This Harry Potter story was written for fun. All rights belong to the wonderful lady (JK Rowling) who gave the world Harry Potter to read and enjoy.

Harry introduces Neville to the 'babies'; the Longbottom boy and Death communicate with multiplication tables. The Granger parents grow concerned over their daughter's stories. Felicity and the Longbottom account manager at Gringotts discover Neville's abuse.

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Chapter 30 Holiday Fun

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SCENE: Introductions at Gringotts

The moment the train stopped at Kings Crossing, the students burst from the doors onto the platform, looking for their families and friends to begin the holiday from school. Waving farewell, Hermione, Justin, and Sally Ann Perks headed through the doorway labelled '9¾' to the train station to find their muggle parents on the other side. Hannah, Zach, Ernie, and the others found their parents and left. A witch was there to pick up Susan and they used the floo to leave while Harry and Neville waded and dodged through the crowd to find Felicity.

"Harry! You've grown!" the healer declared as she hugged the boy who was taller than when he left October 1.

"Felicity, this is my good friend, Neville Longbottom," Harry said as he reluctantly released the hug.

The healer smiled at the blonde headed boy. "Mr Longbottom, we will be pleased to have you with us for Yule and Christmas. Be guest welcome!"

"Thank you, Healer Grossman," Neville replied with a bow.

"Now, the formalities are out of the way…"

"So, Scarhead, retreating to the mud huts with the muggles," said the unwelcome voice of Draco Malfoy.

"Malfoy, do you require assistance?" asked Penelope Clearwater as she stepped up to interrupt a potentially nasty end to the otherwise quiet trip down from Scotland.

"No," Draco said, attempting to wave off the meddling prefect.

"Then I suggest we walk into the station and find your parents," she insisted as the head boy came and joined them.

"Come along Malfoy," the Ravenclaw boy insisted. "Your parents will be anxious to find you and leave."

"Who was that?" Felicity asked after their pureblood classmate vanished into the train station with the prefect and the head boy.

"His name is Draco Malfoy," Neville replied. "He's supposed to be a pureblood scion with perfect manners."

Harry shook his head, "The purebloods with the best manners never stand out like the ones with bad manners – like Malfoy and Weasley – they're both in our year."

"Well, we don't have to deal with bad manners during the holidays!" Felicity replied. "Come on now, we need to get to the floo. After you rest for a few minutes, we'll have tea with Ironstream and then visit the nursery."

"Nursery?" asked Neville.

"Not a greenhouse nursery, Neville," Harry explained. "We'll go see the babies and I'll introduce you to the dragons that hatched last summer at the bank."

"Dragons?" Neville asked. "I never really believed…"

"They're smart and Swampy is really sweet," Harry replied.

Felicity smiled and laid her hand on Neville's shoulder to reassure him though the boy flinched back. The healer said nothing about the boy's reaction but continued, "Every time she brings a letter from Harry, Miss Hedwig and I take it to the dragons. I read it aloud to the dragons and leave them an enlarged copy to practice their reading. Hagrid assured me the 'babies' are very excited that you have come home to visit and that you will bring more friends to meet them."

"Real dragons…" murmured Neville as the three made their way into the station to an available floo.

*(+++++)*

After a short rest, Felicity led the two boys through the hallways to a nice doorway where they knocked and heard a voice call for them to enter the office.

"Harry! Good to see you back at Gringotts!" declared Ironstream as he came around his desk to shake hands with the boy-who-lived and for the proper introduction to 'Heir Longbottom'.

Sowsbreath, Steeltoe and a third goblin waited beside the desk for a proper introduction to the new boy and then everyone went to the tables for tea and biscuits, fruit and small cakes. The goblin 'tea' was at a shorter table, but the wizard 'tea' was plentiful and delicious.

Sowsbreath, Steeltoe, and Ironstream had many questions for the two boys about their adventures at Hogwarts while Felicity asked questions about their classes. The third goblin, named Sharpknife, was the account manager for the Longbottom vaults and estate – he wanted to meet Heir Longbottom and make gentle inquiries about the boy's education.

