IamPseuIamPseuIamPseuIamPseuIamPseuIamPseuIamPseu

Adventures in Magick

Summary: What if the first friend Harry made in the magical world was a goblin? Curious!Harry.

Characters: Harry Potter, Goblins

Warnings: Harry's curiosity, and luck, is somewhat awe inspiring.

AN: I'm not going to lie. I've been waiting for this chapter. It affects several things later on and introduces some of my favorite characters. How many do you recognize?

ANx2: As always, I welcome thoughts, questions, guesses, theories and limericks. In whichever order of importance you feel inclined to give.

ANx3: If you recognize it from somewhere else it isn't mine. Interestingly enough this site is called Fan-fiction. That means what is submitted here is fanfiction. I make references to tv shows and literary works and songs and a number of other things. I do not claim to own any of it. Feel free to Google these things and learn more about them. It's all awesome.

ANx4: This chapter is edited as of [2016.10.03]

Ever Yours, Pseu [The clever, magnificent and ridiculously good looking]

"They say no land remains to be discovered

No continent left unexplored

But there is a whole world out there waiting, waiting for me

I want to do things

I want to walk the rain-soaked streets of London and drink mint tea in Casablanca

I want to wander the wastelands of the Gobi desert and see a yak

I think my life's ambition is to see a yak.

I want to bargain for trinkets in an Arab market in some distant, dusty land

But most of all

I want to do things that will mean something."

-A Map of the Known World

Chapter Four

The walls opened long enough for Harry to glimpse small bronze globes, perhaps a foot and one-half in diameter, begin spinning.

They gave a series of loud pops and unwound to reveal mechanical spiders. They were really very cute, to Harry at least, with their little menacing clicks and hisses of steam. Had anyone ever heard of something so intricate made from bronze? They moved so lightly! How did they work? Were they steam powered? Access Stones? His mind positively buzzed with the ideas in it. He must know! He must unwind every screw, every bolt, examine every part. It was fascinating. Who made them? Why? Did they have a function beyond imitating life? Were they sentient? Could they be controlled somehow with a remote or did they follow verbal commands? Perhaps pre-installed commands? How did they activate? As they began the scuttle across the large newly revealed hall toward a cooing and questioning Harry, the goblin and the dwarf shook themselves out of their shocked trances. His goblin guard thrust himself between Harry and the metal arachnids.

The dwarf had Harry by the shoulders, dragging him to the wall with a sharp order to "Put it right!"

Disappointed Harry reactivated the lever, speaking the same password as before. It worked.

The wall slammed shut.

The return trip to the upper floors was spent in a power pout by the little dark haired boy. Finally, after Harry's third dramatic sigh, Ralaph snapped. "What is wrong with you boy?"

Harry turned his head slightly to see the dwarf from his peripheral vision. "I wanted one."

Ralaph stopped. "You jest. Those things were dangerous, lad." He said slowly, his tone suggesting Harry might not be as bright as he'd been led to believe.

"They were adorable," Harry argued, "I couldn't wait to rip them apart and see how they worked..." he trailed off, imagining it dreamily. Thus he missed the disturbed look the dwarf shot at the goblin. The guard, being a goblin, had a sharp smile for a response. Ralaph bemoaned the woes of being the only sane sentient creature present. The goblin wasn't offended in the slightest.

They stopped and turned to the right. Down this hall it was nearly all stone, slick and uncarved. He could hear voices reverberating from somewhere nearby. Puzzled, for he was certain they weren't at the main level yet Harry turned to his goblin. "Where are we now?"

"I thought we'd drop by your trust before returning to the surface proper. Your giant isn't known for his love of the carts and two rides in a day, what with the other shocks he's had, might be more than even a heart his size can manage." Said his guard.

As always the most useful of his new friends. He answered questions with information that only provided more questions. Both fun and frustrating. Fortunately, Harry's next volley of questions was stymied by the appearance of the previously mentioned carts situated on rails. The subsequent ride cleared most of the goblin's speech right up. Harry enjoyed the ride himself. Harry raised his hands over his head shrieking. He urged the driver, a smaller goblin whose named tag read Griphook, to go even faster. With a sidelong glance at the eager young wizard, the small goblin gave a viscous smile and a nod. They cart shot forward. The force of it sending Harry backward into his seat with a hard thump. Behind him, he heard snippets of the dwarf cursing. Perhaps he wasn't a fan of speed?

They reached their destination and a rather wobbly Harry departed the cart with a loopy expression. The goblins exchanged amused grins behind his back. Just ahead in the noticeably colder environment lay a door in the wall with no lock. Or none that could be seen. Considering he'd needed a key, to begin with Harry wondered if he'd need to solve another riddle in order to get in. Or slay a dragon. Or go on a quest. Or-

"You must submit a sacrifice of blood to verify your relation and activate your identity for the other vaults. If you only wish to enter this vault at this time it is not necessary however I would highly recommend it. You need to be brought up to speed as quickly as possible considering your accounts." Advised Griphook.

