A Dog's Purpose is Strange Magic Chapter 10
Having returned to the surface they wasted no time in getting Harry the supplies he required for the school year.
The first stop was a clothing store called Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions upon Hagrid's insistence, but to Harry's surprise he wouldn't be going in with them.
"Might as well get yer uniform," said Hagrid, pointing at the storefront. "Listen Harry would yeh mind if I slipped off fer a pick-me-up in the Leaky Cauldron? I hate them Gringotts carts."
Meaning Hagrid needed a drink to recover from the nausea he gained from the ride. Harry didn't protest, but as he and Bailey walked in through the front door he was definitely nervous. Bailey could feel the unease and uncertainty radiating off of him so she leaned on his leg. He stroked the soft fur on her head and he instantly calmed.
The bell hanging over the door announced their presence as the woodwork hit it.
The proprietor of the store Madam Malkin herself smiled at the duo as they walked in.
"Hogwarts, dear," she said, assuming he was one of the many entering her store looking for new robes for the new term. "Got the lot here. I have another young man being fitted up just now, in fact."
Madam Malkin nodded in the direction of the back of the shop where a boy Harry's age with a pale pointed face and blond hair stood on a footstool while a second witch pinned up his long black robes for a fitting. Madam Malkin led Harry over to that area and as she did so she finally took notice of Bailey.
Brow furrowed, she asked "Is this your dog?"
"Yes, Ma'am," said Harry, sheepishly. "Please don't make me put her outside. I need her in here with me."
Hands on her hips Madam Malkin chewed thoughtfully on her bottom lip as she stood there considering what Harry's asking of her.
"Well…," said Madam Malkin, "I suppose it's all right. As long as she doesn't make a mess or do her business in my shop."
Shaping his head empathetically, Harry said "She won't, I promise. Bailey's very well trained."
"Good, I'm glad t hear it," said Madam Malkin.
Madam Malkin then stood Harry on a stool next to the boy and Bailey was relegated to lay down on the floor against the wall. Madam Malkin pulled a long robe over his head and started to pin it at the appropriate length for future work on it to make them presentable.
The boy beside him then suddenly decided to strike up a conversation.
"Hello," he said. "Hogwarts, too?"
"Yes," said Harry.
"Mt father's next door buying my books and Mother's up the street looking at wands," drawled the boy, appearing quite bored with it all. "Then I'm going to drag them off to look at racing brooms. I don't see why first years can't have their own. I think I'll bully Father into getting one and I'll smuggle it in somehow. Do you have your own broom?"
"Uh…no," said Harry.
"Play Quidditch at all," asked the boy.
"No," said Harry, embarrassed that he didn't know anything on the subject the other kid was trying to engage him on.
Proudly, the boy said "I do. Father says it's a crime if I'm not picked to play for my House and I must say, I agree. Know what house you'll be in yet?"
"I…I haven't really thought about it," said Harry.
"Well, no one really knows until they get there, do they, but I know I'll be in Slytherin. All our family has been for generations. Imagine being in Hufflepuff, I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?"
Harry shrugged turning his head away to hide how sick he was feeling.
Bailey raised her head in interest at this new kid. The way he spoke and acted made him sound too much like Dudley, but underneath the disagreeable exterior he was presenting there was she sensed something more. Rising from the floor Bailey trotted over to where the kid stood on the stool opposite Harry's. She planted herself in front of the kid wagging her tail staring intently at him.
Scowling, the boy said "Who let a dog in here?"
"Sorry," said Harry. "I didn't want to leave her outside. Madam Malkin gave me permission to bring her in."
"She's yours," said the boy.
Harry nodded in reply at the inquiry a worried look crossing his face.
"You know Hogwarts doesn't allow students to bring dogs, don't you," said the boy, brow raised.
"I do, but I'm hoping maybe they'll let her come. She's my best friend. I don't know what I'd do without her," said Harry, hopeful.
"Right, keep telling yourself that," smirked the boy, cruelly.
Stepping closer Bailey stretched her neck to lick the kid's fingers. The boy drew his hand back in disgust.
The boy sneered "Can't control this mutt of yours."
"Bailey, come here," said Harry.
Bailey obeyed coming back over to Harry. Harry pointed back at the wall and Bailey took up her spot at the wall.
