"This... is not exactly what I expected." I spoke up the moment we apparated at our current location and I had time to look around.

"We are still a bit away and need to walk. Their territory is surrounded by goblin enchantments that prevent wizardkind to apparate in or out. Not even house elves could do it."

"Then it sounds like we are walking into a tiger's den..." Quincy added, making me nod, but Grindelwald was surprisingly calm. Well... he always was.

"It will be fine. Come!"

Looking around after following him, we were surrounded by lush trees, bushes, and the sound of different birds merrily chirping away. It was as if we were on a hike, going through the untouched wilderness where no humans set foot before. It was a nice change of pace, and I did not really mind it. After around an hour of walking and enjoying the scenery, I noticed smoke rising on the horizon right after coming out from between the trees and arriving at a clearing.

"We are already within their borders; keep your wands at bay. Don't brandish it until I do, got it?"

"Yes, Sir." We answered in unison as we both had different methods of defending ourselves. Even if their barrier cuts off teleporting, I could still turn into a basilisk, and Quincy could fly away. We should be alright...

Finally, reaching their settlement was still different from what I had expected. When speaking about goblins, I thought of being underground, tunneling deep, surrounded by steam engines and machinery. Maybe two or three blacksmith workshops. Or something like what is under every Gringotts. But no.

What I saw was a typical village with stone and brick houses. No, the correct term would be estates. These homes were just as big as any human-sized ones, but their proportions differed. While it would be a two-story building for a human, for them, the same size meant it was a four-story villa. They were all luxurious-looking; the roads were smooth, and they even had parks and churches decorated with gold and silver. The only difference was that instead of a cross, a golden hammer was shining in the sunlight on the tallest, gothic-looking church.

Before I could ask anything, I saw a vehicle approach us, which was like a shrunken-down version of a muggle's car from the 1930s. On the smooth road, it was surprisingly fast and stopped right before us while I watched four goblins get out of it, wearing military-looking uniforms. The fabric itself was black and red, while golden, metallic plates reinforced their shoulders and chest. Would it have any magical properties? Probably. They were goblins, after all.

"Thou glimdratch, wazzock blarn... wixard!"

Gobbledegook. What an ugly language. Of course, I understood none of it, and I couldn't tell if the goblin was angry or not. They did sound angry, but that was just their language. I tried reading their expressions but damn it, they also looked angry... but I never saw a goblin smile either. Can they even feel happiness? Or joy?

"They can. I will translate it for you." Herpo spoke up in my mind, making me form a small smile. Finally, you are awake when I need you. "You do know, I can hear your thoughts."

"Yes. But please, continue." I chuckled to myself, ignoring his sigh as he continued translating what Grindelwald and the goblins were talking about.

"I have a pass." Grindelwald said, pulling out a round, silver disc the size of his palm and showing it to the goblins, who were grumbling something when they saw it.

"Let me examine it!" Said the first one, who got out of the car's driver's seat. 

"Are you from House Hammerstrike?" Grindelwald asked, pulling his hand back the moment the goblin reached for it.

"Hmph! I am from House Goldhand; don't mistake me for a Hammerstrike welp!"

"Did old Goldhand overtook Hammerstrike? I did not know about that. The last time I was here, Silver Hammerstrike was the leader of your city."

"And he still is!" answered a cold voice as a second car approached, one that was only a two-seater, long, longer than a fishing boat. It had a shining, silvery body with white leather seats and without a top. It stopped right next to us while another ugly-looking goblin stepped out of it. His clothes were white as snow with black trims going along their edges... looking at him and his car; I knew he liked the color a lot. This one looked a bit older than the rest, which I could only tell because his long ears were filled with long, grey hair. It was like a cat's whiskers but growing in the wrong place. Oh, and his brows... those could be substituted for a wirebrush. He needed a trim if you asked me...

"Old Silver." Grindelwald nodded, forming a small smile, while the first group of goblins groaned and cursed under their long noses.

"I felt my emblem return. It was time," he answered, ignoring everyone else and reaching out his hand. Grindelwald gave it to him without hesitation this time, watching him rub his long fingers and black nails over it multiple times before pocketing it. "You made me hold onto your rubbish for long enough. I am not a Gringotts!"

"You are the Head of Gringotts," he countered, making the old one widen his lips and show his sharp teeth. At that moment, I wished I had never seen a goblin smile again. It was horrifying.

