Chapter 6: Visiting Gringotts

A loud 'POP' resounded in an alley within London.

A powerful "*BLEARGH*" resounded in the small alley, sounding like someone vomiting.

"I'm never doing that again" said Drust, cleaning his mouth with a tissue, his face still pale after the experience.

"Scourgify"

Dumbledore cast a simple cleaning spell on Drust, who looked at the stains on his clothes rapidly disappearing in awe. Dumbledore just smiled slightly and exited the alley, with Drust following quickly behind. Soon they came to a dusty and slightly broken down pub named the Leaky Cauldron.

"Now, Drust, remember this place, as this is the entrance to the place where all your school supplies will have to bought, from 1st to 7th year. The reason you see it so dirty is to ward away muggles, adding a semblance of decadence to the already present anti-muggle wardings", Dumbledore said, pointing at the sign on the pub.

As Dumbledore finished speaking, he entered the Leaky Cauldron, making the old door creak loudly, at which the majority of the customers present turned their heads. After seeing who it was, all of them, with no exceptions, came over excitedly to Dumbledore's side.

"Professor Dumbledore, what an honour to be able to meet you here"

"Headmaster, it's rare for you to come here, stay with us for a drink"

"Headmaster, it is fate that brought us together, would you like to talk about our lor-"

Many people were flocking to his side in a constant wave, squeezing Drust out and not permitting him to see his surroundings.

Finally, Dumbledore had enough. He stepped forward and gave a powerful *cough* to bring the attention to him.

"Gentlemen, please, I'm here to bring a new young student here to buy his supplies, please let us through, as I have to return to the castle as soon as I'm done here"

Luckily, Dumbledore's authority was great enough for people to distance themselves from Dumbledore, creating enough space for Drust to finally see a little bit about the place he was in. He could see a slightly dim-lighted pub, with a couple of wooden tables around, and a fireplace on a side. At the counter a middle-aged man was cleaning some class mugs with a pan.

Dumbledore approached this man together with Drust, while the other customers went back to their seats whilst giving the kid some friendly yet curious glances.

"Tom, I must use the passage for the boy", asked Dumbledore after coming to the counter.

"Yessir, do you need me to come with you, or would you rather I stay here?", asked Tom with a smile.

"Don't worry Tom, I'm not so old as not to remember where the entrance is", answered Dumbledore laughingly, at which Tom just smiled slightly and made way to the backroom.

"Now, Drust, this wall is the entrance to Diagon Alley, the largest wizarding community in all of England, and after entering a password", said Dumbledore, as he tapped a brick on the wall, found by counting three up and two across, three times, "you will be able to open the door to the alley".

In front of Drust's eyes, the brick Dumbledore had touched quivered and wriggled, and in the middle, a small hole appeared, which grew wider and wider, and a second later they were facing a large and twisted archway, which gave out the feeling of long lost magic.

"Welcome," said Dumbledore, stepping into the arc, "to Diagon Alley."

"That felt far more scenographic than it needed to be", said Drust, after which he stepped forward to follow the professor. In front of him appeared a truly magical alley, with wizards and witches with long robes and pointed hats, entering and exiting colourful and crooked buildings that could give a stroke to any architect. Even if Drust wasn't showing it on his face, he was truly exited within his heart, after all he was able to finally enter the wizarding community officially, something that in his previous life was purely just a dream. Also, reading about it and seeing it for real are completely different things.

"Drust, now that we are here, it is better for us to go to Gringotts, the wizarding bank, to get you some money. Luckily, the school does have funds for orphaned kids, however, if you so wish, you could also get an inheritance test to see if you have any wizarding world ancestors that may have left you something. Also, remember Drust, Gringotts is purely managed by goblins, and you must never irritate them too much, as they can be quite vengeful" explained Dumbledore, making his way towards the opposite end of Diagon Alley, where a large white marble building stood.

Dumbledore and Drust made their way up the great stairs of the bank, to a door guarded by two goblin guards. The guards glanced once at Dumbledore, after which their sight moved to Drust, to whom they first just dismissively glanced at, after which they did a double take with some surprise, as if feeling something from him. Neither Drust nor the professor noticed anything about that, and continued climbing the stairs until they came to a large door, with some inscriptions on it.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

'Ah yes, they do have at least one dragon down there, don't they. Would be a pity to get mauled by one, even though I'm immune to physical attacks, my clothes aren't', thought Drust, remembering the chained dragon that was freed in the seventh book.

"Drust, it is better for you to listen to this message, after all, after Hogwarts, this place is the most secure place in England, for a certain number of reasons", said Dumbledore.

'Hogwarts won't feel that secure from this coming year, though' thought silently Drust.

After entering the bank, Drust was greeted by the sight of a heavily filled mostly silent hall, within which many wizards and witches were standing in frond of many different counters, each for their own use.

The professor and student where about to approach an empty counter titled 'Hogwarts Help Centre', at which Drust asked: "May I go get an inheritance test? I wouldn't want to take other students' money if I have any other option".

Dumbledore stopped and went towards a different counter, with a lightly surprised expression on his face: "Quite honest of you Drust, before taking borrowed money, you first checked whether you already had any. In that case, I shall bear the cos for your inheritance ritual. In exchange, I hope I'll be able to see who you are a descendant of if that is the case".

'There's a cost to inheritance tests? I mean, it does make sense, there's a ritual to it, and where there's a ritual there are materials, and materials have a cost. Anyways, this Dumbledore doesn't appear to be an evil or overly manipulative Dumbledore, just an old man that doesn't want to repeat some horrible mistakes he made in the past. I guess I can trust him a little, at least on the matter of inheritance, he'll find out sooner or later anyways'

"That's fine, professor, its the least I could do to thank you for helping up to here and for paying for my inheritance test"

"Hm hmmm, no worries, my boy, now come over here to this counter here"

At the counter, was seated a slender fingered goblin looking through some parchments. After finishing going through with them he looked up and saw the two wizards standing there.

"Welcome to Gringotts, Lord Dumbledore, what may I do for you?", asked the goblin to the professor.

"Hello to you, goblin, I'd like to pay for an inheritance test for this young wizard over here" answered Dumbledore, waving towards Drust.

"One galleon" said the goblin pointedly.

After Dumbledore gave the goblin a shiny galleon, the goblin put it away, after which he called for another goblin from around him to bring away the two.

"Grobnak, take this young wizard to take his inheritance test"

The new goblin, Grobnak, waved towards Drust, asking for him to follow along, at which Drust asked: "Can my professor come along? I promised him to let him now my inheritances".

Grobnak glanced back to Dumbledore casually, after which he just said: "It's up to you", and continued walking to an office within the bank.

"Please get seated, I shall prepare the parchment for the ritual", said Grobnak, after which he momentarily exited the office, just for him to come back in a moment later with a long parchment and an enchanted knife.

"Please drop a single drop of blood onto the parchment", Grobnak told Drust, to which Drust took the knife and cut himself, to his surprise, as he was after all immune to physical damage.

'I guess some enchantments on the knife that change its some of its physical damage to magic damage, there are after all some species with higher resistance to physical damage'

Drust then dropped a drop of blood on the parchment, after which some words started to come out on it.