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Chapter 13: On the Possibility of a Fire Dragon Attacking a Thestral Carriage
Diagon Alley — Thestral Stagecoach Station
The station was located behind Gringotts, making it convenient for large wizarding families to gather their funds here before depositing their glittering Galleons into the underground vaults of Gringotts.
Serenise Grey was the niece of the family head, Bode Grey. Although she was a woman, she was exceptionally capable, and so Bode had entrusted her with control over the Grey family's finances.
She paced back and forth anxiously in the station lobby.
Under normal circumstances, by this hour, four stagecoaches from different regions should already have arrived. By now, she should have been sitting comfortably in the VIP lounge, calmly counting stacks of gold Galleons.
Yet half an hour had passed beyond the scheduled arrival time—and not a single carriage had appeared.
This was clearly abnormal.
A middle-aged wizard with a protruding beer belly, an oily face, and a brand-new robe embroidered with elaborate patterns hurried over.
He wiped the sweat from his forehead and forced himself to stay calm as he spoke to Serenise.
"Miss Grey, it has been confirmed that the sixteen Thestrals which returned without carriages were the same ones assigned to your family. There is a very high probability that all four carriages have encountered an accident."
"Impossible!"
Serenise flew into a rage.
"How could four carriages, departing from four completely different locations, all suffer accidents at the same time? Investigate again!"
Though her manner was imposing, her heart was already sinking like a stone. Her anger was, in truth, little more than preparation—so that she could later demand compensation from the station.
After all, Thestral Stagecoach Stations were under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Magic.
Possible or not, the fact remained.
The Grey family's carriages had met with disaster.
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…
Audrey pushed the door open and skipped upstairs.
Rick was still hard at work revising sheet music in his workshop when he heard the sound. He turned his head.
"Audrey, you're back?"
"Yes, brother!" Audrey replied brightly, her voice lively, like a cheerful elf darting among flowers. "There are so many little animals outside—it's been so much fun!"
"As long as you're happy."
Rick hesitated before cautiously adding, "About that tune you wrote… would you like to work together with me to revise it?"
Audrey shook her head.
"I was just humming randomly. I don't even know whether I can turn it into a proper composition, so don't put your hopes on me, brother."
"All right, then go and rest for a while. If you get bored, you can watch television downstairs—though there aren't many good programmes these days…"
Before he could finish, Audrey had already dashed into her room and slammed the door shut.
"…Although there aren't many good programmes these days."
Finishing the sentence to himself so as not to seem awkward, Rick shook his head and returned to his work.
Audrey locked the door, her heart pounding wildly.
She sat down on the floor and produced four boxes at once.
As she opened the lids one by one, a dazzling golden light spilled out, nearly blinding her.
So happy.
So happy.
So happy she could fly.
Little Money—her Little Money—was back!
"One, two, three…"
…
"Six thousand nine hundred and forty-three… six thousand nine hundred and forty-four…"
Nearly seven thousand Galleons!
That was roughly equivalent to two million yuan in purchasing power.
She was rich now!
Audrey hummed a little tune as she cheerfully began counting all over again.
🎵 We ordinary people are truly happy today.
We ordinary people are truly, truly happy today! 🎵
The more she counted King Galleon, the happier she became, her singing growing louder and louder—until Rick could hear it through the wall.
"Audrey's creative talent really is astonishing… she's already come up with another new song."
"The melody sounds cheerful, but the style feels a bit unusual…"
"It doesn't sound like English. Is it Chinese? Or Japanese?"
"Oh no—focus. I need to finish revising Picture to Burn first. I'll record it tomorrow… or the day after."
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Grey Manor
Bode stood by the window, his face dark as thunder.
Serenise stood behind him with her head lowered, unease written plainly across her face.
"You're telling me," Bode said coldly, "that all four of our carriages were attacked by fire dragons, that the Galleons vanished, and that every man aboard died in the crash?"
"Yes, Uncle. That is the conclusion of the Ministry of Magic's investigation."
"Absurd!"
Bode erupted. "Utterly absurd!"
"A fire dragon? You're telling me fire dragons attacked four Thestral carriages simultaneously?"
He slammed the tip of his cane into the marble floor, producing a heavy, echoing thud.
Serenise asked carefully, "Could this have been done by a particular organisation?"
Bode exhaled deeply. His breath frosted the glass of the window.
"To my knowledge, there is no force in the British wizarding world capable of simultaneously commanding four fire dragons to attack Thestral stagecoaches."
Serenise ventured, "What about families like the Malfoys? They own dragon reserves, don't they?"
Bode turned back, disappointment plain in his eyes.
"The dragons kept in reserves are no different from livestock—sources of materials and food. They do not obey commands."
"And besides, large-scale dragon reserves are all located outside the British Isles. Do you seriously think four fire dragons could be smuggled in without anyone noticing?"
Serenise muttered, "It might be possible… if someone bribed the right people in the Ministry of Magic."
"Foolish!" Bode roared.
"We would spend an enormous sum bribing the Ministry, go to the trouble of smuggling fire dragons into the country—just to steal a few thousand Galleons from ourselves?"
Seeing her uncle's fury, Serenise immediately fell silent.
It was true—some people would go to extreme lengths for revenge.
But the Grey family had always kept a low profile.
At present, the only person with a true grudge against them was that little Lestrange girl still on the run.
Her uncle was right.
Fire dragons made no sense.
Either someone within the Ministry was targeting them… or someone had bribed the Ministry.
There was no third possibility.
After venting his anger, Bode slowly calmed himself.
"There's still no news of that girl?"
Serenise shook her head.
"The Aurors have found nothing."
"That won't do," Bode said coldly. "Hydras must die."
"Yes, Uncle…"
Seeing Serenise's troubled expression, Bode snorted.
"Whether it's the carriage incident or Hydras herself, neither matter can be separated from the Ministry of Magic."
"Go to Gringotts and withdraw three thousand Galleons."
Serenise nodded. "All of it to smooth things over with the Ministry?"
"Yes—all of it," Bode said grimly.
"Those bloodsuckers covet the Lestrange fortune and resort to such underhanded methods. If we don't feed them, this will happen again and again."
"Once the money is delivered, press them harder. The murderer who killed our people must be caught—immediately."
Serenise hesitated.
"Uncle… isn't three thousand Galleons a little too little?"
"Too little?!"
Bode slammed his cane down violently. Sparks burst from its tip, a terrifying sight.
"They've already swallowed nearly seven thousand Galleons from us today! If I give them another three thousand, what more could they possibly want?!"
He looked like a furious lion, grey hair standing on end.
"Ten thousand Galleons! Ten thousand Galleons in a single day!"
Serenise hurriedly replied, "Yes, I understand. I'll go to Gringotts at once."
She retreated from the room.
Bode turned back toward the window.
Early September was still warm, yet the frost clinging to the glass refused to melt.
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