Harry scrutinized the grimy, dark Leaky Cauldron with a wrinkled nose, a look of distaste on his face.
Nios, however, opened his eyes wide behind his blindfold, excited. Indeed! Though there were no demons, Wizards still tasted like the legends!
Azazel sniffed, a look of disdain on his face: "The hygiene here is almost as bad as Third Brother's."
The previously boisterous pub fell into an eerie silence the moment they stepped inside.
Clearly, everyone here knew Hagrid.
They all smiled and greeted the Giant.
The bald barkeeper, Tom, peered over the bar: "The usual, Hagrid?"
"Not today, Tom, on Hogwarts business!"
Hagrid replied loudly, casually patting Tom's shoulder with his large, fan-like hand.
"Ugh!" Tom staggered from the pat, his face turning red.
Azazel tiptoed closer, leaning in to whisper to Nios: "Do you think this big guy will accidentally pat that bald man to death?"
Tom finally caught his breath and his gaze swept over the two boys behind Hagrid.
When he saw Harry's face and those green eyes, he suddenly froze, narrowing his eyes to examine him closely.
"Could… could it be… this is!"
Tom's voice wasn't loud, but it was as if a mute button had been pressed; the entire pub instantly fell silent.
The next second, Tom practically lunged over the bar, grabbing Harry's hand, tears of excitement welling in his eyes: "Welcome back, Mr. Potter! Welcome back!"
Harry was completely bewildered, looking blankly at Hagrid.
Hagrid grinned widely, a proud look on his face: "I told you, you're very famous."
The entire pub instantly erupted!
Ever since news of Dumbledore's appearance here last month spread like wildfire, a group of Wizards had been waiting every day, hoping to witness the greatest Wizard of their time once more.
Though it wasn't Dumbledore this time, it was the "Boy Who Lived," Harry Potter himself! The legend who defeated You-Know-Who!
Harry hadn't fully processed the sudden attention, but a long queue had already formed spontaneously, everyone eager to shake his hand.
Each person enthusiastically introduced themselves when they shook his hand, and Harry even saw a few familiar faces among them, including a Professor from Hogwarts.
Nios and Azazel were happy to be left alone, having already found a relatively clean chair to sit and observe.
Nios leisurely flipped through his demon book with its dark pink cover, while Azazel, having pulled out a watering can from somewhere, was watering a little pink placed on the table; this thing could self-replicate as long as it had water.
"I swear."
Azazel looked at the greasy bar and the excited crowd, stating emphatically, "I will never drink in this wretched place! Otherwise, I'd surely wake up missing a kidney the next day."
It was a full half-hour later before Harry's "fan meeting" came to an end.
He and Hagrid then suddenly remembered Nios, who had been left aside.
Nios was still reading, and Azazel's little pink had already multiplied into a small puddle.
The two smiled awkwardly at Nios.
Harry was especially embarrassed; yesterday, because of him, Nios hadn't waited for Hagrid.
Today, again because of him, he had waited so long.
The three walked through the noisy bar to a narrow little courtyard at the back.
Beyond the four walls, a trash can, and a few stubborn clumps of weeds, there was nothing else.
Hagrid pulled out his distinctive pink umbrella and said solemnly to Harry and Nios: "Watch closely, lads! When you come to Diagon Alley by yourselves later, this step is essential!"
He pointed the tip of his umbrella at the mottled brick wall above the trash can, "Three up from the trash can, then two across."
He tapped the specific brick three times precisely with the tip of his umbrella.
The tapped brick immediately began to shake violently! Following that, the surrounding bricks seemed to be pulled by an invisible force, quickly sliding and receding to both sides.
In the blink of an eye, a wide archway, large enough for Hagrid to pass through easily, appeared out of nowhere in the wall.
Stepping through the archway, the view suddenly opened up!
Wizards and Witches bustled through, shops lined both sides of the street, with all sorts of bizarre and eye-catching signs, and the cries of vendors rose and fell.
Harry's heart pounded with excitement, his eyes sparkling with delight.
However, after Nios looked around, an undisguised look of disappointment appeared on his face.
This was too far from the "magic black market" he had fantasized about!
In his imagination, everyone here should be wrapped in pitch-black robes that covered their faces, with hoods pulled low.
Merchants would spread out all sorts of forbidden or dangerous items directly on black cloths in front of them.
During transactions, the stall owner would let out strange "hehehe" laughs, and after a deal was made, would immediately pack up and run, or a daring customer would grab something and bolt before the stall owner noticed!
It should be darker, dirtier, and more chaotic here! There should be sewage flowing on the ground, suspicious bones piled in the corners, and rats scurrying in the shadows…
Azazel keenly caught the disappointment on Nios's face and unceremoniously quipped: "Hey, hey, what's with that expression? It feels like you're thinking some very rude and super stereotypical thoughts!"
Hagrid also noticed Nios's reaction.
Harry's excitement was expected, but Nios's disappointment surprised him a little.
"What's wrong, Nios? Don't you like it?" Hagrid asked with concern.
Nios forced a smile: "Nothing, Hagrid. It's just… it's a bit different from what I imagined."
"Hahaha!"
Hagrid burst into a hearty laugh.
"You young Wizards from Muggle backgrounds always have some strange misunderstandings about us! Relax, child, this is definitely an interesting place, it'll open your eyes!"
He said, leading the two forward.
The shop windows on both sides of the street displayed a dazzling array of magic goods: biting books, bizarre Potion ingredients, self-stirring cauldrons, Nimbus 2000 models… Harry was overwhelmed and couldn't take it all in.
Though Nios also found it novel, he subconsciously felt that this street, apart from its peculiar goods, was essentially no different from the bustling commercial streets of London.
"We need to go somewhere first," Hagrid stopped and announced, "Gringotts. The Wizarding bank. We need to get some money."
"Gringotts?" Harry asked curiously.
"Yes, Gringotts. Look, it's right there!"
Hagrid pointed to the end of the street.
A magnificent building made of snow-white marble stood at the end of the road.
It had grand bronze doors, carved with intricate and mysterious patterns.
On either side of the door, stood a short, wrinkled-skinned, pointed-eared, long-nosed creature with sharp, hawk-like eyes, dressed in scarlet, gold-trimmed uniforms.
The moment Nios saw the guards by the door, his eyes immediately lit up. He lightly kicked Azazel, who was secretly peeking at a beautiful Witch by the roadside: "Hey! Look! It's a Goblin!"
Harry, standing nearby, heard the unfamiliar word and asked curiously: "Goblin? What's that?"
Nios immediately perked up, puffing out his small chest, striking a "I know best" pose: "Goblins, well, they look pretty similar to these guys, but their skin is green! They love to hide in dark corners and ambush lone members of adventure parties, especially those who are lightly dressed and look easy to bully…" He got more and more excited as he spoke.
Azazel had originally been too lazy to bother with Nios's nonsense, but the fellow's words were clearly veering wildly into R-rated territory.
"Shut up, you bastard!"
Azazel instantly bristled, fluttering his small wings to fly up, grabbing Nios's collar and yelling exasperatedly.
"What kind of perverted knowledge are you trying to instill in an eleven-year-old child?!"
Watching Azazel hanging on Nios, tugging at his collar and shaking him, Hagrid couldn't help but laugh heartily: "Haha, Nios, these are Goblins! The Gringotts Goblin guards! Not Goblins. However…"
A curious look appeared on Hagrid's huge face. "Goblin? Sounds like some kind of magical creature?"
Nios, still being held by his collar, tilted his head and thought: "Hmm… I guess so. The most special thing about Goblins is that they can breed Goblin offspring with any creature, like humans, elves, orcs, even dragons…"
"Shut—up—you—bastard—!"
Azazel shrieked in horror, using all his strength with his two short hands to firmly cover Nios's mouth before he could utter more outrageous examples, blocking all his subsequent words.
Amidst the commotion and struggle, with Azazel hanging on Nios like a human ornament, the three finally pushed open the heavy bronze doors and stepped into the grand, yet austere, interior hall of Gringotts.