Gringotts, Good or Bad?
Jayden made Harry wear an ugly blue hat with a random quidditch team on it to cover his scar.
“Can’t we just use magic?” Harry complained. “This hat is uglier than your hobo persona.” Jayden looked offended.
“Can you not dub my dirty criminal look my ‘hobo persona?’” The older of the duo asked.
Harry shook his head. “Absolutely not, especially because you made me leave Saphira at the shack.”
“I’m not being seen in public with a bloody baby Basilisk!”
“What’s a Basilisk?”
“A type of snake that has deadly venom, and when looked in the eye, can kill. And if you don’t look at it directly, and through water or something, can petrify. It’s also conveniently the breed of snake Saphira is.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah, oh.”
The two continued to walk towards the Leaky Cauldron in silence. They had gotten here by Jayden pulling out his stick (“ITS A WAND!”) and doing something he called ‘Apparition’ that made Harry feel queasy.
The duo arrived at a dirty building Aunt Petunia would curse to hell and back if she had magic.
“Good afternoon, Tom,” Jayden greeted as he looked at the bartender.
The bartender, Tom, looked up and smiled. Harry wished he hadn’t, but that was a thought for him only.
“Good afternoon to you too, Jerry! The usual I suppose?” Tom asked. Jayden decided politely, and then the duo went to the back.
Harry blinked. “Why are we in front of a blank, cracked wall? And why did that bartender call you Jerry?” he asked.
“It’s always good to use different names. And, to answer your first question, this.” Jayden pulled out his s- wand and tapped the wall in a pattern around the hole.
To Harry’s amazement, the wall of bricks folded into itself and made a doorway into a bustling shopping center.
“Woah,” Harry said in awe. Jayden chuckled before putting his WAND away and leading the surprised child through the doorway. Harry looked back to see the opening close back into itself and leave the innocent wall behind.
“Do you believe in magic now?” Jayden asked, amused.
“Absolutely.” Harry breathed, looking around.
The shopping area, Diagon Alley, was a beautiful place. There was shops for everything- robes, books, ice cream, potion ingredients, odd sporting gear, candy, parchment and quills, pets (cats, toads, snakes, and was that an owl?), a shiny white bank, and a wand shop Harry would never call a stick again. He was looking around frantically, and Harry distantly thought he might look like an idiot.
“It won’t disappear if you come back,” Jayden stated, looking down at Harry.
“But it’s just so- woah.”
The older of the duo led them over to the white bank. Jayden looked at Harry in warning. “This bank is run by goblins. Don’t stare, and be respectful. They don’t like just anyone.”
Harry nodded somberly, and Jayden pushed the doors open. There was a poem on the wall;
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,
Of finding more than treasure there.
Harry shivered slightly in fear. “They’re quite charming.”
“Indeed.” Jayden agreed. The younger of the two quickly told him to never say ‘indeed’ again, and then they were off.
The two patiently waited for an unoccupied goblin, who were incredibly short creatures, to look up from his very important paperwork and notice them. When he did, he sneered at them and asked, “And what will you two gentlemen be needing today?”
“We need to make a withdraw from the Potter vault.” Jayden answered calmly, gesturing down to Harry.
The goblin sneered again before answering, “And does Mr. Potter have his key?”
“No, sir,” Harry answered this time. “I’ve never acquired one.”
“‘Never acquired one’?” The goblin echoed, frowning. “This goes against our policies. Why doesn’t your- guardian have it?”
“I found Harry on the streets of muggle London yesterday evening. He had no knowledge of the wizarding world, and had nothing but the clothes on his back. I suspect accidental magic led him here, mainly because he was running from his abusive cousin when it happened.” Jayden explained.
“Most troubling.” The goblin did not look troubled. “As it is, Mr. Potter’s magical signature will be enough to get into his trust vault today, which holds exactly 20,000 galleons, 5,000 sickles, and 6,000 knuts. Griphook!”
