Hydrus began to shake her hair. The Anti-Magic Water clinging to it was flung onto the Galleons.
The droplets scattered randomly onto the pile of money. The magical effect from last time did not appear, which meant these Galleons had not been tampered with!
This made Hydrus sigh in relief. She really didn't want to risk fetching the Anti-Magic Water at a time like this.
It was clear that her five years of not messing with the Gray family had made them completely lower their guard.
Since the Galleons hadn't been enchanted with a tracking charm, then...
'Vault-Moving Technique, activate!'
...
She pulled the ring, and the door to Vault 870 opened again.
Audrey walked out.
Seeing the amount of Galleons in the vault had multiplied several times, Puzzi's eyes nearly popped out.
"Miss Astley!" he began obsequiously. "Would you like to purchase a top-tier vault? Only that would be worthy of your status!"
Audrey tilted her head, thinking for a few seconds. To sneak into the Gray family vault now, she didn't actually need Vault 870 as a springboard anymore.
This vault of hers was too close to the Gray family's vault. And every time she came to make a deposit, the Gray vault was robbed. Sooner or later, someone observant would notice.
'Buying a top-tier vault wasn't a bad idea... The high commission from selling the vault would at least make Puzzi keep his mouth shut.'
A top-tier vault cost 10,000 Galleons, which wasn't an unbearable price for her.
"Then I'll buy one, Puzzi," she said with a grin. "But I need to close this Vault 870, and it would be best if you could erase all my previous information."
"That's a bit difficult, miss." Puzzi wrung his hands, looking troubled.
Audrey took out a money pouch, heavy with coins, and tossed it directly to Puzzi.
Puzzi caught it carefully. Just by weighing it slightly, he knew it contained at least a thousand Galleons. He was overjoyed. 'This Miss Astley is so generous!'
"Oh, on second thought, your request is perfectly reasonable. Don't you worry, I'll get it handled for you, properly and tidily!"
The joy in his heart was practically overflowing. Even his burps would carry particles of happiness.
Selling one top-tier vault earned him a personal commission of 800 Galleons, and Miss Astley had tipped him another thousand! This was nearly a year's income for him!
'Heh, greedy goblins!'
'Their minds are so easy to read.'
Audrey was also very happy. Being able to eliminate future trouble was always a good thing.
'Spending 11,000 Galleons... as a "stingy miser," shouldn't Audrey be in agony?'
But don't forget, she had just "reclaimed" a "huge sum" of 100,000. She didn't feel the sting of this little expense at all.
...
After completing the paperwork and holding her brand-new key, the cart sped off again toward the deepest levels. Audrey even saw the Ukrainian Ironbelly guarding the deepest vaults.
They arrived at Vault 691.
Audrey looked at the vast space, several times larger than Vault 870. Jagged stalactites hung down, exquisite murals were carved into the walls, and the floor was paved with large, polished blocks of obsidian. A sudden impulse surged in her heart:
'She would fill this vault, and then she would sleep in it!'
'Like a dragon.'
...
...
"I'm sorry, Professor Depp, I took a bit long."
Audrey apologized, counting out seven Galleons and handing them to Gael Depp.
She continued, "As an apology, I'll cover your expenses at the Leaky Cauldron today..."
Professor Depp gave Audrey a meaningful look, then smiled. "In that case, you'll be spending quite a bit."
"As your student, it's what I should do."
She said it casually, but when Audrey went to the bar to pay, the price Old Tom quoted gave her a shock.
"In total, 432 Galleons and 7 Sickles. I'll drop the change for you. Let's just call it 432 Galleons!"
"Old Tom!" Audrey's voice was trembling. "What did he consume that cost over 400 Galleons?"
Old Tom laughed. "That was Sherry, aged since the era of the Four Founders! The bottle itself is an exceptional alchemical object. Otherwise, it would be impossible to preserve the wine until now."
Professor Depp walked over and chimed in, "Not only that, but this bottle also continuously infuses magical elements from the air into the wine, enhancing its flavor."
He gently swirled the ancient Sherry, of which more than half a bottle remained. "This kind of delicacy is truly a rare find! The craft for this bottle has long been lost. Even Nicolas Flamel couldn't reproduce this technique."
