Chương 172: Chapter 172 "Dumbledore's Charm"

Upon hearing Wentworth's question, Dumbledore couldn't help but blurt out, "Did something happen, Wentworth?"

In response, Wentworth openly shared with Dumbledore that a letter had appeared in his vault, "Why don't you try seeing this letter, Professor? When I entered my vault, this letter was already there." He gave Dumbledore the mysterious letter before he reiterated the contents while giving his opinion without concealing anything.

Dumbledore's reaction, however, took Wentworth somewhat by surprise. Dumbledore abruptly stood up, then appeared to recollect something, slowly returning to his seat, followed by a prolonged and introspective silence.

After an indeterminate amount of time passed, Wentworth, feeling a yawn coming on, seemed to have unintentionally disrupted Dumbledore's thoughts.

Dumbledore, regaining his composure, turned to Wentworth with a blank expression and remarked, "Wentworth, why don't you go take a rest for now? The night is getting darker. Young wizards like you need to rest fully at night so they can grow properly." Dumbledore said with a smile, "Tomorrow, you'll come with me to the Gringotts. We'll see what's going on in there."

Confused by Dumbledore's behavior, Wentworth returned to his room while feeling lost...

Dumbledore's conduct that night had truly exceeded Wentworth's expectations. It felt as though Dumbledore had stumbled upon something significant through their conversation, yet Wentworth remained oblivious to it.

The unsettling feeling lingered as the night deepened. It annoyed Wentworth the more he thought about it, but he could do nothing. The only thing he can do for now is just rest and let tomorrow come.

The following morning, as Wentworth and Cedric exited the Hufflepuff common room, Dumbledore joined them, strolling at a leisurely pace.

Dumbledore, appearing to have returned to his usual self, greeted Wentworth with a smile, "Wentworth, are we ready to go?"

Wentworth, taken aback for a moment, responded with surprise, "It's still early in the morning, Professor. I haven't had any breakfast yet!"

A mischievous smile graced Dumbledore's face as he replied, "It's a coincidence. I haven't eaten either! Although Hogwarts offers a rich breakfast, anyone would grow tired of it after decades. Today, let's go to Diagon Alley for breakfast. What do you think?"

Ecstatic at Dumbledore's invitation, Wentworth gladly left Cedric with a regretful expression and accompanied Dumbledore to the Leaky Cauldron Bar.

"I particularly enjoy the mead here; nowhere else captures this flavor," Dumbledore shared with delight as he held a glass.

Meanwhile, Wentworth was busy savoring the toast in his hand, casting a slightly melancholic glance at Dumbledore.

While he wasn't sure about the drinks at the Leaky Cauldron Bar, the food was undoubtedly superior to that of Hogwarts.

It was still early, but the Leaky Cauldron Bar had yet to receive its first customers.

Despite Wentworth's feigned enjoyment of a few bites of toast, he promptly claimed to be full and urged Dumbledore to venture into Diagon Alley. "Let's go to Gringotts straight away, Professor. There is no time needed to be wasted, and we might be losing important clues each second passed if we stay here." Wentworth assured.

"Well, if you say so!" Dumbledore finished his drink and then paid Tom, the barkeeper a golden Galleon before leaving the Leaky Cauldron, "Keep the change!"

"Looking forward to your next visit, Headmaster Dumbledore!" Tom replied with a smile while waving his hand as the two went to Diagon Alley.

Upon entering Diagon Alley, the usually calm street instantly erupted with excitement at Dumbledore's appearance.

Countless wizards swarmed around, and even the clerks and shopkeepers of various magic shops abandoned their storefronts to engage Dumbledore in conversation, indifferent to potential customers entering and leaving their establishments.

It became clear to Wentworth why Dumbledore had chosen an early visit to Diagon Alley. Had they arrived a bit later, navigating through the swelling crowd would have proven to be quite challenging.

After finally traversing the bustling crowd, Dumbledore and Wentworth reached the entrance of Gringotts.

To their surprise, they found a contingent of proud British Ministry of Magic officials awaiting them. At the forefront stood Rufus Scrimgeour, the head of the Auror Office of the British Ministry of Magic.

Rufus displayed clear surprise at Dumbledore's arrival, quickly recovering to join him with two Aurors. He exclaimed, "Headmaster Dumbledore, you are here too!"

In response, Dumbledore queried, "Rufus, what happened here?" He asked as he observed the surroundings, finding there were lots of people along with the Aurors.

Rufus shared the unexpected news, revealing, "Don't you know? It's like this: we received information about a vault being stolen in Gringotts. When we attempted to investigate, the goblins refused our request, asserting that nothing ancient was lost inside!"

Dumbledore and Wentworth exchanged glances, and sensing Dumbledore's unspoken inquiry, Wentworth couldn't help but think, "Don't gaze at me like that, Professor; it's not my vault that was pilfered, it's yours!" Yet, Wentworth refrained from voicing this thought to Dumbledore.

Rufus turned his attention to Wentworth, but two Goblins hurriedly emerged from Gringotts before he could inquire. Addressing Dumbledore, they spoke respectfully, "Gringotts welcomes the arrival of the greatest white wizard of all time, Dumbledore. Please come with me!"

As the Goblin spoke, she took the lead, guiding Dumbledore and Wentworth into Gringotts.

Witnessing this, the Aurors left outside Gringotts harbored resentment. One of them grabbed a goblin, asking angrily with vigilant eyes, "Why can they go in, and we can't?"

The Goblin met the Auror's gaze and replied slowly, "Simply because he's Dumbledore! Albus Dumbledore!"

The Auror found no immediate retort, but then pointed to Wentworth beside the Goblin, questioning, "Then why can he follow in?"

The Goblin impatiently freed itself from the Auror's grip and stated, "Because he's with Dumbledore! Albus Dumbledore!"

The Aurors can't even find any comeback to reply against the Goblin's reply… they can only stare at the Goblin's back as they guide both Wentworth and Dumbledore inside Gringotts.

Ignoring the commotion behind them, Wentworth and Dumbledore, guided by the goblins, entered Gringotts. The number of goblins inside Gringotts had notably increased, and many of them were in a hurry.

Under the Goblin's lead, Wentworth and Dumbledore entered a magnificent room. The walls were adorned with gold dust, and their occupied seats were embellished with gems.

At that moment, the door on the opposite side opened, and a goblin on crutches, supported by another goblin, slowly entered the room.

He approached Dumbledore's side, bowing respectfully as Dumbledore and Wentworth hastily stood up.

Confused by the sudden action Dumbledore attempted to assist the Goblin, but the latter spoke first, saying, "I apologize, Mr. Dumbledore. There is a report that your vault, Vault 713 has been breached and the valuables inside have been stolen, and it was due to our negligence that we forsaken a neat inspection of your vault. Once again, we are terribly sorry for our incompetence." He explained while bowing.

Dumbledore's gaze kept darting back from Wentworth and the Goblin that just explained the situation, as if he required a more obvious answer from the predicament he was in.

Seeing this made Wentworth feel even further confused as he thought that Dumbledore had already known what was going on inside the Gringotts based on their conversation from the previous night.