DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter or any of it's Characters, and if you would be so kind as to review I would be very happy. Thank You
A/N: I want to apologize for the delay in posting on this story, I recently had a death in the family and haven't felt the desire to write lately. It was the kind words from certain reviews that really inspired me to continue writing. I would like to thank LoonyXtune, Cassandra30, HufflepuffWitch, and Lmill123. Your words were just what I needed at the time, so thank you for that.
To make up to everyone else, this is my longest chapter yet.
To everyone from the States, Happy 4th of July!!
Enjoy~
Chapter 18-- One of Those Days
James and Frank along with Prongs appeared at the base of the stairs in front on Gringotts. Taking quick stock of his surrounding area, James noticed that Daigon Alley looked a lot less crowded as usual for this time. He assumed that a rather large Death Eater attack would have that effect on most of wizarding England. Walking up the stairs towards the bank entrance, Neville pointed out a sign that stated the bank was closed due to repairs and mourning of their Goblin brotherin that were so tragically slaughtered. Harry hoped he could still have a word with Whiplock, but if not, he understood.
As the trio approached the doors, Neville was slightly nervous for there were at least twenty dangerous looking Goblin guards with huge swords and menacing smirks. The Trio slowed as the two Huge Goblins that were obviously in charge here, crossed swords and spoke dangerously.
"Bank closed to all, leave now or forfeit your life."
"I understand General Sir, I was merely hoping to have council with Branch Manager Whiplock, I understand if this is not possible but my opportunities for returning are limited. My condolences for the loss of your brothers, their bravery will always be remembered." stated Harry/James as Neville and Dobby bowed their heads in sadness.
The Goblin General was obviously taken back by this wizard, no other human has shown any type of emotion other then anger that they could not enter the bank to do business. Intrigued by this young wizard, The Goblin General took a closer look at this human, and what he saw upon closer inspection were very strong and impressive glamour's, of course they could not fool a Goblin, but impressive nonetheless. Looking past the glamour's, the Goblin General's expression changed into shock.
"Lord Potter-Black, please forgive me for my rudeness. I should have recognized your glamour, it would be an honor if you would punish me personally my Lord." said the Goblin General as every Guard that was outside immediately bowed down upon hearing the name Lord Potter-Black.
Harry was a little shocked to be recognized under his glamour's, not to mention twenty enormous Goblin guards bowing down to a wizard, was not something that was commonly done. Thankfully the Alley was pretty vacant, but Harry knew that wasn't to last, hoping to enter the bank quickly to prevent further attention, Harry spoke.
"Please General and honorable Goblin Guards, rise to your feet. There will be no need for punishment from me General Sir, you have shown great restraint towards my race. I know first hand how cruel and bigoted humans can be and completely understand your actions earlier, they are completely validated. Please note though General, that not all humans are this way, but here in Wizarding England, I'm sad to say that my views are seriously outnumbered." finished Harry/James as all the Goblin Guards rose to their feet upon his command to do so.
"You are correct young Lordship, your views are extremely rare in humans, in fact you are in a class all alone, for I have never met a human with so much honor and power. Lord Whiplock has givin our Clan great Honor in forming an alliance with you young Lordship, I will take you to him personally." stated the Goblin General.
"Much appreciated General, I am thankful that your people have such a brave and honorable Guard in charge of their safety, for times are tough and they are only going to get tougher." said Harry. He knew he might have been sucking up a little, but hey, it couldn't hurt to have a few Goblins are your side, or for that mater, a few hundred or even thousand Goblins. Letting that thought slip away, he snapped back to attention as the Goblin General started talking.
"Thank you for your kind words my Lordship, I am not worthy of such praise, but I will make quick work to remedy that in the coming days." said the Goblin General as he quickly gave orders to his second in command as the Goblin Guards moved away and opened the huge front doors for them to pass. Upon entering, Harry waited for the doors to close once again where he and Neville were the only humans in the bank before continuing his conversation with the Goblin General.
"I know you will General sir, and let me say my thanks in advance for any Death Eater scum you happen to incapacitate. If I may ask sir, what is your name?" asked Harry as they walked towards the Branch Managers office area.
"Incapacitate, that is saying it lightly" chuckled the Goblin General before continuing, "my people call me Gladstone but you may call me Rock." said the General with a toothy grin.
"Thank you Rock, I am honored, let me introduce you to my second in command but as you know, he is also wearing a glamour, this is Frank Narrow, A.K.A. Lord Longbottom and my bonded friend here is Prongs A.K.A. Dobby."
" An honor to meet you Lord Narrow, and Prongs sir." said Gladstone with a wink before continuing. "You were the one to help heal Lord Whiplock, not an easy task to perform, we are forever in your debt." said Rock
Dobby blushed at his praises before Neville spoke for the first time.
"Thank you General Gladstone sir, please call me Frank, but I understand your intentions in regards to Lord Harrington, he has saved my life as well and given me a new purpose in life. I will stand by his side no matter what and will gladly strike down any who wish to oppose him!" stated Neville a little too aggressively.
Gladstone chuckled loudly at that statement before looking at Harry and declaring; "You have made a wise choice in your second in command, I fear for anyone who crosses the path of an angered Lord Narrow, unless of course they are Death Eater Scum, then I only wish I may be lucky enough to view it personally with maybe some popcorn." stated Gladstone as Harry, Neville, and Dobby busted up laughing at his statement.
