Chapter Eighteen
Harry Makes a Move
As determined as everyone was to help, reality soon set in. The students found themselves under a mound of homework as the teachers pushed to get as much information in their heads as they could before the holidays, and the professors were forced to admit, grudgingly, that it was one thing to want to fight the system, and quite another thing to actually try.
"I am tired of tip-toeing around the board's decision while absolutely nothing is getting done!" Severus snapped as he paced his office.
"I think you're being too hard on yourself, Severus," Harry Potter said from where he leaned against Severus' desk. "You were the one who got Corey to start that counter movement with Grendelbane to try and get the goblins to cooperate."
"To what avail? Grendelbane is seen as somewhat of an eccentric by the other goblins."
"Tassels and Panning are with him," Harry pointed out.
"Tassels and Panning are only siding with Grendelbane because I happen to be one of their best customers," Severus said bluntly. Harry couldn't help but grin at that. "They couldn't care less about Ciardoth. They only care about the fact they won't be seeing my galleons at Christmas this year because of the injunction on us."
"That's it! Now why didn't I think of that? Severus, you're brilliant!" Harry said, standing up.
"Yes," Severus agreed impatiently. "But what are you talking about?"
"What would happen if the Ministry imposed a boycott on Myrkinbrek, right now before the holidays?" Harry asked. "They make most of their business this time of year, and mostly off of wizard kind. The goblin bank board would have no choice but release their ban."
"You realize how risky that is, don't you? They hold most of the investments of all the wizards in Britain. What if they decide to try and counter?" Severus challenged him.
Harry paused, squinting at the door just as the end of a snake's tail darted underneath it.
"And just where do you think you're going?" Harry hissed, popping open the door and searching intently.
"What was it?" Severus asked.
"A snake. I don't suppose you're doing antitoxins again?"
"A small snake?" Severus asked, nodding before Harry could answer and quickly helping him search the classroom. "Achilles. He's the only one who could have gotten in," Severus growled. "I told Aurelius to watch his step, and now he sends his own familiar to spy on me? Well, that is that. He is now officially on my short list!"
Harry winced.
"You want me to talk to him?" Harry asked.
"No, I will deal with him in my own way, professor to student," Severus said with a spark in his eye. Harry winced again so noticeably that Severus squinted at him.
"Problem?" Severus asked testily.
"No, but as one who's been on that list, I don't envy him," Harry said, very aware that Severus' gaze never left him. "Well, I think I'd better be getting back," Harry said, clearing his throat. "I still have that cup to find."
"You had better. Jennifer's plan depends on finding it," Severus reminded him.
"I know, Severus. Don't worry, we'll find it," Harry assured him. "In the meantime, I suggest you make a vault withdraw, just in case my plan backfires."
"I'm sure it will, considering who conceived it," Severus retorted. Harry only grinned at him in response, and then waved and slipped out the door. Severus stood there quietly for a moment before he suddenly growled deep in his throat. "Aurelius," he said, shaking his head and storming into the hall.
"Aurelius Snape!" McGonagall's voice boomed down the corridor where Aurelius, Heph, and Stock were passing on their way to breakfast. She was holding Achilles out by the tail, and she did not look happy. "May I ask exactly why it was that your familiar was found this morning in one of our first year girls' dorm rooms?"
"Sorry, Professor. He does tend to wander," Aurelius said, quickly rescuing his snake, which curled onto his arm in relief. "He was wild, after all."
"Well, I suggest, Mr. Snape, that you break him of his wandering tendencies, or I will have to ask that he be sent home," she warned him.
"Yes, Professor," Aurelius said. As McGonagall turned with a hurrumph and walked back down the corridor, while Heph and Stock started to snigger behind him. Aurelius turned and glared in them.
"Well done, Aurelius. I'm sure he'll find the cup in an underwear drawer," Heph said, not able to hold back his laughter.
"Do you mind? It's a big castle and he's a rather small snake. We should give him a bit of leeway," Aurelius said defensively.
