"Before my beloved mother-in-law Walburga passed from this world, she specifically entrusted me with the care of the Black family's centuries-accumulated wealth—"
Narcissa Malfoy fixed the elderly goblin with an arrogant, unwavering stare.
"I promised her that I would safeguard the Black family fortune with my life. You understand, surely, that I cannot possibly allow the Ministry of Magic to lay its hands on the work of centuries of Black ancestors."
"But—but Mrs. Malfoy—"
The elderly goblin removed his spectacles with trembling fingers and mopped repeatedly at his sweat-drenched brow with a handkerchief that was already soaked through. His wrinkled green face had gone a pale shade.
"Since that inheritance you're referencing is currently held within Bellatrix Lestrange's vault—"
"And what of it? What does that matter?"
Finding further explanation completely useless and her patience exhausted, Narcissa raised her walnut wand in a gesture that was just threatening enough to make her point.
She demanded sharply, her voice was cutting through the noise:
"I have brought proof of my legitimate claim, have I not? And furthermore—I am not asking you to hand over the Lestrange family's personal treasures or their accumulated wealth! Only what rightfully belongs to the Black family!"
This was sheer sophistry!
Harry felt the blood surge hot and furious through his veins, pounding in his temples.
He could barely stomach standing here listening to a Death Eater brazenly discussing what had rightfully belonged to Sirius.
"What are you trying to tell us, Harry?"
Remus turned Harry toward him with both hands on the boy's shoulders, studying his green eyes carefully with intensity, searching for the truth beneath Harry's agitation.
"You don't want the Black family gold falling into Malfoy hands? Honestly, Harry, if that's all this is about—you're being foolish. Sirius wouldn't care about gold in the slightest. You know that as well as I do."
"I know Sirius wouldn't care about the money!"
Harry said, frustration bleeding heavily into his voice, making it crack slightly. His hands clenched into fists at his sides.
"But Sirius certainly wouldn't want it falling into Death Eater hands to fund Voldemort's war either—and that's not even the main point of what I'm trying to tell you!"
Harry grabbed Remus urgently by the arm and pulled him aside, away from the others, out of easy hearing distance from both the Malfoys and the goblins.
"I saw something—"
The Weasley children along with Hermione, immediately understood what was happening. They closed their positions smoothly around Harry and Remus without being asked, forming a tight defensive circle with their bodies to shield the conversation from prying eyes and ears.
"Just this morning, when my scar burned—"
Harry cast a quick, cautious glance toward the Malfoys, who were still locked in their increasingly heated wrangling with the sweating goblin manager.
"I saw Voldemort. He must have found out what Professor Watson and the Ministry are planning against him. He flew into a rage about it—killed quite a few people and then ordered his Death Eaters to mobilize immediately for some kind of action."
Harry drew a quick, steadying breath and pressed on urgently.
"But that's not the most important part of what I saw. At the very end of the vision, right before I came back, I saw Voldemort torturing Bellatrix Lestrange with the Cruciatus Curse. Punishing her severely for some kind of negligence."
Voldemort ordering the Death Eaters to mobilize and act. Punishing Bellatrix specifically for negligence.
And then here, now, in Gringotts Bank, they find this very group of pure-blood families attempting to move gold frantically out of their vaults and specifically, suspiciously trying to access Bellatrix Lestrange's vault in particular?
Remus felt the wrongness of it immediately, felt the pieces clicking together in his mind. His face went grim with thoughts.
Could it be possible that Voldemort had something of tremendous importance hidden inside Bellatrix's personal vault? Something he'd trusted to her safekeeping, and now feared the Ministry would discover during their seizure operations?
"The Malfoy family has always honored its word and kept its promises—"
Lucius Malfoy's voice rang out suddenly, clear and loud enough to carry throughout the entire hall, cutting through the general murmur of conversation.
