Harry Potter. Hermione X Male Reader Story

Smudged Ink and A Celebratory Drink

(Y/N)'s POV

Me and Hermione shared a 'He can't be serious' look. Ron was staring at Harry as though he had gone mad. "Harry —" said Hermione, but she was cut off by Griphook. "Break into a Gringotts vault?" repeated the goblin, wincing a little as he shifted his position upon the bed.

"It is impossible." "No, it isn't," Ron contradicted him. "It's been done." "Yeah," said Harry. "The same day I first met you, Griphook. My birthday, seven years ago." "The vault in question was empty at the time," snapped the goblin, "Its protection was minimal."

"Yeah, no shi-" I said before Hermione elbowed me for interrupting. "Well, the vault we need to get into isn't empty, and I'm guessing its protection will be pretty powerful," said Harry. "Do you know how deep it is?" I asked him.

Harry shook his head, looking confused at the question, "It belongs to the Lestranges." there would be time enough to explain after Griphook had given his answer. "You have no chance," said Griphook flatly.

"No chance at all. If you seek beneath our floors, a treasure that was never yours —" "Thief, you have been warned, beware — yeah, I know, I remember," said Harry.

"But I'm not trying to get myself any treasure, I'm not trying to take anything for personal gain. Can you believe that?" There was a moments pause.

The goblin looked slantwise at Harry, "If there was a wizard of whom I would believe that they did not seek personal gain," said Griphook finally, "it would be you, Harry Potter." "Goblins and elves are not used to the protection or the respect that you have shown this night. Not from wand-carriers."

"Wand-carriers," repeated Harry: "The right to carry a wand," said the goblin quietly, "has long been contested between wizards and goblins." "Well, goblins can do magic without wands," said Ron.

I shot him a glance to stop him antagonising someone we needed to help us, he didn't see it. "That is immaterial! Wizards refuse to share the secrets of wand lore with other magical beings, they deny us the possibility of extending our powers!"

"Well, goblins won't share any of their magic either," said Ron. "You won't tell us how to make swords and armour the way you do. Goblins know how to work metal in a way wizards have never-" I hit him on the back quickly, so he shut up. "It doesn't matter," said Harry.

"This isn't about wizards versus goblins or any other sort of magical creature —" Griphook gave a nasty laugh. "But it is, it is about precisely that!"

"As the Dark Lord becomes ever more powerful, your race is set still more firmly above mine! Gringotts falls under Wizarding rule, house-elves are slaughtered, and who amongst the wand-carriers protests?"

"We do!" said Hermione. She had sat up straight, her eyes bright. "We protest! And I'm hunted quite as much as any goblin or elf, Griphook! I'm a Mudblood!" I was too shocked at hearing her say that to protest.

"Hermione..." I said quietly, she looked me in the eyes with a fire that I rarely ever saw in them, I quieted down so she can make her point, what came next made me feel worse about everything that had passed at Malfoy Manor.

"Don't call yourself —" Ron muttered. "Why shouldn't I?" said Hermione. "Mudblood, and proud of it!" she proclaimed, her voice never faltering or breaking.

"I've got no higher position under this new order than you have, Griphook! Bellatrix made that clear!" As she spoke, she pulled aside the neck of the dressing gown to reveal the thin cut Bellatrix had made, scarlet against her throat.

To further drive home her point, she rolled up her sleeve to show the words 'MUDBLOOD' carved into her arm. The sight of it made my blood boil beyond belief. I felt sick to my stomach both that I let this happen and because I hadn't slit Lestrange's throat for it.