Adventures of Young Severus Snape -- The Case of the Greedy Goblin
Chapter Two
"Oh, I think I'm gonna puke!" Giggling, Jamie leaned over top of a garbage bin, his face an unflattering shade of green.
"It wasn't that bad, Jamie." Severus grinned slightly, and offered his friend a sip of Jinx's Soda. They had just gotten off The Witches' Hat, an exhilarating (and somewhat terrifying) ride at the Diagon Corner Amusement Park.
"We're not all as calm, cool and collected as you are, Sev." Jamie's hands were still trembling slightly, but his colour was returning to normal, and he handed the soda back to his new friend after taking a long drink.
They'd had a lot of fun that day, exploring the museum, the Magical Science Center, and the amusement park. Soon, however, they would be returning to the Leaky Cauldron for dinner, with both Jamie's parents and Severus's parents.
"That was fun."
Severus nodded his agreement, as they followed Mrs. Potter back to the Leaky Cauldron. He was a bit tired, but he had enjoyed himself thoroughly, and he liked his new friend. They'd been discussing the wizarding world and Hogwart's all day, and had decided that they would be best friends at Hogwart's when they arrived there. In the meantime, they had agreed to exchange letters by owl at least once a week. Severus was excited -- he had plenty of muggle playmates back in Cail, at the muggle school that he attended, but Jamie Potter was his first wizard friend, and he found that he was learning all sorts of new things through their friendship.
~~~
That night, after a long and jovial dinner, the Potters and the Snapes decided to stay downstairs for a while and have a few drinks. They sent their children up to bed. Severus and Jamie, however, didn't feel like sleeping, and decided to prowl the corridors.
"If my dad catches me out of bed, though, he'll be pretty angry," Sev pointed out.
Jamie couldn't picture the kind Mr. Snape angry, but nodded anyway. Suddenly inspiration struck him.
"I have an idea!", he exclaimed. "But you have to promise never to tell anyone what I'm going to tell you."
"Is it dangerous?"
"No, no...it's just that my dad would be really mad, if he found out I was playing with this."
"With what?" Severus was intrigued.
"You have to promise."
"Oh, alright, I promise," Sev snapped, impatiently. "I'm not a rat, you know."
"Just making sure. Come on." They sneaked into the Potters' bedroom, where Jamie quietly tiptoed over to his father's wardrobe. "Check it out," he whispered, carefully withdrawing a long, silky-looking grey robe.
Actually, thought Sev, it wasn't really grey. He peered closely at it. It was more a combination of every colour, all blended up to look like grey...."What is it?" he breathed, fascinated.
"Watch." Jamie tossed it over his head, and Sev stared, dumfounded, as his friend just...disappeared...
"It's an invisibility cloak." Jamie's voice was a bit tinny, as if he were speaking from far away. He pulled the cloak back from his head. "It's Dad's...he's an Auror, and it comes in handy sometimes."
Severus knew what an Auror was, and felt a twinge of awe. Imagine a career chasing and capturing dark wizards! It sounded very exciting and adventurous.
"Are you allowed to use his cloak?"
"Of course not! That's why you have to promise not to ever tell anyone."
"Promise, I promise, alright! I promise! So...what do we do with it?"
"Get under it with me." Jamie held one side up, so Sev could crawl underneath. "See?"
"Wow..." Severus looked down at himself, and saw...nothing. He was able to see through the cloak, however. It rendered the world a filmy blue-grey, making it look a bit unreal. He felt a rush of excitement. He could go anywhere...do anything...and no one would ever see him... He made up his mind. Someday he was going to buy one of these things for himself.
"C'mon."
"Where to?"
"Let's explore," whispered Jamie, as he led them to the door.
"Ok." Sev tried not to giggle, at the unreality of it all.
Unseen, they prowled every hallway, every corridor, every nook and cranny that the Cauldron had to offer. Unfortunately, there wasn't very much going on in the Cauldron that night, but it was still interesting to watch their parents getting drunk downstairs, or to peek in on the old witch on the fourth floor picking at her warts. As they made their way back to their rooms, they heard an interesting noise.
