Chapter 2: Diagon Alley

Author: dEBB987 Beta: Nyx the Author

The manor was, quite obviously, full of dust and small pests. There were doxies in the curtains, spider webs in the ceiling, a few rats running around in the edges of the room, close to the walls, and was that a flesh-eating slug in the furthest corner? To think this was only the entrance of the manor! All in all, it needed a bit of work before it would be clean and comfortable enough to live in.

"Well, it will be faster if we simply kill everything low-level in the area." Harry mused. "Mare, if you would? Keep the range inside the manor however, I'd like to save the magical plants of the garden." The twins had grown up in the last two centuries, up to the point that they now looked like 17-years-old. Aura couldn't be passed off as a boy anymore, since she had a more feminine body now, and Mare… well, he still was fond of female clothing, but now replaced them with male clothes now and then. They both were using male clothing when the summoning happened, wearing the same style but different colors.

Aura wore formal white trousers accompanied with a red t-shirt that had the first couple of buttons undone, with brown dragon-hide boots that allowed for a more efficient running. Mare wore the same but with black trousers, a light blue t-shirt that was done all the way up, and grey, smooth-looking boots.

"U-understood" was the soft spoken answer before the elf raised his staff "[Lesser Disintegration]" The different creatures let out pained sounds for a moment before they were completely eradicated, taking care of the pests in seconds.

"Thank you Mare. Now only the cleaning is left." He hummed thoughtfully for a second before summoning the Elder Wand, tracing a rune mid-air. "Well, it's not going to be completely clean, but it should get rid of the dust." The low-level rune he had traced had a similar effect than an overpowered Scourgify charm, but with more lasting effects, so it wouldn't be necessary to clean often. The surface of the floor, walls and ceiling were slowly traced by a golden line of light, getting rid of the dirt as it passed over it.

Nodding satisfied at the now somewhat habitable mansion, he lets the NPCs explore the building at their leisure. Once he was alone, he went directly to the living room, taking off the bag hanging around his neck and places it on the floor. He opens it before starting to summon everything they had brought from the shack out of the bag, levitating it to their right place with the Elder Wand. The manor wasn't bare per se, but it was lacking the furniture and decorations that characterized a home currently on use, so he quickly accommodated the objects trying to get the spacious room filled.

This was a methodical process, so he was free to let his thoughts wander on more important matters. Since his arrival, he had been thinking on what to do, coming to the conclusion that he shouldn't interfere much in the play of events that formed his fourth year. The more he modified, the more unpredictable the future would become, so he decided to stick to the script for the most part, focusing instead on the horcrux hunt.

Thinking about this, he looked down with interest at the Elder Wand he was holding. It had come to him without any problems arising, but he didn't know if it was his own wand or the one this world had held. Had he accidentally stolen Dumbledore's wand?

Fortunately, there was a very easy way to determine this. Rising his left arm, he held his empty palm upwards at the same time he called back to him the resurrection stone. The ring falls on his hand softly, malicious magic coming from it in waves before a dark curse latches from the ring and onto his magical core.

Ah, I had forgotten the ring was cursed he thought calmly as he saw the curse try and fail to get a hold of him. It had entered his system successfully, but the difference in strength was so great that the curse was being held back by his defenses. The magical collision lasted but a couple of seconds before the dark magic dispersed; utterly overflown in terms of raw power by Harry's own magical core.

Had this really been the curse that condemned Dumbledore to an early grave? It was hard to believe, but that seemed to be the case. If anything, this confirmed Harry's theory that he was the one that had gotten stronger, instead of the magic becoming weaker than what he remembered. If this was this dimension's ring however, then the wand he currently had was that of the headmaster.

He really hoped his old professor wouldn't have a panic attack, having lost his more reliable weapon. Having finished the sorting of the furniture and other objects, he hangs his bag around his neck again with automatic motions, not really paying attention since he was lost in his thoughts. He only comes back to reality when he senses someone coming towards him, his eyes moving automatically to the source.

"Hadrian-sama" the sweet voice of Solution reaches him from the entrance that led to the dining room, a serious expression on her face "May I make a request?"

