OLD MAGIC
Chapter 59: Bringing all Parties Together – Third Step
Rested from the weekend, Monday rose dry and cold when Snape finished his breakfast with the students in the great hall. Noting the time, he realized he and Hagrid had just enough time to make it to Diagon Alley before their first appointment. They would not go together but come to the meeting place separately thus keeping anyone from being suspicious about their movements.
Swirling his outer cloak of black wool on, he clipped the clasp made of copper in the shape of a crow to hold it closed then headed out of the castle and into a blustering day.
From his home deep in the forest, Hagrid also prepared for his appointments that morning. He had chosen to wear a formal robe of forest green making him look dignified and tidier than anyone at Hogwarts had ever seen him dress. His wild hair had been tamed and trimmed as was his beard. He no longer resembled a big hairy bear but a dapper and powerful male. He still looked huge and intimidating but then he was a half giant so that couldn't be helped. With one last look in the mirror he made his way downstairs. He grabbed his huge great cloak of gray wool and swirled it over his shoulders, a clasp of silver in the shape of a leaf held it closed. Eschewing a hat, he apparated to Diagon Alley.
Snape waited in the huge lobby of Gringotts Bank for Hagrid to appear. He kept himself more or less hidden in one of the small alcoves at the edges of the lobby, watching the door. He didn't have long to wait as Hagrid strode in just moments later.
The potion's master blinked in surprise at Hagrid's changed appearance. Surprisingly, very few people stared at the half giant as the half-giant walked close to the wall to avoid knocking people over by his size alone. He met up with Snape and the two slipped from view.
Despite his size, Hagrid could make himself nearly disappear which was a pretty good trick. Snape was no slouch in blending into the background despite looking somewhat ridiculous walking beside the huge man next to him.
They had only moved down a hallway a short distance when a goblin appeared from behind a slowly closing door. He made a short head bob to the pair.
"Greetings good sirs, I, Griphook will escort yeu to the meeting room we've set up for yeu," he said, leading them down the hall they had been standing in.
They walked past several rooms before turning down another corridor then stopping at a nondescript looking door that resembled all the others around it.
Griphook unlocked the door with magic. Entering, the pair noted the soothing beige color of the walls, the rich oak table that sat in the center of the floor with four comfortable leather chairs, two at each end. A thick Persian carpet covered the floor and on one of the walls a simple grouping of seasonal images hung there. The subdued lighting from the ceiling gave the room a warm ambiance and an elegant tea service waited on a table in the far corner.
The space was remarkably similar to what a modern muggle meeting room looked like except for the Persian rug of course.
"Very nice. This is perfect for our needs, thank you," Snape said, honestly. Griphook nodded, a small smile of pleasure pulled on his large mouth for having done a good job. "Has our first guest arrived?"
"Yes sir, she has. Do yeu wish me to escort her here now?"
"Yes, please." Griphook bowed his head then took his leave.
"Yeu want tea or shall we just make ourselves comfortable," Hagrid asked doffing his cloak and hanging it on the pegs next to the door, Snape doing the same.
"No thanks, and let's choose the chairs at the end here," Snape said pointing at the end of the table facing the door and making for his choice of seat. Hagrid nodded and carefully sat in the chair beside him. It squeaked a bit in protest from his weight but otherwise seemed reasonably strong to hold him comfortably.
He let out a slow huff of air to relax himself as he was tense as a bow string. He would much rather be tramping through the forest right now than waiting to convince a wizard she should trust them. He just hoped there would be a positive result from all this.
Snape eyed Hagrid and understood the half giant's case of nerves, he hated this sort of thing himself but he'd been thrust into the public forum when he was outed as a spy for Voldemort and the Order. He would just have to suck it up and do what he had to do. Suddenly a passing thought caused him to nearly smile. He just realized he would never be able to hide in a lab again if he intended to support Harry Potter in his headlong desire to drag the wizarding world into the modern age. All of them would be held up to the glaring eye of the public … privacy gone. How ironic!
Their introspection was interrupted by the door opening. Griphook stepped ahead and held the door, gesturing for the woman following to enter before him.
