The Search Is Over,
Chapter 133, Aire! Gruagach!
Kreacher and Regulus invited Griphook to dinner around two weeks after Mag and Severus's visit. Kreacher wrote the invitation, stating that any day he could come was fine with them, so long as it was after sunset.
The two had read all of the borrowed books from Wolfgang with no luck. While they were interesting in themselves, nothing could be found in their pages on elves and the fae. Griphook responded surprisingly swiftly, accepting their invitation and saying that he was open for dinner the very next day if that wasn't too soon.
Kreacher wrote back assuring him that the next day would be perfect. He then busied himself planning an elaborate and extravagant meal for the goblin, jotting down his wishes in minute detail for the other elves even down to the dishes on which the meal should be served. The Black family not only had several sets of fine china, but they also had a set of silver dishes and a set of gold. These sets included cups, bowls, plates, goblets and utensils. For this night, Kreacher opted for the fine silver, as the gold may make it appear they were trying too hard to impress.
"Kreacher is certain that Griphook shall feel flattered, and thus be more forthcoming," he told Regulus with a satisfied smile.
His round blue eyes danced with eager excitement that Regulus found contagious.
"Brilliant thinking," he praised and Kreacher's smile widened.
"Yes," he agreed modestly.
"Kreacher thought so as well."
"I wonder what Griphook will think this is about," Regulus mused.
"While we're obviously on friendly enough business terms, we haven't exactly been social with him."
Kreacher nodded.
"He'll probably suspect business. Kreacher supposes this is why he accepted so readily. If he senses gold he is likely up for a dinner any time."
"Do you think he will be receptive upon learning that it isn't business as much as knowledge seeking," Regulus asked and Kreacher shrugged.
"Kreacher doesn't see why not. Griphook has nothing to lose by assisting us in further exploring this topic, after all."
For his part, Regulus found the idea of gaining knowledge from the goblin to be a rather thrilling prospect. Rarely did goblins and wizards rub shoulders if it didn't involve transactions at Gringotts.
Of course Regulus had no problem with goblins, but he'd never had cause to seek any of them out for social interaction. Likewise none had ever approached him. Upon reflection, it was honestly shocking how separate the magical races kept themselves in daily life.
They had far more in common with one another than they did with Muggles, yet some wizards mixed with Muggles more readily, which struck Regulus as passing strange the more he thought of it. One would think it was a result of hard feelings due to the goblin wizarding wars, but hadn't the wizards suffered even more at Muggle hands during the wizarding Muggle wars? When Regulus asked Kreacher for his thoughts on the matter, the elf merely shrugged.
"Perhaps wizards still find Goblins more threatening than Muggles."
"But wizards won the war against them and lost against Muggles," Regulus protested and Kreacher nodded thoughtfully, then he smiled.
"Well Kreacher never said that he believed most wizards to be nearly as smart as Master Regulus."
Regulus chuckled, drawing Kreacher close.
"Your high regard is the only reason I have any self esteem left after the mistakes I've made," he said.
"Kreacher is glad," the elf said, but his gaze was sad and distant as it slowly rose to meet Regulus's own.
"Kreacher just wishes he would stop blaming himself for..."
"Yes, I know," Regulus said, regretting his words at once.
"It's force of habit plus I do believe that potion is inside doing something to me, that or the lake water...Who the hell knows?"
He shuddered, and Kreacher drew closer, running a comforting hand down Regulus's back.
"The healers will return soon," he soothed.
"How do you know," Regulus asked and Kreacher gave a dry chuckle.
"Well, Kreacher supposes they can't stay away forever."
Regulus grinned.
"Fair enough."
As they spoke, in the back of his mind, Regulus wondered if he could truly think differently about everything once the potion and or lake water was out of him completely. Would he suddenly feel that he was not to blame for the deaths of either of his parents or the imprisonment of the Lestranges or sending Kreacher off with Voldemort?
What if the joke was on him again, and the goblin healers said that nothing was wrong with him and that there was no potion or lake water lingering in his system? Then what? He opened his mouth to ask Kreacher what then, but closed it before words could emerge. Those words would only needlessly distress Kreacher and he'd done enough of that already in so many various if unintentional ways.
Best to instead focus on their dinner with Griphook to which he was truly looking forward. The potential of gaining new and exciting knowledge from the goblin was stimulating in a way that Regulus missed due to experiencing it far too infrequently. He was fully aware that his depression and self dislike was to blame for this, so was more than willing to let it go if it would kindly do the same. If only.
Griphook arrived for dinner precisely at the agreed upon time of eight P.M. Regulus approved. Such precision meant magical precision as well, and also that Griphook was a reliable sort.
Kreacher offered a pre-dinner glass of wine and Griphook accepted. The three went into the library and Griphook's sharp black gaze hungrily devoured the shelves of books as he sipped at the red wine in his shimmering crystal goblet. Stormy had served it on a matching crystal tray. Kreacher had indeed brought out all the stops for tonight, or at least most of them. There was the valid bit of not wishing to appear to try too hard to impress, after all.
"If Griphook has any particular interest in any of the books, he may borrow them," Kreacher offered generously after casting a quick glance of inquiry at Regulus who smiled and nodded.
