19 The-Boy-Who-Went-Native (II)

"Lucas Trent, right?" Harry asked as he approached a man standing right outside the gates of Ilvermorny. The man was reading a newspaper and looked up from his paper when Harry called him out.

"Harry Potter, I presume?" The man asked and Harry raised his cap to reveal the lightning bolt-shaped scar to the man. The man raised his own hat in acknowledgment.

"Your Oath please, if you don't mind" Harry urged the man as he palmed his own Wand. Harry was quite aware of the fact that there wasn't much he could do if the man decided to attack him, but it was still better to have his Wand in hand. He could at least cast a Protego to protect himself before diving beside the door.

"As long as you are willing to pay the gold" Lucas said completely unbothered by the fact that Harry was palming his Wand. After getting a stiff nod from Harry, Lucas pulled out his Wand from his pocket and raised it in the air.

"I, Lucas Trent, swear on my Magic…" With that Lucas started the Oath. The Oath simply entailed that he won't try to harm Harry in any manner during the trip, nor he will help anyone harm Harry during the trip, and he will protect Harry to the best of his ability. Harry also asked him to keep the trip secret until school started, to which Lucas agreed.

When the tip of Lucas' Wand flashed white, Harry nodded his head in satisfaction… "So, how are we traveling?" Harry asked curiously. The Oath wasn't foolproof or anything, but it was still much better than nothing.

"First, we need to get out of Wards, and then I will be Apparating along with you" Lucas answered as the duo started to head out of the Wards. The two of them finally walked out of the Wards and Lucas was about to offer his arm to Harry, but all of a sudden he remembered something. "Have you ever experienced Side Along Apparition?" Lucas asked all of a sudden.

"No… I haven't. Do I need to know something?" Harry asked with a bit of interest in his voice.

"Nope… You just need to keep yourself together" Lucas said dryly as he extended his arm. Harry knew that he was missing something when he heard his mom's snickers inside his mind. He grabbed the extended limb and moments later, the two of them were gone with a loud crack.

Harry felt like he was being pushed through a tiny tube and before Harry could scream, the feeling disappeared. Harry found himself on his knees and he almost ended up emptying his stomach. He had to take a few deep breaths to calm himself and he was finally alright, he started to stand. Harry looked around and found that his surroundings have changed.

Right now, he was standing at the edge of a busy marketplace… He couldn't stop himself from looking around in complete awe and fascination. "Great isn't it?" Lucas' voice finally broke him out of his reverie.

"Yeah…" Harry gave him a look before muttering in acknowledgment before he continued to look around. With Norton's help, he had paid a visit to Diagon Alley, but whatever this place was, this was much better than Diagon Alley. Diagon Alley seemed to be still stuck in the middle ages, but this place was way more modern and less dreary.

|Son, I agree with you on that| Lily muttered inside Harry's mind, similarly gobsmacked. With time, Lily has lost all love for Diagon Alley throughout the years… Lily was blown away when Minerva McGonagall took her to Diagon Alley. She was lost in the 'magic', but the 'magic' slowly wore off when she experienced discrimination due to the circumstances of her birth and she lost all of its 'magic' when the residents of Diagon Alley decided to hide instead of fighting.

"Welcome to the Alley of Druids!" Lucas exclaimed with a grin, breaking Harry out of his reverie for the second time.

"Druids?" Harry couldn't help but ask. He has read about Druids, but he has never seen one. He didn't even know if there were still druids walking around, on the earth. So, he obviously wanted to know how Druids were connected to this place.

"Yes, Druids, but there aren't any real druids involved… At least, not that I know if. According to the legends, the first druid of our country is said to originate from this place… Though I don't know how much of that is true" Lucas explained with a grin on his face.

"I see… Do you think there were druids for real?" Harry asked curiously. Lucas was a guide, it was his job to know things and Harry decided to obtain all the knowledge he can acquire for the man.

