Chapter 3: Diagon Alley
A new world, Diagon Alley
Harry followed Hagrid to a door in the back of the Leaky Cauldron. The man in front of him barely fit through it. Harry followed him and found himself in a backyard. The only thing he saw were some barrels and a few wine bottles lying on the ground.
"See, Harry, you're famous!" said the large man. They just encountered a few people including a man who seemed to be one of his future professors, all very happy to meet him and wanting to shake hands.
"But why am I famous, Hagrid? All those people back there, how is it they know who I am?" asked Harry confused.
"I'm not exactly sure I'm the right person to tell you that, Harry." said Hagrid before he took out his umbrella and tipped the brick wall clockwise with it. Suddenly the bricks started to move and slowly form an entrance to a busy street. Everywhere where people with strange looking hats and clothing. They were talking about things which Harry had no clue about. Owls flew around and the shops had strange looking items. It was a shock for him to see them magical world being so much different from the normal one.
"But, Hagrid, how am I to pay for all my school stuff? I don't have any money and I doubt the Dursley's are giving me any."
"Well there's your money, Harry. Gringotts, the Wizard Bank. Ain't no place safer, 'cept perhaps Hogwarts." said Hagrid while pointing at a large white roman like looking building.
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Strange creatures, Gringotts Bank
Harry walked down a shiny aisle besides Hagrid, passing tiny strange looking creatures working.
"Hagrid, what are these...things?" asked Harry with a bit of disgust.
"They're goblins, Harry. Clever as they come goblins but not the most friendly of beasts. Best stick close to me." said Hagrid before he approached a counter with a goblin in it.
"Mr. Harry Potter wishes to make a withdrawal." The goblin stopped writing and slowly looked up to Hagrid and then down to Harry. He eyed the boy intensely.
'Bloody hell. These things are ugly.' Harry took a little step back.
"And does Mr. Harry Potter have his key?" asked the goblin stern.
"Oh. Wait a minute. Got it here somewhere." said Hagrid, while searched something in his pockets.
"Here's the little devil." said the man and handed the goblin a small golden key
'My Key? Why does he have my key?' thought the little boy frowning.
"Oh, and there's something else as well. Professor Dumbledore gave me this." Now he handed the Goblin a sealed letter.
"It's about you-know-what in vault you-know-which." said Hagrid whispering. Harry looked at Hagrid with a confused expression, since he could still hear everything.
"Very well." said the Goblin serious and took both, the key and the letter, from Hagrid.
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Getting a wand, Diagon Alley
"Hagrid, can we get my wand now? I saw it was on the list of school supplies." said Harry exited while they walked out of Gringotts.
"Course, Harry. Well, you'll want Ollivander's. No place better to get ya first wand." said Hagrid.
'Come on Harry. He is in a good mood. Ask him now.' Harry walked a few steps before Hagrid and stopped. Unsure he looked up at the large man.
"Uhm, Hagrid." asked the boy, while avoiding his eyes.
"What's up, Harry?"
"T-This key you gave the Goblin...was this the key to my vault?" asked Harry cautiously.
"Yeah, why you're asking?"
'Okay, play it cool Harry. He didn't hit you so far, he was very nice and maybe he is okay with it.'
"Can I have it? I-I mean it's my vault...so...you know...in case I ever need money."
"Oh yeah. Forgot 'bout that, Harry." He took out the small golden key and held it out to Harry.
"T-Thanks." said Harry still watching the man carefully and took the key.
"Nothing to thank me for. I bet Professor Dumbledore would have given it you anyways." said the large man, while he pulled out a note and looked at it thoughtfully.
"So why don't ya run along and get your wand. I just got to get some other stuff. Won't be long." said the half-giant. Harry nodded and the man disappeared around a corner.
'And where exactly is Ollivanders now?' thought Harry while he looked around. The boy walked down the alley and after a short while Harry saw a shop with the name Ollivander's - Makers of fine wands since 352 b.c.
352 b.c. read the boy again. 'So wizards really existed all this time.'
He looked through the windows in the inside of the shop. The store was empty and look almost abandoned. Harry entered and looked around curiously. There were rows of shelves with little boxes, but not one person to see. We slowly walked to a counter.
