Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Harry Potter, nor do I put any claim whatsoever onto Harry Potter. I am making absolutely no profit on this, and I am not making this to gain anything whatsoever.

A/N: I am making Galleons worth $25, Sickles worth $1.50, and Knuts worth 5¢. J. K. Rowling stated that she is not good at math. I took the cost of a newspaper in 1991, worth 25¢, and the Harry Potter one, worth 5 Knuts, and estimated the other numbers (One website says that in 1990 newspapers were worth 75¢, and in 1991 it was worth 25¢. I chose the latter for my estimates).


Chapter 2: School Shopping

Harry Potter woke up to his magical alarm clock. Fumbling for the snooze button, Harry knocked his glasses onto the floor. Not bothering to get up, Harry turned off the alarm clock and left them there, falling back into bed. Staring up into the air, he tried to remember the date. He realized that today, he would be getting his very own wand! Harry jumped up, landing on his glasses with a crack. He froze, slowly bent down, and retrieved his broken spectacles.

"Kreacher!" he called. An old house elf appeared.

"Master called?" he asked.

"What did I say about calling me master?"

"Sorry."

"It's all right. Can you fix my glasses? Thanks."

Kreacher took the glasses, cast a simple spell, and gave the newly fixed glasses back to Harry. "Anything else?"

"Tell Sirius I'm coming down." Harry replied. He quickly changed and climbed down the stairs to the living room. Sirius was calmly sipping some tea on a moth-eaten couch.

"Hey. Ready to do some school shopping?" Sirius asked.

"Yeah."

"Eat your breakfast first, then we can go."

A few minutes later, Harry was standing by the fireplace. Sirius took a tiny vase decorated with painted flowers off of the mantel and tossed a pinch of powder into the fire, turning it emerald green.

"Remember, pronounce our location very clearly. We don't want another Floo incident."

"Hey, you shot a Stinging Hex at me! And I was six!" Harry protested, remembering the event clearly. He was going with Sirius to Gringotts at Diagon Alley. When hit with the Stinging Hex, he said "Diagon- OWIE!". He was then dumped into Knockturn Alley, where a concerned Sirius later found him.

Sirius laughed. "You're still never going to live that down. Anyway, let's go shopping!"

He stepped into the fire, called out "Diagon Alley!" and was promptly zipped away. Harry followed suit. Emerging from a fireplace located in Diagon Alley, Harry and Sirius starting walking in the direction to Gringotts to fetch some money. Soon enough, they were standing outside a snowy white building that towered over the other little shops. Walking through its burnished bronze doors, and the second pair of silver doors, with a clever poem warning them about theft, Harry and Sirius went up to one of the counters, run by a goblin. After showing Harry's vault key, the goblin called over another goblin by the name of Griphook to escort them to the Potter vault.

Harry and Sirius climbed into a small cart, and proceeded to hurtle down a narrow stone passageway carved from the solid rock. Passing by a multitude of hanging stalactites and stalagmites, and the Gringotts dragon, they arrived at their destination. Harry entered the room, which was filled with mountains of pure gold Galleons, not to mention the many Sickles and Knuts filling the room. Priceless paintings hung on the walls, and relics of many varieties were stored at the back of the chamber, with a fine layer of dust. Harry could easily live the rest of his life on this money even if he was unemployed. He knew most of this money came from his grandfather, who invented Sleekeazy's Hair Potion, which quadrupled the family fortune gathered from Linfred of Stinchcombe, who invented the early versions of Skele-Gro and Pepper-Up Potion. Gathering four handfuls of Galleons and depositing them into his money pouch, Harry left the vault, with Griphook locking the doors again. Another long cart ride later, Harry and Sirius found themselves outside the bank once again.

The pair walked over to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions.

"I'll go grab ice cream. Take care of yourself." Prodded on by Sirius, a nervous Harry stepped inside.

Madam Malkin was a squat, smiling witch dressed in all mauve. She looked up from her place behind the counter.

"Hogwarts, dear?" she asked. "Got the lot here- another young man being fitted up just now, in fact."

Madam Malkins showed him to a stool. Harry stood on it, next to a boy with a pale, pointed face. He vaguely recognized the boy.

"Hello," the boy said. "Hogwarts, too?"

"Yes." said Harry.

"Do I know you? You seem familiar. Maybe your dad's a coworker with mine?"

"Sort of. I'm Harry."

"I'm Draco, Draco Malfoy." Harry recognized the name. "My father's next door buying my books and Mother's up the street looking for wands. I think I'll look at racing brooms next. Do you have one?"

"A Nimbus 2000." Harry replied.

