Before the storm (Patreon)

When Jon's head stopped spinning, he realized that he was on the floor along with his dignity, Professor Snape was looking at him standing with a raised eyebrow but his eyes betrayed a perverse satisfaction, he limited himself to expressing

"In the future, Mr. Stark, just walk to the fireplace and don't run if you want to avoid another moment of embarrassment like this, stand up, people are watching you," Snape replied in his usual tone of voice, as dry as the sands of Dorne

Jon just nodded and got up with some difficulty, as soon as he stands, he watched the old headmaster coming out of the fireplace with the elegance of a cat, without a slip in his steps, Dumbledore on his way out, gave a weak wave of his wand and all the ash that was expelled by them disappeared without a trace

Jon watched incredulously, apparently there was no limit to what magic could do, he looked at Dumbledore who looked at him with amusement in those bright eyes the old man commented

"Hard landing, Mr. Stark?" with a smile, Jon just nodded and took the jokes with grace, he knew that there was no intention on the part of the director to offend him

"Come on then, Gringotts is waiting," said Dumbledore, Professor Snape said

"I'll meet you as soon as you get out of the Bank Albus, I have to buy some ingredients and it's rumored that there's a dragon liver supply in the apothecary," said Professor Snape

Unable to contain himself, Jon asked “what does dragon liver is used for? Can all organs also be used for potions?”

The potions professor looked at him, considering his question as if he deserved an answer, after a moment he replied “dragon liver works to make antidotes of great power, which can neutralize and cure the effects of prolonged exposure, for this reason it is highly valued, many Lords and heads of minor families seek it so much,  poisoning is a real danger in the political world” replied the professor, Jon nodded, hoping it would continue “and about the organs that can be used, it depends on each magical creature, in the case of dragons, their very essence is magic, each and every one of their parts are useful in some way or another,  their hearts are used in wands, their organs in various potions and filters, their skin and scales are used in shoes and combat armor, due to the strength of their skin, but this is not limited to dragons, many of the magical creatures have distinct properties, in his study of caring for magical creatures he will study this thoroughly” Snape replied,  as he turned and walked towards the exit of the Pub, he left without saying another word and got lost in the crowd in the direction of a... backyard?

"Come on Mr. Stark" exclaimed the old man and they walked, following in Professor Snape's footsteps towards a dead-end courtyard of the Pub, Jon was quite confused, but after his experience with the devil powder he preferred to keep quiet and wait for the headmaster’s next action

The old man made a movement of his wrist and his wand appeared in his hand, Jon took note of learning this technique he looked very elegant, and proceeded to hit several bricks on the wall in a specific sequence, Jon tried to memorize the sequence for the future, when he wanted to visit the place later

Before his incredulous gaze the solid brick walls folded as if they were the finest of silks and gave his eyes access to the most impressive sight he had seen in his short life

"Welcome to Diagon Alley," exclaimed the principal as he began to walk

Jon didn't know where to look, so many colors, smells and flying objects, various types of animals, owls, cats and that was a toad? Shaking his head, Jon focused on not losing the director who continued to tell him about the place

"Diagon Alley is the main magical shopping center of the islands, potions, robes, ingredients, trunks, pets, bookstores, everything you could need or want for your magical studies you can find here, and there” exclaimed the director pointing to a bright white stone building, it was the largest and most luxurious place in the place “there is Gringotts bank, that’s where we go to find out about your family," said the director

The moment he entered that white stone building Jon came face to face with some rough-looking beings, masterfully forged and shiny armor, simple and austere yet functional and elegant, if these are the weapons that the goblins gave to the simple guards, he did not want to see what a family heirloom would mean to them, surely, they would be works of art, beautiful but lethal.

