782Howdy Howdy!
Welcome to, In his Pocket.
A few heads up to save people time before reading:
This is AU, I have a small change to the original plot as the butterfly effect but the overall universe has my own original flare to it.
Harry will be a bit OOC as well as IN character. He was treated as a servant all his life and JK portrayed him as a blank kid before he went to Hogwarts where he was suddenly acting just like Ron. Lots of inconsistencies. Don't really like Ron but I won't do any bashing for any character if I can help it.
Dumbledore isn't going to be bashed, nor this evil manipulator I see some people make him. Weird how people portray him. I see people making it seem like he's trying to have the books play out and going to ridiculous extremes.
Harry is still BWL.
Parents are dead.
Prophesy isn't going to be super important nor is it going to dictate Dumbledore's actions so heavily. If he has a chance to kill Tom, then he will. You know, like the extremely powerful wizard he is. My Dumbledore is a war hardened leader tempered by his failures and Grindelwald. I will refer to the sixth book where Dumbledore himself says that prophesies are BS and self fulfilling, so I'm not pulling that out of my ass.
Harry is going to be very introspective until he meets friends he can trust, lots of inner thoughts and keeping to himself. He isn't going to instantly make friends with everyone. Hard to trust someone you just met, but his real personality will still break through to the surface. He's a Gryffindor after all.
NO SLASH. I don't hate the gay's, but I'm not interested in writing it.
All canon events up to Hogwarts letter happened as they did in the books. Sirius in AZ and Remus is off somewhere doing Remus things. Peter is where he is and so on…
Don't expect godlike Harry, or unbeatable Harry. He will be a brilliantly talented wizard who walks the same road that Tom did but on the other side. You know parallels and all that.
Read on to find out more!
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.
Privet Drive — 5. July 1991
Harry squinted as his eyes adjusted to the morning light upon exiting his cupboard. He wrinkled his nose. There was a terrible smell coming from the kitchen. The odor was coming from a large metal tub on top of the stove. Looking in, Harry saw large grey rags floating in the boiling water.
"What's that?" he asked his Aunt.
Aunt Petunia nearly snarled at him like she always did when he spoke. "Your new school uniforms."
Looking at the tub again. "Why are you cooking it?"
"Don't be stupid!" she snapped. "I'm dyeing some of Dudley's clothes, and they'll look like everyone else's when I'm done."
Harry didn't even bother to argue with her. They were way too big and would look wrong after being dyed. He hoped the others at Stonewall High would go easy on him for looking like he was wearing elephant skin.
Dudley and Uncle Vernon came into the kitchen with wrinkled noses from the smell. Uncle Vernon sat at the table and began reading the newspaper while Dudley started swinging around his Smelting stick, which he never set down since getting it.
Before anyone said anything, they all heard the front door's mail slot click and the sound of paper hitting the carpet.
"Get the mail, Dudley," Vernon said, not looking up from his paper.
"Make Harry get it!"
"Get the mail, Harry."
"Make Dudley get it."
"Poke him with your Smelting stick, Dudley."
Dodging the stick Harry hurried into the hall where he saw a small stack of envelopes: a postcard from Uncle Vernon's sister Marge, a bill that Harry ignored, and— a letter for Harry.
Harry looked over the letter with a rapidly beating heart. It was a thick yellow parchment with emerald ink. Harry blinked. No one, ever, in his entire life, had ever written him. Who would? He had no friends, no other relatives, and the local library didn't send him mail.
Mr. H. Potter
The Cupboard under the Stairs
4 Privet Drive
Little Whinging
Surrey
It was thick, likely holding a packet of information. No stamp or return information. On the back was a wax stamp with a coat of arms divided into fourths; an eagle, a lion, a badger and a snake all surrounding a letter H.
"Hurry up, boy!"
Harry turned around and went to walk back into the kitchen to give his uncle the mail. But before he did, he put the letter in his pocket.
After breakfast, Dudley left with Uncle Vernon to do some shopping for supplies for Smeltings and to have "father-son bonding" as Uncle Vernon put it. Harry was pleased to see them leave without speaking to him.
"Aunt Petunia, may I go to the library?" asked Harry trying to keep the trembling from his voice.
Aunt Petunia's lip curled again, "Be back before night and not a second earlier."
Most got a curfew, not Harry. For the first time in his life, Harry was glad that his relatives didn't want him around.
Walking out of the house, Harry turned to look to see if Aunt Petunia was watching him. Not being able to see her Harry opened his letter.
HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY
Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,
Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)
Dear Mr. Potter,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress
A wizard, he was a wizard. He finally had some answers as to why such strange things happened to him. His hair growing in a single night and never longer, his teacher's hair turning purple and that time he teleported to the roof of his school.
Wait — They awaited his owl? Harry looked around the street for an owl, feeling foolish for thinking that there would be an owl on Privet Drive.
Until he saw one sitting on the roof of the house across the street. It was small and brown, and it was staring at him as if it knew that he was going to need it.
Feeling confident that the owl was for him, Harry lifted his arm and held it level as a makeshift perch. Clearly, the owl was smart as it swooped down and landed on Harry's arm and looked at him curiously.
"You'll take my letter to Hogwarts?"
The owl hooted, and Harry smiled at the small thing. He liked the owl.
Then he realized that there was another couple pieces of paper in the envelope and lifted his arm, so the owl could sit on his shoulder as he looked through the packet.
This one was a list of supplies he would need.
UNIFORM
First-year students will require:
Three sets of work robes (black)
One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear
One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)
One winter cloak (black with silver fastenings)
Please note that all pupil's clothes should carry name tags.
