Finger Snap.

Was it a snap of a finger?

A year ago.

By some unknown occasion or, perhaps, a stroke of fate, he decided to take a walk on the Diagon Alley. What the old but short goblin wanted to find is question in itself to others, but he knew exactly why he went to the dark part of the street.

He grew tired of his current house elf and needed a new one to change the scenery.

Goblin walked through the crowded place and every time he was near a wizard, his face will turn to scowl of disgust and wariness. Knowing how many wizards coursing around here, it was his permanent expression, making others really displeased and unwilling to talk to him. After all even after entering dark valley, he still has that same attitude.

Adorned in a black suit and with head held high, goblin made his way to the deeper parts of the place. He wanted to enter the auction, where all house elves are sold, but was stopped half way by a bunch of wizards. Their intentions were plain as daylight, written all over their faces, still, goblin steeled himself and tried to act arrogant.

"I'm a manager of Gringotts Bank, Griphook! Do you dare to assault me?" - he said in exaggerated tone, but the fear mixed with utter hate any goblin felt for them was visible to naked eye.

"Hehe, so you must be a rich sheep." - laughed one of the men, while taking out his wand.

Griphook was very afraid, but his sadistic and vicious nature was still there. He gripped his walking stick and it clicked, showing a blade hidden within. That still made wizards to laugh again with even more noise. They seemed to be having a lot of fun teasing little creature.

"Hey, ugly thing, what can you even do to us, huh? Are you trying to scare a wizard with a tableware, hehe?" - said another one, while playing with his wand in deliberate show of superiority. - "You goblins are shit, dirt under our rule, so act like one, filthy creature."

"Now, give us all the money you have. I bet you came here for a purchase and it can't be small, eh?" - said the third.

Griphook drowned in hate and powerlessness. Just why did he go inside here without a proper escort and what is more, took near to ten thousand galleons with him! Even more than pain of torture he hated and feared to lose money.

Right now he wished for an auror to appear and sort the scums out, but he knew, the wizards can't be trusted and they are not anywhere close when they really are needed. Griphook resined to his destiny and gripped his stick firmer. He was ready to at least wound one, but suddenly a wave of powerful knock out spell lighted the damp environment like a saving grace and directly flung all three wizards to the wall, knocking them out.

That was the first time he met a person, who later became his friend.

He found he and that little guy had much in common. They tortured the trio with laughs and great interest. Griphook and the little guy even had a great conversation of how it is great to inflict pain on wizards and Alan, that was his name, told him why he hates wizards so much.

Griphook, albeit was distrustful at first, requested for him to show memories of his captivity, and Alan agreed without second thought.

Perhaps he is very lonely like me and wants another person who can understand him to see what he's been through. But when goblin really saw it, his heart suddenly throbbed with unknown emotion. Was it pity? Or maybe condolence he felt? One way or another he found the little guy different from other wizards and was willing to at least be his acquaintance.

Throughout this year they will meet from time to time.

He even gifted a great artifact from his parents vault to Griphook without any hesitation. And it was the one he let goblin choose himself. It greatly warmed the goblin to Alan and he finally found a wizard friend, a one he never thought is possible to have.

Today goblin was in a good mood, as his friend once again saved him, but this time from loosing his job.

It all happened on his shift, however the one responsible disappeared like he was never there. Another goblin robbed the vault of special section! A vault of the crazy sorceress Bellatrix Lestrange! That same Death Eater insane woman, who currently locked in Azkaban!

For goodness sake, even if he is not fired, if that is to be known, he will have to spend his life on the run!

But the most frustrating thing is no one around seems to remember where his goblin servant went, and only his friend, Alan, the only wizard he can trust, was able to find the culprit and bring back the possession. It was a very precious artifact, an amulet in a form of one wing.

"Alan, my dear friend!" - Griphook nearly jumped in joy, but was stopped with a warning look of the former. Right! Even now he didn't flaunt his friendship with a manager of Gringotts Bank, but looking out for him not to be ostracized by his own kind because of their friendship. He is really the best friend Griphook could have found. - "I hope you didn't let that little treacherous shit of a servant go?" - he whispered in boys ear.

'My goodness, Griphook with his overly exaggerated greeting nearly ruined everything.'

