Chapter 6 – Diagon Alley (2)

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and its characters do not belong to me, otherwise there would be a LOT of changes...like, dragons?

Harry was quite possibly having the best day of his life. For once, he was in almost no pain! (The fact that he was used to a certain level of pain had absolutely no part in this whatsoever.)

And then there was Sev, or Professor Snape, as he would need to be called at Hogwarts. Harry liked him, with his kind eyes, and sarcastic responses. He was much better than the horrible giant who stopped their trip to the aquarium yesterday – he was rather annoyed about that, to be honest. He'd been looking forward to the trip for weeks! Thankfully, Uncle Vernon had promised they could go later in the week.

After Sev and Aunt Petunia headed back downstairs, most likely for a quick chat over a pot of tea, Harry hurried to get ready. Aunt Petunia had said they were going out to London, to get his school supplies, that he would be attending a school! Although, he was a little nervous, ok, he was very nervous, having been home schooled since The Incident, and not really being able to go outside for prolonged periods. Aunt Petunia had said this trip would be a sort-of trial, to see if he could attend Hogwarts.

Upon arriving in the kitchen, Harry was greeted by a glass of milk and choc-chip pancakes.

"Eat up, dear, then we'll be heading off." Aunt Petunia smiled over her china cup.

Nodding, Harry tucked in. Once they'd finished, Sev produced a small, glass vial.

"This is a portkey, one of our means of transportation. I need each of you to place a finger on it, and then we'll head off to Diagon Alley." he explained.

Arriving in the Alley, Sev gave them a moment to get their bearings, before leading them over to Gringotts, where they proceeded to spent the rest of the morning, going over Harry's various accounts, reading the Potter wills, etc. While they were at it, Petunia obtained a copy of the Contract, and ensured Sev was registered as Harry's Magical Guardian.

Then, it was off to Madam Malkins for robes, where they met a very rude red-head and his mother, who took one look at Sev, sniffed and turned up her nose, muttering about snakes, of all things. Hearing this, Aunt Petunia's eyes narrowed, before she took great pleasure in ignoring them, and ordering Harry's school uniform.

After they'd left the shop, Sev explained more about the Houses, their emblems, and the Weasley family, in particular, how they were firmly in Dumbledore's camp, and how the youngest son – Ronald – would most likely attempt to latch onto Harry.

"They sound positively awful," Petunia muttered as they entered the bookshop.

"Indeed." Sev lead them up to the counter. "Ah, good afternoon. We need the First Year and Companions Bundle, and the Muggle-born Bundle, please, along with a copy of the mailing list," he instructed briskly.

"Certainly, Sir." the attendant waved his wand, summoning the requested books. "Will that be all, Sir?"

"Yes, thank you." Sev shrank the package, and they were off again.

Before continuing down the Alley, they stopped at Florean's for ice cream. The look of joy on Harry's face making the stop all the more worth-while.

Ice creams in hand, Sev took them down a side street to the Market. There were stalls selling everything, from second-hand books to groceries and animals.

It was at one of these stalls Aunt Petunia took a liking to a beautiful Snowy owl, and bought her 'so we can keep in touch while you're at school, Harry dear." Harry rather liked the sound of being able to talk with his family. So did Dudley, from his delighted expression.

After getting most of the listed items, Sev paused, before leading them back down the Alley.

"This is best left til last, as it can take a while to find your wand." he explained, leading them into the wand-maker's shop.

Harry smiled, listening to the tinkling bell ring deeper into the shop's depths. Aunt Petunia smiled encouragingly as she led Dudley over to the waiting chairs.

"Good afternoon," the soft voice seemed to come from all around them.

Startled, Harry spun round to find an old man standing by the counter, wide, pale eyes almost glowing at him.

"Um, hello?" Harry smiled nervously, there was something...off-putting about the man.

"Ah, yes," the man smiled. "Yes, I thought I'd be seeing you sometime soon, Mr. Potter. You have your mother's eyes. It seems, only yesterday, she was in here herself, buying her first wand. Ten and a quarter inches, swishy, made of willow. Very nice wand for charm work." Mr. Ollivander sighed, his eyes darting across to Aunt Petunia for a moment. "Your father, on the other hand, favoured mahogany. Eleven inches, pliable. A little more power, and most excellent for transfiguration. Well, I say he favoured it – really, the wand chooses the wizard, of course." Ollivander winked at him, before pulling a tape measure out of his pocket. "Now, then, Mr. Potter, let's get to it. Which is your wand arm?"

"Er, I'm right-handed, if that helps?" Harry offered, only to be interrupted by a coughing fit.

Hurrying over, Sev pulled a couple of vials from his pocket, before helping Harry drink them once the coughing stopped.

Ollivander nodded slowly, before waving his hand.

"Hold out your arm, please." the tape measure gloated out beside him. "Every Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful magical substance, Mr. Potter." he continued, seemingly unperturbed by the small coughing fit, for which Harry was grateful. "We use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers, dragon heartstrings, and the like. No two wands are the same, just as no two unicorns are quite the same. And, of course, you will never get such good results with another's wand. That will do." he added, causing the tape measure to fly to the counter, where a small collection on wand boxes had been building. "Right then, try this one, Beechwood and dragon heartstring, nine inches, nice and flexible. Just give it a wave."

Smiling nervously, Harry picked the wand up, attempting a graceful swish. Almost at once, the wand was snatched back.

"No, maybe, here, ebony and unicorn hair, eight and a half inches, springy. Well, go on. No." the wand was plucked away. "Tricky customer, eh?" Ollivander hummed happily. "Not to worry, we'll find a match for you somewhere!" he wondered further into the shop, before pausing, a strange look in his eyes. "I wonder..." reaching up, he pulled a box from the top shelf, before returning. "Try this one, Mr. Potter, it's a...rather unusual combination – Holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple."

Nodding, Harry took the wand, only to feel a sudden warmth run up his fingers, along with a sense of rightness.

"Oh, bravo! Yes, indeed, oh, very good. Well, well, well...how curious..." Ollivander started muttering to himself as he wrapped the wand securely.

Harry blinked.

"Excuse me, but, how is it an unusual combination?"

Startled, Ollivander focused back on the small raven.

"well, when creating a wand, there are certain, shall we say, elements? which can react to each other. The study of wandlore is probably a bit advanced for a soon-to-be first-year, so I'll attempt to simplify a bit, hmm? Holly, the wood used for your wand, varies most dramatically in performance with the wand's core. Due to this, it is one of the rarer-used woods. However, the wood is extremely protective and loyal, generally seen as a symbol of luck and protection from Evil. Now, phoenix feathers. Again, another rare ingredient in wands, but perhaps the most powerful. The Phoenix itself is a symbol of Life, Death and Renewal. All very powerful in their own rights. There have been recorded instances of wands containing a a feather from a phoenix taking the initiative, and acting of their own volition. They are also extremely versatile. Yes, we can expect great things from you, Mr. Potter. I look forward to hearing of them."