A/N: If you read in chunks, come back at 382
Beltane started off with a dramatic bang, with Milan collapsing and vomiting in the Great Hall at the smell of the bannocks the House Elves had served for breakfast. Jade rushed to her to help, holding back her hair and Vanishing the sick, and Milan had looked up at Jade weakly in thanks, her hands on her belly. Her robes seemed almost too small today, making her look bloated around the middle instead of fitting loosely as usual.
"I'm okay," Milan said, her voice oddly carrying. "But I fell—do you think the baby—?"
There were loud gasps and wide eyes, and Hermione had to suppress her snickers.
"We'll go to Madame Pomfrey," Jade vowed, helping her to her feet. "She'll be able to check."
As the two girls hurried from the Great Hall, gossip breaking out fervently behind them, Hermione and Blaise quietly shared their own theories, both privately amused.
"There's no way we should have been able to hear that conversation from two tables over," he said. "Wonder what spell they cast to make their voices carry without seeming like they were yelling or announcing anything."
"I'd have done it with the wind, but they don't have that option, I imagine," Hermione remarked. "Snape looks seriously annoyed."
"His expression is nothing next to Flitwick's," Blaise said, snickering. "It looks like his eyes are about to pop out of his skull. The Ravenclaw 7th year prefect, pregnant? Can you imagine?"
All too soon, breakfast was over, and it was time for Hermione to go. She went back to the dorm and packed her bag carefully with snacks and anything else she might need, including her carefully-planned itinerary and Luna's ley line map. She fished her sword and sheath out from underneath her bed as well, a necessity for any Gringotts excursion. Blaise intercepted her in the common room. before she went outside, taking her hands.
"Be careful, okay?" he told her, eyes holding hers. "I know you've been doing this 'popping' thing for a while, but it's dangerous. Don't take unnecessary risks. Stop and rest when you need to."
"I'll be okay, Blaise," Hermione said a smile on her lips.
"Be careful," Blaise urged. "Don't just be okay – be cautious, Hermione. With everything, today."
"I'll be careful," Hermione promised dutifully, and Blaise relented, releasing her hands and letting her go with a hug.
"Don't forget caffeine," he told her dryly, as she hiked her bag up on her shoulder. "You're going to be essentially pulling an all-nighter, doing the entire day over twice."
Hermione laughed. "Believe me, I'm well aware."
Hermione's first stop was Gringotts. It was the shortest ley line jump – a sort of warm-up, she thought – and she wanted to make sure she got the Stone when the bank was open, as opposed to trying to coax the goblins to open up for just her late at night.
The goblin behind the desk recognized her and her sword, and he immediately left without her even saying a word. He returned in short order with Bloodthorne, who was grinning widely, showing many pointy teeth.
"Hermione Granger," he said. "I am pleased to see you are well."
"Likewise," Hermione said, bowing. "I would like to go to my vault, please."
"Certainly," Bloodthorne said, leading her to the carts. "I would talk to you of other matters as well, if you would."
"Other matters?" Hermione asked curiously, and Bloodthorne gave her a sly look.
"Other matters," he said. "Silversmite would show you something, if you would tarry just a bit."
Excitement thrummed through Hermione. "My crest? It's done already?"
Bloodthorne merely smirked.
"I'll wait!" Hermione said. "Or—wait, hang on—I would tarry to speak with him. And I would discuss things with you as well."
"Excellent. I will send word." His eyes gleamed at her, and Hermione smiled.
"I would be happy to see it," she said, bouncing slightly on her feed. "I would like that a lot."
"Your efforts at speaking our way have not gone unnoticed," Bloodthorne cackled, climbing into a cart. "You would improve, I believe, if you would spend more time with the goblins."
Hermione's eyes grew large.
"Is that an invitation to visit the Horde again this summer?" she asked, and Bloodthorne's eyes gleamed.
"Perhaps," he said. "If it were, would you come?"
"Sure," Hermione said easily, shrugging. "We could invite the House Elves too. Make a big party of it. Why not?"
