Chapter 30: The Fire Shield
Hydrus began swinging her hair, shaking the anti-magic water clinging to it onto the piles of Galleons.
The droplets scattered randomly across the gold, and, unlike last time, no magical effects appeared—these Galleons had not been tampered with!
Hydrus let out a sigh of relief. She certainly didn't want to risk touching the anti-magic water now.
It seemed that after five years of neglect, the Gray family had completely relaxed their vigilance.
Since the Galleons weren't under any location charms, it was time:
Vault Transportation, activate!
…
She pulled the lever, and Vault 870's door opened once more.
Audrey stepped out.
Seeing the gold had multiplied several times over, Puzi's eyes nearly popped out.
"Miss Astley!" he said obsequiously. "Would you like to buy the highest-grade vault? Only that would match your worth!"
Audrey tilted her head, thinking for a few seconds. She no longer needed Vault 870 as a stepping stone to sneak into the Gray family's vault.
Her vault was too close to theirs, and every time she deposited gold, their vault was being robbed—someone would eventually notice.
Buying the top-grade vault wasn't impossible. The high commission for selling the vault would at least keep Puzi's mouth shut.
The top-tier vault cost 10,000 Galleons—an amount she could easily afford.
"All right, let's buy one, Puzi," she said with a bright smile. "But I need to close Vault 870 and erase all my previous traces there."
"That's a bit difficult, Miss," Puzi said, rubbing his hands, clearly troubled.
Audrey pulled out a pouch filled with heavy coins and tossed it to Puzi.
He caught it carefully. Feeling the weight, he realized there were at least 1,000 Galleons inside. Ecstatic, he thought, Miss Astley is really generous!
"Oh, now that I think about it, your request is reasonable. Don't worry—I'll handle it properly!"
His joy almost burst from his chest. Selling a top-tier vault gave him an 800 Galleon commission, and Miss Astley gave him another 1,000! Almost a year's salary in one transaction!
Greedy little goblins, so predictable.
Audrey was happy too. Erasing future risks was always a good thing.
Spending 11,000 Galleons—normally something she'd flinch at—was no problem, especially after just reclaiming a 'huge' 100,000 Galleons.
…
After completing the paperwork and receiving the new vault key, the cart sped deeper into Gringotts. Audrey even glimpsed the Ukrainian Ironbelly guarding the deepest vaults.
They arrived at Vault 691.
Audrey looked at the massive space, far larger than Vault 870. Jagged stalactites hung from the ceiling, intricate murals adorned the walls, and polished obsidian tiles lined the floor. A sudden urge surged in her:
I want to fill this vault and sleep here… like a dragon!
…
…
"Sorry, Professor Daep, I took a little longer than expected."
Audrey apologized, counting out seven Galleons and handing them to Hydrus Lestrange.
"To make up for it, I'll cover your expenses at the Leaky Cauldron today…" she added.
Professor Daep gave her a meaningful glance, then smiled. "Then you'll be spending quite a bit."
"As a student, it's only right."
Her words sounded casual, but when Audrey reached the bar to pay, old Tom's bill shocked her.
"That'll be 432 Galleons and 7 Sickles. Let's round it down to 432 Galleons."
"Old Tom!" Audrey's voice trembled. "What did he serve to cost over 400 Galleons?"
Old Tom chuckled. "That's sherry from the era of the Four Founders! Even the bottle is an extraordinary alchemical artifact. Without it, the wine wouldn't have lasted this long."
Professor Daep stepped forward. "Not only that, this bottle absorbs magical elements from the air to enhance flavor," he said, gently swirling the half-full bottle. "This is a rare treasure—impossible to recreate, even Nick Lame could not reproduce this craftsmanship."
It looked like Daep and old Tom were conspiring to empty Audrey's purse.
Pouting, she reluctantly paid.
Her guilt over keeping Professor Daep waiting vanished. Drinking such a fine wine, even for free, made waiting an hour—or an afternoon—worth it.
This handsome old man was clearly trouble.
…
…
"All right," Professor Daep waved his new wand, moving the furniture in the Astley villa's living room to the walls, creating a huge open space.
"We can start your lessons, Audrey."
Rick leaned over the second-floor railing, watching with great interest. Curious about the magical world, he couldn't wait to see his sister in action.
The tabby cat, Golden Tiger, sat nearby, two alert eyes following the pair.
"I'll teach you the Iron Body Shield first," Professor Daep said. "Before you learn to attack, you must learn to take a hit."
Audrey groaned, gesturing to pause. "Wait! Professor Daep, shouldn't we start with Lumos or Levitation first?"
Daep rolled his eyes, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
Audrey didn't understand why this old man's expression of disdain seemed so natural, so practiced—like it was etched into his bones.
"Those basic textbook spells—you'd learn them in one glance with your aptitude. Do you need me to teach them?"
Being praised for her talent should have pleased her, but the tone made Audrey feel the opposite.
"The spell for Lumos is Lumos. Try it."
Audrey rolled her eyes. Teaching magic like this… the gestures, the tone—don't they need instruction?
Yet in front of Daep, she just wanted to prove herself, not be looked down upon. Strange as it was, she felt compelled.
"This man is dangerous… or rather, extremely charming."
"Lumos!"
Audrey waved her wand casually, and a light orb, as bright as a 100-watt bulb, appeared at the tip.
She felt she could control it at will. The orb detached from the wand and floated across the Astley living room.
"Oh! Amazing! Audrey!" Rick clapped wildly upstairs. "My sister can use magic!"
He patted Golden Tiger's head. "See! My sister can do magic!"
The cat scowled, swatting Rick's hand away elegantly, moving just out of reach before sitting again.
Rick sheepishly smiled—his sister's cat had never been kind to him.
In the living room, Daep waved his wand, and the orb vanished. Audrey was interrupted mid-play, staring at him in surprise.
"Had enough fun, Miss Astley?"
Daep's serious demeanor radiated authority. "I'm teaching you the Iron Body Shield now. The incantation is Protego."
Audrey followed his motion. A blue, transparent shield enveloped her.
Daep nodded, then cast a magical beam at her shield.
Pa! Pa! Pa!
By the fourth strike, her shield shattered—but Daep didn't stop. The red beam continued flying toward her.
"Protego!" Audrey cast a second shield, blocking his attack.
Daep nodded with satisfaction. "Good reflexes. Not a mindless caster—you adapt."
"Now, I'll teach you an advanced version of the Iron Body Shield."
"Fire Shield (Protego diabolica)!"
Audrey's eyes widened in disbelief as she looked at the tall man before her.
His pale right eye—once surely silver…
Audrey remembered clearly who had perfected this spell.
The man who had once plotted to overturn the International Secrecy Act:
Gellert Grindelwald.