The main reason Marius returned to Diagon Alley, truth be told, was because he'd been out splurging for quite a while—and his vault was in need of a top-up.
Now that he had his own wand, Marius headed straight into the Leaky Cauldron to access Diagon Alley directly.
It had already been over two weeks since The Daily Prophet published its explosive feature on him. His dazzling appearance at his birthday banquet had gradually faded from public memory.
Still, the barkeep recognized him instantly. "Aha! If it isn't the newly risen prodigy of the pure-blood circles—Master Cloud! I believe this is the year you begin at Hogwarts?"
"Newly risen prodigy?" Marius rolled his eyes. What kind of ridiculous title is that? He was becoming increasingly curious about what the Prophet actually wrote. He'd need to check it out when he had time.
"That's Marius Cloud, right? I remember him!"
"Who's Marius Cloud?"
"You know, the genius kid who gave Lucius Malfoy a proper thrashing!"
"Ohhh, that one—!"
The moment the bartender brought him up, chatter spread through the tavern like wildfire. Everyone turned to look at Marius, voices buzzing with gossip.
"Looks like the Malfoys aren't that well-liked around here after all…"
Marius smirked and ignored the drink offers, slipping through the back door into Diagon Alley.
Gringotts—the most secure place in Britain after Hogwarts itself. At least, that was the general belief. Personally, Marius wasn't so convinced Hogwarts was all that safe.
As he entered the bank, the goblin guards bowed respectfully, and he strode directly up to the counter.
"I'd like to make a withdrawal."
The older goblin behind the desk glanced up and brightened immediately. "Ah, Master Cloud! Which vault would you like to access?"
Marius blinked. "Vault? I only have one, don't I?"
"Ah, not quite," the goblin said politely. "Roughly two weeks ago, Mr. Alaric Cloud authorized your key to access the Cloud family's ancestral vault as well."
"…Wow. Dad's feeling generous all of a sudden."
A warm feeling bubbled in Marius's chest, but he still shook his head. "That's alright. My personal funds are more than enough. Just take me to my usual vault."
"Of course, sir."
The goblin gestured to another who had nothing to do at the moment, and together they escorted Marius to the underground tracks.
The cart ride was just as wild as ever. As they sped along the twisting rails, stalactites hung ominously above them, dragons flapped in the shadows, and magical traps shimmered in hidden corners. The bank's legendary security clearly wasn't just for show.
"We've arrived, sir."
The goblin disembarked, inserted Marius's key, and opened the massive vault door—revealing a small mountain of golden galleons.
Tens of thousands, easily. And that was after Marius had converted a sizable portion into Muggle currency for his investments. He casually filled a sack and had the goblin escort him back up to the surface.
"Good morning! We're here to withdraw from Harry Potter's vault."
The moment he stepped off the lift, a deep, rumbling voice rolled across the lobby like distant thunder.
"Do you have the key, Mr. Hagrid?"
"Hang on, I've got it somewhere…" came the gruff reply.
The voice belonged to a half-giant—and beside him stood a small boy with round glasses. "I swear it's in one of these pockets…"
Hagrid began pulling random objects from his coat and dumping them onto the counter, including what appeared to be moldy dog biscuits, which earned several disgusted looks from nearby goblins.
"Aha! Found it!"
He produced a tiny gold key.
The goblin inspected it closely. "Seems to check out. Very well."
Then, spotting Marius nearby, the goblin added, "Ah, Master Cloud. Finished your withdrawal already? Perfect timing—Griphook, escort Mr. Hagrid and Mr. Potter to their vault."
So that's Griphook, Marius noted. And the round-glassed boy beside Hagrid… that must be the legendary Harry Potter.
Though curious, Marius saw no need to introduce himself. After all, they'd be seeing plenty of each other at Hogwarts.
But Harry, noticing the Hogwarts badge on Marius's uniform, took the initiative and smiled. "Hi there! You're going to Hogwarts too, right?"
Marius gave him a brief glance, then smiled and offered a handshake. "Indeed. I imagine we'll be seeing each other again soon—Harry Potter."
"You… already know me?"
Harry blinked in surprise. Since entering the wizarding world, he'd been treated like a celebrity by complete strangers—but somehow, hearing it from someone his own age, a fellow student, meant a lot more.
"In some circles, you're pretty famous," Marius said with a sly smile. "Wouldn't be surprised if someone offered money for your autograph."
"I… I doubt anyone would actually want that," Harry muttered, clearly missing the sarcasm.
"Harry, come along now," Hagrid interrupted with a frown. "We still need to visit the vault. And mind yourself with that one. He's from a pure-blood family—the kind that usually has no love for the likes of us."
Marius's brow twitched. Ah… So the big guy's got an attitude, huh?
Harry looked back with some hesitation. Despite Hagrid's words, Marius had seemed perfectly friendly.
Still, he nodded. "Well, I guess I'll see you at school then."
As Hagrid led Harry away, Marius raised a hand to stop them.
"What? Planning to prove your prejudice with fists now, are you?" Hagrid growled.
Having grown up ridiculed and ostracized for being a half-giant—not to mention getting expelled due to a false accusation by young Tom Riddle—Hagrid had learned to be deeply distrustful of pure-blood aristocrats like the Clouds.
"Prejudice?" Marius's smile turned cold. "Mr. Hagrid, forgive me, but I think you've got it backward."
"It's you who's been making baseless assumptions since the start. If anyone here has the right to demand an apology—it's me."
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T/N:
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