Chapter 3: Diagon Alley Pt. 1
Author's Note: Well, here comes Chapter 3, this will be the first real time we get into the magical world.
As the motorcycle came to stop, John couldn't help but be amazed at the mystical machine. The bright red motorcycle was huge, big enough for Hagrid to ride in comfortably, yet it was faster than anything either Harry or John had ever seen in the muggle world.
"What is this place?" Harry asked, looking at the old, rundown pub they had parked outside, and on crooked wooden sign hanging over the door you could just barely make out in faded letters "The Leaky Cauldron"
"This 'ere's The Leaky Cauldron, " answered Hagrid "It's where they hide the entrance to Diagon Alley."
"They hide it here?" John asked skeptically, gesturing toward the tiny pub. "I wouldn't have noticed it if Harry hadn't said anything."
"Well, what were yeh expectin'?" Hagrid said, "They can't very well have a big ol' gate in the middle of London for all the muggles to see, could they?"
"I suppose not," Harry answered, "So how do we get to Diagon Alley from there?"
"There's a wall, in the back," Hagrid said, "I'll show the two of yeh when we get inside."
As they entered into The Leaky Cauldron, they saw the pub was just as grimy on the inside as it was on the outside. Dim lamps hung on the walls, barely illuminating the faces of those sitting around the table, of whom there were only about a dozen or so. There was a man wearing a purple turban sitting near the bar speaking to a pair of elderly woman dressed in bright orange robes, a man in a top hat speaking to the bald, toothless barkeeper, and an old woman sat in the corner, puffing on a small pipe.
"Hagrid, good to see you again." Said the bartender, an enthusiastic, toothless smile on his face. "You'll be wanting the usual, then?"
"Can't Tom, on official Hogwarts business." Hagrid said, "Got to take these two firs' years to get their supplies."
"Good Lord," said the bartender, peering over the counter at Harry, "Is that, could it be…?"
All the sound in the small, dirty pub ceased the moment that Tom said those words. All the chattering stopped, the man in the turban dropped his glass, and the woman with the pipe coughed on the smoke.
"Harry Potter?" Tom continued in a whisper, unaware of the sudden silence around him. "Welcome back Mr. Potter, welcome back."
Suddenly the man in the top hat came up to Harry and grabbed his hand, shaking it vigorously. "Harry Potter, my name is Dedalus Diggle, wonderful to see you."
"Uh, thanks." Said Harry,
"And who is this here?" Mr. Diggle asked, looking at John,
"I am John, John Preswick," He said, shaking his hand.
"We 'ave to take the two of 'em to get their supplies at the same time, didn't know that we were gonna have to take Harry here until yesterday." Hagrid said, taking Harry by the shoulder. "Anyways, we ought to get goin', these two need to get their supplies."
"Of course, of course," Mr. Diggle said. "don't let me hold you up."
As they exited The Leaky Cauldron and came into Diagon Alley, John asked Harry. "Why did all those people know you?"
"I don't know," Harry said as they passed by a man selling Chocolate Frogs on the street. "Do you know, Hagrid?"
"Well, Course I do, every wizard and witch knows who you are, Harry"
"Why then?" Harry said, trying not to stare at a shop they passed filled with owls and other animals.
"That's a bit of a long story, How about I tell the both of yeh tonight after we get yer stuff?" Hagrid said, a bit nervously.
"Alright then," John said, "You ok with that Harry?"
"Sure" Said Harry, as Hagrid led them down the street toward a giant marble building that towered over all the shops in the alley. Over the doors in gold lettering were these words.
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 return.
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.
"Welcome to Gringotts," Hagrid said as he opened the fifteen-foot doors into the marble tower. "Best bank in the wizarding world, only bank for that matter. We will pick up some money from yer vaults and something Dumbledore asked me to grab and then we'll go get yer stuff."
"I don't have a vault Hagrid." John said sheepishly, staring at all the goblins at their desks weighing their gold and looking over their transactions. There must have been at least a hundred goblins in the one hall alone.
"'Course yeh do, Hogwarts has got a vault special for muggle-borns like you." Hagrid said as he walked up to the goblin at the bank desk. "Hello there, we're here to pick up some gold from the Hogwarts and Potter vaults."
"Yes very well then-" the goblin stopped suddenly, looking down over the counter at Harry. "Potter, Harry Potter?"
"Y-yes" Harry stammered
"Countless others have tried to gain access to the Potter vault." The goblin said, pulling a small stone tablet out from within a drawer of his desk. "We will need you to verify that you are indeed the true heir to the Potter fortune. All you must do is place your hand on this tablet a channel your magic into it."
"Fortune?" Harry thought as he placed a hand on the stone, concentrating on sending magic into the tablet.
"That's is plenty young Mr. Potter," The goblin said as he took the tablet away. "And will the blonde one be taking from the Hogwarts vault?"
"Yeh, I also have a letter from Dumbledore about the You-Know-What in vault 713," Hagrid said with a nervous wink, handing the goblin a small piece of parchment signed .
"Very well, Griphook take these two children down to the Potter and Hogwarts vaults." The goblin said to a slightly smaller goblin nearby. " I will go to vault 713 and pick up your cargo with you Mr. Hagrid."
"Ok then, Harry, John, you follow that goblin over there and then you two go get yer supplies, I'll meet you in The Leaky Cauldron tonight at 7:00, till then have fun, maybe the two of yeh will meet some of your classmates.
"Ok," John said as he followed Griphook down the hallway. "See you then."
"Step right here," Griphook said, gesturing to a large mine cart that sat on rails leading into tunnels of Gringotts.
As the two of them entered the cart, Griphook flipped a lever along tracks and the cart sped along like a rollercoaster. Speeding upside-down, sideways and in spirals. After about five minutes they came to a sudden, gut wrenching, halt.
"Come on then," Griphook said, "I don't have all day."
"Uhn, coming!" John said, kecking from the ride.
"Our first stop will be at the Potter family vault." Griphook said already heading down the hallway to a large bronze colored door.
As he placed a minute key into the door's keyhole, the engravings on the door started turning. The door started opening, and when Harry and John looked inside, they could scarcely believe their eyes. Stacks upon stacks of gold, heaps of silver, and mounds of bronze, there were rows of bookshelves, suits of armor, and the walls were covered in painting of witches and wizards walking through each other's frames.
"How much should I take?" Harry asked Griphook, still slack-jawed from the sight of the fortune he now possessed.
"Fill this sack with the large gold coins." Griphook said, tossing him a medium sized cloth sack. "Come outside when you are ready."
"Did you know that you were rich?" John asked Harry as he was scooping the Galleons into the bag.
"Honestly, no." Harry said as he finished tying the strings on the bag. "I was told that my parents were drunks who died in a car crash."
"Well I think we can tell right now that that was a load of bull." Said John, exiting the vault and closing the door behind them.
"Yeah, I think so."
"Now on to the Hogwarts vault." Griphook said, hurrying down the short, narrow tunnel.
When he opened this one, all that it contained were piles of sacks, just like the one that Griphook had given Harry. Grabbing one, Griphook tossed it to John, saying. "Here is your allotted funds, now we shall leave for the main lobby."
Author's Note: There is chapter three for anyone interested. I was planning to have all of Diagon Alley in this chapter, but it ended up much longer than I anticipated. As such, chapter four will contain John's first meeting with Neville, Harry and John getting their wands, and learning about Voldemort and how Harry's parents died. As always any reviews are much appreciated. And any ideas or suggestions you have will be considered.