Intrigued, he wonders what could the pleiade ask for so soon in this new dimension before giving her his permission to speak freely. The slime bows down by the waist, pausing for a moment before admitting out loud "While I'm infinitely thankful for the work Hadrian-sama has done, your humble servant asks for forgiveness and requests permission to adapt this building. I'd like to make amendments so this humble residence may be worthier of the presence of a Supreme Being."

Harry had a brief flashback on how insistent the NPCs had been when he had established his country, constructing a palace needlessly big for him. They had been adding things and details back and forth for what seemed like an eternity before being mildly approving of the new, official building, and only because Harry himself had told them it was good enough.

"Please rise" he says softly, waiting for her to do so before answering her query "Thank you Solution, you know me very well" He smiles at the pleasantly surprised expression of the maid before continuing "I was about to request your help regarding the accommodations. I'll leave it up to you." the slime seems relieved, smiling brightly at him for a moment before her form straightens with a determination that only the assignment of a new mission could cause.

"Yes!"

"Then, in the meantime, I'll go out to the backyard. There's something I need to do before paying a visit to Diagon alley." he says at the same time several presences get closer to the room, the NPCs having finished their small exploration of the property. They seemed to feel unsure even in this renewed home however, because upon eavesdropping his words, they insist quite adamantly that he should not go out alone, not even to the backyard.

"I assure you, this property cannot be entered without my permission" he said in a slightly exasperated tone for what seemed like the tenth time, before mentally admitting defeat "Nevertheless, I'll accept your suggestion this time."

He takes in the relieved faces of his subjects for a moment before clapping once, to dissipate the anxious atmosphere. Letting a playful smile adorn his face, he continues swiftly in a sweet tone "Well, let's go kill a basilisk then."

"A basilisk? Wasn't Hadrian-sama fond of them?" Aura asks as she tilts her head slightly, probably thinking in the collection of reptiles that he had back in Nazarick.

"The basilisks are different in this world. They don't have extremities, their venom is the most potent in existence with only one, very uncommon cure, and their stare can kill, instead of simply petrifying. The death of one is, sadly, necessary this time around." he answers Aura patiently before directing his gaze to the only demons in the room "Demiurge, Albedo. Would you like to make some exercise? While the stare can't really kill anyone with level 100, it will probably have the same effect than the instant-death magic in our world, which would stun you momentarily."

His smile turns playful once more, still directed at his two smartest guardians "Would you blind it? Or would you rather fight with your eyes closed? Whichever the case, it should be an interesting practice."

"Of course, Hadrian-sama~." the wings of Albedo give a couple of soft swings, her hands clasped together as in prayer.

"We'll fulfill successfully the expectations placed upon us." Demiurge answers swiftly with a small, elegant bow, the metallic tail curling around his ankles.

"Ara~ Is this practice only meant for them?" asks Shalltear with slight disappointment, a delicate finger posed on her right cheek. Truth be told, Harry had directed the test at them because their appearance would not let them accompany him outside the manor. Everyone else could pass off as humans somewhat, but the demonic traits they possessed were harder to hide, so he had assigned this to them to make them feel useful, while at the same time letting them relax in a small battle.

"It's been a while since I could see their teamwork, so this request is only for them. In the meantime though..." he places the tip of the Elder Wand to his temple, taking out a single string of memories that stay accumulated at the tip of his wand "I want the rest of you to be familiar with the outlines of Diagon alley. There's much to do there, so we may need to run different ways." Wandlessly summoning the pensieve from his bag, he places the chain of memories in it before giving the item to Sebas, since the dragonoid was the closest to him.

"Go to the dining room and watch them attentively. Send me a message once you're done with them." he says to the majority of the servants in the room before directing his gaze to the couple of demons "Albedo, Demiurge, follow me."

Walking calmly towards the backyard, he places a good distance between their position and the manor before finally stopping in the middle of the clear, magically-cut grassland. Turning half-way to watch the two guardians, he clarifies that the battle starts only once he gives the signal, and waits for them to state their understanding before raising his hand at the empty plain in front of him.

