Author's Notes: This was just some crazy idea I got while reading "Son of the Dragon" by Trojan Seeress. I was just joking around in PM and I actually got the twisted idea to make a story out of this that is set in her 'verse. It was mostly a bunch of "Gringotts journal entries", but I decided to flesh it out a little. After talking to Trojan Seeress about it, she gave me the okay to play in her sandbox. It's not much and I'm not sure how often I'll update it, but it's only going to be a few chapters long at most (because I'm still working on that cursed "War of Angels" series of fics that just won't die...LOL!)

Anyway, this story is set at roughly the same time as "Son of the Dragon" and takes place a few days after the Hogwarts group has arrived at the college. Also, from the way I read the story, it appears that most of the events from the Skyrim game happened at least a decade before Trojan Seeress' story takes place. TS, if I'm wrong, correct me. That is why Lucia is in her early 20s (she wasn't so much as adopted, but was taken in by the Companions with Silandra as her sponsor). I don't think she has shown up the original story, which is why I'm using her.

Also, this has not been beta-read. So don't be surprised by any typos or other errors. If and when I catch them, I will correct them.

Oh, and before anyone asks, yes, Grimtooth is based on an old-school fantasy supplement that was popular among the D&D tabletop crowd (and if you can find the old trap books, they are fun to read).

Disclaimer: HP owned by JKR. Elder Scrolls owned by Bethesda.

Gringotts Bank (where blood, silver, and gold flow)

Diagon Alley Branch

London, United Kingdom

Senior Branch Manager Ragnok sat at his desk in his private office at Gringotts, a curious look on his features which would be frightening to humans if they ever saw the old battle-scarred goblin lost in thought. The London branch recently received a magical trunk via a portal from Nirn, a world on a different plane of existence that no one had heard of until a few months ago when Silandra Stillgrade walked through their doors.

While she was a magical being, Silandra Stillglade was clearly no wizard...by Merlin's beard, she wasn't even human! She identified her species (and that of her son) as a Bosmer and she didn't come off as a normal wizard did. Yes, she came off as being some sort of noble and sure of herself, but it was obvious that she had earned the right to act that way. She moved as a warrior, not as a spoiled and self-entitled wizard, and it was obvious that she was more than capable of backing up her claims.

After some dealing and a few lengthy (and very interesting) conversations with the other department managers, a major deal was struck and Gringotts was permitted to explore a region in this new world known as Nirn. To be more precise, it was what Silandra herself declared as a "relatively dangerous region" that didn't fall under any particular hold's jurisdiction and they were more than welcome to explore Aftland and Blackreach.

It sounded almost like a challenge and that got the old goblin's attention. So he assembled a group of his best researchers, a handful of warriors, and even a couple cursebreakers that included that young human wizard Billius Weasley. While Ragnok did not care much for human wizards (he found them arrogant and full of themselves), he cut the human some slack because he found it interesting that there was a young wizard who wanted "to see what's really out there and not stagnate here at home". It also helped that the young man was willing to learn all he can from his goblin co-workers and was very respectful about it.

And then there was head of the team, Grimtooth, one of Ragnok's own kin with a very promising future in the branch. The fact that Grimtooth and the Weasley worked well together was good...and a little more disconcerting when the two talked about the kind of traps they could encounter and bypass.

Merlin forbid if those two ever decided to follow a career in security management here.

Ragnok shuddered at that thought before he opened the letter which had accompanied a small journal belonging to Account Research Manager Ironfang. Before he started to read the letter, his gaze drifted over to the bottle of fire-whiskey on his desk. He briefly considered pouring himself a shot, but decided not to. At least not yet…

To: Ragnok Steelgrave, Senior Branch Manager, Gringotts London

From: Grimtooth, International Investment and Acquisitions Agent, Gringotts London

Subject: The Stillglade/Nirn Agreement

Dear Sir,

Enclosed are a few reports regarding our current situation on the property acquisition deal that Silandra Stillglade brokered for us and, as you can see from the items that we shipped to you in the trunk, it has been a profitable venture. Yes, there were some fatalities, but I would dare say it was worth it. My suggestion, however, is that you might want to send some actual soldiers with the next group. As you will see in the journal entries of Ironfang, Nirn has some surprises.

Unfortunately, Ironfang is no longer with us. No, he is not dead, but he seems to have gone a little mental and was last seen running across the frozen wasteland north of the township called Winterhold. According to some witnesses he was last seen taking residence in a makeshift outpost that housed a Dwemer device (more on the Dwemer later and believe me when I say what little we discovered about them is very disconcerting). What we do know is that Ironfang read a black tome that radiated great power and it did something to his mind.

