Beneath the Stone Vaults
Percy stepped down from the cart that always felt like a roller coaster, descending into the deepest levels of Gringotts' vaults. Even at that point, faint noises from the dragon below could already be heard; distant, heavy echoes that vibrated through the stone like a constant reminder of what lay hidden beneath.
"Do you want me to go with you, brat?" asked the goblin who had been driving the cart, turning his head only slightly toward Percy.
As always, goblins wore expressions of near permanent disdain whenever they looked at any wizard. However, since Percy was Einjard's student, they at least made the effort to show a thin layer of manners and respect. Even so, they still called him brat, wizard spawn, or tadpole. Percy thought that, well, at least it felt somewhat closer compared to how they treated other wizards. Maybe, little by little, he was starting to win over those grumpy hearts.
"No, it's fine, Pollrod," Percy replied with a calm, friendly smile.
"It's Bogrod," the goblin corrected him with an annoyed look before pulling the lever. The cart began to move again and quickly disappeared along the rails, swallowed by the darkness.
Percy, meanwhile, looked around with interest, wearing the expression of someone who felt he was about to experience an adventure. He began walking through the corridors; every few meters, massive closed doors stood in his way, reinforced with full security measures, nearly impossible to open for anyone who was not a goblin. The deeper he went, the thicker, larger, and more heavily defended those doors seemed to become.
As he continued downward through the passages, which spiraled around what looked like a truly brutal drop into the depths, the dragon's roars grew closer and closer.
Suddenly, Percy's eyes widened and he darted behind a column; a massive burst of fire was spewed into the corridor without warning.
That was it. He had gotten quite close to the dragon, which, sensing a presence, launched a brutal attack without hesitation.
Hidden behind the column, Percy felt the searing heat wrap around him, making him realize that this had probably been a very bad idea.
When the flames finally faded, Percy quickly ran upward, putting distance between himself and the dragon's range. As he did, it seemed the dragon stopped attacking, or at least lost immediate interest.
Carefully, Percy peeked out from behind the beam where he was hiding, showing only his head.
That was when he saw it.
Majestic. Enormous. With a truly dangerous presence… and yet, deeply sad.
It was a bipedal dragon, metallic gray in color, with an immense wingspan, long claws, and rough scales like aged iron. Even so, its body was covered in wounds. Massive chains dug into its scales, some crushing them, others tearing them away entirely, leaving patches of raw flesh exposed. The dragon roared constantly, but it no longer sounded like fury; it was a roar of hatred and pain. It struggled to break free, thrashing uselessly, yet the chains binding its body made escape impossible. Every movement reopened its wounds, making it bleed even more.
Percy, who had thought this would be an exciting adventure, fell silent. The excitement drained away, and a clear trace of sadness appeared on his face.
"It's not a guardian… it's a prisoner," he said quietly, the truth obvious at a glance.
In the stories of knights, dragons always protected treasures, castles, or their own habitats. For Percy, the idea of seeing one guarding Gringotts' vaults had been thrilling. But he had never imagined the reality would look like this.
The dragon's restless roar seemed to draw the attention of several goblins nearby. One of them stepped forward and pulled out what looked like large pieces of heavy metal; similar to deformed bells, curved plates, or irregular discs connected by handles or short chains. They were clearly not made to be elegant.
When the goblin shook them, a deafening, metallic, unnatural sound burst forth. It was sharp and discordant, filled with uneven vibrations that cut through the air and seemed to stab directly into the dragon's head. The moment it heard the noise, the creature began to writhe in pain, bending down rapidly, lowering its body and losing all the wild momentum it had shown before.
Percy could clearly see how much the sound hurt it. That only confirmed even more that the dragon was not just a prisoner, but was being constantly subjected to torture through that object.
He could not stand it any longer and stepped out from his hiding place, ready to shout at the goblin to stop.
Before he could, however, a hand suddenly grabbed his arm.
Percy turned around with a small jolt, and that was when he saw him.
A young red-haired man, tall, slender, and handsome. He wore his long hair tied back in a ponytail, an extravagant fang-shaped earring, and clothes that looked like something straight out of a 1990s rock scene. Even so, Percy had to admit that he looked pretty cool.
The young man made a silent gesture for him to stay quiet and glanced at the dragon for a moment. When it finally seemed to calm down, the goblin controlling it with the noisy artifact snorted and regrouped with the others. They were carrying a metal box that was not very large, but judging by the number of guards surrounding it, it was clearly important. They carried it toward the vault closest to the dragon, and also the most secure one.
Percy watched the boxes for a few seconds before turning his gaze back to the young man who had stopped him. The man looked at him with an interested, slightly amused expression.
"What's a kid doing in a place like this… alone? Where are your parents?" he asked, glancing around and noting that Percy was by himself.
"My mom is at home, and I don't know who my father is," Percy replied, staring at him. Then he frowned slightly. "Why did you stop me? They were making the dragon suffer."
The young man received that serious look without showing the slightest annoyance.
"Seriously, you don't want to get involved with goblins. They're not kind to wizards, and even less to one wandering alone through their most protected vaults. Unless you want to end up as its food," he said, pointing toward the dragon. For a brief moment, his expression turned slightly sad as he looked at it. "What a shame… Charlie would lose his mind if he saw a dragon in this state."
