Diagon Alley
"I'm sorry Harry" Merlin sympathised while Liva hugged him tightly. "I'm sorry i didn't tell you sweet pea. I wanted to protect you from the horror that this world can have" Merlin explained but Liva just smiled at him understanding why he didn't tell her.
' I'm glad he is her guardian when I couldn't be' Ivar thought to himself
"Now time for the fun part" Merlin smiled and lead them towards the old building wanting to make the children not think to much on the dark story.
Harry went towards the door when Liva grabbed his arm, "trust me you'll want to take the back entrance, Uncle Merlin is kinda famous and it can get a bit much" she explained. Merlin turned to her with an offended expression, "Kinda? Kinda! i saved Arthurs life so many times! i lost count!". To Harry's amazement he went on a 5 minute rant about how he was more famous than 'kinda' before it trailed off into a Arthur was a prat rant, "he does this a lot" Liva whispered to him.
"I like him, seems like a fun old man" Ubbe commented, "reminds me of a more sane Floki" Sigurd added. Everyone turned to the screen, "yeah" "i see that".
After his long rant Merlin stood breathing heavily, he held up a finger as he caught his breath, "okay, you ready?". He went over to a brick wall before pulling out a stick and tapped it while muttering under his breath. The walls began splitting in half revealing an archway onto a cobbled street that twisted and turned out of sight. "Welcome to Diagon Alley" Merlin waved his arms around, Liva ducked from a flailing limb, "oops sorry darling".
"it's amazing!" "are those pots stirring itself?! that's so handy!" "You never cook Aslaug"
Harry wished he had eight more eyes. He turned his head in every direction as they walked up the street, trying to look at everything at once: the shops, the things outside them, the people doing their shopping. A plump woman outside an apothecary was shaking her head as they passed, saying, "Dragon liver, sixteen Sickles an ounce, they're mad.". At the mention of dragons he looked at Liva who was frowning, "I'm not allowed to bring Ivan as he might scare people" she informed using a mocking voice.
"He is quiet scary" Sigurd whispered, Bjorn nodded in agreement whilst it was a majestic beast he was wary of the creature.
"He is a little... intimidating" Harry hesitated, Liva looked at him like he was crazy for even thinking that, "he's just a baby!". "Right. How old is he?" Harry asked as they walked towards the bank, "he is 6 months old" she announced proudly. "His sire is Balerion the black dread. So he is going to be huge" she carried on.
"6 months? he is already bigger than her!" Helga exclaimed, "huh grandfather killed a dragon and his great granddaughter has one as a pet" Hvitserk laughed. Aslaug even laughed at the turn of events but she had no doubt that her parents are proud of her children and grandchild.
Harrys attention was then brought to Eeylops Owl Emporium as he heard a low, soft hooting. There on perches were a wide variety of owls, Tawny, Screech, Barn, Brown and Snowy. Several boys about Harry's age had their noses pressed against a window with broomsticks in it. "Look" Harry heard of them say, "the new Nimbus Two Thousand-fastest ever-".
"Is that a broom?" "surely the speed depends on how fast you sweep?"
"Gringotts" said Merlin. They had reached a snowy white building that towered over the other little shops. Standing beside its burnished bronze doors, wearing a uniform of scarlet and gold, was- "yeah they are goblins" Liva whispered as they walked up the steps. "They're taller than you" Harry whispered.
Sigurd snorted, "he's not wrong". "That's what you are choosing to focus on?! Liva's height not the wrinkly little creatures?!" Ivar's voice raised in disbelief. "They are ugly. the goblins not the children"
The goblin was an inch taller than Liva. He had a clever face, a pointed beard and, Harry noticed, very long fingers and feet. He bowed as they walked in, Liva and Merlin bowed back so Harry followed their lead. Now they were facing a second pair of doors, silver this time, with words engraved upon them:
Enter, stranger, but take head
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.
