Upon hearing the goblin's introduction, Wentworth glanced at the elder goblin leaning on his cane. Without so much as a word or a change in expression, he turned his gaze calmly back to Lockhart.
Lockhart: ???
As Wentworth's eyes met his, a faint smile curled at the corners of his lips as he said,
"So, Professor Lockhart—does this mean you're here to lend a hand?"
Lockhart nodded enthusiastically, replying at once,
"Absolutely! I may not have taught you a single class yet, but I am your professor. And when a student's in trouble, it's only right for the professor to step in!"
He cast a glance around the grand hall of Gringotts, sighed deeply, and added,
"But judging by the current situation, it looks like you don't need my help after all. In that case, I'll take my leave. See you at Hogwarts when term starts!"
He turned briskly to leave, but had barely taken a step when Auston moved to block his path, expressionless as he said flatly,
"The Master hasn't given you permission to leave. Back."
Caught off guard, Lockhart forced an awkward smile as he turned back to face Wentworth.
Wentworth's smile never wavered as he spoke again.
"Now, now, Professor Lockhart—no need to be in such a rush. Who said your help wasn't needed? As it happens, there's a small matter I could use your assistance with."
Lockhart blinked, then chuckled to mask his embarrassment before replying,
"No problem at all—just tell me what you need me to do."
Wentworth gestured toward the elderly goblin behind him.
"I'd be grateful if you could help confirm whether he truly is the High Elder of the goblins."
Lockhart turned to examine the goblin leaning on his cane. The goblin remained perfectly still, silent and unmoved as he gazed back at Lockhart and Wentworth.
Lockhart scratched his head, clearly puzzled.
"Er… how exactly am I supposed to confirm that?"
Wentworth shrugged with a mock sigh of helplessness.
"That depends entirely on your talents, Professor. The simplest option would be Legilimency, of course."
But before the words had even finished leaving his lips, Wentworth stepped closer to Lockhart and lowered his voice,
"Of course, if you prefer, the Imperius Curse is a fine alternative."
At that, Lockhart froze, speechless and stiff.
Staring at the old goblin before him, Lockhart felt a bitter taste rising in his mouth.
He didn't know Legilimency. If he attempted it, he might just erase the poor goblin's memories entirely. And if that happened—well, never mind the Alliance's wrath, the goblins of Gringotts certainly wouldn't let him walk away unscathed.
Just then, the young goblin supporting the High Elder broke in with a sharp protest:
"You're going too far! Goblins have dignity too!"
The words instantly caught Wentworth's attention. With a cold smile, he turned and walked toward the goblins. Behind him, Lockhart let out a long sigh of relief.
Wentworth approached slowly, towering over the two goblins before him.
Seeing this, Auston and the others drew their wands and pointed them squarely at the goblins, ready to protect Wentworth should they make a move.
Wentworth studied the pair. The High Elder stood still, eyes half-closed, entirely unresponsive.
But the younger goblin glared furiously, eyes ablaze with rage.
Wentworth scoffed, unimpressed.
"Dignity? In the wizarding world, dignity lies at the tip of a wand. And you lot—who don't even carry wands—want to talk to me about dignity?"
"Being weak doesn't mean you deserve to be attacked—but the only reason you're not being hexed right now is because I choose not to. You've lost, and yet you posture like nobles?"
The young goblin clenched his fists in fury, clearly moments away from lashing out.
But just then, the High Elder finally spoke:
"Heir of the Grindelwald family, must you cast us in such a degrading light? Even after the fall of the Alliance, even after Gellert Grindelwald imprisoned himself in Nurmengard, we goblins of Gringotts have upheld the ancient pact—guarding the Grindelwald family vault."
"And yet today, you storm into Gringotts as if it were unguarded, slaughtering our staff with impunity—wizard and goblin alike!"
Wentworth sneered.
"Don't try to paint yourselves as noble guardians, Elder. You protected that vault because it was your job. Nothing more, nothing less."
"As for why we broke into Gringotts, and why we drew our wands inside—don't tell me you truly don't know the reason?"
At that, silence fell once more over the grand hall.
Then came the sound of approaching footsteps.
From the far end of the hall, four goblins marched forward, surrounding a disheveled, unshaven wizard and escorting him toward Wentworth and the Elder.
Abernathy, though clearly worse for wear, scanned the room with alert eyes. Upon spotting Wentworth, a smile finally broke across his tired face.
Standing before him, Abernathy said in a mock-cheerful tone:
"They didn't kill me straight away. Locked me up instead. That's when I knew—I was going to live! Hah!"
Seeing that Abernathy was still in good spirits despite his haggard appearance, Wentworth relaxed visibly.
Rosier stepped forward, her face devoid of emotion as she muttered,
"You're a disgrace."
Abernathy lowered his head without protest.
At that moment, the High Elder spoke again:
"This wizard infiltrated Gringotts using Transfiguration. We caught him red-handed. But upon discovering the Alliance insignia on him, we refrained from punishing him further. Today, we return him to your hands."
"Let today's events end here. What say you, heir of Grindelwald?"
Wentworth smiled cryptically. Instead of answering, he turned to Abernathy, tidied his robes, and handed him off to Rosier. Then, turning back to the High Elder, Wentworth said calmly:
"There's still one more, isn't there?"
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