I own nothing all words in bold are property of J.K. Rowling
"If you want to Gin" Harry replied handing over the book.
"DIAGON ALLEY"She read and smiled "One of my favourite places."
Harry woke early the next morning. Although he could tell it was daylight, he kept his eyes shut tight.
"I never like mornings either." James said.
"I don't mind mornings." Harry replied laughing a little.
"Why keep your eyes closed then?" asked James.
"If you let me read you will see." Ginny answered.
"It was a dream, he told himself firmly. "I dreamed a giant called Hagrid came to tell me I was going to a school for wizards. When I open my eyes I'll be at home in my cupboard."
"Your imagination isn't that good mate" Ron said.
"Well it did seem pretty unbelievable" Harry replied. "After everything that had happened in my life I found it hard to believe it all."
There was suddenly a loud tapping noise.
And there's Aunt Petunia knocking on the door, Harry thought, his heart sinking. But he still didn't open his eyes. It had been such a good dream.
"You do have some weird dreams though." Ginny said, thinking of the dream Harry had about her dad before.
"Yeah but this one wasn't a dream." Harry replied, smiling at her.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
"All right," Harry mumbled, "I'm getting up."
He sat up and Hagrid's heavy coat fell off him. The hut was full of sunlight, the storm was over, Hagrid himself was asleep on the collapsed sofa, and there was an owl rapping its claw on the window, a newspaper held in its beak.
"So the sofa finally gave in did it?" Sirius asked smirking.
"Yeah it must have given up sometime in the night" Harry answered.
"Didn't you find it weird that there was an owl with a newspaper at the window?" Lily asked.
"Not really" Harry said. "Then again I was so happy that it wasn't a dream I wasn't really paying much attention."
Harry scrambled to his feet, so happy he felt as though a large balloon was swelling inside him. He went straight to the window and jerked it open. The owl swooped in and dropped the newspaper on top of Hagrid, who didn't wake up. The owl then fluttered onto the floor and began to attack Hagrid's coat.
"Don't do that."
Harry tried to wave the owl out of the way, but it snapped its beak fiercely at him and carried on savaging the coat.
"Don't you, like, pay for papers or something?" Ron asked.
"Of course we pay for papers." Said Hermione "We just don't pay by owl, we buy them in a shop."
"Hagrid!" said Harry loudly. "There's an owl—"
"Pay him," Hagrid grunted into the sofa.
"What?"
"He wants payin' fer deliverin' the paper. Look in the pockets."
"Well that's a challenge and a half." James chuckled. "Hagrid's coat is made of nothing but pockets."
"Yeah that's true." Sirius said. "And you never know what you will find in there. Isn't that right Remus?"
"Don't start Padfoot." Remus muttered.
"What's that about?" asked Ron.
"Hagrid asked Remus to go get him some unicorn hair out of his pocket one day" said Sirius laughing. "But Remus went in the wrong pocket and it was full of…" Sirius broke off laughing so hard he couldn't speak.
"Full of what?" asked Molly.
"Rotten flobberworms." Said Remus wincing and turning green at the memory.
"Oh." Said Molly also looking fairly green. "Sorry I asked."
Hagrid's coat seemed to be made of nothing but pockets—bunches of keys, slug pellets, balls of string, peppermint humbugs, teabags… finally, Harry pulled out a handful of strange looking coins.
"Give him five Knuts," said Hagrid sleepily.
"Knuts?"
"The little bronze ones."
Harry counted out five little bronze coins, and the owl held out his leg so Harry could put the money into a small leather pouch tied to it. Then he flew off through the open window.
"You still didn't question the owl post?" Hermione asked.
"Nope" said Harry grinning sheepishly. "I was still too happy."
Hagrid yawned loudly, sat up, and stretched.
"Best be off, Harry, lots ter do today, gotta get up ter London an' buy all yer stuff fer school."
Harry was turning over the wizard coins and looking at them. He had just thought of something that made him feel as though the happy balloon inside him had got a puncture.
"The school will give you a certain amount of money to help you buy your things Harry." Dumbledore said softly.
"Not that you will need it." James said. "We would have left you money, Harry."
"I didn't know that at the time though." Harry replied looking down.
"Um—Hagrid?"
"Mm?" said Hagrid, who was pulling on his huge boots.
"I haven't got any money—and you heard Uncle Vernon last night… he won't pay for me to go and learn magic."
"We would never let a thing as small as funding stop a child from learning magic." Said Dumbledore. "Untrained magic can be disastrous."
"Don't worry about that," said Hagrid, standing up and scratching his head. "D'yeh think yer parents didn't leave yeh anything?"
"But if their house was destroyed—"
"Wizards don't keep money in the house Harry." Said James, chuckling. "Well apart from a small amount for if we need something."
"So do Muggles keep all their money in the house then?" asked Arthur.
"No we keep it in banks, too." Hermione said.
"They didn' keep their gold in the house, boy! Nah, first stop fer us is Gringotts. Wizards' bank. Have a sausage, they're not bad cold—an' I wouldn' say no teh a bit o' yer birthday cake, neither."
"Please tell me you didn't eat it." Begged Sirius.
"No we didn't." Harry answered.
"So what did you do with it?" asked Lily. "I hope you didn't hurt Hagrid's feelings by throwing it away."
Harry looked momentarily stunned. "I don't know what we did with it." He said. "I think we must have left it in the hut."
"That was probably the best thing to do." James muttered.
"Wizards have banks?"
"Just the one. Gringotts. Run by goblins."
Harry dropped the bit of sausage he was holding.
"One of the only edible things that Hagrid has ever cooked and you drop it." Sighed Ron.
"Well I was a little shocked finding out that goblins existed." Harry replied. "I thought they was just stories remember."
"Yeah my parents and I nearly fainted when we walked into Gringotts the first time and saw the goblins." Hermione said.
"Goblins aren't nice creatures to see the first time even for those who know they exist." James said.
"Goblins?"
"Yeah—so yeh'd be mad ter try an' rob it, I'll tell yeh that. Never mess with goblins, Harry.
"Yeah Harry," Ginny giggled. "Never mess with Goblins. You may want to remember that."
"Shhh Gin!" Harry mumbled going red.
"What are you on about?" asked Lily looking suspicious.
"Nothing mum" Harry said.
"Harry James Potter you better not of annoyed the Goblins." Lily said sternly. "They won't let you into Gringotts if you do."
"Mum honest, its fine nothing happened" Harry said nudging Ron, who was shaking with silent laughter beside him.
"That goes for you too Ronald Weasley" said Molly, who was watching her son." If either of you mess with the Goblins you will both be in huge trouble."
Ron gulped thinking of what his mother will say when she finds out he did indeed mess with goblins.
Gringotts is the safest place in the world fer anything yeh want ter keep safe—'cept maybe Hogwarts. As a matter o' fact, I gotta visit Gringotts anyway. Fer Dumbledore. Hogwarts business." Hagrid drew himself up proudly. "He usually gets me ter do important stuff fer him. Fetchin' you gettin' things from Gringotts—knows he can trust me, see.
"Got everythin'? Come on, then."
Harry followed Hagrid out onto the rock. The sky was quite clear now and the sea gleamed in the sunlight. The boat Uncle Vernon had hired was still there, with a lot of water in the bottom after the storm.
"How did you get here?" Harry asked, looking around for another boat.
"Magic!" said Ginny wiggling her fingers and giggling.
"It's a fair point though" Remus said looking thoughtful. "How does Hagrid travel? I mean he's too big for Thestrals and for broomsticks."
"Hagrid has his own means of transport." Said Dumbledore, mysteriously.
"Flew," said Hagrid.
"Flew?" Sirius asked.
"That's what it says." Ginny replied trying not to laugh.
"Ginny it's very rude to laugh about people." Molly said.
"Sorry mum." Ginny said.
"Flew?"
"Yeah—but we'll go back in this. Not s'pposed ter use magic now I've got yeh."
They settled down in the boat, Harry still staring at Hagrid, trying to imagine him flying.
"I think we're all doing that." Arthur said looking around at the bemused faces.
"I can't imagine Hagrid flying." Lily said.
"Me either" said Hermione. "However I doubt he would do it superman style."
"What?" coursed everyone, except Harry, Lily and Dumbledore.
