Harry, Stop-There Are Aurors Everywhere Outside

The entire stands erupted in cheers as Harry rode his broomstick down the wide passageway of flames.

He held the Golden Snitch high in his hand, like a triumphant warrior.

"Potter!" "Potter!" "Potter!" "Potter!"

Students from all four houses chanted Harry's name—of course, Slytherin might not have been so sociable, since the purer the Slytherin bloodline, the more pronounced the plosive sounds.

No one mourned for the Dementor, because nobody really liked these creatures who were forcibly sent to Hogwarts.

Moreover, Dementor pose a serious threat to the lives, health, and safety of students; anyone who would like Dementor would be truly insane.

Lee Jordan's joyful roar echoed throughout the arena at just the right moment.

"Harry Potter has caught the Golden Snitch! Gryffindor wins!"

The moment Harry landed, the azure flames burning in the sky vanished without a trace.

Dementor who participated in the hunt for Harry this time have been wiped out, without a single one escaping.

As we all know, the Patronus Charm can only dispel Dementor, while the two high-level flames, Gubraithian Fire and Fiendfyre, can cause substantial damage to Dementor!

Even Dumbledore looked at Harry with suspicion and uncertainty.

He could certainly replicate Harry's actions, but even he couldn't devour the entire sky with Gubraithian Fire of that scale.

Perhaps this is the special nature of the Jinchuriki of the Philosopher's Stone. Dumbledore reached out and patted his chest, feeling increasingly grounded for some reason.

Voldemort?

Oh.

In front of the original You-Know-Who, would you dare to call yourself the Dark Lord?

The Quidditch players, who had already fallen to the ground, rushed forward. Fred's left shoe was even stuck in the mud, but he didn't care about getting it out. He just wanted to rush up with his teammates and throw Harry into the air.

"We won!"

Captain Wood shouted excitedly, and together with the Gryffindor Quidditch players, they lifted Harry above the crowd.

Fred and George, those two rascals, each grabbed one of Harry's legs and lifted him up.

"You two, don't do anything naughty!" Harry warned quickly. "I don't want to split my pants open like that..."

The two rascals exchanged a mischievous glance—

Hey, if you hadn't told us, we wouldn't have thought of this.

However, considering that the girls were all on the field, the two of them didn't do that. Instead, they helped him run around the field quickly, waving his free arm and cheering as they ran.

Sirius, at the very top of the arena, stared in disbelief. He never imagined that his godson would be so... extraordinary.

Good heavens, even Voldemort in his prime couldn't summon such a vast expanse of Fiendfyre.

He had no doubt that Voldemort could burn down all of London, but he would need wind to fan the flames and fuel to keep the Fiendfyre burning...

But that patch of flame in the sky just now was summoned purely with magic...

"Prongs, what kind of... genius did you give birth to?" Sirius thought, dumbfounded.

But he didn't notice that the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, who was far away in the castle, had noticed him.

"Sirius?"

Professor Lupin frowned. He had been observing Harry through his telescope, but he hadn't expected such an unexpected discovery.

He was extremely familiar with his old friend's dog form.

But he didn't make a fuss; instead, he decided to observe the situation for a while.

After the Dementor attack during the Quidditch Match, Harry assumed Dumbledore wanted to speak with him.

To his surprise, Professor Dumbledore didn't approach him; instead, Professor McGonagall came by once and showed him concern.

It is said that Fudge was furious about this, but since the Dementor were the first to enter the school and attack the students, he had no choice but to swallow his anger.

More than a hundred Dementor is not a small number, but for the Dementor horde of Azkaban, it is not a particularly devastating loss.

After this incident, Hogwarts no longer allowed Dementor to act as guards of the school, and instead let Fudge find his own way to capture the escaped convict Sirius.

Fudge agreed because he received a constant stream of complaint letters from parents.

They all knew about the attack on the Savior of the Magical World by Dementor. Putting themselves in the shoes of others, if even the Savior could be attacked by Dementor, what about the other ordinary students?

You, Fudge, think this plan is perfect just by talking—but won't our children still have to bear the consequences?

Parents had their own methods. They not only published articles in the Daily Prophet to publicize the matter, but even France tabloids carried it on their front pages, writing in a very journalistic stereotype that "British Ministry of Magic allows Dementor to enter schools and harm students."

Fudge wasn't a man who cared about his reputation, but he absolutely cared about his position as Minister for Magic.

