Originally, Narcissa's plan was to keep Draco under her watchful eye for the entire holiday, so she wouldn't have to worry.
However, not only did Draco himself reject this suggestion, but Lucius also rarely voiced his opposition.
"When has my son, Lucius Malfoy's son, ever been afraid to go out because of a minor accident?" Lucius rarely and firmly opposed. Teaching him how to be prudent was not the same as turning him into a coward. He had high hopes for his son and didn't want Draco to be ruined like this.
Narcissa realized she had gone too far, and after some compromise, they settled on conditions.
This is what Malfoy is currently doing.
Reporting his safety once a day via the family's owl.
"All is well, do not worry." The letters essentially conveyed this message each time, but to show he wasn't being perfunctory, Malfoy sometimes searched for elegant phrases to make Narcissa happy.
Lucius, however, was a bit puzzled: Why did his son like running to the bank so much? Could it be that he truly had a special fondness for money? Thinking this, Lucius couldn't help but consider finding an excuse to talk with his son one day, to tell him how wonderful the taste of power was. The continuation and growth of the family not only required the accumulation of wealth but also the support of power.
Of course, reputation was also an indispensable part.
Of course, Malfoy wouldn't know any of this; he only knew that he had to send the owl back now to ensure the agreement was fulfilled without error.
Opening the window and releasing the owl, Malfoy returned to the table and pulled out another piece of parchment, slowly writing on it:
"The opportunity is coming; I hope you can seize it."
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That shameless human wizard hadn't said a word to him for at least twenty days after their last meeting. This boy, more cunning than an adult, made Griphook uneasy. He even began to suspect that this young Malfoy was simply making fun of him or had gone back on his word.
"Yes, he must have gone back on his word!" Griphook often fell into such doubts while working. "If I had obtained that sword, I wouldn't easily give it up." But even if it might be a trick, a trap, he could only choose to jump in, only choose to believe, because it was a condition he couldn't refuse.
At this moment, Griphook was walking through a spacious corridor, on his way to deliver a routine document to their branch manager. This was also one of his jobs, but the image of that sword kept swirling in his mind, tempting him, making him absent-minded. He kept his head down, which made the narrow field of vision caused by his already short stature even more limited.
Suddenly, he felt like he had collided head-on with something. He guessed it was a human because of the difference in size. He took a few steps back, then lost his balance and sat down on the marble floor, while the blurry shadow in front of him only swayed slightly.
"Sorry, Mr. Griphook, it's my fault; I didn't see you." Malfoy reached out his hand to help him up.
Griphook was just stunned, letting him pull him up, wanting to ask something, but the words seemed stuck in his throat. His large eyes just stared straight ahead.
In a daze, Malfoy helped him up, apologized, and then left the corridor on his own.
Coming back to his senses, Griphook's eyes cleared, and he found that he had a piece of paper in his hand, which must have been slipped into his hand when Malfoy pulled him up earlier.
"The opportunity is coming; I hope you can seize it."
When Griphook saw the content on the note, his once calm heart began to beat wildly.
"He didn't lie to me!"
But questions also arose.
Opportunity? What opportunity? Even for goblins themselves, there wasn't enough reason to enter private vaults at will.
This question didn't even last five minutes.
Because after he delivered the documents, he received an order from the branch manager: "Prepare to strengthen the security of the vaults tomorrow. The once-in-a-decade regular inspection will also be moved to tomorrow. We will be temporarily closed tomorrow."
For Griphook, tonight was destined to be a sleepless night.
The excitement of the treasure being within reach and the unease of betraying goblin loyalty made him unable to sleep all night, tossing and turning.
When the dawn of day arrived, and the first ray of light shone into his narrow room, he knew he had to act.
He had no reason to back down.
He even began to hypnotize himself: "This will only be an accident. I am only taking back the treasure that should belong to Ragnuk the First," to alleviate his guilt.
When the sky outside Gringotts turned a sliver of fish-belly white, and the dazzling red light that crossed the horizon in advance reflected into people's eyes, most of the goblins had already gathered in the hall.
The once-a-decade inspection was not only to check whether thieves coveting the treasures inside were trapped but also to take stock of whether the collected items were damaged. If it was a potion, the preservation magic attached to it might have faded, causing it to deteriorate. Weapons might also rust, and the effectiveness of general magic was also about ten years. So, all the goblins established a rule of inspection once every ten years.
Even if it was brought forward, this work still had to be done.
The older goblins and the younger goblins walked together towards the only way to the underground vaults. This was to avoid the interruption of inheritance. In the once-a-decade inspection, it was necessary for the older goblins to teach the younger goblins how they should conduct the inspection.
The goblins got into the small cart. After starting, the cart sped through the labyrinthine tunnel. The whistling sound of convection wind and the bumpy sound of the wheels never stopped. The passing rock walls and stalactites formed a series of forks. They turned back and forth in between, and when the arc was large, there was even a feeling of being thrown out.
Another sharp turn, and a waterfall poured down, lying across the only way on the track. The goblins sped past, and the splashing water droplets wet their bodies.
Nothing happened.
This was the thief-prevention waterfall, which could wash away all curses and magical disguises. Since there were special ways to deal with external defenses, sometimes it was necessary to guard against "internal thieves." Those who dared to attack Gringotts would not care about using a few Imperius Curses, and both Polyjuice Potion and the Imperius Curse would lose their effectiveness under this waterfall, with nowhere to hide.
This could also prevent impostor and controlled goblins, or the original wealth holders.
As for the current internal thief, it seemed that he was willing.
And this magic still couldn't reach the level of seeing through people's hearts.
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