A/N: I hope no one was annoyed or offended at the bold text before the first chapter began. On an LJ community I was posting this at, another member decided to pounce on me after I mentioned in a reply to a comment that I was going to be introducing the beginnings of Harry and Blaise's relationship in their second year. It got so bad that I've been refusing to post the next chapter until the moderators actually act on their 'no flame or insult' rule. Sorry guys. Anywhoo, thanks to the people who reviewed, put this on alert, favourited or even added it to some C2s, big giant baskets of cyber goodies to you all!
Speech Key
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Chapter Two-- Diagon Alley
Harry awoke the day of his birthday to two nine-almost-ten-year-olds jumping up and down on his bed. He could feel the warm fur of Kerus' ferret form curled around his neck, and he could hear the high-pitched chirps the familiar was giving off. Groaning he rolled over and stuck his head under his pillow, only to have Michael jump onto his back with an inhuman shriek of laughter.
"Harry! Harry, wake up! It's your birthday!"
"I know that." His reply was muffled by the pillow, and wasn't heard at all by either of the twins.
Adriel tugged on his grey shirt, whining pitifully, "Come on, Harry! We wanna go to Diagon!"
"Yeah! Mum says we can't go till you're ready! So, come on! Come on!"
When Adriel fell onto his back, his muscles twinged in protest and a shock of pain lanced up his spine as the weight of the twins was centred in one spot. In an instant Kerus changed back to a leopard, growling and hissing, even as the two realised that they'd hurt their brother. They climbed off and stood anxiously beside his bed. He sighed and twisted his head, bringing it out from under the pillow, emerald eyes watching them as they both bit their lips.
"Kerus, calm down." The leopard huffed and draped his head over Harry's shoulder, peering down at his face. Sitting up, Harry opened his arms and the two quickly climbed back onto his bed, snuggling up against his side.
"We're sorry, Harry."
"Yeah, we didn't mean to hurt you."
Harry grinned at them, ruffling the brown, auburn highlighted, hair affectionately. "Look, don't worry about it. How about you guys go let mum know that I'll be down soon?"
The twins grinned at him and Adriel gave him a quick peck on the cheek, before they were bounding out the door, feet pounding as they yelled out to their mother. Harry sighed and pushed the covers off of him and swung his feet onto the, once again, cold floor. He really needed to move the dark brown rug over to beside his bed. Standing up, he stretched before moving over to the walk in wardrobe set into the wall beside his dresser. Going into Diagon Alley meant meeting up with old pureblood Wizarding families. It was always easier on his family when they all dressed in robes.
Throwing a deep red robe onto his bed, he pulled out from his dresser a pair of black jeans and a black t-shirt. This shirt had some random muggle band printed over the front in red letters. He didn't exactly listen to the band, but the shirt had looked cool with the dripping blood design and fake rips all over it. Underneath those rips, a soft grey material had been sewn, so that no flesh was visible. Pulling on the jeans, he slipped his feet into a pair of red and black chequered shoes. Incredibly muggle looking, the pair were spelled to keep ones feet comfortable, even if you were to shop all day without a break. He pulled the shirt on before eyeing the robe apprehensively. He always tended to dress a little different to everyone else, mixing muggle and wizard clothes together in as tasteful a fashion as he was capable of. But the old purebloods still picked at it all.
Shrugging, he pulled the red robe on. With a sigh, he made his way out of his room and down the hall, turning into the bathroom he and his siblings shared. It was almost as large as his own room, with three separate mirrors at varying heights. Somehow, the house elves had managed to fit all three of their tastes into the room, without making it too obvious. His own mirror, about a foot higher than the twins', was gold framed and surrounded by soft greens and browns on the walls. The gold edging on the mirror was designed in a leaf and vine pattern, matching his preferred forest theme perfectly.
