Oh hi there, long time no see. So sorry it took so long, I would love to promise that I will be back full time, but life is just as busy as ever and well.. who knows where the wind will take me. I will promise however that this story will one day be finished. I feel it's a ways off yet, but we shall see. Until that time, enjoy :)
Chapter 11.
"You know, we still have to deal with Voldemort, and without that old man's knowledge we're toast." Sirius grumbled while he picked at his dress robes.
The group had settled into Amelia's office, as she secured her office she had allowed Ragnok to scan for any enchantments or listening devices. Adding the head of Gringotts to the group was Lily's idea, and it was turning out to be extremely beneficial.
"Not entirely true Lord Black." Ragnok replied after taking a seat opposite the dark-haired wizard.
"We have gained quite a bit of knowledge from Alistair" the goblin looked toward the sorting hat that sat on a pedestal in the corner.
"We know basically what Dumbledore knows. We know that Tom made horcrux's dating back as early as his Hogwarts years." He held up one long bony finger and continued.
"We know that Harry destroyed one in the Chamber of Secrets by stabbing it with the basilisk fang, which also gives us a method to destroy these items seeing as we have an abundance of venom. That should take care of the locket we found at Grimmauld Place." Once more the goblin leader put up a second finger.
"And finally, we know roughly how many Dumbledore suspected Tom created. Seven being a highly magical number steeped in wizarding folklore."
"So, we have two out of the supposed seven artifacts then?" Lily said as she wrote down locket and diary on a list.
"Technically three, wasn't Harry considered a horcrux?" Sirius said out loud followed by, "and it's just Sirius, Ragnok, I see you as a friend and friends aren't so formal."
Ragnok smiled while nodding at Sirius.
"I do not think that Voldemort meant to create Harry as a horcrux, I believe he meant to use him as a sacrifice for the creation. It is very possible that Harry was the unintentional seventh horcrux, so yes, I would count him as one of the seven we need to find." Alistair said to the group.
When the whole group looked toward the hat in wonder he spoke again. "Created by the founders remember, Rowena was a brilliant mind, Salazar was deeply twisted, I have both their knowledge in my banks of wisdom."
"So, we have a diary, something personalized to Tom Riddle himself." Lily checked off diary.
"And a locket that belonged to Salazar Slytherin himself." Ragnok added as Lily checked off locket.
"How do you suppose he got that locket?" Amelia asked to no one in particular.
"Tom Riddle is an heir of Slytherin." Ragnok spoke up, grabbing everyone's attention.
"Tom Riddles mother was Merope Gaunt, and the Gaunt's were the last known bloodline to Salazar himself. Tom Riddle came to the bank when he found out, he was dreaming of a vast fortune, only to find out that his family was desperately poor, they only held two items to their name, that locket and a ring with a black stone."
James perked up and paid closer attention as the goblin spoke.
"At the time we had advised Tom that he would have to speak with his relatives if he wanted to learn any background, it's not our place. By the end of the school year his grandfather Marvolo was killed by his deranged uncle Morfin, after he murdered the entire Riddle family, all muggles." Ragnok finished his tale.
"Morfin died in Azkaban, they didn't understand how, he was perfectly healthy one day and dead the next, no magic was used, no struggle, no wound, just dead. It's an open case still till this day." Amelia pulled a file from her desk drawer to show the group.
James saw his opportunity to speak so took it. "This ring, can you describe it to me Ragnok?"
"Only that it was a simple silver band with snake heads that held a black stone, almost looked like a river stone. It wasn't rare or exotic. Why do you ask?"
"Has everyone heard of the tale of three brothers?" James asked curiously.
"The children's story from Beetle the Bard?" Remus asked. "We read that book to Harry as a baby didn't we?"
"We did, good job Remus, in the book there is a story about three brothers. Many believe this story to be true. In it, death grants the three brothers gifts, does anyone remember what the gifts are?"
Lily was the first to speak up, "The elder wand, the resurrection stone, and the cloak of invisibility."
