Warning: There are short bursts of suicidal themes in this story.

Sacrifice

Rubble blocked the corridors. Splinters lay scattered over the floor. So much destruction. So many broken lives and shattered families. Children without parents. Parents who would never see their children again. Loved ones lost never to come back. Joy and laugher, never to be heard again.

Dull green eyes looked outside tiredly. Everything felt so hopeless. What was the point now? Harry sighed softly as he moved away from the window so he could continue up to the Gryffindor Tower, vanishing piles of rubble when he could. He felt empty, lost. He hadn't counted on still being there. Not after… Why him? So many people had died that he wished he could just trade his life for.

The battle had ended two days prior. Voldemort was dead. The Death Eaters were either dead or captured. He had decided to stay in the Castle to help with the clean-up and repairs. While he knew there was only so much he could do with his limited knowledge of cleaning spells, he still wanted to help fix what he had been responsible for destroying.

With the Ministry working on putting itself back together now that the dark supporters could be cleaned out, Harry doubted trials would happen anytime soon. All he could do was hope it went well. They had asked for his help, but he felt like a fish out of water. He couldn't start messing with the government as a seventeen-year-old without a complete education. How would that look to other Magical Ministries?

He reached the tower and headed up to his dorm before collapsing into his four-poster bed and falling asleep almost immediately. His dreams were troubled yet again. It would seem he wasn't going to be allowed a full night's sleep any more. He was glad he was alone in their dorm, since he doubted his sleep was quiet by any means.

Ron had gone home with his family once they could remove Fred, and Hermione had headed off to search for her parents. He was glad they weren't there. It was nice to have some peace and quiet for once. He loved his friends, but their constant bickering got on his nerves. As much as he missed having company, the silence was a welcomed companion. At least for now.

Days of slow labour turned into weeks as they cleaned the castle. Harry did what he could to help until there was nothing left to do. It would never look the same, but at least the worst scars of the battle were gone. He wiped his hands off and looked around.

"Will you join us next year to take your final year?" Professor McGonagall asked as she walked up next to him.

"I should, shouldn't I?" Harry said softly as he looked out over the grounds. "I need to look into something first, Professor." He looked at her tiredly. "I'll send you an Owl before the week is out to let you know." As he had aided in the repairs at Hogwarts, he had realised there was one more place he owed time and effort to. The dullness had left his eyes over the past couple of weeks and been replaced with determination as he had made his mind up.

"See you soon," Harry said as he started walking towards the gates. She responded and he waved over his shoulder. As soon as he passed by the gates, he apparated out and landed by Grimmauld Place. He looked up at the house that Sirius had hated with a passion. Shaking his head, he turned around again, landing in Diagon Alley.

What was the point in waiting?

Harry squared his shoulders as he headed up the marble steps to the biggest building in the Alley. Last time he had been there, he had acted out of desperation. They had done what they needed to do to finish his mission. He wasn't going to hide from it, though. He walked up to one of the tellers slowly and stopped before them.

The teller kept working, glancing up at the human before them a few times. They were impressed, though they didn't show it, when he had stood before them for almost half an hour without moving, without saying anything. "What do you want?" they asked.

"To make things right," Harry answered. He had made his mind up. He would rather stand up for what he had done and accept whatever punishment they had for him, then act like he had any right to do what he had.

The goblin studied him. This was Harry Potter. He had broken into the Bank and escaped on a dragon, causing massive destruction. Still, he had returned to take responsibility. That was different for a human. The fact that the young man had come alone, and he looked serious also gave some credence to his conviction. "Follow me," he said eventually. He led them through several corridors before they stopped before a gilded office. He stepped inside and Harry followed. "This human wishes to repay his debt for stealing the dragon and destroying the bank, Master Dumac," he said.

A stern goblin looked down at Harry from his desk. The human's eyes were lowered, but his stance said that he wasn't scared or uncertain. "You will give a full account and reason for your actions," Dumac said calmly. "We will know if you lie." He wanted to know why the humans had broken in. When they had done their audit afterward, only a single item had been missing. He was curious.

