Harry arrived at Knockturn Alley just as the sun dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows that curled like snakes across the cobbled streets. The dark atmosphere, the flickering lanterns, and the whispering alleys didn't bother him anymore. This place was home now.
But what surprised him was the crowd waiting.
A small pack of werewolves—over three dozen of them—were already gathered near Keller's Curio, leaning on walls, chatting in hushed voices, or simply waiting in silence. Some looked rough, with old scars and threadbare cloaks. Others had taken better care of themselves. Most of them were non-magical, or at best had faint magical abilities, but none of them had received proper education in the magical world. That they were all here, in Knockturn Alley, at the same time… was nothing short of miraculous.
The moment Harry stepped into view, someone let out a shout.
"He's here!"
A wave of warmth followed as the werewolves rushed over, surrounding him in a huddle of grins and greetings.
"Happy Birthday, Harry!"
"Eight years old today, eh?"
"This is for you, lad. Sorry it's not much—"
They handed him small bundles—gifts wrapped in newspaper or worn cloth. Shoes, second-hand cloaks, gloves, potion ingredients. It wasn't the price that mattered. It was the thought. Most of them worked humble jobs in the Muggle world now, finally finding ways to survive without begging or hunting. They had started pooling ingredients together, just as promised.
"You provide the potions, and we'll provide the supplies," one of them said, handing over a small crate of blackthorn roots, silverweed, and powdered hemlock.
Harry smiled and accepted it all with quiet gratitude.
[Quest Progress Updated: Full Moon Brotherhood]
Ingredient Supplies Received
Brew 210 Doses Before Full Moon
Bonus Objective Added: "Strengthen Community Bond" – 0/3 Events Held (1/3 Complete)
That night, Keller's Curio was unrecognizable.
Sam had cleared out most of the front room, pushed the shelves aside, and hung glowing lanterns enchanted to shift colors every few seconds. Music played from a wireless magical speaker, and the werewolves danced awkwardly but freely, many for the first time in years.
There was a big chocolate cake on the counter with Harry's name spelled wrong—but lovingly: "Happy Bithday Hary!"
The place smelled of roasted meat, butterbeer, and potion herbs. Someone even summoned tiny sparks to float above the ceiling like stars.
Harry stood in the center of it all, watching in disbelief.
People were dancing. Laughing. Living.
And they were doing it for him.
He couldn't stop the smile that spread across his face when Sam handed him a wooden box.
"Happy birthday, nephew," Sam said with a wink. "Don't open it now. It's… not entirely legal."
Even Regina, wearing a party hat and grinning from behind the counter, handed him a wrapped bundle. "From me. Open it later."
Harry had never had a birthday like this. No screaming Dursleys. No locked cupboard. No silence. Just… people. Caring about him.
Even though Harry had more than enough Wolfsbane Potion stocked for the coming full moon, he found himself brewing another fresh batch. It wasn't out of necessity—he simply didn't have much else to do. His days were spent inside Keller's Curio, reading books, helping Sam organize rare ingredients, and managing the occasional customer who wandered in looking for illegal or rare goods.
Whenever the bubbling cauldron wasn't demanding his attention, Harry would wander through Knockturn Alley.
He had an ongoing quest in his system:
[Side Quest – Familiarize yourself with Knockturn Alley landmarks – 0/10 discovered]
Discover and record all 10 major locations in Knockturn Alley
Progress: 2/10
Reward: 500 EXP
That quest kept tugging at the back of his mind, and with time on his side, he began exploring deeper and deeper into the twisted alleys and shadowed corners.
At first, it was just curiosity. But soon, he realized not all corners of Knockturn were equal. The deeper he went, the more dangerous it became. Hags with cracked teeth eyed him hungrily from behind potion stands. Ragged traffickers leaned against alley walls offering "goods" he didn't want to hear about. Dark wizards with dead eyes looked at him like prey.
And so, Harry made a choice.
He began wearing the Dementor Cloak, a reward he received after destroying the cursed apprentice of Teozad Umbra. The cloak was pitch black, made from a strange layered fabric that shimmered faintly like smoke. It looked old and torn, as if stitched from the nightmares of a thousand lost souls. But it was no ordinary cloak.
