"So," said Hermione, "Do we have money, because I honestly guessed that our parents left us fortune."

Hagrid yawned and stretched.

"I mean what if I was wrong, our parents never left us anything or worse the money got stolen or maybe-if we couldn't get those books-we would have to come back here, oh no, oh no!"

"Give it a rest Hermione." said Harry sleepily. "No, off course I can't give it a rest, what if-"

"Hermione yer going to shut up?" Hagrid asked her sleepily. Hermione scoffed, "Do believe him, how can he be so rude, I mean, ugh, telling me to shut up, I mean that is so, I like, shut up, why don't you shut up, because..."

Harry groaned. "Hermione!"

"Fine," said Hermione, crossing her arms, "I will shut up."

"What'je doing?" Hagrid asked Hermione. "Shutting up." said Hermione. "But you just spoke." said Harry. "I-wait-what!?" Hagrid and Harry burst out laughing while Hermione rolled her eyes, muttering, 'Boys' under her breath.

"But Hagrid," said Harry, when he finally stopped laughing, "Where do we get the money?"

"Don't worry about that," said Hagrid, standing up and scratching his head. "D'yeh think yer parents didn't leave yeh anything?"

"But if their house was destroyed--"

"They didn' keep their gold in the house, boy! Nah, first stop fer us is Gringotts. Wizards' bank. Have a sausage, they're not bad cold -- an' I wouldn' say no teh a bit o' yer birthday cake, neither."

"Wizards have banks?"

"Just the one. Gringotts. Run by goblins."

"Goblins?" said Hermione

"Yeah -- so yeh'd be mad ter try an' rob it, I'll tell yeh that. Never mess with goblins, Harry, yer to Hermione, although yer a smart one. Gringotts is the safest place in the world fer anything yeh want ter keep safe -- 'cept maybe Hogwarts. As a matter o' fact, I gotta visit Gringotts anyway. Fer Dumbledore. Hogwarts business." Hagrid drew himself up proudly. "He usually gets me ter do important stuff fer him. Fetchin' you -- gettin' things from Gringotts -- knows he can trust me, see."

"Got everythin'? Come on, then."

Harry and Hermione followed Hagrid out onto the rock. The sky was quite clear now and the sea gleamed in the sunlight. The boat Uncle Vernon had hired was still there, with a lot of water in the bottom after the storm.

"How did you get here?" Harry asked, looking around for another boat.

"Flew," said Hagrid.

"Flew?"

"Yeah -- but we'll go back in this. Not s'pposed ter use magic now I've got yeh."

They settled down in the boat, Harry still staring at Hagrid, trying to imagine him flying, Hermione was staring at the water, not wondering about Hogwarts but about Aunt Petunia.

How long had she been a shadow of her sister? No wonder she was rude and Hermione looked a lot like her mother-his words-and Aunt Petunia must loath him and yet she had always treated Hermione with some sort of respect which not even her brother gave. Aunt Petunia gave her privacy.

Hermione barely noticed they had begun to move or that Harry and Hagrid were in conversation. She didn't join in though, instead kept on wondering how life would be like for Aunt Petunia...

~

Her red hair gleamed in the sun as she walked.

"How are you?" she asked the boy standing in front of her.

"Good," He replied, "How was school?"

"Terrible! Everyone made fun of me!" the red head exclaimed. "Well you are going to make a lot of friends at Hogwarts."

"Will you be my friend?"

"Always."

Just then someone bumped into the red head. She turned, but the other girl was already gone. A piece of paper was on the grass which said, 'Freak'

"You are my only friend," said the red head, touching the boys black hair. The boy smiled. "You wanna go and play?"

"Yeah, sure." said the boy. "Well, come on."

"Coming!" when the red head had left, the boy muttered, "I am never going to wash my hair again."

~

The boat bumped gently into the harbor wall. Hagrid folded up his newspaper, and they clambered up the stone steps onto the street.

A lot of people stared at Hagrid as they walked through the little town to the station. Hagrid kept pointing at perfectly ordinary things like parking meters and saying loudly, "See that, Harry? Things these Muggles dream up, eh?"