"Thank you for that Rock, I needed a good laugh. In these times of sadness, its what is needed the most, to remember what we are fighting for. I agree with you though, a really pissed off Frank is a dangerous thing these days." laughed Harry as Rock chuckled as well.
As they entered Borak's office, or what used to be his office, Harry was hit with a bit of sadness at thinking of poor Borak's senseless death. Gladstone picked up on Harry's change of emotion immediately and understood the reasons for it. This wizard is truly one of a kind the Goblin General thought.
As they continued on towards the Branch Managers office, Harry was looking around at all the Goblins that were working diligently repairing the damage and restoring the office area to it's pristine condition faster then Harry thought possible.
Upon entering Whiplock's office, Harry spotted him near the corner directing the Goblins and ordering tasks to be completed before he spotted one of his General's approaching with two Humans and a House Elf. Recognizing Harry immediately, Whiplock smiled a toothy grin before dismissing everyone bustling around him and approaching his savior as he watched the interaction between the teens and his Goblin General.
"Lord Harrington, I hope you received no trouble and were greeted with the respect you so valiantly earned from my Goblin Brothers." smirked Whiplock as he finally reached Harry and was about to kneel in front of Harry before Harry reached out for a handshake.
"You know I have, and please don't make me tell you once again, you do not need to bow at my feet, ever. You are my friend and now we have an alliance between our clans, and as such, it hurts my feelings to see any of my friends bowing down to anyone." stated Harry as the look on Whiplock's face changed from a smile to somewhat of a frown.
" I never thought of it in that way before, but please understand, that is how our people show respect. Please make no mistake, there is no other Human I respect more then yourself Lord Pot…Harrington, with Lord …." Stumbled Whiplock until Gladstone said;
"Lord Narrow……Frank Narrow."
Whiplock continued, "Lord Narrow coming in a close second." said Whiplock with fierce dedication that no one who heard his declaration would have ever doubted the truth in the Branch Manager's words.
Neville was a little shocked at hearing the Branch Managers declaration, I mean of course he understood the devotion to Harry, but to himself? Neville was confused. Seeing the confused look in the young wizard, Whiplock figured he should explain.
"Lord Narrow, I may be naïve about certain human customs and traditions, but us Goblins have different customs and traditions as I am sure you are starting to understand. With exception from yesterdays fiasco, most things that occur within these walls at Gringotts do not happen without my knowledge. Did you really think after so valiantly defending Gringotts at great personal risk to yourself, that I would not recognize the power and courage that lies deep within your bones. I understand you are Lord Harrington's second in command, so to speak, and that you had accompanied him on his task to destroy the evil that haunts us today. But at no time did you have to risk such danger just because Mister Harrington had asked it, no…..no no no. You Lord Narrow, are much like Lord Harrington, you do what you feel is right, instead of following the path that everyone else is willing to follow. Unfortunately there is one thing that I agree with in regards to the bigoted Pureblood wizards and that is that what you are and what you become is greatly related to your bloodline and upbringing. Narrow and Harrington bloodlines run strong and pure and have been so…. for hundreds of years. I only hope you two live long enough to keep those lines going strong…if you know what I mean." Whiplock finished with a little toothy smirk as Harry smiled on proudly while Neville was doing his best fish expression.
"Thank you Branch Manager, I am not sure I am worthy of such praises but thank you nonetheless." said Neville
"Nonsense, I think you have proven yourself quite capable. I know your modesty, much like Lord Harrington prevents you from taking such praise, so let us get down to business unless you two just happened to stop by to say hello?" questioned Whiplock
"Yes of course Whiplock, our first priority was to again give our condolences and offer our assistance in any way you feel necessary." said Harry as Neville nodded that he agreed.
"Thank you Lord….James, the Goblin Nation we'll be forever by your side. Let us continue this conversation in my office, then you can tell me what I can do for you." smiled Whiplock as he turned to walk towards his office with Harry, Neville, Gladstone, and no less then five huge Goblin guards.
Two guards posted themselves on either side of the Branch Manager's office door, both inside and outside while another posted himself behind Whiplock as he sat down at his desk. Harry had the impression that the Goblins were never going to let Whiplock go anywhere without guards and that thought made him smirk a little as he and Neville sat opposite Whiplock.
"You know from our earlier conversations that my whereabouts are closely tracked. Fortunately for me, I heard word of a meeting that has been scheduled for today that started about thirty minutes ago, that leaves me free of interference so forgive me if we get right down to business for I have a gut feeling that when that meeting is finished, someone will be making their way to my summer residence looking for me." Said Harry
"I understand, please continue." said Whiplock
" on my way to your office I discovered Borak in your outer office area. I was fortunate to be there as he took his last breath in this world. I would like it to be noted by your people that he died ever so bravely and he gave me some vital information before death took him from us." said Harry as he bowed his head in sadness as did Neville.
"I see…. I will make his bravery aware…..might I ask you where your bonded friend disappeared too?" asked Whiplock
"Prongs is taking care of a few things for me in one of my vaults."
At hearing this all the Goblin Guards shuffled their feet restlessly as they looked to one another. Neville picked up on this right away.
"Is that a problem Branch Manager Whiplock?" asked Neville
Whiplock started to chuckle, and this seemed to calm down the Goblin Guards before speaking; "Nothing seems to surprise me anymore in regards to Lord Harrington. Rest assured nothing to worry about. The vaults have been sealed until we re-open in two days time, thus the reason for alarm. I don't know how your bonded friend has gained access, but if it is okay with you young Lord, I would love to ask him after we are done here." asked Whiplock.
