Dumbledore walked in front, a slight smile on his lips.
Brook was still just a child, after all.
In his opinion, robbing a bank wasn't an unforgivable mistake.
As long as there was no active attack or harm to others, it wasn't too big of a mistake.
Letting it go was letting it go.
Of course, all of this was predicated on Brook passing his test.
If he didn't pass.
He wouldn't mind letting Brook spend the rest of his life in Azkaban.
After all, the second-generation Demon King was about to rise from the ashes, and if a third-generation Demon King appeared now.
He wouldn't be able to peacefully move on to the next station.
As for why he didn't demand Brook return the stolen items.
The reason was also very simple.
If they were returned, he would have to hand Brook over to the Ministry of Magic.
And then he would also be responsible for getting him out.
That would be very troublesome.
As the Chief Wizard of the Wizengamot, he didn't want to get caught up in such endless bickering.
It just so happened that today was the day the Hogwarts acceptance letters arrived.
He took this opportunity to make contact with Brook.
Now it seemed.
Brook was a clever and mischievous little fellow.
The key was that this little fellow always inadvertently blocked Hermione by half a step.
Subtly protecting Hermione.
“Love” is such a beautiful word!
There was still some time before the start of the school year.
Diagon Alley seemed unusually deserted, with hardly anyone on the streets.
Dumbledore led them to the bank of the Wizarding World.
“This is Gringotts, guarded by Goblins.”
Dumbledore said, looking at the towering white building in front of them.
“The Goblins forged the Sighing Gate, and it is said that when a greedy person touches it, they will hear the wails of all the thieves who perished there.”
“Do you want to try it?”
Brook rolled his eyes.
Dumbledore continued, “All the vaults are located hundreds of meters deep underground, and there is magic that restricts space, so it's impossible to steal using spatial magic.”
Brook: (╬◣д◢)
You old man.
That's enough!
Who are you implying?
Then they walked into the bank.
The Goblin guards bowed to Dumbledore.
As for Brook and Hermione, they looked down their noses at them, with an air of arrogance.
“These Goblins look really interesting, just like in fairy tales.”
Hermione whispered in Brook's ear.
Brook: !!!∑(°Д°ノ)ノ
This little girl's aesthetic taste seemed a bit peculiar.
They arrived at the spacious, marble-floored Great Hall.
About a hundred Goblins sat behind long counters.
Some were weighing coins, others were inspecting gemstones.
Dumbledore found a very old Goblin.
Its face was so wrinkled it could trap flies.
“Ragnok, help the new students exchange some Galleons.”
“Oh, it's Headmaster Dumbledore.”
Ragnok looked up and saw it was Dumbledore, quickly put down its magnifying glass, and smiled like a chrysanthemum.
“Bring out your money!”
At Granger's house, Dumbledore had already told them.
Every Muggle-born Wizard could exchange a maximum of 100 Galleons before the start of each school year.
The exchange rate between pounds and Galleons was 5:1, so Brook and Hermione had both prepared 500 pounds.
“A question, does Gringotts offer a service to exchange Galleons for Muggle currency?” Brook suddenly asked.
Ragnok didn't want to answer, but glanced at Dumbledore beside him, and said impatiently.
“Gringotts does not offer this service.”
Brook shrugged, it seemed that his plan to emulate a certain big shot, using the dissolution of Big Bear and mortgaging Hogwarts to blow up Gringotts' financial system, was out of the question.
Ragnok's movements were very quick.
After taking the pounds, it put them aside without even counting them.
Then it took out two small bags, already prepared, from under the counter and handed them to Brook and Hermione respectively.
Hermione curiously opened the small bag and found golden metal coins inside.
“Are these real gold?”
“Of course it's real gold, Goblins would never use fakes to make Galleons.”
Ragnok immediately retorted loudly, as if insulted, startling Hermione.
She hid behind Brook like a frightened little rabbit っﾟДﾟ)っ.
“I'm sorry, I just…”
Brook's eyes narrowed slightly, and he stepped forward, completely shielding Hermione.
Although this little girl was sometimes annoying, she also brought him a lot of joy.
He could bully her, but others couldn't.
“Ragnok.”
Dumbledore's voice was very soft, but it immediately calmed Ragnok down.
It looked at Dumbledore with some fear, “I was too emotional.”
It bowed deeply to Hermione.
“No… nothing.”
Hermione seemed even more flustered.