"Maybe then did exist somewhere in the past, but I don't think they really existed… History is kind of sketchy in that department" Lucas answered thoughtfully while scratching his chin. "So, where do you want to go first?" Lucas asked as he looked around the alley.

"Gringotts" Harry answered stiffly. Harry has gone to Diagon Alley, but he never went to Gringotts as his mom asked him not to. Goblins would happily sell you out for gold and his mom was sure that Albus or some of his lackeys were probably keeping an eye on the bank. After all, everyone needs gold to survive, but now the situation has changed.

Harry needed to get some gold from his trust vaults… Well, he needed more than some. He needed to pay his tuition. He also needed to pay Lucas and he also needed gold to buy an apartment… Oh, and he can't forget shopping. He did have somewhere around 100 Galleons, which were enough to keep him fed for somewhere around 5 years if the prices didn't hike, but 100 Galleons were simply not enough for everything he needed to do.

Lucas nodded his head before leading Harry toward Gringotts. While on the way to Gringotts, Lucas kept telling him about the shops they found on their way. Harry had to admit, even though Lucas was probably in his twenties, he was quite good at his job. The duo finally arrived at Gringotts and Harry asked Lucas to wait outside… The man simply shrugged and decided to wait outside the bank.

Without wasting any time, Harry walked up to one of the tellers. "I need to withdraw some gold from my account" Harry said haughtily. According to his mom, goblins will treat you badly even if you treat them nicely, but if treat them nicely then they will take it as a weakness, and goblins are quite well known for exploiting weaknesses.

Harry simply decided to go along with his mom's teachings… His mom was yet to lead him astray and the care and love he felt from her were genuine. He was really doubtful that she would ever lead him astray. Anyway, his mom told him that goblins only cared about gold and since he was a Wizard, they will look down on him.

"Key" The goblin muttered in disinterest and the goblin didn't even bother to look up from the parchment.

"I have lost my key, I want to get a new one" Harry said and the goblin finally looked up to stare at Harry. The goblin bared his sharp teeth, but Harry held strong.

"Hmph! 5 Galleons for the new key" The goblin said in a monotone as he placed a small bowl along with a small pin on the desk. "Three drops of blood" The goblin added with a look of extreme disinterest.

Harry took out 7 Galleons from his pocket and placed them on the desk. "5 for the new key and 2 for your silence" Harry said and the for the first time, the goblin displayed an emotion beside disinterest. A vicious smile formed on the goblin's face, which was kind of scary… Harry wasn't ashamed to admit that, but maybe in the future, it would change…

No, it will change in the future… Harry will make sure of it…

Harry picked up the pin and pricked his finger. He carefully dropped three drops of blood into the bowl and the goblin released a grunt as he grabbed the bowl. "Wait here!" The goblin said as he jumped down from the seat. Harry took out a handkerchief from one of his pockets and wiped the pin before placing it on the desk. After that, he rubbed the small wound on his finger with the handkerchief.

The wound was no longer bleeding, so Harry simply shrugged and decided to wait. After waiting for nearly five minutes, the goblin finally returned with a key and climbed on his chair. The goblin gave Harry a knowing look before placing the key on the desk.

"Color me surprised, I was never expecting to see you in this country, 'Mr. Smith'" The goblin said with a greedy grin marring his face. "My kin over the pond are going to be highly disappointed… Well, their loss" The goblin shrugged with an amused glint on his face. "By the way, how much do you want to withdraw from your trust vault, 'Mr. Smith?'" The goblin asked emphasizing on 'Mr. Smith'.

"500 Galleons, if possible" Harry said without showing any outward reaction to the goblin.

"Yes it is possible, but you will need to pay a 2% charge since your vault is in a different branch" The goblin said as he grabbed a pouch from under the desk. "Wait here, I will get the gold and if there are any old keys to your account are no longer usable" The goblin said as he jumped off the chair. Harry grabbed the key and shoved it inside his pocket before releasing a sigh as he decided to wait…