Disclaimer: Any recognizable characters and plot elements are the sole property of J.K. Rowling and other affiliated copyright holders. Otherwise, they are spawned from some strange place in my head. I seek no profits from this story, simply to share what I've come up with.

A/N: Well well well! I've gotten quite the response from my first chapter! A few reviews, tons of visitors and even a couple of favorites and follows! You all are too kind! Now, without further ado, let's see if I can keep the ball rolling, shall we?

IN CASE ANYONE IS GETTING FRUSTRATED ABOUT CHAPTER 3, because it's been a minute since I posted this, I'm having some computer troubles on top of a little writer's block (simply because I've never done this before). I haven't gotten anything from anyone to suggest that y'all are getting antsy, but I feel the need to say something because I'm getting frustrated as it is.

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Chapter 2

The rest of summer passed quickly for Harry, and before he knew it he was back on his way to school to, yet again, be looked down upon by his teachers and classmates thanks to the slander that his relatives usually spread about him. This year, however, that the Dursleys weren't being quite as terrible as their usual selves. That's not to say they were being kind, or anything, but nonetheless it seemed that they had stepped back a little; their attitude was less outright anger than simply idle neglect. Thanks to this turn of events, Harry was actually able to keep his grades at a decent level for once. He still kept his head down at the beginning, holding himself back so as to make sure he wouldn't draw the ire of his aunt and uncle, but he was gradually letting his grades rise as the months went by.

As a result, Harry's life was getting a bit easier by the day. He still had to do the chores around the Dursley house, but no longer were they looking for excuses to punish him. He had a feeling that it had something to do with Asa, but he hadn't outright asked his familiar and the phoenix hadn't mentioned anything specifically. To Harry, it didn't matter what the cause was so long as it kept up.

Asa and Harry had spent the summer getting to know one another better, and Harry found himself very thankful for the decision he had made. Now that school was getting underway, Asa took to helping Harry with his studies; Harry was a smart boy, there was no doubt, but because he had been punished for getting better grades than his oaf of a cousin he had developed terrible habits over the years. Asa began teaching Harry to organize his thoughts, leading him through the steps patiently as he taught Harry to visualize his inner mind and sort out his memories into a form that he could easily grasp. Harry decided on a spider motif; he certainly had plenty of experience with them. His memories were organized as though flies caught in a vast, three-dimensional web, and he had worked diligently on being able to find each one with ease.

As a result, he found that it was actually becoming more and more difficult to hide his intelligence. It was hard for him to care, since the Dursleys were basically ignoring his existence. In fact he was very pleased about his progress in class, and it seemed that he was beginning to earn a grudging respect from his teachers now that he wasn't acting like a bad student anymore. He also found out from Asa that this technique was the beginning of what wizards called Occlumency, which prevented others from being able to read his mind. He contemplated the idea of adding defences to his mindscape, and decided that he would place venomous spiders and a few traps around his web just in case he encountered a Legilimens in the wizarding world. Asa seemed proud of Harry's accomplishments as he occasionally roamed through Harry's mind, with his permission of course.

The school year began to drag on a little, as Harry had begun to eagerly anticipate his eventual attendance at the magical school in Scotland that Asa told him was called Hogwarts. He kept up with his studies, since he knew that his non-magical education was still important to life in the real world, but as Christmas came and passed and the summer was rapidly approaching he was having to use his Occlumency to calm himself on a regular basis. His grades had improved over the course of the year to the point that he was nearing the top of his class, though the Dursleys hardly knew that since he hadn't shared that information with anyone and his relatives had taken to throwing his progress reports in the trash without a second glance long ago.

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Eventually the year let out and summer had finally arrived. June 23 came and with it Dudley's eleventh birthday, and it seemed that old Mrs. Figg couldn't take Harry in for once as she had somehow acquired a broken leg (probably by tripping over one of her multitude of cats, Harry thought). Because of this, he was (grudgingly) allowed to accompany his relatives on their trip to the zoo. Harry had never been somewhere with so many animals before, and he was fascinated by the many different creatures that were featured there. He did feel a bit bad for them, however, having to be locked up behind bars and glass and stared at all day by gawking humans. Dudley and his friend Piers were quickly becoming bored of the trip and Harry decided to hang back a bit so he wouldn't draw their attention.

