Unexpected Events

by zakairen

Arriving back at Privet Drive for the summer after fifth year, Harry gets some shocking news. No more Dursleys? Independant!Harry and Dumbledore bashing. AU because HBP. No spoilers.

6. Chapter 5

Unexpected events

By Zakairen

Disclaimer: You people know the works: I don't own them, I don't make money with it, only the plot's mine.

Warning: English is not my mother language. There may be some spelling and grammar errors. Please point it out if something is seriously wrong. I'm not planning on including any pairings.

AN: There have been some minor changes in the last chapter. Several things were added. Go back if you want to, but it is not necessary. Sorry about the slight delay. I visited my parents this weekend and didn't get much done. But I decided to give the rest of Harry's visit in Diagon Alley to you in this chapter as an apology. Because of that this chapter has almost triple length, about 15.000 words. Just don't expect me to do it again anytime soon, people. My brain is all cramped up. This story has now officially gained a life of its own, there are several things I did not even remotely plan on writing and I couldn't seem to stop.

"blah" - talking, 'blah' - thinking, italics - spells, quotations and writing, "blah" - parseltongue

Chapter 5

Having finally calmed down again, Harry stood up slowly. His eyes were red and puffy, but he felt better now. It hurt to know that he would never get to know his parents. It hurt that they weren't there to tell him how proud they were of his accomplishments or how much they loved him. It hurt that they couldn't teach him about what they liked most. But now he had something to lessen the pain. He had their notes, telling him about the depth of their love for him, helping him along his way in life. The grief that had overcome him had lessened. He knew it probably wouldn't leave him for the rest of his life, but time would take the edges of and the good memories he had now would help to remember them in life and not in death. The weird power surge was another thing altogether. Right now, however, he did not have the time to think about it. In the evening when he got home there would still be time to do it.

Harry trudged over to the tapestries and found the one with the crest in the middle of the shelves. Next to it, he found a small wooden box with intricate carvings on it. Inside he found a ring with the Potter crest on it, it had to be the family ring. After shrinking the tapestry he put both items in his satchel before he walked back over to the weapon racks. Taking a closer look than the first time, he now noticed that there were a few other weapons on them as well. Not very many, only some throwing knives and daggers as well as a most peculiar looking scythe.

'Weird. All those are bladed weapons and there is not even one single shield here. No Staffs, spears or other weapons like nunchakus, bolas or a whip. And there doesn't seem to be any other fighting gear like battle robes, armor or boots. Were they all destroyed or were they simply not needed? I guess I'll find out when I get around to figuring out the roots of my family. The things I need to do later start to grow into an ever increasing pile.'

As he walked along the racks with slow steps he felt a slight pull to some of the swords and knives. Harry stepped to a spot were he was overlooking all the racks and held his arms stretched out in front of him, his hands open and ready to grip whatever came flying at him. The katana that came rushing at him was no surprise. He was however not ready to have a set of throwing knives and the scythe flying towards him at the same time.

'Dad said one weapon. Maybe two, but certainly not three!'

His thoughts were cut short when the handle of the scythe slammed into him after he had caught the katana. Already off balance he was sent stumbling to the floor as soon as the knives crashed into his chest in their sheathes.

"Ugh. Outch. I don't wanna do that again."

Having climbed to his feet once again Harry tried to hold on to his new weapons long enough to set them down without damaging them.

'Now, how do I get them out of here? My backpack isn't that big and I do not want to shrink them. But even if they can turn invisible at my will, they'll still be in the way. Especially the scythe. I wonder what is up with it. It is a very unusual thing to use as weapon. Dads note said that there are books about fighting with these weapons. There should also be an inventory of the weapons in the vault and their properties. I hope.'

After taking a look around he sighed.

'Seems like I will have to shrink them down after all. I don't want anyone to notice them.'

He did just that and stowed them away in his now full satchel.

'I will have to buy a better book-bag. One with a featherlight charm that is enlarged on the inside. It could also be a good birthday present for Mione. I'll have to look into that.'

Harry took a final look around and filled his pouch with money. There was nothing left to do in here, well apart from looking at the other tapestries, but that could wait. After swinging the satchel over his shoulder he left the vault. The doors closed behind him with a silent bang. Griphook took a look at his face and wordlessly set the cart into motion after Harry sat down inside it. While they drove all the way up to the surface the goblin glanced repeatedly at him, but he never voiced his curiosity at what happened in the vault or the odd power surge. Having brought the teenager back to Safetoothes office he bowed and wished both of them a good day, before he vanished into the bowels of the building.

The elder goblin had an odd look on his face. Had it been any other creature, Harry would have thought it a look of glee. Safetooth simply watched him, until he began to squirm under the intense gaze.

"Mr. Potter."

"Yes?"

"Mr. Potter, I have been charged with the task to tell you that the entirety of the management of Gringotts is in your debt. You have brought a concept to our attention that will enable us to ease the business transactions of our customers, give a better service to all wizards and witches in the muggle world and after some time in the wizarding world, as well as make a good deal of extra money. Credit cards will be offered to all current customers and every new one. You, Mr. Potter, will get 5 percent of the profit made this way. It has been a long time since a human has had a share in goblin business. You can be quiet proud of yourself. As an additional thank you, you are presented with the first credit card offered by Gringotts. Unbreakable and keyed to your magical signature, it is safe against loss and theft. The PIN is set the first time you have to state it. No fees will have to be paid by you for any transactions made or for access to the option."

Harry swallowed heavily.

"You can't be serious. I haven't done anything but mention the cards. How on earth does that value a share? And how did you get that ready in this short span of time?"

The world around him seemed to have taken on an odd motion. Safetooth smiled.

"Ah, but Mr. Potter, you misjudge the part you played in this whole situation. The increase in business and profit if the concept is used worldwide is enormous. And you brought it to our attention. Other people simply let it slide. You also explained the concept, which shortened our research time. The short time span – well, you spent more than 2 hours in your vault."

"That is still not enough time to get such a large project done. The research alone should have taken up more time. There is no way you could have gotten functioning cards and the whole system set up and ready to run. No fucking way!"

Harry knew that he sounded desperate, but he simply couldn't help himself. It was too much. Sure, the idea of giving the concept to the goblins if they didn't know about it had crossed his mind, but never seriously. He hadn't expected to run across such a lack of information. Especially as credit cards weren't exactly a new concept in the muggle world.

"You are, of course, right, Mr. Potter. But I will let you in on secret. Within Gringotts there is a room to be found. In this room we develop things, like the card system. It is also used for big decisions among our people. This room can be used only once every five years. However much time passes on the inside, in the outside world only 30 seconds will pass. Time is money, after all, wouldn't you say, Mr. Potter?"

The emotions the goblin showed were disconcerting. It didn't seem right. Goblins were supposed to sneer and growl at humans, not smile at them.

"Sure, Safetooth. I suppose for the moment it is only usable in the muggle world?"

Harry had gone over his limit of being shocked in one day now. He wasn't able to show any more emotions, he just took it as it came. If this was any indication for the rest of the day, he didn't even want to think about it.

"Yes. It will take a while for us to inform the shop owners and bring the concept into use. For the time being you are given this money bag. As soon as the system is set up in the magical world the enchantments on it will cease to function. But for today you will need it. Gringotts hopes to do business with you again sometime soon, Mr. Potter. You should come by in a couple of days to inquire about your godfathers will. The necessary procedures should have been done by then."

Harry threw the goblin a shrewd look.

"Of course, Safetooth. Any time. But I do hope that I will not be so thoroughly shocked next time. But what do mean about my godfathers will? The ministry hasn't declared him dead, much less innocent."

"Oh right, you wouldn't know about that. Gringotts does not answer to ministry law. Innocent or convicted does not mean much to us. We only freeze an account in the direst of situations. And a testament recorded by Gringotts is tied into the life force of a wizard or witch. If they die, the will is set to be enacted. As any information concerning the reading of the will probably won't reach you, you will have to come by personally. Do you wish for me to tell them to not send you anything?"

"No, Dumbledore would get suspicious if the invitation wouldn't get sent. But have them deposit a copy at the information terminal. I will collect it there. I wish you a good day."

