Disclaimer: I own nothing other than the plot. The original concepts belong to JKR and Warner Brothers. Any concepts brought from other fictions are either coincidental or will be used in their own way, and no plagiarism is meant.
Chapter 2: Shopping in the Alley
August 1st, 1993
Diagon Alley
Harry spent a large percentage of the night thinking about the timeline, and how to influence it. He had no references to go on, especially not ones that had to do with Death sending someone's consciousness back in time, so his best hope was assuming.
First, he had to guess that no matter what, any and all prophecies would come true no matter what had happened prior to that, meaning the rat had to be presented to the DMLE and Sirius freed before the end of the year when Pettigrew was to escape. It also meant that in a few months, time would likely have shifted to the point that it was hard to predict anything other than major incidents, and even those would be changed too.
Sighing, Harry realized that this would not be anywhere near as easy as he had hoped. He knew that he was banking on a lot of different things, and that he really needed to be careful of someone reading his mind until he could protect it. His first goal was to buy new clothes that actually fit him, before going and seeing about his wand. With that in mind, he got up and tossed on a basic shirt and pants, with his worn out sneakers, before heading to breakfast. After eating, he made his way to Madam Malkins. He was pleased to see the lady herself there, as she never fawned over him like some of the younger girls.
"Ah, it is good to see you once more, Mr. Potter. What can I do for you today?" the older lady asked, smiling kindly.
"Well, I thought it was high time I bought myself a new wardrobe. I am thinking of a few sets of basic day robes, new school robes, some normal everyday clothes, shoes, and underwear. I just need someone with some amazing fashion sense to help me out, and I heard that you would be the one to ask." Harry asked, forcing himself to have a bit of confidence and charm.
"Quit trying to charm me, Mr. Potter. With an order that big, I was already planning on giving you a good discount. As for some assistance picking things out, well, that is quite simple. Follow me." Madam Malkin said.
Harry followed her through the store, and she was quite quick at picking out colors that fit him well. Grays and Reds were common, but he also got a set of robes that were blacks with a trim of green to match his eyes. She also gave him two sets of winter robes, that were slightly thicker but charmed with warming charms. He had seven new shirts, four new pairs of pants, two sets of shoes, a dozen sets of underwear and socks, and roughly two dozen other items including a new watch that was charmed to always be accurate. The stack was quite big, and at the end, Harry was astounded with how much he had.
"Where am I to store all of this?" He asked. The pile easily sat at three feet high and had boxes sitting beside it.
"Well, I would hope you have a charmed trunk with expanded compartments, but if you don't I'd heavily suggest you buy one. They are amazing, and there is a plethora of charms that can be put on one." Madam Malkin suggested. "Now, most of these aren't charmed, but I can add self-sizing charms that last about a year or three full clothing size to everything for a sickle each, and there are some other charms, like anti-wrinkle and self-drying, that are the same prices."
Harry was quick to select the sizing charm on everything, and the anti-wrinkle on some things. He knew the drying charm though and refused that one.
"Well, let me get charms applied to what you wish to wear out of here now, and you can come back in two hours to pick everything else up. Is that acceptable?" She asked.
"Of course. Can I go ahead and pay?" Harry asked. After handing over nearly a hundred galleons, he put on the set of gray robes with a matching shirt and black pants, and new shoes, and his watch, before heading out to do more shopping. He had to admit, the clothes that fit properly felt so much better than Dudley's clothes. With now knowing how fitting clothes felt, he would never go without them. Besides, thanks to his ancestors, he had plenty of money to spare.
Making his way back up the alley, he saw that Ollivander's shop was now open, and already stressed out a bit about his wand, he headed inside. Again, the wandmaker appeared from nowhere, scaring the poor not-a-thirteen-year-old halfway back to Death.
"Ah, Mr. Potter. Twelve and three quarters, with Holly and Phoenix feather. What can I do for you today?" Ollivander asked. Harry eyed the man, a worrisome thought coming to his mind.
"Will what we discuss today stay between only us, Mr. Ollivander?" Harry asked.