Madame Amelia Bones stepped over the threshold and froze, her expression surprised by who was waiting for her. She had been expecting Snape but not this half-giant.
Both males immediately stood. "Thank you for coming despite not knowing why you are here. Please take a seat and we will try to explain," Snape said, politely.
The door closed behind her forcing her to either move into the room or leave. Since she didn't intend to do that, she gripped her purse and stepped forward. Setting it on the table, she pulled her cloak off and noted the hooks on the back of the door and other cloaks already hanging there. She went and hung hers then returned to the table and took the seat opposite Snape.
She wasn't a very attractive women being in her older years with very short, iron gray hair and bushy eyebrows of the same color. Her face was broad and very plain and she wore formal black robes as suited her station as Head Auror. Her body was rather broad and stocky which caused the chair to squeak a little when her weight settled into it. Setting her purse on the floor beside her, she raised her hands onto the table and laced the fingers before giving each man a searching stare.
"I know of you and your less than stellar background Professor Snape but you ..." she pointed at Hagrid, "I've never met."
Snape's face flushed a little at her blunt statement while Hagrid prepared to introduce himself knowing his identity would surprise her.
"There be no reason for yeu to have known me, Madame Bones. Allow me to introduce myself for ye now. I be Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of the Keys and Grounds, Gamekeeper, and Care of Magical Creatures Professor at Hogwarts. However, for the purpose of this meeting, I be here at the behest of the Jason, Leader of the Elder Council."
That made Bones eye him more intently. "So do you include yourself as a member of this Elder Council?"
"Nay, mum. I am but one of the Forest Dwellers and because of my ties to Hogwarts and Professor Snape, I have been tasked by the Elder Council to act as their messenger," Hagrid corrected her.
"And what is your part in this Professor Snape?" She asked turning to the black haired wizard that had been the focus of much debate of late within the Wizengamot.
"I am considered an honorary member of the Forest Dwellers. And if you have not been informed, I am no longer acting as a double agent for the Order. However, I have been asked to provide whatever assistance I am capable of to the Leader of the Elder Council. I am the only wizard ever to be accepted by them. I also still teach at Hogwarts and am an active member of the Order of the Phoenix," Snape informed her.
It had been decided that both the Aurors and the Order be allowed to know of his dual allegiances up front rather than the ministry finding out later and using that against him in some way.
"I would say you seem to be loaded with a great many responsibilities, Professor Snape. I assume this means you have gained the trust of all these people including Headmaster Dumbledore?" She asked archly, raising one of those bushy eyebrows at him.
"Yes especially after I, Hagrid and the Elders destroyed Voldemort with an ancient spell."
"What!?" She nearly jumped to her feet but managed to restrain herself. She was shocked at him speaking Voldemort's name so boldly besides telling her their enemy was dead. "When? An ancient spell you say? Do you have proof?" She spat her questions at them like a machine gun before frowning and adding one more, "But I thought some kind of prophecy concerning the Potter boy was supposed to end that abomination."
Hagrid shook his. "Nay, Madame Bones. A prophecy spoken by a centaur a half century ago, long before the one by Professor Trelawny, foretold a very different prophecy for young Harry Potter. Killing Voldemort was not one of them. However, he were the bait to draw that evil out of Hogwarts where he had possessed poor Professor Quirrell, the Dark Arts teacher. It were Harry that discovered Voldemort's hiding place and who willingly volunteered to draw Voldemort into the forest where Professor Snape, meself and the Elders put an end to him with a hard fought battle. He had resisted the spell and it took much effort to finally disperse his soul."
"The proof?" Bones demanded, still not believing them.
Snape raised his left arm and pulled back his sleeve. "I wore the tattoo. Headmaster Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall can verify that fact as they had seen the tattoo on my arm for years."
Her expression showed she wasn't really buying this yet but she hadn't said she thought he was lying either. Her expression shuttered as she absorbed this momentous news. Then she gave Snape a piercing stare trying to scent a lie it seemed.
"Why has the news not been disseminated to the public?"
Glad to be getting to the real reason for this meeting, Snape deferred to Hagrid to answer her question as he was Jason's representative for this subject.
