In Every Darkness
Chapter Five: A Trip to London
11.7.1996 (morning)
The next morning found Harry drowsing slightly, sitting on the window sill. He'd moved there after his nightmare, and though he hadn't gone back to sleep, he'd spent hours attempting to count the stars.
Now, however, he was starving. He'd heard the Dursleys getting up a little while ago, so there should be food downstairs.
Harry wandered downstairs and into the kitchen. His aunt was serving food just as he walked in the door. She glanced at him angrily, but served a large plate for him also.
"We are going to London today," Uncle Vernon said as Harry took his plate of food from his aunt. Harry paused instead of leaving straight away.
For a moment thoughts raced around Harry's head, this and that – mainly memories of Grimmauld Palace. Suddenly he turned to his Uncle. "I'm coming too," he stated calmly.
For a moment, his uncle looked as if he might protest, but arguments died on his lips, and he nodded angrily. "We're leaving in two hours, if you aren't ready, we'll leave you behind," he snarled.
Harry simply nodded. "See you then," was all he said, before walking outside to eat his breakfast in the early morning – also to talk to whoever was guarding him today, he thought bitterly, hating the thought that anyone felt he needed looking after.
Just after he sat down to eat his breakfast, Tonks turned up beside him, for once looking 'normal' with shoulder length, light brown hair and dancing green-grey eyes, dressed in respectable Muggle clothes.
"How's it hanging Harry?" She asked him brightly.
"All right, are you on duty today?" Harry asked her warily.
"Yeah!" came the over enthusiastic response.
"I'm going to London with the Dursleys today," Harry stated, and Tonks made a face at the sound of the name, then sighed.
"So I'm gonna have to follow you to London? Yay," she said, not sounding nearly so enthusiastic now. "Spend a day with those… those… normal people?"
Harry nearly burst out laughing, and Tonks looked at him questioningly.
"I'm sure they'd think the same if they thought they were going to have to spend a day with you," Harry remarked with a faint smile. "Can you use an invisibility spell?" he added, almost as an afterthought.
Tonks grinned at him. "Sure I can! I'm an Auror!" she replied.
"Good. Why don't you fly along behind or above the car or something, and meet me in London. I'll separate from the Dursley's and you can follow me."
"I don't need an invisibility spell for that," Tonks protested. "I can just use a camouflage and then use my abilities as a metamorphmagus!"
Harry glanced at her. "How are you planning on following me around all day without attracting too much attention? If someone from the wizarding world who also happens to be in Voldemort's circle saw you with me, he'd know that you were one of those who are protecting me… he'd know I had other protection," he pointed out.
"Well, that's true. Invisible it is," she said, sighing. "I'll meet you in London once you've left the Dursley's, toodles!" she disappeared up the driveway, obviously going to get the things she'd need for the trip.
Harry finished his breakfast in peace and headed upstairs to get ready for the day himself.
Looking over his collection of Dudley's cast-offs, Harry felt somewhat disgusted – he hated all of this stuff! First thing to do today – get new clothes.
Changing into the least revolting and best fitting clothes, Harry cleaned himself up a little, thinking.
If he had to be guarded by anyone in London, at least it was Tonks, not Moody, or Dung, or someone like that. Tonks, at least, loved having fun.
Finally the Dursleys were ready to go – an hour beyond their two-hour notice. Harry managed to refrain from pointing this out, but that was only because he was too busy thinking himself.
He was trying to plan out his day, though he didn't know London at all well, which meant he was rather at a disadvantage. Oh well, hopefully Tonks would have some idea – after all, she'd been staying at Grimmauld Palace, which was in London.
During the car trip, he began incredibly bored, staring out of the window and completely ignoring the Dursleys. Dudley was telling his parents all about 'dinner at Denis's place'.
As Harry pushed the sound of their conversations away from his attention, he allowed himself to fall deeper into the anger that seemed to be lodged in his soul.
Yes, they listened to Dudley, cooed over every tiny detail that he gave them… had they ever done that to Harry? Oh, no! All the attention was given to their bulky, imbecilic son… Harry wasn't wanted… he wasn't wanted by anyone…
His friends hadn't even asked after him, it seemed. At least, the note that Dumbledore sent him seemed to point in that direction. Didn't they care? Did they just think that he was 'the hero' when he was with them, then forget about him the moment he was gone?
