AN: A quote from J.K Rowling's Harry Potter books is in this one, and probably will be peppered throughout the rest of the fic.
One of the few hold overs from the Dursleys showed itself the day after Scruffy's birthday as he woke bright and early at 6AM. He quickly made himself some breakfast, throwing down a pill a bowl of beans, potatoes, sausages, mushrooms onions and bits of fried tomatoes with fried bread on the side, an English breakfast in a bowl as Rosie called it, along with a glass of milk, figuring on needing the energy for a full day in Diagon Alley getting his supplies.
Scruffy wished that he could just take the books from the Sub Rosa library, having no desire to have his own copy of books he'd long surpassed- there were better reference books, not least of which included his book of shadows.
He was just complementing simply not getting them and seeing what happened when the sound of a cannon going off sounded over and over.
The front door as heavily warded as it was didn't break down, but it felt like a near thing as Scruffy stood crouching with his wand in hand, table over turned in an instant, a pang of remorse for his lost breakfast, it was the floor's breakfast now.
Rosie, the spiked haired punkette and Frankie the overgrown poodle ran down the stairs, evidently the rest of the Sub Rosa were at other Way Points or even the near mythical "home", or simply out, and Rudolf the Vampire was probably dead to the world.
Rosie flung open the door even as Frankie had a wand trained on the door way- just opening the door wouldn't be enough to stop the wards working but it was better taking chances, Scruffy thought, even as he prepared a disarming charm in his left hand, having gotten his first platinum star for his first wandless spell, even as he prepared to stun with his wand.
It wasn't needed. The giant man looked confused for a moment knocking on empty air, before saying "Ello! And you mus' be Arry'. Ya look just like your da' with your Mum's eyes."
"You knew them?" Trying to withhold his annoyance with being called not even Harry but some mangled version of it Scruffy couldn't help but ask.
"Aye, 'aven't seen you since you 'ere a babe, carried you out of the wreck meself, tragic what 'appened"
"Er, and who in Merlin are you?" An annoyed Scruffy said, he just lost his breakfast to this man, for it appeared, nothing.
"I'm Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at 'Ogwarts. You know all about Hogwarts?" Hagrid asked.
"I do... Why are you here though?"
"I'm ere to take you shoppin' for yer supplies o' course."
Scruffy frowned, why would they send someone? He didn't need any help, he'd been to Diagon Alley on his own more than a few times and hated being treated like a toddler, more over if he needed help he could ask someone. His frown deepened transforming into a scowl as he worked what the man, Hagrid, had said before, and further why they'd think he'd need someone "You... You or someone from Hogwarts were the ones that left me at the Dursley's..." It made sense- the most logical thing to assume was that he had been left with witches and wizards, not muggles of all people, no matter the relation.
"I took ya there, Dumbledore said it was safest-" Dumbledore of all people was the one that sentenced him to hell was astounding and horrifying, what had he signed up for? As soon as the man said he had been safe at the Dursleys he lost it.
"Safest? Safest! If that was safe, I'd hate to think what that senile old fool thinks is dangerous!" Scruffy sneered, the temptation to curse the giant man increasing every second.
"NEVER -" he thundered "- INSULT -ALBUS -DUMBLEDORE - IN - FRONT - OF - ME!" taking a step with each word, struggling through the wards, brandishing a pink umbrella as if it were a sword. Scruffy quickly disarmed the monster of a man with a thrust of a hand, the wards sending it flying. The stunning spell that followed distracted Hagrid for a second if nothing else. Hagrid already had seemed rather pole axed at the wandless magic, so it was enough. The wards snapped back, pushing Hagrid out even as he tried to keep his footing before struggling against the door frame, when Rosie finally got her wits about her. The massive magical push from Rosie nearly sent him flying aided by the wards finally pushing him all the way out, another spell from Scruffy slamming the door in his face.
"E'll, that was one hell of a wakeup call, save some for me next time, eh?" Frankie snorted "Overreacting a bit if you ask me..."
Despite the situation Scruffy couldn't help but laugh as Frankie was once again turned into a donkey.
"Are you okay... You.. it must have been bad huh?" Rosie asked pulling Scruffy into a hug, he didn't need it, he was shaking from the adrenalin crash and... They had put too many onions in his English breakfast stew, that was all.
After trying for breakfast again, it went much better this time, with no interruptions, and it was only a couple hours later that Luna came through The Way and they started walking.
It was nearly two blocks away that Scruffy deemed it safe enough to, after looking for muggles and finding none putting his wand up, a Lumos lighting the tip.
With a bang a massive double decker bus stopped on a dime in front of them. Scruffy grimaced, but it was the safest way, everyone knew the Ministry logged Floo travel- there was a reason The Way existed and not just because there were wards that could be put up to stop it.
"Welcome to the Knightbus transport- Ey it's Scruffy! Wake up Ern, Scruffy's here and
'e has a girlfriend!" the shrunken head yelled from it's place tied on the rear view mirror, the old man managing to wake up and peer towards them with a squint.
"Been ages, would have thought ya didn't like the ride." Ernest wheezed out.
"Swore never to return, he did, after that poor gal spilled her hot chocolate on is, lap mon'" the shrunken head said.
Scruffy grimaced at the memory, but tried grinning through it. "It's certainly a bit much, but it's not everyday I have to go to Diagon Alley." At this his grin went away- "What is it Scruffy?"
