"Wow! The nimbus two thousand! Fastest broom on the market. My mum told me they're already working on improvements so they can make a new model. Nimbus is really pushing the market hard with their fast work."
"A new one already? How!? The two thousand has only been on the market for six months!"
"Don't ask me. Mum works at the ministry you know. Said she saw some paperwork on it recently."
Harry eagerly listened to the chatter of the other kids at the broom window. He had no idea what any of it meant, but he just knew that he wanted to fly a broom like crazy. It had only been a minute or two since McGonagall had left him alone, and he already found himself distracted from his main shopping needs.
He told himself it wasn't his fault. After all, he was exploring a whole new world and he wanted to stop and see every little thing that excited him. He tried his best to pick up every little conversation he could as he walked down the main road. He was quickly learning that if you just listened you could find out quite a few things. People would talk about everything from the price of potion ingredients to local gossip. Of course, he could do very little with this information as he didn't know what to apply it to.
After another fifteen or so minutes of walking through the alley he finally found his first place to stop. It was a clothes shop that was listed on his supply list. The windows displayed not only wizarding robes, but also some clothes that might have passed for muggle clothes fifty or sixty years ago. The sign above the store read in bright red letters "Madam Malkin's."
He pushed open to front door and was greeted by the quiet sound of a bell ringing to signify his presence. The inside was a sight to see as everywhere he looked there were shelves, displays, and closets all containing different fabrics and articles of clothing. In the center of the shop, he saw an older looking lady piling different fabrics into her arms with ease. As the sound of the bell began to fade the woman turned to look at him and a smile came over her face.
"Hogwarts I'm assuming dear?"
"Er- yes please, I need my robes and also some new clothes." As Harry spoke, he could feel the woman's eyes scanning the oversized clothes he was currently wearing before she gave a small huff.
"Well obviously, who's been clothing you dear? I'll give them a piece of my wand sending a boy out like that into the streets. We will start with your Hogwarts robes first dear then use the sizes from that to get you some new clothing."
"Okay, uhm, where do I go?"
"Just behind the curtain in the back dear, I believe we have a young girl being fitted right now."
With a nod of his head Harry followed the woman's instructions and found the curtain near the back of the store. Behind it there was a decently sized area that was taken up by stools, mirrors, and even more clothing. There was indeed one girl who was currently being inspected by another lady who was an adult but seemed much younger than who he had just spoken to. She took a second to look up at him before she went back to her work.
"Just take the stool next to us dear, Madam Malkin will be back here soon."
He followed her instructions and took the nearest one to the two before looking over at the girl next to him. He almost jumped back a bit as he noticed immediately she was staring at him, and she had a wicked grin on her face. The girl had short brown hair and brown eyes. She was currently already wearing some sort of robe on her and had what looked like some sort of silver pendant around her neck. He was about to introduce himself to break the strange silence before the girl spoke.
"Are you going to Hogwarts too?
'Y-yeah, I am."
"Oh brilliant, this is all so exciting. I've been waiting for years for my letter and now its finally happening. I just couldn't imagine going to another school honestly. I've known since I was little that I wanted to go to Hogwarts. What about you?"
"Er, I just learned about Hogwarts recently…" Before he could finish speaking the girl grabbed his arm causing him to flinch. No one seemed to notice his discomfort as the worker was more upset by the girl's sudden movement than his.
"Are you muggleborn, oh if you are I could teach you. My aunt always says it's the responsible thing to do." The girl suddenly lowered her voice as if to mimic someone, though Harry had no idea who. "She will say things like… Susan you are very lucky to be born into magic, never forget to help those new to it. We must uplift those less fortunate blah blah you get the point right?"
"Uhm… what?"
Oh, I'm sorry forgot to introduce myself. My name is Susan, Susan Bones. Allow me to formally welcome you into the magical world." Harry watched as she shot her hands up in a dramatic fashion causing the worker to glare at the girl again. He didn't know what to say really. Not much the girl had just said made much sense, but he got the feeling the girl was being nice, so he just smiled awkwardly.
"Well, uhm, hi. My name is Harry."
It was at this point the older lady from before, who he now knew was Madam Malkin came into the room and started working on his clothes. The next few minutes that passed were awkward but nice as Susan just continued to rattle on about things he knew nothing about. He only gave yes or no responses to her questions, most of which were asking about how excited he was for Hogwarts. Harry was surprised when the girl stayed after getting her robes finished just to continue talking.
