After watching the night scenery outside for a while, Ryth lay down on a bed next to the stairs, while Lupet chose the bed opposite him.

Lupet settled onto her bed and pulled the curtain. A rustling sound echoed, and then a corner of the curtain was lifted; her removed boots were placed under the bed, and her robe was hung on a hook at the head of the bed.

After a short while, Lupet's voice broke the silence: "Sir, have you not had contact or communication with the outside world for a long time?"

"Yes." Ryth, lying flat on the bed with his eyes closed, replied to her question.

"Then who are you?" Lupet could hardly contain her curiosity; she really wanted to know what kind of person the one she followed was.

"Just an old relic of the past. How did you become a werewolf?" To prevent Lupet from asking more questions, Ryth proactively changed the topic.

Lupet was silent for two seconds before telling Ryth that she had been attacked by a werewolf when she was a child. Although she had miraculously survived, she was still infected and became a werewolf.

Huh?!

Ryth suddenly opened his eyes. He had thought that Lupet had been accidentally bitten and infected as an adult, but it turned out she had been a werewolf since childhood? Then how did she manage to obtain a wand and become a witch? This was too puzzling.

"When I was eleven, I received my acceptance letter from Hogwarts. I was surprised too, but Hogwarts, or rather Professor Dumbledore, always gives people like us a chance."

"Ah, I see," Ryth sighed, "I guess this Professor Dumbledore must not be from Slytherin House."

"Yes, he is from Gryffindor."

The carriage fell into silence, and they did not speak for the rest of the night.

When the sun rose again, the Knight Bus made a sudden stop in front of a shabby little pub. After a close encounter between Ryth's head and the metal bed rail, he and Lupet woke up from their dreams together.

The inconspicuous pub in front of them was called the Leaky Cauldron, the entrance to Diagon Alley in the magical world.

Rubbing her head, Lupet jumped down from the bus's steps and led Ryth into the Leaky Cauldron.

Dirty and old.

This was Ryth's first impression of the Leaky Cauldron. The pub was dimly lit, the floor was covered in dark, suspicious stains, and there were not many customers inside—only a few old ladies sitting in the corner, chatting with the pub owner while sipping sherry.

As soon as they entered, the chattering suddenly stopped, and after glancing at the two of them, the patrons resumed their idle chatter.

"It might be a bit dirty, but the safety here is beyond doubt, making it very suitable for a brief rest," Lupet quickly introduced the Leaky Cauldron to Ryth in a very low voice, directly changing his impression of the place.

As a wizard who had experienced the most tumultuous and chaotic times in the magical world, Ryth understood the importance of safety.

Lupet led Ryth through the bar to a small courtyard surrounded by four walls, with only a trash can and some weeds. Just as she was about to tell Ryth the trick to entering Diagon Alley, Ryth stepped forward, took out his wand, and pointed it at the correct brick.

"How did you—?"

"Find the 'core' of this magical mechanism? The flow of magic leaves traces on the medium; all the magic converges on this brick—something you can tell at a glance." Ryth glanced curiously at Lupet. "Since you studied at Hogwarts, how could you not know this? It's a very basic course."

"The professors never taught us that," Lupet said somewhat sheepishly.

Ryth frowned; it seemed that the curriculum at Hogwarts had changed significantly. Whether that was good or bad was uncertain.

Out of a simple belief that things tend to progress, Ryth chose to trust the wisdom of those who came after, believing they had found better teaching content.

While they were chatting, the brick Ryth had knocked on began to move, and an opening appeared before them. The opening grew larger, and soon they found themselves facing a wide archway, at the end of which was a winding cobblestone street.

This was Diagon Alley.

As Ryth's feet touched the ground of Diagon Alley, he surveyed the bustling alley and soon confirmed that it was the most prosperous gathering place for wizards he had ever seen.

Shops filled with a dazzling array of goods stretched endlessly, and the alley was packed with people, the sounds of vendors and customers bargaining echoing continuously.

Adjacent to the entrance of the alley was a shop selling cauldrons, and the sign at the door read: [Automatic stirring—copper—brass—tin-plated—silver large pots, all models available, foldable].

Ryth was immediately a bit tempted; he indeed needed a cauldron that could stir automatically.

However, considering their dire financial situation, Ryth felt he should first go exchange some money. He knew that currency from a thousand years ago could not circulate now and needed to be exchanged for the current wizarding currency, galleons.

After sharing his thoughts with Lupet, she suggested he go to Gringotts.

"Gringotts, wizards, bank?" Ryth could understand these words separately, but when put together, they became a bit confusing.

Fairies, wizards, benches, or riverbanks? What were those?

"Gringotts is the only wizard bank here, run by goblins. You can deposit money, keep valuables, and exchange Muggle money for magical currency. If you have valuables, you can also sell them to them—but once sold, they are basically non-redeemable."

"If you are selling that kind of item, I suggest you go to Knockturn Alley. After all, Gringotts is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Magic and cannot openly acquire magical items related to dark magic," Lupet added, considering Ryth's background.

"Oh, like the bench merchants!" With this explanation, Ryth suddenly understood what the so-called bank was for.

The bench merchants Ryth mentioned were institutions that specialized in currency business that appeared in Italy in the early 11th century. At that time, Italian commerce was booming, and Venice and Genoa became trade centers in Europe. Stimulated by trade, many merchants specializing in currency exchange and small loans emerged. These merchants would trade while sitting on benches at the center of markets, hence the name "bench merchants," which also became the etymology of the word "bank."

As for the additional information Lupet provided, Ryth understood it as well. In his time, dark magic was a symbol of evil, and even his three friends held deep prejudices against it; he had long since become accustomed to it.

He did indeed have some items related to dark magic, and he planned to head to Knockturn Alley to sell them. He needed to go to both Gringotts and Knockturn Alley.

The two of them headed straight toward Gringotts.