Gateway to Diagon Alley, the Leaky Cauldron!

Outside the Dursley household, Dudley stuffed a large bag of sandwiches into Hagrid's hands. The three of them chatted as they walked.

"Have some sandwiches, sturdy Hagrid!"

Dudley said. He and Harry had already eaten breakfast.

"Oh! I like that name. My size and strength have always caused other people a few little problems."

Hagrid put on his flowered coat, accepted the sandwiches, and replied naturally, "But more often, they make me more dependable and trustworthy. Clearly, Dumbledore thinks so too!

He always leaves important tasks to me, like picking you two up, or retrieving something highly confidential from Gringotts!"

Dudley suddenly felt as though his entire plan had been trying to outwit thin air. He had barely played a pair of threes before Hagrid voluntarily laid down his unbeatable trump card.

There was no sense of accomplishment in scheming against a simpleton who kept secrets like a shattered open bottle.

"Gringotts? What's that?"

Harry asked curiously. He was in much better shape than he had been the night before.

Anyone who had grown up an orphan knew that learning to regulate their own emotions and mental state was an essential skill.

Harry was no exception. Although Dudley had helped and guided him, it could never compare to a father's and mother's love.

"Gringotts is the wizarding bank, Harry. We're going there first to collect the inheritance your parents left you, so we'll have Galleons to buy things," Hagrid answered.

"Galleons! I know about those! My cousin told me. They're the money wizards use for trading, along with Sickles and Knuts. The exchange rates are hard to remember! You can trade pounds for them too!"

Harry proudly showed off the knowledge Dudley had taught him, one of the little secrets he used to make himself happier.

But his memory was not perfect. Dudley had actually mentioned Gringotts to him before, yet Harry had forgotten.

Only after Harry finished showing off did he suddenly realize something. "Hagrid! What did you just say? My parents left something for me?"

"Oh! Of course! Let's take this one topic at a time. First, and most importantly, yes, Harry, your parents left you a large sum of money in an underground vault at Gringotts.

Most wizarding money is stored there and managed by Goblins. They're not to be trifled with..."

Hagrid gave Harry a detailed introduction to Gringotts, praising its security. When he moved on to the second topic, he also corrected one of Harry's misunderstandings.

"Harry, Dudley isn't a wizard, so some of what he heard is inaccurate. The Goblins at Gringotts do offer an exchange service for Muggle banknotes and wizarding currency, but it's an educational benefit specifically for Muggle-born young wizards, and everyone has a limit.

The Goblins don't really need Muggle money, Harry. Even though you grew up in a Muggle household like the Dursleys', your parents were both wizards, so strictly speaking, you aren't eligible for that benefit.

So we won't be able to use the Muggle banknotes Dudley prepared. Just use the money in your parents' vault!"

Hagrid said whatever came to mind and barely knew how to beat around the bush, making Dudley roll his eyes.

"Hagrid, you're wrong!"

Dudley corrected him. "If the wizarding reference books I've read are right, Gringotts is in Diagon Alley, Diagon Alley is in London, and getting to London requires buying train tickets—unless you're planning to use some unconventional wizarding method of travel."

The half-giant smiled sheepishly. "You're right, Dudley!"

Then he turned back to chat with Harry.

Several black lines appeared on Dudley's forehead before he gave up struggling. Having a blunt friend was not all bad, as long as you paid a little attention.

The three continued down the street.

With Hagrid's size and weight, he could not possibly fit in a taxi, and even a bus would be questionable. On top of that, he had cast a Muggle-Repelling Charm. If they wanted to reach the train station in Little Whinging, they could only walk.

Along the way, Hagrid ate sandwiches, pointed here and there, and talked with great enthusiasm.

He went from discussing how Gringotts used fire dragons to guard high-security underground vaults to talking about his lifelong dream of raising a dragon.

Then, prompted by Harry's curious questions, he revealed some details about Dumbledore sending him to retrieve the confidential item, including the authorization letter Dumbledore had given him and the fact that the secret item was stored in Vault 713.

He had come just short of naming the thing itself.

Afterward, Dudley steered the conversation a little, and Hagrid confessed why he could not use a wand to cast spells, as well as how he had been expelled in his third year for raising a cute little spider.

Poor guy! Even now, he had no idea Voldemort was the one who had set him up.

He knew he had been wronged, but could not say exactly how.

The Acromantula he had raised was certainly no harmless creature, but when he was young, it really had not killed Myrtle.

Yet he had carried the blame all this time.

When Hagrid spoke of it, his spirits sank considerably. But before long, he perked up again and began offering his opinions on all the Muggle things they passed on the street.

An hour later, the three arrived at the station, and Dudley bought the tickets.

Hagrid barely managed to squeeze through the ticket gate, which was far too narrow for him, then boarded the Muggle train under Dudley and Harry's guidance.

It chugged toward London.

Little Whinging, located in Surrey, was not very far from London. It took less than an hour to drive there.

Although Hagrid complained along the way that the Muggle train was narrow, cramped, and slow, they soon arrived at the entrance to their destination.

The Leaky Cauldron, which was also protected by a Muggle-Repelling Charm.

Shameless wizards had forcibly claimed a patch of land in the heart of the Muggle city, surviving in the cracks by running a filthy, rundown old pub between a bookstore and a record shop.

Hagrid was a drunkard and a regular at the Leaky Cauldron.

He naturally pulled Dudley and Harry inside.

The pub was full of wizards in old-fashioned clothes, gathered in twos and threes around tables, raising glasses, drinking merrily, and chattering away.

The moment Dudley's group entered, they drew everyone's attention.

At first, it was because they recognized Hagrid as an acquaintance.

Then Tom, the bald, hairless, ugly, hunchbacked old pub owner, spotted the lightning-shaped scar on Harry's forehead and recognized him as the savior of the wizarding world.

The moment Harry Potter's name was announced, every wizard in the pub became excited and rushed forward to shake Harry's hand.

It was a truly memorable scene. The Boy Who Lived had just entered the wizarding world and was already holding an unusual fan meeting with his wizarding admirers.

Dudley and Hagrid were both left standing off to the side.

Neither of them minded.

Hagrid claimed that he still had business to attend to for Hogwarts, but he nevertheless accepted the butterbeer Tom summoned without a wand. As he drank, he introduced Harry to wizarding friends.

As for Dudley, while keeping an eye on Harry, he began quietly observing the wizards in the pub.

He spotted an old acquaintance, Mr. Diggle. The not-so-bright wizard who had generously given him books was excitedly shaking Harry's hand and even brought up bowing to Harry in a Muggle shop before.

Only after he was squeezed aside by the others did he notice Dudley, his Muggle friend who had once traded celebrity merchandise with him.

But Dudley had little interest in reminiscing with Diggle. After brushing him off with a few perfunctory words, he casually lifted the wand from Diggle's waist and hid it inside his coat, just in case.

After all, he had been flipping through the Standard Book of Spells for years.

He remembered the pronunciations of the spells and the wand movements clearly. He had simply never put them into practice before.