Well, this was awkward.
It's like he was expecting me to say something, but what hell was I supposed to say? I had no idea what was going on after mentioning my name.
"….my Vault?" I finally spoke.
The teller in front of me seemed to regain his wits as he stared at the key I was dangling. It's weird, I'd only met these Goblins, yet I could easily tell the look of bewilderment was not a common expression for them to have.
"...I will need to check the key." He very hesitantly reached out to take the key from me. And for a brief moment his eyes dilated before returning to normal. Almost an audible gulp as he carefully slid it back across the counter. "….follow me."
I shrugged, choosing to ignore the awkward silence still permeating the Bank. And instead, I moved towards the door where the teller exited from behind his….post? I didn't quite know the word for the 'area' that the teller sia at?
Desk? Office?
It was irrelevant, I supposed.
I followed the small Goblin through another door, leaving the main room.
"May I ask…." The Goblin cleared his throat. "May I ask what your business here today is Mr. Schweinorg?"
I'm not naive enough to not notice an attempt at gathering information. But frankly, I had no idea what was going on, thus I found myself not caring.
"I was thinking about having my daughter enroll in Hogwarts. I wanted to check out the area, and I figured it'd be prudent to get some of the local currency. My Grandfather offhandedly remembered that he had a Vault, so he gave me the key."
I didn't mind some polite conversation even if he was trying to get information out of me. I wouldn't mind some information in return either.
"….may I request the name of your Grandfather?"
"Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg." It wasn't really a secret.
Perhaps it was not what he was expecting, because he had no immediate response. Instead, we silently walked to what looked like…a minecart?
"Please." He gestured to it, though his tone didn't carry any actual politeness. Not that I thought he was being rude, but it seemed extremely rehearsed and a formality on his part.
Not what I was expecting, but I'm always up to try new things. I hopped into the mine cart and he joined me rather quickly.
I ran a hand on the metal, raising an eyebrow as I inspected the magics woven into its design.
Now, wasn't that interesting.
Some things I didn't quite recognize, others were familiar and I could deduce their purpose.
"Keep your limbs inside the cart at all times. Gringotts is not responsible for any amputations as a result of stupidity." He said in a monotone, not giving any time to respond, he pulled on a lever, sending the Cart forward.
It jerked and then began to accelerate, obviously through Magic. There was no descent, but it still shot forward at high speeds.
I might have had a big smile on my face.
Kunou would love this.
Even more so when we did a random loop on the track. It honestly felt like a roller coaster and I think my inner kid was peeking out.
It got more and more ridiculous as we went further down into the depths of the earth. Or rather, what I presume was the depths of the earth, because there was a rather interesting phenomenon that occurred as we progressed.
But I digress, at one point it looked like the tracks were broken, and the cart had to 'leap' from one end to the other to keep going. On certain turns, the cart 'nearly' tipped over at how sharp it was.
Not to mention all the loops and spins that were involved.
The Goblin looked utterly unphased and I was just enjoying myself.
The ride seemed to calm down a bit after a few minutes, and the temperature dropped several degrees. I wasn't quite sure where we were, but it was deep underground.
"Arriving at Gringotts' lowest level." He seemed to emphasize.
The cart screeched to a stop at a group of what I presume were vaults lined up. They looked like they were carved out of the rock formations with massive metal doors wedged into the front.
"That was fun." I mused, hopping out.
"….not the response we usually receive." He muttered.
"Well, the distractions made for a rather exciting ride. The Spells woven into the cart obviously kept it from becoming too dangerous. The hops, the loops, the 'almost' flips, it was just sleight of hand. I think my daughter would love to ride it. But it was a good way to try to distract people from the fact that they leave their country of origin to delve into this place."
The Goblin, his eyes widened for a brief moment. "What do you mean by that?" They suddenly narrowed.
"Was that supposed to be a secret?" I blinked. "Well, in hindsight, it's obvious that's the case." I wasn't really in a mood to care so I was just speaking my mind. "I was wondering why Gramps told me to take money out here even though he'd never deposited money in England before. It makes sense, from what I understand, you have some bank branches all over the world? Having them all linked to the same place makes it significantly easier to manage, I would presume."
The Cart Ride was just a distraction to hide the fact that everyone was teleported through some manner to another part of the world. Well, I'm sure not everyone goes through that method. It would be weird if they didn't have other Vaults closer to the surface, and still within the country.
Well, less than teleport, more like, two points connected in space.
If they attempt to teleport me, it would fizzle out rather quickly.
That would be embarrassing. Imagine just falling because the Goblin and the Cart disappeared because they teleported away….
