68 Chamber Number 1

-I said I'm sorry, okay? -Nagini apologized for the third time since he finished the ritual and saw Soisen's superior animagus form.

-You were laughing at me... for twenty minutes! -Sosien's expression was dark, he still seemed to hear the unbridled laughter in his ears like a ghost taunting him, "And you still have that smile on your face!

-Can you blame me? -Nagini raised her hands in surrender but without managing to remove the smile from her lips- What did he expect me to do after seeing that?

Soisen narrowed his eyes and stared at her.

Deep down he knew he couldn't really blame her, since he hadn't expected to transform into something like that either. But there was one thing he knew with absolute certainty, when she died, she would find a way to see the late Frustren Galegold....

He was going to beat the crap out of him!

Who writes such a complete process and forgets to write down the last detail?

And if I told him it was an insignificant and irrelevant detail?

Another beating!

He would show her how much love he feels for his ancestors, using his fists full of love!

Even Garp will awaken an inferiority complex at the sight of her blows!

-Don't say anything to anyone, got it? -Soisen averted his gaze and continued walking.

Look at the bright side of the situation: it didn't take you long to master the shape-shifting and you achieved some unexpected benefits. Isn't that enough to consider it worth it? -Nagini tried to console him, but the fact that he still smiled every time he thought of that form didn't exactly help.

-No," Soisen denied, remaining stubborn.

-Now you're just in a bad mood -Nagini shook his head sideways- Well, it's still better than becoming a Runespoor or an Acromantula.

-Can we stop talking about this? -Soisen pleaded in a sad voice as he lowered his head dejectedly.

Nagini kept quiet, implying that it was okay to close the matter.

-I wanted to meet the girls tomorrow, but they're all busy, so we'll take the day to go to Gringotts and go down to the vault. I'm curious what's inside, other than tons of money.

-I'm sure Gornuk will be happy to take a long two hour trip down to Chamber Number 1 -Nagini laughed- Since you'll be going down there, maybe you can find out the details of the house you inherited, it could become the summer residence or something else.

-Don't you intend to accompany me?

-I can't leave the store unattended for too long, that would be counterproductive and could harm your interests," Nagini explained as she caressed the choker on her neck, "Besides, it's your family chamber, I don't think anyone besides you can even enter it. The older a family is, the more they make sure that their secrets are only known to their lineage and no one else.

Two hours riding around in those hellish carriages to wait for who knows how long without seeing anything and another two hours on the way back?

Doused with magic water to reveal impostors, see tortured and blind dragons?

No thanks.

-I guess you're right," Soisen sighed, realizing how uncomfortable the trip would be. He won't even be able to converse, as Gornuk will have to pay attention to the tracks, the speed, and try not to get lost on a road that hasn't been used for like a thousand years.

Great, now he's worrying about the condition of the road.

What if any of the tracks have broken down or broken?

How often do they do maintenance on these places?

Or do they use metal enchanted by themselves to avoid these problems?

So many questions...

The next morning, Soisen stood before the doors of Gringotts and his entrance was like that of just another customer throughout the day. It only took a few minutes for Gornuk to come personally to attend to him.

-Heir Galegold, I hear you intend for me to escort you to the family chamber today? -He asked politely even though he knew the answer by the way he was unconsciously rubbing his hands together.

-Indeed, I do intend to go down to the chamber," Soisen confirmed, "Given all the time that has passed since it was last opened, is it possible that there might be a problem on the way?

-We are experts not only in making our famous silver, but also in the maintenance of all kinds of gears used in our work. Gringotts always does his duty!

-Always with due commission, right?

-Naturally.

Soisen experienced the famous ride on the Gringotts rails and it turned out to be... exciting, actually. It was like riding a roller coaster whose general tendency was to go down at high speeds, but it took surprise curves and other detours that defied the laws of physics.

As they went down, the various safety measures flashed before Soisen's eyes. He was not at all comfortable seeing how one of them was a tortured dragon trained to identify the sound of a bell with pain, causing him to move out of the way out of sheer fear.

...Three hours later...

Due to a single mistake in one division, they had to make a long turn on the rails and it took them an additional hour to reach their destination.

-Wow... -Soisen did not immediately get off his transport, but looked with interest at his family's chamber.

A colossal stalactite with several gold veins descended from the ceiling and by carving into the stone itself, a five meter high door with vivid, golden images stood imposingly. If one paid attention, one could observe tiny gears and mechanical parts protruding discreetly in different parts that originally appeared to be merely aesthetic.

A circular platform of fuchsia marble with lines of white was the only ground to step on to approach and reach the doors. Curiously, Soisen could not see that the place looked abandoned for a thousand years, since despite the atmosphere, there was not a single speck of dust anywhere, as if it had been thoroughly cleaned minutes before his arrival.

-I'll wait here," Gornuk informed him as he stared intently at the streaks of gold in the stalactite, which seemed to flow like liquid gold, "Check Gringotts' records and well, I'd better not go near the door.

Soisen nodded and approached the entrance to the chamber.

-How does it open? -he turned and asked.

-There is a small slot five feet high in the center of the door, that's all I know," Gornuk replied.

Soisen searched carefully and found the mentioned slot. He stared at it for a few seconds, being sure that the size looked familiar....

-Is it possible? -He looked away from the door and looked at his ring. With a thought, it transformed into a gold dagger and after comparing sizes, he was sure that the blade would fit perfectly with the slot.

And he was right, the moment he stabbed the door, the gears began to turn, slowly at first until they sped up and a passage was revealed through which an adult person could enter.

-Indeed, my mother's dagger was the key," Soisen nodded, happy that he had not forgotten something so important.

He entered the chamber through what seemed like a thin film of cold water as the doors behind him closed and the intense light inside caused his eyes to take a moment to adjust.

-It's about time! -It's been a millennium of boredom! May I ask what took you so long?