Chapter Twenty-Six
Security Breach
It had become easier and easier over the years for Jennifer to switch from teacher mode to parent mode on Saturday mornings. But that particular Saturday morning was becoming an exception as thoughts invaded concerning what Severus was planning to do.
Aurelius, Andrew, and Alicia excitedly put on their coats and gloves and chatted about the trip. Their mum didn't take them to Myrkinbrek very often, and even if she did, they found themselves rushed about without much time to really look. Usually they went one at a time with their father, and all he ever seemed to do was spend hours in Tassels and Panning with only a momentary stop at the bookstore or toyshop so that whichever child he was with could pick out an item for themselves and each of their siblings. Perhaps now with both parents going, their mum wouldn't be able to rush, and their father wouldn't be able to ignore the other shops.
"Do you still have the list from Mister Pyther, Mum?" Alicia asked excitedly as she fiddled with her buttons.
"Yes, I have it, although I still can't imagine how you possibly went through all of this in a month," Jennifer said, glancing at the list.
"We're taking the class still too, Mum, it's very interesting," Andrew said.
"I think it's boring," Aurelius said.
"I'd rather you didn't go anyhow!" Alicia said icily.
"Alicia!"
"Mum, Aurelius keeps painting sunbursts and sunrises!" Andrew said accusingly.
"Aurelius!"
"Tattle tale," Aurelius muttered.
"Mr. Pyther happens to be a very good friend of mine," Jennifer said sternly, nodding to Severus as he appeared from their bedroom with their cloaks. "And if you can't behave in his class, Aurelius, we'll have you removed from it."
"He's a vampire, Mum. And he may be good friends with you, but I don't think Father likes him very much," Aurelius said, glancing over at him.
"That's entirely beside the point," Severus snapped. "He is your teacher, and as such you will respect him. Whether you or I or anyone else likes him is irrelevant." Jennifer got an amused look on her face, smiling broadly at her husband when he squinted at her. "Here," he said, putting her cloak around her shoulders. Feeling the extra weight of the cloak, and hearing the clink of the potions, Jennifer looked over at him curiously.
"We're wearing the Chest Cloaks to Myrkinbrek? Are we expecting trouble?" Jennifer murmured.
"Merely a precaution," he answered in a low voice. "I have an odd feeling we might need them." Jennifer gazed at him but said nothing, trying not to be worried. Severus was always being overly cautious, and his tendency to be that way had saved them any number of times. Hopefully this was just another one of those times when he was just overreacting.
"Shall I sketch up a painting for us?" Alicia asked hopefully.
"No, there's nowhere private enough to land down there that wouldn't have someone there asking too many questions about how we got there without a port key. You'll take the floo system," Severus said.
"Come along, everyone in the fireplace," Jennifer said, the flames splitting to let them in without coming near any of them. Severus waited until they were on their way before Disapparating, appearing just as they reached the entry plaza.
"I don't want to spend the entire time we're here in the book store!" Aurelius was protested as Severus walked up to them.
"You can come with me if you like, but I think you are better off going with your mother to run errands," Severus said.
"Where are you going?" Andrew asked.
"Tassels and Panning jewelry shop."
"I should have known. Why are you going there this time of year? It's not anyone's birthday or anything," Aurelius asked.
"I have a birthday in two and a half months," Alicia reminded them all brightly.
"I think Rel was referring to Mum," Andrew whispered to her.
"Enough, we've too much to do to stand here and argue. Coming or staying?" Severus asked impatiently.
"Staying." Aurelius said.
"I'll go take care of business at Gringotts and the booksellers, then we will meet you there," Jennifer said calmly.
"But what about the toy shop?" Andrew asked.
"We're not even to spring yet and you're bored with your Christmas gifts already?" Jennifer sighed. "Maybe we'll stop in for a moment, but we won't keep your father waiting."
"I will be a while," Severus said. "After all, I have to haggle."
"Wonderful," Jennifer said in a less than enthusiastic tone, nudging the children to head towards the bank while he turned with a nod and strode in the other direction, quickly disappearing into the crowd.