"Exactly my dear" James leaned over and planted a kiss on her head.
"What does this have to do with us James?" Amelia asked politely.
James pulled out Dumbledore's wand then spoke, "The eldest brother, greedy with power, asked death for a wand more powerful than the rest. Antioch Peverell was said to be that brother, the wand was not passed through family lines because it was won by the next greedy witch or wizard."
James then laid the elder wand aside and pulled his cloak out of his pocket. "The cloak of invisibility was requested by the youngest brother, Ignotus Peverell; it did it's job and kept him hidden from death until he was ready to depart this world as equals. He passed it down to his eldest son when he was ready. Ignotus was my great-great-great grandfather, although I might be off on the number of greats."
Lily snorted at her husband's humor.
"Cadmus Peverell was the middle brother, he also before his untimely death passed the stone down thru his family, the Gaunt family would be the last of his lineage." James finished up.
"How do you know all this James?" Ragnok asked.
"As Lily and I were studying the spell we used to protect Harry, the grimoire spoke of the tale and the suspected lines of succession. Dumbledore won that wand from Gellert Grindelwald. I'd recognize it anywhere; it was accurately depicted in my grimoire."
"The cloak was passed down to James from his father, we had left it in our vault for Harry should anything happen to us, not knowing Dumbledore would take it to study after our 'deaths'" Lily frowned thinking about Dumbledore.
"And the stone? How can you be sure we are talking about the same one?" Ragnok asked.
"I suppose we can't until we set eyes on it, but there is a very detailed illustration of the stone in the grimoire, Janbey!"
The little elf popped into the middle of the office at James' call. "Yes sir?'"
"Janbey, could you fetch me the family grimoire please?" James asked
"Of course sir, one moment" The elf popped away and was back in under a minute with a thick tome.
Lily grabbed the grimoire and flipped to the page with the description and drawing of the stone then showing it to Ragnok.
"That's it." Ragnok said with confidence.
"You're sure?" James confirmed.
"Positive." Ragnok answered while his long boney finger traced the stone. "It even has the same inscription on it, we couldn't figure out what it meant."
"Ah yes, the symbol for the deathly hallows. The triangle represents the cloak, the line the wand, and the circle the stone itself." James explained.
"Okay, although that is a great story, I'll ask again what this has to do with the hunt for horcruxes?" Amelia asked politely.
"It was a family heirloom, I'm guessing that stone.. well I guess ring, is also a horcrux. It would make sense." James felt confident in his assumptions.
"Tom Riddle was fascinated with power and the founders of the school, founders items would be cherished by the wizarding world, therefore no one would want to destroy them. Could it be possible that he created horcruxes out of them?" Lily asked while reviewing notes on Voldemort.
"That is an excellent theory Lily dear, let's see, Rowena had a Diadem, Helga had a cup, Godric had a sword and of course Salazar had the locket." Alistair said.
"Well you could scratch Gryffindor off the list, like most Slytherins I'm sure Tom despised Gryffindor." Sirius said with a guffaw.
"Not all Slytherins hated Gryffindor, just like not all Gryffindors hated Slytherins Pads" Lily scolded, thinking about Severus.
"I see that now Lils, but we aren't talking about nice people here remember, look at my family, the whole lot of them hated Gryffindors with such passion, enough to kick out their heir just because he was sorted into the house." Sirius spoke while looking down at his feet.
Lily lightly punched his arm then gave him a tight hug.
Clearing his throat to take the attention off his best friend James then spoke, "Okay, so we have a good idea what we may be looking for, I'm with Sirius on this one and say we can scratch off any heirlooms belonging to Godric."
"Helga's cup once belonged to Hepzibah Smith, sadly she was murdered in her home by an unknown source, the only thing missing was the cup." Amelia supplied.
When the group all looked at her, she blushed and explained. "I did a paper on it in the Academy, it's a cold case and being a Hufflepuff I found it interesting. Knowing what I know now, I'm guessing Voldemort killed her and took the cup, he did work for Borgin and Burkes after all and had visited her several times to inquire about different items, the cup included."
