Disclaimer:

I hereby solemnly swear that I will give the characters and settings back to JK after I finished playing with them. No money is involved, this written in the names of your fun and my artistic development.

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Hermione straightened her robes and took a deep breath before stepping on the steps leading to Gringotts' bronze doors. She bowed slightly to the goblin guarding this set of doors before stepping through. She repeated the gesture with the goblin guarding the silver inner doors. As she stepped inside the main hall, Hermione couldn't help but remember the last time she was here. That time, she was wearing the face of Bellatrix Lestrange and she had ended up leaving on the back of a dragon. Hopefully, this visit would be slightly more sedate. Hermione approached a free counter.

"Good afternoon. My name is Hermione Granger. I have an appointment with Mr Ragnok."

The goblin nodded shortly and hopped off from behind his counter.

"If you would follow me, Miss Granger."

The goblin lost no time walking off to one of the many doors standing on the side of the main hall. Hermione followed without a word. She was led to a comfortable-looking room, where her guide pointed to a large leather seat.

"Ragnok will be with you shortly."

Hermione bowed slightly at the waist.

"Thank you."

The goblin looked at her with a strange look on his face, and for a moment Hermione thought she might have offended him. But in the end, he returned her gesture with a slight nod before he left. Hermione settled in the seat and waited. She wasn't entirely sure what was about to happen, but she had to give it a go. She had been on edge ever since she had received that letter from the Ministry of Magic the previous morning. There was no way she would duck out of repaying her debt, but there was also no way she would be able to do that and finish her studies at the same time. And she would not go back to her parents and tell them she had to clean out their life savings to cover what she had done during the war.

The door opened softly behind her, and Hermione stood and turned to face the goblin entering. Although he stood barely to her shoulder, Ragnok was tall for a Goblin at around four and a half feet. He wore heavy-looking robes of shimmering material that looked rather like silk to Hermione. He also had several rings on his fingers as well as a large gold chain around his neck. Hermione chose to bow deeply at the waist, uncertain of Ragnok's rank but unwilling to offend given her position with the Goblin Nation.

"Thank you for making the time to see me. I'm afraid that I do not know enough about your customs to greet you appropriately, Mister Ragnok."

The Goblin stopped in his tracks, watching Hermione with a deep frown on his face.

"I am somewhat understanding of your motives for being here, young Miss Granger. I am also unhappy but inclined to hear you out. Consider yourself lucky."

Hermione cringed and nodded once. The Goblin walked around his desk and took his seat.

"You may sit down, young witch."

"Thank you."

"Please state your business with us this day."

Hermione quickly fetched her letter from the Ministry and presented it to the Goblin.

"As you know, I received a letter, requesting repayment for the damages to Gringotts caused by myself and my friends this past May. I am very much willing to pay, however I would like to come to an agreement with the Goblin Nation. I do not have the sum stated here. I would request a deferred first payment, until I finish my schooling and my apprenticeship, and I would like to discuss options to repay by instalments."

Ragnok extended his hand and slowly took the parchment from Hermione. He looked carefully over the wording, one clawed-finger tapping softly against his desktop.

"Have you any idea if Messieurs Potter and Weasley have received a similar letter?"

"No, sir. I am currently living in Hogwarts and working on repairing the School Wards." Hermione gulped as Ragnok looked up sharply from the letter as she spoke. She swallowed and forced herself to finish. "Harry and Ron are currently training to become Aurors and they cannot be reached, unless it is a family emergency."

Ragnok made a growling sound in the back of his throat as he settled back in his seat. His eyes flicked from the letter to Hermione and back several times, and the young witch had to fight against her nervous need to fidget in her chair.

"Miss Granger, I would like commend you for coming to us with this. Am I correct when I say that you are a Muggleborn?"

"Yes, sir."

"May I ask what it is you intend to do after Hogwarts?"

Hermione shrugged slightly. "I had no idea, and I'm still not certain. My aim was at first to request an apprenticeship from one of my teachers in Hogwarts, probably in Arithmancy or Ancient Runes. I must admit that since I started working on the School Wards, I find that I particularly enjoy the challenge."

Ragnok put a hand up then nodded seemingly to himself.

"What I will tell you here, Miss Granger, must not be shared with people beyond those you trust implicitly. And even then, you should be careful who you tell." At Hermione's nod, Ragnok continued. "You know that most Goblins do not like wizardkind. And I am making an exception for you because we have heard many things about you. Good and bad. You are, however, proving your worth by being here today.

