The private room was cool and dim, lit only by a single lantern whose blue flame hissed faintly.
The walls were of black marble veined with gold, the floor inlaid with runes Cassius couldn't yet name.
It was the kind of room meant to make its occupants feel small, even the richest of them.
The goblin who had led him here closed the door with a click, shutting out the murmurs of the main hall.
He did not speak.
Instead, he simply took the seat behind the small black desk and gestured for Cassius to sit opposite.
Cassius obeyed, setting his backpack at his feet.
The leather of the chair was smooth and cold against his hands.
The goblin's sharp yellow eyes glinted across the desk, appraising him like a cut gem.
With a flick of one clawed hand, the goblin gave the universal signal of "state your business."
Cassius drew out the first shoebox, its weight satisfying in his small hands.
He set it on the desk, the crisp smell of paper currency faint even through the cardboard.
"I'd like to convert to the limit of Muggle currency into galleons," he said evenly, "and then I have these jewels and precious metals I'd like to exchange as well. After which I will be in need of a vault within which to store my assets."
The goblin's nostrils flared slightly, but he reached forward.
His fingers moved like a blur, long claws sectioning the brick of banknotes with mechanical precision.
In a heartbeat, he separated out a thin stack — exactly the limit — and slid the remainder back toward Cassius.
"Fifty galleons only," the goblin rasped, almost bored. "The Ministry's rule."
Cassius inclined his head.
"Understood."
From a pouch at his side, the goblin produced five neat stacks of gold coins — each coin heavy, gleaming faintly in the blue light.
Ten galleons to a stack, fifty total.
He placed them before Cassius with deliberate slowness, letting the weight of the gold speak for itself.
Cassius reached out, brushing the edge of one stack.
The metal was warmer than he expected, and heavier.
Not brass or plated gold — but real, solid coinage, the kind no Muggle bank could ever touch, as a form of currency.
A cheap transaction, all told — £250, barely a thousand dollars US in the muggle world right now, for fifty coins that could already buy him more than a year's rent on his new condo considering its weight in gold.
Though the stingy ministers probably had all manners of checks and enchantments in place to prevent smelting down the galleons and distrupting the muggle economy with a mass influx of gold.
But the real business was still in the second shoebox.
Cassius placed it on the desk and pushed it toward the goblin.
The box rattled faintly as the goblin pulled it open.
Inside lay the glint of his true war chest: necklaces, and bullion of gold, silver, and platinum; diamonds like frozen stars; emeralds, rubies, sapphires.
Each piece carefully acquired and laundered through Nyx's shell companies, stored quietly until today.
The goblin's expression shifted at once — from boredom to something sharper, hungrier.
He produced a jeweler's eyepiece from his waistcoat pocket and leaned over the hoard, his long nails shifting the pieces with expert care.
One by one he lifted the gems, turning them in the blue flame light.
His lips moved soundlessly as he tallied numbers in his head, the eyepiece glinting each time it caught a facet of a jewel.
Cassius watched in silence, hands folded neatly in his lap.
He was four years old, but in this moment he felt older than the goblin opposite him.
Older than the bank itself.
He knew the value of what sat in that shoebox: two hundred thousand pounds in the Muggle world.
Enough to buy a mansion, or a minor company outright.
In the wizarding world, unbound by paper money and inflation, it was worth far more.
The goblin sneered faintly as he worked — not at Cassius, but at the idea of Muggle paper, at the thought of wizards trading mere ink for power.
Only real assets held weight here.
At last, the goblin set down the final gem and straightened.
He scribbled something on a sheet of parchment, the quill moving so fast Cassius could barely follow.
Then, without a word, he slid the parchment across the desk.
Cassius took it.
The writing was sharp and spidery, but legible:
Appraisal of Assets Brought for Exchange — Client: Cassius (no surname provided)
followed by row after row of each item contained within the box, then its appraised value the bank would purchase it for in Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts.
