Chapter Ten - Gringotts

Several months had already passed and it was February. I was currently walking down Diagon Alley with Narcissa who, at my request, had come to accompany me to Gringotts bank, the lair of the greedy goblins.

- "Lord Azrael, this is the first time you've been out in public, isn't it?" - Narcissa asked me as she looked around the crowd who currently had their attention fixed on one specific woman.

- "Indeed, though of course, that's if we're talking about the magical public," - I said and she nodded knowing that I didn't count the Muggle side.

- "May I know who that woman is and why you need her?" - She asked me, looking again at the red-haired woman who was currently bringing the audience's attention to her.

- "Her name is Natasha. And the purpose she serves is not simply to appear for pure fan service or as a sex object that Hollywood sells us in the movies."

- "I'm sorry, but I don't understand what you mean, Lord Azrael," - Narcissa said confused, not understanding what I meant.

- "Look at all these people, naturally we would attract attention by the fact that you are Narcissa and I am a stranger to the public but I wear the Black House insignia on my robes, but why aren't people attracted to us, Narcissa?" - I asked her and she began to understand.

- "She's for attention?"

- "That's right. Ever since Natasha went public, no one has been able to tell who she is. The few times she comes out, she always attracts the eyes of curious people who have a great unknown about who she is. She is there to attract everyone's gaze as a distraction. Her exotic beauty, her lack of verbal contact with people, her few public outings, her use of galleons in excess, her lack of a name, her high quality and daring clothes, and her mysterious look as if she kept all the secrets of the universe. All this is what attracts the eyes of all audiences, both male and female. And that is for one simple purpose, distraction."

- "Distraction? You use it to avoid attracting unwanted attention." - Narcissa understood Natasha's purpose.

- "Yes. Distraction for people who tend to stare too much. I'll give you an example. Muggle wizards use the magic of optical illusion, they trick your eyes with distraction. If a muggle wizard tells you that the magic is here, then the trick is happening somewhere else. Another more practical example is this" - I stood in front of her and put my hand on her cheek and then slid it down her arm. She looked at me confused, but then I pulled away and showed her my other hand - "Is this your wand?"

- "How...!?" - She widened her eyes in surprise when she noticed that her wand was being held by me - "I didn't even feel you take it from me... of course, distraction. She's the distraction and you're the magic trick. Is that why you need that muggle girl, as a distraction?"

- "That's right." - 'But it won't just be her. But there will be many more, many who will be the distraction for the final big magic trick that I'm preparing for' - I thought with a small smile.

- "I imagined it more impressive... and firm, why is it all folded up, you know what, better not answer it" I muttered to myself as I looked at the Gringotts bank and then read the slogan for those entering.

Enter, stranger, but take heed

Of what awaits the sin of greed,

For those who take, but do not earn,

Must pay most dearly in their turn,

So if you seek beneath our floors

A treasure that was never yours,

Thief, you have been warned, beware

Of finding more than treasure there.

'I would have done one better' - I thought and we went in.

The place was huge compared to what you could see from the outside. The place made of marble was quite impressive, there were also long tables on each side and you could count over 100 goblins in total doing the bookkeeping and paperwork.

- "Narcissa, I need you to be with me when it comes to negotiating with the goblin."

- "Understood, Lord Azrael."

We made our way to a specific goblin and I stood in front of his cashier, though he didn't even bother to glance at us and went on with his work. Personally, I wasn't even fazed by his attitude, after all, if I were in his shoes, I wouldn't want to be disturbed while I was working either.

- "I'm Azrael Black-Gaunt, I assume you're Griphook, the manager of the Black family's accounts?"

- "Hmm?" - When he heard his name, he settled back and looked at us dismissively. The goblin gave me a look and then Narcissa - "Congratulations, wizard, you can read labels" - He mentioned sarcastically - "I'm Griphook, let's go to the private office" - He got down from his seat and led us into one of the offices which were protected with various types of privacy barriers - "Well. What can I do for you?"

- "I want a list of investments, land, real estate, debts, capital, family and trust vaults, and businesses," - I said as he made the list and we spent the next hour and a half inspecting everything in detail about the Black family's assets and what they lacked.

Narcissa took care to point out many things that I might have overlooked, while I was an adult in reality, I wasn't really in my field when it came to accounting, which was one of the reasons why having Narcissa was such a blessing.

I also received reports on the status of the vaults of my cousins, uncles, brothers, parents, and grandparents. As Lord Black, I had primary authority to open the other vaults, after all, as the leader of the Black family I had the right to everything as long as it bore the Black name.

- "Is there a list of items in the vaults?" - I asked the goblin.

- "No. We only count the money, we don't care about the rest," - Said Griphook.

That was a pity, but I hoped that wasn't the case, so I had to personally inspect all the vaults to see what items they contained and if they would be of any use in the future.

- "Well, are there any marriage contracts?" - I asked and Goblin began to look through the archives.

- "Yes. Your grandmother Walburga arranged three contracts with two powerful families both nationally and internationally and a girl three years older than you who is a half-blood. Of course, they're not official as Walburga was acting as regent for the family and wasn't a Lord, but she still made sure to make them almost legal" - Griphook showed me the list and I began to look at the names.

Interestingly, my grandmother took care to put two fiancées in families with good positions of power, Susan Bones and Fleur Delacour, but why, and who is Nerida Bagshot?

The first is the niece of the headmistress of the DLM, Amelia Susan Bones, of the Noble House of Bones. How did my grandmother manage to convince and create a marriage contract with her niece? Well, that's something I'd like to know, after all, the two of them weren't exactly the best of friends, let alone the side they each took in the Voldy War.

Then there's Fleur Delacour, her father is a delegate to the International Confederation of Wizards, but what impresses me is that my grandmother was open-minded enough to get me engaged to a veela, was she drunk?"

But what I'm most interested in knowing about is this .... Nerida Bagshot. Who she is and why my grandmother chose her. She's from Bulgaria, but I can't find any connections to anyone in my memories as to who she is and how my grandmother came to think of engaging me with this half-blood.

I didn't understand why my grandmother made these choices, a veela, who my grandmother considered more of a magical beast, and now a half-blood. The veela I understand because of her father, but why the half-blood?

- "Griphook, what can you tell me about Nerida Bagshot?"

- "Nothing much really, your grandmother brought the girl in when she was 4 years old, did a blood test, and after she confirmed her suspicions, left her at Castle Black in the care of two house elves and her painting with her memories. Other than that, there is nothing else and she erased all the evidence," - The goblin explained and I nodded.

Interesting, a blood test on a half-blood, and then she puts her to live in Castle Black. I wonder what her real surname is or who she's connected to. And if my grandmother had her committed to me, then she considered her worthy enough even if she was a half-blood.

I sighed and snapped out of my thoughts.

- "Thank you, Griphook, I'm already tired so I'll come back another day for a blood test."

- "Yes, thank you for wasting my time" - Growled the goblin and we said goodbye without saying anything.

- "Lord Azrael, do you want me to investigate this Bagshot girl, I think her surname sounds familiar" - Narcissa said to me and I said no.

- "No, and I don't want you to investigate anything about her, I'll take care of it myself" - 'That's all for now, tomorrow I have classes and I want to rest, luckily, my incentives towards Hermione and Harry are already paying off, hahahaha'.