DISCLAIMER: all recognizable characters and plot lines belong to J.K. Rowling. The letter is taken directly from book one!

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Okay so here's the explanation. After the last chapter, I was unsure how to proceed with this story… Should I have Sirius and Harry all the way through Harry's childhood? Should I skip around and do little flashes of Harry's childhood? How should I continue? But I've decided that I am going to skip ahead to the day Harry gets his Hogwarts letter and then I will put little memories of Harry's childhood into the story randomly! I hope that's okay with everyone! However, that is why this story has taken so long… Sorry guys! I hope you like the chapter!

Chapter Ten: The Letter and Diagon Alley

Sirius Black sat at his kitchen table drinking coffee. It was early. The silence surrounding his home was rare and he was content to sit and let the world around him wake up. Birds were chirping outside and the sun was slowly making its way higher into the sky. Today was the day. Sirius was excited to the point of bursting, but he wasn't about to let it bubble out to the surface. He didn't want to give away the surprise. After all, his godson was highly inept to his moods. He was going to have to play it cool!

Suddenly, the kitchen door swung open and there stood a very rumpled, soon-to-be-eleven-year-old Harry Potter. He yawned widely as he walked into the kitchen toward his godfather.

"Good morning, Harry!" Sirius said brightly.

"Morning," Harry replied quietly, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"What would you like for breakfast? Eggs and bacon or a stack of pancakes?"

Harry just stared at his godfather as if to say, "really?"

"Yeah I know, silly question!" Sirius responded with a chuckle as he got started on the pancakes.

Harry smiled and stretched at his seat at the table. "So what's the occasion?" Harry asked inquisitively.

"What do you mean?"

"Sirius, you know pancakes are my favorite and you usually make me pancakes on my birthday and special occasions. So, what's going on today?"

"Oh, c'mon! Can't a loving godfather make his favorite godson pancakes just because he feels like it?" Sirius asked innocently, flipping his first batch.

"I'm your only godson," Harry pointed out.

"All the more reason to make you all the pancakes your little heart desires."

"Yeah, okay…" Harry responded, still suspicious.

Sirius poured them with maple syrup and set the large batch of pancakes in front of his godson. Harry, who was still eyeing his godfather apprehensively, dug into his favorite breakfast. The maple syrup flavor touched his tongue and he smiled. Sirius made the best pancakes in the world Harry concurred.

Suddenly, an important-looking tawny owl flew into the open kitchen window and dropped a letter onto the table in front of Harry. Then the animal shook out its feathers and flew back out of the window.

"What's this?" Harry asked.

"Open it," Sirius urged, his eyes dancing excitedly as he sat across from Harry at the table.

Harry complied and began reading the letter aloud:

Dear Mr. Potter,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary book and equipment.

Term begins September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.

Yours Sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress

Harry looked up at his godfather excitedly. "I'm going to Hogwarts!" he exclaimed, clearly ecstatic. His godfather had told him all sorts of wonderful stories about the castle where wizards learned magic. His mother and father had gone there and so had Sirius and Remus. And now Harry had his turn. He was so thrilled he could barely keep it contained. He was grinning from ear to ear.

"I know!" Sirius responded, returning Harry's grin.

"Wait! You knew the letter was coming today?"

"Well of course! It comes on the same day for everyone each year!" Sirius replied.

"So that's what the pancakes were for!" Harry laughed. "I knew something was going on."

"Well it's a big day!" Sirius said sheepishly.

"It says they await my owl," Harry pointed out.

"Well, we better get on it! We've only got two weeks until the thirty-first!" Sirius replied jokingly. While Harry rolled his eyes, Sirius wrote to Hogwarts to inform them that Harry would be attending. He attached the letter to their family owl, Tory, and let the bird out the window to deliver it to Hogwarts. "Let's see the list," he said holding out his hand.

"When are we gonna go get all of this stuff?" Harry asked before taking a bite of pancake.

