AN :
I really need power stones...
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"Good, wait outside. We will talk more after we're done," he ordered, before watching her leave. Turning to Bloodmoon he said, "I believe we can both profit from today's events since having Rita under my control will help cut down on any anti-goblin propaganda in the press."
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"Indeed, I must say that was rather clever of you, but please tell me next time before you do something like that again."
"I didn't plan on it, at least not to that extent. I saw a chance to get a measure of control over her and took it. I won't have her ten years from now causing trouble, using whatever knowledge she gains from me to blackmail me.
If she had just signed the original agreement that would have been fine, but she didn't, and acted stupidly and rashly, giving me a chance to...'recruit' her on a more permanent basis. Far better to be ruthless when one can - it removes enemies that could later cause problems, and sends a message," he explained his mindset, already thinking how having an agent within the Prophet would be useful.
"Very well said. She has created a lot of enemies here. If you hadn't intervened she would have been killed and had her head posted outside on a spike," Bloodmoon said seriously. "The only reason she lived today was your actions, even if she doesn't realise it, and possibly never will."
"If she was so unpopular around here, why does she still have an account?" Harry questioned.
"Because being a nuisance isn't a breach of the treaty, but the moment she pulled out her wand, her life was forfeit. I would have ended her life myself and dumped the remains on the bank steps for all to see. The senior management would have backed my decision fully, since she is a well-known witch for her stories and it would have sent a clear message - that position and status cannot protect you here if you cross us." Gesturing around the office, Bloodmoon continued, "Plus I would have probably got a bonus for it," he stated seriously, hanging up his battle-axe.
Understanding the subtle message that Bloodmoon may like him but goblins were firmly in charge here, "I trust the guards will keep quiet about what happened here?" Harry quizzed.
"Indeed, they are under oaths not to disclose anything that happens within meetings or within offices without either my order or that of the Director's. I'll give them a summary if they ask about it, but we here at Gringotts take our clients' privacy most seriously," Bloodmoon stated.
"Good. Could you book a bigger meeting room for next Friday for my sit-down with the Hogwarts professors? As well as have several armed guards stationed; I want to make sure the professors understand how serious I am. Hopefully it will stop anyone from doing anything foolish."
"Indeed, but it will cost you."
"How much?" Harry asked.
"Hmm, four thousand Galleons an hour, however you can always get the cost covered under the terms of your agreement."
"Fine, please make the arrangements and take a thousand for yourself, since you've done excellent work getting everything sorted out," he stated, thinking over how much Bloodmoon had done for him recently. Even if the goblin's success depended on his own, it still would be a wise idea to keep his manager sweet.
"Thank you."
"You're most welcome. May your gold flow, and your enemies fall to your sword," Harry said before bowing to his account manager in a sign of respect.
"And may your enemies tremble at your sight," Bloodmoon replied, ending a traditional goblin goodbye. This caused Harry to realise that he had gained a considerable amount of respect in Bloodmoon's eyes, since such mannerisms were only shared with other goblins.
Walking out the door, he saw Rita sitting on one of the benches waiting for him. "Follow me, and keep your distance. We will talk more in private," he stated before walking out of the bank, thinking how useful Rita could be in his plans.
After exiting the bank, he broke the silence, "You may not realise it just yet, Ms. Skeeter, but my account manager very much wanted your head," he stated plainly, feeling no need to say more.
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( Later That Day )
"Damn Harry, you're in a good mood. Did everything go well?" probed Tonks.
"Everything went very well. I just gained an additional asset," he said, not really thinking about what he was saying. Instead, he was thinking over the day's events, and how after the meeting he had spent the next three hours within Rita's residence working on the articles ensuring they would be devastating if ever printed. It really was her best piece of work, due to the fact it was all grounded in stone-cold facts and evidence.
He also ordered another two articles on Severus Snape's past loyalties as a Death Eater - how he never had a court hearing, his activities before his defection, and what Mind Arts were, and how they could be used sinisterly, playing up the harm they could cause if misused.
He had also explained about Sirius Black and the evidence of his innocence, painting a picture of a falsely imprisoned Lord, and how evidence suggests the man was set up, and how several key people had profited from it. Then he had just allowed Rita to use her own creative talent, but he had ensured she wouldn't print either story until he gave permission.
So it had been a rather good afternoon, playing editor-in-chief to the articles and knowing in the end, Rita was almost fully under his control. While she could still be annoying, she couldn't cause him any trouble and ultimately no harm due to the oaths she had sworn.
But he did read several of the other articles she'd been currently researching and found some gold nuggets of information. He instructed her to continue working on these articles but wait for his go-ahead before publishing, since he could profit from them.
It was a shame really; he didn't have the time to monitor Rita fully to fish out the good stuff, which he could profit from, rather than it being wasted in gossip columns and rags where they wouldn't be taken seriously. Either way, Rita had a new editor-in-chief and he planned very much to use her 'unique' skill set to profit from.
"What did you buy then?" she asked, awaking Harry from his own internal plotting.
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Hey guys I really need some power stones to Elevate the ranking :)
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