Chapter 4. Anything you want

It was a hot day, and the Diagon Alley was crowded. Lucius was walking with Narcissa on his arm, smiling and watching the boys who were running ahead of them. Harry scarcely had time to turn his head, struggling to see windows of all kinds of shops on the way. Draco was trying very hard to look like an expert but of course did not know half the places. However, even the ones he knew were almost too much for Harry.

"The owls are sold here. When I go to school, I'll surely get myself one. Or even an eagle owl. Who needs golden cauldrons? I don't get it. Like gold can't be used for something better. And this is the Apothecary. Uncle Sev buys all kinds of nasty stuff here."

"Why?" From time to time, Harry, too, managed to get a word in.

"He's a Potions Master. He needs potion ind… ingi…"

"Ingredients," Lucius prompted with a smirk.

"Right." Draco brightened. "Thanks, Dad. Anyway, I've been here with him once, and I almost puked!"

"Draco!" Narcissa was outraged. "What an improper comment!"

Lucius and Harry snickered. The smell from the Apothecary was indeed remarkable.

"Really, Mum! You've just never been there!" Draco explained. "It's plain terrible, especially the green slugs."

Narcissa paled a little, and Lucius decided that it was time to change the topic.

"That's enough about the Apothecary. If we want to get to Fortesсue's as planned, it's time to get Harry a present. Let's go."

Soon they ended up in front of a huge glass shop window with a giant sign hanging above it:

BEFANA'S

The right side of the window was occupied by a two-story dollhouse with a garden. Hidden in the shadow of a spreading apple tree there was a tiny table, at which a doll family — a father, a mother and two children — was sitting. Harry noticed with some astonishment that the dolls moved — they were drinking tea and even talking to each other.

Meanwhile Draco was plastered to the left corner of the window. Harry came closer to have a better look. There were small figures on brooms speeding over a green field somewhat like a football one.

"Look! Look!" Draco was giddy with excitement. "It's the Snitch!"

Indeed, all of a sudden, a little golden dot appeared over the players' heads.

Over the whole display, there was a colourful advertisement with a small boy on a toy broom. If Harry could read, he would have known that the sign said:

Are you five years old yet?

Bring your parents here!

Aquila 100, your first broom!

Draco could read a little so he looked at his father pleadingly.

"Don't even think about that." Lucius shook his head. "For one thing, today is Harry's birthday. For another, well, why don't we come in? Maybe you will get something out of it."

Harry remembered that in similar circumstances Dudley always started screaming and rolling on the floor until Aunt and Uncle gave up and bought him what he wanted. Draco only pouted a little, though, but stopped very soon. When they entered the shop, his eyes were shining again.

Harry could not help himself and stood there gaping. Then he checked himself and closed his mouth — he did not want to appear ill-mannered. There was EVERYTHING in the shop — all toys a child can imagine, and magical too. Almost every item moved, buzzed, squeaked, glittered or did something else. Taking in all this splendour, Harry could not move for a while. Lucius's voice snapped him out of the stupor.

"Good day, signora Befana," he said politely.

The owner of the shop — a tall slim woman with hair black as a night and bright blue eyes — came over to them from the back of the spacious room. She and her shop were famous all over the Wizarding Britain and beyond. She was a cousin twice removed of the other Befana, from Italy. By the way, the British Befana was better either at magic or at business, for she was much more successful than her relative so greatly adored by Muggles.

"Good day to you too, Lucius," she answered in a sweet voice, holding her hand for a kiss. "Happy to see you, Narcissa. What can I do for you today?"

"Today is Harry's birthday, and we came to buy him a present."

"Do you have something particular in mind?" Befana clarified.

Harry pricked his ears.

"No. I think we'll do as usual," Lucius answered vaguely and turned to Harry. "We'll buy anything you want. Go on, choose."

Again, Harry gaped for a moment, but then closed his mouth. Anything you want was too much, too unreal to be true. He was getting more afraid by the minute that this was a dream, that he'd wake up in his cupboard. If he ever wanted something, it was to never ever return to the Dursleys. But that wasn't a right thing to ask in a toy shop, was it?

"You already can get a broom." Draco sighed, looking reproachfully at his father.

"That's right," Lucius agreed. "Draco, don't interrupt Harry's thoughts. Go with Mum, find yourself something."