"Weeeelllll…." Sirius said, smirking. "I was thinking we could go today if you want!"

Harry nodded his head vigorously at the suggestion and swallowed his bite of pancake.

"Oh well… I guess you don't want to go… We'll just have to go some other time…" Sirius teased.

"No!" Harry all but shouted. "I wanna go today!"

"Oh all right!" Sirius chuckled.

"Can Ron come with us?" The Weasley's youngest son had befriended Harry when the two of them were very young and they had been best mates ever since.

"Sure! I'll floo-call Molly after breakfast, while you get ready for the day, unless of course you want to go to Diagon Alley in your PJs" Sirius said amused.

Harry rolled his eyes and began woofing down the rest of his breakfast.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Sirius exclaimed. "No need to choke! Diagon Alley will still be open if you eat your pancakes in a civilized manner, I promise."

"Okay," Harry replied sheepishly and he began eating his breakfast respectfully.

Two hours later found Sirius, Harry and not only Ron, but all the Weasleys at Diagon Alley. The group headed to Flourish and Blotts to buy the books they needed. After that they headed to the Apothecary to get potions ingredients and the cauldrons they needed. Harry watched in morbid curiosity as the shop keeper scooped out the beetle eyes and rat tails.

"Please, Sirius! Can Ron and I go check out the racing brooms we'll be right back, promise!" Harry pleaded as they left the Apothecary. He and Ron were making their best puppy-dog eyes.

"If it's okay with Molly, then it's okay with me," Sirius replied amused at the boys' antics.

"Please, mum!" Ron asked his mother.

"Oh all right!" Molly relented. "I need to take you brothers over to Madam Malkin's anyway. Go on ahead and stay together! We'll meet you at The Leaky Cauldron in one hour!"

"Thank you!" the boys said together as they ran toward the Quidditch supply store.

"Wow!" Ron breathed as they stared at the new racing broom, The Nimbus 2000. "Can you imagine riding that broom?"

"It's supposed to be the fastest in the whole world!" Harry replied as he nodded in agreement.

"Oh man, what I wouldn't give to have that broom, mate!"

"C'mon!" Harry said suddenly. "We're just teasing ourselves! Let's go look at the gear! I've been meaning to get a new broom keeping kit for my Cleansweep." With that the two boys ran off to look at all of the Quidditch gear.

Forty-five minutes later, Harry pointed out the time.

"C'mon! Let's head to the Leaky Cauldron! Your mum will go mental if we're late!"

The two boys ran off down the street. They were weaving through the crowd when Harry accidently bumped into a tall man with sleek blonde hair that was pulled back into a sophisticated ponytail. Harry fell on impact and landed in a graceless lump. Ron came up behind Harry and stopped short when he saw the man Harry had run into. The man turned to sneer at the boys.

"Don't you think you should be a little more careful?" the man spat at Harry. Then he turned his gaze to Ron. "A Weasley, no doubt! Don't you think it's rude not to keep your filth contained? Next time, watch where you're going!" With that, the man turned on his heals and stalked away.

"Who was that?" Harry asked as Ron helped him to his feet.

"Lucius Malfoy," Ron replied in contempt. "He works with dad at the Ministry. He used to be in line with a bunch of dark stuff back when You-Know-Who was around, according to dad. Dad reckons we should stay away from him."

"I reckon he's right," Harry answered, glaring after Malfoy. "C'mon! We're gonna be late!"

"There you are!" Molly exclaimed with her hands on her hips, as the boys entered the Leaky Cauldron.

"Sorry, Mrs. Weasley," Harry explained, turning his sincere, heart-melting, emerald eyes toward the witch. "We ran into Mr. Malfoy on the way here. Please don't be cross."

"Oh it's okay, sweetheart!" Mrs. Weasley gushed, as her anger deflated at the boy's plea. "I'm not cross! I was just worried about you two!" She pulled the two into a tight hug and Harry gave Ron and inconspicuous wink, making the redhead smirk back.

