Harry admired the stone wall outside, wondering why the pub had bothered installing a door that led to nothing.
After a brief verbal exchange with the toothless old barkeep, McGonagall emerged from door behind him. He watched with more than a bit of confusion as she prodded the stone wall with her wand, and gasped loudly when it opened up to reveal a place the likes of which he had never seen before. The older witch turned to him, this time with a genuine smile on her face.

"Harry Potter, welcome to Diagon Alley."

At that moment, the entire idea of the magical world changed for Harry. For several years it had just been an abstract concept within the young boy's mind, something he had read about in textbooks and heard stories of from his grandmother and others. He had never doubted its existence, and had even performed actual magic himself. But not until seeing the inside of Diagon Alley did it become truly real. He took his first steps into this strange new world with emerald eyes as wide as saucers and a goofy grin on his aristocratic face.

Chapter Two: Strolling With Serpents – Kindred Spirits

Disclaimer: If you've seen it before, it belongs to J.K. Rowling. Otherwise, it's mine. Naturally, I'm making no money off this. Am I the only one that finds these things to be extremely repetitive and pointless?


Harry looked around the main thoroughfare of the alley curiously while he walked along, taking in all of the different shops. He glanced first at an apothecary near the exit of the Leaky Cauldron and was rather repulsed by the types of articles for sale. He then stopped to take a look at Madame Malkin's Robes for All Occasions and admire some of the fashions of display. Harry found some of the color combinations to be positively dazzling. Moving on, he noticed that several children roughly his age were crowded at the front window of Quality Quidditch Supplies ogling the new Nimbus Two Thousand, the latest model of racing broom. He turned his head away disdainfully. To think that these people would be so excited about hovering about on some cleaning instrument. He then saw a girl and her parents emerging from a bookstore with an entire stack of spell tomes.

At that point, a potential snag in this entire shopping experience came to the forefront of Harry's mind. He had absolutely no money whatsoever. Despite being from an extremely wealthy family, Harry had never carried any substantial amounts of cash on his person. If he had ever needed anything, all that was required was for him to ask his grandmother, and she would then send somebody else to procure it. The whole notion of physically going into a store and purchasing something was an entirely foreign concept to him.

"Professor McGonagall?"

"Yes, Potter?"

"I'm not quite sure how to tell you this, but I have no money. I've never quite needed to carry any."

The normally severe woman gave him a reassuring smile.

"Then we'll just have to start out by going to Gringotts to withdraw some. Your parents didn't leave you without a Galleon to speak of, you know."

Even as impressionable as he was, Harry was rather sure that she wasn't talking about old sailing ships. Though the idea of using such things as a form of currency struck a chord with his more fanciful side.

"What is Gringotts, anyway?"

"Our bank, naturally. It is run by goblins, and they are quite vicious. I would advise not touching anything without permission. Here we are, right in front of you."

Gringotts Bank was a rather large building constructed of white marble. The architecture was rather ornate in comparison to the dusty and antique look of the majority of Diagon Alley's shops. Harry felt that the Doric styling of the columns was rather plain, but followed McGonagall through the bronzed entrance doors. They hardly took a few additional steps before coming across a second set of doors, these of silver and bearing an inscription. It was a poem, four rhyming couplets that bore a harsh warning against attempting to steal from the bank. Harry found it to be an absolutely dreadful composition, lacking in any sophisticated language or deeper meaning. It was everything that a poetic work shouldn't be. Of course, he knew that he really couldn't have expected much. They were goblins, after all.

The main hall consisted of two long counters on either side of the room, where countless goblins sat on high stools going about their work, counting coins and examining gemstones. Others serviced customers in a rather surly fashion and filled out ledgers. McGonagall nudged Harry on the shoulder and led him in the direction of a free desk.

"Right this way, Potter. The sooner we can get out of here, the better."

"Yes, ma'am."

Harry followed obediently, sharing the older woman's distaste for Gringotts. The place figuratively reeked of a tangible aura of base avarice. Harry held a special loathing for material concerns, always setting his own imagination on those things that he viewed to be of a much higher importance, such as his love for reading and for his girls, as well as maintaining his personal beauty. He had no patience for such conventional concerns as accumulating wealth. A particularly nasty looking goblin wrinkled his nose at the pair when they arrived at his station.

"Welcome to Gringotts. How may I be of assistance to you today?"

McGonagall answered curtly.

"Young Mister Potter here needs to make a withdrawal from his vault."

The goblin fixed Harry with a calculating stare, not that he noticed. He was looking in the opposite direction, at another bank customer going over a ledger at a nearby station, a tall and handsome man, with long white hair neatly arranged into a single plait. He had a pale disposition and pointed aristocratic features. Most striking were his eyes, metallic gray and so cold that they could freeze one's heart, and a good complement to his stern facial expression. His silk traveling cloak was a pure black and was fastened with an ornate silver pin, and he held a cane with a head shaped like a serpent. Though not an experienced judge of wizards, Harry could easily tell that this was a man of distinction. The young wizard had never seen anybody quite like him. Perhaps there really were other men in the world handsome enough to rank with him after all.

"And does young Mister Potter have his key?"

The goblin announced Harry's surname much more loudly than McGonagall had, causing the aristocrat to shift and regard him. The raven-headed boy had long since turned away, not wanting to allow his gaze to linger and risk being caught staring. Harry looked over to McGonagall, noticing her groan audibly when the other man started strolling in their direction. She quickly handed the goblin a small brass key from her tartan handbag.