'This must be hundreds of wands.' though the boy astounded.
"Hello? Someone here?" asked Harry softly. Suddenly there was a noise, and an old man appeared on a ladder. Harry winced and returned the stare that the old man gave him. A smile formed on the man's lips.
"I wondered when I'd be seeing you, Mr. Potter." said the man with a friendly tone. Ollivander came down from his ladder and walked over to one of the shelves.
"It seems only yesterday that your mother and father were in here buying their first wands." said the man and pulled out one of the boxes. He walked to the counter and handed Harry the wand. The boy just looked at it.
"Well, give it a wave." said the man. Harry waved the wand and one row of the shelves started to crash down. Harry jumped backwards.
'Did I just do that?' Harry watched the old man with wide eyes and slowly put the wand back in the box.
"Well, this one is it apparently not."
The man turned around and vanished behind a shelf, only to come back one minute later with a different box.
"Perhaps this one." said the man and opened the box. Harry took the wand and waved it carefully. Suddenly a vase to his left exploded.
"No, no, definitely not! No matter...there were harder cases than you." said the man while putting the wand back in the box.
After what seemed like half an hour, Harry still got no fitting wand. He was getting nervous. But when Harry became more and more nervous, Mr. Ollivander just became more excited. The old man looked at Harry's forehead for a few moments, considering something.
"I wonder." said the white-haired man and vanished again to get a new box. When he came back, he carefully opened a box and put it on the table. Harry took the wand and immediately after he touched the wand, sparks flew out of its top and it seemed like Harry was glowing. Harry felt something flow trough his entire body, what he couldn't describe. Never before had he felt something like that.
"Curious, very cur-" Mr. Ollivander took a step back, clearly shocked by something.
"Mr. Potter...what is happening to you?!" When Harry looked down, the first thing he noticed was, that he was slowly shrinking.
"I'm shrinking!" yelled Harry and look up to the old man.
"What is happening?! Please help me!" The man didn't move one bit, he just looked shocked at him. When Harry looked down again, he saw that his to large clothes were now much too big. He had to hold on to them, just so they didn't fall off.
"M-Mr. Potter?" said Mr. Ollivander almost whispering. Harry looked again up to the old man, who still had a shocked expression on his face.
"W-What is it? Is something wrong with me? Why am I so short?" After that, Hagrid burst through the door.
"Harry! Everyth-" Hagrid also now had a shocked expression on his face.
"What in Merlin's name happened, Harry?!"
"W-What-" Harry suddenly noticed that his voice was different. He cleared his throat and tried again.
"What-" Something was very wrong.
"What is wrong with my voice?" asked the boy almost begging for an answer. Mr. Ollivander hurried to a shelf and brought him a small round mirror.
"Mr. Potter, please try to stay calm. I'm sure we can figure out what happened." With that he handed Harry the mirror. Harry froze. When he looked into the mirror, he didn't see himself anymore. Instead, he saw a pale girl at his age with shoulder long curly raven-black hair, bright blue eyes and a shocked expression on her face.
"I-I-Is this some kind of magical mirror?" stuttered the former boy, now girl, before he looked up to Mr. Ollivander.
"I'm sorry Mr. Potter, but this is just a mirror."
"This is not happening. I...I think I need to sit down." said Harry in his new girlish voice, almost whispering. Ollivander quickly conjured a chair and the small girl sat down.
"W-Why did this happen?! Turn me back Mr. Ollivander!" demanded Harry, while looking at the old man.
"Mr. Potter, I didn't do this. I have no idea what happened." said the man a bit calmer. Then Harry turned to Hagrid.
"Hagrid, help me!" Hagrid looked at the little girl with wide eyes. After he got out of his gaze he walked to the counter.
"Mr. Ollivander, sir. No idea what just happened, but Dumbledore would surely appreciate it if you wouldn't tell anybody 'bout what happened."
"Of course, Hagrid. Please let me know if I can help in any way." Then the man turned around to Harry and put a hand on the girls shoulder.
"Let's go, Harry. Better we go to Professor Dumbledore with this. He surely knows what to do."