Chapter 6: Diagon Alley

Harry answered politely: "Hello, Professor Quirrell."

"Harry, I have never heard about you before, I guess, you live in Muggle society." Quirrell's speech was still slow, as if his throat was a tube of toothpaste, and every syllable had to be squeezed out with effort.

"If Muggle is the antonym of magic, then I think you are right. Although we are more accustomed to calling it 'modern society'." Harry answered.

"Just, just a form of address, it doesn't matter. I am actually very curious about Mug, modern society, we can chat more about this in the future." Saying that, Quirrell patted Haige, "Now you go get busy, don't delay."

"Okay, Professor Quirrell." Haige nodded and took Harry through the pub to a small courtyard.

"Professor Quirrell speaks slowly, right?" He grinned at Harry.

"Is he always like this?"

"Quirrell was very excellent when he was in school, but he stuttered a bit. Later he went out traveling for a year, and when he came back, he corrected the stuttering problem, I think perhaps it was to better qualify for the professor's job." Haige said while pointing at the wall with his small umbrella.

Indeed, speaking slowly is better than stuttering. Harry thought aimlessly. It is said that some people stutter because they are too smart, and their tongues can't keep up with the speed of their brains.

"Up three bricks... move sideways three bricks..." Haige muttered in a low voice, "By the way, stand back, Harry."

He tapped the wall three times with the tip of his umbrella.

The brick began to vibrate, and then the middle part of the wall began to squirm violently. A small hole appeared, getting bigger and bigger. A second later, an archway big enough for Haige to pass through was placed in front of them.

This archway led to a street paved with cobblestones, which wound forward until it couldn't be seen.

"Welcome to Diagon Alley." Haige said.

Harry's mood at this time was very wonderful. He couldn't stop thinking about whether there was any complex and precise mechanical structure in the brick wall, but his intuition told him that this was magical magic.

Diagon Alley was very lively, with people selling cauldrons, owls, and brooms. Harry guessed that those brooms might be able to fly. Sure enough, he could hear two children saying that this was the "fastest Nimbus 2000."

"We are here, Gringotts." Haige pulled Harry, who was dazzled all the way, and came to a snow-white building. Two short creatures with long limbs stood at the door.

"They are goblins." Haige said softly.

Harry followed him across two doors and came to a marble hall. Harry noticed a window that read "Exchange Muggle Currency," and he touched the wallet in his pocket, feeling a bit eager to move.

"This is Mr. Harry Potter's vault key, we need to withdraw some money." Haige said, "And, here is a letter from Mr. Deng Buliduo, about the things in vault 713."

Harry noticed that when Haige took out the letter, his whole back straightened, and he looked very proud.

"What's going on with vault 713?" Harry asked curiously.

"A very important little thing, I have to take it back to school and hand it to Deng Buliduo for management." Haige said mysteriously, "However, I can't tell you what it is."

"I guess it's some kind of powerful magic item." Harry said casually.

Haige's expression changed abruptly, and he hurriedly said: "Cough cough, I forgot to tell you, wizard currency is one gold Jin Jialong to seventeen silver Sickles to four hundred and ninety-three bronze Knuts. Later you can withdraw twenty Galleons, which is enough for you to buy everything you want to buy today."

Harry smiled and didn't pursue Deng Buliduo's secret mission anymore. He obediently followed Haige and the leading goblin underground, and then took a small car to the vault.

The goblin opened his vault for Harry, which contained piles of gold coins and more silver and bronze coins. Haige took out a small bag, helped him pack some gold coins, and then said to the goblin: "We are going to vault 713 now."

"Wait." Harry said, "I won't go, you come back here to pick me up later."

He felt that since vault 713 involved some secrets of the Wizarding World, he should avoid suspicion. Taking advantage of this time, he just happened to count how much property his parents had left him.

Haige was in a dilemma all of a sudden, he muttered: "You'd better follow, because Deng Buliduo... uh, because I'm not very assured about leaving you here alone."

"It's fine." Harry was already used to Haige hanging Deng Buliduo on his lips. He could tell that Haige respected the headmaster very much. "The task Deng Buliduo entrusted to you must be very important, letting a child like me see it might not be appropriate. I will wait for you here."

"Okay, then you wait here for a while, don't run around." When Haige left, he looked a bit confused.

