A/N: This Chapter is dedicated to Katharina B., who is acting as my German Beta since "Harry Potter recommends".
As you can see, DracaDelirus send me this chapter punkctual for christmas. And since it is already present time in my time zone, you will get it now. Merry Christmas to everyone!
"Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday, dear Harry, Happy Birthday to you!"
Severus had his arms crossed in front of his chest as he looked at the people sitting nearby. Dumbledore sang with evident enthusiasm, just as Hagrid did. Minerva was showing a little more dignity, but even she was beaming all over her face. Only the Dursley-boy wore a sulky expression and muttered more than he sang.
Obviously, Potter had already wrapped all of them around his finger. For Hagrid, this was not surprising, the half-giant liked not only large monsters, but also small ones. And the fact that Dumbledore was behaving like proud grandfather – the old codger had extreme feelings of guilt that he had not been able to protect Potter better. But Minerva? The letters to the new students were sent out long ago, and the introduction of the muggleborns organized, so what was she doing here? Sure, since Dumbledore had taken his time to find a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, (and what had possessed him to hire that idiot Lockhart?), still the book lists had to be sent out, but that would have been done automatically by one of the house elves. Not for a moment did he believe that she had actually shifted her holiday because she wanted to 'finish neglected paperwork'. No, she had remained so that she could be present at the birthday celebration.
He, however, had only come back three days early because he needed his lab, and for no other reason! And he was only participating in this party because Potter had insisted on inviting every inhabitant of the castle! Even Filch, who otherwise always ate in his quarters, had appeared with his cat, along with the house elves who were strung modestly along the back wall, and a veritable sea of ghosts floating around the tables in the hall. In the large frame over the entrance to the hall, so many figures were crowded, that certainly every portrait in the castle was empty. Now that the birthday song had ended, one could hear softly hissed insults from the crowd. "Ouch, that was my foot!", "Don't jostle like that!", and "Quit taking all the room!" were the most innocuous statements. Frustrated, Peeves shouted his more imaginative comments into the great hall from the vestibule.
Dumbledore waved his hand and Peeves' shouts fell silent. Potter didn't even notice. He was too busy trying to blow out the candles on the beautiful cake.
"No wish for you!" announced Dursley triumphantly, when two of the candles were still shining after the first attempt.
"It doesn't matter," said Potter. "I have received more than enough gifts today."
Well, there really weren't that many gifts (thankfully) for once. Ghosts and portraits are unable to bring gifts, for obvious reasons, and the house elves had expressed their delight at the invitation by preparing a very special meal of the most expensive dishes, which surpassed even the annual Christmas dinner. He was almost tempted to invite the house elves on his birthday too. Not that he would ever have a party (an annoying waste of time that would be), but this sinfully expensive shiny silver mooncalf's cheese could even bring him to temptation.
Filch had just showed up empty handed, but Minerva, Hagrid, and he himself (after all, he did know what was proper), had each brought a gift. Together with the two packages contributed by Dumbledore, that made exactly five presents for Potter to unwrap now.
Amazingly, Potter did not immediately reach for the largest parcel on which Hagrid had written his name in clumsy letters or for the two excessively brightly wrapped packages from Dumbledore, but for the gift that Severus himself had brought to him. Well, surely he simply wanted to save the best for last. But at least he appeared appropriately happy about the elegant and practical small box for storing potion's ingredients that he had bought him.
Severus was extremely pleased with himself. He had no illusions over whether or not Potter would still respect his gift, after he unwrapped the remaining junk (the only other one Severus thought capable of a reasonably meaningful gift besides himself, was Minerva). But for the moment, Harry was grateful to him. And unlike that other nonsense, he would use his gift everyday!
Shortly thereafter, Severus realized that he had underestimated both Dumbledore and Minerva. Beneath one of the gaudy wrappings, there was a black Thermorobe. A more practical gift there couldn't be, because these robes always kept the temperature at a comfortable level, regardless of whether it was hot or cold. Minerva, however… Merlin, protect him from Quidditchmaniacs! It was bad enough that Harry had already spent half the summer on the Quidditch field. The boy had hardly ever sat on a broom, and these idiots let him fly unsupervised. And what did Minerva do? She gave him a book entitled "The Trickiest Seeker Maneuvers", so now he could learn more aerial stunts that were dangerous to perform! He already knew what she was up to, and Harry was not even in her house! At least not yet.
