Disclaimer: I'll I own are what you don't recognize. And sometimes maybe not even that.
A/N: I SORRY!!!!!!!!!!!!! *bows* I apologize profusely for taking so long!!! Between Drama, Term Papers, Group History Research Projects, Group projects, Teen Arts Festival (which is this Thursday @.@), drawing, and writing my book (wow, that's a lot o'stuff there…) I had very little time to do anything. I SORRY!!! *bows*
I also noticed that fanfiction.net didn't post all of my thank yous, so this is a reposting. Dun yell at me!! u.u
Gone Over
Chapter Three: Almost Like Being Born Again
~*~
Harry kept his head down as he walked in the direction of the Leaky Cauldron. He kept glancing sideways to see if anyone recognized him
Geez, I'm getting so paranoid. Next thing I know, I'll be like Mad-Eye Moody. Now there's a scary thought.
He rounded a corner and caught sight of the famous wizarding pub when he remembered, again, that he needed a name. The muggle world might not see the connections between Harry Potter and James Evans, but the wizarding world would. Harry slowed down as he saw two girls walking towards him.
Oh crap.
"Isn't he just gorgeous!" exclaimed one of the girls in an American accent.
"I know. I believe we're going to see Robbie Winter in a live play! I didn't even know he did live plays!" exclaimed the other, also in an American accent.
"If this play is half as good as his movies…" the first one trailed off. They both sighed as they walked past Harry and continued to gush about Robbie Winter. Harry shook his head and continued walking.
Bloody Amer -
Of course.
Americans.
They won't be expecting Harry Potter to try and pose as an American. Or should I say they won't be expecting a Robbie Winter to walk into Diagon Alley?
"Yo dude." Harry said quietly, trying to mimic the American accent that he hear from those girls. It still sounded slightly British, but after saying it a few more times, Harry discovered that mimicking came very easily to him. By the time he had reached the door to the Leaky Cauldron he had successfully mimicked an Irish accent, a French accent, and a German accent to go along with his American one.
If I wasn't born a wizard, I'd go on to pursue a career in acting.
Harry took a quick, deep breath and nervously opened the door to the Leaky Cauldron. He noticed that a lot of the customers would look at him and then do a double take. He let out a sigh he hadn't realized he was holding. They didn't recognize him. Well, they did recognize him, but then they thought that they didn't. And that was exactly what Harry wanted them to do.
He started to walk by the counter to get to Diagon Alley when he heard the last name he wanted to hear shouted out.
"Harry Potter!?"
Keep walking, keep walking. If you turn around now, you'll blow you're cover for good.
"Harry!? Is that you?" Tom asked putting a hand on Harry's shoulder. Harry turned around and looked at Tom, faking innocent confusion.
"Harry?" Tom repeated as Harry saw him scan his forehead for his trademark scar.
"No, I'm Robbie Winter." He said with an American accent. Judging by the look he saw on Tom's face, he succeeded in fooling the bartender.
"Sorry, sir. I thought you were someone else," Tom apologized and went back to work, "False alarm! It's not Harry!" he called out to the on looking customers. They went back to their mead and cognac. Harry turned around and walked towards the brick wall that would lead him into Diagon Alley. Smirking, he took out his wand and opened the pathway. With far more confidence then when he walked into the Leaky Cauldron, Harry walked through Diagon Alley without bothering to lower his head. Most people didn't even bother to glance at him, and those who did just walked right on as if he were just another wizard.
Harry was thrilled.
Key word, being was.
As Harry was turning his head to look over at the stores, one of the last people he wanted to see appeared in the corner of his eye.
Lucius Malfoy.
The blonde aristocrat was sauntering down the street, towards Harry, as if he owned the place, and he probably did in his mind. The closer the Death Eater got, the more nervous Harry became. Lucius was second-in-command to the Dark Lord Voldemort and was not one to be fooled so easily.
Budabump, budabump, budabump…
What was that noise? Where was it coming from? Harry started to sweat a little, that noise was bothering him.
Oh…wait…that's my heartbeat, isn't it…well that deserves a Darwin Award…
The older Malfoy was only a few yards away from him now.
Harry's heart began to beat even faster. Lucius might recognize him. Then his cover might be blown! Or maybe -
Oh no.
Lucius Malfoy looked directly at Harry Potter.
Please oh please let it just be a glance. Merlin above all, let it just be a glance!
Lucius Malfoy looked away -
Thank you Merlin!
- and did the barest of double takes and walked on.
Crap. He knows. He has to now.
Nervously, Harry continued walking, his eyes darting to every shadowed corner, every laugh he heard.
Great. Now I'm paranoid…again…
After what seemed like an hour but couldn't have been more than a few seconds, Harry reached Gringotts. Nervously, the black haired boy walked into the wizarding bank, his eyes darting to too many places too quickly to possibly pass off as natural. As Harry was thinking of all the things that could possibly go wrong he froze mid-step and yet quickly recovered so as a result he nearly tripped over his own two feet. He smiled sheepishly at the people who looked at his sudden movement.
