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 the street sold things the two of them had never seen before.

There were shops selling owls, all sorts of strange potion ingredients, cauldrons, Flying Broomsticks...

What surprised Tom was that they even sold ice cream here! When they passed a shop called Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, Li Weide suddenly stopped.

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

In fact, he could hardly wait to properly browse all these shops, so exchanging their money first was of vital importance.

"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 controlled by Goblins, right?"

"That's right."

"He also said Goblins were 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 at his clothes. They were clean enough, but old, with quite a few patches sewn onto them...

Then Tom understood the crux of the matter.

"You mean... seeing us like this and realizing we don't look wealthy, those Goblins will suspect our gold came from somewhere shady and take the chance to underpay us?"

Li Weide nodded. "That's right, Tom. You know how hard it was to get this gold. I don't want to let those greedy Goblins get it cheaply."

It really had not come easily. When they ran into Nagini in her beast form, they had nearly lost their lives.

"You're right." Tom's little face turned serious as well. "Let's go. We need some clothes. I only 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 can get us both two good outfits."

Tom gave Li Weide a suspicious look. "You're not planning to rob the place, are you?"

"You think I'm you...? Robbing people whenever you disagree with them."

Tom rolled his eyes and walked into 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 enrollment?"

A tall man in gold-rimmed glasses, with a small mustache and an exquisite, luxurious tailcoat, smiled at them.

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

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

"Oh..." The man examined their clothes. "You really should change into something else. What you're wearing 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. Given how they were dressed, producing gold bars would be far too strange.

"I understand, child. You needn't say any more; I know how to judge the situation. 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 price range!"

The man pulled Tom over first. Two or three measuring tapes flew over, then automatically began taking his measurements under Tom's astonished gaze.

"You're Mr. Malkin, aren't you?" Li Weide suddenly asked.

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

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

Standing before a set of clothes that looked extremely expensive, Li Weide asked politely.

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

"Can I rent it? I'd like to rent it for two hours; we can discuss the fee. Also, this is the deposit." As Li Weide spoke, a small gold bar appeared in his hand.

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

If we could just take out a gold bar without worrying, I could've handled this myself! Why would I need you?

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

"Since Mr. Malkin has done business in Diagon Alley for so many years, your reputation naturally speaks for itself. Besides... we're actually running an errand for Professor Dumbledore right now. Otherwise, where would we have gotten gold?" Li Weide said calmly.

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

"I'd heard long ago 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 the gold back, and I'll pick out two well-fitting outfits for you right away!"

The moment he heard Dumbledore's name, Mr. Malkin's remaining doubts vanished, and the source of the gold was explained as well.

Could the famous Dumbledore not produce a few pieces of gold? As for what kind of little test or assignment this was... that had nothing to do with Mr. Malkin.

Dumbledore must have his reasons!

By the time they had both changed into expensive new clothes and walked out the door, Tom still had not quite come back to his senses.

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

"What?"

"As long as something is related to Professor Dumbledore, no matter how bizarre it is, people always accept it very quickly."

Tom sighed. "Maybe because he usually acts like a lunatic? But he doesn't really look like one. Besides, can a lunatic be a professor?"

However, when Tom recalled Dumbledore's exaggerated outfit when they had first met, he suddenly found it easier to understand.

"All right, I just hope Dumbledore doesn't find out you used his name to do something like this..." Tom said worriedly.

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

"No, no, no, Tom, you're wrong." Li Weide raised his index finger and waved 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 the clothes too."

Li Weide placed special emphasis on the word "together."

Veins bulged on Tom's forehead. "You... bastard!"

He had been dragged aboard the pirate ship again without realizing it!

"Tom, your vocabulary for insults is a bit lacking. If you need it, I can teach you..."

"Get lost!"