"Interesting, I did not know any of that, what a brilliant wealth of knowledge Amelia, thank-you." Alistair said sincerely.
"So hidey holes will need to be figured out as well, seeing as he didn't return the cup, which would have been the smarter thing to do in my opinion, it would have been well guarded." Amelia thought out loud.
"What about the Gaunt Shack?" Remus asked. "Riddle was the end of the line; I doubt many people would even remember that there was a shack to begin with."
"I'll have my curse breakers look into it" Ragnok replied.
"Hogwarts." Alistair spoke up.
"The school has been searched by Dumbledore multiple times; you told us this yourself Alistair." James questioned.
"You are correct, however given that Dumbledore didn't know about the Chamber of Secrets, it's a good bet there are more rooms he hasn't figured out yet. The castle is vaster than anyone knows, there are probably even rooms your lot haven't discovered I'm guessing." Alistair said with a chuckle.
"The twins!" Remus shouted.
"Um, Moony mate, we don't even look alike." Sirius spoke with an amazingly straight face.
"Come off it man, Fred and George, they not only figured out our map, but they have already said there are several area's that don't show up on it. The Chamber of Secrets for example. We should see if the kids have any ideas." Remus said while rolling his eyes at his mate.
"Excellent idea Remus, those two threw the headmaster for a loop more times than not, only person who could ever keep up with their antics was Minerva, and that's only because she had loads of practice with you lot." Alistair responded still laughing.
Lily continued to write down items as they popped up, she had a list that included the assumed horcruxes. Diary, Locket, and Harry all crossed off with Ring, Cup, Diadem, and a question mark left untouched. She also had a list for the locations started. Followers was crossed off, Hogwarts, Black House, and Gaunt Shack were left alone.
The last list had follow-up items, check with twins on hiding spots, follow up with kids, research founders items, check with Severus, and lastly check with Professors on Diadem.
"Okay, we have a good start. Let's divvy up some of this shall we. I'll follow up with the Professors and Severus to talk about potential hiding spots and objects, last I heard the Diadem was lost so I want to follow up with Filius and dig into that, plus Severus probably has some insider knowledge on what Voldemort might have made into a horcrux." Lily then looked toward her husband to continue.
"I'll check with the kids, Hermione is extraordinary at looking at things from a different perspective, I'll also tackle the twins." James then nodded to Sirius.
"I'll follow up with Kreacher see if he has any knowledge of anything my brother might have been up to. I think the twins might need all three of us to tackle so I'll help out with them. I also want to check in with the ghosts of Hogwarts, if there is anyone who knows more about the castle it would be them, plus if I'm not mistaken, Helena Ravenclaw is the Grey Lady of Ravenclaw tower, she might have some insight into the Diadem." Sirius laughed at the shocked faces.
"What! I can have good ideas too you know!"
Laughing Amelia picked up where he left off, "I'll dig into the cup some more. It might be a cold case, but we have a challenge coming up where everyone picks a cold case to get a fresh look at it, it wouldn't be a stretch for me to pick this one. I don't trust people in the Ministry anymore, so I want to fly under the radar. I can also assist Ragnok with investigating the Gaunt Shack."
"Excellent, I will work on figuring out anything that the Goblins might know of Tom Riddles family, it seems he has a proclivity for finding things that not ought to be found. I'll also have my team work on figuring out ways to rid objects of horcruxes without destroying the object itself, it seems a few people might take up issue with founders' items being destroyed." Ragnok scratched his chin after speaking, deep in thought.
Remus was the last to speak, "I'll assist Lily in her endeavors, as well as with the twins. In short I'm here to help with anything anyone would need."
"Excellent, it's settled for now, come James, I miss the kids." Lily spoke while standing up and hugging Amelia.
"GUARDS!" Albus yelled for close to the millionth is no one answering me? Do they not know who I am…"GUARDS!"
