June 29, 1996
6:50 AM Eastern Daylight Saving Time
Harry woke up to the smell of breakfast wafting from the Greengrass' kitchen. He took his time getting out of bed and readying himself for today's trip to Toronto.
Living with Daphne's distant relatives was very peaceful for Harry. There were no abusive relatives that made his summers a living hell in "Durzkaban". There were no Dark Lords on the same continent out for his blood. The Canadian Ministry (or rather Department) of Magic didn't go out to discredit him and his allies like the Fudge government did. And frankly, there was little to no fawning by Canadian Wizards and Witches over Harry Potter as the "boy-who-lived."
For the first couple of days, Harry and his friends simply followed the advice from Professor Dumbledore: to enjoy life. There was a small park and a library nearby, which they usually visited in the first few days. Hermione had a field day during the visits to the library, often grabbing multiple books from racks to catch up on non-Magical topics. Sam was also around, enjoying the summer with the Brits. After Harry and his friends arrived at his place, Sam had phoned his best friend in school, Chris Dryden, about the guests who were in his house. To say that Chris was shocked would be an understatement. He heard his friend fall out of a chair before shouting on the phone, shouting that Sam must be delusional. Of course, once Sam had gotten Harry on the phone, Chris freaked out before the line was cut.
Harry and Daphne spent much of the time together. Seemingly free from all the pressures in Britain, Harry finally had the chance to be himself without the spectre of doom just around the corner. He and Daphne spent many hours just talking like other teenagers, getting time to really connect with each other. Tracy and Neville also spent the two days by bonding together. Neville started to help Mrs. Greengrass with some gardening, using his skills in herbology with zest. Sirius spent much of his time either watching the news or talking with Colonel Greengrass when he was at home.
Harry came out of the boys' guest room just as Daphne left the girls' room. They shared a quick kiss and hug before heading down the marble stairs and into the kitchen. There, Michelle and Leslie, the elf, were cooking up a scrumptious breakfast for everyone. To the amusement of Harry and Daphne, Hermione was already sitting at the family dining table (as opposed to the formal dining table in the adjacent room), eating bacon and omelette while reading the morning edition of the National Post. Sirius was channeling Ron Weasley, wolfing down his breakfast as well as inhaling fresh cups of coffee. The couple had settled down at the table and started to eat just as Tracy and Neville came in snogging the daylights out of each other. Everyone in the kitchen laughed loudly before returning to their meals, leaving the pair blushing hot red. After the rest of the house was downstairs eating, Leslie apparated away to other duties as Michelle sat down and started to discuss the plans for the day.
The Colonel was already off for work, so the rest of the family plus Harry and his group were going on a trip. Today, they were heading to Baldwin Street, a magically hidden street in Downtown Toronto which housed all the magical shops used by wizards in the region. Like Diagon Alley in London, the street reportedly had many magical stores as well as a branch of Gringotts Bank. As there was a gateway to muggle Toronto via a Wizarding Pub and Grill, the teens could then shop for clothing at one of the many shopping malls in the largest city of Canada. Of course, Baldwin Street was nothing compared to the Wizard Metropolis of Silvermoon.
According to Mrs. Greengrass, Silvermoon was founded as a permanent joint settlement by Inuit and Cree wizards in 1471. Many magical immigrants were told of a city full of wizards, and many were soon drawn to one of the few Wizard-only cities in the world. By 1867, a sizable city had been established and Silvermoon continued to grow, with two branches of Gringotts formed in the city and many schools built to accommodate the growing population. They now have a number of muggle-based elementary schools, taught by squibs, to provide children with a basic muggle education prior to magical education.
The teens arrived in the Kodiak Saloon just after 9:00 AM via the floo network. Michelle had joined them there after using the network to drop off her two youngest children with her sister in Montreal, Quebec.
Like the Leaky Cauldron, the Kodiak was a magically hidden pub and inn that also acted as an access point to Baldwin Street. The pub had a less ominous atmosphere than the Cauldron, with better lighting and a giant moose head hanging on a wall. A few customers were inside, either sitting at small round tables or at the bar counter, chatting quietly amongst themselves. At the back was an outline of a double door, though there were no knobs or hinges present. Mrs. Greengrass took out her wand and taped several points on the two door shapes and stepped back. The outlines flashed brightly as the two "doors" opened up, giving Sirius Black and the five British teenagers their first glimpse of Toronto's Baldwin Street.
The sun was shining brightly over the magical shopping area. Wizards and witches were walking up and down the pedestrian-only street, going about their daily lives. Unlike the long-robed or eccentrically clothed British Wizards that prowled Diagon Alley, the Canadian Wizards were quite modern and tasteful in dress and fashion. Wearing shorts, jeans, t-shirts, and sunglasses, one could easily mistake the wizards and witches for muggles out for Saturday shopping. The only discernible differences were the wands being carried around by the people moving about on the street, as well as a few impeccably dressed wizards moving around, including some in Victorian-era cloaks and top hats, a few in formal business suits, and even a rather quirky looking man in tweed, a bow-tie, and scarlet fez.
