Sirius, Gringotts, & the Firebolt

[Susana da Cunha]

No: HPFGUIDX 114894

> Angie wrote:
> > Why didn't the Goblins turn in Sirius to MOM when he ordered the
> > Firebolt for Harry in POA?  I know Crookshanks took the order, but
> > the book says that the money was taken from Sirius's vault -- who
> > else would authorize such a transaction except Sirius?  Maybe
> > Gringotts has a really strict privacy policy (being facetious here).
> > Maybe it wouldn't have mattered -- who would the MOM have
> > interrogated -- Crookshanks?  :)
>

Finwitch wrote:
>>Another possibility:
just what would the goblins tell the Ministry? That S. Black, from
unknown place, had made a withdrawal for Quality Quidditch Supplies to
send a Firebolt to Harry Potter, under Harry Potter's name? On their
own? Think not.
<snip>

And um - maybe Harry has the authority to make a withdrawal from
Sirius' Vault - in which case the withdrawal says NOTHING about Sirius
at all. (No need for Sirius' death being announced and his will read,
then).<<
----------------------------------------



My intake on this:

"Crookshanks took the order to the Owl Office for me. I used your name but
told them to take the gold from my own Gringotts vault." -- Sirius letter in
PoA.

So Crookshanks took a letter to the Owl Office along with the payment for
the service. The Owl Office employees wouldn't find anything strange about a
letter to Quality Quidditch Supplies. At Quality Quidditch Supplies arrives
a letter from Harry Potter ordering a Firebolt. Again, nothing strange. The
payment form mentions a vault number: 711.

Now, if this was the muggle world, the number would have about 20 digits and
it would be followed by the word "visa" or "mastercard". It wouldn't matter
if it was signed "Harry Potter".

I agree '711' raises some security issues. But if we muggles can order by
mail and sleep at night, wizards may be way ahead of us. My main question on
this subject is - whatever security measures are taken - Sirius Black didn't
have a wand! And I'm sure it would require a wand to magically validate the
payment form.

Finely, the goblins receive the form to transfer the gold from a vault
number to another. Sirius Black's vault is obvious not 'frozen' or they
wouldn't make the transaction. An alert could have been set up and the
goblins *could* have warned the authorities. The aurors would trace the
transaction to Quality Quidditch Supplies and from there to Harry. And they
would *know* that Firebolt was never in Black's hands. Can you imagine the
look on Shacklebolt's face? "He's sending him gifts?!?"

It would explain Shacklebolt's willingness to believe Black's innocence, but
it clashes with McGonagall confiscating the Firebolt. Either there was no
communication between Hogwarts and the aurors about the Firebolt; or aurors
simply don't see credit card monitoring as an investigation tool; or goblins
don't tell!



Susana





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