Bab 9: Chapter 9: Diagon Alley
Chapter 9: Diagon Alley
Back at Moonlight Castle, Harry, with great familiarity, hopped off the broomstick as if he was an experienced flyer.
"You seem to have quite a talent for flying," Moon commented with a smile.
Caught off guard by Moon's sudden praise, Harry, holding the broomstick, didn't know where to put his other hand. Finally, he scratched the back of his head, "I... I don't really know."
Moon smiled and walked into the castle, "Get ready, we're heading to London."
Harry, somewhat surprised, hurriedly followed, "Uncle Moon, am I going too?"
"Of course, kid. Otherwise, who'll carry the things I buy?" Moon walked straight to the second floor, not looking back, and loudly said, "Lucifer, get me some money."
"How much?" Lucifer emerged from the fireplace.
"One Galleon... no, two."
Lucifer nodded and then looked at Harry, somewhat puzzled, "Aren't you cold?"
It was only then that Harry realized he hadn't put on his clothes, revealing his slim body, looking like a vagabond. But judging from the fact that he could barely afford to eat, he wasn't much different from a vagabond.
After about ten minutes, he saw Uncle Moon coming down, also wearing a khaki-colored coat that matched the lower part of his body.
"How are we getting there?" Harry asked as he stood up.
Moon walked over to Lucifer, and Lucifer opened his mouth, spitting out two gold bricks. Moon put the gold bricks into his cuff, and they seemed to be "eaten" like magic.
"Of course, we'll fly..." Moon said casually, then realized that flying directly might get them caught by the Ministry of Magic again.
"Lucifer, do we have any means of transportation?"
Lucifer thought for a moment, "There's a flying shuttle and a glider in the underground garage."
...
Harry showed a puzzled expression. He didn't know what a flying shuttle was, but... a glider??
"No, I mean something less conspicuous, with wheels."
"A carriage?"
Moon fell silent for a while, then looked at Harry and said, "We might have to choose a method you least want to accept."
"What?"
"Apparition." Moon smiled slightly, put his hand on Harry's shoulder, gripping it tightly, "I haven't been to London many times. So, I don't have a memory of most places. Except for one, I can guarantee that we won't get stuck in a wall after Apparating there."
"Which place?" Harry, hearing the risk of getting stuck in a wall, suddenly felt nervous.
"Big Ben!"
After saying that, a sudden sound of air being rapidly stirred echoed around them, and the surrounding space collapsed around Moon's body.
The next moment, the two disappeared from the spot.
London, Westminster, commonly known as the West End, is the absolute center of London.
At the top of Big Ben, accompanied by a rush of air, two figures suddenly appeared.
"What is this..." Harry opened his mouth wide, looking at the Thames River below and the nearby Parliament building. A surreal feeling arose in his heart.
However, the cold wind that followed immediately confirmed the reality in front of him.
Ignoring all this, Moon quickly searched the streets below, soon locking onto a deserted alley. In the next moment, the two disappeared again.
On the west side of Trafalgar Square, in an alley where no one passed by, Moon led Harry out.
Harry hadn't recovered from two consecutive Apparitions, looking pale. Moon waved to the passersby in front and asked for directions.
By the time Harry recovered, Moon was already sitting in London's distinctive black taxi.
When he got on the car, Moon handed him a scarf.
"What's this?"
"Used to cover the scar on your forehead," Moon explained. "Also, when we get there, if someone asks your name, remember to tell them you're Harry Jones."
Moon shook his head, "Trust me, there's no harm. If I remember correctly, your name carries other meanings."
"What meanings?" Harry suddenly became curious. He was just an ordinary person. Could there be another celebrity with the same name?
"I only know bits and pieces," Moon said.
He really only knew bits and pieces. He only knew that Harry seemed to be a celebrity in the magical world, a big one.
The kind that attracts attention.
Of course, he didn't think Harry was that special, just a poor kid.
When they reached Charing Cross, after walking a few steps, they noticed an old pub.
It was so old, older than old movies, squeezed between two beautifully decorated bookstores and record shops, it looked out of place.
However, the hurried passersby didn't even glance at it. Harry, who had gained some insight from Moon Castle, immediately realized that ordinary people couldn't see this pub.
Entering the pub, the odd pair immediately attracted attention, their combination was really not harmonious.
If Moon looked like the head of an emerging wizarding family, Harry looked like... a servant.
Many people couldn't help but be puzzled, didn't he have house-elves at home?
An old man with a hunched back suddenly stood in front of them, asking, "Guests from afar, do you need any help? Are you heading to Diagon Alley, or would you like a drink?"
Old Tom had been running this pub for decades. He could guarantee that he hadn't seen any familiar faces, so he easily distinguished that the two were not locals.
"We want to go to Diagon Alley, could you please show us the way?" Moon asked with a faint smile.
"Of course, follow me." Old Tom nodded and led them to the back of the pub.
The three arrived at a small courtyard surrounded by walls on all sides. There was nothing here except a trash bin and some weeds. While Harry was wondering, he saw the hunched old man pull out a small wooden stick.
"Start from here by the trash bin, count three up, then count two across."
Having said that, he pointed the small wooden stick at the corresponding bricks, tapping twice.
Then, in the eyes of the three, the brick he had tapped suddenly shook, and then started moving. A small hole appeared in the middle, and the opening grew larger. In no time, a wide archway appeared in front of them, leading to a winding, cobbled street that seemed endless.
"If you need some change, follow the path to the intersection. You can see Gringotts. Finally, I'm Tom Abbot. You're welcome to have a drink at the bar after your shopping. Have a pleasant journey." Old Tom said.
"Okay." Moon nodded and headed towards Diagon Alley.
Harry hurriedly followed, looking around, hoping to see everything clearly. Shops selling owls, shops selling dragon liver, and stacks of spell books, quills, rolls of parchment, potion bottles, globes...
Moon was also a little amazed. It had been many years since he felt this way. Most wizards lived in seclusion, and such commercial streets were not common.
Later, the two saw Gringotts, a tall white building towering above the surrounding shops, with shiny bronze doors.
And, a goblin.
The goblin was about half a head shorter than Harry, with a clever and dark face, sharp beard, and exceptionally long hands, feet, and nose, just like the evil goblins in the stories.
Moon was also a little surprised. Goblins managing a bank? Can humans trust them?
Further in, there was another door. Two goblins came forward to greet them. Harry seemed to notice something written on the door, but before he could read it clearly, Moon walked in, and he had no choice but to follow.
In the hall, there were about a hundred goblins busy behind the counters. Moon went to an unmanned counter and asked, "Can I exchange gold here?"
"Of course, gold is always valuable." The goblin didn't even raise its head, nodded impatiently, "The current gold price is 40 Galleons per ounce. How many ounces do you want to exchange?"
Moon felt a little apologetic, "Sorry, you may have misunderstood. I want to exchange some money."
Saying that, he took out two large gold bricks.
Clang—
The goblin's long fingers, which were playing with the gold Galleon, suddenly dropped it to the ground. This was his beloved gold coin, but now it was no longer on his mind.
In his eyes, there were only the two dazzling large gold bricks.
Moon handed the two gold bricks over, and the goblin, trembling, first measured the purity with some spell, then put them on the scale.
"4.4 pounds... 53 ounces, equivalent to the gold price..."
The goblin clicked the abacus.
"Equivalent to 2120 Galleons, sir." The goblin's face was full of smiles, no trace of impatience from before.
(End of this chapter)
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone