On Your Mark

Chapter 7- Diagon Alley

          Harry was up quite late helping Dudley with his extra credit project. It was interesting to see how Dudley worked and the type of assignments he had. This one  involved making a presentation using the computer and covering three different class subjects. Harry could only help with the research, and actually quite enjoyed reading about centaurs and giants from a muggle perspective. His cousin had brought not only several books, but his new laptop computer as well, which he plugged in behind Harry's dresser.

"What's that?" Harry asked as Dudley pulled something else from the outlet and laid it on the desk.

"It's an air filter thing, mum's got them all over the house. She says they keep the dust down." Dudley shrugged, "I took mine out ages ago, they're really annoying, buzzing and crackling all the time!" Harry just shook his head. Remus had been right, after all! He finally went to sleep that night around 2 am, thoroughly enjoying the silence in his room.

Aunt Petunia had taken Professor McGonagall's advice and bought Harry some new clothes. Black pants and two collared sport shirts, one white and the other, oddly, a deep red with thin gold stripes. He choose to wear the latter, his Gryffindor pride  taking charge. Coupled with the new trainers she had also picked up for him, he felt pretty good about his appearance for the foray into Diagon Alley.

Even he had noticed some changes in his stature since he had been back at Privet Drive. He had definitely gotten taller, and even filled out a bit, thanks to the  regular meals he was finally getting from his aunt and his nightly walks around Little Whinging. He had also been sneaking rounds on Dudley's exercise equipment in the spare room, which helped with his upper body strength. Although he had made a conscious decision to let his hair grow out so that he looked less like his father, today he needed to look more like the old Harry Potter. The plan revolved around him portraying the shy, waif-like orphan with which the Wizarding world was so familiar.

Harry took a deep breath. This trip wasn't going to be easy, or fun. He had a job to do, mainly to help bring to light the Ministry's mistakes, particularly where Lord Voldemort and Sirius Black were concerned. He missed his Godfather with all his heart. He felt the least he could do for him was to clear his name. Sirius had taught him to never give up, to always keep fighting for what you believed in, no matter how bad things got, and Harry was determined to make him proud. He was tired of being manipulated and used by others. It was time to stand up for himself and take his future into his own hands. He had read somewhere that knowledge is better than strength, and that to win a battle you needed good advice and careful plans. He was beginning to have a better understanding of Dumbledore's actions and certainly couldn't defeat Voldemort without the old man's help. His friends all had their own strengths, each different and he was going to need all the help he could get in the near future. Right now though, he was ready for phase one- garner public support for their cause.

Harry took his money bag and Hogwarts robes from his trunk and went downstairs. He was to meet Remus at Mrs. Figg's house at nine o'clock for a breakfast strategy session. They would floo to The Leaky Cauldron from there. Lupin was looking quite fashionable himself. Obviously someone had taken the time to help him with his appearance as well. When Harry complimented his ex-professor on his wardrobe, Remus admitted that Tonks had  picked out his clothes on a shopping trip to Paris with Fleur Delacour.

Nymphadora Tonks was Sirius' cousin and an Auror. She would be meeting them at Gringotts bank to go over Sirius' affairs. The Ministry had at least admitted that the man was dead, so that his estate could be settled. Harry certainly was not looking forward to this part of the trip, but it was necessary if the Order wished to continue using the Black house as its headquarters. Once the house was transferred to Harry and Remus, even more security spells and improvements could be added. The money in the Black family vault would go to Tonks, who promised to use it in the fight against the Dark Lord. Sirius' personal vault, which was actually fairly substantial went to Remus for his own expenses. Sirius was well aware of the high cost of the Wolfsbane Potion his friend needed, and wanted to make sure he would never go without it. He also knew that Harry had inherited a large sum of money from his parents and that he would be taking over the Potter Family vault when he turned seventeen. This last piece of information was news to Harry, as he thought his parents had left him only the one vault which he currently used for his school expenses. Apparently, the mounds of gold he now had access to were just the tip of the iceberg and he was really extremely wealthy. He sincerely hoped the Dursleys wouldn't be able to touch any of it.