"i kind of want to try to rob them now" Hvitserk admitted, "They are magic creatures and you want to try and steal from them?" Aslaug asked raising an eyebrow at her sons stupidity. "No i get where he's coming from" Ragnar added in with most of the other men nodding in agreement.
"You'd be mad to try and rob it" Merlin commented, "now I want to try" Liva whispered to Harry.
Aslaug just inhaled although her smile gave her away as her sons cheered, shouting at the screen to do it.
Merlin looked at her his face showing that he heard, "just kidding" she smiled innocently. A pair of goblins bowed them through the silver doors and they were in a vast marble hall. About a hundred more goblins were sitting on high stools behind a long counter, scribbling in large ledgers, weighing coins in brass scales, examining stones through eyeglasses.
"It is so interesting to see and watch them" Bjorn commented watching the screen intently.
Merlin, Liva and Harry headed for a free counter, "morning I'm here to see Griphook". The goblin nodded before jumping down from his stool and left through a door, the trio waited a couple of minutes before he came back with another goblin. "Mister Merlin" the goblin bowed,"Griphook. I need to withdraw some money out of my Goddaughter's and her friends vault. Here are the keys." Merlin handed over the key's to the goblin who looked at them closely before nodding, "That seems to be in order".
The three walked out of the bank, Liva explained the currency to Harry. "The gold ones are galleons. Seventeen silver Sickles to a Galleon and twenty-nine Knut's to a Sickle" She pointed at the coins as she told him, Harry looked confused.
"That seems more complicated than needed" Ragnar laughed but looked at the different coins.
"I know. I find muggle money easier as well" Liva laughed. "Right I'm going to go run some errands, you to go get your Hogwarts bits. I'll find you in a couple of hours" Merlin told them before going off after handing Liva her money and kissing her forehead. "Best to do the boring bits first" "there are boring bits? in a magical alley?" Harry laughed in disbelif, "yeah. Getting fitted for robes" she then smirked at his face which looked disheartened.
"Yeah. That's never fun" Hvitserk agreed, his brothers nodded along in agreement. "It'll still be interesting they may do it differently" Helga added in this time Aslaug agreed.
The two entered Madam Malkin's shop. Madam Malkin was a small plump witch dressed all in mauve, "Hogwarts, dears?" she said when Harry started to speak. "Got the lot here- another young man being fitted up just now, in fact". In the back of the shop, a boy with a pale, pointed face was standing on a footstool while a second witch pinned up his long black robes. Liva groaned at the sight of him, "What? what's wrong" Harry asked his friend who was banging her head on a nearby wall while still groaning.
"I'm going to guess that she doesn't like him" Floki laughed watching in amusement as she banged her head. "What made you think that, you fool?" Ivar laughed, Floki gripped his neck and messed up his hair making his laughter turn into a groan but was still smiling.
"That." Liva pointed at the boy, "is one of the worst people I know. He is a spoilt brat who throw's his dads name around as if anyone actually gives a shit. Plus he's family is into dark magic and blood supremacy" she explained her face scrunched up in disgust.
Ivar although he tried not to show it was worried. His daughter didn't like this boy who sounded a lot like him, would she like him? Granted he couldn't help his mother spoiling him but he did play on it sometimes. On the other hand he felt it was fair their father loved Bjorn and spent time with him before he left. While Ragnar wasn't the best father to his other brothers at least he spent some time with them and didn't try to kill them. Plus Ubbe and Hvitserk had each other, the people in Kattegat loved Sigurd, while their mother loved him and spent time with him more. He would be into dark magic but he would do it to protect his family, to protect her.
Madam Malkin stood Harry and Liva on a stool next to the other boy and slipped a long robe over Liva's head and began to pin it to the right length. The boy did a double take as he saw Liva, he nodded towards her, "Lothbrok" "Malfoy" she returned his nod but her face was twisted in annoyance. "I'm guessing both of you are also Hogwarts?" he asked. "yes" said Harry waiting to see why his best friend hated this boy.
