Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Captive Audience	By : magentasouth Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Hermione/Voldemort Views: 44847 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- Currently Reading : 4
Disclaimer: I neither own nor profit from any part of the Harry Potter universe.

Chapter List
- 1-Ch 1
- 2-Ch 2
- 3-Ch 3
- 4-Ch 4
- 5-Ch 5
- 6-Ch 6
- 7-Ch 7
- 8-Ch 8
- 9-Ch 9
- 10-Ch 10
- 11-Ch 11
- 12-Ch 12
- 13-Ch 13
- 14-Ch 14
- 15-Ch 15 (just edited - no addition)
- 16-Ch 16
- 17-Ch 17
- 13
- 14
- 15
�You
are here regarding the matter of several inheritances.� Grovgut informed her
dryly.� She furrowed her brows, wondering
who exactly would name her in their wills.�
She had very few relatives aside from her parents and none of them were
within the wizarding world.
�You
are named in the final will and testaments of the following:� Professor Albus Percival Brian Wulfric Dumbledore,
Professor Minerva McGonagall, Professor Severus Snape, Sophocles Ramsgate,
William Groats, Remus Lupin and Rubeus Hagrid.�
Hermione�s
bewildered frown deepened.�

Not only had she killed or been responsible for the deaths of most of those
people but she didn�t even know two
of them!
- �-� -
�There
must be some kind of mistake� she started and the goblin looked at her as if
she had expectorated on the desk in front of him.� His lips pulled back from his pointed little
teeth and he barely managed to transform the snarl into a forced smile.
�Gringotts
does not..often.. make mistakes� Miss Granger.� But if you require I will have a full audit performed.�
She
paled slightly, feeling an incomprehensible dart of fear.� She didn�t know what was going on but she was
worried that if too much investigation were launched into anything associated with her right now, something she didn�t want
to be found would be.
�No.� I�m sorry.�
I don�t really think you�ve made a mistake.� I�m just ...confused.� I don�t know all of those people.�
The
goblin sniffed.

�Well.� It is not necessary for a
beneficiary to know their benefactors in an inheritance case � although it is
unusual in cases of this magnitude.�
Which of the benefactors are unknown to you?�
...Cases
of this magnitude?!�

Her eyes widened.
�Er..� I�d rather not say.� What do you mean � magnitude?!�
The
goblin looked at her slyly and this time his toothy grin was intentional.� �Shall we proceed then?!�
She
nodded nervously.
�It
is noted that although you are listed as a benefactor on each testament, you
are nowhere listed among those to be invited to attend the official
will-reading in the three cases where such a gathering was ordered by the
client.� All benefactors have in fact
made additions to the effect that that the inheritance bequeathed to you should
either be passed on to another listed benefactor or destroyed in the event of
your death.� As we at Gringotts require a
higher standard of evidence to determine death, than does the wizarding world
at large, what was bequeathed to you is still here.

I shall begin with Albus Percival Brian Wulfric Dumbledore.�

He sought a place on the opposite page, tracing down it with a gnarled bony
finger.
�Vault
1665.� Listed as one letter and one small
box.�� The goblin glanced up and smiled
fleetingly.� �Of course we do not
investigate the contents of our clients vaults beyond what is offered as a
description.� We do therefore advise all
those who inherit to be acutely aware of any and all risks associated with
touching foreign magical objects.� We can provide an assessor and cursebreaker
should you feel that any vault or item might present a threat.�
Hermione
bit her lip uncertainly.� �Um..� I.. I don�t think.. that Professor Dumbledore would want to hurt me�
�You
can reconsider any choices made when you travel down to view the vaults� Grovgut
interrupted disinterestedly and turned back to the page.
�Minerva
McGonagall � Great vault � this is used when a customer does not require a
separate vault for their legacy.� Your
inheritance is noted as �one letter and two books.� Severus Snape � Vault 10443 � contents
unlisted.�� The goblin paused
thoughtfully and turned cynical eyes upon her.

�I would recommend an assessor and
cursebreaker for that vault.� Two wizards have been killed in the past year
while attempting to breach other vaults belonging to this Wizard.��

He did not pause long enough to take in Hermione�s shocked expression, but
returned to the page below.
�Sophocles
Ramsgate � Vaults 11833, 11834, 11835 and ..211.�

The goblin paused and pursed his lips, his dark eyes drifting up to her and
narrowing thoughtfully.� She shifted
uncomfortably on her seat wondering what the problem was.�

He sniffed disdainfully then and continued in the same dry tone.

�It is noted that you are authorised to gain access to only two of these vaults
before the advent of your nineteenth year.��
The identity parchment has informed me that the date in question will
occur in precisely seven months and fourteen days.�
Obviously
the identity parchment measured physical age rather than time elapsed since
birth, she observed silently.� To the
wizarding world she was only seventeen.
�Until
this time you have full control over only Vault 11835.� Precisely one month from the opening of vault
11835 you will gain the key to access vault 11834.� A note has been made that a particular
assessor has been recommended for use with these vaults.� You may choose to accept the recommendation
or use the assessor allocated to you by the Ragnok at the head desk.
It
was unsettling that so many vaults had been left to her by someone she�d never
heard of. �

...Her mind went immediately to the place that it most loved to dwell these
days.�

Voldemort.�

Had he perhaps..�
Well..
Who else could it have been!?�
He
must have left her something...� Or some things really.�

What would he have left her?!�

A letter?�

A curse??

Would he want to kill her if he knew she�d survived when he was dead?
Guiltily,
she hoped that someone might have
left her perhaps just a few galleons.�
She didn�t need much..but she hated that she was depending upon Harry
right now since she didn�t want to risk going back to her parents or accepting Draco�s
charming invitation.��

If she just had.. a little money of her own ..she could rent a room somewhere
and hurry to gain her NEWTs.� Then she
would be able to work.�

Surely he would have realised that, if
it was from him at all. He�d realised every other thing about the world after
his death. �

Course... Voldemort wasn�t ..really..the embodiment of generosity.� Slytherins didn�t believe in altruism.�
�The
contents of..some... of these vaults are listed here.� Vault 211 is described simply as
�irreplacables�, Vault 11833 contains a sum of galleons which enumerate, as of
the most recent accounting charm this morning, twenty three million, two
hundred and eighty four thousand and six Galleons.�
Hermione�s
mouth fell open.� Her mind tried to
comprehend what had just been said.�
It
couldn�t.
Had
she misunderstood the number the goblin had read out?!� Or the information about the vault?! �Had Grovgut said that the vault was going to
be hers?!�

Was this some kind of joke?!�
No..
Goblins had almost no sense of humour and they wouldn�t pander to the sense of
humour of others.

Others like Malfoy..�

He would find it funny as hell to pull the rug out from under her with a joke
like this, if he knew how desperate she was.�

The Goblins wouldn�t stand for that kind of stupidity though, she was sure.
There
had to be some mistake!� She.. It wasn�t
possible to inherit that much from a complete stranger, was it?!
Grovgut
was still reading and she realised she�d missed half of what he�d just said.
�p-pardon?!�
she sputtered softly.
His
mouth turned down and he fixated her over his square glasses.
�Pay
attention please.� I do not have the time
to repeat myself all day.� The contents
of vault 11833 have been accumulating since the vault was purchased several
months ago.� Due to the regularity of the
transfers, it might be expected that this will continue � however, as such
connections between accounts can, conceivably be reversed � it would be
advisable for you to review the associated payments and decide whether you wish
to move the contents of the vault to a new, unassociated, vault.� Vaults 11834 and 11835, the latter of which
you will take possession of today, are contents unlisted vaults.

William Groats-..� Grovgut continued disinterestedly, without pause. �Vault
11853.� Listed as deeds to property.� This vault to become accessible to the
beneficiary upon the advent of her 19^th year.
She
breathed in again, feeling faint.
Ok.� Ok.. This didn�t necessarily change anything
right now.� Some Sophocles person had
left her a wizards ransom in galleons which she could not use yet.� It didn�t change the fact that she had no
means of subsistence without Harry or her parents.� If she could sit NEWTs � the exams would
probably cost something too.� She needed
help and she really hated to ask Harry for it.

Perhaps the vault she could open right now would contain galleons.� Or even a place to live.� Surely.. Surely he would have left her
something she could use now if he was
going to leave anything at all.� What was
the point of waiting till her birthday?!�
Voldemort couldn�t have cared less about her age!� In which case.. if he hadn�t given them to
her now, he meant her not to have
them.�

If he hadn�t known about the time she�d spent using the time-turner at
Hogwarts, then he, if he was the one
to have arranged for the vaults, obviously intended her not to have access to
them for longer than a few months �
he�d anticipated something closer to two years!
A
faint flicker of hope ignited in her heart.
Perhaps
he�d stored something with which she might bring him back.� Perhaps that was the reason for the
delay!��

He couldn�t be sure that she�d decide to do something that ran so counter to
the best interests of the entire wizarding world though.�

Still..she had to admit, she�d give almost anything..to be able to undo what
she had done.�

Every day that went by was somehow..empty.�
The idea that she would never
see him again was too awful to dwell upon.�

She�d already thought a lot about making an independent study of methods to
resurrect him..If she had some functional means offered to her, she�d find it hard to wait for the months to go by
to use it.� Maybe that was his
intention!�

She hoped that it was.� So intent was she
upon pleading internally that Voldemort might have considered the possibility
of his own death and arranged for a back up plan, that she almost missed Grovgut�s
finishing remarks about her final inheritances. Both Remus and Hagrid had left
what they�d bequeathed in the great vault as unlisted items.� ��
Grovgut
busied himself with drawing paperwork out of the desk.
�I
assume you will want to view the vault�s contents at once.� The transfer into your name will complete
when you place your mark upon these documents.�
Then I can call for an assistant to bring you to your vaults.� Do you wish to utilise an assessor?�
Her
mark turned out to necessitate more blood.�
The transaction was completed quickly while she was still in a daze over
the news she�d heard.� She mumbled an
agreement to Grovgut�s suggestion that she utilise the assessor recommended by
her benefactor Sophocles Ramsgate.. and then she was standing; being ushered
out of the room and back out to the main hall.
She
walked, like someone in a trance, back out the door.� Grovgut was gone before she could even glance
around.�
After
a moment she spotted Harry leaning against the wall looking pale and shaken.�

He didn�t see her so she wandered over.�
When she was almost upon him he looked up with haunted eyes.
�Mione!
�Are you ok?� he said, shocked.�
She
nodded numbly.

