Happy Easter!
Here the new chapter for the weekend. By the way, I also have a second Harry Potter story posted especially for Easter. It's a two shot called 'The Witches Conspiracy'. You are invited to check it out. ;)
I thank everybody for the great reviews I got since the last chapter. This chapter is about the visit to Diagon Alley. So the story is nearing the time for the adoption and the return to Hogwarts.
Now the necessary formalities: I solemly swear that JKR owns HP and is up to no good.
Well nothing left to say but enjoy reading.
Meeting at Diagon Alley
Harry was looking at himself in the full-body mirror in his room. It was August 29th and the great show would start in half an hour, when they would enter Diagon Alley through the Leaky Cauldron. They had chosen this day not only because it was so close to the start of term at Hogwarts but also as it was the last day of the ICW meeting Dumbledore was attending, so that would make it impossible for the old coot to interfere with their plans.
He was excited. This would be a great prank to play at all those stuck up wizards that thought they could mess with others. He had learned all about pureblood customs he could in the short time Sirius and he had been together. He had relearned to use his spells from the first two years. It helped immensely that the wards around # 12 Grimmauld Place prevented the Ministry from finding out he was using magic outside of school.
He even found all his subjects came really easily to him this time around. He soon had mastered all his spells again and this time he understood the theory behind them. He could understand now why Hermione insisted on understanding the stuff so much. It made a huge difference. But with his blocks he had been unable to see that. He also read some of Sirius' old schoolbooks to prepare better for the new term. As he officially only got his school supplies today he couldn't really order some by owl. It would ruin the show they had planned.
He finally was satisfied with his looks and went down to meet Sirius. His look had significantly changed since he had arrived here a week after his birthday. He was missing his glasses as he didn't need them anymore. He wore black pants, a red long sleeved button up shirt and wizard robes in a very dark blue. They were styled to be open in the front, much like muggle trench coats. Harry really liked them. They fit him perfectly. Sirius had taught him about style and how important it was to make a good first impression.
Sirius' look was somewhat similar to his, only his pants and shirt were completely black with a silver robe. The robe bore the family crest of the noble and most ancient house of de Jarjais. Sirius hair was still its normal black. It was bound in a low pony tail. His eyes changed to blue and his beard was gone. His facial features were still handsome but nobody would recognize him as Sirius Black. He gave the full expression of a pureblood Lord.
"Ready Harry?" Sirius asked.
"As ready as I can be."
"Do you remember everything you have to tell when you will be cornered?"
"Of course. I ran away after my horrible relatives went too far, insulting my parents and treating me like dirt. I took my things after I lost control over my emotions after bottling everything up for weeks, trying my best not to go against the statute of secrecy. Then I tell them, how I got lost and you found me, struggling in a muggle town. You offered me your help and introduced yourself as the Comte de Jarjais. After living with you for some time in your safe house, you told me to call you Uncle Orion as you knew my parents from a vacation and became friends with them."
"Very good Harry. Well, let's get going, we have an audience to fool."
Harry laughed and took a handful of floo powder. He stepped in front of the fireplace and threw the powder into the flames which turned green immediately. He stepped into the flames.
"Leaky Cauldron." He clearly pronounced.
He spun around himself and arrived at his destination. This time he waited for the spinning to stop a bit before countering the spin with a slight turn in the opposite direction before stepping out of the fireplace, dusting some ash from his clothes. He had trained three days with Sirius at Grimmauld place flooing from the kitchen to the entrance hall and back to get a grip of the travel. He stood perfectly relaxed next to the fireplace when everybody in the pub began staring at him. Soon Sirius arrived. He cleared the ash from himself and Harry with a quick scourgify. Looking around he saw lots of wizards and witches coming over.
He raised his hand, stopping them from toppling over Harry.
"I know you have some questions about Harry's well-being, but be assured he is alright, as you all can see. We have business to attend today and we would like to get the supplies for Harry before nightfall."
