Chapter 532: Gringotts
Chapter 532: Gringotts
On the last day of February, after dinner, Liam and Hermione were heading into the Library to study and do their homework together. Suddenly, a flash of fire appeared on the table in front of them, and a tightly rolled parchment strip appeared out of nowhere.
"Is it Professor Dumbledore looking for you?" Hermione turned and asked, as the flash of fire was too obvious, clearly indicating that a Phoenix was delivering something, and the only Phoenix in the castle was Dumbledore's Fawkes.
"Probably." Liam bent down and opened the tightly rolled parchment. He found a few lines written in a thin, looping script: "Please bring the items you prepared and come to the Headmaster's Office immediately. We should leave now. The password is 'Gold Coins Chocolate.'"
It seemed Dumbledore believed this was the best time to enter Gringotts. Liam bid Hermione farewell, asking her to take his textbooks back to the Common Room, and then quickly ran upstairs to the Headmaster's Office. When he used the password to open the door and walked up the spiral staircase, the oak door opened, and Liam saw Dumbledore sitting in his usual chair, dressed in a purple robe. Sirius Black was also there, looking somewhat nervous in a formal robe, sitting on another chair.
"Good evening, Professor Dumbledore. Good evening, Sirius Black." Liam greeted the two men. "We are—"
"We are about to leave for Gringotts to retrieve Voldemort's Horcrux from Bellatrix's vault", Professor Dumbledore nodded. "I received definitive evidence today that Voldemort, along with Bellatrix and two other Death Eaters, has gone to Greece on business. They have left Britain, so I can guarantee that we won't run into them directly while we search."
"But how do we get in? Are we going to force our way in or sneak in?" Liam asked.
"Neither", Dumbledore shook his head. "You won't need to speak. I have a brilliant plan to bypass most of the guards, and I need Sirius Black's help, which is why I called him here today."
"I'm glad to be of assistance in such an important matter, Professor Dumbledore", Sirius nodded.
Once everyone was ready, Professor Dumbledore stood up from behind his desk and asked Sirius Black to hold his hand, and Liam to hold Sirius Black's hand. "We are going to use Fawkes to travel to Diagon Alley, so hold on tight."
Liam and Sirius Black nodded, and Phoenix Fawkes flew from the perch to Dumbledore's free hand. A flash of fire appeared, and the three of them vanished from the Headmaster's Office.
When the firelight dissipated, Liam found they had appeared in a small, inconspicuous corner of Diagon Alley. After straightening their clothes, they began walking towards Gringotts.
Gringotts' facade was unlike any other shop on the street, built with snow-white marble. Despite its somewhat twisted appearance, the building was still grand and imposing, towering over the surrounding shops, making it stand out prominently.
Even though it was evening, Gringotts' bronze doors were still polished to a shine. A very short Goblin, dressed in a perfectly pressed scarlet uniform, stood there and bowed politely as Liam and the others approached, then opened the door for them.
Liam only visited Gringotts once a year on average. In his experience, every visit involved walking through a short corridor, spending about ten minutes queuing with a crowd, and going through several checks before reaching the counter to conduct his business. In the Muggle world, a bank with such poor service would have gone bankrupt long ago, but Gringotts thrived because it was the only bank in the Wizarding World.
Fortunately, today they had the excuse of handling some business with Sirius Black, which allowed them to bypass the long queues and other issues that ordinary wizards typically face. As the Clan Leader of the Black Family, Sirius Black naturally enjoyed the exclusive Vip services that Gringotts provided to Pureblood Families. As soon as the three of them stepped into the hall, an elderly Goblin wearing a monocle and a tuxedo greeted them.
"Ah, Headmaster Dumbledore, Mr. Black, and this young gentleman. Is there anything I can assist you with?" The Goblin bowed deeply before them, his large nose almost touching the floor.
"Actually", Sirius Black stepped forward and said, "I have some items in my Family Vault that I need to trade with this young partner. Given the precious nature of the items and the fact that he is still a student, Headmaster Dumbledore will serve as a witness to our transaction. Therefore, we would like to access my Vault."
"Of course, no problem", the elderly Goblin nodded. "Please present your identification."
Sirius Black pulled out a golden key encrusted with an emerald from his pocket. The elderly Goblin inspected it and nodded slightly before bowing again. "The key is in order. We can proceed immediately."
With that, he clapped his hands, and a younger Goblin approached.
"I'll need the Clankers", the elderly Goblin said. The younger Goblin quickly left and returned with a small leather bag, which seemed to be filled with clinking metal. "Very well, very well! Please follow me, gentlemen", the elderly Goblin said, turning to lead the way. "I'll take you to the Black Family's Vault."
They soon passed through the hall, which was lined with counters. Liam noticed that, unlike the bustling scene he had seen during the day, only a few Goblins were now sitting behind the counters, weighing gems and precious metals or yawning. There were far fewer staff members around.
They quickly passed through a door at the back of the hall and entered a rough stone corridor lit by burning torches. However, Liam realized these were not ordinary torches; each one was a magical item.
"You've noticed the torches, haven't you?" Sirius Black said, noticing Liam's gaze. "When I first came here, I was also curious about why such a place as Gringotts would use such simple torches. But my cousin Andromeda, Tonks' mother, told me that these torches are actually valuable magical items. Once infused with magic power, the flames will last for an entire year."
"Truly—" Liam was at a loss for words. Even though they were far from Eternal Flames, anything associated with magical items was bound to be expensive. Liam was amazed by the wealth of the Goblins.
The Goblin who had been escorting them whistled at the entrance to a tunnel, and a small cart rolled out of the darkness along the tracks. The four of them fit perfectly into the cart.
"Gringotts' underground Vaults are the safest places to store your treasures. You can consider letting us manage your wealth in the future", the Goblin sitting in front began to chatter as the cart started moving. He was primarily addressing Liam, as it was rare for a student to be a business partner of a Pureblood Family and to have Dumbledore accompany them. In his records, Liam had not conducted any financial transactions with Gringotts.
So, the Goblin took this opportunity to try to attract business for Gringotts. The fact that Liam was not a Pureblood Wizard was of little concern to the Goblin. After all, to them, the bloodlines of humans were irrelevant; gold was the same regardless. If not for the International Statute of Secrecy, they would even be willing to do business with Muggles.
(End of Chapter)
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