COURSE BOOKS
All students should have a copy of each of the following:
The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1)
by Miranda Goshawk
A History of Magic
by Bathilda Bagshot
Magical Theory
by Adalbert Waffling
A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration
by Emetic Switch
One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi
by Phyllida Spore
Magical Drafts and Potions
by Arsenius Jigger
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
by Newt Scamander
The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection
by Quentin Trimble
OTHER EQUIPMENT
1 wand
1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)
1 set of glass or crystal phials
1 telescope
1 set of brass scales
Students may also bring, if they desire, an owl OR a cat OR a toad. If a student has a Familiar of a different species, they are REQUIRED to owl the headmistress for permission before bringing it.
PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS
ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS
Harry sighed at the long list of things that weren't sold at the local shops. He would've remembered seeing wands for sale when shopping with his relatives.
The first thing Harry planned to do was to send his letter saying that he was attending Hogwarts. Luckily Harry had been sent to the corner store the other day by Aunt Petunia and still had the left-over money, so he made his way to the corner store to get some paper.
Today was a slow day at the corner store as only one lady was behind the register flipping through a magazine.
"Excuse me." Harry said getting the lady's attention.
"Yes, young man." She looked to be twenty, and likely wished to be anywhere else.
"May I have a piece of paper and a pencil."
Harry didn't want to spend all his money buying a packet of pens and paper to send one message. The lady rolled her eyes and gave him a blank piece of paper and a small pencil that had no eraser.
"Thank you." said Harry before rushing out of the store to where the owl was waiting.
Harry wondered how to word a letter. He was going to write it to the headmaster but thought better of it. Based on all the titles, he was likely too busy to worry about a first-year's question.
Dear Minerva McGonagall,
My name is Harry Potter, and I will be pleased to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in September. I have only a question, where can I buy my supplies and their costs, as my relatives don't know, and I haven't any money.
Yours sincerely,
Harry Potter
It was the first time he'd written a letter, he hoped that he didn't make a fool of himself. Rolling up the paper into a tight roll he gave it to the small owl.
"Please hurry, I'd like to get my things today." urged Harry.
Instead of waiting for his letter in his cupboard at number 4, Harry went to the sub-station where he could find a map of London. He had enough money for one ticket and was going to have to find a way of returning once he left.
It had been a bit longer than three hours when he heard the hoot of an owl. Folding up the map, Harry walked around the corner and held his arm up once again for the owl to stand on.
"Thanks." he told the small bird who hooted happily.
This was a smaller letter and was in the same type of envelope with his name written on the front in a different handwriting style.
Dear Mr. Potter
Thank you for your quick reply. For your school supplies, Diagon Alley is the hub for all magical items in England, located on Charing Cross Road, London. There will be a pub called the Leaky Cauldron, muggles are magically made to ignore the pub so asking for direction will be tricky. For funds, Mr. Potter I suggest going to Gringotts and asking for information regarding your account. Tell them your name and they will take it from there.
Looking forward to seeing you this term,
Minerva McGonagall
Harry breathed a sigh of relief that the hub of magical trade was so close and bought his ticket to make his way to London.
Many people gave him curious looks, Harry thought it might look odd for an eleven-year-old traveling to London on his own but he didn't mind.
The train arrived at his stop quickly and Harry made his way up to the street where he could find this Leaky Cauldron. Luckily, Charing Cross was close, so he didn't have to walk for long.
The pub did stand out from its neighboring shops as it looked run down and built out of rather old wood with a creaky sign over the door depicting a boiling cauldron.
Knowing that this was the right place, Harry walked in. The biggest difference of note was the lack of electricity in the pub as candlelight and lanterns were the primary source of light. There were several fireplaces also giving off light while people in robes mingled about drinking and laughing.
An old man behind the bar laughed before noticing a stunned Harry looking around the pub.
"First-year?" he called out.
Harry looked up at the man in surprise getting a small chuckle out of the barman. The man noticed his forehead, and his eyes widened in shock, but Harry brushed his hair in front of it quickly.
"Yes sir, I was told that Diagon Alley was where I could buy my supplies."
The man walked from behind the desk and waved at Harry to follow. Several people eyed him curiously, but he just rushed closer to the barkeep to avoid too much attention.
"Here we are," said the barkeep while standing in front of a brick wall.
"I haven't learned to walk through walls yet, sir."
The barkeep laughed before taking out a long thing piece of wood that Harry assumed was a wand.
"Watch close." the barkeep tapped the wall in specific places.
The bricks began to move to create an archway that gave way to Diagon Alley. A very busy street with slanted buildings and crooked streets with hundreds of wizards and witches on their daily business going in and out of shops with wrapped packages.
Harry guessed that the wizarding world didn't much care for bags.
"Off ya go lad," the barkeep that Harry had forgotten was standing there said.
"Thank you again, sir."
Harry walked forward and pushed his way down the street looking for a building named Gringotts. The deputy headmistress said that they would help him with his money problem.
Not far from the entrance was a tall marble building with columns that were slightly crooked. Harry wondered if wizards had levelers. It was starting to bother him that nothing was neat and tidy, since he was forced to clean his relatives' home so often.
Before he walked in Harry saw that on the front was a warning:
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.
Gulping, Harry walked through the large doors.
The inside was a lot larger than what the building looked like on the outside. A very long entryway with tall desks lining the sides that were likely there to funnel in people or to have only one exit. Based on the warning, he assumed the latter.
While the bank seemed nice the— creatures -behind the desks were strange. They were small, wrinkly and looked like they swallowed something sour.