"Hagrid," said Harry, panting a bit as he ran to keep up, "did you say there are dragons at Gringotts?"

"Well, so they say," said Hagrid. "Crikey, I'd like a dragon."

"You'd like one?" Hermione said, finally pulling her attention back into a conversation

"Wanted one ever since I was a kid -- here we go."

They had reached the station. There was a train to London in five minutes' time. Hagrid, who didn't understand "Muggle money," as he called it, gave the bills to Hermione so he could buy their tickets.

"Still got yer letter, Harry?" Hagrid asked, "And don't yer worry Hermione, every first year has the same letter,"

Harry took the parchment envelope out of his pocket.

"Good," said Hagrid. "There's a list there of everything yeh need."

Harry unfolded a second piece of paper he hadn't noticed the night before, and read:

HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

UNIFORM

First-year students will require:

1. Three sets of plain work robes (black)

2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear

3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)

4. One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)

Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags

COURSE BOOKS

All students should have a copy of each of the following:

The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk

A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot

Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling

A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch

One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore

Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander

The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble

OTHER EQUIPMENT

1 wand

1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)

1 set of glass or crystal phials

1 telescope set

1 brass scales

Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad

PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS

"Can we buy all this in London?" Harry wondered aloud.

"If yeh know where to go," said Hagrid and the three of them began to walk.

"This is it," said Hagrid, after a while, coming to a halt, "the Leaky Cauldron. It's a famous place."

Hagrid had steered them inside.

For a famous place, it was very dark and shabby. A few old women were sitting in a corner, drinking tiny glasses of sherry. One of them was smoking a long pipe. A little man in a top hat was talking to the old bartender, who was quite bald and looked like a toothless walnut. The low buzz of chatter stopped when they walked in. Everyone seemed to know Hagrid; they waved and smiled at him, and the bartender reached for a glass, saying, "The usual, Hagrid?"

"Can't, Tom, I'm on Hogwarts business," said Hagrid, clapping his great hand on Harry's shoulder and making Harry's knees buckle. Hermione giggled

"Good Lord," said the bartender, peering at Harry, "is this -- can this be --?"

The Leaky Cauldron had suddenly gone completely still and silent.

"Bless my soul," whispered the old bartender, "Harry Potter... what an honor."

He hurried out from behind the bar, rushed toward Harry and seized his hand, tears in his eyes.

"Welcome back, Mr. Potter, welcome back."

Harry didn't know what to say. Everyone was looking at him. The old woman with the pipe was puffing on it without realizing it had gone out. Hagrid was beaming.

"Uh, Hagrid, why is everyone so over Harry?" Hermione asked

"He has the scare." Hagrid replied. "Oh, so does that mean I need a scare or something?" And then, suddenly, there was a cry of, "Hermione Potter!"

Then there was a great scraping of chairs and the next moment, Harry and Hermione found themselves shaking hands with everyone in the Leaky Cauldron.

"Doris Crockford, Mr. Potter, Mrs. Potter, can't believe I'm meeting you at last."

"So proud, Mr. Potter, Mrs. Potter, I'm just so proud."

"Always wanted to shake your hand -- I'm all of a flutter."

"Delighted, Mr. Potter, Mrs. Potter, just can't tell you, Diggle's the name, Dedalus Diggle."

A pale young man made his way forward, very nervously. One of his eyes was twitching.

"Professor Quirrell!" said Hagrid. "Professor Quirrell will be one of yer teachers at Hogwarts."

"P-P-Potter," stammered Professor Quirrell, grasping Harry's hand, "c-can't t-tell you how p-pleased I am to meet you."

"What sort of magic do you teach, Professor Quirrell?"

"D-Defense Against the D-D-Dark Arts," muttered Professor Quirrell, as though he'd rather not think about it. "N-not that you n-need it, eh, P-P-Potter?" He laughed nervously. "You'll be g-getting all your equipment, I suppose? I've g-got to p-pick up a new b-book on vampires, m-myself." He looked terrified at the very thought.