Seeing that so many people opposed him, Fudge had no choice but to suppress his idea of sending Dementor to Hogwarts, even though he was unwilling.

And the story of Harry burning Dementor at Hogwarts was left unresolved, with Fudge even more eager for everyone to forget about it.

To Harry's surprise, Professor Snape also had an owl slip him two bottles of Cheering Charm, with a note saying that it was to prevent the little Troll from missing his Potions Class homework.

"I should have pretended to be sick," Harry said regretfully to Ron, clutching his completed Potions Class.

To everyone's relief, this week's Defense Against the Dark Arts was taught by Professor Lupin has returned to the classroom.

He did look sick; his old robe hung loosely on him, and he had noticeable dark circles under his eyes.

Even so, when the whole class sat down, Professor Lupin still smiled gently at them.

The students immediately began to complain bitterly about what Snape had done while Lupin was sick—even the Slytherin students were complaining because they didn't want to write papers either.

"That's not fair! He's just here to substitute teach, why is he giving us homework?" Everyone chimed in.

"We don't know what Werewolf is—" This was Seamus's complaint.

"—Two rolls of Parchment!" Crabbe and Goyle's unanimous complaint echoed the sentiments of everyone in the classroom—except Hermione.

"Didn't you tell Professor Snape that we haven't gotten to that point yet?" Professor Lupin asked, his brow furrowing slightly.

Everyone started talking again.

Hannah complained loudly, "He told him, but he said we're too backward—"

"You know, Professor, he never listens to us," Ron immediately chimed in.

"—Two rolls of Parchment!" Crabbe and Goyle repeated the complaint in unison, and the students in the classroom nodded in agreement.

Professor Lupin simply smiled in response.

"Don't worry, I'll talk to Professor Snape. You don't need to write that paper."

A cheer immediately erupted in the classroom, especially from the Gryffindor students who shouted the loudest.

Of course, there is one exception...

"Oh no," Hermione said, clutching her head in disappointment, "I've already finished writing..."

But nobody cares about the feelings of Academic Bully; it's your own business if you want to write it.

After class, Harry was informed that Professor Dumbledore was waiting for him in the Headmaster's Office.

Harry has been putting in a lot of effort recently in his search for information about god of death, but to no avail.

Inevitably, he would also feel sleepy, and he even yawned on his way to the Headmaster's Office.

In the Headmaster's Office, not only Dumbledore, but also Newt and his wife, as well as Veratia and Cassandra.

After exchanging greetings, Harry pulled up a chair and sat down to the side.

Everyone looked very serious, especially Dumbledore, whose eyes were hidden behind his half-moon spectacles, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking.

"Voldemort seems to have sided with god of death," Dumbledore said bluntly.

What a brilliant opening! It immediately captured Harry's heart.

"They've sided with god of death?" Harry asked suspiciously.

"Yes, Harry," Newt said, bowing his head. "At least we know now that Voldemort's summoning ritual was successful—but we don't yet know which god of death he summoned."

"Are there many god of death?" Harry asked, puzzled. "Besides the god of death Deathly Hallows, who else is there?"

"Oh, there are many," Newt said quickly. "For example, there's Anubis, whom Voldemort tried to summon. He's the god of god of death in Egypt mythology, and he's associated with the making of mummies and is the guardian of the dead on their journey to the afterlife."

"Generally speaking, he is usually described as a man with a jackal's head, but he is also described as a jackal wearing a ribbon with his forearm bent and hooked with a flail."

"In addition, there is Hela —she is the Norse goddess of death, the queen of Helheim, the underworld, and the goddess of aging and disease. She is said to be the youngest child of Loki, the god of mischief, and the giantess Angrboda, and the sister of Fenrir the wolf and Jormungandr the serpent."

Finally, Newt added, "Of course, there's Hades, the god of the underworld in Greece mythology, the master of the famous three-headed dog Cerberus, a majestic man who is always seated on his throne, holding a scepter, and whose form constantly changes between middle age and old age."

"So which Grim god of death did Voldemort summon?" Harry asked curiously.

"We don't know His real name," Newt said honestly, shaking his head, "but you know which one I'm talking about—"

Harry thought for a moment and realized that Newt was probably referring to the god of death they usually talked about, the one in the black cloak who carried a scythe.

