Clap, clap, clap!
Mr. Granger, overhearing the conversation, clapped his hands with delight.
"Well said, Leon, was it? You've practically spoken Hermione's heart!"
Mr. Granger was a bit emotional.
"My wife and I may not understand magic, but we know our daughter. We know how wild she gets when she's truly passionate about something…"
"Dad!"
Hermione, embarrassed, cut Mr. Granger off before he could go on.
"Alright, alright, I'll stop. Let's head into the bank to exchange some money."
Mr. Granger chuckled, gesturing to the group that they'd arrived at the grand doors of Gringotts Wizarding Bank.
At the entrance stood a goblin in a sharp red-and-gold uniform, his pointed mustache practically radiating cunning.
Spotting Leon, the goblin promptly pushed open the first bronze door, bowing respectfully.
Leon, completely unfazed by the possibility of his disguise being exposed, strolled confidently into Gringotts alongside the Granger family.
They faced the second silver door, engraved with the following words:
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.
"Pretty intimidating warning, huh?" Hermione said kindly, waiting for Leon to finish reading.
At that moment, two goblins approached, bowing and ushering the group into the lavish marble hall.
Across from the entrance stretched a long row of elevated counters, behind which dozens of goblins bustled about—assisting clients, handling transactions, weighing coins, appraising gems.
Some were clearly slacking off.
One goblin, sporting an earring, was meticulously counting a small pile of Galleons, one by one.
After finishing, he acted as if he'd just noticed the pile had shifted, starting the count all over again.
Leon couldn't help but smirk.
The ceiling of Gringotts' main hall soared high, with countless doors leading to who-knows-where.
The crowd bustled in and out, showing no sign of the wizarding world's supposedly dwindling population.
Since stepping inside, Leon had been deliberately tilting his face to the side.
Sure, the Black family—specifically his blood grandmother—didn't trust Gringotts' goblins and kept their wealth hidden in the secret chamber at 12 Grimmauld Place.
This was Leon's first time setting foot in Gringotts.
But his face screamed Black.
He worried some sharp-eyed goblin might recognize him and cut his fun little cosplay adventure short.
Luckily, Muggle currency exchange was handled at a counter tucked away in the corner.
Leon followed the Grangers, reaching it without incident.
Hermione, mistaking Leon's silence for nerves, reassured him softly, "Don't worry, I'll show you how it's done."
"Hello!" Hermione greeted the goblin at the counter, her voice clear and bright.
"I'm Hermione Granger, a second-year Hogwarts student. Could you please check the list? I'd like to exchange pounds for Galleons."
The ancient goblin clerk, with a beard white as snow, moved at a sloth's pace.
He slowly set down his quill, glanced up at Hermione, and let out a delayed "Oh."
Then, with agonizing slowness, he began flipping through a stack of parchment, page by page.
The Grangers, visibly uncomfortable in the grand setting, held hands and stood quietly a short distance from the counter.
Hermione waited patiently as the sluggish goblin searched the list.
Leon seized the moment to step back, out of the group's line of sight.
He'd already spotted a goblin in fancier robes than the others, heading his way with an excited grin.
"Esteemed sir, may I—"
"Shh." Leon cut him off.
He flashed something in his palm.
The goblin—looking like some sort of supervisor—widened his eyes. A flicker of greed crossed his face before it morphed into a fawning smile.
Lowering his voice, the goblin said, "Esteemed Mr. Black, I'm Ragnok, in charge of major vault accounts. How can I assist you? Name it, and it's done."
Ragnok sneaked a glance at Hermione, still waiting, with a sly look.
Leon got it. Ragnok thought he was some Black family playboy messing with a Muggle-born girl.
Seriously, how old did they think he was?!
He was just having fun pretending to be a Muggle-born!
Did goblins always have such wild imaginations?
"What are you thinking? I just want to exchange some Muggle money for Galleons," Leon said, waving a hand dismissively.
Ragnok hesitated. "That's… tricky. In principle, only Hogwarts Muggle-born students on the list can exchange currency. The Ministry—"
Leon's patience wore thin.
"Tch, are all you goblins this inflexible? How'd you even get to be a supervisor?"
Ragnok gave an awkward chuckle. His position was inherited, but he wasn't about to explain that to a wizard.
"Fine, I'll teach you a trick today. Consider it making a friend," Leon said, adopting a lecturing tone.
"First, I'll quietly trade some Galleons for pounds with you.
"Then I'll go to the counter, exchange the pounds back to Galleons.
"You get a cut of the profit. Twice.
"Just make sure the clerk doesn't check the list or record my transaction. Easy."
Ragnok's jaw dropped, staring at Leon in awe.
He thought to himself, Thank Merlin the Blacks don't store their money here or open a rival bank. We'd be out of business in no time, and I'd be unemployed.
Meanwhile, back with Hermione, the ancient goblin was still checking names on the list.
The reason? Hermione, impatient, had asked a question.
Whether the goblin was genuinely forgetful or just being difficult, he started over from the first name after her interruption.
Hermione, frustrated, ran a hand through her bushy hair.
Turning around, she saw Leon giving her a calm, charming smile.
Her irritation melted away.
"It's a bit slow," she whispered.
"No rush. We've got time," Leon replied softly, his voice still pleasant.
By now, Ragnok had reached the counter.
"Bogrod, what are you dawdling for? Hurry up and help this lady and gentleman!" Ragnok leaned in, whispering something to the slow-moving goblin.
Bogrod's eyes widened in surprise, glancing at Leon as if to say something.
But Ragnok shot him a stern look, pointing a long finger at his nose.
Bogrod swallowed his words.
Suddenly moving at triple speed, he quickly exchanged Hermione's pounds for Galleons.
Hermione, clutching her Galleons, was still a bit miffed.
She wanted to argue, but seeing Bogrod's frail, ancient appearance, she softened.
Leon didn't care about any of that. He seemingly pulled a sack out of nowhere.
Thud! He tossed it onto the counter.
Bundles of pounds spilled across the desk.
"Exchange it all for Galleons," Leon said lazily.
Bogrod's face was pure shock.
Not because of the money, but because Ragnok hadn't mentioned this amount.
Ragnok's expression, meanwhile, completely collapsed.
That kid had only exchanged a thousand pounds with him!
Merlin's bald head, am I about to lose my job?!