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Chapter 17
When Vaults Become Connected
Puzi and Hydras boarded the Gringotts cart.
The tunnels beneath Gringotts were winding and complex, twisting and turning endlessly, yet the cart itself was astonishingly stable. There were no jolts, no spins—apart from the seats being a little hard, the ride easily deserved five stars.
Vault numbers flashed past at speed.
811.
812.
813.
814.
815.
833!
The cart moved quickly, but Hydras's magically enhanced eyesight gave her exceptional dynamic vision.
She memorised the exact position of the Grey family's vault.
A dozen seconds later, the cart slowed, turned, and came to a halt before Vault 870.
Just as Puzi had said—the vault lay directly beneath the Grey family's.
Hydras estimated the vertical distance between the two vaults to be roughly five or six metres.
"Please hand me the key," Puzi said.
Hydras rolled her eyes.
If the goblin was going to open the door anyway, why give her the key beforehand? Wouldn't it make more sense to hand it over after the door was opened?
This ridiculous sense of ritual…
Puzi took the key and walked up to the vault door.
Hydras followed.
It had to be said—despite being several centuries old, the vault's construction was exquisite. The craftsmanship was ingenious, its design flawless.
As the key turned, the locking mechanisms disengaged one by one, unfolding layer after layer. It took more than ten seconds just to complete the unlocking process.
Finally, the heavy vault door opened.
Puzi gestured politely for Hydras to enter.
The pitch-black interior immediately lit up as she stepped inside.
Hydras noticed that each of the four walls was fitted with a cone-shaped magical wall lamp.
She tipped her sachet over and poured out all her Galleons, scattering them across the floor.
"Mr Puzi," she said casually, gesturing towards the door, "I'm about to start counting my money. I believe I'm entitled to a bit of privacy. Would you mind closing the door and waiting outside?"
"Of course, Miss Astray," Puzi replied, swallowing hard as his gaze lingered on the glittering pile of gold. This was a major client—he couldn't afford to offend her.
"This vault is yours. You may do as you please. There's a pull-ring behind the door—just tug it gently when you're ready, and I'll open it for you."
Hydras nodded in satisfaction as the vault door slowly closed.
Counting money?
What was so interesting about that?
Six thousand nine hundred and forty-four Galleons, plus one thousand more—seven thousand nine hundred and forty-four in total.
If she was going to count money, she might as well count the money upstairs too.
Switch constitution.
House-elf channeling.
She looked up, gauged the distance, and—
Went.
When Hydras reappeared, she was already inside Vault 833, her head just three or four inches from the ceiling.
She stuck out her tongue.
That had been a little risky.
If she'd gone even slightly higher, her head would have ended up stuck in solid rock.
The vault was around four metres tall.
Hydras allowed herself to drop freely, her body falling straight down.
She landed lightly on the floor, and the magical lamps inside the vault lit up automatically.
"Tsk," Hydras muttered, frowning as she surveyed the contents. "That's it?"
Inside the Grey family's vault were several piles of Galleons, along with a small number of Silver Sickles and Bronze Knuts.
Two leather-bound books lay quietly in one corner.
It wasn't that the gold was insignificant—but it was far less than Hydras had expected. Based on her calculations, the Grey family's reserves should have been much larger.
But it didn't matter anymore.
Whatever there was—she would take it all.
Hydras narrowed her eyes in delight and began stuffing Galleons into her sachet.
Wonderful.
Absolutely wonderful.
Her hands moved so fast that afterimages appeared as she grabbed the golden coins.
In less than a minute, the entire vault was emptied.
Her sachet had a capacity of only one cubic metre—but that was more than enough to hold ten thousand Galleons.
She'd thought she'd need several trips.
Turns out the Grey family's vault was rather unimpressive.
Back in her own vault, Hydras poured out the spoils.
She had truly cleaned the Greys out—nothing left behind, not even a single Sickle or Knut.
Now—
Now it was time to properly count her wealth.
Half an hour later, Hydras had a clear inventory.
16,751 Galleons.
622 Sickles.
1,319 Knuts.
She set the two unfamiliar books aside and stacked them neatly with her potions.
Humming softly, she reached for the pull-ring behind the door.
