Dumbledore's Fury, Analysis Complete!

Roar!

A deafening dragon roar rang out as rolling dragonfire ravaged the underground vault passages of Gringotts, sweeping up the Goblins who had survived the battle with Voldemort and reducing them to ashes.

Then came one violent impact after another. Great amounts of earth fell away, and a sliver of light shone into the underground vaults.

At the sight of that light, magic erupted once more from the nearly exhausted body of the Ukrainian Ironbelly.

It violently smashed through the crack, tearing open a massive hole. Spreading its wings, it soared into the air and charged out of the lightless underground vaults!

The Ministry of Magic Aurors who had come as reinforcements watched the scene unwillingly.

Some younger Aurors wanted to pursue the dragon, but the more experienced Aurors immediately stopped them.

The Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures would deal with the dragon. Their foremost task was to protect Gringotts' underground vaults.

Half the Wizarding World's wealth was stored here. The fortunes of countless nobles and high-ranking officials were all kept within.

If anything happened to Gringotts, the Aurors who had come to assist would definitely suffer for it.

The dragon had already wasted too much of their time. They needed to check the underground vaults and find out what had happened.

The Aurors prayed endlessly that the underground vault doors of Gringotts would prove more reliable than their boasts about security measures—at the very least, that the losses would not be too severe.

After a while, every vault had been inspected.

A young Auror hurried over to the person in charge.

"Boss, I have good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear first?"

The person in charge froze for a moment and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

"The good news. Let's hear the good news first."

The young Auror then said, "Out of the entire underground vault complex, only one vault was looted. All the others are completely intact."

Hearing that, the person in charge let out a long breath, visibly relieved.

That meant the impact would not be too great.

Even if someone demanded accountability, Gringotts would have to bear it. It had nothing to do with the Aurors who had come to assist.

What?

If they still wanted to question why the Aurors had arrived slowly, or why they had wasted so much time along the way?

Then he would let those doubters learn why Aurors were the Wizarding World's enforcement arm!

The person in charge calmly asked the young Auror, "What about the bad news? Whose vault was looted?"

The name that came from the young Auror's mouth in the next moment made the person in charge's expression stiffen abruptly.

"What the hell?"

"Dumbledore?!"

"#￥%@!"

A string of incoherent curses spilled from the person in charge's mouth.

He could not understand which suicidal idiot had dared rob Dumbledore's vault!

Then, after recovering from the shock of the news, his expression turned grave.

Since it was Dumbledore's vault, there was no way they could brush this off or muddle through it.

"Send word to Hogwarts. Notify Dumbledore."

Meanwhile, in the Hogwarts headmaster's office.

Dumbledore stood with his hands behind his back, pacing through the office with his eyes closed as he considered what sort of trial to give Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, in his first year.

"The Mirror of Erised is essential."

"If I had used that mirror to examine Tom Riddle sooner back then, I would have seen through his evil more thoroughly. I might even have discovered his desire for life and power in advance and stopped that series of horrifying crimes that followed."

"I also need to create emotional bonds for Harry Potter, so that he can find friendship and family at Hogwarts."

"He is James's child, after all, so he should have inherited James's talent for Quidditch. If he performs well enough in Flying lessons, McGonagall can apply for him to join the Quidditch team as a special exception..."

"Mm, of course, the Philosopher's Stone is also essential. Such a powerful Magical Item can reveal whether Harry Potter has an unhealthy obsession with money, power, and immortality..."

As Dumbledore murmured to himself, the arrangements for Harry Potter's first year gradually became clear.

However, a portrait of a former headmaster in the office could not help asking Dumbledore, "Dumbledore, since you believe someone is eyeing your underground vault, why did you only move the Philosopher's Stone? Why not move everything else out as well?"

"Besides your personal collection, your underground vault also holds some Hogwarts resources that you keep in safekeeping, doesn't it?"

"If Gringotts really is robbed and the thief steals those things, that would be troublesome too."

Dumbledore merely smiled faintly in response.

After all these years, he had gained an incomparably thorough understanding of the human heart.

If someone coveted the Philosopher's Stone, it had to be Voldemort.

And aside from the Philosopher's Stone, Voldemort would certainly have no interest in anything else.

He might even feel that, given his current status and reputation, committing theft like he had in the past would be beneath him and damage his dignity.

For that very reason, Voldemort would never touch anything other than the Philosopher's Stone.

So why go through the trouble of moving everything out?

