HP 6 - A different Half-Blood...

The Darkness of Gringotts

Harry had enough money for his books, but not enough for his room or any supplies. He limped into the white marble building through a set of bronze doors and then silver ones, into a magnificently decorated hall and then looked around for an available goblin. Most were measuring and examining expensive metals and jewels. He had found an open one, but along the way, someone had called out to him.

Several people turned when they heard his name, and he finally saw Seamus and his mother walking up to him. Harry wanted to avoid questions so he kept the left side of his face hidden.

"Hi, Harry! Getting money? I did really well my on O.W.L.'s, how'd you do?" Seamus asked, happily.

"Fine," he said shortly, and half-hoping that Seamus would take a hint and leave.

"If Dean hadn't shown me those spells you taught everyone, I know wouldn't have got an O! Oh, Harry, you remember my mother, don't you?" he said, clearly not taking the hint.

"Yes, nice to see you again," he said, not really meaning it.

For a while last year, Seamus and his mother thought he was lying or crazy, but Seamus came around before his mother. Harry could not see how she could not believe him now that the Ministry admitted Voldemort came back, but she did not look glad to see him.

She was scowling at him it seemed and in a somber voice, said, "Hello. So, you were right."

"Yes, I was," he said, defiantly.

"Why do you have your hood over your head?" Seamus asked, trying to change the subject, because he was noticing the animosity between his mother and Harry.

"To avoid people," he said indifferently.

"Oh... right..." he said, finally taking the hint. " I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Ok then," Harry said, through a fake smile.

Harry watched them walk away, and Mrs. Finnigan turned to give one last look and left. He did not have time to think about it. He noticed a hooded person watching him, but he or she was not the only one. A few people he did not know were watching him too, and it made him feel uneasy.

The goblin in a maroon and gold uniform was still waiting impatiently. Harry quietly asked the goblin for a withdraw. However, instead of just summoning another goblin to take him down to his vault like the last time, the goblin just ruffled through his papers, and then called out in Gobbledegook. Another goblin came over and Harry wondered what was going on.

"Mr. Harry Potter, we've been waiting for you to come. There are some papers that need signing," the new goblin said.

"What papers? Why?" he asked, baffled.

"To speak simply, you have been deemed the heir of Mr. Sirius Black's assets. Since he has died, you must sign some forms in order to have the wishes of Mr. Black's will executed," the goblin said, formally.

"What wishes?" Harry asked as the goblin pulled out the will.

"All non-monetary items and half of the contents of Mr. Black's vault are deemed yours, however, as the heir you may challenge it and have it changed," he said, opening the will for him to see.

"Who gets the other half?" Harry asked, impatiently.

"According to the will, the other half will be given to Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Weasley and family," he responded.

"Where do I sign?" Harry said instantly, without another thought.

"Just to inform you, you may not change your decision later," the goblin warned.

"Do the Weasleys have to sign a form?" Harry said.

"No, they will be informed upon their next visit. The contents of the vault will have been added already," he said.

"Can they refuse it?" Harry inquired.

"They can do whatever they want with the money, but your decision can't be challenged," the goblin said.

"Where do I sign?" Harry said, again.

Though the circumstances were terrible, he could not help but feel happy for the Weasleys, who were very poor, but have helped him so much. He did not know how much Sirius had left him, but any amount was better than nothing for the Weasleys. He had to sign three different forms and got a copy of the will, which he pocketed.

"Alright, this matter is closed. You cannot change your mind. The gold has already been transferred to both vaults," the goblin said, formerly.

"Can I refuse to let them put it back into my vault?" Harry asked.

"Yes, whatever you want can be done," the goblin said.

"Ok, I don't want any money transferred to my vault without my approval," Harry said, with authority.

"We will honor your request. You will now be taken to your vault for your original transaction, have a good day," the goblin nodded respectably, and called for a third goblin, who was a lot older and his traditional long pointed beard had been seared off, to take Harry down.

"Right this way," said the goblin, whose name was Hoptax, and he led him out one of the many doors that led away from the main hall.

They walked down a steep, narrow tunnel lit up with torches that was the exact opposite of the elaborateness main hall. It was plain, dirty and stone faced and there were railway tracks on the floor. There was already a cart there waiting for them, which never happened before.

Hoptax seemed confused, too, but signaled for him to get in. In one breakneck journey down the labyrinth of dark twisting tunnels, they reached his vault. When Hoptax opened it, the sight amazed him. His money had doubled in size if not more. Sirius had been the last of the Blacks, so he must have had a lot of money. He filled up his moneybag swiftly and got back into the cart. Hoptax patted on the side of the cart, as though to make it go back up. The cart, however, had different intentions.

