Disclaimer: I am merely playing with other people's creations, I don't own the game/book/anime/TV-show I am borrowing from, nor am I making any money with this. I am writing for fun and practice, as fan-fiction to be shared with others if I feel like it.
Chapter 2: Mandatory Shopping
Director Ragnok and his personal guard had been surprised when a near-panicked goblin teller alerted him about a high-value client having been tested and that there had been some inconsistencies. Hurrying over to the inheritance office in a quick fashion, he had asked questions along the way and his mood had darkened with every new bit of information.
Thankfully Mr. Potter seemed to be rather calm about the revelations and though his expression hinted at some serious thoughts were going on in his mind, he steeled his face rather quickly keeping his thoughts to himself as he addressed Ragnok with a question.
At that point, the Director had to admit he was curious about the lad himself, and not just his business in the bank. The more he listened, the more amused he was getting. The boy had promise, and when it came down to it and the boy was asked about setting a new proxy even Ragnok hadn't seen that one coming.
Even if the children raised among the non-magical usually had less prejudice against the goblins a fair share of them feared the goblins because of the folk-stories left from past ages. Goblins were warriors and part of those stories were justified, but usually the winners, or survivors wrote the history as they saw fit. The young man was not treating them with either scorn or fear however, reminding the director of the mundane-born Lily Evans who had been the boy's mother.
While the director did not bother to learn much about the wizard families, he knew enough to pay attention to the more interesting families and Lily Evans would have found herself employed with a high salary if the wizard James Potter had not pursued her before the Gringotts could approach her with a job offer that would have placed her outside of Britain and out of the danger of the approaching war.
As the boy left to visit his vaults, Ragnok in turn sent the clerks to take care of the business that this client had brought in. There would be a bit of work to do in order to unseal the Potter Will officially and have it read out loud at Wizengamot. It would force a trial for Sirius Black when the fact he was a god-father with an oath that prevented hi m from harming Harry would be disclosed. It would also cast some serious doubt on Albus Dumbledore.
Replacing that old wizard would be a delight, he might preach about peace and second chances but the old man seemed more keen to maintain a status quo than bring forth any meaningful changes for the better, and only put in a token resistance against things that made life even more difficult for non-human non-purebloods. Part of the time Director Ragnok was rather certain Albus Dumbledore actually pushed some of those ideas forth with his own personal circle of friends behind them, and his advice whispered to the right ears.
Few knew just how much influence the old man controlled directly and indirectly, and his tendency to 'lose' on several issues certainly made him seem weaker than he truly was, politically, but few paid attention to the fact that Albus Dumbledore seemed to only 'lose' on matters that didn't concern him too much, or which he had pushed for in the shadows himself.
Losing the Potter proxy would be a blow to his credibility, and losing the assumed guardianship would probably lead to a fight that would show just how much power the old man could gather. Trying to stop Sirius Black's trial might be difficult even for him however, with the evidence about to be laid down, but it might be wise to take some precautions that the Head of House of the Black family would not perish before he had a chance to stand trial for something that he should have been given a trial for at most a week after his capture, not nearly a decade later.
Appointing a goblin would be pushing things a little too far for the Wizengamot most likely, but that didn't stop the Gringotts from appointing one of their more talented human employees in the position in proxy to Gringotts to whom Mr. Potter had given the task for now. Making it clear that the employee would only hold onto that position as long as Gringotts and Mr. Potter approved of his actions should help keep them in line, and should be enough to quell the worst of arguments from the pureblood faction, especially when they reasoned it took some power out of Dumbledore's grasp.
Meanwhile, Harry Potter was wiping his eyes sadly and shaking his head staring at the portraits of his parents and feeling his heart clenching in his chest. His parents portraits had never been activated after their deaths, and though he called out to them it would take a year for them to be awoken from their still status. If Dumbledore or Sirius had brought him here as a child, they would have been able to see him grow and visit here now and then, but now it would mean another year of waiting for them to be awake and able to talk to him. That was a year he might not have, he thought to himself sadly.
He had requested, and already received new keys for his vaults, leaving the other keys than his trust vault key into the care of Gringotts with the clear request that only he could retrieve them, and only when present with his own trust vault key and willing to confirm his identity with a new blood test. He wasn't going to take chances with that. He had also requested a light-weight bag to which store the galleons he had retrieve from his trust vault, taking up a total of 200 galleons to do his shopping with, and exchanging additional 50 galleons for pounds to have some money in the mundane world as well.
