Harry was amazed at the sheer amount of books in the shop Hagrid had brought him to. He was also very happy to be able to look around himself for a while as Hagrid had to go pick something up from the shop next door that seemed to contain a variety of very magical animals going by the dancing mice he had seen on the windowsill. The shop that he was in, called Flourish & Blotts, was full of books that looked like the tomes used in medieval times but that even to Harry's untrained eyes were definitely new. It was amazing and also very new to harry who had only ever spent time in the school library during break to get away from Dudley because though he did enjoy reading to an extent he found it hard to find a book he could actually focus on and the few that had managed that in the school libary were finished by year 4.

As Harry was looking around he saw a bookshelf with seven levels the bottom of which he could see held the books he needed for school, he was glad that all the books he needed would be together and made sure to remember where they were before walking around the shop to have a browse. When browsing he came across 3 books that he decided to get for reading in his spare time. The first was a rather large and heavy tome with the title 'A Comprehensive Guide to Magical Britain', he hoped that it would have information that would help once he got to Hogwarts, as well as some information on him so that he could get a better understanding of why his parents were killed and why he had survived since Hagrid hadn't explained it that well just saying that it was the reason he was famous.

The second book, which was really a series of three books that came together, was titled 'A Guide to the Japanese language and an Introduction to Japanese Magic and Runecraft'. Harry had been fascinated by Japanese ever since a classroom assistant that had been with his class for year 4 & 5 had taught the class a few words, and the children that she had spent more time with like Harry some extra words and a little bit of grammar. He was also curious about the difference of magic in such a different country as Japan and hoped to find out as he went through the school year and read his books.

Lastly, he picked out a book titled 'A Young Wixes Guide to Runes : What to Know Before Schooling'. He picked this out mainly to go along with his book on Japanese runes but also because when he had read the short description inside the book it seemed that it was written for children about his age before they could choose if as an elective in third year so he figured he might as well read up on runes and the other electives (once he knew what they were) before making his decision in third year as he would hate to end up stuck taking a class he hated. Going to school had never been good in the past since he and Dudley were always in the same class and the few times Harry had dared to do better than 'precious Diddy-Dum' he had been locked in the cupboard for a week, but now that he was going to be going to a school away from Dudley and the Dursley's he wanted to make the most of it.

When Harry wandered back out from the section of the shop he had been browsing through, which was in a hidden away corner and contained what appeared to be children books, he saw Hagrid waiting for him already holding the books Harry needed for Hogwarts in his big hands. Harry walked over to him carrying the books that he had chosen and it took a moment for Hagrid to notice him. When he did he looked at the books Harry was holding in confusion. He seemed to try to look at the titles, but was unable to read them properly due to how Harry was holding them, before speaking.

"What've you got there Harry? I've already got all your Hogwarts books" Hagrid said.

"I decided to get some books to read in my spare time so I did some browsing and I found these" Harry answered.

"Oh, yer dad never did reading out of class from what I can remember. There's a library at Hogwarts full of books if you decide to though, so there's no need to get your own" Hagrid said confidently.

After hearing that Harry felt confused and strangely conflicted. It was odd how Hagrid had brought up how his dad was at Hogwarts given that Harry was a different person and hadn't been raised by him, hell sad as it was he hardly either of his parents. There was also the fact that he said how his dad was and seemed to think that Harry would be the same while not bringing up his mum at all, though maybe Hagrid didn't know her as well? The oddest thing about it though was that what Hagrid said made Harry almost not want to bring any more books than were necessary to Hogwarts when he knew he did enjoy books that interested him, and he had managed to find some that did, and it had nothing to do with the presence of a library at Hogwarts and all to do with the want to be like his dad, a want that harry found incredibly strange since he had grown up at the Dursleys wanting to be nothing like him and he also knew next to nothing about him so how could he be like someone he didn't know. Still when he replied to Hagrid he refused to put the books back.

"I'd rather have a few books of my own Hagrid, its still a while till Hogwarts and I want to be able to read more than just school textbooks before then besides I don't know what they'll have in the library so I want to bring at least a few books I know will interest me this year" Harry explained.

"Huh, I guess ye're more like yer mum than I expected. The headmaster told me that he though you were more like yer dad" Hagrid let slip.

"What? I've never met him so how could he know what I was like?" Harry questioned Hagrid.

Hagrides eyes widened for a second and he muttered under his breath for a few seconds with Harry only making out the occasional curse before responding.

"Oh, umm, I guess yer aunt wrote him letters" Hagrid said not sounding at all sure of himself.