"I want to know if she knows that I'm her father" Ivar growled in annoyance, her last name was common knowledge if this boy was using it to greet her. "Ivar. She named her dragon after you, i think she knows" Ubbe tried to calm him down. "She loves that dragon and she wouldn't of named it after someone she hated so she obviously loves you too" Hvitserk added in which surprisingly calmed him down. Ivar hadn't thought about it that way and he hope that his brothers were right. He knew that the evidence showed that she knew but he couldn't stop thinking about his humiliating time with Margrethe.
"My fathers next door buy my books and mother's up the street looking at wands" Malfoy drawled. "Then I'm going to drag them off to look at racing brooms. I don't see why first years can't have their own. I think I'll bully father into getting me one and I'll smuggle it in somehow". Liva laughed at this, Harry looked at her in confusion, "I'll tell you later" she whispered from the corner of her mouth.
"I don't like this kid either" Bjorn looked like he was already tired of him. "I don't think we could bully father into loving us let alone buying us something" Sigurd whispered to his brothers, making Ivar spit out his drink as he laughed. As everyone turned to them Ivar tried to disguise it as coughing , "you're not wrong" Hvitserk agreed still snickering under his breath.
Harry was strongly reminded of Dudley and could see why Liva didn't like him.
"Have you got your own broom?" The boy went on.
"No" said Harry.
"Play Quidditch at all?"
"No" Harry said again, wondering what on earth Quidditch would be. "Stop asking him question's Malfoy. He's only just learnt about the wizarding world" Liva jumped in making Harry sigh in relief. The boy looked at him like you would a slug, "are you a mudblood?! like her" he sneered, the witches tending to their robes gasped at the word mudblood.
"What did he say?" Aslaug asked confused why the word mudblood caused such a reaction, "I don't know but I don't think it's good" Ragnar answered. "I'm going to kill him!!" Ivar yelled at the screen, "I may not know what the meaning of that word is but I don't like how he's talking to her!" he continued glaring at the boy that it was a shock that he didn't burst into flames. Bjorn and Ragnar exchanged glances while Ubbe, Hvitserk, Floki and even Sigurd were plotting ways to torture and kill the boy.
"Young man!! if I hear that word one more time you can buy your robes elsewhere" Madam Malkin was red in the face and stood as she yelled at him. He nodded but kept the sneer on his face. "To answer your question, no his parents were a witch and wizard". "I really don't think they should let the other sort in, do you?" Malfoy looked at Harry and ignored Liva but made a point to stare at her when mentioning the other sort.
After that Aslaug gave a very good, brutal and gruesome torture technique that made her sons look at her in shock and awe. "I love you"
Before Harry could defend her, more importantly before Liva could punch him herself, Madam Malkin let them know that they were done. The stepped off the stool paid and left.
"So why did you laugh earlier on?" Harry asked, "Draco talks about bullying his father when in reality he's scared of him. While I feel sorry for him for being scared of his own father it makes me laugh when he constantly tries to use him to get his way" she explained.
"What's Quidditch?" Harry asked as they walked towards the next shop, "It's our sport. Wizard sport. There are four balls and six hoops each team has three hoops to defend and seven players. The point of the game is to score as many goals as you can by throwing the balls through the hoops which are defended by a keeper. You then have two beaters on each team hitting balls at the other team and the games not over until a small flying ball is caught called the snitch". Harry looked at her dumbfounded.
Everyone has the same expression as Harry, "what?".
"Also it's all done of broomsticks that fly in the air" she added in but that only made him more confused.
"The broomsticks fly?!" Floki giggled in excitement. "I want one!!" Bjorn declared, Ragnar had to agree he was also interested in this sport. "You could play that game Ivar" Ubbe ruffled his brother's hair affectionately, "don't need your legs to play a game in the air". Ivar smiled at the thought of there being a sport that he could do with his daughter, if the flying broomstick worked for him that is.
