A Ghoul's Warning

Emerald Eyes

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"Ok ... Grandma, would Severus be ok with me calling him uncle?" Harry asked hopefully ...

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Goremace examined trinkets that were found at the Egyptian market, "These are definitely from the Volel collection. I'll have this investigated. We'll find out how they got there."

Severus nodded, "Lucius does like anything green or potentially dark, but I doubt he stole them. He hates Dumbledore for his own reasons."

"Wise as well as arrogant." The goblin muttered, not caring that he gave the Malfoy lord a backhanded compliment. It's not like Lucius was there to hear it.

The potion master scoffed, "Perhaps." He said, though a part of him just believed that Lucius had a love for everything that had Slytherin colors, but didn't keep track of which were dangerous so he dumped them all once there was any sign of trouble from the ministry. "The totem ... How powerful is it?"

"Not strong enough to enter any level of wards. Your old house, even a muggle home. The totem wouldn't be able to get inside. Even Hogwarts' minimal level of security would prove difficult. It's meant to guard, not break in. It could torment you like that creature that haunted you, but how would it get in?"

Severus frowned, "I see ... It did nothing for Lily so I doubt it would have gone so far as to attack me ... Would it even have the power to wake up considering the family it was made to guard was gone for so long?"

Golems were beasts created much like living art. Depending on the things it's made of, a golem can be very powerful. Still both golems and art can be ordered to complete any task, but there is a difference between golems and living art. A constant bond of blood and magic being the main difference.

Maintaining that connection ensures loyalty to one person or family. Living art will exist long after the artist, but a golem would literally fall to pieces if its person or family truly was completely gone. However, time was also a factor. No matter how powerful a totem is it has major limits. By all accounts a normal totem should be dead. Knowing this made them wonder.

Goremace sneered, "The golem was made differently than any I've seen ... It was almost living so it's hard to say. We couldn't tell how it was made. Just that it was a solid piece of an old tree and the gems were unique emeralds ... but there was something causing ... The muggle word 'static' is the best way to put it. What we know for sure is that it wouldn't be able to cross security runes and it did go dormant after the Volel family left. It may have tried waking when Lily was born, but it would have taken time without blood or magic from the family member left and being trapped in other vaults after being stolen would have rendered it powerless."

Severus sighed, "Very well ... I finished a recipe for a unique ointment so I just need the basilisk venom when you collect it. What news is there about the horcruxes?"

The goblin scoffed, "This is Gringotts. Of course we have leads already. We're simply maneuvering around Dumbledore." He said and spotted an odd flicker across the emeralds decorating the recently discovered trinkets. It could easily be shrugged off as reflections of the light, but there were no moving lights nor were the trinkets being moved at the moment so something seemed off.

"Dumbledore is in the way?" Severus exclaimed with concern.

Goremace snapped his claws to get the wizard's attention and summon an eyepiece, "He popped by your Hogwarts for some reason. We're trying to sneak in and when we do we'll look into why he's been snooping before continuing towards the aforementioned basilisk carcass." The goblin explained as he fixed the eyepiece over his eye to examine the emeralds even closer than before.