In the evening, Madame Bones and a group of students walked out of Gringotts surrounded by goblins, immediately drawing the attention of journalists who had received early news. The flash of cameras was blinding. Madame Bones announced to the public that the negotiations had gone smoothly, and some issues had been agreed upon.
The spokesperson for the Gringotts goblins agreed with this statement and explained the recent dragon escape incident.
"That dragon had long been unfit for duty. If you were informed, you'd know that Gringotts has been looking for a replacement. Yes, the dragon has been moved elsewhere, awaiting further action. For the time being, Sphinxes are guarding the most important vaults. We even considered dressing trolls in goblin-made armor, whose defensive capabilities rival that of dragons."
When a journalist inquired about the reason for the dragon's escape, the goblin spokesperson awkwardly replied:
"The Elders decided to move the dragon temporarily to avoid frightening our esteemed guests. Unfortunately, an accident occurred en route. The responsibility was with an outsider, unfamiliar with controlling dragons... Broderick Bode, who unfortunately died in the accident. Details cannot be disclosed."
After the impromptu press conference, Harry and others joined Ron, proposing to grab a drink together. Thus, a large group surged into the Leaky Cauldron, which was overcrowded with wizards discussing the event. As they looked around, unsure where to sit, Neville waved vigorously at them from a dark, secluded corner.
"Harry, Ron—over here!" he shouted excitedly.
Once seated, Ron was displeased to find Draco Malfoy sitting next to him. "I thought you went home," he grumbled.
"The negotiations aren't over; of course, I couldn't leave," Draco sneered at Ron, provoking him to glower back. "Besides, you were excluded from the negotiations. Naturally, you're unaware of the role I played."
Ron paused, looking towards Harry, who reluctantly nodded in acknowledgment of Draco's contribution."So, what happened during the negotiations? Why did a dragon run loose?"
Harry briefly outlined the entire negotiation process.
"It doesn't sound like an accident," Tonks commented, thanking Tom, the barkeeper, as he served their drinks. She then dropped a string of shiny grapes that looked quite tempting.
"Oh." Tonks pursed her lips. "Bought it from Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. You can try them; they're called Flavor Grapes, somewhat similar to Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans."
Neville picked one. "Tastes like red cabbage," he said, relieved. Hannah tried one, flicking her ponytail, "Pumpkin pie flavor." "Spinach... not bad," Colin commented after a small bite. "Celery," Harry grimaced, reaching for a glass of water to rinse his mouth. Hermione and Ginny, knowing the grapes were from Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, didn't even touch them.
Returning to their conversation, Ron confidently declared, "It was that cock-eyed Broderick's doing. They wanted to use the dragon to scare people but miscalculated. As soon as Madame Bones gave the signal, the Aurors outside would've stormed in, right, Collins?"
Collins nodded.
"And then?" Neville asked, curious about what happened after the dragon flew away.
"The rest of the time was uneventful. Most of it was Hermione speaking, occasionally pausing to ask Madame Bones for her opinion or to answer questions posed by the goblins. Often, they would argue over a single word for ten or fifteen minutes, even half an hour. I felt like I was back in History of Magic class," Harry said.
Everyone laughed. Hermione rolled her eyes but highlighted several valuable points from the negotiations, helping everyone to understand the key aspects.
"We avoided some thorny issues," Hermione stated. "These are the deadlocks of hostility between wizards and goblins, not easily untangled. Perhaps it would require the Professor's intervention."
They also mentioned the goblin spokesperson's words.
"'Esteemed guests,'" Ron made a face of disgust. "I've never heard a goblin speak so pleasantly."
"If you rent one of Gringotts' high-security vaults and deposit a large sum of money," Draco smirked, irritating Ron who glared back, "you'd get tired of hearing it."
"How much money do you have? Just for yourself?" Ron retorted. "I have over a thousand Galleons at my disposal."
Draco was taken aback.
"Where did you get so much money?" he couldn't help asking, as a thousand Galleons was a significant amount even for him.
"I saved diligently," Ron said without hesitation. "Triwizard Tournament prize money, royalties from match recordings, fees for my articles—oh, right," he slapped his forehead, "I've also deposited a large sum in a Muggle newspaper. Wonder if I could claim it if the negotiations succeed?" he said uncertainly
.
"You fell into a pile of money?" Ginny said.
"That's what I'm owed," Ron grumbled. "Have I ever skimped on gifts for you?"
Ginny pouted. Draco gloated, "When I graduate, my family will give me a large sum, a very large sum, understand? At least several thousand Galleons..."
"What does that have to do with you?" Harry asked disdainfully.
"Yeah, Harry's vault also has a lot of money, but he never mentions it," Ron immediately added.
"Oh, please," Hermione said impatiently, "Since when did you start competing over this? I don't think money can solve the problems we're facing—"
"The small and humble can't understand the benefits brought by money," Draco scoffed. "My father has established relations with many outstanding Healers—maybe in a few years, I'll become the head of the first wizard-Muggle joint hospital."
"Really?" Hermione retorted sharply. "Then, could the distinguished heir of the Malfoy family tell me, if this business has such a bright future, why hasn't anyone else ventured into it? Is it because of the Malfoy family's influence? Or is it the path paved by your boasted wealth and power? Oh, I almost forgot, Malfoy only has the money option left."
Draco's face darkened. Hermione's words were harsh but true.
The Malfoy family's wealth and prestige had drastically diminished after the war, their influence greatly reduced. The only reason no pureblood families had meddled with the hospital was that they all believed it to be compensation for Lucius's undercover work given by Professor Harp.
But the truth—
Draco remembered his father's words. "He never promised anything, might not even know about it, preserving the Malfoy family was his compensation for my undercover work," Lucius had said in the study.
"That—"
"It's because of you. Among the people he had contact with, only you showed this inclination, and he was happy to support you," Lucius analyzed calmly. "The wealth accumulated by the Malfoy family over generations, along with the connections to Muggles, would make this easy, but remember, you're not the only option, which is why I've been publicly promoting this matter and even secretly warned some pureblood families," he said with a cold laugh.
"High-born purebloods? Now pureblood means nothing, turned into 'impure blood' families."
...
In the following days, the negotiations got on track. With everyone's hard work, the parties entered substantive negotiation processes, breaking through one obstacle after another, as Hermione predicted, leaving only some very stubborn issues, such as the ownership of items crafted by goblins and whether goblins could own wands.
"Those are details, and details don't matter to me. Our discussion is about whether goblins want to join the Pan-Magical Alliance—with most sentient beings already a part." In one of the negotiations, Felix appeared, stating his position.
"Goblins can own wands, but there will be a price. The day goblins hold wands will be the day the special methods of goblin metal forging become public knowledge." He turned to Hermione, "Write that down in the terms' notes."
"Oh, yes, Professor!" Hermione hurriedly said, scribbling annotations on the parchment.
An uncomfortable silence followed. Both goblins and wizards present were somewhat dissatisfied with the outcome, feeling their side had lost, but upon further reflection, this was almost the best way around the controversy.
Goblins theoretically gained the rights they had been fighting for centuries. These rights had been legally restricted before, non-wizards could not own wands, but today, a breakthrough was made. However, the cost was staggering—
What is the special method of goblin metal forging?
It's related to the goblins' innate talents and their unique magical system. Once all this is deciphered, goblins will no longer have secrets.
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