"Must get on -- lots ter buy. Come on, Harry, Hermione." said Hagrid and both of them followed Hagrid

Hagrid stopped at a stone wall and started counting the bricks in the wall.

"Three up... two across... " he muttered. "Right, stand back, Harry, like yer sister."

He tapped the wall three times with the point of his umbrella.

The brick he had touched quivered -- it wriggled -- in the middle, a small hole appeared -- it grew wider and wider -- a second later they were facing an archway large enough even for Hagrid, an archway onto a cobbled street that twisted and turned out of sight.

"Welcome," said Hagrid, "to Diagon Alley."

"Wow!" Hermione exclaimed, "Is that-?"

"Yep, come on."

The twins followed Hagrid into Diagon Alley.

The sun shone brightly on a stack of cauldrons outside the nearest shop. Cauldrons -- All Sizes -- Copper, Brass, Pewter, Silver -- Self-Stirring -- Collapsible, said a sign hanging over them.

"Yeah, you'll be needin' one," said Hagrid, "but we gotta get yer money first."

"Gringotts," said Hagrid.

They had reached a snowy white building that towered over the other little shops. Standing beside its burnished bronze doors, wearing a uniform of scarlet and gold, was --

"Yeah, that's a goblin," said Hagrid quietly as they walked up the white stone steps toward him. The goblin was about a head shorter than Harry and a bit less than a head for Hermione. He had a swarthy, clever face, a pointed beard and, Harry noticed, very long fingers and feet. He bowed as they walked inside. Now they were facing a second pair of doors, silver this time, with words engraved upon them:

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.

"Like I said, Yeh'd be mad ter try an' rob it," said Hagrid.

A pair of goblins bowed them through the silver doors and they were in a vast marble hall. About a hundred more goblins were sitting on high stools behind a long counter, scribbling in large ledgers, weighing coins in brass scales, examining precious stones through eyeglasses. There were too many doors to count leading off the hall, and yet more goblins were showing people in and out of these. Hagrid, Hermione and Harry made for the counter.

"Morning," said Hagrid to a free goblin. "We've come ter take some money outta Mr. Harry Potter's safe and Mrs. Potter's."

"We got different safes!" Hermione and Harry muttered together, "Wow."

"You have his and her key, sir?"

"Got it here somewhere," said Hagrid, and he started emptying his pockets onto the counter, scattering a handful of moldy dog biscuits over the goblin's book of numbers.
"Got it," said Hagrid at last, holding up two tiny golden key.

"That seems to be in order."

"An' I've also got a letter here from Professor Dumbledore," said Hagrid importantly, throwing out his chest. "It's about the You-Know-What in vault seven hundred and thirteen."

The goblin read the letter carefully.

"Very well," he said, handing it back to Hagrid, "I will have someone take you down to both vaults. Griphook!"

Griphook was yet another goblin. Once Hagrid had crammed all the dog biscuits back inside his pockets, he and Harry followed Griphook toward one of the doors leading off the hall.

"What's the You-Know-What in vault seven hundred and thirteen?" Harry asked.

"Can't tell yeh that," said Hagrid mysteriously. "Very secret. Hogwarts business. Dumbledore's trusted me. More'n my job's worth ter tell yeh that."

"Please," said Hermione, "I promise we won't tell." But Hagrid just shook his head.

Griphook held the door open for them. They were in a narrow stone passageway lit with flaming torches. It sloped steeply downward and there were little railway tracks on the floor. Griphook whistled and a small cart came hurtling up the tracks toward them. They climbed in -- Hagrid with some difficulty -- and were off. When they were at Harry's vault, Griphook unlocked the door. A lot of green smoke came billowing out, and as it cleared, Harry gasped. Inside were mounds of gold coins. Columns of silver. Heaps of little bronze Knuts.

Hagrid helped Harry pile some of it into a bag.

"The gold ones are Galleons," he explained. "Seventeen silver Sickles to a Galleon and twenty-nine Knuts to a Sickle, its easy enough. Right, that should be enough fer a couple o' terms, we'll keep the rest safe for yeh." It was the same in Hermione's vault, the same shock Harry went to, and so did Hermione. After they left her vault Hagrid turned to Griphook. "Vault seven hundred and thirteen now."

