By loralee
AU Post OotP No HBP probable future pairing HHr rating teen for now
Harry had spent the rest of the day reading the book. Some of the things bothered him. He had been reading about a ward called the Marriage Night Ward, it was the foundation of lifetime wards put up by a newly wed couple. There was a short ritual before the couple had sex for the first time in their new home. The warding was a little stronger for a virgin casting but that was not required. The book said that even squibs could power the ward as long as some one magical did the original casting. The magical person didn't have to be part of the couple. The book referenced a squib marriage that the parents of the couple had arrange the casting as a way of providing addition security for their squib children who were going to be living in the muggle world. The casting was done in advance, a ritual circle cast around the bed the couple would be using and a small gem stone was set in the headboard of the bed to focus and hold the magical energy raise by the sex act preformed therein. The gemstone was the power core of the ward and each and every time the couple had sex or made love in the bed it reinforced the wards. Those wards could be keyed to various functions. Keeping out intruders or persons wishing to harm the inhabitants, fire retardant or damage and insect repellant charms. In the case of a magical couple the wards could also be set to make the holder aware of what was going on the house. Such as if ones children were out of bed.
The problem for Harry arose when he began to wonder if muggles could also fuel such wards. If so then it could be possible for privet drive to have added wards, if he could cast them for his aunt and uncle. That thought was suddenly brought up short by the idea that Petunia and Vernon might be having sex with each other.
It was the next afternoon Harry put his plan into action. He left the Dursley's to head downtown with his moneybag. He had several galleons left from the spending money Mrs. Weasley had gotten him last year when she bought his school things. He really wanted to do some of his own shopping this year. Mrs. Weasley had gotten him school robes but hadn't bought him underwear or socks or any extras of any kind and he wasn't sure how to bring it up to her that he need things like that.
As Harry passed the side hedge he smelled tobacco and alcohol and heard a faint snore from beneath it. Harry's first thought was indignation that Dumbledore put Fletcher back on a job that he had already failed once but on second thought decided that maybe it was a good thing, if he didn't have a second watcher then no one would know that he went shopping or how he got the money. With a smile on his face he made his way to the second hand shop called 'One Mann's Treasure'.
By the time Harry entered the shop he had decided that he did not in fact have a second watcher. He had not been able to detect anyone following him nor had he had the itchy between the shoulder blades feeling of being watched that he often had at privit drive.
The shop actually looked better on the inside than it did on the outside. Harry could see a wide variety of things littering the shelves and displayed on the walls, from toasters to camping gear, dishes to books. A tall, thin brown haired man stood behind the counter and looked at Harry with ill-disguised suspicion.
"Well, boy, what do you want?" the man ask, "You can't loiter about here."
"I wanted to know how much I could get for this?" said Harry as he placed a gold galleon on the counter. The man's eyebrow rose and he gave a speculative look at Harry.
"Well, the exchange rate is better at Gringotts you know." The man paused at Harry's shocked look and shook his head, "You can get in trouble for trying to pass one o these to muggles."
Harry found his voice and ask, "Are you a wizard, sir? I didn't know there were any magical people here. I can't go to Gringotts. I'm not allowed but I need some new clothes and…" Harry trailed off at the look on the mans face and the realization of what he had given away. That the man might be a supporter of voldie only now coming to mind and thoughts of escape began to run through his brain. As Harry turned to look at the exit the man finally caught sight of Harry's scar.
"Easy there son, I won't turn you in and I can exchange your galleons for you. I can understand that a man can't always get away to the bank when he needs a few pounds for a pint or shirt." The man said. When he had regained Harry's attention he added, "You have nothing to fear from me Mr. Potter."
Harry groaned when he heard his name. The man continued with, "My name in Horatio Mann and yes I am a wizard. I've been here since the Great War, that is World War Two, I was married to a muggle woman and she didn't want to live in the Wizarding world so we settled here. She passed several years ago but most of our children are in the muggle world so it is really easier just to stay here. I still have contact with the wizard world, an account at Gringotts and I attend estate sales in both worlds. It is amazing the Wizarding things you can pick up at a muggle estate sale. Things that have been passed down in a family or picked up somewhere or another then lumped all together into odd lots to sell 'cause they think it junk." Mr. Mann chuckled. "I don't suppose you get a lot of privacy what with the press writing about you all the time. I expect you're relatives don't like the bother they get when they take you to the Alley and they wouldn't want you going alone. Is that it?"
Harry thought for a moment and then decided to be honest with Mr. Mann. If he had been in the community as long as he said then might have heard the rumors the Dursley's had spread about him.
"No sir, my relatives have never been to the Alley. They hate the magic world and me I think. No it's Professor Dumbledore and my guards who won't let me go to the Alley or Gringotts. My relatives are the ones who have most kindly provided my with these clothes." Harry said with derision holding out his arms. "Dumbledore doesn't seem to care how I'm dressed though. I do however. I have a vault full of gold at Gringotts but can't get to it so I can buy some decent clothing. I don't want my relatives to find out I have money though so it's difficult. I thought if I could get a couple of pounds for the gold. I could get myself some thing and tell my relatives that my friends had gotten them for me."
Mr. Mann looked thoughtful for a moment. Then motioned for Harry to follow him. They went through a curtain into another room; this one Harry noticed was filled with Wizarding thing. He could see a sneakascope, several old brooms, a display case with wands and knives in it, books, camping gear, trunks, bags, and in a place of prominence a pensive. On one end of the room was a large fireplace. Mr. Mann stopped in front of it and turned to Harry.
"You said something about guards Mr. Potter. If you disappear are there people who will come charging in here?"
Harry looked hard at Mr. Mann and decided to trust his gut and said with a smirk,
"My guard today is sleeping off a drunk under some bushes back at my house, sir and please call me Harry."
Mr. Mann frowned, "Well I can't say that's a pleasing idea that the person who should be looking after you is drunk and asleep but it works well for my idea. I am surprised that no one has ever told you about the Gringott's security entrance. You can floo straight to Gringott's. Business owners carrying large amounts of cash or old families with large assets usually use it but realistically any one can. The address is 'Gringott's security entrance number twelve'. I will let you borrow my floo as the public floo system cannot be monitored, only internal floos such as the one at the ministry, no one will know that you were in the system at all. My address here is 'Mann's Treasures'. This will allow you the chance to get muggle money although since you have a vault you should ask your account manager if you qualify for a muggle style atm/debit card. That would help for large purchases and you can use the atm at the bank to draw pounds for a pint or trip to the cinema with a young lady."
Harry looked a Mr. Mann incredulously for a moment.
"You'd help me break the rules? Why?" he finally ask. Mr. Mann chuckled and replied,
"Harry, lad, it's a boys sworn duty to try to put one over on his minders, be they parents or guardians. If you get caught and walloped then you learn better the next time. It's a part of growing up. Rules are there as a guideline to growing up but a boy, if he wants to be a man, must pick and chose which rules he follows. Sometimes when those who are looking out for your best interests refuse to allow you to grow up you have to take matters into your own hands. You must decide yourself. I've only offered away for you to please yourself and to attempt to please those watching over you by staying safe while you break their rules. If you'd rather I'll give you five pounds per galleon, same as the goblins and you can be off to you're shopping. Your choice Harry."
Mr. Mann chuckled again as Harry reached for the floo powder.
A/N Wow I suprised myself with this update. There will be a pairing later in the story probably with Hermione. However Harry will not be practicing anything but talking and maybe a little flirting with any muggle girls or original characters. Thanks for reading