"That I am. You know where my home is, I assume. Meet me there. And lads!" He turned towards the four who were already climbing into their cars. "Tell old Goldie that he may have made friends, but don't try and step over his boundaries, or he will learn why we're called Hammerstrike!"

When both groups left, I finally let out a long sigh, echoed by Quincy, who had been utterly oblivious to their conversation until now.

"What was that about?" She asked, feeling frustrated, stomping her right foot on the hard road.

"The usual goblin feud." He answered, unbothered, "Let's get walking. We still have a long way to go, and I will explain it to you while we do so."

"If it is far away, he could have given us a lift..." She continued to grumble, making him smile.

"We wouldn't have fit into his car, and even if we did, he wouldn't have done it. Don't be mistaken. He may honor his deal with me, but he is not a friend."

"Does he even have a friend?" I asked jokingly, "I don't think someone who is the head of Gringotts would have many of those."

I knew I was betraying the fact that I could understand them talking, but I wanted to see Grindelwald's reaction. I did trust him, but I did not trust him as much as Quincy or my Father... I wanted to, but I was unable to. Yet.

"True enough." He nodded, looked at me once, and, unlike Quincy, skipped any questions about how I could comprehend Gobbledegook.

"You understood them?" She grabbed my hands, and when I nodded, a light flashed through her eyes, making me nod again. She already guessed it was because of Herpo.

"You could have kept it a secret." Herpo argued, "It is good to keep secrets."

"I keep you a secret, just like my basilisk form. I am willing to share this, on the other hand, so Grindelwald can plan accordingly. I want to trust him..."

"Your call, Conrad."

"Where are the goblins?" Quincy asked a question that eluded me so far. Sure enough, walking on the sidewalks, I saw nobody. It was a lovely city, beautiful even, but I saw nobody around. Cars passed by us occasionally, but other than that, I saw no goblins. Were they watching from their windows? Too afraid to come and see wizards? Where is everybody?

"Underground." Grindelwald answered her, holding his hand behind his back as we walked, "The city is a show of wealth to each other. The houses are like trophies; the fancier, the more luxurious, the wealthier the goblin family that owns it. The real deal is hidden underground. Think of these houses as a gateway to a different world. All of them lead downwards, but they rarely intersect. It is... hm, like a weird ant hill."

"Are we going down?" I questioned, looking towards the different decorated doors and gardens.

"Most likely. The old man will try to swindle me while I get my stuff back, so I will have to be on my toes to avoid falling for any of his traps."

"Brilliant... didn't you say they honor their end of the bargain?" I grunted, rubbing my forehead.

"They do. He will give them back; that is not the issue here. What I need to be careful about is how I accept them. Because if I show any gratitude or inkling of it, taking it as a favor and not as a business being conducted and finalized, he can then attack from that position."

"Attack?" We asked, looking at each other first.

"Owing a favor to a goblin is never ideal. So don't fall into its trap. They will keep reminding you of owing them, which is highly annoying."

"True." Herpo added, "They are needy and greedy little bastards. I hated working with them, especially because of their belief that all they ever made was rightfully theirs. Even if I paid for it... So, I opted to enslave their minds and bind them to my will. Then I didn't have to deal with their nonsense."

"I always forget that your title was The Foul." I murmured within my mind.

"There." Grindelwald exclaimed softly. Looking towards where he was pointing, we saw a beautiful white villa before us. No, that was a whole palace, walled off from the other parts of the city. It was not goblin-sized; it was human-sized, so I genuinely mean it when I say it was huge. "That's old Hammerstrike's home."

"Why is it this big? I can see doors and windows that could fit a troll through it, not to mention us."

"As I said, wealth. Gringott Hammerstrike was the one who established the banking system we all use, and although both wizards and goblins jointly operate the bank, you can guess who holds the true reigns in their hands."

"Bet." I chuckled, "Not to mention goblins; I wouldn't want to let something so important out of my hands."

"Yes... Money does make the world go around. Even I or your Dark Lord are troubled to go up against it. Or at least troubled for now. I wonder if Gringotts would finally feel troubled if the Order loses..."

"My guess is that they are playing both sides." Quincy interjected, looking at the marvelous design of the moving, 'living' hedges that decorated the vast garden as we approached the main gate. There were dragons, griffins, sphinxes, and even graphorns amongst them. "Profiting from a constant war is an easy way to get richer." She finished her thoughts, prying her eyes from the green 'beasts.'

"You..." Grindelwald said, smiling back at her, "are already thinking like a goblin. Good. Now I am more relaxed that you won't get into trouble here~!"