Harry Potter and the Great Old Ones

Chapter 13 713 Underground Vault
“Now take us to vault number 713, but could you please slow down the car?” Hagrid said to the pull ring.

Together they packed three large bags of Galleons, Corsicans, and Knats for Harry, enough for three terms.

"There's only one speed limit," said the pull ring.

They descended deeper and deeper, their speed increasing. The air became even colder and more biting at the sharp turns, and the wind felt like knives cutting into Tiera's face.

The minecart clattered as it came to a ravine. Harry leaned out of the cart, trying to see what was in the dark depths of the ravine. Hagrid snorted, grabbed Harry by the collar, and pulled him back.

Soon, they stopped on the platform where the No. 713 underground vault was located.

Vault 713 has no keyhole.

“Step back,” Gripper said solemnly, but before he could finish speaking, Tyella, Harry, and Hagrid had already taken a step back.

The pull ring extended a long finger and gently knocked on the door. The iron door gradually disappeared, as if an eraser was rubbing against a sketch.

“Anyone other than a goblin from Gringotts who tries to do this will be sucked into the door and trapped inside,” said the pull ring.

How often do you get checked?

"Probably once every ten years," the pull ring grinned mischievously.

There is no doubt that something extraordinary is stored in this super-secure underground vault.

As the door slowly opened, Tiera saw a dirty little package wrapped in brown paper on the ground.

The Philosopher's Stone!

Tierra felt as if she had missed a beat, her eyes fixed on the small brown package until Hagrid picked it up and stuffed it into the inside pocket of his leather jacket, near his heart.

Tiera then looked away.

“Let’s go, go back and get in that damn car. Don’t talk to me on the way back, I’d better keep my mouth shut,” Hagrid said.

After another frantic ride in the car, they finally stood on the sun-drenched street outside Gillingham. Harry, carrying a full bag of money, was at a loss.

“Let’s go buy you a uniform first,” Hagrid said, pointing to Madam Malkin’s Robes Shop. “Harry, Tyrell, I’d like to go to the Leaky Cauldron for a pick-me-up. You don’t mind, do you? The minecarts were awful that year; they made me dizzy.” Hagrid did look unwell, so Harry and Tyrell went to Madam Malkin’s Robes Shop together.

With Tyella by his side, Harry didn't feel so nervous anymore.

When the short, plump Mrs. Malkin took Harry's measurements, she wasn't so stiff.

After taking Harry's measurements, they quickly arrived in Tierra.

Just as the two finished measuring, Hagrid returned, carrying two paper bowls containing chocolate raspberries and scoops of crushed nut ice cream.

“Let’s eat as we walk,” Hagrid said with a chuckle, then led Tierra and Harry to buy quills and ink; they bought textbooks for their classes at a bookstore called Flourish and Blotts; and at a cauldron shop, they bought a tin can, a fine balance, and a folding brass telescope. They visited a pharmacy, which reeked of rotten eggs and cabbage leaves.

But the apothecary was quite peculiar. Buckets of sticky stuff lay on the floor, jars of herbs, haystacks, and brightly colored powders lined the walls, and bundles of feathers, strings of fangs, and furry claws hung from the ceiling. While Hagrid bought a standard dose of various powders from the clerk behind the counter, Harry was examining a horn made from a one-horned bison horn, each worth twenty-one gallons, next to which lay a spoonful of beetle eyeballs for five knuts.

Tiera was overjoyed to find scorpion gallbladders and feathered serpent shells in the pharmacy, along with desert thorn flowers, fairy wings, ghost swan pupae, and African tree snake skins.

However, the skin of the African tree snake and the pupae of the ghost swan are materials controlled by the Ministry of Magic, and their purchase requires registration with a wand.

Scorpion gallbladders and feathered serpent shells are still quite expensive, costing about two gallons per ounce.

Tiera needed about 5-6 ounces to brew one pot of Hydra reagent. If the probability of failure was taken into account and multiplied by three, it would require about 72 Galleons, which would immediately deplete more than half of the gold Galleons he had exchanged for pounds.

To avoid arousing suspicion, Tiera didn't buy a single gram of medicine other than the one required in his admission letter.

Anyway, the Leaky Cauldron is only two blocks away from where he lives, so he can come anytime he wants.

When they came out of the pharmacy, Tierra suddenly squatted down, clutching her stomach, and broke out in a cold sweat.

"Tierra, Tierra, what's wrong with you?" Harry was startled.

Even Hagrid was a little at a loss.

"I...I have a stomachache," Tiera said through gritted teeth. "It's probably because I was just riding the minecart. It's an old problem. If I do strenuous exercise after eating, my stomach will hurt."

Tiera was now deathly pale, as if someone had punched him in the stomach.

"Mr. Hagrid, I'm so sorry, but could you hug me? Just for a little while, I'll be fine soon."

"Oh, Merlin above, come here, you poor little thing." With that, Hagrid hugged Tiera like a kitten and patted his back gently.

“Hmm… Harry, how about this? See that sign on the corner? That’s Ollivanders Wand Shop. Go there and pick out a wand first. I’ll take Tierra to St. Mungo’s Hospital for Magical Injuries and Sicknesses. It’s very close, right in the London department store. We’ll be there soon. Once you’ve picked out your wand, wait for us in the lobby of the Leaky Cauldron. I’ll explain everything to Tom. I think Tom would be happy to buy you a few pumpkin juices.”

"Okay, Hagrid, Tyella, he'll be alright, won't he?" Harry asked anxiously.

"No, Harry, Tyella will be fine. The doctors at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Arts are the best in all of England. Tyella will definitely be alright. It's not a big problem. Look at me, even someone as tall as me felt uncomfortable after riding the Gringotts Mine Train. Tyella will definitely feel the same way. I mean, the doctors at St. Mungo's can definitely cure her with some medicine."

Hagrid said this as if to encourage himself.

After picking up Tierra, he stumbled and ran towards the Leaky Cauldron.

Hagrid's massive body bumped into many pedestrians and wizards along the way, but he couldn't care less, because he felt that Tyella's hands and feet in his arms seemed to be getting colder and colder, just like Christmas snowflakes.

So when Tierra reached into Hagrid's coat as if seeking warmth, Hagrid instead rolled up his coat and wrapped it tightly around Tierra's cold hands and feet.

(End of this chapter)