[Equipped: Dementor's Embrace – Artifact Cloak]
+20 Magic Resistance
+35% Fear Effect Aura
Passive Buff: Aura of Dread (intimidates enemies)
Active Skill: Wraith Pulse – Instantly projects a burst of fear into nearby enemies, reducing their morale and movement for 10 seconds.
Cooldown: 2 minutes
The first time he wore it, the effect was immediate.
One of the alley-dwellers—a greasy man with rotting teeth—had stepped too close, murmuring threats under his breath. With a thought, Harry activated the cloak's aura.
A dark pulse rolled outward from the cloak, silent but palpable.
The man froze, face going pale.
"W-what in Merlin's name are you?!"
He bolted into the shadows, nearly tripping over himself. After that, word spread fast. The strange hooded boy who worked with Sam Keller wasn't to be messed with.
Harry didn't need to activate the cloak often. The aura alone was enough. But it became his uniform whenever he stepped out: dark, imposing, and eerily silent. Just the way he liked it.
And with every landmark he uncovered, every strange store he walked past, the system chimed softly in the background of his vision:
[Landmark Discovered (3/10): Malatrix's Bone Bazaar]
Dark Components Vendor Unlocked – Bonecrafting Boost
+50 EXP
[Landmark Discovered(4/10): Liminal Library]
Forbidden Knowledge Archive – Skill Unlock Potential
+50 EXP
The list was growing. So was the risk.
But Harry had grown used to danger.
And with the Dementor Cloak on his back, the shadows of Knockturn Alley no longer whispered threats—
—they gave him room to walk.
Harry stood before the secret storage chest in Keller's Curio. Inside were several goblin-forged weapons—swords with jagged runes etched into their blades, axes that shimmered faintly in the candlelight, and dull, worn armor pieces that still radiated menace. These were the spoils of his battles… proof that he had not only survived the goblin ambush but annihilated them completely.
[Items: Goblin-forged Axe x2, Goblin Short Sword x2, Obsidian-inlaid Goblin Plate Armor x3]
Though it was not illegal to possess or sell goblin-made items—especially if acquired in "self-defense"—Harry didn't want the weapons traced back to him. There were still goblin corpses in his inventory, and he knew Gringotts would not take kindly to the desecration of their kind. He didn't need enemies in that department.
Sam stood beside him, arms crossed, nodding approvingly.
"You sure you want to sell these?" he asked. "You could keep them. They're worth a fortune, but also... history."
Harry gave a small shrug.
"Just three sets. The rest I'll keep. I want to learn metalworking… maybe forge my own sword someday."
Sam grinned. "Now that's ambition."
With Sam's help, the sale didn't take long. The weapons and armor were routed through a few discreet channels and eventually found their way into the hands of private collectors in America—wizards obsessed with exotic craftsmanship and battle artifacts.
A week later, Sam came back with the results:
"Eighty-two thousand Galleons," he said, dropping a heavy satchel onto the counter. "Collectors were drooling."
[Transaction Complete: Goblin Armaments (x3)]
+82,000 Galleons acquired
+100 Reputation (Underground Collectors)
Quest Progress Updated: "Blood-Stained Gold"
Harry was stunned. That was more gold than he'd ever seen in one place—more than his parents had probably left him. He opened the pouch briefly, just to see, and the system responded with a soft chime.
[Warning: Carrying more than 10,000 Galleons in physical currency may attract unwanted attention]
Right. He needed a safer place to store this.
Harry blinked in surprise as a faint ding echoed in his ears. Suddenly, a shimmering blue screen flickered into existence right before his eyes, translucent yet impossible to ignore.
[Quest Alert!]
[The Goblin's Ledger]
Objective: Open your first account at Gringotts by speaking with the goblin banker and completing the process.
Be polite, or risk offending them.
Reward:
500 EXP
+100 Galleons
+1 Reputation with Goblins
Financial Management Lv.1
Failure: Offend the goblins → -50 Reputation.
The glowing letters hovered in the air for a moment, then gently pulsed, waiting for Harry's acceptance.
