A/N: Hey, guess what?? My fingers are NOT broken, nor is any other part of my body,…. Although I was a spirit for a while when Kalliope killed me… but that's another story… besides I killed her…twice… hehehe, anyways, the reason why this is soooo late is becoz my computer is soooo slow and we had to take it to be fixed… very original excuse, I know, but when it's the truth there's nothing you can do…. I suppose I could say my sister had an early-life crisis and chucked the computer off a 44 storey building singing Elvis Presley, but I'm not the type to lie, hehehehe. Ok, well I'll stop rambling and as usual, review responses are at the bottom of the page! ;)
P.S: Dedicating this to candledot for being a loyal reader and sticking with it (thanx!!!!)… and to TRIS for being a NAUGHTY GIRL! (And a nice one!) (Lol, I'll see ya on the boards, mate!)
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Chapter Six ~ Gringotts.
The holidays were flying and soon it was only one week left til September the first. It was arranged for that day to be spent in Diagon Alley to collect school supplies and have a nice lunch at the Leaky Cauldron. After flooing and eating a scrumptious lunch served by Tom, they split up to wandering around Diagon Alley. (Not one toe down Knockturn Alley!)
The terrible trio made their way to the magnificent building Gringotts.
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Severus made his way through the Hogwarts Gates and into the town of Hogsmeade before apparating into Diagon Alley. His potion stores desperately needed to be replenished and so he made his way through the swarming crowd of witches and wizards to the tall white building that loomed crookedly ahead of him.
'Also, if Albus was correct in, oh so conspicuously hinting at breakfast that the Weasleys, Granger and Harry were coming to Diagon Alley today, he might have an opportunity to see if he could confront Harry.
Before he knew it, he was second in line to see the Goblin Shishmack when he turned around to see the Gryffindor trio coming in through the two sets of doors that very moment…
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"It would probably be quicker if we were to split up, how about we meet back here in the Great Foyer once we're done?" suggested Harry thoughtfully. The other two nodded agreeingly and went up to different registers.
Harry made his way up to a Goblin and waited for him to finish serving a customer.
"Can I help you?" asked the Goblin giving Harry a scrutinizing glare.
"Erm… yes. Harry Potter, er… I'm here to make a withdrawal," stammered Harry, these goblins always gave him the creeps.
"Where's your key?" he asked suspiciously.
"Oh, yes… it's here sir… hang on…" As Harry fumbled with his over-sized baggy jeans (the pockets were enormous too.) A pair of fathomless black eyes watched him from across the magnificent hall. The belt that held Harry's jeans up was also overly large, so much that when he'd buckled it up the left over belt hung almost to his knees.
Snape watched as the boy finally clutched at something gold and glinting between his fingers and as he passed it to a particularly hideous goblin, he realised it was a Gringotts key.
Severus' hands shook faintly as they clenched into fists at his side. Those people those… Dursley rats hadn't even had the decency to give him not one pound.
'No that's your job' said a nasty voice in his head. With a sudden fury he felt the mad urge to knock that key out of the repulsive goblin's bony hand. But he couldn't, so for now he settled for watching, just watching. He'd tell him soon.
His eyes travelled over the boy and they took in his hair – inherited from him with a red shine to it when it passed the light had grown to just above his shoulders and by the looks of it, his height too judging by the sudden growth spurt he seemed to have had. He suddenly very much wanted to see his face…
"Very well," replied the Goblin, closing his knobbly fist around the key. "Griphook!? Come and take Mr. Potter to his vault please."
The goblin named Griphook who had taken Harry before strolled up out of nowhere and took the key. Turning around, Harry followed Griphook up the slippery, marble hall and out a side door labelled 'The Vaults 600 – 800"
As Harry turned around, Snape fought hard to keep his face neutral. Subtle, the changes were indeed for he looked very much like a Potter, but if one knew where to look he did indeed have a very 'Snape-ish' look about his features. His nose was different, a little more slender like Lily's was.
"Ahh… Severus, another withdrawal?" asked Shishmack the goblin who knew Snape quite well.
"yes, thankyou Shishmack. Vault 718 please."
Griphook led Harry to the familiar cart and took a seat. He quite enjoyed the thrill of the ride unlike Hagrid and Mrs. Weasley. Before Harry knew it, he had filled up his moneybag with jingling gold, silver and bronze.
Just as Griphook slammed the vault door closed, Harry asked him a question. "Sir, if you wouldn't mind I would like to go to vault 593, I have the key, is that alright?"
Griphook twitched his nose and squinted at Harry. Staring at Harry's face and finding whatever it was he was looking for, he sighed.
"Yes indeed Mr. Potter. But I'm afraid only one goblin has the permission to access that vault. That goblin is Shishmack Groonmobil. I'm afraid we'll have to go back up to the main foyer and locate him, come along…"
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"Certainly Severus, you have your key on you I presume?"
