"Name?"
"Alexandra Potter."
This time she saw she had completely gotten the goblin's attention. Far from sneering anymore, the goblin was outright smiling, like she had said a joke or something funny. The goblin paused, made a sign and then hopped off the stool.
"Follow me, Miss Potter."
Alexandra followed the goblin through one of the many doors. This one leading to a long hallway, noticing with a growing unease the fact the sign the first goblin had made had rallied eight goblins from the warriors present in the hall, who all looked at her with a particularly hungry look that in her mind didn't presage anything good. They passed along dozens of closed doors, each one holding golden plaques with names on them. Gorvuk. Morroar. Krevjaw.
As these were clearly not human names, (not that she had any idea of the names in the Wizarding world) she assumed it was the offices of various important goblins. Soon enough, they reached a door with the word Grimjawengraved on the plaque. The goblin knocked, once, whispered what looked like "Another one!" to whoever was inside then opened fully the door and gestured for Alexandra to enter.
The room she was led into was not large, and vaguely circular. Large bookcases were holding the majority of the places along the wall. They were full of large books, tomes, scrolls of parchment and a monumental quantity of paperwork. In the centre of the room was a red desk made out of a wood so crimson it looked like blood. Sitting behind that desk was a goblin that looked quite a bit taller, older and more dangerous than the other ones Alexandra had seen so far. He had a small goatee, and was really smiling in what Alexandra recognized as a bloodthirsty manner. The fact the eight goblin guards were waiting at the door with gleeful expressions was not good.
The old goblin took one look at Alexandra then reached behind his desk to grip an odd-looking parchment and a particularly sharp dagger with symbols which looked like runes Alexandra had seen once in a documentary at the television.
"Cut your finger and place your blood on the paper." The goblin in front of her ordered. Alexandra raised an eyebrow, but she realized she had little choice. The goblins behind her looked ready to impale her with their spears, and she had no weapon to fight them. Picking up the dagger and slicing her finger open without flinching, she held the wound over the parchment and let her blood land onto the parchment. Quasi-instantly her complete name, Alexandra Victoria Potter, appeared on the paper. Then the name of her parents. Lilian Marie Evans and James Charlus Potter. Then others and...
"That's enough." grunted the goblin who had apparently read the results at the same time she had.
He nodded, once, and looked in direction of the door.
"You can leave us; I'll call you if you are required." He gestured for the other goblins, who all seemed disappointed, for some reason, to leave the room.
The armoured goblins bowed once to the goblin in front of them, before leaving the office.
He then turned his attention at Alexandra.
"You seem to be the real one, this time. I have been waiting you a long time, Heiress Potter."
Seeing Alexandra look completely lost, the old goblin sighed.
"Miss Potter, you have not been the first person to pass the gates of Gringotts and pretend to be the Heiress of House Potter. Several persons have tried to grab what remained of your family's fortune. Some of them were even men. The Ministry of Magic also tried once to grab the contents of your vaults to reimburse their debts. A great deal of forged wills and other fake treaties were sent to Gringotts, forcing us in the last decade to use harsher measures. The impostors have almost ceased to come to Gringotts since we put the punishments into effect."
She nodded at that piece of news, which explained how belligerent the goblins had behaved towards her. They had believed she was just another impostor.
"Although I must say it was not wise to disguise yourself like this, Heiress Potter. If Goblok had seen you as you are, he would have been a bit less zealous to come to me in such a manner."
With a shock, Alexandra realized the appearance she had used to enter Diagon Alley was gone. She was again presenting her real appearance to the world.
Of course the goblins had magic to see through disguises. Stupid of her to presume they had not.
"Now that it is said..." said the goblin opening different ledgers rapidly. "I must talk to you about important affairs. As accountant of the Potter family, I was charged to keep and make prosper the fortune of the Ancient House of Potter. It is my greatest displeasure to inform you that I've failed in that regard."
Seeing by his look, the goblin didn't appear to have made this admission lightly. He looked like if someone had just torn out his teeth one by one. Slowly.
"Why Accountant Grimjaw?" said simply Alexandra.
The goblin watched her with a surprised expression.
"Heiress Potter," he began slowly. "How much do you know about the political situation in Magical England?"
"I was told that magic existed yesterday," replied bitterly Alexandra.
Grimjaw, as she appeared to have guessed accurately the name of the old goblin, sighed once more, apparently having his suspicions confirmed.
"I have not the time for a complete history lesson of the last decades, Heiress Potter. If you want one, buy a book in the nearby libraries. They will be biased, as the books of your species always are, but they will explain a good part of what you must know. Even if we had a full day before us, with your current lack of knowledge, the explanations would take far longer than that. I will give you only the basics, then the account affairs will take priority."