"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

Happy Potter, it could be said, had lived a hard life. His parents had been murdered when he was just a baby. He had been forced to spend his youth with relatives who frequently abused him physically. And, save for what Andromeda Tonks had conjured for him, he didn't have any clothes of his own that actually fit.

It had also made him a very nervous and rather jumpy person. It was because of this that, as the Tonks women woke him from a wonderful dream, he had fallen out of bed. Landing on his face, Harry groaned and promptly let the rest of his body crash down next to him. In a prone position, Harry mumbled, "Oww."

"Oh, god, I'm sorry!" Andromeda said, worriedly, rushing over to him and kneeling. Tonks opted to crawl across the bed and peer down at her friend's body.

"M'fine." Harry mumbled again. He then sat up, legs under him, and rubbed his nose. "Been woke up more times than I can count by Uncle Vernon yelling at me." He gave both females a lopsided, slightly apologetic smile.

Tonks rolled her eyes, then grinned at him. "C'mon, Harry! Today's the big day! We're gonna head off to Diagon Alley to get our school supplies. An' mum's got this GIANT cake down in the kitchen! Hurry up, wouldja? S'been staring me in the face for hours and mum won't even lemme nick a bit o' icing." She made a face at her mother at this.

Andromeda stood and grabbed her daughter by the ear, tugging her over to the door (with Tonks protesting the whole way) before she turned back to Harry. "Wash up and get dressed, dear. I'm going to have you both get some real food in you before I let you at the cake. After you've both had some time to digest, we'll get going."

With that, Andromeda tugged Tonks out into the hall, closing the door behind her. Harry chuckled and began slipping out of his pajamas. As he opened the dresser that sat across the room from the bed, he rummaged through the various articles of clothing that Tonks' mother had conjured for him. He had protested at first, saying that he didn't want to be a nuisance. But he had lost in the end after Tonks had told him how nice he looked in black.

So black it had been from that point on. However, Andromeda had insisted on SOME color being in the clothing. So oftentimes, his shirts would have random patterns on them in various colors. Both Tonks and Andromeda thought that black robes with green trim brought out the color of his emerald eyes. Smiling fondly at the memory, Harry decided he would go with those robes.

He pulled them out, along with a gray undershirt and some black trousers to wear underneath. He got dressed quickly and walked out into the hallway, heading for the washroom. After spending a few minutes trying to tame his unkempt hair, he scowled and cleaned his face and hands, turning to go downstairs.

Whatever Harry had been expecting to see upon entering the kitchen, it certainly hadn't been a seven layer, multi-colored cake taking up a good chunk of the table. His only experience with cakes had been those that the Dursley's had bought for Dudley's birthdays. And those had been single layer ordeals. LARGE, yes. But still only one layer.

Tonks grinned and latched onto his right arm. "Alright, mum, get the breakfast made so's we can inhale it an' get to the good stuff!"

Harry could almost feel Andromeda roll her eyes. But moments later, the portion of the table not filled with the giant cake was holding a small bit of breakfast. "I shouldn't have made the cake first." She said, more to herself than anyone else. "Okay, be quick about it. But you're both eating a good, large lunch!"

"Yes, mum." Tonks said around a mouthful of toast.

Harry inhaled his food as usual, the strangely changing scent of the cake filling the air. "...Why's it keep smelling differently?" He finally asked, peering at the confection.

"Flavor changes, depending on what kind you'd like to have." Tonks replied, sipping at some pumpkin juice. "I heard Dumbledore saying to try German chocolate, but I rather like angel food cake, m'self."

"...Mind if I try both?" Harry asked, leaning back in his chair and tilting his head back to stare up toward the top of the towering cake.

"Be my guest." Andromeda replied, looking rather amused. She flicked her wand and four thin slices of cake dislodged from the very top of the cake. Two floated onto Tonks' plate, two onto Harry's. Three were angel food, one German chocolate.

Tonks let out a sound not unlike that of a cat purring before she tore into her cake, inhaling it at a pace that made even Harry raise his eyebrows.

"Impressive." He said, grinning, before picking up a fork and taking a sensible bit from each slice, carefully tasting each. After a few more tastes, he shrugged and stated, "I can't decide. Both taste heavenly."

After the kids had finished eating, Andromeda wrangled them into the living room. "Now then," she said, clapping her hands together. "We'll be traveling to The Leaky Cauldron via Floo Powder. Oh, don't worry, Harry, it's quite easy. Nymmy, you first."

Tonks grinned and grabbed a handful of the powder, then stepped into the fireplace. "If ya get dizzy easy, y'should prob'ly close your eyes while you're travelin'..." She said, winking at Harry before clearing her throat and saying, "The Leaky Cauldron!" At the same time, she threw the Powder down and was immediately engulfed in green flames. In an instant, she was gone.

