Chapter 69. Three Conditions
As he approached Gringotts, Severus smiled at the goblin guard stationed by the entrance. The goblin began rubbing his hands anxiously the moment he spotted him. After all, who else would know how rich Severus was now? And the shop pulling in tens of thousands of Galleons a month was hardly a secret to them.
"Welcome, Mr. Prince. Shall I escort you?" the guard greeted him politely, nearly bowing at his feet.
"Thank you, but no need," Severus chuckled, and the goblin nodded like a bobblehead before hurrying to open the door for him.
Of course, of course, please come in," he said, completely ignoring Severus's tone. But the moment Severus passed through and the door shut, the goblin's face twisted. He spat irritably just outside the door, drawing annoyed looks from passing witches and wizards, and turned away. "Pathetic little humans," he said. He took one step to the left, slipped on the spit, and smashed his big nose against the stone floor.
Inside the huge hall, Severus headed calmly toward the goblin seated at the far end, catching a storm of hostile glances from the employees. Displeasure and hostility were there, of course, but so was anticipation.
When he finally stopped at the high desk, he lifted his gaze to the chief goblin behind it.
"I came to ask about the Prince account that is currently frozen." The goblin gave him an irritated look, opened a large ledger, and began turning pages at a slow, deliberate pace. Finally he stopped and looked up again.
"The previous head of the Prince family froze the account, fearing trouble. He set a new condition: if, within seven years, an heir from his daughter's side does not appear here, all the Galleons will belong to our bank," the goblin said lazily, watching for Severus's reaction.
"And as I understand it, you did not tell Severus Prince about this condition?"
"That was another condition set by his father."
"I see." Severus stroked his chin thoughtfully, then looked back at the bank clerk. "So I can go to the Prince vault right now and take everything from there?"
The goblin just grinned and shook his head.
"No. Until you officially become head of the family and turn twenty-one, you cannot take more than three hundred Galleons a month. That condition was set by your grandfather as well."
"I'm sure you pushed him into that, saying I'd waste everything on nonsense at my age. Fine, I agree with you. It's the right decision. If someone like Sirius Black were in my place, he would have squandered it all in a year."
"But since you're a serious young man, and you know how to handle money, we could, of course, make concessions," the goblin drawled with a professional smile, adjusting his glasses.
You want me to start storing my hard-earned Galleons in your bank again? Severus asked calmly. With the same polite smile, he added, "I'm sure you also know about our contract with the Ministry and how much I earned. Am I right?"
"What are you saying? How could we possibly know such information?" The tone made it clear that they knew everything.
"I see. I don't mind, but I have three conditions. I want to discuss them with the head of Gringotts. Is that possible?"
The goblin frowned slightly but still nodded. He called another goblin over and whispered something. The second one ran off, and five minutes later he returned with a sheet of paper in hand.
The clerk skimmed it quickly, then grunted and climbed down the small ladder.
Follow me. The chief goblin is ready to meet with you." Severus looked him over from head to toe with a half-smile, and the goblin snorted in irritation.
"Of course."
The head of Gringotts had his office nearby, one floor down, between the main hall and the vaults. From Griphook's earlier explanations, Severus understood the structure: the head of the bank held two votes, and three elders opposed him, the oldest and wisest goblins serving as advisers. They could challenge the head's decision at any moment if it seemed questionable or threatened losses.
The entrance to the office was marked with a massive steel door, nearly two meters tall, decorated with gold and precious stones. Four goblins stood in front of it, and along the corridor there were twenty more, every five meters, armed with spears in hand.
"Leave your wand here," the largest one said grimly, an eye patch covering one eye and a scar running across half his face.
"And what if you are planning to kill me in there?" Severus protested with genuine surprise. He reluctantly put on a show of hesitation, then nodded. "Can I take a sword for safety?"
"A sword?" The guards exchanged mocking smiles. In the magical world, wizards and swords were practically opposites. How could a feeble human wizard use a sword?
They were all thinking it, and even the commander, distinguished by his red cloak and plumed helmet, smirked.
