Chapter 258: Arriving at Switzerland
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The link is also in the synopsis.
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"What would prompt you to bring this up?"
Quinn stared at the old goblin, who looked at him with beady eyes, a guarded posture, and the paper slip clinched tightly in his long nails.
"So you're aware of the Horcrux," said Quinn. "That's a good indication."
"No, it is not. Even the mention of this vile magic is an omen of misfortune and giving an invitation to ill-fate," said Bogrod, barring his teeth.
"Oh, come on, it's not that bad."
Bogrod crushed the slip in his hand and pounded the fist on the table, "It is not 'not that bad,' boy. For you to talk about the vile magic like it is nothing serious can only mean that you don't know about it!"
"I do know about it, Mr. Bogrod," said Quinn, intertwining his finger over his thighs. "Horcrux. . . the magic through which a magical severs a part of their soul through the act of cold-blooded murder and hide that part of the soul in an object outside the body, thus tethering the main soul to the plane of living even if the mortal coil is destroyed, thus achieving immortality or at least a type of immortality." Bogrod looked at Quinn with stunned eyes. "So, Mr. Bogrod, I do know what a Horcrux is and why it's considered to be one of the vilest of magic in existence."
Bogrod didn't move an inch of his muscle, his gaze intently observing the human child in front of him. What he had thought would be a glorious day of bringing a historical part of their culture was now turning into something else. He was sure that after years when he looked back to this day, this talk would come to his mind before the memory of obtaining a thousand-year-old piece of their legacy.
". . . I ask again, boy. Why have you brought this up?"
"Goblins, the race on this Earth that holds paramount knowledge on curses and curse-breaking. Even if your race has solidified their place as those with gold, when in need of curse-breaking, anyone with an iota of knowledge and sense would turn to goblins."
If it was another time, Bogrod would puff his chest and turn his nose up.
"A Horcrux at its core is an enchanted object," Quinn continued but omitted the part that a Horcrux could be a living being as well, "meaning that with sufficient knowledge, it could be broken, so I ask of you, goblin, does your kind have a way to break a Horcrux?"
Rowena Ravenclaw's Diadem and Helga Hufflepuff's Cup — two priceless artifacts created by the Hogwarts Founders, and while their creator didn't interest Quinn, he was thoroughly interested in the fact that both the artifacts were rumoured to have magical properties — he didn't know the nature of those magical properties, and wished to know. Alas, they were both tainted by Voldemort's soul, and before Quinn could even desire to study them, he needed to remove the soul fragments without destroying them.
And that's why here he was asking a goblin he was meeting for the first time about a topic that attracted the feeling of wariness and unease. But it couldn't be helped; he had tried to find a method on his own — scoured both the Hogwarts Library and Room of Requirements, but nowhere could he find a method that didn't involve the destruction of the soul's vessel.
Bogrod didn't answer immediately, instead observed Quinn, searching where this question was coming from — why did the human child want to know about the obscure magic, where had he learned of its existence, did he wish to create a Horcr—
"I do not wish to create a Horcrux, goblin," said Quinn, startling Bogrod. "Don't look surprised; it's written all over your face. Moreover, I respect the sanctity of my soul to split it and keep it outside of my body." Just the thought of splitting his soul brought disgust up Quinn's throat — it was the only thing he had brought with him to this world, the sole possession that truly belonged to him.
"How do I believe you?" asked Bogrod.
"There's no need to believe me," said Quinn. "If I was wished to create a Horcrux, then I wouldn't have asked you, a high-ranking goblin, while sitting on goblin soil, inside Gringotts, with multiple people aware of our meeting. No. I would've found a goblin who knew about Horcrux, met him in secret, and after gaining the information, killed him to ensure my secret forever remained a secret.
Now, Mr. Bogrod, tell me, does the goblin kind knows a method to destroy a Horcrux?"
Bogrod and Quinn stared at each other at a length before the former sighed, "No, we don't have a method to destroy a Horcrux. We have tried to look for a method, but we were never able to find how to rid an object of the soul. The godforsaken magic uses the ethereal soul to protect earthly objects."
