EDITED - Added to end of Gringotts visit.

CHAPTER 23 - GRINGOTTS AND OLLIVANDERS

Snape led the way to the wall behind the Leaky Cauldron and tapped the bricks to reveal the entrance to Diagon Alley while watching the boys for their reactions. Neither boy so much as raised an eyebrow at the sight.

"We should start with that bank," Tommy commented, smirking when Harry pouted at the idea. "You can go to the other shops first if you want but you can't buy anything until you get your money, bro."

"Fine. We'll start at the stuffy old bank," Harry pouted.

Snape motioned towards the towering white marble building just a short way down the alley. "I doubt Gringotts is anything you expect."

Snape led the way to the bank. The boys took notice of the goblin in his scarlet and gold uniform standing before the towering burnished bronze doors, but it wasn't the gawking attention children gave them on their first trip to the Wizardry world. It was the attention a warrior paid to their surroundings, if there was any surprise in them they hid it well. They again took notice of the goblins flanking the silver doors at the end of the small entrance hall. Harry paused to read the inscription on these doors.

"Enter, stranger, but…"

"Just keep walking," Tommy said, giving him a slight push through the doors. Snape followed behind them.

Harry asked, "What's the rush?"

"Nothing, really. I didn't figure you needed to cast a spell on yourself," Tommy answered softly, almost too low for Snape to hear and definitely too low for anyone further could. "The doors are saturated in magicks but the spell requires you to read it to activate."

Snape raised an eyebrow at that. He'd never noticed any magic around the entrance. But he kept his silence on the matter and led the way to the counter. "Mr. Potter would like to access his trust vault."

"Does Mr. Potter have his key?" the goblin sneered.

Snape returned in kind. "No, Mr. Potter does not have his key because it has been kept in trust for him until his return to the Wizardry world. Surely you are not suggesting that Gringotts no longer has the key in their possession."

At this, the goblin quickly dropped the attitude and found the key, offering it to Harry who in turn looked at Tommy in confusion.

"The key reacts to your bloodline," Snape explained.

"Oh. Okay." Harry accepted the key. The goblin called out, "Griphook!"

Another goblin came over and said, "Follow me to your vault." He didn't wait to see if they would or not but walked off immediately.

"I'll wait for you here," Snape told the boys who nodded and followed the goblin.

After the wild cart ride down to the vault, Griphook took Harry's key and opened the vault for him, revealing stacks of gold, bronze and silver coins. Harry stared in awe, not quite able to convince himself that everything he saw could possibly be his.

"How much is here?" Tommy asked Griphook. "And what is the value of these coins?"

Griphook answered, "The gold coins are galleons, the silver sickle and bronze knut. There are twenty nine knuts to a sickle, seventeen sickles to a galleon. Your accents sound American?" When Tommy nodded, Griphook continued, "A galleon would be approximately ten US dollars and seven cents. Mr. Potter's trust vault is supplied with precisely 15,000 galleons a year. That would be …"

"A hundred fifty one thousand fifty dollars," Tommy stated in shock. "That'd be … that's over twelve thousand dollars a month! Can we convert some of it to dollars?"

"Easily," Griphook answered.

"Har." Tommy wrapped his arms around Harry's shoulders. "You're rich, little bro."

"We're rich," Harry corrected.

"We're rich," Tommy agreed. "You'll never have to worry about what I do for finances again. With this-"

"With this," Harry happily agreed, "none of ours will have to walk the streets again!"

Griphook decided this would be a good time to return to the cart. It was awhile before the two boys joined him again, and they had many questions which Griphook did his best to answer as they rode back.

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Snape stood as the two boys walked into the main room. "Are you ready?"

"Almost," Tommy answered for them.

