Bit late with this one, as I had planned on uploading weekly (although you had no knowledge of my upload schedule until now) - Sorry about that. The pace of these first few chapters is quite slow, but it should pick up once Harry goes back to Hogwarts.
Enjoy!
Harry continued to eye Jack's grinning form suspiciously. Jack's knowledge of events was seemingly impossible. There were only 4 people who knew what happened that night…
"Quirrell died. Professor Dumbledore wouldn't say anything. Vol-…" Harry's train of thought trailed off, and his eyes widened in alarm.
The grin on Jack's face fell, and his hands once again raised in an attempt at a peaceful gesture. "I'm guessing you've gone through recent events, and you've probably jumped to the wrong conclusion. Like I said, I'm not going to hurt you, Harry."
"Say I believe you." Harry started, echoing Jack's earlier words, making him smile slightly. "How do you know all this?"
Jack sighed, lowering his hands to grip the bench, as he leaned backwards slightly. "Well, I'm not sure I can tell you… It's a tad complicated…" Jack trailed off, not realising that would set off an outburst from Harry.
"Oh, come on! I'm sick of this! 'I'm sorry Harry, I cannot tell you.' 'I'm sorry Harry, maybe when you're older!'" Harry ranted, bringing a smile to Jack's face. "Don't you laugh! Do you have any idea how annoying this is?!"
"Believe it or not, Harry, I was your age once as well. I remember being told the same sort of thing."
"Yeah, well, it's not fair. Why can't I know now? Why can't you tell me?" Harry huffed, continuing, "You set me up! With all that stuff about 'How does this muggle know about Harry Potter?'"
Here, Jack grimaced, "Okay, I'll be more honest with you then. I'm sorry for saying what I said. However, I need you to be interested in me, or more specifically, the knowledge I have, because you are literally the only hope I have right now."
That brought Harry up short. "What do you mean?"
Jack sighed again. "Harry, I'm a long way from home. I have no place to live, no money, no food…"
The implications raced through Harry's mind, as he realised Jack had literally fell into another world with just the clothes on his back.
Harry thought back to the Dursley's. Despite everything, even they had kept clothes on his back (however ratty, old, and torn), food in his belly (however meagre), and a roof over his head (even if it was a cupboard for 10 years).
"Okay." Harry simply stated, which brought Jack up short.
"Okay?" Jack queried, seeming genuinely surprised, before questioning, "Just like that?"
Harry nodded and not two seconds later, Jack facepalmed.
"Harry, I know you think being a Slytherin is bad and all, but you seriously need to learn how to bargain. I have a lot of useful information, and you have me figuratively over a barrel." Jack stated, before elaborating at Harry's confused look.
"You could have used your position of power to get a lot of information out of me, and it's highly unlikely I would have been able to refuse."
"I couldn't do that! That's just… Wrong, isn't it?" Harry questioned, eyes wide as he looked at Jack. He looked very innocent at that moment.
"Morally wrong? Probably. But you have all the power here. You set the rules, so to speak." Jack replied, as if egging Harry on.
"No. Well… Not 'No'. Just not now. We need to-"
"OI POTTER!"
Harry whirled around, surprised at the interruption, before scowling at the person who shouted. It was his fat cousin, Dudley.
Harry and Jack watched as a group of five boys raced towards them.
The gang stopped a few metres away from the pair, and after giving himself a few seconds to catch his breath, Dudley wheezed out, "Oi, Dad wants us back at the house. So, either you walk home, or we drag you home." He finished with a smirk, as his four friends sniggered around them.
Harry turned to look at Jack, who raised his eyebrow in question at him, before looking towards the group, and back to Harry. Harry quickly understood, and nodded at Jack.
Jack stood from his seat on the bench and took a few steps towards Harry.
"Oi, who are you then?" Came from Dudley questioningly, his eyes a bit wider than they were previously as he took in the size of the man standing next to Harry.
"Harry has no interest in returning while your family entertain their guests tonight, so I suggest you leave now." Jack said, his voice slightly deeper than it had been previously. Harry noticed at the wind picked up slightly, in time with Jack confronting his cousin's gang. "How's that for dramatic effect?" An amused Harry thought.
