### Chapter 92: Ranrok
Tethys was suddenly yanked aside by an enormous force. She tumbled across the ground several times before her head struck a boulder that had been hurled down by the troll, knocking her unconscious.
It was this unexpected turn of events that allowed her to escape Audrey's Severing Charm.
"Useless trash!" A hoarse voice, like iron brushes scraping against each other, rang out. "You can't even handle such a trivial matter!"
A short, stocky old goblin stepped forward, gradually materializing out of an illusion.
Only half of his body remained.
Roughly three-quarters of his head, half his neck, and his entire right arm were intact. The rest of his body was made of metal, covered in a thick layer of armour. His strange appearance made him look like a snapping turtle standing upright.
The resemblance was largely due to his hooked nose, which nearly reached the ground.
Combined with his fierce white eyebrows and sharp teeth, his appearance made him instantly recognizable to Audrey.
"Ranrok!"
Yes, this was the very goblin who had orchestrated the goblin rebellion a hundred years ago, plotting to seize the Ancient Magic safeguarded by the Keepers.
Ranrok!
Ranrok glanced at Audrey in surprise. "Ever since that woman erased every trace of herself from this world, I never expected there would still be someone who recognized me."
Audrey shrugged. "You still remember that woman, so why shouldn't someone else remember you?"
In truth, Audrey knew next to nothing about Ranrok. However, she guessed that the woman he was referring to was most likely the protagonist of Hogwarts Legacy.
She had said this simply to trick Ranrok into revealing more information. After all, she had already discovered that she couldn't read his mind.
"Hmph! You little brat! How dare you speak to me like that!"
Audrey tightened her grip on her wand and remained on high alert. At the same time, she deliberately provoked him.
"Weren't you killed by that woman?"
Ranrok's expression darkened. Those were memories he least wanted to revisit, and his entire being seemed to resist the thought of them.
In fact, even if he wanted to remember, he could no longer recall most of the details. It was as though someone had dug that entire period out of his mind.
If not for the deep-seated hatred and obsession that remained, he might not even have remembered that woman at all.
Seeing the murderous intent in Ranrok's eyes, Arthur Weasley hurried to Audrey's side.
To be fair, although Arthur and Lucius were evenly matched in a hand-to-hand fight, their exchanges resembling two chickens pecking at each other, the Weasleys were at least one and a half stronger when it came to magical ability!
Ranrok gave a cold snort. He clenched his right hand and flicked it aside.
Arthur immediately felt as though a pair of enormous hands had grabbed him and flung him away. His body went flying through the air.
At the same time, Audrey felt something tighten around her neck and hoist her into the air.
It was a chain made of magic.
Ranrok glanced at Tethys, his junior, who was already unconscious on the ground.
If you can crush your enemies with sheer strength, why bother with all these underhanded tricks?
But in the very next moment, Audrey seized the magical chain with her left hand and crushed it with a slight squeeze.
When it comes to strength, I'm the one who has the advantage!
Before she had even landed, Audrey shot through the air like a cannonball, hurtling straight towards Ranrok.
You've only got half a body left, haven't you?
Then let's see if the power of the dragon can shatter what remains of you!
With her face concealed by the mask, Audrey unleashed her full combat power. Beneath it, her face transformed into that of a Hydra. She transformed into a dragon, then into a Dementor, driving her combat power to nearly twenty times.
She broke the sound barrier as she flew forward, and the resulting shock wave swept out in both directions, carving a deep trench through the mud.
Ranrok was shocked. He thrust out both hands, sending a tremendous repulsive force surging towards Hydra.
A hundred years ago, this might have been enough to stop Hydra. Back then, Ranrok's power had been no weaker than that of a dragon.
But now, less than a quarter of his original body remained, and his magical power was far weaker than it had once been.
Hydra was held back for barely half a second before breaking through the barrier and continuing her charge straight towards Ranrok.
"Hmph!"
As a seasoned combatant, Ranrok remained calm even in the face of imminent danger. He dared to Apparate in the middle of this life-or-death confrontation.
With a soft whoosh, he shifted three or four metres to the side, narrowly dodging Audrey's attack.
Arthur had already struggled back to his feet. Though he was grimacing in pain, he didn't stop to examine his injuries. He immediately pointed his wand at Ranrok.
"Stupefy!"
Ranrok raised his left hand—the one made of goblin metal.
With a faint hiss, Arthur Weasley's spell was absorbed.
Arthur stared in astonishment.
But that moment of hesitation was all Ranrok needed.
