Chapter 6: Gringotts Deposit

Chapter 6: Gringotts Deposit

"The final step—let's take you to Gringotts."

Without staying in the shop for long, Tonks continued to guide George to Gringotts.

Gringotts was the only wizarding bank in the British magical world, run by goblins and located on the north side of Diagon Alley.

In addition to storing money and safeguarding valuable items for witches and wizards, it also allowed the exchange of Muggle currency for magical currency.

Now that George had officially inherited the old wizard's estate through the Ministry of Magic, he naturally needed to go to Gringotts to transfer all the money the old wizard had deposited into his own name.

"How ugly!"

Arriving at the entrance of Gringotts, George couldn't help but inwardly comment as he looked at the goblin guards dressed in scarlet and gold uniforms.

The goblins and elves in this world were not the beautiful creatures one might imagine. Instead, they were quite ugly, resembling something like goblins.

Following Tonks up the white steps and through the bronze doors of Gringotts, George found himself facing a second set of silver doors, engraved with very prominent text.

The message was clear: don't get any ideas about stealing from Gringotts, or you'll meet a gruesome end.

Beside the silver doors stood two goblin attendants. Upon seeing Tonks and George, they bowed and then led them into a grand marble hall.

Inside, about a hundred goblins were bustling about, handling various transactions for the wizards who came in.

Tonks led George to an available goblin and handed over the documents they had just obtained from the Ministry of Magic.

"Inheritance transfer for Vault 352."

The goblins at Gringotts were nothing like the Ministry of Magic staff. They were highly efficient, quickly reviewing all the documents and confirming their validity before addressing George.

"Here is the key to Vault 352. Please keep it safe. Would you like to visit the vault to withdraw money now?"

"No need. Just let me know how many Galleons are currently in the vault."

George took the key and pocketed it.

The shop still had 500 Galleons left behind by the old wizard, which was enough for his current needs.

"Vault 352 currently holds a total of 13,200 Galleons."

The goblin flipped through the ledger and replied.

"It seems the potion business is really profitable. I only earn 100 Galleons a month now, and even after becoming a full-fledged Auror, it's only 140 Galleons."

Tonks couldn't help but show a hint of envy.

With her salary, it would take her about ten years to save that much, and that's without any expenses. If she spent anything, it might take twenty or thirty years to accumulate that amount.

George, who had initially frowned upon hearing the amount, quickly calmed down after hearing Tonks' comment.

Originally, he had thought the old wizard would have at least 100,000 Galleons in savings, so he was a bit disappointed to hear it was only a little over 10,000.

But upon reflection, it made sense.

The old wizard ran a potion shop and dealt in the black market, so he must have made a lot of money—probably more than a legitimate potion shop.

However, buying the shop must have cost a fortune, and researching potions, especially high-level ones, was like pouring money down a drain. The expenses must have been enormous.

Having 10,000 Galleons left was actually quite reasonable.

Comparing it to Tonks' salary, 10,000 Galleons was a significant amount, enough to live comfortably for a long time.

Wizarding currency was divided into three types: Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts.

One Galleon was equal to 17 Sickles, and one Sickle was equal to 29 Knuts.

According to Dora's memories, a copy of the Daily Prophet cost only 5 Knuts, a normal meal cost about 2 or 3 Sickles, and most wands cost no more than 10 Galleons.

"George, Hogwarts should send you a new admission letter tomorrow morning. Study magic well at Hogwarts—you'll definitely make many friends there. I'll be off now, but I'll come visit you when I have time!"

At the entrance of Gringotts, Tonks smiled and ruffled George's hair again.

Hearing this, George's heart stirred, and he sincerely invited her:

"Tonks, if it weren't for you, I wouldn't have been able to inherit the estate so smoothly. I'd like to treat you to lunch as a token of my gratitude. You won't refuse, will you?"

"I..."

Tonks had initially planned to say she needed to return to the Ministry, but seeing George's sincere and hopeful eyes, coupled with the memory of the delicious breakfast, she hesitated.

"Of course I won't refuse. Then I'll trouble you."

It was already lunchtime, and she needed to eat anyway. Being a little late back to the Ministry wouldn't be a big deal.

Seeing Tonks agree, George felt slightly relieved.

He needed Tonks to appear in his shop as often as possible to deter any ill intentions from the dark wizards in Knockturn Alley.

At the same time, he wanted to build a good relationship with Tonks.

If Tonks could visit the shop frequently, he would have the opportunity to learn more spells from her before heading to Hogwarts.

This was crucial for his original body.

Escaping the experimental base wouldn't be easy, and surviving the subsequent pursuit would be even harder. Every additional spell he learned would increase his chances of survival.

Especially since he knew the time for his original body to escape the experimental base wasn't far off.

"Good thing my cooking skills are decent!"

George planned to prepare a feast to see if he could entice Tonks to visit more often.

Dora, as the old wizard's slave, had developed decent cooking skills over the years, and George himself had a passion for food in his previous life.

While he wasn't a professional chef, his cooking had always been well-received by his friends.

Of course, Eastern and Western tastes in food were different, but that wasn't a problem. He could prepare a few of the most popular Eastern dishes in Britain, which would minimize the risk.

Besides, British cuisine wasn't exactly renowned. As the saying went, the world's thinnest books were British cookbooks and American history books—or something like that.

"What's this dish? It tastes unique. I've never had it before."

"Sweet and sour pork."

"And this one? It's also delicious."

"Kung Pao chicken."

"And this?"

"Tomato and egg stir-fry."

After lunch, Tonks sat back in her chair, patting her full stomach and sighing:

"I didn't expect you to know how to cook Chinese food."

"If you like it, Tonks, you're welcome to come over often. I know how to make many more delicious dishes."

George smiled as he cleared the dishes.

Tonks waved her hand:

"I couldn't possibly do that. I'm not that shameless."

In her eyes, George was already in a tough spot, and she couldn't take advantage of her position as an Auror to freeload. That wasn't her style.

Seeing Tonks refuse, George guessed the reason and said seriously:

"Tonks, don't feel bad about it. Your frequent visits would actually be a big help to me.

This is Knockturn Alley, after all..."

At this point, there was no need to beat around the bush.

Tonks wasn't stupid. With George's reminder, she immediately understood.

"In that case, alright. I'll come over for meals when I have time.

But I won't freeload. I'll buy all the ingredients—no refusing."

(End of Chapter)