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Now for a look at the wizard's bank in Lisbon. All the photos above were taken from 'google' and are pictures from the movie "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone". At "The Magic Quill" there is a lot of action going on at the bank in London, this is my humble attempt at describing the Lisbon branch.
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Far underneath Gringott's Lisbon Branch, there is a vast underground lake--its surface ominously still and black as onyx. Besides some of the usual grindylows, there is one particularly aggressive kelpie lurking beneath the water for anybody careless enough to fall in.
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Above the lake many narrow paths wind this way and that with vaults on either side. Numerous beasts stand guard here.
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The bank was not open to the public yet, the guards' night shift was ending; it was time to check on some of the beasts in charge of guarding the underground vaults.
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Alicatelo(1) treaded softly to verify that the Romanian Long Horn was still chained and secure. There he was, the magnificent dragon with its long golden horn, asleep but with one eye half open, watching over his section. It wasn't the first time that Alicatelo shuddered at the thought of getting speared on that horn. Relieved, he left the sleeping dragon and hurriedly tiptoed to get as far away from the dragon as he could.
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Garrgancho(2) was seeking out the sphinx that guarded another part of the vaults. As he neared, the sphinx rose and started pacing back and forth.
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"Answer my riddle and I will let you pass," the sphinx commanded.
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"It's only me, Garrgancho, I just came to check up on you."
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"Oh, well, I'm still here and nothing's happened since the last time one of you came down here, so why don't you just buzz off," the sphinx sulked and sat down chewing on her tufted tail, a little disappointed.
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So, Garrgancho did just that, he went away fast, before she decided to attack anyway.
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Parafoice(3) peered the way through another part of the underground vaults; it was quite dark and difficult to see. On and on he walked until he finally found what he was seeking--the thestral. There he was staring curiously at Parafoice with his pearly eyes; a strange winged beast he was--all skin and bones. Although he wasn't really ferocious, he scared the living daylights out of the ones who could see him and the ones who couldn't usually ran for their lives when he happened to nudge them in the back. Satisfied that the thestral was alright, Parafoice departed, wiping sweat from his brow with his long thin fingers.
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Babalobo(4) carefully put one foot in front of the other as he noiselessly crept along one of the winding paths. There were only a few torches burning so it was dark for the most part. Rounding a bend he suddenly espied the acromantula and froze. Not making a move, he stared at the horrific spider as it swiveled its eight malicious eyes towards Babalobo's skinny (shaking) form.
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"Yumm," said the acromantula as he rushed towards Babalobo clicking his pincers.
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The goblin snatched a dead ferret from his vest throwing it in the face of the approaching acromantula. The spider grabbed the ferret devouring it as Babalobo made a run for it. After a sprint that would have put some muggle athletes to shame, the goblin slowed down gasping for breath.
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'There's nothing wrong with that one,' he thought to himself, trying to catch his breath.
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These four goblins gratefully made their way to the overseer's office near the ground floor. Bafocanino(5) was sitting at his desk covered with paperwork as they entered and made their reports.
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"So, the beasts are in place and well?" Bafocanino inquired barely looking up.
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"Yes, sir," they chorused.
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"Good, see you tomorrow," Bafocanino returned to his task as the four goblins exited.
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As the night shift went to the locker rooms to change, Tiago arrived with the two baskets of eggs. He hurried over to 'Acquisitions' to register them.
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Polegrito(6) was tending the acquisitions counter. "Good morning, Tiago, what do you have there?" he asked as he saw the two baskets.
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"Two baskets of ashwinder eggs, sir, frozen yesterday," Tiago replied, as he lifted the baskets onto the counter.
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"Let's have a look and a count then." They both counted and checked each egg. There were one hundred and ninety four, just like Bernardo had said; however there was one with a crack in it.
