Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or its subsequent universe. All recognisable characters, settings and plots belong to J. K. Rowling.

Acknowledgements: Thank you to my team of Betas and Editors: Tendrael Umbra, AJAVENGER01, Ares Alexander Peverell, Avidnarutofan.

Harry Potter and the Trials of Twilight

By: ArtyWords

Book 1: The Premature Arrival

Chapter 5: All Expenses Paid

Trigger Warning: This chapter contains depictions of self-inflicted wounds.

Diagon Alley

Midmorning

The cobblestone streets of the alley were full of wixen rushing to and fro between apparition points and their places of work. Harry watched through the window from his spot in the corner booth of the cafe, noting that rush hour seemed to be a universal concept. It had been about two hours since Olivia had brought them here from St. Mungo's.

Harry nursed the glass of juice in his hand staring intently at the cocktail. Olivia had recommended it, it looked and sounded a lot safer than most of the drinks he had seen on the menu. They had finished breakfast a while ago but neither of them was in a rush to join the mass of bodies outside. Most days Harry prefered to mingle in a crowd. He revelled in the anonymity that came with crowds. They had always been a welcome reprieve from being the sole subject of the Dursleys' ire but today wasn't one of those days.

He had been in a healing coma for about a week because of it very little time had passed in between the jarring truths he kept learning. Usually, he had a decent grip on his emotions and thoughts; one he had seemed to have lost and now his mind was a mess. Anger and sadness, flashes of his mother and echoes of her screams. The day had barely begun and he was already exhausted.

He reached across the table towards the bowl of salted peanuts and took a handful. On the other side of the booth, Olivia was nursing her glass of rosewater. She looked like she was deep in thought. She too hadn't been in a hurry to join the crowd though he wasn't sure if it was because he didn't or because of another reason.

In need of a distraction from his thoughts, he opted to play his own little game which involved throwing peanuts into Olivia's half-full glass. He had gotten all of them in so far when he reached to pick another handful, the bowl of peanuts slid away from him into Olivia's open hand. He smiled sheepishly at the slightly annoyed look on her face and pushed down the uneasiness that arose when it was replaced with an amused smirk. Olivia raised a free hand and lazily twirled her index finger, he watched as the peanuts rose from the glass then she flicked her finger in his direction the smirk never leaving her face as they all bounced off his forehead.

He wiped away the traces of rosewater with a serviette.

"What are we doing today?"

"Shopping, lots of shopping. You also have a meeting with your family solicitor and if we have time we can see about getting you a wand."

"A wand? Do you mean the sticks everyone keeps waving around? The ones that glow at the end and shoot bolts of light?"

Olivia stared at him for a moment before sighing though she did seem amused by his question.

"Yes, Harry the glowing sticks are called wands."

"What can these wands do?"

She removed her wand. "In the right hands almost anything," she gestured to the other patrons of the cafe. "But those are few and far between."

Harry glanced outside the window and saw the streets were far emptier than they had been before. He gestured towards the door and drained the rest of his juice as he stood up. Olivia did the same or rather she tried to, taking one large mouthful before putting the rest of it back on the table with a grimace at the overpowering salty flavour. She looked up and narrowed her eyes at the smirk on Harry's face.

(+)

A couple of hours later, Harry was walking around with a brand new, top of the line canvas and leather backpack. It had several enchantments, feather-light, enlarged pockets and compartments to name a few. Inside of it was his trunk which had similar enchantments as well several more, it had his potion kit and ingredients, an astronomy kit with blank and filled star charts, the required school books as well as a few extra ones. It also held his unusually comprehensive set of writing supplies for a child his age.

On Olivia's recommendation, he purchased owl subscriptions from all the stores they had shopped in; now he just needed to buy the owl. They were only left with a few more stops; he still needed a wardrobe both for school and a personal one, the owl and a wand.

A bell chimed as they entered Madam Malkin's shop, they were greeted by an older woman who had an air of authority around her so he assumed she was Madam Malkin. On the way to the back of the shop they passed a pair of vaguely similar young girls. The older of the pair by a couple years had dark brown almost black hair and dark eyes. The younger of the pair she was about his age and had dark blonde hair marred with streaks of white-blonde and icy-blue eyes.