"I thought father said the only one who can haggle with goblins are goblins," Andrew said.
"He probably did," Jennifer agreed. "Never haggle with a goblin unless you want to pay more than what he originally offers you."
"Then why would he do it?" Aurelius asked.
"Never mind that, let's just get to the bank," Jennifer said briskly.
At least it wasn't far. How she hated Myrkinbrek! Oh, she loved the beautiful and fantastic goblin shops and the hustle of the crowd, but did it all have to be underground? Yes, she knew it was underground for many good reasons. In fact, during the revolts the few hidden goblin villages on the surface had been destroyed, but Myrkinbrek had always somehow managed to get through everything as a thriving community.
She was even less thrilled to be going to Gringotts. But they only had a few hours during the day to spend with the children and get back to work, so it only made sense to split up and take care of errands while Severus was vying for information. So she gritted her teeth and kept her unreasonable fears of cave-ins in check, while trailing behind her children whispered to each other, discussing their suspicions on what their parents were up to.
"Now, I want you to stay over here by the entrance while I arrange to get in our vault," Jennifer told them, nodding over to the small desks that were to one side of Gringotts Lower Branch.
"We're going to get to ride in the cars again?" Andrew said excitedly.
"Which vault are we going to today, Snape or Craw?" asked Aurelius.
"Craw. So don't make me have to remind you a million times not to touch anything when we get there, or I'll not let you talk me into going into the toy shop," Jennifer said. "I'll be right back." The three of them watched as their mother got in line. Alicia turned to look back at her brothers with a sigh.
"It would be the Craw vault, after all the times we hoped they'd get into it from Diagon Alley! Now it's the closest vault and it's the Snape vault that's far away," Alicia pouted. "Another short ride!"
"Well, if you didn't have to get those special brushes Mr. Fearfangs ordered, we could have started at Diagon and taken the long route here," Aurelius sneered.
"Please don't call Pyther that! He's always been very sweet and kind to us and you know it," Alicia said defensively.
"Maybe too sweet," Aurelius said. "Think he likes boys?"
"Rel, cut it out," Andrew snapped. "Father's right, you need to respect your teachers more."
"My teachers are at Stoddard and none of them lurk around in the dark jumping any time they see their own shadow," Aurelius said. "He's just there to keep us from going off on our own. It's been so long since we've been anywhere interesting that even I am getting bored."
"Well, he's done wonders for Alicia's paintings. They all look more real than they ever did before, and did you notice? The last time we went to Egypt with Mr. Weasley, it didn't take half as long as it did when we started taking those classes, isn't that right, Alicia?" Andrew said.
"I wonder what that odd fog is all about?" Alicia murmured. Confused by her answer, her two brothers looked up to find that quite a few of the customers and most of the goblins were wondering the same thing as a warm thick mist rolled out of the vault shaft. Jennifer had also turned to look at it, walking over to the head officer who was standing nearby.
"What on Earth would cause that?" Jennifer asked sharply. The goblin eyed her before looking back.
"I have no idea…" he admitted then paused a moment. "It sounds like a car is coming down the shaft." At first, Jennifer didn't hear anything. Then after a minute she heard it, scraping against the rails, growing louder as it approached. "It's coming in too fast. Everyone off the platform!" the goblin barked. Goblins and wizards alike jumped back at the sound of his voice, and just in time as the cart sped into view. Sparks flew around the rail as it put on the brakes hard and then bumped into the wooden barrier at the end of the track.
"Gorgegut! What are you doing down here?" the officer barked at the shaken goblin in the cart, helping him hour.
"Mortgrim, someone… some thing has breached security!" he panted.
"Impossible," Mortgrim snapped.
"I'm not sure how it happened. There was just a sudden flash, and this mist rolled in, and then a vault alarm started going off!" Gorgegut explained.
"We didn't hear the alarm down here…"
"Ciardoth," Jennifer interrupted. "You fools, if there was a flash of light, it was her, I'm sure of it! Ready that car, we need to go after her!"
"I'm not going back up there!" Gorgegut protested.
