AN: Just a side note; the wallet was so expensive because it's what I would equate to a Louis Vuitton or any other high end handbag. You must remember that it has a money converter in it, which would bump up the price a lot. Besides, if it was cheap, everyone would have one.
Disclaimer: I do NOT own anything about or in the Harry Potter world. Chapter Edited 7/4/14.
Chapter Two: Conversations with the dead
"Mom? Dad?"
"Hello son. It's about time you got here." James's portrait spoke, startling Harry.
Harry slowly slid to the floor as his legs turned to jelly, not believing what he was seeing. There were actual portraits of his parents…his PARENTS!
Harry watched as his mother's face broke out into a smile and he couldn't stop from bursting into tears. His emotions surged forward and he couldn't withstand the onslaught, quickly crumbling into the child that he was never allowed to be.
The Potters were shocked by their son's break down, and James moved over to Lily's portrait and held her as they watched their only son suffer gut-wrenching sobs.
Lily turned into her husband, fighting back her own tears as her heart broke listening to Harry. James ran his hands up and down Lily's back, trying to offer her support since he couldn't offer it to the teen.
It took several minutes before Harry trailed off into hiccups, the bottom of his shirt soaked from holding it against his face. He picked up his glasses, which had fallen to the stone floor in his meltdown. He tried to even out his breathing as he looked upon his parents.
"Are you alright, darling?" Lily's light, musical voice washed over Harry and he closed his eyes against the new flood of tears. He shook his head while keeping his eyes closed, trying to get a firmer grip on his composure.
"I just…I l-learned that…that I should…have kn-known about the vault…before now…and if I…I had be-been told…I would…would have had y-you before now." Harry's response came out jerky, his body still trembling from his crying. He wrapped his arms around himself and finally opened his eyes again, seeing the concerned gazes of his dead parents.
"Harry, son, why weren't you told of the vault? We expected you years ago. Sirius should have brought you here a long time ago." James said, his face showing his confusion.
"I don't know who Sirius is. I live with the Dursleys and I didn't know I was a wizard until I turned 11."
"WHAT? Why are you with the Dursleys? You were not to go to them for any reason! And where is Sirius? He was supposed to watch you in case something happened." Lily's emerald gaze became fierce during her questioning.
"Um…I've lived with the Dursleys since you were…I don't know a Sirius."
"That doesn't make any sense because Sirius loved you. I wonder if he too perished." James looked sad at the thought of his friend's death. Lily squeezed his hand, trying to sooth his pain.
"Well, I don't understand why you were put with those…people. I am sorry Harry; our will specifically said you were not to go to them. I can only guess that Dumbledore disregarded our wishes for only reasons he knows. That blasted man has caused more trouble than good!"
"What? Dumbledore is the greatest wizard in the world!" Harry spoke, not understanding why his mother, the woman who died for him, would speak of Dumbledore in such a way. He completely forgot that he had just been crying about being kept from the portraits because of reasons only known to Dumbledore.
"Oh Harry, I see he has gotten his hooks into you. You must listen to me, and listen closely. Albus Dumbledore is a great light wizard. But he meddles in people's lives to get what he wants, with no regard to the actual people who have to live with his decisions. For most of my life, I was taught like you, that Dumbledore was the greatest and that Gryffindor was good and Slytherin was bad. But I implore you to start thinking for yourself, Harry. The world is not black and white, or green and red.
"Dumbledore is undoubtedly the reason you have been stuck with the Dursleys and why you were kept from this vault. And with regard to the houses, you have to stop judging the members of houses on legends. There is no actual evidence of Slytherin producing all the evil in the magical world. They simply are ambitious and sly. There were plenty of Death Eaters from all the houses in the war, including Gryffindor. Please begin to look at things critically and stop letting people tell you what you should think."
"What your father is trying to say, dear, is that if you don't start to question things, than you will be led to your demise."
"What are you talking about?"
"Oh…let me guess, Dumbledore hasn't told you about the prophecy yet, has he?"
"What prophecy? I don't know what you're talking about."
"I can't tell you the exact wording, because Dumbledore didn't think we needed to know the specifics. He came to us after your first birthday, after we had written you that letter, and told us about a prophecy that involves a male child born at the end of July. Why he waited an entire year to tell us I don't know! Damn meddling fool!" Lily huffed and scowled, causing James to fight back a chuckle, continuing where she left off.
"According to Dumbledore, the prophecy foretold that this boy would be the one responsible for the down fall of a dark lord. Now, I questioned why he thought it had to do with you specially, because prophecies can be foretold centauries in advance, so why was this one supposed to happen so soon? But he just disregarded me and advised us to go into hiding."
