Chapter 19
A Late Night For All
Author's Note: For those readers of mine interested in news about my other work, my profile on has been updated with information.
Warning: Dumbledore, Ginny, Ron and Molly Weasley Bashing
(Tuesday, December 15th, 1994)
Harry, Hermione and Professor McGonagall stood up as the door to the Private Common Room opened. Professor Pomona Sprout stepped into the room, followed by Susan Bones.
"Good evening, Professor Sprout, Miss Bones," McGonagall said, "Thank you for coming."
"Professor Sprout said you wanted to see me, ma'am?" Susan asked.
"Yes, Miss Bones," McGonagall said. "Am I correct when I say you have the means to contact your Aunt, Amelia – other than owl post, of course?"
Susan looked surprised, but she nodded. "Auntie Amelia gave me a communication mirror in case of an emergency."
"Well, unfortunately, I have an emergency and I need to speak with Director Bones," McGonagall said. "It is the type of emergency I can't use the Floo Network for. I must ask if I can borrow your mirror to speak with your Aunt. I can have a house-elf give you the mirror back when I am finished speaking to your Aunt."
"Can I call my Aunt and ask her?" Susan asked, sounding a little nervous. "I need her permission."
"Of course, Miss Bones, I understand," McGonagall said.
Susan walked over to a private corner of the room and removed a small, compact mirror from her robes, then opened it. She talked in whispers with whom Harry figured was Director Amelia Bones.
"This sounds rather serious, Minerva," Professor Sprout said.
"I'm afraid it is," McGonagall said, nodding. "It is something we cannot let Albus know about. If all goes well, Director Bones may have to come here herself, tomorrow morning."
"Albus won't appreciate that," Sprout said.
"Let's just say I have a plan to have him out of the castle when Amelia visits," McGonagall said.
Professor Sprout nodded. She glanced at Harry and Hermione, and smiled nervously.
"Why, when anything happens around here, it is always you two?" she asked, obviously trying to put a little humor in the tense situation.
"Honestly, Professor," Harry said, "We've been trying to answer that for ourselves since Halloween of our first year here."
The Herbology Professor gave a nervous chuckle, in response. Susan walked back over to the two Professors and two Gryffindors.
"Auntie Amelia would be happy to speak to you," Susan said, "I realized the three of you probably wish to speak to her, so simply tap your wand on the mirror and say 'Size Four'. It should be large enough for all of you to see my Aunt when you speak to her."
"Thank you, Miss Bones," McGonagall said, "I would give Hufflepuff points for this, but questions might be asked."
"Twenty-five points to Hufflepuff for assisting a Professor in their time of need," Professor Sprout said, cheerfully, "Now, let us get you back to the Hufflepuff Common Room."
"Mallory?" McGonagall called.
Mallory appeared a moment later.
"Miss Bones, this is Mallory, my house-elf," McGonagall said, "She will give you your mirror back when we're done."
"Mallory be happy to do this," Mallory said.
"I'll wait for you, Mallory," Susan said.
McGonagall thanked the young Hufflepuff again, and Professor Sprout led her back out of the room. McGonagall then placed the mirror on the couch opposite of where Harry and Hermione sat. She used the command to make the mirror grow, and soon it reached the top of the couch. Then McGonagall sat down on the other side of Hermione.
Amelia Bones appeared in the mirror. She had the same dark-red hair as her niece, and a monocle over her left eye glistened in the reflection of the mirror. When Harry had pictured the Director of the DMLE, he had thought she'd be much older, but she didn't seem much older than Sirius and Remus.
"Director Amelia Bones," McGonagall said, "Thank you for agreeing to meet with us. Amelia Bones, this is Harry Potter and Hermione Granger. Mr. Potter, Miss Granger, this is Director Amelia Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement."
"Thank you for meeting with us, ma'am," Harry said, "Please call me Harry."
"You can call me Hermione, ma'am," Hermione said.
"It is nice to finally see you again, Harry," Amelia said, "You were a baby when I saw you last. You have permission to call me Amelia. I suppose we should finish the pleasantries, however. This sounds serious, Minerva, especially if you had to contact me through my niece's mirror instead of the Floo Network. Sometime tells me you didn't want a certain Headmaster to know about this conversation."