"Yes, of course!" Severus fished out his key and handed it to Shishmack.
"Woodoll?!" called Shishmack and waited. "WOODOLL??" he clapped his hands. Still no answer. "I'm sorry, he's just started, a rookie. He's only 47. He really IS too young, has NO idea what he is doing…"
CRASH!!!
A tall, gangly goblin who had not so many warts appeared with a 3 foot stack of papers lost his balance and tripped, sending papers skyward before he landed flat on his face.
"Mr… Mr. Groonmobil, sir! Mr… ouch! Mr. Groonmobil, I…"
"How many times MUST I say it? Call me Shishmack and when called upon you are NOT to bring ANY objects or documents of any kind with you! You're too young to balance them on the polished marble floors and hence, not allowed to for the sake of situations like THIS!"
Woodoll looked around at all the staring faces looking at him sprawled on the floor among thousands of papers littered in the once clean hall. An embarrassed blush rose in his bony cheeks as he looked down at his lap.
"Now clean this up and I myself shall lead Mr. Snape to his vault, follow me please Severus."
Woodoll glanced up at his mentor's voice and watched their retreating backs feeling really respectful towards Shishmack. It was a high honour indeed for a human to allow a goblin use of his first name. He stood up dusting himself off and looked up at the elegant chandeliers coated with wispy threads of cobweb.
Even they seemed to mock him.
"Oh, shut up," he grumbled and started picking up the papers.
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After the gripping journey back to the main foyer, Griphook led Harry up to the tall register, the brass golden bars glinting jammed closed.
"He's not there," stated Griphook wonderingly.
"What the…? Ahhh!" yelled a new voice.
CRASH!
Harry had just stumbled into a tall, young goblin with an immensely large stack of papers in his arms, sending them both flying into the podium of the register. Laying in a crumpled heap watching the papers float down like overly large snowflakes in a daze and not noticing the alarmed stares burning into him, Harry became suddenly very aware of something moving underneath him.
"Geroff me! Geroff me!" squeaked a winded voice. Something wobbled underneath him and Harry found himself flying face first into cold, hard, marble floor. A very flushed faced Woodoll clambered up to his feet grumbling to himself.
"Really! Just picked them all up and now THIS?"
Griphook helped Harry to his feet, a rare gesture for the clever, quick-witted goblin but Harry assumed it was because of Griphook's embarrassment. Harry straightened his baggy clothes as best he could, only to have his hand wrung by Woodoll.
"I'm so very sorry sir, it'll never happen again! You see, I just started work here a few days ago and… eat my warts!! You're Harry Potter?!" asked Woodoll breathlessly.
"Er… yeah," Harry managed still trying to register the goblin's ramblings. Woodoll started shaking Harry's hand without stopping in absolute awe, making the whole of Harry's arm and head shake.
"Such an honour it is, sir! You have honestly…"
"Woodoll!" began Griphook warningly.
"…no idea how exciting this is Mister Potter!"
"Uhm… it's Harry," broke in Harry starting to feel quite dizzy as he tried to keep his gaze focused on the goblin, his glasses askew from all the shaking.
All of a sudden Woodoll snatched his hand away and clutched at his chest.
"A human, Harry Potter, no less… has allowed me use of his Christian name?" he repeated. "Oh thankyou Harry, sir! You shall not regret this, for I will… ahhh!" During his babbling Woodoll had stepped progressively closer and in doing so had trodden on a piece of parchment, slipping and falling right on top of Harry sending them both crashing to the floor.
CRASH!
Gringotts had never been so eventful. Everyone was staring at them… again.
"Just WHAT is going on here?" Shishmack had returned, followed by Professor Snape.
Harry felt like the back of his skull had been crushed and the wind was knocked out of him, trying in vain to sit up, he found the heavy weight on top of his chest restraining him from doing so.
Shishmack grabbed hold of Woodoll and hauled him up off of Harry, allowing him to breathe.
"Of ALL the things… would you kindly explain WHAT is happening here? This is supposed to be a bank!" cried Shishmack.
Griphook cleared his throat and stepped forward.
"Ah, well… after Mr. Potter made his withdrawal, he asked me if he could go to *ahem* another vault. A vault that only you are allowed entrance to…?"
"ah yes, yes. Carry on," said Shishmack gruffly.
"Well, we came up to the main foyer in search of you sir and stumbled into Woodoll, and may I add sir that Woodoll HAD picked up all the papers but as Mr. Potter and he crashed they, erm… flew everywhere again. After of course composing themselves Woodoll did… apologise, I'll admit, but after Mr. Potter granted him permission to use his Christian name he…er… got a little excited." Finished Griphook disapprovingly.
