Books, Bobbins, and Bags
Harry bounced on his toes as Snape grumbled at him to hold still so he could cast the glamor. When he was finished he looked in the mirror to see a boy the same size and build as himself, with milky white skin several shades lighter than his own and pale golden locks. His ears were much larger and his nose a bit crooked, making him look nothing like himself except for his eyes. His eyes were still the same green as always. Curious he looked up in question at the tall man.
“I couldn’t cover your eyes in the glamor, because the magic would interfere with the Optometrist's work,” the man explained.
Harry nodded as he continued to vibrate with excess energy. He had been cooped up in Mr. Snape’s secret house for eight weeks and was excited to get to go out. Not that he was complaining. The little house in Dublin was beautiful! The little cottage was small but was on acres of land. They had lush fields of wildflowers, a dense forest area with trees to climb, and a little duck pond all inside of impenetrable wards keyed only to let in Severus, and now Harry.
Mr. Snape had explained that he sometimes had a dangerous job, and he had several small hidden homes around Britain, but this was the only one no one else knew about. Harry felt a growing warmth in his chest at the reminder of the man’s kindness and for letting him stay even if it was temporary. He really should be more grateful, but as soon as Snape had mentioned going out to an actual wixen shopping district, Harry had been instantly excited to get to see the outside world. The Dursleys had never let Harry out of the house unless it was to do chores.
Severus held out his arm and Harry hung on tight as they spun away. They landed in an open area filled with lots of people in brightly colored wizarding robes. Harry’s eyes were huge as he took in all the people. He didn’t even mind the queasy feeling in his stomach if it meant he could come to a place like this!
Kids were walking around with their parents eating animated ice cream cones with little polar bears and penguins dancing on the edges of the cones. There was a group of kids gathered around a couple of tops that were shooting out sparks as they collided over and over. One boy pumped his fist in the air and cheered as the blue top knocked the green out of the circle drawn in chalk on the ground. Owls were flying back and forth in the sky carrying colorful packages of things people had ordered.
He was standing in the middle of the street looking up at the sky with his mouth agape like a loon when the professor scoffed and tapped his shoulder. “Come along, Evan. We have an appointment.”
Harry didn’t bother to ask about the name but followed Mr. Snape into a shop across the street with a big golden magical eye watching passersby from above the door. The sign reads Madam Mend’s Eye Emporium. The lobby was filled wall to wall with different kinds of colorful glasses. Behind the desk was a kind-looking woman with tight chin-length black curls and velvety dark skin. The woman smiled brightly at them as they entered, showing off the laugh lines behind her gold-rimmed glasses. “Severus! Good to see you! I have to admit, I was surprised when you said you would be bringing a young Hogwarts student to get an exam. Who’s this?”
“This is Evan Thornclaw. He’s a half-goblin starting this year, but his mother is chronically ill and unable to bring him to get his school supplies. She asked if we could stop by your shop while we are here, as his prescription is woefully out of date,” Snape lied easily.
“Right, of course! Right this way, deary!” Harry followed the doctor into a room filled with beakers and gadgets. He sat in a chair in the middle of the room as directed, and she sat a pair of odd-looking sunglasses in his hand. They looked like a tapered rectangle that would wrap around his head, only interrupted by a small notch that would rest on his nose. “Put those on and tell me what you see,” Madam Mend directed.
It was like putting on blinders. Not only was the glass a completely opaque black, but they seemed to fit his face and block out all external light as well. “I can’t see anything!” he said, confused.
She just chuckled and tapped the glasses with something hard. “How about now?”
The glasses suddenly filled with light, making Harry squint. Now he could see a vast field with a dark smudge in the middle. When he described the image, she tapped the glasses again and the smudge came into focus. It was a little gray owl!
“He appears to be nearsighted, but in your letter, you mentioned he has trouble reading?” Mend asked.
“Yes,” Severus answered. “He can only read for a few minutes at a time before he gets a headache.”
“Hmmm. Curious. Let’s try something different.” She tapped the glasses again and Harry was suddenly looking at a snail on a leaf. “Focus on the snail, Evan, and tell me if it moves.”
