Disclaimer- I do not own Harry Potter or any of it's characters that is
the honor of J. K. Rowling. I do this for my own amusement and the enjoyment of
others. I make no money from this and if you think otherwise you obviously need
your head examined.
Enjoy. ^_^
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Blood of My Blood
By Nyghthawk28
Chapter Three - "More Shopping!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A summer of enforced early mornings had engrained certain habits into Harry and Dudley. The two woke up almost simultaneously ready to start a day of exercise. Even after being on the training regime from hell, or Voldemort, the two had come to like the exercise. There was something immensely satisfying about pushing your physical limits a little farther every day. Of reshaping yourself one day at a time.
It was also a fact that a hot body is always a plus when you're looking for dates. Male or female.
"Did you buy any workout clothes?" asked Harry.
"Yah, but I'm having a little trouble finding them." Said Dudley as he rummaged through bag, after box, after bag, and yet another bag. Dudley was getting lost looking through the bags so he started upending the bags into a pile.
"Well while you're searching I'll hit the shower. Then I can try my own hand at the needle in the haystack." Said Harry.
Dudley mumbled what sounded like an agreement and continued to unload bags.
Harry really enjoyed a good shower. Unfortunately for him it was no longer a quick and easy task. Just soaping and rinsing his hair took him at least fifteen minutes!
Besides a towel Harry also dragged in a sixty pound bag of hair care products. He'd promised (been threatened) to take "proper" care of his "beautiful" hair. His only problem now as he looked at the bottles of all sizes shapes and colors was which to use? He remembered being lectured by James and Catherine but after awhile their words had all become one long meaningless rant.
Harry tried to figure it out the logical way. He started lining up bottles on the counter. After he had about twenty bottles lined up he tried to see if the right combination would be revealed by his memory.
His memory wasn't cooperating. This was worse than being in potions with Snape on the warpath.
Before Harry reached the point of doing something rash like throwing all the mind boggling bottles into the wall the little lights reappeared.
"Hi. I don't suppose you could help me with this?" asked Harry as he frowned at the lined up bottles.
The lights twinkled and Harry couldn't help feeling they were amused by him. Still the lights picked up five of the bottles, stripped him, and herded him into the shower.
Once he was in the shower the lights got to work. All Harry had to do was stand there and occasionally be nudged around under the water.
When Harry finally exited the shower he was squeaky clean and completely relaxed. He let the lights dry him and was passive as they picked up some of the other bottles to use on him.
"Dudley and I are going on a jog so nothing fancy please." Said Harry.
The lights seemed to understand so he let them decide. They braided his hair without any fancy ties. A few of the lights exited the bathroom and returned with a pair of green bicycle shorts, a blue t-shirt with Celtic designs, some white socks, and a pair of tennis shoes. They changed out the dangling earring for a plain silver stud and placed a simple leather choker with a piece of clear quartz pendant around his neck.
When Harry exited the bathroom he found Dudley still searching for his workout clothes. Dudley had created a growing mountain of clothes in the middle of the room and it didn't look like he'd be stopping anytime soon.
"Could you help him?" asked Harry of the swarm of lights.
The lights twinkled and this time Harry was positive they were laughing at him. Still half of them herded Dudley off to the bathroom while the other half tackled the mountain of clothes and unchecked bags.
Harry heard a few muffled shouts from the bathroom but didn't worry about it. Dudley was in no danger. Besides even when he was REALLY fat Dudley always tended to spend hours primping in the bathroom.
Twenty minutes later Dudley was released from the bathroom all ready to head out. He was wearing a pair of gray shorts and a t-shirt that said "Born To Be Psychotic!" His blond hair was still damp and some gel had been added to keep it slicked back. Also something Harry hadn't noticed before but a gold stud twinkled from Dudley's left ear.
"Distance or time?" asked Harry. They had come to measure their jogs either by a certain distance or a time limit.
"Time. Distance would be hard to measure here. Besides if we're making a full day of it, we can't spend the whole day jogging." Said Dudley.
"What have you got in mind?" asked Harry.
"I'd like to get some boxing in. What about you?" asked Dudley.
"Boxing is fine but I'd like to throw in some Tae Kwon Do and definitely some swimming." Said Harry.
"That sounds good. We'll ask the manager if he knows any place nearby." Said Dudley.
"Sounds like a plan." Said Harry.
"Let's go. Oh! And thanks to your little helpers." Said Dudley.
The lights twinkled, ruffled Dudley's hair a little, and then once vanished.
"I'm starting to like those little guys." Said Dudley.
"Me to." Said Harry.
The Inn keeper Mr.Hopper turned out to be a good source of information. He told them about a nice public gym called CorDrum's and told them where to find a nice park for jogging. Neither Harry nor Dudley enjoy jogging by the street. It's a bit illogical to try to get healthy while inhaling exhaust fumes.
They spent two hours jogging in a very nice park before returning to the Inn. They grabbed some prepacked gym bags and headed for CorDrum's.
CorDrum's was a very nice gym. Nothing fancy but it had all the equipment Harry and Dudley would need including a pool. After a quick tour they paid for a week's membership and got to work.
