Scowling out the window one Harry Potter sat grinding his teeth together; he was irritated to put it lightly. It had been just two years since his defeat of Voldemort and nothing had bloody changed! Oh sure, muggleborns were now treated with open arms while the purebloods were now treated like the mud under somebody's shoe. But the same basic prejudices still existed and it bloody infuriated him that while the people had basically switched sides the game remained the same. Harry didn't think he could bloody deal with it anymore, pox take them, if he was honest with himself Harry didn't want to deal with anyone anymore. "Then why don't you go?"called a whimsical voice from behind him practically causing him to jump out of his bloody skin. Harry turned around to glare at the now giggling perpetrator, only to pout when he realized this blond oddly dressed girl was not a part of the majority of the wizarding world that he could intimidate. "Luna! It's not bloody funny! I could have hexed you! You know better than to sneak up on me when I'm not paying attention." Shouted harry with more than a hint of whining in his voice. "Nonsense Harry I was walking just as loudly as ever, were you off with the nargles? You know that is better than that, they are so very distracting, and as they say CONSTANT VIGILANCE and what not." replied Luna in the same lofty voice as ever as she skipped up to stand beside him. Sighing Harry acknowledged to himself that Luna was one of the few friends he talked to anymore.
Ginny and himself had broken up only 3 months after the final battle, their relationship (if it could be called that) was really just teenage hormones on the rampage and Ginny's unhealthy childhood obsession with him. Needless to say that it hadn't really worked for him and in result all Wesley friendships evaporated and while Harry couldn't blame them (he was the one, after all, who broke their little sister's heart) he had thought that overall their friendships were worth more than one bad break up. Like usual he had been wrong and now the only Wesley's who interacted with him were Fred and George and that was on a strictly business basis. Hermione left with Ron, not that it mattered any way, her nose had always been perpetually stuck in a book and never made much of a friend anyways. No, now it was really just him and Luna. "Whatever. What's up? It's not exactly visiting weather." asked Harry as he pointed outside, sure enough a loud storm raged violently outside and a strike of lightning flashed just outside his window as if to prove his point. Blinking Luna tilted her head to the side "but the nargles insisted this was the perfect time to give you your present. After all it is in our darkest nights in which we require a light." Stated Luna before she bounced up to him and put her arms around Harry's neck. Stuttering Harry tried to get out of her hold " umm.. L..Luna, you're a great friend and everything b..but…I mean I just don't like y..you like th..that." said an extremely nervous and blushing Harry. Pulling away Luna arched one blonde eyebrow before breaking out in giggles at Harry's red face "don't be silly Harry, I was just giving you your present since I won't be with you once the storm breaks." Said an amused Luna breezily as she pointed to the silver and red necklace that now hung snuggly around the base of his neck. On closer examination, Harry found it to be a thick dark silver chain with an elaborately carved redwood trunk.
"Oh thank god, I thought you were a polyjuiced Ginny for a few moments there. So what is this exactly?"asked Harry as he twisted the trunk in his fingers. Smiling insanely Luna airly stated "That trunk contains all of the Black, Potter, and all the other fortunes or objects willed to you after the war." Luna replied faking a bored look. Stumbling forward Harry gaped open mouthed at the eye twinkling Luna Lovegood "b..but that's not possible, the goblins confiscated all my inheritance after we stole Hufflepuff's cup, there is no way they would have given you this to you freely!" shouted an increasingly frantic Harry, huffing Luna flicked him on the nose "Stop being a crumpled horn snack Harry! I gave the goblins the nargle language translation, it was pretty pricey but worth every cloud. So you can live easy Harry." Stated a reflective Luna, breathing out slowly Harry gave Luna a tremulous smile "It's so you can BREATHE easy, Luna." Corrected harry lightly and Luna rolled her eyes at him as she twirled around to leave "I meant what I said and I said what I meant, really harry, try hard to keep your idioms strait." Smiling Harry shook his head as she started to leave "Bye Luna, I'll see you later." Harry called out to her as she reach the door to his apartment, opening the door Luna paused before she stepped through "Sorry Harry but I'm afraid that one thing you won't be seeing, don't worry though, I'll be watching you twist yourself through magic's hoops. It will be different this time around, I wonder what future you'll carve out from scratch?" stated an apologetic Luna as she stepped through the threshold and closed the door behind he without waiting for Harry's reaction. Hand out reached Harry lunged forward to go after Luna to get her to explain or at least smile, but a bright flash of light and the sound of shattering glass interrupted his pursuit.