They were going even deeper now and gathering speed. The air became colder and colder as they hurtled round tight corners.

Vault seven hundred and thirteen had no keyhole.

"Stand back," said Griphook importantly. He stroked the door gently with one of his long fingers and it simply melted away.

"If anyone but a Gringotts goblin tried that, they'd be sucked through the door and trapped in there," said Griphook.

"How often do you check to see if anyone's inside?" Harry asked.

"About once every ten years," said Griphook with a rather nasty grin.

"Come on, back in this infernal cart, and don't talk to me on the way back, its best if I keep my mouth shut," said Hagrid.

"He really doesn't want to tell us what is going on, does he?" Hermione muttered. "What are you talking about?" Harry muttered back, but Hermione didn't answer.

"Might as well get yer uniform," said Hagrid, nodding toward Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. "Listen, Harry, Hermione, would yeh mind if I slipped off fer a pick-me-up in the Leaky Cauldron? I hate them Gringotts carts."

So Harry and Hermione entered Madam Malkin's shop alone.

Madam Malkin was a squat, smiling witch dressed all in mauve.

"Hogwarts, dear?" she said, when Harry started to speak. "Got the lot here -- another young man being fitted up just now, in fact."

In the back of the shop, a boy with a pale, pointed face was standing on a footstool while a second witch pinned up his long black robes. Madam Malkin stood Harry on a stool next to him slipped a long robe over his head, and began to pin it to the right length, she did the same for Hermione.

"Hello," said the boy, "Hogwarts, too?"

"Yes," said Harry.

"My father's next door buying my books and mother's up the street looking at wands," said the boy. He had a bored, drawling voice. "Then I'm going to drag them off to look at racing brooms. I don't see why first years can't have their own. I think I'll bully father into getting me one and I'll smuggle it in somehow."

"Have you got your own broom?" the boy went on.

"No," said Harry.

"Play Quidditch at all?"

"No," Harry and Hermione said again, Harry wondering what on earth Quidditch could be.

"I do -- Father says it's a crime if I'm not picked to play for my house, and I must say, I agree. Know what house you'll be in yet?"

"I don't like sports of any kind, I am more of a give-me-a-book kind of girl." said Hermione. She wanted to just stop talking to the boy.

"Oh," said the boy, "I asked if you know which house you are going to be in."

"No," said Harry and the same time Hermione said "Yes"

"Well, no one really knows until they get there, do they, but I know I'll be in Slytherin, all our family have been -- imagine being in Hufflepuff, I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?" said the boy ignoring Harry and Hermione.

"Mmm," said Harry, wishing he could say something a bit more interesting.

"Hufflepuff doesn't sound so bad, is it really worse than Gryffindor?" Hermione asked

"Oh no, Gryffindor are the worst, blood traitors a lot, like those Wesley's. That ginger family. They have eight children and they live in a small ugly house which probably has only one room, maybe some of them finally have some sense to leave that house, it's not worse than the Lovegood house though, it is so weird, they have a daughter and she is disgusting, I tell you, very disgusting, I mean she talks about something called Nargles, whatever that is I mean dude, those don't exist. There is a Scamper, Rolf, he is right now in his third year at Hogwarts and he is almost weirder. Father told me about a Scamper in his year at Hogwarts and he was a Hufflepuff. Disgusting I tell you, he was disgusting. He had such a big obsessions with animals that Father was surprised he isn't teaching care of magical creatures."

Before Harry or Hermione could respond, Madam Malkin said, "That's you done, my dear," and Harry, not sorry for an excuse to stop talking to the boy, hopped down from the footstool.

"Well, I'll see you at Hogwarts, I suppose," said the drawling boy. "I hope not." Hermione muttered.

~

"Hagrid, what's Quidditch?" Harry asked Hagrid as they made their way to a wand shop.

"Blimey, Harry, I keep forgettin' how little yeh know -- not knowin' about Quidditch!"

