Harry Potter was having an extraordinarily great day. How could he be having a great day if he was forced to do chores all day and then stuffed in a cupboard you ask? The new neighbors were coming over. That meant that Harry could stay safe in his cupboard, no worries about his Uncle Vernon being drunk and beating him. He did have an image to upkeep after all.
The neighbors arrived promptly at seven o' clock, just after Harry was herded into his cupboard by Aunt Petunia. Uncle Vernon was set on padlocking the cupboard under the stairs, but Aunt Petunia convinced him it would look suspicious. They wouldn't want to make a bad impression on the new neighbors after all.
Uncle Vernon told Harry that if he behaved he would get a slice of toast afterwards. A luxury for Harry, considering he only got what a normal person would call one meal a day. The 'meal' consisting of table scraps, which were thrown in randomly throughout they day.
Harry heard the neighbors head into the entryway and pass his cupboard. Dudley immediately did his 'I'm so perfect and sweet act' trying to show off, obviously on his parent's request. Aunt Petunia immediately started gushing about her 'Duddydumkins' polite manners, and Uncle Vernon started loudly commenting on how his work was going at Grunnings.
"Dudley dear," Aunt Petunia said sweetly, "why don't you go upstairs and play with your new friend." Harry heard two pairs of footsteps head upstairs, shaking a cobweb on the ceiling of his cupboard.
"Let's play hide n' seek," Harry heard Dudley say. Dudley began counting, and Harry heard light footsteps head down the stairs. The footsteps continued down the hall. And stopped right at his cupboard. He heard the cupboard creak open, and person slipped into the cupboard and closed the door silently.
Harry finally got up the courage to speak. "What are you doing in my cupboard?" he asked, trying to sound intimidating like Uncle Vernon.
"I wanted to find out who was in here," a girlish voice responded.
"How did you know I was in here?" Harry asked. He immediately clamped his hands over his mouth. The Dursley's number one rule, besides not doing anything freakish, was to never ask questions.
The girl in the cupboard pulled down on the light string after shoving Harry's blanket in front of the crack at the bottom of the door. The girl had long red hair with bangs framing her face and pale blue eyes. "I'm Cass Carson," she whispered. "I just got into the Carson family yesterday. I'm a foster care," Cass explained.
Harry bit his lip and pondered what to do. There was a strange girl in his cupboard, but she seemed to be nice. And it couldn't hurt to have some company for a bit. But if the Dursley's found out…
"I'm Harry Potter," he answered.
"Is the fat pig your relative," Cass asked, scrunching up her nose in disgust at the image of Dudley. Harry quickly stopped himself from laughing. He nodded. "You're abused aren't you," she stated. It wasn't a question, it was a statement. His eyes widened.
"You can't tell anyone, please!" Harry begged.
"Why not? They're horrible!"
"I've sent six anonymous notes to the police. Four to child services. Two phone calls for each. None of them were ever looked into," Harry admitted. Cass leaned over and hugged Harry. Harry flinched at the contact, and Cass released him. "Once one of the doctors found out. He went missing a day after reporting the abuse to the police. The police never looked into it."
He heard Dudley pounding down the stairs. "I'll see you at school," Cass promised. She slipped out of the cupboard and back into the hall.
Harry reminded himself not to be disappointed at school tomorrow when Cass ignored him. After all, nobody ever keeps promises they give to him. In science class, Cass was introduced to the class. After that, they started assigning lab partners. Harry prayed he wasn't with someone from Dudley's gang. It wasn't. It was Cass. She gave him a smile and passed him a slip of paper while the teacher was talking about they rules for fourth grade.
At recess he unfolded the note and was about to read it when Dudley's gang interrupted him. "Hey Freak, what have you got there?" Dudley asked, making a grab for the paper. Harry began to run. "Hey, come back here Freak!" Dudley yelled, starting the chase. Dudley wasn't very fast, but his friend Piers Polkiss was. He realized that he had hit a dead end too late. Desperately, he tried to climb the tree. Just as Dudley's gang was about to reach him, someone grasped his hands and pulled him up into the tree.
