Chapter 218 - Interrogation Room #13

Back in the conference room, Rowan had somehow managed to remove the plague doctor costume and put it away, before collapsing onto the carpeted floor. Her body shook from the death surge of the six hundred-year-old, Nicholas Flamel and his wife, Perenelle Flamel.

Under any other ordinary circumstances, perhaps, it wouldn't have been a problem. But given the fact that her body had only managed to barely digest the power from the second Horcrux, her body wasn't able to expand and rebuild nowhere near fast enough. Her body was actively breaking under the powers clashing.

Wet, metallic liquid began to pour from her nose as Rowan somehow tried to breathe and not choke on the blood welling up from her lungs. Squeezing her eyes shut, a tear fell out of her at the shaking of her body. To faint to be heard, she whispered, "Sorry, I didn't mean to kill you both. But I couldn't let him have the stone."

It had been so very easy, really; she'd waited until the last minute before apparating inside. Holding her breath, she had searched rapidly for the package, before pouring basilisk venom and watching it burst into pieces. But still, this was the first time, she'd ever killed not just one but two innocent bystanders.

Rowan's conscious began to fade away under the bone-breaking pain as she heard voices in the distance. "I need to check in on our honorable patrons," the voice of a goblin could be heard saying, belonging to that of Ragnok.

The guards grumble something and finally let him in as the young goblin says, "And how-." Ragnok chokes at seeing the pale young girl withering and bleeding out on the floor.

"Get the healers!" Ragnok screamed as everything went fully black in Rowan's eyes. At last, she could rest now, where her last thoughts as she felt long thin fingers gently clamp around her and carry her away. Who knew that goblins were that strong?

*

The auction was an incredible success as Grok Gringotts greeted guests, before having an aide rush up to him. Smiling, Grok excuses himself, "I have a small accounting issue to take care of." The guests murmur their thanks and goodbyes as a blond reporter dives around getting exclusives as on many guests as she possibly can. For Rita Skeeter knew it was going to be a good day for her tomorrow!

Rushing into the hall, Grok snaps at his pale-faced aide. "What do you mean, someone tried to break into vault #713?"

"The guards were called down by an alarm," the aide nervously replied. "They found two dead goblins and four unconscious intruders trapped inside the vault. They are being interrogated as we speak."

Grok eyes narrow into dangerous slits. "And the package found inside the vault?"

"It was found to be destroyed," the aide lamely said, while a spew of goblin curses emerged from Grok Gringotts mouth.

Suddenly, another pale-faced aide with green livery rushed forward as Grok snapped, "And what now?"

"Sir, the honorable patron was attacked, sir," the second aid said causing Grok to turn almost violet as if about to explode.

"What do you mean, she was attacked?" Grok roared so loudly that his voice echoed all the way down the hall and could almost be heard all way down in the auction hall.

"We don't know, sir," the aid in green livery limply said. "All we know is that Ragnok went to check up on her as it is rather late, and it is time for her bed. But he found her convulsing on the floor as blood poured out of her mouth and nose."

"Where is she?" Grok asked as he stomped in the direction of the conference hall.

"The healers said, it must be a new type of curse or poison as her body is on the verge of breaking down," the second aide confessed as the first aid ran alongside them. "She's been rushed to Mungo's for emergency treatment."

"I want two of my personal guards posted near her at all times," Grok roared. "And assign Ragnok to her as well he seems to be the only with brains in this entire bank!"

"Yes, sir!" The second aide squeaked before rushing off as though his arse was on fire.

Whirling around onto the first aide, who'd naively thought he'd been forgotten, Grok says, "Where are the four bastards that did this?!"

"Interrogation room, number 13, sir," the first aide stiffly said.

"Good," Grok said in approval as it was the worst interrogation room in the bank. Any uninvited guest that went in didn't come back out. And nor was a word ever spoken suggesting otherwise.

The first aid stumbled after Grok as he clenched his hands. If not for Ragnok, not only would he have lost the child, but the Prince himself would have surely come for his head. Grok unconsciously shivers as he touches his neck as though feeling a noose hanging overhead. Unlike the wizarding world, the goblins still remembered very well, who the Prince's had once been. For on, more than one occasion, their services had been used against both wizard and goblin enemies alike.

Grok knew full well he would have to make recompenses to the Prince family after this. Especially that child, who had been attacked within his own bank! With furious strides, he entered a cold dank room that smelled of blood and excrement. One of the men was already dead, while another was sobbing like a baby pleading for his life as the goblin torturers pulled the crank on the wheel as the wizard let out a shriek as his limps were pulled again threating to split him apart.

Ignoring the sobbing man, Grok approached the two men who had still not broken under the bloody whips and burning firebrands, other torture methods. "It's ironic really," Grok said as he approached the two wizards being held up by chains to the walls.

"It was wizards who would not allow us to have wands and as such, we can't use them for torture. But who knew that muggles were so creative?" Grok fondly strokes what looks like small metal clamps used to pull out nails or teeth.

"Muggles are rather brilliant in their own fashion," Grok hummed as he approached the bearded one. Pausing his eyes narrow at the tattooed snake withering within a skull on the wizard's left forearm.

Glancing over to the pale blonde man he noted it too on the left forearm. Turning away, Gork stalked over to the corpse and spotted the same tattoo. And his final confirmation was that of the sobbing man as he two had the tattoo. It would appear that they all belonged to a selective group, but whose?

"Why did you destroy the package in the vault?" Grok asked the two men chained to the wall.

The blond wizard spits at Grok and says, "Filthy creature, go to hell."

"Very well," Grok motions at the goblins to come forward as the scent of burning meat can be heard as the blond wizard lets out a scream.

Ignoring the screaming blond wizard, Grok turns to the bearded wizard. "Speak with the truth wizard and I may yet give you a merciful death."

"I will never betray the Dark Lord!" The bearded man fearlessly said. "Nor will I say any falsehood, when I say this, the blood-red stone was already broken when we went into the vault."

"How did you know it was a stone that was contained inside?" Grok suspiciously said not believing a single word from the bearded wizard's mouth as only he knew what had been contained inside the vault. But at least he did gain something useful. The four wizards were all serving some sort of wizard that went by the name of the Dark Lord.

"We heard the crunching when we stepped on the red broken stone pieces," the bearded wizard said as finally, the blond wizard ceased to scream having fainted.

Grok turns away from the bearded wizard and walks over to one of the tortures. "Slit his throat and as for the other two make their deaths as painful as possible. But I want them dead by the end of the night. I'll not risk any witnesses nor anyone coming to their rescue."

"Yes, sir," the hooded goblin torturer said, before taking a sharp gleaming dagger from one of the trays. Grok did not wait to see the bearded wizard's throat being slit like a pig's as he made his way out and returned to the party above. Despite the terrible circumstances, he had guests to attend to and anymore his absence would be noticed. And a goblin was known for collecting revenge with added interest and collect they always did.