Minerva McGonagall was disturbed as she apparated onto Privet Drive. The air felt odd, almost dead.

She shook her head and walked up to number 4.

She sharply rapped on the door. Petunia Dursley opened the door and promptly slammed it closed.

The Deputy Headmistress sighed before listening for a moment.

"Vernon!" She heard the woman yell for her husband. "They're here for him."

"What? I thought you said your freak of a sister got a letter first." A male voice replied before the Scot tapped the door with her wand.

"Mr. Potter did get a letter." She said in a voice that had caused even the most brave and/or stupid students to freeze. "His response was most interesting."

"Go get him, pet." Vernon Dursley said. Petunia Dursley went to the back door to get Harry.

"Mr. Potter will not be returning here." McGonagall said. "Not after the letter I received in response. Not that I know you told him absolutely nothing about his heritage."

"Wh-why would we?" Petunia proved that she did not share her sister's intelligence. "We wanted nothing to do with you people!"

"Aunt Petunia?" A small voice said. "What did you need me for?"

McGonagall looked at the soaked boy. He had been gardening and had rinsed himself off with the hose, however she could see that under the dirt that remained the boy looked just like his father. If his father had been through 10 years of neglect before his Hogwart's letter. She sighed.

"You'll be going with her." The younger woman said. "She'll be taking you to Hogwarts." The last word was spat out like poison.

"Go get your things, Harry." McGonagall said kindly, a complete 180 from mere moments before.

Harry nodded and left. McGonagall noticed that he did not go up the stairs. His room really was the cupboard under the stairs.

She smiled coldly. "You two will pay." Her voice sent shivers down the muggles' spine. "I will return, am I clear?"

"Crystal." Vernon Dursley said.

"Good." The witch said. "Harry, come here."

Harry was carrying a rucksack. He came to the woman's side.

"I'll clean you up and fix your clothes." She said kindly.

Harry nodded before McGonagall flicked her wand. The dirt and water vanished from the boy, leaving pale clean skin. Another flick and his clothes changed from rags to a well fitting set of day clothes.

'Observe.' Harry thought as he gazed at his new shirt.

Transfigured Shirt

A well fitting transfigured shirt. 11 hours 59 Minutes until it reverts.

"Cool." Harry said. "Can I learn how to do that?"

"Yes, it will be several years until you get that far." She smiled at the boy's enthusiasm. "We'll be apparating to Diagon Alley."

"Apparating?" Harry tilted his head.

"It's an advanced spell that allows witches and wizards to nearly instantly go from one place to another." She grasped the boy's shoulder. "It will be uncomfortable the first few times."

Harry barely had time to nod before he felt like he was being squeezed though a long tube. 'Yeah, uncomfortable, right.' He thought as they landed in an alley.

McGonagall tapped his head. Harry saw his hair change from a messy black to a not as messy dirty blond. "Well, I guess the messiness is magic."

"So I will never have flat hair?" Harry whimpered.

"No, though your great uncle did try." She said before tapping a random brick. The wall pulled away to reveal Diagon Alley in its' strange magical glory.

"Whoa." Harry said before following the woman. "How am I going to pay for school? I know the Dursleys aren't going to."

"Your parents left you a trust vault." McGonagall said. "It will have more than enough to pay for Hogwarts."

"The Dursleys don't know about it." Harry stated.

"Gringotts wouldn't have let them have a single knut anyways." McGonagall said. "Not if they had any doubt it wasn't going to your needs."

"How did my parents die?" Harry asked. "Aunt Petunia said they died in a car crash."

"The Dark Lord killed them." McGonagall said.

"Is he still alive?" Harry said coldly.

"No, at least we don't believe so." McGonagall said as they came up to a white marble building. "This is Gringotts, the main wizarding bank of the United Kingdom."

"Cool." Harry read the brass plaque. 'Observe.'

Gringotts Oath

This plaque represents the oath that the goblins of Gringotts take. It also serves as a warning to all thieves and miscreants.

Harry followed the older woman into the bank and up to a teller.

"Harry Potter's trust vault." She said.

The goblin looked bored as he asked. "Key please."