Harry watched the creature for a long moment before answering. “It doesn’t move much, only twitching its antenna every once in a while, but now there are two snails.”
“Two? You're sure?”
When he nodded she removed the glasses, looking down at her clipboard. “Mr. Thornclaw, you appear to have what is called a condition called Convergence Insufficiency, or CI. I can give you corrective lenses for the nearsightedness, or an eye elixir healing regimen, but it is not something that glasses alone will be able to correct.”
The doctor shook her head, “Convergence insufficiency is an eye condition that affects how your eyes work together when you look at nearby objects. This can cause blurry or double vision when you look at things up close. I see this quite frequently in my patients with ADHD, and it can often be misdiagnosed as ADHD due to visual discomfort that's perceived as inattention or distraction. But it is a neurological issue where a lack of communication between your nerves and the muscles that control your eye movements causes your eyes to be unable to properly focus on an object close up. Your eye muscles themselves are healthy, but the nerves that control them aren't sending the proper message to your eyes, making them unable to turn inward enough to aim at a close object. Many people will see double like yourself or see a halo effect around letters. This causes eye strain and headache like you described.”
“Is it permanent?” Severus asked
“Not at all,” the doctor smiled. “It is easily rectified with physical therapy. In general, 12-24 in-office vision therapy sessions are recommended to treat convergence insufficiency. This will vary based on compliance, and the degree of convergence insufficiency. Which in Mr. Thornclaw’s case is quite severe. I am recommending vision therapy once a week with regular daily exercises to help strengthen your eye muscles to correct the problem.”
***
Harry left the doctor in a bit of a grumpy mood. She had made him do a range of exercises for his eyes that left him physically and mentally exhausted. She had given Severus a list of exercises to continue at home as well, which he was not looking forward to, but at least she had given him a pair of new glasses at the end. If he had thought the Alley was beautiful before, it was nothing compared to now! He could even see the bowties on the penguin dancing on the boy’s cone across the street now!
Mr. Snape tapped his shoulder again to get his attention. “How about we stop by the bookstore and pick out a few you like as motivation?” he offered.
Harry beamed as he was led to another building with bookshelves that touched the ceiling. The Dursleys had never let him have books. Petunia had read to Dudley every night, but wouldn’t even let him near them. She said his filthy hands would stain the pages.
He stood in awe in front of a shelf of colorful children’s books, his hands clasped together to avoid temptation. Snape sighed, grabbing one and placing it in his hands. “If you find ones you like, set them on the desk, otherwise make sure you put them back in the correct spot. You may have up to ten books.”
Harry’s eyes bulged, “TEN! But- but that’s so many! And you already bought me these nice glasses…”
Snape coughed, hiding his blush. “Yes well, it is your birthday. A few books are the perfect present.”
“It’s my birthday?”
“Yes. July 31st. Have you not been paying attention?” he asked sounding a little disgruntled.
Harry shook his head, “I didn’t think I had one. Uncle Vernon said freaks don’t have birthdays.”
Snape's jaw clenched and he let out an angry huff. “Just take your time and pick out some books. We have a few more stops to make before we head home.”
Harry searched the shelves gleefully for over an hour before he had carefully selected what he wanted. He didn’t have to go far to find the potion master. He was sitting in an armchair around the corner reading a heavy tom about familial rituals. “Ready to go?” he asked, closing his book. When Harry nodded they checked out at the register and left to go to another store.
Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions looked rather empty after the cluttered bookstore. Only having a desk and a few pedestals. The nice lady had him stand on the box as she took careful measurements. The professor talked to the lady for a while before paying her several coins. “What is all that for?” Harry asked.
“Just a few clothes for you. With the nutrient potions you should be growing, so it won’t be much. She will include a self measuring tape and an automatic updating catalog so you can choose your clothes and owl order them from home.”
“But I already have clothes.”
“You can’t keep wearing my shrunken robes forever.” Snape shook his head at the child’s confusion. “You deserve to have your own things, Harry,” he said firmly.