"May we see the babies now?" Harry asked after the last Goblin delicacy was nibbled by Ironstream. The account manager smiled without displaying his teeth – his approval of his wards proper manners led him to grant the request.

"Yes, come, let us away to the depths of the vaults where dragons hold court and practice reading their 'brother's' letters every day," Ironstream waxed poetic while Harry and the others grinned.

"The dragons read Harry's letters?" asked Neville. He turned to his friend and said, "So that's why you print them."

"Yeah, Swampy, Death, Whatcha and Flat hatched last summer. They learned to eat and drink the first day. The second day they started talking to me in parsel tongue, and they could understand English then too. We worked the whole of September on reading from primers and the Daily Prophet."

"So, those names?" asked Neville. "Swamps? Whatsit?"

Harry laughed. "The babies 'knew' their names when they hatched and that's the first thing, they told me. Their full names are Flatfoot, Swampbreath, Deathrider, and Whatchamacallit."

"Then Hagrid gave them nick names; Flatfoot became 'Flat', Swampbreath became 'Swampy', Deathrider became 'Death', and Whatchamacallit became 'Whatcha'.

"They liked the nick names but that's because they think Hagrid is their Dad, so anything he wants is okay with the babies. And they think Fang, Hagrid's the big dog, is their Mum."

Neville looked at his friend and said, "Justin will love this but I wonder what Hermione and Susan will think."

Harry grinned, "If the babies like you, I intend to bring everybody to meet 'em."

Ironstream remained quiet listening to the conversation between the two young wizards; he had no doubt that Harry Potter would have his entire class here to meet the dragons at some point over the holidays or next summer. Perhaps it was time to move a couple vaults out of the way and enlarge the nursery with school rooms for the young goblins, wizards and dragons.

"Harry, it is important this holiday to begin teaching the 'babies' as you call them, to speak English or Garfish. Hopefully, they will be able to speak both," Ironstream said.

Nodding, Harry asked, "How much do they need to know before I go back to school?"

Ironstream said, "I want to know if they can learn English… Not just mimic your words but put a simple sentence together in English."

Neville said, "We definitely need Justin and Hermione here… Say, maybe maths would be the way to reach the dragons."

"What do you mean, Mr Longbottom?" Felicity asked.

"Hermione goes on and on about maths being another language that we use to communicate – numbers do not change between English and Garfish… Well that's not exactly true, we're supposed to start talking about using base eight next year…"

_)**(_

SCENE: Dragons in Gringotts

Arriving at the nursery – the dragon quarters that protected the richest vaults in Gringotts – Ironstream stopped the cart while Felicity giggled in her seat beside Harry as Neville continued to talk about numbers.

The goblin looked at Harry who smiled and explained, "Neville's been like this since he discovered maths back in November. When he gets with Justin and Hermione…"

Harry turned toward his friend and asked, "And who's the boy from Slytherin?"

"Theodore Nott," Neville replied calmly.

Now Felicity giggled as she watched Ironstream's face as he came to understand that the son of one of the Dark Lord's strongest supporters was consorting with two brilliant muggleborns to learn muggle maths was a Patronus worthy moment.

"Yeah, Teddy," Harry nodded. "He's a good guy. Anyway, the four of them talk numbers a lot of the time and they're teaching everyone. The fourth years in Arithmancy said they'd finish the whole class before the end of the year because Hermione and Justin showed them how to use decimals…"

"How does the professor for Arithmancy feel about that?" asked Felicity.

"Professor Vector smiles all the time now," Neville said. "She plans to take over the math club from Professor Flitwick and make it a full-time class that everyone has to take!"

"Let's go meet the dragons", Felicity said as Hedwig flew out of the nursery to greet Harry with whistles and chortles.

"Come on!" shouted Harry Potter who dashed around the cart and ran into the nursey with Hedwig flying behind him.

"Is he like this all the time?" asked Ironstream.

Neville grinned, "Wait until you see him on a broomstick. The whole parliament of owls at Hogwarts and every kid on a broomstick follow him in the air. It's one of the best things I've ever felt to fly with the Great Speaker."

"Goblins don't fly," Ironstream replied though he noticed Neville referred to Harry by that still unexplained title.