He was pleasantly surprised to see Cass. "Are you okay," she asked, puffing her cheeks out nervously. Harry nodded.
"Can you teach me how to climb trees," he asked, trembling slightly. She nodded.
"You need to find the cracks in the tree…" she started. By the end of recess, Harry could successfully climb a tree. And he just might have a friend. At lunchtime Cass sat across from him. Harry didn't have any lunch, as Dudley and his gang had pilfered it.
"Here," Cass said, causing him to look up from his staring contest with the table. She slid a sandwich across the table. Harry looked up at her. "Don't worry, I made it for you," she announced. Harry smiled and started eating the sandwich. "You're my first friend," Cass confessed. Harry looked up. "I've always been moved from foster home to foster home. I do weird things. They get freaked out and send me away."
"You're my first friend too," Harry confides in her, "and I do freaky stuff too. Once when Dudley was chasing me I somehow managed to get up onto the school roof. I've also turned my teacher's wig blue." Cass giggled.
"I caused the ground to go up and trip some kids who where chasing me. And once I turned Malcolm Anderson's hair red after he called me carrot top." It was now Harry's turn to giggle.
"Do you think it's the 'm' word?" he asked. He quickly saw his friend's confused face. "Magic. Maybe that's why the police won't help and all the weird things happen."
"Maybe. There probably would be a magic school then though, wouldn't there?"
"Maybe there's something about our powers in the library?" mused Harry.
"We'll check the library tomorrow," Cass agreed.
Unfortunately, their plans to go to the library were off. Dudley had tried to punch Cass. Cass just ducked and kneed him in the stomach. Dudley had let out a loud scream, much like the sound of a walrus dying, and the teachers had run over. Of course Harry and Cass were blamed for the incident. Now they were stuck washing dishes with the batty old lunch lady and babysitter on the side, Ms. Figg.
Washing dishes wasn't hard for Harry; he was used to it. Cass had pulled her fair share too in foster homes and orphanages. Together they were able to finish off the dishes quickly. Ms. Figg didn't do anything. She just sat there and stroked her cat, Mr. Fluffikins.
"She's barmy, isn't she?" Cass asked Harry mid wash. Harry nodded.
"Are the plans still on?" Harry asked, lowering his voice. Cass nodded in response. Ms. Figg got up from her chair and Mr. Fluffikins hopped off.
"She could make an outfit made of cat fur," Cass joked. Harry snickered.
"She could make a house out of cats," said Harry, continuing the running gag.
"She could swim in a pool of cats."
"She could…" Harry started. The bell rang just then. "Library," he whispered before they headed to their next class.
Finally, Harry and Cass were able to go to the library. They had decided not to ask the librarian for directions to a magic section of the library, she would certainly say they were barmy. Instead, they wandered around looking for any reference of magic. There was a false alarm when Harry spotted the Chronicles of Narnia, and when Cass spotted Bewitched, but soon they figured out that they should be looking for a hidden section of the library.
"I'm about to give up," said Harry, banging his head against the wall. Except his head went through.
"Harry," gasped Cass. Harry looked up.
"What?" Cass reached out and stuck her hand through the wall.
"It's an illusion," she breathed out, walking through the wall. Harry figured he might as well follow. He found himself in a huge room with crystal chandeliers and stained glass windows. And of course, there were several shelves of books spanning the entire room. Harry picked out the book closest to him.
"The Book of Spells, Grade 1," Harry read. Cass leaned over his shoulder to read it out loud. Harry sat down at a table and picked out another book.
The most basic spell is the Levitation charm. The incantation is Wingardium Leviosa. The wand movement is swish and flick. The easiest object to try this on is the feather. Your teacher will be able to demonstrate.
"Cass," Harry asked. "How do you do the levitation spell?"
"Wingardium Leviosa," Cass vaguely replied, immersed in the book. Harry placed the book on the table and flicked his hand while thinking the spell in his head. The book floated upwards.
"You're supposed to say it out loud!" Cass exclaimed, "And most people need wands! You must be a very powerful wizard Harry." Harry blushed at the praise.
