Wealth and goblins

The days got shorter and colder, and on a Tuesday in early November Harry woke up and found that all of Hogwarts was hidden beneath white snow. The paths across the lands had disappeared, Hagrid's and Grawp's huts looked like the inside of a snow globe and Professor Sprout was about to stalk through the snow over to the greenhouses; Christmas was just around the corner. And while Harry enjoyed wandering through the pre-Christmas decorated castle and listening to Peeves's recomposed Christmas carols that the poltergeist trolled from inside armors, he was in his thoughts with Selwyn, of whom there was still no trace. Ron, Hermione and he had searched all of Hogwarts for traces from his school days, but had found next to nothing. Selwyn seemed to have been an inconspicuous student: they didn't find him on the Quidditch Cups, not even in the records of old magic potion competitions and dueling clubs, only on a fifteen-year-old list of prefects. They couldn't even ask Slughorn about him, as Selwyn had only visited Hogwarts after the Potions master had retired. The teachers who had taught him could not say much about him (Flitwick and Sprout) or sternly instructed them to let the Aurors do their job and to stay out of trouble once in their lives (McGonagall), and so they still knew nothing about the country's most wanted criminal, apart from being a nasty, pathetic piece of shit, as Ron used to say.

As far as professional advertising was concerned, all three had already decided: Harry and Ron would become Aurors, at least for the time being, and Hermione had decided, despite Tudgeberry's efforts, to apply to the department for the leadership and supervision of magical creatures, only in order to find out, unnerved, during the review of the corresponding brochure, that a NEWT in Care of Magical Creatures was required to work in that department.

"I could have told you that before," Ron had chuckled, giving him three days of nasty looks. It was only after he was so confused that he did a grotesque Quidditch training that he was forgiven, and Hermione decided to try it in the legal department after all.

For the other seventh-years, the whole thing looked much more complicated. Seamus wanted to work for Gringotts, but had to realize that he would never reach the required grades. Dean had no idea what he wanted to do, while Neville was just sure it would be anything with plants. Lavender and Parvati changed their plans daily, ranging from "marry rich" to "reforming werewolf laws" to "opening a boutique in Diagon Alley," with the former being her favourite,as Parvati sighed in the common room after she had finally completed her vampire attachment for Dawlish. Harry and Ginny, who were accompanying her (Ron and Hermione were somewhere, Dean and Lavender somewhere else - a development that had completely surprised all of them) laughed quietly.

"You're one to talk," Parvati snarled at Harry and stuffed the essay into her bag. "You don't have to marry to get rich."

Harry shrugged. "Malfoy is still free if you are interested."

Parvati shuddered and locked her bag. "I'm not – and he's after Greengrass anyway."

"Malfoy?", Harry asked, stunned. "And Daphne Greengrass?"

- "Malfoy and Astoria Greengrass, Harry," Parvati sighed. "They say he's been completely upset when she had to go into the hospital wing because of this lightning - he apparently visited every day and, well..."

"And that's why Parkinson's completely out of her mind," Ginny added with a grin. "Rumour has it she demolished half her dormitory - I would have liked to see that - and she yelled around for minutes in the Charms corridor, haven't you heard?"

"I thought it was Filch," Harry said, confused. The caretaker had an extremely short ignition cord at the moment, because the snow had led to a lot of dirt in the castle.

"No, Filch yelled around in the entrance hall," Parvati said.

"I'm curious to see what he does when everyone comes back from Hogsmeade," Harry said with a grin. The last Hogsmeade weekend of the year was imminent and would certainly have a lasting impact on the cleanliness of the castle.

Ginny shrugged. "He has time to clean all the holidays, or not?"

Harry would not stay at the castle for the holidays, but would return to Grimmauld Place and use it to get the long overdue overview of his heritage. As for No. 12, Kreacher always assured him at each of his weekly reports that everything was in fine order.