How in the world am I going to get into my Gringott's account!?
Harry put his hands into his pockets only to come in contact with a piece of paper. It felt very soft, as if it had been in the wash too many times, and he hadn't noticed it before. He took it out and opened it to find it was a letter from Sirius, the one he had gotten way back at the end of his Third Year on the way home from Hogwarts. The ink, being of magical origin, was still as clear as day. Harry reread the letter mainly out of nostalgia, when a particular part stuck out for him.
"There is something I never got around to telling you
during our brief meeting. It was I who sent you the Firebolt
-- Crookshanks took the order to the Owl Office for me.
I used your name but told them to take the
gold from my own Gringott's vault."
It was brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. Harry had never been more thankful for Sirius in his life. Well, that wasn't entirely true, but it was close. Silently thanking Sirius for unwittingly helping him, Harry suddenly remembered Professor Lupin, his favourite Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. The only good one, good in both senses of the word, Hogwarts had in a long time.
Remus and Sirius. As close as brothers.
Brothers…
Wasn't there a myth about to brothers? Named Remus…and Romulus?
Harry smirked inwardly at his ever surprising brilliance. Robbie Winter might be a little too traceable, so why not take on another alias? Romulus…Romulus Lupin. True, it might connect him to Remus…but the risk would be worth it. Besides, it might not be as suspicious if a Lupin got some money from Harry Potter's vault.
Harry walked up to the counter with a little bit more confidence.
"I'd like to make a withdrawal from Mr. Potter's account please. My name is Romulus Lupin." Harry asked politely, gathering up the best of his raw acting skills. The desk goblin looked at him suspiciously for so long that Harry thought he knew and wasn't going to let him in his vault.
"Do you have his key?" the goblin finally asked.
"Yes." Harry answered, quickly showing the desk goblin his key.
"Very well. Griphook!"
Why do I always end up getting Griphook?
Griphook appeared as quickly as goblins do and led Harry to the familiar doors that led down to the labyrinth of vaults. It was a silent cart ride down to his vault. For a few moments, Harry was able to let his mind go free of his worries as the wind flew past his face. Then the cart ride stopped and all his worries came back once more.
After Griphook opened the vault Harry walked in and quickly decided how much to get. He got a little less than he usually got for his wizarding funds, and then got a large enough amount that he hoped would be good enough for muggle funds, as Harry didn't know what the currency exchange was. He put all his money in various pockets and was thankful for once that Dudley was so much bigger than him. Hand-me-down pants from Dudley meant bigger pockets to put things in. Harry was about to get back into the cart when Griphook spoke to him.
"Your mother was always good to us, Harry Potter."
Harry looked at the goblin in disbelief.
"W-what? What are you talking about? I'm not Harry Potter! I'm Robbie Lupin! Er, wait, I mean, Romulus Winter! No, I - "
Griphook simply raised a long-fingered goblin hand and Harry immediately went silent.
"Your mother never cared about what people thought of her actions, Harry Potter, and treated those who were oft scorned with kindness. She was one of the few humans we ever liked."
At this, Griphook simply got back into the cart without another word. Harry stared at him, stunned, until he realized that Griphook was waiting for him to get back in. It was another silent cart ride back to the common sector of the vast bank. As Harry was walking towards the Money Exchange area, he suddenly turned around and looked back at Griphook. More meaning than is in words were expressed in but a few seconds right then.
Once Harry made it to the Money Exchange counter he replaced his wizarding money with muggle ones, which came to about £ 278, he started walking towards the exit when an ahem from the goblin at the desk made him stop and turn around.
"We will keep your secret" he said brusquely. For the moment, Harry was stunned speechless, but he quickly recovered.
"Thank you." he replied gratefully. It was nice to know that you have some allies in the world.
As Harry departed from Gringotts, he gave a sigh of relief and walked back down Diagon Alley. He had never been more nervous about anything in his life, not even when he and Hermione had to take Norbert to the tallest tower or when he had to take his first Potion's Exam.
Harry picked up his pace a tad as he got closer to the Leaky Cauldron. The faster he got out of the wizarding world, the harder it would be for him to be found. At least until the start of the term when he would come back and board the Hogwarts Express.
Just for the sake of looking around, Harry turned his head to his left and noticed that it was the alleyway that led to Knockturn Ally. He remembered Hagrid all but dragging him out of the area. Harry Potter wouldn't be safe in Knockturn Ally, with so many dark wizards and witches running about.
But then, he wasn't Harry Potter at the moment.
He was Robbie Winter or Romulus Lupin. Whichever came out of his mouth first.
Why not go in? This time he would have a chance to really look around and see what was there. Besides, no one would ever dream of the Boy-Who-Lived going into Knockturn Alley. Harry made up his mind and turned to go into Knockturn Ally when one of the last voices he wanted to hear spoke.
"Potter? Is that you?"
Draco Malfoy was standing right behind him.
Stupid git always did have the worst possible timing. For me anyway.