After lunch the group went to the reptile house, and his cousin immediately went off to find the most dangerous creatures in the exhibit. He and Piers came up to the largest snake in the house, a huge Brazilian boa constrictor. Unfortunately for Dudley, the snake seemed to have gone to sleep. He tried to get his father to make the snake move, but after trying a few times to wake the creature by rapping his meaty knuckles against the glass they gave up and Dudley moved off to look for a more interesting animal.

Harry sat himself down in front of the constrictor's tank, looking at the great snake with sympathy. It slowly opened its eyes and raised its head to Harry's level, before giving him – a wink? Harry looked around quickly to make sure he wasn't being watched before turning back to the creature before him. He winked back. The snake turned towards Harry's cousin and uncle before giving him the snake equivalent of a roll of its eyes.

§I'm sssorry about them, you know. I bet it'sss really annoying having to deal with that all day.§

The snake looked at him curiously before it gave a nod and a hiss. Harry, however, heard very distinctly, §Yessss, humanssss can be such a pain in the tail sssometimesssss.§ Somehow, Harry was barely surprised, perhaps because he had been communicating with an animal for nearly an entire year. Still, he had a quizzical look on his face for a moment before Asa's voice rang in his head.

"Ah, I see. How interesting… You are what wizards refer to as a Parselmouth. This means you can talk to snakes, Harry. It is a very distinct talent, and very rare. You may wish to keep this a secret… Many of your kind view this as a Dark trait." Harry communicated his understanding to his familiar; he had been made aware of the wizarding world's idea of Dark and Light magic, as well as their hang-ups on just about anything that was different from them, be it non-magical folk ("Muggles," they called them, though Harry thought this seemed like a derogatory term) or wizards with different backgrounds or unique abilities.

§I have never met a sssspeaker before. It is niccce to have sssome intelligent converssation for once.§

§I have never sspoken to a sssnake before. I did not even know that I could before today. It isss nice to meet you.§

Just then, Harry's bumbling cousin rushed over and shoved Harry violently out of the way. "OY, DAD, PIERS! COME LOOK, IT'S WOKE UP!"

Dudley pressed his face up against the glass and started tapping away at it to try and rile up the boa. It seemed to be working, in fact, as the snake fixed him with a nasty look and hissed what to Harry came across as a series of slurs and insults that nearly made him choke on his laughter. Just then, Harry felt a welling up inside of him and, right where Dudley had been tapping, the glass began to crack. The crack spread before suddenly the glass gave way, leaving Dudley to fall face first into the tank. He began screaming bloody murder as the giant snake slithered around him once before winding its way out of the exhibit. As it left, Harry distinctly heard a simple §Thankssssss, amigo.§ just before it was out of sight. Harry looked back at his cousin, who was still screeching like a banshee, and nearly broke down laughing yet again as he noticed the very obvious wet spot spreading across Dudley's pants.

The Dursleys were taken into the zoo director's office and, upon demanding an apology from the zoo for the supposed damages to their oh-so-precious little boy, they were informed that they were actually liable for the damages to the zoo's property and the loss of one of their prized exhibits, since the smaller tub of lard had obviously been the cause from security video showing him pressed up against the glass and banging away at it just before it broke, in direct violation of the zoo's "hands off" policy. Vernon was livid, his face turning that ugly shade of puce that it always did before he blew his top, but the explosion never came as security arrived to escort them from the premises and he wasn't quite stupid enough to go up against trained guards.

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As Harry and his relatives sped down the motorway, Vernon driving like a man on fire, he thought that his day could not have gone better. He was laughing internally, Asa joining him over their bond, at the events of the day. He had been to a zoo for the very first time, had a decent meal at the zoo restaurant, learned that he had a rare magical talent, and Dudley had pissed his pants on top of it all! Harry was absolutely certain that it had been he who had made the glass break, recalling the feeling that had risen in him just before the event; his uncle had given him a suspicious look, but seemed to have taken it as a given that he hadn't done anything since nothing was all that strange about a pane of glass breaking that way. Yes, Harry didn't think his day could get much better after all of that.