"Not yet," replied Felicity. "He's going to want to take the babies flying so you might as well make arrangements to take them all to the giant cavern sometime to fly."

"We don't have brooms," Ironstream growled.

The healer smiled and said, "Think of the interest you could generate among the broom makers if Harry Potter and his dragons – his Gringotts dragons – endorsed a broom? Front page coverage in the Daily Prophet…"

"I hate you Felicity Grossman," Ironstream muttered and scared Neville as they walked the last steps into the 'nursery'.

Felicity was quick to reassure her visitor, "He doesn't really mean that Mr Longbottom. Ironstream is lauded by all goblins for the information and income that working with Harry's estate has brought to the bank this fall."

"I mean every word of it! You're a Dark Lady!" insisted Ironstream.

"Oh, well… Harry will like that," Neville said.

"What do you mean?" asked Felicity suddenly.

Neville grinned. "Justin is going to be a Dark Lord and Susan is going to be a Dark Lady – we're all friends and work together every day. For Harry's magical guardian to be called a 'Dark Lady' will please all the kids in our year."

"I'm not serious… She's not a dark lady…" Ironstream repeated to assure the boy he wasn't serious, and Felicity nodded in agreement.

Neville shook his head. "That's too bad. Harry'll be so disappointed…"

Realizing the boy was teasing, Ironstream hissed, "You evil boy! Just as evil as the healer!"

Felicity's laughter filled the chamber as they stepped into the nursery and then she smiled, seeing Harry running from one dragon to the next, hugging their necks and hissing with them.

_)**(_

{I missed you, too!} Harry assured Swampy as Flat, Death and Whatcha each demanded to have their necks hugged again and again by their 'wizard'.

{We missed you so much boy!} insisted Death. {Miss Hedwig told us the tales and we wanted to come to Hogwarts to eat Whiskers.}

{No, no! You can't eat Whiskers,} Harry insisted. {He's old and stringy! He'd poison you and make you sick.}

Then Neville heard dragon laughter for the first time. He stepped closer, pulled by the sound, and stood there nervous until Harry grinned and said, "Neville, come make some new friends!"

Then he properly introduced his classmate to each dragon and showed Neville how to hug the dragon around the neck.

"They love to be hugged – something about their magic needs the demonstration of connection to another person. They wrap their necks around each other all the time, Hagrid hugs them and Fang sleeps lying across their necks."

"Harry, this is so great!" Neville said as he met each dragon. When he was introduced to Whatcha and hugged this dragon, his face grew serious and for some reason not clear to anyone else, Neville began reciting the multiplication tables with the dragon. He started slowly but then as the dragon began to stamp his feet slowly, smoke curling out of his nostrils, Whatcha began hissing also, and their voices appeared to be in synch.

"What's happening?" Felicity asked.

"They're reciting the multiplication tables together… In time with each other," Harry replied. "Whatcha and Neville are talking… going to learn how to talk to each other."

Ironstream stood at the back of the group and watched the half-giant dry his tears. The dog lifted his head from his bed on the comfortable sofa before rolling over to begin another nap.

"I knew my babies were smart," Hagrid insisted. "They read Harry's letters over and over…"

"How do you know they are truly reading?" asked Ironstream.

Hagrid considered the question for a moment before he explained, "When Miss Hedwig and Healer Grossman come to visit, the dragons and Miss Hedwig always talk about the letter and t'other letters. I seen Flat use her claws to point to certain words in previous letters and ask questions…"

"How can you tell when a dragon asks a question?" demanded the goblin.

Hagrid grinned. "My baby's tone tells me it's a question. Healer Grossman used the word 'inflection' to explain it to me."

Ironstream nodded. The dragons were learning to read and apparently, Mr Longbottom and Harry were pulling out paper and pens to introduce them to maths this afternoon.

"We'll need to bring them supper here in the nursery," Felicity confided with Ironstream. "I think both boys are enjoying themselves."

The two eleven-year-old wizards were busy showing all four dragons how to do sums, subtraction and multiplication all at once… Harry would shout out the answers from the dragons as Neville gave them harder and harder problems to resolve.

