The Protector

Deciding the Next Step

"So...how have you been?"

"I'm breathing," the goblin sat in his chair, not moving an inch to speak to us.

Well, that's always a good thing, I thought to myself.

"I bet you don't remember but-"

"You mean when I showed you and Ms. Meadows to your vaults the first day you came to Gringotts? You aren't just famous among people, you know."

Someone's in a bitter mood.

We all walked into the room. I sat on the ground, next to Harry, who was standing next to the window. The goblin continued, "So, did you bury the house elf?"

"Yeah," Harry and I nodded.

"And then you brought me here. I find you both rather unusual."

"I'll take that as a compliment," I spoke in the silence.

Griphook completely dismissed my statement as he looked directly at Harry, "How did you get that sword?"

"That's a little hard to explain."

I looked up at him as so many thoughts crossed through my mind. I said one aloud, "No it's not."

"Care to explain, Bridget?"

"It came to Harry, like it does to any person it thinks is worthy to carry it in a time of need," I replied. "So, it's not that hard to understand."

"Yeah, what Bridget said." Harry looked back to the goblin, "But why would Lestrange think it's in her vault?"

"It's hard to explain."

I wanna smash my head through that window.

"You heard what Bridget said," Harry didn't raise his voice like I assumed he would. "We didn't need to steal the sword. We couldn't have."

"There is a fake, identical sword that is in her vault at this moment," Griphook pointed. "Someone put it there last summer."

"Why didn't she think it was fake?"

Cause it was identical, Harry.

"Because the person who made it, made it so similar you can almost not tell the difference. Any goblin could recognize that that is the real sword."

"So who was the one who put it in her vault?" Hermione spoke up from the doorway.

"The current headmaster of Hogwarts, Severus."

"Professor Snape?" Ron asked.

Doesn't surprise me.

"Why would he do that?"

"There are lots of weird and unknown things in vaults at Gringotts," Griphook explained.

"I'm guessing her vault too then?" Harry asked. "Bellatrix's?"

No shit, Harry. There's an identical sword of Gryffindor in there. What makes you think, 'oh that mustn't ably to Bellatrix'?

"Good possibility."

"We need to get into Gringotts. Into her vault," Harry spoke. I kind of agreed with him on that one though.

"That's impossible though," Griphook was practically on the edge of his seat.

"Not with you," I replied. "You know Gringotts inside and out. You know all the secrets and spells guarding the vaults. We'd need you to come along so we don't all die."