"Don't worry." Harry said grinning. "I'll explain later."
"Seems a shame ter row, though," said Hagrid, giving Harry another of his sideways looks. "If I was ter—er—speed things up a bit, would yeh mind not mentionin' it at Hogwarts?"
"Of course not," said Harry, eager to see more magic. Hagrid pulled out the pink umbrella again, tapped it twice on the side of the boat, and they sped off toward land.
"How did your aunt and uncle get back if you and Hagrid took the boat?" Dumbledore asked.
"Err…" said Harry looking a bit sheepish. "He sent it back I think."
"You think?" asked Arthur looking shocked.
"It was a long time ago!" said Harry defensively. "And I had a lot on my mind. Besides they never mentioned they were stuck on a rock and they got back so I'm presuming the boat got back to them."
"Why would you be mad to try and rob Gringotts?" Harry asked.
"Spells—enchantments," said Hagrid, unfolding his newspaper as he spoke. "They say there's dragons guardin' the highsecurity vaults. And then yeh gotta find yer way—Gringotts is hundreds of miles under London, see. Deep under the Underground. Yeh'd die of hunger tryin' ter get out, even if yeh did manage ter get yer hands on summat."
Harry, Ron and Hermione looked at each other and grinned.
"Can you imagine if someone tried breaking into Gringotts?" Molly asked looking worriedly at Arthur.
"Nobody would be that silly dear." Arthur said.
"Besides if somebody did they wouldn't get away with it." Sirius said confidently. "They wouldn't get out of Gringotts."
"Only a powerful dark witch or wizard would be able to do that." James said. "And I don't think Voldemort is into robbing banks yet."
Ron was doubled over snorting where he was trying not to laugh.
"I think I'll keep reading now." Ginny said shooting annoyed glances at Ron. She knew her mum would go mental when she found out what they had done.
Harry sat and thought about this while Hagrid read his newspaper, the Daily Prophet. Harry had learned from Uncle Vernon that people liked to be left alone while they did this, but it was very difficult, he'd never had so many questions in his life.
"Ministry o' Magic messin' things up as usual," Hagrid muttered, turning the page.
"No change there." Muttered Sirius, whilst Remus nodded.
"There's a Ministry of Magic?" Harry asked, before he could stop himself.
"Muggles and wizards are not as different as people think." Dumbledore said calmly. "We have laws, prisons, schools and a ministry just like Muggles."
"I know that sir." Harry said. "It was just strange for me at first. I was literally stepping into a whole new world."
"'Course," said Hagrid. "They wanted Dumbledore fer Minister, o' course, but he'd never leave Hogwarts, so old Cornelius Fudge got the job. Bungler if ever there was one. So he pelts Dumbledore with owls every morning, askin' fer advice."
"How comes you didn't want to be minister professor?" Remus asked.
"As Hagrid rightly said Mr. Lupin I hope to never leave Hogwarts. I enjoy my job too much." Dumbledore said smiling.
"But what does a Ministry of Magic do?"
"Well, their main job is to keep it from the Muggles that there's still witches an' wizards up an' down the country."
"Why?"
"You seriously asked why?" Hermione asked.
"Yeah." Harry answered. "It seemed a logical question."
"Why? Blimey, Harry, everyone'd be wantin' magic solutions to their problems. Nah, we're best left alone."
At this moment the boat bumped gently into the harbor wall. Hagrid folded up his newspaper, and they clambered up the stone steps onto the street.
"I still can't believe you may have left your aunt and uncle on a rock in the middle of the ocean." Arthur said.
"I think Hagrid sent the boat back." Harry said. "The more I think of it the more I'm sure he did."
"Well if this future does come to pass I shall have a word with Hagrid about it" Dumbledore said firmly.
Passers-by stared a lot at Hagrid as they walked through the little town to the station. Harry couldn't blame them. Not only was Hagrid twice as tall as anyone else, he kept pointing at perfectly ordinary things like parking meters and saying loudly, "See that, Harry? Things these Muggles dream up, eh?"
"Well Muggles do come up with some strange things" Sirius said.
"Hagrid," said Harry, panting a bit as he ran to keep up, "did you say there are dragons at Gringotts?"
"Well, so they say," said Hagrid. "Crikey, I'd like a dragon."
"You'd like one?"
"Wanted one ever since I was a kid—here we go."
"Only Hagrid would want a pet dragon." Sighed Lily smiling.
"Well…" Ginny said, thinking of her brother Charlie. "Maybe not just Hagrid."
"Who else do you know who want a dragon?" asked Molly wondering what kind of people her future daughter hangs out with.
"Oh nobody." Ginny replied. "It will come out some point soon anyways."
They had reached the station. There was a train to London in five minutes' time. Hagrid, who didn't understand "Muggle money," as he called it, gave the bills to Harry so he could buy their tickets.
"You know I think it should be compulsory that everyone has to learn basic Muggle Studies at school." Hermione said thoughtfully. "You know just in case they do have to be around Muggles they know how to dress and use money."
"I think that's a very good idea Miss Granger." Dumbledore smiled. "I might have to suggest it to the board of governors and see if we can start it at Hogwarts right away."
People stared more than ever on the train. Hagrid took up two seats and sat knitting what looked like a canary yellow circus tent.
"So his knitting hasn't got any better then?" James chuckled.
"Not really." Harry replied. "However it's possible to tell the socks from the gloves now."
"Still got yer letter, Harry?" he asked as he counted stitches. Harry took the parchment envelope out of his pocket.
"Good," said Hagrid. "There's a list there of everything yeh need."
Harry unfolded a second piece of paper he hadn't noticed the night before, and read:
"You are so unobservant." Hermione muttered whilst Harry grinned sheepishly.
HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY
UNIFORM
First year students will require:
1. Three sets of plain work robes (black)
2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear
3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)
4. One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)
Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags
COURSE BOOKS
All students should have a copy of each of the following:
The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk
A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot
Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling
A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration by Emetic Switch
One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore
Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander
The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble
OTHER EQUIPMENT
1 wand
1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2) set
1 set of glass or crystal phials
1 telescope set
1 brass scales
Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad
PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS
"That list never changes does it?" Remus asked. "I'm sure it said the same thing in my first letter."
"Well that shall be useful." Molly sighed. "At least I won't have to remember too many lists for the first year or two."
"The lists have been that way for as long as I recall." Dumbledore said. "Only the Defence Against the Dark Arts book is different."
"I don't think the book has ever been the same for two years going and neither has the teacher." Arthur said thoughtfully.
"Some say the job is jinxed, don't they?" Sirius said looking around.
"Yeah I heard that too." Lily said. "But I don't really believe it I mean why would anyone jinx a job."
"No idea." Grinned Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny.
"Can we buy all this in London?" Harry wondered aloud.
"If yeh know where to go," said Hagrid.
Harry had never been to London before. Although Hagrid seemed to know where he was going, he was obviously not used to getting there in an ordinary way. He got stuck in the ticket barrier on the Underground, and complained loudly that the seats were too small and the trains too slow.
"I don't know how the Muggles manage without magic," he said as they climbed a broken down escalator that led up to a bustling road lined with shops.
"It is a fascinating thing how Muggles manage without magic." Arthur said. "Like how they use a fellytone instead of owls."
"You mean a telephone Arthur." Lily corrected him.
"Yes that. And Muggle medicine is just amazing." He continued.
"Well you best stay away from Muggle medicine if you know what's good for you." Molly said sternly.
"Well the way I see it is that Muggles have never had magic in their lives and therefore cannot miss what they never had." Hermione said earning an approving smile from Remus and Dumbledore and confused looks from everyone else.
Hagrid was so huge that he parted the crowd easily; all Harry had to do was keep close behind him. They passed book shops and music stores, hamburger bars and cinemas, but nowhere that looked as if it could sell you a magic wand. This was just an ordinary street full of ordinary people. Could there really be piles of wizard gold buried miles beneath them? Were there really shops that sold spell books and broomsticks? Might this not all be some huge joke that the Dursleys had cooked up?
"They don't sound like they have enough brain cells between them to cook up something like that." Sirius snorted.
If Harry hadn't known that the Dursleys had no sense of humour, he might have thought so; yet somehow, even though everything Hagrid had told him so far was unbelievable, Harry couldn't help trusting him.