"It is my belief that, if you were to ask Messieurs Potter and Weasley about a repayment for repairing Gringotts, they would tell you that they have never received such letters. Neither Gringotts nor the Goblin Nation has put forward any claim to the Ministry of Magic. As a matter of fact, your Ministry has already made it quite clear to us that they would not pay for the reparations to the building, or to replace our security measures."

Hermione frowned and opened her mouth but Ragnok stopped her once more with his hand.

"You may leave now."

"But sir…"

"The reparations have been completed and the costs were nowhere as expensive as this letter suggests. Although we maintain that the Ministry of Magic should have paid for the repairs, our High Council agreed to bear the costs since your actions directly led to the downfall of Lord Voldemort as well as pointed out obvious flaws in our defenses. While we could not take direct actions against Voldemort and his followers, we attempted to delay his pursuit of you on that day."

Hermione nodded slightly. "I had gathered as much when I discovered that Mrs Lestrange had reported her wand missing within a few hours of us getting a hold of it."

Ragnok nodded in turn and continued.

"I will happily write a letter to your Ministry of Magic and send you a copy as well, which you should receive tomorrow morning. I will tell them that we have come to an agreement and that you are not responsible for anything that happened in Gringotts, or indeed in Diagon Alley, on the day of the break in."

Hermione took back her letter as Ragnok thrust the parchment back at her.

"With all due respect, sir, this is not fair to the Goblin Nation. And although I had not thought of the consequences of my actions beforehand, I want to compensate your people for what I have done."

Ragnok laughed, a dark rumbling sound that prevented Hermione from saying anything else.

"If you insist, Miss Granger, this is what I propose. The Goblin Nation in general, and Gringotts in particular, always prize themselves with knowing the best curse breakers and warders in the world. It is more than a little necessary for us. Since you are working on the Hogwarts School Wards, I am sure you are studying warding extensively. As repayment to Gringotts, I would request that you start an apprenticeship with Professor Babbling in Ancient Runes. And learn as much as you can from Professors Vector, Flitwick and Snape to wield arithmancy, charms, curses and potions in the process of warding.

"At the end of your first year, you will be picked up by Gringotts for twelve months, during which you will work with one of our warding experts, without pay, and start your Warding Apprenticeship. We will provide you with lodgings, clothes, and food, but nothing else. You will then return to Hogwarts to finish your Runes Apprenticeship before joining Gringotts for another year, under the same terms. During this time, you will be continuing your Warding Apprenticeship. If your scores are satisfactory after those first two years, Gringotts will consider employing you part-time during your third and final year as an apprentice. If you fail, you will work for Gringotts for another two years in order to repay our investment in your education. I would recommend you find yourself an additional sponsor, for your Runes Apprenticeship. Does this sound reasonable?"

Hermione nodded slowly, head tilted slightly on one side.

"Why the focus on Ancient Runes? Wouldn't it make more sense for me to apprentice in Defense?"

"Goblins use many different runes, languages, and even magics to protect our own treasures and what we are paid to guard. Most wizards who come to work with us have majored in Defense, which make them less flexible to using other types of magics than the one they use instinctively. We have been looking for an alternative for a while. You would become a test subject of sorts."

"Very well. I accept your terms," Hermione said as she extended her hand to Ragnok.

The Goblin grinned and shook her hand.

"I will draw up a formal contract for us as soon as possible."

"And I will return to Hogwarts until you contact me," Hermione said with a smile.

The young witch stood and bowed deeply to the Goblin. He nodded in return and waved Hermione towards the door. The two exited the room and Ragnok was immediately shouting something in Gobbledegook down the corridor, the guttural sounds echoing off the stone walls. Another Goblin came out of a room, and Hermione realized that Ragnok must have been summoning him.

"This is Hagdar. He is in charge of most of our human contractors. If you have a question regarding your education during your time with us, this is the Goblin to ask."

Ragnok said a few things in Gobbledegook to Hagdar, and Hermione hear her name in the middle of the guttural sounds. She guessed Ragnok must have been explaining the situation to Hagdar given the fact the other Goblin started to look between Hermione and his boss. The young witch quickly added 'Learn basic Gobbledegook' to her mental to-do list. She was relatively sure what Ragnok was saying, but her time on the run had made her a bit paranoid and she would really have preferred to know for sure. Finally, Ragnok turned back to her.

