Goblin Standoff

"They did WHAT?" screamed Fudge as he leapt up from his desk and began to pace in front of the large fireplace that dominated his office. "They're goblins! What makes them think that they can just shut down like that? Don't they understand that we're at war?"

"Lord Gold doesn't seem to care about current events, just his treaties." Percy stated.

Fudge scowled angrily. "They're OUR treaties, not his. We can do what we want with them." He returned to his desk and pounded his fist on it. "Didn't you explain that to him?"

"I didn't really have the opportunity." Percy gulped.

"Get out of here!" Fudge shouted. "You're a pathetic failure to me. If I had sent someone else, we wouldn't be having this problem now! I want that report on Potter's assets on my desk early tomorrow too."

Percy quickly left the office, leaving Fudge to his tirade. He would calm down in an hour or so. He always did. Then after that, he would go and do something else sure to bring him back to his angry state.

"I take it that the news didn't go over well." a fellow assistant said from his desk as Percy sat at his own.

"It did not." Percy sighed. "I hope I'm not around when he realizes that the economy is in big trouble now. Fudge will have to seize almost all of the commercial business establishments and force them to work at this point."

A deep sigh came from his fellow worker. "And then the next thing we know, we'll all be bloody Communists."

"Whatever." Percy mumbled as he waved an anxious looking Auror through to the Minister's office. If Fudge didn't want visitors, that was his problem for now.

...

"What will this do to the economy, Lord Silver?" Harry inquired as he struggled to retain his calm composure. How could Fudge do this to him? What had he ever done to deserve all this persecution? Didn't the idiot realize that he was only hurting Britain and not Harry?

The quiet but shrewd goblin steepled his fingers thoughtfully. "The British money supply has just taken a significant drop, obviously. If the Minister is wise, he will take action that will promote immediate deflation. That will be very beneficial to you. Whether or not he promotes it, it will eventually happen.

Harry nodded. It seemed that the closure of Gringotts would not be overly catastrophic for the average wizard or witch and their family. The situation would be very comparable to the Great Depression however. Then the war would come, just like before. "How long until this closure starts hurting the goblins?"

The goblin seemed surprised that Harry would be concerned for his race's welfare so it took a moment before he answered. "The treaties with Britain call for the violator of the other treaties in place to cover expenses. The goblins can therefore keep the bank closed almost indefinitely since we're not the ones paying for the loss."

"I wonder if Fudge realizes that?" Harry asked himself. "Will the bank still be open to me?"

"Of course." Lord Silver said, waving his hand in a dismissive manner. "We'll still strive to work with you and your accounts, despite the difficulties caused by the Ministry. North Gringotts will also still be able to function for you as well. With time, we may be able to open Gringotts in a type of safe mode. Your strength in magical power could perhaps help us in that respect."

Harry smiled. "That's some good news at least. Thank you for coming to brief me on the situation Lord Silver. If there is anything at all that I can do to help you, let me know."

The goblin nodded and stood up as Harry did. "Briefing you was the least we could, Lord Polairix. If anything significant happens with regard to your account or assets, we'll contact you immediately. Also, thank you for your offer." Then, wasting no time, the goblin magicked himself away from Nair'icaix.

Letting out an exhausted sigh, Harry fell back into his chair and slumped back. Could things get any worse? The Daily Prophet was gone and Fudge had made it practically impossible to deal with the British economy, not by cutting off his resources, but by ruining the economy in general.

The door to his private study opened to admit Bellatrix, Tess, Bess, and Reggins- his ghostly secretary. He looked at them hopefully. "Any new plans to solve all my problems with one easy step?"

"I'm afraid not." Reggins said dryly.

"Great."

Bellatrix approached the desk and laid a calming hand on his shoulder. "Don't let it get to you, Harry. We'll figure something out eventually."

Several overstuffed chairs appeared for all but the ghost to take a seat in. Tess wasted no time in getting down to business. "Your first and probably foremost loss is the Daily Prophet. The Ministry has seized that, so there is no way to simply start a new paper for the same subscribers. It will likely be impossible to even print a newspaper in Britain unless you're the Ministry from here on out."

"Is there a way to print a newspaper outside of the country and then send it in to everyone?" Harry inquired thoughtfully, his mental facilities rising to the challenge.

"That is a remote possibility, my lord." Tess replied. "The newspapers still have to be distributed and doing so from even a country as close as the North or France would be too difficult. There are also legal challenges in other countries that must be overcome."

Harry nodded. "True."

...

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