The Goblin continued to stare at me like I had an additional head.
"What?"
"…..that was a Goblin Secret that had gone undiscovered for hundreds of years."
"Wait, really?" I furrowed my brow. "I mean, it was impressive how it was devised. Barely any seams on the transition, but hardly unnoticeable. And for hundreds of years you say?"
The Goblin pursed his lips. "Wizards are not the most perceptive bunch."
I shrugged, having no opinion on that statement. "Well, you don't have to really worry about me spreading it around. I don't particularly care either way."
"…joy, I will be filling out more paperwork." He grumbled. "This way Mr. Schweinorg, you have Vault 002."
I whistled. "Number 2? How are the numbers given?"
"When a Vault is opened, they are assigned the next number in the list." He said dryly.
"So Gramps has the second Vault ever?" I raised an eyebrow.
"So it seems." He looked at me intently. "Unless your key is unable to open the Vault. In which case, you will be tried and executed for a list of crimes we will be making up to hand over to the Ministry. Please proceed." He gestured.
"Neat." I liked his honesty.
He twitched a little.
I hummed and walked over to the big metal door and found the slot to push the key into. It clicked a few times, some massive gears spinning for what sounded like the first time in centuries. Which….probably was the case here.
"….I don't believe it." The Goblin muttered.
"Is something wrong?" I looked at him. "Wait, did you think I was a fake? Didn't you check my key upstairs?"
"We are only able to check to see if your key is real. All Gringotts keys are created using Goblin Magic. We, however, are not legally able to verify which key matches to which vault."
"…that sounds stupid."
"Quite." His lips thinned.
The massive gate shuddered and dust rattled off under the strain. Finally, the massive door screeched open, metal grating against metal.
The glow nearly blinded me as I looked to see what was inside.
A literal mountain of Gold stood taller than what should be possible for the confined space.
"Holy shit, Gramps."
The Goblin said something definitely not English, but I was fairly sure it was something similar.
"Uh….is there an accountant to manage the vault?" I glanced his way.
"Yes."
"Can I speak to him?"
"That depends."
"On what?" I asked.
"How adept are you at summoning the spirits of the dead?"
"…you could have just said he was dead."
"I assumed it was obvious." He snorted.
"…why would it be obvious?" I was rather confused. "Wouldn't someone else take their place?"
"Yes, that was very much the case. We pride ourselves on our accurate bookkeeping. The original Goblin who managed the Schweinorg Vault died, and it was passed on to another. And again, and again, and again. Currently, there is no manager for the Vault, because it has been inactive for over 700 years."
"…oh."
"Yes, oh."
Did gramps not use his vault the last time he visited?
"Is that why everyone in the bank was surprised to hear my family name?" I asked.
The Goblin blinked at me. "Are you unaware of who your Grandfather is?" He looked at me skeptically.
"…..maybe?"
He twitched slightly.
"I would appreciate it if you told me what you know."
"Do I look like the newspaper? I handle matters for Banking, if you want –"
"50 of those Gold Pieces." I pointed at the literal mountain.
"They're called Galleons." He sneered. "…..1000."
"100, for each question you answer for me." I countered.
He was expressionless for a good moment before his lips pulled back into a sharp and toothy grin. "I am Manager Griphook, and I would be delighted to assist you, Mr. Schweinorg."
"You know, your bluntness and honesty is pretty refreshing. If something was going to cost me money, I'd rather someone just be up front and tell me how much they wanted and we negotiate from there." I mused aloud. "Very well….." I let out a short sigh. "I suppose we should get to the meat of the matter. What's the deal with my Grandfather?"
"You should be more specific." He replied. "The Deal, as you say, is plentiful."
"Dammit Gramps, what did you do?" I resisted the urge to facepalm. "Start from the beginning?" I asked.
He frowned, but acquiescence. "Your Grandfather was known as the first person to invest into Gringotts at its inception."
"Vault 002?"
"Indeed."
"What about 001?"
"001 is reserved for our own uses." He didn't elaborate.
Huh, Gramps said he thought the idea of Goblins doing Banking was novel, so he gave them some gold… "Does the Vault have an interest rate?"
"Why do you think it's so large?" He snorted. "All the Vaults are automatically updated based on the current interest rate. Your Grandfather's Vault is special in that it carries with it an Interest Rate we no longer use but was Grandfathered into the current systems. Congratulations, Mr. Schweinorg, you are one of the richest Wizards in the world."
"Oh, so that's why you were all surprised?" I nodded my head. "I think I understand now." One of their first 'customers' so to speak, it must have been a famous name among them for a while now.
