Chapter 6: Some Sirius Talk
Thanks for the reviews. They do tickle my muse.
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Before they could get started on the nitty-gritty of what Tony could do for the bank, there was a knock on the door. The lawyer had arrived. A shortish man walked in. He was an unassuming man with brown hair and a slight pudge in the middle. "You wanted to see me?" he said to Ragnuk, nodding to Tony and Pepper, and glancing at Ivy, who waved at him. He was immediately enamored.
"Ah, Mr. Waters, pull up a chair. You're about to get that case you've been wanting to have," the goblin said, waving to the chairs on the wall.
Stephen Waters pulled up a chair and sat next to Pepper. "The Black case?" he asked eagerly. He had been investigating that case since Black had been arrested. He had all the ducks lined up if it ever got to court. He knew Black was innocent from the get-go. He knew the man from school and Sirius would never betray James. There was just something fishy about the whole thing.
"Just so," Ragnuk said, then he waved to Pepper and Tony and introduced them. "Mr. Stark was just about to tell me how he could make life easier for us here at Gringotts," he added, glad the lawyer was here. He might not be a contract lawyer, but he could steer him in the right direction.
"I'm about to drag this world kicking and screaming into the 21st century," Tony said, taking out his cell phone and pushing a button. He was going to be leaving, however there were people here that could do the job in his place. He just needed to pick the right person for the job. "Jarvis, look around the London office and see if anyone fits the description of a magical," he said to the phone.
"What should I look for?" the AI asked his voice coming out of the phone into the room, making the two magicals start with wonder, already running through the files. The goblin and the wizard looked around for the ghost they were sure was there. They didn't see one, but decided it was just invisible.
"Look for their school as Hogwarts School for the Gifted," Waters said, knowing that was the muggle name for it. "They will have also had to have sent away for their transcripts," he added, knowing that the ministry would have had to have doctored any school records. "There might not have been any college and they would have worked their way up the ladder," he stated, knowing that the smarter ones would have been able to do that.
"There are currently seven people who have that school listed on their CVs," Jarvis said, having gone through the files that fast. He was the fastest computer in the world. He was programmed by the smartest man in the world.
"Are any of them in a position to help Gringotts?" Tony asked, tapping his phone, and looking at the files himself. He wanted to get a look at them in person. Just because their files looked good didn't mean anything. Anyone with half a brain could doctor a file.
"There are three that can do what you require," the AI stated, his tone neutral.
"Make me an appointment with all three for tomorrow around noon. Set it up for the London office," Tony said, slotting the time in his calendar. He needed to make sure that it was an appointment he kept. He really wanted to stick it to the magical world, albeit help them at the same time.
"Very good, sir," Jarvis said, doing just that and updating Tony's calendar. The interviews would take about fifteen minutes each. If all went well. "Did you want Mr. Hogan to be there for security purposes?" the AI asked, not sure if the magicals would react well to being exposed.
"That is actually a good idea," Tony said, thinking that it might be a good measure. He knew from reading that they could erase his memory and they took that secrecy seriously. Happy would be his backup.
"Very well, sir," Jarvis said, then went silent.
"Now that that is done, let's get back to the Black case," Waters said, taking out some parchment from his briefcase. He shuffled through them and put them in order. He was just about to lay out the case when Miss Potts started talking.
"Before you get into that, Tony, I'm going to take Ivy shopping. She doesn't need to be here," Pepper said, looking at the bored girl. She knew she wasn't needed as it had nothing to do with Stark Industries.
"Yes, please," Ivy said, her cheeks brightening at the thought that she might be able to see more of the wizarding world. It was just so magical. It was all so new and interesting. She hoped she could make some new friends.
"Alright," Tony said, handing Pepper his coin bag. "There's about a thousand galleons in there. I hope she doesn't want to buy out anymore stores," he said, ruffling Ivy's hair.
"Don't be silly, Mr. Tony. All the owls are happy now," Ivy said, making all the adults, that knew her, vow not to take her back into the store which was sure to have restocked by now.
"Well, just in case, that should be enough," Tony said to Pepper. His eyes all but begged her to be strong and not to let the little girl into any pet shop.
