The sharing of salt and mead only takes another half an hour after the lesson on the meaning of the ritual. During which time they talk about inconsequential things, such as children, hobbies, and other aspects of small talk. Once the niceties have been observed, Ragnok leads the further underground into a well appointed room where goblins come and go with notes, messages, and money while women work the books and contracts. Where the foyer of the bank is full of scowling faces and tension you can cut, in here there is banter and smiles in their own language.
The two of them are led past the bustle to an old goblin lady who is sitting on a raised platform, occasionally a goblin will take a ledger or question to her, and have a quiet conversation. Ragnok waits for one such conversation to finish before leading the two up the stairs. It's a little awkward for the humans, as the stripes are sized for goblin feet.
"Madam director, may I introduce our guests from the Tuath Dé, Morgana and her son Harry."
The woman's eyes widen noticeably as she turns to examine Morgana. Once she's taken in her features, the director leaves her chair and kneels on the floor, "Divinity, what can the clan of Gringotts do for one of your station?"
Morgana sighs, "To start with, remember that I have shared salt and mead. I am here as a guest not a ruler. My son has received his Hogwarts letter and we need to ensure that his tuition is paid, and any effects from his birth family have been claimed."
The director looks over at Harry, who lets go of the mist, and her eyes widen for the second time as she sees his scar, "Ruby! Get the Potter accounts from Bugnaff, you're in charge of them now."
That said, she turns back to the guests, "While you respect guest rights Ruby will manage your account. If you abuse our trust it will be handed back to the men."
Harry inclines his head, "Thank you for the honour. Please be forgiving with me, as I have very little experience with your culture. As such I may cause offence inadvertently through ignorance. If this does come to pass, please inform me of my mistake."
"You are very well spoken for a human welp."
"It is one of the gifts I gained from my mother." Harry indicates Morgana as he speaks to make it clear which mother.
"Well, be careful of your honeyed tongue, as some in our culture will take it as a form of deceit."
Harry laughs, "That would be my uncle cousin Óengus, though he's not likely to come here. While I'm not as direct as my mother, that's because she heard the word diplomacy and assumed it was a type of sword."
The director chuckles as Morgana clips Harry around the back of the head.
"Madam and Mr Danann, please follow me to review your accounts."
Harry turns to look at Ruby, then back at the director, "Director, would I be correct in assuming that your clan name is Gringotts?"
The director smiles, "Close, it's Gringott."
"Thank you," Harry turns back to Ruby, "Miss, please call us by our given names. Calling us Mr or Madam Danann would be like us calling you Miss Gringott."
Morgana adds, "Danann literally means 'descendant of Danu', there are other names that you will hear people use for us, however Danann is the one that we choose to use outside our official capacities."
"Thank you Morgana, I will take this lesson to heart. May I ask if you are of any relation to Morgana Le Fay?"
Morgana shakes her head, "No, I have been using this alias far longer than it has been since Le Fay was born. Now, I believe you asked us to follow you."
"Yes Ma'am, er, right this way."
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Ruby leads the two to a small utilitarian office with an old Victorian accountants desk and a couple of steps to allow shorter people to stand level with the surface. Walking up one set of steps, Ruby places two ledgers and a scroll case on the desk. Once she's done, she opens both ledgers to their last pages, where there is a lot of red ink on both of them.
"Harry, Morgana, I am sorry to say that the Potter accounts are currently in dispute, and normally Gringotts would have foreclosed on the both of them. However, as the transactions, that caused yourselves to break the terms of the contract your family has with Gringotts, happened after we were notified of your change of guardian, we have put this action on hold until you appeared in the bank. As you are guests in good standing, I am authorized to waive the fees and action if you are able to bring the accounts above their minimum balance thresholds today."
Morgana hums, "What action would be taken if we failed to do this?"
"We would foreclose on each vault and auction off any non-monetary items in the vault, the proceeds of this auction would be applied to the missed rental fees, plus an additional 10 months rental. If there was still an outstanding balance, we would then inform the Department of Magical Law Enforcement that you were a debtor, and that we require you to be extradited to our lands in order to face trial and pay for the debt. It is likely that you would either be sent to the mines or dragon pens if we caught you."
Morgana smiles a smile that promises exceedingly large amounts of pain to someone, "Pray tell, how do you identify the owner of a vault?"
"By the key."
"I see. In which case, Clan Danann wishes it to be known that House Potter falls under its banner by adoption. As such, we would like you to open a clan vault, as well as duplicate vaults for House Potter. Upon reaching the age of majority, the head of House Potter may take possession of the vaults and separate from the clan, or they will become wholly part of the clan holdings. Once the material goods have been transferred to the new vault, House Potter will relinquish ownership of their old vaults to the keyholder.
"I name the current keyholder Thief and Oath breaker and curse the keys to forever be at hand, never leaving their possession until they are handed to a Gringotts account manager in good standing by the keyholder by their own free will; until justice has been paid for all of the crimes the keyholder has committed against both House Potter and Clan Gringott, death will be denied them."
Ruby steps back and falls of the steps as The Mórrígan pushes her will upon the world while pronouncing the curse. Over her shoulders a cape made from ravens feathers ripples in an unseen wind while the scent of blood and death fill the small office along with the sounds of battle. Across the city of London, every single bell tolls once in unison.
As Morgana's mantle fades away, Ruby stammers, "I'm sorry, but I don't have the authority to agree to your wishes. I…If you will wait right here I will take your proposal to the Director along with details of the service you have just performed for Gringotts Bank." Without waiting for an answer, she flees the room.
