Chapter Text
5. Farnack's Gift
Hermione walked silently toward Hogsmeade with Neville beside her. The twins whispered between themselves behind her, having taken their guardian status quite seriously. Very seldom did she find herself truly alone anymore. It was a strange situation, yet she found it quite soothing. At least one of the three boys was always nearby anytime she was not in her dorm room. While studying, they only spoke when exchanging thoughts or asking for help. At dinner, they shared calm conversation, most times about the twins’ latest ideas but occasionally about Neville’s most recent potions accident.
It was strange, yes, learning that she did not have to stand alone all the time. It was soothing in that she found what felt like true friendship among these young men.
In her recent lessons, after fully recovering from her most unfortunate concussion, she’d started learning how to trace the Web, find the connections. More often than not, instead of true connections, she found intricate knots where the webs had been bound by a human-like hand rather than spider claw or pedipalp. Loletta always cautioned her against touching those as of yet.
She let her mind slowly drift along the outer fringes of the web as each step brought them closer to the small village. She did not work to trace anything in particular; she merely watched as each connection joined together along the way.
As they reached the very edge of the village, a glimmering, new connection caught her attention. Hermione stopped walking, letting her eyes trace the thin line as the sunlight danced along it. It led to a small stone building barely larger than a phone booth standing by itself on the side of the path. Hermione blinked a few times, making sure she read the sign correctly. Then she turned her head toward the twins.
“How long has Hogsmeade had a Gringotts branch?”
Fred’s eyes lit with glee as her words seemed to have made the building appear from thin air. “It hasn’t. Oh, this is outstanding!” Without another word, he reached forward and opened the door, waving for her to enter first.
Hermione ducked slightly to enter the goblin domain, letting her gaze wander the much larger space. She couldn’t help but chuckle. “Of course it’s bigger on the inside. It seems magical domains are nearly always T.A.R.D.I.S.-like.”
The throat clearing nearby drew all of their attention as the door closed. A grizzled-looking elder goblin approached, giving a very slight bow. “Welcome, my lady. I am Farnack.” He extended his hand toward her.
Hermione focused her thoughts inward for just a moment, remembering what Loletta had told her about transferring the gift to him. The pause really did only take a few seconds, but it still made her hope she had not offended the being. She then reached her hand forward and grasped his as she dropped into a curtsey. “Well met, Farnack.”
As soon as their hands touched, she felt the swap. Her eyebrows rose. “Oh,” she spoke softly.
Farnack gave a very discreet nod. “This branch only appears when needed.” Then he shrugged. “At least for now. It has potential to become more commonplace. That remains uncertain still.”
Then he turned toward the young men in the room. “Gentlemen, I believe it is time we discuss establishing your trust.”
~*~
The clearing lay surrounded in fog. The only open space in the thick, heavily laden air was directly around where Hermione and Loletta sat with Mosag and two other female spiders.
“Farnack is one of the few goblins with a specific alignment. Even then, he has to keep it hidden due to all of the laws humanity has created against his kind.”
Hermione frowned. “That seems… excessive.”
Loletta nodded, “Indeed. However, even had the laws not existed, the Goblins would still choose to keep such information to themselves. Throughout the ages, sentiment has shifted so often that they feel it is safest that way.”
Hermione nodded while her mind worked. “Like the Crusades and the Holocaust.” Then she sighed. “And so many other events in history. One ruler finds certain things acceptable. Then a new ruler takes over, and those things are now outlawed. Next thing you know, Daniel finds himself in the lion’s den once again.”
Loletta grinned. “Precisely. Now, concentrate and bring forth your gift from Farnack.”
Hermione closed her eyes and focused. It took only a moment before she felt the weight of a bag similar to that of her harvest satchel fall against her palm. She opened her eyes again and gazed upon the delicate looking silk. Very carefully, she tugged the strings to open the top. Then she reached in and retrieved what turned out to be a fairly large tray of intricate flasks.
The Goddess nodded. “Those are Goblin crystal, crafted by the most talented of their kind. They are unbreakable, and once sealed, can only be opened by the intended receiver. They are perfect for containing the acromantula venom and protecting it from falling into the wrong hands. Just as with the tears, there is a vast difference between freely gifted venom and that which has been taken by force from the dead body of one of my children.”
Loletta paused. “You will also be able to use these vials to collect another venom, but it will involve rekindling your friendship with he who holds the right of harvest with the enemy of my children.”
It took Hermione a good long while to think through Loletta’s words. Finally, her memory brought forth the image of the page she’d torn from the library book the previous year. “The basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets. I need to talk to Harry.” She paused. “But it’s been months since the beast was slain. Wouldn’t it have rotted by now? And wouldn’t I need to speak to the Headmaster?”
The Goddess shook her head. “Right of Harvest is a magical binding. Not even your headmaster has the ability to circumvent such old magic. No matter how much he might want to get his hands on those remains, he cannot dare to touch them without the victor granting it. ‘To the victor goes the spoils’ is much more than just an ancient saying. It is a magically protected event when a magical being is involved.”
With a wave of her hand, she highlighted some of the Web and guided Hermione’s eyes. “See here, these knots? He tried. He did everything within his power attempting to get around such an ancient spell of protection. He spent much of the warm months recovering from his attempt when it backfired most spectacularly. He continues trying to work out how to get around the protective magic. He will continue to fail. However, if you can convince your friend to take you to the carcass and grant you permission to harvest it, the Right of Harvest will pass magically to you without any risk of backlash. I believe you also have access to someone who can assist you with such a task with whom you could, shall we say, share the wealth.”
Once again, Hermione let her studious mind wander, trying to decipher her matron’s words.
Loletta interrupted her thoughts. “You can think on that during your waking hours. As for the spoilage, between the Right of Harvest and the magic bound to that cavern, it is not a concern. For now, let us begin with our friends here. They have been anxious to gift their venom.”
~*~