Sorry about the late chapter! My computer got a virus and I just figured out how to get around it! Anyway, this is more of a transition or filler chapter. I promise the next chapter will contain Harry's meeting with Andromeda and him boarding the Hogwarts express! Enjoy/ Review!

P.s- Lots of praise to my amazing co-writer and friend Tymes24!

Last Time:

Riptooth finally handed Harry a large parchment with one name on it: Andromeda Black.

Chapter Four- Responses

Harry knew that he should recognize the name but he couldn't place his finger on it. He shrugged the thoughts away and looked at Riptooth.

"Thank you Riptooth. Now, do I have to be emancipated before I can receive my own bank statements or will I have to come here every month?" Harry asked.

"Actually, if you'd like I can give you the Potter book. It is quite like the book I have. It shows all of your vaults and properties. It shows the contents of every vault and any transactions that happen. It also shows the state of your properties as well as the businesses that you own or have stock in." Riptooth informed.

"That would be great; if you could give me that we'll be done here for the day." Harry said. Riptooth reached into his desk and gave Harry a surprisingly slim book. Harry opened it and groaned when he saw that he barely understood any of the words, he'd have to wait until he hired his solicitor to go over this with him.

"Thank you Riptooth, may your gold always flow." Harry said instinctively.

"Yours as well, Mr. Potter."

Harry left the office and walked down the short hallway before going to the main bank area and then leaving Gringotts. He figured that an hour had passed and during his time in the Alley he had felt several beeps in his mind to show that Dudley was checking on Aunt Petunia.

Harry walked through the still full Alley and enjoyed the weather as he came back to the Trunk Shop. He entered and was immediately greeted by the burly man with a big smile.

"Ah, Mr. Potter, just on time for your bag; I have to say that it is one of my finest. Try it on so that it can be adjusted to your size." The man said. Harry was handed the bag and could instantly tell that the bag had been made with obvious care and effort.

He slipped it on his back and sensed the man use a spell on it. Harry tensed but relaxed as he felt the backpack shrink a bit to fit him perfectly. The bag wasn't bulky or overlarge, the outside was rather small actually but the inside was expanded of course.

Harry took off the bag and admired the gleaming crest. "Thank you, I can obviously see that this was made with great effort. I shall be sending business your way for this, and here's something extra." Harry said. The bag was fifty galleons since it was specially made but Harry threw in an extra fifteen, which was big.

Harry put the bag back on his back and decided that since he had another half hour before he really needed to get back home, he might as well go through the obviously more expensive side alley called Paradise Alley.

Harry felt it was aptly names, everything about Paradise Alley screamed wealth and power. Harry ventured into many shops and acquired a large selection of formal wear and more expensive clothing than he had on his last shopping trip.

In fact, Harry bought completely new school clothes because in Paradise Alley, everything was of a better quality. He didn't know what he would do with his never worn clothes that he had gotten from Diagon Alley, but he'd most likely return them.

After making sure that his new purchases were securely packed in the clothes compartment of his new bag, Harry checked the newly bought watch he was wearing and hurried from Paradise Island and through Diagon Alley to Eeylops Owl Emporium.

He browsed through the many hanging cages that contained beautiful and even majestic owls, but none of them felt right. Harry didn't want just any owl to use; he wanted to have a familiar, the animal whose personality and abilities would be perfectly in sync with his.

Harry sighed and figured he'd just have to use an owl from the Magic Post Office, the name wasn't very creative but Harry had heard that they had a wide range of owls to choose from.

Harry nodded to the clerk and left the store. On the way to the Magical Post Office, Harry had to walk past the entrance to Knockturn Alley. Even with the rumors floating around about it, Harry wanted so badly to explore the forbidden alley and he promised himself that when he had more time he would do so.

As Harry walked past the entrance, he felt a violent tug on his core and he stopped dead in his tracks. He peered into the darkened alley but all he could see were some rundown looking shops and a few people scurrying around like rats in the dark.

He took another step away from the alley and the tug happened again, though this time it was even harder. Harry was reluctant to enter the dark alley unprepared but it seemed he wouldn't have a choice in the matter.

Harry tensed a muscle in his right arm and felt his wand slide into his hand. He discreetly cast a few charms to make himself appear older and to deter anyone from approaching him. He also pulled up the hood to his cloak and cast a distortion charm on his face and voice.

Harry took a deep breath to center himself and walked into the dark alley. Instant he walked a few steps into Knockturn Alley; he could feel and hear the difference from Diagon. Harry could literally feel the darkness that oozed from every inch of the alley and he could tell that someone had placed a spell on the alley so the noise of Diagon Alley wouldn't reach there.

The further in Harry walked, the more violent the tug was on his core. Harry roamed with magically hidden curiosity and enthusiasm, he could barely tell what any of the shops sold but he could feel so many different types of magic flowing from them all and mixing into one huge source of magic. It was so different from the slightly stifled atmosphere of Diagon Alley, where everything was Ministry Approved and regulated.

Further ahead, Harry could hear a commotion going on and while he didn't want to be caught unawares by something he could've avoided, the tug on his core was also coming from that direction.

