Hey I'm back! Thanks for the reviews! The way I'm taking this story, and some differences about this reality vs canon are answered in the next couple of chapters. Oh, and for those of you who are going to wonder, I added a little to Chapter 5 to have Dumbledore give Nanoha her vault key. Enjoy!
Chapter 6: Money and STARLIGHT BREAKER!
The three children looked around them in wonder as Hagrid ushered them through the entrance.
"Can we go there first Hagrid-san?" Nanoha asked, engrossed in a shop labeled 'Easy Quidditch Supplies' that had a new broom on display.
"Nope," Hagrid said, brushing the three goggling children passed the shop with his bulk, "Firs' stop's Gringotts, the Wizard Bank. No safer place fer valuables. Well, 'cept per'aps 'ogwarts." He ushered the three children into a large, imposing Gothic gray stone building. The inside was cavernous, the ceiling stretching far above their heads, and Nanoha and Fate estimated they'd have ample room for a good dogfight. Grecian columns were interspersed throughout the spacious interior. In between the columns were antique desks, at which the most curious creatures that Nanoha and Fate had ever seen. They were a sickly pale yellow, with long pointed ears that stuck out on either side of their head, various types of hooked noses, and thin lips that seemed to be in a perpetual frown.
Feeling some kind of energy from the creatures, Nanoha and Fate fell back slightly to give more time for their Devices to scan then.
Nanoha opened her mouth to ask about the creatures, but Hagrid beat her to it. "Hagrid," he asked nervously, looking at the creatures out of the corner of his eye, "what are those?"
"Goblins," Hagrid replied, heading for the large antique desk in the center of the room, "Clever as dey come but no' ta mos' friendly a people. Best stay close." He motioned to his sides with his dustpan sized hands.
"Master," Raging Heart sent as Nanoha and Fate scooted closer to Hagrid's right side though they still remained slightly behind his bulk, "Scans indicate that these 'Goblins' are magical in nature. Almost like familiars."
That caught Nanoha's attention; familiars were the only living sentient magical creature that they knew of; The Wolkenritter did not count since they were AI programs. "Really?"
"Affirmative."
"That's interesting," Fate sent after Bardiche finished his similar report.
"I'll say. Looks like the TSAB will have a field day investigating this place."
The group came to stop in front of the oversize, intricately carved antique desk in the center of the room. The large desk was approximately five feet high, and the children could just make out the bald head of a goblin. Nanoha and Fate's sensitive ears, honed by seeking the smallest sound in training and combat, could just make out the low sound of a quill scratching against parchment.
Hagrid spoke. "Master 'arry Potter wishes to make a withdrawal."
The scratching sound stopped and a goblin's parchment-like bald head leaned over the edge and peered at Harry with an interested look.
Harry's eyes bugged, a scared look on his face as the the goblin smiled a sickeningly sweet smile, showing yellowed, pointed teeth. Even Fate cringed slightly, though Nanoha didn't notice since she was in front of Fate: she recognized the same smile Nanoha had whenever an opponent fell into one of her traps. "It's alright Sir," Bardiche reassured his master, "He is no where near like Sir Nanoha." Fate smiled lightly, grateful for the reassurance.
"And does Master Harry Potter have his key," the goblin asked, not bothering to hide his overeager anticipation.
"Wait a minute," Hagrid said, beginning to dig through the pockets of his enormous, hairy fur ankle length coat, "got it here somewheres."
The goblin threw Hagrid a disappointed look and slowly slid back out of view, causing Harry to sigh in slight relief.
Not that Nanoha and Fate could blame him; behind stared at like a bug by a creature from a fairytale had to be uncomfortable.
Hagrid soon fished a golden key out of one of his many pockets and laid it on the desk.
"We also have the Missus. Takamachi," Hagrid said.
Nanoha took that as her cue to come forward. Standing on her tiptoes to see over the edge of the desk she said in English, "My name is Takamchi Nanoha good sir," causing the goblin to blink in surprise- not many of the clients of Gringotts were so well mannered- "I believe my father owned a vault here."
The goblin shifted through several pieces of parchment before looking at her. "Do you claim to be the daughter of Takamchi Shiro?" he asked in Japanese, causing Nanoha to smile broadly.
"I am," she replied happily also switching to Japanese and unzipping a pocket of her duffel at her side and rummaging through it for her key, "And thank you for speaking in Japanese. I'm still uneasy with English."
