After Mrs Figg told Harry everything about how he came to live on Privet Drive with the Dursley's she went back upstairs to get some much needed rest. Hermes promised to keep an eye on things and let her know if she was needed. Harry decided to spend some time with Loki so he took him outside into the back yard.
Loki was mostly content to just curl up with Harry on the grass but every now and then he'd get up and stretch and run around. Harry could see Hermes standing vigil on the back porch. Harry tried to 'talk' to Hermes a few times but couldn't quite manage the connection. He guessed that Hermes would need to initiate contact in order for him to talk to him. He could always just talk to Hermes out loud and he'd probably understand Harry just fine but he was content to just lay there for now.
He looked up at the clouds and tried to imagine what his life was going to be like moving forward. He knew that he'd at least be staying here with Mrs Figg for the next month or so. Since the focus of the conversation had been about Harry's parents, he hadn't thought to ask Mrs Figg what what Professor Dumbledore intended to do now that he knew that Harry wasn't being taken care of properly.
It sounded like his family had been rich at one point. Maybe he'd be able to move into a giant mansion. Harry laughed. Things like that only happened in stories. It would be awkward to live here in the same neighborhood with his relatives just around the corner. He decided he'd ask Mrs Figg as soon as he got the chance.
Harry's thoughts moved to Professor Dumbledore. He sounded like a decent person that had good intentions and Mrs Figg didn't ever really talk badly about him in their earlier conversation. He wondered what the Professor taught and where. It never got brought up. Harry guessed there was a magical school somewhere so that Wizards and Witches could learn magic. His mom had learned magic somewhere, obviously, and it wasn't from her parents since she was a first generation witch.
While Harry thought about all of these things and speculated on what his life was going to be like in the future Loki was busy hunting a butterfly that was flying by. Harry laughed as he watched Loki jump after the flying insect. Suddenly, he felt that same feather light touch cross his brain. He waited in excitement for Hermes to start 'talking' but it wasn't Hermes voice in his head this time.
"If it's so easy, you try catching it!" he heard a small voice say. Harry looked from Hermes to Loki. "Loki! Are you talking to me right now?" he asked with his mind.
Loki headbutted his hand and said, "Obviously."
Harry laughed again. Amazing! Loki could talk so that must mean that he was a Bakeneko like Hermes. He scooped up Loki and cradled him to his chest.
Harry looked at Hermes on the porch. Hermes had wide eyes and his mouth was open. "Oh no," he said mentally. "Arabella is never going to let me hear the end of this."
"You mean that Loki is yours?"
"It seems so," Hermes said. "His mother and I aren't exactly exclusive…"
Harry blushed as it dawned on him that they were talking about Hermès' sex life.
Luckily, Loki interrupted the awkwardness when he said, "Hi Dad!" and ran over and tackled Hermes. Hermes, ever stoic and regal, simply leaned away awkwardly as his son tried to play.
Harry guessed that paternal instinct didn't always come naturally. From the sounds of it, Hermes probably had multiple partners and this was the first time any consequences manifested.
Loki continued to try and wrestle with Hermes and eventually wore him down, Harry was happy to see. He let them continue to play as he wondered what it would have been like to have a relationship with his father. Would James have been stiff and distant or playful and warm?
He reminded himself as he often did that the only thing he could do is move forward. It didn't do any good to dwell on what might have been. He had to play with the cards he'd been dealt. And his life wasn't so bad since it turned out he was a wizard and was escaping the Dursleys.
Harry continued to play with and observe Hermes and Loki for most of the morning. In the early afternoon, he thought he saw an owl fly into an open window upstairs. He ignored it, thinking he was seeing things. Obviously the owl flew out of sight and not into the house. A little while later, he did see the owl fly out of the window and out of sight. He hadn't imagined it after all.
It wasn't long afterwards that he heard Mrs Figg call for him to come into the kitchen. He dutifully stood up. He left the Bakeneko to continue to lounge at the base of a tree.
When he walked inside, Mrs Figg was standing in the kitchen and she was dressed to go out.
"Mrs Figg! You're not going to believe it!" Harry said. He held his sides as he caught his breath and continued, "Loki is a Bakeneko. Hermes is his dad."