"We had these portraits commissioned before we went. The plan was that if something happened to us, you would have a little piece of your parents as you grew. We only have our memories up until the portraits were made, so we don't know what happened, but we thought having any form of us would be better than to go through life with nothing. I'm sorry it has taken so long for you to find us, dear." Lily smiled sadly at him, her eyes meeting his.
"So the whole reason you were targeted was because of me?" Harry asked, his heart sinking as he realized that his parents' death was literally his fault. He was the reason Voldemort had attacked and killed them.
"Oh Harry, don't even think what I can see you're thinking. We were targets before you were born because we defied Voldemort and we supported Dumbledore. We had already fought with him and his minions three times before we went into hiding. This prophecy just added to our already dangerous lives. So don't you dare think that this was your fault!" Lily's voice was sharp with reprimand.
Harry lowered his gaze, not sure if he should believe them; finding it hard to let go of the guilt of responsibility. But the warmth that spread through him at Lily's, his mother's, scolding made it a little difficult to keep his mind on track.
"But the prophecy is probably why Dumbledore has kept everything from you. We have had a decade to discuss it, and we think that he expects you to die while fighting Voldemort."
"I'm going to die?" Harry's voice shook as he thought about his fast approaching death, his insides going cold.
'I don't want to die! I haven't even done anything really fun in my life yet. I've never even kissed a girl!'
"NO! You're not going to die if we have anything to say about it. We're just trying to get you to realize that, while Dumbledore is a great wizard, he thinks he knows best and probably doesn't plan to train you until right before you have to face Voldemort so that you're not prepared. We're not sure why he thinks you have to die, but you need to prepare yourself now so that when this fight does happen, you're ready."
Harry nodded, his mind whirling with all this new information. He had just found portraits of his parents that he could have had for years now, someone named Sirius was supposed to be his guardian, and there was a prophecy spelling out that he had to personally fight Voldemort. His head throbbed as a headache surged through his brain, making it clear that Harry needed to relax.
"Ok I think it will take me a few days to wrap my mind around everything you've told me. Is there anything else major that I should know about?"
"I can't think of anything right now. So, how old are you?" James sat down in Lily's frame, pulling her down with him.
The two snuggled while they peered at their son, taking in his small and ruffled appearance. Harry saw that they expected to be talking for a while, so he grabbed the cushion from the green chair and sat down in front of the portraits.
"I turned 13 a week ago, actually. I'm staying at the Leaky Cauldron for the rest of break because I accidentally blew up Aunt Marge."
"What do you mean you blew up this Aunt Marge?" James asked, his eyes wide.
"Well, she was insulting…you…and I lost my temper. She blew up like a balloon and started to float away." James let out a bark of laughter and Lily tried to fight a smile.
"I take it she was related to Petunia's husband, since we don't have a Marge on our side." Harry nodded and Lily broke out in a chuckle.
"That's more like it son! You'll make a wonderful Marauder after all. I told you Lils! He takes after his dad!"
"What's a Marauder? You mentioned it in the letter too and I don't know what you're talking about."
"Oh, sorry. That was what we called ourselves in school. Sirius, Remus, Peter, and I made up the group and we were renowned for our pranks. I'm surprised that we didn't make it into an edition of Hogwarts: A History with some of the things we pulled."
"That sounds…wonderful. I actually know a couple of blokes that have taken up a similar cause, although I'm not sure if they know about you. They're my friend Ron's older twin brothers, Fred and George. They're always playing pranks on someone and I've been told never to eat or drink anything they give me."
"I'm relieved someone decided to continue on our noble cause!"
"Noble cause my arse!"
"Lils, you wound me! And don't even try to get Harry to believe you didn't have anything to do with our pranks. Harry, your mom and Remus came up with some of the most ingenious pranks in the history of the school!"
"James! Don't tell him that. Harry, it's important to have fun, but you still need to focus on your studies!" Lily smacked James's chest. Harry's heart constricted as he watched the by play between them.
"I have a question about the letter you wrote me. Watching you just now reminded me of it, and I am confused as to why it appeared as if you were both writing at the same time. And it actually put sounds into the letter."
"Oh, that's your mother's doing. She came up with a charm that would allow one to speak to or around the parchment and quill and it would write what you were saying. Why no one came up with it sooner is beyond me."
"What makes you think I didn't know the spell before then?"
"You mean you knew the spell while we were at school?"
"Maybe." Lily peered up at him through her lashes, trying to keep a straight face at his outraged and wounded expression.
"You…vixen! I can't believe you let me write all those rolls of essays and notes when I could have just been talking to myself and gotten things done faster!" Lily started laughing at James, clutching her sides as his face contorted into faked outrage.
