transcripts of the recent meetings that Ministers Thicknesse, Shacklebolt, and Weasley conducted with the Goblin King, so that we can properly prepare for your lunch meeting tomorrow. If you, and whichever of your Hogwarts advisors you prefer to bring, can be here tomorrow morning, we can all review the current state of play with the Goblin world."
"That was a very good idea, Percy," Harry complimented him. "There is one more thing I'd like you to check for me, although it may involve some travel if Viktor has already departed. The resident Goblins at Durmstrang took part in the attack at that school. I'd like to know if that was encouraged by the Goblin King. In fact, I guess I need a far better understanding of how much sway the King has with the Goblins on the Continent and what we should know about the Continental Goblins."
"You don't ask much. Viktor hasn't left yet - he and Cho were waiting in the library to say goodbye to Minister Weasley, and I suspect to get in some lobbying on Bruce. I'll duck down and talk to them, and then bring them back to your office. I'm sure they'd like to say goodbye to all of you, as well." Percy left the office with a very purposeful stride.
Cassy seemed to be deciding whether to speak, but finally she contributed what she knew. "Father thinks that Bruce was in contact with the Goblins in Europe, and that he may have paid them to help the Grindelwald faction. Father had met the leader of the European Goblins a year ago, when he came to meet with the Goblin King. I believe he is largely independent of, but subservient to, our Goblin King. The European Goblin leader's name is Ruppasta Minta, and he lives inside a mountain about a hundred miles south of Durmstrang. I know that he has twice a year meeting with the French Minister and once a year with the German Ministry. Father must meet with the Goblin King about twenty times a year. I know he told the King that he planned to make Harry and me both trainee Keepers, before he made the offer to us. I didn't know it was going to happen until he told both of us, but after you left, he said he had already cleared it with the Goblin King, and the King was receptive to the idea. I think the King feels my father doesn't have the sway within the Wizarding community that he once did. The problem is not so much the scandal with father's brother as the scandal with Bruce and a totally new faction taking over the Ministry of Magic."
"I was wondering why you call yourself Cissy as short for Cassiopeia, but your father calls you Cassy, which is closer to the natural nickname," Hermione asked.
"It started as a nickname that Bruce gave me. He called me 'Sissy' for little sister, and I changed that to Cissy. Dad compromised on Cassy, rather than Cassie, which is what he originally called me. With all the Bruce problems and the way he treated me two summers ago, I should go back to Cassie, but it doesn't sound quite natural to me."
Percy returned with Viktor and Cho. "I'd like to go with you to meet the Goblin King," said Victor, "but that probably isn't wise, since that would divert your meeting to Cho's spying and the attack on Durmstrang. I would like to talk to him about Durmstrang. I'll hang around tomorrow to see if you can arrange a meeting for me. I've had one meeting with our very own Ruppasta Minta, but that went less than well. He denied responsibility for anything and said I had to speak to his King. I spoke to Monsieur Delacour about this and he said that Ruppasta was giving me the runaround. He said Ruppasta usually operates quite independently and that he had gotten very tight with Minister LeDoux. LeDoux gave him permission to establish a Goblin village in part of the Paris catacombs. There are now nearly a hundred Goblins down there. The quid pro quo was charmingly described in the memorandum as 'certain political assistance.' I think the Goblins view Durmstrang as their greatest threat, since we turn out the best magical engineers in the Wizarding world. Magical Engineering isn't taught at all at Hogwarts, but there is a small apprentice program at your Ministry."
"It's very good to see you again, Cho," Harry greeted her. "I'm very sorry that we got you in trouble with your employer. You were correct in seeing the importance of letting the money transfer go through and alerting us. Without your help, Bruce would still be leading the Grindelwald's. You should be going to Durmstrang as a heroine."
"Thanks, Harry, and thanks for the warning to get out of Gringotts. I'm not sure I'll be able to return to work. You may get a better idea of that when you meet with our chairman. For now, I'm looking forward very much to seeing Durmstrang."
"You and Viktor?" Draco mused. "That makes your third Triwizard Champion. You've now dated everyone but Fleur." Narcissa gave Draco a shove on that one.
"Well, I never actually dated Harry, although we did snog. That was messed up by that Umbridge woman. I think you could say, Draco, that the Triwizard Champions are simply very superior Wizards. Very handsome, too. Far better than the Slytherin boys. Your lot seems to appeal more to the stupid girls like Pansy Parkinson."
"I was just making an observation of an odd coincidence, there was no need to get so touchy," Draco replied. "Pansy may not be as smart as you are, but she's not stupid and we get along very well together."
"I wasn't offended," Cho replied. "Being known as the girlfriend of Cedric, or Harry, or Viktor is not at all the sort of thing that a Witch feels defensive about. Since the conversation seemed to have suddenly shifted toward commenting upon perceived oddities, I just noted how strange it seemed that a rich Slytherin kid, who sees himself as Voldemort's chosen pet and a future master of the universe, would choose someone like Pansy as his girlfriend. No offence intended."