Bloodthorne cackled delightedly. "You are a jewel, Hermione Granger. You are a jewel."
The ride down into the vaults on the rickety cart was as alarming and dangerous as ever, but Hermione found herself enjoying it. It felt more like a roller-coaster to her now, and it appropriately seemed like more fun. She wondered if she'd just gotten used to it, or if the elementals she'd absorbed helped steady her nausea for this too. Or maybe it was the sense of security she felt that if they crashed and she went flying into a pit, she'd be able to float herself safely to the bottom.
They arrived at her vault, and Hermione once again marveled at the sheer amount of gold present. The bars and galleons gleamed at her. She walked around, just looking at it all for a while before she bent to put an ingot of gold and an ingot of silver into her money bag with the Feather-Light Charm. If Alchemy dealt with atomic transfiguration, elemental metals would be an appropriate thing to practice on, she hoped. Or maybe the Elixir would require ridiculously expensive ingredients. Either way, the ingots seemed a smart thing to have.
"If you had sent more notice, an accounting of the vault would have been possible," Bloodthorne said. "As it stands, I would not know firm totals—"
"That's fine," Hermione said, waving him off. "That's not what I came for anyway."
In the center of her vault, atop a pyramid of gold bars, sat the Philosopher's Stone. Hermione approached it curiously. All but the bottom layer of the pyramid was solid gold, with the last still looking to be somewhat made of lead.
"Were you the one who used this?" she asked Bloodthorne.
Bloodthorne inclined his head. "I was."
"How did it work?" she asked. "Did you just set it down and let it go?"
Bloodthorne stepped closer, stroking his nails as he thought.
"I acquired the lead, as I easily knew of that," he said. "When I would begin, I would place the Stone on the lead and press my magic down into it. Once I did, the Stone would react, indicating it understood my intent, and I would withdraw and pull back, and the Stone would begin."
"You just press your magic and intent into it?" Hermione said, blinking. "Is that all?"
"That is all it is for a goblin," Bloodthorne said. "I know not what it might be for a human."
Hermione picked up the stone in her hand, weighing it.
"For something as valued as it is, it doesn't feel very substantial," she commented.
"It may not have much physical weight to it," Bloodthorne said seriously, "but that does not reflect its weight on the world."
That, Hermione thought as she pocketed the stone, was a rather elegant way of putting it.
After her vault, Bloodthorne led her back to the surface, only to be immediately led further into the depths of Gringotts' halls.
"We're not going to your office?" Hermione asked, surprised.
"My office?" Bloodthorne gave her a scathing look. "I would never disrespect you so."
As they went down a long stone ramp and around a corner, Hermione realized.
"There's to be a ceremony," she said, trotting after Bloodthorne down a long hallway. "Isn't there?"
Bloodthorne gave her a look.
"You would honor the Horde with forging your House Crest," he said. "Did you think we would treat is as callously as paperwork?"
Hermione bit her lip and stayed silent. She honestly thought he'd just hand it to her and they'd be done with the matter.
To her astonishment, as they went into the small stone amphitheater this time, it was not largely empty as it had been for her sword presentation ceremony. The seats were all entirely filled, and still more goblins stood in between others, on the stairs, or in the area between the seated goblins and their desks. There were dozens upon dozens of them. Possibly hundreds of goblins, all tightly packed together, watching. Hermione wondered how many elevator trips from the Hold it must have taken to get them all up here and crammed into the amphitheater, or if the goblins had a secret back entrance up.
Six goblins stood on the dais on the center of the floor, and a familiar seventh stood to the side, bearing a large bundle wrapped in cloth.
"Silversmite," Hermione said in greeting, smiling and bowing to him as she passed, following Bloodthorne. The goblin grinned back, showing many teeth, and Hermione turned and refocused on the goblins before her (now seven, that Bloodthorne had joined them on the dais), gripping her sword tightly as she bowed to them all.
Bloodthorne stepped forward, eyes gleaming.
