Professor Mcgonagall and Harry passed the security guards and walked down the steps into the streets of Diagon Alley. There they paused and Professor Mcgonagall turned to face Harry. She wore a stern expression on her face, and Harry gulped. This was a teacher he did not want to get on the bad side of while he was in Hogwarts.
"Potter, it would be remiss of me not to discuss the power you just gained and the responsibility that comes with it," said Professor McGonagall. "I would be extremely careful in advertising all that you can do. You are new to the wizarding world and do not understand the stigma that comes with the names Black and Slytherin. There are light families and there are dark families. Now I'm not saying all the people who come out of one family are bad. But the Blacks are famous for their Magics driving them mad. So I would be cautious of using that ring's magic too much."
Okay." Said Harry slowly. Suddenly the wizarding world seemed a lot less cool, and a lot more dangerous. "And Slytherin? What's wrong with that family's magic?
Professor McGonagall took a deep breath and released it through puckered lips.
"Slytherin is an ancient family. So old, one of the first members helped found Hogwarts. A school house is named after him and everything."
"There are school houses?" asked Harry.
"A house defines the group of kids you go to classes with and what common room you spend all your free time in," she said. "There are four houses. I'm head of Gryffindor, the house your parents were in. Slytherin is another house. Most of the witches and wizards that turned dark came from Slytherin. It is a worthy house to be sure, but a potentially dark one nonetheless."
"I have another question."
"Go ahead, Potter," said Professor McGonagall almost gently.
"What is the dangerous wizard's name, Professor? You know, the oneI got the Slytherin heirdom from?" asked Harry. "When talking about him at the Dursley's you called him you-know-who, and not once have you mentioned his name."
"Well, Potter... He was so feared that most people became afraid to speak his name. It became a bit of a taboo." she sighed. "But I don't think I can just send you out into this world without knowing his name."
She leaned down and whispered in his ear.
"Lord Voldemort."
Harry just nodded once as she pulled back to look at him. Her face was white, and in her eyes it looked like she had lived to see a million years.
"Let us go get your books first, Potter." Said Professor Mcgonagall shaking off her gloom. "We need to get everything on this list today."
They walked down the busy street. Harry stopped to look into an ice cream parlor with longing. Professor Mcgonagall seemed to know he wasn't right by her side and stopped. She looked at him and sighed.
"How about this Potter?" The Professor said, "I'll go and get your books, and you can have some of Fortescue's ice cream."
Harry nodded eagerly. Professor Mcgonagall counted out how much money she needed for his books and gave the rest back to Harry. She shooed him toward the shop and quickly disappeared into the crowd. Harry hesitatingly walked into the ice cream parlor, hearing a cheery jingle seemingly from nowhere. Harry had never been into an old fashioned ice cream parlor before, but he had seen pictures. Fortescue's place was antique and pastel. It wasn't too crowded, but Harry still felt very self-conscious in his scruffy 'muggle' clothes a couple sizes too big for him. He hastily flattened his uneven bangs over his scar as soon as he saw a few people staring.
Harry went up to the glass displaying the big cartons of ice cream and read the labels. There were many flavors: chocolate, coconut, blueberry, raspberry, and pecan. Harry was overwhelmed. Never in his life had he had the option or the money to buy ice cream. Becoming unsure he stepped away, not ready to order.
In doing so, he ended up standing next to a skinny boy with shoulder-length brown curls, and blue-grey eyes. He looked Harry up and down, and gave him a slight smirk. Harry wouldn't have called the smirk rude. It was more like a shy expression. The boy was dressed in navy blue robes and a white collared shirt. Much more formal than the way Harry was dressed. It made him itchy with self-consciousness, and he reached up to tug on his bangs. A movement the other boy followed with his eyes.
"Are you muggleborn?" Asked the boy.
"What?" Said Harry startled. He wasn't expecting to be spoken to, though he wasn't sure why. Maybe because the boy seemed to be superior to him in some way.
"Are your parents muggles?" The boy spoke again. "You aren't dressed like a normal wizard, so I would assume you are."
"Uh, yeah." Said Harry. "I mean no. I was raised by muggles, but my mum and dad were a witch and a wizard. This is my first time in Diagon Alley."
"I'm Theo Nott." said the boy, offering his hand to shake. Harry noticed he wore a ring set with a weathered grey stone.
"I'm Harry Potter," Harry said, reaching out to shake the boy Theo's hand. "It's nice to meet you."
"Are you really the Harry Potter?" asked Theo with wide eyes. He shook Harry's hand very slowly, with a firm grip.
