It was 11:00am on July 31st. Harry was pacing in the living room back and forth in the living room. He had woken up early and had been unable to settle down. Harry checked his pocket for the third time, no change, the money was still there. Today was the day he would first experience the Magical world, but today was also his birthday. Vernon and Petunia had given him 20 pounds to buy whatever he wished for school.

Harry had spent more money than that before, but it was always for something specific. New school clothes, new shoes, or new sheets for his bed. He had never been given 20 pounds to spend on whatever he wanted, and that was posing a challenge for him. He kept trying to think what he could spend it on, and kept coming up with nothing. He couldn't categorize, since he didn't know what was available to buy. But he also didn't want to go shopping without a plan, because then he'd buy something and likely a short while later realize he had spent the money too soon. It was very troubling.

The door shook with three heavy knocks. Petunias let out a small squeak of annoyance, "What do they think a doorbell is for." Harry arrived in the hallway just in time to see Petunia open the door. A giant of a man filled the doorway.

"Hello." The man said, "I'm Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts. I'm here to escort Mr. Potter in the purchase of his school supplies." Petunia took a step to the side, revealing Harry to Hagrid. "Ahh, Harry I presume." I grin split the man's face, "You're a sight for sore eyes. You've really grown up since I last saw you." He sniffled slightly, "You've still got your mother's eyes."

Petunia saw Harry mouth slightly ajar and responded to Hagrid, allowing Harry some time to collect himself. "Thank you for coming Hagrid. We really would have had quite a hard time of it getting him all set up for school, we really appreciate it. Harry should be all ready to go he hasn't stood still all morning."

Harry unstuck his mouth, "Uhh, yes. I've got everything." He patted his pocket with the 20 pound note one more time and his other pocket which had the list of supplies he needed. He walked to the door, "Do you know when we will be back?" he asked Hagrid.

"Sometime after dinner I expect. There's much to do." To Petunia he continued, "I'll make sure he gets both lunch and dinner."

Harry exited the house waved goodbye to Petunia, and began following Hagrid down the street. "So Hagrid, how do we get to Diagon Alley?"

"Oh, we're just going to use muggle transport." The word muggle set off a series of questions by Harry. Harry was curious about the magical world, but what was a muggle? Why was there a special word for a non-magical human? Hagrid set about answering all of Harry's questions one by one, filling Harry in on the Wizarding world. It was during one such answer that they arrived at the Tube station.

"Just a moment Harry, I've got them in here somewhere." Hagrid dug around in his coat, his sudden stop caused quite a few muttered curses from the flow of pedestrians heading into the station. Harry stepped a little closer to avoid getting jostled. "Ah here it is." Hagrid pulled out two beaten tickets. "Here is yours. Now to answer your question most…" he looked around carefully suddenly seeming to become aware of the people around him and how they might react to the word wizard, "most from our world don't care one way or the other. But I believe Minerva filled you in on the war?" At Harry's nod, Hagrid continued. "That war was fought because some of our lot thought we shouldn't have anything to do with muggles at all. They believed that being a pureblood meant you were somehow higher than others."

Hagrid continued his explanation all the way into London, quietly filling in the gaps Minerva had left in Harry's understanding. Harry was silently taking it all in, until Hagrid mentioned he-who-must-not-be-named. "Hagrid who is he-who-must-not-be-named? He was the one who killed my parents wasn't he?"

Hagrid looked at Harry, measuring. "We didn't say his name for 10 years because the name was cursed. It brought his attention, his minions, and unless you were powerful enough, death." Harry looked apologetic, as Hagrid continued. "His name is Voldemort. Don't make me say it again! He may be long gone, but it is not a habit I wish to be in, just in case you never know what minion of his might."

"But why would vol-" he cut off at the sharp look from Hagrid, he started over. "Buy why would he-who-must-not-be-named commit all those atrocities. What does it really gain him?"

"Fear Harry, it gained him fear. His power was great, but greater still was the fear it inspired. He was willing to do the terrible things he threatened people with."

"So, in essence he was a bully?" Harry's opinion of Voldemort was dropping rapidly. At first he had thought perhaps Voldemort has an ideal that just went wrong somewhere along the line. But this just seemed stupid. What would he have gained if he had succeeded? It seemed his only real goal was to have the freedom to hurt whomever he could whenever he pleased.

Hagrid nodded as the trained slowed, "You could think of it that way Harry. This is our stop."

Harry and Hagrid got off the train quietly, ignoring the incessant repeating of 'Mind the Gap' issued by a voice over a speaker. Their silence was maintained for another two minutes as Harry mulled over how many ways Voldemort had gone wrong. Eventually, he came up with another question. "Hagrid, why wasn't he stopped sooner? It seems that with all the powers you describe, he still shouldn't have been a match for the nation as a whole."

