School Shopping
The Dursleys came back a week after he woke up. Apparently, once he didn't come out of his room for a few days, they had thought him dead and left to take a family vacation to Greece. Safe to say, they weren't very happy to get back home and see him awake. Harry was pretty sure the bruises wouldn't heal until after Hogwarts started next Sunday. Speaking of which, he still needed his school supplies...
Remus had said that he would take him with the Weasleys, but Harry hasn't heard from him all summer. Neither he or Mrs Weasley had gotten back to him about it. So, he decided he would go by himself this Sunday. But currently, he was locked in his room again.
The Dursleys had thought it a good punishment for being alive and eating their food, so they had locked him in his room, only getting a can of vegetable soup a day. Harry was just glad that they allowed his window to be open. Hedwig was still able to bring letters, and go hunt, meaning that nobody was worrying about him not answering, and he didn't have to share his food with the owl.
Today was Thursday. He was locked in his room with nothing to do, he had already finished his summer homework and didn't have any new school books to read. He did have the Encyclopedia Hermione had given him, but Harry had already read it enough times to remember most of it by heart.
So, he took to trying to control his shifts. He had four days until he went out in public, and he couldn't have his wings and claws popping out everytime he was startled. He started with just bringing one feature out at a time and putting them back a few times before moving onto the next. Harry hoped he would have control by Sunday.
In doing so, he became more accustom to other parts of the sudden inheritance. This included his food cravings, which was mostly for raw meat at the moment, and his instincts. He ignored his hunger as much as he could, but worked on understanding the instincts part, sharpening it until, instead of just a feeling, it was more like tiny words in the back of his head. Harry frowned. He felt empty almost, like a part of him was missing, and his instincts kept trying to shove him to find it.
When Sunday rolled around, he was feeling pretty confident that he wouldn't suddenly grow extra appendages at the drop of a hat. Aunt Petunia had agreed to let him out as long as he didn't return until next year, to which Harry happily agreed. Why would he want to come back anyway?
So, he grabbed his shrunken trunk out from under his bed. He grinned. It really was one of his favorite things. Currently, it was a 2x4 wooden cube, but when it was full sized it was a beautiful mahogany wood with black metal designs. Sirius had gotten it for him last year, and had spared no expenses. The trunk came with an undetectable extension charm, a lightening spell, and a shrinking spell.
Harry hit the button on it that made it grow. Honestly, at first he had been so worried the something would accidentally hit the button and make it grow suddenly. Sirius had assured him that it only grow if a human pushed it and wanted it to grow.
Once fully grown, Harry opened it. Inside were four compartments, all of which looked barely big enough to fit two text books. They, however, would grow to fit whatever he wanted. If he moved the compartments out of the way, there was a space under neath, one that seemed to stretch into a full sized room if he stuck his head in it. For now, he just packed away all his textbooks from the previous year, his clothes, and the gifts and letters from this summer. Each got their own compartment. Harry took Hedwig out of her cage before putting that and the other owl stuff on the bottom, along with his broomstick. He didn't worry about anything breaking or spilling. There was something about the trunk that made it so nothing ever moved in the trunk, like they were suspended in time. Harry also made sure to grab his bag of money. He would have to grab some more before shopping, but what is in there is more than enough to get him to Diagon Alley.
Harry closed the trunk and pressed the button again, turning it back into the 2x4 cube, which he swiftly picked up and put in his pocket. He waited until exactly midday, like Aunt Petunia had told him to. And like clockwork, she came and let him out of his room at exactly 12:00 pm. He stepped out into the hall and waited until Aunt Petunia had finished inspecting his room to make sure he hadn't left any of his freakish things. Once satisfied, she came back into the hallway and started walking without looking at him. He followed exactly 3 feet behind her. He was not allowed to walk anywhere without someone, and had to stay close behind them, but not close enough that the freakishness rubbed off.
Which was a moot point, Harry thought, with how many times Uncle Vernon and Dursley had hit him. If it was going to rub off, it would have by now. Aunt Petunia walked straight towards the door and opened it, motioning him out like a dog.
"Remember boy. We better not see hide nor tail of you until next year. Honestly, we'd rather not see you then either." And with that, the door was closed in his face.
Harry sighed and began walking. It was currently very light out, and just about lunch break. If he was going to call the Knight Bus, he needed to go in a less populated spot. So, he walked until he got a few blocks away, to the place he had first called the bus. The combination of a big park and alleyway was probably asleep good as he was going to get. So, he stuck his right arm out, immediately drawing it away so as to not have it ripped off by the bus.
