Chapter Text
Harry looked around the cramped little alley that the enormous man beside him had called diagon. It was amazing despite the crowding, there was simply so much to see and so many things he wanted to get an even closer look at. However without knowing more about how these shops protected their wares he couldn’t just nick anything and he had no money. So real exploration would have to wait.
“Come on Harry keep up, just ahead here.” The giant of a man who called himself Hagrid called and Harry noticed that he had fallen behind as he gazed around. Jogging a bit he caught up quickly.
“So where are we headed sir?”
“No need to call me sir Harry,” the man said with a smile, “just Hagrid will do. And we’re going to Gringotts. Wizards bank to get yer shopping money.”
“But sir, I don’t have any money. You heard Uncle Vernon, he won’t pay.”
Shaking his head a bit Hagrid laughed softly. “Harry do you really think yer parents left ya nothin’? You’ll see come on then.”
And he led the way up the stairs of a large marble building with a queer warning to thieves on the side of it. At the door stood a short green skinned thing holding a short halberd and grinning wickedly at the two of them.
“Yep, that’s a goblin.” Hagrid stated as they strode across the main room of the bank.
Harry was again staring around in wonder. Dozens of the short wicked looking creatures were hurrying about at various tasks. Some were standing about holding the same short halberds as the one outside, others had short swords at their hips. Nearly all had curved daggers hanging from their belts. Most were seated at desks sorting stacks of what looked like gold coins, piles of gemstones, and various bits of paperwork, though the paper looked wrong somehow.
Hagrid led him up to one of the goblins at a desk. “Hallo, Harry Potter would like to visit his vault.”
The goblin leaned forward and smiled a toothy grin at Harry, “and does Harry Potter have his key?”
“Oh, should have it here somewhere.” Hagrid pulled a dozen things out of his coat pockets including several live mice before finally laying a small gold key on the desk. “There you are.”
The goblin picked up the key and peered closely at it. “Yes that seems in order.” It looked across the room to a line of goblins standing next to a large iron door. “Griphook” it yelled and another goblin jogged over. “Take mister Potter to his vault.”
Before the goblin could respond Hagrid spoke up again, “Ah yes I also have some Hogwarts business. It’s about you know what in vault you know which.” With these cryptic words he handed over a letter which the goblin read quickly and then waved his hand. “Griphook will take you.” And then he turned to the next customer in line and they turned to follow the new goblin, Griphook.
A speedy and stomach wrenching cart ride later and Harry was staring in open mouthed wonder at a pile of gold coins almost as tall as himself. “And this is all mine?”
“Of course Harry.” Hagrid grinned at him and slapped one meaty hand on his shoulder, sending him tumbling into the pile.
After a few quick questions about how much was actually there and how much he could take in a single trip, Harry gathered up a bunch of coins and they were off again.
Hagrid gathered a small package from a second vault before they returned to the alley.
“Ah if you don’t mind Harry I’m gonna head over to the leaky for a pint. I hate them Gringotts carts. I’ll meet back up with you in a bit to get yer wand.”
“Sure thing sir, I’ll be careful.” Inside Harry was doing a little happy dance. This would give him a chance to explore by himself and learn a few things without having to hide his goals. He wasn’t sure yet what to make of Hagrid. On the one hand he did tell him some things he’d been wondering about for years, things about his parents and the odd things that sometimes happened around him. Even better he got him away from the Dursley's. Really away for the first time ever.
As he strolled down the alley glancing at shops debating what to look at first, he thought back on his various attempts to escape the Dursley's.
Dozens, if not hundreds of times he had run away from those worthless excuses for human beings. And every time someone had dragged him back. Bobby’s on patrol had led him back protesting, looked around the house promised to help and then never returned. Teachers at school had seen the bruises promised to get him away and then done nothing. Even the occasional school nurse had said clearly that they would send information on his mistreatment to the authorities, and still nothing ever happened. Adults could clearly not be trusted.
And now here was Hagrid who had explained that he had helped put him in that hell hole. Sure he’d gotten Harry away from them, but then if he’d helped place him there in the first place, he must know how. And Hagrid had mentioned a professor Dumbledore who was also involved. This would take some thinking.
As he came to the end of his pondering he reached a shop advertising trunks for school and other travel needs. Something to carry his purchases in would be a good place to start.
Inside the store Harry was struck by the assortment on offer. The standard school trunk was on display up front, short, squat, and flat. Very bland in design, with a plate on the front which looked like it could be engraved.
As he looked over the trunk a salesperson sidled up and began to speak.
“Good morning young sir, getting ready for Hogwarts? I can answer any questions and help you find the perfect trunk for your needs.”
“Is this the only style you have? I was hoping for something a little more lively.”