"Because it would cause an uproar with the public when Voldemort's Death Eaters are still out there among them. It was felt silence was best until all those criminals were rounded up first. I am sure yeu are aware the Ministry of Magic's Headquarters has been infiltrated, yes?"
She grimaced but nodded her head reluctantly.
"Welp, Elder Jason, our nominal leader, felt it be important to identify the enemy then take them all at the same time in a joint operation that would include the Aurors, the Order of the Phoenix, and members of the Forest Dwellers like the Goblins who already wander around the ministry. In preparation for this action, certain key people are already in the ministry identifying all the guilty parties. Once we have the names we can insure we manage to capture them all at the same time which should be very soon."
She gaped at him in stunned surprise. Then shook her head. "So your people have already set in motion an undercover operation without any of us knowing about it for the purpose of taking down the entire Death Eater coalition. Do I have that right?"
Both men nodded. She went silent, her expression shuttered as she assimilated all this incredible information and what it meant to her. They stayed silent letting her think.
Finally she spoke, her words slow and precise, "so if I understand you correctly, what you desire from me is an agreement to join forces … Aurors, Order of the Phoenix, and Forest Dwellers … so we can prevent any of those bastards escaping our net. Yes?"
Hagrid was glad the woman was sharp of mind. This would hopefully mean she might agree to this mad plan. "Aye, mum, that be it exactly."
"There is more than just cleaning out the Ministry going on, Madame Bones," Snape felt the need to add.
She gave him a questioning look.
"As the mission at the ministry is going on, elsewhere other members of the Elder's army are searching out the enemy in every village, city, and town. They are also trying to locate the Death Eater Army rumors say is forming or has formed and where they may be gathering."
"Ah, yes that would make sense and I'm relieved at knowing so many eyes and ears are searching even though I do have my Auror spies out there as well."
"Aye, which is why we wish to combine forces as all these various agencies would easily tangle each other up and allow the enemy to slip by while everyone is arguing about who is in charge or at worst, arresting the hunters. I'm sure yeu agree that now is the time to set aside our differences on how to fight this evil and simply work together to end it," Hagrid urged her.
"Though I'm loathed to admit it, you are correct, Hagrid. I am hardily tired of this war and want it to end quickly too. What about Minister Fudge being briefed?"
Hagrid firmly shook his head in the negative. "Nay Madame. That be the worst thing we could do. Politicians be too concerned with how things look and not how things truly be which would definitely ensure we end up losing our advantage while our so called leaders put on a dog and pony show for their own egos."
Bone snorted with an unladylike laugh. "Oh you know them well, eh. Yes, you are correct they would make a horrible mess of things and worse, delay everything giving the enemy time to actually attack."
Hagrid and Snape smiled at her bluntness. "So very true. And it would lose the advantage we have on them right now. It so happens the members of the Death Eater Inner Circle have been thwarted several times by us recently. So much so that we are nearly eighty percent certain they are in the dark about our people hunting them. They don't even know if your office has warrants out for their arrest so they are running scared and have holed up somewhere we have yet to find. While they be off balanced and lacking good intelligence this is the time to strike them hard," Hagrid said.
"Really? What has transpired to give you that certainty?" She asked, curious, a growing excitement building within her by all this news. It seemed things were moving quickly to a resolution of ending the threat to the wizarding world faster than she had dreamed possible and she definitely wanted in on it ... Fudge and his "let's pretend there is no problem or danger," be damned.
This time Snape answered her, "It so happens we have had some incidents at Hogwarts that started with the kidnapping during Christmas (which the Elders were responsible for), a dangerous situation caused by the actions of five Slytherin students, and the apprehending of the traitor Peter Pettigrew (she gasped at the name and frowned in disbelief), yes he is alive and was living at Hogwarts as a ratty familiar. He is presently in the custody of Moody. So, because of those events, Hogwarts was put on lock down, preventing the Death Eater parents from learning anything from their children. In desperation, members of the Inner Circle attempted to infiltrate the school but were, again, thwarted leaving them running and still unenlightened."
