I once again stood in the magnificent halls of Gringotts. It was finally time for me to meet the king of the goblin nation.
The reason why I had gone through this difficult task of requesting a personal meeting with the king was because this year would be the beginning of the downfall of the two most dangerous wizards known and unknown to the wizarding world and there was no more opportune time for me to fulfill the promise that I made to the king about supporting the goblin nation to once again rise in the wizarding community.
If I made the right moves at the right time and had the backing of the goblin nation along with their associate wizards, I was positive that this upcoming war would not only make us rich beyond imagination but also increase the reputation and political power that will be wielded by us.
As I was engrossed in my thoughts, a goblin dressed in a warrior outfit shouted towards me and signalled for me to move towards the hall where the king generally took his daily audience.
I followed the necessary protocols and completed my greetings towards the king. Once I settled down, I was first addressed by one of the goblin ministers.
Goblin 1 " Though you have been acknowledged as a friend of the goblin nation by our king, that does not translate into you asking for personal audiences with our king. But because our king is generous, he granted you this chance."
He had just finished speaking when another stood up.
Goblin 2 " Against our advice of keeping your friendship with him only on a professional level, the king somehow seems to have a growing fondness for you. This was the reason that we came to the compromise about meeting you in everyone's presence."
Goblin 1 " Though we are meeting you in a group, you can rest assured that any of your proposal or requests could be easily granted as long as you promise that you will keep your future dealings within the boundaries of the bank and financial dealings."
I could easily see the unmasked mocking in the faces of the various goblins present into the throne room.
From where I stood it was difficult for any wizard to stay still after being called out so blatantly. It was after all no hidden fact that wizards in general thought themselves superior to other magical beings. So, for one to be standing and facing such humiliation without retaliating was almost unheard of.
I however was not most wizards. Who better than me knew that the British wizarding community as a whole was standing on its last legs and the smallest of tension can lead to a fire that will burn down the community to its very foundations.
Another reason was that, both the dark wizards had failed to see that it would be these seemingly lesser magical beings that would have the most freedom to go against them.
It had been proven for one of them after all in my last journey.
Voldi was the more ignorant one between the two big bad dudes. He had deemed the house elves so below him that he had outright ignored one in the past. This neglect had been his only slip-up in terms of his secret and it had led to RBK figuring it out.
Dumble's however had not faced the same outcome last time around. This time however, he would have to face the same consequence as Voldi.
Looking around the room once more, I finally rested my eyes on the king.
Me " I do not know what they want from me and I do not wish to know. The only thing I know is that it was you who had helped me when the whole world had seemingly turned its back at me. YOU were the one that took a chance on a ten-year-old ignorant kid who had nothing to give and everything to gain. So, I will not give up your friendship to gain anything."
Goblin 2 " If you do not wish to gain anything from our nation than it becomes more suspicious that a thirteen-year-old wizard wishes to have a private meeting with the king of our goblin nation."
Goblin 1 " It is not as if we are unaware that you are the heir to not one but two ancient houses, but that's about it. You are a heir and still do not possess the head of the house rights for you to be eligible to discuss anything mutually beneficial to the king of our nation."
Me " Though I do not have the force of a full house behind me it does not mean that I will be wasting the king's time by requesting a meeting with him. Surely the king can deny me the meeting today as is his right, but be under no illusion that I would be discussing anything in front of an entire audience."
I stood straight and waited for a reply from the king.
I was anticipating an angry response, or in the worst-case scenario silence from the king. The reason I say that his silence was the worst-case scenario is because that would indicate that the king approved of the thoughts and actions of those in his court and it would basically his way of saying that he would like to correct his mistake of naming me a friend.
The response I got was one of laughter. Not just from the centre of the throne room but from all around it.
The king then got up from his seat and spoke to everyone present in the room.
King " Did I or did I not tell you that the wizard I had taken as a friend would defy the expectations, we have all come to expect from the wizards."
He then turned his attention towards me and continued. accordingly.
Just as he finished speaking the goblins present in the throne room began to exit as if it had already been pre-decided amongst them that based on my answer they would react accordingly.
In next to no time the only ones remaining in the throne room were me and the goblin king.
Me " Thank you for the trust that you have shown in me. I guarantee you that I will not disappoint you with the information I am about to provide you."
What the king said next shocked me and finally made me understand that I was still a small ripple in a huge sea.
King " I am the king of one of the only surviving non-human kingdoms in the world, do you think I care deeply about how you can help me. The only reason you have my support is because you do not have a single ill thought against my people or race. This does not mean that I will not hear the information you provide, it just means that you do not have to continuously prove anything to retain my favor. You are but a toddler in the magical world and if you can you should enjoy these growing years instead of continuously worrying."
King " Now. Tell me what information do you have that is so accurate that you were willing to risk the ire of my entire cabinet to convey."