Draco was thinking of a response that was appropriately stinging and permissible in front of his mother, when Lord Montaigne, and Dad arrived. Lord Montaigne was the first to speak "are you ready to head back to the castle, Cassy?" Cissy indicated that she would prefer to return to Hogwarts for dinner and petition Professor McGonagall directly. Lord Montaigne nodded, and headed down to the lobby to apparate.
Dad then took charge, saying "well, Lucius is back in his cell, perhaps you would like to meet privately with him, Narcissa and Draco. He is very anxious to speak to you. I'll be presumptuous and offer you Harry's office. I need to speak to him, alone, in my office." I told Harry that the rest of us would meet him in the library, after he finished with Dad.
The Malfoys both agreed. Percy stayed behind at the assistant's desk in Harry's ante-room, determined to defend the office from the Malfoys.
Before we set up shop in the library, I grabbed Hermione and shunted her into the Witches' room, kicking open all the stall doors to search for prying ears, before opening my mouth. "I heard you telling Pansy how dumb it was to nag Draco about Cissy and to appear to be all jealous, and desperate, and controlling. I had to admit to Harry last night that I was feeling a wee bit jealous of Callista. That's why I hung back after our meeting with Professors McGonagall and Trelawney. I wanted to pump McGonagall for information on Callista. She told me quite a lot, actually."
"That was a remarkably dumb move for such a bright Witch as yourself. How did Harry take it?"
"Remarkably well. He was a little taken aback at first, but said I had no reason to worry, that neither he nor Callista were interested in each other. I apologised to Harry and he seemed fine. I think he was happy that I told him what I was thinking."
"That works the first time, but usually not too often. You need to control those thoughts. Harry is the totally faithful type."
"I really do know that."
"We all have these times when an emotional monster takes over for our brains and we become a danger to ourselves and others. You need to learn to avoid that. If you can't avoid it, then at least give yourself a day or two before you act on the thoughts. Talking to McGonagall? Do you really want to give her the power of knowing how jealous you are?"
"No, I don't, and it sounds really stupid when you say it like that, especially since I don't see McGonagall as this sympathetic figure. How do I do that – controlling my jealous thoughts.?"
"Recognising that you are subject to the problem is a first step. Try to sense these emotional panics coming on and then delay acting on them until you are more settled and rational. What you must do is engage in activities that you enjoy and get your mind in a happy place. For me, spending time at the library or reading a Muggle book helps, but you'll have to find your own mind balm. You also need to realise what an incredible Witch you are and how lucky Harry is to have you as his girlfriend."
"Thanks."
"So, what did Professor McGonagall tell you about Callista?"
I repeated what Professor McGonagall had told me and Hermione said that the family issues that Callista was investigating for Harry were of great interest to her. She suggested that we both sit down with Callista soon and work together on what Hermione was sure was an area of mutual interest. I assured Hermione that I was interested.
We hung out in the library for over an hour, waiting for Harry to return. Much of the time was spent discussing Draco's snide comments, with Cissy seemingly trying to establish herself as one of our group. We did look for more information on recent Wizard/Goblin relations and anything that we could find on the founding of Hogwarts. We found a lot of nothing, but toward the end, two gems turned up: an archival copy of a written agreement among the founders of Hogwarts, and the agreement issued by the Ministry allowing the Goblins to set up Gringotts bank. We set the magical pens the task of making copies of these parchments. Each was less than three pages in length. It doesn't take a lot of words to document an historic agreement.
Harry and Dad met us in the library. They seemed to be getting along alright. Harry said it was time to return to Hogwarts. We waited a few minutes for the pens to finish our copies and took them with us back to Harry's ante-room. Dad knocked on the door of Harry's office, stuck his head in and announced, "time's up, what's the plan, Lucius."
"Narcissa and Draco will go back to Hogwarts and I'll go back to my office and try to raise some funds. There are some remaining Great Family accounts that can be liquidated to help pay for the Squib settlements, concerning their families. That will leave more of the Montaigne money to give to the families of the French and German students killed in Bruce's plot." Lucius headed for the Entry Hall, while the rest of us, including Viktor and Cho, headed back to Hogwarts.
We wanted to head straight to our common room to exchange thoughts, but the disposition of the others was awkward. Narcissa happily proposed to accompany Draco to the library to collect Pansy, and then back to Slytherin. Draco had to tell his mother that Slytherin was currently not available. Narcissa then said that they would hunt up Professor McGonagall together "to learn where we can bunk down."
We wanted Cho and Viktor to come back to Gryffindor with us but did not want to include Cissy. Cissy seemed to sense this and suggested that she would go off to try to meet with McGonagall and join us for dinner. It was possible that she just wanted to catch McGonagall before the Slytherins did. We said goodbye to her and headed back to Gryffindor. Mom was there and seemed very interested in participating, perhaps to get a clearer view of what Dad was doing at the Ministry. I asked Harry if he could talk about his meeting with Dad.
"It started badly, but I think it ended okay. I told the Minister that I realised that I was added to the ticket to win the election, not to participate in governing and that I would give him the resignation that he clearly wanted, so that he and Shacklebolt could get on with governing together. He said he did not want me to resign and asked why I thought he wanted my resignation. I said it sent a rather clear and humiliating message when he chucked me out of the meeting, keeping Shacklebolt and even Cassy. He said keeping Cassy in the meeting was a mistake, which he quickly corrected, but that he felt this was still rightfully Shacklebolt's administration.