Oddly enough, Curse Breaker Weasley also read the book. While it did throw him into a trance similar to Ironfang for several minutes he came out of it mostly stable, though he did say that there are some places that even he won't go again and that book was one of them. We have sealed the book with our strongest security runes and have sent it back for your research department to look at it. Whatever you do, however, DO NOT read or allow anyone else to read it until you figure out how to bypass whatever is in it.

I conclude this letter by once again saying that the deal we have made with Silandra Stillglade was profitable, but it is also a dangerous one. You will learn more about this as you read through Ironfang's journal entries.

Sincerely,

Grimtooth of the Steelgrave Clan, International Investment and Acquisitions Agent, Gringotts

P.S.

Uncle Ragnok, I'm serious, send us some more soldiers, this place is huge. Also, some acromantula proof clothing and armor would be welcome and advised...trust me on this.

Ragnok frowned after reading the postscript to the letter, but it wasn't because of his nephew being unprofessional and addressing him directly. It was the fact that the young goblin RARELY wrote postscripts unless there were some serious ramifications to consider and THAT was something to be concerned about. Grimtooth was a cool and collected individual who had no problems facing off against a rampaging mountain troll, especially when potential profit was involved.

Once again, his eyes drifted over to the bottle of fire-whiskey. After a couple seconds of deliberation, he poured himself a shot in a small glass and gulped it down, pausing for a moment to savor the pleasant burning sensation as it went down his throat. He then turned his attention to the small journal that was with the letter and started reading it.

October 22 (I'll be damned if I ever figure out the Nirnian calendar)

We quietly arrived in the magical college of Winterhold as we didn't want to alert any members of the Hogwarts contingent to our presence. Though we had packed well for this expedition, Curse Breaker Weasley and Agent Grimtooth felt it would be wise to talk to the local population of Winterhold to inquire about possible dangers between the town and our destination and any additional supplies we might need. We were quite surprised, however, by the reaction of the people in regard to our presence. Though there was some mild hostility among them, it was more about us being "outsiders" than it was about most of us being goblins.

In fact, we were asked by the librarian of the Mages College if we were perhaps an offshoot of his native Orcimer race while we were at the local inn. Other than the fact that we were "outlanders", they didn't really give us a second glance.

Ironically it was Billius Weasley who garnered the most hostility from some of the patrons of the inn's bar. There were a couple instructors from the college there and one of them immediately became hostile when they heard his name. He was asked if he was related to a Ronald and Molly Weasley, which he did confirm. This led to an argument that suddenly became a brawl that ended when Grimtooth and Cursebreaker Weasley threw the angry instructor and two of his fellow instigators out the front door, leaving several unconscious people and damages that, unfortunately, we did have to pay for.

However, it was declared that honor was satisfied and one of the orcimer combat instructors from the college said that we had proved ourselves and declared Cursebreaker Weasley as 'an honorable man' which immediately got the rest of the Winterhold patrons at the inn to leave Weasley alone. When Cursebreaker Weasley asked why he was regarded with such hostility, they merely said that he had honor and was not narrow minded as some of his kin. I suspect Weasley is going to have some words with members of his family when he returns home.

(Expense Account Item: 300 Galleons for damages and to cover our stay at the inn that night. Thankfully, the local mages were good at healing and there were plenty of healing potions to go around).

Frozen Hearth Inn

Winterhold, Skyrim

Lucia wasn't sure of what to make of the strange little group that Harbinger Silandra had authorized for an "expedition" to Blackreach. After meeting the first group of "Outworlders" that was currently at the college, she was certain that she wanted nothing to do with those mostly bigoted and self-important pieces of excrement. By oblivion, they almost made the thrice damned Thalmor seem like decent folk.

Okay, she thought to herself, maybe that's going too far.

To be fair, not all of the so called Hogwarts (whoever named that school that school must have been on skooma at the time) group were like that. A more accurate assessment would be about one third of the group were looking at this as some great adventure, another third was frightened but curious, and the final third were the bigoted and self important pieces of excrement she was quietly hoping would be used as target practice.

