THE VAULTS

Hermione felt a slight chill down her back, and she turned before closing the door and she saw him. The boy who would become her nightmare. She froze and all she could do was stare at the person who knew nothing of what he would become, and she knew too well how she would watch him take everything she loved. She hated him with every fibre of her being and yet she couldn't move. Scared that she would break with the slightest miss step. That her reality of redemption would cease to be, and she would appear again in front of her war ridden world.

"Hermione?" She could hear Draco in front of her and she braved to look away from the boy she would one day kill towards another she still did not trust. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply and let all the pent-up tension within her flow out with her breath. She moved on as if Tom Riddle did not exist. She would save her anger for another day when she knew all she could and strike with precision. To be brash now would only give way to failure. She took each step as stiff as a stick, but she forced herself to keep moving, following Abraxas and his idiot goons who would also become her target of revenge. She kept moving because right now that was all she could do.

Eventually she found her arms were full of books and her uniform. She hadn't even realised she had been fitted for. Out of nowhere Ally appeared with a quite pop in front of her. "Miss I is to take your stuff." Hermione stared at the elf, and she couldn't help but notice how much she resembled Dobby. Ignoring her observation she just let Ally take her stuff and continued to follow the group. She walked through the doors of Gringotts held open by Draco she whispered an embarrassed thank you feeling his eyes burning a hole into her back as she walked onwards. She heard him quicken his step to catch up to her, but she tried to keep ignoring him.

"What is it I can help you with Mr Malfoy." A Goblin spoke leering over his podium.

"We are here to re-open a closed vault for the Cipher family." The Goblin assessed us for what felt forever. His stare was unsettling reminding her of a time she would rather forget she unconsciously wrapped her arms around herself rubbing her arms something she had picked up during the war.

"Please follow me to the lounge to further discuss the opening of the Cipher Vault." It seemed he had made his decision, and once again, all she could do was follow. She realized she hadn't caught his name and wondered if she should ask but worried it might be rude. Then she considered if this could be Grip Hook from her time. His hair was darker, and he seemed less burdened by age. Ultimately, she decided she didn't care whether it was him or not, nor if it was rude to ask his name. As a child, she had rarely visited this place, and the formalities had never stuck with her. Captivated by everything else the wizarding world had to offer, this place had never been her top priority. So, she just went for it.

"Sorry, but what is your name? I don't think we ever asked."

The Goblin stopped in his tracks and turned to look at the girl, his interest piqued. It was not every day a witch asked a Goblin's name. In fact, it was unprecedented.

"The name is Griphook, girl." He watched as her eyes lit up in surprise. He thought she was a bit odd, promising himself he would keep a close eye on this girl.

"Nice to meet you, Griphook. I'm Hermione," she said. Very odd indeed, he thought.

Finally, they arrived at the room. It was small, somewhat similar to the one they had passed through on their way to Diagon Alley, but it had an intoxicating richness about it. She watched as Abraxas and his entourage took every available chair, leaving her no choice but to sit next to Draco on the smallest couch. Reluctantly, she sat beside him, and all her worries seemed to dissipate as her hand accidentally landed on his. She looked at him, shocked that just touching him could make her feel so calm, a feeling she had almost forgotten existed. Tears welled up in her eyes, and her chest felt tight again, as if her body was trying to tell her something.

Draco was a little shocked that she hadn't pulled away from him. He noticed that since the wand shop, she seemed unsettled, so he chose to leave his hand where it was. She seemed to be feeling a bit better; her body had lost its tension, and her face was less strained. He decided to stay as still as possible so as not to startle her, focusing instead on the Goblin's words.

"I'll need to see a wand and take a sample of blood to verify the descendant of the Cipher family."

Everyone looked toward her. She reached for her wand and handed it slowly to the Goblin, also offering her finger for him to extract the needed blood. With a swift flick of his claw-like nail against her skin, a quick pain shot up her arm. He collected the blood, letting it drop into a uniquely shaped glass vial containing a powder. She noticed that where the blood touched, the powder changed to a very pale purple. The Goblin left the room for a moment, but the silence was deafening, nonetheless. When he returned, he spoke directly to Hermione.

"Mrs. Hermione, you do not only inherit the vault of the Ciphers but also those of four other houses. Unfortunately, the names under which these vaults have been saved have been lost, as they date back centuries, to a time before this bank. However, only you may continue with me from here onwards."

Panic washed over her again. Why couldn't she catch a break around here? Why would she go anywhere alone?

"Can't I take him with me?" she asked, pointing at Draco. It felt foolish, but right now Draco was her Harry and Ron, and she would delude herself to the very end whether he was on her side or not. She knew it was dangerous, but he kept surprising her, and she was tired of not having anyone there just for her. She knew it was selfish, but she noticed he seemed willing to be her friend. Despite everything, he hadn't complained about her touching him, and even after all he had said while they waited for their big test from the Malfoys, she somehow felt she could trust him. Deep down, she knew there was something she was missing, and every time he got close, the empty feeling disappeared. She had felt this way ever since the beginning of the war, figuring it was just because she missed the calm of the world before the hunt for the Horcruxes. Now, though, it seemed like something more.