"I need to make some preparations. Hagdar will be escorting you back to the main hall."

"Thank you again for your time, Mister Ragnok, and for the amazing opportunity," Hermione said with another bow.

Ragnok's answering smile was a bit disturbing, given his sharp, pointed teeth. But Hermione thought she could detect something akin to the beginning of respect in the Goblin's eyes. Hagdar grabbed her arm and, remarkably gently for a Goblin, directed her toward the exit.

"I must say, I am extremely surprised by this development. It has been a very long time since Gringotts has taken on a human Apprentice."

"I only hope that it will be a good investment for the Goblin Nation."

Hagdar's chuckles startled Hermione somewhat.

"A young witch trying to think like a Goblin. I never thought I'd see the day. I think I'm going to like you, Miss Granger. Have you got any questions so far?"

"Several, actually." At Hagdar's nod, Hermione continued. "For starters, do you have a book on Goblin etiquette I could read, and maybe one to learn your language?"

"I'm sure the Hogwarts Library or Flourish & Botts would have something for you…"

"Yes, but I doubt any of the books there would have been written by Goblins."

Hagdar stopped in his tracks and Hermione, who was walking behind him, was hard pressed not to bowl him over.

"Why do you require a book written by a Goblin?"

"I… have come to learn that the wizarding world is… very… biased," Hermione started a bit hesitantly. "The only way for me to get a true representation of Goblin culture is to ask the Goblins."

Hagdar nodded slowly, the very frightening grin on his face compounded by the sudden gleam in his eyes.

"How certain are you of your path right now, young witch?" At Hermione's puzzled glance, Hagdar clarified. "Will you go through with your contract?"

"I gave my word," Hermione said, straightening. "I am not in the habit of just taking it back for no good reason."

"Good. Because I do not train dishonorable beings, be they wizardkind or Goblins. How soon must you return to Hogwarts?"

"I have no schedule, at the moment."

Hagdar turned on the spot and started walking in the direction they had just come from. A bit surprised, Hermione followed him. They quickly made their way deeper underground through a series of long winding corridors and narrow staircases. Hermione soon stopped trying to keep her bearing, simply trusting that the Goblin would ultimately bring her back to the surface world unharmed. Surprisingly, they met not a single soul and Hermione wondered about that fact for a while. She had thought Gringotts was always busy and that Goblins would be running around working beneath its marble floors. Hagdar finally led the witch to a large set of double doors made of silver and engraved with Goblin Runes. He pushed his hand to the doors and spoke in Gobbledegook, and the doors opened for him.

"This is my workshop," Hagdar said. "You will be learning from me, and to an extent from Ragnok, here."

Hermione stood in the middle of the room and turned slowly on the spot. The room was lit with torches alongside the walls. The lighting was soft, but still enough that one would have no trouble reading if necessary. One side of the room was set up with three desks, one of which was bare. There was a large, floor-to-ceiling bookcase and a plush-looking rug covered the stone floor. The other side of the room held a large workbench with all sorts of tools that Hermione had no idea how to use. Several cupboards and shelves stood behind and around the work table. Judging by what looked like a forge sitting in the furthest corner and the bars and lumps of various metal on the workbench, Hermione could guess that part of the room was why Hagdar called it his workshop.

"Sit."

Hagdar pointed at the empty desk and Hermione took the seat, surprised to find that the chair was quite comfortable if a bit on the small side for her human frame.

"For starters, we need to give you a proper name."

Hermione looked at Hagdar as he paced in front of her with a grin.

"Doesn't your name derive from the God Hermes?"

"To my knowledge."

"Hermes. Messenger of the Gods. Imrae!"

"Imrae?"

"Yes. It means the exact same thing as your human name, just in Gobbledegook."

Hermione simply nodded, not knowing what else to do. Hagdar went to the bookcase, climbing on the ladder to reach the very top shelf.

"Now, I believe this is what you asked me for," Hagdar said as he came back down with two books.

He placed them on the desk, side by side, and Hermione couldn't help but run a hand on the leather covers. The titles said Goblin-Trained, A Companion for Human Apprentices and Gobbledegook for Human Tongues. As Hermione opened the first book and read the first few sentences, she could hear Hagdar opening doors on the other side of the room. She was startled out of her reading at the sound of Hagdar's hammer beating on metal. Hermione watched as the Goblin worked for a few minutes, bent over a piece of copper-colored metal. He then put his tools down and approached the desk once more.