"I'm afraid you would be right, Amelia," McGonagall said. "I was trying to decide what would be a good point to begin this conversation. I suppose I should begin with this. Harry, Hermione and I have uncovered a conspiracy that began not a week after the deaths of James and Lily Potter."
Harry realized McGonagall wanted to start with the illegal Contract. When she looked at him, he knew it was his turn to talk.
"On the fifth of November in 1981," Harry said, "An illegal Betrothal Contract was penned between Albus Dumbledore and Molly Weasley. Albus Dumbledore, falsely posing as my Magical Guardian, placed me in an illegal Betrothal with Molly's daughter, Ginevra. We discovered this information recently. I actually have a copy of said Contract, which I can show you, if we were to meet face-to-face instead of simply having a conversation through this mirror."
"Molly Weasley and Albus Dumbledore are also believed to have copies," McGonagall said, "Though we do not know where they are."
"An illegal Betrothal Contract is certainly enough to start the investigation," Amelia said, "Now I just need more information."
"Even though most of what we have is he said/she said and hearsay?" Hermione asked.
Amelia smiled. "I can see why you're known as the smartest witch of your age, Miss Granger."
Hermione blushed at this compliment, and Harry smiled at her.
"If you didn't have that illegal Contract," Amelia continued, "I might have had a bit of difficulty starting an investigation from hearsay. That is true. But this illegal Contract gives me enough proof that what you're going to tell me is true enough to work with. You may continue, knowing that I will not simply toss out anything you tell me."
"Thank you, ma'am," Harry said, "Before we discovered the Contract, we already had suspicions of a conspiracy that had to do with some of the Weasley family. We weren't sure of Dumbledore's involvement at first. After the news broke out that Hermione and I were a couple, and going to the Yule Ball together, Ron and Ginny Weasley attempted to do everything in their power to break us up. We had no real idea what their true plan was until this evening."
"Ronald and Ginevra Weasley had been using enchanted jewelry, you see," McGonagall said. "The enchantments would stop the two youngest Weasleys from blurting out secret information to anyone who shouldn't know about it. They couldn't even speak of it if the enchantments detected somebody eavesdropping."
Amelia whistled. "I've heard of these enchantments, of course. They are Class Seven Restricted Enchantments. Only Top Level Ministry officials are allowed to use the enchantments, but only in the case of Top Secret information. The enchantments are difficult to use and can cause magical exhaustion if used by less-than-adequately-powered individuals. You say two students are using them?"
"We believe Albus Dumbledore gave them jewelry with these enchantments," McGonagall said.
Amelia nodded. "He would certainly be authorized and have the ability to use such enchantments. However, he would never be allowed to give it to two students. How were you able to surpass these enchantments?"
"Counter-Enchantment Jewelry," McGonagall said, with a sigh, "I understand if such a thing might be restricted or illegal, but its use was necessary to uncover whatever the Weasleys were hiding."
"I can understand that, Minerva," Amelia said, nodding. "Thank you for telling me this. If I have to end up interrogating Ronald and Ginevra Weasley, I'd certainly need to know about the jewelry. I might be able to able to arrange immunity for you for using such counter-enchantments, as it was used to uncover criminal behavior, worse crimes than the use of Counter-Enchantment Items. Okay then. Please tell me what you discovered that was so important it had to be hidden using Class Seven Restricted Enchantments."
"The first bit of information we figured out wasn't something we heard from Ron and Ginny," Harry said. "I just figured it out after we heard their conversation."
Harry told Amelia the story of his first time getting onto Platform Nine and Three Quarters, meeting the Weasleys, and meeting Ron officially for the first time.
"Well, that certainly does sound like a premeditated set-up," Amelia said. "Threatening the Statute of Secrecy is a fine start on bringing charges against Molly Weasley, in addition to the illegal Betrothal Contract. I'm going to assume now she is one of the masterminds behind whatever information you uncovered tonight."
"We believe Molly and Albus are the masterminds, yes," McGonagall said.
"Ron and Ginny do seem to be pawns," Harry said.
"Willing pawns, Harry," Hermione said, "They were certainly agreeable to their part of the plan. Especially Ginny."
