Chapter 7: Diagon Alley
It was an owl tapping on his window that woke Harry on the dawn of Saturday. He would be on his way to two weeks of beach vacation this evening. Harry rubbed the sleep out of his eyes as he walked over to open his window. The aged but healthy owl that flew in reminded him of Errol before he quickly diverted his thoughts to the letter it was carrying. The envelope had the Hogwarts seal on it. Of course, it was the customary letter with the list of books for the upcoming term. Harry opened it curiously wondering which year's list he would have. He found an official letter from the Deputy Headmistress, Minerva McGonagall. The letter started off with an official apology for his expulsion and continued with his re-acceptance into Hogwarts and some startling news. He was to join the Sixth Year as he should have been but he would also be receiving extra classes in the evenings with each teacher to catch up with his Fifth Year work. At the end of the year, he would be sitting for both the OWLs and Sixth Year finals and the teachers would do their best to help him through this. Harry grimaced as he imagined spending all of his time studying, not to mention the tete-a-tete that he was going to be practically forced to have with all the teachers. It wasn't fair, but then again he was way past expecting these people to be fair.
Harry put the letter down and picked up the two lists of books he was expected to buy. Now where was he going to get his books? He would rather volunteer to be Dudley and gang's punching bag for the day than go to buy his books at Flourish & Blotts. He would never forget the humiliation he suffered for as long as he lived. He would just have to get them some other way. He might be able to buy second-hand books from the seniors at Hogwarts, though the notion didn't much appeal to him. Or he could just go to classes empty-handed and let the teachers do something about it. Harry stuffed away the offending letter and went back to sleep, he probably wouldn't get much sleep on the plane since it was his first time traveling by air. It probably wasn't anything like flying on a broomstick, he thought dispiritedly. He was going to miss Quidditch....He abruptly halted those thoughts before they turned to Gryffindor and a Firebolt and went back to sleep.
Harry was packing his books late in the morning when the phone rang. A moment later, his whale of a cousin poked his head in and simply said "It's for you" before leaving.
Harry went downstairs wondering who it would be. It was a lady from the airlines and she was explaining that there was some kind of problem with Harry's payment. His bank account was blocked for some reason and he needed to sort it out urgently or he might miss the plane. Harry was very perplexed to hear this. He went back upstairs and hurriedly crammed away his books and other unpacked stuff so that if this matter took too long, he could just come and take his stuff immediately before going to the airport.
Harry finished his packing, and left for the bank. He got the now customary stares from the people there but one of the guys at the counters recognized him and took him to see the manager. Harry explained his problem and asked why it happened. After checking his records the bank manager, Mrs. Wuthright informed him about the temporary policy that had been put into action. Due to some fraud and safety risks the credit card limits for all card-holders had been reduced and they were informed by post about this change. They had sent a letter to Harry but addressed to Gringgots because that was how he had specified it. Apparently he had exceeded the limit on his credit card which caused his account to freeze. Harry handled all that was necessary at the bank but to his great disappointment, some of the matters needed Harry to get all the letters the bank had been sending to Harry.
Oh God this was such a mess! There were no Gringgots branches in Surrey to his knowledge. That meant he had to go to the much dreaded Diagon Alley branch of Gringgots in London and get back to sort it out all before his evening flight. He thought about taking a bus from Surrey to London but that was risky since he wasn't familiar with London and what time the buses left and arrived. Also if the matter took a long time, he wouldn't be able to get back for his flight. There was nothing for it. He would have to take the knight bus to London. Harry sighed as he looked around the empty street he was currently in. It was going to be unpleasant to ride the bus but so would be Diagon Alley. He would have to learn to live with this sooner or later, so just go for it. He stood at the sidewalk and raised his right arm, making a sharp move with his wrist and waited to hear the familiar bang and the trash cans hurriedly jumping out of the way.
Harry didn't have to wait long. The purple-colored vehicle came to a screeching halt too close to him and same old Stan Shunpike was there. He took one look at Harry and forget his well rehearsed speech about the knight bus' qualities.
"Look, I have to go to Diagon Alley and back today. I don't have any wizard money with me but I'm going to Gringgots now. Can I pay for the ticket on the return journey or would you accept muggle money?" Harry asked in a very businesslike manner. He did not want to spend the next hour standing on the sidewalk under the scorching sun waiting for Stan and the God-awful driver to regain their wits and start to blubber apologies at a painstakingly slow rate.
"Well, what's it going to be?" he asked impatiently.
