[Chapter Size: 1900 Words.]

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  The sudden appearance of the figure startled Harry so much that he stumbled back two steps and nearly fell.

  “Oh! I’m sorry, sorry, Mr. Potter! I truly am! Did I frighten you with my sudden arrival? Oh, bst it, Cavill!” The tiny creature that had appeared out of nowhere apologized in an apologetic voice, then proceeded to smack its own head forcefully.

  The little creature had rge, bat-like ears and a pair of bulging greehe size of tennis balls. It was incredibly thin, which made its already rge head appear even bigger. It wasn’t wearing traditional clothing but was draped in a makeshift tunic, possibly made of linen or some other fabric. Though the cloth looked worn, it was still .

  “What?” Harry, now recovered from his initial shock, looked at the small creature in front of him with fusion. “You’re… wait, hey, stop hitting yourself! I’m not that easily frightened.”

  “Oh, great Mr. Potter! You truly are as kind and brave as the rumors say!” The little creature immediately stopped punishing itself and addressed Harry in a tone filled with humility and reverence.

  “I am a house-elf named Cavill. I work at the Leaky Cauldron.”

  By now, Harry had grown somewhat aced to the strange fact that everyone in the wizarding world seemed to know who he was. And now, an actual house-elf had been added to the list. He didn’t even bother to react, simply nodding in aowledgment.

  If Harry had ever harbored doubts about the existenagic, they were pletely erased the moment he saw this little creature. No special effects artist in the Muggle world could have created something like this.

  “Alright, Cavill,” Harry tried to tihe versation.

  “I’m looking frid, the one who lives here…” He gestured above his head with his hand. “The really tall gentleman.”

  “Yes, great Mr. Potter,” Cavill replied, his tone filled with increasing respect as he gave a small bow. “Mr. Hagrid asked me to wait for you here. He said that if you woke up, I should bring you to him. Are you ready to go? Mr. Hagrid is having breakfast.”

  “Breakfast…” Harry realized he was actually quite hungry. He nodded. “Alright, take me to him.”

  Cavill led Harry down a set of stairs, bringing him back to the Leaky Cauldron, the same pce they had been the day before.

  Hagrid was ihere, sitting at a small table, enjoying his meal. Beside him sat an elderly man, the innkeeper. Harry vaguely remembered that he had introduced himself the day before as Tom.

  This name reminded Harry of a certain cartoouring two animals.

  “It is a great honor to see you again, dear Mr. Potter.” The old man, Tom, greeted him with a broad, beaming smile. His already small eyes narrowed so much that they nearly disappeared.

  Fortunately, it was still early m, and there weren’t many people in the pub. Otherwise, Harry suspected that Tom’s words might have sparked another round of handshakes from enthusiastic witches and wizards. Not that he minded shaking hands, but he wasn’t particurly eager to do so with a group of old wizards in oddly colored robes, some of whom carried strange, unfamiliar sts.

  “Harry! You’re up.” Hagrid grinned widely at him, his thick beard uo hide the smile stretg across his face.

  “e, have some breakfast. I ordered a portion for you.”

  Harry had a normal appetite, but he was genuinely hungry. He sat down and started eating.

  He had to admit, though the Leaky Cauldron’s interior felt a little rundown, the breakfast was surprisingly delicious. At the very least, it was far better than Auunia’s cooking, despite her stant cims of being an excellent cook.

  Of course, given that magic was likely involved in preparing the meal, Harry figured the quality should be expected.

  He ate quickly, finishing his breakfast before Hagrid, though that wasly a difficult feat, sidering the sheer amount of food Hagrid ed. Harry estimated that Hagrid had eaten enough to feed at least twenty people, which, given his size, wasn’t all that surprising.

  Ohey had finished, Hagrid led Harry through the pub toward a small doorway to the side. It opened into a tiny courtyard, enclosed by brick walls on all sides.

  The space triggered a particur memory for Harry. At school, bullies teo er their victims in secluded pces like this. Well, though Harry never directly participated in bullying, Dudley certainly did.

  Harry occasionally observed and even offered advice, like suggesting they avoid hitting someone’s face, otherwise, the teachers would call their parents.

  Snapping out of his thoughts, Harry looked around, fused. The courtyard was nearly empty, aside from a trash and a few scattered items.

  Just as he was about to ask why they were there, Hagrid pulled out his pink umbrel, the same one he had used to summon the Knight Bus. He turo Harry with a serious expression.

  “Harry, pay close attention to what I’m about to do.”

  Harry: “???”

  Before he could ask what was happening, Hagrid raised the umbrel and poi at the brick wall behind the trash . Murmuring to himself, he carefully tapped specific bricks with the tip of the umbrel.

  “First, find the ohat’s a different color,” he muttered. “Then three up, two across, there! Tap it three times with your wand!”

  As he tapped the brick, it began to tremble and shift. A small hole appeared in the ter, growing rger and rger until, before their eyes, a wide archway was revealed, rge enough for even Hagrid to pass through.

  Beyond it y a winding, cobblestoreet that seemed to stretdlessly into the distance.

