Snap! Woosh! Snap!
A series of crisp sounds echoed in front of Gringotts' gates as a dozen well-dressed Aurors emerged from the gray vortex, their expressions solemn.
Scrimgeour quickly strode to the goblin in charge of Gringotts.
His face was like an unchanging slab of ancient stone, and despite a slight limp, his pace remained swift and decisive, his black trench coat half-open.
Kingsley and several other renowned Aurors stood behind him.
However, Moody and Tonks were not part of this operation.
One had already retired, and the other had not yet officially joined the ranks.
"Rufus Scrimgeour," the goblin, dressed like a banker, rushed over as soon as he saw Scrimgeour.
His large, aged hands, like oversized fans, grabbed onto him.
"Where is the prisoner who broke into Gringotts?" Scrimgeour asked directly, without any preamble.
"Still in the vaults! There's an Anti-Apparition Jinx in place, so he can't escape! You must capture him immediately and hand him over to us!" the goblin shouted harshly.
His tone was far from friendly, even somewhat commanding, but Scrimgeour didn't bother to quibble over it.
What mattered to him was the security of Gringotts' assets.
To put it bluntly, at least half of the wizards in Britain had vaults in Gringotts.
The larger the family, the more intertwined they were with the bank. If Gringotts were truly robbed, it would spell significant trouble.
"Of course," Scrimgeour replied stiffly with a nod.
He glanced at Kingsley, and the burly black wizard immediately understood, leading a few Aurors through Gringotts' main entrance.
It was then that Scrimgeour noticed the extent of the damage to Gringotts' doors.
The massive bronze doors had been completely blown off—one large piece had even crashed into Potage's Cauldron Shop, collapsing one of its ancient walls.
"I can't believe you brought so few people!" the goblin complained angrily.
"The Ministry has its own arrangements," Scrimgeour replied calmly.
He and the remaining Aurors began to secure the exits of Gringotts. If Kingsley and his team failed to stop the intruder, they would be the last line of defense.
"Expand the range of the Anti-Apparition Jinx," he ordered coldly, like a machine.
"Your own arrangements? More like wasting time and manpower on those two escapees! Your Ministry is useless! And you haven't even resolved the issue of Tom Riddle killing two goblins!" the goblin cursed.
"The Minister discussed that matter with Bodrick of the Goblin Brotherhood through the Goblin Liaison Office a few days ago," Scrimgeour replied. "Moreover, Gringotts is under your full control. The repeated break-ins suggest a lapse in your management. If you can't handle it, hand it over!"
The goblin seemed ready to hurl more insults, but Scrimgeour walked away.
The goblin's already ugly face turned as red as a liver.
Forcing the goblins to hand over Gringotts was impossible.
This decision had initially been made to appease the goblins' dissatisfaction and was the result of repeated compromises by the Ministry of Magic.
If the Ministry forcibly tried to seize control of Gringotts, it could provoke another rebellion, a responsibility Scrimgeour could not afford.
Scrimgeour ensured the Aurors were fully prepared. Meanwhile, Kingsley cautiously led a team of Aurors into Gringotts.
There were still injured goblins in the hall who had not been evacuated.
They had been wounded by Voldemort's curses when he forcibly entered, leaving the hall looking as though it had been bombed.
The protective magic that should have worked was woefully inadequate against Voldemort's attacks.
Seeing the Aurors enter, the goblins in the hall did not maintain their usual arrogance.
"Sir, the intruder is at Vault 12—"
Kingsley nodded. In truth, he didn't need much direction; he could follow the trail of destruction to find the violent intruder's location.
Just as he was about to lead the Aurors into the cavern, the entire underground beneath Gringotts began to shake violently.
The ground beneath their feet trembled, the hard stalactites hanging from above seemed to sway, and the massive pillars connecting the cavern's roof and floor sounded as if they were cracking...
For a moment, Kingsley worried about a cave-in.
If such a massive cavern collapsed, they would be powerless to resist. Apparition was impossible, and spells might not protect them.
Kingsley was concerned, but the goblins couldn't tolerate any hesitation on their part.
"What are you all waiting for?"
Kingsley sighed and was about to signal the other Aurors to follow him down when another violent tremor shook the cavern.
This one was even more severe, causing the hall's floor to crack like a broken cookie.
They nearly lost their footing, and one Auror almost fell into the chasm. Fortunately, Kingsley reacted quickly, casting a spell to pull him back in time.
Then, from deep within the cavern, came the roar of a monster.
The eerie howl echoed through the cavern, distorting so much that it was impossible to tell what kind of creature had made the sound.
"It's the fire dragon!" an injured goblin clenched his fists, his face barely able to contain his excitement. "That intruder must have been burned to ashes! You Aurors are useless now. Leave immediately; we won't give you a single Knut!"
The goblin's words irritated the Aurors, but they didn't react, instead focusing their gaze on the depths of the cavern.
There, red and blue-white flames alternated.
The fire surged like a breached dam, gushing out from the deepest part of the cavern.
Suddenly, a large shadow burst through the flames, charging upwards. Kingsley saw it clearly—it was the fire dragon.
The fact that Gringotts kept a fire dragon in its depths was known to the Ministry of Magic, and it was legal.
No, rather than saying it was legal, it was more accurate to say that when the goblins started raising that fire dragon, there were no laws in Britain prohibiting private ownership of fire dragons!
However, Kingsley hadn't expected that the fire dragon seemed to have broken free and was now out of control.
Contrary to the goblins' confidence in their dragon, he felt the dragon appeared frightened and panicked. The flames weren't coming from its throat; it looked like it was fleeing for its life.
It seemed as though something terrifying within the flames was chasing it?
But Kingsley didn't have time to think too much.
All he knew was that, regardless of how vulnerable the fire dragon appeared, it was still a fire dragon!
A single move from it could result in massive casualties.
"Stop it!" Kingsley shouted.
He raised his wand, planning to cast a Conjunctivitis Curse on the dragon as it charged up.
Fire dragons had high magical resistance, and even though this one seemed quite old, Kingsley still doubted whether his spell could penetrate its skin.
"Ah!"
At that moment, the Auror who had almost fallen earlier suddenly cried out in surprise.
"What is it?"
"On the dragon's back—there's someone on the dragon's back!"
Kingsley squinted and indeed saw a shadowy figure standing on the dragon's back.
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Sung Jin Woo?Is that you?
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