Harry took a deep breath before he started speaking. He told them about the Horcruxes and the mission Dumbledore had left him with. He explained that Griphook had helped them in exchange for the Sword of Gryffindor. The two goblins listened to him speak. Their faces were like stone, revealing none of what they might think or feel concerning the tale he was telling. Once he reached the end of the story, he paused uncomfortably for a moment before saying, "I will take full responsibility for what happened here." The determination he felt was reflected in his eyes as he finally looked up. It might be foolish, but it was commendable all the same.

"You will pay us back for the damage you have wrought," Dumac said calmly. "The less you argue, the easier it will be for you."

Harry took a deep breath and nodded. "I understand, sir," he said. He didn't know what that would entail for him, but he didn't want to back down now.

"Follow Brightcleave back to the foyer and do as you are told," Dumac said. He was somewhat surprised when the human didn't argue.

Harry turned to the teller and walked with him back to the entry hall. A few harsh orders were dealt out, and Brightcleave turned to look at the other humans in the atrium. There weren't a lot of them, but it would do. "On your knees," he told Harry.

Harry moved down and sat on his legs. He wondered what was going on as scratching and banging sounded behind him. The humans in the bank were looking at the goblins and pointing while they whispered to each other. Harry breathed out harshly through his nose. People.

"Take your shirt off!" The order was spoken harshly, and the gathered humans seemed to jump in fright at the sound.

It was clear enough that the goblins wanted an audience. They wanted other humans to see what was going on. Still, Harry did as he was told. He pulled his shirt off and tried his best to relax. He could see the flash of a camera, and he wished he could do something about that. He disliked reporters. It wasn't like they had ever done anything to help him. Not counting Luna, of course. While he felt uncomfortable sitting there with his hands tangled in his shirt, he had said he would do anything, and he meant it. He wasn't backing down now.

The goblins spoke to each other behind him. Their voices were low and harsh. Time passed and some of the humans seemed inclined to walk up to him. Some even taking steps towards them.

Brightcleave stepped up next to him. "For the crimes you have committed against the Nation, you have willingly sought to pay your debt. As such, you shall be given a chance to make things right. Don't squander it."

The humans gasped as something happened behind Harry. He felt heat against his shoulder before blazing pain streamed through him. The smell of burnt flesh reached his nose. He breathed out harshly, but he made no sound. Tears gathered in his eyes. He blinked them away. He would shed no tears. Not now. Not in front of people. His jaw clenched. He was not willing to show weakness because of this. The hot iron left his shoulder and he did his best to relax despite the pain.

Brightcleave motioned for the human to rise. He was once again impressed. Humans usually made some kind of sound when branded, even the ones who thought they were tough. He waited for the human to stand before he motioned for him to follow.

Harry breathed in carefully before he took his first step. 'Don't stumble now,' went like a mantra through his head. He didn't look towards the humans as he drew his shoulders back to make sure his back was straight. He hadn't looked directly at them since entering the atrium again, and he was proud of himself for that. They walked out of the hall and down a long corridor. They went deeper and deeper. Further away from the surface and the sun with every step they took. Without saying anything to him, Brightcleave showed him to a door, let him inside, and left him there.

Once the door had closed behind Harry, he finally fell to his knees and let his tears flow as he cried out in pain. Getting hit with the Cruciatus curse was worse, but at least there was an end to the pain. He clasped his left shoulder and tried his best not to move it. His breathing calmed somewhat as he managed to get his tears back under control. "Well Harry, seems like you just made a mess of everything, but at least they didn't kill you," he muttered as he looked around through the remaining tears. He shuddered, and his left shoulder pulsed, making him groan out in pain. He dried his tears and looked around. "Might as well have a look around…" he said quietly to himself.

The rooms he had been left in were a flat. He wondered if he was allowed to use it as he pleased. He doubted anyone lived there, so it might be possible. There was no life to it, but the furniture was functional and would certainly serve the purpose of acting as a home. There was food in the pantry. The bathroom seemed to be stocked. Someone knew what a human needed to function. There were even some books in the bookcase, though, he didn't recognise the titles.

Harry closed his eyes and sighed deeply. He wasn't sure what to do now. He doubted he could sleep with the pain flaring in his shoulder. He looked down at himself. At the very least, he could have a shower. He dropped his clothes in the hamper and stepped into the shower. A groan escaped him as the cool water hit the open wound on his back. His eyes closed slowly, and he tried his best to relax.

What had he got himself into? All he knew was that the goblins didn't seem to want him to be uncomfortable, judging by the flat. Still, he somehow doubted the front door was unlocked. Why had they branded him, and what did that mean? He turned the water off and dried himself carefully so he wouldn't agitate the wound.

There were clothes in the closet, he assumed he could use. He pulled some things out and checked the sizes. He wasn't sure how they knew his size, but he didn't care. He turned around, and his eyes narrowed as he saw a potion vial on the night stand. His fingers were shaking as he reached for it. He hated that, but his body was doing it's best to fight the pain, so there wasn't much he could do about it. He sniffed the potion and figured it had to be some kind of healing potion. If they wanted him dead, they wouldn't have gone through all of this trouble, and he wouldn't be much use to them injured. He downed the potion, doing his best not to taste it.

His stomach growled, and he picked his pants up and put them on before heading over to the kitchen. There was enough food there to make quite a few things. He really just needed something light for now, though. He cooked and cleaned after himself as he went. The silence he had been enjoying during his time cleaning Hogwarts almost felt oppressive now. Hopefully, he would get used to it. He did enjoy being alone more than being surrounded by people, so he doubted it would be much of an issue. At least this was miles better than being stuck with the Dursleys.

Harry grabbed his wand and checked the time before falling into bed. He wondered what tomorrow would bring.

…

Harry whipped the sweat from his brow. His breathing was laboured, and he felt exhausted. His skin was almost black, it was so dirty, but at least they had given him a charm to keep the soot out of his lungs. He cleared the pipeline he had been working on and carried the buckets back to base.

Weeks had passed since his branding. Weeks of gruelling physical labour. He was part of a team of workers, some human and some goblin. He wasn't sure what they were. The initial briefing had just told him to keep his mouth shut, follow orders, show respect and treat everyone as equals. He guessed they could be slaves, but he somehow doubted it since some of the goblins seemed kind of young and all of them looked to have fresh brands the same as he did. Maybe the brands meant something else all together. Either way, he had been told not to speak, so he spoke to no one and most people didn't try to talk to him. Humans were the only exception to that rule. He had never experienced a goblin talking on the job.

"Hey, what in Merlin's pants is going on here?"

Harry moved away from the man trying to start a conversation with him. To be honest, he wasn't even sure his voice worked right any more. Either way, he didn't want to open his mouth down there with all the soot.

"Come one man, just say something. I haven't heard a voice in weeks."

'I wish I could say the same,' Harry thought as he moved back towards the pipes. He stepped out of the way as a goblin made their way out.

Their instructions were written, not spoken. They were simple and they were clear. He reached out and moved the other human out of the way, so the goblin could pass them by. It made sense to step aside for the ones coming up with coal and stone. They were carrying a heavy load. The people going down were not.

"Please just say something. Anything. Even if you are pissed off at me, that would be better than the silent treatment."

Harry reached out again and pushed the man back against the wall, so two more goblins could pass them by. That he didn't understand that he should move on his own was beyond him. He might not know exactly why he was doing these tasks or why they couldn't speak, but he knew why he was down there. He had messed up, and he was making it right. He wasn't sure for how long he would have to work to do that, but he wouldn't question it. They fed him and they housed him.

Of course, he missed the sky. He missed his friends. He missed talking to someone, anyone, but he was not going to mess up because some other human acted like an idiot. They had been ordered to do this job, and he would do it.

He placed his buckets down by the pipe and climbed in. A goblin handed him a pickaxe as he reached them, and he took over the work while the goblin filled his buckets. He started clearing the rubble out. The goblin brought his buckets out and returned with the ones Hahrii had left behind.

"Man, please. Just what did you do to end up here? Can you tell me that at least?"

Harry sighed. He knew they were being monitored, and this guy was digging himself down a hole with all his talk as well as the lack of work he was doing. The foreman would deal with it eventually. He just hoped it would happen before he got really annoyed with the guy.

"I still have my wand, you know. We could take these goblins out, and then we could escape this place. We could leave."

This was just getting more and more ridiculous by the second, and Harry was starting to wonder if this guy was for real or if he had been placed there to test his resolve. Either way, he was annoying. He still had his wand too. He even had it on him, but he would only use it to save lives. He handed the pickaxe to a goblin that walked in and filled his buckets before heading back out. He placed the buckets down and picked up the empty ones so he would bring them to the goblin. When he returned, the buckets he had filled were gone and the man who had been trying to talk to him was twirling his wand between his fingers.

