I don't own Harry Potter or any of its characters, nor am I profiting from this in any way.
A/N:
English is not my first language.
This is one of my first attempts at writing Harry Potter fanfiction.
Feedback is always much appreciated
Chapter 1: Growing Up
Five-year-old Harry Potter stared. And then stared some more.
In front of him outside in the backyard of Privet Drive no. four was the strangest animal he had ever seen. Not that Harry had seen many animals, but he somehow knew his relatives wouldn't call this one normal.
It was lying in the grass beneath the cherry tree. It had strange long white fur and looked almost like a monkey. It also had very large eyes, which were thankfully closed at the moment. The animal was larger than he was.
He slowly backed away and walked back into the house, closing and locking the door behind him.
Harry didn't walk into the backyard again for over a month.
The escaped demiguise had however long since then left the area, not wanting to be captured again by the wizards searching for it.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Months later…
Harry was sitting in his cupboard, which was located under the stairs.
He had been sent there after Aunt Petunia got angry at him because his hair grew out overnight. She had just cut it all off the day before. He was somewhat grateful it was back, not wanting to be bald. Having his Aunt angry at him was a small price to pay.
He sat on his cot, thinking how it was even possible to grow so much hair from one day to another. He wondered how he had done it, remembering he had felt sad his hair would be cut off.
He closed his eyes and wished his hair where longer, thinking of it growing, it would be funny to have long hair next time he saw his Aunt, he giggled. She would no doubt freak out.
Suddenly he felt something brush over his hands which were lying in his lap. He opened his eyes and stared down surprised to see his black hair reaching all the way down to his legs. It had grown in seconds!
He concentrated and tried to make it shorter. He watched transfixed as it shortened by itself almost not believing what he was seeing.
Over time Harry learned to do all sort of things with his hair. Often standing hours in front of the bathroom mirror practicing. He could make it stand up like he had been electrocuted or just gotten out of bed, he could make it curly, he could make it flat and neat, he could even change the color to any he liked, long or short, whatever he wanted.
His Aunt had freaked out when he walked around with the same hairstyle as her for a day. This led to him discovering he could also change his eye color to any color he wanted. Which in turn led to even more discoveries.
He had total control of his own body. He could change his skin tone. Change height and decide if he wanted to have muscles or be fat, and how it should look. He could change his voice, age and everything about himself. He could even turn into a girl, which had certainly been a shock the first time it happened.
He had practiced turning into other people. Sometimes his whole body, other times only part of his body.
He kept it a secret, not telling a soul, and only using to what he believed to be superpowers in extreme emergencies.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Six-year-old Harry Potter was running from his cousin and his gang of friends when he suddenly found himself on the school roof. He was shocked. It was like magic.
He caught something in the corner of his eye. Turning, he saw the strangest creature he had ever seen, which included the white monkey, he once saw in the backyard. He stood still, not wanting to anger it. It looked like it could be dangerous.
His hair flashed from its normal shiny pitch black to a dull yellow color. After he had learned to change it, it had started to change by itself often reflecting his emotional state, unless he concentrated on having his normal hair color, which he always tried to do so that his superpowers wouldn't be found out.
The large animal in front of him was unique looking. It was standing near the edge. When it noticed him, it took a couple of steps towards him. it had golden bronze tinted feathers and it was shaped like a horse with wings and the head of a bird, with a beak and everything.
Harry thought it was beautiful.
He didn't know what to do, so he just kept standing still watching the animal walking towards him. he might have run away, but he was currently on a roof and there was nowhere to run.
It stopped right in front of him. And when it nudged him with its large beak he couldn't help it, he giggled somewhat hysterically. Slowly he raised his hand and when it seemed like the horsebird wouldn't move, he touched the beak.
The majestically looking animal suddenly bowed low and he almost automatically started to pet it on the head, running his hand along its bronze feathers.
It rose and nudged him again. It walked a bit past him and lowered its body to the ground, the wing going all the way down. It almost looked like it wanted him to ride it which was crazy, he thought, a bit afraid, as he didn't know how to ride a horse, much less a bird.
When it made a squawking noise, Harry startled, and decided he must be insane for even deciding to do this. He had to get off this roof somehow, and he didn't think he could fly. He climbed onto its back trying to hold onto the inner edge of the wings and feathers.
