Chapter 2
Tonks had led them up to the white marble steps of the Bank, before she was called back to work. Holding her youngest and holding Ash's hand while the two other girls skipped ahead with Matt, the sixsome walked into the building. Once in front of the teller, a few of the kids cringed, hiding behind her legs.
After scolding her children for their rudeness to the goblin, she asked if she could speak to Griphook to talk about her affairs. Surprised that a human would remember the name of a certain teller/ commuting goblin, he obliged to her wishes.
"Griphook, it is a pleasure to meet you again. If you remember my name is Gaby Evans Slythe. The last time I visited you said it was possible to determine your parentage through a blood test here at the bank. I declined last time, but now I am wondering if that option is still available."
"Well, yes, it is Ma'am. But that is usually done by one of the administrative workers, instead of a teller like me."
"But Griphook, I was hoping to have a discussion on it." The subtle emphasis and meaning might have been lost on another, but Griphook was sharp.
"As you wish ma'am. Follow me."
After leaving her new friend's family, Tonks rushed to 12 Grimmuald Palace for an emergency meeting of the Order of the Phoenix. If she guessed right, Dumbledore wanted an update from her about Matt's family.
The meeting was just getting started as she stumbled into the room. All the eyes turned to her and Dumbledore spoke up, "Tonks, what news do you have for us? We were just discussing the cursed Defense Post and about what we were going to do next year to fill it."
"Well, Professor, I believe I have a solution for your problem. Matt's adoptive mother, thought to be a muggle is actually a witch. She, without any formal training, managed to take down one of the Lestrange brothers and 15 inferi using her child's wand. She is now looking for a safer place to stay with her kids and formal training in magic. If you were to offer her the position, you would both benefit."
"Tonks," he began with the Grandfatherly twinkle present, "That is a very good suggestion." While externally he was praising her on her find, internally he was cursing the pink-haired auror. "But do you think she will be able to handle teaching."
"With all due respect sir, I believe she will be able to handle the kids much better than any previous teacher in the last 5 years other than Remus. She has kids of her own and handles them as well as even Molly." Tonks was going to press this he knew, but he could probably discourage her.
"Well we do have to consider her age. And you said yourself that she had kids young and unmarried. She would be a bad influence on her students. Not to mention, she would have trouble commanding respect from her those same students because of her age."
"Albus," Moody chimed in, "the girl has got natural talent in defending herself. She managed the Reductor curse on her third try with it being her first spell ever casting. With a bit of training she'll do fine. After seeing what she did to the inferi, I highly doubt that a bunch of school children could overpower her. And as for her being unmarried and young with kids, that's not a plus on her side, but by the size of her house she seems to be doing fine."
For now Albus knew he could not win the argument. He would have to let Violet's little bitch come to his school. They were running out of time and needed a teacher. He now couldn't find a useless one that could pass if Alastor was on the job, but an untrained woman-child would have to do. "I guess, Nymphadora that you should be heading back over to talk to your new friend Gaby Slythe about her living quarters.
He led the group down the hall and up a few sets of stairs to a private room where he then called for drinks to be brought up. Pumpkin Juice and Butterbeers.
With a quiet, "Thanks," Gaby went straight to business. "Griphook as I'm assuming you understood that I have some trust in you to be honest with me along with close mouthed about my business. The truth is with me I know a little of my parentage, but a certain gift I have has led me to question my lineage might be a little older than a muggleborn status I had thought I once thought. That is why I would like to use the Blood paper. Recent events have led me to re-locate into the wizarding world more permanently. One being I have just found come to terms with the fact that I do have the talents of a witch. The other was an attack on my family."
"I'm glad you and your family are alright. And happy that you have accepted that you are a witch, but may I ask what your family' unusual gift is?"
"Parseltongue. We can speak to snakes."
"Oh… in that case, I might just set out the inheritance box." As he was a goblin he hid his shock well, but inside his mind was reeling. What if she had blood from the line of Slytherin?
Gaby took the blood quill and with barely a wince wrote her name. Then she sliced her thumb with the ritual dagger, letting three drops of blood fall on the paper in the corner. Closing her eyes, she slid the paper back so it was facing Griphook.
Gabrielle Blyss Odessa Malfoy-Evans
Born to Violet Grace Evans --------- Lucius Abraxus Malfoy
Violet was the second child of the Evans family
She was first born magically to squib parents Loretta and Derrek
Lucius was first born to Malfoy line
He was the first and only born to magical parents Caligula and Alexandria
Half- sister to Draconis Lucius Malfoy and Aries Caden Malfoy-Maputo
33rd in line to the Malfoy fortune - due a stipend of 1000 galleons quarterly
Evans family is the lasting blood relation to Salazar Slytherin's 1st son
Heiress to the Slytherin Legacy
Vaults
Violets – 918
Slytherin – 37
"And you are sure that this cant be wrong, Griphook?" she asked as a ring appeared in the inheritance box.