The next shop they stopped at was filled with cages of all shapes and sizes. The store was crowded, and smelled a little musty, although not near as bad as a room full of this many animals in tight quarters should have. Harry looked curiously into the nearest pen to see a litter of puppies each with two tails. The nearest one, a dark red, gave off a series of excited yips and stuck his nose through the bars. Harry stroked the little pointed ears obligingly as the tiny thing leaned into his touch. “What are these?”
“Crups,” Snape answered, scowling down at the creature. “They are a magical breed of dog that bond strongly to their owner and have a very protective nature.”
“That doesn’t sound so bad. Why are you glaring at it like that? Do you not like animals?” Harry asked. If the professor didn’t like animals, why were they here? He had noticed that the man didn’t keep any pets, not even an owl for the post. His grounds also were oddly empty of wildlife as if repealed by magic.
Severus sniffed, “I am not a fan of Dogs. Although, a well-placed familiar can be useful if properly trained.”
“What’s a familiar? Do you have one?”
“A familiar is an animal with an affinity for magic, meaning they possess their own primitive version of a magical core. When they bond with a wizard, they can acquire some magical abilities. The wizard they bond with in turn can communicate with them nonverbally and some can even use them as a conduit for information gathering or spells.” The dower man offered his hand to the Crup, which immediately growled and ran to the far corner of the pen, huddling in a pile with its siblings. “However, many animals dislike the smell of potion ingredients. Many of the items used are from dead animals, or poisonous plants so it is a natural reaction to the smell. Furthermore, most familiars shed feathers of fur that can be disastrous if allowed to contaminate a potion. So I do not think the benefits outweigh the risks in my profession.”
“If you don’t want a pet in your house, why are we here?” Harry questioned.
Snape looked away, in a way he was starting to recognize as embarrassment. “Regretfully, I have yet to secure you a permanent living arrangement as I promised. We will be making one last stop before we return home to check your parents will see if there are any other living caretakers available, but it is unlikely that I will have a solution before the coming school year starts. Because of this, you will likely be home alone more often than is probably appropriate.”
Harry hunched his shoulders, “That’s ok. I was home a lot before anyway. I’m used to it.”
The tall man huffed in frustration. “Used to it or not, you are still a child who needs socialization .” Snape made a face as if the last word tasted foul as he said it and Harry had to stifle a laugh. “I cannot permit anyone else to know that you are residing with me for your own safety at the moment, so training a familiar is the next best option.”
At that moment a kind-looking woman with a plump build came out from the back looking at them in surprise. “Oh! Sorry deers, I didn’t hear the chime when you came in. What can I do for you today?”
Snape stepped forward to greet the witch, “Hello ma'am. We are in the market for an easily trained familiar, to look after my ward when I have to be out of the house while he is visiting. Do you have any recommendations?”
The woman smiled. “Of course! Our Crups are by far the most popular for young families and easily trained as guardian work is in their nature.” She took in the potion master’s sour expression and laughed. “Not a dog person, I take it? No worries! We also have a wide selection of Kneazles, Owls, and other beasts suitable for guardian work.”
Snape followed the woman throughout the store, while Harry wandered through the shelves. He spent some time with a few fluffy-looking hedgehogs, labeled Puffskeins. He giggled at their ridiculously long tongues. Then he watched a few toads, but they were boring. He eventually reached the back of the store where there was a large terrarium. There appeared to be three snakes huddled together in a sleeping ball of coils. Harry stepped closer admiring their orange and black scales. As he watched the right snake lifted its head to study him critically.
“Hello there,” Harry whispered. Not wanting to wake the others.
The snake hissed in surprise and reared its head, bringing the other two with him. Now that Harry could see them better he could see that all three of them were attached to a single body. The left snake head looked at him in awe. “Greetings Speaker, I am Mendimtar. The grumpy one on the right is Kritike and the one still dreaming in the middle is Ëndërrimtar.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Harry.”
The snake on the right tilted its head, “You do not seem to be covered in fur.”
Harry laughed loudly, drawing the attention of the adults. Severus approached him warily. “Evan, what are you doing?” he asked quietly.
Harry took in his frowning expression, “I was just talking to the snake… Did I do something wrong?”
Snape swallowed thickly, “No, Evan, but it is not wise to use such a rare gift out in public. Leave the snake and come with me.”