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Polegrito took out a magnifying glass to scrutinize the cracked egg; through his glass he could see two frozen little eyes in the crack. "This egg was frozen right before it hatched; notice the little eyes." He showed it to Tiago who shuddered at the sight of those black lifeless beady eyes. 'Merlin's knees, they remind me of those pickled eyeballs in the specimen jar from the 'Potions' classroom at school. I always felt them boring into the back of my head: it always struck me that they were very much alive even though I knew otherwise.' Taking a deep breath, he felt better.
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Now that he had regained his composure, Tiago was puzzled, "Is that a problem, sir?"
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"No, no problem at all. In fact it's very rare to get an egg frozen at this stage," Polegrito assured Tiago. "The alchemists on the square are always looking for eggs like this for their potions. Would you mind going there and delivering it in person? It's worth about ten times the amount of the other ones."
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Tiago kept his surprise to himself. 'You learn something new every day' he thought, as he took the cracked egg from Polegrito's long slender fingers and said, "Certainly, I'll be off then."
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He walked out the employee's exit and ambled down the square which was starting to fill with shoppers, noticing that there was a sale on at 'Escrivaninha'--he would have a look in there when he finished at the Alchemists; he loved books, and entered the 'Portuguese Association of Alchemists'.
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Inside, on the left, were the ready made potions; the sale's assistant was already there checking the shelves. It was neat and tidy. The rest of the floor was divided into different sections that were quite chaotic to say the least: the plant section was bursting at the seams; bundles of dried leaves, packets of seeds, bunches of bark tied together, roots and stems were all packed together here.
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'I wonder how they keep track of all that,' thought Tiago.
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The animal section was just as disorganized to Tiago's untrained eye; horns, hair, skin, scales, toe nails, eye balls and vials of blood from all the different animals used in potions.
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'What a horrendous smell,' Tiago wrinkled his nose, 'but so fascinating,' he looked around in awe at the cornucopia of potion ingredients.
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Spying a salesman by the display of (broken) dragon egg shells, Tiago brighterned up and asked, "Good morning, I've just come over from the bank to deliver this cracked ashwinder egg. My boss said that you are always looking for this sort of egg."
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According to his name tag, it was Xavier Coelho, who took the egg from Tiago and examined it with a looking glass. "Your boss was right! Come with me," he said excitedly, as he led the way downstairs.
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Once downstairs Tiago entered the realm of potion making: there were cauldrons steaming everywhere with witches and wizards stirring the contents carefully, adding ingredients as necessary. This was where the potioneers made potions to order for clients. He followed Xavier to a desk slightly apart from the bustle of the potioneers.
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The wizard sitting at the desk reading a roll of parchment was an impressive figure to say the least, even though his robes were covered in stains and some of his long black hair had escaped from his ponytail. Over six feet (two meters) tall with the long slender fingers of an artist he had a presence about him of knowledge and wisdom. His skin was deeply tanned as if he spent a lot of time outdoors and his features were chiseled and strong. He looked at Tiago with black expressionless eyes, then at Xavier.
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"Well?" he asked Xavier with a bored look on his face.
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"Senhor Hilario, this young man has just brought over a cracked ashwinder egg from the bank," he answered exhilarated.
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Hilario's eyes almost popped out of their sockets, "Really! Let me see." He carefully took the egg from Xavier and peered at it with his looking glass. "Phenomenal! This is wonderful. Come with me, young man; what did you say your name was?" he asked Tiago.
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"My name is Tiago Silva, sir, and that egg was frozen yesterday," he answered respectfully.
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Hilario's eyes filled with sympathy, "I heard about the fire yesterday, I'm so sorry. However, this egg is going to be very useful in brewing a very special potion." He saw that Tiago didn't have a clue about which potion he was talking about, "I will be brewing the curacoração+ potion." Hilario could tell that Tiago was still in the dark. "The curacoração potions cures broken hearts. While intact ashwinder eggs are used for love potions, among other things, a cracked egg is used to cure a broken heart!"
