A/N: Thanks to everyone for reviewing! This chapter brings us to about the halfway point of the tale, at least in terms of word count. Here's the next installment in the Harry adventures; responses to reviewers at the end. Enjoy!
17. Knockturn Alley and the Daily Routine
Knockturn Alley was just as dark and foreboding as he remembered. This time, though, Harry was able to skulk around unnoticed in his drab robes; his Hogwarts robes had all too conspicuous the first time around. Harry found the shop he had accidentally flooed into before his second year and entered.
Whenever there are people willing to pay to satisfy a need, there will be people willing to provide that need at a cost, even if that need is illegal. During his nightly research at Hogwarts, Harry had found a rather interesting book in the restricted section that contained a description of several "Dark" objects and artifacts. Though many of the items described could be considered dark, most of them were simply objects that let their owners skirt several bothersome laws. One law in particular that Harry found bothersome was the Restriction on Underage Magic. Remembering the owner's willingness to take on Lucius Malfoy's illegal items, Harry hoped that he would find what he needed at the store. As Harry perused the contents of the shop, the storekeeper seemed to slither up to him. "May I help you, young master," he asked in an oily tone.
"Yes," Harry replied, remembering his planned speech. He knew he couldn't just come out and ask if they had the item in stock. "Perhaps you can help me. I am still a year away from seventeen and being of age, yet I desperately wish to learn how to apperate and cast certain spells."
"Ah, I see the problem you face," the shopkeeper said, with a knowing look on his face.
"Indeed. I don't suppose you carry anything that could help me…shall we say, avoid the interest of certain parties?" Harry asked, pulling out his moneybag and casually hefting its weight from hand to hand.
The shopkeeper's eyes watched the movement of his moneybag, clearly trying to discern the amount held within. He looked at Harry for a moment and then motioned towards the back of the store. "Please, follow me. I may be able to help you."
Harry followed the man to the back, where the shopkeeper murmured a spell under his breath and a small counter appeared. He went behind the counter, reached down, and returned with what looked like a simple ring.
"This object, I have heard some say, should help you solve your problem, my young master," he said, eyeing Harry carefully.
Harry picked up the ring and examined it critically. Remembering the telltale signs he read about, Harry confirmed that what he was holding was genuine. "Very impressive," he said honestly. The shopkeeper smiled. "Oh, I just remembered," Harry said. "I'm also having a problem with a rather pesky ghost. He took residence in the attic of our summer home, and he's resisted all our efforts to evict him."
"Hmm…an interesting problem, indeed."
"Yes," Harry said, nodding. "Would you happen to have a soul gem for sale?"
The shopkeeper disappeared behind his counter a moment, before rising and placing a finger-sized crystal on the countertop. Although not illegal like the ring, the use of a soul gem was frowned upon. Harry put the ring down next to it and then picked up the crystal, holding it to the light. "Do you have anything stronger?" he asked after a moment.
The shopkeeper reached down and placed a palm-sized crystal on the counter. "This is the strongest they make, but the most expensive as well."
Harry put down the smaller crystal in favor for the larger one. He hefted it in his hand, feeling the weight, and then examined it closely for cracks or imperfections. Noticing his customers demand for high quality, the shopkeeper placed a selection of four other palm-sized crystals on the countertop along with a loupe. Harry took the loupe gratefully then spent ten full minutes examining each of the five crystals in minute detail; it had to be absolutely perfect. Finally satisfied, Harry chose one of the crystals. "How much for the gem and the ring?" Harry asked.
"For objects of such obvious craftsmanship? Three hundred and fifty galleons," the shopkeeper replied.
"Three hundred and fifty galleons?" Harry repeated, ready to play the game both participants knew had just started. "That's quite a bit more than expected. Perhaps you would be willing to part with it for two hundred galleons?"
"Two hundred galleons is insult to me and the hardworking spell crafters who created such magnificent pieces of enchantment," the shopkeeper said indignantly. "But I shall forgive you, because you are so young. For you, I shall lower the price to three hundred and twenty-five galleons, but don't spread it around," the shopkeeper said with a conspiratorial wink.
Harry appeared to consider the offer seriously. Then he shrugged and looked at his watch. "A bit more than I had expected to pay, and still so early in the day. Perhaps if I were to search the other shops I could find similar objects, though of clearly lower quality."
The shopkeeper's eyes narrowed slightly. "Two hundred and eighty galleons," he said simply.
"Two hundred and fifty"
"Two hundred and seventy-five, and not a knut less."
Harry paused a moment, then agreed. The sale finalized, Harry pocketed his items and left the store. He returned to the cheeriness of Diagon Alley and took the long journey home, via Harrogate.
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Safe in his studio flat, Harry examined the ring he had purchased. After a moment, Harry dug out the newer wand and threaded it through the ring. Once the ring rested against the grip, it magically altered its size to fit securely around Harry's wand and changed color to blend in with the wood. Harry looked at his wand with trepidation; he knew that the ring was supposed to mask the fact that he was underage, but he wasn't sure if it would work. He knew if it didn't work, he could expect an owl, followed most likely by Ministry officials. Pointing his wand at a small rock, he muttered "Wingardium Leviosa" and watched as the rock levitated. Releasing his spell, Harry sat and waited, invisibility cloak in hand in case he had any unwelcome visitors. When an hour passed with no owls, Harry knew it worked. Pleased, he removed his new robes and walked outside, looking for a place where he could have a nice dinner.