"What's that?"
"Sounds like..." Severus listened intently. "...coins, perhaps? Someone's counting out their money?"
"Yeah..." Jamie strained his ears, then smiled. "Look!"
There was a knothole in the wall before them, and Severus leaned closer to peek in.
Inside the room, there was a goblin, counting out piles and piles of galleons. Sev stared at him intently -- he was sure that he recognized him from somewhere...
"Goldgrabber," he whispered to Jamie. "Remember? Goldgrabber! That really crabby goblin from Gringott's this morning! The one who was rude to your mom!"
Jamie's eyes widened in recognition. "Oh, yeah!"
"Look."
Jamie peeked in the knothole, and he let out a small gasp. "Look at all those galleons!"
"They must pay really well at Gringott's."
"Do you really think so?" Jamie frowned thoughtfully. "I don't think they pay that well, and why would he bring his galleons here? Why wouldn't he have a vault at Gringott's?"
"Maybe he hasn't deposited his money yet?"
"Maybe...no...I don't think so." Jamie was lost in thought for a moment. Then he frowned again. "That doesn't make sense. But I wonder...d'you think he stole it?"
"Stole from Gringott's?" Sev considered. "But that's supposed to be impossible, isn't it?"
"Who could get past the goblins, though? Another goblin! Especially one that works there!" Jamie said, triumphantly. "I betcha he stole it!"
"Well...fine. But what do you want to do? Tell your dad?"
"Yes...well, no. Not without proof."
"Couldn't your dad investigate?"
"He could..." Jamie was lost in thought again. "Yeah, he could, but...so could we..."
Sev wasn't sure he liked where this was taking them. "...well...I dunno..."
"Think about it, Sev!" Jamie's eyes were shining with excitement. "Tomorrow, we'll tell your mom that we want to sleep in. Then we'll sneak out with the cloak, and go watch Goldgrabber till he steals something. Then we'll tell my dad. They'll have the thief, and we'll be heroes. Whaddya think?"
Sev thought the whole thing sounded dangerous, but ... heroes? He liked the sound of that...
"...ok..." he said.
Chapter Two
"Oh, I think I'm gonna puke!" Giggling, Jamie leaned over top of a garbage bin, his face an unflattering shade of green.
"It wasn't that bad, Jamie." Severus grinned slightly, and offered his friend a sip of Jinx's Soda. They had just gotten off The Witches' Hat, an exhilarating (and somewhat terrifying) ride at the Diagon Corner Amusement Park.
"We're not all as calm, cool and collected as you are, Sev." Jamie's hands were still trembling slightly, but his colour was returning to normal, and he handed the soda back to his new friend after taking a long drink.
They'd had a lot of fun that day, exploring the museum, the Magical Science Center, and the amusement park. Soon, however, they would be returning to the Leaky Cauldron for dinner, with both Jamie's parents and Severus's parents.
"That was fun."
Severus nodded his agreement, as they followed Mrs. Potter back to the Leaky Cauldron. He was a bit tired, but he had enjoyed himself thoroughly, and he liked his new friend. They'd been discussing the wizarding world and Hogwart's all day, and had decided that they would be best friends at Hogwart's when they arrived there. In the meantime, they had agreed to exchange letters by owl at least once a week. Severus was excited -- he had plenty of muggle playmates back in Cail, at the muggle school that he attended, but Jamie Potter was his first wizard friend, and he found that he was learning all sorts of new things through their friendship.
~~~
That night, after a long and jovial dinner, the Potters and the Snapes decided to stay downstairs for a while and have a few drinks. They sent their children up to bed. Severus and Jamie, however, didn't feel like sleeping, and decided to prowl the corridors.
"If my dad catches me out of bed, though, he'll be pretty angry," Sev pointed out.
Jamie couldn't picture the kind Mr. Snape angry, but nodded anyway. Suddenly inspiration struck him.
"I have an idea!", he exclaimed. "But you have to promise never to tell anyone what I'm going to tell you."
"Is it dangerous?"
"No, no...it's just that my dad would be really mad, if he found out I was playing with this."
"With what?" Severus was intrigued.
