Chapter 236 The Ukrainian Ironbelly
Under the threat of the dragon and fire, everyone retreated.
"Incredible, the external rumors are true. There really is a dragon in Gringotts!" Exclaimed Harry, surprised, his eyes a mix of curiosity and panic.
"The Ukrainian Ironbelly, the largest dragon species in the world. Very dangerous," said Sirius cautiously. "These goblins should have a way to subdue it. It seems they have tormented it enough, but we must be careful. Evan, do not get too close!"
Evan was standing next to Griphook, observing the dragon in the corner with curiosity.
Although he had seen dragons in many magical books, this was the first time he saw one alive.
As the largest known fire dragon in the current magical world, the Ukrainian Ironbelly can weigh up to six tons. Its body is round, and the scales on its belly are extremely tough. Compared to the Peruvian Vipertooth or the Romanian Longhorn, it flies slower but is more dangerous.
It is accustomed to landing from great heights and can easily crush the buildings it lands on.
Normally, its scales are metallic grey, its eyes are a deep red, its claws are particularly long, and it is especially fierce.
Ironbellies have been under constant observation by Ukrainian magical authorities since a particular Ironbelly took a sailing ship from the Black Sea in 1799.
The blood and scales of the dragon are extremely valuable magical materials. The heartstrings and nerves are used to make wand cores. In ancient times, only a few powerful wizards could obtain these, as only they were capable of killing dragons.
Although there are now places for breeding dragons for profit, the price of dragon blood and scales still exceeds their weight in gold.
Different types of dragons have different dragon bloods, scales, nerves, and values.
Among dragons, the magic of the Ukrainian Ironbelly belongs to the weaker kind. Its dragon blood is not the best material for magical potions. Its heartstrings and nerves are seldom chosen for wand cores, but the tough scales on its belly have high magical power and are essential ingredients for many magical items.
However, Evan doubted the value of the Ukrainian Ironbelly's scales in front of him and whether anyone would need them, as they looked extremely ragged and unhealthy.
"It's partially blind!" Beside Evan, Griphook gasped and said, "They brought it here when it was a baby dragon. It's been over two hundred years now. Its power is waning, but its temperament is more brutal than the external dragons. But we have a way to control it. It has formed a conditioned reflex to the Clankers."
Griphook pulled out several small metal instruments that, when shaken, emitted a loud, resonant noise like hammers on miniature anvils.
He handed them to everyone and demonstrated how to use them.
"Well, you know what to do," Griphook continued. "He will retreat in pain when he hears the noise. We will seize the opportunity to run past to the small room at the end."
"That's why I hate coming here!" Sirius muttered, "Crazy dragon, and equally crazy goblins..."
They lined up, Griphook in the lead, followed by Evan, Hermione, Harry, and Sirius. They all had a Clanker in hand.
Evan's left hand tightly held Hermione's, and his palm was sweaty.
They followed the goblin and advanced again around the corner, waving the Clankers, and the noise reverberated on the rocky walls, grotesquely amplified, making Evan's skull interior seem to vibrate with the din.
The massive dragon let out another hoarse roar and then retreated.
Evan could see it trembling, and as he got closer, he saw the scars from vicious cuts on its face, suspecting that it had been taught to fear hot swords by the sound of the Clankers.
Because he was close enough, Evan could feel the astonishing warmth emanating from it.
A few seconds later, as everyone passed by the dragon and entered the small room at the end, they were pale, sweat-drenched, and sighing with relief.
The close encounter with a dragon was indeed a remarkable experience.
Ahead of them was a descending circular staircase, looking very ancient, with a faint glow of blue rock on the floor and a mysterious scent.
As they descended, the roars of the dragon gradually faded away.
Back to calmness, on both sides of the stairs were large and small chests.
Besides the numbers used to identify the rocks, Evan could only see all sorts of doors with peculiar shapes.
Not surprisingly, the vault of Death Eater Bellatrix was there, housing another Horcrux, Hufflepuff's Golden Cup, placed under Voldemort's custody.
Evan didn't know which one it was. Luckily, there weren't many vaults there. He tried to recall the nearby terrain and carefully observed in front of a suspicious door. He wondered how to destroy this Horcrux...
"If you don't want to die, you better stay away from that door," Griphook suddenly turned and said, "The vault doors are enchanted with powerful magical defenses and curses, and only goblins can open them the right way, otherwise..."
"I'm just looking!" Evan explained. He really wanted to take a look around, memorize the surroundings, and prepare for the rush to find the Horcrux later.
"I know, but I must remind you that greed, in the end, even disappoints the greedy one," Griphook smirked maliciously. "Remember, if you try to take something that doesn't belong to you from Gringotts, death awaits you. All kinds of magic set here are completely beyond your imagination."
"Evan is just being inquisitive. No one would care for that wastefulness," Sirius said impatiently. "Come on, we better hurry. I don't want to spend the whole day in the cave."
The spiral staircase zigzagged downward, seemingly endless, and they descended for about ten minutes, until Griphook abruptly stopped at the edge of the stairs.
Evan also stopped abruptly, and the surroundings were dark with no light.
Everyone drew their wands. Under the faint glow of their tips, Evan saw something different from above. It appeared to be a naturally formed cave.
Cracks were everywhere in the rock walls, and from the crevices emanated a hissing sound.
Shriek, shriek, shriek!
The sharp and harsh sound didn't stop. It was extremely eerie, as if it were the cries of countless banshees.
The atmosphere grew tense. They had just seen the dragon. Nobody could tell what else awaited there. Would these mad goblins use banshees to guard the vaults in the depths underground?!
Evan felt Hermione lean towards him, squeezing his hand tightly.
"What are these sounds, what lies beneath?" Harry whispered.
"It's the wind!" Sirius's voice also sounded somewhat subdued. "As for what comes next, you'll find out soon enough. It's likely to be an unpleasant scene beyond imagination. My father brought me here once 16 years ago, and I never wanted to return..."