Professor McGonagall gently patted Slytherin's shoulder and withdrew her wand. She understood his feelings—few young wizards of Muggle origin remained unmoved upon seeing the gates of Diagon Alley. For many, it marked their first real glimpse into the magical world, a revelation of secrets long hidden.
However, what Slytherin was thinking now differed slightly from what Professor McGonagall assumed. He wasn't entirely unfamiliar with magic. In fact, he had already witnessed far more wondrous magical phenomena than this.
He gazed into the sky above Diagon Alley, where magic itself took shape—manifesting as countless glowing threads that floated and intertwined, forming an ethereal canopy that almost blotted out the sun. These threads were the visual embodiment of magical energy.
He recalled seeing Andrew's magic—a thin, nearly invisible grayish-white strand. The wizards he passed on Charing Cross Road had magic threads of various colors and textures, usually several hundred strands thick, like tightly wound yarn. Professor McGonagall, in contrast, exuded a large bundle of orange-yellow threads, vibrant and powerful.
In Diagon Alley, these threads were countless, forming a woven tapestry across the sky. Yet what surprised Slytherin most was that even the buildings exuded threads of magical power—far more numerous than those trailing from wizards. It was a profound revelation.
This is incredible, Slytherin thought. I should find books on this.
Asking Maleficent for insight, though, wouldn't help—this ability to perceive magic visually only existed in the waking world. He had never seen the threads in dreams.
"Professor McGonagall, what should we buy first?" he asked, setting aside his swirling thoughts.
Professor McGonagall took his hand and guided him northward. "We need to exchange money first. We don't use pounds here, so our first stop is Gringotts—the wizarding bank."
"So how many pounds make a Galleon?"
"That depends on Gringotts' rate for the day. It fluctuates, but usually it's around eight pounds to a Galleon. The wizarding currencies are Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts."
Slytherin nodded, pretending to hear it for the first time, though he already knew from Andrew. Andrew had clearly chosen to cut himself off from the magical world, likely due to past hurt. Slytherin felt it was better to hide Andrew's identity for now—there was no harm in it.
"1 Galleon is worth 17 Sickles, and 1 Sickle is 29 Knuts," McGonagall continued.
She expected to see confusion on Slytherin's face, but instead he remained calm, as if the complex conversion didn't surprise him.
Truthfully, it didn't. The wizarding world's currency system was strange, but no more so than the Dream World's, where barter and gold coins reigned supreme. At least here, there was a consistent structure.
"So one Galleon equals 493 Knuts," Slytherin concluded smoothly.
McGonagall's lips curved in satisfaction. This child truly was clever. A perfect candidate for Ravenclaw—a born little eagle, she mused.
"Oh, we're here, Mr. Page."
They stopped in front of a towering white structure with a massive bronze door. Slytherin only glanced at it before his attention locked on the creature standing beside it. Dressed in red robes trimmed with gold, the being was short, with wrinkled skin, protruding yellowish eyes, and long, pointed ears and nose.
"Those are goblins," McGonagall said, answering his unasked question. "Gringotts is their domain."
Slytherin stared at the goblin, trying not to associate it with the elegant, forest-dwelling goblin sisters of the Dream World. This goblin was grotesque in comparison. He decided then and there never to let this image contaminate his dreams.
To him, they looked more like gnomes or dwarves.
As they walked through the bronze doors, then a second, silver one inscribed with warnings, they entered a grand marble hall filled with high counters. Goblins perched atop tall stools, interacting with customers. Some weighed coins on scales; others examined gemstones through monocles.
Slytherin frowned slightly. Why build such high counters? Wouldn't it be exhausting to constantly climb up and down?
McGonagall led him to an empty counter, where a goblin was scribbling figures on parchment.
"A Hogwarts first-year," she said. "Needs to exchange Muggle money."
The goblin peered over his glasses, his yellow eyes flicking to Slytherin with disdain before turning respectful upon meeting McGonagall's gaze.
"Oh, Professor McGonagall, of course. Today's rate is seven pounds per Galleon. However, due to Ministry budget cuts, the exchange cap has been lowered."
McGonagall's brows creased. "How low?"
"No more than 35 Galleons, I'm afraid. We've already sustained losses exchanging Muggle money. It has no real value, as you know."
McGonagall sighed. "Mr. Page, we might have to visit a second-hand shop later. Not all used books are bad…"
Slytherin raised his hand and opened his palm to reveal several gleaming rubies.
"Do goblins accept gemstones—or gold?"
The goblin's demeanor changed instantly. He straightened with excitement, fingers twitching as he took the gems.
"Oh, yes, young sir! Absolutely! Most welcome!"
Even before McGonagall could answer, the goblin was already inspecting each ruby with near-desperate focus, practically pressing his eye to the monocle.
"Mr. Page?" McGonagall looked at him curiously.
"I figured that dragonhide gloves wouldn't be cheap," he explained. "So I guessed you used your own currency, and figured that precious materials like gold or gems would hold universal value—just like with pounds, francs, or dollars."
McGonagall clapped softly, clearly impressed. "An excellent deduction, Mr. Page. You are certainly Ravenclaw material."
Few students she'd guided had reached such conclusions so quickly. This boy truly was something else.
The goblin looked up, breathless. "Young sir, we can offer 300 Galleons for this batch! Would you like to open a vault?"
Slytherin blinked and looked to McGonagall. The concept of a vault was still unfamiliar.
"If your family has no objections," she said, "there's no harm. Gringotts is very secure. Just a small one will do."
"Then the smallest vault, please. I'll deposit…"
"Keep 100 Galleons on hand," McGonagall advised. "Books, supplies, and maybe a pet will come to about 75. The rest can be for extra books or pocket money."
Slytherin nodded. The goblin handed him a money pouch and explained that deposits under 500 Galleons didn't require vault access. Slytherin was relieved—less time wasted.
As they exited through the bronze door, McGonagall glanced at the sun.
"I have another student to guide this afternoon, so we'll have to move quickly. We'll get your wand first—you'll likely take a while choosing. While you do that, I'll fetch your other supplies."
Word count: ~1495 words
Summary of Edits:
Grammar and punctuation corrected for flow and clarity.
Redundancies trimmed or replaced with tighter phrasing.
Dialogue was polished for naturalness and consistency with character tone.
Magical descriptions preserved and enhanced for vividness.