There were the usual broom shops, owl emporium, potions, bookstore, and a number of restaurants, including an ice cream parlour, lining the sides of the street. However, the architecture of Baldwin Street was a mix of 1900s and modern day styles. Most shops had glass storefronts, some just next to ancient looking wand stores. There was also an athletics store, which sold various sports goods and clothing, a dedicated school uniform shop, as well as a small recruitment office for the Canadian Magical Armed Forces. As well, there seemed to be significantly more patriotism shown by the store owners as most shops had at least one Canadian flag flying on flagpoles or hanging over their storefronts; there was never a union flag hanging over Daigon Alley.
Harry and his friends simply stood in the center of the street appreciating all the sights. The street was absolutely spotless, uncrowded, and quite "comfortable". A few passers-by had noticed the teens and Sirius Black, but it seemed that everyone was respecting Harry's personal space. Many nodded or waved at the teen, but no one approached or chased the "Boy-who-lived" like the ever annoying fanboys and fangirls back home in Britain. Daphne sensed that Harry felt sincere comfort, knowing that at least the Canadians were respectful of her boyfriend. She gave a hug to Harry, who looked back at her with a very happy smile.
They finally moved on after some urging by Mrs. Greengrass, who carried a knowing smile for most of the day. First things first, the Brits needed to visit Gringotts to make sure they could access their bank accounts.
Gringotts Toronto was situated at a fork in the street, which split into North and South Baldwin Street. As Harry and his companions headed down the street, Harry noticed that there were pairs of uniformed men and women on patrol. Harry learned from Sam Greengrass that they were members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Aurors, the magical sister organization to the muggle RCMP. Unlike the British Aurors, the "Mounties" were armed with semi-automatic pistols and nightsticks, along with their personal wands. They were also equipped with handcuffs, radios, and other equipment carried on their tactical vests and belts. Sam explained that ever since the rumours started about Tom Riddle's return and the resurgence of his terrorist organization, the Department of Magical Affairs started to enhance airport security measures and increased Auror patrols at all wizarding settlements. The incident at Pearson Airport had stepped up the patrols, with a couple or so officers also patrolling in full-tactical gear, armed with sub-machine guns.
The Toronto branch of Gringotts was located in a large brick structure, seemingly taken from the late 1800s. Somewhat crooked, it nowhere as bad as the branch in London, which always seemed like it had just endured an earthquake. The entrance was currently guarded by goblins wielding nasty looking spears, looking intently at every passing wizard or witch with a piercing glare. The inside of the bank was rather...different than the one in Diagon Alley. It was still run by goblins, but it seemed that the bank was a little less archaic than the one in London. goblins worked from modern-looking booths, either writing paper work or processing transactions with clients.
Michelle led the group to a booth, where the goblin on duty looked at the group intently. To Harry's surprise, the goblin banker spoke with a bit less snarling than the ones back home.
"Welcome to Gringotts Toronto, Ma'am. How may I help you?"
Mrs. Greengrass responded, "We wish to inquire about the financial statuses for Mr. Sirius Black, Miss Hermione Granger, Miss Tracy Davis, Mr. Neville Longbottom, Miss Daphne Greengrass, and Mr. Harry Potter."
"Ah, yes."
The goblin took up a modern phone handset.
"We need a bank representative at Booth 14 for the British group...alright, thanks."
The goblin carefully hung up and looked a little more pleasant.
"Don't worry; we already knew you'd be coming through our doors, plus we heard about everyone on the news. Since you are all known to the entirety of Gringotts, we'll be able to make sure you all can use your accounts here in Canada. "
An older goblin, with graying hair and dressed more like the goblins back in Britain, arrived and greeted them rather pleasantly.
"Good morning, my name is Raynorth, Senior manager of Gringotts Toronto. I see that you've all arrived as expected. Follow me, please."
The goblin headed towards a corridor lined with private offices, with the six brits and two Canadians behind him. He stopped at the entrance of a rather large office and gestured everyone in. It had enough seats to fit everyone, and the goblin headed over to his oak desk, which had a computer monitor and printer. As Harry sat, he noticed that the goblin did not use quills and parchment; instead, he had a neat pile of paper and an open container full of pens. Raynorth erected a Goblin privacy ward that Harry could sense from it powerful aura, then started talking.
"I'll start with Mister Harry Potter. As the Bankers in London have mentioned, your banking card can be used to access your trust vault and some of your family's accounts."
"I'm sorry to ask, but may I know how much is exactly in my accounts?"