"Heph is right, Aurelius, it'll take that snake months if not years to scour a castle this size, and then I'm sure the cup would be long gone. You'd be better off putting an advertisement in the Daily Prophet with a reward than trying to accomplish anything with that rat-catcher of yours," Stock said.
"Well it isn't going to be somewhere obvious, is it? I've eliminated quite a number of rooms on the sheer logic that so many people frequent them that there's no way the cup could be there," Aurelius explained. "And I'm also fairly sure now that neither of my parents have it since they are actively looking for it, even Rasputin admitted that."
"So where are you sending him next, Dumbledore's office?" Heph asked challengingly.
"Dumbledore wouldn't have to resort to stealing. All he'd have to do is ask the Ministry for something and they'd give it to him," Aurelius said. "Besides, he'd recognize Achilles in a heartbeat. I imagine it won't be in personal rooms in any case, although I could see it being hidden in an office. In a bedroom, you're nearly guaranteed to be the culprit, where in an office many people come in and out that you have a chance of blaming someone else for it," Aurelius reasoned. "Come on, I need to try to get to the lab before Mum's first class does. We need to pick up that Reappearing Ink for that little prank on Donovan anyhow."
"Finally, something we really ought to be doing," Heph said, hurrying to follow behind him.
Corey Willowby couldn't remember the last time he had seen such a crowd in Diagon Alley, all standing in the snow apparently oblivious to the weather with the center of the gathering focused in front of Gringotts' Bank. Beside him stood his mentor, Grendelbane the Eighteenth, the most renowned goblin wandmaker in the world. He stood with his arms folded, his quick ears listening in to the heated argument going on just in front of the doors as calmly as if nothing was going on at all. Nearly everyone Corey knew was there… Arthur, Bill, and Ron had just stepped inside with Brown and several goblins, while Harry, Ginny, and Hermione stood in a group looking around expectantly for someone. Draco was in one of the arguments with the goblins, while his father stood by with a strangely amused look on his face. Beside him stood Amadeus Longbottom, in robes so crisp and flauntingly expensive that Corey couldn't help but wonder who he had stolen from to get them. Tassels and Panning were nearby as well, nodding in unison to what Thurspire was telling them. And outside along the Alley, all of the shop owners stood at their doors, whether as a show of support or just from curiosity, Corey wasn't quite sure.
Then Dumbledore arrived, along with Danny, Taylor, and Sirius Black… who was quickly dragged off by Harry. A moment later, the two of them returned, standing by Dumbledore's side. Doug and Essie hurried up then, greeting Corey, who updated them on the situation. But as far as Corey was concerned, those who had showed up didn't seem to make up for the fact that Jennifer and Severus weren't there.
"This is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard of," Webstring the goblin bookseller said angrily. "You're hurting yourselves by doing this as much as you're hurting us! The holidays are coming, and you expect me to believe that the entire population of wizard folk are going to go along with this 'boycott' of yours?"
"Webstring, dear, you're getting a bit hot and bothered for no reason. Perhaps now would be a good time for a vacation," Grendelbane suggested with a toothy grin. "In fact, I'm thinking of taking one myself. I'm sure Willowby and Ollivander can handle the Christmas rush, and it'll give me time to sort some new woods. Bad batch of birch this year," he mused.
"I know, I had to import from America because of that blight," Corey agreed.
"Blasphemy! Better to do without than import that polluted wood."
"This is no time to talk shop!" Webstring snapped. "Tassels, Panning. Surely you two aren't backing this!"
"Perhaps if we had accepted help with Ciardoth when it was offered," Tassels mused.
"It wouldn't have come to this," Panning finished.
"Enough!" Everyone glanced up as Governor Knobgait came out, Arthur and sons not far behind. "You will disperse at once! Gringotts is goblin property, and no wizard shall be allowed in without signed permission from one of the bank officers or myself. That will be effective as of this moment and until further notice."
