The inside of Gringotts was much more spacious than it looked from the outside. Clearly, an Undetectable Extension Charm had been cast on it. What a handy spell that was! The hall had countless doors leading to different places, and hundreds of goblins sat at counters, using scales and magnifying glasses to examine gems, coins, and rare objects.
Led by Professor McGonagall, they approached one of the counters. "Please exchange some Galleons for these gentlemen."
The goblin behind the counter, who had looked quite impatient, plastered a fake smile on his face as soon as he saw Professor McGonagall.
"Hello, Professor McGonagall. Are these new students for Hogwarts?"
When McGonagall nodded, the goblin turned to Vernon, his fake smile vanishing instantly as he returned to his usual impatient demeanour. "How much to exchange?"
"What's the exchange rate?" Vernon asked nervously.
The goblin gave him an exasperated look before answering. "Five pounds to a Galleon."
Vernon visibly relaxed at the news and, with a grand wave of his hand, said, "I'll take a thousand to start."
"I'm sorry, sir," the goblin said, a sneer flashing across his face. "Hogwarts students can only exchange money once a year, and only up to 100 Galleons at a time."
"Right, then. Two hundred Galleons it is," Vernon mumbled under his breath.
The goblin took the 1,000 pounds from Vernon and handed over two bags of gold coins. One was for Harry, and the other for Dudley. Meanwhile, Mr. Granger also exchanged 100 Galleons for Hermione.
Just as they were about to leave, Professor McGonagall suddenly said, "Wait, we need to make a stop at Mr. Harry Potter's vault to get some money."
With that, she pulled out a small golden key. After a wild, roller-coaster-like ride, they arrived at the Potter family vault.
"I can't believe they were so rich," Vernon said, utterly in awe as they emerged from the vault, which was overflowing with piles of gold. He had always thought his wife's sister and her husband were good-for-nothings without proper jobs, but it turned out they were actually loaded. The mountain of gold coins, if converted into pounds, would be a tidy sum.
But the Dursleys weren't tempted in the slightest. Instead, they were simply happy for Harry.
"Please buy what you need according to the new student guide," Professor McGonagall instructed.
The guide she was referring to was the list of required supplies in the Hogwarts acceptance letter, which included robes, gloves, cloaks, textbooks, wands, cauldrons, glass phials, telescopes, and scales. They could also bring an owl, a cat, or a toad.
Dudley frowned as he went through the list. It wasn't because there was too much, but because there was too little. The list for Potions class, in particular, was incredibly basic: just a cauldron, ingredients, and scales.
"Professor McGonagall, can we bring anything else besides these things?" he asked.
"Of course," she replied. "But I must warn you, it's best not to bring anything from the Muggle world, as those things don't work at Hogwarts."
Dudley wasn't just interested in bringing other things; the equipment was simply too rudimentary. To brew better potions, he planned to bring the lab equipment he had bought. And since Harry and Hermione would probably need some, too, he'd bring a few extra sets.
"It's getting late," Professor McGonagall said, glancing up at the sky. "I think we should split up. The adults will come with me to buy the cauldrons, scales, books, and other supplies, while the future witches and wizards go for things that need to be custom-fitted, like wands and robes."
No one objected to McGonagall's plan, especially Mr. Granger and Vernon. They had already arranged to go for a drink at the Leaky Cauldron, the name of the pub they had just left. They were both curious to taste the drinks of the wizarding world.
First on the list were the robes, which would take the most time. So, the two aspiring wizards and one true Muggle entered a shop called Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. Madam Malkin was a short, plump witch with a cheerful smile, dressed in purple.
"Here for your Hogwarts school robes, are you?" Madam Malkin politely sized up the three of them. "Two first-year sets, and one for a seventh-year, right?"
Dudley grinned. "No, they're all for first years."
This answer clearly caught Madam Malkin off guard.
"Ah, all right, then," she said instinctively, her eyes unconsciously flicking toward Dudley. Does Hogwarts not just accept eleven-year-old wizards now?
Besides the trio, there was another small boy being fitted by another witch. He was pale, with striking platinum-blond hair. While Dudley and Hermione discussed robes with Madam Malkin, Harry sat next to the boy, making small talk.
The boy spoke with a strange, condescending tone that made Harry feel like he couldn't have a normal conversation with him. Their conversation revolved around Hogwarts, but since Harry only knew the name, he couldn't answer any of the boy's questions. Each time Harry said he didn't know, the boy would respond with a long, drawn-out "Oh." This made Harry feel quite miserable.
The boy, however, seemed to think they were getting along famously.
"Hey, look at that big oaf," the boy said to Dudley, gesturing with his chin. He spoke in a tone that was hard to tell if it was praise or scorn. "He says he's a first-year. He's even bigger than Crabbe and Goyle. He must eat a lot, I bet."
If the earlier conversation had only made Harry uncomfortable, this remark made him furious, even though Dudley did, in fact, eat a lot.
"That's my brother!" Harry said coldly.
"Is he?" the boy sneered. In his memory, no child from a respectable family looked like that. "Why is he with you? Where are your parents?"
"They passed away," Harry said, wanting to end the conversation but answering out of politeness.
"Oh, I'm sorry," the boy continued, though without a hint of sincerity. He added with a knowing look, "They were one of us, right?"
"They were both wizards..."
At Harry's words, the mocking look on the boy's face faded. "I don't think those other sorts should be allowed to go to school," he continued, glancing at the people around Harry, "...like the big oaf's friend."
Dudley and Harry were wearing plain black clothes similar to wizarding robes, while Hermione was clearly in Muggle attire. To the boy, anyone from the Muggle world was one of "those sorts."
He hadn't even finished speaking when Harry's face fell. It was too late to stop him.
A shadow blocked the light over the boy's head. Before he could react, a large hand pressed down on his head, turning it slightly. He looked up to see a large, expressionless face staring intently at him. In that moment, he felt as though he were being hunted by a monstrous beast. A chilling sensation shot from the base of his spine to the top of his head.
Dudley slowly opened his mouth, revealing two rows of deep white teeth. The boy could even feel the warm breath from his nostrils, and he felt as though his head would be bitten off at any second.
"Hello," Dudley said, a wide grin spreading across his face. "It's so nice to meet you!"