"See? It's simple. All you have to do is get enough Powder, stand in the fireplace, and clearly state the name of your destination as you throw the powder down. Make sure you say the destination very, very clearly, alright? Otherwise, who knows where you could pop out!" Andromeda said as Harry nervously grabbed a handful of Floo Powder and walked into the fireplace.

He closed his eyes and took a few steadying breaths before looking to Andromeda. She smiled encouragingly at him. With one final breath, Harry threw the Powder down and called out, "The Leaky Cauldron!" The Powder struck the fireplace and the familiar green flames flared up around him.

He had never experienced anything so bizarre in all his life. Almost at once, Andromeda had faded from view and he found himself being whisked along at high speeds. The fireplaces of other Wizarding families flashed by so quickly that Harry couldn't look in on anyone. He understood why Tonks had warned him that he might do good to keep his eyes closed. He realized that his own body was rotating and, combined with the fireplaces soaring by, he found it to be a rather nausea-inducing journey.

But then it was over and he hurtled out of another fireplace, landing hard on his stomach. Tonks made a squeaking noise and rushed over to him, quickly tugging him out and to one side. Not a moment too soon, as Andromeda came tumbling out seconds later.

"Oh, good, you both made it." She said, coughing and brushing ash from her clothing. "Are you alright, Harry?"

Harry groaned and got to his feet. "Getting a bit tired of falling on my face, but... yeah, I'm fine."

Tonks giggled and steadied her friend as he wobbled once. Andromeda looked them over, then made a face. "The only problem with traveling via Floo, aside from the nausea, is that it gets your clothes completely filthy. Here, you two, face me." She said, pulling her wand.

After a cleansing spell had removed the soot from their robes, Andromeda led the two out through a door in the back of the busy pub, into a rather bland-looking alleyway. As Harry looked around at the trashcans piled to the brim with rubbish that seemed to be older than the pub itself, Tonks and her mother made their way over to what appeared to be a normal-looking brick wall.

"Look! I TOLD you it was him!"

"Blimey..."

Harry blinked, hearing unfamiliar voices coming from behind him. He turned to see a pair of startlingly old women gaping down at him from the doorway.

Their eyes slowly rose to his forehead.

And just as Andromeda had tapped the bricks in the wall in the correct order to open the passageway to Diagon Alley, both the women squealed like little girls.

"It is! It is! Ooh, Opal, go tell everyone!" One of them howled, clapping her hands together.

Harry backpedaled quickly, unsure of how, exactly, to deal with the mentally ill. He heard Andromeda let out a low groan. He was then grabbed by the shoulders, whirled about, and pushed through the newly-made opening in the brick wall.

Somehow managing to keep himself from landing on his face for the third time that day, Harry turned to see Andromeda fending off a small crowd of people. These people, mostly older men and women, all started trying to get past her when they got a good look at Harry's head.

The brick wall started closing in on itself and, as it did, Andromeda looked over her shoulder and called, "Dear, you and Nymmy get on to Gringotts - and keep a low profile about it! I'll catch up to you! It's just down the road a bit, you'll know it when you come to it!"

With that, Harry was staring at a quite-solid brick wall once more. From beside him, Tonks rolled her eyes. "Harry," she said as she peered down Diagon Alley, "I toldja - you're famous. Can't have people seein' who ya are - it'd cause a bit of a riot. C'mon, I can getcha to Gringotts before mum's dealt with that lot, I bet."

Harry turned around to gaze off down the Alley as well now. There were lots of men and women - and lots of children, it seemed - walking about as if it were perfectly normal for them to be in such an odd place. Which, Harry mused as the two started walking, it probably was.

Harry reached up and adjusted his bangs a bit so they partially hid his scar. Tonks grinned from his side and murmured, "Once we hit Hogwarts, I'm gonna see for sure whether or not you're a Metamorphmagus like I am..."

"A what?" Harry asked.

"Oh, come on. Haven't you wondered how I keep changing my hair and eye color?" Tonks asked back, grinning.

"...Now that you mention it..."

Tonks smirked. "You saying how your hair kept growing back after you got it cut... well, that kinda reminded me o' how I learned I was one. Metamorphmagi have the ability to change their appearance, see. Can't learn it - it's somethin' ya hafta be born with... S'pretty rare, mum said once. Here, watch..."

Tonks shut her eyes for a moment and her hair took on the short, spiky, blonde look it had been when the two had first met. And when her eyes opened, they were as green as Harry's. "See?"

"Wow..." Harry said, eyebrows raised. "That's cool... you really think I can do that?"

Tonks shrugged. "Dunno. Mum won't lemme try an' teach ya at home... Said that if I wanted to do that, I'd hafta wait till we got to Hogwarts. So the first chance I get, I'm pullin' you aside so we can run some tests!"

