Crack!
The vision shattered, and Edward awoke from the dream.
"Got sothing?"
"Yeah."
Edward thought for a mont and said, "We can confirm the goblins have indeed tead up with the Death Eaters, but these three don't seem to know much. They're just following orders. The one giving commands is an old, one-eyed goblin."
"Oh? A one-eyed goblin?" Dumbledore mused. "I rember during the goblin rebellion of 1612, there was a goblin like that. But after the rebellion was crushed, he disappeared. I didn't expect he'd still be alive today."
He glanced at the three goblins still suspended midair and asked, "And what reason did the goblins have for working with the Death Eaters?"
"Hard to say," Edward shook his head. "I only saw that old one-eyed goblin shouting things like 'We will take back what rightfully belongs to the goblins!' and 'Goblins are the true rulers of this world'—very vague stuff."
That triggered a thought. "You said just now that this one-eyed goblin is a survivor from the 1612 rebellion? From what I've read, that rebellion was aid at attacking Hogwarts to seize sothing…I used to suspect it was the Sword of Gryffindor."
"Well, the goblins have always wanted the sword back, but not enough to start a rebellion over it. After all, the Sword of Gryffindor is really just an exceptionally hard and sharp blade. It doesn't possess any magical power."
"Could it have been the Philosopher's Stone?"
A flash of insight struck Edward. "That would line up perfectly—Voldemort wants the Stone too, which would explain their cooperation!"
"But the Philosopher's Stone was created by Nicolas Flal using The Book of Abraham the Jew. It has nothing to do with goblins, let alone being sothing that rightfully belongs to them."
"Then what artifact in Hogwarts would make the goblins think seizing it would make them rulers of the world?"
Dumbledore spread his hands. "If such a thing existed, I would've used it against Voldemort already." He paused for a mont. "But based on what we know so far, it's fair to say that the goblins and Death Eaters are targeting Hogwarts. That aligns with their manipulation of Malfoy into releasing the Dark Mark."
Edward then attempted another spirit-communion, trying to divine the location of the one-eyed goblin, but unfortunately, none of the three knew where he was.
So he packed up the materials and dispelled the ritual, then asked, "By the way, why did you have change the divination phrase just now to 'The reason for the cooperation between the Death Eaters and goblins'? Do you think this was a Death Eater initiative and not sothing directly linked to Voldemort?"
"It was just a hunch," Dumbledore replied. "But it's not hard to verify." He pointed to Claw. "Wake him up and have him take us to the Lestrange vault. That'll tell us everything we need to know."
Edward cast a Reviving Charm. Claw blinked awake, his face dazed, seemingly trying to recall what had just happened.
"Uh…will he really take us there willingly?"
"Use the Imperius Curse."
"You're not going to do it?"
Dumbledore blinked innocently. "I'm a textbook white wizard. How could I ever use such cruel Dark Magic…especially one of the Unforgivable Curses?"
"???"
Edward rolled his eyes—he usually considered himself the last person to be snarky, but he really couldn't help it this ti.
"Magnify—Imperio."
Just to be safe, Edward enhanced the Imperius Curse with a Magnify to avoid any slip-ups, then used Transfiguration to restore Claw's swollen face to normal.
"Take us to the Lestrange vault."
Claw gave a grotesque grin. "Certainly."
"What about the other two? Should we finish them off?"
Dumbledore shook his head. "That would only alert the other goblins and Death Eaters. I'll erase their mories and rewrite them—make today seem like a perfectly pleasant eting."
"That's it? I thought you ca ready to unleash so righteous fury."
He smiled gently. "Don't worry. Now that we know these goblins are up to no good, I won't go easy on them. Just not yet. After all, death is often the lightest of punishnts."
"Now that's more like it."
That ant the two elaborate distractions by Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick had basically been unnecessary—well, not entirely. If sothing had gone wrong, they would've served as a backup plan.
——
A few minutes later, Claw led the two out of the VIP room and back into the main hall, then through another door into a rough stone corridor. Burning torches lit the way, revealing a path that descended deep underground.
They eventually reached a rail track. Claw whistled, and a cart rolled toward them from the shadows. Once they got in, it imdiately sped off, hurtling down a labyrinthine tunnel with sharp turns and sudden drops, diving deeper and deeper underground through stalactite-lined caverns.
After nearly ten minutes, the cart began to slow down and finally stopped at a fork lit by torches.
"We're here, honoured guests."
Claw climbed out and continued to lead the way. They turned a corner and arrived in a wide-open space. Ahead of them lay the deepest vaults, but blocking the path was an ancient dragon—scarred, shackled, and clearly abused. Its eyes were a cloudy pink, filled with hatred as it stared at the three of them.
Claw took out a tiny bell and gently shook it. The dragon let out a hoarse roar and backed away—clearly a conditioned reflex from years of mistreatnt by the goblins.
Seeing it, Edward imdiately thought of the dragon Anna. Though he had no particular attachnt to her, his affection for her by association made him feel a twinge of sympathy for the one before him.
"If there's a chance, I'll get you out of here too."
They skirted past the dragon and finally reached their destination—the door to the Lestrange vault.
Claw placed his hand on the surface, and the vault door dissolved, revealing a passage beyond.
