CHAPTER SEVENTY-ONE: THE GOBLIN HOARD
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21st 1996 - Little Hangleton, Yorkshire, U.K.
It wasn't the run down Riddle Manor, but it would do. No one expected him to take the parsonage house. It was a proper purchase given that the parson had long since retired and no one had taken over his position. The country parson was almost a thing of the past as it was no longer a position that guaranteed an income from rents and such. Some survived the change in economy. One might argue they were true believers or some such. Most, however, disappeared. Tom Riddle had seen to the purchase of this parsonage house. It was on the market for ages and had few takers. For him, it offered a degree of seclusion. He was just a buyer and, as far as the locals were concerned, probably foreign at that so they left him alone. The added factor was that the magicals would never suspect this move.
But it was not his brilliance in real estate deals that captured his attention this day. The parsonage had a nice, large room for official business. It was not the throne room he believed he deserved and one day would have, but it would meet his immediate purposes. It would not impress a visitor, but Tom was certain he would, at least those who would be arriving today.
Twelve wizards had soon gathered for the meeting. Seven were operators, survivors of the raids earlier that summer. Three were high placed moles within the Ministry of Magic and the remaining two were Wormtail and Severus Snape. They all bowed when Voldemort entered the room and remained bowing as he took a seat before them.
"It has been a most inauspicious beginning," Voldemort began. "When I returned to you last year, I believed as many of you did that our ultimate success was a foregone conclusion and all that we needed was a little time. I still believe it should have been, but it seems I was thwarted at just about every turn by the incompetence of my so called loyal followers. In the past failure earned my displeasure and my displeasure did not bode well for those who failed me. That is still the case. Unfortunately, those whose failings have cost us most dearly managed to get themselves killed or incarcerated almost as if they intended such a result to evade their punishment.
"It should have been simple. All that was asked was for a group of my trained Death Eaters to capture, corner or kill a teenaged boy. Their first assignment was to capture him and use him to obtain a prophecy. And what was the result? A dozen of my best soldiers were thwarted by children! The boy escaped, the prophecy was lost to us forever and eleven of my so called best now rot in Azkaban, including that incompetent Malfoy!
"We then made another attempt, this time to kill that boy. We sent thirty-six Death Eaters against five targets, only two of which were expected to resist. What were the results? Eight of our friends returned, three of them seriously injured. Sixteen were killed and the rest were captured. And what results did they achieve? Not much and certainly not what we intended. They managed to kill the head of DMLE and a few Aurors in a diversion. Otherwise, they killed an old woman and a lunatic. None of the primary targets were even spotted and the boy made no appearance at all. Both of those missions must be considered failures.
"Then there's the most recent debacle. Twelve of our number decided to do a little freelance work for the former Senior Undersecretary. Sixteen others were roped into that operation as ministry employees including all six of our brethren who 'guard' Azkaban prison. We know for certain that twenty of them were killed. The other eight have gone missing and are presumed dead. Finally, two of our number happened to be in the office when Potter, claiming to be the Earl of Darby, stopped by for a chat that left them and Umbridge dead. I won't believe the little brat has any connection to the Arbiter of Death, but it's a fact that he somehow managed to kill three people within feet of the Minister's Office and get away clean, a feat I seriously doubt my own Death Eaters could accomplish. In the last two months we've lost sixty-nine of our number: forty-six are dead or presumed dead and twenty-three are in Azkaban. And as we no longer have any of our number among the guards, we cannot hope to repatriate our friends. For the foreseeable future, they are dead to us.
"Our losses can be replaced. We have yet to seriously tap into the generation that was too young to stand with us during the last war. But while losses can be replaced, we cannot hope to prevail if we continue to suffer slaughter after slaughter. It is clear to me that fourteen years of peace has made you lose your edge. You've grown soft and comfortable in your lives and that softness manifested itself in combat as you were overwhelmed by forces that should have cowered before you. That means we will spend our time for the foreseeable future recruiting and training. I will not authorize any combat missions or political moves until our forces are rebuilt to my satisfaction. That means RTK (Rape, Torture, Kill) missions only and again only with my prior approval as I am not confident that any group of you can raid a Muggle home and have sport with the residents without coming to harm yourselves."
"What about Potter?" a voice asked.
"Our information is that he's fled the country for good. Isn't that right, Severus?"
Severus nodded. "We believe he left the country not long after leaving Hogwarts for the summer. This was not discovered until after the reading of the Will of the late Sirius Black on July 10th. Dumbledore had three people tasked to guard the place where he was to spend the summer, two of whom disappeared following the Will reading and have not been seen since. The third reported nothing out of the ordinary, but his watch occurred at times when he might not have noticed anything. In addition, we learned that the Muggles who lived there had moved out of the country by around the date of the Will reading. We also know now that the Granger girl and her family left the country before the end of June. Their home has been emptied and is up for sale. The only other time Potter is said to have been spotted was that incident at the Ministry, to which there was only one live witness - or so that witness claimed - and he has since absconded. In my opinion, the murders at the Ministry were probably his doing and not Potter's. But it is clear that Potter has cleared off and has no known intention of returning. Potter and four others of the Ministry Six have also notified Hogwarts of their permanent withdrawal from school. True, one of those four is known to have been bound to Potter as his Concubine. But the fact remains he has withdrawn from Hogwarts and there are no records indicating he's transferred to any other school in Britain."
"The Wizarding World's Savior has done a runner," Voldemort chuckled. "He is no longer a threat to us so we need not worry ourselves about him."
"Surely there's someone who should pay for our disasters," a voice said.
"CRUCIO!" and the man screamed under Voldemort's Torture Curse for a few seconds. "You seem to have forgotten your manners and your tone, Avery," Voldemort said when he released the curse. "You've also forgotten the object lesson. We are in no position to pursue vendettas! We must rebuild for now."
"There's always the Weasley boy," another voice suggested. He too felt the effects of the torture curse.
"Fools, the lot of you!" Voldemort said after he released the curse. "You've tried that sort of thing and it left us with sixty-nine lost to us! Until we are ready, only I will decide what is in our interest aside from RTK missions into the Muggle World for training. The Weasley boy is useless to us! Potter abandoned him! Killing him would be pointless and lest you forget, he's under Dumbledore's protection. I will not risk further losses to kill an underage blood traitor who does not matter in the long run. You tried it once and got slaughtered. He's not worth a wand! If you're so intent on revenge, then I would suggest a soft target, one that would mean something and one not under Dumbledore or the Ministry's protections. I would suggest killing Draco Malfoy!"
"Milord?" Severus responded in shock.
