Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.
Author's Note: I feel like this chapter is missing something, but I'm not sure what. Just know that this isn't my best work.
Al walked away on his true white mare, leaving me shell-shocked.
"Don't worry, Harry," Hagrid said, sensing my fear. "We sent the Dursleys a letter. Now, come with me- we have to get your schools supplies."
I followed him over to an old, dusty red ford. When he climbed in the car groaned beneath him. I lightly hopped into the front seat. I had never sat in the front of a car before- that was always Dudley's or one of the other Dursley's spots.
Hagrid started the car with a sputter, and we pulled out of the stable's long driveway. I wished I had a chance to say goodbye to Fang.
"Err… Hagrid, where are we going?" I asked.
"Oh, old Al didn't tell ya?" Hagrid said. "We're going to Diagon Alley, and then you'll head to school."
"Where is Diagon Alley?" I asked. He talked about some of these things as if I should already know about them.
"It's in Equiville. Near Dalton?" Hagrid responded. When I showed no sign of recognition, he continued. "Equiville is a town for horseman that almost no muggles know about. Diagon Alley is the central shopping area there- they sell almost everything you could need for school. Plus, all your money is sitting in Gringotts."
"I'm sorry- all my money?" I said.
"Yeah. Your parents left you with a decent sum, eh? You wouldn't think they would just let you go without for the rest of your childhood."
I didn't say anything, still in shock. Money! I had money! Hagrid seemed to recognize that I was done talking for a bit and turned on the radio.
All the way to Diagon Alley I didn't say a word. I just listened to Dolly Parton on the radio and let myself imagine, for once, what my life could be like. This was like a new start for me. I might actually do something with my life other than serve the Dursleys.
Just as Coat of Many Colors ended, Hagrid pulled the old Ford into a parking lot in the middle of nowhere. All that was around me was forest and highway. I climbed out of the truck, following his lead.
"Umm… Hagrid?" I asked, testing out my voice for the first time in the last couple of hours.
"Yeah?" He responded as he shut the truck door.
"Where's Diagon Alley?" I asked, once again.
"Well, you didn't really expect that we would be able to drive into Equiville, did you?" he said. "All the noise and gas would spook the horses. It's just a short walk." And then he headed into the woods.
After walking in the woods for a bit, I began to hear something. It sounded like horseshoes. As we got closer, I could hear the noises of shopkeepers selling their items and the nickers of the ponies. Finally, Hagrid pulled aside a branch of a tree to reveal the bustling town.
I could understand why Hagrid parked the car now- Equiville was full of horses. There were only dirt roads and rolling hills in the distance. Horses and carriages lined the roads, like something out of a western movie. I stood there for a moment, taking it all in, until I ran to catch up with Hagrid's long strides.
"Diagon Alley is right in here," Hagrid said, entering a narrow side street. It was full of people of all ages, most wearing either jeans or breeches. "First we need to go to Gringotts for your money."
Gringotts looked like the star of Diagon Alley, with a large golden horse statue in front of it. Hagrid was quite out of place, in dirty jeans among the bustling well-uniformed tellers. He walked up to one of the desks, but before he could say anything, the teller immediately turned towards me.
"Why- are your Harry Potter?" he asked, his face turning into an expression of awe.
"Umm… Yes?" I responded.
The teller's mouth opened in shock before he ran around the desk and hugged me. I awkwardly hugged him back.
"Thank you so much, Mr. Potter. Thank you, thank you." The man finally let go, before looking up at Hagrid and taking his directions. I was still in shock from the strange interaction to listen to what Hagrid asked.
"Come on now, Harry," Hagrid said, walking towards a large door in the back of the room. "It's time to get our goods."
I followed him into a horse-drawn carriage (of course) which led into the dark stone walls under Gringotts. "Hagrid," I said, turning towards him. "Why did that man know me? And thank me?"
"Well, Harry, don't you know? You're a bit famous in the equestrian world. You're the boy who lived through Voldemort's dagger" The carriage came to a stop in front of golden door. "Oh, here's your vault, Harry. Take this key and pouch," Hagrid said, dropping the items into my hand, "And fill it up. This money needs to last you the school year."
He was pushing me out of the carriage before I could ask any more questions, and I headed over to the vault. I carefully stuck the key into the hole and turned.
Inside was one of the most magnificent sights I had ever seen. There was stacks upon stacks of gold, all shiny and clean. I took handfuls of it and filled up the large pouch as much as I could, and then carefully closed the vault with one more longing glance inside. I have to say, I was in a much better mood after looking at the gold.
However, instead of going back up like I expected, the carriage started to head further down into the walls of vaults.
"Hagrid, where are we going?" I asked, pulling on his sleeve.
"Top secret mission for Al. Sorry Harry. Pretend you're not going to see anything."
The carriage rolled to a stop and the driver got out of the front. He walked over to the vault and opened the door using a key, revealing a second door. Hagrid stood up and placed the second key into the door before turning the handle. The bank worker turned away from the vault's contents.
Inside the vault was a large package wrapped in brown paper and tied with twine. The rest of the dark room was empty. With a grunt, Hagrid lifted the package and brought it back to the carriage. I knew better than to ask about its contents.
We headed back up the underground path and exited Gringotts through its front doors. Without saying anything about the package, Hagrid opened a list and handed it to me.
"Here is your school supplies list. What's the first item on it?" Hagrid asked.
"Three pairs regular cream-colored breeches and two fleece ones," I read off.