"That won't be a problem, back to the issue of hand. Borak's final words to me were some very important information as to why the Death Eaters were attempting to break into your Bank. Further information was obtained when I interrogated Malfoy Sr. under truth potion. It seems that Snake Face had stored a very treasured artifact in a secured vault before his untimely demise by yours truly at the tender age of one. He had given orders to have this treasured artifact moved and protected in case something were to happen to him. From what information Malfoy had, it had been moved so often and…and,,,well…" Harry paused and looked nervously at the Goblin Guards that were in the room.
Whiplock caught on right away, this young Lord had information that needed to be heard by no other Goblin other then himself, at least for now.
"Guards….Please leave us, I need a few minutes." declared Whiplock
The Guards froze initially, not budging on leaving the Branch Manager alone at any time.
"I SAID LEAVE US……NOW!" shouted Whiplock, this time there was no hesitation as the all the Guards left immediately, last to leave with a head nod was Gladstone.
"Now, continue please Lord Harrington"
"Thank you Whiplock, but when we are alone like this, you don't need to call me Harrington" said Harry
"If you don't mind, it will be easier for me to just continue calling you Lord Harrington while you are in that Glamour, you as well Lord Narrow." said Whiplock as both Harry and Neville smiled and nodded.
Neville pulled his wand and cast some privacy charms as Harry waited until he finished before continuing his conversation.
"We discovered that this artifact was mostly protected by a small faction of Goblins that were loyal to his cause." said Harry as Neville was watching Whiplock's reaction.
" That is very disconcerting, are you sure?" asked a very surprised Whiplock asked.
"Completely!" said Harry and Neville in perfect unison.
"Do you by any chance have the names or contact information of these Goblin's that you speak of?" asked Whiplock hopefully.
"I do, and we will get to that, what I am interested in is obtaining this artifact and destroying it today before word of Malfoy's capture and interrogation leaks from Gringotts back to Snake Face. Obviously it is very important for Riddle to get his hands on this artifact, so much so that he initiated an attack on Gringotts, which everyone knows is absolutely ridiculous if you value your life, an assumption I might add that I think Riddle understands better now seeing how NONE of his followers returned after their mission." smirked Harry as he looked over to Neville who was also smiling.
"Speaking Of Malfoy senior, is it safe to assume that he has officially been disposed of?" asked Neville.
"Actually, he hasn't been. I hope you understand young Lords but, I have some serious payback to relinquish. Not to mention I think you might want to interrogate him further, he seemed to be a fountain of information that I feel would be a waste to throw away. Of course you know we will have to wait several weeks after your amazing truth serum wears off, but please have no fear, he will never see daylight outside of this bank. Once I am satisfied with my revenge, and you have no further need of any of his information, he will die the most painful of deaths." sneered Whiplock.
"That is absolutely brilliant Whiplock, I was hoping to further interrogate him, but as you know, we were running out of time." smiled Harry
"I understand, now back to these traitorous Goblin's who seem to have forgotten the damage that Lord Voldermort has inflicted on the Goblin nation all those years ago. I don't know how he achieved it, but I have a feeling that this time around, it will be even worse. I am a little surprised that he managed to sway some Goblins to his cause, but he is mighty powerful, so it is not unbelievable. Rest assured that I will be doing some house cleaning so to speak, and I have several meetings planned with the leaders of many other Goblin Tribes and we will stand as one by your side in this quest Lord Pot..Harrington." declared Whiplock firmly.
"Thank you Branch Manager Whiplock, it fills me with pride to have such an accomplished leader stand by my side during this war. I thought I had one in Dumbledore, but the more I learn, the more disappointed I become. He will try everything in his power to keep me under his thumb, for reasons he has never explained, he tried once but I feel he was leaving out information. I realize this now, and I have pledged to live the rest of my days as I see fit, however short they may be. Here is the list of names that I obtained from Malfoy, you will note that among those Death Eater Wizard names, you will find a few Goblin, Werewolf, Vampire, Giant, and Troll names. I would like to request that we eradicate every last knut that every Wizard bastard on that list has in this Bank. I don't know if you are willing to do that, but I feel that it would greatly help our cause if we bankrupted the Death Eaters as much as possible. Not to mention that this war is going to be costly, why not use their bloody sin money for good for once." asked Harry as he handed over the parchment with a hopeful look on his face.
Whiplock seemed to be in deep thought as he stared at the parchment while Harry looked over to Neville who simply shrugged that he didn't know what to say either. After several more awkward minutes passed in silence, Whiplock finally set the parchment down on his desk and stared Harry in the eyes before he spoke.
"Seeing how you are the richest Wizard in possibly all of the world, and the list of Death Eater holdings is quite substantial, I feel that setting up a separate vault with half of their holdings should be proficient enough to fund this war for you and your loyal supporters. The remaining half will go the Goblin Nation as payment for the all the wrongs those Death Eaters have caused my people. I hope this will satisfy you?" asked Whiplock in a very monotone voice.
"It is more then acceptable Whiplock, please understand that by no means am I trying to gain more gold by doing this. My main purpose of asking this is to remove it away from those Death Eaters, that way they can not use it for Ministry Bribe money or to wreck further havoc upon the wizarding community. I feel that half of their holdings is too much, therefore I request you store twenty percent in a separate vault, and have the account under Lord Narrow's name. Will that be suitable Branch Manger?" asked Harry. He had a feeling that asking to empty those Death Eater vaults was going to cause some problems, but he didn't want to give the impression that he was trying to increase his own holdings. Judging by Whiplock's reaction, he knew he said the right thing.