"It's quite simple, Severus," Voldemort replied. "House Malfoy was in charge of our finances and failed to plan for what turned out to be the very real possibility that the scion of that House would not be the next Lord Black. The real Lord Black set the Goblins against our former properties, confiscating everything of value to collect on unpaid rents. Entire vaults have been emptied due to Lucius's oversight! Then his wife obtains and annulment and absconds to who knows where. Were Lucius a free man, I would kill him for his foolish arrogance. I'd kill Bellatrix as well as she was certain of the line of succession and was wrong! They never bothered to determine if Lord Arcturus Black had disinherited the Blood Traitor. They assumed! That assumption cost us millions! Arguably that mistake set us back even more than the losses we've suffered. If an example is necessary, then that example will be the permanent termination of House Malfoy!
"I would ask you to do the deed, Severus, but I'm aware you chose to be the brat's Godfather and therefore cannot lift your hand against him even when warranted."
Severus relaxed for a moment.
"Rookwood?" Voldemort asked.
"Milord?" the former Unspeakable from the Department of Mysteries replied.
"Termination of House Malfoy is your mission. I'd prefer it be done before the brat can hide behind Dumbledore at that school."
"Milord!" Rookwood bowed.
"You alone, Rookwood," Voldemort added. "If this hit should go pear shaped, I'd rather lose only one and not a dozen or more. Don't look so disappointed Severus. Your own reports of the boy suggest he has few uses to us. He lacks his father's political instincts and has failed to truly apply himself to his studies, resting on his family name rather than his ambition and abilities. His exit from the genetic pool will be of no loss to our cause and will send a message that we're still here and to be feared.
"Now, Severus, having spared you of the onerous duty of dispatching you Godson, I have further use of your talents in areas that will not run afoul of such loathsome magical oaths. First of all, as our resident at Hogwarts, I can only hope that you will be able to provide us with recruits to our cause?"
"Milord," Severus nodded.
"Next, I would like your recommendation for a young lad for a special mission, for which - should he live - he shall earn his mark. I am well aware of Dumbledore's sexual persuasion as perverse as it is. I would like your thoughts on a young man who would be willing to get close to him, if you catch my meaning. When the time is right, I shall ask this young man to take advantage of his - er - access to kill the old bugger. Dumbledore is our gravest threat. I would prefer he be removed before we make our own moves to achieve our destiny. A nice young lad who catches the old bugger's eye and attentions would do nicely. Surely, you can supply us with such a trap, Severus?"
Severus merely nodded. He would have recommended Draco as the lad had such tendencies and he knew Dumbledore fancied the boy as his wenches were often asked to take Polyjuice to look like Draco for the Old Man, although Draco was not as particular about plumbing as Dumbledore was. But Draco was now on the Dark Lord's death list and nothing would change that. Killing Dumbledore could have made Draco, but the Dark Lord would not grant the lad the chance. He had to save Draco, but in so doing Draco would never be able to follow in his father's footsteps.
"Excellent! That is all Gentlemen." Voldemort then left the room without looking back.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 22nd, 1996 - Gringotts Branch, Pottersport, Charenwell
Harry's meeting with Bill the day before had proven to be a crash course in Goblin history and culture, and not the kind of history he could have expected to learn from Professor Binns at Hogwarts. There was no way that Binns or any other magical would accept the possibility that much of civilization may have had Goblin origins. Goblins had come from the East over five thousand years ago and why they came was unknown even to them. They came originally as merchants and craftsmen. They were adept at metal work and stone work as well and their skills soon were evident in human world.
Goblins claimed to be the first writers. They developed writing in their form to keep track of accounts and such. The human form of writing on clay tablets with a stylus, which would one day lead to the Greek and Hebrew alphabets and from them the Roman and Arabic, all could arguably trace their roots to the Goblin scripts. Goblins were also the first to see the magical potential of writing and from their ancient studies arose the use of Runes, which were then soon developed by human magicals.
Goblins were also the first to invent money and banking, long before the humans had moved away from what was a barter economy. The predecessors of the modern Galleon, Sickle and Knut predated human coinage by about a thousand years. Interest, investments, letters of credit, bank drafts, all were available in Goblin commerce long before they were even concepts in the human world. Humans had sole credit for the later invention of credit cards, speculative stock exchanges, and similar things that all but enslaved them to banks and bankers. Goblins would concede they were profit driven. But to them, humans were just plain greedy and exploitative.
Harry was told that in Goblin culture, the most serious crime one could commit was theft. Even what would be considered petty theft was a serious crime in their society and would result in harsh punishment. It seemed straight forward enough until one learned of the Goblin notion of Shakash. Goblins had remained craftsmen and their works be it in jewelry and baubles or in weapons and armor, were revered in the magical world. The Goblins were more than willing to sell to humans. But they had the notion of Shakash which was very foreign to humans. Certain exceptional examples - the master work of a craftsman one which brought honor to him, his family and clan, were deemed Shakash. While Shakash could be transferred to anyone for a price, for the Goblins it was always the understanding that Shakash would be returned when its user no longer had a need for it. Shakash items were rented, not sold. Most Goblin made items were not Shakash and they were truly sold away by their maker. But some were declared Shakash and humans generally did not understand that in acquiring Shakash they were obligated to return the item to the Maker or his clan when they no longer had a need for it. For Goblins, Shakash was not to be given away for any reason. It belonged to the clan and it was expected that it would one day be returned. Humans who gave away such items or kept them as heirlooms were considered thieves.
But there was little recourse for the Goblins. They had long ago negotiated away their right to call wizards to account for Shakash theft in exchange for their total domination of magical banking. It was, for them, an acceptable compromise as they now all but controlled the magical economy and the Shakash thieves were allowed their boon. Shakash was now seldom sold to humans and those humans from families that were deemed as thieves were treated with scorn in the various Gringotts banks. Most magicals assumed this was just the way Goblins were. They were unaware that they had an ancestor whom the Goblins considered a thief and that they were thieves by affiliation and treated as such.
Wizards considered Goblins warlike creatures. They were martial and trained in the combat arts, but as Bill explained they trained not to fight but so they would not have to. There had been occasions when Goblin clans had fought against each other for one reason or another. Most of those occasions were unknown to wizard history. What the wizards remembered in their histories were the Goblin Wars. Despite what was written in the wizard histories, not one of those wars against the Goblins was started by the Goblins. Every war was a result of some attempt by wizards to subjugate the Goblins and, most likely, to gain control over the gold and currency. In combat, one might say the wars were a draw. The Goblins were quite capable as warriors, far more so than the wizards who looked down on them. But they proved even more capable at the negotiating table. While popular wizard history suggested that the Goblins surrendered, the Goblins gained far more at the bargaining table than wizards were inclined to admit. The Goblin stranglehold on finance and banking was one such gain and for it the wizards received a pledge that the Goblins would never again seek to acquire wands. The fact was that the Goblins never had any interest in wands. They used that to force negotiations which, in the end, granted them all they really wanted. No wizard could open a bank on their own within the Goblin domains, which included all of Europe and then some. Only Charenwell was allowed to have its own monetary system for Charenwell had never made war on the Goblins nor had it ever made any attempt to control the Goblin banks.