Harry caught Sirius' eye and the man gave Harry a knowing look that clearly said that they were going to have to talk later. Harry sat at the table next to Sirius while Tom took their order. They all chatted happily through the meal and when lunch was over, Molly announced that it was time for her lot to head home. Ron and Harry said their goodbyes, with Ron promising to be at Harry's birthday celebration in two week's time.

"All right!" Sirius said after all of the Weasley's had left and the two of them headed toward Madam Malkin's. "What on earth was that all about? What happened with you and Ron on your way back?"

"We really did run into Mr. Malfoy," Harry told his godfather. "I just know that Mrs. Weasley can shout. So, I thought I'd step in for Ron."

"You're going to be a heart-breaker one day, Pup," Sirius chuckled as he shook his head. "No joke!"

"I don't know…" Harry blushed.

They stepped into the shop and Madam Malkin greeted them wholeheartedly "Hogwarts, I presume?"

"Yep," Sirius responded brightly, placing an arm around Harry's shoulder. The pride in his voice made Harry swell with happiness.

"C'mon back, dear. I've got all the material right here!" She chirped at Harry, who followed her to a stool next to another boy about Harry's age.

"You going to Hogwarts too?" the blonde boy quipped with a haughty air.

"Yes, you?" Harry returned, trying to remain polite.

"Oh yes. This will be my first year."

"Me as well."

"Do you know what house you'll be in?"

"No one knows what house they'll be in," Harry replied, confused.

"Well, not officially, no," the boy responded. "But I just know I'll be in Slytherin! That's my first pick, but anything's better than Hufflepuff, don't you agree? I think I'd go home."

"I think I'd like to be in whichever house will take me," Harry answered. "I'd think that not going to Hogwarts at all would be worse than being in Hufflepuff. I heard that they're nice and they're supposed to be really loyal."

"Well Slytherin's are clever and cunning! And with that they don't need to be nice or loyal. That's all me!" the boy bragged. Sirius made an odd sound in the back of his throat, which caught the blonde's attention.

"Is that your father?" the boy indicated to Sirius.

"He's my godfather. But for all intents and purposes, yes."

"Where are your parents?"

"They died when I was little. Why?" Harry replied, irritated by the boy's tone. He was reminding him very much of Mr. Malfoy and Harry was beginning to wonder if they were related.

"Oh, sorry. They were like us though, right?"

Harry didn't think he sounded the least bit sorry. "They were a witch and wizard if that's what you're asking."

"Hmm…Well I'm a Pureblood, myself. It's a shame that they even let the other sort in, don't you think?" the boy sneered.

"What do you mean by other sort?" However, Harry had a pretty good idea what the boy was insinuating.

"You know, Mudbloods."

"Young man!" Madam Malkin squeaked. "I will not have that kind of language in my shop!"

"Sorry," the boy returned. Again he sounded a far cry from sorry. "It won't happen again."

"See that it doesn't!" She stalked off to the back to get more fabric.

"And for your information," Harry shot at the boy, eyes narrowing. "My mother was muggle-born. So I'd appreciate it if you could keep your opinions to yourself."

"Fine," the snobbish boy answered. The rest of the boy's visit passed in heated silence, until Malkin announced that he was finished. "Well, see you around," he sneered and stalked out of the shop.

"You're all set too, dearie," Madam Malkin said to Harry sweetly.

"Thank you," Harry said as he hopped off the stool. Sirius paid for his robes and the two of them headed out of the shop.

"You okay, kiddo?" Sirius asked.

"Did you hear him?" Harry exclaimed incredulously. "'Well, I just know I'll be in Slytherin! I'm a Pureblood!' Ugh! I mean honestly! What an arrogant snob!"

"I agree wholeheartedly. And I'm actually quite proud and impressed by the way you held your own back there. Unfortunately, there are many people out there that still think like that. All you can do is know what your morals are and stand by them proudly, okay."

