After hearing the exchange rate, the Grangers found it a bit strange.
"Two ounces of gold are worth nearly five thousand pounds, so why does it only buy one Galleon?"
The goblin behind the counter replied impatiently, "That is because Hogwarts provides a currency exchange subsidy for young wizards from Muggle families!"
"Are you going to exchange for Galleons or not?"
"Yes! Please exchange for one thousand Galleons." Realizing it was a school subsidy, the Grangers understood immediately and answered quickly.
"Wait!" Harvey's shout drew everyone's attention.
"Uh... I wanted to ask, if there are two new students, can we exchange pounds for two thousand Galleons?"
The Grangers were also curious upon hearing this.
"Yes~" The goblin behind the counter replied in that same lifeless, droning tone.
Consequently, the Grangers, who were not short on cash, spoke up again to exchange for two thousand Galleons.
The goblin began pouring gold Galleons, each with exquisite embossed patterns on the surface, into a money bag.
"Clink~ Clank~"
The crisp, melodic sound of the gold coins colliding made Harvey unable to keep his greedy eyes off the pouch.
Galleons were made of pure gold and a special alloy, each weighing approximately 0.1 pounds.
The Grangers had traded a thin stack of paper notes for two hundred pounds of gold.
If not for the money bag enchanted with an Undetectable Extension Charm, the Grangers likely wouldn't have been able to lift a weight equivalent to Harvey and Hermione combined.
After counting the Galleons, the goblin produced two Hogwarts enrollment subsidy applications for Harvey and Hermione to sign.
Only after they signed the documents—which Harvey saw as a sign of Hogwarts' generosity—did the goblin hand the bulging bag to the Grangers.
He added as an afterthought.
"If the customers require it in the future, you may deposit your Galleons at Gringotts."
Hearing this, the Grangers stopped as they were turning to leave and asked curiously, "What is the interest rate?"
The goblin behind the counter looked utterly confused.
"What interest? Gringotts does not charge storage fees; you simply need to rest easy knowing your Galleons are stored with us."
His matter-of-fact tone left the Grangers bewildered.
A bank that doesn't pay interest on deposits?
In reality, from a goblin's perspective, when a wizard deposits currency into Gringotts, it is in a sense returning the item to its rightful owner, so there is no interest, nor a storage fee.
For instance, the Weasley vault had very little money, containing only a single Galleon and a few Sickles.
If storage fees were charged, their small family fortune wouldn't even be enough to apply for a vault.
Ultimately, the Grangers didn't dare question the lack of interest. They politely said, "Thank you, we will come back to deposit money later," and left with the two children.
As the group walked out of Gringotts, no longer under the gaze of the "monsters," Mrs. Granger finally felt free from the suffocating need to speak in whispers.
"Phew... I never want to set foot in that magical bank ever again."
Mr. Granger handed the money bag to Hermione. "Sweetheart, this is the tuition for you and Harvey. Be sure not to lose it."
The Galleons exchanged for ten thousand pounds were a significant asset even for the Grangers.
That was why Mr. Granger repeatedly cautioned his young daughter.
"I've got it."
Hermione chirped obediently, tucking the bag into her pocket quite casually.
Having no real concept of money yet, she was far more focused on her acceptance letter.
After pulling it out and studying it closely, Hermione tugged at her mother's sleeve and urged, "Let's go buy textbooks first!"
"I saw a shop called Flourish and Blotts when we were coming this way!"
Always a bookworm, Hermione was in a frantic rush to get her hands on the books.
Harvey didn't voice an opinion, but in his mind, he was already plotting how to trick... wait, no, legally transfer the money bag from Hermione's pocket.
Two thousand Galleons was a massive fortune in the Wizarding World.
To put it in perspective, a Ministry Auror's monthly salary was only about 25 to 40 Galleons.
A quick mental calculation told him that these two thousand Galleons were equivalent to three or four years of an adult wizard's wages!
Harvey wasn't comfortable leaving such a huge sum with Hermione.
Besides, he didn't want to have to ask Hermione for permission every time he wanted to buy something.
He had quite enough of those days of handing over his entire paycheck in his previous life...
"Let's go then. We'll buy the books first." Mrs. Granger, back to her usual self, took her daughter's hand and began walking down the street toward Flourish and Blotts.
Mr. Granger pulled Harvey along, following immediately.
Today was July 1st, the day the Hogwarts letters arrived, and most of the people passing through Diagon Alley were just like the Grangers.
Adults leading children through the streets.
When they reached Flourish and Blotts, Harvey realized the entrance was already swarming with customers.
The constant chattering of children echoed from inside the shop, making it quite irritating to hear.
"There are so many people. Should we buy the other things first?" Mr. Granger suggested hesitantly, feeling it would be impossible to squeeze into the overcrowded shop with kids.
"No! Books are the ladder of human progress, Dad. Isn't that what you always taught me? So our first stop has to be for books!" Hermione shouted loudly.
Her stubbornness made it clear that she wouldn't leave until they had forced their way inside.
Resigned, Mr. Granger had no choice but to agree.
The Grangers held the two children's hands tightly and fought their way through the door.
Once they actually made it inside, they realized the interior was surprisingly spacious.
Although there were indeed many customers, the shop that looked tiny from the outside had an internal space of at least two hundred square meters.
Many customers lingered before rows of shelves smelling strongly of ink; despite the noise of the children, the overall atmosphere was relatively quiet.
"This bookstore is actually this big?" Mrs. Granger said in surprise.
A middle-aged woman in old robes passed by, also holding a child's hand. Hearing the surprise, she kindly stopped to explain:
"That is because the shop is enchanted with an Undetectable Extension Charm, making the interior much roomier."
"Is the Extension Charm a type of magic? And you are...?" The Grangers looked at the woman curiously.
The middle-aged woman holding the child's hand began to introduce herself naturally.
"Hello, I am Molly Weasley. I'm here to buy the Hogwarts textbooks for my child. You must be here for the same, I assume?"
Seeing that the other couple was also with children, Molly Weasley understood immediately.
"Yes... what a coincidence, we are here for textbooks as well..."
Mrs. Granger immediately took a liking to this warm-hearted mother, and the two women of similar age began to chat enthusiastically.