Clang. Clang. Clang.
The sound of the locking mechanisms disengaging echoed in rhythm with her tune.
The door opened.
Puzi stood outside, his expression respectful as ever. His eyes flicked briefly to the heap of coins inside the vault, and a thought struck him.
So Miss Astray hadn't taken out all her money earlier.
This pile alone was close to twenty thousand Galleons—more than enough to buy a top-tier vault.
What an outstanding customer!
"Miss Astray," Puzi said enthusiastically, "your singing is beautiful! If it were broadcast on the Wizarding Wireless Network, I would be your first—and most loyal—listener!"
"Thank you, Puzi," Hydras replied, taking back her key and slipping it away. "Let's head back up. The air down here is dreadful."
"As you wish, miss!"
Puzi escorted her all the way out, and even after seeing her leave Gringotts, he still looked reluctant to part.
It wasn't until Hydras entered Twilfitt and Tatting's that Puzi finally sighed in regret, turned around, and returned to work.
…
Twilfitt and Tatting's was considered a high-end clothing shop in the wizarding world—its clientele was very different from Madam Malkin's.
The moment Hydras stepped inside, a shop assistant hurried over.
"Good afternoon, miss. How may I assist you?"
Hydras asked bluntly, "Do you sell clothes that can alter one's appearance at will?"
The assistant clapped her hands.
"You've come to exactly the right place! You won't find garments like these anywhere else in Britain—but we do have them here!"
She led Hydras to a corner of the shop, where a plain white dress stood alone on display.
"This piece was created by our proprietor last year," the assistant said eagerly. "But due to the rarity of the materials and the complexity of the enchantments, the price is rather—"
"How much?" Hydras interrupted.
"Let me explain its features first," the assistant said quickly, realising her mistake and speaking at a rapid-fire pace.
"This garment carries a permanent Transfiguration enchantment, allowing it to change into any form you desire. It can also adjust its size automatically, ensuring a perfect fit at all times. It is windproof, waterproof, and fire-resistant—excluding dragonfire, of course. It includes self-cleaning and self-repair charms, meaning it will never need washing or mending. Additionally, purchasing this item grants you premium client status with Twilfitt and Tatting's—"
"I asked how much," Hydras said flatly.
The assistant stopped, awkward.
"Four hundred and fifty Galleons."
She glanced nervously at Hydras's expression and hurried to add,
"It's expensive, yes, but absolutely worth it. One of a kind—"
"Enough."
Hydras pulled out a money pouch—a complimentary gift from Puzi. He'd given her four in total, each capable of holding exactly five hundred Galleons.
She tossed one to the assistant.
"There's five hundred. Take fifty as change. I'm going to try it on."
With that, Hydras picked up the dress and entered the changing room.
The assistant stared at the heavy pouch in stunned silence.
If you were this rich, you could've said so earlier…
Do you know how exhausting all that explaining was?
…
After leaving Twilfitt and Tatting's, Hydras changed back into the clothes she'd worn when she first entered Diagon Alley—the cute little dress.
The scorch marks on the back were gone entirely.
The assistant hadn't been exaggerating—this really was an excellent alchemical garment, and Hydras felt extremely comfortable wearing it.
Her skirt fluttered as she skipped along the ancient cobblestone streets of Diagon Alley.
Her light, lively steps made it obvious she was in an excellent mood.
She still needed to buy a pet and some Hogwarts textbooks.
Even if she had no intention of actually attending Hogwarts, being "ignorant of the law" was far too embarrassing.
When she switched to her house-elf constitution, she could cast magic. The method was completely different from a wizard's, but the result was the same.
Oh—and she'd nearly forgotten.
She could now use a goblin constitution as well.
That was thanks to Puzi.
Before she left, the goblin banker had been far too enthusiastic and insisted on shaking her hand—allowing her to acquire the goblin physique for free.
It was also a spell-capable constitution, but its greatest advantage lay in its exceptional talent for alchemy.
A very pleasant surprise.
Pets.
Books.
What else did she need to buy…?
Ah, right!
She needed to get Rick some snacks.
Chocolate Frogs were far too terrifying for Muggles.
Better to bring him some ice cream instead. 🍦