After Liva and Harry talked about Quidditch they went to buy their school books in a shop called Flourish and Blotts where the shelves were stacked to the ceiling with books as large as paving stones bound in leather; books the size of postage stamps in covers of silk; books full of peculiar symbols and a few books with nothing in them at all. Even Dudley, who never read anything, would have been wild to get his hands on some of these.
Ivar looked at the books wanting to read them and learn about his daughter's world. Also some of the names caught his eye and sounded like they'd be useful in a battle.
"Let's find the best curse for Dudley!" Liva gasped in excitement, the two looked and debated which curses to use.
"Like father like daughter" Ivar smiled at his mother's statement liking how he could see himself in her.
The two then went to Eeylops Owl Emporium where Liva brought Harry a snowy owl and all her needs as his birthday gift. Harry couldn't stop thanking her, "its alright plus owls are dead useful they carry mail, I'd get one but I don't want Ivan to think I've brought him a treat" she laughed.
"Now time for the best part! the wands!" the two smiled at each other happy to get their wands.
"What's a wand?" Floki asked to no one in particular, "no clue" Ragnar replied although judging by his Granddaughters face it was a good thing.
The last shop was narrow and shabby. Peeling gold letters over the door read Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 381 B.C. A single wand lay on a faded purple cushion in the dusty window.
"Doesn't look exciting" Sigurd looked at the shop in disgust.
A tinkling bell rang somewhere in the depths of the shop as they stepped inside. Harry felt strangely as though he had entered a very strict library; until Liva walked in, "Hello?!" she yelled making Harry jump before laughing glad that she broke the silence.
Ivar laughed at his daughters impatience, but was glad that she wasn't timid.
The room had thousands of narrow boxes piled neatly right up to the ceiling. None seemed to be labelled, "how does he remember which wand is each?" Harry asked Liva who was looking around and poking things, "no clue".
"It still doesn't look that interesting" Bjorn agreed with Sigurd, "Our niece has a fire breathing dragon, we've seen weird wrinkly creatures and moving bricks i can bet you that it will be interesting" Hvitserk defended.
"Good afternoon," said a soft voice. Harry jumped accidentally bumping in Liva who then tried to grab on to Harry to steady herself but ultimately brought them both down to the floor, "That went well" she breathed from under Harry who landed on her.
Ubbe, Hvitserk, Floki and Ivar laughed as the two struggled to untangle themselves and get up.
An old man was standing before them, his wide, pale eyes shining like moons through the gloom of the shop. Liva and Harry quickly stood up, "Hello," said Harry awkwardly while Liva just waved.
"Ah yes," said the man. "Yes, yes, I thought I'd be seeing you both soon. Harry Potter and of course Liva Lothbrok." It wasn't a question. "Bit creepy" Liva told the man causing Harry to elbow her in the ribs.
"she's not wrong that is creepy" Aslaug agreed with her, knowing if some man she had never met knew her full name she'd feel the same.
"You have your mother's eyes. It seems only yesterday she was in here herself, buying her first wand. Ten and a quarter inches long, swishy, made of willow. Nice wand for charm work."
Mr. Ollivander moved closer to Harry. Harry wished he would blink. Those silvery eyes were a bit creepy. Luckily for him his friend thought the same as Liva blew at the man eyes making him blink before looking at her in confusion, "sorry i just wanted you to blink" she shrugged.
"She reminds me of Hvitserk, not thinking and just doing" Ubbe laughed knowing that blowing someone's eyes to make them blink is something that his brother would do. Hvitserk smiled and looked at Ivar who didn't look displeased at his daughter being like her uncle which made him smile wider.
"Your father, on the other hand, favored a mahogany wand. Eleven inches. Pliable. A little more power and excellent for transfiguration. "Well, I say your father favored it – it's really the wand that chooses the wizard, of course."
