Chapter 7
~Eggmanland, Waterpark section~
Harry was having a great birthday. Chocolate cake, jet boots and going to an amusement park without ever standing in line for something. He was definitely living the dream.
Using the shoes to cruise over the water, hunting robo-pirates with a high pressure water gun was definitely the most fun he had in a while, that's saying something giving all the rides and slides he had just in the last hours.
But in the back of his mind there are thoughts. "Hogwarts", a magical world to explore, a world far from home, far from all he has known all his live.
Harry dived down, going under the water the water beam that came from the pirate ships cannon, firing one right back at them, striking the robot in the shoulder.
'According to uncle Ivo they still life in the victorian area with they newest technology being radio' a boosted jump over another shot, 'And how will I even gain the trust from an entire civilization? I mean, uncle managed it once, but he's him and I'm only...' The water beam this narrowly missed his right side, Harry could swear he almost feeled the water, 'And I'm supposed to do all alone. What if I suck at magic? What if there just don't like for being different? What if I'm...' this time the water hit him in the belly, destroying all ballance and making fall into the water.
"Not good enough." the robots pirate captain mocked only be hit by Harry's beam in the face.
Harry, drenched and disappointed at himself gets out the water, frustrated that he let his own nervousness ruin this game of "Pirate Hunter"
"So... might telling me what had you distracted?" He uncle stood before him with a towel.
Drying himself off, Harry starts "I'm just over thinking." "About Hogwarts." The boy nodded.
Eggman ruffled his hair and gave him a reassuring smile, "Don't overwork your brain on it, if all fails we just do it the old fashion way."
His nephew look up to him, with a matching grin, "You mean marching in with an army of robots and just taking over?"
"Yes that one, but you know why that's the contingency plan, right?" Eggman asked like a teacher making sure his student understood the formula.
"Because of too many unknown factors, like their numbers, ability, locations." The boys uncle ruffled his hair. "And so you can learn more about your magic... and perhaps socialize a bit." Eggman though to himself 'Sometimes I worry that I raise you too isolated, how will you be an world conquering overlord when you have no idea how to talk to people, let alone charm the masses?'
The good doctor pushed his glasses up his nose, "Now make yourself decent, you wouldn't want to go to this "Diagon alley" just wearing swimming trunks, wouldn't you?"
Harry gave him a disdain look that was betrayed by his small smile, "Very funny, uncle."
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~London~
The police officer closed his eyes and open them, "Yup, still there."
His eyes were on an U.F.O., parked in front of a bar that he couldn't bring himself to really pay attention to. Just minutes ago reports came in about an unknown vessel entering british airspace and here it is, park like it's just another car.
"I don't get pay enough for this shit." He proceeded to simply give an ticket for wrong parking on the Eggmobile and go on with his day.
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~Inside the Leaky Cauldron~
Eggman look around with an the bar, it looks dusty, dimly light, with a medieval theme, the complete opposite of his own style, "Are you sure this is the place, Harry?"
The boy gave an affirmative nod, "It said "Go through the Leaky Cauldron to get to the Diagon alley" so yeah, it should be the place." Both of them walked to the bartender.
Putting on his most friendly face, the doctor gave a fake cough to get the mans attention, "Hello there, good man, we are here to get to the place called "Diagon alley". We, my nephew and I, were informed that the entrance is through this... fine establishment."
If the bartender noticed the forced tone of the last words he didn't show it, too focused on the younger of the duo, "That hair... those eyes... tell me... do you have the lightning scar?"
Harry took a step back, clearly uncomfortable with this kind of attention. Eggman took a step between him and the man, "My apologies, I was asking for the Diagon alley." His tone was less friendly than before.
The bartender caught himself, "Oh right, I'm sorry, it's just that he looks just like the boy-that-lived," an raised eyebrow was all he got on that, "Y-yeah, Diagon alley, right, just follow me."
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Diagon alley was many things.
Crowded, colorful, noisy, filled with many curious shops and people.
But most of all, magical and actually diagonally.
'Must be troublesome caring something to the other end of the street.' Eggman looked down to his side where a wide eyed Harry took in the wonders before him.
"I would recommend going to Gringotts first, it's the big building by the end of the road, can't miss it." With one last look on Harrys forehead the bartender has gone back to his business.