“Why do you look at us human? Do you want a taste of our spears?” growled one of the guards

Jon replied, before the director could intervene “I'd love to try one of them to be honest, although simple don't lack elegance and look lethal” Jon replied as he extended his hand, asking for the weapon

The guards were silent for a few moments, not knowing what to answer, they turned to look at each other, nodded slightly and one of them offered the handle of the weapon to the black-haired man, when Jon took it, began to perform warm-up exercises and became familiar with the weapon before the incredulous eyes of both guards

Jon did some basic spear training exercises and couldn't be anything but impressed, the balance, the reach of the blade, everything about this weapon was perfect; after checking it he offered it back to the guard and spoke

“An excellent weapon, perfect balance, blade designed to pierce, good size to avoid close encounters and light enough to make 10 holes in enemies throats before they can blink, does it have a name?” Jon asked

The guard looked at the boy with respect, he was not looking at a simple idiot wizard as he used to, the boy had calluses, he was in shape and tried the spear with the naturalness born only from hard training, he was in front of a warrior of that he had no doubt, he replied with a more respectful tone

"Not yet, it has just been forged and it has not bled enough to earn a name, it has not seen battle" exclaimed the goblin “Who are you young warrior? You are a wizard, but you move with the grace of a wolf, you are respectful of the path and you are skilled with weapons," asked the guard

"I'm Jon, son of Eddard Stark bearer of Ice, the ancestral great sword of House Stark" Jon replied as the guards' eyes widened, without giving them time to continue, Jon continued, "What metal is it made of?" It's too light and shiny to be ordinary steel" asked the young wizard

“you have a good eye young Warrior, the weapons of gringotts are not forged with common steel or using the archaic methods of the Muggles, we use our own magic to mold the ingots in goblin steel, similar to the common steel used by your people, but with magical properties that allow us to place certain enchantments” replied the guard

"It's a spectacular weapon, we should have a duel sometime," Jon exclaimed, not knowing that those words would have great repercussions

Out of nowhere, all the guards who were around began to hit the ground with the handles of their own spears while repeating non-stop “duel! duel! duel! duel!”

The goblin gave a smile, or at least that's what Jon wanted to interpret as a smile and shout “I accept the Young Warrior challenge, arm yourself and let's have a good fight” he exclaimed as he walked away to prepare

Jon was quite confused and turned his gaze to Dumbledore who was looking at him with resignation and asked “Did I offend him in any way?”

Dumbledore looked at him seriously and shook his head "Not at all Mr. Stark, however, goblins are a warrior race, the suggestion of a duel, even if it is a practice, one is accepted and fulfilled at the moment, for future reference request a training session to avoid this kind of confusion," replied the professor

Jon nodded and cursed at the air for putting himself in a difficult situation, but he wouldn't back down, looking at the director he asks “Do you have my sword? If this is a duel, I must be armed in the best way” Jon asked solemnly

Dumbledore just sighed as he loudly called out “Fawkes!” and from the top of the room a burst of magical fire made itself present, the few wizards and witches who were present before the commotion started watched in wonder the majestic bird whose wings seemed bathed in fire, in its claws Jon could recognize the sword that Mikkel gave him, the Phoenix landed in front of Jon and left the sword on the floor while it flew again and landed on the Headmaster shoulders, Jon had to admit that the image of Dumbledore with his phoenix on his shoulder commanded a lot of respect

Jon nodded to the bird who, surprisingly, returned the greeting by bowing its head, he took his sword and approached the guard who was waiting for him with a smile

"That sword looks solid, but its metal is dead young warrior, it's impossible to imbue it with enchantments as it is," the guard explained

Jon was thoughtful at that statement, that meant that the goblins knew how to create enchanted weapons, such as those made of Valyrian steel, it was an important thing to take into account, nodding slightly Jon replied “It's not the blade but the skill of its wielder” while taking a defensive stance, the one that he mastered, this was not the time to try new things “shall we dance?” taunted the Black-haired

"Let's dance," said the guard as he advanced at high speed on him and the dance of steel began

Jon always considered himself skilled in the art of the sword, a prodigy could say Ser Rodrick, weapons and their handling came naturally to him, however, the goblin in front of him had also been born with steel in his hand, he was skilled, he did not make mistakes and was very fast, so Jon was on equal terms, The fight would be defined by who would make the first mistake, and they both knew it

Clashes, struggles and feints were the most recurrent steps, the dance continued for a quarter of hour, and Jon was getting tired, but as the time passed, he was getting more and more concentrated, increasing the speed of his blows little by little until, seeing an opportunity in which the goblin had made a too long thrust, he entered his guard, disarmed him with his sword and proceeded to place it on the neck of the goblin who, was still incredulous at the speed with which the act happened