"Of course. Wands are a very personal thing. I would give you an oath not to mention anything that occurs today to anyone, if you so asked." the man replied.
"Well, please don't tell anyone. I am having an issue with my wand. It feels cold, like it will no longer work for me." Harry said, drawing his wand. Ollivander took it, before holding it up to his ear. After a few seconds, and swirling it a few times, he handed it back.
"Try to cast something Mr. Potter. Do not worry about the trace. It doesn't work within the Alley or in Ministry buildings." Ollivander instructed. Harry nodded, before aiming his wand at a nearby chair.
"Wingardium Leviosa." He intoned. He barely felt a reaction from the wand, and the chair only wiggled and bounced up a bit, but never lifted off of the ground completely for more than a few seconds. "I was able to levitate more before now."
"Hm. Yes, I suspected the wand would no longer work for you. I do not know why, but it is unimportant. Let us try and rematch you to a new wand." Ollivander said, walking away. Harry saw him grab nearly a dozen boxes from different shelves, before returning and laying them on the counter.
"Try some of these Mr. Potter." He said. The first was Ebony and Chinese Fireball Heartstring, and felt like a stick. The second, Willow and female Unicorn hair. Third and fourth were Ash and phoenix feather, and oak and griffin feather. The fifth and sixth were uninteresting and unresponsive, but the seventh was Yew and Chimera heartstring. It tingled slightly, and slightly levitated the chair, but didn't feel right. They went through this process with different wands for nearly fifteen minutes, and after not getting a good reaction from any others, Ollivander took them all away and brought back three more.
"If none of these garner a better reaction, we will look into making you a wand. It is rare, but I do it with exceptionally difficult customers. Worry not, your father was only a single wand away from getting one custom made, so this is not surprising." Ollivander said.
While each of the three wands had some sort of feeling to them, there wasn't an interesting reaction. Ollivander nodded, before boxing them up. "Follow me then. Let us see what we will make today."
Ollivander made his way to the back of the shop with Harry in tow. Harry watched him drop the wands onto a shelf near the back, before opening a door and entering a room that looked a lot like a workshop. On one side, there were several benches covered in tools and equipment. Harry could easily make out several different saws, engravers, and jars of polish, some that he had seen for sale in the front of the shop. There were other instruments that Harry didn't recognize though, and though they looked interesting, Harry wasn't about to ask what they did. The other side had two rows of shelves, each with jars and other items holding what Harry guessed to be ingredients for wands, both wood blocks, and cores. The entire room smelled heavily of wood polish, wood dust, and preservatives for ingredients, much like the smell in the Potions storeroom in the Dungeons at Hogwarts. Ollivander guided him over to the side with the ingredients, before having him stop.
"Alright, now, this may take some time, and you should not rush this process, as it matters greatly. Do you understand?" Ollivander said, oddly serious and clear compared to normal. Harry nodded, allowing the man to continue.
"First, we are going to discover what wood will be used for your wand. Hogwarts, unfortunately, does not teach this ability anymore, so I will teach you it. First, you must close your eyes. Now, do you remember the feeling when you casted spells? How the magic moved through your body and down your arm. How the warmth tingled across your fingers before it left into the wand?" He said. Harry nodded with his eyes closed, as he felt his magic moving through him. It was a new feeling, one that he only ever felt mildly when he was using his patronus or pushing magic into spells.
"Good, now, I want you to use that feeling and walk down the row of woods. You will drag your fingers across each block and you will do it slowly. Repeat this twice, and find what reacts to your magic the best. Grab the block that reacts the strongest." Ollivander instructed, as he moved Harry over to where the blocks were, guiding him with his shoulders.
Harry felt the first block of wood under his fingers, and had no reaction to it. Slowly, he walked down the line, occasionally feeling a slight warmth or coldness from the woods. Only one did he feel moderate warmth from, a bit less than the first time he held his Holly wand. He raised his hand and felt for the second shelf. After finding it, he began the walk back to the other end, and made it almost, he assumed, to the other end.