I wonder if it's related to the Lady Death he encountered in Cassandra's Consciousness World.

If I had to give her a name, it would be "Death".

"At least the information we've received tells us that the younger version of Tom Voldemort is about to be successfully resurrected." Dumbledore rubbed his knuckles and said to everyone, "Our immediate priority is to find and destroy his Horcrux— "

"How many Horcrux does he have in total?" Cassandra asked, tilting her head.

"We don't know either, but Harry destroyed a diary last Christmas," Dumbledore said.

Speaking of this diary, Harry suddenly remembered a little story about it...

"By the way, speaking of this diary..." Harry said to Cassandra, "He once impersonated you, draining the Life Force of others in Slytherin for his own use..."

Upon hearing Harry's words, Cassandra's face showed extreme disgust.

"Don't let me find out where he is," she said through gritted teeth. "If I find out where he is, I'll make him taste the power of lightning..."

This is truly a dark chapter in his history. No wonder Draco seemed hesitant to speak several times; it turns out it was because of this...

"Besides this diary, I think there's another ring, which could also be Voldemort's Horcrux," Dumbledore continued. "I saw this ring in Morfin Gaunt's memories. Also... this ring mysteriously disappeared, and as we suspected before, it's very likely that it was kept in the Lestrange family's vault along with Ominis Gaunt's portrait."

At this point, Veratia took out a lock of hair from the side.

"This is Bellatrix Lestrange's hair, the owner of which was Voldemort's most loyal follower—perhaps we can use Polyjuice Potion to transform into her and investigate the vaults in Gringotts."

"But Bellatrix Lestrange is a serious criminal in Azkaban," Newt said, frowning. "I don't think Gringotts would cooperate with us to investigate the vault because of her."

"Oh, that's true." Dumbledore smiled mysteriously at Harry. "We could actually force the Goblin to let us into the Lestrange family's vault through some means—but that would undoubtedly damage Gringotts ' reputation."

"But if we use this method, we can put the Goblin at ease. Even if people find out about this, we can use the excuse that 'it was Bellatrix Lestrange herself who came to the vault to retrieve the treasure.' After all, no one would think that someone could actually get Mrs. Lestrange's hair and wand and impersonate her to go to the vault."

"A very good idea." Harry understood Dumbledore's intention; it was also giving the Goblin an excuse and a way out.

It doesn't matter if he becomes Bellatrix himself; what matters is that it will be Gringotts ' convenient excuse to back down.

"So," Professor Dumbledore looked at Veratia, "You'll have to do this, Grindelwald —I know that after more than ten years in Azkaban, Mrs. Lestrange's mental state... isn't very good."

Well, to put it bluntly, he's just a madman.

Veratia suddenly raised her head and let out a series of maniacal laughs.

Her hair suddenly fell down a bit, covering one eye, and she used her other eye, which was not covered, to scan everyone in the Headmaster's Office. Her white teeth bit her red lips until they turned white, and she still had a wild smile on her face.

"Potter." She walked over to Harry, kneeling on Harry lap and grabbing Harry collar. "Is this how it feels, Potter?"

"You'll look even more like her if you tone it down a bit," Harry quickly said, feeling quite pressured by Veratia's current mental state.

Everyone nodded. Cassandra squinted and muttered under her breath, "The crazy woman from the Grindelwald family."

To be honest, Veratia's mental state was indeed a bit erratic just now. It's hard for Harry not to wonder if she would turn out like this if he really chose Cassandra and abandoned Veratia.

Of course, the conclusion is that there is a 99.99% chance she will become such a crazy yandere, because she has had such transformations before—like the time she grabbed Harry's collar and demanded that he cast the Cruciatus Curse on her.

"I happen to know that Severus has some Polyjuice Potion," Dumbledore added. "If you have the time, perhaps you could try your luck at Gringotts..."

"Us?" Veratia asked.

"Yes, you." Dumbledore gave Harry another mysterious smile. "I know Harry has influence in Gringotts. If you bring him along, it might save you a lot of trouble."

Veratia immediately understood Dumbledore's intention, and she gave her sensible junior a look of approval.

Do you think Dumbledore did it on purpose? Well, he was definitely involved to some extent.

As a key member of the Harry-Vivie Faction, he was more than happy to bring the two together—very happy.

Of course, when it comes to having influence in Gringotts, Veratia's words carry considerable weight. After all, as one of the Dynamic Duo in the past, she left behind a formidable reputation among the Goblin.

