"Very well, Mr and Miss Potter, I have already contacted our branch in the MACUSA - the Magical Congress of the United States of America; they will contact your family from the American branch and they will receive the letter you have written as well," Bloodbringer told them an hour later.
For the last hour, Harry and Holly had been going over the prospectus on Ilvermorny, and thoughtfully Bloodbringer had handed them a prospectus detailing Hogwarts.
Both siblings had learnt a great deal about the magical schools. There was a massive amount of difference between them, although they were both similar.
While both schools were largely similar, as they were castles located in remote places as far from the muggles, or No-Maj's as they were referred to in America, having four distinct Houses where magical students were sorted into given their personality traits, and had the same classes, it soon became obvious to the Potter siblings that Ilvermorny was the better school.
They offered courses on Magical Healing, the Mind Arts, the Dark Arts, Egyptian Hieroglyphics, Alchemy, Ritual studies, Duelling, Spell Creation, Potions Theory, Enchanting, and Magizoology. While Harry could tell that Hogwarts offered similar courses, they missed out on some of the other elective choices offered by Ilvermorny. Holly had squealed with delight when the pictures of the Ilvermorny prospectus changed to show students in some kind of enclosure, where golden Unicorn foals were being tended to.
"Harry, I really wanna go to Ilvermorny now!" The little girl had clapped her hands with glee.
Seeing her excitement clinched the deal in Harry's mind, although he had been looking at Ilvermorny with a speculative eye. Truth be told, he didn't particularly care where he and his sister were educated, so long as they were educated in magic.
It would take him and Holly away from the Dursleys and in another country, there would be an ocean dividing him and the Potters together. While a part of Harry's mind was concerned about what the Potters would do, and how they'd react when they realised Holly was not even at the school, ultimately it meant nothing to him.
They had never bothered to check on them as far as he was aware, and the lack of interest gave him the impression they would just shrug their shoulders and ignore it. Harry could not deny that the thought did hurt.
"Okay, I like the school as well and I think it's nice looking. Let's contact our family in the MACUSA, see if they're willing to take us in," Harry had said.
With Bloodbringer's help and an accompanying letter which told the Potters living in the MACUSA what he and his sister had gone through, Harry also took memories with the goblin's help showing the years of neglect he'd suffered from the Dursleys and how Holly had come into his life. Bloodbringer came to their aid magnificently by copying the letter the Potters had left with Holly (Harry noticed the goblin made more than was necessary, but he didn't question it; his initial impression of the goblins had put him in mind more of a mafia than bankers, and he guessed they were going to use the information for blackmail purposes. He didn't care), and when the controlled Petunia signed them away given as they were under her care, that was it.
Bloodbringer also included a detailed report of their magical abilities to further prove to the American branch of the Potter family that neither Harry nor Holly were squibs.
"Great!" Holly clapped her hands together in an adorably exuberant manner. "When will they be coming?"
Bloodbringer sighed, "Now that I can't answer. They may need to spend a few days going over the memories I took from you both and everything in the letters, and the reports as well as the plea."
Holly's smile faded. "So that means we'll be staying at Little Whinging a little longer?"
Not liking the idea any more than his sister did, Harry planted a hand on her shoulder comfortingly before he turned to Bloodbringer. "But they will get in touch, yes?"
"They will. The American Potters are a very large branch of your family. They will respond to the plea," Bloodbringer said.
"I only hope they don't contact our parents," Harry said darkly.
"I'm afraid that there is that possibility, Mr Potter; what's happened to you and your sister is nothing to be taken lightly, and your parents may even interfere. But hopefully, if they do, they'll realise that they have, in effect, signed you both away," Bloodbringer's response was characteristically blunt and even a little brusque, and it made Holly cuddle Harry and he held her tightly while cursing the goblin's attitude.
Harry bit his lip as he tried to go through his mind about what could go wrong or right.
Scenario 1; the Potters might just leave him and his sister alone should they realise how much of a mess they had made. If they did that upon discovering he was not a squib, was it possible his parents would want him back? What about Holly? Would they want to keep him and then just send her away? Harry would never let that happen. He didn't give a damn about what his parents wanted, but he refused to let them harm Holly even more than they had. His sister was powerful. He had taught her a great deal about her powers, even if there was still a great deal that he did not know himself about magic.