“concede” speaks Jon coldly

The goblin made a movement and with his forearm protector removed the blade from his neck and proceeded to throw a scratch at the young wizard. Jon anticipating a desperate attack, dodged the claws and using the guard's movement took his arm and threw it on his back, where he fell with a thud and a dislocated arm, however, he got back up, or at least that was the intention until a boot pressed on his shoulder where a stabbing pain was present and kept him on the floor,  The next moment he felt the cold kiss of the young wizard's steel sword on his neck and heard the young man's voice, as cold as the harshest of winters

"Concede, I won't repeat it again," replied Jon with the wolf's blood pumping his veins, and that blood demanded the submission of the goblin, that he accepts that he was superior fighter

The guard turned his gaze towards the young warrior who had stood up to him and what he saw excited him and make his blood freeze at the same time, the boy's face was just as the stories of old, the wolf's eyes looked at him coldly and dominantly, those yellow eyes were demanding his submission, the young man, no, warrior was willing to bathe his steel with his blood, and the goblin respected that so, he grunted in pain, but clearly

"I concede defeat, this duel is over" The moment those words were spoken the Gringotts lobby burst into screams, sickles and galleons changed hands and murmurs of "the black wolf" could be heard throughout the hall

"Ha that's a good fight young Stark, his principles in the noble art of the sword are impeccable, with a little more experience you will be a terrifying warrior ha ha" replied the guard while his colleague adjusted his dislocated shoulder hissing in pain while muttering "that will hurt in the morning"

Bowing his head Jon replied “likewise, no one had made me trying in such a way in a long time, I still don't know your name warrior, I would like to know who to address next challenges”

"My name is IronAxe of the Bonecrusher clan, and I, as a member of the goblin nation, recognize Jon Stark as a warrior tested in the eyes of Mother Magic, so be it!” shouted the warrior

Jon didn't fully understand what had just happened, but Dumbledore's astonished expression made him intuit that it was a good thing, I guess such recognition was not common

Bowing his head slightly, Jon politely replied “it was an excellent duel, we'll have to repeat it sometime. IronAxe” Jon extended his hand offering a greeting

The goblin grabbed his forearm and shook his hand vigorously “you can be sure of that, so train hard boy” growled the goblin as he walked away and resumed his position

"I think that was somewhat reckless, Mr. Stark, but based on the results obtained you cannot doubt its effectiveness, your skill with the sword is amazing, few wizards would be able to stand up to a silver guard, even if he is a recruit, you should be proud," exclaimed the director

Jon looked at him without understanding a moment “silver guard? What does that mean?” he Wonder

Dumbledore explained “the ranks of the goblin army are a mystery to wizards, as well as the merits needed to grow within the hierarchy, the little we know is that, the lowest recruits belong to the bronze garrison, where most goblins spend their military life, if certain achievements are fulfilled you are promoted to the silver guard,  in this rank are the warriors who have the potential to rise in the political branch of the nation, when a silver guard fulfills enough deeds, they can be promoted to be golden rangers, these are found in the deep areas of the mines and are in charge of the protection of Zirah-Dok, the capital city and the seat of Rangrok the third,  The current goblin king who has ruled for 130 years," explained the old wizard

"And if any of the Golden Knights excels in battle or in the political field, they can be selected by me, to promote to the "Orichalcum Fist" the 5 most trusted and lethal warriors and my personal guard, who act as bodyguards, generals and my most trusted confidants” exclaimed a deep voice that radiated such enormous power that Jon shuddered just hearing it

Jon turned his head and came face to face with a gigantic goblin, wearing silver armor that was brimming with magical power, with gold accents, it was adorned with ferocious animals that moved through the armor as if wishing to get out of it and mauls whoever dared to attack its wearer and at least twice taller than IronAxe, Jon had never seen King Robert Baratheon, but he was sure Rangrok would make him look like a ragged peasant

 All the Goblins, without exception, prostrated themselves before their king, with their heads bowed in submission, no one announced it, no one demanded that they bow, the goblins recognized in their king the most powerful of their race.