"Uhhh....uhmm....sure, why don't you pay later, Mr. Harry Potter sir?" Stan sniveled dazedly in a very Dobby-like manner.
Harry climbed the three stairs into the bus, ignored the driver's poor attempt at making a sound, walked to the back and climbed the weird staircase to the top, settling at the far end from the half-sleeping old wizard. Once the bus was moving again, Stan poked his head up the stairs. Harry saw him and glared so fiercely that the poor bloke went right back downstairs and didn't come back up until they reached London.
Harry reached London fairly quickly having spent the whole way mentally preparing himself for what was to come. He went through all the different things he had learnt during the summer and tried his best to build a mental shield against the memories. He knew Diagon Alley would be full of people since it was Saturday and almost the end of holidays. He wouldn't let them affect him, he thought resolutely as he turned the corner and approached the Leaky Cauldron. He took a moment to breathe deeply before entering. As expected all conversation and activity seized at his entrance. He swept everyone with a cool gaze seeing some of them flinch and look away. Then he walked straight across the place with a confident stride. No one tried to speak to him or stop him. Tom the innkeeper was the only one to follow him outside the back door.
"Hello Harry" was all he said with a gentle smile as he tapped the bricks with his wand, opening the gateway for him.
"Thanks" he said before walking away.
As Harry strode down the busy street, the crowd parted like the red sea to make way for him. He kept a rigid posture, a confident and purposeful stride occasionally throwing a frosty and unwelcoming glance to the people around him who were whispering to each other. He knew his appearance drew attention as much as his unwanted fame. While everyone else was dressed in robes, he was dressed in a pair of jeans as white as his hair and a black long-sleeved sweatshirt with a white Nike checkmark at the back. The sleeves were pulled back up to his forearms, making his upper arms look bulky and revealing the big black sports watch he was wearing. As he neared Flourish & Blotts, Mr. Flourish came out looking around desperately. He must have heard Harry was there since he was looking around until his gaze settled on him. Harry's glare became icy as he looked at the man then deliberately looked away. He was about to pass Mr. Flourish when the old man grabbed hold of Harry's arm.
"Harry, please.....please listen to me. I need to tell you how sorr-"
"Shut up! How dare you touch me? Don't you ever speak to me again" Harry almost shouted yanking his arm away. All of his resolve to remain calm and cool flew out the window at this man's audacity. The nerve of him to even speak to Harry after what he had done. Harry was positively fuming as he walked before he gave in to temptation and hit the man. He quickened his stride, ignoring the man's hoarse pleas to come back and the other people who had stopped everything and were staring outright.
Harry entered Gringgots in a very bad mood but he tried to maintain civility with the goblins. The event had truly shaken him. He had done his very best to keep his mind off the past all summer but now being here, seeing these people again brought the pain back. The lengthy matters at Gringgots managed to calm Harry a bit but a little of his anger returned as he was coming out. Just let them try something. He wouldn't mind demonstrating his kickboxing skills to anyone who dared to treat him like a sulky child. The set of his jaw and the defensiveness in his movements seemed to give everyone a fair warning as most people gave him a wide breadth. Harry noticed that all the shopkeepers had come out again and were looking at him with much the same expressions as the day when he was first released. He noticed the astonishment on some faces at the vast difference in his height and looks.
Harry was giving two young witches an icy glare for giggling as they looked admiringly at him when he heard the scrunching sound of little paws running on the pebbled road. He realized what the sound was a micro-second before four paws latched onto his jeans. He turned around, only slightly surprised to find the two black kitten-like creatures at his feet. He might have thought they were kittens before but now he was almost certain they were cubs of some magical creature. They had grown to the size of a very large cat over the summer and their sharp claws gleamed in the sun. They were looking imploringly at him through their marble-bright eyes as they made that growling-purring sound. For a moment Harry was deeply tempted to pick them up and walk away. Then he remembered Hedwig's brutal death. He looked up to see Mr. Warsh standing in front of his shop, his expression blank save for the sorrow-filled eyes. No, he wouldn't subject himself to the pain of a pet's death again. He couldn't take the cubs. He would just have to walk away like he did before, Harry thought with a heavy heart. Truth be told he would have given anything to once again have the love and loyalty that he always sensed from Hedwig. But he turned around to walk away anyhow. Only this time the cubs had grown much more stronger and having been left by their human once before, they were prepared to fight to stay with him. Harry tried to wrench his leg away from their grasp but their claws held on firmly. He tried to move his leg in a jerking motion trying to remove them but they stayed. As Harry was twisting around, one of the cubs let go and boldly jumped higher digging the sharp claws into the fabric at Harry's calf. Now he was very much worried about the state of his jeans. Harry half bent to try to remove the cub when the other let go of his leg and jumped up to latch himself on Harry's upper arm. Harry had to crouch down before he lost his balance and the first cub took the opportunity to let go of his calf and jump to his shoulder. As Harry tried to brush him off, the other cub was left dangling from his forearm.
