Vault 9527

"Urgh... bleegh..."

In a secluded little alley, Horatio braced his right hand against the wall and pressed his left against his stomach. His gut churned so violently that he felt ready to throw up bile.

"Professor, wasn't there a gentler way? Bleegh... this was fast, sure, but it really wasn't kind to my stomach. Bleegh... I'm remembering what I ate last night. Bleegh..."

"You'll get used to it. That was Apparition, the fastest way for wizards to travel. Because there is a risk of body parts being separated during the process, only those aged seventeen or older who have obtained a license are permitted to use it."

Professor Dumbledore watched Horatio with a kindly expression. Especially after Horatio had left a solid gold bed for the orphanage, Dumbledore's attitude toward him could hardly have been warmer.

Horatio stood between a bookshop and a record shop, checking the address—1 Diagon Alley—over and over. A sign reading "Leaky Cauldron" hung crookedly above the faded doorframe. "Professor, are you sure this is the place?" He looked at Dumbledore beside him.

"Of course, my boy." Dumbledore adjusted his Half-moon Spectacles and pushed open the creaking wooden door. The smell of mildew mingled with ale washed over them. Horatio looked inside and saw that the pub was filthy and sparsely furnished, with nothing but a bar and a few tables. The glasses piled behind the bar gleamed greasily in the candlelight, and several rats scurried among them.

"Professor Dumbledore!" Tom poked his head out from behind the bar. "And who is this gentleman?"

Dumbledore turned to Horatio with a smile. "This is Mr. Horatio Quibble, a new student starting this year."

Tom narrowed his eyes as he looked over Horatio's Muggle clothes. "I see. Follow me."

They followed Tom through a door into a courtyard enclosed by walls on three sides. Apart from a dustbin and some clutter, it seemed empty.

Under Horatio's puzzled gaze, Tom drew a wand from inside his clothes. "Watch closely, young wizard. Count three bricks up from the dustbin, then two across, and tap the wall lightly three times with your wand. That will open the entrance to Diagon Alley." With that, he tapped a brick three times.

The bricks rearranged themselves and slid apart, revealing a bustling street before Horatio. Tom clapped his hands. "Welcome to the magical world, young wizard."

Horatio looked at the wall and the dustbin thoughtfully. A few bold ideas occurred to him, but with Dumbledore standing beside him, he had no way to try them for now.

"Come along, my boy. First, we'll go to Gringotts to exchange some money for Galleons. Muggle currency isn't accepted in the wizarding world."

Following Dumbledore, Horatio arrived before a white building with an arched facade. The first entrance to Gringotts had gleaming bronze doors, guarded by Goblins in scarlet uniforms trimmed with gold. They bowed as Dumbledore and Horatio approached.

After passing through the first entrance, they came to a second set of silver doors, engraved with the following words:

"Enter, stranger, but take heed of what awaits the greedy. Those who take without earning shall face the harshest punishment. So if you seek to take from our underground vaults a fortune that was never yours, thief, you have been warned: beware lest you find not treasure, but retribution."

Through the silver doors lay a spacious marble hall, where roughly a hundred Goblins sat behind long counters, scribbling entries into large ledgers. Some weighed coins on scales; others examined gems through eyepieces. After entering, Dumbledore and Horatio were led to a counter by a short Goblin in a suit. Another suited Goblin sat behind it, distinguished by a pair of round, gold-rimmed glasses of the sort a capitalist might wear.

"A new Hogwarts student?" The Goblin behind the counter gave Horatio a disdainful glance. "Show me your acceptance letter."

Horatio pulled his Hogwarts acceptance letter from inside his clothes.

"New students can only exchange two hundred Galleons a year. Any other questions?" The Goblin impatiently counted out two hundred Galleons and tossed them onto the counter.

"Sir, can these be exchanged for Galleons?" Horatio took a pouch from his waist, a friendly gift from Dumbledore that had been enchanted with an Undetectable Extension Charm.

"There's an annual limit on exchanging Muggle currency..."

Before the Goblin could finish, a gold bedside table and a gold candlestick crashed onto the marble floor, leaving him speechless. Every Goblin present jumped at the tremendous noise.

