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Chapter:10: We're Manly Men!
Bill Weasley was intrigued by the sound of music wafting from a small ante room off of the main foyer of Gringotts Bank. Following the intriguing melody, he found a small youth with black hair that seemed to defy gravity. The boy, lost in the music he was playing, was unaware of the picture he created in his green poets' shirt and black jeans with a pair of dark, reflective shades perched on the end of a pert nose.
Bill leaned against the door jamb listening. The youth seemed to have something in his ears as Bill could see black cording running down from them to a small flat object clipped to his belt. 'He's so intent in his playing,' he thought. Bill Weasley, a human wizard who worked for the goblin run and owned Gringotts Bank, had worked for a couple of years now as one of their curse breakers.
"Harry! Sweetheart! Where are you?" came a woman's voice. She looked around then turned and followed the music, stepping into the ante room. Bill blinked in surprise. The door she stepped out of lead to the office of the Bank Manager,. Ragnok. Then he blinked again. The woman before him had warm hazel eyes and a cascade of shining black hair below her shoulders. It wasn't that which held him mesmerized however. It was regal grace and poise as she moved that held his eye. She was, without a doubt, the most beautiful woman he had ever seen!
"Here Mom." The youth hopped off his chair and turned to place his guitar into its case as an elderly but obviously high ranking goblin stepped into the room.
Bill tried to ease out of sight as the trio spoke rapidly in gobbleygook. He caught a few words here and there but only a few words that he understood. Most of what he heard made no sense, it seemed to be a more formal dialect than he learned for his job.
"Ahh Mr. Weasley. Come, join us," Ragnok said, noticing the red haired man. "The Lady Sarah and her son will need an escort while they shop for his school supplies. Your time will be compensated"
Bowing slightly, Bill turned his attention to the youth before him and froze. He was staring into the brightest green he'd ever seen and then his gaze found the half concealed scar on the boys¢ forehead.
"Hello. I'm Harry Potter," the boy said in a quietly respectful tone.
Bill stared briefly, then realized what he was hearing. Harry Potter spoke with an American accent! "And this' my mother, Sarah. Nice to meetcha." Bill was a bit dazed as he followed the pair through
Gringotts. Ragnok escorted them through the bank, giving the young wizard several instructions about billing and credit needs. As they moved through the bank though, Bill got the strangest impression. All the goblins seemed to be in awe of the them. He was catching awed whispers of "It's The Lady and the young Sir." It just didn't make any sense.
The trip through Diagon Alley was uneventful. Lady Sarah seemed impressed with the hustle and bustle of the crowds and the many shops available, whereas the boy -- Harry-- seemed bored.
Bill studied him whenever he could do so unobserved. Harry seemed to be a puzzle to him, one every bit as fascinating as the curses he usually worked with. Harry pushed back his John Lennon shades to hide his green eyes and appeared to be lost in his own world. The boy seemed to almost blend in with the world around him.
Lady Sarah leaned over and pulled one of the earplugs, tapping him lightly on the head. "Honestly Sweetheart. You need to pay more attention! We have lots to do and little time to do it in. We're meeting your father for dinner at five and I, for one, don't wish to keep him waiting"
Bill watched as Harry rolled his eyes, adjusting the music case strapped to his back and sighed. "Yes Mom."
o0o0o0o0o0o
Harry was bored. He hated shopping even in a magical place such as Diagon Alley. Oh, he'd heard of the place from Uncle Snuffles, but it was still shopping! Mother had his list of supplies, why was he even needed? That man, the red head, Bill What-whose-it, kept staring at him! Oh right, this is fun! 'I'm Harry Potter, The Bloody Boy-Who-Lived. What a stoo-pid title! Wonder who was brainless enough to come up with that moniker, they oughta be shot!' Harry snorted, which brought his mother's attention back to him. 'She's having trouble remembering to call me Harry.' he grinned.
The book store was dullsville. The apothecary was smelly and the loose magic in the air was driving him crazy. Although he was heavily shielded he could still feel the magic dancing on his skin like ants. Today's just getting better and better!
The trio walked into Madam Malkin's robe shop. 'Great, just frickin' great!' Harry snorted petulantly as Bill ushered them in with a bow.
His deference was not lost on Madam Malkin and she hurried to assist. "Right here, young sir," she indicated a stool next to blonde boy about his own age. He stepped up with a resigned sigh.
Harry looked at his neighbor and whined, "If wizards are suppose to be male, why do I have to be fitted for a dress? It's indecent, immoral and just plain wrong!"
The blonde snorted and gave him a look of disgust. "You must be a muggle born," he sneered. "Only they would make such comments about our ways."
