A boy of about seven years of age sat in his aunt's flower garden his back pressed against the brick of the house and his breaths coming in short gasps. His aunt chastised Dudley's gang for chasing Harry into the flower garden and sent them inside to play video games.
"Why don't you help me weed the garden and then the two of us will leave those boys with your uncle," she asked lightly running her fingers through Harry's unruly hair. He nodded eagerly and it reminded Petunia all too much of her sister Lily. "You're so much like your mum Harry," she told him softly. Harry perked up at the mention of his mum, he rarely heard of her and his aunt Petunia rarely spoke of her. "You have her eyes," Petunia continued.
"I do?" Harry asked, "What was she like?" Harry bit his lip, "sorry aunt Petunia, I know I'm not supposed to ask."
"How about after we're done with the garden I'll tell you all about your mum," Harry nodded disbelieving his luck. The two worked quickly and efficiently having had an entire summers practice weeding the garden together. After the garden was finished the two stole inside to wash up and change to go out. "Vernon, I'm going to take Harry out to dinner for his birthday, when I return I expect the guest room to have Harry's possessions inside and we'll be having a chat." Harry's eyes lit up at his aunt's mention of his birthday and he positively grinned at moving to the guest room. Vernon sputtered for a moment and Petunia cut him off, "no excuses Vernon, Harry is practically a grown boy, he's seven today." Harry hugged his aunt around the middle tightly and as the two of them walked to the car outside Harry reached down and scratched the neighborhood tabby behind the ear affectionately. He'd know that tabby cat anywhere with her beautiful square markings. "Come along Harry, we have a lot to do this afternoon."
"Yes aunt Petunia," Harry agreed gleefully. His aunt first stopped at a burger joint and the two of them ate a quick lunch before heading to the stores. Harry had never been more excited in his entire life. Aunt Petunia informed him he would be getting new clothes for the coming school year as well as all new school supplies and he could even pick out a sheet set with a comforter and a tub of paint of any color he wanted so they could paint his new room tomorrow. While they shopped Petunia told him about his mum's childhood, how they were best friends, and how she had a best friend named Severus and how she finally fell in love with Harry's dad, James. She spoke favorably about the couple and told Harry of their wedding and the day he was born. She told him about his mom's beautiful red hair and her emerald eyes and how handsome his father was. Harry was mesmerized by all of the information he received he didn't even notice that they had arrived at the shopping center.
"Clothes first and then fun things Harry," Petunia spoke lightly and Harry's eyes lit up.
"What kind of fun things?" Harry asked quickly.
"Perhaps a few books and a drawing pad, maybe we can even stop by the bank your parents went to if I remember where it's at." Harry nodded and walked close to his aunt in the crowded downtown London. They shopped for what seemed like an entire week and Harry got all new clothes before they went to the bedding and furniture section. "Pick out two new pillows and whatever sheets you like and a blanket to go with it, yours is getting far too tattered to use anymore Harry," He grinned as his aunt used his given name for what seemed like the hundredth time today. Harry eagerly tried pillows by resting his head on the shelves they were stacked on before finding the perfect two pillows followed by a magnificent bronze sheet set with a navy blue comforter. His aunt picked out two pillowcases to match his comforter and then they picked out a new desk, chair and a small bookcase to go in Harry's new room. All in all they shopped for essential things for most of the day and when they finally got to the bookstore Harry was too overwhelmed to continue with such enthusiasm and picked out a few books he had seen in the school library. "How about we try to find the bank your parents used and see if they left you anything," Petunia suggested.
"Okay," Harry agreed tiredly. They walked a ways down to a dingy pub called The Leaky Cauldron and Harry stared at his aunt like she was an alien from outer space. "This isn't a bank Aunt Petunia,"
"This is how we get there," she told him softly and ushered him inside quickly. "We need to get into the alley," Petunia said softly to the barmaid and the woman nodded and Harry and Petunia followed the woman behind the bar and into a brick room.
