I don't know how long it's been since I updated, but oh well. I noticed, reading over the last chapter, that I forgot to thank everyone who corrected my McGonagall mistake - thanks! And thanks for reading this!

Well, the genius is all J.K. Rowling's, I'm just messing with it the same way the wind messes with a haircut. Enjoy!

-The Author


"Here's the famous place," said Mrs. Sedgwick.

Hermione stared. At long last, this really felt Magical. A cauldron shop – of course, witches had to get their cauldrons from somewhere. The sun shone brightly, and Hermione winced at the shininess of the cauldrons, but still she stared, imagining when she could have a cauldron of her very own. Eye of newt and speckled toad…She wanted a self-stirring one. How useful would that be!

An apothecary – so witches didn't need to go hunting for their newt eyes! Hermione was learning already. She nearly skipped with glee. There was an owl shop – owls? – and a broomstick shop – when she was in fourth grade, she had played a witch in a school play (and did a very good job at it, too, she thought, maybe that was prophetic), and she'd got to fly a bit on a broomstick, in front of a big light made to look like the moon. She wanted so bad to fly a real broomstick. There were telescopes and more apothecaries, groceries and bat stores, a bookstore-

"Mrs. Sedgwick!" she cried. "Let's start there!"

Oh, how fascinating it would be to read books by witches! About witch hunts and stories about magical creatures that might even be real, who knew? Maybe there were some authors she had heard of in there! What a strange thought! What did they think about Muggles? And most importantly, what did they think of themselves? Her fingers nearly ached with longing to wrap themselves around a history book.

"We'll start at Gringotts," said Mrs. Sedgwick.

"Gringotts?" Hermione asked.

"There," she pointed a dry white hand.

It was bright white and taller than all the other buildings. The thick, heavy bronze doors showed clearly that it was a bank.

"That makes sense," said Hermione. She hadn't realized witches needed different money than Muggles. As they approached the bank, she realized there was a creature not quite human at the door. It was as small as she, a little smaller, even, and was dark and goateed, and a long, mischievous smile. She noticed as the creature held open the door that it had exceedingly long fingers, with four long knuckles. She tried not to stare, but as the creature bowed, it said, "I'm a Goblin, little girl."

"Oh," said Hermione. "I'm sorry. I'm a witch. Hermione Granger."

The Goblin merely smiled as he closed the door.

"Mrs. Sedgwick!" Hermione cried. "That's a Goblin!" And there were two more in front of them, at either side of the silver doors.

"I know!" said Mrs. Sedgwick. "I've never seen one before, either!"

Hermione turned to look at the silver doors before them now. She read the poem aloud: "'Enter, stranger, but take heed, of what awaits the sin of greed. For those who take, but do not earn, must pay most dearly in their turn. So if you seek beneath our floors a treasure that was never yours, thief, you have been warned, beware, of finding more than treasure there.' Neat!"

Two more Goblins let them in with a bow, and Hermione stared at the room. It was something like the bank in Mary Poppins but friendlier, somehow. All was made of marble and lit by fire. She skipped among the darkened spots of the stone and recited to Mrs. Sedgwick the process of creating marble. Here was something the magicians had never tried to figure out, she was sure.

There were many more Goblins – hundreds! – all busy with customers and counting, with brass scales and small eyeglasses. Mrs. Sedgwick led the way to a free Goblin.

"We'd like to make an exchange," she said. Hermione stood very calm and still beside her. She knew, from trips to the bank with her parents, that a child's duty was to remain very calm and quiet and not to fidget or play with anything or they could get thrown out. Mrs. Sedgwick took her wallet out from her purse and handed over the money her parents had given them, and, to Hermione's surprise, something a little bit extra. "Just in case," Mrs. Sedgwick whispered with a wink.

The Goblin smiled down at Hermione and said, "Well, you look like you're about to go to Hogwarts."

It took only a second for Hermione to remember that was the name of the Magic School. "Yes, sir," she said.

"Are you excited?"

"Yes, sir!"

"She's a polite girl," said the Goblin, rummaging around in his drawers.

"The very best," said Mrs. Sedgwick, looking at Hermione. Hermione beamed.

The Goblin removed a long piece of paper from his desk drawer and looked through it. He hummed a moment as he took out another long piece of paper and a quill and an ink jar, and began scratching some figures. Hermione looked, but couldn't understand any of it. "I'm calculating the exchange rate so I know how much money you'll get," he explained.

Of course. Hermione felt silly for not guessing that before.

The Goblin did a final check of his figures, and then opened yet another drawer, and began putting coins in a pouch. Hermione gaped at the sight. Gold and silver and little bronze ones.

She would have gold!

The pouch was placed in Mrs. Sedgwick's bag. They thanked the Goblin, who said, "I would wish you good luck, but you're such a smart girl that you don't need it. So I say, goodbye." Thinking this was an odd farewell, Hermione simply said, "Thank you. Goodbye!" and was glad when they were ushered back outside.

"Now," said Hermione, "The bookstore!"