Fragments

As Elsie followed Mr. Malfoy, she couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. The narrow, winding streets of Knockturn Alley were lined with shops, all of which exuded a dark and foreboding atmosphere. Shadows seemed to lurk in every corner, and the air was heavy.

Elsie tried to quicken her step, but Mr. Malfoy blocked her way. He seemed to be taking his time, almost as if he was savoring the oppressive atmosphere.

After a few minutes, they rounded a corner and emerged from the dark and narrow street into the bustling district of what Elsie could only assume, from Cassandra's description, was Diagon Alley.

Elsie wished she had about eight more eyes. She turned her head in every direction as they walked up the street, trying to look at everything at once: the shops, the things outside them, the people doing their shopping. A plump woman outside an Apothecary was shaking her head as they passed, saying, "Dragon liver, seventeen Sickles an ounce, they're mad...."

A low, soft hooting came from a dark shop with a sign saying Eeylops Owl Emporium -- Tawny, Screech, Barn, Brown, and Snowy. Several boys about Elsie's age had their noses pressed against a window with broomsticks in it. "Look," Elsie heard one of them say, "the new Nimbus Two Thousand -- fastest ever --" There were shops selling robes, shops selling telescopes and strange silver instruments Elsie had never seen before, windows stacked with barrels of bat spleens and eels' eyes, tottering piles of spell books, quills, and rolls of parchment, potion bottles, globes of the moon...

Elsie didn't have time to marvel at the sights and sounds of the crowded streets, however. It was all she could do to hurry after Mr. Malfoy's retreating form as he strode ahead of her, his shiny shoes clicking on the cobblestone. Eventually, they reached a snowy white building that towered over the other little shops.

"Gringotts," Mr. Malfoy announced.

Standing beside its burnished bronze doors, wearing a uniform of scarlet and gold, was -

"A goblin," Mr. Malfoy said disdainfully, seeing Elsie's wondering look.

The goblin was about a head shorter than Elsie. He had a swarthy, clever face, a pointed beard, and Elsie noticed very long fingers and feet. He bowed as they walked inside. Now they were facing a second set of doors, silver this time, with words engraved upon them:

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.

Elsie glanced nervously at Mr. Malfoy, but he did not appear to notice. He marched purposefully toward the counter, Elsie trailing behind him, as a pair of goblins bowed them through the silver doors. 

In the hall, about a hundred more goblins were sitting on high stools behind a long counter, scribbling in large ledgers, weighing coins in brass scales, examining precious stones through eyeglasses. There were too many doors to count leading off the hall, and yet more goblins were showing people in and out of these.

As they walked, Elsie noticed that several people milling about the hall had hurriedly moved out of Mr. Malfoy's path. From this, Elsie gathered that Mr. Malfoy was perhaps a person of importance, and again, felt somewhat reassured. Surely a person of such importance did not mean her any harm.

Elsie quickened her pace, determined to keep her eyes straight ahead and not show any sign of fear or nervousness. Still, she couldn't help but wonder what kind of business Mr. Malfoy had at Gringotts that commanded such respect and fear. She tried to shake off her unease and focus on the task at hand. However, deep down, she couldn't shake off the strange feeling that there was more to Mr. Malfoy than met the eye.

Elsie eyed Mr. Malfoy more intently. She had an odd sense that she had met Mr. Malfoy before.

As she contemplated this, she heard a strange whisper. It sounded like the snake in Aunt Petunia’s flower bed! Elsie looked around quickly, but no one else seemed to notice. She felt a shiver run down her spine when she turned back to Mr. Malfoy, who now seemed even more mysterious.

Then Mr. Malfoy's hand clasped Elsie's shoulder, and he was guiding her towards the counter.

"Miss Potter is here to make a withdrawal," said Mr. Malfoy, looking down his pointy nose at the goblin in front of them.

"Does Miss Potter have her key?" asked the goblin.

Elsie shook her head quickly. She was sure there had been a horrible mistake. After all, she had never been to Gringotts before, and while she had informed Mr. Malfoy of her destination, she certainly did not have an account there.