Albus didn't know how long he had been in his cell, but yelling wasn't helping him with anything. Calling for Fawkes wasn't working, blasted bird, and if he had to take a guess, the beautifully crafted bracelet around his wrist was magic inhibiting.
"Blast it all to hell, how the hell did I wind up in this position." Albus was talking to himself really, and he didn't expect to get an answer.
"Well, that's what happens when you hold items too close to your chest and don't trust anyone enough to help you Albus, on top of that your brain, be it brilliant, was used for evil instead of good." Ragnok spoke from outside the cell, scaring Albus half to death as he didn't hear him come in or approach.
"Ragnok! Thank Merlin! You of all people have to know that I'm innocent. I've been mistreated and misjudged! I demand you let me out this instance." Albus practically screamed the last part.
"Throwing your spit around in my cell won't do you any good Albus, we can turn off the noise coming from this area, so by all means, yell all you want. The guards are actually having a small bet on how long it will take for you to scream yourself to death." Ragnok laughed at Albus blank expression.
"What? Not funny when the shoe is on the other foot is it Albus? I promised Sirius we would turn on the dementor effect later, just for him. Now I'm here for an actual purpose, are you ready to listen?" Ragnok sat on a rock, quite comfortably he might add, and waited for the old wizard to sit as well.
"What do you want?" Albus asked wearily.
"Oh, I want nothing Albus, I already know all your secrets." Ragnok laughed at the old wizard's expression.
"I'm actually here to tell you about your work detail. You see, I don't house nor feed people for free. You will be here till your dying breath, and who knows when that will be. So, until such time you will be working for me. This will give you a bed and basic food."
Dumbledore looked down at the so-called bed he was sitting on and raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, not happy with the accommodations, are we?" Ragnok questioned. "Well, the alternative is you sleep on the cave floor and starve. Which do you choose?"
"What's the work detail?" Albus asked I can figure out a way to escape,he thought to himself.
"You will be on dung duty. Meaning you will be brought to the dragon pens twice a day to clean up after them." Ragnok could see the gears churning in the old wizard's head.
"You know, this cell really is my finest work of art, you see, it transports you to where I need you to go, you will never again leave this cell Albus, any plans for escaping might as well leave your head now, there are no doors in or out of your cell. Even after you die, your cell will transform, and you will be buried in it."
"Does the Ministry know of this magic? How have they not insisted you hand over this knowledge if it is so secure? And you accuse me of holding things close to my chest." Albus spat in anger.
"Actually, this is a new and improved version of our normal holding cells, you see Amelia put me in contact with your lots Unspeakable's, we collaborated on the project, and this is the end result. Brilliant those fine wand users are." Ragnok unleashed a scary smile at Dumbledore's shocked expression.
"Oh yes Albus, the times are changing with you locked up. Sad you won't get to see the changes. Any who, I'm a very busy goblin Albus, I do hope you enjoy your stay with us, or don't, honestly, I could care less." Ragnok then simply disappeared before Albus' eyes.
Did I imagine that whole conversation? How can a Goblin just disappear? How long have I been here?
"He's losing his mind already, isn't he?" Remus asked when Ragnok turned off the mirror he was using to communicate with Albus.
"I'm not sure he didn't already lose it before he was placed inside that cell, either way your mirror trick worked well Remus, I don't think he even realized that I wasn't there, the illusion was remarkable." Ragnok spoke highly.
"Thank-you, it was a group collab based off our communication mirrors. We got the idea from watching Star Wars with the Grangers, a muggle movie. Sirius is still working on light sabers, don't get me started on those." Remus laughed.
"That sounds fascinating, I might have to inquire about these muggle movies next time I see them." Ragnok wrote himself a note to remember. "Now, you said you had news?"
"Yes, yes, we had already deduced that Voldemort might have given some of his horcruxes to followers, we are guessing that those followers would be in the inner circle. Severus remembered that Voldemort would use the LeStrange vault for most of his transactions, Bella was his most loyal follower after all."
