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Chapter 860: The Elusive Burman
Chapter 860: The Elusive Burman
Droll was in high spirits. He never expected that the mystery plaguing the Fire Dragon Sanctuary for nearly a century would be solved on such an ordinary morning.
Ever since the sanctuary found its footing, they had been influenced by the first Dragon Keeper Captain, Burman, to search for the anonymous donor and thank him in person.
This quest had become an unrecorded task of sorts, with six captains, including himself and Burman, using their connections to try and find this individual, all to no avail.
Droll had even inquired with Newt, but at the time, he had also claimed ignorance. Yet, here he was, bringing the very person they sought.
Droll felt a surge of absurdity and shook his head to clear his thoughts.
Perhaps Newt Scamander truly hadn't known back then. Droll understood the expert on magical creatures well; he simply couldn't lie, and Droll would have seen through any deception.
And compared to Scamander, Droll thought of another person.
He turned to glance at Kyle, who, if he recalled correctly, should be Chris's son.
He couldn't help but recall a conversation he had with Chris a few years ago at a welcome dinner hosted by the Ministry of Magic. Chris had confidently assured him that he could help find clues about the mysterious donor...
Who would have thought that the seemingly earnest fellow would turn out to be so unscrupulous? Clearly, he knew all along that it was his family's donation, yet he had feigned ignorance in their conversations.
Droll scoffed inwardly. He could just imagine Chris laughing uproariously behind that earnest facade as he thanked him sincerely. What a performance!
He had thought Chris was a decent person, only to discover this quirky side of him.
As Droll ranted internally about this individual, he lifted the corner of the dragon painting in the room's corner and retrieved a gleaming golden key—a Gringotts vault key.
"This is now yours," Droll said, handing the key to Kyle without hesitation.
Fortunately, the galleons had been accumulated gradually over the years. If he had to produce the full sum of over six thousand galleons at once, he might not have been able to gather it in a short time.
It might sound absurd that the Fire Dragon Sanctuary, which monopolized the dragon materials trade in the wizarding world, couldn't produce six thousand galleons, but it was the truth.
While the sanctuary had established a mature industry, dragon-keeping was a bottomless pit. Most of their earnings were reinvested into the care and feeding of the dragons.
The materials they sold eventually turned into food and other necessities, most of which found their way back into the bellies of the young dragons.
Thus, the sanctuary didn't have much in the way of liquid assets.
Kyle took the key and examined it carefully.
It was quite interesting; he had always thought that the goblin would never take a single galleon from him, yet here he was with a vault containing six thousand galleons to his name.
Thankfully, that goblin hadn't known about this vault back then.
"Oh, and one more thing," Droll added, offering a reminder. "This vault is in Gringotts in Romania. If you need any help transferring the funds to Britain, I'd be happy to assist."
"No need," Kyle replied. "We can handle it ourselves. It's just a standard vault, right?"
Gringotts vaults were categorized into three types. The first was the standard vault, accessible with a key, though it offered slightly less security. However, it didn't come with any cumbersome requirements.
Then there were the higher-security vaults that required a fee, like the one Dumbledore had used to store the Philosopher's Stone. And finally, there were the most heavily guarded vaults deep underground, used primarily by ancient pure-blood families like the Blacks and the Lestranges.
"Yes, just a standard vault," Droll confirmed with a shake of his head.
"Then we'll be fine," Kyle said. "We'll just go and withdraw the funds when needed."
It was always better to have the galleons in hand.
"What about after that?" Droll asked. "You should be aware that as long as the Fire Dragon Sanctuary exists, you'll receive a portion of the profits every year. It's not a large amount, perhaps around two hundred galleons, but I still think it would be more convenient to transfer this vault to Britain."
Kyle considered this and realized it made sense.
Having the vault in Romania would mean he'd have to travel here to access it, which could be inconvenient.
"In that case, I'll trouble you to help with the transfer," Kyle said, handing the key back to Droll.
"Not at all," Droll said, rising to his feet. "I'll take care of it personally to prevent the goblins from finding excuses to delay. Those greedy creatures aren't keen on transferring their treasures to other countries.
"If all goes well, I should be back in time for lunch with the three of you. Please don't refuse."
"It's fine," Kyle said hastily, stopping him. "And we can skip lunch. We'll just head back for our meal."