Remus led Harry out of the back room at the pub, where they had flooed. Tom, the proprietor, nodded in greeting and left to tip off the press, as per the plan. The pair then made their way out the back into the sunshine of the marketplace. Harry noticed several Order members and Aurors scattered all about. Dedalus Diggle had been in the pub, and they passed Emmeline Vance looking at cauldrons. Harry thought a heap of rags lying down a back alley looked suspiciously like Mundungus, and Tonks was waiting for them in the lobby of Gringotts. After taking care of the necessary business, they went to their respective vaults to withdraw some Galleons. There was nothing like a Gringotts cart ride to take your mind off of things! Harry changed some of his Wizard gold into Pounds Sterling and made sure he was as composed as possible before they exited the relative safety of the bank

As they made their way back outside they were accosted by several members of the Wizard press corps, including reporters from France, Bulgaria, Germany and the States. The WWN shoved a microphone type device at him and they all tried to talk at once. Remus raised his hand and cleared his throat. The assembled mass jumped a bit, perhaps they thought the werewolf had growled. "If you could ask your questions one at a time,  I'm sure  Harry won't mind answering a few," he looked to the young man next to him, who nodded shyly.

"Mr. Potter, is it true you met "He Who Must Not Be Named" again and beat him?"

"His name is Voldemort, well Tom Riddle, actually, and I think you should use it. And yes, I saw him and his Death Eaters a few weeks ago. My friends and I were able to hold them off until help came."

"Didn't you battle The Dark Lord?

"No, that would be Dumbledore, this time."

"This time? Is it true you have defeated him four times?"

"I've met him and survived five times. He won't be defeated until he is gone for good."

"Aren't you afraid of being with a werewolf?"

Harry groaned and shook his head, looking to Remus, who just smiled benignly. "I wasn't aware there is a full moon," he replied. "Besides I'd much rather be with Professor Lupin than Professor Umbridge. She sent Dementors after me and then tried to send me to Azkaban for defending myself." There was a collective buzz and several reporters started talking at once again.

"You expect us to believe that Dolores Umbridge tried to kill you?" one finally cut in.

"She authorized two Dementors to go to my town, and they attacked my cousin and I. Those are the facts, you can ask her yourself whether she intended to kill me," Harry said trying to remain calm. He took in another deep breath. "The Ministry put me through hell last year, and Headmaster Dumbledore as well. Their actions need to be addressed. They have made many mistakes, over a long period of time that need to be rectified. Had the Minister admitted three years ago that Sirius Black was innocent and that Peter Pettigrew was alive and dangerous, Voldemort might not have been able to come back. I do not tell lies. I am not mad or unbalanced, I do not want all this," he waved his hand over the gathering crowds, his voice rising. "I just want the truth heard and justice done." As far as he was concerned, this little press conference was over. As he tried to make his way down the street, he heard more questions being yelled after him. Remus steered him to the safety of Madam Malkins, where he needed to get new school robes anyway.

"Well, that didn't go quite like I planned," he told Remus.

"I didn't think it went too badly. At least they didn't ask about your love life," Tonks said with a chuckle.

"Yeah, thanks for small favors!"

"Ooooh, and just how is Miss Bushy Hair?" a voice from the other side of the robe rack asked. Rita Skeeter had just popped  up from her animagus form of a beetle. "Tell me, Harry, are you going to kiss and tell?"

"No, Rita, I am a gentleman. And I am NOT dating Hermione!" Harry stated, while Remus tried to herd the pest out the door.

"Let her stay, Remus. I owe her one any way."

" Oh, how noble!"  Rita replied, taking out her new quick quotes quill. "Oh don't look so huffy, this is the honesty quill your girlfriend is making me use."

Harry sighed, he might as well just let her stay and get it over with. Rita followed them to the potions supply store, the magical creature shop, and the bookstore occasionally asking questions and writing furiously. Finally, they went to Weasley Wizard Wheezes, where most of the other reporters had congregated, watching a demonstration of Fred and George's fireworks. When they saw Harry, they descended upon him once more. This time, the twins were ready to run interference. They went into full salesmen mode showing off all their products, even using Harry as a guinea pig. As the mood lightened, they saw a side of  "The Boy Who Lived" that few ever do. Rather than take the moment of levity as a sign that he was just a silly kid, they saw it as confirmation that the young man indeed was just a normal teen, with a whole lot on his plate.

Harry and Remus took advantage of  the mayhem the twins were causing to quietly floo back to Mrs. Figg's. Dumbledore was waiting for them. "I heard you on the WWN," he said to Harry. "They took firecalls afterward. You seem to have developed quite a fan club, Harry!"

The young wizard relaxed a bit. Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling, a very good sign. He supposed it didn't go as badly as he thought it had. "Er, how did it sound?  I was really nervous, and then I started to lose my temper."

"Didn't sound like that at all, Harry." Mrs. Figg said. "I thought I was listening to a real politician"

Harry didn't know if that was a compliment or not, but Remus was smiling broadly. " I think you accomplished your agenda, Harry. Nobody said it would be easy. Except for that werewolf slur, I actually enjoyed myself !" Remus added.