"Shacklebolt said that was stupid, that he was perfectly happy and content to be leading the auror corps, and that he saw this as a chance for personal redemption. Shacklebolt sees the traitors within the auror corps as a terrible indictment on his own judgment and competence. He even suggested that Voldemort couldn't have taken over the Ministry so easily if he, Shacklebolt, hadn't messed up with his management of his department within the aurors. He said for a Minister who previously led aurors to be assassinated by hand-picked members of his own guard was proof of that Minister's unfitness to be Minister. He said Arthur and I had to be a team now and there was absolutely no reason for either of us to think that we had shunted him aside. He said he was grateful that I had stepped forward to help the cause after he was hospitalised and that he saw me as fully able to serve as Deputy Minister. He said whether the ticket was Shacklebolt/Weasley or Weasley/Potter the whole Wizarding community saw it as two representatives of the group that defeated Voldemort.
"Given the very large role that our generation had in defeating Voldemort, he felt it very appropriate to have a two-generation team in charge. He complimented all of us on our work at Beauxbatons and the recent fights at Hogwarts. Arthur apologised to me and said he had been taking his own guilt at usurping Shacklebolt out on me, and that he was wrong to remove me from the meeting. He said he wanted to remove Percy and you three, but that was unfair because he had pushed me to take Percy as an aide and that I had a right to pick my own advisors.
"Shacklebolt convinced Arthur that a big part of the problem was that Arthur had failed to pick any aides of his own, beyond Prudence, who is basically a scheduler and receptionist. He said he had a full-time job rebuilding the auror corps and chasing the remaining Death Eaters and couldn't be Arthur's primary aide. Arthur agreed to do this. He said one of the things he has been grappling with is a difficulty recognising that his children are grown up and ready for significant responsibility. He said seeing how Lord Montaigne treats Cassy made this painfully clear to him. He said Professor McGonagall had told him that the Order was depopulated and aging and that it was past time to depend more heavily on a very able next generation. We ended the meeting with a hug. I realise that isn't wholly professional, but it worked at the time.
"I'm relating all of this, because Arthur specifically asked me to do so. He also told me to tell all his children that he plans to talk to them, which is you, individually. Percy will be moving into Umbridge's old office tomorrow. Arthur said I should pick my own security team head, and I chose Bill. He also asked me to recommend a responsible young Hogwarts grad for him to add as an aide. I suggested Wood. He concluded by saying that the meeting with the Goblin King could be very significant and he wanted to sit down with us tomorrow morning to discuss strategy. So, as I said, the meeting ended well."
"I'm glad that's resolved," Mum said. "I was expecting this would come to a head fairly soon. I hope that you will be patient with Arthur and that he will be patient with you. This is all very new to him and he feels guilty that he and not Shacklebolt is Minister. He hasn't taken my advice of late as much as I had hoped he would. All of you must remember that, just like Professor McGonagall, Arthur still has a tendency in the back of his mind to still see you as children. I do too. We Wizards are very protective of our young. There is also a generational guilt that we didn't deal with Voldemort permanently before you had to become involved. On the other hand, I'm hoping your offer to resign doesn't reflect that rash impetuousness with which you sometimes confront frustration. Professor McGonagall and I both think you need to keep working on that. Not to be bound up by contemplation instead of acting, but to at least dispassionately weigh the possibilities and discuss them with your advisors, if that is at all possible. On the other hand, if this was a clever way to force Arthur to confront his own ambivalence with his new position, then I congratulate you.
"You all need to make a point of sharing your activities with Arthur, in advance. The Deputy Minister is a helper to the Minister, not an independent actor. I'm going to insist on lunching with Arthur tomorrow, while you're off with the Goblin King. Both of you must keep working to make this partnership work. Its failure would have grave consequences for the Wizarding community."
"I'm glad you said that," Harry said. "I sometimes feel the original Order members resent us a bit. Protectiveness and guilt are annoying, but easier to live with. I hope you will give me and all of us guidance from time to time on things that we can do to minimise the friction."
"I'll do that," Mum said, looking relieved.
Harry had remembered something else. "Oh, I almost forgot. The Minister said that he didn't want us to think that his actions at the restitution conference were about foisting more money on us then we wanted to have or enriching his children. To quote him exactly, he said 'money can be very easily translated into political power and we saw with Bruce how dangerous that could be. He said that this seemed the quickest way to separate Lord Montaigne and the Malfoys from some of their cash reserves. He exactly said, I wrote it down 'I don't know if Lucius has hidden a pile of money, but if he has, I know Montaigne will find it. If you don't want the money, you can always use it for good works. He brought that up himself, I didn't force the issue. I got the impression that the Minister would prefer that we not keep the bulk of the money."
"I certainly intend to help the Elves and the poor Wizard farmers," Hermione declared.
Harry picked up the lead again, asking "Do any of you have information on the Goblins that can help? I don't even know how many Goblins there are, or what their goals are."