"That is more then suitable Lord Harrington, you are a very noble and honorable young Lord, I will set that up immediately and have the key ready for Lord Narrow before your departure. As for the Goblin's that are on this parchment, they will be dealt with today, but the rest non-wizard folk that are listed, some are quite high ranking individuals within their communities. It seems Voldermort knew what he was doing when he went recruiting. It will be much harder to vanquish those supporters as oppose to the Human Death Eaters, any suggestions on how you plan on achieving that?" asked Whiplock
" I have a few ideas that would take too much time to discuss at this time, I do have a plan that will help eliminate the Human Death Eaters you spoke of. At some point, a good majority of those Death Eaters will come here to the bank to replenish their gold pouches, if you were to empty their vaults but on paper leave it to appear that nothing has changed. Then you have some of your amazing Goblin Guards waiting for them inside their vaults, and when they enter, they never return. It would be the easiest way to eliminate them one at a time, what do you think?" asked Harry as Neville grinned stupidly.
"That is quite dubious of you Lord Harrington, but absolutely brilliant as well. It is just the kind of sneaky we Goblins love, but it must never get out, wouldn't want humans to be scared to bank with us. I think a few Goblin Guards would be willing to put that plan into motion for us." said Whiplock with a grin.
"Excellent, I can not thank you and your people enough for all you have and are willing to due to aide me in this cause, I will be forever grateful to the Goblin Nation, and remain at your beckon call if you ever need my assistance, please contact Prongs and he will bring me to your side immediately, no matter how busy I may be. Also remember, those are the names of the Goblins Malfoy knew, there could be other's that Malfoy did not know, please only inform those you truly trust. With everything else settled, do you think we can head down to he vaults to obtain this valued treasure of Lord Snake Face?" said Harry as Whiplock just stared at Harry in disbelief of the declaration he just heard.
Neville pulled his wand again and cast the canceling charms on the office, this seemed to snap the Branch Manager back to reality.
Coming back to his senses, Whiplock rose out of his chair and called for Gladstone, who came running in from just outside as soon as he heard his name. He handed him several parchments and gave orders to start emptying those Death Eater vaults while setting up Lord Narrow's new one. After that task had begun, Whiplock motioned for Harry and Neville to follow him out of his office. Upon Exiting the two Goblin Guards that were stationed outside his office, took the lead while another two guards appeared from no where and took the rear. Gladstone sent several notices flying off in all directions of the bank before running back to catch up to the small group that was making it's way towards the vaults. Gladstone stopped right by Whiplock's side as Harry and Neville followed right behind.
After a rather lengthy cart ride, the small group made it to the front of vault number 217. Harry wasn't sure why this small cup was so important to Voldermort but if he was willing to risk something that has never been done before like attacking the Goblins on their home soil to retrieve it, Harry was going to do everything in his power to make sure it is never reunited with old Snakeface.
Upon reaching the door to vault number 217, the Goblin guards were performing some type of magic in front of the door while the others waited. Immediately upon finishing, one Goblin guard turned and addressed Whiplock.
"My Lord, I do not think it wise for you to enter into this vault, there is something extremely evil inside, I am not sure of what it is, but it is some type of evil I have not sensed before." said the Goblin Guard.
Whiplock thought about that for a second and was about to dismiss the idea when Harry interrupted him.
"I agree with your Guards Branch Manager, you are too important to risk something unfortunate happening, Frank and I will enter and investigate. Whatever is inside was awfully important to Riddle and I am feeling a little nervous as to the extremes he will take to retrieve it. Whoever he managed to turn towards his side, will soon get word that we are investigating down in the vaults if you know what I mean. Said James cryptically.
"That is correct Branch Manager Sir, It would be wise for you to call back up here immediately with Guards that you can trust, just in case, better to be safe then sorry. They already tried to end your life force once, I refuse to let them try again, at least not while James and I have anything to say about it." Smirked Neville
"You two are wise beyond your years, excuse me if I am little taken back by your compassion, it is unusual for humans to think about Goblins welfare before their own, but I should have known to expect no less from the …Harrington and Narrow Heir's." Smirked Whiplock after the shock from both Harry and Neville's statements passed, then he looked to his Head Goblin Guard before continuing.
" Gladstone, please have twenty of your most trusted men stand guard at this vault at once, if anyone is going to try and prevent Lord Harrington from destroying what ever evil is in this vault, they will have to go through me personally. You two Guards will enter the vault with the young Lords and will protect them with your lives and obey every command they give you without question. I recommend waiting to enter until backup has arrived." finished Whiplock as Gladstone immediately sent word for twenty of his best warriors to vault 217 as both of the Goblin Guards that were appointed to enter the vault with Harry and Neville bowed down at the feet of the young Lords.
Before Harry could tell both Goblin Guards that they did not have to bow to him, they were interrupted by twenty fierce looking Goblin Guards complete in battle armor and ready for war as they surrounded the vault entrance and bowed at the feet of both Gladstone and Whiplock.
Gladstone informed the Guards what to expect as Harry, Neville, and both Goblin Guards prepared to enter the Vault, wands at the ready. Harry gave one final nod to Whiplock as one of the two Goblin Guards unsealed the door. As it completely opened, an eerie aura was felt by all four upon their entrance. The vault was rather large and seemed to be packed with various items along with stacks of gold mixed in randomly. Just as Harry began to concentrate, he was interrupted by Gladstone.
