Harry followed Ms. McGonagall out of number four Privet Drive to the sidewalk where she stopped and turned to face him. "Normally a family will drive to London as close to our destination as they can before we walk on foot to the entrance. Since your guardians have decided to not accompany us we will have to use another means to get to Diagon Alley."
Harry nodded attentively, though he had no idea where they were going or how they were getting there. At this point Harry would have agreed to anything so long as it let him see magic in person. Harry watched as she reached back into her green robes and once again pulled out her wand and held it out it front of her. Harry's eyes widened when he realized he was going to see magic performed once again by his new traveling companion.
Before Harry could ask what magic she was about to do a huge purple triple decker bus slammed into existence right next to him. The doors opened and a lithe young man stepped out in a deep purple conductors outfit. He was wearing a purple overcoat on top of a white button-up shirt, on his head rested a short billed purple hat with a red binding encircling it.
He stood in front of him holding a card that he began to read from "Hello stranded witch or wizard my name is Stan Shunpike and I will be your conductor today on the Knight Bus. Whenever you need a ride just hold out your wand to signal the bus and we'll be there to pick you up." lowering the card and giving the pair a smile he continued "Now that that's done with. What can I do you for?"
While Harry was still awestruck by the bus appearing out of thin air Minerva took the lead and answered Stan, "Two tickets to Diagon Alley please." Stan pulled out two slips over shimmering paper from his coat along with his wand. He tapped each ticket with his wand before handing both over to Minerva, "That's two tickets to Diagon aboard and take a seat. It's thirteen sickles for a hot chocolate if your interested."
With that Stan climbed back on to the purple bus and waited for the two new passengers to get in. Minerva handed Harry his ticket and guided him onto the bus with her. The inside of the Knight Bus wasn't like any bus Harry has ever been on.
The seats looked more like armchairs and all of them seemed to be on wheels. Candles burned in brackets along the walls of the bus flickering to provide light inside the carriage if the curtains on the windows were closed. Minerva lead Harry towards the back of the bus where two plaid colored armchairs were open so they could sit next to each other. Harry was delighted to find his chair was perfectly plush as he sank down into his seat.
Stan spoke up from the front of the bus "Next stop Diagon Alley Leaky Cauldron entrance hang on to your seats everyone." With that the driver stepped on the gas and the Knight Bus lurched into motion sending all the chairs sliding towards the back. Harry was startled by the sudden commotion all around him. Chaos surrounded them as chairs slammed into one another and passengers tried to go about their business. Some passengers could be seen reading newspapers that seemed to have moving picture, but whenever Harry tried to get a closer look the bus would hit a turn and everything would go sliding once again. Other passengers seemed content to try and have a quick meal during their ride. There were all manner of meals going on from a simple bowl of cereal, to what appeared to be an entire roasted hog resting on a table next to one gentleman on the bus.
Harry's seat slid towards and open window and he took the chance to glance outside. Out the window colors flew by in a spectacular blur as they raced through the streets. Taking a peek ahead of them he could see objects dodging out of the way of the bus. Street signs, mailboxes, fire hydrants, and anything and everything else that got in the way of the bus. Harry could have swore they drove through someone's living room at one point, but as quick as it appeared it was gone again as the Knight Bus continued to barrel forward at breakneck speeds.
With the crack loud enough to rival a thunderbolt the bus stopped instantly in the middle of the street in London. Stan somehow still in his position up at the front of the bus called out to all the passengers, "Leaky Cauldron, London. Gather your belongings before you leave." Harry stood from his seat and look around for Ms. McGonagall. Her seat had drifted away from his during the ride and he didn't see her now. A hand appeared on his shoulder and he glanced back and saw her. "This is where we get off. Come along Harry."
They departed from the bus and the second they were both off it disappeared again, off to its next stop. Harry was confused as it left, "How is that no one notices a giant purple bus speeding across Britain?" Minerva smiled at his question, "Witches and wizards are required to keep magic a secret. To that effect many ways of hiding magic from the world have been created. The Knight Bus uses a particular charm known as the notice me not charm that forces nonmagical people to focus on anything other than the bus when its nearby." she explained.
"So I'm not allowed to tell anyone about magic then?" Harry asked. Minerva was greatly confused now. Surely he knew not to break the statute of secrecy? "Harry didn't you know about keeping your magic a secret? Your aunt and uncle should have let you know about that when you first started having bouts of accidental magic?"
It was now Harry's turn to be confused "How would my aunt and uncle know anything about magic? I only just found out that there were other people that could do magic besides me today." The feeling of static surrounding Minerva had returned when she heard about Harry's complete lack of knowledge regarding the wizarding world.
