Soon after, Wentworth gathered Thomas Vole and Lockhart together to begin a detailed discussion. Not long after, Rosier and the others joined in as well.
At that moment, the Weasley family, who had been waiting outside Gringotts, had already linked up with the arriving Aurors from the Ministry of Magic, under Arthur Weasley's lead. After all, now that the Aurors had arrived, continuing to stand on the side of the Alliance would be a highly inappropriate stance.
Lucius Malfoy, too, had drifted closer, listening in as Arthur gave his report to the Aurors about what he had seen and heard.
Seeing this, Lucius gave a cold, silent laugh, inwardly dismissing Arthur Weasley's choice with contempt.
Lucius had never respected Arthur Weasley—not even slightly. Fool, he thought. Of all times, you chose to side with the Ministry now? No one knows the Ministry like I do. It's nothing but a hive of incompetents and parasites!
As Lucius schemed how he might pass on Arthur Weasley's actions to the Alliance—hoping they'd seize the chance to take revenge on the Weasley family—
BOOM!
A deafening explosion from inside Gringotts shook Diagon Alley and ignited the tension in the air.
Moments after the blast, Auston came rushing out, shouting to the Alliance wizards standing outside:
"Get back in there, quickly! These two are far too powerful!"
As the Alliance witches and wizards scrambled away, disappearing into the depths of Gringotts, the bystanders outside watched in stunned silence, unable to react at first.
Only after some time did the Aurors stationed around Gringotts seem to regain their senses, cautiously moving toward the bank entrance from all directions.
Just as the Aurors reached the doors, a furious roar erupted from within:
"Thomas Vole! Gilderoy Lockhart! You two will pay—The Alliance will not forget this!"
The Aurors exchanged confused glances at the shouted threat. Then, suddenly—no one could say who moved first—they all rushed into Gringotts, wands at the ready.
Meanwhile, with the Aurors gone and no one left maintaining order, a swarm of reporters surged forward—among them, journalists from The Daily Prophet, including their star gossip columnist: Rita Skeeter.
Just as Rita shoved her way through the crowd, someone slipped a small piece of parchment into her hand.
Startled, she turned around—but there was no one there.
Rita hesitated, then unfolded the note. At a glance, her expression changed dramatically, and she quickly pocketed the paper without a word.
At that very moment, cries of shock rippled through the crowd.
Rita turned back to look—and gasped at the sight before her.
The heavy doors of Gringotts creaked open, pushed by the Ministry Aurors. Behind them, two battered figures collapsed, leaning heavily on one another for support.
The crowd erupted in shouts and gasps. Flashbulbs began popping wildly as photographers captured the scene.
Then, one of the fallen figures reached out, steadying himself against the doorframe. Blood trickled down his side, but with clenched teeth, he slowly rose to his feet.
A familiar grin spread across his face as he spoke clearly and proudly:
"Everyone—we didn't disgrace our mission! We may not have won, but we certainly didn't lose either!"
There was a stunned silence—only for a moment—before an explosion of deafening cheers rang out.
Wizards in the crowd shouted his name again and again:
"Lockhart! Lockhart! Lockhart!"
Nearby, a certain Ministry official, still sprawled on the ground:
"…"
Moments later, seeing the crowd's reaction, the Aurors rushed forward. One of them picked up the still-"unconscious" Thomas Vole and hurriedly carried him away.
However, when someone suggested escorting Lockhart to St Mungo's for treatment, he waved them off!
Dragging his "exhausted" body forward step by step, Lockhart moved into the crowd, basking in the cheers around him.
Tears glistened in his eyes as he greeted the onlookers:
"Thank you—thank you all! Your support means the world to me!"
"Inside Gringotts, whenever I felt I was about to fall, I told Thomas—'We can't give up. Not for ourselves, but for all those beautiful souls waiting outside that door!'"
"You ask if I was afraid? Ha! Not with you out here—I feared nothing! And neither did Thomas!"
"Wait... where is Thomas?!"
Though the atmosphere was ablaze with emotion, not everyone joined in. Some stood apart, silently observing the scene.
At the edge of the crowd stood the Weasley family, joined by Harry—and not far away, the Malfoys.
"Merlin's beard! Lockhart's incredible!" cried Mrs. Weasley, enraptured. "Let's all cheer for the hero of the hour! Children, you're so lucky! This term, Lockhart is your new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor! You'll be taught by him, in person—what an honor!"
Lucius Malfoy had finally shaken off his initial shock. Without turning his head, he muttered:
"Arthur, what do you make of this?"
Arthur replied just as quietly, eyes fixed ahead:
"I trust my own eyes. I may not know what happened inside Gringotts—but I know this: not a single Alliance wizard was apprehended."
He pointed toward the Aurors returning empty-handed from the bank.
Lucius gave a rare nod, then let out a low chuckle.
"Well, I noticed one thing more than you did—I'd like to know which Alliance wizard, while fleeing, had the leisure to cast a Sonorus charm and shout threats loud enough for all of Diagon Alley to hear."
Arthur gave a knowing nod, then gestured toward Lockhart, still soaking in the adoration of the crowd.
"Tell me—don't you think he recovered a bit too quickly?"
Lucius sniffed.
"Not too much. I mean, he collapsed a minute ago, but now he's back on his feet, speaking in flawless London English."
At that same moment, Rita Skeeter glanced back down at the mysterious parchment in her pocket, then up at Lockhart—and gave a sly, knowing smile.
A moment later, she replaced it with her usual bright expression, pushed through the crowd to reach Lockhart, and beamed at him with wide-eyed admiration:
"Mr. Lockhart, may I have a word for an interview?!"
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