A/N: Quite a handful of words are of JK Rowling's doings, not mine, I do not claim this amazing woman's words. I do not own them, they fit my story.
Ash awoke with a soft tapping on his door, he arose from his bed as Pikachu opened its eyes and jumped on his shoulder. The tapping continued until he answered the door; the boy with glasses and the lighting scar, the boy known as Harry Potter. A second of discretion stretched the silence, Harry smiled at Ash while approvingly nodding at Pikachu.
"Come down for a cup of tea and breakfast? Hagrid is going to be taking us to go shopping at Diagon Alley."
"Sure. Alright Pikachu, let's go."
"Pika!"
Harry leads Ash down into The Leaky Cauldron, Sam cleaning a glass, smiles at them as they approach the bar counter. A few patrons linger around the pub; much more serene this morning than last night. They order two plates of bacon and eggs and two cups of tea.
"Hagrid told me he'll pay for you two's breakfast and tea when he comes back, so don't worry about paying me for this round" Sam tells them, as he delivers their food to a table a few feet from the bar.
"Thank you, Sam." Harry smiles at him then turns his attention to Ash, who's already had a start on his eggs as Sam walks back to tend to his bar.
They eat in an awkward languid silence, eating slowly, Pikachu is on the table gazing up at Harry. Harry tries to ignore Pikachu staring at him, but steals a couple of glances at the really creature he isn't quite sure is a normal rat or not. Pikachu cannot and will not stop staring at Harry, just standing there on the table, blinking at Harry. After ten minutes, Ash is finishing up his last piece of bacon Harry had already finished up his plate picking up his tea cup taking a sip. The tea cup at his face, he gives a wan smile at Pikachu then averting his eyes to Ash.
"How did you sleep?" Harry breaks the awkward silence this seems to be a cue for Pikachu to waddle back to Ash and jump up on his shoulder.
"Pretty well, actually." Ash responds picking up his cup of tea. "I must've fallen asleep shortly after you left me in my room because the next thing I remember is waking up to you knocking on my door."
"You were wearing that hat yesterday. Do you. What does it mean?"
"Oh." Ash takes off his white and red white, turning the front towards his face then putting it back onto his head. "I got this hat from the PokeMon League Expo convention. I sent in millions of postcards just to obtain this hat. I seldom am without it. My friend Misty said she tried to win one by sending in a post card. I have the feeling she only sent in one or two; just wasn't millions like I did." Ash gives a chuckle and a smile.
"What exactly are PokeMon?" Harry asks.
"Well, Pikachu is a PokeMon. I actually got it because I had overslept on the day I turned ten and was supposed to go over to Professor Oak's and chose my PokeMon. Squirtle, Charmander, and Bulbasaur where gone to the other trainers that had gotten there before me. Professor Oak said he had one other PokeMon and he pushed this button, out came a Poke Ball. He said it was a Pikachu; I wasn't too keen on what a Pikachu was just yet. I automatically said I would take it and he gave me a warning which I kind of ignored. I though Pikachu was so cute and I picked it up then it must've been mad or scared because it electrocuted the both of us. Out front, I had discovered was a small group cheering me on because when I had arrived Gary, who's actually Professor Oak's grandson, had this huge group cheering him on. He's my biggest rival and was very arrogant and is whenever I'm around him. I say I am not afraid of toil! The group for me was a few of my fans and family and best of all my Mom. She embarrassed me a little, though, but she gave me my backpack and got me on my way. Well, what about you, Harry? Your parents and all?"
Harry's heart breaks, a small sign of sadness brushes his face, then he smiles a sudden urge to tell someone about his life. Seemingly someone who genuinely cares unlike the Vernon and Pertunia Dursley, whose son used him as a punching back for years on end.
"Well, my parents died when I was just a baby. My aunt and uncle told me they had died in a car crash, but I kept having these dreams where I'd just see flashes of green light. I didn't know what they meant and I didn't dare ask my aunt or uncle. They didn't like me too much, when I was a baby, I ended up on their door step and they took me in. Though, I lived under the stairs in a cupboard. They fed me a little and let me out twice a day to go to the bathroom. Otherwise, I was just in the cupboard most of the time. Then there's Dudley, he's porky and fat and they take real good care of him. I remember I had gone to the zoo with him, Uncle Vernon, Aunt Pertunia and Dudley's friend Piers. We were looking at the reptilians and there was this snake that as sleeping. Dudley didn't like that so much he tapped on its' enclosure window, I told him to stop. Suddenly it sat up and said thanks to me. Dudley pushed me and I fell onto the hard floor; I got mad and suddenly the glass disappeared. He nearly fell in so he and Piers screamed. The snake got free and gave thanks to me. Uncle Vernon gave me a stern talking to and told me to go back into my cupboard. Oh, I forgot, before the zoo, I had made breakfast for everyone and was told to go get the mail that had just come through the slot. I was looking through it in hopes of one would be for me. Usually I never got any mail because I had no friends at school since Dudley had chased any potential friend away. No one wanted to even risk talking to me because of him. So I got this letter that said: Harry Potter Number 4 Privet Cupboard Under the Stairs. I thought it were strange so I took the mail and gave the rest to my uncle. I tried to open my letter but Dudley shouted that I had one and Uncle Vernon ripped it from my hands and looked on the back of the letter then opened it He and Pertunia read it and they just gave me this look and went into the kitchen without a word even to Dudley. The rest of the letters, Uncle Vernon ripped apart or threw in the fire. I even stepped on his face once I was trying to sneak a letter but he slept in front of the door. He even boarded up the mail slot because the letters wouldn't stop coming. Then, thousands of owls came and on Sunday mail came broke free of the board on the slot and through the fireplace chimney. He rushed everyone one and we ended up in this cabin in the middle of the ocean. At midnight, when July 31 struck, it was my birthday and this huge man came and knocked down the door. It was Hagrid, my aunt and uncle came down from upstairs and Dudley woke up with a start on the couch. I then found out what really happened to my parents, they were killed by a Dark Wizard. They hadn't died in a car crash…."