"Since my beloved wife made a sacred promise to her dying mother to safeguard that fortune, we fully intend to keep that promise. To that end, we are prepared to make certain reasonable concessions to facilitate this matter."
Malfoy's face remained cold and utterly incomprehensible, revealing nothing of his true thoughts.
"If you goblins truly lack the manpower and capacity to remove the complete contents of the Malfoy vault in a single day's operation, then I propose a compromise: begin immediately with only the portion that originally belonged to the Black family. Those specific items and that specific gold. Surely that reduces the burden to something manageable?"
Bogrod's watery eyes went wide with surprise at this unexpected concession. He nearly agreed enthusiastically on the spot—but then his clever gaze shifted sideways toward his fellow goblin managers, and he visibly pulled back with an exaggerated expression of difficulty and reluctance.
"We are most deeply grateful for your understanding and flexibility, Mr. Malfoy, but… ah, you see, the Ministry has already issued very specific directives about vault access procedures, and headquarters requires us to cooperate fully with all Ministry regulations during this sensitive—"
"What is it you want from me, Bogrod?"
Lucius had dealt with these greedy goblins long enough over the years to know their every maneuver and negotiating trick.
"Oh, I would never presume to make demands of someone of your stature, Mr. Malfoy, but—"
A flash of poorly concealed delight crossed Bogrod's deeply wrinkled face. He turned to look at Greengrass, Nott Senior, Crabbe, Goyle, and the other wealthy pure-blood wizards with a show of helpless deliberation as though considering an impossible problem.
Malfoy understood immediately, his sharp mind grasped the unspoken bargain being offered. He exchanged meaningful looks with Nott Senior and the rest of his companions.
"I have no authority to dictate how anyone else manages their own family vaults—you understand that, surely, Bogrod—"
Lucius Malfoy said carefully, his expression remaining blank and neutral.
"But if you can help my wife honor her sacred promise to her departed mother, demonstrate some flexibility and cooperation on this matter, I might see what I can do about persuading some of my friends and associates here to reconsider their plans."
The slow, predatory smile that spread across the old goblin's wrinkled face sent an involuntary chill through Harry's chest.
"Remus!"
Harry's eyebrows shot up with sudden determination.
"We have to stop this."
"All right—let's try and intervene."
Remus steeled himself. His scarred expression turned resolute with determination.
"Come with me, Harry. Stay close and follow my lead."
With that decisive statement, he draped a protective arm around Harry's shoulders ready to pull the boy back if things turned violent. Then he strode back toward the Malfoy group.
"One moment, everyone. Excuse the interruption, but I don't believe this matter is being handled quite properly."
The Malfoys and their company who had already begun moving toward the doorway that led down to the vault levels with Bogrod leading the way, stopped short in their tracks. They turned as one to look at the approaching Remus Lupin and Harry Potter.
A flicker of something that looked almost like relief flashed briefly across Lucius Malfoy's cold grey eyes but the expression vanished almost instantly, replaced by the same calculating wariness that hardened all the faces around him.
Malfoy raised one hand sharply to restrain Bessel who had already drawn her wand with frightening speed and was baring her teeth in an expression of animalistic aggression.
He gave Remus and Harry an expressionless neutral stare.
"And what profound wisdom do you have to offer us, gentlemen?"
His tone dripped with polite contempt.
"Forgive us—we had no intention of overhearing your private conversation—"
Remus said with perfect courtesy.
"But I believe I caught mention of the Black family inheritance during your negotiations? Is that correct?"
"Well. One must say, those werewolf ears of yours are quite sharp indeed—"
Malfoy's thin lips curved just slightly in something that wasn't quite a smile. His pale gaze rested on Remus with cool disdain.
"Though I fail to see what business any of that is of yours."
Lucius's remark drew an immediate ripple of cruel laughter from his pure-blood companions. The witch called Bessel cast him an approving glance.
