Harry and Hagrid stood outside the Leaky Cauldron. For a famous place, it was very old and shabby. A few old women were sitting in the corner drinking there glasses of sherry, one of them smoking from a long pipe. A little man with a hat was talking to the old barman who was quite bald and looked like a gummy walnut. The low buzz of chatter stopped when Hagrids imposing form entered the pub.
Everyone seemed to know Hagrid; they waved and smiled at him and the barman reached for a glass, saying, "The usual, Hagrid?"
"Can't Tom I'm on Hogwarts Business." Said Hagrid, clapping his great hand on Harry's shoulder drawing the barman's attention to him
"Good lord" he said. "is this - can this be - ?"
The whole pub went completely still and silent
"Bless my soul," whispered the man. "Harry Potter - what an honour!"
he rushed out from behind the bar and grabbed his hand tears falling from his eyes
"Welcome back , welcome back!
Harry didn't know what to say, everyone in the pub was staring at him until collectively they all got up with scraping chairs and he found hismelf shaking hands with the entire pub
"Doris Crockford, can't believe I'm meeting you at last."
"So proud, , just so proud."
"Delighted, , simply delighted just can't tell you, Diggles the name Dedalus Diggle"
"I've seen you before!" said Harry, as Dedalus' top hat fell off in excitement "You bowed to me in a shop once."
"He remembers!" cried Dedalus Diggle, looking around at every one. "Did you hear that? He remembers me!"
Harry shook hands again and again - Doris Crockford kept coming back for more
A pale young man made his way forward, very nervously. One of his eyes was twitching.
"Professor Quirrell!" said Hagrid "Harry, Professor Quirrell will be one of your teachers at Hogwarts."
"P-P-Potter," stammered Professor Quirrell, grasping Harry's hand, "c-cant t-tell you how p-pleased, I am to meet you."
"What sort of magic do you teach, Professor Quirrell?"
"D-Defense Against the D-D-Dark Arts," muttered Professor Quirrell, as though he'd rather not think about it "N-not that you n-need it, eh, P-P-Potter?" He laughed nervously "You'll be getting all your equipment, I suppose? I've g-got to p-pick up a new b-book on vampire, m-myself." He looked utterly terrified at the thought of it.
But the others wouldn't let Professor Quirrell keep Harry to himself. It took almost ten minutes to get away from them all. At last, Hagrid managed to make himself heard over the babble.
"Must get on - lots ter buy. Come on, Harry."
Doris Crockford shook Harry's hand one last time and Hagrid led them through the bar and out into a small walled courtyard, where there was but a dustbin and a few weeds.
Hagrid grinned at Harry. "Told yeh, didn't I? Told yeh you was famous. Even professor Quirrell was tremblin' ter meet yeh – mind you, he's usually tremblin'."
"Is he always so… nervous?"
"Oh, yeah, Poor bloke. Brilliant mind. He was fine while he was studyin' outta books but then he took a year off ter get some firsthand experience… They say he met vampires in the Black Forest and there was a nasty bit o' trouble with a hag – never been the same since. Scared of the student, scared of his own subject – now where's me umbrella?"
Vampires? Hags? Harry's head was swimming. Hagrid, meanwhile, was counting bricks in the wall above the dustbin
"Let's see here… three up…two across…" he muttered. "Righ', stand back Harry."
He tapped the wall three times with the point of his umbrella
The brick he had touched quivered – it wriggled – in the middle, a small hole appeared – it grew wider and wider until they were facing an archway tall enough even for Hagrid, an archway which lead to a cobbled street which twisted and turned out of sight.
He grinned at Harry's amazement. They stepped through the archway. Harry looked quickly over his shoulder and saw the archway shrink instantly back into solid wall.
The sun shone brightly on a stack of cauldrons outside the nearest shop. Cauldron – All Sizes – Copper, Brass, Pewter, Silver – Self Stirring – Collapsible said a sign hanging over them
"Yeah, you'll be needin' one" said Hagrid "but we gotta get yer money first."
Harry wished he had about eight more eyes. He turned his head in every direction as they walked up the street, trying to look at everything at once: the shops, the things outside them, the people doing their shopping. A plump woman outside an apothecary was shaking her head as they passed, saying, "Dragon liver, sixteen sickles an ounce, they're mad…"
A low , soft hooting came from a dark shop with a sign saying "Eeylops Owl Emporium – Tawny, Screech, Barn, Brown and Snowy.