"Hagrid is like that though." Lily smiled. "There's just something about him that makes you like and trust him."
"This is it," said Hagrid, coming to a halt, "the Leaky Cauldron. It's a famous place."
It was a tiny, grubby looking pub. If Hagrid hadn't pointed it out, Harry wouldn't have noticed it was there. The people hurrying by didn't glance at it. Their eyes slid from the big book shop on one side to the record shop on the other as if they couldn't see the Leaky Cauldron at all. In fact, Harry had the most peculiar feeling that only he and Hagrid could see it. Before he could mention this, Hagrid had steered him inside.
"You do know that Muggles can't see magical places right?" James asked.
"I do now." Harry answered going red. "But at the time I didn't. Hagrid never told me that."
For a famous place, it was very dark and shabby. A few old women were sitting in a corner, drinking tiny glasses of sherry. One of them was smoking a long pipe. A little man in a top hat was talking to the old bartender, who was quite bald and looked like a toothless walnut. The low buzz of chatter stopped when they walked in. Everyone seemed to know Hagrid; they waved and smiled at him, and the bartender reached for a glass, saying, "The usual, Hagrid?"
"Can't, Tom, I'm on Hogwarts business," said Hagrid, clapping his great hand on Harry's shoulder and making Harry's knees buckle.
"He does that to everyone." Muttered Ron. "You think at some point he will remember that we aint as strong as he is."
"Well that's Hagrid for you." Sirius replied.
"Good Lord," said the bartender, peering at Harry, "is this—can this be- ?"
The Leaky Cauldron had suddenly gone completely still and silent.
Harry sighed.
"What's up?" Ginny asked him stopping.
"This is the first time I find out just how famous I am." Harry said. "It feels rather weird thinking back on it now."
"What do you mean?" Lily asked him.
"Well I'm used to it now." He said. "You know all the weird looks and the people treating me different. However, back then it was so strange. Famous for something I knew nothing about."
"It must have been difficult." Lily said. "But at least its better now right?"
"Yeah" Harry agreed. "It's better now I know why."
"Bless my soul," whispered the old bartender, "Harry Potter… what an honour."
He hurried out from behind the bar, rushed toward Harry and seized his hand, tears in his eyes.
There was a stunned silence in the living room for a moment.
"Wow…" James whispered.
"You really were famous." Sirius said stunned.
"It gets worse." Muttered Harry going red.
"Welcome back, Mr. Potter, welcome back."
Harry didn't know what to say. Everyone was looking at him. The old woman with the pipe was puffing on it without realizing it had gone out. Hagrid was beaming.
Then there was a great scraping of chairs and the next moment, Harry found himself shaking hands with everyone in the Leaky Cauldron.
"Simply incredible." Dumbledore said.
"He's just a boy though." Molly said. "He shouldn't be dealing with stuff like that at his age."
"Mum it's fine, honest." Harry said smiling slightly. "Let's just get through this as quick as possible." He added looking at Ginny.
"Doris Crockford, Mr. Potter, can't believe I'm meeting you at last."
"So proud, Mr. Potter, I'm just so proud."
"Always wanted to shake your hand—I'm all of a flutter."
"Delighted, Mr. Potter, just can't tell you, Diggle's the name, Dedalus Diggle."
"I've seen you before!" said Harry, as Dedalus Diggle's top hat fell off in his excitement. "You bowed to me once in a shop."
"He remembers!" cried Dedalus Diggle, looking around at everyone. "Did you hear that? He remembers me!" Harry shook hands again and again—Doris Crockford kept coming back for more.
A pale young man made his way forward, very nervously. One of his eyes was twitching.
"And now the trouble begins." Muttered Harry to Ron and Hermione.
"It's strange to think everyone in our world knows our son's name." Lily said looking at James.
"It is a bit." James agreed.
"But everyone knows your names too." Hermione said. "Didn't you know?"
Lily and James looked shocked.
"You're not only Harrys parents but you're the people who defied Voldemort again and again, refused to join the dark side, and then tried to fight him off when he attacked you even though you had no defence and little hope of beating him." Hermione told them. "You are legends in our time. In Godric's Hollow there's a statue in your honour and you're in the history books about Voldemort's fall."
"Oh my" Lily gasped looking at James.
"Bit too much information there Hermione." Harry muttered leaning close to her. "I don't think we should tell them so much at once."
"Right." Hermione whispered back. "Sorry about that."
"Err are you alright?" Harry asked.
"Yeah we'll be fine." James answered. "Why don't you keep reading?"
"Professor Quirrell!" said Hagrid. "Harry, Professor Quirrell will be one of your teachers at Hogwarts."
"Git." Ron said
"Ronald!" exclaimed Molly. "I won't tolerate that kind of language off of you."
"Sorry mum." Ron said. "But he does deserve it."
"P-P-Potter," stammered Professor Quirrell, grasping Harry's hand, "c-can't t-tell you how p-pleased I am to meet you."
"Are you alright Ginny?" Molly asked concerned.
"I'm fine mum why?" Ginny asked.
"You're stuttering." Molly replied. "I can put the fire on if you're cold."
"No mum" laughed Ginny. "It's how its written in the book."
"Yeah professor Quirrell stuttered loads." Ron chipped in.
"What sort of magic do you teach, Professor Quirrell?"
"D-Defense Against the D-D-Dark Arts," muttered Professor Quirrell, as though he'd rather not think about it. "N-not that you n-need it, eh, P-P-Potter?" He laughed nervously. "You'll be g-getting all your equipment, I suppose? I've g-got to p-pick up a new b-book on vampires, m-myself." He looked terrified at the very thought.
"If only we had had a teacher like that when we was at Hogwarts." Sirius mused. "We could have pulled some of the best pranks ever."
"Yeah it would have been great." James agreed.
"How can you have a teacher who is scared of his own subject?" Molly asked concerned. "Surely the children won't learn much from a teacher like that."
"To be honest mum we only had two good teachers in our time at Hogwarts." Harry said, "And one of them was an imposter."
"My word." Molly gasped. "If you didn't have a proper teacher how did you pass your exams…"
"We had a teacher." Said Hermione slowly. "Just not a school teacher."
"I don't understand." Lily said frowning. "How can you have a teacher when you said you didn't have a proper teacher?"
"I believe what Miss Granger is saying is that in the absence of a real teacher students must teach themselves." Dumbledore supplied. "Am I correct?"
"Yes Professor, that's what I meant." Hermione sighed in relief.
But the others wouldn't let Professor Quirrell keep Harry to himself. It took almost ten minutes to get away from them all. At last, Hagrid managed to make himself heard over the babble.
"Must get on—lots ter buy. Come on, Harry."
Doris Crockford shook Harry's hand one last time, and Hagrid led them through the bar and out into a small, walled courtyard, where there was nothing but a trash can and a few weeds.
"I still think the entrance to Diagon Alley should be a bit more glamorous." Ginny said. "I mean I know we have to be discreet in case Muggles come across it but Muggles can't get into the three broomsticks so why not have the alley look a bit nicer?"
"It's a fair point." Remus admitted. "I don't know why the alley doesn't look nicer."
"Maybe it's a point to be brought with Ministry then." Dumbledore said lightly. "Making the alley entrance look nicer."
Hagrid grinned at Harry.
"Told yeh, didn't I? Told yeh you was famous. Even Professor Quirrell was tremblin' ter meet yeh—mind you, he's usually tremblin'."
"Whys he like that then?" asked Sirius, "What happened to the poor bloke?"
"If you didn't interrupt and let me read you'll find out in the next few sentences." Ginny replied.
"Oh." Sirius muttered going red. "Sorry."
"Is he always that nervous?"
"Oh, yeah. Poor bloke. Brilliant mind. He was fine while he was studyin' outta books but then he took a year off ter get some firsthand experience… They say he met vampires in the Black Forest, and there was a nasty bit o' trouble with a hag—never been the same since. Scared of the students, scared of his own subject now, where's me umbrella?"
"I have always wondered why Hagrid was so fond of that umbrella." Arthur mused. "However am starting to wonder if there is more to it than meets the eye."
"Poor Professor Quirrell though." Lily said. "No wonder he is so nervous about everything."