"I can give you more background," Viktor promised. "After the Battle of Durmstrang, I made a point of studying the Goblins. I can tell you that there are fewer Goblins than there are Wizards, only about two thousand Goblins in Britain and another thirty-five hundred on the Continent. They don't exist elsewhere in the world. They still bear a huge grudge from the ancient Wizard-Goblin wars and what they feel is their present marginalisation. They think they are smarter than us, better educated, less subject to fits of collective insanity than we are, and that we basically couldn't exist without them. Interestingly, their views are often the mirror image of our own. They see themselves as honest, industrious, committed to fair play, devoutly religious, and extremely discriminated against, while seeing us as lazy, cheating, greedy, basically uneducated, uncultured, emotionally immature and immoral incompetents who are content to live off the labor of Elves, Goblins, and past generations of Wizards. They fervently believe that all magical creatures would be better off if ruled by Goblins.
"When you meet with them, don't be surprised if they want to impress you with their writers, artists, artisans, and inventors, or if they pointedly ask you to name some Wizard counterparts. They feel that the only thing dumber than Quidditch is going to war with members of your own species.
"They recognised Bruce as dangerous and insane and gave him limited cooperation, just to hedge their bets in case he captured the Continental Wizard government or became the next Keeper. They see Bruce and Voldemort as proof that Wizards are both inferior and likely doomed to self-destruction.
"They are jealous that the Centaurs have an above-ground sanctuary but are rather fond of the Unicorns. They think we greatly undervalue the Elves. They hate the Giants and regard them as unthinking animals. In the distant past, the Giants nearly wiped out the Goblins.
"One last thing, don't be confused by the title 'King', it isn't hereditary. The King rules for life, but he's selected based on merit, with the whole population judging something like an elaborate Triwizard Tournament combined with a talent show. The current Goblin King is a first-rate impressionist artist. All the drawings in his office were done by him. Remember to be suitably complimentary but do it with finesse and some indication that you understand and appreciate art, not just the typical sucking up. I've been reading up on cast metal sculpture, because that's the genre of our own Ruppasta Minta".
"Thank you, Victor," Harry said, "that helps a lot. Since you mentioned Bruce, I should tell you that there is a lot of debate at the Ministry about what can be done with him. British Wizards don't believe in capital punishment, which hurts your chances of extradition, after what happened to Meier and the other captured prisoners. Normally, he would spend the rest of his life in Azkaban, but Azkaban has turned into an unreliable means of securing prisoners. Everyone knows that the Montaigne's request for banishment with Confunding for Bruce is a nonstarter. He also is obviously insane, despite the botched effort to have Doctor Sprout attest to that. The importuning's of Lord Montaigne are viewed as unseemly and little short of blackmail, given his position as Hogwarts' landlord, Keeper and principle liaison to the Goblins. That must be changed soon. What do you think can and should happen with Bruce? I knew this topic was bound to come up while you were at Hogwarts and wanted to do it now, while Cassy is elsewhere."
"I honestly don't think anything but Bruce's death at their own hands will satisfy the French. Their losses have been enormous. As the new Minister, Monsieur Delacour has no choice but to insist upon this resolution. German losses are minor by comparison, so I am under much less pressure from my constituents. I would honestly be appalled and revolt against any verdict that gave Bruce any sort of freedom to continue his life, such as his father's proposed exile to Australia. I'd willingly lead the party to hunt him down and kill him. Such a result would also cause a severe schism between the Wizards of Britain and the Continent. I think Lord Montaigne realises that exile is out of the question and that this initial proposal is simply a prelude to the real solution he seeks, which will be some sort of confinement under the watch of aurors and a doctor in his father's castle or on the estate. If it were a sufficiently Spartan existence, I could live with that, although I wouldn't like it.
"I'm certain the French could not accept it. Their bottom-line position is likely to be trial and lifetime imprisonment in the French Wizard jail in the basement of the Ministry. You could insist that they provide extensive medical treatment and supervision to deal with his mental issues. That has its advantages for you, as you won't have to answer to the Montaigne's for any perceived ill-treatment of Bruce, or to the Wizards of all three nations should Bruce escape. That might also induce Montaigne to live most of the year in France to be near to his son, which leaves the Keeper post more open to you.
"If Bruce were tried in Britain, where would you imprison him? You can't trust Azkaban and you probably don't want him locked up inside the Ministry, with his father visiting every day and mixing requests for his son with business where the Ministry needs his help. Far better to be able to simply say that you'll forward whatever request he makes to Monsieur Delacour."
"I know you're right," Harry replied. "I think there will be trouble before the Bruce situation is resolved. I'm glad I can't be added to the Wizengamot until I graduate from Hogwarts. I have no desire to vote on Bruce while having to work regularly with Lord Montaigne and Cassy. I'm going to keep my mouth shut on this one."