By now Harry was thoroughly frustrated with the stubborn cubs and the giggling group of witches who kept mumbling things like "Aw, how cute!" were beginning to get on his nerves. He scowled at Mr. Warsh.
"Get them away from me" he growled.
"I'm sorry I can't. They are magical creatures and they choose their own masters. Tigercats especially have been known to tear apart anything that tries to keep them away from their chosen human" he replied nodding towards the cubs.
"I Am Not Their Mast-" Harry was distracted by the sudden flash of pain at his neck.
He turned to the cub on his shoulder to notice it holding a paw with a little blood on the claws. The cub bent his head to lick at the wound he had just inflicted and Harry felt the pain fade away. At that moment the cub's honey-gold eyes began to glow. The glow turned to a bright light before returning to normal. The cub tilted his head slightly as it looked deep into Harry's eyes and Harry could swear he felt the contentment coming from the cub. The distraction was enough to give the other cub a chance to repeat his twin's actions. This time Harry felt the pain in his forearm and looking down, found three sharp claw-marks bleeding there. The second cub also bent his head and licked the scratches and the blood off. As Harry watched the scratches began to heal and the skin was left unbroken. The green eyes glowed with same intense light before fading back to their original color and the cub gave a pleased growl before letting go of Harry's arm and landing smoothly on the ground. Harry felt the side of his face licked gently before the golden eyed cub joined his brother on the ground. The tingling Harry had felt in the two wounds now seemed to be spreading through his veins. Harry was in shock because there was no mistaking it. He could distinctly feel two other sets of emotions beside his own.
"Now you are their master. They have bonded with you and they will follow you wherever you go. No barrier, magical or otherwise can keep them away from you and nothing can hide you from them" Mr. Warsh said almost matter-of-factly.
Harry was so astounded that he remained crouching there staring at the well-behaved cubs on the ground for a moment. Now, what was he supposed to do?
"No, I don't care what they just did. I'm not taking them with me. You can keep them" Harry threw back at the old wizard.
Apparently the cubs somehow sensed his rejection for Harry could feel their sadness. They growled softly at Harry as if pleading with him to accept them. It was too much. After feeling lonely and abandoned himself, he couldn't cope with two sets of similar emotions. He got up and began to walk away resolutely. He felt the cubs' fierce determination at the same time as he heard their little patter of paws following behind him. He stopped and turned around to scowl at them.
"Go Away" he yelled.
The cubs growled back but seemed unfazed by his words. They sat down on their back paws like good little cubs and got up to follow him the moment he turned his back. Harry was at his wits' end on what to do with them as he stood there with his back to the cubs and everyone staring. Maybe they wouldn't be able to get past the brick wall that separated Leaky Cauldron, he thought gazing at the barrier.
"No, sonny. Ye can't get rid of 'em like that. They're not called magical creatures for nothing. They will follow ye to Bermuda an back. Ye might as well take 'em home and save yerself the trouble" an old wizard with yellowed teeth snorted.
Harry scowled moodily at the man wondering what he was going to do. He turned around to frown threateningly at Mr. Warsh again. He hated the man and he certainly didn't want to buy anything from him ever.
"I can't do anything. The only way not to take them is if you would be willing to kill them. They won't try to stop you if you try to kill them. There is no other option" Mr. Warsh spread his hands. He didn't say anything about their price or giving them for free because he felt that would certainly make the young man explode.
"Tigercats don't eat catfood. You'll need to buy some of their feed until they are old enough to hunt" the lady who owned the apothecary informed Harry almost gleefully from the entrance of her shop.
"And you need to buy some toys to keep 'em busy" a short and plump wizard said from the door of a toyshop.
"And you need a charmed cage to keep the muggles from complaining when you take them anywhere" the wizard who owned a magical bags and boxes store informed him.
"And you need a proper rug for them to sleep on" Madam Malkin said timidly as she stared at the ground.
"And you need a book on Tigercats to know how to handle them" the young assistant at Flourish and Blotts said with a frown. Mr. Flourish was nowhere to be seen.