Harry got teased by some of the locals for being a "pretty boy" but after he got into the ring with Dudley they stopped teasing. When Harry and Dudley had been first put into the ring together they'd beat the shit out of each other. Both Harry and Dudley had had a lot of suppressed anger at each other. Boxing became a long needed release for all these negative emotions. They had learned to be friends but whenever they were in the ring they were always boxed with a sort of ruthless zeal.
Of all the exercises they were forced to perform Boxing was the only one in which Dudley seemed to excel at. He just had a natural rhythm for the sport. Harry did well enough since he was quick but Dudley had a lot of bodyweight to throw behind his punches. Both of the boys could physically take lots of punishment although for slightly different reasons. For Dudley school had taught him to take pain, while it was the Dursleys that had taught Harry to take pain.
Eventually the Boxing match evolved into a Kickboxing match. Now when Harry wasn't a natural boxer he did have a certain talent when it came to Tae Kwon Do, and he flexible enough to do some of the more difficult kicks.
Overall when the two cousins got into the ring it was always a rather even match if a bit brutal.
After a few hours of beating the hell out of each other the two cousins headed for the pool. It was a great cool down exercise and good for a full body workout.
A hundred laps later and the two called it a day. They did a quick rinse in the showers and headed back to the Inn. They stopped on the way for a late lunch. They were tired but it was a good tired and not the brain dead exhaustion of before.
As they relaxed in their room watching the telly Harry realized something. They were going shopping to Diagon Alley tomorrow and his Hogwarts letter was still in his trunk. His shrunken trunk he couldn't unshrink without the ministry coming down on him.
As he thought about the problem he came up with the obvious answer. The little lights had shrunk the trunk in the first place so get them to unshrink it. The only question was could he intentionally summon them. They just sort of appeared before.
Harry decided to try to summon them the simplest way he could think of. "Um… I could use a little help." Said Harry. He felt Dudley's eyes on him and he felt more than a bit stupid but it worked.
"Hi. I was wondering if you could unshrink my trunk. I need to get out my letter from Hogwarts. We're going to Diagon Alley tomorrow and it has my list of school supplies on it." Explained Harry. He held out his toy sized trunk to the lights.
The lights picked up the trunk and in a few moments it was once again it's normal size.
"Thank you." Said Harry as he opened his trunk and started rooting around. To his surprise he found his letter but he also found all the birthday stuff he never opened. He'd completely forgotten about them.
"Did you find your letter?" asked Dudley.
"Yes but I also found something I'd forgotten about." Said Harry as he pulled his letter and the unopened packages from the trunk.
"So what did you forget?" asked Dudley coming over.
"I completely forgot about the birthday presents my friends sent. I haven't even opened my Hogwarts letter. I was just too exhausted when they arrived." Said Harry.
Dudley was silent for a moment but then said, "Well let's see what you got."
So commenced the opening of packages. From Ron he got a variety of Honeydukes candies which Harry shared with Dudley. Due to past history he wasn't quick about trying magic related candy. Still after watching Harry happily bite into a chocolate frog he dug in. All Hagrid sent was a letter but he mentioned he'd be coming back later into the school year and then he'd give Harry his gift. Harry just hoped Hagrid didn't bring anything too dangerous. Although Hagrid was the one who got him Hedwig.
From Hermione he got the expected book or in this case books but her choices were interesting. The first was a muggle book called The Art of War. It was famous really. The second book was also a muggle book, The Dummies Guide To Self Defense And Survival. The final book was a wizard book called Introduction To The Elements.
The Twins sent him a sampler of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. Harry made sure to keep these away from Dudley. Even the Canary Crèmes might not go well with him.
The gift he got from Sirius was also from Remus as well. The first was a book titled Practical Dark Arts: Know Thy Darkness. The second was also a book called The Inner Beast, which turned out to be a book on Animagi transformation. The final item was a Tarot deck or at least it looked like one but according to the booklet inside it was a Battle Deck. Whatever that meant.
After flipping through the books for awhile. "So do you want to go casual or get dressed up for Diagon Alley?" asked Harry.
"Let's dress up. It's not like were going to be dressed up much after school starts." Said Dudley.
"True. So do you want to pick out an outfit or let my little friends choose?" asked Harry.
"I don't even know half the stuff I got much less where to find it. They seem to have good taste let them choose." Said Dudley with a laugh.
Harry turned to look at the little lights that had hung around since he'd asked them to unshrink his trunk. "Alright. Um… You don't mind do you? You've been doing all this stuff for me and I'm really thankful but you don't have to if you don't want to." Said Harry.
The lights twinkled at Harry but the longer he watched the more the blinking started to make sense. Then something seemed to click in his mind.
"Oh! I think I understand. You're sort of like House Elves. You like to serve people? No? Oh… You like to serve me because I'm… Please slow down I'm new at this. You like to serve me because I'm your… Blood Lord? Am I getting this right? Okay if you say so but it still sounds wrong. So you're willing to help us out?" asked Harry.
The twinkles became bright flashes.
"Okay! Okay! I get the idea! No need to shout! By the way is there anything I can do for you?" asked Harry.
The little lights swarmed together. They twinkled at one another as they discussed Harry's offer. They came to a decision and turned back to Harry.
"Okay you like… Vodka? No any type of liquor including pure alcohol but not the wizard kind. Your not boozers it's just your preferred form of food. Okay I've heard weirder things. I'll get you some tomorrow unless you'd like some right now? I can just go down to the tavern and pick you up something right now? It's no trouble. I'll be right back." Said Harry.