Brook quietly withdrew his hand.
He had originally intended to touch Ragnok and plant a spatial marker.
Then, when no one was around, he would secretly knock it out.
Since the other party had apologized, how could he just let it go?
But there would be plenty of time later.
He weighed the small bag in his hand, feeling that it weighed at least 300 grams.
If these gold coins were indeed made of pure gold, as the Goblin said.
Then according to the current market price.
1 ounce of gold is approximately 220 pounds.
500 pounds could buy about 70 grams of gold.
But here, 500 pounds could be exchanged for 100 Galleons, which is 300 grams of gold.
The profit margin was as high as four times!
Is this how business is done?
(⊙o⊙)
“Wizards don't need Muggle currency, although we allow you to exchange pounds, it's not actually an exchange.
Rather, it's a subsidy from Hogwarts for Muggle-born Wizards.
This money is entirely paid by Hogwarts.”
Brook subtly looked at Dumbledore.
He hadn't asked that question just now, but Dumbledore had already given an explanation.
Was it a coincidence, or...
Brook dared not look at Dumbledore again.
Dumbledore's deep blue eyes seemed even more profound.
This little fellow was meticulous.
He didn't seem like an 11-year-old boy at all.
His words just now were intentionally said for Brook to hear.
It was both to observe Brook's reaction and to remind him.
In the Wizarding World, many Wizards like to pry into others' thoughts.
Brook's thoughts were too unrestrained.
If he wasn't careful, it could easily lead to unnecessary trouble.
“Oh, by the way.” Dumbledore asked seemingly casually.
“If you have gold, you can also exchange it for Galleons, do you need to exchange any?”
He looked at Brook with anticipation.
Brook was deep in thought about whether Dumbledore could read minds and completely ignored his teasing.
Hermione also had no reaction.
Since Hogwarts had set a limit of 100 Galleons, it meant it was enough for young Wizards to use.
She didn't need to exchange more.
“Since you've all exchanged your money, let's enjoy some pleasant shopping time.”
Dumbledore said, then took large strides and walked out.
Hermione quickly followed, but seeing Brook still standing still, she ran back and pulled him along.
“The Principal has already gone out, we need to catch up quickly.”
Dumbledore led them to the next shop.
At the same time, he told them all about Hogwarts.
He meticulously introduced the unique features of the four houses.
“You two probably won't go into Slytherin,” Dumbledore said with a smile.
“That house has very high requirements for bloodline, and neither of you meets that standard.”
“Bloodline?” Hermione asked curiously, “What does Hogwarts use to sort students?”
“Hmm, well, we've arrived at Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions.” Dumbledore changed the subject.
Brook and Hermione both bought three plain black robes.
Brook squinted at Dumbledore.
“Principal, is this the only clothing store in Diagon Alley?”
“There are two others, and a shop that sells second-hand clothes. Do the robes in this shop not suit your taste?”
“Do they only sell robes and formal wear?”
“Yes.” Dumbledore seemed a bit confused.
Is there a problem with that?
Brook stared intently into Dumbledore's deep blue eyes, saying nothing more.
Instead, he was furiously complaining in his mind.
What about underwear?
Are all Wizards going commando?
Dumbledore's expression changed slightly, but quickly returned to normal.
Clothing stores indeed didn't provide underwear, and these intimate garments were usually sewn by Wizards themselves.
For Muggle-born Wizards, they would buy them in the Muggle World.
He had never considered this question.
The reason his expression changed slightly was because he indeed wasn't wearing any...
Brook noticed Dumbledore's change in expression and also averted his gaze.
(╯－＿－)╯╧╧
This old man indeed possessed magic similar to mind-reading.
And he had been prying into his thoughts all along.
It seemed he needed to find a solution quickly.
Dumbledore also realized Brook's probing and smiled helplessly.
Good.
It's just that the topic wasn't very good.
(Not an omniscient text: The protagonist only remembers a small part of the plot, and many of them are triggered.)
(Anti-trolling: Every fanfiction adds its own settings based on the original work. The author doesn't want to go the financial system route, so that's the setting!)
(Because many people asked, I'll explain. The Door-Door Fruit is not restricted by spatial magic, which is why Brook can open spatial doors at Hogwarts later. But Dumbledore doesn't know that, from his perspective, this is a type of spatial magic that can be restricted. So this is a matter of cognitive difference, not an attempt to forcibly restrict the effect of the Door-Door Fruit.)