The Philosopher's Stone (A Harry Potter Rewrite)

DIAGON ALLEY

Hagrid smiled at the amazement on Harry and Ria's face. They walked through the archway and Ria turned back just in time to see the archways grow smaller and smaller until it disappeared.

The sun shone brightly on a stack of cauldrons outside the nearest shop. Cauldrons -- All Sizes -- Copper, Brass, Pewter, Silver -- Self-Stirring -- Collapsible, said a sign hanging over them.

"Yeh, you both'll be needin' one o' those" Hagrid said, "but we gotta get yer money first. I 'sept yeh have yer key, Ria?"

"Yes" Ria said taking it out of her dress pocket.

"Very well them. C'mon"

As they followed Hagrid through Diagon Alley, Ria turned her head everyway. As she walked on, a strange sense of elation and homely warmth seemed to fill her up. The sun seemed brighter, the air fresher and sweet smelling and she suddenly had a strong urge to kick off her shoes and dip her feet in the dirt of the cobblestone road.

"Look" , Harry said pulling at her arm. He was pointing at a shop displaying the strangest collection of silver instruments which moved and clicked and gave out smokes of various colour.

Now she payed closer attention to the shops around. There were shops selling spell books, quills, ink bottles, telescopes and planetary models, beetles eye and crocodile heart....

"Gringotts," said Hagrid.

They had reached a snowy white building that towered over the other little shops. Standing beside its burnished bronze doors, wearing a uniform of scarlet and gold, was --

"Yeah, that's a goblin," said Hagrid quietly as they walked up the white stone steps toward him. The goblin was about a head shorter than her and Harry. He had a swarthy, clever face, a pointed beard and very long fingers and feet. He bowed as they walked inside. Now they were facing a second pair of doors, silver this time, with words engraved upon them:

Enter, stranger, but take heed

Of what awaits the sin of greed,

For those who take, but do not earn,

Must pay most dearly in their turn.

So if you seek beneath our floors

A treasure that was never yours,

Thief, you have been warned, beware

Of finding more than treasure there.

"Like I said, Yeh'd be mad ter try an' rob it," said Hagrid looking at Harry.

"It is protected with all sorta enchantments." , he said to Ria.
"They say dragons guard the high security vaults. And it stretches for miles beneath london. Even if yeh managed ter get yer hands on summat yeh'd be hard put to find yer way out."

A pair of goblins bowed them through the silver doors and they were in a vast marble hall. About a hundred more goblins were sitting on high stools behind a long counter, scribbling in large ledgers, weighing coins in brass scales, examining precious stones through eyeglasses. There were too many doors to count leading off the hall, and yet more goblins were showing people in and out of these. Ria thought the whole lot of them looked distinctly unpleasant. Hagrid led her and Harry to one of the counters.

"Morning," said Hagrid to a free goblin. "We've come ter take some money outta Mr. Harry Potter's safe."

"You have his key, sir?"

"Got it here somewhere," said Hagrid, and he started emptying his pockets onto the counter, scattering a handful of mouldy dog biscuits over the goblin's book of numbers. The goblin wrinkled his nose. Ria looked up and saw a clear blue sky through the domelike glass ceiling overhead.