Arriving in Diagon Alley from outside magical Britain via apparition turned out to be impossible due to the complex security wards interwoven among the various shops. These wards created a somewhat chaotic yet brilliant barrier, combining ancient space-locking and anti-apparition spells that formed the foundation of the alley's protection scheme. After a failed attempt to enter, I found myself flung away. Changing my destination quickly, I found myself standing on Privet Drive. Now, I had a small issue to resolve before I could continue with my plan.
Casting quick spells to detect any anomalies yielded nothing. I decided to cast an invisibility spell on myself and made my way to a nearby tree. Sitting beneath its branches, I entered a meditative state and journeyed into my mindscape. Pulling out my 'memory book,' I searched for the story of Harry Potter and began erasing it swiftly.
You may wonder why I chose to do this. The answer is that I had just tested the dangers of misinformation, especially concerning magic. This story had given me the false impression that I could teleport directly into one of the oldest magical alleys in Europe. It was only then that I began to understand how misleading wrong knowledge can be. Even though I recognized it was just a story from which I had emotionally detached myself, the impression still lingered in my mind. Had I not instinctively used my magic to protect myself, this misunderstanding could have led to a disastrous outcome.
Now that I was safely here, I decided to transfer all my memories from before escaping Azkaban into a newly created chapter in my "Book of Knowledge," labeled "**Eh, It Could Be True.**" while My "Book of Memories" would retain only life-related memories—good times at Hogwarts or even the darker moments of childhood, like my death and the like. You know, just life-related stuff.
The distinction between the two books is crucial: the "Book of Memories" is best represented as a canvas painted with memories, but here's the kicker: knowledge and information are committed and accepted in the human mind as memories. To the best of my understanding, this process might cost me all the knowledge I amassed before escaping, but it would also reset my mindset, ensuring that any mistakes I commit from now on will be truly my own. The "Book of Knowledge" serves as a repository of information, meaning I must learn everything again, using it to analyze and do all the work for me. This leaves me with a singular purpose: to acquire knowledge and learn.
Some may question the difference—after all, both books reside in my mind. However, my earlier mistake taught me a valuable lesson, and this time I aimed to correct it as best as I could. My mental canvas has transitioned from having gray spots to one full of potential.
Now, with my mind clearer, I was ready to move forward with a better understanding of what knowledge means in my magical journey.
But what about magic? How could I cast it now that I had reset everything? Here's the best part about my "Book of Knowledge"—I can use magic through it, after all; it's still my mind. The knowledge might have left my memory, but it didn't leave my understanding. Sometimes I wonder if I'm just lucky or truly a genius; I still haven't decided which.
Standing up, I was eager to set my plans in motion. My "Book of Knowledge," which I've decided to nickname "Grimoire," had essentially become a powerful tool. I couldn't quite tell if I was fortunate or brilliant—perhaps a mix of both. As I opened my Grimoire, it siphoned a little bit of magic before buzzing excitedly. Seconds later, the speeding Knight Bus came to a halt in front of me.
Before I could utter a word about my lack of money, the Grimoire reacted again, easing the burden off my shoulders. I boarded the bus, feeling a mask-like layer of magic form over my face. Ah, so this is what a disguise spell feels like. Incredible!
Seated at the back of the bus, I did the only thing available to me at that moment: I opened my Grimoire and began learning everything about magic from scratch, committing it to memory.
Upon arriving at the Leaky Cauldron, I went inside and felt the wards of the place registering me as a new visitor. Hmm, this could mean a lot of things; I'll just have to investigate later. I went directly to the back and came face to face with an old man who was crossing the enchanted wall on his way out. I merely said hello and continued on my way, focused on moving toward the building called Gringotts Wizarding Bank.
You may wonder why I was in such a hurry. Shouldn't I enjoy the sights? Well, I don't have any money, and I need to retrieve my funds.
As I arrived in front of the building, I took a minute to admire the bizarrely constructed magical edifice. You might be struck by its monumental marble façade, the shimmering enchantments that glow different colors in the sunlight, and the large windows featuring goblins painted on them. The entrance is impressive too, with a silver gate adorned with dragons and goblin figures.
My poor description aside, this place screams wealth before you even enter.
As I neared the entrance, the two goblin guards looked at me with suspicion and vigilance. I instinctively knew why—they could sense the magic and natural energy within me. It turned out goblin magic is embedded with concepts of desire, nature, and something I couldn't quite place yet.
So, without paying any more attention to them, I simply entered and walked straight toward the teller. Given that I had to look up just to talk to him,and I just really didn't want to. My Grimoire came to my rescue and appeared in my hand shimmering slightly as I levitated until I was eye-to-eye with the teller. He stared at me with a scrunched face, which I would describe as "a face only a mother could love." I started explaining what I needed before he could say anything.
"I need to access my vault."
"And do you have the keys with you?" the teller spoke with a growl in his voice.
"Do I look like I have the keys on me? I'm in a prison outfit for Merlin's sake! Are you naturally this stupid, or is it just an acquired trait?" I replied, irritation creeping into my voice. The way he growled at me made me want to pop his head like a balloon.
"Sir, please control your magic; this is Gringotts Bank territory," another teller to my left said, his voice tense with urgency.
Taking a deep breath, I released all my energy for two seconds before regaining control. In those two seconds, I noticed the more powerful goblins in the back and those on the second floor standing up. I looked at the guard who warned me and found him staring at me in horror. Ignoring this, I said to him, "Get me a smart goblin who can help me handle my business. My time is valuable, and I can't keep wasting it on him if he's just here to growl."
"Right this way, sir. Please follow me," he replied, hopping down and starting to walk. I followed him, still levitating above the ground just to show off. I don't know why it bothered me so much that he growled at me; it felt like he gave me the mother of all insults, and that pissed me off.
We arrived at an office-like room filled with bizarre-looking tree painting that somehow reached beyond the ceiling. Stepping aside, the goblin said, "Please place your hand on one of the leaves over here. It will take some of your blood to determine which vault is yours."
"I'd advise you not to play tricks with my blood, but I get the feeling that this will end up being very beneficial to me," I said with a smile as I stepped forward and did what he asked.
After a few seconds, light began to appear along the tree branches, and the name "Harry James Potter" appeared, along with the numbers 687, 688 in green, and the numbers 3, 6, and 8 in gray.
"Well, Mr. Potter, it appears that you have five vaults in Gringotts. Two are accessible now, and three are not," the goblin said.
"Hmm, that's interesting, but I don't have time for that now. Just get me about 2000 G and issue me a new vault key. I'll return to solve this later," I said.
"As you wish, Mr. Potter. Come with me now to complete your transaction, and we will continue this another day," the goblin replied, walking out the door.
I followed him, and three minutes later, I was done with everything for now. I stepped outside to start my adventure and truly explore Diagon Alley.
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