Over the next few weeks, so much snow fell that it became almost impossible to make it to Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures, which was why Hagrid taught Grawp to shovel the paths - a task that the giant fulfilled with great enthusiasm, however, he seldom paid attention to where he shoveled the snow - several first-years had to be pulled out of the snow mountains by their laughing classmates. In the castle, the weather was particularly noticeable due to the biting cold, which prevailed mainly in the dungeons, so that in Slughorn's lessons everyone moved close to the fires under their boilers. To his great surprise, Harry's Potions performances were extremely stable, not as brilliant as they had been in year six, but still well above the class average, even if he couldn't get close to Hermione, as she noted with satisfaction. However, as far as the regular invitations to dinner with Slughorn were concerned, they excelled by absence and creative apologies, including short-term Quidditch trainings scheduled by Harry despite heavy snowfall (Coote and Peakes were increasingly irritated after the third time), to meetings of prefects scheduled by Hermione as well as nausea (George had sent Ginny a reasonable resupply of puking pastilles and nousebleed nougat).

After all, the last Hogsmeade weekend before Christmas was just around the corner, and on that Saturday morning it didn't snow for the first time in weeks - instead there was bright sunshine. Nevertheless, Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny made their way to the village wrapped thickly, as the sun deceived over the freezing wind that blew into their faces. In the Three Broomsticks, everything was full, they just managed to get a free table right next to the professors Flitwick, Vector and Sinistra, which significantly limited the choice of topics of conversation. Harry briefly considered using the Muffliato for the teachers, but Hermione gave him a stern look.

"You know me too well," he muttered with a grin, taking a sip of butterbeer.

They talked about Quidditch for a while, which bored Hermione and brought Ginny and Ron to the brink of a dispute over the Chudley Cannons and the Holyhead Harpies, then the professors agreed to make a detour into Honeydukes. Hermione awoke from her trance and leaned forward.

"So, Harry, what about this letter?"

Harry pulled out the folded letter he had received at breakfast and gave it to her.

"It's from Gringotts," he said thoughtfully. "Because of heritage."

"I thought you had got the gold a long time ago?", Ron asked confused.

"This is not about gold," Hermione muttered thoughtfully, returning the letter to Harry. "This is about everything else: land, houses, shares..."

"Why am I only learning about this now?", Harry asked with a wrinkled forehead.

"I could imagine that the goblins weren't particularly keen to give your property to you," Ginny said dryly.

"However," Hermione thoughtfully said, "here it says that they want to talk to you, you will probably know all the details after that."

Harry nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah..."

- "Would you be so kind to share your wealth with us?" Ginny asked, smiling, pointing to the four empty butterbeer bottles.

Harry grinned and walked over to the counter, where Madam Rosmerta was busy rebuffing a foul-smelling warlock.

"Harry?" someone whispered softly in his ear, and he started as he looked at the speaker, who had pulled the hood out of his face far enough to be recognized. His blond hair was long and matted, he had a beard growing and his cheeks had collapsed, but Harry would have recognized these big, blue eyes everywhere.

"Mr. Bagman?", he whispered back completely perplexed.

"Not so loud," the former head of the sports department whispered back hastily. "Can we have a short conversation? Um, outside?"

- "Course," Harry said, stunned, and followed Bagman to the door, but looked back at the table and gave Ron the Auror hand sign to follow him. Bagman had always been quite harmless, but on the one hand the man had disappeared for more than three years, and on the other hand he might as well be someone else who wanted to catch him alone - possibly Selwyn, who was supposedly still nearby. Bagman led him into a narrow alley next to the Three Broomsticks. Harry glanced over his shoulder and could see Hermione hurriedly disillusioning Ginny, Ron and herself.

Ludo Bagman stopped and wrang his hands nervously as Harry waited tensely for him to start talking.

"Sorry that I am assaulting you like that, Harry," Bagman finally said, pulling the hood deeper into his face. "But I just didn't know who else to turn to – can't just show up in public, you understand?"

He showed a wretched copy of his old, over-the-top grin.

"No wonder," Harry said calmly. "The goblins certainly haven't forgotten that you owe them a lot of money - and your other creditors certainly haven't."