Harry walked up to the center desk and waited for the creature to notice him.
The creature looked down at Harry and set down its writing feather.
"How can I help you?" it sneered at Harry.
Thankfully Harry was well used to being talked to like that, so he didn't give the creature a reaction.
Standing straighter, "My name is Harry Potter and—"
"Ah Mr. Potter." Followed by another sneer. "Please follow me."
The creature hopped down and walked toward one of the doors with Harry following behind. They went down another hallway with several more creatures working diligently and, curiously, several normal people in uniforms walking the halls.
"In there Mr. Potter." The creature pointed to the door and ushered him inside.
Inside was a nice office with weapons hanging on the walls and artifacts on the shelves. Candles lit the room and behind a very ornate desk was a well-dressed creature. It was wearing a fancy suit that looked to be made of the finest silk that Uncle Vernon could only dream of buying.
"Take a seat Mr. Potter" it told him. "I must say, most wizards of your standing usually visit with the bank every year rather than every decade." It sneered.
Harry's face reflected his confusion, "I wasn't aware I was a wizard until this very morning! I was only told to visit the bank to get some money to buy my school supplies."
The creature grunted, but seemed to understand, or at the very least, not care enough to argue further.
"Very well," the creature took out a stack of paper. "Mr. Potter, your current financial accounts are doing very well. You father's investments have paid off nicely. Currently the Potter vault houses 745,609 galleons and several thousand sickles and knuts. The Evan's Family vault, your mother if I'm not mistaken was made into your trust and houses five thousand galleons that will be renewed every 31st of July."
Harry didn't know what a galleon was, nor sickles or knuts, but a thousand of anything was a lot so he was sure that he wasn't going to go broke any time soon.
"Galleon, Sickles and knuts? Can you explain to me their value?"
The creature glared at his paper for a moment then took a breath.
"For muggles—" Seeing the look on Harry's face it elaborated, "Non-magicals, 10 pounds sterling is worth one galleon. One Galleon is worth seventeen sickles, one sickle is worth twenty-nine knuts. So, I'm sure you'll realize that your family is quite well off. Now I'm sure you want your key, so you can get you affairs in order."
Harry nodded, and the creature took out another sheet of paper.
"All that is required is a drop of blood on the back of this blank key, and it will match to your vaults."
The creature handed him a silver key with no ridges and nothing to distinguish it from any other unfinished key.
Accepting the key and needle, Harry pricked his finger and let a drop fall onto the back of the key. Right before his eyes, the key started to change from the plain silver to a small but ornate golden key that had a P on handle.
"Now that everything is in order, I expect you to check with your accounts at the very least once a year."
"I will, sir," nodded Harry before standing up to leave. "Thank you for all the help, uh."
"Sharptooth, Goblin Banker and Manager of all Ancient and Noble Families." introduced the Goblin finally telling Harry what they were.
Walking out of the room Harry nearly bumped into an old woman in a very strange outfit. A handbag and a hat that looked to have a vulture on top of it.
Harry apologized and walked back to the main hallway. He passed more Goblins and several other wizards and witches that worked for the bank.
Walking back to the main entryway Harry stood a bit more confidently in front of the center most desk and the same Goblin sneered down at him.
"All in order wizard?"
Making sure to stand straight and look the Goblin in the eye, "Yes sir, I would like to open my vault." Harry raised his key and the Goblin nodded.
"Through those doors, we're very busy today so you may have to share or wait." the Goblin jabbed its figure toward the door directly behind it.
Luckily, he didn't have to wait long for one of the carts, however there was another family getting in with him and they seemed to have a tour guide. The family was clearly like his relatives, muggles, and they wore nice clothes and were looking around curiously. The girl that seemed to be his age excitedly asked question after question that their guide happily answered.
Harry wondered why the Goblin with the family was so squeaky and nice compared to the others in the bank.
"Professor, is it true that there are vaults guarded by a Dragon?" asked the girl while her parents behind her looked on interestedly.
The small Goblin chuckled, "Yes, it is Ms. Granger. All the high security vaults are at the very bottom. The lower the vault, the more security."
Harry sat down and before anyone could say anything the goblin at the very back with its small wrinkly hands on the controls spoke up in a growling voice.
"I want to see keys and hear names."
The girl raised a silver key to the small creature while Harry raised his own.
"Hermione Granger for the Granger Vault." She announced with her chin raised.
"Harry Potter for Potter Trust Vault." He said lowly still getting used to attention.
The cart started to move, but Harry noticed that the small cheerful Goblin was looking at him with wide and excited eyes. This made the other family curious, and the girl looked to be bursting with more questions. Harry shifted uncomfortably for a moment and put the key back in his pocket.
"Um—can I help you, sir?" he asked uncertainly.
That snapped the cheerful Goblin out of his daze making him chuckle happily and clap a few times.
"Oh no dear boy, I'm shocked is all!" he said delightedly. "It's so good to finally meet you Mr. Potter." He reached over and shook his hand. Harry reciprocated, quite confused.
The curious girl couldn't hold it in any longer and finally voiced the question that Harry was likely thinking.
"How do you know Professor Flitwick?" she asked Harry making him turn to her.
"I don't, I only learned I was a wizard today. I've been living with my muggle relatives," explained Harry to the girl making her even more confused.
Seeing that they were stuck in the cart together Harry decided to introduce himself to the family.
"I'm Harry Potter." he raised his hand to the girl who took it happily.
"Hermione Granger, I'm a muggle-born myself." Her parents behind her introduced themselves as Rose and Hugo, dentists and fully muggle.