That is, until he saw flashing blue lights start up behind the car. Never had his Occlumency had such a test as the moment that he saw his uncle's face went pure white in the rear view mirror. He pulled over, directly followed by the traffic officer who ended up giving him a ticket for exceeding the speed limit that came with a £60 fine. His uncle was obviously barely containing himself in the face of this development and made absolutely certain that he maintained the speed limit for the final stretch back to Number Four. Harry was out of the car and into the house promptly upon getting home, still fighting to control his laughter at the comeuppance that day had delivered upon his awful relatives. He decided to go ahead and climb his way into his cupboard before Vernon could take out his frustrations on Harry's hide.

That night, Harry and Asa sat together on his cot and went back over the day's events, specifically the revelation of Harry's Parseltongue abilities. Asa explained that one of the founders of Hogwarts named Salazar Slytherin had been a Parselmouth, and that his legacy had been distorted by the ages into the prejudices of the wizarding world today. Harry was certain that there was something that Asa was holding back, but he had learned over the year not to press on some details; Asa seemed to have a very good sense of what was best for him, after all, and he trusted his familiar more than anyone else.

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As the days passed, Harry began eagerly awaiting the letter that he knew he would be receiving. His relatives seemed to be on their guard, obviously knowing what was coming although not when, but he was dead set on getting to it first. As the mail came each day he went to gather it up quickly, however his uncle tended to get there first, and even when he hadn't Harry hadn't seen anything out of the ordinary. One day, however, his uncle beat him to the mail and his face turned white as he saw the parchment envelope mixed in with the bills. He waddled off to grab Petunia for a private discussion.

Harry sighed to himself, but knew that the letters would not stop until he replied. He had several weeks before his eleventh birthday, and he was prepared to do anything to get his acceptance letter.

As Vernon and Petunia walked back into the living room, where Dudley sat watching television and Harry stood just outside of the door, they walked up to Harry with plastered-on smiles and his uncle began to speak.

"Boy- er, Harry, we have been thinking, and we would like to move you into Dudley's second bedroom. Your, uh, current living area is getting a bit small for you, after all… So, we'll just let you take your things upstairs then. Go on now."

Harry stared at his uncle suspiciously, wondering just why it was that he was being given this opportunity. However, he was willing to accept the new space either way. He gathered his few belongings from the cupboard and made his way upstairs, catching the beginning of one of his cousin's tantrums as it clicked that he would be losing the room where he kept all of his useless, broken toys. Harry smirked a bit at the whinging cries that his cousin had begun putting on, and the beginnings of the first telling-off he could remember Dudley ever receiving.

After Harry was moved in, which didn't take long at all, he settled on the bare bed and relished in the relatively comfortable mattress. His aunt eventually made her way up the stairs and to his new room, again with that same fake smile. "You'll be staying here from now on Harry. We hope you'll be comfortable here. These old toys may as well be yours, too, if you like."

Harry was certain that something was going on, and it all had to do with his Hogwarts letter. He'd have to be more vigilant for the next one so he could get his hands on it and pen a reply.

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The next day, Harry went to check the mail and, though he got there first, he found that there was no letter for him. He handed the mail over to his uncle and turned away, showing no sign that he had been expecting anything. He made his way up to his new room and, after closing his door, heard a tapping at the window. He turned to look and found a tawny owl sitting on the sill with a thick parchment envelope in its beak. A grin spread on his face as he opened the window and let the owl inside, taking the letter from it once it had settled on the dresser. Asa chose that moment to flare in and the owl gave a squawk and ruffled up its feathers at the surprise, but took no other action. Harry sat down on the bed to read his letter, first examining the address, written in brilliant emerald-green ink:

Mr. H. Potter, The Smallest Bedroom, 4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey

He chuckled to himself as he realized what had gotten his relatives in such a huff; the first envelope must have been addressed to the Cupboard under the Stairs! He was certain that they were in a panic over the thought that someone might know what they had done to him. He opened the letter by breaking the purple wax seal displaying the Hogwarts coat of arms. The letter read,

HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

Headmaster: ALBUS DUMBLEDORE

(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

Dear Mr. Potter,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall,

Deputy Headmistress

That was the moment that it all became real for Harry. He looked up to Asa with tears in his eyes, a watery smile on his face. Oh, he had certainly understood that magic was real, and he knew that he had the ability, but now he knew he really was going to learn magic at a special school just for wizards and witches. He laid out a pen and paper that Asa had brought with him and wrote out his reply as calmly as he could (which is to say, he scrawled it out so quickly he had to start over three times). His letter simply thanked Deputy Headmistress McGonagall for her offer to attend such a prestigious school, excitedly accepted said offer, and asked that she please send someone to take him to explain a few things and to purchase his supplies as his relatives had never told him anything about their world. He tried to keep himself from rambling and gave no indication that he had any prior knowledge, finally rolling the letter up and carefully attaching it to the owl's leg the same way that his letter had arrived. The owl promptly flew off and Harry watched it until it was nothing but a speck in the distance. As he turned away, his face adopted an expression that spoke of resignation and barely contained anger. He felt his magic rising inside his chest, the same as it had the day at the zoo. He turned to his familiar and looked him in the eye, speaking aloud,

"I have to confront them, Asa. I might need your help. Keep an eye out, okay?"

Asa simply nodded, understanding what Harry had to do. He flared away as Harry walked out of his bedroom door and down the stairs. As he reached the bottom floor he took in a deep breath and made his way to the living room, where his relatives sat entranced by the glowing television screen in front of them. He cleared his throat loudly and spoke up in a voice that was filled with defiance and icy rage.

"I know." he said. "An owl delivered me a letter this morning. I know about Hogwarts; about how you've lied to me all my life. A professor will be by to take me shopping for my supplies. And you won't stop me."

His aunt and uncle froze for a time before turning to him, Petunia's face white with fear and Vernon's slowly becoming that beautiful purple shade that Harry always hoped my signal a heart attack on the horizon.

"You… You little bastard, how dare you speak to me that way! You listen to me boy, you little ungrateful freak, you've had it good 'til now! Oh you'll regret your behavior you insolent little shi-"

As Vernon lifted his massive body from the couch and moved to swing his meaty fist at Harry's face, he was halted in his tracks suddenly. He struggled to move but was stuck fast, not a muscle so much as twitching. That is, until he flew across the room and landed directly on the television set, crushing it to pieces as his aunt and cousin stared on in horror.

"No, Vernon. You'll regret what you've done. A professor will be here for me to take me shopping for my school supplies. You will not lay a hand on me, you will not get in my way. I am through with putting up with the way you've treated me. If you leave me alone I will leave you alone. If not… Well, I think you can see what will happen."

Harry was barely keeping himself from shaking. He was scared at the display of accidental magic he had just shown, and his adrenaline was running out as he turned and walked away, going up to his room and shutting the door with a slam. He slumped down and hugged his knees, shaking and beginning to sob as his rage waned. Asa flared in and said nothing, simply laying his head against Harry's side and singing softly to soothe Harry's pain. As his crying slowed, Asa finally looked up at him and spoke.

"Harry, look at me. You did well, child. Do not think you have done anything wrong. The man deserved what he got; if your magic had not reacted, he would have beaten you mercilessly, and the results would have been much worse than your cousin's 'games.' I knew you did not need me; I was ready to come at a moment's notice, but you had everything in hand. You were not cruel nor were you timid. You stood up to them better than most adults could. I am proud of you, Harry."

Harry just nodded, putting an arm gingerly around Asa as he finally relaxed. He sat there until he drifted off to sleep, having exhausted himself from the confrontation, and Asa gently placed him in his bed to rest, keeping watch over the door in case of danger.

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Harry awoke several hours later, rubbing his eyes blearily and reaching for his glasses. He slid them onto his face and looked around, finding himself tucked into bed with Asa keeping a vigilant watch over him. He smiled at his friend and raised himself up, stretching to work out the kinks from his back. He felt refreshed after his little nap, and not a little accomplished for what he had done before. Sure, he disliked that it had come to violence, but he realized now that he couldn't have expected much else. He hoped that after that little scene his relatives would be mindful of leaving him be. He asked Asa if he would mind helping Harry get food for a little while, since he had no real urge to be around his so-called family at the moment. Asa simply chuckled a little and left the room, coming back a little later with a light meal that Harry wolfed down; throwing a whale across a room apparently took a lot of energy from his ten-year-old body.