"You are very well mannered for a child," the goblin praised as Nanoha handed him the key that Dumbledore had given her.
"Arigato. Is it alright to add my sister to it? We adopted her two years ago, so she wouldn't be part of it."
"Very well." From no where, the Goblin produced a tube of gold liquid with some sort of needle on top, which her proffered to Nanoha. "Prick the thumb of your dominate hand and squeeze a drop into the liquid Takamachi-san."
At Nanoha and Fate's questioning look he added, "I require a drop of the main family's blood to add a nonmember access to the vault."
Nanoha nodded and as she went to prick her left thumb he warned, "I warn you, some people find it quite painful."
"I doubt it's as painful as magical battle," Nanoha heard Fate snort mentally. Nanoha had to agree with her: after all the training and fighting she'd been through, especially after being exposed to her own Starlight Breaker by Reinforce- and that wasn't even counting her injuries, a tiny prick wasn't anything to sneeze at.
Without so much as thought, Nanoha pricked her thumb and squeezed a drop of the deep crimson liquid into the tube. The liquid began to bubble and then, to everyone's surprise, two gold keys, one that had a slight greenish tinge, the other simply gold bubbled up. The goblin quickly plucked it out. "Vault 354, vault 356," the goblin muttered over and over, reading the numbers off the key and comparing them to records while the others looked at him and eachother in confusion.
He started at what he found. "Impossible! Those are the..." He barely nodded to the four bewildered clients and said "Wait here," before he was off his chair and ducking through a solid oak door.
"What was dat abou' Nanerha," Hagrid asked.
Nanoha shrugged, for once completely innocent. "I have no idea."
"Me neither," Fate sent, "On any other planet I could understand since you're famous but here on Earth?"
"You forget that I'm famous in this world too," Nanoha reminded her foster-sister, "Though I can understand how you could forget it. Still, I find this quite disturbing not knowing what I'm famous for this time." she added as the goblin came back, leading a regal looking goblin behind them.
Nanoha and Fate tensed slightly, though it was lost to their companions; they knew the goblin was the president of the bank- the commander type is practically unmistakable to a member of a military and knew from experience that anything that required a superior was very serious.
"Takamachi-sama," he said in English for the benefit of the British Wizards.
"Again with the 'sama'," Nanoha sent slightly miffed.
"Maybe you'll get some answers out of him with out having to blow him up first," Fate offered as the new goblin went on, causing Nanoha to giggle a bit mentally at the prospect.
"I am Rookwood, President of Gringotts Bank. I apologize for the inconvenience but such a thing has never happened before."
"What has happened Rookwood-san," Nanoha asked, "Am I really a sama?"
"You are indeed the heir of Takamachi Shiro," Rookwood replied, "However, it seems that you are also an heir of two of the four founders of Hogwarts. As the Heir of two Most Ancient and Noble House, you are indeed a sama."
Hagrid and Harry gaped at at Nanoha, while Fate merely giggled through their mental link, "Oh Nanoha-sama, does this mean you won't share your bed with a commoner any more?"
"And leave you to your nightmares," Nanoha asked before she could stop herself, missing what Rookwood was saying.
Fate stiffened. "Nanoha!" Nanoha had started to sleep with Fate to comfort the girl when the blonde clone had nightmares of her abuse by Precia. Though the nightmares had stopped, the girls had kept the habit.
"Sorry," Nanoha said hurriedly, suddenly remembering that though Fate and her mother were on good terms now, the nightmares were still a sore spot for the red eyed mage.
Knowing that Nanoha would never leave her Fate reassured her, "I know."
Her friend placated, Nanoha turned her attention back to Rookwood. Seeing that he had an odd expresion on his face she asked, "Could you please repeat that? My English is still not the best."
Rookwood nodded. "Of course, Takamachi-sama. I said that I am afraid that I can not give you anymore information about your family vaults until your second year of Hogwarts due to a clause in the founders' will."
Nanoha wasn't too happy about that but she nodded anyway. "Hai.''
"I am not too pleased about it myself," Rookwood said, giving her a sympathetic look, "however the wills tie my hands.
"Now," he said, changing the subject, "I believe we have a new user to add to the vaults?"
Fate came forward and lightly pricked her finger. The deep crimson drop fell into the gold liquid. Three keys bubbled up...followed by another, to the great surprise of all.
