Harry Potter's Chaotic Twin (Ch 28) (Patreon)

We go into a small area in the back of the pub, though it's completely bricked off. As the Insanias look at Hagrid in confusion, Harry asks him why everyone seemed to know who he is.

"I'm not sure I'm exactly the right person to tell you that Harry." He says.

Well why do they know him but not me! I can't help but think. I don't say it though, instead simply watching as Hagrid taps a few bricks in the wall in front of him with his umbrella. After he does so the bricks begin to move. We all watch in shock as they rapidly rearrange themselves, clearing a path to form a doorway.

Beyond the doorway we see a large crowd of people milling around in what I can only describe as a shopping alley.

"Welcome all, to Diagon Alley!" Hagrid has a large grin of satisfaction on his face as he speaks.

We walk down it, looking everywhere as we try to take in all the sights. One thing that becomes rapidly apparent is how much we stand out. Everyone around us is wearing robes, or at the very least a cloak over their regular clothes. Well, there are a few who are walking around with vests and pants, but we probably stand out in our casual clothing. Especially Harry and I since our clothes are obviously of lesser quality.

As we walk, Hagrid points out various shops and tells us about them. Though he mainly points out where we'll be going to get our school supplies.

Looking to the side, I see a group of kids staring at a broomstick. As we pass by I overhear parts of their conversation.

"It's the nimbus two thousand!"

"Fastest model yet..."

I wonder what that's about?

Harry takes this moment to speak up. "Hagrid, how are we going to pay for all this? We don't have any money."

Before he can reply, Mr. Insania pipes up. "Don't be ridiculous my boy, we'll be happy to pay for whatever you need! Why, you and Misha are basically a part of the family at this point!"

We're touched by his words, especially since we've never considered the Dursleys to be family. But then Hagrid decides to ruin the mood.

"Actu'lly, their parents vault has more than enough to pay for their school supplies. It's all over there, in Gringotts." We follow his finger and see a large building at the end of the alley.

Exchanging a glance with Mr. Insania, we shrug and continue following our guide as he explains that there's no safer place for storing things. Except for Hogwarts, the school we'll be attending on September first.

Inside, we stop in shock once again. Not at the design of the building, though it is impressive. No, what has us shocked are the people working here. At each desk, and walking around doing various tasks, are midgets with long hooked noses and oversized pointy ears. As one passes us sorting papers, I notice that their fingers are around twice as long as normal.

The Insania parents are looking distinctly uncomfortable, but despite that Mr. Insania is projecting an air of confidence. Guess being in a bank puts him in his element.

Walking forward, Harry asks the question on all of our minds. “Hagrid, w-what exactly are these things?" I can't help but frown at his wording, and my frown only deepens at Hagrid's reply.

"They're goblins, Harry. Clever as they come, goblins, but not the most friendly of beasts. Better stay close." He probably thought that he was being sneaky by whispering to Harry, but unfortunately his whisper is only slightly quieter than an average sized person's normal volume.

Around us the goblins glare at the group, obviously insulted by the conversation. I bow my head, an apologetic expression on my face. They look surprised, but quickly turn their attention back to their work without acknowledging us further.

We go to the very end of the hall where a goblin with a small pair of spectacles is writing something down. As soon as Hagrid reaches the counter he clears his throat in order to get their attention.

The goblin stops writing and looks up in annoyance. Hagrid either doesn't notice, or doesn't care. "Mr. Harry Potter and Ms. Misha Potter wish to make a withdrawal." The goblin places his quill in the ink pot at his side and makes a noise of irritation.

"Ugh." He leans over over the desk, taking a closer look at us. Harry just stares, but I give him a little wave. He blinks but otherwise ignores me. "And do the Potters have their key?"

Harry and I exchange a glance in confusion. Key? What key?

"Oh, wait a minute." A thought seems to strike Hagrid and he starts rummaging in his pockets. "I got it somewhere. Ha, there's the little devil!" He pulls out a small gold key and places it on the desk as the goblin sits back in his chair.

"Oh, and there's something else as well." Hagrid whispers in a voice much quieter than when he told Harry about the goblins. He pulls out a note and hands it to the goblin. "Professor Dumbledore gave me this. It's about you know what, in vault you know which."

My eyes meet Clarity's, and we both roll them. What's the point of trying to do this secretly when you have a group of five people with you? And three of those are children!

Even the goblin thinks it's dumb, as evidenced by the sneer he gives Hagrid, who again, either doesn't notice or doesn't care. As he does so, I see that each of his teeth is sharp and pointy. Goblins must prefer meat to vegetables.

"Very well." He rings a bell on the desk to summon someone to guide us, then realization seems to hit Hagrid.

"Oh yes, and these folk wish ta trade some muggle money fer wizard currency." He gestures at the Insanias, who it seems he forgot about.

The goblin sighs. "I shall conduct the transaction while you withdraw the items from the vaults."

Soon a goblin comes to take us to our vault, and I wave goodbye to Clarity. Of course we'll meet back up afterwards, since they still only have a basic idea of where everything that they need is.

The goblin takes the three of us to a railway where there's some kind of… minecart? resting on the tracks. We get on and it speeds down the tracks through vast caverns without any guidance. As we travel I stare at the walls and how at some points they reflect the light in such a way that they sparkle. Overall it’s a pretty relaxing ride.

Eventually though, we pull to a stop in front of what the goblin identifies as vault 687. He gets off and asks Hagrid for the lamp politely. As he takes it I suppress a chuckle at the sight. The lamp is easily the size of his head, and with his small frame it makes for a funny image.

He approaches the large vault door and asks for the key. Taking it from Hagrid and handing him the lamp to hold, he moves a small section of the door that I thought was decorative and inserts it into the revealed keyhole.

We hear the sound of several locks coming undone as he takes a step to the side. Slowly, the door swings open.

Inside we see a pile of gold coins nearly the size of Hagrid! And even wider!

Seeing our shocked looks, he speaks in a slightly reproachful tone. "Didn't think yer mom and dad would leave you with nothing now did ye?"