5651. The First Step
31 July 1991, Wednesday
The late afternoon sun hung low in the sky as Harry and Hagrid made their way back down Diagon Alley. Harry felt sorry for having to leave this enchanting place and almost despaired at the thought of returning to Privet Drive and staying with his aunt and uncle for another month, before going to school. This urged him to think hard, and he suddenly had an idea.
"Hagrid, don't I need some normal clothes too? I mean, robes are worn over regular clothes, aren't they?"
Hagrid stopped in his stride. "Well, I s'pose ye do, although some wizards wear notin' under their robes, so I've 'eard."
"In that case, shouldn't we take some muggle money as well? The muggle shops don't accept these coins, you know."
"Ye', that's right. Ye could change some money at Gringotts if you like."
Hagrid accompanied him back to the bank, letting Harry exchange some of his gold. Noticing that Hagrid was not paying him attention, Harry tried to get some more information from the goblin. "How much would I need to buy a whole new muggle wardrobe? As you can see, I need it badly."
The goblin took a good glance at the boy and grimaced. "It won't affect your vault much. You can change a few galleons for pounds and get enough for all you need. Still, I'd suggest to show nobody more than twenty pounds at a time. You may never know whom you can trust."
He converted only a few gold coins, yet came out with more than two hundred pounds, which he quickly hid in his pockets. He made sure to keep less than twenty in each of the outer pockets, along with some change, while keeping the rest in a small pouch, under his shirt, as suggested by the goblin. He was glad he had that pouch, which he normally used to hide things he didn't want Dudley to see.
They went back through the wall, back through the Leaky Cauldron, now empty. Hagrid left most of their shopping there, to be kept safe while they went shopping for muggle stuff.
"I'm not sure I'm a good companion in clothes shopping," Hagrid admitted. He had no taste in clothes, as his own clothing testified, and no interest in fashion. Besides, his size attracted unwelcome attention. After being unable to buy anything at the first shop they found, where Hagrid stayed at his side, Harry suggested, "Let me shop alone. I know what I like and what fits me, and I can ask for help, while you intimidate them all."
Hagrid had to agree.
About an hour later, they returned to the Leaky Cauldron to collect what they had left there. Harry was now wearing much nicer clothes that fit him well. They then made their way down the road and through the Underground, where people were gawking at them, laden as they were with all their funny-shaped packages, with the snowy owl asleep in its cage on Harry's lap. Up another escalator, out into Paddington station; Harry only realized where they were when Hagrid tapped him on the shoulder. "Will yeh be alright if I only leave you here for the train? Got to go back to 'ogwarts already."
Harry nodded. This was even better than he could hope for.
Hagrid helped Harry to the platform where the train that would take him back to the Dursleys was due in less than half an hour, then handed him an envelope.
"Yer ticket fer Hogwarts," he said. "First o' September — King's Cross — it's all on yer ticket. Any problems with the Dursleys, send me a letter with yer owl, she'll know where to find me… See yeh soon, Harry."
Harry watched Hagrid until he was out of sight. He waited a few more minutes, just to be sure, and then grabbed his stuff and went to the train station's locker room, where he left most of his stuff in the long-term lockers. He let his owl free, telling it to find him in the morning. With only some clothes in a backpack and his wand, well hidden among his new garments, he made his way back to muggle London, feeling finally free.
Harry wandered through the darkening streets for a bit. It was his first time in London, as far as he could remember, and he wanted to enjoy it as much as possible. Still, he knew he needed to find a place to stay. The goblin had assured him that he could spend the whole month at a luxury hotel and make no dent in his vault, but he thought something more modest would serve him better.
Harry almost missed the small sign above a door, between two shops, stating simply "Hotel." Paying it some more attention, he found a small note near the door, identifying it as a two-star family hotel. He pushed the door, finding a long corridor leading to the reception desk, which was probably situated so deep to leave room for the stores at the front of the building. A teen girl was sitting at the desk, looking quite bored, until she noticed him. Her name tag identified her as Selma. "Need anything?" she asked.
"May I get a room for the night?" he said, trying to seem innocent.
She looked him over. "Aren't you a bit young to get a hotel room by yourself?"
Harry blushed. "I am, but I've just missed the last train home, so I really have no choice."
"Can you even pay for a hotel room?"
"I've put some money aside, in case I needed it. How much does it cost?"
"It's eighteen pounds per night; an extra three pounds for breakfast, if you want it."
Harry tried to seem a bit sad. "I only put twenty pounds aside. I'll have to skip breakfast."
Selma looked at him and then smiled reassuringly. "You may still have breakfast if you help me with the dishes after it. Now, you need to pay in advance and I'll show you to the room. You must vacate it before midday, tomorrow. Is that clear?"
Harry felt like laughing and singing, yet he kept a serious composure. "May I see the room first?"
Ten minutes later, after having left his stuff in the room, with the key in his pocket and some change ready, he went back out. He first bought himself a hamburger nearby and then looked for a public phone. He assumed that once the reason for the Dursley's unexpected journey was no longer valid, his relatives had returned home. Uncle Vernon never liked sleeping anywhere but at home.