Minerva was growing more concerned "Harry do you know anything at all about the wizarding world? About your place in it?" Harry felt like he had done something wrong with how upset she was getting with each added response "Just what you've told me today. I'm sorry, should I have known more?" Minerva reigned in her anger it wouldn't do any good to get upset over this now "You haven't done anything wrong Harry. I just figured you would've learned about our world growing up. Since you haven't I will gladly fill you in on any questions you have. First though I should warn you when we enter Diagon Alley many people will want to meet you. You are actually one of the most famous wizards in Britain. Frankly I'm surprised no one noticed you on the bus."
Harry was stunned not only was he not in any trouble, but he was a famous wizard without even knowing it? "Ms. McGonagall how can I be famous if I didn't even know other magical people existed until a few hours ago?" Minerva watched the confusion spread through his features, but rather than explaining everything right now she thought it best to show Harry everything and explain as they went. "Come Harry I'll explain everything as we go, but we really must get your school supplies today."
Minerva began leading Harry into what appeared to be a broken down shop that they had been standing in front of since they got off the Knight Bus. They walked into the building, the inside was a completely different place than the ruined outside. The Leaky Cauldron was a medieval styled pub complete with large wooden tables and a metal chandelier filled with candles hung over the center of the main room. A bar dominated one side of the room currently being wiped down by a short bald man dressed in dark black robes.
One patron was stood at the bar getting ready to order when the door opened. He turned to see who had just entered the pub and upon seeing a small child with black hair parted just enough that he could glimpse a lightning bolt shaped scar on the kid's forehead. Any thought of ordering a drink from the bar vanished once he saw the scar. He began to move towards the child already shouting out to get his attention, "Harry Potter! It's Harry Potter!"
Everyone in the pub stopped and faced the door at the other patrons exclamation. There were gasps of shock as more and more people noticed the savior of the wizarding world had just walked into the Leaky Cauldron. There was a mass scramble to reach the child, to be the first to approach him, to shake his hand. All the occupants of the pub gathered around their starstruck savior to deliver their thanks and greetings.
For his part Harry did his best not to panic as around twenty adults he had never met came over to meet him. He shook their hands and did his best to respond to their thanks, but he had no idea what he had done to receive such adoration from complete strangers. He smiled at the group, but made sure he stayed close to Ms. McGonagall knowing that the serious woman would make sure nothing got out of hand for him.
Minerva was doing just that, every person currently surrounding the boy was a former student of hers. They might have been out of Hogwarts for several years, but not a single one of them had forgotten how strict their transfiguration professor could be. After each person had gotten their chance to greet their hero Minerva cleared her throat and spoke to crowd, "Alright everyone that's enough. We have several stops to make in Diagon Alley, and if we want to get to all the shops before they close we must get moving.
The crowd began to disperse and Minerva started guiding Harry towards the far end of the pub. They entered a small brick enclave that only contained a single trash can off to one side. Minerva approached the wall and took out her wand and started to tap on the bricks. After a few taps the bricks began to sink into the wall and fold away. More and more bricks started to move slowly exposing an archway that lead to a busy street full of people dressed in black robes hurrying about their business. Once the bricks had settled Harry could clearly make out a metal arch that spelled out "Diagon Alley".
Minerva looked to Harry, "Our first stop will be Gringotts at the other end of the alley. Gringotts is the only wizarding bank in Britain, and if were going to get your supplies we'll first need to get wizarding money from the bank." With that she began to stride forward with Harry following beside her as she weaved through the crowd.
As they walked Harry glanced at everything around him. There were stores that sold all manner of strange and exciting items. One store sold what appeared to magical hats, showcasing simple caps, tailored top hats, and extremely extravagant peacock feathered masks. Another shop had a sign that proclaimed to sell self-dancing shoes. Mannequins danced in the window doing an impressive tango. Whether the shoes were the cause of the dance was unclear, but the sight was fascinating to behold regardless. Every building they passed held fascinating magical items that Harry thought would only ever exist in his dreams or in the pages of a fantasy novel.
The people on the streets were no less eccentric than the stores they shopped at. Wizards and witches passed them by in a rainbow of colored robes. Reds, whites, blacks, and yellows swirled around their wearers. There were robes that changed colors with each step or ones that would rise up higher if the owner was about to step into a puddle to keep itself dry. Some robes even had little moving pictures on them as Harry watched a star twinkle and shoot across one wizards robe.
With all the sights to behold around him Harry barely noticed as they reached a large marble building that towered over one end of the alley. Atop its grand pillared doorway the name of building stood clear for all to see, Gringotts Bank. The pair walked into the impressive building and approached the back of the line leading to the front desk. Minerva took this chance to explain Gringotts and its purpose to Harry. "Gringotts is, as I told you earlier, the only bank in wizarding Britain. It is run almost entirely by the goblins that founded the bank centuries ago. The only wizard influence in the bank comes solely from our Ministry of Magic that only exerts enough influence over the bank that it can't single handedly destroy our economy."