"Where would the fun be in both of us having it? Besides, when you wanted to borrow my notes I liked that you had to rewrite everything. Although, why you didn't simply duplicate my notes so you didn't have to rewrite them is beyond me. For being so smart, you weren't always the brightest bulb."
James looked scandalized at his wife, before he attacked her, tickling her until Lily was shrieking. Harry sat back and watched his parents, cherishing the display. While most children are used to their parents antics, this was new to Harry and he welcomed every moment.
Finally releasing her, James turned back to Harry, winking at him as Lily tried to catch her breath. The young wizard thought it was a little strange since she was a portrait, but he wasn't sure exactly how magical paintings worked so he disregarded the thought.
"So tell us about your years at Hogwarts."
Harry filled them in on what had occurred in the last two years, being interrupted several times by both parents, either in praise or in outrage. James's smile almost broke his face when Harry told him about making the Quidditch team, and Lily looked like she wanted to do violence to someone, probably Dumbledore, when Harry spoke about how Voldemort had attempted to come back.
"I don't understand why the stone was even brought to the school. I've read about the Flammels, and they don't strike me as people who'd willingly give up the source of their existence. They are supposed to live in an unchartable location, so the likelihood of Voldemort finding them should have been very slim."
"And if it was to be protected, the defenses should not have been able to be surpassed by 3 first years. And, those challenges seemed to be specific to you and your friends! And how would a second year figure out what was attacking students and the headmaster wouldn't! It's completely outrageous!"
"Wait, what do you mean about the defenses?" Harry furrowed his brow as he listened to his father, confused once more.
"Well think about it; the troll was already knocked out, but you had previously faced one during the year. Hermione would have known about the Devil's Snare. Than the flying challenge; you're the youngest seeker in a century. Then the chessboard, something Ron excels at. And the potion riddle, which Hermione would definitely have been able to figure out. It seems bizarre that those would be the defenses for something as valuable as the Philosopher's Stone."
Harry's eyes had continued to widen as Lily picked up the conversation. He had never thought about the obstacles like that, but she pointed out important facts.
'No one, especially first years, should have been able to get to the stone. Those challenges were definitely meant to allow me, Ron, and Hermione access.'
"You're right mum. That is…suspect at best. I'll talk to Hermione about it and see what she says."
"Actually, I would think about talking to someone else first. From what you've told us, Hermione is very certain in her belief in the absolute truth of books and in the authority of adults. Until she changes, I would look at someone who has had a similar experience and would share your skepticism."
"But there's no one like that that I know of. Ron and Hermione are the only ones who have faced the same things I have."
"Are you sure, son? Didn't you recently save…Ginny was it, from being possessed by Tom Riddle? Wouldn't she wonder why such a dangerous object hadn't been discovered and protection given to her?"
"Ginny? Well…I guess. I just hadn't really thought about her all summer, I guess."
"You just forgot about her? Harry, the two of you just went through a traumatic experience. I would wager a guess and say that she is suffering more than you because she dealt with him for an entire school year while you only interacted with him for about twenty minutes. I'm sure she has not had the best of summers, and for you to just brush her off disappoints me."
Harry's eyes widened at Lily's words, and he felt shame course through him. She was right; he had completely disregarded Ginny in all of his thoughts. She had always just been "Ron's little sister" and he hadn't even realized how mean his actions could have been to her.
"You're right again, mum. I can't believe I forgot about her. I should've realized that the experience would have been terrible for her, especially since I have nightmares of the incident. I'll make sure to try and include her in the group this year." Lily nodded at him before smiling again, letting him know that she wasn't angry with him anymore.
"Speaking of the upcoming year, what classes have you decided to take?"
"Well, Ron and I decided on Divination and Care of Magical Creatures."
"No Harry, do not waste your time with Divination. That is a bollocks class and will not help you for whatever profession you choose. And Care of Magical Creatures is usually a waste of time as well."
"But…Hagrid sent me the book for Care of Magical Creatures, so I think he's teaching it now and I said I would take it. And Ron wanted an easy class and Divination was the easiest one offered."
"Harry, I know you didn't have any friends until Ron, but you need to listen to me. You should take courses that you want and that will help your future. Arithmancy and Ancient Runes are extremely helpful in many careers. I know they will require more work than the other two, but it's worth it. Even Sirius regretted taking Divination, and that speaks for itself."
"But…Ron will be upset if we're not in the same classes."
"If Ron is truly your friend, it won't matter what class you're in. I'm sure he will understand. I mean…unless you want to take Divination." Lily's face scrunched up at the thought of anyone wanting to take the course. Harry shook his head, knowing that the only reason he signed up for it was because Ron said he should.
