Gringott's Bank had been in the wizarding world as long as anyone could
remember. It stood firmly, base to all of Diagon Alley, and had
unmistakably beautiful archetecture designed very skillfully. It seemed to
almost collide Anchient Rome with Medieval England, having collumns and
arches, white marble and stained glass. It seemed to leave all who first
set eyes upon it in awe. All who didn't see it from day to day.
Bill Weasley strode through the Great Hall of Gringotts as if he were walking through the lobby of some second-rate office building. His flamboyant, telltale red hair was tamed back in a low ponytail, and the talon of some beast dangled from his ear. He was due to meet the famed Fleur Delacour to go through the winding array of underground paths with random deposits and withdraws that had been sent by mail to the bank.
He took a door labeled in the fancy writing of 'Staff Only,' and took a staircase of regal quality that wound down to a hall of small offices. Heading down that hallway, he paused at the third door to the left. The door was wide open to let in an occasional summer breeze.
"Hey." He stated, popping his head inside the doorway to spot a frusterated young woman with silver white hair, pulled away from her beautiful face with two sticks. Spectacles were upon the tip of her nose as she looked up with a sigh of relief.
"Oh, Bill, I was wondering when 'oo'd arrive!" She exclaimed breathlessly through her French accent, seeming to get up from her seat and float over to Bill. She wore a short, black skirt, a white blouse, and a lavender, button-up cardigan. "Before we go, can 'oo 'elp my with some of 'zis 'Eenglish?" Her long eyelashes batted.
"Oh, of course, Fleur." Bill said as Fleur Delacour grabbed his arm and dragged him over to her humble oak desk.
"What does 'zis mean, Bill?" She said, extending a slender finger and pointing over a piece of parchment. Bill Weasley leaned over to see the paper. Unable to comprehend what it was saying, he brought it up to his face to study the words more carefully. The document was written in green ink, and with the summer afternoon's light shining through, Bill could see the Darkmark as the watermark.
"What the f--" He paused himself, careful not to curse in front of Fleur. He had quite an interest sparked in the young French girl, and didn't want to ruin his chances by making a rude, unnecessary remark. "Nothing I recognize but 'werewolf.' We have to get it to Dumbledore immediately."
Fleur bore a confused expression upon her face. "Why Dumbledore?" She asked, skeptically. "He's a crazy one, 'oo know."
"Fleur," Bill looked her in the eye with a serious look upon his face. Something that he didn't usually wear. "This letter is from a Death Eater, on of You-Know-Who's followers. Do you know what the Order of the Phoenix is?" Fleur shook her head. "Well, you're going to find out."
Bill took to the halls, Fleur following behind him. "Where are 'oo going, Bill?" She called, trying to catch up to him in her uncomfortable heels.
"The owlery." He said, pausing for her at the top of the steps. They emerged from the 'Staff Only' section and stepped lightly through the Great Hall of Gringotts and out to the humid summer air of Diagon Alley.
Upon reaching the Owlery, Bill found an owl that looked like it was up for the journey. It was a small screech owl. One native to the area and fairly common. He handed the man at the counter a knut for its services.
"Do you have a quill and parchment?" He asked the man, keeping note that the parchment was secured in his pocket. The man nodded to a bottle of ink beside him with a quill dipped inside. He waved his wand and a piece of parchment appeared in front of Bill. Bill scribbled a note that read:
AD, Found a letter. Couldn't understand it. When you see it, you'll understand why it's so urgent. Send me back an address. Recruited Fleur Delacour. --BW
He folded the paper in his pocket and the one on which he had written into an envelope. He addressed it to Albus Dumbledore and told the owl so. Letting it off into the horizon, he turned back to Fleur.
"We should get 'ack to work." Fleur said, giving Bill an uneasy smile.
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Down in the dank vaults of Gringotts, Bill and Fleur sat in a mining car, Bill's leather jacket draped over Fleur's minute shoulders.
"What's the vault number, Fleur?" Bill asked, lifting a lantern to see the current number.
"Next one is number seven-hundred eleven." And with the soft, quavering voice the mine car zipped off, throwing Bill down against the back of the car. They arrived with a sudden stop at that certain vault number.