Harry was paying close attention to everything Ms. McGonagall told him, but still allowed his eyes to wander around to the strange creatures all around him. He assumed these were the goblins she had just mentioned to him. They were creatures that were shorter than him even though he was only eleven. They all bore the same grimace on their faces as though any task no matter how simple brought them great displeasure.
Minerva noticed his gaze tracking some off the goblins so she decided to elaborate more on them to her charge. "The goblin's culture is quite different from ours, they do not appreciate social niceties. They view them as a waste of time that could be better served doing something else. The Goblin's main interests are wealth and combat, and anything that keeps them from these will only serve to irritate them. That is why most of the goblins you see here are so upset. Dealing with witches and wizards that don't bother to respect their customs all day tends to grate on their nerves."
Harry eyes wandered back towards her direction,"So when we reach the front desk we should be as straight forward as possible?" he asked. Minerva smiled at him, "That's exactly right Mr. Potter. When we get to the front of the line we go up to the goblin at the desk and ask to go to the vault set up for you by your late parents, and the goblins will lead us to where it is. Would you like to be the one to ask when we get up there?"
Harry nodded absently that he would like to try asking the goblin. He was distracted by what she had just told him "My parents set up a vault for me?" Minerva realized the boy probably knew very little about his parents if the Dursleys hadn't told him anything about magic she decided to enlighten him a little on what she could. "Yes Harry your parents set up a trust vault in your name to pay for your Hogwarts tuition as well as any supplies you might need during your time there. Your parents were some of the nicest people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting, and wanted to make sure that if anything happened to them you would still be able to attend the school they both loved so much."
Everything started to drift into the background as all of Harry's focus went solely on to what Ms. McGonagall was telling him. A slew of questions burst from his mouth "You met my parents? What were they like? Were they really drunks like Aunt Marge said they were? You said they went to Hogwarts? What were they like as students? Did the-" Minerva cut him off "Harry please calm down I'll tell you anything I can about them there's no rush. First and foremost your parents were most certainly not drunks. Whatever that woman told you about them I insist you forget this very instant. Your parents were both incredibly brave and loyal people that enriched the lives of everyone they came across, and they loved you more than anything else. Your mother, Lily, was the most intelligent student I ever had. She could figure out any spell no matter how difficult and put it to great use in record time. She was kind to those she was close to, and fierce to anyone that would wrong them. I remember her chasing your father out of castle with hexes when she caught him trying to prank one her friends."
"Your father, James, was a prankster through and through. He and his friends loved to cause all kinds of chaos at Hogwarts. Anything they set out to do was a game to them and could only mean trouble for anyone else. Despite this they all had good intentions at heart, either trying to lighten someone's mood with a good laugh or to get revenge for a friend that was wronged. While not always tasteful, their pranks were always quite theatrical and required more work than they would ever admit to. Your father was more than just a prankster though. He went above and beyond for his friends. When his best friends Sirius Black was kicked out by his parents James let him stay at his house. Once he started dating your mother he calmed down considerably. He was still quick with a joke and was always willing to help out a fellow prankster, but began to show his caring side more, especially around those close to him."
At this point tears were escaping Harry at a rapid rate. He was crying for the loss of his parents, for the injustice of never getting to know them, for thinking they were horrible for such a long time. He reached out and wrapped his arms around McGonangall's waist pulling her into a desperate hug. He needed the comfort to help him deal with everything. Learning about his parents is something that he had wanted for his entire life. To hear that they were such wonderful people filled him with such an incredible feeling that soon the tears of guilt turned into tears of joy. No longer were his parents drunks that nearly killed him, they were amazing people that were everything he could hope for and more.
Minerva held Harry close as he worked through his emotions. Other people in the line turned to look at them, but she paid them no mind. Her only focus was on making sure the child in front of her knew how much his parents cared about him. By the time Harry had calmed down and cleaned himself up some they were the next in line to speak with the goblins. Minerva was ready to step up and speak on Harry's behalf, but when they were called up Harry was the one that spoke "I'd like to go to my vault to get some money out."
The goblin glanced down at the child and asked "What is your vault number?" Harry glanced at Minerva since he had no idea which vault it was. She stepped up next to him and answered the goblins question, "Vault 687 I have the key with me." The goblin pointed to his left "Griphook will take you to the vault." The two began to walk in the direction the goblin had indicated and spotted another goblin that was waiting for them next to a cart that would lead them down into the bank.
