~ ~ = Parseltongue
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Overlord Ragnok was in his office, analysing the return on investments of the bank's largest customers. The war had taken a toll for the worse. When news reached his ears that Lord Voldemort had risen again, he had hoped the idiot wizards at the Ministry of Magic would get rid of their Dark Lord soon, but that was not to be. The goblins had taken a stand to be neutral so as to not get involved. After all, this was a wizards' war. They had no stake in who won, but that didn't mean that they wouldn't like to get rid of the Dark Lord and let business go back to normal.
The economy of Magical Britain was in a state of recession. The brainless Death Eaters had not realised just how badly their violence could affect their businesses. Most of them had invested in the domestic market and they were seeing a rapid decline in financial returns. Of course, the black market was flourishing, but that could be put to an end only through the Ministry. There was nothing Gringotts could do about that.
At least some of their more reasonable customers had listened to sound advice and had invested abroad. Magical Britain was all but closed to the rest of the world. Everyone knew that the Ministry was compromised, but even the I.C.W. wasn't willing to step in. They all had enough with the British Ministry's arrogance.
Due to their pompous attitude and show of self-importance, Cornelius Fudge and his lackey, Dolores Umbridge, had utterly destroyed all diplomatic relations with every single magical country in the world. Knowing that the war could spill over, Magical Britain's immediate neighbours, namely France, Germany and Spain, had increased the numbers in their Auror force and magical law enforcement personnel on patrol. They had also strengthened the magical sensor net around their borders. That was the reason, Ragnok mused, why the Death Eaters had not gone abroad to seize power. They would be slaughtered and they knew it. He also doubted that Voldemort would take the war to Europe before killing Harry Potter and crushing all rebellion in the country.
Ragnok shook his head in disgust. The only reason Gringotts still stood was because goblins regulated the economy internationally. The goblins were outstanding bankers and their wards were such that theft was near impossible. The Dark Lord knew that he couldn't antagonise the goblins without risking a complete economic shutdown. Therefore, he had left Gringotts alone. That still didn't mean that Voldemort hadn't tried to take over the bank. There were several wizards operating as security at the entrance and in the marble hall to ensure that their targets couldn't get in.
Crack!
Picking up his sword with surprising speed for someone his age, the Overlord of the British Goblin Nation took an offensive position, only to frown when he saw that it was a very familiar house-elf. A house-elf that he had not seen in years.
"What do you want, elf?" barked Ragnok. No house-elf other than those registered at Gringotts could breach the wards, and this creature had been given access by Lucius Malfoy long ago to enter Gringotts on his master's orders and carry out business with the goblins that he felt was too unimportant for him to do personally. "What does Lucius Malfoy want this time and why is he wasting my time?"
The elf bounced on his feet in fear as he squeaked, "Dobby is sorry, Master Goblin sir, but Dobby was set free by bad Master Malfoy and he is no longer a Malfoy elf. Dobby is now serving the great Harry Potter. Master Harry has a letter for you."
Ragnok was surprised. Harry Potter was writing to him? He had wanted to speak to the lad after his godfather had died, but Albus Dumbledore, acting as Potter's guardian, had interfered. He had been expecting the wizard to come to Gringotts on his seventeenth birthday to claim his family estate that had become available to him once he was of-age and expedite matters, but considering what had happened the next day, he was not surprised that the Potter scion hadn't shown up.
"Give it to me," ordered Ragnok. He opened the envelope and unfolded the letter.
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To,
The Chief of Gringotts Bank, London.
Sir,
My name is Harry Potter and I am a customer of your bank. I apologise for contacting you, as I know that under the new regime, I am a wanted criminal. Unfortunately, I have no choice as I'm in dire need of your help. I understand that Gringotts has chosen to remain neutral in this conflict, and hence, I request you to let me speak to you face to face as this is a matter of great importance. I sincerely hope that your neutrality also covers my visit as I don't want the Ministry of Magic or Lord Voldemort to know that I wish to seek a meeting with you at Gringotts.
Please consider my request.
Yours respectfully,
Harry Potter
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Ragnok narrowed his eyes. What could be so important that Harry Potter wanted to speak to him personally, especially during such dangerous times? Was it regarding financial matters or something more?