"Nonsense, I'm sure you can do it," he insisted. Cass gave it a try. She was able to do the spell wandless, but not wordless. After eight tries she was able to do it wordless as well.
"This is awesome!" Harry said, resisting the impulse to whoop for joy. "What's the next spell in the book?"
"Alohamora, it unlocks things," Cass replied.
"I'll try it out on my cupboard," Harry said solemnly.
"I'll look up some healing charms. We should also make a list of all the spells we want to learn how to do."
"Hopefully we won't be far behind the other kids at magic school." Harry glanced down at his book. Harry grabbed a pen from his book bag, and Cass took out an empty notebook.
"We should probably learn some privacy spells," Cass commented. Harry nodded in agreement. They assumed that Grade 1 in the spell books was equivalent to first grade, and organized the spells by grade. They agreed that the x would mean Harry could do the spell, and the * would mean Cass could perform the spell.
After a month of going to the library their journal appeared as follows:
Grade 1
Wingardium Leviosa- levitation x*
Alohamora- unlocking charm x*
Lumos- lighting charm x*
Nox- counteracts lumos x*
Incendio- fire charm x*
Sponify- make object soft ?*
Diffindo- cutting charm ?
Colloportus- locking spell x*
Reparo- reparing spell x*
Avifors- change object into a bird x?
Locomoter- moves at will of caster x*
Locomotor Mortis- leg-lock curse x*
Petrificus Totalus- body-bind curse x*
Serpensortia- conjures serpent ?
Specialis Revelio- shows hidden magic secrets?
Every day Cass and Harry would go to the library during lunch and pour over magical texts. They would talk about what they liked about the wizarding world from the books and have heated debates over what they didn't.
However, not everything was perfect. Uncle Vernon had began to beat Harry more once he mastered the healing spell. He didn't tell Cass that things were getting worse. He didn't want her to worry. But she found out anyway. She confronted him on the last day of fourth grade.
"Harry," she said, pulling him towards her house, "you're terrible at hiding things." Cass dragged him through the front door and she headed towards her room. Her room was small and pristine, and there weren't any toys. She kneeled down on all fours and crawled under her bed. She pulled out a large cardboard box and handed it to Harry.
Harry opened up the lid and gasped. Cass had obviously gone to a lot of effort. There were water bottles and soda cans as well as chips and stale popcorn and pretzels.
"I've been saving up so you can eat during the summer. You can sneak it in under your baggy clothing." Harry just nodded, feeling very grateful.
"Ttt…thanks. What ccan III ddoo forr–" Harry started.
Cass cut him off by giving him a big hug. "Just stay safe," she whispered into his ear.
0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0
Harry's summer was a relatively quiet one. He did his long list of chores and went back to his cupboard in the evening. When the Dursleys didn't feed him he would use some of his secret stash. Harry longed to see Cass again. The spiders in his cupboard weren't good company. And neither were the despicable Dursleys.
On the first day of school Harry rushed into the classroom, eager to see his friend. She wasn't there. She wasn't there the next day either. Harry started to worry. He couldn't go over and knock on the door, for Vernon would give him a beating, so he would just have to wait.
When Cass finally came back to school she was sporting a black eye and was nervously nibbling her lower lip and pointedly avoiding him. Harry was quick to catch on, and he pulled her into the magic part of the library during lunch.
"You're being abused," Harry said. Cass bit her lip as tears ran down her cheeks.
"I did accidental magic in front of them. They freaked out." Cass didn't say anything more. Harry reached over and hugged her.
"I know, I know," he whispered soothingly. A few seconds later, she wiped off her tears on the back of her hand.
"Come on, let's practice some magic," she said, her voice wavering. After several tries at new spells they realized that magic needed to be practiced, or else you wouldn't be able to do it as well.
Halfway through the school year they finished the Grade 1 spell book and started on Grade 2. Harry's specialty was the disarming charm, which was soon found out after he blasted Cass into a bookshelf when disarming her of her book bag. Cass was able to get revenge with the dancing spell, and had Harry dancing all throughout the lunch period before she undid the spell on her very tired friend.