"How does he remember all that" "magic"
Mr. Ollivander had come so close that he and Harry were almost nose to nose. Harry could see himself reflected in those misty eyes. "Okay bit close" Liva whispered to the wand maker both her and Harry looked creeped out, "And that's where..." Mr. Olivander touched the lightning scar on Harry's forehead with a long, white finger.
"Odin, he really doesn't understand personal space"
Liva slapped his hand away and glared at him, "maybe don't touch the minor" she growled.
"You tell him!" Ivar encouraged his daughter even though she couldn't hear him. "She does have a point" Helga agreed, it was clear that Harry didn't want to be touched.
"Of course, my apologies Miss Lothbrok and I'm sorry to say I sold the wand that did it," he said softly. "Thirteen and a half inches. Yew. Powerful wand, very powerful, and in the wrong hands...well, if I'd known what the wand was going out into the world to do...."
"Did what?" Ragnar wondered curious about the owner of the powerful wand and what he did to the world. "Can't be good" Bjorn told his father who judging by his face guessed that for himself.
He shook his head and then, to Harry's relief, Liva once again stepped in. "Okay we get it you regret selling a powerful wand to a deranged psychopath but can we please buy a wand or..." she trailed off hoping that he would snap out of his trance.
Sigurd snorted finding it ironic that Ivar's child is calling someone a deranged psychopath, "Ivar's not that bad when you don't constantly tease and belittle him for something he cannot control" Hvitserk whispered understanding what his brothers snort meant.
"Yes well, now – Mr. Potter. Let me see." He pulled a large tape measure with silver markings out of his pocket. "Which is your wand arm?". "Er – well, I'm right-handed," said Harry."Hold out your arm. That's it." He measured Harry from shoulder to finger, then wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit and round his head. As he measured, he said, "Every Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful substance, Mr. Potter. We use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers, and the heartstrings of dragons. No two Ollivander wands are the same, just as no two unicorns, dragons, or phoenixes are quite the same. And of course, you will never get such good results with another wizard's wand."
"I understood dragon. not sure what the others are" Ubbe looked puzzled as if he was thinking hard to see if he had heard of unicorns and phoenixes before. "Probably more creatures" Floki giggled like a manic at the thought of unique beasts.
Harry suddenly realized that the tape measure, which was measuring between his nostrils, was doing this on its own. Mr. Ollivander was flitting around the shelves, taking down boxes."That will do," he said, and the tape measure whizzed other to Liva and started the process again. "Right then, Mr. Potter. Try this one. Beechwood and dragon heartstring. Nine inches. Nice and flexible. Just take it and give it a wave."
"A wave?"
Harry took the wand and (feeling foolish) waved it around a bit, but Mr. Ollivander snatched it out of his hand almost at once. "Maple and phoenix feather. Seven inches. Quite whippy. Try –"Harry tried – but he had hardly risen the wand when it, too, was snatched back by Mr. Ollivander. "No need to snatch geez" Liva whispered to Harry who nodded with wide eyes."No, no – here, ebony and unicorn hair, eight and a half inches, springy. Go on, go on, try it out."
Harry tried. And tried. He had no idea what Mr. Ollivander was waiting for. The pile of tried wands was mounting higher and higher on the spindly chair, but the more wands Mr. Ollivander pulled from the shelves, the happier he seemed to become.
"Why's he happy i'd be annoyed?" Ivar wondered, "you get annoyed at everything, you once demanded I leave the hall as I was breathing to loud" "too be fair you were"
"Tricky customer, eh? Not to worry, we'll find the perfect match here somewhere – I wonder, now – yes, why not – unusual combination – holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple. "Harry took the wand. He felt a sudden warmth in his fingers. He raised the wand above his head, brought it swishing down through the dusty air and a stream of red and gold sparks shot from the end like a firework, throwing dancing spots of light on to the walls. Liva whooped and clapped and Mr. Ollivander cried, "Oh, bravo! Yes, indeed, oh, very good. Well, well, well...how curious...how very curious..." He put Harry's wand back into its box and wrapped it in brown paper, still muttering, "Curious...curious..."
