There was another pause in which the fire crackled and the river rushed on. The

Ted said, “And where do you two fit in? I, er, had the impression the goblins were for

You-Know-Who, on the whole.”

“You had a false impression,” said the higher-voiced of the goblins. “We take no

sides. This is a wizards’ war.”

“How come you’re in hiding, then?”

“I deemed in prudent,” said the deeper-voiced goblin. “Having refused what I

considered an impertinent request, I could see that my person safety was in jeopardy.”

“What did they ask you to do?” asked Ted.

“Duties ill-befitting the dignity of my race,” replied the goblin, his voice rougher

and less human as he said it. “I am not a house-elf.”

“What about you, Griphook?”

“Similar reasons,” said the higher voiced goblin. “Gringotts is no longer under the

sole control of my race. I recognize no Wizarding master.”

He added something under his breath in Gobbledegook, and Gornuk laughed.

“What’s the joke?” asked Dean.

“He said,” replied Dirk, “that there are things wizards don’t recognize, either.”

There was a short pause.

“I don’t get it,” said Dean.

“I had my small revenge before I left,,” said Griphook in English.

“Good man—goblin, I should say,” amended Ted hastily. “Didn’t manage to lock

a Death Eater up in one of the old high-security vaults, I suppose?”

“If I had, the sword would not have helped him break out,” replied Griphook.

Gornuk laughed again and even Dirk gave a dry chuckle.

“Dean and I are still missing something here,” said Ted.

“So is Severus Snape, though he does not know it,” said Griphook, and the two

goblins roared with malicious laughter. Inside the tent Harry’s breathing was shallow

with excitement: He and Hermione stared at each other, listening as hard as they could.

“Didn’t you hear about that, Ted?” asked Dirk. “About the kids who tried to steal

Gryffindor’s sword out of Snape’s office at Hogwarts?”

An electric current seemed to course through Harry, jangling his every nerve as he

Stood rooted to the spot.

“Never heard a word,” said Ted, “Not in the Prophet, was it?”

“Hardly,” chortled Dirk. “Griphook here told me, he heard about it from Bill

Weasley who works for the bank. One of the kids who tried to take the sword was Bill’s

younger sister.”

Harry glanced toward Hermione and Ron, both of whom were clutching the

Extendable Ears as tightly as lifelines.

“She and a couple of friends got into Snape’s office and smashed open the glass

Case where he was apparently keeping the sword. Snape caught them as they were trying

To smuggle it down the staircase.

“Ah, God bless ‘em,” said Ted. “What did they think, that they’d be able to use

the sword on You-Know-Who? Or on Snape himself?

“Well, whatever they thought they were going to do with it, Snape decided the

sword wasn’t safe where it was,” said Dirk. “Couple of days later, once he’d got the sayso

From You-Know-Who, I imagine, he sent it down to London to be kept in Gringotts

instead.”

The goblins started to laugh again.

“I’m still not seeing the joke,” said Ted.

“It’s a fake,” rasped Griphook.

“The sword of Gryffindor!”

“Oh yes. It is a copy—en excellent copy, it is true—but it was Wizard-made. The

Original was forged centuries ago by goblins and had certain properties only goblin-made

Date: 2015-12-11; view: 818