Several boys of about Harry's age had their noses pressed against a window with broomsticks in it, "Look!" Harry heard on of them say " the new Nimbus Two Thousand – Fastest ever –"
There were shops selling robes he would need a lot from there if he wanted out of his cousins clothes, shops selling telescopes and strange silver instruments Harry had never seen before, windows stacked with barrels of bat spleen and eels' eyes, tottering piles of spell books, quills and rolls of parchment, potion bottles, globes of the moon…"
"Gringotts." said Hagrid
They had reached a white building of marble which towered over the other little shops. Standing beside its burnished bronze doors, wearing a uniform of scarlet and gold was –
"Yeah, that's a goblin," said Hagrid quietly as they walked up the white stone steps towards him. The goblin was about a head shorter than Harry. He had a swarthy, clever face, a pointed beard and, Harry noticed, very long fingers and feet, he bowed as they walked inside. Now they were facing a second pair of doors, silver this time, with words engraved upon them:
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
"Like I said yeh'd be mad ter try an' rob it," said Hagrid
A pair of goblins bowed them through the silver doors and they were in a vast marble hall. About a hundred more goblins were sitting on high stools behind long counters to the sides, scribbling in large ledgers, weighing coins on brass scales, examining precious stones through eyeglasses. There were too many doors to count leading off the hall, and yet more goblins were showing people in and out of these. Hagrid and Harry made for the counter
"Mornin'," said hagrid to a free goblin. "we've come ter take some money outta Mr. Harry Potter's vault.
"You have his key I trust?"
"Got it here somewhere," said Hagrid and he started emptying his pockets onto the counter, scattering handfuls of mouldy dog-biscuits over the goblin's book of numbers. The goblin wrinkled his nose and sneered at Hagrid. Harry watched the goblin on their right weighing a pile of rubies as big as glowing coals.
"Got it," said Hagrid at last, holding up a tiny golden key.
The goblin looked at it closely.
"That seems to be in order."
"An' I've also got a letter here from Professor Dumbledore," said Hagrid importantly, throwing out his chest "It's about the You-Know-What in vault seven hundred and thirteen."
The goblin read the letter carefully
"Very well," he said, handing the letter back to Hagrid, "I will have someone take you down to both vaults. Griphook!"
Griphook was yet another goblin. Once Hagrid had crammed all the dog-biscuits inside his pockets, he and Harry followed Griphook towards one of the doors leading off the hall.
"What's the You-Know-What in vault seven hundred and thirteen Hagrid?" Harry asked.
"Can't tell yeh that Harry," said Hagrid mysteriously "Very secret. Hogwarts business. Dumbledore's trusted me. More'n me job's worth ter tell yeh that."
Griphook held the door open for them. Harry, who had expected more marble, was surprised. They were in a narrow stone passage-way lit with flaming torches. It sloped steeply downwards and there were little railway tracks on the floor. Griphook whistled and a small cart came hurtling up the tracks towards them. They climbed in – Hagrid with some difficulty – and were off.
They hurtled through a maze of passageways, left, left, right, left, right, right, the rattling cart seemed to know its own way because the goblin wasn`t steering.
Harry`s eyes stung as the cold air rushed past them, but he kept them wide open when he saw a burst of fire at the of the passageway and turned to see if it was a dragon, but too late.
Hagrid looked very green when the cart stopped at last beside a small door in the passage wall, Hagrid got out and had to lean against the wall to stop his knees trembling.
Griphook unlocked the door and Harry gasped, inside the vault was a mound of gold the size of a swimming pool, large columns of silver and bronze on the sides of the vault.
"All your," smiled Hagrid.
All Harry's – it was incredible. The Dursleys couldn't possibly know about this or they'd have had it from him faster than he could blink. They often complained how much it cost to keep Harry and all that time there had been a large fortune belonging to him, buried deep underneath London.
Hagrid helped Harry pile handfuls of gold into a small bag that couldn't possibly fit it all but somehow did.
"The gold ones are Galleons," he explained. "Seventeen silver Sickles to a Galleon and twenty-nine Knuts to a sickle, easy enough." He turned to Griphook. "Vault seven hundred and thirteen now, please, and can we go more slowly?
