"Can't take more? Why not? Every extra Galleon means one less werewolf has to suffer!" Midgard's eyes burned red. If not for her last shred of restraint, she might have lunged at Leonard's throat for stopping her.
"Our case must hold exactly the same number of Galleons we showed earlier—no more, no less."
Leonard pointed at the coins stacked noticeably higher than before. "Not only can you not take more, you need to put those back."
"Put them back?" Midgard almost snapped, a low growl rising in her throat like a beast guarding its food.
But she quickly caught herself and dropped the coins in her hands. "Sorry... I—"
"I get it," Leonard waved her off. "If it weren't for the restrictions, I'd want to take them all too. But if we want to walk out of here openly, without raising suspicion, we can't leave the slightest flaw."
"I understand." Midgard drew in a long breath, glanced one last time at the coins, then reluctantly tossed them—along with the excess from the case—back into the vault.
Leonard, however, snatched the case, measured its height with his wand, and carefully adjusted it until it matched the original level. The extra dozen or so Galleons went back into the pile.
Midgard stared at him, dumbfounded.
"Do we really have to be this meticulous? What, are goblins going to pull out a ruler and measure?" she asked.
"Better safe than sorry," Leonard said coolly, snapping the case shut.
"What does that even mean?" Midgard clearly hadn't heard the proverb before.
"It means we prepare for what's certain, but also guard against the smallest chance of what might happen," Leonard explained. "Eastern wisdom. Keep it in mind—it'll do you good."
"Fine. I'll try," Midgard muttered.
As the goblin closed the heavy vault doors, she took a steadying breath, forcing reason back into her head.
"Are we sure this will work? What if goblins open the vault and notice the missing Galleons?" she finally asked.
"What if?" Leonard gave her a faintly amused look. "They won't. These are permanent-use vaults—Gringotts itself guaranteed that."
"But they can open them," Midgard pressed, still struggling with the idea.
"They can, but they don't have the right. And even if they did, they'd never admit it. That would bring the wrath of every wizarding family down on Gringotts."
Leonard's tone was almost casual. "Trust between wizards and goblins is fragile. They won't gamble with it. If they open a vault, they'll just swallow the loss in silence."
"Alright... feels like you've thought of everything," Midgard sighed, rubbing her temples. "So what now?"
"We go back, wake this goblin, and have him take us to Vault Twelve," Leonard said. "And don't forget—get rid of the wand you used."
Midgard carried two: her own, and a spare taken from the two werewolf wizards Fenrir had blown apart. The one she'd used to cast the Imperius Curse belonged to the one who'd died a brutal death.
"Understood." Midgard nodded.
Once they returned to the cart with the goblin, she lifted the Imperius Curse, cast a Memory Charm, then casually snapped the wand she'd used in two and tossed it into the chasm.
The goblin stirred, dazed, and blinked at Leonard in confusion. "Where were we?"
Perfect—seamless.
Leonard silently gave Midgard credit, then said to the goblin, "You were about to show us the vault. But it looks like the guards have gone. Should we wait?"
"The guards are gone? Oh, right—there was a break-in at Gringotts." The dazed goblin slipped up, his face flashing with embarrassment before he quickly recovered. "It's nothing serious. We'll wait until they return before checking the vault."
"No problem." Leonard nodded calmly.
Five minutes later, the guards rode the carts back to their posts, but one cart carried a particularly well-dressed goblin.
That cart stopped beside the one Leonard and Midgard had arrived in. The goblin stepped down and approached them.
"My apologies, guests," the goblin said politely. "There was an intrusion at Gringotts. We are now conducting routine inspections."
"An intrusion? And here I thought Gringotts was supposed to be absolutely secure," Leonard replied evenly.
"My apologies, but none of our guests' belongings were compromised. The intruders have already been driven off," the goblin answered, steady and composed. "If you object, you may choose not to open a vault with us, but the inspection cannot be waived."
"Why wouldn't I open a vault here? By any measure, this place is still secure." Leonard snapped his fingers at Midgard. "Go ahead. Let them check."
"Just a moment." The supervisor goblin pulled a vial of liquid from inside his robe and sprinkled a drop onto the head of the goblin standing beside Leonard. After confirming the effect, he gave a nod.
That must have been water from the Thief's Downfall.
Midgard curled her lip, her respect for Leonard growing.
Good thing she had followed his instructions exactly, lifting the Imperius Curse when she did—otherwise they would have been exposed.
As for the Memory Charm, there was no danger. It worked instantly. The Thief's Downfall could strip magic, but not undo its consequences.
For example, a Transfiguration would collapse because the spell actively sustained the change. But memory already altered by magic would not return.
"Inspection begins, sir." The supervisor opened Leonard's case. A blaze of golden light spilled out.
Even he froze for a moment at the sight of the overflowing Galleons. He glanced at the staff goblin beside him and gestured for a second look.
The goblin leaned in, then—under Midgard's incredulous stare—actually pulled out a tape measure and checked the level of coins.
"No issue, Supervisor," the goblin reported.
"Good." The supervisor nodded, then turned to Leonard. "Apologies again, but I must ask to see your wand. It's part of the required procedure."
Midgard nearly laughed aloud, her hand twitching toward her wand—only for Leonard to cut her off with a sharp wave.
"Is this going to drag on forever?" Leonard's gaze, cold and sharp beneath his hood, locked onto the supervisor. "Your staff is standing right here. If you have doubts, question him. Don't harass paying guests."
They weren't afraid of inspection—but letting it proceed without protest would look suspicious.
Even if most wouldn't notice the risk, Leonard, who left no room for mistakes, wasn't about to allow it.
...
[Up to 50 chapters ahead for now]
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