Actually, there was only one Goblin bank in the whole world. Gringotts was that bank, although it had scores of "national branches" and numerous sub branches. There were, in fact, sixty-five national branches stretching from Persia (modern day Iran) and the Caspian Sea in the East to the Atlantic including Charenwell and the four national Branches of Britain. In some cases, they corresponded to the magical and/or muggle nationalities and boundaries but in many cases they did not. Each National Branch was run by a Goblin Clan and the Clan Chief sat on the Gringotts Board of Directors. A National Branch might have only one bank or a main bank and several sub-branches. That arrangement depended upon the relationship between the Goblins and the Wizard society that used the bank(s). England, for example, had only one branch in London. Scotland had two, one in Edinburgh and another in Glasgow. Wales had two, one in Swansea and another in Holyhead. Ireland had four: Belfast, Dublin, Galway and Lienster. Charenwell already had nine, including Port of Darby and the main branch in Pottersport, one in each town with more than six-hundred permanent residents. Harry learned that it was Charenwell's preference for non-magical travel that led to the proliferation of bank branches.
What confused Harry was Bill's description of bank monetary policy. Arguably, for most people it made no difference really. Every account under 100,000 Galleons was guaranteed in cash on demand. But larger accounts, like Harry's and those used by the really wealthy or governments were not guaranteed for cash payments above that amount. The truth was there was not that amount of Galleons anywhere. Were there to be the banker's fear of a run on the bank when their account holders lost faith in the system, most would get back what they had invested with at least some interest. It was the rich who would suffer, at least it their money was sitting entirely in account. About eighty percent of the wealth of the wizarding economy (most of which was held by governments and not individuals) just did not exist in cold, hard cash. It was all lines in a ledger somewhere and maybe in piles of gold bullion, which were unusable as cash - as part of a long standing treaty.
This information explained to Harry why he spent so much time signing checks to the various contractors building the Manors and Jamestown, for example, rather than just handing over bags of gold or paper money; as Charenwell had converted to paper currency early in the century and was the only magical population in Europe that had done so. This was something that Goblins were trying to change. The most vigorous economy in magical Europe was Charenwell. The Goblins believed that this was due to their currency which allowed them to deal with non-magicals with ease. The Americas and far east were similar in that regard and economically were far better off than magical Europe. But, except through Charenwell, the Goblins had few dealings outside of Europe, which was the real reason they wanted the Europeans to change. There were profits to be made that would be greater if the Goblins could eliminate the gold standard.
It was an odd situation. By treaty Goblins had earned the right to be the sole bankers in their magical lands and were the sole minter of wizarding money. To change over to a form of currency not tied to gold would mean that the Galleons, Sickles and Knuts they minted would no longer have value as currency. But there was a method to the Goblin madness, one which most wizards had failed to appreciate. By the same treaty, the exchange rate had been fixed to five Pounds per Galleon. Converting other muggle money to Galleons was based upon their exchange rate with the British Pound. When the treaty had been negotiated, the British Pound had been the most stable currency in Europe and was the standard, a fact that both remained and had changed as now the American Dollar was also considered a standard, at least in the non-magical world. British magicals believed that a pound based exchange rate supported their belief of their superiority over the rest of the magical world, not realizing it was the strength of their often reviled Muggle neighbors' economy and not their own that had decided the issue. Also, when the treaty was signed, a Galleon was worth about five pounds or five gold sovereigns. This was at a time when a person earning a hundred Pounds or forty Galleons a year was making a very nice living. A Galleon was minted from real gold and while it may have been worth only five Pounds almost three centuries ago, it was now worth over a hundred and fifty pounds if sold for its gold yet it still exchanged at five Pounds per Galleon. The Goblins were concerned with currency speculation. A person could enter one of their banks and exchange a hundred pounds for twenty Galleons then, in theory, sell those Galleons for Pounds and walk away with a 2,400 Pound profit. Fortunately, most wizards would never figure that out and the few who tried learned that it was illegal to sell Galleons in the Muggle economy. Moreover, the Goblins considered the sale of Galleons to Muggles as a form of theft and, by treaty, were allowed to punish offenders according to their laws at least to an extent as execution - their usual punishment for thieves and deceivers - was rarely ever imposed on magicals unless they allowed the malefactor to suffer such a fate. Instead, punishment usually resulted in a significant if not total reduction in the offender's accounts and a life time ban from the bank which basically meant they could not exchange money anywhere, or save it safely or borrow. Bill was well aware of this as one of the most celebrated cases of currency speculation and the Goblins' reaction to it was the brother of one of his ancestors. The result, among other foibles, had all but wiped out the Weasley fortune.
"There is one other thing you need to know about Goblins, Harry," Bill said. "They believe in honor above all things, even prowess in battle. When they speak, what they say can be taken to the Bank, as it were. They do not understand deception in words. What you say must be factual and truthful. But, they also do not read in anything. What you don't say provides a degree of ambiguity which they accept. What they do say, you can take as spoken. But to deal with them always remember what is left unspoken."
Bill would be there with Harry as a financial advisor and as an expert on Goblin affairs and Fleur would be with him as his assistant. Harry would bring Cissy with him and no others. Most of his ladies were busy with their own responsibilities or training with the Air Force. Padma and Parvati, who were due to start their training the next week, had been tasked to plan for a luncheon the next day for the entire family and selected guests for the coming weekend's weddings. The remainder of Harry's girls, aside from Cathy, were spending time with their families. Harry heard Cathy was either spending the day with her best friend Eleanor or Gabrielle or both.
Harry was surprised at the huge room where the meeting was to be held. After all, there were only four in his party and five Goblins. He was not surprised to see Griphook, who was now in charge of the House Potter and Black accounts managed by Gringotts London. Nor was he surprised to see Sharlock, who managed the Ducal Accounts in Charenwell, although then again maybe he was. What had any of this had to do with his accounts? This was about knew bank branches, wasn't it? This explained Tarmack, who was Head of the Charenwell Clan and director of Gringotts Charenwell. But it also did not explain Ragnok, Head of Gringotts London and supposedly the High Director of all the Gringotts Britain branches and clans. Nor did it explain Irsuk the Vile, who was Head of the Irish Gringotts Clans. What did opening three new Charenwell branches all under the Charenwell Clan have to do with these other Goblins and clans?
