Chapter 1
Harry Potter wiped the perspiration off of his scarred forehead, peering up at the sign above his head. The old piece of wood had the words "The Leaky Cauldron" etched into it, and it swung methodically in the light breeze. With a grunt, Harry pushed his large trunk with Hedwig's cage on top through the door into the dark, cool foyer.
"Why, hello Harry!" Tom the innkeeper said, looking up from his desk. "What are you doing here? It's 2 more weeks until you'll be wanting your school supplies."
"I left home early," Harry replied, trying to hide the bruise under his right eye. "I used muggle transportation, so I've had to push this all around London." He nodded toward the trunk. "Could I stay here until term begins?"
For the first time, Harry noticed the decrepit state of the bar. Numerous lights were out and many tables and chairs were broken. He remembered it being a lot nicer the last time he was there.
"Of course you can stay here," Tom said eagerly, "I've been needing some business ever since…" his eyes grazed over the ragged room. "Can I take you things upstairs?" He headed over to Harry.
As he watched Tom wheel the trunk to the stairway, Harry furrowed his brow in confusion. 'Ever since what, I wonder?' He shrugged and stepped over a stray piece of wood and followed Tom.
Once Tom left him to unpack, Harry let Hedwig out of her cage, and then got a quill and parchment to write a letter to Ron and Hermione. He wanted to let them know that he had left the Dursley's house. He scribbled a note quickly, making the first letter to Ron. In the middle of a sentence, he paused suddenly.
I left the Dursley's house because…
Harry touched his black eye tenderly; it still stung. He erased the word "because" and ended the sentence. He didn't want Ron to know.
Finishing both notes, he gave them to Hedwig who joyfully spread her wings and flew out the open window. Harry unpacked the rest of his belongings and took a look in the mirror.
"You're taller than I remember," the mirror said in a hoarse voice. Harry straightened up. It was true, he had grown a lot over the summer. He wondered if he had finally reached Ron's height, or if Ron was still growing too. A grin spread across his face as he imagined a 6'10" Ron stooping under his doorway and into the tiny room.
Harry realized suddenly how quiet it was in the Leaky Cauldron. Normally there was a group of people talking at the bar clanging their glasses together or dropping their utensils. If there weren't people in the bar, then Harry would have expected to at least hear some faint commotion from Diagon Alley.
He went downstairs and out the back into the alley. He took his wand out of his pocket and stared at the bricks, trying to remember which one opened the gateway. He began to randomly tap them in the general area in which he thought the special brick was. Before long, the wall began to split apart and opened up to an archway just Harry's size.
He stepped under it, and it closed silently behind him. He gasped and almost dropped his wand when he turned his attention to the Alley. Instead of a loud, boisterous crowd, there were only a handful of people milling about randomly from store to store. Some of the buildings were boarded up, with "out of business" signs hanging from their windows or doors. It was dirty and brown, and a hundred times less cheerful than Harry ever remembered it being.
A faint wind blew a few pieces of loose garbage across the street that landed at Harry's feet.
His heart skipped a few beats as he thought, 'What's happened here?'
**
Harry numbly pocketed his wand after absorbing the desolate scene in front of him. The low evening sun reflected off of empty windows and splashed everything in a deep red. Harry looked at his feet where some loose pieces of paper had blown. He recognized one of them as the front page to The Daily Prophet, and picked it up to read it. The headline read in huge letters "Bankrupt!"
Harry sat down on the front steps of a vacant store to read the story.
"The Ministry of Magic itself declared bankruptcy yesterday in an emergency financial meeting in London. Although Cornelius Fudge has denied reporters any kind of interview, a spokesperson for the Ministry stated that half of all personnel have been let go because of the money shortage. As many readers know, the sudden and mysterious depletion of wizard currency that occurred in early June of this year has taken its toll on every individual in the magical world. Unfortunately, because of the amount of money needed for such a large-scale investigation, the Ministry has been unable to successfully pinpoint the cause of the financial disaster, but they assure everyone that the cause will soon be found and also thank everyone for their patience."
Harry lowered the newspaper with his mouth hanging open. A wizard money shortage? He dropped the paper and began to jog deeper into Diagon Alley. Ignoring the strange looks he got from a few witches and wizards he began to run faster toward the heart of the Alley. Turning a corner, he tripped on the cobblestone street and fell down right in front of Gringotts Bank. He picked himself up and quickly trotted up the marble steps to the doors. Instead of an "out of business" sign, there was a note stuck to one of the double doors. Harry leaned close to read the small lettering.