Harry looked over, pulling down his shades to peer over them, "Yeah right! What's wrong with tunics and tights?" Harry struck a he-man pose in front of the mirror. "We're men, manly men! We're men in tights, after all!"
Sarah hid a chuckle behind her hand. Harry was on a roll as he moved on to quote Hamlet: "What a piece of work is man! How noble in reason! how infinite in faculties! in form and moving, how express and admirable! in action how like an angel! in apprehension, how like a god! the beauty of the world! the paragon of animals! And yet, to me, what is this quintessence of dust?" Harry placed the back of his hand to his forehead and sighed heavily.
Having said his piece, Harry pulled up his ear plugs and turning on his CD player and disappeared back into his world of music, trying to ignore his stunned audience.
Bill looked over at Sarah who rolled her eyes and shrugged.
o0o0o0o0o
Bill recognized Draco Malfoy and his mother and was a bit worried that he would recognize Harry. Of course, when Harry went off on his rant, the Malfoys were distracted, puzzled by the muggle references. Even he couldn't make out what the boy was going on about.
Sarah stood, shaking her head, looking a bit amused. "You have to excuse my son. He has a flare for the dramatic. I never know what will spew out of his mouth at any given time. I think that was Shakespeare. What play, I'm not sure. He has most of them memorized."
She watched as the sneering blonde young man left with his mother, both thankfully ignored her. "He really needs to work on his sneering. That was very pathetic," She said with a chuckle.
Bill almost choked. One didn't insult the Malfoys and live to regret it. Looking over at Harry he noted that the boy seemed accustom to posing on a stool to be measured and pinned.
"Oh dear," came Sarah's concerned voice as Harry jumped off the stool and strutted over to her.
Bill noted the mood change between mother and son. 'Ok,' he thought. 'Did I just miss something? What's going on?'
Removing his earplugs, Harry looked up, "Mom. Are we done yet? I'm really getting twitchy. Do I really have to go to this Hogswart?" he whined.
"Hogwarts," Bill corrected as maneuvered the pair out of the shop, after Sarah arranged to send the bill and the finished robes to Gringotts. "What's wrong with it? My youngest brother will be in your year. He can't wait."
Harry rolled his eyes. "Whatever"
As promised for Harry's good behavior so far, Bill took them to Fortescue's Ice Cream Shop. The wizard was a little confused when Harry searched out a quiet corner by some shrubbery and pulled out his guitar. Sarah placed a hand on the wizard's arm.
"Don't," she said quietly, keeping the wizard from intruding. "Watch"
After Harry checked the tuning, he started playing softly. Then his sweet youthful voice rang out:
"Ah, look at all the lonely people.
Ah, look at all the lonely people.
Eleanor Rigby picks up the rice in the church where a wedding has been,
Lives in a dream.
Waits at the window, wearing a face she keeps in a jar by the door,
Who is it for?
All the lonely people, where do they all come from?
All the lonely people, where do they all belong?
Father McKenzie, writing the words of a sermon that no-one will hear,
No-one comes near Look at him working, darning his socks in the night when there's nobody there,What does he care?
All the lonely people, where do they all come from?
All the lonely people, where do they all belong?
Ah, look at all the lonely people.
Ah, look at all the lonely people.
Eleanor Rigby died in the church and was buried along with her name.
Nobody came.
Father McKenzie, wiping the dirt from his hands as he walks from the grave.
No-one was saved.
All the lonely people, where do they all come from?
All the lonely people, where do they all belong?"
Bill watched in awe as Harry sang. The boy's voice seemed to draw swirls of magic around himself. Then the swirls coalesced into one shimmering strand that disappeared into the earth as the music came to an end. 'Oh shit,' he thought. 'And I can't say anything about this, if I want to keep my head and my job. Just who are these two and why do they make the Goblins so nervous?'
o0o0o0o0o0o
Albus Dumbledore was sitting at his desk at Hogswart contemplating a stack of paperwork as well as the mystery of one young wizard when a dazed-looking red headed young man stepped out of his fireplace floo.
"Albus. I saw Harry today!" Bill Weasley said, a bit wild-eyed. "he was getting his school supplies."
"My boy. Tell me everything you know."
o0o0o0o0o
I hoped you enjoyed this chapter. Lila, I hope your keyboard was saved? As for the song, if you get a chance to listen to 'Lil' Red Ridin' Hood' in its original form and music, you most definitely enjoy it. As for different friends other then Ron and Hermione, that remains to be seen as Jareth wants Harry to stick to the original timeline as much as possible, however, as this is a very different and more powerful Harry there will be some added surprises. Until next time. --GF and The Frau.