Chapter 7: Diagon Alley and the Goblins


Finally the day arrived for Harry and Dudley to go to Diagon Alley. Dudley woke Harry up at five that morning thumping down the stairs, still not fully awake.

"Dud, what are you doing up? It's five in the morning?" Harry whispered at him, careful not to wake the whole family.

"I couldn't get back to sleep; I'm too excited. I came down here to watch telly," Dudley admitted, also whispering.

"Well I'm going back to sleep because it's only five in the morning. We aren't leaving until ten," Harry hissed going back to his room, shutting the door. He heard the static sound of a television turning on and the synchronous audience laughter of a talk show before rolling over in bed and going back to sleep.


"Harry wake up, it's half past eight," he heard Aunt Petunia say as she was shaking him awake.

"Mmpf," he groaned rolling over.

"You have to get up now Harry, we are leaving in an hour and a half," Aunt Petunia said loudly in his ear.

"I'm up," Harry groaned, sitting up.

They all got ready and soon it was time for them to leave.


"So you do know where it is?" Uncle Vernon checked, for the third time. Last year they had been unable to take him as he was on camp when his letter came and, Dumbledore being himself, assumed that they were withholding his letters and sent Hagrid to go pick him up from the camp. Snape thought that Dumbledore did this to make Harry grateful to Hagrid for "rescuing him" but it really just annoyed him as Harry was having a great time at camp. Snape supported this by telling the Dursley's that at the before the start of the school year that the headmaster had told the staff that Harry was a lonely, cautious boy who would likely need all the support the teachers could give him, although the old man went on to say that they couldn't give him too much support as he needed to learn and grow.

"Yes Uncle Vernon, I do know how to get there. I wrote to Seamus to get directions." Needless to say they found their way to the outside of the pub with virtually no mistakes.

"So where is it Harry?" Aunt Petunia asked, having never gone with Lily when they were children.

"Just follow me, it'll draw attention if I point it out," he replied beginning to walk towards the Leaky Cauldron.

"Is that it?" asked Dudley, incredulous.

"Yea, it's pretty grungy. Don't expect much, we are walking straight through into the alley. I don't really like Tom the barman. He announced me to the entire bar when I first went. That made it really awkward for me and made me very uncomfortable. Everyone wanted to shake my hand and thank me for saving them. If they were that thankful, they could have sent tokens of their appreciation, not wait until eleven years had passed," he scoffed, leading them into the pub. They kept their heads down and followed Harry through and out the back to the gateway of Diagon Alley. Harry tapped the bricks in the sequence Hagrid did last year, thanking his memory for remembering it and wondered why they needed such tight security if no non-magical people could access the pub. The bricks started moving aside, forming an archway. Harry stepped aside and said, "Welcome to Diagon Alley."

The Dursleys looked at it, first with wonder then Petunia asked, "Why is it so old fashioned? It looks like something from the 1800s or something. The magic is amazing but the Alley is not."

"I was amazed because of the magic, I know you told me about magic before I got my letter but seeing it is something else entirely, I don't like how backwards they are."

"It's a little dirty," Uncle Vernon commented.

"Yea, well we need to go to Gringotts because I need money. I've heard the goblins charge 20% on exchanges of money so we'll find out the normal rate and I'll give you the wizarding money you need from my vault and you give me the equivalence in normal money," suggested Harry.

"We really shouldn't-" Petunia started.

"No Aunt 'Tunia, it's cheaper for you guys and I get some money to buy good, normal, useful things," Harry insisted.

"If that's alright with you Harry," she replied cautiously. They began their walk down the Alley to Gringotts, stopping occasionally so they could look in shop windows.

"Everything is so, so…" Dudley searched for the right word.

"Old and grungy? I know that's what I thought. But Hagrid kept saying 'innit wonderful Harry?' and things like that so I didn't say anything," Harry said as they made their way up the white marble steps of the goblin-run bank.

"Woah, this is different than the rest of the Alley," Dudley said in awe looking up and around trying to see all of the building.

"That's because the goblins believe in workmanship, well according to Hermione anyway," Harry replied as they were going to the counter to be served by a goblin.

"Well it's certainly reflected in their building," Petunia commented, which drew a stare from the goblin who was about to serve them, having heard the majority of the conversation,

"You think our building is… nice?" the goblin, whose nameplate read Nagnok sneered.