Just as he was finishing up, he heard a tapping coming from his window yet again. He opened the window and let the same tawny owl into his room, taking its letter and offering it the scraps of leftover food from his plate, which it happily nibbled on while he read.

Dear Mr. Potter,

I am sorry for our negligence in this matter; our acceptance letters are filled automatically and as you are not a Muggleborn your letter was sent out as is normal for those from wizarding families. As well, I would have assumed that your relatives would have informed you of your heritage long before now. Since they have not, I will personally accompany you to get your school supplies along with a Muggleborn girl who will be attending Hogwarts in your year group. I will be by no later than 8:00 A.M. on Saturday, July 20 to gather you. I expect you to be ready and waiting for me, Mr. Potter. You need not bring anything with you; simply be washed and dressed, and ready to go when I arrive.

Yours,

Minerva McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress

He once more whipped out a pen and paper and wrote down his agreement to the proposed date and time, and expressed his thanks that she would personally be seeing to this matter. He again rolled the page up and fixed it to the owl before it rapidly winged its way out of his room and into the horizon.

Since he was avoiding his relatives for the evening, and since he had nothing better to do, Asa took him back to the beach that they had visited on their very first day together. There they enjoyed the warm summer evening by the seaside, relaxing on the beach and watching the sun set over the ocean. It was night when the two arrived back at the Dursley household, and Harry was thoroughly ready for bed. He curled up with a smile on his face as he thought about the fact that in barely a week's time he would be on his way to his first interaction with the magical world.

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For that week, Harry mostly avoided his relatives; when he could not, they seemed just as ready to avoid him. He would enter a room and they would immediately leave, never even making eye contact. As Saturday finally came, Harry was up and ready far before 8:00. He could barely sleep the night before, he was so eager to get his trip underway. Promptly at 8, there was a knock on the door. Harry let Petunia answer it, knowing that he was being a little vindictive but figuring no real harm would come of it. As she opened the door, she nearly slammed it immediately at the sight of the stern-looking woman in green robes that stood on the threshold. She thought better of it immediately, however, and gave Harry a sideways glance as though she had hoped he would not notice.

"H-Harry," she stammered out, "I believe your visitor has arrived."

Harry made his way to the door, eyeing his aunt in a way that made her slowly back away from the door before she bolted out of the hallway. The woman at the door raised an eyebrow at her odd behavior before looking down at the boy before her. Her carefully-schooled expression nearly broke at the sight of the young boy she had left here all those years ago. He was the spitting image of his father, yet with those startling green eyes that could only have come from his mother, and she felt her heart flutter at finally seeing him again.

"Mr. Potter, I presume?" she asked, obviously knowing that she had the correct boy. Harry nodded, stepping out the door and closing it behind him so they could speak. She looked him up and down once with a frown on her face. "Are you certain you're ready to go, Mr. Potter? Those clothes of yours…"

Harry looked up at the woman before him; she was tall and rather serious-looking, with black hair that she had wrapped in a tight bun. She had square spectacles on the bridge of her nose, and it was through these that she looked back at Harry and directly into his eyes. "Yes ma'am. These are the only clothes I have… They're hand-me-downs from my cousin, and he's a bit large, if you know what I mean. You're Deputy Headmistress McGonagall? It's nice to meet you," he said, offering his hand to her. They had a short handshake before McGonagall spoke again.

As he spoke about his baggy, tattered clothing, her lips drew into a thin line. "Yes, in fact I am. It's a pleasure, Mr. Potter. We should be going soon; I believe I'm beginning to attract a bit of attention from your neighbors, and we have our other party to pick up. I take it your relatives will not be joining us?"

Her tone when she mentioned his relatives almost made it seem that she had already formed an opinion of them, and a fairly accurate one at that. Harry's respect for her grew immediately. She turned and began walking, Harry following along behind her. They found a secluded place where no one would be watching before she pulled out a seemingly blank piece of parchment.

