Chapter 17. Voyage.

Thanks to a lucky chance, I had free time, and no one was controlling me. I decided to use this time to implement my plans.

I knew of only one place in Europe that had a legal casino. Probably there are others, and not necessarily illegal, but everyone knows about Monte Carlo, or almost everyone. And it is very fortunate that Monaco is located next to France.

I also had to think about when to drink the luck potion. Twelve hours is enough for everything, it would seem, but suddenly not enough. Therefore, I did not drink immediately, I will wait for the border.

I now had enough money for everything I needed. It was only necessary to take care of a normal disguise, not young, not old, not ugly, not overly attractive. Etienne Dohle shared his appearance with me, and the documents I would like to say, but without a wand I could not make a copy of the documents, and using a wand with a surveillance charm is to give myself away to the aurors. I shouldn't have memorized the copying spell. Well, not quite in vain, of course, it will be useful still, but it would be better to make a wand for yourself.

I bought a train ticket from Paris to Monaco. I was a little pleased with the idea of using coins to charm Muggles with an improved confudus. If I take out my wand, I won't escape everyone's attention. Well, Yes, even in Sarbacane I put on my school clothes the spell of blind that allow them to become uninteresting to Muggles. It would be possible not to buy a ticket, but since I still occupy a place, and it takes quite a long time to go, I decided to buy a ticket.

Instead of documents, I had a magic little book-a postcard, which I put in the cover for documents. This little book was a universal document for Muggles. A person opens such a "passport", and sees what he needs. You can also tell me if there are any difficulties.

I boarded the train, planning to be in Monaco by the evening.

- Your ticket, please? The ticket collector on the train asked me.

I handed over the ticket, it was composted and returned to me.

I didn't talk to anyone on the train, pretending to be asleep, only occasionally sipping from a flask of polyjuice potion I'd prepared beforehand. When checking passports, there was only a hitch when the border guard-customs officer turned out to be a squib and he was not affected by my magic book.

"Monsieur, this is not a document," the clerk said, handing back the magic book.

"How so," I feigned surprise, already realizing what had happened. -Yes, yes, sorry, the children were playing, they made "documents".

Smiling affably at the clerk, I pretended to put the toy documents back and look for the real passport, but in fact I took out the same one, pretended to approve, and put the centime with the confudus on it, and handed it back to him. During the transfer, the employee touched the centime, and I got the desired effect.

"Is everything all right?" I asked the slightly intoxicated border guard

"Yes, yes," he said, handing me back the magic book.

Despite the fact that I drove on calmly, the realization that I had walked on the edge began to bother me. If there had been two border guards at that moment and both had turned out to be squibs…

A partner might have noticed a change in his companion's behavior. Although, it is unlikely that I would have been immediately taken at gunpoint, I would have been able to get out of it. But they would have stored something in their memory, and then they would have searched for it. Would you have found it? Not found. But if these squibs are familiar with the wizarding world, they would know that they were dealing with a wizard, and a very strange one, who does not use a magic wand. And this is a trail.

I did not rent a house for myself, and in general, I tried not to shine a magic document once again. And I didn't need this place, I'm here for less than a day.

The game in the Monte Carlo casino in the evening and at night is the hottest, after all, such establishments are quite specific. Therefore, until the evening I wandered around the city a little looking at the local views.

When the time came, I did not hesitate to choose to be or not to be, but immediately drank a potion of good luck and went to the casino. It was a little uncomfortable to constantly sip the polyjuice potion, but I couldn't think of anything else to do, like Crouch, or how he would do it.

Felix Felicis stroked the inside of me in a warm wave, causing my magic to feel strangely aroused. I wanted to start worrying about how my inner monster would react, but nothing. Obscurus even liked this excitement, he did not arrange any explosions.

When I entered the casino, I exchanged all my remaining cash for a couple of small chips and began to choose where to play. Passing by the roulette table, I suddenly swung to the table, on a strange whim of magic, placed a bet on twenty black and won.

Instead, he went back to the cash register and exchanged a few chips for slot machine tokens. The one-armed bandit ate the first two tokens, but then the winning combination fell out. I converted all my winnings back into chips and moved back to the roulette table. This time the bet was quite large.

"Eighteen red," the croupier announced, and I scooped up my winnings.

