DISCLAIMER! This Harry Potter story was written for fun. All rights belong to the wonderful lady (JK Rowling) who gave the world Harry Potter to read and enjoy. Looking forward to the next movie! Yeah for Fanfiction – a great place to stretch your imagination and enjoy someone else's creativity too!
Chapter 4 FreshGold in the Catacombs of Gringotts SCENE: Same Day as Opening of Trial for Dumbledore vs. AbbotIt took several days to arrange a meeting between Freshgold and Bloodhook. Ironstream insisted that they wait until Sowsbreath was obligated to spend an entire day in the treasury supervising the melting galleons containing the sour gold and the curing of the metal with the fresh gold. Each senior account manager in the bank worked in the treasury where galleons were made at least once each month. If any other goblin learned that 'Freshgold' was present in the bank, they would have no reason to mention it to the Potter vault manager, Sowsbreath.
In his correspondence carried by Dobby, Harry provided the hours he would be available that matched Lady Longbottom's absence from the manor for her charity work. Once the schedule for the trial between Dumbledore and Samuel Abbot was published, Lady Longbottom's absences would repeat each day that week until the case was resolved.
Neville was displeased at the news that Harry would go to Gringotts without an escort until Dobby spoke up and said, "Mr Harry Potters be with Dobby. No goblin touches my wizard without Dobby-elf permissions. No wizard neither."
Harry agreed with Neville's concern but argued, "This will protect you and your Gran. And I won't sign anything until we talk about possibilities with your grandmother."
The same morning as the opening arguments in the trial about the basilisk, Dobby and Harry remained in the bedroom until Lady Longbottom used the floo to travel to the Ministry Atrium. Then the house-elf popped Harry into a secure meeting room in Gringotts where two goblins waited.
Dobby made the introductions, proudly declaring, "This be Mr Harry Potters, Heir Potter, great wizard with many secrets who needs help of goblins."
Pointing at the young goblin, Dobby continued, "This be Bloodhook, first goblin to slobbers and dances with your purest gold. He gets bag of gold each week from Dobby, and he sends letters and books to Mr Harry Potters."
Bowing as he had been taught by Lady Longbottom when greeting an ally, Harry said, "May your enemies bleed at your feet. I come to Gringotts for help."
Pleased by the young wizard's words and actions to that point, Bloodhook replied, "Welcome to Gringotts, Heir Potter. May your gold grow and shine."
Turning to the older goblin, Bloodhook said, "This is Ironstream, my father and immediate supervisor."
Harry replied appropriately, "Greetings Ironstream, father of Bloodhook."
"Heir Potter, our king sends greetings. He cannot meet with you because he must balance account managers who must not know you are present. My pup and I are in no way associated with 'Potter' and we must continue that secrecy for as long as needed."
Then Ironstream asked, "Is there something wrong with the fresh gold? Has something happened?"
"No, delivery of the gold will continue each week," Harry explained. "I have a safe place to stay this summer where I can use magic without a problem."
Now his father stepped back and Bloodhook asked, "Your letter asked for our help…how can Gringotts be of help?"
Harry nodded and said, "I need a lawyer who will help me support Mr Abbot. I am the one who asked him to sell the basilisk. And I need help with two criminals."
Dobby added, "And with patentses for magics Mr Harry Potter has made."
"You are the wizard who gave Abbot the basilisk? You stole the basilisk from Dumbledore?" asked Ironstream, impressed at the young wizard's bravery but concerned about his future.
"No!" protested Dobby. "Mr Harry Potters not steals nothing from nobodies."
Bloodhook motioned toward the chairs and said, "Let's sit and start at the beginning."
To the surprise of the goblins, Harry conjured a seat for his elf before launching the tale of his second year at Hogwarts. He told of hearing the strange voice in the walls, the petrification of several students, and finally the battle with the basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets.
"And I fought with Tom Riddle for the third time that night too," Harry said to conclude his story.
"Who is Tom Riddle?" asked Bloodhook though Ironstream hissed in anger.
"Wait here!" Ironstream ordered before he hurried out of the room.
Bloodhook remarked, "That's not my father's usual behaviour."
Harry smirked, "He most likely knows who Tom Riddle pretended to be."
"Who would that be?" asked Bloodhook with some trepidation in his tone.
"The Dark Lord Voldemort…Tom Riddle made up the name with the letters in his name. Thomas Marvolo Riddle becomes 'I am Lord Voldemort' when you rearrange the letters."
Bloodhook stared for a moment before he laughed, "That is among the most stupid things I have ever heard. But wait, you said you fought with Tom Riddle three times. He's dead, isn't he?"
Harry shook his head, "Not exactly dead…maybe mostly dead."
This statement confused Bloodhook but before he could say more, the door opened and Ironstream returned with a large porcelain bowl hovering and following behind him.
"Freshgold, this is a Pensieve. If you will allow me to borrow a copy of the memory where you fought Tom Riddle, my son and I can view it in this magical device."
"Which time? The first was when he attacked me as a baby, and I think it was something my mum and dad did that killed him that time. During my first year at Hogwarts, he possessed the DADA professor, but when he touched me, the wizard burned up. In my second year at school, Riddle was inside the diary, and when I stabbed it with a fang from the basilisk to kill that one."
Father and son stared at each other and asked for all three memories. Ironstream dove in first, leaving Bloodhook to sit with Freshgold and his elf.
"What is fresh gold?" Harry asked.
The young goblin grinned – a really frightening image – and explained, "The gold you send us will refresh the gold spoiled by…well let's not use his name. You were named Freshgold by our king and so that is what goblins will call you now."
While they continued to wait, Bloodhook asked, "What criminals do you need help with?"
Harry pulled out his book bag and withdrew the figurines before explaining about capturing Peter Pettigrew by accident and then purposefully hiding Sirius Black.
Ironstream left the Pensieve and found his son gobsmacked by two small figurines on the table. Thankfully, Bloodhook had called for a tray of refreshments because Ironstream needed some ale after watching the first two times Harry Potter met the Dark Lord.
"Freshgold, your parents were very brave and smart. I agree that it was something they did that killed Tom Riddle in 1981. I am afraid of what we'll find in the next memory but somehow, the fool did something that allowed him to linger as more than a ghost. That was who you dealt with in your first year with Quirrell."
"Father…we need Great Evil Tonks to help Freshgold," Bloodhook said, interrupting his father. Motioning toward the two figurines, the young goblin said, "Those figurines are Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew. Mr Potter – Freshgold – captured them last year at Hogwarts."
"Sturrdel-gryhiglzehwe!" cursed Ironstream.
Harry asked, "What is Great Evil Tonks?"
"They are all at the ministry at the trial," Bloodhook said. "Perhaps tomorrow?"
Nervously, Harry explained, "I am the guest of a classmate and his…guardian…doesn't know I am here. It might be hard to get away again."
Ironstream nodded. "We'll not press you Freshgold. But everything you say to my son and me will remain most secret and confidential. Only our king will hear of this conversation, and he will restrain himself from ordering the execution of a dozen wizards for not dealing with that Sturrdel Riddle and his gryhiglzehwe alternate ego."
"Perhaps a few assassinations?" Bloodhook suggested. "I could blood my axe that way."
Dobby sighed and with obvious disappointment in his voice commented, "Goblines be as stupid as wizards."
The three other occupants of the room turned and looked at the elf who was drinking a cup of tea beside his Mr Harry Potter. The teenager asked, "What do you mean, Dobby? I don't want to insult our hosts."
"In battle, goblins great warriors and leave enemies in pieces for trolls to eat, yes," Dobby explained. "But for assassinationing of bad wizards, goblins must not let wizards know it be goblins who be killing bad wizard. Make wizards think it be wizards or some lucky muggle who killed a bad wizard."
Bloodhook frowned but nodded his head. "The elf has common sense and guile."
Harry smiled again and said, "Dobby keeps me out of trouble with my experiments."
"Pup, go look at the memories. Then we'll see the memory of the basilisk," Ironstream said.
While the younger goblin's head was in the Pensieve, Ironstream explained the identity of 'Great Evil Tonks' as being Mrs Andromeda Tonks, wife of Theodore Tonks.
The goblin said, "Less Evil Tonks is Mr Ted Tonks who deals with business and taxes. His wife, Great Evil Andromeda was once a member of the Black family – like Sirius Black – but she was disowned because she married a muggle-born or first-generation wizard after leaving Hogwarts. She is the most renowned criminal lawyer in Magical Britain. She even argues cases before the ICW and Whitebeard – Dumbledore – fears her arguments. He's never able to get around her facts and conclusions."
Grinning, Harry said, "I need both Less Evil and Great Evil on my side this summer."
