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Chapter 891: The Game
Chapter 891: The Game
At the Phoenix Society Headquarters, Grimmauld Place Number Twelve.
Unlike most days, only two individuals were present—the retired Dumbledore and Snape, who had just returned from a Death Eater meeting.
"That Auren took a golden chalice from the vault."
"A golden chalice?" Dumbledore raised an eyebrow at Snape's words, "A Horcrux?"
"Isn't it a Horcrux? You don't know?" Snape couldn't help but ask, "The Hufflepuff's golden chalice is in Kyle's possession, and he hasn't even tried to hide it.
"So, does Tom not know that the Horcrux has been stolen?" Dumbledore asked.
"I... I don't know." Snape paused for a moment before shaking his head.
"As far as I know, the Dark Lord was furious with Bellatrix and even punished her with the Cruciatus Curse.
"The reason for this was that she lost something, something important hidden in the Gringotts vault."
"Although the Dark Lord didn't explicitly say it, it should be the Hufflepuff's golden chalice."
Snape continued, "The Dark Lord couldn't show himself at the time, so I went to Gringotts... Kyle and that mutt were too careless. After taking the item, they didn't even bother to erase the goblins' memories."
"So, you helped Kyle?" Dumbledore's eyes twinkled with a hint of mockery. "It seems like you care about him deep down, despite not saying it aloud. Is it because of Miss Prince?"
"Shut up!"
Snape exploded in anger, "Me, care about Kyle? What nonsense are you talking about!"
"What do I care about those two? I just don't want them to ruin the original plan and cause trouble for me!"
"I see." Dumbledore didn't press further, nodding in understanding. "Please continue."
"There's not much more to say." Snape took a while to regain his composure.
"I don't know what Bellatrix did afterward, but she managed to get the Dark Lord's forgiveness, and that was the end of it."
"I suspect Miss Lestrange must have told a little white lie." Dumbledore said with a smile.
"Impossible. No one can deceive the Dark Lord." Snape blurted out.
"Is that so?" Dumbledore looked at Snape without saying a word.
Snape's eyes twitched.
Indeed, he, as a traitor, had deceived the Dark Lord numerous times.
"Tom wouldn't have gone to Gringotts himself. It must have been Miss Lestrange who found it, and she didn't realize how important it was to Tom, so she let it slip."
Dumbledore narrowed his eyes, recalling what Snape had told him before.
"Later, you went to Gringotts and altered the goblins' memories, making them forget both Kyle and Sirius while also helping Miss Lestrange.
"I helped her?" Snape frowned slightly, puzzled, "I just wanted to shift the blame onto her."
"That's just your assumption." Dumbledore smiled, "Since no one has been to the Lestrange family vault, is it possible that the item is still there, and she simply made a mistake?"
"I think it's highly likely, and she must have visited Gringotts again."
Snape remained silent, implicitly agreeing.
For a while, Bellatrix had indeed been frequenting Gringotts, and she hadn't been punished since.
"The Death Eaters are loyal to Tom, but if necessary, they won't hesitate to tell a little white lie."
Dumbledore's gaze deepened as he said calmly, "Tom is too arrogant, and his split soul has robbed him of the judgment a normal wizard should possess. I fear that, in his eyes, Miss Lestrange would never dare to deceive him.
"I suspect he still believes the Horcrux is in the Lestrange family vault, which is a good thing for us."
Snape remained silent, not entirely agreeing with Dumbledore, but he also knew that Dumbledore understood the Dark Lord better than he did.
And with Bellatrix dead, the truth didn't matter anymore.
"Let's go and visit Kyle." Dumbledore stood up, "He must be terrified."
"I'm not ready to reveal myself yet." Snape said directly, "And I don't think Kyle would be scared if he encountered a Death Eater while withdrawing money.
"Instead of worrying about him, you should be concerned about the goblins at Gringotts."
With that, Snape left the room without looking back.
Dumbledore didn't try to stop him, as this wasn't the right time for him to be seen outside of Hogwarts.