Though she was still young, she had seen a lot in her twenty two years. The Civil War, demonic incursions, a vampire clan war, the Thalmor War, and, of course, Sam's 'Party of the Era' which made her swear never to drink anything other than mead ever again. Despite the horrors of the other events, it was the last one that still made her shudder since she couldn't quite recall what all happened during that party and that she was barred from ever setting foot on the Bard's College again.

Hellfire, she was still trying to figure out when she was at the Bard's College or how she even got there all the way from Riften!

However, all those events almost seemed trivial compared to the headache she was getting when dealing with some of the "Hogwarts" brats and one of their adult guardians. That Molly Weasley and her son were just asking to be dropped in the northern sea somewhere. And now, as the youngest member of the Companions Inner Circle, she was being charged by Silandra to accompany this other group of outworlders to Black Reach. At first she was reluctant to do so until they arrived and she noticed a couple things about the new group.

First, the group only had one human among them, the others appeared to be an offshoot of the rieklings of Solstheim (only more civilized, slightly larger, and entirely too much at ease with weapons around them). Silandra had told her that these "goblins" were basically "warrior bankers".

"And why hadn't you set them up to deal with the Silverbloods in Markarth?" Lucia asked her.

Silandra gave her an evil smirk. "Oh, I'm certain they'll cross paths at one point, and I'm looking forward to that day."

"You're still pissed off at them over the whole Forsworn thing, aren't you?"

"Maybe a little..."

Lucia couldn't help smiling at the memory of that conversation. If what Silandra had told her about the goblins was true, the saying of "Blood and Silver" would take an even more deadly meaning. Though most of the goblins stuck together, they were polite when spoken to and some were even comparing weapons with the local guardsmen. Even some of her fellow companions were curious, but respectfully kept their distance.

Except for Delvis.

Lucia never liked the man, but he had proven himself a capable warrior and was respected among the Companions. He didn't lack courage and was good in a fight, but he took the term "mercenary" to an all new level. He believed in just doing the job, and to oblivion to those who might have suffered collateral damage during the job. Most of the companions had some compassion and would help clean up things a little before moving on to the next job, but not Delvis. He was arrogant, opinionated, hot-headed, and was more than willing to back up his words with his blade or fists.

Delvis also hated the fact that, despite being a few years her senior, Lucia was invited to join the inner circle. It was a situation that finally came to a head a few months later that ended with him receiving a broken jaw and a couple broken limbs. Though he wasn't kicked out of the Companions for the loss, he was ordered by the Harbinger to join the staff at Winterhold as a combat instructor.

While she wasn't certain of Silandra's reasoning behind the assignment, she was certain that Delvis would be more easily brought to heel if he found himself pissing off Farkas or Vilkas who were also currently on rotation at the College. While Delvis had no problem insulting her, he was obviously wary (if not frightened by the two senior members of the Companions Inner Circle).

She saw the older man sneer at the group of goblins before shaking his head and muttering something in disgust before returning his attention to his drink.

Lucia decided to ignore him and turned her attention to the lone human (he looked like a Breton) in the Gringotts contingent who was chatting a way with a goblin. Unlike the rest of the Gringotts' group, these two stood out. The Breton wore some sort of coat made out of leather and the rest of his clothing appeared to be made out of dragon hide. He had a dragon tooth earring in one ear and his long red hair was held back in a ponytail. Lucia was certain the man had his wand (wands...she still couldn't believe how backwards these people were), possibly in the sleeve of his coat, but she could also tell that he had at least three daggers on him. His wiry build and the way be moved spoke of someone who, unlike the Hogwarts magicals, was constantly moving and regularly performed tasks that kept him in that condition. She also noticed that his eyes would occasionally look up and take in his surroundings.

He is constantly checking his surroundings, making sure he knows where the exit points are and his eyes are constantly assessing the situation. He moves much like one of the thieves guild...but he isn't.

She then turned her attention to the goblin the Breton was talking to. The goblin appeared to be younger than the rest of his brethren and was slightly smaller than them. From the slight stubble on his scalp, it was obvious that he shaved his hair off fairly regularly. Unlike the other goblins, he didn't appear to be wearing armor like the warriors or fancy clothes like their leader Ironfang. Instead, he wore simple trousers, a leather short coat and boots. He also carried a few throwing knives on his belt along with a curious leather pouch that seemed to glow ever so slightly.

There were an interesting pair and it was obvious that these two were good friends.

No, she mentally corrected yourself, not just friends...they talk like fellow warriors. As a werewolf, she was thankful for her slightly enhanced hearing as she listened to their conversation.