Dudley scowled, went to take a step towards Harry, before glancing at Jack and thinking better of it. Instead he turned towards his gang, muttering a "Whatever. Let's go", before running back in the direction they came.
"Wicked." Jack heard Harry mutter under his breath, before replying more audibly, "Thanks, I bet they would have dragged me home if you weren't here."
"No worries. Who were they?" Jack questioned, not remembering if that was supposed to happen or not.
Harry raised his eyebrow at Jack in response. "Shouldn't you know?" he replied, sarcastically.
Jack smirked, "Of course. Your cousin, Dudley, was the fat one at the front. The two smaller boys were Piers and Dennis, while the two larger boys were Gordon and Malcolm."
Harry's shoulders sagged a bit in disbelief, before straightening up and nodding. "Okay, so you do know them… That's good?"
Jack simply shrugged in response. "I hope I didn't get you into too much trouble…" he trailed off, slightly concerned as that had never happened either.
"I should be fine, and this gives us time to figure out what we're going to do next."
Jack quirked an eyebrow. "We, eh?" Harry nodded resolutely, before his eyes lit up. "You said you're a muggle, right?" Jack nodded, curious as to where Harry was going with this.
"Okay, but that was your old world, maybe here you're magical."
Jack tilted his head to the side, before replying, "As cool as that would be, I don't think it works like that."
Harry shook his head, before reaching into one of his baggy trouser pockets, and pulling out his wand.
Jack looked at him curiously. "Didn't your uncle lock up your stuff when you first got home from Hogwarts?"
Harry nodded, "He did, but I told him my wand was in my trunk."
Jack smirked in response. "Smart." Jack looked at the wand again, observing it as Harry held it. Would it work for him?
"Highly unlikely", he mentally decided, before saying, "Holly and Phoenix Feather. Although I can't remember the length, but I'd guess it's about 10 inches?"
"11," Harry quickly replied, before passing it over to Jack, before grinning and saying, "Well, go on. Give it a wave."
Laughing at his grin, Jack waved the wand in an anti-clockwise spiral.
Nothing happened.
Frowning, Harry said, "Maybe it's the wand?"
"I highly doubt it," came Jack's immediate reply, "Plus, something should have happened as soon as I touched the wand, if I recall correctly." Sure, it stung slightly, but it was nothing to get worked up over. "I didn't have magic before, and I still don't now. No big deal."
Harry looked surprised as he received his wand back from Jack, storing it away in his trouser pocket. "I couldn't ever imagine living without magic, now that I have it."
A slightly uncomfortable silence fell between the pair, as they both considered the previous few minutes. "It doesn't matter that he's a muggle." Harry thought, decisively. "He still needs my help. And we both have something the other wants. I want to know what he knows, and he needs my help with food, and a house, and stuff…"
Looking back at Jack, Harry made up his mind. "He needs my help, and I have all that money in my vault, what else am I going to spend it on?"
"Hey Jack?" Harry started, gaining his companion's attention, "Did you bring anything with you, when you, uhhh, travelled here?"
Jack looked back in surprise, as if he hadn't considered it. Reaching into his pockets, he brought out a few different items. Harry recognised a wallet, a set of keys, some sunglasses, some pink earbuds ("Pink?" Harry questioned mentally), and a large, thin, white, box-shaped thing.
"What's the white thing?" Harry questioned. Jack merely looked surprised. "Uh, I don't know my history that well either, but I'm pretty sure mobile phones existed in the 90's… Right?"
"Mobile Phones? You mean that's a phone? We have a house phone, but I've never seen one without wires attached to it…"
Jack nodded, "That makes sense. I think they might start rolling older versions of this thing out in a few years… Christ, this is going to be confusing."
Jack looked up suddenly. "Harry, magic short-circuits muggle electronics, right?" Harry nodded, hesitantly.
Jack suddenly looked like he was on the verge of another breakdown. "Harry, this phone contains pictures of my friends, and family. I cannot lose it. I can't risk having magic done around it. Where can I keep it safe?"