"The Ministry of Magic has taken all money stored in Gringotts Bank in order to investigate the cause of the money shortage. We will replenish your account when the money becomes available. Meanwhile, we ask that you do not depend on the money in your vault because the timeframe of the shortage is unknown. Please, no more Howlers. Gringotts Goblins"
Harry turned and sat on the cold marble steps, burying his face in his hands. All of his money was gone! Apart from the small stash of coins in his trunk, he was broke. Everything he needed depended on the money in his vault. He was as poor as the Weasleys.
The Weasleys… Harry sighed heavily. If half of all Ministry of Magic personnel had been fired, he was almost sure that Mr. Weasley had lost his job. And Harry thought his situation was bad; he couldn't imagine trying to support a wife and five children without a job.
The sky turned from red to purple as the sun began to creep under the horizon. Harry got up and walked slowly back towards The Leaky Cauldron. He glanced up from the ground every once in a while to see which stores were still running. The Quidditch Supplies store wasn't closed down, and neither was Flourish and Blotts. But, Madame Malkins robe shop was out of business, and so was the Apothecary. Harry wasn't sure what he was going to do about getting new potions supplies for his fifth year.
Harry glanced up the street and was surprised to see that Ollivanders was still up and running. It always looked dingy, even when there wasn't a money crisis. Harry stopped in front of the wand shop when he saw a faint candlelight glowing inside. He was overcome with curiosity and walked inside.
The bell on the door rang shrilly, and Mr. Ollivander looked up from his desk where the candle flickered in the soft breeze.
"Ah, Harry Potter," he said with a small smile, "how nice to see you again." Mr. Ollivander motioned to the chair in front of his desk, and Harry took a seat. "I congratulate you on your victory in the Triwizard Tournament," the old wizard said, "although I do wish it would have ended more… peacefully." Mr. Ollivander pale eyes stared at a slender box on a table across the room. Harry thought it must have been Cedric Diggory's wand.
"Anyhow," Mr. Ollivander continued, "what brings you to Diagon Alley this early? Trouble with your wand?"
"No," said Harry, speaking for the first time since he'd left the Leaky Caludron. "No, I just came early, but I had no idea about all this money trouble. I came in here because I was wondering; how do you manage to keep your store open?"
Mr. Ollivander shrugged and said, "I didn't keep any of my money at the bank so none of it was taken. After the slump, I lowered the price of wands so people could still afford them and I didn't loose too much business. The first years still need their wands, you know." Harry nodded in agreement.
"What happened to your eye?" Mr. Ollivander asked, staring at Harry's face. Harry looked down and muttered, "Nothing."
"Does it have something to do with your early arrival?" The old man's voice was concerned and, to Harry, a little condemning. The room became quiet and too hot. Harry abruptly stood up and flattened his hair absentmindedly.
"I'm sorry to have disturbed you, sir," Harry said, heading for the door. "I'll come back if I have any wand trouble." He opened the door and the bell rang again.
"Harry," Mr. Ollivander said before Harry stepped outside, "if you need to talk or anything like that, you know you can come here." Harry looked over at Mr. Ollivander, whose clear eyes reminded him of Dumbledore's. Harry nodded, and walked out of the store.
A deep blue sky expanded over the alley with the not quite full moon above Harry's head. He reached the brick wall and opened it. He stepped inside the Leaky Cauldron and said goodnight to Tom.
"Oh Harry!" Tom said while Harry walked upstairs, "Could I ask you to please pay for your stay in advance? I mean, it would really help me out a lot."
"Okay."
"Oh, thank you!" Tom said, relieved. "Don't worry, I'll get it from you in the morning. You can go ahead on to bed."
Harry went to his room, where Hedwig was sleeping in her cage. A letter was sitting on Harry's pillow.
'Wow, that was fast!' he thought as he opened it. It was from Ron.
Hey Harry!
You'll never guess where I am. I'm staying at a muggle hotel about 2 blocks from you! I've got so much to talk to you about, so let's meet tomorrow morning at the Leaky Cauldron at 10:00. See you then!
Ron
Harry folded up the letter and sat it on the nightstand. He wondered how on earth the Weasleys had enough money to stay at a hotel. Changing into his pajamas, Harry decided it didn't matter how, as long as he finally got to see Ron after such a bad summer.