Adriel much preferred a light and creamy theme, darkened by a deep brown that etched over the tiles and curved into his own. Her mirror was framed by mahogany and had various runes inscribed in it, since she had such an affinity for the subject. Michael had a fascination for Dragon's and, as such, the house elves had done both his room and his section of the bathroom to look as if one was looking over the landscape from a great height, with the soft blue of the sky and a mixture of greys, greens and browns. A stone dragon curled around the frame of the mirror, diamond eyes glittering in the soft lights. He was always endlessly amazed at how they all seemed to meld into one another.
Stepping in front of the mirror, he scowled at the tufts of hair sticking up all over the place. Picking up a bottle of hair potion, he squirted some into his hands, rubbing the palms together to warm the liquid up. It was much like the muggle hair wax in the way that it both helped to control his hair, and to allow him to keep the style he much preferred.
After teasing his bangs into sweeping across his forehead from an invisible part on the right, and making sure the rest of his hair kept up the shaggy, yet neat, appearance, he exited the room and made his way into the family dining room. He grinned when he saw the brightly wrapped presents in the centre of the table, and when he caught sight of the waffles he couldn't help the grumble his stomach gave.
"Hungry, Harry?" James grinned at him from his seat, even as he shoved another forkful of pancakes into his mouth.
Kerus huffed, turning into the grey tabby and leaping up onto the table. Lily gave him a look, but the Anistro simply began to wash his fur meticulously and ignored any attempt to remove him from the tabletop. The two black cats, around about the size of a lion cub, easily leaped onto the laps of Adriel and Michael, who grinned up at Harry.
He slipped into his seat, stroking the soft fur of Kerus, before piling his plate with waffles. "Waffles…mum, you're the best!"
Lily grinned over at him. "Not every day you turn eleven, Harry!" She pointed at the presents, shushing the twins when they started to bounce in their seats. "You might want to start opening the presents, before Adriel and Michael break their chairs!"
Harry grinned at her, finishing off his seventh waffle, before piling bacon on to the plate and pushing it in front of Kerus, who purred in pleasure. Grabbing the bright red wrapped present, he smiled over at Michael when he saw the tag. Carefully peeling off the wrapping, knowing that it would kill his family with the pace he was happily setting, he pulled out a thin brown box. Frowning slightly, he unhooked the small gold latch and flicked it open, before running a finger lightly over the black Dragonhide of the expensively made wand holster.
"Mike…"
"Do you like it?"
His brother's hazel eyes shined with hope and Harry nodded, pulling out the holster. It was made to resize itself to fit any length of wand, and strapped to the underside of his forearm. A simple twist of the wrist would have the wand dropping into the waiting hand. "Thanks, Mike."
The next present was quite obviously from his mother, as it was wrapped in a neutral white, with black Latin inscriptions all over it. Taking care with the beautiful wrapping, he found a medium sized black leather book. The gold inscription on the front read 'Spells for those who find themselves without a wand'. "A wandless spell book?"
Lily nodded. "I know you've been trying to make normal spells work without our wands, so I thought you might appreciate that. Took forever to find it."
"I'll bet." He grinned at her. "Thanks!"
His father's present was a few muggle clothing accessories that had been modified with several spells. One was a thin leather thong that tied around his neck, the silver leopard charm on it spelled with a ton of defensive magic and rested in the hollow of his neck. Another was a silver chain that had been connected to a Bottomless Bag from Gringott's, spelled for anti-theft, and would connect to the belt loops on the many pairs of jeans he owned. The last was a plain bracelet made from supple leather, with a silver plate attached. The plate had an image of a snow leopard engraved on to it, with several Latin phrases on the back.
He grinned up at his dad, snapping the bracelet on and looping the leather thong about his neck. "Thanks, dad!"
The last present was from Adriel and contained a thin leather book. She told him, quite proudly, that it linked to another that would stay within the Manor, where all of them could access it. It had been spelled to allow instantaneous communication in case the post was suspended or he didn't end up getting an owl after all. He had grinned and promised to test it out on his first day there.
