The Dragon Slayer Tibbers Was About to Make His Entrance

"Waaaaah~!!" The screams continued.

Seeing what was happening, the human guard who had grabbed Hermione and confiscated her wand, intending to forcibly Apparate the older girl to the Ministry of Magic, froze too. He looked at his colleague, who was screaming with his arm on fire, and felt a chill of terror. How had this happened?

Had that little girl done this? But he hadn't seen her use a wand or cast a spell. How had her whole body suddenly burst into flames? Could it be accidental magic? Then why was she unharmed? As far as he knew, magic going out of control like this hurt both the target and the caster! Before he could figure it out, the little girl waved at him. An invisible blast of energy slammed into his body, sending him flying. He crashed into a marble pillar and passed out.

The human guard was lucky. The Goblin guard who was on fire wasn't so fortunate.

It continued rolling and flailing on the ground as the flames grew stronger, spreading from its arm to engulf its entire body. Now, no one dared step forward to help. Most of the Goblins and the watching wizards were still in a daze. They hadn't recovered from the shock, and without knowing what had happened, nobody dared act rashly.

After all, this was Gringotts Wizarding Bank in Diagon Alley... This was Goblin territory! And with Aurors from the Ministry of Magic able to Apparate in at any moment to provide support, who would suddenly dare cause trouble here? Had You-Know-Who returned? That would be terrifying! If that was really the case, they'd be even less likely to act rashly.

The burning Goblin guard rolled around on the ground for a while, then fell silent. The flames still blazed over its body, and before long, it had burned into a twisted, human-shaped lump of charcoal. Only then did the flames begin to die down, showing signs of going out on their own.

Just moments ago, the other guards who had rushed over to help had tried to put out the fire with the Fire-Making Spell or Aguamenti. But as it turned out, neither had the slightest effect! Any magic cast on the Goblin guard only made the flames burn more fiercely! This fire was even more terrifying than Fiendfyre! Not even the water they conjured could extinguish it or weaken it in the slightest. All they could do was stand by and watch as their Goblin colleague burned to a crisp.

In the space of a dozen breaths, a powerful Goblin guard had been burned alive just like that? The other wizards stared at the little girl in the middle of the hall, still wreathed in flames, then at her cold eyes, now red as molten lava. They sucked in a sharp breath and jostled backward, leaving the center of the hall completely clear.

They were only at the bank to take care of business. They had no desire to get into an unnecessary conflict with this dangerous, unfamiliar little girl. Besides, Gringotts Wizarding Bank wasn't their bank. It belonged to the Goblins. There was no point getting themselves into trouble on the Goblins' behalf!

They knew perfectly well that Goblins were hostile toward human wizards. But did that mean wizards were friendly toward Goblins? Give them a break! The Goblins and human wizards had fought several bitter battles in the past! Just because the wounds had scarred over didn't mean they should forget the pain! Who knew when they'd be fighting the Goblins again? So what did it matter to them if a few Goblins died? They might as well keep watching the spectacle.

At last, when they saw that someone had not only caused trouble but also killed a Goblin, the Goblin employees behind the counters could no longer stay calm. Like the watching wizards, they began to stir. They put down their work and stopped serving customers, gathering along the counter to watch the strange human girl in the middle of the hall, still surrounded by flames, with curiosity and wariness.

They had no idea what had just happened. Why had the two little girls gotten into a conflict with a Goblin employee? Why had they gone so far as to burn a Goblin guard to death? They didn't know any of it!

Aside from their greed and love of gold, Goblins were also great gossips. So, since this had nothing to do with them, they began clustering together in twos and threes, whispering to one another and pointing at the two girls in the hall and the Goblin colleague behind the counter who had started the conflict, speculating about what had happened.

At the far end of the hall, Bogrod, the Goblin in charge at the larger, taller main counter, finally couldn't sit still any longer. He struggled to his feet and strode toward the counter's edge with short, comical steps, his face dark with anger. He looked at the Goblin guard burned to a crisp on the floor, then at the two little girls, and fury rose in his heart. They had actually dared to kill a Goblin? They had gone too far!

