Chapter 6: Shopping
"When are we going shopping?" Harry asked. He remembered that Sirius had mentioned going shopping last night. "In a bit. I just need to read the newspaper," said Sirius. When Sirius was done, Harry expected to get into a car. But instead, Sirius stood by the fireplace and beckoned for Harry to join him. Harry was intrigued. What were they going to do? "Um Sirius?" Asked Harry. "What is it?" "How are we getting there?" Sirius laughed. "We are going by flu powder of course" he said, chuckling. Harry wondered what flu powder was. Was it powdered bogies? But no, it was some kind of blue powder that Sirius pulled out of a cupboard. He handed Harry a handful. "Right, just throw it into the fire. Then step in. Close your eyes and keep your elbows tucked in. Then shout 'The Leaky Cauldron' clearly," instructed Sirius. Harry threw the powder into the fire. The flames turned green. Harry stood there mesmerised. He wondered how the flames turned that colour. 'The leaky Cauldron!" Harry shouted, coughing as he stepped into the flames. They were quite warm but didn't burn him for some reason. The next minute, Harry was spinning like a top! He felt like he was dancing in a chimney. Harry would have screamed, but he didn't think it would be a good idea.
Suddenly, Harry found himself in a different fireplace. He was now in a small pub. Harry sat up and heard a quiet pop from behind him. It was Sirius. "Well?" asked Sirius as he brushed soot off himself. "I think I might have to get used to it!" said Harry chuckling. They exited the pub, into its yard. Then, Sirius took out his wand. He tapped a brick on the wall - and suddenly a gaping hole appeared, revealing what lay beyond. "This is Diagon Alley. It's where all wizards and witches do their shopping." Harry stared! He was looking at a long cobbled street line with shops full of books, quills, parchment, telescopes and - unless he was very much mistaken - owls. People in long robes and cloaks were bustling about, doing their daily shopping. Harry pinched himself - but no, he was not dreaming.
"Come on," said Sirius, leading Harry down the street. Harry glanced in wonder at the shops nearby. There were a whole lot of things he had never seen before. Harry was pretty sure that some of these things weren't even supposed to exist. But then, wizards and witches weren't supposed to exist either. In the nearby shop windows, Harry saw cauldrons, wands, broomsticks and cats. Soon, Harry and Sirius came to a shop that seemed to sell robes and cloaks. When they entered, Harry was amazed. He was surrounded by colourful garments. "Which ones would you like?" asked Sirius. Harry couldn't choose. Then he spotted some emerald green ones in a corner. "May I have those, please?" Harry asked tentatively. He wondered if he would be allowed them. "Certainly," said Sirius, pulling them down off the rack. "They match your eyes, too." They bought Harry some ruby red robes, blue robes, black robes and some golden ones for special occasions. They also bought Harry an emerald green cloak to match his robes. They paid for them with some gold coins that Harry had never seen before. He supposed they were Wizarding money. Then they visited a bookshop. Harry picked out some comics for himself. Next, they visited a sweet shop - much to Harry's delight. They didn't have any normal sweets though. Instead, they had only extraordinary sweets. Harry could've looked at them for hours. There were Chocolate Frogs, which were made of chocolate and shaped like frogs – as well as Liquorice Wands, Droobles Best Blowing Gum, Peppermint Toads, Pepper Imps and Fizzing Wizbees. Harry chose a Chocolate Frog, a bag of Peppermint Toads and a bag of Every Flavour Beans. "Good choice," said Sirius. He chose some Peppermint Imps and Blowing Gum for himself.
"Where will we go now?" Harry asked as he bit into his Chocolate Frog. "To the toy shop!" Sirius crowed as he blew an enormous bubble. Harry wondered if Sirius was just as excited as he was. When they got to the toy shop, Harry gawked at all the toys. He had been to a toy shop before with aunt Petunia and had loved it. Although he hadn't gotten anything. Dudley got an enormous teddy bear and a giant Lego set. However, this toy shop couldn't compare to that one - because all the toys in this one were magical. There were toy wands, toy cauldrons, stuffed animals that could move and make sounds and dolls that could walk, talk, cry and giggle. Although not all the toys in the shop were magical - there was some ordinary toys as well. "Well, what would you like mini-marauder?" asked Sirius tapping Harrys shoulder. Harry looked around. He rather liked a large puzzle of a castle. "Could I have this?" Harry asked tentatively. He wasn't used to asking for things. "Great choice," said Sirius smiling at Harry.
Harry picked out two more puzzles, a toy cauldron, a ball with wings which Sirius said was a Golden Snitch, a toy Lunascope, a stuffed badger, a stuffed eagle, a frisbee and a stuffed toy hippogriff.
When they got back home, Sirius annd Harry settled in front of the television with their sweets. "So how does this thing work, Harry?" asked Sirius looking embarrassed. Sirius didn't know how a TV worked?! Harry thought that this was the funniest thing since rubber chickens. "Play a kids' TV show," Sirius commanded the TV. Harry nearly split his sides laughing. "Sirius, that that's not how it works!" Harry gasped out through his laughing. "You use this," said Harry pointing to the remote. He selected a channel for himself and Sirius to watch.
When they had finished watching TV, Sirius brought out a card game from a cupboard in the kitchen. "It's a game where you build a house of cards - then when you're finished, the cards explode!" Harry enjoyed Exploding Snap - but he didn't enjoy it when the cards exploded in his face. "You look like a chimney sweep," Sirius said through his chuckling. "Well now you're wearing Egyptian make up," said Harry smearing dust all over his godfather's face. "Get off!" said Sirius spluttering. Suddenly, there was a flutter and something landed on the doormat. "I'll get it," said Sirius, attempting to brush dust off his face. It didn't work. Sirius walked into the hallway. "Oh it's just the muggle newspaper," Sirius called from the hallway. " I'll throw it away." "No don't," Harry called back. "There might be something interesting in there." "Okay," said Sirius doubtfully. Sirius had a quick flick through it. Then he chuckled. "Harry, you need to read this." Sirius pushed the newspaper towards him. Harry read. The article was titled 'Cupboard Kid.'
Children's services discovered last night that a seven-year-old by the name of Harry Potter has been atrociously abused in Surrey. "It's shocking!" said Jane Nicholson, next-door neighbour. "That child was horribly abused and no one knew it. I wish I had helped. I am thoroughly ashamed of myself and my fellow neighbours, not to mention of the primary school." Harry Potter, age seven, has lived with the Dursley family nearly all his life. At one year old, the boy's parents died and he was sent to live with his aunt and uncle. Everyone thought he was safe and happy. But that wasn't the case. It turns out, Harry's life is anything but happy. In fact, his life was filled with misery. Harry didn't have a bedroom, he slept in the cupboard under the stairs. Mr Dursley revealed that this was the case from day one. "We used all the bedrooms we had, so we gave him the cupboard" said Mr Dursley last night when we interviewed him. That wasn't the only abuse Harry received. On several occasions, he was left home alone while his aunt, uncle and cousin went out and had fun. Harry was also used as child labour according to Mrs Dursley. She said last night when e spoke to her that he would do about 10 chores a day. Harry did such menial tasks as weeding the garden, washing the dishes, doing the laundry and tidying his cousin's toys away. Harry was also forced to wear his cousin's hand-me-down clothes. He never got any proper birthday or Christmas presents either. But the worst is yet to come. Sometimes, Harry was locked in his cupboard for days at a time. Thankfully, this miserable life has come to an end for Harry. Last night, a man came to the Dursley's house. The man turned out to be Harry's long lost godfather. When he discovered the conditions of his godson's life, he called the police. In 10 minutes, the police were there. Mr Dursley will receive five years in jail. Mrs Dursley has been sent to a psychiatric ward. Dudley Dursley, their son, has been sent to a local care home. As for Harry Potter, we wish him well in his new life with his godfather.