Harry thought he had his act together, when Uncle Vernon took him off to that island in the North sea. Then he realized that he'd left all his notes on the wall. Oh, well, he thought, I can always remember them.
Hagrid was just as Harry remembered him. Warm and loving, and like a bear when angered. Uncle Vernon was, sadly, a little to adept at angering Rubeus Hagrid to see the man's gentle side.
They took the boat, and Harry, belatedly, realized that meant Hagrid was leaving the motorcycle - would Uncle Vernon really fit on it? If Hagrid had managed...
Harry, in the end, decided it didn't matter. He was just a child, after all.
The next day, Harry hit paydirt. Literally. In Gringotts, he had all the gold he ever could want. He just had to take advantage of Hagrid to get it. In his vault, Harry asked question after question - what's this? Was this from my grandparents? Hagrid would turn, and pick up even the heaviest chest. And when his back was turned, Harry would stuff gold in his socks, or his pockets. He'd stuffed them with enough batting to hope they wouldn't all clink.
Harry was a smart teenager, trying to act like an ordinary boy, baffled with the fame he'd gotten.
Harry thanked Hagrid for his owl, and managed to avoid changing anything, except for getting some ice cream. Because, surely he couldn't break the timeline by getting ice cream?
Harry thought differently, though - he could see the inherent nervousness in Malfoy's incessant drawling. A kid who isn't certain he's going to be someone his parents will be proud of.
Harry also got his first real glance at the bookstore. He hadn't realized there were so many books for kids his age! No wonder Hermione was always reading (by the time kid-Harry had gotten to know her, she'd graduated to long tomes that Harry was certain he still couldn't understand).
Harry went to sleep that night at Uncle Vernon's, thinking hard about those books. They tempted him with knowledge. Surely, if he was smarter, it wouldn't be world-wrecking, would it?
Harry's notes the next morning confirmed he did not do anything earthbreaking. He'd just gotten more money.
Still, Harry knew that money alone did nothing but rot. It was one of the only things Uncle Vernon had taught him.
Sod it all, Harry was going to get those books, even if he had to burn them before he went to Hogwarts.
Now, he just had to get there...
[a/n: Couldn't resist him getting more gold. Haven't outlined a plot for this yet, so gold's a decent security.
but as Harry says, you can't use gold without consequences.
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