Hogwarts: From Luna's House to Godhood Through Intense Competition

With the help of magic, obstacles such as trash cans, lampposts, and mailboxes would jump aside to avoid the Knight Bus as it passed by.

About twenty minutes later, the Knight Bus finally came to a stop in the alley.

A large bus shrunk to the size of a wooden box and stopped in a narrow alley—only a world where magic exists could do this.

Hagrid staggered out of the car, leaning against the wall at the corner of the alley and retching.

Beyond the alley lies a commercial street lined with signs.

However, they arrived too early; the shops were not yet open, and the streets were only filled with hurried pedestrians.

"It's so painful!" Hagrid looked terrible and was still walking unsteadily. "Vizet, could you help me find a place called the Leaky Cauldron?"

The commercial street is filled with all kinds of shops, including fast food restaurants, clothing stores, jewelry stores, and cinemas, but notably, there is no Leaky Cauldron, the bar Hagrid mentioned.

Until Vizet passed by a bookstore, a sign appeared out of nowhere.

The signboard was very old, contrasting sharply with the bright signs around it.

The signboard was covered in soot and had a pattern of a black crucible with a broken bottom.

“Hagrid, is that it?” Vezet asked, pointing to the sign.

Hagrid gagged, then nodded and said, "That's right! You would never guess when this bar was built."

"When was it?" Vizet showed a strong curiosity about everything in the magical world.

“I remember it was the early 16th century…” Hagrid frowned in thought, “Anyway, it was before the enactment of the Secrecy Act! Let’s go in!”

Despite its four centuries of existence, the Leaky Cauldron has not accumulated much historical significance, but rather left its walls and floors covered in a considerable amount of stains.

Hagrid must be a regular here; when he entered the Leaky Cauldron, the place immediately erupted in noise, with patrons waving and smiling at him.

Compared to the deserted commercial street in the morning, the dimly lit Leaky Cauldron bar was unusually lively.

"Is it the same as before?" A bald old man came to the bar, took out two beer glasses, and tapped them together with a pleasant sound.

Hagrid waved his hands repeatedly, "Tom, not today, I have important business to attend to! Give me some motion sickness potion... Vizet, what would you like to eat?"

Thinking of Luna's family's financial situation, Vizette held up the pastry in her hand. "No need, Luna gave me this!"

The bar suddenly fell silent, and the guests looked somewhat uneasy, even wary.

Tom took a step back and asked cautiously, "Is he Vizette? The Obscurial?"

"It's my fault!" Hagrid understood what these guests were wary of, slapped his forehead hard, and roared, "He's a good boy! Why didn't you react like that just now?"

"Sorry..." Tom looked a little embarrassed. "Indeed, I overreacted."

"Alright, we should get going!" Hagrid tossed down a silver coin and drank the motion sickness potion in one gulp.

He led Vizet through the bar to the small courtyard at the back.

This place is much cleaner than the Leaky Cauldron, with only a few clumps of weeds and a trash can.

“Vizet, remember this…” Hagrid held up his umbrella, “Count three up from where the trash can is, then count two horizontally…”

The umbrella tapped against the wall bricks, making a crisp sound. The entire wall vibrated and reformed until a wide archway appeared.

"Welcome to Diagon Alley!"

The morning sunlight was very gentle, shining on the various signs in Diagon Alley and illuminating the names of the shops.

There are many wizards in Diagon Alley, and the shops display all sorts of novel items, giving Vezel the illusion of attending a fair in a past life.

Hagrid pointed to a snow-white marble building and said, "This is Gringotts Bank. We need to withdraw your student grant."

In the middle of a row of shops stands a towering building, its all-white exterior particularly eye-catching.

Vizette looked at Gringotts and asked, "Hagrid, that doorman... is he a goblin?"

“That’s right!” Hagrid nodded with a smile. “The currency made by the goblins cannot be counterfeited, so Gringotts is their business.”

Gringotts is very grand in its decor, with two large bronze doors at the outside that are wide open, and two more large silver doors inside that gleam brightly.

As Vizette and her companions approached, the welcoming fairy immediately bowed, gesturing for them to continue inside.

A long string of words was engraved on the silver gate: Strangers, please enter, but beware... Thief, you have been warned, lest you bring not treasure, but retribution.

The text was full of warnings, reminding Vizette of the famous warning from his past life—the warning from Tutankhamun's pyramid.

It is said that the first people to enter Tutankhamun's pyramid were all killed by the curse contained within.

Vizette was curious about the so-called "retribution." "Hagrid, if thieves really broke in, what methods would the goblins use to deal with them?"

“There are so many ways!” Hagrid said in a low voice, pulling Vizzett a few steps further inside. “Besides Hogwarts, this is the safest place in the wizarding world!”