Scenario 2; would his parents just ignore any contact from their American cousins, or would they take something like that seriously? If they ignored it then great, but if they did take it seriously, they would just realise they didn't have the right to claim him or Holly. But the problem with both scenarios was that it was possible the American Potters would take one look at the letters and the reports, and how easily Lily and James had thrown him and Holly away, and decide that it just wasn't worth contacting them.
There was just one thing on his mind now.
"Is there anywhere Holly and I can stay? I mean, is there anywhere in the magical world we can stay, so we can be close at hand for when we get a response?" Harry asked.
"The Leaky Cauldron offers rooms, although I am not sure they will be keen to allow two preteen children to stay there without comment," Bloodbringer said honestly.
Holly's face fell out of the corner of Harry's eye, and Harry knew why. Holly had been delighted to be in Diagon Alley and she had wanted to explore the wonders of magic.
The idea of being forced to leave and go back to Privet Drive was enough to make him sick, too. But they could still explore the Alley. There was nothing to stop them, and his control over Aunt Petunia was still strong enough to let them stay for a little while longer before they had to head back to Little Whinging.
With that in mind, Harry turned back to the goblin who'd done a lot to help them in just a short time. "Excuse me, sir, but as Holly and I," he began not caring one bit if Bloodbringer noted their aunt's absence or not, "walked down Diagon Alley, I spotted a branch leading away. It looked quite dark."
"That's Knockturn Alley. It's not recommended for children to visit."
"Oh, why?" Harry asked curiously.
"Many of the residents in Diagon Alley avoid it because it is the street where sellers and dealers who sell dark art books and artefacts reside," Bloodbringer explained. "That being said, the shops in that part of the magical shopping district sell a great many useful texts and artefacts."
"Dark arts?" Harry repeated, his curiosity sparking even more now. He had sneaked a glance at some of the animated movies Disney released - Sleeping Beauty, Sword in the Stone, and even Star Wars where the Dark Side of the Force received many mentions and warnings. Was the same thing true here? "What kind of effect does dark magic have on the user? I mean, does it corrupt them?"
Bloodbringer was a little concerned by the questions. "In a sense, Mr Potter. The Dark arts change the soul, corrupt it, and cause the practitioner to change views over time. For instance, if you use Dark magic to protect your sister, you will likely not feel any differently for protecting her."
"I would never hurt Holly, she's all I have!" Harry spat fiercely, making Holly look at him worriedly.
"I believe you, Mr Potter, and I have no doubt your love for your sister would make you take whatever steps needed to protect her," Bloodbringer replied. "Why are you so interested?"
Sensing the test, Harry sighed and decided to be honest. "I have been caring for Holly since the day I found her. I bathed her. I fed her. I played with her. I clothed her. And I made sure she was with me when I took her to school. I mastered some of my magical powers before I even stepped foot in Diagon Alley, and I want to continue providing for her."
"Harry," Holly's voice quavered a little. "I don't want you to turn bad just to look after me."
Harry turned to her seriously. "Holly, I don't plan on becoming evil either. But I would rather have some knowledge of the Dark Arts to protect you and to look after you. I don't want us to find ourselves in a situation where our lives are in danger. I can't stand the thought of anything happening to you," he added with a wobbly smile as some of his worst nightmares about Holly coming to harm surged to the surface.
Holly's eyes softened as she took in the fear in her brother's usually confident gaze. She knew he was terrified one day Dudley's gang would get lucky and hurt her. Dudley and the gang had learnt the hard way she was off limits, but that didn't mean they couldn't regain their confidence, especially if Harry was not around. Her brother had begun terrorising many of the residents in Little Whinging in small ways to keep her safe, and while his efforts paid off, she did not want to get him into trouble.
"Is it possible for us to make a withdrawal? My sister and I would like to see more of Diagon Alley, and buy some books to help us learn more about the magical world," Harry asked.
"Certainly, Mr Potter. Your parents likely have the vault keys; they had opened two trust vaults for the pair of you, but since we have your blood proving your identities, we can fashion new vault keys for you," Bloodbringer replied.
"Can we do that now, please?" Harry asked. "I need to take my sister exploring the magical world."
Holly grinned.
Xxxx
The siblings, escorted by their aunt, left Gringotts twenty minutes later. They were both carrying money bags and after Bloodbringer had given them the basics of the magical world's currency, they had gotten enough to spend on a splurge. They also had some non-magical money, provided by Gringotts; apparently, the goblins routinely received a lot of muggle money from muggle-borns and their parents, swapping it for the magical currency. Usually, the goblins would burn the lot, but they kept a small amount for the rare occasions wizards went out into the muggle world. Harry had merely asked for it, and they'd given him a large amount, glad to see the back of it.