"Do as she says! I'll go myself," Mortgrim said. Jennifer hurried back over to where the children were standing, trying to figure out what was going on.
"Aurelius! Take these two to Tassels and Panning immediately! Tell your father that Ciardoth is in the vaults. Now!" Jennifer barked as she ran back over to the cart.
Aurelius grabbed a hold of the other two's sleeves and dragged them forward, the three of them darting into the crowded streets, pushing their way passed the protesting goblins and shoppers. Andrew had to pause and help Alicia as the younger girl developed a stitch in her side, yelling at Aurelius to slow down. But Aurelius didn't, bursting into the jewelry store at the end of the street. Severus, who was inspecting a silvery chain the goblin brothers were coaxing him into buying, looked up in surprise as the other two also ran in the door and all three of them started talking at once.
"Stop, stop, STOP!" he shouted in such an alarming voice that they did, using the opportunity to catch their breath. "Rel, where is your mother?"
"At the bank with Ciardoth," Aurelius said. Severus handed the chain back to the goblins.
"Follow," he said as he went out of the shop, and the three hurried behind them. For a split second, they thought perhaps that they'd be going along for the adventure, but when Severus merely strode right across the street and into the wand shop, their hopes were instantly dashed. The bell rang loudly as they entered, and the owner Grendelbane peered in curiously from the back room, the wand he was sanding still in hand.
Severus paid little attention to him, stepping over to a glass front cabinet and rapping is knuckles on it. The door opened and a Wand came out, floating in midair as it looked expectantly at Severus.
"Watch them. Don't let them leave the store, and don't let them out of your sight," Severus ordered the Wand. The Wand made a motion as if in salute, and then took a position as if it were being hoisted over a soldier's shoulder and began pacing around them. "I'm leaving the children here with the Wand for a moment. They'll be no trouble," Severus said briskly to Grendelbane before hurrying back out of the door.
"Oh, very well, Wand, but don't expect me to do your babysitting for you. You took the responsibility, you take care of them," the gruff goblin grunted, heading to the back room again.
"We are being babysat by a Wand," Aurelius said, a pure look of disgust on his face. "If this gets back to school, I'm going to die of embarrassment."
"I'm more worried about Mum and Father," Andrew whispered. "I hope they're not in over their heads."
"Can you see anything?" Jennifer asked Mortgrim from where she huddled in the back of the car, trying to keep her stomach in place.
"No, but we don't have far to go… the diamonds you spoke of are in the lower vaults, and that's only two levels down from here," he assured her.
Jennifer felt anything but reassured. They were already deep below the earth, and the thought of two more levels made her head throb. It was also getting hotter by the moment, but as Jennifer reached for her wand to cool them off, Mortgrim stopped her.
"I wouldn't try that. One of the security precautions on this level is made to go off if anyone casts a spell, and you wouldn't like what happens next," Mortgrim said.
"Thank you, Severus," she murmured to herself, feeling her potions with her hand, trying to think which ones might possibly work on Ciardoth. Suddenly the car started to shake, and even before Mortgrim barked at her to get farther down she was on the floor as he crouched near the brake, drawing it back. "What is it?"
"Something is wrong with the track," Mortgrim said. "I think it's melted," he said as it finally slowed to a stop.
"Melted?" Jennifer said, standing up. "By what?" Just then there was a loud, echoing roar followed by a crash that sent some dust off the ceiling. "Sorry I asked," Jennifer said, her voice unsteady.
"Someone let out the dragon, it seems," Mortgrim said, unhooking the lantern and stepping out.
"Wait, you really have a dragon down here?" Jennifer said. "I thought that story was only something you all made up to keep people from robbing the place."
"Yes, that's exactly what we want people to think," the goblin said. "At least we'll probably only find a charred remains in place of an intruder."
"Ciardoth can turn into a dragon. I seriously doubt she's dead," Jennifer told him as she climbed out after him.
"Oh?" The goblin said, musing as they headed down the track. "That is going to complicate things."
"You know my husband, don't you?" Jennifer said dryly. The ground rumbled gently and she froze in time to hear a pitiful whining cry that silenced as quickly as it sounded. "That doesn't sound good."
