The two arrived at the end of Diagon Alley, where a white building stood out starkly against its surroundings.
The structure was entirely built of white marble, with a simple and clean design, appearing much neater than the rest of the alley.
Hagrid pointed at the building and explained to Harry:
"Come on, Harry, your money's in there. Gringotts is the wizarding world's bank. There's nowhere safer, except maybe Hogwarts!"
They climbed the white stone steps and passed through the bronze doors at the entrance of Gringotts, only to find another set of doors ahead.
These doors were gleaming silver, with the following words engraved on them:
"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 their turn.
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."
"Like I said, anyone who tries to rob this place is mad. There are hundreds, maybe thousands of spells in here. Even Dumbledore would have to be careful," Hagrid said.
Behind the doors, two goblins dressed in scarlet uniforms bowed and ushered them into a vast marble hall.
At this point, Hagrid noticed that Harry seemed completely unfazed by the sight, as if it were nothing unusual. This made him curious:
"Harry, aren't you curious? You've never seen creatures like goblins before, have you?"
Harry was still observing their surroundings with interest. When he heard Hagrid's question, he chuckled lightly:
"Well, I am curious, but I'm just not showing it."
In truth, he wasn't the least bit surprised by what he saw. The Sorcerer Supreme had once taken him to the "Reality Nexus" to trade with mages from other dimensions.
The Reality Nexus was a special dimension, a crossroads of sorts where paths to any dimension could be found, even dimensions within dimensions.
As a result, mages from various dimensions had made it a trading hub, and over time, it had become a crucial marketplace for the multiverse.
Compared to that, Gringotts was nothing special.
The two approached a counter, where Hagrid addressed an idle goblin:
"We'd like to take some money out of Harry Potter's vault."
"Do you have his key, sir?"
"Of course, here you go," Hagrid said, handing over the key.
The goblin took the key and examined it carefully with a magnifying glass:
"Everything seems to be in order."
Just as he was about to lead them to the vault, Hagrid solemnly pulled out a letter:
"I also have a letter from Professor Dumbledore here. It's about 'you-know-what' in vault 713."
From Hagrid's serious expression, Harry guessed that "you-know-what" must be something very important, perhaps a rare and valuable artifact.
But Harry had no interest in it whatsoever. He had handled legendary artifacts like the Time Stone before and didn't believe "you-know-what" could compare.
The goblin took the letter and inspected it carefully. After confirming its authenticity, he nodded:
"Very well. Please wait a moment, someone will take you there shortly... Griphook!"
A goblin named Griphook approached them, gave a slight bow, and said:
"Follow me, gentlemen."
Griphook led them deeper into Gringotts. When he pushed open a door, they found themselves in a narrow stone passageway.
The three of them rode the small cart at the center of the stone corridor along the winding, maze-like tracks. The cold underground wind was quite strong, but for Harry, who could strengthen his body with magic, the chill was just right.
Soon, accompanied by the screeching sound of metal friction, the cart came to a stop in front of a small iron door.
Griphook said in his high-pitched voice:
"Vault 687, please follow me."
Griphook took the key from Hagrid, and when he opened the vault with it, a golden gleam shone on Harry's face. Even he was stunned by the mountains of gold coins, silver bars, and bronze coins piled inside.
Even if Harry didn't know the purchasing power of this money in the wizarding world, he could guess that this was undoubtedly a massive inheritance!
Hagrid, standing beside him, looked down at Harry and said as gently as possible:
"Ha—Harry, quite a surprise, isn't it? You didn't think your parents would leave you nothing, did you?
Look, those gold coins are Galleons, the silver ones are Sickles, and the bronze ones are Knuts.
You're now richer than some of the declining wizarding families!
Take out some money, this should be enough for two terms. The rest will stay here, and Gringotts will keep it safe for you.
Come on, we need to head to Vault 713 now. Please drive slower, Mr. Griphook. The wind in the passage is too strong."
"Apologies, the cart only has one speed," Griphook said, spreading his hands in a perfunctory, apologetic smile.
Sitting in the cart on the way to Vault 713, Harry remained silent.
His parents had left him a vast fortune, and his friends genuinely cared for him, these were all things he had never experienced in this world before, at least not with the Dursleys.
From Hagrid's description, his parents had been wonderful people, especially his mother gentle, kind, beautiful, and learned, and she had adored him.
If they hadn't been killed by that dark wizard, he might have had a happy childhood and grown up in a loving environment.
But all of that had been destroyed by that damned dark wizard!
A faint crimson glint flickered in Harry's pupils, a sign of his restless magic:
"Hagrid, who killed my parents?"
At Harry's question, Hagrid shuddered, his beard trembling as if terrified by the very name:
"It was You-Know-Who who killed them..."
"You-Know-Who?" Harry was puzzled. That didn't sound like a name.
Hagrid shook his head, his tone grave as he warned:
"Harry, it's said in the wizarding world that the name of that person is cursed. Saying it aloud lets him sense it, so no one dares to speak his name. That's why everyone calls him You-Know-Who.
Unless absolutely necessary, even if you know his name, don't say it."
Harry nodded thoughtfully. A name-cursing spell? The Book of the Vishanti seemed to have many counter-spells for that.
Sensing Hagrid's genuine fear of You-Know-Who, Harry didn't press further about him.
Since everyone in the wizarding world knew about You-Know-Who, there must be plenty of records about him. He could investigate on his own.
Harry clenched his fists. He would kill You-Know-Who, even if his power surpassed that of the Sorcerer Supreme!
After a pause, steadying his turbulent emotions, Harry asked another question:
"Hagrid, what kind of people were my parents?"
(End of chapter)