Draco whistled. "Nice! I'm thinking of buying that one too. Is it worth it?"

"Totally."

"Awesome! Play Quidditch on it?"

"What else would I use a broom for?"

"You have a point. I hope I can make it on the Quidditch team. I heard good enough first years can play with everyone else. Know what House you'll be in?"

"My parents were in Gryffindor. I'm not sure what I'll be in, though."

"My whole family's been in Slytherin. If I was in Hufflepuff, I'd probably leave."

Harry snorted. "If your family didn't kick you out first. They're Purebloods, right?"

"Yeah. What about you? Are you a Pureblood?"

"Half-blood."

Draco's face instantly changed into a kind of half sneer. "Oh, that's a shame. Was your mother or father a Muggleborn?"

"My mother."

Before they could say anything else, Madam Malkin came back with Hogwarts robes. Harry stood up, paid for the robes, and left the shop. Sirius was standing outside, holding Harry's favorite ice cream flavor.

"You see the prejudice Purebloods have?" Sirius said as they were walking away. Harry licked his ice cream again before answering.

"Yeah. The instant I said I was a half-blood, Draco's impressions of me went downhill. No worries, though. I don't need a friend like that."

"That's true. Makes me glad my mother burned me off the family tree."

"Didn't stop you from becoming Lord Black."

"That's true. If it becomes too much, I'll just hand it to you. Maybe when the housing bill comes in."

"Hey!" Harry protested, while Sirius laughed at him.

The pair bought books at Flourish and Blotts, including a particularly interesting one on how to curse people. They also bought an indestructible pewter cauldron, a nice set of scales, and a collapsible brass telescope. They stopped at the Apothecary to get some basic potion ingredients and an emergency healing kit, which included a real bezoar and some dragon blood. Harry tried holding his breath during the duration of this trip. Harry also managed to convince Sirius to get him an expensive mokeskin pouch and a hidden wand holster attached to his wrist. Finally, they stopped in front of Ollivanders.

"You go on without me. Ollivander gives me the creeps." Sirius said, playfully shoving Harry forward.

"Coward." Harry shot back, stepping into the shop.

"Good afternoon." said a soft voice.

"Hello." Harry replied.

"Ah, yes. Yes, yes. I thought I'd be seeing you soon. Harry Potter. You have your mother's eyes. It seems only yesterday she was in here herself, buying her first wand. Ten and a quarter inches long, swishy, made of willow. Nice wand for charm work."

"Sorry to interrupt you, but could I please get my wand?" Harry asked awkwardly.

"Of course, of course." Ollivander pulled a long tape measure out of his pocket. "Stick out your wand arm, please."

Ollivander proceeded to take measurements for a few minutes, and started to take down boxes.

"That will do. Right then, Mr. Potter. Try this one. Beechwood and dragon heartstring. Nine inches. Nice and flexible. Just take it and give it a wave."

Harry waved that one around before Ollivander snatched it away. And the second one. And the third. Soon, there was a pile of wands growing ever so steadily on a spindly chair.

"Tricky customer, eh? Not to worry, we'll find the perfect match here somewhere- I wonder, now- yes, why not- unusual combination- holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple."

Harry took the wand, feeling a sudden warmth in his fingers. He brought the wand swishing down along with a stream of red and gold sparks. Harry was now confident he would be placed in Gryffindor.

"Oh, bravo! Yes, indeed, oh, very good. Well, well, well… how curious… how very curious…"

"What's curious?" Harry asked.

"I remember every wand I've sold, Mr. Potter. The phoenix who gave this feather gave just one other. Why, this wand's very brother gave you that scar."

Harry walked out of Ollivanders with an ashen face.

"Everything alright? How did it go?" Sirius asked, concerned.

"I'm fine." Harry tried to be convincing, but failed. Sirius stopped asking questions.

"Holly and phoenix feather, 11 inches, nice and supple." Harry said, holding up his new wand.

"Woohoo! Now I can teach you some spells at home!" Sirius cheered.

"Am I allowed to do that before Hogwarts?"

"Actually, I'm not sure."

"Not sure? You're an Auror, for goodness' sake!"

"What can I say? I'm a rebel."

"I still can't believe how you managed to become an Auror."

"What can I say? I'm awesome."

Harry snorted. "Yeah, right. Can you at least try and be serious?"

Harry realized his mistake too late, and Sirius smiled.

"Why, Harry, I'm always Siriu-"


A/N: This chapter was shorter than I would have liked it to be. I didn't want to copy the Gringotts cart ride or most of the visits in Diagon Alley. I plan on trying to update every couple of days or a week, depending on the length of the chapter. I will put a notice if I am going on a break or a vacation or something.