Lady Tonks, Lord Potter

Gifts

Effie sat in her office at Gringotts, reviewing the latest information on the Potter account. After so many years of inactivity, many of the accounts required restructuring. It was while reading about the profitability of a Muggle sporting team that the Potters had purchased decades ago, and had fallen on hard times due to its relegation to the lower leagues, that her duties took on an altogether different turn. A loud crack brought her attention immediately to the front of her office, combined with the unathorised apparition sirens that echoed loudly through the building, but the figue that stood before her caused her to stay her hand from the curved blade that sat in the hidden compartment on the side of her desk. The figure of a weeping house elf.

She hurried around the desk, as she knew that she had very little time to figure out what was going on before all hell broke loose at the bank. "Who are you and how did you get in here?"

The little elf shuddered, and through the sobs managed to get out that she was a Potter house elf, that Harry had 'dark magics' in him and was currently in a magical stasis at the Potter Lodge. It was all Effie could get out of her before her door burst open, the head of goblin security along with several guards and, unsurprisingly, the bank manager. It took some quick talking on Effie's part to convince them that the elf was not attempting a break-in, and by then the little elf was almost inconsolable.

"Verbel said Master Harry has dark magics!" The little elf couldn't contain herself any longer. "Verbel saids…*sob*...w-w-worse… *sob*…goblin torture magics…*sobbing wail* ...Kipsey comes, find Master Harry's goblin friend…*sobbing wail*…helps him! Comes quick, it is being bad, bad, bad…*loud wail*...Master Harry is good, Kipsey knows it!"

Effie took a look at Ragnok; the bank manager wasn't fond of her in the least. She knew that only the Potter account's status had given her the position she held. In all other matters most of the upper echelon of the bank simply ignored her or, at worst, treated her as some aberration that needed to be stamped out as soon as possible. She also knew, however, that Ragnok was very sensitive to political ramifications, that the Noble Houses were treated with extra care to ensure that nothing curtailed the gold flowing into their vaults. She looked over to him and decided to plunge ahead. "Director, it seems she acted as best she knew how. If it gets out that Lord Potter has been infected with dark magic, possibly even goblin magic…"

The director nodded angrily. "I understand the implications." He turned to one of the guards. "Bring the Shaman and a Healer to this office immediately." He turned to the female goblin, loathe to include her, but his hand was forced by the fact that all Potter properties were warded in such a way that without the damned female goblin none would be able to even see the place. "When they get here leave immediately." He paused and after seeming to come to some conclusion nodded sharply. "You are authorised to use any means to prevent exposure to Gringotts. I will expect a full report, in person, the minute the situation is settled." Without another word Ragnok stormed from the room, dark clouds gathering in his head, knowing full well that if Gringotts was connected to inflicting dark magic on a customer the fallout would be severe. Inflicting dark magic on the head of a noble house, specifically the Potter house, could be catastrophic.

-ooo-

Tonks lay on the massive four-poster bed, the limp and barely breathing form of Harry Potter in her arms. She knew that whatever the hell was happening was wrong, very, very wrong; if her Auror instincts hadn't told her that then the purple pulsing section around Harry's head definitely did. She examined his face for any movement, any sign of life but didn't find any. His green eyes were open but unseeing, unfocused, it was as if he'd been hit by a immobilous spell but the effects were quite different. She could move him slightly, his arms acquiescing to her repositioning, but other than that the kid simply had no control over anything.