Chapter 10: "Harry, You Were Born to Wear This Suit"

Chapter 10: "Harry, You Were Born to Wear This Suit"

Leon followed the sound of the voice and his eyes landed on an impossibly tall giant of a man.

Next to him, a small boy with round, black-framed glasses was looking around, his face a mask of pure wonder.

Without a doubt, it was Hagrid and Harry.

Leon's eyes lit up. His already good mood soared. Harry was dressed in the suit Leon had given him, and he looked for all the world like a junior Peaky Blinder. The expensive, custom-tailored suit was perfectly fitted, exuding an air of elegance.

It seemed The Boy Who Lived was one step closer to joining the Peaky Blinders.

However, Leon didn't greet him. He simply waited for Harry to notice him.

"Blimey, is this the new fashion in the wizardin' world?" Hagrid was so tall that he quickly spotted Leon and his men over the crowd. "Harry, look! That lot over there, they're dressed just like you!"

Harry looked over in Leon's direction, and his face broke into a wide, delighted grin.

He waved enthusiastically and practically skipped over to them.

"Mr. Shelby!" Harry called out, turning back to gesture for Hagrid to follow. "Hagrid, these are my friends! If it wasn't for Mr. Shelby, I might not have been able to come to Hogwarts at all!"

"I wouldn't go that far," Hagrid mumbled under his breath, but he lumbered over after the boy.

Leon remained perfectly composed, waiting until Harry was right in front of him before offering a calm smile. "It's good to see you again, Mr. Potter." He looked Harry up and down, his eyes filled with approval. "You were born to wear that suit."

Harry smiled shyly and pointed to the giant behind him. "Mr. Shelby, this is Hagrid. He's the Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts."

"Hagrid," he said, turning back excitedly, "this is Mr. Shelby, the one I told you about."

Hagrid extended a hand the size of a dustbin lid. "Harry told me you've been lookin' out for him. Thank you for that, Mr. Shelby."

"It's my pleasure. Harry deserves a better living situation," Leon said, shaking the giant's hand.

Seeing Leon again, Harry seemed a bit nervous, as if trying to make conversation. "Mr. Shelby, we just came from the Leaky Cauldron. The landlord, Tom, said something terrible happened there just a little while ago..."

Well, it wasn't so terrible for me, Leon thought. Probably quite terrible for those wizards, though.

"Alright, Harry, Mr. Shelby's got Mad-Eye with him, he'll be fine. We've got things to do," Hagrid said before Harry could finish, looking like he was in a hurry. He took Harry by the arm and began pulling him further into Gringotts.

Harry had to twist his head around to shout, "See you at the Start-of-Term Feast!" before he was dragged away.

Watching Hagrid's rushed demeanor, Leon's eyes glinted. He recalled the original story; Hagrid was here on Dumbledore's orders to retrieve the Philosopher's Stone. Leon had been worried that his presence—this small butterfly flapping its wings—might cause ripples in the timeline. But it seemed the main plot was proceeding as it should.

For Leon, this was excellent news.

"Dear Mr. Shelby, your Galleons have been exchanged," the goblin Nobbie's voice chirped at his elbow. He looked at Leon with an incredibly fawning expression. "I've taken the liberty of arranging a deep-level vault for you, to make it more convenient for you to store your Galleons."

Leon glanced at the cart next to Nobbie. It was piled high with a mountain of gold coins, all clinking and clattering against each other, making a sharp, almost chattering noise. It was as if they were shouting:

"Hey! Spend me! I don't want to go get mouldy in some vault!"

"That's right! Noble Galleons belong in circulation, being admired by wizards!"

"Spend us all! Spend us!"

The Galleons didn't sit still, each one seeming to jingle with its own impatient energy. It was impossible to count them by eye. Leon frowned, about to ask his men to step forward and do a proper count. These greedy goblins were not to be trusted; he wouldn't put it past them to skim a little off the top.

But before he could speak, Moody acted.

He slammed his hand down on the counter with a loud bang. His roar echoed through the entire hall, making Nobbie jump and tremble violently.

"How dare you try to pull a fast one right under my nose!"

"My magical eye saw it in a second! You're short three thousand Galleons! Do you think I can't count?!"

"You'd better have a very good explanation, or I'll make you regret the day you were born!"

Leon made a mental note to increase Moody's salary to two thousand Galleons.

Nobbie, on the other hand, was terrified. He stared at the enraged Auror, his large eyes welling up with tears, his mouth twitching.

"I... I don't know what happened," he stammered, sweat beading on his brow. He suddenly spun on a colleague. "Gino! You were the only other one who handled the Galleons! This is your doing, isn't it!"

Leon followed his gaze and saw another goblin, his face a mask of panic.

"No, it wasn't me!" the other goblin protested.

"There were only two of us! If it wasn't me, it must have been you!" Nobbie shrieked, pointing a trembling finger.

A Gringotts manager hurried over and quickly sorted out the truth of the matter. The innocent Nobbie was exonerated, and his thieving colleague was bound and sent off to the Ministry for judgment.

"Here are twenty Galleons. A reward for your integrity," Leon said to Nobbie, bestowing a small favour to buy the goblin's loyalty. "I would like you to handle all my accounts from now on."

He then deposited the vast majority of his new fortune into the vault, withdrawing only ten thousand Galleons for his immediate needs.

With his business at Gringotts concluded, Leon took out his Hogwarts letter and turned to the list of required supplies for the new term.

The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1 by Miranda Goshawk

A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot

Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling

...

After reading through the list of textbooks, Leon shook his head in disappointment. As expected, there were no books on the Dark Arts. Of course, Leon had no intention of being a well-behaved little Hogwarts student. He was determined to master the Unforgivable Curses.

He continued down the list to the "Other Equipment" section.

1 wand

1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)

...

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

Leon folded the letter, his next steps clear. He looked at Moody, a cheerful expression on his face. "Sir, I believe I need a wand. Do you have any recommendations?"

"Ollivanders, of course!" Moody said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "No matter the wizard, they'll find a wand that suits them there!"

With that, Moody set off at a brisk pace, leading Leon towards a narrow and shabby-looking shop at the corner of the street.