Alexander Knight was awestruck as he looked at the sight of Diagon Alley, with wizards and witches walking on the cobblestone path. The street was filled with shops of all kinds of wonders.
"Hagrid, did Professor McGonagall tell you anything about the funds to purchase school items?" asked Alex, as he looked at the windows of shops that contained magical items that looked expensive.
"No worries, Alex. Gringotts is the place to get your Galleons. Let's move, Harry," said Hagrid.
"Harry, did you know you were a wizard beforehand?" asked Alex, curious about any deviations from his knowledge of the world.
"No, I found out a couple of days ago. What about you?" Harry asked in return.
"It's the same with me. I suspected something was weird when my belongings at the orphanage disappeared randomly. I thought it was my roommate stealing them. Now that I know I'm a wizard, magic might be at fault," replied Alex.
Harry, who heard Alex speak about the orphanage, stopped talking after he realized that, just like him, Alex also didn't have his parents. Seeing Harry lost in thought, Alex didn't bother him.
The group reached Gringotts shortly, both of them looking at the weird architecture of the building. Hagrid entered the bank, and both Alex and Harry followed him.
Upon entering Gringotts, the first thing Alex noticed was the goblins scuttling on the marbled floor. Every goblin's face had a menacing look, which would have been intimidating if it weren't for their size.
Even the tallest goblin didn't come close to Alexander's height. Hagrid seemed to have noticed the look of amusement on Alex's face.
"Don't assume them to be weak because of the way they look. The wizarding world's financial system is in their hands. Never steal from a goblin if you want to stay out of trouble," whispered Hagrid.
The group reached one of the desks, where a goblin was writing with a quill.
"We would like a withdrawal from the vaults belonging to Harry Potter and..." said Hagrid, looking at Alex.
"Alexander Knight," replied Alex.
"Yes, Alexander Knight, and there's more. I was tasked by Professor Dumbledore to give you this," said Hagrid as he presented a letter from the pockets of his cloak.
"Do Harry Potter and Alexander Knight have their keys?" asked the goblin.
"Just a moment," said Hagrid, rummaging through his giant coat and taking out a key, which he handed to the goblin.
"And the other key?" asked the goblin as he looked at the key in his hands.
"Alex, do you have the key?" asked Hagrid.
"Key...? Is this the one you are asking for?" said Alex as he took out a key that was hanging from his neck. The key had been with him since the day he was born; he kept it close because it was the only keepsake he had that connected him to his biological family. Now he was finding out that it was a key to a vault.
"These will suffice. Now follow me," said the goblin as he led them through the halls of Gringotts. They followed him into a dark area where there was a carriage on a railing. The goblin carriage signaled the group to enter.
The goblin handled the carriage as it moved through caverns under the bank. It traveled a while before coming to a halt. The goblin hopped out of the carriage. Alex and the others got out of the carriage.
"Key, please," the goblin asked Alex. After receiving the key, he inserted it into one of the holes of the vault door. The door sprung to life as parts of it opened.
Alex entered the vault, eager to find out what it contained. But Alex's hopes were dashed when he saw that at the center of the vault was a small pile of Galleons, rather than the troves of wealth he had imagined.
"I will have to make do with what I have. It's not like I am completely broke," Alex said to himself as he collected a couple dozen Galleons and exited the vault. The group stepped back into the carriage, and it stopped in front of Harry Potter's vault. This time, Alex's expectations of enormous wealth were surpassed.
The entire vault was filled with Galleons, gold jewelry, and other valuable articles. Both Alex and Harry were dumbfounded.
"Harry... from now on, we are best friends," said Alex, with the reflection of piles of Galleons in his eyes. Hearing this, Harry looked at him strangely.
"I'm just kidding, Harry," said Alex with a wry smile, not wanting to cause a misunderstanding.
After Harry took enough Galleons, the group traveled to another vault. This time, both Harry and Alex waited outside the vault as Hagrid picked up a package that was in the vault, leaving it empty.
"This is Hogwarts business. It's important that nobody knows about it," warned Hagrid as he looked at them.
"The business in Gringotts is over. Let's move on to buying your supplies," said Hagrid. The trio traveled back through the carriage and returned to the entrance of Gringotts.
Both Harry and Alex went to a store called Flourish and Blotts and purchased the books required for the first year. The shop had many different books, ranging from textbooks to novels and other kinds. Alex wanted to buy some magical tomes, but he didn't have enough Galleons. He had to be conservative with what he spent, as he didn't know what other expenses he might have, and his vault only held enough to last a year or two.
Following that, they visited Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions for their robes and uniforms and finished shopping at Potage's Cauldron Shop.
"All the items a first-year student needs are purchased, except for the wand," said Alex.
"There's only one place you could find a wand—Ollivanders," Hagrid said, bringing them to an old shop.
"You both go on with wand selection. I'll be back. I just have a small chore to do," said Hagrid, leaving them both.
Alexander Knight and Harry Potter both entered Ollivanders, looking around the dusty store in curiosity. There were numerous shelves on the walls, holding countless wooden boxes containing wands.
"Hello? Anybody there?" called Harry as he and Alex looked around the store.
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