However, Veratia didn't want to point out Dumbledore's words, and she also didn't refuse to go on a business trip with Harry.

Dumbledore winked at Harry, beckoned Fawkes over, said a few words to it, and then Fawkes vanished from the spot.

A short while later, Snape appeared in the Headmaster's Office, carrying a large bucket of Polyjuice Potion in his arms, his face expressionless.

"Dumbledore."

Snape placed the bucket of Polyjuice Potion on the Headmaster's Office's desk. The Polyjuice Potion sloshed around in the bucket, making a splashing sound.

"Here is the Polyjuice Potion you requested—I hope that next time you ask me to brew some Potions, you will let me know in advance so that I am not unprepared."

"Thank you, Severus," Dumbledore said calmly, as if he hadn't heard the sarcasm in Snape's words.

Veratia stepped forward and threw the hair in her hand into the Polyjuice Potion.

The hair fell into the Polyjuice Potion, and several large bubbles rose to the surface of the viscous medicine, completely swallowing the strand of hair.

Soon, the Polyjuice Potion emitted a very indescribable smell.

Harry leaned in to smell it, rolled his eyes, and snorted.

"Oh my god..." He ran to the side and took a deep breath. "What is this smell? It's unbearable..."

He swore that even the smelliest socks that hadn't been washed for days didn't have this pungent odor.

Veratia's complexion was also a little pale. She looked down at the bucket of medicine.

The taste reminded her of the days when she was a child and had no money, and the leftovers she ate.

She thought, "Let's just consider this a way of remembering the bitter past and appreciating the sweet present."

"It seems you have some little-known plans." Snape smirked. "I never imagined that a third-year student and a seventh-year student would become part of Professor Dumbledore's grand plan—"

"No, Professor Dumbledore is part of my grand plan," Harry corrected Professor Snape. "I hope you understand the difference between primary and secondary matters."

Upon hearing Harry's words, Snape gritted his teeth and tilted his head back, looking... just like he was seeing James.

Arrogant and disdainful of others...

None of these adjectives can adequately describe even a fraction of James Potter in Snape's eyes.

He turned his head away nonchalantly, refusing to look at Harry, his greasy hair swaying back and forth like black seaweed.

The plan was thus devised, with Veratia becoming Bellatrix Lestrange's main force, while Harry would serve as his support, accompanying him into Gringotts to provide cover.

Meanwhile, Dumbledore and his men waited outside Gringotts as backup, ready to welcome their victorious return.

After the plan was finalized, Veratia filled a large cup with the Polyjuice Potion.

The glass was large, the kind people use to drink Butterbeer, and it looked like it held about a liter.

"Have some more, Grindelwald," Cassandra said gleefully from the side. "Good heavens, I don't want you to revert to your stupid self beforehand. If you ruin our plans, you'll be held responsible for it."

Historical responsibility?

Veratia glanced back at Cassandra. "You're really good at making things sound so grand."

They've even brought up their historical responsibility...

But there was nothing she could do. Veratia could only take a deep breath, pick up the large cup filled with the Polyjuice Potion, and, amidst the worried, expectant, or gloating looks from everyone, pinch her nose, lift her head, and gulp down the entire cup of Polyjuice Potion in one go.

She slammed the cup down on the table, turned her head with an unfriendly expression, and looked at Cassandra.

Veratia still had a ring of gray Polyjuice Potion residue on her lips, but she didn't care at all and quickly walked to Cassandra's side.

"What are you going to do?" Cassandra wasn't worried at all. She just looked at Veratia with a smug expression.

However, Cassandra's smile vanished the next second.

Veratia quickly reached out and pinched Cassandra's cheek, bringing her devastatingly beautiful face close to Cassandra's face, and letting out a long burp.

"Hiccup—"

The smell of the Polyjuice Potion instantly filled Cassandra's nostrils, Cassandra rolled her eyes and gagged.

"I won't let you get away with this, Cass."

Veratia smiled victoriously, wiping her small hand, which was stained with a little Polyjuice Potion, on Cassandra's clothes.

"Grindelwald..." Cassandra bit her red lips tightly, trying not to lose her ladylike composure, and glared fiercely at Veratia. "Grindelwald... I'm going to sew your mouth shut!"

"Alright, alright..." Harry quickly stepped forward to act as a peacemaker.