"It's our sport. Wizard sport. It's like -- like soccer in the Muggle world -- everyone follows Quidditch -- played up in the air on broomsticks and there's four balls -- sorta hard ter explain the rules."

"And what are Slytherin and Hufflepuff?"

"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed, "Have you not read Hogwarts a History yet!?"

"What?"

Hermione let out an exasperated sigh. "Oh Harry! Even though it wasn't in our booklist you should still read it."

"So are you going to answer my question or not?"

"They are school houses. There's four. Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Gryffindor and Slytherin."

"When di' yer read Hogwarts a History?" Hagrid asked her

"Oh when we were at Flourish and Botts off course." said Hermione happily.

"What!?" Hagrid and Harry exclaimed but Hermione stopped at a wand shop with peeling gold letters over the door read Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C.

"Yep," said Hagrid, "Yer go, I need to get yer something." Hagrid went away. "Did he just-" Harry began and stopped when Hermione nodded and gestured him to follow her into the shop

"Good afternoon." said a voice. "Actually it's morning." Hermione corrected.

"Ah," a man relived himself. "Mrs. Potter and Mr. Potter what a surprise, it seems only yesterday that your parents came here. Your mother had the same response as you Mrs. Potter."

Hermione smiled widely.

"So I see hear you are here to get yourself some wands, oh wait let me introduce myself, I am Olivander, at your service."

"We will be to your service to." said Harry, a bit confused on what he was supposed to say. Olivander chuckled. "Your father said the exact same thing." Harry grinned.

"Now, let's see, first let's do your wand Mrs. Potter." Olivander got out a wand. Hermione waved it and then there was some kind of explosion from outside. "Well," said Olivander when the silence became too long, "Let's try another wand."

When Hermione got the wand suited for her, vine wood and dragon heartstring, there was a big pile of wands lying neatly next to Harry. When Harry began searching for a wand, some red heads came in. Ok maybe not some redheads.

"Harry and Elaina sitting in a tree." two red head twins sang. "Shut up!" said the youngest of the red head girl. "Stop being so rude both of you." said their mother. "But mum-" said one of the twins, "It is true."

"Oh leave poor Elaina alone," said the oldest of the red head kids, whose head has in a book. Olivander let out a small wimped. "Mrs. Wesley." he said. The kid's mother looked up. "Yes," she said.

"Not more than two people per family." said Olivander. "Oh, then I guess-"

"We both can be alone!" said a another red head girl who the twins hadn't seen

"Fine," said he mother, "Only this time."

All the rest of the red heads left the shop leaving the girl and her brother alone. A twin brother, Hermione guessed.

Olivander smiled and told the two redheads to wait while Harry got his wand.

"Hi," said Hermione to the two.

"Hello." said the girl and after a while, "Hey," said the boy.

"So are you two exited for Hogwarts I have read all of Hogwarts a History and-"

"Bloody Hell." the boy muttered.

"Excuse him," said the girl and kicked him in the shin to shut him up. "He is a very annoying person."

"Not like you're annoying." the boy muttered but only Hermione heard him.

"I'm Ginny and that's my brother Ron." said Ginny, "And yes I'm excited a lot for well almost all of it. I heard in the sorting you have to-sorry I completely forgot to ask your name, what is it?"

Before Hermione could answer Harry had already gotten a wand and was coming to meet them.

"Hi, come on, we better leave." said Harry and he and Hermione went outside the wand shop.

"So you two left, aye? It seems just yesterday that your older brother got his wand."

"Because it was yesterday." said Ron, "Percy the Prefect got his wand yesterday."

"Shut up." said Ginny. Olivander laughed. "Well, come on then, let's get you two fresh wands."

~

When Harry and Hermione found Hagrid they saw him with a cage with a beautiful white owl and another cage with a cat.

"Oh, the cat is mine." said Hermione, hugging the cat in her arms.

"You can keep it," said Harry as he let the owl peck on gently on his hand. "I want the owl."

Hagrid coughed and both of them looked up to stare at him and said, "Thank you."