Magical Goods Store and Gringotts

He summoned the Knight Bus and returned to The Leaky Cauldron, where Shopkeeper Old Tom gave him a warm welcome.

It was still Room Eleven.

Anton carefully counted the Galleons in his pocket. "Money really does flow away like water."

This clearly wasn't a normal way to live. The Knight Bus was expensive transportation, and although The Leaky Cauldron looked shabby, its prices were equivalent to staying at a Muggle five-star hotel.

This money had been earned by trading a Moonlight Turtle's brain!

It was an extremely precious and rare magical ingredient. Old Wizard would rather eat plain noodles and gnaw on steamed buns every day than sell something like this for money.

Anton felt guilty using it. It was like Harry Potter trading the Gryffindor Sword for Galleons, then living a life with private cars whenever he went out and hotels wherever he stayed.

No!

It wasn't the same!

The Gryffindor Sword belonged to Hogwarts.

But magical ingredients belonged to Anton himself.

These were my magical ingredients! It hurt so much he could weep blood. Anton beat his chest. He'd worked so hard to rob them!

Although his Potions skills had not reached the level where he could use such premium ingredients, if he didn't sell them, he could at least take them out and admire them from time to time. Wouldn't that be wonderful too?

Of course, he had no other choice now.

Being alive at all was already a stroke of luck.

Now that he had finally escaped Old Wizard's clutches and found Lupin a place for treatment, he could begin planning for his future life.

Anton did not hesitate and quickly made his decision.

Once Lupin was cured, he would discuss with him whether they should remain in Wizarding society or go to Muggle society. With an adult taking the lead, things would be much easier for him.

But for now, he needed to find a place to live and properly study the mysteries of magic.

He currently knew two spells, the Soul Transfer Curse and the Displacement Soul Curse. Neither was suitable for him. Anton still remembered how, after using the Soul Transfer Curse for the first time, he had lain in bed for two days.

The second time, when he used it on Lupin, it was probably because that Eye of the Wizard potion had invisibly replenished a great deal of energy.

Night gradually deepened. The dim oil lamp inside the room was not even as bright as the streetlamps shining in from outside.

Anton stroked his suitcase and fell into thought.

He was not completely without possessions. At the very least, he had inherited Teacher's considerable estate.

But the problem now was that it was too large and inconvenient to carry around. A small ten-year-old body dragging a suitcase bigger than himself was practically telling everyone—come rob me.

Tomorrow, he would visit Diagon Alley to see whether there were any small items enchanted with the Undetectable Extension Charm. It would be worth spending the money.

Ideally, he wanted something like the ring-shaped storage spaces in fantasy novels. Those were especially convenient to carry.

He lifted the suitcase onto the bed, found a rope, tied the suitcase handle to his arm, and blew out the oil lamp.

"I'm sorry, but we don't sell those, Young Wizard." The Shopkeeper of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes pushed up his glasses and spread his hands.

Anton could not understand.

"Your store is the biggest magical item shop in all of Diagon Alley!"

The Shopkeeper smiled. "I'm honored by your praise."

"But we truly do not sell them, and you won't be able to buy one anywhere."

Anton frowned in confusion. He vaguely remembered that Hermione had made herself a small purse with the Undetectable Extension Charm during her school days. Was making one that difficult?

Had he remembered wrong? Or had that merely been invented by fanfiction?

What was it like in the original story?

Seeing Anton still standing there without leaving, the Shopkeeper pointed at Anton's suitcase, then gestured toward the cases on the highest shelf along the wall. "The one in your hand is a classic model from five years ago. Newly released suitcases look much more refined, but their external size isn't much different."

As he spoke, he shrugged. "Other than suitcases and tents, you won't be able to buy any products with the Undetectable Extension Charm."

"The Ministry of Magic has strict rules. Aside from those two items, the Undetectable Extension Charm is forbidden for private use. Wizards are not even allowed to expand their own homes. After all, hundreds of people walking out of a tiny house would frighten Muggles badly. That would seriously violate the International Statute of Secrecy."

His eyes crinkled around his nose, as if he had thought of something amusing. "Not even in Knockturn Alley. You know, although it's full of Dark Wizards, they still don't dare cross the Ministry of Magic's bottom line."

This was troublesome. Anton reluctantly paced around the shop before finally spending money on a waist pouch.

"Made from Dragon Hide. These Hebridean Black Dragons are naturally aggressive, and their hides have strong resistance to spells." As he spoke, the Shopkeeper tugged hard on the waist pouch to demonstrate how sturdy it was.

The pouch was made for adults, so Anton used it as a crossbody bag, hanging it in front of his chest. With a Wizard Robe over it, it could be concealed quite well.

He could use it to hold some important things.

But such limited capacity was barely a drop in the bucket. Not to mention the materials filling two bookshelves in the suitcase, even the various potion ingredients would not fit inside.

"This is going to be troublesome."

Anton stood on Diagon Alley's main street, watching the crowds come and go, while feeling that some people were eyeing him with ill intent.

Finally, he raised his head. At the entrance to this alley stood an exceptionally luxurious building.

—Gringotts.

As the bank of the Wizarding World, Gringotts did not offer savings accounts.

Depositing money here was more like renting a safety deposit box at a Muggle bank. The goblins did not care whether you stored money or items inside; as long as you paid the storage fees, that was enough.

In fanfiction and movie edit videos, this place always seemed unsafe, as if the greedy goblins would steal from the vaults they guarded.

But Anton could still sense the security of this place from between the lines of the novels.

Dumbledore trusted this place. He had stored the precious Philosopher's Stone here.

Voldemort trusted this place as well. He had stored his Horcrux, his second life, here.

"Hope it's not too expensive." Anton carried the suitcase forward. This huge case was far too troublesome for him!

Gringotts' entrance faced Diagon Alley, with a flight of white stone steps leading up to two gleaming bronze doors. A goblin in a scarlet uniform trimmed with gold stood beside them. He bowed to Anton and gestured for him to enter.

The goblins here were somewhat different from Pedro, whom Anton had met before. Their skin was darker and their frames thinner. Though their clothing was exquisite, they lacked Pedro's air of nobility.

Past the doors was a silver one, engraved with a line of words: 'Enter, stranger, but beware the consequences of greed...'

It was probably some kind of warning. Anton ignored it and continued inside, where a wave of noise rushed over him.

The main hall was enormous, dominated by dark tones. Under the chandelier's glow, it carried an inexplicable sense of solemnity.

A goblin approached him. "What business would you like to conduct?"

"Store something." Anton briskly patted the suitcase in his hand.

When dealing with such cunning people, the best approach was to reveal nothing on one's face and say as little as possible, making it impossible for others to gauge one's background. Even powerful Old Wizards wandering the Land of Chaos maintained this demeanor.

The goblin's eyes lit up. "It looks like there's quite a lot inside. You may need to open a vault."

Anton nodded. "It doesn't need to be too large. I just want a small, private vault of my own."

Pretending to accidentally reveal something vague and ambiguous was also part of an Old Wizard's experience.

The goblin looked him up and down, lingering on Anton's hair for a moment before nodding in understanding. "Young Wizards always want a vault of their own. After all, no one likes letting their parents know exactly what they've secretly put away."

"That way, when you go out alone from time to time, you'll also have something for emergencies."

???

What exactly did you imagine?

Anton complained inwardly, but his face remained expressionless as he nodded. "Lead the way."