As they neared the goblin he opened the door to the cart and waved them in. Once they had stepped inside the cart he followed them in and closed the gate behind them before pulling a switch that caused the cart to accelerate down the tracks. The stone walls blurred by and the cart shifted violently in every direction as it made dozens of turns. The ride took several minutes, and by the end of it Harry had completely lost track of what turns they had made. Harry wasn't even sure if they were above or below the bank at this point.
The goblin opened the gate once again and stepped out of the cart onto a stone walkway wide enough for two people to stand next to each other with some room between them. He continued walking down the path without waiting for them and Harry and Minerva quickly left the cart to catch up to him. They walked past two other vaults when the goblin stopped and turned to face them "The key." Minerva produced a small golden key from her robes and handed it to the goblin. He took the key and placed it into a small slot on the door before turning it multiple times to unlock the vault.
The large stone door shuddered and swung open revealing large mounds of golden coins, as tall as Harry, sat in piles in the room. Minerva was surprised at the sheer amount of galleons in the vault that was meant for Harry to acquire school supplies with. With the amount of money in the vault Harry could easily buy supplies for every student at Hogwarts and still have enough left to travel the world during the summer.
Harry stared at the glittering piles gold within the vault in amazement. "How much is all of this worth?" he wondered aloud. His question snapped Minerva out of her revere, "It's worth quite a lot Harry. You could live comfortably for many years off of all this." "I'm glad my Aunt and Uncle didn't know about it then. They probably would've taken it all." He murmured. Clearing his throat Harry look towards Ms. McGonagall "So how much do I need for my school supplies?" With some quick calculation in her head Minerva answered him "You'll need around one hundred twenty five galleons to get everything we need today."
The goblin was prepared for them and produced a sack from the cart to place the coins in. With the money acquired they all climbed back onto the cart and rode back to the main area of the bank. Stepping off the cart after a second dizzying ride Harry and Minerva left the bank to start their shopping trip. The first stop was Madam Malkin's Robes for all Occasions.
The store was a small wooden building that displayed some of its finely made robes on the mannequins in it display facing the street. Inside the store were racks filed with robes organised by color making it seem as though a rainbow had found its way indoors. Minerva led them towards the black robes that he will need for Hogwarts. As they approached the robes a sales witch noticed them and started over to where they were. "Is there anything I can help you with today?" she asked. Minerva is the one that responded "Yes, he'll need three sets of Hogwart's robes no house symbol, one wizarding hat, a pair of dragon hide gloves, and a winter cloak."
As the sales witch left to gather all the items Harry took the chance to ask another question, "You asked not to have a house symbol on the clothes what is that?" Minerva turned back to Harry to answer him "When you first arrive at Hogwarts you will be sorted into a house. This house will be your family while your at Hogwarts. Each house represents the personalities of the students within it. The houses are Gryffindor which values courage and bravery, Ravenclaw which values intelligence and the pursuit of knowledge, Hufflepuff which values loyalty and kindness, and Slytherin which values ambition and cunning."
Harry paused as he took this new information in. It seemed like the houses were very important at Hogwarts. He wasn't sure where he'd end up, but he liked the idea of gaining a family while he was at school. He was smiling as the sales witch came back over to them "I've gathered all your items if you'd please step into the back we'll get your measurements and you can come pick them up later once we've tailored them.
Harry followed the witch through a door at the back of the store that led to smaller room with three raised circles on the floor and several mirrors. Standing on one of the circles already was a young boy roughly Harry's age and height that had pale skin and platinum blonde hair that was brushed back along his head. A tape measure flitted around him taking measurements as a quill and parchment wrote everything down.
The witch guided Harry onto the stand next to the boy and used her wand to cast a spell on a tape measure that sat at his feet. Once she cast the spell the tape measure sprang to life and began to measure him just like the other boy. The witch left saying she'd be back once it was finished.
Once the witch left the other boy decided to speak up "Hello, my names Draco I'm assuming from how young you are that you will also be joining Hogwarts this year?" Harry nodded into the mirror where the two boys could see each other. "Yeah I'm hoping to get all my supplies today." Draco nodded "I wish we could better robes for Hogwarts. Purebloods shouldn't have to wear such cheap robes because everyone else can't afford them." A sneer formed on his face as he spoke about the clothing.
Harry raised an eyebrow at the other child's tone, but something he said caught Harry's attention "What's a Pureblood? Is that some kind of blood magic user?" he asked maybe this boy knew why the blood protected him years ago. Draco's sneer deepened at the question "You must be a muggleborn then. I suppose I can enlighten a poor soul such as yourself as to why we Purebloods are superior. Purebloods are witches and wizards of a flawless pedigree. Those that have not tainted their bloodline with muggle blood for generations. The constant addition of magical prowess to the family leads to children with greater magical ability being born. Unlike muggleborns that come from two nonmagical parents that happen to spontaneously gain the ability to use magic due to some mistake of nature. Purebloods are not dark wizards that use blood magic you should be careful not to say such insults again not all Purebloods practice the dark arts."