"First order of business," Tarmack said without and pre-meeting formalities, "the new Gringotts Charenwell Branches. Pursuant to our agreement dating back to 1478 and the reign of your ancestor Duke James I, we are asked to open a local Gringotts Branch in any community where the permanent population is deemed to have at least six hundred souls. As of today, there are four branches in East Farm, three in West Farm, two in North Farm and one in South Farm. We find that as a result of recent relocations, three more communities meet the Agreement specifications: Magoran Bay in Northwest Territory with a population as of sunset yesterday of 1,792, The Manors in West Farm with a population as of sunset yesterday of 804 and Jamestown in Southwest Territory with a population as of sunset yesterday of 796. The new branches will open within the week at locations duly marked and readily recognizable. These will offer full services in regards to accounts but personal property vaults will be limited at first as we will need time to dig and build the vaults and install security measures. We also now understand you intend to build at least one other city?"
Harry nodded. "Lilysburg. It'll be on the coast in the Northeast Territory. Construction is set to begin next week and we expect to begin populating it by October. It should meet your branch requirements not later than the middle of that month."
Tarmack nodded. "We will be prepared. We have younger ones who would look forward to the opportunity. Next, pursuant to the Agreement on Coinage of 1278 as signed by Duke William II and the Agreement on Notes of Exchange of 1878 as signed by Duke James VI upon his investiture following the death of his father Duke Charlus I, and as you have assumed your roles and titles, we are requested and required to redesign the coins and notes of Charenwell. As you should know, the 100 Pound note and 1 pound coin by treaty and custom will continue to bear the likeness of Elizabeth II, the current Queen of England to whom you're allied. Also by said treaties and custom, the 20 Pound note and 20 Pence - also known as Shilling - coin will bear your likeness as current Duke of Charenwell…"
"Great," Harry moped.
"… and the ten and five Pence coins shall bear the likeness of the prior two Dukes: Charles I and Charlus II. And the one Pence coin may either bear the likeness of Duke Justin I or Dargoth, First Lord of the Isle. Currently, it is Justin and we would recommend a change."
"Fine," Harry said.
"We are also recommending that your likeness also be upon the ten Pound note."
"Why?"
"As Earl of Darby."
"What's the difference?" Harry asked.
"The portraits on the face will be different in aspect," Tarmack said. "It is the back that we hope for your support. The backs will have a portrait of your respective wives and - later - children as Duke and Earl."
Harry nodded. He really didn't care to have his face on any such things, but knew that the Queen also had to submit to such petty humiliations as having the likeness of her face stuffed into a vending machine or used to pay for anything really. He was asked to designate the "faces" for the fifty, five and one Pound notes. The rules, such as there were any were that the person had to be dead and had to have a "significant" connection to Charenwell and its history. Fortunately, his parents qualified as his father would have been Duke one day had it not been for what had happened and his mother was the wife of an heir apparent. The manner of their deaths qualified and James and Lily Potter would appear on the fifty Pound note. For the one Pound note, Harry chose Harstig for now at least. Harstig, Fifth Earl of Darby, Eleventh Lord of the Isle and Nineteenth Lord Potter had been the wizard who had aided William of Normandy in his conquest of Britain. Harry, seeing as he was asked to do likewise, felt it appropriate for what he thought of as the "War Pound." The five Pound note would have the likeness of Mistress Alice, second concubine and third wife of Harry's Great-great grandfather Duke Edward IV. She was the one who, unable to bear children, had dedicated her life to study and translating the vast Potter archives. Although her History of House Potter had never been finished, her works on the languages she studied and her poetry in English, Anglo-Saxon and Charenwell Gaelic were published and very popular in certain circles within Charenwell. Harry chose her to symbolize the benefits of education even if he could not understand a word of many of her works.
"Oddly or ironically, it is fitting you chose one of the wives of Edward IV," Tarmack commented. "As you are no doubt aware, Edward had his Consort and five Concubines and between them sired fourteen daughters before finally siring a son. But we'll get to that later - not today."
Sharlock, who handled the Potter Accounts in Charenwell, spoke next. "The four point two million Galleons demanded from the government of magical Britain for the inexplicable enslavement of forty-two Charenwell witches has been confiscated from their vaults following affirmation of the demand by the ICW and is now in a temporary trust vault for distribution to the families of those witches. Each family will receive an equal share of the boon, subject to a ten percent acquisition fee to your lordship."
"What?" Harry protested.
"It's standard," Bill explained. "A ten percent fee for a boon is not much when you consider that otherwise the boon might be taxable by the government. Due to the fact it's now a boon and not income, it's not taxed and the taxes on this amount would be a lot more than ten percent even back in Britain."
"Fine," Harry sighed.
Sharlock continued. "The additional four point two million requested from the British Magical Government has been denied at face value by the ICW…"
"I was told to expect that much," Harry said.
Sharlock nodded. "The two million in approved reparations has been transferred from the British account to the Charenwell account."
"Not my account?"
"Reparations were due to Charenwell for the attempted invasion as per your request. You did not state the attempt was on your person, even if the survivors have said as much. Were it just an attempt on your person, the ICW would have disapproved the full amount of your demand."
Harry nodded. "My government can probably use the money."
"Indeed it can," Tarmack commented.
"We're not broke, are we?"
"Far from it, but given your expenditures of late and their probable effect on your government's outlays, they can use the money as a stop-gap until such time as your new arrivals are wage earners and new businesses profitable. And, in that regard, Gingotts requests the opportunity to invest in your country, it's new businesses and your future."
"Invest?"
Bill explained the nature of investment. It was, in a way, a loan, except repayment was through profits and not principal and interest and, if a business failed, the investor generally could not get their money back. Banks such as Gringotts seldom devolved into such deals except as middlemen because of the associated risk of loss. Loans, particularly those secured by valuable collateral, were preferred by Gringotts as they were safe for the bank. Investing was not, certainly not in the case of a new company that could not hope to guarantee long term success.
"Then why?" Harry began.
"We see Charenwell as a future economic power in our world," Tarmack replied. "Even as things stand now, it is the most stable and most vibrant of magical economies within our realm of interest. The others are not worth the effort really. This is the only magical country in Europe with true businesses. Everywhere else, it's shops run by families. There is that here as well. But profit flows from volume. Your agricultural businesses are large scale operations with several family or small businesses feeding into the operations. You're now moving into manufacturing on a large scale with an eye towards export markets and other ventures with an eye beyond your shores. The other magicals don't think that way and miss out on huge profit potentials. We see investing in Charenwell's economy as having a huge, long term upside for us and our people with little real risk aside from Galleons we can afford to risk."
"Why are you asking this?" Harry said. "Why do you need my permission to do so?"
"We have not asked this of Charenwell before," Tarmack replied. "We have tried directly and indirectly to do something similar in the past in Britain and in other countries where we saw businesses that had potential only to be rebuffed by either the businesses in question or their governments all refusing to do business with us due to our race. We consider them fools for their shortsightedness but it was not deemed important enough for us to risk another war with your kind."
"Bill?"