Moving it back and forth would be troublesome as well.

To the headmaster portrait's question, Dumbledore gave a confident answer.

"Don't worry. Everything is under my control..."

At that moment, an owl flapped up to the window outside the headmaster's office and dropped off an urgent notice from the Ministry of Magic Aurors.

Dumbledore blinked.

"Looks like the Ministry's report has arrived. Let me guess—it should say that Gringotts was breached, my vault was opened, but nothing inside was stolen."

Dumbledore then opened the envelope and found a thick stack of papers within.

He paused, then smiled. "It seems the Ministry is being very conscientious this time. This must be a detailed account of the thief's entire operation."

Then he opened the letter.

But the instant the first line entered his vision, Dumbledore's expression changed, and the smile on his face froze.

"We regret to inform you, Headmaster Albus Dumbledore, that due to the negligence of the Gringotts Goblins, your underground vault, number 713, has been completely looted."

"Remaining items: None."

"The confirmed list of stolen items and the list of items pending confirmation are as follows. Please verify them..."

Dumbledore rubbed his eyes hard, suspecting that his old eyes had failed him.

But when he saw that long list of stolen items again, even Dumbledore staggered.

"Gone?"

"All gone?"

"Not even a single hair left behind?!"

Dumbledore's expression was spectacular, and a rare hint of gritted fury appeared on his face.

"Tom Riddle..."

"Shameless, sinister, greedy!!!"

The veins bulged on the hand gripping the Elder Wand, while icy fury churned in Dumbledore's eyes.

He had originally intended not to act personally during Harry Potter's first year if he could help it, and to have the professors arrange the trials for Harry Potter as much as possible.

But now, he had changed his mind.

"Tom, after all these years, you have angered me once again."

Meanwhile, the shocking news of the Gringotts robbery was immediately reported in a special edition of the Daily Prophet.

Dozens of Goblins had died in the intrusion, and Dumbledore's vault had been completely looted. The news made the front page, accompanied by a photograph of the utterly empty Vault 713.

A thin, pale hand viciously slammed down the freshly purchased Daily Prophet.

Terror appeared on Quirrell's face.

"Master, Master, please calm your anger!"

But Voldemort's furious roar could not be contained as it echoed through Quirrell's soul.

"Slander!"

"Shameless slander!"

"I admit I killed several dozen Goblins, but when did I ever loot Dumbledore's vault?"

"They even took a bloody photograph, saying the vault was empty? Bullshit! When I left, that vault was still packed full of treasures!"

Quirrell cautiously said, "Master, could someone have followed us and, after we left, looted the vault clean and pinned the blame on us?"

That guess drew Voldemort's sneer.

"You fool, isn't this obvious enough?"

"Dumbledore is the headmaster of Hogwarts. By convention, some Hogwarts resources may be held by the headmaster for safekeeping, as long as they can be produced when the Board of Governors audits the accounts."

"Clearly, that old bumblebee Dumbledore is using our intrusion into Gringotts as an opportunity to balance his books!"

"What a thief crying thief, what a fine act of lining his own pockets..."

"Dumbledore, after more than a decade, you have become more and more shameless!"

"And this Wizarding World—do none of you have the ability to think for yourselves? A bunch of idiots!"

Voldemort's voice was clearly filled with gritted fury.

"I can't take this anymore. When I return, I will purge the entire Wizarding World. Those incapable of thinking, those who believe every rumor they hear, especially those stupid and wicked reporters at the Daily Prophet..."

"Purge them, purge them, purge them all!"

"And Dumbledore, just wait, old bumblebee. I will completely tear away that hypocritical mask of yours!"

While Dumbledore and Voldemort were both filled with boundless disappointment and fury toward each other, Charle, the true culprit behind the looted vault, was gulping down Dragon Blood.

The scalding Dragon Blood poured down his throat and into his stomach, only to vanish without a trace in an instant, becoming material for Deep Blue to analyze dragon magic.

A flood of notifications rang out in Charle's mind.

Dragon Magic Analysis progress: 10%...

Dragon Magic Analysis progress: 30%...

...

At last, accompanied by Deep Blue's mechanical notification:

Dragon Magic Analysis complete.

A dragon roar like crashing thunder exploded within Charle's mind.

The miracle hailed as impossible in the field of Transfiguration—Magical Animagus—was completely achieved at that moment!

Charle suddenly opened his eyes.

Brilliant golden vertical pupils appeared within them, radiating an awe-inspiring dragon's might!