Floating shelves, steaming cauldrons, hooting owls, robes billowing in the wind.
Aurelian pretended to gape in amazent.
Not out of pride, but out of strategy.
It was not to appear that everything was familiar to him.
"This... this is amazing!" he exclaid, pointing to a broom store with "amazed" eyes.
Dumbledore let out a soft, complicit laugh.
"Yes, it is. Every ti I co here, I find sothing new."
They passed Flourish and Blotts, where books fluttered between glass cases, beyond that an ingredient store that gave off the scent of mint and mandrake.
Aurelian was observing everything with disguised attention. He was analyzing from the inside. Without arousing suspicion. Without showing his cards.
"First, Gringotts" said Dumbledore "It's where you'll get access to your resources for the official supply list."
"Gringotts? Is it really run by goblins?" asked Aurelian in an "incredulous" tone.
"With millennial efficiency" replied Dumbledore "Though with a sense of humor... peculiar."
They continued walking through the crowd. Wizards in absurdly colored robes, children with colorful frogs, witches with outlandish hairstyles.
When they reached the marble steps of Gringotts, Aurelian stopped his pace and looked up.
The white stone facade seed more imposing in the magical light of the alley. At the entrance, two goblins watched them with shrewd eyes and perpetually furrowed brows.
The gates of Gringotts were a warning in themselves. Cold, imposing and silent as an ancestral judgnt. Aurelian crossed them with a firm step, while at his side, Albus Dumbledore maintained the calm of soone who was well known in that place.
The hall was as he rembered it: white marble, goblins at raised desks, the sharp sound of quills on parchnt and magical coins clattering as they fell on enchanted scales.
But this ti, the air felt different.
A few goblins looked up at the sight of the boy. Their eyes narrowed. There was a subtle, almost imperceptible murmur.
They recognized him.
Not by his face, but by his lineage.
His magic.
But none ntioned him. None interrupted.
"Is it always this quiet?" asked Aurelian quietly, feigning a mixture of discomfort and astonishnt.
"It's part of the charm" replied Dumbledore with a gentle smile "Though I imagine the goblins prefer to call it -efficiency-"
A black robed goblin approached them. He wore an obsidian brooch in his lapel: a symbol of those in charge of special assignnts.
"Albus Dumbledore" he said with a minimal bow "Headmaster of Hogwarts - it is an honor."
Dumbledore spoke in a formal voice.
"I am here to process the school allowance for young Aurelian Gaunt. He has been accepted into Hogwarts and in accordance with the School Fund for Magical Orphans, he is to be provided with a basic starting endownt."
The goblin nodded, not taking his eyes off Aurelian. The latter responded with a neutral, polite look... but inside, he knew they were acting. They knew who he was.
"Of course. The docuntation has already been reviewed. If you would like to step into the waiting room, one of our administrators will be along shortly to assist the young man."
Dumbledore turned to him.
"I should be leaving, Aurelian. I have unfinished business at the Ministry. I trust Gringotts will treat you well?"
"Thank you, Professor" the boy replied with a slight bow "I'm excited to see what's...underground."
He smiled, satisfied and took his leave with a slight wave of his robe.
No sooner had Dumbledore stepped through the door than another goblin appeared with nimble steps.
"Young Master Gaunt..." he said with a restrained smile, warr than usual among his kind "We've been expecting you."
Aurelian greeted him with a slight nod.
"It is a pleasure to see you, Kravix. Let's get down to business."
The two made their way to one of the private elevators, hidden behind a tapestry enchanted with faintly glowing runic symbols.
"And Dumbledore?" asked Kravix in a low, sowhat sarcastic voice.
"He still thinks I'm new to all this...I think."
"Perfect" said the goblin "That's as it should be... for now."
As they descended towards the lower levels, Gringotts returned to its usual calm.
________
The dark marble private room had a burnished oak table and a floating magical map that displayed, in dim light, various properties and assets associated with the na Aurelian Gaunt.
Kravix settled behind a floating desk, and with a slight gesture of his long claw, activated a set of docunts suspended in mid-air.
"Before Hogwarts consus your ti, we must define how you wish to handle your affairs... and leave everything in order. As you well know, not every eleven-year-old wizard possesses such a solid portfolio."
Aurelian sketched a slight smile.
"That's why I trust soone competent."
Kravix nodded approvingly and began the report:
"As of today's date, your liquid assets amount to 737,890 galleons, a sum fueled by multiple sources. First, your Muggle investnts have continued to grow. NOKIA continues to rise, you also made substantial gains from your stake in Nimbus, especially after the anticipated launch of its new model."
"And the rest?"
"A good part of the recent increase" Kravix continued "cos from several of your rural estates already producing basic magic ingredients. Two of them have closed contracts with apothecaries and potion makers. The revenue stream, while still modest, is steady and promises to stabilize."