Shortly afterwards, Griphook came over with a small box and two book bags. "Misters Oliver, here are your bottomless bags as requested." He handed them the bags - Tommy's green and Harry's white, of course, then sat the box on a table. "If you could each place a hand on the box." They did and Griphook tapped the box which glowed golden for a moment. "Done. You will now be able to immediately send and receive correspondence with Gringotts from anywhere in the world. No one else will be able to access your box unless you specifically allow. I will send you the paperwork we discussed as soon as it is ready."

"Thank you, Griphook," Tommy and Harry said as one while Tommy slipped the box into his bottomless bag.

Harry asked Snape, "Where would you suggest first?"

Snape looked like he really wanted to ask what that was about, he wasn't sure if he was more curious over that 'paperwork' or simply the friendly goblin.

"They're warriors, as are we," Tommy responded to the unasked question, thinking it should explain it all.

Griphook, who had moved away but was still within hearing, smirked at this response. It was the truth, just not the whole story. Gringotts itself had felt these boys enter, the great power radiating off them, the feeling of destiny surrounding them both. A child of prophesy was a rarity, that two should exist at the same time even more so. That they would stand together, see each other as family… They were a vessel of change. The Goblin Nation would always watch such Children of Prophesy. These two had already been through a great deal, their actions, their words to each other, the questions they asked all said that clearly. Yet their strongest reaction wasn't how this inheritance could save them but rather what it could do for their tribe, those under their protection. They truly walked the warrior's path. It was for that reason the Goblin Nation would stand with them, looking to the future, to the changes these two would bring.

Snape didn't find Tommy's answer enlightening. He would say many warriors, himself included, passed through these halls yet the goblins never reacted like this with anyone else. Ignoring the oddity for the moment, he answered Harry. "I would suggest finding your wand first. There are several wand suppliers however the best quality wands come from Ollivanders. I'll be at the apothecary if you need me." He pointed out both places before walking off.

The two boys headed to Ollivanders. The place looked empty but they felt a presence in the back and were therefore not surprised when the old man suddenly stepped out. The old man stared at them for a long moment before smiling. "Ah, Mr. Potter. I thought I'd be seeing you soon, Harry Potter. You look just like your father except for your eyes. You have your mother's eyes. It seems only yesterday she was in here herself, buying her first wand. Ten and a quarter inches, willow, swishy. Nice for charm work." As he spoke he began going through stacks of boxes. "Your father though favored a mahogany wand. Pliable. A bit more powerful, excellent for transfiguration. I say he favored the wand, in truth it's the wand that favors the wizard."

Tommy and Harry shared a look but said nothing. Ollivander continued, "I had thought you had a scar on your forehead from his attack. I'm sorry to say I sold that wand. Thirteen and a half inches. Yew. Powerful wand, very powerful. Now Mr. Potter, which is your wand arm?"

"I'm ambidextrous," Harry answered. "And It's Harry Oliver."

"My apologies, Mr. Oliver. And you, sir?"

"Tommy Oliver, and the same."

"Ah. Your family adopted young Harry?"

"Yes."

He asked nothing else. He began handing them wands, several dozen failed, some rather spectacularly before one finally worked.

"Curious, very curious," Mr. Ollivander said when Harry found his wand. A holly and phoenix feather wand, eleven inches. He went on at length, telling how the only brother wand of Harry's had been Voldemort's. He ended with, "I expect you will do great things, Mr. P- Mr. Oliver. After all, You-Know-Who did great things. Terrible but great."

"As interesting as that is," Harry drawled. "Think you might try to focus on my brother's wand now instead?"

The search continued. When Tommy did find a wand that matched him, Ollivander seemed even more shocked than he had over Harry's wand. "Hazel and oak weave with dragon heartstring and basilisk venom. It is most powerful, linked to earth, air, fire, water and spirit. I had not thought to find a match for it as there has not been a true elemental in centuries. This one … This is the wand of a true and wise leader, a brave protector yet wrathful destroyer of his enemies. It will be most interesting to see what you boys accomplish."

They paid for the wands, Ollivander threw in wand holsters for free, then they headed to the apothecary to meet Snape.

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