Gringotts' Tight Security, Crabbe's Ill Intentions

Aaron waved Ollivander's Wand, splitting the Thief's Downfall down the middle and creating a water gate wide enough for the cart to pass through.

He then snapped his fingers, releasing the cart from Time Stop.

"All right, keep moving."

Crabbe gave Aaron a long look before restarting the cart.

The clattering resumed in the dark tunnel, though they were moving much slower than before.

A few minutes later, the cart stopped at the end of the tunnel.

A deep dragon roar echoed from around the corner.

"That doesn't sound good." Ron swallowed nervously and looked at Aaron. "You can handle it, right?"

"Shh!" Aaron made a silencing gesture. "It's angry—angry about what it's been through. But it's also desperate—desperate about its fate.

"I can tell Gringotts probably hasn't treated this dragon very well."

"We needed it to guard the vault, so some measures were inevitable during the taming process," Bogrod explained. "We blinded the Ukrainian Ironbelly with smoke, put heavy shackles on it, and trained it to develop a conditioned response to Clankers. Whenever it heard them, it would fearfully back away."

As he said this, a trace of panic appeared on Bogrod's face. "Forgive me, my master, but I didn't bring any Clankers down here.

"If you permit it, I'll go back and get them now."

"No need. You wait here. Come in after I've dealt with the dragon." Aaron strode around the corner.

Roar!

The Ukrainian Ironbelly sensed someone approaching, opened its jaws, and blasted out a stream of fire.

"I don't much like that way of saying hello." Aaron raised an eyebrow as a wisp of crimson flame seeped from the corner of his mouth. "Dragon's Roar."

The two torrents of flame collided. After a brief stalemate, Aaron's fire forced the Ukrainian Ironbelly back into the corner.