The day after the End-of-Term Feast...
At last, wardrobes were empty, bookshelves were bare, and everything had been packed neatly into their trunks.
The House-elves carried all their luggage onto the train.
Each student received a summer notice, reminding them that magic was strictly forbidden during the holidays.
Hagrid took them by Thestral-drawn carriage to Hogsmeade Station.
This time, Jon couldn't share a compartment with Astoria on the way home—Hannah Abbott, Susan Bones, Zacharias Smith, and a few other Hufflepuff students pulled him into theirs.
"This is amazing. We finally broke that embarrassing streak... Jon, it's all thanks to you!" Susan said with a look of relief.
"We shouldn't be satisfied with just that," Zacharias said in a serious tone, patting Jon on the shoulder. "Next year, we have to aim higher—at least second place in the House Cup!"
"Second might be a bit tough... considering the two overpowered ones ahead of us," Jon thought silently. Still, he kept a cheerful smile on his face.
They sat chatting and laughing all the way on the Hogwarts Express.
Outside the window, the farmland grew greener and more orderly as the train passed town after town, drawing closer to London.
Jon took off his wizard's robe and changed into his usual summer clothes—short-sleeved shirt and jeans.
Eventually, the train pulled into Platform 9¾ at King's Cross Station.
It took quite a while to get through the barrier.
A wizened old wizard stood by the gate to Platform 9¾, letting only two or three students through at a time—just to prevent a crowd of people from suddenly walking out of a solid wall and startling nearby Muggles.
As Jon exited the platform, he spotted Mrs. Greengrass up ahead, holding one of her daughters by the hand. Astoria kept glancing back—until she saw Jon and broke into a radiant smile.
She waved secretly at him before being led away by her mother.
Soon after, Jon found Eric and Judy—his parents—waiting on the platform.
Judy rushed over and wrapped him in a warm hug, kissing his forehead.
Eric stood off to the side, upright as ever, and asked with a smile, "How'd you do, kid?"
"Not bad!" Jon poked his head out from his mother's arms. "Probably near the top of the year, at least…"
"Don't be modest—you're definitely first!" Eric clapped him on the back. "I know you too well. When have you ever been second in anything? Come on, let's head home."
"No, wait... Let's go to Charing Cross Road first. I need to stop by Diagon Alley," Jon said quickly.
"Alright then, let's go…"
They soon reached the station's parking lot and climbed into Eric's classic Jaguar XJ6.
...
Half an hour later, they arrived at Charing Cross Road in Westminster, West London.
Eric, already familiar with the route, had no trouble finding the shabby pub tucked between a large bookstore and a record shop.
"The Leaky Cauldron—famous place!" he said proudly to Judy.
Judy gave the unassuming pub a curious glance.
In the end, Jon asked his parents to wait outside on Charing Cross Road—he didn't want them following him into Diagon Alley. The place was full of wizards from all walks of life, and Knockturn Alley nearby was even more dangerous.
Eric and Judy were ordinary Muggles. If some Dark wizard who hated Muggle-borns decided to make trouble, it wouldn't end well.
Jon, at least, was a proper Hogwarts student now. In broad daylight, no one would dare curse him on the street.
He stepped alone into the Leaky Cauldron, where the nearly toothless barkeep, Tom, greeted him with a smile and a nod.
Jon nodded back politely, then made his way past the bar and into the walled courtyard out back.
Pulling out his emerald bamboo wand, he tapped the brick wall lightly.
Diagon Alley appeared before him.
Jon stepped in calmly.
First, he checked the few silver Sickles in his pocket, then headed straight to Gringotts.
Passing through the gleaming bronze doors, he was greeted by an unfamiliar goblin.
The goblin gave a low bow. "Good day, sir… May I be of assistance?"
"Of course." Jon inclined his head. "I'm Jon Hart, a second-year student at Hogwarts. I'd like to exchange five hundred pounds into Galleons."
"It's only June 15th…" The goblin looked up, his eyes shifting as he spoke slowly, "Mr. Hart, generally speaking... Muggle-born students don't usually come to Gringotts to exchange Galleons until August."
Jon frowned slightly. "I believe the agreement between Gringotts and Hogwarts allows me to exchange up to one hundred Galleons per year."
"Of course, yes, Mr. Hart... no need to be upset!" The goblin gave a strained smile. "It's just that withdrawing funds early can be a bit of a hassle, you see…"
His voice dropped to a near whisper as he leaned close to Jon's ear.
"Of course... things would go much more smoothly if you could offer a small handling fee."
"How much?" Jon asked calmly.
"Just five Galleons... and everything gets done, no questions asked… What do you say, Mr. Hart?" The goblin's voice was smooth and tempting.
A five percent cut on just a hundred Galleons—Jon clenched down on his irritation, then glanced at the nameplate on the goblin's chest.
Seeing the name "Latchhook," a cold smile crept onto his face. "Alright. Deal."
He tossed an envelope containing ten £50 notes into Latchhook's hand.
Latchhook efficiently pulled out a pouch of gold coins, removed five, and slipped them into his own pocket.
"A pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Hart." That same unpleasant grin returned to his face.
"Hmph. Thanks…" Jon muttered, turning on his heel and walking out of Gringotts without looking back.