"No one wanted to take responsibility for having failed to stop the first atrocities he committed, and then after that there weren't enough people you could trust. It was chaos. No trust meant each family and each person was on their own to take him on." Hagrid put a little extra emphasis on the word him to denote Voldemort.

Harry thought on this, it sounded familiar. "What was the word," he thought "distribution, dispersal, diffusion that was it diffusion." Aloud to Hagrid he spoke, "I read about that somewhere, diffusion of responsibility I think it was called. But isn't there any sort of government? The government should have done something."

Hagrid had stopped, "Aye, there is a Ministry of Magic. Too many members of the Ministry were on his side in the beginning they stalled any action they could take long enough that in the end, it didn't matter. Anyway, here we are. The Leaky Cauldron, one of the best pubs in London, and also entrance to Diagon Alley." Hagrid opened the door for Harry and motioned him inside.

Harry entered the dimly lit pub. It was a small pub. It couldn't have sat more than two dozen people at one time. The bartender looked over at Harry and saw Hagrid step through the door. Many of the people sitting in the pub seemed to know Hagrid and they waved asking him how he was doing. The barkeep spoke over them, "The usual Hagrid?"

"Can't, sorry Tom. I'm on official Hogwarts business today."

Tom squinted at Harry, and his face flickered with a dawning comprehension. "Is this, can this be-? Harry Potter?"

Harry blinked rapidly, "How did you figure that out?"

Hagrid rolled his eyes, "Only because I told him I was bringing you two nights back." A gaggle of people had started to form around Harry, asking to shake his hand. "I suppose you let it slip to your guests that I'd be coming today?"

"No no, of course not," Tom said as he came out from behind the bar. "But now that he is here. Welcome back Harry Potter, the Boy-who-lived. We are expecting great things from you my boy." He took Harry's hand, shaking it vigorously, "Great things."

"Thank you," Harry managed tactfully, he shot Hagrid a look.

"All right all of you, leave the boy be." Hagrid shooed them away and they returned to their seats, all speaking amiably. Harry noticed a man sitting in a corner that had not come over to shake his hand. The man's head was wrapped in cloth, almost like he had sustained a head injury that hadn't fully healed. As the man looked at Harry, a strange ache came from his scar. "Alright Harry, let's go." Hagrid dragged Harry out the back into a little walled courtyard.

"Hagrid, do you know who that man that had his head wrapped by the corner?" It spooked Harry that his scar had hurt, that had never happened before even when he was sick with the chicken pox. None of the spots had appeared anywhere near his scar.

"Ah, so you noticed Professor Quirrell. Odd bloke, he's going to be your defense against the dark arts teacher this year. He took some time off to get practical experience and ever since he hasn't been the same, don't judge him to hard when you finally get into his class. The world of Magic can have dangers even those who have studied are unprepared for." Harry nodded, "Now, let me count, up … and over…, and there." He said, tapping a brick three times.

The wall started moving, bricks flowing to the side creating a large archway that Hagrid had no trouble getting through. Then Harry noticed the noise. From through the arch he could hear hawkers selling their wares. Porcelain enchanted tea sets, specialty ice-cream in every flavor imaginable. A news stand piled high with papers that oddly seemed to waiver a bit more than wind should make it. Suitcases were on display, piled next to one window. Displaying some leather bags carefully arrayed.

"Welcome to Diagon Alley. No finer shops in all of Magical Britain" Hagrid said proudly. "First things first, we have to stop off at the Gringotts Wizarding Bank and pick up some of your money."

Harry was speechless. He let Hagrid pull him through the crowd as he tried to take in everything; magical cauldrons that could stir themselves, clothes that would protect you from fire, broomsticks for what Harry could only assume was flying, and so much more. When Harry was pulled to a stop in front of Gringotts he looked at Hagrid, "There's so much."

Hagrid grinned, "This is Gringotts, run by goblins." Harry looked over at the bank. There was a large inscription on the wall warning off thieves. He had heard about the goblins from McGonagal. They had been one of the races subjugated by Voldemort for not human. They had shown some backbone however and fought. Sadly they weren't strong enough win and in the end they had suffered for it.

Harry started climbing the stairs. Hagrid caught up in two quick steps and together they opened the large bronze doors, and then another set of silver doors, and walked into Gringotts.