The old goblin raised his right hand, lifting Mr Weasley five or six metres into the air.
Then he pressed his palm down.
With a sharp whoosh, Arthur plummeted headfirst towards the ground.
"Dad!"
The red-haired boys inside the tank screamed in alarm.
At that speed, if Arthur hit the ground, his neck would surely snap! He could easily be smashed to pieces by the impact!
But Hydra had already stopped moving. With a flick of her wand, she transformed the ground beneath Arthur into a pool of water.
She had Professor McGonagall's dedicated teaching throughout the school year to thank for that. A year ago, Hydra would never have been able to pull off such a feat!
With a loud splash, Arthur fell into the water.
He was in a thoroughly miserable state, but at least his life was no longer in danger.
However, Ranrok's attempt to kill Arthur had completely enraged Hydra.
"Infinite Ice!"
This spell came from An Introduction to Ancient Magic, written by Percival Rackham, one of the Keepers. Audrey had received the book as a gift from the Grey family.
Ice flowers rapidly spread out from Ranrok's body. The old goblin suddenly felt as though his entire body were being frozen solid.
Bode Grey had used this spell against Hydra several times before. She had managed to evade it thanks to her exceptionally high magical resistance and resilient physique.
Ranrok, however, possessed no such powerful physique. On the contrary, his metallic body was even more vulnerable to the effects of low temperatures.
Within a single second, his body had stiffened.
Sizzle!
Ranrok Apparated to Tethys's side, but this time, he didn't escape unscathed. One of his legs remained behind, instantly covered in blue-white ice flowers.
Yet he had no time to catch his breath, because Hydra had already raised her wand high, seemingly gathering power.
As Hydra swung her wand down, a bolt of lightning as thick as a thousand-year-old tree crashed down from the sky!
The thunder struck the ground with a deafening roar, leaving a crater comparable to one made by a 125-millimetre cannon shell.
Hydra hurried to the edge of the crater and peered inside.
There was nothing.
She sighed. In the end, they had still managed to escape.
The goblin metal in Ranrok's body wouldn't simply be reduced to ashes by Ancient Magic. Therefore, the only explanation for the complete absence of remains in the crater was that Ranrok had Apparated away at the last possible moment.
Arthur climbed out of the pool. After brushing the water from his clothes, he hurried over to Audrey.
Audrey removed her mask, put away her wand, and pointed towards the goblins lying on the ground.
"Arthur, there are still three survivors. Take them back to the Ministry of Magic for interrogation. The goblins might betray us again."
Arthur nodded.
"Also…" Audrey paused to think before asking, "How are your relations with the other pure-blood families?"
Arthur Weasley shook his head awkwardly.
"There aren't many families that are on good terms with us. Most pure-blood families see us as… as…"
The Shame of the Pure-Bloods.
"I understand," Audrey interrupted.
Although the Weasleys didn't care much about being called the shame of the pure-bloods, it was still embarrassing for Arthur to say it out loud in front of others.
"Then please inform the families you're on good terms with that I'll be at Diagon Alley at two o'clock in the afternoon the day after tomorrow. We'll be holding a meeting at the former Gringotts headquarters to discuss establishing a wizarding bank, and I'd like to invite them to attend."
"Okay, I'll let them know."
Audrey then added, "Of course, that invitation includes your family too, the Weasleys."
"Er…" Arthur scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed. "Our family's finances aren't in very good shape, so I'm afraid we won't be able to contribute much to the bank's establishment."
"No, Arthur. Believe me, you'll find it worthwhile."
"All right, all right…"
Once they were back inside the tank, none of them felt like showing off at the Lovegoods' house anymore. Having defeated their enemies, they set off for home instead.
George and Fred volunteered to drive, while Audrey happily took a seat to enjoy a little free time.
Or at least, that had been the plan.
In reality, she was restless.
The engine roared so loudly that she couldn't gather her thoughts, while the ornaments hanging inside the tank clanked and rattled, sending ripples across the lake of her mind.
Cornelius Fudge!
This is the fourth time!
Fudge had revealed her whereabouts to the goblins, leading to an ambush against her and her companions. Arthur Weasley had nearly lost his life because of it!
Ever since Molly had knitted her a sweater and a scarf, Audrey had come to regard the Weasleys as her own friends and family.
The consequences of harming her friends and family would be no less severe than those of taking her Galleons!
She had originally planned to remove Fudge from the position of Minister of Magic in early August.
But now, it seemed that Fudge—
You're asking for death!