Hogwarts: Harry Returns from Water Margin

Chapter 281 Looting the Vault, Reencountering the Horcrux

Picking up where we left off, the scarred man revealed a huge money-making scheme that made Ron's heart itch with excitement, while Hermione secretly became suspicious.

Hermione scrutinized Harry twice before asking, "Is it illegal?"

"But that's not the case."

"Are you going to kill someone?"

"If nothing else happens, there will be no dust in the wind and no foam on the waves."

Hermione's eyelids twitched incessantly upon hearing this. "Are you planning to rob those nobles?"

Harry glared and exclaimed, "Oh dear! Big sister, that's really unfair to me. How could I have done such a thing!"

'

Hermione, seeing his confident and assertive manner, lost seven or eight parts of her doubt and immediately believed him.

Three days later, Harry obtained a leave slip from McGonagall, stamped with the Ministry of Magic's seal. With this, he could cast spells off-campus without being prosecuted by the Ministry. Indeed: a single official document paves the way, and a hundred spells are cast at will.

The next day, at the crack of dawn, Harry packed a bag, bid farewell to Ron and Hermione, and set off to strike it rich.

He clasped his hands and said, "Once I leave, my return date is uncertain. At the earliest, I will be back by sunset; at the latest, it will be a day or two."

"Please take care of all the miscellaneous matters at school, elder sister and brother. If any major trouble arises, you two must not step forward. We will discuss everything after I return to school."

Ron and Hermione both nodded in agreement. With the arrangements settled, Harry left the castle and headed straight for Diagon Alley.

Today, Diagon Alley is deserted, with few people around, mostly wizards patrolling the Ministry of Magic, making it a heavily guarded area.

Harry walked straight towards Gringotts without looking to either side. The moment he stepped through the door, a sharp-eyed goblin exclaimed, "Ah! Mr. Potter is here!"

The sound startled everyone in the room. Suddenly, five or six demons emerged from behind the counter and beside the pillars, all smiles as they surrounded the person.

One person led the way, another chatted with them, and still others served tea and food. It was truly a scene of great fanfare, with people surrounding and fawning over them like honored guests. What a lively spectacle!

As the goblins were making their noise, Harry glared at them and said coldly, "Shut up! Call the person in charge out here, I have something to say!"

When the demons saw that his face was as cold as water and his words were devoid of any warmth, their hearts skipped a beat, fearing that this scarred man was about to cause trouble again.

Several quick-footed men dashed off to the back room to deliver the message.

Before long, an old goblin with white hair and beard hurriedly came out, bowed to Harry, and led him to the VIP room.

The goblin elder brewed piping hot, fragrant tea, picked up the delicate porcelain cup, and asked, "Respected Mr. Potter, what brings you to Gringotts?"

Harry didn't touch the tea, but said, "I don't come here unless I have a reason. Now that I'm here, I have an important matter to discuss with the elder."

"When Voldemort raised his banner and declared war on the seven kingdoms, he even conquered six cities in one night. Are you aware of this, Elder?"

Upon hearing the name "Voldemort," the elder's hand trembled violently. He forced himself to remain calm and said, "I understand perfectly, Mr. Potter."

"However, as you know, Gringotts' branch in Poland cannot disobey the orders of the local Ministry of Magic."

Harry laughed loudly and said, "I haven't finished speaking, why are you making excuses, Elder!"

"I understand that the Polish branch is located far away and has no choice in its situation. But your main branch is rooted in England. How can you bury your head in the sand like an ostrich and pretend you don't see it?"

"The Elder is a sensible demon; doesn't he know the saying, 'If the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold'? If we truly lose, how many more days can Gringotts remain safely in power?"

The elder's expression was uncertain, and he remained silent for a long time before finally whispering, "What do you want to do?"

Harry said, "I've often heard rumors that Gringotts is the safest place in the world, and that if any gold or silver enters your vault, it won't be lost in the slightest."

Seeing him mention their signature item, the elder took a sip of tea from his withered fingers and said arrogantly, "I'm willing to stake my head on it for you: there is no place in the world safer than Gringotts' underground vault."

"Without a map, even a goblin would get lost underground, and no one has ever been able to steal a single penny from Gringotts."

"Private property is sacred and inviolable!"

Harry clapped his hands and nodded, laughing, "You're right, it's foolproof. The money those Death Eaters used to keep in their gold mines is probably still safe and sound, and hasn't been confiscated by the authorities."

Upon hearing the Death Eaters' words, the elder's expression changed drastically, and with a tremor of his wrist, half of the hot tea in his cup spilled out.