"This is not a funny joke aunt Petunia," Harry whispered as the woman pulled out a stick and began tapping on random bricks.
"I'm not laughing, Harry," Petunia pointed to where the woman had been tapping and watched fascinatedly by Harry's reaction. His eyes widened drastically and his energy returned with a flare. "Let's get going to the bank." As they walked down the alley Harry's eyes read every sign possible and when they finally reached the bank Harry gasped.
"What are they?" he asked his aunt quietly.
"We're goblins, Mr. Potter," a short lumpy creature said quite quietly next to Harry's ear. Harry jumped and the goblin turned to his aunt, "We've been expecting you to stop by for young Harry's inheritance."
"Yes, we just received the letter this morning," Petunia smiled slightly and Harry tuned them out being shocked at what he was seeing. If goblins were real, what about trolls, vampires, werewolves, wizards, witches, did they all exist too? Petunia and the goblin spoke for probably an hour before they were all loaded onto a rollercoaster type thing and shuttled down to a giant vault filled with gold and silver and bronze coins.
"The gold ones are galleons, the silver are sickles, and the bronze are knuts," the goblin explained as Harry fingered the coins as if they'd disappear.
"I can't use these, we use paper money in London," Harry told the goblin.
"Not a problem, Mr. Potter, I can exchange some for you," the goblin told him kindly. Harry filled a small sack with all golden coins and exchanged half of them for paper money. His aunt pulled a list of things from her pocket and they visited a few stores getting pickled toads eyes and other disgusting things before entering a dusty shop.
"You've come sooner than expected, Mr. Potter," an old tired voice sounded from the shadows of the shop. Harry nodded in agreement and the man measured Harry with a wave of his stick before handing Harry a stick. "Well, give the wand a wave then!" he ordered. When nothing happened he snatched it back just as quickly. Hundreds of wands were discarded in a pile before the old man handed Harry a thick handled wand and as Harry grabbed it a shower of harmless sparks and a spray of confetti shot from the end. "Perfect, Mr. Potter, quite the tricky customer, oak with a whisker of a particularly ornery kneazle, quite springy, it'll treat you well Mr. Potter, be sure to return to me upon your eleventh birthday." Harry nodded not knowing what to do with the wand in his hand as he felt a rush of power to his entire body with every swish, flick, or wave.
"One last stop, Harry," Petunia led him to a small pet shop and he looked at her with pleading eyes, "you can get a pet, or you can get a drawing pad or other toys," Harry's eyes traveled into the pet shop and stepped inside. He walked aimlessly for a few moments until a tiny mewl came from the direction of his feet. He looked down and a tiny little kitten stood by his new trainers. At first he though she was all black, but noticed a small patch of white fur on her chest. He scooped the tiny kitten into his arms and scratched behind her ears affectionately. His aunt talked to the shop owner who claimed the kneazle kitten was nothing but a terror to the other animals they should take her and her supplies free of charge. The small kitten rubbed its head in Harry's hand in the car on the way home and purred ferociously. "Now, she's your responsibility as is that wand, you're only allowed to use it when its dark outside and only in your bedroom," Harry nodded in agreement and scratched the small kitten.
"Thank you aunt Petunia," Harry muttered quietly and she didn't speak back for the rest of the ride. However when they returned home and Petunias wishes of the guest room had not been met she screamed her voice raw yelling at Vernon. She changed Harry's sheets and put his new pillows on the bed and his new blanket and set the small kitten on the end of the bed and handed Harry new pajamas to change into before placing the rest of his possessions still in the bags and boxes in his closet.
"We will fix up your room tomorrow, paint first and then we'll get everything set up," Harry grinned tiredly as his small kitten which he decided to name Violet crawled tiredly from the end of the bed up to his shoulder resting its tiny head against Harry's jaw. The two of them fell asleep before Petunia even left the room.