"There, and let's not delay any more than necessary. We have a busy schedule to keep."

The goblin nodded, but glared disdainfully at the Deputy Headmistress.

"Gehrnek!"

A larger goblin with pockmarked white skin lumbered up towards the pair, but not soon enough for McGonagall. A silky drawling voice spoke from behind Harry.

"The famous Harry Potter, what a most fortunate discovery. I came here looking for goblins and have instead stumbled upon a phoenix."

Harry whirled around slowly to regard the man, staring into his probing gray eyes with a smile on his face. The older wizard took a moment to glance over Harry, taking in his stylish casual dress and refined posture with a nod of approval. He reached over to Harry's forehead with a gloved hand, softly brushing aside the fringe of black hair. The man arched a platinum eyebrow, a slightly puzzled expression crossing his pointed features. McGonagall didn't take well at all to his presence.

"If you would please excuse us, Lucius, young Mister Potter and I have business to attend to."

Lucius Malfoy directed a cold sneer toward his former Transfiguration teacher.

"Ah, Minerva. Always a pleasure, but I'm sorely afraid that I will not excuse you just yet. I wish to speak with our young savior, unless he has any objections, naturally."

It wasn't very often that Harry felt even the slightest bit awed by another person, and this Lucius fellow was able to do just that. He rather liked the idea of acquainting himself with worthy individuals, and the aristocratic wizard certainly was one, if his appearance was any indicator. He was able to address the man with a confidence that he typically lacked around strangers.

"It's no problem, though I don't know what you'd want to talk to me about. And call me Harry."

"Many things, Harry. But first, my name is Lucius Malfoy. A pleasure to make your acquaintance. Now, since our esteemed Deputy Headmistress appears to be so woefully pressed for time, perhaps it would be best if we all took my private cart to our respective vaults. I need only to make a quick withdrawal myself."

Harry nodded acquiescence and then looked over to McGonagall for approval. The woman's eyes were blazing with anger and she wore a deep frown.

"Absolutely not. The Headmaster would be most displeased if I allowed..."

Malfoy cut her off rudely, a victorious smirk appearing on his face.

"And I suppose Albus Dumbledore presumes upon the right to make young Harry's personal decisions for him, regardless of the boy's own feelings."

Harry recognized that name from even before receiving his school letter. His grandmother had warned him repeatedly about ever trusting the Headmaster. She described him as a meddling old coot that hid his manipulations behind the facade of a concerned surrogate grandfather, and told him not to fall for his subtle deceit. Mister Malfoy shared in Azalea's cynical opinion of the man and thus he was obviously a good person as well, or so Harry believed in his foolish naiveté.

"Of course not, however..."

"Then it's decided. Goblin! Prepare my private cart at once. I intend to make a withdrawal from the main Malfoy vault, and then we will continue to young Mister Potter's."

The larger goblin, Gehrnek, looked over to his superior behind the desk. The latter practically shouted at him. Harry was starting to think that Lucius Malfoy's personality was perhaps slightly too caustic for his tastes but still judged him to be enjoyable company.

"You heard the man! Don't keep Lord Malfoy and his party waiting! Get moving, now!"

So he really was aristocracy, Harry thought. He had never actually met a real nobleman before. This was beginning to be a most delightfully interesting day.

"Yes, sir! This way, everybody."

Gerhnek scurried off in the direction of one of the doors to the rear of the main hall. Lucius Malfoy strode briskly alongside, his cane tapping rhythmically on the tiled floor as he walked. Harry tried to keep pace with the older man, but was largely unable to do so. His legs weren't as long and he wasn't at accustomed to any kind of physical exertion. He eventually settled for lagging a few steps behind. McGonagall brought up the rear, lips pressed so tightly together that they were barely visible. The small party arrived at the entrance to what appeared to be a cavern burrowing deep into the ground. Within a minute or so, a large cart appeared to retrieve them. It was carved of mahogany and plated with silver, and what appeared to be the Malfoy family crest was emblazoned upon the front. It had nicely cushioned seats, green with silver lining. Harry took a seat next to Lucius, with McGonagall taking hers across from them. The goblin stood at the front of the cart.

"Hang on tight. Our first stop will be vault number seven, the Malfoy main account."

The trip was very rapid, but very smooth. Still, Harry was delicate and had no constitution for moving at such a high velocity, so he largely kept to looking at the cart's carpeted floor to avoid nausea. Lucius Malfoy's rich drawl caused him to look up hesitantly.

"If I may venture to ask, Harry, whatever has happened to your legendary scar?"

McGonagall shot the boy a significant glance, but he either ignored it or failed to grasp its meaning.

"My grandmother paid to have it removed years ago, sir. She said something about how it would make me a false icon. I just thought it was ugly, though."

Lucius shook his head. Harry couldn't understand why the man would be disappointed with him.

"A most imprudent move, if I may be so bold. That scar was a symbol of your status in our world."

Harry shrugged nonchalantly, his feelings regarding the matter unchanged.

"But it would be so horrid for people to look at me and never see past that disgusting thing. I'd much rather simply enrapture those around me with my elegance and charm. That would be far better than being praised for the scar."

