"We meet again," said Olivia.
"I was just wondering if you can give me more information on my parents."
"So you are going to make good use of me, squash everything out of me, then abandon the poor old lady?"
"No! No! Of course not!" said Hermione quickly. "You are my mother's mentor and best friend, I won't leave you alone."
"Good, I thought you would just forget about the poor old woman who had helped you all the way."
"No, why should I—"
"Tush! No more words, we've got business to do. Come on."
Olivia got hold of Hermione's hand and they apparated to Diagon Alley. Olivia led the way to Gringotts. Hermione could not remember how long it had been since the last time she had gone into Gringotts with tranquillity. Last time's visit was not much more than helplessness. People, even the goblins congratulated her, but to her it was a mere misery that she could never tell.
As she walked pass the busy goblins, Olivia stopped at the counter and said her speech promptly,
"Ms. Hermione—Malfoy would like a withdrawal from her own account."
The goblins raised its brow, then asked,
"Does Ms. Hermione Malfoy have her key?"
Olivia placed the golden key onto the marble table, the long slender fingers picked it up and the goblin examined it with the magnifying glass.
"Does Ms. Hermione Malfoy have the password?"
Password? Hermione wished she knew, because Olivia was frowning badly.
"Just let me think for a while, my poor old memories are not functioning properly…"
"What password?"
"Family password," replied Olivia. "Of course you don't know, just give me one more second…oh yes, it's siřuma."
"Love?" asked Hermione.
"It took me days to figure what the word means and it's really hard to remember."
Hermione raised her brow, a goblin came and led the two into the narrow stone passageway.
"This is going to be a bumpy ride," muttered the goblin.
"Why?"
"Vault 127, a long long journey."
"Vault what?"
"Clearly you didn't listen," murmured the goblin.
Once they settled down in the cart, the cart sped off into the twisted passage. Cold air rushed past her face, which reminded her of his Firebolt.
"When will the cart stop?" asked Hermione.
"As soon as we reach the vault," replied the goblin in a sneer. "Oh, it's just the 500s here, we still have a long journey."
"Journey to the Centre of the Earth?" whispered Hermione.
"What?"
"Never mind, it's just a book written by Muggle."
"Muggles, quite unaware of our world. Surely your parents were overwhelmed as the Hogwarts letter came."
"Yes, I can still remember that day."
The cart halted and the goblin jumped out, then said,
"Remain seated."
A sphinx appeared and it lay down in a majestic manner, then said,
"Come here for a riddle?"
"Let the masters answer," said the goblin nastily.
"Now who is the fortunate one?"
"Me," said Hermione, eager to receive the riddle. "Though I wish I don't have to answer it."
"Answer it on first guess, and I let you pass. Answer wrongly, I attack. Remain silent, not the best option but I allow you walk away from me unharmed."
"I am ready," said Hermione, clenching her fists.
The sphinx nodded and began her riddle,
First think of one instrument that could never be seen or touched,
That was once alive and the most melodious but never reached.
Next tell me the answer and I will give way,
The middle of a stinging plant and the beginning of the second day.
Finally give me the word when you don't have the balance,
That no living in this world would want this happens.
Now just string them together and swiftly answer me,
Which insightful being that is not willing to talk with mankind like thee?
The goblin showed a nasty grin and waited in silence. Olivia frowned and opened her mouth, but the sphinx immediately said,
"No one except the master would speak aloud."
Olivia moaned and murmured. Hermione licked her lips and tried to come up with the right word. No wonder why he was so bothered when he encountered it in the maze, she could finally have a taste of that.
"Could never be seen or touched…once melodious but never reached…I have heard that before…is that voice?"
The sphinx smiled mysteriously, not accepting nor denying the answer.
"Wait…no…not just voice…it's singing."
The sphinx showed a broad beam.
"And you said 'that was once alive', then it must be 'sang'. So the word pronunciation has to be started with 'sa'…or 'san'…"
The sphinx nodded.
"What's the second one?"
"Next tell me the answer and I will give way,
The middle of a stinging plant and the beginning of the second day."
"The middle of a stinging plant….it's the….the…stinging nettle…and the beginning of the second day….er….Tuesday…isn't it?"
The sphinx stood up, nodded.
