Harry left the alley. The noise of Diagon Alley was a chorus of shop bells and hooting owls.
His first stop was "Flower & Fungicide." The air was a thick mixture of damp musk, overpowering floral sweetness, and the pungent smell of hot earth.
Harry didn't just buy the obvious ingredients; he focused on their long-term cultivation potential:
| Seed / Plant | Strategic Utility | Cost (Galleons) |
| Mandrake, Dittany, Snargaluff, Gillyweed | Healing, Vigor, Mobility | 130 G |
| Poisonous Tentacula, Mimbulus Mimbletonia | Defense, Passive Combat | 80 G |
| Elderberry, Mirror Acacia | Protection and Camouflage | 25 G |
As Harry searched through an unlabeled box of seeds, he sensed a subtle pulse of Mana. Using his [Appraisal], he discovered a large, dark seed hidden inside.
> [ITEM APPRAISAL: Whomping Willow (Salix Pugilis) Seed. Value: High. Utility: Area Defense and Environmental Combat (Rank B). Note: Extremely rare in cultivation.]
The owner, unaware of its true nature, sold it as an exotic ornamental seed. Harry paid the 100 Galleons asked for this single "rare" seed, knowing it was an invaluable bargain.
* Total Seed Cost: 335 Galleons
At Eeylops' Care of Magical Creatures, the air was filled with the scent of fresh straw and exotic animal feathers.
He acquired Puffskeins, Bowtruckles, and Diricawls.
Harry bought Hedwig, the majestic Snowy Owl, whose magical bond he already felt. He bought two more owls to handle low-level mail and acquired a pair of emerald-skinned snakes, useful as guardians in his Pocket Dimension.
* Total Creature Cost: 580 Galleons.
He bought the Nimbus 2000 from Quality Quidditch Supplies for 600 Galleons. It was an essential tool for evasion and exploration.
In the secondhand shop, "Yesterday's Everything and Nothing," which smelled of damp, mold, and stagnant magic, Harry activated his [Appraisal]. Useless items turned gray, while treasures glowed with a faint blue outline.
Findings: A heavy brass compass that pointed to areas with high magical saturation.
A silver ring with an obsolete protective charm, but one he could replicate.
A worn Spanish spellbook (Rank C).
* Cost: 50 Galleons.
Harry discreetly sent all living things, seeds, and the Nimbus to his Pocket Dimension.
* Galleons Remaining: 61,278 G.
As night fell, Harry went down to dinner. The Leaky Cauldron common room was warm and steamy, smelling of beef stew, butterbeer, and wood from the fireplace.
Harry, dressed in his dragon-skin robes, sat alone in a dark corner, absorbing the wizards' whispers.
* The Gringotts Crisis: A group of business wizards were discussing things nervously.
"...They say the gold is evaporating on the upper levels... as if a drainpipe has opened up beneath Gringotts!" one of them muttered.
* The Political Danger: A retired Auror spoke of sightings of Dark Wizards. He mentioned an ancient cult in the hills, with rituals deeper and older than the threat of Voldemort.
Harry made mental notes. Information was as vital a resource as his Mana.
Back in his room, Harry unpacked the key books.
* "Gringotts: Contracts, Oaths, and Magical Custody" by Cassius Flint.
* "Gringotts: The Wizards' Bank" by Ragnok the Wise.
The sphere of runic light he conjured cast a cold blue glow across the pages. Harry read, searching not for money, but for legal loopholes that would grant him access to the archives.
* The Power of the Ring: Claiming the Lord's Ring before Harry's birthday would nullify any temporary trusteeship imposed by Dumbledore.
* Goblin Supremacy: The blood test protocol for the Blood and Lineage Act was the only law goblins respected above any order from the Ministry or the Headmaster of Hogwarts.
Harry closed his books at dawn, his green eyes gleaming with calculation. He would enter Gringotts with a thorough understanding of the protocols, ready to interrogate its asset manager.