“Ah, a stylish young man. Well let’s start with the look you want. Right over here we have a variety of styles to choose from.” He was right about variety, there were a dozen different styles of trunk lined up on shelves along one wall. Short ones, long ones, flat, round top, even one that looked rather like a rugby ball. After looking them over for a few minutes Harry decided on a simple steamer trunk design that he thought would work well for him.
“Excellent a fine choice. Now for the really important part which enchantments would you like on it?”
“Can you tell me about the kinds of enchantments you can place on it?”
“Certainly, I would recommend a featherlight charm, and of course an expansion charm. We can also include multiple compartments if you like.”
“Multiple compartments, do you have a model on display with that option so I can get an idea of what I can do with that?”
“Right over here.” The model in question was set up on the back wall, it had four compartments each of a different size. The first was just slightly bigger than the size of the trunk would indicate. The second compartment was roughly the size of a small closet. The third opened onto a space roughly ten feet on a side. And the final compartment was nearly thirty feet on a side, though still only about ten feet high.
“Wow, that’s more than I thought it would be.” Harry stood in thought for several long breaths. “Can you do three compartments, two closet size and one ten by ten?”
“We certainly can. It will take a couple hours to do the enchanting on your trunk choice. If you’re in a hurry we do have a few on hand with those specifications.”
“That’s ok, I can come back in a couple hours to pick up the trunk easily enough.”
“Excellent, just a little paperwork to get things moving. Oh, you asked for advice. You might consider a shrinking enchantment for ease of carry. Simply tap your wand on one of two runes or symbols to shrink it down and then the other to return it to full size. You will likely also want to get a backpack for carrying your books and notes around the school. I would recommend the shop next door. They use a set of enchantments which won’t interfere with those on your trunk. That way you can carry your pack in your trunk, or vice versa without worry. It isn’t always an issue, however some space enhancing enchantments interfere with each other. The interference can be explosive. Just a bit of advice.”
After filling out some paperwork and paying for the trunk Harry headed next door to pick out a backpack. This turned out to be quite simple and Harry was soon headed towards Madam Malkin's robes for all occasions with a brand new simple brown satchel with feather, extension, and shrinking enchantments hung from his shoulder.
At Madam Malkin's Harry was immediately struck by the wide array of fabrics and colors. The shop looked a bit like a rainbow had exploded on a fabric cart. The colors were all jumbled together, greens, purples, reds, yellows, blues, and so on. The fabric choices were just as jumbled, linen, cotton, canvas, silk, leather, and even a soft shimmery fabric that Harry couldn’t identify.
“Hogwarts dear?” Said a portly woman as he admired the cloth. “Won’t be in that stuff dearie. Hogwarts uniforms are required to be in a simple black linen. Although you can choose between closed or open robes. Closed are traditional, however most prefer open these days, more comfortable. Do you know your preference?”
“Umm, no ma’am. I’ve never worn robes before. Can I try both to see which I like more?”
“Of course dear, of course.” These words were accompanied by a broad smile that lit the woman's face. She almost looked motherly in that moment. “Here, climb up on here and we’ll get your measurements.” She indicated a small footstool which Harry stood on while the friendly witch took notes as a tape measure flew around measuring him.
Harry decided to get both open and closed robes so he would have options. He figured that he might want to switch occasionally.
Regrettably the shop only carried wizarding styles so he would have to go elsewhere to get some new clothes in a more normal style. That would have to wait until later though.
The rest of his school supplies were determinedly less interesting to shop for, though he still had fun tracking them all down, and even had a short adventure gathering his potion supplies. He hadn’t returned to get his trunk at that point and it turned out there were more ingredients and tools than he could easily carry. In the end he left his purchases at the shop so he could pick up his trunk then returned for the potions equipment.
His next adventure of the day came at Ollivander's. According to the sign they had been providing fine wands since before Britain was Britain.
“Ah, mister Potter. I was wondering when I would see you.” The voice was quavering and cracked as though it came from someone unused to speaking. The man behind the counter who apparently was the owner of that ancient sounding voice, was nearly as old as he sounded. He had short, frizzy gray hair, and a carved wrinkly face. He came out from behind the counter and seemed to be inspecting Harry. “Yes, it seems like only yesterday when your father and mother were in here buying their own first wands. Your mother found a nice willow wand, ten and a quarter inches, swishy, nice wand for charms work. Your father selected a mahogany wand eleven inches, pliable, excellent for transfiguration. Well, I say that though it is really the wand that chooses the wizard. But let’s see which wand will choose you, shall we?”
Harry tried not to jump away from the man. He was a bit creepy, and his wide silver eyes refused to blink. Harry had the impression that this man was looking through him. Which unnerved the young man.