"Time to open my own vault at Gringotts," Harry muttered.
Sam nodded, already pulling on his cloak. "I'll come with you. I've just finished setting up my own account last month. I know the procedures."
Even though Harry could technically store an unlimited amount of money in his inventory, he was cautious. He knew that pulling out pouch after pouch of gold from thin air would raise eyebrows. In the wizarding world, people noticed strange things. And transactions—real ones—were still done via Gringotts. Their vault system was ancient and secure. If he wanted to blend in and not make enemies, he had to play by some rules.
They stepped out into the Alley, Sam looking dapper in his dragon-hide cloak, Harry wrapped in his layered Dementor Cloak—still intimidating, but pulled back to reveal his face.
It was Harry's first time stepping inside Gringotts, and despite everything he'd heard, it still managed to impress him.
The lobby was cavernous, lit by floating crystal lanterns that hummed faintly with enchantments. Rows of polished desks lined the main hall, behind which dozens of goblins worked furiously—counting gold, weighing gemstones, scribbling into ancient ledgers with claw-tipped quills. Their long fingers moved swiftly, expertly sorting coins and runes alike, their sharp eyes scanning everything with suspicion. Each one wore the same expression: calculating, vicious, and entirely uninterested in the wizarding clients who waited in lines with visible nervousness.
[Location Discovered: Gringotts Wizarding Bank]
+100 EXP
New Category Unlocked: Banking Services
Harry pulled his hood tighter. No one noticed him more than necessary, and that was just how he liked it. Sam didn't lead him to the main queue. Instead, he gestured for Harry to follow along the edge of the lobby toward a corridor hidden behind a false wall illusion.
They passed a few more private offices before stopping in front of a heavy, ironwood door. Sam knocked twice. A moment later, a low voice called from inside:
"Enter."
The office was dimly lit, but warm. Shelves of ancient account ledgers lined the walls, and behind a desk large enough to seat a troll sat a goblin with silver-tipped tusks and sharp golden eyes. He wore a tailored black waistcoat over silken robes.
He looked up and immediately gave a sharp-toothed smile.
"Mr. Keller. What can I do for you? Something wrong with the account?"
"Nothing's wrong, Silverclaw. I brought someone with me—he needs to open a vault. A personal account."
Silverclaw's gaze shifted toward Harry. The goblin's eyes narrowed, assessing him carefully.
Harry removed his hood just enough to reveal his face.
The goblin blinked, visibly startled. But then his grin widened.
"Very well," the goblin said, retrieving a massive, leather-bound tome from beneath the desk. It landed with a heavy thud.
"Name?"
"Harry James Potter."
"Do you have an adult guarantor, or are you acting independently?"
"I want a private account under my name. No guardians. I have the gold to prove eligibility."
He placed the enchanted pouch on the table. It opened with a whisper, and gold shimmered from within.
Silverclaw tapped his finger on the desk. A soft light passed over the pouch, verifying its contents.
"Confirmed. Eighty-two thousand Galleons," the goblin said, impressed. "That qualifies you for Tier-3 Individual Vaulting."
[Bank Tier Achieved: Tier-3 Private Vault]
[Account Access: Withdrawals, Deposits, Transfers, Runesafe Storage, Restricted Identity Use]
A contract floated up from the ledger, along with a self-inking quill. Harry read every word carefully.
The terms were fair. Secure access, complete confidentiality, and one emergency warded vault key, magically bonded to his blood signature.
He signed.
[Quest Complete: The Goblin's Ledger]
+500 EXP
+1 Reputation (Gringotts Neutrality)
+100 Galleons
Financial Management Lv.1
The moment he finished, the vault number appeared on a parchment tag: Vault #917 – Tier-3 Private.
Silverclaw handed him the enchanted key.
"It will recognize your blood and magical signature. Do not lose it. You'll be escorted the first time you visit. After that, you may request the cart yourself."
"I'll remember," Harry said quietly, tucking it into a hidden pocket in his cloak.
Sam gave him a thumbs-up. "You're official now, kid. Vault and everything."
Harry grinned.