Aurelian nodded with satisfaction.
The elf held out a topaz sphere that projected a three-dinsional map with dots marked in green, each blinking with a steady rhythm.
"In total you own seven farm lots, all located in magically neutral areas. Several have discreet protection to keep out curious onlookers. And as for properties..."
The projection adjusted.
"You have, at this ti, the following urban and magical properties:
. Gaunt Manor, restored and under strong magical protections .
. A small old building in Hogsade, still without definite use .
. An abandoned workshop in the Valley of Godric, acquired at low cost with projections of future value.
. And of course, the old Gaunt Cottage, in the woods near Little Hangleton. Currently uninhabitable, but still considered a point of magical heritage."
"The cabin" said Aurelian with a note of curiosity "I guess it's part of history."
"And as such, it should not be ignored" said Kravix "So magical lines are more resilient than they appear...even if they have been sullied by history."
"What is the managent plan while I am at Hogwarts?"
"We will retain the current policy: staggered reinvestnt, continued diversification, controlled use of funds. Land profits will be reinvested in infrastructure and more contracts. You just worry about learning...and growing."
Aurelian held the goblin's gaze.
Kravix closed the floating report with a precise gesture of his claw. The room returned to silence, interrupted only by the faint magical hum of goblin protections. Aurelian stared at the suspended map of the world he was building. He was eleven years old still... but his gaze was already that of soone who saw beyond adolescence and the classroom.
"During the school year, I don't need constant reports" Aurelian said, turning to the goblin "If sothing important happens, you can contact by owl. But only if it's really necessary. I don't want unnecessary distractions."
Kravix nodded, understanding imdiately. Not all young wizards knew how to prioritize.
"What about the business you want to launch?"
"It's ti to start laying the groundwork" Aurelian replied calmly "Find and secure a location in Diagon Alley. Nothing extravagant, but with a good location and steady magical flow. Also..."
He paused briefly.
"Restore the property in Hogsade. Don't do it too quickly. Make it look like a smart investnt, not like a shady maneuver, also start the recovery of the workshop in Godric's Valley. I want it to be operational in the dium term. It could be useful for developing complex enchantnts or more discrete tests."
Kravix raised an eyebrow.
"Na of the project?"
"GauntCorp" Aurelian replied, without hesitation "We'll start with Noxum brooms, but there will be more. Potions. Custom enchantnts. Real magical innovation... and eventually, research. But first I need a solid foundation."
"Then I'll act imdiately. Discreetly. As always."
They both stood up.
As Aurelian turned to leave, Kravix stopped him by tossing him a small black leather pouch, perfectly closed with golden thread.
"The orphan funds Dumbledore is expecting" he said with a crooked smile "Take care of the image."
Aurelian caught the bag on the fly and held it between his fingers.
"Thank you."
Kravix watched him a second longer...in a low, almost prophetic voice, he murmured:
"You are amassing a fortune, young Gaunt. With every decision... with every seed we plant. The day will co, sooner than you think, when you won't be able to hide it. Nor will you want to."
Aurelian did not respond.
But his eyes shone with a mixture of determination and expectation.
Bag in hand, he crossed the threshold of the private room on his way to et Dumbledore again... aware that the most important thing in his life was just about to begin.
The midday sun bathed the white marble of Gringotts, reflecting off the stairs with a warm glow. Aurelian descended with controlled pace, the bag of orphan funds securely in his hand, his thoughts still orbiting around Kravix, his investnts and brooms that had yet to fly.
When he fully exited the bank, a figure awaited him with surprising calmness.
Albus Dumbledore, Archmagus, headmaster of Hogwarts and symbol of respect in the magical world, stood as if Diagon Alley were his private garden.
He held a two-ball ice cream, perfectly balanced, with a slight sugary sheen under the sun.
"Everything in order?" he asked with a friendly smile, his tone casual as if he hadn't been shaping magical history from the shadows for years.
Aurelian nodded, feigning a hint of nervousness.
"Yes, the bench is... impressive."
Dumbledore held out a second ice cream, caral and mint flavored with chocolate shavings.
"One can't do school shopping without ice cream. It's an unwritten rule of the Ministry...it should be."
Aurelian accepted the gift with a small, sincere smile. Dumbledore, young in appearance but wise in every gesture, kept watching him with that all-catching, though not always revealing, gaze.
"So, Aurelian, is your satchel ready?" asked the headmaster with mischief in his voice.
"Ready, Professor" he replied, walking beside him "Shall we start with the robes or the wand?"
"Wherever fate takes us first... and the ice cream doesn't lt."
And so, amidst the murmurs of shoppers, the scent of new scrolls and ancient wands, the two disappeared among the stores of the Alley, their shadows lengthening in the direction of the future.
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