"Hogwarts?"

Hagrid puffed out his chest proudly, "That's righ'."

Harry shook his head and pointed to the-where the door used to be. "Alright, get out."

"What?"

Cristina moved to stand next to her brother. "This has gone on long enough. Get out."

Hagrid's eyebrows raised as he looked to the doorway. "Oh, are you still upset about the door? I can fix that." He pulled out a pink umbrella from seemingly nowhere.

"This isn't about the-"

"Reparo!"

All of the fallen chips of wood and glass flew from the floor and Harry felt several splinters rip from his arm. A moment later the door was back together in its place, looking no worse for wear than it had an hour ago.

"-Door."

Harry barely registered Cristina slump to the floor.

Two hours later both sat side by side surrounded by various objects covering the floor of their home. After Cristina had fainted, Hagrid had whipped the umbrella to her and had muttered another word, maybe Latin Harry thought. A pink light shot towards his sister before he could even move and she quickly jerked awake.

Needless to say, both were too shocked to really object when the strange man had walked past them and sat heavily on one of the living chairs. Once they snapped out of their stupor they quickly joined him and the next few hours passed in a blur.

"I can not believe this," Cristina gushed as she held up and previously broken high heeled shoe. Harry didn't bother answering as he was busy playing with the small rubber ball Hagrid had conjured. Along with these two objects, the Browns were surrounded by various sporting goods and more shoes, all previously broken from over use, all thrown in a closet, and now all in perfect condition mixed in with various small objects that the man had conjured out of thin air.

"All right, so-Hagrid, right?" The tall man nodded and Harry continued, enunciating each word with a bounce of the rubber ball on the wall. "So-bounce-, Hagrid,-thud- lets say-bounce, thud-, hypothetically-bounce-, I go with you-thud-bounce-thud- to this wizarding world." Bounce, slap. "Oh! Sorry, Cristina! Anyway, what exactly would we do?"

"Well, we'd prob'ly start out in Gringrot's, the wizarding bank, then we'd go and get yer wand-"

"So I don't have to use an umbrella?"

"No, no. Best keep that 'tween us by the way. So we'd get yer wand, then yer school robes-"

"Robes? Do they look like dresses?"

"Well, er, some of 'em do, actually. Ya could get a differin' style though, and ya can have yer muggle-nonmagical, that is- uniform underneath. Let's see, yer parent's already ordered yer supplies, you'll meet 'em at Hogwarts, by the way-"

"Hogwarts...is that in Scotland?" This time it was Cristina who interrupted.

Hagrid's eyes widened as he looked at her, "Are ya a squib?"

"A what?"

"A-well I suppose that means ya aren't then. Yeah, Hogwarts is in Scotland. How'd ya know that?"

"I don't know. I must have heard it somewhere."

"Huh. I'll have to ask Professor Dumbledore bout that. So, ya ready to go, Harry?"

Harry looked from the cluttered floor to his sister, then back to Hagrid. "I guess..."

"Well we'll be taking an portkey to tha Cauldron, so lets go." Hagrid took a moment to lift himself out of the chair then shuffled to the door. Despite having no clue what he was talking about, Harry followed, but stopped before he lost sight of Cristina.

"Are you sure you don't want to go?"

She nodded. "I think I've had enough surprises for one day, maybe later."

"Are you going to be alright?"

Cristina glanced at the numerous shoes that she was practically sitting on and nodded. "Yeah. Just bring me back something. A shirt or a snow globe, maybe. Something. Oh, and be careful."

Harry furrowed his eyebrows, but shrugged and nodded. "I'll do that. Bye."

As the giant stranger led Harry down the dark alley, the teen began to think maybe following along wasn't the best idea. But, when he pulled out a rotting banana from his coat pocket and told Harry to hold it, Harry got ready to bolt.

"Come on now, Harry! It's jus' a portkey!"

Harry backed up. "I don't care what sick freaks like you like to call it, I am not touching your banana!"

"Harry! It's a portkey! It will transport us to tha Leaky Cauldron!"

"What is the Leaky Cauldron, anyway?!"

"It's the barrier between Diagon Alley and tha muggle world."

"...Alright. I'm going to assume you're telling me the truth to save me any more trouble. But, I'm still not touching your banana."

"Harry it's jus'-"

"I'm not going to!"

"Harry-"

"No!"

"Jus' bloody take tha-"

"No!

"I-"

"NO!"

If he had learned one thing with growing up with an uppity, spoiled girl as a semi-mentor and role model, it was how to throw a fit, Harry thought as he lounged in the back seat of a taxi. The streets of London passed by underneath him and its various shops and restaurants flew by the window.

Harry himself was sitting sideways on the seat, head propped up against the window and legs stretched out, bent slightly at the knee because of the lack of space. His favorite running shoes adorned his feet, denim jeans on his hips. His black and gold football jersey (which he had washed all by himself because Cristina would neither touch nor wash his dirty clothes) hung from his rapidly widening shoulders and a chain holding his mother's old engagement ring rested on that. Harry fiddled with said object absently as he looked to the front of the cab, which contained two visibly uncomfortable older men.

"Hey, Hagrid? I hope you aren't still mad about the whole 'thinking you were a child molester thing'." He couldn't see his face, but Harry had a feeling the man had rolled his eyes. "Seriously. I guess I just overreacted." Silence. "I'm really sorry that woman ran in when she heard me and beat you with her umbrella."

He saw his guide cross his arms in defiance. "I'm sorry I made you sit in the front, too. It's just that I'm a bit claustrophobic and I don't think you sitting next to me would be that good...Hagrid?" A barely noticeable sniffle, which was odd considering his size. "Come on, Hagrid. You want some ice cream, Hagrid?" A slight stiffening of the shoulders. "How about we get some ice cream when we're done with all the boring stuff? Would you like that?"

