In previous years, Gringotts Bank only allowed Muggle-born students’ parents to exchange up to 200 Galleons, but this year’s situation was rather special.
Due to the transaction between Lockhart and Ragnok, Gringotts suddenly found itself with a need for British pounds.
“For amounts within 200 Galleons, the exchange rate is 5 pounds to 1 Galleon.
For the portion between 200 and 500 Galleons, the rate is 6:1.
For the portion between 500 and 1500 Galleons, it’s 7 pounds per Galleon.
Exchanges exceeding 1500 Galleons are not accepted for the time being,” the goblin Griphook explained to the Muggle parents.
Snape clearly found this strange upon hearing it, but after a slight twitch of his eyebrows, he still chose not to comment.
After the Goblin Rebellion, as the price for not allowing goblins to possess wands, wizards handed control of Gringotts Bank over to the goblins.
As long as the bank continued to provide services to wizards, they could not interfere with the goblins’ management.
So, as long as they didn’t hinder the new students’ enrollment, adjusting the exchange rates was entirely the goblins’ own business, and Snape had no authority over it.
On the way to Gringotts, out of curiosity, the parents had glanced at the price tags in the shop windows along the street, gaining a preliminary understanding of the purchasing power of wizarding currency.
“I’ll exchange ten thousand pounds.
Keep the extra as a tip,” Mrs.
Mason declared with an air of great wealth.
The goblin Griphook was delighted.
“Thank you, esteemed Madam!”
Although goblins generally looked down on Muggles and weren’t particularly fond of wizards either, they never refused money that came their way—Muggle gold was still gold, wasn’t it?
Mrs.
Mason’s large exchange wasn’t entirely for her son’s sake.
Both she and Mr.
Mason had things they wanted to buy.
The potion Lockhart had given her had proven extremely effective.
After using the Beautification Potion, Mrs.
Mason became the center of attention at the wealthy ladies’ salons.
Everyone wanted to know what cosmetics she had used to completely erase the crow’s feet at the corners of her eyes.
It was far more effective than any Paula or Lancôme.
However, Lockhart had also warned them about the existence of the International Statute of Secrecy—it stipulated that while wizards from Muggle families had the right to know and use some magical products, they could not resell them or reveal them to the outside world.
Though it was a bit of a shame not to be able to boast to those gossipy women, the removal of the crow’s feet was genuine.
And fortunately, “Madam Primpernelle’s Beautifying Potions” at 275 Diagon Alley sold related products.
Lockhart had told Mrs.
Mason that the shop also had special potions for removing warts, pimples, blackheads, and birthmarks.
Furthermore, the Twilfitt and Tattings robe shop on the south side of Diagon Alley had some clothes tailored according to Muggle fashion shows, only the materials used were enchanted, allowing for on-the-spot alterations to some details.
After hearing all this, Mrs.
Mason had already decided to sweep through all the high-end shops in Diagon Alley.
Except for someone like Colin Creevey, whose family circumstances were difficult, the other Muggle parents all exchanged a bit more currency than necessary, wanting to bring back some specialties.
Cosmetics were particularly hot items.
Lockhart leaned against the Gringotts counter and, acting familiarly, started claiming credit to Snape: “You’ll see in a moment.
Those women will buy beauty products like crazy, and the middle-aged men will want to use Invigoration Draughts to regain their vigor…
You’ll earn some extra pocket money again.”
As the Potions Master at Hogwarts, Snape certainly sold his products to potion shops in his spare time.
Lockhart’s actions were also helping him make money.
“Don’t do too many unnecessary things, Professor Lockhart,” Snape said, his expression softening slightly.
“Our time is limited.”
Lockhart noted that he said “don’t do too many” rather than “don’t do,” and he had actually called him “Professor.”
“Of course,” Lockhart smiled.
“I suggest we split up first to buy wands and get robes fitted.
After that, we can all meet at Wiseacre’s Wizarding Equipment to get a magical trunk.
Finally, we’ll buy potion ingredients, robes, and textbooks.
Otherwise, it’ll be hard to carry everything.”
“Acceptable,” Snape said tersely.
Since trying wands and getting fitted for robes both took considerable time, Lockhart and Snape divided the group into two.
One group would go to Ollivander’s Wand Shop first, the other to Madam Malkin’s Robes for All Occasions.
They would then swap, finally regrouping at Wiseacre’s Wizarding Equipment.
“Everyone must have at least one precise wand, one decent set of robes, and one durable large trunk!” Lockhart announced loudly to the new students.
“Let Professor Snape take you to look at cauldrons and telescopes.
I’ll handle buying the trunks.
Consider them your enrollment gifts!”
“You’re quite generous,” Snape said with a cold sneer.
Lockhart just smiled, offering no explanation.
For things like this, which didn’t cost much but would last a long time, Lockhart was very willing to make the expenditure.
This way, in the future, whenever any of these wizards looked down at their trunk, they would remember it was a gift from Lockhart—extremely cost-effective.
Moreover, for items not on the Hogwarts school supply list, if Lockhart chose to buy in bulk, the unit price would be much cheaper than buying individually.
When buying potion ingredients, Snape did fulfill his duty as a professor.
He simply stood there, and the shop assistant immediately brought out all the best-quality ingredients, not daring to pass off inferior ones.
When weighing them, they were also extremely careful, fearing that if this Potions Master was dissatisfied, he might revoke their “preferred supplier” status.
Only after almost everything was purchased did they prepare to take the children to the final stop—Flourish and Blotts.
To accommodate students from poor families, Lockhart deliberately raised his voice a little: “If possible, I suggest everyone check out the second-hand bookshop first.
Many seniors leave their notes in old textbooks…
Children who are serious about advancing their studies might consider my suggestion.”
Hearing this, the parents of several students visibly sighed in relief, and Colin Creevey gave Lockhart a grateful look.
The school’s financial aid was only 50 Galleons.
A wand cost 10 Galleons, potion ingredients couldn’t be discounted, new robes weren’t cheap either.
They had to use second-hand items for other things, and Lockhart’s suggestion gave them an easy way out.
Even the wealthy children who had planned to buy new books began to hesitate—even in the Muggle world, the West had a tradition of buying used textbooks.
After all, their primary and secondary school textbooks hadn’t changed for decades.
“Alright, let’s go check out the second-hand bookshop first,” someone suggested, and it met with immediate agreement from the others.
Snape probably saw through Lockhart’s purpose, but it had nothing to do with him, and he couldn’t be bothered to say anything.
“I’ll wait outside,” he said to Lockhart.
“You take them in.”
Lockhart gladly obliged and led the young wizards towards the second-hand shop.
He pushed open the shop door.
Before he could even start speaking, he heard a whoosh of air as a cauldron came flying towards his head.
He barely had time to duck.
The cauldron grazed his scalp and crashed heavily into the wall beside the door with a loud bang.
An even louder noise quickly followed—this time, human voices.
“Hit him, Dad!”
Lockhart turned to look and saw it was two red-haired twin brothers making the noise.
They were gleefully circling two men tangled together, cheering one of them on.
A middle-aged woman was shouting, “Arthur, don’t!” but couldn’t directly intervene.
Of the two men fighting, one also had red hair.
The blond man being pinned against a bookshelf and beaten by the red-haired man wore luxurious black robes trimmed with gold.
But these robes were of no help in close-quarters combat.
His face was still getting pummeled.
Seeing this, how could Lockhart not realize what “plot” he had stumbled upon.
It’s finally begun, he thought.