Draco immediately took Narcissa's hand and tugged her further into the shop.

Harry walked very slowly along the shelves, trying not to miss anything. Dozens of creatures — some of them he never thought even existed — were constantly moving there.

A huge, scary looking plush dog with three heads was spinning around, trying to catch a snake that he had instead of a tail. The heads were bumping, quarrelling and could not bite the snake.

A graceful white horse with golden wings was shifting from one leg to another nervously on the edge of the next shelf. A funny long-eared little horse with two humps lingered next to it. The awkward creature bowed its head and was looking at the three-headed dog with a distinctly impish expression.

Two dragons — one black, one golden — were lying on the shelf above. The black dragon's long forked tail was hanging off the shelf and swinging lazily. The golden dragon seemed asleep, but when Harry looked straight at it, the creature opened its eyes, which turned out to be amber, and stretched lazily much like a big feline.

When Harry reached the stall with toy brooms, he started thinking really hard. After a whole morning of Draco's stories about Quidditch he wanted to try flying very much. But Lucius made it clear that Draco wouldn't get a broom that day, and Harry was afraid that his new friend would be upset, or worse, hurt.

At that moment, he saw a Wonder. The Wonder was scarlet with silver wheels and silver edging on the funnel. Smoke rings were flying out of the funnel and dissolving slowly. A dozen scarlet coaches with a wonderful scarlet locomotive were waiting impatiently for passengers at a small platform with a strange sign "9 3/4". Harry could count a little and even tell time, but he did not know what the slash between the numbers meant. Anyway, the mysterious name of the station was soon forgotten because the doors of the gorgeous train closed and the long journey on the circle track started as if triggered by the appearance of a knowing audience. The winding road occupied half of a huge table. There were toy trees, hills and even tiny houses along the track, and a real castle stood in the middle.

The table was low so the whole fairy-tale country was right in front of Harry. He froze, forgetting to breathe and blink. He did not remember where he was or why he came there, but the idea that he could ask for this wonder never entered his mind.

"Do you like it?" Lucius asked quietly from somewhere close by.

Harry did not register when the man walked up to him and crouched by his side. The boy nodded silently not being able to express his admiration in words.

"When you grow up you'll go to school on a train exactly like this one, but it'll be real." Lucius smiled. "And right now a toy copy is enough, I think." He stood up and turned to the owner of the shop. "Signora Befana, we have found it!"

Harry held his breath. Maybe he misunderstood something. He was afraid to believe his luck and frightened to ask because he was even more terrified to hear a refusal.

"The boy has impeccable taste, Lucius," Befana noted. "Everything will be delivered within one and a half hours as usual."

Harry looked at her quizzically, then at Lucius and back again.

"You won't go and eat ice cream with a train in your arms, will you?" The lady smiled. "And when you get back home your present will be waiting for you there."

Harry had completely forgotten about the ice cream parlour, so he was surprised that Befana knew about it. He did not have time to ask any questions, though, because Draco ran up to them and showed his new toy. A tiny white unicorn was stomping proudly its silver hooves on Draco's palm.

While the boys admired the small (but wayward) creature, Lucius took a scarlet-with-gold Gringotts checkbook out of his pocket, wrote down the sum and signed it.

"Let's go, Florian is waiting for us," he said after handing the check to Befana.

"And say thank you to the owner," Narcissa prompted quietly.

"Thank you, signora Befana," the boys said in one voice and ran out of the shop.

Narcissa followed them, but Lucius stayed for a moment.

"I'm warning you, Lucius," Befana said quietly, "the boy will be sleeping with the train."

Lucius quirked an eyebrow.

"I bet it's not only his first present ever, but also the first thing of his own. If you want to prevent him from hugging it, I could add something cute and cuddly ... on the house." She smirked. "It's not every day that the clients buy enough to cover three months' expenses of the shop."

"No, not every day," Lucius agreed. "Only twice a year. Now, perhaps, it will be thrice. All right, choose something at your discretion. Good evening to you." He bowed and left.


Footnotes:

Aquila — an eagle (Lat.). The broom is named after a kid bike brand that was popular in Russia some thirty years ago.

a scarlet-with-gold Gringotts checkbook — judging by the goblins' uniforms, it looks like scarlet and gold are the traditional colours of Gringotts (see Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, chapter 5) and not a tribute to Gryffindor.