Sighing he stood up and left the office, only to lean against the wall once the door had closed behind him. He felt utterly exhausted suddenly. This was not, how he had imagined it to be. Not in the least. He brought himself to his feet and walked out to the main hall, where he gave a short nod to the goblin at the information terminal and left Gringotts. He did not see the redhead staring after him, shocked by the reaction of the goblin. It had offered a short nod and a smile in reply.

---

Bill Weasley had had a very confusing morning so far. Two hours ago a sudden rush had gone through the bank, but he hadn't been able to gather any information about it at all. The secrecy the goblins had displayed had been a surprise for the cursebreaker. The satisfied expressions the senior employees and managers displayed after coming out of their meetings were disconcerting to say the least. Only a major increase in business would be able to extract those emotions out of a goblin. With the actual situation in the magical world that was more then a bit suspicious. And now a young man – younger than himself, almost still a boy – had come out of the estate manager section of Gringotts. He had greeted a goblin, not treated it with disdain or ignorance as Bill had thought he would have. Purebloods were the only ones with large enough estates to have business in there and they never acted that way. He hadn't gotten a good look at the young man and only seen reddish blond hair and a black robe. The biggest shock had however come when the goblin, who had looked up as the young man exited the corridor into the hall, had returned the greeting and smiled. He had never before seen a goblin show respect for a human customer. Hell, even the human employees weren't always treated with curtsy. He would have to tell Dumbledore about it, even if he didn't want to. But it was too great of a risk not to.

If the goblins had thrown their lot in with the Dark Lord even his loyalty wasn't enough to stand with them. You-know-who would kill him and his family without a second thought. And anyone the goblins treated in such a friendly way could be someone able to help get them on the light side. He didn't like Dumbledore much, because he knew from the goblins about his violation of the law and the pressure he put on them. At the moment though, there wasn't a better alternative. The ministry was incompetent in almost its entirety and nobody other than Dumbledore stood up against the Dark Lord.

'The next Order meeting is scheduled for tomorrow evening. Maybe if I have more information about the situation I won't have to tell him. When I started as a cursebreaker I gave my loyalty to the goblins. They haven't led me astray until now. I think, I should talk to my boss about the issue with Dumbledore, if they aren't in league with You-know-who. If only there was a better option than Dumbledore. His obsession with Harry and his disregard for laws and human lives are slowly becoming a serious problem. I don't know how much longer I can condone his actions and have a part in them, if I want to be able to look into a mirror without cringing.'

His thoughts were cut short as he noticed one of the managers, who had walked up to the information terminal. After a bit of whispering the other goblin nodded and suddenly his voice was amplified.

"All Gringotts personnel is called to meet in one hours time. We will have to close the bank for a short period. I repeat, all Gringotts personnel including the non-goblin employees are called to meet in one hours time in the message room. I would like to apologize to our customers for the inconvenience."

'Well, it seems things are coming together. I wonder why they would close the bank. It means a loss of business. What could be important enough for them to accept that? If they had allied themselves with You-know-who it wouldn't have caused such a reaction. After all, why would they ally themselves with someone who has only ever looked down upon them. In the last war they were negotiating an alliance with Dumbledore.'

Bill sighed. He would have to wait a while longer. Maybe he should speak with his boss right now, to get it out of the way. He would certainly feel better after that was out of the way.

---

Outside, Harry was deep in thought. He hadn't reckoned with so many things. The extend of Dumbledores betrayal was a good deal larger than he had thought. That he hadn't stolen anything was most likely due to the circumstances. That didn't even cover what he might have done in Harrys name if he went as far as to send a statement with a false signature to Gringotts.

'Not to forget the fact that I have never gotten a single letter apart from the ones from the ministry and my friends. Wouldn't some of my fans have written to me, or shouldn't I have gotten at least some hate-mail last summer? Aren't there any laws against what that old goat is doing? That's a serious offence he is committing. Just like the junk in the newspaper. Is there no law to stop them from violating my privacy and printing lies? I always thought that the muggle laws are in effect because they affect the whole country and additional magical ones are added for the other eventualities. Obviously I was wrong. I really need do something about that, in more than one way!'

Harry had slowly taken a few steps away from Gringotts. Now he took a look around and then made a beeline for Ollivanders. He really needed a wand holster. He suddenly felt even more endangered than before and wanted to have his wand at easy access all the time. He entered the darkened shop and closed the door behind himself. The atmosphere was still as creepy as before first year. When the low voice of the old man greeted him from behind he almost jumped a foot.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Potter. What can I do for you on this fine day? I hope there is nothing wrong with your wand. Holly and phoenix feather, 11 inches, was it not?"

Taking a deep breath Harry turned around to look at Mr. Ollivander imploringly.

"Good afternoon. You startled me, Mr. Ollivander. My wand is perfectly okay. How did you know it was me? I know the disguise isn't much, but everyone else was fooled, even the goblins."

The old man stepped out of the shadow.

"It is a special talent I have, Mr. Potter. To know the identity of every person that enters my shop. Why are you here, Mr. Potter?"

He walked behind the counter as he spoke those words.

"I need a wand holster and thought that I would get the best quality here. And I need a way around the effect of brother wands, Mr. Ollivander. Otherwise I'll be dead the next time Voldemort and I meet."

"The question of a wand holster is easily solved, but you should know, Mr. Potter, that I can not sell another wand to you. It is against the law. Than there is also the small fact that you have tested out most of my wands and there isn't any other that has accepted you."

Ollivander had wandered into the backroom and brought out a selection of different wand holsters.

"Which one do you want? They are all charmed to be invisible as soon as they are put on, you can not be disarmed as long as your wand is in it and it is protected against summoning charms. With a flick of your wrist it will shoot into your hand. These are made out of different kinds of dragonhide, apart from this black one. That one has been here for a long time because nobody wanted it. It is made out of basiliskhide, the only material even more impervious to magic than dragonhide."

Having thoroughly looked at the holsters Harry pointed at the black one.

"I'll take it, Mr. Ollivander. It is beautiful and of good quality. If people are too prejudiced that isn't my problem. And I didn't want to buy another wand. I wanted to know if it was possible to customize my wand in such a way that Voldemorts isn't counted as brother wand any more."

Startled, the old man looked at Harry.

"Customize the wand? That hasn't been done in a long time. I would most likely have to add another core or wood, but we would have to soak your wand in blood, venom or tears to change the core enough to cancel the brotherhood in each case."

He handed the holster to Harry who put it on instantly.

"That is an unusual and interesting idea you had. Come with me."

Ollivander took Harry into the backroom and through another door, after he had closed the shop to other customers.

"In here is my workshop, where I fashion wands. I also keep my working materials in here."

He pointed at a large selection of woods, liquids and cores that were carefully wrapped and bottled.

"I want you to take your wand out and hold out in front of you across your palm, parallel to the shelves. Look at each component and if you and your wand agree on one, you will feel a pull and your wand will move to point at what you selected. This way, we can be sure that your wand will accept the extra part. This may take quiet some time."

Harry gave him a nod and began to walk along the shelves. It took him a bit over an hour to go through everything Mr. Ollivander had. He had selected a dark piece of wood, a strand of hair and a bottle of blood.

"What an unusual selection. With the holly wood and the phoenix feather I had thought the other materials would be a little more similar, from a unicorn or another phoenix. But obviously I was wrong. Maybe the connection to Tom Riddle and your defeat of him was what caused your wand to chose you. You grew up in the muggle world like him, unaware of your heritage. Now, that you are a bit older the differences between the two of you are a bit more prominent than yew and holly. You have a piece of cherry wood, the tail-hairs of a thestral and the blood of a chimera. Powerful in their own right, but combined with your wand… that will be a curious experience. I'll get my workspace ready for the fusion, after that we'll let your wand soak in the blood. That will take at least six hours. It will be half past eight this evening until you can come and collect it. I'm sorry, but there is no other way."

All the while freeing his workspace of clutter and tools, he set the protections up to allow no outside influence on wand and materials during the fusion.

"Mr. Ollivander?"

"Yes, my boy?"

"Will the enchantments on my wand interfere with the fusions? Or are they deactivated because of it?"

