Adrian Ambrosius nodded and followed Griphook toward Gringotts’ underground vaults.
At first glance, Gringotts looked like an ordinary building.
In reality, however, much of its structure had been built with Nullstone, an extremely rare magical ore capable of suppressing magic.
As a result, casting powerful spells freely within the bank was nearly impossible.
Combined with the countless layers of sealing wards that stretched from the deepest underground vaults all the way to the surface, the century-old institution had become not only the wizarding world’s finest bank, but also an absolute nightmare for thieves.
Of course…
That didn’t apply to the goblins officially authorized by Gringotts.
Griphook led Adrian Ambrosius to the underground railway, where he and Shufus climbed aboard one of the bank’s crude mine carts.
“Please take your seats, Young Master Adrian Ambrosius.”
Without a word, Adrian Ambrosius calmly uncorked a bottle of Calming Draught and drank it in one gulp.
As for why…
One ride on the cart would explain everything.
It was genuinely difficult to understand how such a flimsy little cart could rocket through the tunnels at well over a hundred miles per hour without so much as a windshield or suspension.
Combined with Gringotts’ winding, twisting maze of tracks…
It felt like riding a heavily modified roller coaster from hell.
Thankfully, the Calming Draught kept his breakfast where it belonged.
Otherwise…
He was certain he would have thrown up.
The upside was that the trip didn’t last long.
Only a few minutes later, their underground journey came to an end.
“We’ve arrived, Young Master Adrian Ambrosius.”
“Vault 726.”
Doing his best to maintain an air of noble elegance, Adrian Ambrosius climbed out of the cart on slightly trembling legs.
“Your key, please.”
Adrian Ambrosius tossed him a golden key inlaid with a ruby.
Unlike Harry Potter’s simple vault key, this one was exquisitely crafted, with the brilliant gemstone making it stand out immediately.
That was because Vault 726 wasn’t an ordinary vault.
It was one of Gringotts’ exclusive VIP vaults—the highest class of personal vault currently available—and belonged solely to Adrian Ambrosius.
Only one category of vault ranked above it:
The ancient family vaults inherited by the Sacred Twenty-Eight.
Some of those legendary vaults had long since lost their methods of entry and could never be opened again.
The surviving ones all carried numbers above 979.
For example…
The Ambrosius Family Vault was Vault 999.
When Adrian Ambrosius had first organized its contents, it had taken him an entire week just to catalogue everything stored inside.
Griphook inserted the ruby key into a hidden keyhole concealed beneath an ornate cover on the vault door.
That completed the first lock.
Then he lightly ran a finger along an almost invisible seam in the center of the door.
A series of intricate mechanical clicks echoed from within.
The massive vault slowly swung open. The source of this chapter is g.com.
“After you, Young Master.”
Returning the key, Griphook fought every instinct not to stare directly into the vault.
A dazzling golden light flooded the corridor.
Magnificent…
That’s the glorious radiance of money!
Meanwhile, Adrian Ambrosius frowned.
He waved a hand in front of his nose.
“Ugh…”
“The smell of money.”
Stepping inside, he found that what lay before him could no longer be called piles of coins.
They were mountains.
Entire hills of gold made entirely from Galleons, the wizarding world’s highest-denomination currency.
Silver Sickles were practically nowhere to be seen.
As for Knuts…
Forget it.
Those mountains weren’t inherited from the Ambrosius family.
They were the profits from Adrian Ambrosius’s countless patents, inventions, and business ventures.
As for exactly how many Galleons were stored here…
He had long since stopped counting.
Looking at the glittering mountain of wealth before him, Adrian Ambrosius let out a sigh filled with resentment.
Turning toward Griphook, he asked,
“So…”
“That Crystal Payment Card technology I gave Gringotts…”
“When are you finally going to roll it out?”
Griphook smiled apologetically.
“Please don’t worry, Young Master.”
“We’ve nearly completed all the testing.”
“It should be ready for public use in about a year.”
“A whole year…”
Adrian Ambrosius rubbed his forehead.
“So I still have to come here and haul around sacks of Galleons like an idiot.”
Griphook immediately replied,
“Not everyone possesses Young Master Adrian Ambrosius’s unparalleled wisdom…
or your limitless wealth.”
“Fair enough.”
After thinking for a moment, Adrian Ambrosius tossed him an empty storage pouch embroidered with a large golden A, marking it as property of House Ambrosius.
Though outwardly small, the pouch contained an exceptionally advanced Extension Charm.
“Fill it with one hundred thousand Galleons.”
One hundred thousand Galleons.
To put that into perspective, a mere one hundred Galleons would have allowed the entire Weasley family from the original story to live comfortably for a year.
This wasn’t the first time Griphook had handled such a request.
“At once, Young Master.”
With Adrian Ambrosius’s authorization, magical energy flowed from the goblin’s fingertips.
A glittering river of Galleons rose into the air like a golden dragon before pouring into the storage pouch.
After weighing it in his hand, Griphook couldn’t help admiring the craftsmanship.
A truly remarkable Extension Charm…
And an equally impressive Feather-Light Charm.
“It’s finished, Young Master.”
Adrian Ambrosius accepted the pouch and casually clipped it to his belt.
Then, almost as an afterthought, he scooped up a handful of Galleons from the nearest pile and tossed them to Griphook.
“That should cover my expenses for a while.”
“Let’s head back.”
“Yes, sir!”
Griphook happily pocketed the generous tip.
Serving wealthy clients truly was the best assignment.
One casual reward from Adrian Ambrosius exceeded his entire annual salary.
The enormous vault doors slowly rumbled shut behind them.
After enduring another breakneck ride through Gringotts’ tunnels, Adrian Ambrosius finally breathed in the fresh air of the surface once again.
As he returned to the main hall, he noticed two rather unusual visitors standing at the highest counter.
One was an enormous half-giant with a thick beard and rather shabby clothes.
The other was a small, skinny boy with messy black hair.
Seeing them, a pleasant smile spread across Adrian Ambrosius’s face.
“So you’ve arrived too…”
“Harry Potter.”
“Rubeus Hagrid.”
At that moment, Hagrid was quietly talking with the elderly goblin behind the counter while rummaging through his enormous coat pockets, apparently searching for Harry’s key and the package Dumbledore had asked him to retrieve.
Meanwhile, Harry looked around curiously.
Having spent his entire childhood living in the cupboard beneath the Dursleys’ stairs, this was his very first glimpse of the magical world.
Everything fascinated him.
As he watched a goblin weighing rubies nearby, his gaze was suddenly drawn to a figure across the hall.
The boy wasn’t especially tall.
But his posture was perfectly straight.
His youthful face was strikingly handsome, yet carried an air of calm confidence and noble grace.
There was something radiant about him.
Like the sun itself…
Harry lowered his eyes almost instinctively, feeling strangely inferior.
Before he knew it, the blond boy had already walked over.
A clear, warm voice reached his ears.
Stopping beside Harry, Adrian Ambrosius extended his hand with a gentle smile.
“Hello, Harry Potter.”
“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”