When Bloodhook exited the Pensieve, Ironstream took the memory of the basilisk battle from Freshgold and all four of them dived into the bowl to view the memory. Dobby grew excited when the giant creature appeared but then Bloodhook halted the memory so they could talk about the image of Tom Riddle, the girl lying unconscious on the floor with the diary in her hands, and the basilisk frozen in time as it loomed over the figure of Harry Potter.
Once active again, the memory proceeded with Fawkes arriving to deliver the hat with the sword and blind the basilisk. Then there was the race around the chamber until Harry was able to send the sword into the brain of the monster through the roof of its mouth. Dobby sobbed and held onto the legs of his Mr Harry Potter to remain upright while watching the memory of Harry stabbing the diary and then Fawkes crying on the wound to heal the boy.
"Sturrdel-gryhiglzehwe!" cursed Ironstream once again. "Freshgold with basilisk venom and phoenix tears in his blood…the elders will cry."
"My father is in awe of you, Freshgold. Have no fear," Bloodhook explained. "The diary…where is that book now?"
"Dobby has book with no-evil," the elf replied, wiping his nose on Harry Potter's trouser leg.
"Next time you come to see me, bring that book. Our elders will examine it and see if it can help us find…" Bloodhook said, before being interrupted by Ironstream.
"Freshgold, do you know where the child got the diary? What Sturrdel-gryhiglzehwe sent that most-cursed item in all creation into a school of children?"
Harry nodded and replied, "I think it was Lucius Malfoy. He slipped it into Miss Weasley's cauldron before her first year while we were in the bookstore."
"May I see the memory please?"
Harry allowed that memory to be copied and placed into the Pensieve before both goblins dived inside once again. While the two watched the short memory – apparently, they watched it several times, or stopped and discussed parts of it – Harry hugged Dobby to reassure his elf that everything was going well. When Ironstream and Bloodhook exited the Pensieve, they muttered to each other in their language for another minute. Then Ironstream said, "Freshgold, Gringotts will work with you, bring Great Evil and Less Evil Tonks to help you, and we'll help you defend Samuel Abbot."
"Thanks," replied Harry.
"Mr Harry Potter's memories be protected?" asked Dobby. "Nobody else sees?"
"Only the king and his closest advisors," replied Ironstream.
Frowning, Dobby argued, "That be same as every goblin in Gringotts. Advisors tell mates, tell sons…daughters talk…every goblin – good and bad – know in two days. Leak to Daily Prophetess in three days and make headlines that bring bad wizards after Mr Harry Potters."
"Four days, then," Ironstream bargained. "The king will tell no one for two days."
Dobby frowned and asked, "And Mr Harry Potters gets to talk to Evil Tonks before then? Goblins get Evil Tonks to my wizard?"
"Yes," promised Ironstream.
Bloodhook drew a necklace from a pocket and said, "Freshgold, this is a charm to protect your mind from another person with magic reading your thoughts and memories. There are adults in your life who can read the minds of anyone not protected by some lengthy training or a goblin charm."
Dobby reached up and took the necklace, staring at it for a long time before handing it to his wizard with a nod.
"Thank you Bloodhook. I don't want anyone to steal this memory or any others."
"Dobby knows about training, but Mr Harry Potters mind is too young," the elf said.
CHANGE SCENE: Return to Longbottom ManorDobby popped Harry out of Gringotts and back to his room at Neville's home where Harry immediately went in search of his friend to let him know he had returned. The other teenager was surprised to find Harry had returned so quickly.
"I've been gone for a couple of hours," Harry explained. Neville looked sceptical until he checked the time and admitted he'd been lost in his work.
"My brainteaser lemons are budding, and the aroma will attract all kinds of magical creatures. My elves and I must seal the greenhouses, or we'll have hippogriffs and unicorns sleeping on the lawn."
"Do wizards use this flower in lures?"
"No, it attracts everything," said Neville shaking his head.
"Then why do you cultivate it?"
"It's a critical ingredient in the Pepper up potion," Neville explained. "I can sell the leaves, seedpods, and spent blooms to Mr Abbot."
A Longbottom elf appeared in the greenhouse and announced, "Missy Augusta be back, and she asks that Mr Nevilles and his notorious Harry Potters friend come to the solariums."
The elf popped away and the teenagers walked from the greenhouses back to the house.
"Wonder what happened that Gran wants to see you in the afternoon?"
END OF CHAPTER