Ash was listening intently to Harry's long dragged out story, when suddenly Hagrid had appeared. Pikachu seemed to have fallen asleep somewhere along the way of Harry's story telling. Hagrid smiled at them.
"Well, bes' we get yer stuff now."
He led Harry and Ash through the back door of The Leaky Cauldron this door just lead them to a small cobble stoned courtyard and a dustbin sat against the wall. Hagrid took out a wand looking stick and tapped, from the side of the dustbin three up and two across. Suddenly the wall tilled open and both Harry and Ash gasped, their mouths opening and eyes widening. The scene in front of them showed millions of people, wizard and witches, people much like them crowed in Diagon Alley.
"Welcome Harry, Ash, ter Diagon Alley, boys."
They walked through the crowd, people automatically parted with the massive form of Hagrid, Harry and Ash had to keep up before the crowd closed in on them blocking their way.
"This is where you buy your quills." Hagrid pointed to a shop off to their right "and next to it yeh robes."
Neither of them could see the names of the stores for they were walking rather quickly, Hagrid walking at his normal pace, they had to stride twice to one of his. Shop windows displayed books, one even displayed something with the likes of eel eyes and bat spleens in barrels. One shop they passed had owls outside in cages and some outside of cages. They passed a broom shop with a huge group of children in front of its display window.
"Wow! The Nimbus 2000!" They heard a boy exclaim as they passed the shop.
Harry trotted to keep pace at the side of Hagrid
"Hagrid." Hagrid looks down at Harry. "Either of us haven't the money to buy all of this."
"Well, we're headin' off to Gringotts Bank right now. No place safer other than maybe Hogwarts."
Harry just nodded and fell back with Ash and Pikachu, he shrugged and smiled at Pikachu.
Ash had gained some strange looks from passerby because of Pikachu on his shoulder. They walked on, finally they arrived to the north side of Diagon Alley, where Gringotts stood. It was massive in form, almost intimidating. The façade is white, rounding at the front engraved on the curve is Gringotts Bank above it seems to be a patio with one patio stacked above that one. They walk under between the white round pillars, through the doors.
They walked up a set of stairs, two goblin guards flanked either side of the doors, dressed in scarlet red and gold uniforms. Hagrid doesn't gives a nod at the two guards, but the two boys grimace at each other. Pikachu buries its face in Ash's neck, they walk the through the burnished bronze doors. Behind these doors leads to silver doors, a message is engraved on:
Enter, stranger, but take heed
Of what awaits the sin of greed
For those who take, but do not earn,
Must pay most dearly in their turn.
So if you seek beneath our floors
A treasure that was never yours,
Thief, you have been warned, beware
Of finding more than treasure there.
"Like I said Harry, and I'll tell you this Ash. Yer'd ought to be mad to even try and rob this. Those standing out front are goblins. This place is run by goblins."
"Well, I'm not mad enough…." Ash's voice trailed off as they entered through the silver doors; it lead them into a huge foyer made of marble. A double beautiful chandelier hung own from the high ceiling, the foyer lead to a long hall like with the same chandeliers hanging from the ceiling down the hall. On either side were high counters, goblins sitting on high stools measuring out money, stamping parchment, and writing on ledgers their hooked noses deep in their work. They weren't paying a bit of attention to the calm yet alerted faces of two younger boys in front of them. Hagrid was looking straight ahead and told them not to look at them, keep their eyes straight ahead. Pikachu had slowly climbed into Ash's arms, by holding onto his shoulder and shirt vest. He looked down at Pikachu and softly smiled, but said nothing, Pikachu's eyes glimmered up at him. Ash drew Pikachu close into his chest.
They arrived at the very end of the walk, approaching a goblin facing up the walkway.
"Hello." Hagrid said. "I 'ave Harry Potter and Ash Ketchum here. They need money for Hogwarts safe down in the vaults
"Very well, do you have their keys?"
"It's here somewhere."
Hagrid pulled out a handful of moldy dog biscuits putting them on the counter in front of the goblin, he gave a disgusted look. The goblin on his right was weighing red rubies, the glimmered in the light. He got the keys and handed them to the goblin. The goblin gave the keys a good look
"It all looks in order."
