The scenery outside the windshield flashed by, constantly changing between fields, rivers, ponds, villages, and other places.
With the help of magic, obstacles such as trash cans, lampposts, and mailboxes jumped aside to avoid the Knight Bus as it passed by.
About twenty minutes later, the Knight Bus finally came to a stop in the alley.
A large bus had shrunk to the size of a wooden box and stopped in a narrow alley—only a world where magic existed could do this.
Hagrid staggered out of the car, leaning against the wall at the corner of the alley and retching.
Beyond the alley lay a commercial street lined with signs.
However, they had arrived too early; the shops were not yet open, and the streets were only filled with hurried pedestrians.
"It's so painful!" Hagrid looked terrible and was still walking unsteadily. "Vizette, could you help me find a place called the Leaky Cauldron?"
The commercial street was filled with all kinds of shops, including fast food restaurants, clothing stores, jewelry stores, and cinemas, but notably, there was no Leaky Cauldron, the bar Hagrid mentioned.
Until Vizette passed by a bookstore, a sign appeared out of nowhere.
The signboard was very old, contrasting sharply with the bright signs around it.
The signboard was covered in soot and had a pattern of a black crucible with a broken bottom.
"Hagrid, is that it?" Vizette asked, pointing to the sign.
Hagrid gagged, then nodded and said, "That's right! You would never guess when this bar was built."
"When was it?" Vizette showed a strong curiosity about everything in the magical world.
"I remember it was the early 16th century…" Hagrid frowned in thought, "Anyway, it was before the enactment of the Statute of Secrecy! Let's go in!"
Despite its four centuries of existence, the Leaky Cauldron had not accumulated much historical significance, but rather left its walls and floors covered in a considerable amount of stains.
Hagrid must have been a regular here; when he entered the Leaky Cauldron, the place immediately erupted in noise, with patrons waving and smiling at him.
Compared to the deserted commercial street in the morning, the dimly lit Leaky Cauldron bar was unusually lively.
"Is it the same as before?" A bald old man came to the bar, took out two beer glasses, and tapped them together with a pleasant sound.
Hagrid waved his hands repeatedly, "Tom, not today, I have important business to attend to! Give me some motion sickness potion... Vizette, what would you like to eat?"
Thinking of Luna's family's financial situation, Vizette held up the pastry in his hand. "No need, Luna gave me this!"
The bar suddenly fell silent, and the guests looked somewhat uneasy, even wary.
Tom took a step back and asked cautiously, "Is he Vizette? The Obscurial?"
"It's my fault!" Hagrid understood what these guests were wary of, slapped his forehead hard, and roared, "He's a good boy! Why didn't you react like that just now?"
"Sorry..." Tom looked a little embarrassed. "Indeed, I overreacted."
"Alright, we should get going!" Hagrid tossed a silver coin onto the bar and drank the motion sickness potion in one gulp.
He led Vizette through the bar to the small courtyard at the back.
This place was much cleaner than the Leaky Cauldron, with only a few clumps of weeds and a trash can.
"Vizette, remember this…" Hagrid held up his umbrella, "Count three up from where the trash can is, then count two horizontally…"
The umbrella tapped against the wall bricks, making a crisp sound. The entire wall vibrated and reformed until a wide archway appeared.
Welcome to Diagon Alley!
The morning sunlight was very gentle, shining on the various signs in Diagon Alley and illuminating the names of the shops.
There were many wizards in Diagon Alley, and the shops displayed all sorts of novel items, giving Vizette the illusion of attending a fair in a past life.
Hagrid pointed to a snow-white marble building and said, "This is Gringotts Bank. We need to withdraw your student grant."
In the middle of a row of shops stood a towering building, its all-white exterior particularly eye-catching.
Vizette looked at Gringotts and asked, "Hagrid, that doorman... is he a goblin?"
"That's right!" Hagrid nodded with a smile. "The currency made by the goblins cannot be counterfeited, so Gringotts is their business."
Gringotts was very grand in its decor, with two large bronze doors at the outside that were wide open, and two more large silver doors inside that gleamed brightly.
As Vizette and his companions approached, the welcoming goblin immediately bowed, gesturing for them to continue inside.
A long string of words was engraved on the silver gate: Strangers, please enter, but beware... Thief, you have been warned, lest you bring not treasure, but retribution.
The text was full of warnings, reminding Vizette of the famous warning from his past life—the warning from Tutankhamun's tomb.
It was said that the first people to enter Tutankhamun's tomb were all killed by the curse contained within.
Vizette was curious about the so-called "retribution." "Hagrid, if thieves really broke in, what methods would the goblins use to deal with them?"
"There are so many ways!" Hagrid said in a low voice, pulling Vizette a few steps further inside. "Besides Hogwarts, this is the safest place in the wizarding world!"
"If any thief touches the door, he will be sucked inside and unable to get out! As for the vaults hidden deep underground, the goblins have trained giants and fire dragons to protect them."
Vizette asked curiously, "Fire dragons? Are there fire dragons here too?"
"Of course! You can legally keep dragons here! That's amazing!" Hagrid's eyes lit up. "I want to keep a fire dragon too, those little cuties are just too charming..."
Hagrid had in-depth knowledge of fire dragons and could describe the characteristics of various fire dragon species.
However, Vizette found it hard to imagine why those dangerous magical creatures, which were at least five meters long, could be called "cute little ones."
Throughout the journey, Hagrid talked animatedly, displaying his extreme enthusiasm for fire dragons.
They made their way to the back of the hall, where Hagrid handed the application to the reception goblin. "We're here to receive a scholarship."
"Okay!" The reception goblin extended a finger, and a wisp of flame emerged from the sharp, long fingernail, instantly igniting the application form.
After the fire, the application left no ashes, only a beautiful cursive signature floating in the air.
"Please wait a moment!" After confirming that everything was correct, the reception goblin jumped off the front desk and disappeared into the shadows.
"Hagrid, if I have Muggle currency, can I exchange it for wizarding currency?" Vizette asked.
"Of course!" Hagrid continued to rummage through his pockets. "Underage wizards can only exchange for fifty Galleons a year, while adult wizards can exchange for one hundred Galleons a year."
Why were there still quota limits?
"Because Muggle currency is too easy to obtain, their banks are not safe at all. So it is necessary to set limits to avoid affecting the magical world."
"Finally found them! These are good stuff!" Hagrid suddenly laughed and held out his hands to Vizette.
In Hagrid's hand lay more than a dozen eggs, each the size of a handball, their surfaces covered with orange-red patterns.
Vizette looked at the eggs in front of him and they seemed familiar. "Could these be... Runespoor eggs?"