Now that he knew the rules, Richie returned the Hogwarts Library Rules & Regulations pamphlet to Madam Pince and quickly located the first three books on Flitwick's list using the catalog.
After registering at the desk under Madam Pince's watchful eye, he confidently made his way into the stacks.
The shelves were clearly organized by subject, with large plaques hanging above each section.
"Potions, History of Magic, Herbology, Astronomy..."
"Charms! Found it."
Scanning the Charms section, Richie easily located the books he needed.
He carried the three heavy tomes back to an oak table, set them aside, and pulled out his parchment to start his essay.
It had been a long, long time since Richie had to write a disciplinary essay. But for anyone who had survived twelve years of mandatory public education in his past life, writing an apology letter was practically muscle memory.
You start by commenting on the weather, then seamlessly transition into a detailed, objective summary of the incident. Next, you dig into the "root causes," making sure to analyze the situation from multiple perspectives to show genuine reflection. Then comes the profound expression of remorse. Finally, you wrap it up with a concrete action plan: If I ever find myself in a similar situation again, I will...
Following that formula, Richie effortlessly cranked out a ten-inch essay. With that out of the way, he eagerly pulled the first book toward him.
Born of Lies.
> "A wizard points their wand at the world but fails to cast a spell—not out of cowardice, but because the world's lie has already taken hold..."
---
87 Diagon Alley: Gringotts Wizarding Bank.
Annabelle Godwin stood in front of the massive bronze doors of Gringotts, looking incredibly sharp in her tailored Ministry uniform shirt and dragon-hide gloves.
"Dressed like that, you look less like you're here to assist an investigation and more like you're planning to raid the place."
Standing next to her was Kingsley Shacklebolt, a Senior Auror from the British Ministry of Magic's Auror Office. He kept sneaking sideways glances at her.
Annabelle was the new "thorny rose" who had been recently parachuted into the British Ministry as a Senior Investigator for the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes. When the assignment to accompany her came down, the bachelors in the Auror Office had practically fought a bloodbath for the spot.
Nobody knew exactly how the duel went down, but the end result was Kingsley Shacklebolt standing next to Annabelle outside the recently robbed Gringotts bank.
Annabelle just shrugged, her eyes fixed on the silver inner doors and the poem engraved on them:
> Enter, stranger, but take heed
> Of what awaits the sin of greed,
> ...
> Thief, you have been warned, beware
> Of finding more than treasure there.
"Reading that poem now feels a bit ironic, doesn't it?"
Seeing that Annabelle was ignoring him, Kingsley followed her gaze to the doors and tried to impress her with his insight.
"Gringotts boasts about being the safest bank in the world, yet one of their Level Two vaults was just successfully burglarized. It clearly proves their 'impenetrable' security is far weaker than they'd have us believe."
"What's even more ridiculous is that they actively covered it up for an entire month just to save face."
Annabelle shot the endlessly chatting Auror a subtle eyeroll.
She understood his animosity toward the goblins, but they were here to investigate a crime, not launch a political crusade. Standing right on the goblins' front porch and gleefully rubbing salt in their wounds? Did he want them to refuse to cooperate?
He was literally just making their job harder.
Catching that fleeting, exasperated eyeroll, Kingsley's eyes went wide, and his heart unexpectedly skipped a beat.
Annabelle, still ignoring him, raised her hand and gave a sharp signal.
The squad of Aurors and magical forensic investigators behind them instantly split into two teams. One team spread out to secure the perimeter and clear the area, while the other—armed with official Ministry warrants—marched straight into the main hall of Gringotts.
Annabelle strode inside without looking back. Kingsley quickly wiped his mouth and hurried after her.
While the forensic team began processing the main hall, Annabelle and Kingsley followed a goblin named Griphook down into the subterranean rail system, heading straight for the crime scene: Vault 713.
The cart soon screeched to a halt outside the vault.
Dozens of goblins were already there, looking incredibly grim as they scanned the heavy vault door with their own brand of goblin magic, occasionally breaking into heated, sharp-tongued arguments.
The moment the two wizards stepped off the cart, the goblins instantly fell silent, turning as one to glare at them.
"So, what have you found over the past month?" Annabelle asked, stepping off the tracks and observing the area.
Gringotts vaults were located miles underground, protected by layers of ancient goblin magic. Outside of the rail carts, there was literally no physical way to reach them. The vaults themselves were warded heavily against theft, and the massive metal doors were forged to withstand both high-level spellfire and physical explosives.
The goblins exchanged dark looks, but no one spoke. The silence in the cavern grew thick and suffocating.
Annabelle frowned and asked again. "What have you found over the past month?"
"Found... Hmph," one of the goblins finally sneered, though it sounded defensive. "Gringotts is the safest place on earth! No living creature could possibly break our enchantments or steal what is ours!"
Kingsley smirked, opening his mouth to deliver a cutting remark, but Annabelle immediately threw a hand up to silence him.
She took a few steps forward and leaned down, looking the aggressive goblin dead in the eye.
"But the fact remains that something was stolen from your vault."
"We are here to help you provide a satisfactory explanation to the Ministry and the wizarding public."
"But right now... your attitude is making that very difficult for me."
Staring into Annabelle's piercing amber eyes, the goblin paled slightly and took a nervous step back.
"Apologies. Uth is merely anxious."
An older goblin wearing a deep crimson robe stepped forward. The other goblins immediately bowed their heads slightly, clearly indicating his high rank.
"I am Ragnok, Head of Vault Security for Gringotts."
Annabelle straightened up and introduced them. "Annabelle Godwin, Senior Coordinating Investigator for the Department of Magical Accidents. This is Kingsley Shacklebolt, Senior Auror."
The surrounding goblins exchanged knowing glances. Ah. The Ministry investigator and her bodyguard.
Ragnok nodded and continued. "As Uth stated, our magical wards show no signs of being broken or bypassed."
"And there are absolutely no signs of forced physical entry around the vault door."
"The only anomaly we discovered was on the handle." Ragnok turned and gestured toward the open vault.
Annabelle followed him to the massive metal door.
"The bronze handle is enchanted with a severe Blistering Curse. Anyone who touches it without authorization will suffer horrific burns. The door will only open when it registers the unique palm print of an authorized Gringotts goblin."
"We found residual traces of magic on the handle. A Freezing Charm."
"That is the primary evidence that led us to conclude an intruder attempted a theft," Ragnok explained.