"Enchantments, Mr. Potter? What are you talking about? The wands I sell do not have enchantments on them."

"They are relatively new, Mr. Ollivander. It's a family thing. Here, take a look."

Harry gave his wand to the old man, who squinted at it, before he put it into the middle of the protection field next to the cherry wood and the thestral tail-hairs.

"Those are interesting enchantments. And they are very useful. Nobody else will be able to use your wand. They will not interfere in the process or be damaged. Do you want to watch the fusion, Mr. Potter? Yes? Than stand back. Even with the protection this can be a bit of a fireworks."

Ollivander took out his own wand and began to chant. First the circle of runes began to glow. After that the wand, the wood and the core began to levitate and in a shower of multi-colored sparks they seemed to wind around each other until they fused together, emitting a warm blue glow. The finished wand levitated for moment longer, before it sank down onto the workspace again. Instead of taking the protection down, the old man fetched a steel basin and filled it with the blood, which was then levitated into the protection circle. Afterwards Harrys wand was levitated into the basin and left to soak.

"The soaking is complete the moment the blood has been completely absorbed into your wand, Mr. Potter. The only thing to do now is wait. I suppose you are coming back later?"

"Yes, Mr. Ollivander. I still have several things left to do before I have to go home. I'll see you in six hours."

By now the two men had reached the storefront and Ollivander let Harry out of the shop.

'Now I feel even more paranoid than before. I don't even have my wand with me any more. But it can't be helped. I'll just have to endure it. Next stop, the trunk shop. I will need more room for everything if I extend my wardrobe. And for some of the muggle books, I really want to read some at Hogwarts. Leisure reading. Ron will have a fit.'

Harry wandered through Diagon Alley. Finally he decided on a shop. It was called 'Traveling and storing equipment' and had some interesting things located in the window. There were bags and suitcases, backpacks and tents, trunks and even a single camp bed. When he entered the shop a single bell-chime sounded and what appeared to be an employee came to greet him.

"What can I do for you, young man? My name is Edward Throckmorten, I'm the owner of this shop."

"Good afternoon, Mr. Throckmorten. I'm interested in a new backpack, mine is a bit threadbare already and I need a new trunk. My old one is simply not big enough to store all the things and schoolbooks I have accumulated. There is always a horrible mess in there, too. Potion ingredients between clothes, books and ink, you know. I'd like to acquire a multi-compartment trunk. I suppose you do have a selection of those?"

Harry looked questioningly at the older man.

"Yes, we do. If you'd follow me. There are several models available and each in a few different designs. The one that is the most simple is this. It has three different compartments, all enlarged to about three times the original space. The first compartment is done like a wardrobe, enough space for even a slightly bigger wardrobe than normal. The second compartment is already equipped with bookshelves and comes with a magical catalogue that tells you exactly which books are in there and were to look for them. You can also label and shift the shelves around a bit. The third compartment is subdivided in one larger and two smaller part, ideal for storing gifts, sweets, potion equipment and other things. It has a lightweight charm and an auto levitation charm. It is available in oak, birch, and teak."

Having pointed at some simple trunks he led Harry to some that were a bit more elaborate.

"Those are the trunks we usually sell to older students. A bit more expensive than a normal school trunk but still available. Over here you can see trunks that are meant to last a while longer and are good for traveling. They have the same basic features bit the inside is enlarged to about five times of the original space and there is a fourth compartment with a few cupboards, a small stove and sink in there to enable you to cook for yourself if you want to. Built in lightweight an levitation charm, offered in oak, beech, cedar and pine. It is above the money range of a student though if parents don't help pay for it. There are some more models, like the auror-standard, but…."

Harry looked at him.

"Don't worry, Mr. Throckmorten, I can pay for it. I inherited some money and wanted to invest it in a trunk that is able to last me a lifetime if necessary. If I have to pay a bit more for good quality that is entirely understandable. A while ago I saw trunk with a room inside it, it belonged to one of my teachers. Do you maybe have some of those?"

There was a happy glint in the older mans eyes.

"Of course we do. It is good that you are looking for good quality. I'd be happy to show our more… elaborate…trunks to you. There is of course the auror-standard trunk which has a small chamber as fifth compartment, probably what you have seen?"

At Harry's nod he continued.

"Then there are trunks that were built for traveling in the less civilized regions of the world, they have a bedroom, bathroom and kitchen with eating corner. The wardrobe is linked to the first compartment, the bookshelves to the second, a storage cupboard to the third and the kitchen to the fourth. The fifth is the bedroom and bathroom. We have trunks with a sixth compartment, meant to be used as a workroom either for potions or dueling. Sometimes we get an order from one of the older families to change the first three compartments to a walk-in wardrobe, a library and extra storeroom. As we normally sell our trunks fully furnished, the price increases steadily for more compartments and the bigger they are. A customized luxury-trunk costs a small fortune. They have the same charms as all the trunks we sell. Lightweight, levitation, protection against fire and water as well as theft, anti-destruction charms and a shrinking feature. Every trunk is available in oak, beech, teak, cedar and pine. Now, I think you know exactly what you want. Which of these options is the most acceptable to you?"

Harry was stunned. The options were better than he had thought. But none of the options did exactly fit with his wishes, mostly because he didn't like the styles the trunks were done in. He thought for a while, before he asked:

"Would it be possible to customize a trunk for me? These options are good, but they aren't exactly what I want. Not the wood and not the overly luxurious style. Money isn't a problem, but other than the bathroom and kitchen I can furnish it myself, and I'd also like to have the rooms to my liking and not standardized."

The other man looked a bit shocked and scratched his head.

"Of course it is possible, but a custom trunk that is fully made anew and not based on one of the models we have is more expensive. On the other hand, if you don't want to have it fully furnished the price should decrease quiet a bit. You would only have to pay for the materials used as they are natural, as well as for the knowledge and the time we spend working on it. It would take some time, but you would indeed get exactly what you tell us to do with it, in material and looks as well as charms. Would you please accompany me to the workshop? We can finalize your wishes there and than I will begin. You have to realize that it will take some time to have it ready."

As they walked into the workshop, Harry mentally compared it to Ollivanders. While it was bigger, the general layout was the same. Samples of the woods that were used could be seen on the shelves, the same for the metals. A drawing board was standing in one of the corners next to table that was covered with parchment. Mr. Throckmorten sat down and searched for a new parchment and some ink.

"Now, Mr. …" He threw a questioning look at Harry.

"Partridge, sir."

"Mr. Partridge, please tell me exactly what outer materials you want me to use. After that the design you wish to have. Then you will tell me how many compartments you want and what features they should have. The inner materials come after that as well as the layout for the rooms. And finally the extra charm-work you want to have. Okay?"

Harry had to blink twice. What was it with people and bombarding him with information lately?

'And why the hell can't the old goat be that forthcoming with info that concerns me? If he would just tell me, instead of crawling into his overgrown beard and twinkling, so much could have been avoided.'

Absentminded he nodded to the carpenter.

"I want to have ebony for the trunk, with some cherry wood inlays and reinforced stainless steel for the edges and hinges. The inlays should be of some stylized Chinese dragons in the corners and a katana on the lid. I want to have six compartments. The first like you said a shortcut to a walk-in closet, the second to a library and the third to a storage room. The fourth to a living room with a separated kitchen, eating space and pantry, the fifth a bedroom with bathroom and the last a potions laboratory and dueling chamber. Apart from the kitchen, bathroom and workrooms I want to have wall-to-wall carpeting in light grey and blue. Grey for the library, the storeroom and the den, blue for the bedroom and the wardrobe. Polished granite floor in the kitchen, the workrooms and the bathroom. The walls and ceiling should be in beech and larch respectively. Cherry wood for the library and polished granite in the workrooms."

Harry paused for a moment and took a deep breath, before he continued.