"Sounds like a plan." Harry said, smiling.

The two continued walking at a leisurely pace, Harry looking around in wonder at the numerous places and people that were going by. He wanted to stop by every store to look inside and see what lurked within. But Tonks said they'd be dropping by a few of them for school things before they headed back home, so Harry kept his path.

Just as they were approaching a tall building of white marble, Andromeda came rushing up to them, panting heavily. Tonks raised an eyebrow and asked, "Run all the way, mum?"

"Yeah..." Andromeda said, trying to catch her breath. "Got rid o' those drunks from the Cauldron, too. Told 'em you weren't quite ready to be mobbed by people, Harry."

"Thanks..." Harry replied, eyes staring down at the ground.

"Right... Well, since we're here... c'mon, you two. In we go!" Andromeda said, straightening back up and ushering the children through the bronze front doors of the building. Upon entering, another set of doors met them. This time, however, they were made of silver and seemed to have something engraved on them. Harry tried to catch a look of it, but the trio were through them before he could.

"It said, in summary, 'Don't try stealing' - And it's good to heed the warning. The goblins are proud of their work on the vaults, see. Miles and miles of them underground. Not sure how deep they go, as our own isn't very far from the entrance... but I've heard tales of dragons guarding some of the lower vaults. They've even found skeletons laying inside vaults - victims of the goblins' macabre sense of security..." Andromeda explained as they crossed into a large chamber.

The bank was bustling with activity. Witches and wizards of all ages stood around, waited in lines, and were otherwise assisted by the staff. Harry tried not to stare as he watched the goblins work, but found it rather difficult.

"Ugly as sin, ain't they?" Tonks whispered into his ear.

Harry nodded slowly, then blinked and snapped his attention away from the numerous non-human employees.

The three made their way up to a free window, where a goblin with an especially long nose sat on the other side of. He stared down it at Andromeda as she approached.

"We're here to withdraw some money to buy the children their school supplies." She stated, rummaging around in her robes as she spoke.

"Got yer key?" The goblin grumbled.

"Both of them." Andromeda replied, retrieving a pair of keys and holding them up. "One is for ours - number 302, the other is for Harry's - number 687."

The goblin's eyes widened just slightly and he tilted to better see Harry with. After a moment, he nodded and looked over his shoulder. "Ribbenclaw! Ge' o'er 'ere!" He shouted.

"I'm comin', I'm comin'..." Said the goblin named Ribbenclaw, scowling as he appeared from around a corner.

"Take these two to their vaults for withdrawals." The goblin at the window said.

Ribbenclaw muttered something that Harry couldn't quite understand, then motioned for the group to follow him. Andromeda put one hand on Harry's shoulder and the other on Tonks', getting them moving forward again. "C'mon, you two..."

Ribbenclaw led them to an empty cart. Once they had piled in, the goblin smiled evilly and grumbled, "Hold on tightly, now. Wouldn't want anyone fallin' out, now, would we?"

"Hang onto something!" Tonks cried out, grinning at Harry.

Blinking, Harry gripped the sides of the cart - just in time. It took off at a ridiculous rate of speed, barreling down and into a maze-like system of underground corridors.

Tonks let out a whistle, obviously enjoying the ride.

Harry's head was twisting every which way to try and take in all of the surroundings. All he could see were the walls as they flew along, though.

He was unprepared for the sudden stop the cart made, however, and was promptly slung forward. His forehead cracked against the front of the cart. "OWW!" Harry exclaimed, groaning and flopping backwards, rubbing his forehead. "This just isn't my day." He muttered darkly.

"You okay?" Tonks asked, eyebrows raised. "Sorry 'bout that - prob'ly shoulda said something about the abrupt stops."

"Yeah. Probably." Harry echoed, scowling.

Andromeda hopped out of the cart with Ribbenclaw and the goblin opened the vault up. While he was waiting, Harry peered off in each direction the tracks went, trying to see anything interesting. Beside him, Tonks stretched and yawned. "Hey, Harry, d'ya know anything 'bout our kinda money?"

"Wizards use different currency?"

"Oh yeah. But it's simple." Tonks said, proceeding to explain the Knuts, sickles, and galleons to Harry, who occasionally glanced off into the Tonks' vault.

"It's easier than it sounds." Tonks finished, smirking slightly.

"I hope so." Harry replied.

Ribbenclaw and Andromeda came back after closing the vault up again.

"Vault 687 next. Hold on tight." The goblin said, his voice still darkly amused.

Harry spent the majority of the ride to his vault rubbing his neck, which had jerked back suddenly upon takeoff. Tonks giggled as he muttered several unflattering things about goblin transportation under his breath.