Around Rangrok were 5 goblins of different sizes, two of them even bigger than Rangrok in height, they wore dark deep green armor with gold details, the helms had details with different ferocious animals, their armor seemed alive similar to that of the king, but less powerful, as if they were enhanced with the same method but with inferior materials,  each of the members of the "Orichalcum fist" expelled pure magical power and he could understand why many people did not know them, such a lethal elite force was sent to guarantee success in the missions, Jon supposed that there were no witnesses left of their exploits after all

The King Spoke “When I was informed that a wizard challenged one of my silver guards to a duel in the lobby of Gringotts in Diagon Alley I had a fit of laughter, when I was informed that the challenger was someone calling himself Jon Stark I was overcome with a feeling of intrigue, and when I arrived here and saw you subdue one of my guards and witness those amber eyes there is no doubt,  House Stark is back” he finished and the rest of the goblins and the few wizards who were there began to murmur, a Stark in the UK was great news, whether it was good or bad was yet to be seen

“What brings you to my bank young wolf?” asked the king

"Headmaster Dumbledore told me that my family has businesses in his bank, he wanted to take an ancestry test to confirm it and be able to access the Stark vaults" Jon replied

"Oh you have the blood of the wolf boy, there's no doubt about that, you're a Stark to the core," replied the king, "but the one who will decide if you're worthy of being his lord isn't us, you must pass the wolf's trial to be able to claim the title."

Jon was thoughtful for a few moments and nodded serenely, "Then I'll face the test," he replied

King Rangrok smiled and replied, "Excellent, then come with me young Stark, Lord Dumbledore, do you require any service from Gringotts?" asked the king

"Indeed King Rangrok, if you will take care of young Jon, then I will supervise some affairs of the Dumbledore house and about some costs of the next year of the school” replied respectfully the old teacher

The goblin nodded softly and muttered to one of his subordinates in a strange, guttural and completely wild tongue, Jon guessed it was the language of the goblins

Turning to look at them again he said, "Ironclaw will take care of your business, young Stark follow me, I can't wait to see you face your test."

Jon nodded and began to follow him towards a special room on a lower level of the bank, inside was a stone platform with various runes that shone with great intensity, Rangrok walked and placed himself in the center of the platform, Jon imitated him silently and waited, not wanting to question the king.

Suddenly, the king shouted a word that he wasn't able to comprehend, the runes on the platform flashed like suns for a moment before returning to their original glow, something had happened, but Jon had no idea what

Rangrok began to walk towards the door that would take them to the exit of the room and what was Jon's surprise that they were not in the pristine lobby of the bank, but in a network of huge caves, Jon raised his head to try to see the ceiling of the room and only visualized fog,  on the walls of the caves there were small caves with numbers too small to read, Jon supposed that these were the vaults where the magicians kept their money

"Normally we would force mages to use the rail system to go so low, however, I don't have the patience for such a mundane task and I'm eager to introduce you to the Guardian," replied the king

Jon looked at him confused and asked “the guardian?”

Rangrok made a gesture of indifference and replied "you will know him, follow me, we are almost there”

Jon didn't just answer, he just followed the goblin down a hallway that led even lower and at the bottom a giant metal door, at least 15 meters high with his family's dire wolf on each side, was met with silver chains with bright red runes, Jon was reminded of blood for some strange reason

The chains protruded from the door towards the statue of a wolf that was sitting, watchful, lurking, the moment we approached the door the eyes of the statue shone red and with a solemn voice he spoke

"Another contender, it's been centuries since the last one dared to submit to my judgment, scions of my masters, they believed they possessed the right to claim the riches and knowledge they left behind and I guarded so jealously," exclaimed the statue as, in front of an incredulous Jon began to move, he was huge, at least 10 meters tall completely of white stone with blue runes all over his body.

For Jon it was an overwhelming experience, the voice of the statue was a combination of hundreds of voices, you could hear them all and at the same time none, it was difficult to explain, without wasting any more time I advance towards the statue and speak clearly

"I am Jon, son of Eddard Stark, Lord of Winterfell and bearer of Ice, shield of the old gods and defender of the kingdom of winter, and I will submit to your judgment," yelled the black-haired man

The wolf turned its gaze so quickly and approached Jon's face exposing her dragonglass fangs full of runes, these unlike those on the body were an intense red color like blood, Jon had no doubt that they were designed to cause agony to those he considered unworthy, once he was looking into Jon's eyes he replied “I feel the blood of my masters in you,  Young wolf, the ice of winter runs strong in your veins, you recite titles and places that only a Stark knows, so Jon, son of Eddard, are you completely sure you want to submit to the test?” The guardian statue spoke

"Of few things I have been as sure as of this, so begin your judgment," exclaimed the black-haired man

Jon could have sworn that the statue gave him a grin of satisfaction, although it would be difficult to identify it and replied “so be it!”