Chapter seven, I guess. Time for some goblin stuff.
To be honest with you all, I kind of hate the trope that makes Harry lord of eighteen bloody houses and makes him king of the wizarding world. I'm okay with an overpowered Harry Potter story, but him coming out of nowhere and making massive political decisions is kinda… just out of the blue, you know?
However, I will include politics in this story. Mind you, they will not be until much later in the story, minus the trial of Sirius Black, which will indeed happen.
I don't want to say much more than that, just know that Harry won't dominate the wizengamot just yet, and if he gets around to it, it will be with the buy-in from other families like the Longbottoms and Sirius black.
Let's get on with this, shall we?
—0—
The healing chamber of the fourth section of Gringotts winding maze of caves was a very calm area. Despite its normal patients being those who had been injured by beasts, the goblins who ran the ward were all exceptionally well versed in their craft, and had even helped deliver some magical creatures themselves.
The head goblin, who went by Spearmint, was by far the most accomplished in the ward, having delivered several magical creatures including, but not limited to, a thestral, a unicorn, a manticore, and even an oversized dragons egg.
Spearmint was a cherry goblin, quite the opposite from her tribe, who was all business. But she found that the best results were received through patience and a good outlook, and because of that, it was always she whom Coppergash would bring human patients.
However, when Spearmint felt the faint magic of the bundled child in Charles Scortwits arms, her happy demeanor shifted to a frantic rush. She could pretty much taste the suffering that this child had been through, and she felt that even a whiff of the shadowy magic clinging to them was caught, even the goblin king would stoop down to lend his aid.
"What the bloody hell is this? This goes far beyond a beast attack!" Spearmint grunted, quickly casting spells over the bundle of blankets in order to assess the child's body without exposing them to everyone present.
"Scortwit had the kid in his transport. Other than that-"
"I found them outside of a muggle inhabited area."
Spearmint gnashed her teeth as she ran a gnarled hand over the improperly mended dent in the child's head. "I assume you ran them over?"
"I did… But they were still in one piece! Anything hit by that thing should be paste!"
Spearmint pushed the eyes of the child open, finding a pair of multicolored irises, red and green fluctuating constantly.
"I've never seen such a thing…"
The goblin continued to cast spells over the child's body, uncovering the thin arms that were covered in scabs and resetting them before cleaning the wounds and causing them to vanish. After each arm was done, she tucked the child's arms back within the blanket and moved to their legs, repeating the process.
It worried her that the child's feet were pretty much black from dirt and grime. She had already cleaned out so many infected areas that it was a wonder that the child was alive.
"What is it?" Coppergash questioned.
"Cover your nose. I smell something… urgh!"
The healer turned away as she uncovered the rest of the child's body. Infected brands were all over their chest, and their lower extremities had been horrifically altered by some terrible muggle surgery.
"Coppergash… contact the enforcement division… I want that area stormed!"
The beast keeper goblin was stuck, gazing in horror at the horrific state of the child's body.
Scortwit was doing his best not to vomit. There wasn't much that sickened him, but these alterations and punishments being forced on a child? It was enough to turn the stomach of a dementor.
As Spearmint glossed over the infected parts of the child's body, their eyes snapped open. An unholy shriek echoed from their mouth as the healer shouted before grabbing onto the child's forehead.
"Coppergash! Halfwit! Pin the legs!"
As the goblin and human struggled to keep the child down, the shrieking continued. A black mist drifted from the child's face and took on the form of a black cloaked monster, spindly gray fingers grasping at the air as everything turned cold.
"A fucking Dementor?"
"They're made when a consciousness exists without being tied to a soul!" Spearmint shouted. "The child had black magic embedded within them, a soul fragment!"
Scortwit drew his wand and hastily conjured a patronus shield as the dementor swooped in.
"Why the hell is this thing here then? If he has more than one soul in him, why was it created?"
The goblin healer grit her teeth as she held the screaming childs head down. "Do I look like I have a clue? Quickly, slay the bloody thing!"
"You cannot slay a dementor!" Scortwit grunted.
"Of course you can! Are you wizards truly that stupid? Burn it to ash!" Coppergash grunted.
"Of course." Scortwit smarmed. "Burn it to ash Halfwit, carry the boy Halfwit, What did you do Halfwit-"
"NOW IS NOT THE TIME!" Spearmint roared.
Scortwit grunted and waved his wand. "Incendio!"
The dementor screamed as it was smote across the breast. Its spindly fingers curled unnaturally as smoke poured from its chest.
"That's not enough, it has to be Fiendfyre!" Spearmint shouted over the screaming. "It can destroy souls, and so it can destroy the soulless."
"Pestis Incendium!" Scortwit encanted, causing a massive wolf made of blood red fire to spring from his wand and attack the dementor.
With a scream, the entire creature exploded in a spray of black blood. Scortwit gave a shout as a few of the spatters hit his skin, burning him, even though they were ice cold.
