CHAPTER 3
The next morning, he accompanied Gran to the Ministry to speak to Shacklebolt, who was temporary Minister. The staring, pointing, gratitude and adulation had gotten worse. But he firmed his resolve to do some good this time around, rather than stumble around cluelessly. Taking his cue from Gran and also remembering his Slytherin classmates, Harry surreptitiously corrected his posture, stared straight ahead and paced his stride, his arm offered gallantly to escort Madame Augusta Longbottom. Gran had already done wonders, transfiguring his robes into something more suitable, and less pathetic. All he had to do was play the part. Thinking of Snape, he smirked inwardly and then flicked his left forefinger surreptitiously towards the hem of his robes, making them flair dramatically. This wasn't as bad as he worried, after all.
In the Minister's office, as soon as the highest kind of security and privacy spells were in place, Kinglsey and Gran began discussing the latest onset of Goblin Nation related issues. They were furious with the raid and the loss of their prize dragon and were baying for Harry's blood according to Kingsley. Gran waved dismissively and imperiously ordered Harry to explain why the Goblin fuss was as valid as Fudge's fat promises. Harry grinned at that comparison but quickly explained what he had done, and why.
While explaining, Harry left nothing except the Deathly Hallows out of his harrowing tale; Dumbledore's last year and the vague lessons, the final explanation of soul shards and anchors, the vague bequests and utterly confusing clues and vague hints, hunting for Voldemort and his seven Horcruxes, and finally how he had been forced to raid Gringotts to extract one. Ron and Hermione were the only ones Dumbledore had allowed him to confide in; despite his misgivings. He pointed out that he was barely eighteen now, and made the crazy mistake of trusting the headmaster to know what he was doing. Despite knowing or at least suspecting that Bill Weasley could easily have helped, as could Kingsley or Moody, he had made the exact same mistake as his parents; trusting Dumbledore blindly. He remarked bitterly that, until he had discussed this issue with Gran the previous night, he hadn't even known of the Treaty between Goblins and wizards regarding the blackest necromantic cursed artefacts to ever be found. Professor Binns most certainly never mentioned any of this in his lectures or at least Hermione would have known of this. It was all down to bad education that the war did not end soon, come to think of it. Kingsley looked utterly shocked at that observation; it could have been the entire conversation, to be perfectly honest.
Gran very helpfully pointed out that Goblins were obliged to either hunt and destroy dark artefacts, notify the ministry of it or void the peace treaty between their races, at a great penalty to their race. Instead, they had stored at least one abomination inside their Vaults and guarded the offence against Magic Herself for more than two decades. Besides, as Lord Black, Harry had the right to access Bellatrix Lestrange's vaults as the head of her family; the crazy witch had never been cleared of charges, but simply walked the streets assuming that escaping Azkaban was the same as being exonerated.
Sirius had been Lord Black before he chose Harry as his Heir since Sirius had never been convicted or even tried. But Bellatrix Lestrange had been arrested, tried for her crimes against Alice and Francis Longbottom, and convicted to a life sentence in the Maximum Security wing of Azkaban. And yet the Goblin Nation had punished the Lord and sided with the convicted Criminals, breaching the peace treaty in another way again.
Harry grouched bitterly that in that way, Goblins were no different from Wizards in England; Harry had risked life and limb, shed blood, sweat and tears, and had done their job for them, but he was sure they would find a way to punish him for it. That brought them to what Harry wanted to address, in this meeting. It would be hard to deny that Harry had done the Wizarding community of England a great service. Like the pied piper, he had helped clear their land of a very big and nasty infestation, so to speak and now he wished for something in return. He wanted diplomatic immunity for his efforts and he wanted protection, not just from the Goblins.
Harry did not think his requests very unreasonable; he frankly admitted to Kingsley that fighting since the Halloween of 1981 to spring equinox of 1997 was too much for any one person. He was soul weary and wanted to live a little. He wanted to take what was truly his, and quietly vanish into the woodworks and perhaps live an ordinary life somewhere where he wouldn't be recognised. Muggle world seemed very appealing. There would be no Skeeter in the muggle world, hunting him to whip the crowds into baying for his blood now that his use was over. Amidst muggles, he would be what he had always wanted to be; Just Harry.
No one present in the Minister's office could fault him for his stand. After a prolonged and pregnant silence, Kingsley promised his full support. A DMLE legal officer was sent for, and the four of them took off to Gringotts to settle the matter. As Harry had guessed, the Goblins were fuming. Harry sought a personal meeting with Ragnok the 17th, at the Elder Goblin King's richly appointed office, where he explained why he did what he did, and how little information, support or guidance he was operating on.
Without being asked, Harry offered to share his memories of the "lessons" that Dumbledore had finally given him. Ragnok's query on why he hadn't already known these things, replied to his Gringotts mails all his life or claimed his Black and Potter Lordships, and Harry's astonished reply that he had never known any of it shocked everyone. When Harry freely offered an oath on his life that he truly hadn't known any of it, nor received any letters from Gringotts, or any fans for that matter, settled the last of their issues. Not one of them could deny that Dumbledore had been playing chess with Harry's life. The old man had not expected Harry to survive the final battle.
Ragnok, Kingsley, Augusta and Harry contemplated the machinations that had set their world of fire, purging it, in a way, but destroying it just as much. Unlike Harry, the elders present in the meeting knew how easily all of this could have been handled without so much death, destruction and sacrifice if only Dumbledore had been a wee bit more honest. The old fool had nearly gutted their world and entirely ruined their economy, for his arrogance. Far too many innocent lives had been lost in his blindness. There would be no forgiveness for that man; each of them cursed his soul to eternal purgatory for this criminal atrocity. For once, the four were united in their dislike of the games two wizards had so very callously played, nearly destroying their world in the process. They had treated this world and the lives of everyone as if it was all a game of chess. Merlin curse them both to the agony of hellfyres forevermore!/div
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div style="text-align: justify;"Ragnok had to concede that it was not just wizards but Goblins too who owed Harry Potter a life debt. The runaway goblin traitor Griphook had been the one to renege on the deal he had cut with Harry; Ragnok swore that Griphook and his betrayal would be revealed to Goblin kin at the earliest, with the reminder that as Lord Black, Harry Potter had every right to what he took, and it was Griphook's treachery that led to the ambush and the loss of a dragon.
And since Harry Potter was not going to declare war on Goblin Nation for the crime against him, in recompense for his loss and pain, Ragnok would personally handle his accounts, investments, wealth and legalese with no more than half a percent of the profits annually, paid to the Goblin in question, as retainer fees. Harry didn't need Hermione Granger to tell him that this was an incredible, once in a lifetime offer he'd be a thrice-damned fool to reject. The expressions in Gran and Kingsley's faces were enough of a clue for him. He hastily agreed and due papers were signed, contracting Ragnok and Harry with their blood and magic as the sealant, and Gran and Kingsley as the witnesses. Kingsley left after they came to an agreement as to how much of the truth should be revealed to the public.
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