The rest of August was even less pleasant than Harry remembered. Harry and Dudley were both grounded for daring to read the letter (Dudley aghast at being punished for the first time in his life), Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon had loud shouting matches every other day, and Dudley swung between manic excitement at finding out he was a wizard, and crushing despair that his parents weren't ever going to let him go to Hogwarts.
The start of September crept nearer, and still Dudley hadn't managed to convince his terrified, furious and heart-broken parents to let him go to wizarding school. Aunt Petunia had turned to acting like nothing had happened, icily ignoring Harry's very existence, and planning for Dudley's first day at Smeltings. Uncle Vernon, when he wasn't at work, stomped through the house like an angry rhinoceros, snapping and growling whenever anyone dared to speak to him.
Dudley had by now become frantic with fear. "They're never going to let me go," he said as they both sat in Harry's room. Hedwig sat perched on Dudley's shoulder, hooting in a comforting sort of way, as the large boy tried to hold back his tears.
"They're never going to let me go, I'll never be a wizard, they'll make me go to Smeltings, and – and –"
Harry, who had been turning the problem over in his head for the past few weeks and had come to the same conclusion, made up his mind. It was pretty obvious by now that help from Hogwarts wasn't coming forward. If he was serious about Dudley coming to Hogwarts with him, he'd have to make sure it happened.
"Sod what your parents want. If they still want to make you go to Smeltings on the last day of August, I'll take you to Diagon Alley myself to get your things, and we'll go to Hogwarts together anyway," he said firmly.
Dudley blinked at him in astonishment. "You will? But… but how? You don't have a car or anything, and Mum and Dad took away my muh-money." He hiccupped miserably.
"We'll sneak out and take the Knight Bus. Don't worry about money, I can lend you some for your stuff. We'll book a room in the Leaky Cauldron and stay over, and then get to King's Cross in the morning. Your parents won't be able to stop us."
"You really mean that?" said Dudley, his eyes wide.
Harry nodded. "I'm not going to let you rot here while I go to Hogwarts. We go together or we don't go at all."
Dudley frowned, and after a few moments of silence and an obvious struggle with his conscience, said: "I'm sorry I haven't been very nice to you. At school, and here, and everything."
Dudley looked like the apology had cost him a large amount of willpower, even if 'I haven't been nice to you' was the understatement of the century. Harry marvelled again at the change that had come over his cousin the last month. He knew his aunt and uncle never made Dudley apologise for anything, always defending him when he acted out or got reported for bullying other kids. For Dudley to come out and say something like this, he had to really mean it.
"Don't mention it," said Harry, unsure what else there was to say. It was hard to keep resenting Dudley for, essentially, being a stupid bullying kid in another timeline. It was mostly his aunt and uncle's fault that Dudley had turned out the way he did, and even then he'd started showing signs of turning things around. Besides, seeing him like this, like a miserable eleven-year-old kid who was pinning all his hopes on him, made it pretty much impossible to bear a grudge. "We're family, right? Family has to stick together." Dudley gave him an uncertain smile, and nodded.
The last day of August dawned, with the Dursleys no more willing to allow their son to attend Hogwarts as they'd been since Dudley's letter had arrived. Harry had contemplated simply sending Hedwig to Hogwarts with a letter, explaining the situation and asking for help, but had rejected the idea for a number of reasons. First of all, he wanted Dumbledore to believe for now that he was the same independent kid who had first arrived at Hogwarts with a healthy distrust in adults, and that kid would have definitely tried to solve things on his own. Second, he was curious to find out if either his Professors or the Ministry of Magic could tell when under-age children went missing. Cornelius Fudge had managed to find Harry when he'd run away from home at the start of his third year, but the Ministry had been watching Harry closely back then. That was definitely useful information if he had to go out horcrux-hunting on his own at some point before he came of age. Third, he had a number of things to purchase in Diagon Alley that he'd rather the Hogwarts staff didn't know about. If he ordered things by owl post, he'd be running the risk of having his packages searched. Best to buy them and bring them along in his brand new, spell-warded trunk.
