A towering, snow-white building stood tall among the shops, its bronze doors polished and shiny from countless cleanings. Standing guard at the entrance were goblin attendants with strange, mole-like faces, pointed beards, and cunning eyes. Each goblin was dressed in a scarlet uniform trimmed with gold and buttons made of bronze, silver, and gold.
A young professor stepped through the first set of doors and entered the wizarding bank. Inside, another set of doors, this one of pure silver, bore the inscription:
"Enter, stranger, but take heed
Of what awaits the sin of greed,
For those who take but do not earn,
Must pay most dearly in their turn."
Melvin paid no mind to the warning. He carried a cage with a rat inside, walked past the bowing goblin attendants, and approached a counter where a goblin was free. "Hello, I'd like to deposit some Galleons into my vault, Melvin Lewent's vault."
"Do you have your key, sir?"
"Yes, I do." Melvin handed over the key. As the goblin was about to summon an available attendant to lead the way, Melvin interrupted. "Can I ask for Griphook? He helped me last time."
The goblin looked at him, surprised. "Of course. I will find him to take you to the underground vaults... Griphook!"
A moment later, a small goblin with bat-like ears walked up quickly. He glanced at Melvin and his ears twitched. "Professor, please follow me."
He opened the door to the underground vaults and they walked down a narrow, stone corridor. Griphook stood by the tracks and looked at Melvin awkwardly before blowing his whistle. "Professor, are you also depositing your rat into the vault?"
Melvin looked down and chuckled. "My apologies, I completely forgot I brought a rat with me."
"If it is not to be stored, you can leave it here, and a goblin will look after it. You can pick it up on your way out," Griphook said with a polite smile, showing a row of sharp teeth that looked slightly menacing.
"As you wish."
Griphook seemed to relax as the rat cage was placed in a corner. He blew his whistle, and a cart rattled down the tracks toward them.
The rat, Scabbers, huddled in the cage, watching them get into the cart and disappear down the tracks. A faint glow shimmered in his beady eyes.
"Squeak..."
They followed the same procedure as last time, rumbling deep into the earth. The iron tracks hummed as they sped through a cavern filled with stalactites and a large underground lake. Since Melvin was a returning customer, there was no Thieves' Downfall waterfall to check them, and they went straight to the deepest part of the vault. As Griphook opened the vault door, Melvin looked back and saw the old, blind dragon curled up in a cave, its eyes half-open and its scales peeling off like a mangy dog.
"Didn't you say you were getting a Sphinx?" Melvin asked.
"You mean a Sphinx?" Griphook replied without turning around. He tapped the wall with the key to reveal the keyhole before carefully opening the vault door. "Those are too precious. The Egyptian Ministry of Magic has recently listed them as a protected species, and Gringotts has not been able to find a properly trained guardian. So, it has been temporarily put on hold."
The vault door swung open, and the goblin turned around, bowing slightly. "Please rest assured, no one would dare offend Gringotts. Your treasures are completely safe."
Melvin was noncommittal and walked inside. It was quiet, the air was stuffy, and there was a faint smell of earth. In the center of the room was a shimmering gold mountain of Galleons he had deposited last time.
"Here are the Galleons I'm depositing this time. Would you like to count them?" Melvin asked, shaking a small linen bag so the coins clattered.
"No, Professor. This vault is yours, and these Galleons are yours. Gringotts is only responsible for protecting and guarding them."
Although Griphook said this, he still had a genuine smile on his face, as if he were happy for the gold that wasn't his.
Melvin smiled faintly, understanding that the goblin had let his guard down. He casually asked, "Easter is coming up, and I plan to go on a long trip. But my business needs to be looked after. How can someone else get these Galleons if I'm not here to do it myself?"
"That's easy. If you make arrangements ahead of time, the wizard just needs to bring the vault key."
"What if there's an emergency and I can't make arrangements ahead of time?"
"That's more complicated. You would need to write a letter, one that clearly states your wishes and proves the identity of the person you're entrusting.
"I see."
Melvin nodded. The Galleons had been deposited. He walked around the vault, asking, "Does Gringotts often encounter this kind of situation?"
"Occasionally. Some clients have special needs," Griphook said, his eyes glued to the gold.
"What if, and I mean if, a client is still alive but for some reason is unable to come back or write a letter? How would they get their belongings out of the vault?"
"They would need the vault key, and the person acting on their behalf would need to prove their identity, either as a close relative or with written authorization from the Ministry of Magic," Griphook replied, scratching his head. The questions were a bit strange, but he didn't think too much of it. "That's all I know. If there's another situation, you'll have to speak with the manager."
"I understand..."
Melvin's eyes were filled with contemplation.
---
The fire in the Gryffindor common room's fireplace crackled as a small, shimmering movie screen flickered in front of it. The young wizards sat cross-legged on the rug, staring intently at the floating images.
On the screen, a magical beast the size of a troll—a lion with a human-like face and a scorpion's tail—crouched behind some trees. Its tail, a long scorpion's stinger, glistened menacingly.
The sight of the creature shocked some of the younger students, and some girls screamed, averting their eyes. They still couldn't resist, however, and watched from the corner of their eyes.
"On the Serengeti Plains of Tanzania, something extraordinary is happening. The recent storms have created a perfect hunting ground for the wild beasts. Here, a proud female Manticore stands tall. She is an expert hunter, a master of magical defense, and can resist nearly all known spells. Any creature stung by her tail will die instantly. She is more lethal than a sea serpent, an Acromantula, or even a Basilisk."