Quinn showed no change in expression, but internally he sighed with disappointment. "I see," he said, "it's unfortunate then; I hoped that I could've learned something new today, but it seems that won't be the case."
Bogrod stared at Quinn with disbelief. This was why he asked for Horcrux, just so that he could learn something new? If he wanted to learn something new, then look for well-known, respectable magic; why Horcrux.
Quinn stood up from his place as he had nothing more to discuss or accomplish today. "Thank you for answering my question, Mr, Bogrod. For your time and hospitality, I would like to extend my thanks towards you," he reached into his suit breast pocket and took out three more coin cases.
Bogrod inhaled sharply at the sight of the coin cases.
"This is my gift to you." Quinn set down the three cases on the table and opened them to reveal an old galleon, sickle, and knut. "It's up to you what you wish to do with these — you can turn them to Gringotts, or you can keep them for yourself. If you decide to turn them to Gringotts, justify it was as a sign of goodwill from a West, and if you decide to treat yourself, I will never speak of these coins ever again."
Bogrod looked away from the coins up towards Quinn. He knew what that meant; whatever was discussed between the two was not to be disclosed. The gift of coins was just something to ensure that silence.
"It was a pleasure meeting you, Bogrod," said Quinn, smiling. "I hope that when another opportunity like this strikes our door, we will again be able to do some business."
After all, there was something else that he wanted from the goblins; it just wasn't the right time to get it, but when the correct did come, he would come back and get it.
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- (Scene Break) -
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"Have you packed your clothes?"
"Yes, I have properly packed my clothes, and didn't you have Polly double-check? What's the use of asking me?"
Ms. Rosey narrowed her eyes, "No matter if someone checked or not, in the end, it's your responsibility to check your work."
"Yes, ma'am," said Quinn.
"Hmm. . . do you have the gold secured?"
Quinn lifted his briefcase, "All of it in here."
"What about the gold for your use?"
"I have plenty in my pockets."
She nodded, satisfied. Her Quinn had grown up now, so this much was enough.
Elliot entered the hallway with the main door to the West Mansion. "It seems you're ready," he said and raised a small lapel pin. "I have the portkey ready."
Quinn nodded before turning to Ms. Rosey and hugging her. "I'll be back in a couple days. Hold down the fort for me." Ms. Rosey snorted as she hugged Quinn back.
"Good stuff," said Quinn, ending the hug. He turned to Elliot, "Let's go."
The two exited the mansion and began their walk towards the estate gates.
"This brings back memories," said Quinn. "Whenever I leave the country, you always walk me out."
Elliot chuckled, "That seems to be the case. I hope that will remain the case."
"Sounds like a good tradition to me."
"So, anything special you wish to do in Switzerland?"
Quinn shook his head, "No, I wish to return to as soon as my work done is there. I'm in the middle of a project, and leaving on vacation with the project in progress doesn't fit right with me."
"A project?"
"Yes, I'm working on this year's QWASPP. I'm almost finished, but there are a few kinks that I straighten and a few runes to fix — it's on a crucial stage, so I'll be returning to complete it."
"Oh my, may I know what is the product this time?"
"Nope~," Quinn smiled and wagged his finger. "It's a surprise. You'll know when I show it on the day of the reveal."
"A little hint?"
"Hmm. . . what I'm going to present already exists; I'm just putting my twist on it. I have been slowly working on it for a few years; it was just the last year that the project picked up the pace."
They reached the wrought gates, Quinn waved his hand, and the iron gates groaned open.
"This is it," said Elliot and stepped closer to Quinn to pin the lapel pin on Quinn's suit. "You'll be received by one of our employees in charge of our vaults and money in Switzerland."
"He must be a high-ranking person in the business," said Quinn, thinking of a Chief Financial Officer.
"She," said Elliot, "the person you'll be meeting is a woman."
