When the Dementor retrieved the cup, Tom's heart began to beat faster.
Tom picked up a random longsword from the vault and used the tip of the sword to lift the cup. With it, he walked over to Scrimgeour, holding the cup.
At that moment, Scrimgeour was crouched by the vault door, collecting the problematic gold Galleons.
"Bring the detectors here," Tom instructed the other two Aurors.
Though they didn't understand why the King of the Dementors wanted that, the Aurors obeyed and brought the detectors.
But as soon as the detectors approached the edge of the cup, they emitted sharp beeps.
Aurors: !!!
Scrimgeour dropped the Galleons he had on the ground and quickly approached. According to the sound of the detectors, what Tom had brought was likely an extremely malignant dark magic object.
The three Aurors surrounded the cup and examined it for a long time, arriving at a conclusion they dared not believe.
"Is this... could this be...?" Scrimgeour hesitated.
"Have you had enough already? Have you never seen a Horcrux before?" Tom asked indifferently.
Scrimgeour: "We've never seen one."
Tom: ...
No wonder Scrimgeour had so little experience, as Horcruxes were very rare in the wizarding world. Even for a wizard, it wasn't certain they would ever encounter one in their lifetime unless they were like Voldemort and created multiple Horcruxes for themselves.
"This is a Horcrux of Voldemort," Tom stated indifferently.
Scrimgeour and the other two Aurors trembled at the mention of that name. Then, they realized what Tom was saying.
Scrimgeour suddenly stepped back and drew his wand, nervously on edge. "Is this the Horcrux of that person? Do you have evidence?"
Judging by his expression, it seemed as if he were avoiding the plague. Though it was just a Horcrux, it made Scrimgeour feel uneasy to the core of his being.
"Of course, come closer," Tom motioned to Scrimgeour to approach. Although Scrimgeour looked reluctant, he approached nonetheless.
"Have you seen the badger symbol on the cup's handle? It's Helga Hufflepuff's emblem."
Scrimgeour furrowed his brow. "That can't be considered as evidence."
"Whether you like it or not, I can tell you that Voldemort is collecting the relics of the four founders to create Horcruxes. He has almost all of them."
Scrimgeour was so shocked by this news that he could barely speak. Tom's statement confirmed two things: first, that person had created Horcruxes, and second, that he had more than one.
"Check if the cup has any protective curses," Tom instructed, gesturing to one of the nearby Aurors to inspect the cup's condition.
After the Auror's examination, they found no harmful curses or spells on the cup.
"Very well," Tom said as he wrapped the cup in a dragonhide and stored it in his pocket.
"Wait!" Scrimgeour attempted to stop Tom, instinctively feeling that the Department of Magical Law Enforcement should handle this object belonging to the Dark Lord. However, Tom had no intention of returning the cup; after all, he had worked so hard to obtain it, why would he give it back?
"Do you plan to keep it? Are you going to open a Voldemort museum?" Tom sarcastically teased the Ministry of Magic.
Hearing that person's name repeatedly mentioned by Tom, Scrimgeour felt uneasy throughout his body.
"I will have Dumbledore destroy it," Tom said, mentioning someone Scrimgeour couldn't refuse.
"Very well... but allow me to inform the Ministry," after weighing the pros and cons, Scrimgeour realized that passing this hot potato to Dumbledore was the best choice.
Let Dumbledore worry about the Voldemort matter. Even if he brings it back to the Ministry, he is likely to be blamed for meddling in it.
The matter of the Horcruxes was temporarily closed. Scrimgeour looked at the group of undecided goblins in their place and said with some disdain, "There's no need to count further! Get on!"
When he said there was no need to count, it wasn't to forgive the goblins but because the issue they faced was too significant to be resolved through a simple count.
The goblins boarded the small cart in a line, as if they had lost all their determination. As for the small golden cup that Tom took with him, they simply weren't in the mood to argue with him.
Once back upstairs, Scrimgeour promptly notified the Ministry of Magic about what had happened in the vault. Ten minutes later, Minister Bones arrived running with a long line of Ministry officials who had also heard about the matter.
Indeed, all the wizards who had heard about the embezzlement at Gringotts rushed to the scene. The reputation that Gringotts had built up over hundreds of years was disappearing at lightning speed.
Wizards who had lost confidence in Gringotts were arriving to verify if the balances in their vaults matched the records. Some of them would withdraw their deposits, affecting more people and leading to a panic that could potentially collapse the bank.
The worst nightmare for a bank: a massive run on deposits, was happening.
Bogrod watched expressionlessly as everything unfolded before him; he felt like something was collapsing.
But the worst was yet to come.
When Minister Bones appeared, the council goblins couldn't remain still. They knew full well that Gringotts was in a critical situation, and they needed to handle this crisis at any cost, no matter the price.
However, when they entered the lobby, breathless, the Dementors surrounded them.
Tom snapped his fingers, and the Dementors present moved, controlling all the top executives of Gringotts.
"In the bank, there are Horcruxes of a dark wizard, and we suspect you have collaborated with him. Therefore, I want all the top executives of Gringotts to accompany us," Tom declared, sending a shiver through the council members.
Accompany the Dementors? Would there be any chance of returning?
"Not only are you accused of collaborating with a dark wizard," Bones added with a serious expression. "The Ministry of Magic suspects that you have embezzled funds from clients and will be subject to an investigation."
Upon hearing this, the goblins paled.
They hadn't collaborated with a dark wizard, but they had diverted gold from the wizards.
Bones's eyes narrowed slightly, as the actions of the goblins seemed like a confession. She was already thinking about how to use this situation to maximize her gains.
The goblins knew many things, such as the secret accounts of some high-ranking Ministry officials...
If she could make those things come to light, she could gain substantial profits!
Thus, Tom captured all the Gringotts executives and took them to the Ministry of Magic. There, they would face the judgment of the wizards.
Without the leaders of Gringotts, the remaining goblins scattered and were at the mercy of the wizards.