Playing on the Harry Potter beach here. All rights belong to J.K. Rowling who gave us a great hero with wonderful adventures. This sandcastle will disappear with the tide and make way for the next fun story someone else shares.
10 Goblins and Rings Create ProblemsSirius and Goblins deal with movie stars with tempers. Harry and Hogwarts watch the chess tournament. Snape
CHANGE SCENE && London GringottsUsing a goblin-provided port key, Sirius Black traveled from Grimmauld Place to Gringotts at 1:00 PM. He arrived in an opulent chamber where he could meet with his vault managers for a time before greeting the King of the Gringotts Horde, Ragnock. The discovery of a Horcrux hidden in the vault of Bellatrix Lestrange meant the vault's contents were forfeit to the bank and Sirius had no argument with the seizure of the gold and jewelry. His vault managers seized the contents of the Rodolphus and Rabastan Lestrange to repay the Black family dowry that had come with Bellatrix as part of her marriage into the Lestrange family. Once his business was complete with his vault managers, Lord Black was invited into an austere public meeting room on the first floor of the bank. There were glass windows looking out over Diagon Alley and only one more floor above this floor.
Gringotts was underground and the mapping of the caverns was one of the greatest secrets of the goblins. Based on the unknown visitors, the goblins moved the meeting up and away from the caverns. Sirius wondered if the goblin identified as Ragnock was truly the king or an underling who was playing the role of leader.
Beginning at 2:15 PM, Sirius and Ragnock discussed the meeting at 3:00 PM with the couple who had stolen the images of muggle movie stars. Then Sirius revealed the second letter that arrived from his godson with more details and hints. He shared the actual letter and explained, "Harry wrote that they are argumentative as the four founders must have been when they build Hogwarts. In fact, he compares them to the founders twice in the same letter."
"The founders were never friends of the goblins at that time. My grandfather left notes that no goblin should ever trust the word of Godric Gryffindor or Salazar Slytherin," the goblin king replied.
"And the witches?" asked Sirius.
The goblin smirked (a strange thing to see on a goblin's lips) and explained, "Wizards forced witches to submit to their every wish a thousand years ago. Wives owned nothing – only the wizard could own property or hold a vault."
At 2:59, two figures apparated to the steps of the bank and moved inside the lobby. The witch was dressed in rich, stylish robes of ten years before and the wizard was dressed in the robes of a lord from a century before. But neither figure cared for the opinions of anyone watching them.
However, the moment they stepped inside the bank, the glamours and spells making the pair resemble muggle movie stars Elizabeth Taylor and Rex Harrison fell away. A few wizards and witches in the lobby saw the true visages of Helga Hufflepuff and Godric Gryffindor. They appeared as magical persons in their prime in the same robes as a moment before but their carriage and bearing swept away any human's objections to their clothing. Of course, no one recognized the couple, there were no portraits of the founders from a thousand years before.
However, the goblins knew who the couple were and did not welcome the arrival of the infamous Godric Gryffindor. The head teller pressed a claw against a particular rune to begin ringing a bell slowly with a deep, ominous tone. The tellers left their places to push and usher every other witch and wizard from the lobby. The doors leading to Diagon Alley closed behind the last person. Any witch or wizard inside an office or the vaults was confined to that space with their goblin manager or escorts who were very nervous but assured the humans they were safe so long as they didn't try to leave the room for the time being.
In the lobby, numerous guards appeared and pointed the sharp ends of their weapons at Godric and Helga, who seemed bored and not concerned by the change in the atmosphere in the lobby. The doors closing at Gringotts in the afternoon was the first time the bank closed in the middle of the day since the blitz by the German Luftwaffe in WWII.
A goblin in armor with guards appeared and said, "No words. Follow me for your meeting with Lord Black."
Godric growled with displeasure to be told what to do by a goblin. But Helga was relieved there'd be no fighting in the lobby with all of its wards and guards. Very quickly, the party of two humans and thirty goblin guards climbed a flight of stairs and moved along a hallway to a nondescript door. There was one knock on the door and then it was thrown open. The wizard and witch strode into the room where they found goblins lining the walls with weapons pointed at them, and a desk where a goblin and one other wizard sat. The goblin was dressed in a rich suit with rings on his clawed fingers and sharp gold biting teeth on his incisors to increase damage from each bite. The wizard was dressed in simple robes – an outer robe was thrown on over a muggle shirt and pants. Clean-shaven with short hair, the wizard didn't look like the other wizards they'd seen in the lobby.