Bad enough that last year the house cup had gone to Ravenclaw, at least the Quidditch Cup would not be taken away from Slytherin, of that he was sure. Although… he looked at Harry speculatively… a new seeker might not be bad. Higgs was good, but he was not a natural talent like Harry.
What a thought! He certainly did not want to spend another six years babysitting the boy-who-lived. And for Harry, Slytherin would be a pure viper's nest. Many of the students there came from families who were connected with the Dark Lord. Even though this did not necessarily mean that they would do anything serious about Harry, they certainly would not welcome him with open arms. Even a muggleborn would have it easier there than Harry would.
In the meantime, he had been unwrapping the second package from Dumbledore, which this time contained the expected trinket. The gift was a music box in the form of an iridescent glass ball. In its interior, a phoenix floated over a volcano. If one tapped the ball on the top, lava poured forth over the mountain and the phoenix flew around it trilling an old magician's ballad.
Harry was completely enchanted by the sight and by the music. Severus found it difficult to resist the temptation to drum with his fingers on the table. As if he didn't have anything else to do, but to wait for the boy to unwrap his last gift. Finally, Potter broke loose and turned to the biggest package. Inside was a large bird's cage. Confused, Harry looked at Hagrid.
"This is only meant for travelin'. Yeh can take out the pole."
"But Hagrid, I don't have any pets."
"Yeh do now. Duchess is waitin' fer yeh in me hut."
"But… I thought that Duchess belonged to the school!"
"Hagrid asked to buy her from the school," explained Dumbledore. "I made him a good price."
Then came a nauseating scene full of hugs and stammered words of thanks. Severus noted that in the background the house elves had all disappeared and had taken the gifts with them. Only the music box continued to play on the table before him. The large painting was now almost empty. Filch had stolen out of the Great Hall directly after eating. And Severus seized the opportunity to do the same. In any case, now Potter would only be interested in the owl.
Someone else also left the Great Hall. Dudley had had enough. It was unbearable, all that fuss over the Freak! Even Myrtle had only had eyes for him. Just because he had convinced the ghost to keep their friendship secret, that was no call for her to be disloyal towards him. He had expected her to decline the invitation, but no, she had felt awfully flattered. For two days, she had blathered in his ears, about how nice it was that for once someone had thought of the ghosts.
In a fury, he reached the access point to the tower. The opening was covered by a large painting of a young woman who spent her time sitting in front of a dresser. Sometimes she sat there and tried on different bodices, all of which she took out of the drawer (so far as Dudley could remember, up until now she had a different one in her hand every time he saw her with one), but mostly she sat in front of the mirror combing her long black hair. Quickly Dudley looked around. Even though almost all of the castle inhabitants were in the Great Hall, the one he feared the most was outside cavorting around, and was certainly in a bad mood. Dudley had been successful in keeping out of Peeves way, but that did not mean he couldn't just suddenly appear. And for what he was about to do now, he wanted no witnesses.
Everything was quiet. Dudley took a deep breath, and then sang barely legible and as quietly as possible: "This image is enchantingly lovely," damn Dumbledore that he would chose such a stupid guard for their door! But this time, the portrait did not open. Instead, the woman turned around and said, "That's nice, but I look ghastly! In the crush, they completely tangled my hair!"
Naturally, another admirer of the great Harry Potter! He should have known.
"Come on, open the door already! I want in my room."
"Oh, how rude! I should let you stand out here, until you've learned some manners!"
"I said the password, so open the door already."
The Vain Woman threw her hair over her shoulder in a coquettish gesture and turned back to the mirror. "I didn't hear anything."
"This image is enchantingly lovely," Dudley almost yelled. "And now open the door before I get a knife and slash the canvas. Then we'll see how beautiful you still are!"
