"We reassemble as the Horde, and for the Horde, we seek justice," the judge said. He looked out over the crowd, his golden beads swinging. "Together."
"Together."
The giant golden sword went into the podium once more, and Hermione sat up in her uncomfortable stone seat, curious as to what the verdict would be.
"Braincleave, though he broke no laws, acted in a way that would harm the collective goblin community," the judge said solemnly. "Through his greed and abuse of gold, he risked us all."
Stoneshear and Bloodthorne exchanged satisfied smirks, trusting that their case had proven out.
"As such," the judge continued, "Braincleave's loan will be revoked. Hermione Granger will call in her lien, and Braincleave must pay her back in full the amount borrowed along with any other gold promised in the contract, and Gringotts will not allow Braincleave to take out another loan for a century."
There was a pleased murmur from the crowd, while Hermione was surprised. Goblins could live to be over a hundred?
"Furthermore," the judge said, his eyes gleaming, "Braincleave's restitution will be made in such a way that suits his nature. Braincleave's greed and gold got him here, and so it will get him out; Braincleave will be exiled to the dwarf community of the east, made to mine gold until such a time as the dwarfs declare he has paid his debt and worked his selfishness away."
At this pronouncement, the gallery erupted into loud noise, feet stamping and goblins whistling and shrieking, vicious pleased grins on their faces. Braincleave slammed his head into the stone table, groaning loudly and covering his face with his claws, and Moldedge looked like he had sucked on a lemon.
"Now," the judge said. "Hermione Granger, come forward. You will be the first to assert your justice."
With Bloodthorne's hissed guidance, Hermione stepped to the front. With shaking hands, she withdrew the giant golden sword from the podium. It was massively heavy, and she staggered under the weight of it. A hissed Feather-Light Charm and a lot of help from her air elemental had her finally able to hold it unsteadily in front of her and point it at Braincleave, who had been pushed to step forward as well.
"Braincleave of the Horde," she said, repeating what Bloodthorne was hissing to her from the side. "I assert my justice and reclaim what is mine. You shall repay me every coin you have taken, and you shall covet my gold no more."
"I submit to this justice," Braincleave said. His tone was subdued, and he glowered at her and at the ground. "I will return to you what is yours."
Next, Hermione passed the giant (and very heavy) sword to a goblin wearing a silver beaded wig, a representative of the goblin council, and she retook her seat.
"Braincleave of the Horde, I assert our justice and take back what you have abused," the goblin said, his eyes sharp as he stared down Braincleave. The giant gold sword was larger than the goblin was, but somehow it didn't waver once in the goblin's hand. "You are Braincleave of the Horde no longer, and you will leave our Horde until a time as you are deemed appropriate to return to us."
Braincleave scowled at the ground. "I submit to this justice."
The last to come forward was what was undoubtedly a dwarf. Hermione recognized the anatomy and body shape from Lockhart's cupids, but this dwarf seemed cheerful and pleased, clad in earthen toned clothes and wearing a long beard. He took the golden sword with an excited sparkle in his eyes, and he examined it with relish until the judge finally cleared his throat, reminding the dwarf what he was there to do.
"Braincleave," the dwarf said, holding the golden sword out at him, "I assert justice and will oversee you as you atone. You will serve with the dwarfs until you have atoned for your offense, at which time you will be returned to the Horde."
Braincleave said nothing, glaring at the dwarf for a long moment. The crowd murmured, tension building, and Hermione nudged Bloodthorne.
"What happens if he doesn't submit?" she whispered. "What happens then?"
Bloodthorne's eyes gleamed.
"Then the dwarf will use the sword," he said, "and Braincleave will be no more."
Hermione found herself straightening up, wide-eyed. She hadn't expected she might see an execution live on the courtroom floor.
Luckily, it seemed Braincleave's pause was his last act of defiance.
"I submit to this justice," he said. He spat bitterly upon the ground, and the gallery broke out into whooping and chilling cheers that sent shivers up Hermione spine. Happy goblins still sounded more like a threat than a cheering crowd.