"I've been reading the Gringotts' charter," Hermione informed us. "It makes very interesting reading. The charter is dated 1690, which coincides with the Wizard Secrecy Act. It gives the board of the bank the right to establish a bank within the newly created Diagon Alley section of London and grants it an exclusive licence for 300 years to conduct a business in 'the secure storage of valuables owned by magical beings, the making of loans to these beings at an interest fee not to exceed 3 per cent per annum, the collection of taxes for the Wizard Ministry of Magic, and the construction and ownership of necessary commercial properties in said Diagon Alley'. In return for this exclusive licence to operate, said board of directors will expand to provide directorships to be occupied by the Minister of Magic and the Headmaster of Hogwarts. The Gringotts Bank shall pay any magical creature who provides capital to be lent a rate of return equal to one per cent per annum and shall guarantee that magical creature against the loss of any principal. The bank shall protect the privacy of title of both valuables in storage and capital to be lent. The Gringotts Bank shall not engage in sedition against either the duly elected Minister of Magic or the Goblin King. Wealth deposited by a Goblin or Wizard traitor to the King or Minister shall be forfeit to the Goblin King or Ministry of Magic, respectively.
"The Ministry and Hogwarts will receive, without payment of principal, twenty per cent and ten per cent of the shares of the Gringotts Company. The Goblin King and the Montaigne Family, as Keeper of the Covenant, shall each pay in capital principal in the sum of 100,000 gold galleons each, for which each will receive 35% of the shares in Gringotts Company. The Goblin King and the Keeper shall each be Directors of the Gringotts Bank. The Goblin King shall name the fifth, and final, Director. The Goblin King shall serve as Chairman of the Gringotts Bank but shall be accountable to the Board of Directors. The Directors shall meet at least twice per year on the day of the Spring and Autumn Equinoxes and at any other time at the call of the Chairman or petition of any three Directors.
"In addition to any dividends paid to the shareholders of Gringotts Bank, that Company shall pay taxes to the Wizard Ministry of Magic in the amount of ten per cent of profits, and to the Goblin King in the amount of five percent of profits. Gringotts Bank shall have sovereign control over its building and the territory beneath it, not to exceed an area of one acre from the surface to a depth of a thousand feet and five acres beneath that depth."
"So, their charter, or at least their exclusive charter, has expired," Harry analyzed. "I'll ask the Minister tomorrow if the provisions have been renewed, and on what terms."
"What stands out to me," George said indignantly "is that the bank has a monopoly on lending money to Wizards and yet it doesn't actually lend money. Which is why guys like me can't start a new business unless they have a rich friend, like Harry."
"That would be a way that the Goblins and Montaigne's could conspire to prevent Wizard progress. The end of the monopoly could explain the increased Goblin interest in Wizard affairs," Cho suggested.
"We'd better head to dinner," Hermione prompted. "We don't want to abandon Cissy to the Slytherins. I'm also anxious to hear how Professor McGonagall responded to her plea. That's what she wants to be called, by the way. Cassy is her father's name for her."
"One last thing before we go," Cho interrupted. "I just wanted to let you know that Viktor and I will be leaving tomorrow night and that I may not be returning to Britain for some time. I really like Viktor and if there is something purposeful for me to do at Durmstrang, I plan on staying. I doubt that I could return to Gringotts in any event, so I'm going to move forward. I will keep in touch."
We made it to dinner ahead of the Slytherins. Hermione's parents were already seated to Professor McGonagall's left, with Cissy perched on the edge of the chair to McGonagall's right. Cissy gave us a thumbs-up signal when she saw us enter the Hall. I sat next to her and the rest of us filled in. Cissy excitedly blurted out to me "I'm in Gryffindor!"
I was surprised when Harry asked if we could change seats so that he could dine between Cissy and Professor McGonagall, with Hermione's parents seated across from him. I think everyone was surprised when Harry asked his select dinner companions to tell him everything that they could remember about impressionist painting. Professor McGonagall was even more surprised when Harry asked her if she was a member of the Gringotts' Board of Directors. She shook her head no and gave him a quizzical look. Harry gave her the copy of the Bank's charter, which she returned at breakfast, along with her promise to call in at the bank within the next week.
Viktor and Cho slept in Gryffindor, claiming one of the boys' dorm rooms for themselves. Cissy shared a room with Hermione, Luna, and me. For the moment, McGonagall had installed Mrs. Malfoy and the Slytherins in the Hufflepuff common room.
In the morning Harry, Hermione, Ron, Cissy, Cho, Viktor and I Apparated to Harry's ante-room at the Ministry, where Percy awaited us. He dispatched Callista to let the Minister's assistant know that we had arrived. We settled into Harry's office to wait for Dad to be free to meet with us.
"We found a copy of the 1690 charter for Gringotts," Harry explained, handing the document to Percy. "It expired in 1990. I'd like you to find out whether it was extended or replaced and any new terms and conditions. Also, it sounds like Professor McGonagall and your father should have seats on the Gringotts' Board. Could you check on that, as well?"
"I'll do that as soon as we finish your briefing," Percy promised. "That should take a little over an hour. How do you intend to spend the rest of your time before the meeting, and will you be needing me?"
"Unless the Minister needs me, I thought I'd pop over to the National Gallery. I'll be back in time to find out if you've learned anything new."
Dad entered Harry's office and took a seat, saying we might as well meet here. Significantly, Shacklebolt wasn't with him, although Prudence was. "Wood is going to start tomorrow," Dad reported. "He was thrilled to have the opportunity to work with me. I've begun a review of Ministry employees to find a second assistant. I believe Percy has prepared a briefing paper for us."
