Vault 713

"Take us to Vault 713 now, then. But could you please have the cart go a little slower?" Hagrid said to Griphook.

Together, they helped Harry load three large bags full of Galleons, Silver Sickles, and Bronze Knuts—enough to last Harry for three terms.

"There is only one speed," Griphook said.

They descended deeper and deeper, and the cart went faster and faster. At the sharp turns, the air became even colder and more biting. The wind lashed Tierra's face with the pain of knives twisting into his skin.

The mine cart clattered onto a bridge above a ravine. Harry leaned out of the cart, trying to see what lay within the pitch-black chasm. Hagrid snorted, grabbed Harry by the collar, and yanked him back.

Soon, they stopped on the platform where Vault 713 was located.

Vault 713 had no keyhole.

"Stand back," Griphook said solemnly, though Tierra, Harry, and Hagrid had already taken a step back before he spoke.

Griphook extended a long finger and lightly tapped the door. The iron door slowly vanished, bit by bit, like an eraser rubbing away a sketch.

"Anyone other than a Gringotts goblin who tried that would be sucked into the door and trapped inside," Griphook said.

"How often do you check it?"

"About once every ten years." Griphook grinned maliciously.

There was no doubt that something extraordinary was stored in such a highly secure vault.

When the door slowly opened, Tierra saw a grimy little package wrapped in brown paper on the floor.

The Philosopher's Stone! The Philosopher's Stone!

Tierra felt as if his heart had skipped a beat. His eyes remained locked on the little brown package until Hagrid picked it up and tucked it into the inside pocket of his leather coat, close to his heart.

Only then did Tierra look away.

"Let's go. Back on that damned cart. Don't talk to me on the way back. I'd better keep my mouth shut," Hagrid said.

After another wild ride in the cart, they finally stood outside Gringotts on the sun-drenched street. Harry carried a bulging bag of money on his back, at a complete loss.

"Let's get you your uniform first." Hagrid nodded toward Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. "Harry, Tierra, I want to pop into the Leaky Cauldron for a pick-me-up. You don't mind, do you? That mine cart was awful. It shook my brains loose." Hagrid did indeed look unwell, so Harry and Tierra went into Madam Malkin's robe shop together.

With Tierra beside him, Harry did not feel quite so nervous.

When the short, plump Madam Malkin measured Harry, his body was not as stiff as before.

Once Harry's measurements were finished, it was soon Tierra's turn.

By the time both of them had been measured, Hagrid had returned, holding two paper bowls of chocolate raspberry and crushed-nut ice cream.

"Eat as we walk," Hagrid said cheerfully. He then took Tierra and Harry to buy quills and ink; to a bookstore called Flourish and Blotts for their textbooks; and to a cauldron shop for a Pewter Cauldron, a fine set of scales, and a Collapsible Brass Telescope.

They visited an apothecary that reeked of rotten eggs and decaying cabbage leaves.

Yet the apothecary was quite marvelous. Buckets of slimy substances stood on the floor, while jars of herbs, dried roots, and brightly colored powders lined the walls. Bundles of feathers, strings of sharp fangs, and hairy claws hung from the ceiling. As Hagrid bought a standard supply of potion ingredients from the clerk behind the counter, Harry closely examined a horn made from Unicorn Horn, each priced at twenty-one Galleons. Beside it were Beetle Eyes, five Knuts a scoop.

Tierra was delighted to find Basilisk Gallbladder and the Silver Shell of a Feathered Serpent in the apothecary, along with Desert Thorn Flower, Goblin Wing, Ghoul-Faced Swan Pupae, and African Boomslang Skin.

However, the African Boomslang Skin and Ghoul-Faced Swan Pupae were ingredients regulated by the Ministry of Magic, and purchasing them required registration under one's real name with a wand.

The Basilisk Gallbladder and Silver Shell of a Feathered Serpent were still very expensive, costing around two Galleons an ounce.

Tierra needed roughly five or six ounces to brew a cauldron of Hydra Potion. Factoring in the chance of failure and tripling the amount, it would cost around seventy-two Galleons, instantly draining more than half the Galleons he had exchanged from Pound sterling.

To avoid arousing suspicion, Tierra bought none of the ingredients beyond those required by his admission letter.

Besides, the Leaky Cauldron was only two streets away from where he lived. He could come whenever he wanted.

When they came out of the apothecary, Tierra suddenly crouched down, clutching his stomach as cold sweat broke out across his forehead.

"Ti-Tierra, wh-what's wrong?" Harry asked, startled.

Even Hagrid was somewhat at a loss.

"M-my stomach hurts," Tierra said through gritted teeth. "Maybe it's because of the mine cart just now. It's an old problem. If I exercise too intensely after eating, m-my stomach starts to hurt."

Tierra's face was frighteningly pale now, as though someone had punched him in the stomach.

"M-Mr. Hagrid, I'm very sorry, but could you hold me? J-just for a little while. I'll get better soon."

"Oh, Merlin above, come here, you poor little thing." Hagrid scooped Tierra into his arms as though he were holding a kitten and patted his back again and again.

"Um... Harry, how about this? See that sign at the corner? That's Ollivander's Wand Shop. Go choose your wand first. I'll take Tierra to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. It's very close, inside Purge and Dowse Ltd in London. We'll be back soon. If you finish choosing your wand, wait for us in the lobby of the Leaky Cauldron. I'll explain everything to Tom. I expect Tom would be happy to treat you to a few glasses of Pumpkin Juice."

"All right, Hagrid. Tierra, he'll be all right, won't he?" Harry asked anxiously.

"Mm, he'll be fine, Harry. Tierra will be fine. The doctors at St. Mungo's are the best in the whole United Kingdom. Tierra will definitely be all right. It's nothing serious. Look, even someone as big as me felt sick after riding Gringotts' mine cart, didn't I? Tierra must be the same. I mean, the doctors at St. Mungo's will prescribe some medicine, and it'll definitely cure him."

Hagrid spoke as though trying to encourage himself.

Holding Tierra in his arms, Hagrid staggered toward the Leaky Cauldron.

Along the way, Hagrid's massive body bumped into quite a few pedestrians and wizards, but he had no time to care. Tierra's hands and feet in his arms seemed to be growing colder and colder, like Christmas snowflakes.

So when Tierra slipped his hands into Hagrid's coat as though seeking warmth, Hagrid instead wrapped his coat around him, tightly bundling Tierra's icy hands and feet.