"Of course not." - said Alan grimly. - "Shit screamed under Crusio curse like a pig being slaughtered."

"You used Crusio?" - Griphook was stunned and a bit excited. One need to know that to use the curse it is absolutely necessary to want to inflict the severest of pains onto the target with all ones heart.

"For the first time, my friend. But who asked him to make this difficult for my best buddy." - said Alan with chill in his eyes. - "Here, that's what I found on him." - he took out a necklace and gave it to Griphook.

"Yes..." - goblin checked it and matched the entry in the bank book. He remembered personally putting it inside the vault recently before it was stolen so he recognized the item straight away. One of the reasons why he was accountable is that he did the entry description and account changes to the vault and sighed the acquisition himself in the reference book. - "Finally... crisis avoided. Thanks to you, my friend. Later we can go kill some house elfs in Dark Arena, I will pay for the entrance."

"Sure thing, Griphook." - Alan cleared his throat and said louder for others to hear. - "Thank you, mister Griphook for you patronage." - he bowed like one would to his superior and walked away, leaving the goblin very pleased, while he registered gazes of approval all around.

'I really get myself a good friend. I can use him on many occasions.'

Alan walked out and nearly tripped on flat surface. That was way harder Imperio then the one he used of Kreacher. To change other persons year of memories was a laborious process, but what really got into him is that he was forced to live through part of that goblins life and understand his line of thinking.

"It is not a mind, it's a garbage den." - said Alan in hushed voice, unable to hold his voice after all he experienced.

'Good grief I didn't went to do it here, but waited for him to enter his favorite pub. It took nearly an hour of fine tuning and several redoes to achieve flawless integration. But really, my mind needs cleaning and meditation.'

He sighed in exhaustion that followed him for some time and apparated to his room in Selena's flat. The later suddenly was reinstated and went back to Hogwarts from Ilvermorny. Seems like charges were lifted and even Tedd received some medal when found alive and kicking. But Alan was to busy to care about it for now. It was good news, so he could adhere to them on later date.

He entered meditation to remove all consequences of Imperio curse that made him colder, more brutal and even less tolerant. He became irritated and turned on all his will to lock it down. These changes scared him and the only reason he noticed them was because his soul remained intact, creating a slight dissonance between mind and soul, that usually go on par with each other.

But even so if he didn't choose to meditate to fix his psyche as soon as possible there is a chance that his soul will follow suite and change too. And in not better way. Alan shuddered inwardly thinking how much this magic changes person, and the later doesn't even have a chance to notice! That is why dark arts like this are forbidden. Especially Isu version. It is a no go, really.

He spend a week in the process of meditation and relaxation and even was helped by Amalgal, who prevented his soul from changing during this period by some kind of very complex Isu spell. Alan memorized it thoroughly, who knows when he might need it.

Finally after a week he felt, no, he knew that all consequences of Imperio curse were gone and the time has come to take the cup away. He took out the other half of the amulet. A complicated expression in platinum gold eyes clouded them for a second, giving a view of longing and sadness, but more than that pain of loss.

Alan sighed and let his consciousness go through the pathway of connection, that went unobstructed by anything, even magic defenses of Gringotts bank. He knew it will be that way, he checked it while making the same trick with his own vault.

Again the same feeling of pull and then push, as if he was squeezed through a tube and he is in the middle of a huge chamber with mountains of treasures. He saw a fake Griffindor Sword, Dumbledore was one hell of a plotter and just like in the movies, far above him the cup. He took out a lump of cheep steel he bought beforehand, transformed it into the shape of a Hufflepuff Cup and than added a color changing charm to make it look exactly the same.

Another simple replace charm and in a puff of smoke with some sparks he was holding a horcrux in his hands, that started to heat up. Naturally it didn't hurt him, as white flame coating his palms prevented it. Alan waited for the charm to lose magic and dissipate before putting the last of the four Horcluxes into his ring.

'If I ever go bankrupt, gonna start bank robbing business.'

On that unexpectedly mischievous thought he never took seriously, Alan sat down to meditate and await the knew day.

And it came with a very big change, that took place unknowingly to him.

His door was flung open with a delayed spell Selena enchanted a speaker message. It was his first receiving this embarrassing thing that always created awkward situations for anyone subjected to it's torture.

He was saved to be like others because of being alone in the room.