"We were told there were no humans on this island," Godric whispered, as he and Harry eyed the guards on the castle.
"Maybe Merlin was wrong?" Harry ventured, but Godric shook his head.
"I'd be surprised. They say he lives life backward,you know."
"So why couldn't he just tell the solution to all of this up front?" Harry hissed.
"Doesn't work that way," Godric replied.
"That still doesn't answer the question. Why are there humans on this island?"
"They were probably brought here. Though that seems a fair larger number than really necessary for a castle like this." Godric mused.
"Maybe she's paranoid," Harry suggested.
"Oh, I'd be surprised if she weren't. But that's not the point. She's a powerful enough witch that she shouldn't need this many guards."
The two stayed hidden while Harry furiously wracked his brain for ideas. All around him, the island itself seemed to vibrate with energy. The magic of the place, Harry supposed. Unbidden, Harry's mind wandered back to his past, when he had faced similar challenges. Voldemort and the Mirror of Erised. Sirius and the Shrieking Shack. The Chamber of Secrets. Dumbledore being dismissed by the governors...something about that thought began to nag at Harry's brain. He continued to think while pressing Godric for information.
"What can she do?" Harry asked.
"All sorts of things,from what I've heard Merlin say. Change her shape, see things in the distance, change the shape of other things, all sorts of nasty defensive spells, and not a small number of offensive ones. Lots of illusionary..." Godric trailed off. Harry chuckled mirthlessly.
"If only it were that easy. How can we tell?"
Godric grinned dangerously. "Let's go find those trolls."
"You think they'd fall for the same trick twice?"
"Trolls are well known for being stupid. Even the few species that can talk don't have much more brains than average," Godric replied.
"Fair enough," Harry muttered.
It took several hours for the pair to locate the band of trolls they'd left. Many were limping, bleeding, or showing other signs of wear. All the trolls Harry could see were visibly angry. He also noticed that a number were missing entirely. He didn't dwell on why that might be, choosing instead to scoop up a handful of rocks. He chose a small one first, hitting the leader of the troll band in the side of the head. It roared loudly enough to make Harry and Gryffindor clap their hands over their ears. Harry continued to throw his rocks, gradually leading the band of trolls toward the castle. The lead troll caught sight of one of the human guards almost immediately. His whole body seemed to perk up.
"Lunch!" he snarled.
The two men stayed hidden. They wanted no part of this. Just as the guards began to shout with alarm, the thought which had been bothering Harry all day began to take shape. There was something about that memory with the governors. Something about Dumbledore. He thought a moment longer. The answer came to him so suddenly he nearly yelled out loud.
Help will always be given to those who....ask for it.
"I wonder who we could ask in this terrible place," Harry muttered, causing Godric to look at him as though he'd lost his mind.
Harry ignored him, thinking. His mind shaped a rhyme which he figured he probably didn't remember correctly. To the dreary island, though the harpy's den, we dare not go a hunting, for fear of little men.
Harry's soul nearly leapt out of his mouth when a small army of goblins appeared before him. Not the type that ran the Wizard Bank, but a far more sinister and even less trustworthy bunch. The leader grinned a horrible grin at Harry and spoke. The thing's breath nearly knocked Harry down, and his speech seemed to come from his enormous nose, more than his mouth.
"I be Dsan. Manthing summons us. What does it want?"
"Uh..." Harry said, thinking fast, "We have a bit of a problem with the guards and were hoping you might be able to help." Not that I intended to summon you at all!
Grossnose cracked his knuckles. These goblins seemed to be relatives of the trolls Harry had dispatched not long ago. "Goblins only fights for those who can pay.
Maybe not so much unlike the Gringotts goblins after all..."I can pay. I'm from Camelot."
The goblin leader grinned again. "Rich Camelot. Rich king. Who do you wants killed?"
Harry opened his mouth to answer, but Dsan caught sight of the trolls before he could utter a sound. The goblin roared so loudly that Harry nearly passed out.
The goblins wasted no time, not waiting for instruction or even a whispered word of caution. The sounds of battle soon rang forth. Harry and Godric were too stunned to move at first, watching.
The goblins turned out to be exceptional climbers. There seemed to be far more of them than Harry had first realized. They took to the walls...and to the trolls. Soon, there was so much dust in the air, Harry couldn't tell much of anything. People and creatures alike screamed and growled in a sudden free for all. The sounds of claws, weapons, and some odd form of Goblin magic Harry had never seen before filled the air for nearly ten minutes. Finally, the dust began to settle and the aftermath of the battle could be seen. The sheer carnage made Harry sick to his stomach. They wouldn't have any trouble finding bits for the Polyjuice
The goblins had clearly won the day. A few humans still moaned on the battlefield, but the trolls were all dead. Dsan smiled at Harry, chilling him to the bone.
"Lunch!" was all the goblin said. Harry shuddered. They collected a few black hairs, and he watched Godric creep up and take a hold of some blond ones, looking ill.
"Well...we shouldn't have much trouble getting in now," Harry said.
"You think? Imagine the joys that await us once we do enter the castle.
At that moment, the portcullis opened. The two men looked at one another grimly.