Harry and Dudley had spent the previous day packing Dudley's things in one of the compartments of Harry's trunk. Harry had had to spend quite a bit of time convincing Dudley that none of his electronic entertainment would work at Hogwarts, as the magic interfered with the workings of anything that operated on electricity. He'd also limited Dudley from bringing his entire collection of toys, as despite being bigger on the inside than the outside, the space in his trunk was not unlimited, and everything would have to fit in Dudley's own trunk once they'd bought it.
Harry had crept into his aunt and uncle's bedroom during the night, and ever so carefully lifted Vernon's keys from his uncle's bedside table, where they laid next to his wallet and sunglasses. He now used it to unlock the front door while Dudley stood next to him blinking in the pre-dawn gloom. His cousin had complained quite a bit about the necessity of getting up at 5am, until Harry had lost his temper and yelled that if Dudley would rather stay at Privet Drive to sleep in and go to Smeltings instead of Hogwarts, he was welcome to it.
Harry sneaked out of the house, Dudley close on his heels. They carried Harry's trunk between them, each holding one of the handles, with Harry holding Hedwig's cage in his left hand. It made sneaking a bit more difficult, but not as difficult as it would have been without the built-in Featherweight Charm. Harry was glad he'd splurged a little when it came to that purchase.
He wanted to set off immediately, but Dudley made him lock the front door first and slide the key back through the letterbox.
"I don't want my house to get burgled," said Dudley when Harry rose an eyebrow at him. "A lot of my stuff is still in there."
They hurried down the driveway and into Wisteria Lane. Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon wouldn't rise for another hour, when their alarm went off, but Harry would feel a lot better once they were safe and sound on the Knight Bus and out of his relatives' reach. He pulled his wand out of his pocket and thrust it into the air, waiting impatiently until the purple triple-decker bus materialised with a loud BANG and a sudden blinding light, startling Dudley so badly that he fell backwards on his large behind. Harry laughed, both in amusement and relief, and helped Dudley up as the bus doors slid open.
"Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard." The teenage girl standing on the steps of the bus entrance was most definitely not Stan Shunpike, as he'd been vaguely expecting, although she looked about his age. Harry realised that at the moment Stan wasn't quite old enough yet to have a job, and of course there would be more than one conductor for the Knights Bus. He thought back to his trip on the bus with Professor McGonagall - their conductor had been a middle-aged wizard with Indian features, he remembered now.
"Please stick out your wand arm, step on board, and we'll take you anywhere you want to go," said the unfamiliar girl proudly. "My name is Emily Fenwick, and I'll be your conductor this morning. Would you need any assistance with your trunk?"
"No thanks," said Harry, lifting up his end of the trunk. He had to kick Dudley, who was still staring at the bus, in the ankles to get him to pick up his end. Emily Fenwick moved out of the way, and they climbed on board with a bit of jostling.
"How much for two tickets to the Leaky Cauldron?" said Harry, setting Hedwig's cage and his end of the trunk down and grabbing his mokeskin pouch, which hung on a loop from his belt.
"One Galleon and five Sickles, or one Galleon thirteen Sickles if you want a cup of tea with biscuits."
"One Galleon, five Sickles," said Harry to his pouch, which spit the requested sum into his hand. He'd discovered that the mokeskin pouch could count, which was a lot easier than counting out the coins himself. He paid Emily, who tucked his trunk behind the driver's seat and one of the squashy armchairs that seemed to be dotted throughout the bus during daytime trips. Harry and Dudley chose an armchair each and settled down, Dudley's eyes roving around trying to take in everything.
"This bus is brilliant!" said his cousin. "But why didn't we get any tea? I'm hungry." He patted his large stomach, and Harry rolled his eyes.
"Trust me, you wouldn't get the chance to enjoy it," he replied, tucking Hedwig's cage tightly between his knees. This proved to be prudent, as the Knight Bus suddenly leapt forward with another BANG, setting the armchairs skidding along the length of the bus.