"The kitchen cupboards in larch and the equipment in stainless steel. For the bathroom I'd like black marble for the sink and shower, as well as for a Jacuzzi. Fittings in stainless steel also and frosted glass for the shower. I'll properly enlarge the rooms myself, so just give me a standard size. Or maybe an enlargement feature? Most of the rooms should be connected, maybe through a portal. I'll need an additional connection possibility to the bathroom and none for the wardrobe, doors between the bedroom, bathroom and wardrobe as well as between the laboratory and the dueling room. Now for charm-work, I'd like your standard enchantments for the trunk and maybe a follow-me charm, for the rooms I'd like perpetual cleaning charms and an auto-repair charm, climate control and a warming charm for the floor. Are you able to use metal plates with my initials for locks, charmed to recognize my fingerprints and magical signature? And could I maybe buy some ebony, larch, beech and cherry wood planks from you? Oh, is there a possibility to add a temporary transformation feature to change it into a muggle suitcase with wheels for traveling in the muggle world without arousing suspicions?"

The older man had written furiously while Harry talked. He was a bit surprised that the lad had such a clear picture of his future trunk before his minds eye. And while there where some similarities to the standard trunks he sold, there were more than enough differences to show him why the lad had wanted a custom trunk. But a few things had him baffled. Why stainless steel? What was a Jacuzzi? How in Merlins name had the lad come up with portals in the trunk and that absolutely safe locking system? And just why did he want wood planks? A change into a muggle suitcase?

"Okay, my boy. Most of this is easy to do and I have everything you said recorded. But why don't you want silver or gold for your trunk? Or at least copper or bronze? What exactly is that Jacuzzi you want? Yes, I can sell you the wood and I will also be able to charm some plates with your initials as locks for the compartments. But why such a security feature? And the transformation? I don't even know if such things have been done before."

"Well, the steel is durable and quiet a bit harder than the other metals you asked me about, it can take more stress. Gold is also a bit too flashy for my tastes. A Jacuzzi is a muggle invention. It is a pool big enough for about five people to comfortable sit in with water jets in it. It is very good for cramped muscles and such. Simply a very pleasant affair. Hmm. I wonder, why you don't have such a thing in the wizarding world? I mean, there are tubs the size of small swimming pools and taps were you get bubble-bath or soap. So why not whirlpools? And the security? I know several people who are too nosy for their own good. I don't want people to have easy access to my trunk. Keys can be lost and passwords can be overheard. But you can't fake a magical signature. It's that simple. And we are living in dangerous times. For a Jacuzzi you may have to look through the catalogue of a muggle sanitary shop. The wood I need for the transfiguration of furniture and I'm a halfblood and live in the muggle world. The number of stares my trunk gets every year in the cab or at the station is unbelievable."

Harry mentally did a checklist. Almost like an afterthought he added: "Oh, and my initials are H. A. J. C. E. P., you'll need them." The carpenter stared at him. "What were your parents thinking, my boy? Five names?"

"Not totally accurate. Four names. The fifth initial is from my mothers maiden name. They simply couldn't decide. How long do you think you will need to get it done, Mr. Throckmorten?" Scratching his had the older man answered Harry. "A good few hours. Luckily for you we don't have any pressing business right now. If you had come in four weeks that would have been different. Other students will crowd the Alley then. The usual school rush. Could you come back here at half past seven? Your trunk should be ready by then."

"That is good timing. I have another appointment at half past eight and should be done with my shopping then. Is it okay if I chose one of the backpacks in the front? I can either pay for it now or when I pay for the trunk, whatever is better for you." Harry had paused for moment in the doorway. "Oh, take one. Put the tag on the counter. You can pay for it later. I'll get started on your trunk right away. See you."

"Bye, Mr. Throckmorten and thank you."

He only got a murmur in reply and wandered to the different backpacks. He selected one with a leather bottom and watertight cloth. It seemed to be a muggle adaptation, charmed to be light despite the contents. It also had an inside enlargement charm and an anti-wear-and-tear charm on. The tag read 20 galleons and Harry put it on the counter and left the shop, stowing his old satchel away in the new backpack. He looked around for a moment and decided to buy clothes first.

'If I have the clothes out of the way there will be more time for books and other odds and ends. Knockturn Alley, here I come. I just hope that the shop the twins told me about is really that good. Muggle and wizarding clothing in best quality? At least it will spare me the muggle shops. It will be awful enough to find a really good electronics store.'

Humming to himself Harry wandered down to the entrance of Knockturn Alley. He eyed the different stores as he walked. Most of them were shops a bit more specialized and smaller than those in Diagon. There was a shop with music instruments and an optician, a few shops specialized in working equipment for different jobs, a second hand bookstore and another apothecary that interestingly enough looked a lot cleaner than the one in Diagon Alley. He had reached the clothing store and took a last look towards the end of Knockturn Alley. The more distant the shops were to the entrance the more run-down and dark they seemed. He shook his head when he remembered the summer before second year. Sure, he had been a bit farther down the Alley, but the fear he had felt… But if Hagrid hadn't come he would have looked around a bit more, despite that uneasy feeling.

As he entered the shop he was a bit surprised. The color of Fred and Georges coats had left him shuddering and he had hoped that it wasn't a trademark. He looked around and the shop clearly divided into wizarding wear and muggle clothes. But the quality left him breathless. There was everything the heart of a teenager could ever want and the grown-up section was just as large. Harry began to collect some jeans as he wandered down the aisle. The fact that he had to try everything on was a bit daunting but if he wanted fitting clothing he had to put up with it. Several in different shades of blue, two black, two beige and a dark green one and he continued on to button-up shirts.

'Hmm. Silk shirts. Shall I spoil myself a bit? Ah. What's this? No, no embroidery on these. Black, white, dark grey, dark green and this one in blood red? That should suffice. Hmm. I better try them on now, before the pile gets any bigger.'

He walked towards a changing room.

'I do have a good eye. They fit just the way I like it. Now to bring them up to the counter, have them billed and packed and continue on. I still need some pants, t-shirts, muscle shirts, underwear and shoes. Maybe some sweats and trainers? That should do nicely. The slogans and patterns on those t-shirts are quiet good. I wonder if they would piss those uptight Order members of? Probably. Hey! Are those Asian silk trousers? I simply have to get some of those.'

He wandered of again while the blond haired girl at the counter rang his purchases up. It was about an hour later when he was finished in the muggle section, putting several pairs of socks, two pairs of trainers and a pair of dress shoes on the counter.

"Are you finished now, or do you want something out of the magical wear section also? 'Cause if you do, it might still be easier to pay for these first. I'm running out of storage space and if I shrink your bags now without you storing them away they might get lost."

"Hmm? Oh, that's fine. You're right, I'll just pay for these now. Thank you."

The price came up to several hundred galleons. If he had tried this in the muggle world, he would have paid a good deal more and that did take into consideration the conversion of his money.

"That's quiet some amount of clothes. Are you buying a whole new wardrobe? Oh, I forgot to tell you something. There are some inactive charms on those clothes. They activate as soon as you leave the shop. The material was made more durable and can accommodate up to one foot of growth. If you don't grow too much you won't have to buy clothes again anytime soon. There are also some dirt repelling charms on them. My friend over in the magical section does the measuring for robes. You'll have to go around the corner over there. I hope you find something you like. You just have to touch the bags with your wand to enlarge them. No active magic on your part."

She smiled friendly at him and gave him his shrunken shopping bags. But Harry had to wonder what it would have been like if he had come in as Harry Potter.

"Thanks."

As he walked to the back of the magical section he studied the different styles of robes and dress robes. As he had always had a thing for Asian culture and language, the Asian style robes were the most appealing to him. But he knew he had to get some normal robes for school.

"Hey there. Are you just looking around or do you need to be measured?"

The one to ask that question was a dark haired girl about his own age. As he took a closer look, he had to bite back a scream. It was Padma Patil, the twin sister of Parvati, the biggest gossip in Gryffindor. Thankfully the Ravenclaw didn't really know him. Otherwise she could maybe have seen through his disguise. Harry had taken the charm off of his hair as soon as he had entered the shop. With reddish blond hair he wasn't recognizable, but he also wouldn't get clothes that really looked good on him.

"Yes, I need to be measured. I have recently outgrown my old robes and dress robes."

"Okay, could you come over here and stand on this platform? It'll only be a moment, your measured automatically. Do you know what colors, styles and fabrics you want?"

She directed Harry over to the corner were several small platforms were.

