Hogwarts: Nagini captured at the start

Chapter 7 Gringotts

"Sir, Madam, please come with me!"

A fairy in a suit bowed and then led the two into a grand marble hall.

Luo Bin lowered his eyes and quietly surveyed his surroundings.

On both sides of the hall, there were about a hundred tall counters resembling those in ancient pawnshops. Fairies in suits and ties stood on high stools behind the counters. Some were using copper scales to weigh magic coins, some were carefully examining gems with monocles, and some were writing and drawing in ledgers with quill pens.

There were countless dark brown wooden doors in the hall, and many fairies dressed in Western suits led guests in and out. As for where these doors led, Robin had no idea.

"Hey Robin, there's no one doing business over there, let's go there!"

After Ms. Molly finished speaking, she led Robin to a tall counter.

"Good morning, I need to take some magic coins from Arthur Weasley's vault!"

"Ma'am, did you bring the keys?"

"I brought it!"

After a careful inspection, the fairy said, "There shouldn't be any problem. I'll have someone take you to the underground vault, Pete!"

"Wait, there's one more. The little guy next to me also needs to withdraw some money!"

"Madam, you need to go in with Pete first, otherwise the counter won't be able to process the next transaction."

"Luo Bin, you..."

"I can do it, don't worry, Ms. Molly!"

"Oh well!"

After Ms. Molly followed the fairy named Pete, the fairy standing on the high stool asked, "Which vault is this? Did you bring the key?"

"Here it is, here it is, my father, Tessm Lestrange's vault!"

When the fairy saw the water-ripple pattern on the key, her expression froze. Upon hearing the name "Tesm Lestrange," her expression became even more serious!

"Little one, besides you, does Tesm have any other children? Adopted ones don't count!"

Are you questioning his fidelity in the marriage?

Robin didn't know what had happened to make the fairy ask such a nonsensical question, but he knew he had to strike first and take the lead!

"Excuse me, I meant no offense, I'm just going through the motions. May I ask, besides you, does Tesm have any other children?"

Luo Bin lowered his voice, pretending to suppress his anger, and said, "No, not a single one!"

The fairy adjusted her glasses, which had slipped down to the tip of her nose, and then straightened her clothes and hair. With a solemn expression, she said, "In that case, let's proceed to the next step of verification!"

As she spoke, the fairy inserted her long, thin little finger into the keyhole, and then, while turning the key, she chanted in an obscure and incomprehensible elven language.

The key spun faster and faster, until it became just a circular blur in the air.

Three minutes later, the fairy stopped chanting the spell and pulled her finger back. The key was still spinning at high speed, and it was rising as it spun.

When it rose about half a meter higher, the key suddenly stopped spinning, and golden, cicada-wing-like wings grew out on both sides. The next second, the wings closed, and it wrapped itself into a ball.

Luo Bin raised his eyebrows in surprise when he saw this.

In his memory, the only things that slightly fit the three elements—key, wings, and ball—besides the Golden Snitch used in Quidditch matches, were the silver key the three little ones encountered when they broke through the space beneath the Living Wooden Board.

Clang!

After the key made a clanging sound, it spread its wings, and a faint grayish-brown halo surrounded it. Gradually, the halo grew larger and its color deepened.

Moreover, the key is also changing!

The water-ripple-like dark pattern, detached from the key, swirled and surged about 0.2cm away from it.

As it surged, it transformed into grayish-brown vines, coiling and clinging to the miniature withered branches that the key had transformed into.

As the halo faded, the withered tree and vines, which had been clinging to each other, fell onto the counter with a thud!

"This is."

A golden key, in just a few minutes, turned into withered branches and rotten vines. Who wouldn't be heartbroken and shocked?

The fairy ignored Robin and muttered to herself, "Just one more step... the final step!"

"What does 'the final step' refer to?"

The fairy still ignored Robin. It pulled out a small box from under the counter. Inside the box was a needle as thick as an earphone cord, with a beveled tip and a hollow interior!

Robin caught a glimpse of the fairy's 'nurse version of Rong Momo' in her eyes and immediately had a bad feeling. "Hey, don't try that on me. I'm a minor, and I'm a prospective student at Hogwarts. My parents were... Holy crap, are you serious?"

The fairy dripped the blood she had taken from Robin's fingertip onto the base of the withered branches and vines. Then, with eyes full of doubt and curiosity, she asked, "What does 'Wocao' mean? I've lived for hundreds of years and read thousands of books, and I've never heard of any magic spell that's 'Wocao.' Is it a new spell created by a reclusive great wizard?"

Holy crap, that's a national treasure! It can express surprise, curse, and verbs, equivalent to "fuck" and "shift" in the Western world.

However, Luo Bin, who is known as one of the "Four Geniuses," naturally wouldn't tell the fairy who had just pricked him the true meaning of "Holy crap."

"Oh, right, that's right. 'Holy crap' is a spell that has anti-inflammatory, analgesic, hemostatic, and antibacterial effects. Plus, it can be cast without a wand. It's very popular in Cornwall!"

Robin lied without batting an eye, fooling the fairy who believed his nonsense. The fairy nodded in agreement, looking as if she had learned something.

"The bottom of the withered green tree branch has turned green?" Robin exclaimed in shock, staring at the counter.

"Withered tree branches?! Didn't Tesm tell you that the Lestrange family's heirloom is composed of the Tree of Life and the Undying Vines?"

"I never said that!"

"Tesm probably thinks you're too young to shoulder the responsibility of restoring Lestrange's glory. However, the fact that he passed on the family's symbolic items to you shows that he has already recognized you as his heir."

"Alright, verification successful, Mr. Rothschild. Please lead Mr. Lesterranger to Vault 714."

"Vault 714? I remember, it's been more than half a century since Vault 714 was opened!"

A fairy, about 1 meter tall, with gray hair but unusually good spirits, rushed over upon hearing the sound.

"Here, keep it safe, don't lose it. Oh, and by the way, just a reminder: the appearance of Lestrange family heirlooms can change according to the wishes of the head of the family/heir!"

As she spoke, the fairy handed the lush green branches and vines to Robin.

"Come, follow me!"

Rozette rubbed his index finger together.

"OK!"

Rotz opened a door, behind which was a narrow, dimly lit stone corridor, and snapped his fingers.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Torches suddenly ignited on the stone wall, instantly illuminating the stone corridor.

(End of this chapter)