Disclaimer:
Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K. Rowling.
I own nothing but the original characters I make.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
-Author notes-
Chapter 24: Breaking In
"So…what's the plan now?" V asked as they left the bank.
Harry looked really upset now. "How dare they demand my blood. There is no chance I'm giving them something so valuable. Terrible things can be done with the blood of a wizard."
"I don't think the goblins know how to do any of that. It's probably the only way they had to verify your identity," the hat pointed out. "No need to be so paranoid about this."
Harry did not stop after reaching the entrance of the bank and continued walking toward a residential alley, away from the main street.
"Hmph! The goblins are not saints, you know? I found some disturbing stuff inside their city. They may not involve themselves in human politics, but if the deal is profitable, they sell anything to anyone, including information or objects from their clients." After teaching himself the goblin language, Harry had discovered more than he expected from reading their books.
"Okay, fine. It's not like I trust those creatures either. But you still need money to buy materials. Unless you wish to keep depending on that stolen wand."
"I will get gold, don't worry about it," Harry glanced around the area to make sure no one was nearby. He was not going to make the same mistake twice.
He then made a circular motion with his wand. "Gate."
"Where are we g—" V could not finish his question before Harry crossed the portal.
They reappeared inside a large, dark chamber.
"Mmm…" Harry took a moment to look around. "Yes, it should be around here," he said as he stepped onto a path with train tracks and began walking through it.
"This place…you brought us inside Gringotts' tunnels?" V sounded alarmed.
"Yes. I told you I have been here many times before. So opening a gate inside is not an issue," Harry responded.
The caves beneath Gringotts have several layers of protection against wizard teleportation magic. However, the 'Gate' spell that Harry created worked differently and could easily bypass those protections.
This was the advantage of using a unique piece of magic. No one had defenses in place for it.
"Are you planning on robbing the goblins? This seems like a bad idea," the hat said.
"Noted, V. But they didn't give much of a choice. I'm not giving them my blood. That is out of the question. And I require money," Harry glanced down at the wand in his hand. "I can't keep using this thing… it makes me uncomfortable," Harry said.
It wasn't just a matter of comfort either. Without a proper focus, Harry wouldn't be able to access his most powerful spells.
"I didn't think you would have moral objections about this," Harry commented.
"It's not a question of morality. I couldn't care less about the goblins. But breaking into their territory like this could lead to some serious trouble," the hat's expression morphed into a deep frown. "Wars between wizards and goblins have started for less."
Harry chuckled.
"What is so funny?" V asked.
"I just found an old memory about my first year at school. The other 'you' once broke into one of these vaults to steal something that Dumbledore was keeping here."
"…I must have been very desperate then," V said.
"I suppose you were," Harry pointed to one vault as they passed. "What do you think about that one? Will it contain a lot of money?"
"I thought you were very familiar with this place. Why are you asking me?. I am no expert in gobling vaults."
"For fun, I suppose," Harry shrugged. "But regardless, with your magic sensitivity, you should be able to make an estimation. Wizard coins are imbued with magic. If there is a large concentration of them in one contained space…"
"Mmm…give me a moment," V then remained silent as Harry continued walking on the tracks.
They passed several vault gates until one called for his attention.
"That one."
Harry stopped moving and looked at the round gate with a grin. "This one, huh?"
"It feels more intense than the others," V reasoned.
Harry jumped from the tracks and landed on a stone ledge right in front of the vault door.
"This one will do then," he placed a hand on the metallic surface.
"Don't tell me that you know how to unlock this thing. Is this one of those many skills that you cultivated before we met?"
"Would that really surprise you? There are very detailed blueprints for these things inside the city beneath us," Harry moved a bit, running his fingers across the surface of the gate as if he were trying to find something behind the thick metal.
"Perhaps I got bored one time and spent several centuries opening every single vault door that I came across in these goblins' caves."
Harry poked his finger on a few different points. "Or maybe I was looking for something specific… there."
As he said this, there was a loud clicking noise.
A moment later, the mechanism behind the gate became active and the door unlocked.
"Tada!" Harry made a dramatic pose.
"Very impressive, but we should hurry up. I would not be surprised if the goblins have a way to detect it when a vault door is opened without a key," the hat warned.
Harry ventured inside the vault and created a small sphere of light to act as illumination.
The interior of the vault was quite large. It had many shelves at the sides, all filled with valuable-looking artifacts and jewels.
But the most eye-catching part was the massive mountain of gold coins that had been left at the center.
"Whose vault is this? Malfoy?" the hat asked. "Whoa, careful there. Those coins are cursed."
"Not a problem." He merely waved his wand and removed it before conjuring a large wooden crate and starting to fill it with gold galleons.
It was then that V noticed a peculiar artifact in one of the shelves. "Wait...don't tell me that's..."
Harry smiled and got closer to the shelf. "I wasn't sure if you were going to recognize it. But yes, you are right. I figured that since we were going to break into the bank, we may as well get something extra."
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