"The Goblins are fair dealers when it comes to money and profit, Harry. Arguably they're more fair than most humans in that regard. Capital - as in money - is what makes businesses work in the end. They need money to make money and most businesses cannot reach their full potential - assuming they have one - without outside capital to allow them to grow. Growing business means money in dividends and such to investors who are in it for a piece of the action."
"I've heard my Uncle complain about investors and stock markets…," Harry began.
"Stock markets exist to allow people to invest in companies," Bill said. "Their failing is far too many who do invest are not interested in the long term, rather they want their money quickly. It's the gamblers and speculators who create an artificial market, one which is not based upon reality but guess work and hunches and quick profits and not the long term potential of the companies in play. This makes the market volatile if there's enough money in that is not there for the long haul. Goblins are not gamblers when it comes to their money. Were they to invest in a company it's because they see the long term potential for them. They'd see more return over time than they could expect from merely loaning their money out. Stock markets make it easy to move money into businesses and out again - perhaps too easy."
"We're not asking for that," Tarmack said. "We think long term and we see long term potential from which profit is possible for all concerned. We do not wish to see our gold vanish when some major investor sees a need to take profit before it's real…"
"Charenwell Air," Sharlock said. "Short term, it's a money pit. Long term, however, there's a huge upside. Weasley Industries looks to be both a short term and long term gain, assuming they have the workforce. Grunnings Munitions has potential as well as does Potter Chemical and Darby Technologies, just to name a few. But they need capital to thrive. While it's true you're providing it, it can't hurt for others to provide as well, can it?"
"I noticed you left out the businesses that existed before I arrived here," Harry commented.
"The Four Farms of Charenwell enjoy the highest standard of living in the magical world," Tarmack said. "A 'poor' person born here will enjoy a better life financially speaking than many 'successful' magicals elsewhere, or at least those that don't come from generational wealth. But it took centuries for your people to reach that level. You're about to double the size of your population. The new people need jobs and jobs that pay well so that they don't look to compete with the current residents. If your immigrant population has no need to seek employment in the existing lands - or at least little need to - the existing residents would be less likely to take issue with the new arrivals. Successful businesses in the new communities will mean jobs and comfortable incomes for the new arrivals. As you're already producing far more food than you need, that means the likelihood of a conflict between the newcomers and the long time residents would be all but non-existent. But to do that, the economic base you're planning must work and must work from inception. No company makes a huge profit at first. You need money to pay your employees. You're building industries from nothing and, right now, nothing means that aside from imported industry there's no money to pay the wages of the employees who will one day make that company work. You are already heavily invested in those companies and far more. We merely ask for the chance to get in on the action."
"We see it as a much safer investment than tomb raiding," Ragnok added speaking for the first time.
"Bill?" Harry asked.
"They have a point, Harry. You're sinking millions into those businesses not to mention the towns and all that support them. Additional capital can't hurt. They're not looking for control or anything like that, only an opportunity for profit which is what you'll have anyway when all is said and done."
"And what about you, Bill? It seems this only affects Fred and George and their efforts. What about you, your Dad, Charlie and your families?"
"We all have a stake in Weasley Industries. It's Fred and George's venture, but we're all in. We believe that if they're given half a chance, they'll make a killing and we'll make enough to supplement our own incomes to support our families. Dad's certain that none of his new wives or children or daughters-in-law or grandchildren will have to stretch their resources the way we had to growing up. We all hope this will be true and Fred and George want it to be so. Those of us who are not working for my brothers and are old enough are working. We're in your Air Force which, while not a great salary, is better than nothing and is a worthwhile thing to do. Those of us who are not and are old enough for jobs are taking them. You've gone out on many limbs recently, Harry. For us perhaps more than we deserved to expect from you for you have effectively given us what Mother had planned. We don't want to see you having made a mistake with us. We all want Weasley Industries to take off so that we don't feel that our being here is charity."
"The key thing Charenwell has always had is the fact you don't have to hide from the Muggles," Tarmack said. "Much of the rest of the magical world is cottage industries, things that can be done from a house or a small shop, but no larger. This is to hide it from others. It's limiting. Charenwell has no such limitations placed upon it. We see investing here as the best investment in the magical world."
"Fine. Done."
"That simple?" Bill asked.
"You see anything wrong with it?" Harry replied.
"No, it's just that…"
"With all I have on my plate, economics and banking are way down on my list for now. We can use the help and all they ask in return is a cut of profits any investor would expect, right?"
Bill nodded.
"So that's decided. Is there more? I am curious as to why the Irish branch of Gringotts is here."
"Milord," Irsuk the Vile replied, "given our customers are seeking independence from Magical England - and yes we know of it. The money shows this to be the case and no, Gringotts London and the other branches are not saying this to their customers. Given that Ireland seeks your support in its endeavor, it is of importance to Gringotts to determine your - forgive me, Sir - commitment to that endeavor."
"Personally," Harry said, "and in my opinion as part of my duty, I will do what it takes - within reason, of course - to see Ireland free. That being said, my ability to act at this time is severely limited and the matter is, for now, in the hands of the concerned diplomats."
"As terse as your response was," Irsuk said, "it is what we need to know. While Gringotts takes no position in such matters, it should be noted we do prefer to hedge our bets. Galleons are flying out of the other British banks - Irish Galleons, mind you - and my concern was whether this was a momentary thing or the beginnings of…"
"We are not concerned with the internal affairs of Wizards," Ragnok said.
"No," Irsuk agreed, "we are not. But should Magical Ireland become independent, that is in the interest of my Clan and Branch."
Several minutes of discussions followed. Harry's concern was whether the London Clan, Irish Clan or any other Gringotts Clan would tip off the Ministry of Magic that Magical Ireland was going to one day declare independence and that Charenwell had pledged its support. Nothing else mattered to Harry as it seemed the Goblins were arguing about accounts and some such. They eventually assured him that the financial matters were of no real concern to him and that the Goblins were not about to tell anyone - other than other interested Goblin branches - that Ireland was moving towards independence. It remained possible that a Goblin might be willing to spill what the Goblins considered "inside information" to what they also considered a "foreign power," and the price of such betrayal would be official declaration of the offending Goblin as a lunatic or traitor and his summary execution. Harry was assured that for some probably bizarre reason the Magicals in Britain would take the Goblins at their word on that.
Griphook rose. "Milord, per custom and your request of July 10th, we have inventoried the Black properties and the vaults and assets seized from those in default to House Black. All items of a dark nature as well as all items of no significant value, save for certain items of the House of Black, have been disposed of. To the extent any of the aforesaid items could be sold, they have been and the proceeds from said sale have been added to your account as spelled out in this report," he said passing over a thick file. "Likewise, with two exceptions, all items of Shakash have been reclaimed and a ten percent finder's fee has been added to your account."
"Two items?" Harry asked.
"They may be of interest to you," Griphook nodded. He placed a large, gold item that was on a chain before Harry. "This was found during the inventory of the personal property at the Black place in London."