"Right then. Let's go grab those," he said, and we headed to the clothing store.
After buying the rest of my clothes and textbooks (History of the Horse, Horse Anatomy, Tack and Groom, and Basics of English Riding) I read off the next item on my list. "One mostly broke horse with basic skills for English events."
"Ah, that's a fun one," Hagrid said. "Unfortunately, you have to do that alone. I can't help you pick your horse. I might influence you towards the wrong one. But the best shop for you to buy a horse is right down there- Ollivanders. I'll meet you back here."
I headed over to Ollivanders, unsure what to expect. I could see a huge pasture and stables, with variety of horses in them. I gently opened the front door into a small, dark room lined with shiny tack.
"You here to buy a horse, son?" a voice said behind me. I jumped in surprise.
"Oh, I guess so," I said. The man came out of the shadows, wearing jeans and a dusty flannel shirt.
"I'm Mr. Ollivander. I'm guessing you're here for Hogwarts?" he said. I nodded.
"Right then. Come with me." He led the way out of the little shop and to the rows of stables. "What kind of events do you do?" he asked.
"Umm… I'm not very sure," I said. I admired a leopard appaloosa who stuck its head into the aisle.
"No problem. I knew your father, and he was always a great show jumper."
"You knew my father?" I gasped. Ever since Al had told me that my parents were equestrians, I had been desperate to know more about them.
"Of course! Your Harry, right? I sold James Potter his first horse. He was always a kind man," Mr. Ollivander responded.
I nodded, unsure of what to say. We walked out of the stables and to the field.
"Why don't you go out to the field. The right horse will find you," Mr. Ollivander said with a smile, stopping in his tracks. He handed me a halter. "Once it finds you, you can put this on it and lead it back here."
I headed into the pasture and walked out among the horses. I wasn't sure what I was looking for- and what did Mr. Ollivander mean, that the horse would find me? As I walked through the field, my new cowboy boots squeaking in the mud, I heard hoofbeats trotting behind me. I turned and saw a gray dappled horse walking towards me, maybe 14 hands tall. She walked right up to me and nuzzled my hair with her nose.
I knew she had to be mine. It was like I felt an immediate connection to her, like we had years of history. I put the halter on her as she stood there calmly, and then I led her out of the pasture.
"It looks like you found a horse!" Mr. Ollivander said as I walked up to him.
"Yes," I said. "She came right up to me."
"That normally means your meant for each other. She's part Quarter Horse, part Clydesdale, and has a little bit of Hanoverian in her. We call her Dolly, although you can always change her name. If you end up jumping, she'll be wonderful. Come on in and we'll fill out the paperwork."
I followed Mr. Ollivander back into the small shack, and he went over the paperwork with me.
"Well, I'll be damned," he said when he came to the breeding portion of the papers.
"What?" I asked, worried. I already loved this horse too much to give her up if she had some sort of genetic issue.
"This horse's great-grandmother I once sold to a young boy your age," Mr. Ollivander said. "His name was Tom Riddle. And he later became the greatest murderer of all time."
Well I thought that was rather blunt.
"Anyway," Mr. Ollivander continued, shaking himself out of his flashback. "All you need now is a name. What are you thinking?"
I hadn't thought of a name since I met her, and what Mr. Ollivander called her seemed to fit. "I think I'll stick with Dolly."
"Wonderful!" Mr. Ollivander said, marking it down on the paperwork. "You know, we named her after Dolly Parton."
I hadn't listened to much of Dolly Parton, but I can imagine that she's a good woman. "Fun!" I said.
Mr. Ollivander finished filing the paperwork. "She's all yours! The halter is complimentary."
"Thank you!" I said, already racing to grab Dolly. I couldn't believe she was really mine. After years of dreaming, I finally had a horse of my own.
I went back out to where Hagrid was standing and introduced him to Dolly. She seemed to like him, and vice versa. I noticed Hagrid was carrying a new large box along with the one from Gringotts.
"Hagrid, what's in there?" I asked, pointing to the box.
"Well, Harry," Hagrid started. "I knew it was your birthday recently and I wanted to get you something."
"Wait a second," I said. "It was my birthday?" I never celebrated it with the Dursleys, so the date eventually slipped from my mind.
"Yes, Harry! On the thirtieth! Anyway, open your gift."
I took the box from Hagrid and felt it shift under my arms. I had never received a present before, but I'm relatively sure that they're not supposed to move. I slowly unfolded the top lid of the box, and a meow welcomed me.
Inside was a white cat, curled up but not asleep. She had long whiskers and thick, dense fur that shone in the sunlight. I was automatically in love.
"Hagrid," I said. "She's beautiful."
"I'm glad you like her. She's a Maine Coon, so if the mice bug Dolly, you could take her down to the barn and she'll eat 'em all up."
"Thank you," I said, and I really meant it. In two days, I had gone from a poor, mostly orphaned boy to a rich one with a pony, white cat, and a ticket to boarding school.
"No problem, Harry. We better get you to the train station, though. You're going to miss your train." Hagrid started walking towards the station.
I followed him, still looking around at all the horses. There were tall Friesians, blanket Appaloosas, and even a Lipizzaner, but the horse I loved most was following me to the station.
"Okay," Hagrid said once we got to the station entrance. "Here's your ticket to Hogwarts. Bring the pony to the back, where they're loading them. I'll meet you there."
I took my ticket and started walking into the station.
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