All of a sudden, Harry understood. He knew what it was like to cherish the pictures of his loved ones. His parents. If anything happened to his photo album…
Jack was the same as him in that way. Alone in the world. Although Jack was far more alone than him. "At least I have my friends."
Sympathy colouring his tone, Harry responded, "Don't worry. We'll keep it safe while we figure stuff out."
Jack shook his head, staring at Harry intently. "Harry, I don't think you quite understand. This thing runs on electricity. I need a specific type of adaptor to get electricity into it. One which likely won't be invented for, what, 20 years?"
Harry's eyes went wide. "20 years?! Exactly how far in the future are you from?"
Jack's face suddenly turned weary. "When I left? It was the 31st of July… 2018."
Harry's face turned pale as he did the mental calculation. "26 years." He mouthed, with a look of horror on his face.
"Oh… Oh Merlin."
"Yeah, now you know how I feel. I've got a set of keys for a house that my parents don't live in yet. I've got a phone that hasn't been invented yet." Jack said, as he wiped his face clear of emotion. "But now isn't the time to worry about that. It's getting late. I'll just turn it off for now. Hopefully that means that magic won't destroy it; it's not like I can leave it anywhere for safe-keeping."
"R-right." Harry said, as he threw a semi-worried look at Jack. "Alright, so first things first. We need money, and that means we need to get to Gringotts, in Diagon Alley."
Jack smiled slightly, "Then it's a good job you've got your wand. It's time for you to experience a new type of magical transport."
"A new type of magical transport?" Harry questioned internally. "Okay. What do I need to do?"
"You need to stand at the edge of the road and hold your wand out." Jack said, mysteriously, before turning and walking towards Magnolia Street, prompting Harry to follow him.
Jack and Harry walked together in silence for a few moments, before they reached the edge of the park, and the pavement of Magnolia Street.
Harry hesitated for second, looking at Jack questioningly, before pulling out his wand again and holding it out in front of himself.
A deafening bang sounded, as both Harry and Jack threw up their arms to shield their eyes from the bright lights that suddenly appeared. A giant purple bus screeched to a halt in front of the pair, and a conductor in a purple uniform leapt from the opening at the back.
"Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard. My name is Stan Shunpike, and I will be your conductor this evening." The conductor announced professionally.
Jack took the lead, "Hiya Stan, my friend and I need a ride to London. The Leaky Cauldron to be specific."
"Oh, 'choo do now, do ya? Bof' of ya? Well, we can cer'unly do tha'. Tha'll be Twenty-Two Sickles." Stan said, dropping his professional manner of speech. "But, for firteen you get 'ot choco, and for fifteen you get an 'ot-water bottle an' a toofbrush in whatever colour you like."
Stan eyed Jack carefully when he hesitated, but Harry quickly came to Jack's rescue. "Here." He said, after rummaging through his pockets, and shoving a bunch of silver coins into Stan's hand. Ignoring Jack's curious look, and Stan's stare, he climbed onto the bus, leaving Jack to chase after him.
Swinging around the pole as he stepped back onto the platform, Stan followed the pair through into the bottom deck of the Knight Bus. "These two're yours." Stan said, as he walked past the last two beds before reaching the driver, who was sat in an armchair in front of the steering wheel.
"This is our driver, Ernie Prang. These two're… Ya know, you two n'ver said…" Stan said, trailing off questioningly.
"I'm Jack, and this is Harry." Jack said, taking the lead, "We're meeting my family at the Leaky Cauldron." He finished smoothly.
Stan nodded. "Right 'en. Take 'er away, Ern," he said, as he sat down on the armchair next to Ernie's.
Jack quickly pushed Harry down onto the bed next to him, before jumping backwards onto his own bed, and grabbed one of the railings.
Harry's confused look quickly turned into surprise, as a huge bang sounded, and the bus took off at speed. "WHAT THE-" Looking through the huge bus windows, Harry saw the outside had completely changed.