"That is why we care about the name, yes."
"…..and you mean what by that?" I didn't miss the insinuation.
"Do you wish to ask more questions?" His grin appeared again.
"Just keep track and answer, I'm not going to be stingy on paying you." I rolled my eyes. "Is my Grandfather's name famous?"
"In a manner of speaking." He replied. "However, he is thought of by many to be a very Dark Wizard."
"That sounds childish." I frowned.
"Indeed." He didn't dispute it. "Many seem to believe that everything can be separated into Light or Dark."
Oh jeez, it was one of those kinds of places. "Continue." I sighed in exasperation. "Why is Grandfather so 'darkly famous'?"
"His name came to the attention of many some years ago. During the Second World War, he had an encounter with another infamous Wizard in particular. I'm sure the name of Grindelwald is familiar."
"….no?"
He blinked, looking at me as if to see if I was joking. "….you don't know who Grindelwald is?"
"First time I'm hearing that name."
"Even we know who Grindelwald is."
"A complete blank."
He stared at me for another few moments. "This counts as a question."
"Whatever."
"Grindelwald was the Dark Lord who rallied thousands of Witches and Wizards to his side and stood along with Axis powers during the Second World War."
"Magical Hitler?"
He twitched. "That is... accurate."
Magic Nazis….
"And what does he have to do with Gramps?"
"The rumors were vague. But from what was discovered, Grindelwald ran afoul an unknown Wizard of the name Zelretch and was handedly beaten along with many of his top supporters and subordinates. It's noted to be one of the turning points in the Magical Side of the War."
"Huh, that sounds like Gramps." He beat up Magical Hitler and he didn't tell me?
Or maybe he didn't know? I wouldn't be surprised either way, but if so, it'll be fun to tell him.
Griphook kept his expression even. "Obviously, this was something that spread everywhere. Grindelwald was one of the strongest Wizards in history, and he was beaten so thoroughly that he was forced to flee and lost a significant amount of forces to a single person. Thus, many began to search for this 'Zelretch'."
"I feel like there's a second part coming."
"What was discovered, after trying to look into your Grandfather with various sources and descriptions dating back thousands of years." He responded. "It caused quite the commotion back then. Many believed him to be some sort of Immortal, or a Dark Creature. Maybe even the most powerful Vampire to ever live."
I nearly choked on that last one. It was almost true, but my particular version of Gramps never became a Dead Apostle.
Funny enough, for that version of Gramps, all of those were true.
"I guess that makes sense."
"…if you say so."
"I have some more…mundane questions, if you don't mind."
"I am happy to assist." He replied, but his tone sounded anything but. If I wasn't paying him, he would have completely told me to do the Goblin equivalent of going to F myself.
"What's Hogwarts like?"
"I would not know, Goblins are not allowed to enroll."
"Pardon?"
He raised an eyebrow. "Goblins are classified as Magical Creatures, we are not allowed to own Wands, nor enroll in Hogwarts."
"Please don't tell me that the 'Witches and Wizards' here are horribly racist?"
"I will admit that not all of the Wizarding World looks down on non-humans, but there is a significant and powerful faction that believe so, yes." He sounded honest. "Half-Humans are not treated much better. There is a Half-Goblin teacher of Charms at Hogwarts that has stymied the tide so to speak, but it is still a prevalent mindset for Witches and Wizards to have."
"So Half-Humans are 'allowed' to use Wands and go to school?"
"Yes." He replied with a growling undertone.
"This Ministry, they keep track of 'Non-Human species'?"
"They have a list for their laws." He nodded.
"And about Youkai?" I asked.
"Those Eastern Species?" He blinked. "The Ministry is too ignorant about things outside of its borders."
So there are Youkai here, that's good.
"And how do you think a young Youkai girl will be treated if she enrolled in Hogwarts?"
His expression softened just a smidgen. "Your daughter is not human?"
"Technically, her father was human, but her species is fully non-human, Youkai magic. But if the 'Ministry' is ignorant of outside things, then I doubt they'd look into it." I was mostly thinking aloud.
"Any overt issues should mostly be dealt with by the school. The Headmaster, begrudgingly, is not the worst Wizard I've ever had the displeasure of meeting. And he is vocally opposed to the 'Pure Blood' ideology."
Pureblood?
How trite.
That did make me…hesitant. But then again, Kunou wasn't always going to be sheltered from the world. Some mild Racism, maybe it was something she should learn to deal with on her own? It went against every instinct as a Father that I developed…but perhaps Kunou should face some small adversities on her own to grow from?
I couldn't imagine they would be too bad considering everything Griphook said.