"Here we are.." Bill said uneasily, hopping out of the car. He helped Fleur out of the car and she looked up to him with wide eyes.
"Are 'oo scared?" She asked innocently.
"Out of my wits. These mines creep me out." Was Bill's humble reply. He slowly opened the vault, only to see vast piles of gold and silver and brass. So much money was unimaginable. Bill felt his jaw drop, but Fleur saw it as if it was nothing. She looked to him with narrowed eyes.
"Are you going to 'elp me or not? 'Zis is a 'eavy parcel." She said, referring to the long package beside her. As Bill fetched it, she strode in.
"Quite 'eempressive." She commented, looking around, and then to the clipboard in her hands. "'Eet says 'ere that 'zis is Sirius Black's vault. I 'ad no idea the convict 'ad so much gold."
"Black's vault?" Bill panted, dropping the package on the ground a few feet in. "I didn't know that either.
"Dumbledore wanted 'oo deposit that." She said, pointing to what Bill had just dropped.
"Wow. Really? That's odd." Bill said uneasily, wondering, himself why Dumbledore had deposited something in Black's vault instead of his own. He was quite a man, Dumbledore was. Completely unpredictable and full of mystery.
"What 'ould Dumbledore want 'oo do with Black?" She asked, looking to Bill with wide eyes.
"No, the question is if Black had all this money, why couldn't he bail himself out?"
Fleur batted her eyelashes at Bill. "What 'ould 'appen eef we got stuck in 'ere?" Bill's ears went a bright shade of pink as Fleur came closer to him, with an innocent yet seductive look in her eyes.
"Well, uhh.. Fleur, we'd stay here until someone comes down here again. But we aren't stuck, so that's not something we ought be worried about." He said rather nervously, heading for the circular door. Fleur followed, clinging to his arm.
"'E could pretend tha' 'e 'ave been stuck 'ere." She said, looking up to him, her eyes bright and wide. They managed to get into the mine car before their lips had touched. But it was quite a while later until that certain trail car had emerged from the depths of London.
Author's Note: Chapter Two is up. A little shorter then I'd have liked, but at least I'm giving it a little structure. Still dunno where to go with it. I'll find out before I start chapter three. Give me suggestions. Tell me what's wrong with it! I'll LOVE you. =OO Love, BH
Bill Weasley strode through the Great Hall of Gringotts as if he were walking through the lobby of some second-rate office building. His flamboyant, telltale red hair was tamed back in a low ponytail, and the talon of some beast dangled from his ear. He was due to meet the famed Fleur Delacour to go through the winding array of underground paths with random deposits and withdraws that had been sent by mail to the bank.
He took a door labeled in the fancy writing of 'Staff Only,' and took a staircase of regal quality that wound down to a hall of small offices. Heading down that hallway, he paused at the third door to the left. The door was wide open to let in an occasional summer breeze.
"Hey." He stated, popping his head inside the doorway to spot a frusterated young woman with silver white hair, pulled away from her beautiful face with two sticks. Spectacles were upon the tip of her nose as she looked up with a sigh of relief.
"Oh, Bill, I was wondering when 'oo'd arrive!" She exclaimed breathlessly through her French accent, seeming to get up from her seat and float over to Bill. She wore a short, black skirt, a white blouse, and a lavender, button-up cardigan. "Before we go, can 'oo 'elp my with some of 'zis 'Eenglish?" Her long eyelashes batted.
"Oh, of course, Fleur." Bill said as Fleur Delacour grabbed his arm and dragged him over to her humble oak desk.
"What does 'zis mean, Bill?" She said, extending a slender finger and pointing over a piece of parchment. Bill Weasley leaned over to see the paper. Unable to comprehend what it was saying, he brought it up to his face to study the words more carefully. The document was written in green ink, and with the summer afternoon's light shining through, Bill could see the Darkmark as the watermark.
"What the f--" He paused himself, careful not to curse in front of Fleur. He had quite an interest sparked in the young French girl, and didn't want to ruin his chances by making a rude, unnecessary remark. "Nothing I recognize but 'werewolf.' We have to get it to Dumbledore immediately."
Fleur bore a confused expression upon her face. "Why Dumbledore?" She asked, skeptically. "He's a crazy one, 'oo know."
