"You're a Wizard Harry," the giant man told a small malnourished boy as he sat beside the fire.
"About time someone spoke those words." The boy said.
"You knew?" His Aunt spoke up from the stairs.
"Of course, I knew. How could I not? For years you and your whale of a husband have been telling me that all the strange things are my fault, and yet Magic is supposedly unreal? What kind of idiot do you take me for?"
The giant looked between the two warring parties and spoke up. "You didn't tell the boy? Any of it?"
"We swore when we took him in that we would put an end to all this rubbage."
"Vernon, shut up while you still can," the boy turned to the giant. "Can we leave this disaster? I know it is the middle of a storm, however, I do not trust myself to control my Magic yet, and as much as I hate these two they are the only family I have, and I do not wish them harm."
"The name is Hagrid. Of course, let's leave." The dumbfounded giant spoke, slowly ushering Harry out of the shack on a rock in the middle of the sea. The two left on a small raft that Hagrid charmed to be unsinkable and to row itself. They rode in as much silence as one might expect during the middle of a storm. When they reached land some minutes later, Harry followed Hagrid up the shore towards a motorbike with a side car.
The large man pulled a small scarf from the side car and told Harry to grab the other side. They disappeared in a blink.
Harry flew from the vortex like travel and slammed into a solid wood door, the hook like feeling at his navel throwing off his balance.
"Sorry 'bout that. That there is a Portkey, short distance emergency travel generally. Would have taken the bike but the wind would have gotten us both sick." The tall man picked Harry up from the ground just in time to keep him from being run over by a small silver-haired girl.
"See Daddy, I told you this was the right day to be here." The young girl called behind her to the man who could have been only her father.
"Ah, so you did. Then this must be the young Harry Potter. A pleasure dear sir. Speak your piece Luna dear and let them be."
"Daddy is such a spoil sport, not that I blame him, I have only been going on about this since you figured out what you are. Ruin all of Fate's fun, don't you? Course, that is to be expected with you Harry. Harry, just remember that there will be very few people you can trust in the Wizarding World. Suspect everyone and you'll be okay, listen to everyone and you will not. Good luck."
With that, the strange girl and her father left, a strange snap sounding around the corner after them.
"Who was that Hagrid?"
"That was Xenophilius and his daughter Luna Lovegood. Xenophilius is the Head of the Minor House of Lovegood. A few generations old is all, but power and wit to no end, before his wife passed. Anyway, welcome to the Leaky Cauldron Harry. This is where you go to find Diagon Alley." Hagrid lead Harry through the nearly abandoned pub and into a small back alley. He tapped a series of bricks on the wall and caused the wall to turn into a dance of sorts as the bricks moved themselves and formed an entry way. "Welcome to Diagon Alley."
The streets were darkened but lit slightly by torches. Even through the dark the large marble building at the end of the Alley could be seen. "Hagrid how am I supposed to pay for a room here?"
"That building up there is Gringotts. A Wizard's bank run by Goblins. Not particularly friendly but still the best at keeping money. Follow me and don't stray."
The duo walked the darkened Alley, Harry looking left and right, seeing shops and Witches and Wizards in dark cloaks, hiding slightly in shadow, whispering. They approached the Bank at the end of the way. They entered and walked between the empty stalls of Gringotts to the main teller booth.
Hagrid made to interrupt the Goblin as he counted small gems, but Harry elbowed him and shook his head signaling to wait. Confused, Hagrid simply waited as Harry seemed patient enough to do, not something commonly found in the Wizarding World. Soon enough the Goblin in question was done counting and weighing the stones.
"Can I help you?" A simple question though laced with malice as though they were bothering the Goblin after the Bank was closed.
"I am sorry for the interruption sir however, I am in need of money. My large friend here, though impatient, said I could obtain some here for my school shopping."
The Goblin looked down at the boy from over top the desk. "Name?"
"Harry James Potter."
"And do you have your key Mr. Potter?"
"Key, sir?"
"To your vault. You would have been issued a key once the money left in your Trust Vault was made available to you at age 10." The Goblin was getting agitated by the lack of knowledge the young Wizard had.
"I never received a key."
"Oh," Hagrid spoke, "I knew I was forgetting something." He patted his pockets until he reached into his coat and pulled a shining golden key from one. "Here she is." He handed the key to the Goblin.
"And why do you have this young boy's key? It should have been issued to him, though he claims to know nothing about it." The Goblins in full battle attire in the corners had started to show interest in the only visitors to the Bank, eyeing the tall, broad man carefully.
"Professor Dumbledore gave me that key only this morning. I had no idea the lad didn't know. He said the boy in trusted it to him."