The teller's eyes narrowed suspiciously as he leaned forward, long, crooked fingers tapping on the counter. "No key, you say?" he asked. When he spoke, his voice was a low, menacing whisper. Next to him, a goblin who had been weighing a pile of rubies as big as glowing coals, also looked at Elsie in askance.

There must be an explanation for this. Perhaps her parents were not as ordinary as Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon had depicted them to be! Had Mr. Malfoy known them?

Maybe that was why he seemed so familiar. As soon as this thought crossed Elsie's mind, however, she heard another whisper. This time, she merely squared her shoulders and refused to look around. Her mind was filled with questions and suspicions.

The teller's eyes narrowed suspiciously as he leaned forward, long, crooked fingers tapping on the counter. "No key, you say?" he asked. When he spoke, his voice was a low, menacing whisper. To his right, a goblin who had been weighing a pile of rubies as big as glowing coals, stopped what he was doing to look at Elsie in askance.

Elsie felt a chill run down her spine. Something must be very wrong. Her heart raced. Perhaps they thought she was a thief! She took a deep breath and steeled herself.

The two goblins looked at each other, and then the teller leaned forward and sniffed the air. After a moment, he wrinkled his nose. Then he stood up, and the other goblin followed him. The two of them disappeared through one of the many doors leading off the hall.

Elsie looked at Mr. Malfoy, who appeared unworried by this turn of events. Instead, he wore an impatient look on his haughty face. His lips were pursed, and his eyes were narrowed in annoyance. He tapped his foot on the floor.

Elsie was confused. Mr. Malfoy's behavior was so strange. She waited for an explanation, but none was forthcoming, and she did not want to reveal her lack of knowledge by questioning him.

After a few moments, the teller returned. To Elsie's surprise, he held a tiny golden key in his gnarled hand. "Everything seems to be in order," he said, handing it to her. "I will have someone take you down to your vault. Griphook!"

Griphook, it seemed, was yet another goblin.

Elsie followed behind Mr. Malfoy and Griphook. When they reached the door, Griphook held it open for them.

Elsie, who had expected more marble, was surprised. They were in a narrow stone passageway lit with flaming torches. It sloped steeply downward and there were little railway tracks on the floor. Griphook whistled and a small cart came hurtling up the tracks toward them. They climbed in and were off.

At first they just hurtled through a maze of twisting passages. Elsie tried to remember, left, right, right, left, middle fork, right, left, but it was impossible. It seemed that the rattling cart knew its own way, because Griphook wasn't steering.

Elsie's eyes stung as the cold air rushed past them, but she kept them wide open. Once, she thought she saw a burst of fire at the end of a passage and twisted around to see if it was a dragon, but too late - they plunged even deeper, passing an underground lake where huge stalactites and stalagmites grew from the ceiling and floor.

When the cart stopped at last beside a small door in the passage wall, Mr. Malfoy remained in the cart, looking as composed as ever. In fact, not a hair on his head was out of place.

Nervously, Elsie smoothed her fiery curls, which had become tangled on their journey, and took a deep breath before stepping down from the cart.

Griphook unlocked the door. Green smoke came billowing out, and as it cleared, Elsie tried very hard to keep her expression neutral, not wanting either of her companions to notice her shock and confusion.

Inside were mounds of gold coins. Columns of silver and bronze. Could this all be hers? It was incredible. The Dursleys couldn't have known about this or they'd have had it from her faster than blinking. How often had they complained how much Elsie cost them to keep? And all the time there had been a small fortune belonging to her, buried deep under London.

Although Elsie wanted to search the vault for clues of its origin, she was very aware of Mr. Malfoy's presence outside the door. Distantly, she could hear him speaking to Griphook, but Elsie could not make out what he was saying.

Glancing around, Elsie found a small pouch and piled some coins into it. She didn't know anything about wizarding currency, so she grabbed a few handfuls of each - gold, silver, and bronze - and resolved to ask someone about it when Mr. Malfoy was not around.

A whisper brushed Elsie's ears again, but this time it felt like a warning. Her suspicions had been correct. Mr. Malfoy was not what he seemed. Upstairs, he appeared impatient to return to his business. But Elsie realized now that he had been watching her with a keen, observant eye, just as she had been watching him.

Elsie couldn't shake off the feeling of unease that accompanied this realization. What was Mr. Malfoy really after?