416Author's notes: Just a bit under 5000 words at the last chapter…I'm finally going to appear in advanced search!
Disclaimer: "You are infringing copyrights over Harry Potter! Cease immediately!"
"But that's my name! It's my real name, Harry Potter!"
"That's it, you're coming with us…"
Tigerman hide in a corner, chuckling evilly with a book entitled 'Thee old art of diversion'.
Harry was to meet a man about his school supply today as most of the stuff was impossible to get in a normal store. He would be taught how to use the Floo network by the same occasion. Harry waited in front of the fireplace, feeling a bit silly. How could you use one as transport? Did a hole appeared to let you through? Do you use the chimney like Santa?
When green flames flared, Harry was in for two surprises. First, the flames burst someone into existence and secondly, that person was at least ten feet tall. He must have been prepared because he landed on one knee, keeping himself from bumping his head on the mantel, or the ceiling.
The man wore mostly leather, like a savage from uncivilized lands on T.V. He had long black hair and a thick black beard that reminded Harry of a raspberry bush made with scrubbing pads. He looked very strong and had a hard face with eyes far in his skull. He looked like a man who used to laugh a lot, a long time ago. His eyes dropped toward Harry and his features visibly softened up.
"Blimey, it's really you, Harry! Last time I saw ya, you were as big as my hand..."
'Which could be any time between my birth and five years old,' thought Harry. Instead, he extended a hand and smiled.
"Well, as you know, I'm Harry Potter! What's your name? They didn't told me who would come."
"M'I bad! I'm Rubeus Hagrid, Gatekeeper of Hogwarts. Of course, right now, my job is more about to keep things to get out..." he finished on a darker note. "But my tasks include helping the Muggle born to adapt too! Soon, you will go to your classmates' home and some things will seem pretty amazing!"
Hagrid's enthusiasm was contagious and Harry couldn't help but think this was the time of the year Hagrid liked the best, and was alone the less.
"I'm all ears, Mr. Hagrid! I feel I have a lot to catch up to!"
The huge man was happy to oblige. The first lesson was about magical transport, and falling. He put a large box full of dust on the ground, saying it had to be reachable by children and gave a pinch of it to Harry.
"No, you do as I do. You stand here, as inside as you can… more than I that is...ugh... and then you throw the dust at your feet, calling where you want to go. Our stop is a pub called the Leaky Cauldron. Repeat it."
"The Leaky Cauldron," repeated Harry.
"Excellent. Good, good. Words are important in all forms of magic. Now here I go. Leaky Cauldron!"
On cue, the giant man was sucked into a vortex of green flames. Harry walked in the fireplace, aimed at his feet and threw the pinch of powder.
"Leaky Cauldron!"
See now, Harry like rides in amusement parks, but this was the kind is usually stayed clear of: the ones that make you sick. As it stopped, the fireplace practically spat Harry out and it used up all his luck to land on both feet. For a moment, Harry look like a gymnast lending with both arm flaying in the air to prevent falling forward, both feet firmly planted on the ground.
"Nice receptions, for a first timer!" Hagrid complimented him. "You'd better get used to it to, as this is how ya'll get to and from your classes!"
Digesting this, Harry followed his guide to a back alley where he used an umbrella to tap a code on the brick wall. The brick started to move away, revealing a whole shopping district behind.
"You see, Harry, ya tap the wall with your wand to open the way."
"This look more like an umbrella than a wand," commented Harry, one eyebrow raised.
"Errrr, yeah. I'd be grateful if you didn't mention that. As long as I keep quiet, they shouldn't look into it.
Harry felt there was something very badly hinted here, but didn't press the matter. He had enough on his plate already. They went to Gringotts first, where Harry received his vault key from Hagrid. Harry was a bit crossed with this. Shouldn't he have this key, or at least his Aunt? As he voiced that out, trying to keep as calm and un-suspicious as possible, Hagrid explained the matter quickly, as if afraid to be called a thief in front of the goblins.