After leaving Grimmauld Place Number Twelve, Dumbledore headed straight for the Ministry of Magic.
"Oh, Headmaster Dumbledore, it's good to see you here." Someone who recognized him came forward to greet him.
"Long time no see, Bob." Dumbledore also greeted him warmly, "But I'm no longer the headmaster, just call me by my name."
"Alright, Mr. Dumbledore." Bob said, "Is there anything I can help you with?"
"Actually, I do have a question." Dumbledore said, "Mr. Crabbe is here at the Ministry, right?"
"Chris?" Bob thought for a moment, "He's not at the Ministry."
"No, I mean his son, Kyle." Dumbledore clarified.
"Oh, you mean him. He's at the Auror Office, but..." Bob glanced at Dumbledore, hesitating.
"What is it?"
"Nothing." Bob shook his head, "I was just wondering if he's really Chris's son."
Dumbledore's eyes flashed, "Bob, you should be glad Diana isn't around."
Bob shivered.
If Chris heard this, he would probably just laugh it off and not get angry, but if Diana heard it, Bob would likely be hanging from the highest tower of the Ministry tomorrow.
Fortunately, the Department of Mysteries had been busy lately.
"No, I mean their personalities are too different, including Diana's."
"He lowered his voice. "I've never seen someone anger a goblin like that... They almost got into a fight several times. That Kyle, is he really a Hufflepuff graduate?"
"I assure you," Dumbledore said, "but every house has a few exceptional students, don't they? But he's a true Hufflepuff."
Bob gave a dry laugh.
"Thank you for telling me the location."
After bidding Bob farewell, Dumbledore took the elevator, greeting people along the way until he reached the second floor of the Ministry of Magic.
Too many people knew him, and they would always come forward to exchange pleasantries and casually inquire about his recent plans.
Of course, it might be that the greetings were just a casual aside.
But the excessive friendliness was also a bit overwhelming, and it wasn't until Mr. Weasley also stepped into the elevator that Dumbledore had a bit of breathing space.
The elevator stopped at the second floor, and as Dumbledore stepped out, he heard a familiar voice.
"I tell you, six thousand three hundred and fifty Galleons, that's my hard-earned money. You must compensate me in full, not even a Knut less!"
The voice was loud, almost echoing throughout the entire floor.
Compared to his astonishment, the others in the elevator were much calmer.
"He's been arguing for two hours now," Mr. Weasley sighed. "To prevent them from getting into a fight right here in the Ministry, Scrimgeour hasn't gone anywhere and has been standing by the whole time."
Dumbledore started to believe Snape's words.
When he reached the door of the Auror Office, the voice became even louder.
Pushing open the door, he saw a person wrapped in bandages, standing on a chair, and speaking with great vigor:
"Additionally, you attempted to frame an innocent wizard, and two thousand Galleons in mental compensation is the least you can pay.
"And due to your negligence, I was tortured by Death Eaters for half an hour. A thousand Galleons in medical expenses is reasonable.
"So, I'll round it up, and you owe me ten thousand Galleons."
"Do you round up like that?" The goblin across from him trembled with anger. "The rounding up should be nine thousand Galleons!"
"Okay, no problem. Then it's nine thousand Galleons as you say."
"No, you're cheating me!" The goblin also reacted, his face turning red. "Impossible, don't even dream about it!"
Dumbledore couldn't shake the feeling that the goblin's head had grown even bigger, like a potato skewered on a fork.
Finally, in a fit of anger, the goblin even jumped up as if to punch Kyle.
"You want to hit someone? I'll take you on!" Kyle started to roll up his sleeves.
Beside them, Scrimgeour skillfully extended his hand and separated them.
This...
Dumbledore clicked his tongue, feeling that he had arrived at an inopportune moment, but it was too late to leave now.
"Headmaster Dumbledore... Ah, sir." Scrimgeour seemed to have used a Disapparating Charm, appearing in front of Dumbledore in an instant.
"Tea? Or Butterbeer?"
Scrimgeour?
Dumbledore was a bit surprised and suddenly doubted whether the Head of the Auror Office before him was someone else using Polyjuice Potion.
The normal Scrimgeour wouldn't be this polite.
"Ah, Headmaster Dumbledore, you've come at the right time." The goblin seemed to have found a savior. "This wizard is trying to extort Gringotts, and you, as a wizard, should help me."
"I'm sorry, goblin," Dumbledore interrupted, "I'm no longer the headmaster, just an ordinary retired wizard now, and I might not be able to help you."
The goblin was choked up, his entire face turning purple.
On the other side, Kyle, though puzzled by Dumbledore's appearance, didn't mind. He waved his hand as a greeting and continued to haggle with the goblin.
"This is impossible? I haven't even calculated the other damages yet."
"What's the deal with that dragon? You Gringotts goblins are really something, openly violating the Ministry's regulations by keeping a dragon. Are you planning a rebellion?"
"Of course, that's not my concern, but you goblins should take full responsibility for the damage caused by the dragon. The losses to the Diagon Alley shops, the burned houses and goods, at least three thousand Galleons!"
"Impossible! Impossible!" The goblin's head grew even larger.
"Impossible? Then let's handle this officially."
Kyle took a sip of Butterbeer. "Do I need to go to the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures now, or should I just ask the Auror standing next to me what the punishment is for keeping a dragon?"
"A fine and three years in Azkaban," Scrimgeour said timely.
"Did you hear that?" Kyle raised his eyebrows. "Just a reminder, all the goblins who know about this will be imprisoned, and you Gringotts goblins can prepare to shut down for three years!"
"You... you..." The goblin started to tremble. "You deceitful wizard, you're in cahoots with them!"
"Insulting a wizard?" Kyle's expression changed. "Can you speak for all goblins?"
Mr. Bogrod clenched his teeth and closed his mouth tightly.
This matter, it could be big or small.
If taken lightly, a simple apology would suffice, but if taken seriously, there would be no end to it, especially with the exposure of the dragon kept by the goblins.
Speaking of dragons, the first thing people think of is the War Machine. Even if the goblins didn't have this intention and simply wanted the dragon to guard the vault, who would believe that?
After all, the goblins had rebelled before.
If they were to be held accountable, the goblins would have to give the wizards an explanation, and there's no doubt that Mr. Bogrod would be that explanation.
...
During this time, Dumbledore also learned the details of the incident from Scrimgeour.
First, there was Kyle's shocking bandages... His first stop after leaving Gringotts was St. Mungo's, but he was chased out by the headmaster due to his loud argument with the goblin.
Then they came to the Ministry.
"So, you mean Kyle is fine?
"Headmaster Dumbledore asked."
Scrimgeour subconsciously turned his head.
"It's fine, they can't hear us," Dumbledore waved his hand.
Neither Kyle nor the goblins were looking their way.
"That's right," Scrimgeour nodded. "Not a single injury, those bandages are just for show."
"I heard them say that Kyle wants the goblins to compensate him with 10,000 Galleons. What's going on here?"
"It's like this..." Scrimgeour said, "Kyle went to withdraw his money, but the goblin he met was an impostor Death Eater. So, he claimed that the money he just withdrew had been stolen, and demanded Gringotts to take responsibility."
As he spoke, Scrimgeour's face twitched slightly.
"Additionally, he also demanded Gringotts compensate for the dragon's escape, totaling 50,000 Galleons for the damages in Diagon Alley."
"Did the goblins agree to this?"
"Those greedy fellows, how could they possibly agree?" Scrimgeour shook his head. "No wonder they've been arguing until now."
"Tsk," Dumbledore pursed his lips, his fingers moving slightly.
Kyle and the goblin's voices became clear again.
"How can you prove that the Death Eater stole your Galleons!"
"Didn't you check it three times?" Kyle said irritably. "I only have five Galleons left. The rest of the Galleons didn't sprout wings and fly away, did they?"
"If it weren't for you goblins guarding the vault, my Galleons wouldn't have been stolen. I never expected you to be such ungrateful fellows."
