[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.]
Sherlock drew his gaze away from the inscription.
Clearly, this wizarding bank had great faith in its security.
How to put it?
Every bank believes that—until something goes wrong.
As Sherlock pondered this, he surveyed the tall marble hall before him.
It only took a moment's reflection for him to spot several vulnerabilities.
Without magic, give him one night and he was confident he could make headlines.
[SHOCKING! Entire Bank Vault Emptied Overnight – Culprit Evades All Security Measures]
It wouldn't be unprecedented. Take, for example, the financial bond theft in London just a year ago.
The Bank of England's response had been textbook:
Stage one: Deny anything happened.
Stage two: Admit something might've happened but claim no action is needed.
Stage three: Admit action might be necessary but say it's too late.
Stage four: Regret not acting sooner, but now it's out of their hands.
Gringotts could definitely take notes.
Still, now that Sherlock knew magic truly existed, it was wise not to act rashly before fully understanding this unfamiliar system.
At the counter, the goblin who had escorted them called over another unoccupied goblin to handle the currency exchange.
The exchange rate between Galleons and British pounds wasn't fixed. Today, it was 5:1.
Surprising, really.
This was 1991, and the pound was still strong.
For the Galleon to be worth five pounds under such circumstances was rather impressive.
Fortunately, Mrs. Holmes's earlier worry turned out to be unfounded.
They had brought enough cash with them.
Enough, in fact, to exchange nearly a thousand Galleons.
But just as they were about to proceed, something unexpected happened—
There was a limit on converting Muggle money into wizarding currency!
Sherlock was caught off guard, but quickly composed himself.
In the non-magical world, countries also impose currency exchange limits, mainly to prevent excessive capital outflows.
Sudden influxes or withdrawals of short-term capital can cause severe fluctuations in financial markets.
Especially during economic downturns or volatile periods, unrestricted foreign exchange could lead to capital flight, currency devaluation, and even financial crises.
So to preserve reserves, protect domestic markets, and maintain stability, most countries impose annual foreign currency limits on citizens.
Exceeding that cap means you can't exchange more for the rest of the year.
If the wizarding world had its own independent currency system, then exchange caps made sense...
Or did they?
If the limits applied to everyone, fine.
But according to the goblin, Muggle-born students could exchange no more than 128 Galleons per year.
As for pure-blood wizarding families, the goblin didn't say, but Sherlock could tell just by observing that their cap was far higher.
He wouldn't be surprised if they had no limit at all.
What else could he say?
It was plain and simple discrimination.
Still, with his keen observational skills, Sherlock noticed something interesting on the goblin's ledger.
The 128-Galleon cap applied only to pound-to-Galleon conversions.
So he asked another question.
As expected, Gringotts also accepted gold, jewelry, and antiques in exchange for wizarding currency.
In other words, while you could only convert a limited amount of pounds, you could freely exchange precious items.
Sherlock's eyes lit up instantly.
He had just uncovered a new method for London's underworld to launder money.
Gringotts: A Money-Laundering Haven—if you can reach it.
The goblin clearly grew impatient with the questioning, but Sherlock pressed on. Eventually, the goblin offered this:
128 Galleons were more than enough to purchase everything a first-year student needed.
After all, Hogwarts was essentially compulsory education. Tuition, housing, and meals were completely free.
That part, at least, aligned with the non-magical world.
In Britain, children begin compulsory education at age five and continue until at least seventeen.
During this period, attendance is mandatory, and parents are required to send their children to school.
The government covers tuition, books, and basic supplies.
At eleven years old, children transition from primary to secondary school—so besides the upfront costs of school supplies, no additional spending should be needed.
In the end, after exchanging the maximum allowed 128 Galleons for £640, the Holmes family left Gringotts.
Even long after leaving the bank, Mrs. Holmes seemed visibly upset.
Influenced by the adage "spend abroad, save at home," she was already contemplating returning to fetch gold to convert into Galleons—so her son wouldn't suffer in faraway Scotland.
Sherlock quickly talked her out of it.
"Let's shop first. If we really run short, we'll consider that option."
Mrs. Holmes agreed to his plan.
Next came the shopping spree.
Following the Hogwarts supply list, Sherlock purchased piles of textbooks, as well as magical equipment like a cauldron, a set of scales, and a telescope.
At this point, Sherlock began to suspect that the goblin had exaggerated.
128 Galleons were barely enough to cover everything on the list—not plenty, as claimed.
Just from what he'd bought so far: three plain work robes cost 20 Galleons, a telescope was 10, even a single writing quill was 1 Galleon.
The most outrageous?
A single new textbook cost 9 Galleons.
Is knowledge in the wizarding world really that expensive?
That only worsened Mrs. Holmes's mood.
Determined not to let her son appear disadvantaged, she firmly vetoed Sherlock's suggestion of buying second-hand books.
Sherlock sighed inwardly.
He was a pragmatist at heart.
In his view, used textbooks were no different from new ones—just a third of the price.
That's a steal!
If it were up to him, he'd have chosen the second-hand versions without a second thought.
But alas, Mother had the final say.
Beyond the required titles, Sherlock picked up a few extra books:
Notable Magical Events of the 20th Century
The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts
And a best-selling title by Bear Grylls: The Ultimate Survival Guide.