While Harry didn't appreciate being talked down to it was still a fairly informative speech. He learned that there was some kind of genetic superiority in the wizarding world and that blood magic was not an okay topic to bring up with people. Seeing that Draco was awaiting a response he stopped his internal musings "Sorry both my parents were magical, but they died so I ended up being raised by muggles." Harry hoped he used the word "muggle" correctly it seemed to mean nonmagical and would hopefully appease the arrogant male next to him.
Draco thought on that for a moment before nodding to himself "Sorry for your loss. Having both wizarding parents means you're at least a halfblood. It means you come from a magical family, but not as old or as untainted as Purebloods. If you stick with the right crowds you might be able to marry into a lesser bloodline to help make it purer." Harry kept his eyes on Draco's reflection "And the right crowds would be Purebloods like yourself?" Draco nodded "Yes and you would be wise to do so, Pureblood families control a lot of what goes on in the wizarding world. If you want to move up in life getting into their good graces is a must."
Harry decided to continue questioning the boy since he seemed to be willing to fill him in on things he didn't know. "So what sort of things should I know about Purebloods if I want to get closer with them?" Draco smiled "I'm glad you understand what's important. If you want Purebloods, or families that aim to become Purebloods, to accept you you'll need to brush up on your etiquette to survive in their social circles. What's more important though is that you demonstrate your value to them. Purebloods want to strengthen their families, so if you can show them that you can do that they'll be more willing to look past any issues in your bloodline."
Harry cringed internally at the thought of having to learn what he was certain was an extensive list of etiquette rules maybe it would be easier just to impress them. "What sort of things would show my worth?" Draco contemplated about it "Well the simplest would probably be wealth. If you can amass a certain level of wealth you could insert yourself into Pureblood society. The more wealth you have the higher you could place yourself. Another option would be to gain political power. Many Pureblood families need political power to either protect their traditions, or to advance a new idea. If you gained political power and were willing to aid their cause they would be highly appreciative. Finally the only other thing I can think of is to perform an incredibly impressive feat of magic along the lines of slaying a dragon single handedly which hasn't been done for centuries. Something like that would show that you have incredible magical power and could lead to a family having stronger children that would advance the family even further. That would be by far the hardest way to impress a Pureblood family, but would probably net the greatest results."
That was a lot of information to take in all at once. Harry didn't fancy his chances at fighting a dragon. From the stories he had read dragons were never easily defeated, and he doubted the real ones were much different. On the other hand he already had at least some amount of wealth, and according the Ms. McGonagall he was quite impossibly famous already so he might have some political power too.
The thing was that Harry wasn't sure he wanted to be a part of the Purebloods. Harry wasn't one for material possessions he treasured what he had, but wouldn't go out and buy new things just to show off his wealth. He was humble at his core, growing up with nothing made him appreciate the simplest of things.
Draco's measurements were done and the sales witch came to collect him. Draco called back to Harry as he left, "Keep what we talked about in mind I'll see you at Hogwarts.". Harry watched him disappear behind the door as it shut, thinking about everything that had just happened.
Harry continued to ponder about his latest conversation until his measurements finished a few minutes later. The sales which came and collected him and led him back to Minerva and told him his purchases would be ready later. Minerva walked out of the shop with him and back out on to the bustling alley. "Our next stop will be Ollivander's to get your wand. It is the most important magical item you will ever own so you must take care of it."
Harry nodded still lost in his thoughts over Purebloods. Harry decided to leave it alone for now he wouldn't make a decision on whether or not to try and earn Pureblood favor until he met other wizards that weren't Purebloods to see if they were better or worse to associate with.
They walked down the alley until they reached an ancient looking sign the hung above a shop that read Ollivander's. They entered the store and immediately were met with an old man that stared at Harry with large pale eyes. "Greetings Mr. Potter come to finally get yourself a wand I see." Harry nodded and the old man clapped his hands an excited smile on his face "Right this way then I'm sure you'll be an exciting wizard to try and find a match for."
Harry followed the man further into the shop over to what appeared to be his desk. The old man took out a tape measure and walked back over to Harry. "I'm Mr. Ollivander and I'm going to need to take a few measurements to help me pick out the right wand for you. Is that alright?" Harry nodded once again in acceptance and then Mr. Ollivander started measuring his arms, shoulders, and hands. Ollivander tossed the tape measure back over to his desk and rushed back into his shelves glancing at the wands picking up some and placing back others.