"Botter? Sorry, I'm Robbie Winter." replied Harry calmly in an American accent. Draco would have recognized the name Lupin, so Harry went with his American alias instead. Harry smirked inwardly as he noticed Draco's eyes flicker up to his forehead to see if his signature lightening bolt scar was there.
I now understand why women wear make-up and I will never make fun of them for it again. They are saints for inventing this stuff!
Draco gave Harry his customary sneer and walked away from Harry muttering something that sounded like, "Just another wannabe-wizard Yank."
Letting a small grin show across his face, Harry decided that maybe it would be better for him to go to Knockturn Alley another time. Leaving Diagon Alley, he walked through the Leaky Cauldron, Tom barely even giving him a glance. He stood outside of the Leaky Cauldron, wondering what he should do next.
First things first. I need a place to stay. Well, I've got money, so I'll use it!
Walking to the nearest bus stop, Harry got on the bus and sat there for a while, looking out the window. It was quite enjoyable for him, as Harry had never gotten a chance to see much of the scenes of muggle London. When the bus stopped for maybe the sixth time, Harry had lost track, he noticed a 'NEED HELP' sign in the window of a building that appeared to be part coffee shop part bookstore. He had money now but he didn't know how long it would last. Getting off the bus, he went through the doors and up to the counter.
"Be with you in a minute!" a girl with black hair and red tips called out to him as she rushed by. Taking the chance to look around, Harry saw that there were a lot of artsy-looking people around, along with a lot of punk-looking people and a few goths as well. Turning back to the counter he noticed one of those rolly address book things, he couldn't remember what they were called. The name Caraway was all that was visible.
"So how can I help you?" asked the girl, coming back to him, "Sorry for the wait."
"It's alright. I noticed that you had a 'need help' sign in the window and would like to - " Harry began.
"Oh would you take the job? The last guy was too judgemental and not many people want to work in a bookstore, even though the Dark Sun also doubles as a coffee shop. My name's Cassandra, by the way, but everyone calls me Cassie. I'm the manager here."
Harry grinned. Muggles had their charms at times.
"Sure. I'm Robbie Caraway," he replied, using the name on the address card, "but I'm still looking for an apartment so I don't know if - "
"Are you really? That's perfect!"
"It…is?"
"Yes! There's a room across the hall from my apartment that I also rented with my room mate. Me mate left for Oxford so now I'm stuck paying this huge rent!"
"Are you serious?"
"Completely. Here, stick your book bag and coat back here and I'll get you started. You'll start in the book section first, that'll be easiest. And when we close I'll take you to the apartment! Okay?"
"Sure!" Harry replied. He stuck his stuff in a back room and followed Cassie to the bookstore end.
I'm almost thankful to the Dursley's for putting me into this position. Almost.
A/N: Mwahahaha! A cliffie!! Dun-dun-dunnn. I had to end it here because I'm supposed to be doing homework. o.o;; Shhh!! I won't tell if you don't! XD Please-ith review-ith or I die-ith and so will the story! x.x
PS - It has occurred to my while checking the story that some people may take me as British. I am not. I am fully American and proud of it. I have a habit of using British slang and I just wanted the story to be more realistic so I used pounds. So for all my British readers, is 278 a large enough amount of pounds? I just guessed.
Thank You's
ER: Thank you muchly for your reviewing! Emperor TJ Tharasy? I didn't find that one o.o;;
Amiastine: He left all his stuff at Privet Drive because he couldn't carry it all. He's still too young to use magic outside of school, the poor bloke.
Me: Ta muchly!
Lady Russell Holmes: I'm glad I made you laugh! :P
Lady Macbeth: Well, I just figured its polite to recognize your readers, you know? And no, I'm not Scottish. I'm an American!! :D
escaped psycho: Yeah, I did realize it was going pretty slow, sorry. I have a fixation with details! ^^;;
Digital Darknezz: I canna tell you what I gonna do with him!! XD
Shadowsofpain: Ta very muchly. And you're right, I don't have to answer! XP
PinkDevil: Oh good, me glad. Hakuna Matata, I tell not! XP Here it is!
'Mes: Yes, it is Harry's Slyth side coming out. I will say that much!
UniversalStar87: I will! But I'll be working on my book more than my fanfiction!
Ms. Issues: *holds hands over mouth* I will not say spoilers!!!
Broken Angel: Really? No others? Yay! I'm original! *throws confetti*
LadySonics: I like muggle characterization, too. I canna say what will happen!! I not a spoiler!!! You're favourites? Wow…I feel loved…o.o
Melissa Lupin: *sniggers* XD yesyes…funny stuff, funny stuff…
dementorchic: Did this chappie help your understanding any?
Kat Riddle: Here it is! I hurried! Honest!
NiaSphinx: Ta very muchly!
tima: I canna say anything! :P
Lady Phoenix Gryffindor: *sniggers* It does, doesn't it? I wonder why…
Immortal Dragon: Ta very muchly!
Phoenix Flight: Ta very muchly! Cute rhyme!! XD
Caroline Hal: Ta muchly! You're lucky. You didn't have long to wait! XD