Lucius Malfoy chuckled indulgently, while McGonagall's face looked torn between pride and ridicule. The cart came to a stop in one of the nearer recesses of the bank's network of tunnels. The Malfoy vault door was cast in pure silver and also sported the family crest. Lucius strode forward and pressed his signet ring into a small groove in the wall. Harry followed surreptitiously behind, though McGonagall remained seated. The gilded door rumbled open, exposing what was easily the greatest single collection of wealth that Harry had ever seen. The vault extended nearly as far as his eyes could see. Mountains of gold coins and jewels nearly ten feet tall littered the floor. There were also some smaller piles of silver coins and a few stacks of bronze currency scattered about. The walls were adorned with bookshelves containing old and priceless magical tomes, and with racks containing ornate weaponry.

If the Malfoy patriarch had any issues with Harry loitering about in his family treasure vault, he did nothing to express it. Lucius strolled over to the nearest pile of gold Galleons and began scooping an impossible amount into a small leather carrying bag. Harry expressed no surprise at the sight, being familiar with Enlargement Charms from his studies. He had toyed with them a few times with relative success, but had always been gifted with an abundance of living room in the family estate regardless. Once Lucius had emptied several thousand Galleons into his sack, he motioned for Harry to follow him out with a smile.

"We'll proceed to your vaults next."

Harry left the vault alongside Malfoy as requested, tearing his gaze away from the colorful pile of sparking jewels that had monopolized his attention for the last several minutes. The albino goblin spoke up again as Harry retook his seat inside the cart.

"Next stop is vault six hundred and eighty seven, Harry James Potter."

The Malfoy fortunes had been contained within the bank since its creation and thus the vault was somewhat close the surface. Harry's personal trust vault was deep within the catacombs underneath the bank, being one of the more recent accounts opened. A span of ten or eleven years, after all, was not very much time for an institution that had been operating for many centuries. As a result, this trip took much longer than the first.

Lucius took advantage of the time by constantly probing Harry with different questions about his upbringing. The boy answered with as much as he could remember. He had been too young at the time to remember much about his short-lived placement with the Dursleys in Little Whinging. The subject had always been taboo around his grandmother's home, as was anything else even remotely connected to Vernon. Aside from the old lady, only Petunia and Parker knew of it to begin with. Harry quite happily regaled the platinum-haired aristocrat with stories about his girls and his preliminary studies with magic, as well as his general disdain for many of the people that his grandmother had brought to the house. He had gotten a particularly vindictive sneer out of the man when he had spoken ill of the so-called Weasels.

McGonagall, on the other hand, looked increasingly uneasy, as Harry became more and more comfortable speaking with Lucius Malfoy. Harry didn't really understand the animosity between the two, but didn't particularly consider it a matter that he needed to concern himself with. He reveled in the attention being lavished upon him by the older man, whereas the Deputy Headmistress had been rather cold and distant with him the entire trip. She had never once tried to initiate any kind of dialogue with him, aside from to hurry him along. It was almost as though being in his company were some sort of undesirable chore to her. Harry was rather insulted by the thought, but kept his tongue out of respect to his grandmother's command to behave himself.

The cart finally came to a halt in front of an iron vault door, completely nondescript and containing only a small keyhole. McGonagall rose from her seat and primly left the cart. Harry followed behind wordlessly, as did Lucius once the stern woman was ahead and out of sight. Gerhnek stalked over and inserted Harry's vault key into the lock, having apparently taken it from the other goblin up at the desk while Minerva was bickering with Malfoy. The door ground open noisily, permitting Harry entrance into his vault. He hadn't quite been expecting the vast riches that had filled the Malfoy vault, but he was a bit miffed at how little there was. There were a few medium-sized hills of Galleons, as well as stacks of silver Sickles and a few isolated piles of bronze Knuts. He wasn't quite sure how much there was, but it couldn't have been more than five or six thousand Galleons.

The small amount of gold didn't really disturb him, as his grandmother would quite willingly provide him with anything that he might ever want or need in the future, magical or otherwise. It just didn't make sense. The Potters were supposed to be an old magical family, according to what his grandmother had told him. Surely Harry's inheritance should amount to more than this. Gehrnek handed him a charmed leather bag similar to Malfoy's. He was on the point of just letting the matter slide and withdrawing however many Galleons he might require, but his curiosity got the better of him. He turned to the waiting McGonagall.

"Professor McGonagall. I have a question."

"What is it, Potter? Just withdraw however much you think is necessary to purchase your supplies. Fifty Galleons or so should do nicely."

Lucius Malfoy's cold drawl interrupted the woman again, as the man rounded the corner.

"Only if you expect the boy to live as a street urchin, Minerva. He is the sole heir to a prestigious magical family and has been raised accordingly, at least from what I can clearly see. Such a paltry sum will be wholly insufficient if he is to maintain the proper standard of living. He'll be needing five hundred at the very least."

Her temper finally roused, McGonagall exhaled loudly and sent Malfoy a glare that would send most men running. The pureblood just sneered back at her.

"That's perfectly splendid, Malfoy! Just go right ahead and encourage him to squander his entire inheritance!"

"Cease your blathering, woman. Even several thousand Galleons fails to constitute even a small dent in the Potter fortunes, to say nothing of hundreds."

McGonagall shook her head.

