Amazing Grace Period
Author's Notes- Feedback is appreciated. Please leave a comment.
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The alarm on the owl-box went off with the sound of a gentile chime. Ted Tonks stopped reading and stood up briskly before he'd given it a thought. With the way he sprang from his desk, he questioned if it was the owls who were trained or if he was the creature who was conditioned to respond by reflex. Solicitor Tonks carefully took the folded parchment from the leg of the spotted owl. He also gave the tired owl a treat followed by a few moments of praise. The owl accepted both before she carefully climbed onto a perch and closed her eyes to rest. Only then did Solicitor Tonks feel free to consider the message he had received.
Ted scanned the parchment with his wand as it sat on his desk. Normally his house elf would do that for him. Mister Tonks had started answering his own owls ever since Lord Sirius Orion Black arrived in the back garden. That was a fortnight ago. Their unexpected house guest was welcome even though he had kept both Ted and his wife unusually busy.
Andromeda Tonks was a Healer. In addition to addressing his medical issues, she felt the need to treat her new patient without drawing unwanted attention. She had deliberately borrowed potions from her colleagues rather than placing a noticeably large order with a single supplier. Lending a wand at another healer's practice when that healer was on vacation or particularly busy produced an enduring bond of goodwill. That trust was as valuable an asset as a deposit at Gringotts Wizarding Bank. More so, since the debt wasn't reported to Revenue and Customs. That bank of goodwill let Andromeda Tonks do things that other healers could not do. Sirius Black was the fortunate beneficiary of both her professional care and the network of colleagues she'd cultivated through the years.
Black may not have liked the potions he took, but they were made slightly sweeter in that they were delivered without special deliveries to the Tonks home. It would never do to cure Sirius of human illness and then let his enemies find him. Fixing his body would take weeks. Healing the mind of Sirius Black would take longer. Few of us have ever faced the level of malevolence he endured in Azkaban.
The wand movements completed, Solicitor Tonks found no sign of curses or dark magic on the latest parchment. He broke the wax seal and unfolded the message. The blank sheet required his magical signature before the written message appeared. He read the message twice.
He liked the results less with each reading. He'd long ago accepted that wizards have their own reasons for doing things. He also knew that the reasons may not be apparent if politics became involved. The judges of the Triwizard tournament had surprised him. He set the parchment down. Then, he sat back in his chair to think.
They say that money talks, but the judges in the Triwizard Tournament were refusing to listen. A sizable stack of gold bars failed to free young Lord Potter. Despite the fortune in gold, Harry was still bound by the magical contract enforced by the Goblet of Fire. Three adult wizards put the boy's magic at risk. They put the boy's very life at risk! Those actions said quite a bit about the three wizards administering the tournament. For Solicitor Tonks, it was almost a signed confession. Tonks thought harder instead of getting angry.
He thought he had the Black and Potter cases neatly resolved. He closed his eyes and the world went away as he considered his options. It was a good five minutes before he finally picked up his quill and began to write.
You don't really know what you think until you push your ideas onto parchment and examine them. What seems like a workable plan can have horrible problems that are only revealed by lamplight once the ink is dry. He explored four approaches that were described in more than a half-meter of parchment. To be fair, his handwriting became slightly larger as his fingers struggled to keep pace with his thoughts.
He crossed out the obviously impractical ideas. Only then did he write a reply to Headmaster Dumbledore and send the owl on her way back to the Hogwarts owlery. His writing hand was tired. He stood and stretched as he went about fixing his tea. Perhaps his wife would like some as well.
He sent another owl and went to talk with his wife. It was better to talk to her now since this had every indication of being another busy day.
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Solicitor Ted Tonks sat heavily in the chair. The goblins at Gringotts were doing their best. Their resizing charms helped to fit the chair to its human, but not completely. The end result was that the chair was slightly oversized for a goblin and slightly small for a human male. He did appreciate the cushioning charms. Those were exceptional.
"How honest should I be?" Ted asked.
"We have found that all secrets are temporary. Candor saves both of us from embarrassment," Gripclaw said. Now it was the goblin's turn to sit back and wait for answers.
Tonks was as direct as possible given what neither side could state out loud. "I want to know if Ludovic Bagman is a good risk. My client is involved with him in a speculative enterprise. I paid for a credit report. I hope we can discuss it."