He didn't need to wait long. He heard his uncle answering immediately after the first ringtone. "Dursley residence, Vernon speaking."
"Uncle Vernon, it's Harry…"
"Don't you dare come back now! And don't expect us to keep caring for you either. You're on your own now and good riddance!"
"Well, uncle – that's exactly what I had in mind. Your house is no longer my home and I don't intend to ever come back there, except, maybe, to take a few things of mine from the cupboard under the stairs. I only wanted to tell you not to wait for me. And don't worry – I'll do just fine."
"Good, and never come back!" Vernon slammed the phone.
Harry couldn't know, but a few seconds later, the wards surrounding his relatives' house collapsed. A flash of light and a thunderous noise were ignored by whoever saw or heard it, considered as some effect of the unstable summer weather.
With that taken care of, Harry didn't really have anything else to do. He wandered a bit longer, but it had been a very busy day and he felt tired. He returned to the hotel, took a long bath – another luxury he had never been permitted to have – and then fell promptly asleep.
1 August 1991, Thursday
It was the best night's sleep he could remember. The bed was soft, yet not too soft, the pillow just right and the room was warm enough to let him sleep in only his underwear without needing a blanket. Still, he woke up as early as usual. At first, he was scared of not identifying anything. Then he remembered the previous day and that made a wide grin appear on his face. He just stayed in bed, looking at the ceiling and dozing a bit, until some pecking on the window made him get up.
He was surprised to see his white owl, and quickly opened the window, letting it in. He half-filled a glass of water and presented it to the owl. He then looked through the few things he brought along and found some owl treats. Hedwig, as he decided to call his owl, seemed content. She perched herself on top of the cupboard, tucked her head under a wing and was soon asleep.
Harry was also getting hungry. He got dressed, moved his fingers through his hair, in a hopeless attempt to make it behave, and then went to the dining room, where breakfast was served. He was surprised to find only the girl from last night – Selma – sitting there, obviously daydreaming. He coughed slightly, to attract her attention.
"Oh, it's you! Harry – is it not?"
"Yes, I'm Harry. May I have breakfast now?"
She smiled. "Sure. I'll bring you some eggs and bacon. Would you like coffee or tea?"
"Tea would be fine." He had never even tasted coffee and didn't want to try it, having already heard it was very bitter.
While waiting for his meal, Harry thought some more. This small hotel was nice enough for him and not too costly. Despite the goblin's reassurance, he didn't yet know how much he really owned, which meant that he couldn't do the Math, so he preferred to be cautious. Yet, what excuse could he give for staying alone at a hotel at his age? He wondered if the goblins could give him any advice on that.
"Here's your breakfast," the girl said, putting a large tray in front of him. It held, in addition to what he had asked for, some orange juice, cereals, milk, some kind of jam, a bit of honey, a few slices of bread, some of them lightly toasted, and also a soft egg. "A young boy needs some food to grow up," she added as an explanation, dropping on the chair opposite his.
As he started eating, he glanced a bit at the girl. Judging by her figure and her face, he assumed she was about fourteen. She looked quite nice, even if not really beautiful. She was also looking at him as if expecting an explanation. He preferred to concentrate on his food – he had never had such a big breakfast. He had never had such a big meal of any kind, really. Still, while eating heartily, he started thinking of what he could tell her. He wanted to stay as close to the truth as he dared if only to make it easier for him to remember. He could safely say he was an orphan, he decided. He could also say that the family he had stayed with would no longer keep him and that he was going to a boarding school in September. He still wasn't sure about the rest, though.
"So, your name is Harry. How old are you, Harry?" she asked, as he was finishing his last bite.
"I'm eleven. Yesterday was my birthday. That's why I came to London. How old are you?" Maybe talking about her would save him some of her interrogations.
"I'm fourteen. Almost fifteen, really. My birthday is due in less than three months."
"And you're handling this hotel all alone?"
She smiled. "Not really. My parents own it and I help during vacations. They went to a concert last night, and probably to a restaurant as well, coming back way after midnight. I can let them sleep a bit late as long as I can handle the work. Luckily, being so small and out of the way, we don't have too many guests, allowing this to stay as a family hotel. Had we had more, we would have needed to hire some staff, making it all more complicated."
"So – you're the whole staff at this moment?"
Her smile widened. "Of course, but my parents will join me soon. I hope they won't mind that I took you in."
"Well, I promised to help with the dishes. Do you want my help now?"
She waved him away. "I can handle it all by myself, although I may like some company. What are your plans for today? Aren't you going home?"
He was still unsure about what he could say. "I need to do some phone calls first before I can make any plans."
"Don't call from your room – it's very expensive. There are a few public phones on both sides of the street. They should be much cheaper."
"Are you not acting against your business by giving this advice?"
She shrugged. "The telephones have been installed by a company that charges for the calls and only gives us a small percentage. It makes almost no difference, and you seem to be a bit concerned about costs, so…"
"Well, thank you. I'll go see what I should do next."
"Good luck, and don't forget to come back on time, or you'll be charged for an additional day."