Chapter 40:
Bill and Fleur's cottage stood alone on a cliff overlooking the sea, its walls embedded with shells and whitewashed. It was a lonely and beautiful place. Harry spent a lot of time outside, making excuses to leave the cottage, really he didn't need one, they all knew how he felt about Dobby, he was given permission to grieve after all.
Alicia was the only one who knew that he was scared by his decision not to race after Voldemort. He had not yet come to the conclusion she had that the wand would not properly work for him, and he was doubting himself, more so as Ron could not help voicing his opinion to the decision every time the boys were together.
"What if Dumbledore wanted us to work out the symbol in time to get the wand?" "What if working out what the symbol meant made you 'worthy' to get the Hallows?" "Harry, if that really is the Elder Wand, how the hell are we supposed to finish off You-Know-Who?"
Harry had no answers and Alicia gave no answers, not that she was asked any of these questions. Ron seemed to just question her about Harry's decisions instead.
Hermione and Alicia both supported Harry's decision, but this didn't seem to help him. Hermione of course, now forced to accept the Elder wants existence real, had taken to declaring it an evil object. She believed how Voldemort had taken it was repellent, and not an option to be considered.
"You could never have done that, Harry," she said again and again. "You couldn't have broken into Dumbledore's grave."
Of course this was much less frightening a prospect than Voldemort with the Elder Wand. And the idea that Harry may have made the wrong decision and misinterpreted Dumbledore's wishes, angered Harry.
"No, he wouldn't want you tempted. Like I said, he chose to leave the Hallows behind for a reason, I doubt he'd have forced them on you." Alicia said
"That doesn't explained why could have not explained before he died." Harry said annoyed.
"But is he dead?" said Ron, three days after they had arrived at the cottage. Harry had been staring out over the wall that separated the cottage garden from the cliff when Ron and Hermione had found him, not that it was hard to do, with Alicia following. She knew the last thing Harry would want would be the two's bickering when he wanted to be alone.
"Yes, he is, Ron, please don't start that again!"
"Look at the facts, Hermione," said Ron, speaking across Harry, who continued to gaze at the horizon. "The silver doe. The sword. The eye Harry saw in the mirror —"
"Harry admits he could have imagined the eye! Don't you, Harry?"
"I could have," said Harry without looking at her.
"But you don't think you did, do you?" asked Ron.
"No, I don't," said Harry.
"There you go!" said Ron quickly, before Hermione could carry on. "If it wasn't Dumbledore, explain how Dobby knew we were in the cellar, Hermione?"
"I can't — but can you explain how Dumbledore sent him to us if he's lying in a tomb at Hogwarts?"
"I dunno, it could've been his ghost!"
"Dumbledore wouldn't come back as a ghost," said Harry.
"Yeah he wasn't scared of death." Alicia put in.
"He would have gone on."
"What d'you mean, 'gone on'?" asked Ron, but before Harry could say any more, a voice behind them said, " 'Arry?"
Fleur had come out of the cottage, her long silver hair flying in the breeze.
" 'Arry, Grip'ook would like to speak to you. 'E eez in ze smallest bedroom, 'e says 'e does not want to be over'eard."
Her dislike of the goblin sending her to deliver messages was clear; she looked irritable as she walked back around the house.
Griphook was waiting for them, as Fleur had said, in the tiniest of the cottage's three bedrooms, in which Alicia, Hermione and Luna slept by night. He had drawn the red cotton curtains against the bright, cloudy sky, which gave the room a fiery glow at odds with the rest of the airy, light cottage.
"I have reached my decision, Harry Potter," said the goblin, who was sitting cross-legged in a low chair, drumming its arms with his spindly fingers. "Though the goblins of Gringotts will consider it base treachery, I have decided to help you —"
"That's great!" said Harry, relief surging through him. "Griphook, thank you, we're really —"
"— in return," said the goblin firmly, "for payment."
Harry was taken aback and Alicia spoke first.
"Which is?" she asked
"I've got gold." Harry said
"Not gold," said Griphook. "I have gold."
His black eyes glittered; there were no whites to his eyes.
"I want the sword. The sword of Godric Gryffindor."
Harry's spirits plummeted.
"You can't have that," he said. "I'm sorry."
"Then," said the goblin softly, "we have a problem."
"We can give you something else," said Ron eagerly. "I'll bet the Lestranges have got loads of stuff, you can take your pick once we get into the vault." Alicia looked at him incredulously as he had said the wrong thing. Griphook flushed angrily.
"I am not a thief, boy! I am not trying to procure treasures to which I have no right!"
"The sword's ours —"
"It is not," said the goblin.
"We're Gryffindors, and it was Godric Gryffindor's —"
"And before it was Gryffindor's, whose was it?" demanded the goblin, sitting up straight.
"No one's," said Ron. "It was made for him, wasn't it?"
"No!" cried the goblin, bristling with anger as he pointed a long finger at Ron. "Wizarding arrogance again! That sword was Ragnuk the First's, taken from him by Godric Gryffindor! It is a lost treasure, a masterpiece of goblinwork! It belongs with the goblins! The sword is the price of my hire, take it or leave it!"
Griphook glared at them.
"How did Godric Gryffindor's name get into the hilt then? It can't be easy to do that to something goblin made?" Alicia believed. Griphook looked at her staring and she held an air about her that made him glare at her for the first time.