Harry walked quicker, even with all of his heightened senses he couldn't separate so many sources of magic at once and it was making him feel vulnerable, something he hadn't felt since he was a little kid.

Harry rounded a last corner and was promptly knocked on his arse by a flying white blob. On instinct, Harry grabbed the blob gently but firmly. He expected it to still but it flailed and even scratched him a few times.

Harry held the white thing away from his now bleeding face and saw that it was a beautiful but roughed up snowy owl. What startled Harry was the fact that the owl was glaring at him with her burning amber eyes.

"Stop! Hold that wretched demon!" Harry heard a deep angry voice yell. He looked around and saw a rather dangerous looking man, wielding a dark wand running towards him and the snowy owl.

Harry looked at the owl and saw that her expression had changed. She was no longer glaring at him but almost seemed to plead with him using her eyes. Harry looked from the running man to the owl and even though her human-like expressions freaked him out, he knew he couldn't simply hand her back. Besides, this was his familiar. He could just tell.

Harry hurriedly closed his eyes and focused on being in his room. After the familiar tingling had risen, Harry and the owl disappeared, only to reappear in his room.

Harry let go of the owl and she hopped onto his pillow and seemed to make herself comfortable. Harry shook his head and his ears perked as he heard someone talking.

"-so you should really consider giving Harry a chance, Dudley. He's a good boy and I'm sure you'll get along once you hang out a bit." So it was Aunt Petunia talking to Dudley.

Harry was confused as to why she was even trying to change Dudley but if it worked, then all the better for everyone. Except maybe for Vernon, but he didn't really matter in the grand scheme of things.

Harry canceled the multiple charms he had cast on himself and he summoned his desk chair, he was too tired to move from where he was standing. Because he had only use a little bit of power, the chair slid across the floor to him.

Harry sunk into the chair with a happy sigh and looked at the owl on his bed. She looked ruffled but otherwise unharmed. She didn't appear to be very comfortable on his bed though so Harry waved his wand and conjured a large wooden perch for her.

He tiredly smiled when she happily flew over to the perch and settled on it. Harry groaned and stood up again, he shuffled across his carpet and walked toward his bed. As he passed the owl, he gentle petted he feathers. He smiled again as she leaned into his touch.

Harry lied down on his bed and a second later, he fell asleep.

The next morning, Harry awoke and instantly tensed as he felt eyes on him. He pretended to be asleep but somehow he knew that whoever was watching him knew that he was awake.

Harry discreetly drew his wand and in less than a second, he was out of bed with his wand drawn and raised, ready to battle. He paused and groaned when he realized that the person that was staring at him was the owl he had rescued the day before.

"Why do you have to stare at me like that?" Harry asked. He was right, the owl was watching him as if he were an amusing television show.

He didn't expect an answer but the owl hooted and Harry somehow understood that it translated to something like: 'Because I can.'

"OK then. Well, that was weird; good morning to you too." Harry said sarcastically. He said this as he walked past the owl toward his dresser and so he had to dodge a large white wing. He glared at the owl and went through his dresser to find some clothes for the day.

Harry ended up pulling out black cargo shorts, a tight dark green t-shirt with a black dragon on it, and some underclothes. He walked over to his closet and pulled out the box with his favorite pair of dark green and black trainers.

Harry hurried across the hall and took a steaming hot shower to wash away the dirt and tiredness of the previous day. For some reason, Harry felt uncomfortable getting dressed in front of a girl, even if that girl was an owl, so Harry dressed in the bathroom that morning.

When he was dressed and ready for the day, Harry returned to his room and saw that everything was exactly the same as last night. He quickly did a mass cleaning spell on his room, which returned everything to its proper state and then he sat at his desk.

Harry looked around his room and decided that today he'd finally take care of business so he opened his new bag that lied on the desk and opened it. He removed the new clothes, the Healing books, and the Potter Account book from the bag.

Harry summoned his own school trunk and removed his but never worn clothes from that trunk and replaced them with his new clothes from Paradise Alley. Harry took one of the bags that the clothes had come in and shrunk that clothes from Diagon Alley before placing them in that bag setting them aside.

Then, Harry double-checked to make sure he had all of his supplies and then he removed a parchment and summoned a pack of pens from his closet. He preferred to use muggle writing tools but he didn't know whether Andromeda Black would know what muggle paper was.

Harry sat at his desk and though about what he wanted to say in his letter, he needed to convey his urgency and need for a really useful and ruthless solicitor, someone on his side only. Harry wrote a quick rough draft of the letter and scratched out a few words or added some more words before he was satisfied that he sounded mature but willing to accept help.

Harry took his time and neatly wrote out the final copy of the letter. Because he had used a muggle pen, he didn't have to wait for the ink to dry so he roll up the parchment and walked over to the owl.

"Hello girl, how about I give you a name?" Harry asked. She hooted and Harry understood, 'Fine, whatever.'

"How about Amber?" She shook her head no quickly and fiercely.

"Rose." No

"Owlita." No, and Harry got a wing to the head for that suggestion.