"Alright, you two," Amelia said, "You have my complete attention here. Please tell me what you've uncovered."
Harry, with Hermione's help, told Director Bones everything that had happened that evening – everything from realizing Ron and Ginny were following them, to the entire conversation they had eavesdropped on."
Amelia Bones was rubbing the wrinkles in her forehead by the time they were finished.
"You were right to contact me through my niece's private mirror," she said. "I am sure Albus has the means of eavesdropping on any Floo Network communication that happens inside Hogwarts. Is Albus Dumbledore truly planning on Obliviating the two of you, in order to get you to forget your… feelings for each other?"
"We believe that may have been his original plan," McGonagall said, "But it was one of the things we had predicted very early on. Something we made moves against. The reason the entire school knows – the reason Rita Skeeter wrote that article about Harry and Hermione, though that part was an unplanned blessing – was because we were trying to counter any possibilities of Obliviation before it happened."
"You wanted the entire school to know how serious Harry and Hermione were as a couple," Amelia said, nodding, "So it would look strange if they were suddenly not a couple anymore. An inspiring maneuver. You say it was his original plan. Any theories as to his current plans?"
"We have a theory that may sound extreme," McGonagall said, "But we believed it enough to do everything we could to prevent it. We believed he was going to use Hermione as a hostage for the Second Task. During the Second Task, he would arrange her assassination and make it looked like she drowned at the bottom of the lake."
Amelia blinked. "It was you three, wasn't it? You leaked the information about the use of human hostages to Rita Skeeter."
"Yes, that was us," McGonagall said, with a small smirk. "Like I said, we needed to prevent human hostages from being used for the Second Task."
Amelia laughed. "Well, you certainly seemed to fool even Albus. Dolores Umbridge accused you, Harry, of being the one to give Rita Skeeter the information, and Albus, himself, denied such a theory."
"Probably because of how shocked and angry I appeared to be when reading the article," Harry said, grinning. "I also might have ranted at Dumbledore, accusing him of planning to place my girlfriend at the bottom of the lake."
"I would have liked to have seen that," Amelia said, chuckling; then she cleared her throat and became serious again. "Okay, so Albus' plan of Obliviation wouldn't work. So he would try to split you two up, permanently, by assassinating you, Hermione. But how would this work for his and Molly Weasley's plans?"
"We had a theory that Ginny Weasley would attempt to comfort me in my grief," Harry said, "Which she would try to use as a relationship starter between the two of us."
"But since we're having very public issues with the Weasleys," Hermione said, "Ginny would have issues getting close to Harry in the first place. Unless…"
"Unless she were to dose you with Love Potions, Harry," Amelia said, nodding.
"And as we heard Ginny say when she was speaking to Ron," Hermione said, "Molly Weasley planned on dosing us with Love Potions starting next summer, even though the original plan was for Ron to ask me to the Yule Ball, and Harry to end up going with Ginny. I suppose the public perception of us going with the Weasleys to the Ball, would have made it easier for the Weasleys to pass off our affections for them starting next summer, due to the Love Potions."
"There is something else as well," McGonagall said, "But I do not feel safe discussing this with you even over a simple mirror. Nobody except the three of us knows this particular information."
Harry realized exactly what McGonagall was referring to. The Blood Tests he and Hermione had received during the Gringotts visit. The reports of the bindings and Potions.
"I've already decided go to Hogwarts tomorrow morning to talk with Ronald and Ginevra Weasley," Amelia said, "I can meet with you three, and you can give me this other information in person. The only issue I have is… what about Albus? He's going to have a real problem with me being there."
"Don't worry about Albus," McGonagall said, "I already have plans for him to be out of the castle."
"Another Rita Skeeter article?" Amelia guessed, raising an eyebrow.
"Good guess," McGonagall said, "But no. Again, it is something we cannot discuss over the mirror."
Amelia sighed. "Very well then. When should I plan to be at the castle?"
"I believe Albus will discover his reason for leaving the castle tomorrow during breakfast," McGonagall said. "I firmly believe he'll be leaving Hogwarts immediately after he gets the information. Harry, Hermione and the two youngest Weasleys will have to be excused from first period, but this is more important."
