163Authors Note: Hi, this is my first story and I hope that you like it. I am new to writing FanFiction but I love to read it so I am hoping that i have picked up a few things from the many stories I have read. Please tell me how you think it went.
Chapter 1: A Letter from the Goblins
Harry Potter lay in his rickety old bed at Number 4 Privet Drive thinking about the past month of summer vacation. He closed his eyes and remembered the events since he had left Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry at the end of the year. How Uncle Vernon had been threatened by Mad Eye and how he kept having nightmares about the death of his godfather, Sirius Black. He continued to repeatedly think of the night at the Ministry of Magic in the Department of Mysteries where he had gotten the man who had been the closest thing to a father that he had ever known killed. His thoughts were plagued by the belief that the whole entire situation had been his fault and Harry blew a frustrated breath through his mouth.
He also thought about the time after the death of Sirius when he was taken to the office of Dumbledore. How the headmaster had decided to answer the question that he had asked at the end of his first year when he woke up in the Hospital Wing after going to save the Sorcerer's Stone. He told him the Prophecy; which clearly stated that he had to either kill the most evil dark wizard ever, or get murdered by him… and of course the timing of this was impeccable. Right when he had started to mourn the death of the father-like figure of his godfather Harry was given information that put the weight of the world on his soldiers.
He rubbed his red-rimmed eyes and ignored the screaming of his Aunt Petunia, who wanted him to come downstairs and start breakfast. She usually attempted to get him out of bed for about ten minutes before she gave up and pushed a burnt piece of toast through the cat flap that had been installed in his door during the summer of his second year.
As Harry lay there with the image of his godfather falling through the veil burned into his head, an owl started tapping on the window. The insistent noise of the bird snapped Harry out of his thoughts and he quickly jumped off of the bed and opened the window before his Uncle Vernon could yell at him about 'bloody birds' and 'freaks who don't know about common courtesy.' Harry gently untied the letter from the official looking owl's leg and tossed the tired bird some owl treats from his cluttered trunk. The bird flew over to Hedwig's cage to get a drink from her water bowl and Hedwig allowed it, and she did not even look disgruntled like she usually did.
Harry looked at the seal of the note and realized that he had seen it before. He thought about where he had seen the insignia for a couple of moments when he realized that he had seen it in Diagon Alley, the shopping place for wizards in London where he got his school supplies.
The seal was that of Gringotts, the wizard bank in the center of the Alley. Harry ripped open the letter and started to read the neat yet small handwriting.
Dear Mr. Potter,
We at Gringotts would like to extend our condolences to you for the loss of your godfather. We would like you to come in to the London branch of our bank at you earliest convenience so that we may read you the last Will and Testament of Sirius Black of which you are the sole benefactor. We are also pleased to inform you that the Last Will and Testament of Lily and James Potter is to be read in accordance to the wishes of your late godfather's Will. Please come alone, and do not mention this letter to one Albus Dumbledore. The reasons for this suggestion will be explained when you come to the bank. It would be wise of you to disguise yourself before you come Mr. Potter, due to the suspicious figures that lurk in Diagon Alley waiting for a certain person to show up.
Good luck Mr. Potter,
Head of Gringotts London Branch, Ragnok
Harry puzzled over the curious letter for a couple of moments before he decided that he may as well follow the suggestions of the letter; so he got up and went to the bathroom to get the bottle of blond hair dye that his Aunt used so her hair would not turn grey. After his hair was suitably colored, Harry got an old baseball cap of Dudley's and made sure that it covered his scar and cast his face in shadows so he would not be recognized. Once this was done, he returned to his room, grabbed his invisibility cloak, and quietly tiptoed down the stairs so that his Aunt would not catch him trying to leave the house. Harry just hoped that Mad Eye was not on duty so that he would not get caught trying to sneak away from the protection that his Aunt Petunia's home provided.
Once Harry had gotten out the back door with no indication that Petunia had seen him, he saw that he was lucky and breathed a sigh of relief because his guard was Mundungus Fletcher, who was too drunk to notice him if he had not worn his cloak. Just to be cautious, Harry walked past the neighborhoods park to hail the Knight Bus. He stuck his Holly wand out and heard a loud bang before the door of the Knight Bus opened and Stan Shunpike walked out the door and onto the ground and said, "Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard. Just stick out your wand hand, step on board, and we can take you wherever you want to go. My name is Stan Shunpike, and I will be your conductor this evening."
Harry answered with, "Hello, I'm, um… Jordan Jackson. Can you take me to Diagon Alley?"
Stan said, "Yea, that'll be eleven sickles unless you want refreshment. You want somethin' to eat?"
"No," Harry answered with while he was rummaging in his money bag for some gold to hand the conductor. He handed the money to Stan and climbed onto the bus. Instead of the beds that had been there the last time Harry had been on the bus, there were now seats scattered everywhere. Harry sat down and the bus took off with a bang. Harry fell off of his seat from the force of the bus taking off, but he quickly got up and sat back down. He didn't try to hold a conversation with Stan on the way to the alley so that he would not make a mistake and inadvertently reveal his real identity to the pimply youth. After about fifteen minutes, some almost run-ins with cars, a couple houses, and an apartment building that had only jumped out of the way at the last possible second, the bus stopped and Harry was let off in front of the Leakey Cauldron.
Authors Note: I hope I will be able to post a new chapter soon but I will be away for a couple of days so it may be a little less than a week. Please review and tell me if it is worth continuing this story or not. I will take constructive critcism but please do not be rude.