After Dumbledore disappeared, Harry and Eddie came out from their hiding places to discuss the events of the day.
"Well, what do we do now?" Harry started. "I'm not sure I want to go to a school where the Headmaster attacks old men for no good reason."
"Nah, lad. If yer really on o' these wizards, you need to learn what you can do, and yeh need an education anyway. Besides, I don' think he was gonna hurt me. I'm not sure what he was gonna do, but I don't think he'da harmed me. He seemed like a good enough sort, especially if everything he said is true. Nah. Yer gonna go to this Hogwarts. The question is how we contact them to say so."
Eventually, Harry and Eddie decided that the wizards would likely contact them again, and they went back to their normal routine.
Sure enough, the next day, the rats told Harry that there were lots of really big things downstairs. A quick investigation revealed a stern, middle aged woman and a tiny man with white hair and a beard to (relative to size) match Dumbledore's, both of whom were wearing robes.
"Hey Eddie, two more people in bathrobes just showed up in the lobby." Harry informed his friend.
"See? I told yah they wouldn't let yah go that easy. Let's go meet 'em." Eddie said.
Harry and Eddie made their way to the entrance of the factory, as Harry directed the rats to close in on the entrance room, just in case the wizard and witch tried anything.
"Hello," said Harry as he opened the door to the lobby, "I suppose you're here about Hogwarts?"
"Yes," said the stern looking middle aged woman. "I'm Professor McGonagall, the Deputy Headmistress, and this is Professor Flitwick. Professor Dumbledore felt it would be... unwise to come back here in person, but he did wish us to express his regret for his actions against you," she looked at Eddie as she said this, then reached into a pocket of her robes and withdrew an envelope. "He also gave me this letter for you, saying that there were things he needed to explain."
Eddie took the letter, opened it, and scanned its contents. As he progressed further along the letter, his eyebrows progressed further up his forehead until they were lost in his tangled mass of grey hair. Upon reaching the end, he folded it up and put it in his pocket.
"I think I'll have tah talk to him about this in person sometime. But that's business for another day. Today we're here to talk about Harry's education."
"Quite right. Hogwarts offers expert instruction in core subjects such as Transfiguration, Charms..."
"Actu'ly," Eddie interrupted with a slight cough, "the question isn't a matter of if he's gonna go. It's a matter of how. How does this school work?"
"Oh." McGonagall appeared quite surprised at this. "We rather expected it would be somewhat difficult to convince you, after your... altercation with the headmaster yesterday."
At this, Harry broke in. "I've already decided on that. I'll forgive the headmaster this time, but if he tries to attack me or my friends, or take me back to the Bastards, I'll kill him," the eleven year old boy stated bluntly.
McGonagall and Flitwick stared at Harry.
This... child is threatening to kill Professor Dumbledore? And so casually? McGonagall thought. Not even bothering to address the impossibility of a first-year student killing the most powerful wizard in the world, she looked around the room. The entrance to the factory, while it had once been a rather nice lobby, was now decrepit and overrun. It was clear that the boy was used to hardships, but... murder? Was he so jaded that he would be willing to kill?
Flitwick's thoughts seemed to be along the same lines. "Tell me, Mr. Potter," he squeaked. "Have you had cause to kill before?"
Harry glanced at Eddie, who shrugged, then turned back to Flitwick. "Yes, sir, I have," he said.
When it became clear that he was not going to elaborate, McGonagall asked, "I see. And do you feel no remorse for whoever you killed?"
To McGonagall's horror, the boy actually looked surprised at her question. "Why should I? They were warned, and they didn't listen. In fact, many of them came here already warned, and I still gave them a chance to leave." The time when he'd cried over every kill seemed so far away now that Harry didn't even think it of consequence. That had been a different Harry, a childish, boy who, though he had been through hardships, still had no idea what the real world was like- had no idea that killing was necessary to protect himself and the few people or things he cared about.
Seeing the look on McGonagall's face, Eddie decided to do a bit of damage control.
"Ye've gotta understan', professor, that Harry's lived a hard life. Even before he was dropped off here, the Bastards were cruel. I won't give details, that's Harry's to share, but suffice to say it was bad. After we set up shop here, we had trouble with trespassers, an' this ain't the safest area to be livin' in. The firs' group that came by was gonna kill us. If Harry hadn'ta done what he did, we'd be dead by now."
