Harry sets a quick pace down the street, only slowing when needed for Tom to catch up. While he knows that Voldemort will be in the same predicament as him in regards to magical exhaustion, he still can't help feeling uneasy being out in the open with Tom like this. "He could be anywhere right now. Doing literally any number of horrible things." Harry shudders at the thought. "Why can't anything go to plan? The universe could at least pretend to play along. Is that really too much to ask?" Harry's broken out of his thoughts by a harsh tugging on his sleeve.
"Excuse me? Mr. Peverell." Tom's monotone voice reaches Harry as if through a fog. "I apologize, sir. I've been trying to get your attention for the past few minutes with no response."
Harry stares uncomprehending at Tom for a moment before his words catch up with him. "Oh, right! My apologies! What was it that you needed?"
Tom stares suspiciously at the grin Harry has been hard at work to keep plastered on his face since they exited the alley, but nevertheless ignores it. "Hmm, perhaps I'm coming on a bit strong." Harry makes note of that for later.
"I was just wondering where it is we are going, Mr. Peverell. We've been walking for some time and you haven't given any indication that we are almost to our destination. If it's any further, perhaps we should take the train?" Although Tom phrased that last sentence as a question, his expression remained unchanging. It almost looked as if he was asking on principle and not because he actually cared one way or the other.
"It's not much further, only a few more blocks, but you're probably right that we should have taken the train. For some reason, it never even crossed my mind." Harry let out an embarrassed bark of laughter. "I guess I should probably warn you that us magical folk tend to lack a great deal of basic logic. While that can be great, with helping us think outside what is perceived to be possible, it can also cause us to completely miss the obvious. Occasionally, there are some who still manage to keep their wits about them. My friend Hermione was one and I wouldn't be surprised if you were too. I can already tell how intelligent you are."
Although his face remained the same, Harry got the impression that Tom was fairly satisfied with his answer. This time when they took off walking, it was with Tom at the head. As Harry trailed behind him he couldn't help but watch and wonder. "This small, underfed boy will one day grow up to kill thousands of people. Let's hope I can change him."
It didn't take much longer before they finally stood outside the Leaky Cauldron. Harry pushed the door open with much gusto and ushered Tom inside. None of the other patrons paid mind to them as they shuffled their way to the back. Standing before the entrance to Diagon Alley, Harry can't help feeling a ridiculous amount of excitement. Harry quickly pulls out his wand and taps the sequence onto the bricks before turning his full attention to Tom.
Harry can hear the sound of the bricks scraping and moving as the entrance opens, but all his attention is focused on Tom. Tom's unchanging expression slowly cracks before him, leaving awe and wonder plastered clearly across his face for all to see. Harry doesn't stop him as Tom hesitantly takes one step forward, before the next, and then next thing he knew Tom's running from shop window to window. Gazing in wonderment at anything within sight, Tom looks like an entirely new person. And, for the first time, like an actual child. Gazing at him now, Harry feels a little bit of the burden he's been carrying slide off his shoulders and conviction set in. "I know I can do this!"
Eventually, Tom wanders his way back over to Harry. He's done an admirable job composing himself, but Harry can still see how brightly his eyes have lit up. Harry can also see the hint of embarrassment in the set of Toms shoulders, but makes no move to comment on it. Harry instead decides to act as if nothing world shattering had just occurred for either of them and go ahead with beginning their shopping. Luckily, the start of the school term has just passed, so they only have to worry about regular customers and the stray parent fetching a forgotten item for their child. It would have been a disaster if they had needed to come in the days before September first.
"So Tom, our first stop will be to get you and I entirely new clothes. It will take a bit for them to be ready, so we will have to circle back around at the end to collect them." Harry explains as he begins heading toward Madam Malkin's.
"If you don't mind me asking, sir, but why do you need all new clothes? Did something happen to yours? Or does your mother, my aunt I suppose, allow you to get a new wardrobe often?" Tom phrased the questions innocently enough, but Harry could see the way he was being scrutinized, no matter how subtle Tom tried to be. It appeared that even with the rush and excitement of his first trip to the alley, Tom's intelligent mind would not be distracted from any discrepancies Harry seemed to create. With that in mind, Harry made a spontaneous decision and hoped it wouldn't backfire spectacularly.