  “Wele,” Hagrid said with a grin. “Wele to Diagon Alley.”

  Harry stood frozen, staring in astonishment as Hagrid strode forward. He quickly rushed after him but couldn’t help gng over his shoulder.

  Behind them, the archway began to shrink, its edges drawing together until, in mere seds, it had pletely sealed itself, once again being a solid brick wall.

  “That’s amazing!” Harry excimed before turning back toward the street.

  Lining both sides of the alley were shops of every shape and size. Most had wooden facades, some featuring rge dispy windows, while others had mysterious, unmarked entrances.

  The closest shop had a stack of cauldrons piled by the door.

  “I think… I o buy a cauldron,” Harry murmured to himself, pulling out his Hogwarts letter from his pocket and giving it another look.

  “Oh, yes! Potions is a required course, and a cauldron is necessary. But first, we o get the money!” Hagrid said somewhat awkwardly.

  “I should’ve bought it for yeh, but, well, y’know… my sary ain’t that high, and my expenses ain’t small either!”

  “S-So… withdraw money? From where?” asked Harry.

  Walking with Hagrid was no easy task. His long strides covered a great distah each step, while Harry, oher hand, was stantly distracted by the sights around him.

  There were pet shops and owl emporiums. Harry also spotted a store where several boys were crowding around the window, their eyes locked onto a magnifit broomsti dispy. Harry had no doubt that witches and wizards could really fly on those.

  There were also clothing stores, bookshops, and various shops selling all kinds of strange and wonderful items.

  “Gotta go totts! It’s the wizard bank. All your money’s there!” Hagrid expined casually.

  “My money? Mine?” Harry was once again stunned. “Wait, are you saying I have money in that… Gringotts?”

  “‘Course!” Hagrid looked at him in surprise.

  “James, yer dad, left it all for yeh. And Lily too, though pared to James, her iance was smaller. Haha! The Potters were a wealthy family!”

  Seeing Harry’s bewildered expression, Hagrid frowned slightly.

  “Wait, yer aunt and unever told yeh about yer parents?”

  “No! Never!” Harry shook his head.

  “In fact, before I got my Hogwarts letter, Auunia told me they… died in a car act.”

  Harry had always felt a bit skeptical about that expnation, but a small part of him had believed it.

  After all, if the wizarding world used vehicles like the Knight Bus, dying in a car crash didn’t seem entirely out of the question.

  “A car act?” Hagrid’s voice was filled with shock, his expression a mix of disbelief and e.

  “What nonsehat’s snder! James and Lily, two of the greatest witches and wizards of their geion! How could a mere car act have harmed them?!”

  Harry Shrugged.

  “Well, maybe Auunia and Uncle Vernon just don’t want to talk about magic. Auunia really hates it.”

  Then, after a brief pause, he asked, “So… how did my parents really die? And why does everyoo know me? Why do they all… want to shake my hand?”

  “Well…” Hagrid hesitated, scratg his thick beard.

  “I dunno if it’s my pce to tell yeh. I re Professor Dumbledore or Professonagall should expin it when school starts. My memory’s a bit foggy, and, well… some things I ain’t sure I should say.”

  “If you remember that much, your brain ’t be that foggy.” Harry muttered to himself.

  Diagon Alley had so many winding paths and alleyways that, despite Harry’s best efforts to memorize the route, he found himself hopelessly lost.

  So, he simply stuck close to Hagrid, following his lead.

  After a short walk, they arrived in front of a t, snow-white building, Gringotts Wizarding Bank, standing tall among the surrounding shops.

  Beside its gleaming bronze doors, a stern-looking figure stood in a uniform of crimson and gold.

  The creature looked somewhat simir to the house-elf Harry had met earlier that m, but with smaller eyes, sharper ears, and a much fiercer expression.

  It looked exactly like the goblins Harry had read about in fairy tales.

  “Hagrid, is that a…?”

  Harry whispered as they climbed the white stoeps toward the figure.

  “Uh. Yeah, goblins! Don’t mess with ‘em! Goblins are clever, but they aily friendly,” Hagrid muttered ba the same hushed tone.

  Harry, who wasn’t particurly tall for his age, noticed that the goblin in front of him was even shorter, at least a head shorter than Harry himself.

  The goblin had dark skin, a pointed beard, and an expression of sharp intelligence.

  As they stepped ihe goblins at the entrance gave them a brief, polite bow before stepping aside, revealing a sed set of doors, this time made of silver.

  Harry’s eyes widened as he noticed engraved words shimmering on the surface of the doors:

  Enter, stranger, but take heed

  Of what awaits the sin of greed

  For those who take, but do not earn,

  Must pay most dearly iurn.

  So if you seek beh our floors

  A treasure that was never yours,

  Thief, you have been warned, beware

  Of finding more than treasure there.

  “Don’t even think about stealing from here.” Hagrid murmured. “This is one of the most heavily guarded pces in the wizarding world! It’s safer keepin your things here than anywhere else… cept maybe Hogwarts!”

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