"'Ere we go. This way, Mr. Potter." Ribbenclaw said after they had arrived. Harry hopped out of the cart, as did Tonks, who was eager to see what kind of financial situation her friend was in.

Both gaped when the goblin opened it up.

"Sweet Merlin..." Tonks said, eyes wide. "You're famous AND you're rich?!"

Harry walked into the vault, mouth still open as he looked over the piles and piles of Knuts, sickles, and galleons in his vault. Not to mention several other objects that Harry couldn't identify. Whatever they were, they looked quite valuable and, despite he being the only Potter left alive, he didn't want to mess with any of them.

"Here, lemme help ya." Tonks said, helpfully. She swiped the bag that Ribbenclaw had given Harry upon their arrival, scooping up several handfuls of each type of coin and depositing them into the bag. She chucked it to Harry when she finished and he stared down at it.

"I've never even had pocket change before." He said simply as Tonks steered him back into the cart.

"Your family was quite well-off, Harry." Andromeda said, grinning at him as the two children sat back down. "You won't have to worry about being broke any time soon. Just remember to spend in moderation. It has to last through seven years of Hogwarts schooling and up until you can get yourself a job."

Andromeda offered to hold Harry's moneybag, but Harry insisted that he was fine with holding onto it himself. The whole way back up, Harry was quiet, his attention fully on the first bit of money he had ever owned.

Near the end of their trip, their cart nearly collided with another. Both grinded to a halt and the goblins steering them hopped out to yell at one another. It wasn't until Harry heard Andromeda talk that his attention was pulled away from his moneybag.

"Rubeus! What are you doing here? I thought you hated the cart rides!"

Harry looked over to the other cart and was gaping for the second time in five minutes. Before him was the largest man he had ever seen. If, indeed, he was a man at all. He looked too big to be allowed, for one thing. His face was hidden behind a positive mane of wild, black hair and he was wearing a perfectly ugly pale-green suit. The color seemed to match that of his cheeks.

"On business from Dumbledore, I am." The large man said, a hand near his mouth. "An' I DON' like these carts. Motion sickness an' all. Been sayin' they ough'a get a better way o' transport, but...goblins is goblins, af'er all..."

"What kind of business?" Andromeda asked. "Or can you not say?"

"Can' say." The man replied, straightening himself up a bit. The green in his cheeks faded a bit. "Sen' me down 'ere on top secre' business. Can' say a word ter anybody. ...You 'ave another kid there, Andromeda?"

Harry slouched slightly as the man's gaze moved from Tonks' mother to him.

"Hm? Oh! No, no...This, my dear gameskeeper, is Harry Potter." Andromeda said with a smile. "He's here for the first time – we were just on the way back from our vaults. Harry, this is Rubeus Hagrid - he's the gameskeeper for Hogwarts!"

"N...Nice to meet you..." Harry said softly, eyes not meeting Hagrid's. He inwardly cursed himself for the on-again/off-again stuttering around people he wasn't familiar with.

"Blimey..." Hagrid breathed, leaning forward in the cart to get a better look. "Izzit really 'im? ...Las' I saw you, you was jus' a baby, 'Arry... brought ye to them Muggle relatives o' yers m'self, I did... Dumbledore's orders. 'E knew as soon as IT happened, o' course...sent me righ' o'er ter yer mum an' dad's place..." The man looked close to sobbing. He sucked in a sharp breath through his nose, which made a rattling noise.

Harry's shoulders went rigid at the mention of his aunt and uncle. Tonks saw it and quickly put a hand on Harry's back to try and relax him. Andromeda seemed to sense that the conversation had taken a turn for the worse, as well.

"Well, it's been wonderful seeing you again, Rubeus... but we really MUST get going if we're to get back before lunch!" Andromeda said, making sure to speak a bit louder on the final part. It did its job, causing Ribbenclaw to look over from where he was still arguing with the other goblin. With a sneer, he started his way back to their cart and climbed in.

"Righ'...I gotta ge' back t'Hogwarts soon, m'self. Good seein' yer all! 'Specially you, 'Arry! Take care o' yerselves, you lot!" Hagrid said, smiling at them as the goblin to his own cart returned.

And in a matter of seconds, the carts had parted ways once again.

"Harry, are you okay?" Andromeda asked in a worried tone.

"I'm fine." Replied Harry, his voice quiet. "...I'd just rather not be reminded of...of them..."

Andromeda put an arm around his shoulders, as did Tonks. Harry kept his eyes down on his moneybag for the rest of the trip back up into Gringotts. After securing their keys once more, Andromeda led the two for the exit. As they walked, Harry caught sight of the large man named Rubeus Hagrid stumbling out from wherever his own cart had ended up. A slight chill ran down Harry's spine and, suddenly, he felt like he would have rather been anywhere but Gringotts.