"Where is your professor escort? I thought all muggle-born were escorted by professors to introduce them to the magical world?" She aimed the question toward the Professor who looked at Harry with a tilt of his head.
"You only learned of your heritage today?" he said to himself. "Your aunt and uncle are very much aware of the magical world. They didn't tell you?" he asked Harry.
The Professor turned to Hermione to answer her question, "We do Ms. Granger, but Mr. Potter here isn't a muggle-born, he is a half-blood if I'm not mistaken."
"Half-blood?" asked Harry.
"You really don't know," whispered the Professor. "Well, Mr. Potter your father was a Pure-blood of the Potter family, a very old and prestigious family. Your mother Lily, who was my absolute favorite student, was a muggle-born like Ms. Granger here. I am very excited to have you in my class Mr. Potter; your parents were Head Boy and Girl in their time and your mother was one of the most brilliant witches I've taught." The Professor was happy and squeaky again.
Harry smiled at the mention of his parents, finally hearing something about them in positive light rather than the scathing taunts of his Aunt and Uncle.
"Head Boy and Girl?" Harry asked after a moment.
Hermione spoke up seeing a chance to answer a question, "That's an accolade awarded to the top male and female students right before their final year. It means they were both very accomplished." She turned to the professor expectantly.
The Goblin Professor chuckled, "Quite right, adding to that we measure the students over their six years rather than just their sixth, so it is the two very best students."
There was a lull in the conversation that covered accolades and school standings.
"Granger vault, number 257." The goblin in the back said, and the Granger family all filed out to go to their vault to see what all the pounds they gave the teller converted into.
Harry and the Professor watched them, and Harry felt a pang of jealousy seeing such a close family experience knowing that he'd never get one.
"I take it you don't know about that either?" Asked the professor while gesturing to his forehead.
Harry touched his scar, with everything he's learned today he doubted that it was because of a drunken car crash. He shook his head in a negative.
"There was a war, and the man behind it you-know-who-"
"I don't know who." Interrupted Harry with a frown.
"Sorry, You-Know-Who is what we call him his name is not spoken, had a blood war over not wanting muggle-born witches and wizards to be allowed into the magical world and killed anyone in his way to purge the world of them." Explained the professor getting a frown from Harry.
"Mr. Potter," the Professor spoke up. "Ten years ago, You-Know-Who personally went to the home of his next targets. Now when he decided to kill someone, they died, especially if he personally went. He was one of the most dangerous Dark Lords of all time. I can expect you can guess who his targets were."
"My parents."
The Professor nodded sadly, "What you likely don't know is that after he killed your parents, he turned his wand toward you." Harry didn't have any words to describe the shock he felt so he stayed silent.
"But when he casted the curse to kill you, something happened. No one knows what, but you didn't die, and then an explosion happened. You-Know-Who wasn't heard from again. Many think he's dead or just too weak to carry on. But that's why everyone knows your name. No one, ever, has survived the Killing Curse. Except you, Mr. Potter. You're the Boy-Who-Lived, as I'm sure you'll hear people call you."
Harry leaned back in his chair and took in some air slowly. How was he supposed to respond to that? Never, in all his life, did he expect people to care about or even notice him, much less actually be famous. Did that mean that wherever he went people were going to stare at him, at his scar? Harry already didn't like the idea of that.
Not to mention the renewed grief of losing parents that weren't deadbeat drunks that actually loved him. He assumed they loved him since he was learning that everything the Dursley's told him were lies.
"I'm truly sorry for your loss." The small Professor said noticing the grief in his eyes. "I really enjoyed teaching your parents, I'm sure they would be proud that you're doing all this on your own. May I ask where your relatives are?"
Harry winced slightly, "They and I don't get along really. So, I thought it would be better to do this on my own." Not to mention that he doubted his Aunt and Uncle would actually let the "freak" go to his "freak school."
Something flashed behind the professor's eyes that Harry felt was irritation, but somehow knew that it was directed at his Aunt Petunia. Harry looked away from the Professor with a shake of his head, not sure what that was.
They sat quietly while the Grangers spoke with the Goblin on values of the different coins and exchange rates. Harry noticed that there was a small pile of gold coins that he assumed were galleons on the floor of the vault with silver and bronze coins stacked next to them. He assumed that those were sickles and knuts.
After a few minutes the Grangers came back to the cart, Hermione sat next to him with a smile which Harry responded with a nod.
The cart shot off faster this time and was noticeably diving more often as they went deeper and deeper. Harry remembered about how the larger the vault the deeper and more secure it was, knowing how much he had he was sure that he was going to be a bit further.
Harry wondered what he would buy first. He needed to get several books, robes and a cauldron, among other things. He would need to buy something to store everything first. Looking down at himself Harry decided that he would need some new clothes, only problem would be his relatives' reaction to his new appearance.
Deciding to worry about such a thing later, Harry noticed that the cart was slowing down.
"Potter Trust Vault, number 687." the Goblin in the back said as it hopped onto the ground with Harry following.
They arrived at a large circular door with a keyhole in the middle. Harry handed his key to the Goblin who unlocked the door revealing the piles of gold galleons that were nearly as tall as Harry.
Thanking the fact that Dudley's clothes were so big as it would allow him to stuff the pockets full of gold, Harry began gathering coins to put in his pockets. The Goblin snorted at Harry before handing him a bag that was a little larger than Harry's hand.
"Fill that with as much gold as you want. It's enchanted with an expansion charm."