Ragnok nodded and Remus continued. "We think he recruited Regulus to try and get his hands on the Black Vaults, seeing as he had a key and full access to many of his followers vaults already as your team discovered."
Again, Ragnok nodded. "Quite an oversight on our part actually, we have made changes to not allow this to go unnoticed again."
"Excellent, well we want your team to thoroughly check out the LeStrange vault. We think she might have a horcrux hidden right here in Gringotts." Remus winced as he spoke, knowing the violation codes this would break.
"WHAT?!" Ragnok roared. The door to his chamber slammed open and several guards popped in with swords at the ready.
"Stand down!" Ragnok yelled at his protection team. His assistant popping in after the guards left.
"I need a full sweep of vault seven hundred and ten, immediately." Ragnok commanded, leaving his assistant to scurry out of his office.
"How in the hell did we miss this?" Ragnok spoke out loud to himself while pacing.
"Relax my friend, you might not have missed it. Sirius and I were just discussing the could be's. This is simply a precaution." Remus said calmly while sipping his tea.
"You know, you are now the second wand holder to call me a friend. Co-worker, sure. Associate, absolutely. Banker, oh one hundred percent. But a friend? That is unusual." Ragnok spoke with emotion in his voice.
"Well, you are a friend Ragnok, a very appreciated friend I might add. Thank-you for everything you have done to help out my family." Remus said while shaking the goblins hand.
"You are very welcome, Remus, I appreciate your family and consider you all friends just the same." Ragnok smiled, a normally scary sight for a witch or wizard, but not for Remus.
A knock on the door brought the duo's attention to the small goblin standing in the doorway with a note. The poor little goblin was shaking, Remus couldn't tell if it was out of fear or nerves, Ragnok was the leader of Gringotts after all.
A small voice came out of the small goblin, "A note for you Director Ragnok, Griphook said it was urgent."
Ragnok grabbed the note and thanked the youngster, offering him a treat from his desk before ushering him out the door, the little goblin left much calmer than he came.
"Well. We have the cup." Ragnok stated with a sigh. "With that cup comes a very hefty fine against the family line, unfortunately that means I need to speak with Sirius, would you mind calling him over immediately? The others might want to come along as well."
"Absolutely!" Remus said already connecting on his mirror.
"What's up Moony? Did you find one?" Sirius said as the mirror popped onto his face.
"That we did Pads, could you gather the troops and meet me at Ragnoks office? We have much to discuss."
"Sure thing, give us a few minutes and we will pop over. Can you ask Ragnok to open the direct floo to his office from James' office?"
Remus looked up from the mirror and saw Ragnok already adjusting his settings on his desk. "Looks like he's on it already, see you soon!"
"No worries Ragnok, I will absolutely pay the fine for the violation of contract. Please take whatever is necessary out of Bellatrix's vault. Whatever gold remains please divide it equally between the vaults of my family and the orphanage vault. As what's becoming normal, please have all items checked and sold off, unless you find anything that may be of interest to my family, myself or the Goblin nation."
"Yes Lord Black." Ragnok smiled as he signed the declaration that Sirius just signed.
"Again Ragnok, it's just Sirius when we are amongst friends, none of this Lord business." Sirius said while laying down the quill he was using.
"I was just telling Mr. Lup…" Ragnok stopped seeing the twitch in Remus' eye, "I mean Remus, just a few minutes before you arrived how strange it is to be considered a friend to a wand holder."
"At this point Ragnok, you are practically family, with the amount of loyalty shown by yourself during our hour of need. I couldn't be any prouder to call you friend." James said while bowing his head to the goblin leader.
"Funny, you should say that." Ragnok figured now was as good of time as any to have this conversation, everyone was already here.
The group as a whole looked at each other, then, collectively as a group turned to look at Ragnok.
"I'm sorry about this, after our recent discussion, I must be formal." Ragnok said while taking out a scroll from his top desk drawer.