Now I had more than twenty-five thousand francs in my pocket, but in pounds it was not so much: 2200-2400, and if you translate it into galleons, it is nothing at all. I had to bet more, but my magic gave a clear signal that I couldn't bet. I spun around the roulette wheel for a bit longer, still not making a bet, and went back to the machines. I didn't change the chips for tokens, I just decided to take a walk, to feel why it is impossible to place a bet and whether the feeling will remain in another game zone.

"You can't bet," I realized.

And after a little more walking around, I realized why. I was being followed.

At first, I noticed an interest in me from a seemingly ordinary casino visitor who followed me with a slight delay. Then I noticed that the guards were watching this monsieur very closely, but not like a casino customer, rather like a boss who is expected to give certain orders. After assessing the situation and observing a little more, I realized that some of the casino guards were probably werewolves, because their movements were very characteristic.

So far, my winnings were not too large to seriously interest the casino bosses. But they are probably familiar with the magical world here, which means that they will be able to determine my machinations. It was impossible to continue playing. I quickly went to the cash register, changed all the chips for money, and left the casino.

I didn't know then that the Wizarding and Muggle worlds were so closely linked in the areas of crime and super-profits. The werewolves kept contraband in the criminal environment and gambling in the legal and illegal areas. Vampires were engaged in the slave trade, brothels, porn industry, drug trafficking, transplantology — as far as illegal business is concerned, and actively engaged in pharmacology and the same transplantology in the legal sphere. All the territories were divided, and everyone kept order in their own area. Newcomers were rarely allowed in, usually when it was easier to negotiate than to erase the upstart. There were, of course, simple bandits who had nothing to do with the magical world. The internal structure of the whole society consists of a quilt, under whose roof, where special services, and where vampires who what clan their territory, their sphere of activity. But then I didn't know all this, and I didn't need it.

Realizing that any successful player is immediately taken under surveillance and, if necessary, under control, I decided to give up. Yes, the luck potion was almost wasted. No, no, I got my money back, even if you count what I spent buying more polyjuice potions, but the plans were quite different money.

From what I saw, I realized that it might be possible for a casino to have a couple of weak wizards on its payroll as consultants. If I had won really big money, I would have been immediately invited to talk in a private office, first with the casino manager, and then in a less pleasant place. If they found out that I was nobody and that I had no name, they would quickly sort me out for ingredients.

The one-bid rule wouldn't work here. With any big win, the client is detained in any available way. They would have checked, determined, acted adequately, perhaps, they would not have killed, they would have brought me to an oath or under a contract, which also did not suit me. I needed a lot of money, and I didn't have to pay anything for it.

Coming out of the casino I was about to leave the city to return to France and SABATON, I noticed something interesting. A collection van pulled up at the casino's service entrance. The fact that this is something interesting, I realized by the nervous security guards.

What started next…

Firing pistols with silencers, carefully blowing up doors with directional explosives, and most importantly, everything is quite quiet and fast. Someone was obviously helping the fake collectors from the inside, otherwise they would not have been able to overcome the security so quickly.

There were three attackers, and the fourth, the driver, remained behind the wheel.

Then my thoughts were confirmed, robbers appeared from the back entrance and there were more of them than went in. Three people came in and six people came out. However, two of them were killed by their accomplices right on the way out. They started cleaning up the tails before the robbery was over.

I had already changed into a robe with a muggle-repellent charm and climbed into the minibus, eagerly accepting the bags of money. There was only one person inside, and it had to be so that he wasn't a Muggle. The other three jumped into another car that had just arrived.

— Who are you?" - the robber began to take out the weapon that had just been hidden.

— This will explain everything, " I said, giving the robber an enchanted centime as he jumped inside. He didn't even have time to be surprised by the stranger and draw a weapon, as the matter was settled.

— I'm another of your accomplices, you know me well, as a reliable person — " I began to fill my oversized bag with money, explaining the situation to the robber who had been subjected to the confudus spell.

- Yes, - this is not my guys, - explained, apparently, the leader — - one corrupt werewolf, he is still alive, and the other two that have already removed-these are most likely informers working for the Mafia. I don't need them. The rest of the guys know.

"Clear out anyone you're not sure about," I said, " that was your original plan."

"Yes," the robber agreed — " that's about what I was going to do, but I couldn't make up my mind.

