Chapter 4: Diagon Alley
Chapter 4: Diagon Alley
"Albert, are you sure we're in the right place?" Herb was consulting the map in his hand but couldn't find the pub Professor McGonagall had mentioned.
"We need to look for the bookstore first; there's a record store next to it." Albert pointed ahead to the large bookstore with the record store beside it.
"Is this it? But I..."
"...can't see the pub?" Albert finished his sentence for him.
If he hadn't been looking carefully, he wouldn't have noticed the small pub next to the large bookstore. The hurried passersby didn't give it a second glance either, and that included his father, Herb.
"I see the pub, and remember what Professor McGonagall said?"
"Muggles can't see the pub?" Herb muttered. "I hate that word."
Herb, holding his son's hand, was pulled forward by Albert. A few seconds later, he saw the legendary Leaky Cauldron, a small and dingy pub.
"I hate this place; it's too dirty."
"Me too, let's go in!"
The father and son duo composed their faces, hiding their disdain, and pushed open the door to enter the pub.
Dirty, messy, and dimly lit.
That was their impression of the pub, which was filled with odd-looking men and women, mostly elderly, wearing ridiculous-looking hats.
If this group of people were outside on the street, they would undoubtedly attract countless stares. But here, they seemed out of place, like a flickering light shining in the darkness.
Herb quickly calmed down and walked towards the counter, looking at the bald old man behind it and asking tentatively, "Mr. Tom?"
"A young wizard from a Muggle family?" Tom sized up Albert and then looked up at Herb with a smile. "You want to know how to get to Diagon Alley?"
"Yes, Mr. Tom. Professor McGonagall said you could take us there," Albert said, also appraising the old man before him and forcing a polite smile.
"Of course, follow me, please." Tom stepped out from behind the bar and gestured for them to follow.
The three of them went to the backyard of the pub, where there was only a brick wall, a trash can, and several empty barrels.
"This trash can will always be here. You need to count three bricks up and two bricks across from it, and that's the one," Tom said, pointing to the brick he had just tapped with his hand. He then pulled out his wand and tapped the brick three times before turning to Albert and saying, "When you have your own wand, you can open the entrance to Diagon Alley yourself. Remember, tap it three times with your wand."
The brick that Tom had tapped began to shake, and the brick wall moved in a strange way, revealing a small hole in the middle that quickly grew larger, forming an archway big enough for the three of them to pass through in just a few seconds.
A cobblestone street stretched out before them, lined with shops and stalls, and bustling with wizards and hawkers.
"Welcome to Diagon Alley," Tom smiled at the pair.
"Mr. Tom, how do we get back later?" Herb asked.
"After you're done shopping, you can open the door using the method I just showed you," Tom patiently answered Herb's question and added, "By the way, it's best to go to Gringotts first to exchange your money with the goblins. Muggle currency is not accepted here. Go straight ahead, and you'll see a white building, which is Gringotts Wizarding Bank."
"Thank you for your help, Mr. Tom."
"You're welcome. Have a nice day," Tom smiled and waved at them before turning back to the pub, happy with his work.
After Tom left, the entrance disappeared, turning back into a wall.
"Let's go and exchange our money," Herb said, taking a deep breath.
"This place feels so different," Albert said, looking around at the shops and smiling at Herb. "It feels like we've gone back a century."
"To be honest, I'm starting to doubt if sending you to Hogwarts is the right decision. Maybe Daisy was right to insist on her choice," Herb sighed softly. The magical world was fascinating, but it always made him feel like it was out of step with the times.
"Dad, I don't have to live in the magical world forever," Albert rolled his eyes. "I'm going to Hogwarts mainly to learn about and master this incredible power."
"Oh, you're right," Herb's mood improved a little, and the two of them made their way through the crowd towards Gringotts.
As Tom had said, it was a white building, and next to the bronze gates stood a small figure—a goblin.
"They're so unique," Herb's facial expression stiffened; this was his first time seeing a non-human humanoid creature.
Albert, however, was unfazed. He examined the goblin—short, with a pointed beard, long fingers, and a dark face. It was an aesthetically unpleasing creature.
As they entered, Albert noticed the goblin bowing to them.
There was a second door behind the first, made of silver, and it had an inscription. Herb walked closer to read it aloud: "Enter, stranger, but take heed, of what awaits the greedy and untrustworthy, for those who take, but do not earn, shall be dealt the most severe of punishments..."
"I can't understand why wizards need to be so diligent about robbing banks that they have to put up warning signs on the doors," Herb muttered after reading the inscription.
Albert heard this and had to stifle a laugh. He cleared his throat and asked, "How much money do you plan to exchange?"
"Hmm," Herb thought for a moment and whispered, "A thousand pounds. If it's not enough, we can always come back and exchange more."
A thousand pounds was about a month's salary for most people.
Albert estimated that it would be about two hundred Galleons. He nodded and said, "I think that should be enough."
After they went in, two goblins bowed to them and led them into a grand marble hall. Herb indicated that he needed to exchange some money.
The goblin led them to the counter on the right and handed Herb a piece of parchment that explained the exchange rate between pounds and Galleons, as well as the monetary system of the magical world.
1 Galleon = 4.95 Pounds 1 Galleon = 17 Sickles, 1 Sickle = 29 Knuts.
Herb handed the parchment to his son and asked, "How many Pounds are 200 Galleons?"
"990 Pounds."
"Please exchange 990 Pounds for 200 Galleons," Herb said as he took out the money from his wallet.
"Certainly, please wait a moment," the goblin took the Pounds and began to count them.
"May I ask, Mr. Goblin, can any amount of Pounds be exchanged for Galleons here?" Albert asked, curious about something from his past life.
"In theory, yes, but we do not accept large amounts of Muggle money," the goblin shook a bell, summoning another goblin to whom he gave instructions. The second goblin brought a bag of coins to Herb and then led them to the side to verify the amount.
"I never thought it would be gold coins," Herb fiddled with the Galleons in his fingers and couldn't help but exclaim.
After they finished counting the Galleons and confirmed the amount, the pair left Gringotts with their new currency.
Walking on the sunny street, the gold coins in their pockets jingled pleasantly, urging them to spend their newfound wealth.
(End of Chapter)
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