" You handled yourself admirably, Harry. Especially the part about werewolves. You turned it right back to your point. Very good, indeed." Dumbledore praised. "Now, how about tea, Arabella?" After some casual conversation, Dumbledore took his leave, reminding Harry that they would have a long talk in a few weeks. Remus walked Harry back home in time for dinner.

On Sunday the young wizard was awakened by owl after owl delivering newspapers. On top of his own , he received three more copies of the Sunday Prophet. Remus, the Weasleys and Hermione all wanted to make sure he saw the paper. Fleur sent a copy of the French "Le Monde Magique" complete with a brief translation and Vicktor Krum sent a Bulgarian paper without one. None was needed for the photos, however, Harry's face was plastered on the front page of them all. The Prophet's story concentrated on his shopping spree, where he went and what he bought. The article was basically fluff, and angrily, he threw it aside, he'd read the rest later. The French paper had a picture of himself, Remus and Tonks outside Gringotts and the words Sirius Black in the caption. Another front page photo was of Cornelius Fudge and prominently displayed the word 'Buffoon'. This definitely looked like a more interesting read, if only he spoke French. Fleur wrote that Le Monde had picked up on the Sirius Black angle and was using the story to discredit Fudge, with whom the French Minister  had serious differences, particularly after the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Harry didn't care why they printed it, just that they did. He no longer expected people to be as high minded as him. The Bulgarian news seemed to walk a line between the two extremes, as far as Harry could tell, and apparently had an article on werewolves, featuring Remus Lupin. The photo on their front page was of Harry and Remus coming out of Flourish and Blotts bookstore. He was glad that the WWN had aired the brief  press conference,  it might be the only way British wizards could know what he said.

Harry's stomach growled and he decided to head down for breakfast, bringing a copy of  The Prophet with him to read at the table, that was what the Dursley men did anyway, he might as well join them. Aunt Petunia put a plate of eggs and bacon in front of him, glancing out the window as she did. He ate, trying to converse with Dudley, who had his head in the Sunday Mail sports section. Getting no response, he took out the paper that he had been sitting on and quietly opened it up. He could feel his aunt's glare and heard her hiss," Put that away!"

"Everyone else is reading the newspaper!" he replied. "And I bet they're not even mentioned in it!"

Dudley's head popped up and he glanced over at his cousin. "Whoa! How come your picture is in the newspaper? And….and why is it moving?"

Harry grinned and started to responded. Uncle Vernon cut him off, "What do you think you're doing boy?" he sputtered. "Put that garbage away! Go up to your room!"

"Wait!" Dudley whined as Harry got up to leave the room. "What's diagonally? Why are you in the news anyway? What, did you do steal something?"

"No, Dud, you must have me confused with some of your friends. And Diagon Alley is a marketplace in London. I went shopping that's all." Harry replied as Dudley grabbed the wizard paper from his hand. He tried to take it back but Dudley had already started to read out loud: "The Boy Who Lived took Diagon Alley by storm on Friday. Accompanied by werewolf ex-Hogwarts Professor, Remus Lupin, Harry Potter did some early school shopping. The handsome hero made a stop at Gringotts Wizarding Bank and then …"  Dudley knew he had better stop reading, as his father  practically had smoke coming out of his ears. Vernon Dursley was as purple as Harry had ever seen him.

"May I have that please Diddykins?" his mother asked sweetly, obviously trying to calm the situation. Dudley handed the paper to his mother, not being able to resist mouthing, "handsome hero??" at his cousin.

"So, you felt the need to rub this in our faces, did you?" Aunt Petunia finally said after perusing the newspaper. "Go to your room and Vernon and I will discuss a suitable punishment for your inconsiderate behavior!"

"I  just wanted to read my paper! I didn't mean anything by it!" he insisted and left the room. Halfway up the stairs, Harry realized that his aunt still had that copy of the Sunday Prophet. He shrugged, thinking to himself that she must really want to read it. Harry spent the rest of the day in his room, reading the Prophet from cover to cover and writing to his friends.

 A/N   Thank You to JK Rowling who wrote such wonderful characters. I can't take any credit for them.  Also, to Mysterious Muggle for finding the time to beta read. And a Humongous TY to all who have reviewed. You really have boosted my ego, and believe me, it needed boosting!!

A/N #2-  This  chapter marks the first one to be posted on ff.net prior to being beta read for SQ.  If any major changes to the plot or wording are made post beta,  I will edit the chapters (Now that I figured out how!) If the changes are minor grammar and/or punctuation, I will leave it as is. Thanks to all the ff.net reviewers! Especially Teen Typist for reviewing every chapter! It is nice to know you are enjoying the story! I usually wait to write subsequent chapters until I see what people want to see in them, so feed my muse and review PLEASE!