Chapter 26: Gringotts

Cressida stood between at least twenty or so other Death Eaters. Another meeting of sorts, but now almost all his closest circle is here. Regulus isn't with her, though he did alert her of the summoning. He disappeared into another part of the strange building, along with some of the more veteran members. There's a hierarchy, even within the circle. They are the ones who Voldemort has his most intimate meetings with. Fortunately for her, she was often invited unless deemed necessary for what needed to be discussed, but Regulus had become a more invaluable member. Which is both dangerous, but something that could work in their favour.

Most of the men and women around her chatted away under their breaths; scheming and spewing maleficent pleasures. Cressida had been keeping a mental list of the ones around her that she most despised. The ones she would make sure had a target on their backs. Rosier was already close to the top. Bellatrix had no need to be on her list when she was already on so many others. Though Snape had caused her no grief lately, he is still there. Mostly for James' sake. Though James had admitted to having little care for the greaseball after Hogwarts. It was no longer a school rivalry, and now just a black and white side of war.

There are plenty around her that are not on the list. Simply because they are just people wanting to be cruel. But wanting to be, does not make be. They would face her curses if they got in the way, but it was those who were entwined with the fabrics of evil that mattered. Those that would bring chaos no matter the cost. Destroy enough of the power, and those who are not strong on their own will scamper and hide away. Destroy the queen bee and the rest will no longer have reason or instruction.

Cressida finally finds the eyes of Regulus, who stands on a balcony overlooking the crowd. They would destroy the queen. That silent thought is shared between them. Bellatrix, followed by Rosier and Bartimus Crouch Jr stride out of the upper gallery, brushing past Regulus to a wider portion of the balcony. Regulus follows after them but traverses down the stairs to the ground floor. He doesn't immediately find his way to her, instead, slowly weaving through the crowd as Voldemort presents himself.

Cressida listens, keeping her mind eased and steady. It is easier, after nearly three months of pretending. What she couldn't pretend though, was how much she missed home. Regulus had taken her to London, just for an hour. She peeked into the window of her apartment. Sirius was watching something on the television, curled up under a blanket. He looked tired but fine. Seeing that, she began to question whether she was wrong about Sirius needing someone. Maybe it had just been an excuse all along.

During the midst of his speech, Regulus settles near her side. His hands are neatly folded behind his back, his chin lifted and shoulders steady. The impeccable image of utter grace and power. Cressida found it oddly admirable. She just rathers it was in front of the Queen of England and not this deformed-looking mad man.

In the lightest whisper, he says, "I found something."

Cressida swallows, keeping her eyes forward. In her own softest voice, she asks, "Are you in danger?"

"No. I was not even intending to overhear."

Their conversation left there. Too many ears around and too quiet to not be overheard. Once the crowd disperses, Cressida and Regulus stay in order to mingle appropriately so their sudden disappearance would not be taken notice.

"I see you've found a way to cling to Regulus' side." The pair turn around to find Snape. One side of his lips drawn up in a glowering smirk. He looks over Cressida, his brows twitching at the end. "He is in your company now than he is in mine."

Cressida draws a similar expression. "Wasn't a hard task to beat. But if you are so after his affection, I'm sure I can force him to you for an afternoon or two."

Regulus snorts behind his small glass of dark wine. Snape's smirk darkens. His eyes flicker down to her waist. Cressida watches him carefully, subtly brushing her arm over the area he stares at. She feels the handle of her wand poking out from its sheath. Cressida's wand. Not Rowena's. Her fingers quickly tug the edge of her cloak to cover it and Snape's eyes snap back up to her face. The smirk is long gone, replaced with something far more sinister.

"Severus, I'd be glad to pay you a visit this weekend." Cressida and Snape stare at each other, her chest rising closer to her chin and his eyes penetrating hers. Regulus steps into her side, a firm hand grasping the curve of her waist. "But Rowena has become rather important to me, and I'd hate to not be with her if something were to happen."

A strange choice of words, but ones that are enough to tear Snape's heavy gaze away from her. Cressida's shoulders sag at the release. Regulus leads them away, far from the crowd but still with a range that their chatter would cover their own. Cressida leans close to his ear as they walk. "He saw my wand. I think he saw my wand."

