Not My Magical World
Chapter 4
Harry sat behind his desk in the Akashic Plane; the fireplace in his study burned brightly, casting dim light around the room.
Books on metallurgy, blacksmithing, carpentry, biochemistry, and gear construct creation lay across the surface. While he could get the knowledge, he lacked the hands-on experience. That's why he was going to meet the twins that Clarice Glitterstone told him about later.
The fireplace in his study burned brightly, casting dim light around the room.
As he felt himself begin to wake, he flicked his hands, the books he had pulled from the plane flew towards the shelves lining the walls, and the shelves expanded to fit them.
He closed his eyes as a force pulled him back.
–XX –
Harry opened his eyes in bed at the Leaky Cauldron, a small pub/hotel in London. It'd been three days since he left New York to find the artificers Clarice had mentioned.
Throwing the blankets back, he swung his legs out of bed, cold air caressing his lean frame. Standing to his feet, he stretched with his hands on his lower back, groaning as tension was released from his muscles.
Moving over to the trunk at the foot of his bed, he opened the duffel bag on top of it. Pulling out a red sweatshirt, jeans, socks, and a pair of dark brown boots, he set about getting dressed.
For a moment, he stared at the clothes, tradition said he should wear a suit, but instincts told him to go casual. Shaking the sweatshirt out, he began to pull it over his head
Before coming to the Leaky Cauldron, he had stopped by the old Potter estate.
It was a four-story brick house with rounded corners that looked like a castle's towers, sitting on 12 acres of land. A small pond sat adjacent to the house, and overgrown hedges obscured the driveway.
Windows in the house were broken, one cone-shaped tower roof was caved in, and the far wall of the structure had collapsed. He had set about buying the materials to fix the place himself, but they would take a while to get there, and he needed the hands-on experience the twins could offer to get it done.
Shaking his head, he grabbed the papers on the dresser while glancing in the mirror. Ignoring the comment it made, he ran a hand through his hair, using a bit of power to make it neat.
Folding the papers, he stuffed them into his back pocket and made his way to the door.
–XX –
Walking down the narrow staircase leading into the Leaky Cauldron's main room, Harry eyed the bar.
Tables and chairs sat throughout the space, with a bar lining the far-left half of the room.
Iron chandeliers hung from the ceiling, their candles casting a dim light about the room. Lamps were mounted on the walls, adding more light to the room.
"Breakfast, Mr. Potter?"
Harry turned; Tom, the barman as he was known to the locals, was a tall thin man with heavily wrinkled tan skin, dark brown eyes, and a stub nose. The smile he gave Harry was full of gum, a single tooth standing prominent.
"Morning Tom, breakfast sounds good. What do you have?"
Tom scratched his bald head, "Breakfast is pretty much made to order; it's dinner where we have a set meal, so what would you like?"
"Bacon, over medium eggs, on top of a hash."
Tom nodded, his thin hands moving swiftly across a piece of parchment.
"I'll have it out to you soon," he gestured at the empty tables around the bar, "pick a seat."
Sitting at a table closest to the bar, Harry glanced around the place. It had an old feel that felt homely.
The Bell above the door jingled as a man strode into the room, his casual clothes instantly shifting into purple robes as he stepped over the threshold.
Harry eyed the man. That's one thing he found strange, people in magical Britain wore robes that transformed into whatever style was currently in fashion in the mundane world but transformed into their robes when they were in the magical section.
He didn't understand the point of robes, but this magical Britain was different from the one he grew up in. He shook his head as Tom set his plate before him, along with a teacup with cups of honey, sugar, and cream.
"Here you are, Mr. Potter."
"Thank you, Tom," reaching into his right back pocket; he pulled out his wallet. Opening it, he pulled out a ten and five, "Here you are."
With a bob of his head, Tom moved back to the bar.
Clapping his hands together, Harry bowed his head, saying a small prayer over his food before spreading his napkin across his lap and picking up his utensils.
Picking up a slice of bacon, Harry took a bite, enjoying its crunch as he cut into his eggs. Dipping the rest of the bacon into his eggs, he closed his eyes at the taste, wondering if magic enhanced the food's flavor.
Within a few minutes, he finished his plate, wiped his mouth clean, and rose to his feet. Taking a few more bills from his wallet, he made his way to the bar and handed them to Tom, "Thank you for the food."