Mrs Figg's jaw dropped and then she started laughing. "Oh goodness! That's great news!" She said as she walked to the back porch. "You have some explaining to do mister!" She shouted to Hermes. Hermes tail twitched in reply. "You stay home and spend time with your son while Harry and I go out! We'll have a talk later about the responsibilities of parenthood when I get back!" She said and turned back inside.
"Harry dear, how would you feel about doing some shopping?" She asked with a smile.
Harry was instantly excited by the prospect of getting his own things. "Right now?" He asked.
Mrs Figg nodded and said, "Dumbledore sent me a letter with your Gringotts key." She handed him an old fashioned key. It wasn't anything special. It was made of brass but he thought he could feel some kind of energy coming off of it. He wasn't sure he wasn't just imagining it though.
"Gringotts is the wizarding bank. Dumbledore had your key since, as the headmaster, all students without magical parents are technically wards of the school."
"That makes sense," he said. He trusted Mrs Figg and she seemed to trust Dumbledore, so he figured he could trust him by extension for now but he didn't necessarily want any sort of relationship with the man that had placed him with the Dursleys and never checked in on him.
He expected to follow Mrs Figg back towards the front door but she gestured for him to go into the sitting room. They stood in front of the fireplace and he was about to ask her what they were doing when she reached her hand into a pot on the mantelpiece and threw some black powder into the fireplace.
Green flames erupted from the fireplace and Harry yelped jumping backwards.
Mrs Figg laughed. "Dumbledore pulled some strings and had a floo installed when I moved in. It still works even though I'm non magical," she said.
Harry has recovered a bit from his shock and asked, "What's a floo?"
"Magical transportation and communication," she answered. "You can travel or call any fireplace connected to the floo. You just throw the powder in and call out the floo address you want to call. Stick your head through and you can have a chat or you can step through completely and you'll be transported."
'Wow,' thought Harry. "That's amazing!" He said out loud.
She told him a bit more about proper floo etiquette. It wasn't ok to travel through to a private floo without getting permission first but you could call almost any time. It was rude and foolish to linger in front of a fireplace after traveling so be sure to clear the area swiftly. Most magical homes had wards to keep out unwanted visitors so you couldn't just floo through in most cases anyways. Harry couldn't help but wonder if there were ways around the wards that he could exploit.
"Now," she said as she clapped her hands together. "It's important to speak clearly when you give the floo the address. Numerous witches and wizards have ended up somewhere else by accident. This time, I'll speak the floo address for you before you enter." She gestured for him to stand in front of the green flames and said, "Diagon Alley!"
Harry entered the flames expecting to feel something but it wasn't any warmer or colder. Magic really was amazing. A moment later and things started to spin. He closed his eyes. He was sure he'd be sick if it didn't end soon. As soon as he thought it, the spinning slowed and he found himself standing in a pub. He remembered to step aside just in time as Mrs Figg materialized where he was standing a second before.
The room was still spinning for Harry and Mrs Figg guided him to a seat. "First time?" A male voice asked, kindly. Harry nodded.
The voice said, "It's best that you keep your eyes open. Remember that for next time, lad."
"Thank you Tom," Mrs Figg said.
"Oh Arabella, it has been too long since you were here!" Tom said. "What brings you here today and who's this?"
Mrs Figg looked around before shushing Tom.
"I mean to keep our visit quiet, Tom. It wouldn't do to make a scene on Harry's first day in the magical world since Halloween 1981."
Tom's mouth made an 'o' as he began to understand what Mrs Figg was saying.
"I'm sorry Arabella. I didn't know." Tom said. He glanced towards Harry and stuck out his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Harry. Welcome to the Leaky Cauldron."
Harry shook Tom's hand and said, "Thanks! It's nice to meet you too.
Mrs Figg must have wanted to escape before a scene was made because she said, "Tom, can you let us through please?"
Tom nodded and led them to a back door. They were crammed into a back alley and there was a giant brick wall in front of them. Harry watched Tom take a stick out of his pocket and tap a few bricks with it. Harry thought he might be crazy but Mrs Figg seemed unphased like it was completely normal. The next thing Harry knew, the bricks were shifting and in their place was a giant archway.
"Welcome to Diagon Alley," Mrs Figg said to Harry.
Harry was gobsmacked. It felt like he was walking back in time. Eccentric witches and wizards were dressed in old fashioned robes and were walking along a cobblestone street. Shops were jammed tightly together and the street was lined with lamps that needed to be lit by hand.