It turns out that Scarface was actually plotting against those Death Eaters.

Most of these people were powerful figures in the British magical world, with vast fortunes stored in Gringotts. Even more so were the old families who had held high office for generations, their coffers overflowing with untold riches.

Now that they are either dead or have fled, isn't this money now without an owner?

The elder, being so shrewd, instantly understood Harry's intentions and inwardly groaned in despair.

It should be noted that although those vaults were located underground in England, they were connected to branches all over the world. With just a face, one could go to branches in other countries and still obtain money.

If this Scarface were to actually empty the Death Eaters' coffers, the Polish branch would likely suffer collateral damage.

He swallowed hard, his neck stiffening as he said, "Mr. Potter, this is against the rules—"

Before he could finish speaking, Harry slammed his hand on the table, making the teaware jump around. "What kind of nonsense rules are these! Gringotts secretly manipulates the exchange rate of witchcraft money, buying low and selling high, making a fortune off of it. Is that what you call your rules?!"

"I've been protecting you all in this filthy scheme for nothing! Today I'm here to collect my 'hush money'!"

These words struck Gringotts right where it hurt. The elder gasped for breath for a few moments, then finally gritted his teeth and uttered the words through gritted teeth.

"Alright, Mr. Potter, I can make an exception for you this time."

"But this will be the only time."

Harry suddenly stood up, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "With this kind of leverage, I'll be eating your boots for the rest of my life. Go and send a clever guide right away."

“You don’t need to go in person.” The elder didn’t move. “We can transfer the gold from the Death Eaters’ vault to yours.”

"Moreover, there are quite a few Death Eaters, making this a very complicated undertaking —"

Just then, Harry took a notebook from his pocket and chuckled, "Elder, you worry too much. I'm not one to shy away from trouble."

"I've already had the names and family lineages of these Dry Eaters meticulously recorded here. Just send a trusted follower to guide me through each den personally, and I won't be shortchanged by even a single nut!"

Seeing this, the elder had no choice but to agree. He immediately summoned a fine goblin and instructed him to serve Harry well.

The two of them sat on an underground cart, and then a fairy served them wine and food.

The goblin shrank back and asked timidly, "It's an honor to serve you, Mr. Potter. Where are we going?"

Harry flipped through a few pages of the booklet, grabbed a fat duck leg, and mumbled, "Let's go to Carol's first."

Upon hearing this, the goblin froze and blurted out, "The...the Carlo family's treasury?"

It should be understood that private treasuries are very different from family treasuries. If one only takes what is stored by an individual, one can argue that the individual deserves the punishment.

If the entire clan's century-old savings were to be touched, would those collateral relatives and relatives let it go? They would probably come to Gringotts with their wands and fight to the death.

Harry glanced at him sideways, "What's going on? Can't we go?"

The demon drove the iron chariot, its wheels rumbling as it sank deeper into the earth. The demon remained silent, silently praying that the entire Carlo family had long since perished.

After traveling for about half an hour through winding and turning paths, the iron chariot finally came to a stop in front of a giant gate.

The gate was about three zhang tall, cast entirely in bronze, and engraved with patterns of coiled venomous snakes.

The demon took out three keys of different lengths and inserted them into the keyhole one by one. After hearing three muffled thuds, the giant door slid open.

Harry tossed the duck bone aside and strode into the vault. He glanced around, seeing mounds of gold and silver, scattered with a few jeweled vessels, and spat, "Damn it! The Carol family, with their supposed saintly status, have accumulated such a pitiful fortune over a century!"

Having said that, he added, "Please carefully collect all these coins! As for the rest of the jewelry and utensils, pack them in another package and let me calculate their value!"

The fairy nodded repeatedly and hurriedly took out a cloth bag that had been enchanted with a stretching spell. She first swept the gold and silver coins into a pile and stuffed them into the bag.

He then piled up the jewelry and utensils together, took out paper and pen, and estimated their value with his fingers.

About fifteen minutes later, he approached Harry, bowed, and said, "Mr. Potter, according to current market prices, the total value of the valuables in the Caro family vault is approximately 2,800 Galleons."

Harry glanced sideways at the jewelry and utensils in the store and looked them over again, then said in surprise, "You must have overstated the price, buddy. Why is there a 10% markup?"

The fairy was secretly surprised to hear this, not expecting that this scarred man also knew something about market prices. He answered truthfully, "Because of the war, prices in the magic world are rising."

After saying that, he glanced at Harry's expression and finally couldn't help but probe, "Mr. Potter, are you very knowledgeable about finance?"

