Disclaimer: Unless I can get close enough to JK Rowling that I can beat her with a ladle till she's in a coma, I'm not about to obtain copyright of Harry Potter or his fantastic world. For now, anyways. Any additions to her world as far as characters, enemies, and the world itself belong to me, and anyone who wants to use one of my characters has to contact me for permission to do so in any form.

Thanks

Btw, this goes to panther73110 for being my first review as well as for being the first person to put my story on alert. Also, to jabarber69 for favorite authoring me:3 WOOT! Made my day anyways:P O, can't forget FrequencyQueen for giving me my first helpful review thingie:3

Chapter 2: Budgets Suck

"Ah, here we are" Dumbledore announced, "Diagon Alley." "This wall is Diagon Alley?" I couldn't stop the sarcasm from lacing my words. 'I hope they had a bigger budget for this DWAG place, or there isn't going to be enough room for my bed…probably bigger then the cupboard though.' At this, Dumbledore let out a soft chuckle, "Of course not! It's merely the entranceway," he said, before tapping it 5 times with what I guess was his wand. "Of course not" I parroted as the bricks parted to create an archway. "Silly me." "Well?" He asked, his eye beckoning me forward. "Coming," I offered, before pausing once again as I came parallel to archway. The view was breathtaking. 'So this is Diagon Alley, they bloody sure had a hella'va budget for this mess.' What a mess it was. Levels of oddly tilted shops were stacked one upon another, the giant windows on each level displaying their goods. Owls flew overhead as I took the time to look at the carts full of magnificent looking trinkets, flowers, and odd gizmos. The quill and stationary shop was directly to my right. 'Wizards really do exist. I wonder what type of magic I'll learn? YES! I never have to go to the Dursleys again! This has got to be the best birthday ever!" I mentally screamed with joy.

A pile of cauldrons lay haphazardly stacked upon one another to my left. The sound of dozens of animals could be heard further up until we passed alongside the pet shop. Owls ranging from tawny browns to mottled whites sat, hooting in their cages at passerby's as the bats screeched down from above. Kids my age crowded the store labeled "Quality Quiddich Supplies" across from the pet store, the window showing a shiny new broom. 'I wonder if I'll get to fly a broom or if girls are the only ones allowed to as witches. I hope I get a chance, always wanted to fly, but I thought that was only in fairy tales.' I peeled my eyes away from the Quiddich Supplies store long enough to look where I was walking, and consequently, see a building named Gringotts Bank.

It was a large double-decked building going off in two diagonals that followed the shape of the fork in the road I was standing in. It was like a giant triangle and I was standing at one of the points. The top floor of the bank seemed to curve to far to the right, as the bottom floor seemed like it would collapse to the left. "Please tell me magic's keeping that stable, and that I don't have to go in there. It's not like I have any money. Hey! How am I supposed to pay for anything if I don't have any money? I'm really sorry. Maybe I could work for you for awhile so I can pay for my stuff?" I started rant. "Worry naught, Harry m'boy" Cornelius baited. I later learned his name was Fudge, but it just sounded cooler to say Cornelius. So I kept it that way. Well, I kept it that way in my head at least. "Why?" I prompted, curiosity getting the better of me.

"You'll be doing plenty for your government soon enough, you'll pay off any debt you owe and then some! Heck, we'll be paying you m'boy!" he exclaimed. "I'll be what?" I yelled out, confusion written all over my face. "You say I'll be making money? Not spending it for my schooling?" "Ah, but you'll be receiving a special type of schooling, didn't I say that before Mr. Potter?" chuckled Dumbledore. "Yes…I just didn't expect to be paid to learn is all." "Many lives will be at stake, it wont be all fun and games. You'll have to work hard if you want to make your Queen proud," he continued. "Of course," I said for the umpteenth time that day. 'Make my Queen proud? The hell's he going on about? Not like the Queen did jack for me before…' "So back to the topic at hand. Do I, or do I not have to go into that building that seems like a strong wind would topple it over?" "It seems like it was a good idea that I planned ahead and withdrew money for your supplies this morning. It seems you have no love for our bank, I guess that means you wont meet any goblins today." I looked at Dumbledore like he just told me pigs really do fly, and that they use jetpacks to do it. 'Then again, that's not too far from what he's telling me now,' my jumbled mind managed to spit out. "yea, too bad I can't meet the goblins today." 'God I hope they don't eat children, too bad Dudley isn't here for once, they'd gobble him up in a second. Then again, he might give them heart burn.'

