"But, Minister, what if the goblins happened to just find the property deed and then fabricated the contract?"
Dawlish asked in confusion, not choosing to leave immediately.
"No, good man, you don't understand. The ancient documents of the Magic World aren't the waste paper of the Muggle World."
Before Fudge could speak, Greengrass raised an eyebrow and spoke in a solemn tone.
"On the property deed shown by the goblins, the magic seal of Hogwarts, the emblem of the Slytherin family, the verification stamp of Gringotts, and the stamp of the ancient Ministry of Magic were all in their normal conditions."
"In other words, the contract the goblins signed was at least in compliance with the most basic of the ancient laws and also contained contract magic."
Fudge nodded and took over the duty of explaining from Greengrass.
"Thus, unless we want to experience another goblin rebellion and sacrifice the monetary system of the Magic World that has existed for several dozen centuries, we and the goblins can only act in accordance with the law...You have to realize that Gringotts has maintained a status of absolute neutrality for centuries."
The man looked around at the blank faces of the young wizards in the Great Hall. Puffing up his chest, he began to speak loudly.
"Children, as you can see, Hogwarts, along with the entire Magic World, has been thrown into a wicked scheme! But!"
Fudge paused, his eyes slowly sweeping across the four tables before finally stopping at the faculty table. He squeezed out a smile and gave a slight nod.
"Believe in your Ministry of Magic. You only need to listen to your teachers and school and focus on your studies. You can leave the rest to us.
"Mm, yes, we'll get this matter resolved quickly," Fudge couldn't help but repeat himself, somewhat violently kneading the pitiful bowler hat in his hands.
"Ayaya...I think that there is a quicker and more straightforward method."
At this moment, another group of people came in through the open doors of the Great Hall. Their leader was a pale-faced man with glossy golden hair.
The man had a snakehead cane in his hand, and his cold grey eyes conveyed a hardness in complete contrast with his tone.
"What do you think this place is? Diagon Alley or St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries? This is Hogwarts! Malfoy, you have no right to barge in here."
Professor McGonagall sternly frowned as she made a sweeping gesture with her arms, making others wonder if she wouldn't cast a spell to drive all of these uninvited guests out of the Great Hall.
Lucius Malfoy played out around with his walking stick, appearing to not even notice Professor McGonagall's complexion as he softly spoke.
"Oh, Professor McGonagall, so good to see you! In fact, as a member of the Board of Governors, I believe that I have every right to attend an important meeting like this."
Lucius Malfoy paused and looked up to politely nod at the two men standing at the very front.
"Moreover, I've come to answer a few questions. Mister Greengrass, Minister Fudge, a goblin commissioner from Gringotts, will be here soon."
"Hmph. That better be the case."
Professor McGonagall coldly snorted, her expression somewhat calming. There had simply been far too many surprises tonight.
...
Meanwhile.
"Look, that's my father! I told you about him before."
Draco Malfoy prodded Harry with his elbow and excitedly said.
"But other than a new person joining the argument, I can't see any progress towards us getting to eat dinner soon."
Ron pursed his lips, the expression on his face rather unnatural.
"Let's wait and see. My father is like some other people who only know how to mess around with Muggle toys."
Malfoy's expression went from excitement to disgust as he turned his head and fired back.
"It's better than being a dog for You-Know-Who," Ron shot back, his ears turning slightly red.
"Weasley, you want a fight?"
"As long as you don't go crying to Big Sister once we're done...ugh!"
Thump!
Thump!
"Quiet! Don't make trouble. This situation has enough problems already."
Harry watched in shock as Hermione calmly drew back her fist and whispered to the two boys who were now holding their heads.
The girl massaged her wrist and faintly smiled. She suddenly realized that not everything Alina said was false. For example, if you were in a bad mood, punching a boy truly was rather refreshing.
Suddenly, there was turmoil among the new students, many of them standing on their tiptoes to get a look at the doors.
Hermione and the others curiously turned to look. Three dark-skinned goblins had appeared at the door, one of them of advanced age, the wrinkles on his face so thick that it was hard to say if the expression on his face was distressed or emotionless.
Pa! Pa! Pa!
"Oh my, truly an astonishing magical construct. Take a look at this sturdy floor and that wondrous magical night sky."
The old goblin carefully inspected the candlelit hall. Clapping his hands, he spoke in a slow and gentle tone.
"If you like, you can hire the Ministry of Magic's Department of Works to build one for Gringotts."
Fudge quickly walked up to the goblins and lightly coughed. Smiling, he extended a hand, "Let me introduce myself..."
"Cornelius Fudge, the new Minister for Magic. Decent luck, having never experienced any major incidents."
The old goblin turned to the younger goblins and introduced the man. He made no attempts to keep his voice low, and even the distant Alina could hear him clearly.
The smile on Fudge's face froze. He drew his hand back and began to speak stiffly.
"Hogwarts is a school for human wizards. No matter, it can't be handed over to the management of the goblins of Gringotts. I'm sure we both understand this."
"Of course. We have no interest in teaching human cubs. But if the debts are not cleared when the loan is due, according to the terms of the contract, this castle will belong to Gringotts."
The old goblin slowly raised his head, a smile on his wrinkled face as he continued to speak in that slow and measured tone.
"This is not a cooperative attitude. You clearly said that Gringotts was willing to communicate so that we could address this problem."
Lucius Malfoy frowned, glancing at the unhappy Greengrass as he hastily spoke.
"Oh, yes, yes. You, human wizards, are always so anxious. In truth, just as I said, Gringotts is not exactly enthusiastic about investing in real estate. We prefer the jingling of gold coins."
The old goblin slowly stroked his white beard as he slowly shook his head.
Standing behind Professor McGonagall, Alina suddenly paled. She suddenly realized what the goblins were up to.
It was obvious that after the events of August 19th, the goblins of Gringotts had sensed something.
But as Dumbledore was standing at the front of the crowd, she couldn't even shoot him a glance.
Meanwhile, the old goblin continued to speak, a hint of pride in his voice.
"Thus, all of this is still negotiable. After all, we've always had an excellent financial relationship with the wizarding human world.
Pa.
The old goblin snapped his slender fingers, and sparks exploded in the air. Afterward, a long scroll of parchment appeared in his hand.
"Gally Wix, please explain to the honored Minister the sincerity of Gringotts...with regards to the subject of resolving the mortgage of Hogwarts early."