There was one more matter to discuss, the most important one, and Droll might not be too keen on lunch after that.
"That won't do," Droll said with a smile. "Mr. Burman visits the Fire Dragon Sanctuary several times a year. If he finds out I did nothing and let you leave just like that, he'll surely scold me.
Droll tried to recall when that time would be... and then it struck him that it might be this very year.
This realization shocked him. Could Mr. Burman also have the gift of prophecy? He'd never heard of such a thing.
Nevertheless, he didn't give it too much thought, as Mr. Burman usually visited the Fire Dragon Sanctuary around this time of year to inspect the situation. He could ask him about it directly then.
Of course, Kyle had no idea what was running through Droll's mind at the moment. He had already taken out another piece of parchment.
"Captain Droll," Kyle said, "I have another magical contract here, also pertaining to the Fire Dragon Sanctuary."
"Another one?" Droll snapped out of his reverie, momentarily taken aback.
That's odd. The sanctuary shouldn't have any other donors.
Despite his confusion, he instinctively took the parchment from Kyle.
And then...
Droll's expression underwent a visible transformation; his eyes nearly popped out of his head, and the hand holding the parchment began to tremble slightly.
"Legal dragon-keeping... gifting a dragon egg... plus all expenses for dragon-keeping... This is impossible! The sanctuary would never issue such an outrageous certificate!" he almost screamed. "Where did you get this from?! I have the right to have an Auror arrest you for forging a contract related to the Fire Dragon Sanctuary, even if your family's elders have helped us in the past!"
As he spoke, he even brandished his wand.
"Calm down, Droll," Dumbledore stepped forward, standing in front of Kyle.
"What do you mean by this, Headmaster Dumbledore?" Droll said in a low voice. "The Fire Dragon Sanctuary will never be threatened by anyone."
"Believe me, that's not my intention," Dumbledore said lightly. "But I'm willing to guarantee, in my capacity as the Headmaster of Hogwarts, that this magical contract is completely legitimate.
"So I suggest you calm down and take a closer look."
Droll, in a fit of rage, stared at Dumbledore, his mind racing. But after a moment, he lowered his wand.
"There's no need to look at it," Droll said. "We definitely wouldn't issue such an outrageous certificate. Considering that you've helped the sanctuary in the past, I'll let you go and won't pursue the matter of your forged contract."
"That's not necessarily up to you, Captain Droll," Kyle said calmly as he stepped forward. "You can only speak for yourself, not for others, right?"
"Or you could ask Burman," Newt interjected. "He should be living somewhere nearby. You should be able to contact him, right? If you agree, I can also do it for you."
Looking at the three people before him, Droll hesitated.
He didn't trust Kyle, nor did he fully trust Dumbledore, but he believed in Newt Scamander. If this person were indeed Newt Scamander, he wouldn't be accompanying them in such a frivolous matter.
As for their identities... to prevent anyone from impersonating a dragon keeper, the sanctuary was protected by Revealing Charms. Since they had made it this far, their identities were undoubtedly authentic.
Droll was conflicted.
"Oh, right," Kyle suddenly said. "I remember that this contract had two copies, and the other one should be kept here. You can look for it if you want; you might be in for a surprise."
Droll glanced at Kyle but said nothing. Instead, he waved his wand and opened a cabinet next to him.
Countless parchments floated out under his command, but none were what he was looking for.
"Those are useless," Kyle prompted. "You should be looking for one from ninety-seven years ago."
Droll's hand, which was holding the wand, paused for a moment and then waved vigorously again.
In the corner, a cabinet that was so old it had faded and was covered in dust creaked open, and more parchments flew out.
But this time, one of the parchments shone with a silvery-white light, as if attracted by something, it flew to the table and landed next to the magical contract.
The silvery-white patterns on it combined, and the silver light flowed and fit together seamlessly.
Snap!
The wand in Droll's hand fell to the ground, and he stood there, dumbfounded.
It's real...
He couldn't believe his eyes. How could such an outrageous thing be real?!
"No, there must be something you've done," he said, still unconvinced. He picked up his wand and frantically pulled out a two-way mirror, tapping on it quickly.
Soon, the mirror flashed, revealing a wrinkled face—an extremely elderly wizard, bald and full of wrinkles.
