Tom dangled a blade of grass he'd picked up somewhere from his mouth and swung his legs nonchalantly. "You have to remember, if people think you're an easy target, they'll turn bullying into a game. The best way to keep from getting picked on? It isn't acting nice. It's arming yourself and making them afraid of you first."
Professor Dumbledore's eyes lifted slightly. The white beard on his chin trembled just a little, as if a breeze had stirred it.
Tom glanced at him and quickly added, "Don't get the wrong idea. I'm not bullying Seth. He's my friend. I'm just teaching him a couple of ways to defend himself—he's starting secondary school soon. We can't let people walk all over him, can we?"
Dumbledore thought of Seth's miserable expression as he doggedly kept at it, never daring to slack off, and felt relieved. His tone grew lighter, too. "He'll understand your intentions eventually. Honestly, with your temperament, you might make an excellent Hufflepuff—provided you don't actually turn 'teaching self-defense' into bullying."
Tom furrowed his brow, looking utterly confused. "Hufflepuff? What's that?"
"One of the Hogwarts houses. They're all quite wonderful..." Dumbledore prattled on as their shadows stretched long in the afternoon sun, slowly fading into the distance at the end of Elm Street.
After switching from the train to the Underground and enduring an hour and a half of travel, the two finally found the entrance to Diagon Alley: the run-down Leaky Cauldron, which looked ready to collapse. At three in the afternoon, there weren't many customers, just a few groups of drunks bragging to one another. As soon as Dumbledore pushed open the door, the room fell silent. The wizards who had been guzzling drinks sprang to their feet and nodded stiffly in greeting.
Behind the bar, a hunched man still clutched a greasy rag. He hurried over, his face creased with a smile. "Good afternoon, Professor Dumbledore!"
Dumbledore couldn't help laughing. "Good afternoon, Tom—oh, right, we have another Tom here." He gestured to Riddle beside him. "Mr. Riddle, this is Tom, the owner of the pub. What a coincidence. Tom, this is Riddle, one of this year's new students. I've brought him to buy his school supplies."
The pub owner slapped his thigh. "What a coincidence! A real stroke of fate! Young Tom, delighted to meet you!" Thanks to Dumbledore's presence, he was twice as warm as before. "Why don't you stop by after you've finished shopping? I'll treat you to as much non-alcoholic Butterbeer as you like!"
"That sounds like a good idea," Dumbledore said with a nod. "Then let's get moving. See you in a bit."
"See you later, Professor!"
Dumbledore led Tom through the pub and around to the little courtyard at the back. He drew his gnarled wand and casually explained, "Count three bricks up, then two across, and tap three times." As soon as he finished speaking, he lightly touched the bricks with his wand. They shifted as if alive, quickly opening to reveal a wide archway. The din of voices and cries of vendors poured out.
Tom's eyes shone as though they held stars. He stared at the crowds bustling inside and murmured, "So this is the Wizarding World?"
"That's right. Your Wizarding World." Dumbledore watched him, his eyes full of amusement. The two walked along the street, and people kept coming over to greet Dumbledore. They barely made any progress along the few hundred metres.
At last they reached the entrance to Gringotts, whose grandeur spoke for itself. Two Goblins bowed respectfully, and one came forward to lead them to the exchange counter.
"According to the rules, each person may exchange only seventy Galleons." The Goblin rolled his eyes, then glanced at Dumbledore and softened his tone. "But out of respect for the professor, you can have a limit of one hundred Galleons. Your five hundred and five pounds, minus a five-pound service fee."
Tom's face fell. "That's all? Are you trying to cheat me? Professor Dumbledore just said people could usually exchange two hundred Galleons."
"Times have changed, Muggle." The Goblin sounded impatient. If Dumbledore hadn't been standing beside them, he probably would have thrown Tom out already. "Your Muggle money is no use to us. The pounds we exchange every year just pile up and gather mould, so we have to limit the amount. Don't complain. This is enough to get you through a year at Hogwarts."
"Two hundred Galleons? That was the going rate fifty years ago," the Goblin added. "Are Muggle pounds even worth that much anymore?"
Dumbledore looked a little embarrassed and scratched his head. "Sorry, Tom. The last time I brought a student here was over forty years ago. I really don't know how things work these days..."
Tom couldn't help rolling his eyes. Forty years! Prices in Britain have gone up several times over, and this old codger is still living in the past. When you look at it that way, the Goblins are almost being generous.
His eyes darted about. Taking advantage of Dumbledore's embarrassment, he immediately pushed his luck. "Professor, how about lending me some money? These Galleons probably won't be enough to buy many books. I can either pay you back in pounds, or... repay you in Galleons after I graduate, with interest if you like."
Tom knew exactly what he was doing. The second option is the better deal. By the time I'm in my sixth year, this old codger might not even be around anymore. It's free money!
Dumbledore, however, readily waved it off. "I have no use for Muggle currency. You can pay me back after you graduate. I'll be looking forward to it." He had always been happy to help his students, especially when this time the mistake had been his.
"Wait here for a moment. I'll get some money for you and take care of a personal matter while I'm at it." After giving Tom his instructions, Dumbledore followed a Goblin down to the vaults.
Tom's heart gave a little jolt. A personal matter? Could he be going to retrieve the Philosopher's Stone? In the original story, Hagrid went to get it. Could the plot have changed because I showed up?
But after pondering it for a couple of seconds, he put the thought out of his mind. What does it have to do with me? He went over to another Goblin and asked if he could exchange gold for Galleons. The Goblin said he could, but once he heard the exchange rate, Tom immediately felt like he was getting ripped off.
Five pounds could buy 0.8 grams of gold, and ten grams of gold exchanged for one Galleon. That meant each Galleon cost about sixty pounds—more than twelve times the normal price. These Galleons might be called gold, but who knew how much Goblin Metal was mixed in?
Tom shuddered and immediately abandoned the idea. His meagre savings couldn't take that kind of beating. Better to earn money in the Wizarding World and spend it there.
Dumbledore didn't come back out for about half an hour. He had a key in one hand and a pouch in the other, which he handed to Tom all at once. "There are one hundred Galleons in here. I also rented a vault for you, where I deposited another six hundred Galleons."
He added a reminder. "You'll have one hundred Galleons a year, so make sure you budget carefully."
Tom took the pouch and smiled obediently. "Thank you, Professor. I'll make good use of your money." But inside, he was overjoyed. Eight hundred Galleons! As long as I don't buy luxuries like Flying Broomsticks or custom-made clothes, I'll have enough to live comfortably until graduation.
Before you continue