The second safest place in the Wizarding World

For once the round was simple, and it would certainly be not Harry who would complain about it. According to Tom, as a client of Gringotts, it was in his interest to make sure the institution was as flawless as its reputation claimed. The only problem was that he wasn't supposed to know about this contract as it was secret. It would certainly raise questions, but Harry and Tom hoped that their pride would prevail over their suspicions.

He felt a bit weird entering Diagon Alley as, technically, he was a runaway. But officially, he was still a Hogwarts student visiting the famous street. There was no reason for him to feel guilty. Yet. He was confident he wouldn't meet the Weasleys, or Hermione as Christmas had already passed and there was therefore to reason for them to go shopping. As he clenched his Invisibility Cloak he kept in his pocket, he just hoped he wouldn't run into another member of the Order.

He arrived in front of the imposing building and resolutely went through the front door. The waiting queue wasn't so long, and he was soon in front of a Goblin who was looking at him like he was a mere nuisance.

'Key please?' The employee asked mechanically.

'I haven't come for my vault,' Harry said trying to sound confident. 'I came to report a fraud.'

'Did you now? All right, would you be so kind to follow me please?' The tone was falsely polite.

Harry was led into a small office where he stayed a few minutes alone before two Goblins joined him.

'Mr. Potter,' said one of them as soon as the door closed, 'do you understand the gravity and implication of the crime you are reporting?'

'I do… Sir,' Harry replied. 'And this is why I expect from you the utmost diligence in dealing with this problem.' He wondered how obvious it was that he was reciting what Tom had told him to say.

'Naturally,' the Goblin smiled. He gestured towards the other one who sat down and started to write everything that was being said. 'My name is Gorak and I will represent Gringotts Bank in this matter. Now, Mr. Potter, please state the issue you wish to bring to our attention.'

Harry felt his nervosity rise to a whole new level, but he managed to keep his head empty of thoughts which helped him greatly to focus on the matter at hand. He breathed slowly and declared in an assured voice:

'The 14th of October 1946, you signed a contract with Bellatrix Lestrange to place an invaluable artefact in her vault. The Cup which belonged to Helga Hufflepuff.'

'How do you know about that?' Gorak blurted out.

'It doesn't matter what I know, what matters is that the signature on this contract is forgery. On the day she placed the Cup in her vault, she was under the influence of the Imperius Curse and not able to make an informed choice. This completely invalidates the contract.'

'If what you say is true then you are right,' admitted Gorak. 'However, you seem so informed about banking laws, I suspect you are aware that we have safeguards to prevent such situations.'

'The contract is cursed,' Harry stated. 'If you show it to me, I will be able to prove it.'

'You clearly do not expect us to show you a contract, in which you have no part, binding our institution to one of our most prestigious clients.'

Prestigious was definitely not a word he would have used to describe Lestrange but now wasn't the time to discuss that. Tom… Voldemort had been able to cast a curse through his control over Lestrange, which was as impressive as it was frightening, overriding the contract magical protection. Tom had revealed the counter curse to Harry, but it would be useless without the contract in his sight.

'All right, then if I tell you how to break the curse, can you at least go and check for yourself?'

'I am afraid that I am bound to do it if you were indeed able to give me the counter curse.'

The Goblin's face stretched into what Harry suspected was a smile and he stood up like he was about to leave.

'The curse,' Harry said quickly, 'is an ancient magic used to hide reality…'

'Spare me your lessons, young wizard,' Gorak cut. 'The counter curse, please.'

'Invenire Realis,' Harry said feeling his cheeks turning red. He hadn't wanted to lecture the Goblin but to provide proof. However, it seemed that Gorak wasn't interested in his explanation. Only the truth mattered.

The Goblin looked at him like he was trying to extract said truth from his head and eventually stood up to leave the room. Harry couldn't say how long he waited in this office, but when the Goblin returned, he almost jumped on his feet at the noise of the door being slammed against the wall. Tom had warned Harry that the Goblins would perhaps reacted violently.

'How did you know?!' Gorak almost roared.

'I already told you that I am not required…'

'I don't care about the law! How did you know!'

Harry was at least twice the size of the Goblin, but he had rarely felt so small in all his life. Even his uncle's fits of rage didn't compare to the wrath which emanated from Gorak.

'And as much as I would like to know more about Mr. Potter leads,' the other Goblin intervened, looking like he was speaking against his will, 'we must respect his right to not disclose it. If what he said his false, we may act upon his insult which was to insinuate we could be deceived by a mere Imperius Curse. But if it was true… Was it true?'

A curt nod was all Gorak managed. The Goblin who had defended Harry looked at his colleague in disbelief for a few seconds before turning his attention back to the boy.

'Well, Mr. Potter, it appears we are in your debt. Gringott's bank would like to thank you…'

'What are you going to do about the Cup?' Harry asked unable to refrain himself.

'We have to return to its rightful owner.'

'You mean Hogwarts?'

'Precisely,' Gorak replied. He looked like he had calmed down and Harry started to relax. 'I am going to send a message to the Headmaster Dumbledore, so he comes to retrieve it.'

'I could bring it back myself,' Harry said trying to sound as natural as possible.

The Goblins looked at each other and smiled in a way that made Harry nervous again.

'Tell us, Mr. Potter,' Gorak said with a falsely polite tone, 'why does this Cup matter so much to you?'

Harry remained silent, pondering what he should reply. An idea crossed his mind. A very Slytherin like idea.

'Here is what I propose,' he said as casually as possible, 'you let me bring the Cup back to Hogwarts and I will keep my mouth shut about the fact Gringotts was fooled by an Imperius Curse in a contract involving a one-of-a-kind artefact which belonged to a Hogwarts Founder.'

The smiles vanished immediately and both Goblins considered Harry, who was praying they wouldn't call his bluff, with a strange look. After what felt like an eternity, one of them left the room to return a few moments later with a wooden box. He placed it on the table and delicately opened it to reveal a golden Cup so trivial Harry wondered if it really was the legendary artefact. But as his gaze lingered on the polished surface, he started to notice the subtle shadows. Before him was laying one of the seven Horcruxes of Lord Voldemort.

He closed the box and put it in his own bag which he sealed magically. He then looked at the Goblins, unsure if he had the right to leave freely.

'Gorak will accompany you to the main hall,' said the Goblin who had taken the notes with a cold voice. 'As for me, I will write to the Headmaster Dumbledore to warn him about your return with the Cup.'

Harry's inside froze but before he could retort anything, Gorak opened the door and he was led through Gringotts corridors towards the exit. When the cold air of December hit his face, he snapped out of his thoughts. Even if Dumbledore had promised he wouldn't stand in his way, that didn't mean he wanted the older wizards to know about his whereabouts. Besides, the fact that he had retrieved Hufflepuff Cup would certainly raise questions which might change the situation. Suddenly Harry felt very exposed on the bank's forecourt, and he quickly made his way towards the busy street of Diagon Alley.

He finally spotted an empty alleyway, and as he was about to pull his Firebolt out of his bag, he was startled by a voice he recognised immediately.