Skyla: The Girl Who Knew Too Much (Year 1)

Chapter 4 - Gringotts

I was a little bit shaken after the magic my dad showed me, I'd not spent the week coming to terms with things as he'd thought but instead I'd been in denial explaining it away. Now that I knew it was real it was starting to feel like an impending doom, I was entering an unknown world, going to a boarding school, where most people already know each other, I'll be an outsider- more so than I already am.

I check the shopping list again (dad copied it across onto a smaller more convenient piece of paper), we have absolutely none of this:
- Three sets of work robes (black)
- One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear
- One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)
- One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)
- Name tags
- The standard book of spells (grade 1)
- A history of magic
- Magical theory
- A beginner's guide to transfiguration
- One thousand magical herbs and fungi
- Magical drafts and potions
- Fantastic beasts and where to find them
- The dark forest: a guide to self defence
- 1 Wand
- 1 Cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)
- 1 Set glass or crystal phials
- 1 set brass scales
- Owl/cat/toad

"Dad this is going to be expensive," worry was evident on my voice.
"Don't worry pup, your grandad is a hopeful man, he set aside plenty of money just in case of this, I obviously argued with him saying I'll pay myself and he reminded that unless we spend it on your school supplies it's not getting spent."
"That's great dad but where miles from the nearest bank."
"Nearest muggle bank maybe," he grins.
"THERE'S A SEPARATE BANK FOR WITCHES AND WIZARDS?!"
"And a separate currency, we can go get it from Gringotts," I look around aimlessly for a building with bank written on it.
"Pup it's the massive white building straight in front..."

Gringotts stood at the end of the alley towering over the over building standing much much much taller than the others (or at least from this angle anyway). Dad and I head down to the front steps and walk up into Gringotts bank, I'm taking everything in when I notice the old men lining the pathway down the centre, doing their work, aren't even men at all.

"They're goblins they are wicked smart especially when it comes to accounting," my dad whispers to me, he must have sensed my unease.

I only started believing about ten minutes ago that magic was even real and now there's different species, what next werewolves exist? How stupid, I shake the thought out of my head. I find myself at the front of room with a very tall podium above me and my dad conversing with the goblin peering down at me looking almost unconvinced that I'm real. He nods his head and calls a different younger looking goblin over from the corner of the room, dad grabs my hand and we follow him through a metal gate behind the podium.

After what seemed like a budget roller we stop and get out of the cart, dad hand the goblin a key, who then put the key into the lock and unlocked the door for us, when the door opened, there was various piles of coins, all different in size and with various coloured coins: bronze, silver and gold. My dad steps in the vault grabbing quite a few of each different coin placing them in his pocket, he steps back out and guides me back into the cart. The goblin closes and locks the door. We take the budget roller coaster back to the main floor of the bank (trust me it is way worse on the way back). When we leave I thank the goblins that had helped us and we walk back out onto the main street of Diagon Alley.

"Dad can I ask you a question?" Everything was starting to get to me
"Sure, what is it?"
"Why didn't you tell me about all this sooner."
"I can't lie pup, I'm not sure I was gonna ever, I left this world on purpose and when I was told you would be a squib I was so relieved so we could live a normal life, I'm sorry."
"It's okay I understand this is just an awful lot to take in."

I'm sad I won't lie my dad is has been hiding something so big from me my who life and a part of me wants to be angry at him, but whilst he's been keeping this secret, thinking the truth would never be relevant, he's been undoubtably the best dad possible.

"I'm glad you understand, now a really important question, where to first?"