"Mmhmm. I want several standard black robes like the one I'm wearing, in cotton and silk. I'd also like some sturdier work robes out of a light grey cloth, for potions and such, you know. Everyday robes in Asian style in black, blood red, dark green, dark blue, dark grey and light grey. I don't have the complexion to wear too much of a lighter color, so no white or the likes. A bit of embroidery like kanji or stylized animals around the hems is okay. And I want them with and without sleeves, two of each but with different embroidery if any and made of silk. Then I need at least two sets of formal robes and two dress robes, those also in Asian style, please. Maybe you could decide what would look good?"

He was for one of the first times happy for his slight stature, because it was suited for the Asian style robes. Someone like Ron wouldn't be able to pull that feat of. Padma just stared at him.

"So you do know what you want. We rarely get customers that know with such a certainty what they want. And if they do, most of the time it doesn't even look good on them. That are mostly males though. I'll just fetch some robes for you to look at. If you like the design I'll simply have the others made with your directions. After that we can take a look at some dress robes, okay?"

When he nodded, she marched of, only to bring back a pile of robes with different images on them.

"Would you like some of your robes with a bigger picture on the back? I have a catalogue here were you could select some. Yes? Good. Now, have a look at these, please. Okay , so you like this and this. These three too? Very well. How about this? No? Shame. Five different motives for embroidery. That'll leave some of your robes plain. Take a look at the catalogue while I bring some dress robes and tell the seamstress to make your robes. I'll be right back."

'She's a right busybody. Her sister is like that, but I always got the impression that she was quieter.'

Harry looked at the pictures in the catalogue. He found a stylized phoenix, dragon and tiger that were beautiful in his opinion and decided to add them to some of his robes. He had reached the very back of the catalogue when he found one final picture. It was a dark unicorn with its wings spread in flight. The image shook him up a bit and he couldn't imagine why. But the animal seemed frightfully familiar. He showed the pictures to Padma as soon as she came back and she left him looking at the models of some dress robes while she brought the picture to the seamstress. He decided on a emerald green dress robe with a fire like motive at the hems and collar and on an elaborate grey dress robe. He reasoned that one: he looked good in grey and two: he wanted to honor the family crest.

Harry gave the robes to Padma to have them made in his size and added to his purchases. She then asked him about the formal robes.

"Do you want normal ones or the slightly more expensive ones? The difference is that the later have a charm on them that transforms them into robes with your family crest and the insignia of your rank within your family, like if you are the heir or the head of the family, when you put them on. The normal ones only have the crest embroidered. The difference is quiet visible and the normal ones are looked down upon slightly."

"I'll take the charmed model. They would change in accordance to my change of status, would they not?"

"Yes. Okay, then I'll tell the seamstress to make two charmed formal robes. You'll have to wait a few minutes until everything is ready. I hope that doesn't inconvenience you?"

Padma had slightly uneasy expression on her face and Harry had to reassure her.

"Don't worry. I wanted to look at those dragonhide trousers and boots over there anyhow. Will you bring everything up to the counter?"

She nodded and then walked off once again to find the seamstress. Meanwhile, Harry wandered over to the dragonhide trousers and looked through them. They seemed to be skintight and he'd like to feel that after all the years of wearing Dudleys cast-offs. So he selected a black one. Just as he was about to leave he noticed another one: it was blood red, probably made of the hide of a Chinese Fireball. He stared at it and when he couldn't resist anymore he grabbed it. Luckily it was his size. Grabbing a pair of boots he made his way to a changing room to try them on. They fit like a second skin. He shimmied out of them and redressed. Then he walked up to the counter and had them added to the rest of his clothes from the magical section.

"Are the rest of my clothes ready?" he asked the blond girl.

"No, sorry. It'll take another moment. Do you want to pay now, or do you want to wait?"

"I'll pay now."

She nodded and added everything together. The bill came to several hundred galleons again. He stowed the shrunken bags away and waited for five minutes for the rest of his robes and left the shop immediately afterward, charming his hair reddish blond again.

It had been around 3 am when he left the carpenters shop, now it was half past four and he still had a few hours left. Deciding to get the sixth and seventh year potions kit along with two extra ingredients packs first he steered towards the apothecary. Upon entering the shop he decided to never again frequent the one in Diagon Alley. Everything in here was spotless and the smell wasn't nearly as bad. The ingredients and equipment were sorted orderly on the shelves in spotless containers. Harry walked up to the counter and asked for the kit and the extra packs. While the clerk fetched what he wanted, he went and collected two bronze and one silver cauldron, a new set of scales as well as some new cutting tools and an owl order catalogue he noticed on the counter. All in all that stop hadn't even taken 15 minutes 'til he walked out with his shrunken purchases.

As the optician was right next door he entered the shop and looked around. There were some very obscure models of glasses but also some modern ones.

"Good afternoon, young man. What can I do for you today?"

The voice came from directly behind him and had him jumping almost a whole foot into the air. Shakily he let his breath out once he had caught it.

"Are you perhaps related to Mr. Ollivander, sir? He always does the very same thing to me you just did. And I would like to inquire about the options of corrective eyewear the magical world offers."

Laughing a bit the man replied: "You are quiet right, Mr. Potter. Oh, don't flinch. I have the same gift as my grandfather. And no, I wont tell anyone that you were here today. Now, you don't seem to have any problems with your sight."

Harry had fight the sneer that his lips wanted to form.

"I used a temporary sight correction spell this morning. My glasses are a bit too well known. I would have been recognized everywhere."

"Ah. That makes sense. We have several different models of glasses as you can no doubt see and I can also offer you magical contact lenses. They are a bit more advanced than the muggle versions. Unfortunately there is no potion or charm to correct eyesight permanently. Do you want to know a bit more?"

When Harry nodded he continued: "Our glasses and contact lenses automatically change to make your vision perfect, meaning they change descriptions with your eyes. The contact lenses are a permanent feature, you don't have to take them out again. But it is possible to do so. They have some charms on them to hold themselves and your eyes in the best of conditions, as not to develop an itch. They also protect your eyes from some vision affecting charms and can have the additional features of night vision and instant eye color change. Then there are some options normally only available for MLE employees. Seeing through invisibility charms and cloaks, x-ray and infrared vision. I would offer you the first and the last. The enchantments can of course also be placed on glasses."

Harry thought about it for a moment.

'My glasses have been broken more times than I would want to remember. Even if the new glasses were charmed unbreakable they can be summoned by an enemy or simply fall off. I always wished I could get rid of them.'

He nodded once and addressed the other man.

"I'll take the contact lenses, please. With all four features. Glasses are a weakness at the moment that I simply can't afford."

"Very well. But I have to warn you: they sort of fuse with your eyes and that hurts a good deal. Could you please take the correction and the color changing charm of? Now, I fetched the lenses you want. I'll put them in. Just a moment. Okay." And then Harry felt as if his eyes were burned out with a hot poker. He clenched his teeth and managed - barely - not to scream. He opened his eyes when the pain subsided and where before had been a blurry world everything was clearly distinguished now. He walked to a mirror and concentrated on changing his eye color. First they went blue, then black, then hazel – just like he had wanted. The voice of the optician reminded him that he wasn't alone.

"The other features are activated in the same way. You'll have to practice for a while until you get it fully under control. You should try not to look directly into bright light for a few days. That'll be 134 galleons, please."

"That much?"

"Yes. You need to remember that these are permanent and have some extra charm-work."

"Very well. 134 galleons, here you are, sir. I wish you a good day."

"You too, Mr. Potter, you too."

Heaving a deep sigh, Harry leant against the wall of building.

'I seem to do that quiet often today. Those surprises are getting a little bit troublesome. Every other shop there is one waiting for me and I still have some shopping to do. I could die of heart failure at this rate. Hopefully nothing else will happen. Now, let's see. Where's my shopping list? Okay. See family vault – check. Buy wand-holster – check. Change wand – check. Buy muggle clothes – check. Buy wizard clothes – check. Buy potions equipment – check. Buy ingredients – check. Buy backpack – check. Buy trunk – check. Buy glasses or contact lenses – check. Left are the books, instruments, electronics, parchment and ink and the look at 'Odds and Ends'. For the last two I'll have to go back to Diagon Alley. The electronics are left to the end of my shopping trip in the muggle world. Or not. Most muggle shops close at 8 pm, do they not? I'll check out the music shop first, then I'll go to the secondhand bookshop. I should be able to find a lot of interesting things there. Afterwards I'll go back to muggle London. Maybe eat something before that. Mmhmm.'