"I don't think he is nervous about everything." Harry said. "Just that some things are scarier to some people then they are to others."
"What does that mean?" Sirius asked confused.
"Just that some experiences affect people in different ways." Hermione said.
Vampires? Hags? Harry's head was swimming. Hagrid, meanwhile, was counting bricks in the wall above the dustbin.
James burst out laughing. Everyone turned towards him and gave him a strange look.
"Are you alright, love?" Lily asked concerned.
"I'm fine." James chocked out. "It's just Harry there like so confused about everything and Hagrid is just randomly counting bricks…" And with that, he started laughing again.
"But you have to tap the right brick to be able to get into Diagon Alley." Sirius said confused. "You know three up and two across?"
"Yeah I know that." James said. "But Harry didn't. He probably thinks Hagrid is crazy standing there counting bricks."
Everyone started laughing then finally understanding what James was talking about.
"He has a point actually." Harry said finally. "It was rather weird seeing Hagrid just standing there counting bricks."
"Three up… two across," he muttered. "Right, stand back, Harry."
He tapped the wall three times with the point of his umbrella.
The brick he had touched quivered—it wriggled—in the middle, a small hole appeared—it grew wider and wider—a second later they were facing an archway large enough even for Hagrid, an archway onto a cobbled street that twisted and turned out of sight.
"Welcome," said Hagrid, "to Diagon Alley."
"I hope the Alley hasn't changed too much over the years." Lily said. "I love Diagon Alley and would hate to see anything happen to it."
Harry and Ginny shared a glance. They wondered what would happen when everyone found out what Voldemort had done to the Alley.
"Diagon Alley is one of the most magical places in London." Remus said. "Nothing bad could happen to the Alley, that's like saying bad things could happen at Hogwarts."
Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny shared a look.
"Remus is right." Arthur said. "If You-Know-Who was powerful enough to take the Alley he would have done it by now. The Alley will be the same as ever I'm sure."
He grinned at Harry's amazement. They stepped through the archway. Harry looked quickly over his shoulder and saw the archway shrink instantly back into solid wall.
The sun shone brightly on a stack of cauldrons outside the nearest shop. Cauldrons—All Sizes—Copper, Brass, Pewter, Silver—Self Stirring—Collapsible, said a sign hanging over them.
"I hate going to that shop." Ron muttered. "Every time I do it reminds me of that summer with Percy."
"What's wrong with Percy?" Molly asked worried.
"Nothing mum." Ron said. "He can just be a real annoying git at times."
"That's no way to speak about your brother Ron." Arthur scolded.
"Dad when you find out what happened you'll agree." Ginny said. "Nothing bad! It's just for a while he was terrible."
"Yeah, you'll be needin' one," said Hagrid, "but we gotta get yer money first."
Harry wished he had about eight more eyes.
Ron shivered at the thought.
"You alright Ron?" Lily asked
"Yeah I'm fine." He said weakly. "Harry mate never wish to have spider qualities again."
"Alright Ron I won't." Harry promised laughing.
"You don't like spiders Ron?" Molly asked. "You were giggling at one in the garden last week."
"Yeah well, when I was three, or is it when I turn three? Fred turned my teddy bear into a great big filthy spider because I broke his toy broomstick ..." Ron muttered going red. "One minute I was holding my bear and the suddenly it had too many legs and..." He broke off shivering.
"Oh my poor dear." Molly simpered. "I'll make sure it doesn't happen this time."
"Thanks mum." Ron sighed.
He turned his head in every direction as they walked up the street, trying to look at everything at once: the shops, the things outside them, the people doing their shopping. A plump woman outside an Apothecary was shaking her head as they passed, saying, "Dragon liver, sixteen Sickles an ounce, they're mad…"
"My word that's gone up a fair bit." Remus said shocked.
A low, soft hooting came from a dark shop with a sign saying Eeylops Owl Emporium—Tawny, Screech, Barn, Brown, and Snowy. Several boys of about Harry's age had their noses pressed against a window with broomsticks in it. "Look," Harry heard one of them say, "the new Nimbus Two Thousand—fastest ever—"
"Awesome!" James and Sirius exclaimed together.
"Yeah it did look nice." Harry agreed.
"Please tell me you play Quidditch!" James begged.
"Well you know I'm not really that good at it." Harry shrugged.
James buried his head in his hands. Harry looked over at Ron, Hermione and Ginny and winked.
There were shops selling robes, shops selling telescopes and strange silver instruments Harry had never seen before, windows stacked with barrels of bat spleens and eels' eyes, tottering piles of spell books, quills, and rolls of parchment, potion bottles, globes of the moon…
Lupin gulped. The full moon had not long gone and he always took a while to recover.
"Gringotts," said Hagrid.
They had reached a snowy white building that towered over the other little shops. Standing beside its burnished bronze doors, wearing a uniform of scarlet and gold, was—
"Yeah, that's a goblin," said Hagrid quietly as they walked up the white stone steps toward him. The goblin was about a head shorter than Harry. He had a swarthy, clever face, a pointed beard and, Harry noticed, very long fingers and feet.
"You know goblins look surprisingly like Muggles picture them." Hermione said.
"Really?" Arthur asked.
"Yeah." Lily said. "It's strange considering how different other things look."
"What do you mean?" Ron asked.
"Well elves are pictured as tall beautiful people who have incredible speed and strength." Hermione said. "And witches are all ugly with warts and ride a broom with a black cat."
"That's ridiculous." Sirius laughed.
"That's what Muggle children are brought up to believe."
He bowed as they walked inside. Now they were facing a second pair of doors, silver this time, with words engraved upon 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.
"I always find that poem beautiful and also slightly scary." Ginny said.
"I agree." Molly said smiling.
"Like I said, Yeh'd be mad ter try an' rob it," said Hagrid.
"He keeps mentioning that." James said. "You don't think…"
"Don't be ridiculous James." Lily sighed. "Nobody would ever be foolish or desperate enough to rob Gringotts."
A pair of goblins bowed them through the silver doors and they were in a vast marble hall. About a hundred more goblins were sitting on high stools behind a long counter, scribbling in large ledgers, weighing coins in brass scales, examining precious stones through eyeglasses. There were too many doors to count leading off the hall, and yet more goblins were showing people in and out of these. Hagrid and Harry made for the counter.
"How is Harry going to get his money?" Remus asked suddenly.
"What do you mean?" James asked. "He just takes his key up to the counter…"
"That's what I mean." Remus interrupted. "The key would have been in your house… that night." He couldn't bring himself to say when they died. "So it would have either been lost or given to your sister for safe keeping. And I'm sure she wouldn't have let Harry have it."
"I'm sure I will have had the foresight to keep Harrys key safe for him until he was old enough to have it." Dumbledore assured them.
"Too bad you didn't have foresight about Harry would be treated." James muttered quietly under his breath so nobody heard it.
"Morning," said Hagrid to a free goblin. "We've come ter take some money outta Mr. Harry Potter's safe."
"You have his key, sir?"
"Got it here somewhere," said Hagrid, and he started emptying his pockets onto the counter, scattering a handful of moldy dog biscuits over the goblin's book of numbers.
"Eww" Hermione and Ginny complained.
"Why would you even keep them in your pockets?" Lily asked looking green.
"Who knows with Hagrid?" Remus said shuddering.
The goblin wrinkled his nose. Harry watched the goblin on their right weighing a pile of rubies as big as glowing coals.
"Got it," said Hagrid at last, holding up a tiny golden key.
The goblin looked at it closely.
"That seems to be in order."
"He was most likely hoping it was damaged so they could refuse you." James said bitterly.
"Why would they do that?" Hermione asked shocked. "It's Harrys money."
"Yes but Goblins are like that. They look after your gold but while they look after it they see it as being there." Sirius explained. "Goblins think wizards owe them for all their 'stolen' treasure."
"An' I've also got a letter here from Professor Dumbledore," said Hagrid importantly, throwing out his chest. "It's about the You-Know-What in vault seven hundred and thirteen."
"Well that's one way to get a young boys interest." Molly sighed.
"Yes well I'm sure even young curious children know when they shouldn't ask too many questions." Dumbledore said glancing meaningfully at Harry.
The goblin read the letter carefully.