It took only a few seconds for the purple blur to appear and stop right in front of him, with doors opening immediately. Harry stepped into the bus.
There was suddenly someone besides him, causing Harry to jump and turn that direction. He relaxed when he realized it was just Stanley. Well, at least he knows his training worked.
Stanley grinned. "Well howza Harry! Wheres ya off off to today!?"
Harry winced, quickly looking around, but seeing the bus empty. He smiled back and went to sit, say to Stanley "Diagon Alley today Stanley."
Stanley nodded, and yelled back to the driver "To Diagon Alley today Ernie!"
Harry was so so glad to be off that bus. He hated it. Nevermind that it only took minutes to get to his destination. It was so fast and bumpy and he felt dizzy and slightly nauseous as he stumbled away from the street, taking a moment to lean on the wall of the Leaky Cauldron to catch his breath and push down the nausea.
He eventually felt the need to puke fade away and stood up straight. Alright. First stop: Gringotts. Harry walked into the pub with his head down, hoping that the changes that came with his change did enough to hide his identity at least a bit. He really did not want to be hounded while getting school supplies.
Harry walked up to Tom and waited for him to get done with his current customer, before speaking up. "Hello Tom. Could you please open the gate to Diagon Alley?" He wasn't of legal age yet, and therefore couldn't do so himself. Thankfully, there was a system put in place for muggleborns who couldn't get in, and underaged sorcerers. That system being to ask Tom.
Tom looked over at him before nodding with a smile and taking off towards the back wall, where he proceeded to take out his wand and tap out the sequence. Harry nodded in thanks before ducking through the hole.
All at once his instincts flared in the back of his mind, telling him to find. The voice was shouting in his head 'find them! Find them!' Over and over. Harry stumbled backwards, working to shove down the sudden shift that wanted to take over, and the voices in his head.
He ducked into an alleyway, where he leaned on a wall. It took several minutes, but eventually it didn't feel like his wings were going to burst out of his back all of a sudden, and the shouting in his head had lowered to a whisper. Harry shook himself. What the fuck was that?!
He reached a hand up, making sure that his ears were the only slightly pointy version and that he didn't have fangs or scales showing. He couldn't be sure about his eyes, but that was a chance he would have to take. He needed to get a pocket mirror.
Stepping out of the alley, he started walking towards Gringotts, ducking in and out of the crowd. Apparently, Diagon Alley was extremely busy the weekend before Hogwarts. Which made sense he supposed, people picking up last minute stuff or supplies they forgot.
He reached Gringotts, and walked up the stairs to the huge doors. On either side of the doors was a goblin, guarding them. Harry was about to walk past them when he remembered something from the Encyclopedia. Goblins are very big on respect, and if you enter a place run by goblins, you are on their turf and therefore must abided by their rules. Goblins show respect by bowing, and expect other creatures to show the same respect when entering their territory.
So, Harry paused and bowed low to both of the goblins, one at a time. When he stood back up, the goblins both looked surprised, before they nodded and snapped. Harry smiled and nodded at them in return, before entering the first set of doors. The snap was their way of showing their allowance of him in their territory, and had marked him magically so that other goblins could tell he was allowed to be here.
Harry paused and stared at the words on the second set of doors with a grin.
"Enter, stranger, but take heed
Of what awaits the sin of greed
For those that take, and do not earn
Must pay most dearly in their turn
So if you seek beneath our floors
A treasure that was never your's
Thief, you have been warned, beware
Of finding more than treasure there"
He had always loved that poem, and knew that it was very true. Goblins took much pride in their job, and set nasty things on those who dare cause problems. He pulled open the doors and entered the main lobby. As he was walking to the desk, he got several surprised stares from the goblins, which he knew was because he was marked. This made Harry a bit upset. How dare sorcerers just waltz in here, on the goblins own territory, and expect to be served without showing the barest of respect!? The thought made him want to bare his teeth. If someone did that to his territory, they would no longer have their intestines attached to them.
Harry stopped in the middle of the room and blinked. Where in the world had that thought come from? He shook it off. No matter. He had things to do. Besides, he was basically part dragon now, and they were known to be extremely territorial sooo.... Honestly, with the amount of magical creatures out there, each with their own laws, there should be a mandatory class at Hogwarts for it. Nobody wanted to accidentally upset the wrong creatures and end up dead because of a misunderstanding.
