Chapter 22: I'm Very Satisfied with This Compensation
When Hydrus woke up again, she found herself lying in her small bed.
When did she get back?
Golden Tiger obediently sat at the head of the bed. Seeing her awake, it meowed at her, then jumped to the door and meowed again.
"Is this your way of asking me to open the door?"
Hydrus rolled out of bed.
"Golden Tiger, can't you open the door yourself?"
Though she complained, she still walked toward the door.
Her wounds from Bod's attack had already healed, leaving only slight soreness.
But… who had saved her?
Clutching this question, Hydrus walked to the door, already transformed into Audrey. She pressed the small button hidden in her collar. Her tattered clothes automatically repaired themselves, returning to normal.
The door was locked. No wonder Golden Tiger couldn't leave.
Pushing the door open, she found Rick wasn't home.
It was already 6:30 in the evening.
On the dining table lay a note:
"Audrey, Mr. Waterman invited me to a party. Since you were still asleep, I didn't wake you. I might be back late, so handle dinner yourself."
Audrey smiled. Cooking dinner? Impossible. Lazy Audrey in the advanced stage of laziness could never cook.
When she first arrived at this house, her obedient behavior had been an act—like a cat meeting its new owner: obedient for a while, then enjoying life for twenty years.
"Golden Tiger! Let's go! We're eating out!"
At the Leaky Cauldron.
Wizards drank, played chess, cards, and chatted, the atmosphere lively.
Hydrus hid in a corner, enjoying steak with butterbeer.
Golden Tiger squatted on the table, with a plate identical to hers.
She had also specially ordered fried fish for it. It hadn't touched it, which annoyed Hydrus; she decided to take it back for Rick instead.
While eating, she pondered her future strategy against the Grey family.
After taking such a loss, she wouldn't let it slide.
But Bod Grey was far too powerful for her to confront at her current strength.
What could she do?
A conversation at the next table caught her attention.
"Did you hear? The Grey family's transport carriage was robbed again!"
"Which Grey family?"
"The one affiliated with the Lestrange family, bribing the Ministry three months ago with Confundus Charms!"
"Ha! That foolish family? What happened this time?"
"Three months ago, their four carriages carrying Galleons were attacked by a fire dragon—all lost."
"I know. They even asked the carriage station for compensation. The station belongs to the Ministry—how could they pay?"
"Today, their transport was robbed again, losing over ten thousand Galleons. This time, the Ministry has no choice but to pay."
"Why?"
"Because in the past few days, the Malfoy, Greengrass, Avery, and Flint families' carriages were also attacked!"
"Who did it? So daring!"
"Unknown. Those families pressured the Ministry together—they had no choice. They had to pay. One or many, the Ministry paid. The Grey family reportedly received 17,000 Galleons in compensation."
"Does the Ministry have that much money?"
"No. They pawned several precious magical items from the Department of Mysteries to Gringotts."
"Minister Barnard must be furious!"
"Of course! Not only did they have to pay, but they also damaged the station's reputation. Few noble families will want carriage transport in the future."
Hydrus listened quietly.
First, she hadn't successfully rob the Grey family today—so who did?
Second, very few wizards could rob a Knight Bus carriage. Coincidentally, Bod Grey was one of them. Could it be that the pureblood families being robbed was actually Bod's doing?
The thief cries "Stop thief!" then uses the noble families' influence to claim compensation.
The logic was sound.
Whatever the truth, Hydrus knew one thing—the Grey family had money again today.
Hearing wizards discuss the Grey family, others joined in.
"This family is surprisingly interesting."
"Oh? You have news?"
"Of course. My aunt's cousin's cousin had some business with the Greys. I heard that in a previous Gringotts heist, it was their treasurer who stole from the vault!"
"Ah? Their family keeps getting into such embarrassing situations?"
"Exactly. Years ago, they followed Grindelwald—not exactly saints. The treasurer is imprisoned and tortured daily but insists she didn't steal!"