A few minutes later Harry returned to the room baring four bottles. Harry had picked up a bottle of red wine, a bottle of lemon vodka, a bottle of whiskey, and a huge bottle of Champaign.
"I figured you'd like some variety." Said Harry handing the bottles over to the swarm of happy lights.
The lights drank about a third of each bottle before corking them.
"Is there anything else you'd like?" asked Harry.
The lights twinkled.
"Fireworks and yarn. I'm almost afraid to ask. Tell me anyway. So fireworks are sort of an alcoholic dessert to you? Interesting but again you prefer muggle made. What about the yarn? Oh! You like to knit and weave. Neat! That all? You like music. Any particular type? Not picky huh? Okay." Said Harry. The rest of the evening went by peacefully.
The next day Harry and Dudley once again woke nice and early. The little lights were excited. Clothes were dancing around in the air as the light discussed what would look the most dramatic.
Dudley was herded into the shower first. Harry watched in amusement as the flying clothes almost seemed to be dueling with each other.
Dudley reappeared wearing nothing but a towel and so it was Harry's turn to be herded into the shower.
When Harry exited the shower in his own towel the clothes still seemed to be dueling it out.
"I take it they still haven't decided." Said Harry.
"Nope but it's fun to watch. Kind of like a combination of Tetris and Street Fighter II." Said Dudley.
"By the way I saw one of your whips. Cat of nine tails. Very classy." Said Dudley with a grin.
"Thank you. That's the one I actually liked for some reason. I think it reminded me of one of Mrs.Figg's cat toys." Said Harry with a chuckle.
The lights finally came to a decision and the two boys were swarmed.
The finished results were definitely eye catching. Dudley was in black motorcycle boots. His pants had blue flames on a black background(think Jin from Tekken 3). A long sleeved shirt of a shimmery blue material. A sapphire winked from his left ear. His hair had been gelled to be spiky. Then to finish the outfit was a black leather duster jacket.
Harry was in red leather Doc Martens. Skin tight black leather pants. A silver metal belt. A long sleeved shirt that was completely made up of black leather straps. Fingerless black leather gloves. His were painted a red-black. His eyes were outlined in red mascara and he had some silver- black eye shadow. At his request his scar was hidden by concealer. His lips were painted with a clear glittery lip gloss. A small silver dragon hung from his left ear. The crowning glory of this outfit was quite simple his knee length hair had been left free as a blood red cloak of silk.
"Well we're dressed to kill. Shall we go?" Asked Dudley.
"Let's go." Said Harry.
Harry led Dudley to the Leaky Cauldron. Strangely Dudley had no trouble noticing the pub. He didn't greet Tom since he didn't want to be recognized although he got plenty of stares. He ignored them and led Dudley through to the back. He pulled out his wand and tapped the bricks.
"Welcome to Diagon Alley Dudley." Said Harry echoing the words Hagrid had said to him on his first visit.
"Whoa…" was Dudley's response as he took in the sights.
Almost as soon as they entered eyes followed them. Some people were looking at them just to stare but others seemed shocked for some reason. As usual most eyes were on Harry although this time it wasn't because he was the Boy Who Lived. It was probably his hair it was unusually long and the color was rather vivid.
Harry decided to hit Madam Malkin's first to get it out of the way. She was very helpful but was shocked for some reason they he wanted school robes. He also picked up three dress robes, and three cloaks that caught his eye.
Next he went and picked up his up his needed supplies for potions. He added some extras here and there that he might need or not. Considering last year anything was possible.
Dudley just seemed to enjoy looking at everything. Soaking up a world so alike yet completely different from his normal life.
Harry decided to head for Ollivander's. Dudley followed along his eyes soaking up everything. It was like being in a fairy tale for Dudley.
As soon as they stepped into the shop they were welcomed. "Welcome Mister Potter and young Mister Dursley how may I help you today? I am afraid a wand would be of very little use for Mister Dursley. He is not completely without talent but a wizard he is not. Take him to Madam Moonstone for something more to his use." Said Mr.Ollivander.
Harry was surprised but not completely. Lately he'd sensed something in Dudley. Like a tiny glow. He'd ignored it mostly since it hadn't really been important. Now it might be.
"I'll do that but I came in here on my own business. I would like to purchase another wand." Said Harry.
"Is there something wrong with the one I sold you before. If so I may be able to repair it." Said Mr.Ollivander.
"No my wand it fine but I need a second wand." Said Harry. He really didn't want to go into and explanation about Priori Incantatem.
"As you wish. Perhaps it would be best. You have certainly gone through some interesting changes." Said Mr.Ollivander.
So began the wand search. It proved to be even more difficult than the first one. Oak, pine, yew, apple, cherry, mahogany, teak, and tons of others. The cores varied from unicorn hair, phoenix feathers, veela hair, and even demon blood.
"You have always been a challenge Mister Potter. I find myself quite excited by the challenge you have brought me. There are a few wands my family has made that have never claimed anyone. Perhaps you shall be the one." Said Mr.Ollivander.
"Follow me please." Said Mr.Ollivander. He led them to the very back of his store. In the back he stood before a shelf full of wands. He started pulling out and pushing back the boxes on the shelf. Then he waited for a few moments. One of the other shelves opened up but Mr.Ollivander moved to a different shelf and again started to move the boxes in and out. The other shelf closed itself and a trap door was revealed.