"Oh, yes," said Harry. "I keep forgetting I'm famous."
"How do you keep forgetting?" asked Theo, letting go of Harry's hand. His eyes raked Harry's forehead curiously, and it made Harry want to squirm.
"Well, my Aunt and Uncle who I lived with aren't too fond of me. I just learned today that I'm a wizard, actually. Everything is coming as quite a shock." said Harry. He wasn't sure why he felt like telling all this to Theo, but Harry felt like he could trust him. "Professor McGonagall said she'd get my books while I got some ice cream, and it was very kind of her. But I've never been allowed to order any kind of ice cream I want so now I'm unsure what to get."
"Okay, well I can help you with your ice cream dilemma, and then I can answer any questions you might have," said Theo, smirking lightly again. "I grew up in the wizarding world and I'd be glad to talk to you."
"That would be great!" Harry said, smiling back at Theo. Harry couldn't help but feel a little excited. He had never been able to make a friend before. Dudley always made it known on any playground that any kid who dared try and befriend Harry would get beaten black and blue. Harry moved back toward the ice cream display and peered in. "So what ice cream do you think I should get?"
"Chocolate and coconut have always been my favorite combination here," said Theo.
They went up to the counter and Theo placed their order. The cheery man with red cheeks happily scooped the ice cream and handed it to them. They each paid, and Theo led them over to a spindly pink and blue table with two chairs. They sat down and Harry tried his frozen treat.
"Wow, this is really good!" said Harry excitedly.
"Have you never had ice cream before?" chuckled Theo. Harry opened his mouth to say he had only ever been able to sneak a bit of whatever was so freezer burnt his cousin didn't want it. But Harry felt that maybe Theo wouldn't understand, so he just shook his head.
"So, what kind of questions do you have?"
"Uh, well what can you tell me about Hogwarts?" asked Harry.
"Well, I've never been obviously. This will be my first year. But my father went a long time ago and it hasn't changed much." said Theo. "I'm told it's an old castle that's very easy to get lost in, and it's where you gain your group of friends that stay with you for the rest of your life."
"What about the houses? Professor McGonagall mentioned something about Slytherin and Gryffindor?"
Theo Nott shifted uneasily for the first time.
"Yeah, there are four houses you can be sorted into," he said slowly. "Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. My father and all his acquaintances are a bit biased toward one of the houses. They were all sorted into Slytherin, and they all expected their children to be sorted into that house."
Theo studied his ice cream seriously.
"We probably won't be in the same house," said Theo sadly.
"Why not?" asked Harry, curious at Theo's change in mood.
"Well, you're the great, famous, good Harry Potter," said Theo. Harry noticed he was rubbing the stone on his ring, and wondered if it was an Heirship ring. "I'm just a Nott."
"Well, I didn't know I was all that famous until today." Said Harry. "And what does being a Nott have to do with anything?"
"The Notts are famous for being in Slytherin. You'll probably end up in Gryffindor. And Slytherins and Gryffindors hate each other. According to my father, the whole school holds a grudge against Slytherin."
"Well, I promise that whatever house I end up in, I'll still be your friend," said Harry.
Theo looked up from his ice cream, looking surprised.
"Really? We're friends?"
"Well, yeah. I guess if you want to be," said Harry. He didn't look at Theo, scared of being rejected.
"Definitely!" said Theo. Harry looked up at him and saw Theo's first real smile. It was small, but the quirk of his lips was happy.
"I have another question for you." Said Harry. "Is that an Heir ring on your finger?"
Theo looked at him in surprise. Then he looked down at Harry's hands holding his ice cream cone.
"You have four Heir rings!" Said Theo in a low hushed voice, clearly shocked. "Most people don't even have one!"
"Well, yeah," said Harry. "Is it that big of a deal?"
"Well yeah!" he said, running his hands through his hair. "Heir rings mean you are in line to get a seat on the Wizgamont! And if you have four rings, that means you have four votes!"
"What's a wizgamont?" asked Harry, puzzled.
"How do I explain… Well some families that have been in Britain since the Ministry of Magic was founded-"
"What's The Ministry of Magic?"
"The government," said Theo. "Well, the Wizgamont helps make the laws for the wizarding world by voting on them, along with the minister. The Wizgamont is led by the Supreme Mugwump."
"Uh, okay. So like Parliament and the Prime Minister?" asked Harry.
"What?" asked Theo, clearly as confused as Harry was about The Wizgamont.
"Never mind," said Harry. "So what you're saying is I have four votes on this Wizgamont thing? The system in the Wizarding World that passes all the laws?"