"You may bring it."
"Thank you." A moment later, they froze in shock. A black sword nearly a meter long appeared at Severus's belt, fastened to a leather strap. Then he drew his wand and handed it to one of them. "Let's go in. I feel more or less safe now."
The goblin finally recovered, snorted contemptuously, and pressed his hand to the door while speaking in his native tongue. A few seconds later, the door began to open.
Double protection was in place. Even if a traitor appeared who knew the password, he still couldn't open the door without permission from inside. It was smarter than a certain Salazar who had never thought to build even a shred of self-awareness into a door, or configure it to open from his own portrait. At last the door opened fully, and Severus looked into the office.
It was a small room, about seven hundred square feet, tastefully furnished. Goblin statues holding jugs of gold stood in the corners. Enchanted wooden cabinets lined the walls, packed with folders and manuscripts. A huge crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling. There was even a window, and from its angle Severus recognized the vantage point: the eyes of the dragon statues at Gringotts.
A long table stood in the center. At its head, in a red chair, sat a goblin so old a light breeze could have carried him off. Three more elders sat beside him, equally ancient but still vigorous.
Griphook bowed and left the office. Only four guards remained, led by the commander. He stood to the right of the table, another guard stood to the left, and two more stood on either side of Severus.
You wanted to meet with me. I'm listening," the chief said in a sluggish, slightly monotone voice. He studied Severus with interest, then lowered his gaze to the sword.
"I'm ready to cooperate with you again. At the moment I have about six hundred thousand Galleons, and in two weeks another half million Galleons should arrive. Is that enough to interest you?" Severus asked with a smile. The goblins did not look surprised. They had already calculated everything without him, including future profits, because the goblin intelligence network monitored such matters closely.
"Ho-ho-ho, of course. But you didn't come here just for that?"
"No. I have three conditions. Once they're met, I'll continue using your services."
The four exchanged glances. When the three elders nodded, the chief raised his gaze to the human again.
"First, I want to commission leather armor with metal inserts from your smiths. I'll provide the blueprints and pay for all the work."
"We haven't dealt with such things since that pathetic little human, Godric Gryffindor, stole the sword created by our King," one of the elders said irritably.
"Really? You can see what profit you'd make by investing my Galleons wisely. We're not talking about a hundred thousand, and I won't charge interest." At those words, the three elders exchanged looks, and the old chief frowned.
"What's your second condition?"
"Nothing special. Allow me to look inside three vaults: the Blacks, the Lestranges, and the Malfoys. I need to check something."
"No!" Another thick-browed elder slammed his fist on the table. "We can't allow this! If word gets out, we'll lose our clients' trust!"
"And the third condition?" the chief asked calmly, ignoring his colleague.
"The third condition? I don't even know yet. I'm saving it for later. And I'm planning to release two more potions soon, ones that'll be just as profitable." Severus grinned at their frowning faces. The elders realized that the four-plus million they'd calculated for the year could easily become six million, and with proper investments, they could earn several million more per year. And all those Galleons would belong to them alone. It was far too sweet an offer for goblins who adored gold.
For three years, you will not make any expensive purchases, and you will allow us to manage the money in your account as we see fit. Even if, by some miracle, we lose Galleons, it will not affect your account. We will cover the losses ourselves." The three elders smirked.
"No problem. I have nothing to spend them on anyway. However, I will require your help building a house, and if I need any materials, you will help me find them. With your connections, that shouldn't be difficult. In return, I am ready to sign a blood contract swearing that I will not reveal or record the second condition in any way. Of course, we will also draw up a mutual contract covering all three conditions. What do you say?"
"All right, let us discuss this," the chief said, nodding thoughtfully. The three elders agreed.
"No problem. How about tomorrow morning? Will that be enough time for you?"
"Quite."
"Then until tomorrow, Mr. ..."
"Just Gruhagakh."
"Yes, Gruhagakh. Have a good evening."
After saying goodbye, accompanied by four goblin guards, Severus left the office and headed back toward the shop.
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