The Boy Who Lies?
You set sail alone, there is no crew
No one on the deck who can help you
This is all your own battle to win
This is your ship and you are the captain
- Ship in a Bottle by Fin -
His mother's bag. Merlin.
Maybe he does have an angel of good fortune after all. Or magic has decided it's time to finally help. Either way, Harry's not complaining. It's more than he could have hoped for from his mum's inheritance. The Dursleys clearly didn't give him anything connected to his mum. The photo album he got from Hagrid is the only photos he has of his parents, despite Sirius showing him pictures he got from the Order. He didn't get those pictures or anything from Sirius. Harry thought it was enough to love his godson, and if they were going to live together - as Sirius promised - he could always look. He regretted it so much now. Harry also didn't know if Lupin had any pictures to give him. He liked to imagine that he had helped Hagrid put the book together.
But now he had his mum's bag on his shoulder, and Harry didn't think he'd ever felt this close to her.
He ran his fingers over the sewn-on emblems. The round glasses made more sense now, he saw from the pictures that his dad had the same shape. The Gryffindor quidditch team supporting was also obvious now. On the back of the bag were scribbles with different names of people Harry thought were friends of his mum. Names such as Alice, Mary and Marlene popped up that Harry didn't know, and Sirius' didn't mention either. Also, of course, James and Remus appeared as doodles more than once. Lupin once said that he and his mother were very close during their school years. Harry believed him because Lupin was the first person who didn't immediately compare him to his father.
The whole bag was like a time capsule, and Harry knew that because of its sentimental value to him, he would keep it safe for the rest of his life. He'd rather like to drop it off at Gringotts for safekeeping, but Harry's selfish and doesn't, instead keeping it with him. He'll guard it with all his strength, but he doesn't want to leave it now he's found it. He can't let go of his mum's bag. It's too important. Besides, he needs a bag anyway.
His growling stomach reminded him that it's been a while since he's eaten anything. (Harry knows that he has a bad habit of forgetting to eat when he is excited or nervous.) And so he postpones the shopping for a while and starts looking for his way back to the Leaky Cauldron. As he wandered around, he noticed a variety of shops that might be useful to him, including two bookstores, a lamp shop, a clothing store, and a travel agency. He carefully made a mental note of each one to return after he'd eaten something.
"Hello!" greeted Harry as he entered the pub for the second time that day. But this time he was greeted by the opposite: no crowds, just a few people.
"Well, good afternoon. What can I get you?" asked the pub owner. He's name was Tom, he reminded himself. He'd rented a room here in his third year, and that was when he had met him. Not that he could chat with Tom now - Harry was still in the incognito, after all.
He placed his (lunch? dinner?) order quickly, avoiding the older man's gaze, and took a seat at a less conspicuous table by the wall, waiting for his foor. Harry ordered about a child's size, even though he had plenty of money - and he wouldn't have minded spending it for food - but he was afraid that after a month of starving at the Dursleys' his stomach wouldn't receive it well. He learned that lesson well after his first feast in year one - he has never eaten so many dishes at once before, and never spent so many hours bent over the toilet.
Harry began to slowly drum his fingers on the table as he waited.
Honestly, he should have been grateful for the brief respite after all the emotionally draining events, but Harry was never the kind of person to do that.
For lack of anything better to do, he whispered a hearing-enhancing charm and strained his ears to see if he could finally hear some news.
Almost immediately he found what he needed, in the conversation of two men.
"...I'm telling you, I can't do this anymore. I told you what my daughter came home with a month ago, didn't I?"
"Yes, yes you did. She says a student fucking died, and Dumbledore keeps telling people that You-Know-Who is back. Am I missing something?"
Harry almost fell off his chair. He wanted some news, so there we go. Cedric.
Always Cedric.
"...A student died, in the fucking school. How could I ever let her back after that? Not to mention all the crap they write in the Daily Prophet..."
Daily Prophet? Harry read the paper at the beginning of the summer, but as nothing was said and money was tight, he unsubscribed from it. He did ask his friends to write him if the newspaper wrote anything, but they denied every time he asked. (They lied?What else did they lie about?) Now he'll definitely buy one as soon as he finds a newsagent.
"Wait a minute, do you really not believe what it says?!"
"No! I just... it makes sense, doesn't it?"
"Are you fucking crazy?"
"No, just..."
"Just what?!"
Silence. Finally the second one spoke again.
"I'm done here. If you want to join the madhouse, go ahead. Come find me when you come to your senses."
There was a screech of chairs, then footsteps.
Then suddenly, a voice snapped Harry out of his spell, and a waitress set the food down in front of him. "Sir, here's your food. Enjoy your meal."
