On Punching Gods and Absentee Dads

Enigmaris

Chapter 44: Chief Ricbert of the Goblins

Summary:

Harry meets with the Goblin Chief. He tries not to think about his scar too much.

He fails.

Notes:

ya'll. there has been so much hate for Dumbledore in the comments. It has fueled me. I want to put it out there right now. I have a plan, a plan that I think is very good, about how Dumbledore is going to pay for what he's done. You just have to trust me. It will all be worth it in the end.

Revenge and Justice both will be ours!

Chapter Text

Harry shifted awkwardly in his robes. Draco and his dad both had declared that nothing he currently owned would be proper for a meeting with the goblins. Draco had, in his own words, selflessly donated one of his old robes that just had to be magically adjusted to fit. The adjustments were necessary because, once again in Draco's own words, not everyone had such ridiculous proportions.

Harry thought his proportions were fine and when he asked Hermione about it later she just rolled her eyes and said he shouldn't get a big head about it. Whatever that meant.

Not that Harry was able to give much thought to robes or proportions.

It felt to him like his friends were hyperfocusing on anything that wasn't Voldemort related. Ron only wanted to talk about quidditch and chess. Hermione would talk about anything she'd been researching except things to do with Voldemort. Even Draco, annoying as he was, was tiptoeing around him and the scar issue.

His dad, after telling him what Dumbledore had finally decided to reveal, had hugged him while he panicked and promised he would fix this. Swore with everything he had that he'd find a way to remove the horcrux and Harry had believed him, hugged him, and sequestered himself in a bathroom somewhere to throw up in privacy for a few minutes. His dad had also, when Harry has asked, explained to his friends what a horcrux was and why Harry had one in his scar.

His dad had also told the Avengers and sent an emergency message to Asgard to explain what they'd learnt and the new light that cast on the prophecy. Frigga was going over the wording of the prophecy to come up with as many accurate potential interpretations as possible and Eir had been summoned to the palace for a consultation. Indunn was a notorious shut in and had declined the previous invitation to the palace to meet with Harry claiming she was busy with her trees, but she had agreed the moment the word horcrux had been spoken in Asgard.

It was all…a lot.

Like Harry knew Hermione was breaking into the restricted section and devouring any books she could find about horcruxes along side his dad. He knew Hermione wasn't as bothered by it as he was. She thought it was disgusting and immoral, it horrified her, but she was able to push that to the side where Harry couldn't. Hermione was good at that. Granted Ron and him made sure she didn't go too deep and pulled her away from those dark books each day with her favorite teas and an invitation to play chess or gobstones.

Harry knew things were being done to help him but at the moment there was nothing to do except act as if he was fine, as if he didn't know what made his scar the way it was.

It was difficult enough to do when his friends were so bad at it too.

And now he was standing inside Gringotts, in borrowed robes, feeling as if his scar was itching even though it wasn't actually, it was all in his head. It. Was in his Head. A shiver ran down his spine.

"Mr. Potter." A goblin greeted. "You are expected, follow me."

"Of course." Harry said following the nicely dressed goblin past the desks and through the crowds of witches and wizards. Most of them were staring at him and muttering and Harry pretended he didn't hear their words.

He was doing a lot of pretending these days.

"Chief Ricbert will speak with you in the throne room." The goblin said.

"Do I get to know about what?"

The goblin just gave him a look as if he were quite stupid and then led him further into the bank. Right. Harry held back the sigh that wanted to erupt and followed. They went through about three dozen different hallways and down two flights of stairs. Harry was quite disoriented by the time the goblin stopped him in front of a very ornate door. It was made of a silver-y metal that warped the light around it. There was no doorknob or obvious way to open the two large doors. The goblin lifted up one finger and dragged his nail down the center, lava-like light erupted down the path he drew, and Harry could hear strange noises clanking and groaning as the internal mechanisms of the door were activated.

The door began to fold into itself, tessellating away from the center until there was nothing left but an arch-like entry way. Harry looked inside the room and saw a throne on top of a dais. The walls of the room looked like liquid silver they were so smooth, the floor was made up of polished marble with gold veining, and the room was lit with strange lights that floated along the walls.

Harry had never seen anything like it.

Seated on the throne was Chief Ricbert Harry assumed. It was an older goblin wearing armor similar to what Harry had seen the other goblins wearing the day of the attack. Harry didn't know much about the chief of Gringotts. Neither did Draco or Hermione. The goblins didn't really like sharing information with wizards after all.

"Chief Ricbert, Lady of the Forge, I introduce Haraldr Lokison, as you requested."

Lady of the Forge?

"Come forward." The goblin chief spoke. Harry swallowed and stepped into the room. The moment he was inside the door unfolded itself behind him, sealing him inside with the chief. The chief didn't sound like a lady but then again Harry was pretty sure he'd never met a female goblin before. Weird.

"Stop." She ordered when he was only a few feet from her. This close Harry couldn't really tell a difference between her and the other goblin that had led him there. Wait? What if that goblin was a girl too? Were all the goblins he'd met women?

Focus Harry. Focus.