"Sounds like there's an interesting story behind all that but that can wait till later .. if there is a later. Right now, I assume time is racing away from us?" she asked.
"Oh aye. We are all feeling time speeding ahead. So the important question is are you with us, Madame Bones?" Hagrid asked her.
"Hell yes! Anything to end this foul war I'm all in for. So what do I need to do next?"
Relieved at her willingness, Snape told her, "You need to go ahead and write up those warrants ..." he waved a hand and a piece of written parchment appeared in front of her. "That is the list of inner circle members as we know it and we're hoping to narrow in on their location soon but until we hear something, keep your own spies out listening for anything about where they might have taken refuge."
"I can tell you it isn't the Malfoy estate nor at any of the other homes of a few of these we know about," She said waving the list. "But it leaves us with no other places to search for them."
"Aye that be the crux of the matter for us too. Meanwhile, I'm sorry but you need to remain mum about Voldemort's death until this operation is completed," Hagrid warned her.
"It's an operation is it? What's it called then?" She asked, surprised at the use of such terms from a forest dweller.
Hagrid snorted a laugh and said, "It be called, "Operation: Death Eater Cleanup."
Bones couldn't help but laugh at the obvious name. "Right, no one will have to guess what this is about at least," She snickered.
Hagrid shrugged his shoulders and looked abashed. It was a rather obvious name after all. Then he went on to deliver the rest of the instructions she needed to know.
"The council wants yeu to concentrate on gathering yere forces and briefing them on what is going to happen. Meanwhile, yeu will be contacted for a meet and greet with the Order of the Phoenix probably within days. After that happens and if all parties have agreed to working together only then will yeu all be taken to meet with the Elder Council and the army he has mustered to take out the Death Eater army we be still looking for."
Bones shook her head. "So much going on right under our noses. I must admit, I'm curious what stirred the Forest Dwellers to get so involved. Hope I get to hear the explanation soon."
"You will, mum as soon as we win this war," Hagrid promised her.
She paused and really studied Hagrid. "You are a half giant, yes?"
Hagrid nodded, wondering where the question was leading to.
"Forgive me but half-giants aren't supposed to be so intelligent. That apparent lie seems to fit with what the message over the wireless was attempting to convey ... about what wizarding kind thought to be nothing but animals or creatures of minimal intelligence and are nothing of the kind. Reality is saying you are more powerful than we know which is why you feel it time to demand equal autonomy with us. There be truth in that assumption?"
Hagrid gave her a rather wicked smile as he made a hand gesture and suddenly three cups of steaming tea and a spoon each, sat next to each of them with sugar, honey, and cream servers sitting in the center of the table waiting.
Bones blinked in shocked surprise at the show of wandless magic by someone who shouldn't be able to any magic at all. But the two weren't done. This time Snape made a gesture without a wand toward the honey causing a spoon to dip a bit out and pour into his tea before returning the honey to the table. He took hold of the spoon and stirred it while smirking at the Head Auror who was now frankly gaping at him as well.
She hurriedly fixed her tea and downed a healthy swallow ignoring the pain of the burn from the hot drink. The tea helped her settle from the shock.
"Consider me convinced. Wizarding society is never going to be the same after you're outed for who and what you truly are after we end this war," she said waving her tea cup in a salute.
"Yeu be right about that, Madame," Hagrid agreed returning the salute as did Snape.
They finished their tea in companionable silence. Setting her empty cup down then picking up her purse, she set it on the table and went to put her cloak on. She turned back, put the precious document into her purse, then picked it up and held it tightly in her hand. She looked at them one last time. They had risen when she had and waited for her to speak.
"I'll be taking my leave now. I'll be waiting for your signal with great anticipation and I will have those warrants in hand by end of day waiting to serve them when you give the word," she said briskly.
"Excellent. See you soon, Madame Bones and thank you," Snape said warmly.
With a quick nod of her head, she reached for the door only to have it open for her. Griphook stood there waiting for her. Rolling her eyes, she nodded at him then step through the door.
Griphook paused to look back at the two men. "Your next guest will arrive within twenty minutes sirs."
"Thank you Griphook. We will wait here for them."
