Chapter Two: Attack On Diagon Alley
The following morning, Harry awoke to the sounds of Muggle London, opposite the door, and hastily got up, realized that he'd slept in his clothes. Feeling quite uncomfortable, he quickly left and washed up, and returning to his room, changed into a clean set of robes. He was of the notion that he wouldn't be noticed in robes, as he usually wore Muggle clothing during the holidays, yet as all his were black, he decided to buy new robes while he was out, seeing as he had enough money with him. He also decided that he'd need dress robes for his next meeting at the Ministry, and perhaps for a third meeting as well, if the necessity arose. He then looked about the room.
It appeared the same as it had the previous evening, yet he noticed a floor length mirror that had been near the bed, yet had been hidden by the shadows last night. He also noticed a clock over the fireplace, which told the time to be at only half past six. He strode over to the mirror and looked at his reflection with dismay, for anyone who knew him would surely recognize his untidy black hair, as well as his glasses, and green eyes.
He then proceeded to his trunk, took out a comb, and attempted to make his hair lie flat, a task which it seemed was doomed before it even began. He did manage, however, to make his bangs lie somewhat flat, half hiding his scar. As for his glasses, he took them off as well, and slipped then into the left pocket of his robes. Observing himself in the mirror once again, he was somewhat heartened, for he was much less recognizable, and one could now concentrate on his face, not on his glasses.
He then thought of the wand in his pocket, and instantly gave himself a mental kick. "What a fool I've been!" he thought with a smile, as he came to the realization that for the next two weeks, school was still in session, therefore he needn't attempt to disguise himself through Muggle means at all. He hastened to his trunk, his smile broadening as he opened it, and began to sift through the many books inside. He then thought that perhaps he wouldn't get off on a technicality.
His doubt vanished however, as he remembered that he'd only disclosed his whereabouts to Hermione, and only Mrs. Beverly Darcy, as well as the Minister, had heard from him. He trusted Tom to keep his location silent, and though there had been almost no talk between them, they seemed to have come to a silent agreement.
Harry extracted his Transfiguration book, and began looking up a spell that could be used to change his hair color. His mind wandered back to the lesson where he'd changed the color of his eyebrow, and he again thought of Hermione. She'd been going through such a difficult time with Ron at the time, and he vaguely remembered that it was because Ron had been going out with Lavender.
"Hermione is worth ten of Lavender" Harry thought furiously, glad that Ron had ended the relationship, yet wishing that Hermione hadn't been upset with Ron because she wanted to be the one going out with Ron. He thrust these thoughts aside, as he concentrated on the incantation, which instructed him to think of the color in mind, and then recite the spell. "I may as well practice nonverbal spells while I'm at it" he thought determinedly, for he hadn't done very well with them the previous year, and knew that they'd give him an edge in battle. He then noticed the note that was left in the place of the real locket in between the front cover and title page of his book, yet he resigned that puzzle to later.
After only five tries, he finally managed to make his hair change to a light brown shade, but he'd left his eyes just as they were. He'd also managed to straighten his hair, and only if he was looked directly in the eyes could he possibly be recognized. "So long as I'm quick, I shouldn't encounter much trouble" Harry thought to himself as he left his room, and went through the Leaky Cauldron, headed for Diagon Alley. Tapping the appropriate bricks with his wand, he stepped into the alley, and began making his way as quickly as he could toward Madame Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. He opened the door to find Madame Malkin reading a copy of Witch Weekly, for it appeared that there wasn't much business this early in the morning. She brightened up instantly, however, at the site of a customer. She laid down her magazine, and came up to him with a smile asking "Can I help you dear?"
"Yes, I'll need two sets of dress robes, as well as some shoes to go with them" said Harry, elated, for he couldn't help but be happy that Madame Malkin was speaking with him, and not with his forehead. On an afterthought, he added, "I'll also need some new robes for school."
"Well then dear, would you like to get your school robes first, or would you care to choose a set of dress robes along with shoes?" asked Madame Malkin, ever the merchant by allowing Harry the choice.
"If you don't mind, I'd like to get my school robes first" replied Harry. He was then set upon one of the usual stools, and fit for robes. As he was being fit, he glanced out the window, and couldn't help but be dispirited by the furtive looks people were giving points in the alley, as well as the tired and even haggard appearances of others. He knew that Voldemort was behind all this, and he felt the anger build up in him. Normally these people would be laughing with each other, and going about their business without casting the occasional looks of suspicion at one another. "It's as if I can see Voldemort working right now, dividing the people, so that he can easily take over" Harry though angrily, yet with sorrow. Harry thought of Rufus Scrimgeour, and how he wasn't providing a good example of unity, though according to the papers, he provided one of force.
