Semper Fidelis

Chapter 3.2

James gasped as the red bricks started rearranging themselves. The bricks made way for a small hole, then larger, and larger until the wall enclosing the courtyard was completely gone. James couldn't believe his eyes.

There, behind his mum, was a buzzling street. The 10am sun shone down on the multi-coloured storefronts as witches and wizards did their morning shop. He did not know what to look at first. There on the left looked to be a bookstore with a wooden sign out front saying "Used first-year books at half off!" The sign was literally saying that, a slit on its surface allowing it to talk. The street was packed with wizards and witches of all ages. He could see a couple of rowdy young children running from one store to another: first the chocolate store, then to the joke shop, then to the owl emporium before being corralled by their parents with a simple flick of the wand. He overheard a teenage girl telling her friend that she's getting new school robes enchanted at Madam Malkin's to be fire proof, stain proof, poison proof, and odour proof for her Potions class ("I can't have another accident during Potions! I nearly burned my clothes off last time!" he heard her say). He caught a glimpse of a group of teenage boys peering into a shop window at what looked to be a broom. And there at the centre of the street on the opposite end from where he and Hermione were standing was an alabaster white building with huge Roman-esque columns made entirely of marble. The street pulsed with life as the magical folk crossed off items from their shopping lists.

Hermione looked tenderly at her son. His mouth was agape and his eyes were opened wide as he tried to take it all in. She could see the wonder in his eyes and knew that this would be an unforgettable experience. She walked next to James and grabbed his hand bringing him out of his stupor.

"Love, welcome to Diagon Alley."---Hermione and James joined the crowds of people as the general flow of the street slowly led them to the large white building. James' head moved from left to right taking note of all the shops they passed.

"Oh my god mum can we please visit the joke shop before we leave? And the ice cream store and sweets shop? I wonder if they sell red vines! Is that a broom store? Do they just sell cleaning products? And wow - there are so many people!" James exclaimed all in one breath.Hermione laughed at his questions and dragged him closer to her to avoid colliding into a trolley of baked goods. "Yes. Yes and yes. I don't think they sell red vines. Yes that is a broom store and no, they do not have cleaning products. It's the summer holidays so there are a lot of first years here to do their shopping and older students as well. It's good that we came early." She answered in sequence. "But we must get your school supplies first, alright?"James nodded vigorously. "Thanks mum! Maybe I can buy some wizards sweets! I brought some of my chores money with me. Do you think fifty pounds would be enough?""Pocket your money, love. These shops won't take Muggle money."

"But then how are we to pay for our items?" James inquired, putting his bills back into his pocket. He noticed that they've now reached the end of the street and stood on the steps of the grand multi-storied building. All of the other shops in Diagon Alley looked so small compared to this one.

Hermione gestured ahead of them to the large wooden doors propped open by magic which led inside the building. "This is Gringotts, the Wizarding Bank. It's one of the safest places in the world to store your valuables. They've only ever had two break-ins," she said. James noticed that she almost had a wistful look in her eyes. "When I... left, I moved all of my money from my old vault to multiple new ones under different names. They're harder to keep track of that way, though Gringotts is already very good at keeping secrets."

Hermione produced a key from the depths of her bag and showed it to James. James nodded and hand-in-hand they entered the great hall of Gringotts.

James immediately noticed the creatures behind the high counters lining the hall. It was hard not to, for James had never seen anything like them before outside of the drawings in his fantasy novels. The creatures had long, pointy ears protruding from their round head. James noted that everything about their visage was rather long (ears, nose, hair, even chin!) yet they had a very short stature. He could see that they were no taller than about three feet and they sat on very high chairs behind the counters to look down on the customers. They worked methodically and queues of people conducting business were quickly attended to."Don't be afraid, James. These are goblins. They manage Gringotts and are one of the smartest creatures on the planet," Hermione explained in a whisper as she led him to the front of the counter. James gulped as the goblin servicing them swept his cat-eyes over the pair."How may I help you?" The goblin, whose name is Ragnok according to the plaque on the counter, asked them. James thought that his voice was strangely pleasant for someone with such a stern demeanor.

"I'd like to make a withdrawal, please." Hermione said clearly, sliding the golden key towards the goblin.

Ragnok grasped the key with his long fingers and looked at the number carved on its side. Ah, he knew she looked familiar. He gave her a leveled gaze before looking at the little boy on her side. 'And that must be her son,' Ragnok thought. 'How very, very curious.'"Very well." He replied, sliding the key back to Hermione. "Follow me please," Ragnok said. He slid the Closed sign into its place and hopped from behind the counter and led them out of the hall after Hermione had pocketed the key. The two followed the goblin to stand in line along what looked to be train tracks. James watched as the three witches in front of them, one around his age, boarded a cart with their goblin and zoomed down the tracks. Their turn came as a cart rolled to a stop in front of them and they were instructed by Ragnok to get on."Hold on tight, love." Hermione told James. He had barely grasped the side of the cart when it sped from underneath him and into the dark underground tunnels of Gringotts. He couldn't stop a yelp from escaping his throat. It was too dark that he couldn't see where they were going but he could feel his body being jerked from side to side and up and down as the cart followed the twisted turns of the tracks. Only his mother's calm hand on his back ensured him that everything was fine.

After what seemed like forever, the cart finally stopped. Ragnok stepped out and the lanterns on the platform sprang to life, illuminating behind him a metal door that read "Vault 1244". He offered his hand to Hermione to help her out of the cart before helping hoist James out as well."Key, please." Ragnok said and Hermione handed him the key. Ragnok walked to the metal door and waved a hand over a smooth panel. A keyhole emerged from the metal and Ragnok inserted the key and twisted. He ran a finger down the middle of the door and James vaguely heard the sound of clicks as the intricate locks on the door were dismantled. The metal heaved and breathed and swung open to reveal piles of bronze, silver, and gold coins inside.

James gasped at what he saw and his mum walked inside the vault to fill a pouch with the coins. She closed the pouch tightly before putting it in her bag. She walked out of the vault and nodded to Ragnok, who waved a hand making the vault close and the locks click in place. He removed the key from its socket and handed it back to Hermione before leading them back to the cart.

James knew what to expect so he held on tightly as soon as he was sat. The ride back to the surface didn't feel nearly as long this time and the two thanked Ragnok for his service before exiting Gringotts.As soon as they were outside, James turned to his mum and exclaimed, "That was so cool! How far were we underground? Where did you get all those coins from? WOW!""I'm not sure of the exact distance, but it must be at least a couple of kilometres underground. As for the coins... I was very careful with my allowance during school. When I was fourteen I learned that there's a wizard equivalent to the stock exchange though it's not nearly as big or complicated as the Muggle stock exchange. I asked one of my professors for help and after a lot of research, I learned how to invest." Hermione explained with a smile.

James looked at her wonder. His mother never stopped surprising him. "Mum, you're really great. Do you know that?" He said cheekily. Hermione laughed before leading him down the stairs of Gringotts and back into the crowds of Diagon Alley."Let's go then. We've got items to knock off your list! First, you'll need a wand."