"But what about our vaults, our money?" Doris asked from the crowd.
"Yes, and my pay goes directly into my vault," another wizard said.
"You're money will be safe, you'll merely have no access to it. And you have only the Ministry to blame for this. Perhaps someone should have thought about that before they imposed this little boycott." Knobgait said coldly.
"As a matter of fact," Harry began, the entire area falling into a hush and looking at him intently the moment he began to speak. "Sirius and I would like to announce the opening of Black and Potter's Bank and Loan, located in Hogsmeade, and open to any and all of Gringotts' Witch and Wizard customers until which time this little matter is settled."
Everyone began to talk all at once.
"Have you gone mad, Potter? You cannot possibly compete with Gringotts in holdings or security!" Knobgait snapped with such ferocity he could have been biting through bone.
"Well, no, but we do have holdings. If you'll check your records, you'll see I emptied my vault yesterday, and between that, Sirius, and a variety of investors I happened to have acquired in the last twenty-four hours, we'll manage. And don't worry about security, I do know a thing our two about that, being an Auror and all, and I enlisted the best to make sure this temporary fix lasts as long as it needs to," Harry said calmly.
Everyone began to talk at once again, while Knobgait stood in silence with a greener than usual face, attempting to regain his temper.
"I don't know, I think Knobgait's right in a way," Doug murmured to Corey. "I mean, how in the world is he gonna keep his new bank from being robbed? Hogsmeade is no fortress, and Sirius may be a keen builder, but there's no way they'll be able to get by without constant guards and all."
"Er… Doug," Corey said, clearing his throat slightly. "Remind me to tell our friend Porthos about a short conversation I had with Harry last night."
"Oh, no. Tell me you didn't do what I think you did." Doug said, staring at him for a long time before following Corey's glance over at Taylor, who nodded and gave them both a knowing smile. "Remind me to kill you when this is over."
"Sure thing, Doug," Corey promised. Essie shook her head, but was too busy trying to hear what was going on at the door to answer.
"Perhaps we should just allow them under the hill, Knobgait," Panning said.
"Yes, no reason for this to go further than it has. After all, you admitted in the Moot last night that we won't be able to…"
"Enough! Both of you!" Knobgait said cutting Tassel off with a growl. "We do not discuss goblin business in public! You may have differing views, but keep it to our own kind!" he said, his eyes darting over to Corey.
"Why? You listen to Malfoy's views often enough," Panning taunted, another rumble starting in the crowd.
"Goblins will look after goblin affairs!" Knobgait screeched so loudly that everyone silenced in surprise. "We will see to our own land, and we will confer with our own people, and we will fight to the death for the few rights we have left! Now, get off our property!"
"This is bad," Corey murmured as Arthur and Brown encouraged people to leave. "He thinks he's backed into a corner. We're not here to take any rights, we're only trying to help get the Fomorians out."
"Some of us understand that, son," Grendelbane said grimly. "But we've long felt the weight of the Ministry and its legal definitions of what we can and can't do. You can't blame Knobgait for feeling trapped. Once out of options, he will most definitely turn and fight, and that would not go well for either side."
"If Ciardoth has any idea what's happening, I bet she's laughing right now," Corey muttered. "We're up here ready to tear each other apart and she's probably enjoying every minute of it."
"I'll do what I can to try and talk him out of the corner, but don't hold your breath. I understand you humans can't hold it that long," Grendelbane said, patting his back gently. He then stepped over to Tassel and Panning and walked with them into the bank.
"Well this is going to complicate things," Corey muttered.
"Corey, stop talking like your old man and tell me the plan?" Doug ordered irritably.
"Right," Corey said, shaking himself out of it. "Time for a meeting. I expect our fourth will have something to say about this too."
"I hope she doesn't kill you before I do," Doug said.
"Just as long as nobody gets hurt in the process," Essie put in from the other side of her husband as they walked away.