A second goblin appeared. “Yes, Ironblade?” he questioned.
“Lead Mr. Potter and Mr. Welbridge to the Potter Trust Vault, please.” Ironblade turned to the two wizards again. “We will have an immediate recall of all Potter vault keys, heirlooms, and other treasures. We goblins can assure you that the keys will be returned. May your vaults overflow with gold.”
“Thank you, Ironblade. I really appreciate this,” Harry smiled politely at the stunned goblin before Griphook led them away to a musty old cart. Jayden quickly explained to Harry the wizarding money system.
Griphook herded them into the cart, warned them to hold on for dear life, and took off down the tracks.
Jayden looked like he was going to be sick. On the other hand, Harry was having the time of his life, delighted screams echoing through the chambers.
They finally got out of the cart a few minutes later.
“Glad at least one of us enjoyed themself,” Jayden grumbled. Harry beamed at him.
“Vault 687,” Griphook announced. “Mr. Potter, please place your whole palm on the door and release a mild amount of magic into the door.”
Harry nodded and stepped forward, doing exactly as he was instructed. At least, that was what they all thought, because the vault door swung open, but a rumbling sound from the room cut off Jayden’s praise.
“Mr. Potter, how much magic did you put into that?” The goblin asked slowly.
Harry frowned. “I did just as you said.”
“It does not look like that!” Jayden yelled in a panic. The rumbling got louder until a section of the stone ceiling fell off and almost crushed the tracks.
Almost.
At the last second, Harry stuck out his hand and the stone froze in the air. He flicked his finger up, and the grey mass followed it. His hand dropped. The stone did not follow. The rumbling stopped.
Jayden gaped at him while the goblin inspected the boy closely. “I think we need to take that inheritance test early,” Griphook said finally, and they all looked into the vault.
Harry’s mouth dropped open. Jayden chuckled as he saw this, perfectly unaffected by the heaps of golden coins touching the ceiling. There were smaller silver ones too, but there was more brown ones even smaller.
“Go on,” Jayden said, lightly shoving Harry into the vault. Said child finally scrambled over. The older man then walked in calmly and offered Harry a bag (Griphook said that they were bottomless, weightless bags), who took it. The two collected many golden coins, silver coins, and a few brown ones too.
“That’d be all, I think,” Jayden stated, straightening up. Griphook nodded at them, and the trio got back onto the cart Harry was beginning to think was a fun rollercoaster.
The goblin calmly handed Jayden a large brown bag, which the wizard took and promptly unleashed his lunch in. Harry covered his nose.
Harry did not scream in delight this time. Griphook looked ready to give another brown bag to Harry, and after that, to himself. “I know goblins have better organs than most species,” he muttered, “but that horrid stench makes me want to rain hell on the plumbing system.”
Harry wrinkled his nose, trying not to laugh. Jayden was still ejecting his guts into the bag. “Do you need a bottomless bag, Jayden?” Harry asked politely.
“It is a bottomless bag,” the goblin stated. He eyed his customer. “I think he’ll need a new one, anyways.” Harry nodded in agreement.
The cart finally stopped, but Jayden didn’t. The trio had to wait ten more minutes for him to stop projectile vomiting into the poor bag before they could leave the cart.
“It was nice meeting you, Griphook,” Harry said hesitantly as he dragged Jayden out of Gringotts. The goblin nodded politely, still looking a bit woozy and spraying down the cart.
“What the crap.” Harry stated as the two descended down the stairs. Jayden shrugged and didn’t say anything for awhile.
“Where are we going next?” Harry enquired.
Jayden pointed to a building with a sign on the top, where a sign said that the Ollivanders were making wands since 382 B.C.
“Ollivander‘s wand shop.” Jayden introduced. “You’ll get your first wand here, but if you behave while we shop, I might let you go to Knockturn Alley and get a custom made wand. They work better.” Harry nodded, and they went into the wand shop with a small cling!