For a moment, the Vain Woman sat frozen then the portrait swung provocatively slowly aside. Dudley stomped angrily up the stairs. Had everything conspired against him? He stormed into his room and threw himself on the bed. But he couldn't stand it there long! When he had selected the wallpaper and fabrics for his room, only the most expensive ones were good enough for him. However, the most expensive ones were also garish and glitzy. The color combination hurt his eyes, but he was not willing to openly admit it, not after he had laughed at Harry for days because he had stayed modest. But if he was honest with himself, even Myrtles' dilapidated bathroom was a more agreeable place of residence than his own bedroom.
To escape the shrill colors, Dudley finally fled back into the sitting room and dropped down on the bench beneath the front windows. Lost in thought he stared straight ahead, looking closely at the door to Harry's room, which stood ajar. Through the gap, he could catch a glimpse of the grass green carpet, and wallpaper in the style of a meadow landscape. And he saw that on the desk, Harry's gifts were piled up (with the exception of the music box).
Who would give him presents? Who would give a party for him when he had his birthday next year? It was all so wrong! He should be the one who got everything, not the freak! Enraged, he rushed towards the room and opened the door with a vigorous kick. Satisfied, he heard the door slam with a loud bang against the wall, and hoped that it had damaged the wallpaper. Then he let his fury run wild.
Harry came back late to the tower. He had spent a lot of time with Duchess after dinner. The owl was just as pleased about her new owner as he was about his new pet. He could still hardly believe that this wonderful creature now belonged to him. Together, they had spent hours admiring his new music box, while he gently petted her. Then Hagrid decided to bring him back to the castle.
He greeted Albus, who was sitting in front of the fireplace reading a book, and then opened the door to him room. But what he saw surprised him so much, that he stopped and remained rooted to the spot in the doorway. Unbelievingly, he stared at the chaos before him. The entire floor was covered with scrapes of paper and empty book covers. The covers belonged to the books, which previously had been in the now empty shelves. Someone had completely torn up his bed and its matching canopy. Among the layers of down feathers on the ground were his clothes, in particular his new cloak, which was also torn to shreds. His trunk was undamaged, but that was probably only because of the various protective wards, which were synced only to him. Carefully, Harry put down the music box on his desk and knelt beside the shattered pieces of wood, which used to be Snape's gift.
"Harry? What is… oh my!" Albus had noticed that something was wrong, and he now stood in the room, equally incredulous. Harry affectionately put the pieces of wood beside the lovely music box, and then clenched his fists angrily. "It was that spiteful walrus!" he grumbled, "but he will not get away with it!" He prepared to go off and attack Dudley's room, but Albus held him back.
"No Harry! I know you're angry, but let me settle this. He will not escape unpunished, I promise you."
It was not easy to calm Harry. Only after Albus had called the house elves and his room was put well in order, was the boy fairly responsive again. He held the newly mended box in his hand. Albus found it difficult to explain to the boy that it was now unsuitable for storing potions ingredients, for the magic that had been used to repair it was now part of the wood, and would ruin any ingredients.
Then he had to convince Harry to leave the punishment of the culprit to him. There was little doubt as to who culprit was, but Albus wanted to first give him the opportunity to defend himself.
"It must have been Peeves!" Dudley claimed five minutes later. "He was pissed because he couldn't attend the party."
Albus shook his head. "Peeves cannot penetrate this tower. Understandably, I cannot allow him access to rage through my office and destroy my valuable instruments. The only ones who may enter this tower are we three, and the house elves."
"It certainly wasn't me!" claimed Dudley. "Maybe a house elf flipped out."
"This has been done by human hands," explained Albus patiently. "I know that it was not I. And I know that Harry, even if he had a reason to destroy his own gifts, did not as he returned late to the tower. Denying it will not help you, Mr. Dursley, and the truth could lessen the punishment."
The boy crossed his arms in front of him and stared defiantly at Albus.
"I have done nothing!" he insisted.
Albus suppressed a sigh. He did not need Legilimens to know that Dudley was lying. Particularly as it had not escaped his notice that from underneath Dudley's shoe a down feather peeped out, which was probably stuck to the sole. This would be so much easier if the boy would show some remorse. Now he would have to be stern, or Dudley would lose all respect for him. And he had to make the boy really think about what he had done.