Rookwood quickly removed it.
"Wat on Earth are you two," Hagrid asked Fate and Nanoha in bewilderment as Rookwood and his assistant checked the numbers.
"I do not know, I am adopted," Fate said in slight exasperation.
"And you're not even from Earth," Nanoha laughed mentally, though her outside expression mirrored Hagrid and Harry's.
"Actually, Sir," Bardiche put in, "According to my databanks from Mistress Linith, Miss. Precia Tessterossa is indeed from Earth, as is Alicia's father. I was programed never to say so unless the subject came up. I have no information concerning the father's identity however."
"That's interesting," was all Nanoha could comment before Rookwood, unaware of the mental conversation, spoke up.
"Miss. Fate, this is quite interesting," he said, his voice barely containing his excitement, "You are apparently the heir to the Testarosa vault."
"Testarosa is my birth name," Fate explained in English for Harry and Hagrid's benifit, "After an...incident with my birth mother,"- "That's the understatement of the year," Nanoha commented dryly in her head but Fate ignored her and continued, "I was adopted by the Takamachi's approximently three years ago."
"I see," Rookwood said, "That explains the missive we received from Mistress Precia two years and six months ago, saying that if you were to come, that you would be Emancipated. You do not possess a wand yet I suppose?"
Fate shook her head. She did not think that Bardiche counted, and although these goblin's knew her mother, she doubted that they knew about the TSAB and Magecraft. "No. I only found out about all this two days ago."
Rookwood did not seem surprised by that. "I see. When you receive a wand, please return here so that the Trace may be removed."
"What the Trace," Nanoha wondered to Fate.
"No idea. Probably some sort of tracking spell." Fate asked the question aloud.
"The Trace is a spell placed on a Wizard or Witches wand the moment they receive it," Rookwood explained, "It detects the use of magic in the vicinity of the wand and expires once you come of age, or in Mistress Testarosa's case, removed when Emancipated."
"I see. Thank you sir."
To Hagrid's surprise, the Head of Gringotts smiled. "You are quite welcome." His smile faded when he looked at Hagrid, though there was still a hint of it in his eyes. "Is there anything else," he asked, causing Hagrid to quickly get over the fact that he had seen a goblin actually smile.
Hagrid quickly nodded. "Professor Dumbledore gave me dis," he said in an uncharacteristic whisper, handing the Head Goblin an envelope that, Nanoha and saw, bore the Hogwarts seal. He put his large head real close to the goblin. "It's about you-know-what, in vault, you-know-which," he said in such a low whisper that Nanoha and Fate had to strain to hear him even though they were right next to him.
Rookwood nearly paled, a fact that was not lost on the two combat mages. "Very well," he said, his voice slightly shaken, though anyone but the only two soldiers would not have noticed. Rookwod turned to the goblin next to him. "Griphook, something has come up. I shall deal with this myself."
Griphook understood, having heard what Hagrid had said. "As you wish sir."
Rookwood addressed the party. "If you will please follow me, I will take you to your vaults."
"That was weird," Fate though to Nanoha as they hurried off.
"I'll say. I have a feeling it's something we'll have to look into though."
"This does seem a good place to store Lost Logia," Fate confirmed as the group went through a side door.
The sight behind it caused them and Harry to start. A mind cart system seemed certainly out of place for a few seconds, then they remembered that they were in a magical place. Anything was possible.
"Nanoha, why didn't you warn us," Fate sent as Rookwood went into the driver's seat in the back and Hagrid and the three children piled in the front. Nanhoa's Spacial Awareness should have sensed it.
Nanoha laughed nervously. "I wasn't paying attention," she sent sheepishly as they settled into their seat.
"And you seemed legitimately concerned with the information concerning Hagrid, so we did not warn you," their Devices sent.
"Better hang on tight," Rookwood warned the three youngsters, "The cart goes very fast."
"I doubt that it can go as fast as we can," Nanoha sent with a slight giggle.
She was proven right. The cart was very fast, but was nowhere near the Mach .95 speed that Nanoha could comfortably fly at, and Fate was even faster.
Completely at ease, Nanoha and Fate made themselves comfortable as the rocky croppings and caverns flew by at, what would have been for anyone but another mage, breakneck speed. Nanoha's and Fate's eyes were used to following rapidly moving objects, so they had no problem seeing the various iron doors of the passing vaults and even a dragon or two until they rapidly decelerated to a stop. "Vault 687," Rookwood said and Hagrid and Harry exited the cart.