A large shadow appeared in the store and the kid looked at the front display windows to find out what's the cause.
"I say, look at that man," exclaimed the kid, gesturing at the window.
Hagrid stood outside the entrance beaming at Harry through the glass. In his hands he held two large ice screams for him and Harry to share when the fitting was complete.
"That's Hagrid," said Harry, waving at the giant. "He works at Hogwarts."
"Oh," sniffed the kid, scathingly. "I've heard of him. He's a sort of servant, isn't he?"
"He's the gamekeeper," said Harry, coming to Hagrid's defense, not looking the boys rude attitude.
"Yes, exactly. I heard he's some sort of savage, lives in a hut on the school grounds and every now and then gets drunk, tries to do magic, and ends of setting fire to his bed," laughed the boy.
"I think he's brilliant," said Harry, coldly.
"Do you," said the boy, bluntly. "Why is he with you? Where are your parents?"
"They're dead," said Harry, voice clipped.
"Oh sorry," said the boy, rolling his eyes, obviously not meaning it. "But they were our kind, weren't they?"
"They were a witch and wizard if, that's what you mean," said Harry, angrily.
"I really don't think they should let the other sort in, do you? They're just not the same, they've never been brought up to know our ways. Some of them have never even heard of Hogwarts until they get the letter, imagine. I think they should keep it in the old wizarding families. What's your surname anyway," said the kid, snobbishly.
Harry was saved by the bell when Madam Malkin announced she was done. She took the robes off of Harry and with a wave of her wand the robes were stitched and exactly his size. Harry went to pay for them with Bailey trotting after him.
"Well, I'll see you at Hogwarts, I suppose," said the boy submissively.
To Harry if her ever came face to face with this kid again it would be too soon.
For some reason Bailey wouldn't mind.
Hagrid took them to an area he found where they could sit and eat the frozen treats he'd bought in peace. While they were talking Bailey was eyeing Harry's ice cream cone waiting for an opportunity when she could grab her bit.
Harry had only gotten halfway through consuming his ice cream. At one point Harry's mind went back to a pressing matter that had been bugging him since he read his Hogwarts letter and was reminded of it when that other kid brought it up.
"Hagrid…," said Harry, hesitantly, subconsciously lowering his ice cream below his lap.
He'd come to that.
"What is it, Harry," asked Hagrid, whipping his mouth with the back of his hand.
"There's something else that other boy said to me. I wanted to talk to you about that too," said Harry.
"We can do that later, Harry. Finish your ice scream. We still have a lot of shopping to do ahead of us," said Hagrid.
Shoving aside the doubts nagging him in his head Harry went to do just that, but there was a problem. Harry lifted the ice scream to his mouth, but the ice scream and half of the cone had vanished. Harry had a sinking feeling in his stomach as he realized what transpired. Looking down at Bailey he saw the clear signs of ice scream on her nose and a bit around her mouth.
The moment the hand holding ice cream had been in range Bailey lunged and took it. Since his mind had been elsewhere Harry had no idea what she'd been doing.
"Fine here you can have it," groaned Harry, handing her the remainder of his ice cream.
Bailey enjoyed every morsel of it.
Authors Note:
A very interesting reaction Bailey had to Draco, don't you think? She immediately hated Quirrell's guts and yet she seems to have gravitated towards Draco quite easily. Do you think she sees something in him no one else does yet? Huh, if she acts this way to Draco I'm intrigued on how she'll be when she first meets Severus Snape.
Okay that's it. Now I'm getting mad. In the last chapter I put a lot of good stuff with Bailey and I was so excited to hear what you all would think about it. Imagine my disappointment and how upset I was when I saw only one review the entire duration of the day. Just like a few chapters ago when I got well over a thousand views on a single chapter like my previous one I mentioned how much I like hearing the opinions of my readers in reviews. The good and the bad since I prefer to know what my readers are thinking. I, also, mentioned that if there isn't a good review amount per chapter then I'm going to assume people don't want to read it anymore. If this keeps going on I may very well discontinue this story. Each time I update I check the view count for all of my stories so don't think I'll lose track and I can see how many people have favorite and are following this story so don't think I won't be paying attention to any of that. If you want more then you're going to have to leave a review.