"You will apologize to Harry. At the beginning of the school year, I would have allowed you pocket money, but now you will not receive any until Christmas, as reparation for the damage that you've done. And you will write an essay in which you will explain to me why we should respect the property of others."
"Sure I will … not!"
"Well, as long as I do not have the essay in my hands, you will not leave this room. The house arrest will continue until you have delivered a satisfactory work to me."
Albus left the loudly protesting Dudley alone, and went back to Harry to inform him of his cousin's punishment. Harry was satisfied, but his behavior made it clear that he would not forgive Dudley so quickly. And who could blame him.
Albus could well understand Harry's feelings. He too was once robbed of a gift that he very much appreciated. After his father had ended up in Azkaban, his mother had to be very thrifty with the family fortune. That is why on his eleventh birthday, she had given him his great-grandfather's chessboard. With its carved ivory figures, it was actually much too expensive a gift for a child, but she wanted to give him something special for his eleventh birthday. She also thought that having his own chessboard would be a good way for him to make friends at Hogwarts.
Albus never found out if such an unusual chessboard would have brought him more friends or even envy, because he had used it only once. On his birthday, his mother had taken the time and played against him for hours, until he had fallen asleep in his armchair. She put him to bed, but forgot about the chessboard in the living room. One day later, Ariana had one of her attacks, and the precious gift had fallen victim to her magic.
Albus still had the White Queen (the only figure that had survived the destruction) as a reminder. He remembered exactly how difficult it had been for him to forgive Ariana, and she had not acted with bad intentions. Would Harry be able to forgive Dudley, knowing full well that his actions were nothing but a despicable work of revenge?
"…and when we enter Gringotts, remember to behave as respectfully as possible. That Grundrok, the Filthy Rich, will speak to us personally is a great honor. If you address him, then use his nickname. Such epithets are awarded to goblins only for special services. To ignore it would be to degrade his achievement. Otherwise, keep to the wizard's rules of politeness. And do not by any means, use goblin specific phrases. To them, we are the inferior beings. They see it as arrogance if we behave like them."
Harry nodded gravely. He could barely believe it. He was on an excursion with Albus, all alone! Dudley was still sulking in his room, refusing to write the essay, so he could not come along. For the first time in his life, Harry was not the one who had to stay behind, and although he had some sympathy for Dudley, he still felt a certain measure of satisfaction.
The long lecture, which Albus was giving him, could not cloud his joy. On the contrary, his anticipation only increased. Financial transactions sounded a lot more interesting if they were done in a bank guarded by goblins. And the fact that he should avoid revealing his identity, made things even more exciting. It was like something out of a spy story.
From the beginning, the trip was as thrilling for Harry as it was scary. The scariest thing of all was the idea of traveling by Floo powder, as it had always made him afraid. And no wonder, after all the horror stories that Midas had told him about it. But Albus explained to him calmly what he had to do, and he landed safely in the "floo-in" at the Leaky Cauldron.
Also frightening were the many wizards (and other figures) where were crowded into the small pub. Harry had never before had to move through such a dense crowd. He feared being crushed at any moment, but Albus steered then both quickly and unobtrusively through the crowd, and led him through the back courtyard and the secret entrance into Diagon Alley.
Harry quickly came to appreciate the general activity that surrounded him. The wizards around him were so preoccupied with themselves, that they didn't notice him at all. Harry wore his hair combed over his forehead, so that it covered his scar. And because of his glasses, his eye color was less conspicuous, so that he was just one of many little boys with tousled hair. This style seemed to be in vogue, because almost every boy he met had hair that stood out wildly from his head. But not that many children were around. When he expressed surprise at it, Albus explained to him that the book lists wouldn't be sent out until the following day, so the annual onslaught of Hogwarts students had not yet begun.