"It is," Amelia agreed. "Alright then. "I'll plan to arrive between eight and nine then."
"I'll let Hagrid know I'm expecting a guest," McGonagall said.
"If there is nothing else that cannot wait until tomorrow," Amelia said, "I have some work to do. I think I'm going to arrange for an Auror squad to visit the Weasley residence this evening."
"Probably a good idea," McGonagall said, "Molly might react rather badly to Ron and Ginevra's letter. You might even catch her in the middle of brewing those Love Potions, if you're lucky."
"If we're lucky," Amelia agreed.
Harry and Hermione said they had nothing else until they would meet face-to-face. Amelia gave them all a farewell, and the mirror went blank.
"You want us to show Director Bones the results of the Blood Tests, don't you?" Harry asked the Head of Gryffindor.
"More evidence against the Weasleys and Albus," McGonagall said.
"I didn't get a copy of my test on Sunday," Harry said, "But I think that can be easily remedied. Dobby!"
Dobby appeared a moment later. Harry reached into the pocket of his robes and pulled out a scroll of parchment. This scroll was the letter for Keeper Ragnok he had been holding onto all day.
"Give this letter to Keeper Ragnok, Dobby," Harry said, "And also, please ask him if Heiress Dagworth-Granger and I can get copies of our Blood Tests before we were healed."
"Dobby be doing so, Great Harry Potter!" Dobby said.
Harry handed Dobby the scroll and the elf vanished with a pop!
"Do you think Ron and Ginny will be arrested tomorrow, Professor?" Hermione asked.
"I very much hope so, Miss Granger," McGonagall said, "But I'll tell you this. I will do my best to see them expelled if they aren't arrested. I promise you that."
Harry and Hermione smiled, nervously, as they squeezed each other's hand and looked at each other. The next Salvo in the war against the Weasleys had been made. Now it was up to Director Amelia Bones.
(Meanwhile in the Director's Office of the DMLE Headquarters)
Amelia scribbled several notes in her personal notepad, summarizing the discussion she had with Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Professor McGonagall.
"Samantha!" she called out to her secretary.
The door to Amelia's office opened, and a young, blonde woman stepped into the room.
"Yes, Director?" Samantha, Amelia's personal secretary, asked.
"First, I wish to apologize for keeping you here so late," Amelia said, "I have two more tasks for you to do. Then you are excused to go home. Unfortunately, for me, I am likely to be here all night. Something serious just came up."
"What can I do for you, ma'am?" Samantha asked.
"Rufus Scrimgeour should still be in his office," Amelia said, "Go meet with him and ask him to gather four of his Aurors, two of them should be Senior Aurors. Have Auror Scrimgeour and his chosen Aurors meet me here as soon as he finds them. After you give him this message, go to the Portkey Division of our Headquarters, and tell them I need a password-keyed Portkey with the destination of the Weasley residence in Devon, otherwise known as the Burrow. I am going to need that Portkey in half-an-hour to an hour at most, if possible. If they can give it to you, please bring it to me, then you are excused for the evening."
"Yes, ma'am!" Samantha said.
She bowed her head and left the office. Amelia sighed as she relaxed back in her comfortable chair. She really wanted to pull out her bottle of Ogden's Old Firewhiskey, from her secret stash, and down a cup or three, but she needed a clear mind for what was about to happen.
She stared at her notepad, and looked through each detail. She then frowned as a thought crossed her mind.
Early Sunday afternoon, she had been relaxing in the sitting room of Bones Manor, during a rare day off, when she was suddenly overcome with what could only be described as the effects of a Minor Flushing Draught. After this feeling had passed, she suddenly remembered a detail she hadn't thought of in over thirteen years:
The Ancient and Most Noble House of Potter is the founding House of the Great Alliance, and the Most Ancient and Most Noble House of Peverell is the most powerful seat, not only in the Great Alliance, but in the Wizengamot itself!
Her inquisitive, Auror and DMLE-trained mind had immediately realized what had happened. A Dark and very illegal enchantment had been used to hide this information from her very thoughts. She had theorized that Albus Dumbledore was behind the enchantment, simply because he was powerful enough to pull off such an enchantment. But she didn't have any evidence.