"I know," Regulus affirms smoothly. "I was in his mind. He was trying to get into yours, but I stifled it." Her jaw clamps up, staring into the crowd of black as she tries to search for Snape, terrified that he would go straight to Voldemort himself. "Rowena, listen to me." He pulls her chin forward and grasps at her shoulders, shaking them. "I won't let Snape do anything. He knows that I'm just as powerful as him. He doesn't suspect my allegiances have changed which means that he is going to be doubting what he saw. He's not going to do anything unless he's sure."

"One rumour to the Dark Lord and it might provoke him enough to enter my mind. I can't protect myself from that and we don't have time to train. I only have a week's left of supply." Supply being Polyjuice. "We have a week to get everything we can before we have to go."

"Then it's a good thing I think I might know where another one is." Cressida's alarm at Snape trickles away, new ideas flashing their way into her head. Regulus glances up to the gallery. "My cousin has something. In her vault. I overheard her assuring the Dark Lord that it was secure."

"Gringotts?" she breathes under her breath. "We can't exactly break into one of the most secure places in England."

"And perhaps we don't need to necessarily break-in." Regulus looks around the room. "We need to go now. She's just checked it which means that she won't suspect anything or think anybody could have found out in such a short time."

They slip out the entrance unnoticed, striding towards the wards. Cressida's shivers off the ghostly sensation. "Do you seriously never feel it? I always thought that my friends did because I just never got used to it the same way."

"I don't feel a thing."

"So I'm strange? The world really doesn't want me fitting in anywhere, does it?"

Regulus smiles at her, taking her hand. "You fit in with me." Cressida raises her brows, contemplating the thought but she isn't given any time to dwell as he apparates them away.

Xx

Regulus strides confidently in front of her. The goblin workers of Gringotts repetitively stamp papers or waddle around on their short legs. The desks that they work at are all taller than them. She's sure they do it for intimidation purposes.

Cressida has no idea what Regulus' plan is, but he assured her he has something. He left her at home for nearly an hour alone, telling her that he had to get something. She expected to brew over a plan for at least a day before pulling off a heist into a magically protected bank but here they are, less than two hours later.

"Evening, Fibble," Regulus greets with a cunning smile. "I need to enter my family's vault. Number 711."

Fibble, a rather snarling expressioned goblin peers over his desk. "Master Black. May I request your proof of identity." Regulus digs into his pocket, extracting a large metal ring with a circular top. A seal. The goblin inspects it then returns it to his owner. "Thank you. This way."

Cressida huffs through her nose. "Lot politer to you. I get sneers and one-worded sentences."

"We have one of the longest histories with the bank. They respect us out of wanting their lives, not out of decency."

The pair and the goblin climb their way into one of the carts and it takes off once the lever is pulled. It takes them first into the upper levels of the vaults. Cressida passes her own, number 89. She hasn't used it in so long. She doubts anything is in there, anyway.

They travel deeper than she has ever been before. It turns into a sort of mine. Cressida leans against Regulus' side, her lips near his ear. "I thought we were going to Bellatrix's vault."

Regulus nods, his face still set forward. "It's okay. Trust me." Cressida sits back up straight, watching the number becomes larger and larger. Regulus sits calmy, his hand settling over the back of hers. They pass the Potter vault.

Along the way, her skin starts bubbling again. Polyjuice. She forgot to take it. Her hand slips into her cloak, but Regulus grasps it again. "Don't. This will actually work in our favour."

Cressida looks between him and the goblin, her face returning to normal with each second. The cart twists and turns around them with the track but never once are they anything but upwards. "See that." Cressida nods, looking at a waterfall that he points to. "It removes enchantments. I thought we'd have to get around setting off the alarm." The goblin doesn't look forward, his eyes set on the destination ahead.

They pass under the waterfall and nothing happens. They stay drenched for a few moments until it magically dries away.

"Okay, drink now."

Cressida eagerly unscrews her cap and gobbles down enough Polyjuice. Her nose shrivels, still revolted by the taste. Regulus pulls out his wand, pointing it at the goblin. "Imperio."

Like Slughorn had, the goblin's shoulders raise then soften, a sense of ease overcoming him.

"Take us to the Lestrange vault instead."

"Right away."

The cart continues travelling at a horribly high speed, very much like the rollercoaster they went on a few days ago. They enter one of the lowest sectors of Gringotts. 711 flies past them.