Harry roughly counted the property in the vault. The total number of gold Galleons should be more than 19,000, close to 20,000. Adding a large amount of silver and bronze coins, perhaps the total property was around 20,000 to 25,000.

Comparing this, Harry no longer had the surprise and shock of seeing piles of gold coins, but carefully thought about whether the Wizarding World also had some kind of economic theory.

Walking out of Gringotts with Haige, Haige first took Harry to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, and then he said he was a bit dizzy from the Gringotts mine cart just now, so he wanted to go to the side to drink something. Harry didn't think it was necessary to buy robes; there were many people wearing suits on the street. However, the admission letter said that robes must be bought as school uniforms, so he obediently walked into this shop alone.

Madam Malkin wore a pale purple magic robe, was short and fat, and had a kind expression. As soon as she saw Harry, she said enthusiastically: "Dear, you are a Hogwarts freshman, right? Just happened to have a classmate buying clothes too."

"Is that so, then I'll wait a while." Harry said politely. He saw a pale boy with a pointed face standing on a stool behind, who was trying on clothes.

"Hi, you are also a Hogwarts freshman, right?" The boy said.

"That's right." Harry answered.

"My father is buying books, and my mother is helping me pick a wand." The boy's voice was slightly lazy, "I have to drag them to buy a broom later, the school doesn't allow first-year freshmen to bring brooms, I have to find a way to persuade my father to secretly buy me one."

"The broom you mentioned is a flying broom, right, which is the tool wizards use to get around?"

"Get around?" The boy was a bit surprised, "Don't you play Quidditch?"

"No." Harry answered, thinking to himself, if brooms are about the same as cars, Quidditch might be some kind of dangerous racing sport.

"I mean, compared to buying a broom, you might be able to secretly bring the broom from home to school." Harry thought of the garage at Tang Dun when he said this. There were various cars parked inside, and if one was missing, perhaps it wouldn't be so easy to be discovered in a short time.

"Wow, you are really smart." The boy said, "Old brooms are of course not as cool as new ones, but it's better than nothing, this is a good alternative plan. By the way, I am Draco Malfoy, what is your name?"

"I am Harry Potter, very happy to meet you, classmate Malfoy." Harry said.

"Long time no see." Malfoy straightened his back and said in an adult's tone, "I think you might be able to revitalize the Potter family again."

"Again?" Harry secretly noted this term, perhaps he was also a descendant of some noble in the Wizarding World.

"Oh, look at that person!" Malfoy pointed out the window and said.

Harry looked there, and Haige was holding two ice creams, grinning at Harry.

"That is Haige, he works at Hogwarts."

"Is that so? I've heard of him, seems to be a servant." Malfoy said.

"Deng Buliduo trusts him very much, perhaps the headmaster's personal valet." Harry hadn't heard Haige say what his specific job was, so he could only make limited speculations based on the information Malfoy gave.

"But I heard he is a savage, living in a small house by the playground, drinking all day, and would burn his bed when he wants to use magic."

"Based on my observation, this rumor is not true." Harry recalled the gossip among the servants at Tang Dun and said to Malfoy: "Perhaps other servants are jealous that he can get Deng Buliduo's trust, so they spread these rumors everywhere."

"Oh right, he is with you now." Malfoy suddenly realized, "Clumsy servants are not qualified to approach Harry Potter. By the way, which house do you want to go to?"

"I think, any house is about the same, the important thing is to learn knowledge." Harry didn't know what house meant, but it didn't prevent him from answering this question.

"Oh, my robe is ready." Malfoy took the bag Madam Malkin handed over, and before leaving, he greeted Harry: "I should go to Slytherin, looking forward to meeting you in Slytherin again."

When Harry walked out of the robe shop, he found that the ice cream hadn't melted at all, and he couldn't help but marvel at the magic of the Wizarding World again in his heart.

In the process of buying books, Haige explained Quidditch, brooms, the four houses, and his real job: gamekeeper.

Only then did Harry realize how outrageous his guess about the personal valet was. However, since it was Malfoy who said the word "servant" first, it was fine to treat it as a small joke. ===== CHAPTER 7 =====

Only then did Harry realize how absurd his guess about a valet had been. However, since it was Ma Erfu who had said the word "servant" first, it could be taken as a small joke and would do no harm.