"I, Ragnok the fifth, would be honored to award the following witches and wizards the prestigious title of Friend to the Goblin Nation. Lord James Fleamont Potter, Lady Lily June Potter, Lord Harry James Potter, Lady Hermione Jane Potter, Lord Sirius Orion Black, Lady Amelia Susan Bones, Sir Remus John Lupin, Sir Daniel Scott Granger and Madam Jean Helena Granger."
The group was speechless as Ragnok continued to explain the benefits.
"With this title of Friend to the Goblin Nation, you will have access to better banking rates, waived fees to your vaults, and full access to the catacombs, which will allow you to shop within the Goblin Nation's many merchants."
Ragnok then looked up from the scroll with a smile on his face. "That includes the formal invitation to the Children's Faire which is happening thanks to your generous contributions to our nation."
The five adults smiled at that with Lily the first to say something back to the goblin leader. "Ragnok, oh Merlin we were not expecting this, thank you so much for your generosity, I believe I speak for all of us, even those of us not present, that we fully accept your award."
The rest of the group nodded at her proclamation, sure that the kids and the Grangers wouldn't mind them speaking for them on this matter.
"I do have a few questions however, if you don't mind." Lily said sheepishly.
"Go ahead Lily, ask away." Ragnok said smiling at her, having a good idea what her first question was going to be, and he wasn't disappointed either.
"Lady Hermione Jane Potter?" The title and name coming out as a question in and of itself.
"Ah yes, with the betrothal contract being done through Gringotts, the Goblin Nation recognizes Harry and Hermione as a married couple, even though legally they are not. This is highly unusual however and I'll explain after we answer your other questions, if you don't mind."
"Of course, the remainder of my questions are primarily around the Children's Faire, when, where, and if we can be of any assistance with anything?" Lily picked up Sirius' discarded quill, poised and ready to write down a list.
Ragnok laughed loud and hard, it took several minutes for the goblin to get his giggles under control. Here was the greatest group of wand holders he had ever seen, they had gifted the nation's children well over fifty thousand galleons, treated every goblin they met with honor and respect, and still asked if they could assist with anything more.
"I don't think there is anything additional that we would require for the faire, it will be hosted this weekend in the catacombs" Ragnok passed over an invitation to Lily with the details, listing their group as the guests of honor.
"I also have a gift for you all, but I can't hand them out until you all sign the scroll proclaiming you Friends. Would the Grangers and the kids be available to pop over to my office for a bit, they can sign the document and then we can explain to everyone as a group what I found unusual about Harry and Hermione's betrothal."
Sirius hopped up from his chair and went to gather the rest of the family from the burrow as they were visiting with the Weasley's.
"We are what now?" Harry asked the Goblin leader while his family once more sat staring at Ragnok dumbfounded.
"Soul Bonded" Ragnok repeated. "I had to look at it twice as well, soul bonded couples aren't very common, oh there are a few witches and wizards that come close. Your parents for example Harry, are a step below soul bonding, they call it a fated match."
That proclamation knocked James and Lily for a loop, this was the first time they had heard anything about being a fated match.
"Could you please explain a little further, about both the soul bond and the fated match please Ragnok?" Hermione asked politely.
"Of course, my dear, I also pulled a few of the books from our library for you to do your own research into, as I know both you and Lily have a love of researching." Ragnok smiled as the two ladies in question blushed.
He explained while passing over the books to each of them, "A soul bond is just as it sounds, two souls that were created by the creator to perfectly match each other. In a sense, no one else in the world would make you truly happy and content."
The young couple looked at each other, Hermione raised an eyebrow at Harry only for him to laugh and kiss her cheek.
"What you two did just there was a perfect example of a soul bonded couple, without speaking you each already knew what was running through the others mind and replied without needing to say a word. As your bond grows and snaps into place, you may at some point be able to actually speak within each other's minds, often from great distances." Ragnok explained.
"So, this bond that they share, will grow and expand as they age?" Jean asked for clarification.
"Correct. Generally speaking, the bond will most likely come to full completion at the consummation of their relationship." Ragnok said with a blush, it was very awkward talking about the soon to be thirteen year old's.
