Saphira Black and the Philosopher's Stone

Twelve~ Gringotts

--Saphira's POV--

    We had reached a snowy white building that towered over the other little shops. Beside its burnished bronze doors, wearing a scarlet and gold uniform, was-

    "Yeah, that's a goblin," Hagrid said softly as we walked up the white steps towards him. The goblin was about a head shorter than Harry. He had a swarthy, clever face, a pointed beard, and very long fingers and feet. He bowed as we walked inside. Now, we were facing a second pair of doors, silver tis time, with words engraved upon them:

Enter, stranger, but take heed

Of what awaits the sin of greed,

For those who take, but do not earn,

Must pay most dearly in their turn.

So if you seek beneath our floors

A treasure that was never yours,

Thief, you have been warned, beware

Of finding more than treasure there.

    "Like I said, yeh'd be mad ter try an' rob it." said Hagrid.

    A pair of goblins bowed us through the second pair of doors and we found ourselves in a marble white hall. About a hundred more goblins were sitting on high stoold behind a long counter, scribbling in large ledgers, weighing coins in brass scales, and examining precious stones through eyeglasses. There were too many doors to count leading off the hall, and yet more goblins were showing people in and out of these. Hagrid, Harry, and I made for the counter.

    "Morning," Hagrid said to a free goblin. "We've come ter take money out o' Mr. Harry Potter's and Ms. Saphira Black's safes."

    "You have their keys, sir?"

    "Got 'em here somewhere," said Hagrid, and he started emptying his pockets onto the counter, scattering a handful of moldy dog biscuits over the goblin's book of numbers. I held back a giggle with great difficulty, and Harry tried not to smile as the goblin wrinkled his nose.

    "Got 'em," said Hagrid at last, pulling out two tiny golden keys.

    The goblin looked at them closely.

    "They seem to be in order."

    "An' I've also got a letter here from Professor Dumbledore," said Hagrid importantly, throwing out his chest. "It's about the You-Know-What in vault seven hundred and thirteen."

    The goblin read the letter carefully and I muttered to Harry,

    "Inconspicuous much?"

    "Very well," said the goblin, handing the letter back to Hagrid, "I will have someone take you down to all three vaults. Griphook!"

    Griphook was yet another goblin (geez, how many WERE there?). Once Hagrid had crammed all the dog biscuits back inside his pockets, we followed Griphook toward one of the doors leading off the hall.

    Griphook held the door open for us. We were in a narrow stone passageway lit with flaming torches. It sloped steeply downwards and there were little railway tracks on the floor. Griphook whistled and a small cart came hurtling up the tracks towards us. We all climbed in- Hagrid with some difficulty- and were off.

    At first we just hurtled through a maze of twisting passages. I tried to remember, left, right, right, left, middle fork, right, left, but it was basically impossible.

    Soon, we arrived at vault thirteen. My vault.

    "Joy! Lucky number!" I mumbled sarcastically as Griphook unlocked the door. A lot of blue smoke came billowing out, and as it cleared, I gasped. Inside were mounds of gold coins,columns of silver, and heaps of little bronze Knuts.