"If any thief touches the door, he will be sucked inside and unable to get out! As for the vaults hidden deep underground, the fairies have trained giants and fire dragons to protect them."

Vizette asked curiously, "Fire dragons? Are there fire dragons here too?"

"Of course! You can legally keep dragons here! That's amazing!" Hagrid's eyes lit up. "I want to keep a fire dragon too, those little cuties are just too charming..."

Hagrid has in-depth knowledge of fire dragons and can describe the characteristics of various fire dragon species.

However, Vizette found it hard to imagine why those dangerous magical creatures, which were at least five meters long, could be called "cute little ones."

Throughout the journey, Haig talked animatedly, displaying his extreme enthusiasm for fire dragons.

They made their way to the back of the hall, where Hagrid handed the application to the reception fairy. "We're here to receive a scholarship."

"Okay!" The reception fairy extended a finger, and a wisp of flame emerged from the sharp, long fingernail, instantly igniting the application form.

After the fire, the application left no ashes, only a beautiful cursive signature floating in the air.

"Please wait a moment!" After confirming that everything was correct, the reception fairy jumped off the front desk and disappeared into the shadows.

"Hagrid, if I have Muggle currency, can I exchange it for wizarding currency?" Vizette asked.

“Of course!” Hagrid continued to rummage through his pockets. “Underage wizards can only exchange for fifty Galleons a year, while adult wizards can exchange for one hundred Galleons a year.”

Why are there still quota limits?

"Because Muggle currency is too easy to obtain, their banks are not safe at all. So it is necessary to set limits to avoid affecting the magical world."

“Finally found them! These are good stuff!” Hagrid suddenly laughed and held out his hands to Vizet.

In Hagrid's hand lay more than a dozen eggs, each the size of a handball, their surfaces covered with orange-red patterns.

Vizette looked at the eggs in front of her and they seemed familiar. "Could these be... Rune-like snake eggs?"

Chapter 9 A Huge Sum of Money Falls From the Sky

"You know so much! There aren't many young wizards who recognize this these days!" Hagrid's eyes lit up.

"It's a Runebo snake egg! You remember what happened last time, right? That little cutie was a lady, which is why it was so big."

"Professor McGonagall told me that this is all compensation for you. In short, it's to reassure you that no one will attack you again."

Hagrid continued to speak eloquently.

Of all known magical creatures, only the Neanderthal snake lays its eggs in its mouth.

Besides their unique egg-laying method, Neferpitou eggs also possess special effects. When used as a raw material to make potions, they can enhance the user's mental agility.

Wizards also craved potions that could make them smarter, which led to the mass hunting of Neferpitou snakes.

Just when the rune snake was on the verge of extinction, the wizards finally realized the danger and established a protected area in its country of origin, Burkina Faso, which allowed the species to continue to thrive.

Nevertheless, the trade in snake eggs, such as those from the Neamon snake, continued, though it was generally conducted only on the black market.

However, Vizette also remembered the snake. It was clearly a very old snake, so why did Hagrid describe it as a "lovely lady"?

……

"The quality is excellent, and the eggs are very fresh! At the current market price, I could sell twenty eggs here for 300 Galleons."

In a dimly lit corner of the pharmacy, the potion master put away his magnifying glass and lowered his voice to give a price quote.

"Three hundred Galleons?" Vizette was somewhat surprised; the egg was indeed quite valuable.

He strolled around Diagon Alley, bought quite a few things, and gained a basic understanding of wizarding prices.

If converted to currency from a previous life, 300 Galleons would be worth at least tens of thousands of yuan.

If he manages his money carefully, this sum will be enough for him to leave the orphanage and live alone for a year.

"Don't think it's a small amount." The potion master, who had probably done many similar transactions, explained habitually, "It will take us quite a bit of effort to clean these things up."

Just then, Hagrid, carrying the crucible, came to Vizet's side. "We have Mr. Scamander's certified signature, this isn't stolen goods!"

"Hagrid?" The potion master clearly recognized the hunting ground guard. "Could I see the authentication signature?"

“Of course, no problem.” Hagrid put down the crucible and took out an envelope.

"Fluorescent!" The potion master did not light the envelope, but instead lit the tip of his wand to check it.

After confirming everything was correct, he handed over a cloth bag with exquisite embroidery. "No problem! Here's five hundred Galleons. Who will keep the money safe?"

“No rush,” Hagrid shook his head. “You can help us prepare the potion ingredients the new students need, and the cost will be deducted from that.”

"A new student?" The potion master paused, then curiously moved his lit wand toward Vizet. "You're Vizet? The Obscurial?"

“It’s me.” Vizette noticed that the potion master’s face had turned deathly pale, almost the same color as the light from the tip of his wand.

……