The horsebird rose slowly, as if knowing he wasn't feeling entirely safe, when it suddenly started moving, running fast, towards the edge. Harry screamed, his hair changing rapidly, switching between a bright green and red, closing his eyes, he prayed he wouldn't fall off.
When he opened his eyes again they were flying. He looked down upon Surrey beneath them and laughed.
Sometime later the horsebird landed on an empty street, near the park Harry knew where located close to Privet Drive. He thanked his new friend for getting him home before leaving, having just experienced the best moment in his life flying.
The hippogriff took to the skies and flew away just before a series of cracks shattered the silence. Two obliviators and an auror appeared, trying to locate the wizard who had been seen flying on a hippogriff by several muggles. They found neither man nor beast.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Seven-year-old Harry Potter was in his cupboard.
He had been sent there by his uncle who was angry at him. He didn't really understand why his uncle was angry. The only thing Harry had done was to point out the small strange bug that had been flying around his cousin who was wailing for more ice-cream. His uncle had yelled at him and told him that there was nothing flying around and that he should stop speaking nonsense, like he always did when Harry saw something strange that wasn't really there.
While Harry sat on his small cot in the cupboard, something different suddenly happened. The small creature he had seen flying around in the kitchen appeared right before him. It just appeared, out of thin air. Harry yelped and ducked afraid it would hurt him, but when nothing happened he looked up again and saw it hovering in front of the locked door.
He got a better look at the flying insect, and saw it looked more like an animal, although like no animal he had ever seen before. It had tiny translucent wings, almost like a butterfly or like the illustrations in the fairytale books in school, a deep purple body shaped like a small bird with what appeared to be tiny claws and an oddly shaped orange humanoid head. It was all together no bigger than his child sized hand when formed into a fist.
"Hello" he whispered to it, when it just kept staring at him, thinking it might be able to speak.
"Greetings child-wizard" it answered in a low melodious light voice. Harry startled, and looked at the tiny being with wide eyes. "What are you? Who are you? What do you mean wizard?" he asked in his childishly curious, and somewhat shocked voice.
"I have no name, but I am what your people call nargles," it answered back, not really giving an answer at all. "Nargles?" Harry repeated confused.
"My kind very rarely show ourselves, and if we do only some people are able to see us. We are usually invisible, always observing, sometimes having fun and messing with people, sometimes even helping people," the nargle explained.
Harry stared at the unusual animal and decided this was probably not that strange, since it had told him some people could see it. What did he know after all? Living in a cupboard having never set foot outside Little Whinging, Surrey. Tiny bird like creatures was probably flying around like it was the normal thing to do.
"You are very odd looking," he stated a bit rudely.
"You are the odd one here wizard-child," it answered right back. "I only came to see you, even among our kind, you are famous."
"what do you mean by that? I'm not famous. And why do you keep calling me a wizard? I'm Harry, just Harry."
And so, Harry learned of things he wasn't meant to know before his eleventh birthday. He learned of his parents and a dark lord. He learned of his supposed heroic journeys as the-boy-who-lived. He learned of wizards and witches. He learned of magic and what all together sounded like a fairytale.
When the animal, now identified as a nargle finally left hours and hours later, Harry was happy. He hoped he would see his friend again, even though it had tried to pull his hair before leaving.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Harry didn't see the nargle again for some time.
He did however find small strange insects crawling over Aunt Petunia's roses when he was weeding the garden. They where roaming all over the leaves. He noticed because they where orange, and when he looked closer he saw they had an almost fish-like appearance, only with four tiny legs. They were ant sized. He watched amazed as they ate the rose in seconds, to astonished to react. Luckily, they didn't eat the rest of the flowers. Harry was afraid he would have gotten a beating if that had happened knowing he would be blamed.
Almost a month later, Harry once again saw the nargle, this time however, it had brought friends. Four nargles were flying around the living room he was cleaning. Zooming past his head. He stood shocked for a moment, before letting out an excited whoop and chasing them around the room laughing.
They greeted him, and he sat down and talked with them and what had happened since last time he had seen his strange animal friend. They told him what was happening around the neighborhood. Apparently, they liked hanging around Mrs. Figg who lived on Wisteria Walk, as they talked about hiding some of her stuff and letting her cats outside as a prank.