The instant his fingers moved from the block before it, to the next block, he felt the nearly burning heat across his fingertips. It was hot, but it was comfortable, like a hot shower that was the perfect temperature, except the heat was in his skin and blood, and spreading through his arm. He also felt something else, a feeling of excitement and daring, though he didn't understand it. Perhaps this is what Ollivander was capable of feeling, and it was something he developed in order to make and sell wands?
He had to stop himself from grabbing the block, and continued walking the rest of the shelf. Following Ollivanders instructions, he made a second pass, before finding what he assumed was the same block. He grabbed it, before dragging his fingers across the last few. Once he had, he opened his eyes and saw a dark wood that looked nearly identical to the ebony wand he tried earlier.
"I would assume that is the one that reacted the best, Mr. Potter?" Ollivander asked. Harry nodded.
"It feels extremely hot, and yet it feels perfect." Harry said quietly, staring at the block.
This answer didn't seem abnormal as the odd wizard nodded, "Good good. Now, onto the core. Hold that block in your off hand, while doing exactly the same thing."
Harry nodded, and began the process over once more, this time feeling glass vials and small glass boxes, each varying in size, over and over again. He felt a number of mildly warm ones, and some that were about the same as the Holly wand when he got it, but each had a slight wrongness to them. He made it to the third shelf before feeling something nearly identical to the wood in his other hand. He stopped, gauging the feeling. It felt perfect, warmth spreading over to his other arm, and it almost felt… eager… and like it was excited?
Again, Harry resisted the urge to take whatever was in the vial, and instead forced himself to continue. At the end of the row, he jerked his hand away, feeling something that was cold, and that disliked him very much. It was odd, and Harry didn't bother to check that vial again, instead, lowering his hand back to the first row. Again, he felt the same things, though now he also seemed to understand what he was feeling better. After checking them a second time, he grabbed the one that gave him such a positive feeling, and opened his eyes.
Inside the vial was a single large feather, and the feather was almost entirely black, other than a hue of purple appearing at the end.
He looked up to see shock and eagerness on the wandmaker's face, "What is it?"
"Well, let us go over what you have grabbed, starting with the wood. The wood is a variant of Ash wood, darker than normal Ash. It was harvested from an older Ash tree in the Forest of Dean, and it had a surprisingly large number of Bowtruckles in it. I remember it because it was a hassle to get them to allow me to harvest the two pieces I was granted." Ollivander said with a chuckle.
"Now, your second ingredient is far more curious. In fact, it is the only one of that item I have. I got it from a Thunderbird in the Northern Pennines. The most curious thing was that the Thunderbird was black and purple in color. While I have gotten a number of feathers from Thunderbirds that are blue and silver, I had never heard or seen a black and purple Thunderbird. Thunderbirds in general are incredibly rare and secluded, which made it even more surprising that I saw one at all. Even its lightning was vastly different, brighter and it even had a purple tint to it. It was by a miracle I got that feather, and I chose to never use it in a wand unless it called for someone."
The old wandmaker hesitated for a moment, before speaking, "Would you care to tell me what you feel from it?" Ollivander said, his curiousness and oddness increasing as he reached the end.
"Um, the first time I felt warmth, and eagerness, but it seems to be even more the longer I've held it, like it is giving me confidence and like it is possibly eager to fight. I am not sure what to make of it, but it feels perfect." Harry responded, feeling awkward about his answer.
Ollivander didn't seem fazed by it though, just nodding instead. "Well, it is most interesting. Hand over the ingredients, and give me about an hour to make your wand. As it is still early in the month, the shop isn't busy so I will close and make it on a rushed basis. The only thing I will need is seven drops of blood. This will help tell me the stabilizing agent for the wand, along with the wand's diameter and length."
"Alright. I've got some other shopping to do, so it is no big deal." Harry replied. After dropping the bit of blood needed into the vial, and Ollivander swearing that any remaining blood would be properly destroyed, Harry left.
He made his way to the trunk shop Madam Malkin had mentioned. After looking around some, Harry found a trunk that physically looked identical to his own, but was meant to have three compartments, one for books and writing items, another as a closet, and a third that was twice the size of a normal trunk, and completely open for anything he might store in it. It was also charmed to be featherlight, one tap shrinking and unshrinking, fireproof, unbreaking, and unsummonable. On top of that, it had a magical signature lock on it that was designed to only open for the person it was set to.
