Harry Potter and the Way of Things

Chapter 4: Gringotts Part 1

Author's Note: Nothing much to say, except thank you to Rafessor, my beta, for helping with this chapter, as well as the whole story

My AN: Comment if you have any Questions or something else. I will happily reply to all the comments(Will try to). New chapter will come soon.

Due to the early hour, most of the shops were not yet open for business. This suited Harry just fine. His destination was Gringotts Wizarding Bank. This also meant that there were only a few people here, spread thin across the alley. Fewer people to notice him, fewer people to notice his scar.

Making the trek across the alley was a short affair. As he passed each shop, he took in the names and made notes as to which ones he would visit later on. Magical Menagerie, a variety pet store, Flourish and Blotts, a bookstore, and Twilfit and Tattings, a high-end clothing store, all caught his eye. Flourish and Blotts would need to be visited first, perhaps second, after finding something to carry all the books he would surely buy.

Harry climbed the imposing steps of the wizarding bank. The two armor-clad creatures that stood at either end of the bronze doors, did nothing to make him pause, and he bowed his head to each of them in turn. They looked... surprised? Harry found it hard to tell, what with their pointy beards and wrinkled faces. Passing them, he made his way into the bank. The entry hall was simple and led to another set of doors. Engraved on them, were the words,

"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."

Through these doors laid the main hall, a vast marble room, with a long counter stretching its length. Around the counter were hundreds of segments, each slightly different. Some had sets of what looked like brass scales, others had stacks of paper, and fewer still, had the small creatures (who Harry had by now concluded ran the bank). Approaching the counter in front of one of them, Harry stood and waited. After a few minutes, a little creature did look up, and without preamble, "What is your business today, Wizard".

"I have been made aware," Harry began, "that I own a vault within the bank. I'd like to speak to whoever is in charge of it."

The creature stared at him for a moment before asking in a bored voice, "Name?"

"My name is Harry Potter".

After that, the creature (he still didn't know what they were) left, and came back a few moments later with another of its kind. "Griphook will lead you to your Account managers office, and then wait for you until such a time as you are ready to proceed to your vault."

Following Griphook through a maze of stone and doors, they seemed to be getting slightly deep into the bank. He stopped at a door exactly like all the others they had passed. Knocking once, the creature stepped inside the office and said, "Harry Potter here to see you Ragnok".

"Send him in", was heard from the other side of the door. Stepping into the office, Harry carefully controlled his features, leaving only a blank mask behind. The room was lined with bookshelves, and in the center stood a desk with a regal looking creature behind in. 'Regal' was a term Harry used, and even he had to admit it hardly applied.

"Sit Mr. Potter." the creature, Ragnok, said as he inclined his head to a chair in front of the large, beautifully crafted mahogany desk. " I had not expected to see you for a few more years yet. You must have many questions young man. I admit to having a few for you as well, so why don't we use some of our time today to answer both our inquiries? I'll go first. How is it that you came to be sitting here before me today?"

"Well," Harry's mind was running a mile a minute. How much should I tell him? Can I trust him? How much to reveal... "I live with my aunt and uncle. They are unaware of magic. Or so I thought. When my aunt realized I was doing things with my magic, she thought it fit to tell me of my parents, what little she knew of them anyway," As he said this he recalled the conversation he had with Petunia, fear and disgust had laced every word she spoke. "She told me about a magic alley and I barely believed her," a lie, "I begged(demanded) to come here for weeks, and eventually, my uncle said that he could drop me off on his way to work". Harry fought to keep the small smile on his face and the excitement in his tone.

"I see Mr. Potter. Now that you have answered a question for me, I believe it is time I answer some of yours as well, I'm sure you have plenty. Simply ask a question and I will give you a short response, if you wish to know more, say so, and I shall elaborate."

"Alright," He thought about which question to lead with, "what are you?"

"I am a goblin"

"What is a goblin?"

"Goblins are a highly intelligent race of small magical humanoid beings, primarily, we run Gringotts, the Wizarding Worlds Banking System."

With that question (it had been bugging at the forefront of his mind), Harry looked the goblin in the eye and continued to more important things.

" How does the currency system work here in the wizarding world?"

Seemingly a bit thrown off by the quick acceptance and the sudden new inquiry, Ragnok took a moment to answer. "The wizarding currency of Great Britain consists of three different coins; in decreasing order of value, they are: Galleon, Sickle, and Knut. They are gold, silver, and bronze, respectively. There are 17 Sickles in a Galleon, and 29 Knuts in a Sickle, meaning there are 493 Knuts in a Galleon. Around the edge of each coin is a series of numerals which represent a serial number belonging to the Goblin that cast the coin."

Harry took this in and immediately shot out another question. "What is the conversion rate between Galleons and British Pounds?

" The approximate value of a Galleon is about five Great British pounds, though the exchange rate varies, by up to about a Galleon, either way."

Harry was beginning to feel excitement deep in his chest as the realization finally dawned on him that he was really here, in the wizarding world, finally getting the answers to the questions he had been asking himself since the talk with Aunt Petunia last week. However, before he could open his mouth to spill out another question, Ragnok began anew.

"You must understand, Mr. Potter, that while it is intriguing to see a young wizard such as yourself begin his journey, we might have gotten ahead of ourselves". As he said this he pulled out a small dagger, and a blank sheet of heavy parchment. "You after all, have not in any way shown yourself to be Heir Harry James Potter. A simple heritage test shall indeed fix this matter up quickly."

Harry looked between the dagger, the parchment, and the goblin and quirked an eyebrow.

Ragnok continued as though he had not seen the expression. "All you have to do is knick your finger. Three drops of blood should do the trick. Let the blood fall to the charmed parchment."

Harry did as he was told, he picked up the small dagger, cut his thumb, and let three drops of blood escape over the page. The cut healed at once. Meanwhile, his account manager, lifted the paper in his long spindly hands, and began to look over the content as words formed in dark letters.