"This, Mr. Potter, is what is called a portkey. When activated, it will take us directly to a location near where we will meet Ms. Granger – our other guest for the day. From there we will take another portkey into Diagon Alley, the magical district in London, where we will be shopping for your school supplies. It will be a bit uncomfortable for you, so I suggest you hold on tightly, Mr. Potter, and try to land on your feet. Come now, we have much to do and should not dilly-dally."

Harry took hold of the parchment and Minerva placed what appeared to be a wooden stick – her wand, Harry thought – to the parchment. She spoke, "Portus," before they were whisked away. Harry felt as though a hook had grabbed hold of him somewhere behind his navel and pulled him hard in another direction. "'Uncomfortable' is right…" he thought as they arrived and he promptly fell flat on his face. With a soft groan, he pulled himself up and dusted himself off, looking around at their new surroundings.

They were in another secluded side-street, though in a very different neighborhood. As opposed to the cookie-cutter houses that littered Privet Drive, this area seemed a bit more upscale, and the houses were all somewhat different from each other. They made their way up to one of the houses, and McGonagall knocked on the door a few times before they heard the sound of footsteps – some very excited footsteps – approaching from inside. The door was pulled open and there before them stood a young girl with untamable brown hair and a bucktoothed grin from ear to ear.

"Mom! Dad! They're here!" she shouted into the house before offering them to come in. She looked at Harry with a bit of a funny expression, but didn't say anything as he stepped into the house on McGonagall's heels.

He was greeted by the sight of a home that seemed as though it had actually been lived in, in stark contrast with the Dursleys' nearly sterile household. The cozy atmosphere made him smile as he took in the framed photographs on the wall, each seemingly depicting another accomplishment that the young girl had accomplished. And, just then, that same young girl tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hello," she began, apparently trying to act professionally to cover her nervousness, "I'm Hermione, Hermione Granger. And you are?"

Harry smiled at the girl, offering his hand to her as he replied, "Harry. Harry Potter. It's nice to meet you, Hermione;" he gestured at the series of pictures hung on the wall behind him and said, "I see that you've got quite the head on your shoulders."

The girl lost her fight with nervousness at his last comment, shaking his hand with a blush on her cheeks. "I suppose you could say that…" she mumbled, avoiding his eyes. She knew that Harry must be like her, and she hoped that they could get off to a good start. He didn't seem like he was about to make fun of her, at least, and that was something.

Harry shivered just a bit as he came into contact with Hermione. He had the oddest sensation about this girl; it felt… pure? He could almost tell that this girl was kind-hearted just by looking at her. He made note of the feeling and resolved to ask Asa when he had a spare moment. For now, he merely smiled wider.

McGonagall cleared her throat, startling the two a little since they had not quite been paying attention. "Yes, well, I'm glad you two have gotten acquainted. Ms. Granger, I have spoken with your parents and I see that they have decided to stay behind today. Here is the money they have given you for your supplies; we will convert it once we reach the Alley. If you are ready, we may go at any time."

Hermione nodded her approval and McGonagall yet again pulled out a sheet of parchment. Hermione looked at it quizzically before the stern matron explained to her what a portkey was, giving her the same warning she had given Harry before. Harry leaned in and whispered, "Trust me, 'uncomfortable' is an understatement." Hermione just gave him a look before taking hold of a corner of the parchment, and they were whisked away to an arrival point in non-magical London. McGonagall wanted to give the pair the chance to see the magical entrance to Diagon Alley.

She led the two along the street until they came upon the Leaky Cauldron, the children looking up as the sign faded into view. They looked around and noticed that nobody else seemed to be paying them, or the bar, any attention. Before either could ask the question that was on both of their minds, McGonagall said, "Notice-me-not wards. They cannot even see the entrance; they walk straight past without a second thought. Since we are here, we are covered by the wards and they will not see us unless we make quite the ruckus."