"Hermione Granger, of the House of Granger," he said. "You have come before the Horde with a request. You have commissioned a heraldic crest and coat of arms, intended to define you and yours, and you have entrusted this duty to the Goblin Nation."
This felt so familiar. Had it only been a year ago she had a similar ceremony to receive her sword? It felt like a lifetime ago.
"I have," Hermione said.
Bloodthorne stepped back, and another goblin stepped forward.
"When it became known that the House of Granger came to the Horde with this commission, there was a great clamor to participate in the honor of the collaboration." The goblin's smile seemed proud, despite the needle-like teeth. "Many goblins came forward, using all of their skills and magic, to create the crest of House Granger."
The goblin stepped back as another stepped forward.
"Your crest has been made using secret techniques of metalsmithing privy only to the Horde," the goblin informed her. "The gold shall never dent, the silver never oxidize, the metals never lose their luster. The brilliance will never fade, as shall the House of Granger's brilliance never fade into obscurity."
Hermione wondered if her descendants did end up becoming boring normal people at one point, if that would be disappointing the goblins, now that they'd declared her House should never fade into obscurity.
Another goblin stepped forward and the second stepped back.
"To honor their debt to the House of Granger, and to honor Hermione's Granger's friendship to the Horde, goblins from all reaches brought forward prized gemstones." The goblin paused, taking a deep breath. "The fox upon the escutcheon combines orange sapphires, hessonite garnets, orange zircon, sunstone, spessartite garnets, fire opals, carnelians, orange agate, citrine, tourmaline, clinohumite, spinel, coral, sphalerite, and amber to compose its body." The goblin took the chance to draw breath. "The tail and head are made of rainbow moonstone and Australian opals. The triskele is made of alexandrite, amethyst, benitoite, charoite, chalcedony, purple diamond, almandine, dumortierite, kornerupine, kunzite, jade, lapis lazuli, lepidolite, labradorite, all inlaid into a background of violet agate."
The goblin discreetly breathed deeply as he stepped back. Another goblin stepped forward.
"Each gem was mined, cut, and polished by a different goblin," he told her, looking her squarely in the eye. "Each gemstone was imbued with protective magic, and each was inlaid by a goblin who offers support to House Granger, should it ever be needed."
Hermione glanced around, eyes wide. If each of the goblins present had contributed one gem from the list all of those gems listed, that… that was a lot of gemstones. Far more than she imagined. Hermione had rather thought the piece would be mostly silver, emerald, and gold.
"The motto of House Granger is 'you only fail when you stop trying', inlaid in obsidian and gold," a new goblin declared, voice booming. "So, too, does the Goblin nation believe in these words. The Horde will endeavor to always improve, never stop trying, and not fail their friends of the Granger House for as long as both shall prosper."
A new goblin stepped forward.
"The blood and magic of many goblins has gone into this coat of arms and crest," he told her. "Never before has there been a heraldic crest made like this one, and never before has one been inlaid with the promise of loyalty and support from the Horde."
Hermione looked out over the crowd, the masses of people there, beginning to realize the gravity of just what the goblins were saying. They weren't just helping with her House's crest – they were saying that they would support her. They were promising her their magic and blood if she called upon them.
Hundreds of them. Goblins. Promising her loyalty and support.
Who knew what portion that was of the entire Goblin Horde?
"With the crest and coat of arms crafted thus, and the commission complete, the master craftsman who completed the escutcheon would submit the piece to you," the goblin was saying. "Silversmite, if you would step forward."
Silversmite, who was still standing off to the side, came forward, bearing the large bundle wrapped in cloth. He bowed to her, before straightening, eyes gleaming.
"I am called Silversmite," Silversmite told her, head raised proudly. "It was I who prevailed for the honor of forging your shield, and it is I who would present it to you now."
"I would see the piece," Hermione said, sure of her words.
Silversmite carefully unwrapped the crest, and even though she was expecting something magnificent, Hermione gasped.
The crest was an incredible work of art.