"I do hope I get sorted into Hufflepuff, do you know what house you want to be sorted in to?"
"What are houses?" He asked confusedly as Madam Malkin began to finish her work on him. At his question Susan groaned before speaking again.
"Of course, I keep forgetting, well no matter I'll teach you everything. Do you want to shop together, I could teach you a lot about Hogwarts and our world in general?" She stretched out her hand as she finished speaking as if to offer a handshake which Harry took with just a slight bit of hesitation.
"Sure, I guess I could use some help with directions." At his response Susan's face practically began to sparkle as she smiled and then dragged him over to the counter where both him and her waited to pay for their clothes.
"So, first things first, there are four Hogwarts houses. Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. All of them have different attributes assorted to them and we get sorted into one of the four houses based off which we match the best."
"How do we get sorted?"
"I don't know. Its tradition not to tell your kids or something, I guess. I've asked my aunt so many times and she still has not told me."
"Well, what about your parents? Will they tell you?"
The bright and cheery face of his new companion faltered for what seemed like half a second before coming back to life. "They're dead, died in the war. Don't suppose you would now much about that, but you'll learn…"
"Oh, I'm sorry… I didn't mean to bring that up." The air became silent once again for a minute as the two received bags from Madam Malkin. Harry received much more as he now had clothes that were hand picked by the Madam for him to wear. He didn't know a thing about wizarding fashion, but he was ready to try the strange clothing.
As the two walked towards the exit into the alley Harry decided to speak up again first. "My parents died too during the war. I've lived with my aunt and uncle for my whole life since." Susan looked up at him shocked before quickly speaking.
"B-but I thought you were a muggleborn? Are you telling me I've been just telling you things you knew this whole time!"
Despite his best efforts Harry couldn't help but laugh at the look on the girl's face. It was a mixture of shock, anger, but also a bit of amusement.
'Well, you just assumed I was, but you've still been helping. I didn't know anything about the wizarding world till recently. My aunt and uncle are not magical, and they didn't tell me anything about all of this. It's all a lot to take in really."
Susan continued to give him a half-hearted glare as she crossed her arms. The two were now in the thick of the alley and she was leading them to what seemed like a bookstore from the looks of it.
"So, you're a half blood like me then? One side of your family is related to muggles, yes?"
"Uhm, I think so?" Harry had to try to remember what he could from the brief intro McGonagall had given him into blood and what that stuff meant while talking about the war. His father was from an old family while his mom was not which he guessed made him a half blood, whatever that truly meant.
Susan just seemed to laugh at his confusion before locking one of her arms around his and dragging him off towards the entrance of the store. "Look at us, two half blood orphans, I'm sure we will get on better than two Nifflers in a pile of gold."
Harry had no idea what that meant, but he laughed anyway as he followed her. He was beginning to feel like he had made his first friend.
When McGonagall had left the boy, she had told him a small lie. She wasn't going to do her own business in the alley, merlin no. She had one man she had to speak to and give a piece of her mind to. That's why Albus Dumbledore, who had been enjoying a practically nice muggle sweet for the past minute, suddenly found his office doors thrown open with a force more powerful than a storm.
He watched in stunned silence as his headmistress slowly walked in, eyes burning with a fury he hadn't seen inside them since the war. He had to remind himself to chew and swallow his candy before clearing his throat.
"Is something the matter Minerva?"
"You! That's what the matter is Albus! I trusted you. I warned you. Yet you still sent that boy to those awful, AWFUL, muggles." She slammed her hands down on the headmaster's desk as the memory of finding out the boy had been living in a cupboard most his life resurfaced. "They abused him Albus, locked him away under a staircase! I saw bruises that were popping out from under his clothes, if you could even call the rags he had on clothes! Why Albus, WHY would you subject Potter to that kind of life?!"
Dumbledore's face had gone a shade paler each time the woman had brought up another instance of abuse. His mind began to race, to find out where he had gone wrong. He had sent Minerva out to check on the boy since magic had alerted the school that he had opened his letter but not responded. He had thought maybe it was overwhelming, that maybe Petunia hadn't explained much to him. He now saw how wrong he was. For the first time in a while, he felt a wave of immense grief wash over himself.
There was no one else to blame. He had been the one who decided to hide the boy. It had been hard work, with the press trying to find any sniff of the boy they could. He had to pull all his power in the ministry to get it done. Now he learned that it was all just so the boy could be raised in an abusive household?
