Chapter 5

My mood took a turn for the worst after I saw the pureblood wizard strutting through the alley, I got too existed about the whole magic thing that I forgot where exactly I am.

I mean, this country was just 7 years ago in a brutal ciciel war where people couldn't even say the name Voldemort without the fear that they would be dead the next day.

Or fearing that your friends or family are under the Imperius curse.

If you look close enough, then you can even see some people giving the pureblood wary or hateful looks.

They area minority, but they exist.

I was brought out of my introspection when Professor Burbage gave me a worried lock while asking.

"Are you okay, Mr. Smith ? You don't look really great"

I really need to learn to keep my damm expressions under control.

"Everything is okay Professor, I was just surprised by all those people and those conversations.

Especially that Crocodile Heart advertisement over there."

She nodded to herself and said.

"Ah yes that, crocodile hearts and other organs or even hair, skin or teeth from animals both magical and muggle can be used for Potions making, a branch of magic that you will learn while studying at Hogwarts.

Now let's go to Gringrotts Mr. Smith."

With her last sentence, she started moving through the crowd.

It seems that she believed my excuse.

As I followed her thought the crowd, I started came to the resolution that I need to be more careful, yes Magic is amazing, and I can be really powerful with it, but that doesn't matter if I am dead, oblivated or souless.

As i followed the Professor through the alley, I tried my best to observe as much as possible.

And there were a lot more shops that I thought.

From the standard shops that I remember from fanfics or movies like Florian's ice cream shop to a second hand store, there was even a Shop with the name "Hat's for all".

As we walked thought the alley and I continued to look at the various shops and wizards and witches that were strolling thought the alley.

We soon came to a building that was huge in contrast to the other in the alley.

The building was beautifully done, gorgeous silver engraved doors with motives of dragons, Nundus and what looks like goblins ? The front was made completely out of white marble, and the words Gringrotts Bank were engraved with what looked like gold.

The only thing that is a little weird is that the top of the bank is a little crooked.

Before the bank stood two human guards, each of them had a hand on what looked like a wand holster, and were constantly scanning the crowd.

It seems like that they take security really serious.

Well apparently not serious enough, what with both Quirrel and Harry breaking into the vaults, or will break into the vaults?.

And I think Voldemort slaughtered his way into the bank after his horc..., I should probably not even think of that word, and now that I thought about it, maybe I should rename it into something else?

Perhaps soul jar? Or perhaps Phylactery? Yes Phylactery is better than the original word.

You can never know if a word is not cursed or has a taboo cast on it.

I don't think that a taboo can detect thoughts, but it's better that I train myself to think about Phylactery rather than the other word.

But yes I think in the movie Voldemort killed almost every goblin and human in the bank.

When we stood before the bank, Professor Burbage spoke once again

"As you can read Mr. Smith that before us is Gringrotts, created in the year 1474 by the goblin Gringrott, and now the only bank in magical Britain.

Now follow me and don't wander off.

And remember, don't be rude to the goblins."

After she said that she strode together with me towards the silver doors of the bank.

As we got close to the doors they automatically opened, after we walked thought them they closed themselves behind us.

The inside of the bank screamed Money, the floor was made out of black, white and yellow marble, the columns were made out of a brown gold marble.

This whole damm bank was made out of different colored marble.

Maybe in the wizarding world, marble is not worth as much ?

What was really eye catching was a huge plaque made of silver hanging on a column, I only read the words "Enter Stranger" before I looked somewhere else.

I read enough fanfics where reading the whole thing creates a contract or invokes a spell, and while I don't want to rob this place, I don't want to be in either a contract or spelled without exactly knowing what It's for, well if something like that is real, like I said I read it in a fanfic.

The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

And I don't need to read the whole poem to know what it's going to be, the first two words were already enough, I read it hundreds of times in fanfics, I already know it by heart.

Further down the bank were counters manned by goblins who were either doing paperwork or rather parchment work ? Or were inspecting gems, even if I don't really understand why they would do something like that in the open, maybe as a show of wealth?.