(end of Chapter 1)
Harry Potter wiped the perspiration off of his scarred forehead, peering up at the sign above his head. The old piece of wood had the words "The Leaky Cauldron" etched into it, and it swung methodically in the light breeze. With a grunt, Harry pushed his large trunk with Hedwig's cage on top through the door into the dark, cool foyer.
"Why, hello Harry!" Tom the innkeeper said, looking up from his desk. "What are you doing here? It's 2 more weeks until you'll be wanting your school supplies."
"I left home early," Harry replied, trying to hide the bruise under his right eye. "I used muggle transportation, so I've had to push this all around London." He nodded toward the trunk. "Could I stay here until term begins?"
For the first time, Harry noticed the decrepit state of the bar. Numerous lights were out and many tables and chairs were broken. He remembered it being a lot nicer the last time he was there.
"Of course you can stay here," Tom said eagerly, "I've been needing some business ever since…" his eyes grazed over the ragged room. "Can I take you things upstairs?" He headed over to Harry.
As he watched Tom wheel the trunk to the stairway, Harry furrowed his brow in confusion. 'Ever since what, I wonder?' He shrugged and stepped over a stray piece of wood and followed Tom.
Once Tom left him to unpack, Harry let Hedwig out of her cage, and then got a quill and parchment to write a letter to Ron and Hermione. He wanted to let them know that he had left the Dursley's house. He scribbled a note quickly, making the first letter to Ron. In the middle of a sentence, he paused suddenly.
I left the Dursley's house because…
Harry touched his black eye tenderly; it still stung. He erased the word "because" and ended the sentence. He didn't want Ron to know.
Finishing both notes, he gave them to Hedwig who joyfully spread her wings and flew out the open window. Harry unpacked the rest of his belongings and took a look in the mirror.
"You're taller than I remember," the mirror said in a hoarse voice. Harry straightened up. It was true, he had grown a lot over the summer. He wondered if he had finally reached Ron's height, or if Ron was still growing too. A grin spread across his face as he imagined a 6'10" Ron stooping under his doorway and into the tiny room.
Harry realized suddenly how quiet it was in the Leaky Cauldron. Normally there was a group of people talking at the bar clanging their glasses together or dropping their utensils. If there weren't people in the bar, then Harry would have expected to at least hear some faint commotion from Diagon Alley.
He went downstairs and out the back into the alley. He took his wand out of his pocket and stared at the bricks, trying to remember which one opened the gateway. He began to randomly tap them in the general area in which he thought the special brick was. Before long, the wall began to split apart and opened up to an archway just Harry's size.
He stepped under it, and it closed silently behind him. He gasped and almost dropped his wand when he turned his attention to the Alley. Instead of a loud, boisterous crowd, there were only a handful of people milling about randomly from store to store. Some of the buildings were boarded up, with "out of business" signs hanging from their windows or doors. It was dirty and brown, and a hundred times less cheerful than Harry ever remembered it being.
A faint wind blew a few pieces of loose garbage across the street that landed at Harry's feet.
His heart skipped a few beats as he thought, 'What's happened here?'
**
Harry numbly pocketed his wand after absorbing the desolate scene in front of him. The low evening sun reflected off of empty windows and splashed everything in a deep red. Harry looked at his feet where some loose pieces of paper had blown. He recognized one of them as the front page to The Daily Prophet, and picked it up to read it. The headline read in huge letters "Bankrupt!"
Harry sat down on the front steps of a vacant store to read the story.
"The Ministry of Magic itself declared bankruptcy yesterday in an emergency financial meeting in London. Although Cornelius Fudge has denied reporters any kind of interview, a spokesperson for the Ministry stated that half of all personnel have been let go because of the money shortage. As many readers know, the sudden and mysterious depletion of wizard currency that occurred in early June of this year has taken its toll on every individual in the magical world. Unfortunately, because of the amount of money needed for such a large-scale investigation, the Ministry has been unable to successfully pinpoint the cause of the financial disaster, but they assure everyone that the cause will soon be found and also thank everyone for their patience."
Harry lowered the newspaper with his mouth hanging open. A wizard money shortage? He dropped the paper and began to jog deeper into Diagon Alley. Ignoring the strange looks he got from a few witches and wizards he began to run faster toward the heart of the Alley. Turning a corner, he tripped on the cobblestone street and fell down right in front of Gringotts Bank. He picked himself up and quickly trotted up the marble steps to the doors. Instead of an "out of business" sign, there was a note stuck to one of the double doors. Harry leaned close to read the small lettering.