Mr.Ollivander opened the trap door and led them down below. As they descended torches on the walls lit themselves lighting the way. They followed the tunnel down further and further into the earth.
Then the most amazing thing happened. The tunnel they'd been following opened up into a private grove.
"It's beautiful." Breathed Dudley and Harry just nodded.
"Thank you. This is the pride of the Ollivander family. Very few outside the family ever see it. Even Dumbledore has never had the privilege. We have other groves but some of our best wands have come from these trees. Including yours Mister Potter. That holly tree over there in fact." Said Mr.Ollivander pointing to one particular tree.
They finally stopped at a circle in the middle of the grove. There were seven pedestals about three feet high. Each pedestal had a pillow with a wand on it.
"Find your wand Mister Potter." Said Mr.Ollivander motions toward the pedestals.
Harry started walking around the pedestals. Looking at the wands. They were just wands nothing about looking at them really stood out but when he put his hand over them he started to feel things. These wands were different. They gave off a charge, kind of a static feeling.
Around and around he went until… He found the one.
"Fascinating. Silverthorne with a core of Nightmare hair. Thirteen inches and quite firm. Give it a flick." Said Mr.Ollivander.
Harry flicked the wand and was engulfed in a glowing green wind. His eyes once again began to glow. His long hair flowed in his private wind. The green wind finally formed into a burning rose with huge thorns.
"I once told you that you would do great things. I was not wrong. I believe this wand will be more true to you than the other. Use it well." Said Mr.Ollivander.
When they were once again outside Dudley asked, "Is it always like that?"
"I don't know." said Harry and the subject dropped.
They moved on to get Harry's other supplies and thankfully nothing odd happened. There were just two stops left. The first was a weaponsmith's shop. He needed a sword, a bow, a knife, and a kit for making arrows. The new DADA teacher was going to get physical with the class.
Dudley found the weaponsmith to be fascinating. The shop was called the Black Knife. It was filled with swords and so many other weapons Dudley couldn't even put a name to. The one item that really caught his eye was a warhammer. It was obviously very old and it had been used. Maybe hundreds of years ago but it had seen battle.
It was the shop keeper that stood out to Harry. His name was Argal. He was a half dwarf and one of the best weaponsmiths in the wizarding world. He took one look at Harry and his jaw dropped.
Before Argal could say anything Harry blurted out, "I'm going to Hogwarts."
"Aye. So you'll be needing supplies. I'll need to take your measure." Said Argal as he carefully approached Harry. He almost seemed like he was afraid of Harry for some reason.
"I have just the thing for you. I didn't craft them but they're fine workmanship. You can inspect them if you like." Said Argal keeping a wary eye on Harry.
"No that's alright. I trust your judgment. So how much do I owe you?"
"Fifty galleons." Said Argal.
That was a lot of money but Harry didn't argue he just handed over the money and hurried out of the shop. He was very uncomfortable with how Argal had been staring at him. All the students were given shrunken and warded packages with their weapons inside. Mainly so the muggle born wouldn't have trouble carrying around swords and so the students couldn't play with the weapons and hurt themselves.
There last stop was going to be Madam Moonstone's shop. She sold a lot of advanced divination items and magic stones.
"Welcome to my shop. How may I help you?" asked Mrs.Moonstone.
"Mr.Ollivander said you might have something that would suit him." Said Harry pushing Dudley forward.
"Ah! Not a wizard but there is something there… Here hold this." Said Mrs.Moonstone and she thrust a globe of some kind into Dudley's hands.
Dudley look down at the orb in his hands and as he watched a flame appeared in the globe.
"A firestarter. Not a huge talent but enough to be useful. I have a Firestone. It will help you focus and bring out your gift but it will take time and practice. I also have a book that will help guide you in the use of your gift." Said Mrs.Moonstone.
Harry paid for the stone and the book. The stone was safely tucked away in Dudley's shirt. He was fingering it constantly. Smoothing his fingers over and over the bump in his shirt.
"Are you alright?" asked Harry.
"It's warm." Said Dudley.
"It is a Firestone." Said Harry.
"I know but… It makes me feel warm. It's like there's a fire inside me and I never noticed it until now." Said Dudley.
"Are you sure you don't have heartburn?" asked Harry with a laugh.
Dudley pushed Harry but smiled. "Thank you."
"Consider it a late birthday present." Said Harry.
Dudley looked a little teary but didn't say anything. He didn't have to.
"I think we've had enough shopping for a decade or two. Let's pick up an American pizza and crash in the room?" offered Harry.
"Sounds good. Can we get the works?" asked Dudley.
"Sure--" Harry's head snapped around. Something was crying out to him. It wasn't a vocal cry but he could feel it in his very bones!
Harry didn't even think about it. He started running. Dudley was shocked but he ran after his cousin.
Harry was running full out and not really watching where he was heading. Dudley didn't know enough to be scared when Harry took a sudden turn.
Down Knockturn Alley.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~end chapter three~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Author's Notes- Well this turned out to be much longer than I expected. You'll have to tell me if it was evil of me to end the chapter here. I felt it was but I wanted to get this posted. Do you like what I've done to Dudley? Hopefully by the next chapter I'll actually get Harry to Hogwarts.
