THE ARISE OF A LITTLE SISTER[Percy Little sis of boy who lived (Book 1)]

CHAPTER 3 :GRINGOTTS

LAIA POV

My mum and I came to Diagon Alley to buy school supplies. How can I explain the beauty and fascination of Diagon Alley? No word is enough to describe it. This is the most beautiful place I have ever seen. Don't ask me, "How many places have you been, Percy," but still, it is the most fantastic place. While I tried to swallow the beauty of this place, we reached a snowy white building. Standing beside its burnished bronze doors, wearing a uniform of scarlet and gold, was a goblin.

My mum announced, "This is Gringotts, the wizarding world bank, the safest place. Let's go inside. You will find another level of magnificence."

The goblin was about a head shorter than her. He had a swarthy, clever face, a pointed beard, and very long fingers and feet, but believe me, they are more handsome than my most beautiful stepfather, Smelly Gabe. He bowed as we walked inside. Now we were facing a second pair of doors, silver this time, with words engraved upon them:

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.

We entered the vast marble hall. Whoa, this place is like a palace, where Disney kings lived. Mum was right, like always. This place is another level of magnificence. About a hundred more goblins were sitting on high stools behind a long counter, scribbling in large ledgers, weighing coins in brass scales, and examining precious stones through eyeglasses. There were too many doors to count leading off the hall, and yet more goblins were showing people in and out of these. We made for the nearest counter, Mum said to a free goblin,

"Good morning, we want to take some money from the Black vault," showing a tiny golden key. The goblin led us to a door. We went through that. It was a narrow stone passageway lit with flaming torches. It sloped steeply downward, and there were little railway tracks on the floor. The goblin whistled, and a small cart came hurtling up the tracks toward us. We climbed in and were off.

At first, we just hurtled through a maze of twisting passages. We plunged deeper, deeper, even deeper, passing an underground lake where huge stalactites and stalagmites grew from the ceiling and floor. It was like a roller coaster ride. When the cart stopped at last beside the passageway, we got out of the cart. Above the door, it was engraved with the number of vault 465. The goblin unlocked the door, and there were mounds and mounds of gold coins, columns of silver coins, and heaps of bronze coins, along with so many gold and silver cups—so much treasure one can think of. I'm shell-shocked. How can this all belong to us? If my mum has this much, then why did she put up with Smelly Gabe? Why did she have to marry that jerk? Why did she have to work at a candy shop? Why couldn't she pursue her dreams? WHY, just WHY? My thoughts were interrupted by my mum.

"Go, Laia, take whatever you want, it's all yours. The gold ones are Galleons, the silver ones are Sickles, and the bronze ones are Knuts. Seventeen Sickles to a Galleon and twenty-nine Knuts to a Sickle."

I didn't even have the interest or mood for any sassy comments. I just took some Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts into a small sack, which my mum gave me, and got out of the vault. We got into the cart. Mum asked,

"What's happened, dear? Since when have you become quiet? I don't think I ever gave birth to a silent daughter as far as I know. Who are you, and what have you done to my daughter?"

Without thinking about anything, I asked,

"If we have this much money here, why did you marry Smelly Gabe, mum?"

She met my eyes and took my hand, squeezing it tight.

"He is useful to us in a way you don't know. You will know in time."

The cart finally stopped, and we got out. At that moment, another cart came and stopped. A giant man came out of the cart. His face was almost completely hidden by a long, shaggy mane of hair and a wild, tangled beard, but you could make out his eyes, glinting like black beetles under all the hair. He was almost twice as tall as a normal man and at least five times as wide.

My mum greeted him with a wide smile on her face.

"Hey, Hagrid, it's been a long time since we last met. How are you?"

"Hey, Sally. I'm great. Where have you been? You just disappeared into thin air."

"Oh Hagrid, it's not like that. I just got married and lived with my husband and daughter in Manhattan. And Hagrid, this is my daughter, Laia Black. Laia, this is Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys at Hogwarts, and my friend. Oh my gods, is it Harry? Oh my dear, you've grown into a boy. You've got Lily's eyes."

She hugged the black-haired, green-eyed, skinny, bespectacled boy. He seemed afraid to hug back, as if he hadn't been hugged by anyone in a long time. Oh my god, this boy is the famous Harry Potter, my godbrother, the Boy Who Lived. I realized one more thing—that he has not been loved or cared for by anyone. I think he doesn't like living with his Aunt's family. In that moment, I swore that he is my brother. I will love him with my life. He will be loved, he will be cared for, he will be happy. I will do anything in this world to bring happiness to those green eyes. Remus told me that Hogwarts is a home. If what Remus said is true, Harry will surely have a home there. He will have a family there along with me.

"It is impossible to manufacture or imitate love." - Horace Slughorn, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 9

I hope you enjoy this chapter. Happy reading! :)