Chapter 10

Diagon Alley

"Are you ready to go?" Lily asked Harry from the kitchen, eating a biscuit. Harry stuffed his invisibility cloak in his pants. He was starting to carry it around everywhere, just in case he needed to make a quick escape.

"Yes," Harry told her walking in. "Where is Dad?"

"He went to Gringotts to exchange some galleons for pounds," she said looking at her watch. "I don't know what is taking him so long, it shouldn't take more than a few minutes."

"Gringotts?" Harry sat down next to her, confused and took a sip of water. "How'd he get in to the vault? I have the key."

"You have the key to your vault," she clarified. Harry spat the water out. "Mine?" he coughed.

She gave him a small smile. "You come from a very old Wizarding family, Harry. I think there are three vaults in Gringotts," she told him. "And there is still more at the Manor."

"Potter Manor!" James said as he sauntered into the kitchen with a package under his arm. "The ancestral Potter home. You'd like it, Harry. Rolling hills, nestled right on the beach," he boasted. "It's where I grew up, you know."

"There you are," Lily said. "What took you so long?"

"I got distracted," he said vaguely. She rolled her eyes.

"What's that?" Harry asked, pointing at the package under his arm.

James smiled. "Nothing in particular," he said. "Are we ready to leave?"

"We've only been waiting on you," Lily said standing up and brushing the crumbs off her jeans.

IIIIIIIIIIIII

Harry hit the ground with a thud and groaned. "That was apparition wasn't it?" he said as James helped him stand up.

"First time?" James asked. Harry nodded slowly, trying to regain his balance. "You did good for your first time. Your mother threw up all over herself, the first time she did it. In front of all the other seventh years."

"I did not," she said indignantly. "Don't listen to your father, Harry." She looked at the busy street from the alley they'd apparated into. "Wow! London has changed since I last saw it."

"Really?" James said. "It seems just as boring and queer as the last time you dragged me here." Harry laughed.

Lily slapped her husband's arm. "Just because there's no one flying around on a broomstick, does not make it boring, James. Now come on," she said ushering them onto the street.

"Where are we going?" Harry asked as they walked through a crowd of muggles chit-chatting about the weather.

"A clothing store," she said simply, dodging a man in a suit with his head buried in a paper. "We all need some clothing."

James made a face. "Shopping, Lily?" he whined. "C'mon, our clothes are fine- well mine are fine at least," he said poking at Harry's loose fitting shirt.

Harry snorted. "I'm not the one who looks like I just walked out of a 1970's museum."

James looked down at his brown corduroy pants. "Touche."

"I think this will do," she said a few minutes later, stopping in front of an acceptable store.

IIIIIIIIIIIII

"You aren't planning on eating all of that are you?" Hermione asked disgustingly.

"No," Ron said defensively, holding an armful of sweets. "There's some in here for Harry and for his birthday."

"I don't understand wizarding candy," she said as they walked over to the front counter. "I like my food to stay still, and not make steam blow out my ears, thank you."

"Where's your sense of adventure, Hermione?" Ron mocked as the old man behind the counter rang him up.

"I'm saving it for when term starts," she said dryly. "We've never yet had a normal year at Hogwarts, and I don't expect our luck to change any time soon."

Ron stuffed his change into his pocket and they walked out. "It's your fault you know."

"My fault?"

"Yah. If you hadn't gotten into it with that troll, Harry and I never would have gotten a taste of trouble," he explained.

"You locked it in with me! It's not my fault," she laughed. "Where should we go next?"

"We should go to Quality Quidditch Supplies," Ron said excitedly. "Mom and Dad said they'd buy me a new broom for making Prefect! I want to go pick it out." Hermione nodded. Ron half dragged her down the busy alley towards the bright red building. "I know a Nimbus or a Firebolt would be too much, but I might be able to get a nice Cleansweep." They pushed themselves through the throng of drooling children and made their way towards the broom section.

"I think I'm going to get a keeper broom," he told her as he looked through racks. "It's my favorite position." He picked up a Cleansweep 7 and inspected it.

"There's different brooms for different positions?" Hermione asked curiously.

"Yah. If you ever look at Harry's Firebolt, it's longer than the brooms for other positions," he told her putting the broom back and moving on. "Seeker brooms are made for speed." He picked up another broom and held it up, testing the weight and height of it.

"Can you even afford that?" Draco Malfoy drawled, leaning against a shelf of Quidditch balls.

"What are you doing here, Malfoy?" Ron spat, his face turning red.

"I came by to pick up the new self-gripping boots," he bragged. "Much too fancy for the likes of you, of course. They don't even come out until next month, but my father promised me anything I wanted for getting chosen as Prefect." Malfoy used his sleeve to polish the green and silver badge attached to his shirt.

"Oh please," Hermione said rolling her eyes. "You probably only got it because you dad paid someone off."