Mrs Figg said thanks to Tom for them both and then took Harry's hand in hers. They began briskly walking down the alley. Harry tried to take it all in but Mrs Figg seemed to be in a hurry.
"We'll have time to look through some of the shops today but we need to go to Gringotts first and then I have a friend I'd like you to meet," Mrs Figg said.
Harry complied, but when he saw a sign that said Knockturn Alley next to a dark alley, he got chills and instantly wanted to go down there. Mrs Figg laughed at his antics but insisted he move along.
When they were outside The Magical Menagerie he became really excited. He told Mrs Figg that he wanted to get some things for Loki. Mrs Figg assented but told him, "After Gringotts."
Harry wondered if he'd be allowed another pet. He had a soft spot for animals in general and was excited to learn more about the magical sort.
They weaved in between the other shoppers until they finally reached the bank at the end of the alley. Harry could see another alley just to the side of the bank and he read a street sign that said Horizont Alley. He could see even more rows of shops down that way and he was eager to explore it later if they had time.
They climbed the white steps of the bank and reached a set of gold doors that were manned by two small creatures with green skin. The creatures had long limbs and fingers and even longer noses. They had large yellow eyes with small black iris. They wore scarlet and gold uniforms and were armed with spears but they made no attempt to stop Mrs Figg and Harry from entering. Instead, they struck the butt of their speers on the ground and the gold doors opened. "Thank you, goblins" Mrs Figg said to the pair as she and Harry entered into the foyer.
Harry wondered if she had addressed them as such for his benefit or if it was the appropriate way to address a goblin. He made a mental note to ask her later.
The foyer had benches on opposite walls for patrons to sit as they waited for their companions to finish their business. Harry saw a small girl with red hair sitting with a plump woman with hair of a similar color. He overheard the younger girl complaining about having to shop at the secondhand robe shop. The girl's mother reprimanded the girl and told her to be grateful that she had robes at all. Harry smiled at the girl as he walked by, still being led by Mrs Figg. They approached another set of doors, this time silver, and Harry saw an inscription on the doors that read:
"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."
Harry felt goosebumps on his skin and he shivered at the warning. He shook his head and a small smile came upon his lips. 'Challenge accepted,' he thought to himself. One day, he hoped to have a need to break in and overcome the obstacles the goblins were sure to have placed. He imagined it would be like a right of passage or milestone for a wizarding thief to successfully break in and rob a place like this.
Another set of goblins in the same uniform as those outside struck the butts of their spears on the ground and the set of silver doors opened as well. Harry's jaw dropped when they entered the main lobby of the bank. There were very large dome shaped vaulted ceilings with ornate windows that let the light enter from outside. The light seemed to shine off every surface. The building itself seemed to be made of precious metals and stones that were decorated with jewels of various colors. The desks and counters were made of fine quality wood that was buffed and shined to perfection. Behind the counters was a very large platform for the goblins to stand and peer down at the bank patrons, looming over them menacingly. It was intimidating and Harry was sure it was every bit intentional so that witches and wizards would know their place in the Goblins realm. Harry respected the show of power.
Mrs Figg and Harry approached one of the counters with a goblin opposite them. Mrs Figg looked up, met the goblin's eyes, and said, "Harry Potter is here to make a withdrawal." She whispered to Harry for him to show the goblin his key. Harry quickly reached into his pocket, withdrew the key, and held it up so the goblin could see. The goblin simply nodded and banged on his gavel. Another goblin approached him from behind the counter and gestured for them to follow him as he walked down a hallway. Harry saw that the platform continued throughout the bank so that the goblins and the witch and wizard were always separated and the goblin was always higher than any of the bank patrons.
Harry looked around as they walked down the hall. He could see that there were numerous goblins on patrol in every section of the bank. There were also large towers in multiple locations that were manned by goblins keeping keen watch over every corner of the bank. The security of this place was crazy and Harry began to doubt that he'd ever be able to pull anything off here. Definitely not any time soon. One of the goblins saw him looking at them and he sneered at Harry. Harry continued to look at the goblin, refusing to back down and be intimidated. The goblin smirked and then whispered something to another goblin and then they both looked down at him with smirks on their faces. Harry didn't get the joke, if there was one. He decided to continue to look around.