Harry laughed and said, "What finance? I've personally crushed at least a thousand of these gold and silver things; I've packed up and left with more valuables than you've eaten salt."

"I can tell the weight and value of such a tool with just a glance; I can know its worth in gallons with a flick of my finger. Do you think I'm some novice who can't tell the difference?"

The demon was dumbfounded. Although she only half understood, she was still impressed.

I dared not say much at that moment, but simply bowed and led the way.

The two wandered through the winding, labyrinthine cavern, turning left and right. Harry went through the Death Eaters' vaults one by one according to the roster, sweeping up anything of value and stuffing it into his bag.

Harry flipped through the booklet, seeing the names still densely packed on the pages, and couldn't help but sigh, "What a pity! If we had raided this bunch of thieves' den two years earlier, the interest alone would have piled up into a small mountain!"

The fairy stood by, forcing a smile, but dared not utter a single word.

Just as they were feeling anxious, they heard Harry flip through the book and exclaim, "Take me to the Lestrange family's vault!"

Upon hearing Harry's destination, the goblin gritted its teeth, and without further hesitation, stepped on the gas and plunged straight into the ground.

After speeding along for a while, when they were still about a hundred feet from the ground, the demon suddenly braked the chariot.

Harry frowned. "There's no Lestrange nameplate on either of the vaults, so why are you staying here?"

The demon shook her head repeatedly, then pointed forward, revealing a blue stone platform beneath the ground.

He said in a low voice, "We mustn't disturb it."

"That's the custodian of the Lestrange vault."

Harry looked in the direction he was pointing and saw a mountain-like figure lying on the ground in the dim light, bound by dozens of thick iron chains.

He exclaimed in surprise, "The Lestrange family has quite the grandeur! They even have an animal guarding this place."

"That's a fire dragon, a Ukrainian iron-bellied creature," the fairy said cautiously. "But don't worry, we have something specifically designed to subdue it."

Upon hearing this, Harry threw his head back and laughed loudly, "What's there to fear from a mere worm!"

Having said that, he reached out and grabbed the fairy by the back of her collar, leaping off the cart. In mid-air, his figure blurred, transforming into a mirage and plummeting down, landing in front of the fire dragon in an instant.

Startled, the fire dragon's throat rumbled like thunder, and it opened its mouth to spew out a burst of evil flames.

Harry opened his mouth and exhaled a breath of mirage.

The mirage rushed towards them, but the dragon merely shook its head, the red light in its throat intensifying, and a pillar of lightning and fire shot straight towards them.

Harry rolled away, revealing himself in human form, and pulled out his wand, shouting, "Extreme Stun!"

White light condensed at the tip of his staff, initially like a star, then instantly swelled to the size of a bucket. Before the dragon could breathe fire again, the incantation light, like a shooting star chasing the moon, struck its head with a deafening roar.

The dragon trembled violently, and before it could even utter a wail, it crashed to the ground with a thunderous roar, causing the stone platform to crumble and shatter.

Harry put away his wand, loosened his grip on the goblin, and said suspiciously, "Damn it! This serpent is really strange; even my illusion magic couldn't get rid of it!"

The goblin's feet had barely touched the ground when his face turned ashen, his legs trembling. After a long while, he managed to utter, "I'm sorry, Mr. Potter."

"I forgot to tell you, this dragon is blind."

Harry's forehead veins bulged, and he raised his hand to press on his shoulder again, saying slowly, "What other tricks are you hiding? Come on, tell us the truth."

"If I happen to see anything strange again, I'll teach you to be a real mute."

The goblin winced in pain in his shoulder, then forced a fawning smile and said repeatedly, "Of course, Mr. Potter! I assure you, this mistake will never happen again!"

After saying that, he hurriedly led Harry to the Lestrange family's vault.

Upon reaching the door, there was no keyhole or handle. The demon simply placed her hand against the wall, and with a sound, the door slowly cracked open.

Harry stepped into the vault first, and saw mountains of gold piled up from the ground to the top, the vault filled with Galleons and jewels.

Not to mention silver scimitars, even bronze nuggets are hard to find. It's truly a gold mine, a paradise!

Upon seeing this, Harry gasped, stamping his foot and exclaiming, "What an extravagant display! No wonder it's hidden deep underground and guarded by a dragon! I only understand the true nature of this place today!"

Having said that, he couldn't resist the urge to crush the jeweled gold cups with his foot.

Just as he was about to exert his strength, Salazar suddenly spoke up in his arms: "Harry, be careful, the Hufflepuff Cup is here."