Gringotts

Soon, Charing Cross Road arrived.

Gemini stood at the intersection, his gaze sweeping over the shops lining the street, finally settling on an unremarkable, dilapidated wooden door.

An old, broken sign hung on the wooden door – The Leaky Cauldron.

There were two other first-years going to Diagon Alley with Gemini: one was Hermione, and the other was Justin Finlay. Both came from Muggle families, and besides them, there were their parents.

What made Gemini feel quite comfortable was that both sets of parents had good breeding. The Finlays were well-mannered, while the Grangers were relatively low-key. Although the two families were of similar social standing, there were still slight differences in their demeanor.

Professor McGonagall led the group and pushed open the door to The Leaky Cauldron.

"Ha! Minerva, long time no see," a stooped old wizard with few teeth greeted Professor McGonagall cheerfully from behind the bar.

The pub was a cacophony of noise, the air thick with the smell of alcohol and oak barrels, mingled with wisps of smoke. The wizards coming and going eyed Gemini, Hermione, and Justin with curiosity.

"Long time no see, Old Tom."

Professor McGonagall nodded politely, showing no intention of lingering. She led Gemini and the others towards the back of The Leaky Cauldron.

The group arrived at a small, enclosed, narrow courtyard. Professor McGonagall drew her wand from her pocket and tapped the wall above a trash can.

"Three bricks above the trash can, and two across. I hope you can remember this so you can find your way back next time."

As Professor McGonagall finished speaking, to the confused gazes of the students, a rumbling sound came from the enclosed wall of the small courtyard. Red bricks shifted one by one, the entire wall parting like rippling water. Immediately, sunlight streamed into the courtyard, and a wide archway appeared before them, leading to a winding, cobblestone street that seemed to stretch endlessly.

"Welcome to Diagon Alley!"

Professor McGonagall turned around, a smile gracing her usually stern face, her eyes alight with an almost unconcealed excitement.

There was nothing that made a wizard prouder than introducing Diagon Alley to first-years who were encountering the magical world for the first time.

Hermione and Justin's eyes were filled with excitement and curiosity, their gazes darting around. Hermione had even completely forgotten that Gemini had tricked her earlier.

The moment they passed through the archway, the archway behind them turned back into a solid wall. Brilliant sunlight shone on a stack of cauldrons outside the nearest shop, making them gleam.

"Take out your shopping lists," Professor McGonagall reminded them. "You'll need a cauldron, pewter."

Mr. Finlay hesitated for a moment. "Do wizards accept pounds?"

"Of course not," Professor McGonagall chuckled. "Wizards have their own currency. I'll take you to the wizarding bank, Gringotts, later. You'll need to exchange your money there. The wizarding currencies are Gold Galleons, Silver Sickles, and Bronze Knuts. The exchange rate between Galleons and pounds fluctuates around 1:5."

As she spoke, Professor McGonagall looked at Gemini. "Also, Mr. Fox, you don't need to worry about money. First-year students like you receive subsidies. While it can't be guaranteed that you'll get the absolute best, with the school board's funding, you'll at least be able to get new textbooks and the like."

Gemini thought for a moment and decided to decline Professor McGonagall's kind offer. Although it would save him a significant amount of money, Gemini didn't want to attend school wearing old robes. Since he had the means, why should he put himself through that?

Money was meant to be spent!

"Thank you very much for your kindness, Professor McGonagall, but I have my own savings."

Professor McGonagall blinked in surprise. Mr. and Mrs. Finlay and Mr. and Mrs. Granger looked at Gemini with amusement. In their opinion, how much savings could an eleven-year-old boy possibly have?

"I have an obligation to remind you, Mr. Fox, that the supplies for a first-year student will cost at least forty Galleons. That's equivalent to about half my monthly salary. Are you sure you can afford it?"

Professor McGonagall asked sternly, not wanting Gemini to run into trouble due to misplaced pride.

Gemini nodded. Forty Galleons was about two hundred pounds. With his current savings of over fifteen thousand pounds, it was a mere trifle. He could easily afford this expense.

"I have about two thousand pounds in freely disposable savings," Gemini said with a gentle smile.

"Two thousand?"

Mr. Finlay's mouth gaped in astonishment. His monthly income was only eight hundred pounds, which was already considered a high income.

Professor McGonagall was also surprised. "Where did you get so much money?"

Two thousand pounds was almost four hundred Galleons. With a little more, he could buy a decent spot in Diagon Alley. Moreover, Gemini said "freely disposable," meaning this wasn't all his savings. His casual tone and lack of concern indicated that.

"I'm quite skilled at crafts and often sell small items," Gemini smiled and took out a slightly bulging snakeskin wallet from his pocket.

This wallet wasn't actually taken from his pocket; carrying so much money around would be quite unsafe for a child of his age.

Gemini's weapon shop had ten storage spaces, each one thousand cubic meters. Gemini's money was usually kept in those storage spaces.

"I must say... Mr. Fox, you are the most remarkable child I've ever met at your age," Professor McGonagall said, her gaze towards Gemini filled with affection.

"Thank you for your compliment," Gemini nodded slightly towards Professor McGonagall.

"I'm stating a fact," Professor McGonagall pursed her lips. "Follow me, I'll take you to Gringotts."

Soon, the group followed Professor McGonagall all the way to Gringotts.

It was a towering, snow-white building that stood above the surrounding shops. At the gleaming bronze double doors stood a short figure in a scarlet and gold uniform – a Goblin.

Short stature, pointed ears, sharp teeth, and a dark complexion. Gemini immediately thought of the goblins in the dungeon. In fact, the term "Goblin" was indeed what they were called...

"What is that?" Justin asked, looking at the short figure in astonishment.

"A Goblin," Professor McGonagall said, pursing her lips. "Try to remain quiet. They've never been very friendly."

As the group entered, the Goblin bowed to them. Then, a second door appeared before them, a silver door inscribed with the following words:

Enter, stranger, but take heed

Of what awaits the greedy soul

Who takes but does not earn

Shall pay the price, be sure to know

Therefore, if you wish to remove from our vaults wealth that never belonged to you

Thief, you have been warned

Beware, lest you find that the earliest arrival is not treasure, but retribution

"The words are filled with nothing but ill will," Gemini chuckled.

Behind the great doors, two goblins bowed to the crowd and ushered them into a vast hall of marble, where a hundred or so goblins sat on high stools behind a long counter, some weighing coins on brass scales, others examining gemstones with lenses, all while hastily making entries in large ledgers.

The hall had countless doors, leading to different places, and many goblins were directing the comings and goings of people through these doors.