It was getting close to dinner time, probably about 5:30ish. He had been shopping for his school supplies for about four and a half hours now, the number of people were generally a problem when checking out. Thankfully, most of the crowd had started disappearing about half an hour ago, wanting to get home to start on dinner. Harry only had to get his books now, having of saved that one for last as it would take the most time and seemed to have a pretty large crowd going in and out of it all afternoon.
Harry wanted to get some other books besides just his school books to read. He had taken quite the liking to reading after defeating Voldemort, and subsequently not having thoughts of dying constantly filling his thoughts. Hermione of course, was ecstatic and had given him a huge list of books she had thought he would enjoy, both muggle and magical. He had enjoyed the ones he had been able to get so far, and wanted to see if maybe Flourish and Blotts had some of them. He also wanted to see if they had anything on Dragonborns, though he knew the chances were slim. Hermione only bought books that were entirely truthful, and the one she had given him said that nobody knew much about them. He could hope though, right? Besides, he really wanted to know what the part about looking for mates and the fact he could get pregnant meant.
There was still a few families in the store, but not enough that it was very loud or crowded. He could move around and find his books easily enough. As it turns out, Flourish and Blotts did indeed have a muggle section, and honestly why were they called muggles now that he thinks of it. He knows that the word literally means someone who doesn't understand a certain subject, but in the muggle world it is often an insult. Why couldn't the Britain magic world use a different word, like how America uses no-maj. Harry liked that better. He was going to call them that now.
He managed to find a few of the no-maj books on Hermione's list, such as Percy Jackson and Lord of the Rings. As he moved around collecting school books, he kept an eye out for others on her list, picking up a few before deciding that was enough. When he had all of his school books, he went up to drop them off at the counter as the pile was quite heavy, with the 11 thick school textbooks, and the 5 or so other books he picked up.
"Hey Mr. Flourish! Can I set these here while I go look at for another book real quick?" Mr. Flourish looked up at the sound of his voice. A grin quickly lit up his heavily wrinkled face as he saw the pile of books with a head peaking out from behind it.
"Of course of course. Here, set them down right here while you go a'looking." Mr. Flourish chuckled kindly, clearing a space on the counter for him. " Have quite the load there don't ya Harry boy?" He smiled kindly, so Harry knew the words were in jest, not that he would think otherwise, as he and Mr. Flourish have talked quite a lot whenever Harry came by.
"Of course I do! Thank you, I'll be quick sir!" Was all he said before running, sorry, no running indoors, quickly walking over to the magical creatures section. He sat there searching for several minutes, probably close to half an hour, and found nothing. Harry sighed in disappointment. He wasn't really expecting to find anything, but had hoped he would in any case.
He grabbed an interesting looking book off of one of the shelves anyway. He didn't want to look like he made Me. Flourish wait for no reason, and besides, learning more about some of the other magical creatures, such as Veela, Sirens, and Elves, that had Dominants and Submissives might help him too.
As he was walking back towards the steps he heard the door jingle, signaling that someone had just entered. Harry didn't think much of it, until a familiar voice drifted towards him, and with it a delightful smell. It was like a mix of blueberries and sandalwood, with a hint of musk. Harry had thought he had gotten used to his heightened sense for the most part, but this one seemed to fill every corner of the room.
"But I'm telling you mother, I know they're here somewhere!" Malfoy, Draco Malfoy, and from the sounds of it, his mother as well. Harry pressed himself against the wall, trying to hide away.
Now, don't get him wrong, he had no qualms with the Malfoys. Well, maybe a little, but not because of the war. They had been proven innocent on most charges, as Voldemort had been holding the families lives over them all. The only problem he had with them was because of the bullying the youngest Malfoy has been doing to him for the past 5 years, and he really didn't fancy it happening today. Besides, Mrs. Malfoy was a lovely person, and had lied straight to Voldemort's face to protect Harry. He would forever respect that woman.
He heard a woman sigh, that must be Mrs. Malfoy, as they were the only ones left in the shop at 7 and close to closing time. "I understand Draco. We can look around, but the store seems empty. Remember to look for the books you want as well dear." Huh. Harry wondered who they were looking for, not that it was any of his business he decided.