- "Uh... Yes. That's why I came back."

Harry frowned. "Back?"

"I was gone, of course," Bagman said hastily. "Too dangerous to stay in the country, far too dangerous- came around a lot - Sweden, Egypt, a bit of Korea - all countries where there aren't many goblins, you understand?"

"Yeah," Harry said. "So, why do you want to talk to me?"

"The goblins have respect for you, Harry," Bagman said, licking his lips.

- "Respect? For me?", Harry asked perplexed.

"Clearly," Bagman said. "I mean, how else would you have gotten away with robbing them?"

"It was an emergency," Harry said coolly.

"Exactly," Bagman said, leaning forward. "Just like this, isn't it?"

"Mr. Bagman," Harry growled. "I'm cold. What exactly do you want from me?"

- "That you, erm, put in a good word for me with the goblins... and with the minister maybe too, you know Shacklebolt after all-"

- "To achieve what?" Harry interrupted him sharply.

"That they don't lynch me," Bagman said nervously.

"What about your debt?", Harry asked.

"Yes... There's surely some solution," Bagman whispered, trying to show a winning smile.

"Why should I help you, Mr. Bagman?" asked Harry, snorting. "I'm not in the goblins' good books at all, no matter what you believe, and you have cheated a lot of people about a whole lot of money. Why should I help you?"

Bagman made big glimpses under his hood. "Harry! Well come on, I've helped you, you know? At the tournament-"

"You offered me your help even though you were a judge," Harry growled. "And only because you bet on me."

Bagman swallowed. "So you don't want to help me?"

Harry shook his head. "I can't help you at all! And if I can give you any advice: turn yourself in at the Ministry!"

Bagman shook his head in a hurry. "No, that, uh, is not necessary. So then, Harry, see you."

Harry sighed and drew his wand. Ludo Bagman had cheated dozens of people for their savings, including the twins and Lee Jordan's father, and that's why he was sought not only by the goblins, but also by the ministry.

"Mr. Bagman, you shouldn't run away, otherwise I have to arrest you."

- "Arrest?" asked Bagman, confused. "You? But Harry! Why-"

"Because you are a wanted criminal, Mr. Bagman," Harry said sternly.

Bagman stared at him with big eyes for a whole second, then gave him a powerful push that made him tumble backwards into something invisible - Bagman pulled out his wand to disapparate-

"Incarcerus!", Harry barked furiously and ropes shot out of nowhere and snaked tightly around Bagman's legs and torso, causing him to fall into the snow face-first and swearing.

"Piece of shit," cursed the now visible Ginny, who had stood behind Harry. Harry helped her up and then stepped up to Bagman, whom Ron guarded with a drawn wand.

"Nice try, Mr. Bagman."

Bagman said something incomprehensible.

"He seems to have his mouth full of snow," Ron said with a grin.

"Turn him over before he freezes to death," Harry sighed. "And send your Patronus to the office, they should send someone to pick him up."

Ron roughly turned Bagman around with his foot, but left him lying, and then sent off his silver Jack Russell terrier.

"Since when can you do that, by the way?", Harry asked enviously.

"Had Williamson teach it to me while you were in the courtroom," Ron said, shrugging, but with red ears.

- "Can you teach me?"

- "Course, as soon as-"

Ron broke off when Proudfoot personally apparated five yards away.

"Are you mad?!" the head of the Auror Office growled as he brought Bagman to his feet with a wink of his wand. "You're students, not aurors, you can't walk around and just arrest people!"

Harry and Ron exchanged an embarrassed look.

"Um, we just stopped him for you," Harry finally said, "so that you can arrest him."

Proudfoot sighed. "Come on, Mr. Bagman, let's disappear from here before the goblins get wind of your presence here."

The two disappeared with a loud bang.

"Is it so hard to just say 'thank you'?," Ron asked indignantly. "They've been looking for the guy for three years!"

- "Forget it," Hermione moaned as an ice-cold gust swept through the alley. "Let's just go back in, okay?"