With his hands full of spoils, Damon left the house.
Bai Tsa, the transfiguring rabbit, changed back into a top hat and rested on his head, casting a shadow over most of his face.
Relying on the divine power of the Rabbit Talisman, he successfully returned to The Leaky Cauldron without alerting anyone.
It wasn’t until dawn broke and the noisy chatter of the pub lobby drifted up that he unhurriedly walked downstairs, holding a suitcase in his hand.
“Good morning, Mr.
Tom,” Damon greeted with a smile.
“Good morning, little Damon.
I hope you rested well last night,” Old Tom said.
“Would you like some breakfast?” “No, thank you,” Damon shook his head.
“I’d like to take a look around Diagon Alley.” “A fine choice.
Diagon Alley is indeed very attractive to young wizards.
I recommend having breakfast at the cafe, and then trying Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlour.
Their ice cream is the best in all of Diagon Alley,” Old Tom enthusiastically recommended.
“I’ll check it out.” Damon nodded and stepped through the courtyard passage into Diagon Alley once more.
This time, without Dumbledore by his side, he could do many more things.
Of course, the most pressing matter was to exchange the pounds and gold in his suitcase for wizard currency.
Damon casually bought some breakfast to fill his stomach before heading straight for Gringotts.
It was a snowy white building towering high above the surrounding shops.
Its entrance doors were made of bronze, and a small goblin in a scarlet and gold uniform stood guard outside.
Though it was his first time here, Damon easily followed the guides into a vast marble hall.
About a hundred goblins sat behind a long counter, busy with their respective tasks.
Damon randomly approached a goblin and placed the suitcase on the counter.
“I want to exchange currency.” Damon opened the suitcase, which was packed with crisp new pounds and glittering gold.
The goblin’s eyes behind the counter instantly lit up.
He picked up a gold bar with his long fingers, held it up to the light to examine it closely, and then weighed it on a brass scale.
After checking the gold bars, he quickly grabbed stacks of pounds to verify their authenticity.
Once all the work was completed, the goblin’s mouth stretched into a satisfied grin.
“A total of 33,581 Galleons.
Do you want to exchange all of it?” Damon nodded.
“Give me the remainder in Silver Sickles and some Bronze Knuts.” “Then we will need you to open an account first.
All the exchanged money will be deposited into your vault.” The goblin pulled a form from beneath the counter and slid it over.
“Just sign your name.
You are a minor, so no identification is required.” Damon picked up the quill and signed his name at the bottom of the form—Shendu.
“Very well.” The goblin tucked the form away and handed Damon a golden key.
“Your vault is Vault 981.
This is its key.
I will find someone to take you there now.
Griphook!” The goblin called over another goblin named Griphook to lead Damon underground.
There was only one small railway track leading underground.
Damon followed Griphook into a small cart, and they set off.
The track twisted and turned, plunging straight down into the depths of the earth.
As the cart went deeper underground, Damon clearly sensed a burning magic and the bloodline aura of a dragon.
Although its bloodline was impure, he could definitely not be mistaken.
A dragon was hidden beneath Gringotts.
Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do now—at least not until he regained his demon dragon form.
Soon, they reached the vault.
Griphook took the key and unlocked the door.
Inside were piles of gold coins, silver bars, and bronze coins.
Although it wasn’t a staggering fortune, it was more than enough for an eleven-year-old wizard.
Besides, this was only Damon’s first pot of gold.
Damon took out a portion of the money for his upcoming expenses.
After everything was done, he left Gringotts and headed to Madam Malkin’s Robes for All Occasions.
As a noble dragon, Damon absolutely could not tolerate wearing secondhand robes discarded by others.
Madam Malkin was a squat, plump witch who wore a smile for everyone.
“You must be a Hogwarts freshman, dear?” She welcomed him as soon as she saw him.
“What a handsome young wizard.
Trust me, you will look wonderful in our robes.
I can already picture the young witches swooning over you.” Madam Malkin warmly welcomed Damon into the shop and personally took his measurements, her mouth dripping with sweet praises.
