Hermione stared wide-eyed the whole time, her cheeks flushed with nervousness, a mixture of fear and curiosity. Her gaze was fixed on the rapidly changing scene before her, unwilling to look away for even a moment.
The mine cart passed through a narrow underground tunnel, water droplets dripping incessantly from the rock walls, the damp air carrying the smell of metal and sulfur, making one feel slightly stuffy.
Before long, the view suddenly opened up before us.
The train sped past a giant underground cavern, where piles of Galleon and Silver Sickle formed small mountains, and various gems shimmered with a faint fluorescence in the darkness, leaving Hermione in awe.
Immediately afterwards, the mine cart drove above the underground lake.
Stalactites hung upside down overhead, the lake water shimmered with a faint blue light, a mine cart sped across the lake, splashing up tiny droplets of water, and a cool mist rushed towards us.
As they passed the Thief's Downfall, the rushing water violently washed over the tracks, and dense magical fluctuations spread out in all directions.
Professor Babbling looked at the magical defenses along the way and smiled, "No wonder everyone says Gringotts is the safest place besides Hogwarts. These defenses are indeed Fianto Duri."
"Of course!" the Goblin replied proudly.
"We have fire dragons guarding us, Thief's Downfall, disappearing staircases, and countless complex magical defenses. Even the most powerful dark wizard won't be able to break in easily!"
"Moreover, our Gringotts vaults are strictly hierarchical; the wealthier the wizard, the deeper the vault is located."
"Those vaults can only be reached by riding in mine carts through labyrinthine tunnels; ordinary people can't even find the entrance."
Listening to the Goblin ' boasting, Draco suddenly mentioned, "Didn't Gringotts get broken into and robbed last time?"
Upon hearing this, the Goblin's pride froze, her expression turned incredibly awkward, her withered face flushed red, and she stammered for a long time, unable to utter a word.
"This... this was an accident... it was an accident!" Its voice was panicked, its previous arrogance gone.
"That thief took advantage of a loophole. We've strengthened our defenses, and this will never happen again!"
The Gringotts heist was the biggest scandal in history.
Hermione couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle as she watched the Goblin's embarrassed expression, and her nervousness dissipated considerably.
The mine carts continued speeding through the underground tunnels, drawing ever closer to the ancient Vault No. 12, which had remained unopened for a thousand years.
The long underground journey continues.
The mine carts clanged and clattered over the tracks, casting blurry streaks of light from the fire on the rock walls.
Not long after, a station appeared ahead.
A guardian Goblin stood straight in front of the tracks, raising its hand to stop the minecart; it was dressed in an extremely neat and serious manner.
On his head was a dark blue, high-topped, narrow-brimmed top hat.
A cold, hard metal badge was set in the center of the top hat, like the cap of an old-fashioned underground guard.
The upper body is a dark blue stand-up collar uniform.
The clothes were fastened with a row of metal buttons that fit perfectly, and there were epaulettes of the same color on the shoulders. The cuffs were trimmed with light gray folds.
He wore a silver star-shaped badge on his left breast, with the Gringotts emblem at the center, and a deep red band around his right arm.
A wide, dark leather belt was cinched around his waist.
She wore dark blue trousers in the same color family, and her aura was much heavier than that of the driver Goblin from before.
"Vault number?"
It asked coldly and firmly, without a trace of extra emotion.
" Vault Twelve," the driver Goblin replied hastily.
The guard Goblin gave the people in the cart a deep look, asked no more questions, raised her hand to signal them to leave, and the minecart started again, continuing to drive deeper underground.
After a few more bumpy moments,
We finally arrived at a more spacious station.
The Goblin driver brought the minecart to a steady stop, jumped off first, and led the three to a huge doorway, with an old white lamp embedded in each of the stone walls on either side.
It was a giant, oval iron door belonging exclusively to Gringotts vault, its surface covered with intricate reliefs, dense rivets, and mechanically-looking handles, its craftsmanship so precise it was almost eerie.
At the very center of the door is a shield-shaped emblem, the official crest of Gringotts Wizarding Bank.
The gate was deeply embedded in the rough, primitive rock wall. The driver Goblin stepped forward, took the Ancient Magic key given to her by Professor Babbling, and precisely inserted the key into the keyhole in the center of the iron gate.
A deep mechanical hum sounded, the lock cylinder turned layer by layer, the rivets and reliefs lit up with a faint light, and the door slowly opened inward under the drive of magic and mechanism.
The Goblin stepped aside and gestured "please" again:
" Vault Twelve has been opened for you."
"Thanks, you're very dedicated," Draco praised.
After saying that, he stepped into the vault, and Hermione and Professor Babbling immediately followed.
Just then, the driver Goblin suddenly spoke:
" Young Master Malfoy, according to Gringotts regulations, I must close the vault door after the vault holder enters."
Hermione was startled, then immediately turned around nervously and asked, "Then... how do we get out?"
The Goblin did not answer.
It was just a wave.
Clang!
The massive iron gate slammed shut, the heavy thud echoing through the empty passageway.
The last ray of light was completely cut off.
The three were completely trapped inside the vault.
The room was not large and dimly lit. The floor was paved with whole stone bricks, and the walls were made of neatly carved black stone, with rows of storage shelves and stone platforms embedded in them. A few candles on the platforms burned weakly, barely casting swaying shadows of the three people.
There was no road, no door, no treasure chest ahead, only a stone wall covered with natural patterns.
"Another Chamber of Secrets," Draco muttered.
He raised his wand and aimed it at the bare stone wall:
" His Specialis Revelio!"
A white magical light swept across the wall, instantly rearranging and illuminating the previously chaotic patterns.
A door appeared in the center of the stone wall, and a mark that looked exactly like an Ancient Magic key was clearly visible on the door.
"It's that mark again..." Hermione said.
Professor Babbling's eyes narrowed. "The real Repository should be behind this."
Without hesitation, Draco reached out and touched the glowing mark. In an instant, the familiar bright light exploded, and space twisted and stretched once more.
Before the three could even cry out in alarm, they were suddenly swept away by an invisible force. When they regained their footing, it was pitch black all around them, so dark that they couldn't see their own hands in front of their faces.
" Lumos!" Professor Babbling chanted, and a soft white light burst forth from the tip of her wand, illuminating the surroundings.
" Incendio!" Draco followed closely behind, a bright flame rising from the tip of his wand.
The warm yellow firelight illuminated the surroundings even more clearly, and Hermione also chanted the Lumos incantation. Two beams of white light and a flame intertwined, illuminating the entire space.
Under the light, everyone could see clearly that the Repository was filled with pillars, each a huge, straight stone pillar that reached straight up to the unseen ceiling.
" Draco, you're quite skilled."
Professor Babbling smiled.
"What I learned from Professor Lupin on the Hogwarts Express is coming in handy now."
Hermione pouted and whispered, "Just keep pretending. The Incendio consume even more magic."
"It's nothing, I'm on drugs..." Draco said nonchalantly.
"What?" Hermione didn't understand what he meant.
"Alright, both of you be careful." Professor Babbling's smile faded as she interrupted their conversation, offering a word of caution.
"This is one of Gringotts' oldest vaults, untouched for centuries. The magical mechanisms inside are extraordinary; do not touch anything carelessly."
"Furthermore, every area inside Gringotts is sealed off by Ancient Magic, making it impossible to use Apparition."
"And the vault door outside has been closed by the Goblin, so we're basically trapped here," Hermione added.
Professor Babbling nodded, raising her wand forward. "Let's go forward and see what's deep inside the Repository."
The two men put aside their thoughts and quickly followed behind her.