"Good to know you've got some sense in you. Write to McGonagall and let her know that you want to drop it and pick up another course or two. She'll probably be more than happy to switch it for you, since she can't stand the subject."
"Now, I think you should probably get on with your day. I don't know exactly how long we've been talking, but I'm sure you have things to do." Harry glanced down at the broken face of the watch he had repaired. He could see that it was almost two and that they had literally talked for hours.
"I can't believe how late it is. The shops close around 5, which means I only have a few hours to get things done. Is there anything you would suggest I take out of here before I go?"
"Well, besides us, you should take one of the untraceable wands from the far wall. Pick the one that responds best, although I would also pursue the wand cores that are near the wands and pick the best one from those and go get a custom wand. You'll have to go to Knockturn Alley and it will be more expensive, but a custom wand can be connected to you specifically, meaning if it is somehow taken, no one but you will be able to use it.
"Also, take books on the Potter family. You're the remaining heir of a Noble house, which means you have certain responsibilities." James pointed in the general direction of the things he described. Harry scanned the room, noting where the things James was talking about were located.
"Oh, I would also take our old school books. I'm sure the courses haven't changed that much and we've already made notes in the margins. And take as many books on spells, curses, histories, and whatnot as you want. The Potters have a huge collection of important tomes.
"Actually, I would shrink all the books down and put them in a trunk and shrink that down too so you have everything." Lily pointed to where there was a hodgepodge of trunks, many of them looking worse for wear.
"Speaking of trunks, you should really get a multi-compartmental trunk. You can purchase one in Diagon Alley. They're really useful because you can get custom rooms made, such as a bedroom or Quidditch pitch and such. It'll cost you, but it's worth the money." James explained, a look of excitement on his face as he thought about the possibilities for trunks.
"Do I really need one though? I mean…I'm only thirteen so what could I need it for?"
"All sorts of things. You should purchase one that has a bedroom and kitchen, so that over the summers you don't really have to be around the Dursleys. And a library would be a good place to do your homework and studying, especially if you can't find a quiet place in the castle. The benefits of having such a trunk are endless, so I would get one crafted before you leave for school this year so you already have it."
Harry nodded, trying to keep everything they were saying in mind. He walked over to the wands, which were housed against a wall and kept in a glass fronted shelf. He opened the doors and lifted each one until he found a wand that shot out gold sparks. He wasn't sure what the core was, but the wand was about 10 inches and made out of a supple wood.
Closing the cabinet, he turned to where James had said there were wand cores. Next to the wand cabinet was another one, except behind these glass doors were jars labeled with substances such as "phoenix feather" and "unicorn hair". Next to the jars were strips different woods, ranging from oak to pine.
He tested each ingredient until he came away with two cores, unicorn hair and dragon heart string and the wood was willow. He collected his chosen pieces and rolled them into one of the leather pouches that was inside the cabinet, which would protect them until he could get a wand made. He turned towards the books before he realized he had an issue.
"Um, I don't know how to shrink things."
"Oh, it's simple really. You tap an object with your wand and say Ruducio."
Harry nodded before turning back to the books and doing as instructed with his new wand. He moved the miniature books into an empty trunk, but before shrinking that down, he went through the room and picked up items he found interesting.
Into the trunk Harry placed: photo albums, his parents old school books, the rest of the texts and tomes in the chamber, a pair of black dragonhide boots along with a matching cloak, the box from his parents, some artwork to put in the trunk he would have made, he even picked out a few interesting daggers. Placing everything in the trunk, he turned back to his parents' portraits.
"Before you leave, make sure to grab a few wand holsters. I would get one for each arm and one for your calf." James commented, nodding to the stand on the other side of the wand cabinet.
Harry nodded before shrinking down the portraits and placing them carefully into the trunk next to his wand ingredients. He grabbed three black holsters and attached the two forearm ones, sliding his old wand into the right one. Thinking his friends might like them as well, he grabbed three more and put them inside the trunk before shutting it and reducing so it fit in his pocket.
Harry grabbed a black robe and pulled it on, making sure the hood concealed his face. He made sure to hide his new wand in its holster before exiting the chamber. He tapped the bell and was surprised with the speed of which the cart appeared.
Harry was quickly on his way back up to the surface, noting that he had a little over two hours before the stores would close.
Deciding to get the trunk ordered first, since that would probably take the longest, Harry went to the trunk shop, and was glad he had grabbed an extra cloak from the vault, as the streets were packed. He rechecked the hood, making sure that no telling features were visible, trying to make himself as inconspicuous as possible.