Ivo looked to the building, it was big, standing in a stark contrast with its surroundings for its colorless and no nonsense architecture.
Walking up the alley to the bank, Harry took in what it had to offer, marveling on the textbook witchcraft equipment that was for sell, the various magician wearing colorful robes and pointie hats.
Only few stood out, from the shops an ice-cream one and an old, dusty one called "Olivanders".
From the people, a group of 3, a set of parents and their daughter, who wore clothes normal for non-magicals,
A mother and her son, wearing victorian noble style attire, a nervous boy and his stern looking grandmother.
"Harry, you're coming?" The boy looked to his uncle, who was already a few shops ahead. Nodding and rushing to him, "Sorry, this place is just so different from everything I seen before." He looked at Eggman. "Why aren't you amazed by all of this?"
"When you saw space, creatures that can bring the end of the world or even of time itself, let alone that I fight a physics breaking hedgehog once a month."
"I guess if you put that way, it does make this more... ordinary." Noticing that his nephew enthusiasm was shot down by his words he sighed, 'Great work, Ivo.' He thought to himself while trying to come up with something to cheer his nephew back up.
But before he got the chance to they were approached by a blond, dreamy eyed man, "My apologies, sir, I couldn't help but overhear your words and notice that you do look like the man from the muggle news, so I just have to ask.
Are you doctor Eggman?"
Ivo smile, straighten his clothes, "So my genius is even known in this isolated civilization?" "Oh... no," Eggman smile drops in record time, the man just continued, "I'm one of the few who would know. You see most wizard's are filled with Wrackspurts that confuse them and make them focus on things like "most charming smiles" an other nonsense like the latest addition to someone gallery."
The scientist look down at Harry, silently asking if he heard the man correctly, Harry look just as bewildered, meaning, yes, he did hear him correctly.
"Ah, the nargles must have stolen my manners. Xenophilius Lovegood, from the Quibbler, and I would like to interview you, Doctor Eggman." Eggman eyed the man up and down.
"Can we do that later? My nephew and I still have to get his school supplies." Lovegood nodded eagerly, "Yes, of course, I still have to run a few errands myself and ask for people about the Thunder-conspiracy.
We meet in a few hours inside the Cauldron, okay?" Before getting an answer the man was already skipping on his mary way.
"That was... bizarre." said Harry out loud, Eggman just nodded, "Let's just go inside the bank before any more come to us."
The inside of the bank was as one imagine a bank, filled with people who want to conduct their business and then leave to do more fun things life has to offer.
"What business do you have?" The goblin who asked looked down at the customers.
Eggman stared straight back into his eyes, Harry, meanwhile looked to the chandelier, wondering if they could have something like this at home.
"Withdrawal from the Potter vault."
"Key?" Ivo pulled the key out his pocket and showed to the clerk.
The goblin twirled the key in his hands, expecting it throughout, "Yes, this is key from Gringotts. Crawlhook!" another goblin came from the door behind. "Take this key and those two to the vault it belongs to!"
Crawlhook nodded and gestures the pair to follow him to a mine-cart, "In case you vomit, do it outside the cart."
The minecart started slow but speeded up immensely, soon driving up and down, speeding through loops and wirls like a roller-coaster.
"Faster, faster!" Harry threw his arms up and let them be move by the momentum.
Eggman meanwhile sit there, slightly uncomfortable from the lack of space but otherwise fine.
Crawlhook bite down a smirk, 'At least some humans have the stomach for a fun work trip.'
Halting in front of their destination Harry spoke up, "Uncle, how did you get the key to my parents vault?" "It was in the basket I found you in." "Oh... okay then."
'Is he not gonna ask the basket?' Crawlhook wondered before internally shrugging, 'I don't get payed to care.'
After opening the vault the duo + goblin were greeted by a huge pile of gold coins.
Given an impressed whistle Eggman stated, "Whatever Lily and her husband did must have been well paying."
"How much are we gonna take, uncle?" Harry had yet to take his eyes off the golden glittering pile of currency.
"All of it." "What?" The goblin was shocked, "Why? Don't you trust Gringotts?"
The doctor looked down at him, "No, I don't." Crawlhook look like a deer in the headlights, but as unusual it was for any wizard or relative to store their money anywhere but Gringotts, it wasn't his job to talk people out their financial decisions. "Suit yourself human."