Then he looked back at Percy.
"Come on. I'll get you out of here before they realize they've got a small infiltrator," he added.
"Wait," Percy said, stopping for a moment as he pulled out his wand.
The young man glanced at him from the corner of his eye, watching what he was doing without interrupting. His expression remained relaxed, almost curious, as if wondering what a child could possibly attempt in a place like this.
Percy focused, pointing his wand toward the dragon. Slowly, the moisture in the air began to gather at the tip, forming small droplets that spun gently in place. The air around them grew colder and heavier. The young man narrowed his eyes, now clearly more interested.
Then Percy aimed more firmly. The mass of water that had been forming shot forward smoothly toward the dragon. By the time it reached its face, it had become a massive sphere of water. The dragon sniffed it cautiously and, almost immediately, plunged its head inside, beginning to drink desperately, swallowing the water as if it had gone an eternity without tasting a single drop.
Percy wiped the sweat from his forehead, the result of the effort and concentration, and smiled with quiet pride.
"This will do for now," he said, as if already thinking ahead.
"Wow, you're really good with water magic," the young man commented, nodding in approval. "Come on, let's get out of here before someone notices you," he added quickly, motioning for him to move.
Percy looked back at the dragon one last time before following him.
"By the way, how did you get in here?" the young man asked as they walked through the corridors.
"By the cart, obviously," Percy replied calmly.
"And no one stopped you?" he asked, clearly confused.
"Why would they?" Percy replied, just as confused.
"Uh… because this is a bank. And getting into the vaults just like that isn't usually so easy," the young man said, though he no longer sounded entirely sure, considering a child had made it all the way down to the lower vaults without trouble.
"You came in too, didn't you?" Percy said, looking at him. After all, he was a human wizard, something uncommon in Gringotts.
"I work here… well, I work for them in Egypt, but they called me in to help check on something," the young man explained with a quick smile.
"Egypt? In the pyramids?" Percy asked, now clearly interested.
"Exactly. I work as a curse breaker. I explore pyramids and recover valuable objects for Gringotts," he said with a hint of pride.
"Cool," Percy murmured, remembering a movie about an adventurer he had watched a long time ago with his brother and his mother.
"Oh, right, I didn't introduce myself. My name is…," the young man began, only to be interrupted by a deep, clearly annoyed voice.
"Weasley, why aren't you at your post? Do you want your pay docked again?" said a goblin in a deeply contemptuous tone, appearing from who knew where, right behind Percy and the eldest Weasley.
Yes, it was William Weasley, better known as Bill Weasley, the firstborn of the Weasley family.
Bill's eyes widened when he saw the goblin in front of him. He visibly tensed and glanced sideways at Percy, who wore a slightly confused expression.
The goblin, his face twisted with disdain, looked first at Bill and then at Percy, raising an eyebrow toward the latter with clear contempt. Bill noticed it immediately.
"I'm sorry, Griphook. He's my little brother. I was just showing him around. I'll take him out of here right now, you can dock it from my pay," Bill said quickly, forcing a smile to hide the truth.
"And who gave you permission to bring outsiders into your workplace? Are you plotting something?" the goblin snarled, frowning as he stared at him. "It would be best if the guards investigate him," he added, lifting a finger and pointing at Percy, as if ready to restrain him with magic until the guards arrived.
Bill went pale instantly.
"That won't be necessary," another voice sounded suddenly, one Percy knew quite well, as several footsteps approached from behind.
When Bill turned around, he grew even paler. Approaching him was a group of goblins, not just any, but the highest ranking officials of the bank. Among them was the absolute head of the place, followed by goblins in full armor, as if they were preparing for war.
Bill looked at Percy and slowly moved his hand toward his waist, ready to help him escape if needed.
"Brat, how dare you make me wait? Are you looking for a beating?" Einjard said, staring at Percy with a genuinely irritated expression, almost completely ignoring Bill, though he had noticed the movement of his hand and found it irrelevant.
"Oh, master, I was inspecting the vaults to see how easy they were to rob," Percy replied with a playful smile.
Some goblins behind Einjard wore irritated or even violent expressions, but the higher ranks merely looked intrigued and faintly amused.
Bill watched the scene in absolute shock.
"Hmph. As if a brat like you could even touch a vault. You'd end up locked inside, crying for your mother in seconds," Einjard said without hesitation. "Come on. You want to earn those gifts for your mother and your brother, right? Follow us."
Einjard began to walk, but for a moment he glanced at Bill, who still stood tense with his hand near his wand.
"Weasley, right? You have permission to follow us," he added, then turned his gaze to Griphook, who still wore the same stunned expression. "Disappear," he ordered, passing by him without another look.
Percy followed him, and Bill did the same behind him, still completely confused, while the goblin Griphook hurried off at full speed.
Einjard led them into a side corridor Percy had never seen before. It had no signs or visible markings; only ancient stone and runes worn down by time. As they passed what looked like a massive entrance, both Percy and Bill opened their eyes wide.
Before them stretched an enormous, circular space, surrounded by stone stands and walls reinforced with ancient magic.
It looked like a coliseum.
…
Meanwhile, back at home, lying on the living room carpet.
"Where's Percy? I'm bored," Harry said, while beside him lay the wrapped gift he planned to place under the tree for his brother.