Ragnock snorted, "Godric Gryffindor, after a thousand years, do you dare to appear before goblins?"
Bowing his head while maintaining his arrogant manner, Godric replied, "Lord Black suggested the meeting in this settlement of goblins. I come in peace with my wife at my side to discuss matters with this Lord Black."
After motioning toward Sirius Black, Godric glanced at all the goblins pointing their weapons in his direction and sniffed, dismissing the notion of being in any danger.
Sirius Black spoke up and explained, "My godson suggested this location because you were charged with securing and destroying the Horcrux of Tom Riddle that resided in the cup that once belonged to the lovely witch standing beside you. It is here in the bank."
"Well? Bring it here. Where is it?" asked Godric. "Give us the cup and we'll depart without harm or mayhem."
Sirius scoffed, "I think not. The cup was hidden in a goblin vault and violated the treaties that keep the peace between wizards and goblins. I have contracted with Gringotts to deal with the Horcrux. Their curse breakers can remove the soul piece with some properly motivated magic users. I gave them the cup as a trophy of their victory over Tom Riddle."
"What motivation can you give wizards to contaminate themselves with soul magic?" asked Helga, trying to continue her story that the magic for Horcruxes was not something to touch.
Ragnock spoke up, "Mother Magic does not penalize any magical creature who restores magic polluted by soul magic."
Staring at the couple – founders of Hogwarts come back after a thousand years – the goblin made an assumption, and smiled maliciously as he added, "Mother Magic does however inflict heavy penalties on those who practice the art. Imagine what she would do to someone who lived for a thousand years because they'd made Horcruxes?"
Sirius didn't pay close attention to the reactions of the couple, and he replied to Helga's question, "Gold – plenty of gold provides the motivation that curse breakers need to destroy the Horcrux."
Godric narrowed his eyes as he considered his options. 'The castle won't accept that excuse. She'll want to see the cup. I'll force their hand and take the cup.'
"Bring the cup here. I must see it!" he insisted.
Sirius handed over a sheet of parchment and said, "This is a statement by His Majesty, King Ragnock that the cup has been cleaned."
"No! I must see with my own eyes and magic," Godric insisted. "Have wizards fallen so far in the last hundred years that you take a goblin's word as truth? The creatures lie with every breath."
Godric glanced at the goblins and admitted he'd never paid much attention to them. The last real interaction he had with them had been 1400 years earlier when he'd helped Justinian drive the last of the blighters out of the catacombs underneath Constantinople. That was the year before that wizard and his wife made their Horcruxes.
'I'll sweep them away and obliviate the wizard,' Godric decided, dismissing his opponents completely.
Gryffindor raised his wand while Helga frowned; her eyes moved around the wizard in the room. Her husband would get them both killed with his recklessness today.
"What are you doing Godric Gryffindor?" demanded Ragnock. Goblins advanced with their knives out, while other goblins pushed Sirius Black behind chairs and a table, so as to not give the wizard a clear shot with his magic.
"Husband!" shouted Helga. "Stop! The goblins will fight! They won't run away."
"Bah! They are powerless before me!" Godric declared as drew his wand and began throwing spells at Sirius Black and the goblins. Helga realized Godric was committed to the attack, so she joined her spells to his. They would blast their way out of the bank. The memory of numerous shootouts and bank robberies from muggle movies came back to her and she smiled.
'I should have been a movie star!' she decided as her wand began picking off goblins with blasting hexes that left them in pieces.
Ragnock shouted, "Godric Gryffindor, once again, you offered false assurances of peace! Gryffindor! Hufflepuff! Your vaults are forfeit wherever they are hidden! You die under goblin steel today!"
The goblin king was hit by a spell from the witch but a shield cast by Sirius Black absorbed enough of the spell to save the king's life. More goblins poured into the chamber while axes and knives flew through the air. Sirius Black had been injured by debris ricocheting off the walls, but the wizard continued casting wandless shields to protect the injured goblin king.
