Hogwarts: Third Dark Lord

Wentworth stared at Lockhart, who stood in front of him wearing a sycophantic smile. With clear irritation, he said:

"I hope you've got a reason worth losing sleep over. Otherwise…"

Before Wentworth could finish, Lockhart hastily pulled a letter from his robes, offering it to Wentworth while blurting out:

"Auston Greengrass sent a letter—everything is ready! Our bank can open at any time!"

Hearing this, Wentworth took the letter from Auston with a look of surprise.

"So soon? They're remarkably efficient!"

Lockhart chuckled proudly.

"Thanks to Lucius pulling strings, the Ministry of Magic fast-tracked everything. And with the mountains of Galleons we threw around… of course things moved quickly!"

Wentworth read Auston's letter carefully. It detailed that the bank's location would also be in Diagon Alley—taller and grander than Gringotts itself. What's more, Cornelius Fudge had already agreed to transfer the Ministry's funds from Gringotts to the newly established Central Bank of the Wizarding World.

At that moment, Lockhart leaned in and whispered close to Wentworth's ear:

"Master…"

But before he could finish, Wentworth frowned and interrupted sharply:

"Who told you to call me that?!"

Lockhart grinned sheepishly.

"Well… Auston and the others all call you that, so I thought maybe I should too…"

He didn't get far. Wentworth cut him off again, clearly annoyed.

"I don't care what you think. I care what I think. You want to join the Alliance? Prove your worth first!"

With that, Wentworth handed the letter back to Lockhart without much thought and turned to leave. Lockhart quickly scrambled after him, asking:

"Mr. Greengrass also wanted me to ask—will you be attending the opening ceremony?"

Wentworth waved a hand dismissively, cutting him off:

"No. I'm a model student at Hogwarts. Studying brings me joy. You lot can handle that sort of minor event."

Lockhart nodded eagerly—just as he'd hoped. After all, if Wentworth did attend, there'd be no limelight left for him.

But after walking a dozen yards or so, Wentworth noticed Lockhart still trailing him. He stopped in his tracks, irritation bubbling again.

"Is there something else?"

Lockhart gave another oily grin.

"Well, about that, Master—if I really become the president of the Central Bank of the Wizarding World… what about my post here at Hogwarts…?"

Wentworth scoffed.

"Go ahead, leave. I'm sure everyone here will throw you a magnificent farewell party!"

Beaming at the response, Lockhart chuckled:

"Heh… oh, how generous! Haha…"

And indeed, as Wentworth predicted, the moment news broke that Lockhart would be leaving Hogwarts to take charge of the new bank in Diagon Alley, the castle erupted in celebration. It was as if the whole school had been liberated from a long-standing burden.

Even Dumbledore, after offering a token expression of regret, didn't attempt to convince him to stay. He immediately announced a farewell banquet in Lockhart's honor.

Soon after Lockhart's departure, The Daily Prophet reported on the grand opening of the Central Bank of the Wizarding World. In the article's photo, Lockhart wore his trademark grin.

Capitalizing on his natural flair for branding and self-promotion, Lockhart transformed the bank into the hottest topic in the wizarding world.

When the first customer received interest from a seven-day short-term deposit at the bank, the traditionally conservative wizarding community exploded with excitement.

Wizards realized that placing Galleons in the Central Bank not only didn't cost money—it earned them money!

Used to paying Gringotts for safeguarding their wealth, wizards quickly began withdrawing their gold from the old vaults and pouring it into the new institution.

Had it not been for Gringotts' minimal lending activity, the bank might've faced a full-blown run on deposits.

Even so, with the drastic decline in deposits, Gringotts' income took a significant hit.

Meanwhile, deep within a hidden cell in Gringotts, the ancient goblin high elder was recounting the recent upheaval to the imprisoned Raphael.

After listening to the elder, Raphael looked up and exclaimed in anguish:

"They… they're trying to uproot Gringotts entirely!"

The elder's face briefly showed a flash of regret, but it vanished quickly. He then asked:

"Do you have any ideas?"

Raphael nodded firmly.

"Yes! There's only one way!"

The elder blinked in surprise at the certainty, then leaned forward.

Raphael met his gaze and said slowly and deliberately:

"The best way… if you can't beat them, join them. We could adopt the methods of the Central Bank…"

But before he could finish, the high elder cut him off coldly:

"Absolutely not! Gringotts has upheld its traditions for thousands of years. We do not break them so easily! Throughout history, there have been those who sought to challenge Gringotts. And where are they now? Lost to the currents of time. But Gringotts endures!"

Raphael sighed and shook his head.

"Times have changed, Elder. Now—"

He didn't get to finish. The elder waved a hand dismissively.

"Enough! We've made some discoveries in Hogsmeade. Once we find what we're after, none of this will matter."

With that, the elder stormed off.

Raphael stood in stunned silence for a moment. Then, watching the elder's retreating figure, he bellowed:

"Elder! You mustn't! You're leading us goblins to ruin, Elder!"

But no matter how loudly he shouted, only his own voice echoed in the darkness.

...

At that very moment, having just completed his third year, Wentworth was happily packing his trunk, preparing to board the Hogwarts Express back to London.

That is, until Dumbledore stepped into his dormitory and asked:

"Wentworth, have you finished packing?"

Seeing Dumbledore, Wentworth straightened up respectfully.

"Almost done, Headmaster. I won't miss the train."

Dumbledore nodded in approval, then added:

"Be sure to bring extra warm clothes. It's quite cold there."

Wentworth blinked.

"Don't worry, Headmaster, I've packed… wait—there? Headmaster Dumbledore, I'm going back to London… aren't I?"

Dumbledore widened his eyes slightly, raising an eyebrow.

"Did I forget to mention? I'm taking you to Austria."

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