He led over to a small raised platform and the attendant assigned to it — a man about the same age as Madam Malkin.

"Hogwarts, son?"

Harry nodded. The man tapped his wand against the nearby tape measure and Harry watched as it floated around his body wrapping around different parts stopping long enough for measurements to be recorded. When the man was done he stepped off the platform. While that had been happening Olivia had roamed the store picking out a few articles of clothing. Upon her return, she had the man immediately tailored one set to his measurements; the rest they would pick up at the end of the day with his uniform.

A few minutes later Harry walked out of the dressing room relieved to finally be free of Dudley's old clothes. He wore an olive sweater over a white shirt with black jeans and black leather shoes. He made his way over to Olivia who was standing by the front counter. Her eyes lit up when she saw him and though he didn't show it he was a little worried when he saw that smirk again.

"You look wonderful Harry. I knew you were cute under those ill-fitting rags." she said as she brushed the nonexistent dust off his shoulders.

From the satisfied gleam in her eyes and the heat on his face he knew had failed to keep the blush off his face. Deciding to ignore the topic he gestured to the bundle of rags in his hands.

"Can you burn these for me?"

She glanced down at the bundle before staring into his eyes for a moment.

"After we get you a wand I'll show you how to do it yourself." She whispered.

She glanced at her bare wrist and flicked it causing it to flash gold for a second. "Now let's hurry up, don't want to be late for your meeting."

(+)

Monty & Lawson

Elevenses

Harry and Olivia were seated in reception, They were seated off to the side of the room in one of the cushy leather couches. Olivia spent the time flipping through one of the periodicals available on the glass coffee table.

Hung around the room were several portraits, one in particular had caught Harry's full attention — it was the one behind the main desk. It was a motionless portrait of a man with unruly brown hair and an impressive beard both of which were flecked with grey. The solemn nature of the portrait was offset by the mischievous light in his eyes and the Mona Lisaesque smile on his face.

He was jolted from his thoughts by Oliva squeezing his knee. She stood up and gestured for Harry to do the same, together they followed one of the many paralegals through the hallways.

Renata Lawson's Office

The office was quiet but none of its occupants were bothered by it. Olivia was seated in the more informal seating area in an armchair, her focus on the pair seated at the desk as she watched over Harry from a distance. Renata was silently taking in the boy in front of her; he was healthier than she had anticipated given the information she had gathered on his upbringing. He looked healthier but the gaunt look on his face was still prominent.

Harry sat in his chair and though he hid it well he was exhausted. only a few hours that he had awoken from a healing coma, one that amongst other things had seen a majority of his skeleton regrown. His bones were aching and oddly enough itched as well which did nothing to improve his state of mind.

"Heir Potter,"

It was Renata that broke the silence drawing all the attention towards her.

"I suppose I should say welcome back to the magical world."

Despite having a week to prepare for this conversation she was still lost on how to proceed. Had Halloween night never happened they would be meeting, bar any need for legal representation, many years from now.

Now though she had to find a way to help the boy escape the grasp of one of the most powerful men in the magical world. It was turning out far easier than she had anticipated; she barely had to turn over any stones to get the answers and information she needed.

"I'm Renta Lawson. I've been a partner at this firm for almost a decade and I'm also your Solicitor." She shuffled the papers on her desk. "Before we begin, do you have any questions for me?"

Harry had a question he wasn't sure if it was completely relevant to whatever it was they were about to discuss but it was one he wanted to be answered.

"There's a portrait downstairs, the big one behind the receptionist's desk. The man in it looks like me, who is he?" he drummed his fingers on the arm of the chair similar to the way she had done earlier.

"Fleamont Potter, your Grand Uncle and a dormant founding partner for the firm. Hence the name Monty & Lawson, my grandfather was the other partner." She gestured behind herself to a moving photo of Richard and Fleamont waving at the camera.

"That's all for now." He answered distantly as he stared at the photo.

"Right on to business then."

She flipped open a stack of folders and slid them over to him.

