Harry Potter and the Old Ones

Hagrid counted the bricks next to the trash can

"Remember, Harry, Tierra, if you want to go into Diagon Alley in the future, take your wands and count up to three—and down to two—" he murmured. "Okay, stand back, Harry, and mention... well, Tierra, when did you stand so far back?"

Hagrid tapped the head of the umbrella on the wall three times.

The brick he had knocked on trembled and began to move, a small hole appeared in the middle, the hole grew wider and wider, and before them there was an archway wide enough for Hagrid to pass, leading to a winding Winding cobbled streets with no end in sight.

"Welcome," said Hagrid. "Welcome to Diagon Alley."

After Hagrid walked along the archway, Tierra and Harry followed Hagrid through the archway, and the wall behind them became the original solid wall again.

Harry was amazed by the magical transformation of the wall, while Tierra stood there blankly.

Although he had seen it in movies, books, dreams and imagination countless times in his previous life, when he was really in Diagon Alley, he was still deprived of all his mind by this magical scene.

The sun's glare falls on a stack of pots outside the nearest store. Hanging above the pot is a copper-brass-tin-plated-silver cauldron with a complete range of models, automatic stirring-foldable.

A fat woman stood outside the pharmacy, shook her head angrily and said, "Dragon liver, seventeen Sickles an ounce, they're crazy...they're absolutely crazy, Merlin's beard, the bastard in this version of the pharmacy must be The potion I boiled made me crazy."

There was a low, soft whining sound from a dark shop, and a sign in front of it read: EIL Owl SHOP--GRAYWOOLL, SCREW-HORLE, GRAY, TOWN, SNOW.

A couple of boys about Harry's and Tierra's age had their noses pressed against the glass of a window with broomsticks. "Look," Harry heard a boy say, "that's the new Nimbus 2000—top speed—"

On the other corner of the street, there is a shop selling robes. On the signboard of the shop, a golden pair of scissors is cutting a piece of powder cloth shining with metallic luster. On the powder cloth, it is written in golden characters—Mrs. Malkin’s Robe Shop .

Some sold binoculars and queer silverware Harry had never seen before.

There are also baskets of bat spleens and eel eyeballs in the window, full of spell books, quills, rolls of parchment, medicine bottles, moon globes...

"Let's go, lads, you will have plenty of time to read in the future, and we have to hurry up today, you have a lot of things to buy." Hagrid patted Harry and Tierra on the shoulder proudly.

"But Hagrid, I, I don't have any money." As soon as he heard about buying something, Harry instantly remembered the fact that he had no money, and woke up from the wonderful scene in embarrassment, "Uncle Vernon said that he would not spend a Pay me to go to school."

"Giggle, Harry, don't you think your parents really left you nothing?" Hagrid said with a smile.

"But you said they didn't even have houses..."

"Wizards don't keep money at home, we have a special bank." Hagrid interrupted Harry, "This is our first stop - Gringotts, we have to get Harry's parents left him money, and Gringotts student loans for needy students."

"Student loan?" Tierra couldn't think that there was something about him in it.

"Yes, although the goblins in Gringotts are greedy, fortunately, they haven't lost their minds and know their responsibilities as a member of the wizarding society." When talking about goblins, Hagrid's tone was bitter and mean. It seemed that the half-giant disliked the money-hungry goblins in Gringotts very much.

"Approved by Hogwarts, the loan issued by Gringotts will provide a student loan of 100 Galleons per year for students who cannot afford the tuition fees, without interest, but will require these students who accept their help to pay within five years Pay off the loan within five years, or work for them for five years."

Hagrid thought for a while and then said, "In addition, they will also open the business of exchanging Muggle currency for Gold Galleons for Muggle-born children. It seems that five Muggle currencies can be exchanged for one Gold Galleon, and the upper limit is one. Hundreds of Galleons, Tierra, if you have Muggle currency, I suggest you exchange it for a little extra Galleons. On the Hogwarts Express, Mrs. Nancy’s licorice sticks are very good, you should buy them Taste a little."

Suddenly, Hagrid stopped outside a strangely shaped candy store, staring at the dragon sausage in front of the store like a child.

"Oh, Merlin's beard." Hagrid said excitedly, "It's great, the dragon sausage here is not sold out yet, Harry, Tierra, you must try it."

After speaking, Hagrid happily squeezed into the candy store, and when he came back, he had three sausages and a bag of dark candies in his hand.

When Hagrid handed the sausage to Harry and Tierra, they seemed to see the pile of black candies wriggling in the transparent plastic bag.

"Oh, this." Hagrid saw that Harry seemed to be frightened, and explained with a smile, "This is lemon cockroach balls, the favorite dessert of Headmaster Dumbledore, Mr. Headmaster only likes lemons from this shop Cockroach balls, every time I come to Diagon Alley, I will ask me to bring him a bag back. Although they look like cockroaches, they are actually made of lemon juice, honey syrup and licorice. Do you want some? I don't think Headmaster Dumbledore would mind a dollar or two missing from his snacks."

Harry shook his head quickly.

Tierra wanted to refuse too, but in the end she made the opposite decision with Harry.

"One, thank you." Tierra took the black cockroach ball from Hagrid's thick fingers, carefully peeled off the outer wrapping paper, and put the light yellow candy that looked like a baby cockroach inside into her mouth inside.

Tierra could clearly feel that the cockroach ball, which was still alive and kicking, immediately quieted down as soon as it touched his tongue, turning into a slightly sour sweet smell, flowing down his saliva into his stomach.

"It's delicious." Tiera smiled.

Even though Tierra said that, Harry still didn't have the idea of ​​trying it. He just quietly ate the dragon sausage and wished he had eight eyes to look at the dazzling array of products in Diagon Alley.

"Here we are," said Hagrid.

They came to a snow-white building towering high above the surrounding shops.

The building had a shiny bronze door, and beside the door stood a figure in a uniform of scarlet and gold.

"That is……"