"I refuse to debate with you any further, Lucius. What did you want to ask me, Potter?"

Harry was digging his toe into the stone floor disinterestedly before being snapped out of it due to hearing his name.

"I wanted to know if this is really supposed to be the entire Potter inheritance. My grandma always told me that my father's family was old magical blood and wealthy."

It was Lucius, however, that answered his query. The aristocrat wrinkled his nose in disgust as he looked over Harry's vault.

"Indeed they were, Harry. While perhaps not quite on the same scale as a few of the oldest magical families, the Potters have amassed considerable wealth, both in gold and in property. This pittance should not even be a menial scrape of your rightful inheritance, and I would be most interested in hearing what has happened to the rest. Goblin, if you would please enlighten us."

"As you wish, Lord Malfoy. Allow me to check the family account ledger..."

As Gerhnek started reading over a piece of parchment paper that from a small book on the inside wall of the vault. Meanwhile, Harry walked over to one of the mounds of gold and emptied a good deal of it into his bag. At a guess, he thought that he had scooped out perhaps two thousand or so of the gold coins by the time he was finished. He was only absently listening as the goblin gave his report.

"According to our records, Professor Albus Dumbledore was named controller of the Potter estate following the demise of the late Lord James Potter. He established this small trust vault to pay for young Harry's education at Hogwarts with instructions that the boy not be allowed to succeed to the full inheritance until his graduation at the age..."

"I have heard more than enough. This is a flagrant violation of pureblooded law and custom."

"Be that as it may, the boy cannot contest the decision without the expressed consent of his legal magical guardian..."

Lucius Malfoy was visibly outraged, sending the albino creature his infamous death glare. He spoke in a low voice, venom dripping from his every word.

"Allow me to venture a guess. Albus Dumbledore also occupies that role..."

"That is correct."

"This will not go uncontested. As the chairperson of the Magical Society for Pureblooded Advancement, I refuse to sit back and allow this meddling old fool to trample upon the rights of the only living heir to an ancient line."

McGonagall tried to intervene.

"This is none of your concern, Lucius. The boy has more than enough gold to get along with until he finishes school, and plenty of money on his mother's side of the family besides."

"Do not presume to tell me what my prerogatives are and are not, McGonagall."

Harry really didn't think that the entire issue was worth all of this fuss. However, his grandmother would surely likewise be up in arms about his being denied his rightful inheritance. The dank oxygen down in these caverns was starting to affect his breathing. He wanted to leave as soon as possible and commence with his shopping.

"Excuse me, but if the two of you don't mind I would like to leave now. This air is making me lightheaded."

Lucius nodded and started strolling back towards the cart, serpent-headed cane clacking along the stone as he moved. McGonagall made a statement.

"I take it you've withdrawn enough money, then. Very well, let's get out of this place."

Nobody spoke during the trip back to the surface. Harry knew that he would be sick if he were to look up, already feeling weak from being exposed to bad air. Lucius wore a calculating expression, apparently planning something or the other. McGonagall had enough decency to look a bit embarrassed about her employer's unethical meddling in Harry's personal affairs, though she was also fuming about having been thoroughly humiliated by the aristocrat. Upon reaching the main hall again, McGonagall motioned for Harry to follow her out of Gringotts. Lucius Malfoy had other ideas, again addressing the woman with his chilling drawl.

"Minerva, do be a dear and run along back to Hogwarts. I might advise you to inform the esteemed headmaster that there will be dire consequences if he fails to change his position regarding this young man's inheritance."

There were more customers in the bank by this point. McGonagall bristled, but managed to keep her voice down.

"I think not, Lucius. I am obligated to see to Potter's personal safety for the duration of his shopping trip, from both his grandmother and the headmaster. I'll not abandon him to roam the alleys on his own."

Lucius smiled condescendingly and shook his head.

"I believe that Harry's trust in our world has already been compromised enough today as a result of that old fool. I am quite certain that his grandmother would most readily agree. My own son will be starting his schooling this coming term, and it just so happens that we are here to purchase his supplies this morning as well. Narcissa and I would be delighted to escort Harry through the alleys for the day. You need not worry about a single thing."

McGonagall was silent for a moment and looked over to Harry.

"Potter, which alternative do you prefer?"

Harry was a bit surprised to actually be given a choice in the matter. He felt in his innermost heart that he had chanced upon a sort of kindred spirit in Lucius Malfoy, despite the vast age difference between the two. The nobleman indulged him in much the same manner that he was accustomed to at the estate with his girls and his grandmother. The choice was very easy to make.

"I think I'd rather go with Mister Malfoy. Thank you for escorting me so far, though."

Minerva nodded hesitantly, but the old witch turned to Lucius angrily.

"As you wish. Lucius, the boy is now your responsibility. If anything at all untoward should happen to him, I will personally see to it that you rot in Azkaban for the remainder of your living days. And make no mistake, Albus Dumbledore will hear of this."

The aristocrat bowed mockingly.

"I have no doubts. Have a most wonderful day, Minerva."

McGonagall turned to leave, marching quickly through the ornate silver double doors leading out to the entrance lobby. Harry was watching a small party of goblins as they scurried through a side exit. He felt Lucius Malfoy's cane tap lightly against his shoulder and returned his attention to the man while muttering a sheepish apology.

"Sorry, sir. I was just having a thought."

"Surely those filthy goblins couldn't have been that distracting."