"Quickly! This way," Mortgrim said, leading her further down the dark tunnel.
The heat had made the air very heavy, and Jennifer was finding she was having trouble breathing. But her mind had to stay on keeping her footing on the slats, for between them was only darkness, going down as far as she could see. A loud booming noise was echoing through the tunnel, and every now and then a slight shudder would accompany it, sending down another layer of dust pelting past them and into the depths.
"What am I doing here?" Jennifer asked herself softly, gritting her teeth.
"We're coming up to a side track that connects this part of the line with the line from the Diagon Alley branch," Mortgrim told her. "With any luck there's a car there, and even if not, we'll have a walkway that'll lead us around to Vault One."
Jennifer hurried as fast as she dared, relieved when they finally reached the other track and the walkway that lead around the vaults. There wasn't a car there, but it was evident from the noise that they weren't far away now. Readying a potion in hand, the two of them broke into a run the moment they stepped off the tracks. As they ran passed a Vault marked 0000 towards 000, a break on the track side of the walkway made them slow down. It was as if something had crashed into it, scorching the walkway on its way past. Luckily, there was enough room to step around, but the track beside them was completely gone, the ends remaining all melted and gnarled with a gaping hole in between them.
"Now we know what happened to the dragon," Jennifer said, hugging the wall and creeping around it.
"Someone owes us a new dragon," Mortgrim said with a scowl, deftly working his way to the other side. "Come on." The shaking and booming noise grew louder now, and Jennifer found herself having to muster up every ounce of control she had just to steady her nerves. As they rounded the corner past Vault 0, they finally saw what was creating it. It was coming from the tail of the largest dragon Jennifer had ever seen beating against a vault door. Miraculously, the door showed only minor dents, which infuriated the dragon even more.
"Attention intruder!" Mortgrim said in a voice so loud that Jennifer was slightly taken aback. Ciardoth suddenly stopped mid-swing, looking around at them with cold, glowing slit eyes. "You are trespassing on Gringotts Bank property! Surrender at once!"
The dragon broke into a rumbling growl that sounded like laughter.
"Foolish goblin," the dragon said in a booming feminine voice. "It is you who will surrender! You will open the door for me, and you will do it now, because you know that I will kill you if you do not cooperate."
"I'd sooner die than let anyone undermine Gringotts' security!" Mortgrim said proudly.
"Yes, but would you let a valued customer die in your place?" Ciardoth asked, her attention finally resting solely on Jennifer. "At last we meet, Jennifer Craw."
"At last?" Jennifer said in surprise, but quickly recovered. "Who are you?"
"More than I appear, and one who knows you very well," Ciardoth said. A moment later her eyes began to change shape, and the dragon grew smaller until finally Ciardoth took the shape once more that she had in the Chamber. "You think me your enemy, although you have greater. I merely wait to see your death; others would truly make you suffer. Now order that goblin to open the vault!"
"Just what century do you think you are living in? I give the orders around here," Mortgrim snapped.
"I live in them all," Ciardoth said coolly. "And as for you, you'll soon live in none. So much for goblin independence," she sneered, raising her hand and sweeping it towards Mortgrim.
As if he were physically pushed, he lurched backwards across the tracks and towards the hole. But Jennifer had been alert for an attack and grabbed onto him. As Ciardoth laughed maniacally, Jennifer found herself being pulled in as well. She scrambled to lodge a foot against one of the slats, using all her strength to stop it. She soon realized that she wouldn't be able to hold on for long, and she felt herself weakening and her foot slipping. "Now, goblin. Choose whether to open the door, or meet your death. Of course, you should realize that even if you are dead, I can always use your lifeless hand and open the door on my own."
"Craw! Let go!" Mortgrim hissed.
"No, I won't!" Jennifer shouted angrily. "Do what she says, Mortgrim! It's not worth it! She's not won yet... these aren't the last sets she needs, you know!"
"They belong to clients!" he protested.
"Yes, clients whose lives we saved by storing them here. Besides, they're insured!" Jennifer snapped back in annoyance. "The bank's not liable!"
