The Boys Who Lived | The Philosopher's Stone | (Hermione X Male Reader)

Chapter 5: Diagon Alley

The following morning, Y/N got up early. He kept his eyes closed even though he could sense it was daylight.

"It was a dream," he told himself firmly. "I dreamed a giant called Hagrid came to tell me I was going to a school for wizards. When I open my eyes I'll be back in my cupboard with Harry."

Suddenly, there was a loud tapping sound.

"And there's Aunt Petunia knocking on the door," he thought, his heart plunging. But, he had not yet opened his eyes. Such a pleasant dream it had been.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

"Okay," Y/N grumbled, "we're getting up."

When he stood up, Hagrid's bulky coat fell off him. Harry stirred as he accidentally woke him. The storm had passed, Hagrid was dozing off on the collapsed sofa, and an owl was banging its beak against the glass while holding a newspaper in its beak. Y/N scrambled to stand up because he was so ecstatic. He had a feeling of a cheerful balloon swelling inside of him. He quickly approached the window and yanked it open. Hagrid didn't wake up when the owl flew in and dropped the newspaper on top of him. Harry leapt upright when he heard the flapping of its wings. The owl then landed on the ground and started pecking at Hagrid's coat.

"Don't do that."

When Y/N and Harry attempted to move the owl, it snapped its beak furiously at them and continued to tear at the coat.

"Hagrid!" Harry said loudly. "There's an owl-"

"Pay him," Hagrid grunted into the sofa.

"What?"

"He wants payin' fer deliverin' the paper. Look in the pockets."

Hagrid's coat appeared to be composed entirely of pockets, filled with items like tea bags, slug pellets, balls of string, and bunches of keys. Finally, they found a number of odd-looking coins.

"Give him five Knuts," Hagrid said sleepily.

"Knuts?"

"The little bronze ones."

Five little copper coins were counted out by Y/N, who then placed them in a small leather pouch attached to the owl's extended leg. Then it took flight through the open window.

Hagrid stretched, sat up, and let out a huge yawn.

"Best be off, lots ter do, gotta get up ter London an' buy all yer stuff fer school."

The wizard coins were being turned over and examined by Harry and Y/N. Y/N had just had a thought that made him feel as though his internal cheerful balloon had been punctured.

"Um - Hagrid?"

"Mm?" Hagrid said, who was putting his enormous boots on.

"We haven't got any money - and you heard Uncle Vernon last night - he won't pay for us to go and learn magic."

"Don' worry about that," Hagrid said, who stood up and rubbed his head. "D'yeh think yer parents didn't leave yeh anything?"

"But if their house was destroyed -"

"They didn' keep their gold in the house! Nah, first stop fer us is Gringotts. Wizards' bank. Have a sausage, they're not bad cold - an' I wouldn' say no teh a bit o' yer birthday cake, neither."

"Wizards have banks?"

"Just the one. Gringotts. Run by goblins."

The boys let go of the sausages they had in their hands.

"Goblins?"

"Yeah - so yeh'd be mad ter try an' rob it, I'll tell yeh that. Never mess with goblins. Gringotts is the safest place in the world fer anything yeh want ter keep safe - 'cept maybe Hogwarts. As a matter o' fact, I gotta visit Gringotts anyway. Fer Dumbledore. Hogwarts business." Hagrid proudly drew himself up. "He usually gets me ter do important stuff fer him. Fetchin' you - gettin' things from Gringotts - knows he can trust me, see. Got everythin'? Come on, then."