"A woman?"
"Yes, called Seranis or Serenis. Not sure if the Cruciatus Curse was applied."
"The Greys wouldn't dare use Unforgivable Curses, right?"
"Dare? These noble families are polite in public, ruthless in private. How would you know?"
"…"
Embezzlement?
Hydrus' eyes lit up.
If the Grey family treated the vault theft as internal embezzlement, that meant the vault might still be unguarded!
She could make a nice profit.
As compensation for today's injuries, tens of thousands of Galleons were perfect.
"Golden Tiger, eat slowly. I'll take care of something."
Smiling, she walked to the bathroom, grabbed a washbasin, and left the Leaky Cauldron.
Shhhla!
She appeared on the tracks beneath Gringotts, near the "Anti-Theft Waterfall," said to nullify all magic.
Pouring water into the basin, why?
She had heard a lot today. What if it was a trap by Bod?
His family could place tracking charms on Galleons—she wouldn't recklessly steal from them after everything that happened.
Today taught her that Bod Grey was cunning. With him, extreme caution was warranted.
Shhhla!
Vault 833—familiar territory!
Haha! This time it was more extravagant than before!
Galleons piled like small mountains. Rough estimate: no less than forty thousand.
Of the forty thousand, 17,000 was Ministry compensation, 7,000 was seasonal income—24,000 total.
Where did the remaining 16,000 come from?
No need to guess—probably from Malfoy, Greengrass, and other noble families.
Bod Grey, truly impressive.
Robbed the noble families, tricked the Ministry, yet stayed unscathed.
Since his family suffered first and made a scene, no one would suspect them.
Brilliant!
Splash! Hydrus poured the basin of water over the Galleons.
Water splashed, magic sparks flew, like a short circuit.
The charms were indeed applied!
She was glad she was cautious—almost fell for Bod's trick!
Bod's idea was probably "grab all the rabbits, no matter what."
Doesn't matter if it was an outsider or Serenis—tracking charms are trivial for him.
But now, no matter how sly, it was all neutralized by her water!
Take it all! Move it all!
Hahaha, over fifty thousand Galleons—enough to last until the final battle!
Watching the empty vault, only stalactites remaining, she was ecstatic.
Tonight, Rick and Golden Tiger would get a feast!
Meanwhile, Bod Grey Apparated to the Leaky Cauldron.
He strode in. Wizards chatted, others played cards, and a cat elegantly ate steak at a table.
But it didn't concern him—just now, his tracking charms on Gringotts' Galleons had all failed!
He needed to know why!
Seventy-something, yet running like a tiger.
Half his face masked. Hydrus' punch, like dark magic, couldn't be healed!
He cursed the lack of Floo network in Diagon Alley.
Entering Gringotts, verifying identity with keys, he still followed the proper procedure.
Boarding the cart, he bounced impatiently, earning bankers' disapproval.
Yet Mr. Grey was a VIP client—he couldn't be rude. Today alone, he deposited over forty thousand Galleons!
Layer by layer, anti-theft doors unlocked. Previously impressive, now tedious.
Finally, the vault door opened.
The sight inside stunned both the banker and Bod Grey.
A powerful wizard now felt like a retired Muggle with a family to support, tears streaming, kneeling.
Who?
Who did this?
He searched furiously for magical traces.
But Hydrus had acted too quickly. Bod couldn't arrive in time. Ten minutes had passed—no traces left.
Last quarter, he survived by selling Lestrange treasures. This quarter?
He thought he could profit easily… but now?
Steal again?
Meanwhile, Audrey was in her room, frolicking.
Galleons covered her bed. She rolled in them, laughing:
"Crunch, splash!""Hahaha, ha!""Splash, splash!""Hahaha, ha!"
Golden Tiger sat on the windowsill, watching her antics, shaking its head.
No longer caring, it gazed at the moon outside.
A new crescent moon peeked from behind clouds.
The moon was new.
The girl was new.