"Exactly," Lichfield agreed. "You're fine, Harry. Don't worry. There should be an exception for cases like this for it to square with the older banking laws, but even if there's not, this would just serve as a case to establish it anyway. As long as there are other wizarding people around you, especially if one's of age, or if you're in a wizarding home for example, then you're in the clear. They tell you you can't do it but what they mean is they don't want you to."
"Did you just tell him it's fine to do something illegal?" the Overseer asked, eyes momentarily hardening.
"I merely mentioned to my client an interesting tidbit of legal trivia about the topic at hand," Lichfield replied formally. Barchoke seemed to accept that.
"Just don't go spreading it around," Lichfield continued. "Once it gets out, everyone will use it and the Ministry will have to come up with something that's an even bigger infringement on your personal liberties. Something which might actually work . As it is, it's really only useful for keeping muggleborns from practicing and getting a leg up on everyone else."
Thoughts of Hermione had Harry thinking this was completely unfair.
"And why do they pick on muggleborns?"
"Because they have this idea that they're the ones most likely to use muggle technology to destroy them all if they get miffed about all the persecution they have to deal with," the Litigator said evenly. "It only takes one."
"You know a lot about the Ministry," he said to the Litigator.
"And you don't miss much," the Litigator replied.
And with that Harry realized just how reserved the warlock had been during the exchange. Besides the bit about skin rash, which he supposed could've been genuine, he hadn't cracked a joke the entire time. Lichfield had obviously lowered his 'professional wall' around Harry but with Harold it's a completely different situation. He wondered how this dynamic could've gotten so complicated and why anyone would want to work for Gringotts if this was what you had to go through on a daily basis.
"So," Barchoke said, filling the uncomfortable silence. "Sealing with magic… Let's go," he finished in a falsely chipper tone.
"You take out your wand and press it to the vellum," the Litigator said, still in his somber mood. "Preferably in line with what you wrote before and the blood. Then you… push a bit of your magic out. That's the only way I know how to describe it. Don't try to cast a spell, just push while thinking about what you wrote there. You'll get it."
Harry did as Lichfield said but didn't really know how to push. When he was finally ready to give up and just wanted the whole Sealing thing over with he felt this… pulse . The only thing he had to compare it to was when he first held his wand in Ollivander's a year ago.
He assumed he'd done it correctly since Lichfield quickly plucked the Blood Quill out of the water, made his scratch, signed his name normally, and did the same next to it before sliding it to Barchoke. The goblin repeated the process, but since he didn't have a wand he used a licked thumb instead. After he was done the goblin took out some sort of stamp and cried, "Sealed!" before slamming it down on the vellum and it disappeared in a puff of smoke.
"You realize that was supposed to be filed after those other two forms, right?" Lichfield reminded the goblin.
"Damn," Barchoke said. "That'll be another form."
"I'll do it later when I file these others and contact the Weasleys," Lichfield said with a wave. "It's on the list. What's next?"
"If this Trace can detect magic around me, why didn't it pick up what a house-elf did last night?" Harry asked, figuring no more damage could be done to Lichfield's mood and this would probably be the only way to bring up why he had wanted to be here in the first place.
"A house-elf? Last night?" the Overseer asked. "I don't think I want to hear this," the goblin said quickly before covering his ears and beginning to hum.
Harry looked to Lichfield to fill him in.
"Overseers are required by law to report any illegal activity; Account Managers aren't. He might be acting as your Account Manager right now but if he hears about a breach by someone else he'll have to report it, and a house-elf in a muggle residence doing magic is certainly that. We're only skirting by the whole bank fraud issue by him saying it's a potential civil matter, but that won't hold for long."
"And what about Litigators?" Harry asked.
"We don't care. It's our job to get you out of trouble you get yourself into and get done what you want to get done, and I'm your litigator."
Harry briefly told Lichfield how Dobby had appeared and why he wanted to buy him.
"If it was just about acquiring a house-elf," Lichfield said. "I've got one I'd bloody give you. She's way too young and energetic for me; makes me feel old. Buying a specific elf though-"
"Is it possible to find this family?"
"Should be possible," Lichfield nodded. "I know someone in Dodgy Deals, he owes me a favor. Anyone who treats a house-elf like that will be up to their neck in them. I'll imply it's for me, that I'm buying Mipsy a mate and she just really liked this Dobby of yours."
Harry wished Lichfield would go back to being the joking guy he was when he came in but couldn't think of what he could do to make it happen.
"He didn't mention anything specific about what this threat is supposed to be?" Lichfield asked.
"No, just that terrible things will happen," Harry explained. "I'm hoping once I buy him he'll be able to tell me more."
"It might work," Lichfield nodded. "Then again if his family is involved he might not be able to tell you even then. Even if he hated his family and they hated him, it's just the way house-elves work. That family needs their secrets kept and house-elves need Need. I guess it's just a difference between who needs that information more: you, or them. House-elves are just different that way. I take it you're not wanting to be pulled out of school, just to be safe?"
He didn't wait for Harry to respond.
.....
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