"Mr. Potter, I am so glad to see you well. I'm Penny Hanbire and I am a healer at St. Mungo's. If you wouldn't mind, would it be a problem if I checked you for any health problems? We were all very worried about you when we heard about your disappearance especially in this dangerous time with a murderer running around free."
Harry donned his mask and smiled at her. This was better than they could have planned.
"Healer Hanbire, I really appreciate your concern for my well-being, but as my uncle said, we have a tight schedule today. While I have had really bad experiences during the first weeks during the summer holidays at the home of my so called relatives, after Uncle Orion found me, he made sure that I recovered just fine. A French healer, who is a personal friend of him, did a complete health check on me just a few days ago. Except for some malnutrition and signs of not getting enough to eat and too little sun, I am healthy. It has already been taken care of."
"This uncle is not the same one we read in the Prophet about?" A middle aged witch asked threateningly.
"Oh no, sweet Merlin no!" Harry interrupted. "I'm sorry I haven't properly introduced him. This is Orion de Jarjais, current Comte de Jarjais. He has only shown me the greatest kindness since he found me lost in a muggle city. I really hadn't planned what to do after I left the house of the Dursleys, the muggles I was staying with. It was a spontaneous act after they had gotten me past the point where I could control my emotions."
He looked down as if the memory bothered him. This act melted the hearts of the older witches present and called forward their mother instincts. The younger witches had stars in their eyes as if they wanted to be the ones to comfort Harry. Sirius used the opportunity to assuringly place his hand on Harry's shoulder, which made Harry look up gratefully. They had planned a gesture like that to make everybody see how comfortable Harry was around Sirius. Harry returned his look at the wizards and witches in front of him.
"You can't imagine how hard it was to keep my emotions inside without having anybody who liked me. I even had to send my beloved owl Hedwig to stay with friends trying to get Vernon Dursley, my muggle uncle, to sign my permission to visit Hogsmeade this year. His horrible sister Marge was visiting and she was not informed about magic. To add to my misery there, they told her lies about me being no better than a criminal. Those muggles hate everything connected with magic. The have called me a freak all my life. I was so glad to be able to escape them when I got my letter to Hogwarts, but every summer I had to return, being an orphan."
This outraged all the wizards and witches present. How could the hero of the wizarding world be forced to live like that? Who had been responsible for this scandal?
Sirius recognized a certain blond witch, using a green quill to take rapid notes. Step one was in action. Nobody could keep Rita quiet. This would be a nice article in the next issue of the Prophet. Now Harry continued to tell his part.
"I am really glad that Minister Fudge understands that it was all an accident. I was really concerned that they would send me to Azkaban. A friend of mine, he was really my first friend in the magical world and the first person to ever give me a birthday present on my eleventh birthday, has been sent there last year despite being innocent of the things that happened at Hogwarts last year. My friends and I managed to prove his innocence, but what he told of the place was terrible."
Many nodded at this. Azkaban was the stuff nightmares were made of.
"Harry, as much as I would like to stay and lay the concerns of these nice patrons to rest, we have to get going." Sirius said kindly.
"Of course Uncle Orion."
Harry and Sirius strode to the door that led to the wall that was the entrance to Diagon Alley.
"Did she take the bait?" Harry asked quietly.
"Yes you were great." Sirius answered equally quiet.
Harry tapped the bricks in the wall in the correct pattern and he and Sirius waited until the wall opened the entrance. They stepped into the Alley and were soon the center of attention. They ignored all the stares directed at Harry and walked with a confident posture and easy elegance that most people were impressed of. Oh yes, Sirius had taught Harry very well.
Sirius could hear several girls giggling and when he looked around as if he was looking for a certain shop he could see a lot of them were blushing. Well, Harry definitely was good looking and with clothes that really fit him well and the potions regimen he had been given by Charles Dupont to counter his health problems, he was what most young witches would call eye candy. Harry was oblivious to this. Well, he would get used to this kind of attention sooner or later.
