Episode Ninety Two
Before she could leave however, there were many loose strings to tie up. For instance saying goodbye to the just graduated Harry, Hermione and Ron. Ron of course, shook her hand awkwardly. She was ok as a person, but he liked her better as a teacher. Hermione did the same, forcing a polite smile. She had seen Gwen's outburst the night before and would have been just as happy not to see her until she was certain the girl had calmed down.
Harry's goodbye was postponed and although he made the pretense of hugging her and wishing her well when Ron and Hermione did at the front gates of Hogwarts waiting for the carriages to take them to Hogsmeade, he would not be leaving with them.
He would be staying another night and traveling to Diagon Alley the next day. He needed to get money and find a place to live, with plans to stay at the Leaky Cauldron until he could find a flat for himself.
That evening he begged Gwen to come with him and only refusing to ever talk to her again could possibly drag her in that direction. So it was that she packed her bag (she intended on traveling light, even though she had no plans of returning home for months) and met Harry on the front steps. They would apparate to Diagon Alley now that Harry had his license.
Standing in line at Gringotts was not Gwen's idea of a good time. But it was a good opportunity Harry had provided her with. Not only would she serve as his company but she could finally claim the money left to her in Corwin Graves' last will.
"He left you all his money?" Harry asked as they stood amid all the chattering people.
Gwen laughed. "He knows me very well. I won't spend a dime of it. But I am going to put it in my account so that we have access to it, should the need arise. He can't just show up and claim it if he's dead."
They remained quiet for awhile until Gwen noticed someone waving vigorously at them. "Harry, that girl's waving to you. I think she wants to talk." She said.
Harry's face went through an entire gamut of emotion, from joy, to confusion, resting on crest fallen.
"Why don't you go talk to her? She's not part goblin is she?"
"No, I don't think so."
Gwen gave a giggly laugh. "Then go talk to her. She won't bite. And if she does, just bite back."
Harry took a big gulp and crossed the lobby to Cho's side in three strides. In the meanwhile Gwen looked up and counted ceiling tiles. She was aiming to save Harry's space in line but she was soon next and any amount of gesturing would not have drawn his attention from Cho.
She was being brought into a little office to prove exactly who she was and three quarters of an hour later she was led down into the vaults. The most unfortunate part of this process was the ride down into the expanse of Gringott's underground. The cart they rode in was iron, and the fey part of Gwen grew weak and nauseous at the very touch of the metal, yet she couldn't help holding on for fear she might fall out.
The ride seemed twice as long as it might and she was not a bit ashamed when she vomited profusely just outside of Corwin Grave's vault. She had quite a hard time focusing her eyes and stood holding onto the door frame of the vault for some long minutes. At a slight harumph from the harassed looking goblin she removed all of Corwin's money and a few small packages that she assumed to be keepsakes from his parents. She placed them into her own vault after another nauseating ride without opening anything and was led back to the little office she had started in.
"Just sign here and here to say that you've closed out the account." Said a tiny goblin. She was finally returning to her normal color when she took the pen and swirled her name in permanent ink. She hadn't really thought about it, but this was almost an admission that Corwin, the Corwin everyone else knew, was dead. She was about to leave when the goblin spoke again. "Oh me. I'd nearly forgotten. There is something in your folder you might want to look at."
Gwen took the folder from the goblin's ready hands and sat to read it. She had never been allowed to see her folder before now, but she assumed correctly that because she was eighteen now she could look at it whenever she pleased.
There was a stamp of approval in the top right corner of the document on the top of a stack of other documents, some obscure number codes alien to her at the top left and at the very bottom her mother's signature. It was dated not a week before her death.
Gwen read carefully, the twisting language therein leaving her already light head lighter. "I'm sorry, what does this say exactly?"
"It says that you should come into your inheritance on your nineteenth birthday." The goblin replied, as if that was the most obvious thing about the document before her.
"Oh." She said, aiming not to sound stupid again.
The goblin smiled at her, something that created more lightheadedness. "I suggest you come back on that very day to claim it."
"Thank you." She replied, handing the folder back to the goblin and trying really hard to lower the queasiness in her belly. Leave it to her mother to leave something else unsaid.
She left all of that for another day, contented to spend the rest of this one with Harry. They went for ice cream and took a browse around Quality Quidditch Supplies. He set himself up with a room for the night and offered to buy Gwen dinner. She accepted only if he'd let her buy him a paper called "Wizarding Real Estate."
Together they spent the rest of the night looking over apartments and houses built around wizarding communities. Nothing really grabbed Harry, but he was set for now, happily holed up in the Leaky Cauldron, a familiar place he had stayed before.
Their goodbye was not tearful nor cheerful. Gwen spoke quietly, not revealing much of her plans (as she didn't have anything firm in mind). Harry kept sighing, realizing for not the first time that he would be facing tomorrow alone.