"What's the matter? How many times have I told you that patience is the most important thing when caring for dragons, and that you need to be calm when encountering problems..." the elderly wizard said slowly.
"Mr. Burman..."
"Nonsense, how could I possibly..."
Burman's voice trailed off the instant the mirror captured his image.
Even without seeing his face, Kyle could guess the expression he was making.
"Professor Dumbledore is here too, isn't he?" came a sigh from the mirror.
"Yes, he's right here," Droll confirmed.
After a moment of silence, Burman's voice echoed from the mirror again.
"Give it to them, it's real."
"But the requirements on it..."
"It's all true... Oh dear, Gill actually laid a dragon egg, I need to go take a look."
As soon as he finished speaking, the mirror went dark, leaving Droll standing there in a daze.
If he remembered correctly, Gill was a male Swedish Short-Snout dragon, right? However, Burman's words revealed quite a bit of information. This contract seemed to be genuine, and it was very likely that he was the one who issued it.
Droll took several deep breaths and looked up at Kyle again, forcing a smile.
"I apologize for the embarrassment this has caused."
"It's fine," Kyle said. "I'm only concerned about whether the conditions stated in the contract can be fulfilled."
"Since it was promised by Mr. Burman and there is an official contract to back it up... of course, we will honor it," Droll said through gritted teeth.
"But you can't."
"What do you mean?"
"It must be the wizard who signed this contract who comes here in person." The now-calm Droll pointed to the top line of the parchment.
"Unlike donations, this is clearly stated here. It is only valid for the individual, non-transferable, and cannot be inherited."
"I know, but I am that person." Kyle said.
Droll raised an eyebrow, wondering if Kyle was treating him like a fool.
The date on it was 1899, ninety-seven years ago. How could Kyle possibly be the wizard who signed it?
"Oh, Merlin's beard!"
Droll almost jumped out of his seat.
Because he saw Kyle place his wand on the parchment, and strangely, the contract pattern on the parchment lit up, and the magical text floated off the surface.
This meant that Kyle's magic was an exact match for the magic that composed the contract pattern.
But how could that be possible... This was a contract from ninety-seven years ago.
Droll felt his head spinning, the shock no less than if he had witnessed Gill laying a dragon egg.
This situation was completely beyond his comprehension, and the bit of rationality he had managed to regain instantly shattered.
"Is there a problem now?" Kyle asked with a smile.
"Wait, wait a moment." Droll jumped up from his seat and rushed out the door.
"I guess he's going to find Burman." Newt said from the side: "After he retired, he built a house behind the sanctuary and repeatedly invited me to be his neighbor... but the Romanian Ministry of Magic wouldn't let me live here."
That was for sure... Kyle thought to himself. Without Professor Dumbledore's assurance, the British Ministry of Magic probably wouldn't have agreed to let Newt live in Dorset either.
However, he was very concerned about something Burman had said earlier.
"Professor," Kyle looked at Dumbledore, "Does he already know?"
"I remember that he seemed surprised when he saw me once, and he asked me some questions." Dumbledore said, "But at the time, I didn't understand and thought his questions were strange. Now it seems that he recognized me."
Back then, Dumbledore had gone with Kyle, and his appearance as an older man was quite distinctive, so it wasn't surprising that he had been recognized.
"Is that a problem?" Kyle asked.
"It should be fine." Dumbledore thought for a moment, "Burman isn't the type to gossip, and he's only interested in fire dragons."
"That's good." Kyle said.
About half an hour later, Droll returned.
Kyle had expected Burman to accompany him, but after waiting for a while, he realized there was no second person entering the room.
"Did you find out?"
"I didn't find him." Droll said through clenched teeth, "There was only a letter in the house."
He placed the letter on the table; the handwriting was messy, obviously written in a hurry.
The general meaning was, "Something came up, and I need to go out for a while. You take care of things at the sanctuary."
"Looks like Burman is feeling guilty." Newt laughed.
To be honest, the conditions stated in that legal dragon-keeping certificate were outrageous. If he were Burman, he would probably want to hide for a while too.
"Do you need our help to find Mr. Burman?" Kyle asked, looking at Droll.
"No, I can probably guess where he is." Droll rubbed his forehead.
"Then now..."
"We agree." Droll paused for a moment and reluctantly said, "Since there's no problem with the magical contract, we will naturally honor our promise."
(End of Chapter)
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