"It wasn't really them. I was just imagining how spectacular it would be if one of those passageways led to a great dark forest right in the middle of the city. Maybe there could also be some rustic old village full of Japanese assassins guarding an evil cursed sword or something. But that couldn't ever really happen, I suppose."

Lucius blinked his eyes in confusion before smirking slightly, his gray eyes glittering with amusement.

"My dear boy, do try not to let your imagination run too far away from you. Now follow me. My wife and son will be meeting us at the entrance to Knockturn Alley."

Harry followed, again trying and failing to keep stride with the older man. They didn't have to venture all the way to Knockturn Alley. Two people were waiting for Lucius at the front marble steps of the bank. The first was a tall blonde woman dressed in a form fitting green velvet dress with a matching handbag. She was very attractive, Harry thought, and would have been absolutely stunning if not for the disgusted expression twisted onto her face. Not that he could really blame her, as he found a good portion of the entire atmosphere of London and Diagon Alley to be rather revolting himself. From the way she immediately glanced up at Lucius, she had to be his wife. The other was for all intents and purposes a smaller version of the aristocrat, except that his hair was much shorter and slicked back with some kind of gel, obviously their son. Mrs. Malfoy smiled sardonically at her husband as he and Harry approached.

"Lucius, darling. Whatever did you do to poor Minerva McGonagall? The woman stormed out of the bank and gave Draco and me the most frightful glare as she passed."

The slight sneer on her face betrayed her lack of sincerity.

"My dear Narcissa. Always so quick to point the finger. Draco, I do trust that you're behaving properly."

The platinum-haired boy stepped forward and gave Lucius a deferential bow.

"Of course, father."

Narcissa Malfoy then noticed Harry, who was trying to stand inconspicuously behind Lucius. For all his flighty attitude and generally amicable disposition, he was still extremely shy around people that he didn't know, especially when away from his grandmother's estate. For a brief moment, he found himself wishing that he had stayed with McGonagall. The pureblooded woman looked down at him with softening blue eyes, apparently already somewhat taken with him just on first sight.

"And just who might this handsome young wizard be?"

"How very rude of me. Family, this is the esteemed and legendary Harry Potter. He'll be joining us for the duration of our excursion today. Harry, this elegant lady is my beautiful wife, Narcissa, and her companion is our only son and heir, Draco. He will be attending school in your year at Hogwarts. I have high hopes that the two of you will become excellent friends."

Narcissa gave her husband a strange look, to which he nodded in response. She daintily offered a hand to Harry. He took it gently, blushing ever slightly as he gently kissed the back of it in imitation of the gentlemen that he had read about in books. She seemed a bit humored by the gesture, laughing melodiously as Harry shook hands with Draco. The Malfoy matriarch seemed to have a high opinion of his manners and expressed it.

"Why, you're ever the proper young gentleman. So rare to find a wizard raised with proper etiquette these days."

"Thank you, Mrs. Malfoy."

Lucius chuckled indulgently yet again, ever intent on humoring the young wizard.

"Now, Harry. There's no need to be timid. How much did you withdraw from your vault?"

"About two thousand Galleons. Will that be enough?"

Draco stared incredulously, but with a smile, as did his mother. It was the latter who answered.

"That's...quite enough to buy for your entire incoming class with a hefty amount to spare, dear."

Lucius whispered something to his wife and received an approving nod in return.

"You two boys will proceed over to the clothier and get acquainted while getting measured for your robes. Meanwhile, Narcissa and I will alter the lunch reservations to accommodate Harry. You will rendenzvous with us at Ollivander's in about an hour."

Draco gave an obedient nod and left in the direction of Madame Malkin's. Harry followed behind, not entirely remembering the way himself. They were lucky enough to come in when there were no other customers in the shop, and were directed behind the counter to be fitted immediately. They both ordered their robes to be done in the finest and most expensive silks, as Harry followed Draco's lead on what to purchase. The younger Malfoy finally broke the silence, his gray eyes boring into Harry's.

"If you're really the great Harry Potter like my father says, then why don't you have the scar?"

Harry smiled, thankful for not having to be the one to initiate conversation.

"He asked the same question. My grandmother had it removed when I was a child. She said it was no good for me, and I thought it was hideous."

"Makes sense, but how do you get rid of a curse scar?"

"I don't know, some sort of Muggle cosmetic surgery. So, where d'you think you'll be Sorted at school?"

Harry knew some of the particulars about Hogwarts from the history tomes that were occasionally forced upon him during his studies. That said, he didn't particularly care for his chosen subject of conversation, but he wanted to talk about his scar even less. He had heard enough about it from Lucius earlier. He also saw the look of disdain on the other boy's face when he mentioned the word "Muggle." He had no desire to have a row with his apparent new friend over that issue, but would have done so had Draco insulted non-magical folk. After all, Kim and the other girls were all Muggles, and most importantly, so was his grandmother. Draco smirked and answered in his haughtiest tone of voice.

"Slytherin, where else? Everybody in my family gets sorted into Slytherin. How about you?"

Harry looked up at the ceiling for a moment in thought.

"I'm not sure. I know I don't want to be in bloody Gryffindor. The other houses all seem okay, but I guess I'll just have to find out when I get there."

"You wouldn't mind being put in Hufflepuff? I'd sooner be sent back home..."