"The Ministry of Magic has taken all money stored in Gringotts Bank in order to investigate the cause of the money shortage. We will replenish your account when the money becomes available. Meanwhile, we ask that you do not depend on the money in your vault because the timeframe of the shortage is unknown. Please, no more Howlers. Gringotts Goblins"
Harry turned and sat on the cold marble steps, burying his face in his hands. All of his money was gone! Apart from the small stash of coins in his trunk, he was broke. Everything he needed depended on the money in his vault. He was as poor as the Weasleys.
The Weasleys… Harry sighed heavily. If half of all Ministry of Magic personnel had been fired, he was almost sure that Mr. Weasley had lost his job. And Harry thought his situation was bad; he couldn't imagine trying to support a wife and five children without a job.
The sky turned from red to purple as the sun began to creep under the horizon. Harry got up and walked slowly back towards The Leaky Cauldron. He glanced up from the ground every once in a while to see which stores were still running. The Quidditch Supplies store wasn't closed down, and neither was Flourish and Blotts. But, Madame Malkins robe shop was out of business, and so was the Apothecary. Harry wasn't sure what he was going to do about getting new potions supplies for his fifth year.
Harry glanced up the street and was surprised to see that Ollivanders was still up and running. It always looked dingy, even when there wasn't a money crisis. Harry stopped in front of the wand shop when he saw a faint candlelight glowing inside. He was overcome with curiosity and walked inside.
The bell on the door rang shrilly, and Mr. Ollivander looked up from his desk where the candle flickered in the soft breeze.
"Ah, Harry Potter," he said with a small smile, "how nice to see you again." Mr. Ollivander motioned to the chair in front of his desk, and Harry took a seat. "I congratulate you on your victory in the Triwizard Tournament," the old wizard said, "although I do wish it would have ended more… peacefully." Mr. Ollivander pale eyes stared at a slender box on a table across the room. Harry thought it must have been Cedric Diggory's wand.
"Anyhow," Mr. Ollivander continued, "what brings you to Diagon Alley this early? Trouble with your wand?"
"No," said Harry, speaking for the first time since he'd left the Leaky Caludron. "No, I just came early, but I had no idea about all this money trouble. I came in here because I was wondering; how do you manage to keep your store open?"
Mr. Ollivander shrugged and said, "I didn't keep any of my money at the bank so none of it was taken. After the slump, I lowered the price of wands so people could still afford them and I didn't loose too much business. The first years still need their wands, you know." Harry nodded in agreement.
"What happened to your eye?" Mr. Ollivander asked, staring at Harry's face. Harry looked down and muttered, "Nothing."
"Does it have something to do with your early arrival?" The old man's voice was concerned and, to Harry, a little condemning. The room became quiet and too hot. Harry abruptly stood up and flattened his hair absentmindedly.
"I'm sorry to have disturbed you, sir," Harry said, heading for the door. "I'll come back if I have any wand trouble." He opened the door and the bell rang again.
"Harry," Mr. Ollivander said before Harry stepped outside, "if you need to talk or anything like that, you know you can come here." Harry looked over at Mr. Ollivander, whose clear eyes reminded him of Dumbledore's. Harry nodded, and walked out of the store.
A deep blue sky expanded over the alley with the not quite full moon above Harry's head. He reached the brick wall and opened it. He stepped inside the Leaky Cauldron and said goodnight to Tom.
"Oh Harry!" Tom said while Harry walked upstairs, "Could I ask you to please pay for your stay in advance? I mean, it would really help me out a lot."
"Okay."
"Oh, thank you!" Tom said, relieved. "Don't worry, I'll get it from you in the morning. You can go ahead on to bed."
Harry went to his room, where Hedwig was sleeping in her cage. A letter was sitting on Harry's pillow.
'Wow, that was fast!' he thought as he opened it. It was from Ron.
Hey Harry!
You'll never guess where I am. I'm staying at a muggle hotel about 2 blocks from you! I've got so much to talk to you about, so let's meet tomorrow morning at the Leaky Cauldron at 10:00. See you then!
Ron
Harry folded up the letter and sat it on the nightstand. He wondered how on earth the Weasleys had enough money to stay at a hotel. Changing into his pajamas, Harry decided it didn't matter how, as long as he finally got to see Ron after such a bad summer.
(end of Chapter 1)