Hogwarts Raven (Harry Potter)

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The goblins' ears might as well have turned hypersensitive. When the mohawk goblin screamed with a sharp, explosive shriek, the entire Gringotts lobby instantly descended into chaos.

Some goblins dropped their jewels, abandoned whatever business they were handling, and sprinted toward the back vault doors. Others just dove under their desks and trembled there, terrified.

The scene was bizarre.

Ian was left dumbfounded, not knowing how to react.

"Do Goblins play World of Warcraft, too? Wait, WoW hasn't even been released yet." Ian had his suspicions, though he couldn't be sure if they were accurate.

"What's going on?" Mr. and Mrs. Granger were also startled by the goblins' reactions. In the blink of an eye, the once bustling lobby had become completely goblin-free, and not even a single goblin head was in sight.

Even the one that had been helping them had hidden under the counter. The couple exchanged glances, their expressions filled with confusion.

They wondered if this was some kind of magical world ritual or scheduled event.

"Are you robbing the bank?"

Only Hermione realized that the goblins were terrified. She ran over to Ian, her face full of disbelief.

"I just saw the goblin that was helping you peeing himself while he ran away!"

"Maybe I've robbed it before, but not this time," Ian said, helplessly rubbing his forehead. He was starting to suspect that Albus Dumbledore and Nicolas Flamel might soon make a breakthrough in their time-turner research.

"What do you mean? You robbed it before, and forgot about it?" Hermione hadn't yet developed the kind of lateral thinking a wizard ought to have. Her Muggle-born knowledge base kept her reasoning very limited.

"Whatever the archmage Medivh did… what does that have to do with me?"

Ian suddenly shifted to outright denial. 'You had to admit, the kid was quick on his feet.'

He had come to his senses.

No matter what he might do in the future, since he had chosen the path of using an alias, he absolutely could not reveal anything suspicious to anyone, not a single breadcrumb.

As per usual, by rounding the logic a bit, he figured he bore no responsibility for any cause-and-effect.

"Uh…"

Hermione was rendered speechless by Ian's constantly shifting personality.

Just then, a deep and heavy rumbling echoed from the vault doors deeper within the hall.

"Dammit, Kumba! Today's not April Fool's!"

A goblin with a bushy mustache, a beret, and a pipe in his mouth was the first to emerge through the door.

Following him was none other than the terrified mohawk goblin, Kumba, who clearly hadn't had time to change pants, yellow liquid was still dripping from his crotch. Judging by the smell, he'd definitely been eating too much spicy food lately.

"Medivh was a legend from nearly two thousand years ago! You lot must be insane! A human wizard can't possibly live for two millennia and then de-age himself! This is just your deep-rooted fear talking. If you ask me, it all comes from your cowardly ancestors. There are tons of people in the world who look alike, and…"

The mustached goblin kept ranting, very much like a manager scolding a subordinate.

But the moment he approached Ian and the Grangers,

Thud~

Not only did his scolding stop abruptly, but his legs turned to jelly, almost sending him face-first to the ground.

"Supreme Archmage Medivh!!"

His eyes locked on Ian's face, and he let out an even sharper shriek than Kumba had before. Clearly, this goblin's ancestor wasn't just timid; they were probably cursed, too.

Then, a bird-claw-shaped brand appeared on the mustached goblin's forehead. The burning sensation, along with a binding force from deep within his soul, made him drop to his knees with a thud, with no warning at all.

"I knew it! I knew it!!"

Kumba the goblin shouted in terror upon seeing this and turned tail without hesitation, fleeing again, tumbling and scrambling with practiced ease.

Perhaps the goblin had already mentally rehearsed this moment countless times.

"What exactly did Medivh do to you all?"

Ian could sense a mysterious connection lingering in the air. He raised his hand and lightly brushed the claw-shaped brand on the mustached goblin's forehead, and it immediately grew redder.

The goblin's body trembled even more violently, its spasms so rhythmic it could outdo a Korean girl group dancing with surprise eggs stuffed down their dresses.

"Don't eat me! Please don't eat me! We goblins have always abided by the terms of the contract!" The mustachioed goblin didn't seem to even hear Ian's question as he pleaded.

It wailed uncontrollably, replying in complete gibberish.

Gone was the smug air it had while reprimanding the other goblins earlier.

Ian walked up to the kneeling goblin, staring down at the creature who barely reached his knees. He could clearly sense the terror emanating from the goblin's heart.

"I'm not Medivh," Ian said, "But I think I understand now… Medivh was probably the husband of the cousin of the son of the younger sister of the wife of the father-in-law of my aunt's son."

'Ian's way of comforting others remained… unique.'

Whether it was because the explanation was too convoluted for the goblin to follow or because the goblin simply didn't have the courage to think straight at this moment, it didn't matter.

Either way, the goblin failed to notice anything suspicious in Ian's bizarre family tree logic. It simply took in the key point, Ian had denied being Medivh.

Trembling, the goblin lifted its head, eyes filled with confusion and doubt.

"You… You mean you inherited the wealth of the House and the contract signed with my ancestors?"

"What do you think?" Ian replied calmly, though inwardly he wasn't so sure himself.

Still, he kept his expression neutral and threw the question back at the goblin.

The goblin, normally a shrewd and calculating species, was now clearly in no shape to play clever.

"We've always honored the contract!"

No interrogation was needed. The mustached goblin blurted everything out on its own. Struggling to stand, it fumbled around and pulled out a shiny gold Galleon from its robes.

"Goblins are loyal to contracts! Goblins don't fear surprise audits!"

Whatever was going on in its mind, it clearly imagined some worst-case scenario. As it spoke nonsense no wizard would ever believe, it held the Galleon up toward the overhead chandelier.

And,

On the coin's portrait side, a wizard in traditional robes with a thick beard was engraved, the face shining brilliantly under the reflected light.

"Who's that? A big shot in the wizarding world?" Hermione asked, curious, having slipped free from her parents' grip.

"I've been wondering that too," Ian admitted.

"He supposedly represents all wizards," The goblin explained, "But if you use one of the hidden anti-counterfeit charms…"

The mustached goblin began to rhythmically tilt the Galleon. Light shimmered off its surface, catching the coin at different angles.

Soon, the engraved bearded wizard began to warp. Under specific lighting, the beard slowly faded.

And then, a strikingly handsome face emerged, clearly and unmistakably.

"Huh?" Ian's pupils shrank slightly.

It was as if one of his wildest guesses was slowly being confirmed.

(To Be Continued…)