"All right dear, I'll go ring these up while you go find some dress robes" Madame Malkin said. Harry went toward the back of the store, where he easily found a nice pair of shoes, yet the robes were a bit more difficult. He settled on plain emerald robes, seeing as the last time he'd worn that color, nobody had voiced their thoughts on how hideous he looked. He also bought dress robes in a deep red, with golden trim.
Once he'd chosen his things, he noticed an advert in the window for battle robes. He made his purchases, then asked Madame Malkin what the battle robes were made of, for he hadn't heard of them before. She completely ignored the question however, for her eyes were transfixed on his hair, and had Harry seen himself in a mirror at the time, he would have seen his disguise beginning to vanish.
Madame Malkin, who'd been removing her wand, aware of the ever present threat of Lord Voldemort's Death Eaters, abandoned her plan of defense, and exclaimed "Harry Potter!" At this Harry felt a slight twinge of annoyance, realizing that the effects of his spell had worn off, yet began to smile as he started to explain himself.
"I hadn't meant to draw attention to myself, and had hoped my disguise would hold for the early part of the morning as I did some shopping" he explained, though with no hope that Madame Malkin would understand. "And now, about those battle robes . . . " began Harry with a questioning look at Madame Malkin.
"Well, battle robes aren't usually sold to those who aren't of age, but . . . " she stopped mid-sentence, looked around covertly to be positive no one else was in the store, then winking at him conspiratorially, ushered him into a back room. There arrayed against the walls, were only five sets of battle robes, yet each was distinctive, all five being made from different magical materials, as well as metals and ores with various protection charms on them.
"Battle robes, Mr. Potter, are crafted by the Goblins. The ones you see here are not mine, but the property of the Goblins, given to me to sell for them. They're each made of a different magical material, with charmed chain mail underneath, and a hood. They can also be disguised, and any robe thrown over them will work" said Madame Malkin.
"What is this one made of?" asked Harry, as he admired a battle robe that looked to be made of glass, and whose color was shifting between a black and a dark green. Madame Malkin followed his gaze.
"That one you're looking at right now, Mr. Potter, is made if Kinthaera, a most valuable material. It is said to have been discovered centuries ago, near the earth's core" whispered Madame Malkin, awe apparent in her voice. "It was fashioned to its present appearance through alchemical processes. There is said to be little more than two tons of it in the entire world" she finished.
"What properties define its usefulness in an engagement?" asked Harry, his curiosity heightened.
"It's defensive properties are extraordinary, being able to deflect even the most powerful dark curses. The alchemical process this robe was put through has made the material feather light, while Kinthaera naturally changes to adapt to its environment" said Madame Malkin as she looked from the dark green wallpaper, to the shadows in the corner near the ceiling.
"How much does it cost?" asked Harry, knowing it would be quite expensive.
"Let me find out" replied Madame Malkin, as she consulted a ledger. "The Goblins are asking only 500,000 galleons" said Madame Malkin with surprise.
"ONLY 500,000 galleons" Harry expressed with incredulity.
"Mr. Potter, consider this quite a bargain, for the Goblins usually ask three times this amount" said Madame Malkin.
Meanwhile, Harry wondered if he had that much left in his vault. He hadn't spent much over the years, both of his brooms having been gifts, therefore he'd only bought the necessary school things with his own money. Even Hedwig had been a gift. Recalling the last time he saw his vault, it had been quite full of galleons, sickles, and knuts. He then decided to take a chance. Yet ran into a problem.
"Madame Malkin, how could I possibly transport all that gold here?" asked Harry.
Madame Malkin's eyebrow's disappeared for a moment, yet she eventually recovered from the surprise, and said "You need only transfer your vault's funds to mine" she said. Harry's confused look following this statement wasn't lost on Madame Malkin who explained
"Mr. Potter, all you need to do is fill out a transfer funds form, and we both then sign with our physical and magical signatures. After that, the Goblins will take care of the rest." She proceeded to box the Kinthaeran robes, and they both went back to the front of the store, where Madame Malkin produced the proper form, and filled her side out. She then asked "Mr. Potter, will you be taking the money from your personal vault, or your family vault?"
"Family vault?" asked Harry, so confused he felt as if he'd been confunded. Luckily, Madame Malkin was able to explain that family vaults were owned by the oldest pureblood families, and apparently the Potter's were among those families, therefore many of his assets were stored in that vault. When Harry questioned her in concern to his personal vault, she replied "Well, your parents most likely opened that vault for your own use, as well as for the purchases for school, before your coming of age."
