When Vid and the others were waiting outside, they saw him almost empty the vault, leaving only a few inconspicuous Copper Knuts in the corner.
"Remus, why are you withdrawing so much money?"
Harry asked curiously.
"There's something I want to buy," Lupin said, his expression slightly unnatural.
"Do you have enough?" Vid said, "If not, I can lend you some."
Lupin laughed and said, "Don't worry, it's just enough."
When the speeding cart took them back to the surface, they saw a sullen man being led by a goblin out of the hall and into the stone corridor.
The man climbed onto the cart Vid and the others had just ridden, the young goblin jumped on as well, standing at the driver's seat, saying, "Vault number 716, is it? Please sit tight, sir, we're departing now!"
Vid instinctively turned back to take a look and saw the cart clattering off, accelerating with a rush, disappearing along the winding track.
"What's wrong?" Michael asked, "Do you know that man just now?"
"I don't know him." Vid shook his head and said, "I just remember that the rent for vaults starting with '7' is very expensive, and that man doesn't seem like he can afford the rent, so it feels a bit strange."
The vaults at Gringotts have increasing numbers as they go downwards, and the rent also becomes more expensive. Smaller-numbered ones are closer to the surface, have low rent, and less security.
Maybe Machioni's ramblings still had an effect, and Vid instinctively observed others' attire.
He noticed that the man earlier wore plain clothes, his black Wizard's Robe barely decent, but with a closer look, you could see the cuffs were frayed, and the pocket for his Magic Wand was shiny at the edges.
"Perhaps he's a descendant of some ancient family," Michael speculated, "His ancestors might have rented it for hundreds of years, so even now, without money, he can continue using it."
"Hmm, makes sense," Vid nodded, thinking that's probably the case.
…
Standing on the bustling street, Lupin checked the time and said, "You guys go buy the gifts first, I also want to... uh... buy something."
Lupin hurriedly left, and Harry frowned, saying, "Remus is acting a bit strange... he might've been duped out of money, don't you think?"
He remembered occasionally seeing news of people being bankrupted by gambling or fraud back at the Dursley Family.
The more he thought about it, the less assured he felt, and Harry set off to follow: "Let's go check things out."
But just after taking two steps, Michael grabbed him by the collar and pulled him back.
"Forget it, Lupin might be buying a Christmas present for a girlfriend! If we're there, he won't feel comfortable." Michael said.
"Girlfriend?!" Harry said in surprise.
"Yeah, look at his hesitant expression and involuntary smile, surely thinking of some girl!" Michael said confidently, pointing to the person next to him, "See, Vid sees it too!"
Vid: "..."
In fact, he hadn't noticed at first, but when Michael mentioned a girlfriend, he naturally thought of "Tonks," whom Lupin mentioned yesterday.
After all, she's Lupin's future wife, the kind who share life and death, leaving behind a son in the end.
Harry looked at Vid and realized he wasn't surprised at all, feeling a bit upset—how could he be so slow?
…
Lupin, carrying a filled purse, arrived at the Aslan Magic Workshop's store and was relieved to see that the light red vest was still displayed in the glass cabinet.
He put the purse on the counter and said, "I'd like to buy this vest."
"Sorry, this is an exhibit, not yet formally for sale..." The shop assistant hadn't finished speaking when he looked up at the customer's face and froze: "Mr. Lupin?"
"Yes," Lupin pulled his scarf down a bit and said gently, "I know these items aren't officially for sale yet, but can you sell this one to me?"
Using his identity to request privilege for the first time made his face burn, but he still feigned calm.
The shop assistant hesitated for a moment, then walked out from behind the counter and said:
"If it's you, of course, there's no problem... but isn't it simpler to go directly to Mr. Gray for one? This vest was originally invented by Mr. Gray and the Weasley brothers."
—And it wouldn't cost that much unfair money.
"It's a gift I'm preparing for someone, so I naturally need to acquire it myself," Lupin explained.
Currently, all of the Aslan Magic Workshop's sales focus on Communication Peas, and only a few samples of Anti-Curse Vests have been produced.
Machioni foresaw this could become a major hit, and to avoid the two products squeezing each other's profit margins and to prepare ample goods, the Anti-Curse Vest hasn't even revealed its name and only one is displayed in the store with a high price tag.
If anyone asks, the shop assistant mysteriously says it's not for sale, no matter the offer.
But Remus Lupin is naturally different; he represents Vid to some extent, and he even helped sign the contract between the Weasley Brothers and the Magic Workshop.
So when the shop assistant saw Lupin insisting, despite being astonished, he brought the vest from the display and packaged it in a gift box.
Lupin emptied his purse to pay, then used the last few Sickles to hire two owls at the post office, watching them carry the unnamed gift box into the sky, feeling only a light joy.
She doesn't need to know who the gift is from... the work of an Auror is very dangerous, just hoping this vest can keep her safe...
Lupin thought, feeling both joyous and bittersweet inside.
…
Vid and the others spent over an hour strolling around Diagon Alley, buying everything they wanted. During this time, Vid and Harry kept most of their faces covered with scarves to avoid being recognized.
The cold weather made their disguise not at all unusual, blending in with the students taking advantage of the holiday to buy Christmas gifts without attracting any attention.
But this disguise had one downside: limited visibility. Just as Harry picked out a book for Hermione, paid for it, and turned to leave, he accidentally bumped into a passerby.
The person was reaching for a book on a high shelf when bumped, falling while knocking into the shelf, making a loud crash as three or four shelves collapsed like dominoes, all falling until the last one hit the wall.
Hundreds or even thousands of books fell, creating a mess. Luckily, these were all regular books, averting a bigger disaster.
The shop clerk, who was checking out another customer, froze at the scene, holding a few Sickles with a blank expression, completely forgetting to react, like a stone statue.
Michael stepped back instinctively, muttering, "We... we should run..."
Harry looked at him, then at the store's chaos, and was confused for a moment until hearing the fallen person moaning.
Harry snapped out of it, stepped forward quickly to help, then looked at the books all over the floor, stunned again.
"Don't be afraid, kid."
The person who fell, with good humor, took full blame.
"It's my fault—I should've stood steadier. But fixing this is quite simple, you'll see—"
He waved his Magic Wand, and the shelves stood back up, the scattered books flew back onto the shelves as if time was reversed.
The clerk dropped the Sickles and dashed the few steps over, but the shelves were already restored to their original state, leaving him gaping and looking silly.
"Looks like none of the books got damaged," the person said slowly, "Then there's no need to hold us responsible, could we?"
"Ah... of course, of course..." the clerk said clumsily.
"That was amazing!" Harry said admiringly, sincerely adding, "Thank you, sir, I thought I caused major trouble."
"No need to be so polite, are you a student from Hogwarts?" the person asked, looking at their heights.
"Yes," Harry nodded.
The person smiled, "Then I'll soon be one of your professors. I hope we have a good six months together... by the way, I'm called Ryan Troka."
"A new professor?"
They looked at each other, puzzled, "But we don't have any classes missing a professor?"
"Hmm?" Ryan Troka scratched his head, "I heard the last Defense Against the Dark Arts professor resigned?"