And he strolled to the music shop, backpack firmly held over his shoulder.

'All those piano and flute lessons in elementary school won't be wasted. I'll have to dedicate a room to music at home. I have enough space. Hmm. Feels nice to finally think of Privet Drive as home.'

In the end Harry bought a magically enhanced piano, a flute and pan pipes. Not to forget the sheets of music that found their way to him that couldn't be found in the muggle world. He took out his list and looked at it. He had borrowed a quill from the salesclerk and added a note to go to a muggle music store. Now that he was ready to go shopping for books he took out the booklist and skipped happily over to the bookstore which was named 'Ciel - secondhand books for interested people'. All the while completely ignoring the odd looks he was getting from the other people in Knockturn Alley for his behavior. It wasn't everyday you saw someone expressing such a positive emotion in the 'dark' shopping district.

The inside of the bookstore was a bit different than Harry had expected. There was a secondhand department all right. But most of the shop seemed dedicated to really old books, most likely from the sales of a family library and the likes. The tomes were at least a hundred years old. He suddenly thought of Hermione and had to wonder if she knew about this store. Probably not, as it was down Knockturn Alley. Stars began to shine in his eyes as he looked around. Now he could finally let go of his repressed love for books and went browsing with a large grin on his face.

The old witch at the counter had at first wanted to sent the young man right back out. But the look of awe that slowly fixed itself onto his face had prevented her from that. Now she watched with a soft smile on her face as he went through shelf after shelf of books, stacking them up at the end of each shelf, finally stumbling towards her counter several times. He grinned at her and went right back to the shelves he hadn't looked at yet.

She had to shake her head at his behavior and began to ring the books up. He didn't seem to mind that in the end there would be a quiet large amount of money to pay, even with the low prices she had. Silently she took notice of the different topics the books covered. From defense over potions to astronomy, from charms and transfiguration over runes to wards, several old law books, books on foreign magic, books on history and herbology, ancient magics, there didn't seem to be a topic he shied away from. He had even selected a few of the better Dark Arts books that were disguised as defense books, meaning the defense was explained but the real intent of the book was focused on the curses.

In the end he had selected and paid for over 200 books and by now she could safely say that he was certainly not narrow-minded. But he had shied away from one topic despite her earlier thoughts: he had not brought one single book about black magic to the counter. He had seen them, had felt them she knew. But not once had he even touched one of those books. There weren't many and she didn't like selling them, but often she didn't have a choice. She couldn't destroy them and if she sent them to the ministry they would find their way to wizards like the current Dark Lord.

"Ma'am?"

She looked up into his eyes. "Yes, sonny? Is there anything else you wanted?"

He only raised an eyebrow at the pet name she had called him. "The books with the wards around them…"

"What about them, sonny?"

"Would you like help in destroying them? I'm normally not one to destroy knowledge, but… those books aren't only dark. They seem to truly radiate evil. I can feel it even through those wards. They shouldn't exist. Merlin forbid someone read them. And the wards are strong. They scream of your intent to have them banished from the world."

"Would you really do that, sonny? I'm not powerful enough to destroy them alone. Let me just pack and shrink those books for you. You really love books, sonny, don't you?"

"Yes, Ma'am. But I suppressed my love for them because everybody just ignored the real me and I foolishly tried to match the image. There will be some people in for quiet a nasty shock."

He smiled, mischief dancing in his eyes as stashed the boxes full of shrunken books in his backpack.

"You only need my power to do that, don't you? I mean…"

"Yes, sonny. Now watch closely, so you can do it alone later on. This is old, almost forgotten magic."

She drew her wand and began to draw several runes on a silver tray she had produced from under the counter. Glowing shapes came into being and Harry could feel the good intent of the magic, the will to ward off and destroy evil. A circle in a Pentacle in a pentagon. Now there was a protective dome around the tray and she levitated one of the books complete with wards inside the dome.

"Now sonny, I want you to focus on everything good inside you and take it to power the most powerful incendio you can manage. The dome sees to it that the fire and the good intention are the only thing you need to destroy the evil. But you need to be able to overpower it. Do it, sonny."

Noticing he didn't have a wand with him she handed hers to him.

"Incendio."

He watched as the flames began to lick at the cover. The book seemed to fight the burning heat. But ever so slowly it began to catch fire and burned faster and faster. Not even ashes were left in the end. He slumped over and put her wand in the counter. So much power!

"I can't do that very often. This has drained me something terrible."

"I know, sonny. But, this was the most powerful book I had. The others don't come close. I wasn't even sure if it was possible to destroy it. Thank you. I have one other book for you. The casting of runes like I did just now is a lost art, sonny. Runes are nowadays used in magical theory and as language, but the art of real rune magic has been supposedly lost for centuries. The secret is in this book. I want you to have it, sonny. I know that you won't abuse the power you will gain through it. The only thing you have to promise me, is to come back and help destroy the other books."

"I would come back either way. You have too much interesting books not to. But I promise you. I will come back and destroy the other books on black magic. An 'art' that shouldn't have been invented. But Ma'am? I've seen runes being used. How does that…"

"Ah, sonny, you saw the activation of runic enchantments of old, not the actual casting. Runes are everywhere. Few can rightly interpret them, but even fewer can see them in our environment. Those that can are the people with a talent for runic magic. Maybe you can bring it back into our world. Sonny. Tell me your name."

He looked up, startled. "My name? I don't even know my full name. But the world knows me as Harry Potter."

She could see the fire burning in his eyes through his disguise. Death had touched him and tainted his soul with the dark. But he was of a pure heart and he would never succumb to evil. He could understand the dark, the shadows, was sometimes even a part of them, but evil could never claim him. A fallen angel, a dark unicorn. And she knew all of a sudden that he would change the world around him. He would no longer allow it to rot. He would make them understand. And nobody would be able to stop him. Her hope long dead was restored to a new life. She watched with a smile as he walked out of her shop, head held high.

---

'Why the bloody hell does it always happen to me? Do I have a sign over my head, telling people to spring the most unlikely surprises and situations ever on me? How bloody likely is it for a Dark Lord to decide an kill a baby? What is the probability of said baby surviving, time and again? To be the first human in centuries to have a share in goblin business? To find my school mate of a Ravenclaw wallflower in Knockturn Alley selling clothes of all things? Now this business of wiping out the knowledge of black magic with runic magic. Why can't the world leave me the fucking hell alone? What have I ever done to them?'

A pebble was kicked out of the way.

'Why do other people always think that my life is theirs to play with? Not I wouldn't take a stand against evil, but… why do they come running?'

Harry managed to calm down a little as soon as he felt the telltale crackle of his magic in the air.

'I won't ever get an answer to that question. But maybe I can change it enough that every person will take a stand all of their own and heroes aren't needed any more. Bah, who am I kidding? Me? Change the world? I can congratulate myself on a job well done if I survive Voldie.'

As he reached the entrance to Diagon Alley he finally lowered his gait from an angry run to a walk.

In the early afternoon some clouds had taken to crossing the sky and at the moment he felt like the sun would never shine for him again, despite his nose being tickled by her rays. Harry heaved another sigh.

'Oh well. I can't change the past. But I can at least have a say in my own future. I'm not their little puppet or scapegoat anymore.'

His feet took him past the ice cream parlor back to the Leaky Cauldron. He was ravenous, as he hadn't had a bite to eat since breakfast. But at the thought of the meals available at the pub he marched on to the door into muggle London pausing a moment to shed his robe. He would find himself some take away and eat on a bench in a park. Most likely pizza, it was easiest to eat. A grin formed on his face.

'I haven't had pizza in a long time and back then I only got a single slice. The thought alone makes me even more hungry. Wonder if I can convince the house-elves back at Hogwarts to make me some?'

A slight bounce was added to his step at the very thought of the look on Malfoys face at being presented with a muggle dish.

