Arthur Weasley led them through the back door of the pub
into the alley. He pulled out his wand and reached to tap a brick above
the trash bin. "Third brick from the left..." he mumbled.
An archway formed, allowing them access to Diagon Alley. As they started
down the cobblestone streets, Liz and Kyle twisted and craned their necks to
gawk at the various stores and signs along the way.
Ahead of them was a large white building with columns. Across the top a
large round sign that looked like an official seal read, Gringott's.
Arthur walked up the steps followed by Kyle and Liz. They were no more than two
steps from the top when Liz noticed Kyle's back stiffen. Then, as he
began to relax, she heard him mutter, "Well, at least they aren't glowing
green with big black eyes."
Curious, she moved to look around him and saw the oddest thing. Holding
the door was a short, pointy-eared, bearded, semi-grotesque man wearing a red
and gold uniform. After she closed her mouth she followed the two men
through the large bronze door that the creature held open. Once inside,
she saw there were hundreds more of the same little men behind the teller
windows.
Arthur was lecturing about the bank. "Gringott's is the safest bank in the
world. No one would think of trying to break into the vaults here.
They are more secure than your American Fort Knox is reported to be. Now if you wish to open an account here, the
money or valuables are kept in vaults under London. There are hundreds of
miles of tunnels down there. Also, if you do open an account, it might be
wise to skip whichever meal you would have eaten beforehand. The carts
that carry you to the vaults have but one speed, extremely fast. Today,
as you are only exchanging currency, you'll just stay in here."
After he finished speaking he led the way to the American currency exchange
counter.
"What are they?" Kyle whispered to Liz.
"I have no idea. Ask Mr. Weasley," she replied.
Arthur overhears this and volunteers, "They are goblins. They own
and run Gringott's. My oldest son works for them in Egypt," he
answered with a bit of fatherly pride.
Uncertain of the costs of books and supplies in the wizarding world, Liz handed
the teller $1750.00 to exchange. She kept $250.00 of the money she'd
withdrawn from her educational savings account. She received 363
galleons, 14 sickles and 19 knuts according to the receipt.
Kyle only exchanged $1200.00 of his $1500.00 that he'd brought. He
decided to save the rest for souvenirs or necessities. He received 249
galleons, 8 sickles and 18 knuts.
They had almost left Gringott's when Kyle reached into the leather pouch
and pulled out 3 coins. "Excuse me Mr. Weasley, but could you
explain this money to me?" He looked a bit confused.
"Certainly. Let's stop over here at this bench
and I'll explain it." He pointed to a bench that was just inside to
the right of the large doors that exited the bank.
Once they sat down Kyle held out his hand offering the 3 coins for the
explanation. He rolled his eyes as he watched Liz pull a small
scratch pad and a pen from her purse to take notes.
Arthur took the coins and shuffled them a bit in his hand. He held up a
small bronze coin. "This is a knut. It is the smallest amount
of money in the wizarding world."
He shuffled the coins again and held up a silver coin. "This is a
sickle. Twenty-nine knuts equal one sickle."
He picked up the last of the coins, a larger golden one. "This is a
galleon. It is equal to seventeen sickles. That's it... you now know
all the money in the wizarding world."
Kyle's eyes were once again big but this time with confusion.
Liz finished writing everything out on the scratch pad. She checked her
exchange receipt then nodded in understanding. She looked up at Kyle with
a smile. She pointed to the knut and said, "About a penny." She
pointed to the sickle, "A little more than a quarter and the gold one is
almost five bucks."
She tried not to laugh at the look of understanding and relief that dominated
Kyle's face at her explanation.
Arthur stood up and handed the coins back to Kyle. He straightened his clothing then said, "Well we have one
more stop before you can rest. So we'd better get going."
They followed him down the street to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. Once they were fitted and assured that the
robes would be ready the next morning, they returned to the Leaky Cauldron.
"Eat some supper and rest up," Arthur advised. "I don't
recommend venturing into Muggle London on your own, so stay in the pub for
tonight. Ask Tom if you need anything, he'll take care of it. You
have a lot of shopping to do tomorrow. My wife will be here about 9 in
the morning to help you with that. Some of my children will probably be
with her too. I'll be back in the evening and would be pleased if you'll
join us for supper here tomorrow night."
Their burst of energy from lunch was almost gone. All they could manage was a
weak smile and a nod in answer to his question.
"Good. Things are going to be very busy the next couple of
days. So sleep well." He stepped back and suddenly
disappeared.
Author's note: I used the Prices listed on the back of Quidditch Through the Ages to figure out the exchange rate. Sorry this part is short.