"You have to promise."
"Oh, alright, I promise," Sev snapped, impatiently. "I'm not a rat, you know."
"Just making sure. Come on." They sneaked into the Potters' bedroom, where Jamie quietly tiptoed over to his father's wardrobe. "Check it out," he whispered, carefully withdrawing a long, silky-looking grey robe.
Actually, thought Sev, it wasn't really grey. He peered closely at it. It was more a combination of every colour, all blended up to look like grey...."What is it?" he breathed, fascinated.
"Watch." Jamie tossed it over his head, and Sev stared, dumfounded, as his friend just...disappeared...
"It's an invisibility cloak." Jamie's voice was a bit tinny, as if he were speaking from far away. He pulled the cloak back from his head. "It's Dad's...he's an Auror, and it comes in handy sometimes."
Severus knew what an Auror was, and felt a twinge of awe. Imagine a career chasing and capturing dark wizards! It sounded very exciting and adventurous.
"Are you allowed to use his cloak?"
"Of course not! That's why you have to promise not to ever tell anyone."
"Promise, I promise, alright! I promise! So...what do we do with it?"
"Get under it with me." Jamie held one side up, so Sev could crawl underneath. "See?"
"Wow..." Severus looked down at himself, and saw...nothing. He was able to see through the cloak, however. It rendered the world a filmy blue-grey, making it look a bit unreal. He felt a rush of excitement. He could go anywhere...do anything...and no one would ever see him... He made up his mind. Someday he was going to buy one of these things for himself.
"C'mon."
"Where to?"
"Let's explore," whispered Jamie, as he led them to the door.
"Ok." Sev tried not to giggle, at the unreality of it all.
Unseen, they prowled every hallway, every corridor, every nook and cranny that the Cauldron had to offer. Unfortunately, there wasn't very much going on in the Cauldron that night, but it was still interesting to watch their parents getting drunk downstairs, or to peek in on the old witch on the fourth floor picking at her warts. As they made their way back to their rooms, they heard an interesting noise.
"What's that?"
"Sounds like..." Severus listened intently. "...coins, perhaps? Someone's counting out their money?"
"Yeah..." Jamie strained his ears, then smiled. "Look!"
There was a knothole in the wall before them, and Severus leaned closer to peek in.
Inside the room, there was a goblin, counting out piles and piles of galleons. Sev stared at him intently -- he was sure that he recognized him from somewhere...
"Goldgrabber," he whispered to Jamie. "Remember? Goldgrabber! That really crabby goblin from Gringott's this morning! The one who was rude to your mom!"
Jamie's eyes widened in recognition. "Oh, yeah!"
"Look."
Jamie peeked in the knothole, and he let out a small gasp. "Look at all those galleons!"
"They must pay really well at Gringott's."
"Do you really think so?" Jamie frowned thoughtfully. "I don't think they pay that well, and why would he bring his galleons here? Why wouldn't he have a vault at Gringott's?"
"Maybe he hasn't deposited his money yet?"
"Maybe...no...I don't think so." Jamie was lost in thought for a moment. Then he frowned again. "That doesn't make sense. But I wonder...d'you think he stole it?"
"Stole from Gringott's?" Sev considered. "But that's supposed to be impossible, isn't it?"
"Who could get past the goblins, though? Another goblin! Especially one that works there!" Jamie said, triumphantly. "I betcha he stole it!"
"Well...fine. But what do you want to do? Tell your dad?"
"Yes...well, no. Not without proof."
"Couldn't your dad investigate?"
"He could..." Jamie was lost in thought again. "Yeah, he could, but...so could we..."
Sev wasn't sure he liked where this was taking them. "...well...I dunno..."
"Think about it, Sev!" Jamie's eyes were shining with excitement. "Tomorrow, we'll tell your mom that we want to sleep in. Then we'll sneak out with the cloak, and go watch Goldgrabber till he steals something. Then we'll tell my dad. They'll have the thief, and we'll be heroes. Whaddya think?"
Sev thought the whole thing sounded dangerous, but ... heroes? He liked the sound of that...
"...ok..." he said.