"Chief Ricbert." Harry said bowing low to her.

"You gave my people a vow. One fulfilled within the day."

"Yes." Harry agreed. "I believed that it was my…duty to protect your people from a problem humans created. You shouldn't have to suffer from our stupidity."

She snorted.

"How noble of you. My people could have taken great slight at your impudence." She said. "There are still some who wish to. That one single puny human would dare tell us what we require, what we should and should not do. It galls the blood."

"I didn't mean offense."

"That much is obvious." Ricbert said. "What is also obvious is that your intent does not matter."

"Oh."

"I have decided, Haraldr Lokison, that you may be of use to me and mine."

"Ma'am I can't just…"

"You should not deny me until you have been given the full offer, human. You stole the glory of battle from my people and you lost the opportunity to learn why my nation was targeted. Despite all of this I can tell that you did not do it to scorn us."

Harry thought she said his intent didn't matter. He decided to keep his mouth shut and listen.

"Many of the others in my kingdom did not wish to call you here. It is only because of your…lineage that we are considering it."

"My father?"

"Your mother, boy." She corrected. "The magic she used to save you that night and destroy the Dark Lord's first body has not been seen in this land in centuries. It was believed to be a thing lost to humans, lost to you for your greed and pride."

"You know what magic she did?" Harry asked.

"I do." She said. "It is an ancient magic, one created before war and before death existed in this land. My people have legends of it's use. We felt your mother use it 15 years ago and we are interested in the product of such sacrifice and love."

"Could you tell me this legend?" Harry asked. "I've never…"

"Perhaps another time." She said. "For now, we must speak of our common enemy, Lord Voldemort. Do not fear, his magic cannot reach us here in the depths."

"I wouldn't be too sure about that." Harry said. "Do you remember the break-in you had five or six years ago? That was led by him in an attempt to get his hands on the Philosopher's Stone."

And for the first time in this conversation, Harry saw true emotion pass over the goblin chief's face. It wasn't a good emotion. Harry swallowed and continued.

"Voldemort's shade had possessed a man by the name of Quirinus Quirrel and the two of them together broke into your bank." Harry said. "And he tried to do it again just last week, this time far more powerful than ever before. I have some suspicions about why but I don't know for sure."

"So, this was not his first trespass." Ricbert said. "That should appease the council, now boy, tell me. Why did he target me and mine?"

"Have you ever heard of a horcrux?"

She had not.

Harry had to tell her. He had a feeling he wouldn't like talking about it this time any more than he had the first time.

His tongue felt dry as he carefully explained how Voldemort had survived this long and that he could have created up to eight of the hocruxes in an attempt to secure his immortality.

"We know where one is." Harry said, his hand spasmed as he forced himself not to rub at his scar. "And I've already destroyed one more. If Voldemort learnt that I destroyed the diary then he might be trying to gather the others to a more protected location now that he's got a body again. Anyone of his followers could have placed a horcrux in your bank for safekeeping. I don't know that for certain but it's the only thing that makes…sense. Unless he's just decided to start a war with you because. He's kind of crazy."

"No wonder with the creation of such abominations!" She spat. "You believe one of those things to be in my kingdom? Where it could harm my people?"

"Yes ma'am." Harry said. "I…We're trying to come up with a spell to find them but we don't have anything yet, I'm sorry."

"That is intolerable. I will not allow such darkness to remain, no. We will do a search for dark objects."

"I might be able to help." Harry offered. "I don't mean any offense! It's just my scar connects me to Voldemort, parts of him make it hurt. If you find something that makes my scar hurt, that's probably a horcrux."

She looked at him and then nodded. Harry watched as she clapped her hands and spoke in a language he didn't understand. To the left of him, a wall melted into mist and three goblins entered. They all spoke with Ricbert in the same language and Harry just waited and tried not to make his staring too obvious.

"How are Hocruxes destroyed?" She asked him.

"You need basilisk venom."

"That's useless, basilisks are extinct."

"About that…" Harry said. "Do you all remember that sword that was made for Godric Gryffindor?"

"The sword that was stolen from my people?"

"Yes." Harry said. "I know it was meant to be returned to you after Godric's death, I'm sorry that it wasn't. I used it to slay a basilisk 3 years ago and it got some of its venom on it. We're hoping the sword will be powerful enough to destroy the others we find. I know I should return it but…but I can't think of another way to destroy these things. Some books say fiendfyre will work but only if they haven't been enchanted against them."

"If you purchase the sword from my people again, you may use it for the rest of your life." She said. "But only after it is returned and inspected. No goblin weapon has been without its people for so long. You must understand, when a goblin forges a weapon, they add some of themselves to it, it becomes a part of our nation, a member of a family."

"Of course." Harry said. He didn't hesitate to offer to bring it back to them. He knew the sword was important, and that nothing would do in its place. If the goblins decided he couldn't use it they'd have to go back down to the chamber of secrets and hope the basilisk's fangs hadn't completely dried out. "I'll go to where Godric hid it and bring it back to you as soon as I can."

Harry looked at the four goblins and realized something else. It was something he and his dad had talked about once and he'd tried not to think about too hard.