"Can you prove there is a relationship between you?" Griphook asked, looking at the two curiously.

Hermione looked at Draco, and Draco felt his breath hitch. He didn't know what to do. Then he saw Hermione's wand, which the Goblin had placed on the little desk, glowing again.

"Hermione, your wand—it's doing that thing again."

Everyone looked over at it, watching the golden mist flow towards them. Well, towards Draco. Again, it shot up when it had found its target and latched onto Draco.

"Why does it keep doing that?" Abraxas said in an obnoxious and prissy voice. It almost sounded as though he was jealous it wasn't him, Hermione thought to herself. She turned to Griphook.

"Is that proof enough? My wand seems to think it owns him."

Griphook looked at the golden line again, considering whether to report this to his superiors later. However, he decided that if a wand was good enough verification for everyday transactions, then a wand choosing another to enter was a good enough connection.

"Alright, he may come, but no one else."

Hermione stood up to follow the Goblin, Draco in tow. Griphook let the others know they were welcome to stay but recommended they go home as it might take a while. Abraxas didn't seem to care what the Goblin was saying and immediately walked towards the Floo and left. She assumed she could just call Ally or do the same thing Abraxas had done to get back.

Griphook took them deep into the vaults it was almost so dark the torch Griphook was holding didn't seem to illuminate anything. She realised they had gone past Draco's aunts vaults and that all of a sudden it had gotten so cold it felt like it was burning her without her wand she had no way of making light or warming herself. "Is it possible to get our wands back Griphook. It's just that it's freezing, and we can barely see anything down here. How far down are we by the way?"

Griphook looked over at the two children whose wands lay safely in his pocket where he had put them before letting them enter the carriage. Watching them shiver a little longer he found was quite funny then he felt the tiniest bit of guilt for the girl when he noticed her lips had gone blue. "Alright here." He said shoving their wands ungracefully towards them. They quickly cast warming spells and Lumos spells. Revealing a very dingy cave made of just rocks and mud there was no actual structure to it besides the pillars lining the walls even the ceiling was bare exposing the wooden structure. It almost resembled a mine.

"This is where all dormant vaults are located after a century, they're relocated. We'll go to the unknown four first and then to the Ciphers as the unknown are on the very last level. If you wish to transfer all the vaults into one big vault at a more suitable level, we can do that however it will be very expensive. However, judging by the terms in which these vaults were open it seems you won't be lacking in the department of Galleons." Griphook watched the girl gaging her reaction to what he had just told her, but it didn't seem as though money held much power over her instead, she seemed very indifferent to it altogether. Surprising him when she asked if he knew whether they had left anything other than money.

"The Cipher vaults contain many books and artifacts found through their travel the same will be found in the other vaults." She was a little excited to see the books these vaults held if they were as old as he said they were the information found in them would be amazing.

Finally, they were stood in front of a very basic and inexpensive door although when she touched the vault, she could feel it pulsing beneath her finger tips the magic held within seemed to be calling her drawing out her own magic she heard the mechanical gears within the door creaking moving to allow the door to swing open. Her eyes were overwhelmed with books the smell of old damp parchment invaded her senses. Wondering around the vault she found a stake of intriguing books she slid her fingers against the rough edges of the spines of the books. Crouching down in front of the pile in front of her she opened the cover the book only to be disappointed to see blank pages. She put it down to replace it with another and then another and then another every time she opened a book it was blank. By the end of it she was so frustrated she walked out of the vault a gust of magic swept over her pushing her to the ground she shrieked in surprise.

Draco came running to her side. "Are you ok?" She looked at him bewildered and embarrassed she had shrieked. She also thought that that was a stupid question seeing as something other than a person had knocked her to the ground. Then she gasped seeing the same phrase in Latin was scribed in the dirt walls over and over and over again. "Decipher the code to read what lies inside". Draco whispered under his breath. She looked at him silently he was indeed intriguing she sometimes forgot how smart he actually was chastising herself for forgetting that.

"If this is what awaits me for the rest of the vaults Griphook I'd very much like to skip that and further discuss finances out of the cold, please.?" Hermione said standing up and wiping the dirt off her clothes.

After a long discussion with Griphook Hermione realised she was in fact know the riches witch in all of Britain. The vaults she has now inherited invested money in many successful wizarding companies and surprisingly muggle companies. Not only this but all the vaults had an interest agreement so no matter what the accounts still made money. She was baffled but was surprisingly happy in her financial security. However, when she looked at Draco, she could see the unease in his own security with him already having existing family he didn't quite have the same rights as he would of being the sole heir in our time.