"What's curious?" Bjorn leant forward in antictpation.
"Okay you clearly want us to ask what is so curious, so for the sake of my sanity" Liva stated, "whats left of it" Harry added in laughing at his friend. "Whats so curious?" she asked after jabbing Harry in the ribs.
"At least she has some sanity " Hvitserk ruffled Ivar's hair much to his annoyance as he swatted him away like you would a fly.
Mr. Ollivander fixed Harry with his pale stare."I remember every wand I've ever sold, Mr. Potter. Every single wand. It so happens that the phoenix whose tail feather in is you wand, gave another feather – just one other. It is very curious indeed that you should be destined for this wand when its brother – why, its brother gave you that scar."
"Shit" Liva sighed.
"I think shit is right" Aslaug muttered as she rubbed at her chest she had a bad feeling.
Harry swallowed. "Yes, thirteen and a half inches. Yew. Curious indeed how these things happen. The wand chooses the wizard, remember....I think we must expect great things from you, Mr. Potter....After all, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things – terrible, yes, but great." Harry shivered. He wasn't sure he liked Mr. Ollivander too much. He paid seven gold Galleons for his wand, and Mr. Ollivander then moved on to Liva.
"Now we get to see Liva destroy the shop" "smash it!" "hit the creepy guy!"
"Here try a nine inch, oak and threstral hair, quite flexible" he handed the wand to Liva who waved it, only to cause boxes to come flying out and hit Ollivander at the back of his head, "oops" she deadpanned.
"That's my girl!" "my girl Hvitserk" "uncle rights"
Liva tried fourteen different wands, all different lengths, core and wood before on the fifteenth go she found her match. "Hornbeam wood with a dragons heartstring, thirteen inches with a supple flexibility" he handed her the wand and as she grabbed it silver and green sparks shot out.
"That is amazing" Ragnar gasped at the colourful sparks of magic, he couldn't wait to see more of her world.
Liva paid, Harry noticed his friend smirking at him, "what?". "My wands bigger than yours" she laughed, he shook his head at her dirty mind but couldn't help but join in.
"Nice to see that shes as mature as you boys are" Aslaug sighed fondly as she looked at her sons who were trying to hold it together to prove that they were infact mature and grown but they lost the battle and laughed.
The late afternoon sun hung low in the sky as Harry and Liva made their way back down Diagon Alley back to Merlin, back through the wall, through the Leaky Cauldron, a famous pub.
"That is a famous place?" Ivar asked in disgust, the others agreed with him not seeing the appeal.
For a famous place, it was very dark and shabby. A few old women were sitting in a corner, drinking tiny glasses of sherry. One of them was smoking a long pipe. A little man in a top hat was talking to the old bartender, who was quite old and looked like a toothless walnut. The low buzz of chatter stopped when they walked in. Everyone seemed to know Merlin; they waved and smiled at him.
"reminds me of when Hvitserk or Sigurd goes to the market" Ubbe laughed, everyone was always happy to see his brothers.
Merlin tried to steer Harry and Liva out as quickly as possible but unfortunately they were stopped. "Good Lord," said the bartender, peering at Harry, "is this – can this be-?"
The Leaky Cauldron had suddenly gone completely still and silent.
"Bless my soul," whispered the old bartender, "Harry Potter...what an honour."
"They know who he is?"
He hurried out from behind the bar, rushed toward Harry and seized his hand, tears in his eyes."Welcome back, Mr. Potter, welcome back."
Harry didn't know what to say. Everyone was looking at him. The old woman with the pipe was puffing on it without even realizing it had gone out.