"Ah, is that so. My apologies for assuming their gender. What's their name?"
"Helena Berenberg," said Elliot.
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- (Scene Break) -
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The rainbow colors drained, and the world returned to normality as the Portkey dropped Quinn in its intended position. He looked around his surroundings and saw himself in a room with grey, bricked walls, not having seen a single coat of paint in their lives. His eyes quirked seeing MLEs lighting the closed room, making him happy — his invention had truly become international.
The sound of clearing of a throat caught his attention, and he turned to see a woman with dark brown hair dressed in posh embroidered wizarding with a brooch on her chest. She looked to be about in her mid-forties, which meant she was at least eighty years old, but that was the best guess Quinn could make. Beside her were two men, looking to be a bit younger than her, and similarly to her, were dressed in posh robes.
"Hello," Quinn walked towards them and asked the woman in the middle, "are you Helena Berenberg?"
The woman nodded, "I'm indeed Helena Berenberg, and you're Quinn West."
"That I am," said Quinn, grabbing Helena's offered hand and kissing it.
"Welcome to Switzerland," she said before pointing at her two associates, "there are my second-in-commands here — Gossler and Seyler."
Quinn nodded to both the men and shook their hands.
"Where are we?" Quinn asked, looking at the room. "Why was the Portkey planned to arrive at this place?"
Helena smiled, "This is actually one of the basement rooms our headquarters designated to be an arriving point for Portkeys. As for the reason for its darb appearance is to make the sheer difference more impactful."
"What do you mean?" he asked, tilting his head.
"It'd be better if you see it," said Helena, motioning to the room's exit with a set of stairs going up.
And so they went up, and after going through a hallway, they entered the main building, and Quinn understood what Helena was talking about. Quinn had seen many buildings with stunning interior aesthetics, but the West Headquarters in Switzerland was easily one of the most captivating buildings he had seen.
High ceiling supported by columns that led up to crowned ceilings with golden designs beautifying every corner of the ceiling and even the walls which were lined with statues and sculptures, luxurious grand chandeliers stocked with MLEs lighting up the beautiful lobby. Beneath his feet was a beautifully patterned marble flooring, and the entire lobby was lavishly furnished.
But his eyes attracted to the thing of water in the middle of the room — if it could even be called that. It was a large shimmering sphere of water, as clear as a diamond, floating over a pond built into the floor and inside that water sphere, swam glowing fishes.
Quinn squinted his eyes at the water sphere; he noticed something peculiar with it. He moved closer to it and saw that the fishes weren't actually fishes, but just glowing colored water charmed to take the shape of fishes. He watched as a red fish and a blue fish to each other — they met each other and turned into one bigger purple fish. The fishes on the rainbow spectrum would merge and split to turn into colorful fishes.
"Wow," he said before turning to Helena, "you all really are finance people, aren't you?"
His words elicited a peal of laughter from Helena, Gossler, and Seyler. Basel, Switzerland, was where a large portion of West wealth that was was spread around the globe — it had been a big stash which had been turned bigger when George transferred the Britain capital to Switzerland, giving it a substantial increase, which led to the construction of this headquarters that handled and managed a considerable amount of wealth. It was a monument solely built to showcase West's wealth.
Helena's eyes caught someone, and she called the person, "Alexia, please come here."
Quinn turned to see a tall blonde young woman with hazel eyes dressed in a pleated blouse-jacket over a white shirt above a long skirt, and topping the outfit was a shoulder cape.
Helena put a hand on Alexia's shoulder as she introduced her, "This is Alexia Piaget, and she'll be there for your every need during your stay here."
Alexia gave a short bow and smiled pleasantly, "Please feel free to tell me anything you want, and I'll arrange it for you."
Quinn nodded but kept staring at Alexia. "Have we met somewhere," he asked, "because I'm sure I have seen you somewhere, but I can't put my finger on it."
"No, we haven't met," said Alexia, but there was a smile on her face, "but there's a chance that you might have seen me. I'll give you a hint — Beauxbatons."