Albus himself naturally attracted attention. There was hardly a wizard who did not greet him, however nobody paid attention to the small boy beside him. But Harry wasn't bothered by it any longer. He enjoyed being able to look around in peace and quiet, and to soak in the diverse impressions that showered him from all sides. It took less than five minutes, before he had already left Albus' side. He was stuck for an eternity to the shop window of Quality Quidditch Supplies admiring the display, while Albus was talking with an excited looking wizard with a purple hat. Harry wasn't the only onlooker who possessed a keen interest in the Nimbus 2001 (after all, he already owned one), but he enjoyed the feeling of doing exactly the same as all the other children. He enjoyed it so much that he didn't notice that Albus had finished his conversation and was patiently waiting for him. Slightly embarrassed, he returned to his side, but only until he discovered a shop selling sweets.
It was only when they reached the impressive staircase of Gringotts that Harry searched for the protective proximity of his adult companion again. He had already read about goblins ("The History of Magic" was finally good for something!), but reading about something and seeing it was two different things.
But as it turned out, financial transactions in goblin's banks were also rather boring. Grundrok, the Filthy Rich, was a small goblin with grayish, wrinkled skin, who spoke extremely quietly. Harry was presented with dozens of papers that he had to sign, with respect to his holdings, but the contents of them meant nothing to him. They informed him about the fact that the assets of his 'dishonorable kin' had been transferred to a new maximum-security vault. The goblins had no doubt that the money would be awarded to him at the completion of the hearings, but in any case, he would only gain access when he was of age. Nevertheless, the end of their visit became exciting when Harry was allowed to ride the roller coaster to visit the vault, which had been left to him by his parents.
"The gold that your parents left you was intended for your education," explained Albus. "I trust that you will handle it responsibly." Harry nodded gravely. He wouldn't squander the gold in any event, for who knew what would happen in the future? At the moment, it looked as if Albus would care for his well-being for the next few years, but even if he did not plan to cheat Harry as Midas had done, a lot could happen in six years. It was better to be prepared for anything.
Harry left Gringotts with pockets full of gold, but it was a long time until he could spend some of it. Albus insisted on paying for him, both in the Apothecary and in Flourish and Blotts. It was his duty as a guardian. Then they strolled through the shops, and Harry bought some owl biscuits for Duchess and a new quill, which was very comfortable to hold.
The visit to Madam Malkin was one long nightmare. The busy owner mistook him for a first year, and even commented that he was 'still very slim for eleven years old'. Harry glared at her.
"I'm not…"
"Do you have this robe in purple?" Albus interrupted her. Distracted Madam Malkin looked around.
"No, but in canary blue."
Harry took a deep breath. He had nearly given himself away. Fortunately, Madam Malkin chose not to comment on his size again. Nevertheless, he was glad when they left her shop, (thankfully without buying the canary blue robe).
Then Albus bought two cones of ice cream at Florean Fortescue's (extra sour lemon and peppermint for Albus, and Pistachio* and Lime for Harry) and then they strolled along companionably while they licked. For quite a while they stood outside the shop of a clockmaker** while Albus explained to him what all the various devices were in the shop window. Harry particularly admired a clock that indicated the lunar cycles.
If Harry had wanted, he could have spent the gold in his pockets three times over. Just the beautiful desk alone, which he discovered in a furniture store, could have easily have emptied his pockets. But he reminded himself to always make sure that the gold was for his education and not for furniture, toys, or novelties. However, he did buy some sweets for himself, and in a small store called Odd Books he was weak and bought a copy of "The Neverending Story". The book was a real bargain, and after he paid, he asked the salesclerk why it was so cheap.
"Because it is completely useless! Such a promising cover, but what's inside? No charms or historical documents, instead just a tangled story by and author whom no one knows. Michael Ende… what a strange name. Perhaps a code name. The scribbling sounds very much like the wild fantasies of a centaur."***
Harry suppressed a grin, and Albus looked very amused, but neither of them cleared it up for the salesclerk. In high spirits, they left the shop.
It could have been the perfect day. However, Harry should have known that it was just too perfect, when nothing had gone wrong yet. Misfortune finally befell him when they were leaving Wendelin Weavings. Albus had bought material for a new canopy… a very special fabric. It was printed with stars that moved across the black surface like real stars. If you touched Venus, it even showed their names and statistics. And if you pressed the North Star, the signs of the zodiac were displayed. Harry could barely wait to like in bed and look at this special night sky. He literally hopped out of the store out of sheer excitement … and crashed into an elderly witch with a bulbous nose.