"Could I-could I get tha Salamander bladder flavor?"

"...If that's what you want."

The taxi abruptly stopped. "Alright, we're here."

Harry paid the confused driver and climbed out. Once on the side walk he looked on in disgust at the dingy building in front of him, the worn writing on the hanging sign reading The Leaky Cauldron.

"A pub?"

Hagrid's hand clamped down on his shoulder and pushed him forward. "Not just a pub, Harry."

"Oh, is it an inn, too?" Harry jerked his shoulder out of the hold and walked into the building.

The first thing that hit him was the smell. Unlike the unappealing scent of alcohol, peanuts, and puke he was expecting, it was a heavy mix off ash, some sort of tangy fruit drink, spices, and an underlying smell of alcohol.

The second thing was the people. Almost all of them had on the dresses, no the robes, that he had been told about. There were various styles and colors just like Hagrid said, but there was no denying they were all robes. The one couple who had on normal clothes seemed to be together and both shrugged on cloaks before disappearing through a door in the back.

The third thing to hit him was the door as Hagrid bustled in after him.

"Ow!"

And the forth and final thing to hit him was the low fire in the fireplace suddenly burst up, turn green and then spew an old woman out.

"That's just...cool."

Hagrid looked over his head, "Oh, tha floo? Eh, I can never find a fireplace big enough. Ya think someone would make..." he walked off grumbling. Harry shrugged and followed, hearing clips of various conversations.

"Have you seen the new singer for the Weird Sisters? I mean honestly-"

"You'd never think that he would get that far with them. They-

"Are being absolutely insane... Although he is a-

"Sexy-"

"Beast. Lavender has his picture in-"

Harry jerked, then shook his head and moved on. Taking the path past five tables full of school girls probably wasn't the best idea.

"Ello there, Tom."

The bartender showed a toothless grin. "Hello, Hagrid. Going out to the Alley?"

"Yeah. Me and Harry, here." He pulled the teen into sight.

"Merlin! What happened to your eye, lad?"

Harry self-cautiously put a hand over his cut eyebrow, which Cristina had partially covered with a bandage. "It's just a cut..."

"Oh! No offense was meant, young man. Just wondering why you didn't put anything on it. None of my business, anyway. It'll be a nice scar, I'm sure. Go along with the one on your head."

Harry frowned. "Gee, thanks. Sounds a lot better when you put it that way." He turned to Hagrid. "Are we going?"

"Er, yeah. Jus' follow me." He got off the stool and they went out the back door. Harry stared at the brick wall curiously. He had seen a couple go back there earlier, had they scaled it?

The tapping of Hagrid's umbrella caught his attention and he watched as the man stepped back expectantly.

"What are you-"

Before he could ask the bricks in front of them began to fold into themselves, slowly revealing the bustling path behind them.

"Oh."

"Now remember what I said, Harry. Ya got ta be respectful in there."

"You've told me six times already, Hagrid. I'm not some snot-nosed little kid. I know how to behave," Harry groaned. They were heading to their first stop, Gringots, which was apparently the only wizarding bank in England. So far, every six steps (every two for Hagrid) came with another warning to behave in the marble building. Harry honestly didn't get where the obvious uneasiness came from; they were just bankers, what's the worst they could do? Steal all your money if you don't say please and thank you?

Harry looked around as he dragged his feet across the pebbled road. In front of one shop kids of various ages were clustered around the display window, looking at a broom. Another had a cluster of small skulls hanging by the door. People of all ages were at an ice cream shop, which Harry figured he now had to take Hagrid too.

A group of other teenage boys burst out of another shop, gleefully holding up brown paper bags. Harry figured he would check out that store later, but then he saw another group of teens, this time girls, all go into another and he figured he would have more fun trailing them.

Harry stopped his wandering eye as they reached the steps leading to the back and quickly hopped up and strode past the tall doors, Hagrid by his side. He prepped himself up for what seemed to be an imminent grand display...only to see a normal bank.

"What's the big deal, Hagrid?" He looked around, positive he missed something. Except for the obvious difference of people in robes and pointy hats, it seemed no different than his dad's own bank.

"Sir?"

Harry turned to meet the owner of the croaky voice...nothing. He swiveled his head around and still seeing no one, shrugged.

"Sir?"

Harry jumped and took another look around. Where was that coming from?

"Down here, sir," the voice snarled.

Harry slowly turned again, then quickly bowed down and studied the bottom of his shoes. Had he stepped on some sort of magical, talking bug? Would that come off of his sneakers? He inspected one foot, then the other and sighed in relief.

"No bugs," he grinned as he looked up-then made a startled gasp as he met a pair of bloodshot yellow eyes.

"Gah!"

He snapped up and shot behind Hagrid, eying the odd, green, midget of a creature that was shooting him a venomous sneer.

"May I help you, sir?" It bit out out.

"Oh my God it just talked."

Hagrid gave a nervous chuckle and groped behind himself in attempt to bring Harry forward. "Eh, Harry? Don't-"

"That thing just talked to me, Hagrid! And it looks like it wants to eat me!"

"Harry! These, uh, brilliant creatures," he glanced fearfully to the green speaker. "Not tha animal kind of creature, of course. Tha kind of equal equality ones tha' are jus' as smart as wizards-if not more so!" Another nervous chuckle. "These goblins run Gringots."

"They run the bank?"

"Yeah, Harry. And they do a right fine job of it, too!" he quickly added with another look to the goblin.

The teen's green eyes widened in comprehension. "Oh, is that why you told me to..?

"Yes," Hagrid hissed out of the side of his mouth.

"Oh...well this is pretty awkward then, huh?"