Goblin Greed
The goblins at Gringotts bank were always difficult to work with. They were quite prideful creatures and very much literal gold diggers. Making Jane's Gringotts investigation both very difficult and somewhat simple at the same time. Simple for her anyway. She supposed there were perks of being a Le Fay by blood.
For this particular visit she made sure to dress her best. She wore deep blue velvet mid length robes with real silver and a lighter blue beading embroidery lining the robes. A Lace underskirt of the same deep blue color peaked through. Her hair was elegantly pinned back but left down. A matching velvet beret hat sat atop her head. She held in a gloved hand a leather bound briefcase.
She was flanked by two Aurors, Kingsley Shacklebolt and Hestia Jones. They approached a goblin teller and she flashed her badge at him.
"We need to speak to the Goblin charge," she said with her chin up high.
"Why?" The goblin said in a bored tone.
"On behalf of the Ministry of Magic for investigation of the break in on July 31st." Jane said formally.
The goblin scoffed. "Gringotts has dismissed the use of the ministry in this investigation. Your people are not welcome here."
"I believe Gringotts can make an exception for me," she replied. She pulled out her badge again as well as her wand and other credentials. She placed them on the marble counter between her and the goblin.
The goblin's eyes widened and he bowed his head.
"My apologies, your highness, your palm please," the goblin said. She gave him her hand to verify herself. The goblin didn't say anything but bowed his head and excused himself through a door behind him.
Jane waited patiently but the aurors behind her shifted uncomfortably. It was clear that they had not seen Jane in this type of environment and behavior. Not to mention the reminder of her noble blood status. Come to think of it Jane wasn't sure if either of them had known of her family's history prior to this. Perhaps she should have warned them.
The goblin returned and appeared before them in front of the counter.
"Urnott has agreed to see Lady Jane, but the others will have to wait outside" The goblin said.
"On the contrary, they will both come with me, Mr. Urnott will have to make do." Jane stated. She cocked her eyebrow and dared the goblin to contradict her. The goblin stuttered but relented.
They followed the goblins past the regular passageway that led down to the vaults and through large golden glass doors. Another goblin sat behind a large marble desk and looked disgruntledly at them.
"I thought I said only her Majesty," he sneered.
"And I decided otherwise," Jane said haughtily.
The goblin scowled and looked like he wanted to protest but Jane fixed him with the same glare she often gave her children when she had enough of their mischief and that they were beyond the point of arguing. Apparently that look worked just as well on goblins as it did on children. The goblin bowed his head at her.
"Very well," Urnott said. "What is it you want?"
"A complete list of every single person who came through Gringotts on July 31 of this year," she said.
"Can't give you that," the goblin replied bluntly. "Client confidentiality."
"Unfortunately for you, you don't have a choice," Jane said.
"I believe we do," Urnott insisted. "We are a private business. We don't work or follow your wizard laws."
Jane cocked an eyebrow at him. She shifted her arms and plopped the briefcase onto the desk. The case was bewitched with an undetectable extension charm. Making it able to hold objects much larger than it appeared to be able too. She pulled out a beautiful golden scepter with glistening purple diamonds and held it carefully in gloved hands.
Urnott's eyes widened at the site and Jane smirked.
"You recognize this I assume." She said, "Goblin made and was gifted to the Royal house of Le Fay by Rangor the righteous as a peace offering after a goblin rebellion in 1745."
"Stolen or forced to loan more like," Urnott scowled at her.
"Believe what you want," Jane said dismissively. "But I am willing to gift it back to you in exchange."
"You think you can bribe us with something that is rightfully ours!" The goblin shouted enraged. But Jane didn't even flinch. She merely looked at him with a bored expression.
"Not quite," she said with a smile. "Think of it as a thank you for going through the trouble."
She remembered what her Mother had once told her during her first trip to Gringotts: never strike a deal with Goblin unless you know you have the upper hand. Goblins were sneaky creatures and often found loopholes when they made deals.
It was a good thing she wasn't actually trying to strike a deal with them. The goblins were reacting in the exact way she was expecting. She could tell though that Kingsley and Hestia were getting quite worried but they masked it well enough.
"I say again!" The goblin shouted. "We don't take bribes over artifacts that are rightfully ours to begin with."
"Very well," Jane sighed. She placed the scepter back in the case carefully and snapped it shut. She held it out behind and Hestia stepped forward to take it.
"I didn't want to take it this far but you leave me no choice," Jane said sternly. "I understand that this bank runs operations of retrieving gold and ancient artifacts in many countries including Egypt. Correct?"
Urnott slowly nodded.
"You have all the proper regulations, agreements, and approval for doing so correct?" Jane said, cocking an eyebrow at him.
The goblin nodded again but had hesitated before. It was clear that Jane disagreed.