"Be careful my boy! Always watch were you're going, or you will break your … I cannot believe it! Harry Potter!" The last two words she spoke so loudly that several of the bystanders became attentive. Before Harry could even think to react, she had already seized his hand. "Doris Crockford, Mr. Potter. I simply can't believe that I'm meeting you in person." She wanted to say more, but she was pushed aside by a bald wizard, who also eagerly shook his hand and said something. Harry had no idea what, because now wizards were crowding in on him from all sides. Some asked questions, other wanted to introduce themselves and many, far too many, tried to touch him. Harry tried to defend himself, but there were simply too many. He was pushed from one side to the other, and eventually lost his balance.
No! He must not fall! If he fell now, he would certainly be trampled. Desperately he tried to find a way to stop, when suddenly two hands grabbed him around the waist and lifted him up. Harry hit back hard, namely right to the place on the body where he suspected it would hurt the most. A cry of pain confirmed to him that he had connected at least somewhat however, the person's grasp on him did not loosen. Harry kept on struggling, until he recognized the snow-white hair in front of his face. Then he pressed his body to Albus' shoulder and hid his face in his flowing beard.
"Calm yourselves!" roared Albus with a thundering voice that made Harry wince. For about a quarter of a second, it was really quiet, but then the wizards pushed forward again. The news that Harry Potter was present had spread like wildfire through Diagon Alley. And like many fires, the enthusiasm of the wizards could not be contained, not even by the impressive presence of Albus Dumbledore.
"I need to get out of here!" shouted Harry, looking around unsuccessfully for a way out.
"Hold on tight!" Albus instructed him. The next thing Harry knew everything went dark, and he felt all sides pressing violently against him; he could not breath, iron bands squeezed around his chest, his eyeballs were driven into his head; his eardrums were forced into his skull and then – they landed safely at the gates of Hogwarts.****
*In the German version I choose woodruff as a flavour, but since then I learned that woodruff flavoured food is a typical German thing, so this got changed in the translation.
**A watchmaker can fix much more than just watches. All types of instruments fall within his field of work. Moreover, watchmakers understand a lot about micro-mechanics. Historically watchmakers were highly honored professionals and pioneers in mechanics. In my mind, all mechanical devices in the wizarding world (from the Lunascope to Albus' complex instruments) are produced by watchmakers. They are, so to speak (in addition the people who make the magic wands), the crème de la crème of craftsmen.
***Odd Books is of course only an invention of mine. It is a store that sells obscure books… but usually not muggle books. However, there were some printed versions of 'The Neverending Story' (If you have only seen the movie: be sure to read the book. The first movie was very well done, but couldn't do the book justice, just as the film versions of Harry Potter didn't either), that looked liked the book in the film (leather-bound with the Auryn symbol on the cover). I am not sure whether the version was also printed in English, but in my imagination, that was the case. Somehow, the book ended up in the estate of a wizard, and because of its 'magical' appearance, no one questioned if it might be a muggle book. But since the author was unknown, and the contents meant nothing to the dealers, the volume finally landed at Odd Books.
****I took the description about apparating almost verbatim from the Half-Blood Prince. You might ask yourselves, why didn't Albus apparate already on the way there. I am assuming that it is forbidden to apparate into Diagon Alley, because the risk is too great that two wizards might materialize at the same time, in the same place. However, leaving Diagon Alley in this manner would not be a problem.
IMPORTANT: I recently noticed that someone named wimvicken is offering "Harry Potter recommends" at his forum as HTML. It is my believe that the stories I upload here may be shared whereever people want, since I consider them a present to the public. But it is also my believe, that one should polite about it. I.e it would have been polite to ask me for permission. Then I could have explained that although "Harry Potter recommends" is listed as "complete" here, it is still a WIP for me, since there are still some small things I have to correct as soon as I have the time (like changing "Flummi" to "Bouncy Ball"). Please consider this should you decide to download this.