"Here you are, Imrae," he said as he extended his closed fist to her.

Hermione held out her hand and Hagdar deposited a small piece of silver in her palm. The young witch noted it was a pin attached to several strands of fine chain and a few charms. Before she could study it in more details, Hagdar grabbed the chair from the nearest desk and dragged it along before hopping onto it. He carefully reached above their heads and hanged a rectangular copper plaque above the desk Hermione was sitting at. Seemingly satisfied, Hagdar hopped off his chair and pointed at the plaque.

"This is your name, Imrae. And this is your desk. And you are my Apprentice until you master ward magics, fulfill your contract with Gringotts, or I decide otherwise."

Hagdar reached for the pin and motioned for Hermione to stand. Dazed, the witch complied without a word.

"This is your seldra. It represents your status among Goblins. It marks you as a Goblin in all but blood. The spiderweb indicates you are a Ward Worker. The single black spinel at the center of the pin represents your status as an Apprentice. Two of the charms represent your belonging to the Ukerim, the Silentstriker Clan: the Japanese katana and the double re-curve bow are the weapons of choice of our Clan. The eight-point star is the symbol of all udur. It means that you have been chosen from the rabble to be adopted by our Clan. You should be proud of that fact as Goblin Clans will often adopt from within our race but only in exceptional circumstances do we allow gadak - outsiders - to become Clan. Many udur - human changelings - choose to wear it as a brooch. Lords, Masters, and warriors may wear it as they see fit, although most warriors still wear it in their hair, as part of their battle ribbons. Traditionally, Apprentices wear the seldra as an earring to avoid it getting caught while they work."

Hagdar looked at Hermione for a moment then motioned for her to bend over. He pushed back her hair and gently attached the piece of jewelry to Hermione's left ear. Hermione had the incongruous thought that it was a good thing her mother had insisted she had her ears pierced when she was still very young, or she could not have worn this seldra as easily. The Goblin took a step back and nodded as the witch fingered her new earring.

"Make sure you wear your seldra when you come to Gringotts. Actually, wear it anywhere you might come into contact with a Goblin. It is proof that you belong. It can be shrunk or enlarged as you see fit."

"Belong?"

"To goblinkind. As of right now, you are one of us."

Hermione let her fingers glide along the chains dangling from her ear, touching the three small charms.

"What about the wizards?"

Hagdar scoffed. "Some might know what it means… But those will also know better than to say anything against you. Ukerim is an old and powerful Clan. We are warriors, some of the best, and masters at our trades. We favor cunning, speed, and stealth over brute strength. And we have held a place on the Goblin High Council for over five hundred years. I don't suppose you know how to use a sword or a bow?"

"No, not yet I gather."

"Indeed, Imrae. I will teach you that much as well. In the meantime, being Ukerim means that you are part of a respected Clan. While goblinkind does not have royalty, the oldest Clans can command as much respect as old Pureblood families can in your world. Ukerim is such a clan. We rarely involve ourselves too much into politics, although those of us who do tend to be pretty good at it, such as Ragnok…"

"He is Ukerim too?"

"Yes. He's our Clan Leader, actually. Now for a quick lesson in etiquette. It is really quite simple. All Goblins are equals unless they are marked by rank at the time you speak with them. Never mind the fact that you know them to be a higher or lesser rank, you do not have to defer to them nor do they defer to you if they are not wearing their seldra. When meeting an equal, a simple nod of the head is enough a greeting. With me so far?"

At Hermione's nod, Hagdar continued.

"Apprentices are the lowest rank, because you are just starting to learn your trade. Stand straight, speak only when spoken to, answer greeting nods with a short bow, and if in doubt when it comes to titles simply call them Master. There are, of course, nuances in everything, but you will not be far wrong if you follow these basic principles. Do you understand?"

"Yes, I think so."

"Good, because we're about to put you to the test."

Hagdar smirked at her as he walked back to the door and opened it. Hermione gathered her new books and came to stand beside Hagdar as the Goblin locked up.

"I took you down the long way around, to avoid questions. Now that you are Ukerim, we can go back the normal way."

Hagdar led Hermione down a few corridors until they entered a rather large cavern and Hermione found herself faced with more Goblins than she had ever seen.