Harry became very grateful for the flower conjuring charm after he accidently decimated Aunt Petunia's prize rose bushes. He also used the reducing and engorging charms on the bushes and flowers, saving him from the beatings he would have gotten had he sheared the bushes too much or too little.
Cass's home life wasn't improving much, but she was just grateful she never had to live in a cupboard like Harry. They had finished the Grade 2 spell book, with the exception of the boggart banishing charm. And that was why the two friends were currently exploring the Dursley's basement at midnight.
They had finished scouring the basement for boggarts, with no results, and had headed back upstairs when they heard a whooshing sound. Harry held up a finger and headed towards the door. Two letters were sitting on the doormat. One was addressed to each of them.
"What kind of a school would be named Hogwarts?" Cass whispered, reading the front of the envelope. Harry snickered and broke the seal.
"Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorcerer, Chief Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confederation of Wizards)
Dear Mr. Potter,
We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress"
"What kind of a government puts all the power in one person?" Harry queried.
"What kind of person has the owns an owl?" Cass retorts.
"Well, I think an owl hunt is in order for tomorrow. Though I thought the wizarding world would at least be smart enough to send someone to explain to us where to buy our supplies and how to get to Hogwarts, and even introduce some magic to us."
She nodded. "Fair point. See you tomorrow." The shared a quick hug and Cass headed home. Harry slipped back into his cupboard and started down at the letter. Finally, he was going to be free of the Dursleys.
On July 20th, Harry and Cass had thoroughly searched the magical library for mentions of a magical shopping center. They were able to find out Diagon Alley was in London, and the entrance was the Leaky Cauldron. They were able to hitch a ride on a bus to the center of London.
When they saw the Leaky Cauldron, Cass wasn't impressed. "It seems like they want us to be mugged," she commented. Harry silently agreed. The Leaky Cauldron definitely didn't give a good impression of the wizarding world. With help from Tom, the bartender, they were able to access the Alley.
"First stop is the bank," Harry announced, and they headed towards the bank. He grinned at Cass when he saw the epitaph engraved in the stone. She grinned back. Their money would be safe with the goblins.
Cass and Harry had theorized that muggleborns were decedents of squibs, so they figured they had money in one of the vaults. They walked up to a desk and stood in front of a goblin that was putting the finishing touches on a picture of a house. He glanced up, surprised to see them standing there.
"We'd like to see if we have any vaults Mr. Ragnook," Cass said, noting the nameplate.
"Ragnook only, please. We will go and have you take your blood inheritance test." They followed Ragnook into a small office. He pulled out a shiny sheet of paper, a bowl, and a large dagger. He nicked Harry's finger over the bowl and stirred the blood in with a powder. Then, Ragnook poured the mixture on to the paper. The words came out in a strange language that Harry couldn't recognize.
"Mr. Potter, you own the Potter vault, the Peverell vault, the Gryffindor vault, and 1/3 of the Slytherin vault," Ragnook announced. Harry's eyes widened. "Here is your full list of properties and abilities." Ragnook began to mix Cass's blood while Harry looked over the paper.
Harry James Potter
Potter Vault: 500,000 galleons, 459,667 sickles, and 245,650 knuts
Potter Jewelry (liquefied form): 89,098 galleons, 34,556 sickles, and 3,909 knuts
Potter Estates: Potter Manor, Godric's Hollow (national monument), and the Vacation house in Spain
Gryffindor Vault: 4,900,569 galleons, 2,345,667 sickles, and 1,234,560 knuts
Gryffindor Jewelry (liquefied form): 324,098 galleons, 323,456 sickles, and 35,666 knuts
Gryffindor Estates: Gryffindor Castle
Peverell Vault: 6,400,789 galleons, 3,456,789 sickles, and 8,324,001 knuts
Peverell Jewelry (liquefied form): 5,987,899 galleons, 1,345,656 sickles, and 34,679 knuts
Peverell Estates: Peverell Castle and Peverell Inn
1/3 of Slytherin Vault: 1,600,405 galleons, 435,000 sickles, and 590,000 knuts
1/3 of Slytherin Jewelry (liquefied form): 200,998 galleons, 198,740 sickles, and 26,009 knuts
Total: 20,530,997.7302 galleons (102,654,988.651 pounds or $167,604,799.97)
Ablities:
Parseltongue
Natural Occlumens
Natural Legilemens
Partial Metamorphmagus (able to change hair)
Air Elemental
Harry looked over at Cass's sheet.