He thanked her, but his eyes were not fixed on the delicious food, but were searching the room wildly.
Yet he searched in vain, as both men had already left.
It took Harry another two and a half hours to get everything he needed from the magic shops, even with a full stomach. His rings sat cold on his fingers, and in his purse the magic coins were dwindling.
He bought all the books on Ertolk's list at Flourish and Blotts, and bought himself a few more books he thought he could fit. For example, 'All the useful spells an adult wizard should know', 'Herbs and how to recognize them', 'Wizarding Laws: for children vs adults', 'Ancient wizarding families and their ancestors', and 'Defense Against the Dark Arts: OWL Repeater and NEWT Trainer'. Harry doesn't really want to admit it, but as he was looking, he stumbled into another bookstore in Knockturn Alley before he knew he was in the dark alley. In the end, he bought a few less legal books, including 'Duel: Most Effective Curses for Enemies', 'Dark Spells Collection', and most importantly, 'Animagi: All You Need to Know and a Guide to Achieve'.
In his defence, he will probably need it.
As much as he hated potions, he was compelled to go into a shop - not in Knocktum Alley - to buy ingredients if he wanted to become an animagus. Fortunately, the book listed the ingredients on the very first page, so he didn't have much to do. He also threw in a couple of medicinal and other things, just in case. It's not paranoia if it happens to you a lot, and Merlin knows he will need it.
He also visited a clothes shop, but after a long look around he decided to stick to muggle clothes. However, the saleswoman looked so angry at him, that he ended up buying a pair of gloves that could survive literally anything (dragon fire included, Harry's not taking chances).
He then went to The Magic Lantern shop for some portable lanterns and Globus Mundi Travel Agents for its maps. He bought a map of the British Isles, and separate maps zoomed in on parts of one, such as Scotland or Northern Ireland. It was like a muggle map, the only difference is that it showed what you wanted, so if you wanted to see the motorways or hotels of Scotland, all you had to do was point your wand at it and say the word. A bit like the Marauders map, Harry thought.
He doesn't think he wants to go abroad, given that he has to come back and he doesn't want to make an international issue of himself. Mr. Weasley explained to him back then, that if any wizard crosses a border without permission, it could become an international issue, so no thanks. Harry just wants to be alone. Still, if he doesn't die, he would like to visit overseas one day.
In addition to all this, he also bought a small tent.
He didn't need a big one like what he shared last year at the Quidditch World Cup with the Weasleys, but it was still pretty tidy. It had a small kitchen (similar to the Muggle ones, but magically self-operated instead of electric), a small bathroom (also magically operated), and a bedroom like area, separated by a curtain, where Harry's bed was about a full-sized mattress, (meaning he could stretch both arms out into a sort of cross pose and reach the end – and yes, Harry tried it). He doesn't even have to tear down the tent, he can just make it smaller with his wand. It's one of the best buys of his life and, if you look at it, his first house.
And the best thing?
Everything fits in her mother's bag without weighting a pound.
He spent a relatively large amount of money, but he still hasn't spent all the money he took out of the bank. The money he had converted into Muggle money was still a very large amount. It didn't even touch his entire fortune, but it was still a lot for Harry, who was so broke that until yesterday his money was only enough for a bus ticket. He tried to buy second-hand things, but unlike the bag shops, they didn't really sell second-hand things, probably for the reasons the bag seller had explained.
When he finally found a newsagent, it was well into the afternoon. Aunt Petunia usually let him back in the house at dusk, so if his math was right, he had about four hours to get home. He still had some shopping to do on the Muggle side, but Harry wasn't too worried.
Harry bought a copy of the Daily Prophet, hoping it would explain what the two men in the pub were talking about.
And well, it did.
But also, damn it.
Right on the front page, his own name appeared.
He was going to be sick.
THE BOY WHO LIES?
written by Rita Seeker, edited by Barnabas Cuffe
Following the events of the last trial of the Triwizard Tournament, Harry Potter made a surprising return, with the dead body of a student, Cedric Diggory’s. The boy claimed that You-Know-Who was back, and Diggory " asked" to "bring his body back". Does Harry Potter really hallucinate after a traumatic event? Or maybe he wants to blame it on You-Know-Who, given that he's the source of his fame? Anyway, this assertion is highly inaccurate, as the Department of Magical Law Enforcement have thoroughly investigated the matter and have determined that Cedric Diggory's death was an unfortunate accident. However, this conclusion has been formally denied by Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts. I wonder if is it safe to send students back? We attempted to interview both parties, but Dumbledore declined to participate, which raises questions about their motivations. Could his desire for power be a factor? Or is it Potter whose seeking attention?
The Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge has personally responded to our enquiry, stating that the rumours are completely false. He emphasised that Dumbledore is advanced in age, and that Potter has not yet attained the sufficient fame for himself. He also claimed that it is regrettable to hear that the death of a student is being disrespectfully exploited. In response to our further questions, Fudge provided concrete evidence that Dumbledore's imaginings are impossible. He also suggested that, while Dumbledore's advanced age might have led him to perceive enemies everywhere, given his experience in two wars. However, the Boy Who Lived had no justification for entering the competition in the first place. Furthermore, it has come to light that Harry Potter entered his name illegally last year. We must question why we are allowing Harry Potter and Dumbledore to manipulate this unfortunate incident.
This is not true.
It's not true. He's back. They murdered Cedric. Harry wasn't hallucinating.
They don't believe him.
He's sick.
But Rita Seeker didn't stop there.
However, that is not the end of the story! As we have previously established, there was a rivalry between Harry Potter and Cedric Digory due to the competition. But what if it was over a young woman too? Cho Chang, a Ravenclaw Seeker, was invited to the Yule Ball by both Harry and Cedric, but ultimately chose to attend with Cedric. Anonymous interviews also reveal that Potter left that night extremely upset, and – to everyone’s big suprise – Harry Potter was fond of the young Chang. Dear readers, could there be a love rivalry developing that we are unaware of? Anonymous correspondents have speculated that, with Diggory no longer in the picture, Potter may now have a chance with Chang. This message was of particular interest and it is worth noting that subsequent events took a rather unexpected turn. Could Diggory's accident potentially not be a so accident after all?
Did it really suggest that Harry killed Cedric?
This has to be a bloody joke.
He was not even in love with Cho. They were good friends, considering they'd been playing against each other for years as seekers, and Harry thought, why not? Cho was cute. But as it turned out, Cedric had already taken her. (And the Yule Ball disaster is not Cho's fault, but Harry's terrible dancing.)
It was no big deal, and they stayed on good terms afterwards. He also had a better relationship with Cedric because of the golden egg, and they even spent some time together sometimes.
Cedric was cute too.
There was nothing between them.
Nothing, except Harry's butterflies when the other boy leaned closer to tell him something.
Eventually Cedic and Cho got together. And honestly, Harry had no problem with it. He was happy that his friend had found someone.
Then Cedic died.
Harry remembered spending hours in one of the towers with Cho, both of them crying in silence. He felt she understood a little. He considers her a good friend, but nothing else.
Not after Cedric.
Gods, Harry hoped Cho wasn't reading the newspaper.
Angrily, he crammed the Daily Prophet into his bag, and practically stormed out of Diagon Alley without looking back.
It was eight o'clock, according to his old watch, when Harry finally returned to the Privet Drive.
He did his Muggle shopping, bought a batch of non-perishable food, some loose white shirts and new short and long pants, and more. Everything he needs for camping in summer.
He reduced the size of his bag and put it in his pocket, so as not to attract attention from his aunt. It was a wonderful feeling to be able to cast magic legally, no letters came screaming that he was going to be expelled from Hogwarts.
He didn't had to wait half an hour before Aunt Petunia grumpily opened the door and let him in. Even if his rings caught her eye, she said nothing. The woman just gave him some bread fo dinner and sent him up to his room. Harry made no protest.
When he got to his room, he sat quietly on the bed, munching on bread, and thought about his day. The Knight Bus, pink-haired Emma, the ancient magic theory, his inheritance and money from Gringotts, his mother's messenger bag and a very long shopping trip were behind him. No wonder he felt so exhausted. Still, he didn't want to sleep without packing - this time properly.
He took the messenger bag out of his pocket and enlarged it, then put his things (old clothes, school supplies, broom, photo album, and other odds and ends) from the a neat pile to his bag. He put it on his shoulder as a test. It still had no weight.
Suddenly, he heard small noises coming from the window. Of course, no letter has arrived, only Hedvig was scratching quietly at the window pane. Harry let her in, but he didn't have the heart to cage her. Tomorrow they would both be free.
But what next? he asked himself, just as he had the night before.
He wanted a vacation, yes, while he was getting prepared. But which way to go?
He wanted to see the places Emma had told him about. How magical they were. He doesn't think he can achieve the same results as Emma, but in good magical places it might be easier to prepare. (Or they would be a nice place to die. No, don't think about that.)
Maybe he could visit something obvious place first.
Like Stonehenge.
Perfect for a start actually. If this has no ancient magic, nothing else does. He took out a map of South West England and enlarged the counties and unitaries.
Head to Wiltshire then.