Before he could finish speaking, he saw Veratia's body begin to change.

She quickly went to a side room, and when she came out again, she was already Bellatrix.

"What are you all looking at?" Veratia's version of Bellatrix grinned maniacally. "Never seen an escaped convict before? Hahahaha..."

"Try to tone it down... to calm it down..." Harry quickly said, "As the saying goes, too much of a good thing can be bad. You seem to be much more insane than Bellatrix Lestrange..."

"I think so too." Cassandra's face turned pale and then red. "My God, I have no doubt that this is your true personality. Perhaps Mrs. Lestrange's appearance just happened to be the excuse to unlock your true personality..."

"Cruciatus Curse!"

Veratia's version of Bellatrix quickly drew her wand and struck Cassandra.

"What are you doing!" Cassandra asked, frowning.

Who would have thought that Veratia's version of Bellatrix would hop and skip around like a little girl, cheering, "Wieeeeeee~ I hit Cassandra Malfoy, come and get me~ get me... hahahaha..."

You know what, the contrast between her little girl-like behavior and her ruthless nature, coupled with her current crazy appearance, is quite striking.

This also proves why Mrs. Lestrange is so infamous and so... feared among the Death Eater.

"What a madman!" Cassandra cursed.

Snape stared in shock at Veratia, Bellatrix was dressed in Slytherin uniform, and it took him a long time to utter a single sentence.

"If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would have really thought Mrs. Lestrange had escaped from prison."

Upon hearing Snape's words, everyone nodded in approval of Veratia's acting skills.

After all, this person is a well-known double agent who once worked for the Dark Lord for a period of time. His understanding of Bellatrix is definitely better than that of most people.

Since he says they are exactly the same, then they are exactly the same.

"You've all been deceived by her!" Cassandra glanced at Veratia's version of Bellatrix with disgust. "This is actually her true personality."

Seeing Veratia raise her wand, Harry quickly said, "Okay, Veratia, stop! Stop right now!"

Veratia - Bellatrix glanced at Harry resentfully, her arm hanging in mid-air. She lowered her head, bit her tongue, and glanced at Cassandra.

"I think we should let Alastor take a look," Newt finally blurted out after a long pause. "Isn't he a seasoned Auror? And that Mystic Eye... I wonder if he can see through Miss Grindelwald's disguise."

You know what, after Newt said that... even Dumbledore was a little tempted.

As a seasoned veteran of the entertainment industry...

Forget it, let's talk about it after this is over.

"Alright, alright," Dumbledore said. "Our immediate priority is to go to Gringotts and check if any of Tom's Horcrux are there, such as Marvolo Gaunt's Ring and Mr. Ominis Gaunt's portrait."

"Okay," Harry and Veratia nodded.

"I will have Thestral carriage take you to Gringotts," Dumbledore said again. "Also, Miss Grindelwald will need to be discreet, perhaps by wearing a veil and a wide-brimmed sun hat, lest she be seen by other wizards and attract the Auror..."

"Okay." Veratia smiled sweetly, but a hint of madness flashed in her eyes.

Those who know her well know that perhaps... she's about to stir up trouble.

Harry also brought some Polyjuice Potion with him, this time he was going to transform into Rodolphus Lestrange, Bellatrix's husband.

They split into two groups and left Hogwarts for Gringotts.

Harry and Veratia were in the same carriage, and Veratia sat on Harry's lap the moment the carriage took off.

"Potter?" Veratia wrapped her arm around Harry's. "How is it... do you like this feeling?"

"It's not time to pretend to be Lestrange yet," Harry said helplessly. "You don't have to act like this, okay?"

"Then how do you know this isn't my true nature?" Veratia's tone carried a hint of madness. "Perhaps... Potter..."

"Alright, alright—" Harry quickly dodged away. "You're Bellatrix Lestrange now, not Verathea Grindelwald. If you were Veratia looking like that, I might be happy... but not like this."

"So, you like my appearance, is that right?" Veratia feigned a resentful expression.

"I like you both," Harry replied with great emotional intelligence. "But I prefer you as you are, inside and out, rather than as you are now, with your Lestrange appearance... like an old lady."

"Hmph." Veratia reached out and pinched Harry's nose. "Fine, I'll let you off the hook for now—"

They soon arrived at Gringotts. Before getting out of the car, Veratia put on a scarf and a large sun hat.