Harry picked up the item. It appeared to have small hinges and a catch. He opened it easily and say that the inside had two glass windows. "It looks like a locket," he said. "I know nothing about these things, but it looks pretty cheap if you ask me, almost crude."
Griphook smiled. "I can assure you the locket itself is not Goblin made. Look at the front and back pieces."
Harry did. Aside from being gold he noticed two stylized snakes on each side shaped like the letter "S." He looked at Griphook.
"The front and back pieces are two of thirteen medallions of pure gold that were part of a Shakash necklace made around a thousand years ago for one Salazar Slytherin," Griphook explained. "The medallions themselves are Shakash only by implication as it was the thirteen gemstones that also made up the necklace that were the true masterwork of the Jeweler and Runes Crafter who made the item. We have long since recovered the gems as well as eleven of the medallions. These are the last two.
"Upon discovering this desecrated Shakash, we investigated to find out its history. We knew that the original necklace had somehow found its way to the family Gaunt, distant descendants of Salazar Slytherin. We knew this because the jewels and ten of the thirteen medallions were sold or pawned by that family between 1510 and 1820 and that was how we were able to reclaim them in the end. This locket was made from two of the remaining medallions in 1869 by an enchanter in Knockturn Alley, London. He was paid with a third medallion. The locket itself is of little value now. The magic that made the medallions part of a Shakash item dissipated when the original necklace was broken up and the value of this item is limited to the fact its made from solid gold worth about eight Galleons today."
"Why was it given to an enchanter and not a jeweler for the work?" Cissy asked. "Was there an enchantment placed upon it?"
"Indeed there was," Griphook said. "Traces can still be detected, but we knew from the enchanter's records what it was. The locket was made at the request of Emil Gaunt in 1869 as a 'gift' for his daughter Tamara who was then thirteen. The enchantment compelled the girl to mate with her brother Delmar. The Gaunts had taken blood purity to its extreme, probably due to the fact that they had no money or status and could not arrange proper marriages and they were uneducated so there was no chance for them to interact with magicals of their own age."
"That's vile," Harry said.
Griphook shrugged. "We Goblins do not question the ways of wizards unless their ways affect our people. Tamara gave birth to two children, a son and a daughter Hardin and Cholera. We believe the daughter received the accursed locket for she mated with her brother. Cholera also had two children, a son and a daughter named Marvolo and Demelza and it seems clear that Demelza received the locket for she mated with her brother. They had a son and daughter: Morphin born in 1908 and Marope born in 1910."
"Wait," Cissy said. "You're saying that this Tamara's Great-grandaughter was born about forty years after the locket was made?"
"The Gaunts mated young and died young. Oddly, the longest lived was Morphin who spent most of his life in Azkaban dying at age sixty-nine in 1977. His Great-great Grandfather Emil was the next longest lived dying at forty-six. Emil's wife - who was his first cousin - died at age thirty-seven. Tamara, Demelza and Marope died as teenagers from childbirth. Cholera was twenty-eight when she died. For whatever reason, they were unusually short lived for magicals.
"Now the last Gaunt girl, Marope, was a Squib. We know this from the magical records and it explains why she did not mate with her brother for the enchantment worked on the witch's magic, which she lacked. She seduced - probably by use of potions - a young Muggle named Tom Riddle. The potions obviously failed to keep the young man, for he abandoned her in London. She pawned the locket in Knockturn Alley just a month or two before she died in a Muggle orphanage in childbirth…"
"Tom Marvolo Riddle," Harry, Cissy and Bill said in unison. Cissy and Bill and many others by now had seen Harry's pensieve memories and the encounter down in the Chamber of Secrets had figured prominently in them. Harry had said he thought that one of particular importance for some reason.
"Ah! Then you know of him," Griphook exclaimed.
"He's now known as Voldemort," Harry all but hissed. "He's one of the two Dark Lords that infect magical Britain."
"The other being one Albus Dumbledore," Griphook said as Harry nodded, "who is by his deception the more dangerous of the two."
"Oh?"
"Which is more dangerous?" Griphook asked. "It is the evil you can see or the evil you cannot? The one who styles himself as Voldemort is the evil you can see. But we Goblins are all too aware of the 'Leader of the Light' who, while not delving into the darkest of arts - at least not in a manner that can be discovered - is as evil if not more so than his Dark Lord rival. Truth is, Voldemort is a rank amateur compared to Dumbledore. We Goblins know they both have the same goal: absolute control of the magical world under their rule and subject to their world view which is similar. They both want a permanent ruling elite born and trained to rule with a permanent governing class born and trained to govern the world. They seek out Purebloods and the ambitious to their causes, although both favor neither. Voldemort wants followers bound to his will - slaves who will do his bidding ruling the vast majority of even lower slaves. Dumbledore is more subtle. But the end result is the same. Enslavement of our world to serve his ends - a vindication of his family, long bereft of its once exalted status. Dumbledore is cloaked as the 'Leader of the Light,' the promoter of Muggle Borns and one who would deal with Muggles and bridge the gap. He still controls the Wizengamot and through it the Ministry of Magic - although now that by their magic they cannot meet, that control has been diminished…"
Harry grunted. "We have the votes here that have paralyzed him. But to remove him from his postings…"
"Would require you to either appear in the Wizengamot Chambers or send a proxy," Cissy finished. "You or they would be at risk from Death Eater attack as you well know. But as you now know, Dumbledore is a greater threat."
Harry nodded. There was mounting evidence that the Old Man was adept at mind magics. Not just the obvious skills of Legilimency and Occlumency, but the ability to actually alter a mind to his desire. There were references to such magics in the Potter Library and more in the other works they had since received from House Black and other sources. A skilled Mind Alterer could all but literally change a person. It explained why Harry's father who was from a long line that saw House Dumbledore as an enemy, would agree with Harry's mother that Dumbledore knew what was best over the warnings of his own family. Harry's father for certain and perhaps his mother as well had been altered, probably when more subtle methods of control had failed or were failing.
"He's tried to destroy my family," Harry growled, "he's tried to end my line! His goal was to get control of an heir for his own ends! He's even enslaved some of my people! Not even Voldemort was so vicious. There can be no peace with magical Britain so long as he and his line lives."
"Harry," Cissy said with caution, "do you realize you've just declared a Blood Feud?"
Harry shrugged. "Does it really matter?"
"No. Not really. He's certainly earned it. I just … the Blacks never trusted the Old Man either. But to learn that … V-Voldemort was … sorry, Harry … was a Mudblood of the worst order? His mother was a Squib born from generations of incest? His father a Muggle practically raped by the bint? Most of my life I was told he - Voldemort - was the salvation of Pureblood ideals! I was forced into a marriage to one of that inbred mutt's loyal followers! I was forced into hell for that cretin! Screw the Pureblood ideals! I know you know how I really feel about this rot, but screw them all, Harry."