The guards moved to apprehend the large man. Harry held up his hand, asking for them to stop. "Please, sir. While I do not know anything about this key, I have gotten to know Hagrid a bit by now and he is not the kind to steal from me. I do not know a Professor Dumbledore however, he seems to have a bit of leeway in my life if the note I found amongst my mother's possessions is any clue. He is the one who decided to leave me with the Dursley's."
"Dursley? That monstrosity?" The Goblin was flabbergasted by the news.
"You know them?"
"I know a Mr. Vernon Dursley. He is an immigrant from Germany. Teamed up with the likes of Malfoy, he is a Minor House here in Britain and hasn't been in the Bank in nearly a decade. If his Vault wasn't still active we would think him dead."
"That evil son-of-a-…"
"Hagrid. Not now. If I were to tell you I know where he is and have proof of him doing me wrong what would happen?"
"Depending on the strikes against you, many things, including take over of House and Name."
Harry was deep in thought for a few moments, Hagrid cussing next to him under his breath. "After we make a withdraw I will show you what I have."
And with the decision made, Harry and Hagrid took a cart ride deep into the Gringotts Mine and to Harry's Vault. When the Goblin opened the Vault, Harry was shocked at the large pile of Galleons inside. On the way down, Harry had distracted Hagrid from the ride by talking to him about how the Wizarding World finances worked.
"Sharptongue, is it possible to get a bag to carry a very high amount of this without pulling down my trousers?"
The Goblin who accompanied them nodded and pulled a pouch from his vest pocket. "Feather-weight Charm as well as an expanded interior, likely to be able to hold everything here. Merely fifteen Galleons."
"Quite a high price."
"Quite a unique item, blood secured. Only you can open it."
Harry thought on the object, staring at his Vault. "How does the Trust Vault work?"
"Every year on your birthday a set amount will be transferred to this Vault from the main Family Vault. Only replenishing to that amount, this being set at about 15,000 Galleons, enough for whatever you could need for more than your school years. After you turn seventeen you will gain access to the Family Vault, at which time this will automatically be discontinued and transferred to the Family Vault."
Harry reached to the pile and handed the Goblin the money he asked for after one final question. "Can that hold anything I choose to put in it or just money?"
"Only money, though there are Trunks that allow for far more and with far more safety features."
Harry asked Hagrid to help him move all of the Vault's contents into the small bag before he tied it to his hip. The Goblin took a small knife and told Harry to let two drops of blood hit the purse-strings to seal the pouch to himself, which Harry did with little thought.
The three beings road the carts back up. Harry promised to return to the Bank the following day around sunset to give the head of the Bank any and all knowledge he had of Vernon and Petunia Dursley. Harry trudged through the Alley, Hagrid staying behind to access a separate Vault for Dumbledore, Harry having expressly stated his distrust and dislike of the man and leaving his friend to his duty. Harry passed most of the shops before settling on entering the Wizened Wizard's Store of Hard to Find Books. Unlike Flourish and Blotts, this store had all types of Magical Tomes, or at least it did according to the sign out front, something Harry would check the next day once Blott's was open.
He walked in, seeing shelf after shelf of books disappearing into the void of never-ending.
"Welcome to Wizened Wizard's, anything you particularly seek?" A severed head resting on a podium spoke to the newest of customers.
"What do you have on Wands, Enchanting, and Magical Foci?" Harry had learned from Hagrid on their return trip that Wands weren't the only Foci used in the Magical World. Of course, he said, now-a-days, since it was easiest to Craft, they were the most popular. Though Godric Gryffindor himself used a sword of all things to cast his Magic, Salazar Slytherin a locket, Rowena Ravenclaw a Ring, and Helga Hufflepuff a bracelet. Each had it's ups and downs but the most common, and by far middle ground, was the Wand.
"That is a new one for this old severed head… Let me see…" The Head's eyes rolled down, leaving pure white in their place, causing Harry to shiver just a bit. "Ah, here we are." Suddenly, the shelves in the room flew all around Harry, rearranging themselves. "Row one, top shelf, fifth book from the right, third shelf eighth from the left and bottom shelf dead center at 22 books from either side. Row two, second down twelfth from the right, bottom third from the left, third row top shelf three, four, five and six from the right. Fourth row, middle shelf, dead center. Those are what we have in order of what you asked. Anything more and we may have to put in an order to find it."
Harry moved about the shelves, using the ladder as needed, pulling each book out as he came across it.
"Those together will total out to about one-thousand Galleons."
"Why is the Wizarding World so expensive?"
"Everything is hand written, no printing presses here my boy. Do you want them all?"
Harry set the required number of Galleons on the podium. "Fair enough, I best have enough money for everything else I need for school."