"Gringotts wouldn't allow a key to fall in Muggle's hands as they can't even reach our world on a normal day, you see! It was Albus Dumbledore who was supposed to keep it but..." Hagrid trailed off, his eyes darkening. "... So I volunteered, as Keeper of the Keys to Hogwarts, what's one more set of key, hey!" finished Hagrid with a deep laugh. "Anyway, I can't get in. Only you with your key can."
The cart ride was a lot more pleasant than the Floo and the sight of his small fortune was breathtaking. They finally left the bank and started shopping at once with Hagrid explaining the uses of each purchase. Potion ingredients, cauldrons, protective gears... and books. He went to have his uniform fitted at Madam Malkins, a pretty standard private school uniform with the addition of a long, black cloak. Hagrid explained they had to adapt going in so many muggle places.
Then, he took him to a pet shop where Harry knew he could get a magical companion. With his aunt already wary of magic, a toad would be a very bad idea and Harry wasn't interested in them in the first place. I cat would look nice and normal, but before he could find one to his taste, he stumbled upon a cage with a snow white owl sleeping inside. Harry just couldn't take his eyes off the magnificent creature.
"Ha, an owl, and a fine one too. A very reasonable, practical choice," noted Hagrid. "I know that look: you found the right one for you! If you like animals, you can come back and have as many as you want! Hogwarts allowed only one, but since it'll live at your home..." trailed off Hagrid.
Harry felt nostalgia roll in wave inside Hagrid. He truly considered that place his home. To have it inhabited by monster must be more than he can endure.
"Hagrid, I swear to you I will work to get the curse of The Spread removed. One day, you will walk the halls of Hogwarts again."
Harry said that with such a serious face, such resolve that Hagrid's initial answer stuck in his throat, much like it did for Petunia Dursley.
"If someone can, I guess it will be you, Harry Potter. After all, you survived the killing curse and no one else managed that before. I trust you."
Harry took the owl cage, jolting the bird awake. It looked at Harry and let out a small hoot.
"Quite a beautiful girl, isn't she?" said the shopkeeper, eager for a good sale.
"Put a discount on that one, Loppy, he's a friend," stated Hagrid.
"A discount on such a prized item?" he said, staring at Hagrid in shock. His eyes trailed on Harry and immediately spotted the telltale scar. "But I guess it wouldn't mean a thing if I did it on just anything! Agreed! Twenty percent off if you take some food and owl treats!"
"Done," Harry said, smirking. He would have taken some anyway.
Harry was glad of his day. It was rich in emotions, tiring, and it was barely midday! Hagrid took a huge pocket watch out, opened it and winced.
"Let's hurry back, Harry. I have to take another Muggle-born girl shopping in less than twenty minutes. You have more than enough to keep yourself busy! Remember to give a name to your owl as soon as possible so it get used to it. I would advise you to start reading a bit too, especially the potion related books. Professor Snape is a bit... well he's kinda...errrr… demanding. Get some work done early."
"Thanks, Hagrid. I guess you'll be showing Diagon Alley to all the new kids in the next few days?"
"Right! Why do ya ask?"
"Now that I know how to get here, I might hang around a bit…"
Hagrid let out a laugh and clapped Harry on a shoulder, sending him across his new trunk.
"Smart boy ya are! Come on! Let's Floo back. I'll see ya soon, I bet!"
Hedwig. That's how he called his snowy owl. Harry found the name in his history book while turning pages randomly, trying to figure out what kind of past the Wizarding World held. Upon Hagrid's advice, Harry started on his potion books. So many ingredients! So many effects! So many uses! It was a science as complex as chemistry! He took half an hour checking out the most interesting recipe, amongst them a potion to look like someone else. He memorized a few ingredients but would do more tomorrow. Dudley found a nice bike trail that cut the time to get to the park almost by half!