"Why certainly. Your trust account, which is in Vault 687 in London, is valued at four hundred forty-seven thousand, nine hundred and fifty-one galleons, three sickles, and four knuts. There are also two Family Vaults, 901 and 942, with coins and various items. These two vaults are estimated to contain the value of three million, nine hundred and twenty five thousand, six hundred and ninety-eight galleons, six sickles, and three knuts. You won't have full access of the family vault until 20, but you can withdraw up to 1000 galleons a day from each vault.
As well, your family did have a number of investments. You have a 10 percent share of Firebolt Brooms and a six percent share of Zonkos, not to mention your share of Weasley Wizard Wheezes."
Harry simply stood dumbfounded. He never knew his family was quite well-off, and felt grateful that the Dursleys did not get their hands on his inheritance.
The goblin chuckled. "I may suggest that you could invest in several firms here; the Canadian Wizarding Economy is still on the rise, and you may make quite I bit from such a venture. We can offer to set up something, for a small fee of course," Raynorth grinned.
Harry knew that the goblins would stand to gain financially from an investment deal, but he felt that it was still a good idea to invest a bit.
"Alright, may you please set up some investments in Canada?"
"A pleasure, sir. May I also remind you that all magical and non-magical purchases in Canada are made with the Canadian Dollar which does fluctuate; however, the value usually averages 10.65 Dollars to the Galleon. So, I can truthfully state that you are very financially secured."
The goblin started up his computer and started to type. As he did so, Harry noticed that a scowl was growing on the goblin's face.
"Sir, it appears that there were a few minor withdrawals from those two vaults by Albus Dumbledore. According to the records here, he had withdrawn five hundred galleons annually for the last 10 years or so. It appears that he was given permission to access the vaults by your parents, and permission is given to other families of his Order."
Harry had a sudden rush of anger. Dumbledore may be on his side, but he should not be siphoning money from his family.
"Could you please remove access to the family vaults from everyone except me and Sirius Black? I know Dumbledore had good intentions, but I rather not have so many hands in my pockets, so to speak. Also, I would like to start up a vault in Canada with some money from my vaults. That way, I have some reserves safe from Fudge's hands." Harry thought with exasperation. Sirius Black's account had been partially frozen by the British Ministry of Magic during his imprisonment.
The goblin grinned widely.
"Certainly sir, we will make arrangements as soon as possible."
Raynorth then turned the other Howarts students. He began to type commands on the computer, and took out four plastic cards from a drawer in his desk. One by one, he programmed each card for Daphne, Hermione, Neville and Tracy. After he finished, he passed the cards out.
"As for everyone else, you can access your vaults using these secured banking cards. Under Canadian law, all wizards and witches 15 and above are permitted limited access to their family vaults. As well, we do have contact with muggle banks, so Miss Granger, you can use your card to access your student bank account."
He turned to Black.
"Mister Sirius Black. I'm sorry to say but your bank accounts have been fully frozen under British Magical Laws. We have found a way to get you limited access on that card you received, but please spend discretely, Mr. Black; Gringotts is having some issues with the Fudge Government and we don't need any more trouble over there.
So, are there any other matters that require Gringott's assistance?"
Mrs. Greengrass replied, "None that I know of, Mr. Raynorth. Thank you for your time."
The goblin nodded and gestured them out, "A pleasure meeting you Mr. Potter. May you be victorious against Mr. Tom Riddle."
Lunch was an interesting affair, with the eight people eating at a small family restaurant named the "Beaver's Table". At Sam's incessant urging, he and Hermione picked his favourite dish, something known as "poutine". Tracy and Neville were curious about the dish and decided to order it as well, with Harry and Daphne also deciding to pick the dish. The two adults decidedly picked less ambitious meals.
Poutine is not for the faint of heart. It is a goop of thick cut fries smothered in brown gravy and fresh cheese curds; however, it tastes absolutely wonderful, despite its rather unappealing look.
The look on Tracy and Neville's faces was priceless. They stared in horror for a couple minutes as the thick, greasy brown gravy and cheese curds dripped and settled over the fries. Daphne figured it was not even close to some of the disgusting dishes she had heard of, including a horrific Finnish dish that her dad once tried: ammonia-flavoured rotting shark, better known as hakarl. Harry simply didn't mind the poutine's appearance, watching as Hermione excitedly grabbed a fork and dug in with Sam into their poutine. Harry forked up a spoonful and took his first bite. He found it quite delicious, and soon he and Daphne also dug in.
After lunch, they decided to head over to Muggle Toronto for the rest of the day before eating out in one of the many restaurants that dotted the streets of Toronto.
Author's Note: Thank you all for the comments so far and I hope that everyone is getting some enjoyment from reading the story. I would also really appreciate some feedback to improve the writing and suggestions on how to continue.
My Apologies if this chapter seems overly wordy, so since it is Canada Day, the next chapter is coming soon. ;)