Harry visited Gringotts the next morning and made the acquaintance of Silverknuckle, the goblin assigned to manage his combined assets. Silverknuckle proved to be the friendliest goblin Harry had ever met, if not the most boring. As the goblin droned on about finance, Harry began to suspect that not even Professor Binns could have achieved among his classes such a level of boredom.
Owing to the circumstance of Harry having just recently assumed control of the Black assets, Silverknuckle wanted to review every minute detail of the Black estate with Harry and receive guidance on what priorities Harry desired the bank to pursue on his behalf. There was also the added situation of the Malfoy gold. Though Harry had placed the account under a false name, Silverknuckle knew it was Harry's and was of the opinion that the liquid capital could be used as a catalyst to increase the annual income of the Black estate.
Harry agreed with this strategy, somewhat, but he made it clear to the goblin that he expected to be able to draw on a fairly large amount of cash at any particular time. Silverknuckle assured Harry that this would be more than possible.
At lunchtime, Harry was invited to dine with approximately one dozen goblins. Glad for the opportunity to escape Silverknuckle for an hour or two, Harry was soon disappointed to discover that the invitation to lunch had been quite mercenary. The goblins who had invited him were stock brokers, and they knew he was from the future. They assured Harry that they could make a killing on the stock market with his assistance. The incentive for Harry was what they called "consulting fees."
Between bites of a mysterious casserole, Harry convinced them that "fees" should actually be "percentages." They, in turn, convinced Harry that some of his own money could be used in a number of investments, and that they, the goblins, would get a consulting fee. Harry agreed, and between their rapid-fire questions about various companies and products Harry could remember being popular, he was able to finish his lunch.
Harry was remanded back to Silverknuckle who was able to conclude the bank's business with Harry in about an hour. It was then Harry's turn, and he commenced with a number of requests related to his ability to access funds. He also made a number of other requests. The business was simple, and Harry was free to leave once his requests, including a substantial withdrawal, had been completed. He had previously planned on visiting the Black vault, but was simply so sick of Gringotts that he opted to come back another day.
The afternoon sunshine was beautiful, and Harry stopped to bask in it for several moments before making his way toward the luggage shop. It was on his way to the shop that Harry developed the suspicion that he was being followed. As he walked into the shop, he observed the reflection of the street in the front window and mentally noted the faces of some likely suspects.
"Can I help you?" inquired the shopkeeper, a middle-aged wizard.
"Yes," said Harry briskly. "I need eighteen strongboxes with enlarged interiors. They must be quite durable and weather resistant."
The shopkeeper frowned briefly, but quickly changed his facial expression to that of a helpful smile. "We don't have that kind of inventory on hand, but we can put an order in and have it forwarded directly to your home via owl."
"Excellent," Harry said, having already expected that such a small shop would not have eighteen of anything on hand.
The middle-aged wizard pulled a well-thumbed catalog from underneath the sales counter and with practiced ease, flipped to the precise section of the catalog containing strongboxes. He made a few suggestions for the sake of maintaining a helpful demeanor, but, realizing that Harry knew what he wanted, refrained from talking any further while Harry perused the options. Unbeknownst to the shopkeeper, Harry was also shooting furtive glances to the street outside. There were two wizards loitering just outside of the shop. One was of medium build and medium weight. The other was rather tall and hefty. Harry dubbed them Big and Bigger.
"These will do," Harry announced, pointing to a selection in the catalog.
The shopkeeper grabbed the catalog and rang Harry up. It was the biggest sale of the week for him. Not afraid to reveal his identity, Harry signed a draft for his Gringotts account and departed with repeated assurances from the shopkeeper that his order would be submitted to the manufacturer by the end of the day.
Harry offered a polite farewell and exited the shop, his defensive senses on high alert. The clandestine and rather inconvenient method of communication Moody had insisted upon the night previous, and the reminder of constant vigilance, had vividly revived Harry's memories of the war. He was allowing himself to be consumed by old defensive habits and instincts.
Big and Bigger followed Harry to the apothecary where he purchased a large number of ready-made potions. Seeing that he had already made arrangements for his order of strongboxes to be shipped to him, Harry also requested that the potions be owled, reminding himself that his fancy hotel room had a decent balcony. If the loiterers meant mischief, Harry didn't want to be burdened with too many purchases.
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