"Very well," he said, handing it back to Hagrid, "I will have someone take you down to both vaults. Griphook!"
Griphook was yet another goblin.
"Did you expect anything different?" Arthur asked.
Once Hagrid had crammed all the dog biscuits back inside his pockets, he and Harry followed Griphook toward one of the doors leading off the hall.
"What's the You-Know-What in vault seven hundred and thirteen?" Harry asked.
James and Sirius leaned forward eagerly hoping to hear what is was.
"Can't tell yeh that," said Hagrid mysteriously. "Very secret. Hogwarts business. Dumbledore's trusted me. More 'n my job's worth ter tell yeh that."
James and Sirius leaned back looking disappointed.
"Oh now he's gonna be wondering what it is." Molly huffed. "Did you find out?"
"Well…" Harry started looking at the others.
"No! Don't tell me." Molly said. "I don't want to know."
Griphook held the door open for them. Harry, who had expected more marble, was surprised. They were in a narrow stone passageway lit with flaming torches. It sloped steeply downward and there were little railway tracks on the floor. Griphook whistled and a small cart came hurtling up the tracks toward them. They climbed in—Hagrid with some difficulty—and were off.
"You think they would make them carts bigger." Remus said.
At first they just hurtled through a maze of twisting passages. Harry tried to remember, left, right, right, left, middle fork, right, left, but it was impossible.
"He's good." James said. "I normally get to the second left and then forget."
The rattling cart seemed to know its own way, because Griphook wasn't steering.
Harry's eyes stung as the cold air rushed past them, but he kept them wide open. Once, he thought he saw a burst of fire at the end of a passage and twisted around to see if it was a dragon, but too late
"They don't really have a dragon in Gringotts do they?" Lily asked concerned.
"No I don't think so." Dumbledore said. "There are laws about keeping dragons and the conditions they have to be kept in."
"Well that's good." Arthur said. "I would hate to think of the poor animal kept underground all its life."
—they plunged even deeper, passing an underground lake where huge stalactites and stalagmites grew from the ceiling and floor.
"I never know," Harry called to Hagrid over the noise of the cart, "what's the difference between a stalagmite and a stalactite?"
"Stalagmite's got an 'm' in it," said Hagrid. "An' don' ask me questions just now, I think I'm gonna be sick."
Everyone laughed.
"You know I never did learn the difference between a stalagmite and a stalactite." Harry said.
"Stalagmites grow on the floor and point to the roof and stalactites grow on the roof and point to the floor." Hermione said at once.
"Ah right." Harry said. "Thanks Hermione."
He did look very green, and when the cart stopped at last beside a small door in the passage wall, Hagrid got out and had to lean against the wall to stop his knees from trembling.
Griphook unlocked the door. A lot of green smoke came billowing out, and as it cleared, Harry gasped.
Ginny stopped reading and put the book down.
"What are you doing?" Sirius half yelled. "You can stop there. What was he gasping at?"
"Sorry." Ginny said. "But I kinda need a drink. My throat is dry."
Ginny went to the kitchen and poured herself a drink of water, gulping it down quickly. She returned to the living room and sat down.
"Where was I?" She mumbled.
"The door and smoke and gasping." Sirius said quickly.
"Oh yeah." Ginny smiled.
Griphook unlocked the door. A lot of green smoke came billowing out, and as it cleared, Harry gasped. Inside were mounds of gold coins. Columns of silver. Heaps of little bronze Knuts.
"That's it?" Sirius asked looking disappointed. "I thought it would be something awesome."
"All yours," smiled Hagrid.
All Harry's—it was incredible. The Dursleys couldn't have known about this or they'd have had it from him faster than blinking. How often had they complained how much Harry cost them to keep? And all the time there had been a small fortune belonging to him, buried deep under London.
"You haven't seen the second vault yet." James laughed. "The one with the old creepy pictures and that. I expect you have it now you are of age."
"Err actually I haven't been Gringotts properly yet. What with the war just over and that." Harry said. What he did not say was that he had just finished a furious debate with the goblins of Gringotts about if they would let him back in to access his vault after what had happened. Thankfully, due to the circumstances, he had won the case and was able to go to his vault but he always had to be careful and decided not to go to his other vault just yet.
Hagrid helped Harry pile some of it into a bag.
"The gold ones are Galleons," he explained. "Seventeen silver Sickles to a Galleon and twenty nine Knuts to a Sickle, it's easy enough. Right, that should be enough fer a couple o' terms, we'll keep the rest safe for yeh." He turned to Griphook. "Vault seven hundred and thirteen now, please, and can we go more slowly?"
"One speed only," said Griphook.
"Wow that Goblin must really dislike Hagrid." Lily said. "The carts are able to go slower. They normally slow them down if your pregnant, have young children or are elderly."
"Well Hagrid did dump moldy dog biscuits on their calculations." Remus said.
They were going even deeper now and gathering speed. The air became colder and colder as they hurtled round tight corners. They went rattling over an underground ravine, and Harry leaned over the side to try to see what was down at the dark bottom,
"Why do that?" Lily cried. "What if you had fallen?"
"Mum its fine really?" Harry sighed. It's probably one of the safer things I've done in life, he thought.
but Hagrid groaned and pulled him back by the scruff of his neck.
"At least Hagrid has some sense." James muttered glaring at his son and his stupidity.
Vault seven hundred and thirteen had no keyhole.
"Stand back," said Griphook importantly. He stroked the door gently with one of his long fingers and it simply melted away.
"You got to admit that pretty cool." Sirius said.
"If anyone but a Gringotts goblin tried that, they'd be sucked through the door and trapped in there," said Griphook.
"Okay its less cool now." He muttered causing James and Remus to laugh.
"How often do you check to see if anyone's inside?" Harry asked.
"About once every ten years," said Griphook with a rather nasty grin.
"And now it's just creepy." Sirius sighed shaking his head.
Something really extraordinary had to be inside this top security vault, Harry was sure, and he leaned forward eagerly, expecting to see fabulous jewels at the very least
"Not all treasure is gold and jewels." James smiled wrapping his arm around Lily making her blush. Molly leaned her head on Arthurs shoulder; Ron held Hermione's hand and Harry put his arm around Ginny. Sirius looked at them all and then leapt onto Remus' lap wrapping his arms around his neck.
"At least we have each other, Remus." He cried a huge grin on his face. Everyone started laughing and the moment was over. People sat back normally. Nobody noticed the small, sad smile on Dumbledore's face or the tear he discreetly wiped away.
—but at first he thought it was empty. Then he noticed a grubby little package wrapped up in brown paper lying on the floor. Hagrid picked it up and tucked it deep inside his coat. Harry longed to know what it was, but knew better than to ask.
Dumbledore frowned. Why would I remove Nicolas' stone, he wondered.
"I'm guessing that's the philosophers stone?" Arthur asked.
"You'll have to wait and see." Said Harry.
"Come on, back in this infernal cart, and don't talk to me on the way back, it's best if I keep me mouth shut," said Hagrid.
One wild cart ride later they stood blinking in the sunlight outside Gringotts. Harry didn't know where to run first now that he had a bag full of money. He didn't have to know how many Galleons there were to a pound to know that he was holding more money than he'd had in his whole life—more money than even Dudley had ever had.
"Please tell me you didn't go silly and spend it all at once on useless stuff you don't need." Lily begged.
"No I didn't." Harry assured her. "Hagrid wouldn't let me do that anyways."
"Might as well get yer uniform," said Hagrid, nodding toward Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. "Listen, Harry, would yeh mind if I slipped off fer a pick me up in the Leaky Cauldron? I hate them Gringotts carts."
"He left you alone!" said Molly shrilly. "Alone in a public place where anything could happen."
"It's alright mum." Harry said calmly. "I was only in one shop. Besides he didn't actually go to the Leaky Cauldron in the end."
"Where did he go then?" Molly asked confused. "And he still left you alone."
"You'll see where he went." Harry replied.
He did still look a bit sick, so Harry entered Madam Malkin's shop alone, feeling nervous.
Madam Malkin was a squat, smiling witch dressed all in mauve.
"I hate mauve." Said Ginny.
"Better mauve then pink." Said Harry darkly.
Ron, Hermione and Ginny all murmured their agreement.
