Click, click, click.
The small cart rattled along the rails, twisting through the maze-like tunnels beneath Gringotts. It dropped lower and lower with each turn, racing through darkness so deep that the lights fixed along the track looked like scattered sparks swallowed by stone.
Tyler sat in the cart beside the goblin supervisor. The goblin's face was blank and obedient, its sharp eyes dulled by the Imperius Curse Tyler had placed on it. Without that control, these greedy creatures would never have guided him so neatly through the deepest protections of their bank.
The cart rushed around a bend, and a roar of water suddenly filled the tunnel ahead. A waterfall crashed directly over the track, silver and violent in the dim light.
"The Thief's Downfall," Tyler muttered with disgust.
The waterfall was one of Gringotts' most infamous defences. It could wash away magical disguises, break many enchantments, and strip off spells used by intruders. For ordinary thieves, it was more than enough to ruin any carefully prepared plan.
The cart shot through the waterfall. Cold water struck Tyler's robes, and the magic clinging to the goblin supervisor shattered instantly, washing the Imperius Curse away.
Before the goblin could even fully react, Tyler raised his wand again. "Imperio."
The goblin supervisor's expression emptied once more. Its brief flicker of awareness vanished, replaced by the same calm obedience as before.
"How much farther?" Tyler asked.
"Not far, sir," the goblin supervisor replied respectfully. "Only around this next turn."
The cart rounded another corner, and Tyler finally saw the guardian of the deepest vaults. A massive dragon crouched in the cavern ahead, chained to the stone floor with iron restraints as thick as tree trunks.
The creature had clearly been trapped underground for far too long. Its scales had turned pale and loose, its cloudy eyes were a sickly pink, and heavy shackles bound both hind legs to enormous stakes driven deep into the rock.
Its spiked wings were folded tight against its sides. If fully spread, they would have filled the entire underground chamber, scraping stone from wall to wall.
"Roar!"
The dragon raised its head the moment it saw Tyler and the goblin supervisor. Its jaws opened, and a stream of fire blasted toward them.
"Protego!"
Tyler cast a Shield Charm at once. The dragonfire crashed against the invisible barrier, heat rolling over him in a fierce wave before breaking apart. Dragon breath was dangerous, and depending on the breed, it could carry toxins and magical residue that no sane wizard would willingly touch.
"Listen, big guy," Tyler said, keeping his wand raised. "I know you can understand me. The goblins have locked you underground for years, so if you want to leave, stay quiet."
The dragon's pink eyes fixed on him. Its throat rumbled, and its chains scraped against the stone floor.
"When I'm done here, I'll let you out," Tyler continued. "But if you keep attacking me, I'll have no choice but to put you down."
"Roar!"
Whether it had lost too much reason after years of confinement or simply refused to bow its head to a wizard, the dragon attacked again. Its head lunged forward, chains snapping tight as fire gathered in its throat.
"So you refuse the easy way," Tyler said coldly. "Fine."
"Diffindo!"
"Reducto!"
"Confringo!"
Three spells struck the dragon in quick succession. Magic burst across its pale scales, leaving deep marks along its body, and dark blood streaked through the cracks in its hide.
Dragons had strong magical resistance. Their thick skin could withstand many spells that would cripple ordinary creatures, which was why dragon handlers were always cautious and dragon hunts required preparation. Yet resistance had limits.
Tyler's magic was too powerful for this weakened dragon to ignore. Each spell landed heavily, forcing the enormous beast backward until its chains groaned under the pressure.
The dragon trembled. Its earlier fury faltered, and fear surfaced in its cloudy eyes.
Wizards stood above most magical beings for a reason. Giants were strong, dragons were mighty, and goblins were clever, but a truly powerful wizard could make even monsters retreat.
"Open the Lestrange vault," Tyler ordered.
The goblin supervisor obeyed immediately. Most deep vaults required a key, but Gringotts had created these doors, and goblins naturally had their own methods of opening them.
The supervisor pressed one long palm against the wood outside the vault. A moment later, the door vanished, revealing a dark opening beyond.
Inside, the vault was packed from floor to ceiling. Gold coins, goblets, silver armor, jeweled ornaments, strange animal pelts, sealed potion bottles, old weapons, and countless heirlooms were piled together in glittering disorder.
Among the treasures, Tyler noticed a skull wearing a crown. This was the Lestrange family vault, one of the deepest and richest stores in Gringotts.
The Lestrange family was one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, an old pure-blood line with a long and ugly history. The sheer amount of treasure inside the vault showed the depth of that inheritance. Wealth like this was not gathered in a single generation.
"Hufflepuff's cup should also be here," Tyler thought. "Voldemort's Horcrux."
He did not have time to search carefully. The Ministry would be trying to break into Gringotts, the goblins would be gathering whatever forces they had left, and every second he wasted increased the risk.
"Then I'll take the whole thing," Tyler said.
He raised his wand. "Finite Incantatem."
Tyler knew the Lestrange vault was protected with the Gemino Curse and the Flagrante Curse. Anything touched carelessly would burn and multiply, filling the vault with worthless copies until the intruder was crushed or trapped. It was a cruel and effective defence.
But a curse was still a curse. With enough knowledge and magical power, it could be broken.
The counter-spell spread through the vault in a pale ripple. Layers of hidden magic snapped and dissolved, one after another, as Tyler forced the protections off the treasures inside.
Removing so many enchantments at once demanded tremendous power. For an ordinary wizard, it would have been exhausting or impossible. For Tyler, it was only pressure, heavy but manageable.
Once the protections were gone, he pulled the mokeskin pouch from his waist. Its inside had been expanded with the Undetectable Extension Charm, though from the outside it still looked small enough to fit in one hand.
"Engorgio."
The pouch swelled rapidly. In the blink of an eye, it expanded into a huge bag large enough to swallow the contents of an entire vault.
"Wingardium Leviosa."
Tyler cast the Levitation Charm, and every treasure inside the Lestrange vault began to rise. Gold, silver, armor, bottles, relics, and old family heirlooms floated upward together, suspended in the air by his magic.
He opened the enlarged pouch beneath them. Then he released the spell.
Whoosh.
The entire vault's contents dropped into the pouch in a glittering flood. Coins rang against metal, bottles clinked together, and centuries of pure-blood wealth vanished into Tyler's possession.
"Next vault," Tyler said indifferently.
He had already robbed Gringotts. There was no reason to stop with the Lestranges.
In the deepest part of Gringotts, there were five vaults belonging to the highest-ranking pure-blood families. During the First Wizarding War, Voldemort's rise had been inseparable from the support of those old families.
Their gold, connections, influence, and hidden resources had helped turn one Dark wizard into a force that terrified Britain. Taking from them did not trouble Tyler in the slightest.
The goblin supervisor led him to the next vault. Its face remained blank under the curse, and its long fingers lifted toward the door.
When the goblin supervisor opened the second vault, Tyler said coldly, "The plunder begins."
.....
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