Chapter 7
Chapter 7
“Thank you, Mr. Tom.”
“Ohoho! May your magical fortunes prosper.” Old Tom chuckled and patted Suer on the shoulder. “I heard that from a visitor from the East. Rather good, don’t you think?”
“Goodbye.”
The archway began to contract. As soon as all seven of them had stepped through, it sealed itself back into a solid wall.
Hermione hurriedly pulled the first-year shopping list enclosed with her acceptance letter from her satchel and began muttering through it.
“We need three sets of plain black robes, one pointed hat, one pair of dragon-hide gloves, one winter cloak…”
“Before any of that, we need money.” Suer tapped her shoulder to stop her.
Hermione had memorized the entire list before coming. Taking it out now was merely her way of reinforcing the information.
The four adults gazed at everything on the street, overwhelmed by the sights, and let Suer lead them deeper into Diagon Alley.
“Bwother, I want that.”
Angel released Hermione’s hand, trotted over, and tugged on the hem of Suer’s shirt.
She was pointing to the ice-cream shop beside Eeylops Owl Emporium. A young wizard had just emerged holding a cone stacked with four scoops.
“All right, Angel. We’ll buy you one after we get some money, okay?” Suer said gently.
The little girl nodded obediently, though she kept hold of his shirt and followed close behind him.
At the end of the street stood the white building Tom had described.
Beside its gleaming bronze doors stood a figure in a scarlet-and-gold uniform. Mrs. Ellison took one look and immediately averted her eyes. It simply looked too strange.
The creature was short, about a head smaller than Suer, with a dark face, cunning eyes, a pointed beard, and arms long enough for its hands to reach its knees.
It bowed as the seven of them passed.
Mr. Granger was about to return the bow, but Mrs. Granger pulled him back after noticing that no one else did.
In an unfamiliar place, the safest choice was to follow the crowd.
Beyond the bronze doors stood a second pair made of silver. Two more goblins in scarlet uniforms guarded this entrance.
“Is this solid silver?” Mr. Ellison murmured. As he approached, he reached out to touch the door and clicked his tongue.
He was certainly wealthy, but not so extravagant that he would make an entire door out of silver.
“Yes, sir. The door is made entirely of silver,” one goblin said suddenly, glancing pointedly toward the inscription carved upon it.
“My father was only curious,” Suer said.
“Every Muggle who comes to Gringotts Wizarding Bank is,” the goblin replied. “All who enter should beware. Greed brings no good end.”
“Clearly, no one ever taught you manners.”
The goblin’s tone had irritated Suer, and his voice turned cold.
Behind him, Hermione tugged at his clothes.
“My apologies, sir,” the other goblin interjected. “It is new here and meant no offence. Gringotts Wizarding Bank welcomes all visitors, whether wizard or… Muggle.”
The goblin bowed in apology.
“Hmph.”
Suer gave a cold snort and walked on. The goblin remained bent at the waist until they had entered the main hall.
“He is only a Muggle-born wizard,” muttered the goblin Suer had rebuked.
“Silence!” the other snapped. “Have you forgotten why you were banished to guard duty at the entrance? If you still cannot correct that temper, your next assignment will be feeding the dragon below!”
“And are you truly certain he is Muggle-born? The presence of pure-blood magic cannot be mistaken.”
The first goblin fell silent and shuddered, evidently imagining the fate awaiting anyone sent to feed the dragon. Only one goblin in ten ever returned alive.
Whatever lived down there had a vicious temper.
After passing through the unpleasant silver doors, Suer and the others entered Gringotts Wizarding Bank’s vast marble hall. Crystal chandeliers hung from the soaring vaulted ceiling, casting a soft glow that made the surrounding pillars gleam gold.
The Grangers and Ellisons gasped in unison.
Nearly a hundred goblins sat behind counters enclosed by wooden railings. Some weighed coins on brass scales, some peered through long monocles to inspect gemstones, and others scratched rapidly in ledgers with quills.
Wizards in tall hats crossed the hall in every direction. Amid them, Suer’s party looked distinctly out of place in their modern clothes.
A goblin soon came forward to meet them. A nameplate on its chest read **Doli**.
“Sir.” It bowed in greeting. “How may I assist you?”
“We’re new Hogwarts students. We need to exchange some money,” Suer said.
“Have you brought your acceptance letters?” Doli asked.
Suer looked at Hermione. She nodded and patted her satchel.
“Then please follow me.”
Doli extended one hand and led them across the hall to a counter.
“Muggle currency to be exchanged for wizarding currency,” it told the clerk. Then it bowed to the group and departed.
“Acceptance letters?”
A different goblin sat behind this counter. Wearing gold-rimmed spectacles, it leaned forward lazily.
Hermione took both letters from her satchel and handed them over.
“Two young wizards?”
The goblin checked the letters, then said flatly, “You may exchange up to one hundred Galleons each. The rate is five pounds to one Galleon.”
Mr. Granger and Mr. Ellison each produced an envelope, which Suer passed over.
While the goblin counted the notes, Suer noticed a wizard at the neighboring counter present a key. Another goblin then escorted him through a small door nearby.
Suer suddenly remembered the key Dumbledore had given him. He took it out and held it up.
“Excuse me, is this key…?”
The goblin cast it an impatient glance. Its demeanor changed instantly.
“Ah, yes, esteemed client. That is the key to a Gringotts vault. Would you like to enter and make a withdrawal?”
“Not today.”
Suer thought for a moment, then shook his head. Four adults were with him, and a little girl was still clutching his shirt while waiting for ice cream. This was hardly the right time to investigate what his birth parents had left behind.
After seeing the key, the goblin’s manner became impeccably respectful. It placed two hundred Galleons in a cloth bag, set the bag on a tray, and pushed it across the counter.
“Should you wish to retrieve anything from the vault, you may ask for me at any time.”
“Thank you.”
Suer took the bag and casually handed it to Hermione.
“Let’s go shopping.”
Hermione carefully tucked the bag into her satchel. It represented a thousand pounds, after all.
“Ice cream.”
Angel tugged at Suer’s shirt. She had not forgotten that delicious cone with all those scoops.
“All right. First, we buy our little angel some ice cream.”
Suer smiled warmly at her.