"Forget it, forget it," Kyle suddenly lost interest and waved his hand. "Since you don't want to compensate, let's handle this officially. The Auror is here, you can start by explaining the dragon's escape."
Scrimgeour immediately moved closer, putting on a serious face.
"We..."
"Don't say it was for protecting the vault," Mr. Bogrod started to speak, but Kyle interrupted in a low voice.
"If that's the case, you could have informed the Ministry and the Dragon Sanctuary. They would have certainly not objected, but you didn't."
"The Ukrainian Ironbelly... During peaceful times, it guards the vault, but in times of unrest, who knows?"
"You... You..." The goblin's eyes turned red. "That dragon, it can't get out!"
"It can't get out?" Kyle raised an eyebrow. "Then what's flying above Diagon Alley, a warthog?"
"It can't break free from the chains! I guarantee it!" the goblin shouted.
"What do you mean?" Kyle glanced at it. "It can't break free, so did I set it free?"
"Do you want to get your brain back from the giant? While I was dealing with the Death Eater, I released a dragon to make things harder for myself?"
The goblin's chest heaved violently, and Kyle had said everything it could say.
Of course, the dragon was there to protect the vault, but it required the dragon to be absolutely obedient, which involved some necessary measures... taming.
The scars on its body came from this process, through torture, making the dragon fear them and thus achieving control over it.
But this matter couldn't be revealed to the Dragon Sanctuary; they would never agree to it.
Although some people knew Gringotts had a dragon, due to the goblins' strength, most people turned a blind eye.
Who would've thought that the dragon would actually escape... This brought what was originally a private matter into the open.
As for who released the dragon... It must have been done by a person, either Kyle or the Death Eater; there's no doubt about that.
But Kyle's reasoning was too sound, and the goblin couldn't refute it. With the Death Eater gone, the goblins had no choice but to agree.
Additionally, the Ministry officials were all feigning ignorance. It was clear that they also wanted a piece of Gringotts and were waiting for someone to take the lead, and that person was also Kyle.
Mr. Bogrod wasn't stupid; he could see what was going on. But what could he do? Gringotts had messed up this time, failing to recognize the Death Eater disguised as a goblin, and then causing such a huge mess.
He just felt a wave of exhaustion.
Scrimgeour cleared his throat. "Goblin Mr. Bogrod, please explain the dragon..."
"Gringotts is willing to compensate," Mr. Bogrod suddenly said. "We're willing to offer 10,000 Galleons to compensate for the damages in Diagon Alley."
"No, 10,000 is too little," Kyle shook his head. "Over twenty shops have suffered varying degrees of damage, and Ministry officials have to be responsible for tracing the dragon's whereabouts.
"What if this leads to a shortage of manpower, and the Death Eaters take advantage of the situation... Considering the manpower and resources involved, plus the invisible losses, 10,000 Galleons isn't enough. It should be at least 50,000."
"That's impossible. Our bottom line is 20,000 Galleons."
"Final offer, 40,000, let's be friends."
"25,000, don't be too unreasonable."
"35,000, it can't be any less. You should also consider the Aurors," Kyle said, looking at Mr. Bogrod, who was also looking at him.
The atmosphere grew increasingly tense.
After an unknown amount of time, one of them, almost simultaneously, spoke.
"30,000!"
"30,000."
...
"Deal!"
They spoke simultaneously, and Kyle and Mr. Bogrod quickly reached an agreement.
As they spoke, Scrimgeour silently retreated and stood quietly to the side.
Dumbledore was puzzled... This wasn't like Scrimgeour's style.
Seemingly noticing his confusion, Mr. Weasley, who had been ignored since he entered, moved closer and whispered.
"This compensation will be distributed by the Ministry."
Dumbledore understood. No wonder they were arguing like this. The Ministry had only sent Scrimgeour, and he wasn't doing much.
But this shouldn't be the case. When did Scrimgeour become so easy to talk to, and even willingly cooperate with Kyle?
"The Auror Office can take a 50% cut of this money," Mr. Weasley continued.
(End of Chapter)
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