Harry thanked the Goblin and put fifty Galleons in the coin case then put the case in his pocket before running back over to the cart.
The goblin put the cart back into gear and they were on their way back up the tracks to the surface.
Professor Flitwick turned over to Harry, "Are you going to be alright shopping on your own, Harry?"
Harry nodded, "I just need to know where I can get something to store all my supplies. From there I will be alright," he assured hoping to be left alone to explore on his own.
Hermione looked put out, but a hand on her shoulder from her mother kept her from talking.
"If you're certain, I suggest following us to get a trunk. That was where I was going to take the Grangers here first anyway, as the easiest way to shop is getting a trunk to hold it all first." The Professor said with a smile.
Harry nodded with a small smile and noticed that Hermione looked more excited now that he was coming along. He guessed that it would be nice to have some company to start out.
Once they reached the stopping point the Grangers, Professor, and Harry all got out and made their way out of Gringotts.
"Now as I said before we will be getting Ms. Granger and Mr. Potter their trunks. This is a Hogwarts's student's primary luggage during their time at school."
The Professor lead the group out of the bank further down the Alley to a shop that had trunks in the windows and a family looking at them through the window.
Inside the Professor led them to the owner. It was an older man with wire glasses and an old suit that looked to have been made nearly a century ago. He perked up slightly at the group and walked around the counter toward them.
"Afternoon, I expect the standard?" he proposed to the Grangers who nodded and were pointed toward the front.
The man saw that Harry hadn't moved, "Something else in mind?"
Harry had never splurged, since he had next to nothing growing up, so now that he had money, he was going to get something nice.
"I want a good one that will last a long time. That has plenty of storage."
The man smiled and lead him further back into the shop. He was pointed to a large trunk that was primarily dark brown and gold trimmings holding everything together. Next to it were several more with different primary colors but all had gold trimmings.
"This is my top-of-the-line set. They are lined with dragon leather to hold up under even the worst of circumstances and are attuned to only open for one owner. There are several compartments, one for a wardrobe, one for equipment, and another for books that can store up to fifty books. They are priced at thirty galleons, which is a lot, but it lasts generations."
Harry smiled and ran his hands over the brown and gold trunk. The security feature stood out the most as he would need to keep his things safe from Dudley as well as his Aunt and Uncle.
"I'll take it." Harry told the man while counting out thirty galleons.
The shopkeeper grinned and pulled the brown and gold trunk out from the display and set it up right.
"I'll need your initials."
"H.P." Harry said finally done counting out the coins.
Harry looked up in time to see the front of the trunk grow two gold letters: a large H and P. He ran his hands over the letters happily, it was nice to have something, nice.
"It was a pleasure doing business with you Mr. Potter." Harry looked up surprised, "Not many with those initials, I also peeked at your scar when you walked in." he said with a smile.
Harry smiled and thanked the man then walked back over to the Grangers. Hermione was happily running her hand over her new trunk while talking with Professor Flitwick.
"Harry! Are you ready to go?" an excited Hermione asked.
Harry looked at the group and nodded, "I'm ready but I think I'll do the rest on my own. I want to get some clothes and just look around the Alley for a bit. I have the whole day to kill before I have to go home."
Hermione frowned, "You can come with us if you want to. We don't mind." she looked up at her parents who nodded along with her and gave Harry a smile.
He wanted to have company, if he were honest with himself. But he didn't want to have to wait around for them nor did he want to only go to places that the Professor took them.
"I think I want to go at my own pace." He hoped he didn't sound ungrateful for the offer. "Have a good day."
Hermione smiled, but Harry could tell she was a bit sad at his refusal while the older Grangers gave him understanding looks.
Professor Flitwick shook his head, "Being independent is a good trait, but if you need help come find me."
"I will, sir." he said thankfully. "I'll see you in September, Professor. Hermione, Mr. and Mrs. Granger," he nodded.
They gave him their best wishes, and he walked down the Alley with his new trunk rolling behind him. The first thing he wanted to do was buy clothes his own size. Looking down at his oversized clothes he felt foolish and was glad that the Grangers didn't ask him about it. That wasn't something he wanted to talk about.
A tailor shop by the name of Timothy's Tailor Shop caught his eye. It was a run-down crooked building that looked like all the other shops in Diagon Alley. Less people were out in front of the shop than the others around it.
Walking inside, trunk clunking behind him, Harry was greeted by a young woman waving a wand around to organize clothes in neat stacks.
"Oh! Hello, welcome to Timothy's Tailor Shop!" she greeted him in a peppy attitude that got a smile from him.
"Hello," he responded in kind. "I need a new wardrobe." Harry said simply as he pointed down to his oversized clothes making her nod.
"I can tell. What are you in the market for: everyday, formal, or school?" she asked while a tape measure floated around him taking his measurements and a floating feather wrote everything down on a floating notebook.
Harry thought for a moment before taking out his school list. "I need dragon hide gloves, work robes, and everyday clothes, like slacks and shirts and a new jacket. Also, shoes." Harry said as he looked at his falling apart trainers that looked to be as old as him.
The girl only perked up more as he told her how much he planned to buy.
"Excellent! Well, I will help pick you out the latest styles. Don't worry, I'm a muggle-born so I know what's in season." Harry was dragged towards the back and a stood in front of several mirrors as she hurried around the shop.
Looking at his new outfit Harry felt some satisfaction. Perfectly sized, high quality and just as nice if not nicer than anything Dudley had, especially his boots. Not oversized and looked like dress boots that he'd seen his Uncle wear to look formal, but not too formal.
His trunk had all his Hogwarts clothes that the list specified, and now he would need the actual supplies.