"Well you don't right now," said Theo. "Right now you're just an heir. But when you come of age at seventeen, you get your seat."
Theo stared at Harry's rings baffled.
"Okay, I guess one must be the Potter ring," said Theo. "Because obviously, your father would give you his ring. But as far as the others go I'm baffled."
"Well, yeah one is the Potter ring," said Harry. He wasn't about to correct Theo and tell him that James Potter wasn't his real father and that Harry was blood adopted. They had only just met, and the ice cream parlor was fairly crowded. "The other rings are Prince, Black, and Slytherin. The Goblin we met with wasn't certain why I inherited all of them."
Theo gaped at him.
"You are the Heir to Slytherin… But, but… That can't be!" said Theo. "And Black? That's not good magic. That magic has driven tons of people insane."
"So I've been told." muttered Harry.
"My father went to school with Walburga Black," said Theo. "She was insane, and married her cousin! Not that that's super unusual for purebloods. We are an inbred bunch."
"Why are purebloods so inbred?" asked Harry, wrinkling his nose.
"Well, there aren't many of us left, and the ones that are left are so desperate to stay pureblooded, that they marry whoever they can, as long as they aren't muggle-born," said Theo. "But I'd rather not think about that."
The pure blood stuff didn't interest him that much. He didn't really care about it, and he got the sense that Theo didn't care either. He wanted to know more about being an heir though.
"Huh," said Harry. "Is it that big of a deal to have four Heir rings?"
"Definitely," said Theo. He gave Harry a thoughtful look then said, "I think it would be wise to hide all the other rings except for the Potter one. And you should try not to use the Heir magic in front of anyone who doesn't know about them. Keeping secrets will protect you from the unknown."
Harry nodded. It made sense to him to keep some things secret. He wouldn't want everyone at Hogwarts to know how he was treated at the Dursleys, for example. And he thought it might be better to keep pretending for a little while to be Harry James Potter. Not Harrison James Potter-Black-Slytherin-Prince. He was already 'Famous Harry Potter' with the lightning scar to this world, and he didn't think it would be a welcome shock for everyone to find out that James Potter wasn't really his father. He wondered if he could ask Professor McGonagall to keep quiet about it.
"So how do I hide the Heir rings?" asked Harry. "I think I should keep them on, you know, to honor my ancestors and all that."
"Well, all you need to do is connect to the magic they provide you and ask them to become invisible," said Theo.
"Uh, okay. I guess I can try it."
He finished the last few bites of his waffle cone and looked down at his hands. Harry thought about the green light of the Slytherin magic, the sparkly grey mist of the Prince magic, and the dark smoke of the Black magic. They seemed to whisper to him, as he blocked out the noise of the ice cream parlor. The Slytherin magic hissed its agreement to stay hidden, but warned it would take revenge on those who thought it should stay that way forever. The Black magic silently shrieked its protest. But Harry was persistent, and kept asking for the ring to vanish. It flickered once, twice, then aquested. The Prince magic was the last one Harry focused on, but the easiest one to get to agree to become invisible.
Secrets are good. It seemed to say.
"Thank you." Said Harry. He was saying it both to his rings and to his new friend. and Theo seemed to get that because he nodded and gave Harry another half-smile.
"Potter, there you are." Said a voice, startling Harry. Professor McGonagall was done getting his books.
"Hello, Professor McGonagall. Do you know Theo Nott?" asked Harry, gesturing to the boy. "He's been telling me about Hogwarts and the Wizarding World."
"It's nice to officially meet you, Mr. Nott." said the professor stiffly. "I was sorry to hear about your mother. She was a powerful and kind witch."
"Yes, she was," said Theo. "Thank you for saying so, Professor."
"Harry, we need to get the rest of your things. You'll see Mr. Nott On the first of September."
"You could owl me Harry," said Theo shyly.
"I don't have an owl," said Harry, looking at his feet in embarrassment. "And I don't think my relatives would appreciate me bringing an animal into the house."
"Oh," said Theo, looking upset. "Then I'll guess I'll see you on the train? I can save you a seat."
"Ok," said Harry happily. "Bye Theo!"
"Bye, Harry."
Professor McGonagall and Harry walked out of the shop into the street. The Professor ushered Harry to shop after shop to try on and buy robes. To get ink, quills, and parchment (Harry was pleased to find some color-changing ink. Professor McGonagall sniffed in disapproval but let him buy it, as long as he got regular black as well.). They got the potion ingredients at one shop, and a cauldron, crystal vials, and a set of scales at another. A telescope for astronomy was required, and they went to a shop for wands.
"Ollivander's," said Professor McGonagall. "The best place for wands."