"Wait….I will take the place of this guard. I owe Lord Harrington my protection." said Gladstone.
Whiplock agreed then Harry closed his eyes and focused his magic on pinpointing the evil presence. After only several seconds of focusing his will power magic, Harry pointed the way down the small vault corridor that lead towards the back that had smaller chambers stemming off from it. Gladstone took the lead at the front and the other took the back with the two teen Lords sandwiched in between, the small group made their way down the dark corridor lit by Neville's wand as Harry had his at the ready.
As they walked further and further deep within the vault, Harry could feel the evil presence grow stronger and stronger. As they reached the end of the narrow corridor, the small group waited for Harry to decide which direction to go. As the Gladstone peered into the room towards the left, he could see various items and small stacks of gold stacked here and there, but most importantly, he could feel a strong presence of dark magic. He suggested that they search that room just as the Goblin at the rear said the same thing about the room towards the right. Neville figured with so many dark artifacts stored within this vault, they might as well search both, that was what he was about to suggest when he looked up towards Harry and the concentration that was expressed clearly across his face.
"Wait a minute, I don't think what we are looking for is any either room, I think what were looking for, is somehow hidden this way." finished Harry as he pointed at the wall where the narrow corridor dead ended.
The two Goblin's walked cautiously towards the end of the hallway and raised both hands towards the wall. As their hands glowed bright white before they both took several steps back as they declared that Harry was right, there was something hidden past that wall.
Harry stepped up to the front as the three others took several steps back. Harry closed his eyes in deep concentration thinking hard as to what he needed. He wasn't sure how he was going to do it, he only knew that whatever was hidden behind that wall was somehow extremely important, and he didn't have spare time to waste. Any minute Voldermort could send more supporters to obtain this important artifact, and how often does one have the Head Goblin in London along with twenty Goblin Guards watching your back. Thinking very hard, Harry used every ounce of will magic he had within him, he was concentrating so deeply he could almost feel his magical core growing. Suddenly he felt his magic overflowing, just waiting to be unleashed. Harry raised his wand at the wall as a bright light blasted out from his wand towards the wall, so bright that everyone had to shield their faces at the intense light that blinded almost everyone. As the light finally faded, the foursome were blinking away the stars as the tears fell from their eyes and were astonished at what lay before them. Where there once stood a dead end hallway was now a small open room no larger then a broom closet, and the only thing that resided in this small little room was none other then a small golden Cup.
The dark magic that was emanating from that small room was breath taking. It was so strong that Neville took several steps back as did the Goblin Guards. Harry wanted too as well, but he was determined to retrieve that artifact and destroy it before Snakeface could get his greasy little hands on it. Time was running out and suddenly Harry was feeling intense weight of pressure. He had to destroy the cup, he just knew it, even if he wasn't sure why it was important to Riddle. Something deep within him connected with this object for some strange reason and it just leaked from him what needed to be done. He just needed more time to think this trough. Harry entered the small little room and reached for the cup before suddenly he froze, everyone in the hallway froze as well. The still air pause that followed the next few seconds seemed to stretch on for a lifetime. Was Harry hit with some spell, curse, or ward or did he just pause in retrospect?
"That's it!! " screamed Harry suddenly. Neville let out a quick little squeal in surprise, even the two Warrior Goblins flinched at the suddenness of it. The three warriors standing in the hallway collected themselves as Harry reversed back into the hallway and approached Neville.
"What is it mate? Is it like crazy warded or something, I mean the evil radiating from that closet is kinda spooky, you know? " Said Neville as he stared into Harry's face only to smirk as he watched the wicked grin spread wider and wider across Harry's face.
"Oh boy, I know that look. He's bloody on to something that's gonna hugely help us here, watch this." said Neville under his breath to the two Goblin Guards.
Harry reached to his wrist and pulled out Harrington Two and set it on the ground. He enlarged it with a smile as suddenly Neville was beginning to catch on.
"Bloody Brilliant!" declared Neville "Now we make time work for us!" he finished
"Exactly" said Harry as he looked towards the two confused Goblin Guards.
Harry opened the lid with the touch of his hand print, then Neville approached and walked down, pausing for only a second to hear Harry's command, and then he disappeared down the trunk while the two Goblin Guards were still slightly confused. In the magical world, having multi-compartment trunks are actually quite common among the upper-class of wizarding society, but what good would one offer in this situation is what had the two Goblin Guards so confused.
"If you two would please step forward and place your hands on the lid of this trunk, I will temporarily key you in to it's security system, thus allowing you two too enter until our time is up and we leave. Please take warning, that this will only grant you permission to do so for this one instance only, to try to gain entrance any other time without proper consent by me or my acquaintances, would result in tragic consequences." Harry finished as the Two Goblin Guards nodded that they understood, approached the trunk, and after several seconds where Harry was mumbling something incoherent, they followed Neville into the trunk, with Harry following while closing the lid.
The two Goblin Guards walked down a small set of stairs and into a a plain white hallway. At the end of the hallway, stood a Large Purple Door with a bright white Potter Crest emblem blazing in the center. Neville was at the door and was holding the door knob now for several seconds before the white Potter crest flashed, and the door un-clicked and swung open. The two Goblin Guards entered the room and stopped suddenly, jaws dropping almost hitting the floor. Harry had to push them forward a little bit so he could close the door and he silently smirked to himself at their reactions.