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Harry awoke early the next morning, quickly getting dressed and ready for work. Although Harry was wealthy thanks to his inheritance, he felt bad about spending his parents' money. He wanted a job so that he could at least defray some of the cost, and in addition a job would make sure he wouldn't drive himself insane training and studying all day. He placed his original wand in the secret pockets of his robe and holstered his new wand, the one with the ring. He folded his robe until it was the size of his wallet (yet another nice feature, designed for easy concealment around Muggles) before leaving his flat. Harry took a portkey to Harrogate, where he followed the directions he had written down to his new place of employment.
Weir's Weird and Fantastic Items was located in a large building. The storefront windows boasted a dazzling array of objects not usually found at the standard wizarding shops. Harry had found an ad for a stock boy, and he had responded immediately and sent his wizard resume via owl, one of over a dozen jobs he applied for. It was the only one he had actually been offered, and Harry gratefully accepted. He entered the shop and waited at the counter as a large witch who wore her gray hair in a tight bun finished with her purchase. When it was his turn, he smiled at the wizard behind the counter.
"Hello. My name is Sean Harrington. I applied for a job as stock boy, and this is my first day."
"Ah, of course. Hullo there, my name is David Love, but you can call me Dave," the man said, shaking hands with Harry. "Mr. Weir isn't here right now, but he left instructions that I was to show you around and get you started. Follow me," he said with a smile. Harry followed him as they went about the store, Dave explaining things as they walked. Harry found his job to be rather simple, stocking shelves, helping with deliveries, and generally keeping the place tidy. Mr. Weir was a pleasant fellow, and his first day went by quickly.
Before porting to Boroughbridge, Harry stopped by Gringott's to pick up another, much heavier package – the books he had ordered. Once outside and safely hidden from prying eyes, Harry cast a lightening spell on his package. He walked to the portkey station and made his way home.
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Harry's days soon fell into a comfortable routine. Harry would awaken early in the morning and eat breakfast reading the Daily Prophet. Three days a week, Harry went to Weir's Weird and Fantastic Items, where he worked all day and took lunch and dinner in Harrogate. He quickly made friends with Dave and a few customers, but he honestly enjoyed the anonymity of being Sean Harrington and the solitude that came with it. True, there were times when Harry felt the sting of loneliness, as he thought often of Ron and Hermione; he sometimes would spend hours looking at his photo albums of family and friends. But for the most part, Harry was very comfortable being alone. Growing up in a cupboard with the Dursleys had quickly taught Harry independence. Evading and enduring Dudley's gang of friends taught Harry to depend only on himself. Being ostracized by his schoolmates and the neighborhood kids (who were all afraid of Dudley) taught Harry to live without friends. And no matter what, five years of friendship with Ron and Hermione couldn't erase ten years of abuse and neglect. If anything the years of Hogwarts only intensified his need for some alone time. It would be an understatement to say Harry was shocked to go from being ignored and despised in the Muggle world to being famous and sought after in the wizarding world.
The nights and other days of the week were spent on training and studying. Harry knew he would have to expand his knowledge and control of magic if he wished to defeat Voldemort. He purchased a number of books before leaving Hogwarts on defensive and offensive spells, dueling, maximizing magical power, and apparition. At times, Harry would retreat to a secluded area outside of Boroughbridge, where he could practice his spells freely. Harry practiced his apparition daily and was pleased at his early successes. In fact, Harry was so engrossed by his activities that he failed to notice Christmas approach. Mr. Weir closed his store on Christmas Day, giving Harry a free day. But Harry wasn't in the mood to study or to practice, so instead he wandered both the magical and Muggle side of Harrogate, beautifully decorated for the Holidays. He watched a free performance in the park, then found a bench and sat contentedly as he watch ice skaters glide effortlessly around the rink. Harry allowed himself to feel melancholy as he watched; he was slightly depressed to be alone on Christmas, even though his second through tenth Christmases were never happy affairs.
Regardless, Harry felt an overwhelming sense of peace, and he was happy that no visible threat or danger seemed to be awaiting him or his loved ones. Harry was more than willing to feel alone if meant the safety for the people he cared about the most. Harry got up when the ice rink closed down for the night, and made his way back to the portkey station and home. Crawling into bed, Harry wished Ron and Hermione a Happy Christmas, and then settled into sleep.
A/N:
· ears91 and onkel: you two rock!
· Dean The Lean Mean Killing Machine – good question. The answer? Probably too much of a hassle to find a doctor and too many questions about a sixteen year-old kid without any parents or guardians paying in cash for a multi-thousand dollar procedure.
· Duke-of-Argyle – Hermione, at least in my story, would have dropped out if given the chance, but Harry didn't ask and she was too emotionally distraught to offer, which Harry would have declined anyways. Instead, he'll be going back to school in a few chapters.
· MaidenMasherV – hehe I agree. Coplio's suggestions were very enthusiastic!
· COPLIO – good suggestions, hehe, but this is more of a canon-based story. I was reading a good one like you imagine; it involved Harry becoming super-powerful and, for some reason, shrinking in height along the way. I can't find it now though :(