"Right" Harry replied back in a speculatory tone. He knew for sure that his aunt would not write to someone who she considered a 'freak' but maybe on this occasion she had been right about something, maybe the house was being watched. In a way it would make sense that someone like Harry who had nearly been killed by what sounded to Harry, from the small amount of what Hagrid had said, like the wizarding version of the Nazis to have some form of protection but why would whoever it was be reporting to a headmaster of a school instead of whatever the wizarding version of the government was, it made no sense even to the eleven year old Harry who was pretty sure the police were in charge of that sort of thing for muggles. He didn't think that Hagrid would say anything more though even if he did know something so he decided to keep quiet about it.

"How 'bout we go pay for these then we can go and get some lunch at the Leaky, my treat" Hagrid said after about a minute of silence in which they just stood there.

"Sounds good Hagrid" Harry said trying to sound cheerful, though inside he was awash with so many different emotions it was overwhelming and he knew that without a break he would shut down.

It was not long until they were eating their meals of cottage pie in silence as Harry observed the other patrons of the pub as they preformed their magical acts, such as stirring a spoon without touching it or directing a cloth to clean the table on its own. He looked back at Hagrid and saw that he was very nearly finished the massive portion he had been given and Harry looked back down at his food that was only half finished (despite Harry having been given a much smaller potion) and he was already pretty much full. Knowing that he wasn't going to manage much more than merely picking at his food he looked up at Hagrid and decided to ask him some questions, not about the magical world Harry had found himself a part of since he wasn't sure how accurate Hagrids answers would be but about his parents since it would be nice to hear about him even if it wasn't the most accurate information due to Hagrids seemingly faulty memory.

"Hagrid you mentioned that I was more like my mum than my dad earlier, what were they like? Since I was so young when they died I have no memories of them and it would just be nice to hear about them, you know?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, I do. It was tragic what happened to you and yer parents what with you being so young, not that there's a good age for that to happen at though I suppose. I'll tell you what I remember of them and when I get back to Hogwarts I'll see if I can find the graduation photo from there year as there should be a copy somewhere. So what do you want to know?" Hagrid asked.

"Thanks Hagrid! I'd like to know everything you can tell me, what sort of people were they? Aunt Petunia said that they were horrible drunks but I can't really trust her about this" Harry replied.

"Well first off then one thing that I can tell you for sure was that yer mum and dad were certainly not drunks, they were some of the nicest people I've ever met. Yer mum was one of the kindest people I've ever met, she loved the creatures that live on the school grounds and was one of the few that the unicorns always let near them. James on the other hand was a jokester, he and his friends were constantly playing pranks and terrorising the rest off the school. Let me tell you about when he played a prank on all the girls in Hogwarts and yer mum really laid into him"

Harry listened to Hagrid as he told him the story that took place just shortly before his parents got together. By the time Hagrid had finished telling the tale Harry had managed to finish his meal and they went off to get his supplies and equipment for potions, astronomy and herbology. Harry was shocked when he learnt that his new shoes, satchel and his gloves for herbology and potions were made from dragon hide. The fact that dragons were real amazed him and he hoped that he could see one someday.

As they were walking down Diagon alley toward the Magical Minagerie where Harry could get a pet to bring to Hogwarts Harry spotted a shop named 'Opticals : for all your Eyewear Needs'. He stopped and pointed it out to Hagrid.

"Hagrid can we go and check out that shop? My glasses need fixed but aunt Petunia has been rufuesing to take me somewhere that can do it" Harry asked.

"Sounds good Harry, having yer gasses held together like they are ain't a good idea and it shouldn't take them long anyway" Hagrid replied after glancing down at Harry's glasses that were held together at the nose with sellotape.

They walking into the shop and a bell tinkled from above the door. A man came out from a room in the back and walked over to them.

"Hello, I'm mr Opticalus how can I help you?" He asked them.

"Hello, I need to get my glasses fixed" Harry answered, point up to his rather tatty glasses.

"I see, when was the last time you had your eyes tested?" He replied after seeing the state that Harry's glasses were in.

"It's been just a bit over two year, why?" Harry asked.

"You've outgrown the frame, it's pretty common in children which is part of why check-ups are recommended to be a year apart at the most. Since it's been so long for you, I'll just do a quick eye test and you can get some new glasses, depending on your prescription I may need to do another check-up in six months" Mr Opticalus answered.

"Will new glasses be expensive? Also how will I meet with you I'll be in Hogwarts by that point?" Harry asked.

"All eye care including eyewear that we provide for those under the age of seventeen is paid for by the ministry so it will be free. As for an appointment in the school year I will be in Hogwarts for a few weekends to see the children who need it" Mr Opticalus replied, "If I can find out your prescription now then I can have your glasses ready before we close for the day, assuming that you won't take too long picking out the frames of course"

"Okay" Harry said "that would be good"

As Harry then found out eye tests were much easier in the Wizarding world than the muggle one. The test itself was a charm that took about three minutes to complete and then Harry picked out some new frames, glad that he got to do so as the last time his aunt had picked for him. After about 20 minutes of browsing he came across a pair that were in his opinion perfect. They were bronze coloured and were a rather plain rounded rectangular design at the front, though the metal was thicker than on his previous pair that only had thin wire, but the legs had designs of otters on them which was one of Harry's favourite animals.