"S'nothing, just had a bad morning, so two to Diagon, please" He was hardly going to say that the idea of shopping with a girl filled him with an instinctive dread, not in front of her at least.
"Right- right, and off we go!"
The bus shot forward like a bullet with a bang, and Scruffy was forced to pay while prone on a bed trying for dear life to hold on to a rail, even as a Luna shot past on her cot yelling "Whee!", the crash sounded rather like it had hurt.
A quick glance in the window of a shop assured Scruffy his make-up on his scar was holding, and they quickly moved through the dusty disgusting Leaky Cauldron, before Scruffy exchanged some muggle money for wizarding by the surly goblins before going down to Luna's trust vault- not that she needed it but Scruffy loved the cart rides far more than the Knight Bus and Daddy told her relationships were all about compromise.
Scruffy reluctantly trailed behind Luna on the dubious pleasure that is shopping with a girl, who flitted and fluttered shop to shop, aisle to aisle like a crack-head digging through the couch cushions for change.
Scruffy hadn't liked the look or idea of a trunk left vulnerable all day- and thinking about it, Luna had a bad feeling about the same, so Scruffy took advantage of having to spend part of his savings anyway to finally purchase himself a bottomless bag, Luna picked one in pink after being told that no, they don't have any made out of Snorlax hide.
Scruffy was torn between amusement and confusion, never entirely sure which of Luna's creatures the girl even believed in, and which ones she just made up to confuse people. A year ago he had to add the category of which were real, after the time she explained about the duck-billed-platypus she had seen and had managed proof in moving wizarding pictures when he didn't believe her.
Scruffy reluctantly trailed behind Luna into the robe shop, which was half occupied by a blond boy, with only one seamstress available Scruffy offered Luna to go first but she shook her head. "I want to look at the fabrics, go ahead" Scruffy couldn't help but sigh, having already known this stop was going to be one of the longest and worst. Luna may have been pretty cool for a girl, but she was still a girl.
"Hogwarts too?" A pointy nosed boy with platinum hair slicked back asked, even as the seamstresses measured them.
"Sadly, yes." Even with finding out at least Hagrid had helped place him at the Dursleys, his reasons going hadn't changed.
Surprisingly the boy chuckled despite having asked "I was hoping for Durmstrang myself but Mother refused to have me so far away."
Scruffy hummed at that, Durmstrang probably would have been better than a place with people that condemned him to- no, don't think of it, Scruffy thought.
"Your parents were the right kind- like us, right?"
Ah, the other boot drops, Scruffy thought, before getting an idea. The snob looks almost like an albino, and Scruffy knew his hair fit his namesake even more, it was a Scruffy mess, the added length had not in fact helped tame it...
Hiding a smirk, Scruffy nodding, agreeing "Yes, they were a vampire and a werewolf, if that's what you mean."
"No I mean... Werewolf! Where?" The blonde boy looked about as if one could be hiding in a corner waiting to pounce.
"Calm down, I know things have been tense between us and vampires but I promise I won't bite if you don't. Bloody vampires, so high strung..." Scruffy shook his head.
"You..." Malfoy seemed ready to bolt while the two seamstresses were trying rather unsuccessfully to fully hide their giggles. "Hey! I'm not a vampire!"
"Oh. Are you sure?" Scruffy asked skeptically, peering at him.
"Yes I'm sure you flea-ridden mutt! Ow!" The seamstress attending him had accidentally impaled the pale boy with a needle in the process of trying not to choke or laugh.
"You incompetent- though why I should be surprised with your sub-par skills when you let in riff-raft like this beast-" he waved at me "in here it's no wonder! I knew I should have gone to Twilfitt and Tatting's!" The boy stormed off, pins still in his robes, a seamstress rushing after him to retrieve them.
"Sorry about that, but he rubbed me the wrong way... So about these robes, any chance I can get some additions? A pocket or a dozen wouldn't go amiss..." "Twelve?" the Seamstress asked, surprised.
"You're right, better make it an even two-dozen pockets, can never have enough pockets, inside the sleeves, on the inside here and here-" His custom work probably covered the costs of whatever the albino would have spent, which made him feel better but in truth half of muggle magic was preparation like this.
"Aren't you getting the books for er second ... fifth year?" The shopkeeper asked trying to place Scruffy's age, looking through the stack of books Scruffy had chosen and back at Scruffy in confusion, Luna having gone before.
"Nah, already read em." Scruffy decided buying books whose important information was already crammed in his book of shadows was just a waste of money.
"Well... the customer's always right... Good luck with that."
"and it's brother's- why it gave you... where's your scar?"
"What scar?" He was already annoyed, the shopkeeper having guessed at his identity and worse yet, having to get another wand. Worse yet, a wand that felt a bit dirty, and now he finds it's connected to that madman- but Frankie had a point- if he got expelled, better they break a wand he didn't care as much about.
"Well, how much is it, and I'll be needing a holster- best you've got." Why they didn't include holsters blew his mind, honestly, a wand is like a wizard's arm or leg, you've got to keep it with you.
Luna was content making shapes out of trails of sparks, drawing in the air with her unicorn tail feather and cherry wand.
"So, this is why Xeno said he was busy." Scruffy muttered as one of the shapes of sparks let out a loud roar not fitting the small bunny like creature made of wand sparks, even as Ollivander chased it out of the shop.