Harry had stepped into a large hall. It took him a moment to feel the scale, it seemed unusually large perhaps a hundred meters long and twenty across. It didn't seem as if it should fit in the building. A tall ceiling let light drift in through small gaps in the ceiling, casting light on two rows of counters extending down the room creating a walkway. Behind the counters sat around a hundred goblins working on something or another. Some were peering closely at jewels, while others carefully counted out coins and stamped the values onto paper.

A goblin hurried over to Harry and Hagrid, he was perhaps a head shorter than Harry. "Good morning sirs. My name is Griphook, what can I do for you today?"

"Harry Potter," Hagrid motioned to Harry, "Is here to pick up some money out of his family vault. I also have a letter from Dumbledore concerning vault seven hundred and thirteen." Hagrid reached into his pockets, and after a bit of fishing around that made Griphook turn up his nose in disgust, Hagrid handed over a letter.

Griphook gingerly took the letter and read it, "Very well, we will take care of the request momentarily." He gave the letter to a clerk then asked, "Harry Potter, would you come with me?"

Harry somewhat unsure, "Umm, yes sir."

"You may stay," he said to Hagrid whose eyebrows crumpled in concern. "This concerns only the house of Potter."

"If I may ask, where are we going?" Harry didn't want to leave Hagrid behind. He had come to rely on Hagrid to help support him in the confusion.

"Mr. Potter, it will be explained momentarily, we will just go into this room over here where privacy is assured."

A minute later, Harry was seated in a high backed chair across a table from another Goblin, Fingold. Griphook had left saying Harry was in capable hands. Harry sat silently, waiting for Fingold to speak. Fingold pulled out some paper. "No not paper. Is it parchment?" Harry thought.

"Mr. Potter," Fingold started, "we've wanted to talk to you for many years. We are required to have you here to read you your parents will and testament. I'm sorry for your loss at hands of he-who-must-not-be-named."

Harry nodded, "Thank you, I'm sorry for yours as well."

Fingold gave him a very peculiar look. "Thank you Mr. Potter. Now as I was saying, we wish to read your parents will and testament to you, it is rather simple." She paused for a moment before reading, "We James and Lily Potter do name our heir as Harry James Potter and afford him all the rights to the estate of Potter so long as he does live."

"That seems pretty straightforward, why couldn't Hagrid hear that?"

Fingold considered the question for a moment, "Mr. Potter, it would not do for a person to hear the contents of a will unless they were directly related to the will. It is for you to decide who should hear it. Understand though, that the Potters estate is not limited to the money in your vault though the vault is not nearly small. The Potter family maintains a 15% ownership over the Chuddley Cannons Quidditch team which grants lifetime box seats to their games and certain other privileges. The Ministry of Magic pays the Potter household a small fee every year for the use of their land as a national monument. Several of the Potters magical artifacts are on loan and are providing a source of income." She looked up from her papers, "Mr. Potter, the past years have seen a marked growth in our economy, and we have not been sat idly by, your estate has been well cared for."

"Thank you for your care. I expect you will continue your work, and handling the appropriate payments?" Harry questioned. He had no idea what Quidditch was, and besides he wasn't going to use all the money so may as well see if they could invest it for him.

"Yes, as we have your permission to continue we will thank you Mr. Potter. Now, as for your vault, we have one set aside for your family for spending money I believe you will find it quite adequate." She reached into her desk, and pulled out a long key, "This is your key, do not be too worried about losing it. The key is more a formality than anything. It is enchanted to verify the user is indeed the owner of the vault being opened."

Fingold got up and opened the door, "Griphook will see you to your vault."

"Thank you Mrs. Fingold, it was a pleasure."

"The pleasure was mine, Mr. Potter. It is always a pleasure working with the Potters."

Harry walked over to Hagrid who was animatedly telling Griphook that he had had better get Harry Potter back immediately or Dumbledore would have words. Harry spoke up as soon as he would be heard, "Hagrid, it's all right." and then to Griphook, "Griphook, I apologize for taking so long. It was not quite what I expected."

"No matter Mr. Potter, are you both all set to go to your vaults?"

Harry nodded, "Just the vault of spending money please Griphook, I just need funds for school for now."

With that Harry and Hagrid set off. Griphook lead them through a door and into a small room with what looked to be a mine cart. "Please keep your hands and feet within the cart at all times. We cannot be responsible for damages resulting from improper use of Gringotts transportation." And with that, the cart jolted into motion.

Harry cried out in exhilaration, this was as much fun as a rollercoaster. Sudden turns, drops, a waterfall, a light that looked like fire off in the distance. "Hagrid, this is awesome!"

Hagrid was clutching his seat, looking a little green, "Don't talk to me Harry, I think I'm going to be sick."