The goblin led them to another large room with vaulted ceilings similar to the lobby, but smaller. In the middle of the room were train tracks and several carts. The carts had benches that looked like they could fit four to five people and in the back of the cart was a goblin seated in a tall seat so that again, the goblin was higher than any of the patrons. Mrs Figg led Harry to the cart in front and they sat down. As soon as they were seated, the goblin in the tall seat behind them pulled on a lever and they descended.
As they rode down the track, Harry noticed the walls change from the fine polished stone to a rough surface and he felt like he was now inside a cave instead of a bank. They went through several twists and turns and Harry became very disoriented. He was sure that if he were left down here that he'd never get out without the help of a goblin. He and Mrs Figg were completely at the mercy of the goblins. The power they held here in the bank was extraordinary.
The ride continued for several minutes before they finally stopped at another platform. They exited the cart and the goblin exited as well on another platform above them.
The goblin they rode down with grabbed a lantern off the wall and turned it on. "Follow me," he said and he started walking down one of the various tunnels. Mrs Figg and Harry hurried to follow him. The goblin had the sole source of light down here and they had to keep up if they didn't want to get left in the pitch black. It was several minutes before they stopped again, this time in front of a large vault door that was inscribed with a very large '687' in the middle. Mrs Figg said, "Go ahead and put the key in and turn it," while pointing at a slot that Harry hadn't seen right away. He did as instructed and the door creaked open towards them. They pulled on the door together until it was wide enough for them to enter.
Lights turned on in the vault as soon as Harry walked in. Harry noted that the room was about as large as Dudley's bedroom. There were mounds of bronze, silver, and gold coins in the room. Harry was flabbergasted. All of this was his? His parents must have been very well off for them to leave him all of this.
"Go ahead and grab a few handfuls of each type of coin and put them in this." Mrs Figg said as she handed him a small coin purse. "It has some enchantments so it's bigger on the inside," she explained. Once he had put in a good amount of each type of coin, he tied the coin purse shut and Mrs Figg helped him attach it to his belt. "Good," she said. "This ought to last you at least until next year. As you can see, there is no such thing as a quick visit at Gringotts. It's best to plan ahead and withdraw enough so that you don't have to trouble the goblins more than necessary."
She turned to the goblin and asked, "Is there anything other than gold in this vault?"
The goblin nodded and pointed to the wall opposite him. Harry and Mrs Figg walked over and he saw that the wall was lined with cubbies. Some of the cubbies had rolls of parchment in them, some cubbies were still empty, and other cubbies had jewelry and other devices in them. He wandered over to the devices and Mrs Figg started to go through some of the parchment. He couldn't make sense of most of the things over here. The jewelry was obvious but he had no need for it. "Ah ha!" Mrs Figg said. "Here we go. I hoped but wasn't sure what exactly happened with the property. Let's go, Harry."
He wanted to ask what Mrs Figg was talking about but he got the sense that she didn't want to talk about it in front of the goblin. They left the vault and the door shut on its own behind them. Harry tried to process the crazy amount of money he had in the vault as they ascended back up to the bank lobby. There was so much money in his vault. More than he could comprehend. He probably wouldn't want for anything for a very long time and that was such a foreign concept to him that he didn't even know what to do with it.
When they got back up to the main lobby, Mrs Figg quickly exchanged the muggle money that Harry had stolen from Mrs Koshkov. As she did so, she explained what each of the coins were that Harry had put in his bag. The gold ones were called galleons, the silver were sickles, and the bronze were knuts. She also explained that a galleon was worth about five pounds. Once she had the money exchanged, she gave Harry half of it. Harry had tried to protest but Mrs Figg let him know that she was well taken care of and didn't need it either and that it was only fair that he get a cut since he'd done the job. Once Mrs Figg explained that they could buy muggle clothes in Diagon Alley with wizarding money, he also exchanged the money he'd lifted off Piers.
They exited the bank and made their way to one of the restaurants to get a bite to eat before tackling the rest of the shopping. As they ate their meals, Harry asked, "Mrs Figg, what was that parchment that you found at the bank?" Mrs Figg said, "I promise to tell you later when we get home. I don't want to be overheard here." Harry nodded in response and decided to just drop it for now.