Harry, who was sitting on the floor massaging the back of his neck spoke up.
"Sorry, I didn't know that goblins weren't allowed to use first names. Here, I'll pick these up…" and Harry got to his knees shuffling around picking up papers.
"Gracious no!" cried Shishmack, waving his hands. "Mr. Potter, I'll take you to…er… THAT vault and Woodoll will take care of this." Then he turned to Snape, whom Harry had just noticed. "It was pleasant seeing you again Severus, we should arrange for a drink at the Leaky Cauldron or the Three Broomsticks sometime…"
Snape who had been staring into those emerald orbs snapped back to the present…"oh yes, we should. Mr. Potter," he inclined his head and swept from the hall.
"I'll be off then, shall I?" and Griphook disappeared.
"Mr. Groonmob… I mean er… Shishmack, I'll just, er… be cleaning this up then." Woodoll bowed his head and took the papers that Harry had already collected and started to pick the rest up all over again.
"Mr. Potter, if you'd follow me…" and Shishmack led him behind the register and out a secret door.
When they were gone Woodoll stopped what he was doing and looked up at the chandelier once more and thought to it:
'So there! The first human to allow me use of his first name was only on my THIRD day of work! Aaaand Harry Potter no less!'
The light that reflected off the chandelier seemed to say: 'Ah yes, but you did humiliate yourself three times, get Shishmack mad at you and both Griphook and Harry Potter embarrassed in the process, not to mention jeopardising your job!'
Woodoll stuck his tongue out at the chandelier and accidentally knocked over the pile of papers again. Groaning, he glanced back at the chandelier.
"Oh, shut up!" he grumbled again.
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Shishmack was astounded, this boy looked like a faint younger version of his old friend Severus, whom he had known since his father had brought him in at the age of eleven. After a questioning glance in Severus' direction and a curt nod he now knew this to be his friend's son.
But how he did not know, for this was Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, dismissing it for now and listening to the end of Griphook's explanation. He bid farewell to his friends and led Harry out a secret door, which disappeared after he had closed it.
Harry walked through the door into a new room and at first sight he only thought one thing. 'I'm in Hagrid Heaven.'
He was in an exceedingly long hall that stretched quite wide too. Two long walls of golden bars stretched 10 metres out from the left wall and the right wall and travelled as far down the corridor as Harry could make out and Harry soon found out why. A jet of fire burst out of nowhere but stopped as soon as it hit the gold bars as if there was some magical barrier to stop it. Dragons.
Dozens and dozens of Dragons were inside the bars that carried down the hall as far as he could see. It would take at least a half an hour or more to get to the other end, thought Harry.
The cages on the left were filled with Common Welsh Greens, Swedish Short-snouts, Irish Blues, some rare Australian Roo-tails (these had big thumpers of a tail.) and Harry even spotted on or two Hungarian Horntails in the lot. He almost felt sorry for the crooks.
In the cage on Harry's right-hand-side were Norwegian Ridgebacks, Chinese Fireballs and Common Welsh Black-fire Greens.
Harry was busy gazing in at all the dragons as Shishmack took one of the flaming torches from the grey-stone walls and started to lead Harry down the never-ending hall. Harry was watching a Chinese Fireball roast a rat with one puff and swallowing it in one gulp while dreaming that it was Pettigrew when Shishmack's voice intruded on his thoughts.
"You have Lily's eyes," commented Shishmack.
"Yeah, I know," replied Harry absently, now watching another Chinese Fireball fighting with a Hungarian Horntail over a dead rabbit. The Horntail won by swishing its tail and stabbing the Fireball in the snout.
"She was a dear friend of mine," continued Shishmack, seeming unfazed by all the blood spurting from one of Gringotts' dragons.
Harry's head snapped around, "You knew my parents?" he asked.
A gleam came into Shishmack's eye. "Yes I knew your parents. Your father is a great man." Harry missed Shishmack's use of wording. "You look a bit like him you know."
Harry nodded his head. "Everyone tells me that," he replied.
"Do they?" asked Shishmack amused. "What year will you be attending at Hogwarts? Five, isn't it?" Harry nodded his head; he didn't bother asking how Shishmack knew that.
"What was she like? My mum, I mean," asked Harry eagerly.
Shishmack smiled at Lily's memory, "She was very brave, strong-willed and loyal to her friends. She was someone you could trust and quite confident around others, she was very beautiful. She had the most infectious laugh!"
"Er… sorry, but I thought goblins didn't really mix with people?" asked Harry.
Shishmack smiled mysteriously. "I don't." he held open a door and it suddenly stuck Harry that he'd walked all the way down the entire corridor without even noticing it. But it had seemed so quick! Harry walked through and Shishmack followed him, leaving the door open.