The owner was skeptical about a child attempting to purchase a trunk that was so expensive, but quickly agreed when Harry pulled out his bag of coins, and counted out the nearly four hundred galleons that was the cost of it. Harry, having learned how much money that was, realized that he spent a little more than fifty five hundred pounds on the trunk, as a galleon was equal to roughly fifteen pounds.
After having the trunk's locks set to himself, and shrinking the trunk, he made his way to Madam Malkins, where his clothes were ready to pick up. One of the assistants was happy to help him pack everything into the closet compartment, and Harry tipped her two galleons for helping him. She was shocked, but only said thank you before walking away.
He glanced at his watch and saw he still had a bit of time before Ollivander would be ready for him to pick up his wand, so he made his way back to the Leaky Cauldron for lunch. After eating, he made his way back to Ollivanders, and only had to wait for him a few minutes as he finished up with another customer, before calling Harry up from the corner of the shop.
"Ah, I see you are quite nervous to get your wand." Ollivander said, reaching under the counter and grabbing a single box. Harry watched in eagerness as he sat the box down on the table, going far too slowly for his liking.
"Alright. Now, your wand was the most curious thing, as it required a golden flaked stabilizing agent, instead of the normal silver that I use on everyday wands. Rare, but it is interesting. Now, made of Dark Ash and Black Thunderbird feather, at exactly thirteen inches in length, I present to you your new wand, Mr. Potter." Ollivander said dramatically, lifting the cover off of it.
Harry stared at it, as the wand itself looked quite impeccable. Perfectly smooth, with a ring signifying where the handle ended, it had small shimmers of gold across it, with a small set of engraving in the hilt. Harry looked up at the wandmaker, wondering what they meant. "What are the engravings?"
"Well, you have not taken Ancient Runes yet, but the engravings are runes, the first set of two makes the wand resistant to breaking, while the second set is meant to prevent the wand from being burned. I don't do this on every wand, but you may thank the day that it has been done." Ollivander responded, before gesturing to the wand, "Pick it up, Mr. Potter, and see how it feels."
Harry reached out, and slowly pulled the wand from its box. He was momentarily breathless as the wand seemed to warm his whole body, and even the air around him. He felt confident, ready to face the world a second time. Purple and green sparks flew from the end of the wand, before a small burst of green lightning shot from the end of the wand. It arced across the surface of the counter, scorching the surface before the entire counter seemed to clean and repair itself, only leaving what would be the equivalent of a scar on the surface from the lightning.
Olivander was stunned speechless by the display the young wizard was putting on. He had seen a lot of wand bondings before, and several failed bonding, but this was different. The reaction the wand gave was interesting, though he appreciated his counter being fixed. However, it was the boy in front of him that was incredible. Harry Potter was powerful, already equal to an adult wizard. His eyes were glowing a bright green and Ollivander saw the potential he had.
'To manifest such an aura at a young age…' Ollivander thought.
As everything seemed to calm down, Harry looked from the wand to the maker, "Thank you. It feels… perfect." Harry voiced quietly.
"I daresay there will never be a better match. Now, unlike with your Holly wand, I expect you to care for this one better. Polish and clean it regularly, preferably every month, and store it in a holster. I am taking a few risks with you Mr. Potter." Ollivander said, sitting several things onto the counter.
"This is a Hit-wizard's wand holster. Though it has the same features as a normal holster, which is quick ejecting or draw-set, and sticky to the arm, it is also charmed to make the wand unsummonable, and it is meant to be disillusioned and nearly undetectable. It won't be seen by the average witch or wizard, and muggles won't see it either. Do not tell anyone I gave you this, as I am not supposed to distribute these freely. Along with that, I will not be keeping your Holly wand. I daresay that it will have its uses for you later. Lastly, your Ash wand has not, nor will I sully it with the Ministry's trace. While that means you are free to use it, I expect you to be careful of the Statute of Secrecy." Ollivander explained seriously.