With a shrug, Harry took the offered knife, slashed his palm and smeared it across the door. As it opened, which Harry assumed meant his offering was accepted, Harry looked back over his shoulder and tossed the knife back to Griphook. The small goblin barely caught it in time, busy staring at the young wizard. Ralaph snorted.

"It only gets worse." He said.

Harry would have been indignant, as he was unaware of any behavior he may have shown that warranted such a comment, but he was far too bust staring at the piles of gold, bronze, and silver filling the space before him. With reckless abandon, Harry leaped forward and attempted snow angels in the piles of valuable metal coins. His companions watched in silence the young wizard, the wizard who defeated the dark lord, the wizard who activated goblin prophecy, skitter through the piles of coin like a cat high on nip. The lad jumped and leaped and dug through the coins. Twenty minutes later and partially through erecting a fort with the aid of Ralaph, Griphook cleared his throat and announced they'd best return to the surface. Ralaph promised they'd continue the fort when the boy next returned to Gringotts.

The ride back was even faster and more perilous than it's predecessor much to Harry's delight. Ralaph was more enthusiastic about vacating the cart once in stopped. Harry thought the dwarf must be excited to view the upper level. Perhaps he didn't get there often. Poor thing.

"Now young mage, I think it's best we find your giant." Said his guard.

Harry sighed but nodded his assent. The adventure was grand while it lasted.

"I will have a personal messenger bird appointed for you master Potter." Said Griphook, who it turns out was, in fact, his vault guard and assistant account manager. "We will keep in touch. Feel free to use it to contact whomever you wish, it will be yours. I do advise you use it foremost to keep in contact with myself. We have much to discuss."

"In fact," The guard said, "I should like to have you come back tomorrow. I think there are many things you should know before you begin at Hogwarts and officially enter the wizarding world."

Harry looked between his new friends. His beginning excitement at the prospect of more secrets faded at the looks on their faces. They had things to tell him he wouldn't like. He could tell. He'd seen that look before. Of course, it was usually joined with delight but he recognized it all the same. His heart twisted at the revelation. He didn't want anything to dampen his new world, this adventure. Even in the books, though, there were sad things. As the Alchema said to the Luck Gambler when he lost his powers and was made temporarily mortal, "We must acknowledge and accept the darker pieces of ourselves and our lives, and the obstacles that come with them if we are ever to overcome them."

His new friends blinked.

"Well said." Whispered his goblin guard. The other two nodded.

In the main hall of the bank, Hagrid paced. Upon seeing his charge returned the giant of a man swept Harry into his arms and hugged him, attempting to squeeze the life out of him in retribution Harry suspected, then planted him on his feet. "I'm so glad yer alright 'Arry. I didn't know where they'd taken yeh. Never run off like that again, scared me half to me grave yeh did." The giant chastised.

Harry felt immediately horrid. Here he was off having fun and the giant had worried for him. He'd never had someone to worry about him before. His aunt would have been delighted to have lost Harry. It, really, may have been selfish of him to run off like that. Hagrid did bring him here after all. He shouldn't have let himself get so caught up. Yes, this was a new adventure but, maybe, these sort of adventures were better left...to people...better than him.

"Gee I'm sorry Hagrid," Harry said, looking down at his shoes. He missed the disapproving glares the giant received on his behalf.

Harry followed the giant dutifully with a quick wave to the goblins and dwarf he was leaving behind. Once outside Hagrid leads him to the side of the alley. Just beyond Harry could make out a store with a rather blond family trio leaving with many bags. He didn't feel the anxiety he would once have felt at the sight. He had quite a lot of money of his own now. This reminded him of his adventure and Hagrid's worry. Guilt stung at his heart. Harry didn't think he was being a very good friend if the man's reaction was anything to measure it by. He'd never been a friend to someone before. He wouldn't tell the giant that, though. He would just have to try harder.

"'Arry?"

He jumped and looked up. "Yes, Hagrid?"

"I asked if you wanted to get robes next?"

Harry examined the still nervous giant before. "Why don't you have a rest?" He suggested gently.

To his relieve the large man smiled. "I think I would like tha'. Mighty nice of yeh Harry, won't take long. I think just a short sit down will do me." With that, the giant walked back toward the Leaky Cauldron, or Harry assumed. He was going back the way that had come anyway.

Harry turned and looked around the alley, suddenly intimidated. He was a stranger to this world. Regardless of his foreknowledge from his books, or his apparent ancestry, Harry was new. And intruder almost. With a sense of resolution, Harry darted toward the first bookstore he spied. He would learn everything he could about this new world. Things not in his books. Where id the Dwarfs live? Where were the Goblins underground? How did those spiders function? Could he make one? Was sort of magic was that? How did wards work? The goblin guard had said he wouldn't learn that at Hogwarts. Harry turned in a circle, staring at the books he found. They seemed mostly school oriented, which while useful weren't quite what he was looking for.

Spying the clerk Harry stepped up to the counter, rose to the tips of his toes and cleared his throat.