By the time Damon put on his brand-new robes, Madam Malkin had brought out a magical camera from somewhere.
“Simply perfect!
If you’re willing to let me keep a photo of you to promote my robe shop, today’s purchase will be free of charge.
What do you say?” Madam Malkin asked.
“Of course, you have excellent taste,” Damon smiled.
If someone was willing to pay to admire the great Shendu’s face, why not?
Leaving Madam Malkin’s Robes for All Occasions in a pleasant mood, Damon went to Flourish and Blotts to buy some more advanced magic books.
Afterward, he found an empty alley and changed into a pitch-black hooded robe.
His next destination was Knockturn Alley.
He had already gathered information that this was the place for trading various Dark magic artifacts, and it happened to be adjacent to Diagon Alley.
As a demon sorcerer, he naturally had to understand the Dark magic of this world.
Damon pulled up his hood to hide his face and slowly stepped into Knockturn Alley.
It was dark, narrow, and filthy.
Both sides of the street were lined with Dark magic shops, the largest of which was Borgin and Burkes.
Shrunken heads were displayed in its shop window.
Damon casually browsed a few Dark magic shops.
He could always feel some hostile glares, but because his hood obscured his identity, everyone kept their distance.
“A pity.
If the Dark magic items here are only of this caliber, then I am thoroughly disappointed.” After walking around, Damon was greatly disappointed.
There was basically nothing decent in these small shops.
Finally, he stepped into Borgin and Burkes.
“Welcome,” a hunched man appeared behind the counter—it was Mr.
Borgin.
“I can tell at a glance that you are a powerful wizard.
What can I do for you?” Damon looked Mr.
Borgin up and down.
“Powerful magical artifacts.
Advanced magic books.
As long as you can produce them, I can afford them.” Damon’s tone seemed to startle Mr.
Borgin, prompting him to examine Damon very closely.
Dressed mysteriously, not very tall…
was he a powerful dwarf wizard, or a goblin with ill intentions?
But who cared!
As long as the customer could produce Galleons, no matter their identity, they were king.
“Please wait a moment.” Mr.
Borgin bowed deeply and walked into the back room.
Soon, he came out carrying two books.
The covers of the books were a deathly black.
One was written in English, and the other was in runes that Damon could not read.
“Secrets of the Darkest Art and The Madness of Dark Magic,” Mr.
Borgin said, placing the books on the counter.
“Trust me, I would never show these two books to ordinary people.” Damon picked up the English magic book and flipped through it casually.
It recorded all kinds of terrifying Dark magic, which would be very helpful for him to understand the magic of this world.
“And this—” Mr.
Borgin pulled a small leather pouch from beneath the counter.
“I got this from a destitute wizard.
If he hadn’t been desperate for money, I wouldn’t have had this opportunity.” Damon took the pouch and quickly discovered the trick within.
Space magic?
“That wizard was highly skilled in the Undetectable Extension Charm.
Although this is just a small pouch, the space inside is as large as a villa.” “The Ministry of Magic has been cracking down lately, so items with this level of the Undetectable Extension Charm are rare,” Mr.
Borgin eagerly pitched.
“How much?
I’ll take them all,” Damon said, intrigued.
Mr.
Borgin raised his right hand and made a gesture, greed filling his voice.
“That will be eight thousand Gold Galleons, please.” Damon’s face beneath the hood darkened, and a flame ignited in his palm.
“Perhaps you need me to help you clear your head?” Damon was no ignorant fool.
The purchasing power of Gold Galleons in the wizarding world was very high.
No matter how precious these three items were, they couldn’t possibly cost eight thousand Gold Galleons.
Sensing the terrifying temperature of the flame, a drop of sweat rolled down Mr.
Borgin’s forehead, and he hastily corrected himself, “Three thousand.
Just three thousand Galleons.” Only then did Damon extinguish the flame.
He paid the money, took the goods, and left Borgin and Burkes.
Mr.
Borgin stared at the departing figure and let out a long sigh of relief.
“To think there is such a powerful Dark wizard in the British wizarding world.
Could he be a follower of You-Know-Who?”