The whole scene looked just like Gael Depp and Old Tom were ganging up to swindle Audrey out of her "little monies."
The girl pouted, reluctantly paying the bill.
The guilt she had felt for making Professor Depp wait so long had long since vanished into thin air.
'Getting to drink 400 Galleons' worth of good wine for free... forget waiting an hour, she'd be willing to wait all afternoon for that!'
'This handsome old man was definitely not a good person!'
...
...
"Alright,"
Professor Depp waved his new wand, moving all the furniture in the Astley villa's living room to the corners, clearing a large empty space.
"We can begin our lessons, Audrey."
Rick leaned on the second-floor railing, watching the two people below with great interest. He was extremely curious about the magical world and couldn't wait to see his sister use magic.
The calico cat, Jinhu, sat quietly to the side, its two bright eyes also focused on the two in the center.
"I'll teach you the Shield Charm first," Professor Depp said. "Before you learn to hit, you must first learn to be hit."
Audrey felt lines forming on her forehead and quickly made a 'pause' gesture. "Wait! Professor Depp, shouldn't we start with the Wand-Lighting Charm or the Levitation Charm?"
Gael Depp rolled his eyes, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly.
Audrey didn't understand why this old man was so skilled at making a disdainful expression. Had he been practicing it?
So condescending, so natural! This arrogance seemed to be carved into his very bones.
"Those minor textbook spells? With your aptitude, won't you learn them with a single glance? Do you really need me to teach them?"
Being praised for her high aptitude should have made her happy, but with that tone, Audrey couldn't feel happy at all.
"The incantation for the Wand-Lighting Charm is Lumos. Give it a try."
Audrey was completely speechless. 'Who teaches magic like this?'
'Intonation, wand movements... don't these need to be taught?'
But in front of Professor Depp, she just seemed to want to show off, to not be looked down upon by him. It was very strange.
'This man is probably toxic.'
'Of course, one could also say he's extremely charismatic.'
"Lumos!"
Audrey gave her wand a casual wave, and a ball of light comparable to a 100-watt light bulb appeared at its tip.
She even had the feeling that she could control this ball of light at will, just by thinking it.
So, the ball of light detached from the wand tip and began to fly up and down in the Astley's large living room.
"Oh! Fantastic! Audrey!" Rick clapped frantically from upstairs. "My sister can use magic!"
He laughed loudly, patting Jinhu's head. "Did you see that! My sister can use magic!"
Jinhu looked disgusted, smacked Rick's hand away with one paw, and walked elegantly to the side, not sitting down again until it was out of Rick's reach.
Rick laughed sheepishly. This cat his sister was raising had never given him a moment's kindness. It really had a personality.
In the living room.
Professor Depp waved his wand lightly, and the ball of light vanished. Audrey, who had been playing happily, was suddenly interrupted and looked at Gael Depp in astonishment.
"Have you had enough fun, Miss Astley?"
A serious Professor Depp looked very imposing. "I will now teach you the Shield Charm. Remember, the incantation is Protego."
Audrey followed his movements, and a blue, transparent shield immediately enveloped her.
Professor Depp nodded. The next moment, he waved his wand, firing a magical blast that struck Audrey's Shield Charm.
Pow, pow-pow!
POW!
On the fourth hit, Audrey's Shield Charm couldn't withstand the assault and shattered. But Professor Depp didn't seem to want to stop; a red beam continued to fly toward Audrey.
"Protego!"
Audrey cast another Shield Charm, neutralizing Professor Depp's attack.
Gael Depp nodded in satisfaction. "Very good. Quick reflexes. You're not one of those idiots who uses magic rigidly; you know how to adapt to the situation."
"Now, then, I will teach you an advanced version of the Shield Charm."
"Protego Diabolica!"
Audrey's pupils dilated abruptly. She stared in disbelief at the tall man before her.
'His paler right eye... it must have been silver-white once, right...?'
Audrey remembered very clearly whose signature spell Protego Diabolica was.
'It was that man!'
'The man who once plotted to overthrow the International Statute of Secrecy!'
'Gellert Grindelwald!!'
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]