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Tiago was impressed; he would never have thought a cracked egg would be good for anything, yet here he was getting a first hand account on a potion he had never heard of. 'They don't teach this at Tambangaisa school, that's for sure.'
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"I will need some very rare ingredients for this one," Senhor Hilario muttered as he rummaged in the ingredients cupboard. "Ah, here we go--crushed unicorn horn, half of a mandrake leaf, one dried moke tail, three Chinese Fireball dragon scales and one phoenix tear," Hilario tore the cupboard apart trying to find the vial of phoenix tears. In his haste Hilario knocked a bunch of jobberknoll feathers, pieces of boomslang skin, some dragon fangs and a jar of frog spawn (which smashed) onto the floor. There was no vial to be found so Hilario sent Xavier up to get one from the store, clearing up the mess with a wave of his hand.
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Hilario, with Tiago in tow, took his ingredients over to an empty cauldron and started preparing them. "The mandrake leaf is torn into strips for this potion, like this," he demonstrated ripping the leaf. "Would you grind up the moke tail, please?" he passed the tail to Tiago who started grinding it in a mortar with a pestle. "The dragon scales just need to be broken in two, like this," Hilario showed how to split the scales in two, Tiago looking on very interested. By this time, Xavier had arrived with the vial of phoenix tears; he was panting and sweaty. Wiping his face on his sleeve, he handed over the precious vial.
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"Good! We have all the ingredients. Now, pay attention, first we put in some water, light the fire and bring to a boil," Hilario explained, as they waited for a moment until the water was boiling. "While I drop in the dragon scales, could you stir the contents clockwise," Tiago obliged, stirring the contents clockwise.
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After gently placing the ashwinder egg in whole, they continued brewing the potion, following the instructions given by Hilario until everything was in except the phoenix tear. "Now we wait for the potion to simmer for two minutes, then add the tear," explained Hilario as he surveyed the shimmering pink potion with pride. "It's perfect! Notice the color? That is exactly the color we want."
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After the two minutes were up, Hilario opened the vial of phoenix tears carefully. "Observe, please," he said as he dropped the transparent tear into the potion. A beautiful heart rending melody filled the basement and all the witches and wizards stopped what they were doing to listen to it. After a minute the music stopped and the potion had turned from a shimmering pink to light green: the color of hope and new beginnings.
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"Green: the color of hope. I'll just bottle it now. Thanks for your assistance, Tiago," Hilario smiled at the bank employee. "Go with Xavier to the office to get your payment for the cracked egg. I hope to see you again sometime."
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So, Tiago went with Xavier, got his payment and was out on the street again. He decided to go have a look at the book sale at 'Escrivaninha'. They had something that caught his eye: 'All You Ever Wanted to Know About the Ancient History of Magic and Spells' by Abilio Portas; another addition to his vast collection of books on magic. It was no secret that Tiago was a dab hand at spells and curses; his greatest desire was to go study in Egypt where there was an ancient school of world renown. He had already confessed his goal to his boss, Panduro, and someday he would do it. In the meantime, he paid for his book and got back to the bank. After all, Egypt wasn't going anywhere.
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Entering the bank, he approached the counter, "Good morning, Presafiada(7), I have a payment here to deposit in the family vault." Tiago presented the receipt and the cash.
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"That's all in order, you can go and deposit it," the goblin said revealing his sharp pointed teeth.
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Taking the money, Tiago took the lift to the level of his family's vault; striding straight to it and opening the heavy ornate door with his key. The vault was chock full of piles of money, feathers from all kinds of birds, unicorn horns and hair, broken dragon and bird egg shells and a vast collection of ancient maps. Hidden in a wall safe were the family jewels. The ashwinder eggs were already there. Seeing that everything was in its place, Tiago put the money with the rest of the cash; then, making sure to lock up, he left.
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Tiago spent the rest of the morning tending to the public on the main floor--which was entirely constructed of polished Portuguese marble. At lunch time he went down to the employee's cafeteria.