"Earlier this week the Dursleys, with the information provided by Healers Fleming and Pomfrey and subsequent inquiry, were issued with several temporary restraining orders."

She tapped each folder with her finger before placing several more on top of them.

" A few days later after verifying all the claims and information brought forward a judge issued a protective order making the restraints permanent. Along with a few more injunctions resulting in the Dursleys being stripped of any legal responsibility and power over your life and person."

The tension seemed to seep out of Harry's body as he released a breath he didn't know he was holding.

Renata gestured to a couple of boxes set on the floor beside her desk.

"These are your personal effects, the ones I was able to recover when I went to interview the Dursley's." She paused, unsure how to ask the question. "Did they really force you to spend your childhood in a cupboard under the stairs?"

Harry clenched and unclenched his hands repeatedly and his eyes glazed over, lost in memories. It was enough to answer her question.

"Moving on. The bad news is as a result of this Albus Dumbledore your Magical Guardian now has full power and responsibility over and for your life and person as long as it doesn't interfere with your duties as an heir."

"What do you mean duties as an heir?" Harry asked.

It had honestly slipped her mind that Harry essentially had no prior knowledge of the magical world despite being born into it. She made a mental note to add that piece of information to her building case.

"It would be better if I explained on your birthday until then you should begin educating yourself about the Magical World. I'll give a list of recommended books to assist you with that endeavour."

Offering the list had been an impromptu idea but one that had the potential to save both of them a lot of time down the road.

"I'm assuming it's going to take a lot more to do the same to Dumbledore." Harry stated, still drumming his fingers.

"What makes you say that?" she asked.

"I don't know much about how this world works but the terms Order of Merlin First Class, Chief Warlock and Supreme Mug-something. They sound like impressive titles and such titles usually belong to powerful people and powerful people are hard to punish."

"In your case, it's not as hard as you believe, just time-consuming. This brings me to our final topic for today. I need a small vial of your blood."

The tension in the room was palpable as Olivia made her way to stand behind Harry resting a hand on the back of his chair.

"Perhaps before we go any further, you could explain to him the dangers of giving blood and why you want his blood too." Olivia spoke in a hard tone.

Renata waved her off. " I'll let you handle the explanation. You seem like the type who knows a lot about blood."

She then stared at Harry. "Petunia revealed some very interesting things about her childhood and your mother in particular. I'd like to see if any of them are credible."

(+)

It was so different from Diagon Alley that Harry had trouble coming to terms with the concept that they existed side by side. The aptly named Knockturn Alley was not an inviting place. From its entrance, it was a long dark twisting alley that disappeared into the ever-present gloom that seemed to cling to this place. From the jagged main path, equally jagged smaller paths split haphazardly like distributaries from a river.

The numerous shops were crammed close together and yet the streets were far emptier than the number of shops would suggest. It was quiet, eerily so and it gave him goosebumps. Even the temperature was askewed, in some places, it didn't matter that it was the afternoon in the middle of summer, he could see every breath he released.

The things he saw on display were the stuff of nightmares he never had. Severed limbs of unknown origin and creatures still dripping blood, the weapons were either blood-stained or dripping in what he could only assume was poison. Even the more mundane items like books weren't spared a grotesque rendition every other book seemed to be written in blood or made of what appeared to be human skin or bone.

The air felt dark and heavy, he felt like he could taste the death, despair and darkness that filled the air with every breath. He loved it all. And from the way, Olivia's eyes had gleamed before she had taken his hand and dragged him along; he wasn't the only one.

Though the streets were far emptier than ones in Diagon Alley there was still plenty of low-life scum lurking in the shadows. He could see them quite clearly none of them had attempted to accost them like he had seen them do with others. He was certain Olivia had something to do with it.

Olivia hadn't felt this alive in years. The way the scum refused to meet her gaze and tripped over themselves to get out of her way put a cruel smile on her face though it was hidden in the shadows the hooded cloak she wore cast over her face. At first, she had thought the twitchy movements Harry had been making had been from fear but a stray beam of light from one of the storefronts caught his eyes revealing haunting green eyes that moved around rapidly in excitement trying to take everything in.