"I can't keep them. Tigercats aren't allowed as pets in Hogwarts" Harry spoke to no one in particular.
"I will get you a special pass. I'm the Head Boy this year. I know there is a mention in Hogwarts Rules Book about magical pets and special cases. I will get you the permission letter at King's Cross" a Ravenclaw prefect that Harry remembered from his Fourth Year offered smilingly.
Harry sighed in frustration at the cubs who just stared at him innocently. He did not want to go through this. He hated Diagon Alley. Before he had time to brood anymore, the wizard from the toyshop grabbed his arm and pulled him gently towards his shop explaining all the wonderful toys he had that the cubs would just love. God, these wizards were so pushy. He was quite aware of the huge crowd watching his every action. Yanking his arm away didn't work and since he didn't want a huge scene, Harry saw no other way but to go with the man. Harry sighed as the cubs followed him in and jumped and growled at the toys that were shown. He emerged a few moments later with a bag of toys and the lady from the opposite apothecary waved him over, pointing at a scoopful of something. There was nothing for it, he thought morosely as he marched over with the cubs dutifully following behind him. As an assistant was packing the feed, the lady asked Harry if he would like the Potions ingredients set for Sixth Year. Harry agreed and asked for the Fifth Year set too. The lady gave him a magically expanding bag with a light-weight charm free of charge. After that he had to buy a shrunk cage from the bag and boxes store. Harry found his hand grasped tightly by a distraught Madam Malkin when he stepped outside. She was sobbing pitifully as she begged for forgiveness for her heartless actions last year. Harry didn't have the heart to push her away and leave her sobbing in front of the curiously watching crowd so with a heavy heart he let her drag him to her own shop. She wiped away the tears and sniffled occasionally as she directed her assistant to wrap up a specially made rug. Then she smiled hesitantly as she pulled Harry to the measuring table, saying she would pack his Hogwarts robes too so he won't have to trouble himself again. He bought the things and paid the money without looking directly at her or saying much. He hadn't forgiven her actions, he didn't know if he ever could.
Harry was glad he had thought of taking a large amount of galleons out of Gringgots. He had thought to buy some of his stuff in Hogsmeade and pay for the Knight bus with it. He was once again amazed by the way the wizards did things differently. Pet's toys in a toyshop, cages in a box shop, rugs in a robes shop, he shook his head. He saw Mr. Warsh standing in front of his store watching him silently and headed over there. He went to the counter of the shop, asked how much the cubs cost, paid the amount and walked out. It would be a long time before he could bring himself to forgive the wizard who had taken away the last source of support in his dark days. Mr. Warsh seemed to realize this and made no attempt to stall or stop him. He just watched the retreating figure with sad eyes, praying that the young man find some peace and happiness in his future.
Harry was passing Ollivanders when old Mr. Ollivander stepped out and waved his hand at him. His eyes were as bright and unnerving as Harry remembered them.
"Mr. Potter, I have been told you are in need of a new wand? Come in and bring the cubs too" the old man beckoned with his aging hands.
Harry followed the old man inside the musty old shop, the cubs walking behind him. Old Ollivanders told him that he had received an owl from Dumbledore about getting Harry a new wand. Since Harry was discovered to be a Parselmouth, Ollivanders had sent news to his associates overseas and had a special wand made for Harry. Being a Parselmouth came in handy in performing some very rare and powerful spells and his natural magic could be enhanced with the right wand. The wand that he handed to Harry was black in color. He explained that the core was a scale taken from a queen hydra and the wood had veins of melted basilisk fang running from top to bottom to add extra power to all his spells. As Harry held the 14 inches long wand, he felt a sense of rightness and a tingle of magic like recognition. Whether it was the wand recognizing its master or his magic recognizing its true channel, he could not say.
Harry left Ollivanders with his new wand in its sheath. He saw the assistant of Flourish & Blotts staring straight at him but ignored the young man. There was no way he would ever forget or forgive the incident from last year. He was just turning his back to the bookstore and heading for the Leaky Cauldron when the young wizard came over and grabbed Harry's arm in a tight grip. Harry narrowed his eyes threateningly at him but he remained unfazed.
"Let go of me" he growled but the older boy only tightened his grip.
"No, you are coming with me" the assistant announced.
Harry stared at him as if he had lost his mind before beginning to struggle in earnest. He was not going anywhere near the bookstore and no one was going to make him. The cubs were growling menacingly at the taller boy who seemed to be threatening their human.
"I'm not going to hurt him" the boy told the two cubs who were crouching in an attack position.
