“Can we really only exchange fifty Galleons?” This was the question Mr.
Granger had asked the goblin the most.
“Yes.
Each Muggle family can only exchange fifty Galleons per school year,” the goblin repeated tirelessly.
“Will this money really be enough to support Hermione through an entire school year at Hogwarts?” Mrs.
Granger asked Professor McGonagall worriedly.
“It is quite enough.
Hogwarts does not charge for accommodation, and breakfast, lunch, and dinner are provided free of charge every day.
Fifty Galleons is completely sufficient to cover a whole school year’s expenses.
Of course, if you want to buy things outside of the required textbooks and course materials, that might be a different story,” Professor McGonagall reassured them.
“Well, if that’s how it is.” Mr.
Granger felt a bit helpless about the situation, but he still took out 250 pounds to exchange for fifty gleaming gold Galleons.
The goblin even provided a small pouch to make it easier for Mr.
Granger to carry the money.
The fifty Galleons felt heavy in the pouch, and the pleasant clinking sound they made when lifted brought a smile to one’s face.
Once Mr.
Granger finished his exchange, it was naturally Leon’s turn.
With Mr.
Granger having gone first, Leon saw no need to ask further questions.
He simply counted out 250 pounds, handed them over, and received an identical pouch.
However, Leon didn’t take the money and leave right away.
Instead, he smiled and asked the goblin, “Since Muggle currency can’t be exchanged anymore, can gold be exchanged for Galleons?” “Of course.
We accept all precious metals and gemstones, and we will give you a very fair price.” The goblin beamed upon hearing this.
After all, pounds were of little use in the wizarding world, but precious metals and gemstones were entirely different.
These items were genuine hard currency.
Whether used for alchemy or as materials to craft luxury goods, there was always a market for them, so the goblins naturally wouldn’t want to miss out.
Hearing this, Mr.
Granger slapped his thigh, feeling a bit regretful.
He had only brought cash and hadn’t thought of this at all.
Professor McGonagall, on the other hand, gave Leon a second look.
She hadn’t expected the young lad to be so sharp-witted as to think of that.
Even so, she offered a gentle warning: “Mr.
John, fifty Galleons is already enough to cover your living expenses at Hogwarts.
You are still very young, and carrying too many Galleons with you is not a good idea.” “Thank you for the warning, Professor, but I need some extra Galleons to buy some things I want.
I know what I’m doing.” Leon was grateful for Professor McGonagall’s kind warning and replied politely.
He then reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a finely cut ruby alongside a pure gold bar roughly the size of a lighter.
Leon had retrieved these from his family’s vault.
If he remembered correctly, they were a birthday gift from his long-absent father when he turned six.
The original intention seemed to be for Leon to have a gold-plated, ruby-encrusted cane made.
But Leon didn’t care for that sort of thing, so it had been sitting idle ever since.
Coming to Diagon Alley this time, he had brought them along just to see if they could be exchanged for gold Galleons.
Seeing this, the goblin immediately reached out with both hands respectfully to take the gold bar and the ruby, then brought out specialized tools to inspect them.
“The gold is of high purity, and the gemstone is exceptionally clear.
Both are fine items.
I can offer a purchase price of four hundred Galleons in total.
Would you be willing to part with them, sir?” Leon wasn’t entirely sure about the value, so he turned to look at Professor McGonagall.
Only after seeing her nod did he confirm the transaction.
The goblin didn’t waste any time either.
After accepting the items, he hauled a small chest out from under the counter, counted out the gold Galleons one by one right in front of Leon, and stacked them neatly inside.
“Sir, if you wish, we can open a personal vault just for you.
In fact, if you are willing to pay an annual maintenance fee of ten Galleons, we can even prepare a family-grade vault deep underground, complete with protective enchantments.” Having finished counting, the goblin looked longingly at the glittering gold Galleons inside the chest while rubbing his hands together, offering the proposal in a flattering tone.
“A standard vault will do just fine, Mr.
John,” Professor McGonagall chimed in timely to advise Leon.
Leon, naturally following good advice, chose to trust Professor McGonagall.
Knowing Professor McGonagall’s identity, the goblin didn’t dare to argue.
He could only turn to Leon helplessly and say, “Very well.
We will select a vacant vault in the upper levels to store your Galleons.
Balun, take the guest to the upper-level vaults.” Once he finished speaking, a goblin wearing ordinary clothes ran over from a distance and smiled, gesturing for Leon to follow him.
Leon went on this trip alone with the goblin named Balun, while Professor McGonagall and the Grangers chose to wait at the entrance.
Once Leon had finished depositing his Galleons, he met up with them holding his vault key and a booklet resembling a checkbook.
Hermione eagerly asked him, “What is your vault like?
Did you see the dragon that guards the vaults?” “No.
When they said the upper levels, they really meant it.
I just walked down a flight of stairs and there it was.
And the so-called vault isn’t big either; it’s about the size of a drawer in a morgue freezer.
There are at least three or four hundred lockers like that on a single wall.” Leon told Hermione what he had seen.
The young witch instantly furrowed her brow and looked at him with a look of distaste.
“Your metaphor is really quite bizarre.” “But it’s very vivid, isn’t it?” Leon didn’t really mind; after all, it was a free vault that didn’t cost any money.
Furthermore, to his pleasant surprise, he wouldn’t need to come down in person to withdraw money in the future.
He could directly use the checkbook provided by Gringotts to write out a withdrawal slip and hand it over to merchants to settle payments.
Although there was a minimum payment restriction of at least ten Galleons, it was still very convenient.
It was also highly secure because these checks were imbued with a form of name magic.
Unless Leon signed the slip voluntarily, no one else could use the checkbook to withdraw Galleons from his vault.
He had never seen this kind of thing when reading Harry Potter before, but looking at it now, there were indeed many small details that hadn’t been shown in the original story.
“It’s getting late.
We should hurry and purchase our supplies, especially your wands.
They are the essential tools that will accompany you for the rest of your lives.” Seeing Leon come out, Professor McGonagall immediately urged them along.
After all, this business trip was starting to cut into her personal time.
She still had other young wizards from Muggle families to look after and didn’t have much time to waste.
Thus, the group moved like men on a quick shopping spree, rapidly ducking into each of the supply shops mentioned in the acceptance letters to purchase all their equipment.
The process was smooth and efficient.
After all, this time of year was always when Hogwarts students did their shopping, so the shopkeepers had long since prepared the corresponding goods, pre-packaged and all.
Aside from spending a little time getting measured for custom student robes at Madam Malkin’s Robes for All Occasions, they barely faced any delays.
And the final stop for the group was, naturally, Ollivanders.