The Leaky Cauldron wasn't exactly a good place to be.
The atmosphere was noisy, with flagons and glasses flying about, and the air thick with the smell of burning wood.
But Ryan didn't find it annoying; instead, he felt a sense of familiarity. This was because, a thousand years ago, when he'd traveled with his four teachers to various countries, he'd often visited wizarding taverns like these. Of course, there were some differences—this time, Ryan didn't see any sinister or menacing Dark wizards. Or perhaps, if there were, they were hiding their menace.
"Oh, Filius— is this the young wizard entering this year?"
At this moment, many wizards in the bar noticed Flitwick and Ryan entering. Some raised their glasses with a familiar air, clearly acquaintances of Flitwick's.
"Professor Flitwick!"
Some younger wizards immediately stood up, their voices a little nervous—they were clearly recent Hogwarts graduates. Flitwick greeted them politely and led Ryan to the bar.
"This is Tom, the owner of this pub," he said carefully, introducing the elderly wizard with a short beard. "Tom's granddaughter will be starting school this year too!" Flitwick added, hinting. "Hannah has been looking forward to attending Hogwarts for a long time—you might even be sorted into the same house."
Speaking of his granddaughter, Tom, the bar owner, was enthusiastic. Ryan politely greeted Tom, understanding that Flitwick was guiding him through the wizarding world. After the greetings, Flitwick led him across the bar to the patio at the back of the pub. The patio was surrounded by a wall, and next to it stood a trash can.
"The entrance to Diagon Alley is right here—see this trash can?" Flitwick walked over to it. With a wave of his wand, he transformed a stone in the ground into a flight of stairs, and ascended gracefully. "Count three bricks up from the trash can, and two across!"
He raised his wand and tapped the brick three times.
BOOM!
The bricks began to vibrate and part, and a passage appeared in front of Ryan. Flitwick gently signaled, and Ryan stepped over the bricks.
Then, a noisy sound reached his ears.
Various magic shops lined the cobblestone streets, and the bustling sounds came from the large number of wizards. Most of them were wearing wizard robes, and from time to time, there were wizards in Muggle clothing. From time to time, the sound of apparition could be heard in the air. And what they were doing at the moment was also very strange. At least within Ryan's sight, he could see a black sphere scurrying around in a shop full of brooms.
"Merlin's socks, who forgot to lock up the Quaffle? Gentleman, please... oh! Watch your head!" On the street, a magic book with a quill stuck in it flew haphazardly. Behind it, a male clerk in a shop assistant's uniform, a name tag reading Flourish and Blotts - Julius. "Damn it! I told you putting a quill and a book together wouldn't be a good marketing strategy!"
The vibrant scene dazzled Ryan. Even for him, it was a novelty. At the same time, he realized once again that the magical world of today was vastly different from the one he knew.
So...
"Professor Flitwick, which store should we go to first?" He turned to look at Flitwick, eagerly asking—he couldn't wait to learn about this new era.
"Oh, don't be impatient, Ryan." Seeing Ryan's excitement, Flitwick couldn't help but smile. Compared to Ryan's previous mature and steady demeanor, this was the image of the young wizards he was familiar with. Flitwick raised his hand and pointed to a large white building in the distance, nestled between a fork in the road. "Before we go to the shop to buy your wand and books—we must first go to Gringotts."
"G...Gringotts?" Ryan was stunned, even stuttering a little bit.
In fact, when Ryan and Flitwick arrived at the magnificent building, so different from the others in Diagon Alley—taking in the sight of the pristine white brickwork, the exquisitely renovated three-story building, and the ancient, stately bronze door with the words GRINGOTTS BANK inscribed on it—Ryan still felt as if he were in a dream.
"Are you saying that Gringotts, the wizarding world's only bank, was founded by goblins—and that the special magical currency crafted by goblins is now the universal currency of the wizarding world?" Ryan asked Flitwick again in disbelief.
"To be precise, the common currency in the wizarding world is Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts." Flitwick fulfilled his duty of clearing up the confusion for the young wizard very seriously, "One Galleon is equal to seventeen Sickles, and one Sickle is equal to twenty-nine Knuts. You have to remember this."
As always, he was generous with his knowledge and told Ryan some information about Galleons and Gringotts in an erudite manner.
For example, Gringotts was founded in 1474, and wizards chose to use goblin currency because goblins possessed unique forging techniques, making it virtually impossible even for wizards to imitate. After sharing this information, Flitwick felt immensely satisfied as he watched Ryan, stunned and seemingly startled, falter.
But Ryan, for a moment, was speechless.
He knew about Galleons, of course, as this goblin currency had been in circulation among goblins for millennia. Thanks to Mr. Gryffindor, he even knew the reason for the strange exchange rate—17 and 29 were both numbers that symbolized 'wealth' in goblin tradition, hence the different exchange rates.
But that was the key.
Thousands of years ago, goblin currency wasn't universally accepted in the wizarding world! Even when he and Mr. Gryffindor stormed into the goblin kingdom and mingled with goblins, the goblins presented Gryffindor with a massive gift of Galleons! That amount, in today's terms, would be an astronomical sum that would be hard for ordinary people to comprehend.
"Don't worry—although you come from the Muggle world, as a new wizard, you can exchange Muggle currency for Galleons at Gringotts... Madam Perla and Headmistress Elsa have agreed to provide it." Flitwick, clearly mistaking Ryan's silence, said, "However, the number of Galleons available for exchange is limited, so you may need to... well, use them judiciously." After these words, Ryan felt a pang of heartache, a choking pain.
Then, Flitwick led the silent Ryan into Gringotts.
The halls of Gringotts were filled with numerous counters and doors leading to various areas. Behind each counter sat a goblin on a high stool. They were dressed elegantly and refined, with the demeanor of successful individuals, either counting coins or sorting through ledgers. At least in appearance, they looked completely different from the barbaric and greedy goblins Ryan remembered.
"New student at Hogwarts? Exchange Galleons?" Flitwick led Ryan to a counter and explained his purpose. The goblin's voice, tinged with impatience and indifference, confirmed Ryan—no matter how their appearances changed, their true nature remained the same. "Young wizards at Hogwarts have an annual redemption quota of 66 Galleons... Um, name?"
"Ryan Elias," Flitwick replied calmly.
"Ryan Elias..." The goblin wrote down his words with a dull interest, but mid-sentence, it seemed to suddenly realize something. Both Ryan and Flitwick saw the goblin's ears perk up, and his dark eyes widen.
Snap!
He crushed the quill in his hand, and the hair on his head practically exploded.
BANG!
He even overturned the stool and fell off the counter, but a moment later, he struggled back up. "Elias!?" His shrill voice almost broke. "Come here, let me see!"
And now, Flitwick had quietly positioned himself in front of Ryan. "Oh, sir," Flitwick said seriously, "I'm afraid not—you might need to explain yourself, or else... I won't allow you anywhere near my students."