Petunia was a bit wary about letting Harry go alone to Diagon Alley the next day. Harry said he would use the Floo to get directly to the Ice cream Parlor and wouldn't leave the main street. He just wanted to get a feel of the Magical side of society, and felt he wouldn't be able to open a book all summer if he stayed put where there were game consoles, his bike and television.
He wanted to meet other kids as well. He wasn't hostile with any of Dudley's friends, but they were not the kind he willingly hung out with. He managed to convince his aunt by promising to be back one hour before sundown, no excuses.
The Floo trip was as dizzying as he remembered, and he got out in a dive this time, landing flat on his belly. Fortunately, the ice cream parlor's floor was squeaky clean and his aunt wouldn't scold him for putting dirt on his clothes. The ice cream stains should be more than enough. It was still early morning, right after breakfast, when Harry chose a table outside and ordered a tall fruit juice. Harry wondered how the silly straw in it managed to have the look of a miniature fountain.
He took a few sips and opened a book. This one was on 'transfiguration' or the art to change something into something else. It looked like hard work and something learned through hours of practice too. There were a few tricks here and there but it mostly was about wand movements, incantations and the intent behind the spells. Harry found a hundred things that could go wrong. He hoped a missed spell would only mean a lack of result, and not a random spell. He guessed it was very likely, or else they wouldn't show it to first year, would they?
Harry's peripheral vision spotted Hagrid coming from the Leaky Cauldron's entrance very easily. He wasn't that blind. He smiled and waved to Hagrid who made a bee line for him. He had a young boy and his clearly nervous mother and father in tow.
"Hiya, Harry! Enjoying the magical world already?!" greeted Hagrid, somehow glad to see him.
"Yes! I'm taking a bit of a early start as I have no idea of what I'm getting into! I wished we'd had more time to speak yesterday but since you had another muggle-born to show around…" Harry trailed off, his eyes sending not-so-subtle glances to the other boy obviously waiting behind the giant man.
"Right! Right, always busy… Oh! This is Justin Finch-Fletchley. Muggle-born, you guessed, and these are …errrr… well… his parents sorry-haven't-got-your-names," finished Hagrid quite quickly.
Harry was already shaking hands solemnly with Justin, presenting himself and smiled at Justin's parent to apologize.
"I learned about my heritage myself only a few days ago. Hagrid have been a great help to get me started," he said seriously.
Hagrid waved him off but apparently fought a relieved sigh. Justin's parents visibly relaxed and started making small talk, who could get very strange when magic was involved. As it was…
"We worried our fireplace wasn't big enough to allow for classes, but we only needed the dust pot," Harry shared.
"We have electric heating," assured Justin's father reassuringly. Boy, did that earned him a dubious look from Hagrid and a nervous laugh from Harry.
Harry bid them goodbye but as a late thought, asked Hagrid when would be the next visit.
"That was the last one for this year, Harry! You'll have to meet them at school, like everyone else!" teased Hagrid, shaking a finger.
Harry was a bit put off but understood. Magic was a lot about lineage after all, so muggle-born were not that common. He ate lots of ice cream, got a frost-bite to his brain, felt a bit of a sugar high, and read a lot by the shade of an umbrella at the shop. He moved a bit but his shopping was already done and he had more than enough books for a life-time! Public school didn't have them read so much! He would have to get used to it, he guessed.
He went back home, two full hours before dusk, feeling drained as only a full day outside can do. He went to sleep early, dreaming of potion ingredients that were, strangely, all kinds of ice cream topping.
Harry spent the rest of his summer playing outside, watching T.V, doing his gardening chores and reading his magical books. He was forbidden to take them outside the house, barely tolerated outside his room. He could bring them if he took the Floo, as it would be to a magical place anyway. Dudley tried to read one, but didn't understood. He gave up quickly, and asked nothing of it. Harry pondered about that, as it should have triggered at least an hour of non-stop nagging about the usefulness of potions and why he couldn't have a wand himself. There must be something magical about these books to have Dudley act so reasonably!