Struggling to survive at Hogwarts

Chapter 353 Finance

Mr. Lock, his eyes blazing with fury, was eventually packed up and taken away.

When he opened his eyes again, Harry and his two companions were in a place he knew very well—the Leaky Cauldron.

"You're planning to lock me up here?"

The sudden click of the latch successfully halted the conversation of the four people at the table three meters away. Then, Thea turned her head, a half-smile playing on her lips:

"I thought you were going to continue sleeping."

Knowing that her act of pretending to be asleep had been discovered, Lockpin's heart skipped a beat, but she put on a fawning expression.

"Miss Thea, please stop joking... Oh, right, aren't you going to Gringotts? It's no big deal, I'll show you the way!"

Lockpin thumped his chest arrogantly, thinking that if he said that, the female demon would let him off the hook and agree to let him participate. Unexpectedly, she just raised an eyebrow, her tone neither happy nor unhappy:

"Don't worry, there will be plenty of opportunities for Mr. Lock to help later."

This little ancestor!

Lock inwardly cursed Thea's unpredictable actions, while the smile on his lips grew even more obsequious—

"Then—then the poison in my body…"

The lock stammered, unable to speak, yet the urgency in its eyes was almost bursting out.

Having thoroughly enjoyed watching the buckle's predicament, Thea calmly spoke only when the other party could no longer utter any more pleasantries:

"Who said I poisoned you..."

"The teacup was right in front of you at the time, how could I have had a chance to add anything to it..."

Lock: "…………"

"My stomach hurts..."

"Maybe you ate something you shouldn't have before."

Thea's innocent appearance infuriated Lock, but Lock knew the saying "when you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head," so he ultimately chose to swallow his anger.

For the next few days, the lock was petrified and locked in the house, watching helplessly as people came and went in this small room, eventually creating the famous scene of a hundred people gathering.

This continued for several days, and the latch gradually began to notice something was wrong.

Their diet has evolved from the cheapest black bread to roast turkey and fried chicken legs; their clothes and accessories have become more and more exquisite; not to mention, the types of weapons they carry have also improved, with even smoke grenades now being used.

"What exactly do you want?"

Unable to contain his curiosity any longer, Lockpin finally found a moment when Thea was resting and asked a question, but he didn't notice that as soon as he finished speaking, the other three people in the room also quietly pricked up their ears.

Although she said she was taking a break, Thea didn't completely relax. She kept thinking about the list of members who would be coming to the gathering in the next few days, while also keeping an eye on Lock and the other allies to stabilize their morale.

"It's just pre-battle mobilization. It's going to be a fierce battle, after all. Are we supposed to rely on our military strength and charge in alone?"

Harry and his two friends, who had initially thought so, were speechless.

I felt inexplicably ashamed.

"If you can let others do it, you don't need to put in the effort yourself. Otherwise, what's the point of having the title of leader?"

Thea spoke absentmindedly, but Harry was quietly captivated.

That evening, after deliberately avoiding the locks, the four of them sat together, and Harry spoke first:

"Were all the people who came these past few days from the Phoenix Society?"

"Of course not,"

Thea gave Harry a questioning look, as if to say, "Why would you think that?" before she began to explain:

"Not everyone who opposes the Death Eaters has to join the Order of the Phoenix..."

"Trolls, centaurs, eight-eyed giant spiders, harpy-headed horses, Durmstrang, Beauxbatons..."

"Unite all forces that can be united; this is the true art of slaying dragons."

Harry and Hermione were taken aback by Thea's words, as if a veil had been lifted from somewhere in their minds.

"Slaying dragons?" Ron scratched his head and scoffed, "That kind of person calls himself a dragon? He doesn't deserve the title!"

Thea laughed out loud at the undisguised disdain, "Indeed, he doesn't deserve it."

The atmosphere suddenly lightened, and then Thea asked, "What are your impressions of Gringotts?"

"……mystery?"

Hermione tentatively guessed, but Thea remained noncommittal.

"Ancient and powerful..."

Harry also said.

"Hmm... cunning, greedy."

Ron frowned and gave his answer.

Seeing that they hadn't gotten to the point, Thea changed the subject:

"Ron, why does your family keep your currency in Gringotts?"

"Of course, it's for safety."

"But when we were freshmen, Gringotts, which was said to be inaccessible, was broken into once, let alone what we did afterward—"

"But...that time was an accident..."

Now, it was Ron who was stammering.

Hermione, do you remember how many types of banks there are in the Muggle world?

Hermione was the one being asked the question, and she followed Thea's lead to recall the events.

Thea smiled slightly after successfully getting the answer from Hermione.

"So, why do you think the wizarding world only has Gringotts to act as the bank, or even the treasury, of the Muggle world?"

"Because the wizarding world isn't very big?"

Hermione gave the answer, and she received a glare from Ron.

"Don't get so agitated,"

Thea patted Ron on the shoulder, agreeing with Hermione's assessment, "The wizarding world really isn't that big."

“But Hermione, you know that even the smallest country in the world can't have only one bank, let alone one that can fulfill the responsibilities of a national treasury—”

"When I first entered the wizarding world and learned of Gringotts' existence—"

"Alright, Hermione, stop looking at me like that. Don't forget, I grew up in a Muggle orphanage until I was eight."

"Let's get back to the main topic,"

"Perhaps it was because I was so interested in the Muggle world that Uncle Lucius and the others didn't stop me from continuing to learn about Muggle culture..."

In reality, their attempts to stop it were futile.

"But the more I learn, the more doubts I have..."

For example, this one—

Thea tapped the Gringotts map on the table.

"Those who are not of our kind are bound to have different hearts. This statement may be somewhat absolute, but I still can't help but feel doubtful."

"Why do wizards trust fairies, a race that has actually rebelled in history, so much that they dare to let them control the financial lifeline of the wizarding world—"

"Gringotts isn't all goblins—"

Ron offered a weak rebuttal.

"But have you ever seen a wizard reach a high position in Gringotts?"

Thea knocked out Ron with a single sentence.