II
“So.. you’re telling me that magic is real, I just so happen to be the kid who defeated this super evil dark wizard, and got shoved into an abusive household afterwards like yesterday’s trash?” Harry took a huge bite of a biscuit.
Jayden winced. “Well, when you put it like that it sounds bad, but pretty much. I promise that will change.”
Harry loudly chewed with his mouth open. “So,” he said, “what now?”
“You can either leave for the streets or stay here. I don’t mind.” The older man looked slightly disgusted by the boy-who-lived's chewing. Harry pretended to think.
“Normally I would yell ‘STRANGER DANGER!’ and then run off, but your biscuits are pretty great, so I’ll stay. For now,” Harry agreed, flopping down on the white couch.
Jayden sighed. “Actually, we need to go shopping. I don’t have anything for little kids in this house.”
Harry squawked angrily. “I’m not a little kid! I’m a big kid!”
“Yeah, obviously,” the older man responded sarcastically. “Really big. You can even reach the middle of my upper arms when you stand on your toes.”
The eight-year-old proudly puffed out his chest. “That’s right. So, where are we going shopping?”
“Diagon Alley. Normally we would go there via apparition, but I think you’ll be sick all over my feet if we try that, so we’re walking. Plus, the actual entranceway is way cooler than apparition.” They both stood up. Jayden led the way towards the door.
Harry snatched some biscuits before following. “So, what’s apparition?”
“Apparition is a mode of transportation kind of like teleportation. It makes you really sick the first time you use it, and is only performed by adult wixen. You have to have a valid license if you don’t want to serve a six month stay in Azkaban. That’s the prison we have, by the way.”
They reached the sidewalk. “Sounds complicated,” Harry commented. “What other super important stuff should I know before we reach the magic lair?”
“Well, the bank we’re headed to, Gringotts, is run by goblins who don’t accept nonsense or disrespect. They may look a little shocking, but you shouldn’t-“ Jayden continued to speak about rules for a while. Harry listened, but mostly was focusing on why he decided to stay with this crazy guy.
“This place looks disgusting,” Harry commented idly. They were standing in front of a building so covered in soot and other things he didn’t want to think about that it looked to be made of black wood.
Jayden sighed. “This is the Leaky Cauldron, one of the most popular pubs in the British Wizarding World. It’s also one of the only outside entranceways to various wixen shopping alleys, and directly connected to where we’re going, Diagon Alley. Let’s go.”
Harry grimaced, pondering over if he should run or not. However, this building looked like it could only be held up by magic, so he followed Jayden inside.
It wasn’t any better than the exterior. The walls were still disgusting, tables had stains and crumbs straight out of 1850, and he could spot mold in a cup the bartender on the left was ‘cleaning’.
Despite this, Jayden grabbed his hand and led him towards the back. “Keep your head down,” he whispered quietly. “Remember that you’re famous here. We have to avoid you being seen if our plan works out.”
Plan? Harry thought. Since when did we have a plan together?
“Since we discussed it a few minutes ago. I suspect you weren’t listening.” Jayden led Harry inside a dusty room with rotten barrels probably filled with more cobwebs than anything, judging by the walls.
The boy-who-lived coughed aggressively. “I was too listening! You just sounded boring, and I.. kinda.. fell asleep?” Suddenly confused, he searched his brain for the correct memory.
“How do you fall asleep while walking?” Jayden sounded genuinely curious.
Blinking, Harry shrugged. “Dunno, kinda don’t care either.”
The older’s lip twitched upwards as he approached the wall directly in front of the door. “If you meet my friend, you’re going to want to learn.”
“Literally how.”
Jayden didn’t answer. He instead whipped out his stick (WAND!) and tapped a pattern near a nasty crack.
Under Harry’s gaze, the walls decided to suddenly cave in. He screeched, jumping back. A laugh erupted from his left.
“Don’t laugh at me!” complained Harry. “This is a bit new to me, if you haven’t noticed.”
“It’s fine. I should have explained this better.” Jayden looked uncaringly at the wall, which was (rather organized, Harry realized) still moving about.
Smiling, the other continued, “This is the entrance to Diagon Alley. It’s kind of like a portal because it only appears when you do a certain thing, which I just did by tapping the wall. This is just it’s special way of opening.”
Now that his fears were reassured, Harry took a moment to appreciate the doorway. It was brilliant. The bricks just slid into place, giving them a space that five people could pass through simultaneously easily.