�I have to go and.. and look at some vaults..�
Professor Dumbledore... and..� She trailed off
He
grimaced.� �I�ve been summoned to the
estate readings of ..of Remus and Hagrid��

He looked like he might shatter at the slightest touch.

�Hagrid.. wasn�t found.� I�d hoped..� I�m sorry � I know you told me but i�d hoped
it might have been a mistake somehow.�
I�d hoped he might still be..�
She
moved closer and leaned against the wall next to him, feeling like an evil
lying murderer

�I�m sorry, Harry� she mumbled and hoped he never found out what she was sorry
for.
Without
a word he turned to her and enfolded her in a needy embrace, burying his head
in the crook of her neck.� She froze at
the intimate gesture and became suddenly aware of the feeling of dampness on
her throat.� Harry was crying.�

A number of people in the large foyer were watching them both.�

Nervously she wrapped her arms around Harry, returning his affection.� It was startling just how much broader he was
in her arms than he�d been when they�d both been in their sixth year.��

He wasn�t sobbing.. but she could hear very soft gasps coming from him.� When he eventually pulled back and looked up,
his eyes were bloodshot.� He offered her
a watery smile and then, without warning, leaned in and pressed a light kiss to
her cheek.

�Thanks..� I.. I missed you, Mione.� I don�t know..� You�re the only one I�ve ever been able
to..�� he stopped, a guilty expression
flitting over his face again.

Flushing slightly, he swallowed and pulled away.

�Sorry� he mumbled sadly. �I..I�m sorry.�
I shouldn�t...� After the bloody drama
this morning and now..� he looked around the room suddenly, worried, taking in
all the people either surreptitiously or overtly watching them both.

�Shit.� I..forgot for a moment where we
are..� God.. if this ends up in the paper
too I�ll never hear the end of it.�
A
growling cough from a goblin throat caught her attention and she turned to find
herself faced with a small goblin in a dark blue service uniform � the uniform
of the assistants that took customers down to the vaults. �Behind him stood a tall, slender middle-aged
wizard; his long light brown hair tied into a queue.� He wore robes in muted greys and blue,
blending with the uniform of the Goblin beside him, although where the goblin
looked impatient and disinterested, this wizard seemed to be taking in every
detail of her person.�
�Um
Harry.. I�ve got to go..� I�ll be back
soon.. ok?�

She knew it sounded hollow and saw the way Harry seemed to pull himself
together and surreptitiously wipe his face, scowling at the wizard watching
them both keenly.
�Yeah.� Ok.� If
you�re sure you don�t need me to come with you� he said, in a tone that made
clear that he wanted to come with her.
She
didn�t think that would be advisable.
�I...no..
It�s ok.� I don�t know how long I�ll
need..� she told him, avoiding his eyes.
�We
will stop at the great vault first?� the small goblin asked as he stepped into
the cart to take the three of them down into the black depths of Gringots
underground system of vaults.
She
shrugged, uncaring and then nodded. �Yes.�
Thanks.�

She was anxious to know what was in Sophocles Ramsgate�s vault for her, and Professor
Dumbledore�s was worrying her, but it was probably best to see what her three
former Professors.. her victims...had wanted to give her first.
Stepping
into the cart, she overbalanced a little and yanked her arm away when the
creepy wizard reached for it to assist her.�

�I�m fine.� She assured him warily. �Please don�t touch me.�
He
looked offended and muttered an apology, stepping into the cart after her with
the ease of familiarity and seating himself beside her.�
The
ride was turbulent, dark and loud, wheels clattering and sounds of banging,
roaring and grinding floating up from wide cavernous open areas they passed
through at high speed.

When they stopped at a very large square metallic vault door, the small goblin
announced unnecessarily � The great vault.�
Come with me.� Do not wander.

The door was colossal.� It had to stretch
at least ten metres high and was almost the same distance across.� What would require a door of that size, she
wondered.
To
her surprise the wizard who sat next to her, stepped out first.
�Will
you require assessment of any of the items for curses or threatening
magic?� Or possibly valuation?� he asked
with polite reserve, apparently taking care with her now after the awkward
moment before.
She
hadn�t the slightest idea.� None of her
former Professors would try to hurt her though, of that she was almost certain.

�I don�t think so.� Thank you, though.�
She responded and hurried past the man to where the little goblin had thrust a
peculiar many pronged key into a slot on the door.�� After he�d turned it, he dragged it along
the surface of the door � the slot moving through the surface like a leaf
floating upon water � and then made a complex zagging motion with it.�

A smaller door floated up out of the surface of the metal then, and this the goblin pulled open with some
minor difficulty, raising a hand to halt her and stepping through before
her.�
After
she�d followed him inside, and taken in the impossibly large space within, the
endless shelves rising into the dark and receding into the distance, containing
innumerable cages of items in storage, their contents obscured behind opacity
charms, she understood a little better what the goblins meant when they called
the vault great.�
Her
guide summoned� a small wheeled cart from
a bay at the side and indicated that she should get in.� He climbed in after her and soon after they
were off again at high speed down the third of the eight wide aisles.�� The trip took several minutes, while the
segmented shelves on either side blurred past them.� Finally the goblin brought them to a halt and
then she shrieked in fright as the cart suddenly rose upward at speed until
they were swaying pendulously somewhere close to thirty feet in the air.�� The small grumpy looking creature in front
of her climbed with difficulty onto the edge of the cart and reached toward the
caged area on the right side aisle.�

At his gesture, a narrow platform extended itself from the cage until it bumped
gently against the side of the precariously balanced box. �Hermione was clinging to the sides of said
cart in terror as it bobbled back and forth from the minor knock.� She really
no longer cared what Professor McGonagall, Remus or Hagrid had left her and
just wanted to go back down now!
�This
way� the goblin prompted impatiently.� He
already had the cage door opened and she saw that within there was a table with
objects upon it.� Whatever charm there
was upon the caged areas obscured the objects beyond recognition.�
Damn
it.
Now
she was curious.
She
looked down over the edge of the cart and saw the wheels and axle frame of the
cart far, far below with a hinged
zigzag of metal stretching between herself and the distant ground.� She gulped and looked away, resolving not to look down again.
The
little platform felt horribly unstable too when she finally succeeded in almost
throwing herself out of the cart onto
it.� She scrambled up it into the cage
and huddled on the floor, shaking and trying to ignore the scorn of the goblin.
�These
items have been placed together for ease of collection.� They are normally located within different aisles.� Please decide what you will be doing with
them.� As their former owners are no
longer paying to store the items here, if you want them to stay in the great
vault, you will pay the rent for the storage cages.�
Hermione
assured him quickly that she�d take them with her.

She couldn�t afford the alternative even if she had wanted to.
The
table was just slightly too tall for her to see from the floor. Climbing to her
feet, she moved closer.
There
were label tags upon the table.� There
was a rough grey rounded stone, perhaps the size of both of her closed fists.� It looked a little like granite and sat
behind a tag labelled Rubeus Hagrid. ��Hermione
tilted her head wondering what possessed Hagrid to give her a stone.� Was there some meaning?� Was it perhaps not a stone?� An egg of some
kind?� Maybe there was something inside
it.� There must be some purpose to it
somehow!��
Next
to Hagrid�s tag was a tag for Minerva McGonagall accompanied by an envelope and
two books.� One was thick and looked
rather like a textbook.� The other was
slim and pale yellow tanned leather.��

Remus Lupin�s tag sat below a small leather pouch and a thin envelope.

She looked at the letters left to her by Professor McGonagall and Remus and
considered reading them.� But it felt
wrong.� The grumpy looking little goblin
was watching her and she was standing in a cage
for merlin�s sake.� No.� She would read them when she returned to her
room at Harry�s place.�� She wanted to be
alone for it.
Feeling
a little hypocritical she cast a charm to detect basic offensive magic.� The only object among the collection which
glowed was the yellow leather book Professor McGonagall had given her.� Levitating it carefully to the side she
learned that the other book, the one that looked like a textbook actually was a textbook.� A very old fashioned looking textbook.� It was yellowed.� Its title proclaimed in optimistic lettering �The
inner animal: Understanding the animagus transformation�

She was halfway down page two before she knew it and it was with reluctance
that she sighed and closed the book.
Upon
inspection, the small leather bag that Remus had left her appeared to be full
of teeth.�
Large pointed ones.�� Despite the goblin standing watching her she
reached for Remus� letter and tore it open.�
Dear Hermione,� it read.
If you are reading this, then I have not
survived to see you once again.� I regret
it, however it doesn�t matter so very much.�
If you are reading this then all of my hopes have come to pass.� Harry has prevailed and you have survived.� That is enough to warm my heart as I sit in
this cold room.

Had I been able to locate where you were being held, I would have fought harder
to force the order to attempt your rescue.�
Severus has convinced everyone that you are no longer among the living. Perhaps
he did it to protect Harry but I could smell his deceit.� Hence why I am writing to you now, in the
hopes that you might still live when all of the chess pieces have fallen.
I want to believe that Harry has reached you
before the worst has come to pass.�

I would prefer to indulge the pleasant fantasy that you have returned unharmed
and as the girl I remember with such fondness.�
You were truly astounding, Hermione.�
So bright that it hurt to look at you at times.

No matter what may have occurred while you were in captivity, know, Hermione,
that the opinions of strangers are irrelevant.�
The thoughts of friends and family matter.. but not so very much as what
you yourself think and feel.

�In the end, no one will ever understand
completely.
Whatever has happened to you � Please - do not
let it be the thing that defines you.� Do
not let the small people, who had no stake in the final events, beat you down
and punish you for what has been done to you against your will.

I don�t think I was a particularly good teacher but if I have taught you
anything, let it be this.�� You must
endure.� You cannot give up.
My gift to you is the only thing I can give
you - something I hope that you will never need.� Something I myself have often wished I did
not have.. but, equally, have found myself grateful for more often than I can
remember.

I wish to give you the choice that I did not have.

If things go as I fear they could in the aftermath; many will seek to make a
target of you.� If even those you
believed would be there for you are not and you feel entirely lost...or worse..
if they try to imprison you again for whatever they find offensive in your
survival � I can offer you another world.�

It is not as full of possibilities as the one that you once had, before a mad
wizard stole you away, but it can be a good life.� It can be a fulfilling life, if you allow it
to be.�

There is something...comforting... in the secure knowledge that you
belong.� That you are part of something �
accepted as you are, without provisos or conditions.
If you find that you do not want to go on in
the wizarding world, put on the necklace that I have enclosed.� The third fang from the left is a portkey and
activates on the word �nova�.� It will
take you to a large forest which is located upon privately owned land and has
been declared sanctuary for magical creatures in perpetua.�

You should be within the territory of a werewolf pack that I know well..