Harry glanced at the other two, then said, "We need to discuss this, Griphook, if that's all right. Could you give us a few minutes?"
The goblin nodded, looking sour.
Downstairs in the empty sitting room, Harry walked to the fireplace, brow furrowed, trying to think what to do. Behind him, Ron said, "He's having a laugh. We can't let him have that sword."
"Yeah well can you stop angering him more so!" Alicia said annoyed
"It is true?" Harry asked Hermione. "Was the sword stolen by Gryffindor?"
"I don't know," she said hopelessly. "Wizarding history often skates over what the wizards have done to other magical races, but there's no account that I know of that says Gryffindor stole the sword."
"It'll be one of those goblin stories," said Ron, "about how the wizards are always trying to get one over on them. I suppose we should think ourselves lucky he hasn't asked for one of our wands."
"Goblins have got good reason to dislike wizards, Ron," said Hermione. "They've been treated brutally in the past."
"Goblins aren't exactly fluffy little bunnies, though, are they?" said Ron. "They've killed plenty of us. They've fought dirty too."
"But arguing with Griphook about whose race is most underhanded and violent isn't going to make him more likely to help us, is it?"
There was a pause while they tried to think of a way around the problem. Harry looked out of the window at Dobby's grave. Luna was arranging sea lavender in a jam jar beside the headstone.
"Okay," said Ron, and Harry turned back to face him, "how's this? We tell Griphook we need the sword until we get inside the vault, and then he can have it. There's a fake in there, isn't there? We switch them, and give him the fake."
"Ron, he'd know the difference better than we would!" said Hermione. "He's the only one who realised there had been a swap!"
"Yeah, but we could scarper before he realises —"
He quailed beneath the look Hermione was giving him.
"That," she said quietly, "is despicable. Ask for his help, then double-cross him? And you wonder why goblins don't like wizards, Ron?"
Ron's ears had turned red.
"All right, all right! It was the only thing I could think of!"
"Griphook has less to loose by breaking into Gringotts than we do Hermione. Goblins aren't nice, regardless of wizard treatment. Don't get into your head that he's a saint." Alicia warned.
"Exactly, they've done what they have by choice too." Ron said but Hermione's gaze didn't change. "What's your solution, then?" he asked her.
"We need to offer him something else, something just as valuable."
"Brilliant. I'll go and get one of our other ancient goblin-made swords and you can gift wrap it."
Silence fell between them again.
"Our other option, is to get into the vault, stab the Horcrux there, and then give him the sword." Alicia said to them
"And then what, that's not the last one." Ron reminded her
"Well, for one, if there's one at Hogwarts, which I'm still sticking to, that one wont be a problem for there's a giant basilisk skeleton below the school remember. Full of basilisk fangs. After that it's just the snake. And remember, the sword can present itself in a time of need." Alicia said
"How do you expect us to kill the snake?"
"That depends on You-Know-Who. The Snake's a living creature, it's more vulnerable than normal Horcruxes and can be killed with a killing curse or otherwise." Alicia admitted "It's a living thing and therefore usually undesirable to use as a host for a Horcrux."
"I don't think giving him the sword is smart."
"It's not like we wont have time after the one in the vault's gone to work something out." Alicia said "We understand more about destroying them now than before, and like I said, basilisk fangs under Hogwarts."
"Which Snape's Headmaster of." Ron reminded her
"I'm not worried about that." she shrugged honestly and Ron gapped at her.
"Maybe he's lying," Harry said, speaking up. "Griphook. Maybe Gryffindor didn't take the sword. How do we know the goblin version of history's right?"
"Does it make a difference?" asked Hermione.
"Changes how I feel about it," said Harry.
He took a deep breath.
"We'll tell him he can have the sword after he's helped us get into that vault — but we'll be careful to avoid telling him exactly when he can have it."
A grin spread slowly across Ron's face. Hermione, however, looked alarmed.
"Harry, we can't —"
"He can have it," Harry went on, "after we've used it on all of the Horcruxes. I'll make sure he gets it then. I'll keep my word."
"But that could be years!" said Hermione.
"I know that, but he needn't. I won't be lying… really."
Alicia shrugged when Hermione looked at her.
"I don't like it," said Hermione.
"Nor do I, much," Harry admitted.
"Well, I think it's genius," said Ron, standing up again. "Let's go and tell him."
As they walked up the stairs Alicia had a thought.
"You know, we keep talking about getting into the vault, which might be difficult, but have we thought about how to get out of Gringotts?" she asked "I mean, thing about our plans, everything's fine getting in, like the Ministry, Godric's Hollow, the Lovegoods, getting out however…" she muttered.
"We should be fine with Griphook." harry said
"You're putting too much faith on a goblin Harry." she believed.
Back in the smallest bedroom, Harry made the offer, careful to phrase it so as not to give any definite time for the handover of the sword. Hermione frowned at the floor while he was speaking; he felt irritated at her, afraid that she might give the game away. However, Griphook had eyes for nobody but Harry.
"I have your word, Harry Potter, that you will give me the sword of Gryffindor if I help you?"
"Yes," said Harry.
"Then shake," said the goblin, holding out his hand.
Harry took it and shook. He wondered whether those black eyes saw any misgivings in his own. Then Griphook relinquished him, clapped his hands together, and said, "So. We begin!"