Cassiopeia Pheonix Black
Black Vault: 757,050 galleons, 456,506 sickles, and 563,698 knuts
Black Jewelry (liquefied form): 2,345,669 galleons and 456,093 sickles
Black Estates: Number 12 Grimmauld Place, Black Manor, Alphard's Hut, Lestrange Manor, and Malfoy Manor
Lestrange Vault: 544,567 galleons, 563,008 sickles, and 234,466 knuts
Lestrange Jewelry (liquefied form): 567,987 galleons, 50,899 sickles, and 36,998 knuts
½ of Malfoy Vault: 345,098 galleons, 356,600 sickles, and 345,660 knuts
½ of Malfoy Jewelry (liquefied form): 345,668 galleons
1/3 of Slytherin Vault: 1,600,405 galleons, 435,000 sickles, and 590,000 knuts
1/3 of Slytherin Jewelry (liquefied form): 200,998 galleons, 198,740 sickles, and 26,009 knuts
¼ of Ravenclaw Vault: 560,009 galleons, 234,987 sickles, and 83,586 knuts
¼ of Ravenclaw Jewelry (liquefied form): 945,998 galleons
Total: 7,697,135.76268 (38,485,678.8134 pounds or $62,835,567.8)
Abilities:
Empath (also known as a type 1 seer)
Partial Metamorphmagus (able to change hair and eyes)
Natural Occlumens
Air Elemental
Harry and Cass's eyes widened at the amount of money they each had. "Miss. Black, you are the only Black who is not incarcerated, dead, disowned, or married. That makes you the Head of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black. Please put on this Head of House ring. You will be able to hold your seat in Wizengamont," Ragnook said, handing Cass a simple black ring. Cass slipped the ring on her finger and held her hand out for Harry to look. There was a Latin motto on it: Toujours Pur, always pure.
"Do I have a Head of House ring?" Harry asked quietly.
"Yes," Ragnook replied. "However, your magical guardian is Albus Dumbledore. He sealed your parent's Will and holds you seats in Wizengamont."
"But isn't that illegal," Cass cuts in.
"Until Mr. Potter is of age Albus will be his legal guardian unless the Will says otherwise."
"May I please see the Will?" Harry asked. Ragnook snapped his fingers and a document appeared.
"Please touch the seal to activate it," the goblin instructed. The seal instantly melted at Harry's touch, and the paper unfurled.
The Last Will and Testament of James Andrew Potter and Lily Marie Evans Potter
To Remus Lupin: we leave 650,500 galleons. We hope that you find a special lady one day who doesn't care about your furry little problem.
To Sirius Black: we leave 1 knut, knowing you already have a fortune. If we are dead, that means Peter betrayed us. Please don't go running after him, and take good care of our son.
To Alice and Frank Longbottom: we leave 70,000 galleons. I hope Harry and Neville become close friends.
To Harry Potter: we leave everything else. We love you son. We wish we could be there with you. Make us proud.
Guardians
1) Sirius Black
2) Alice and Frank Longbottom
3) Xenopholis and Fecilia Lovegood
4) Molly and Arthur Weasley
5) Minerva McGonagall
In under no circumstances is Harry to be placed with the Dursleys. They hate magic and will most certainly abuse him.
Witnesses: Remus John Lupin, Sirius Black, and Albus Dumbledore
Signed: Lily and James Potter
"Dumbledork!" Harry practically shouted. "He was the git who placed me with the Dursleys!" Cass placed a hand on his shoulder to calm him down.
"Can we go visit our vaults?" Cass asked calmly, turning the conversation away from controlling headmasters. Ragnook led them to a track and they hopped into a cart. The cart ride was fantastic, and even Harry had lightened up to the point that he was whooping on the sharp turns and throwing his hands in the air. They peeked into all of Harry's vaults, but only took money from one. They would have time to explore the rest later.
