Chapter 304: Trial By Combat
Disclaimer:
Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K Rowling.
I own nothing but the original characters I make.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
-Author notes-
Chapter 304: Trial By Combat
"You mean to say it's real?" Even Dumbledore was unsure of the existence of that goblin custom.
Goblins were very secretive creatures who lived in closed communities. They would rarely share something with an outsider.
The Headmaster gave Harry a side glance and wondered when he had gained that bit of knowledge.
"How did you learn about this, Mister Potter?" the judge asked. He obviously shared the same questions as the rest of the room's occupants.
"It doesn't matter. The law is clear. If someone is accused of a crime by the goblin nation, they have the right to request a trial by combat. If they are victorious, any and all charges will be dropped immediately." Harry told the judge, who proceeded to make a very displeased face.
"This law is only meant for goblins!" the judge raised his voice.
"I don't think it specifies that in your books, does it? That means humans can also summon this law." Harry still recalled well that conversation he had with a very drunk Griphook. The poor goblin had revealed a lot of the goblin secrets to the entire bar that night.
Not that it matters that much at this point.
Harry never thought that any of that could be useful to him one day.
"Well? Does the law say that it's only for goblins then?" Dumbledore chimed in.
"No… it does not…" The judge had some difficulty getting the words out due to his anger.
Of course, the law was meant for goblins, as every other law they had written. But no one thought about the need to specify that, since no one outside the goblin nation was meant to speak about it.
The judge glared daggers at Harry. This could only mean they had a traitor in their ranks. But it was too late to fix this issue now. As a person of law, he had to abide by it.
"Are you sure about this?" the goblin Commander spoke.
"Since you seem to know about our customs, you must also be aware that a trial by combat is meant to be carried out with the exclusive use of close-range weapons. So no bows or crossbows are allowed, and of course, that would include magical wands."
"I do know about that part, yes," Harry told him without a single change in his facial expression.
The Commander looked displeased. He took this casual attitude of his as a great insult.
"You think us weak, boy? You would do well to not underestimate us based on our looks. Goblins may be small compared to humans, but we are a martial nation. We begin our training at the age of four and we never stop after that, until we retire. Even those working at the bank could chop your limbs in a second if they were provoked."
"I am sure that Harry's intention was not to insult you," Dumbledore tried to placate the angry commander.
"No, it was not. And besides, aren't I the one being underestimated here?" Harry asked.
He knew a lot about goblins. Despite not being able to use magic in the same way that humans do, they are, in essence, magical creatures. Even with their reduced size, they are at least twice as strong as humans are.
And as the Commander said, they are trained in martial fighting from a very young age. Every goblin is a potential soldier in case of war.
The other thing that goblins excelled at was metallurgy and runes.
This all combined turned them into the strongest warriors, with the best weapons and armor to boot, in the entire world.
It was natural they would not take a martial challenge very seriously when it came from a human wizard.
"The Commander is right… for a young human wizard like you, this trial by combat would be akin to suicide. You are in time to change your mind." The judge managed to calm down after thinking about it a bit further.
Even if Harry knew about their laws, he had no chance of winning.
Especially when they could choose any champion they wanted to represent the goblin nation.
"I am not retracting my words. I want a trial by combat… that is final." Harry insisted.
The judge glared at Dumbledore.
"You are acting as his representative, and as such… you can stop this madness. As an adult, you may make the best choice for him."
As much as the judge disliked Harry, having a young wizard from an important family potentially die at their hands… it was bound to bring trouble.
"Oh…" Dumbledore pretended to be thinking about it for a good minute.
"I believe that I will trust in Mister Potter's judgment. If he wants to do this… trial by combat, he can do so with my blessing."
Dumbledore had never personally seen Harry fight with a sword, but if this was the way he had chosen to solve this issue, he would not get in the way.
After all, Dumbledore was well aware that if Harry wanted to resort to violence, those cuffs they put on him were going to do little to stop him.
"This is outrageous!" the judge exclaimed.
"Yes… let's get this over with." Harry could not wait to get out of this underground facility. The air was very unpleasant here. Luna definitely made the right call on not coming along.
"So… does he have to fight here, or?..." Daphne asked.
"Of course not. Trials by combat are a rare occurrence, but we have a place to carry them out." The Commander said before looking at the judge.
"The only thing left is choosing the champion who will face the wizard…. any of my men would be willing t-"
"No." The judge cut him off abruptly. "I already have something in mind." He moved his eyes to the guards around the room.
"Find me… Bloodfang!"
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