They were standing on a small grey-stone landing that overlooked the tracks of the cart. Across was another landing made of plain stone. Harry turned to Shishmack confused, but he wasn't there! He was on the other landing.
Shishmack smiled at Harry amused. "Look up Mr.Potter" Harry did and was astonished to see an orb half buried in the stone ceiling sticking out. It was swiling with rainbow coloured mist.
"Touch it," came Shishmack's voice. Harry touched it and looked back down to the other landing. "It didn't wo…" Shishmack wasn't there.
"Yes it did," came a voice from behind him. Harry turned sharply and saw Shishmack standing behind him. 'Much better than Floo,' thought Harry.
Shishmack placed a long, gnarled fingernail at an invisible spot on the wall and drew the out line of a door and then a door handle in the dust on the wall. Suddenly with a great rumbling that shook Gringott's very foundations, a door grew out from the drawing.
"Mr. Potter, this is where I leave you, I assure you that you will be fine!" stated Shishmack firmly. Then, touching the orb and appearing on the other landing before Harry could blink and swept out of the open door and shutting it to close --- only to have it disappear.
There was only one thing to do. Turning to face the vault door that now had 593 engraved above it, Harry reached for the door handle. 'This is it,' he told himself, feeling a flutter in his stomach. Grasping hold of the stone handle he turned it, pulled it open and gasped. The vault was empty.
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A/N: I'm not evil! Am I???? *innocent face* So anyways, *starts to polish her halo*, the next chapter should be out in no more than a week, I swear!! *brandishes halo* Also I return back to school next Tuesday (oh joy) *rolls eyes* and so it will be harder for me to do this… but I'll try posting my other ficcy in a month or so... it really depends on time…
Anyways... it's time for some review responses!
Review Responses:
Saavik: thanx for the review, I know I must say this a lot, but it truly does mean a lot to me! It lets me know this story doesn't completely suck, lol!! ;)
Phoenix Flight: Hehe, sorry for the wait! :( I reeeeeeeeeeeeally am! It's just been soooooo busy and school started yesterday, etc…lol! Yep! And guess what? Another cliffy! I looooooove being evil! :D lol! ;)
Anon: 3:10am? You're a fellow night owl I see! ;) thanx, although I believe this took toooooo long to update! *blushes* sorry!
SilverMoon: Yup! The globe was from Sevvie! I hoped everyone would catch on that…
Futon: First of all – thanyou! Being original is something I strive for, secondly… I agree. But you're wrong, he might be a little, he DID hide ALL of his feelings except when Lupin saw that glimpse. All the thoughts/feelings Sev went through were what he was THINKING about, not showing or speaking in anyway (as we all know Sev, he wears his expressionless mask) So he did hide them all.
I apologise if that wasn't particularly clear… I could re-write those particular chapters to make it more prominent if you wish…? I only wanted/thought that the readers might like to know how Sev was taking this and reacting to this from his P.O.V, if I did it otherwise, all they'd be seeing is a blank mask that merits no descriptions or interest of the current situation.
Mikee: Wow! Thanx a lot! Again, I'm soooo sorry this took ages, but next chapter will be out in a week, no more, I promise!!
Viscountess Babbles-on: yep, definitely looooots more chapters this way, that's why I'm doing it this way, lol!! BTW – totally loving your story and hanging on an EDGE for the sequel! I desperately want to dedicate a chapter to you!!! Hmmm… got big plans for that actually… *evil smile*
Arkayas: Thankyou so much! I'm really glad you are enjoying it! I'm glad Snape's perception made sense, I was beginning to wonder…, I hope you enjoy this chapter just as much!
Fizzysoda: thanx! I'll update soooooooo much quicker next time!
Sk8reagle: Well…er… thanx! Lol!! I hope you like this chappie too!
Rickman's Girl: A liiiiittle interaction here, not much, but next chapter they go to school, so there will be much more from then on! ;) I looove your story! I'll catch up as soon as I've posted this!
Tristessa1234: TRIS!!!! I'm soooooo angry with you, young lady! :P lol! You are sooo NOT supposed to be reading this, I didn't think you liked Severitus' challenge fics anyway! Lol! Ya know I luv ya! ;) Cya on the boards and I'll tell ya about my good fic there, lol! (Still can't believe u came here!)
Candledot: Wow! Thankyou for sticking with this, I know it's been like… a month? Lol! Anyways…. Dedicating this chapter to you! Hope you like! ;)
Liv: Thanx! Hope you like this chappie! I'm sorry (how many times have I said this now? Lol!) for the wait!
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A/N: I thought I might leave ya with a teaser… next Chapter is called: The Vault, Harry tells Hermione & Ron everything and they come to some conclusions, Diagon alley, Platform 9 and three quarters and more…;) See yaz next time!
~Lisa~
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