Hufflepuff's Cup. As an artifact left behind by one of the four founders of Hogwarts, it possesses immense archaeological value.
Though the artifact itself doesn't have any special effects, there was an overflowing number of people who would covet this cup.
Considering the wealth and history of the Lestrange family, it was certainly an item they would be interested in collecting.
Nevertheless, there was one reason I couldn't hide my suspicion at finding this cup here.
"Isn't this a Smith family heirloom?"
Because that cup was famously an heirloom that had been passed down through the Smith family, the only remaining descendants of Hufflepuff.
I'm sure they were a wealthy and prosperous family, at least until the 19th century. So why in the world was their family heirloom in the Lestrange vault?
And that wasn't the only strange thing.
Unbefitting an artifact left by a legendary founder of Hogwarts, it had faint traces of a bizarre dark magic.
At a glance, it was an ordinary cup, but it couldn't deceive my eyes. It was definitely an object related to dark magic.
"Hmm, this is a problem."
Considering my reputation, this might come as a surprise, but I was not as skilled in the Dark Arts as one might think.
Of course, I wouldn't refuse the opportunity to learn if it was given to me, but I didn't go out of my way to seek it out either.
The reason was simple: most dark magic demanded some kind of price.
Offering a sacrifice, performing a ritual, and so on.
But the results obtained after going through such troublesome processes were often less than expected.
In many cases, ancient magic was even more powerful. In a word, 'Why bother?'
I'll say it again because it's important: of course, if the opportunity to learn arises, I will absolutely not refuse it. If it's written in a book or someone teaches it to me, I'll naturally learn it.
I just won't go through a great deal of trouble to learn a single, inefficient dark spell.
In any case, for that reason, I had not mastered the Dark Arts. I knew much more than an ordinary wizard, but that meant I didn't know the most extremely secretive spells.
So, someone who might know about this... hmm, would Albus know?
That kid always had a rather sly side to him, so he might know. I should ask him later.
No, I already sent him a letter telling him to come find me, so he might show up on his own.
That aside, I should look into what happened to the Smith family soon. I wonder what could have happened to make them sell their heirloom.
I had a connection with that family in the past, so I felt I should help them out if their fortunes had declined.
And just in case, in the absolute worst-case scenario.
If, by some chance, a tragedy befell the Smith family, and the Lestrange family was involved.
I will let them know that not even Azkaban will be their sanctuary.
But anyway. That wasn't the important issue right now.
There was a reason I had gone to the trouble of robbing Gringotts yesterday.
Today's date is July 31st. That's right.
It's my disciple's birthday.
It's highly unlikely that the Dursley family ever gave him a proper present, so isn't this practically his first real birthday?
In that case, I should give him a memorable gift.
I went to Gringotts to earn some money for this, and as it happened, I was able to bring back a wonderful birthday present from there!
"...Ah, come to think of it, I need to fix the kid up first."
The first order of business was to heal the dragon's body, which had been injured from years of abuse in Gringotts.
"Oh, Master. Are you really going to give him a dragon as if it were a puppy?"
Deek grumbled something beside me, but what did it matter?
Kids that age are crazy about dragons.
And a short while later.
"Harry, this is your present!"
"Oh, my goodness."
A meadow in Scotland.
Harry, seeing the dragon, now fully healed, opening its eyes and flapping its wings, couldn't hold back his gasp of awe.
See. I knew he'd like it.
A sense of satisfaction washed over me as I watched Harry rejoice at his first-ever birthday present.
The dragon, as if aware of its own healed condition, was behaving submissively towards Harry.
Ah, for the record, Harry named the dragon Hedwig. It was a name that suited its pure white body quite well.
I should send him to Hogwarts with her later.
I watched the scene with a fond expression, thinking a thought that would have made Albus faint.
Meanwhile, at Gringotts. After the earthquake had subsided, Gringotts naturally dispatched goblins to investigate.
The Gringotts investigation team was speechless at the sight before them.
Gringotts, which prided itself on having never had a single incident caused by an external intrusion in hundreds of years, was in magnificent ruins.
Everywhere they looked, Gringotts was filled with the scorching afterheat of an explosion that had yet to dissipate. Even the stones on the floor had partially melted and remained in a soft, malleable state. The place looked like a vision of hell.
The aftershocks of the tremor still lingered, and rocks would occasionally fall from the ceiling, but the investigation team, though tense, carried out their duties.
