I wanted to get this chapter up sooner, but life got in the way. I know the first chapters are slow, but it will improve. Hope you like
Disclaimer: I don't own anything!
Harry Potter in an Undead World
Chapter 2: Gringotts, Vaults and Meteorite
August 26, 2012; 3:00 am.
Somewhere over London a bright flash lit up the sky. A meteorite skimmed the atmosphere and then crashed into a park. Not many people saw it, since it was so late in the night, but the ones that did just had to go and investigate. Little did they know that it would be the world's undoing. The utter silence that followed the impact was ominous. Not many took notice of it. The sounds of wildlife stopped, and animals fled the area. Sometimes animals are more perceptible than humans. You can learn a lot from animals, if you just stop, look and listen.
Several homeless people saw the rock land and went to check it out. One of them picked it up and looked at it. Then he passed it around to his friends. It was a pretty thing. Small, black, shinny and cool to the touch. It only left a small hole in the ground when it landed. Everyone wanted to look at it. Meteorites are special, they very rarely survive coming through the earth's atmosphere. To find one was like finding gold. Most museums and some schools will give you a lot of money for one.
"Hey Charlie' do you think that fancy science museum will pay for this rock?" Old Hank asked.
"Don't see why not. They is always looking for one of them rocks. Since we found it, it belongs to us. So yeah... let's sell it." Charlie replied.
"Sounds like a plan. Ok, sleep first though."
"Ok, see you in the morning." Charlie said as they both headed off to sleep. The wooded area around the impact site was the home to several homeless people, since it was sheltered and not many would venture into them. Everyone dispersed to go about their business. Little did they know that some of them would not be themselves come morning.
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August 26, 2012; 12:00 pm.
Harry and company walked up to the first available teller and waited to be helped. After a few minutes the goblin looked up from his desk and asked with a sneer, "Can I help you?"
"Yes, I would like to visit my vault. I need to exchange some galleons into pounds when I return", Harry said in a condescending manner glancing at the nameplate on the desk, "Roughblade."
The goblin sneered at them, showing as many pointed teeth as he could and then shouted "Hookfang!"
A small gobiln scurried up to them bowed, and waited for instructions. Roughblade turned to the humans in front of him and asked, "Name?"
"LORD Harry James Potter-Black-Flamel-Emyrs, LORD of Hogwarts."
Roughblade choked as he stammered an apology and instructed Hookfang to escort Harry's party to vault one.
Hookfang bowed and said "Right this way Lord Potter," as he turned and began walking down the hall towards the carts. "Sorry about Roughblade's attitude, he is new."
"I kind of figured that Hookfang, how have you been?"
"Fine, Harry and yourself?"
"Just fine, been couped up at home for a bit so we decided to hit the movies and spend the day enjoying the sites."
"Sounds like you have an eventful day planned. I hope you enjoy yourselves", he said as he summoned two carts for the large group. Once eveyone was in the carts, the took off on a very fast ride to vault one. Harry was laughing and smiling the whole way, along with the twins and Luna. Everyone else turned green at the speed, turns, drops, and jumps of the cart ride. Finally the cart started to slow as they approached Harry's vault, and he laughed harder as he heard a collective sigh of relief once they stopped.
"I am never, ever going to come with you again to your vault Harry!" Hermione screamed as she held onto the side of the cart white knuckled and frazzled. Which made Harry laugh harder.
"Mione, this is just the fun way down. I have my own elevator." He gasped out holding his side, all the while pointing to said elevator at the right of the vault door.
Everyone looked where he was pointing and started laughing too. Hermione was not amused and scowled at Harry, but couldn't keep a straight face with all the laughter of her friends and lone goblin.
"Harry, you are always unexpected and a joy to serve." Hookfang said.
"What can I say...I try"
Once Hookfang was composed, he opened Harry's vault and allowed them to enter. Harry entered the vault first and then motioned everyone else to enter. "Ok guys this is what we are here for," he started to say when Hermione interrupted him.
"Harry, have you seen all the books? You'll let me look through them won't you? Some of them look like first editions..."
"Hermione! Calm down... let me finish. As I was saying. We are here to gather all of my possesions. Everything. Paintings, furniture, Books, scrolls, gems...everything. It is all going into my trunk. Dobby...Winky, you two will organize the trunk. Everyone else will help with what they know best. Neville can you look through all the plants in stasis and help Winky with the greenhouse?"
"Sure Harry. I'm dieing to see what the trunk looks like on the inside. Whatever you need. I'll help." he said.
"Great, Ok everyone, let's get to it." Harry said as he took his trunk out of his pocket and enlarged it once he place it on the floor. He opened the top and then went to the back of the vault to the animal section. Everyone else scattered into the large vault and started to gather items to bring back to the trunk.
Harry slowly made his way to the animals and was surprised that there were so many. It looked like there were two of every kind of magical creature. He started to take them in pairs back to the trunk and Dobby.