Griphook laughed in the back, "Very few enjoy this Mr. Potter, it's a wonder that you would."

"What are you talking about? Muggles pay 50quid to go on a ride like this. It's a wonder you don't charge to go to your vaults."

"We don't deal with muggle money much, we prefer goblin forged coins."

"Wait," Harry said, "You don't use muggle currency? What do you use?"

"Correct we do not use Muggle money. We use Goblin forged coin, the Galleon, Sickle and Knut. There are 17 Sickles in a Galleon, 29 Knuts in a Sickle." At Harry's confused face, he continued, "A Galleon is worth about 5 British Pounds. But unlike your muggle currency, it is very difficult to fake. Only a fool would trust any but goblin coin."

Harry patted his pocket with the 20 pounds Vernon and Petunia had given him, "Is there a way I can convert from Pounds to Galleons?"

The cart suddenly squeaked to a stop, Griphook locking the breaks in place. "We can take care of that after we are back up in the main hall. It won't be a problem. Here we are the Potter family vault."

Harry walked up to the door, mesmerized. It was moving, slowly changing color in a weird hypnotic way. "That's amazing, how did you do that."

Griphook was pleased, "That's a nice little piece of work added to your account for extra security, it protects against multiple types of enchantments that might force someone to try to break in to the vault."

Harry took out his key, "It looks beautiful, my compliments to whomever made it." He placed his key into the only available hole, and after the key stopped moving forward, twisted it clockwise. His arm suddenly burned pleasantly with heat and the door simply dissolved. In front of him lay mounds of coins stacked to the ceiling, stacks of gold and silver lay in small heaps, and there was one giant one of copper. "Whoa." In a quick estimation which didn't take much effort, this was more money than he had ever seen in his life. But it had to be heavy why would you even bother with Knuts, it was like having a room full of pennies. "Griphook, would it be possible for me to have Gringotts exchange the Knuts for equal parts Sickle and Galleon?"

"Of course Mr. Potter, I will see it done."

Hagrid held out a bag, "Here you go Harry, this is for your money." Harry took it, and unceremoniously started shoving a stack of Galleons into the bag after a moment he threw in a couple handfuls of sickles as well. "Harry, don't take too much now, you know you'll need to spread this over all seven years at Hogwarts."

"It's ok Hagrid. Griphook, if I get to a point that is 1/100th of the amount in this vault, would you stop me?" Griphook nodded, "There, see. I'm just adding a little extra in case anything comes up during our shopping. I'm sure any I have leftover can be returned to the vault later." Hagrid considered that it made sense and so Harry continued and a little while later handed him a second bag, this one slightly larger. After he had what must have been two thousand galleons, which didn't even make a dent in his the mounds of gold he exited his vault. He had split his money into two bags, one that was primarily Galleons and the other which was a mix of Galleons and Sickles.

The door materialized behind him as he stepped into the mine cart. He looked at Griphook, "how did the door come back?"

"It is spelled to come back as soon as the key holder gets far enough away from the vault. Please hold on." The cart took off again, and a short while later they stopped in front of another vault. Griphook opened the door himself and presented a parcel to Hagrid who quickly placed it into one of his pockets.

"What's that Hagrid?" Harry questioned, it was very odd looking.

"I can't tell you that Harry. Dumbledore trusted me not to tell anyone." Harry acquiesced. It made sense. he didn't want Hagrid to betray confidences. "No talking please Harry." Harry winced, Hagrid was looking very green.

The came back to the big hall with the two long rows of counters. Griphook led him over to one, "Mr. Potter would like to exchange some of his Muggle currency for Galleons, would you be able to accommodate him?"

Hagrid tapped him on the shoulder and grunted out, "I'll be outside when you're done." Then he hurried outside for the fresh air.

Harry stepped up and presented the 20 pound note, "I'd like this converted please, just Galleons and Sickles please, keep the remainder as additional payment." The goblin smiled, they really did seem to appreciate someone who was gracious with their money. "Also," Harry asked, "how does one go about getting a letter of credit in the Wizarding world, do I always have to pay in cash?"

Griphook answered as the clerk counted out coins, "For large purchases Gringotts can provide assurance of goods and conduct the transfer of funds, for a certain fee of course. But otherwise yes, it is done with Goblin coin. Much harder to fake you see."

The clerk spoke, "Here you go, 3 Galleons, 15 sickles."

Harry bowed slightly, "Thank you very much, Gringotts service has been most exemplary." With that, Harry followed after Hagrid out the doors.

After Harry had left, Griphook remarked, "He definitely is the Potters son. Go well Mr. Potter and may Merlin's light shine upon you."