[93] The Last Resort

Having received Sirius's message that things were settled, Hall set off with Harry toward Diagon Alley.

It was a perfectly ordinary Saturday. Everything seemed to be progressing smoothly.

Harry, wearing the Invisibility Cloak, followed closely behind Hall the entire way. They sat down at a restaurant not far from Gringotts, quietly awaiting Mrs Malfoy's arrival.

"So smoothly?" Harry felt a little incredulous. He had expected this operation to be fraught with difficulty, but so far they hadn't encountered any obstacles.

Hall's eyes warily scanned their surroundings. Thankfully, there weren't many people around today. Hearing Harry's question, he turned to look at him. "Do you want something more complicated?"

Harry quickly shook his head. "I just feel uneasy when things are going too smoothly."

Hall withdrew his wandering gaze and looked at Harry earnestly. "Perhaps life is just like that. We're just here to pick up something. Don't be so nervous."

At that moment, a waiter brought the cake Hall had ordered to the table, carefully placing it down. "Sir, your total is 1 Galleon and 3 Sickles. Would you like to pay now or later?" His tone revealed a hint of wariness. He emphasised the words "pay now."

Hall was surprised. "Pay now?"

He noticed the waiter looking at him strangely. His earlier looking around must have aroused the waiter's suspicion. Could it be that the waiter thought he was trying to skip out on the bill?

Hall couldn't help but smile wryly.

He reached into his pockets. He rummaged through his left pocket. He rummaged through his right pocket.

Empty.

Then he remembered — his clothes had been accidentally splashed with water by a classmate that morning, so he had changed. But his coin purse — he hadn't moved it.

He looked up, embarrassed, at the waiter. The waiter still looked suspicious and impatient.

Feigning composure, Hall said, "I'll pay after I finish eating."

With that, he took a large spoonful of cake and closed his eyes to savour it.

"You — !" The waiter seemed about to say something, but Hall ignored him. Helpless, the waiter took the plate and turned to leave.

Hidden under the Invisibility Cloak, Harry saw Hall's unusual behaviour. "What's wrong?" he whispered.

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Hall opened one eye, cautiously glancing around. Seeing the waiter was already far away, he relaxed and sat up straight. A hint of embarrassment appeared on his face. He lowered his voice. "I think... I don't have any money..."

"Ah!" Harry exclaimed.

"Did you bring any money?" Hall asked.

Harry scratched his head. "No... we didn't say we were going to buy anything. I didn't even bring a bag."

"What are we going to do..." Harry started to get anxious.

But Hall remained calm, a confident smile playing on his lips. "Don't worry. I have a backup plan."

With no other choice, Hall prepared the last resort.

It seemed they had no other choice but to resort to this last resort. He really didn't want to use this tactic unless absolutely necessary.

"Thank you very much for your help, Mrs Malfoy," Hall said humbly, bowing.

He had met Mrs Malfoy a few times because of his tutoring Draco. Thank goodness she happened to have her purse with her.

"I'll have Draco pay you back for the cake later," Hall said with a shy smile.

Mrs Malfoy — Narcissa — was Sirius's cousin.

She was beautiful. Easily the most beautiful woman Hall had ever seen. Her blonde hair cascaded down her slender shoulders like a waterfall, radiating a soft golden glow. Her complexion was pale as snow, her eyes deep and captivating, her figure tall and elegant. Her lips were slightly upturned, revealing a cold smile, as if she were indifferent to everything in the world.

She raised her chin, waving her hand with a hint of haughtiness. "It's nothing."

If this had happened on their first meeting, Hall might have mistakenly thought he was unwelcome. But after several encounters, he discovered that this lady displayed the same arrogant attitude toward everyone except her husband and son.

"How could I —" Hall felt a pang of embarrassment.

"If you truly wish to repay my kindness, perhaps you could look after Draco at school." Narcissa's tone was earnest yet warm.

Hall nodded.

"Then let's go in now."

"Madam —" Hall began. "You don't need to go in yourself. Just give me the key, and I'll handle the rest."

If Narcissa went in, she would know of Harry's presence. Goblins were exceptionally perceptive.

"Are you sure?" Narcissa hesitated. The child before her was about the same height as Draco, and though Lucius had told her he was strong, could he handle the randomly triggered curses within the vault? She and Sirius had both been injured when they came out last time.

Hall understood her worried look. "I swear to Merlin, rest assured. I will return safely and unharmed." He held his right hand up, looking at her sincerely. Since Narcissa had just helped him, Hall was always patient with kind people.

Narcissa hesitantly handed over the key. "Don't touch anything inside. None of us are sure where the curses were placed."

Hall took the key, waved, and turned to walk into Gringotts.

He entered without hindrance. The goblin took the key, simply checked his name, and led Hall to the small wooden cart. Hall guessed the goblin must know something, otherwise it wouldn't have passed the approval so quickly. Though Gringotts had its share of dangerous items, none were as dangerous as the Golden Cup. Leaving such a hot potato in the bank would inevitably cause trouble sooner or later — better to let someone take it away.

Before boarding the small carriage to the vault, the goblin leading them demanded that those around Hall reveal their true faces.

Hall nodded in Harry's direction. Thankfully, they were prepared.

Harry removed his cloak.

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