He told them about the strange insects he had seen in the garden, which they identified as some kind of magical pests, insects called piscis formica, who apparently liked eating flowers.
Afterwards, the nargles hanged around, hovering in the air, and when his cousin Dudley came home, they switched and lolled about, staying close to the fat child, which Harry found amusing as Dudley couldn't see what was happening around him.
Harry got odd looks from the Dursleys the rest of the evening, it might have been because he was often softly snickering and whispering at what appeared to be nothing.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
The nargles where getting annoying, Harry concluded. They hadn't left since arriving, which was almost two weeks ago. To make it worse more were showing up. One or two a day. Nargles were now often clustered around Dudley, Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon and himself. He tried to get rid of them by swatting them softly, but they only laughed as if he was playing a game with them.
He found them more tolerable when they told him things, some had even taught him about the wizarding world, coming to Privet Drive directly from there, apparently according to some of the nargles the magical areas had bigger clusters of them flying around. He shuddered of the thought of a hundred or more nargles following him around, never being able to be alone or get some privacy. He didn't want to talk all the time, he had to sleep at some point. It was bad enough when they followed him into the loo. He had to figure a way to get rid of his infestation of the tiny buggers.
They had seen him change his hair and eye color, which he liked to do when he was bored and alone. They told him he was what was called a metamorphmagus. He had finally learned to somewhat control his hair when feeling strong emotions. His relatives had seen him change his hair color once to an all-white color when he had been angry. They hadn't mentioned or talked about it, preferring to ignore the strange things that kept happening around him.
He still smiled when watching his relatives. Uncle Vernon had by far, the biggest cluster of nargles compared to the four of them. Harry himself had the smallest amount.
He snickered softly to himself whenever the nargles around Uncle Vernon started to fly into his ear. They had told him they liked the taste of earwax, their normal source of food.
His relatives had been slightly more tolerable lately. They had started ignoring him, no longer giving him chores and rarely speaking to him. They no longer called him freak, they had switched to calling him loony if they spoke to him, because they often saw him talking to himself or looking somewhat absent staring at something that wasn't there. He didn't really care what his relatives called him anymore. The nargles had told him that even if he was crazy or different from everyone else, they would still be his friends no matter what. He found some comfort in no longer being alone.
This however was getting ridiculous. There was at least forty, if not more, nargles flying around the house. He knew only he could see them, no one at school or when walking home had reacted to the many flying animals around him. He had at one point wondered if it was even real or only happening in his head. Not that it really mattered now, he thought, not wanting them to disappear again and leave him alone like before, not wanting to feel lonely and not wanting to hurt them.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Time passed. His eighth birthday came and went, and Harry was living on an infested street. The nargles had spread to the surrounding houses. He often saw the neighbors with their own clusters of nargles around. There had to be over a thousand all together in the area, he thought, often looking on in awe when an especially big cluster flew by.
He still hadn't figured out how to get rid of his own nargles. He had gotten used to them trailing after him, watching over him and keeping him company.
Harry's relatives had even moved him to Dudley's second bedroom after catching him punching air and screaming at nothing to leave. He had been very angry at some of the nargles after they had played a nasty prank on him. Friends weren't supposed to hurt each other after all.
That was the one time his hair had changed to a white color in front of his aunt and uncle. He had heard them talking in low voices afterwards about him going insane or crazy, and that it was better to give him space. They though the cupboard was to blame, or they didn't want to get blamed, he didn't really catch it all.
He often walked to the park, getting a bit away from the many tiny animals to get some peace and quiet. They almost never shut up, always flying around talking over each other to what sounded like a buzzing noise with so many speaking at the same time. It was way more tolerable only being around his own small cluster, which he believed to be the smallest on the entire street, something he was very grateful for.
He was just sitting down on a bench in a small corner of the park when he heard a noise. It sounded like a low humming, and leaves breaking or maybe logs crackling like when on fire.
He quickly turned around trying to locate the sound. What he saw made him scream out in a high-pitched voice and tumble backwards landing on his bum.