After breakfast was finished, and his mother herded the twins up stairs to get ready, James approached Harry to hand him another gift. "Harry, Sirius wanted me to give you this, it's been in the Black family a long time." He carefully attached a serpent shaped pin to Harry's robes, holding the edges together over his chest. "Him and Remus seem convinced you'll get into Slytherin. Not that I blame them, you are rather cunning, but…"
"You'd love it if I got into Gryffindor." Harry smirked. "I think I'd probably scare them."
His father laughed, slapping him on the back. "Too true! Besides, I think that it's about time a Potter finally got into a House other than that of the Lions." He placed his hands on Harry's shoulders, leaning down so that they were looking eye to eye. "I promise not to allow any old rivalries affect you if you end up in the Snake Pit."
"Gee, thanks dad, I feel so much better now."
James raised his eyebrows, trying and failing to match the way his son could so easily raise only one. "Really? Well, great. But Remus had a gift for you as well. Well, it's not really his, as you know that the Lupin's never really had a lot of money, but he was adamant that you would find a better use for them than we ever did." He pulled a tattered parchment and a silvery cloak from under his own plain blue robes. "Here."
Harry swallowed as he took the items, reverently running his hands over them. "The Potter Invisibility Cloak, and the Marauder's Map?" He looked up at his dad. "Why would Remus ask you to give them to me?"
"Because we used them for the wrong reasons, Harry. We used them to antagonize the Slytherins, particularly Snape, who you know dearly despises me." He shuffled his feet and sighed dramatically. "We also received an owl from Peter, he sent his wishes to you, but nothing more."
Harry nodded, knowing that his parents were still angry at the cowardly way that their old school friend, Peter Pettigrew, had attempted to put their lives in danger instead of owning up to the mistakes he'd made. The Dark Mark was on his left arm, and the Ministry had attempted to charge him for affiliation with the Dark Lord and the Death Eaters, only to have him turn around and claim that Lily and James were Voldemort's most trusted followers. It had given their family hell for years, the stigma of the accusation still hanging around their name, impossible to shake completely off.
After almost an hour of trying to convince Adriel and Michael that they did indeed have to wear robes over their clothes, even though they tried to argue that there was plenty of Muggleborns who wouldn't be wearing them at all and that they wouldn't stand out and that they shouldn't care what other people thought at all, the Potter family finally left their home and flooed into Diagon Alley.
As he stepped gracefully from the floo, Harry absently brushed off any soot that was clinging to his robes, all the while glancing around the inside of The Leaky Cauldron. Kerus was perched on his shoulder as a white ferret, with a black mask over his little face. He chirped nervously, when several of the customers of the tavern looked at him curiously. Harry was well aware that having a familiar bond with a magical creature capable of changing its form at will was rare, but being bonded to a Anistro was unheard of!
His mother, noticing the nervous way Harry was shuffling his feet, quickly herded them through to the small alley out the back of the tavern. Adriel wrinkled her nose at the garbage, which had spilled from its can when it'd been knocked over at some point. James raised his wand and tapped the bricks of the wall in a particular order, which Harry had long since memorised for when he was eventually allowed to go to Diagon all by himself. The bricks began to shift, wiggling and moving until there was no longer a wall before them, but an archway through which the sights and sounds of Diagon Alley reached out to them.
Their first stop was Gringott's, a snowy white building which towered far above all the other little shops, though it stood slightly disjointed and at a fairly odd angle. Beside the burnished bronze doors, was a goblin dressed in a uniform of scarlet and gold. He gave them a sharp toothed grin and as they walked past, Harry was pleased to notice that he was almost two heads taller than the creature, one up on the last time they'd visited the bank.
The second set of doors, silver instead of bronze, had familiar words engraved upon them, which Harry knew that Adriel and Michael had never read before. He smirked as they gaped at the words:
Enter, stranger, but take heed
Of what awaits the sin of greed,
For those who take, but do not earn,
Must pay most dearly in their turn,
So if you seek beneath our floors
A treasure that was never yours,
Thief, you have been warned, beware
Of finding more than treasure there.