Then there was a great scraping of chairs and the next moment, Harry found himself surrounded. Liva looked at her uncle who looked at the overwhelmed Harry before nodding. "Alright, back off!" Growled Liva who grabbed Harry by the shoulders and began to walk him towards the exit. Liva saw a hand reach Harry, "if you put that hand any closer to him I'll bite it" she warned. The wizard thinking she was just threatening tried it but flinched and drew his hand to his chest in shock when Liva snapped her mouth at his hand.
"Feral little shit" Hvitserk laughed, "look at his face" Floki pointed at the shocked man's face which was a mix of terror and shock. "Remind me that she doesn't make idle threats, if we ever meet her" Ubbe asked Ivar who was smiling proudly at Liva.
Liva managed to get them out of the crowd but a pale young man made his way forward, very nervously. One of his eyes was twitching. "Professor Quirrell!" said Merlin. "Harry, Professor Quirrell will be one of your teachers at Hogwarts."
"P-P-Potter,: stammered Professor Quirrell, he looked at Liva nervously and slowly held out his hand while holding eye contact with Liva before grasping Harry's hand, "c-can't t-tell you how p-pleased I am to meet you."
Ivar snorted the man was scared of his sweet daughter.
"What sort of magic do you teach, Professor Quirrell?"
"D-Defense against the D-D-Dark Arts," muttered Professor Quirrell, as though he'd rather not think about it. "N-Not that you n-need it, eh, P-P-Potter?" He laughed nervously. "You'll be g-getting all your equipment, I suppose? I've g-got to p-pick up a new b-book on vampire's m-myself." He looked terrified at the very thought.
"He's going to teach them how to defend themselves" Ubbe asked in disbelief, he looked at Ivar to see what his brother thought but he stared at the man to stunned to make a sound.
Harry didn't speak at all as they walked down the road; he didn't even notice how much people were gawking at them on the Underground, laden as they were with all their funny-shaped packages, with the snowy owl asleep in its cage on Harry's lap. Up another escalator, out into Paddington station; Harry only realized where they were when Liva tapped him on the shoulder.
"Why is he so quiet?" Ubbe wondered as they watch Harry not say a word causing Liva to look at him worried, "probably thinking about why he's famous" Ivar said thinking it was obvious.
"Luckily we've got time for a bite to eat before we go back," Merlin said.
He bought Harry and Liva a cheeseburger and they sat down on plastic seats to eat them. Harry kept looking around. Everything looked so strange, somehow.
Hvitserk looked at the food intently, all the food in the future looks so good.
"You all right, Harry? You’re very quiet," asked Liva. Harry wasn't sure he could explain. He'd just had the best birthday of his life – a yet – he chewed his cheeseburger, trying to find the words.
"Do you think she'll let me try that?" Hvitserk asked still looking at the burger. "All you think about is food" Sigurd sneered, "it does look good" Ragnar interjected before his sons could start fighting again. "Yeah, and I don't just think about food...I also think about sex"
"Everyone thinks I'm special," he said at last. "All those people in the Leaky Cauldron, Professor Quirrell, Mr. Ollivander...but I don't know anything about magic at all. How can they expect great things? I'm famous and I can't even remember what I'm famous for. I don't know what happened when Voldemort died."
"It is a sad reason to be famous" Helga said with a sad smile feeling sorry for the young boy. "I would rather not be famous and still have mother" Ivar agreed, said woman smiled at her son. Hvitserk and Ubbe smiled to themselves as they seemed to be the only ones that noticed that Ivar didn't mention Father. Not that they could blame him Ragnar left when he was young so Ivar doesn't know and care for him the way he does their mother or even Floki.
Merlin leaned across the table. Behind the wild beard he wore a very kind smile."Don't worry, Harry. You'll learn fast enough. Everyone starts at the beginning at Hogwarts, you'll be just fine. Just be yourself. I know it's hard. You've been singled out, and that's always hard. But you'll have a great time at Hogwarts – both of you" he smiled at them.