The assistant branch manager at Gringotts Wizarding Bank leaned forward and tented his fingers. "Acting as an investment advisor, all involvement with Wizard Bagman is dangerous and ill-advised. Based on personal experience, I hope your client is properly insured and that Bagman has a performance bond to make sure he delivers as promised."
The goblin had only confirmed for Ted what he already knew. "Unfortunately, the event is not insured. I was brought in when the risks became unmanageable. What can you tell me about Wizard Bagman?"
"As you can see from the credit report, Bagman has a number of outstanding debts. They are secured by his share of ownership in his parents' home. Like you, I was brought into the picture when Bagman failed to fulfill his obligations. He is facing his second penalty for late payments. He has asked for a grace period to reorganize his affairs."
Tonks thought before he spoke. Translated from goblin to human, Ludo Bagman was a bad risk and the goblins didn't like him.
Ted said, "Gringotts is known for its prudent investments. It seems that Mister Bagman's financial obligations are outside the usual class of assets that Gringotts likes to hold."
Gripclaw sighed as it was Tonks turn to state the obvious. The assistant branch manager couldn't divulge information about individual clients without breaching professional standards of privacy. There was still a lot to say.
"I can tell you this. The payment history would not attract us to do business with Wizard Bagman again," Gripclaw said.
Ted listened. Stripped of the fancy words, the goblins wanted to be rid of Bagman and his problems. That insight repaid Ted's investment of time and the price of the credit report.
"Do you know if Gringotts would be willing to sell Bagman's loans?" Ted asked.
"That could be considered under the appropriate terms. What did you have in mind?"
Gripclaw shifted in his seat and looked directly at Tonks. Ted recognized the deliberate indicators that the goblin was interested. Gripclaw wasn't playing poker with him. They were now negotiating a mutually beneficial transaction. Unfortunately, the first person to name a price was at a disadvantage.
"We'd pay 50 percent of face value in cash. I can have the drafts authorized tomorrow and we can close the deal the day after." Tonks didn't expect the goblin to agree, but the offer was a place to start negotiations.
"70 percent, and you pay the processing fees," Gripclaw responded.
"65 percent of face. You pay the fees. We get clean loan and ownership documents by tomorrow noon, and your portfolio will look better by tomorrow night. Will you be here to process the transfer when I bring the authorization this afternoon?" Ted wanted to negotiate on terms rather than price.
He didn't have much time if he wanted to get Sirius's signature and move the funds today. It would be hard, but he would make it happen. His wife loved him and she would hold dinner until he got back.
He had expected the Gringotts representative to respond with a much smaller discount. Evidently Bagman was a worse risk than they let on. Effectively, they were forcing Bagman into bankruptcy. The only way they would recover the money would be to sell Bagman's family home. What wasn't clear was how many additional creditors would come forward and claim their share of the proceeds.
Gripclaw stopped negotiating and closed the deal. He stood up and extended his hand. That was an entirely human gesture, but the human now standing in front of him deserved the sign of respect.
"A worthwhile exchange, Wizard Tonks. You can leave the transfer at the front desk. They will record the time of the transaction and I'll get the documents. The new load documents will be ready tomorrow. We look forward to working with you and your client again."
Tonks hadn't mentioned Lord Black. Then again, Tonks had asked Gringotts to perform a blood test looking for the Godfather Oath. (There were several advantages that came with being married to a Healer.) Without saying it explicitly, Gripclaw had let him know the goblins supported Blacks efforts to clear his name. That might say something about who was using the funds from House Black in Sirius's absence. That discussion would have to wait.
Tonks shook the goblin's hand. Gripclaw was pushing a quill today, but his hands still had calluses. Tonks couldn't tell if the calluses were left over from working in the mines or from more recent sword-work. "May your mind and your blade never dull," Tonks said.
A young Gringotts runner had already opened the office door by the time Tonks gathered his notes. Tonks would like to learn more about Gripclaw. Unfortunately, Tonks only had a few hours to write up the documents and get back before the bank closed.
By tomorrow he would own Ludo Bagman's gambling debts and so own Ludo Bagman. Tonks wondered if the gambler knew he was worth more dead than alive.
After he transferred the funds this afternoon, he'd have to bring home a nice bottle of wine.
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Author's Notes- Feedback is essential if you want more stories like this. Ted is watching his original plans unravel. What do you think of the Gringotts goblin and Solicitor Tonks? Is this chapter too short?