Chapter Four:
Hylas had been very self-aware from a young age, in his circumstance it was a must. So it wasn't often that he learned something about himself that he hadn't already concluded.
Apparently he was very much directionally challenged.
And wonder of all wonders it had only taken him two hours, five people, and three hastily sketched maps on scraps of paper to find the right street. And that was after he had been informed he was heading in the wrong direction…twice.
Luckily for him it wasn't anywhere near difficult for him to find the Leaky Cauldron. It was just as Petunia had described – a dingy, whole in the wall pub that passerbyers seemed to be completely oblivious to. It was horrifically easy for him, a small child, to just wander in unnoticed and find his way carried away in the wave of people heading through a previously solid brick wall.
It seriously made him wonder about the society he was entering. Nevertheless, he thought to himself, shrugging, it couldn't be worse than what he had left behind.
It was with little effort that he was able to conceal an expression of awe that wanted to force itself on his face. All the shimmering magical baubles were, of course, fantastical; however, with all the technological advances he had encountered since appearing in this world, technology that was practically magical itself, left him with less appreciation for the idea of actual magic. Especially considering that magic was to blame for his current predicament in the first place.
Though he definitely was going to research magical medical procedures.
Territerriterri
"Harry James Potter," Hylas grounded out to the first open teller he had come to. He hated saying that name. It wasn't his and he quite frankly didn't like it at all.
The teller goblin's quill stilled in its twirling for a mere fraction of a second; that was the only indication shown that he recognized the name. The goblin squinted at him and Hylas could see the sign of the goblin noticing something off about him.
"Potter is it?" the goblin inquired softly, his cold steely eyes looking over Hylas critically.
"Potter, yes" Hylas replied. He hoped these creatures could figure out he wasn't 'Harry James Potter'. He really desired to have the bracelet off and to go home.
The goblin paused, then nodded and waved another goblin over with the instructions: "Take Mr. Potter here to Ragnarok. He needs some blood work done."
Hylas had never been quite so gay at the idea of bleeding.
Territerriterri
Hylas had received some good news from the goblins along with some bad news. Good news: the goblins knew he wasn't actually Harry James Potter and that he was from another dimension. Bad news: they were unable to remove the bracelet or send him back news. However, they did allow him full rights to the Potter family vaults and agreed to set him up a little apartment in 'Muggle' London.
So all-in-all, while he was disappointed, he was now financially secured at least he had even arranged it where the little money pouch the goblins had given him would allow him to get money from his vault even across dimensions. Which was a plus for when he finally managed to get home.
Once his business was concluded with Gringotts Hylas' first stop was Flourish and Blotts, a book shop that had caught his eye upon entering the Alley. After entering and exploring a bit he could definitely say that he was impressed by the sher number of books on location. The book store was two stories after all and quite expansive on the inside, contrary to the deceptively small exterior. Magic, he supposed.
However, he was growing progressively more unimpressed with each book he collected for his classes. So far none of the books dealt with non-magical topics. Hylas' ultimate goal (besides going back home) was to be proficient in medicine –even if he wasn't going to be able to work as a doctor. For that he needed classes like sciences and math. To him it was horrific that it appeared Hogwarts offered no such useful subjects.
How were students born form non-magical parents going to keep up with their world's curriculum? Surely not all of them were going to be able to find employment with the wizarding world. The population and the job supply was uneven as far as the goblins had alluded when explaining the world to him.
Resolved to buy some books to study for the non-magical equivalent for the next seven years later, he made his way to the only clothing store he was able to find after he made his purchases – Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. He was pleasantly surprised that they custom tailored each individual's robes. He did not like the feel of mass produced clothing, especially mass produced clothing that did not fit him properly like all of Dudley's old hand-me-downs.
It was peculiar to watch pins and measuring tapes fly around him while the seamstress was explaining her robes, however, it seemed more efficient, so he tried to ignore the discomfort it made him feel.
He left with five school robes ordered to be delivered to his new apartment's address.
Leaving there he resolved to find a tailor for normal clothes that were not robes. Just being in a tailor's –of any kind- made him miss clothes that were hand-crafted to the specific person who ordered them. It made him miss home. It also reminded him of his dislike for Dudley's rags.
Hylas picked up the beginners potions kit with all the necessary ingredients and accessories; such as a pewter cauldron, scales, and various other odds and ends. Then he collected several packages of parchment paper ( he despised writing on scrolls and refused to purchase any) and a ridiculously expensive fountain pen. He had found it at the back of the shop in scarce quantities with other peculiar – to wizards he supposed – odds and ends like notebooks and lined paper. It was had self replenishing ink and could not be broken, which was why he bought it despite the price. That and he knew such pens were not common in the non-magical world and he did not like the way non-magical pens wrote and neither did he like quills. So fountain pen it was.
To get his wand – and oh, how his parents would have laughed at that idea – he had to face a strange elderly gentleman with eyes the color of milk. It was quite odd. He left the near dilapidated shop with a yew and thestral's hair wand. When he left he was rightly glad that he was out of there and had no reason to ever return.
He then went into 'Muggle' London with the 'muggle' currency that he was marginally more comfortable with than the magical currency that consisted of gold, silver, and bronze coins that were difficult to equate with the 'muggle' currency.
It took him two hours of being much turned around to find a high-end clothing store – a store which he was sneered at in and nearly not allowed in. If only those people knew he could buy their shop- their loss. Then it took another three hours to find the tailor he had learned of, irritating because he ended up only two blocks from where he had started; he had only had to travel half way across London and back to find it.
He really cursed his poor sense of direction it was most inconvenient – he was quite thankful the goblins had supplied him with a reusable portkey to his apartment, he might actually make it there before dawn.
Anyhow he got to the tailor's eventually, and he met one of the strangest individuals he had ever beheld.
Wild spiky green hair was the first characteristic that Hylas registered, next was the pink suit that the man, yes man, wore. The man was young perhaps between twenty-seven and thirty-two and relatively good-looking – if you could look past the outrageous color choices.
Stranger still was that the man squealed with delight when he saw Hylas walk through the door, the man ran up and strangled Hylas into a hug proclaiming:
"You have got to be the most adorable little boy I've ever seen. Look at those gorgeous eyes! And your hair is just so pretty and long. Please, Please, Please tell me I get to design something for you, cutiepie!"
More than a little dazed by the time he was released Hylas absently nodded, which in turn set off another series of squeals.
Within the next hour and a half Hylas was poked, prodded, measured, and hugged at the strange man's leisure.
As that was happening the man, who Hylas learned was named Nigel Hopkins chatted all about himself where in Hylas learned quite a bit about Nigel as her preferred to be called.
Nigel had gone to fashion design school in Italy and upon return to England was unable to hold a job due to his more 'eccentric' taste. He had opened his own little shop so he could do what he wanted for clients who appreciated his work.
Nigel also complained to Hylas about his boyfriend (Ivan), who sounded like a right bastard.
Finally once all the measurements were finally done they began to discuss what style Hylas wanted.
"Victorian," Hylas said simply, he wanted clothes that he had been familiar with before what he had mentally dubbed as "The Incident".
Nigel once more squealed.
Territerriterri
Once Hylas finally escaped from Nigel's shop – the man had wanted to walk him home to make sure he go there okay, which wouldn't have worked out since Hylas didn't even know how to get to his apartment except by portkey- he dodged into a relatively safe looking alleyway and made sure no one was watching before activating the portkey. He barely looked around at his apartment; he was exhausted and collapsed on the bed once he found it. In moments he was dead to the world.