With one violent jolt, it came to life, speeding down the track: the wrong way. Hoptax, as of then, maintained the usual stern, menacing look that all the goblins seem to possess, but now he was extremely frightened.

The carts do not ever do this, Harry realized, and more importantly, Hoptax could not control it. The cart was gathering speed and the usual cool breeze was getting colder and almost freezing. Harry was sure they had passed vault seven hundred and thirteen by then. The cart was twisting, turning, rounding tight corners, and taking different tunnels at forks in the track. Hoptax was trying to use his own magic to make the cart stop. It was unsuccessful until....

The cart instantly stopped, sending Harry over the front of the cart. The only reason he did fall down to the floor of the tunnel was that he managed to grab hold of the front edge of the cart and was hanging over it. His arms were painfully hurting, but his feet found the tracks for the cart that were hoisted up twenty feet off the floor. He managed to climb over into cart with his sore leg, but every part of his body hurt from the unexpected stop.

Hoptax had also flown forward. He slammed into the front of the cart, and was now bleeding from the head. Harry shook him and he awoke very startled.

"What's going on?" Harry asked.

"I don't know! This has never happened. Somebody must have tampered with the cart," he said, nervously, cradling his head.

"Can we get back?" Harry asked.

"I'll try," he said, and he slowly went over to the controls to fiddle with them.

The cart began to vibrate violently, and after a sudden jolt, it started back up going the right way, but very slowly. It would take them all day to get back at this speed. The problem was that it still wanted to go down and Hoptax was forcing it to go up. The slow pace was very unsettling. The usual enjoyable ride was now very creepy.

He looked down the dim tunnels and saw nothing but darkness, and there were weird noises that sounded like some kind of animal, but Harry could not make out where they were. He turned to look over the side. He could barely see anything, but his eyes were starting to adjust to the dark. There was also distant light from torches on the wall. He thought he saw movement in the darkness, but he could not make out any shapes. After a while of staring at them, he looked away. They sent a chill down his spine, and he was quite use to terrifying things.

They managed to go about an hour without talking or incident. Harry was trying to ignore what sounded like purring noises and stared at the tunnel in front of them. They were not going any faster than before. Harry was starting to get extremely bored and cold from being in the damp air for so long.

Hoptax, on the other hand, was quite jittery and nervous. He kept glancing over the side, as though checking for something. Harry watched his behavior curiously, trying to make sense of what he was looking for over the edge of the cart. Hoptax paid no attention to him.

Another hour slid by with no talking. The air was warmer, but the noises still closely followed them. Harry's eyes had fully adjusted to the dark, and with the light from the everlasting torches, he could actually look at passing vaults. Some had one keyhole like his. Others, however, had a variety of contraptions and keyholes, for those who were more paranoid. They passed one with no keyhole. Harry wondered if it was vault seven hundred thirteen, but he hoped not because it would still be a very long journey back up. He had it in mind to ask Hoptax where they were, but he was still acting odd.

Hoptax's eyes kept darting over to the side of the cart, as if something might appear. As more time passed, Harry got impatient.

"Do you know where we are?" he asked. The goblin did not speak, but nodded.

"How much longer?" Harry asked, now more curious about Hoptax's behavior.

"A few hours... if we make it," he said, eyeing the edge.

"If we make it?" Harry asked, but Hoptax did not answer. "Will anyone notice we are gone?"

"Yes!" he said, with his ears perked up. "They will!" he said, but his excitement died down immediately. "It will take them a long time to find us."

They did not speak for a while, and they had probably gone another hour. Harry thought he heard the sound of a cart rattling down the track, but when he looked around and saw nothing.

The cart was vibrating more and increasing in intensity. It really wanted to go down, and Harry's feet and butt went numb. His leg was hurting more and more, and the noises from outside the cart were getting louder and closer. They were heading up a stretch of the tunnel that was a straightway, when they suddenly stopped, throwing Harry and Hoptax off guard. Harry started to get feeling back into his body parts, but was more worried about the fact that they stopped. Harry was afraid that they would plunge back downward.

"What's going on!" he asked Hoptax, who was equally alarmed.

"I don't know!" he shrieked, panicking, but before he said anything else, the noise of another cart speeding down the track, their track, caught their attention.

The cart came hurling towards them and it was not slowing down. If it crashed into them, it would kill them both. Harry was quick to react and went to the side. There was a small pond below them. Harry did not know how deep it was, but he hoped it was deep enough to break their fall, as they were about twenty to thirty feet up. He went to grab the goblin, but he had no intention of leaving the cart.

"No! We can't leave the cart!" Hoptax yelled.

"Are you kidding!?!" Harry shouted, as the other cart was almost to them.

