Clandestine | Theodore Nott

The Secret

Starla stepped over the threshold of the Gringotts Wizarding Bank, her mother had asked her to find some rolls of parchment for her in their general vault. Starla hadn't dared ask why, Jacqueline seemed to be a bit fed up. At what or whom? Starla didn't know. A goblin who seemed to work as a doorman... door-goblin, had opened the large engraved doors. She did not thank him, she did not look at him, she merely walked. Her father had told her when she was very young that she better just not acknowledge them in the first place, he had told her that after the Goblin Rebellions it was best just not to act nice, as they would not act nice back.

Starla strutted forth, she looked very pure-blood at that moment; a small sneer covered her face, she held her chin up high and walked with elegance that could compete her grandmother Sigrid's.

"Yes?" an older goblin inquired from behind the front desk, leaning forward slightly to see her better.

The desk was elevated, undoubtedly to make the Goblins feel superior to the Witches and Wizards.

"Starla Sigrid Black, I desire going to the Black-Bardot family vault," she said stoically. She didn't want to have a mix-up, accidentally sending her to Narcissa Malfoy's and Bellatrix Lestrange's old family vault by merely saying Black.

"The key?" he asked calmly, she didn't miss the acidic tone he used.

She placed a very, almost too detailed key onto the wooden desk. Whom she assumed to be the head of the bank inspected it carefully, he peered over at her quickly before looking back at the key. It was excruciating, she would be meeting Theodore in 30 minutes.

"Yes, yes, quite right," he said to no one in particular, "Griphook!"

"Yes, sir?" a goblin with very sharp, intimidating features asked.

"Take Miss Black to vault 709," he spoke in a business-like manner.

Griphook spared her a look of disdain. "Yes, sir. Miss Black, come with me please."

After a long, windy ride on the mine cart filled with sharp turns and only just dodging a waterfall, they entered the large area filled with high security vaults, the Flamel vault, for instance. Starla strolled behind the Goblin she didn't remember the name of... Grupnic? Perhaps Grepnoop? He placed his palm on the door, the locks began unlocking in a smooth, rhythmic manner.

"I'll wait by the cart, Miss Black," he bowed his head.

"Yes," she said curtly, starting to rake her eyes through the mounds of gold and saw an area in a corner filled with valuables.

She walked over to it, picking items up and then putting them back down. The parcel was nowhere to be seen. She huffed in annoyance, then, she noticed a statue of a girl holding up her hand with her gown flailing around her wildly. She frowned, that had not been there during her last visit. She decided to walk over to it and inspected the stone wall behind it carefully. The stones did look a bit worn out. Perhaps she was simply deluded to think it, she gazed at the statue once more. The girls hand had a finger pointed upward, ah, Starla smirked. She took hold of the marble statue's finger gently, pushing it down. The stones on the wall began dispersing to the side, much like the magical wall behind The Leaky Cauldron. Her mother knew she was smart, but Starla couldn't not think that Jacqueline couldn't have at least told her some details of where the rolls were. A small table came to view, there was a round glass casing on top of it, filled with two rolls of parchment tied elegantly with black silk ribbon. She could only imagine what secrets and interesting facts those rolls could hold. She pressed her finger on the glass, testing whether it would be cursed, it was not. She grabbed it and placed it in her purse which had an Undetectable Extension Charm on it.