Next Chapter- "Knockturn Alley"
Enjoy. ^_^
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Blood of My Blood
By Nyghthawk28
Chapter Three - "More Shopping!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A summer of enforced early mornings had engrained certain habits into Harry and Dudley. The two woke up almost simultaneously ready to start a day of exercise. Even after being on the training regime from hell, or Voldemort, the two had come to like the exercise. There was something immensely satisfying about pushing your physical limits a little farther every day. Of reshaping yourself one day at a time.
It was also a fact that a hot body is always a plus when you're looking for dates. Male or female.
"Did you buy any workout clothes?" asked Harry.
"Yah, but I'm having a little trouble finding them." Said Dudley as he rummaged through bag, after box, after bag, and yet another bag. Dudley was getting lost looking through the bags so he started upending the bags into a pile.
"Well while you're searching I'll hit the shower. Then I can try my own hand at the needle in the haystack." Said Harry.
Dudley mumbled what sounded like an agreement and continued to unload bags.
Harry really enjoyed a good shower. Unfortunately for him it was no longer a quick and easy task. Just soaping and rinsing his hair took him at least fifteen minutes!
Besides a towel Harry also dragged in a sixty pound bag of hair care products. He'd promised (been threatened) to take "proper" care of his "beautiful" hair. His only problem now as he looked at the bottles of all sizes shapes and colors was which to use? He remembered being lectured by James and Catherine but after awhile their words had all become one long meaningless rant.
Harry tried to figure it out the logical way. He started lining up bottles on the counter. After he had about twenty bottles lined up he tried to see if the right combination would be revealed by his memory.
His memory wasn't cooperating. This was worse than being in potions with Snape on the warpath.
Before Harry reached the point of doing something rash like throwing all the mind boggling bottles into the wall the little lights reappeared.
"Hi. I don't suppose you could help me with this?" asked Harry as he frowned at the lined up bottles.
The lights twinkled and Harry couldn't help feeling they were amused by him. Still the lights picked up five of the bottles, stripped him, and herded him into the shower.
Once he was in the shower the lights got to work. All Harry had to do was stand there and occasionally be nudged around under the water.
When Harry finally exited the shower he was squeaky clean and completely relaxed. He let the lights dry him and was passive as they picked up some of the other bottles to use on him.
"Dudley and I are going on a jog so nothing fancy please." Said Harry.
The lights seemed to understand so he let them decide. They braided his hair without any fancy ties. A few of the lights exited the bathroom and returned with a pair of green bicycle shorts, a blue t-shirt with Celtic designs, some white socks, and a pair of tennis shoes. They changed out the dangling earring for a plain silver stud and placed a simple leather choker with a piece of clear quartz pendant around his neck.
When Harry exited the bathroom he found Dudley still searching for his workout clothes. Dudley had created a growing mountain of clothes in the middle of the room and it didn't look like he'd be stopping anytime soon.
"Could you help him?" asked Harry of the swarm of lights.
The lights twinkled and this time Harry was positive they were laughing at him. Still half of them herded Dudley off to the bathroom while the other half tackled the mountain of clothes and unchecked bags.
Harry heard a few muffled shouts from the bathroom but didn't worry about it. Dudley was in no danger. Besides even when he was REALLY fat Dudley always tended to spend hours primping in the bathroom.
Twenty minutes later Dudley was released from the bathroom all ready to head out. He was wearing a pair of gray shorts and a t-shirt that said "Born To Be Psychotic!" His blond hair was still damp and some gel had been added to keep it slicked back. Also something Harry hadn't noticed before but a gold stud twinkled from Dudley's left ear.
"Distance or time?" asked Harry. They had come to measure their jogs either by a certain distance or a time limit.
"Time. Distance would be hard to measure here. Besides if we're making a full day of it, we can't spend the whole day jogging." Said Dudley.
"What have you got in mind?" asked Harry.
"I'd like to get some boxing in. What about you?" asked Dudley.
"Boxing is fine but I'd like to throw in some Tae Kwon Do and definitely some swimming." Said Harry.
"That sounds good. We'll ask the manager if he knows any place nearby." Said Dudley.
"Sounds like a plan." Said Harry.
"Let's go. Oh! And thanks to your little helpers." Said Dudley.
The lights twinkled, ruffled Dudley's hair a little, and then once vanished.
"I'm starting to like those little guys." Said Dudley.
"Me to." Said Harry.
The Inn keeper Mr.Hopper turned out to be a good source of information. He told them about a nice public gym called CorDrum's and told them where to find a nice park for jogging. Neither Harry nor Dudley enjoy jogging by the street. It's a bit illogical to try to get healthy while inhaling exhaust fumes.
They spent two hours jogging in a very nice park before returning to the Inn. They grabbed some prepacked gym bags and headed for CorDrum's.
CorDrum's was a very nice gym. Nothing fancy but it had all the equipment Harry and Dudley would need including a pool. After a quick tour they paid for a week's membership and got to work.
Harry got teased by some of the locals for being a "pretty boy" but after he got into the ring with Dudley they stopped teasing. When Harry and Dudley had been first put into the ring together they'd beat the shit out of each other. Both Harry and Dudley had had a lot of suppressed anger at each other. Boxing became a long needed release for all these negative emotions. They had learned to be friends but whenever they were in the ring they were always boxed with a sort of ruthless zeal.
Of all the exercises they were forced to perform Boxing was the only one in which Dudley seemed to excel at. He just had a natural rhythm for the sport. Harry did well enough since he was quick but Dudley had a lot of bodyweight to throw behind his punches. Both of the boys could physically take lots of punishment although for slightly different reasons. For Dudley school had taught him to take pain, while it was the Dursleys that had taught Harry to take pain.
Eventually the Boxing match evolved into a Kickboxing match. Now when Harry wasn't a natural boxer he did have a certain talent when it came to Tae Kwon Do, and he flexible enough to do some of the more difficult kicks.
Overall when the two cousins got into the ring it was always a rather even match if a bit brutal.
After a few hours of beating the hell out of each other the two cousins headed for the pool. It was a great cool down exercise and good for a full body workout.
A hundred laps later and the two called it a day. They did a quick rinse in the showers and headed back to the Inn. They stopped on the way for a late lunch. They were tired but it was a good tired and not the brain dead exhaustion of before.
As they relaxed in their room watching the telly Harry realized something. They were going shopping to Diagon Alley tomorrow and his Hogwarts letter was still in his trunk. His shrunken trunk he couldn't unshrink without the ministry coming down on him.
As he thought about the problem he came up with the obvious answer. The little lights had shrunk the trunk in the first place so get them to unshrink it. The only question was could he intentionally summon them. They just sort of appeared before.
Harry decided to try to summon them the simplest way he could think of. "Um… I could use a little help." Said Harry. He felt Dudley's eyes on him and he felt more than a bit stupid but it worked.
"Hi. I was wondering if you could unshrink my trunk. I need to get out my letter from Hogwarts. We're going to Diagon Alley tomorrow and it has my list of school supplies on it." Explained Harry. He held out his toy sized trunk to the lights.
The lights picked up the trunk and in a few moments it was once again it's normal size.
"Thank you." Said Harry as he opened his trunk and started rooting around. To his surprise he found his letter but he also found all the birthday stuff he never opened. He'd completely forgotten about them.
"Did you find your letter?" asked Dudley.
"Yes but I also found something I'd forgotten about." Said Harry as he pulled his letter and the unopened packages from the trunk.
"So what did you forget?" asked Dudley coming over.
"I completely forgot about the birthday presents my friends sent. I haven't even opened my Hogwarts letter. I was just too exhausted when they arrived." Said Harry.
Dudley was silent for a moment but then said, "Well let's see what you got."
So commenced the opening of packages. From Ron he got a variety of Honeydukes candies which Harry shared with Dudley. Due to past history he wasn't quick about trying magic related candy. Still after watching Harry happily bite into a chocolate frog he dug in. All Hagrid sent was a letter but he mentioned he'd be coming back later into the school year and then he'd give Harry his gift. Harry just hoped Hagrid didn't bring anything too dangerous. Although Hagrid was the one who got him Hedwig.
From Hermione he got the expected book or in this case books but her choices were interesting. The first was a muggle book called The Art of War. It was famous really. The second book was also a muggle book, The Dummies Guide To Self Defense And Survival. The final book was a wizard book called Introduction To The Elements.
The Twins sent him a sampler of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. Harry made sure to keep these away from Dudley. Even the Canary Crèmes might not go well with him.
The gift he got from Sirius was also from Remus as well. The first was a book titled Practical Dark Arts: Know Thy Darkness. The second was also a book called The Inner Beast, which turned out to be a book on Animagi transformation. The final item was a Tarot deck or at least it looked like one but according to the booklet inside it was a Battle Deck. Whatever that meant.
After flipping through the books for awhile. "So do you want to go casual or get dressed up for Diagon Alley?" asked Harry.
"Let's dress up. It's not like were going to be dressed up much after school starts." Said Dudley.
"True. So do you want to pick out an outfit or let my little friends choose?" asked Harry.
"I don't even know half the stuff I got much less where to find it. They seem to have good taste let them choose." Said Dudley with a laugh.
Harry turned to look at the little lights that had hung around since he'd asked them to unshrink his trunk. "Alright. Um… You don't mind do you? You've been doing all this stuff for me and I'm really thankful but you don't have to if you don't want to." Said Harry.
The lights twinkled at Harry but the longer he watched the more the blinking started to make sense. Then something seemed to click in his mind.
"Oh! I think I understand. You're sort of like House Elves. You like to serve people? No? Oh… You like to serve me because I'm… Please slow down I'm new at this. You like to serve me because I'm your… Blood Lord? Am I getting this right? Okay if you say so but it still sounds wrong. So you're willing to help us out?" asked Harry.
The twinkles became bright flashes.
"Okay! Okay! I get the idea! No need to shout! By the way is there anything I can do for you?" asked Harry.
The little lights swarmed together. They twinkled at one another as they discussed Harry's offer. They came to a decision and turned back to Harry.
"Okay you like… Vodka? No any type of liquor including pure alcohol but not the wizard kind. Your not boozers it's just your preferred form of food. Okay I've heard weirder things. I'll get you some tomorrow unless you'd like some right now? I can just go down to the tavern and pick you up something right now? It's no trouble. I'll be right back." Said Harry.