McGonagall seemed unsurprised by the attitude of the goblin and pulled the key out of an inside pocket.

"I got a question." Harry asked as he tried to partially climb onto the teller's booth to look the goblin in the eye. "Can I see if my parents left a will?"

The goblin looked at the scrawny kid half clinging to the edge of his booth. "What are their names?"

Harry looked up at McGonagall.

She replied for him. "Lily and James Potter."

"We will look and tell you when you return from your vault." The goblin said. "Griphook!" He yelled for another goblin. "He'll take you down."

By the time Griphook had gotten them down, Harry was grinning like a fool and McGonagall was putting her hair back in the bun.

"Don' know why ya bother, Professor." Griphook said. "It's jus' gonna get messed up 'gain. Key?"

The woman handed the key over.

The goblin jumped down and opened the door.

Harry stared at the mountains of gold, silver and bronze. "That's mine?"

"Yes, Mr. Potter." McGonagall said.

"Yer parent's got more than this." Griphook said.

"Really?" Harry said.

"More than likely, you won't be able to access it until you're 17." McGonagall said.

"Oh." Harry said. 'Observe.' He thought three times.

Galleon

The largest of wizarding currency. One galleon equals seventeen Sickles or four hundred and ninty-three knuts.

Sickle

The middle of wizarding currency. One Sickle equals twenty-nine knuts.

Knut

The smallest of wizarding currency.

"How much do I have in here?" Harry said. "And how much should I get for this year?"

"Start with seventy-five Galleons." McGonagall said. "We can come back for more if we need to."

"You have fifty thousand Galleons in this vault." Griphook said.

"How many pounds are in a Galleon?" Harry shuddered.

"Approximately five pounds to a Galleon." Griphook quickly moved to catch Harry as he fell to his knees.

"In this vault alone, I have over a quarter million pounds." Harry muttered. "I have more money in this vault then Uncle Vernon has made in the last ten YEARS." Harry started to laugh.

McGonagall coughed politely. "Mr. Potter we do have more to do."

"Right." Harry got up and pulled seventy-five Galleons into a bag Griphook provided.

Griphook was proven correct as McGonagall's hair again came out of its' bun.

A goblin was waiting at the entrance. "Ah, Mr. Potter." He said. "Your parents did leave a will however it has been sealed until your thirteenth birthday by order of the Wizengamet."

"Oh." Harry said. "Thanks for checking though."

McGonagall frowned. 'Harry should be able to have it read now.' She shook her head and led the boy out into the alley.

* * Meanwhile at Hogwarts * *

Albus Dumbledore was panicking. He needed Harry in a home that would teach him to obey his orders.

Augusta Longbottom was angry with him for what happened to her son and daughter-in-law. She would teach the boy to take his words with a grain of salt and might tell him more than he needed to know.

The Weasleys had enough on their plate with four growing boys and a limited budget.

The man growled. No, Harry would stay at Hogwarts for now. It's not like it would backfire all that badly.

* * Back with our hero * *

Harry held out his arms as the witch measured him for a full wardrobe. He looked at the other items in the store.

'Observe.' He read the description of each item.

Woolen Cloak

A warm woolen cloak. +10 to cold resist.

Silk Dress Robes

A fashionable set of dress robes. +20 to Charisma

Self Cleaning Robes

A set of self cleaning robes.

His eyes wandered as his fingers flicked the windows away. So many things to learn, so many things to see. If Diagon Alley, a mere shopping district, was this wondrous then what would the school be like?

His trunk was an interesting bit of magic. He looked at it as it remained open so that they could put the premade things in as the tailored items were being made. 'Observe.'

Enchanted School Trunk

This trunk has been enchanted to be light weight and has seven compartments. It can also be shrunk with a password.

"You're so tiny." The seamstress muttered. "Are you sure he's eleven, Professor?"

"Yes, I'm sure." The Scot said.

"Well, we'll put a couple of growth spells as well as the hem in." She smiled. "You'll probably have to come back in next year."

Harry looked at the Deputy Headmistress. She merely mouthed, 'Later.'