Harry had asked a boy his age were he could get the best pizza in walking distance and which was the best store for electronics. He had to make a slight detour to get his food, but it was well worth it. The taste was delicious and his hunger was sated. He never knew just how much different things one could put on a pizza and still have it taste good. That had given him the idea to make himself some covered with everything he liked. He would have to buy a cooking book for that as he had never made it before. The Dursleys had always order it at a pizza service. Licking his fingers clean he threw the box away in the nearest dustbin and made his way towards the electronics store.

He wanted to get a top of the line laptop and stereo system. Maybe he could get them to run off of magic, as electricity malfunctioned in any environment that was heavily saturated with magic. Energy was energy, right? Other things he had at home, mostly even double because Dudley had thrown his fits every other days and wrecked something or other. On the way back to the Cauldron he would hit a music store if couldn't find anything to his liking in the electronics shop. His tastes in music had always been a bit odd. He could appreciate classic, but otherwise liked hard rock and heavy metal with a bit of new age and trance thrown in between. He didn't get to listen to music often but had made a point in remembering every band and song he had liked. His aunt and uncle would have never bought their darling son CDs from a band like Apocalyptica, Hammerfall, Nightwish or Linkin Park.

Three quarters of an hour later he had what he wanted and was on his way back, lugging two boxes around with him. Without his wand he hadn't even been able to cast a lightweight charm on them. His backpack was filled with CDs and some movie DVDs. He had always wanted to watch Star Wars and the Lord of the Rings. The salesclerk had been a tad bit surprised by his requests. A scrutinizing look at his ID and credit card later he had transformed into a bootlicking puddle. Harry absolutely hated it when people took him for no older than 12 at the most. He had to change that this summer. A nice tan, some muscles and hopefully - with a decent amount of food - he would grow a few inches. Of course he would never be as big as Ron, but a couple of inches would be really nice. He entered the Cauldron for the second time that day and looked around for Tom, the bar keeper. His boxes were put on the counter as he signaled the toothless older man over.

"Hello Tom. Could you maybe shrink these two packages for me, so that I only have to touch them with my wand when I get home? I'm not allowed to do it myself, as you know. I'm growing a bit tired because they are quiet heavy."

"Sure I will, young man. Anything for such a polite young man. Minimus. Here you are. Do you want anything else, lad? Something to eat or drink?"

"No, thank you, Tom. I just ate in muggle London. But would you sell me a case or two of butterbeer? I like the stuff and we normally don't have it at home. Only muggle soft drinks and juice."

"Of course, young man. I'll get some for you. Anything else?"

"Well… maybe. My family and I recently moved to the welsh coast. I'm only here because school let out yesterday and I took a hotel room over the night. We don't have floo because we live in a muggle neighborhood and I wondered if there were other shopping districts apart from Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley, maybe a bit nearer to home if I need some books or potion ingredients. Or even a point to floo from because the knight bus makes me sick. Do you know that or were I might find the information?"

Harry absentmindedly put his robe back on and continued to look at the bar keeper. Tom tapped his chin with his index finger.

"Well normally there aren't many magical shopping districts in a country. It isn't necessary because you can access the few in a matter of moments if you apparate or floo. The knight bus is good for emergencies but otherwise hideous. But you should find a list of every strictly magical village, every shopping area and public floo point along with a map of them in a book at 'Flourish and Blotts'. It is self updating because the shops and floo addresses change every so often. I don't know which section, you will have to ask. It may seem a bit much, but on the other hand you never know when you are visiting a foreign country and may need to go to the local magical village."

"Thanks, Tom. That is exactly what I need. Could you shrink the butterbeer also? I'll see you later when I go back to the hotel. My father is picking me up after work today. Bye."

"Good bye, lad. Don't go down into Knockturn Alley. It's more dangerous in there lately in the evening."

Harry just nodded and walked out towards Diagon Alley.

'Should I feel bad because I lied to those people today? But telling them the truth was totally out of question. The old goat would have been here in a second. Those that know can be trusted not to tell him. How I know that about the old witch in the bookstore in Knockturn I don't know.'

He nipped into the shop called simply 'Writing Implements' to buy new scrolls of parchment and a assortment of ink which he planned to use mostly with his muggle pens. As soon as he entered the biggest bookstore in the Alleys he grabbed a shopping basket. They had featherlight and enlargement charms on them and Harry began to scour one shelf after the other. From every topic he selected beginner, intermediate and advanced material as well as the available school texts if he didn't have them already. A text on job options and requirements wandered into the basket as well as books about ministry restrictions, laws and guidelines. Hermiones favorite books Hogwarts: a history and The History of magic went in along with a book about household charms and some about indoor decoration and gardening. At last he visited the section of rare books and found a few that he hadn't already bought at Ciels. He had more then 350 books in his basket.

The eyes of the young man at the cash register nearly popped out at the amount of books he took out of the basket. Simon, as his name tag told Harry, was very helpful as he asked for the book Tom had told him of. The newest edition of it was together with an owl order catalogue the last book to be added to his bill. Simon had called one of the other assistants and sent him to fetch some boxes and piled Harry's books inside. A shrinking charm was applied and Simon nearly fainted at the total of more than 1000 galleons he had to pay for the books. Harry didn't even blink an eye. He had known from the beginning that this would cost him more money than anything else. Books weren't as cheap as in the muggle world and he needed a lot of them. On the other hand – even in the muggle world the really old books were quite expensive. He had been quiet surprised at the section dedicated to muggle books he had found. It was quiet fortunate too, because he didn't have the time to visit a muggle bookstore today. But he could always use the internet and order what he wanted.

He had just stepped out of the into the street when he heard the bells of the Tower chime half past seven out over London. Now he had to hurry to the carpenter to collect his trunk.

'It'll take some time to examine every feature. The locks need to be keyed to my magical signature and than there are still a few other things left,' Harry mused on his way.

It was still a few hours 'til sunset as it was only a few days after the summer equinox. But he needed to be home a bit after 9:30 pm. Ample time if nothing disrupted his plans. You never knew. He opened the door to the shop and stepped inside, to be welcomed warmly by the owner.

"There you are, Mr. Partridge. Your trunk is ready, we only need to assure that everything is to your liking. Would you follow me to my workshop again? I didn't want to bring your trunk out to the front."

The trunk caught his eyes as soon as Harry walked into the room. He stared at it, his breath repeatedly catching in his throat. It was beautiful. The ebony gleamed in the sparse sunrays falling through the window as it hovered about half an inch of the ground, while the cherry wood inlays seemed like freshly shed blood. They had been polished in a certain way to give off exactly that impression. He heard the carpenters voice only through a haze.

"I used some silvery bark of a birch for the katana to make it more lifelike. I hope you don't mind? The whole trunk is charmed as to not allow scratches to the wood. All charms you wanted are on it, as well as a few extra protection charms I added. This trunk is a masterpiece."

Harry just nodded. He was too awed to speak at the moment.

"Now, please put your fingers on the plates with your initials. Best you use all ten fingers, one after another, for every plate. Your magical signature is recorded right alongside your fingerprints. Here. In this booklet you can find the procedures to add and remove someone from access to your trunk. The charms I used are recorded in there also. You should put it in your trunk later on for safekeeping. Now, are you ready to enter? The fourth compartment is the only one you can directly enter. I took the liberty to connect the fifth compartment to a cabinet and a hamper in your bathroom. In the sixth you will find a weapons rack from the dueling chamber. If you want to change that look through the booklet. The instructions are in there also. You will need them to put a shelf from the laboratory into the other part of the sixth compartment. The same goes for the library. I hope all is to your satisfaction this far? Then let's go inside. Just put your finger on the plate."

The sensation was not unlike that of a portkey, but a lot smoother and you could feel the soft pull on your whole body. Harry had expected a set of stairs or a ladder, but this was better. Inside he found a bare room fitted after his instructions. On one end there was a doorway leading to the kitchen and of to the side in a wall was a shimmering blue portal.

"You need to say your destination like 'library' or 'bathroom' before you go through the portal. It is charmed to recognize magical signatures. You can key people only to a certain room if you want to and the portal won't let them through if they aren't keyed in. If you want to get out, only say 'outside' before you step through. The wooden planks you wanted are in the dueling chamber. Take a look around and then tell me what you think."