The Knight Bus only had a few passengers at this early hour. A witch in tartan trousers was snoozing in one of the armchairs, while two rather shady-looking wizards in the back were bent over a copy of The Daily Prophet. Emily the conductor chatted away companionably as the bus trundled along country roads, through busy city streets and silent suburban lanes, occasionally noisily jumping to another location. Harry made up a story about meeting up with relatives in London for some last-minute Hogwarts shopping when asked why two kids were taking the Knight Bus on their own. Emily accepted his lie without comment, and reminisced about her own days at Hogwarts, mentioning that she'd left the school after getting her O.W.L.s.
"Wanted to do something more practical. Not everyone's cut out for the academical life," she said as the Knight Bus came to a screeching halt in front of the muggle entrance of the Leaky Cauldron. "Well, here you boys are. Have a good time at Hogwarts! Say hi to Professor Kettleburn if you see him, he was my favourite teacher. And to the Fat Friar!"
Harry and Dudley clambered down the steps, waving goodbye to Emily and watching the Knight Bus disappear with another BANG and a flash of light. Harry was relieved to find no Ministry officials or Hogwarts professors waiting for them, and led Dudley into the pub, hastily flattening his hair over his scar and hoping he wouldn't be accosted by the clientele. They could really do without attracting a huge amount of attention to themselves.
Tom the landlord recognised him as they walked up to the bar, but gave Harry a huge wink, tapping the side of his nose. "Don't you worry none sir, I ain't forgotten your lady professor's instructions." He winked again, and grinned toothlessly at Dudley, who looked terrified to have attracted the wizened wizard's attention. "One of your little friends, sir?"
"My cousin, actually. And thank you," said Harry, grateful for the landlord's discretion. After a hearty breakfast of eggs, bacon and toast, he booked a room with two beds for the night. Harry made sure his trunk and Hedwig's cage were safely stored away before taking his cousin out into the backyard behind the pub, tapping the third brick from the left above the rubbish bin, and standing back as the archway into Diagon Alley opened in the wall. Dudley gaped as the bricks wriggled and rearranged themselves, and Harry remembered his own amazement at seeing the same thing happen, the realisation that magic was actually, irrevocably real taking shape in his mind.
Dudley walked through the alley rubbernecking in an attempt to see everything at once, stopping at all the display windows to press his nose against the glass and peer inside. Harry prodded Dudley every now and again to keep him moving, but let him explore the Alley freely as long as they kept moving towards Gringotts. He felt rather like an indulgent older brother, despite being the same physical age as his cousin.
They visited the goblin bank to top up Harry's spending money, as he'd promised to buy Dudley's school things, but Harry also made sure to ask for a copy of the details of his accounts and assets. This seemed to be a problematic request, and Harry's account manager, a goblin who had been called in hastily and gruffly introduced himself as Giznak, told him that Gringotts couldn't authorise the disclosure of those documents without several forms signed by Harry's guardian.
"But my uncle and aunt won't ever sign those forms," said Harry, thoroughly annoyed.
Giznak gave him a rather blank look. "The legal guardian we have on file for you is Sirius Black, as appointed by your late parents," said the goblin in his gravelly voice. "As Mr. Black is currently a convicted prisoner serving a term of undetermined length in Azkaban, guardianship has been appointed to one Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, at the latter's request."
Harry thanked Giznak for his time, and left Gringotts stewing with anger. Dumbledore was his legal guardian, and responsible for overseeing all his accounts? The idea of the man having this degree of control over him disturbed Harry thoroughly. He'd need to get Sirius appointed as his guardian as soon as possible. At least he now had a plausible excuse to inquire after his godfather's conviction.
Harry and Dudley spent the morning shopping for Dudley's school supplies, getting him fitted for robes and picking out a school trunk of his very own, before moving on to Ollivander's. Dudley had been eager to get a wand ever since he'd seen Harry summon his Hogwarts letter, and squealed with delight when, after being presented with a dozen or so other ones, Ollivander finally handed him a wand that produced a stream of iridiscent bubbles when Dudley waved it around.