�If you show the pack leader the necklace
and ask to join them, you will be turned and invited to join their pack.�

It is a very different way of living, however the pack is very inclusive � they
are composed of wizards, witches, muggles and born weres.� They will understand your confusion and take
the time to explain whatever you wish to know.�
No one there has ever supported Voldemort and you will be in no danger of
attack by rogue death eaters or the ministry of magic.�

..They will protect you.��
I am not encouraging you to give up on the
wizarding world, but...it is somewhere you might go and be happy..cherished..
if you feel you have nowhere else to turn.
I wish you all the very best for your life, Hermione.�
In friendship and love,
Remus Lupin
Hermione
felt a lump in her throat.� It hurt.� She swallowed and wished earnestly that she
had waited to read Remus letter until she was somewhere at home, by
herself.� His face.. the way he had
looked at her before she�d killed him..�
His death had been so awful..
and he�d offered her this..

She was going to cry any second and she didn�t want to do it in front of the
impatient little goblin.
�Excuse
me� she addressed the goblin with a tight high voice that was straining not to
break.� �Would you have a bag.. or
something. A box � anything I could put these in?��
The
goblin rolled its eyes.� It was a snide
little creature, she thought.�
�Of
course� it said dully. �Standard or secured?�
Secured transport cases will be charged to the client�s account�
�Standard�
she replied and took a very deep calming breath, closing her eyes and trying to
pull herself together again. �- But please do not put the yellow book with the
other things.� I need to ask the
assessing wizard about it.� I�ll levitate
it for the moment�

The
assessing wizard, who belatedly introduced himself as Hester Groom, couldn�t
help her.� Or rather he could help her but couldn�t enable her
to read the book safely � he identified the offensive spells as defensive spells which would act
offensively against anyone attempting to open the book without some passcode,
charm or key intended to enable access.�
He had no thoughts on what the key might be but Hermione privately hoped
that Professor McGonagall�s letter would shed some light on the matter when she
had a chance to read it in private later.
The
book was now safely stored with the other objects, inside a miniscule bag
similar to the kind typically used in muggle high end jewellery stores.� Mr Groom had been quite certain that it posed
no danger, provided no attempt was made to open it.�

She was satisfied enough with the advice for the moment due to a transitive
logic that she knew was based upon
faulty premises. namely � That she was assuming that Sophocles Ramsgate was in
some way associated with Voldemort.� Sophocles
Ramsgate had recommended Hester Groom as an assessor.� Ergo � Voldemort
had recommended him.�
The
problem was � she had no concrete reason to believe that the two were
associated and knew for a fact that Voldemort had not hesitated to harm her when
he was alive.� She had no basis for presuming
that anyone was trustworthy simply because she believed them to be associated
with him.� In fact most of the wizards and witches associated with him had been highly UNtrustworthy. �
They
were currently rattling and clattering their way down to Dumbledore�s vault and
she was feeling quite morose.�

It seemed that the area they were travelling through was occupied by few very
large vaults.� Some of them had huge
ornate doors that flashed past, leaving only a vague impression of their
decorative surfaces.�� She thought she saw one with a Hogwarts crest..
but they were moving too quickly and the lighting was not ideal.� When they finally clattered to a halt with a
squeal of metal against metal as the goblin applied brakes, it was in front of
a very large round door, much like a bank vault.� The outer rim of the bronzy coloured metal
was traced in a language she didn�t recognise but which looked a little like
cuniform runes, she thought.�
�Vault
1665� the goblin growled.

�Blood is needed to unlock the vault.�
Hermione
cursed silently.� Bloody goblins.� They were worse than vampires!�

She clambered out of the cart ungracefully and marched to the vault door.

�Anywhere specific on the door?!� she asked.
�no.�
came the succinct, irritable answer from the little goblin.
A
tiny bead of blood was drawn from her finger by the new wand, that she was not
above recognising was performing far more smoothly and comfortably than her old
wand.� She levitated the small globe to
the bronze coloured surface, which absorbed it at once.
There
was a long pause, and then a complex series of clicks echoed in the tunnel
around them.� The huge door began to open
silently, moving ponderously toward her.�
She moved out of its path carefully, stepping to the side and peering
into the room revealed within.�

It was a massive room.

And also entirely empty, with the exception of a small box, about the size of a
shoebox with a letter resting atop it.��
She moved to the door and lifted her leg to step over the round lip of
the portal when she was roughly dragged backward, losing her footing in the
process

�Stop!� Hester Groom�s voice rang out sharply.�
The assessing wizard had hauled her back by the scruff of the neck and
was holding her by the arm now.�
She
struggled, panicking, her eyes flying to his in furious shock.

�What are you doing?!� she demanded,
reaching for her wand to defend herself
�The
vault is warded.� Had you entered, we
would be cleaning you from the walls�
She
gaped and deflated slightly

�oh.� Oh..� well then.. thank you.� I�m ...sorry.. for..� she trailed off.�

i�m sorry for the really nasty spell I was just about to use on you, her mind
finished.