The apothecary looked like the right choice. Inside were several smells that Harry found neither pleasant nor unpleasant. The man who looked to work here was helping another man, so he decided to look at cauldrons.
They had the standard pewter, silver, and gold, all different sizes and shapes. He ran his hands over the golden cauldron and considered buying it, he would certainly stand out if he showed up with the best cauldron in the shop.
"You are years from needing a cauldron of that caliber." a man's drawl came from behind him.
Harry could feel someone watching him, turning around he saw it was the man that was speaking to the shop keep, who was now looking at him. He was a tall man dressed completely in black and had an intense gaze that Harry looked away from. He felt a slight tingle in his head when meeting the man's eyes.
"Oh, I didn't realize that the cauldron's metal affected the potions." Harry told the man who seemed to anger at his words and even more when he noticed Harry's scar.
"Well, Mr. Potter, I expect nothing more or less than the standard pewter when you come to my class. I would also recommend that you educate yourself before school, lest you come off as an arrogant dunderhead." The man sneered but Harry ignored the hostility, he was used to it.
"I will Professor, I'm Harry Potter by the way." he knew that the man knew who he was, but he didn't know this Professor's name.
The man looked at him for a moment before blinking very slowly and taking in a slow breath.
"Severus Snape, I will be your potions Professor and I am the Head of Slytherin House." He introduced himself in the same low drawl.
The Professor looked ready to leave, but Harry had another question. "Is there a difference in phials? The list gives two options, but I don't know which I should buy." A reasonable question for a Professor, but Snape seemed to fight back a curse after hearing it.
Another breath, another long blink. "Glass phials are for those on a budget. However, crystal has a higher quality and is less likely to contaminate ingredients. If that is all Potter."
Professor Snape didn't wait for Harry to respond before he, billowed, out of the shop. Harry wondered what he did to upset the man but just accepted it as what it was. Potter luck.
"I will gather the Hogwarts Package young man. Pewter cauldron, scales and I'm assuming crystal phials and the standard ingredients?"
Harry nodded and followed the man to the counter where he wrapped all his items. Grabbing his trunk Harry placed his hand in the center and waited for the sound of a click to signal it was unlocked. Opening it up he opened the equipment compartment and set all his new purchases inside neatly.
"That will be two galleons and two sickles."
Harry opened his coin case and fished out the required payment. "Thank you, sir."
The man waved him off and walked off to a different part of the shop that Harry couldn't see. Now he needed his telescope, wand and books.
Walking down the Alley with a slightly heavier trunk rolling behind him Harry watched as all the wizards and witches haggled over prices. One lady was appalled that something cost five galleons and demanded it be lower to one at the most!
Maybe it was his new-found wealth, but Harry didn't really see the point in arguing over something like that. He would need to find out the standard wage of a job to know just where he stood on the wealth level and how much he should care about prices.
Down the way Harry spotted the Grangers and Flitwick exiting a bookstore with the ever-curious girl walking with a skip as she followed the Professor to a store called Madam Malkin's Robes for all Occasions.
Already having enough clothes Harry went toward the bookstore, Flourish and Blots.
Immediately inside, he was approached by one of the workers. It was a teenage boy that couldn't be more than three years older than him.
"Hogwarts? Which year? I'm guessing first." The teen asked looking at him.
"First-year," nodded Harry. "Also, I want to look into some extra material."
"Just hold your questions, the girl earlier was, eager." The teen said while picking up a pre-made stack under a sign that read— first-year, Hogwarts.
Harry looked over more books in the store, and he picked up Hogwarts, A History, and one on Adventures and need to know spells for a Journeyman. The second was a bit aged and was quite thick, but Harry wanted to know about what kind of adventures wizards went on.
The teen put all his books on the counter and added them up. "Standard first-year, Hogwarts, A History, and Adrian's Adventure Guide. That will be 3 galleons even."
"How much was the first-year bundle?" asked Harry still wondering about his money standing.
"One galleon and twelve sickles, Hogwarts, A History, brought it up to two galleons and Adrian's Adventure Guide was a galleon. A bit pricey for a single book but it's a rare one."
Harry handed him three gold coins and put the books in his book case compartment and smiled at the neat stack. They weren't all out of whack like the crooked disorganized shelves of the book store.
"Thank you." Harry told the guy one more time.
A wave and the teen ran off to another customer to help them. Harry rolled his slightly heavier trunk to a place he could find a telescope.
A happy Harry and a full trunk made their way to his final destination, Ollivander's Wand Shop, which he heard was the best wand maker in Europe. Based on the sign saying that they have been in business for over a thousand years, he believed it.
Inside he was met with another shop with crooked shelves and items all strung up at odd angles. Harry was really starting to wonder if that was the right way to do things rather than the muggle way of straight angles and order.
"Ah, Mr. Potter. I was wondering when I would see you coming into my shop. You're a spitting image of your father with your mother's eyes. It seems only yesterday that they were here getting their first wands." A man Harry assumed was Ollivander said as he stood from his chair. He had wild grey hair and piercing silver eyes.
"You mother's wand was made of willow and unicorn hair. Swishy and rather excellent for charm work. Your father, on the other hand, favored a mahogany and dragon heartstring wand that was perfect for Transfiguration. Well, I say favored, but it is really the wand that chooses the wizard, Mr. Potter."
The man with his unblinking silver eyes got closer and gently parted Harry's hair to reveal his scar, making sure to never touch Harry's head. His eye dimmed at the scar.