A few minutes later Harry returned to the room baring four bottles. Harry had picked up a bottle of red wine, a bottle of lemon vodka, a bottle of whiskey, and a huge bottle of Champaign.
"I figured you'd like some variety." Said Harry handing the bottles over to the swarm of happy lights.
The lights drank about a third of each bottle before corking them.
"Is there anything else you'd like?" asked Harry.
The lights twinkled.
"Fireworks and yarn. I'm almost afraid to ask. Tell me anyway. So fireworks are sort of an alcoholic dessert to you? Interesting but again you prefer muggle made. What about the yarn? Oh! You like to knit and weave. Neat! That all? You like music. Any particular type? Not picky huh? Okay." Said Harry. The rest of the evening went by peacefully.
The next day Harry and Dudley once again woke nice and early. The little lights were excited. Clothes were dancing around in the air as the light discussed what would look the most dramatic.
Dudley was herded into the shower first. Harry watched in amusement as the flying clothes almost seemed to be dueling with each other.
Dudley reappeared wearing nothing but a towel and so it was Harry's turn to be herded into the shower.
When Harry exited the shower in his own towel the clothes still seemed to be dueling it out.
"I take it they still haven't decided." Said Harry.
"Nope but it's fun to watch. Kind of like a combination of Tetris and Street Fighter II." Said Dudley.
"By the way I saw one of your whips. Cat of nine tails. Very classy." Said Dudley with a grin.
"Thank you. That's the one I actually liked for some reason. I think it reminded me of one of Mrs.Figg's cat toys." Said Harry with a chuckle.
The lights finally came to a decision and the two boys were swarmed.
The finished results were definitely eye catching. Dudley was in black motorcycle boots. His pants had blue flames on a black background(think Jin from Tekken 3). A long sleeved shirt of a shimmery blue material. A sapphire winked from his left ear. His hair had been gelled to be spiky. Then to finish the outfit was a black leather duster jacket.
Harry was in red leather Doc Martens. Skin tight black leather pants. A silver metal belt. A long sleeved shirt that was completely made up of black leather straps. Fingerless black leather gloves. His were painted a red-black. His eyes were outlined in red mascara and he had some silver- black eye shadow. At his request his scar was hidden by concealer. His lips were painted with a clear glittery lip gloss. A small silver dragon hung from his left ear. The crowning glory of this outfit was quite simple his knee length hair had been left free as a blood red cloak of silk.
"Well we're dressed to kill. Shall we go?" Asked Dudley.
"Let's go." Said Harry.
Harry led Dudley to the Leaky Cauldron. Strangely Dudley had no trouble noticing the pub. He didn't greet Tom since he didn't want to be recognized although he got plenty of stares. He ignored them and led Dudley through to the back. He pulled out his wand and tapped the bricks.
"Welcome to Diagon Alley Dudley." Said Harry echoing the words Hagrid had said to him on his first visit.
"Whoa…" was Dudley's response as he took in the sights.
Almost as soon as they entered eyes followed them. Some people were looking at them just to stare but others seemed shocked for some reason. As usual most eyes were on Harry although this time it wasn't because he was the Boy Who Lived. It was probably his hair it was unusually long and the color was rather vivid.
Harry decided to hit Madam Malkin's first to get it out of the way. She was very helpful but was shocked for some reason they he wanted school robes. He also picked up three dress robes, and three cloaks that caught his eye.
Next he went and picked up his up his needed supplies for potions. He added some extras here and there that he might need or not. Considering last year anything was possible.
Dudley just seemed to enjoy looking at everything. Soaking up a world so alike yet completely different from his normal life.
Harry decided to head for Ollivander's. Dudley followed along his eyes soaking up everything. It was like being in a fairy tale for Dudley.
As soon as they stepped into the shop they were welcomed. "Welcome Mister Potter and young Mister Dursley how may I help you today? I am afraid a wand would be of very little use for Mister Dursley. He is not completely without talent but a wizard he is not. Take him to Madam Moonstone for something more to his use." Said Mr.Ollivander.
Harry was surprised but not completely. Lately he'd sensed something in Dudley. Like a tiny glow. He'd ignored it mostly since it hadn't really been important. Now it might be.
"I'll do that but I came in here on my own business. I would like to purchase another wand." Said Harry.
"Is there something wrong with the one I sold you before. If so I may be able to repair it." Said Mr.Ollivander.
"No my wand it fine but I need a second wand." Said Harry. He really didn't want to go into and explanation about Priori Incantatem.
"As you wish. Perhaps it would be best. You have certainly gone through some interesting changes." Said Mr.Ollivander.
So began the wand search. It proved to be even more difficult than the first one. Oak, pine, yew, apple, cherry, mahogany, teak, and tons of others. The cores varied from unicorn hair, phoenix feathers, veela hair, and even demon blood.
"You have always been a challenge Mister Potter. I find myself quite excited by the challenge you have brought me. There are a few wands my family has made that have never claimed anyone. Perhaps you shall be the one." Said Mr.Ollivander.
"Follow me please." Said Mr.Ollivander. He led them to the very back of his store. In the back he stood before a shelf full of wands. He started pulling out and pushing back the boxes on the shelf. Then he waited for a few moments. One of the other shelves opened up but Mr.Ollivander moved to a different shelf and again started to move the boxes in and out. The other shelf closed itself and a trap door was revealed.