�Um.. Could you let go of my arm now.� I�m
not going to go in there, obviously.�
Groom
released her arm at once and stepped back.�
�Excuse me.� It was just
imperative I prevent you from entering. ...the vault is warded specifically
against dark magic.� As you ..bear traces
of it.. you will be perceived as a threat by the ward and destroyed.�
She
grit her teeth.� At least he hadn�t said �
tainted.� There was a tendency for the word tainted or
corrupted to creep in when people mentioned dark magic.�

�I have been in the presence of dark wizards for a while� she explained
unnecessarily, questioning why the opinion of Hester Groom was of any relevance
to her at all.
The
man shifted his weight slightly.� �The
spell is selective.� It does not target
those exposed to dark magic.� Only those who have themselves used it.�� His dark grey eyes observed her keenly.
Hermione
turned away, trying not to panic.� The
assessor and the goblin knew that she�d used dark magic.� They knew!� What if they told someone?!�

Gringotts was discreet though!� That was
one of the main lures of their business.�
They were discreet and neutral.�
They served light and dark wizards alike.�

She raised her wand and tried to summon the box in the vault.� It remained resolutely where it lay in the
middle of the vast empty room.
�It
cannot be summoned� Groom stated superfluously. �You will not be able to charm
any inanimate object to drag or pull the contents to the door.� The spell is designed to prevent dark witches and wizards from reaching whatever
is within.� You will have to find a witch
or wizard innocent of all dark traces and persuade them to retrieve your
property. �The imperius will be insufficient.� Your control over any witch or wizard will
vanish as soon as they are within the confines of the ward.� It is quite an interesting creation
actually.� �
�I
wouldn�t imperius someone!� she
countered, scandalised.� The way he�d
said it � as if it were simply another tool.�
As if it were a tool of first resource!��
�Of
course not..� Groom returned smoothly.� �it
was just an observation.� However.. if
you wish, I will write down a dark detection spell for you, in order for you to
determine whether a possible candidate is suitable.� It would be a waste of all of our time for
you to bring someone down here unnecessarily.�
Still
feeling quite defensive she responded �Thank you.� Perhaps you could simply show it to me.� I don�t need it written down.�
He
did so.� There were no visible
effects.� She said as much a moment later
and he suggested she try the spell herself.�

When she did, she noticed a faint yellow fringe glowing around the goblin, a
larger yellow fringe around her own hand and the largest.. almost a mane emanating from Hester Groom
himself.�
He
was a dark wizard.� Clearly.�

Steeling herself not to show any sign of concern she met his gaze silently.� While the thick trace of dark magic was a
notch in support of his being recommended by Voldemort and not just some unknown wizard called Sophocles
Ramsgate, it was also very odd.� If there
was this spell, and surely the aurors had spells like it, then why wasn�t he
arrested?!� Why wasn�t he in Azkaban.� Dark magic had been criminalised decades
ago.� Even the books were illegal and
carried heavy sentences.
�Do
you want to move on to the next vault, Miss Granger?� the goblin piped up
disinterestedly.� She looked at it and
blinked as if waking from a dream.�
�Yes..
yes.. thanks.��
The
cart travelled for a lot longer this time before the goblin halted it and stated
�Vault 10443�.� She was a little
distracted by the revelation about her assessor and the newly sprung worry that
if she could detect dark magic use
then surely everyone else could too � what would she do when Harry found
out?!� Or the auror department?!.. or the
daily prophet?!�

�um.. who was the former owner of this vault please?� she asked absently.
�Vault
10443 was last owned by Severus Snape� the goblin informed her, passing her a
heavy black iron key.
Mr
Groom immediately sprang to his feet and preceded her to the vault door.� �If you are agreeable, I would like to enter
first� he said quickly. �I know of this wizard.�
He was very skilled in the creation of dark spells and curses.� It is possible that the room will be trapped.
She
nodded tensely and handed Mr Groom the key.
He
was inside for mere seconds, in plain view, before he called her.

Around him, the vault was, much like Professor Dumbledore�s, largely
empty.� In the centre of the room, upon a
desk that seemed faintly familiar to her, lay a rectangular box that seemed
hewn from stone.�� A note lay upon it in
the prickly thin writing of her Professor. �Miss Granger.� The box is for my godson.� You will deliver it personally.� S.S�
A
short way away from the box, another note lay on the desk.� It read �I wish you to keep this desk and
make use of it.� It has been in the
Prince family for generations and is quite
fragile, therefore you are not to shrink or otherwise molest it.� Gringotts will ensure safe delivery to the
destination of your choice.� I have made
provision for delivery costs not exceeding the borders of the British
Isles.� S.S.
She
raised her eyebrow and stepped back to take in the full measure of the
desk.� It was black wood, beautifully
turned and carved.� A number of small
drawers bore silver ring handles and it stood upon black orb feet.� It was slightly angled to ease writing and
contained wells for ink and quills.�� It was
quite a lovely desk.�

She wasn�t happy about the �do not use magic on my extraordinarily precious desk� but it was understandable.�
She
had nowhere to put the desk though.�
Harry�s
room already contained a desk and not only would it not fit inside her room at
her parents� house, but she was also fairly sure that her parents would call
the police and/or mental health professionals and attempt to actually restrain
her forcibly there if she went back there now.