"There's nothing wrong with being loyal, though I'm sure the duffers would bore me to tears. And the color yellow suits me nicely."

"You'd look much better in green. It matches your eyes."

Harry chuckled in an attempt to imitate Lucius. He failed miserably.

"Trying to sway me already, are you? Besides, Hufflepuff yellow matches your hair."

"Naturally, it would be a bloody crime for the magical world's hero not to be in Slytherin. And I will hex you if you ever repeat that again."

Harry glanced out the window, emerald eyes widening as a veritable giant of a man walked by the front of the shop. He was at least ten feet tall and had long and tangled hair with a beard to match. He was dressed in some kind of animal skin overcoat. Harry nudged Draco and pointed.

"Say, take a look at that man!"

"Oh, I've heard of him before. He's the groundskeeper at Hogwarts or something. Father says that he's some kind of savage. Lives in a shack near the woods and everything."

"Well, he certainly looks the part. And such abhorral fashion sense, too. Really, you'd think he just skinned a bear and wrapped it around himself."

"I'd say that his only alternative would be to wear a tent. Enough about him, though. Do you play any Quidditch?"

"Quidditch...oh, right, the sport that disgusting Roland Weasel or whatever his name was kept trying to talk to me about two years ago on my birthday. No, I don't play. I don't have much for flying. I'm quite sure the wind would be murder on my hair."

Draco snorted derisively.

"And my friends call ME a vainglorious ponce. I can't believe you can tolerate that family. They're such dirt-poor Mudblood lovers, disgraces to the name of wizard. Father's always going on about how the lot of them ought to be sterilized before that fat mother hen can squirt out any more rodents. They have seven children and couldn't even afford to properly raise one."

Harry bristled in anger and clenched his fist.

"My mother was a Muggleborn witch, I'll have you know."

"Sorry, guess I forgot. You look and act so much like a pureblood that it's easy to."

"I don't know whether to be flattered or insulted by that."

Draco sneered.

"Take it however you want. I meant it as a compliment. Were you raised magical or Muggle?"

"Well, I grew up in my grandmother's Muggle estate, but I'd answer magical for the most part. I've never really used much modern Muggle technology and I've been studying magic more or less since my seventh birthday. All that I really do around the house is read and play games with my attendants."

Madame Malkin told the boys that they were done being measured, cutting off whatever reply Draco might have made. Harry glanced over at a clock on the wall, noting that barely twenty minutes had passed since they had left Lucius and Narcissa. Harry paid for his robe order, the cost coming to a little over one hundred and fifty Galleons. He looked around the shop for a moment and decided to make a few other purchases, particularly a pair of expensive dragonhide boots with matching knee breeches and a royal blue silken cape, along with a solid gold fastener shaped like a preening peacock. He paid a little extra for the shop owner to magically enlarge the carrying bag so that he could fit his other purchases inside. Not wanting to be completely outspent, Draco purchased a pair of graphorn hide boots, as well as a new traveling cloak.

They left the store with just a little under half an hour before they were due to meet up with the senior Malfoys at the wand shop, and ventured into a magical jewelry store at Harry's insistence. Draco largely disliked wearing adornments of the kind. Harry bought heavily, particularly a pair of gem-encrusted bracers to be worn on his wrists, along with a bejeweled belt and a small coronet for his hair. All of the stones were of a clear color. The shopkeeper explained that they would color in the first time Harry put them on, based on whatever he wanted them to be. Draco suggested that he save them for after the Sorting Ceremony, so that they could be made to reflect his house colors. The younger Malfoy also made it a point to insist that they would naturally end up being emeralds. The general idea made sense to Harry, who found that the other boy was actually quite useful for advice on such matters of fashion, though he considered his looks to be beyond reproach to begin with.

Harry's purchases made, the pair started over for Ollivander's. Lucius and Narcissa were already waiting for them outside the front entrance, along with a small creature that Harry viewed to rival the goblins in terms of grotesqueness. It had a long thin nose and huge green eyes, and was dressed in rags. It shrunk away at the sight of Harry, apparently terrified of him, or of his companions. He almost felt sorry for it, whatever it was, but dismissed the matter as Lucius spoke to the two boys.

"Have the pair of you gotten to know one another somewhat?"

His son answered.

"Yes, father. We've made quite fast friends. As usual, you know how to choose the worthiest people to associate with."

The elder Malfoy nodded.

"A skill that I hope to see you acquire. Mindless oafs such as the Crabbe and Goyle heirs can prove useful on occasion, but they are not to be relied upon in important matters."

"Understood, father. I will do my best not to disappoint you."

Narcissa brought an end to her husband's chastising of her son.

"Harry, dear. I see that you've made some additional purchases. Might I take a look?"

Harry handed the older beauty his sack, noticing that she looked a lot prettier when addressing him or Draco. She raised an eyebrow while going through some of his selections.

"You seem to have quite an affinity for jewelry."

"I suppose so. I like the cape and fastener the most, though."

Lucius interrupted his wife's comments on Harry's fashion, much to his dismay. It was one of the few subjects he could talk about ad nauseum without getting bored or annoyed.

"We had might as well go in, before other customers make an appearance."

The four walked into the dusty wand shop. Ollivander had somewhat eerie eyes that shone like moonlight. Harry was a bit wary of the obviously eccentric man, who spoke to the group.