"Then," the judge said, taking back the golden sword, "justice has been declared, and Braincleave will submit to the justice of the Horde."
He held up the sword up high in the air, where it flashed, before putting it back in the sheath and bowing deeply over the podium.
"Thank you for your input," he said to everyone. "Justice was found together."
"Together," the crowd echoed, and the judge looked pleased as he made his way off the podium and down to the ground.
Conversation broke out in small groups, many of the crowd looking very pleased by the outcome, a few who had sat neat Braincleave looking angry or upset. Hermione watched as the judge walked away, carrying the enormous sword.
"How is it he's able to lift that thing?" she asked. "That sword was so heavy it almost toppled me over."
Bloodthorne smirked.
"Goblins do not have difficulty with metals we have smithed," he said. "We have a natural affinity with pure metals from the ground. Their weight does not inhibit us as they would you."
If that meant goblins could easily pick up massive piles of gold, Hermione was jealous. Magic helped make up for her lack of strength a lot, but that was just cool.
Hermione repacked her bags, much lighter now that she had given away the basilisk meat, the box of rods, and the sack of plants. All she had left were her clothes and a stash of apples and dried field rations she had brought, not knowing what goblins would eat. As she left the little concrete hut she'd called home for three days, Braincleave was standing there with Moldedge, Bloodthorne, Stoneshear, and several silver-wigged members of the goblin council.
"I have not the gold to repay the loan right now," Braincleave told her. He sighed. "I would pay you back from my minings first, to fulfill your justice."
Hermione glanced at Bloodthorne, who nodded.
"That would fulfill my justice," she agreed. She paused. "I wish you luck in the mines."
Braincleave snorted and spat on the ground, but he looked amused.
"For what it is worth," he said, "you were not what I would have expected, Hermione Granger."
She didn't know what to make of that, so she folded her arms and watched as the goblins carted Braincleave away. Bloodthorne lingered behind as they watched him go, before he looked to Hermione.
"You would be ready to make your departure?" he asked. "Would you need to say goodbye?"
Hermione smiled wryly.
"I don't remember everyone I've met, so I can hardly say good-bye to them all," she admitted. "Maybe I'll just say goodbye to whomever we run into in the streets?"
As Bloodthorne walked her down the streets toward the edge of the city, word seemed to get around that Hermione was leaving, and the goblins came out to say goodbye. Many of them cried out cheers and words she didn't understand as she passed, and Hermione waved back at them with a nostalgic smile. As terrifying as the goblins were, she liked to think she'd made friends of a sort with them. She felt like she helped them some, as best she could, and hopefully the rods and knowledge she left behind would help them further help themselves.
Goblings swarmed her legs as she walked, buzzing and babbling things in Goblidon at her. Hermione looked to Bloodthorne, who smirked.
"They are asking when you would come and visit again," he told her, and Hermione laughed.
"I don't know," she told them. "Maybe you should come visit me next time, alright?"
The goblings' eyes went wide at this, and they went running back to their parents babbling, while Bloodthorne cackled in laughter.
"Be careful what you would tell impressionable children," he advised her, eyes gleaming. "They just might listen to you."
The view from the great glass elevator was just as majestic going up as it was when they descended, and Hermione could see the goblins waving up at her from the streets as she ascended. She waved back at them for as long as she could, till the elevator rose above the light globes and past the mossy shell of the city, going back up the long tunnel of the earth back up to the surface.
As she and Bloodthorne rose back up, Hermione's eyes grew distant as she replayed some of the high points of her experience over the last four days. The entire thing had been nothing like she had expected (though she wasn't quite sure what she had expected), but she'd rather enjoyed her time with the goblins. Miscommunications aside, they had been open with her and almost kind, and she felt like she'd made some connections and actual friends, to say nothing of the knowledge she had gained.
All in all, she thought, a small smile playing on her lips as she mused over it, she wouldn't mind ever going back.