Ollivander returned to Harry carrying a few boxes "Alright Mr. Potter I'd like you to take these wands in your dominant hand and give them a wave. First let's try yew with unicorn hair." He passed the first wand over to Harry a light colored wood with an engraved handle. Harry made a big wave with his arm feeling incredibly silly until he saw a few red sparks come out the tip of the wand. Before Harry could announce his surprise Ollivander took back the wand "No, no, not that one. How about this? Mahogany with unicorn hair." He passed Harry another wand a rich red color that was longer than the last one. Harry grabbed and gasped in shock dropping the wand. "Sorry it felt like ice when I grabbed it. It startled me." Ollivander just smiled back and picked up the wand "No need to apologize it clearly wasn't the right wand. Here try this next."
Harry was handed a darker colored wood this time a similar length to the red wand. This time the wand felt slightly warm to the touch. Harry gave it a wave and yellow sparks came out. It was a larger amount of sparks than the first wand, but they sprayed out in a wide arc. Ollivander shook his head as he took back the wand "No, far to flexible for you though we are getting somewhere."
Ollivander picked up the remaining boxes deciding they weren't right without Harry waving them and went back to his shelves. This time he returned with fewer wands, but each seemed to made of varying shades of dark colored wood. He passed Harry the first one, a short wand with a silver band going around the center of the wand. Harry felt the same warm feeling as the last wand, but even greater than before. Harry gave it wave and with a crack the wand broke in his hand. "I'm sorry Mr. Ollivander! I don't know what happened?"
Ollivander just waved Harry off "Don't worry Mr. Potter you aren't the first to break a wand in my shop and you won't be the last. It just means you had too much magical energy for that wand to handle. Perhaps you should try this one next. Ebony with dragon's heartstring?" He gave Harry a pitch black wand with gnarled swirls going along its length. Harry waved this wand with the flashiest results yet, as flame erupted from the tip of the wand in a spectacular fashion.
Ollivander apparently wasn't satisfied with this result and handed Harry his next wand. "Walnut with phoenix feather." He said. This wand felt cold, but not as chilling as the mahogany wand. Harry lifted his arm and before he could even raise it up high Ollivander snatched the wand back. "Definitely not that one." He once again traveled through his shelves this time returning with only two wands.
"This first wand is made of holly, a phoenix feather core, nice and supple." Harry held the wand and felt warmth all over his hand as he held it. The heat rose the longer he held the wand going from a comfortable warmth to an uncomfortable heat. Harry was about to let go of the wand before it started to calm down and cool off. Ollivander spoke up before he waved it, "Perhaps that's the one. You could certainly work wonders with it, but perhaps this will suit you a little better. Blackthorn and dragon heartstring rigid, but with some give to it." It was dark colored wood flawless down the length and a small moon carved into the base of the wand.
Harry grabbed the wand and the feeling was instantaneous. Power surged within him and the store itself started to shake. The wand vibrated fiercely in Harry's hand as if it was fighting him to get free. Harry could feel the magic of the wand pushing against him and he started to push back. Harry forced the energy he was feeling towards the wand and as he did the store started to return to normal as the shaking stopped. With the wand calmed all Harry could feel was a warm feeling coursing throughout every inch of his body.
Ollivander cleared his throat to get Harry's attention "No need to wave it. I'm quite worried what might happen to my shop if you did. That wand is certainly meant for you. Blackthorn wood and dragon's heartstring is a dangerous combination for a wand. Both represent power and without a strong enough wizard the wand would overpower their intent and do whatever it wanted. Eleven inches and mostly rigid a fine wand for you Mr. Potter I expect great things from you. Rigid wands are excellent for precise magics like transfiguration or runic spells. You should know though, that blackthorn wands only truly bond with their partners after going through hardship together."
"That will be seven galleons for the wand. Thank you for such an exciting challenge today." Harry paid for the wand and went back to McGonagall near the door where she had been waiting. "I overheard that your wand was good for transfiguration. I expect you to do well in my class."She said. Harry smiled back at her, "I can't wait to try and do magic when can I start learning spells?" he asked excitedly.
"You won't be able to cast any spells until you get to Hogwarts, but you can read up on them in your books. Which is what we are going to get next." She once again led Harry out the store and down the alley even further. They approached the busiest store they had been to yet with several people perusing the store. Above the door hung a sign announcing the store as Flourish and Blotts. The two of them entered and Harry got his first look at an immense bookstore. The building was filled with books everywhere the eye could see. The walls were made into shelves and filled with books. Shelves and displays filled the open floor of the building organizing into rows for customers to walk through to find what they were looking for.