[I wish for a Basilisk] the giant snake that appears in front of him lets out an angry hiss, beginning to speak in parseltongue "Who daresss-" before the imperio-like state takes hold of the creature. The huge jaws close abruptly, the tongue sliding outside to taste the air surrounding it before the reptilian head bows down to him, eyes closed as it awaits orders. He had tried to focus on a high level basilisk, since he didn't want to bore his guardians too much, but in the end the summoned creature was probably among a 50-60 in the level scale. This battle wasn't going to last.

"At my sssignal, the battle beginsss. Give your bessst to defend yourself and sssurvive." he hisses in parseltongue to the basilisk, before summoning a special pair of glasses from his bag that would allow him to hold the killing stare. Placing them on his face, he turns around to address the guardians once more.

"Sadly, it seems this is the best this world has to offer. Are you ready?" Seeing the almost impatient nods, he immediately starts counting out loud "One…two…" The phrase remains unfinished as he disappears with a purposely loud Crack! appearing over the roof of the manor. His sight is good enough to see in detail as the basilisk immediately opened its yellow eyes, the huge jaws opening threateningly before striking at the demons in front of it.

Neither of them moves to blind the beast, which meant they had chosen to fight with their eyes closed. They jump in opposite directions, evading the attack without issues. The basilisk slides swiftly, the head turning left as it intends to bite Albedo, while at the same time the huge tail tried to get a hit on Demiurge.

Which was, quite obviously, a mistake. Showing its back to the enemy could only go wrong.

[Messenger of Peace] was the spell used by Albedo as she used her hands to forcefully catch the jaws threatening her, venom sliding over her uncovered arms without causing her harm. The spell increased the DEFENSE and decreased the ATTACK in equal amounts, which meant she was intending to be the "Tank" in this battle. The member of the team that would serve as bait for the enemy, while the others dealt damage to it.

At the same time Albedo used her spell, a second voice resounds through the battlefield. Demiurge calmly used [Aspect of the Devil: Razor Sharp Claw] with a sadistic smile on his face as the claws became elongated, stretching beyond eighty centimeters. The demon raised his hand and brought it down mercilessly over the hard scales of the reptile, going through the flesh as if it were butter.

There's a hiss of agony as the Basilisk's lower half is forcefully immobilized, the claws of the male demon keeping it grounded. The reptilian head gets free from Albedo's grasp, most likely because she had allowed it, and instinctively turns to address the threat that was inflicting damage. Ignoring Albedo wasn't the brightest idea though.

Nullifying her previous spell, her sweet voice lets out a battle cry as she takes out the spear Solution had lent her. The originally unarmed guardians had been equipped with the best the Pleiade and Harry had had stored, but in the end it would always pale in comparison to the items they had left behind.

The spear is more than enough for a creature of such levels however, the weapon going cleanly through the snake's throat, cutting off its head in a swift attack. The huge head falls down with a thud, the battle over in only a few minutes.

"As expected, it was too weak for you to play with" he says with mock sadness when he apparates back to their position, glasses once again kept in his bag. They both straighten up and pronounce their agreement, seemingly disappointed as well.

"Well, it can't be helped since this world's magic is weaker than ours, the creatures that populate it are also more fragile" Harry says as he makes a motion with his hand to wandlessly close the basilisk's eyelids. The stare had lost its killing property, so he did it out of respect more than anything else.

He would ask for Aura's help to get the skin, venom and important bits of the reptile, before going to Gringotts to exchange them for galleons. He would need some currency after all, and a basilisk of this size should be more than enough to live comfortably for a few years, if one knew how to administer it.

Not that he was planning on staying so long of course. If anything, a year should be more than enough to do what he needed to.

Tearing his gaze away from the dead reptile, he addressed both guardians, choosing to speak with them in the yard since it was still too soon for the others to have come out of the pensieve yet.

"I'm afraid you will have to stay in this property for the time being. I need to obtain the right materials before I can give you illusory runes to hide the demonic traits."

"I see. Wizards have means to see through invisibility, is that it?" Demiurge says out loud, seeing as Albedo didn't seem convinced at all. Her beautiful face frowns slightly for a moment, before looking downwards somewhat resigned.

"Indeed. While they are minority, I'd rather not risk it" Harry affirms to the elegant demon before turning his understanding gaze towards the succubus. "In the meantime though, there's something I'll need your help with." The words work like a miracle over the slightly depressed form of Albedo, her head raised in attention to receive her next order.