Finally, they arrived at their destination and it looked out of place with the rest of the establishments and residents of this alley. It was an unassuming shop hidden behind a large building in the corner of one of the many offshoot alleyways. It's only defining feature was the shop sign made of scrap metal, gears, leather and wood giving the words Wayland's Workshop a very steampunk visage.

Inside the shop was much larger on the inside than it appeared on the outside. Numerous walls were occupied with honeycomb shelves filled with blocks of wood, secure boxes and jars, even unidentifiable metal ingots. The door behind the counter opened up and a short swole man dressed like a blacksmith, a rolled-up sweat-soaked shirt, heavy-duty trousers and thick boots. He still had on his gloves apron and mask though that one had been lifted away from his face.

He had dark bronze skin, a likely by-product from all the time spent working with a forge. His face was covered in soot which contrasted with his braided white hair and bushy white beard. The soot drew attention to the man's pale silver eyes.

"Welcome, My friends!" he boomed warmly, though his voice was rather coarse. "What can Wayland do for you today?!"

"A wand!" Harry piped up eagerly before Olivia could answer.

Throughout the day she had indulged him by showing and telling him about all the things one could do with a wand. He went from being a sceptic to developing what anyone but her would call an unhealthy desire for a wand. She could empathize with what having a wand meant to him.

"Of course, You want a wand? Wayland will craft you a wand!"

If that was his inside voice Harry wasn't sure he wanted to hear how loud Wayland sounded when he was yelling. He stiffened for a moment when Wayland wrapped an arm around his shoulder and guided him over to one of the shelves. Now that they were side by side he could see how short Wayland was, Harry himself was just shy of five feet and still was about half a head taller than the boisterous blacksmith.

"Here you friend, The Wall of Wood!" he spread his out grandiosely. "Just pick out whatever calls out to you!"

After a moment Harry's eyes were drawn to a dark block of wood in a cold and shadowy part of the wall. He couldn't place the colour; it wasn't exactly black the dark colour of the wood shifting ever so slightly in the light like oil on the water showing different hues. He slowly caressed the block lost in the icy cold and frigid darkness it seemed to exude.

"An interesting choice my friend," Wayland said as he took a look at the block. "Blackthorn a warrior's wood, it is said the bush produced its sweetest berries after the harshest of frost! Let me tell you my friend I put it to the test myself! You'll be hard-pressed to find a drink sweeter than blackthorn cider after the cold wind blows! Try not to drink too much though it tends to lead to embarrassing stories at family dinners!" He finished with a hearty laugh.

Once again with a hand around his shoulder led Harry over to another wall that had a slowly rotating shelf.

"This my friend!" said with raised arms. "Is the Carousel of Cores!"

He had no idea what most of the things on the 'Carousel of Cores' were but he was immediately drawn to a large feather. It looked like a feather made out of fire; it had a burning crimson and glowing gold vane and that smouldering black shaft. It seemed to burn with increasing intensity the longer he held it.

"A Phoenix tail feather. A curious one you are. A casing of ice and darkness and a core of fire and light. A contradiction I'm sure the ladies will love. If you ever need advice, you come to Wayland! Wayland is always ready to help out. We men of mystery have to stick together!" he let out another booming laugh.

Harry gave a tentative smile, his energy was infectious and he found himself relaxing around him enough not to stiffen when he was guided to another shelf.

"Last but not least, the Shelf of Saps."

Harry rolled his eyes at the alliteration and promptly picked out several jars. Wayland gathered the materials and disappeared through the door behind the counter. After what felt like an eternity to Harry, Wayland returned with an ornate box. It was made of Blackthorn and had elaborate grooved swirls of burning crimson and glowing gold as well as icy white and glacial blues which originated from a notch on the top of the box.

"A few more steps my friend!" Wayland sounded more excited than usual. "All we need is some of your blood!" he boomed as pulled out a wicked sharp athame with practised ease.

Harry instinctively took a step back at the sight of it. He glanced back at Olivia who nodded her head towards the blade. As closed his hand around the plain leather hilt he got a closer look at the athame. He wasn't sure how but he knew the blade itself and odd symbols inscribed onto it were made from pure silver.

