Chapter 4: Diagon Alley

"Albert, are you sure we're not in the wrong place?" Herbert was comparing the map in his hand but couldn't find the pub that Professor McGonagall mentioned.

"We need to find the bookstore first. The record store is next to it," Albert pointed ahead to a large bookstore, next to which was a record store.

"Is it here? But I..."

"...can't see the location of the pub?" Albert finished his sentence for him.

If he hadn't been observing closely, he wouldn't have noticed the small pub next to the large bookstore.

People passing by hurriedly didn't spare a glance at it, including his father, Herbert.

"I can see the pub now. Do you remember what Professor McGonagall said?"

"Muggles can't find the pub?" Herbert muttered, "I hate that word, 'Muggles'."

Holding his son's hand, Herbert was led forward by Albert. A few seconds later, he saw the legendary Leaky Cauldron, a dirty and cramped pub.

"I hate this place. It's so filthy."

"Me too. Let's go in!"

Suppressing their expressions of disgust, the father and son pushed open the door and entered the pub.

Dirty, chaotic, and dark.

That was their evaluation of the pub. Inside sat some men and women who didn't look quite normal, mostly elderly people wearing ridiculous top hats that looked quite comical.

If this group of people were walking outside on the main street, they would undoubtedly attract numerous gazes. But now, they seemed even more peculiar here, like a flickering flame in the darkness.

Herbert quickly calmed down and walked toward the counter, looking at the bald-headed old man. He asked tentatively, "Mr. Tom?"

"A young wizard from a Muggle family?" Tom observed Albert, then smiled at Herbert. "You want to know how to get to Diagon Alley?"

"Yes, Mr. Tom. Professor McGonagall said you could guide us to Diagon Alley." Albert also scrutinised the old man before them, managing a polite smile on his face.

"Of course, follow me," Tom came out from behind the bar and motioned for the two to follow him.

The three of them arrived at the backyard of the pub, where there was only a brick wall, a trash bin, and a few empty barrels.

"This trash bin will always be here. You need to count three bricks up and then two bricks across. It's this brick here," Tom pointed to the spot he had just tapped with his hand, then pulled out his wand and tapped the brick three times. He turned to Albert and said, "When you have your own wand, you can open the entrance to Diagon Alley yourself. Remember, you have to tap the brick three times with your wand."

The brick that Tom had tapped on began to tremble, and the brick wall eerily moved. A small hole appeared in the middle, and the opening grew bigger. In just a few seconds, an archway large enough for them to pass through formed in front of the three of them.

A cobbled street stretched out from under their feet, lined with various shops, and there were many wizards coming and going, as well as small stalls with vendors.

"Welcome to Diagon Alley," Tom smiled at the two.

"Mr. Tom, how should we go back later?" Herbert asked.

"Once you're done shopping, you can open the door using the method I just showed you," Tom patiently answered Herber's question, reminding them, "Oh, and you'd better go to Gringotts first to exchange Muggle money for Galleons. Muggle currency is not accepted here. Just go straight ahead, and you'll find a white building, which is Gringotts Wizarding Bank."

"Thank you for your advice, Mr. Tom."

"Enjoy your time." Tom smiled and waved at the two of them before turning back to the bar. He enjoyed his job.

After Tom left, the entrance disappeared and turned back into a wall.

"Let's go and exchange some money," Herber took a deep breath.

"This place feels different." Albert surveyed the surrounding shops and smiled at Herber, saying, "It gives me a feeling like stepping back a century."

"To be honest, I'm starting to doubt if sending you to Hogwarts was the right decision. Maybe Daisy was right all along." Herber sighed lightly, feeling that the wizarding world, while magical, gave him a sense of falling behind the times.

"Dad, I don't necessarily have to live in the wizarding world." Albert couldn't help but roll his eyes and reminded him, "I'm going to Hogwarts to learn, mainly to master this magical power."

"Well, you have a point." Herber's mood improved slightly. The two of them walked through the crowd and headed to Gringotts.

As Tom had said, they arrived at a white building, and next to the bronze door stood a small figure, a goblin.

"They are quite unique." Herber's facial expression was a bit stiff. It was his first time seeing a humanoid creature other than humans.

Albert didn't mind and examined the appearance of the goblin: short stature, pointed beard, long hands and feet, and a dark complexion, an aesthetically unappealing creature.

When they entered, Albert noticed that the goblin bowed and greeted them.

There was a second door ahead, silver in color, with inscriptions on the two panels. Herber approached and carefully read them aloud, "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..."

"I don't understand why wizards need to be so diligent in robbing banks that they have to engrave warning signs on the doors," Herber murmured after finishing reading.

Albert heard it and felt like laughing, but he quickly cleared his throat and asked, "How much money are you planning to exchange?"

Herber pondered for a moment and whispered, "One thousand pounds, and if it's not enough, we can exchange more later."

One thousand pounds, equivalent to a month's salary for most people.

Albert estimated it to be around two hundred Galleons. He nodded and said, "I think that should be enough."

Upon entering, two goblins bowed to them and led them into a grand marble hall. Herber stated that he needed to exchange some Galleons.

The goblins then guided them to a counter on the right and handed a piece of parchment to Herber. The parchment contained the exchange rate between pounds and Galleons and an explanation of magical currency in the wizarding world.

1 Galleon was equal to 4.95 pounds.

"1 Galleon is equal to 17 Sickles, and 1 Sickle is equal to 29 Knuts."

Herber handed the parchment to his son and asked, "How much is 200 Galleons in pounds?"

"990 pounds," Albert replied.

"Please exchange 200 Galleons for me." Herber took out 990 pounds from his wallet and handed it to the goblin for the exchange.

"Very well, please wait a moment." The goblin took the pounds and began counting.

"Excuse me, Mr. Goblin, can any amount of pounds be exchanged for Galleons here?" Albert curiously asked the question that had puzzled him in his previous life.

"In theory, yes, that's correct. However, we don't accept too much Muggle currency." The goblin shook a bell and summoned another goblin, instructing them with a few words. The second goblin brought a bag of coins and handed it to Herber, then led them to the side to verify the amount of Galleons.

"I didn't expect it to be actual gold coins." Herber played with the Galleons between his fingertips and couldn't help but sigh.

After confirming the count of Galleons without any mistakes, the two of them left Gringotts with their Galleons.

Walking on the sunny street, the coins in their pockets clinked together, as if urging them to spend the gold coins quickly.

(End of this chapter)