Rookwood inserted Harry's key into the lock and turned it. A massive clanking was heard as the great locks disengaged and the ornate iron door swung open. Nanoha and Fate could just make out a pile of gold about ten feet long, five feet high, and twenty feet deep. Harry gasped at the small fortune.
"You dina think yer parents would ger off an' leave ya nothin' did ya," Hagrid said.
"I wonder what he meant by that," Nanoha wondered as Harry, Hagrid and Rookwood came back headed back to the cart.
"No idea. But did you notice how thin and worn he looks and the state of his clothes," Fate sent as the cart started off again, "And the way he flinched when you got close to him...I think he's being abused."
Though she didn't want to admit it, Nanoha agreed with Fate- they, more than anyone, knew the signs; and heaven help the ones responsible if they were found. "We probably won't get him to admit it," she sent as Harry, Hagrid, and Rookwood climbed back into the cart.
"I can't believe they had that much," Harry muttered, settling into his seat between Nanoha and Fate, "I knew it would be something, but not a fortune."
Nanoha and Fate looked at him oddly.
"I never knew my parents," he explained, though the effort was a bit painful, "They died shortly after I was..."
He was cut off as the cart accelerated rapidly.
"That explains his surprise," Fate sent.
"Definitely."
The cart only sped on for a few moments before coming to a stop. "Vault 695."
"That's me," Nanoha sent, remembering the numbers on the key Dumbledore had given her. She quickly climbed out and handed Rookwood her key. He unlocked the vault. The amount of money inside was nearly as large as Harry's. "Papa must have been saving for me," she sent to Fate as she withdrew five hundred Galleons and headed be for the cart. Nanoha paused just before she left the vault, she, Fate, and their Devices detecting a faint pulse of magic. "Odd," Nanoha sent. She headed for the pulse, and on the other side, hidden from the entrance by the pile of gold, was a gold chest without a lock.
The lid opened with just a touch of her hand. Inside was a leather bound journal, the silver kanji spelling a familiar name: Takamachi Shiro. Nanoha opened the book and quickly read the first page.
Nanoha,
If you are reading this, then it appears that I am dead, and that my fears in taking you with me to England were confirmed. Yes, I knew there was a chance, that we may die, but there is a perfectly good explanation for it, one that you will know when you are ready.
I have prepared a gift for you; first, is a goblin made ring, a family heirloom, and will come in handy later. The other is this journal, which contains a list of spells that have been handed down in our Family for generation. I trust that you will find them useful.
Please forgive me for not being there for you.
Love,
Papa
At least he has a reason for doing something so idiotic, Nanoha thought to herself, looking at the ring. It was a simple gold ban, with a strange silvery white jewel.
Naoha cradled the ring in her hand. "I miss you Papa," she whispered softly.
"Are you alright?" Fate's mental question shocked her back to the present.
"Hai," Nanoha said quickly, slipping the ring on the middle finger of her left hand. "Papa left me a letter and a journal of spells."
Sensing the emotion in her friend's mental voice, Fate didn't pry about the letter. "What kind of spells?"
Nanoha quickly thumbed through the journal as she headed back to the cart. She blinked at the list of very familiar spells. "You're not going to believe this, but Papa has my entire spell repertoire."
Fate paled. "No way! Please tell me you're joking!"
"Sir," Bardiche said to her, "Raging Heart has informed me that Lord Nanoha is correct. Including Starlight Breaker." His masculine computerized tone managed to convey regret, when he mentioned Nanoha's similar attack.
Fate groaned mentally as Nanoha shut the book and took her seat, this time sitting next to Fate. "Will I never be able to escape that thing," Fate muttered, "Please tell me he can't do it right now."
"He I'm not that bad," Nanoha pouted.
"Master," Raging Heart informed her, "Scans of the formula indicate that these spells, while more powerful than Wizard spells, are not as strong as your own."
"How much?"
"Approximately one tenth strength."
Nanoha sighed. Ten percent of a Starlight Breaker was still beyond her.
"Thank Kami-sama," Fate muttered when Bardiche relayed Raging Heart's findings- it was considered rude for a Device to communicate with another Device's master by telepathy.
Nanoha mock glared at Fate as the cart started, once again going at a fast clip.