"Wait, before you go, I need Miss Potter to say she wants her father's will read," Ragnuk said, knowing it was needed to start the case.
"Ivy, honey, I need you to tell Mr. Ragnuk to read your daddy's will, can you do that for me?" Tony said, leaning forward and staring into those large green eyes.
"Of course, Mr. Tony. Mr. Ragnuk can you read my daddy's will?" she said, smiling all the while.
"Of course, Miss Potter. I will send a notice to Mr. Tony when it will be read," the goblin said, stamping something on his desk with a rubber stamp.
The adults in the room breathed a sigh of relief. That was what they needed to get it all in motion. Now they could get an innocent man out of prison and get Ivy's affairs in order.
Pepper stood and tucked the coin bag in her purse. She nodded to everyone, bussed Tony's cheek, and grabbed Ivy's hand. The two departed for the men folk to get on with their business.
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Pepper decided to look around Diagon Alley for a while to see if they had missed anything the other day. They really hadn't looked around, and she was sure there had to be a toy store. They wandered up and down the Alley, but she didn't see a store catered for kids. The closest thing she could find was a broom store, and a general store that sold just about everything.
They stopped in the broom store.
"Hello, what can I do for you today?" the man behind the counter asked, looking at the obviously muggle woman and her child. "Looking for a training broom for the little princess?" he asked, winking at Ivy.
"Do the brooms really fly?" Ivy said in her perky and sweet voice. She could just feel the wind in her hair already. She wanted to fly like her owl friends.
"Yes, they do, little lady," the man said, going to where the training brooms were. They were much smaller than the regular brooms and had a gentler quality about them. "This is the broom for little princesses," he added, handing the broom to Ivy. "They only go three feet off the ground, and have a cushioning charm on the handle," he told Pepper, who was eyeing them with a great deal of trepidation.
Ivy seemed to know what to do right away and straddled the broom and pushed off. She started zooming around the store, weaving between the displays like a pro. She squealed and cheered, holding on and steering around everything with great ease. "Look at me, I'm flying," she said as she zoomed passed Pepper.
"Ivy," Pepper exclaimed, running to catch the little girl. She wasn't doing very well since she was wearing her heels. She missed each time because Ivy was just too fast. Who knew the little princess was so good at flying?
"Shite," the clerk said, taking his wand out and protecting the merchandise. Not that it seemed necessary, the girl handled that broom like a seasoned Quidditch player.
"Ivy, stop that this instant," Pepper said, stomping her foot. She used her Tony voice, which only worked when she was really mad at him, or he knew that he had truly messed up.
Ivy came to a stop and instantly there were tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Miss Pepper. I just wanted to fly," she said, holding the broom to her chest. She didn't want Miss Pepper to be mad at her.
"I'm sorry I yelled at you, honey, but you frightened me," Pepper said, kneeling down and hugging the girl. She wiped the tears off those adorable chubby cheeks, and was feeling guilty that she made the girl cry. She caved and stood. "How much for the broom?" she asked the clerk, who shook his head at the realization of who he had in his shop.
"Oh, um, well, let me check," the flustered man said, forgetting his pricing for the moment. He had never seen such an adorable little girl before. Now that he knew it was Ivy Harriet Potter, that just made her more adorable. He went to the counter, looked at the pricelist, and reminded himself how much the training broom was. Then he had an idea. "Well, the broom she has is twenty-five galleons, but she obviously doesn't need training," he started, moving to a rack of larger brooms. They still weren't as big as the professional grade, but they were much bigger than the training one. "These are our junior brooms. They don't go up higher than ten feet, but they handle much better than the training ones," he said in his best salesman's voice.
"Just how dangerous are these brooms?" Pepper asked, raising an eyebrow. She was no stranger to someone trying to sell up. She had had to do so many times in her career after all.
"I won't lie and say there is no danger, however with proper supervision and quick attention, there is really little risk. As long as you abide by the Statute of Secrecies, you can let her fly in any safe place," the man said, showing her some brochures that showed how to keep an area muggle free for the kids.