"And you're quite right—it isn't my business personally—"
The hand Remus had rested on Harry's shoulder pressed down gently but firmly, steadying the boy, silently urging calm and restraint. Remus himself appeared entirely unaffected by the insult, his manner remained perfectly serene and composed. He'd weathered far worse over far longer.
"But I feel I must speak on behalf of the young man standing beside me."
Lucius Malfoy narrowed his eyes shrewdly, settling into an expression of polite, contemptuous attention.
"I trust you all know who he is—Harry Potter?"
Remus eased Harry forward slightly with a composed air, presenting him to the group.
"And why should that matter even slightly?"
Narcissa Malfoy slid a scornful, dismissive glance at the famous lightning-bolt scar on Harry's forehead, her lips were curling with disdain.
"Do you honestly expect us to prostrate ourselves in awe before a little boy with an ugly mark on his head?"
"Nothing of the sort—"
Remus said patiently, refusing to be baited or provoked.
"You know him as Harry Potter. That is unremarkable enough. What you may not know is that Harry is also the legally recognized godson of Sirius Black. The last male heir of the Black family's direct bloodline. And as such, he holds a legitimate claim to the Black family inheritance under traditional wizarding law."
He let that sink in for a moment before continuing.
"And so, given that you are currently discussing the disposition of that very inheritance, attempting to access vaults containing Black family assets, I feel compelled to point out that—"
"This is completely absurd! Outrageous!"
Narcissa cut him off immediately. Her blue eyes were blazing with fury as they snapped to fix on Harry.
"The godson of Sirius Black—even Sirius Black himself would have had no legal standing to contest this inheritance with me! None! The inheritance was left explicitly and specifically to Bellatrix and me in Walburga's will!"
"Oh, naturally—I heard exactly as much from Sirius himself—"
The mistress of the Malfoy household drew herself up, and an aura of cold authority seemed to radiate from her bearing.
But her intimidating presence did not unsettle Remus in the slightest. He met Narcissa's furious gaze steadily, without flinching or looking away.
"The portion of the inheritance left to you personally, Mrs. Malfoy; I have absolutely no quarrel with. However—"
He paused.
"I rather doubt that when the late Mrs. Walburga Black named Bellatrix Lestrange as a co-heir to the Black family fortune, she anticipated or could have possibly foreseen that her beloved niece would become a fanatical Death Eater. Had she known that—"
Crack!
The witch called Bessel's face twisted suddenly with vicious rage. Without a moment's hesitation or warning, she whipped her wand from her sleeve with speed, raising it to strike—
"Watch out, Remus!"
Harry had been watching her carefully from the corner of his eye. The instant she moved, he reacted on pure instinct.
By the time Bessel's wand was fully leveled at Remus's chest, Harry's own wand was already raised firmly and pointed directly between her eyes at point-blank range.
Behind him, Fred and George were barely a half-second slower in their reactions. They surged forward immediately to flank Harry on both sides, their wands drawn and ready, forming a protective triangle around their friend.
The two groups stood facing each other across a suddenly dangerous silence, wands raised.
"If I may remind everyone—this is Gringotts Bank—"
Bogrod let out a wail inside his heart and said, in a voice gone soft with desperation.
In former stable times, no wizard would have dared raise a wand inside the sacred Gringotts entrance hall. But the Ministry's recent unprecedented actions had dealt a severe fatal blow to goblin credibility and power. The old reverence and fear had faded considerably, replaced by uncertainty.
The noisy, chaotic hall fell suddenly, completely still.
Wizards who moments before had cared only for withdrawing their own gold, focused entirely on their private concerns, now stared in startled silence at the two sides facing off against each other.
The tension stretched like a wire pulled tight, ready to snap at the slightest pressure.
"I hope—"
Just as the confrontation reached its breaking point and a confrontation seemed nearly inevitable, a new voice drifted in calmly from the entrance.
"—you aren't actually about to come to blows here?"
————————————
For More Chapters; patreon.com/FicFrenzy