"Really because I took the liberty of reading through your Egyptian contracts," Jane said. She pulled out said contract. Urnott looked offended and outraged but Jane plowed on before he could interrupt her. Having children certainly helped with this skill. "Really it's my duty as Queen to make sure that everything that those within English soil properly handle international relations. And it says here that you are allowed to keep gold and other artifacts found for repurposing and use so long as a certain percentage is returned to the Egyptians and any artifacts are approved by their wizarding government. Sound right to you?"
"Yes of course!" Urnott spluttered out. His behavior was beginning to remind Jane of Vernon Dursley whenever anything related to magic was spoken in his house. "And we are keeping our word!"
"Oh are you?" Jane said, side eyeing him. "Because I happen to know that any item you find that is 'goblin made' you believe to be yours. And I know that you goblins take such items without checking with the Egyptians that it is approved for you to take."
"That's because it doesn't belong to the Egyptians. It belongs to us! We had it first! It is ours!" Urnott yelled and stomped his small foot.
"No it does not!" Jane said sharply back at him. She glared down at the creature before her and he flinched slightly. "It was gifted by your kind or paid for by wizards. That means it is no longer yours. And I happen to know that the Egyptians would agree with me, should they find out. And if they do find out, do you know what would happen? You will no longer be allowed to send in your curse-breakers. You'll lose quite a large amount of gold and treasures. We wouldn't want that would we?"
"Ha! Shame that they would never know!" Urnott said smugly. "If you think you can tell them, what makes you think they will believe you?"
"Ah! Excellent question. Besides the fact that I have two licensed Aurors with me who have heard this entire exchange and can serve as certified witnesses. And with one word from me I can have them seize and present you to the Egyptians." Jane said, "I also happen to carry quite the weight of a title and it would only take my word."
The goblin turned purple and started stuttering.
"But I am willing to overlook it under one condition." She looked at him meaningfully.
"FINE!" Urnott shouted and slammed his hands on his desk. "I'll make sure someone gets you your list if you agree that you won't say a thing to the Egyptians or anyone else and neither will your guards."
"Oh they won't say a thing unless I ask them too." Jane said with a reassuring smile. "So we have come to an agreement then?"
"Fine," the goblin said.
"Excellent," Jane pulled out from her robe a piece of parchment. "You'll need to sign here."
"I'll have it for you right away," Urnott said. "I'm not signing your magical contract. You can't trick me like that."
"On the contrary this leaves you and I no room to back out. You must sign or we do not have an agreement." Jane said.
The goblin scowled and snatched the parchment out of her hands. He read it carefully while she and the aurors water quietly. Finally he grunted when he was somewhat satisfied and signed where indicated. Jane rolled up the parchment and tucked it away again.
"Now I'll just take that scepter off your hands," Urnott said greedily. He stepped forward with his arms out to Hestia who was holding the briefcase.
Jane side-stepped in front of him and blocked him.
"Not so fast," Jane said. "You already turned down your chance for that. It was not part of our agreement, you read it."
"But you said, we could have it if we got you the list!" Urnott whined like a child. "No deal! You won't get your list."
"What a shame," Jane said. She turned away uncaringly and waved lazily at Kingsley and Hestia. "Seize him."
The aurors pulled out their wands and pointed it at the goblin.
"Alright! Alright!" He huffed. Then he called out. "DOYLE!"
A young wizard scrambled through the set of doors on the opposite side of the ones Jane had entered through. Urnott instructed the boy to retrieve the records for July 31st. After several minutes of silence and Urnott glaring at Jane (who remained unphased) the boy returned and handed a large roll of parchment to Jane with a polite bow. Jane thanked him as he hurried back to his work.
"You tricked me, Black," the goblin spat as she prepared to go.
"I did no such thing." Jane replied with her chin up. "It was a pleasure doing business with you."
She turned on her heel and marched out the door. Her footsteps echoing on the marble floor. The aurors followed with shocked expressions
As soon as they reached the sunlight of Diagon Alley Hestia turned to her and finally spoke.
"Did you just Black mail a goblin?" Hestia said in awe.
"If they really are breaking their contract with the Egyptians we can't just let them go." Kingsley said.
"Oh not to worry, they aren't." Jane said.
"But you said," Hestia questioned, "and they agreed."
"Urnott doesn't actually know what goes on outside his little throne here." Jane said assuredly. "He only agreed because that's what he assumes is happening because that's what the goblins would do if they could. But the Egyptians aren't stupid and they have officials on site watching to make sure that very thing doesn't happen. They know the goblins would try it if they could."
Kingsley gave her a look.
"I always thought you would've done well in Slytherin." He said. It wasn't an insult or a compliment. It was an observation.
"Yes, well, the hat did hint at it." She said with a shrug. "And I was raised by one."
An: sorry that it took awhile. I could have made this chapter longer but it was already taking me so long to get a chapter out and I didn't want to keep you all waiting for too long.
