From the author: :D
AN from SonofLuffy: Written by J. R. Tancredo.
Disclaimer: Sadly, still no ownage.
Chapter Four: Where Magic Lives
Harry and Snape walked up to a shabby looking pub in inner London. Harry looked around confused, "Professor, where are we going?"
Snape opened the door under the sign that read Leaky Cauldron, before answering "All will be revealed, soon, Potter."
As Harry walked in, he was slightly bewildered, as all the patrons were garbed very eccentrically. His eyes darted, and he caught a glimpse of the turbaned man from the train yard who was with Jin. Before he could turn away, this man looked back at him, and, seeing Snape, hurried over to them. "P-p-professor Snape, is this he?!" Snape pressed a finger to his lips, making a shushing sound, and pulled him, and Harry out the back door.
"Yes," replied Severus, "This is Mr. Potter. But let us not make a big deal about it in public. Harry, this is Mr. Quirrel. We are eagerly awaiting his decision as to whether he would like to become a Hogwarts professor." Harry and Quirrel exchanged niceties and shook hands. Snape nodded politely before finishing, "Yes, yes. I do hope we see you at school. However, we have a very strict schedule to meet, so we beg your leave." Quirrel nodded, and exited, as Severus produced a stick and began to tap on the wall opposite of the pub's rear door.
To Harry's amazement, the wall split asunder and receded to the sides, producing the most exhilarating, wondrous, and simply fabulous place he had ever seen, in his life. The sign read Diagon Alley, but it might as well have said Magic Boulevard. More of these oddly garbed people walked the streets. All sorts of bits, bobs, and bowtruckles were displayed before these buildings. Harry understood they were to be shops, but the wonder they radiated made them so much more. Every brick of the road seemed to have a different story, as each of them faintly radiated the magics that infused every inch of this wonderland. Pictures on store fronts were not the normal photographs he saw back in his world, they moved and danced, like pictures shows on Uncle Vernon's television at home, yet there was no screen, no tube, and no electricity: It was paper. Young children were carrying the queerest of toys and abnormal candies he had ever seen.
It was at this, that Harry recalled the box that Jin had given him days before, and looked to Severus, saying "Professor, do they sell chocolate dragons?"
Snape, in confusion, responded "It is not anything that I have ever heard of, but we can stop to find something for you, later. If we have the time."
Harry followed the professor to an immense, yet lopsided building, titled "Gringotts". Inside, Harry tailed him to the desk, now staying a little closer to Snape's side, as the men who worked here were not like any he had seen before. They were shorter, with pointed ears, and noses, sharp teeth, and black robes. Severus could see Harry's fear and whispered to him, "Relax Potter. They're just goblins. They won't not bite; without reason to, anyway." Harry nodded and followed him to the desk. A, somehow young-looking, goblin greeted them, recorded their information, and led them down several staircases to what appeared to be a mine cart. After a short trip down, they stopped at what appeared to be an ordinary cave. The goblin got out, walked over to a knee-high secret lock, and producing Harry's key, opened the vault.
As it opened, the golden gleam inside nearly blinded Harry, and when his eyes finally adjusted, he was in sheer amazement by the mass of gold sitting before him. Severus stepped forth to address him, "Now Harry, there are things you must know. This is a lot of money by wizard standards, but this is all you have until you are 18, so you do not want to do much frivolous spending. And bear in mind, you have this money because your mother set it aside for you with the profits from her cure to the common cold, while your father was trying to make his "self polishing boots" or whatever flight of fancy gripped him that day." This news of his father caused quite a stir in Harry. He was unsure whether to believe the professor, or hate him for insulting a boy's father to his face.
He would need to think on this more, but Snape continued, "Now we used to have a varying measurement to our coinage system, with some wild ratio of six knuts, the copper pieces, to a sickle, the silver piece; and seventeen sickles to a Galleon, the large gold pieces. I may have mixed that up, regardless, we changed that last year, thankfully, to the metric system. Ten knuts to a sickle, ten sickles to a galleon. Nice and easy, right?"
The goblin piped up "I say!" and quickly turned his head back away.
Harry nodded, and they gathered up several gold pieces into a sack with "Gold" written on the side, and set off again.
As they exited the bank, the Man-Mountain started walking towards him. But now in the day-light, Harry could see his face, and realized he looked more like the Santa Claus, than some angry woodsman. His cheeks were rosy; his nose like a button, and gut shook like jelly! He stared at Harry as he approached, and then looked at Severus. "Why, Sever's! Is dis heem? Da real Harra Po'er! I cannae believe my ess! Always a playsure, Mistah Po'er! Always!" and without anytime to process his goofy accent, both of Harry's hands were seized and jostled in what he assumed was a handshake, but felt more like an earthquake. "Nah, b'if you bof be scusin' me, Professy Dumbleedoor has asked m' t' retrieve the sorcer-"
"Rubeus!" Snape interjected.
"Ach! You are quite so, right-as-ever, Professy Snape!" Hagrid continued, "Well you be takin the care o' you-self dere, Mistah Harra Po'er! And dunnae be snooping around fer fluff-"
"Rubeus!" again Snape cut him off.
"Right as usual, Professy!" Hagrid continued again "Though I guess f' you ran into 'im you'ed just have t' play-"
"RUBEUS!" Snape was getting red in the face.
"Oh, Professy, I am so'a sorrah!" Hagrid obviously did not know when to quit. "I just hope d' rumors about mistah Voldymork are not-"
"HAGRID! I am sorry, Rubeus, we're on a very tight schedule!" Snape concluded and led Harry away as fast as possible.
They first arrived at Flourish & Blotts for Harry's books, which flew, in his amazement, right to Harry as he asked. He could swear they were normal books, but the flying? How could they do that?
Next they visited Ollivander's Wand Emporium for corn chips and pumpkin juice, but ended up leaving with a wand. Mr. Ollivander was about to inform Harry of something peculiar about this wand, when Snape saw where the conversation was going, and put a stop to it.
When their shopping was finished, they waited at a pub with a little early tea, for Professor Jin to arrive.
Harry looked up from his plate, "Professor… is there something you are not telling me? How come people know who I am?"
Snape let out a sigh, thought for a second, and confirmed, "Well I suppose you will learn eventually. I best give you the truth."
-end-of-chapter-
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