And what about The Order of the Phoenix? No, you can't come to us for the summer. It's safer for you where you are! Yeah, sure. Really safe. As if he couldn't take care of himself, hadn't he proved that? He'd taught some of the students Defense Against the Dark Arts last year, because he knew it! He knew how to defend himself, and protect his friends!
He was jolted out of his thoughts as they hit London.
"What are you going to do all day?" Uncle Vernon demanded. "You can't come with us, we've got an important business deal to attend to, and we haven't told them anything about you. They're only expecting three visitors, and it would be extremely rude to bring you along."
Harry sneered at his 'family'. "I'll meet you at the Palace at five this afternoon," he told them, and turned, striding away.
A moment later he heard Tonks voice from just near his elbow. "Where are you going?"
"Diagon Alley," Harry replied, his lips scarcely moving. "I need some money if I'm going to do anything. Which way?"
From then on, trying to keep talking to a minimal, Tonks touched his arm, guiding him through the throngs towards their destination.
Finally Harry saw the familiar sign of the Leaky Cauldron, watched as the passers-by didn't seem to see it all. Harry made a beeline for the dingy pub, fingering his wand, which was thrust into a bag draped easily over on shoulder.
Harry never let it far out of his sight, but he'd taken Moody's warning the previous summer to heart. Never put a wand in your back pocket.
Harry walked into the bar, half sensing Tonks following close behind. "Don't run into anything," he warned, his voice very low.
"I'll try not to," the accident prone young woman responded, not sounding in the least bit confident.
"Maybe once we get into the crowd you should take off the spell and try to mingle… it'd attract a lot of attention if there was something that no one could see bumping into everything," Harry sighed in defeat, all the time thinking: why the hell do I have to put up with this?
Harry took out his wand and tapped the correct brick to open the gateway to Diagon Alley. Just before it finished opening, Tonks became visible, now looking like someone straight out of a punk magazine.
Harry blinked at the change. "Don't look like you're following me," he told her, slightly wary.
"I'm an Auror!" she responded, clearly telling him not to tell her what she shouldn't be doing.
Harry merely shrugged and headed into the packed streets. "I have to go to Gringotts," he told her, heading for the large white building. "I need some Muggle money."
"Ooh! Muggle shopping!" Tonks looked ecstatic at the thought.
Harry resisted the urge to roll his eyes and headed away, leaving Tonks looking interestedly at the wares in one of the stalls, trying to avoid looking like she was with Harry.
Harry entered the Wizard Bank with a slight smile. Despite the goblins running around everywhere scowling at everyone, the place could actually be described as pleasant.
"I need to get some money of my vault and change it to Muggle money," Harry told the goblin.
"Name, Sir?"
"Potter."
"Have you a key, Mr. Potter?"
Harry reached into a pocket and handed the key over calmly. The goblin looked it over. "Everything seems to be in order," he remarked after a moment. "Griphook!"
Harry had a sudden flash of memory – Griphook! That was the goblin that had first taken him down to the vaults the day after he found out he was a wizard. Interesting.
Down in his vault, Harry wondered how much money he would need to go shopping in London, and in the end just filled two bags with galleons.
Though he'd never been shopping before, he'd heard the Dursley's talking about it, and so he knew that most things cost a lot of money.
Or was that simply what the Dursley's went to expensive shops? Harry shrugged the thought away, not really wanting to think about his guardians.
Back in the marble reception of the bank, Harry caught sight of Tonks, anxiously scanning the crowd. Spotting him, she grinned and turned away, weaving through the crowd as if looking for someone.
Harry turned around to look again for a free goblin, and, finding one, approached.
"Yes?" The goblin barked at him.
"I would like to change this to Muggle money. British," Harry stated, offering the bags of money he'd just picked up from his vault.
The goblin took them and handed Harry a wad of notes, before yelling, "next!".
Harry jumped out of the way as a large family bustled up to the counter, and headed outside.
For a moment, he hesitated. Would he look around Diagon Alley while he was here? No. He could do that another day, probably when he came to get his school things. Right now he had things to do in Muggle London.
Walking back out of Diagon Alley, Harry headed into London wondering how in the world he was going to find his way around this place.
"Ok, I'm back to being invisible," Tonks muttered in Harry's ear. "I think if I just avoid going inside any shops, everything will be fine."
"Right," Harry muttered back.
"So, what are you doing here?" Tonks asked him after a while.
"I need some new clothes."