This was much to ponder, yet as Madame Malkin was waiting for his choice, he chose his family vault, assuming that it held enough for the purchase. He and Madame Malkin then signed their names, and applied both their wands to their signatures, leaving their magical signatures on the paper.
Harry then said goodbye, and laden with packages, made his way to the Leaky Cauldron. His resolve was that he'd grab the necessary books he'd need in order to present his case, reapply his disguise, and then, by half past one, make his way to the Ministry. "Better early than late" thought Harry, as he tapped the appropriate bricks, in order to return to his room.
Upon entering the Leaky Cauldron, it was a little busier, for breakfast was being served, and boarders had come down to eat. He made his way swiftly behind the bar, and back to the room Tom had provided for him. There, he retrieved the books he needed to present his case, and also decided to take along a book on the practical application of apparation. A sudden compulsion to wear the battle robes to the Ministry suddenly overtook him, and taking them from their package, changed into them. "They're too large" thought Harry, yet but a moment after he had this thought, the robes seemed to adjust themselves to fit him.
"Impressive" said Harry aloud, He then went around the room, and noticed the robes change, as they naturally took on the appearance of things around him. The robes didn't work like a Disillusionment Charm, as Harry thought they would. Rather, they roughly took on the color of his surroundings. Harry assumed they would be good in battle, as they would confuse the enemy if speed was on his side. He then put his plain emerald robes over the Kinthaeran robes, and the battle robes responded by hugging his body closer, so that no bulge could be observed underneath his dress robes.
After having reapplied his former spell, using more force, yet still keeping it wordless, he went back into Diagon Alley, and made his way to Flourish and Blotts. As he passed people in the street, he was relieved that he wasn't recognized, yet again disturbed by the obvious distrust displayed by people toward one another, and even toward him. "However, I am the only one here traveling by myself" thought Harry as groups of wizards looked at him with misgiving. "Who will unite them now?" Harry thought with despair, yet a small voice within him said "You will."
For the moment Harry ignored this thought, yet in his heart he knew it was inevitable, for if he was to defeat Voldemort, he would need the backing of the Wizarding populace as a whole, not as splintered factions. His thoughts were interrupted, however, as he noticed that his feet had carried him to the book store. He entered to discover himself as one of seven customers. It seemed that only the manager was working, and when he offered to help Harry find something, Harry had simply replied that he was "Just browsing."
He'd really come there in order to try to keep his promise to Tom, that he would only be sleeping in his room at the Leaky Cauldron. Harry knew of the nice chairs kept around the shop for readers, mainly due to Hermione's great love for the store. He decided to browse, before going over his case, and studying for the practical, if it was to be today. He then noticed a corner of the store that people seemed to be skirting.
He slowly went over to investigate, and discovered the books in that corner to consist of Dark Arts materials. Going into a deserted aisle filled with History of Magic books, Harry slipped on his invisibility cloak, and crept back to the Dark Arts section. However, just before he began to browse through the titles, he stopped. He suddenly was abhorred at himself, that he would even consider looking into such things. "Yet how am I to defeat Voldemort if I don't know what to anticipate?" Harry thought, torn.
He then recalled words Dumbledore spoke to him after the incident at the Department of Mysteries. "That power saved you from possession by Voldemort, because he could not bear to reside in a body so full of a force he detests. In the end...It was your heart that saved you."
Harry knew that because his heart was good, even if he opted to study the Dark Arts, he would lack the passion for it, for the Dark Arts fed off of negative emotions. He decided on a different path of action.
He continued to browse through section upon section of the store, until he saw a book that caught his eye. It was handsomely bound in burgundy leather, with silver lettering. It was titled "Wielding Nature's Energy." At the bottom was stamped Author Unknown. "Who would write a book, but not want to take any credit for it" wondered Harry aloud, yet several glares from fellow customers reminded him of his surroundings. He found a vacant seat, intent on discovering more about the books contents.
Inside he discovered various incantations which could allow him to harness the power of the elements around him. Some were quite basic, like conjuring a fire, and summoning a rain cloud, yet others were so difficult, you could be killed even attempting them, if your magical reserves weren't high enough. He proceeded to the clerk, yet while he was making the transaction, he heard distant screams.
Stowing his book away, he immediately drew his wand, for the shrieks of terror were growing louder, and making his way to the door, he forcefully pushed past all in his way, ignoring any protests, and threw the door open, prepared for battle. "Voldemort's ranks have swelled!" Harry thought, in shock as he beheld what appeared to be nearly seventy Death Eaters. The Death Eaters were opposed by only about thirty people, for apparently, no Aurors had arrived yet. Harry didn't even have to jump into the fray, for the Death Eaters were pushing back all resistance through sheer numbers, as well as with some skill from veterans. The people in Diagon Alley were falling quickly, and Harry decided to take drastic steps.