The goblin nodded then let the door go so it could close on its own then led Madame Bones back to the lobby.
"That went well," Hagrid sighed sitting back down, using his magic to make a mug of hot cocoa and banishing the small tea cup. "Want more tea, Severus?"
"No thank you and yes, that did go better than expected. I am glad she is such a no-nonsense minded wizard. Kingsley will be much the same but I think he might balk a bit about taking on being the leader for such a difficult and massive endeavor," Snape sighed, letting himself relax for a bit.
"Doncha mean being a co-leader and general for an army?" Hagrid smirked.
Snape snorted but didn't have time for a retort when there was a light knock on the door that opened seconds later.
Tall and stately looking, Kingsley Shacklebolt strode through the door, a raised eyebrow the only sign of surprise he showed. The door closed silently behind him which he ignored. He walked up to the table then crossed his arms over his powerful chest. As an auror, member of the Order of Phoenix, and spy for the latter, Kingsley kept himself in top condition. It didn't hurt that he was also handsome, clean shaven, and his coffee colored skin gleamed with good health in the subdued lighting.
"So to what do I owe this rather clandestine meeting that is obviously not part of the Orders business nor Hogwarts, I wager," He said in his deep, rich voice.
"You be right, soir. Please take yere cloak off and have a seat and we'll tell ye why we, meaning, the Elders want yeu," Hagrid said politely.
Shacklebolt's eyes narrowed in suspicion especially seeing Hagrid at this meeting but he did as asked, turning to put his heavy black cloak on a hook then returning to take the same seat Madame Bones had. Sitting down, he laced his hands before him then stared at the two men and waited in silence. He'd learned waiting and listening would make things go much faster.
Nodding to him, Hagrid did as the other man bid by his silence. "Ye've already heard the wireless message the Elders sent to the public at large and yeu were already privy to all that was revealed in the Pensieve Dumbledore presented to the Order. Now the next step is to actually capture all the Death Eaters left out there. Before that eventful meeting yeu attended, the Elders had already begun a massive search to seek out where all the places the enemy has hidden including the Ministry of Magic. The list of those that had infiltrated our government is nearly complete and the council is within days of implementing their plan. This is where yeu come in, soir."
Shacklebolt blinked in confusion. "In what way? I'm already part of the Order and waiting until the word is given to do whatever it is we're being task for so what else could there be for me to do?"
"Because of your excellent skills as a leader, infiltrator and spy, yourself, it has been suggested you would make the perfect co-leader with Jason the Leader of the Elder Council to head the army already forming to take down the enemy once and for all." Snape answered.
"Me?! Co-leader to an army!" Whatever Shacklebolt had thought this meeting was about this hadn't even been close.
Hagrid nodded, smirking a little at the man's gobsmacked expression. "Yes soir, yeu. Yeu be the perfect choice and we need yeu immediately. As we said, things are moving quickly and yeu should already be at the Elder Council Headquarters now to learn all that has been prepared and what else we might need that yeu could suggest. You see, soir, Jason be not a military leader. He is a peaceful sort so he needs the expertise you can bring to the table."
Shacklebolt shook his head, not believing what he was hearing nor how he could have been chosen. "What about Albus Dumbledore. He is a leader and he fought against Grindelwald."
Snape shook his head. "No. The headmaster is needed to lead the Order. And we've just spoken with Madame Bones on bringing in the Aurors so she is out as well. That leaves you as the only real choice. You have the skill set we need." Kingsley didn't seem to be convinced.
"Look, it's not as if this take down is going to take years. If everything is planned thoroughly, with every detail seen too, the battle should be nearly bloodless and end in just a few days to perhaps a couple of weeks at the most. The ministry clean out, though, will be done in one operation and in just a few hours. That is the plan anyway," Snape explained.
The black man's eyes widened in surprise. "You are that ready to act?"
"Aye sir, we are. This needs to end quickly and thoroughly. We have our spies everywhere as we speak and they have been searching out the enemy for months reducing their numbers gradually until there be less than perhaps twenty out there not part of their army nor in the ministry. All that be left now is the inner circle and the Death Eater Army that is supposedly not large enough to do much harm and that we are still trying to locate. And, finally the ministry infiltrators to be identified which is ongoing and nearly completed," Hagrid answered.