Inside, from floor to ceiling, the vault was cramd with gold coins and goblets, silver armour, the hides of strange beasts with spines or wings, potions sealed in jewelled bottles, and even a crowned skull.
"Whoa. Now this is a treasure hoard. Roman gold coins, King Arthur's skull, the Sword of Gryffindor…Sha they're all fakes."
Dumbledore gave the vault a thorough once-over and chuckled. "And look at that—so thoughtfully enchanted with the Gemino and Flagrante Curses."
He waved his wand and muttered a spell. A white light rippled outward, suppressing the enchantnts over the treasure hoard. Then he flicked his wrist again. "Accio Hufflepuff's Cup."
A small golden cup with two delicate handles soared from the pile and landed in his hand. A badger was engraved on its side, and an ominous aura clung to it.
Edward nodded in confirmation. "That's the one. I recognise the aura of a Horcrux."
Dumbledore narrowed his eyes. "This also confirms that the goblins are working with the Death Eaters—likely without Voldemort's knowledge. Otherwise, he would never have left the cup here after learning I knew the whereabouts of one of his Horcruxes."
He stroked his long, snow-white beard and sighed pitifully. "Then again, perhaps he just assus I'm a gullible old fool."
As if.
"What are you planning to do with the cup?"
"The best course of action would be to destroy it imdiately. My instincts say Fiendfyre might do the trick."
Edward hesitated. "Hmm, let keep it for now. It's Helga Hufflepuff's Cup, after all—who knows what hidden functions it may hold."
"Alright. But be careful with it."
"No problem. So…shall we head out?"
Dumbledore glanced at the old goblin. "We might as well keep up appearances—have him help us rent a vault, too. Otherwise, when Gringotts balances its records tonight, it'll be chaos."
"…What are we depositing?"
Edward quickly added, "This whole trunk of treasures is borrowed from Audrey. I have to return it eventually."
The old man chuckled. "What's hers is yours, isn't it?"
"Hey now, that's the kind of line that could get us in trouble. And besides, it's not about whose stuff it is—those gems and coins help her mitigate the negative effects of the Dragonbone Wand. Not sothing to ss around with."
"Fine, fine. I suppose I'll just have to make a personal sacrifice."
Dumbledore shrugged helplessly. "That trunk of gold nearly emptied out a century of my savings."
"Wait, really?" Edward looked up and pointed to the vault full of treasure that towered to the ceiling. "Why don't we just take so of this? I an, I have zero qualms about looting Death Eaters. We could stash a portion of it."
"Excellent idea."
Dumbledore agreed far too readily—he'd clearly been waiting for Edward to suggest it himself.
"…"
The two of them filled half a trunk each with valuables using a few wand flicks, then turned to the goblin.
"Let's go, Mr. Claw. I'd like to rent the highest-tier vault available."
Claw bead. "Wonderful choice, gentlen."
An hour later, Claw escorted them out of Gringotts with an enthusiasm that would've made a salesman proud. He waved as they departed. "Take care, dear friends! We look forward to your next visit!"
He gripped the contract tightly, humming with satisfaction. Excellent. Another profitable day!
———
[Hogwarts—Headmaster's Office]
Professor McGonagall wore a pained expression. "Oh, thank rlin you're back. Pretending to be soone else in front of so many people—it's utterly disconcerting."
Professor Flitwick, on the other hand, was chuckling heartily. "I rather enjoyed it. I've had enough of that pink toad for ages! Not only did I get to properly scold her, but now she'll be directing her hatred toward Albus instead."
"My old friend," Dumbledore said with a sly smile, "that's not the most comforting thing to hear."
"Hahahahahaha!"
Flitwick laughed with genuine delight. "So? How did your mission go?"
Neither of them knew the full details—only that it involved Voldemort.
"We have good news and bad news," Dumbledore said gravely.
"Let's hear the good first."
"We confird so of our suspicions."
"And the bad?"
"The Death Eaters have ford an alliance with the goblins. Their target is most likely Hogwarts."
The smile froze on Flitwick's face.
Indeed, he was a professor at Hogwarts, a trusted confidant of Dumbledore, and a firm opponent of Voldemort. But he also had goblin blood in his veins.
"Oh…that is bad news."
His brows furrowed, deep concern written on his face. "But…why? Even if they've decided to side with Voldemort, making such a drastic move so quickly seems reckless!"
He muttered to himself, "If it were , I'd stir up conflict between Hogwarts and Voldemort first, then wait for the perfect mont to…"
Edward: "..."
"Ahem!"
Professor McGonagall quickly coughed. "Filius!"
"Oh, it's purely hypothetical, Albus. You understand, don't you?"
"Of course," Dumbledore said, reaching into a drawer and pushing over a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans. "Have a sweet."
Flitwick popped one into his mouth—and imdiately grimaced. "Urgh! Wasabi-flavoured!"
"We all know goblins are greedy, vicious, and cruel—but they're not stupid."
Flitwick: Well, that felt oddly personal.
"That ans, no matter what they're planning, the only thing we can do is prepare in advance."
Professor McGonagall looked troubled. "Do you think they'll launch a direct assault on Hogwarts? That would put the students in serious danger."
"I fear it may be inevitable, Minerva," Dumbledore said, adjusting his half-moon spectacles. "And the timing is likely to coincide with the day of the Minister for Magic election."
———
[Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps motivated.
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