"Guards! What are you standing around for? Take them down at once! If they resist, kill them!" The Goblin chief gave a cold snort and issued the harshest order.

Bogrod didn't know what had happened between his subordinate and the girls, but at this point, there was no point in looking into it. The first thing to do was to use overwhelming force to defend Gringotts' authority. That was the most urgent matter at hand!

He no longer cared who was right or wrong. If they captured the two troublemaking girls as quickly as possible, then he could decide who was right and who was wrong! As long as the initiative remained in his hands, he could resolve things by whatever means he pleased. He could investigate the reason for the incident after it was over.

So they had to capture the two human girls as quickly as possible, before the incident spiraled out of control. Then they could pin all the blame on them, and the human Ministry of Magic would have to answer to the Goblins! Gringotts' authority could not be violated in the slightest. It was the foundation that allowed Goblins to maintain their place in the human wizarding world!

At their leader's command, the dozen or so Gringotts guards who had rushed over drew their wands. First, they all cast Protego on themselves. Then they turned their wands toward the two girls in the middle of the hall. When the girls made no move, the guards slowly spread out, surrounding Annie and the petrified Hermione in a wide circle.

The charred body of their comrade on the floor had given them ample warning. One fool dying was enough. They weren't going to rush into action without any protection this time. The little girl in the middle of the hall, the one surrounded by flames, was dangerous!

Once they saw that their comrades were ready, the guards, who were well-practiced in working together, stretched out their arms in unison and shouted the spells they had prepared.

In an instant, all kinds of colorful spells shot from their wand tips! A dozen spells of different sizes and colors flew at the center of the hall from every direction, lighting up the vast room.

"Stupefy!"

"Impedimenta!"

"Expelliarmus!"

"Immobulus!"

"Locomotor Immobilus!"

"Petrificus Totalus!"

The spells were ordinary enough, but unleashed all at once, they became an astonishing force. Roaring in from the surrounding circle, they swept toward the center and instantly engulfed the two girls in a dazzling array of magic!

"Oh, Merlin! This is truly horrifying!" An elderly witch among the crowd of onlookers around the hall couldn't help crying out in alarm.

Did they really have to surround two little girls with an attack of this magnitude? Wasn't that a bit too cruel? Merlin! Even if none of the spells were meant to cause harm, there were so many of them, and they'd all been cast by adult wizards. After taking that many powerful hits, surely the two little girls would be gravely injured at the very least—or suffer severe, irreversible magical damage! Those bastards! Those villains! Had they no shame? The old witch glared furiously at the guards. They were all Goblin accomplices, nothing but lackeys!

Hermione had been completely stunned. She never expected things to take such a sudden turn and end up like this! Her father, Mr. Granger, a dentist, had told her about the darker side of society long ago, and she'd committed his words to memory. But she'd never imagined the Wizarding World could be even darker than the Muggle World! Even more brutal!

Half an hour ago, she'd been happily getting ready to buy her textbooks for next term, then stop by the pet shop to buy that adorable, big-faced cat. And now? Watching all those spells, flashing with every color, hurtling toward her, Hermione suddenly wondered if she was about to die here for no reason.

She was only twelve years old! Her irresponsible father was probably still wandering around Diagon Alley, wasn't he? Would he and her mother be heartbroken when they heard what had happened? They certainly would. She could only hope the Ministry of Magic would send someone to use Obliviate on them after she died, wiping away their memories of her. If they forgot and couldn't remember her, then they wouldn't be sad, would they?

Seeing the magic about to hit them, Hermione shut her eyes in despair. What a shame... There were so many books she hadn't had the chance to read, and so many spells she hadn't had the chance to learn. There was so much she still didn't know and wanted to explore. She wanted to make more friends like Harry and Ron...

And that lonely, world-weary big-faced cat at the pet shop was surely still waiting eagerly for her to come and take it home, wasn't it? The owner had said it had been at the pet shop for ages. No wizard had ever taken a liking to it, and nobody had ever thought of buying it. Nobody but her... And now? Sigh... I'm going to disappoint it again... It would never get to see her, would it? I really am a bad girl!