Finally he made it through the bustling streets and into the shop, where the clerk was already busy with a customer.
Scanning the store, Harry lowered his hood and walked around the trunks, reading the cards that indicated what type of trunk each one was. He didn't see any that appealed to him, so he made his way to the counter to wait for clerk to finish up his sale.
On the counter Harry found a book that indicated it had all the possible options and styles inside. Spotting a chair that he guessed was for waiting customers, Harry took the book over and sat down, flipping it open and scanning the table of contents. He turned to the page that was the start of the multi-compartmental trunks.
Multi-Compartmental Options:
2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 room compartments
Due to the fact that custom trunks must be made from scratch, please have your rooms chosen before purchase. Rooms cannot be added to a trunk once it has been completed.
Styles:
Any style; specialties: Gothic and Traditional
Woods:
Dark and light Mahogany, Pine, Oak
Colors for Walls:
Dark or light - any color or mix of colors
Color for Floor:
Dark or light - any color or mix of colors
Options for rooms: (included are picture of previously completed rooms)
Dining room
Dueling Arena with equipment (for future Aurors)
Greenhouse
Kitchen
Library
Master bedroom with bath
Secondary bedrooms with baths (max of 4 bedrooms)
Parlor
Swimming Pool
Potions Lab
Quidditch Pitch
Harry scanned the options, making a mental list of the ones he liked best. He looked up to see that the clerk was ringing up the woman and her daughter, who appeared to be getting her trunk for Hogwarts.
Harry waved at the younger girl, who blushed and waved back before exiting the shop with her mother. Harry stood from the chair and laid the book, still open to the right section, on the counter and looked at the clerk. He was an older man, with bushy gray hair and a frazzled look.
"I am hoping you will be able to help me. I am on the market for a multi-compartmental trunk, and I need it by the start of term. Is that going to be a problem?"
"It depends on what type of trunk you purchase. And it is going to be costly, especially since you have given me so little time to prepare it. Are you going to be able to pay for a trunk that I'm going to have to spend hours on?" The man's voice was sharp and Harry could tell that he thought the teen was full of hot air.
"I assure you, sir, I will be able to purchase the trunk. Now, I understand that the trunk I am about to request is going to be difficult to produce, but I have the upmost faith in your abilities. Also, I will pay part of the purchase price upfront."
The man got excited at the thought of getting his money early, but that excitement was tempered down with the knowledge that this was probably going to be one of the most complicated trunks he had ever created.
Harry explained what he wanted, making sure to be precise in the specifics.
"Sir, you know that what you're asking for is…tremendously more than what a normal trunk consists of, right? You're adding two or three aspects to one room when they would normally go into separate, individual rooms. I'm not sure if I can actually make this trunk to your specifications." The man shook his head, looking down at the list he had been writing as Harry spoke. The boy was obviously playing a joke on him, because the demands were outrageous!
"Like I said, I have faith in your abilities. And I trust that you will be able to complete it in the given time. How much will this cost?"
The man shook his head at the teen's persistence but went to ring up the trunk. He was certain that once the total, which he was sure was high, the boy would laugh and reveal his joke.
"For all of your additions, plus the time constraints, you're looking at 13,000 galleons." (The price is based off the price of a house similar to this)
Harry nodded and pulled out his wallet, reaching into it and requesting 6500 galleons. He slowly turned the wallet over and poured the money out onto the counter. The clerk's eyes widened before he cast a containment charm, preventing the flowing coins from rolling off.
"Sorry about that. I just got this wallet today and I'm not sure how to go about such a high purchase." Harry's face reddened in embarrassment.
The clerk cast a counting charm and was surprised when there was indeed half the purchase price. Nodding to Harry, the clerk tapped the money, which disappeared from the counter, before writing out a bill with the specifications listed. Handing the parchment over for Harry's signature, the clerk duplicated it before handing Harry the copy.
"Thank you. I am staying at the Leaky Cauldron, so if you could just leave word there when it is done I will come pick it up. Have a good evening." Harry smiled before turning to leave, pulling his hood back up.
He was surprised that he had been able to get through the entire purchase without the man looking at his scar. I wish everyone was as discrete or respectful. With thirty minutes left before the end of business, Harry hurried to Flourish and Blotts.
Harry purchased not only his school books, but also the books the salesman said were for Arithmancy and Ancient Runes. Harry also bought texts on Wizarding tradition and customs, a book that listed all the Noble families, books on Goblin tradition, advanced spells, curses, and jinxes books, and anything else that caught his eye.
Harry was the last customer and was soon on his way back to the Leaky Cauldron, his groaning stomach ready to devour super.
AN: Please Review, they make me feel happy!
