Gringotts

"Three up—two across—" Jon muttered under his breath, lightly tapping the brick three times with his finger.

Nothing happened as he had imagined; the entrance to Diagon Alley did not appear, and the wall showed no reaction at all.

"What's going on?" Jon could not help frowning. Hadn't Hagrid opened the entrance to Diagon Alley exactly like this in the original story?

"Let me try!" Eric stepped forward and tapped the brick three times in the same way.

There was still no response.

Jon suddenly remembered something. In the original story, Hagrid had tapped the wall with his umbrella—his wand... But he had not bought a wand yet!

He was about to turn back and call Tom, the owner of The Leaky Cauldron, over to ask for help.

Then he suddenly heard the sound of leather boots on the floor... A middle-aged man in glasses, carrying a briefcase and wearing a suit, strode over while humming the tune of "Nelson's Song."

"Doctor Granger?" Eric cried out in surprise beside him.

"Oh, my God, Mr. Hart!" The middle-aged man adjusted his glasses, looking utterly incredulous. "I can't believe I ran into you here."

"I'm surprised too!"

The two grown men immediately began exchanging pleasantries.

After a few polite words, the middle-aged man seemed to remember something and took a small wooden stick from his briefcase.

He lightly tapped the wall twice with it... The brick he had tapped began to tremble and shift. A small hole appeared in the middle, widening and widening until a broad archway stood before them, leading to a winding cobblestone street that stretched out of sight.

"I suppose you're here for Diagon Alley too, Mr. Hart?" Doctor Granger asked.

"Diagon Alley? It would seem so." Eric smiled. "Doctor Granger, I never expected you to be a wizard."

Eric began introducing the middle-aged man to Jon.

Wendell Granger was a moderately well-known dentist in London. Eric had visited him several times as a patient and had once helped him resolve a dispute with one of his patients. The two were old friends and got along quite well.

"Me, a wizard?" Mr. Granger froze for a moment, then shook his head with a laugh. "I'm not a wizard. My daughter is. That was her wand I was holding! You're the same, aren't you, Mr. Hart?"

"That's right!" Eric nodded with a smile. "This is my son, Jon. He was admitted to a school of magic called Hogwarts."

"Hello, Young Mr. Hart!" Granger bent down to shake Jon's hand, then said to Eric, "My daughter is a Hogwarts student too. She was admitted last year... I brought her here today because she needed a new set of robes and some books, so she asked me to have a drink at The Leaky Cauldron and pick her up from Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions at three."

As he spoke, Granger checked his watch. "I think I have half an hour. I can show you around Diagon Alley first."

The three of them then walked into The Leaky Cauldron.

Two adult men in suits and a child in sportswear weaved through a crowd of wizards dressed in black robes. They stood out considerably and drew more than a few curious looks.

Mr. Granger seemed long accustomed to such stares. "I suppose wizards rarely come into contact with people like us, so they find us rather strange. They usually call us 'Muggles.' I don't think it's a very polite term..."

"Mr. Hart, I suggest you go to Gringotts first—the wizards' bank. There, you can exchange Pound Sterling for one hundred Galleons, the wizards' currency!" As someone with experience, Granger began explaining things to father and son.

"One hundred Galleons?" Jon suddenly noticed something.

"That's right. The exchange rate is five pounds sterling to one Galleon, but the limit is one hundred Galleons." Mr. Granger continued, "We're here. Gringotts is right ahead!"

Led by Mr. Granger, they arrived before a snow-white building that towered above the surrounding shops. Beside its gleaming bronze doors stood a goblin in a scarlet uniform trimmed with gold.

The goblin was a full head shorter than Jon. He wore an unusual formal outfit, with his pointed fingers exposed.

"Welcome, Mr. Sumpter. I presume you're here to withdraw money from your vault? Please, come right in..." The goblin's voice was quite shrill as he greeted a wizard ahead of Jon's group.

"Oh, two Muggles..." When the goblin's gaze fell upon Jon and the others, a hint of disdain appeared on his face.

"This is Jon Hart, a new Hogwarts student. He needs to exchange some Muggle currency for wizarding currency," Mr. Granger said softly, as though he had not noticed the goblin's expression.

"Go see Bogrod. He handles that," the goblin said coldly. "Sixth counter on the left."

"Come on." Mr. Granger gave the father and son a helpless smile. "I told you, we're not exactly welcome here."

At the sixth counter on the left stood a goblin who looked quite young.

"Hello..." Eric cleared his throat.

"You're obviously here for a currency exchange..." The young goblin, Bogrod, did not even look up. "Just tell me the name..."

"Jon Hart!"

"Seems to be on the list..." The goblin extended a finger and lightly touched the ledger before him. "All right, no problem..."

Then he held out a money bag between two fingers, as though afraid of dirtying himself.

Eric accepted the money bag with an unpleasant expression, then took a five-hundred-pound sterling note from his pocket.

The goblin took the note and tossed it into his drawer without even glancing at it.

"Can I only exchange one hundred Galleons?" Jon looked at the goblin and asked again.

"Yes, Mr. Hart!" The goblin looked up at Jon, and his attitude seemed noticeably better. "In fact, this sum is subsidized by Hogwarts. From first year through seventh year, you may exchange the same amount at this time every year!"

After saying that, an ugly smile appeared on his face. "Surely you don't think those foolish Muggle currencies are of any use to us?"

The goblin was right. For an adult wizard, obtaining a large amount of Muggle currency, whether by legal or illegal means, was an easy matter... If Galleons and Pound Sterling could truly be exchanged freely, it might even lead to serious consequences.

The three of them walked out of Gringotts.

Mr. Granger checked his watch. "I think it's nearly half past three... Mr. Hart, would you like to come with me to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions? Perhaps my daughter and your son could get acquainted in advance."

"It would be my honor, Mr. Granger!" Jon suddenly stepped forward and said with an innocent expression, "But it seems to be getting rather late. I'd like my father to buy the robes and textbooks, while I go buy a wand first... I just heard a wizard say that finding a suitable wand takes a long time..."

As he spoke, Jon smiled somewhat sheepishly. "I'm sure I'll meet Miss Granger at school soon enough. It's mainly because it's getting late today. I'm truly sorry."

"It's all right." Mr. Granger nodded magnanimously. "Then go buy your wand. That really does take quite a while... If I remember correctly, the wand shop is over there..."