Hogwarts: Bloodline Legend-Chapter 598 - 168: The Boy Who Survived Disaster

He got rid of some useless inventory.

And in exchange got a big chest full of gold coins.

"Maybe I should go to Gringotts and open an account." Ian did a quick calculation of the Galleons he was carrying—even with magic to lessen the weight, it was still quite a burden.

"Then let's go take a look at the wizards' bank too, and exchange our quota for this year." Lady Granger was obviously someone who knew how to manage a household.

There was nothing wrong with that.

If you don't enjoy your benefits, you're a fool.

The Ministry of Magic's Muggle Freshman Policy exchange rate was actually quite generous. On their way to Gringotts, Ian gave Hermione and Lady Granger some background on Voldemort and the Potter family.

"He actually defeated a Great Demon King at such a young age!"

Hermione's face was full of amazement.

Remembering the encounter with that boy earlier, she just couldn't believe that someone so formidable was just a baby when he managed to defeat an evil overlord.

"That child is truly pitiful." Lady Granger, however, didn't really care about the Savior story, but instead felt a bit sad because of the tragedy of the Harry Potter family.

"Is he the little mustache of the Wizarding World? Thank goodness the dark times are over!"

She felt a little lingering fear too.

If her daughter had grown up in those days, she would never have let Hermione study magic, no matter what.

"I think that Black Demon King is more like the leader of a terrorist organization, not a real leader." Mr. Granger's perspective was exactly the same as Ian's and the few clear-headed folks'. Although he was just a Muggle, a lot of things in the Muggle World and Wizarding World had things in common.

As they chatted about Voldemort,

Gringotts arrived.

Located at the very center of Diagon Alley's commercial district, it was a slightly old but extraordinarily tall building, towering far above all the surrounding squat shops in grandeur.

It was a bank, after all.

No matter where you are in the world, banks never lack imposing buildings.

In front of the gleaming bronze doors, two goblins with wary expressions stood guard. Their unusual appearances made Hermione and her parents both amazed and uneasy.

"Is this one of your properties too?"

Maybe Hermione had overheard Ian chatting with the lady boss at the apothecary earlier.

"I wish it were my property, but it only belongs to the goblins here." Ian sighed regretfully, honestly not understanding why wizards would leave the banks in the hands of the conquered.

"Someone else is coming."

The goblins at the entrance bowed mechanically.

They didn't even bother to lift their heads.

Clearly not very willing.

Ian, Hermione, and the Granger couple entered Gringotts, passed through a second silver door, and immediately a striking warning sign caught their eyes.

"Welcome, stranger, but beware of the fate of greed; those who only take without earning will be most harshly punished. If you intend to steal riches from our underground vaults that were never yours, thief, consider yourself warned: what you reap will not be treasure, but retribution."

The warnings were all written in Old English.

But these were straight-A students.

So reading it was no problem at all. Once inside, more goblins sprang into view; rows and rows of short goblins busily working behind the counters.

Some of them were weighing gold coins on scales, others were examining jewels with magnifying glasses—each goblin working meticulously, as though any oversight might bring about a great loss.

That's just how their kind was.

The shine of gold coins and jewels made the whole hall glow in dazzling golden hues.

"Not a bad-looking place, actually."

Mr. Granger figured he'd finally found something pleasing to the eye in the Wizarding World. But just as he was about to keep commenting, a goblin wearing an earring approached.

"Here to make a deposit? I smell Galleons?"

Maybe it had a dog's nose grafted onto itself.

"They're here to exchange the Hogwarts freshman quota for gold, and I'm here to open a vault. Yes, I've got a lot of gold." Ian gave his coin chest a vigorous shake.

The earringed goblin's face brightened immediately.

"Alright, alright, this way please. Oh, by the way, I'm called Hoop. You can always come to me when you want to deposit gold." Instantly, it began to lead Ian, Hermione, and Lady Granger to the counter.

"Open a vault for this gentleman! He wants to make a deposit!"

Hoop the goblin said to another goblin at the counter with a chicken-comb hairstyle. Next to them, Hermione and her parents were still somewhat intimidated by these strange-looking creatures.

"No problem!"

Hearing it was a deposit, the chicken-comb goblin immediately perked up.

"What's your name?"

It pulled out a small booklet, ready to record the information.

"Ian Prince."

The little wizard answered a bit uneasily.

He worried that the goblins' security measures might not be that great—what if someone impersonated him with just this kind of registration? Or maybe the key to the vault was their anti-theft measure?

"Ian… Prince, alright."

The goblin registered the name.

And then—

It began to sketch the little wizard's face—grabbing a paintbrush and drawing quickly in the booklet, glancing up at Ian every so often to check his appearance.

And because of that,

The more the goblin drew, the slower its hand moved.

"You…"

As if it had hit a wall, it stared at Ian for a long moment, then put on a pair of reading glasses and crawled over the table for a closer look at Ian's face.

"Hiss—"

Suddenly—

The goblin looked as though it had gone haywire,

Clutching its face,

Its expression… utterly terrified.

"It's him! It's him! Supreme Mage Medivh!"

A scream of terror,

Nearly bursting the little wizard's eardrums.