— Were you going to leave together or one at a time? I asked, still stuffing my bag.

"In groups," the robber said, and fell silent.

I immediately gave him another enchanted centime. Something quickly the spell stopped working…

— You're a wizard, aren't you?" - I decided to clarify my guess.

"Yes, that's right," the robber said.

— Are you the only wizard in the group?" I asked further.

"Here, yes," said the leader, " but my friend Pierre is waiting for me, and it is he who has developed the plan and will control the situation at the last stage. He had to prepare the escape routes.

I decided not to rake out all the money, leaving about half of it in the bags. The driver understood that something was happening behind him, but the accomplice answered the questions quite calmly, which calmed the driver.

The criminals were able to break away from the pursuit and hide. The number of robbers was reduced again, the cleanup was carried out according to a strict scheme. I was able to get off at one of the "intermediate stops" where the robbers changed vehicles. I even began to like the driver with his constant questions, so it was a bit of a pity that he was cleaned up. There were only three people in the new transport, and I was not on the way with them.

"Forget about me," I said to the leader when I parted from him, just as the transport was being changed. — I wasn't here."

Anticipating the reinforced posts and checks at the border, I decided to return on my own in the form of a dog carrying a bag in its teeth. It's not very convenient, and it can attract attention, so I chose the time and place carefully. The terrain there is rocky and mountainous, it will not be possible to cross the border in any place. But there is a loophole for the dog, and the potion of luck has not yet ceased to work. Broke out, went through the cordons.

"Look, look!" The big-eyed border guard exclaimed.

"What is it, Antoine?" Another voice called out.

"A dog," said this same Antoine.

"Ho," he said, a hint of mockery in his voice, " why didn't you arrest her?"

There were chuckles.

— It seems to me that the dog was carrying something in his mouth, maybe a bag or briefcase.

"You imagined it," the voice said. — I don't want to catch some mangy mutt, so you're not going to write anything about it in the report, okay?"

"All right.

"Go get some rest, Antoine.

A couple of hours later I reached Cap d'Ail, where I bought a ticket to Paris. We had to travel for more than 13 hours, counting all the stops planned on the way.

By the way, the robbers were taken, but not all of them, one of them definitely left, the wizard did. The other two were silent. The money they had with them was minuscule compared to the money they had taken from the casino. The investigation believed that the last robber, who had not yet been found, had taken the entire jackpot. Those caught faced a long sentence. It was a high-profile case. In all the newspapers of France, you could see headlines with articles on this topic.

To return to SABATON I decided later. First I had to make a trip to Switzerland, which is where I decided to put my money in storage. I bought a train ticket in Paris and went to Bern. The journey from Paris to Bern took much less time than the journey from Monaco to Paris.

There was a hitch at the border. Somehow, Switzerland was not part of the Schengen area, although the document seemed to have been signed. I had to pay the entry fee, buy a visa, otherwise the magic document worked flawlessly. It was not without difficulty that I managed to find a magic quarter in Bern, where there was a magic bank, even two.

There was no limit to my surprise. One bank was the Goblin Gringotts, and the other was the Dwarf Guild Bank. The amazing thing was that here the deposits were paid interest, as in Muggle banks. I wasn't interested in Gringotts in the magic quarter of Paris, but if there is interest on deposits there, then the British are clearly being fooled. On the other hand, everything depends on the contracts that the ministries conclude with the banks. And perhaps there are individual contracts, with all sorts of managers and other nuances. I had almost no information on this subject. Only Orion Black, in my ancestral memory, was quite an adult, but neither did he know the details.

I decided to open two accounts, one in the goblin bank, the other in the dwarf bank. In both cases, it was possible to open an anonymous account, which can be withdrawn if you specify the account number and password. The password was a double combination of numbers and a code word.

The percentage was small, only 1.1, but it was there. And as I later learned, such a percentage for a Swiss bank was considered not so small. It was all about the competition between the two magical banks and the free access to Muggle banks. The circulation of Muggle currency in the magical world in Switzerland was not limited in any way. Well, I've seen something similar in France, although there doesn't seem to be any other magic bank there besides Gringotts.

The goblins, or rather, the manner of their address, were also somewhat surprised. If in Britain most goblins spoke and moved in such a way that it seemed as if they were constantly making a considerable effort to restrain themselves from any sharp actions or words and were already doing a huge favor, then there was no tension felt, communication was quite smooth. The goblins were not particularly gracious here, either.

