"I thought you would have asked me about Malfoy. It seems you're keeping up with what's happening outside of school, too."
Dumbledore's face broke into a relaxed smile. He winked at Adam and handed him a copy of The Daily Prophet.
The front-page headline was about the Ministry of Magic's arrest of a group of dark wizards who had been illegally trafficking magical creatures. The article claimed that the Gringotts break-in from two months prior was also the work of this same gang.
Cornelius Fudge, the Minister for Magic, was shown in a picture, giving an interview to reporters after leading the Aurors on the mission. He declared that the entire criminal organization had been apprehended and urged wizards to continue supporting the Ministry and feel secure in depositing their gold at Gringotts.
Adam also noticed that Tonks, with a miserable look on her face, was being lectured in a corner behind the passionately-speaking Fudge.
"So, Malfoy showing up at Gringotts was a response to the Ministry?" Adam quickly understood Dumbledore's implication, but he still had a lot of questions.
After all, Hagrid, who was responsible for patrolling the Forbidden Forest, hadn't lowered his guard at all. In fact, he and the other professors were often out patrolling the forest late at night, making life difficult for many students who liked to sneak out after curfew. The trophy room on the fourth floor was lit up every night. Even George and Fred had to admit that it was the first time they'd ever seen the trophies polished to a mirror-like shine.
Newt Scamander also visited Hogwarts every couple of weeks, always bringing along some of the little biscuits that Tina had baked.
Dumbledore gave Adam an approving pat on the shoulder. "If you can see that, then you should understand what I'm about to say next. Politics is the art of compromise."
"It's just like you once told me: people don't care about the truth of a matter; they're more willing to see what they want to see."
"So..." Adam glanced left and right, making sure no one was paying attention to them. He then lowered his voice. "Since this smuggling ring has the shadows of pure-blood families behind it, what are you going to do about the people in the Forbidden Forest, Professor?"
Dumbledore raised his hand, gesturing for Adam to look at the scales on the ebony counter, which were still swaying unsteadily.
"The power of choice isn't in our hands, but in theirs. Also..." A look of sadness crossed Dumbledore's face, and he let out a deep, weary sigh. "Adam, you don't really have to worry about these things. After all, I'm still at Hogwarts. But you have to understand that an old man over a hundred years old, who has to run around everywhere, is bound to feel a little..."
"Wait, Professor, don't say another word," Adam interrupted him, and with a pained expression, he pulled a letter out of his small pouch. "This is from Ariana for you."
The weary look on Dumbledore's face vanished instantly. He snatched the letter away as if afraid Adam would change his mind and carefully tucked it away.
Sherri, who was watching them, thought they looked like two little kids. She moved closer to Adam and asked, "What's wrong with Professor Dumbledore?"
Adam sighed softly. "Nothing, really. He's just getting on in years. I suppose he can't help getting excited when he receives a gift."
"This is different," Dumbledore said with a smile. "I just realized that if I were to receive something like this for Christmas, it would absolutely be the best Christmas present I'd ever gotten in my entire life."
Adam narrowed his eyes at him, then raised his small hand and wiggled it. "In that case, Professor, give it back to me. I'll give it to you for Christmas."
Dumbledore's eyes darted away to an empty counter in the distance, and he pretended not to hear him. "I think it's more important to exchange some Galleons right now."
"Then next time I see Ariana, I'll tell her you bullied a little wizard who's been at school for less than a year," Adam retorted, then ran towards the counter.
A slightly bewildered Sherri tried to follow him, but Dumbledore held out his hand to stop her.
"I'm sorry, Professor, but Adam hasn't taken my share yet. He must have forgotten." Sherri held up her Gringotts vault key, looking anxious.
"He won't take it," Dumbledore said, shaking his head with a smile. "This is something he wants to do on his own. Even if you were to force it into his hands, I don't think he'd accept it."
"But..." Sherri trailed off.
"Trust his choice. On some matters, Adam sees things more clearly than I do. When he needs your help, it's not too late to lend a hand." Dumbledore gently reassured Sherri, and she finally gave up on the idea of following him. But she still held her key tightly, watching Adam's back with her lips pressed into a thin line.
Adam walked up to the counter, tossed a Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Bean onto the floor, and with a flick of his wand, turned it into a chair. He sat down and stared directly at the goblin, completely unconcerned with its stony expression. He then tapped the counter firmly a few times.
"I want to exchange some Galleons."
"More Muggle money..." The goblin muttered under its breath. "Hogwarts students can only exchange up to two hundred Galleons per year."
Adam tapped the counter again, then gestured with a thumb over his shoulder towards Dumbledore. The goblin's face darkened, and it said with some reluctance, "Five pounds will get you one Galleon, but I should tell you in advance, even if you are..."
"No, I want to exchange Galleons for pounds," Adam said, taking out his small pouch. A pile of gold Galleons came tumbling out.
A hint of greed flashed in the goblin's eyes, and it reached for the pile of gold coins. But Adam slapped its hand away. The goblin's face twisted in displeasure, and it was about to speak when Adam cut it off.
"Muggle money is worthless to you, and I assume that even though you have a way to turn it back into Galleons, you've probably accumulated quite a lot of it." Adam paused, then lowered his voice conspiratorially. "If you're interested in a trade, I have more than just this in my pouch..."
The goblin's expression shifted several times, and as it struggled to refuse, Adam spoke again. "The things in Gringotts are not your concern. Nobody cares about this Muggle money, and I believe you will find a way to make it work."
Adam pointed at the ledger next to the quill, then casually grabbed a handful of Galleons. The golden coins slipped through his fingers, making a clear, crisp clinking sound as they fell.
"Follow me," the goblin said, giving Adam a long, hard look. It pressed its hand against the counter, revealing a passage to the underground vaults. "Don't do anything extra."
Not long after, Adam returned from behind the counter, though the goblin's face was rather sour.
Sherri hurried over to him, looking him over before asking curiously, "Why did that goblin take you to the underground vaults? Do you need to open a vault just to exchange money?"
"Of course not," Adam said, holding up his small pouch with a smile. "Three hundred Galleons for three thousand pounds. The goblin is just a bit grumpy that he didn't make a bigger profit on the deal."
He then turned to Dumbledore and said, "I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you to give us another ride."
When they reappeared in a flash of green flames, they were on a London street. The people bustling around them didn't notice that a few more people had suddenly appeared. Adam looked with a complex expression at a square building in the far distance. It was surrounded by a high fence, and he could vaguely make out a sign hanging on it: The Wooster Orphanage.