Dumbledore Must Have His Reasons!

On the way to the wizarding bank—Gringotts—Tom was already dazzled by everything he saw...

Most of the shops lining both sides of the street sold goods the two of them had never seen before.

Some sold owls, some sold all kinds of strange potion ingredients, some sold cauldrons, and some sold flying brooms...

What surprised Tom was that there was even a shop selling ice cream!

When they passed a shop called Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, Li Weide suddenly stopped.

"What's wrong? Aren't we going to the wizarding bank to exchange money?" Tom asked in confusion.

In fact, he could hardly wait to explore these shops properly, so exchanging their money first was extremely important.

"We need to buy two sets of decent clothes," Li Weide said.

"Of course we do, but we need to exchange our money first, don't we?" Tom said with a frown.

He did not understand why Li Weide was stating the obvious.

"When we asked where the bank was just now, that gentleman told us the wizarding bank was called Gringotts and was run by Goblins, right?"

"That's right."

"He also said Goblins are very greedy creatures, right?"

"Yes."

"Then what do you think will happen if we go to Gringotts dressed like this to exchange gold for money?" Li Weide asked.

Tom looked down at his clothes. They were clean enough, but very old, with patches sewn onto quite a few places...

Then Tom understood the crucial issue as well.

"You mean... when those Goblins see that we don't look rich, they'll suspect our gold came from somewhere improper and take the chance to lowball us?"

Li Weide nodded. "That's right, Tom. You know, this gold wasn't easy to come by. I don't want to let those greedy Goblins get it for cheap."

It really had not been easy to obtain. They had run into Nagini in her beast form and nearly lost their lives.

"You have a point." Tom's little face turned serious as well. "Come on, we need a set of clothes. I just hope we have enough money... Dumbledore only gave each of us twenty Galleons..."

Li Weide smiled. "Don't worry, leave it to me. I guarantee I'll get us both two good outfits."

Tom gave Li Weide a suspicious look. "You aren't thinking of robbing someone, are you?"

"You think I'm like you... ready to rob people whenever we disagree?"

Tom rolled his eyes and entered the shop first.

Jingle!

The moment the door was pushed open, the bell above it rang.

"Welcome, you two adorable young gentlemen. Are you here to buy school robes for the new term?"

A tall man wearing gold-rimmed glasses, a neat little mustache, and an exquisite, luxurious tailcoat smiled at them.

He looked as though he had just stepped out of some grand banquet.

"Actually, we'd like to buy two sets of nice clothes first. Then we'll come back later for school robes," Tom said.

"Oh..." The man looked over their clothing. "You really should change into something else. What you're wearing now does not suit your looks at all! Come on, leave it to me!"

"Um... I should say that we don't have much money right now..." Tom said uneasily.

After all, they could not simply take out gold bars and spend them directly. Dressed as they were, it would be far too strange if they produced gold bars from their pockets.

"I understand, child. There's no need to say more. I know what I'm doing. I've been doing business in Diagon Alley for many years. I've seen plenty of children in circumstances like yours. The clothes I recommend will definitely be within your budget!"

The man pulled Tom over first. Two or three measuring tapes flew over and, to Tom's astonishment, began measuring him automatically.

"Are you Mr. Malkin?" Li Weide suddenly asked.

"Yes, child. My sign is right outside," Mr. Malkin replied warmly.

"Then... sir, may I try on this outfit?"

Li Weide stood before a set of clothes that looked very expensive and asked politely.

Mr. Malkin stroked his little mustache. "That outfit isn't cheap, child."

"Can I rent it? I'd like to rent it for two hours, and the rental fee is negotiable. Also, here's the deposit." As Li Weide spoke, a small gold bar appeared in his hand.

The moment Tom saw Li Weide take out the gold bar, his eyes widened. He looked at Li Weide as though he were an idiot.

If you could just take out the gold bar without a care, I could have handled this myself! Why would I need you?

After taking the gold bar and inspecting it carefully, Mr. Malkin looked at Li Weide in surprise. "You... this is real gold? I thought you were joking with me! But... this piece of gold is worth far more than this outfit! You trust me that much? What if I..."

"Since Mr. Malkin has been doing business in Diagon Alley for so many years, your reputation naturally speaks for itself. Besides... we're actually working for Professor Dumbledore right now. Otherwise, where would we get gold?" Li Weide said calmly.

Mr. Malkin suddenly understood. "Ah! So it's an assignment from Professor Dumbledore! I understand! Haha, another one of his strange little tests, is it?"

"I'd long heard that he liked giving his students all sorts of peculiar little tests. So it's true!"

"Since you're working for Professor Dumbledore, forget about any deposit. Take this gold back, and I'll pick out two well-fitting outfits for you right away!"

At the mention of Dumbledore's name, every last trace of doubt in Mr. Malkin's heart vanished. Even the source of the gold now made sense.

Could the famous Dumbledore possibly be unable to produce a few pieces of gold? As for what sort of test or assignment it was... that had nothing to do with Mr. Malkin.

Dumbledore must have his reasons for doing this!

By the time they had both changed into expensive new clothes and walked out the door, Tom still had not fully recovered from the shock.

Li Weide suddenly smiled. "Tom, did you notice something?"

"What?"

"As long as something has to do with Professor Dumbledore, no matter how strange or bizarre it is, people always accept it quickly."

Tom sighed. "Maybe because he usually acts so eccentric? But he doesn't really seem like it. Besides, could someone that eccentric even be a professor?"

However, when Tom recalled Dumbledore's exaggerated attire from their first meeting, he immediately found it easier to understand.

"All right, I just hope Dumbledore hasn't noticed that you're using his name to do this..." Tom said worriedly.

The scene of Dumbledore burning his wardrobe was still vivid in his mind! He was afraid that if they were discovered, Li Weide would drag him down with him...

"No, no, no, Tom, you're wrong." Li Weide raised his Index Finger and wagged it repeatedly.

He pointed at himself, then at Tom. "It should be the two of us using his name together... after all, you're wearing these clothes too."

Li Weide deliberately stressed the word "together."

The veins on Tom's forehead bulged. "You... bastard!"

He had accidentally been dragged aboard the pirate ship again!

"Tom, your insulting vocabulary is a little lacking. If you need it, I can teach you..."

"Get lost!"