'Sod this! If Ragnock dies, there'll be war with goblins around the whole world,' the Animagus thought and embraced his family magic, searching for a solution.
'Ancestors! These two are ancestors of mine! Oh, my mother's portrait will love this story! She's descended from Godric Gryffindor and Helga Hufflepuff.'
Sirius allowed the family magic to take control of his magic – it pushed out to press against the witch and wizard to suppress their magic.
Recognizing the magic that threatened to overwhelm them both being family magic, Helga shouted, "Flee!"
Godric growled but immediately switched his spells to shields and piercing the ceiling. There was only one floor above this room in the bank and once a hole was blasted in the ceiling. The pair levitated themselves up and through the opening. The witch cast an impenetrable shield on the hole and whole floor of the room where they took refuge.
"Ideas?" she shouted.
Godric laughed and said, "Kill them all and pretend nothing happened."
A stinging hex hit his thigh in response to the comment and he hissed but threw open the windows of the room. Godric declared, "Wings to fly away."
Helga (Elizabeth/Cleopatra) immediately transformed into an Egyptian ibis while Godric (Rex/Caesar) climbed up on the windowsill before transforming into a Roman goose. He launched himself into the air by falling out of the window, but the goose's strong wings boosted him into the air. The ibis followed on silent wings as they flew away from the disaster, they'd created in Gringotts Bank.
CHANGE SCENE && Bones Outside GringottsAmelia Bones frowned – her natural expression while working. The job of Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement elicited few smiles. She ran a well-controlled organization except for a few Aurors. The Minister for Magic selected his own guards from the ranks of the DMLE (a precedent she intended to end when Fudge left office) and the corrupt minister kept his inept nephew, Hiram Dawlish as his lead Auror along with three other toads who violated the law and protocol regularly whenever Rufus or Amelia weren't watching the cells and report logs. And just as bad, Albus Dumbledore had corrupted at least three more Aurors by inducting them into his vigilant group. Shacklebolt, Vance, and Tonks had been trained and recruited by Alastor Moody into joining the Order of the Phoenix.
The yelling in Amelia's office that day had ended only when Alastor was marched out of the office in forced retirement and banned from all department resources. Shacklebolt had twice been reprimanded for allowing Moody to use files and the scandal kept Bones from dealing with Dawlish and his toads properly. Tonks had a promising career of great value to the department if Amelia could separate her from Dumbledore. The first cracks appeared in the Order of the Phoenix when Dumbledore never attempted to aid Shacklebolt when he was being punished for giving Moody information that the headmaster wanted.
All three Aurors were lectured by Scrimgeour, "Look! Look with your own eyes. Dumbledore won't lift a finger to help you when you get caught! He'll get you to do his dirty work and keep his hands clean!"
Today, Amelia stood outside Gringotts Bank with four Aurors, staring at the locked doors. While Auror Shacklebolt and Proudfoot remained silent, Dora Tonks turned to Emmaline Vance and asked, "What happened I wonder?"
It was 3:05 PM, and Amelia's usual frown deepened as she turned to her guards and hissed, "What was the information Dumbledore gave you again? This lead on Sirius Black?"
Vance and Tonks fell silent, but Shackelbolt said, "Black was to meet with Ragnock at 3:00 PM."
"Was anyone else supposed to be there?" Bones asked. "I can't imagine one wizard – even the notorious Sirius Black – could make Gringotts Bank close in the middle of the afternoon!"
"The headmaster only said we could capture Sirius Black at the bank," Tonks admitted.
Bones sighed and explained, "Once again, you three Fried Turkeys are not working with a leader who cares what happens to you!"
"What do you mean?" demanded Tonks, who blushed. She quickly added, "Ma'am. Respectfully ma'am."
"Dumbledore knew more details and didn't tell you. Sirius Black is to meet with King Ragnock and a powerful couple who are visiting Hogwarts with the Flamels. They are supposed to talk about some powerful artifact that must be destroyed."
"How do you know this?" asked Tonks, again not paying attention to her tone of voice.