"Yes!"

"The usage of high-spells and high-skills is something we haven't tested in this world yet. So long they're not overly destructive, I'd like you to practice them and make a report if there's anything different." he pauses slightly as an idea strikes him, bringing his left hand to his chin pensively before continuing "Actually, if you could test them on a certain creature, I'm sure the result will be interesting one way or another."

The dementors were supposed to be almost immortal, it was not until the whole world had ended that the creatures had been erased along with it. Whether the dark beings perished or not, it would prove to be useful knowledge all the same.

Deeming the area wide enough for practice, he implemented the same wards Azkaban used to keep the Dementors inside a certain region, so the creature would not be able to get out of the Potter's yard nor near the mansion.

Just as he finished the implementation of the ward, he received a [Message] from Sebas, confirming the chain of memories had ended. Telling the demons he would give them further details at a later moment, he dismissed them before calling Aura.

He explained to the elf exactly which parts he would need her to extract from the reptilian corpse, and gave her a few containers to keep them in. Aura performed her task with a familiarity born from experience, getting it done as fast as if 12 ministry wizards were working on it in tandem. The skin was the part that took longer, but even with that, the whole task was completed in only a few minutes.

Placing the containers in a special portion of his endless bag, he patted Aura's shoulder in thanks before they both went back to the manor, where he proceeded to assign the tasks to each NPC.

Solution was dismissed before the meeting even started, since she seemed impatient to begin changing the lamentable state of the manor, she would stay so she could work at her leisure. Mare was to stay as well, to help Harry search for loopholes in the bank administration.

Harry would rather get Hufflepuff's Cup without messing with the goblins, so he had given a dozen of heavy books regarding the policies of the magical bank to the young elf. He had chosen Mare for this task because he was better at finding loopholes than any other denizen in Nazarick, even beating Demiurge and Albedo most of the time. Back in the other world where Nazarick resided, Mare was in charge of fool-proofing the laws implemented in his kingdom, and thanks to him Harry had avoided more than one possible catastrophe.

Harry also wanted him to stay because the divine item he carried, the staff, would immediately call for attention, and he knew the young elf would feel anxious if it was left behind in the manor.

Sebas was to go to Gringotts, with instructions on just how much Harry expected to receive from the Basilisk parts and permission to negotiate if necessary. He was, under no circumstances, allowed to act with hostility towards the goblins or try any sort of mind manipulation on them. The final price had to be given willingly.

Aura was to go to Knockturn alley, to check if she could find a few rare ingredients Harry needed to perform a fusing ritual. The illusory runes and the translation runes he wanted to place on special pendants required a few magical properties only available from dark ingredients, so he would need those before starting to work on them. Aura would not be able to buy them until Sebas got out of the bank however, so her errand was only meant to verify if the ingredients would be found in a store or if they would have to go hunting for them. If anything, Harry would be satisfied if they got the dark, unusual herbs, since the ingredients coming from creatures could be obtained via [Summoning].

Shalltear was to accompany Harry to different stores as his 'guard', if only because the NPCs were adamant he needed one, to get the things he needed to combine to get the material optimal for runes. Not any metal could hold the amount of magic the runes needed to be efficient after all, but it was so tricky he couldn't confide in Aura for it.

"Are there any doubts regarding your tasks?" when no one answered he nodded at them before taking them out with him. The rests of the basilisk had been vanished, so the yard was clean when he specified to Albedo and Demiurge the zone they would have available to practice.

"The creature won't be able to leave this area either, so there's no need to worry about chasing it around. Are you ready?" Receiving the affirmative response, he proceeded to use the summoning spell [I wish for a Dementor], the grass starting to freeze immediately at the sudden presence of the dark creature.

The dementor actually seemed to emit something akin to Yggdrasil's [Despair Aura IV] which was capable of causing insanity when exposed for a long period of time. Such auras didn't have an effect on the level 100 NPCs however, so no one was affected by the presence of the dark creature.

"Have fun" were his parting words before he placed concealing charms on the whole group, taking them with him in a side-along apparition. He had chosen a dark, normally unoccupied passage that was near Knockturn alley, where he placed strong notice-me-not charms before lifting the invisibility.