"Okay," Harry replied. He loved making his godfather proud and the man never failed to let him know that he was. That was one of the many things, Harry loved about Sirius.

"Okay, let's go get a wand!" Sirius said with a smile. And the two of them headed off toward Ollivander's.

"Ah, Mr. Potter!"

Harry heard Mr. Ollivander before he saw him in the tiny, cluttered wand shop. The old man came around the corner and smiled at the boy. "I was beginning to wonder when I'd see you! And here with Mr. Black. I knew that wand wasn't capable for such betrayal, Mr. Black. That wand was built to protect, that's what I've always said."

"You remember the wand you sold me?" Sirius asked shocked.

"Oh yes. I remember every wand I've ever sold," Ollivander explained. "Holly, Gryffin Feather core. 7 inches. Powerful and protective. Good for charms and transfiguration as well as protective spells."

Sirius stared at the man in shock.

"I assume it was destroyed."

"Actually, no sir," Sirius replied. "I hid it away before I was sent to Azkaban. I thought for sure I would be found innocent so I wanted it safe for when I got out."

"I see," Ollivander replied, eyes twinkling. Sirius had to wonder if perhaps Ollivander and Dumbledore were related for that damned twinkle. "And you're here for you first wand, correct?" The old man asked Harry.

"Yes, sir," Harry answered nervously.

"All right, step up here." Tape measures flew toward Harry and began measuring every inch of him. Ollivander shooed the tape measures away as he brought forth the first box. "Dragon Heartstring. Ebony. 8 inches. Nice and powerful. Take it in your wand hand and give it a wave."

Harry did so and every glass substance in the room shattered. Eyes wide, Harry cautiously set the wand on the counter and backed away. And so this went on for wand after wand, until Harry was beginning to doubt that there was a wand for him.

"Hmm…. I wonder if… Well it's worth a shot." Ollivander disappeared to the back of the store and came forward with another box. "Phoenix Feather and Holly. Eleven inches. Nice and supple."

Harry took the wand and he instantly knew that this was his wand. His hand warmed at its touch and when he swished it about red and gold sparks danced around the room. He let out a sigh of relief as Sirius whooped. He finally found his wand!

"Very good! Yes! Bravo…. But curious… Very curious," Ollivander pondered.

"Sorry sir, but why is it curious?" Harry asked.

"Well you see, as I said before I remember every wand I have ever sold, Mr. Potter. Every wand. And this particular phoenix, whose tail feather is the core of your wand, gave another feather. Just one other. And it is curious that you are destined for this wand because its brother… gave you that scar."

Harry gulped and looked over at Sirius who seemed to be just as uneasy as he was.

"Very curious, indeed. The wand chooses the wizard after all… Which mean we should expect great things from you, Harry Potter. After all, You-Know-Who did great things! Horrible, nasty, terrible things, yes….. But great."

Harry shivered as Sirius paid for his wand and the two of them left the shop.

"He's a bit on freaky side, isn't he?" Harry confided with his godfather.

Sirius barked in laughter. "I've always thought so too, kiddo! I've always thought so too. Where to next? We've got everything on your list. We could go over to Eeylops Owl Emporium and check out the owls and cats and such! What do you say?"

"Yeah, okay!" Harry agreed. They headed over to the shop and Harry found himself longing for the Snowy White owl in the front of the store, but he didn't say anything. Sirius was already getting him enough stuff and his birthday was coming up. He could do without that owl, even if she was beautiful.

After the owlery Sirius and Harry grabbed some ice cream from Florean Fortesque and headed home. Harry had to admit it had been a good day, worthy of a pancake breakfast.

A/N: Again I'm very sorry for the wait! At least it's a long chapter right? Anyway, let me know what you think and please forgive any errors. This is un-betaed. I try to be as grammatically correct as possible and I hate having too many spelling errors, so hopefully it is okay! Thank you guys so much for reading and please feel free to review!