While they're waiting, Harry comments, "Mum, you know you're not supposed to play with mortals like that."
"Normally you would be right, however you are my child and so your honour is my honour, your mistakes are my mistakes, and crimes against you are crimes against me. What happened here is that a crime was perpetrated against you, as your parent it is my duty to respond to those crimes. While we now live in a world of science and communal justice. Our clan dates from a time where the only justice was personal justice, even if it was mediated by a priest or a chief. You my son, straddle both worlds. At some point in the future you will have to choose where your home is. Is it in the other, where you will have a demesne of your own, and able to visit this world. Or will it be here, as a mortal, able to visit my home, but destined to die a mortal death and return to the cycle of life.
"I don't know when or how you will choose, nobody does or can. However, no matter how you choose, you will always be my son by blood."
Harry hugs Morgana, "Thanks Mum."
It doesn't take long after that before both Ruby and the Director to return, the director laboriously climbs the steps to look at the ledgers. "I have been told of your desire, however Gringotts bank cannot allow the transfer of goods from an account that is currently in default. What we can do is put the accounts into review while they are transferred to key holder only accounts. If during this review process, they are brought into good standing the transfer can take place before the review completes."
Morgana nods before she holds out her hand, just in front of it a swirl of mist forms into a disk. In moments, the disk turns into a portal to her personal chambers. Reaching through, she picks up a small wooden trinket box before allowing the portal to disperse. Opening the box she takes out two small gems that glow with their own light.
On the table she first places a diamond that glows with a brilliant white light, "I would have you deposit the monetary value of this Sun Diamond into the new Danann accounts."
Morgana then places a sapphire that glows with a silvery grey light, "This Moon Sapphire is for the Potter accounts."
Seeing the sapphire, the Director drops to her knees and bows her head, "Goddess, thank you for this honour, and please forgive us. We cannot deposit the monies that you require, as the value of the Sun Diamond alone exceeds the entire wealth of our clan. The Moon Sapphire is far more valuable than even that, and it will bring my clan much prestige to have a visible reminder of our homeland. Would you be willing to accept a tithe of 1% to the Danann accounts, and 5% to the Potter accounts, to be paid from out profits monthly?"
"Surely these stones are not that valuable."
"To other races this would undoubtedly be true, however our people left the winter court millennia before Christianity was born. The why is lost to the annals of time, only the fact that we chose exile over some other fate is remembered. Over time, the treasures and histories that we brought with us faded and crumbled as the magic of the Other dissipated into the earth. If you allow it, this stone will be placed deep in the halls of our people, where the Historians give lessons to our young. There it will serve as a visual reminder that where we came from is real, and that we are more than the wizards would have us be."
Harry reaches forward and lifts the Director to her feet, "Stand, I would not see any of such a proud race bend knee to us. Take the stones as a gift to your people, we will provide other resources to fill our vaults. If you will allow me to depart to our home in Scotland, I will return to this office within the hour with the resources needed to reactivate our account."
The director looks at Morgana with a questioning look, "I will accompany my son."
Ruby speaks up from the side, "I could do with the time to draw up the necessary documents for the new vaults."
The director nods, "Come Ruby, you can perform that task on the platform. We will leave a runner here to inform us of their return."
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Once Harry and Morgana step out of the mist into their courtyard, Morgana pulls Harry into a hug, "I am proud of you Harry. Why did you choose to make those stones a gift to the nation?"
Harry stops to think for a moment while he takes comfort from his mother, "I think it's because there's more at work than just an agreement between people. The way the Director kept using the words can't and couldn't. I don't know, I just feel like, if we took them up on their offer we'd be no better than the wizards they hate. Equally, we couldn't take the stones back once we knew how important they were to their people, as that would be worse."
"You saw deeper than I did then. Come, show me where you are going."
Harry moves to stand before the gate, and Ephis stands on top of his head. Over the next 20 minutes mist gathers in the gate and slowly a meadow in bloom with spring flowers becomes visible. Behind the meadow is a small rocky hill. Once the image stabilises, Harry holds his hand out to his mother. When she takes it, he leads them through the archway.
On the other side The Mórrígan stops and looks around, an unreadable expression on her face, "This was once my sisters domain. I haven't been here since she shed her immortality. We all thought it had been lost, dissipated into the Other." She walks over and kneels down in front of Harry, taking his hands in her own, "I am so very sorry that you have this burden on your shoulders Harry. You should have the opportunity to develop on your own and make a domain that fits you. I want you to promise me something."
Harry looks at the tears forming in his mothers eyes before answering, "What would you like me to promise?"
"I want you to always remember that you are Yvor, my son. You are not my sister Brigid. If you have found her domain, then you are unlikely to be able to avoid all of her influence. However, if you stay true to yourself, then this domain will change to match. I want you to promise me that you will always be true to yourself Yvor."
Harry shakes his head, "I can't promise that mother. However, upon my name Yvor, son of Mórrigu The Mórrígan I promise to always do my best to stay true to who I am regardless of any pressures being placed upon me."
As Harry says the last words, the whole domain rings like a bell and a training dummy appears beside the forge. A change that won't be found for many months to come.
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In a Roman Forum that has long been hidden from mundane eyes, an old wizard reaches into his robe for a lemon drop and pops it in his mouth. As he bites down, instead of the release of sherbet to accompany the sour of the lemon, he instead feels the cold texture of metal. Spitting it out, he is surprised to see the golden glint of a Gringotts key. Taking another lemon drop, he glances at it before dropping it in surprise as it's a second Gringotts key.