Harry lowered his head and whispered in Michael's ear, "Heard there were dragons in there. And apparently, if you touch what doesn't belong to you, it triples itself and turns red hot."
His younger brother blinked. "Goblins can do that?"
"Goblins can do loads of things. Once, they trapped a thief down there, knowing he was there, and didn't check the security of the vault he was in for nearly a week. He had third degree burns to his whole body."
Michael edged away from the pair of goblins who bowed to them as they entered, and Harry was hard pressed not to snigger at the wide eyed look his younger brother was giving the whole place. Adriel glared at him, but he merely shrugged one shoulder and ignored the indignant look she gave. Kerus was endlessly amused by Michael's gullible nature and was giving little snickers in Harry's ear as he curled about his neck.
They were now in a vast marble hall, where a hundred more goblins were sitting on high stools behind the long counter, scribbling and weighing, all the while secretly throwing disdainful looks at some of their customers. Harry understood why this was, because some people truly did not understand how much pride and care goblins put into whatever they did, and simply demanding things of them was a high insult.
James pulled Harry aside, pulling a small golden key from his robe pocket. "Now, Harry, this vault was set up especially for you, so no one else has access to the money or objects within. It'll never empty out, as it's directly linked to the main vault, but I expect you to not be frivolous in your spending."
Harry shook his head as he received a rare stern look. "I'm not going to go and buy the most expensive thing when something cheaper will work just the same."
"Good, or your mother will have my hide." James grimaced and handed Harry the key. "You know which goblin is in charge of the Potter accounts?"
"Griphook?"
"Yep, now, go and find him. And remember! Greet him right, or the ride down will be horrible for all of us."
Harry nodded, turning back to the counter and letting his eyes scan over the goblins there. About halfway down, he finally spotted Griphook and quickly made his way over, seeing as there were no other customers. The goblin let his long fingers curl over the edge of the counter as he leaned forward, his eyes flickering in recognition.
"Yes?"
"Good morn, to you Griphook, may this day shine bright upon your treasure."
Griphook looked over the edge of the half moon glasses he wore, peering down at the wizard before him. "And a good morning to you, Mister Potter. What may I help you with today?"
Relieved that he'd chosen the right greeting, Harry gave the goblin his key. "I'd like to take some many from my vault, please."
Griphook nodded, stepping down from his high chair. "Right this way, please."
They followed him out another door entering a narrow stone passage, flickering torches lining the walls. Adriel swallowed loudly when she spotted the railway tracks and the cart they would be climbing into. Griphook caught the way her tanned skin paled dramatically, and looked up at her, his face oddly soft.
"The ride will not be terrible, young miss. Any stories you may have heard are, of course, coming from those who regularly insult us. The ride today will be quite pleasant, and you will be out soon."
After they clambered into the cart, Kerus diving into one of Harry's robe pockets, they hurtled down the track before throwing a hard right. Adriel clung to Harry and he wrapped an arm around her, knowing that the ride would be over in only a moment or two. Vaults that were set up to be connected to a family's main vault, such as the one he now had, were usually used by students whose family decided they were mature enough to have their own. Because of this, and the fact they were usually temporary vaults, they were placed in the top levels of the Gringott's underground caverns. No ride there was ever very long.
When the cart stopped, Harry had to laugh when his sister refused to move even an inch. He stepped inside his vault, noting its small size. Opening the bottomless bag his father had given him, he piled a bunch of galleons, sickles and knuts into it, before closing it up and placing it within his jeans pocket, attaching the silver chain to belt loop at the back. The cart ride back was much slower and when Adriel stepped out she proclaimed that she never wanted to ever set foot in one again. Griphook's cackling laughter had followed them as they bid him goodbye and left the building.
"What's your list say, Harry?" Lily turned to him, watching as he pulled the piece of parchment out. "Most likely it's changed since I last had a look at it all."
Uniform
First year students will require:
Three sets of plan work robes (black)
One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear
One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)
One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)
Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags
She nodded as she read it. "Well, off to Madam Malkin's then!"
They took off down the street, with James tugging Adriel and Michael along so that Harry could shop in relative peace and quiet. His mother led him into Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, where they were greeted by Madame Malkin, who was dressed in mauve and gave Harry a friendly smile.
"Hello, dear. Was beginning to wonder when you'd be coming in to get fitted for Hogwarts. Excited are you?"
She led him out the back, leaving his mother to browse the assorted robes hanging out front, and nudged him onto a pedestal. Harry turned his attention to the witch, after curiously looking at the pale blonde on the other stand, and gave her a grin. "Only a little. More apprehensive, I think."
She hummed, as she slipped a black robe over his head and began pinning it up. "Understandable. Why, I remember my first day. Terrified I was, I had a fair few friends and, well, the Sorting system meant we'd be broken up." She fell silent then, as she worked on getting his robe fixed up.
The other boy looked over at him, grey eyes flashing. "Hullo, Hogwarts too?"
Harry raised an eyebrow. "Obvious, isn't it?
The blonde narrowed his eyes, drawing himself up a little bit more. "I was only trying to ask you a friendly question. Likely one of them aren't you?"
"If you're talking about Muggleborns, then no, I'm not one of them. But my mother is, and by your attitude I can tell you're one of the old purebloods. Prejudice gits with egos that revolve around their arses."
The boy blinked, seemingly surprised by the sarcasm laced voiced and the flat tone that was used, as if it had been said more times than one would care to count. "Oh…"
Harry sighed, noting the way Madame Malkin was shooting him curious glances. "Sorry. I'm not one to even tolerate the way people are prejudiced around here. Suppose that's why I'm worried about going to Hogwarts."
The boy nodded. He glanced out the window nervously, before looking at the witch who was pinning up Harry's robes. Madame Malkin looked up at him and gave a small smile. "Your father said he was getting your books, and your mother is looking for wands, though how that would work I don't know."
The boy heaved a sigh of relief, and for the first time Harry noticed the way he'd been holding himself, as if he was forcing the tense posture. "My name's Draco Malfoy, and I'm sorry about that. Expected of someone from my family when in public."
"A Malfoy?" Harry blinked. He'd never expected to even meet the son of Lucius Malfoy. "No offence, but I feel really sorry for you. And I'm Harry Potter."
Draco nodded, casting a nervous glance out the window again. "Most likely Father won't let me talk to someone like you. He'd think you a half blood."
"A half blood is someone born from magical and muggle blood. Both my parents are magical. Think of someone like me as…a new pureblood."
Nodding thoughtfully, Draco gave him a tentative half smile. "Makes sense, I suppose. Do you know what House you're going to be in yet?"
Harry raised an eyebrow. "An idea, but we don't know until we get there, do we?"
"Suppose. But I know I'll be in Slytherin, all of our family has been. Can't imagine being in Hufflepuff though, I'd leave, wouldn't you? Supposedly all the sensitive mudbloods and foolish idiots go in there."
"No." Harry was back to not liking the boy again. It was like some sort of ping-pong game. "I wouldn't mind it, Hufflepuff's are fairly loyal."
"Wouldn't mind it?" Draco scoffed. "Most likely you'd end up there then." He sneered, his lips curling upwards. "I hate people who come from Hufflepuff, they have trouble deciding which side of a fight they should be on, seem like a bunch of idiots to me. Like Gryffindor's, with their foolish sense of bravery. Call them Gryffindorks, I do."
Before Harry could even think of lashing out at the boy, Madame Malkin stood and gave him a stern look. "That's you done, dear." She leaned in close and whispered, "And don't you be listening to him. Your parents were the bravest people I ever saw. And Hufflepuff's not all bad, I came from there, you know."
Harry sent her a smile, before leaving the shop. He was even more apprehensive about going to Hogwarts now. Kerus popped his head out from his shirt, his little golden eyes watching him carefully. He was glad that his familiar had not reacted to his own emotions; he didn't particularly want everyone to now he had an Anistro.