"Um, yes," Percy staggered out of the start, surprised to be called on so quickly. "What I found in the recent Minister/Goblin King meeting memoranda dovetails nicely with what Hermione dug up in the library concerning the original charter for Gringotts Bank. As you doubtless already know, the charter for that institution expired in 1990. Since then, the Goblin King seems quite frankly obsessed with securing a renewal on favourable terms. To date, there has been no long-term renewal, although Thicknesse was edging close to one at the last meeting.
"Most of the negotiations were with Minister Fudge. The primary sticking points were the exclusivity of the bank's licence and the failure of the bank to lend any money since around 1710. There was also a lot of sniping back and forth on the tax rates, with the Goblin King wanting an equal share to the Ministry's and the Ministry complaining that the bank only reported profits from dealings with Wizards, whereas the charter intended that the bank would serve all magical creatures. Minister Fudge was perplexed that the bank reported minimal dealings and no profits produced with the Goblin community. Lord Montaigne mostly sided with the Goblin King on these matters.
"Under Minister Scrimgeour, there was extended discussion about the bank's branches in the Muggle world and transfer of funds between these banks and other banks in Britain and the Continent. Minister Scrimgeour felt that these interbank dealings tended to result in Gringotts' tax liability being understated. He also felt that there were business and profit opportunities in dealing with the French and German Wizarding communities. At the last meeting before his death, Minister Scrimgeour raised the issue of the bank's failure to assist the Wizarding trading families, such as the Blacks and Parkinson's, and the highly negative impact that this had on their businesses. The Goblins agreed that they could get back into the commercial lending business and use their bank branches in the Muggle world to provide the necessary documentation for Wizard trading families. Minister Scrimgeour noted that it was a little late for this to be any help to the Blacks or Parkinson's. Lord Montaigne stated a reluctance to enter that line of business.
"Minister Thicknesse only attended two meetings. The first was largely consumed by charges that his government was not legitimate and counter-threats to seize the bank if the Goblins did not take a more reasonable attitude. The meeting ended with an agreement that all parties would recognise the legitimacy of the Thicknesse government and the sovereignty of Gringotts' main bank site. The existing terms of the charter were again extended for a year, which means they expire this September on the date of the Autumn equinox. At Thicknesses' last meeting, there was agreement to maintain the present tax rates. The Goblin King agreed that the bank would once again make loans. Thicknesse asked if any loans had been made in the past year and the Goblin King said no, but the mechanisms to do this were being established. The rest of the meeting was devoted to Thicknesses' demand to seize the vaults of known members of the Order of the Phoenix and of Harry Potter. The Goblin King said this was a tricky legal issue, since the charter only allowed for seizure in the case of treason against an elected Minister. Thicknesse vigorously objected and the Goblin King agreed to consider the matter and to begin an inventory of any vaults that Thicknesse intended to demonstrate were owned by traitors. Thicknesse ended the meeting by stating that the bank would lose its charter if this matter was not resolved by the September meeting.
"There is a memorandum of one formal meeting with Minister Shacklebolt. The Minister accepted the extension of the charter into September, agreed on the existing tax rates, quashed the request to seize vaults of Order members and made a request to seize the vaults of Death Eaters. The Goblin King accepted the seizure of the vaults belonging to deceased Death Eaters but said that seizure of the vaults owned by Thicknesse, Barty Crouch, Jr., the Malfoys, and other live Death Eaters 'would be considered and discussed in September'. The Goblin King stressed the urgency of renewing the charter by the September meeting, to eliminate uncertainty. Minister Shacklebolt asked if any loans had been made yet and the Goblin King responded, 'I anticipate that happening very, very soon'."
"That's most enlightening," Dad complimented Percy. "It indicates one clear line of attack that the King will take with Harry. I think your best approach, Harry, is to simply tell the King that you will relay to me any concerns that he raises on these matters. You can tell him that I am willing to meet with him and discuss this prior to September. I have had two meetings with him. He visited me after Minister Shacklebolt was attacked to express his condolences. He visited again the day after the election to congratulate me on the victory. At that time, he indicated that he was willing to agree to an immediate seizure of the remaining Death Eater vaults if I was willing to bless a hundred-year extension of the charter, under its existing terms, and present it to the Wizengamot for approval. I told him that I would strongly consider this, but felt the charter needed to be modernised. I forgot to push the lending issue."
"It is enlightening," Harry agreed. "It seems that Gringotts is very determined not to facilitate the establishment of Wizard commercial enterprises by making loans. I believe we will have to remove the exclusivity in their charter, or they will continue to use the bank to prevent Wizard society from progressing. By the way, have you been notified by the bank that you now have a seat on its Board? Professor McGonagall has not received any notification."
"No, I haven't," Dad replied. "I'll send Prudence to fetch Shacklebolt to see if he was offered a seat on the Board."
"Percy," Harry asked, "I don't suppose the Ministry keeps minutes of the Gringotts' Board of Directors meetings going back to the early days of the bank? It would be interesting to check on any discussions the Board had on the issue of making loans and find out what reason if any they gave for stopping the practice of making loans. You'd have to go back to about 1710, when the loans stopped."