"Consummation?" Dan asked blushing heavily himself, not wanting to think about his little girl consummating anything.
"Yes, this allows for the couple to gradually build up to the full effects of the soul bonding. When complete, the couple will be able to understand what the other is feeling, sensing, and picturing in their minds. They are getting a little taste of this now with being able to anticipate each other's thoughts and needs. We believe this allows them time to mature and develop as individuals first, however the books I provided do go into greater details to prepare them." Ragnok didn't want to explain what a teenage boy's brain could imagine in the shower for example, especially in front of the girl's father.
Harry blushing brightest of them all attempted to divert the conversation from his soul bond to Hermione onto a safer topic. "What about Mum and Dad's fated match?"
"Ah yes, well like I said they are basically a step below where you and Hermione will end up. They essentially have what you two already have." Ragnok looked toward the couple in question.
"James and Lily, I'm going to assume that you both have mastered the art of communicating with just a look, correct?"
"I never really thought about it before, but yeah, I can usually tell what kind of mood Lil's in just by a glance, it's almost like I can hear her in my head sometimes." James explained.
"And when did this come about? You two went to Hogwarts together, yet didn't get together till your seventh year?" Ragnok asked.
"Correct, I thought he was a pompous, arrogant jerk the first few years. It took him saving Severus' life that night for me to change my mind. It was almost like a fog was lifted and I viewed him differently. I realize how traumatic that night was for all involved, however I'm so glad that it happened." Lily explained thinking back to her time in Hogwarts.
"I felt it from the moment I met her on the train." James explained proudly. "When I saw her sitting in the compartment talking to Snape, I knew in my heart, that I was going to marry her."
"Aww. I wonder why you two were out of synch at the time?" Jean said.
"Who knows, I'm just glad it worked out in the end." James said with a smile and a kiss to his wife.
"Ragnok, Sirius said we had to sign something for you?" Dan asked.
"Oh yes!" Ragnok passed the scroll around to the group as each member signed, he would had them a small jewelry box, when everyone was finished he asked them to open the box. Inside there was a small gold band ring, to the untrained eye anyway, if you knew what you were looking for you would see the ruins running around the inside and outside of the band.
"I'm going to warn you, once you put the ring on a finger of your choice a few things will happen all at the same time. First you will feel a pin prick, the ring itself needs a small amount of your blood. This is for two reasons, one being that the ring itself is a portkey that allows you access into a specific landing location within the Gringotts catacombs, the other being a biometric scan that when your body is in a medical distress, will automatically portkey you into the Gringotts infirmary."
"Woah" was all that was said before Ragnok continued.
"These are safety measures as friends of the Nation, along with the practical side of allowing you access to visit whenever you would like."
"Will these work on us non-magical beings?" Jean asked.
"Yes, in short the ring itself is infused with magic so you having none wouldn't make a difference." Ragnok explained.
"Secondly, you will see that whatever finger you choose to place the ring on, it will automatically resize to that finger, then disappear from sight unless you will it to be seen. You won't feel the ring on your finger, and you can even wear other rings over it if you so choose."
Seeing that the group was getting ready to put them on the finger of their choice Ragnok held up his hand, asking them to hold on a moment as he finished explaining the last bit.
"And finally, the third thing that will happen is the ring will bond to you. What this means, is that once you place the ring on your finger, you cannot take it off. This is a security measure due to the portkey feature, even though the portkey would only work for you we didn't want to take any chances. Anyone trying to tag along will find themselves in a security cell much like Dumbledore's."
Ragnok wanted to lay it out to everyone what putting the ring on meant. "All though we believe this to be a great protection, we understand if you wish to think about it longer or even don't wish to accept the gif…."
He couldn't finish his sentence as all eight from the group took the ring out and placed it on the finger of their choosing. Only the senior Grangers made any kind of noise when the ring took the blood sample.
"That wasn't so bad" said Jean with Dan agreeing. With that the group made their way into the catacombs to meet the children.