"How can I help you?" Asked the man, wizard, behind it. Or perhaps not? He had tawny hair and amber eyes, his teeth just sharp enough to be abnormal. He had a lovely smile though Harry admitted. Best of all, it was another secret for Harry to figure out.

"I was wondering," Harry began, he paused, how to word it? "I am more than happy with the product you provide however I have found it does not meet the requirements of my current interests. Do you think you might direct me to a store with...a wider selection?"

Rather than be offended the man laughed. He murmured something under his breath that sounded like 'Not Gryffindor then'. Harry made a mental note to look that up as well. In short order Harry had a map of the alleys, for the were many, in his hands. He'd never seen such a map. At first glance, it showed only the inside of the store he was in. Of course, it also showed everyone in it as well as the subject of every bookcase.

"Wicked." He breathed. The things he could do with this!

The clerk smiled knowingly. "Add a few drops of your blood just there," he pointed to the small square in the corner. "and it will activate for you alone unless you add in alternative requirements later on. It'll show details of every location you go to if it's been added. You can always add more later on. If you press on it lightly and drag your finger just so it'll take the view further out and you'll be able to see more around you. Drag it the other way and you'll see more details where you are." He demonstrated. "I'd be careful with the bit about the blood magic. There are some people who don't like it."

Thrilled Harry added his blood to the map.

"Don't forget to give it a password of some sort." Added the clerk.

"How much?" Harry asked. It had to be a lot.

The possibly inhuman clerk waved him off "Free. Something tells me...you'll make good use of it. Come back and visit when you get the chance."

With a grateful smile flashed at the clerk and a nod, Harry was out the door and in the main alley. It took a minute to learn just how to balance looking at the map while navigating the streets and avoiding running into the many people wandering the street. He managed. Soon enough he found the new store just off in a side alley. It was a quieter alley, its occupants' attire matching with muted hues. Harry's faded hand me down jeans and gray jumper fit in here far more than the main alley. He still stuck out just a bit, it was muggle clothing, but the inhabitants seemed content to let it slide. In fact, none of them seemed even remotely interested in what anyone else was doing. Harry approved on one hand. It was good to pay mind to yourself and let others do what they were doing without interfering. That did not keep him from staring at the lot of them from the corners of the eyes as much as he dared.

Curiosity may have killed the cat but when you found yourself in a world of magic there was every chance you might be able to circumvent that. And anyway satisfaction brought it back didn't it? So it was only right Harry looked as much as he liked and got all the answers he desired. They wouldn't want to encourage the death of a child, would they?

Smiling to himself Harry skipped into the new store. It was shabby on the outside, completely uninteresting. On the inside, however...

Harry's eyes widened until they might have popped out of his head. This. This was perfect. Triangular, for whatever reason, with an impossibly large area. He saw rows and rows of twenty feet high bookcases. The smell. The feeling. There was nothing like books! With a squeal, Harry bounded through the aisles grabbing every tome that caught his interest. Transfiguration; the art of turning on thing into another. Transmutation and Alchemy; the basics. Ancient Magicks, Lore, Theory, Runes, Magical Languages. He was in heaven. That's all there was to it. He'd died and gone to bookworm heaven.

Harry dropped his newest collection at the table he'd claimed for himself and started back for more. Hagrid mentioned something about a trunk so he'd have room for all of these. Right? Pushing that aside as unimportant -they had magic surely there was a solution!- Harry spied a tome on the top most shelf. Spell Creation: The Magical Inventor's Handbook. He needed it. Had to have it. He was going to prove to everyone he belonged here. He was going to earn his place. He'd show his aunt he wasn't worthless. He knew his parents had been, he was told all the time. Well, he would show his family that magic was good. That magic could do great things. He would do great things. He would be more than they expected. He could this. Maybe then, maybe they'd finally... He let his thoughts trail off, swallowing hard.

Determinedly Harry began climbing up the shelves. He ignored the books falling beneath him and just how high he was. Reaching the top Harry's hand shot out and grabbed the book. "Gotcha!" He exclaimed just in time to realize he'd let go of the bookcase. With a squeak, Harry descended far quicker than he'd ascended. Just before Harry was fairly certain he'd fall and crack his skull open a pair of arms came out of nowhere to surround the small wizard and prevent injury. His breaths left his chest violently. "That was so exciting!" Harry shouted, blood pumping with adrenaline.

"Think he may have bumped his head?" Inquired a voice. Harry tilted his head up to see an upside down face with blue-green eyes and freckles.

"Sounds like it doesn't it?" Said a voice to his left. Harry glanced up and stared. It was the exact same face only this time right side up. Confused Harry's emerald orbs bounced back and forth at the mirror images. Same red hair, same eyes, same freckles.

"Perhaps I did hit my head," Harry said finally.

Notes:

How many characters did you spot?

Thoughts? Guesses? Questions? Theories? Limericks?

-Pseu

Post. Script. As always I have no beta, thus any and all mistakes are entirely my own. Apologies.

-Ever Yours. Pseu

Pseudonymous Entity

2016