Fortune of Fate (A female Harry Potter fanfiction)

[6]

  The sun shone brightly on a stack of cauldrons outside the nearest shop. Cauldrons - All sizes - Copper, Brass, Pewter, Silver - Self Stirring - Collapsible, said a sign hanging above them. 

  "Yeah, you'll be needing one, but we gotta get yer money first." said Hagrid. 

  Rose wished about eight more eyes. She turned her head in every direction as they walked up the street, trying to look at everything at once: the shops, the things outside them, the people doing their shopping.

  A low, soft hooting came from a dark shop with a sign saying Eeylops Owl Emporium - Tawny, Screech, Barn, Brown and Snowy. 

  Several boys around Rose's age had their noses pressed against a window with broomsticks in it. "Look the New Nimbus Two Thousand - fastest ever-" Rose heard one of them say. 

  There were shops selling robes, shops selling telescopes and strange silver instruments Rose had never seen before, windows stacked with barrels of bat spleens and eels' eyes, tottering piles of spell books, quills, and rolls of parchment, potion bottles, globes of the moon . . . .

  "Gringotts." Said Hagrid they had reached a snowy white building that towered over the other little shops. 

  Standing beside it's burnished bronze doors, wearing a uniform of scarlet and gold, was - "Yeah, that's a goblin." Hagrid told Rose quietly as they walked up the white stone steps toward him. 

  The goblin was about a head shorter than Rose. He had a swarthy, clever face, a pointed beard and, Rose noticed, very long fingers and feet. He bowed as they walked inside.

   Rose wasn't accustomed to this, so she thought it was only polite to bow back, this act made the goblins eyes widen and made Hagrid pull her back up quickly. 

  Rose was confused, was she not supposed to do that? Without knowing it, Rose had gained the respect of some very grumpy goblins.

  Now they were facing a second pair of doors, silver this time, with words engraved upon them:

𝔈𝔫𝔱𝔢𝔯 𝔰𝔱𝔯𝔞𝔫𝔤𝔢𝔯, 𝔟𝔲𝔱 𝔱𝔞𝔨𝔢 𝔥𝔢𝔢𝔡𝔒𝔣 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 𝔣𝔩𝔬𝔬𝔯𝔰𝔄 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 them through the silver sorts and they were in a vast marble hall. 

  About a hundred more goblins were sitting on very high stools behind a long counter, scribbling in large ledgers, Weighing coins in brass scales, 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 and Rose made for the counter. "Morning, We've come ter take some money out of Miss. Potter's Safe." said Hagrid to a free goblin. The goblins eyes trailed to Rose and his eyes widened a bit. S

  he showed him a timid smile and he nodded back.

  "You have her key, sir?" The goblin asked looking at Hagrid once again. "Got it here somewhere." Hagrid reassured as he started emptying his pockets for the search. 

  "Got it." He said triumphantly, holding up a golden tiny key.

  The goblin looked at it closely. "That seems to be in order." Hagrid puffed out his chest and stated importantly. 

  "Ah, I've also got a letter here from professor Dumbledore. It's about the You-Know-What in vault seven hundred and thirteen." 

  The goblin read the letter carefully. "Very well, I will have someone take you down to the vaults." he said handing the letter back to Hagrid.

   "Griphook!" The said goblin came and lead both Hagrid and Rose into a cart. "What's the You-Know-what in vault seven hundred and thirteen?" Rose asked. 

  "Can't tell yer that, very secret Hogwarts business. Dumbledore trusted me. More'n my job's worth, tell yer that." Said Hagrid mysteriously.

  At first they just hurtled through a maze of twisting passages.

   Rose tried to remember, but it was no use, the cart seemed to know it's own way because griphook wasn't steering. Rose eyes sting as the cold air rushed passed them, but she kept them wide open.

   Once she thought she had saw a burst of fire at the end of a passage and twisted to see if it was a dragon but too late- they plunged even deeper passing an underground lake where huge stalactites and stalagmites grew from the ceiling and floor. 

  "I never know, what's the difference between stalactites and stalagmites." Rose shouted over to Hagrid. "Stalagmites has an 'm'. And don't ask me questions now I think imma be sick." shouted Hagrid back looking oddly green. 

  Rose would've laughed from his answer but was too sick to do so.

  When the cart stopped at last beside a small door in the passage wall, Hagrid got out and had to lean against the wall to stop his knees from trembling. 

  Griphook unlocked the door. A lot of green smoke came billowing out, and as it cleared, Rose gasped. Inside we're mounds of gold coins. Columns of silver. Heaps of little bronze Knuts. "All yours." Smiled Hagrid.

  All Rose's- it was incredible. 

  The Dursley's wouldn't have known about this or they'd had it from her faster than blinking. 

  How often had they complained how much more Rose costed Then to keep? And all the time there had been a small fortune belonging to her, buried deep under London. 

  Hagrid helped Rose put some of the money in a sack. The gold one's are Galleons, Seventeen silver Sickles to a Galleon and twenty nine Knuts to a Sickle, it's easy enough. Right that should be enough fer a couple o'terms, we'll keep the rest safe fer yeh." Hagrid explained. 

  He turned to Griphook. "Vault seven hundred and thirteen now, please."

  They were going even deeper now and gathering speed. 

  The air became colder as they hurtled tight corners. Vault seven hundred and thirteen had no keyhole. "Stand back," said Griphook importantly. 

  He stroked the door gently with one of his long fingers and it simply melted away.

   "If anyone but a Gringotts goblin tried that, they'd be sucked through the sort and trapped in there." said Griphook.

   "How often do you check if anyone's inside?" asked Rose worriedly. "About once every ten years." Said Griphook with a rather nasty grin. 

  Rose looked shocked, sure they should go to jail for trying to steal something but being stuck in a room for ten years without food or water, most likely dying, is quite horrifying to think about, and It made Rose shudder just thinking about it.

  But she couldn't help but think that something extraordinary had to be inside this top security vault, Rose was sure, she leaned forward eagerly, expecting to see fabulous jewels at the very least- but first she though it was empty. 

  Then she noticed a grubby little back age wrapped up in brown paper lying on the floor. Hagrid picked it up and tucked it deep inside his coat. 

  Rose longed to know what it was, but knew better than to ask. 

  "Come on, back in this infernal cart, and don't talk to me on the way back, it's best I'd I keep me mouth shut." Said Hagrid.