The three of them walked through Diagon Alley, keeping together as they made their way toward Gringotts.
Victor glanced at the white building ahead. "Right. Here's the plan. We get inside under Harry's Invisibility Cloak, then find the goblin responsible for the Lestrange vault."
"And how exactly are we supposed to convince a goblin to help us?" Harry asked.
"We ask."
Hermione gave him a doubtful look. "You honestly think they'll agree to let us into Bellatrix Lestrange's vault?"
"No. That's why I have another option."
Harry frowned. "What option?"
"Imperius Curse."
Hermione stopped walking. "Victor, no."
He turned toward her. "Hermione, we're trying to get into one of the most heavily protected vaults in Gringotts. The goblins aren't going to cooperate just because we ask nicely."
"That doesn't make using an Unforgivable Curse acceptable."
"I know."
"Then what's the actual plan?" Harry asked.
Victor sighed. "We ask first. If the goblin refuses, we find another way. The Imperius Curse is a last resort."
Hermione still looked unhappy, but she kept walking. Deep down, she knew the goblins would never willingly take three Hogwarts students to a private vault, especially one belonging to Bellatrix Lestrange. If they refused, Victor already knew what he'd have to do.
The three squeezed beneath Harry's Invisibility Cloak as they entered Gringotts. It was awkward fitting all three under it, so they stayed close and moved carefully between the customers and goblin clerks.
Harry kept his voice barely above a whisper. "One thing. Why didn't we bring Ron?"
"Because he'd mess this up," Victor whispered. "We need someone who can keep quiet."
Hermione glanced back at them. "Can you two stop talking?"
They fell silent.
They followed the flow of people until Victor spotted the goblin he was looking for, finishing a conversation with another employee and heading toward one of the restricted areas at the rear of the bank.
Victor waited until he was several metres from the other goblins, then slipped out from beneath the cloak.
The goblin noticed him immediately and reached for the dagger at his belt.
Victor raised his wand. "Imperio."
The curse struck before the goblin could react. His hand dropped from the dagger, his expression went blank. He stood there, staring at Victor without understanding why.
Victor stepped closer. "You're going to take us to the Lestrange vault." The goblin nodded slowly. "You'll walk normally. You won't draw attention to us, and you won't tell anyone we're here."
"I understand."
Victor pulled the cloak over himself again and motioned for Harry and Hermione to stay close. The goblin walked toward the rear of the bank; they followed. He passed through a door marked for authorised personnel only, then continued down a narrow stone passage, the noise of the main hall fading behind them.
A lift waited at the end of the passage. The goblin pressed a lever, and the cage began descending.
Hermione gripped Victor's arm as they dropped deeper beneath the bank.
"How far down does this go?" Harry whispered.
"I don't know."
The lift continued down, machinery echoing through the shaft, until it finally stopped and the goblin stepped out onto a stone platform. "This way."
They followed him along a tunnel lit by dim lanterns, past several sets of tracks with small carts waiting beside them. The goblin climbed into one. "The Lestrange vault is deep within the bank."
Victor, Harry, and Hermione climbed in after him, still under the cloak. The goblin pulled the lever, and the cart shot into the darkness.
It rattled along the narrow track, twisting through the tunnels, the passages growing darker the deeper they went, only occasional lanterns flashing past.
Harry gripped the side of the cart as it took a sharp turn. Then he saw it ahead — a waterfall, stretching across the track, pouring from the cavern ceiling into a deep channel below.
"Wait, what's that?"
The goblin's eyes widened. "Waterfall!"
Before anyone could react, the cart shot straight through it. Water washed over them, soaking their clothes and the cloak. Hermione gasped as the cart emerged on the other side.
The goblin blinked, looking around in confusion. "What are you doing?" He grabbed the controls. "Stop!" He pulled the lever hard, and the cart stopped so abruptly all three were thrown forward. Harry caught himself against the side; Hermione grabbed the edge.
The goblin stared at them, clearly remembering what had happened. "You used magic on me," he said angrily.
"The waterfall," Victor said.
His face hardened. "Yes. The Thief's Downfall." He looked back at the tunnel. "It washes away enchantments and magical concealment."
Victor looked at him. "That doesn't mean I can't use it again." He raised his wand before the goblin could react. "Imperio."
The curse struck again. The goblin's expression went blank, his resistance gone.
Victor lowered his wand. "Now take us to the Lestrange vault."
The goblin stared ahead a moment, then gripped the controls. "Very well."
The cart started moving again, travelling deeper beneath Gringotts, tracks twisting through enormous caverns. The goblin said nothing, focused on the route as the cart climbed and dropped along the rails.
Eventually the track ended. The goblin stepped down. "We're here."
Victor, Harry, and Hermione climbed out into a vast underground chamber.
Harry stopped. A dragon was chained near the entrance, its body filling much of the cavern, thick metal restraints fixed around its limbs, wings shifting as it watched them approach.
Hermione stared. "That's a dragon."
"It's enormous," Harry said.
Victor studied it. "That's the guardian of the high-security vaults."
Beyond the dragon stood a set of doors built into the rock. The goblin pointed. "The Lestrange vault is beyond there."
*****
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