"The Paper has never lied, Ma'am."
"Griphook, please call me Gaby, you make me feel so old with you always calling me Ma'am." It was unsettling for her to think of inheriting anything after her meager beginnings.
"Yes…Gaby. I just want you to know the dangers of this ring before you go to put it on. This is a enchanted ring that has a right to reject the owner because of the long gap in years that no one has worn it. What could happen if it decides you are not worthy of becoming Lady Slytherin are terrible. At best you could hope for a quick death, but at worst it could be a death by torture. Without a doubt there will be some pain involved."
Gaby looked over at the innocent, smiling faces of her kids and new she was faced with hard choice. "Griphook, do you have any idea of the requirements to inherit this ring."
"I do not know a lot, but this I do know. The person has to be an ideal descendant of Slytherin, displaying his true characteristic: sharp wit, cunning, sly, a fighter, unprejudiced, passionate. They should have courage and strength to fight their own battles. The true name of Slytherin has been degraded over the last millennia, but we at the bank still remember tales of him."
The military academy she went to had impressed on her a great deal more than she ever would give it credit for. She learned to watch her back and had come to despise prejudices. She had definitely learned respect, but her respect was earned twice over before given. She had an issue with authority figures and especially hated bigoted, corrupt leaders. She knew what her choice was going to be, she just worried about the possible consequences.
"Griphook, I will take the ring on one condition. You've got to promise me that you will make sure my kids are safe. Please, Griphook." She refused to lower herself to begging but the desperation in her voice was obvious.
"Gaby, I would swear any oath you can think of to help keep your children safe and happy. You and them have always shown me respect others do not think should be given to lesser being. I promise you, nothing bad will come to your children while they are under my care."
"Thank-you, now what do I have to do?"
"Cut both your thumbs and let the blood soak onto the facet of the ring. Take the ring with your right hand and slide it onto your 4th finger on your left hand.
The ring was an exquisite piece of artwork. The band was platinum with blood diamond inlaid. The crest on the ring had a black background with two emerald serpent intertwined with a dagger and blood red rose.
But this beautiful ring was going to be causing her quite a bit of pain, she thought as the two drops of Blood fell onto the facet of the ring. The blood was soaked up into the ring, and it glowed a vibrant jade. Carefully picking it up, she slid it onto her finger.
All of a sudden she was surrounded by a white glow and tears started running down her face. The pain she felt was so intense it was unbearable. Her only wish was to succumb to the pain, but for her kids she knew she had to keep fighting. So with all her strength she tried to fight the pain. Slowly it started ease off. The white glow faded and she opened her eyes. Looking down at the Blood Paper as she began to shake, she noticed something had changed.
From -
Evans family is the lasting blood relation to Salazar Slytherin's 1st son
Heiress to the Slytherin Legacy
To-
Evans family is the lasting blood relation to Salazar Slytherin's 1st son
Lady Slytherin
Lady of the Slytherin Legacy
"Well, I'm glad that worked," she said letting out a sigh of relief. "Griphook, before we start talking about the Vaults, is there any way I can use a blood adoption to make there be no way Matt and Bella can be taken away from me? I don't like jumping into this whole new world knowing nothing about it. To much is uncertain. "
"Yes, Gaby, I completely understand what you mean. But I have to have the legal papers drawn up. While we are waiting I have some basic figure to tell you. In Violet Evan's vault there is a total of 987 galleons. You know of your 1000 quarterly stipend from the Malfoy's vault. But the count of the Liquid assets in the Slytherin vault is 5,452,639. If converted to Muggle pounds it's equivalent 32.5 million to give you a rough idea."
"Bloody Hell, I need a drink. What other assets come with being Lady Slytherin."
"You have at least 2 seats in Wizengamot, which is like the muggle Parliament. Not forgetting the priceless books, jewelry, and weapons in the vault."
"I have a few other requests for you, but only one needs to be accomplished now. Griphook, would it be helpful to me to have an account manager and what would the goblin in charge of my account be getting?
"Yes, Gaby, an account manager would help you greatly with keeping track and expanding your monies. And to answer your second question an account manager gets his prestige by the wealth and status of his account. But in general all account managers are given a lot of respect, a large office, a vote in our government, and slight income from the account itself."