"And that's where it happened. I'm sorry to say I sold that wand," he said sadly. "Yew, 13 and a half inches, powerful, very powerful. Had I known what it would do." the man trailed off.
A flying measuring tape came over the man's shoulder. "Your wand hand." he said gesturing for Harry to extend it.
Before Harry could raise his arm, the door swung open and a boy Harry's age, strutted into the shop like he owned the place with his parents following behind him. They all had blond hair, though the mother's hair was mostly black with long blonde streaks, and they held themselves with a superior air about them.
The boy was Harry's age and had fine clothes, and his blond hair was combed back perfectly. The man had long blond hair that fell around his head framing his face and went past his shoulder blades. The man was wearing a suit and had a walking stick with a snake's head for a handle. The woman was the friendliest looking member of the family but wasn't smiling. She too, had nice clothes and had her hand on the boy's shoulder.
"Draco, we mustn't interrupt other people." She said with a slight glare to the boy who looked away from her. "I shouldn't have to tell you such things." She said lowly but Harry still heard it.
The boy glanced at him, he was likely embarrassed by his mother, who didn't even look at Harry. It was the man that looked at him. Actually, the man more stared at him. Harry felt uneasy under the intense look and felt his head tingle slightly like someone was looking through him.
As soon as the sensation started, it stopped, and the man seemed to look at him with more interest which made him look at Harry's forehead.
The man stepped forward and extended his gloved hand. "Mr. Potter, it is a pleasure to meet you. Lucius Malfoy." His voice was deep, but it was low and intense.
Harry extended his hand and ignored the intakes of breath from the mother and boy behind the man. "Harry Potter."
The women stepped forward next, "Narcissa Malfoy, and our son Draco."
Harry shook their hands and had his attention brought back to Mr. Ollivander who cleared his throat.
"Lucius Malfoy, Elm and dragon heartstring, perfect for dueling I believe. Narcissa Malfoy, Cherry and unicorn hair an enchanting wand I recall. I assume they are still working to your satisfaction." The Malfoy's nodded without a word.
"Mr. Potter, your wand arm please." Harry raised his right hand and the floating tape measure snapped into action. Measuring every bit of his body even his nostrils.
Ollivander waited a moment and picked up a small piece of parchment that had his measurements on it before burning it. "I will gather some potential wands." He vanished behind all the shelves and started to gather boxes.
"Are you here by yourself Potter?" the boy— Draco, asked.
Harry nodded, "I like shopping at my own pace and choosing my things for myself." He also didn't have anyone that would want to shop with him, not family anyway.
Draco snapped his head back to his mother who met his gaze with one of her own making Draco mutter to himself.
"I wanted to do my shopping by myself, but mother insisted she and father come," he said annoyed. Harry thought it was nice that his family wanted to come with him. He wished his did.
"Here we are." Ollivander said, setting down a stack of wand boxes a dozen high.
"12 inches, Yew and dragon heartstring." Ollivander extended the wand to Harry.
Harry picked it up and gave it a test wave, causing the lamp next to Ollivander on the desk to shatter.
Ollivander snatched the wand from him, "No, definitely not. Not to worry it is never the first couple," he assured before handing him another wand.
"9 inches, willow and phoenix feather."
Another no.
"Cherry and dragon heartstring 10 and 1 quarter inches."
Nope.
After what seemed to be twenty wands later and a more and more excited Ollivander after each failure the man rushed off to the back.
Draco spoke up again. "I hope mine doesn't take this long," he said half accusing Harry of holding him up.
Lucius placed his hand on Draco's shoulder, "It will take as long as it takes. The wand that chose Mr. Potter is in the shop, it is up to Mr. Ollivander to find it." The curiosity in Mr. Malfoy's voice was clear. From there the Malfoy's spoke with each other in the corner of the shop to leave Harry to his shopping.
Ollivander came back with a serious face and only one box and stared into Harry's eyes with the unblinking silver that unsettled Harry.
"An unusual combination, Holly and Phoenix feather." It was a whisper, but everyone heard him speak. The grave tone getting the attention of the Malfoy's.
As soon as Harry held the wand, a warmth spread through his body that made him feel content. At the same time a golden light shone from the tip making Draco perk up knowing that Harry found his wand and Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy look on curiously. Harry just looked on in wonder at the feeling of magic spreading through his body.
Ollivander was still serious, "Curious, very curious."
Harry looked at him for a moment before finding his voice, "I'm sorry, sir, but what's curious?"
Ollivander took the wand from him gently and looked it over.
"I remember ever wand I've ever sold, every single one. It just so happens that the Phoenix whose tail feather resides within this wand, gave another. Just one." He said, even more seriously making Harry gulp and the Malfoy's even more interested.
"It is curious that you are destined for this wand, when it's brother." He looked up at Harry. "Gave you that scar."
Harry's eyes shot wide open, and he could hear the gasps from two of the three Malfoy's. However, he could feel the same tingle in his brain from before likely meaning that Mr. Malfoy was glaring into the back of his head.
Harry accepted the wand back from Ollivander and slid it into his jacket pocket that was made specifically for a wand.
Finding his voice, "Well, thank you Mr. Ollivander. How much?" he asked hoping to leave as soon as possible.
Harry wanted out of the shop and away from the staring Malfoy's, Draco seemed even more interested in Harry since he got his wand.
Ollivander tossed the empty box behind him, "Seven galleons, all Ollivander wands are seven galleons no more no less."
Harry fished out seven coins, handed them over, and quickly left the shop, not making eye contact with any of the Malfoys. He didn't want to answer questions or talk about his wand or scar.