The next thing Harry knew he was waking up, though it felt more like he was taking his first breath after almost drowning to death. Struggling just to breath normally, Harry slowly blinked his eyes until he could see again. The last thing he had expected to see was a patched, leaky, strangely familiar roof, high over his head. "Not quite awake yet, ay Arry?" asked Hagrid with amusement as he leaned over to block Harry's view of the ceiling. Chuckling Hagrid leaned farther down in order to pull Harry up onto his feet "Well up you get Arry! We ave got to be off if we want to finish all our shopping today. I made sausages while ya was sleepin, do ya normally sleep so deeply? Ya didn't even wake up when the mail owl was peckin at ya." called Hagrid cheerily as he merrily shuffled Harry over to the fire place where he proceeded to hand Harry a sausage to eat. Wordlessly Harry sat and ate hoping against hope that the food would make him feel less like a drowned rat; that like all things Harry hoped for seemed futile. Dazedly Harry stumbled to his feet as Hagrid motioned for him to go out the door of what he now recognized as the island shack the Dursley's had tried to hide away in the summer before his first year. "Must still be dreaming." Harry mumbled to himself under his breath, unfortunately he forgot to take into account Hagrid's inhuman hearing "Awe don't be like tat Arry! I told ya, ya a wizard! Don't ya worry as soon as ya see the Ally ya'll know tis isn't a dream." Crooned Hagrid soothingly as he gently lifted Harry into the row boat, while Harry dutifully ignored how awkward it was to be crooned at like a child, With a few promises not to say anything about Hagrid's use of magic, they were off, and Harry found himself wondering what the hell he had gotten himself into this time.
By the time they reached the Leaky Cauldron Harry's mind was a fidgeting mess of what if's and impossibilities. Before they went to go into the tavern Harry decided to play along for now and pulled at Hagrid's sleeve "Hey Hagrid, I was wondering if you would call me Rye?" what he never said he was going to play by the rules. "Well sure Arry, but why'd ya want to be called dat, if ya don't mind my askin?" asked a puzzled if not confused looking Hagrid. Harry couldn't exactly say that he didn't want to be mobbed by adoring fans even in his bloody messed up dream, so Harry called upon all his latent Slytherin tendencies and lied through his teeth. "It's what I'm used to being called, my friends gave me that nickname when I was younger and it just sorta stuck, it's really uncomfortable to be called anything else. I didn't want to say anything earlier because I didn't want to be rude." Harry replied using his best sheepish expression, shocked Hagrid grunted an affirmative and after gathering himself, further explained his reaction "Sorry Arry, I mean Rhye, I didn't even tink that ya might go by a different name, I'm so used to called ya Arry ya see?" Hagrid rubbed the back of his head sheepishly before herding Harry into the Leaky Cauldron because the muggles were beginning to stare.
"Hagrid! Come in for a morning drink have you?" asked Tom when he spotted Hagrid's hulking figure through the crowed tavern, he was already reaching for a glass before a now slightly bushing Hagrid boomed his denial "Not today Tom! I'm escorting young A..Rhye here for his shopping."Sheepishly Hagrid looked down at Harry in apology for his almost mix up, and Harry grinned up at him wordlessly saying he didn't really mind. Tom laughed and said the tavern would still be open when Hagrid was done for the day. Blushing redder Hagrid shuffled Harry out to the Ally's entrance, "I don't drink as much as Tom makes out." Hagrid tried to convince a completely disbelieving Harry as he open the Ally's entrance with his umbrella. Puffing up in pride to at what Hagrid believed to be an amazed Harry, who was really blinking because of how bright it was, Hagrid told Harry with a grin as he swept the still mostly blind Harry into what Hagrid believed was his first visit to the wizarding world "Welcome to Diagon Ally! Our first stop is Gringotts, the wizarding bank."