His payment for Hogwarts 1st year was authorized from his main vault, as was the light-weight bag at least this time around, though the latter had been on Director Ragnok's approval. With those galleons in his pocket he set out to complete his shopping trip, though not before he had been given the heir Potter ring to wear and instructions on where to visit along the alley.
It didn't take him long to follow the list, stepping away from Diagon Alley to the Alchemic Alley, and to reach the first shop on his list. Quality Wands was a wand-crafter's workshop, and unlike the Diagon Alley wand-maker who created wands in bulk and tried to find the best match to each client, the Quality Wands was known to craft wands specifically for the wizard or witch in question.
"Hello?" Harry asked on stepping in and having heard the bell ring, seeing a moment later a tall, dark-skinned woman step out from behind a bead-string curtain with a smile on her lips, and her robes following a rather curvy form. While Harry was a little young to pay that too much notice, he did see she was a woman that could probably turn more than a few heads.
"Welcome, young man, to my store. Come on up, you are here for your first wand are you?" Her smile was a warm and relaxed one, and Harry nodded his head while moving closer. She snapped her fingers after directing Harry to stand on a slightly elevated platform, and at the finger snap a set of measuring tapes began to fly in the air around his both arms, and she lifted a monocle over her left eye seeming to be looking at him curiously.
"Would you kindly tell me which is your dominant arm? Do you write with your right arm or your left, or are you just as good with both?" She smiled in a relaxed fashion, hearing Harry's answer of being right handed and asking a few other things that Harry provided replies for. Nodding her head approvingly, she soon guided him to the back where he was faced with a selection of different ingredients, and asked to run his hand over each type of wood and type of core. Watching him with that monocle on her eye the whole time, she made a couple of notes and smiled in a pleased manner.
Harry could tell which materials responded to him best, and he saw her making notes on the same ones even though his expression didn't change. She probably saw with her monocle the same which he felt just by running his hand over the ingredients, the ones that pulled upon his magic and reached out with their own the furthest, almost making connection if not for the bit of glass between them preventing a direct connection from being made yet.
Given the nature of some of those cores it was a wise precaution, few people should be risked too close to basilisk fang with a hint of venom left within them after all, and some of the other materials were just as dangerous if handled without care. Cockatrices' skin might not petrify on touch but it would be irritant to handle and if ingested by the foolhardy they would be shopping for a coffin soon after.
"Alright, I can see you get a good reaction from several ingredients, and a decent one on many others. These are your three best ones however. On the woods, you have a good connection on most of them but these two were undoubtedly the best. That leaves me with a few question."
Looking at Harry seriously, the woman gestured at the two kinds of wood he had run his fingers over, speaking seriously as she watched him. "This pale bit of wood would make a strong wand for charms work and especially good for healing magic and protection. The darker, reddish tinted wood in turn is ideal for transfiguration and battle magic. I can combine them both with a bit of magic and synthesis, but such a wand would be costly, and take some practice to tame it." She watched Harry, who nod his head in understanding then smiling.
"Please combine the woods for me, I would like the challenge and I believe wand with all those qualities would be worth the initial trouble." She smiled and nodded her head to him. Most wizards would prefer their first wand to be simply good at something, and only consider stronger alternatives when they reached an older age and their original wand was starting to prove a little too weak to channel all of their power efficiently. Then again, many purebloods never needed a stronger wand, their magical growth rarely growing beyond their 'first wand'.
"Now, as for these cores, I cannot combine them because these two are symmetrically opposed. They would make the wand volatile and unpredictable, causing harm to you if you were already unfocused and casting in a rush." She saw him nod slightly, but also curious as he opened his lips to ask something. "What about the third one, would it be possible to combine it with another core?" He asked a bit curiously.
"Multiple cores are again possible but add to the difficulty of controlling a wand properly. It would take some effort to tame a core like that, and with the already difficult synthesis of wood this would take a good bit of practice to tame the wand so it would work well for you. I can make it if you wish but you must understand that it could, at worst, force you to spend your first month in school just learning to control the wand and doing poorly at the start of your studies." She wanted to point out to him that this would be putting himself at disadvantage, and it might make him a target for some scorn at the start of the school year. She had to admit though, she was intrigued by the wand she would be making, and the boy.