"Okay, let's look at the positive," the Breton said. "We're on the frontier of a new world."

"Yeah, but it's bloody cold," the goblin mock whined. "What is the point of exploring a new world when you're freezing your balls off."

"It was colder in Prague," countered the Breton.

"Yeah, but at least we could have a bonfire."

"'Tooth, I don't think burning down the pub would be considered a bonfire."

"It kept us warm, didn't it?"

"Yeah, but keep in mind that we were in the middle of the aforementioned building fighting for our lives."

"Heh, yeah, good times," the goblin chuckled. "But if I remember right, Bill, who was that guy who was fighting that vampire with a torch in one hand and a broken wand in the other while cheerfully singing 'Burning Down the House'?"

"For the record, I was half drunk, the broken wand was far more effective when I staked his arse."

"Um, yeah, you staked his arse alright. I thought stakes had to go through the heart."

"It worked, didn't it? I mean, he went pretty quickly after that."

"Only because you followed up the broken wand with the burning torch. And five minutes of him rolling around screaming in agony was not 'pretty quickly'."

"Hey, he and his crew tried to kill us, it was only fair we made him suffer a little."

"True."

"And we did retrieve the relic...even though it was a little blood stained and singed."

"Again, true."

"And that got us on this new assignment to check out this new land."

"Still not seeing the positive here, Bill. Yes, we got the job done, we got a handsome bonus for the artifact's recovery, and we are in a new land with loads of danger and opportunity around every corner. But you seem to be forgetting one thing."

"And what would that be, 'Tooth?"

The goblin called 'Tooth motioned in the direction of the richly dressed goblin leader called Ironfang who was sitting at another table writing something in a journal. "You forget that we have Ironfang the annoying bean-counter in charge."

Bill's head dropped in resignation. "Dammit," he groaned, "why did you have to bring that up?"

Lucia couldn't help giggling at the interaction, but managed to stifle it when the two outworlders looked in her direction. "Sorry," she said, "I couldn't help overhearing your conversation and I thought it was funny."

"And you are so bored, that you have to listen to us for entertainment?" the goblin asked.

"Well, it is a bar and there isn't much else to do but sit around and drink."

Bill and the goblin shared a look before shrugging. "Fair enough," Bill said as he got up from his chair. "Mind if we join you?"

"Not at all," Lucia said, smiling as she noticed the two outworlders moving in tandem so they could cover each other's back if they got into a battle. "If you don't mind me asking, why do you two move like that?"

"Like what?" the goblin asked as he and Bill sat down at Lucia's table.

"Like you two are half-expecting an attack."

"Occupational hazard," Bill replied with a shrug. "We usually end up being attacked the first day of our arrival in a new location. By the way, as for introductions, my name is Bill Weasley and this is my partner, Grimtooth of the Steelgrave."

"Just call me 'Tooth," the goblin said before he took a sip of mead. "And you are..."

"Lucia, I'm a member of the Companions."

"Ah, the warrior guild." Grimtooth nodded his head in approval. "We've been briefed about your group."

"We'd call you mercenaries, but I get the feeling that would be insulting and you people seem to be more than that," Bill said.

Lucia laughed softly. "Calling us mere 'mercenaries' would be an insult. From what I've gathered from your conversation, I would surmise that you would be thieves of some sort."

The Breton and the goblin paused for a moment, a thoughtful look on their faces before nodding in agreement.

"Yeah...technically, I guess we are kind of thieves," Bill admitted. "But we are on a bank's payroll. They pay us to acquire stuff...usually lost or unique items."

"Items that are lost to history or are allegedly myths, but end up being protected by some very dangerous traps when we do find them," Grimtooth added.

"So what exactly do you two do?" Lucia asked.

"Nothing much," Bill said. "I'm just a curse breaker and Grimtooth is an engineer. Basically, I identify traps, disarm the magical traps and Grimtooth comes up with ways to disable or bypass them if magic doesn't work."

Lucia's eyes narrowed slightly in suspicion. "Why do I get the feeling there's more to it than that?"

"Because there is," Grimtooth replied, "but that's the most simplistic answer. The slightly more complicated answer is that we're given a job, we attempt to do the job, other people try to prevent us from doing the job usually by trying to kill us, we end up finishing the job after going through some scrapes, and then we get paid."

"And that job requires you to shove a broken wand and a torch up a vampire's 'arse'?" Lucia asked in amusement.

Bill sighed and rolled his eyes. "Again, I was drunk and wasn't quite in my right mind at the time."