And in the worse case, if someone did cross a line, I would burn the school to the ground.
Something to talk to Yasaka about.
I gave Sir Wiggles a rub as he was still on my head. And in all honesty, I forgot he was there. "Is there a convenient way to contact the Headmaster of Hogwarts?"
"Simply send him an owl?" Griphook shrugged.
"Like, send him the whole bird?" I blinked. "Is this some kind of special bribe? Is owl a delicacy here?"
"Are you…..really that ignorant of how Wizarding society works?" He asked in disbelief.
"Lived in Japan most of my life." I pointed out, not really knowing if that was a valid response.
He shook his head and said something in his Goblin Language. I could actually understand it now, weirdly enough. Was my Devil Heritage needing a moment to 'understand' the language as it was the first time I've encountered it or that it was so foreign I had no precedent before?
Odd in any case.
"We use owls here to deliver letters."
"That seems horribly inefficient."
"The owls are a special Breed of Magical Beasts."
"Still sounds kind of dumb. Why not…..call?"
"Mr. Schweinorg, after seeing the state of the humans here, do you truly believe any Witch or Wizard knows how to use a Phone?"
"….I didn't want to judge based on first impressions."
"Your first impressions are most likely accurate."
"My first impressions of Goblins were that they were rather rude."
"Yes, that is accurate." He didn't deny it one iota. "We don't like Wizards, Mr. Schweinorg." He replied without much expression.
"You're being very honest."
"You're paying for my honesty."
"Touche." I admit he had me there. "Since I'm accessing my Vault, will I get someone to manage it?"
"We will assign someone." He nodded. "If you desire a thorough Audit, I'm afraid it will take some weeks to get everything sorted. We have never had a Vault reactive after such a long period of time with such quantities to sort through."
"Administrative fees?"
"Will be substantial." He grinned. "I look forward to the fight to decide who claims the prize."
"….your culture sounds both exciting and scary."
"So I have been told."
"Would it be possible to open a…..trust fund? Do you do that here?"
"We do have a similar system in place." He nodded. "You are familiar with Muggles banking system?"
"…Muggles?"
He sighed. "It is what the Wizarding World of Britian calls Non Magical Humans."
"Ah." It sounded like a made up word. "Wait, if the humans here are so….out of touch, why do you all know about the 'Muggles'. I just realized, but you knew what a phone was."
"We are required to keep in touch with our Muggle Counterparts due to the nature of Banking, Mr. Schweinorg. One of our primary services is to convert Galleons to Muggle Currency."
"Huh….what's the conversion rate of Galleons to Pounds?"
"It depends on your circumstances. In your case, you would be paying for a full gold to Pound Conversion. For Hogwarts students, they receive a special service subsidized by the Ministry for a conversion rate of 50 pounds to the Galleon to a certain amount to pay for school fees."
"So no bouncing between mundane and Magical Currency to make a profit?"
"Do you take us as a joke, Mr. Schweinorg?" He said dryly. "The Conversation rate is watched closely and updated as needed."
"Neat, but we went off topic. A trust fund, yes?'
"Quite." His lips thinned again. "We are able to open up a new vault similar in concept that pays out a certain amount over a period of time that will turn into an Adult Vault when they reach their age of majority. You merely have to stipulate how much you wish to deposit and at what times. There is of course a fee."
"Of course." I rolled my eyes, but it made him grin. "Will I need to come down here every time I want to withdraw money?"
"Of course not." He scoffed. "We do offer a special service. A pouch that connects directly to your vault." His eyes lit up. "For only 3000 Galleons. And you can withdraw as much money directly from your pouch as you want. There aren't even any fees for the first 1000 Galleons withdrawn this way."
"That sounds horribly expensive." I noted. "I'll buy a few later."
"I will add it to your bill, Mr. Schweinorg." He said with glee.
"Yeah, yeah." I could figure out that he basically got off on charging me Gold at this point. "I have one last thing I wanted to talk to you about." I flipped open my notebook and found the pages that Gramps wrote about a certain metal they produced.
I read the passage again that he jotted down his notes for.
'Goblin Silver, an intriguing Metal created through means unknown. Imbued with a Goblin's concept of 'greed', it seems to desire to take in things that make it 'better', thus further improving itself'
He didn't really experiment much with it. But Gramps did mention it as something I would want to look into, rather than something to just 'pick up'.
"How difficult would it be to have a sword forged from Goblin Silver?"
If this operated how I thought it did…..I had some ideas on how it could be most beneficial for me after taking the effort to cultivate it to match my other weapons.
[***]
A/N
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