Had the Death Eaters not held a grudging respect for the goblins' craftsmanship, and chosen to preserve certain pieces of their work, their methods would have been far less subtle. A single, well-placed Fiendfyre could have eradicated the entire Underworld—a far more appealing prospect than picking off the goblins bit by bit. And with the assembled might of the Death Eaters, a coordinated assault wouldn't have even ruffled the feathers of Diagon Alley above. The only casualties would have been the goblins themselves. A glorious victory, indeed.
...
As the Death Eaters surged into the Underworld, the goblin commander, perched atop his precious, unfinished Helicarrier, was losing his mind, unleashing his fury on his cowering subordinates.
"Incompetent! Are you all utterly useless?!"
He lashed out with a kick, his stunted legs barely reaching, sending a kneeling goblin sprawling. "Explain to me how a handful of fairies could be thwarted by two children!"
"..."
Though goblins were formidable, especially their elite warriors, the kicked goblin scrambled back to his knees, ignoring the sharp pain in his ribs. "Sir, we deployed the fairies to provide support. Besides, the adult fire dragon is still on their heels. They're trapped inside Gringotts!"
"..."
The goblin commander's head throbbed with rage. He sucked in deep breaths, his chest heaving, a storm of fury brewing within.
He bared his teeth, a chilling smile twisting his dry lips. "Trapped in Gringotts, you say? If they so much as breathe wrong in Gringotts, we are all doomed!"
If those blasted children caused the slightest disruption in Gringotts, the consequences would be dire. By tomorrow, goblins will be placed on the endangered species list!
The goblin commander, practically incandescent with rage, ordered his men to drag away the hapless guards who had allowed Harry and his companion access to the Underworld. They were to be skinned alive! And if they weren't dead by then, they would be tortured until they begged for oblivion.
"Listen to me!"
He kicked his subordinate again, then seized his head with a gauntleted hand, lifting him off the ground. "If Gringotts is truly lost, I swear I will…"
Crack.
The commander's contorted, enraged face filled the goblin's terrified vision, but the searing pain of his fractured bones snapped him back to reality.
"Yes, sir! We will not let them escape… We will not let them return to Gringotts!"
His voice wavering, the goblin, arm dangling uselessly at his side, fled the technologically advanced, iron-colored room.
"..."
The enraged goblin slumped back into his seat, attempting to formulate a plan.
But his thoughts were cut short as the goblin returned, interrupting his thoughts.
"Tell me you've captured those two children."
"I'm sorry, sir! I…"
Bang!
Before he could finish, his head was crushed by a heavy gauntlet.
"You!"
He paused, taking a long, deliberate breath to regain control, then waved casually at another goblin who had followed him. "Tell me what happened?"
"S-Sir, the Death Eaters have breached our defenses!"
"..."
...
When the Death Eaters finally arrived, they found only the spot where the unfinished Helicarrier had been. With a wave of magic, the goblins had teleported it somewhere else.
"Too late!"
"They've escaped!"
"Damn those conniving goblins!"
The Death Eaters crowded around the site where the unfinished Helicarrier had been parked.
A massive metal platform stood there, far larger than the Helicarrier itself, with faint magical traces clinging to its surface. It was clear that this was their escape route.
The magic device that moved the unfinished Helicarrier was somewhat like a door key.
A rudimentary, disposable teleportation device assembled from a collection of smaller components.
Such makeshift measures always carried risks. The Helicarrier could have been misdirected, ending up in the wrong location. More ominously, the teleportation process itself could have gone awry, resulting in catastrophic damage.
The worst-case scenario painted a grim picture: the Helicarrier and its goblin crew twisted beyond recognition by unstable magic.
Yet, despite the risks, the goblins had managed to spirit away their mobile fortress.
Damn it! It could have been the greatest victory of the day.
Clearly, something the goblins were so desperate to protect was no ordinary trinket.
Although they had missed out on their intended grand prize, the thought of the goblins, who had gone to all the trouble to travel on the unfinished Helicarrier, now suffering greatly filled the Death Eaters with a sense of loss.
The Death Eaters silently cursed the goblins.
"Take everything of value. Burn the rest."
With those words, Snape cast a levitation charm and turned to leave the Underworld.
...
Meanwhile, deep within the now ravaged Gringotts, a disheveled Umbridge huddled in a forgotten corner, shielded from the worst of the destruction by her mediocre magic.
Umbridge, fresh from her meager dinner, had just returned to her office. She was eager to browse the Gringotts employee list, planning to select a few more unfortunates for torment.
But before she could even turn a page, hell erupted.
The office exploded in flames. Umbridge, her magic rusty from disuse, managed to shield herself, barely escaping the inferno.
Wave after wave of fire and tremors rocked the building. Fearing for her life, Umbridge cowered in a relatively safe corner until the chaos subsided.
She had no idea what had transpired, but she knew one thing: Gringotts was finished.
Damn it She was despondent because her dream of enjoying supreme power had been shattered.
Emerging from her hiding place, she saw robes, black robes, and a lot of them.
Even someone as dense as Umbridge could deduce what had happened.
Seeing the Death Eaters emerge from the Underworld, Umbridge, terror etched on her face, desperately wanted to approach them, to ask questions. But she was terrified that these ruthless thugs would simply kill her along with the goblins.
She opened her mouth, but the sweet, cloying words caught in her throat, ultimately dissolving into a sigh.
---