𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐎𝐏𝐇𝐎𝐁𝐈𝐀 → hermione granger

4: diagon alley

RAVEN WOKE UP EARLY THE NEXT MORNING. Although she could tell it was daylight, she kept her eyes shut tight and cuddled up next to Harry more.

"It was a dream," she told herself firmly. "I dreamed a giant called Hagrid came to tell me and Harry we were going to a school for wizards. When I open my eyes we'll be at home in my cupboard."

There was suddenly a loud tapping noise.

And there's Aunt Petunia knocking on the door, Raven thought, her heart sinking. But she still didn't open her eyes. It had been such a good dream.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

"All right," she mumbled, "I'm getting up."

She sat up, not realizing Harry was awake and Hagrid's heavy coat fell off them. The hut was full of sunlight, the storm was over, Hagrid himself was asleep on the collapsed sofa, and there was an owl rapping its claw on the window, a newspaper held in its beak.

Raven scrambled to her feet, so happy she felt as though a large balloon was swelling inside her. Harry went straight to the window and jerked it open. The owl swooped in and dropped the newspaper on top of Hagrid, who didn't wake up. The owl then fluttered onto the floor and began to attack Hagrid's coat.

"Don't do that."

Raven tried to wave the owl out of the way, but it snapped its beak fiercely at her and carried on savaging the coat.

"Hagrid!" said Harry 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 seemed to be made of nothing but pockets—bunches of keys, slug pellets, balls of string, peppermint humbugs, teabags . . . finally, Harry had pulled out a handful of strange looking coins.

"Give him five Knuts," said Hagrid sleepily.

"Knuts?"

"The little bronze ones."

Raven watched as Harry counted out five little bronze coins, and the owl held out his leg so he could put the money into a small leather pouch tied to it. Then he flew off through the open window.

Hagrid yawned loudly, sat up, and stretched.

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

Raven grabbed the coins and was turning them over and looking at them. She had just thought of something that made her feel as though the happy balloon inside her had got a puncture.

"Um—Hagrid?"

"Mm?" said Hagrid, who was pulling on his huge boots.

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

"Don't worry about that," said Hagrid, standing up and scratching 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, boy! 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."

Harry had dropped the bit of sausage he was holding.