"Dobby, can you put these in the game preserve in the trunk?" He asked.
"Yes, harry Potter sir. Dobby be doing it for you. How many is there?"
"Two of every kind of animal Dobby."
"Oh, Dobby be very busy with the animals. You is needing more elves."
"Do I have anymore elves already bonded to me?"
"Yes. All the Hogwarts elves, and the Flamel elves. Just call them and they will come." Dobby said.
"Thanks Dobby. All Hogwarts and Flamel elves to me." Harry said.
Suddenly there were pops throughout the vault as over 100 elves came to their masters call.
"Yous called us Master." they all intoned at once bowing.
""Yes, I am taking all my possesions and putting them in my new trunk manor. Please help everyone gather up everything and put it in the trunk. Who ever has library knowledge please help Hermione. I don't want to be here all day while she browses them." Harry said.
several elves popped off to help Hermione and the rest got busy transporting items into the trunk. As promised, Dobby was waiting by the trunk for people to return with items that he could then place into the trunk. Harry went back to the animals, and was looking through the many different ones, when he felt a pull to a far corner. He looked over and saw a phoenix egg. It was glowing blue, and started to wiggle. He walked over to it and it burst open with a flash of white fire. When Harry could see again, he saw a beautiful white phoenix, with gold tips on its wings and tail. He stretched out his hand to pick it up and it nipped his finger drawing blood. He snatched his hand back to look at his injured finger, but the baby phoenix jumped onto to it before it could move out of range. It cried a single tear onto the finger, and then he heard, "I am sorry, but it is the only way for us to bond."
"Are you my familiar now?" He asked.
"Yes' I am." the phoenix said in a small voice.
"Are you a girl? Your voice is so soft it it hard to tell." harry asked.
"I am a girl, my name is Clover."
"Well Clover, I'm Harry. Pleased to meet you." he said as he started to walk back to his trunk.
When he reached the trunk, Dobby was bouncing on his feet. "Oh, master has a new familiar. I'll be putting her in you room. The rest of the elves is almost done. Just the books, animals, and plantses are left." he said.
"That,s great Dobby. Remind me to get all the elves something nice for helping. What would they like?" he said.
"Dobby be thinking that some of the elves would like babies, and others would like some necessities."
"Ok, Dobby. Find out what each wants and let me know. I,m going back to the animals." Harry said as he gave Clover to Dobby and walked back to the animal section. He started transporting more animals to the trunk, and spotted several elves moving them as well.
"Hello, how are you doing?" he asked them in general.
"we is doing great Harry Potter master." they said as one.
"Just Harry is fine. I hope we get this done soon. I'll be happy when everything is in my new home."
"We will get it done. Don't you worry, Master. we will get everything secure for you." they said.
"do any of the elves have animal care talents?" he asked.
"Yes, we do. The two of us. I is Daisy, and he is Bobble. We loves animals. You have lots. We will be very busy, and loving it." she said.
"That's great. I hope you will be happy in your new home. My manor trunk. You don,t have to go back to working at Hogwarts is you don't want to." Harry told Daisy.
"Oh, thank yous." they said together.
Soon the remainder of the animals were packed away in the trunk, so Harry went to see how Hermione was doing with the books. After all it had been over two hours working in the vault already. He wasn't prepared for the scene that met his eyes and ears.
"No, he can't keep these. They are dark arts books." Hermione screeched.
"The Master says that EVERYTHING is to be going into the trunk. you is not his wife. You have no say." Winky said and snapped her fingers vanishing the books to a waiting elves hands.
"He shouldn't have them. I'm only looking out for him." she said.
"No, yous not. Yous just bossy, and want all the old books for yourself. They is the Masters not yours." Winky snapped her fingers again and Hermione was tied up and floating behind her.
"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE!" Harry screamed.
Everyone stopped working and tuned to look at him. His eyes were blazing green, and a wind started to pick around him, making his clothes billow.
"Harry, I am only trying to help. I found lots of dark arts books, and wanted them to be destroyed or left here. You don't need to read that kind of stuff. Dumbledore said..."
"I don't care what Dumbledork said. These belong to me. You have to get over this Mione. He is gone, Moldywarts is gone, the death eaters are gone, and the ministry is do not need to watch my every move to make sure I don't go dark." he said.
Hermione flinched at the end of his tirade.
"Winky, get all the books into the trunk. I don't care what kind they , if I have any at Hogwarts that Dumbledork took, get them back. In fact any book that is the Potters, blacks, Flamels, Emyrs, or personal books from the founders get them to my trunk. Now.!" He said and turned to Hermione. "Hermione, if I ever hear you saying anything like that ever again...YOU WILL FIND OUT WHAT I AM CAPABLE OF! Am I clear? Remember...these...are...MY...things. Not DUMBLEDORK'S...Not the MINISTRY'S..THESE...ARE...MY...THINGS! he said and turned back to Winky.