Their first stop was Gringotts to keep appearance. They got some gold for both of them, making a good show in front of the wizards and witches around. It was really funny for Harry to see their faces faltering as he greeted Griphook in flawless Gobbledygook. He didn't really know much of the language yet, but he had learned some formal greeting phrases and basic vocabulary. It wasn't nearly enough to hold a conversation, but for the show effect they intended it was perfect. They left the audience gawking that the cold behaved goblins were even smiling at the famous Harry Potter just for speaking their language. Well it was more like he was their wealthiest client and respected them, but nobody needed to know that.
After the visit to Gringotts they entered Flourish and Blotts for Harry's new school books. He had to get the books for Defense against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, Charms, Arithmancy and Ancient Runes. As Hagrid had already sent him the book required for Care of Magical Creatures, he made the employee very happy to not have to get one of them out of the cage they were kept in. Sirius also got Harry three additional books on practical defense, occlumency and battle Transfiguration. There was no doubt he wanted Harry to prepare for all eventualities.
The next stop was the apothecary to replenish Harry's stock of potion ingredients. Harry knew his real studies in the subject would take place on the weekends. Sirius had found a good way to get Harry from Hogwarts to Grimmauld Place and back. The Hogwarts wards let house elves through so Kreacher would take Harry to Grimmauld Place to continue his studies and bring him back when he was finished. It would ensure that Harry got away from school for some hours to go over his additional learning materials and give the two time to just talk. So Sirius got an advanced potion making kit and a book that taught the reactions of ingredients with each other, certain techniques to prepare the ingredients the right way and why you had to stir in one direction or the other for Harry too.
Finally Harry spotted the two people he wanted to meet most. Ron and Hermione sat in front of Florean Fortesque's ice cream parlor just getting their sundaes.
"Ron, Hermione!" He shouted and ran over to them.
They looked at him and their faces lit up.
"Harry!" They happily answered his call.
Hermione was the first to get up and hug Harry. Ron just put his hand on Harry's shoulder.
"Good to see you mate. We are really glad to see you well." He said.
"How could you just run away? That was so irresponsible. I can't be angry with you for wanting to get out of there, but you could have gone to an authority person to help you. With this criminal on the run, you could have been killed." She ranted.
Harry knew she had his best interests at heart but he thought that there would have been no chance at all that Dumbledore would have let him leave the place. No it was easier to ask for forgiveness than for permission.
"I'm really happy to see you two again. It was horrible at the Dursleys. More than usual. Vernon's sister Marge was visiting and it was pure torture, I can tell you. I tried to ignore her taunting by concentrating on the manual for the broom kit you gave me for my birthday Hermione, but it didn't work when she started insulting my parents. I lost it then and there. I'm glad I'm not in trouble with the Ministry right now. By the way thank you both for your birthday presents."
"You're welcome Harry. Uh, who is the man who accompanies you?" Hermione asked.
"Oh right, I nearly forgot, Hermione, Ron, I want you to meet Orion de Jarjais, current Comte de Jarjais and a sort of uncle to me, he knew my parents when they were younger. Uncle Orion, these are Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, my best friends."
"I'm pleased to meet you two. Harry has told me a lot of things about you. I'm glad he has such good friends as you two." Sirius said.
"Harry why don't you join your friends for some ice cream to catch up with them, I will meanwhile look for an owl. As Kendric has died of old age recently, I need a new one for my post. Here are some galleons, invite your friends to some sundaes, as I figure their old ones have melted already" he said looking at Ron's and Hermione's old sundaes melting in the August sun.
"Yes, thank you Uncle Orion." Harry answered smiling.
"You're welcome Harry. I will come back in an hour to fetch you. Have fun you three." He said, leaving them alone.
Ron was the first one to speak.
"Wow, who the hell is this guy?"
"Ron, I told you who he is." Harry said grinning.
"Yes you told us his name but how do you know him?"