Mr. Olivander was a creepy man. He was tall, thin as a beanstalk, pale with bulging light blue eyes, and did not respect Harry's personal space (his measuring tapes didn't either.). The first thing he did when Harry walked into the shop was to sniff Harry and tell him that his magic smelled fascinating. Then he recited different wizards' and witches' specific wands with ease. Everyone from Harry's parents to Professor McGonagall.
It took a while for them to find Harry's wand. Boxes piled up, as wand after wand did not suit Harry.
This did not deter Mr. Olivander. If anything it made him more delighted. He danced around his cluttered and dusty shop, pulling more wands for Harry to try. Finally, Harry was starting to believe he wasn't a wizard, after all, and he was growing frustrated with his obvious lack of magic. It was then they found the perfect one. He swished it around, summoning red and silver sparks. Professor McGonagall clapped politely, and Mr. Olivander cried out happily.
"Finally! A match! What a wondrous occasion! But how curious… How curious indeed… Curious, curious, curious."
"What's curious, sir?" asked Harry, as Mr. Olivamder wrapped up the wand and put it back in the box. Mr. Olivander turned to face Harry slowly.
"This wand has a center of phoenix feather, I told you correct? Well, that Phoenix only ever gave one other tail feather in all my time of making wands. I sold this wand's brother to a boy very much like you. Orphaned and powerful. I had no idea that child would become the greatest dark wizard the world has ever seen," said Mr. Olivander. He walked toward Harryand got very close to his face. "This wand's brother gave you that scar…"
Mr. Olivander bent and poked Harry's lightning scar with one long, cold finger. Harry held his breath. Mr. Ollivander straightened and turned back to the box holding Harry's wand.
"This wand is destined for great things, Harry Potter," said Mr. Olivander, as he handed the packaged wand to Harry. "For You-Know-Who did great things. Terrible, but great."
Harry didn't say anything as he took the package from the thin, pale man. He was confused and a little dumbstruck. Experience had taught him that sometimes it was better to say nothing at all.
"Thank you, Mr. Olivander," said Professor McGonagall. "Let us go now Harry. We need to get some dinner before I bring you back to your Aunt and Uncle."
Harry waved goodbye to Mr. Olivander then followed Professor McGonagall out of the shop. The professor led Harry out of Diagon Alley, and into the leaky cauldron. She led him to a hidden table in the back of the gloomy pub.
Harry was glad she had picked such a hidden corner. He didn't fancy getting stared at while he ate, and a lot of the people who had shaken Harry's hand with such interest were still here. Professor McGonagall sat down and waved Tom, the barkeeper over. The toothless man gave a kind smile and told them the special they were serving that night was Shepard's pie. Professor McGonagall ordered a serving for each of them, and something called butterbeer.
"So how was your first experience of the wizarding world Harry?" asked Professor McGonagall.
"I don't get it, Professor," said Harry, staring at his hands that hid the Heir rings. "All these people expect me to be this amazing wizard, but I don't see how I can be! I let my cousin and uncle push me around my whole life. And I don't know anything about the wizarding world except for what you, Griphook, and Theo told me. I don't see how I could live up to being this great wizard everyone wants me to be."
"Harry, I introduce dozens of muggle-borns to this world every year," said Professor McGonagall, kindly. "They are just as ill-informed as you are when they go to Hogwarts. But that doesn't stop them, and it shouldn't stop you either."
"Thank you, Professor," said Harry.
"Harry, I noticed you hid all your Heir rings except for the Potter one," said Professor McGonagall. "Is there a reason behind this?"
"Yeah, I think it might help me ease myself into the wizarding world this way," said Harry. "And professor, if you could not mention the fact that James Potter isn't my real father, that would be great."
"If that is your wish Potter, I agree with you," said Professor McGonagall. "In your parcel of books, you'll notice I got you a couple of books that aren't on the list, but I thought would be useful. The Magic of Heir Rings for the Typical Young Heir by Patsy Aves and Hogwarts: A History by Bathilda Bagshot. I recommend the second one to all muggle-borns coming in."
Tom came and set their food and drinks down. After he turned and left, Harry tried the Butterbeer which turned out to be quite good.
"Thank you, Professor McGonagall, for today," said Harry. "I don't know how I can repay you."
"You can repay me by working hard in Hogwarts Potter. Now the next thing you need to do is catch the Hogwarts express from here in London. It's platform nine and three quarters." Professor McGonagall said. Then she frowned sternly. "And if you don't show up with the train, I'll assume your relatives have refused to drop you off, and I'll have someone come to collect you."