Spearmint waved her hand and caused her goblin magic to clean up the blood, before turning back to the child on the table, who had stopped screaming.
"What the hell did you get yourself into Halfwit?" Coppergash shouted.
Scortwit panted as the healer ran over his skin with a bit of goblin magic, soothing the dementor's blood burns. "I have no clue… what the hell was that?"
Spearmint looked at the child. "A dementor is born by a desire to have a soul, however, they are creatures that are unable to have one of their own. They attempt to eat the souls of others, in order to restore themselves…"
"That means… every victim of a dementor-"
"A victim of a dementor's kiss, if their will is strong enough, will retain their sense of greed and sorrow. They could be from a dead wizard, muggle, even just an amalgamation of discarded memories. When they pass, or these memories are disposed of, their broken consciousness would join the ranks of those who stole their soul, seeking for a soul to make them whole anew. It is a sorrowful and dark existence. Nobody even knows where the first dementors emerged. But, after seeing this spectacle, I can make a guess."
Scortwit blinked as the goblin ran a claw over the child's forehead.
"A horcrux, when created, seeks to protect not only itself, but its container. These protections may manifest as a curse, or a strong compulsion. However, these are taking into account an inanimate vessel." Coppergash explained.
Scortwit blinked. "Horcruxes themselves are essentially the darkest of magics, but turning a living creature into one is a taboo even for the darkest wizard or witch… so that means-"
Spearmint nodded. "If a fragment of a soul is introduced to another soul, and it attempts to fight it for control of the body, the result is one, or both of those souls dying. I would assume that the consciousness of the horcrux would wish to live, no matter what state they are in."
Scortwit shook his head. "Dear skies above… But what about what you said before? About memories?"
The goblin nodded. "In the case with such dementors, the memories must be given up willingly. Do you truly believe that a child of this age would do such a thing?"
Scortwit looked down at the child. "No… I don't…"
Spearmint sighed and walked over to a large desk. The goblin began scribbling upon a roll of parchment.
"What happens next?" Scortwit blinked as she continued.
"Next, I make a note and sign the list of rituals performed this year. Each branch receives compensation for that sort of thing, and because this ritual will most assuredly take a lot of effort, I must keep it on record."
"A ritual?" Scortwit blinked. "You intend to use blood magic on a human child?"
"Do you wish for them to remain in a coma? Better yet, do you wish for them to walk around in that abomination of a body? No, the healers and I will resolve this."
"Then… what do I do?"
"This child obviously doesn't have a great living situation." Coppergash spoke.
"Obviously." Scortwit nodded.
"Then you'd better get ready. It's your duty to provide for them now."
Scortwits eyes became dinner plates. "What? But the goblin nation-"
"Euuh, bluh bluh, the goblin nation!" Spearmint mocked. "We don't care for wizard children, it is part of the pact sworn long ago after the great wars. It will be up to you to care for the child, so go! Provide for them until you can find a better situation!"
Scortwit was pushed out of the healing chamber along with Coppergash. "Both of you, out! I have a complicated ritual to perform, and it will do no good to have you interrupt it!"
The wizard and beastkeeper stared blankly as the door to the healing chamber was slammed in their face.
"So… what next?"
Coppergash sighed. "You heard me. You've got to start preparing. I'll go see how your apprentice is faring. You go into the alley for robes and the other living commodities."
Scortwit nodded. "I understand."
"Also, Scortwit. Get the kid a surprise. A toy, perhaps. Maybe a broomstick. Something they can have fun with."
"Judging by how I found them they'd most likely accept basic robes and books. But you're right. I'll see you in a bit Coppy."
"Still don't like that nickname!"
"It makes you sound approachable." Scortwit chuckled as he was led to the bank entrance.
"Yeah yeah, whatever you say Charles Fontaine Halfwit."
"It's Scortwit!"
—0—
This is a short chapter for a good reason. I want the main focus of the next chapter to be the healing ritual.
I don't enjoy the rushed processes of Gringotts in other stories. While taking care of a new lord of a house is quick, blood tests and other heritage tests should take much longer. Healing potions and the like shouldn't be one dose and then you're done.
I want to make Goblin Magic and other magics, like house elf magic, more in tune with different myths and folktales rather than "I snap my fingers and the world gives me what I want."
Instead, I want more major rituals to take time. Something as big as delivering a baby, in folktales and even just world history… They were celebrated. Someone would be blessed if they had twins, a seventh son of a seventh son was rumored to have great power! These are things that I want to incorporate into this story, the idea of celebration in rituals, not just "Three drops of blood and a second later you're a king."
So, I'll explain a bit more of that in the beginning of the next chapter. I can outline the main workings of goblin and Elf magic. They aren't all powerful, and there are a lot of reasons for their broad range of capabilities.
Anyways, until then.
Adios.