"Well, he was the one who found me, when I was lost in the muggle world. While I know how to behave to not stand out there it is a bit difficult to do so while you are carrying a big trunk and a cage and are not able to shrink them due to the law against underage magic. I'm just glad Hedwig wasn't there or it would have been worse. Meeting him was a coincidence. While I was looking for a way not to be found by neither the muggle police nor the Ministry, I was really worried about being sent to Azkaban like they did with Hagrid last year, Uncle Orion spotted me and of course he identified me. Damn scar." Harry added at the end.
Hermione smile sympathetically while Ron just grinned.
"He approached me and introduced himself. I was suspicious at first, but after he told me he was a friend of my parents since they had met during a holiday shortly after they finished school and could prove it with some old wizarding photos, I believed him and followed him. He asked me why I would run away and I told him. I can tell you he was furious to hear it. He told me I could live with him from there on and call him Uncle. Believe me if I say his house is great. It is hidden with so many magical wards it is probably nearly as safe as Hogwarts or Gringotts. And the best part is, he has applied for guardianship over me. If the officials agree, I will never have to return to the Dursleys. I can finally have a real family."
"Oh Harry, that's wonderful." Hermione said.
"Yes, congratulations mate." Ron said looking a bit jealous for Harry having a rich uncle.
But he soon settled for being happy for his friend finally getting out of that place. After all he had been there to rescue Harry last year with the twins' help. And he had gotten a glimpse of Vernon Dursley trying to prevent Harry's escape.
Nobody but Harry recognized the small beetle sitting in a bush, but he dismissed the thought. He was happy that his best friends were happy for him.
"How is your uncle's house and where do you live?" Ron asked.
"Well, I'm sorry I can't tell you yet where the house is, Uncle Orion said this information is strictly confidential to keep the security. I can only tell, when he allows it. But the house is great. It has four floors and is really big. Well, probably you can await this as Uncle Orion is a Comte. We are currently renovating it with the help of our old house elf. The house has been empty for many years and there were some uninvited house guests we had to kick out."
"House guests?" Hermione asked.
"Doxies, boggarts, big spiders..." He counted on his hands "...things like that. It was really interesting to see how Uncle Orion dealt with a boggart. I have heard that was normally something we would learn in our third year. Well, depending on our teacher of course. I just hope Dumbledore has found a competent DADA teacher this year or I fear we will never be really prepared if we were attacked."
"Do you really think we will have to fight in the future?" Ron asked.
"Do you remember what happened the last two years at school?" Harry asked rhetorically.
"First year we get proof Voldemort is still alive somewhere out there and has possessed Quirrell to help him get a body back. If he had been successful in stealing the philosopher's stone, we would have him at our backs just now."
Both nodded.
"Second year we have the problem of his damned diary possessing Ginny, tricking her to do his bidding. He set loose a basilisk on the school for the second time in his life and tried to kill muggleborn students but thankfully failed to succeed as only petrifications happened. He nearly came back. His form became more and more solid while sucking the life out of Ginny. Then I was bitten by the basilisk and his fang broke from his mouth. I wouldn't even be alive if Fawkes hadn't been there. Basilisk poison only has one antidote. Phoenix tears. I instinctively used the fang to stab the diary to stop him. I'm lucky it worked. So, what are the chances he will eventually find a way to come back? I want to be prepared when this day comes. I don't intend to be a victim and he will come after me."
"You are right Harry. I also hope to have a good teacher in each subject. I'm especially curious about the new subjects."
Harry saw a big bag with lots of books in it.
"I don't understand how you think you could do all those subjects at the same time." Ron said.
"I mean, do you plan to eat and sleep at all this year?"
"I will manage it. I don't want to miss an important subject. As I am muggleborn, I have to learn more about the wizarding world then you who was born into it." She argued.
Harry hated it, but she was right. To have any chance at a good job later on, she would have to excel far beyond her pureblood peers.
"I still say you are barmy. Nobody can manage to do all those subjects, but it is your decision. But if you are going insane with your work load, don't tell me I didn't warn you Hermione. Good thing Harry and I only chose two subjects, right Harry?" Ron asked.
