บท 4: (4) Diagon Alley And Gringotts
"Come along, children, stay close to me," Dumbledore said, leading the way toward the bar.
Ian and Hermione hurried to keep up with Dumbledore, with the Grangers following closely behind.
As soon as they entered the bar, their arrival caught everyone's attention.
"Professor Dumbledore!" someone exclaimed, their voice filled with surprise and reverence.
"Oh my, it's Professor Dumbledore!"
"And Professor McGonagall!"
In an instant, the bar became lively with chatter as people discussed Dumbledore's arrival.
Dumbledore, clearly used to this kind of attention, simply smiled and nodded at everyone before guiding Ian and the others through the bar and out to the courtyard behind it.
Ian looked at the walls around him, knowing this was the entrance to Diagon Alley.
"Children, this is the gateway to Diagon Alley," Dumbledore said, playfully winking at the two young ones. "Watch closely: count three bricks up from the trash can, then two bricks across…"
As Dumbledore explained, he gently waved his wand, and the brick wall began to ripple with a water-like pattern.
Ian glanced at the trash can, feeling a mischievous urge bubbling up inside him.
If he moved that trash can, would it mean that the wizards coming afterward wouldn't be able to enter Diagon Alley?
Before he could finish the thought, Ian felt a tug on the corner of his shirt.
Hermione, having instantly recognized Ian's mischievous intention, shook her head with a slightly exasperated expression. "Ian…"
Snapping out of it, Ian looked into Hermione's clear eyes and felt a bit embarrassed. He sheepishly rubbed his nose and silently put away his urge to cause trouble.
"Let's go in," Dumbledore said with a smile, leading the way into Diagon Alley.
Ian and Hermione quickly followed, with the Grangers close behind.
The moment they stepped into Diagon Alley, they were stunned by the sight before them.
The street was lined with shops, each with displays of strange and wondrous items. There were cauldrons that stirred themselves, newspapers that screamed, and books that would bite…
"Oh my, this place is absolutely magical!" Mrs. Granger couldn't help but exclaim in amazement.
"This is Diagon Alley, a shopping paradise for wizards in London," Dumbledore explained with a smile. "Let's go to Gringotts first to exchange some wizarding currency, and then we'll visit Flourish and Blotts to purchase your textbooks."
Mr. Granger nodded. "Professor Dumbledore, we can exchange British pounds for wizard currency, right?"
"Of course, Mr. Granger," Dumbledore replied with a smile. "In addition, gold can also be exchanged for Galleons."
With that, he led the way toward Gringotts.
Ian looked around, taking in the familiar scenes from the movies, his heart filled with excitement and curiosity.
In his past life, he had only seen Diagon Alley in movies or visited the replica at Universal Studios.
But now, right in front of him was the real Diagon Alley!
Ian took a deep breath, feeling even the air here seemed to carry a hint of magical energy.
'Haah~ What has my life become~'
Ah! The magical world he had dreamed of!
"Ian, Ian!" Hermione's voice suddenly sounded beside him, pulling him out of his thoughts.
Ian snapped back to reality, looking at Hermione with a bit of confusion. "What is it?"
"What were you thinking about so intently?" Hermione asked, curious. "We're already at Gringotts. Let's go in."
At her words, Ian realized they were indeed standing at the first entrance to Gringotts.
Quickly gathering his thoughts, he followed Hermione inside.
Gringotts Wizarding Bank, located in the towering white building of Diagon Alley, was the only bank in the magical world, operated entirely by goblins.
The first door was a gleaming bronze entrance, guarded by goblins in scarlet and gold uniforms who bowed as they welcomed clients.
The second door was silver, engraved with the following inscription:
~~
Enter, stranger, but take heed: Of what awaits the sin of greed
For those who take, but do not earn: Must pay most dearly in their turn
So if you seek beneath our floors: A treasure that was never yours
Thief, you have been warned: Beware of finding more than treasure there
~~
'did the fuck-lins really believe this kind of threat worked or are they mocking every new wizard who comes here?'
Ian looked at the inscription with a peculiar expression, silently wondering. 'The second one probably...'
Everyone knew that a certain famous noseless figure in his weakened state had successfully broken into Gringotts, after all.
"Alright, let's go in," Dumbledore said, leading the way through the second door.
Ian and Hermione quickly followed, with the Grangers close behind.
As they stepped through, they were awestruck by the sight before them.
The vast hall was bustling with hundreds of goblins hard at work. Some were weighing coins on scales, others inspecting gemstones with magnifying glasses, while others attended to clients' transactions. The entire hall was filled with the busy figures of goblins and the crisp sound of coins clinking together.
"My goodness, it's so busy in here," Mr. Granger couldn't help but remark.
"Gringotts is one of the largest banks in the wizarding world," Dumbledore explained with a smile. "It serves thousands of clients every day. Now, let's exchange some currency and head out to buy textbooks and other school supplies."
He then led Ian and the others to the front counter.
"Griphook, the Grangers need to exchange some Galleons," Dumbledore said pleasantly to the goblin behind the counter.
The goblin, Griphook, raised his head, revealing his pointed ears and sharp green eyes.
"Hmm, 1st years from the Muggle world.." Griphook looked over the Grangers and then said, "Each young wizard from the Muggle world can exchange up to one hundred Galleons per year. That's the rule."
"One Galleon equals seventeen Sickles, and one Sickle equals four hundred and ninety-three Knuts. If you're exchanging from pounds, that's five pounds per Galleon."
Mr. Granger nodded. "Alright, we'll exchange two hundred Galleons for both Ian and Hermione." With that, he pulled out a stack of pounds from his pocket to hand over to the goblin.
"No need, Mr. Granger. Ian has his own vault," Dumbledore said with a smile, stopping Mr. Granger. He then turned to Griphook behind the counter. "Mr. Ian Potter needs to withdraw some funds."
Griphook looked up, his gaze shifting to the group. When he saw Ian, he paused for a moment, then gave a rather peculiar smile. "Potter? Ah, the younger Potter. So, Ian Potter, you did bring your vault key, I presume?"
"Of course." Dumbledore reached into his pocket and produced a gleaming golden key, handing it to Griphook. "This is the key to Ian Potter's vault."
Griphook took the key, inspected it carefully, then nodded. "Very well, this key is indeed for the Potter family vault."
Hearing this, Ian's heart stirred.
This must be the pile of Galleons James and Lily had left for Harry in the movies, right?
Well… now half of it was his! Life was looking up!
Griphook first exchanged one hundred Galleons for Mr. Granger, then stepped out from behind the counter. "Follow me, Mr. Potter, and the rest of you as well."
With Ragnok leading the way, Ian and the others made their way through the bustling hall and down to the deepest part of the underground vaults.
________
Be sure to include this in your library!
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