Harry, however, had no intention of being left alone in a maze of tunnels with no guide. He grabbed Hoptax against his will and threw him over the edge. Harry jumped just as the carts collided. He heard a loud crash before he splashed into the thick mucky water. He did not touch the bottom and was not hurt. When he broke the surface, he quickly swam to shore fearing that some creature may lurk in the depths of the water. He got to the edge of the water and got out, trying to shake out the water.

Hoptax had already gotten out and was quivering in fear. Harry looked around and, in the low light, made out the two carts had been thrown from the track. He walked over and saw that there was no one in the other cart. It had completely smashed through the front end of their cart. Even if they had been in the back, the crash would have killed them, because the cart landed face down.

"I don't suppose you still wanted to be in the cart?" Harry said, sarcastically to Hoptax, who was over a foot shorter than he was, at his side.

He, however, said nothing in the way of thanks. He was looking around waiting for the inevitable to happen, and it did not take long. The purring noises were all around them, as far as Harry could tell, but he still could not see anything. Then another noise came, almost like a little giggle, but it was short. He pulled out his wand.

"What was..." Harry was cut off.

"Oh no! The Boes are on us! We'll never survive!" Hoptax shrieked and covered his head.

Harry did not have time to ask what a Boe was, because he finally saw something. Two orange eyes coming from nowhere. They were not far from where he was, maybe a couple feet, and were the source of the giggle. However, as he looked closer something else was appearing. A black cloud? It was more like black fog, completely dark. It was about the size of a Quaffle, but it was not completely circular. He leaned in closer. The black shape was centered at the eyes. It seemed to be forming out of thin air, and suddenly it stopped growing. Harry backed off a little, but not enough, as it lunged at him.

It was not fast, but Harry's weak leg made him slower than he usually was, and the dark cloud went right through him. Harry dropped down to his knees, hard. He was out of breath. It felt like the Boe drained his energy right out of him. He was shaking and his heart was weak. It was hard for him to recover, especially since he was not exactly fit these days. He heard another short, soft giggle behind him and saw its eyes. Another one appeared. He could not take another blow. As the new Boe lunged at him, Harry got to his feet, with his wand at the ready....

"Protego!" he shouted using the Shield Charm to protect himself.

It did not work, as the Boe jumped, or rather soared, right through it. The Boe went through his legs, which just shut down. He fell painfully back down onto his knees, again. The Boes had not attacked Hoptax, yet, but Harry saw more eyes forming. He looked around and saw the two Boes that attacked him were circling around them as though letting the others get to attack, too.

Harry knew he needed to think of a way the throw them off, but what? He got up and sent a Stunning Spell at one, but it went through it. He tried the Reductor Curse, but again nothing happened. He sent some flames at them, thinking they need their area to be dark and damp. They avoided the flames, but did not leave. Over his shoulder, he saw something, and turned as a Boe was lunging at him. He had one last chance, before it got him. He readied his wand and tried to Vanish it. Amazingly, it worked.

He turned just in time to see the Boes attacking Hoptax, whom had already been stung once and was lying on the ground. He raised his wand and managed to Vanish them, too. However, they really did not Vanish, so much as that they just had to reform, because as soon as Harry Vanished them, they came back. Sensing danger, it was free-for-all with the Boes now as all of them attacked.

Harry used the Vanishing Spell several more times, but as he got one that was an inch from Hoptax, one came up from behind him and leapt right through him. He fell to the ground again and felt his energy being drained. He was unable to Vanish a Boe that attacked Hoptax, who was on the ground. He was not going to win. These things seem to drain a wizard of his powers, he thought. Just like... a dementor!

Harry managed to get to his feet. The Patronus Charm might do it, but did he have the power to do it? He needed mental power and a very strong, happy memory, but he did not think he had any more of them. He tried thinking of Ron and Hermione, but it was not enough, only a thin wisp of silvery air came out. The Boes were advancing on him, again. He would not be able to try again if he failed. He searched his memory... Sirius! He's alive! He fixed his thoughts on Sirius's handsome, laughing face and....

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!!!" he yelled and a silvery stag came out of his wand.

It charged the Boes and sent them scurrying. It rounded all around them and the Boes soared away. Harry could see one bounding over the pond, escaping, and saw some creature pop up out of the water and then back down. He went over to Hoptax, who was shaking, to see if he was all right. He bended over to check and Hoptax slowly got up. The stag had come to a rest behind Harry. It was standing over his shoulder, as though ready to protect him if anything attacked. Harry reached out, and let his finger's glide along its silvery surface.

The squeal of brakes startled him, and Harry looked up as a cart with three goblins in it came to a stop right above.

"There they are!" yelled one of the goblins.

He turned back around as the stag was starting to fade, and said softly, "Bye, thanks again."