Flitwick figured that this was a good time to change the subject, so instead of asking exactly what Harry had done, he asked, "That's the second time now that you've refferred to 'the bastards.' May I ask to whom you're refferring?"
"The Bastards were my relatives. I don't use their names anymore- they aren't people, they're monsters, who I intend to take care of at the soonest available opportunity. They enslaved me, starved me, and tortured me, before throwing me out in the streets."
At this, McGonagall's eyes hardened- she'd warned Dumbledore not to leave the boy there, but noooooo, it was safest, it was best for everybody.
"Anyway," said Eddie, "That brings us back to our current situation. As you've likely noticed, neither of us has any money. I doubt we'll be able to pay for supplies for the lad, or for tuition. Also, we have no form of transportation to get Harry to and from the school. Or is it a boarding school?"
At this, Harry frowned. He hadn't considered this possibility. He hoped it wasn't a boarding school- he wouldn't leave Eddie to live here alone while he went off for who knew how much time. Unfortunately-
"Yes, Hogwarts is a boarding school. Harry will stay there nine months of the year, with two weeks vacation for the Christmas holidays."
"No." said the boy in question, "I'm not going to go to a boarding school and leave Eddie here."
Eddie looked touched, and began "Now see here, lad, ye've got to..."
"I don't care about my education, Eddie, if it means leaving you alone and without protection for nine months every year. It's not going to happen."
"What if we were to provide accomodation for Mr..." Flitwick broke off, realizing he didn't know the old muggle's name.
"Guff. Eddie Guff," the man provided.
"For Mr. Guff, then," finished Flitwick.
"What kind of 'accomodations' might that include?" Harry asked carefully.
"Well, Hogwarts has plenty of extra rooms. I'm certain that we could house him there. And I expect that Hagrid, our groundskeeper, or Mr. Filch, our caretaker, wouldn't object to an assistant, if you wish employment." Flitwick didn't say anything, because he didn't want to give false hopes, but he was actually planning to swing for a teaching position- Charity Burbage, bless her soul, didn't know a thing about muggles, and yet she'd been teaching about them for years.
Eddie and Harry looked at each other, then began nodding vigorously.
"If you could do that, we'd be forever in your debt, professor." Harry said.
McGonagall nodded, glad that one obstacle had been overcome. The next one, fortunately, was much easier.
"You also mentioned that you don't have any money. This isn't true at all. The Potters were an Ancient and Noble House, and one of the oldest and wealthiest of those houses. Money will not be an issue for you. In fact, I suggest that you look into the option of suing your relatives for fraud, since I am almost certain that they would have recieved, and are likely still recieving, a stipend for your well being."
Harry scowled, then grinned. If that were true, he could sue the Bastards for everything they owned. Then and there, his revenge plans changed drastically. He might still kill them, but before he did, he would ruin them. The thing that they valued most was their comfortable, normal lifestyle, and he would take that from him as surely as they'd taken it from him.
"I think that's everythin', then," said Eddie. "Where do we go to get his money and supplies?"
"Professors Flitwick and I will be taking Harry..." "and Eddie," Harry broke in. "Fine, and yourself, to Diagon Alley shortly. Our first stop will be Gringotts, the wizarding bank, to retrieve funds from Harry's Trust Vault."
"When do we leave?" Harry asked, finally eager once more.
McGonagall checked her watch.
"The Portkey activates in seventeen minutes," she replied. "We weren't sure how long this discussion would take, so decided to give ourselves some extra time. In the meantime, I suggest we make ourselves comfortable." As she finished, she drew out her wand and conjured four large, squishy armchairs, which Harry and Eddie didn't hesitate to sit in.
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"I am never using one of those again," Harry said firmly after he had regained his balance.
"I suggest you get used to it, Mr. Potter," said Flitwick happily. "While magic can do many things, for some reason we have yet to develop a comfortable method of travel. While travelling by Portkey is the most unpleasant of the lot, it's also the most reliable. Apparition is dangerous, and Floo travel can be intercepted, or you can get the address wrong."