"I would like to make it a dual core probably, but can you tell me about the ingredients?" She smiled at his question and nodded her head slightly at this. "The first core is phoenix feather, a symbol of life and immortality. They are said to be light creatures, but actually their feathers don't lend themselves to light magic any better than dark magic, they are simply powerful. A wand with a Phoenix feather within it is capable of casting more powerful spells more efficiently, and is excellent for fire-element and healing."
Nodding slightly, Harry could see the benefits of that core, casting a look at the core it opposed then, wondering what he had to lose if her picked the Phoenix feather, feeling curious about what would oppose it so. Having noticed his gaze, the wand-crafter smiled and skipped over the second one to gesture at the third and continued her explanation. "This is powdered Thestral Bone. Associated with Death, and the Unseen. It is a relatively rare but fairly powerful ingredient. Just as the Phoenix could be seen as a 'light' creature despite not lending any actual boost for 'light' magic, the Thestrals are seen as 'dark' creatures even though their bone doesn't lend itself to dark magic any more than light magic." She smiled a hint, continuing her explanation.
"Thestral bone is considered insidious because it lends itself to both silent and quick spell casting. It helps a caster use magic without being noticed, and was at one time considered a favorite of thieves and murderers. However, the ability to cast silently and with minimal gestures is a beneficial ability and though it can be learned with any wand, this core helps master it faster and easier, and continues to support the caster in making their spells harder to notice."
Harry had to admit, he was a little torn, both the Phoenix feather and the Thestral bone were useful and promising, and if he could have he would have taken them both but if they were opposing each other he would have to think about it a moment. Casting a look at the last ingredient that he was fairly sure would be part of his wand either way, he waited to hear what it was and what it stood for.
"Lastly but not least, we have Veela hair. Veela are magical people, rather than creatures, but are capable of shape-shifting from beautiful ladies to powerful elemental birds who can conjure fireballs. It is temperamental and proud ingredient, and requires a wizard or witch take good care of their wand, but it is also loyal and refuses to yield to other casters. It is highly resistant to attempts to disarm the wizard, practically shrugging off expelliarmus like water off a duck's back." The wand-maker smirked slightly, chuckling a hint.
"I like it. I intend to take good care of my wand anyway and the benefits you listed make it certainly worth adding to the wand. I am not sure whether I should go with the feather or bone however, I like both but if they cannot work together I am a bit uncertain." Drawing a deep breath and sighing, Harry thought through about the benefits, and what he would be using the wand for, and finally made up his mind and smiled, tapping the dish with the Thestral bone.
"Excellent choice. It will take me half an hour to synthesize the wood and to place the core within it. When you return for it, I will ask you to donate a drop of your own blood to tie the wand to you personally, which will bond it even tighter to you. Now, there is the matter of price." She watched him seriously as she drew a breath. "Unlike a certain wand-maker at Diagon Alley, I make my wands to suit the wizard or witch and they are carefully suited to match their magical signature as well as I can do. Because of this, I charge a lot more. Your wand comes with a price of fifty two galleons."
Harry's eyes widened slightly but he thought on it a moment and then nod his head. It was a fairly large sum, but the wand he was asking for was likely to be unique and he was able to pay for it. Nodding his head in acceptance, he counted out the coins and set them down on her desk as she watched, nodding and smiling before she wrote him a receipt. "Come back in half an hour and I'll have your wand ready for you."
He was about to leave when a thought struck him on looking around, and he sheepishly spoke up again. "I almost forgot, I need a wand-cleaning kit, as well as a wand holster to strap onto my arm, preferably one with enchantments to hide it and secure the wand against being summoned by someone else." She nodded her head in agreement and retrieved both items, setting them and waiting as he paid for them before writing up the receipt and handing them all over.
The rests of his shopping was a bit more relaxed. Visiting a trunk shop he ordered himself a three-compartment trunk with some advanced protection charms and shrinking charm to make it easier to carry along, the lightening charm being already part of the standard package. He carried onwards to the bookstore and bought the standard first-year books as well as several others, from guide to occlumency to additional manuals on potions, charms and transfiguration, as well as a helpful manual on herbology.
The potion ingredients came next, and he stocked up a bit more than he might have needed to experiment a little even before the schoolyear, alongside a bit more than standard equipment. He was curious about the possibility of growing his own ingredients, he liked the idea of being at least partially self-sufficient in the future after all, but the magical pots to make a little 'greenhouse' and the necessary magical lights and ever-moistening charms for the pots to keep the plants from dying would have cost him more than he was willing to pay, at least yet.
Visiting the Secret Garderobe at the Alchemic Alley he found himself standing near a pair of identical witches, who seemed to be absorbed in their reading. One of them held the latest issue of Teen Witch Weekly, while another was holding up The Secrets of the Stars, an astronomy book. Harry smiled a bit but stayed quiet, taking a moment to admire their looks and noting a few differences, but trying to avoid staring too much.
"Standard Hogwarts robes for you too then darling?" A sales-witch smiled while letting a measuring tape fly around him in a somewhat similar fashion to the wands store, though this one was taking a lot more measurements and making Harry blush at where it went now and then too.
"A-ah yes, uhm and do you have any charms that can be laid into them?" His question earned a pleased nod from the witch in question. "Yes, yes we do have some though few people come to ask for them because of the price and the fact they believe they will grow out of those robes soon enough. I might suggest getting your robes a little too big and applying a temporary shrinking charm though, you would get more out of your money if you did so."
Harry smiled amusedly and nod his head, voicing out his order which included all the standard clothes and a bit of extra, including some comfortable pajamas to wear while resting in a cold, drafty castle. The little charms to help him stay warm and comfortable were easy enough, and a bit of dirt-repelling charms helped make sure he wouldn't need to do laundry too often, though the sales-witch did remark Hogwarts employed a number of house-elves to help with that and he should not worry about it.
He ended up striking up a conversation about the number of books at the Hogwarts, and though one of the twins seemed a bit displeased at first she started paying attention quickly after Harry mentioned some of those books that dealt with additional charms that he wasn't so sure about such as a tanning charm and such, but since it brought them both to the conversation he figured it was good enough for now.
After he finished his purchases, Harry and the Patil twins parted ways but he took care of the rest of his shopping in a quick and orderly fashion before making his way back to the wand-crafter's store. Finding the woman smiling in an amused fashion at the front-half of her store, Harry stepped forth curiously. Lifting the wand on a pillow from beneath the counter, she asked for Harry to give it a swing, watching eagerly.
As Harry held to the wand the power within it called for him and grasping it firmly, he made a wave with his hand, sending a number of model wands in the air clacking against the walls and falling out of sight, causing Harry to blush and hurriedly try and explain himself while the young woman let out a cheerful laugh and shook her head. "A little less power, but a good effort, please try again." She waved her own wand at the pillows with the model wands and they returned to their place, while Harry tried again.
This time, he caused one of the pillows to levitate a bit in the air and rotate, before settling down, and all of that without sparks or light shows or anything. Nodding amusedly and grinning the woman let out a chuckle. "Alright, it looks like you will have to practice a little but it recognizes its master. I'll give you a needle to prick your finger with, and I need you to brush a drop of blood onto the little sigil near the base of the wand. After that is done we'll shape your wand for the finish, and then we are done. It is in basic shape but you can see the different models you can have your wand shaped into on those pillows. Don't worry about them, those are hollow wands without a core, just out there to give an idea of what the wand can look like when its shaped."
Harry nodded his head and looked around a bit after adding his blood onto the wand's base, before handing it back and naming his selection. Focusing on her own magic, the wand-crafter made the wood shift under his very eyes, seeming to have it grow over the bloodied symbol on it and gain a bit more crimson finish to its surface, while adapting the look that Harry had chosen.
"Eleven inches, ashwood and bloodoak synthesis, a core of veela hair and thestral bone, and blood-bonded to Harry James Potter. Your wand is ready, and awaits your command." Smirking amusedly as she handed the wand back to him, she watched his face as he touched it again, feeling the wand drawing in his power and mingling it with its own. The sensation always made the young witches and wizards give the funniest faces.
She had a feeling it gave her an almost unique sense of seeing what might be their 'orgasm' faces later on in life, a little fact that would have her giggling if it hadn't been inappropriate of her to do so. Certainly having a wand that was an optimal match to you was a pleasure, but her thoughts about the kind of pleasure it provided at the initial pull might be a bit of a dirty imagination on her part. Still, she was delighted to see the wizard staring at the wand and her in turns with a bit flushed but pleased look on his face.
"Its brilliant!" He stated enthusiastically, earning a warm laughter from the wand-crafter who graced him with a gentle smile and a nod. "I am sure it will serve you well, as long as you remember to take proper care of it. Now run along, and don't be a stranger if you need something else later, and if you feel your wand isn't doing its job later on in your life feel free to drop in. Not many wizards or witches realize that magic can grow with a person to a point they would have a better match with a new wand, though some have their wand grow with them in their own ways." She smirked, ushering him out and chuckling quietly after he left.
Harry packed his belongings into his trunk and headed back home, finding it had got a little late already as he passed through the Leaky Cauldron, but on inquiring about wizarding methods of transportation he had a perfect answer for the immediate problem. Raising his wand, he called for the Knight Bus that the bartender, Tom, had advised him on.
A moment later the large bus seemed to emerge from thin air with a bang, parking in front of him as a wizard stepped out seeming to read a bit of advertisement off a card before looking right at him. Realizing the little speech was over, Harry merely shook his head and told where he needed to go, and paid for the ride. Taking a seat on the nearest bench, he waited as the bus rushed through the busy London streets and out of them towards Privet Drive. It didn't take long before the bus emerged from its frantic rush with a new 'bang' that seemed to go unnoticed by any of the others around the area as the bus pulled into a halt at the bus-stop closest to Privet Drive.
Thanking the driver for the ride and getting off, Harry felt his stomach churning slightly about the hurried ride but he was in walking distance of home again at least. His trunk shrunk in his pocket he headed home feeling good about the day's shopping and revelations. Pulling the key from his pocket, he opened the front door stepping in to find his aunt and uncle watching the television, with Dudley probably off in his room with his comics.
"Ahh, welcome home Harry, there's a bit of soup in the fridge just heat it up." Petunia called out to him and then returned her attention to the television. Nodding his head thoughtfully Harry proceeded to do just that, heating up the soup and eating up before excusing himself and returning to his room. Once there he enlargened his trunk and checked his new acquisitions. Robes and other clothes in one compartment, books and parchment in one, and lastly the potion ingredients, ink, quills, as well as the equipment for both Potions and Astronomy class stored there. Nodding his head in satisfaction, he picked a few books and set them on his bed before hopping over there to start reading.
He had chosen to deepen his understanding of Occlumency with the newest book on it, his mother's notes had helped him organize his mind a fair bit years ago already, but the latest discoveries in common knowledge could still be useful. He had little interest in actually using the Legilimency side of the mind-arts, but he believed the proverb "Knowledge is Power, hide it well" as well as "an open mind is like a fortress with its gates open and unbarred." There would be others who would be all too keen on his secrets at the castle, and he was not intent to let them get away with it.
His mother's instructions had helped him fashion a rather cruel trap against a legilimencer actually, but he had put it in place despite the few worries he had initially had. Anyone with 'accidential' legilimency due to a natural talent would only skim the surface thoughts anyway, and this one would call for an intentional, past surface probe to work properly. Anyone that came across it would not have his best interests in mind anyway, and would deserve all they got.
Seeing as there was no indication of similar defenses in the new book, he was reasonably sure that Lily's idea was both brilliant and unexpected, or if it was known it was not available in the books that were in open circulation at least. He'd need to see how effective it really was in actual use someday, but he figured he'd be happy never having to use it at all. If someone did try and get to his mind though, they would be in for a rather unwelcome surprise.
His attention slowly drifted over towards the potions books and he hummed thoughtfully before moving to pick them up in turn and start to look through. Time to do a little bit of preparatory studying he thought to himself, smiling silently.
Having sent his acceptance letter after leaving Gringotts by the use of a rental owl, Harry Potter had not bought himself an owl or any other pet just yet, figuring he would have a lot of things to do while at Hogwarts and he did not want to get a new pet while he wasn't able to focus on taking care of the pet properly. Perhaps next year he could get a pet for himself, when he was a little more used to the magical world.