In random intervals of time, they left the passage one by one, with Harry and Shalltear being the last to go out. Walking around the calmest parts of the alley, he noticed that the few wizards around them were turning their heads to stare without an ounce of discretion at them.

He had covered Shalltear's dress with a transfigured cloak, but even then they probably stared due to her beautiful, exotic appearance. Ignoring the lot of them, he went towards the store "Wiseacre's Wizarding Equipment" searching for the right combination of metals he needed.

-Aura-

After walking around for a few moments down the dark alley, she let out a relieved sigh once she finally spotted the Apothecary Hadrian-sama had shown in his memories.

"Hahh, it's so small I almost missed it~" she says to herself, accommodating the hood covering her head and shoulders before entering the small, dusty store. The establishment is almost empty, with only two men inside. One is seemingly the owner, the old man watching her every move like a hawk as if afraid she would steal anything. The other is a man dressed in all black, with somewhat greasy hair that reached his shoulders and a large nose; he ignores her presence, seemingly busy inspecting the vial in his hand.

Aura chooses to ignore both, focused on the mission Hadrian-sama had assigned to her, she takes out the list of ingredients she was meant to check.

"Hmm~ let's see… there are a few with Acromantula venom, some vials with Death-cap…" she recites softly the list as she finds the items, making sure there is more than one vial available for each ingredient. How lucky! There seemed to be enough of everything on the list, the last ingredient was—

"Ehh! Wait wait wait! Don't tell me that's the last vial of Bursting mushroom?!" she practically yells to the man in black, who was staring down at her in a way that was probably meant to be intimidating. No way was he going to take the last!

"I beg your pardon?" the man says slowly, as if speaking with someone with low mental capacity, raising an incredulous eyebrow at her. She's ignores him in favor of turning towards the owner of the store however.

"You have more right? Like, in storage or something?" she asks with pleading eyes, but the old man only shows her a smirk with some missing teeth, those remaining being an ugly yellow.

"That's the last vial. The next order gets here in three months" is his raspy answer.

"T-that can't be!" she turns around to face the man in black again, her brows furrowed in determination. She couldn't let him take the last vial, since it was a magical plant, her Master could not use his summoning magic to collect the samples he needed.

"Well, I'm sorry but you won't be taking it. Leave it in the shelf and I won't—" she halts mid-threat, remembering the instruction to avoid needless fights. The man seemed offended, eyes narrowing as he took out a wand and pointed it straight at her face, the beginning of a curse in the tip of the wood. She would feel threatened if it were a magic caster with higher level, but the man in front of him was probably incapable of harming Solution, much less someone like her.

Sighing dramatically, she takes a hold of his wrist and forces it away from her face, the spell hitting the floor with a small, blasting sound, leaving a burn mark on the wood. On normal circumstances, she would have twisted the wrist until it snapped, or cut the whole hand off, but she wasn't supposed to use violence.

Releasing the wrist, the man immediately takes a step back, inquisitive eyes studying her smaller form as he quickly fires another curse at her. She moves her torso slightly to evade it, not even taking a step away from her original position.

"Even for a vampire, that was too fast." Eh? Who was a vampire? Dismissing the confused comment with a hand motion, she sighs dramatically once again.

"Haah~ I get it, I get it, I'll give you something else in exchange of that silly vial. Here." she takes out a flask that was much smaller than the one the man was holding, yellowish liquid swaying slightly with the movement as she showed it to the man.

"I'll give you basilisk venom, how about that?" The eyes of both wizards open wide like plates, but the man in black can't really say anything since the owner speaks up.

"It surely can't be!" The greed on the old eyes were obvious as he steps closer, inspecting the vial with critical eye and using diagnostic spells on it. Letting out a surprised gasp, he extends an expecting hand towards the man in black, who surrenders the last vial of magical mushroom without a word, gaze fixated in Aura's own flask.

"Here, let's exchange." the raspy voice says excitedly, but Aura takes a step back when he tries to reach for her vial.

"Nah-ah Hadrian-sama told me I could get everything on the list if I had to use this" giving the paper to the old man, the owner quickly scans the list before nodding his agreement, giving her all the vials he had on the store regarding those ingredients.