Surely the boxes contents could fetch a higher price if he sold then one by one but who had the time for that, muggle money was still accumulating in his accounts so a little loss on the magical side now to kick things off was a reasonable investment.
The goblin watched him silently, yellow eyes glinting.
"I assume," Cassius said at last, "that these figures are fair?"
The goblin's grin widened slightly, showing teeth.
"Fairer than you will get anywhere else, young sir. And —" his gaze sharpened "— more generous than some would receive, for one so… new to our halls."
Cassius met his eyes, unflinching.
"I appreciate your professionalism."
The goblin inclined his head.
A strange motion — not exactly a bow, but the closest a goblin would offer to respect.
having verbally agreed Cassius quickly grabbed the provided quill and signed his name on the bottom of the form, which immediately burst into flash vanishing before his eyes.
Sealing the deal, the box of gems and jewelery having also vanished from sight.
"You wish for a vault,"
the goblin said, reaching for another ledger.
"It can be arranged. A new vault, unconnected to any existing family holdings. A key will be issued to you alone. Would you prefer a standard vault, or something a little more... unique?"
Cassius tilted his head, considering.
"Unique, at the very least this vault need to have an anonymity clause so that no one can know the vault in question is mine, or what its contents are, or what business is down through the vault."
The goblin's grin turned sharp again.
"Very good."
He dipped his quill and began writing once more, this time in red ink.
"Does the young master have a prefered number he'd hope for his vault?"
This was an additional cost no doubt but, Cassius could only smirk at the goblins attempt, and hell why not have his pick of vault number when given the choice am i right?
"1,337" Cassius stated making a light jab to his past life learning to become a computer technician, and his new muggle life as a technological giant in the industry.
More minor formalities were discussed such as annual maintanence fees, rules and regulations regarding access to the vault, processes to follow in the event the vault key is ever lost, possibility to rank the account up to a superior level allowing for the greation of a proper wizarding family complete with heirs and lordship etc.
In the end the last descion to be made was the Key's mark, some thing embedded on the handle of the vault key to signify it as his own.
At first he thought of creating a notable symbol from his old life, but then he instead decided to integrate his new life heritage, quickly drawing up a brand new family crest, one that contained a snake for Snape and his long term association with Slytherin, then a golden crown for his pureblood ancestor of the Prince family on his fathers side, lastly a bloody dagger signifying Lily Evans stabbing him in the back.
In the end the crest looked closer to a traditional tattoo than a family crest since there really wasnt much magical elements to it, but it still met the requirement for Cassius's private personal vault.
and that's what mattered since he could always gain access to the Prince, Snape, or even the Potter family vaults in the future upon reaching the age to challenge for heirship to these families and claiming his inheritances.
The goblin examined it and gave a short, approving grunt.
"Done," he said. "Vault 1,337 is yours. We just need to visit the vault to finalize the process."
Cassius nodded.
The goblin wasn't lying afterall the contract sale he'd signed before had his money currently sitting in limbo waiting to fall into his hands via his vault.
The goblin's smile this time was genuine, if still razor-edged.
"A prudent child," he murmured. "You will go far."
After being led from the private room to the start of what looked like a rollercoaster, Cassius was approached by a young goblin holding a velvet cushion with a Golden looking key, with the number 1,337 stamped on it with his created crest already in the handle.
Cassius took it carefully, feeling the cool weight of it in his palm.
A simple key, yet heavier than any crown.
Before letting the goblin who'd processed his transactions go, he quickly offered up the same greeting and words as he'd done with the teller except that this time he followed them by placing a gold galleon into the goblins palm.
"May your vault grow full and your enemies empty."
Cassius dipped his head in return.
"May your ledgers never bleed red."
The goblin chuckled — a sound like stones grinding together.
Nyx had made his mark in the muggle world, and now Cassius nee Arcana was making his mark in the magical world.
Leaving the goblin rep behind he mounted the mining cart, driven by the young goblin who'd brought him his key, steeling his nerves for what promised to be the ride of a lifetime.