I Don't Think I'll Accept a Fire Dragon's Hot Kiss

Diagon Alley was prosperous and lively, filled with the style of a bygone era and vastly different from modern cities. It left Harry full of curiosity and interest.

Many young wizards about to start school were already there, accompanied by their families as they began preparing their school supplies.

For Harry, who had always felt that he had no friends, it gave him hope.

"So this is Diagon Alley?"

"It's a little beyond what I imagined, but it looks interesting."

"Hey, Hagrid, is that the cauldron I need to buy?"

The moment he entered Diagon Alley, Harry spotted the Patech Cauldron Shop nearest to the Leaky Cauldron. Looking at the cauldrons displayed outside, he smiled and asked Hagrid.

Hagrid laughed loudly at that. "That's right. That's the cauldron you'll need when brewing potions."

"But before that, we need to visit Gringotts. It's the second safest place in the world after Hogwarts, and we need to withdraw some Galleons to buy supplies here."

"Money from the modern world can't be used here, Harry."

"What are Galleons?" Harry asked curiously.

"Galleons are gold coins in the magical world. Merchants are especially fond of shiny gold things," Katelyle said with a smile.

"Besides Galleons, there are Sickles, and then Knuts."

"Sickles are silver coins. One Galleon can be exchanged for seventeen Sickles."

"Knuts are copper coins. One Sickle can be exchanged for twenty-nine Knuts."

"Believe me, your father and mother left you a very considerable inheritance, enough for you to spend freely."

Hearing Katelyle's words, Hagrid gave him another deep look and asked somewhat unfriendly, "Mr. Kate, forgive my bluntness, but how do you know Harry has such a substantial inheritance?"

Katelyle looked at Hagrid and smiled. "Mr. Hagrid, believe me, I mean Harry no harm."

Though Hagrid was a rough-looking man and a three-and-a-half-meter Giant, he was quite meticulous at heart.

He remained somewhat wary of Katelyle, while also turning Katelyle's name over in his mind. It felt as though he had heard it somewhere before.

"I believe Mr. Kate!" Harry said with a smile as he looked at Katelyle.

Katelyle smiled. "Thank you for trusting me, Harry."

The bustle of Diagon Alley and its strange, unusual sights made Harry's eyes light up and filled him with interest.

All kinds of owls, wizard hats, and flying devices like the Nimbus 2000.

Gringotts.

It was also the wizarding world's only magical bank. As Hagrid had said, it was the second safest place after Hogwarts, which was why wizards were willing to store their gold, silver, and treasures at Gringotts.

Gringotts was run by a group of Goblins. The Goblins stipulated that only by riding the mine carts spiraling underground under their guidance could anyone reach the vaults, and only Goblins could open the vaults and retrieve stored property.

They always had their own ways of stopping intruders, as well as their own rules to restrain one another and prevent their companions from leaking the bank's secrets.

"Welcome!"

At the entrance to Gringotts, three Goblin guards in scarlet uniforms trimmed with gold stood on either side and bowed.

They looked very small, but anyone who underestimated these Goblin guards would pay the price.

After passing through the second door, Harry found himself having some peculiar thoughts about the bank.

He saw the words on the door and could not help reading them aloud.

"Enter, stranger, but beware what awaits the greed of those who take without earning. Those who only seek and gain without toil shall surely receive the harshest punishment. So if you wish to take from our underground vaults a fortune that never belonged to you, thief, you have been warned. Beware that what you summon is not treasure, but retribution."

Katelyle stood quietly beside Harry and listened. After Harry finished reading, he smiled and said, "This is a warning from the Goblins of the magical bank to anyone harboring unfriendly intentions."

"They say a Fire Dragon lives in the magical bank. He is incredibly powerful. At the very least, a single breath of fire would easily burn you into dust scattered by the wind."

Harry's eyes sparkled at Katelyle's words, and he said in utter amazement, "Wow, that's so cool!"

"I don't think I'll accept a Fire Dragon's hot kiss."

Katelyle raised an eyebrow slightly at Harry's words. A hot kiss? Harry, should that really be coming out of your mouth?

Hearing Harry's words, Hagrid turned around, came over, and rubbed Harry's head. "Harry, you're still a minor. You shouldn't be having thoughts like that. Even when you grow up, you can't want a Fire Dragon's hot kiss. That would be fatal."

"Unless you possess magic even more powerful than Dumbledore's."

Harry felt a little embarrassed. He understood that what he had said had been misunderstood by Hagrid and Harry.

In the spacious marble hall, hundreds of Goblins dressed alike sat behind long counters, carefully and diligently recording transactions. They were extremely busy.

Some weighed coins with scales, some inspected gemstones through eyepieces, and some examined documents before stamping them roughly.

Looking at the Goblins, Harry said in surprise, "Hagrid, there are so many Goblins here, but they're all so busy."

"Yes, they're Goblins, and they're clever too. But they aren't very friendly, especially when they're busy."

"So you'd better stay close to me and don't disturb them."

Harry nodded and followed Hagrid to a Goblin.

The Goblin wore glasses and had a long nose and long ears. After Hagrid's warning, Harry felt that they really did seem rather unfriendly.

"Good morning. We need to withdraw some money from Mr. Harry Potter's vault, Mr. Goblin," Hagrid said to the Goblin with a smile.

The Goblin looked at Harry Potter and said, "Then, Mr. Harry Potter, have you brought your key?"

Although Harry had already seen Goblins before, the Goblin's downward-looking face, tone of voice, and the faint blood-red color visible on his teeth as he spoke made Harry feel a little nervous.

Still, Harry overcame his small fear and said, "A key?"

Since Harry did not know what key they meant, he was somewhat confused.

Hagrid froze for a moment, then quickly reacted and chuckled awkwardly. "The key? Oh, I think it's with me. Let me look for it."

Hearing Hagrid's words, the Goblin shifted his gaze to him.

Before long, Hagrid found the key and smiled at the Goblin. "It's so light that I overlooked its weight and couldn't feel that it was there. Besides, it's so small that my big hands have trouble holding it."

After a pause, Hagrid pulled an envelope from inside his coat and handed it to the Goblin. Speaking to the Goblin somewhat mysteriously, he said, "This is something Dumbledore asked me to handle."

"It concerns 'that thing' in Vault 713."