Harry left with a nod in his direction. He found everything almost exactly like his imagination had played it out. Apart from the size of the rooms that is. They were all rectangular like his trunk, but needed to still be enlarged, just as he had told the man. He also found that he could access the kitchen via portal, one way only. He came out in the doorway between kitchen and pantry. He had a large grin on his face as he walked back into the den.

"This is excellent. It is exactly as I wanted it. You did a very good job. Thank you. If my friends ever need a new trunk I'll tell them to come to you, Mr. Throckmorten."

"That's my job, young man. Now, there are a few things you need to know. The climate is controlled over a panel situated in the kitchen, you can set a different temperature and humidity for each room. If there is a doorway in the room there is a charm on it as to not allow any air exchanges and it is charmed to be always fresh. It also holds odors and noises in the rooms they were created in. The water tank is located under the floor of the bathroom. It has an auto-repair feature and an extra section for waste water. The waste water is automatically cleaned before it rejoins the rest. The quality is that of drinking water and it won't go stale or double as home for bacteria. I have to tell you though: when I went to get your Jacuzzi and an expert explained it to me, I also got one for my family. So, you do like your trunk?"

"It's fantastic, Mr. Throckmorten. But I think we need to get out. I have an appointment at half past eight and that is only ten minutes away. And I still need to pay for the trunk and my new backpack."

Just as before Harry managed to stay on his feet after the transport. When he began to walk out towards the front of the shop the trunk followed him like a faithful dog. It extracted a chuckle out of him.

"What kind of shrinking charm did you put on it? And were you able to pull the temporary transformation into a muggle suitcase of?"

Laughter answered him.

"Yes, I was. It was never necessary before, but it is a good idea. I think I'll put it into my normal offer for charms. There should be several muggleborns and halfbloods that will appreciate it. The shrinking feature, now that is something special. If you push the katana on the lid and think of shrinking your trunk, it will do just that. Your magical signature and the intent to shrink it is needed for this. That also prevents an accidental size decrease. Same goes for the other way round. Your trunk will shrink down to the size of a matchbox. You can easily put it in your pant pocket. There will also be a keychain attached to it, to secure it to a belt loop, if it is shrunken. If you want it to stay at a designated place, you just have to touch the katana and say 'stasis' and to have it follow you again say 'end stasis'. If you want it to transform into a wheeled muggle suitcase touch the katana and say 'muggle style'. To transform it back say 'normal style', you'll find the katana on the button for extending the pulling grip. You will find the contents of the first compartment in it. Access to the others isn't possible in this shape. I'm quiet proud of myself that I managed to get it right."

"As you should, Mr. Throckmorten, as you should. You put a lot of work in fulfilling my wishes. Now, what do I owe you for the trunk and backpack?"

"Well the backpack is 20 galleons, together that makes 1.678 galleons. With furniture that price could have easily been doubled, maybe even tripled. That varies with the luxury you want."

"1.678 galleons."

Harry just emptied his charmed moneybag onto the counter as it was easier that way. He smiled as he carefully emptied his backpack into the third compartment. He only took his cloak out of his old satchel. Then he touched the katana and his trunk was shrunken to matchbox size. He secured it and slid it into his pocket.

"I wish a good evening, Mr. Throckmorten. I hope we do business again some day."

"Likewise, Mr. Partridge. There is one other thing I wanted to tell you. To my knowledge, nobody ever came up with your particular idea of a security locking system. Sure, there are some wards that work on the same basic principal, but those can be broken. I would advise you to go to the ministry and make a patent out of it. You could make a good deal of money with that."

"Mr. Throckmorten, you were the one to put my ideas into action. Shouldn't you be the one to do that?"

"It was your idea. But maybe you could get me a discount on it?"

"Will do. Thank you again, Mr. Throckmorten. You are a very honorable man. I like that. Good bye."

Once again on the street, Harry shook his head. A patent? It seemed like the whole world had decided to go barmy on him this day. He quickly began to move. He was already late for his meeting with Ollivander and his wand. And he itched to get his hands on his wand. He had never before realized just how much of a part of him it was. He knew, it wasn't good to solely depend on his wand, but he wanted to have it near him again. His magic always reacted with a warm buzz to a skin-on-wood contact. Hastily he entered the wand shop. A few feet into the room he whirled around, staring straight into the eyes of Mr. Ollivander.

"Impressive, Mr. Potter. Not even Dumbledore manages to catch me before or in the act. Or are you, maybe, just a bit jumpy?"

Harry sighed.

"Like a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. And I have come to expect it. Therefore I reacted before you managed to shock the hell out of me. Is my wand ready, Mr. Ollivander?"

Harry bounced on the balls of his feet like a little kid. He was terribly exited. The older man chuckled a bit.

"Did you meet my grandson, Harry Potter? You did. That little flinch tells the truth. Your wand hadn't finished its soak when I looked the last time. But that was half an hour ago. We shall go have a look, yes?"

Another chuckle followed the first as he led the way. The came into the workroom as Harrys wand soaked up the last drop of the chimera blood. It began to glow in a dark blue color, interspersed with lighter blue, green and a silvery grey as it levitated in the air in the middle of the protection dome. Then the dome simply vanished into thin air. Harry threw a look at Ollivander and, at his nod, grabbed hold of his wand. A tingle ran through his whole body and when he swished it the multicolored sparks formed the shape of chimera in the air. The wand seemed to vibrate with power and Harry felt like coming home. The feeling was a lot better than in the summer before first year when he had bought it. The wood had change its color and grain. The holly had darkened a bit and the cherry wood could be seen spiraling around from handle to tip, wound around one another and fused. Simply beautiful. As he channeled a bit of his magic through it he could feel the difference. The core had been changed irreparably. It accepted and amplified his magic better now. He slipped it into his wand holster.

"How much do I owe you, Mr. Ollivander? My wand has never before felt so in tune with my magic. It will be so much easier now to properly learn new spells. I hadn't realized it before, but it almost seemed as if I was held back and blocked by my wandcore. It is a wonderful feeling now."

"I could feel it. Maybe I should get the students to come back after fifth year and have their wands customized. With the maturing of their character and magic it would open the way for a better performance in their NEWT years. The custom had been almost forgotten. That will be 23 galleons, Mr. Potter. I hope you will take pleasure in your new wand."

"I will. Don't worry. Mr. Ollivander, there was a question I had wanted to ask you. I concerns the detection of underage magic. I noticed recently, that I only got a letter from the ministry for the Patronus I cast last summer. I also cast a wandless lumos on my wand, but that wasn't mentioned. I never got a letter for blowing up my Aunt with accidental magic or before Hogwarts for everything that happened. On the other hand I got a letter for a levitation charm a house-elf did at my home. Can the detection globes the ministry has only identify wand magic as underage magic? Does the rest simply pass as uncontrolled magical outburst fueled by emotions? And can the magic of magical creatures or beings near a person be detected as use of a wand because of the core?"

"Quiet some questions. The answer to all of them is yes. But in the last case it has to be the intent of the creature, because it has to make a connection to your magic to get this reaction."

"That was all I wanted to know, thanks. I need to go now, otherwise I'll be late. Good evening, Mr. Ollivander. Please don't tell Professor Dumbledore about the changes in my wand or my visit. Bye."

"Good evening, Mr. Potter. I didn't notice you had been here today."

Throaty laughter followed Harry out on the street, as he ran to the Leaky Cauldron. He had to make haste or he would miss his bus. Quickly slipping through the crowd he threw a "Good bye, Tom." at the old inn keeper and rushed out of the door into muggle London, throwing his cloak over himself and vanishing unnoticed into thin air as he went. Nobody saw a boy slipping onto the bus in London and of in Little Whinging. The Order guard took no notice as Harry tiptoed into the garden and waited for his past self to finish talking to Hedwig. Having arrived safely back home, he finally allowed himself to relax. It had been one hell of a day. Snatching up the sandwiches his past self had left him, he went into Dudleys old habitat, making room for a makeshift bed on the floor. Exhausted he curled up, too tired to think of the days events. He craved sleep. Problems had to wait for the next morning.

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upload date: 04-29-05