Who Changed Gringotts' Rules

George, the redhead, saw the copy of The Daily Prophet his friend Li had ordered and immediately came over to Harry with the newspaper in hand.

"Was this your doing, Harry? I knew even the Dark Lord couldn't defeat you, so Gringotts' Goblins definitely couldn't either."

Harry was bent over a Pumpkin Pasty. Just moments ago, he had been envying the other students for receiving parcels while he had gotten nothing.

But on second thought, that was probably for the best. Ever since he had gone to the Leaky Cauldron with Hagrid, Harry had understood just how famous he was.

But he truly did not want that kind of fame.

Ever since leaving the dormitory that morning, people had been pointing at him everywhere he went. Some had even walked back and forth around him just to get a clear look at the scar on his forehead.

And now, George had shattered that peace and quiet.

Harry looked at the front page. It was still reporting on Gringotts being robbed by a mysterious wizard.

Harry had already heard Ron talk about it on the train. He did not understand why The Daily Prophet kept reporting on the same incident. Were there really no other major events worth recording in the wizarding world?

Following the direction of George's finger, he saw a huge headline on the second page.

"Gringotts Changes Thousand-Year-Old Rules: All Because of a Hogwarts First-Year"

Gringotts would no longer accept Muggle pennies. Harry knew it could not possibly have been because of him, since Uncle Vernon had never given him a single penny.

And after going to Gringotts, Harry had learned that he would never need to worry about money again in the wizarding world.

"It wasn't me. I didn't do it."

Fred came over as well and excitedly slapped him on the shoulder.

"Don't be so modest, Harry. You're a celebrity now, and those Goblins weren't exactly likable to begin with."

Harry did not know how to explain it. He truly disliked being famous now.

"All right, you two. The first-years need to get to class. Stop bothering them." Percy's voice came from the other end of the table.

"Oh, isn't this Prefect Percy?"

"That's right. We shall obey the prefect's wise teachings."

George and Fred left laughing, while Percy, his face dark with anger, led the first-years to the History of Magic classroom.

"Harry, it really wasn't you?" Even Ron was starting to have doubts.

"Of course not!"

Luan cherished this opportunity to study magic. Even though the professor's voice at the front of the room was incredibly hypnotic, he listened with great attention.

Professor Binns was probably the oldest professor at Hogwarts, especially if both his living age and ghost age were counted.

Perhaps because he had been so old when he became a ghost, even his speech now carried the heavy wheezing of an elderly man.

And it was precisely that white-noise effect that made the entire class...

Luan looked around and found that only Hermione had managed to hold on.

"Magic was first recorded by ancient Egyptian wizards before 3000 BC. As for when it first came into being, that remains unknown."

From his first History of Magic lesson, Luan gained a general understanding of the development of wizarding society.

Before 3000 BC, the first recorded spells appeared in Ancient Egypt. (They were discovered by Gringotts.)

Wizards of that era placed great importance on incantations and curses. They even used magic in the massive tombs they built for the dead.

Later, magic spread beyond Egypt. Wizards in Europe discovered that using certain mediums could not only enhance a wizard's strength, but also increase the speed and power of their spells.

Thus, all kinds of strange magical mediums emerged. From meteorites to scepters, from dances to gestures, from animals to trees, magical mediums underwent thousands of years of evolution,

Until 382 BC, when Ollivanders began Wand Making. From then on, wands gradually replaced other objects as the most important casting medium for European wizards.

After only one lesson, Luan understood how vast the magical world was. This knowledge had even expanded the map of the world in his mind.

So there was not only the United Kingdom. Beyond it lay Egypt, Arabia, France, and the Mediterranean Sea.

The homework Professor Binns assigned after his first class was to preview the magical writing of Ancient Egypt.

When Professor Binns mentioned homework, more than half the students who had fallen asleep instantly woke up. Luan felt that the words "homework" worked even better than the alarm clock he had picked up.

After class, everyone went to the Great Hall to eat. Throughout the entire meal, Hermione kept staring at him, making Luan lose his appetite for good food for the first time.

Luan now felt that Hermione could completely take over Percy's role as prefect in fifth year.

She took the school rules far too seriously.

It was not until Luan left the Great Hall early with some food that Hermione finally relaxed a little. She truly did not want Gryffindor to lose points on the first day of term.

The midday break was very long. Class ended at eleven, and they did not have Herbology until two in the afternoon.

While everyone else was eating, Luan took some bread back to the dormitory. He wanted to give Bouncing a warning in private.

"When we see Professor McGonagall later, you can't take anything of hers, understand?" Luan tore off a small piece of bread and handed it to Bouncing, his expression exceptionally serious.

"Squeak~"

"No buts. If you really take something, I'll have no choice but to put you in the Forbidden Forest. There are more than a dozen huge black dogs there."

"Squeak squeak!"

"It doesn't matter if you can dig tunnels. The big black dogs can too."

Luan did not know how to convince Bouncing to give up this collecting obsession. Just as he was about to say that the big black dogs could dig holes as well, his eyes landed on Scabbers sleeping on Ron's bed.

"There are also a hundred big gray rats like Scabbers in the Forbidden Forest!"

"Squeak?"

Bouncing's tiny eyes went wide. It tilted its head at the sleeping Scabbers, then looked back at Luan.

"Of course it's true. And they're all very good at fighting."

Bouncing seemed to believe him, because it would not even eat the bread held to its mouth.

"Squeak!"

"All right, it's a deal. Let's go see Professor McGonagall first, then we can come back and eat the bread."

Professor McGonagall's office was on the second floor of the teaching building. The space was not large, and many books were neatly arranged on two bookshelves.

"You're saying this Niffler is your pet."

McGonagall's gaze was extremely stern as she stared at the Niffler standing on the desk.

"More accurately, it isn't a pet, Professor. It's my best friend."

Luan's eyes held a pleading look. In the three months since arriving in this unfamiliar world, Bouncing had kept him company more than anyone else. If it had to leave now, he would be truly reluctant to part with it.

"The acceptance letter clearly stated that students may bring an owl, cat, or toad. Magical Creatures like a Niffler are not included."

McGonagall's expression grew grave. Then her eyes caught the loose threads on Luan's old robe, and she sighed helplessly.

"All right. If this Niffler can refrain from stealing—er, you understand—not taking other students' valuable possessions, then I will allow it to move freely around the castle."

"Bouncing can do it, Professor. Look, it's very calm right now. It isn't moving at all."

As if he had seized a lifeline, Luan pointed at Bouncing and spoke excitedly.

"Is that so? That will need to be tested." As McGonagall spoke, she drew her wand from her sleeve and gave it a wave.

"Accio trophy."

A platinum-colored trophy, decorated with a red, white, and blue ribbon, flew from the bookshelf into Professor McGonagall's hand.

An inscription was engraved on the base of the trophy: Most Promising Newcomer in Transfiguration Award.

Professor McGonagall placed the trophy on the desk. Sunlight streamed through the window onto it, making the already polished trophy shine with dazzling brilliance.

Scritch~

Scritch~

Bouncing's little claws lightly scraped against the desk.