"Griphook, we still need to work out your payment, but consider yourself hired," she said in a happy tone.
For the first time since she had been dealing with goblins she had shocked one. Griphook, was young for a goblin, and was being offered a great position of prestige. He only managed to get one word out, "Why?"
"I wonder…you saved me from being screwed over by another goblin, putting yourself in a bad position, so I know you are loyal and honest….you picked on my subtle hints, so I know you are intelligent and have a quick wit….not to mention you swore to keep my children safe….I have a lot of trust in you, and believe you will work hard not to disappoint me."
"Gaby, I don't know what to say. You flatter me with your compliments, and it would be my honor to serve your family and be your account manager."
"Okay, now that you understand my reasoning, what is the normal pay for an account manager with a vault containing my wealth?"
"150 galleons monthly," he relied ducking his head a little.
"Double it and we have a deal. Let's head down to the vaults. Okay?"
"Yes, Gaby. Follow me.
The cart ride down to Vault was uneventful; minus the excited screams form the children being entertained by the roller coaster like ride. The first stop was at vault 37. The doors looked to be made of black granite. Griphook motioned for Gaby to come forward and announce her presence in parseltongue.
"Open the vault, for Lady Gabrielle Blyss Odessa Malfoy-Evans. This I Ask of you" Her announcement along with a complex finger movement allowed the doors to open. To reveal a monstrously sized hall filled with treasures. Beckoning everyone forward she repeated "Mathew Tristen, Isabelle Adela, Ashton Damien, Aurora Elizabeth, Skydia Roselyn, and Goblin Griphook be permitted entrance to this vault. "
For a second they all stared at her, but then the kids jumped out and ran in to look at the pretty things. She called out after them laughingly, "Don't touch a thing, but you can look! Griphook, are you coming?"
"Lady Gaby, you have broken more protocol rules in the last hour than I had thought possible. For one a goblin is rarely asked to call one by their first name because that shows a sign a familiarity and mutual respect. Next, you asked a lowly, young goblin to manage your account. Now you have invited me into your vault. That is a sign of tremendous trust. And you do all these things asking none in return or even thinking it is a big deal. You are a very special person."
"My personal motto has always been 'Rules are made to be broken and boundaries are made to be crossed," she told him laughing and lightening up. "Now, Griphook, I'm going to need your help in deciding what to take and what to leave."
"Your wish is my command," he joked.
The fist section of things they stopped at was the weapons. In the end, she chose a set of platinum daggers and rapier with the Slytherin crest silver edges enchanted to always be sharp. Also a set of ritual knives with their case.
After finding the sheaths for the daggers and sword she placed them on her body and put the ritual knives in a jade satchel Griphook had given her after telling her it was charmed to be lightweight and that it would hold an abnormally large quantity of things in it.
"Griphook do you think it would be a bad idea to take some jewelry?"
"No, not at all. If you leave them in there cases in the satchel no one should be able to tell you even have such priceless jewelry on you. In my opinion, you should stick to the jewelry made of platinum with emeralds, rubies, diamonds, and blue sapphires.
"For a male, Griphook, you have decent fashion taste." At his incredulous look, she elaborated. "Take it as a compliment. I have a dry and sometimes morbid sense of humor.
"Okay."
"Griphook, is it possible to make rings similar to mine for other new vaults that I open for my kids, and connect another vault to my ring along with making my ring the master key to all the vaults."
"In theory, it should, but it would take a little work. Should I guess you want to open trust account for all you kids?"
"Got it in one, and I want to use these 5 rings. The rings were again made of platinum, but their inlays were black onyx with a plain silver crest waiting to be marked.
"I will begin working on them as soon as you leave Gringotts," he told her after pocketing the box the rings were in. "If I were you I would also take a box of raw jewels and precious stones. If you want I will collect a collection of them of good quality for you while you continue looking."
"Griphook, what would I do without you?"
"You would have no idea what you were looking at, but I think your intuition is pretty good. Go head over to the potion stores, I think you will find some unbelievable things."
"I'm going, I'm going," she said laughing. Because she was thinking, she realized looking at the index of the potion supplies would be more efficient than looking at the labels of each jar. After reading half the page, she quickly shrunk the ingredient cabinet and book and placed them in her bag.
Next she went to the cabinet one over and noticed it was full of completed potions. Again she began reading the index, and settled on a select few: Eye sight enhancer and an advanced healing potion. She placed the potions in the bag and along with the index. Just because she could she also added a shrunken platinum (A.N. Does anyone notice me and my obsession with platinum) and solid gold cauldron into her bag.
