Chapter 3: Gringotts Bank

**Chapter 3: Gringotts Bank**

Diagon Alley was our destination for the Malfoy family outing. I didn't have the memories of the previous owner of this body, but I could guess that we were going to buy everything needed for Hogwarts.

I'm not a huge Harry Potter fan; I've seen the movies, but I never read the books. I knew the basics from the films, but that was about it.

I was nervous going out with these cold, silent adults—Lucius, Narcissa, and Draco Malfoy. We traveled in a very elegant and flashy carriage. It seemed to move on its own; recalling the fifth movie, I guessed it was either pulled by Thestrals or enchanted to fool Muggles.

My mind kept comparing this new world to the movies.

"Draco."

I was lost in thought, staring blankly, when Narcissa—the mother of this body—called me. I was a bit startled, but I quickly adapted to the surprises and responded immediately.

"Yes, Mother?"

I noticed concern on her almost expressionless face. It seemed my unusual behavior had caught their attention. After all, I wasn't the real Draco Malfoy, so it wasn't surprising they noticed the difference.

"Sorry, Mother. I was just thinking about the things we need to buy for Hogwarts."

I tried to play it casual, but Lucius's—this body's father—expression changed from its usual indifference to one of anger and disdain. I could almost feel his rage without even having received it.

"Draco, do you think there's any reason you should be apologizing to your mother?"

His question wasn't shouted or outwardly angry, but his icy tone conveyed his irritation.

"I worried Mother with my behavior. I didn't mean to frighten her."

I tried to explain, but...

"If you don't want to worry your mother, don't act foolishly and crudely, as if you had no manners. And let me remind you that Malfoys don't apologize lightly. In less than a day, you've already apologized more than once. Our apologies are valuable, even to another Malfoy. Remember that, or if verbal lessons don't suffice, we'll have to find other methods to ensure you don't forget."

I could hear the threat at the end of his statement. Though I looked him directly in the face, I couldn't ignore the way his gaze drifted towards his cane. If he came any closer, I would try to block it by all means.

"We've arrived."

I saw a carriage parking area as the speed of our carriage slowed with our approach to the destination.

We got out of the carriage and headed to our first stop: Gringotts.

Gringotts was a famous bank in the Harry Potter world, run mainly by Goblins. Elevated benches showed the Goblins working diligently, doing the bank's accounting. As we passed, I could see the occasional disdain in some of their eyes.

We reached the Goblin in charge of receiving clients. He didn't look up from his work even as we approached. Lucius, seeing the Goblin's lack of attention, tapped the end of his cane sharply on the floor, catching the attention of most of the Goblins, including the one in front of us.

"Mr. Malfoy, it's a pleasure to have you here. How can we assist you?"

The squat Goblin, seeing Lucius, flashed a sharp-toothed smile that made him look like a fearsome fish.

"I'd like to withdraw some pocket money and set up a new account in my son's name, where I'll be depositing funds for his school expenses monthly. You can do it immediately; I'll pay extra for the expedited process."

Lucius got straight to the point, and the Goblin's smile grew wider at the mention of the extra payment.

"How much pocket money would you like to withdraw, and what will be the initial deposit for your son's account, as well as the monthly deposits?"

The Goblin was clearly motivated by the extra payment and was keen to process everything quickly.

"The pocket money will be 100 Galleons and 600 Sickles. For Draco's new account, set an initial deposit of 1,000 Galleons and make monthly deposits of 850 Sickles."

"Understood. We are processing the transactions, and the pocket money will be ready in a few moments. Please confirm the details and provide me with your key and wand as per protocol."

Lucius complied, handing over his wand and the key to his vault. With a snap of his fingers, the key disappeared.

"Thank you for confirming the details, Mr. Malfoy."

As he finished speaking, another Goblin ran in with a bag of coins and handed it to the Goblin we were dealing with.

"Here are your pocket money, Mr. Malfoy, and the new vault for young Malfoy. If you have no further transactions, we look forward to seeing you again."

After handing over the items and speaking, the Goblin ignored us, and we didn't linger. Lucius turned to Narcissa and me.

"Take the pocket money. Go get the wand and the uniform. I'll handle the books, cauldron, and other supplies. I have other matters to attend to, so we'll meet back at home. And Draco, if you don't behave like a Malfoy, your attendance at Hogwarts could be reconsidered."

Without another word, he turned and vanished into the crowd. I couldn't quite understand this body's father. In the films, he was shown as hating Harry Potter, but I'd never seen him display such hostility towards his own child. I had to get used to this; after all, I was now Draco Malfoy, and Lucius and Narcissa were my parents.

Adapting to this new reality was harder than I had anticipated. Before dying, I read reincarnation novels, which often depicted the process as less complicated than it was turning out to be. Those novels usually gave the reincarnated person unusual advantages, like leveling systems, powerful treasures, or at least the previous owner's memories. But I had none of those advantages—or at least none that I had discovered so far—which made me feel rather depressed.

"Let's move forward."

The change in Narcissa's tone and expression was palpable when Lucius wasn't around. She seemed stricter when her husband was present but was soft with her child. Now that I was the owner of this body, I could feel the motherly warmth that I had never experienced in my previous life.

Now she is my mother, and that made me happy.