Harry also drank the Ageing Potion —the reason he didn't choose to drink it before setting off was because he was afraid that Veratia, with Bellatrix's crazy face, might do something insane.

Of course, Harry's face was his pass; the Goblin guards recognized him immediately and offered to show him the way.

The two arrived at the office of Scad, the Goblin manager, where Scad was already waiting.

"Welcome, welcome, Mr. Potter," Scad said with a smile. "What brings you here?"

"I need to get into the Lestrange family vault, Scad," Harry said succinctly.

Upon hearing Harry's words, Scad replied without the slightest hesitation, "No problem, Mr. Potter — Gringotts is at your service..."

Harry wasn't too surprised by Scad's reaction. He said to Scad, "Of course, considering the potential impact, I think it's better to put on a show."

After saying that, he nodded to Veratia.

Veratia pulled down her headscarf and sun hat, revealing Bellatrix's face.

"Mrs. Lestrange?" Scad gasped. "You're not... in Azkaban?"

Veratia chuckled twice, shook her head at Scad, and wore a maniacal smile on her face.

"Ahem." Harry coughed twice. "This was actually my friend impersonating someone using Polyjuice Potion, but the wand does belong to Mrs. Lestrange herself."

As he spoke, Harry gestured for Veratia to take out her wand and hand it to Scad.

"After all, we're partners." Harry used what Mr. Septimus had taught him. "As a partner, I don't want Gringotts' reputation to be damaged because of this, don't you think, Mr. Scad?"

"Yes, a true partnership!" Scad nodded happily, his gesture heavy. "In that case, you two..."

Harry didn't say anything, but instead took out Polyjuice Potion and drank it all in one gulp.

A short while later, Rodolphus Lestrange appeared in the same spot.

"Let's go," Harry said to Scad. "Tell Griphook we're going to use the Imperius Curse on him in a bit."

"Okay, thank you, Mr. Potter."

Scad's eyes welled up with tears.

The two of them re-entered Gringotts ' main hall, this time without covering their faces with anything.

The two arrived at the Griphook counter, Veratia took out Bellatrix's wand and handed it to the Griphook: "The Lestrange family vault."

She spoke so loudly that even people conducting business in Gringotts could hear her.

When they saw that it was Bellatrix herself, they all froze on the spot, and the more timid ones even sat down on the ground.

Bellatrix Lestrange is a household name in the British wizarding world. Aside from Voldemort, she's a formidable second-in-command of the Death Eater, known even to those whose children cry...

Oh, most of the time he's called Fenrir Kreberg, and he only uses Bellatrix's name to scare kids when he has no other choice.

It works absolutely, and is carefully selected for children.

"Yes, madam." Griphook checked the wand and handed it back to Veratia. "Let's set off now—"

Veratia took the wand and cast a Imperius Curse on the Griphook.

The Griphook paused for a moment, then looked at Veratia with a puzzled expression.

Veratia didn't say anything, she just nodded.

Griphook, he understood and, as he left, kicked a very discreet red button.

After they boarded the trolley, a loud alarm sounded in Gringotts lobby.

Harry was unaware of all this; all he knew was that he began to hear the whooshing sound of wind breaking around him.

Griphook repeatedly seemed to want to say something but hesitated. He genuinely didn't know why Veratia had ordered him to press the alarm button.

Does anyone actually want to get caught?

Oh my god, it really is...

They continued on and soon came to a waterfall.

"This is the Thief's Downfall," Griphook said to the two of them. "The water here is enchanted; it can dispel all spells and concealments, and even wash away the effects of Polyjuice Potion and Imperius Curse. Therefore, no intruder can sneak into the vault—including the two of you."

After they passed the waterfall, they transformed back into Veratia and Harry.

"How much further?" Harry asked.

"We'll be there soon," the Griphook replied.

As soon as they finished speaking, they turned a corner and arrived at the deepest part of the place.

This is perhaps one of the safest vaults in Gringotts, because a huge Fire Dragon is locked up here.

Having been imprisoned underground for too long, the dragon's scales had turned pale and loose, its eyes were a cloudy pink, and both of its hind legs were shackled with heavy chains that were connected to massive stakes driven deep into the rocky ground.

Its massive, spiked wings folded to its sides, but if unfolded, they would fill the entire basement.

The dragon turned its ugly head toward them and let out a roar that made the stones tremble.