"And each number has a name in English, Garfish and Parsel," Harry announced. "This will help you to learn to speak in the other languages we need."

_)**(_

SCENE: Granger Discussions

Daniel and Grace Granger sat at their kitchen table late that first night of the holidays; their daughter's stories about magic, friends and the extra classes pleased them for the most part. But the news about the troll left them uneasy and needing reassurance that Hermione was safe while at Hogwarts.

"We've solved the problem with trolls, Daddy," Hermione assured her father. "Harry's got house elves and they can rescue us anytime there's danger."

Seeing her parent's continued concern, the young witch added, "We have fire-drills and practice disappearing at least twice a week."

"What are house elves?" asked the confused dentists.

Hermione glanced at her mother and began a short explanation on the elves and their ability to 'pop' the kids to safety.

"Did we get an invitation to dinner at Gringotts with Harry's family?" she asked her parents at one point.

"Yes, we did," Grace replied.

"And one from Cyrus and Gwendolyn Finch-Fletchley too. Didn't imagine we'd deal with both wizards and billionaires over the holidays," added Dan, shaking his head at the thought.

"Are Justin's parents that rich?" Hermione asked. "He said they were well-off but then everyone thinks I'm rich because I had four pairs of shoes for school. Mom, the pureblood girls asked me to bring them back 'silk' underwear."

"Silk?" choked Dan while his wife grinned.

"They just mean the polyester blends… it feels like silk to people who are used to… What do the witches use?"

Hermione frowned, "Witches use linen – old fashioned linen – that is scratchy. I keep telling them the cotton blends are better and last longer."

"Will you wait and talk about ladies' undergarments when you go shopping?"

Hermione brightened and said, "Mom, can I get a new dress to wear to Justin's? And let me phone Sally-Anne and Susan. They'll want new dresses…"

"Yes, dear but we have to make certain we're all in the same budget," Grace reminded her daughter. "We met with the Perks back in October and I don't think they're that well-off."

"Then I want a dress just like hers," Hermione said. "We're all friends and I don't want her to feel bad."

Clearing his throat, Dan asked, "Can you tell us about your friends a little more?"

Hermione grinned and launched into details about Padma, Harry, Neville, Justin, Sally, Susan…

"Justin is very smart – he likes maths almost as much as me – and Teddy and Neville. Did you know you can use math to…"

"Hermione, we'll meet all your friends and their parents at Gringotts… and at the Finch-Fletchleys when we go there for dinner."

"Can Padma come to visit? She wants to see my books and she wants her mother to see our kitchen. Her mom loves muggle cooking pots and pans. I told her about gas stoves and they were excited about the chance to use that instead of magic to cook…"

"Hermione, do wizards have indoor plumbing?" asked her father. "Like the loo… hot showers…?"

"Yes, Daddy. It's very sanitary," the girl replied.

Dan shrugged, "It's a fair question, Hermione. They still use parchment and quills to write. That's very slow and tedious to write a huge paper that way I bet."

"Yes Daddy."

_)**(_

Only a direct order from Felicity made Neville and Harry leave the dragons at ten o'clock. They returned to Felicity's apartment in the bank's residence area to find the entire apartment spotless, beds turned down and hot cocoa waiting on the table.

"Your elves are great!" Neville said as they drank the cocoa and prepared for bed.

"It's Venus and Juno," Harry said. "They like to play 'housekeeping' when they get the chance."

_)**(_

SCENE: Neville's Morning

Harry rolled over in bed as he woke up the next morning. The room was bright with wizard lights and he stretched, checking the time on the clock on the small table beside the bed – Felicity encouraged him to keep a muggle manual alarm clock rather than using a spell every time he wanted to know the time.

He pulled on a dressing gown and wondered into the small kitchen to make tea but before he could find the tea pot, Venus popped into the room with a complete tray of tea, cream, and sugar.

"Morning Venus," Harry said as he sat at the table to fix a cup.

"Mr. Harry Potters be up lates this morning," the elf replied. "Mr Nevilles Greenthumb be with Healers Grossman in her office. You is to shower and dress and eats breakfasts before you goes to see them."