And that wasn't all.
One goblin, who had momentarily neglected his protective charms, suddenly coughed and spat up blood. It was the effect of radiation.
What kind of heinous curse had been used for the entire space to be so thoroughly contaminated?
The investigation team, who of course knew nothing about radiation, could not contain their horror as they barely continued their investigation.
The vault that had suffered the most severe damage was the Malfoy family vault. This one had, for all intents and purposes, been vaporized out of existence.
All that remained was a completely melted and scorched stone wall.
The next most damaged place was the Lestrange vault. In this case, the vault itself was only damaged at the entrance, but whether it was due to the heat of the explosion or something else, almost all the treasures inside had either melted or evaporated.
The dragon they had been keeping for security had also been caught in the blast radius and had completely disappeared.
Despite the harsh conditions, the investigation team scoured the scene and said.
"...Well, this is pretty much certain."
"It's practically a fact. Damn those blasted wizards."
"Indeed. Let's report to our superiors at once."
The security officers submitted their investigation results to their superiors without delay, and the Gringotts leadership made a decision that was, all things considered, inevitable.
And the result was published as a front-page exclusive in the next day's wizarding newspaper.
[SHOCK! Gringotts Vaults Partially Lost! Internal Investigation Reveals Explosion of Item Inside Malfoy Family Vault... Gringotts Apologizes to Clients While Announcing Plans to Sue Malfoy for Damages]
And as a result, one man lost consciousness and collapsed.
That man's name was Lucius Malfoy.
The investigation team had formed a hypothesis based on what they had witnessed.
So, here's a question. Which of the following is the more appropriate hypothesis?
One. An unidentified wizard broke into Gringotts, destroyed a vault using unprecedented destructive magic, and escaped without any issue. This is bullshit.
Two. An unidentified dark object, stored inside the completely vanished vault—that is, the historic Malfoy family vault, whose contents were unknown—caused a problem. This seems plausible.
And unfortunately for the Malfoy family, Gringotts was extremely pragmatic.
There were a few suspicious points, but they were not of great importance. Because logically, and even in terms of profit and loss, Gringotts' answer was already decided.
If the first hypothesis were true, it would mean that Gringotts had been played by a single wizard for the first time in hundreds of years. Their credibility would be shattered, without a doubt.
They would even have to take responsibility.
However, in the case of the second hypothesis, it was, without question, the fault of the Malfoy family for breaking the contract and storing a dangerous item in Gringotts.
The investigation team wrote their report based on a hypothesis formed under reasonable judgment, and their superiors accepted it without question.
Naturally, that report contained no mention of the strange phrases, the 'Consulting Points,' that had been written on some of the walls.
This was because Gringotts had, for all intents and purposes, not discovered them.
Because those were facts that 'must not be known.'
And, in the Headmaster's office at Hogwarts.
Scree!
Dumbledore unfolded the wizarding newspaper that Fawkes had brought, as he did every day.
"Hmm, let's see... Pfft!"
Aisen had told him to read the paper.
Dumbledore, who had opened the paper with an anxious heart, was greeted by the exclusive on the front page.
[SHOCK! Gringotts Vaults Partially Lost! Internal Investigation Reveals Explosion of Item Inside Malfoy Family Vault... Gringotts Apologizes to Clients While Announcing Plans to Sue Malfoy for Damages]
What in the world is this.
It was a shocking story no matter how you looked at it, but Dumbledore was able to grasp the truth hidden between the lines.
It was, without a doubt, the work of Aisen Knightly.
There was no evidence anywhere linking it to Aisen, but Dumbledore knew it with his innate intelligence and intuition.
"Sir, is this what you meant when you told me to read the paper?"
Dumbledore was about to press a hand to his throbbing head, but he paused.
Come to think of it, if the Malfoy family has taken a hit, isn't that a good thing? In fact, after paying such massive damages, they won't even be able to maintain their position on the Hogwarts Board of Governors.
...That's it!
Never in his life did he think a variable brought by Aisen Knightly would be a positive one!
For the first time in a long while, Dumbledore smiled a wide, comfortable grin and headed to the Great Hall. Of course, it was a smile that was sure to be shattered before long, but what could he do? It was better to enjoy it while it lasted!
Truly, a thought worthy of a sage.
The story goes that the Hogwarts staff who remained in the lavish Great Hall that day were quite bewildered by his mood.