In front of him was a huge creature surrounded by fire, flying. It was twice the size of him and looked like a black stingray with two tails with an orange glow. They were long enough to reach the ground and setting it on fire. It was slowly hovering above ground, reaching his neck in height he saw, after he got to his feet again.
The nargles around him were yelling at him to get away, to run and screaming something that sounded like 'spirit' and 'heliopath'. He didn't need to be told twice.
He ran as fast as he could, directly home. Reaching the end of the park he looked back and saw that the heliopath had followed him some of the way before switching direction, leaving a burning trail behind.
He had had enough adventure for one day, spending the rest of the evening hearing tales about earth spirits and fire beings from the nargles.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Nine-year-old Harry Potter had climbed down into the sewer.
The nargles had pleaded with him to help a rare magical beast trapped underground in the area. They had told him that it was one of a kind and probably the only one of its species even in Britain right now. Not that he needed much persuasion to help an animal in need. Harry loved animals of all kinds.
Earlier that year, he had discovered he could talk to snakes, something which he thought was awesome. He currently had a snake, an adder, around his shoulders resting against his neck. He had found her lying in the sun. He had quickly befriended her, and she had stuck around ever since, and certainly not wanting him to go on this rescue mission without her. He had named her Echidna, a name he had found in a book at the library about Greek myths, he called her Edna for short.
He had snatched his Aunt's Wellington boots which were a bit too large for him, reaching a good way up above his knees.
He slowly walked forward, pressing his glasses up his nose and holding the flashlight he had taken from the shed in the other hand. He walked towards where the location of the supposed lost and trapped animal was.
He turned a corner and stopped.
In front of him was the Crumpled-Horned Snorkack he had been told about. It somewhat resembled a hippopotamus, only much smaller. Its size was similar to a grown cat. it had a light-colored horn protruding from its head and was covered in light purple fur. It was small enough for him to pick up which he did.
He carried it back and managed to get it out from the darkness. It clung to him as if afraid he would leave. When he arrived home, he was thankful no one was there. They both smelled horrible after their venture down in the sewers. He carried the Snorkack into the bathroom, his cluster of nargles following behind, and Edna the snake on his shoulders.
He placed Edna on the closed toilet seat and told her to stay put. He quickly got out of his dirty clothes and got into the tub together with his new friend, the Snorkack. After he had scrubbed them both clean, he dressed himself and showed the Snorkack his room.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Harry was dreaming. Only it wasn't a normal dream.
In his dream, he was standing together with a girl on a grassy field. She looked about his own age. She had long yellow blonde hair and big popping eyes, wearing a weird dress, which looked like some kind of robe. She was looking at the Snorkack which was in front of them.
When she looked up at him he smiled. Her eyes almost bugged out of her head in what appeared to be shock, her mouth dropping open, when she saw his lightning scar.
He woke up, somehow knowing it really happened even if only in his mind, and that the girl was real and probably a witch, if her reaction to his scar was any indication. The nargles had told him about his supposed fame.
He really needed a way to get rid of his scar if that was how everyone in the wizarding world was going to react, Harry thought, not liking the staring and gaping that had happened. His scar wasn't even that big or cool looking, he thought.
The Snorkack had made a home, almost like a nest, in the bottom of his wardrobe. He smuggled in fruit and other food from the kitchen for it once a day.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Ten-year-old Harry Potter was on a mission.
He was going to visit the wizarding world no matter what. The nargles around him had started nagging him, pleading with him to go with them. He had finally given in after seeing some of today in a dream, almost like a vision, and seeing glimpses of how his day could go about, nothing was ever set in stone after all.
He knew his dream could come true, after having one like it only in the middle of the day a couple of weeks back.
His aunt had been angry that he had spaced out, looking like he was dreaming staring vacantly at nothing. He had seen his aunt yell at him. A moment later his vision had ended, and he had been yelled at precisely as he had just dreamed. It freaked him out, but after talking to the nargles he believed he might have some affinity for divination, which they told him was about predicting the future.
It had started to happen regularly after that, and he had learned he could make what he saw happen, by taking steps, or try to prevent it by doing the opposite of what was shown, or simply ignore it, which he did most of the time.
Maybe he could find someone in the wizarding world who would be able to tell him more about his growing magical superpowers, or how to keep the nargles at a distance. He didn't want to kill them or get rid of them for good after all.
