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“Who are you?
Why did you break into Gringotts?
And why are you after me?”
Aurelian stared gravely at the black-robed figure.
From the moment the intruder had burst into the cavern and charged straight at him, Aurelian had realized he was the target.
Catherine, restrained and thrown aside instead of killed, only made that clearer.
“Were you hired by House Lancelot to kill me?
Or are you a Lancelot yourself?”
As he tested the man, Aurelian watched for even the smallest reaction.
To his disappointment, the black-robed figure did not change at all.
“If that is what you think, then let it be so.”
The answer gave nothing away, and Aurelian grew even more doubtful.
“I advise you not to resist,” the intruder said.
“Come quietly, and you will suffer less.”
“Do not touch Master Aurelian!
If even one hair on his head is harmed, House Pendragon will hunt you without mercy!”
Seeing the man move toward Aurelian, Catherine shouted in panic.
“Noisy.”
The black-robed figure flicked his wand toward her.
Catherine’s voice vanished at once.
“So?
Will you come quietly, or must I hurt you first?”
Aurelian did not answer.
He pressed his lips together and raised his wand, making his choice perfectly clear.
“So you refuse the easy way.”
The intruder gave a cold sound and swept his wand.
Two spells shot toward Aurelian.
“Protego!”
Aurelian wrapped himself in a Shield Charm, blocking the first spell, then threw himself into a roll to avoid the second.
“Oppugno!”
Before he had even fully risen, he counterattacked.
Pebbles scattered across the ground transformed into small birds and slammed toward the black-robed figure.
The man waved his wand, and the birds fell to the ground, changing into thin little snakes that flicked their tongues as they slithered toward Aurelian.
“Incendio!”
Aurelian answered with a jet of flame, burning the snakes to ash.
“Crucio!”
The instant Aurelian cast, the black-robed figure fired as well, timing his curse to the brief pause after Aurelian’s spell.
Under Catherine’s despairing gaze, the Cruciatus Curse struck him.
Aurelian screamed sharply and collapsed, rolling across the ground under the torture. Visit novelping.com for the full chapter.
Catherine’s eyes went red with fury as she glared at the attacker with raw hatred.
“A waste of time.”
Seeing Aurelian down and unable to resist, the black-robed figure snorted and walked toward him.
But the moment his foot landed in the ashes, his steps abruptly froze.
“Now!”
Aurelian’s screams stopped.
He barked a single word, and a violent explosion erupted beneath the man’s feet.
Flame swallowed the black-robed figure in an instant.
“Master Aurelian, how did you…”
Catherine stared in shock as Aurelian hurried to her side.
Only seconds ago, he had been screaming in agony.
Now he was moving cleanly, though his face was pale.
“No time to explain.
We need to go!”
Aurelian released the restraint on Catherine and fled with her toward the exit.
“Aurelian Pendragon!”
A short while later, an enraged roar shook the cavern.
A gust of wind rolled through and scattered the flames, revealing an extremely pale face beneath the black hood.
After putting out the fire on his robes, the intruder moved as if to pursue them.
Then he heard voices approaching in the distance.
He hesitated for a moment and chose to give up.
Before leaving, he sent a jet of green light into the trembling managing goblin huddled in the corner, then disappeared at speed.
“This way!”
Not long after the intruder left, Aurelian returned with a large group of goblins.
By then, the cavern was empty except for the managing goblin’s corpse, its face frozen in terror.
“It is dead,” said the lead goblin after a brief inspection.
“Killed by the Killing Curse.”
“I do not care whether it lives or dies,” Catherine said coldly, not sparing the corpse a glance.
“Gringotts owes House Pendragon an explanation.
How was someone able to break in so easily and nearly threaten my master’s life?”
The memory of what had just happened still left her shaken.
If Aurelian had not held something back and caught the intruder off guard, he would have fallen here today.
If he truly had been taken away, Catherine did not know what she would have done.
“Miss Catherine, you have our deepest apologies,” the lead goblin said, visibly terrified.
“We will investigate this matter thoroughly and give House Pendragon a proper explanation.
We will also compensate Master Aurelian and you for what you suffered.”
“If something had truly happened to Master Aurelian, would an apology solve it?”
Catherine’s voice was full of scorn, and every goblin present went tense.
“Enough, Catherine.
Let them handle it.
We should go.”
But he knew there would be no answer this quickly, so he stopped her from continuing.
The lead goblin looked at Aurelian with gratitude and arranged for another goblin to escort him and Catherine out.
“You were too merciful, Master Aurelian,” Catherine complained after they left the underground vaults.
“You let them off far too easily.”
Aurelian had only come to Gringotts to withdraw money, yet the goblins had exposed him to deadly danger.
Worse, their response had been so slow that by the time he and Catherine had escaped, the goblin reinforcements were still halfway there.
Catherine was deeply dissatisfied.
“What else could we do?” Aurelian shook his head.
“You saw how strong that man was.
He was far beyond an ordinary adult wizard.
This cannot be simple.”
He was still thinking about the black-robed figure.
Had the man broken into Gringotts, spotted him by chance, and decided to kidnap him as a bargaining chip to escape?
Or had Aurelian been the target from the start?
“Fortunately, he only subdued you.
He did not try to kill you outright.
Otherwise…”
Aurelian thought of the dead managing goblin, then of Catherine bound and helpless.
Relief and fear mingled in his chest.
If the intruder had killed Catherine, Aurelian truly did not know what he might have done.
“Master Aurelian, what do we do now?
Go home directly?”
Catherine blushed faintly at his words and asked in a softer voice.
“No.
We follow the original plan.
We buy the books and supplies we need for first year, then go home.”
Aurelian shook his head, rejecting her suggestion.
“But that black-robed man…”
Catherine was still worried.
When she thought of the attacker’s strength, fear rose inside her, not for herself, but for what he might do to Aurelian.
“Do not worry.
He is strong, but this is Diagon Alley.
In full view of everyone, he will not dare attack me here.”
Aurelian was not afraid of the man appearing again.
If he did, Aurelian would not mind using every wizard in Diagon Alley to help bring him down.
“Also, do not inform Father and Mother yet.
We will tell them when we get back.”
To keep Miles and Elaine from ordering them home immediately, Aurelian gave Catherine a firm reminder.
Catherine hesitated, but under his steady gaze, she finally nodded.
“First, let us clean up.
We would look far too miserable walking out like this.”
After that, Aurelian had a goblin take him and Catherine to a private guest room so they could remove the traces of the fight.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter.