Gringotts Goes on Strike (Thanks, Feifeifei Nuonuo!)

Meanwhile, rumors about Gringotts were gradually spreading into Hogwarts Castle through students going to Hogsmeade and wizards coming and going. This, along with the unusual events within the school, intensified the already uneasy atmosphere.

Many students learned through letters from home that the Gringotts Wizarding Bank's operations had come to a near standstill.

Until Friday morning, the headline of the Daily Prophet changed.

"Internal turmoil has erupted at Gringotts Bank, with Goblin employees striking and demanding that the Ministry of Magic reconsider the legislation on the distribution of rights between wizards and Goblin. Some shops in Diagon Alley have temporarily closed. Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge issued a statement yesterday saying that the Ministry of Magic has begun emergency consultations with Gringotts Goblin management and appealed for calm."

Su Yu saw this message while having breakfast in the Great Hall.

"A strike?" Hermione's voice came from the Gryffindor table, carrying an air of disbelief, "How could this be? Goblin go on strike?"

Harry flipped through the newspaper beside him and shook his head. "It doesn't say the specific reason."

The newspaper also reported that the Goblin usually stood guard at the entrance to the vault and were constantly busy had been absent from work without cause for several days in a row. The Goblin clerks who were originally efficient and responsible for their duties were reduced to only a handful of people inside the bank. Wizards who came to deposit or withdraw money often had to wait for several hours to receive even a simple transaction, and any prompting would draw the cold and hostile gazes of the Goblin.

More Goblin no longer stayed in Gringotts, but gathered in groups in the secluded area behind the bank, at the edge of the dense forest connecting the Forbidden Forest and Gringotts, conversing in hushed whispers in an obscure and sharp Gobbledegook.

When they gather together, they exude a tense hostility. If a wizard approaches, they immediately stop talking and stare at the wizard with cold eyes until the wizard leaves, at which point they will resume their secret conversation.

Even when they were distant, the Goblin maintained a facade of peace. Now, however, they had completely dropped their pretense, making no attempt to hide their hostility towards the wizards. Their eyes were filled with hatred and wariness as they looked at any approaching wizard, as if they were about to attack at any moment. The atmosphere around Gringotts became incredibly oppressive. The once bustling area around the bank gradually became deserted, and the wizards were unwilling to approach, fearing that they might get into unnecessary trouble.

More and more rumors spread throughout the castle, with everyone saying that the Goblin of Gringotts were likely to cause trouble, that they were gathering together and plotting something against the wizards. Combined with the series of strange and unusual occurrences within Hogwarts, an uneasy premonition quietly spread throughout the castle.

But no matter how strange the atmosphere or how inexplicable the chaos, nothing can stop one very important event—the final exams are just around the corner.

It's already late May, and the end of the school year is approaching. OWL and NEWT level exams, as well as final exams for all subjects, are all on the schedule.

Despite their anxiety and discussions about strange events, the students could only suppress their unease for the time being, continuing to attend classes, study, and spend time in the library as usual.

In the corridor, you could still hear people whispering about the strange phenomena that had recently occurred in the castle, but turning around and entering the library revealed a completely different scene.

The long table was filled with students from various colleges, who had spread out heavy magical tomes, notes, and parchment. Pens scratched on the paper as everyone buried their heads in studying knowledge points, memorizing spell theories, organizing herbal formulas, and compiling the dates of History of Magic.

While Gryffindor students complained about the chaotic corridors and obstructed paths, they still diligently memorized their Magical Theory textbooks. Ravenclaw, already studious, used the excuse of being in the library to immerse themselves in the classics, seemingly unaffected by the chaos outside. Hufflepuff students were down-to-earth, studying and preparing for exams methodically, occasionally whispering about strange occurrences before quickly settling back into their studies and practice problems.

During breaks, groups of people still lingered in the hallways, chatting about which staircase had changed positions again, which spells had collectively failed during which class, and how the Goblin in Gringotts were becoming increasingly strange.

But the conversation rarely lasted more than a few sentences; it would mostly circle back to the final exam questions, the professor's key points, which subjects were easy to fail, whose Herbology was weak, and whose Charms needed last-minute cramming.

In June, the final exams at Hogwarts have officially begun.

The atmosphere in the Slytherin Common Room was quiet, with the fire in the fireplace flickering gently and the warm light filling the entire room.

Su Yu leaned lazily against the sofa by the window, casually flipping through a magic book, his expression relaxed, completely unconcerned about the final exams.

Shortly after, hurried footsteps echoed from the entrance to the lounge.

Hermione strode in alone, her expression filled with anxiety and resentment. She walked straight past the Slytherin students in the common room and immediately spotted Su Yu sitting by the window. She walked directly toward him.

She had just finished reading the Hagrid Hedwig had sent her with Harry.

Hermione walked over to Su Yu, her tone tinged with helplessness and indignation. She picked up the pineapple juice in front of Su Yu, took a big gulp, and then put it down before continuing.

"Su Yu, Hedwig just brought Harry news of Buckbeak."

"The Ministry of Magic has set a date for the final appeal hearing at Hogwarts on June 6th, the day we finish our exams. But... they've brought an executioner with them!"

Hermione frowned, her tone full of sympathy for Buckbeak. At this moment, all she knew was that June 6th was the last day of the appeal hearing, and she still held a sliver of hope that the hearing would bring a turning point. She had no idea that the outcome had already been secretly decided that day, and she could never have imagined that Buckbeak's fate would be that of sunset.

She felt a deep sense of injustice, and Harry was the only one she could confide in now. However, Harry had gone to discuss it with Ron, so she could only run to the Slytherin common room to tell Su Yu about it.

The first exam was the Transfiguration test, which was held early Monday morning.

Professor McGonagall sat upright on one side of the podium, her expression serious and solemn. Her task for this session was to transform the teapot on the table into a turtle.

This round of testing was quite difficult. If the magic was slightly off, the Transfiguration turtle would retain traces of the teapot. Hermione stood in front of the testing table, her brows slightly furrowed. Her hand holding the wand was steady and precise as she fine-tuned the magic again and again, striving to create a flawless turtle. Even though she had done an excellent job, she still checked her work repeatedly. Afterwards, she even said that the turtle she had just transformed looked a bit like a sea turtle.

Su Yu stood calmly in the Slytherin examination area. With a flick of his wand, a gentle yet precise surge of magic flowed out, and the teapot on the table instantly transformed into a turtle with clearly defined shell patterns. Kurama burst out laughing, and the turtle, clad in a turtle shell, almost got bitten by the turtle's head because he was laughing so hard. Only Professor McGonagall continued to grade the teapot with a dark expression.

Many students encountered numerous mishaps; some turtle shells still bore the willow-like patterns of teapots, while others had tails shaped like teapot spouts, some even emitting steam continuously. Each student looked tense and frantically tried to salvage the situation.