Quinn's mind raced and immediately went to the Beauxbatons delegation that came to Hogwarts for the Tri-wizard tournament, but no, Alexia Piaget wasn't there. But then Quinn recalled that Alexia had said they hadn't met, and it clicked for Quinn as a memory surfaced in his mind.
"I remember now," he said, "I have seen you in one of Lia's photobooks, yes-yes, you studied in Beauxbatons with my sister, didn't you?"
"Yes, your sister and I are friends," said Alexia. "She talked a lot about you know. Our friend groups feel like we know you, or you when you were a child."
Quinn groaned, "What did she say?" His sister had dotted excessively when he was little, and while that was nice and all, he could guess what she said to her friends.
"Well, to start with, there were a lot of stories."
Quinn groaned more. Like not liking the photos from your past, Quinn, too, didn't enjoy discussing his childhood. Looking back at it now, him acting like a child was cringing to him now.
"There were a lot of cute photos on her nightstand, which would change every time she would come back from home," Alexia said, enjoying herself, and even Helena and the other two were having fun.
"That damn sister of mine," said Quinn, feeling deep embarrassment. He looked at Alexia, "I hope you're a good friend of Lia and wouldn't mind divulging her school-days stories. I'm going to need a lot of ammunition if I'm to make her feel as I'm doing right now."
Alexia's smile grew broader, "We would need a lot more time if you want to listen to all of them."
"Ms. Paiget, I'm looking towards our time together."
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Quinn West - MC - Embarrassed of his dark past.
Bogrod - Goblin Higher-up - Chose to turn in the coins to leverage for an increase in status.
Alexia Paiget - Lia's friend - The West siblings are interesting.
FictionOnlyReader - Author - I hate the "Goblins Being The Answer To Everything" trope!
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Chapter 259: Monolith (Post This First)
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The link is also in the synopsis.
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Quinn stared at the building in front of him.
It was a building that he thought was completely opposite to Gringotts. The goblin bank was made from white stone showing its ancient majesty, while the building in front of him was a soul-sucking black without a fleck of dust marring its polished exterior. If Gringotts exterior design reflected the architecture of the time it had been built, then the building in front of him was just a stocky black box. Gringotts had bronze gates, the building in front of him had glass doors.
The only thing both had come in was that their names were written in gold.
「Monolith」
"Monolith, huh," he said, "the symbol of terror and reassurance at the same time."
Helena standing by his side, nodded, "It's the bank's policy — don't steal from us, and we will keep your money safe and secured."
"Gringotts, back home, is the roughly the same — though they are much more explicit about their threats, carved right on the front door." Quinn liked the Gringotts' prose very much, but he also liked Monolith's subtle forewarning. It had his seal of approval. "Tell me more about Monolith."
"Well, it's a classic private bank," said Helena as she, Quinn, and Alexia, walked to the glass doors and the two guards dressed in blue-and-silver opened the door for them. "They serve affluent clients with an abundance of wealth, like your family — provide them with facilities like basic banking services, brokerage, limited tax advisory, concierge-type services, discretionary asset management, and the vast array of wealth management.
"They are infamous for their secrecy promises. Once money goes into Monolith, it's difficult for an outsider to get information about who holds what and how much; they promise that your financials are going to be kept under a tight seal, of course, they won't help you break the law — bend around the law, sure — but not breaking the law. And because they only service high-asset clients, who have rock solid financial stability, it ensures that Monolith won't go bankrupt, thus making it extremely safe for them to hold your assets."
"That's reassuring," said Quinn as he looked around the bank.
The first thing his eyes went to were the little stone gremlins perched on the walls and ceiling around the huge room. He watched as one of the gremlins' eyes followed him like a security camera, making him wonder what they would do if he was an intruder. Alas, he didn't have the liberty to test out to pull out a black ski mask and shotgun.
The lobby only had one greeting table, and the lobby somehow didn't look desolate despite the lack of any other furniture. Behind the long white patterned marble table sat three women in the prime of their beauty, dressed in identical attire.