"Elf, tell your master to come to the bank tonight," he ordered. "Bring him via Elf-Apparition. I will ensure the wards around my office are down precisely at midnight. He is to come alone and no other witch or wizard can accompany him. Is that clear?"
"Yes, Master Goblin sir," replied Dobby, nodding his head earnestly before Disapparting with a loud crack.
Ragnok snapped his fingers as various protective enchantments took effect, barring anyone else access to his office. He had to prepare for the meeting. No one was to know that the most wanted man in the country was coming here, not even the other goblins.
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Just a few seconds after midnight, there was a crack and an elf and human appeared in the middle of the office. The wizard looked around frantically, ensuring that it wasn't a trap. He calmed down slightly, but his shoulders were still stiff with tension.
"Welcome, Mr Potter," Ragnok announced, keenly observing the teenager in front of him. The boy looked quite haggard. "Prove your identity before we begin our meeting. Your blood should suffice."
Harry looked at the stone in front of him wearily. He took the small knife which was placed on the table and sliced a thin line on his palm, letting a few drops of blood fall on the stone. The stone glowed gold in colour and Ragnok nodded in satisfaction. Dobby snapped his fingers, healing the cut instantly, before Disapparating.
"What can I do for you, Mr Potter?"
"I immensely thank you for letting me come here, sir," said Harry gratefully. "I don't want to waste your time, so I will come directly to the point."
He waited for Ragnok to nod and then took a deep breath. "Director –"
"My name in Ragnok, Mr Potter," said the goblin calmly, "and I am the Overlord of the British Goblin Nation. I do not hold any other title."
Flushing in embarrassment, Harry continued. "I apologise, Overlord Ragnok. As for why I'm here, I'd like to begin by saying that I've not been hiding for the past few months without anything to do. I'm searching for things that will ensure Vol –" he paused, remembering one of his elves warning him about the Taboo, and corrected himself, "Riddle's destruction. You see –"
"Who is 'Riddle', Mr Potter?" interrupted Ragnok, frowning at the boy. He had never heard that name before.
Harry smiled thinly. "Tom Marvolo Riddle, the bastard son of the House of Gaunt, is the resident Dark Lord who is currently after my blood."
"Gaunt?" Ragnok exclaimed as he threw his head back and laughed loudly; the sound was quite unnerving. "It's no wonder he changed his name. The Gaunts were the most disgusting and ostracised family in the country. They claimed to be the descendants of Salazar Slytherin, but they bankrupted themselves centuries ago. Gringotts had to close their account due to them being declared insolvent."
Harry nodded, hoping he was doing the right thing by trusting the goblins. "Anyway, I am here because there are – objects – which Riddle created that enabled him to cheat death. I'm trying to find these devices so that I can destroy them before Riddle realises what I'm doing."
"Objects to secure immortality?" Ragnok snarled. "That useless, cowardly wizard! Does he have any idea what he has done?"
Harry swallowed. Taking the goblin's anger as a good sign, he continued. "I hope we are on the same page, Ragnok. Yes, I'm talking about Horcruxes."
Ragnok's fist tightened. "How do you know about this?" he asked suspiciously. "I doubt the Dark Lord would have told you."
"No," he breathed out. "Albus Dumbledore figured it out and told me. The reason I'm here is because I believe one of them might be in your bank."
Ragnok's expression was thunderous. A Horcrux was something all magical species hated on principle, including wizards and goblins. The soul was sacred, believed by all to be pure magic, and to be defiled like that was the most blasphemous thing that a magic user could ever do. It was an affront to Mother Magic herself! Ragnok's hate and disgust towards Voldemort increased to new levels.
"Mr Potter, I hope you realise what a dangerous statement you have just made. It is highly illegal to bring such a filthy device inside goblin territory much less store it in one of our vaults!"
Harry gulped. He had never interacted with goblins, except for the few times in his early Hogwarts years when he had to take money from his vault. History of Magic was quite useless in giving instructions on how to deal with an irate goblin.