He never lied to himself; he knew that Harry would most likely have some difficulties growing up. He knew Petunia did not like magic, but this was something else entirely. Now he found himself lost in guilt and emotions as his colleague continued to berate him.
"What are we going to do Albus? He can't go back, and I won't let you send him back. I don't care what kind of protection you've put on that house."
She was right. He couldn't be sent back. He would not fall that low just for the greater good. No, the boy would need a new family by the end of his first year and a temporary one for now. It was going to be risky. He would have to go through the ministry, and it was likely to leak. He knew the kinds of families that would try to take him. He knew of the boys grandmother's family, and what dark paths that could lead to in terms of guardianship.
With a heavy sigh he removed his spectacles and looked up into the eyes of Minerva. "The boy will not go back. The blame for this falls on my shoulders. I will do everything in my power to make sure he has a temporary living arrangement and a more permanent one by the end of first year Minerva. I swear on my magic."
The anger did not leave her face as she spoke, and she continued to glare at him after his swearing. "You best hope you keep your promise Albus, or I swear on my magic you will not see me in your school another year!" With that she turned swiftly and stomped out of his office, not bothering to close the door behind her. She still had to get back to the boy and she needed to start now so she could get off the school grounds to apparate.
All the while Dumbledore was left to ponder in his office on how this could affect plans he had set in motion years ago.
"So, we have clothes, books- oh don't forget to read the one I recommended, a trunk, all our heavy-duty equipment… that just leaves the most important thing." Susan turned to face Harry with a grin on her face as if she was waiting for him to say something. Unfortunately, he was so overwhelmed he didn't really know what the most important thing was.
As if reading his mind, she quickly slapped a hand to her face before sighing. "I keep forgetting, raised by muggles. Well, the most important thing on our list is your wand!"
The past hour or so had been quite the pleasant experience for Harry. Susan had turned out to be the nicest person his age he had ever met. She was easy to talk to with him being a little shy as she seemed to always want to carry the conversation. This helped immensely as she would rattle on about Hogwarts, the wizarding world, and different topics she randomly decided were of utmost importance.
He had never had someone so openly talk and be nice around him. It was a good feeling, and he didn't want their journey through the alley to end. Which is why he felt his heart break at his new friends next words.
"I already have my wand, and I should really get back to my aunt soon. I'll walk with you towards Olivanders but then… I have to leave." Her own face fell as she said the words out loud and the two exchanged sad glances with each other. For Harry, it was the sadness of saying bye to his first real friend. For Susan, it was the sadness of saying bye to the most interesting new friend she had ever made.
When the two reached the old shop and said their goodbyes Susan was the first to speak and promised to find Harry on the way to Hogwarts. He did likewise and much to Harry's shock the girl reached in and gave him a hug. He flinched at the sudden contact, but Susan didn't seem to notice as she pulled away and smiled again before turning around. As she skipped away, she waved over her shoulder and called out, "See you at Hogwarts!"
Before Harry knew it, he felt tears build up in his eyes and he quickly wiped them away. He hadn't expected to feel such emotion over one person. Then again, he had never met a person who was like Susan before. He furiously wiped at his eyes again and turned to enter the dusty old wand shop that laid before him.
As he stepped inside, he noticed that it was just as run down looking as the outside. The wooden shelves seemed crooked, yet all the boxes that were haphazardly stacked upon them seemed to be balanced just right. Behind the main counter of the shop stood an ancient looking thin man. His head sported wild and frizzy white hair, and his eyes seemed to be magnified a bit by the thick glasses he had in front of them. Upon Harry's entry the man had turned to face him, and a thin smile had crossed his face.
"Ah… I was wondering when I would see you mister Potter, I'd recognize those eyes anywhere even if your scar is hidden."
In response Harry's hand flew to his forehead to check if his patch was still there. After confirming it was, he went back to staring at the old man who seemed to be chuckling softly to himself. Harry watched as he moved out from behind the counter and walked over to a shelf full of dusty boxes.
"Now… lets see which one of my wands finds something within you Mr. Potter."
Hello Everyone, Dragon here. I know its been a while and I want to apologize. Life has been crazy and recently I have had a lot of work put on me. I've had the recent passing of a very very close family member as well this past month. But alas here we are and I've gotten to writing again in my free time, as little as that is. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter please let me know what you think.
I'm not making promises on when chapters come out. I'm in college and have a lot of mental stress right now. I love you all though and cant wait to give you more.
P.s How do betas work because I think having one could help with time as I often don't have the time to go over everything a lot. Any info on that would help :)