Chapter 698: Dragon Roar at Gringotts - (2) |
The name seemed to possess a magical quality, as the glow on the goblins' elongated fingers dimmed slightly. Seeing this, Draco wore a triumphant smile on his face; he had gambled correctly— his father was right! These arrogant long-eared goblins feared Professor Harp.
To others, Professor Harp was an extremely enigmatic figure. He had risen like a comet, but few truly understood him.
The distant roars from the broken windows still echoed faintly, but they no longer affected them. Draco's words seemed to have sparked a magical chemical reaction.
Madam Bones concealed the smile that was about to appear on her face. She had long been fed up with the arrogance of the goblins, but for the greater good, she had to tolerate it. Who would have thought these goblins would take her tolerance as a negotiating condition? It was evident from their additional demands.
"Mr. Harp has many things on his plate," Madam Bones said gently. "Unless necessary, I won't bother him with these trivial matters. As you said, negotiations are imminent, and we don't have much time left."
She turned to Hermione.
Hermione cleared her throat. "Gentlemen—uh—gentle-goblins, why don't you listen to the Pan-Magical Union's charter? While it regulates the obligations of all parties, it primarily concerns rights. Once established, the alliance will unite the magical world's forces, not only strengthening cooperation, but if successful in negotiations with the Muggle government, goblins will also enjoy a range of benefits. Oh, I have reliable information that goblin-made silverware is highly sought after even in the non-magical world..."
The goblins exchanged glances.
The negotiation continued. For the next two hours, Hermione spoke tirelessly about the benefits the Pan-Magical Union would bring to the goblins. Some goblins began to soften their stance. Hermione took a breath and continued:
"Do wizards want to ruin their own economic system?" a goblin asked, his face grim.
Hermione glanced at Madam Bones, who leaned back in her chair without speaking. So Hermione continued solemnly, "Perhaps the wizarding world will be in turmoil for a while, but the trouble will be resolved quickly. For example, Future World Corporation has over two thousand employees worldwide, who can replace Gringotts' position at any time."
"Not to mention the goblins' proud currency forging and anti-counterfeiting technology— for a true master, breaking it is only a matter of time."
The goblins protested loudly.
"Goblins will not be on equal footing with wizards as slaves!" another goblin shouted.
But Madam Bones was not surprised; this meant the negotiation had entered the substantive stage.
"House-elves are not slaves," Hermione said, "at least not legally anymore. Future World and Hogwarts' house-elves have both agreed to join the Pan-Magical Union. Next, the Ministry of Magic will gradually free house-elves from ancient families. They will be liberated from burdensome household chores and unfair treatment to engage in more meaningful work."
"What if some house-elves do not wish to be free?" a goblin asked, aware of the house-elves' situation.
"The Ministry of Magic will not act rashly. For those friendly families, leniency will be shown," Hermione said, "But at least, newborn house-elves will be protected by the Pan-Magical Union."
The goblins murmured among themselves, realizing the wizards' determination for reform. Wizards had relinquished a significant portion of their interests, although this portion still remained in the magical world, the practice of seizing food from ancient families was still shocking to the goblins.
At that moment, Draco nudged Harry under the table. Harry turned his head, and Draco gestured with his chin towards an empty seat across from them.
That strange-named goblin was gone? Harry wondered. He also noticed that the two goblins who had previously been at odds were now whispering together.
Suddenly, a deafening roar of a dragon echoed from underground, and the room fell silent. Harry watched the goblins closely; they seemed just as clueless about what was happening. Then, the table began to shake, blending the rumble of collapsing pillars with the dragon's roar, sending shivers down their spines.
Harry was the first to react. He leaped up, grabbing the containers on the table, while Hermione stuffed them into her beaded bag. Quickly, they retreated to the corner of the room, with Harry standing on the outer edge, conjuring a magical barrier.
A grating noise ensued. Harry's gaze shifted past the overturned chairs to a murky pink eye. "Dra-dragon..." Draco stuttered, as grey scales and spiked wings passed before their eyes, distorting the walls and raising a cloud of dust.
Distant cries of panic from the goblins echoed in the room.
The house-elves rushed outside, and Harry followed, leading them to the main hall of Gringotts. They were astonished by the scene before them— the high, intricate ceiling had been torn open, revealing a massive grey dragon flapping its wings. It kicked off the ground, shattering half the ceiling, before soaring into the pale blue sky, emitting an exhilarated roar.
Bricks and glass rained down.
The house-elves scattered like scattered potatoes on a dinner table. Several sharp goblin short swords were stuck in the ground, ready to pierce the dragon's defenses.
A goblin was shouting loudly in a strange language, and Harry realized it was Goblin-speak.
"What's going on?" one of the negotiating goblins muttered.
"Bodelek intruded into the lowest level of the vaults without authorization, demanding the dragon-control clankers to loosen its restraints. But he underestimated it, and the dragon swallowed him whole. Then the dragon broke free from the remaining iron chains and flew off," a goblin reported.
The goblin elder's face turned as dark as dripping water.
He instantly realized that Bodelek, with his rooster-like eyes, intended to use the dragon to disrupt the negotiations. Of course, Bodelek wouldn't be foolish enough to let the dragon attack the Minister of Magic, but causing chaos and interrupting the talks was entirely plausible.
At least on the surface, wizards couldn't afford to delay. The longer the delay, the more advantageous it was for the goblins.
"Why did the dragon suddenly go berserk? And how could it break free from the goblin-made iron chains?" Madam Bones asked loudly.
No one answered. Because they were hosting officials from the Ministry of Magic, Gringotts had even closed its banking operations for the day, effectively ruling out the possibility of intruders. The goblin elder found himself in a deeply troublesome situation.
Fight, they couldn't. Nor could they reveal the truth— that would be utterly foolish of the goblins.
Madam Bones wore an equally grim expression, rapidly calculating in the hall.
"If I'm not mistaken—" she took a deep breath, "that goblin intended to use the dragon against us, but it backfired. The dragon lost control, causing its own downfall?"
"No such thing!" the goblin elder denied firmly.
"Then how did the iron chains break? Are you suggesting you can't even control the guardians of the bank? How can we trust you to protect wizarding property?" Madam Bones pressed on, step by step.
"That dragon is old; we were planning to replace it with another creature, so we may have been neglectful in its management," the goblin elder immediately explained, "But Gringotts remains the safest bank in the world."
"That explanation lacks sincerity."
"...At least it won't affect the upcoming negotiations," the goblin elder stared at the crowd gathering outside, pointing and murmuring.
...
Felix folded the newspaper and stood up from the sofa. "I'm leaving."
"But Amelia hasn't come out yet," Sirius said, surprised.
"There's been an incident at Gringotts, but I don't think it'll affect the negotiations," Felix said, looking at Sirius and Lupin, "Can you two help out? In a couple of days, we'll have Svifelius coming to oversee potion simplification at the Castle, and I don't want to hear about any of you getting into fights."
"You can't just tell us!" Sirius protested.
Felix shrugged. By now, the commotion from outside had made its way into the Castle.
"Why don't I just stick 'No fighting allowed' signs on every door?"
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