"Don't blame you. Come on, I'll show you the way to some good shops!" Tonks said, sounding happy. Harry wasn't at all sure this was a good thing.
He let her lead him, however, down this street and that. Tonks never paused once. It seemed she came here a lot.
Finally they entered a street that seemed to be filled with teenager type shops. Harry could easily see Tonks shopping here.
"Wait a sec, Harry, I think that it's time I made a proper appearance," Tonks told him. Harry stopped and looked around at the shops, wondering what Tonks was going on about.
A moment later he heard someone enthusiastically shouting his name. Looking up he saw Tonks, now with bright blue hair, waving at him. "Harry! Fancy meeting you here!" She called, heading through the crowds to get to his side.
"Hi, Tonks," Harry said warily.
"You're going shopping? Good-o! Me too, come on, I'll show you all the good shops!" She caught hold of his hand again and dragged him towards a large clothes shop.
Harry sighed and allowed himself to be dragged.
Almost an hour later, Harry walked out of the shop with an armful of bags and a somewhat dazed expression on his face. Tonks was skipping happily beside him. He watched her with a definite wariness now – she'd had him in there for an hour looking at different clothes.
Although, he had to admit, he had found some new clothes, now at least he didn't feel embarrassed in Dudley's old clothes. He was wearing some of the clothes – at Tonks's insistence.
"I can't have you walking around looking like an old banker!" She'd told him. "Not with me!"
So Harry had sighed and changed into a pair of loose blue jeans and a black unmarked top that fit way too tightly for his taste, but which Tonks had bought for him, since he wouldn't buy it himself.
Tonks stopped him for a moment to take the bags from Harry's arms. She discreetly pulled her wand out and muttered a charm to shrink the bags. Harry inquired, "Why didn't you do that in the store?" Tonks just shrugged and continued to lead Harry through the roads of London.
He'd quickly found out that it wasn't worth attempting to argue with Tonks, she didn't allow it. Harry had actually forgotten his anger for a while in the shop, since Tonks was, though very stubborn, fairly easy to get on with, and pretty good company.
"Shoes!" Tonks exclaimed, once more dragging Harry along as she made a bee-line for a store.
Harry was all too happy to get new shoes – the pair he had now he'd had for two years, and they were much too small for him. Not to mention the fact that they were pretty much falling apart on his feet.
Harry picked out a nice pair of black shoes, and would have been quite content to have only them… Until Tonks saw a pair of Doc Martins in the shop next door and made Harry buy them also.
"Hmm… Where to now?" Tonks wondered.
"I need some other clothes for school," Harry pointed out – he wasn't about to wear this around Hogwarts under his robes.
"That's true. I suppose we'd better go to a more 'respectable' part of London then," Tonks sighed, and started off again, Harry trailing behind her.
They spent the rest of the day wandering around London, looking at this shop and that, occasionally buying something. By the end of the day Tonks had a lot of things shrunken and stuffed in her pockets.
They stopped for lunch at a nice, fairly small café, where Tonks insisted on paying, and stopped again at McDonalds a bit later for a quick snack before going to meet the Dursleys.
A little ways before the Palace, Tonks waved a cheerful goodbye and disappeared down another street. Harry knew that she'd been keeping an eye on him on the way back to Little Whinging, though he wished that people didn't need to do this for him.
He was lounging on the Palace steps for half an hour before the Dursley's arrived, reading The Hobbit, by J. R. R. Tolkien – he remembered hearing about before he went to Hogwarts, and had thought that it might be interesting, but he had never actually been able to read it.
Tonks had un-shrunk his stuff, and it was now all piled around him, bags of clothes, a few shoe boxes, books, CDs and a CD player and a few other things.
When the Dursley's pulled up in front of the Palace they were gaping at him. "Where did you get this stuff?" Aunt Petunia demanded.
"I bought it with the money my parents left me," Harry replied, shrugging. "Help me get it in the car, please."
He only said please for the benefit of the passers-by, who would expect a boy to be somewhat polite to his family.
Uncle Vernon didn't dare refuse, and so got out to help Harry stuff everything into the car. At least the Dursley's hadn't gotten the opportunity to go shopping, so there was more room than there would have been otherwise.
On the way back 'home' to Privet Drive, Harry dozed off in the car. The day shopping had exhausted him far more than he would have thought, and the gentle whirring of the motor and the sound of the wheels on the road lulled him until he let down his barriers and dropped into sleep.
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