"Hm? Is that all you've got?" Annie had no idea how much Hermione had thought about in that moment. She was looking disdainfully at the guards around them and the strange magic they were firing at her.

Annie gave a cold snort. Before the spells could reach them, she casually cast a red Lava Shield around herself and Hermione. The next instant, the magic engulfed them both.

The spells came quickly, and vanished just as quickly!

The colorful lights that had swallowed Annie and Hermione soon faded. The guards and the watching wizards were astonished to discover that the two little girls had come through the attack completely unharmed! A thin shield surrounded them, something like a suit of armor. But what puzzled everyone was this: even Protego couldn't possibly withstand a combined attack from more than a dozen guards, could it?

"Now it's my turn!" Annie didn't give the guards time to react a second time. She had no interest in playing with weaklings whose combat strength was less than five! She'd better deal with them quickly, before they kept bothering her!

As soon as she finished speaking, she decided not to use lethal magic. Instead, she raised her hand and casually cast two enhanced spells in an instant.

Magic Enhancement: Spell Echo! Metamagic Technique: Multiple Attack!

An arcane circle lit up beneath Annie's feet. As she poured magic into it, the circle was completed in an instant! The spells that had just hit them and dissipated reappeared in the air, then shot back with greater force and speed. Before the Gringotts guards could react, the spells shattered their Protego and sent them all flying.

After more than a dozen screams, the Gringotts guards lay scattered across the floor, unconscious. Some had merely been knocked out by the power of the reflected spells; they were actually among the lucky ones!

Those who had used Stunning Spells on Annie and Hermione had fallen into deep comas. They wouldn't wake up for at least ten days or a week. Those who had used Impediment Jinxes had it even worse. They looked as if they'd been hit by a truck, lying in pools of blood with blood running from their eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, their lives hanging by a thread. The worst off were the guards who had used Petrificus Totalus. They'd been turned to solid stone, inside and out, and now lay on the floor in bizarre poses. They weren't dead, but whether they could be saved depended on St. Mungo's skill with counter-curses and potions.

"You'll never know just how badly you've messed up, will you? I think I'd better burn you to a crisp!" After dealing with the irritating guards, Annie turned to look at the Goblin behind the counter, who was so terrified it had lost its wits. It still dared to stand so high up? Hmph! The higher you stood, the harder you fell! Looking up at it made her neck hurt.

That was the one! It had acted so high and mighty, cheated her out of her money, and then tried to have those useless guards arrest her!

Served it right! Did it regret it now? Too bad Annie didn't sell regret potions! She wanted to roast it and make it pay for its stupidity. Nobody could talk her out of it!

Annie had always lived by one principle: If you don't mess with me, I won't mess with you!

If it had only been an ordinary offense, Annie might not have cared much. At most, she would have played a prank to get even. But deliberately malicious offenses could have dire consequences. Did they really think Annie was just a sweet little girl? She had another famous nickname, after all! Dark Child! Oh? What was "dark"? Look it up yourself!

"Huh? You're trying to run? Get back here!" Annie hadn't yet decided what spell to use on it when the Goblin suddenly vanished with a pop.

But if it thought it could just Apparate away in front of Annie, it was badly mistaken! The instant its spell took effect and it disappeared, Annie countered it and pulled it straight back out of Apparition.

"P-please..." After the cunning Goblin tumbled back onto the counter, it tried to beg for mercy. But before it could get the words out, it seemed to be seized by an invisible hand around the throat. It couldn't say another word.

Annie sneered and cast a basic Mage Hand, grabbing the wretched Goblin by the neck and lifting it into the air above the hall. It liked standing up high, didn't it? Well, now she'd make it stand even higher!

"I told you I'd burn you, and I meant it! You can't get away." As soon as she finished speaking, Annie flicked her hand and sent a Shatterfire spell at it. The ugly Goblin, still struggling in midair, was swallowed by flames before it could even scream, and turned to ash...