Cass was exploring her last vault, she had already taken a bagful of money from the Black Vault, when Ragnook hauled her backwards. Harry snorted. It wasn't like there could be anything that dangerous in there. After all, they had to go past a dragon to get there.
"There's a piece of soul in your vault," the goblin said eerily. "In the cup." Ragnook picked it up and placed it in a bag. "We will destroy it for you. We will also destroy all other dark artifacts in your vaults. We are horrified that this object is in here."
"There is another piece of soul in here as well," Ragnook added. He ran his hand up to Harry's scar. "You have a piece of soul in you."
Cass, getting what Ragnook was implying, jumped in front of Harry. "NO! You can't kill Harry!" she screamed. Ragnook, to Harry's horror, fell to the ground and started laughing.
"Goblins can remove the soul piece. Wizards are very behind in technology," Ragnook said. He muttered some words and a black mist came out of Harry's scar and joined the other soul piece in the cup.
"Yes, wizards are very behind," Harry commented casually.
"You are an interesting human Mr. Potter," Ragnook said as they got back into the cart. Harry and Ragnook talked about goblin and wizard relations the rest of the ride. Cass was eerily silent the whole time, glancing over at Harry nervously. As soon as they got out the cart, Cass pounced on him. She gave him a big hug and buried her head against his shoulder. Harry heard her murmur something, but wasn't sure what it was.
They bid Ragnook good-bye and headed out onto the cobbled streets of Diagon Alley. Harry pulled out the Hogwarts list.
"Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
UNIFORM
First-year students will require:
1. Three sets of plain work robes (black)
2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear
3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon-hide or similar)
4. One winter cloak (black, with silver fastenings)
Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags.
COURSE BOOKS
All students should have a copy of each of the following:
The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk
A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot
Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling
A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch
One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore
Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander
The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble
OTHER EQUIPMENT
1 wand
1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)
1 set of glass or crystal phials
1 telescope
1 set of brass scales
Students may also bring and owl OR a cat OR a toad.
PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS."
As soon as Harry finished reading, Cass went off in a rant. "We already did the book of spells! We know the spells for defense! The only books we haven't read are the Potions and Herbology books! And a pointed hat! How is that rational? Robes? When you duel some idiot is going to trip right over them. And dragon-hide? That's just inhumane! The poor dragon back at Gringotts! And what about clothes to put on under the robes? What are we supposed to wear underneath, our skivvies? And nametags? We're surrounded by magic people! Hello! Use a spell to identify robes."
"I agree," Harry started ranting, "only three robes? Even if you're surrounded by magic you need more clothes than three sets. And a toad? Who would buy a toad?"
By they time they finished letting off steam they had made it to the Apothecary. After that they went to the bookstore. While the shopkeeper was busy bustling around collecting their schoolbooks, Cass and Harry explored the shop. Along with the schoolbooks, Harry purchased The Mind Arts: Occlumency and Legilemency, Different Magical Languages, and Elementals Through the Ages. Cass purchased The Guide to a Metamorphmagus, Seeing The Future and Past: Seers, and The Night Sky.
As they left the shop, Harry asked, "Why'd you buy the book on the sky?"
Cass smiled and replied, "Well, seeing as most of the Blacks were named after stars, I'm interested." Harry nodded in understanding and they headed over to Madam Malkins.
Cass was immediately spirited away to the girls changing area, and Harry was left to stand on the fitting platform next to a boy with slicked back blonde hair.
"I'm Draco Malfoy," the boy announced. "I'm hoping to be in Slytherin. My whole family went there. I would just die if I went to Hufflepuff. Which house do you think you're going to be in?"
Harry cleared his throat, ready to make a speech. He recognized the type. People pretending to be inferior because of their parents warnings. "You're father's a Death Eater." Draco's mouth gaped open. "You are forced to pretend you are someone you are not to please your father. Am I correct?" Draco nodded quickly but then he stiffened. "Voldemort isn't the only person out there. Neither is Dumbledore. There is no light and dark, there is only gray."
"Finished," Madam Malkins announced, and Draco stepped off the school.
