"The last step, I'll take you to Gringotts."
Tonks didn't stay in the store for long before taking George to Gringotts. Gringotts is the only wizarding bank in the British wizarding world. It is run by goblins and is located on the north side of Diagon Alley. In addition to depositing money and keeping valuables of wizards and witches, it can also exchange Muggle currency for magical currency. George has now officially inherited the old wizard's legacy through the Ministry of Magic, so naturally, he has to go to Gringotts to turn all the money the old wizard has saved into his own.
"How unusual!"
George muttered to himself as he arrived at the door of Gringotts and looked at the goblin guards in scarlet and gold-inlaid uniforms. The goblins and elves of this world aren't the beautiful creatures you might imagine; instead, they're quite unusual, roughly the same size as goblins.
Following Tonks up the white steps and into the bronze gates of Gringotts, a second silver door appeared before them, inscribed with striking words. The message essentially read: "Enter, stranger, but take heed of what awaits the sin of greed, for those who take, but do not earn, must pay most dearly in their turn."
Two goblin attendants stood by the silver door. Upon seeing Tonks and George, they bowed and led them into a large marble hall. Here, perhaps a hundred goblins bustled about, handling various matters for the incoming wizards.
Tonks led George to a vacant goblin and handed him the various documents she had just obtained from the Ministry.
"Property Changes for the Vaults."
Unlike the Ministry staff, the goblin at Gringotts was incredibly efficient. He quickly checked all the documents and, after confirming they were correct, said to George, "Here's the key to Vault 352. Please keep it safe. Do you need to withdraw money from the vault now?"
"No, just tell me how many Galleons are left in the vault."
George took the key and pocketed it. The shop still had 500 Galleons left by the old wizard after his death, which was more than enough for him now.
"There are currently 13,200 gold Galleons remaining in vault 352," the goblin replied after flipping through the ledger.
"It seems the potion business is really profitable. I only make 100 Galleons a month now, and only 140 after becoming a regular employee."
Tonks, standing beside him, couldn't help but look envious. Based on her salary, it would take her ten years to earn that many Galleons, and that's assuming no expenses. Otherwise, it might take twenty or thirty years to save that much.
George, who had been frowning, calmed down after hearing Tonks' words. He had assumed the old wizard had at least 100,000 Galleons in his bank account, so he was a little disappointed to hear that there were only a little over 10,000. But realistically, it was quite normal.
The old wizard certainly made money running a potion shop and doing black market business, probably more than a legitimate potion shop. But buying the potion shop definitely cost him a fortune, and researching potions, especially high-level potions, was a constant expense, so the cost must have been enormous. Now he has just over 10,000 gold Galleons left, which makes sense. Compared to Tonks's salary, over 10,000 gold Galleons is a lot, enough to last him a long time.
Wizards use three types of currency: gold Galleons, silver Sickles, and copper Knuts. One gold Galleon is equal to 17 silver Sickles, and one silver Sickle is equal to 29 copper Knuts. According to Dora's memory, a copy of the Prophet's Daily cost only five copper knuts, a normal meal cost only two or three silver Sickles, and the price of most wizards' wands did not exceed ten gold Galleons.
"George, Hogwarts should send you a new acceptance letter tomorrow morning. Study magic well at Hogwarts, and you will definitely make a lot of friends there. I'm leaving now, and I'll come to see you when I have time!"
At the door of Gringotts, Tonks smiled and tousled George's hair again. George's heart moved when he heard this, and then he invited her sincerely:
"Sister Tonks, if it weren't for you, I would not have been able to inherit the inheritance so smoothly. I would like to treat you to lunch to express my gratitude. You won't refuse me, right?"
"I..." Tonks originally wanted to say that she had to go back to the Ministry, but seeing George's sincere and expectant eyes, and recalling the delicious food she had eaten in the morning, she hesitated again.
"Of course, I won't refuse. Thank you."
It was already about this time, and it was time to eat and fill her stomach, and it wouldn't be a big deal if she returned to the Ministry a little later. Seeing that Tonks agreed, George felt a little relieved. He needed Tonks to appear in his shop as much as possible, so as to dispel the thoughts of those dark wizards in Knockturn Alley. At the same time, he also wanted to have the best relationship with Tonks.
If Tonks could come to the shop often, then he would have the opportunity to learn a few more spells from Tonks before going to Hogwarts. This was very important to him. Escaping the experimental base was no easy task, and resisting subsequent pursuit was even more difficult. Every spell he learned provided a little more protection. Especially since he knew the original body wouldn't have much time to escape the experimental base.
"Luckily, I'm a good cook!"
George planned to prepare a delicious meal to see if he could use it to encourage Tonks to come more often. As the old wizard's apprentice, Dora already had some good cooking skills after years of practice, and George himself had a passion for food in his previous life. While not as good as those of professional chefs, his culinary skills were unanimously recognized by his friends. Of course, Eastern and Western tastes differ, but that's fine. He can make some of Britain's favorite Eastern dishes, which reduces the margin for error. Besides, Britain doesn't have much local food. What's that saying? The thinnest books in the world are British cookbooks and American history books, or so it seems.
"What's this? It tastes so unique. I've never had it anywhere else before?"
"Sweet and sour pork tenderloin."
"And this? It's delicious too."
"Kung Pao chicken."
"And this?"
"Tomato scrambled eggs."
After lunch, Tonks sat in a chair, rubbed her bulging belly, and exclaimed, "I didn't expect you could cook Chinese food."
"If you like this, Sister Tonks, come over often when you have time. I cook a lot more delicious dishes," George said with a smile as he cleared the dishes.
Tonks waved her hands at that. "How can that be? I'm not that thick-skinned."
She saw George as already in a difficult position, so how could she, relying on her Auror status, take advantage of him? That wasn't her style.
Seeing Tonks's refusal, George, perhaps guessing the reason, said earnestly, "Don't be embarrassed, Sister Tonks. It's actually very helpful to have you come over for dinner so often. This is Knockturn Alley."
At this point, there was no need to beat around the bush. Tonks wasn't stupid; after George's reminder, she immediately understood.
"In that case, then, I'll come over to eat with you whenever I have time. But it won't be free. I'll buy all the food, so you can't refuse."
(End of chapter)