"Nettle…Tuesday…T! It's a 't'! Sint—what is the last one?"
"Finally give me the word when you don't have the balance,
That no living in this world would want this happens."
"The word when you don't have the balance…when I don't have the balance, I will fall…Sintfall…that doesn't really make sense…sintall…wait…is it…centaur?"
The sphinx smiled more broadly and she moved aside.
"You're lucky this time," said the goblin as Olivia got out from her cart. "Most people came out from Gringotts with scratches and wounds all over them."
As they arrived at the black thick metal door, the goblin inserted the key into the small key hole carefully. After he pulled out the key, his long finger nail scratched the barely visible rift at the door. The door swung open and Hermione gawked.
"All yours, isn't it amazing?" asked Olivia. "For decades I have tried to save as much as money as I can, but never I can reach this amount."
"I will be waiting outside," mumbled the goblin and it stayed at the door.
The vault was a lot larger than Hermione had expected. It was almost twice of the Lestranges' vault. Gems and gold coins laid everywhere, they were so abundant that she reckoned it would take centuries to clear the vault.
"What's this?" asked Hermione, pointing at the stack of books.
"I don't know, I've never come in here. I just have the key and password."
"They look like diaries."
Hermione took the book on top and flipped it, reading it carefully.
Jana lytumiüna děs zam sdešan denysom. Jana nёm žnačimiüna pařešno, magrom mus kavanem přijatalet etav jane siřumemiüna amanim vlestavo. Kǎtari žnačinem, vamos jana lǔкinaðmiüna děs namiš, Jana nёmevri žnačimiüna vev saotravǔn. Magrom nerafija, on siřumeen jani, atas som jana zařuvamiüna. Rusli tem кeřušuaiše jane štata jana zařuvamiüna vev onev. Jana smondemiüna, štata on vinači přijatalet jana miš žnačimiüna.
"It looks like some kind of diary...romantic diary I would say," commented Hermione, flipping over the pages to see if there was anything more valuable. "I don't know if this is really written by my mother. She just says she loves the man."
"I should have known that you know how to read Reivenklom."
"Reivenklom?"
"Rogak tish arian?"
Hermione tried to answer, but she did not know how. She just opened her mouth, trying to make sensible sounds.
"Pity that you don't know how to speak it."
"I just know what—I mean if you—I meant that…if you write it out or speak it out, I can understand, but it's just that I don't know how to make up sentences."
"If only I could help you," said Olivia and she sighed.
"If only I know how to speak 'open' in Reivenklom."
"I am sure you will handle it perfectly, don't worry much about it."
"But I need to know that word as soon as possible. I cannot wait for that long. If there's just anyone knowing the language and assist me, I would be perfectly fine."
"Your mother had mentioned that the language's rare. I don't think anyone beside your family would know how to speak it. Perhaps Ravenclaw descendents would know."
"Cho, Luna, Terry, Mandy, Lisa…none of them seems to know it."
"Do you have anything more to take?" asked the goblin, who had become bored and annoyed. "If not, we will head straight back."
"Take some money and gems," said Olivia and she put a small pile in her pocket. "It would be useful."
"I will just take the books," said Hermione. "I have more than enough to spend."
"Spend Malfoys' money?"
"My money."
"Don't be silly. If they do not want you to live, you can barely escape from that. And most importantly, get some Muggle money. Sometimes acting like a Muggle is not a bad idea."
They left the vault and the goblin immediately made them settle down at the cart. The cart sped off and hurried back on the ground. Once she bid farewell to Olivia and arrived at the Malfoy Manor, she hid in her room, reading through and through of the books. She tried to make similar sentences, but finding it difficult. For always, she knew if she studied hard, she could do anything and beat everyone else. Now, no matter how hard she studied or how much she focused on the words, it just would not work. But then, she was determined to master it, even if it meant non-stop learning.
The translation of the small paragraph in the diary: "I have been here for six days. I do not know why, but it seems nice and I love this place. Who knows, maybe I will stay here forever. I do not know much about tomorrow. But never mind, he loves me, that is all I care. If you ask me what I about him, I would say he is the nicest man I have ever known."
Edit: I refine the language and make it grammatically correct and appears having no relation with any languages.