"Oh! Well, why didn't you say so in the first place? Fine, I'll open the door!" Mortgrim said. Immediately the pulling stopped and they were flung backwards against the pathway.
"Goblins!" Jennifer said with exasperation as she scrambled to her feet. She watched Ciardoth guardedly as Mortgrim moved to the vault, and with a series of complex movements with his finger, he caused a series of locks to unlatch.
"You are such a fool, Jennifer Craw," Ciardoth tsked. "Willing to sacrifice yourself for this goblin, over something that will end eternity."
"The only time that truly exists is the present," Jennifer said defiantly. "For example…" She threw the bottle in her hand hard enough to break on the floor at Ciardoth's feet, causing the contents to begin to crystallize around her.
"So you want to play after all, do you?" Ciardoth said, seemingly unconcerned about the crystal working its way up around her waist.
She spread out both arms and sung an ear throbbing note so severe that Jennifer found herself on the ground. The crystal shattered, sending jagged shards across in every direction. Mortgrim took a shard in the leg, leaving him on the ground. Ciardoth stepped out of the crystal, seemingly unconcerned about either of her assailants as she threw open the door and walked inside.
Still lying on her side, Jennifer stayed quiet as she tried to clear her head, feeling around in her cloak to try and tell if any of her potions had survived the blast. Many were cracked, and a couple had even shattered, so she struggled to take her cloak off before they seeped through their holsters and slipped her wand out of her sleeve.
"Don't use it," Mortgrim hissed softly from where he lay. "Close the door! Hurry!"
Seeing the sense in his plan, Jennifer pulled herself to her feet and dove towards the heavy door, giving it a strong shove. But just before the thick door sealed, a flash of light burst around the edge and Jennifer found herself being grabbed from behind. As Jennifer moved to attack, Ciardoth went for the wand, but the moment her hand touched it, she began to cry out in apparent anguish. Recovering quickly, Ciardoth grabbed a hold of Jennifer's wrist, twisting it with such inhuman strength that Jennifer had to drop it.
"So, you would try to imprison me, would you?" Ciardoth snarled, the pain in Jennifer's arm increasing steadily. "You've only sealed your own fate! I have seen your death, Jennifer. Do you want to know how you die? At least a little hint?" Ciardoth asked, her mocking voice full of hatred. "Perhaps it's best you find out for yourself!" she decided, opening the door enough to shove Jennifer in, slamming it behind her and leaving her sealed in complete darkness.
But Ciardoth didn't have long to admire her handiwork, for it was not even an instant later when a cart appeared on the Diagon Alley side of the track, slowing to an easy stop in front of them with only one passenger.
"Ciardoth!" Severus called out, pointing his wand at her.
"Ah, Severus Snape, we meet at last," Ciardoth said, watching the new arrival carefully. "You might as well put that down. You won't be using it. In fact, allow me to save you a lot of anguish by disposing of you while you can still die… happily."
Before he could answer, the broken ends of the track beyond suddenly began to curl up, breaking the slates of wood in between and snaking towards them, intent on Severus.
"Don't use the wand!" Mortgrim barked again as Severus dodged the iron snakes, clanging on the walls as they missed.
"Where is Jennifer?" Severus demanded.
"Does it really matter?" Ciardoth said. "Oh, I suppose it does to you now, but it shouldn't, if you remembered things like I did. Poor Severus," she tsked. "She leaves you, you know… all because of another man. She's going to forget all about you and leave you alone with the children. But then, that's what one gets for falling into blind loyalty when one should know better. In fact, you would probably do better just letting me destroy time while I can. It will save you quite a bit of grief."
"Stop toying, Ciardoth. If you're as knowledgeable as you think you are, then you know I wouldn't believe such lies," Severus snapped.
"Very well, suit yourself, but don't say I didn't warn you," Ciardoth said, her eyes focusing on the other set of rails which rose to snap at him as well. "I'm sure this will keep you busy for a while, at least a few hours until the inevitable happens and the last of the air inside that vault is spent. Stealing her breath might have been more efficient, but then, why try to change a death that suits me so well?" she asked herself, disappearing in a flash of light.