"Ah, the esteemed Malfoy family. I certainly hope that you're all doing well. Lucius, fifteen and a half inches, ebony and dragon's heartstring. A particularly sleek and graceful specimen, but with a good amount of power behind it as well. Especially good for curses if my memory serves correctly, one of my finer creations. Narcissa, you were nine and a quarter, made from betel and unicorn's hair. A fine wand for healing magic, as well as defensive spells. I seem to recall it being a slight bit weak on the offensive side, but still more than adequate."

Both husband and wife nodded. Harry was rather impressed with the man's recall ability.

"Your memory is impeccable as always, Mister Ollivander."

"Thank you, I do try to remember every wand that I sell. And now, your worthy son has come through my doors for his first wand. And so the great circle of creation continues. Well, young Malfoy, please give this one a wave to start with, if you would."

Ollivander handed Draco a wand. Harry wasn't paying much attention to it, instead looking around at all of the boxes in the room. A red one on a faraway shelf caught his eye. After about ten minutes, the younger Malfoy obtained a compatible reaction with a long maple wand, as evidenced by a shower of green and yellow sparks. Ollivander flashed him a smile.

"Thirteen inches, maple and dragon's heartstring. An ideal combination of power and poise, certainly a wand to be proud of. I can already see that you'll take quite well after your father."

Draco flushed with pride at that comment, stepping back to allow Harry his spot at the counter. Ollivander's eyes nearly misted over at the sight of the boy, and he spoke in a low voice.

"Mister Potter, I've been expecting you. This is certainly not the company that I would have expected you to be keeping, but perhaps time truly does heal all wounds..."

Lucius kept his face impassive at this comment, but Harry almost swore that he could see a flash of some emotion reflected in the man's cold gray eyes. Ollivander looked up at Harry's forehead.

"...I see that you've parted with your legendary scar. Perhaps it is not my place to judge, but allow me to offer you some advice. You cannot run away from what you are, my boy. No cosmetic will ever hide your true nature or your destiny when the time comes for them to become manifest. To even try would be folly. Remember that..."

Harry almost lost his temper at this presumptuous lecture, but kept his temper reined in so as not to make a fool of himself in front of the Malfoys.

"You're babbling lies, old man. I've not run from a single thing in my life."

"Perhaps that is true. Now, let's get you paired with a wand. Here we go, eight inches, teak and unicorn hair. Give it a whirl."

Harry gave the wand a wave, and some sparks flew out. Narcissa clapped her hands behind him.

"A suitable match on the first try. I've never heard of such a thing."

Ollivander shook his head in the negative.

"I'm afraid not, my dear Narcissa. He simply has some previous experience with focusing his magic. It seems that somebody's been doing spellwork illegally. If anybody could have disabled the Ministry detection charms placed on my creations while still in school, it would have been your mother, Mister Potter. A brilliant charms mistress, she would have been one of the world's best had she not come to her untimely demise. Well, try this one. Ten and a half inches, spruce and dragon's heartstring."

Harry did as ordered, and again got a reaction. This continued on for the better part of an hour. Lucius eventually got a bit irritated.

"The boy seems to be compatible with any wand he touches, so sell him one and be done with it."

"Patience, Lucius. What we have seen thus faris only his own magic reacting to a stimulus, not a connection between the wand's personality and his own. This is a delicate process."

Harry pointed to the red box at the far and of the storage room.

"Mister Ollivander, I want to try that one. Please retrieve it for me."

The man glanced over and then looked back at Harry.

"That is a failed creation of mine, the disastrous result of my attempting to dabble in wand components from the Orient. Seventeen inches, bamboo and peach blossoms stained in siren's blood. The specimen is hopelessly fickle and extremely violent with those it deems unsuitable. I just keep it there as a novelty. It will never be compatible with anybody. I could never sell such a monstrosity to a young wizard of your stature."

Narcissa repeated Harry's request.

"Let the boy try it. It can do no harm, and if you aren't satisfied then by all means sell him one of the myriad or so other wands he's already tested."

Ollivander sighed and gathered the box.

"Very well, then. Here you are."

Harry took the fragile bamboo stick and waved it. He could literally feel every cell in his body tingling with magical energy as a veritable hurricane of long stemmed roses burst forth from the tip and inundated the shop. The shop owner was positively ecstatic.

"Most excellent! I've absolutely never heard of the wizard choosing his wand before, and it ends up being that temperamental old thing out of all my creations! Please take it, free of charge. And I won't accept payment for young Malfoy's either. I haven't seen anything this inspiring in decades! To take your money would cheapen the experience."

"Well, thank you, Mister Ollivander."

"No, thank you. It was a privilege serving you. Good luck at Hogwarts, both of you."

With a nod and a smile, Harry followed the various Malfoys out of the shop.


The rest of the day proceeded wonderfully for Harry. Lucius and Narcissa slipped out while the boys were purchasing their school textbooks and purchased a pair of owls for them at Eeylops. Harry's was a beautiful golden tawny owl that he named Disenchantment. Draco got a sleek eagle owl. While in Flourish and Blotts he also bought some graduate level Charms texts, haven already gone through all of his mother's regular books back at the estate. He saw a variety of novels written by the most beautiful man he had ever seen on a featured rack near the front of the store. The man obviously had excellent taste, as his pictures showed him looking resplendent in quite colorful robes. His smile was impossibly white and sparkly. Harry immediately decided that this man was one of his new role models, and ended up walking out of the shop with a full collection of Gilderoy Lockhart books.