"Its eyes are failing," Griphook said breathlessly, "But that makes it even more ferocious, though we have ways to control it..."

Before the Griphook could finish speaking, the Fire Dragon opened its mouth and spewed out a burst of flames.

Harry raised his hand, and a thick stream of water shot out from the tip of his wand, not only repelling the flames but also spraying the Fire Dragon's face.

The force of the water flow was clearly very strong; with such a jolt, the Fire Dragon's head was jerked back violently.

"Stupefy (Stunning Spell)!"

A thick, scarlet Charms shot from the tip of the wand and struck the Fire Dragon on the head.

The Fire Dragon let out a muffled groan and collapsed to the ground with a thud.

"Perhaps we have an easier way, don't we?"

With that, Harry put away his wand.

Griphook shuddered. A wizard capable of stunning an adult Fire Dragon with Stunning Spell ...

That's absolutely terrifying!

As is well known, most Magical Creatures have a high resistance to Charms, and the Fire Dragon's Charms resistance is among the best in the world.

The fact that he could easily stun Fire Dragon with Stunning Spell shows that his magical power has reached an unimaginable level.

Griphook pulled something out of his pocket, put it on his wrist, and then placed his hand on the door.

The door burst open, and the vault door vanished, revealing a hole.

The cave was filled from floor to ceiling with gold coins and golden goblets, silver armor, the fur of various strange animals with thorns or drooping wings, Potions in bottles, and a skull still wearing a crown.

"What are you looking for?" Griphook pulled out a list of items. "Perhaps I can tell you what's inside... but be careful..."

Before he could finish speaking, Harry touched the skull.

As a result, more than twenty copies of the skull suddenly appeared and embraced Harry.

At the same time, his skull suddenly became very hot, almost burning Harry.

Fortunately, he let go quickly, and the skull fell to the ground with a thud, then began to be copied again.

"They've been enchanted with Gemino Curse and Flagrante Curse," Griphook added. "Anything you touch will burn and be copied, but the copies are worthless—if you keep touching wealth, you'll eventually be crushed by gold!"

"Perhaps we can use some kind of Charms to break these spells?" Harry asked, looking at Griphook.

"Maybe, but I don't know," the Griphook said honestly.

Harry nodded, took out Rodolphus ' wand, and slammed it hard into the ground.

"Finite (Finite Incantatem)!"

A brilliant golden light shone from the vault, followed by plumes of black smoke rising from the treasures.

The black smoke transformed into a ferocious Fire Dragon, which pounced on Harry.

However, the golden light also transformed into a golden Unicorn, which lowered its head, aimed at the Fire Dragon, and charged forward bravely with all four hooves.

The Fire Dragon was completely powerless to fight back. The golden Unicorn charged left and right, piercing several transparent holes in it. Finally, it howled silently and turned into a wisp of black smoke, dissipating into the vault.

"I never imagined there was such a solution," Griphook said with a sigh. "These Gemino Curse and Fire-Making Spell are usually used to safeguard these expensive vaults."

"So why doesn't my vault have this kind of protection?" Veratia looked at the Griphook with hostility.

"Because you didn't pay the annual storage fee of five hundred Galleon, Miss Grindelwald," the Griphook replied neither humbly nor arrogantly.

Veratia suddenly fell silent.

There was no other way; the old Vienna were terrified of poverty and dared not waste a single penny.

Five hundred Galleon a year, that's worse than killing her.

What?

You said my vault has over two million Galleon, so I don't need this little bit of money?

No! Terrible! Extremely bad!

These were all saved up little by little! I absolutely cannot waste money!

"We need to find a portrait and a ring," Harry said to Griphook. "You know, a portrait of Ominis Gaunt."

"There is no portrait of Mr. Gaunt here, nor any ring," Griphook said regretfully, glancing at the list. "I'm sorry, Mr. Potter, that's just how it is... I didn't find what you're talking about on the list."

Harry looked up at the mountain of treasure.

To his surprise, at the very top of these treasures was Gryffindor's sword.

"Is this Gryffindor's sword?" Harry asked, pointing to the sword on the surface.

Griphook nodded hesitantly. "It seems so, at least that's what the treasure list says."

"That's not right," Harry said, glancing at Veratia. "I remember pulling the Gryffindor's sword out of the Sorting Hat when I was sorted into the Sorting. Why is there another one here?"