"Actually, Tom, my parents were both killed when I was a baby. I'm an orphan, like you. I was raised by my aunt and uncle. They didn't have any magic themselves and hated even the thought of anything abnormal. I'm sure you have some experience with that." Harry paused for a moment to gage Tom's reaction, but his gaze was inscrutable. "Anyway, even though the story about my mother is a lie, the fact that we're cousins isn't. It's quite distant, but your mother's family descended from the Peverell line, just like mine did. Finding out we were related was a pretty big shock actually. Especially considering, well, I suppose that doesn't matter actually." Harry trailed off awkwardly.
"You said your family also descended from the Peverell line distantly, so does that mean Peverell isn't your parents name?" Tom was definitely fishing for information, but Harry couldn't exactly blame him.
"You're smart to catch that. Yes, my parents and I went by a different name, but in order to start a new life in the wizarding world and forget about my past, I gave up that name for the Peverell name. With that said," Harry hesitated for a moment before deciding to go for it, "I would like to offer you the same opportunity."
Harry could note the exact moment he had garnered Tom's full undivided attention. They had been walking slowly for the duration of their conversation, but Harry could see Madam Malkin's just ahead and decided to try to quickly wrap up the conversation. Stopping for the moment, Harry also gave his full attention to Tom.
"I know this is all a bit much and really quite sudden, so take your time to think about it. Names are big things in the magical world, it's one of the reasons I changed mine, so don't make this decision lightly. There wouldn't be any going back if you go forward with it, considering the nature of the magic behind it. We'd have to petition the head of the Riddle family for the name and that would be, er, a mess. Anyway, just think about it."
Tom's face was one of great contemplation as they stood there in the streets of Diagon Alley. Harry didn't want to rush his thoughts, so he just waited patiently for when Tom was ready to speak. It didn't take too much longer before Tom was firing off questions.
"Names are important in the magical world in what way? Do they just prefer a certain kind of name, or do different names hold different meanings? Different statuses? What did you mean by the nature of the magic? Will I become a completely new person just by changing my name? And what did you mean by petitioning the head of a family for their name? Did you have to do that for the Peverell name? Will I? You mentioned the Riddles, does that mean I have more family? Why . . . why didn't my family come for me if they're alive? Don't they know about me? Weren't they looking?" What started out as enthusiastic inquisition slowly trailed off into quiet muttering.
Harry could barely keep up with the stream of questions, but the last few definitely captured his attention. He was hoping he wouldn't have to explain the Riddle's to Tom so soon, nor his mothers history, but it appeared that wouldn't be the case. Nevertheless, they really don't have the time to dive into the entirety of that story.
"In regards to your family, yes, there are others. However, they don't know about you because they weren't aware your mother was pregnant. There's a lot to the story and we don't really have time to delve into it right now, but I promise I'll tell you everything when we get home." Tom seemed displeased by this, but regardless excepted it for the time being.
"As for your other questions, names are really important to some wizards because they believe it shows how 'pure' your blood is. You'd have a lot easier time if they recognized you as a pure blood. We're both half bloods, however. Your father and his family are muggles, er, non magical. Your mother and the rest of her family were magical. I'm just the opposite, my mothers family was non magical while my fathers were magical. So I guess you could say that different names hold different statuses. I know the Blacks are really influential. The Peverell's are actually pretty infamous as well." Harry paused for a moment to make sure Tom was keeping up, but it was unnecessary. Tom was paying rapt attention to every detail Harry shared.
"When I mentioned the nature of the magic I didn't mean you'd become an entirely new person, but it will change your identity. If I tried to use a spell to find you using a name that wasn't yours anymore, I wouldn't find you. It's not like the muggle world where it's just a change on paper. This will change how your name is used in magic because it's tied to your magic. I hope that makes sense, it's a bit hard to explain." Harry laughs. "Lastly, I didn't have to petition the Peverell head because there wasn't one before I took the name. So now that I'm the head, you would have to petition me, but since I'm offering the name to you that part is kind of irrelevant. It's also a kind of loophole. I'm already your legal guardian in the muggle world now, but I can't take legal guardianship of you in the magical world until I'm seventeen. So the ministry would have to assign you one. However, if you take the Peverell name I will automatically become your head of house no matter my age and, therefore, your official guardian. Nobody would be able to take you away from me with that kind of familial magic binding us." Harry finished explaining.
It appears Harry said something wrong because now there's slight panic flashing across Tom's face. "They could take me away from you? To a magical orphanage?" Tom questioned. His breath was beginning to speed up and Harry could see him clenching his fists hard.
"There are no magical orphanages, so you would be sent back into the muggle world." Harry's explanation did nothing to quell Tom's mounting panic. "But don't worry! I'd never let them take you from me! If they tried, I'd fight them with all I have. And if I still lost, well, I've always wanted to visit Egypt! I bet we'd have fun there, my best friend Ron loved it when he visited." Harry was quick to reassure.
It seems to have gotten through to Tom because his breathing started to slow to a regular rate and he managed to relax his fists. Harry really didn't know what to do, but he figured this would be one of those times Hermione would give him a hug or Ron would give him a slap on the back. Not really knowing which was appropriate, Harry settled for an awkward combination of the two. A solid two seconds later, Harry made his retreat and studiously ignored the judging look Tom was aiming his way.
"Right! Okay, anyway, er . . . let's get moving now! We've spent enough time standing in the middle of the street. Let's get shopping!" Harry made an aborted movement to place his hand on Tom's shoulder. He instead settled for shooing Tom forward toward the robe shop.
They were both silent for the duration of the short walk and for the entirety of their robe fitting. An incredibly youthful Madam Malkin, much more so than Harry had ever seen, took care of their fitting and set them up with completely new wardrobes. These wardrobes consisted of a range of wizarding attire, undergarments, footwear, and even some era appropriate muggle wear. Harry paid no mind to the hefty cost when the time to pay came. He had purchased a small coin pouch that directly linked to his vault while at Gringotts earlier in the day, so luckily he didn't have to carry around a mound of coins. Harry did, however, break his silence long enough to explain wizarding currency to Tom and thank the Madam for her work.
They both left the shop satisfied with their purchases. Tom seemed particularly enthusiastic about having a whole hoard of brand new clothes just for him. Harry couldn't help sharing the sentiment. Aside from his school clothes and Weasley sweaters, all his clothes were Dudley cast offs.
They made a short detour to get Harrys trunk shrunken and mailed off to Hedwig, so he could stop lugging it around, and then their next stop was to purchase new trunks. The shop was quiet when they entered and an older gentleman, the only other store occupant, stood behind a register to the side of the door. The whole store was filled to the brim with trunks. They stood in towering piles and lined a path leading you deeper into the building. Harry carefully began his exploration with Tom right behind him. Harry couldn't help being reminded of the maze from his fourth year as the great walls of trunks lead a them on a winding path. When Tom not so subtly hooked one of his small fingers through Harry's belt loop to avoid being lost, Harry not so subtly hid the large stupid grin that stretched across his face.
The two spent a fair amount of time wandering the isles and browsing. They eventually came across a beautiful black trunk with ornate silver clasps. Tom was instantly entranced and Harry didn't hesitate to grab it. Retrieving it was much like playing a larger and more deadly version of Jenga, but eventually they managed to obtain it. After an hour more of aimless wandering, Harry was about ready to give up when a voice suddenly spoke up, startling them both.
"You've been wandering for some time now. Is there anything in particular you're looking for?" It was the old man from the front of the shop. Harry wasn't able to suppress the instinctual reaction that caused him to push Tom behind him and draw his wand, but the man didn't seem perturbed in the slightest at having a wand aimed a few inches from the tip of his nose.
"Yes, actually. I'm trying to find an apartment trunk for us to stay in. You wouldn't happen to have any, would you?" Harry wasn't quite ready to put his wand away after this man had managed to sneak up on him so thoroughly, but he at least figured it would be polite to lower it from the mans face.
"Oh, yes, yes!" The mans face completely lit up at hearing what they were looking for. "Traveling trunks are very popular these days! I've got the best, the top of the line! Follow me, gentlemen!"
Without further ado, the man led them to what Harry thinks is the back of the store, but his sense of direction got turned around after the ninth right turn he and Tom took to get where they are now. They soon reached a tower of trunks like any other they had passed. Without any reservations, the man toppled the whole stack. A resounding crash sounded and a cloud up dust coated the air, leaving them all coughing and sputtering. When the air cleared, it revealed a hidden room filled with, you'll never guess, more trunks.
"Now, I have plenty of styles! We have the standard trunk size of course. However, compact is really popular at the moment, so I have the best selection of briefcases! If that's not compact enough for you, I also have messenger bags, carry-on bags, and even a few coin purses!" The man was practically shaking with excitement as he detailed his selection of wares. "All equipped with a fully functioning and customizable apartment, of course!"
"That's . . . great!" Harry interjected. "I'm afraid I'm a bit old school, though. The older trunk models are what I would prefer to look at if you don't mind." Harry was hesitant to disappoint the excited man, but needs must. "While living out of a change purse would be lovely, compact isn't really, er, my style."
The man visibly deflated before them at Harry's request, but despite this complied. "Well if that's your preference." The man muttered as he gestured to his left. "All the older models are stacked over there. Feel free to look through them."
Enlisting Toms help, Harry and he made quick work shuffling through the pile of trunks. It was near the bottom of the stack that Harry found the jackpot. With a bit of struggle, Harry and Tom managed to pull out the odd trunk that caught his eye. It was about two feet wide and a foot thick, but what made it so odd was the fact that it must have been somewhere between seven and eight feet long. Harry new he'd found the one.
"Can you tell me a bit about this one?" Harry asked after he managed to drag the trunk over to the man.
"That one? Really?" The man was flabbergasted, but after seeing that Harry was entirely serious, he decided to humor them. "That trunk is quite old, but all the charms placed on it are just as strong and expertly done as the newest trunks. It holds two large bedrooms, each with their own full bathroom. It comes with a fully equipped kitchen. It has a dining area, a large living room, and a library that doubles as a study. The unit comes fully furnished, but you will have to stock your own books and buy your own sheets and towels and what not."
With every word the man said, Harry's decision was cemented further. "If it's just as top of the line as your other wares, why is it considered so outdated?" Harry couldn't help asking.
"Well, that's entirely due to the shear size of it.!" The man exclaimed. "No one wants to be dragging an eight foot long trunk about them while traveling! It's terribly inconvenient, but we needed a larger trunk when we were first figuring out how to lay the spells."
"Well, it just so happens to be exactly the right size for my need." Harry ushers Tom to bring his chosen trunk forward. "How much for both of these."
The shop keeper was still quite obviously baffled by their choices, but nevertheless walked them back to the front of the store and completed their purchases.
"Thank you for your help, sir. Would you mind placing a feather light charm on the black trunk, please? And shrinking the traveling trunk for me?" Harry inquires after handing over the money.
"It'll be no problem! I just hope my trunks serve you well! You grabbed a couple odd ones." The man replied.
Harry spared a glance at Toms trunk, but it still looked as ordinary as ever. "Really, how so?"
"Well, you already know about the traveling trunk." The shop keeper gives a hearty laugh. "This black one, now, it's not so much the trunk itself, but more what it implies. I modeled it after one I saw in a portrait of one of the Hogwarts founders, Salazar Slytherin. After I made it, I couldn't help feeling that whoever happened to be drawn to this trunk must be destined for my old house."
Harry can't help being struck dumb for a moment. While he's been trying to reexamine his personal biases since starting this whole adventure, he still couldn't help being shocked that this kind man was Slytherin. He hadn't been consciously thinking about it, but he assumed incorrectly that he'd more likely be a Hufflepuff given his personality.
"Right, well I wouldn't be surprised if Tom made it there. I wouldn't doubt his drive to succeed." Harry awkwardly replies.
Harry and Tom give there thanks, once again, to the man before bidding him farewell and continuing on there day. Next on their list is Gringotts. They make their way over to the bank quickly and Harry allows Tom a moment to marvel at the building and the goblins while he requests an ordinance with Vargot. A goblin soon comes to collect them and leads Harry down the familiar path to Vargot's booth.
When they are both seated comfortably in front of Vargot, Harry immediately gets down to business. "I would first like to request a coin pouch that links to the trust vault I set up in my earlier visit. I want a limitation of two-hundred-fifty galleons to be placed on it for withdrawal each month. I would also like to give my ward, Tom, partial ownership of this vault. If you could also set it to be updated to full ownership on his seventeenth birthday, it would be much appreciated."
Without bothering to answer, Vargot immediately got to work. The pouch was easily acquired and given to Tom, who seemed quite shocked to be given access to a vault of money. Vargot also explained to Tom the current balance of the vault and what taking ownership of it would entail in the future. Tom seemed quite dazed, but Harry could see he was doing his best to pay attention to everything being explained to him. Half an hour later, Tom was reading over Harry's shoulder as he carefully filled out the documents given to him before signing both his and Tom's names at the bottom.
"Will that be all for your visit today?" Vargot inquired.
"Actually, I also need to look over any property available for purchase in Hogsmead. And-" Harry turns to face Tom for this next part, "Tom has been offered to take the Peverell name if he chooses. You don't have to make that decision now, but Vargot can answer any questions you have about it far better than I can."
Vargot gathers the necessary documents and hands them over to Harry for perusal. As he looks over the properties, Harry keeps one ear out for the discussion taking place beside him. Tom asks Vargot many of the questions he had asked Harry earlier and receives many of the same answers. There was, however, one question in particular that caught Harry's attention.
"So if I take the name and Mr. Peverell becomes my full guardian, does that make him my new father?" Tom inquires.
"The taking of the name insures a stronger familial claim toward each other." Vargot promptly answers. "With full guardianship, it would not be a stretch to claim so, should it be desired. However, you could just as easily claim close cousins or even brothers."
Seeing the contemplative look taking residence upon Tom's face, Harry chimes in with his own two cents on the matter. "Well, I don't think I'm old enough to be a father and I haven't had the best luck with cousins. I have had some experience with a group of amazing brothers, though. My best friends. So, if you're willing to give it a go, I'd really like to maybe have a brother of my own. Of course, if you decide to take the name. No pressure." Harry sheepishly asks while rubbing the back of his neck.
Harry can obviously see that Tom is still a long way from trusting him yet, but he hopes that their experiences today helped Tom warm up to him at least a bit. "I . . . I think I would like that Mr. Peverell. The name and . . . being brothers." Tom replies almost shyly.
Harry can't help but beam at him. "Call me Harry. We are going to be brothers after all."
"Okay . . . Harry." A small smile tugs at the corners of Toms lips as he says this.
Vargot breaks their small moment by bringing out the familiar typewriter machine from Harry's last visit. Harry takes his attention away from them and puts it back on the papers in his hands. He's skimming the admittedly short list when one particular property catches his attention. "It's perfect."
[Hello, it's been a bit. I had surgery, that I'm still recovering from, so that is part of the reason for my absence. The main reason, however, is that I'm an idiot who broke their phone. Having to spend money I really don't have to get a new one has been a hassle. Anyway, moving on, this chapter is quite the mess and I apologize for that. I cut it off really awkwardly at the end and the typos . . . yeah, it's pretty bad. I would like to say updates will be pretty irregular rather than every Wednesday like they were at first. I have too much going on to keep a tight schedule, but I will do my best. Also, I did a quick drawing of the layout of the trunk/house, but can't for the life of me figure out how to upload it. It will be on my Wattpad if you want to see it. I'll stop rambling now, thank you for reading.]