"Hogwarts, dear?" she said, when Harry started to speak. "Got the lot here—another young man being fitted up just now, in fact."
"Ahh so this is where you met him before." Ron said. "I did wonder."
"I still count you as the first person I met at Hogwarts." Harry said smiling.
"Thanks mate." Ron smiled back.
In the back of the shop, a boy with a pale, pointed face was standing on a footstool while a second witch pinned up his long black robes. Madam Malkin stood Harry on a stool next to him) slipped a long robe over his head, and began to pin it to the right length.
"I always go Madam Malkin's for robes." James said. "She has a talent for never sticking pins in you no matter how much you wiggle around."
"Hello," said the boy, "Hogwarts, too?"
"Yes," said Harry.
"My father's next door buying my books and mother's up the street looking at wands," said the boy.
"How will that work?" Arthur asked. "The wand chooses the wizard after all. How can that happen if the wizard isn't there?"
"I don't know." Answered Molly.
"I doubt Mr. Ollivander will sell a wand without seeing the witch or wizard first." Dumbledore chuckled. "He is very set in his ways."
He had a bored, drawling voice. "Then I'm going to drag them off to look at racing brooms. I don't see why first years can't have their own. I think I'll bully father into getting me one and I'll smuggle it in somehow."
"I know I went on about wanting to fly in first year but I wasn't this bad… was i?" James asked turning to his friends and wife.
"No course you wasn't." Sirius said
"You were." Said Lily.
James stared at her.
"I won't lie to you." She said watching him. "But then again we never got on as kids."
"Yeah right." James said. "It seems weird to think there was a time when you hated me."
"I know." Lily sighed. "But it's in the past so let's forget it."
Harry was strongly reminded of Dudley.
Everyone laughed at that.
"I never thought of that!" Ron chocked out. "Brilliant."
"I take it back now." Harry said sadly. "Dudley's alright these days."
"Have you got your own broom?" the boy went on.
"You use to…" Muttered James sadly.
"No," said Harry.
"Play Quidditch at all?"
"No," Harry said again, wondering what on earth Quidditch could be.
"Ouch." James said. "I never thought my son would grow up not knowing what Quidditch was."
"I do—Father says it's a crime if I'm not picked to play for my house, and I must say, I agree. Know what house you'll be in yet?"
"Nobody knows for certain until they get there." Dumbledore said.
"No," said Harry, feeling more stupid by the minute.
"Well, no one really knows until they get there, do they, but I know I'll be in Slytherin, all our family have been—imagine being in Hufflepuff, I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?"
"Mmm," said Harry, wishing he could say something a bit more interesting.
"I wouldn't even was the time talking to him if I was you." Sirius said. "He sounds like Lucius Malfoys son. Only that man could have a son as obnoxious as that."
"I say, look at that man!" said the boy suddenly, nodding toward the front window. Hagrid was standing there, grinning at Harry and pointing at two large ice creams to show he couldn't come in.
"At least he wasn't having a drink." Molly said.
"That's Hagrid," said Harry, pleased to know something the boy didn't. "He works at Hogwarts."
"Oh," said the boy, "I've heard of him. He's a sort of servant, isn't he?"
"Hagrid's not a servant!" James, Sirius, Lupin, Lily, Harry, Hermione, Ron and Ginny shouted.
Molly and Arthur looked shocked. Dumbledore looked slightly angry about this statement.
"He's the gamekeeper," said Harry. He was liking the boy less and less every second.
"That's right Harry." Lily said. "Stay away from people like that."
"Yes, exactly. I heard he's a sort of savage—lives in a hut on the school grounds and every now and then he gets drunk, tries to do magic, and ends up setting fire to his bed."
"Regrettably we can't deny that as Hagrid has done it before." Sighed Remus.
"I think he's brilliant," said Harry coldly.
"Go Harry!" James and Sirius cheered.
"Do you?" said the boy, with a slight sneer. "Why is he with you? Where are your parents?"
"They're dead," said Harry shortly.
Everyone went a bit quiet and looked down at that. Lily snuggled up to James and he put his arm around her comfortingly.
He didn't feel much like going into the matter with this boy.
"Oh, sorry," said the other, not sounding sorry at all. "But they were our kind, weren't they?"
"That insolent little tog-rag!" Ginny exclaimed.
"Ginny!" Molly said sharply. "Language."
"She has a point Molly dear." Arthur said. "You shouldn't discriminate people because of their parents."
"They were a witch and wizard, if that's what you mean."
"That's it Harry!" Sirius said.
"That my boy." James proudly grinned at Harry.
"I really don't think they should let the other sort in, do you? They're just not the same, they've never been brought up to know our ways. Some of them have never even heard of Hogwarts until they get the letter, imagine. I think they should keep it in the old wizarding families. What's your surname, anyway?"
"Thank god you didn't tell him." Ron muttered whilst Hermione nodded her head.
But before Harry could answer, Madam Malkin said, "That's you done, my dear," and Harry, not sorry for an excuse to stop talking to the boy, hopped down from the footstool.
"Well, I'll see you at Hogwarts, I suppose," said the drawling boy.
"Regrettably." Ron muttered.
Harry was rather quiet as he ate the ice cream Hagrid had bought him (chocolate and raspberry with chopped nuts).
"Eww raspberry." James said at the same time as Lily said "Eww nuts."
They both looked at each other and started laughing.
"What's up?" said Hagrid.
"Nothing," Harry lied. They stopped to buy parchment and quills. Harry cheered up a bit when he found a bottle of ink that changed colour as you wrote.
"They are cool them." Lily said. "I have one at home."
When they had left the shop, he said, "Hagrid, what's Quidditch?"
"Please tell me you know what it is now?" James asked.
"Yeah I know what it is. But I don't really follow it" Harry said trying to keep a straight face.
"Blimey, Harry, I keep forgettin' how little yeh know—not knowin' about Quidditch!"
"Don't make me feel worse," said Harry. He told Hagrid about the pate boy in Madam Malkin's.
"—and he said people from Muggle families shouldn't even be allowed in."
"But you're not from a Muggle family." Arthur said kindly. "Not that it makes any difference if you were."
"Yer not from a Muggle family. If he'd known who yeh were—he's grown up knowin' yer name if his parents are wizardin' folk.
"Yeah but his parents are the bad kind of wizard folk." Remus said darkly.
You saw what everyone in the Leaky Cauldron was like when they saw yeh. Anyway, what does he know about it, some o' the best I ever saw were the only ones with magic in 'em in a long line o' Muggles—look at yer mum! Look what she had fer a sister!"
"Aww thanks Hagrid… I think." Lily said smiling but looking confused.
"So what is Quidditch?"
"It's our sport. Wizard sport. It's like—like football in the Muggle world—everyone follows Quidditch—played up in the air on broomsticks and there's four balls—sorta hard ter explain the rules."
"No its not!" James and Sirius yelled.
"I still don't get the rules properly." Harry shrugged causing James to look devastated.
"What's football? Arthur asked.
"A weird Muggle sport." Ron said. "it's played on the ground with only one ball which people run around kicking."
Everyone looked at him shocked.
"What?" he asked. "Dean explained it to me once."
"And what are Slytherin and Hufflepuff?"
"School houses. There's four. Everyone says Hufflepuff are a lot o' duffers, but—"
"I bet I'm in Hufflepuff," said Harry gloomily.
"Of course not." James said. "You'll be in Gryffindor."
"You can never be sure till you get there though." Remus said.
"I think in this case Mr. Lupin we can say with a fair amount of confidence that young Mr. Potter will be put in Gryffindor." Dumbledore said.
"What makes you think that Professor?" Lily asked.
"He shows a great deal of courage leaning out of a Gringotts cart." Dumbledore said. "He also is quick to defend Hagrid who he barely knows to a complete stranger. I think he is a true Gryffindor at heart."
James, Lily and Harry all smiled at this.
"Better Hufflepuff than Slytherin," said Hagrid darkly. "There's not a single witch or wizard who went bad who wasn't in Slytherin. You-Know-Who was one."
"Strange to think that we walked the same halls maybe even sat in the same desk as that monster." Remus shuddered.
"Vol—sorry—You-Know-Who was at Hogwarts?"
"Years an' years ago," said Hagrid.