So magic was real after all. There was no denying it after this display. Really, he should have realized right after the fire appeared in his hands.
“Come with me,” Jayden requested (really said, but Harry still thought he had free will- like he wasn’t completely immersed in magic now), holding out his hand. Harry took it.
They walked through. Immediately, everything caught Harry’s eye.
People walked around in robes of all different colors. They carried bags overflowing with so many things- books, cauldrons, vials, and weird ingredients that looked suspiciously like toad eyeballs.
And the shops. Harry was immediately hit with the desire to check out every single one of them, but Jayden led him down the street until they reached a big, tall white building.
The duo walked up the marble stairs. Two small creatures with wrinkled skin and scarlet and gold robes regarded them with intelligent, beady eyes. Thankfully, the goblins (if what Jayden said was right), let them in.
Harry was too flabbergasted to care anymore. He just followed Jayden through the bronze doors.
Said doors held a small entrance hall behind. Another door, this time silver, had a poem that greatly unnerved Harry:
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.
“You could warn me about North American Wolves, but not scary goblins?” Harry whispered.
The goblins at the silver doors snorted, as did his new ‘friend’. Feeling betrayed, the eight-year-old huffed and followed Jayden through the silver doors.
A huge marble hall awaited them. Two long counters stretched across the walls, with about one hundred goblins situated behind them. More doors led to what Harry assumed was all the money.
Jayden quickly led them to an available teller, waiting until the little wrinkled thing looked up from counting strange golden coins. The creatures were even uglier up close. Harry tried not to show his opinion; his friend had warned him about being nice to the goblins.
“Hello,” said friend greeted politely. The goblin recoiled slightly, and Harry’s disgust quickly diminished. If a simple greeting could get the goblin to react like that, what exactly happened in their everyday life?
Skeptically, the goblin said plainly, “Key?”
“We don’t have one.” Jayden looked sheepish. “And it’s not my vault we need to get into. It’s this one’s-“ he pulled Harry close to the counter and lifted his fringe, revealing the scar that was apparently very important.
The goblin’s eyes widened a little bit. “Come with me,” he demanded, snatching up a coat off his chair and running off. They hurried to follow.
“I’m Griphook,” the goblin introduced briefly, still nearly sprinting down the white marble hallway lined with golden doors they suddenly found themselves in. Harry was too tored to question it at this point.
The newly named Griphook sped into a door just like any other. Inside, a small room with a big wooden desk laid. Three official-looking chairs were on one side, and an elevated one of the same style on the other. Other than a few pretty pieces of art (mOVING, to Harry’s not quite surprise), the rest of the marble room was bare.
A creak interrupted his inspection. With a start, Harry realized Griphook and Jayden were already seated on opposite sides. He hurried in while trying to cover his flushed face.
Griphook cleared his throat. “Normally this process would be quick. However, since my new client is Mr. Potter, this short period will have to be… extended.” The goblin glared fiercely at the both of them. Harry was utterly confused. “I hope you don't have any meetings to attend for the next few days.”
Days? Harry wondered. What's so bad about me that a bank will have to take days to do anything? It could be the fame- No, Jayden told me goblins don't care about human achievements. So what is it?
The goblin pressed a small button on his desk, and a little blinking green dot appeared. “Immediately get Pept in Room 263. Over.”
A few seconds passed in awkward silence. Griphook folded his holds menacingly on the desk.
Bang! The golden door crashed against the wall behind it, and a goblin with a flushed face came bursting through.
“I’m told this was urgent?” Pept (or what Harry assumed to be) questioned. He smoothed down the invisible ruffles on his pristine top.
Sighing, Griphook answered, “Yes. It appears the Potters have found themselves noble enough to enter Gringotts- for the first time in thirty years.”
Pept instantly cackled with delight. “Oh, if they don't have a big storm coming.”
“I assure you, Mr. Potter here does have a wee problem.” Griphook smiled, revealing teeth way too sharp.
Harry chose this moment to speak up, “Uh, what?”
The goblin at the door seemed to notice him for the first time. “Ah, and you will be Mr. Potter? That bird’s nest your lot calls hair is unmistakable.” He walked swiftly into the room. A chair appeared beside Griphook, and Pept sat down, assuming the same position as the other goblin.
Pept smiled darkly. “We need to have a chat.”