"Okay, Venus," Harry agreed. He lifted his teacup and asked, "Did you get this from Gringotts?"

"Yes, Mr. Harry Potters, elves know where to get foods at goblins bank. Now, whats do you want for breakfast?"

"Can I have pancakes with bacon and syrup, please?"

"Yes, Mr. Harry Potters. Does you want breakfast before or after you showers and dresses?"

"Before please…"

The little elf popped away and then back so quickly, Harry laughed aloud.

"Venus, how did you do that so fast?"

"Apollos tells us all to listen and whiles you talk, Juno cooks breakfasts for Venus to deliver," the elf replied as she sat the tray in front of Harry at the table. He dug into the stack of pancakes with butter and syrup, while demolishing the pile of bacon.

"Where's Hedwig this morning?" Harry asked as he finished the glass of milk the elf insisted her boy drink with his meal.

"Missy Feathers Hedwig Snowy Wings be in the nursery with the dragons, teaching them about wizard history this morning."

"History? Okay," Harry said as he left the table to dress and head for Felicity's office. As the elf cleaned away the dishes, he said, "Venus, thanks for breakfast. Tell Juno I really liked the bacon and pancakes! I have the best elves in the world!"

_)**(_

Fifteen minutes later, Harry ran along the hallways of Gringotts dodging dancing goblins and a few human employees. He smiled and greeted everyone by name if he recognized them. When he reached Felicity's office, he knocked and waited for almost a minute before the door opened. Inside he found Felicity, Neville and the new goblin from last night, Sharpknife.

"Morning Neville…" Harry said as he stepped inside but froze when he saw his friend's face. Neville was very nervous and the goblin was clearly agitated.

"What's wrong?"

Neville refused to look at Harry for a moment and Felicity stepped around her ward to close the door.

"Neville, Harry was abused too," the healer explained before she turned back to her 'patient' and said, "You've done nothing wrong! Your grandmother and great uncle will have to come to the bank and explain themselves today."

"Do I have to see them?" Neville asked.

"Not if you don't want to see them," Sharpknife growled. "They are beasts and will be treated as such."

"I don't ever want to see them again," the boy said quietly and Harry noticed the goblin nod in agreement.

"What happened?" Harry insisted on knowing.

Felicity sighed, "I'm a healer and my oaths make it impossible to see a child hurt and not help them. That's why Saint Mungo's doesn't want muggleborn children brought there for treatment. The healers would all be forced to help the children without regard to their blood status."

"Oh, for the love of Merlin!" Harry swore. "I despise this pureblood crap more every day!"

"Yesterday, I noticed Neville flinched when I touched his shoulder. Sharpknife and I convinced him to talk to me this morning and I ran my usual diagnostics on him."

Harry went to his friend to give him a brief, one-arm hug, before turning to his guardian while he kept the arm wrapped around the other boy's shoulders, "Is Neville okay? That's all I care about."

"Yeah, I'm going to be okay," Neville replied. "I have to take some potions while we're here for holiday and we have to talk with Miss Hedwig and the dragons alone."

Harry grinned. "Watch out for Death's snarky comments. He'll want to kill your grandmother, but you have to convince him not to go through with it."

"Why not?" asked Neville. "They wanted me dead often enough."

"The ministry will not let a 'creature' kill a wizard and live," Felicity explained.

"But Death and the other dragons are people… maybe not just like us but they're people."

_)**(_

Augusta Longbottom was the acknowledged Dowager Longbottom before her son was incapacitated ten years before. With Neville's age, she became his guardian, and took control of the Longbottom estate and seat within the Wizengamot; something she'd never done while her husband lived. She found she liked the power, making deals behind the scenes, and the occasional 'gift' for supporting different motions in the ministry.

She'd plotted for years to keep Neville away from the seat, thinking she could stay in power for the rest of her life if her grandson had no interest in the seat. Then her brother convinced her that the boy was a squib and they would have to find a distant relative to take up the title. Arthur was certain they could apply enough money to the deal to keep the 'new' Lord Longbottom away from London once Neville was settled with the muggles.

But in July, before his eleventh birthday, Neville received his letter from Hogwarts and Augusta sent him off to school. His letters from school came once a week with short listings of his activities for the past week. In the first letter, she been disgusted to read that Alice's son was sorted in Hufflepuff, like his mother. A true Longbottom scion would have been a Gryffindor.

His request to spend the holiday with a friend in London was welcomed – she'd have the elves provide him with a Christmas gift and not have to deal with him before next summer. She smiled with the prospect of meetings with the minister and other purebloods.

Just as she completed her preparations and gathered her clutch and handkerchief, an elf popped into her dressing room with a letter.

"Mistress Longbottom, a letters just arrived from goblinses," the little creature said and offered the letter.

"Open it for me," the dowager ordered as she fixed the last of the pins in her hair to hold the giant hat upon her head. The vulture still intimidated people left and right, even after twenty years. She'd worn the hat to Frank's wedding just to infuriate the woman her son married.

Augusta wore the hat often and enjoyed the memory of the look of embarrassment on Alice's face as she walked down the aisle; that particular memory made her smile at least once each day.

'Small victories against a helpless enemy,' she sighed. In the last year, she'd stopped going to Saint Mungo's. There was nothing there to see, just a couple wasting away on their beds.

The elf broke the seal on the letter and opened it, glancing briefly at the writing before handing the letter to the distracted witch.

"Go," she ordered the elf who popped away to seek the other Longbottom elves.

Augusta read the letter twice, the first time not understanding the words clearly and after a moment she started again.

_)**(_

Dowager Longbottom

A most serious threat to the Longbottom vaults and estate has been discovered this morning. We wish to bring it to your immediate attention. Come to Gringotts before 10:00AM.

Do not tell your brother! Do not bring Mr. Rosier with you.

Sharpknife, Keeper of the Longbottom Vaults

_)**(_

"Don't tell my brother. Do those creatures think they can tell me what to do?" Augusta muttered as she rose, casting the letter aside as she hurried to the floo to fire call Arthur.

Once she told him of the letter's contents, her brother agreed to accompany Augusta to the bank and they planned to meet in front of the bank in ten minutes. It was already 9:30 and they wanted to dispose of the problem as quickly as possible.

The two apparated into the approved spot in Diagon Alley and immediately moved aside in case another traveller appeared in the same spot.

"What is this about?" Arthur demanded on his sister.

"I have no idea," Augusta admitted. "The letter said that a threat was discovered this morning to the vaults… Do you think it's a thief?"

"Most likely," Rosier admitted. "Let's get inside and find out what we have to do to put a stop to it."

_)**(_

At Longbottom Hall, the elf popped into Lady Augusta's room and popped out with the letter. The elves gathered in the kitchen to read and discuss the letter.

"Mistress Alice told us all bads luck would follow her and Mr Francis for all years of their lives," the head elf told the others. "We must protect Mr Neville Greenthumbs. Missy Alligator Roses will not hurt Mr Neville Greenthumbs again."

_)**(_

SCENE: Missy Alligator Roses

"Ah, Dowager Longbottom, I am glad you are prompt this morning," Sharpknife said as he bowed before the witch. "But you brought your brother…"

"I wanted my brother here with me," Augusta replied frostily. "Wizards and witches know what is best… you know this, surely."

The goblin smiled, his teeth gleaming in the light of his office.

"Certainly, and by the treaties between the Ministry for Magic and Gringotts Bank, one of the duties of goblins is to protect the vaults of each client. Longbottom is an ancient name, and well respected here in Gringotts. I believe it was your husband who…"

"Yes, yes," Augusta said as she waved the little 'man' to move along. "What is the threat to the Longbottom vaults?"

"And how can we deal with it, quickly," Arthur added.

The goblin bowed his head and asked, "Is it your wish for the threat to be dealt with quickly, Dowager Longbottom?"

"It is!" Augusta growled. "Hurry this along, or I shall be late to a meeting of the committee for taxation at the Wizengamot!"

"Very well," the account manager replied. "Dowager Longbottom, it was brought to my attention this morning that Heir Longbottom is in danger."

"Danger? What danger?"