"Here, take it, just give—"

"You could get more with that." the man in black interrupts the deal, curious eyes focused on her. The owner glared daggers at him, but Aura just smiles playfully, nodding to him.

"Yep, but this is all we need. Money is not a problem, so my Lord said it was ok to get just this." the man in black stares at her for a moment, with an expression she doesn't quite recognize before nodding at her.

"If that's the case, I will double the number of vials he's offering you with those same ingredients" Well, now that was interesting! The owner mumbles something under his breath, but she doesn't really recognize what "mudblood" meant and the man didn't seem to have listened.

"Do you have them here? I need to get them today." She wasn't going to wait for him to get the ingredients, her Master wished to start the runes as soon as possible.

He nods before calling a weird name "Twinky!" a small creature with pointy ears and big eyes appearing with a loud Crack! in front of him. He asks it to bring the vials, and in less than a minute he's standing with a box full of them.

"Deal!" She exclaims happily as they exchanged items. The owner seems to get out of his affronted trance when she exclaims this, making a sharp movement with his wrist to bring out his own wand, a curse already on the tip as he made a circular motion while pointing at them.

"How dare—" the phrase remains unfinished as Aura hits the back of his neck with her right hand, the left balancing the box of vials so steadily that the items didn't even clink. Ignoring the knocked-out elder, she uses her free hand to take each vial and place them carefully on the bag Hadrian-sama lent to her. She had always liked the way he could take a random object and alter its form effortlessly to create another, the bag she had right now used to be a chandelier! And it had plenty of charms too; she would love to keep it if possible.

"Well, that's all." she shakes off her hands in a satisfied manner once she's finished, before turning her gaze towards the tense form of the man in black. She wishes him farewell dismissively, not really expecting an answer before turning around and going out of the small store. She could feel the stare that was being directed at her back, but didn't really care since he was no threat to her.

Shortly after the elf's departure, Severus Snape left the apothecary, his dark eyes following her movements as she walked calmly towards Diagon Alley, only relaxing the tight grip on his wand once she's out of sight. Massaging his sore wrist, he started to stride deeper into Knockturn alley, walking on opposite direction of the one the young female had taken.

He didn't know what exactly her species was, but he hadn't seen or read anything that looked even remotely similar to her. The closest would be the vampires, and even then the tan skin made it unlikely. He narrowed his eyes as he remembered the moment in which the female had turned towards the shop's owner, the man collapsing only a second after.

He knew that she had definitely moved, but he had been unable to follow it with his gaze. It had been so fast that to the naked eye it was as if the man had simply dropped for no reason.

The female had given him a genuine, murdering gaze as well, once she realized he had the last sample. He certainly recognized the intent, since he had seen it one too many times among the Death eaters, and was painfully aware that the woman would have killed him without a second thought in that moment. That was the reason he had disregarded everything and attacked her so readily.

He didn't even see her raise her hand when he tried to curse her. His wrist had simply been free one moment, trapped at the next.

Coming out of his dark thoughts, he considered he had placed a good distance between them, so he turned on his heel and apparated at Hogsmeade. He took long strides towards Hogwarts, taking out the small flask with venom the stranger had given him. Inspecting it once again, the unbelievable fact remained unchanged: that the venom was freshly taken, terribly so.

A light shiver travels down his spine as he fervently wished the venom had been obtained from her original country. The suffix she had used when she claimed to be serving someone had been Asiatic in origin, which probably meant she was from a race only found overseas. He sincerely hoped her Lord "Hadrian" was only in a trip, and would leave the country soon enough, since he would rather not cross paths ever again.

If the servant was that strong, he dreaded to imagine how the Lord would be, since most magical creatures valued strength more than anything in their chosen leaders.

And to give out Basilisk venom for a fraction of the real price, as if it were something she could get easily? The word 'suspicious' didn't even begin to describe it.

AUTHOR NOTE:

And so the story begins~

Happy holiday dear readers, this is the last update of the year, with a total amount of 5.5K words in this chapter, yay! See you again in 2018, thanks for reading and hope you liked it!

Special thanks for those that take some time to leave a review tho, I really like to read them.

See ya' around~

**Nyx: Check out my stories as well for other Overlord Crossovers!