HP: It's a snake, not a badger.

Chapter 137 The Hufflepuff Cup

With the third match approaching, Emeric still hadn't figured out a way to infiltrate Gringotts. Now, only their vault remained unexplored; the rest of the area had already been thoroughly searched.

He didn't want to use the saints, nor did he want his father to get involved, lest they be targeted. Besides, his own people weren't capable enough to infiltrate without alerting the fairies.

"Get up, you're so heavy." Severus pushed Emeric's head away. He didn't know when he had developed this habit of putting his head on Emeric's lap when he sat down next to him. Didn't he know how heavy he was?

"Drink the compound decoction, I'll brew it for you, and you'll definitely be able to get your hair back."

"The hair is fine, and I also have their family key, so all that's left is the candidate." Emeric stood up excitedly; Severus's potion was definitely reliable.

three days later

Bellatrix Lestrange appeared inside Gringotts, staring impatiently at the goblin before her.

"How long do we have to verify this?" She stamped her foot impatiently, clutching a key in her hand.

"Mrs. Lestrange, you shouldn't be here."

"It's not your place to tell me where I am. If you don't let me in, and it affects the master's great cause, you'll be sorry."

"Alright, come with me." The fairy on the counter came down and led Bella and the others inside.

The three of them boarded a small minecart and sped along the long tracks. Not far from them was a waterfall, which didn't look very appealing.

Galian suddenly swayed and fell onto Bella, blocking all the potions. The fairy beside him looked disappointed; she had thought she could expose the fraudster.

"How much longer? I don't have that much patience."

"Almost there, just ahead."

"Oh."

Bella snorted coldly, arms crossed, her face full of impatience, looking as if she might unleash a fatal curse on the old hag at any moment. Just before she could explode, the minecart stopped at a doorway.

"We're here." After saying that, the fairy stood to the side, unwilling to take another step forward. Who knew if there was any magic from the Dark Lord inside? He couldn't be foolish.

"Coward." Lyra perfectly portrayed Bella's insane state, cursing at everyone she met. It was so satisfying to act like her, being able to disregard the lives of others was truly exhilarating.

"Click".

Opening the vault door reveals a treasure trove of gleaming Galleons. Anyone else would be so captivated that they'd grab a Galleon and likely end up staying there.

"It looks a bit difficult over there." Garian was a bit of a headache. The vault contained alchemical artifacts that prohibited magic, so they couldn't use a levitation charm to take the cup away.

"I'll go over there, and you keep an eye on that old man outside." Lyra's acting skills had plummeted; she would never have said something like that before.

"OK."

Women's bodies are more flexible, and Lyra easily dodged the objects on the ground, moving step by step closer to the golden cup in the center. Galian was in charge of guarding the area, mainly to prevent any unexpected situations.

"Got it." Laila's physical skills were no joke; every step she took was firmly planted on the ground without any unnecessary movements.

Garian helped the exhausted Lyra up and gave her a potion to restore her strength. They still had a tough battle ahead of them, and they needed to take the cup out of there.

"I'm almost recovered, let's go." Lyra continued to maintain her manic demeanor, kicked open the door, and said to the old monster at the door, "Hurry up and go, or I'll kill you if you dawdle any longer."

Disappointment flashed across the fairy's face. He had thought the two of them would die inside, and then they could swallow the vault. But the two of them were alive.

"understood."

After Bella and the man behind her were seated, the old witch pulled the lever to start the minecart, which sped up and drove onto a completely different road.

"Why are the two paths different?" Galian demanded, grabbing the fairy by the neck.

"Ahem, there are two routes for safety, to prevent anyone from memorizing the route."

"Yeah?"

"Of course, cough cough cough."

Garian let go of him and looked at Lyra, telling her to be ready to jump off the train at any time; this fairy didn't look as honest as him.

"Bang."

After a bumpy ride, the old goblin jumped into the river below. Layla grabbed Gallian and told him not to get excited, because jumping in would mean certain death.

"How long until the door key activates?"

"About ten minutes, but it seems we've run into big trouble."

"What? Why is there a dragon here???" This was the first time Lyra had broken down. She casually threw a ball, trying to attract the dragon's attention.

"Huh? Why did it leave? What did you throw out?" Galian looked curiously at the dragon chasing the ball. Logically speaking, these farmed dragons wouldn't chase other things.

"Our young master's useless hair, we thought his attraction was useless against dragons."

Why do you carry this thing with you?

"This is Professor Snape's order. He wants me to use these furs to make a cat-like shape, and the payment is a bottle of improved hair growth potion." Lyra was full of resentment when she mentioned this. "I've been so busy lately that I'm starting to lose my hair. What's wrong with me earning a bottle of hair growth potion?"

"Uh, no, no." Garian quickly waved his hand, not daring to provoke Lyra, who harbored such deep resentment.

"Get ready in one minute, that damn dragon is coming back."

"At worst, we can take it with us. Why are we acting like dogs, picking up a ball and trying to bring it back?"

They exchanged a glance, lunged forward, and grabbed the dragon's foot. At that moment, the key in Galian's hand was activated, and the two of them and the dragon appeared in the Thaddeus Manor.

"Why did you bring back some local specialties?" Emeric was full of questions. It was the first time he had ever seen someone steal something and also bring back a watchdog.

"Do you think we want this? Hurry up and pull this stupid dragon away, I'm going to break my bones!!!" Garian shouted in despair. Couldn't you rescue him first before being curious?

"Young master, I have accomplished my mission." Lyra took out a box and handed it to Emeric, inside which was the Hufflepuff Cup, one of Voldemort's Horcruxes.

"Thank you, Lyra. Here, take this as compensation for your emotional distress. I'm sorry you had to suffer to become Bella." Emeric handed over a gemstone hairpin engraved with protective runes.

"I'm leaving now. Oh, by the way, I'm giving you two three days off. You can stay home for two days before going to school." With that, Emeric climbed into the fireplace and went back to the cellar.

"Severus, look! The golden cup is in our hands! We just need to let Evangeline take a bite." (Evangeline is a basilisk.)

"Not bad, my potion wasn't wasted." Severus rarely gave a compliment, and he exclaimed, "Your father has a good eye for talent."

"That's because I'm a good person and I've been delaying my wages; otherwise, who would be willing to take the risk?"

"roll."

"Okay, I'm going to find Evangeline."