When All Else Fails, Follow Your Heart... (Book 2)

Gringotts' Goblins and Their Disdain for Uppity Wizards

A/N: "|Gobbledegook|"

July 28th, 1988. Gringotts Bank, Diagon Alley, Magical London, Britain, England. 9:13 AM.

The four children looked at the head goblin, her hands clasped in front of her as she sat in Blordak's chair. Her hair, like most other goblins, was white and thin yet wavy and her eyes, which almost seemed to be molten gold in colour, were hiding behind a pair of thin-rimmed glasses. On her fingers were a series of gold and silver rings, each adorned with a different coloured gemstone.

"I am Agate, the head goblin of this establishment. It has been brought to my attention that these four children in front of me have been through severe trauma."

Andromeda looked closer at the gemstones and it took her a moment to realize they were all agates. She smiled at the head goblin and nodded. "I don't want any of these children going back to their parents. Can I file an injunction through Gringotts or do we need to make a stop at the Ministry when we leave?"

Agate looked Andromeda up and down, as though sizing her up and checking the validity of her statements. Agate slowly nodded before snapping her fingers together. "|Check Mrs. Tonks records, if she's who she says she is then we can move forward with the injunction.|"

Blordak nodded before moving out of the room to go look through their files.

"What is he doing?" Ted asked, rubbing the back of his neck in a bout of nerves. "Not that I'm questioning your authority or anything, I'm just concerned for my wife and our kids."

Andromeda turned to Ted with a soft smile on her face before mouthing the words "our kids". She grabbed his hand and squeezed before turning back to Agate. "I swear on my magic that I am Andromeda Tonks née Black, so mote it be." Andromeda took out her wand and waved it, a pastel magenta light emitted from the top of her wand, a gnarled juniper wand that measured twelve and one-quarter inches in length with a hippocampus bone as its core. She smiled at the shocked goblin and put her wand away.

Blordak returned and handed Agate Andromeda's file. Agate quickly flipped through Andromeda's file before putting the file on the desk and nodding understandingly. "Okay, we're going to file the proper paperwork to get you added to their vaults and get their parents' ability to access them frozen. Then we're going to get Hadkiss to send a message to the Ministry for them to expect you. I will send the paperwork ahead, charmed to be unable to be altered after it leaves this office. I expect weekly updates on the children's wellbeing from the minute you leave Diagon Alley today to the minute they get back on the Hogwarts Express. Failure to meet this demand will result in either Blordak or myself coming to your home to investigate. Do you agree to these terms?"

Andromeda and Ted shared a look before nodding their agreement. "We agree."

Agate smiled at the adults before looking back at the children, who had closed in on themselves and tightened their ranks while wrapping their arms around each other. The four younger children hid behind the oldest, a look of determination and slight fear on her face. Agate softened her smile, knowing why she had that look of fear on her face. "I'm not going to split you five up, I promise. I just need to assure that they're being taken care of."

Nymphadora nodded before she reached behind her and grabbed the hand that had been clutching her shirt so tightly she thought it would rip. "It's okay. I promise."

The four children came out from behind Nymphadora and Agate got a good look at them. How the girl and the blond boy stood slightly in front of the other two and almost formed a barrier, how out of the other two the ravenet boy stood in front of the boy with platinum blond hair, how all of them had sunken-in eyes and hollow cheeks, how they all were covered from head to toe despite it being 23℃. She felt her smile fall and her mood turn sour. She looked back to Andromeda and Ted and saw their care and concern for the children. She nodded to herself and looked at Blordak. "Charm the parchment put it all in one envelope and send it to the Ministry marked confidential and urgent. Have Hadkiss draft a note, look over it, and send it with the parchment. On top of the envelope, not inside."