Minerva walked towards the center of the store where a display labeled an area of shelves as Hogwart's school books. Minerva helped Harry collect all the books he would need for his first year at Hogwarts. Harry reached down to pick up a copy of One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi, but just before he grabbed it his hand collided with another person's. "Sorry about that I didn't see you there." Harry quickly apologized.
When they both stood back up Harry could see who it was he bumped into clearly. She was a girl around the same age as him with bushy brown hair that reached to the center of her back. She had round brown eyes that were locked on to Harry's emerald pair. She started to speak to him, "It's alright I wasn't paying attention either. Hi my name's Hermione. Nice to meet you."
Harry smiled at her "Nice to meet you too Hermione. My name is Harry. Since you were going for that book too does that mean you're in first year like me?" A smile started to grow on her face too "Yep I just got my letter last week telling me about Hogwarts. My parents and I were certain it was a joke, until earlier today when a Prof. Flitwick showed up at my home and levitated the couch." she exclaimed towards the end.
Harry started to laugh "The same thing happened with me as soon as I saw the letter I thought for sure it was a joke from someone who had seen me reading a fantasy story in the library." Now it was Hermione's turn to laugh. "I thought the same thing. I spend a fair amount of time reading in the library, and one of my favorite things to read has always been fiction stories about wizards and witches."
Harry was surprised to hear her life was so similar to his and probed a little deeper, "I really started to read the fantasy novels in an attempt to figure out what caused the weird things to happen around me. Turns out it was something called accidental magic." Harry admitted shyly hoping that the other girl shared this in common as well.
Hermione was shocked by Harry's admission "No way! That's the exact same thing that happened to me I magically repaired my favorite toy when I was little and it broke." She stared at Harry expectantly wanting him to share his accidental magic experience. After hearing her incredibly innocent sounding story Harry decided to go with one of the mysterious things that had happened to him prior to Aunt Marge's dog. "When I was six my Aunt cut my hair really short and I hated it and when I woke up the next morning it completely grown back like she had never cut it." Harry chuckled at how silly the story sounded now. In all honesty getting a haircut would probably be good for him, it would make it easier to deal with his unruly hair.
Harry and Hermione began discussing the stories they had read and wondering if such things were possible now that they knew they were magical. The two had been talking for a few minutes when a group of adults approached the pair. Hermione was the first to notice the group coming up to them "Oh! Harry here come my parents and Prof. Flitwick." Following where Hermione was looking Harry turned around and saw the people Hermione had mentioned. "The other woman with them is Ms. McGonagall she also teaches at Hogwarts. She's the one who came with me today." Harry informed her.
The adults stopped in front of the two kids, "I believe we are here for books Mr. Potter, not idle chatter." Minerva said with a small smirk playing on her lips. Harry noticed the mirth in the older woman and smiled back at her "Hermione and I were just talking about how similar our experiences were before we knew about Hogwarts and then got into a conversation about books we've read." Hermione's parents smiled at what they heard. It was a relief to hear that their daughter had found a kindred spirit in the young boy. It also soothed them to hear that the boy had at least a somewhat similar experience as Hermione. No doubt she would ecstatically fill them in on everything she learned later, but just hearing that she wasn't alone warmed their hearts.
Hermione decided to speak up next "Mom, Dad, this is Harry. He's going to be starting Hogwarts this year too." The smile she wore threatened to overtake her entire face with its radiance. Seeing Hermione so happy instantly brought smiles to her parents faces. Flitwick decided to make himself known to the new boy and had picked up on a certain detail he said earlier. "Hello Harry, I'm Prof. Flitwick. I teach charms at Hogwarts, and I am also the Head of House for Ravenclaw. If you are as similar to Miss. Granger as you say then I wouldn't be surprised to see you both join my house this year."
Minerva seemed to take Flitwick's statement as a challenge "I don't know about that Filius. Both of them are awfully brave to embrace an entirely new world. I would think they'd be with me in Gryffindor." Flitwick embraced the challenge from his fellow Head of House wholeheartedly "We shall see where they end up Minerva, but I'm sure they'll excel regardless of where they end up." The challenging nature between the two seemed to calm down and become more amicable after that.
The group gathered the remaining books and moved to the checkout counter to pay for their items. Hermione had also purchased one extra book not included in the school list titled Hogwarts: A History. The groups left the store together and headed their separate ways with Harry promising to find Hermione in September so they could ride to the school together.
The next stop for Harry and Minerva was a general wizarding supplies store to get the last remaining items he would need for classes. They got a pewter cauldron, a set of glass phials for his potions samples, a telescope for astronomy, a set brass scales, and a trunk to store it all in. As they moved through the aisles Minerva noticed that Harry had trouble reading some of the signs further away and asked "Harry when was the last time you had your eyes checked?" Harry was confused by the sudden question about his eyesight, but answered honestly "I've never had them checked Aunt Petunia got me these when I was young and one of my teachers mentioned I was having trouble seeing the board in class. I'm not really sure where she got them, but they do help."