"Oak, dragon heartstring, 10 inches," said Mr. Ollivander as he placed Dudley's new wand in its velvet-lined box. "A little bendy. I hope it will serve you well, Mr. Dursley."
They had lunch in one of the little cafes that dotted the Alley, Harry drawing up a mental list of the private purchases he wanted to make after their meal, Dudley excitedly prattling away about the sights in Diagon Alley and the things they'd bought for him. Harry asked his cousin if he wanted to take a pet to Hogwarts, and Dudley, whose mother had never allowed any animals in the house on account of the shedded hairs and general mess, nodded eagerly.
Harry left Dudley at the Magical Menagerie so he could pick out a pet, made him promise to stay put until Harry came back to pick him up, and set out into the Alley on his own. His first purchase was a wand holder that strapped to his lower arm, which sent his wand zooming into his hand when he flicked his wrist the right way. He bought a pair of proper shoes in a store that sold leather goods, magically molded to fit his feet perfectly, and visited Flourish and Blott's again with a list of books on subjects such as Time Travel and the Dark Arts, and the tome on hexes and curses that Professor McGonagall had stopped him from buying the first time. The bookshop's manager gave him a dubious look when he presented his collection for purchase, and looked like he was about to comment before Harry hurriedly thrust his money towards him and gathered his small library up in his mokeskin pouch.
After visiting a number of other stores for all the things he had thought he'd need or would come in handy, Harry returned to the Magical Menagerie and found Dudley cooing over a fluffy ginger kitten with an oddly squashed face. It squinted up at Harry, swatting at him with its slightly bowlegged paws, and Harry realised why it looked so familiar.
"I want this one!" said Dudley happily, as the kitten started gnawing on his finger. "What do you think I should name him?"
"How about Crookshanks?" said Harry, grinning at the part-kneazle kitten in his cousin's arms.
They had steak and ale pie with chips for their dinner in the Leaky Cauldron, and spent the rest of the evening in their room playing wizard chess with Dudley's new set, while little Crookshanks ran around exploring, occasionally trotting back to Dudley to be rubbed under his chin.
Harry laid awake long after they went to bed, silvery moonlight filtering through the curtains and bathing the room in a blue glow while Dudley's snores made the furniture vibrate gently. Tomorrow, he'd meet his friends, arrive at Hogwarts, and start his plan to save the world. He'd prepared as best he could in the months leading up to this point. Planned out how to make sure he'd be friends with Ron and Hermione again - and Neville and the rest of Dumbledore's Army. Harry grimaced. If he set up that particular group again, he'd be sure to call it something else.
First impressions were incredibly important. Look at how different his first meeting with Draco Malfoy had turned out, and how much more agreeable the boy had been with him. He couldn't risk doing something to upset the fragile, initial friendships he'd created at Hogwarts.
Another first meeting he was glad to do over, namely the one with Snape. Harry had had a lot of time to think over what he'd seen in the dying man's memories during the summer months. It had put his actions over the length of Harry's school career in a completely new perspective. He'd been a constant reminder of Snape's hopeless love for Lily, a reminder that James Potter, and not Severus Snape, had wedded his mother and had a child with her. No wonder the man had been prejudiced and vicious towards him - how would he have reacted to being constantly confronted with Ginny's child if she'd married Draco Malfoy? He hoped he wouldn't have been as horrid, but the truth was that Harry really couldn't tell himself with certainty that he would have acted that much differently.
Besides, as far as Harry could see Snape was the most independent professor at Hogwarts. He had turned his back on Voldemort for Lily's sake, not because he was especially loyal to Dumbledore. If Harry could get Snape to overcome his animosity towards him, could make him think of Harry as Lily's son rather than James' brat...if he could make the man his ally rather than Dumbledore's...
Harry drifted off into an uneasy sleep, plagued with dreams about being rejected by his friends and poisoned by Snape, while Dumbledore looked on with twinkling eyes.