Until tonight. This conspiracy between three of the members of the House of Weasley and Albus Dumbledore, toward Harry Potter – and through Harry, Hermione Granger – was very troublesome. If Albus Dumbledore could concoct a plan like this, which – if it had succeeded – would end with the death of Harry Potter, and Ginny Weasley pregnant with the Heir of the House of Potter, and also the new owner of the Potter fortune.
"But someone like Ginny Weasley wouldn't possibly have a use for the Potter and Peverell votes in the Wizengamot," Amelia said, "She wouldn't be Lady Potter unless she and Harry were somehow married before his death. So she wouldn't be seen as Regent, even as a mother of a future Lord Potter. Albus Dumbledore would use this to take the votes for himself. Could this be the real reason Albus Dumbledore wants Harry Potter to end up romantically involved with Ginny Weasley? Simply for more votes in the Wizengamot? There has to be more to that. But perhaps it isn't connected to the Weasleys at all."
Amelia shook her head. "Focus on the new investigation for now, Bones. Use the information you have for now, and perhaps it could open more doors later. Alright, Bones, what charges are the perpetrators looking at? Let's start with the Weasleys.
"Molly Weasley first. Creating an Illegal Betrothal Contract. Threatening the Statute of Secrecy. Possession and Use of Class Seven Restricted Enchantments – two counts. That will be tricky, as it is her children who are in possession of such items, but she had to know about their use. Maybe Conspiracy to Use instead of Possession and Use? Possession and Conspiracy to Use Restricted and Illegal Substances, including Love Potions. That will depend on what we find at the Burrow this evening. Conspiracy to Commit Line Theft – two counts: Potter and Peverell.
"Ronald and Ginevra Weasley. Threatening the Statute of Secrecy. Possession and Use of Class Seven Restricted Enchantments – one count each. Conspiracy to Use Restricted and Illegal Substances, including Love Potions. Conspiracy to Commit Line Theft – two counts: Potter and Peverell.
"Now onto the tricky part. Albus Dumbledore. Creating an Illegal Betrothal Contract. Improper Mishandling of Class Seven Restricted Enchantments – two counts. Conspiracy to Commit Line Theft – two counts: Potter and Peverell. Conspiracy to Commit Murder for that Assassination Plot on Miss Granger.
"I am sure I can find more against all four of them. But this is enough to start with. It might be enough for the three Weasleys. But Albus Dumbledore? No, I definitely need more concrete information, or he could get away with all of it."
Amelia smiled as she wondered at the possibilities of what McGonagall, Potter and Granger didn't want to discuss with her over the mirror. She knew this information they were keeping hold onto was going to be more important than anything she heard tonight.
"Mr. Potter, Miss Granger, Minerva," Amelia muttered, "I hope, for your sakes and mine, that this is really good information.
Over the next fifteen minutes, Amelia made the official documents that would make it perfectly legal to go to the Burrow for a search and seizure of any incriminating evidence. She had evidence of an illegal Betrothal Contract, though she would not get physical proof until the following morning. She also had evidence of a breach of the Statute of Secrecy, which was enough to bring Molly Weasley in for questioning, simply because she had breached the most serious law the wizarding world – not just the British wizarding society, but the wizarding world in general – had in the books.
She had just finished completing the documents, when she heard a knock on the door.
"Come in," Amelia called out.
The door opened, and Head Auror Rufus Scrimgeour walked in to Amelia's office, followed by four Aurors: Senior Aurors Kingsley Shacklebolt and John Dawlish, and Hestia Jones and Nymphadora Tonks. Nymphadora was an odd choice, as she was a Rookie, just finishing up her training in Brighton Auror Academy a couple months prior. But Amelia figured either Shacklebolt or Dawlish had her under their wing as a mentor.
"You asked to see me and a team of Aurors, ma'am?" Scrimgeour asked, as Auror Jones – the last to walk in – closed the door.
"Yes," Amelia said, "I have discovered a Breach of the International Statute of Secrecy which happened in early September of 1991. Before you ask, we are only hearing about this now, because the witness who saw the Breach was uneducated about such a thing at the time, and had no knowledge of what was happening. The witness did not realize anything was wrong until today, when they contacted me.