"Welcome to Uzugarg. While not our biggest city, it is our richest trade center. Sadly, we have no time for sightseeing."

Hermione looked on in amazement. Stone buildings the size of human houses sprawled across the cavern, separated by twisting streets down which Goblins hurried along carrying baskets full of goods. Hagdar proceeded to march through the city and Hermione matched his steps. As she passed, most Goblins did a double-take at her presence and then walked on. It seemed to the young witch that Goblins were surprised to see her at first but immediately accepted her. She didn't know if it was because of her seldra or because she was with Hagdar. One way or another, it was rather nice to feel accepted seemingly without judgment.

Soon they neared a familiar sight to human visitors of Gringotts. In the center of Uzugarg was what Hermione's mind immediately dubbed the Central Station. The Gringotts carts stood on their tracks, waiting for passengers. Hermione followed the tracks with her eyes, to see them disappearing underground just a short distance away. Hagdar walked to a Goblin wearing a seldra wrapped around his shoulder. He spoke a few rapid sentences in Gobbledegook, gesturing between himself and Hermione, and the witch heard her new Goblin name being mentioned. The other Goblin glanced at Hermione and nodded once. As Hagdar had just taught her, Hermione answered with a short bow but said nothing. The two Goblins finished their discussion and Hagdar waved her into a cart. They then got in themselves.

"Gromub will take us back to the surface."

The trip was sickeningly fast, and Hermione had to swallow hard a few times as they slowed down near the surface. Hagdar smiled at her and patted her back.

"You'll get used to it, Imrae."

"Gods, I hope so."

The cart finally came to a stop and all three of them disembarked. Gromub then approached Hermione and extended his hand.

"Let me be the first to welcome you to goblinkind, Imrae. It has been centuries since a udur has graced the Clans. May you live up to your predecessors' achievements."

"Thank you, Master Gromub."

Hermione went to shake his hand, and Gromub smiled and laughed, grabbing her hand and placing it on his forearm while he grasped her own.

"I see your Master still has some things to teach you."

"My fault entirely, Gromub. I did not anticipate meeting you," Hagdar said before turning to Hermione to explain. "Goblins are a warrior people, and we retain the warriors' handshake."

Hermione nodded once and grasped Gromub's forearm more firmly.

"I hope to see you soon again, Imrae."

"Same here, Master."

Gromub gave Hermione's arm a parting shake before he let go and returned to his cart. Hagdar lost no more time and shepherded Hermione back toward Gringotts' main entrance.

"I need to get back to work. Make sure you send back Ragnok's contract using the owl that will be delivering it. As your Master, I will be going over it myself to make sure that it is fair to you. Although I do not think that Ragnok intended to prey on your trade, he also does not know yet that you are now Ukerim. Make sure to read a bit more on etiquette. As you have just seen, the basics will not always be enough."

Hermione nodded then suddenly turned to Hagdar.

"Do the Clans work like families for human?"

"From what I understand, yes. Some Clan members are closer than others. Some even don't like each other. But ultimately, we are… brothers and sisters-in-arms. We protect our own."

Hermione nodded as she worked the concept through her mind. But she found that she could not go any further than just accept it. Between her talk with Ragnok and Hagdar taking her on, she was mentally exhausted and it was still early in the afternoon. Her thoughts must have reflected on her face because Hagdar stopped just outside a door and put a hand on her elbow.

"Do not worry, Imrae. You are Ukerim and we will take care of you. Now, chin up!"

Hagdar opened the door, and Hermione found that they were back into the Gringotts main hall. She followed Hagdar to the entrance doors where the Goblin slowly extended his hand to her with a small grin. This time, Hermione knew what to do and she clasped his forearm.

"Expect Ragnok's letter no later than tomorrow morning. I will also try to send you a care package before the end of the day."

"Yes, Master."

"Now off you go, Imrae."

Hermione smiled and bowed at her Master, purposefully ignoring the wizards gawking around them. She turned on her heels and walked out of the Wizarding Bank with her head held high.

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Author's Note: Well, I hope this chapter didn't disappoint. I've had great reviews for the last chapter and this is kind of pivotal. Actually, this scene was one of the first I wrote for this story. The Path series is built around Hermione growing into her powers, and how wizards deal with other species. I'm still not sure if Hermione will end up changing the wizarding world through her example, but she'll change a few people to be sure.

As usual, I'll gladly hear what you have to say about this story. Good, bad, or neutral.