Once Harry had picked out the frame he and Hagrid left the shop (with Harry still wearing his old glasses) and after being told that the glasses should be ready in a few hours. They started to walk in the direction of their original destination as soon as they were out of the shop and it was a few moments until Hagrid spoke.

"Well that took a bit longer than I expected, but it's good that yer're getting some glasses that fit. Those ones you've got would have been squishing yer face before long" Hagrid said.

"You're not upset that it took a while?" Harry asked.

"Nah, it needed to be done besides we've still got plenty of time and we've only got yer pet and wand still to get" Hagrid answered as the came upon the shop that Hagrid had been in earlier.

Even from outside you could hear the animals causing a racket but it was nothing compared to inside. As Hagrid walked off to look at the owls Harry was captivated by the birds that were held in a different corner of the shop. In this corner there were crows, jays, magpies and ravens. Harry was captivated by one particular bird, it wasn't the biggest and likely wouldn't be able to carry anything other than letters and ting packages but it was beautiful and something in Harry seemed to sing at the sight of it. He reached out his hand to place his fingers on the bars of the cage and she, for that is what the label on the cage said she was, came down and looked at him in the eyes. Her deep indigo eyes gleamed with an intelligence that sims humans seemed to lack and Harry knew then that none of the other animals in the shop would do, she was the only one for him.

He turned around when he sensed a pressure behind him and he saw Hagrid standing there with a smile on his face and the shopkeeper beside him. The shopkeeper had a slightly shocked look on his face and a book, the title of which Harry could see was 'Corvidae : Everything You Need to Know for Your Special Companion'. It was only as Harry turned to face Hagrid that he noticed he was beaming.

"I think I've chosen what I want as a pet Hagrid! Do you think they let me bring her even though she's not an owl?" Harry asked excitedly.

"Aye I reckon you have Harry. They only limit it to owls, toads and cats in the letter to stop kids from bringing magical creatures to school as pets so a Jay should be fine" Hagrid told Harry with a grin on his face before turning to the shop keeper "What species is she?" He asked her.

"She's a lidth's jay, they're native to Japan and like all jays are incredibly intelligent but since they're bigger than the Eurasian Jay they can handle slightly bigger packages. We don't get them in often since there's only three breeding pair kept in the UK at the moment so they're slightly more expensive but everyone who's bought one from us has said that they're worth it" She said.

"Is it common for wix to use birds other than owls for deliveries? I thought that only owls were used" Harry said.

"It's rather uncommon for wix to use birds other than owls but some have an affinity with different types of bird most parrots and those in the Corvidae family, they are far more intelligent than owls, not that that is necessarily considered a benefit by most wizards since owl lines are specially bred for they're ability to carry mail so it typically evens out" she explained.

"I'll take her" Harry said after looking at the price tag.

"Great, will you be needing kit as well?" The shopkeeper asked.

"Yes, what would you recommend?"

"Well a travel cage is a must and I would also recommend one of our pop up apiary's they all come with all the accessories you need, we've got several different models all with built in expansion charms. For her I would recommend our 4', 6', 3' it is one of our discreet expansion models with the expansion being a 7', 8', 9' room made to look like an evergreen forest, it can be accessed through a door in the regular part of the cage for humans and a small closable hole in the back of the cage for her. Of course you will also need food for her and I would recommend getting a sound stone for her when she is alone" the woman explained.

"What's a sound stone? Also how much would that all be?" Harry asked.

"All together with her included it would be 120 galleons. A sound stone is a stone that produces songs for a bird so that it won't be silent when she's alone. It contains a recording from a wireless taken over a week that plays on repeat unless it is turned off. We sell them because many birds require company when they are kept alone and this makes it so that you can leave them for a while when you do your schooling or work" she explained.

"I'll take that then, does she have a name?" Harry asked after he had figured out how much he would have left after he bought it, he should have 30 galleons left that he hoped would be enough to buy a wand which was the last thing on his list.

"We've been calling her Iris, but you can change that if you want she doesn't seem to respond to it anyway. I'll go and get everything gathered up" she said.

It wasn't long until they were leaving the shop and heading toward the wand shop with Harry carrying his new pet in her travel cage while Hagrid took her kit that was stored in Harrys trunk, thankfully when folded down it shrunk so that it was easily fit in. Hagrid stopped outside of a shop with an old tatty looking sign with pealing gold paint, proclaiming the shop to be Ollivanders Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C.