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"What's for lunch today, Macacalhau(8)," Tiago asked as he grabbed a tray.
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"Well, let's see; we have dobrada*, frog's eyes, cockroach clusters, fried grasshoppers and poached kelp for the goblins and a lovely caldeirada% for you witches and wizards." Macacalhau sniggered as he watched Tiago's face pale at the mention of the goblin's food choices; one of the perks of working in the cafeteria. Tiago fetched a plate of the caldeirada and went to sit down at a table to eat.
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There were quite a few eating Tiago noticed as he looked around--about half of them were goblins and the other half were wizards/witches like himself. He enjoyed his meal then left leaving his tray on the dirty dishes counter.
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When Tiago got back to the main floor, he was summoned to a meeting with Panduro. Entering Panduro's office was always very pleasant: there were plenty of beautiful furnishings and portraits of former bank presidents (all goblins) hanging on the walls.
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"Good afternoon, Tiago, I have a few properties picked out for your sister." Panduro handed over a pile of photos for him to look at. "Would you care for a coffee?"
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"Yes, I would, sir. Thank you," Tiago sat down and the two of them went over the various properties while they savoured their coffees. They narrowed it down to two properties.
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"I would like you to show these two to your sister over the weekend," Panduro smiled at Tiago.
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"Certainly, sir, I'll have an answer by Monday," Tiago stood up and left taking the two photos with him as he closed the door.
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Seeing as he was a fairly recent employee, Tiago's afternoon was spent in on-the-job training. There were five in his 'Rudimentary Curses 101' class and they were all paying attention to their teacher, Tigrolho (9), as he explained the finer points of the 'snapping door knob' curse, "Remember the wand movements and the incantation is: Maçanetamorde#. On the count of three! One, two, three."
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Every student complied, aiming their wands at their 'practice' door knobs, waving their wands and saying the incantaion; all the knobs glowed purple.
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"Very good, now--to see if it has worked, I will utilize this cadaver's hand to try and turn the knob," Tigrolho approached the first knob with a dead man's hand and touched it; immediately the knob turned into a set of dentures that resembled a miniature set of shark's teeth and bit the hand in half. There was a pile of severed fingers on the floor. After reattaching the fingers with a wave of his hand Tigrolho tried out each door knob in turn. All the door knobs passed the test.
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"Excellent! As it's Friday, I want to go over all the spells you've learned this week," Tigrolho announced and they spent the rest of their lesson doing just that.
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When they were through, it was time to go home for the weekend. Tiago said good bye to everyone and went out to St. Vincent's Square. It was hot and sunny as he went over to one of the benches shaded by the citrus trees and started to read his new book while he waited for his brother to get off work.
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"Hey, what are you reading?" Diego grabbed the book out of his brother's hands to get a good look at it. "Wow, ancient magic, eh? Wicked," Diego said, impressed, and gave it back.
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"Yeah, I picked it up at the book store on sale. Fancy a drink or a coffee?" Tiago stood up and the two wizards started strolling up the square, taking their time window shopping as they ambled.
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"To tell you the truth, I'm dying for something cool to drink; some fresh orange juice perhaps," Diego regarded his brother.
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"Sounds good, let's go to 'Gina's Juice Bar', her drinks are the best," Tiago and Diego quickened their steps towards a juice stand situated under a large shady grapefruit tree. Both young men were salivating not only at the sight of all the fresh fruit but also at the vision of loveliness which was Gina.
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Gina glanced up as they approached and smiled, "Hello, you two, what will it be?"
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"Two orange juices with a twist of lime, please," Diego grinned.
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So, Gina prepared the juices and poured them into perma-chilled glasses and dropped the lime twist in, "There you go, enjoy!" she smiled as she handed them over.
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"So, have you been busy today?" Diego asked the green-eyed beauty.
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"Yes, it's been very busy today, and hot," Gina said to Diego as Tiago goggled at her fabulous legs and sandaled feet.