Eventually, the cart slows but there are no vaults immediately surrounding them. The track has ended. Cressida slips from the cart, spinning around. "It's so far down." A tremendous roar echoes throughout the cavern. "What the fuck was that?!"

Regulus looks down at her then to the path where the goblin walks. "A dragon."

The goblin picks up what looks like a toy. A bone or something with metal on either end. He shakes it and stays near the edge of the room they traverse into. Cressida's eyes widen as the bony creature becomes visible. Almost a pure white dragon, with a ridged spine and near-transparent wings. "It's trapped down here."

"Protection," Regulus mutters. "For the vaults."

Cressida follows the goblin's unspoken advice and stays close to the edge. The dragon roars in their direction but cowers at the clattering sound from the metal shaker. Its eyes were pale. Blind.

The vault door with the number 713 is the one the goblin leads them to. There is no key, as hers requires. There is no keyhole to put one through. "Open it," Regulus commands. The goblin silently raises his hand, placing it against the metal door.

The locks begin shifting, a series of cogs twisting and shafts unlodging. Then, with a heavy metal click, the door swings open. Cressida physically takes a step back. Gold encases their entire vault, which is three times larger than her own. It piles along the floors and up against the wall. Like a bulldozer had poured it in there. There are other things among the gold. Jewels, treasures, heirlooms.

The goblin stands to the side like a guard and Regulus is the first to step inside. Cressida takes another moment to step over the threshold. She had been inside the Potter vault. It was a table of gold that seemed like the wealth of the world to her then. But it was a drop compared to this.

"Reg," she whispers. "How are we supposed to find it? We don't even know what it is."

"You can. You're…touched by magic."

Her own words. Touched by magic. She told him that in the kitchens of Hogwarts when she was first trying to convince him to see her as something other than a Mud-blood.

Regulus steps in front of her, smiling easily. "You can sense wards. Magic on items. You can do this. A Horcrux is no light piece of magic. You'll feel it."

"Why though?"

"Doesn't matter. We can figure that out later."

Cressida takes a long breathe, waiting for the courage to find her. She steps around Regulus who watches her. It wouldn't be a coin. It had to be a treasure of some sort. Something that Voldemort thought important. Something that didn't fit in. She felt the pulses of magic come from a few items, then more, and more. "Reg I-"

He arrives at her back, hands sliding over her shoulders. "What is it?"

"Everything." Her breathing becomes laboured, her head spinning around. "Everything has magic on it. There's-there's a curse in here."

Regulus marches in front of her, not touching the treasure, but observing it. "Gemini curse. Anything you touch will multiple. Protects against thieves because the copies degrade quickly and there's no way to tell the difference between the dupe and the real thing at first."

Cressida spins around. "I don't know how to find it then. It's all the same."

"No it's not." She stops spinning, coming face to face with him once more. "It'll feel different. I know it will." Cressida focuses on her breathing, forcing it to slow. "Close your eyes." She does so. "Now just feel. What feels different?"

Her head lops back to face upwards. The gemini curse comes from everything. It is like a warm energy emitting from each coin, but the uncomfortable heat. It seems impossible from the sheer size of the vault to locate one item on this strange sense that she hadn't even realised was unnatural.

But then it appears. It is muddled by the curse, but there was something else familiar about it. The same thing that the ring had when she pushed past the sensation of the uncomfortable warmth. Cressida opens her eyes, her hand pointed blindly at something on a shelf to her right. Regulus strides up to it, but doesn't get close enough to touch anything. There is a crown of sorts, a few large goblets, a smaller one, and a silver necklace with green jewels.

Cressida stares at each one. At first, it is the jewels that take her attention; their green so Slytherin in nature. But then she glances to the cup. "The cup," she says. "The small one. That's the Hufflepuff Cup. Professor Binns did a whole lesson on it in third year. What would Bellatrix need with that?"

Regulus peers back at her with a smile that is slowly transforming into a smirk. "Well it certainly isn't pride for the House. Can I have your bag?"

Cressida pulls her small purse off, the one with the undetectable extension charm. Regulus takes it then leans forward carefully over a pile of gold. He opens the latches and uses them to egg the Cup inside of it. Her breath stills inside of her lungs, her stomach mere inches away but the cup falls inside her bag. They wait for the sound of metal multiplying, but there is nothing.