Arcturus was learning to read the newspapers.
Under the vigilant guidance of Kreacher, he read aloud phrases from the "Daily Prophet" and listened to the house-elf's comments.
"Now that democracy has triumphed in Britain, the Ministry is making every effort to restore order in the country," Arcturus finished the sentence and looked expectantly at Kreacher.
"This means that the government is currently disorganized and unable to manage the country," Kreacher explained. "The rootless ones are being reminded that they won, and they are being urged to endure for that reason."
"The Chief Justice of the Wizengamot, Samuel Thompson, announces that hearings for the supporters of Voldemort, detained after his demise, will take place next month." — "And what can we infer from this, Kreacher?"
"That all the detainees have been thrown into Azkaban without trial, and now they are waiting there for justice. By the way, Master, this Samuel Thompson is a Muggle-born black man."
"Does that mean anything?"
"It means, Master, that Dumbledore won't return to the position of head of the Wizengamot while Thompson is in charge. With the current government, removing a Muggle-born black man from office for the sake of a half-blood would be racism and an expression of political incorrectness."
Arcturus snorted. It was pleasing to think that Dumbledore would face difficulties in regaining his former influence.
"Who is this Thompson? Has he distinguished himself in any way?"
"No, except that he was a schoolmate of Braithewaite. He will do whatever Braithewaite says. A pocket chief justice, which is very convenient for the Minister."
"But Braithewaite listens to Dumbledore on everything."
"That was when he was nobody, but the Minister of Magic is a responsible position, Master. Braithewaite isn't completely foolish; he'll soon realize that Dumbledore likes to talk a lot and is accountable for nothing."
Arcturus snorted again and buried himself in the newspaper with increasing interest.
"Anyone wishing to donate for the construction of a memorial for the heroes who perished in the Battle of Hogwarts should contact the International Relations Department"...
"They plan to erect a monument to immortalize the victory of the democratic forces and uplift the spirit of the people, Master. There's no money, but they want to hold the event."
"Hmm, I see. "In the Battle of Hogwarts, its teachers and students particularly distinguished themselves"... I know that the Aurors delayed in providing reinforcements. If they had rushed, there would have been fewer casualties among the students."
"What were you fighting for, Master?" Kreacher suddenly asked.
"Me?" Arcturus pondered. "I had to fight since Voldemort was hunting me. I was always his primary target. He also wanted to restrict the rights of Muggle-borns, among whom were my friends. Besides, I had to avenge the death of my parents."
"You are pureblood, Master. Voldemort was not hunting you; he was after the younger Potter. The people you thought were your parents are alive. You defeated Voldemort for your friends, and you are no longer needed by them. So what were you fighting for, Master?"
"Hmm... So, for nothing?" Arcturus thought further. "Unless you count the common good."
"There is no such thing as the common good. In any confrontation, the good for one side turns into misfortune for the other. Since you are neither a mudblood nor the younger Potter, and since your rootless friends used and betrayed you—you fought for someone else's good, Master."
Arcturus knew only what he had overheard at a meeting about his real parents. His mother, a Ravenclaw, was caught at home by the Aurors alone with a child and defended him until she perished, and his father had spent fifteen years in Azkaban and was back there again. He himself was kidnapped by the Order of the Phoenix and used as a human shield for their Chosen One. He had definitely fought on the wrong side.
This was worth pondering.
"Anyone with information about the whereabouts of Rabastan Lestrange, a dangerous criminal and Death Eater, should report it immediately to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement"…— "which means they couldn't apprehend Lestrange, and that was clear even without Kreacher."
"He is now the head of the Lestrange family", Kreacher reported. "His older brother and his wife were killed in the battle at Hogwarts."
"It was Molly Weasley who killed Bella," Arcturus said absently. "Lestrange will only be found if someone recognizes him in the street or in some organization—like Gringotts, for example—and he is surely hiding. I wonder, can the Ministry seize the Lestranges' assets?"
"Gringotts is an independent international goblin bank. According to the convention between wizards and goblins, no one can seize the accounts and vaults of its depositors except the goblins themselves. If Lestrange hasn't harmed the goblins, he can use his Gringotts deposits wherever there are branches of the bank, and he won't be reported."
At that moment, Mr. Arthur Weasley, the father of Ronald Weasley, the hero of the Order of Merlin, First Class, was fervently negotiating with Mr. Goldgrabber, a representative of Gringotts, a goblin. Mr. Weasley needed to lift the seizure on the family vault, which contained a whole three and a half galleons and, more importantly, on the property of Harry Potter, which also included the inheritance of the Black family. Mr. Goldgrabber needed to recover the bank's losses after the golden trio's raid and grab as much as he could beyond that. Miss Hermione Granger was of no interest to either side; she didn't have an account at Gringotts.
"Mr. Goldgrabber, you must understand that the robbery was committed for the greater good! Only thanks to it was the threat of You-Know-Who's power completely eliminated!"
"Mr. Weasley, robbery is just a step away from murder! We goblins don't care who you consider evil and who is good, who is in power and who isn't—all of you humans are the same. You-Know-Who killed our employee, and your children destroyed an entire level of our bank and almost killed another employee. Moreover, they slipped him an artifact enchanted to return, and only its owner has the right to pass such an artifact. Your children, Mr. Weasley deceived and robbed the goblins!"
"But, Mr. Goldgrabber, Harry didn't know that Godric Gryffindor's sword would return to the Sorting Hat! The boy is not to blame; he honestly returned your reward for your help!"
"Mr. Weasley, we have no concern for your boys or your girls or your greater good! Damage was done, and damages must be compensated—that's my final word!"
"Mr. Goldgrabber, how can you be so ungrateful? My family risked their lives during the battle against You-Know-Who and his minions! My son received the Order of Merlin for it; it was written about in the newspapers!"
"Mr. Weasley, do not make us regret that the poor have come to power, unable to pay for their misdeeds! You-Know-Who at least compensated us for the death of our employee."
"How—compensated?" Mr. Weasley was astonished, still under the impression that Voldemort had never paid for anything.
"Just like that! We closed the accounts of all his supporters and didn't reopen them until we received compensation. They didn't want an international scandal, so they pooled together and paid."
The goblin's unexpected revelation took Mr. Weasley aback and left him bewildered.
"Uh... er... Mr. Goldgrabber… so you mean..."
"Yes, we have everything counted. Your children played around in our bank for three hundred twenty-three thousand two hundred fifty-five galleons, fourteen sickles, and three knuts."
"But considering that it was necessary for the right cause, maybe fifty thousand would be enough for you?" Mr. Weasley timidly suggested, having never held more than seven hundred galleons at once. He recalled that with that money, his family had traveled to Egypt.
"Only for the right cause…" the goblin pretended to think, sighed, and shook his head disapprovingly. "Only out of my respect for you, Mr. Weasley… The director will have my head for this, but I agree to round the amount up to three hundred thousand galleons. So be it; I'll take on this responsibility."
"You've gone mad, Mr. Goldgrabber! Where would we get that kind of money?!"
"That's what your children should have asked themselves before they meddled in our bank!"
"Mr. Goldgrabber, you cannot fail to understand that Harry Potter is a national hero! And that his parents also did much for Britain by bringing him into the world and then misleading You-Know-Who and his followers with their false deaths!"
"Only for the national hero and his esteemed parents, Mr. Weasley. Two hundred seventy-five thousand galleons."
Arthur Weasley sighed heavily and continued to haggle until the goblin stood firm. Concluding that the discount was significant, a satisfied Arthur went off to share the news with the Potters.
Goldgrabber was also pleased with the negotiation. The goblin knew exactly how much the Potters could pay.