Those thoughts in mind he delved into the texts and soon enough he found the theory too fascinating to avoid testing it out in practice. The potions set prepared on his desk, he began the process of brewing with his room's window held a bit open to help with the fumes starting to arise from the small cauldron quickly enough.
His aunt would love this, he thought to himself with a smirk. The little mixture would help the garden flourish even in his absence, enriching the soil and letting the roses bloom strong and healthy. The mix was meant to help magical herbs grow but it would work with mundane plants just as well. It was a little strong for them, but given that he could mix it with a fair share of water and use the diluted solution to cover even more ground suited him just fine.
Back at Hogwarts, a vice headmistress was looking through a stack of replies quietly, noticing with surprise that Harry Potter's reply was among them as well. She had been sure they would refuse to let the boy even read his letter, let alone send back a reply anytime soon. She had prepared to give the second one to Albus and tell him to go see the lad himself, but it seemed she didn't need to do that.
Sighing with relief at finding it to be a positive reply and affirmation that Harry Potter was going to be attending she smiled to herself noticing the boy's handwriting wasn't bad, even if he was probably new to writing with a quill. She silently compared it to the hastily scratched note from the youngest Weasley brother, complete with ink and jelly stains, and sighed quietly. One more Weasley boy, and then her little sister. Hopefully they wouldn't take after Fred and George. She had enough pranksters in her house of lions already.
End Chapter
I said I ought to write down the bit of challenge I issued to myself, and figured I'd share it though I doubt I'll see others following along something as silly as what I throw together.
- Harry Potter was born with a natural understanding of magic, and a connection that is unlike any other. He is powerful in the more common magic, but he also has little trouble with learning the more advanced sorts of talents. He is already able to adjust and change wards, tamper with spells he witnesses, and witness auras of magic by sight, smell, touch, noise, or simple feel of them, your choice in that. Harry may be strong, but he is not infallible nor invincible, though with preparation he just might appear that way.
Rules:
1) Harry was raised by the Dursleys. They have not abused him, but need not have loved him.
2) Harry has taken over the Wards at Privet Drive, and tweaked them for his own preferences.
3) Dumbledore has not been acting in Harry's best interests, and Harry's been made aware of this.
4) Harry knows a lot more about the magical world than in canon. He intends to make full use of this.
5) Harry may have been a Horcrux, but he has broken it already if he was.
6) While not truly Dark, Harry is more Grey than Light, and willing to kill those who threaten him.
7) Harry goes to Hogwarts, he may be sorted in -any- of the Houses but he does not get his own 5th House.
8) Harry may be paired with any female cast member of your choice, or have a harem. Harry is not gay.
9) Snape & Dumbledore will not enjoy meeting this Harry.
Optional:
1) Harry is the Potter heir, but does not have a half-dozen other titles as well. Potters are richer than people think however, given their muggle or mundane investments. Grunnings, anybody?
2) Harry Potter is genre-savvy and plans to take vengeance on those who tried to wrong him, personally.
3) Sirius Black will be released early and join the efforts against Dumbledore.
4) Remus Lupin is a traitor and a servant of Dumbledore
5) Harry intends to get his Owls and Newts early.
6) Harry is a potions prodigy intent on making Snape 2nd most youngest potions master in a century.
7) Harry Potter is an animagus, but his form is relatively harmless or possibly humorous. (Chicken, Sparrow, Housecat, feel free to list suggestions)
8) Luna Lovegood is an epitome of Slytherin, cunning person who hides her true self beneath a mask that makes others underestimate her. She is cunning, observant, as well as a smart person. She may work for her own goal, she may be working together with Harry for some common goals, or she may be a secret villain with a plan of her own, which may or may not cause complications for Harry or others.
9) Hermione Granger may be smart but her authority worship may just make her a liability as well. She either has to learn who is worthy of respect and who is not, or she has to be left out of Harry's plans.
That said, this is the 2nd installment of this little story and the next part would be the train-trip to Hogwarts, and the start of the year.
I have written before in various people's points of view, and focused more in them, but for this tale I mainly intend to follow along Harry, though I may put up a bit of writing on the others while Harry is doing things that would hardly catch much notice and could be skipped over easily enough.