"The perpetrator of this Breach is one Molly Weasley, wife of Arthur, the Head of the Minor House of Weasley. Her five youngest children are also suspected of being part of this Breach, as they were there when it happened, and did nothing to report any wrongdoing. The eldest of these five, Percival Ignatius Weasley, is currently working here at the Ministry, as an assistant to Bartemius Crouch in the Department of International Magical Cooperation."
"I can have an Auror see whether or not he is still here this evening," Scrimgeour said, "If not, we'll bring him in tomorrow."
"Agreed," Amelia said, "As for the four youngest Weasley children, all of whom are currently at Hogwarts, I am already planning on going to Hogwarts tomorrow. I need two Aurors here to accompany me."
"Senior Auror Shacklebolt and Rookie Auror Nymphadora Tonks," Scrimgeour said.
Amelia held back a smirk when she noticed Rookie Auror Tonks wince lightly at the mention of her first name.
"That is acceptable," Amelia said, "Aurors Shacklebolt and Tonks, I wish to arrive at Hogwarts tomorrow morning somewhere between eight and nine in the morning. Please meet me here fifteen minutes before eight-o-clock. Prepare to interrogate minors. I plan to have permission from their father by the end of the evening. I will give you more information about this tomorrow morning. Until then, you are dismissed if Head Auror Scrimgeour has nothing for you."
Shacklebolt and Tonks nodded, and turned to Scrimgeour.
Scrimgeour turned to Shacklebolt. "Senior Auror Shacklebolt, bring Rookie Tonks with you and find out if Percy Weasley is still in the Ministry. If he is not here, then you are dismissed for the evening."
Kingsley bowed his head lightly in acknowledgement, and he and Tonks left the room.
"Forgive me, Director," Scrimgeour said, "But it sounds as if you plan on visiting the Weasley residence this evening. Something tells me this Breach of the Statute isn't the only reason for your visit."
Amelia sighed and shook her head. "I have evidence – though the physical evidence of it won't be available until tomorrow morning – of an Illegal Creation of a Betrothal Contract going back about thirteen years. Also, I have suspicions of Possession and Conspiracy to Use Restricted and Illegal Substances, including Love Potions. Molly Weasley is suspected of both. There is a real possibility she is planning on delivering these substances to her victims as early as tomorrow. There are also other possible crimes she may be suspect of, but I won't get such information until tomorrow when I visit Hogwarts."
Scrimgeour grimaced and nodded. "So the Breach in the Statute of Secrecy is merely a key to get you into the Weasley residence. Which will lead to a search and seizure, due to suspicion of Illegal Contracts and Substances?"
"That is correct," Amelia said, "I wish for Senior Auror Dawlish, and Auror Jones to accompany me to Weasley residence, also known as the Burrow, this evening. My secretary is currently obtaining a Portkey for the Burrow."
"Very well," Scrimgeour said, then turned to his Aurors, "Dawlish, Jones, you're to accompany Director Bones this evening. Prepare for a possible arrest of one or more suspects, and seizure of possibly volatile substances."
"Yes, sir," Dawlish said, and Jones echoed him.
"When you are finished with the mission," Scrimgeour said, "Report back to me. I will be waiting for you."
Dawlish and Jones acknowledged this as well. Scrimgeour turned back to Amelia.
"I wish you good fortune this evening, Director," Scrimgeour said.
"Thank you, Auror Scrimgeour," Amelia said, "Dismissed."
Scrimgeour bowed his head lightly, then left the office.
"Come sit, Aurors Dawlish and Jones," Amelia said, "We'll go through what is expected to happen this evening, while we wait for my secretary to return with the Portkey."
(Meanwhile…)
Keeper Ragnok the Sixth smiled as he finished the letter for Albus Dumbledore, which he would deliver to the Headmaster of Hogwarts via Gringotts Owl early tomorrow morning. Earlier that evening, he had received a letter from Lord Harry Potter, via the house-elf Dobby, a most curious fellow. Ragnok grinned toothily at the memory of the letter. Lord Potter and his mate, Heiress Dagworth-Granger had apparently had a very interesting evening which had ended with Director Amelia Bones of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement in the Ministry of Magic beginning an investigation that might just see a grim fate for not only Albus Dumbledore, but three Weasleys as well.