He made a shallow cut along his middle palm line and was mesmerized by the amount of dark ruby red that flowed from it. He was snapped out of his trances by Wayland moving his hand over the notch in the box. He watched on as his blood gushed over the notch and flowed to grooves till all the swirls were a dark ruby red. Only then did Wayland take the athame back, without cutting himself he grasped the blade and ran the pommel over Harry's cut. Harry watched in poorly disguised interest as the cut healed over — it was like he had never cut himself at all.

Wayland then placed both their hands and the athame in a ball of rainbow flames that hadn't been there before. The cool feel of the fire was an odd sensation; he wasn't sure if it was by nature or if his nerves had been overloaded. When Wayland removed them all traces of Harry's blood were gone.

Turning his attention back to the block of wood he noted the multi-coloured swirls were back. They watched on as the box of wood seemed to fold in on itself until it resembled a wand. Unlike before the whole piece of wood didn't shimmer in the light. It was a beautiful piece of work, with a carved lotus resting on a ring of thorns for the pommel, hexagonal scales for the hilt and the rest of the wand subtly twist around itself like a helix with each carved line revealed the pale underwood of the wand.

In a trance, Harry reached out for the wand when he held it in his hand a shower of sparks reminiscent of the swirls from earlier burst forth from the tip. Olivia watched on with a soft smile on her face.

A few minutes later Harry and Olivia were walking through the darkened pathways of Knockturn. Harry would have winced at the cost of his wand, its cleaning kit and enchanted holster if Olivia hadn't explained earlier that Dumbledore was funding their shopping spree.

It was hard to tell the time in the perpetual gloom of the alley. It was only when they reached Diagon Alley that it became apparent it was earlier in the evening.

After a quick dinner at one of the restaurants nearby and a quick stop at Mother Malkin's to pick up his clothes, Olivia apparated them both back to the alley outside Saint Mungo's.

"Alright, Harry let's burn those rags. Wand out and do as I say." Olivia said.

As Harry drew his wand from his holster Olivia used her wand to draw a glowing diagram in the air depicting the wand movement. A simple tongue of fire similar to that of a lit candle.

"This is the wand movement."

Above the diagram, she spelt out the incantation

"The incantation is Incendio."

She removed the bundle of rags from Harry's bag and placed it in a nearby metal garbage can and stepped back.

On his first try, Harry cast the spell perfectly. A little too well, maybe it was the rage and loathing he held towards the Dursleys that caused it. The conjured flame that spewed from the tip of his wand was far more powerful than Olivia had anticipated. She had expected a modest flame that would light the clothes fire and allow them to burn for a few minutes. She did not expect the pale blue-green flame that was better suited to a blowtorch to consume the clothes in seconds.

'Note to self,' she thought. 'Will have to work on that. It's too early for him to become an arsonist.'

"Well done Harry." She said ruffling his hair.

"Thanks." he said, rubbing his neck sheepishly.

Harry wanted to hug her goodbye but he wasn't sure how to go about it. His last and possible first hug had come during a compromised emotional and mental state. Luckily Olivia decided for him and wrapped in her own hug.

"This is nice." he muttered into her shoulder.

"Of course it is. It's my hug." she whispered playfully. "You should expect nothing less."

After releasing him she watched as he made his way towards the hospital before he stopped and turned around.

"Thanks for today." he said sincerely.

"You welcome Harry." she returned before she let a smirk work its way onto her face.

"Anything for my man of mystery." she swooned as she leaned against the wall for support.

She laughed silently at the slight blush on his face the last things she saw before she apparated away with a soft snap.

Harry walked back to his room silently swearing to find a spell and if he couldn't make one to erase her mouth. His eyes brightened as he thought of the day he could literally wipe the smirk off her face.

Thanks for Reading

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Arty's Note

The wand shopping scene is probably one of my favourite and worst scenes so far mainly because of how tropey it came out. It was a scene I felt was a necessary evil in the scheme of things. That being said most wand shopping will be done under Creepy Man Garrick's watch.

In other news Harry and Olivia and back Huzzah! And have already begun to paint the town red on Dumbles galleon. Good for them and how generous of the man himself.

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