"Burnin' down the house," Grimtooth coughed/sang.

"Sounds to me like a couple of clueless milk-drinkers," grumbled a new voice.

Lucia inwardly groaned as she saw Delvis approaching their table, a half empty bottle of Blackbriar mead in hand. "Anything I can help you with, Delvis?"

The man glared at her for a moment in half-drunken stupor, but he wasn't so far gone as to forget what happened the last time he fought with her. "Oh, no," he slurred. "I just couldn't help overhearing this Breton introducing himself. He said his last name was...Weasel?"

"Weasley," Bill corrected the man, slowly starting to get up from the table. Grimtooth was about to get up, but caught the shake of Bill's head and stayed where he was.

"Ah, yes, that's right, Weasley!" Devils roared with laughter. "Any relation to a whiny skeever named Ronald and a cow named Molly?"

Lucia saw something flicker in Bill's eyes for a moment, then his facial expression went completely blank. She then heard a snicker from Grimtooth who was muttering about how "this is gonna' be good".

"That would be my youngest brother and my mother, yes," Bill replied.

"Milk drinkers," Delvis spat, "the whole lot of you. Bet you were coddled by your mother too like the little bastard was." He then took the half empty bottle of mead and emptied it out on Bill's boots. Some of the more drunken locals at the inn laughed in approval, cheering the drunken companion on.

Lucia was about to say something but Grimtooth gently grabbed her by the arm. "No," the goblin said softly, "let it start...then we'll finish it."

Lucia looked up at Bill and studied his eyes. It was clear that the man was thinking on multiple plans of action all a once. After a couple more seconds, he then took a step forward towards Delvis. "Are you through?" he asked in an almost bored tone.

"What do you mean 'am I through'?" Delvis asked. "We haven't even started yet, Breton. What are you gonna' do, use your fancy pointed stick on me?" His remark got laughter from his drunken supporters who were egging him on in hopes of seeing a barfight.

"Oh, you mean this fancy pointed stick?" Bill asked as he brought his right arm up and his wand suddenly appeared in his hand. He was now standing a couple feet away from Delvis. He then shook his head. "No, because that wouldn't be right now, would it?"

"I would break your hand and skewer you before you had the chance," Delvis growled.

Bill nodded in agreement. "Oh, you're right, I'm sure you would," he said, getting a confused look from the Nord companion.

"Huh?"

"I said that I agree with you," Bill said, flicking his wrist and causing his wand to disappear back into his coat sleeve. "And this hand," he continued as he clenched his right fist, "is pretty much useless since it's my magic using hand."

"So what does tha-" Delvis was caught off guard. He was paying too much on Bill's right hand, that he wasn't prepared for the left fist that caught him squarely in the jaw. snapping his head to the side, and sending him stumbling backwards.

As Delvis stumbled back, Bill had grabbed the now empty bottle out of the man's hand and smashed it across his face as he tried to recover from the sucker punch. Delvis fell to the floor in front of his drunken supporters who now glared at Bill Weasley.

"Well," Bill said as he looked at the four angry men who were now helping Delvis get back on his feet. "I guess it's time for our usual brawl."

"To be fair, Bill, they haven't tried to kill us yet," Grimtooth sighed as he got up out of his chair.

"Oh, we're just getting started, riekling," Devis snarled.

"Okay, Delvis, that's enough," Lucia snapped.

"Stay out of this, little girl, it's not your fight," Delvis sneered. "Wouldn't want to ruin your standing with your-AUUUUUUUUUGH!" Delvis dropped to the floor again, screaming in agony due to the fact that a dagger was embedded in his boot, impaling his foot.

Seconds later, an all-out brawl erputed and became a complete free for all. The last thing Lucia remembered was Grimtooth climbing up on the bar and cheerfully shouting "Banzai!" before he jumped into the fray. Then she too got caught up in the brawl before eventually being knocked out cold by a chair to the back of the head.

Ragnok paused after reading the first entry, poured himself a shot, and slammed it back with practiced ease. Though Ironfang gave a detailed report and kept to a strict narrative, Ragnok could read between the lines and pretty much figured out what happened: Weasley's mere presence agitated some the locals, Grimtooth jumped in to back up his friend, and the two trashed the bar. He hoped it wasn't as bad as that incident in Prague a couple months ago...now THAT was a brutal confrontation and ended up with the tavern being burned down to the ground.

The old goblin let out a resigned sigh and resumed reading.