"Where can I learn more about the Statute of Secrecies?" Pepper asked, knowing that she was going to have to abide by that statute. They were still so new to this world and there was still so much to learn.
"You can find all about it at the ministry, or there is one book at Flourish and Blotts," the man said, jotting down the title and handing it to her. He knew she'd get the best information from the book. She had an American accent, so she might just be visiting. He wondered what connection the Girl-Who-Lived had with America. Oh, well, it would be known sooner or later. For now, he was just going to bask in the knowledge that he had the girl in his shop. At least he wasn't going to be stupid enough to call attention to it.
"We'll take both brooms," Pepper said, letting Ivy keep the broom in her hands. She was going to work her nerves up slowly. Ivy can zoom around near the ground for now.
"Thank you, Miss Pepper," Ivy squealed and jumped up and down, still clinging the broom to her chest. She really liked flying. She just hoped that she didn't break anything at Mr. Tony's house.
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While the girls were shopping, Tony, Stephen and Ragnuk were talking about Sirius.
"So, you think you'll have him out in a week?" Tony asked, looking at all the evidence that Waters had gathered. "When you get him out send him stateside. I want Ivy to know her godfather," he said, still browsing the paperwork.
"If someone doesn't bribe the Wizengamot, then yes," Waters said his tone bitter. He knew Malfoy would do everything in his power to stop the trial. It was who had done it so far. It would be just like the man to do it again. Even with the will being read.
"How likely is that to happen and do you know which members of this Wizzengamers are likely to be bribed?" the billionaire asked, handing back the parchments. He was no stranger to backdoor dealings of politicians. He had had to do some lobbying in his time. That and they had tried to steal his suit. Well, acquisition it. Same thing.
Nobody bothered to correct his mispronunciation. He wasn't going to have to deal with them.
"I know exactly who can, or will, be bribed, and very likely," Stephen said, shoving the parchments back in the briefcase. It was beyond frustrating to him. He had no backer in his court, pun intended. Black's grandfather was dead, and he had been too sick to help before he died. The parents were just so happy to have the blood-traitor out of the way. That, and they were dead now too.
"How much?" Tony said, taking out his phone again, as if to check his bank balance. Not something he ever did. He had accountants for that. He was actually seeing how much he could withdraw at the London bank. He did have a daily overseas limit.
"What do you mean?" Stephen asked, perplexed, or just overwhelmed that someone thought they could outbid Malfoy. And a muggle at that.
"How big will the bribe be?"
"Around 10,000 galleons," Waters said, just off the top of his head. The Malfoys were rich, but they didn't have unlimited funds.
"How much is that in pounds?" Tony asked Ragnuk, with a lifting of an eyebrow. He was still new to the system.
"About 50,000 give or take," the goblin said, not sure that the man could match that.
"Really, and that's considered a large bribe here?" Tony genuinely wanted to know. Then he realized that the magical world was substantially smaller than the normal world. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. "Let's see, I have around 1,000 on me. I can get 100,000 by tomorrow. Tell you what, I'll open up an account here, and start it off with the 1,000 I have in my pocket and put more in tomorrow. You then use it to counter bribe these Wizzengamers to playing fair. They don't even have to vote in our favor, just vote fairly," he said, making a note to do that first thing in the morning.
"Are you serious?" Waters asked, looking at Tony like he had lost his mind. No one throws around that type of money. Just who was Tony Stark? He was going to have to research this man. It might be prudent to have him in their corner.
"No, that's Ivy's godfather," Tony quipped, unknowingly making a dog sneeze. He looked around as if he had heard that sneeze then shook it off.
"Please, don't do that," Ragnuk begged, remembering Black doing the same thing the two times he met the man. It wasn't funny then either.
"Sorry," the unapologetic man said insincerely. "However, yes, I am very serious," Tony said, looking at Ragnuk for the paperwork he would need to open an account.
"Very well," the goblin said as he sorted through the parchment on his desk and pulled out the correct forms. "You will have to put it in Miss Ivy's name. You are not magical." He pointed out the key parts of the contract and where he needed to put Ivy's name.
"Can you prove that?" Tony said, looking over the form. It was different than the normal bank forms. This 'bank' was a glorified deposit box with benefits. There were no interest rates or transactions, which also meant no transaction fees. Bonus.