"At the same time, she is a great mother. It is extremely painful for her to nurse and care for her cubs..."
These were real, wild magical creatures. Unlike the boring text and pictures in their books, their habits and characteristics were shown in a way that was both profound and visceral. It was a story of the law of the jungle but with a different spin. After the hunt, it explored the bond between a mother and her young, creating a powerful emotional contrast between violence and tenderness.
The students' minds were still young, and they hadn't seen anything like this. The boys were mesmerized by the sleek hunting scenes, while the girls were moved to tears by the mother-and-child moments. They had a new understanding of these dangerous 5X-rated creatures.
Even rule-abiding Percy thought that Fred and George had done something right for once, after they begged Professor McGonagall to allow them to watch the program on the common room screen every weekend. Harry, who was used to watching television at the Dursleys, was equally captivated and refused to move from the fireplace, even to use the restroom.
A sudden cold chill swept through the room. It was Nearly Headless Nick, who dangled his head from the ceiling, also staring at the screen. Without turning, he whispered, "Harry, Harry..."
"Nearly Head..." Harry stopped himself. "Nick, what's wrong?"
"Someone wants to speak with you. They're waiting in the abandoned classroom downstairs."
"Who?"
"That Slytherin boy, the one with the platinum blonde hair!"
"Malfoy... Is it about Dobby?" Harry frowned slightly.
He had promised to forfeit the duel to save Malfoy's honor, and Malfoy had promised to free Dobby. They had agreed on this during their dueling club practice. What was there to talk about now? Did something happen? Or had Dobby already been freed?
Unable to come up with an answer, Harry glanced at his friends and tugged on their sleeves. "Ron, Hermione, come with me for a minute... Ron, Ron, Ron!"
Ron, who was engrossed in the saddening scene of the Manticore losing her cub, was startled by Harry's shouting. Before he could complain, he was dragged away from the screen and behind an empty sofa.
He grumbled, "What are you doing? It was getting to the good part!"
Harry explained in a low voice, "Malfoy wants to talk to me downstairs. I'm not sure what it's about, but I want you to come with me."
"What if he's going back on his word and trying to get revenge? He probably has Crabbe and Goyle waiting to ambush you," Ron said, always assuming the worst about Malfoy.
Harry hesitated. "Do you think so? I doubt it."
"He's not that stupid. Besides, we should hurry. Dinner is almost ready," Hermione added.
"You never know with him."
Ron glanced at the screen one last time before following his friends. A friend's safety was more important. They quietly slipped out of the common room while everyone was still distracted and went to the abandoned classroom that Nick had mentioned.
There was no Crabbe or Goyle, just Malfoy, who was standing by the window, bored and looking into the distance.
"Weasley, Granger..." Draco looked confused when he saw the three of them approaching cautiously. He seemed to guess their suspicions and sneered.
Harry and his friends pretended not to notice. "You wanted to talk to us?"
"Something happened with the house-elf," Draco said, spreading his hands helplessly. "I wrote a letter to my mother, Narcissa, asking her to free Dobby. But I didn't realize that the ownership of Dobby belonged to my father, Lucius. Even though we could all command him, my father was his true master."
"I can't just convince my father to free a house-elf. It's like asking him to throw away hundreds of Galleons," Draco said. He paused, realizing his comparison wasn't a good one, since the latter was something he actually had some hope of accomplishing. He shook his head. "If you're not in a hurry, you can wait until I get home for the summer and I'll think of something. Or you can wait until I inherit the Malfoy family. Then I will honor my promise and free Dobby."
Hermione's brows furrowed.
"You're just trying to get out of it, aren't you?" Ron said, accusingly.
"The Malfoy family has always had a good reputation in business," Draco said, tilting his chin proudly. "If you can't wait, you can try to figure it out yourselves. I will help you however I can."
---
A few minutes later, the trio left the classroom, discussing the conversation.
"What could we possibly do?" Ron said, indignantly. "He just doesn't want to keep his word!"
Hermione frowned slightly, a glimmer of an idea in her mind. "Dobby once mentioned in the hospital wing that a house-elf can only be set free if its master gives it an article of clothing."
"But Mr. Malfoy is so careful. He won't even give Dobby a sock," Harry said, trying to organize his thoughts. He looked up at Hermione, and a sudden idea flashed in his mind. "That's it! That's what Malfoy wants us to figure out! He's hinting that we need to get Mr. Malfoy to give Dobby an article of clothing, even a single sock!"
Ron scratched his head, looking doubtful. "But we won't even have a chance to see him..."
Ron mumbled to himself. He happened to glance at a corner of the staircase and his eyes widened. He shouted excitedly, "Scabbers! I see Scabbers!"
In the corner, a grey rat was curled up, taking a nap. He looked a bit thinner than before, but he still had some bald spots. Most importantly, he was missing a toe!
"Scabbers! My Scabbers! You're alive!"
Ron rushed over, his movements gentle as he scooped up the grey rat. He carefully held it in his hands. "I knew it! I knew it! You've lived with us for twelve years! There's no way a Basilisk could have done anything to you!"
The rat opened its eyes, as if happy to be reunited with Ron. It affectionately rubbed his nose.
"..."
Harry and Hermione looked at each other and fell silent. The sight of the ugly, grey rat being so affectionate with their friend was a little... indescribable.