Goblins never had a good attitude towards people who couldn't help them make money, but Dumbledore's presence made them more patient and polite.
"Muggle money is of no use to us at all. We can't spend all the pounds we exchange every year, so Gringotts has to control the amount. But don't think it's too little. This money is enough for you to spend a year at Hogwarts."
"Two hundred Galleons? That was the price fifty years ago. Is your Muggle money worth that much now?"
"Sorry, Tom."
Dumbledore looked embarrassed. "The last time I brought students to Gringotts was over 40 years ago. I don't really know much about the current situation..."
Tom couldn't help but roll his eyes.
From forty years ago to now, prices in the UK had skyrocketed, more than doubling and doubling again. Looking at it this way, the goblins actually still had some conscience?
"Professor, can you lend me some money?"
Taking advantage of Dumbledore being in the wrong, Tom did not hesitate to press forward.
"I don't think this money is enough for me to buy more books. I can pay in pounds. Of course, if you are patient, you can wait until I graduate and repay you in Galleons. I will pay you with interest."
Tom tended to think that Dumbledore would choose the second option, because Dumbledore should have died when he (Tom) was in sixth grade, so wouldn't the money just be written off?
"Muggle currency is really of no use to me. Then just wait until you graduate to repay me. I'm looking forward to that day."
Dumbledore was never reluctant to provide help to his students, even financial help. Moreover, this misunderstanding was caused by his own misjudgment, so he readily agreed.
"Wait here for a while. I'll go get you some money and take care of some personal matters."
After giving the instructions, Dumbledore followed a goblin to the underground vaults.
Tom's heart skipped a beat, and a question suddenly occurred to him.
Could it be that Dumbledore's personal matter was to retrieve the Philosopher's Stone? He remembered that in the original story, he had sent Hagrid to get it, but because of his (Tom's) appearance, things had changed?
But this had little to do with him. After briefly considering the possibility, Tom stopped paying attention to it and discussed with a goblin the possibility of exchanging gold for Galleons.
The answer was yes, but when converted into the purchasing power of British pounds, Tom instantly felt he was getting a raw deal.
According to the current exchange rate, five pounds could buy about 0.8 grams of gold, and 10 grams of gold could be exchanged for one Galleon.
It cost about sixty pounds, more than twelve times the price.
Just because a Galleon was called a Galleon didn't mean it was made of gold. It was goblin metal, and who knew what was actually in it.
The horrible exchange rate immediately made Tom abandon the idea. His family assets weren't enough for him to squander like that.
Let the magical world make its money and spend it.
.....
After waiting for about half an hour, Dumbledore reappeared in the Gringotts lobby with a key and a bag in his hand.
He handed the bag and the key to Tom.
"Here are 100 Galleons. I've also rented a vault for you, which contains 700 Galleons."
Dumbledore reminded him, "One hundred Galleons per year. I hope you can plan the use of this money wisely."
"Thank you, Professor. I will make good use of your money."
Tom was secretly impressed by Dumbledore's generosity.
Eight hundred Galleons! This amount was enough for him to live comfortably until graduation, provided he didn't buy any luxury items like racing brooms or custom-tailored robes.
The old man blinked, feeling that this sentence was a bit strange, but he couldn't quite put his finger on why, so he changed the subject.
"Then let's go, Mr. Riddle. We have a lot to buy."
The two left Gringotts and bought uniforms, textbooks, scales, crucibles, and other items for the next semester. With Dumbledore accompanying him, the shopkeepers were polite and offered a discount.
But even so, over forty Galleons were spent in one go; without the discount, it would have been over fifty.
Adding the wand to be purchased later, the fixed costs exceeded sixty Galleons.
According to Gringotts' standard exchange, Tom would have at most a few Galleons left in his hand. It didn't seem impossible to get through a semester—after all, food and accommodation were free at Hogwarts—but it would be tight.
Ron's annual allowance was probably less than one Galleon, so by comparison, he was already considered wealthy.
Tom had his eye on many books, each very expensive. He planned to buy them individually on his next visit.
With Dumbledore around, he felt slightly uncomfortable with everything he did, worried it might be over-analyzed.
Moreover, he had no intention of stopping after spending the 100 Galleons he had on hand; he planned to use some of the money in the vault as well.
"Why is there no system?"
Tom lamented his bad luck and followed Dumbledore into the last stop of the day—the wand shop. Without a system, he could only study hard to become stronger; he couldn't just coast.
Upon entering, Tom subconsciously held his breath, afraid the dust dislodged by opening the door would be inhaled.
"What a rare visitor, Albus," said a soft voice, and an old man emerged from between the tall shelves.
"The last time you visited my shop was forty-eight years ago, also in the summer."
Dumbledore smiled helplessly: "Garrick, stop showing off your excellent memory to me. It will only make me green with envy."
"Hahaha, my memory is only related to this shop and wands."
Garrick Ollivander walked forward, gave Dumbledore a hug, and then slowly looked at Tom.
"So, what is your name, lucky little wizard? To have Dumbledore himself as your guide?"
"Tom."
Tom said, "Tom Riddle."
Thud!
Ollivander fell to the ground, staring blankly at the boy.
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"Garrick, perhaps you didn't get enough rest last night? You can't even stand steadily."
Dumbledore reacted quickly, stepped forward to help Ollivander up, and found a good excuse for him.
"Albus, you are as sharp as a hawk. I was racking my brains last night trying to develop new wand materials."
Ollivander also realized he had overreacted. He took Dumbledore's offered excuse to save face, then smiled at Tom and said, "But don't worry, child. Even if I can't walk, I will definitely help you choose the most suitable wand."
...
It seemed Ollivander had accepted the coincidence of the shared name, but in truth, he was still uneasy. After measuring Tom's dimensions, the first wand he selected for him was made of yew wood, which made Dumbledore's eyelids twitch.
Yew represents death and rebirth and is often favored by powerful dark wizards. It is suitable for both dark magic and defense.
The previous Tom had also used a yew wand...
After a ball of fire shot from the wand's tip, Ollivander shook his head in dissatisfaction, snatched the wand from Tom's hand, and opened another box.
"That wand was too gentle. It's not suitable for you. Try this one."
Tom took it, and a flock of birds exploded from the tip of the wand.
"Still not right. The thestral tail hair core isn't as compatible with you as I thought. Let's try this one."
After taking the third wand, Tom felt an unprecedented smoothness. He flicked the wand towards a broken flowerpot in the corner, and the pot instantly turned to powder.
[The host has successfully oriented their future development direction. System anchoring... Anchoring successful. The Ultimate Learning System will serve you wholeheartedly.]
Tom lowered his eyes, as if he hadn't heard the voice, his face expressionless.
Ollivander clapped his hands and smiled: "A perfect match! 14.5 inches, yew wood, with a dragon heartstring core. I can already imagine the power of your future spells."
"I'll put it to good use, Mr. Ollivander."
"Remember, the wand is not your tool, but your companion, child."
"Also, that will be eight Galleons."
After paying, Tom played with his wand.
Although there was no strange feeling of a blood connection, the sensation when casting the spell just now was extremely smooth.
Ollivander was indeed quite capable, and the saying "the wand chooses the wizard" wasn't nonsense.
Before reaching a certain level of mastery, the wand's compatibility greatly impacts a wizard's strength.
Taking the basic maintenance kit given by the wandmaker, Tom left Ollivander's Wand Shop with his new wand.
The moment the two closed the door behind them, the fake smile on the wandmaker's face vanished completely, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead.
A wand longer than 13.5 inches is considered extra-long. An overly long wand represents the wielder's absolute confidence and an extraordinary desire for control.
A wand that is too short indicates a narrow-minded and mean owner.
Ollivander remembered that the shortest wand he ever sold was to a witch named Umbridge.
And the longest one... was Tom's.
Furthermore, only wizards with powerful magic can control a dragon heartstring core.
"Dumbledore, you know what all this means when put together, don't you?"
Ollivander muttered quietly, silently returning the scattered wand boxes to their places.
"Ah, Mr. Riddle, I finally remembered what I had forgotten."
Dumbledore pointed to the pet shop across the street. "First-year students are allowed to bring one pet. Would you like to take a look?"
"Forget it, sir."
Tom shook his head. "Owls are messengers. I don't have much use for one. As for toads and mice... I'm sorry, they just don't suit my taste."
Dumbledore nodded, no longer dwelling on the pet issue. "Then let's call it a day. Let's have a drink, Tom, and then I'll take you home."
Tom didn't refuse.
They returned to the Leaky Cauldron. It was already dinner time, and there were only two empty seats in the pub, one of which had been reserved for them by Tom, the landlord.
Dumbledore's appearance noticeably reduced the noise level of the conversations. Fortunately, he and Tom only had one drink each and left without staying too long.
Tom suddenly understood why he had always felt, when watching Harry Potter in his previous life, that Dumbledore seemed perpetually lonely.