"It is clear enough to see that you are a goblin dog by now. It is a shame. You know what we do with dogs?"

Harry raised an eyebrow before turning around and heading back into the tunnel. The goblin gave him a strange look as he started loading the buckets. The human had disappeared once they had them filled. They hoisted a bucket each and headed back towards base.

The foreman narrowed his eyes as he saw them. He signalled to two guards and sent them out. There was a human missing, and it looked like they were messing with the operation. They would have to put an end to that right away.

Harry picked up new buckets and headed back towards the dig. He worked until the tunnel was cleared before returning one last time. He could see the human who had been trying to speak to him earlier bound and gagged against a wall. His superiority because he had a wand was completely useless against the goblins.

The foreman walked up to Harry and pointed to a wall before patting him down. They knew he was armed. They had known that from day one, but the placement of his wand was so he couldn't possibly get to it easily, so they had allowed for it. The wand was still in the same place, so they sent him back to help with the carts.

Harry stretched as he stepped out of the shower. There was a knock on his door and he threw clean pants on and grabbed a shirt before walking over to it. "Armed?" Brightcleave asked.

Harry shook his head. His wand was lying on the night stand. He didn't want to sleep with it strapped to him.

"Good. Follow me."

Harry walked with Brightcleave through the empty halls until they reached a place he assumed was a hospital or at least medical station of some kind. An older goblin looked up as he entered. "Harry James Potter?" their voice was lighter than he was used to. Their features were softer somehow. Maybe this was a female. He wasn't sure, and it wasn't like he was going to ask. He nodded in response.

"Please try to answer verbally, but only answer the questions," the healer said.

Harry closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Y…es," he wheezed out. He was handed a cup of water.

"Unless you want to be a mute by the time you make it out of here, I would suggest using your voice every once in a while," the Healer said. "Take your clothes off. I want to give you a full physical."

Harry did as he was told and folded his clothes up before placing them on a small table.

"My name is Glint," the healer said. "I will be touching you for this. I expect you to stay still."

Harry watched her for as long as he could. He wasn't sure why they had sent him here, but he guessed it was a good thing.

"Scrawny," Glint said. "You need more protein in your diet. Will that be a problem with your current supplies?"

Harry considered what he had back at the flat. "Could use more chicken," he answered softly.

Glint nodded. "Then we will supply that," she said. "Kneel."

Harry moved down and raised his arms as she touched them.

"You need supplements," Glint said. "You will take them when they appear."

Harry nodded. He had no issues with that. If they wanted him to get healthier, that was fine by him.

"Would you like me to cut your hair?" Glint asked.

Harry blinked in surprise. He hadn't expected that question. Though his hair was getting longer than he preferred. "Yes, please," he said.

Glint nodded. She headed over to another room.

"So far?" Dumac asked.

"There is something up with his magic," Glint said. "I can't say for certain what until my results are back, and I might need more samples."

"Is it worth it for us to invest in him?" Dumac asked.

"That isn't my call. He is a polite young man who doesn't seem to care what race the people he is speaking to are. You might want to keep someone like that rather than get rid of them," Glint said as she headed back out to Harry. She didn't like how some goblins saw these humans only as bodies to do work and not as individuals. He had done something dumb, certainly. But he was a child. He had done it with the help of a goblin under duress of a mad man wanting him dead. His situation was understandable. She still thought it would do him good to get some honest work done, but they could look after him a bit too.

Black strands fell around Harry's legs as Glint cut his hair. He reached up when she was done and ran his fingers thorough it.

"Would you like to see?" Glint asked.

"Yes, please," Harry said. A small smile played on his lips as he saw himself in the mirror. He looked good. Healthier than he had. Damn, if that was what this work was doing for his body, it wasn't bad. His hair looked healthier too. She had cut it pretty short, but he found that he didn't mind that much. It would be easier to clean if nothing else. Glint cleaned up the hair, and he put his clothes back on before Brightcleave showed him back to his flat.

He picked his wand up as he sat down on the bed, and he checked the date. Four months. He had been underground for four months. He wondered what was happening on the surface. Had Hermione returned from Australia? How had her parents reacted to what she had done to them? How was Ron doing? Would he become an Auror now that Harry wasn't there to join him? Maybe one day he would find out. Or maybe the goblins would work him to death before that. Though… he doubted it considering his visit with Glint.