"Oh, Merlin's beard! Was that Wandless Magic? And multiple spells earlier? How is that possible?" A human wizard in the crowd suddenly cried out. He could hardly believe what he'd just seen. The little girl had not only subdued the more than ten powerful guards who had surrounded her, but she'd also burned a Goblin to ash!

All right, none of that mattered! What mattered most was that he hadn't seen the little girl use a wand! That was right! She hadn't used a wand! And he hadn't heard her say a single incantation. She'd just waved her hand, and the spells flew out! What's more, nearly all of them had been cast instantly! What did that even mean? Merlin's pants!

He'd never heard of a wizard who could do anything like this without a wand! Not even Dumbledore or You-Know-Who, powerful as they were, could manage it, could they? At most, they could silently cast some ordinary spells instantly, or compress the syllables of certain incantations to the bare minimum. And they still needed their wands!

If Dumbledore or You-Know-Who were without their wands, surely the onlookers would have the confidence to take them on? But now, just look at what sort of person the Goblins of Gringotts had provoked! So Wandless Magic was actually possible? And it could be this powerful? Could the little girl's innocent appearance be hiding some ancient monster who'd lived for thousands of years?

Hearing the wizard's words, the other onlookers started chattering too. Some quick-witted people even began Apparating away at once. They didn't dare stay here any longer. They'd already seen enough to talk about for a long time. If they stayed and were accidentally caught in the crossfire, it wouldn't be any fun. They didn't want to be the fish caught in someone else's fight!

The wizards who couldn't Apparate hurried to the sides of the hall. They bowed and nodded to the little girl in the middle, smiling obsequiously to show they had absolutely nothing to do with this. When they saw that the little girl had no interest in them, they hurried out the door. In any case, it had nothing to do with them, so they'd keep their heads down! With things so dangerous, who knew what would happen if another fight broke out? They thought it best to leave as soon as possible.

The crowd of onlookers scattered in an instant. The Goblins left behind at the counters exchanged glances. They didn't run, but neither did they dare attack the little girl still in the hall. They weren't stupid!

They recognized the Goblin who had just been burned to ash. His name was Griphook. Given how greedy he was, they guessed he must have cheated the girl out of money or goods, then failed to realize how vicious the little girl he'd provoked could be. And so, he'd naturally met his downfall. He'd had it coming! Good riddance!

With the Gringotts guards wiped out and the culprit, Griphook, dead, they weren't about to stick their necks out for a Goblin who had already turned to ash. What if they lost their own lives in the process?

Besides, if their boss Bogrod hadn't been watching them from over there, they'd have Apparated away with the crowd long ago! Why were they still standing here? Was it fun to face off against a vicious little girl? Their knees were practically giving way.

"D-damn it! Quick, haul that white dragon up here! And send someone to notify the Ministry of Magic while you're at it! Tell them we need support!!!" the Goblin chief roared.

Bogrod was badly shaken by the little girl's ferocity. He hurriedly called to the other Goblins, ordering them to haul up the Ancient White Dragon guarding the Gringotts vaults below to intimidate her! He hoped the dragon could keep her in check. At this point, Bogrod didn't dare back down so easily. He could only grit his teeth and hold his ground! Otherwise, what would become of Gringotts Wizarding Bank's authority? What would the other wizards think? Could the Goblins still do business in Diagon Alley after this?

Master! Did you hear that? They've got a white dragon! I think it's time for me to make an appearance and show off! I'll make you some barbecued dragon. I bet it'll taste delicious! What do you think?

As soon as Tibbers heard the Goblin chief say they were going to bring out the dragon, he couldn't sit still any longer! He hadn't bothered to step in against the weaklings earlier. Annie could deal with them easily! But this was different. He'd heard the Goblins say they had a dragon! And it sounded pretty powerful, so Tibbers definitely had to make an appearance and remind everyone he existed. It had been ages since he'd been in the spotlight!

You had to understand, Tibbers still had a Dragon Slayer buff from the old dragon in the Voodoo Lands a long time ago! He'd decided to take this opportunity to kill another dragon and stack the buff one more time, so he could cement his reputation as Tibbers the Dragon Slayer!