Hermione looked as though she was about to launch a whole slew of questions about the information she had just been given, but was stopped as McGonagall opened the doorway and walked inside. The pair follow her, looking around with their noses screwed up at the dingy interior. Harry couldn't help but mutter, "Couldn't they clean this place up? I mean they have magic after all…" He heard Hermione giggle softly beside him, obviously agreeing with his assessment.

Just then, Harry was stopped in his tracks as he heard his name shouted from across the bar. "Harry Potter? Good lord, is it really… could it really be?..." Harry's eyes grew wide as he turned around to face the crowd of people now staring directly at him. How could they know his name? Why were they all staring at him like that? What-

Before he could even complete that thought, a crush of people swarmed them. Instinctively Harry reached out and took hold of Hermione's hand, making sure that she wasn't separated from him in the crowd. He was facing people in every direction, some asking for autographs, some wanting to touch him, some going so far as to propose to him! His head was swimming with confusion and before he knew it his magic welled up inside of him. Just as the professor was about to cast a Sonorus on herself to tell the crowd to quiet down, he shouted at the top of his lungs, "GET AWAY FROM ME!"

And get away they did. Forcefully. Like a bowling ball knocking over pins, the crowd was knocked off their feet and straight onto their arses by a wave of uncontrolled magic that rippled outwards from Harry, with only him, Hermione, and McGonagall staying on their feet. Hermione stared at the crowd in shock, and turned to face Harry, a look of incredulity on her face. The bar had gone deathly silent. When McGonagall recovered, she cleared her throat and cast the spell she had been readying moments before. "You all," her voice rang out, "should be ashamed of yourselves. Look at you, attacking an eleven-year-old boy! Some first impression you've given the lad! Pick yourselves up and get back to your business! We have very important things to get done today and I will not tolerate being interrupted this way!"

Everyone in the room winced at McGonagall's tone; most knew it well from their Hogwarts days, and it brooked no argument. The crowd stood up one by one and went back to their tables, casting the group sideways glances and muttering to each other about what had just happened.

McGonagall placed her hands on her two charges' backs and directed them to the back of the bar where a brick wall awaited. Before she did anything else, she turned to Harry and, in a display that would have shocked the patrons in the barroom had they seen it, lowered herself to his level and put an arm on his shoulder.

"Harry," she began, "first, I would like to say that was an impressive display of magic. I'm sure that you'll be a powerful wizard one day."

Harry looked at her, somewhat thankful for the comment but waiting for the explanation that he knew was coming.

"As for what just happened… It's a long story." She looked at Hermione out of the corner of her eye, obviously wondering whether Harry wanted her to be there for this. Harry, calmly as he could, spoke up. "She was there for it too, ma'am. And somehow I get the feeling that whatever that was, she'll find out about it anyways."

McGonagall nodded her head, and whipped out her wand to cast privacy charms around them. She explained to the pair the reasons for what had just happened; she covered the war with Voldemort, the way that people still flinched at his name, and the night of Harry's parents' murder and his supposed defeat of the Dark Lord as an infant. By the end, Harry was looking down at his hands, obviously deep in thought. He wondered to himself how it was that he could have done such a thing before he could even speak; he wondered how anyone could know what had happened at all, since no one had been there to witness it. He found himself immediately hating that he was famous for something he couldn't remember, if he had done it at all. Hermione didn't look too pleased, either. She could see that Harry was just another boy; he was no all-powerful wizard, at least not yet.

As McGonagall had explained the stories that people told about Harry, and that there had been books written left, right, and center about his supposed escapades since that day, she found herself getting furious. The thought that people were writing these books and passing them off as fact when they clearly were not was painful to her, as she had spent most of her life deep in literature. It made her question the things she thought she knew, wondering now whether she should have trusted the books she had read for all these years.

Harry found himself immediately resolved to fix his image. He needed to wipe away all of the rumors and outright lies that had been spread about him. He wasn't sure where to start, but he knew that it was going to take work to accomplish.

That finished, and with Harry and Hermione calmed down a bit, McGonagall tapped her wand against the bricks in a certain pattern and they unfolded to reveal Diagon Alley. The sight was almost enough to make the pair forget the hassle they had just been through; the sheer number of sights and sounds was almost overwhelming to the two children who had never seen anything magical in their lives (well, aside from their accidental magic and Harry's interactions with Asa). They made their way up the street to the wizarding bank, Gringotts, with Harry keeping his head down the whole way so as not to draw attention to himself.