First of all, the piece was enormous. The shield itself looked to be four feet across, to say nothing of the laurels and scrollwork adorning it, adding to its size. The piece looked to be almost twice her height, from the top of triskele to the bottom of the banner. And it was made of so much pure metal, the weight had to be immense. Hermione wondered how she would ever get it home.
The shield itself was pure silver, gleaming brightly. The floral scrollwork at the bottom was green-gold, somehow – an alloy, with tiny emeralds used on the edges – and the laurels surrounding the sides of the shield a reddish-gold, each leaf fully detailed and realized. At the top was more green-gold scrollwork, shape and form and texture laid into the metal expertly.
The fox, emblazoned on the shield, was made up of many orange-colored faceted gemstones, different gems next to each other to create a 3D texture and shape to the inlaid fox. Hermione could only remember some of the names the goblin had listed off – sapphire and garnet and zircon and fire opal and sunstone – but there were at least a dozen different types of gems there, all expertly-cut and used to create the fox in a gorgeous sort of jeweled mosaic. The white of the fox's tail and head gleamed (the rainbow moonstone and Australian opals, Hermione recalled), and the crescent moon the fox looked at was a brilliant yellow gold.
Hermione had originally expected the violet triskele atop the shield to be made out of a piece of carved amethyst, the one purple gemstone she knew, but no – so too, here, had the goblins outdone themselves with the gem work. Dozens of tiny purple stones had been inset against a background of violet agate, the different jewels and their colors used to shade and highlight the branches of the triskele, making it look like she could reach out and grab it.
The bottom or the crest held a book made of gold with brilliant white-gold pages shaped atop the rose gold cover, with a banner of bright gold below the book, molded so expertly as to look like actual cloth. And engraved onto the banner, enhanced with subtle obsidian, were her House's words.
You only fail when you stop trying
Hermione realized there was a sudden lump in her throat. Her vision blurring, she turned back to the goblins.
"I would accept this crest," she said, her voice thick. The enormity of the moment was hitting her suddenly – this wasn't just a crest, something fancy to fit in with her pureblood classmates. This was her legacy, just beginning, with the promise of a hundred goblins to help her if she called. She could imagine it, in the future – her children playing in a living room underneath the crest, asking her questions about why she'd chosen a fox, pointing out the different gemstones to each other and trying to guess which was what. Emotion welled inside of her, and Hermione blinked rapidly, trying to hold back her tears.
Silversmite was beaming at her, but he gave her an understanding look as he knelt at her feet, holding up the shield on the cloth.
"With the crest created, the shield forged, and the commission complete, the contract is at an end," one of the goblins pronounced. "Silversmite has offered his blood to the piece as part of the contract, as have many of the Horde. Hermione of the House of Granger, now you must offer yours."
Hermione had no uncertainty this time. Her sword hung at her side in the special sheath Luna had procured for her, and she withdrew it smoothly, cutting her hand without hesitation, letting the blood well up and pool in her hand.
"I hope you all know," Hermione said, emotion thick in her voice, "that I consider the Goblin Horde as more than just an ally; I consider you all my friends. Just as you promise to support me, I hope you know that will I support you too."
She let the blood fall onto the shield, and all of the goblins became to hum, holding up their arms and hands as the amphitheater filled with the odd, high-pitched, jarring tone.
"Blood for blood, and bound by blood, the contract is complete!" one of the goblins cried out. "May you protect your House and defend your friends!"
All at once, the goblins clapped, and there was a bright flash of light from the shield, and Hermione staggered backwards, blinded. It took several long moments for her vision to clear, and when it did, the ceremony seemed to have finished; goblins were descending the stairs in the amphitheater, filing out to leave the room. Several lingered around the front of the room, though, as Silversmite grinned at her, pointy teeth showing.
"I would explain your crest and coat of arms to you," Silversmite said, nodding.
"What, it's not just what it looks like?" Hermione asked, stepping towards it again. Her blood was gone from the crest, and her hand had healed itself somehow – how was Hermione not surprised?
"Your crest and coat of arms have been claimed by your blood. It will protect you and yours," Silversmite told her. "The coat of arms, should it be claimed in part, will protect you and yours in battle."