"I apologise, Ragnok, but isn't Gringotts the safest place to store a priceless artefact? It makes sense that Riddle would keep it in the vaults of one of his most trusted Death Eaters. I may be wrong, but I have a strong suspicion that I'm right. If there is one here, please let me destroy it. I do not seek material gain, Ragnok, please believe me. I am here solely to destroy the Horcrux. I have no future. He will kill me in the end, but all I'm trying to do is take him with me. If I can manage it, when he kills me, it would kill him too."
Ragnok eyed the boy speculatively. Truthfully, their scanning devices should have picked up something like a Horcrux, but he knew that it was possible for a goblin to have been forced or even bribed to keep the Horcrux in the vault during the last war. Harry Potter also seemed unusually determined that he was going to die; there was something strange about his tone.
"Why do you say that you are going to die, Mr Potter?" asked Ragnok curiously.
Harry took a deep breath. "I can only answer that to quench your curiosity because there's no help for me. But please, will you help me retrieve the Horcrux if it is indeed in the vault of Bellatrix Lestrange? I have a hunch that it is here. I can't explain it. I just know that it is here."
Ragnok thought about it for a minute. Bellatrix Lestrange never came to Gringotts to withdraw Galleons or to discuss her family's financial matters; she despised goblins. If there was a Horcrux in her vault, they could always replace it and Bellatrix would be none the wiser. However, if the exchange was ever discovered, especially considering the fact that the object in question was the Horcrux of the Dark Lord, it could mean war between the goblins and Lord Voldemort. As their overlord, he couldn't risk the lives of the goblins unnecessarily. But considering the situation Magical Britain was in, was it worth helping the boy?
"Please, Ragnok," begged Harry. "Thousands of people have died because of him. Thousands of Muggle-borns have been sent to camps where they are tortured and killed. I know that two of your own employees, Griphook and Gornuk, have fled. Please, Ragnok. Help me. I will pay compensation for it. My vault does not have too much money as compared to people like Malfoy, but you can have it. I don't need it anymore. I've barely spent any money at all, so Gringotts can take it as compensation for services rendered. Please, I beg of you!"
"Calm yourself, young one," said Ragnok softly. "I will assist you. But you're wrong in claiming that your vault doesn't have enough money. At the moment, you are our largest customer."
"Excuse me?" Harry exclaimed. "How is it possible for me to be your biggest customer? I only have a small vault. Granted, it has a lot of money as compared to the Weasleys, but –"
Ragnok laughed loudly. "The Weasleys? Please, Mr Potter. Do not compare yourself to the Weasleys. The vault you are talking about is your personal vault, created by your father when you were born and contains fifty thousand Galleons. It is to be used for your school and other purposes until you come of age, at which time, you would become the head of the Potter family and would gain access to the family vault, investments and various landed properties."
"What?" Harry croaked weakly.
From reading about his family's history in the Hogwarts library, Harry knew that the Potters were a very old family and were one of the few that had remained since the time of King Arthur and Merlin more than fifteen hundred years ago. It was only for that reason that a few select families such as his had been granted a hereditary seat on the Wizengamot, while most members of the governing body continued to be elected by the people or was comprised of Ministry department heads and holders of Orders of Merlin. Every sitting member of the Wizengamot, whether they inherited the seat or were elected, was known as 'Lord' or 'Lady'. Harry had never bothered with it until now, mostly because there was nothing he could do until he finished school, but never had he realised that there was more to his family fortune than his personal vault. There was no reason to, since he knew that families like the Abbotts, who were also very old, were middle-class. The thought that he could have more money besides his small vault had never even crossed his mind!
Ragnok grimaced. "I've wanted to meet you ever since your godfather, Sirius Black, died. Unfortunately, your guardian, Albus Dumbledore, restricted any contact with you. We have several things to discuss. But first, I will check if Madam Lestrange's vault indeed contains a Horcrux."
"It might be Helga Hufflepuff's cup," said Harry helpfully, "or something belonging to Rowena Ravenclaw."
Ragnok paused and nodded. He snapped his fingers and food immediately appeared on the table. "Eat, Mr Potter. I'll be back in a few minutes. It won't take long for me to verify your claim."
The goblin soon left, leaving Harry in his solitude.