"Now, what colors should we give you?" The seamstress said. "You're so pale, most dark colors would be out. Such pretty green eyes, so we should draw attention to them. Perhaps a forest green? Yes, that and hunter green. Pity your glasses hide them so much."

"Is there a place to get glasses here?" Harry asked.

The woman blinked. "Ah, yes. He's only a few doors down. Healer Levat, he even went to muggle school so that the muggleborns would trust him."

"Cool, Professor, can we go there next?" Harry asked.

"Of course." McGonagall said. "That was my plan." She knew that Healer Levat could also provide Harry with a basic physical as well.

Harry grinned.

"Alright. Done measuring. I'll have your robes ready in a few hours. Thankfully you two came so early." The seamstress finished writing down the figures. "In August I have so many orders, most nights I get just a few hours of sleep."

"September must be a time of relief for you then." Harry said.

"Yes, it is." She smiled. "Of course I then have adults demanding holiday clothing."

"September is a little early for Christmas clothing." Harry said.

"Samhain is an important holiday to the Purebloods." McGonagall said.

"Samhain?" Harry asked.

"Yes, Samhain is one of the Gaelic festivals that most of the purebloods still honor. Imbolc in early February, Beltaine in early May and Lughnasadh earlier this month are the other festivals." McGonagall said. "Of course many also use Halloween as an excuse to dress up."

Harry nodded. That made sense.

An hour later Harry walked out of Healer Levat's office with a pair of glasses that actually fit and wouldn't break so easily.

"Next are your books." McGonagall said. "Florish and Blotts sells them as a set for a slight discount."

"Can I look around?" Harry asked. "Please?"

"Yes, you may look around for twenty minutes." She replied.

Harry grinned. 'Alright, I used thirty Galleons on my wardrobe and ten on my glasses. My school books cost…' Harry looked at the price of the set. 'Ten Galleons. So I'll have twenty-five leftover for what I need. Let's say my wand costs ten Galleons and my cauldron and other supplies cost similarly so five Galleons.' Harry walked quickly to the used book section.

After fifteen minutes he emerged with an armful of books. Several of them had caused a window to pop up.

You have found a Grimoire!

Would you like to learn Runic Design?

Yes/No

Warning saying yes will cause this book to disappear.

Harry had pressed no. He wanted to so badly but he didn't want to get into trouble. So, he would buy it. Some books he had put back had sounded like it would be awesome to have. Like Elemental Control. Awesome, but impractical.

Another book he had grabbed was a potion book with barely seen notations. Harry believed that to normal people the notations were invisible as he could only see them if he tilted the book a certain way. The description also tipped him off.

A Master's Guide to Potions

This book has several enchantments that make it readable to only those with a knack for potions. It also have notations from former owners. You can read this.

Harry put the books on the counter. "These and a set of first year books, please."

The cashier rang up Harry's purchases and they moved on to getting Harry's potions equipment.

"So what do the different cauldrons do, Professor?" Harry asked as he looked at the variety of cauldrons. Some were a dull pewter grey while some seemed to be made of gold.

"Different cauldrons have different effects on the potion." McGonagall said. "For your classes you'll just need a pewter cauldron."

"Oh." Harry said disappointedly. "So just get the basics?"

"For now. If Professor Snape believes you have potential you can get the other kinds." She admitted.

The final stop was getting Harry's wand.

"Ollivander's is the best place to get your wand in the United Kingdom." McGonagall said. "I got mine here as did your parents."

"Cool." Harry felt the magic wash over him as he walked in. He saw small orbs of light. 'Observe.'

Magic mote- a small ball of condensed magic. Invisible to most.

"Ah, Professor McGonagall." A strange old man said coming up to the pair. "Fir and Dragonheart String. Nice and firm."

"Mr. Potter needs his wand." She pushed the boy forward.

"Indeed, he does." The man's gaze turned on the boy. "Yes, seems just like yesterday his parents were in here."

Harry looked away at the myriad of boxes. 'Observe.'

Wand Box- This box holds a wand made of Yew and Dragonheart string.

Observe has leveled up!