Minerva's ire for the Durselys grew, but kept herself in check. "We'll be making one more stop at a magical optometrist that owns a store on the clinic to get you a new pair of glasses. I won't have you blowing yourself up, because you misread Latin off the board." Harry gulped nervously he hadn't realized how dangerous a simple mistake with magic could be and agreed to get his eyes checked.
After paying for the remaining school supplies and collecting his purchases, along with his books, into his new trunk, that Minerva kindly shrunk down for him, they left the shop and headed back up the alley. The streets were beginning to this as more people finished their business and returned to their homes. Thanks to the less crowded streets it was a quicker journey back up the alley to a shop named Spectacular Spectacles. They entered the shop and Harry looked around at the dozens of pairs of glasses around the square room.
The two of them walked up to the main counter where they were greeted by an older gentleman in light blue robes. He smiled as the two newest customers approached. "Hello, welcome to Spectacular Spectacles Diagon Alley's premier magical eyewear location. What can I do for you today?" Minerva answered him kindly, "This child needs to have his eyes checked for new prescription glasses. He'll also need new frames for the lenses."
The man behind the counter nodded to her request and stepped from behind the counter and gestured for Harry to follow him over to a seat on the other side of the store. Harry made himself comfortable as the man got a stool to place next Harry's chair and sat down in it.
"Alright now I need you to take off your glasses and look towards me. Try to keep your eyes open the whole time. You'll see some flashes from my wand as we go, but don't worry its all perfectly normal." The man told Harry as he pulled out his wand from a holder on his belt. Over the next few minutes Harry starred directly at the man as his wand repeatedly sent flashes or red and yellow at his eyes. When the man finally lowered his wand Harry began blinking owlishly realizing all he could see were the spots in his vision from the flashes.
The man chuckled at Harry as he tried to blink away the side effects of the exam "The spots will disappear in a moment. I have all I need so I'll get to work on the lenses. While I'm doing that feel free to look for a set of frames that you'd like. Come over to the counter once you find a pair you like." He stood from his stool and set it back where it came from. He walked over to counter he was originally standing at, and began to take out some equipment presumably to make the lenses Harry would need.
Once the spots in his vision faded away Harry began to wander around the shop looking at the dozens of frames that were available. There were round frames similar to what he had now, or square ones that reached closer to the sides of his face. They all came in a multitude of colors ranging from flamboyant neon green to subtle and sleek blacks. Harry eventually ended up choosing a dark metallic looking frame for rectangular lenses. He picked up the frames he chose and brought over to the counter where the man was waiting for him. "Alright hand me the frames and I'll place the lenses in them." Harry handed over the metal frame and the man held up a square piece of glass he had been working on. He held the glass against the frames and with a tap of his wand two lenses cracked out of the glass and placed themselves perfectly into the frames. A few more waves of his wand to check that the lenses were solidly in place and with a satisfied nod he handed the newly made glasses to Harry. "That will be fifteen galleons."
Harry started to reach for his bag of money that he had gotten from the bank, but Minerva interrupted, "I'll pay for it Harry this was my idea. Besides you'll need that money to pay for the clothes when we return to Madam Malkin's." Minerva had already procured the necessary money from her person and placed it on the counter before Harry could try to object. He settled for a polite "Thank you." Harry hadn't received a gift in a long time and never had he received something as nice as the glasses he was now wearing.
They left the store together and made their way back towards the robe shop to collect their earlier purchase. Harry was seeing the alley crystal clearly now that he had a proper pair of glasses. Everything seemed so much more vibrant than it already had now that he could see every detail around him. They passed by all the shops they had went to that day, and to Harry it was like seeing it all again for the first time.
Once they entered Madam Malkin's they were greeted by the same sales witch that had helped them earlier. She brought out all the clothes they had asked for earlier perfectly sized to fit Harry's body. Harry paid for his clothes as Minerva resized his trunk to its original size and they placed the clothes inside of it, and shrunk it back down to a more convenient size.
It was beginning to get late as they left the shop and made their way back to the Leaky Cauldron. Thankfully this time there wasn't a crowd of people clamoring to get Harry's attention. They calmly left the pub behind and Minerva allowed Harry to signal the Knight Bus to come pick them up. They rode back as calmly as one can manage on the Knight Bus. Both of them were beginning to feel the exhaustion of an entire day of shopping. The bus appeared in front of number four Privet Drive for the second time that day. Harry stepped off with his trunk, and waved goodbye to McGonagall as he walked back into his relatives house.
