Ch 6: Witness

Gringotts Wizarding Bank, One Day Ago (Day 2)

The dark walls echoed with Hermione's footsteps as she surveyed the underground vaults. Never before has she paid attention to the sheer size of Gringotts. The ceiling; easily thirty feet in the air and lined with jagged stalactites made her surroundings look like the lair of some ancient beast. However, the dark metal doors rising up endlessly on either side were her current focus. Even though she was here to investigate the vaults; without a goblin to open the vaults, the chances of finding any clues were abysmal.

Hermione was aware of this but she had chosen to come down here alone to get her thoughts straight. At least that's what she had intended but her mind kept returning to Ginny.

Shortly after leaving the Ministry; Hermione had met her at her home. James and Albus were the first to greet her and enquire about Harry.

"He will come back soon. Just some extra work." Ginny had told her children before sending them off to their rooms.

While she had managed to convince the boys; Hermione could clearly see the anguish in her eyes. It was almost unbearable to look into them while Hermione told her everything. During the whole time, Ginny had been listening with firm attention. Even after Hermione was done, she said nothing but bowed her head low. Only her mouth was still visible.

The room was completely silent for a moment. Hermione didn't know what to say. The quiet was finally broken by a whisper;
"He will come back…..right?" As she said that; her lip quivered. Her hands were clenched on her lap, shaking uncontrollably.

Even before Hermione could say anything, she raised her head. The person looking at Hermione now looked nothing like the brave and cheerful Ginny she knew. Tears were gushing down her face in twin streams. Her great brown eyes bore into Hermione's;

"All those deaths at Gringotts….He….is…fine…..right? You-" At this point, her voice broke;

"You…don't think that….that…he?"

Hermione forced her thoughts to return to the present. Trying not to tear up thinking of the state Ginny was in; she looked ahead to find that she was nearing the final vaults of this level. Ahead of her; an enormous chunk of the ground was missing, probably wrecked by falling debris. It was obvious that she wouldn't be able to go any further so she decided to head back.

"I will find Harry. I will." She muttered, as if to reassure herself.

She had just taken a few steps when the door nearest to her swung open with a series of clicks. With no idea about what to expect; she raised her wand and braced for the worst as she heard someone step out.

§§§

"…..always knew it. Potter was like this since the beginning-"

Draco; who had until now been intentionally speaking loudly to Harper was interrupted by a vase that Ron had 'accidentally' dropped. After quickly restoring it, Ron strode straight up to him, stopping just a few feet away.

"Sorry about that mate. You were saying?" Ron hissed, daring Malfoy to go further.

Malfoy remained unfazed;

"It's quite all right Weasley. I was just telling Leonard here that, your friend Potter was a nut since the beginning. One look at him and his followers and you knew that he would soon-"

Ron's grip on his wand got tighter. A smug smile appeared on Malfoy's face as he drew his own wand, looked Ron in the eyes and resumed;

"As I was saying, one look and you knew he would soon- snap"

In a blur of movement; Ron knocked Draco's wand out of his hand, pinned him to the nearest wall and stopped himself mid-hex; his wand mere inches from Draco's eyes.

Registering what had just happened; Leonard too drew his wand and was about to fire a curse at Ron when he saw Hermione step into the hall. She froze up for a moment on seeing her husband holding Malfoy by the throat and Leonard ready to fire a curse at him.

Sensing her presence, Ron let go of Malfoy with a look of disappointment. The latter picked up his wand, brushed dust off his coat and stood up calmly as if nothing had happened. Once the situation was diffused, Hermione spoke urgently;

"I found something…. someone. Down in the vaults" she hesitated.

The three men looked at her confused. However, it was quickly replaced by shock as a goblin stepped out from behind Hermione. Unlike the sinister looks most goblins were known for, he looked pretty shaken;

"He was present during the incident yesterday. I found him hiding in one of the vaults. He said he was scared for his life. But, he is sure of the culprit's identity. "

The air was thick with anticipation as everyone waited for her to finish. She did her best to maintain her composure as she spoke the words she didn't want to believe;

"It was Harry."