"One speed only," said Griphook with a nasty grin on his face.
They went even deeper and were gathering speed until they reached the vault and Hagrid jumped out quickly holding his stomach. Vault seven hundred and thirteen had no keyhole.
"Stand back," said Griphook importantly. He stroked the door gently with one of his long fingers and it simply melted away
"If anyone but a Gringotts goblin tried that, they'd be sucked through the door and trapped in there," said Griphook.
"How often do you check to see if anyone's inside?" Harry asked.
"About once every ten years," said Griphook with a cross between a grimace and a smile.
Something really extraordinary had to be in this top-security vault he was certain, so he lent forward eagerly to see, expecting some fabulous jewels at the very least but all he saw was a grubby little package wrapped in brown paper lying on the floor. Hagrid picked it up and tucked it deep inside his coat. Harry longed to know what it was but knew better than to ask.
"Come on, back in this infernal cart, and don't talk to me on the way back, it's best if I keep me mouth shut, or I'm gonna be sick." Said Hagrid.
One wild cart-ride later, they stood blinking in the sunlight outside Gringotts. "Migh' as well get yer uniform," said Hagrid, nodding towards Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. "Listen, Harry, would yeh mind if I slipped off fer a pick-me-up in the Leaky Cauldron? I hate them damn Gringotts carts." He did still look a bit sick, so Harry entered Madam Malkin's shop alone, feeling nervous.
Madam Malkin was a squat, smiling witch dressed all in mauve.
"Hogwarts, dear?" she said when Harry started to speak. "Got the lot here – a young girl is being fitted up just now, in fact."
In the back of the shop, a petite girl with short black hair was standing on a footstool while a second witch pinned up her long black robes. Madam Malkin stood Harry on a stool next to him, slipped a long rove over his head and began to pin it to the right length.
"Hello," said the girl, "Hogwarts too?" she had a really nice voice
"Yes," said Harry.
"My daddy's next door buying my books – oh I'm sorry how rude of me. I'm Pansy. Pansy Parkinson."
Harry remembering peoples reaction to his name hesitated telling her his real name, but he didn't want to lie
"Er, Harry Potter." Holding out his hand
The girls eyes widened and flicked up to his forehead where his scar was and her jaw dropped open. He snickered and she blushed and shook his hand
"Do you know what house you'll be in? I'm hoping for Ravenclaw but I think my daddy wants me to be in Slytherin like him and mother were."
"Er, House? Isn't it a castle?"
She giggled, "No silly, don't you know anything about Hogwarts?"
He blushed "No I grew up with muggles. It wasn't very pleasant they hated magic…"
Her eyes widened "You grew up with muggles? How strange, well, the houses are were you get sorted in school. Slytherin is for the cunning and ambitious but people think you turn dark if you get in that house, Gryffindor is for the brave and reckless, Hufflepuff for the loyal and hardworking and Ravenclaw for the studious and smart."
He pondered the houses, they all seemed alright he didn't really have any preferences but he might try for Ravenclaw to be with his new friend.
A tap on the window brought attention to Hagrid standing outside the window with two ice-creams pointing to them showing he couldn't come in.
"Do you know him?" Pansy asked
"Yeah, that's Hagrid, he worked at Hogwarts."
"Oh," said Pansy "He looks rather scary doesn't he." She said with wide eyes
He laughed, "Yeah he does but he's really nice."
Madam Malkin turned to him, "That's you done dear."
He turned to Pansy, "Er, would you like to come with me and get our books and wands?"
She smiled at him "Sure! I don't think my daddy will mind he's looking at the books right now."
He grinned in return, he had never had a friend
They walked out of the shop and Hagrid handed him his ice-cream. "Who's yer friend Harry?"
"Oh, this is Pansy Parkinson she's going to finish shopping with us." When he told Hagrid her name he looked at her with distrust but grudgingly accepted to let her come "Righ' then books first I suppose."
They went into a store called Flourish and Blotts where the shelved where piled high with books.
Pansy walked up to an imposing man who stood at around 6 feet, "Daddy, did you get my books?"
He turned around and smiled down at his daughter "Yes pumpkin I did but – " He noticed harry standing beside his daughter and raised a single brow "And who's this? A new friend?" he seemed really happy about this
Pansy nodded her head, "Yeah, we met in the robe shop."