Mr.Ollivander opened the trap door and led them down below. As they descended torches on the walls lit themselves lighting the way. They followed the tunnel down further and further into the earth.
Then the most amazing thing happened. The tunnel they'd been following opened up into a private grove.
"It's beautiful." Breathed Dudley and Harry just nodded.
"Thank you. This is the pride of the Ollivander family. Very few outside the family ever see it. Even Dumbledore has never had the privilege. We have other groves but some of our best wands have come from these trees. Including yours Mister Potter. That holly tree over there in fact." Said Mr.Ollivander pointing to one particular tree.
They finally stopped at a circle in the middle of the grove. There were seven pedestals about three feet high. Each pedestal had a pillow with a wand on it.
"Find your wand Mister Potter." Said Mr.Ollivander motions toward the pedestals.
Harry started walking around the pedestals. Looking at the wands. They were just wands nothing about looking at them really stood out but when he put his hand over them he started to feel things. These wands were different. They gave off a charge, kind of a static feeling.
Around and around he went until… He found the one.
"Fascinating. Silverthorne with a core of Nightmare hair. Thirteen inches and quite firm. Give it a flick." Said Mr.Ollivander.
Harry flicked the wand and was engulfed in a glowing green wind. His eyes once again began to glow. His long hair flowed in his private wind. The green wind finally formed into a burning rose with huge thorns.
"I once told you that you would do great things. I was not wrong. I believe this wand will be more true to you than the other. Use it well." Said Mr.Ollivander.
When they were once again outside Dudley asked, "Is it always like that?"
"I don't know." said Harry and the subject dropped.
They moved on to get Harry's other supplies and thankfully nothing odd happened. There were just two stops left. The first was a weaponsmith's shop. He needed a sword, a bow, a knife, and a kit for making arrows. The new DADA teacher was going to get physical with the class.
Dudley found the weaponsmith to be fascinating. The shop was called the Black Knife. It was filled with swords and so many other weapons Dudley couldn't even put a name to. The one item that really caught his eye was a warhammer. It was obviously very old and it had been used. Maybe hundreds of years ago but it had seen battle.
It was the shop keeper that stood out to Harry. His name was Argal. He was a half dwarf and one of the best weaponsmiths in the wizarding world. He took one look at Harry and his jaw dropped.
Before Argal could say anything Harry blurted out, "I'm going to Hogwarts."
"Aye. So you'll be needing supplies. I'll need to take your measure." Said Argal as he carefully approached Harry. He almost seemed like he was afraid of Harry for some reason.
"I have just the thing for you. I didn't craft them but they're fine workmanship. You can inspect them if you like." Said Argal keeping a wary eye on Harry.
"No that's alright. I trust your judgment. So how much do I owe you?"
"Fifty galleons." Said Argal.
That was a lot of money but Harry didn't argue he just handed over the money and hurried out of the shop. He was very uncomfortable with how Argal had been staring at him. All the students were given shrunken and warded packages with their weapons inside. Mainly so the muggle born wouldn't have trouble carrying around swords and so the students couldn't play with the weapons and hurt themselves.
There last stop was going to be Madam Moonstone's shop. She sold a lot of advanced divination items and magic stones.
"Welcome to my shop. How may I help you?" asked Mrs.Moonstone.
"Mr.Ollivander said you might have something that would suit him." Said Harry pushing Dudley forward.
"Ah! Not a wizard but there is something there… Here hold this." Said Mrs.Moonstone and she thrust a globe of some kind into Dudley's hands.
Dudley look down at the orb in his hands and as he watched a flame appeared in the globe.
"A firestarter. Not a huge talent but enough to be useful. I have a Firestone. It will help you focus and bring out your gift but it will take time and practice. I also have a book that will help guide you in the use of your gift." Said Mrs.Moonstone.
Harry paid for the stone and the book. The stone was safely tucked away in Dudley's shirt. He was fingering it constantly. Smoothing his fingers over and over the bump in his shirt.
"Are you alright?" asked Harry.
"It's warm." Said Dudley.
"It is a Firestone." Said Harry.
"I know but… It makes me feel warm. It's like there's a fire inside me and I never noticed it until now." Said Dudley.
"Are you sure you don't have heartburn?" asked Harry with a laugh.
Dudley pushed Harry but smiled. "Thank you."
"Consider it a late birthday present." Said Harry.
Dudley looked a little teary but didn't say anything. He didn't have to.
"I think we've had enough shopping for a decade or two. Let's pick up an American pizza and crash in the room?" offered Harry.
"Sounds good. Can we get the works?" asked Dudley.
"Sure--" Harry's head snapped around. Something was crying out to him. It wasn't a vocal cry but he could feel it in his very bones!
Harry didn't even think about it. He started running. Dudley was shocked but he ran after his cousin.
Harry was running full out and not really watching where he was heading. Dudley didn't know enough to be scared when Harry took a sudden turn.
Down Knockturn Alley.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~end chapter three~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Author's Notes- Well this turned out to be much longer than I expected. You'll have to tell me if it was evil of me to end the chapter here. I felt it was but I wanted to get this posted. Do you like what I've done to Dudley? Hopefully by the next chapter I'll actually get Harry to Hogwarts.
Next Chapter- "Knockturn Alley"