Harry shook his head. Why couldn't wizards just use cars, for God's sake?
"Anyway, our first stop is Gringotts," McGonagall said, pointing at an enourmos white building at the end of the Alley.
At this, Harry looked around. His jaw dropped as he saw where they were. The sides of the narrow streets were lined with old-fashioned shops such as Eyelops Owls, Quality Quidditch Supplies, Florish and Blott's, Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occaisions, and more. When he spotted the Magical Menagerie, it was all he could do not to go straight there- he couldn't wait to find out if there were magical rats or bats, and if so, what they could do.
"Professor? After we go to Gringotts, could we go there?" Harry asked, pointing at the Menagerie.
McGonagall smiled. Maybe there was some hope that the boy could be a normal child, after all, if he wanted a pet.
"Certainly, Mr. Potter. You'll be needing an owl anyway, and though Eyelops is better for them, Magical Menagerie does carry some."
Harry grinned. "Thank you, professor."
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"That was so totally wicked!" shouted Harry as they got off the Gringotts cart for the second time. "How come wizards don't have something like that? Why do we have to use stupid portkeys?"
Flitwick grinned. "I'm afraid it would be impractical to set up a railway all around the country. I am glad to see you enjoy the Gringotts carts, though. Most wizards try to avoid them when possible."
"Why? That was amazing!" Harry said, as they made their way to the Magical Menagerie.
"Most sane people disagree with that opinion, I'm afraid," said a slightly queezy looking McGonagall as she separated the money they had withdrawn into two separate bags. "Now, Filius, why don't you and Eddie go pick up Harry's cauldron, potions supplies, and books while Harry looks at pets? Then he and I will go to Olivanders and Madam Malkin's."
"Can we wait till we split up?" Harry asked. "I want Eddie to be able to see my new pet."
McGonagall smiled again. Yes, there was certainly hope for the boy.
"I suppose so," she responded.
Harry grinned and grabbed Eddie's hand, pulling him towards the magical pet shop and through the door.
McGonagall smiled as she saw this display of normal, childlike behavior. The smile faded quickly, however, as Harry made a beeline for the section of the shop that housed the darker creatures- rats, crows, spiders, bats, and the like.
Harry was perusing the selection of bats when he heard a sharp "Kaw!" behind him. Turning, Harry saw a cage containing a large, black crow. He studied it, and it studied him back, before releasing another "Kaw!" and pecking at the lock.
Harry smiled- he had intended to get a bat, since he could control them directly, but there was something about the crow that he liked more.
"How much for the crow?" Harry asked the shopkeeper.
"Six galleons, eleven sickles," responded the man.
Harry looked at the crow, which was continuing to peck at the lock. "I'll take him," he said.
McGonagall sighed. This was not what she'd had in mind for a familiar for the boy. Crows were invariably associated with death and dark magic, and she didn't want Harry to have any more of that in his life than he already had.
Before she could object, however, Harry opened the cage and let the crow fly out of its prison. The bird did two quick flights around the room, and settled on Harry's head with a "Kaw!"
"What're yeh gonna name 'im, lad?" Eddie asked.
Harry considered this question for a moment, then remembered a character from a book he'd read recently.
"Carrion," he responded.
"After the Prince of Midnight?" Eddie asked.
"It seems fitting, doesn't it? And didn't Carrion have a thing for crows?"
McGonagall just put her head in her hands as Flitwick counted out the money.
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Well, sorry this took so long. It's a combination of writer's block, a horrible work schedule, and getting distracted by my new story, the Gamechangers (It's a Mass Effect AU where humanity has magic). If you can guess what book the name Carrion comes from, you get cake.
Also, I'd like to give a big thanks to jdg0l1n, ElementalMaster16, fanfictionnatic, Ddragon21, Ninggay, .com, Justpucky, Cirdan Mawish, Darkth Shadow, BlueFireMoon, and Kairomaru, all of whom took a few moments out of their time to tell me what they thought of my story.
Lastly, I would like to apologize to homeless people everywhere for my depiction of Eddie as uneducated. I am also aware that his backstory is not entirely reasonable. The thing is, there's more to Eddie than meets the eye.