"As a matter of fact, the Ministry keeps all the records of that sort, going back to the dawn of the Ministry. Finding them is another question. I've gone back through the minutes as far as 1905. I've tasked Ellie from the museum staff in the Finance Department to locate the minutes from Gringotts' first fifty years. I don't know if we'll have them prior to your meeting with the Goblin King. I can tell you this much: during the past hundred plus years, the question of loans has come up about a dozen times. Each time, the Ministry and Hogwarts representatives supported the issuance of loans, while the Goblins and the Montaigne family representative were opposed to making loans. There was seldom a reason given, but in the few times that a reason was given for rejection it was either the Goblin King saying 'there is too great an element of risk', 'haven't we discussed this enough times in the past', and 'we have no experience with that sort of thing', while the Montaigne representative said 'don't want to put the annual dividend in jeopardy' and 'it would only lead Wizards to desert the traditional ways'. That last remark was made by the current Lord Montaigne twenty-seven years ago."
"Wow, Cissy," Ron exclaimed "it seems your family has made a habit of siding with the Goblins against their fellow Wizards."
"I don't believe that could be the case," Cissy rejected that idea. "My father is a traditionalist, who wants to protect the Wizard life style and avoid activities that would cause overly much scrutiny from the Muggles. He has always stressed to me the importance of remaining hidden."
"Which is why he allowed Bruce to gallivant all over the Continent doing business with, partying with, and preying upon the non-magical, to the extent that he was frequently in their press and barely escaped arrest," Ron shot back.
"I admit Bruce is a big blind spot for my father. I think father also believed that our family was positioned to be the Wizard interface with Muggle society, and that Bruce had enough background documentation as the son of a British Lord to not spark suspicion. His lack of a documented formal British education was the big gap in his resume, and he tried to fill it by attending University in France. Home schooling is very strange for a future British Lord, but that was the story. My father went to Eton and Oxford, as well as Hogwarts. Well, he had the equivalent of about two years at Hogwarts."
"What I learned of British history convinced me that the landed aristocratic families always did whatever they could to prevent the emergence of wealthy merchants or a middle class, in general," Hermione lectured. "The aristocrats feared that change and the emergence of other centers of wealth and power would diminish their own position. Remember what Professor McGonagall said about the animosity between the country Great Families and the city Great Families."
"Well, as much fun as this little argument has been", Harry said, "I think we should be off to the museum. We'll be back here at 11:30, which gives plenty of time before our 1:00 P.M. lunch at the bank."
We spent two hours looking at prints and drawings by Degas, Cezanne, Toulouse-Lautrec, Gauguin, and Van Gogh so that Harry could 'just get a little bit of a feel for impressionist art'. It was interesting, but not the way I would have chosen to spend our precious time prior to meeting the Goblin King.
Our return to Harry's office found Dad, Percy, and Shacklebolt poring over old Gringotts' Board minutes. Dad looked up as we entered "Percy was able to locate the minutes from 1700 through 1730 and they are most revealing. The last loans made were in 1711 and 1712 to the merchant-trader families of Black and Parkinson. Those families had been borrowing from Gringotts since 1695 and had always repaid their debts on time, with interest. They even paid some special, and likely illegal, 'security fees' to the bank.
"The change came at the September 1712 meeting, when the Blacks requested a larger loan, offering a ship and the contents of their London warehouse as surety for the loan. On the motion of the then Lord Montaigne, the loan was rejected. The reasons given were 'the high risk of backing merchant shipping', 'the undue visibility of magical creatures in the Muggle world', and 'further threat to the Wizard way of life'. Requests were made by both the Blacks and the Parkinson's for at least the next eighteen years. The requests were always rejected by a vote of 3 – 2, with Lord Montaigne and the Goblins voting as a bloc. In 1730, a resolution offered by the Goblin King that 'Gringotts Bank is no longer interested in making loans of any sort' passed on the same 3 – 2 vote. Of additional interest, a sizable loan was issued to a Goblin in 1710, for the purpose of establishing a foundry. That loan was approved 3 – 2, with both Goblin representatives voting no. At the September 1711 meeting, on the motion of the Goblin King, the board voted 3 – 2 that 'Gringotts Bank will hereafter make no loan to any Goblin other than the Goblin King or permit any Goblin to rent a vault without prior approval by the Goblin King'. I guess I don't need to tell you who provided the third vote for that motion".
"I guess my family has looked out for its own interests over the years," Cissy conceded.
"Who are you going to take with you to Gringotts?" Dad asked Harry.
"I thought it best to go low-key and take it as assumed that I'm going in response to the request to Hermione that the negotiations on the vault heist be handled face-to-face at this stage. I thought I'd take just Hermione, Ron, and Ginny to make it clear that I am not attending the meeting as the Deputy Minister or the trainee Keeper. They were each specifically included in the invitation and there was no suggestion that I bring anybody else."
"There is merit in that," Dad replied. "That allows you to say you aren't prepared to discuss the other matters, but that you'll be happy to note what the King wishes to discuss and return at another date with your appropriate advisors."
"That's what I'll do then," Harry concluded. "I realise I don't know the King's name, or his age, or how long he has been King. Or something as basic as what is the normal life expectancy of a Goblin King?"