They spent the early evening outfitting Harry with a wardrobe. He now had robes for every occasion and some muggle clothes in case they wanted to spend time in the muggle world. After the clothes shopping they went to the bookstore. Harry wanted to find some books about magical animals and after his experience at Gringotts, he decided it was a good idea to read up on goblins too. He found a copy of Hogwarts, a History as well as some entry level books on charms, transfiguration, potions, herbology, runes, arithmancy, and defense against the dark arts. He wasn't starting school until next year but he wanted to get a head start if he could.
He was able to talk Mrs Figg into letting him get a brewing kit so he could start practicing potions right away. Since some potions didn't require a wand at all, it wouldn't be a problem. At the very least he'd have a good understanding of how to heat the cauldron and prepare ingredients. The kit included a lot of basic ingredients that would be covered in his first year at school. He was determined to do well in school and wasn't going to let the next year go to waste before he could start at Hogwarts.
After the books and potion supplies, they were finally able to go to the The Magical Menagerie. They browsed through the store looking at various interesting creatures. Harry thought the Nifflers were really cute, but Mrs Figg said they were more trouble than they were worth and caused mass destruction wherever they went. He was still tempted to get one, but figured he'd do some reading first.
Things got interesting really quickly when Harry walked by a terrarium of runespoors and they started talking to him. When he talked back, Mrs Figg gasped and clutched her chest. When Harry looked at her, she was looking at him with wide eyes that held a little bit of fear. He was about to ask her if she was okay, when she whispered "Later!"
They decided it was time to go, but Harry went and got some food, toys, and other necessities for taking care of Loki. He had the guy working the counter shrink his supplies so he could carry everything around.
"We need to go meet with my friend now, Harry. I'm sorry to cut your visit to that particular shop short. I know you were looking forward to it," Mrs Figg said.
"It's okay Mrs Figg, I'm sure there will be a chance to come visit again. Besides, I got what I really came for," he said as he patted his pocket where the pet supplies were.
"Good, stay close to me. We're going to go down Knockturn Alley and it's not the safest part of the alley," Mrs Figg said.
Harry grinned. He was excited to go down the dark alley. Mrs Figg walked with determination and the crowds parted when they saw her. She must have a reputation, Harry thought to himself. A few of them glanced his way but when they caught Mrs Figg's eye they looked away quickly. Finally, they entered through a nondescript shop towards the middle of the alley.
The shop was dark and Harry thought no one else was here, but then he heard someone say, "Arabella Figg, it has indeed been a long time since you graced my shop with your presence. What do I owe this pleasure?"
Harry spun around towards the sound of the voice and he saw a man sitting in a chair with a tobacco pipe in his hand. The man was short and thin. For the most part he was as nondescript as his shop, except for a large scar peeking up from under the collar of his shirt.
"Hello Mundungus," Mrs Figg said with a grin. "It has indeed been too long. I'm here with Harry and I have something I could use your help with, if you have the time."
"Straight to the point I see," the man said in return. He glanced at Harry for a moment before returning his gaze to Mrs Figg. "Perhaps later, you and I can pick up where we last left off…?" he said with some suggestion. Harry balked at the implication.
"Perhaps, Mr. Fletcher, but only after you've helped resolve our problem," she said as she handed him one of the scrolls she'd found in his vault.
Mundungus smiled, showing his yellow teeth. Harry noticed some were missing. It was frighteningly disgusting, Harry thought. He couldn't fathom why Mrs Figg would have any interest in the man but she simply smiled in return. Maybe she was just putting on a good show so she could get what she needed from the man, he thought.
He unrolled the scroll and mumbled to himself as he read. His eyes grew large as he scanned the document and then he spoke, "My, my, my Arabella, this is quite the find. The deed to the Potter Manner signed over to our young Mr. Harry Potter, I see. But if you have this, then what could you possibly need from me?" he asked.
"I don't want anyone knowing of my connection to Harry so I need an alias and then I need your help filing this with the Ministry and Gringott's so we can make the transfer to Mr. Potter official. Then I need the documents sealed so no one is the wiser that Mr. Potter has claimed his Family Home. As far as anyone else will know, Harry still resides with his muggle relatives."