…

Hermione looked at Ron in disbelief as she held the paper tightly in her hands. It had a picture of Harry on the front. A picture depicting him being branded inside Gringotts with the headline: Saviour of the Wizarding-World Arrested by the Goblins of Gringotts? She read through the whole thing quickly and shook her head. "We have to do something," she said.

"Bill told me to leave it alone, but he wouldn't say more," Ron said tiredly. "The article is rubbish, but this is happening because of the break-in. It is all of our fault, but I think Harry took the blame. The goblins won't speak to me about it." he shrugged. Of course, he had checked with the goblins when he found out about Harry. He cared about his friend and wanted to know he was safe.

"The branded him, though?" Hermione asked. "That is inhumane."

Ron shrugged. He was too tired to care. All he could do was hope Harry knew what the heck he was doing. "Bill said to leave it be. He said that what Harry did might have saved his job, and he asked me to stay on the goblin's good side from now on. I'm not messing with it." If nothing else, he believed his brother. If Bill said it was fine, it probably was.

"You mean we should just leave him in a goblin slave camp?" Hermione said. "Forget it. I am going to get him out of there. They can't treat him that way. If you aren't going to help me, fine, be that way. I thought he was your friend."

Ron closed his eyes. He had been taking watch over George the past two weeks, so his brother wouldn't follow his twin. He didn't have the energy for this. He was worried about Harry, but he was choosing to believe in his friend. According to Bill, he had gone willingly. So he must have had at least an idea of what would happen to him.

None of those things mattered to Hermione, though. She wasn't satisfied. She would fight for her friend.

Two days later, Hermione had got nowhere, and she was frustrated. All they would tell her about Harry was that he was still alive. Getting that information had taken a lot out of her, and she had upset quite a few goblins along the way. She huffed as she sat down by the kitchen table as Ron served food.

They had fought back and forth about Harry for the past few days. He was not helping her, and she thought he was a coward for it. Neither was willing to back down nor change their minds.

…

Another two months passed by. Harry felt better after the added nutritions to his diet, and Glint seemed to be right about the protein. He had more energy and could keep going for longer and longer each passing week. He liked it, but he also realised that it was beneficial for the goblins that he could work harder. He was willing to take it as a win-win, though.

He moved deeper, and he was glad they had been given masks. The brown slurry rising around his legs was unseemly. This was by far one of the more disgusting jobs they had been sent on so far.

"You can't treat us like this!"

Harry shook his head as he kept working. Protest never led to anything but silence. People… normally humans did this sometimes. They screamed and hollered about being unfairly treated. He didn't see why. They were fixing a blockage. It was clear enough it needed doing and someone had to do it. Why not them? It wasn't like they were educated or important. He reached out and grabbed a goblin before they were swallowed by a vertical pipe. Then he moved forward and dropped into the pipe himself. The muck reached to mid-chest on him, and he knew he would have to submerge to get the blockade out. At least it would be easier for him to get back up than it would be for a goblin. He felt a tap on his shoulder and the goblin he had pulled back held out a cloth meant to clean him off after.

Harry drew a deep breath and moved down. He managed to get a hold of something down there and pulled. Hard. It dislodged and threw the thing out beyond the water. The goblin cleaned him off, and he got back up.

The foreman was nodding slowly as he looked at the rat like creature by his feet. Seemed they had a nest. They had worried that might be the case. Now that it looked more likely, he could get them the tools they needed. He called everyone back and sent them home before grabbing the man who had been screaming earlier.

Harry collapsed into bed late that night. He was exhausted. It had taken almost two hours for him to get clean, but he had got there in the end. He hummed softly just to keep his vocal cords working. Six months. Half a year. He sighed. He doubted that was enough to pay for the damage that had done. The question was for how much longer would he need to do this. It wasn't that bad, to be honest. By now he was convinced they weren't slaves. The young goblins he worked with were good people. They didn't stay more than a few months. They were polite, and they seemed surprised that he was just as polite back. Or as polite as a person who wasn't allowed to speak could be.

They were going into those tunnels the next day. He wasn't looking forward to it, but he would do it anyway. At least they would have some good gear with them. His eyes closed slowly and he fell asleep.