He also privately wanted to finally see magic and the world he had heard so much about for years now.
He had managed to convince his Aunt to drive him to London. She had paled drastically one evening when he had told her that he wanted to go to Diagon Alley, she looked like she was about to faint when he said he would be able to find it alone and get back home with the bus, when she had demanded how he knew about that place, he had answered back that the nargles told him, which left her a bit confused.
He got out of the car at Charing Cross Road, after consulting the nargles in the car with them, his aunt again looking somewhat pale and telling him to be careful in a rare display of compassion. She drove away, leaving him in London.
He quickly walked towards the Leaky Cauldron, which he knew from the stories told by a nargle, to be the entrance to the Alley. They had advised him to wear a hat, so he had acquired one of Dudley's old baseball caps. It was too big for him, almost covering his eyes, scar and entire forehead. He looked a bit weird with his second-hand clothes several sizes to large for him, his broken glasses, taped together on his nose and now the cap almost covering half his head.
He didn't want to use his abilities to hide who he was, having seen in his dream today would go best if he was himself.
He had gotten into the habit of always walking around with some part of him changed. So, for today he had reverted his body into his original appearance, which had grown a bit. He was taller than he had been before. He was no longer that skinny or scrawny as his Aunt gave him a decent amount of food daily, thinking it would help against what she saw as his deteriorating sanity. He was still somewhat thin however and had a lithe build.
His skin was very pale, almost white, not getting any sun for years, as he had always just changed the color to a light sunburn with his abilities.
He had let his real hair grow out, bangs reaching his eyebrows helping to hide his scar. His hair reached the middle of his back. He had made a messy braid that morning not wanting his hair to get in his way. All in all, Harry looked somewhat different from what most people expected.
Edna was hiding in his shirt collar, he didn't think people would react well to the snake after what had happened with his uncle, who now stayed as far away from him as possible.
He walked into what was the Leaky Cauldron. It was quite early in the morning, so there weren't that many people around. He walked up to the bar. "Excuse me sir," he said out loud, getting the attention of Tom, the barman.
"Hello there, what can I do for you? Are you looking for your parents?" Tom asked in a kind voice.
"No, I'm meeting them in the Alley. I was wondering if you would help open it for me," he quickly lied.
Tom agreed and walked with him into the back. "Here you go," he said after opening the archway. And Harry got his first look at the wizarding world. Several people, what he assumed to be witches and wizards judging by their clothes, walked around doing their business in the many strange shops he could see. He walked along taking it all in. Cauldrons, broomsticks, owls, he was sure he even saw one place selling live bats.
It was truly magical.
Witches with high pointy hats and splendid robes in all colors, and wizards, some with owls or cats on their shoulders talking about something called quidditch. Harry watched amazed, it was one thing to be told about all of this, it was another entirely too see it himself.
Many of them had nargles hanging around them in small clusters, a few people even had Blibbering Humdingers following them. Harry watched amazed, only having heard of these creatures before. To his disappointment it looked like no one else was able to see them.
He walked onwards to the big marble building. The nargles currently sitting on his shoulders next to the hidden Edna, had told him about Gringotts and that he likely had some form of vault owned by his family, he had indeed seen in his dream that it was a strong possibility an intended to go check it out.
He walked by two goblin guards. They looked at him, or more accurately towards the nargles on his shoulders. Maybe they could actually see them, he thought excitedly.
The bank was almost empty, only a few people where inside.
He walked to an empty counter. "I would like to talk to someone concerning my family vault," he requested.
The goblin looked down upon him and sneered "and do you have your key?"
"No, I'm afraid not sir. I would agree to pay for and take an inheritance test to verify my identity," Harry answered calmly, in a light voice.
"Very well. Follow me." The goblin walked around the counter and towards a door on the other side of the room. Harry quickly followed. They walked into a corridor and arrived at a private office.
After entering, the goblin placed a pierce of parchment and a wicked looking dagger in front of him on the table. Harry picked it up, knowing blood was required.
"three drops of blood. Nothing more, nothing less," the goblin stated.
