Gringotts, the main hall.
Dudley and Harry took the cart and returned here along the way they had come.
But here, there was already a chaotic crowd gathered, being comforted by another group of goblins left behind.
These people could be divided into two types: reporters and Aurors.
The wave of explosion incantations set off by Quirrell earlier affected the spatial geological structure of the underground vaults, causing a slight tremor throughout Diagon Alley.
Naturally, it had attracted all the people who should be attracted.
The reporters from the the Daily Prophet were on the outer perimeter, holding magical cameras and taking snapshots non-stop, bombarding the goblins with questions about what exactly had happened.
The Aurors sent by the Ministry of Magic to handle the situation were in the inner circle, seriously communicating with Professor Dumbledore, who had arrived later than them but earlier than expected.
Hagrid stood there all alone on one side. He was in the inner circle, so the reporters couldn't bother him for the time being. The Aurors had Professor Dumbledore to communicate with, so they didn't pay much attention to him either.
Dudley led Harry and quickly walked over to Hagrid's side.
"Dudley, Harry, you and Professor Dumbledore..." Hagrid began speaking hesitantly in a low voice.
Muffliato!
Dudley tried a few times with his wand before casting an anti-eavesdropping incantation and then seriously and patiently explained,
"Hagrid! You're an adult and should understand that a friend of a friend isn't necessarily your friend. What happened between us and Professor Dumbledore has nothing to do with you. You don't have to be troubled by it.
You just need to recognize one fact. Professor Dumbledore is your friend, and we are also your friends. That's all! These two relationships should be separate!"
"Oh! Dudley, Harry, you still consider me a friend! That's great! Aren't you angry that I exposed your identities to Voldemort today?"
Hagrid was extremely excited. He ignored the things that made him unhappy and directly grasped the key point he wanted.
Dudley wasn't excited because of Hagrid's excitement. He continued, "Everyone has their own flaws. You didn't expose us on purpose.
Regarding what happened today, even if you hadn't exposed our identities today, Voldemort wouldn't have let us go just for the treasure. Moreover, and this is the most important point, today's incident didn't cause serious consequences.
So, I can forgive your recklessness this time."
"Cousin has forgiven you, and I don't blame you either, Hagrid!" Harry also said.
"That's wonderful! I was so scared just now!" Hagrid wept with joy.
"But Hagrid, you should learn a lesson from this." Dudley's expression became even more serious. "If what happened today had truly caused irreparable harm to Harry or me, then even if you didn't mean it, we couldn't be friends anymore.
You should try to keep secrets for your friends and learn some ability to judge situations. Otherwise, in our future interactions, Harry and I will definitely hold back a lot from you, and I mean a lot."
Hagrid's expression also grew complicated, with a tinge of determination in his guilt: "I understand, Dudley. I'll work hard!"
"As long as you understand." Dudley's tone softened a bit. "Now that we've got the money, it's time to go and buy our school supplies."
"You promised us this. You're not going to renege on it, are you?"
"Oh! No, I won't renege! Of course not!"
Hagrid perked up again. He glanced in Dumbledore's direction and pointed at the side door of Gringotts.
Dumbledore spared some of his attention and nodded slightly at Hagrid.
Only then did Hagrid turn back, intending to shield Dudley and Harry and escape from Gringotts surrounded by the crazy reporters.
Dudley was already hunched over, protecting Harry to his surprise. They had found a goblin as a guide and were heading towards an out - of - the - way exit.
"Hey! Wait for me!" Hagrid quickly stepped forward to catch up.
On the other side, Dumbledore said his last words to the Aurors of the British Ministry of Magic:
"Tell Fudge that Voldemort, that terrifying Dark Lord, is about to make a comeback! The Ministry of Magic needs to be ready for battle!"
After saying that, regardless of the Aurors' reactions, he also quietly left Gringotts and silently followed behind Dudley and the others.
