Gabriel stood outside the fifth cell he had broken into, his eyes sweeping the dirty and empty halls. After devouring Rabastan, he had swiftly moved through three more Death Eaters before deciding to stop.
Though he knew he could keep going, he decided to stop.
The remaining prisoners Great Sage had scanned lacked anything truly noticeable within their abilities or magical powers that would be worth the effort.
He had looked for Bellatrix Lestrange, but stopped himself from devouring her completely, as she was located on another floor entirely.
'I thought she'd be in the maximum-security portion of the prison, but it seems like she's in her own wing entirely. I'd rather avoid pulling attention from a slew of Dementors without a wand.'
Sighing, he walked down the hall and peered out the window.
The ocean surrounding the castle-like prison was turbulent, with waves crashing harshly across the stone base. Thunderstorms raged in the skies, and Gabriel also noticed black silhouettes floating high in the clouds.
'Time to get out of here,' he thought.
Though Azkaban wasn't an anti-Apparition location, the people inside simply couldn't leave the island, either due to being prisoners with no magical energy, or guards who came in through Floo powder.
Utilizing the massive pool of magical energy inside him, Gabriel thought about Diagon Alley, the memories of his victims giving him a vivid image in his mind.
Space warped around his body, before his entire being twisted and shrunk.
The tell-tale popping of Apparition was absent, his accumulated knowledge of the skill silencing the audible displacement of air.
---
Crisp and clean air flooded Gabriel's nostrils as he rapidly appeared in Diagon Alley. Turning his head, he surveyed the location he had Apparated to, a smirk playing across his face as he marveled at the feeling of magic literally teleporting him across the country.
'It's weird how quickly I've adjusted to all of this, but I sort of understand. Life before this chance was pretty mundane; the repetitive cycle of waking up, going to work, slaving away, and coming home only to do the same thing the next day dulled me. Now that I have this new chance, I feel almost negligent if I don't grab the opportunity by the horns.'
Deep in contemplation, Gabriel walked forward to his first destination.
The hulking building clad in pure white marble stood before him; its structure reminded him of some ancient Roman building, with large white pillars and arching doorways.
Two 'men' stood at the front door; their gleaming silver armor radiated in the sunlight as Gabriel slowly walked up the stairs.
'Gringotts, the home base of Goblins in Britain. Shrewd businessmen, and even shrewder warriors. They'll do anything to make sure they turn a profit.'
Entering the building, Gabriel gazed at the hall that held multiple platforms on each side with Goblins sitting atop them, counting coins and pushing paperwork aggressively.
Finding an empty teller, he quickly stood in front of them, coughing lightly to gain the Goblin's attention.
"I'm here to do an inheritance test to verify my claim to my house." Gabriel spoke smoothly, his English accent surprising him somewhat before he schooled his features.
"Key?" The Goblin's eyebrow raised as it spoke.
"I don't have it, never have. But the test should verify my status, along with paying for the expenses."
The Goblin grunted, before hopping down off the podium and signaling for Gabriel to follow him.
Quickening his pace, Gabriel caught up with the surprisingly quick creature as they passed the tellers and entered a side door.
The hallway was narrow, only enough room for a single human-sized person to walk by themselves. Gabriel, noticing this, fell a step behind the Goblin as they continued down the path.
Minutes of walking later, they arrived at a nondescript door. Knocking lightly, the Goblin turned once to Gabriel.
"Enter; they will complete your test. If it's found you've lied to us and you cannot pay for the expenses, our guards will capture you."
Gabriel grunted in response, his annoyance growing by the moment as the Goblin spoke to him in such a clipped manner.
"Noted, thanks for your help."
Pushing past the creature, he opened the door and entered, before closing it behind him. Taking a step into the room, he spied another Goblin seated at a large wooden table, their head burrowed into a book as they scratched away with their quill.
"I'm here for my inheritance test." Gabriel spoke, taking a step forward and seating himself across from the Goblin.
The Goblin, still having not spoken, merely reached down into an open drawer and picked up a knife and a silver piece of parchment. Placing it on the table, he gestured to Gabriel.
"Cut your finger, drop a single droplet of blood. The test will take a moment to complete."
Nodding, Gabriel retrieved the knife as he paused in thought.
'Great Sage, will the absorbed people's blood come up in the test?'
{All blood is synthesized into your original blood, though you can utilize their family magic and pick up items locked to their bloodline, your original blood will always be its own singularity.}
Exhaling in relief, Gabriel quickly pricked his finger, allowing the single droplet to fall on the parchment before he placed the knife down and leaned back into his chair, his eyebrows furrowed in thought.
'That's fortunate. I'm sure I'd love to access their banks, but realistically as long as I have enough money from whatever family the panel gave me, I have no issues. Harry and the gang can figure out how to grab the Goblet from Bellatrix's vault.'
Both human and Goblin sat in silence for a couple of minutes, before Gabriel leaned forward, noticing words beginning to appear on the parchment.
Picking it up, he scanned through the contents.
[Bloodline Inheritance Test
Name: Gabriel Thorne (17)
Family / Lordships: Lord of Most Ancient and Noble House of Thorne (Awakened due to valid Lord.)]
It was a simple and concise document, nothing like the ones Gabriel had read in his past that mentioned special abilities, bloodline powers or grand secrets.
Turning the parchment, Gabriel pushed it forward to the Goblin, a slight smirk on his face.
"Hmm, well, congratulations are in order, Lord Thorne." The Goblin spoke, before he waved his arms and a folder appeared before him. Opening it, he sifted through some documents and read through them.
"Your family vaults and properties were placed in stasis, as we had noticed the life crystal of the previous lord had dimmed. Now that you have come of age, and gained Lordship, everything has become active once again."
Pushing the paper forward, the Goblin continued.
"Your family vault contained a large sum of Galleons, valuing around 500,000 in liquid assets. The Thorne Manor is hidden, access is granted through wearing the lord's ring and the shares your family has in a portion of Diagon Alley net you a healthy 50,000 Galleons per year."
Gabriel nodded, verifying all the information as he read through the document.
"So, do I get to wear the ring now? I'd also like some sort of pouch to carry my money around." Gabriel stated, his mind, enhanced by the Great Sage, quickly grasped everything as he made plans.
As he was deep in thought, the Goblin, whose name Gabriel still didn't know for some reason, stood up and walked to the corner of the office.
Opening a cabinet, the Goblin pulled out a box and a pouch, before walking back and placing it on the table.
"Your ring, and money pouch. Once you've worn the ring, it will resize itself to fit upon your finger. Make sure it's worn when dealing with official business. The pouch will be bound to you once you imbue some of your magic into it, registering your magical signature and connecting to your family vaults."
Picking up the box, Gabriel opened it and stared at the single but elegant ring. Made of silver, its face was wide, with a black raven etched upon it; the raven's eyes were inlaid with black gemstones.
Placing it on his pointed finger, Gabriel watched as the ring vibrated momentarily, before resizing itself and snugly fitting upon his finger.
Once the physical manifestation of his approved lordship ended, he picked up the pouch and pushed in a fraction of his magic, his enhanced senses noticing the moment it linked with the item.
Standing up and brushing his pants, Gabriel smiled at the Goblin.
"Thanks for your hospitality; please bill my vaults for the test. Have a good day."
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A/N - Another chapter might drop soon, show me some love!