"Or kill them all?" Griphook suggested.
"Even better!" Cissy said.
"I … I think we should get back to the task at hand," Bill suggested.
"I wasn't including you, Bill," Cissy said. "Not all Purebloods are evil or corrupted by Dark Lords."
"Very well," Griphook said. "The locket, again. Sold in 1926 to Borgin & Burkes and purchased that same year by one Hepzibah Smith, a collector of historical artifacts but not the sharpest claw in the room. She believed the locket was truly the property of a Hogwarts founder even though lockets did not exist at all a thousand years ago. She was also the 'owner' of our second item of Shakash - and at least she got this one right," Griphook added placing a golden cup on the table. "It's a Goblin made cup that originally belonged to Helga Hufflepuff. There was an enchantment upon it which has long since faded. Smith claims it was an heirloom and perhaps it was, but she also claimed it meant she was an Heir of Hufflepuff which cannot be verified at all. But she bragged about the cup and the locket and such and, in 1946, it came back to haunt her so to speak. Tom Marvolo Riddle was by then a purchaser for Borgin & Burkes and she was a frequent client of his. In 1946, she died under mysterious circumstances and the cup and locket vanished, as did one Tom Marvolo Riddle."
"He stole them?" Harry asked.
"That seems to be the case," Griphook replied. "A sloppy job of it too. Scampering is never a way to avoid suspicion and snuffing the vic only makes it worse - although there was no concrete evidence that he killed her. We believe that he did, however."
"Yes," Harry agreed, "the coward usually sets other people up for that sort of thing. Why else would he hide behind his Death Eaters? For the all powerful Dark Lord he seems to make it an annoying habit to show up with an entourage. Not that terrifying, really."
"So you're gonna just show up and take him on single handed?" Bill chided.
"No. Then again, I don't claim to be any kind of all powerful anything. I'll show up with a real Army and if there's anything left of Voldemort and his slaves, I'll still have an Army to make sure they all snuff it. That's not the point. Griphook? Why do we care about these baubles?"
"The taint on them, Milord," Griphook said. "These are safe to touch, handle and even sell to the unsuspecting buyer, but they should not be."
"Again, why?"
"There's a taint of dark magic on them. The magic itself is gone, but the taint remains. The magic is from the same source, which in itself is unprecedented given the nature of the dark magic, but…"
"Get to the point!" Harry said becoming annoyed.
"These were soul anchors made by the same wizard based upon the signature," Griphook replied.
"Soul anchors?"
"Horcruxes?" Bill interjected. "And what do you mean 'were'? They look fine."
"What the bloody hell are Horcruxes?" Harry asked in frustration. He may have heard the term before. He could not remember. Then again, with all of the information he had been fed - stuffed into his head - over the last several weeks, it was a wonder he could even remember his name at times.
"It is evil magic," Fleur said speaking with disgust and for the first time.
"And it explains a lot," Bill added. "A soul cannot truly pass on unless it's intact," Bill explained. "If you were to separate a part of your soul and anchor it to this plane of existence, while your body could be destroyed, you could not pass on so long as any part of your soul remains anchored to this plane. A horcrux allows for this, although as Fleur said it is a most vile form of magic. It's an ultimate violation of nature and requires the darkest of magics to accomplish and, finally, it requires the soul breaker to commit cold blooded murder to complete the final step of severing a soul fragment and capturing it within the enchanted item. The soul breaker must be thoroughly evil to begin with. There can be no love or compassion in his heart or the whole thing will fail. But if he is that evil, while he's not truly immortal, he cannot be truly killed either. This explains some things."
"Oh?" Harry asked.
Bill nodded. "The soul cannot stand to be separated. It will try to reintegrate itself. This means that a soul fragment trapped within a horcrux will try and find a way to reintegrate with the original soul, usually by taking gradual possession over a person who has access to that horcrux. The anchored disembodied primary soul will behave in a similar fashion, seeking to find a host it can control to find its own way back to a body. Learned about it as a Curse Breaker as there are a few of these things out there."
"Professor Quirrell!" Harry exclaimed.
Bill nodded remembering seeing the memories from Harry's first year. "There were other possible explanations, but what happened to him was consistent to possession by the primary soul fragment. What happened to my sister her First Year is consistent with a few things, but also consistent with contact with a horcrux. I want to kick myself for not making the connection sooner. I guess I hoped it was not so even after learning Voldemort had some how made it back." He then turned to the Goblins. "But I don't understand how these could have been horcruxes. The only known ways to destroy the enchantment would have at the very least severely damaged if not destroyed these items."
"You are correct, Mr. Weasley," Griphook said. "All known manners of breaking the enchantment would have seriously damaged these objects. Yet the fact remains - and of this we are certain - they were horcuxes from the same enchanter once and yet they are no longer. It is this conundrum that we believe requires us to bring this to your attention."
"Particularly," Ragnok added, "as you have stated it is your intention to one day destroy Voldemort and his Death Eaters, among others of course. We know these two things were horcruxes once but are no longer. We know they bore the same magical signature meaning they were made by the same wizard. And we know these two items went missing following the suspicious death of Madam Smith and that the one who now calls himself Voldemort was implicated in both the death and the theft. Conclusion: these items were his horcruxes meaning he made at least two of these abominations. It is no stretch to imagine he may have made more than two and so long as even one exists he cannot be truly destroyed. What we do not understand is how these two hateful objects were neutralized."
"Three for certain," Bill said. When Harry looked at him he added. "Riddle's diary." Harry nodded understandingly. Bill turned to the Goblins. "Lord Harry destroyed a third such item, one we know was the creation of Voldemort, about three years ago."
"Stabbed it with a basilisk fang," Harry nodded. "And it certainly looked worse for the encounter, not unmarked like these two items."
"And where did you obtain such a rare item?" Ragnok asked.
"From the basilisk I killed a few moments earlier," Harry shrugged.
"Impossible!" Irsuk protested. "You would've been what? Twelve years old?"
Harry nodded.
"Basilisks are resistant to most magic. Even a very powerful wizard would be lucky to kill one with a wand - assuming he could get close enough to do so."
"I didn't use a wand. I drove a sword into its brain."
"And how did you get close enough to do that? Slaying a basilisk is a feat that requires scores of hunters and many hunters are lost to the eyes of the beast in the melee. Even then, it would take and enchanted sword."
"Its eye had already been put out. And would the Sword of Gryffindor be considered enchanted?" Harry was pretty sure he knew the answer.
"We are aware you have access to that sword," Ragnok said. "Under those circumstances as remarkable as your tale is it becomes plausible. I believe I speak for my colleague in saying it was not our intention to question your honor, but without further explanation your claim was … dubious. And what have you done with the carcass. We are not aware of any sales from Britain of such a beast or its parts in centuries."
