Chapter Sixty-Two: The Grand Shopping Spree

Diagon Alley was like stepping into another world, so different from the outside that the sudden transformation made the Granger family feel as though they had been transported to the Middle Ages. The people passing by were almost all dressed as wizards, and even the buildings lining the street were distinctly old-fashioned.

"The wizarding world uses only three types of currency: Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts," Professor McGonagall explained as she guided the Granger family through Diagon Alley. "We’ve already passed Madam Malkin’s Robes for All Occasions, the wand shop, and other stores selling items for new students. Now we’re heading to Gringotts to exchange some money. I’m sorry, Miss Granger, but after Gringotts, I’ll need to escort the other young witches and wizards..."

As she led the Grangers through Diagon Alley, Professor McGonagall introduced them to many shops—tailor shops, wand shops, potion shops, Flourish and Blotts, Gringotts, and more.

Once they reached Gringotts, Professor McGonagall apologized to the Grangers and took her leave. She had to guide seven Muggle-born students and their families through Diagon Alley that day, so her time was limited and she couldn’t accompany the Grangers any further after the initial introductions. Still, Diagon Alley was quite safe. Occasionally, even Ministry of Magic officials would stroll through. As long as one didn’t wander into Knockturn Alley, Muggles would not encounter any danger.

Upon entering Gringotts, the Grangers were startled by the goblins scurrying about—they had never seen any beings apart from humans before, and this trip to Diagon Alley was truly eye-opening.

Hermione Granger led her parents to one of the service counters and handed over her Hogwarts acceptance letter to the goblin behind it.

After checking the letter, the goblin narrowed his long eyes and said to Hermione, "Five pounds for one Galleon. Each Hogwarts student has a yearly exchange limit of two hundred pounds."

That worked out to forty Galleons. Among the items new students needed, wands and textbooks were likely the most expensive; other items like robes, cauldrons, and magical ingredients were relatively affordable. Forty Galleons would be more than sufficient for a new student.

Beyond this limit, further exchange for Galleons required gold; the goblins had little use for pounds. The gold content in a one-pound coin was dwindling, and collecting too many pound notes meant extra work for the goblins to dispose of them. Thus, only incoming Hogwarts students were allowed to exchange pounds for Galleons.

"Excuse me, how do I exchange gold for Galleons?"

The goblin glanced at Karn, then answered slowly, "Ten grams of gold for one Galleon, with no upper limit."

This was about what Karn had expected. A one-pound coin contained roughly two grams of gold. While the gold market price fluctuated, Gringotts did not seem to adjust its exchange rate based on Muggle market changes.

After some thought, Karn took twenty gold bars, each weighing 500 grams, out of his briefcase and placed them on the goblin’s counter. "Please exchange these for a thousand Galleons. And, if possible, could I purchase a money pouch for holding Galleons?"

"Gringotts gifts each major client an Undetectable Extension Purse. Sir, are you considering opening a personal vault at Gringotts?" The goblin stood up, his small eyes gleaming with surprise at the sight of the gold bars. He hadn’t expected a Muggle to conduct such a large transaction; with this, he would be the top performer of the month.

The Grangers and Hermione stared in astonishment; the amount of gold was nearly equivalent to half their annual income.

Karn smiled at the Grangers and explained, "I plan to buy a fair amount of magical items. Miss Granger, if you need anything, just let me know, and after we’re done here, Mr. Granger can buy me a drink."

The goblin, whose name was Sola, promptly helped Karn open a personal vault and handed him a pouch containing a thousand Galleons. Karn also deposited another two thousand Galleons into his vault, earning Sola’s special regard.

To the goblins, the distinction between wizard and Muggle was unimportant; they divided humanity into the rich and the poor.

After leaving Gringotts, Karn placed the Galleons into his briefcase—actually a spatial bag—and handed the Undetectable Extension Purse to Hermione Granger. "Here you are, Miss Granger. I prefer the latest Gucci briefcase to a tiny purse, anyway."

Hermione accepted the purse with delight, but glanced back at her father for approval. When Mr. Granger nodded, she thanked Karn happily.

She already knew the purse held three cubic meters of space and was usually reserved for Gringotts’ major clients. Unless the Grangers spent half their annual income on gold just to exchange for Galleons, it would have been nearly impossible to acquire such an item.

Items with Undetectable Extension Charms were strictly regulated by the Ministry of Magic; only a few were permitted, and Gringotts’ purses were among them. Now Hermione wouldn’t have to drag a suitcase to Hogwarts—a single extension purse would suffice.

Karn then suggested, "Mr. Granger, Miss Granger, why don’t we split up for now? I’m quite curious about magical goods myself, but Miss Granger should probably gather all the items listed in her acceptance letter first..."

"That works for us. Let’s meet at the Leaky Cauldron at noon, Mr. Karn," Mr. Granger replied.

Hermione Granger’s spirits were high. Perhaps it was the magic in the air, or her newfound identity as a young witch, but she felt like a migratory bird returning home.

...

After parting ways with the Grangers, Karn headed first to Flourish and Blotts. Diagon Alley was true to its name—a long, narrow street with Gringotts at one end and Knockturn Alley at the other. The side paths near Gringotts might lead out of Diagon Alley, or perhaps to wizards’ homes or other places, but Karn didn’t know and had no intention of wandering.

If he wanted to quickly understand the wizarding world, there were two main avenues: books and old newspapers.

Flourish and Blotts had both—books about the magical world and back issues of the Daily Prophet.

Any book displayed on the shelves at Flourish and Blotts was available for purchase. Many were Hogwarts textbooks for years one through six. Karn picked out most of the magical books after a quick scan, and as a result, Flourish and Blotts gifted him an Undetectable Extension suitcase, which easily held 170 magical books and a hundred issues of the Daily Prophet.

After leaving the bookstore, Karn visited Slug & Jiggers Apothecary and bought a pile of potions and magical ingredients. Unfortunately, there were hardly any potions personally brewed by Slughorn himself; the master’s creations always sold out the instant they hit the shelves.

Karn even made another trip to Gringotts in the middle of his shopping spree to exchange more gold for Galleons before returning to continue his purchases.

By the time Karn finished his shopping, if the shopkeepers of Diagon Alley compared notes, they would soon realize that the same person was responsible for the day’s spike in business.