Gringotts Bank was managed by goblins, with security provided by the Ministry of Magic.
It had branches all over the world and was deeply trusted by wizards.
Yet Cornelius Fudge, Minister of the British Ministry of Magic, emerged from it looking deeply troubled.
Secure?
Secure my ass!
Someone slipping into the vaults in broad daylight was one thing,
but letting the suspect stroll away was another,
and more than half an hour after the crime, they had not found so much as a hair.
Was this person male or female? And why had they targeted the newly appointed Minister of Magic?
Fudge, dressed in a black pinstriped suit, put on his top hat and straightened his back as he headed for the southern end of Diagon Alley.
The culprit had vanished without a trace. Minimizing the losses was the most important thing right now.
Standing before the newspaper headquarters, where reporters ran even faster than the Ministry of Magic's elite Aurors, he put on a fake smile and raised a hand to push open the door.
"Everyone, good after—"
"Rita, have you come up with the headlines?"
"Of course, Chief Editor Gufei."
Fudge swallowed the rest of his words.
A blonde woman adjusted the jewel-encrusted glasses perched on her small nose and rapidly rattled off a string of headlines.
"'Shocking Revelation: Why Gringotts Suffered a Terrifying Theft,'"
"'You-Know-Who Returns Again? Why Is the Ministry of Magic So Negligent,'"
"'Reporter Risks Life to Bring Back News from Gringotts,'"
"'Is Minister Fudge a Wolf or a Sheep?'..."
The man in question smiled even more broadly.
He strolled up to Rita, who was still chattering away, and very gentlemanly took the draft article from her hands.
"Oh, what an unfortunate matter—"
The Daily Prophet reporters could not help turning their gazes toward their