After walking through the bank, we arrived at one of the empty counters.

The Goblin before us put aside the rubies that he was inspecting and faced us.

He locked like, well, a goblin ? Not an Anime or mange one, but like a Harry Potter movie Goblin, just less artificial.

He didn't smile or introduce himself to us, he just looked at us and spoke in a Businesslike, curt tone.

"Reason for your visit?"

Professor Burbage answered for us.

"To open a basic account for Mr. Smith here, and to deposit money in it."

The goblin nodded and took a piece of parchment from under the counter, after scribbling on it for some seconds, he faced us again and pushed the parchment with a quill towards me.

" Fill it out with your full name, Birthday and address."

After I filled the parchment out, I pushed it back to the goblin, who took it, stood up from his place told us to wait for a moment and then walked out from the counter and then into a door behind the counter of the bank.

After a short wait where I looked at the interior of the bank, the goblin came back out of the door while holding a box in his hands.

After he seated himself in his chair, he put the box on the counter, turned to face me and then spoke again.

"Put a hand on the box, and don't let go till I say so."

I put my hand on the box after I looked at Professor Burbage who nodded,

I didn't feel anything except the coldness of the box.

The box made a "clink" sound after 5 seconds, as if two metallic objects collided with each other.

The Goblin just nodded once and then spoke once again to me.

"You can now take your hand off Mr. Smith"

After I toke my hand off the box, he took the box with his left hand off the counter, and with his right he reached under the counter and took a metallic object not bigger than a lighter and swept it over the box which then opened, I was sure that the box was made out of one piece.

After putting the now open box back on the counter, and the lighter like object under it, he reached into the box and took a golden key from it, which he then inspected for some seconds and then put it on the counter.

"That Mr. Smith is your Gringotts key, if you want to access your account without paying a fine, and waiting for 2 days, then don't lose it and always bring it with you when you want to access your money.

Now as it is a Basic account, you will get no vault or a safe deposit box, if you want to change that then you can always talk with a banker of Gringotts."

I waited till he stopped speaking and then took my vault key off the counter, it looked like a normal old key made out of gold, there were no gems on it or something like that, just a rather plain looking old key.

After taking the key and putting it in my jeans pocket, I looked to the Goblin who faced the Professor and continued speaking.

"You said that you wanted to deposit money in his account?"

Professor Burbage nodded and reached into her purse, where she took out a letter and a key that resembled my Gringotts key, just bigger.

She then handed both to the goblin, who then took the key and swiped it under the counter before handing it back to her, and then opened the letter and read it, and then also swiped it under the counter.

After glancing somewhere under the counter, he gave Professor Burbage the letter back and then looked at me while pointing a rather pointy looking finger at the counter, and saying a single word.

"Key"

I promptly complied with his command and took the key back out of my pocket and lay it on the counter.

The goblin nodded once, took the key, stood up and then walked out of the door again.

This time we both waited for a whole minute before he came back out the door.

In which the Professor put the key and the letter back into her purse.

I think that the letter was a Permission note that she is allowed to access the account, and a transfer note for the money that shall be transferred in my new account.

After the goblin came out the door and seated himself again, he put the key on the counter and told me.

"We transferred 700 Hundred Galleons to your account Mr. Smith, please be aware that the exchange rate for Pounds to Galleon Amounts to 5 pounds for one Galleon.

That exchange rate is set to a limit of a 100 Hundred Galleons per year and for a period of 8 years, after which the exchange rate will be at a fixed amount off 50 pounds for a Galleon.

Do you understand?"

I could only nod my head at his explanation, it was for me far more realistic than an limitless exchange rate of 5 pounds for a Galleon, especially because a wand, the tool for every Witch and Wizard, cost only 7 Galleons.

The goblin nodded once again and asked me then a question.

"Do you want to withdraw Galleons ? And if yes, how much?"

