Diagon Alley.
Six o'clock in the morning, London time.
The first light of dawn pierced through the thin fog, casting dappled patterns on the cobblestone streets.
The streets were empty, and it would be another hour or two before they began to bustle.
Behind the closed bronze gates of Gringotts, a difficult negotiation that had lasted the entire night had just concluded.
"Miss Kaslana, perhaps you could reconsider. If Hogwarts' funds were stored in Gringotts, we could even make concessions regarding the fees," a wrinkled elder goblin persisted, rubbing his hands together in an attempt to persuade Elena.
Meanwhile, accompanied by Andy Serkins and Galwicks, Elena stood before a towering mountain of Galleons, carefully counting with the unique goblin counting magic, making the process much easier than anticipated.
"No need to continue. All loans must be safeguarded by Hogwarts; that's fundamental to the entire contract," Elena firmly rejected without even bothering to turn her head, continuing to watch the two goblins tally the coins.
Within the entire mortgage contract for Hogwarts, amidst various clauses and details, the core idea boiled down to four points:
- All loan funds must be entrusted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
- The currency lent and returned would be Muggle currency—Rubles.
- Gringotts must convert Rubles into Galleons as much as possible (any shortfall can be supplemented by using Muggle currency—USD or GBP—according to the agreed-upon exchange rate).
- This clause is not visible to Muggles; wizards need to use the Revealing Charm to view it.
Compared to the conniving businessmen in later years, Elena considered these goblins relatively pure in their simplicity, save for a bit of calculation regarding interest rates and fees, and a touch of fanciful wordplay in the contract.
Hence, Elena's response was straightforward; she replicated a substantial portion of mature commercial mortgage contract styles and terms from her memory.
This action inadvertently elevated the mysterious and wise aura surrounding Dumbledore in the goblins' eyes.
"Apologies, due to time constraints, we've only managed to gather four hundred million Galleons and one point five billion USD. The remaining part has been compensated with British Pounds, totaling seven hundred and three thousand..." Galwicks wiped his forehead, nervously holding a parchment, explaining hurriedly.
"I understand. There will be a verification process upon arrival at Hogwarts to cross-check," Elena interrupted, nonchalantly dismissing Galwicks, then turned to look behind her.
Behind her, hundreds of fully armed goblins stood waiting, each holding a worn-out pouch. She knew these were expanded, Undetectable Extension Charm-equipped bags.
"By the way, is Gringotts a publicly traded institution?" Elena blinked and asked an odd question to the elderly goblin beside her.
"Of course, Miss. Goblins aren't primitive creatures; we believe in contracts and Galleons," the elder goblin replied without hesitation.
"I see, understood."
With a slight nod, Elena didn't dwell on it, glancing at the mesmerizing wealth before her and taking a deep breath.
"We can start the transportation now—to Hogwarts Castle's main gate."
...
Hogwarts.
The sky over the Scottish Highlands usually brightened later; it still bore a faint blue hue at this hour.
Hoo-ha!
Dumbledore, clad in blue pajamas, jolted awake from his bed, panting heavily. For some reason, he felt an odd tightness in his chest.
Turning to the wall, Dumbledore glanced at the clock—it wasn't even half-past six.
"Seems age catches up… not as spry as in my younger days," Dumbledore chuckled self-deprecatingly, anticipating Madam Pomfrey's predictable fuss if she knew.
Tap, tap, tap.
At that moment, rhythmic tapping sounds came from outside the window.
Dumbledore raised his head to see a fist-sized owl perched on the windowsill, urgently tapping on his bedroom window. Tied to its foot was a small letter.
Wasn't this Vika, Elena's owl? Why such urgency? Did something unexpected occur?
His expression changed as he quickly stood, rushing to open the window and let the owl in, retrieving the letter from its foot.
Dumbledore walked to his bed, put on his glasses, and unfolded the letter, reading it aloud softly.
"Respected, gentle, great, kind… never angry… Professor Dumbledore:
"When you read this letter, dear little Elena has arrived at the gates of Hogwarts Castle. With me are three hundred and fifty Gringotts goblins, and wealth valued at approximately seven hundred and fifty million Galleons. Due to the substantial amount, besides you, I suggest involving all of the school's house elves to assist in the inventory. Rest assured, this is a completely legitimate asset under the control of Hogwarts. Regardless, this money must enter Hogwarts!