"That's incredible! The Aurors and the Order haven't managed even half that and we've been searching for two years!"
"Well we be more able to move unseen much easier than yeu wizards, which is our advantage, if yeu'll pardon me for tooting our own horn, sir," Hagrid said, smiling a bit. "Since we be ignored and over looked often, we can see and hear things yeu miss since the enemy wont speak if they think yeu be about."
"Oh to be sure and I never would have given a second thought about your kind being underfoot everywhere. The hubris of wizarding kind thinking they are the top of the heap is leading us to our own undoing," Kingsley snorted, disgusted with himself for falling for the same prejudices as the rest of his kind. "I'm assuming that includes house elves as your spies?"
Snape was not surprised Kingsley had jumped to that realization quickly. The man was smart and devious in his own right which was why he was still alive in the first place. But he held the same prejudices as Dumbledore, forgetting or overlooking their servants the house elves. Which was why they were the perfect spies when utilized correctly.
"I'm pleasantly relieved that you at least had taken in account their value, Kingsley even if belatedly," Snape said, smiling.
The black man snorted and shook his head "I pride myself on not being oblivious to what goes on around me. But I will admit this time I was just as oblivious as all my fellow wizards. And now that I've had my eyes opened, I realize just how compromised we are with our so called servants. If your kind had chosen to be our enemy we would have already been defeated."
Shacklebolt felt like kicking himself for being so blind. But now he did know what the true picture was regarding the wireless message from the Elder Council. And they were right. They had been treated as little more than servants and canon fodder for centuries. Wizard kind was in for a rude awakening when the dust of the war had been shaken off.
Speaking of which. "Alright, I'm convinced the Elder Council does know what they are doing. And I'm very grateful your people aren't the vindictive sort and took us fools out a long time ago. You certainly had enough provocation to do so."
Hagrid nodded, his expression grim. "Aye yeu are indeed lucky, soir. There have been some angry and disgruntled members of the forest that have killed humans over the centuries but they were immediately punished or executed for the transgression. Our leaders did not want humans to know what we are capable of hence the secrecy not broken until now. And the reason for our coming forward now is how much the world outside our wizarding one has changed and not for the better. Muggles be the new threat to our way of life and continuance of remaining hidden. Their technology is the single greatest threat to everyone within the wizarding world and cannot be ignored any longer."
"That was mentioned before by you but I still don't know what danger they could possibly represent to wizards," Kingsley said, confused.
"Now is not the time for that discussion, soir. It will require a lengthy education process first. Right now the enemy is the focus here. So, Kingsley Shacklebolt, what be yere answer? Will yeu meet with Jason and lead us into an end to this foul war?"
Shacklebolt leaned back in his chair and half closed his eyes. He thought over everything he'd been presented. There were still a great many questions he had but none had any real bearing on the next actions needing taken right now. Hagrid was right, the focus needed to be on taking out the enemy.
He leaned forward and eyed the pair. "Before I make my decision I need a few questions answered." The two before him nodded. "Brief me on exactly what has been done for this take down, where the Aurors stand on it, is Fudge being brought in on it, how close are you to finding the leaders and I'm supposing that includes Lucius Malfoy and Bellatrix LeStrange, and are there any clues as to where this Death Eater Army is hiding?"
Hagrid eyed Snape to see which of them should respond. Snape nodded and turned to Shacklebolt.
"First, Madame Bones is on board. Her job is to get warrants for the inner circle, ..." Snape snapped another copy of the list to appear before Kingsley. "... and has been told not to tell anyone not even Fudge what she is doing as well as keeping the death of Voldemort a secret. She will be meeting the Order as soon as we speak with Dumbledore to set one up. That should occur within days. Next, we have a plan on how to find the leaders and hope that pans out within days as well. As for their army, members of our army are already searching everywhere for them. Shouldn't be long before it is located. As for you, all of us here will be part of the meeting with Bones and the Order then from there the meeting with Jason in the Forbidden Forest. Once all parties are briefed and lightly trained to work together we should be ready to act."