"His name is Nika Goblanze, and I think it might be best if you referred to him as 'chairman', rather than 'King'. I'm embarrassed to say that I can't answer your other questions. Perhaps Viktor or Percy can answer you."
"Goblanze has been chairman, which I guess is his same tenure as the King, for forty-five years," Percy quickly answered. "He is now eighty-seven years old. An average life expectancy for a Goblin is about one hundred and ten years, although a King typically lives ten or twenty years longer than that. Goblanze will be King and chairman until he either dies or is incapacitated. The prior chairman spent almost ninety years in office. The chairman is well equipped to play the long game in his dealings with us. He knows we may only be in office for six years. The point in our favour is that he knows we can partially dissolve the charter in September."
"That's very impressive, Percy," Dad said, perhaps condescending as he continued, "I hadn't appreciated how well versed you are in so many important manners."
"Let's quickly talk about what it is safe for me to definitely offer the Chairman," Harry shifted the topic. "I had planned to promise to procure an infant dragon for him. I think Charlie can help with that. I planned to offer back the Gryffindor sword, with the proviso that it would have to be borrowed from time to time as dire need arises. I planned to offer about 5 – 10,000 gold galleons as a monetary settlement. And I planned to apologise."
"The dragon is fine," Dad responded. "You may offer a qualified apology, in the form of you realise that your action was technically improper and illegal, but you acted out of necessity and cut through red tape, knowing that the Chairman would have granted you access to the vault in furtherance of the fight against our common enemy, but that there just wasn't the time for that. I'm not happy about the offer of the sword or the money. You have the letters from Narcissa and Hermione, who are the rightful owners of the vault. Unless Percy or Viktor see grounds for objection, I think you could offer 5000 galleons to purchase the sword on behalf of Hogwarts, for a term equal to the longer of the life of yourself, the life of your children, or the life of the school. I don't think it would hurt to casually remind him that his support of the Death Eaters, including recognition of Thicknesse as a Board Member, could be deemed a violation of the bank's charter."
Viktor and Percy said that approach seemed fine to them. Cissy added "it's important not to show weakness or be overly deferential to the Goblin King. You represent the Wizard world, not just Harry Potter."
"Thanks, I'll remember that," Harry replied. "And now, it's almost time to depart for the bank. I have one last question. What sort of food am I likely to be served?"
"Goblins don't eat meat," Viktor observed. "Unless of course they are very ill and need the specific nutrients in the meat. In that case, they always eat it raw, because cooking would diminish the nutritional value, and they want to heal themselves with the minimum consumption of animal flesh. They eat vegetables, especially root vegetables, fruit, nuts, yoghurt, cheese, plus a little fish and shellfish. You will be able to assess the meeting by the food you are served. If it is not considered to be a very important meeting, such as if it is just presented as dealing with your break-in of the vault, then you'll only be served vegetables and perhaps some apples. If you are offered cheese and a larger selection of fruits and vegetables, then it is an important meeting. If fish or shellfish are included, it is the equivalent of a state dinner. Whatever they prepare, they use a lot of mushrooms, herbs, and garlic. The use of truffles and spices is also something of an honor. Cinnamon is especially limited to important dinners and holiday banquets."
Dad met privately with Harry for a few minutes, before we left for Gringotts. I was curious but didn't have a chance to ask Harry and didn't want to do an obvious touch, with so many watching eyes.
Following Dad's suggestion, we changed into our Ministry-formal robes for the lunch and Apparated to a spot eight feet above the entrance to Ollivander's shop. We floated gracefully down to the ground in our formal attire, drawing stares and some cheers from the shoppers. Harry waved back at the gawkers as we strolled casually to the entrance of Gringotts bank. A formally-attired Goblin met us at the entrance, telling us that his chairman was expecting us. He led us to an elevator, which carried us to the fourth, which was the top, floor.
We exited the elevator into a small reception area. The long wall facing us was almost all windows, with old dark crimson velvet draperies and bench seats for visitors. The long wall, which contained the two elevators, was filled by an elaborate marble reception desk. The walls and floor were of polished pink granite. Each of the two short walls was made up entirely of floor-to-ceiling embossed and polished brass doors. Our guide led us to the doors on our left. They opened easily to his pull. This whole side of the floor was devoted to a smallish reception area, with a Wizard receptionist seated behind a dark wooden desk, a large conference room ahead of us, and a seemingly large office with a closed door on our left. Our guide asked the receptionist if the chairman was ready to see us. The receptionist replied, "it will be just a few minutes", and motioned us to a leather sofa and two leather seats to our right. Our guide departed.
I took the opportunity to lay my hand on the back of Harry's right hand, where it rested between us. {[amused, in good spirits] You're becoming a bit more patient. I expected you to try that before. Your Dad wanted to tell me that it might not be wise to include Cissy in the sort of meeting which we just left. He doesn't trust her as we do, but he also thought it impolite to discuss her father's Gringotts chicanery in her presence. He says no harm was done. Everything we said was a message that he won't mind at all being passed back to Lord Montaigne. He mostly was worried how far Ron might go in needling her. There you have it.}