Raven stood in her room holding the pendant in her hand—the locket Miranda gave her, its weight resting softly against her palm. She stared at the cross-and-clock emblem etched into its surface and whispered, "Raven Cross."
The moment she thought of Vault Zero, space folded around her. A ripple of displacement swept the air, and in the blink of an eye, she reappeared in the depths of the earth—back inside Vault Zero. Several days have passed since she accepted the inheritance of the Cross family.
Miranda stood in the distance, arms loosely folded, watching her with amusement. "Oh, you're finally back, my dear."
Raven's eyes moved past her and froze. The entire vault has changed. The once dim, gothic, ominous chamber was gone. In its place sprawled a massive underground courtyard filled with glowing stone gardens, and beyond that, rising majestically out of the rock face, was a grand palace carved entirely from obsidian and marble.
Raven stared at it in disbelief. "What the hell happened here since I left? This was a creepy, gothic-themed vault with all kinds of crap laying everywhere, and now it looks like a palatial palace deep underground."
Miranda smiled with pride. "Well, you know, I am a golem. Being a golem allows me to manipulate stone and many elements of the earth, so I thought I'd do a little redecorating with my magic while you were gone."
Raven arched an eyebrow. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were just trying to make yourself at home here. You must be what they call an otaku. You probably don't like to leave your home, do you?"
Miranda scoffed lightly. "I don't know what ever gave you that idea. It's not like gaming consoles are that popular right now anyway. All they have is the Game Boy, which I just tried recently. Let me tell you, I'm fairly disappointed with the gaming standards the Muggle world has created recently."
Miranda waved a hand dismissively. "The Wizarding worlds games? Don't even get me started. For example Wizard Chess? Oh my god. It's one of the most boring games in existence. I want to punch the old guy who created that game."
Raven frowned slightly. "What is Wizard Chess?"
Miranda looked at her with genuine pity. "My dear, I feel sorry for you. That's the Wizarding world's idea of entertainment—along with Quidditch."
"Quidditch?" Raven asked.
"Quidditch is the Wizard's version of football," Miranda explained, lifting her hand as if reciting from memory. "Players fly on broomsticks. There are four balls: the Quaffle, the Bludgers, and the Golden Snitch. Chasers score goals. Beaters hit Bludgers to disrupt opponents. Keepers defend goals. Seekers chase the Snitch, which ends the game and gives a ridiculous amount of points."
Raven grimaced. "That sounds dreadful. But then again, beating the crap out of each other is always fun. I can see why people like it. Especially since nobody dies."
She paused, then added with a shrug, "You can fall from a hundred feet in the air and just break a leg or something? That sounds like hockey."
Miranda's eyes lit up. "Oh? There's a sport called hockey? And they have beatdowns?"
She smiled enthusiastically. "I'm definitely going to check that out. The last time I was awake for Muggle sports, we were jousting with horses in the early medieval period. Things have definitely improved since then."
Raven looked down and blinked. A Wizard Chess board somehow appeared in front of her.
"How did we suddenly start playing Wizards Chess?"
Miranda smiled knowingly. "My dear, this is your first lesson in Wizarding magic. While I was explaining Quidditch, I was setting this board up. Always pay attention to your surroundings."
Raven frowned. "But I don't even know the rules."
Miranda laughed. "That's the beauty of Wizard Chess. You don't need to know the rules. You say a number, the piece you call out beats the other pieces to desth, then they magically reform afterwards."
Raven's eyes brightened slightly. "That actually sounds destructive."
She casually pointed. Her knight vanished and reappeared on the other side of the board, slamming into Miranda's queen and destroying it in a cloud of magical debris.
Miranda pouted. "You're no fun. You killed me in one move."
Raven replied without apology. "You never said I couldn't cheat. I teleported my knight."
Miranda laughed. "I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."
She leaned back with a philosophical tone of voice. "All of life is a symphony of games Raven. The winner is the last one standing."
Raven replied dryly. "Are you trying to say life is just a giant game?"
Miranda scoffed theatrically. "Of course not. How juvenile."
Raven looked down at the destroyed board. "You absolutely would."
"I wouldn't dream of it," Miranda said with exaggerated innocence.
Then her expression brightened. "Anyway, would you like some donuts? I had one of the goblins fetch some."
Raven blinked. "Aren't you worried about exposing yourself to the goblins of Gringotts?"
Miranda waved a hand dismissively. "Of course not. Gringotts exists as a cover for the Cross Vaults."
She continued, her voice steady. "The banking monopoly exists because the founders needed a neutral institution to house Vault Zero. Goblins serve far more functions for the Cross family than the public understands."
"They gather intelligence. They offer services exclusively to the Cross lineage. Even Albus Dumbledore has no idea of their true capabilities."
Raven frowned thoughtfully. "But from what I've read, goblins have rebelled against wizards in the past."
Miranda's laugh came out soft. "Have you ever tried to steal gold from a goblin?"
She smiled calmly. "That's usually what causes rebellions. Wizards get greedy. Goblins don't like that. You don't mess with goblins and their money."
Miranda's smile deepened, quietly satisfied.
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