Ragnok had, of course, expected Lord Potter and Heiress Dagworth-Granger would request copies of their Blood Tests eventually to give to someone like Director Bones. So he had kept the results, and he was glad he did. Dobby had come to collect copies of the Tests, on order of his Master "the Great Harry Potter'. Ragnok was happy to hand the copies over. Especially if it meant Albus Dumbledore would finally get what was coming to him.
Albus Dumbledore was a tricky fellow. Very slimy. Normally, Goblins like Ragnok would approve of such an individual. But Albus Dumbledore had committed several crimes against Gringotts, including using one of the Goblins as a spy and traitor. Ragnok actually hoped Albus Dumbledore would slime his way out of a one-way trip to Azkaban. Because if he did, then Gringotts would come after him with everything they had. Ragnok was perfectly happy to agree with Lord Potter's idea of distracting Dumbledore, so the man would be far away from Hogwarts when things happened that the venerable Headmaster wouldn't be able to interfere in.
Yes, Ragnok would do his part the following morning to make sure Dumbledore was far away from the castle for a few hours.
"Maybe a couple hours inside one of our cells to let the old man cool off would do for a start," Ragnok said, with a feral grin. "I am quite sure he will be steaming when he realizes he is under investigation for the crime of theft. He will be angry when he comes to Gringotts, so he'll need some time to calm down. A couple hours inside a cell – which not even a Phoenix could break into – sounds like a fine remedy for an angry individual."
His musings were interrupted by a knock on his office door.
"Come in!" he growled.
He smiled when he saw his son, Ragnok The Seventh – affectionately known as Seven – step into the room. Seven was Head of one of the Security teams in Gringotts.
"Greetings, son," Ragnok said, in Gobbledygook, "How may I assist you this evening?"
"My team has found what you have asked us to search for," Seven said, "A Horcrux. It is in the Lestrange Vault. We have not removed it yet."
Ragnok growled at this. He had suspected there might be a Horcrux inside Gringotts, after he discovered Lord Harry Potter had similar dark magic inside his scar. However, he had hoped he had been wrong. But here was proof.
"Bring me the Lestrange Account Manager, son!" Ragnok growled. "Tomorrow morning, you and your team will accompany me, to meet with your Grandfather, the venerable King Ragnok the Fifth. We will speak further on this matter then. Dismissed."
He would not have the Horcrux removed from the Vault yet. But he would instruct the Lestrange Account Manager to keep an eye on the Vault, and the other eye out for anyone who might have interest in said Vault. He would also get permission from his father for his son, Seven, and a team of Goblins to begin an investigation into the rest of the Horcruxes.
Seven bowed and left the office. Ragnok closed his eyes, attempting to calm down. He needed something to distract him. He snapped his fingers and summoned the House Potter Account Documents. He decided to focus on the Contract meant for Lord Potter's vile Muggle relatives, the Dursleys, that would see the Muggles with deeper pockets, and far from Great Britain. He would send a copy of the completed Contract to Lord Potter the following morning, with intentions of having a human representative of Gringotts meet with the Dursleys the following weekend.
"Much to do," Ragnok said, "Going to be a late night again. I'm getting too old for this!"
Odd ending, I know. Ragnok's scene was a last-minute addition because I couldn't figure where else to place it in the story. I suppose I could have placed it before Dumbledore comes to Gringotts, but this seemed like a good place. The scene only exists, because some of my readers wanted to know if the Goblins are going to do anything about the Horcruxes. Mostly the Horcrux hunt – including the mentioned meeting with King Ragnok the Fifth – is going to be a behind-the-scenes thing for now. I have one idea that might lead into a scene with the Goblins during the hunt, but I'm not sure.
Also, I suspect some readers won't like that Harry isn't directly involved in the Horcrux Hunt. That's been done before! I wanted something different that I've never done before. Thus… Goblins hunting Horcruxes… though are they the only ones?
Next Chapter: Amelia and the Aurors visit the Burrow. Molly Weasley has a bad night, and Albus Dumbledore has a very bad start to the following morning.