As one of the iron snakes made another strike, Severus smashed a phial into it. For a moment nothing seemed to happen, until all the sudden, the iron grew redder and redder until it corroded away with rust. The car shifted from under Severus as part of the track dropped away, and Severus moved to try and leap out.
Just then, second rail snapped like a whip and Severus found himself propelled forward in the car, peeling away from the area at a breakneck speed. He reached for the brake only to realize that the iron serpents had snapped it in half. Cursing, he knew what he had to do. Drinking a speed potion to improve his chances, he leaned to one side to try to get the car to shift, veering the cart in that direction until he found himself in a great intersection of criss-crossing tracks. Spying a light in the distance, Severus watched it grow nearer and nearer. Just as it began to pass, he leapt across, barely able to clear the gap and falling hard into the car. The goblin driver turned and stared at him in surprise.
"Take me to Vault One! Griphook's orders!" Severus barked at him. "But don't take the lower track and take care when you get near, the rail is bound to attack back!"
"I'd better get extra pay for this," the goblin said, switching to another track.
"Can't this thing go any faster?" Severus yelled at him.
"You're starting to sound like my supervisor. Very well then, hang on," the goblin said, pushing it to the limit.
It was a good thing that the mist from the dragon fight had not settled along that track at the speed they were going, and the goblin was not taking the straight route. Severus knew it did little good to bark at him, for he was only doing as he was taught to do, but time was of the essence. Suddenly the goblin yelped in surprise and Severus saw the iron snakes had curled upwards near vaults two and three so that any car approaching would be launched towards the ceiling. Seeing no other way but through, Severus pulled out his wand again, blasting the obstacles out of the way with a fireball and then pointing it at their car and levitating it.
Propelled by the spell and the rails' change of angle, the car skipped to the side, crashing into the wall near the vault and barely missing Mortgrim on its way past. Mortgrim was groaning loudly, and the other goblin climbed out and ran over to him, Severus leaping out and following behind him.
"Boss! Are you all right?" the goblin asked, inspecting his leg.
"Take this," Severus snapped impatiently, throwing him a healing potion. "Where's my wife?"?
"In there," Mortgrim said, pointing at the vault. "You used magic. You have the Gringotts' Curse for life now!"
"Damn the curses! Get her out of there!" Severus said, moving to pull him up.
"Don't touch me! Stay back!" Mortgrim said in fear, scooting away from him. "Captooth, help me!"
Captooth was careful not to get near Severus as well, but Severus could have cared less about their actions or the consequences of his spell casting. All he could think of was Jennifer, knowing what she would be going through. But at Mortgrim's touch, the door burst open and Severus grabbed the lamp out of Captooth's hand and went in. Jennifer, huddled against one corner had looked up the moment the door opened, her haunted face instantly filled with tears of relief as she shakily got up and went over to Severus, falling into his arms.
"Severus… she has them! We couldn't do anything…"
"I know, it's all over now," Severus reassured her, walking her out.
"It's not over until I get out of this horrid town and beastly bank and back above ground where I belong!" Jennifer declared.
"We need to walk quite some way before we reach a point where the track is safe again and we can get another car, so we'd best get started," Captooth suggested, supporting Mortgrim.
"Don't touch me," Mortgrim told Severus.
"We'll just walk ahead of you, if you don't mind," Severus said irritably.
"Don't touch any of the vault doors, either," Mortgrim said.
"Why is he… what did you do, Severus?" Jennifer asked.
"Never mind that, let's just get above ground, and worry about whatever sorts of curses I have on me later," Severus muttered. "Don't worry about the children either, they're safe with Grendelbane."
"Severus," Jennifer spoke quietly once they started to gain some distance in front of the goblins. "Promise me when I die I won't be buried." Severus didn't answer at first, so taken aback by the statement that it took him a moment to digest it.
"You'll have to have someone else promise you that," Severus said at last. "I'll be damned if anything is going to happen to you while I'm still alive."