"Time to get your supplies then, time is of the essence, after all" Cornelius offered. "You might as well get your wand first as we here." I turned in the direction Cornelius' face was looking to find a black painted shop with a half circle display window protruding from the middle. "Olivander's" was scribed in gold across the arc of the display's top, and "Makers of fine wands since 382BC" was scrawled above the entryway.

I walked up the steps before opening the door. The walls were painted in a forest green, though it was hard to tell with all the boxes set up against them. They easily reached 50 feet up to the second floor. A lamp was to my left a little ways from the entryway, the stairs to the upper floor against the left side of the building. There was a desk in front of me, and to the right of the yellow-tinted lamp. "Hello," I called, the sound of my feet echoing in the silent shop. The silence of the shop in sharp contrast to the alley mere feet behind me. "Hello," I called a little louder this time as I reached the desk. The sound of metal on metal above me to my left before a man suddenly appeared on a rolling ladder. He looked similar to Einstein, but his hair went out more to the sides and less strait up, his wrinkles like deep rivers carved into his face. "I wondered when I would see you, Mr. Potter" He offered, a knowing smile before climbing down the ladder. "It seems like yesterday that your mother and father were in here buying their first wands." He pulled a long, thin green box out from behind his counter, and brought it over, opening it before taking a small wand out. He handed it over, and stood there looking at me. Like I was some sort of trick poodle. 'He could have told me what I do with thing, it'd help quite a bit…' "Well, what are you doing? Wave it already!" 'Of course, once again, why didn't I think of that…? Bloody know it all wizards looking at me like I'm dull in the brain for not knowing what they already know.' I quickly wave the wand horizontally. To the left of me, bins full of papers started flying out of their holders one after another. "Apparently not." Next thing I know he's climbing up like a monkey before grabbing another wand box; another chance for me to be a wizard. "Perhaps. This" he said, leaning down to hand me a wand from the ladder. I raised my hand to grasp the firm wood and waved the wand in a random direction. A vase exploded in response to the movement. "No, no, and defiantly not." I gently put the wand on the counter, the first hints of doubt at my ancestry creeping into my mind. 'What if I'm not a wizard? I can't go back to the Dursleys. Not after that. What was with them taking me so randomly anyways? With only 2 days before going to someplace I don't even know! Why am I with these people? They could've killed me! O yea…now I remember. Anyone the Dursleys hate is a friend of mine, but why couldn't they have picked me up earlier if they knew all about me? Why is the head of Magical Europe chaperoning me?

Never mind" said Olivander in a hollow voice, breaking my train of thought. "I wonder…" he continued, face twisted in thought. He scurried from the back of the shop, a long, amber wand in hand. 'Did a wind just pick up?' I asked as I took the wand from him. I continued to stare at the wand in hand as a light seemed to streak down from above. 'Wicked.' "Curious, very curious." "What's curious?" At that exact moment, Dumbledore pushed the door aside, walking into the shop. "I'm sorry, but we must be going Harry. Too little time, too much to do. Thank you Olivander, I'm sure you gave Harry a magnificent wand like the one you gave me." "Any time Albus, I'm here to help."

Cornelius walked in behind Dumbledore. "Let us be going Harry, the trip's 7 hours by muggle plane and I hear that airport security is very primitive. A whole hour to get through a line!" "Muggle?" "O yes Harry, I almost forgot that you don't know about the wizarding world, it seems like I've known you forever." 'Exactly how does that work? I've known the guy for less then a day and he still didn't tell me what muggle ment!' "Muggle is our name for non-wizarding folks like the Dursleys," Dumbledore offered. "Thanks. Sooo, wizards don't have a faster way of getting from one place to another besides planes? Well, I guess it'd make sense that brooms are slower." "Of course not dear boy! We have the Floo and Portkeys for those types of things, but we want your travel to be hush hush if you get what I mean," he winked as he finished his last syllable.

'Why wont anyone explain the words coming out of their mouth? Is it so hard to tell me what a Floo or Portkey is so I don't have to look dumb while asking? Forget it…I'll find out eventually if I just listen.' I finally noticed that we exiting the door of the pub I walked through earlier, the Leaky Cauldron, into Muggle London. 'I guess we're taking a car from here. Wonder if wizard cars are faster then normal ones? Jeez I have a lot of questions. Why aren't they saying anything?' As if he was a mind-reader, Dumbledore chose that precise moment to speak up, "We will be taking an airplane to Detroit, Michigan to go to the pentagon. We will meet the president at your initiation tomorrow evening." "The President!" I yelled in uncontrolled surprise, "but why?" "Simple," he stated, "as I told you before, your about to become a part of a very big thing. Ahh, the car has arrived, we must be going if we're to get through that security Fudge was talking about." "Yea," I mumbled, "Got to get through that Security."