Was the Auror Office short of Galleons?
There was no question about it. Especially as their conflict with the Death Eaters grew more intense, they needed vast amounts of Galleons to recruit new Aurors, purchase potions, and pay compensation to the families of the fallen.
But the Ministry was short of Galleons too. Nearly every department had its hand out to the Minister, and the Auror Office received only a tiny share—nowhere near enough.
That was why Scrimgeour had turned down all his work and sat here listening to them argue for several hours.
Making money was for the sake of work. Nothing shameful about that.
Half of thirty thousand Galleons was fifteen thousand. Just by sitting here for a few hours and playing along, they could secure that much funding. No department head would turn down an opportunity like that.
Unfortunately, they did not have that chance.
Scrimgeour straightened up and continued playing his role until the matter was settled.
Fifteen thousand Galleons—the sum was far more than he had expected. It was practically a windfall.
As for the nominal purpose of the money... no one cared.
Diagon Alley had indeed suffered some damage, but this was the wizarding world. Dragon fire was not Fiendfyre; a simple Mending Charm could solve most of the problem. There was no need to dwell on it.
The goblins knew that too, yet they still paid.
Because it was only an excuse. The Ministry needed Galleons, while the goblins needed to settle the theft scandal as quickly as possible and restore Gringotts's reputation. Both sides understood without saying it aloud.
Originally, the process did not need to be so complicated. But Kyle had taken the job upon himself, directly multiplying the price they had to pay several times over.
Thirty thousand Galleons... Bogrod's