"What do you mean?" Ragnuk asked, tilting his head a bit.
"Can you go into London and point to a random man and say 'He's a wizard'?" Tony was really interested in the answer.
"Yes," the goblin said like he thought everyone knew that.
"You can?" Waters asked, that was news to him.
"All goblins can. Can't you humans?" Ragnuk wondered, he thought it was an all-encompassing magical trait. Even the house elves can do it.
"No, we can't. I didn't know that goblins could," Waters stated, rubbing his forehead, like there was too much information in there. That was not taught at Hogwarts. And it was not something that came up in conversation.
"There you go," Tony said, having filled out what he needed. He slid the cash and the form to the goblin.
"Let me get a key," Ragnuk said, taking a black onyx bowl down from a shelf behind him. He folded the form, put it in the bowl, and set it on fire with a snap of his fingers. It burned, without burning, and soon a key popped to the bottom of the bowl. "There. Your vault number is 1032, and this is your key. Don't lose it or give it to anyone else unless you trust them. We can keep others out of your account within reason, like Miss Ivy's. But if you hand your key to someone, that is giving consent to them," he explained.
"Okay, I get that. I'm going back to the states in a few days, is there a branch there?" Tony asked taking the key and putting it in his wallet. It would be safer there. He didn't think he'd need to give it to anyone.
"There are two, one in New York and one in Los Angeles. We wanted to make sure we had both coasts covered," the goblin said, smirking like they had thought of everything.
"You might want to look into putting one in the middle," Tony suggested, thinking Tennessee or someplace like that. "The states are really huge," he added, getting up and straightening his shirt. He put his sunglasses on and was ready to go find the girls. He pulled out two business cards. "I don't know if you know how to use a phone, but here are my contact numbers," he said, handing one to each of them. "If I don't answer, leave a message with Jarvis."
"I'll be in touch," Waters said, gathering up his briefcase and leaving the office to go and start the case.
"I'll schedule the reading for tomorrow morning. That will give you time for your interviews and running in the afternoon," Ragnuk said, already going back to his paperwork.
"We'll see you then," Tony said, making a mental note to withdraw a substantial amount of money tonight. He made his way out of the bank and was leaving when he spotted Pepper and Ivy standing on the steps of Gringotts surrounded by people. That didn't look good. The Gringotts guards were down there, making the crowd back off the two girls, but it was a near thing. "What the hell is going on?" he shouted to be heard. That caused a few people to back off.
"Oh, Tony," Pepper said, rushing up the steps. She had been fighting people like this off since they recognized Ivy, "we need to leave," she said, leading him back into the bank, with Ivy on her hip. The guards were carrying their bags, and keeping the crowd out of the bank.
"What happened?" he asked, putting his arm around her shoulders.
The mob was left at the doors of the bank, but they were all crying out how much they loved little Ivy.
"The man in their general store recognized Ivy and shouted her name out. Suddenly we were surrounded. They weren't mean or anything, but they all wanted to touch her. They were all cooing and awing. It was unnerving. I tried to get away, and Ivy did a bit of accidental magic and we were on the steps of Gringotts. A new crowd saw us and converged, the guards saw them come and came to help, and that's when you came out," she stated it all in one breath.
Ivy was leaning heavily in her arms, the burst of accidental magic wore her out. She was trying valiantly to keep her eyes open. But her long lashes were heavy, and her eyelids were drooping low on her green eyes. She was nodding off on Pepper's shoulder.
"We have a back door to the muggle world," one of the guards said, taking them to the doors in the back of the bank. They followed, Tony taking the bags from the goblin holding them. They went down a long empty hallway with only the one door at the end. The guard leading them opened it and it emptied into an alley.
"Thanks," Tony said, making a note of where this came out to. He pulled out his cell phone and called Happy. He just wanted to get home and take a bath. Tomorrow promised to be just as busy. They were going to have to disguise Ivy better the next day. Perhaps dress her as a boy? Maybe. Or maybe he'd just leave her at home. She really didn't need to be there. that sounded much better. Pepper could take her for a girls' day.