Harry and Holly were both going to go shopping in the muggle world after this. Harry had made his mind up, no matter what happened, he and his sister were going to buy both magical and muggle clothes. Among other things.
"Can we visit the pet shop?" Holly bounced on her feet.
"I don't see why not, but if we want something it will have to wait," Harry smiled at her before he remembered one of the biggest problems facing them right now. "We can get something for when we leave for America."
"Oh, that could take forever!" Holly whined.
"I know, but we've still plenty of time," Harry meanwhile was looking up and down Diagon Alley. "We need trunks first."
"Will they be heavy?" Holly asked anxiously.
It was a good question, but since magic existed there might be a few ways to make it easy.
"Let's take a look," Harry replied as they both stepped into the shop.
Magical Trunks to Travel Anywhere was not what they pictured. There were trunks of various shapes and sizes, yes, but they weren't heaped around the room. Some were levitating, showcasing their various features; one trunk showed that it just had a basic lock on it, but another trunk with numerous locks showed different compartments of varying sizes inside. The lid of that particular trunk would lower, and the lock would click shut before another lock clicked open and the lid would open, revealing a whole new compartment; Holly and Harry stared, totally entranced and awed by the display of magic. They saw a library compartment, complete with a bookshelf and even a comfortable chair with a light with an ornate lampshade on it, and a small table with a gramophone player with a record playing.
"Can I help you, young sir and young miss?" The shop owner or one of the assistants asked.
"Yes, I was hoping we could buy trunks. We live, for the moment, in the muggle world. We would like trunks which are versatile enough to be taken on muggle transport," Harry said. "We would like trunks that can store our clothes and possessions in, but have more than enough room for more."
"Something like that," Holly added helpfully, pointing over her shoulder at the multi-compartment trunk they'd just seen. She liked it.
The man glanced at the trunk and nodded before he summoned and levitated a trunk with his wand and gently lowered it in front of the siblings. The trunk was a rather basic dark blue.
"This is similar to the multi-compartment trunk on display; it features six compartments of varying sizes, and it features a basic locking rune that will render it virtually indestructible to any muggle act," the man said. "Since you're both too young to set a password up and can manipulate the locking spell with a wand, the runic lock will do nicely for your purposes."
Holly stepped forwards and looked at the other compartments. "Wow, look at these steps," she said as she opened one of the compartments.
"That's the library section. The steps lead down into the library, and can store a very high volume of books," the seller explained before he turned to Harry, "and there is another rune that will allow the trunk to be shrunk down to the size of a matchbox, making it a doddle to carry, but if you decide to forego that feature once, then you'll find the trunk weighs nothing."
Harry examined the trunk before asking to see two more models before he decided to buy the original model, buying a second one for Holly. It cost them sixty galleons, but it was worth it. Their next stop was the bookshop, Flourish & Blotts.
The Potter siblings had both visited the library and the second-hand bookshops in Little Whinging, but Flourish & Blotts was nothing like them. To begin with, the shop was much larger on the inside than on the outside, reminding Harry of that classic Doctor Who episode he and Holly had seen, easily larger than any shop they had ever seen. It was full of books. Rows upon rows of books. There were thousands of them, and as they looked over the different subjects, the siblings could both see subjects jump out at them.
Transfiguration; Charms; Ancient Runes; Arithmancy; Herbology; Defence against the Dark Arts; The Dark Arts, although that section was quite small there were still books there; Potions; History of Magic; Magizoology; Enchantments; History of Magic, and many, many more.
Harry looked down at Holly, and they began taking books off of the shelves. Harry collected several Dark Arts and Defence Against the Dark Arts books and others on Charms and Transfiguration, and at least three on Ancient Runes. The subject looked fascinating.
Harry bought a copy of History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot, but he added to the collection by buying The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts, Great Wizards of the Twentieth Century. After asking one of the shop assistants, Harry included a small collection of books reserved for muggle-borns which detailed the basics of magical culture, and also a few taboos. He didn't know anything about the magical world, and he did not want to insult anyone due to his ignorance.
Selecting The Standard Book of Spells, grades 1,2,3,4,5,6, and 7, Harry also bought a few other books on everyday spells, and he selected a few books on curses and duelling arts books.