Tom dipped his head, "You already said that, Mr. Potter, and paid me extra; you don't need to give me a tip."
"That's my decision to make." Turning, Harry began making his way toward the back of the shop.
–XX –
Harry stepped onto the pub's small back deck, the wood creaking beneath his feet, and looked around. A small section of grass stretched to a brick wall. Barrels were stacked at either end of the brick wall, stopping just before they reached the top.
As he stood there, brisk air caressed his skin, and he realized he couldn't hear the city's noise. He sniffed the air, catching the scents of the pub. 'Am I in another pocket dimension? I didn't even notice the transfer.'
Turning, Harry moved down narrow steps, his hands sliding reflexively into his pockets. Gravel crunched beneath his feet as he made his way to the wall. Stopping before it, he blinked, pale purple energy overlaying his vision.
Red and dark blue lines of power ran through the marble wall. Harry traced the lines with a finger. "Some kind of combination lock?"
Pressing a particular brick, the sound of stone grinding upon stone echoed through the alley as the wall shifted into an arch. Carved letters at the top of the arch read Diagon Alley.
Beyond the walls stretched a cobblestone Street. In the distance, he could make out the familiar structure of Gringotts, the goblin bank.
Buildings in the style of the eighteenth century lined the street. What looked like candle lamps were spaced sporadically along the cobblestones.
Stepping onto the cobblestones, Harry paused as the arch shifted back into a wall behind him.
People of all shapes, sizes, and ethnicities moved along the streets in a controlled, chaotic way. Each person was dressed in robes of varying styles and colors, but the thing they all had in common was a belt wrapped around their waist with a slim holster attached. An ornate handle poked out of the top of the holster.
"Robes, wands, really?" Slowly, he began moving down the street, "I need to do some research and find out why they are using wands."
In his home universe, such focuses were used on rare occasions, most of the time for delicate tasks, such as surgery, fine craftsmanship, or mind magic. He shook his head, "Not my business; the magic users of my world changed after mutant DNA was introduced early in their history, and these people may not have the fine energy control my people possessed."
His eyes flicked to the wands again, "Could I help them achieve that?" He shook his head hard, "No, no, I've already got too much to do."
As he moved down the street, his eyes flicked from shop-to-shop Florean Fortescue's ice cream parlor, Flourish and Blotts bookstore, and Madame Malkin's robes for all occasions.
Florean Fortescue's was a single-story building with round metal tables on the sidewalk and partially covered by a red awning. A chalkboard sign listed the day's flavors, while a larger one listed the available flavors above the ordering station.
Flourish and Blotts was a four-story building mostly made of glass, with gold lettering spelling out the store's name above the double doors. Even outside, he could see the bookcases that spiraled up the building.
Finally, Madame Malkin's was a small store smooshed between two more significant buildings. A small display window showed a manikin draped in robes of the latest style.
Harry stepped onto the sidewalk and leaned against a table at Florean Fortescue's. Releasing a breath, he allowed his eyes to drift closed. He could feel the magic of this place and the space expansion charms in each building.
"Even with everything they've done, they're still only scratching the surface of what can be accomplished with magic."
His brow furrowed as strange magic pinged on his senses. Eyes closed, he moved down the street, weaving gracefully in between people, his body a hair's breadth from touching some of them.
Eventually, he stopped before the source of magic and opened his eyes. He stared at a narrow three-story building with iron bars on the windows. Filth emanated from the building, forcing him to take a step back.
Misery from whatever was inside beat against his mental shields, begging for help.
A sign burned over the heavy wooden door banded with iron and riveted together read, Henry's House Elf's Hollow.
'I'll have to come back here later,' he glanced up at the sun, 'it's about time for me to meet the Prewett brothers.' Pushing the dark emotions away, he turned and began making his way to his meeting.
–XX –
Ten minutes later, Harry stared at the very end of the alley before a tall two-story building made of weathered wood with a tile roof. A sign over the door read Prewett's gadgets and gizmos, and a large window showed off the shop's latest merchandise.
Taking a breath, Harry stepped forward and pushed the door to the shop open; a bell mounted above the door jingled as he stepped inside.
A small counter sat to his left with a bronze cash register on top of it. He could see the gears that made up its innards through a small rectangular slot at the top.