Griphook's eyes widened slightly in surprise."Well. Thank you!"
Rising from his chair, crystal glass still in hand, he moved closer to one of the shelves to study the books on ancient curses that it held.
"What's this evening about, if I may ask? I assume you didn't invite me here simply to allow me to borrow a few books."
"My mother made an interesting comment when we asked a necromancer to help us speak to the spirits of my parents," Regulus began after exchanging a glance with Kreacher.
"It concerned elves being related to the fae. This began a new yet often fruitless avenue of research for Kreacher and I."
Kreacher nodded, and filled the goblin in on what they'd managed to discover as well as the research they'd attempted on the roots of elf slavery.
"Kreacher and Master Regulus have come to believe that perhaps it is all related to an extent," he concluded.
"We were wondering if Griphook has any information or even theories that he would be willing to share."
"As we're studying earth magic as well, we were also curious to know if the goblins are aware of who built Stonehenge or the pyramids."
"Which pyramids," Griphook asked.
"There are various types of those scattered all over the world."
Regulus nodded, shrugging.
"Of course. Any that you know about would be more than we have now. We've only read historical facts on their use, but who precisely built them is unclear."
"Well I haven't seen all of them, but some pyramids definitely have the magical signature of elves and goblins."
Kreacher leaned forward in avid interest.
"Magical signature! Kreacher never checked Stonehenge or any pyramids for what sort of magic they had in them, but he and Master Regulus only visited briefly and at that time, Kreacher was not thinking of how they were made for some reason."
The elf gave an annoyed frown.
"We can go back to anywhere you'd like, any time you'd like, Love," Regulus assured.
Kreacher nodded, brightening.
"As for the fae, I suppose goblins and elves are both what you could call fae," Griphook said.
It was then that Stormy rang the bell that announced dinner.
Kreacher and Regulus rose together from the arm chair they were sharing and led the way into the dining room. The elves had done Kreacher proud. The table was laid with all the fine glittering silver, a matching silver candelabra made of claw like hands shining in the center of the table. Kereston and Reynaldo were already seated and Griphook's eyes widened slightly at the sight of an acromantula at the table.
"He's here," Reynaldo told Kereston excitedly.
"I think that means we may eat now, right Regulus"
Regulus chuckled.
"Yes."
"Yummy," Reynaldo said, wrapping his front leg around the handle of his fork and stabbing it into a piece of roast pheasant.
Kreacher and Regulus settled at the head of the table. As always, Regulus felt a bit awkward just sitting there with empty table in front of him watching everyone else eat. He felt very obviously different, and that was the worst part of sitting at dinner.
Dining was a social affair, though, so he struggled through it. Fortunately Kreacher returned them to the fascinating point Griphook was speaking on before Stormy rang the dinner bell, and that provided the distraction he needed to forget his discomfort.
"Goblins and elves are fae?"
Griphook nodded.
"Of course. That's why humans, especially wizards hate and fear us so much. You are all surely aware that the fae, meaning the fair folk, are only called this to diminish human fears of their vast powers. It's rather like calling a tiger nice kitty."
He bit into the pheasant much as Reynaldo had done.
"This is very good!"
Kreacher beamed, obviously proud of his accomplishments in training the four elves to his standards of satisfaction.
Kereston and Regulus nodded to Griphook's comment on the origins of the title fair folk for fae kind.
"Yes," Kereston said
"I read that once in a book of Irish mythology. There are many types of faeries listed there, some taller than humans, like the sidhe and some smaller like the firbolgs.
Griphook nodded.
"Those are said to be the most ancients with we elves, goblins, pixies and such as their younger cousins."
He sighed, stabbing his fork into a chunk of potato.
"We were powers back then, we were. They feared us unfairly, though, just as Muggles fear all of us now. Weak and foolish and fearful they were and they made us pay. Do you know why wizards hate goblins so? It's because we refused to let them push us around in the very old days. When we wouldn't hand over our gold and we refused to craft shiny items for them for a mere bit of food, they made up dreadful stories.
Stories that we ate children, and stole cattle away at night. They made themselves frightened of the dark, believing we were lurking there to get them, and why? Simply because we can see better in the dark. Yes indeed that must mean that we will use that to get them because human eyes in the darkness are weak!"
Everyone at the table leaned forward, listening to Griphook with bated breath, eyes full of fascination. The goblin spoke in an old style, an indication that he repeated stories that were handed down and down from ancient times. They hung on every word, because story or no, it was all quite likely very grounded in truth.
"They made goblins the enemy before elves, because of our night vision and skill with metal work which we refused to share with lesser beings. They said, 'Aire! Gruagach!' at the sight of us, warding us off, just as they ward off evil. As you can surely imagine, relations only went down hill from there."
"Gruagach means goblin in Gaelic, right," Kereston asked and Griphook nodded.
"Yes and later they used the word for any dark creature they chose to fear," he said bitterly.
(Dear reader,
There is a lovely song by Heather Alexander called Aire Gruagach that Regulus and Griphook strongly recommend. Do google it, it's darkly delightful.)