It was Harry's turn to slip away while the Malfoys were browsing about in the apothecary. He had seen a similar shop out of the corner of his eyes while passing near the bookstore and wanted to grace the place with his business. It was a very small and largely run down shop specializing in traditional Chinese ingredients, located in the winding recesses of a side alley. An undesirable location for a business, but the owners couldn't afford a more premium zone. They had just moved into the country less than a decade before and were getting by as well as they could. Harry bought all of his potions ingredients from them, loath as he was to study the subject, and purposely overpaid them by nearly fifty Galleons. He also bought an unbreakable ceramic cauldron charmed to stir itself, if for no other reason than to protest being forced to potentially soil himself while brewing potions by not buying the pewter variety that the supply list dictated. He purchased a lot of rare and exotic ingredients that he didn't need and would likely never use for no purpose other than that he just liked the place and wanted to give a helping hand to the people who ran it. In the end, he spent nearly five hundred Galleons there. Normally he would never have even ventured into such a dilapidated location, but he just felt drawn to it for some reason.

He spent a good amount of time chatting up the owners, though their English was only passable at best. He was able to learn that they had a daughter just about to enter her second year at Hogwarts. He noticed the girl watching him shop from a hidden location on a few occasions. She was incredibly shy, and would go running back into the rear storage area if Harry looked directly at her or if her parents tried to call her out to introduce them. He didn't get much of a good look at the girl, though, only noting that she was extremely small, standing at just barely four feet. By some miracle, he managed to return to the main alley just as the Malfoy's were leaving the main apothecary. He only told them that he had stepped out for some fresh air, though he doubted that they believed him.

His final shop stop was at Magical Menagerie, as he decided upon looking at his supply list that he wanted a pet to keep with him at all times. He already had Disenchantment, a birthday present from the Malfoys. He would either take the owl to school with him or leave it at the estate for the girls and his grandmother to use. He had briefly wondered how they had known that today was the anniversary of his birth, but then recalled that he was a celebrity icon in this world. He still wasn't at all used to the idea. He bought a small Siamese kitten in the pet shop and named her Xiren, after a character from one of his favorite Asian novels.

The party ended their excursion with a late lunch at some expensive restaurant in Diagon Alley's more patrician sector. Harry had feasted on glazed duckling, one of his favorite delicacies from the estate, but one that wasn't prepared particularly often. The main course was excellent, as was the strawberry cheesecake that he had as a dessert. He reflected on the fact that the day had gone much better than he had anticipated as he prepared to take his leave from his impromptu companions. He likely wouldn't have enjoyed the trip even half as much had he stayed with Professor McGonagall. But now he was tired, and he couldn't wait to get back home and relax up in his quarters with the girls for a good while. Parker would be due to arrive to pick him up back at the entrance to the Leaky Cauldron any time now.

"Well, I've really enjoyed spending the morning with you all, but I need to be leaving now."

Draco asked a question.

"How are you supposed to be getting back home, anyway?"

"My grandmother's limousine will be waiting to pick me up at the entrance to the Leaky Cauldron. I'll see you on the train, Draco. Mister and Mrs. Malfoy, it's been a pleasure meeting you both."

Lucius fixed him with a laconic grin and shook his hand.

"Likewise, my boy. I'll be in contact about your inheritance, so keep an eye out for my owl."

"I will, sir. Thank you for all your help."

After the final round of farewells, Harry returned to the Leaky Cauldron and strode out into Muggle London where Parker was waiting to ferry him back to his grandmother's estate. Harry Potter's first real excursion outside of his sheltered lifestyle had gone much better than he could have hoped, but he was nonetheless more than ready to head back into his sanctuary now. Soon enough, he would be off to Hogwarts.

(End Chapter Three)

Author's Note: Damn, this ended up being a lot longer than I had anticipated. As promised, I got through the shopping trip in one chapter. I hope I got the Malfoys at least somewhat in character, though it's rather hard to define Narcissa given the limited role she's had so far in canon. As for Harry making nice with them, I think it's definitely within the realm of possibility for this incarnation of him. Besides, it's well in Lucius Malfoy's nature to slither up to whoever wields power and influence, and Harry does just by virtue of his being the Boy-Who-Lived, whether he really likes it or not. Perhaps the man is trying to manipulate and use Harry, or perhaps the charming little prince has melted a tiny bit of the ice around his cold heart. You'll just have to wait and find out. I hadn't really intended to make Harry and Draco much more than acquaintances, but I just loved the way the two interacted together when I started writing them in the robe shop.

And now, on to the most often mention matter: that of Harry's future house. I personally am leaning towards Ravenclaw. Harry has considerable wit and charm, and is extremely intelligent. He likes to study certain things and he reads voraciously, even if much of what he chooses to pore over isn't strictly educational. However, I've also seen a strong case made for Hufflepuff in certain reviews. Harry's loyal enough to those he cares for, but he despises the idea of hard work. I even consider Slytherin as an outside possibility. Let me know what you think, but keep in mind that it isn't a poll or anything, and the house that gets the most reviewer support won't necessarily be where I put him. Hope you all enjoy, and remember to hit that review button.