Ollivander looked at him oddly. "Try this one, Mr. Potter." He handed Harry a long Ebony wand. "Ebony and Unicorn Hair."

Harry took it. It felt as cold as ice.

"No, maybe this one." The older man pulled the wand out of his hand and slapped a Yew wand in Harry's hand.

The wand seemed to be the polar opposite.

"No." The wandmaker said.

This went on for some time.

"Hmm. Quite the tricky one." Ollivander said. He went back among the stacks of boxes and pulled one out. "Perhaps this one, Mr. Potter. Holly and Phoenix Feather."

Harry took the wand.

You have received your wand. +10 to INT

"Mine." Harry said simply.

"How curious." Ollivander said.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"The Phoenix that gave me only one other feather." Ollivander said. "The wand that I made with it caused your scar."

"The Dark Lord?" Harry asked.

"Yes, him." Ollivander agreed. "Voldemort had so much potential, just as you do."

Harry was unsure how to take the comparison.

"Of course the woods on each of your wands are vastly different. Yours is a more of a defensive wood while his, being made of Yew, is far more offensive." Ollivander continued.

"You say that as though your respect him." McGonagall said coldly.

"I do. I would never follow him." He replied. "That'll be seven galleons."

Harry paid the man.

The trio jumped as fire erupted in the shop. A beautiful red and gold bird hovered in front of McGonagall with a letter in its' beak.

Once relived of the letter the bird settled on Harry's shoulders. A happy trill told Harry the bird wasn't going to leave anytime soon. 'Observe.'

Fawkes the Phoenix- Fawkes is the familiar of the Headmaster of Hogwarts. Your wand has one of his primary wing feathers.

"Stop that." Harry grouched as Fawkes played with his hair.

McGonagall sighed. "This is not going to go well."

"What?" Harry asked.

"You are to stay at Hogwarts until school starts." She said.

"Why won't it go well?" Harry asked. "Because of favoritism?"

"Indeed." She replied. "Well, Fawkes seems to like you." She glared at the bird that was now making spikes in Harry's hair despite his best attempts.

"Is that a good thing?" Harry asked.

"Yes, it is." McGonagall turned to the bird. "Take this to Albus. I'll bring him back on my own."

Fawkes gave a grumpy trill before taking the letter and flaming out taking Harry with him.

McGonagall stared at the empty spot before sighing. "Or not. I will probably be seeing you in a few days with some muggleborns." She tapped her wand to shrink the trunk, picked it up and left.

"I will see you then." Ollivander said absently.

* * Headmaster's Office * *

Harry froze briefly as a different magic took over. It was warm and comforting, like clothes fresh from the dryer on a cold day. It was bright too.

When the magic faded Harry found himself in a circular office in front of the desk of Albus Dumbledore.

"Well, that is one way to get here, Mr. Potter." The old man behind the desk said.

"Can you get Fawkes off of me?" Harry asked clutching his new wand. The phoenix trilled happily from his perch.

Dumbledore chuckled. "Fawkes, please get off of him."

* * Several Hours Later * *

Harry settled down in the bedroom. It was in a set of rooms that included a bathroom, a study and a bedroom.

He had also met another of the professors. Professor Snape seemed to hate him instantly. Evidently his father and his friends had bullied him while they were in school.

Harry hoped to change Professor Snape's opinion so he could learn more about potions.

He had also been shown the Great Hall and the kitchens. The rest of the tour would wait until tomorrow.

Harry just hoped that he would be allowed to stay here and not be shuttled around.

He opened his trunk and pulled out the book on runic design.

You have found a Grimoire

Runic Design

Learn Yes/No

Harry pressed yes.

You have learn Runic Design level 1 0.0%

You have a basic understand of runes

Harry pulled a notebook and pen from his inventory and started writing. He would raise this one.

Okay, I got a reason for not updating. I lost my keyboard and haven't had the money to get a new one and I had this about 80% done.

Yeah, that and weird ass hours at work.

Harry will remain at Hogwarts for the summer. However he will go other places come the end of the here.

Next chapter we'll see the Dursleys again and Harry will explore.

So, sorry for the lack of updates.