Ollivander, at least Harry assumed this was Ollivander, wandered to a pile of slim boxes and selected several. “Somewhere in here is the wand for you, I guarantee it. Here try this one.” And he handed Harry a slender wand. “Willow, and unicorn hair, go on give it a flick.”
Harry waived the wand, but before it finished moving Ollivander yanked it from his hand. “Nope, not that one, here try this.”
Harry tried, and tried, and then tried again. But none of the wands mister Ollivander handed him seemed to work. “Tricky customer ‘ey. No matter we’ll find the match for you yet.” And he went into a back room, and returned with yet another pile of boxes. Sorting through them he stopped and lifted one. “Why not? Unusual combination, holly and phoenix feather. Go ahead.”
Gripping the wand firmly Harry swiped it down. A trail of blue and silver sparks lit from the wand and left an after trail in the air, much like the sparklers he had seen at the fair.
“Ah yes indeed, yes indeed. Excellent. Curious though, most curious.”
“What’s curious?” Harry asked, half expecting to learn that this wand marked him as unusual in some significant way.
“I have a perfect memory for wands mister Potter. I remember every wand I’ve ever sold. And it just so happens that the phoenix whose tail feather is in your wand, gave just one other. It seems curious that you should be destined for this wand, when it’s brother gave you that scar.”
Harry was struck speechless by this announcement. What did it mean, he wondered.
“Yes, very mysterious. It seems mister Potter that we must expect great things from you. After all, he who must not be named did great things, terrible yes, but great.”
Harry paid for his wand and left as quickly as he could without seeming rude.
One more stop he thought as he moved to the center of the alley to soak up the warm sunlight. After the news he had gotten in Ollivander's he was feeling distinctly chilled. He had spotted a magical camp store earlier near the trunk and pack stores. He had decided to put it off until his school shopping was finished. However, he felt that he needed something to distract and calm him after the visit to Ollivander's.
The camp store turned out to be a great find, if a little less stocked than he had expected. He was familiar enough with non-magical camp stores. Full of various tents sleeping bags, and all the tools and comforts to make camping both comfortable and fun. Here though, there were tents, and a few tools. He saw some ropes, and spare tent pegs, but nothing else. Curious he went to inspect the tent they had set up in the middle of the shop.
He soon learned why they didn’t have anything else on display. Inside the tent was huge. There were three bedrooms, a separate kitchen and dining area, even a washroom complete with a magical toilet and bathtub.
As he was exploring the tent a salesperson found him. “Good afternoon young sir. How can we help you today?” The sales wizard looked a bit bored, his dull brown eyes kept wandering off.
“Well sir, I haven’t seen a tent like this before. Is this the standard design?” Harry smiled at the young man, hoping to get his attention. He was very interested in these magical tents. If he could afford one he could use it as a place to stay until he could get a house of his own.
The man however sighed heavily as though he was bothered by having to answer questions. “This is our floor model. We have several styles available, and we can build one to suit your needs if you wish. The basic model comes with only the one space, large of course. Kitchen and dining area to one side, space for beds along the back wall. It costs fifty galleons. Models obviously increase in cost the more you want.
Harry tried not to gulp. That was almost half the money he had taken out of his vault. If he wanted one of the fancier models he would need to get more. On the other hand, he could get the simple model and then pick up anything else he might need later. Some of it even from non-magical stores. Nodding thoughtfully he agreed with himself. A few minutes later he had his new tent and a catalog of other options he could order later.
Finally he had only one place left to visit. The bookstore, which he had intentionally left for last so as to give himself as much time as possible to browse. While he had a list of required books, he wanted to pick up a few extra for background information, and other subjects not covered by his list.
At Flourish and Blotts he ran back into Hagrid who was looking a bit frantic. “Ah there you are Harry. Thought I’d lost you, been looking all up and down the alley. Well yer here now, ready to get yer books?”
Harry pulled open the door and motioned for Hagrid to enter ahead of him. Several minutes later Harry was getting frustrated. Hagrid kept steering him away from interesting looking titles and pushing him to just get the required books. After several failed attempts to grab a title not on the list he gave up and made a mental note to return later without the interfering giant. At the register he ran into a new problem. Apparently he had gone a bit overboard with his shopping and the coins he had left were not enough to cover his books. Fortunately the friendly book seller explained how to sign a bank draft which the store could exchange at Gringotts.
A grateful Harry quickly signed the draft and loaded his new books into his bag.
Finally it was time for his last task of the day. Ditching the gamekeeper before he was dragged back to the Dursley's. This proved to be a great deal easier than he expected, as Hagrid simply dropped him off at the train station with instructions on which train would get him back to Little Whinging.
Smiling at his luck he grabbed a map of the city from the visitors rack and headed to the nearest large park.