Star-Crossed

Chapter Five: Gringotts

The three of us were still walking down Diagon Alley, enamoured with the sheer contrast between the world we had just entered and the world we'd left behind. But as we were walking, a thought occurred to me.

I turned and looked up at Hagrid, "Hagrid, how are we to pay for all of this? We haven't any money."

"Well, there's yer money, Natalie." He replied simply, pointing to the tall, white, marble building looming ahead of us, "Gringotts, the Wizard bank. T'ain't no safer place, not one. 'Cept perhaps Hogwarts."

He led us up the marble steps and into the front entrance of the building. The very moment we stepped foot inside, I was taken aback by the plethora of strange-looking creatures meandering about. There were at least over a dozen sitting inside the bank at various tall desks, almost seeming to compensate for the incredibly short stature of said creatures.

Although they were interesting, I got a winding feeling in my stomach that they weren't the kindest beasts in existence.

"Uhh, what exactly are these things?" Harry wondered aloud.

Hagrid replied almost instantly, "They're goblins. Clever as they come, Goblins, but not the most friendly of beasts." I looked up in surprise, my gut feeling had been correct, "Bes' stay close." He drew us both a bit closer as we approached the tallest desk at the head of the large bank.

"Mister and Miss Potter wish to make a withdrawal." Hagrid suddenly stood up straighter as he looked at the Goblin sitting behind the desk. The goblin was wearing a rather fine looking waistcoat and thin spectacles.

He seemed to look up in surprise at the mention of the Potter name and then glanced down at where Harry and I were tucked into Hagrid's side.

"And do the Potters have their key?" He drawled, his voice a sharp hiss. I hardly liked this goblin, and all he had asked was if we had a key. There was something off putting about him.

"Oh, wait a minute. Got it here somewhere, hah!" Hagrid was stalling, his voice slightly nervous as he rummaged around in his pockets, "Ah! There's the little devil." As he also pulled out a letter, bound with a thin string.

He then leaned a little toward the goblin and whispered, as though Harry and I couldn't hear him, "Oh, and there's somethin' else." He handed the letter to the goblin, "Professor Dumbledore gave me this. It's about you-know-what in vault you-know-which."

Harry and I shared a look, intrigued by the sudden mystery shrouding the conversation. Again, something was telling me we shouldn't be curious, and yet the feeling was nearly overwhelming. But as the old saying goes, curiosity killed the cat.

The Goblin suddenly sat up straighter, his voice carrying a bit more seriousness than before as he agreed, "Very well."

As soon as the discussion finished, another goblin came and led us away down a darker corridor toward a rickety old-looking cart. Hagrid beckoned us onto the cart and we climbed in after him. Nearly as soon as we set foot on the cart and the goblin leading us had gotten in, it jerked and began to roll forward.

I gasped nervously at the sudden movement. Harry's face echoed my inner panic. Then the true movement set in and the cart was screaming down the tracks. Hagrid was holding on for dear life as Harry and I screamed wildly.

Seconds later, the cart jerked to a stop, nearly throwing Harry and I out of the front. The goblin, Hagrid had called Griphook, clambered out of his seat controlling the cart and onto the walkway of the dank cave.

"Vault six-hundred-eighty-seven," He announced, walking up to the large looming door in the darkness, Hagrid climbed out after him, motioning for Harry and I to follow, "Lamp, please."

Hagrid handed him the lamp and Griphook held out his free hand again, demanding, "Key, please."

Again, Hagrid handed him the required item and the goblin swiftly unlocked the vault door. It quickly swung open and Harry and I gasped in shock at what we found behind the door. Piles and piles of gold, bronze and silver coins filled the entire room.

"Didn't think yer mum and dad would leave ya with nothin' now, did yeh?" Hagrid smiled at the pure awe on both of our faces.

When we'd gathered all that we needed, we mounted the cart again and immediately took off swiftly down the pitch black cave. This time, I couldn't bite back the screams that left my lips as we took a steep plummet down the cavern toward another vault. When we finally jerked back to a stop I had to sit still for a moment and catch my breath.

"Vault seven-hundred-thirteen." Griphook announced again as he hopped out of the cart with ease, as though he'd made the trip millions of times. Which, honestly, he probably had.

After Harry and I shook out of our shell shocked dazes, my brother turned to watch Hagrid approach the vault with the lantern and stand behind Griphook.

"What's in there, Hagrid?" He asked.

Hagrid looked back and smiled sadly at the two of us, "Can't tell yeh, Hogwarts business...very secret."

Griphook then interrupted our conversation, "Stand back." He dragged his clawed finger down the face of the door and a high pitched whining noise echoed from it. Harry and I both covered our ears, flinching away as the shrill noise pierced our ears.

Many mechanisms clicked open on the door and it swung open, revealing a small leather pouch in the centre of the room. I craned my neck beside my brother to try and get a better look at it. But Harry pulled me back down when Griphook and Hagrid were turning around to come back to the cart. An uneasy feeling shifted down the back of my neck as Hagrid drew nearer, stuffing the leather pouch into his pocket.

The feeling confused me and I glanced at my brother to gauge his reaction and found that he was already looking at me as well. His eyes were asking the same question I was.

Was he feeling what I was feeling?

Yes, my mind whispered to me. Yes he was.

"Best not to mention this to anyone." Hagrid reiterated as he sat down next to the both of us and we were off again, back up to the surface.