They bought Harry's school books in a shop called Flourish and Blotts where the shelves were stacked to the ceiling with books as large as paving stones bound in leather; books the size of postage stamps in covers of silk; books full of peculiar symbols and a few books with nothing in them at all. Even Dudley, who never read anything, would have been wild to get his hands on some of these. Hagrid almost had to drag Harry away from Curses and Countercurses (Bewitch Your Friends and Befuddle Your Enemies with the Latest Revenges: Hair Loss, Jelly Legs, Tongue-Tying and Much, Much More) by Professor Vindictus Viridian.
"Sounds awesome." Sirius said. "If only it was out now."
"Since when do you want a book?" Remus asked.
"Well it sounds like a cool book to have." He said defensively.
"I was trying to find out how to curse Dudley."
"Yep that's my boy." James laughed.
"I'm not sayin' that's not a good idea, but yer not ter use magic in the Muggle world except in very special circumstances," said Hagrid. "An' anyway, yeh couldn' work any of the curses yet, yeh'll need a lot more study before yeh get ter that level."
"Yeah he is defiantly your son." Sirius laughed. "He doesn't think about thing before he does them."
Hagrid wouldn't let Harry buy a solid gold cauldron, either ("It says pewter on yer list"), but they got a nice set of scales for weighing potion ingredients and a collapsible brass telescope. Then they visited the Apothecary, which was fascinating enough to make up for its horrible smell, a mixture of bad eggs and rotted cabbages. Barrels of slimy stuff stood on the floor; jars of herbs, dried roots, and bright powders lined the walls; bundles of feathers, strings of fangs, and snarled claws hung from the ceiling. While Hagrid asked the man behind the counter for a supply of some basic potion ingredients for Harry, Harry himself examined silver unicorn horns at twenty one Galleons each and minuscule, glittery black beetle eyes (five Knuts a scoop).
"Ingredients have gone up a fair bit in the future." Sirius said.
"I know." Hermione agreed. "There even worse now. I think it's about ten Knuts a scoop these days."
Outside the Apothecary, Hagrid checked Harry's list again.
"Just yer wand left—A yeah, an' I still haven't got yeh a birthday present."
"Aww." All the girls cooed, making Harry blush.
"It's so nice of Hagrid to get you a present." Lily said. "I can't imagine my sister ever giving you much."
Harry felt himself go red.
"You don't have to—"
"I know I don't have to. Tell yeh what, I'll get yer animal. Not a toad, toads went outta fashion years ago, yeh'd be laughed at—an' I don' like cats, they make me sneeze. I'll get yer an owl. All the kids want owls, they're dead useful, carry yer mail an' everythin'."
"That's nice of him." James said. "I had an owl at Hogwarts."
"So this is when you got Hedwig?" Ginny whispered to Harry.
Twenty minutes later, they left Eeylops Owl Emporium, which had been dark and full of rustling and flickering, jewel bright eyes. Harry now carried a large cage that held a beautiful snowy owl, fast asleep with her head under her wing. He couldn't stop stammering his thanks, sounding just like Professor Quirrell.
"Creepy." Ron muttered.
"I don't see how that man ever became a Professor." Sighed Molly.
"It sounds like a beautiful owl." Lily smiled.
"Don' mention it," said Hagrid gruffly. "Don' expect you've had a lotta presents from them Dursleys. Just Ollivander's left now—only place fer wands, Ollivander's, and yeh gotta have the best wand."
A magic wand… this was what Harry had been really looking forward to.
"I think that's what everyone looks forward to the most." Arthur said smiling.
"Yeah." Hermione agreed. "It sort of made the whole thing seem more real."
The last shop was narrow and shabby. Peeling gold letters over the door read Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C. A single wand lay on a faded purple cushion in the dusty window.
A tinkling bell rang somewhere in the depths of the shop as they stepped inside. It was a tiny place, empty except for a single, spindly chair that Hagrid sat on to wait. Harry felt strangely as though he had entered a very strict library; he swallowed a lot of new questions that had just occurred to him and looked instead at the thousands of narrow boxes piled neatly right up to the ceiling. For some reason, the back of his neck prickled. The very dust and silence in here seemed to tingle with some secret magic.
Everyone murmured there agreement with this statement. Thinking of the first time they stepped into Ollivanders to get their wands.
"Good afternoon," said a soft voice. Harry jumped. Hagrid must have jumped, too, because there was a loud crunching noise and he got quickly off the spindly chair.
Everyone laughed at that.
"Let's be fair though." Harry said. "Ollivanders nice and all but he can be really creepy sometimes."
"Only sometimes?" asked James with a wink causing everyone to laugh again.
An old man was standing before them, his wide, pale eyes shining like moons through the gloom of the shop.
"Hello," said Harry awkwardly.
"Ah yes," said the man. "Yes, yes. I thought I'd be seeing you soon. Harry Potter." It wasn't a question. "You have your mother's eyes. It seems only yesterday she was in here herself, buying her first wand. Ten and a quarter inches long, swishy, made of willow. Nice wand for charm work."
Everyone looked at Lily who took out her wand with a smile.
"He's right. That's my wand." She smiled and shook her head. "How he manages to remember that after all these year I don't know."
Mr. Ollivander moved closer to Harry. Harry wished he would blink. Those silvery eyes were a bit creepy.
"Your father, on the other hand, favored a mahogany wand. Eleven inches. Pliable. A little more power and excellent for transfiguration. Well, I say your father favored it—it's really the wand that chooses the wizard, of course."
"Right again." Said James with a tone of surprise. "Ollivander has now got a lot creepier in my eyes."
Mr. Ollivander had come so close that he and Harry were almost nose to nose. Harry could see himself reflected in those misty eyes.
"And that's where…"
Mr. Ollivander touched the lightning scar on Harry's forehead with a long, white finger.
Everyone shivered a bit at that.
"What is it with people and touching your scar?" Lily said crossly.
"I think it was just curiosity really." Harry shrugged.
"I'm sorry to say I sold the wand that did it," he said softly. "Thirteen and a half inches. Yew. Powerful wand, very powerful, and in the wrong hands… well, if I'd known what that wand was going out into the world to do…"
"I could have lived without knowing that information." Remus said.
"You never know Mr. Lupin." Dumbledore said smiling mysteriously. "Everything that's written is there for a reason."
"What do you mean?" Molly asked.
"Well I believe everything in the books is written to help us change the future and to give us key information about the defeat of Voldemort." Dumbledore said. "Maybe one day we will need to know what wand Voldemort has as it may lead to his downfall or to saving someone's life."
Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny all stared at the headmaster shocked at how accurate he was.
"Yeah as if Voldemort can be defeated by his own wand." Sirius snorted.
He shook his head and then, to Harry's relief, spotted Hagrid.
"Rubeus! Rubeus Hagrid! How nice to see you again… Oak, sixteen inches, rather bendy, wasn't it?"
"Sixteen inches!" Ron exclaimed. "That's one big wand."
"Well Hagrid's one big guy." James grinned.
"It was, sir, yes," said Hagrid.
"Good wand, that one. But I suppose they snapped it in half when you got expelled?" said Mr. Ollivander, suddenly stern.
"Er—yes, they did, yes," said Hagrid, shuffling his feet. "I've still got the pieces, though," he added brightly.
"But you don't use them?" said Mr. Ollivander sharply.
"Oh, no, sir," said Hagrid quickly. Harry noticed he gripped his pink umbrella very tightly as he spoke.
"Everyone knows he has the pieces of his wand hidden in his umbrella." Sirius said.
"Everyone close to him does however I doubt the ministry know or they would have sent someone to deal with it." Lily answered.
"I still wish I knew what he did to get expelled." James sighed.
"Well its rude to ask so don't get any ideas you two." Molly glanced at Harry and Ron who were grinning.
"Hmmm," said Mr. Ollivander, giving Hagrid a piercing look. "Well, now—Mr. Potter. Let me see." He pulled a long tape measure with silver markings out of his pocket. "Which is your wand arm?"
"Er—well, I'm right handed," said Harry.
"Hold out your arm. That's it." He measured Harry from shoulder to finger, then wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit and round his head. As he measured, he said, "Every Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful magical substance, Mr. Potter. We use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers, and the heartstrings of dragons. No two Ollivander wands are the same, just as no two unicorns, dragons, or phoenixes are quite the same. And of course, you will never get such good results with another wizard's wand."