"Well, I now have three new subjects Ron. After I met Uncle Orion and I told him which subjects I chose to take this year, he advised me that Divination is a subject you can't learn from books or a teacher. You either have the gift of a seer or you don't. And none of my ancestors has ever had it. So I don't have it. Why should I try to learn something I can't learn? So after he told me what the other subjects were about and what you could do with them later in life, something nobody really bothered doing for any of us last year, I chose to take Ancient Runes and Arithmancy instead. I figure I will still manage it. And it is really interesting what you can do with the things you learn there.
"Runes are a core part in wards and Arithmancy is really useful to analyze spells and find counters. Even Potions are based on arithmantic calculations and with Snape hating me, it would be great to just calculate a potion how it should be done and show him up by doing it right. In regard of Voldemort being after me, I figured it would be good to know those things. And they are requested in some really awesome jobs I read about. I don't know what I want to do in the future, but this way I have more options."
Ron again flinched at the name and seemed a bit put out at the prospect of not being with his best friend in Divination but he couldn't argue with Harry's arguments.
"Why do you suddenly think so much about the future?" Ron asked.
"Last year was an eye-opener for me Ron. Justin, Collin, Hermione and Penelope were all petrified. Ginny nearly died. I don't want to lose people who are close to me. We don't know what kind of nasty things Voldemort is planning. But he is always coming after me for some odd reason. The only thing we can do is learn as much as we can to be ready when he tries again to return. But I don't intend to move into the library if you fear that. I will spend a lot of time at the Quidditch pitch at least." He said grinning.
Ron also grinned while Hermione looked a bit miffed. She knew this side-jab was directed at her liking for books. But she knew Harry didn't mean it hurtful so she took it in stride.
They finished their sundaes and Harry paid for them.
"Where do you want to go?" Harry asked.
"I want to get some medicine for Scabbers. He is a bit under the weather since we returned from Egypt. I want to see if they have something at the Magical Menagerie."
Harry had to control his emotions. If he only could get the damn traitor, but it wouldn't do if he acted now. He needed a witness who was absolutely trustworthy in the eyes of the public. He and Sirius had pondered who would be best to give this role. The best options would be Filius Flitwick or Minerva McGonagall. Dumbledore would also have the reputation but he wasn't to be trusted with something that important. He could find a way around it so that Sirius wouldn't gain his freedom.
"I also want to go to the Magical Menagerie. My parents gave me some money as it is my birthday in September and I should get me an early birthday present."
"What you don't want to get a good book?" Ron teased.
"No, I really want an owl. I mean Harry has Hedwig and you have Errol."
"No I don't have, he is a family owl, all I have is Scabbers. And as I said he is ill. Let's go."
The three went on to the shop where lots of different animals were offered to be sold. The space to move was restricted as there were cages everywhere. Ron went to the counter and spoke with the witch about Scabbers' problems. He was given some rat tonic as he didn't want a replacement for Scabbers. Then he was suddenly attacked by a really big cat. The witch shouted for the cat to stop it and Scabbers ran out of the shop.
Harry helped Ron to find Scabbers. While he quite liked the idea of the traitor being eaten by a cat, he needed him to prove Sirius' innocence. They found him nearly ten minutes later under a wastepaper bin. When they returned they found that Hermione had bought the cat that had jumped onto Ron to get Scabbers. Even now it fixated the lump in Ron's chest pocket while purring in Hermione's arms.
Ron and Hermione had a longer argument about her choice of a pet. Ron was disgruntled as Crookshanks, the cat had nearly scalped him, Hermione found the cat was gorgeous. Harry decided not to interfere with the two arguing. Privately he thought any cat that disliked the traitor was alright. While Hermione gave Ron the rat tonic he forgot in the shop, Harry tried to get his thoughts away from the prospect of the traitor becoming cat food. It was so tempting.
That's it for this week. As always I appreciate reviews.
Mischief managed.