Hagrid also pulled out a letter marked top secret and addressed to Gringotts Bank Vault 713. Griphook gave a look at Hagrid above his glasses and said nothing more about the letter. Ash and Harry looked up at the counter where the letter had passed through, looked at one another, then back up at the counter where the goblin was leaned over the counter looking down at them.
"Very well, then." Replied the goblin, handing the letter back to Hagrid. "Griphook!"
Another goblin came running
"I'll be taken you down to your vaults, sir."
Hagrid put all the moldy dog biscuits back into his coat pocket and followed Griphook into a hallway.
"Where's the You-Know-Who's seven hundred and thirteen vault?" Harry asked.
"Can' say." Hagrid responded simply.
Harry didn't ask again, Ash had been silent throughout the entire encounter with the goblins and still was, as they followed Griphook to a small cart on a track.
"Tigh' fit." Hagrid said.
Ash and Harry got in after Griphook, Hagrid climbed in with some difficulty and the lot were squished in the cart. Griphook set the cart to go, a startling fast pace it took. Left, right, right , left, right, right, left. Finally, the cart arrived at Vault 539. Griphook squeezed his self out of the cart and opened the door for them. The rest got out of the cart, Pikachu had jumped on Ash's shoulder as he'd entered the cart. Griphook opened the vault and a burst of blue smoke burst in their faces.
"Yer's Ash."
The smoke cleared, piles of gold were on laid in this vault. Both Harry and Hagrid helped Ash pile the money into a bag and Ash pocketed it.
"I didn't even know!" Ash said.
"Yer Mom, she was a witch at Hogwarts."
"She never told me!" Ash said. " She didn't say anything to me about it and not even last year when I went on my PokeMon journey."
"She coudn'" said Hagrid
This seemed to calm Ash down a bit, the rage slowing down inside of him.
"Why not?"
"Don' know. Something abou' yer dad." Hagrid said softly.
"I know nothing of him, though."
"Exactly" Hagrid said. "It was yer Mother that found a way to keep all this wizard money fer yeh."
"Pika!" Pikachu walked down to the bag held in his hand and tried to grab it.
"Pikachu! No!" Ash told Pikachu sternly.
Pikachu sniffed up at Ash, crawled back up on his arm and onto his shoulder taking his hat indignantly and put it on backwards. It feel over Pikachu's eyes, but it could see through the gap in the hat, where it could be adjusted. Ash stuffed the bag of money into his back pack and took his hat back from Pikachu, he held it this time since he nearly lost it down to his vault. There was another rough, fast ride on the cart down to Harry's. Right, left, right, right, left, right,middle fork….was there a dragon down one of the entrances? Harry thought he saw fire. The cold hair rushed through their hair. They got to his vault shortly after. Vault 687, again Griphook squeezed out, and so did Harry, Ash, and Hagrid.
"This one is yer's" Hagrid said, looking a little green.
Griphook opened the door and green smoke bust out this time, the smoke cleared, and Harry and Ash gasped. It was much more than Ash's vault had. Hagrid had leaned himself against the wall to steady his trembling knees. A minute later, he had followed the boys into the vault.
"All yers." Hagrid said with a smile.
"I'll tell yeh both about the money: the gold ones are Galleons, seventeen silver Sickles to a Galleon, twenty-nine Knuts to a Sickle, it should be easy enough. Right, that should do yeh good for a couple 'o terms, we'll keep the rest safe for yer. Same for yeh, Ash, good for a couple o terms." He turned his attention to Griphook "Now, seven hundred thirteen, please. Could we go a bit slower?" Hagrid asked.
"One speed only." Griphook replied.
They all crammed back into the cart, Pikachu hadn't spoken to Ash since after they left his vault. They were going deeper, the air was getting colder and colder. They seemed to go under an underground ravine the cart gained speed as it went further down. Hagrid caught Harry looking down over the cart to see what was below, he grabbed Harry at the gruff of the neck nodding, no at him, as he looked up at him. They had arrived at seven and thirteen, but it had no keyhole.
"Stand back!" demanded Griphook. He stroked the doo with a long finger and it simply melted away. "I'm the only one who can do that." He said "If any other Gringotts goblin did that he'd be simply sucked inside and trapped."
"How often do you check if anyone's inside?" Harry asked curiously.
"About every ten years."
Harry and Ash looked in, it looked empty, but then they noticed at the same time a small wrapped grubby package. Hagrid picked it up and stuffed it into his coat.
"Back to the damned infernal cart. Ask me no questions, I think'll I'll be sick." Hagrid said, putting a hand on Ash's back, nudging him out of the vault. Griphook got in first then Harry, Ash and Hagrid. One wild ride back, passing the grown stalagmites and stalactites that had seemed to only be this deep down under Gringott's. There was none near Ash's or Harry's vaults, but finally they came up back to Gringott's and bid Griphook good-bye and left the bank back to Diagon Alley.
"Well, that took awhile." Hagrid said.
"I guess yer should be getting yeh uniform boys. " Hagrid pointed towards Madam Malkin's. Harry and Ash walked towards Madam Malkin's Robes for all Occasions. Ready with their money and they entered the shop.