Harry very lightly sliced his finger, letting three drops hit the parchment and then sticking his thumb in his mouth, placing the dagger on the table. He watched as words formed in a spidery script.
The goblin picked up the parchment and read through it. He handed it over to Harry after reading it.
Full Name:
Harry James Potter
Parents:
James Potter & Lily J. Potter, née Evans
Vaults:
Potter Family Vault 687 – contains 154,500 Galleons, 140 Sickles and 52 Knuts
Peverell Vault 13 – contains 4 books
"Ehm, how much is this amount in British Pound?" Harry asked, not knowing the exchange rate.
"The current exchange rate is five Pounds to a Galleon," the goblin said. Harry did some math and stared shockingly at the parchment. He was rich! or at least he had more money than he had ever had before. The amount was roughly about 772.000 Pounds.
The goblin looked at Harry. "Well, Mr. Potter, I would indeed not have believed you, had you claimed to be who you actually are before doing the test."
"I thought not," Harry smiled and looked up. The goblin gave a bark like laugh.
"You are not at all like who they expect you to be, are you?" the goblin asked amused.
"well, that certainly depends on what they expect, whoever they are," Harry answered in an airy dreamy voice, and the goblin barked laughed again.
"I will help you, Mr. Potter. Is there anything else Gringotts can do for you today?"
"Yes. I don't have my key and have no idea who is currently in possession of it. I actually expected my vaults to have been robbed empty. I would like to get a new key or the old one back. I would also like to withdraw some money to do some shopping."
"We don't know who has your key at the moment," the goblin answered back with a frown. "I am however sure no one has showed up trying to get access to the Potter vault. It would have been rumored. Even among goblins you are famous Mr. Potter."
"We can issue a new key and make the old one unusable however. We also have a money pouch you can buy, which can be tied with blood to only be usable by you, withdrawing money directly from your vault," he elaborated.
"I would like a new key then and I'll buy the pouch," Harry agreed.
After getting his new key which, he tied to the leather string of the money pouch safely, he placed it around his neck. The goblin explained only he would be able to remove the pouch from his person and open it, seeing as it was charmed to be secure. It wouldn't do to have it stolen by a simple summoning charm.
Harry thanked the goblin for helping him, and left Gringotts to explore Diagon Alley.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
He looked at the many shops available to him and decided to get new glasses first as he was standing outside a shop called Madam Primpernelle's Beautifying Potions which had glasses on display as well as some kind of hair and make up potions.
He could unfortunately not use his metamorphmagus abilities to correct his eyes. He had tried, and it didn't work.
He walked inside and was greeted by an older witch. "Hello dearie, what can I do for you?"
Harry looked around and saw many different colored potions on shelves, but no glasses or eyewear. "Do you sell glasses? I saw some in your front window," he enquired.
"I only sell potions and some books, dearie," the witch told him kindly. "If you allow me to check your eyesight with a quick spell I might be able to fix it with a potion, if your sight isn't to damaged." He agreed, hoping it could be fixed.
She pointed her wand at his head and said something in Latin. She smiled and told him she could indeed fix it with a potion. It was quite expensive priced at 24 Galleons. However, getting rid of his glasses would be worth it, he thought.
After paying he was handed a potion, which she told him to drink. He did so immediately. It tasted foul, and his eyes started to burn. But just as the pain was getting to much it disappeared and everything was somewhat blurry with his glasses on.
He reached up and slowly took them off. He couldn't believe how clear everything was. He could see every detail. This was definitely the best show of his first encounter with magic, he thought.
He happily thanked her and asked if there were ways to change hair color. She showed him a book with a lot of charms concerning beauty, looks and personal care which he quickly bought, thinking he could use them as a cover for his abilities which he wanted to keep hidden.
He left the shop and looked around. His corrected vision able to see all the details. He decided to go buy some new clothes next.
He walked a bit further down and came to a stop outside a clothing store named Twilfitt and Tatting's.
It had mannequins with clothes and robes on, displaying both genders. He looked at the cool boots standing on display, wanting something like them and thinking it would be nice to have some clothes which fitted him for once.
He entered the shop and saw two witches talking, one behind the counter, wearing some form of shop uniform, a robe, pointy hat and all. The other woman was quite pale, she had long blonde hair and expensive looking clothes on, a lilac dress with a white cloak and hat, it wasn't pointy though.