Harry was confused at why the man would take such a risk for him. After all, he didn't know Ollivander very well, now or before. "Why do all of this for me Mr. Ollivander?"
The man scrunched his face up, before speaking quietly, "I have a small amount of the sight in me, Mr. Potter. I do not know what it is, but I know that there is a destiny on your shoulders, a destiny that has changed. I believe this is me doing my part in ensuring you have what you need to succeed. Please, do not let me or the rest of us down."
Harry nodded, not sure what to make of it, and deciding not to ask any question, he asked for the price. His jaw dropped when Ollivander said the price, a hefty two hundred and twenty galleons.
"Your wand was very custom, and so are the holsters." Ollivander explained.
Harry just shook his head and pulled out five of the fifty rolls of galleons. "Consider it a good tip for such an amazing service you provided me." Harry said, as the man tried to refuse the extra gold. He looked at Harry for a moment, before nodding and sitting the rolls somewhere under the counter. He helped him get the holster on, and taught him how to catch the wand using the quick-release or change it to sit on his off hand and be used as a sheathe. As Harry walked to the door, he spoke one last time.
"Mr. Potter, I swear silence on what business we have done today, may I never tell anyone without your presence." He spoke. Harry felt something in the air, and after registering what Ollivander meant, he thanked him, before making his way out of the shop.
Harry took a minute to gather himself, shocked at what had transpired. He hoped this wouldn't change the future too much. That was a lot of difference from his first time, and certainly different from when he ever saw the wandmaker. Deciding to never re-enter the shop unless he had to, he made his way to Flourish and Blotts.
The trip to the bookshop was rather productive, and while the shop lacked some of the books that he knew he needed, he was pleased with what he had gotten. Four books were on advanced combat based magics and dueling, along with a book on elemental magic and another on battle transfiguration. He also got three books for potions, determined to understand the subject better.
Slughorn, despite his quirks, was an amazing teacher, and had reignited Harry's passion for the subject.
As the cashier finished ringing up Harry's total, Harry asked where he might be able to find a used book store, and was pleased to hear that there was one at the entrance to Knockturn Alley. He still needed a book on Occlumency, and it couldn't hurt to see what older books were out there. The cashier boxed everything Harry purchased up, before shrinking it. After giving him the instructions on how to undo it, Harry left to find the other bookstore.
It took him some time, but he was unsurprised that he actually had to enter Knockturn alley in order to enter the shop. It was a small, rundown shop called Old Pages, and apparently, it dealt in used books and old collector books. After entering the shop, he began to wander, and was unsurprised to see some of the tomes that were in the restricted section for sale, some priced at over a hundred galleons. When you compare that to the cost of a normal new book at roughly a galleon and some sickles, it was a lot.
After some time, Harry found a book that looked useful, and flicked through it. Magics of the Mind. It didn't have an author listed, but it went deeply into both Legilimency and Occlumency. It was almost exactly what Harry had been looking for. Harry frowned as he thought. 'Was legilimency something I wanted to learn?'
It had its uses, and was easily something that could make a duel more balanced if you were to catch the person's thoughts. He shook his head, knowing that it would be a while before he would make that decision.
Searching around a bit more, he found a few other books that could be useful, but he decided to wait. He couldn't afford people to find out that he was purchasing so many books that were likely questionable in nature, and instead only bought the book he needed the most. The book cost him seventy galleons, but it would be worth it.
He made one last stop at the apothecary to buy new potion ingredients and tools, but once he had done so, he made his way back to the Leaky Cauldron. He had some time before dinner, so instead, he spent some time reorganizing his trunk to fit better. He made sure to keep all of the riskier books in his new trunk, while leaving everything meant for school in his old one. He vanished most of his potions equipment, as well as his old clothes, pleased with the feeling of his magic and his wand. If anyone asked about the new clothes, the Dursleys forced him to get new clothes to make themselves look better.
After a good dinner, involving a beef stew and a butterbeer, he made his way back to his room, where he began the painstaking task of learning to protect his mind.
Chapter Length: 4463