"Boes attacked us! He drove them off! Hurry! Get us out of here! NOW!" shouted Hoptax, still afraid that the Boes would return.

"Right away!" they called back.

Harry said nothing and was wondering how they were going to get back up, when invisible ropes carefully lifted him off the ground. They both floated up to the cart and landed gently inside. Two of the goblins were directing their progress into the cart. The third goblin was ready at the controls and as soon as they were in, they sped up to the main hall at full speed. Hoptax was talking to them in Gobbledegook.

When they had finished, one of them turned to him and said, "We went looking for you both after you didn't return. We heard the crash and headed in your direction and we saw that silvery animal."

"Is that what you used to drive off the Boes?" another goblin asked inquisitively.

"Yes, it's the Patronus Charm. Are there a lot of those things here?" asked Harry, shivering from the heavy breeze on his soaking wet clothes.

"Only in certain areas. We make sure they don't get near the vaults, but occasionally they do wander closer, but they always give warning when they are around," said the goblin at the control.

They did not say anything else until they reached the main hall and the goblin, who was in charge in the bank, came to meet them, as well as many other goblins, who had abandoned their tasks. By the looks of it, the goblins had forced the other customers outside. The head goblin was talking to the others from the cart.

Harry could not understand what they were saying, so he started to dry off by wringing out his clothes, trying to get all the water out. When he did the best he could, he stared at the goblins, almost impatiently. They faced him after they finished talking.

"Mr. 'otter," said the head of the bank in a heavy accent. He was probably not use to dealing with customers. "Ve're so sorry fer t'is, come o'er 'ere an' seet down."

He led Harry through a pair of gold doors on the opposite end of the entrance. It was a beautifully decorated office with a well-kept art collection. It was clearly meant to impress. One of the goblins brought Harry a cup of tea.

"A-gain, Mr. 'otter, ve're terreebly sorry. T'is 'as ne'er 'appened before. You could 'ave been easily killed. An' 'optax tells me you saved 'is life an' 'e vishes you t'anks. The Ministry ist coming to investigate, as vill ve, as to vhy t'is as 'appened. Ve kannot express 'ow sorry ve're. Ist there anyt'ing ve kan do fer you?"

"Yeah, don't tell everyone it was me. I get enough attention," said Harry, lamely.

"Ve vill do ev'ryt'ing vit'in our considerable pover to make sure it does not 'appen," the head goblin said, in a bow.

However, a knock on the door stopped the conversion from continuing. Madam Bones walked in with some Ministry officials.

"Ma'am Bones, velcome," the head goblin said, bowing his head slightly.

"I believe you stopped a Ministry letter from being delivered to Mr. Potter," she said sternly.

"Why, yes ve did, since you vere already on the vay...." he said, shortly.

"It is against the law to stop the delivery of any letters! But since I am here and I was told what happened in the main hall, I will not press charges," she said, firmly.

"I didn' t'ink so. Vhere ist Mr. Mockridge?" the head goblin said.

"He's on his way," Madam Bones said.

"Ve vill vait fer 'im before starting," the head goblin said with finality. Madam Bones turned to face him.

"Mr. Potter, since you are still underage, you're not allowed to do magic outside of school, but as I am told you were in danger of being killed, so obviously this violation is waived. And..." she stopped.

She had caught sight of his black eye, which he had kept out of her sight until then.

"Harry, who...why..." she asked horrified.

"It doesn't matter. May I go? I still have to pick up my school supplies," he said, exhaustedly.

"Yes, you may," said Madam Bones, who was now looking concerned and sympathetic.

"Ve vill try to 'onor your request," the head of the bank said in a final bow as Harry retreated out the door.

He pulled his hood far over his head, so no peering gawkers outside would know who he was. He swept through the crowd as swiftly as his smarting leg would let him and hurried away. He got new quills and ink, potion supplies, a new book bag and he finally went to the Flourish and Blotts to get his books.

He walked in the store and asked the assistant, who was about to close up, for the books he needed. He reluctantly agreed and allowed Harry to buy the books, and made it back to the Leaky Cauldron about an hour after he left Gringotts. He could have fallen asleep standing. The attack by the Boes took a lot out of him. He walked over, and with some difficulty paid Tom what he owed. Tom, as well as everyone else, was excitedly talking about what happened at Gringotts.

"Hey, did you hear what happened at Gringotts?" he asked excitedly.

"Yeah, I just left when everything happened," he lied.

"Oh, really... oh... goodnight!" he yelled up to Harry.

He was already starting up the stairs, very slowly, because of his leg, which was now thriving in pain since he fell onto it three times. He made it up to his room, dropped his stuff on the floor, changed out of his wet clothes, got into bed, and without another thought of who or what caused the cart to plunge downward, he slipped off into deep sleep.