The Aurors present were thrown into a complete panic by Dumbledore's news. If it had been someone else uttering these words, they would definitely have drawn their wands, subdued the person, and sent them to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries to treat their mental illness.
But now, these words rolled off the tongue of Albus Dumbledore, the greatest wizard of the twentieth century and the uncrowned king of the British wizarding world.
They had no choice but to listen.
The Aurors glanced at each other and then Apparated back to the Ministry of Magic in succession to report to their Minister Fudge.
...
After the accident of a minor earthquake, although there were no apparent problems on the surface of Diagon Alley, the fear of the unknown still made Diagon Alley much quieter for a while.
It was no match for the time when Dudley and Harry first entered Diagon Alley and headed to Gringotts.
However, this actually made it more convenient for Dudley and Harry to go shopping.
At Patch's Cauldron Shop, they bought the apparatus needed for Potions class. They bought top - quality equipment, four or five sets at a time;
At Slug & Jiggers Apothecary, they bought the medicinal ingredients for brewing potions. Besides buying more than a dozen sets of the ones required on the admission letter, Dudley also bought a large number of other potion ingredients;
At Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, they bought more than a dozen sets of wizard robes and dress robes in various styles that fit Dudley and Harry's figures, with automatic ironing and repair functions;
At Flourish and Blotts, they bought two sets of the regular general textbooks for Years 1 to 7 at Hogwarts. Dudley also picked out some new and interesting books on spells, curses, and alchemy to enrich the bookshelf in his bedroom.
At Eeylops Owl Emporium, Hagrid offered to pay and bought Harry a snowy owl. This was a gift between friends, and Dudley didn't stop him. Harry named the snowy owl Hedwig as in the original story.
Originally, Hagrid also wanted to buy a pet for Dudley, but Dudley refused.
"Dudley, are you really not going to get a pet? I think that tawny owl is pretty good!"
Inside the owl emporium, Hagrid was a little miffed. He thought that Dudley's refusal to accept his gift meant that he was still holding a grudge against him.
"Owls aren't imposing at all! One for delivering letters is enough. Buying more is useless!"
Dudley grinned and showed his disdain. If he needed to send letters, besides his cousin's Hedwig, Hogwarts also had an Owl Post Office. If he really went to school, he wouldn't have to worry about not having an owl to use.
"Hagrid, don't forget the compensation the goblins at Gringotts promised me. When it comes to raising pets, fire dragons are way more thrilling!"
After the group walked out of the owl shop, Dudley told Hagrid what he really thought. "Didn't you say before that your dream was to raise a dragon?
After we get settled, you find a place. I'll write to the goblins and have the two fire dragons sent to you. You take care of them for me, and any offspring belong to you!"
"Ah?!" Hagrid was stunned. "But... but Hogwarts doesn't allow keeping fire dragons!"
"Be more daring and think outside the box! Hagrid! When the fire dragons arrive, 'do some makeup' on them. Say they are fire salamanders with wings. No one can find fault with us!"
Dudley blinked nonchalantly, as if it were no big deal.
"Is that okay?" Hagrid got it. A new world opened up for him.
If he had known it could be done like this, back then he wouldn't have raised an Acromantula but an ordinary spider that had its body enlarged due to a pathological change caused by a swelling potion!
[Unlock Ahead of Schedule: Rubeus Hagrid - The Gamekeeper's Long-Cherished Wish of Raising Fire Dragons (Grade A)]
[Details: Hagrid has always wanted to raise a fire dragon, but due to rules and regulations, he couldn't fulfill his wish.
In the original story, Hagrid was tricked by Quirrell. He traded the weakness of the three-headed dog Fluffy for a dragon egg and finally hatched a Norwegian Ridgeback, which he named Norbert.
But in the end, to prevent being discovered by the school, Harry and his friends worked together to transfer Norbert and gave it to Charlie Weasley, who was a professional dragon keeper in Romania.]