"How about the name Hedwig, it's in my history books. Hedwig was a woman from olden times that used to guide lost children through a dark forest but she was rather dark herself. I think it fits you perfectly." Harry suggested. He got an owlish glare but the owl nodded and was officially named Hedwig.

"Ok Hedwig, would you mind taking this letter to Andromeda Black? It is very important and I'm sure you would love to stretch your wings." Harry said, appealing to Hedwig's need. It was very clever but Hedwig saw right through it.

However, she grabbed the letter from his hands with her talons and flew out of the open window. Harry somehow knew that Hedwig would know where to go so he turned to his room and thought of what he had to do next.

"I'm going to need more room and some more stuff." Harry said. He sat on his bed and summoned a book he had bought on household charms and found one that internally expanded a room. Harry cast that and watched in awe as his room expanded.

Because his room was so large now, it looked emptier without a lot of stuff to fill the empty space. Harry closed the book and set it on his bed as he stood up. He stood in front of the empty space and conjured a large and long counter that he levitated and moved it to the far west wall. He set it down and stuck it to the wall securely before conjuring a tall stool for him to sit on.

Harry didn't bother to lengthen his carpet because this new area was going to be for his Potions work and he didn't want to explode the house if a potion reacted badly with something on the carpet.

Harry rummaged through his school trunk and removed all of his potions and healing books, equipment, and ingredients. He levitated it all over to the long counter and spread it all out before organizing it.

Harry moved to the corner nearest his new Potions area and conjured a tall cabinet with shelves in it. He made sure it had a magical and muggle lock on it. He cast preservation and stasis charms on it so that any potion that went in the cabinet would remain fresh, as if he had just brewed it.

He also made sure to cast a charm that regulated the temperature of the cabinet depending on which shelf Harry used. So he would use the top shelf for potions that needed to be stored in cool places, and then he would still be able to use the next shelf for potions that needed to be stored in warm places.

Harry stood back and admired his work before conjuring a large square cabinet that he hung on the wall next to the tall cabinet. He made sure that it was magically secure and he filled that with all of the ingredients and equipment that he wouldn't be using. Harry used the same spells on that cabinet that he had used on the first on. Both cabinets were black to go with Harry's green and black room décor.

Harry laid out the things he would use and spent the next three hours brewing potions that he was going to always keep in the medical pouch of his new bag in case he ever needed them. He brewed many potions at the same time and while he had many near explosions, Harry managed to perfectly brew them all. While he was doing this, Harry went through his Potions textbook and corrected several things that made making the potions easier.

By the time Harry had placed the potions in vials, labeled them, and placed the ones he would keep in the medical pouch of his bag, Harry was starving. It was around 11o'clock now and Harry desperately needed some food.

Harry took his time to clean his area the muggle way as he didn't want to risk ruining some of his ingredients that couldn't be touched by magic. When he was done, Harry made sure that the leftover potions were all correctly in vials and labeled before placing them on the appropriate shelves in the tall cabinet.

Next, Harry magically cleaned his clothes and took another quick shower before heading downstairs for some food. Since it was Monday morning, Vernon had already left for work and Aunt Petunia was out and about talking to neighbors if she was feeling better.

Harry entered the kitchen and surprisingly saw that Dudley wasn't stuffing his face, he seemed to be thinking about something. Harry didn't interrupt this momentous moment in Dudley's life; he simply made him some food and ate it quickly before returning to his room.

Upon entering his room, Harry instantly spotted Hedwig flying through the window with a different letter in her beak.

"Thanks girl, I knew you could do it with no problem." Harry praised as he stroked her plumage. Despite herself, Hedwig trilled happily at the praise and treatment. Harry gently removed the letter from her beak and sat on his bed. Hedwig perched gently on his shoulder, making sure not to cut him with her sharp talons and Harry opened the envelope.

Dear Mr. Potter,

I must say that I was quite surprise to receive a letter delivered by your beautiful snowy owl, she is quite clever.

Hedwig pecked Harry's ear smugly, Harry just grinned and rolled his eyes, and then continued to read the letter.

When I read of your admittedly large and plentiful problems, I was in a bit of a situation. You have so much to get done and some of your issues would take months if not years to completely handle. It was a lot to contemplate.

By this point in the letter, Harry wasn't feeling very confident about his chances of hiring Ms. Black.

While you seem to be very mature and responsible for your age, you also sound like a young boy who needs help. With a child of my own, I couldn't say no. So yes, I would be honored to work with you. I will enclose my floo address so that you may floo to my office anytime between 8am and 9pm.

Bring anything you need help with and we'll work it out together. We may discuss meeting times and payment in our meeting. I look forward to speaking with you.

Andromeda Black

Harry startled Hedwig when he jumped up with his fist in the air yelled, "Yes!" She hooted angrily and nipped his ear. Harry yelped and fell off of his bed onto the floor. Luckily for him, it was carpet so he wasn't harmed.

"Sorry girl, but do you know what this means?" Harry asked. Hedwig perched on her perch and continued to glare at him.

"The next few years are going to be interesting."