"Lord Harrington, what is this place? Are we still in your trunk or have we transported somewhere else?" asked Gladstone as the other was turning slowly, taking in all that was around him.
"We are still in my trunk." said Harry with a smirk before continuing; " Welcome to my personal Library, please come this way, where we can sit and discuss our available options." finished Harry with a smile.
Harry lead the way out of the Library's entrance and over to a small conference table where there were small leather couches and recliners off to the side. Harry walked over to the table and pulled out a chair and waited for his guests to each approach a seat and sit, after a few minutes, the Goblins jaws slowly closed and finally took their seats. As Harry was about to speak, they were interrupted by a fifth person, Dobby.
The two Goblin Guards flinched at the sudden appearance of the House Elf, but they knew enough about his power to ever speak their minds about being startled the way they had.
"Excellent Prongs, did everything go as we had planned?" asked Harry with a smile that only grew larger as the proud House Elf beamed right back.
"Oh yes Mast….James! Even better then we had planned….I would say." smiled Dobby
"Great, we are going to need some of that knowledge …at least I am hoping. Now on to the issue at hand. Whatever that object is, we all know the Evil radiating from that cup is very powerful, and very rare. Although not as rare as you might think. I felt a very familiar pull to it at first. A pull that was very similar to another dark artifact I had the unfortunate circumstances to come across…..Riddle's Diary."
The four others at hearing this paused while holding their breaths. After several seconds, Harry continued.
"What we are going to do is research as much as we can before we exit this trunk and do what must be done, and that is to destroy that cup like I destroyed that diary." Harry finished.
The five spread out over the conference table as Dobby brought book after book on dark artifacts from the Potter Family Vault and began researching all they could.
MEANWHILE ….IN GRIMMAULD PLACE
Making his way down in the basement of Number Twelve Grimmauld Place, looking extremely flustered, was none other then Albus Dumbledore. With his standard bright blue robes with flashy gold and silver stars shooting all across them. He made his way over towards the head of the long table sitting in the large kitchen, as he walked by, he caught glimpses of conversations until he finally reached his chair. The moment the Headmaster sat down, all conversations ceased.
"Thank you everyone for attending this meeting on such short notice, there has been several issues come up that I am afraid we must deal with promptly." declared Dumbledore before he was interrupted by a loud shrilling voice down the other end of the table.
" Albus, are we going to discuss Order business right away? Because if so, I absolutely refuse for the children to attend, this is adult conversation and I want to know why you have them in here?" yelled Molly Weasley.
"Now Now Molly, calm down, I have initiated Ron and Hermione into the order this summer and have already appointed them a task in which they have already started working on." said Dumbledore as Molly was about to interrupt him again before He continued.
"I have not made this decision lightly Molly, but as Leader of this group, I'm afraid my word is final on this issue. There are dark and difficult days ahead of us, make no mistake, we are at war here, whether the Ministry chooses to believe it or not. I know some of you may think that they are still students, but may I remind you that when we started this group during Voldermort's first reign of terror, how many students did we see initiated that first summer? These two students are no ordinary students and have been chosen for their remarkable talents." finished the Headmaster as Ron and Hermione beamed at his remarks.
Molly, realizing that she was not going to win this argument, promptly sat back down although she kept a frown upon her face. Dumbledore smiled at this small victory and soldiered on.
"Now, back to Order business, our first priority is to debrief everyone present on the Gringotts incident. Moody, what is the latest?" asked Dumbledore
" Not a whole lot Albus, the Goblins are refusing any human entrance, and have closed the bank for the next two or three days for repairs they say. When I asked about how much damage was done or by whom, they got real quiet and told us if we had any further inquiries, to forward them to the Assistant Bank Manager and he will respond to them as soon as he finds the time. After I yelled and asked more questions, I even demanded entrance due to Ministry business, they just smirked and replied that the incident that occurred, happened, INSIDE the bank, meaning the Ministry has no jurisdiction. After further research, it appears they are correct, anything happening INSIDE the bank, the Goblins have total control, only if they so choose to, will they involve us or the Ministry." finished Moody with a disgruntled look on his face.
"Very well, Thank You Moody. Now… from what I have gathered myself, it appears that the incident was another plan of Voldermorts. What he was trying to achieve is beyond me at the moment, however, I do know that somehow, his plan was thwarted. From what Professor Snape tells me, He is extremely upset and it is estimated that he lost somewhere between twenty and fifty men." There were many gasps and quick chattering at hearing the Headmasters findings.
" Well of course he lost all his men, who would be dumb enough to attack the Goblins and in their own bank for that matter, I bet the Goblins made quick work of those Death Eaters." said McGonagall.
"That is true Professor, however, from what I gathered, the first reports came back to camp just as planned, which means that the Death Eaters got past the Goblin protection and their Guards but were then somehow blind sided by a renegade clan. The Dark Lord could not gather any information as to whom to blame, apparently it happened so quick, we never got word of any of it from any of the people the Dark Lord sent. It was like somehow, almost instantaneous, several Death Eaters just disappeared. The Dark Lord assumes that the clan responsible, must have been rather numerous to pull that off, instinctively, I thought it was some of you, or at least the Headmaster." finished Snape
"Well do you at least know why Lord Voldermort sent so many men to attack Gringotts in the first place?" asked Shacklebolt
"I do not. He only told the one leading the mission as to what the final perimeters of the mission was. I only know that they were to retrieve something, as to what that something is, I have no idea." declared Snape
"Do you know who the person was that was leading the mission?" asked McGonagall
"Yes I do, Lucius Malfoy" Snape sneered
The collective gathering gasped at hearing that bit of information, Arthur and Molly slowly let little smiles glance across their faces. They only hoped that before he left this plane, he felt as much pain as possible.