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"Have you been able to get to the beach at all this summer?" Tiago inquired, as Diego admired her slim shape in the muggle style dress.
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"Only on Sundays, I'm afraid. I'm here every other day." Gina turned to attend to another customer and both brothers got a tantalizing view of her long dark blond braid dangling down her curvaceous back. Sighing, they sipped their juices.
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"How's everything with you two?" Gina said upon returning, showing off a pearly white smile.
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Diego and Tiago looked at each other--she doesn't know about the fire. Tiago raised his eyebrows giving Diego a cue to explain.
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"Well, there was a big fire at our forest home yesterday, but everybody's fine. We should be on our feet in no time," Diego assured Gina.
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"Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't know--I've been so busy here," Gina said with concern. "As long as everybody is ok, that's the important thing," she added with a sympathetic smile.
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Reaching under the counter she fetched a small bottle full of orange liquid. "I would like to drink to your family's speedy recovery." Procuring three small shot glasses she poured some of the orange liquid into each one. "Tangerine liquor, homemade," she said at the questioning look in the brothers' eyes. All three of them raised their glasses and drank the delicious liquor.
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"This is quite tasty!" Diego said with approval, admiring the liquor's color as he held it up to the light.
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"Yes, did you make it yourself?" asked Tiago as he savoured the fruity taste and breathed in the tangerine aroma.
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"It's an old family recipe. Glad you like it," Gina said, pleased.
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On that note, they paid and went through the back door of the Albatroz Café. Waving their hands over their robes, they transfigured them into muggle attire and went home.
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At the flat dinner was ready. After a quick wash they sat down with the three house elves and had a very enjoyable meal. It was fun to hear about all the elves' adventures.
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After dinner, Diego and Tiago decided to go out for a stroll ending up at the Tagus River where they walked enjoying the the view and the night air.
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"I'll be going to the forest tomorrow morning, how about you?" Tiago asked his brother.
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"No can do, mano, I have quidditch training tomorrow, you know--the ministry team. We have a match with the hospital team next week, but I will definitely be there on Sunday," Diego said as they ambled along.
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Coming across a crowded bar, they went in and ordered some beers checking out the other customers. There was something about summer nights; everybody was out enjoying the coolness after a long hot day.
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"What do you say, shall we call it a night, mano?" Tiago asked Diego when they had finished their drinks.
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"Alright, let's go," so they left the crowded bar and walked slowly home looking at the wares in all the muggle shops along the way. When they got home, they saw the three elves asleep in their beds on the varanda and the crups were resting; one in Tiago's room, one in Diego's room and they smiled. "I guess they haven't gotten over the 'plant' episode," Diego chuckled.
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"No, I guess not, I wish I could have seen that," Tiago grinned. Yawning, he went over to his overflowing bookcase and placed his new book in it glancing at the titles: besides all the tomes of magic, there were much beloved books from his youth: 'Treasure Island', 'The Count of Monte >Cristo', 'Don Quixote' and many more all dog-eared from rereading through the years. He ran his fingers along the spines and went to bed giving Rico a pat on the head.
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(1)Alicatelo-alicate (pliers) and martelo (hammer)
(2)Garrgancho-garra (claw) and gancho (hook)
(3)Parafoice-parafuso (screw) and foice (sickle)
(4)Babalobo-baba (drool) and lobo (wolf)
(5)Bafocanino-bafo (breath) and canino (canine)
(6)Polegrito-polegar (thumb) and grito (shriek/wail)
(7)Presafiada-presa (fang) and afiada (sharp)
(8)Macacalhau-macaco (monkey) and calhau (stone)
(9)Tigrolho-tigre (tiger) and olho (eye)
+curacoração-cura (cure), coração (heart)
*dobrada-tripe stew
%caldeirada-stew made from fresh fish, tomatoes, onions, potatoes and peppers
#maçanetamorde-maçaneta (knob) and morde (bite)
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