"Yes mother." Harry could practically hear the eye roll in Malfoy's voice. With that, Harry shook himself, and decided he had been creepy long enough. He untucked himself and finished walking down the stairs, back to the counter, where he placed his newest addition to the pile of other books.
"Ah! Harry, back now? This all you getting this time?" Mr. Flourish smiled as he began ringing Harry up. Harry nodded his answer, grinning back.
"Yep, that's all for now!" He handed over his money and grabbed his books before taking out his trunk to immediately put them in it. "Thank you Mr. Flourish!"
"Of course Harry! Have a good day now!" Harry smiled at him when he stood up and grabbed his trunk to put back in his pocket. He was turning to leave when he heard a choked of gasp from behind him, causing Harry to pause and turned towards the sound to make sure the person was ok.
It was the two Malfoys. Draco had grown over the summer, now about 6'1", with hair that was going down to his mid back in waves, and it seemed he had bulke out slightly. He still had the lithe, runner's build about him, just slightly more muscular. He was the one that had made the noise, and was currently staring at Harry with wide eyes and an open mouth. Mrs. Malfoy was looking between her son and Harry with a frown, before suddenly smiling like she realized something. She turned back to Harry.
"Hello Mr. Potter. How have you been this summer?" She asked, still wearing a pleasant smile. Malfoy hadn't moved except to close his eyes. Harry frowned at him in confusion, which seemed to make Malfoy flinch and look down. Harry turned back to Mrs. Malfoy with a wince and a smile.
"Please just call me Harry. 'Mr. Potter' makes me sound old. I just turned 16!" Here he laughed. "I'm am doing well, thank you for asking! How have you guys been?" This caused Malfoy to look back up at him, before looking at his mother.
Mrs. Malfoy rested her hand on Malfoy's shoulder. "We've been well, thank you. It has been bit of a struggle to get back in the- oh how do you say it- groove of things? But overall it has been a very relaxing summer."
Harry nodded. "I am glad! I am sorry, but I have to get going. Nice to see you again ma'am. Malfoy." With that he turned to walk out of the store, missing the frowns on both of the Malfoys' faces.
The voice in the back of his mind was telling him to turn around. For what, he didn't know, so he ignored it.
"Hey Potter!" Was shouted, causing him to startle right as he reached the door. He turned with his eyebrow raised.
"Yes Malfoy?" Said boy opened his mouth, only to close it again. This happened a few times before Malfoy frowned.
"I wanted to apologize for what I have put you through for the last few years. I had no reason to do so, and for that I am sorry, and wanted to ask for a truce." Harry froze in shock. Malfoy was apologizing? He thought about it. Malfoy had made school hell at times, had said some very not ok things, both about him and his friends, yet... He had never done it on truly horrible days, like when he had just gotten out of the hospital wing or when he was very obviously in pain.
He looked back towards Malfoy. With a small smile. "I accept your apology and truce. Call me Harry. I'll see you around, yeah?" With that he turned around and left, not hearing the quiet 'See you' from Malfoy.
What an odd thing, he thought, but ultimately just decided to accept it and move on as he got back to the Leaky Cauldron. He walked up to the counter where Tom was working on wiping things down now that the general crowd had left. "Hello again Tom. Do you have an available room for the next week?"
Tom looked up at him with a smile, before he put down the rag he was cleaning with and walked over to the cash register. "Sure do Harry. A single starting tonight, ending on and including Saturday?" He waited for Harry's nod before continuing. "Alright, that'll be 136 Galleons."
Tom gave Harry the key once he put the money away. "Room 253. Second floor to the right. Have a goodnight Harry."
" Thanks, you too!" Harry went up to his room and promptly collapsed on his bed. He was exhausted. He debated going down for dinner, but he was still full from the snack he had grabbed while shopping. He decided against it. He could eat tomorrow.
Groaning, he rolled off the bed and went to shower. Shit. That's what he forgot to buy. Shower essentials. Harry sighed. Guess he was going to have to use the ones offered by the pub. Thankfully, the didn't smell like much, mostly just of chemicals. He quickly finished and got changed into pajamas. That was another thing he was going to have to buy. More close. Most of his didn't exactly fit him the best, having either been Dudley's or because he had shrunk, both in size and skinniness. It wouldn't do to have his pants continually fall off his behind.
That's ok though, he thought snuggling into the warmth the blankets offered, with a sense of excitement filling him. He had an entire week to explore Diagon Alley and buy things. It was going to be fun!