"This asset comes from a mortgage at Gringotts, backed by Salazar Slytherin's family property deed, which is the current deed for Hogwarts Castle. Please don't get upset; it's bad for health and doesn't solve problems. I can explain.
"—Your loyal and dear, Elena Kaslana."
Below the letter, a loan contract signed by Gringotts and Elena, sparkling with magical imprints, was attached.
Oh!
After reading the letter, Dumbledore suddenly felt a blackout, a choking sensation in his chest, as if he'd been hit with a piercing curse.
Now, he finally realized what that ominous feeling swirling in his mind since yesterday was—Elena Kaslana. He should never have allowed this terrifying young girl near the greedy goblins at Gringotts.
Hoo, hoo, hoo!
Sensing Dumbledore's unease, Provisions, who was drinking water nearby, curiously raised its head, flapping its wings and flew to Dumbledore, nudging his fingers with its head.
Right, it wasn't the time to brood; a terrifying amount of wealth was piling up at the school gates.
Dumbledore swiftly regained composure, raising his wand to his throat—[Loud Voice].
"All house elves at Hogwarts, assemble with me at the castle gates."
Simultaneously, a flash of fire appeared in the bedroom. Dumbledore watched as Fawkes suddenly appeared, nodding at the phoenix, "Thank you, Fawkes."
...
At the gates of Hogwarts Castle, on the vast empty ground, there stood a mountain-like heap of Galleons. Below this mountain were bundles of GBP and USD, forming massive brick-like stacks.
"So, how much longer do we wait? Mr. Dumbledore hasn't arrived yet," Andy Serkins impatiently tapped his fingers, gazing at the closed castle gates, urging anxiously.
Every second after leaving Gringotts felt like a calamitous torment for the goblins. It wasn't just Andy; all the goblins there were nervously awaiting Dumbledore's arrival.
"Relax, it won't be long. After all, Professor Dumbledore needs to gather…" Elena tried to maintain a composed expression, comforting the goblins on the verge of collapse, constantly repeating to herself—these were all movie props, just movie props.
Snap!
Suddenly, there was a crisp crack in the air in front of the castle, and a diminutive figure appeared on the bridge.
Subsequently, a series of rapid sounds, like
fireworks crackling, echoed continuously.
One house elf after another appeared at the gates of Hogwarts Castle.
"Elena Kaslana!"
Accompanied by a splendid burst of flames, Dumbledore, dressed in a deep blue pajama adorned with stars and moons, appeared at the forefront of the castle.
Dumbledore's deep blue eyes blazed with anger. On the back of his left hand, a shimmering silver pledge chain emitted dazzling light.
"Ah, Professor Dumbledore, you finally made it," seeing the long-bearded figure, Elena felt a sigh of relief, raising her hand lazily towards Dumbledore.
She could feel her energy, which had sustained her until now, rapidly draining with Dumbledore's appearance.
"I've fulfilled the pledge early. This is Hogwarts' past, present, and future," Elena pointed behind her, flashing a faint smile. "Let's get them inside the castle first, and then you can hear my explan..."
Bang!
Before the silver-haired girl could finish her sentence, an overwhelming sense of exhaustion swiftly overcame her consciousness. Her vision darkened, and her small body wobbled before collapsing on the ground.
"Elena?!"
"Miss Kaslana?!"
Without much thought, Dumbledore's face changed, and he quickly wielded his wand, summoning the unconscious girl into his arms, carefully examining her.
"Phew, just exhausted, only fell asleep," the old man sighed in relief, his gaze passing over the girl's pristine hand. Turning to the house elf beside him, he instructed, "Take Elena back to the student dormitories; let her rest."
As for the situation in front of him…
Dumbledore lifted his head, glanced at the mountainous pile of Galleons, a subtle twitch at the corner of his eye.
"Cough, it seems the cooperation went smoothly."
Dumbledore coughed lightly, swiftly scanning through the contract Elena had sent over, then with an unsurprised tone, he said, "So, Mr. Goblin, let's begin the inventory. It seems this won't be an easy task."
Whatever had happened, the priority was getting this mountain of Galleons inside Hogwarts—an action that seemingly held no problem at all.
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