Title: Galleons
Word count: 457
Fandom: Harry Potter
Summary: Harold finds a surprise waiting for him when he cleans out the Fountain of Magical Brethren.
Notes: Inspired by the Harry Potter Companion's chapter-by-chapter reviews. Thanks Astrid Goes For A Spin for directing me there in the first place! :) Set right after Harry's hearing in Order of the Phoenix.
Harold trudged up to the Fountain of Magical Brethren late one evening, humming tunelessly under his breath. Most of the Ministry workers had left for home, and it was now time for the night janitors to clear up the day's mess.
Harold was a Squib. His family rarely talked to him, ashamed to be related to him, and he had few friends in the Wizarding and Muggle worlds. He was an oddity in both. He couldn't seem to keep a job; or at least, he hadn't for years. Then he had applied for janitor at the Ministry. It was perfect for him, depressingly. Harold had always had a knack for cleaning things the Muggle way, and now he was being paid for it, though the pay was dispiritingly low.
Today was his turn to clear out the Knuts and Sickles tossed into the Fountain of Magical Brethren. Harold hated that fountain. It was ridiculous and lacked taste—the only one acting as they would in real life was the house-elf. And it reminded him even more of his lack of magic.
Sighing, he rolled up his sleeves and put on the long gloves he was required to wear when digging the money out of the fountain. He carried a bucket to dump the money in. The coins would then go to the Ministry bankers, who then supposedly donated it to St. Mungo's.
Harold leaned down and closed his eyes, still humming as he grabbed the first few coins. They were heavier than usual. Surprised, he dropped them into the bucket and proceeded to inspect them.
He gasped in shock, eyes widening. Galleons! Every coin he had just grabbed was a Galleon! It was rare to see even one Galleon in the Fountain. Most people wanted to save the best for themselves. Who had done such a generous thing?
Harold hurriedly looked back into the fountain. More Galleons sparkled in the moonlight. Nearly half of the fountain's contents were gold, not silver or bronze, and there was more money than ever. Excited, Harold snatched up all of the gold and put it into the bucket. It would be much heavier than usual on the way to give it to the Ministry bankers.
Once his work was done, Harold paused leaving the Fountain. Temptation was biting him. Couldn't he just take these Galleons for himself? He was far from rich, and could definitely put the gold to good use. But the donor had obviously meant to give the money to St. Mungo's...
Harold bit his lip and made a decision. He pocketed a third of the gold, and, still feeling a little guilty, went to inform the Ministry bankers of the unusual events of the evening. Well, some of them.