Jumping in front of everyone else, he sent several stunners to the Death Eater's left flank, yet people from the rear simply continued to fill any gaps. Suddenly, he heard a voice shout "Potter!" At that time there were two reactions. The spirits of the people who were attempting the resistance, were lifted, and they rallied to Harry. However, the Death Eaters went into a frenzy, and all began a rabid struggle to crush the resistance, and kill Harry, in order to claim the glory for themselves. Had the people not rallied to Harry, it would have been their end, yet they made good use of cover around them, yet the battle was going ill.
Harry looked about him bleakly, for although many Death Eaters were down, much of the original resistance was down as well, permanently. Just then there were a great many cracks, as about a dozen Aurors arrived on the scene. Unfortunately, there was nobody Harry knew, which surprised Harry, for he believed that an attack on Diagon Alley would surely warrant their attention. However, though the Auror's prowess was welcome, their numbers were insufficient, and almost the entire alley had been seized, as the Aurors and all those left alive fell back on Gringotts. What awaited them was a surprise indeed. They were met by a group of around eight armor-clad goblins, who ushered them into the bank, and then swung the doors shut with a great bang.
Looking around himself again, Harry discovered all of the goblins in varying degrees of armor, all grim faced, and several casting dirty looks at the wizards who had suddenly come through the door. He noticed that his group that had just come in, were not the only people in the alley who had fled there to seek refuge. Several children with their mothers sat in one corner of the lobby, while those who were elderly were given some of the only chairs fit for humans.
Harry then realized that because they had given the Death Eaters so much ground, they were stuck in the bank for a siege. "What a stupid mistake!" he said to himself, upset that his tactical thinking was terrible, but yet again, he usually left that aspect up to Ron. "Ron" he thought bitterly. "I'm just going to have to learn strategy for myself" Harry thought with determination, knowing he had his work cut out for him this summer. "If I make it out of here alive."
Unwilling to allow himself to be trapped in the bank, Harry tore off what was left of his emerald green dress robes, for he'd been hit by several curses, and had even come within a hairs breadth of the Killing Curse, greatly singeing his robes. He then put up the hood, and made his way to the door. Not bothering with the goblins guarding them, he swung both doors forward to reveal not a hoard of Death Eaters awaiting an arrival from within Gringotts, but only a group of around fifteen.
They soon motioned for assistance, for most everyone else had gone to loot what they could, and some were meeting resistance, though limited. They didn't believe that one enemy would be much trouble, yet as soon as they saw him, he was gone. Harry, meanwhile, settled on simply irritating them all, so as to attract the rest. He then noticed one of the columns in front of Gringotts, and once enough Death Eaters had gathered, Harry summoned all of his strength, and shouted "Reducto!" whilst aiming toward the top of the column. It produced the desired effect, as the column then proceeded to fall, however slowly, toward the group of Death Eaters.
"Just what I need" thought Harry as he watched the Death Eaters scramble for cover. Whilst they were doing so Harry was able to successfully stun around ten, yet met a familiar face.
"So, Potter, we meet again" sneered Bellatrix Lestrange in a derisive tone. She wasted no more time on pleasantries however, for a second later, she shouted "Crucio!"
Harry managed to dodge it, yet before he could fire off one of his own, he noticed a large group of goblins and Aurors sallying forth from the bank. He joined them in the fray, until the Death Eaters began disapparating seconds behind each other. Harry watched as the Aurors began to transport the captured Death Eaters, yet turned away, and walking to the Gringotts steps, sat down with his head resting on a remaining column, and drifted to sleep.
A/N: Well, I must send my apologies for being so late with the update, yet with school fast approaching(For me at least) I've been hard pressed to squeeze in spare minutes. I'd simply like to thank you all for your reviews, as they were heartening to me. Well, on to the individuals!
shadow of the black abyss: I'm glad you think so.
YewForest: I'm very glad you think so as well, and thank you, I've decided to try developing my writing style through this story.
drakwolfstoppable: Well, that's sort of what I was aiming for.
gcshipper: I'm flattered you think so much of my first attempt!
Vivilp182: I do hope this answers your desire for a bit more action, and I must thank you for taking so much time to review, and I must say, it's probably been your review that's kept me motivated to keep going!
Dark-Syaoran: I'm really sorry about the whole Dark Arts thing, and I have to agree with you, I've read a couple stories where Harry's learned them, and those stories were great, but I'm afraid I can't write the Dark Arts in, you'll see why. I hope to try and compensate with something else though, so do stick around.
Thanks for reviewing, and God Bless
Luap362
