Harry wished he had about eight more eyes. He turned his head in every direction as they walked up the street, trying to look at everything at once: the shops, the things outside them, the people doing their shopping. A plump woman outside an Apothecary was shaking her head as they passed, saying, "Dragon liver, seventeen Sickles an ounce, they're mad...."

　　A low, soft hooting came from a dark shop with a sign saying Eeylops Owl Emporium -- Tawny, Screech, Barn, Brown, and Snowy. Several boys of about Harry's age had their noses pressed against a window with broomsticks in it. "Look," Harry heard one of them say, "the new Nimbus Two Thousand -- fastest ever --" There were shops selling robes, shops selling telescopes and strange silver instruments Harry had never seen before, windows stacked with barrels of bat spleens and eels' eyes, tottering piles of spell books, quills, and rolls of parchment, potion bottles, globes of the moon....

　　"Gringotts," said Hagrid.

　　They had reached a snowy white building that towered over the other little shops. Standing beside its burnished bronze doors, wearing a uniform of scarlet and gold, was -

　　"Yeah, that's a goblin," said Hagrid quietly as they walked up the white stone steps toward him. The goblin was about a head shorter than Harry. He had a swarthy, clever face, a pointed beard and, Harry noticed, very long fingers and feet. He bowed as they walked inside. Now they were facing a second pair of doors, silver this time, with words engraved upon them:

　　Enter, stranger, but take heed

　　Of what awaits the sin of greed,

　　For those who take, but do not earn,

　　Must pay most dearly in their turn.

　　So if you seek beneath our floors

　　A treasure that was never yours,

　　Thief, you have been warned, beware

　　Of finding more than treasure there.

　　"Like I said, Yeh'd be mad ter try an' rob it," said Hagrid.

　　A pair of goblins bowed them through the silver doors and they were in a vast marble hall. About a hundred more goblins were sitting on high stools behind a long counter, scribbling in large ledgers, weighing coins in brass scales, examining precious stones through eyeglasses. There were too many doors to count leading off the hall, and yet more goblins were showing people in and out of these. Hagrid and Harry made for the counter.

　　"Morning," said Hagrid to a free goblin. "We've come ter take some money outta Mr. Harry Potter's safe."

　　"You have his key, Sir?"

　　"Got it here somewhere," said Hagrid, and he started emptying his pockets onto the counter, scattering a handful of moldy dog biscuits over the goblin's book of numbers. The goblin wrinkled his nose. Harry watched the goblin on their right weighing a pile of rubies as big as glowing coals.

　　"Got it," said Hagrid at last, holding up a tiny golden key.

　　The goblin looked at it closely.

　　"That seems to be in order."

　　"An' I've also got a letter here from Professor Dumbledore," said Hagrid importantly, throwing out his chest. "It's about the YouKnow-What in vault seven hundred and thirteen."

　　The goblin read the letter carefully.

　　"Very well," he said, handing it back to Hagrid, "I will have Someone take you down to both vaults. Griphook!"

哈利真希望自己多长八只眼睛。当他们走在街道上时，他的头不停的向四处转动，想把所有的东西一下子尽收眼底，店铺、铺子外面的东西，以及那些在购物的人们，一个非常丰满的妇女站在药房外，使劲晃动地的脑袋，大声叫卖："蜥蜴肝脏，每盎司十七镰刀币……"一个低沉，柔和的袅叫声从一间昏暗的店铺里传来，那店铺的招牌上写着：猫头鹰出租中心——黄褐色的、红褐色的、全棕色的、棕褐毛的、雪白的，许多年纪与哈利相仿的男孩子把他们的鼻子紧紧压在橱窗上，窗户里面是他们梦寐以求的魔法扫帚。"看哪！"哈利听到其中一个在说："新的'灵光2000'——是最快的。"还有许多店铺卖法衣、望远镜以及哈利以前从未见过的奇怪的银具，橱窗里还堆积着一桶桶的蝙蝠脾脏和鳗鱼眼睛，摇摇欲坠的成堆的咒语书，一卷卷的羊皮纸、药瓶、以及各种各样的球状物。

　　"这就是格林高斯！"哈格力说。

　　他们到了一座雪白色的建筑物前面，这座房子比周围的小店要高出许多。站在泛着光泽的青铜色大门的旁边穿着深红色和金黄色制服的就是——"啊，那就是恶魔了。"哈格力轻声的说，同时跨上白色的石阶向恶魔走过去。那个恶魔大约比哈利矮一个头，他有一张黑黝黝的机灵的面庞，尖尖的胡须，而且哈利注意到他的手指和脚十分长。

　　当他们走进去的时候，恶魔向他们鞠了一躬。现在他们面对着第二扇门了，银色的，上面还刻了一些字：请进，陌生人，但请留心贪婪的后果。

　　对于那些只知索取，不懂付出的人，一定会得到最严厉的报应。

　　所以如果你是来寻找藏在地底下的而不属于你的财富。

　　窃贼，那么你得当心找到比财宝更多的东西。

　　"就像我所说的，如果你试着去抢劫它，那真是发疯了。"哈格力说。

　　当他们穿过银门时又有两位恶魔向他们鞠躬。接下来他们就到了一座全部由大理石铺成的大厅，里面大约有一百多个恶魔坐在柜台后面的高脚凳上，潦草地登记帐本、用黄铜天平称硬币重量，通过放大镜仔细研究那些珍贵的石头。通往这一大厅的门多得数不过来，但有更多的恶魔带领人们出入这些门，哈格力和哈利直向柜台走过去。

　　"早上好。"哈格力对一个没事做的恶魔说："我们来从哈利·波特的保险箱里取点钱。""你有钥匙吗？先生？"

　　"就在这的什么地方，"哈格力说着开始把口袋里的东西掏到柜台上，一把把发霉的狗饼干散在恶魔的帐本上，恶魔们连忙捂起鼻子。哈利看到在他们右手边的恶魔们正在称量一堆有炽热的煤炭那么大的红宝石。

　　"这就是了。"哈格力终于找到了那把金色的小钥匙。

　　恶魔仔细地看了看钥匙。

　　"好像符合要求。"

　　"我还带来了一封丹伯多教授的信来，"哈格力神气十足地随口说道："是有关于在713号金库里的那个东西。"恶魔仔细地把信看了一遍。

"很好。"说着他把信还给了哈格力，"我会派人带你去这两个仓库的。格里霍克！"