He made sure to include a few books relating to the MACUSA. He bought a book on Ilvermorny: A History of America's Hogwarts, and a copy of The History of the MACUSA.
But he found something useful. There was a section devoted to the mind arts, and from a quick scan through them, Harry found out that witches and wizards had the power to read and protect their minds. He collected two copies of Advanced Legilimency and Occlumency; Defend your mind from Attackers, Charm Your Mind, and Advanced Minds.
Harry was instantly worried; he had sworn to never become hopeless and now he found out these people could read minds, but he was delighted that he could find a way to protect his mind, and he wanted the same thing for Holly. In his mind, it was safer to know it than not to know it at all. He also selected a few Dark Arts books. One was a book titled Magick Moste Evile: A Guide to the Dark Arts.
Holly came over with her selection of books. She had focused more on magical creatures and charms while he had selected books on nearly everything. Her eyes nearly bulged at the selection.
"Wow, that's a lot of books," she commented.
"I know," Harry said as the cashier processed the books. "We have a lot of catching up to do."
Holly spotted one of the books on the history of the MACUSA and the book on Ilvermorny. "Have you gone through those yet?"
"A little," Harry admitted. "There's a few interesting parts and I saw a few things that made them interesting, but we won't have time until we get back to Privet Drive to see what they're like."
"Why did you get so many books?" Holly asked curiously.
"Because we need to learn about the magical world," Harry told her. "We've got a lot of catching up to do."
He couldn't hide the bitterness in his voice; his parents might delude themselves into thinking they were doing this for Harry and Holly's wellbeing, but to deny their heritage in this way…
But Holly frowned when she saw some of his purchases. "Harry, why did you buy those books?" There was no hiding the quaver of fear and worry in her voice.
Harry turned to her, followed her gaze and sighed when he realised she had spotted the dark arts books. "Let's talk outside," he suggested.
Escorted by their aunt after they'd paid, Harry looked down at his sister. "Holly, I don't plan on becoming a monster, not in any way. Look, my…twin," he said the word as if it was a strange foreign word, and in a way it was, "were attacked when we were just babies by a wizard who was powerful and evil. But what if there are other wizards and witches out there, who want to do us harm? Holly, you are all I have; I swore to protect you, and I heard a long time ago, there's a saying; fight fire with fire, and I believe it because I've often lashed out at the Dursleys, if I didn't we wouldn't be safe as we are now. If I hadn't, we might still be in that cupboard under the stairs."
Holly turned to their aunt, her eyes glistening with tears before turning back to Harry. "Bloodbringer's story about that dark wizard was scary, Harry," she said, "I don't want you to become evil."
Harry's heart broke when he saw the tears gleaming in Holly's eyes. Gently he wiped her tears away. "Holly, I don't plan on becoming a monster, but I think we should be prepared to fight back. Who knows what could happen? If it makes you feel any better, we could keep the dark arts books locked away, and if we need them, then we can use them?"
Holly frowned at him for a moment before she nodded. She remembered how some of Dudley's friends and some of the girls at school mocked her, slapped her, teased her, and she had been angry because it was clear she was poor and seen as a delinquent by the Dursley's snobby friends. Like her brother, Holly hated the people living in Little Whinging, and she had longed for the chance to escape.
But whenever she was slapped, it happened usually when her brother was not around, and she had always hated feeling helpless. Perhaps it would be better to learn the dark arts secretly; at least she and her brother would be protected.
"Can we talk about this later?" Holly asked.
"Sure," Harry replied, pleased that his sister wasn't making him take the books back.
"Where to now?"
Harry looked around for inspiration, and his gaze focused on a watch shop. He turned to her with a smile. "I'm going to get you a watch," he said.
Holly looked up at him. "A watch?" She blinked.
"Yeah, a watch each for the pair of us," Harry said, and he led her to the shop.
Twenty minutes later, Holly smiled as she left the shop, her new watch hanging from a chain swinging from her neck. Her new gift showed its magical self, showing different moon faces at different times. It was traditional for witches and wizards to receive a watch when they came of age, but Harry had decided to bend tradition.
Harry himself was carrying a pocket watch in his coat pocket. It was a silver watch, with a similar moon and planet motif on the watch face. Once they were finished in Diagon Alley, the Potter siblings left with their aunt and returned to Privet Drive.