Amelia smiled and her guard froze with fear – when the director smiled someone soon felt pain with an unpleasant reassignment or demotion. But the director merely replied, "Everyone in the Great Hall at dinner last night heard the news. Harry Potter announced it from his place at the Gryffindor table. My niece and other persons in the school sent me the information via an owl last night."
Before anyone could say anything else, they all heard an explosion on the first floor of the bank. Knowing those were public meeting rooms, Director Bones realized the meeting between Black, Ragnock and the visitors was not going well. More spell fire could be heard, and Bones directed her Aurors to clear the street alongside the bank. "Get civilians under cover! Now!"
After another minute, windows on an upper floor opened and two large birds– one a grey goose and the other some exotic bird –flew out. In another ten minutes, the doors of the bank reopened although there were three times as many guards as on a regular day. One guard recognized Amelia and motioned her forward. The goblin asked if the director had time for an interview with Ragnock and an unnamed guest.
"Of course," Amelia replied. Motioning toward her four guards she added, "And I shall leave my Aurors outside your doors to provide additional security."
CHANGE SCENE && Up the Stairs AgainNodding his head, the goblin led the Director of the DMLE up a flight of stairs while her guards watched helplessly. In a shattered meeting room, a team of healers worked over the body of a goblin in a fine suit of clothes, while others helped wounded warriors around the room. Two bodies lay still underneath white sheets that were spotted with blood. Amelia found a single goblin healer dressing a bleeding hole in the arm of the only man in the room. There was a second bandage around his head, but Amelia Bones still recognized Sirius Black.
She remained a good distance from the man and waited for him to notice her. When he did, he stood and bowed. The wizard greeted her saying, "Director Amelia Bones, I fear you find me within a contentious place today."
"How so, Lord Black?"
"I was to meet with two individuals currently visiting at Hogwarts with Nicolas and Perenelle Flamel. This representative of Gringotts and I were to discuss the destruction of a Horcrux of Tom Riddle, Lord Voldemort," he replied.
Despite her iron will, Amelia shivered to hear that name, as did several injured goblins. The healers hissed in the direction of Sirius Black and the man begged their pardon before continuing his tale. "The wards at Gringotts revealed the visitors were under very strong glamours and they stripped them away. My host who fights for his life named them Godric Gryffindor and Helga Hufflepuff."
Amelia frowned – the founders were supposed to be historical figures like Merlin – not ruffians squabbling with the goblins. Sirius continued, "We informed the couple that the Horcrux had been destroyed but Godric grew angry. When we refused to hand over the artifact, he attacked me and the goblins."
"Idiot," Amelia stated. "Attacking powerful magical beings in their own lair – only an idiot would do such.
"And are you going to try and arrest me?"
The director snorted and reminded the man, "Did you hear me characterize those two who flew away as idiots for attacking the goblins? Of course, I won't try and interfere with anything inside Gringotts. But you should know that Headmaster Dumbledore sent word through three of his minions who are Aurors about your presence here this afternoon.
"Dumbledore? That old hypocrite!"
"Hypocrite?"
"He knows where I have been for months. If he wants me arrested, he needs to surrender himself for harboring a criminal, yeah."
"But you're not a criminal…are you?"
"No!" Black declared as more goblins arrived to help transport injured warriors from the room. "I'm not even guilty of escape because I was never tried and sentenced to Azkaban."
"No, you weren't."
"How do you know?"
"This summer, after I spoke to my niece about her third year at Hogwarts and learned about the events that occurred at the school without anyone informing the proper authorities, I went and looked myself for your arrest record, interrogation, and trial."
"And?" Sirius asked.
"There's no record anywhere. You were arrested but you were never questioned must less received a trial. In the excitement of the end of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, you slipped through the cracks."
The director took a deep breath and added, "I shall make certain those facts are published without edit in the Daily Prophet. Allow me to question you with some veritaserum and I can clear you of all charges. Then, I want you to sue Millicent Bagnold, the estate of Barty Crouch, and Albus Dumbledore until he bleeds gold. Use goblin lawyers and include Cornelius Fudge and the ministry as collaborators in the illegal incarceration of the Lord of an Ancient and Noble family. Please. I want to make Cornelius Fudge squeal like a boggart stuck by an angry unicorn."