Pansy's father held his hand out to him "Marcus Parkinson, pleased to meet you."
He shook his hand, well his hand got swallowed up by his, "Harry Potter, sir."
His eyes widened and, like everyone else, flicked up to his forehead to look at his scar
He shifted uncomfortably and this shook him out of his shock "My apologies Mr. Potter, I was just shocked you would be making friends with my daughter."
Why wouldn't he make friends with her? She was nice to him didn't call him freak like the other children his age "Why wouldn't I Mr. Parkinson?"
He looked unsure how to answer him "Well… My family is often called dark because of my father, pansy's grandfather's involvement in the last war. He pledged the entire house loyal to Voldemort so people blame us as well.
He frowned, "People shouldn't judge you on your families, I know I wouldn't want to be judged on mine.." this got a raised eyebrow
"Harry lives with muggles daddy." Pansy explained to her father
"I see." was all Marcus said.
Hagrid came back with a stack of books "That's yer books all done Harry, now alls we need is yer wand."
Harry turned to Pansy and her father "Would you like to come with us?" Pansy turned to her father with puppy dog eyes "Please daddy can we?"
Her father looked to Hagrid sceptically but nodded his head
The shop was narrow and shabby with peeling gold letters over the door read Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 BC. A single wand lay on a purple plush cushion in the dusty window.
It was a small shop and the walls were all filled to the ceiling with narrow boxes. "Harry I jus' need ter go buy somethin' I forgot about it, ill just be a mo'," said Hagrid
"Good afternoon," said a soft voice. Harry jumped and Pansy who was in front of him jumped back in fright knocking him to the ground.
He blinked in shock and he heard Marcus' laughter. Pansy jumped up apologizing while blushing bright red, he grinned at her and she smiled back at him.
The man with wiry greying hair smiled at him and apologized for scaring them "Now, wands, wands, who's first?"
"You go first I don't mind waiting," he told Pansy. She smiled at him and stepped forward
"Good, good, Ms. Parkinson, yes, your mother 13'' mahogany and your father," his eyes flicked to Marcus " 9'' yew, pliable excellent for charms."
"Now, my dear, what arms is your wand arm?" Ollivander asked her
"Well, I write with my left hand," said Pansy.
Ollivander nodded and started to measure every inch of Pansy who looked uncomfortable, which caused Harry to grin
Pansy saw him grinning and shot him a glare but was trying not to smile
Ollivander walked to the wall of boxes and started pulling out boxes and piling them up until they had at least 20
Pansy tried wand after wand until on the 12th one she found a match
"Ahh! 13 ½ '' Yew with a phoenix feather core."
"And now, Mr. Potter your wand arm is?" questioned Ollivander
"Er, my right I suppose."
Ollivander started to measure him like h did pansy which cause her to start giggling at his disgruntled look. He walked in the back and pulled out about 50 boxes and he started handing him wands. None of them worked. Harry was dismayed, what if they couldn't find him a wand? Then he would be stuck with the Dursleys.
"Hmm… I wonder…" Ollivander walked into a side alley of boxes and pulled out a wand "Try this Mr. Potter."
Once he grabbed the wand he knew, this was it, this was his wand, it filled him with warmth all the way to his toes.
"13 ½ '' Holly with a phoenix feather core." He glanced at Pansy "It just so happens, that the phoinex that gave the feather for your wand gave one other feather. And it now resides in Ms. Parkinsons wand."
His eyes widened and he looked at Pansy "So we have matching wands?"
"In a sense yes, your wand compliment each other perfectly."
Pansy smiled at Harry and he smiled back. They didn't see Marcus' wide eyed stare between them both
They left the shop and ran into Hagrid who had a cage with a beautiful snowy owl in it "Harry, done I see, got yeh a present."
His eyes widened " Thank you Hagrid, what's its name?"
"It's a girl and, well, I'll let you decide her name, but we best be gettin' on I need ter see Dumbledore," patting his breast pocket where the package from vault seven hundred and thirteen lay
"Oh, alright," he said disappointed. He turned to Pansy and her father "I guess I'll see you on the train then? I'll save you a seat."
Pansy smiled but seemed disappointed as well, and reached over and gave him a hug which caused him to blush and bid their goodbyes.