In the back of her mind she felt quite guilty about them.� No doubt they were beside themselves with worry again.�
As if she�d disappeared all over again.�

But it was the back of her mind.� Knowing
that they were in distress didn�t motivate her enough to risk her freedom to
return there.�

They meant well but they had no idea
what was best for anyone, least of all her.
The
stone block refused to be shrunk to go into the bag with the other things from Professor
McGonagall.� It did however allow
levitation, therefore she placed a strong floating charm upon it and transfigured
Professor Snape�s note into a long piece of string, dragging the stone block
after her like a balloon.�
Mr
Groom smiled uneasily at her.
She
revised her impression of him slightly.�
She had thought him to be middle aged before.� Perhaps that was a bit hasty however.� He reminded her a bit of Professor Snape.� He looked..prematurely aged. �As if heavy matters had weighed upon him and
carved deep lines into his face.
�One
left� he said softly as he gestured for her to precede him out of the vault.
As
they travelled deeper into the depths of Gringotts, she was informed by the
Goblin that Professor Snape�s vault was not an owned family vault but was
temporarily rented and would require money if she wanted to store the
inconvenient desk there.�

She grumbled inwardly, sorely hoping that the vault that Sophocles Ramsgate had
allowed her access to immediately would contain some galleons.�

Otherwise..

Well.. She�d have to ask Harry whether she could store Professor Snape�s desk
at Grimmauld place for the moment.� Until
she could get herself back on her feet.
She
was more than concerned about just how she was going to be able to do that
without any money.� Perhaps she
could..take out a loan.. or something.�
Just to pay for rent and the cost of sitting her NEWTs.� After that.. she�d be fine.� Surely!
She�d
think about what to do next when she got that far.�
The
cart rattled to a standstill in front of a rather uninteresting black vault
door.� It was round and it reminded her,
more than anything, of the metallic hue of cauldrons.�� She followed Mr Groom with all anticipation
churning within her.�
Her
mind was conjuring alternatives for what a vault potentially bequeathed by Voldemort
might contain.
He
was so brilliant.. but she was certain that not even he could escape post-mortem beheading to secret himself in a
gringotts vault for her to find. �

Nor would he, unless he wished to kill her slowly in revenge.�

The idea was beyond implausible and yet she couldn�t deny that some tiny sick
little part of her wished it were true.�
Even if he were going to kill her finally � which she felt she probably
deserved � it would be so good to just..see
him again.�
Days..
weeks.. months.. spent watching just one person and now he was gone completely.� She wondered what they�d done with his body.�
In
time she wouldn�t be able to remember the details of what he looked like
anymore.�

It was inevitable, as much as she might wish to pretend to herself she�d never
forget anything about him, good or bad.�
She�d lose that feeling.� The
feeling when he was pleased with her and decided to reward her.� She�d forget what it had felt like to be
allowed to explore him in ways no other was granted.
The
vault required blood and a moment after she had placed it on the metal, it sank
into the surface and she felt a strange shivery coldness ripple down her.� It was some kind of sensing spell.� The result was acceptable, evidently.� She held her breath as slow echoing clanks
sounded; the bolts drawing back inside the door.�

It swung open smoothly and Groom followed behind her at a discreet three pace
distance.
She
was confused and disappointed.�
There
was no Dark Lord standing smirking in the shadows.�

That wasn�t really a surprise, it had only been wishful thinking.
There
were no piles of galleons.

Although she felt guilty for wishing for something so meaningless � it was very
meaningful in her current position.� She
worried what she would do now.� Without
money she would be forced to ask Harry
to help her.

Or Draco.

But that was a sickening prospect and not worth considering.

Harry would loan her enough to get by till she had her NEWTs... surely...�� It would be horrible to ask him, but he
wouldn�t turn her away...
There
was no Voldemort and no money in the vault.

What there was, was an old charred wooden door with a silver handle.�� There wasn�t even a note.
She
strode over to it.� There had to be more
to it!�� Voldemort.. or..whatever � some random wizard named Sophocles Ramsgate
wouldn�t give her an old door unless there was a magical purpose to it.

None of the detection spells she knew to cast found anything special about the
door though.� It seemed to be a mundane
muggle door, if a bit old and damaged.
�Mr
Groom..� she said, confused and upset �what is it?!� Why would someone give me this?!��

She realised that she was pleading with him to find some explanation that
allowed the door to be both meaningful and gifted by Voldemort.
He
didn�t oblige.�
After
casting considerably more charms than she knew to cast, he informed her softly
that it was simply a door and that perhaps the meaning would come later.�
She
nodded mutely, trying again not to cry.�

Not even a letter.
Perhaps
it was a message.� It was a ruined
door.� Perhaps it symbolised a way that
she�d destroyed.� A burnt bridge.. a door
that could no longer be taken.� A lost
opportunity.

It was a stretch.

And she didn�t want to believe that.
Another
of Sophocles Ramsgate�s vaults would be accessible to her in a month.� Perhaps that would throw light upon this old
door.� Maybe she needed it for something
in that vault?
The
door was easily resized to the dimensions of a domino and placed into her bag
of mysterious inheritances.
She
was moving to leave the vault when Groom halted her with..yet another unwanted touch.��
She pulled her wrist from his grip and gave him a pointedly annoyed
look.
If
she had been expecting to see something like sheepishness, she was to be
disappointed.� He was bold as brass when
he stated that he would not reveal her use of dark magic provided she saw fit
to provide him with certain...agreements.
Blackmail
was not something she had confronted often..