Hermione blinked. "Wait, what?"
"It would protect you in battle," Silversmite repeated. "A coat of arms is, ultimately, a shield."
"It's made of silver and solid gold," Hermione said, astonished. "I'm hardly going to be able to move this, let alone lift it on the battlefield!"
There was high-pitched laughter and snickering around her. One goblin stepped forward, one that didn't look quite like the other goblins. Its eyes seemed larger, with bigger ears.
"I can speak wizard," it said. The goblin grinned, showing sharp teeth. "The jewels hold goblin protective magic, Hermione Granger. If you or your descendants claim one and put it on a shield, the protection imbued to the piece will protect the part as if it were the whole."
Hermione blinked, struggling to follow.
"But it is a shield," she said. "You mean if someone makes another shield?"
"Just so," the goblin said, nodding. "You are given a crest and coat of arms. Should a child go to battle, they would create their own coat of arms, but adorned with your crest. Should they transfer a jewel over to their own shield, they would be protected, too."
Hermione began to understand.
"So the 'crest' is the triskele, laurels, book, and banner?" she asked. "And the 'coat of arms' – the shield – that can differ from person to person?"
"Close enough," the goblin cackled, grinning.
"And—if my child puts one of the gems into their shield, even though it's not this one," Hermione said, putting it together, "the goblin magic put into this one will transfer over to their shield?"
"Just so," Silversmite said, nodding satisfactorily.
"That's… that's incredible," Hermione said, stunned. "Can it block spellfire?"
Silversmite sneered. "What kind of shield would not?"
Hermione considered this.
"Does it work for all protective gear?" she asked. "Or only specifically shields?"
Silversmite looked at her, puzzled. A puzzled goblin was an odd sight.
"I would answer, if I would understand your query," he said slowly.
"These gems are enchanted to protect me and mine, right?" Hermione questioned. "I understand that if I take one out and have it mounted onto a shield, the protective magic will transfer over and protect that shield too. But if I were to take a gem and mount it into armor, for example – would the magic transfer over that, too?"
Silversmite considered deeply.
"It might," he said finally, thoughtful. "It would depend on the composition of the armor, I would think. The magic would travel better along metal." He looked at her. "If you would do such a thing, I would advise you to do so while working alongside a goblin to ensure it would have the intended effect."
"Understood." Hermione smiled at Silversmite, who grinned toothily back. Bloodthorne stepped forward, joining them.
"Now, Hermione Granger, I would return you to your vault," Bloodthorne said. He took the enormous shield from Silversmite, holding it aloft as if it weighed nothing.
"My vault?" Hermione said. "But we were just there."
Bloodthorne cackled.
"I would assist you in storing this in your vault," he said. "Unless you would acquire an estate or fortress today, I would presume you have not a place to put such a crest, correct?"
"Ah, that's correct," Hermione agreed hastily, following him from the room. "And I would very much appreciate your assistance in transporting it down. Heavens, I don't know how many wizards it would take to move that much gold…"
"When you acquire your stronghold, I would help you move it," Bloodthorne told her, shrugging. Hermione marveled at how easily he maneuvered the massive crest down the hallway and around corners. "If I am slain, another goblin would be willing to help you as well."
"If you are slain?" Hermione asked in alarm. "Why would you be slain?"
Bloodthorne cast a glance back at her. "Goblins do not live forever."
"But you have fairly long lives, right?" Hermione said. "Unless something dramatic cuts it short, you have a pretty good lifespan, don't you?"
Bloodthorne raised an eyebrow, before smirking.
"One never knows when death will cut them down," he said, eyes glinting. "If you would want me to transport your crest to your stronghold, Hermione Granger, I would recommend you would find one sooner rather than later. The longer you would wait, the higher the chance that I would have passed on." He gave her a pointy grin. "But do not worry, Hermione Granger. I have no intent to die."
Not knowing what to say, Hermione let the matter drop, though Bloodthorne's ominous words lingered heavily in the air.