"Fleur," Bill looked her in the eye with a serious look upon his face. Something that he didn't usually wear. "This letter is from a Death Eater, on of You-Know-Who's followers. Do you know what the Order of the Phoenix is?" Fleur shook her head. "Well, you're going to find out."
Bill took to the halls, Fleur following behind him. "Where are 'oo going, Bill?" She called, trying to catch up to him in her uncomfortable heels.
"The owlery." He said, pausing for her at the top of the steps. They emerged from the 'Staff Only' section and stepped lightly through the Great Hall of Gringotts and out to the humid summer air of Diagon Alley.
Upon reaching the Owlery, Bill found an owl that looked like it was up for the journey. It was a small screech owl. One native to the area and fairly common. He handed the man at the counter a knut for its services.
"Do you have a quill and parchment?" He asked the man, keeping note that the parchment was secured in his pocket. The man nodded to a bottle of ink beside him with a quill dipped inside. He waved his wand and a piece of parchment appeared in front of Bill. Bill scribbled a note that read:
AD, Found a letter. Couldn't understand it. When you see it, you'll understand why it's so urgent. Send me back an address. Recruited Fleur Delacour. --BW
He folded the paper in his pocket and the one on which he had written into an envelope. He addressed it to Albus Dumbledore and told the owl so. Letting it off into the horizon, he turned back to Fleur.
"We should get 'ack to work." Fleur said, giving Bill an uneasy smile.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------------------
Down in the dank vaults of Gringotts, Bill and Fleur sat in a mining car, Bill's leather jacket draped over Fleur's minute shoulders.
"What's the vault number, Fleur?" Bill asked, lifting a lantern to see the current number.
"Next one is number seven-hundred eleven." And with the soft, quavering voice the mine car zipped off, throwing Bill down against the back of the car. They arrived with a sudden stop at that certain vault number.
"Here we are.." Bill said uneasily, hopping out of the car. He helped Fleur out of the car and she looked up to him with wide eyes.
"Are 'oo scared?" She asked innocently.
"Out of my wits. These mines creep me out." Was Bill's humble reply. He slowly opened the vault, only to see vast piles of gold and silver and brass. So much money was unimaginable. Bill felt his jaw drop, but Fleur saw it as if it was nothing. She looked to him with narrowed eyes.
"Are you going to 'elp me or not? 'Zis is a 'eavy parcel." She said, referring to the long package beside her. As Bill fetched it, she strode in.
"Quite 'eempressive." She commented, looking around, and then to the clipboard in her hands. "'Eet says 'ere that 'zis is Sirius Black's vault. I 'ad no idea the convict 'ad so much gold."
"Black's vault?" Bill panted, dropping the package on the ground a few feet in. "I didn't know that either.
"Dumbledore wanted 'oo deposit that." She said, pointing to what Bill had just dropped.
"Wow. Really? That's odd." Bill said uneasily, wondering, himself why Dumbledore had deposited something in Black's vault instead of his own. He was quite a man, Dumbledore was. Completely unpredictable and full of mystery.
"What 'ould Dumbledore want 'oo do with Black?" She asked, looking to Bill with wide eyes.
"No, the question is if Black had all this money, why couldn't he bail himself out?"
Fleur batted her eyelashes at Bill. "What 'ould 'appen eef we got stuck in 'ere?" Bill's ears went a bright shade of pink as Fleur came closer to him, with an innocent yet seductive look in her eyes.
"Well, uhh.. Fleur, we'd stay here until someone comes down here again. But we aren't stuck, so that's not something we ought be worried about." He said rather nervously, heading for the circular door. Fleur followed, clinging to his arm.
"'E could pretend tha' 'e 'ave been stuck 'ere." She said, looking up to him, her eyes bright and wide. They managed to get into the mine car before their lips had touched. But it was quite a while later until that certain trail car had emerged from the depths of London.
Author's Note: Chapter Two is up. A little shorter then I'd have liked, but at least I'm giving it a little structure. Still dunno where to go with it. I'll find out before I start chapter three. Give me suggestions. Tell me what's wrong with it! I'll LOVE you. =OO Love, BH