The Potter Family Vault

When they stepped out of the room, there was indeed a bar outside. Although it was not yet ten in the morning, a few wizards in robes were already drinking there.

When they saw Dumbledore, many people excitedly stood up to greet him. The owner even hurried out from behind the bar and invited Dumbledore to have a drink.

Dumbledore shook his head and gestured toward Harley beside him. "Sorry, Tom.

I have other things to do today. I need to take this young lady to buy her school supplies."

Tom had run the bar for many years and was a shrewd man. As Headmaster, Dumbledore was a person of great standing, and it had been a long time since he had personally taken a student shopping.

But today he had gone out of his way to bring a young girl along, and she wore a veil. Her identity was surely no ordinary one. Perhaps she was Dumbledore's illegitimate daughter.

After all, there had never been any rumors in the Wizarding World about Dumbledore being in love.

So old Tom nodded without asking any questions. He simply said goodbye and went back behind the bar.

Still, he kept sneaking glances at Dumbledore and Harley, clearly curious.

Harley noticed old Tom's gaze, of course, but since Dumbledore made no comment, she couldn't say anything either.

Dumbledore led Harley into a small walled courtyard and began to explain.

"The bar we were just in is called the Leaky Cauldron. It's near Charing Cross Road in London, with a bookstore on one side and a record shop on the other.

The bar is enchanted, so Muggles—that is, people who can't do magic—can't see it."

Dumbledore paused briefly, then pointed to a spot in the courtyard. "The street where the wizards shop is called Diagon Alley.

See that dustbin? Count three bricks up from it, then two across. Tap the brick three times with your wand, and you can enter Diagon Alley."

As he spoke, Dumbledore lightly tapped the brick with his wand. It trembled, then quickly slid aside.

A wide archway appeared, with a cobblestone path beyond it.

Harley watched with interest, wondering which Pathway could achieve something like this.

After considering it from every angle, she still thought the Apprentice Pathway was the most likely.

As for the Spectator Pathway, perhaps at a high Sequence it could impose a specific mental influence on the surroundings, managing to create an effect like this on people's vision.

"Let's go," Dumbledore said softly. "We have a lot to do today."

"Headmaster Dumbledore, where are we going first?" Harley asked in a voice filled with excitement and a trace of fear, perfectly imitating a child encountering unfamiliar things that had existed only in her imagination.

"Oh, first we'll go to Gringotts." Dumbledore pointed to a tall, snow-white building towering over the surrounding shops.

"In terms you can understand, it's rather like a Muggle bank. Your parents' inheritance, including the entire Potter family fortune, is kept in a vault at Gringotts."

Harley nodded and followed Dumbledore.

There were many shops along the way to Gringotts, and many of the things in them drew Harley's attention.

Three places in particular stood out: a potion shop, a bookstore, and Eeylops Owl Emporium.

The owls in the shop were full of energy, and Harley couldn't help taking a second look at them.

A snowy owl of just the right size stood outside. Harley felt that such a pure-white creature would be perfect for making into a puppet.

All it would take was a little Dark Magic and a curse. Any Witch could manage it with careful study and repeated practice.

But Harley dismissed the idea. Dark Magic sounded wicked, and it probably wasn't popular in any world.

Just as few people liked Demonesses, the very embodiment of evil and Catastrophe, apart from Emperor Roselle.

So Harley tried her best to avoid doing things that would make so many people afraid and disgusted.

Especially since she still didn't know how powerful this world was. If she was hunted down for being too wicked, it wouldn't be worth it.

Dumbledore led Harley to a Bronze Gate, beside which stood a small creature. According to Dumbledore, it was one of the Goblins.

After Dumbledore took out a key, the Goblin bowed, then asked, "Professor Dumbledore, are you taking the thing in Vault 713?"

"No." Dumbledore shook his head. "Someone will come for it in a few days."

Disappointment was plain on the Goblin's face. It looked as though it had a hot potato on its hands but couldn't get rid of it.

A Goblin took the two of them in a Goblin-made vehicle to the Potter family vault.

When Harley got out of the little cart, she secretly vowed to take as much money as she could and avoid coming back for a long time.

The Potter family vault was piled high with gold coins, silver bars, and bronze coins, along with boxes and boxes of jewels.

Several large cabinets stood at the very back of the vault. Their surfaces were carved with various patterns, and they gave off waves of magic.

"Everything in here belongs to you," Dumbledore said softly. "It's all the Potter family's property.

Your family also used to own a shampoo business, but it was sold off a long time ago. The money from the sale is all here."

Harley lifted her veil, bowed slightly, and picked up a coin from the top of the pile.

"That's a Galleon," Dumbledore explained. He went on to name the coins made from the other two metals and describe the exchange rates between them.

The coins were enchanted, presumably to prevent counterfeiting. Harley's eyes practically glazed over at the sight of them.

After all, she was truly sick of being poor. Being an unaffiliated Beyonder was incredibly expensive: buying Potion formulas, tracking down materials scattered far and wide, and acquiring Mystical Items to keep herself alive.

Those money pits had kept Harley perpetually broke, forcing her to moonlight as a Beyonder of the Error Pathway or fall back on the old trades of a Sequence 9.

Harley put down the coin and pointed to the large cabinets at the back. "Headmaster Dumbledore, may I ask what's inside those cabinets at the back of the vault?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "I don't know exactly what's inside. Only someone of Potter blood can open those cabinets.

But I heard your father, James, mention that they should contain some of your family's books, along with a few rather dangerous magical objects."

Harley nodded and, for the moment, chose not to touch the books or magical objects, despite her overwhelming curiosity.

Dumbledore conjured a leather pouch and a large wooden scoop, then handed them to Harley. Since Harley was wearing a skirt, it wouldn't be convenient for her to bend or crouch.

Harley filled a large bag with money. Dumbledore's eyebrows rose repeatedly. "Harley, you need to spend that money carefully.

If you use it all up before you graduate and find a job, you'll be in a very difficult position."

Harley immediately put on a pitiful expression. "Professor, you know I never had any pocket money at the Dursleys', so I never had a chance to buy the books I wanted to read.

That's why I want to take a little more money and buy a few books." Tears seemed ready to spill from the corners of Harley's eyes.

Dumbledore's heart softened, and he nodded. "If it's for reading, then of course you can. Reading is a very good habit."

After that, Dumbledore stopped interfering with Harley's money-taking and strolled out of the vault.

He naturally didn't notice Harley choosing a few fine-quality rubies and slipping them into a small pocket inside her skirt.