"Do you think it's important we know this as well and that's why it's in the book?" Arthur asked Dumbledore.
"I believe it shall be important at some point Mr. Weasley." Dumbledore answered.
"I always wondered what the measuring was for." Harry admitted. "I thought he just pulled books off the shelves at random."
"It must make sense to a wand maker." Ron said. "Either that or his lost it."
Harry suddenly realized that the tape measure, which was measuring between his nostrils, was doing this on its own. Mr. Ollivander was flitting around the shelves, taking down boxes.
"Strange." Sirius said. "It did the same to me when I was there."
"I think its Mr. Ollivanders idea of a joke." Hermione said.
"He has a strange sense of humour then." Said Ginny shaking her head.
"That will do," he said, and the tape measure crumpled into a heap on the floor. "Right then, Mr. Potter. Try this one. Beachwood and dragon heartstring. Nine inches. Nice and flexible. just take it and give it a wave."
Harry took the wand and (feeling foolish) waved it around a bit, but Mr. Ollivander snatched it out of his hand almost at once.
"Didn't he tell you he was looking for sparks?" Lily asked.
Harry shook his head. "I just thought he would somehow know if it was the right one."
"Maple and phoenix feather. Seven inches. Quite whippy. Try—"
Harry tried—but he had hardly raised the wand when it, too, was snatched back by Mr. Ollivander.
"No, no here, ebony and unicorn hair, eight and a half inches, springy. Go on, go on, try it out."
Harry tried. And tried. He had no idea what Mr. Ollivander was waiting for. The pile of tried wands was mounting higher and higher on the spindly chair, but the more wands Mr. Ollivander pulled from the shelves, the happier he seemed to become.
"Tricky customer, eh? Not to worry, we'll find the perfect match here somewhere—I wonder, now—yes, why not—unusual combination—holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple."
"I've never know someone to try so many wands." Molly said.
Harry took the wand. He felt sudden warmth in his fingers. He raised the wand above his head, brought it swishing down through the dusty air and a stream of red and gold sparks shot from the end like a firework, ("Woo Gryffindor!" Cheered James and Sirius loudly.) throwing dancing spots of light on to the walls. Hagrid whooped and clapped and Mr. Ollivander cried, "Oh, bravo! Yes, indeed, oh, very good. Well, well, well… how curious… how very curious…"
He put Harry's wand back into its box and wrapped it in brown paper, still muttering, "Curious… curious…"
"Sorry," said Harry, "but what's curious?"
"I think we all want to know that." Remus muttered.
"I think he just likes the attention." Hermione said. "Not you Harry." She amended quickly noticing his glare. "I was on about Ollivander."
"Hurry up." Sirius moaned, "I want to know what's curious."
Mr. Ollivander fixed Harry with his pale stare.
"I remember every wand I've ever sold, Mr. Potter. Every single wand. It so happens that the phoenix whose tail feather is in your wand, gave another feather—just one other. It is very curious indeed that you should be destined for this wand when it's brother—why, it's brother gave you that scar."
"What?" coursed everyone except Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Harry.
"I never even knew that was possible." Remus said stunned.
"I thought he just said each core was unique?" Lily said. "And now he says that one phoenix gave two feathers."
"So there is a connection between You-Know-Who's wand and yours?" Arthur said.
Everyone went silent and stared at Harry. "My wand and Voldemort's are connected." Harry said. "It meant we could wound but not kill each other, which saved my life a few times."
"But what phoenix gave two tail feathers?" James asked. "Phoenixes are cleaver. It would of known that it had to give another feather to help stop Voldemort."
"The phoenix," said Harry looking straight at Dumbledore, "Is called Fawkes and belongs to Albus Dumbledore."
Everyone looked at Dumbledore.
"So it was your phoenix who gave two feathers." Molly asked.
Dumbledore just smiled. "Fawkes decided it was something he needed to do. Please keep reading Miss. Weasley."
Harry swallowed.
"Yes, thirteen and a half inches. Yew. Curious indeed how these things happen. The wand chooses the wizard, remember… I think we must expect great things from you, Mr. Potter… After all, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things—terrible, yes, but great."
Everyone looked a bit dumbfound at this.
"I guess in some ways he is right." Ginny said. "Never thought of it like that before."
"You already did great things by stopping Voldemort." James said.
"Twice I'm guessing as you mentioned this second war." Sirius added.
"But greatness is a lot more than that." Hermione said.
"Yeah" said Ron. "And it was more than just twice I…" He stopped suddenly.
Everyone was looking at him.
"What do you mean more than twice?" Lily asked quietly.
Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny looked at each other.
"I saw him come back in my forth year." Harry said thinking fast. "I had to fight him to get away."
"Oh dear." Molly said watching Lily closely. "Let's not talk about it right now it will only get us worked up."
Harry shivered. He wasn't sure he liked Mr. Ollivander too much. He paid seven gold Galleons for his wand, and Mr. Ollivander bowed them from his shop.
The late afternoon sun hung low in the sky as Harry and Hagrid made their way back down Diagon Alley, back through the wall, back through the Leaky Cauldron, now empty. Harry didn't speak at all as they walked down the road; he didn't even notice how much people were gawking at them on the Underground, laden as they were with all their funny shaped packages, with the snowy owl asleep in its cage on Harry's lap. Up another escalator, out into Paddington station; Harry only realized where they were when Hagrid tapped him on the shoulder.
"Got time fer a bite to eat before yer train leaves," he said.
"He just left you on the train to get home?" Lily asked looking a bit angry.
"Mum honestly its fine." Harry assured her. "I was perfectly capable of looking after myself."
"Still he shouldn't of left you with all that stuff on a train." Molly agreed. "What if someone had stopped you and asked about it."
"Well thankfully nothing happened and it was all right." Harry said.
He bought Harry a hamburger and they sat down on plastic seats to eat them. Harry kept looking around. Everything looked so strange, somehow.
"You all right, Harry? Yer very quiet," said Hagrid.
Harry wasn't sure he could explain. He'd just had the best birthday of his life—and yet—he chewed his hamburger, trying to find the words.
"Don't tell me your still doubting if it's all real of not." Sirius moaned.
"Everyone thinks I'm special," he said at last. "All those people in the Leaky Cauldron, Professor Quirrell, Mr. Ollivander… but I don't know anything about magic at all. How can they expect great things? I'm famous and I can't even remember what I'm famous for. I don't know what happened when Vol—sorry—I mean, the night my parents died."
Everyone looked sad at that. All except for Lily.
"Well I for one am glade that you can't remember it." She said. "I would hate to think that you remember what happened the night we died."
"You have a point." James said. "I think in this case it is better that you didn't know. No child should have to live with that."
Hagrid leaned across the table. Behind the wild beard and eyebrows he wore a very kind smile.
"Don' you worry, Harry. You'll learn fast enough. Everyone starts at the beginning at Hogwarts, you'll be just fine. Just be yerself. I know it's hard. Yeh've been singled out, an' that's always hard. But yeh'll have a great time at Hogwarts—I did—still do, 'smatter of fact."
Everyone smiled at that.
"Aww Hagrid." Lily sighed. "That was probably the nicest thing anyone could have said to comfort his fears."
Hagrid helped Harry on to the train that would take him back to the Dursleys, then handed him an envelope.
"Yer ticket fer Hogwarts," he said. "First o' September—King's Cross—it's all on yer ticket. Any problems with the Dursleys, send me a letter with yer owl, she'll know where to find me… See yeh soon, Harry."
"Wait he didn't tell you how to get onto the platform?" Lily said shocked.
"I think he just forgot what with everything else." Harry admitted.
"But how did you get on the platform if you didn't know how?" Molly asked.
"Well that's sorta where you come in." Harry said smiling.
The train pulled out of the station. Harry wanted to watch Hagrid until he was out of sight; he rose in his seat and pressed his nose against the window, but he blinked and Hagrid had gone.
"The chapters over." Said Ginny looking up.
"Well that was eventful." Lily said.
"Can I read now?" Asked James. "I want to hear how my son first felt when he saw Hogwarts." He smiled at Harry.