Arthur growled, "What has the boy done this time? I told him if there was any trouble, he'd regret it!"

Sharpknife took a deep breath to take the scent of his enemies before him. Then he grinned as he said, "Dowager Longbottom, Arthur Rosier, I charge you both with attempted murder, attempted line theft, child abuse, and endangering the Longbottom vaults at Gringotts."

"What is your plea?" asked the goblin.

The sister and brother stood shocked for a long second that allowed the door to the office to be thrown open and a dozen guards with spears, knives and axes to pour into the room. These goblins grabbed the two and pulled them to the floor. Wands were quickly located as well as port keys, spare wands, and sharp hat pins. The infamous vulture hat fell to the floor and goblins trampled it as they subdued the witch and wizard with ropes and the blunt ends of their weapons.

"Release us!" demanded the wizard.

"How dare you lay hands on me! I'll have your heads for this! And I'll mount them on the wall in my library!" Augusta threatened as she was wrapped in real ropes that could not be vanished with wandless magic.

"What is your plea?" asked Sharpknife once again.

"I'll kill that boy!" swore Arthur Rosier and sealed his fate.

"Dowager Longbottom, what plea do you enter?"

"I won't plead to anything! You can't do this! Only the Wizengamot can try me! Not you!"

"You're in Gringotts. Our treaties with the ministry require us to safeguard the vaults of our clients."

The goblin produced a report that bore the official stamp of a healer and he waved it under Augusta's face.

"Your grandson bears scars from your beatings and from your brother's attempts to force magic out of him – or kill him. The boy could have died! And if Neville Francis Longbottom died without a recognized heir, the vaults and estate of the Longbottom family would be closed for a thousand years. That would hurt the profits here at the bank for many years to come."

"Gringotts cannot take that chance," Sharpknife continued. "After three requests for a plea without a proper response, I find you guilty of attempted murder, attempted line theft, child abuse and endangering the vaults at Gringotts. You shall spend the next ten years working in the depths of the bank as we dig deeper tunnels."

"No! You can't do this to me!" Arthur shouted. "I plead not guilty!"

"But Wizard Rosier, you just threatened the life of Heir Longbottom a moment ago," the goblin said. "With my own ears, I heard you say…"

"I'll pay you!" Augusta shouted. "Name your price and I will pay it!"

"From the Longbottom vaults? That is impossible to arrange," Sharpknife said sadly. "You are no longer the regent or guardian of Heir Longbottom. You have no funds to pay bribes…"

"No! No!" the woman shouted as she was dragged away with her brother close behind.

Sharpknife smiled as goblins entered his office to set it to rights and cleanse the air.

After a few minutes, Sowsbreath entered the office and asked, "Did the matter conclude as you wished?"

"Better than anticipated. She brought her brother with her as predicted and I bagged both predators in a single hunt."

The elderly goblin grinned and bowed, "Most excellent and I applaud your skill. Now, what about the uncle? Alice Marshall's older brother?"

"We have sent an urgent message to him in America, asking him to come meet with us about his nephew."

_)**(_

SCENE: New Diggers

Goblintosser paused with her bucket for only a moment when the overseer brought two new workers to the dig. She quickly shuffled to the conveyer belt to dump her bucket of dirt and return to fill it again – the pile of dirt and stone excavated never grew smaller but the spears the goblins carried always hurt when you grew slow or tried to stop.

The woman and man wore fine robes that were already filthy. They might try taking those warm robes off later and clean them or air them out – Goblintosser had learned that the first days were the best times to take warm clothes from the new workers – before they began to grow tougher.

The couple screamed at the goblins and were beaten again. She waited for her chance and when they collapsed on the ground, Goblintosser moved quickly to take their cloaks. Those robes would have magical charms to keep the wearer cool or warm. She'd trade one cloak for a larger share of supper and keep one to warm her at night.

The goblin overseer smirked and allowed Goblintosser to take the robes from the stunned wizard and witch. These two wouldn't last long here in the tunnels but Goblintosser was well on her way to being an asset at the dig – they'd condition her to keep the others in line and she'd choose to stay here for the rest of her life when her ten year sentence was up.

_)**(_