Diagon Alley

After returning to Moonlight Castle, Harry deftly jumped off the flying broomstick, looking every bit like a seasoned flyer.

"You seem to have quite a talent for flying," Mu En said with a smile.

Caught off guard by Mu En's sudden praise, Harry did not know what to do. He held the broom in one hand and did not know where to put the other, eventually scratching the back of his head. "I... I don't know either."

Mu En smiled and took the lead into the castle. "Get ready. We're heading to London."

Harry was somewhat startled and hurried after him. "Uncle Mu En, am I going too?"

"Of course, kid. Otherwise, who's going to carry my things?" Mu En headed straight for the second floor, calling loudly without looking back, "Lucifer, get me some money."

"How much?" Lucifer emerged from the fireplace.

"One brick... no, two."

Lucifer nodded, then looked at Harry in confusion. "Aren't you cold?"

Only then did Harry realize he had not put his clothes back on. His lean body was completely exposed, making him look like a beggar.

Though considering he could barely afford to eat, he was not much different from one.

More than ten minutes later, he saw Uncle Mu En come downstairs, now wearing a khaki coat that matched his trousers perfectly.

"How are we getting there?" Harry stood and asked.

Mu En walked over to Lucifer. Lucifer opened his mouth and spat out two gold bricks. Mu En slipped them into his sleeves, where they vanished as if swallowed by a magic trick.

"Of course we'll fly..." Mu En said casually, only to realize that if he flew there directly, the Ministry of Magic would probably drag him away again.

"Lucifer, do we have any transportation?"

Lucifer thought for a moment. "There's still a flying shuttle and a glider in the basement."

Harry looked as though he had seen a ghost. He did not know what a flying shuttle was, but... a glider??

"No, I mean something less conspicuous. Something with wheels."

"A carriage?"

Mu En fell silent for quite a while before looking at Harry. "We may have to choose the method you'd least like to accept."

"What?"

"Teleportation." Mu En smiled faintly, placing a hand on Harry's shoulder and gripping it tightly. "I haven't been to London many times, so I don't remember most places well. There's only one place where I can guarantee we won't end up stuck inside a wall after teleporting there."

"Where?" Hearing there was a risk of getting stuck in a wall, Harry suddenly grew nervous.

"Big Ben!"

As soon as he spoke, the air around them began to churn violently, while the space around Mu En's body collapsed inward.

The next moment, the two vanished from where they stood.

London's Westminster district, commonly known as the West End, was the absolute heart of London.

At the top of Big Ben, accompanied by a rush of air, two figures abruptly appeared.

"This is..." Harry's mouth fell open as he looked at the River Thames below and the Houses of Parliament beside it. A surreal feeling rose in his heart.

Then the freezing wind hit him, instantly confirming that what he saw was real.

Mu En paid no attention to that. He swiftly searched the streets below and soon spotted an empty alley. The next moment, the two disappeared again.

In an untraveled alley on the west side of Trafalgar Square, Mu En emerged with Harry.

Harry had yet to recover from the two consecutive teleports, his face the color of liver, when Mu En waved at a passerby ahead and asked for directions.

By the time Harry recovered, Mu En was already sitting in one of London's distinctive black taxis.

Once Harry got in, Mu En handed him a scarf.

"What's this?"

"To cover the scar on your forehead," Mu En explained. "Also, when we get there, if anyone asks your name, remember to tell them you're Harry Jones."

Mu En shook his head. "Trust me, it won't do any harm. If I remember correctly, your name carries another meaning."

"What meaning?" Harry suddenly grew curious. He was just an ordinary person. Could there really be some famous person with the same name?

"I only know a little about it," Mu En said.

He really only knew a little. He only knew that Harry seemed to be famous in the Wizarding World. Very famous.

The sort of famous that drew a crowd.

Of course, he did not think Harry was particularly special. He was just a pitiful child.

When they reached Charing Cross Road, they had barely taken a few steps before spotting an old pub.

It was so old and shabby that it looked fit for an old movie. Wedged between a beautifully decorated bookstore and record shop, it stood out terribly.

Yet the hurried pedestrians passing by did not spare it a glance. Having broadened his horizons at Moonlight Castle, Harry immediately realized that ordinary people simply could not see the pub.

The moment they entered, the adult-and-child pair drew quite a few looks. The two made for a deeply incongruous combination.

If Mu En looked like the head of an up-and-coming Wizarding World family, then Harry looked like... like a servant.

Many people could not help wondering, did he not have any House-elves at home?

A hunched old man suddenly stepped in front of them and asked, "Guests from afar, is there anything I can help you with? Are you heading to Diagon Alley, or would you like a drink?"

Old Tom had run this pub for decades. He could guarantee that Mu En's face bore not the slightest resemblance to anyone he knew, so he easily identified the two as outsiders.

"We'd like to go to Diagon Alley. Could I trouble you to show us the way?" Mu En asked with a faint smile.

"Of course. Please follow me." Old Tom nodded and led them toward the back of the pub.

The three arrived in a small walled courtyard. Other than a rubbish bin and some weeds, there was nothing there. Harry was wondering what was going on when he saw the hunched old man pull out a small wooden stick.

"Starting from the rubbish bin, count three bricks up, then two across."

With that, he touched the corresponding brick with the little stick and tapped it twice.

Then, before the three of them, the brick he had tapped suddenly trembled and began to move. A small hole appeared in the middle, growing larger and larger until, before long, a wide archway stood before them, leading to a winding cobblestone street that stretched beyond sight.

"If you need some change, follow the path to the fork and you'll see Gringotts. Finally, my name is Tom Able. You're welcome to come to the pub for a drink after your shopping. Have a pleasant journey," Old Tom said.

"Alright." Mu En nodded and took the lead into Diagon Alley.

Harry hurried after him, looking everywhere as they went, hoping to take in every last detail. Some shops sold owls, others sold dragon liver, while still others were piled with spellbooks, quills, rolls of parchment, potion bottles, lunar globes...

Mu En was somewhat amazed as well. He had not felt like this in many years. Wizards mostly lived in seclusion; commercial streets on this scale were rare.

Soon, they saw Gringotts: a towering snow-white building rising above the surrounding shops, beside a gleaming bronze door.

And a goblin.

The goblin stood about half a head shorter than Harry. It had a clever-looking dark face, a pointed beard, and exceptionally long hands, feet, and nose. It looked exactly like the wicked goblins from stories.

Mu En was somewhat surprised too. Goblins ran banks? Could humans really trust them?

Farther inside was another door. Two goblins came over to receive them. Harry seemed to notice writing on the door, but before he could read it clearly, Mu En had already gone inside, leaving him no choice but to follow.

Inside the hall, around a hundred goblins bustled behind the counters. Mu En approached an empty counter and asked, "Can gold be exchanged?"

"Of course. Gold is always valuable." Without even raising its head, the goblin nodded impatiently. "The current price is forty Galleons per ounce. How many ounces do you want to exchange?"

Mu En looked apologetic. "Sorry, you may have misunderstood. I want to exchange some money."

As he spoke, he took out two large gold bricks.

Clang—

The Gold Coin the goblin had been twirling between its slender fingers suddenly fell to the floor. It had always treasured that coin, but now it no longer mattered.

Its eyes held nothing but the two gleaming gold bricks.

Mu En handed the two gold bricks over. The goblin's hands trembled as it first used some unknown spell to test their purity, then placed them on a scale.

"4.4 pounds... 53 ounces, at the gold price..."

Clack, clack. It began working an abacus.

"That comes to 2,120 Galleons, sir." The goblin beamed, with none of its earlier impatience remaining.