She chose to see the little agreements that
Voldemort had made with her as �negotiations� and/or tests.� Not blackmail. �

Blackmail was just tawdry and low.�

But then.. it would be a simple thing for aurors to arrest her when a gringotts
assessor informed them anonymously
that she was guilty of using dark magic.
�What
exactly do you want then?!� she hissed.
Groom
smiled fleetingly before hardening once more.�
�Not much.� A favour.� To be called up whenever and in whichever
manner I choose.�
She
thought of the various horrible possibilities and reacted without thinking.� Voldemort had rewarded her most when she cast
quickly and silently.� She hadn�t used
this curse before, although she�d seen it performed by Moody just minutes
before he showed them the Killing Curse.
Although
she was sure she had cast the imperius correctly, Groom shrugged it off with
barely a shiver.� His smile returned and
broadened into something that was at once dark and pleased.�
�Ah.� I thought you�d never use the imperius?� he
said calmly. �Well.. you�d best not use that
curse anywhere outside of these walls.. and I�d advise against using it on any
witch or wizard you know has had more
than a passing brush with dark magic.� You are just learning..� You do not yet know any of the many ways that
a dark wizard can turn that curse back upon you.�

Alright.� No favour.� Will you agree to allow me to be present
while you open the other vaults?�� He
looked calculating.
�I�ll
think about it� she responded slowly.� �I�ll
let you know on the day.�
His
smile warmed further.

�You are thinking that I will not be able to use your dark taint against you if
I want the chance of seeing the
inside of the vaults.. but I would not have used it against you to begin
with.� I was left with very clear
instructions to assist you, Miss Granger.�
Call it an odd fancy, but I simply wanted to know how you might react to
such a threat.�
She
snapped her jaw closed from the annoyed and simultaneously relieved little O
she had been displaying.

Groom was.. perhaps...probably.. an
ally.�

Ergo the vault was ..probably..
arranged by Voldemort??
No.� erroneous logic again.
�Now,
pay attention.� I will show you the best
spell to hide the detectable evidence that you have been practicing dark magic.
��It must be cast upon waking, as it will
fall while you sleep � so take care in whose company you let down your guard
enough to rest.�� Occasionally, after
very large dark workings, it may leak slightly, therefore it is best to recast
it after such events.� You can choose to lower it, much as I did when
you were using the dark detection spell for the first time, however I must
emphatically advise you never to do
so unless you are absolutely certain that no threat exists in your
environment.� The fact that you do not
see anyone does not mean that enemy eyes are not watching.� Take care and maintain the spell.
Hermione
paid attention.
Harry
was more than mildly miffed when she got back up to the lobby and found that
she�d been down in the depths of Gringotts for four hours.�
�What
took you so long?!� he asked, barely softening the demand in his voice. �And
what is that?!� he indicated the floating
stone block she held like a balloon.� She
caught a brief flicker of suspicion in his eyes but it was gone again before
she could be sure she�d seen it.
�She
ignored the second question in favour of the first.� �I had to visit several vaults� she said
tiredly.� �Look, I�m really sorry for
taking so long.� I didn�t know I would
and I wasn�t aware I was, while I was down there.� Can we talk about everything somewhere that isn�t crawling with nosy bystanders?�
Harry
nodded once, seeing the sense in her question at once.� His eye scanned the room, taking in the many
curious witches and wizards surreptitiously or overtly paying attention to
them.
�Madam
Malkins and then home?� he asked softly.��
She flushed, embarrassed and shook her head.
�is
it because of the crowds or because you�re worried about letting me pay?� he
asked, moving a little closer so that he wouldn�t be overheard.
She
bit her lip and responded honestly

�Both..�
The
gentle smile that dawned on his face was lovely.� He was beautiful at the best of times, but
when he looked like that, she couldn�t help sighing inwardly.

�not mine, not mine. Not ever mine.� Bad bad
bad!� You don�t find him attractive in
the slightest!� she chastised herself.
�Mione..
I�ve already told you that I want to
buy you robes. �Look.. Ginny and Ron shop on my account all the time...and
there�s so much in there that they could shop all year and not make a
dent.� But I don�t care if they spend money...whereas, I really want to buy you clothes.� �I can�t
do much about the stupid crowds, but trust me � they�ve been worse before.� If you�ll come and let Madam Malkin measure
you then I promise we don�t have to stay and try on robes.� We�ll just give her some idea of colours and
styles and leave.� OK?�
�Harry!! You are not paying for tailor made-�
�Only
if you don�t want to try on robes..� Hermione..
you can�t walk around in the same set of muggle clothes perpetually.� If you scourgify them enough, they�ll fall
apart on your body.�

He smothered a very un-Harry-like smirk behind his hand.� �Not that that would be.. a bad
thing..necessarily� he said under his breath.�

She turned bright pink.� Had Harry just
insinuated he�d like to see her naked?!�

Realising she was sputtering in an undignified manner, she pulled herself
together.
�One
robe then� she conceded.
�You�ll
need at least seven.� Plus a few other
things.� Shoes.� Underwear.�
Unless you were planning on..�
�Alright�
she interrupted, unable to stop the fierce heat in her cheeks.� Harry was
flirting with her.� She was almost sure
of it.� What the hell?!�

This was not a good thing!
Harry
just smiled contentedly and offered her his arm.

Author note.
Review replies can be found at
http://www2.adult-fanfiction.org/forum/index.php/topic/18725-review-replies/
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