"The nice thing about money," Draco boasted. "Not that you two would now." Ron blushed again and looked away.

Hermione gave a laugh, poked Ron in the ribs and pointed at Malfoy. "Malfoy. Always riding our coat tails to fame!" Ron gave a feeble smile.

Draco scowled. "I beg your pardon, Mudblood?" he spat.

Ron scowled and stood up straight. "Don't call her that!"

"Oh, have your ears stopped working or are you just stupid?" Hermione said back, ignoring Ron's defense. "You see, Ron and I also made prefect."

Malfoy frowned. "Who would make you prefect?" he asked disgustedly at Ron. "You aren't, how do they say it, the sharpest spine on a dragons back."

Ron looked ready to explode. "It's alright Ron, be nice to him," she said to Ron and gave Malfoy a pitying look ."It must be hard for him, always being second best… Especially to a mud-blood, and half-blood and a blood traitor." Ron's jaw dropped in surprise at his friends insult.

Draco pulled out his wand angrily. "Why you little- Bato Bagioni-" Ron snapped his mouth closed and punched the other boy squarely in the jaw, sending Malfoy sprawling to the ground in a heap of black robes.

The children outside laughed hysterically and pointed at Malfoy from the other side of the window. Several of them started chanting Fight! Fight! Fight! Red as a lobster, Malfoy scrambled up. With a burst of confidence Ron taunted him. "Tell me Malfoy, can you afford another one?" He said shaking his fist.

IIIIIIIIIIIII

"So, Harry," James said casually as they walked down the aisle of the men's department. "Have you thought of what you want for your birthday?"

The comment caught Harry off guard. "Ughhh- I never thought about it before," he said awkwardly, looking through a rack of shirts.

"You've never thought about what you wanted for your birthday?" James asked confused. "Well what did your Aunt and Uncle usually give you?"

"I've never gotten a birthday present, not from them at least," Harry shrugged nonchalantly, searching a clothing rack.

"Not one?" James asked, face paling. "Ever?"

"I got a pair of Dudley's old socks, my first year at Hogwarts. But that was for Christmas…"

"Old socks?" James said astonished. "That's all they've ever given you? Used socks for Christmas, and nothing for your birthday."

Harry shook his head. "My first birthday gift was a cake Hagrid made me when he tracked us down to give me my Hogwarts letter when I turned eleven." Harry saw the hurt look on his father's face. "It's alright," he said quickly, trying to cheer his father up. "Really. I don't like getting gifts, it's awkward. And I already have everything I need."

"Everyone likes getting gifts, Harry," James said sadly, pulling a blue sweater off the rack. "We know they treated you horribly. You don't have to hide it. We picked up your trunk from Little Whinging, and had a nice discussion with them." Harry cringed and looked away. "-it's nothing to be ashamed of Harry. They were right bloody horrible to you," James said angrily, before taking a deep calming breath. "You can talk to us. Your mom and I. I know you're still getting used to what it's like to have parents, but were here for you. No matter what."

"It's never been something I talked about," Harry admitted. "And I know it's hard on you guys to hear about it."

"It might be hard for us to hear, but we want to hear it, so we can understand what you're going through."

"I guess…" Harry said finally. "Just give me some time."

James gave him a supporting smile and clapped him on the back. "All the time you need. No pressure. But beware, I have every intention of making up for lost birthdays, and Christmas's, and even lost National Herbology days. So get used to it."

IIIIIIIIIIIII

"Harry!" Ginny said excitedly as soon as they walked into the kitchen. "You missed it!"

"Missed what?" Harry asked.

"Ron punched Malfoy at Quality Quidditch Supplies," Ginny said happily.

"Yah," George said. "I heard from a second year that he ran away, with his tail between his legs."

"I always knew he was related to us!" Fred said happily.

Ron blushed a few shades darker than his hair. "It was mostly Hermione," he admitted as they sat down at the table. "You wouldn't believe what she said to him!"

"Wait," Harry said. "Start from the beginning."

"Well," Ron said. "We were looking at brooms, when Malfoy came and was like 'can you even afford that Weasley?'"

"That's horrible!" Lily said setting her bags down. "He sounds just as bad as his father did, when we were in school."

"Oh it gets better," Sirius laughed.

"Then he started bragging about his new prefect badge," Ron continued. "Hermione said- what did you say Hermione?"

"I told Malfoy that he was riding our coat-tails," she said sheepishly.

"Not only that!" Ron added. "He called her a mudblood and she was like 'be nice to him Ron, it must be hard to always be second best to mudblood, and half-blood and a blood traitor!"

Harry's jaw dropped. "Bloody hell Hermione! Where'd that come from?" he said laughing.

"Language!" Mrs. Weasley said. "All of you!"

"I don't know," she giggled into her cup, ignoring Mrs. Weasley.