They came up upon the stoic building, made entirely of snow-white marble. As they walked up to the large bronze doors, Harry and Hermione took note of the odd little creature next to the door. "Goblins," McGonagall explained, "are the owners and operators of Gringotts. They are very serious creatures, and especially so when it concerns financial matters."

The goblin bowed to them as they approached, and Harry and Hermione glanced at one another before returning the bow. The goblin stood there with his mouth hanging open, staring at them as though they had just told him they were the King and Queen of Britain. They didn't understand his reaction, but moved on as their guide led the way into the bank. A second pair of doors, silver this time, greeted them, and their eyes were drawn to the inscription above them:

Enter, stranger, but take heed

Of what awaits the sin of greed,

For those who take, but do not earn,

Must pay most dearly in their turn.

So if you seek beneath our floors

A treasure that was never yours,

Thief, you have been warned, beware

Of finding more than treasure there.

They had heard McGonagall when she had said that goblins took their money seriously, but the warning had certainly driven it home. They entered through the large silver doors, greeted yet again by bows which they returned to similar reactions as the one outside, and observed the large room before them. They approached a teller and McGonagall explained that they were there to exchange Hermione's currency to wizard money, and to visit Harry's vault. Harry quirked an eyebrow at this, but said nothing, trusting McGonagall to know what to do. Hermione handed over her money and was given a pouch containing several coins in bronze, silver, and a few gold. She had the currency explained to her, and nodded in understanding as to the value of the coins she had been given. McGonagall then handed over a small golden key at the goblin's request, handing it down to Harry with instructions to keep it safe and secure as they went over to one of the many doors leading off of the hall, led by a goblin whose name was apparently Griphook.

They entered the door to find a steep stone passage that had tracks leading down along the floor; Griphook gave a whistle and a cart sped its way up out of the darkness to stop in front of them. The three climbed in and were off with a start, whizzing along through a twisting, turning maze that Harry knew must have taken them deep, deep underground. Once, he thought he had caught a glimpse of an enormous creature breathing a blast of flames, but couldn't be sure since it was gone as quickly as it had come. The cart came to an abrupt stop outside of a small door set into the stone wall of the passageway.

The quartet stepped out from the cart and Griphook asked Harry for his key. The goblin opened the door and ushered the trio in, where Harry and Hermione immediately halted at the sight before them. Coins. Mountains of gold and silver and bronze littered the space inside, and Harry felt like his head was about to pop off his shoulders from the speed he was turning it to look around the room.

He turned to McGonagall with a look of apprehension on his face. "This… this is mine? All of this? Seriously?!" McGonagall simply nodded, an uncharacteristic smile on her face at the amazed look that Harry and Hermione were giving her. Griphook handed Harry a small pouch – "bigger on the inside," he explained – and Harry went with McGonagall to scoop a good sized portion into the bag. As they left, the goblin explained that this was simply Harry's trust vault with a yearly withdrawal limit that lasted until he was seventeen, when he could rightfully claim his family vault. The idea that there was even more buried away somewhere beneath the bank, and that it all belonged to him, made his mind reel. He knew that the Dursleys had no idea this was here, or they would have done everything in their power to take it from him; he also knew that they were never going to find out about it.

One cart ride later – this time Harry was sure he had seen a dragon off to one side – they arrived back at the doors leading into the bank lobby. They stepped off and headed back out the doors into the Alley, never noticing the appraising looks that the goblins were directing towards the two children and the hushed whispers that were being muttered between them.

They stepped once more into the daylight and saw the alley laid before them. Now, money in hand, they were about to get their first real taste of the wizarding world and all it had in store for them. The pair looked at each other and couldn't keep grins off their faces as they thought about what was to come.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ HoNB ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: So there's Chapter 2! I hope you guys have enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I'd hoped to get to the shopping proper, but it seemed that the chapter was long enough already. We'll see what happens next time! Please review if you can, I've gotten a few for Chapter 1 and the encouragement has been wonderful. See you next time!