Stan laughed, watching Harry with great amusement. "This is where we was before you two flagged us down." Jack tuned him out, having heard – and read - this speech before.
A short time later, the bus skidded to a halt in front of the shabby looking pub, the Leaky Cauldron.
"Right, off we get," said Jack, jumping to his feet. Jack led Harry off the bus, completely ignoring Stan's farewell. Harry however, turned around to thank the man. With another loud bang, the large purple Knight Bus shot off into the night.
Turning back towards the pub, Harry nearly ran into the back of Jack, who had ground to a halt. Skipping around him, Harry saw the look of shock and confusion on Jack's face.
"Harry, what do the families of muggleborn's see when they try to get into the pub?" Jack questioned. Harry knew what the issue was. "Don't worry, if you hold onto me, you'll be able to see the pub," he said, with a knowing tone.
Jack shook his head, "No, that's not it. I can see the pub just fine."
That shook Harry. "But… But I thought we agreed you didn't have magic." Muggles shouldn't be able to see the pub. Most of them ignore it, as it looks like an old, dilapidated shop.
"It seems I can interact with magic then… Perhaps I'm a squib?" Jack mused, thoughtfully.
"What's a squib?" Questioned Harry, who felt like he'd heard the word somewhere, but couldn't quite remember.
Giving him an appraising look, Jack said, "A squib is a person who is born with barely enough magic to interact with the wizarding world, but not enough to cast spells. Then again, squibs are specifically called as such because they're born into wizarding families. Perhaps I'm just a very weak muggleborn. Who knows, eh?"
Nodding, Harry replied with, "That explains how you saw the Knight Bus then too." Jack looked surprised, then actually appeared sheepish for a second. "I hadn't actually considered that."
"Perhaps the goblins of Gringotts will reveal something." Jack muttered, just barely loud enough for Harry to catch it.
The pair entered the Leaky Cauldron, with Harry leading. Jack fell behind slightly as he gazed around in amazement. The pub was quite active, but that made sense to Jack. After all, it was 7pm on a Friday evening.
Attempting to ignore the sights – one man at the bar was drinking out of a mug which appeared to be on fire! – Jack put a hand on Harry's shoulder and guided him to the far corner of the pub, near the exit to the courtyard containing the gateway to Diagon Alley.
"Harry," Jack whispered, deliberately keeping his voice down, "Do you remember the combination Hagrid used to get into Diagon Alley?!" Jack remembered there being a difference here between the books and the films. "I think the book said 5 taps, while the film showed 3 taps?" Jack thought, confused, "Or was it the other way around?"
"I can't remember," replied Harry, worriedly. They'd come so far, they couldn't fail now!
"Don't worry, let's have a word with Tom." Jack guided Harry back over to the bar, before letting his voice carry over to the barman. "Hey Tom, would you mind letting us through to the alley?"
Tom raised a questioning eyebrow, putting down the mug and ambling over to the pair.
Jack leaned down to Harry and muttered, "Flash him your scar." Harry turned to raise an eyebrow at Jack, but did as requested.
Tom's eyebrows shot up into his non-existent hairline, as he said, "Blimey," under his breath. Harry sent him a pleading look, and Tom acquiesced. Tom ushered the pair into the courtyard.
Once out of the backdoor of the pub, and into the courtyard, Tom whirled around on the pair, and allowed his wand to show in his hand. "Everything all right here, Harry?" Tom asked, shooting a glance at Jack.
After a few seconds, it was clear to Jack that Harry wasn't sure what was going on, so he spoke up. "Tom thinks you're here against your own will, Harry. Which would make sense if we were going into the muggle world, I suppose." Harry nodded, confirming what Jack said to be true. "I'm fine."
Tom allowed his lips to form a grimace. "Fair enough," he grunted, before turning towards the gateway. Turning his body slightly so Harry could see what he was doing, Tom tapped 3 times on specific bricks, which Harry memorised.
Jack watched, mesmerised as the bricks folded off to the sides, and the gap grew larger and larger.
Harry turned to Jack and said with a grin, "Welcome Jack, to Diagon Alley."