Despite his resolve Harry found himself being dragged forcefully towards the shop. He protested and fought him but the other seemed almost angry as he ignored all of Harry's attempts and dragged him into the empty bookstore.
"Look at him" he said in a low voice pushing Harry well into the shop before releasing his arm. Harry looked where the boy was pointing to see Mr. Flourish sitting behind a desk, shaking silently with his head buried in his hands. Silent tears were coursing down his face.
"He is my father. He has always lived his life proudly, never harming anyone intentionally. It was what he had taught all of us too. He was very fond of all his children but Timmy was his favorite. Timmy was in his Second Year when you were in Fourth Year. That day when the Tournament was going on in Hogwarts and so many people died because of the dark curse, my youngest brother, Timmy died too. Dad was devastated. He didn't eat for days. When you came here all he saw was his youngest son's murderer. He wanted revenge, he wanted to hurt you like you had hurt him. Surely you of all people should understand that. You lost your parents too" the older boy pleaded for understanding.
"Timmy is gone forever. Our family will never be the same again. We don't want to lose Dad too. He is truly sorry. He hasn't been eating or sleeping properly since the day we found out about your innocence. He spends all the nights sitting by the window and he is lost in horrible thoughts all day long. He can't forgive himself until you forgive him. Please, please talk to him. Please tell him you forgive him. We are very sorry about what happened. Please don't hold it against Dad. He will slowly fade away if he keeps this up" the boy begged Harry as his own eyes clouded with tears.
Harry looked from the boy to his father. It was very hard to maintain his anger or distance when he saw how truly sorry they were. He found the pain and bitterness from the memory of his humiliation fading away against his will. There was no other choice. He didn't want to go on his vacation with the guilt of this family's suffering on his conscience. Yes, he was doing this for purely selfish reasons. He breathed deeply before approaching the desk as the boy stayed back and watched him go.
"I need a book on caring for Tigercats" he announced neutrally pretending not to notice anything amiss.
Mr. Flourish looked up, then wiped at his eyes to see better. He stared at Harry for a full minute before coming to his senses. And then he was jumping out of his seat, blubbering half-sentences, telling his son to get this book and that, all the while wiping away at his face. A small smile appeared on his face as he packed two books on Tigercats as well as the Fifth and the Sixth Year texts and stationary. He kept looking warily at Harry from time to time half-expecting him to turn around and leave. As Mr. Flourish packed the stationary and took the money Harry offered, he looked at Harry then back down again hesitating.
"Mr. Potter…..Harry, I am so sorry….for what I…..I can never forgive myself, I was so grossly unfair…..I know I can never make it up to you, but….I" Harry held up his hand trying his best to smile though it still came a bit as a grimace before disappearing entirely.
"I know what happened. It's in the past. It doesn't matter anymore" Harry lied through his teeth avoiding Mr. Flourish's eyes. He knew it would be a long time before he would get over what happened but he didn't want to feel bad for making the old man suffer from guilt. When he looked up he saw that the old man wasn't fooled but he nodded acceptingly. Mr. Flourish knew further apologizing was pointless. He would always regret hurting this brave young man so terribly, he just hoped someday Harry would heal from all this.
Finally Harry left Diagon Alley with a relieved sigh and made his way outside the inn to hail the Knight bus and pay for his two-way ticket. Harry tucked his magical bag on the seat beside him when he sat down and the cubs climbed after him. He stroked the green eyed cub's fur making him purr contentedly as the other cub settled in his lap. He would have to name them. Harry was glad that the lady at the apothecary had given him the tonic that would disguise the cubs as cats to all muggles' eyes. He fed them a little of it in one of the brand new bowls and they drank it up. It looked like he would make it in time for his flight after all.
Harry made it to Surrey in record time. He called Vicky's home to inform her that he was leaving for the airport early to sort out his ticket problems before collecting his luggage from the Dursleys'. He left the house without so much as a backward glance, the cubs following behind him occasionally stopping to sniff at something but chasing after Harry when he got too far. He stopped by the bank to finalize the matters then took a cab to the airport. The rest of his time was taken up with a late lunch, handling the ticket payment and arranging for the unexpected pets to be taken with him. He boarded the plane with the Denvers who must have noticed his troubled thoughts since they left him alone except giving him concerned looks from time to time. They arrived at the island resort late next morning. They checked in at their luxurious hotel, Harry explaining about his two pets and settling the extra payment for keeping them. He spent some time resting in the huge hotel room before having lunch at the restaurant and hitting the beach.