He was at the door when he turned around. "Thank you. For telling me what I wouldn't admit to myself. I hope to see you on the train." And then he turned on his heel and left. Cass came out from the other side and went over to Harry's side.
"He's my second-cousin or something," she stated.
"Oh! I forgot! Malfoy!" Harry practically shouted. Cass rolled her eyes and steered him towards the wand shop. As they got closer Harry muttered, "Why do we need sticks if we can do magic without them?" Cass and Harry broke out into giggles.
The wand shop was dusty. Aunt Petunia would have gone ballistic if she saw the state of it. They were looking up at the high shelves stacked with boxes when a man appeared right in front of them. Cass jumped up into the air in fright and clutched Harry's hand. Harry was pretty scared too. They should really have people introduce others into this worl.
"Ah, Mr. Potter, Miss. Black, you are here for your wands now aren't you." The creepy man was Ollivander, as Harry figured out by the nameplate. Ollivander flicked a stick, or was it his wand, and boxes came flying off the shelf. "Left or right handed Mr. Potter?" Harry held out his right hand and Ollivander shoved a wand into it, and then immediately snatched it back. After repeating this process several times Ollivander handed Harry a holly and phoenix feather wand, which let out a few feeble sparks. Ollivander glanced at it for a second then snatched it back.
Finally, Harry grasped a wand, and it let out magnificent sparks. "Aspen and dragon heartstring, slightly bendy, 11 inches," the wand-maker announced. Cass tried several wands, and was down to the last few in the store. "Blacks. Always had special talents. Try this one. Silver lime and unicorn hair, slightly bendy, 10 inches." Cass swished the wand through the air and it let out a blast of sparks.
They were about to head back to Privet Drive when they realized that they needed to owl the school. Where were they supposed to get an owl from anyway? They headed over to the post service and where met by a sight of hundreds of owls. Harry wrestled a brown and white spotted owl down from it's perch and attached their acceptance letters.
"That just reminded me," Cass said, "We should get a pet." They headed over to the pet store. There were hundreds of owls, but Harry was instantly attracted to the snakes. He headed over to their case and decided to try out parseltongue.
"Hello," said Harry.
"A speaker! A speaker!" one of the snakes shouted, and the other snakes quickly joined in on the chant. Some of the snakes started to beg to be bought by him, but their hissing was really giving him a headache. He glanced around the cage and spotted a small black, green, and blue striped snake. He held out his arm and the snake slithered on.
"What would you like to be named?" he asked the snake.
"You may choose for me," the snake responded. Harry hissed out several suggestions before the snake agreed on one. At the counter, Cass was already waiting, holding a blue and black colored kitten. She took Harry buying a snake better than the clerk. The clerk screamed and fainted. Harry just placed some galleons on the counter and they left the store.
"So," Cass asked, "what did you name him? I named my kitten Calypso. After the star."
"Slyther," Harry replied. "Short for Slytherin. And don't worry, he won't bite unless I tell him to. It's a good thing the clerk fainted or he would have had his venom removed." Cass's eyes widened, but then she accepted the fact that her friend's pet snake was venomous. Slyther curled up around Harry's stomach underneath his baggy shirt so the bus driver didn't notice. Well, it wasn't like the driver would notice anyways; they did hitch a ride after all.
They had bought parchment and quills in Diagon Alley, but though that they were impractical. They would only use them for assignments. They would take notes in spiral notebooks with pens and pencils.
The rest of the summer was normal, well, as normal as it could be for two abused and orphaned magical children. Harry was able to sneak out of his cupboard and into the backyard on his birthday. Cass met him out there and they ate a slice of cake Cass nicked from her foster parents' kitchen. While they were enjoying the cake, an owl swooped down with a scroll attached. They opened the envelope to find train tickets.
"Train tickets? To magic school?" Harry whispered incredulously. Dudley's broken watch, which Harry had rescued, struck 11:59.
"Happy birthday Harry!" Cass said, giving him a peck on the cheek. Harry blushed.
"Now all we have to do is figure out how to get onto platform 9 ¾," Harry said. Yes, that would truly be a challenge.
AN: Anything you recognize from the book belongs to JK Rowling.