Just then, goblins entered the room with more swords and knives displayed. They parted to allow the real Ragnock to step inside. Few goblins bowed – the healers dealt with injuries, and the guards did not take their eyes off the humans or the hole in the ceiling.
"Chief Ragnock, I am pleased to see you well," Amelia greeted the goblin.
Sirius did bow. He said, "I have never met you sir, but I imagined the fellow introduced as 'King' might not be the actual chief."
"Humans are often distracted by titles," the goblin explained. "There are always two or three goblins on my staff with the title 'king' to represent me in discussions with untrustworthy humans."
He pointed to Lord Black and said, "Black was somewhat unknown, and the visitors were complete unknowns. One of my 'kings' represented me."
"I am grateful a faithful member of your staff was present in your stead," Sirius said. "He stood up to the…to Godric and didn't flinch."
"I shall take a kilogram of flesh from this Godric Gryffindor if I can ever lay hands on him," Ragnock declared. "But there is no war between goblins and wizards – at least not today."
"Chief Ragnock, would you happen to have some veritaserum available?" asked Amelia. "We can clear up Lord Black's status and embarrass Headmaster Albus Dumbledore doubly today. He sent rogues to Gringotts to create a situation to start a goblin war and tried to forward the incarceration if not the Dementor's kiss for Lord Black."
"Headlines for two or three days on the Daily Prophet for certain," Ragnock agreed with a nod of his head.
&& End SceneCharacters with Multiple NamesCleopatra (Helga Hufflepuff/Elizabeth Taylor)
Caesar (Godric Gryffindor/Rex Harrison)
Theodora (Rowena Ravenclaw/Perenelle Flamel)
Justinian (Salazar Slytherin / Nicolas Flamel)
SCENERY: Updated List of HorcruxesCleopatra (Helga Hufflepuff) Bust Marble
Caesar (Godric Gryffindor) Gold Roman Victor's Crown
Theodora (Rowena Ravenclaw and Perenelle Flamel) Jeweled Necklace
Justinian (Salazar Slytherin and Nicolas Flamel) Iron Buckle for Robes or Belt
Alexander the Great (not seen since WWI) Golden Knife Sheath
Ramesses the Great (not seen since WWII) Golden Ankh
Marc Antony Greave. Destroyed by Harry Potter on 28 January 1996.
James I (died 1620) Crown. Harry Potter destroyed 10 Jan 1996
Charles I (died 1640) Crown Harry Potter destroyed 10 Jan 1996
Charles II (died 1685) Crown. Harry Potter destroyed 11 Jan 1996
Edward I (died 1307) Crown. Harry Potter destroyed 11 Jan 1996
Edward the Black Prince (died 1376) Crown. Harry Potter destroyed 12 Jan 1996
Edward III (died 1377) Crown. Harry Potter destroyed 12 Jan 1996
Henry V (died 1422) Crown. Harry Potter destroyed 15 Jan 1996
Henry VI (died 1471) Crown. Harry Potter destroyed 15 Jan 1996
Charlemagne (died 814) Shield. Harry Potter destroyed 7 Jan 1996
Attila the Hun (died 453) Sword. Harry Potter destroyed 7 Jan 1996
Eleanor of Aquitaine (died 1204) Crown. Harry Potter destroyed 16 Jan 1996
Henry III (died 1272) Crown. Harry Potter destroyed 16 Jan 1996
Henry II (died 1189) Crown. Harry Potter destroyed 17 Jan 1996
Richard the Lionheart (died 1199) Crown. Harry Potter destroyed 17 Jan 1996
Thomas Riddle (died 1981, 1991, 1992) Diadem Harry Potter destroyed 7 Jan 1996
Other dead Horcruxes
Diary of T.M.R. (destroyed by Harry Potter in June 1992)
Nagini (Maledictus) (destroyed by Auror Shacklebolt, 19 December 1995)
Slytherin's Locket (destroyed by Harry Potter, 23 December 1995)
Scar (destroyed by Harry Potter, 23 December 1995)
Ravenclaws Diadem (Harry Potter, destroyed 7 Jan 1996)
Remaining Riddle Horcruxes
Hufflepuff's Cup
Gaunt Family Ring
Tom Riddle Homunculus