Back in the Alley, Harry took a deep breath. He hoped that having a similar wand to You-Know-Who wasn't a bad thing. He made his way back to the Leaky Cauldron with his full trunk and brushed past anyone that was in his way.
The clock in front of the animal shop said it was almost two o'clock meaning he had four hours until he could be back at his relatives' home. The train ride was a little over an hour so that meant he had time to kill.
Waving to the barkeep from this morning Harry took a seat at a table in the back near the fireplace.
"We meet again." A familiar drawl caught Harry's attention.
Professor Snape looked at Harry from the dark corner drinking some kind of wine. Harry could feel a tingle, but this time it was barely noticeable, so he turned away and shook his head. Harry barely caught Snape's minuscule widening of his eyes.
"Are your Aunt and Uncle coming to get you?" Harry could tell that Snape didn't really care by his tone.
Harry shook his head, "I'm waiting until I can take a train back, so I don't get home early."
Instead of waiting for Snape to speak again Harry opened his trunk and got his new Hogwarts, a History book. It seemed like the best book to start with since he had no idea about Hogwarts.
They sat in silence as Harry read through his book committing as much as he could to memory while Snape was enjoying the silence.
After a while Harry took out his wand and another book, Standard Book of Spells. He wanted to try his hand at a spell. First one was the wand lighting charm, Lumos. Harry read the page and memorized the movement and incantation; it was the easiest spell to learn from what he could tell.
A slight flick and the word, "Lumos." Harry's Holly and Phoenix wand had a bright orb of light at the tip making Harry grin widely. He did it! He did magic!
"Nox," muttered Harry and the light died out, and he set his wand back down on the table.
"An impressive display." Snape made his presence known once again, "I should tell you that you are not allowed to do magic outside of school. The ministry takes such rules very seriously."
Snape stood from his chair and Harry frowned at his wand. He was hoping for something that could make the Dursley's leave him alone for the summer until he left for school. Another tingle in his head told him that he was being stared at.
Professor Snape turned away from him and was about to walk away. "But a cunning individual would realize that muggles would have no way of knowing that."
The Professor billowed away without another word and Harry grinned back down at his wand. He could work with that.
At six o'clock, Harry and his heavy truck rolled up the driveway to number 4 privet drive. Harry put his wand back in his jacket pocket with a grin on his face. He was very excited for what was about to come next.
Opening the door and walking down the hallway he heard his Uncle growl, "The boy is back."
"I am back Uncle, you're right." Harry said coming into the kitchen more confidently than he had ever done before.
All three of the Dursleys looked at him in shock, looking between his confident posture or his new fine clothes or large trunk rolling behind him. His Aunt seemed to recognize his trunk and recoiled in shock. Harry assumed that she remembered his mother buying a similar one years ago.
"Where did you get all that!?" yelled Dudley rushing over to ruin his clothes, but his mother grabbed him before he could.
Uncle Vernon stood from the couch and walked over to him but made sure to stay at a distance. He was likely afraid of him now.
"When?" his Uncle asked resigned.
Harry stood confidently, all his money and supplies were locked in his trunk, so he wasn't worried about his things being stolen and he had his wand and intimidation on his side. With all that in mind he answered.
"This morning in the mail I got my letter. I put it in my pocket and went to London on my own."
"How did you pay?!" screamed Dudley. "Mummy and daddy would never give you money!"
His Aunt and Uncle looked like they wanted to know themselves.
"My mom and dad made sure I was taken care of," whispered Harry. "Since they weren't drunks or losers!" It felt good to stand up to them.
"I know you didn't tell me!" Harry yelled at his Aunt but didn't let her speak when she went to. "From what I can tell, I'm stuck with you people, but you don't have to worry about me staying here out of choice. The second I have another place to go I will leave."
That seemed to excite his uncle who actually cracked a smile. "Right you will boy. The sooner you leave the better. I won't have any freaks in my home a second longer than necessary."
Harry turned to his cupboard which was open and to Harry's shock, was empty.
"What happened to my cupboard?"
"You were getting too big for it and if I want to have company, I don't want to explain why you lived in our cupboard. We prepared Dudley's second bedroom." Vernon said making sure to point out that it was because of other people asking questions rather than Harry's needs.
Dudley seemed upset by that, but Harry didn't care, he was on a roll already.
"Because normal people don't shove their nephews into the cupboard or treat them like scum." It was the first time Harry actually got angry and expressed himself. It felt great to see the wince from his Aunt.
"I don't know what I ever did to any of you but if you leave me alone, I'll leave you alone." Harry pulled out his wand and muttered the Lumos spell under his breath for effect, making them huddle together terrified.
It may have looked like he was about to fire a spell, but he was really only turning on a magical flashlight. If this wasn't a serious situation, Harry would have laughed.
"I want normal amounts of food, and I want to be left alone until I leave for school." Harry looked his Aunt and Uncle in the eye and made sure to point his wand at both of them.
He got two shaky nods while Dudley was hiding behind his father with his eyes closed. Seeing that everything worked out, Harry ended his spell and brought his things up to his new bedroom.
Dudley's second bedroom was the smallest room in the house, but it was much bigger than Harry's cupboard. It had a full-sized twin bed, a small desk and a wardrobe. Harry thought it was perfect. He closed the door behind him and made sure to lock it before sitting on his bed and laughing.
This was the best day of his life!
NOTE January 15, 2021
I have gone through and edited the chapter, no more Hermione being present for the conversation on the trolly for the most part. I agree that it was a bit odd. I hope I caught all the grammar issues in the chapter if not please tell me.