"What about Divine Buster," she asked Raging Heart, even as she started going through the mental conversions on her own.
"I would not recommend it at this time; while it is possible, there is a chance that you may suffer a relapse."
"Hai." Nanoha sent sadly.
"All this make me wonder what I'll find in my vault," Fate sent, changing the subject.
Her question was answered when the cart stopped at Rookwood opened her vault. Inside was another pile of gold easily twice the size of Naonoha's and Harry's.
"I guess that answers that question," Nanoha sent dryly as Fate withdrew her own share of gold.
"You two have not uttered a word about your own vaults," Harry, by now recovered a bit from the rapid start and stops, said somewhat woozily as Fate got back in her seat. "I thought you two hadn't known what was in there."
Fate and Nanoha looked at eachother, and shrugged.
"We did not." Nanoha said.
"I guess we are just thinking quietly," Fate added.
Harry rolled his eyes and Nanoha giggled just before the cart started up again.
"Thinking quietly? Really?" Nanoha teased the blonde girl.
This time the cart went for a good five minutes before the it stopped. "Vault 713."
"What's in there Hagrid," Harry asked as the half-giant stepped out.
"Can't tell yehs. 'ogwarts business; very secret."
From their seats in the cart, Nanoha and Fate saw that instead of a keyhole, this door had slim brack down the center. Rookwood extended a long slim fingernail and drew it down the was a loud clanking as the great locks disengaged and the door swung inward.
"Master," Raging Heart sent, "I am detecting a Lost Logia."
"I can feel it," Nanoha confirmed, "Can you Fate?"
"Hai," Fate replied as the two mages eyed the small grubby package that Hagrid picked up, "The door must have been blocking the signature. We should look into it."
Hagrid looked at the three children sheepishly. "I'd 'priciate it if yer three dina tel anyone 'bout this."
"Fat chance," Harry said, "I know a secret when I see one."
"Ne, We promise," the two mages chorused.
The Devices, of course, remained silent on the subject.
With Hagrid and Rookwood back in their seats, the cart started off again.
Minutes later, the four humans were leaving Gringotts, looking slightly green around the edges- well two of them anyway: While Harry and Hagrid were staggering a bit, Nanoha and Fate were walking as normal, looking no worse for the wear.
"What is with yer two," Hagrid moaned now that he was out of the anti-sickness field of Gringotts.
Nanoha and Fate couldn't help but giggle. "Fate and I are roller coaster fanatics," Nanoha said, though she herself was feeling a little ill since she was still recovering, but her training let her hide her discomfort. "If you count fighting at nearly the speed of sound at ten thousand feet a roller coaster," she sent, causiong Fate to snort.
"Roller coaster?" Hagrid asked confused.
"Think Gringotts but more compact and a lot more turns," Harry said slowly.
Hagrid winced. "I don't tink I wanna."
He steadied himself, taking a few deep breaths. After he and Harry recovered, he said, "Let's be off. Lot's to buy."
The next stop was to Madamm Malkins for the uniforms, Nanoha and Fate actually liked teh white buttoned shirts and plaid skirts, especially after discovering that they changed size and shape. Then they when to flourish and Blots for the school books, which Nanoha and Fate ordered Raging Heart and Bardiche to scan for later.
After purchasing their Potions equipment at the Apothecary's they went to a luggage store where Harry bought a red and yellow bound truck. Hagrid suggest that Nanoha and Fate get one, but after seeing the size of it the two mages decided to stick to their duffles for convenience.
"Wha' nex'," Hagrid asked as they left the shop.
Harry went over the list. "We still need...a wand."
"Ah, Than ya wan' Olivander's. No place better."
It was very close, so it wasn't long before they were in front of the dilapidated storefront. "Why don' ya go on in. I 'ave sometin' I needa look fer." At the children's nods, he headed around the corner.
Harry, Nanoha, and Fate looked at each other, and walked into the shop.
Man this was long. You can see why this took me so long. I decided to give Nanoha Wizard versions of her spell for a very specific scene that, I think, has been sadly lacking in Harry Potter/ MGLN Fanfiction.
This chapter, and the next one, give a hint as to what kind of changes I've made to the verse, so just be patient for the next chapter.
Oh, and anyone who can guess who the founders will be told if they are right or not and will get a free answer for a plot-related question.
See ya next time!