"Get her out of here." and with a loud pop Hermione was gone.
Everyone got back to work and soon the books were all sorted into the trunk. The vault was very busy with people milling about gathering items and clearing it out . Soon all that remained was the money.
"One of these days she will realize that Harry just needs friends and family not a mother hen. I thought she was over that kind of thinking." Ron said to Neville.
"I don't know if she will ever get it" Neville said shaking his head.
"She just needs..." Forge said.
"to get laid." Gred completed the sentence. Everyone looked at each other and busted up laughing.
"I feel sorry for whomever decides to tackle that shrew." Luna said dreamily.
""Well she lost out on a nice outing with Harry." Neville replied wrapping an arm over Luna's shoulder.
"Too true." the twins said.
"thanks guys." I don't think Dobby, Winky or II could have done it without your help. " he said and then closed the trunk, shrunk it and put it into his pocket. "ok, money time and then off to the movies and shopping if we are all up to it."
"Yes!" Everyone shouted at once and then laughed. Harry grabbed a bottomless money bag from the hook by the door and started piling galleons into it. He knew that it was keyed to his vault but wanted some money in it to start with.
Everyone exited the vault and this time took the elevator to the lobby. Harry stopped at Roughblades's desk to exchange some galleons. "Hello Roughblade. I'm back to exchange some galleons. I would like to exchange about 2000 galleons to pounds. Also I'm planning a trip and was wondering if there is a Gringotts in America? If so could You tell me where it is located and if it is in their magical district?" Harry asked.
"Yes of course. I'll exchange your galleons. Here you are. Just one moment and I'll get the exact location for you. We have a floo address and the address for the magical district," he said as he wrote out the information on a parchment and handed it and the pounds to Harry, " Here you are Lord Potter. I hope your vacation is entertaining. Have a good day."
"Have a good day. I'll be back sometime this wee to get traveling papers." Harry said.
August 26,2012; 10:00 am.
Location: London, a park
"hank...Hank...Get up man." Charlie said.
"Let me sleep. I don't feel so good."
"No. We have to sell this rock."
"Oh, dine... Still don't feel good. Have you washed?"
"Yup. Washed me hands and face, tried to wash me hair, but my head hurts." Charlie said.
"Give me a minute to get cleaned up, then we can get us some breakfast."
"Fine. But hurry up!"
Hank crawled out of his sleeping bag, and headed for the nearby stream. He quickly washed his hands and face and headed back to Charlie. "Ok, I'm all clean. Have you seen any of the others this morning?" he asked.
"Now that you mention it...no I aven't. Wonder where everyone is?"
"Maybe we should look for them?"
"We aint got the time mate. Let's go." Charlie said.
They walked out of the park and down the street looking for a museum. After about 30 minutes of walking, Charlie looked over at Hank. He immediately got concerned for his friend. He was pale and sweating, his gait had slowed considerably and he was having trouble breathing. He stopped to let his friend catch up. When he did, Charlie grabbed him by his left arm to steady him.
"Hank, are you OK?"
"Don't feel so good. Must of been something I ate." My stomach hurts and so does my chest."
"Do you think you can make it to the museum? We are can just sit in there to cool off. Then when we sell this rock, we can take you to the doctor." Charlie said.
"Yeah, I think I can make it. Just give me a minute to catch me breath." Hank said.
After about five minutes they were on their way at a much slower pace. Hank was still lagging behind, but thankfully they were almost there. Charlie helped Hank walk up the steps to the museum and left him in a chair at the entrance.
"Ok, Hank I'm gonna go get someone to see about sellin this thing. Then we will take care of you." Charlie said and took off into the museum to look for the information desk. Once he found it he walked up to the lady sitting there and asked, "Miss, do you know who buys rocks? I've got this rock that landed last night and I be wanten to sell it."
"Oh, you mean the meteor? Yes, just let me call the Director. I'm sure he would buy it." she said then picked up the phone.
"Hello, Mr. Jones... there is a gentlemen here to sell a meteorite...Yes, the one that landed last night. Ok, I'll tell him...just one moment." she said then put the phone on mute.
"Mr. Jones will be out shortly to look at the meteorite. He asked that you put it into this container." she said while grabbing a small glass tank and putting it on the counter, and waiting for a response.
"Here it is, found it last night in the park. Nearly scared the lot of us it did. Everyone got ta see it, some even handled it. Me and my buddy brought it here. Thought you,d like to buy it from us." he said as he placed the rock into the tank after unwrapping it from his handkerchief. After which he immediately used it to wipe his face. It was early morning and he was already pretty sweaty.
"Thank you. Mr. Jones will be with you shortly. Just sit over there and wait for him to get you." she said while pointing towards some chairs against the wall by a drinking fountain.