"This is it, Ollivanders is the best wand makers in Britain. Come on I'll take Iris while ye get yer wand" Hagrid said before holding out his hand to take Iris.

Harry handed her to Hagrid before opening the door to the shop. A bell rung as He entered the shop with Hagrid following. Inside the shop there was a small counter with a small glass vase containing a single wilted rose and a small spindly chair with the rest of the shop being taken up by shelves covered in lots of long thin boxes that were covered in dust. Harry was distracted from looking around when an old man with wispy white hair and wide wide silvery eyes came out from between the shelves. He stared at Harry for a minute as out of the corner of his eye Harry could see Hagrid seemingly debating sitting on the spindly chair that Harry doubted could hold his weight let alone Hagrids.

"Hello Mr Potter, I've been waiting to see you for quite some time. I remember when your mum and dad got their first wands" the man, presumably Mr Ollivander, said.

"Hello" Harry said unsurely.

"Now which is your wand hand" he asked Harry.

"Um, I guess that I'm better with my left" Harry replied.

Ollivander tapped a tape-measure which started to measure Harry, starting with his left fingers.

"That will give me some measurements to give me a better ides of what you're suited for" Ollivander explained before walking between the shelves.

During the time that Ollivander was out of sight the tape continued to make what seemed to Harry to be the most absurd measurements. He was wondering how the width of the bridge of his nose or the space between his nostrils could have anything to do with what wand he would have when Ollivander came back out from between the shelves carrying a stack of long thin black boxes. He placed them on the counter before waving his wand making the tape-measure come to a stop before curling up and flying back into his pocket.

"That's enough measurements I think. Now Mr Potter I make the majority of my wands using only three different types of cores, these being unicorn tail hair, dragon heart sting and Egyptian phoenix tail feather. I find that these tend to give the most powerful results without the risk of getting temperamental wands that go decades or even centuries without finding the right wizard. You see it is the wand that chooses the wizard not the other way around"

The next half hour or so was spent with Harry being given lots of different wands only to have them snatched back off him after only a few seconds in some cases or after some rather bad results coming from waving them in others. Ollivander was getting progressively more and more excited the more wands he went through. Once they had gotten to the last wand in the fifth lot of wands Ollivander started muttering and he walked to the back of the shop. About five minutes later he returned holding just two boxes, one of which he put on the counter before turning to Harry with the other. He took a wand out of the box which he then handed to Harry. When Harry took hold of the box he felt nothing, no destructive outbursts happened and nothing good happed either.

"Well then" Ollivander said as he took the wand off of Harry, "I believe that you may be one of the few customers I get that is not suited to one of the three cores that I use most of the time. You see the cores that I use most of the time are suited to most wizards in Britain but there are some that need more specialized cores id they have more unique and strong personalities, and rather powerful magic" he picked up the other wand box and opened it so that Harry could see a deep reddish brown wand that was about 12" long and had what feathers carved into the handle "This wand is apple wood with a core of Hō-ō tail feather, it is 12" long and quite flexible"

Harry picked up the wand and he felt a warm tingling feeling travelling up from his fingers and settling in his chest as a wave of blue, red and gold sparks coming out of the end of his new wand. Harry turned as he heard Hagrid clapping and beaming.

"That's great Harry ye've got yer wand!" He said.

"Very good Mr Potter, that wand has not let anyone touch it for 10 years until now" he said while beaming "that'll be 7 galleons and I'll throw in a wand holster since it is a somewhat temperamental wand"

Harry smiled at Ollivander before giving him the money and being handed his wands box and a leather wand holster. Harry attached the holster to his arm and slipped his waned into it. He thanked Ollivander and he and Hagrid left the shop.

Three hours later Harry was sat in his new room at the Dursleys with his new pet who he had decided to name Saitada who from what he had read in history of magic on the train home was an ancient witch in England who was worshiped as a goddess by muggles, and wizards after her death, as a goddess of grief. According to the book her mother had died while giving birth to her and who's father had remarried years after only to have his new wife try to kill his only child, not that he was aware, and she grew up alone in a different, later marrying and having children Only to have her husband and children get killed after her tribe was invaded by the tribe she was born in, she was found by her father and taken home and married after which she spent her days in grief until she got pregnant and killed herself. Her story had been forgotten by muggles not long after and she became worshipped as a goddess of grief but the wizarding world hadn't forgotten, the story spoke to Harry who had grown up an orphan and being told constantly that is possible they would abandon or kill him.

He couldn't wait until he went to Hogwarts and got away from the Dursleys, but until then he planned on reading as much as he could to get ready.

Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed!

Nymphprince