The dwarves were no different from humans, and if they wanted to, they could easily pass for short, stocky representatives of Homo sapiens. The dwarves were not much nicer than the goblins, although if you only take the local, Swiss goblins. In addition, the dwarf bank offered a larger range of services and even goods. The goblins clung to the possibility of maintaining a branch in Switzerland, so they had to meet a certain standard.

- Would you like to make a contribution? The clerk of the man in the Guild Bank said. I was referring to a specific employee, so there were no other options.

Yeah I wish, — I did not pull the rubber.

— What type of deposit do you want to make and for what amount? The clerk asked. — In the case of a deposit with interest, we accept any currency and convert it to the gold equivalent at the exchange rate. Accruals are made on the gold equivalent, so the profit is almost guaranteed, currency fluctuations will not affect your contribution in any way.

— And if the market of precious metals collapses? I asked.

"The world's gold production is growing year by year," the clerk said — " but nevertheless, a small but steady increase in the price of gold is projected for the next ten years. The price may go down, but it is impossible for the market to actually collapse, as you said. However, as an equivalent, you can choose another precious metal, for example, silver or platinum.

— And some more expensive rare-earth metal, some rhodium or osmium, or some magical metals.

— No, no, Ger Dole, we only use common metals as an equivalent, the market for which is quite large and sufficiently free, " the bank employee explained. — As for magic metals and alloys, they are also not used as an equivalent for various reasons. But the main reason is the statute of secrecy and the desire to link the Muggle and magical economy.

Goblins, of course, everywhere try to hold their galleon as the only legitimate currency. In Britain, I have heard, they were able to impose this clause on the ministry as a basic condition for peace. France does not have its own magical currency, but Muggle money is also in circulation. In Switzerland, Germany, and Austria, the Guild Bank stamps are used in the magical world. They are made of an alloy of gold and copper. The gold content of each stamp is seven grams. Each coin weighs 10 grams. For one mark of the Guild Bank, you get 43 Gringotts galleons.

How much?! I asked, surprised.

— Why are you surprised?" The clerk asked, clearly pleased with the effect. "Goblin gold has a very low content of this very gold. The coins are shiny, do not rust, and do not oxidize, but they are not gold. The same goes for goblin silver.

I had more confidence in the dwarves, but I would have had to come to Switzerland to withdraw money from my account, no other way. While the goblins gave the opportunity to withdraw funds in another pre-specified branch.

Then there was Gringotts.

In total, I have pressed about two hundred thousand galleons, even a little less. After converting the cash francs into a hundred thousand galleons and indicating the British branch as a possible place of receipt, he finished the business with the goblins. At the dwarves, I put the francs in the account, converting them to the gold equivalent. The dwarves had a hard time with that. The income was not in paper, but in the real equivalent, whether it was gold, silver or platinum. As well as the account was calculated only in the Guild Bank stamps or in precious metals.

I was disguised all the time, both in the goblin bank and in the dwarf bank, but the employees sometimes grinned when I took a sip from the flask. But no one demanded to show their real appearance, moreover, for anonymous deposits, such a tool as a turnaround is often practiced.

All the business in the banks took me about three hours. What took me so long, I don't understand? Everyone went, wrote down something, made out something. After that, they gave me an official bank paper with an account number and a digital password. The oral password on my copy was not entered, it was stored on another special document, which the bank employee could request only after specifying the account and the digital password.

Making everything and exchanging some money for Galleons for current expenses, I finally was able to return to SABATON. Again the train, again Paris, two portals and I'm on the territory of the academy. They didn't even notice I was back right away. Of course, Dumbledore had forgotten to tell Madame Maxime that he would send me away early.

After the successful operation to withdraw extra funds from the robbers, I began to like France even more. There was a confidence in their own abilities, not at the school level, but a little more. Unfortunately, you can not often use the potion of luck, it actually turned out to be toxic, even if not in the literal sense of the word. The effect was on a magical level. The magic of the person who drank this potion came to an excited state, which carried certain consequences. The additional load of frequent use could cause an extremely painful condition or even kill. It is recommended to take a break between the use of Felix Felicis for at least six months.

Now it's time to study.