They stopped talking when he walked in, and the woman turned around. She had a kind face, smiling down. "I would like to buy some new clothes, both wizard and muggle, if possible," he stated, seeing them looking down upon him with inquiring faces.
"oh, and how will you pay, little man?" the woman behind the counter asked in a polite voice.
"I have enough money to pay," Harry quickly answered, showing his money pouch, but not taking it off.
"Where are your parents?" the other pale woman asked.
"They are dead," he answered in a somewhat annoyed voice, not really having the patience to deal with all their questions. Both women's eyes widened. And the pale one asked another question in a soft voice "May I have your name, sweetie?"
"I'm Harry."
As soon as he said it he knew he was recognized. The woman gasped, the other however looked confused.
"Are you here alone Mr. Potter? May I call you Harry? My name is Narcissa, but you can call me Cissa if you want." She told him, and he nodded, not really having a problem with it. The woman behind the corner had almost fallen to the floor when Narcissa said his last name.
"I'm here alone, my relatives are muggles, and they don't really like magic. I didn't want them here with me anyway." He told her honestly. She smiled and nodded looking back at the store owner.
"Mr. Potter, you wanted to buy both wizarding and muggle clothes?" the woman behind the counter asked after composing herself somewhat.
"Yes please," he answered politely back, "I would like some robes, some shirts and pants in the style of wizard fashion. I want to buy a pair of the boots you have out in the window too. I would also like t-shirts, pants, socks, underwear, jacket and whatever else is needed for a full wardrobe in muggle fashion."
Both women stared at him shocked and he smiled back sheepishly. "I would like clothes that fit me, now that I have gotten some of my own money," he tried to explain.
The woman behind the counter quickly gathered her wits and told her she was a seamstress and that he could call her Mrs. Tatting while setting a closed sign on the window door before ushering him in to the back to get measured. Narcissa followed curiously, obviously not going to leave, and started helping Mrs. Tatting pick out fabric and colors for him to choose from.
They showed him several samples and he chose the ones he liked best. He ended up with several travelling cloaks with and without hoods in several colors, deep purple, black, bright yellow and many more.
He bought several pair of pants, shirts and different looking robes. Some robes were modern looking and open in front requiring him to wear pants and a shirt. Others were closed, and had big puffy arms going down to his elbow. Others had sleeves hanging loose making him look like he had wings if he opened his arms out wide.
The robes were all different design, he chose the ones looking a bit medieval. They where fitted closely to his upper body. They were cut somewhat masculine, going down to his knees or just above them, again requiring him to have pants on. They had cuts along the sides, making the front and back somewhat moveable below his waist.
He got robes in many different colors, dark blue, emerald, matted green with silver edges.
When they saw his pet snake they startled, but he quickly explained she was his best friend and companion and that Edna didn't hurt anybody who didn't hurt him. He didn't reveal the fact that he could talk to Edna, thinking it best to keep his magical superpowers hidden.
However, Narcissa smiled at the snake and offered to hold her while he was trying on clothes. She explained about familiars and the bond they created to their owners, thinking it might be what was between him and Edna, and then about if that was truly the case how he would be allowed to take his snake with him as a pet to Hogwarts, which was something he didn't know and hadn't been too sure about.
Hours later he had several bags containing his purchases. It had been expensive, and he was sure he had made a sizeable dent in his vault. He had after all spent extra money on the charms embedded into his new clothes. It would repel rain and dirt, as well as lengthen when he grew, only a few inches though.
He had switched clothes, now wearing his new shiny ankle boots, black pants, white medieval v-shirt which had strings that could be tied at the neck. He even wore one of his dark green travelling cloaks and an emerald colored pointy hat, which wasn't that high or big like others he had seen in the short while he had been in the Alley, but big enough to hide his scar and half his forehead. Much better than Dudley's cap though.
He had thanked both women for helping him, although they had fussed over him and kept telling him how cute he looked, which made him uncomfortable and a bit embarrassed. Narcissa had invited him home to meet her son Draco, who was his own age. He had told her that he would like to meet other magicals who were his own age but didn't have time today as he still had shopping to do.