I did not know how much I would need, so I looked once again at the Professor, who seeing my look, smiled and said.

"100 Galleons should be enough, Mr. Smith."

I nodded once and the turned back to the goblin and said to him

"I would like to withdraw 100 Galleons, please."

He didn't say anything, just took the key from the counter, turned his seat to the side where we could only see the left half of his torso, and put the key somewhere where I couldn't see, after some seconds he faced us again, but now with my key in one hand and a small pouch in the other, which he then put on the counter, while saying to me.

" Your key and your 100 Galleons with a one time free money pouch, it is spelled to hold more than it should and always be as light as an empty money pouch, be aware that it can only hold a maximum of Gringotts 500 coins and only Gringotts coins, Gringotts is not liable if you lose your pouch and money, that only happens if you buy a bound money pouch for 399 Galleons.

Do you want to buy such a money pouch ?"

I hurried shook my head while saying.

"No, not at the moment."

He nodded without any change in his expression and said.

"Understood, please leave if you don't need anything else."

Which after the professor motioned me to follow her we did, after we left the bank and before the Professor could speak, I asked her a question that annoyed me the whole time.

"Professor Burbage, is it normal that the goblin didn't introduce himself?"

She looked startled for a second before she replied.

" Gringotts goblins do not introduce themselves on their own accord, if you want to know the name of a Goblin than you need to ask them.

Now I think that we should buy your school trunk first.

There is a trunk shop that way."

As she said that, she pointed to a shop on our right, before she started moving I asked her if the second hand shop doesn't have the trunk and other things that we need.

The Professor looked at the second hand shop and then at me, after thinking for a second she replied.

" Your robes and Protective gear, the cauldron, your wand and the Phials can not be brought here, everything else should be available, but are you sure that you want them second hand? The things are usable, but not in their best shape.?"

I just nodded at her while saying

" Yes Professor, it doesn't matter how they look as long as they are usable."

And I mean it, I do not care how the books or other supplies' look as long as they function.

And i gonna safe money with this.

Professor Burbage looked pensive for a moment before she nodded and then walked with me into the Second hand shop.

To shorten a lengthy shopping scene, into 3 words, I hate shopping.

But I got everything on me list, and I still have 18 Galleons left, and while my new trunk and books did look a bit battered, they were still usable , and I even found 2 extra books on runes 1 on Arithmancy and 1 on magical theory.

And while the Professor did comment on my extra books, she did not try to change my mind on buying them.

The other interesting thing that happened and what was my highlight on this trip was Ollivander´s or rather my new wand, 13 inches wood from a Hornbeam, for those who have passion bordering an obsession for a specific goal, and the heartstring of an Ukranian Ironbelly.

And in Ollivander´s words.

" A wand made for somebody who knows what he wants and how to get it, it's rather rare fore somebody so young to get such a Wand."

And yes, he is a little creepy, or rather he loves his work, and wands.

I can't really describe how it felt when I first touched my wand after 8 failures, the best example would be to regain a body part that you didn't have but now have ?

It's confusing.

Now I'm back in my room after Professor Burbage escorted me back and spelled Mrs. Emley so that she would escort me to King's Cross station on September 1 and then pick me up when the schoolyear ends without asking any uncomfortable question, like where is your school ? And how can I contact you again?

Sitting on my bed while staring at my new but old trunk with my supplies within, while holding a golden train ticket in my left hand, but without a pet, I didn't want one especially if buying a random owl means that I perhaps killed of Hedwig, or another important animal like that bowlegged cat.

I think I'm getting paranoid, like Moody.

On second thought; I don't want to be like Moody, he lost his leg, an eye, was captured and stuffed in his own trunk, has more scars than skin, and then was killed off screen in the first 20 minutes of the 6 or 7 Movies

But I digress, while siting there and thinking about the information on the train that the professor gave me, and about my first day in the magical world.

I could not help but be exited, about all these things that I saw and,will see in the future.

Till I thought about my situation.

Only to then ruthlessly crush that feeling.