By the time she had finished with the potions, Griphook had joined her and added the Jewel box to the bag. As she looked up her attention was stolen by a black sparkling stone. On closer inspection, she realized it had to be a snake egg. Turning to the Goblin, he answered her unasked question.
"That, Gaby, is a Basilisk's egg. A basilisk is the king or queen in this case of snakes. It grows to be over 50 feet long. It has a deadly gaze, but if you catch its glare indirectly it will petrify you. A very uncommonly known fact is that they are able to control their death gaze with a third eyelid they have. They are very protective of their nests unlike most other snakes and have deadly venom that can kill in less than a minute. That is a miniature female Basilisk so it will only grow to at the most 10 feet."
"It sounds like a good pet. I'm taking it," with that she stowed her precious egg into her bag.
The second to last part of the vault they visited was the book section. There had to be over 1000 books in Slytherin's library. Gaby only took Salazar Slytherin's manuscripts and the books in parseltongue, but again she took the index book for the library. They skipped over the antiques because she had no place to put them, and headed back to the gold.
"Griphook, I can assume you know that I'm going to be making some rather large purchases in the next few days. And I don't think it's practical to carry around over a hundred thousand galleons. What is the easiest way?"
"Gaby, when you go to check out you just need to sign your name and press your ring into the little enclosed box. For shadier purchases, you can use bank slips. And for small purchases we have enchanted moneybags. That can hold large amounts, but will retain their light weight and small size."
"Griphook, to add to your list of things to do I want you to get me 2 of those. And since I know you have good taste knock yourself out choosing them."
"I'll have those to your by the time you leave today. Are you ready to head to your mother's vault?"
"Yes, just let me round up the brats," she said affectionately. The girls had spent most of the time looking at the beautifully jewelry, while the boys were awed by the swords, but good to their word they had touched nothing. "Since you were all so good while I was picking up things in the vault, tomorrow when we go shopping everyone gets a special present."
In Violet's vault there wasn't that much, only the gold, a trunk with a note on the lid, and 3 wizarding portraits. As it was getting late, she quickly shrunk the trunk and portraits without really looking at anything. And she headed back into the cart so she could finish business with Griphook for the day, so they could all go to sleep.
Once they were back in the office, she turned to Matt and Bella and asked them a serious question. "There is a way we can do this officially, so there is no way anyone can ever split us up, but it will hurt a little. And while I didn't actually give birth to you, you will become my kids by blood. But I want you guys to think it over and decide carefully, because this is completely your choice."
"Auntie, if there is one thing I have ever wanted more, was that you were my real mommy. I want to do this. 'Cause then we will all be real brothers and sisters, right," Bella said.
"Yea, I agree with her. I'm in," agreed Matt.
"Okay, guys, come here." As she closed their eyes and put a small cut on each of the kids' wrists and hers. "Now, everyone put your wrists together." Again a white light encircled them all as Griphook began his long chant. As the chant ended, Matt and Bella gasped in pain. Quickly, Gaby began applying the healing balm Griphook had given her on all the cuts, before she began signing the papers needed to legally adopt her now 'children' in the wizarding world.
Once all the papers had been signed, she sent the kids all off to play on the other side of the room while she finished off the money business with Griphook.
"I know that there is some Lord Voldy-something out there that is claiming to be the heir of Slytherin, so I realized he could probably get into vault 37. I have decided to open a new vault and to move all of the possessions minus 1 knut into my new vault. Then we would have to fix the ring to that vault. After that I want to open 5 small vaults, making those rings their keys. The vaults need to start a balance of 1000 galleons. Every month, 50 galleons is to be added to each. Lastly, I want to change Violet's vault into another vault which always keeps 50,000 galleons, but that is to go under the last name Slythe. Monthly it should be checked and refilled. I don't want an insane mad man to have any leverage over my things. I also have a muggle bank account that I will give you information, too, so you can keep those bills paid. Did I give you enough work for a few days?"
"Yes, I think so. I will send an update to you in two days to wherever you are staying. Just owl me if you need anything or have any questions."
"I will Griphook, you have done so much for me today, I can't thank you enough."
A little pale finger was tapping his shoulder form behind. As her turned around the young blonde hugged him, with tears in her eyes, "Mr. Griphook, you are the nicest goblin ever. You gave me the one thing I've always wanted….a mommy that loves me. Thank you times a million." As she let go of him, Gaby began to herd all her kids out of his office and out of the bank. It was time for dinner and after that bed time. It had been one hell of a long day.