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After putting as much gallons as possible into their pockets and having the rest send back to their home/headquarters the duo stood by the entrance.
"It been centuries since the last time someone empty their vault completely." The chief goblin stood beside them, his glasses taken off and wiping tears out his eyes, "It's always sad seeing that much money go."
The duo meanwhile as already going on their way to buy Harrys supplies.
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Harry checks the list, "We have almost anything but the wand." His uncle brushed his mustache thoughtfully, "Harry, do you think you can do that on your own while I get interviewed by that Lovegood guy?"
Harry nodded, "Can't be that hard, have fun on your date, uncle." "It's not a date you-" Harry was already in the wandshop.
Signing, the doctor rups his eyes, "Sometimes I think it was a mistake to let him and that hedgehog ever get in contact. Well, another reason to destroy that pest."
He looked up to see an eagerly Xenophilius Lovegood waving, sighing again, Eggman made his way to him.
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~Olivanders~
Harry looked around, "Dusty, but nice woodcraft." "Ah, thank you for the compliment." An older man, presumably the Olivander, came from the back area of the store. "I often get told to clean it up, but I think the dust just adds to the atmosphere of it."
"It does give the atmosphere of ancient craftsmanship."
The wandmakers eye narrowed onto Harry's, "Harry Potter, I wondered when you will come to my shop."
Harry back away from the gaze, "Im... here to buy a wand."
The older man's grin widen, "I'm not selling anything else here." 'Was that a joke or-' "Oak and Dragon heart string, 5,5 inches, give it a wave."
Harry picked up the wand, it feel hot, too hot.
He gave it a way and with a loud crash the the shelfs crashed, "Odds" Harry rups his head sheepishly, Olivander just grin, took the wand out his hand, then pulled out his own, with a few quick waves all the fallen wands flew back into the shelf, "No harm down, Harry Potter. Now try this one, Birch with unicorn hair, 3 inches.
Harry eyed the new wand, it fell... like it wants to jump out his hand, he waved it carefully, nothing happen, he waved it faster, nothing, he swang it, still nothing.
"You're a difficult customer, but I find you a wand, Harry Potter?" "Do you always talk that creepy or...?"
Olivander smile at him, "It's one of my simpler joys in life to just creep people out." He eyed the next box thoughtfully. "I wonder."
"Holly with a phoenix feather, 11 inches." Harry twirl the wand in his hand, it feel hot, not too hot, nicely warm in fact, but there was something irritating him that he couldn't place, this feeling distracting him from noticing the black sparks weakly flying out the tip.
The wandmaker himself stared at the wand with a critical eye, "How interesting, the wand choices you, but you seem to reject it... or at least part of it."
Harry gave the wand another look, "The wood." "Pardon?"
"The wood, it feels... off, I can't say what exactly bothers me, it might because I'm so used on working with metal that the feeling of wood just feels... unwelcoming."
Olivander gave a hard to read to expression, "How unusual, how unusual." Harry tiles his head and stare at the man awaitingly, "Ahm... Mister?" "Metal you say? Yes, so called "Metal Wands" did exist, mostly in fashion of muggle weaponry, there are even rumors that Godric Griffindors sword was his wand at the same time." He nodded to himself. "I am a stranger to working with metal, I can't promise anything excellent to you."
"If it's okay, could I have at least the core from this one?" Harry raised the Holly-phoenix-wand, "I make the wand myself and then put the core into it."
Olivander looked at him like he grown a second head, "You want to build your own wand?" The boy nodded. The older man give him a wide grin, the sudden joy made him look years younger. "Please show it to me when it's done. It's one of my greatest joys in life to see the work of others."
He took the holly wand back into the workshop only to come back with just a red feather, "I remember this one. The Phoenix nearly pick my eye out when I plucked from his behind." The nostalgic smile faded slightly. "2, there were two feathers. It's brother, one could say."
He gave the feather into Harrys hand who eyed it like a jewel, "What happened to the other feather? Do you still have it?"
"No, I sold years ago, to a boy like yourself, but far less happy for his life. He did great things, terrible, but great."
Harry didn't really listen after he understood that the second feather was gone, 'If I could have both feathers in one wand, I probably would have gotten double the power.'
"Well... I should get on my way to my uncle, bye mister creepy wandmaker." He turned around and walked to the door, being half put he heard just one more thing, "He was the one that gave you your scar."