They walked to the middle woman, who looked up from her work and stood when she saw them approaching. "Madam Berenberg," she said with a slight bow, "we have been expecting; I hope you're having a pleasant day."
"I have been fine, thank you, and I hope you're the same."
The woman who worked at Monolith as a front desk concierge nodded to Alexia before turning to Quinn, who she found was staring at her intently with a raised eyebrow.
"Is there something, Mr. West?" she asked.
Quinn looked away from her and towards the other two concierges who were engrossed in their work before looking at the woman again. "You three are identical," he asked, "triplets?"
The woman smiled softly with her painted-pink lips. "Yes, Mr. West, we are triplets." The other two of the trio looked up and nodded with identical smiles. Quinn had seen twins — Potter Twins, Patil Twins, Weasley Twins, and the Carrow Twins; the latter two pairs were the classic identical twins who matched with their twins, but even they weren't a match for the triplets before him, he couldn't tell one apart from another.
". . . You know my name?" asked Quinn.
"Yes, we were informed that you'll be visiting today."
Quinn looked at her lapel badge and saw a name tag that said — Amaryl. He glanced at her sisters and learned their names — Cheryl and Daffodil.
"I have an appointment with Gair," said Helena.
"Mr. Gair is ready for you," said Amaryl. "I'll guide you to him; please follow me."
They walked into the inner part of the bank through an entrance in the inner wall of the lobby and entered a room with a dozen doorways. They stepped into the doorway with the number four in roman numerals etched above.
"I have heard that the number four is known as the West gate as through their one can go to the part of the bank that handles the West fortune," said Alexia, whispering into Quinn's ears. The West fortune stored Monolith was big enough for the bank to assign an entire section for its care.
They walked through a few corridors, passing by many doors coming across a few people who would nod to Helena — she seemed to be extremely famous in the Switzerland finance industry. After the corridors exited, the interior changed into a classic renaissance design, much different from the rest of the bank.
They soon reached a pair of dark wood doors. A pale woman sat outside the door, to a side behind a desk. She wore thin-rimmed circular glass with messy brown curls flowing down her shoulders.
Quinn's gaze lingered on the woman as he noticed something strange with her. 'She's lacking blood,' he noted. He had long become adept with blood magic that, along with his expertise in healing magic, that he could intuitively tell a thing or two about blood at a glance, and this woman's appearance told him that she was at a loss of blood, though he couldn't tell the reason without casting magic.
"Ixquic," said Amaryl to the woman, who looked up at her with a semi-dazed that regained focus at seeing Amaryl. "We are here for Mr. Gair's appointment with Master Quinn West and Madam Helena Berenberg."
"He's waiting for you," said Ixquic, her voice held a whisper-like quality. She got up from her chair, slowly walked to the door, lightly rapped her knuckles before opening the door a crack and looking inside. "Madam Berenberg is here."
A deep voice sounded from inside, "Send them in."
Ixquic pushed one pane of the double doors open with her entire body. "Please go in," she gestured them in.
Helena and Quinn entered the similarly styled office, leaving Alexia outside. A wall covered with bookshelves, artwork framed on the others; a sitting area around a table in one part of the room; wooden cabinets fitted with glasses. And the most eye-catching part of the room were animal heads mounted on the upper walls — lion, tiger, wolf, elk, among other non-magical animals but then there were the magical species, and that collection was impressive from every angle — an Egyptian sphinx, a Peruvian Vipertooth dragon, a South Ameican Firedrake, a white-feathered Griffin, and the list went on.
Sitting in the centre of the office was a man in his prime, dressed in a simple black shirt and white pants, leaning into his chair behind a simple-yet-ornate four-legged desk.
"Helena," greeted the man in his deep voice without standing up, "you look beautiful as ever. How about we go to dinner tonight? I know a lavish place where we can enjoy some great wine and food."
"I'm flattered, Gair, but I would like to politely refuse. I am, as you know, married."