Shacklebolt shook his head at the enormity of the operation that was already building steam. With the addition of the rest of them it would be the biggest single operation to take down an enemy since Grindelwald was taken out.
"I'm almost intimidated by the size of this whole action but I wont let that prevent me from doing my part. Yes, I will do what I can to make this operation a success. Just give me a time and date and I will be there," he said. Then smiled suddenly, and snorted, "I can't wait to see my boss' expression when she sees me at the Order meeting."
Snape and Hagrid chuckled. "I forgot about that," Snape admitted. "Would you like some tea to seal the deal, Kingsley," Hagrid asked politely.
"Thank you, I believe I would," he said relaxing in his seat, folding his hands together. Then watched as Hagrid did wandless magic serving hot cups of tea to each of them.
Shacklebolt simply shook his head as he accepted his cup and added sugar and lemon to his drink then saluted the pair. "To the successful end to a miserable war!"
The pair saluted back. They enjoyed their tea in comfortable silence.
Setting his empty cup down, Shacklebolt rose to his feet. "This has been the most eye opening meeting I've ever had in a while or since that shocking one recently with you Hagrid." The half giant grinned at that. "I'll be waiting for your call or message. Have a good day gentlemen," he said. He turned, collected his cloak, and went out the door.
Since the man was very familiar with most parts of Gringotts, Griphook did not escort Shacklebolt to the main doors. Instead, as soon as the Auror had taken off down the hall, the goblin went in to speak with Snape and Hagrid.
Both men were already rising from their seats and making for their cloaks when Griphook stepped in. They slipped their cloaks on and nodded at him.
"Did the meetings go well," he asked.
Hagrid smiled broadly. "Yes my friend, it went very well. We be closer to ending this cursed war every day."
Griphook rubbed his gnarled hands together and gave a low hoot of pleasure. "Good, that is very good. It will be great for business when peace is restored. And I look forward to things for us non-humans to be recognized as being equal to the humans in all things."
"I can well understand that my friend but remember, that part of this whole affair will take a long time to set in place," Hagrid warned.
"Aye we know, Hagrid but we also know our savior will ensure it will be done and that is why I have hope for all our futures no matter how long it takes. We be very patient people as yeu well know."
"Aye ... It be a lot to pile on such young shoulders, Griphook, but having raised the boy, I can say, with certainty, the man he will become will do great things," Hagrid smiled warmly.
Griphook allowed a smile to pull at his mouth even though smiling wasn't something goblins did much of. Snape and Hagrid smiled back.
"Let me escort yeu off, good sirs," Griphook said, opening the door for them and leading the way back down the hall.
Before entering the main lobby, Snape halted while Hagrid signaled farewell before continuing on and leaving ahead of the man so they would not be seen together. Griphook took his leave with a bow. Then after waiting some fifteen minutes, Snape finally took his leave. He felt good having a successful end to these tasks. Now he would have to brief Dumbledore.
Pausing to pick up a few things for himself in town, he then apparated back to the school gates. Striding across the foyer, he noted that students were heading for the great hall. "Ah, I'm just in time for lunch. Perfect." With a light step he headed in behind the crowds of students for the high table.
He would seek to manage an appointment with the headmaster sometime after the meal. The sooner this got done, the better. He summoned a house elf and sent a request to Dumbledore.
As he sat down and began to eat, he sighed mentally, the one thing he hadn't managed was checking on prospects for replacing him as potion's master. Well, he'd have to wait and see how soon Dumbledore could see him to determine if he had time to research the listings of still living potion masters.
If he was lucky at all, there might be some young person out there with a talent for the craft and had good people skills. Though he didn't hold out much hope. But then he remembered Hagrid's suggestion of checking schools from more distant magical enclaves. Normally, they hunted closer to home as not many wanted to come to such a cold climate as Scotland. Then again, it was entirely possible that someone was looking for a change but never thought of Hogwarts due to the on going war. With peace I would have a greater chance of finding someone. As much as I want and need a replacement now, waiting seems the better and smarter option, he finally decided. Sighing, he let that go and applied himself to his meal.