Draco Malfoy and the Deathly Hallows (BOOK 7 of 7)

Chapter 21-The Lestrange Vault

Draco cautiously walked down the main hall of Gringotts, slowly twirling Bellatrix's key in his pocket. The replicated sword banged against his leg from under his cloak.

As he approached the goblin all the way at the end, he could feel all eyes on him. Coming to a halt, Draco spoke, "I need to enter the vault of Bellatrix Lestrange, my aunt."

The goblin lowered his spectacles to examine Draco before saying, "Identification, please."

"Identification? Do you know who I am?"

The goblin didn't budge.

"My wand is broken, but I was given this key" Draco dramatically pulled out the golden object "by the Dark Lord himself. Try to make this as quick as possible, or I'll have to report your incompetence."

The goblin looked taken aback for a moment before turning to his assistant and telling him, "Griphook, please accompany Mister Malfoy" the goblins pointedly looked at Draco "to the vault of his aunt." The first goblin wrote down a number and handed the parchment to the one called Griphook.

Draco nodded thanks to the first goblin and put away his key before following Griphook. He led Draco to a cart on a set of rails.

"On you go," Griphook told him.

When they were both seated on the cart, Griphook pushed a lever and got them rolling. The cart traveled up and down and through jolting spirals before they approached a waterfall.

"Why do the rails go right through the waterfall?" Draco asked. "We'll get wet."

Griphook just smirked as they passed under it and turned around. "Looks like you passed the test. The Thief's Downfall is supposed to remove all enchantments and restore the intruder to his or her original state."

Good to know, Draco thought as he dried himself with Yaxley's wand. Soon, the cart came to a stop in front of a ledge and the two occupants climbed out. Suddenly, there was a low growl.

"Careful," Griphook told him as they walked into full view of a dragon. The dragon grew restless at the sight of Griphook and Draco. The goblin slowly grabbed a rattle from a crate and began shaking it as they walked past the dragon. Once safely through, Griphook explained, "Trained to feel pain when he hears sound."

Draco frowned as he thought about how angry that would make Hermione. He shook her out of his head and continued behind Griphook to a large door. The goblin pressed his palm to the door and it slowly creaked open. Draco stepped inside first.

"Be sure not to touch anything," Griphook warned. "The Gemino curse lies upon everything in this vault. Whatever you touch will—"

"Multiply," Draco finished as he turned to Griphook. "You've been here before."

"That I have, but only once, and it was to accompany your aunt and her husband to hide some artifact."

Snape must have figured out that it was a Horcrux they were hiding.

Griphook continued, "Before we left, Rodolphus Lestrange placed the curse to prevent anything from being stolen."

"Did you see what they hid?"

"I did not. They took measures to ensure that I did not."

Draco exhaled. As far as he knew, it was either the locket, the cup, or the sixth unknown Horcrux. Or perhaps Snape was wrong and it was none of those. He looked around for a place to put the sword where he would be able to get to without touching anything, but nearly the entire floor was covered with gold objects.

But as Dumbledore said once, dark magic always left traces. Draco's eyes followed the trace up a pyramid of chests to a shimmering gold cup. He unsheathed the fake sword and stepped forward, reaching out to the cup, when he was interrupted.

"What's taking you so long?" Griphook asked. "Just set the sword down where your feet are and let's get a move on before they accuse us of attempted burglary."

"Alright, alright," Draco put the sword back in its sheath and on the floor before stepping out of the vault. He would have to come back for it some other time. It wasn't until they had passed the dragon again that Draco finally realized what the goblin said.

"You said set the sword down."

Griphook kept walking, ignoring Draco, who was at the goblin's throat with Yaxley's wand in a quick flash. "The fake sword. Of course, since the real sword is goblin-made, you know this isn't it. I suppose the question then becomes how did you know I was depositing the sword? It could just have been a weapon, as I broke my wand, which you heard me say earlier."

"Why do you have a replica of the sword of Godric Gryffindor?"

"You need to get out," Draco said as he put his wand away and began walking. "Gringotts isn't safe for you anymore, not with that information."

"I'm good at my job, and you said you were here to deposit something—"

"No, I said I wished to enter the vault. You knew because Snape told you because he's already bribed you with the real sword, hasn't he?"

Griphook remained silent. Draco knew Snape must have required Griphook to ensure Draco didn't mess up his job as he'd messed up with the whole dead parent situation and to keep him from actually taking the Horcrux, but now Griphook was potentially dangerous to have around Gringotts.

"At any rate, you need to leave. Gringotts isn't run by goblins anymore, it's run by leftover Ministry wizards following the Dark Lord."

Griphook looked stunned. "Wizards? Gringotts bankers don't bow down to the likes of wizards!"

"They do now."

"Well, I refuse to do so! I will never lower myself to such standards where I have to do what a lying wizard tells me to do."

"Well, here I am, a lying wizard. And I need you to obey me."

A few minute later, Draco walked out of Gringotts with Griphook on his shoulders, both surrounded by the Invisibility Cloak. He then vaporized them to the Leaky Cauldron, landing in a back alley. Draco removed the cloak and set Griphook down.

"I'm not sure where you can go from here, but this is the only place I dare to take you while keeping myself safe. When this war is all over, we'll get the real sword to you. You have my word."

Griphook spat. "The word of a wizard."

"No, the word of Draco Malfoy. You also have my word that should you not keep today's events a secret, you'll meet a most untimely demised. Do I make myself clear?"

Griphook hesitated, then nodded curtly. Draco vaporized back to Malfoy Manor, feeling a sense of unease.

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