"It lies where it fell," Harry said. "It's in the Chamber of Secrets beneath Hogwarts Castle and, for the time being, I have no intention of returning there."
"Just how large was the beastie?" Sharlock asked. "Even a small one is quite valuable and they take ages to even begin to decompose."
"I really never bothered to measure it," Harry replied. "I'd guess about four feet thick, maybe more and at least forty feet in length."
"We've seen the pensieve memories," Bill added. "I'd say it was a bit larger than that."
"A tale fitting of a Master Warrior of ages gone by," Ragnok said. "It is a pity it is inaccessible for the moment. But the day will come when the enemy lies vanquished and the fields of Magical Britain stained with their blood. When that day arrives, we wish to stand on the field of that victory as allies and once the feasting is over to view this magnificent trophy of yours. Until such day, we will do what we can as a nation to support your efforts against our common enemy. As a token of this, we offer you these former items of Shakash in the hopes they may help."
"I believe that concludes our business for today," Sharlock announced. "Milord Potter, may your enemies be vanquished, their gold fill your vaults and their women service your people!" Without waiting for a reply, the Goblins left.
"Okay," Harry said as they were left alone, "I'm more than a little confused and to be honest am not sure I like the idea of more women."
"The meeting did take a turn for the surreal," Bill agreed. "I think the last bit was merely an honorific - no worries there. After all, they do know about our - erm - collections which is how they probably see it. The first bits were expected: opening the new branches which was by treaty, the currency was also by treaty and the distribution of the reparations by agreement. After that…"
"They asked to invest in Charenwell businesses," Cissy said. "It's never happened before - the Goblins asking for that."
"Most magical businesses are too small to be worthy of their interest in that way," Bill said. "There may be exceptions, but given the degree of distrust most wizards have for Goblins and the fact that the few exceptions are really that, it's not surprising the Goblins have stayed out of the economy aside from banking and such. There was no deception or ulterior motive suggested. Goblins are profit driven and if they see a large, long term profit they will take an interest in it. Basically, they're saying they think what Harry's doing here is worth their interest."
"We could spin that," Cissy said. "Surely the long time residents might have some resentment about the large number of newcomers. To suggest that it's in everyone's interest - that even the Goblins see this - could work to the advantage of all."
"I can't speak for the average Charenwellian," Harry said. "Aside from our Sunday brunches at Martha's and my Saturday jaunts to the Sail Loft Pub - and my haircuts - I really don't get out as much as I should. But from what I've heard there, most are only concerned about losing jobs or their homes to the evacuees and it has never been my intention to allow that and the ones I've spoken to understand that. But emphasizing that the newcomers can benefit all of Charenwell long term is a good idea. Can we trust the Goblins in this, Bill?"
"They placed no conditions on investing aside from what anyone could expect. They want their fair share of the profits based upon how much they put into any given enterprise and accept the risk that it might fail. Had they wanted additional guarantees, they would not have hesitated to ask."
"And these items?" Harry asked after a few moments of thought indicating the locket and the cup.
"My guess is they consider them of more interest to us than to them," Bill said. "They made no conditions about them either, which is interesting. They usually demand conditions for Shakash. What interests me even more was their final suggestion. They didn't come out and say it, but they placed into the potential future discussions the possibility of a real alliance between the Goblin Clans and Charenwell. Again, they suggested no conditions."
"And this is a problem?" Harry asked.
"The Goblins never ally without some conditions, Harry," Bill said. "The interesting point was they did not even suggest any. Usually they ask for a fee or something…"
"The basilisk?" Cissy offered.
"They would have said something," Bill replied. "They are naturally curious, but if the basilisk was the basis for their suggested alliance, they would have asked. They care quite capable of harvesting such a thing and their fees are well known within that profession. It's worth money, after all. No. Whatever they're interested in they're keeping close to their vests for now and it's not money or power or anything like that."
"Should I be worried?" Harry asked.
"I don't think so," Bill replied honestly. "Not really. They might want nothing at all, although that would be highly out of character for them. I can say this, they want no special boon in terms of money or power. It would have been suggested otherwise. And, regardless of how valuable that basilisk is, it's not enough to secure an alliance with all of those clans and something tells me Ragnock was speaking for a larger group than just the Charenwell and British Isles Clans. But whatever it is, they are not yet agreed and therefore have not yet asked even by suggestion. One thing is certain, I think."
"What's that?" Harry asked.
"They will not stand against you or Charenwell."
Harry nodded.
"Any idea about what happened with these?" Fleur asked again indicating the two items left to Harry.
"I have one," Harry said, "but I want Hermione and the others to think about it as well. They're the experts at research after all."
A/N:
"You left us hanging! What do the Goblins want? What happened to the Horcurxes? Did Draco snuff it?"
The Goblin bit was always planned as was what they want but getting it into this story in full now is premature.
I'll let you guess about the horcruxes. The answer has already been suggested.
As for Draco … stay tuned as well. (Evil smirk)
The truth is also this was getting really long and without a logical break - earlier, for me, as I can guess some of you will debate the break bit.
RELATIONSHIP SCORECARD:
If you didn't read the Intro, you missed that. This is so you can keep up with who's with who and how. Changes in abbreviated version are for change in bond status, birthdays and so on.
Key:
Names in Italics = OC
Gr – Gryffindor, Hu – Hufflepuff, Ra – Ravenclaw, Sl – Slytherin.
SG – St. George's School, PE – Prince Edward School, SA – St. Andrew's, SP – St. Patrick's, SD – St. David's.(Number indicates last year completed. No number means they finished all seven years.)
P = pregnant.
Harry James Potter, age 16.* HOUSE POTTER
No change from last post - see Chapter 69.
HOUSE BLACK
No change from last post - see Chapter 69.
Bill Weasley, age 25.
No change from last post - see Chapter 69.
Neville Algicyrus Longbottom, age 16.*
No change from last post - see Chapter 69.
Fred Weasley, age 18.
No change from last post - see Chapter 69.
George Weasley, age 18.
No change from last post - see Chapter 69.
Lord Mayor Remus John Lupin, age 36.
12. Greta Mae (Ives) Lupin, age 18(SA-5).
15. Maggie Marshall, age 17 (11/3/78) (SD-5); Original Bond (8/1/95); Concubine Remus (8/21/96).
Frank Longbottom, age 41.
15. Ellen Morgan Oldman, age 19 (6/5/77) (SG): Original Bond (7/23/93); Concubine Frank (8/21/96).
Charlie Weasley, age 23.
No change from last post - see Chapter 69.
Arthur Percival Weasley, age 46 (4/12/50).
7. Amanda Suzanne Tanner, age 20 (SA-5).
9. Zoe Margaret Nance, age 19 (5/12/77) (SD-5); Original Bond (8/13/93); Concubine Arthur (8/21/96).