Hermione Granger and the Philosopher's Stone (Completed)

Chapter 4 - Diagon Alley

The next day, Hermione was smart enough to open the door before Hagrid came, so he didn't break it again. Hermione had the feeling that he had been following her around for a long time because when he came back, it seemed that he was cleaner, though it could've been just that he had taken off his horrid jacket.

Hagrid wanted to take public transport to wherever they were going but Hermione thought he might not exactly... fit in, so they walked. Despite looking completely out of place in busy London streets, he seemed to know exactly where he was going. They were walking down a small side alley when he stopped so suddenly that she banged into him and nearly fell over.

He was looking at a grubby little pub. Hermione got the feeling that no one else could see it, though even if they could they wouldn't. It looked like it had been hit by an earthquake. Muddy brown paint was peeling off the walls. Several windows were broken. A dark green sign was swinging unsteadily on its broken hinge. It read 'The leaky cauldron'.
"It's a famous place" said Hagrid with a sigh.
Hermione found that hard to believe.

The interior was just as bad as the exterior. Several people in hats were playing cards and drinking a kind of drink she had never seen before. Hagrid waved at the bartender and pointed to her to show that he couldn't buy anything. He then dragged her away from where she was standing and trying to decipher the menu and led her to a room with nothing but has on the floor and nothing but a bin by the wall in it.
"Hagrid?"
"Hmm?"
"What has this place got to do with buying equipment?"
"You'll see"
He was now looking intently at the space just above the bin. For no obvious reason, he prodded one of the bricks with his umbrella and to Hermione's shock, the wall started to break. She tried to jump back, but Hagrid stopped her. To her surprise, the wall was breaking in the shape of an arch. And there was something behind the archway of bricks. Somehow, there was a street behind the rickety old bar.
"Welcome" said Hagrid "to Diagon Alley"
Hermione spluttered in astonishment, trying to form words. She didn't understand how it could fit in the back of a pub in a busy, crowded London street but hey, she thought, yesterday a giant had broken the front door, fixed it, and broken it again without actually touching the door once. Right now, she could believe anything

She felt like her head would fall off, it was turning so much. All the shops were leaning at odd angles as if the builders were told they had half an hour to build them all.

Hagrid led Hermione to a large, Roman style, white building near the back of the street.
"Gringotts" said Hagrid "run by goblins"
"Was that the place where vault 713 was broken into?" Asked Hermione. In reply to his shocked expression, she added "I saw it in a newspaper" which made him relax.

The newspaper she had seen had been very interesting. It was called The Daily Prophet and the picture on the front cover, of a hand batting away a camera, was moving. Apparently, everyone was worried that the thief was a supporter of someone called 'Lord Voldemort'. It didn't specify who he was, so Hermione decided to ask Hagrid later. Maybe magical society prefered aristocracy to democratic government

It didn't take Hermione long to spot a goblin, as there was one outside the door. He was a bit smaller than Hermione. His face was very wrinkled, and he had long fingers and dirty, pointed fingernails. He reminded Hermione of an Ork from The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, just a smart Ork in a red and gold uniform.

They entered through the golden front door and came to another set of doors, silver this time. They had words etched on 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