Chapter 84: Gringotts' Internal Strife
Lucius Malfoy locked himself inside the Malfoy family vault at Gringotts Wizarding Bank.
One by one, he packed centuries of accumulated wealth into a suitcase enchanted with the Undetectable Extension Charm.
For the first time in years, he felt… grateful.
Grateful that Hydra had warned him in advance—not to lend money to Gringotts.
Otherwise, he would be out there right now, shouting inelegantly among the other pure-bloods demanding repayment.
As for emptying the vault?
That was simply precaution.
Who knew whether the goblins, once cornered, would resort to desperate measures—robbing one vault to pay another?
Gringotts had already lost its credibility.
And goblins believed that anything they forged belonged to them.
Including Galleons.
So Lucius did exactly what Audrey had done months ago—
He left not a single Knut behind.
---
After sealing the vault, he made his way toward the carts.
A goblin hurried over, forcing a polite smile.
"Dear Mr. Malfoy, regarding your family's loan… perhaps we could renegotiate? We can raise the interest to thirty percent annually—"
"No need," Lucius replied coldly, lifting his chin.
"The families you're negotiating with are still screaming upstairs."
---
When he reached the surface, he exited through a side passage.
As he passed the main hall, he glanced through the iron railings.
A mass of furious wizards filled the space.
Shouting. Cursing.
Names he knew well:
Avery. Abbott. Carrow. Greengrass. Nott.
Nearly every major pure-blood family.
Gringotts hadn't just offended a few clients—
It had offended an entire class.
And what Lucius didn't know was that the same chaos was unfolding in branches across Europe.
---
Deep inside Gringotts, in the Elder Conference Room—
"Morristo!" a voice roared. "This is your fault!"
Morristo slammed the table, eyes blazing.
"If you hadn't provoked that witch, none of this would have happened!"
Across from him, Tethys merely shrugged.
"Don't shift responsibility," she said coolly. "You approved the funding to recruit her. We needed her to unlock the ruins."
"I didn't tell you to threaten her!"
"And I didn't tell you to fall into her trap."
The room erupted.
"Presumptuous!"
"Watch your tongue!"
"This is an Elder Council!"
Before it could escalate further—
The doors burst open.
A goblin banker stumbled in, drenched in sweat.
"Elders—something terrible has happened!"
Morristo snapped, "How dare you—"
"The Ministry of Magic has arrived!"
Silence.
"They're demanding immediate repayment. If we refuse, they will dissolve Gringotts and seize our assets!"
The room froze.
Morristo collapsed into his chair.
"It's over…"
---
Then suddenly—
"Avada Kedavra."
A flash of green light.
Morristo fell dead.
The room plunged into chaos.
Tethys lowered her wand, expression cold.
"Fools," she sneered. "Empty the vaults? That would make enemies of the entire Wizarding World."
The goblins behind her stepped forward—each holding a wand.
An Elder stammered, "Where… where did you get those?"
Tethys smiled faintly.
"I'm not as rigid as you."
"If goblins want a future, we need power."
"Wands are only the beginning."
"There is no power greater than money!" another Elder shouted.
Green light flashed again.
Silence.
Tethys swept her gaze across the room.
"If money could protect us," she said, voice low, "why are we here today?"
"No wealth saved us."
"No contracts saved us."
"Because we lost the war."
"And now… we are weak."
She stepped forward.
"So we will become strong."
"I will complete what Ranrok started."
"I will claim Ancient Magic."
---
For a moment, no one moved.
Then—
A young goblin stepped forward.
"…Please accept me."
Another followed.
Then another.
"Count me in!"
"Me too!"
One Elder shouted, "Traitors!"
A flash of green cut him off.
Tethys didn't look back.
"We welcome all who seek power," she said.
"No one will stop us."
One by one, the younger goblins abandoned the Elders.
Leaving behind only silence.
And ruin.
---
Far from the chaos, in the Forbidden Forest—
Audrey stood watching Nobeta play.
Behind her, Rubeus Hagrid followed, muttering anxiously.
"I've got to protect her… those Acromantulas—"
Audrey didn't even respond.
Acromantulas?
This little dragon had already left bite marks on a T-80 tank.
Steel.
Not flesh.
Hagrid suddenly stopped and turned to her.
"Audrey… your OWLs are in ten days."
He hesitated.
"Are you ready?"
---