"Yes, it's beautiful," Aunt Petunia said, not realising that the goblins don't usually hear compliments about anything they do from anyone.

"Well," the goblin started put-off because of the compliment, "What is it you'd like to do today?" he asked politely, which was unusual of goblins to say the least,

"I would like to make a withdrawal," Harry said.

"And what family name would that be for," Nagnok asked, not recognising Harry.

"Potter," Harry answered.

"Oh Mr Potter, you have to see your accounts manager, we haven't been able to get a hold of you via mail and last year you were with someone else. Is this your family? They can come through with you if you have no objections," the goblin banker said hurriedly, beckoning them to follow him behind the desks into the offices. The other goblins were looking slightly envious of Nagnok for managing to get the last Potter into the bank and have the meeting.

"Why do I have to meet an accounts manager? I only have one account?" Harry asked, looking flustered. The Dursleys nodded in agreement.

"You're the head of the Potter family now, since the will was sealed, that gives you control over all Potter assets. In the wizarding world you can become the head of your family at 11 as this is when the child goes to formal schooling and it is believed that they can take over their family," explained a new voice. "I'm Ragnok, a senior accounts manager here at Gringotts and the Potter manager," the goblin introduced himself, waving Nagnok off, who bowed and went back to the counters.

"Come into my office," the manager invited, ushering the Dursleys into the office.

"So Mr Potter it is a pleasure to finally meet you, I have been trying to organise a meeting for almost a year now," Ragnok said motioning for the family to sit.

"Er thank you sir, I'm sorry but what do you mean by head of my family?" Harry asked uncertainly.

"As I said, you are Head of the Potter Family. That means you handle any sub-branches, control the Potter wealth, properties, and investments, and can take control of the Potter votes in the Wizengamot," he explained.

"Wait, Harry's only eleven, he's still got to go to school," Vernon said outraged.

"He could elect a regent, that is a viable alternative," the senior goblin suggested.

"Can we do that?" Harry asked softly, "It would be eaiser on me and I don't even know what the Wizgemet is."

"The Wizengamot is similar to the muggle parliament however they are a jury on trials as well as making all the wizarding laws. There are no elected seats; they are all inherited," explained Ragnok.

"Well I definitely shouldn't take a seat on that; I don't know enough about wizarding politics to make any decisions, do you know anyone who could do it?"

"You don't have to take up your seat yet, you can wait awhile and decided on what House Potter's values, beliefs and stands are now, for example if you agree with the current ones or if you'd like to change any."

"Aunt 'Tunia, would you help me with managing my money? I don't know how to do that. You said that I'd have to do things like that, right Ragnok?" Harry asked.

'Yes I did Mr Potter," the older goblin smiled.

"I would be ok with that Harry, I don't have a job and this will give me something to do with both of you at boarding school now," Petunia agreed.

"Of course, as a Potter manager you would be paid, this is a job in other families," Ragnok interjected.

"I couldn't possibly take money from my nephew, that would be horribly uncouth," Aunt Petunia was scandalised at the notion.

"Aunt 'Tunia if that's the way it's supposed to happen I'll pay you, we can go on a holiday with Aunt Marge at Christmas this year with Uncle Vernon's promotion and this job," Harry encouraged.

"But its, I couldn't. Fine," she finally agreed.

"Then it's settled, I'll take you down to get your withdrawal and I will owl you with some of the accounts for you to check over Mrs Dursley," Ragnok said, leading them to the carts awaiting down the hall to take them to the vaults below the bank.


A/N: Ok so that's it for this chapter. It actually ended a lot different than my plan but I do like it much better. I actually think this is my longest chapter yet so yay for me. I know I said that this is the last chapter before Hogwarts but I still have to write the rest of Diagon Alley (and maybe Harry's birthday, I am undecided on that). Let me know how you liked this chapter and check out my one-shot about Snape supervising the owls (titled "Supervising the Owls" or its on my profile) it ties in a bit with this story.

Go to my profile and vote on what Dudley's wand should be.

Sakura Lisel:

About the owls: the way I was writing is that Harry would get in trouble for ruining Petunia's dessert and the dinner because Dobby is a blatantly magical creature and Harry is the only wizard in the house. Therefore no owls. Dobby is under the same impression as Ron and Hermione: that Harry is abused (which is untrue). Sorry it took me so long to reply to your review.