Diagon Alley

Hagrid took Olivia to a place named Gringotts Bank and they entered. The place looked amazing, but there was something wrong, the people on the desks looked inhuman… They had large ears, and rather large feet. They had matching small, pure black eyes that looked like beads, and they were wearing fancy suits. Olivia thought it was quite funny.

‘Goblins,’ said Hagrid, looking at Olivia’s laughing expression. ‘Nasty little creatures when they don’ get what they wan’ but very helpful if they do.’

‘Ok, but what are we doing here?’ asked Olivia, admiring the bank. ‘I don’t think I have any money stored for me or something.’

‘Yeh have some money donated ter yeh by many witches and wizards,’ said Hagrid simply.

‘Wow,’ beamed Olivia, feeling happy. ‘But why?’

‘Cause yer parents- yeh know.’

‘What about them?’ Olivia mumbled curiously.  

‘Yer parents were murdered by You-Know-Who’s followers. Poor them,‘ Hagrid faltered, sighing. ‘Didn’ yeh know?’ 

‘I never knew that!’ yelled Olivia, stomping her feet in anger. ‘My uncle and aunt told me that my parents didn’t want any children, so they left me in the streets and my aunt and uncle took me in!’

‘That’s not true… Doesn’t matter, yeh’re kind, yeh’ll make loads o' friends- yeh know what? Let's jus’ continue, Olivia,’ Hagrid muttered. 

Olivia nodded slowly as she followed him until he went to a halt. She stopped, bumping into his large bottom. Hagrid must have not felt it, for he continued talking as though nothing had happened.

‘Anyway, we gotta go,’ remembered Hagrid, scratching his hairy head. ‘Yeh have yer money waitin’ for yeh. Hmm… where’s that key? For which vault was it again?’

‘Vault 965 I assume.’ 

The goblin at the end of the wide hall started talking. Hagrid ignored him.

‘I said-’ 

‘We heard yeh,’ interrupted Hagrid angrily. ‘And yes, vault 975 or whatever yeh said.’

‘Follow me,’ said the goblin calmly.

The goblin opened the vault door with the key Hagrid gave him and there was a giant stack of gold and bags. Olivia grabbed some and shoved them into a bag that Hagrid had given her.

‘Ah,’ Hagrid growled. ‘That would be Leprechaun gold. That snitch stole most o’ the real money and swapped it with that. It’ll disappear after a few hours.’

‘Who’s the snitch?’

‘Oh, that’s Mundungus Fletcher. ‘e’s a bit o’ a thief really, shouldn’ trust ‘im if you ever meet ‘im, I always said.’ 

Hagrid put back the Leprechaun gold and went to the back of the vault to look for more money.

‘ ‘ere, I foun’ some real Galleons at the back,’ called Hagrid, who was holding a heavy bag in the distance and walking towards Olivia.

‘Galleons?’ she asked, but realised what it meant as soon as she said it.

‘Wizarding money, there are 29 Knuts in one Sickle, and 17 Sickles make up a Galleon. Easy enough to remember if yeh wanna buy anything,’ responded Hagrid, shrugging. He looked at the second letter where it said the list of items:

Students, please have all of these necessary equipment:

• 
  

  1 Wand

  
  


• 
  

  1 Cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)

  
  


• 
  

  1 set of glass or crystal phial

  
  


• 
  

  1 telescope

  
  


• 
  

  1 set of brass scales

  
  


• 
  

  Students may also bring an Owl OR a Cat OR a Toad.

  
  

• 
  

  Parents and guardians are reminded that students are NOT allowed their own broomsticks.

  
  

Thank you.

Hagrid took Olivia to some places such as Flourish and Blotts, a place where you get the school books. A magical pet store, called The Magical Menagerie, which Olivia got a pet cat from, and it was as orange as the sun with strange, soft purple highlights. Therefore, she named her Twilight. Another shop was Madam Malkin’s robes, a place where you could get your robes and your school uniform (The school uniform was a black robe). Hagrid explained that when you get sorted into your house the robes’ edges get coloured the same colour of your house.

‘...but what are the houses?’ Olivia was asking.

‘Oh, they’re Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Gryffindor is where the headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, was placed, so it’s considered the best ‘ouse,’ Hagrid explained. ‘Ravenclaw is where the brainy bookworms go, and Hufflepuff is where the mediocrities go. I’ll tell yeh bout’ Slytherin la’er.’

They went next to a shop which sold cauldrons, and lastly, another shop called Ollivanders’ Wands, which they entered.