"Very well, I will look into what they were trying to obtain when I meet with the Goblin Council in the next few days. Let us move on to another pressing issue. There will be many changes occurring this coming school year at Hogwarts. First, let me introduce you all, again, to our new potions Professor, Horace Slughorn." announced Dumbledore
Professor Slughorn stood up and gave a little wave and then promptly sat down. The others began whispering to themselves that if he was the new potions Professor, where did that leave Snape?
Dumbledore cleared his throat to regain everyone's attention as he continued.
"With Horace here taking over potions, we will have a reassignment of sorts, taking over the Defense Against the Dark Arts classes will be Professor Snape. Now, let us move on to the main reason for this meeting. As you know, with the passing of Sirius Black, certain complications have arisen. First, we do not know for sure who is in line to inherit the Black Fortune and that includes Grimmauld Place. The Goblins refuse to let me in on who Sirius named as his beneficiary, one could only hope, and with that assume, that he named Harry his benefactor. Speaking of Harry, he is in a very unstable position right now. From what little the Goblins have told me, he is invited to the will reading, so we will need to plan his guard to make sure he arrives safely. We can only assume that Voldermort knows of the will reading through his connection to the Malfoy's, if he were to plan an attack on Harry, that would be the ideal time to do so."
"Albus, wouldn't it be better for Harry and for us, to have him moved in here, where he can be with his friends and protected by the Order. Surely at a time like this, he should not be left alone with his dark thoughts and those horrible muggles." asked McGonagall.
"I am afraid that will be impossible, he needs to remain at Privet Drive until the wards protecting him there are fully charged. What I am most concerned about is this sudden independence that Harry has displayed. Ron, Hermione, why don't you give us a status update in that regards." asked Dumbledore
Ron seemed to beam with pride at the mention of his name, he had the floor and was very important to the Order, something he always longed for. Hermione on the other hand was just the opposite, she seemed to be very troubled by this turn of events, her facial expression seemed to show a strong case of confusion, an almost inner battle of wills occurring. Fred and George seemed to notice this conflict Hermione was struggling with as they glared daggers at their younger Brother.
"We have not seen Harry leave the property of Number 4, he does walk out to the backyard on several occasions, but he never leaves. He was also visited by Neville Longbottom the other day and looked like it was not the first time he has visited." said Ron
"That is very concerning, has Harry ever talked about any of his friends visiting him at Privet Drive other then you two?" asked Albus
It was Hermione who answered, " Harry doesn't talk about his time at Privet Drive, never. I always wondered why that was but something tells me that you have a very good idea as to why that is Headmaster?"
"Hmmm, I do have my assumptions. Nevertheless we must be on guard in the coming days, I have come across some rare magic at Harry's residence, the type of magic that rather intrigues me. I am afraid that with so much darkness that seems to follow young Mister Potter around, that he will soon buckle under the insurmountable weight of it all and succumb to the dark side. It is what I fear the most." said Dumbledore with a sigh.
Fred and George looked extremely upset at hearing that, and it showed by the pist look on their faces. Remus on the other hand seemed to be lost in thought. Fred decided to look around and get a read on everyone as they pondered what the Headmaster feared the most. Most of the Order's expression were very similar to Lupin's, they were still digesting it, all except one. That really had the Weasley twin confused, something was amiss here, unless he was reading those expressions incorrectly, that one person did not agree with the thought that Harry could go dark. Of course Fred was also in agreement to that, but he did not expect that coming from Hermione. Glancing over at his brother, they came to the same conclusion together, whatever was affecting Hermione, they had a sure feeling that their little brother was somehow to blame.
For the next forty five minutes, the Order discussed their plans for escorting Harry to the will reading and everything that entails. After finishing with that, Albus called the meeting over and everyone started to slowly disperse. The twins were keeping a close eye on everyone and they watched closely as small groups formed and were having private conversations. They smiled for they knew that there was no way to have any private talks in this house today. Making eye contact with Remus, he gestured for the twins to look towards the corner of the room. Looking towards where Remus was talking about, they spotted the Headmaster talking very quickly to Snape, that is very interesting. Just a little further away, Ron was spotted having a heated conversation with Hermione. He looked very upset and was trying hard not to raise his voice, they couldn't hear what he was saying but by the way he was thrusting his hands around, you could tell he was not happy. Hermione for her part seemed to be lost in thought as Ron's face got redder and redder.
Remus nodded to the twins and made his way over towards Dumbledore as Snape left through the front door. Ron had stormed off upstairs and left Hermione standing there with a dazed look on her face. The twins told Molly and Arthur out loud so everyone could hear, that they were heading in to their store to complete the mail in orders.
Back at Gringotts
It had been twelve minutes since Harry, Neville, Dobby, and the two Goblin Guards entered Harrington Two, on the outside, but inside, the five some was completely convinced as to what that artifact truly was. Having spent the last twelve hours researching said artifact.
The Breakthrough came when Neville suggested they re-visit Harry's memory of Riddle's dairy, seeing how eerie similar Harry seemed to believe both artifacts were. After the twenty minutes spent in the Pensieve, The Two Goblin Guards and one very white faced Neville Long bottom / Frank Narrow, were shocked into silence.