"I'm a demi-god. I might not have a human lifetime." Harry said. "I don't know if I'll live for a century or for a millennia yet. I want to purchase the sword I do but if it's a part of your people keeping it for my whole life might not be fair, it also might mean I only keep it for a year or two depending on how this war plays out."

She snorted again, this time sounding far more amused than anything.

"If you return the sword to me and mine every century and allow us to keep and care for it for one year, you may keep it for the entirety of your lifetime, whether it be human or god-like. We will create a contract with these terms once the sword has been returned."

"Okay." Harry agreed immediately. "And what is the price?"

"Voldemort's head and the destruction of every one of his hocruxes."

"You don't want…money?"

"What good is money to a people like mine? No. I want results, Child of Lily. Kill Voldemort and destroy his horcruxes, that is my price. You may use the sword as long as you are working towards those goals and you may keep it if you complete them. If you fail, I will assume it is because of your death and the sword will return to us. No one else will be allowed to purchase it."

Right. Just like everything else in the world it seemed like only Harry could do this or that. He sighed and nodded in agreement. Ricbert waved the other goblins away with a few more instructions and then told him that she had orders for the goblins to begin to search the human vaults for dark magical objects. Anything that could fit with what Harry had described would be brought within an hour. Once it was brought Harry would leave with it and return within three days with the sword.

After that Harry was shuffled to a different room with Ricbert, this one with a seat for him and a desk for them to work between. This room was not as fancy as the throne room and the chair they gave him was a bit too small but other than that he thought the nice dark wood of the walls was pleasant to look at.

"My people wish to see Voldemort destroyed." She said.

"That's something we agree on then."

"Good. I will speak to the council and to our king about what you have revealed today. When you return with the sword I may have an offer for you beyond what I have already given."

"The council?" Harry asked.

"Did you think us savages, human, that our king would rule without listening to the wants of our people?"

"No! I was just curious!" Harry said rearing back. "I don't know anything about your people, and I don't want to offend you anymore than I already have. But I can't avoid doing that if I don't know anything."

She looked at him with narrowed eyes, assessing him and his posture before she nodded again.

"The council is a weekly meeting where any citizen of our nation can speak to me and our king about their concerns. Major leaders in various parts of our culture will converge to speak on behalf of those they represent. It is with them we will discuss what must be done about Voldemort."

"Okay." Harry said. "Thank you for explaining."

"Be honest. If you could ask for anything from us, what would it be?"

Harry paused at that. He didn't know near enough about goblins to have an answer that wasn't immediately offensive. It reminded him of the conversation he had with the Americans where he didn't ask for anything at all. He knew that if he asked for nothing that he would offend them, that that would probably come off as him pitying them. He'd learnt at least that much. So what to ask for?

"If I could ask for anything, I think I'd ask for…for something after the war is done."

"You would not ask for armies? For weapons?"

"I already have the one sword I need." Harry said referencing Godric Gryffindor's sword. "And your people can fight whether or not I want them too. I wouldn't dream of commanding them or anything."

"Then what would you dream of?"

"This war only happened because everything is so divided in our world." Harry said. "And…and after Voldemort is gone, I want to make it better. For everyone. I know you have your own kingdom but the fact that most wizards treat you all so poorly isn't right. I don't know what sort of future would look best for all of us, for your people and for mine, and I can't know by myself. Peace is only possible if we work together for it. So, I guess…I guess I'd ask for your patience? I'm probably going to offend you again while I try to make things better, I might make things worse before I make them better by accident so…yeah. Patience."

"You believe in peace that much then?"

"It's the only thing I want really."

"I will pass your request onto the king." She said coolly, not making it clear whether or not he'd given a good answer. He shifted awkwardly.

It took the goblins a short amount of time to find a series of objects that could be horcruxes. They brought them into the room within minutes of Harry's request to Ricbert and soon Harry was looking at objects, focusing his magic sense and recoiling at the darkness in each of them before shaking his head and telling Ricbert that it was evil but not a horcrux.

It took 32 minutes and 17 different objects before a smaller goblin came in carrying a golden cup. The moment it was in the room Harry hissed and leaned back in his chair.

"That's it. That." He said. "It's got him all over it I swear."

The goblin holding it immediately dropped it and jumped back, even Ricbert looked disturbed. Harry wondered what they'd do if they knew he was just like that cup.

His scar itched and he rubbed at it.

"Could I have…like a bag to put it in?" Harry asked. "I don't really want to touch it either."

Ricbert nodded and ordered the smaller goblin in that foreign language. The goblin nodded and quickly left, returning within seconds with a thick leather bag.

"It should keep the darkness within it." She said. "Only open it when you intend to destroy it."

"Okay." Harry said watching the smaller goblin use magic to levitate the cup into the bag and tie the bag securely shut. "I'll bring you the sword in three days."

"Three days."

Harry left the bank, the bag hanging from off one shoulder. He felt the stares of the dozens of goblins at the front desks of the bank on his back and shivered. He rubbed at his scar again.

He'd promised Ricbert the destruction of all the horcruxes.

What did that mean for him?