"Radon, you blind fool, hurry up and attend to our esteemed guest." The Goblin behind the counter put on a fawning expression. "My distinguished sir, my name is Zola. It is a pleasure to serve you."

"Uh... I preferred that arrogant expression you had earlier. Could you bring it back?"

"Ahem. Sir, we at Gringotts pride ourselves on fairness and impartiality. Rest assured, I will give you the fairest possible valuation." Zola adopted a solemn expression, switching so quickly that Horatio was reminded of the face-changing performances of Sichuan from his previous life.

"Exchange all of it for Galleons."

"Certainly, sir. Please wait a moment." Heaven only knew how a Goblin's eyes could display a pie chart that was three parts greed, three parts flattery, and three parts solemnity.

After a short wait, Zola approached Horatio carrying a bag. "Sir, your valuation is complete: one hundred and fifty thousand Galleons in total. This Undetectable Extension Charm bag is complimentary. Would you like to use our storage services?"

"Oh? Tell me more," Horatio asked with interest.

"Come on, Radon. Show the gentleman what you can do."

"Oh, right!" The Goblin named Radon performed three backflips on the spot, then landed firmly on his feet.

"Sir, Gringotts offers three security levels. The first is the lowest level. Only your key is needed to open the vault, and the annual maintenance fee is just two hundred Galleons.

"The second level requires both your key and the presence of one of our Goblins to open the vault. Without a Goblin escort, the doors will trap any intruder, even if they have a key. The annual maintenance fee is one thousand Galleons.

"The third level requires not only a Goblin escort, but also passage through a waterfall that washes away spells and potions, followed by passage past our Dungeon Guardian. The vault also has an anti-magic barrier. Anyone attempting to steal your assets will be buried in gold. The annual maintenance fee is five thousand Galleons."

Horatio rubbed his chin and thought for a while. Considering all the alchemical materials and supplies he would have in the future, getting a vault to store them in seemed reasonable. After all, Galleons were merely the result of a few casual touches of his Philosopher's Stone. What mattered were rare materials and alchemical products. "I have a question. Am I allowed to install my own anti-theft measures inside the vault?"

"Of course. You may use any spells and alchemical products you wish inside your vault. We support you in installing anti-theft measures."

"All right, give me the highest level. Can I choose my own vault?" (These were originally intended to be vaults for pure-blood families, but in this book, Goblins care only about money, not whether someone is pure-blood.)

"Thank you for your generosity, sir. Certainly. Which vault number would you like?"

"9527. It has a nice ring to it."

"Certainly. Let me check... Sir, Vault 9527 happens to be unoccupied. Please follow me."

Horatio and Dumbledore followed Zola through a door off the hall and into a narrow stone passage, where a small railway ran below. Under Zola's guidance, they boarded a cart and traveled through a maze of winding tunnels.

Along the way, they passed an underground lake surrounded by enormous stalactites and stalagmites. After passing through a waterfall, they reached the lowest level of Gringotts. A huge dragon lay in the center. Seeing Horatio and the others approach, it rose and let out a threatening roar.

"Get out of the way, you filthy thing. Don't frighten my client." Zola rattled the clankers in hand. At the sound, the dragon shrank back into a corner in fear.

At the entrance to Vault 9527, Zola slid a finger along the door. Amid a clatter of metal, it slowly opened, revealing an enormous space before Horatio. Zola drew a key from inside the suit. "Sir, this vault now belongs to you. Please keep this key safe. We recognize only the key, not the person carrying it."

Horatio took the key and told Zola, "Please take out the Galleons and pile them in this vault. Leave two thousand in the bag, and take five thousand yourselves as this year's maintenance fee."

"A pleasure to serve you, sir."

Some time later, Horatio followed Dumbledore out of Gringotts. Zola and Radon escorted them all the way to the doors and bowed respectfully before returning inside.

"Professor, could you please teach me a spell to keep me from losing this?" Horatio held up the key, which now hung around his neck on a cord.

"Certainly, my boy. But I think you'll need a wand of your own first."