" After viewing that event, I will never doubt the bravery you yield Lord Potter, I understand you want us to call you by your alias, but after viewing that memory, and in your personal Library no less, it would be great disrespect to call you anything But Lord Potter!" declared Gladstone as the other Goblin Guard was nodding his head that he agreed.
"Thank you Rock, but my friends call me Harry, never mind, I don't know why I even try?. Let us get back on track, could you sense the evil in that memory the way I could, could you feel it?" Harry asked hopefully
"I could sense the evil emanating from that book Harry, but the question is how could you let me believe that those rumors of you slaying a twenty foot Basilisk were true. I mean Bloody Hell Harry, twenty feet? That Monster was at least sixty feet long, and summoning Gryffindor's sword from the Bloody sorting hat, absolutely amazing!" finished Neville looking a little star struck.
"Snap out of it mate, that was years ago and we have bigger issues to deal with at the moment. Besides, it was easier that way, imagine what everyone would say if they knew the truth? If they knew what I truly faced at the age of twelve, or thirteen, how about at fifteen for that matter, in fact the less people know about my life the better they will be." finished Harry
"Well mate, if we make it through this thing, I am determined to Author several books detailing everything you have gone through, all the chalenges and dangers you face in an attempt to save a whole race, a whole world who is absolutely clueless to how near destruction they are." proclaimed Neville
"Gee thanks Nev, I suppose your going to want pensieve memories and official quotes and what not right?" asked Harry
"Obviously, you know, get the word straight from the horses mouth and what not." smirked Neville
"Ha Ha, that's rich Nev, I'll tell you what, if I survive this war and live long enough to dance on Riddle's grave, then I will give you every bloody detail you want and authorize any book you write, Hell, I will even do autograph signing sessions, but can we please get back to the topic at hand. It's times like these when I miss Hermione the most, she is so excellent at keeping on task." Harry finished looking somewhat sad as he exhaled.
"Right, This is what I was hoping to find, the answer we seek lies within, I believe but only you will be able to tell us that." said Rock as he handed over a small gold book to Harry.
Harry placing his hands on the book, it seemed to glow warm for a second and then there was a flash of light as he opened the book. Flipping through the pages a little curious, he glanced at the curses and spell work as he flipped. Looking up into Gladstone's eyes pleading for an explanation as to what or where to find this answer.
" If I am right, and I think I am, then Tom Riddle has in deed gone darker then even most would fear. Harry, that is a very old tomb that you are holding, I couldn't believe my eyes when I spotted it on a shelf of books your Elf removed from the Potter vaults. I could not read it because all the books in the Potter vault are charmed so that only a Potter or anyone he allows access to, can view the words on the pages. What I believe that little gold cup, as well as that Dairy, were dark, dark artifacts called HORCRUXES."
The other Goblin let out a small gasp of breath at the mention of that last word.
"Horcruxes?" asked Harry and at saying the word, the pages in the book he was still holding, began to flip and turn very fast as a flash of gold light shined bright. Suddenly the pages stopped and when Harry peered down at the words, his smile began to grow.
He was looking at not only the answer to what the cup was but how to destroy it as well.
After about another hour and half of discussing how to go about doing what they needed to, the very tired five some finally left the trunk and returned to the damp and dusty Gringotts vault. It had been only fifteen minutes since they entered but they now knew what they had to do. Neville was holding a special box that the two Goblin Guards had helped Harry create to hold the vessel, Harry levitated the small golden cup screaming of evil, down from it's shelf and into the box. After warding the box heavily, Harry had Dobby store it in his unused storage compartment in Harrington Two. As Dobby popped away to store the sealed box containg the Horcrux, the bank vault shook with severe intensity, knocking the stacks of dusty gold and scattered items sprawling all over the vault.
Harry quickly re-shrunk his trunk, then placed it back on his wrist sleeve. He then pulled his wand and began to head to the entrance with the two Goblin Guards right on his heals with their swords raised, Neville wasn't far behind them. Harry assumed the vault was warded to cause mayhem if the artifact was ever released from it's hidden location, but this was something else, Harry couldn't quite explain how he knew that, he just did. After stumbling and tripping his way back to the entrance, he finally could see the vault door and his exit into this place of evil, only problem was the epic battle that was being raged just beyond the vault door.
"Lord Whiplock!!" shouted Gladstone as he charged full speed out of the vault and headlong into the battle, his sword ablaze in a silver blur. Harry knew this wasn't going to be easy, they had to eliminate this small faction of Goblins that aided Riddle, just As Harry was about to enter the battle himself, Dobby pooped back into the vault right before Harry.
" Master, we have a problem! Winky has just informed me that the Headmaster is approaching Privet Drive and the girls are worried what the Headmaster will do when he see's them there and you not." said Dobby
"Bloody perfect! Just what I needed!" Harry half shouted and half pouted before continuing, "Tell them to enter the Trunk and to stay inside, no matter what Dumbles does, he can not gain entrance to that Trunk. I will deal with him once I get out of this bank alive."
Dobby popped away to pass on Harry's message.
Neville came up on Harry's side with a small smirk on his face as he was holding out his wand forward.
"I thought today was going to be one of those days." said Neville
"You mean one of those days where we battle unbelievable odds, against a race that are magically and physically stronger then us just to stay alive?" replied Harry
"Yeah…..one of those days……shall we?" asked Neville with that smirk firmly in place.
" I suppose we shall……..but for the record…..I hate those days!" said Harry
Both Harry and Neville rushed out of the bank vault and into a storm of spell fire.