Tables were spread throughout the room, holding various unknown devices, and shelves lined the back wall, each covered in a glass layer to protect its contents.
"Can I help you," a short red-haired figure asked as he emerged from a room near the back of the shop.
Harry stepped forward, offering his hand, "Fabian or Gideon Prewett?"
"Fabian," the man said cautiously, taking Harry's hand for a short shake.
As they shook hands, Harry took in Fabian's features. He was 4'3" tall with yellow eyes possessing rounded pupils. Slightly pointed ears jutted out from his head, drawing attention away from his bright red hair. Small hands tipped in curved claws twitched as he took in Harry.
He wore a white shirt, brown britches, and black shoes with pointed toes. A brown apron covered his front, its pockets holding various tools.
Harry recognized various pliers, screwdrivers, and what looked like the wires of a soldering kit poking out of the hip pocket.
Shaking his head, he offered Fabian a smile. 'Half goblin, half gnome, surprising heritage, but since they work so closely together, maybe it was something to bind the races.'
"Hello, Mr. Prewett, my name is Harry James Potter; I believe Cassandra Glitterstone contacted you on my behalf?"
Fabian bobbed his head, "Ah, the American who wants to learn how to be an artificer."
Harry opened his mouth to say he wasn't an American but closed it and waited to hear what Fabian had to say.
Fabian's hand slid to his hips, and his fingers drummed against them as he stared up at Harry, "Why should my brother and I take you on? What do we get out of the deal?"
Harry's gaze flicked around the shop, taking in the dust that covered everything. "Well, I could pay you. It appears you could use it, but if you're looking for more tangible benefits to having me around." He raised his hand.
A long cylindrical object floated over from a nearby table. As it settled in Harry's hands, he gently turned it over. "A telescope that projects a three-dimensional image of anything it's focused on." He glanced at Fabian, "Good, but the runes used for the holographic projection diminish its power, causing a lack of detail."
His pupils filled with a pale purple light as the device floated in the air and slowly began to disassemble into its base parts.
"Hey, what are you doing!" Fabian protested.
"Proving my worth; if I break it, I'll buy it."
Each gear, piece of glass, and metal sheet floated into the air. Harry's eyes focused on the ornate symbols carved on each piece. As he concentrated, each character shifted subtly before the device reassembled itself. As the last screw slipped into place, the object glowed with a pale purple light.
Flicking his fingers towards Fabian, Harry sent the telescope floating to him, "Go outside and check this."
Fabian took the telescope, his gaze flicking between Harry and the door, "It's daytime," he said, his brow furrowing.
"Won't matter."
Glancing between Harry and the door, Fabian took a deep breath, "Gideon, get out here!"
A bang echoed from the room Fabian had exited earlier in the conversation, "What," a voice shouted back, "I am busy!"
"The guy, the Glitterstone lady, told us about is here looking to become our apprentice. He's showing me his skill; I want you to watch him while I go out and test what he's done."
Grumbling was heard as footsteps drew closer, and a short figure that looked almost exactly like Fabian, except with a red beard, emerged from the back room.
"Well, go on then," Gideon gestured at his brother, "some of us have work to do."
Glaring at his brother, Fabian took the device and walked towards the door, "Don't let him take anything."
As the door shut to the shop, Gideon looked Harry up and down, "So, you want to be our apprentice."
"Yeah."
"Have you made anything?"
"Not recently, but I did disassemble one of your projects, improve it, and put it back together."
Gideon shook his head, "Not enough; you have to have a creative spark."
"I do. I was hoping you and your brother could help me mass-produce them, but until we are under a master and apprentice contract, I don't want to show them," Harry looked around the shop, "I could also help you find a buyer for this stuff."
Gideon opened his mouth to say something but stopped when his brother reentered the shop. Without looking at Harry, Fabian moved to stand beside his brother. Turning to Gideon, he handed over the telescope, "Go look this over and tell me what you think."
Gideon leaned over to his brother, and despite whispering, Harry heard him say, "This is our device. I don't need to look it over."
"Just do it."
Grumbling, Gideon began making his way to the back room.
As his brother disappeared, Fabian turned to Harry, "You have your apprenticeship," moving behind the counter, Fabian sat his elbows atop it and interlaced his fingers, "Now let's talk specifics."