"That won't come cheap, Arabella, even if you actually intend to pick up where we last left off…" He said, leaving the sentence hanging. He drummed his fingers on the desk and continued, "This will cost you 1,000 galleons… and we shack up for the weekend."
"500 galleons, and we can go out for one date," she said. Harry blushed. He did not want to be here for this. He gestured to Mrs Figg that he'd prefer to wonder and she nodded. He walked around the shop, looking for something interesting. On one wall, Harry noticed several scales that were obviously rigged to cheat unsuspecting customers. Harry was intrigued by an aisle that had various vials of potions. He read the tags and found that there were truth serums, love potions, luck potions, and some poisons. Harry went to pocket one of the luck potions, but he felt a burning and then heard Mundungus shout, "Don't ye even think about it laddie." Reprimanded, he put the potion back on the shelf and shook his head. He guessed his shop was protected by magic that let him know when someone was stealing.
He moved to the next aisle which had several books. He found one that was on wards, sigils, and ancient magic that looked interesting. He found the price… "100 galleons!" he said out loud. Unbelievable! How could this book be worth that much money? He began to flip through the book instead. He found some interesting runes and a diagram titled, 'Tattoos for Enhancing Magical Sensitivity'. Now, that was interesting, thought Harry. He continued to read the description, 'Sensing magic is a lost art in today's society. Before the 16th century many mages tattooed these runes onto their hands, arms, and legs to allow them to sense magical traces left behind by other magicals. Since they didn't have an official government back then, and witches and wizards intermingled with non magical society, it was harder to identify other magic users. These runes allowed magic users to know if another mage, magical structure, or object was nearby…" That sounded pretty handy to Harry but it was probably outside his ability and he doubted he'd convince Mrs Figg to let him get tattoos.
Harry made his way back over to Mrs Figg and Mundungus. He heard Mrs Figg say, "Alright, I'll wait for your owl that the matter is resolved. As per the usual arrangement, here's half the gold up front. You'll get the rest when you finish the job and then we'll negotiate the other part of the deal."
"Sounds good, Arabella," Mundungus said. He looked over to Harry and smiled before saying, "Sorry laddie, I didn't mean fer ya to hear the adult talk. I got caught up in this lass's beauty."
Harry blushed again and both adults laughed at his expense.
"Harry, this is Mundungus. He's part of the Guild." Harry saw Mundungus head shoot up and he glared at Mrs Figg.
"You told him about the Guild!" he yelled.
"Aye, I did. I reckon he deserved to know that bit of his mother's history seeing as she can't tell him herself."
"Aye, Lily, she was a wonder," he said. He looked at Mrs Figg, "Does that mean you'll be moving forward with the plan to start recruiting at Hogwarts? Is he to be one of the fledglings?"
"That is my intention, but I haven't run it up the chain just yet. I was hoping you'd have my back on the matter?" she said.
Mundungus looked at Harry and stared into his eyes. Harry looked him back in the eyes squarely, determined not to blink or flinch. After a moment, Mundungus nodded and said, "If ye think he's fit then I'll trust your judgment. If the lads even half as capable as Lily, he'll make a fine agent I reckon."
"I agree, and he shows promise already," she said with a nod. Harry blushed at the praise. He hoped they stopped talking about him like he wasn't there soon. Though, he didn't mind being compared to his mother by people that actually knew and respected her. It was nice.
"We should go, it was nice to see you again, Dung. Thanks for your help." Mrs Figg finally said. She looked to Harry and said, go grab that book you had laddie, It's on me. Happy Birthday!"
Harry ran and grabbed the book back off the shelf and ran it over to Mundungus. The man looked it over and said, "Aye, you'll make a fine agent. You've got good instincts." He placed the book in a bag and handed it over to him.
Mrs Figg and Harry left the shop and made their way back to Diagon Alley. They grabbed dinner from one of the restaurants and Mrs Figg told him more about what his parents were like. He learned that his dad was a bit of a troublemaker at school and he and his friends caused all kinds of havoc. She did mention he was a bit of a bully in his younger years but grew out of it as he settled down a bit and when he started spending more time with Lily. His mother had been a good influence on him.
Harry soaked up everything she told him. He felt lucky to have been rescued by such a good friend as Mrs Figg, who treated him with respect and was willing to answer his many questions about his parents. Things had sure changed from just a couple days ago when he was trapped at the Dursley's.