Somehow, she had talked him into agreeing to visit and staying over next weekend, before telling him she would be picking him up at the Leaky Cauldron Friday. They had parted ways after she had hugged him, which he found to be a nice experience, never having been hugged before. Cissa was acting like a mother, he concluded amused by her actions.
He walked along the street in his new clothes, now fitting in much better with his surroundings and fellow witches and wizards. There was a lot more people walking around now, seeing as it was the middle of the day. It had taking a long time getting clothes.
He stopped in front of a different shop further down the street. It was a shop selling trunks, bags and other items to carry and store stuff in.
He decided it would be useful to have something to hold his purchases, and he was sure he needed a trunk when he went to Hogwarts in about a year's time.
Entering the empty shop, he called out a hullo.
A middle-aged man stepped out from the door leading into the back. He saw Harry and greeted him welcoming him to his shop.
Harry ended up buying a special trunk which had a large room. A whole room he could enter with a small ladder! Magic was amazing he concluded.
He would use the trunk for his friend, the Snorkack, thinking it might want to go with him to Hogwarts, and he might find other animals needing a home eventually, he silently added, wanting more pets.
He also bought a leather backpack with an extension charm on it. A normal looking black suitcase, which had several enlarged compartments. One for his clothes, one for potion ingredients and plants, two for books, one for writing equipment and two for other miscellaneous items.
He ended up getting them all tied to him, like his Gringotts money pouch, so only he could open or give permission to open them.
They all had featherlight charms on them as well as a shrinking and enlarging function, which made it possible to shrink the trunk, suitcase and backpack down to fit into his hand. Harry didn't have a wand yet, so the storeowner shrunk his backpack and trunk for him. It made it possible for him to place them along with the many bags of clothes in his suitcase. He left the shop happy.
Next to the trunk shop was a fairly popular store if the amount of people entering and leaving were a clue. It was called Flourish and Blotts and it was obviously a bookstore judging by the number of books filling the windows.
Harry was excited about the prospect of getting books about magic and learning more of this world in general. He quickly entered and had to press past a large group of people.
He browsed the shelves and started pulling down books he found interesting. Books on all sort of topics. Different kind of magics, history, society, magical theory, light, grey, dark and the best of all, the books about animals, fantastic beast and magical creatures. He took one of each book from that particular section. He ended up with a huge stack taller than he was.
Suddenly he saw a different section of the store, going over and reading the different titles, most which included his name Harry Potter, he stared. After a while he decided to take one of each book, better to know what he had supposedly done while living with his aunt and uncle.
After paying and storing all his new books in his suitcase he left and went on in search for a place to eat. He quickly found a nice place called Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour.
He bought a strawberry-and-peanut flavored ice cream and sat down at one of the tables outside. He looked at the many people going buy while slowly eating his ice cream.
He saw a shop across the street called Scribbulus Writing Instruments, deciding to go there when he finished his ice cream to buy paper and pencils, so he could take notes or write down when reading his new books. He ended up buying quills, inks and parchment.
It was getting late, and before he knew it going dark. He decided to go back to Privet Drive. He could always come back later, thinking there was more to discover in the Alley.
Arriving home hours later by bus, he quickly carried his items to his room. His Aunt and Uncle didn't even acknowledge him, but they had seen him arriving, so he figured it was fine.
He spent the rest of the evening arranging and reading his new books, while telling the Snorkack about his day in a hushed voice.
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Eleven-year-old Harry Potter received a letter.
On the envelope was written Harry J. Potter, The Smallest Bedroom, Privet Drive no. 4, Little Whinging, Surrey. Finally, he thought, having awaited the day he would receive his acceptance letter. He quickly tore it open, and skimmed trough it.
When he finished he took out a normal piece of paper and started writing down his response.
To whom it may concern,
I, Harry Potter, accept my admission into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
I would however like someone to come and visit, if possible. I have a lot of questions and would like to meet a witch or wizard to help explain to me the workings of the school and magical community as a whole, having just found out it existed.
Thank you ever so much,
Harry James Potter
He wrote out with a flourish, quickly taking the note and going down outside. An owl was sitting on the mailbox, he tied it around the leg, and sent it off to Hogwarts. Now he could do nothing more than wait and see if someone would show up.
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