"It's obviously fake," Veratia said to Harry. "Since it can be pulled out of the Sorting Hat, it's obviously not a fake... So, the sword in front of us is definitely not real."

"Oh, right," Griphook added, "There's another relic from the Founders of Hogwarts here... Hufflepuff's Cup, and it says this on it."

"Hufflepuff's Cup?" The two of them looked interested.

After all, these are relics left behind by the Founders Hogwarts, how could they not be interested?

The Hufflepuff's Cup was made by Helga Hufflepuff.

The golden cup has two finely crafted solid gold handles, and its surface is adorned with exquisite symbolic carvings. It possesses a magical and unique allure.

Was it the first vessel in Hogwarts to assist House Elf in transporting magical food, and was kept in Hufflepuff House until Helga Hufflepuff's death?

"Let me look." Griphook held the list and compared it with the items one by one. After searching for a long time, he took out a gold cup from the pile of treasures.

"Wait! Put it down quickly!" Veratia shouted urgently, "It's Dark Magic Curse!"

Griphook belatedly put down the golden cup, looked at it with confusion, and then at Veratia.

"Oh, I forgot to mention, Miss Grindelwald." Griphook smiled and said to Veratia, "The gloves I'm wearing can ward off Dark Arts curses... They're alchemical artifacts made by Gringotts Goblin. After all, Gringotts also serves Dark Wizard, and everyone knows what kind of things are hidden in their vaults. So our ancestors made a batch of gloves that can ward off Dark Magic Curse, just to prevent us from being harmed by Dark Magic Curse without our knowledge."

"I see..." Harry nodded knowingly.

He looked at the golden cup again, then glanced back at Veratia.

"Is this Dark Magic Curse?" he asked.

"It seems so, Harry." Veratia frowned as she looked at the golden cup. "There's some very evil Dark Arts on it..."

Harry suddenly felt a flash of inspiration, and his killer instincts kicked in instantly.

"Could it be Voldemort's Horcrux?!" he wondered.

"Very likely." Veratia nodded seriously.

"I'll put it in my purse first," Harry said to Veratia. "After all, it's Hufflepuff's Cup; it would be such a waste if it were destroyed by Fiendfyre..."

"You're right," Veratia nodded. "After all, this is a relic from the Founders Hogwarts, but doesn't your wallet contain the Basilisk? What if Voldemort's Horcrux bewitched the Basilisk?"

"Oh, that's true," Harry said belatedly.

"Put it here with me." Veratia took out a small bag and put the Hufflepuff's Cup into it.

After doing all this, she said again, "Let's search again and see if there are any more Voldemort in the Horcrux... I have a feeling that things aren't that simple."

They compared the list in the Griphook's hand with the Horcruxes and then used their Revealing Charm to search the vault, but they couldn't find the other Horcrux.

"A cunning rabbit will dig at least three burrows, Veratia."

After a fruitless search, Harry said to Veratia, "In my opinion, Voldemort is the most cunning rabbit. He would never put all his eggs in one basket... Perhaps he has hidden Marvolo Gaunt's Ring somewhere else."

"Hmm." Veratia nodded. "Since there aren't any other Horcrux in the vault, let's head back to school... Do you have any Polyjuice Potion left?"

"One more thing," Harry asked, puzzled. "Now that we're all back, do we still need to drink Polyjuice Potion?"

"Oh," Veratia said, touching her hair, "Of course we need to, after all, we have to go all the way when we're acting."

With that, she shoved Harry away from the Lestrange family's vault.

Griphook hesitated several times, but seeing Veratia's sharp eyes, he chose to swallow his words.

They didn't need to pass through the Thief's Downfall when they left. Harry and Veratia drank Polyjuice Potion in the cart and transformed back into the Lestrange couple.

They arrived at Gringotts ' main hall, only to find that the atmosphere there was somewhat off.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked, getting up.

Who would have thought that the Griphook would run away as if it were fleeing.

Veratia got out of the car and said to Harry with a smile, "To make the act more convincing, I had Griphook press the alarm button—if nothing unexpected happens, there are Auror outside right now."

As if in response to Veratia's words, a voice suddenly rang out from outside.

"Fugitives inside! You are surrounded! I urge you to put down your wands and surrender immediately!"

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(The last 4000 words are an extra chapter for the 28,000 monthly votes last month)