"What has that got to do with anything?" said Gair apathetically, causing Helena to sigh; she had long gone used to it. Next, Gair turned his half-lidded eyes to Quinn, "So you're George's grandson. . . hmm, I can see the resemblance, though I think like your sister more."
Quinn stared at the man intently, "So, you're the reason why the lady outside seems to be hypovolemic." The moment he had set his eyes on the man, he knew exactly why the secretary, Ixquic, outside had a lack of blood volume in her body
"Aren't you an observant one," said Gair, his red-eyes smiling. He raised his hand that rested on the armrest of his chair and rested his sickly-pale face (much paler than Ixquic) on his palm. "What gave me away?" he said with a voice swimming in amusement.
"You're clearly a Vampire," said Quinn.
"That I am," said Gair while gesturing for them to sit down.
Quinn glanced at Helena, but she didn't seem to be surprised, meaning she knew about the man's face, and well, why wouldn't she? This man, Gair, wasn't really hiding his race.
Quinn sat down opposite Gair, who still had a laid-back smile, "Second point —" Gair slightly raised his brows, "— the lady outside, her name — Ixquic. . . Mayan origin. . . and its meaning — Blood Woman," he matched eyes with Gair who was now smiling, "I just hope I'm wrong about Ms. Ixquic's history and the origins of her name."
"Oh? Do tell," asked Gair, curious.
"You're a vampire, and I guessing an old one?"
"Hmm, old, yes, I suppose you can say that. Let's say that I started working for your family when your grandfather's grandfather was a young man."
Quinn's eyes narrowed. That was older than he had first thought. "If you're that old, and she's named Ixquic, I just hope that it's not her real name, or at least the first one, and you gave it to her."
"I did give that name to her," then Gair smiled, "when she was born."
Quinn's lips thinned. His thoughts were correct. "She was raised to be your blood bag," said Quinn; half-statement and half-question.
"Mhmn. Though you don't need to worry about her, she's doing it on her own accord and is getting compensated handsomely."
"Is she the only one?"
"Right now, yes."
Which meant there were others before.
"Well, if this is her choice, then I suppose it's none of my business," Quinn said before formally introducing himself, "Nice to meet you, Mr. Gair. I'm Quinn West."
"Ah, I haven't introduced myself, haven't I? My name is Idris Gair, and as you guessed, I'm a Vampire, and I work as the Head Account Manager for the West Account in Monolith, and am also part-owner of Monolith. You're an interesting one, Quinn West."
Quinn shrugged. "So, Mr. Gair, how did you come to work for my family?" he asked.
"No need to call me Mr. Gair. Just Gair or Idris will do," said Gair, curiously observing Quinn. "As for your latter question — Monolith is a bank which allows various races to work for them — I started at the lowest, but by the time your grandfather's father took over, I was already working in the current position and have been working in the same position."
Helen chimed in and provided a fact, "Gair's a rare manager in Monolith, unlike the others, who work on multiple accounts, Gair only manages one section, and only focus on the West funds."
"Your family has more than enough money, which is too much for me complete," said Gair. "I can't diversify even if I wanted to do because of the amount of work I go through with just your money stored here at the bank. I have no interest in taking any more accounts.
"So, I heard that you're here to deposit a large amount of money?" asked Gair.
Quinn nodded, "I have come into more gold, and I'd like to add it to my vault here."
"We can do that," said Gair, "My team and I are the ones who manage your personal account here. I have to say, it's one of the fastest-growing personal accounts I have seen in the recent time.
"Your vault is already ready; we just need to load it with some money, and we'd be ready to go fully operational. So how much are you planning to put in?"
"A lot of it," Quinn smiled.
"Well," Gair stood up, "come on, let's go make a deposit."
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Quinn West - MC - Blood magic is one of his expertise.
Idris Gair - Vampire - Very old; flirty; laid-back; has raised his own blood bank.
Ixquic - Blood bank (blood woman) - Probably earns more than any secretary.
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