A Whole New World
(Harry’s POV)
BOOM BOOM BOOM
Whatever was at the door kept slamming into it and shaking the entire house as it did. Freaking out I curled up in the corner of my cupboard trying to hide a whimper leaving me as I was shaking. I don’t like loud noises and whatever thing was big or strong enough to not only make such a loud noise but also shake the house just by knocking I didn’t want to be around. Vernon was bad enough I didn’t need something bigger and stronger than him.
“Who in the blazes is at the door at this time of day,” Vernon hollered as he started to make his way down the stairs, “disturbing good hard working people why I’ll give them a piece of my mind.”
BANG
A sound like a gunshot filled the house and suddenly I heard a loud THUD right outside the door to my cupboard and what sounded like Uncle Vernon groaning. At that moment I was terrified, here outside my door is the man who has taken it upon himself to hurt me my entire life to teach me “lessons” and something else was at our door big enough to send him flying. The next thing I heard was my aunt screaming as her voice carried down from the top of the stairs, “Who are you!? What do you want!?”
THUMP THUMP THUMP
Three loud steps made their way through the house stopping right in front of my door and then I heard a loud but somehow gentle voice ring out, “Sorry ‘bout tha, sometimes don’ know me own strength,” the man said a bit of a chuckle behind his words, “Me names Rubeus Hagrid, bu’ you can call me Hagrid everyone does. I’m ‘ere ta take ‘Arry shoppin’ for his supplies!”
“You… you’re from that school! The one that stole my sister,” Petunia cried out an uncharacteristic waver filling her voice, “VERNON! He’s one of them! A freak!” I heard a groan coming from outside the cupboard and the shuffling of what I assumed was Vernon picking himself up off the ground.
“Now you listen here, he won’t be going to your ruddy school,” Vernon shouted, “we swore when we took him in that we would stomp that stuff out of him and I’m not gonna have your lot come in him and muck it up by having some ruddy old fool teach him magic tricks!!!”
“YOU!,” there was suddenly so much menace in that loud voice, “HOW DARE YOU INSULT THE GREAT ALBUS DUMBLEDORE IN FRONT A ME!!! HARRY WILL BE GOIN’ TA HOGWARTS AND THERE AIN’T NOTHIN’ A GREAT MUGGLE LIKE YERSELF CAN DO ‘BOUT IT! NOW WHERE’S HARRY?!”
The door to my cupboard suddenly swung open and Uncle Vernon’s pale face suddenly regained some color as he smirked seeing how scared I was. “You brought this upon yourself boy,” he spat as he grabbed ahold of the scruff of my neck and yanked me roughly out of the cupboard. I took one look at Hagrid and never wished to be locked up in my cupboard more than I did at this moment. Hagrid was huge, easily three meters tall and four wide with hands as big as trash can lids.
“AH there’s ‘Arry,” Hagrid called his voice softer than before but still loud enough to sound like shouting. He reached out to clap me on the back and without meaning to I flinched away from his touch, but he didn’t seem to notice as his hand clamped down on my shoulder and he steered me towards the front door. “Well we better get goin’ don’ worry I’ll get ‘Arry back in one piece,” Hagrid called as he pushed me out the door.
Hagrid called something called the nightbus and during the wild ride he told me about the magical world, some of the differences between it and the muggle world, as well as how my parents actually died and that I was famous for defeating the man who killed them. Honestly I thought it was idiotic that anyone believed a baby had killed such a powerful man, wizards definitely lacked common sense. Despite all of this I was not ready for the reaction I got when I entered the Leaky Cauldron. All eyes were on me as people shouted my name and tried to grab onto me, it was less like I was a person they wanted to meet and more like I was the last available limited edition toy that every kid wanted. I curled up into myself and the next thing I know with a loud POP I was no longer surrounded by people instead I was standing in a dingy alley outside the Leaky Cauldron, I was so relieved to have that over with that my normal fear reaction from doing something freakish didn’t even start. Hagrid came out the door and offered me an apologetic smile and pulled a blue knit hat out of his overcoat handing it to me, “Sorry ‘bout tha’ ‘Arry they just excited ta meetcha is all, though if ya don’ want to deal with tha’ all over again in the alley you best put on the hat and cover your scar.”
“Thanks Hagrid,” I mumbled as I pulled on the hat. It was definitely too big for me but I quickly decided I’d rather wear the large hat then risk getting mobbed again. Hagrid tapped a few bricks with his odd pink umbrella and suddenly the wall began to fall apart until the only thing in front of us was an open arch leading into a beautiful site. Diagon Alley looked like a town out of one of those fantasy manga I would read sometimes in the library. The streets were filled with people in different odd varieties of dress all similar and yet so different from each other and I could immediately tell that with my threadbare rags I was the one who looked out of place not any of these people with their fantastical outfits. Hagrid quickly ushered me down the street as I tried to greedily take in all the sites around me. Eventually Hagrid brought me to Gringotts to get money, something I apparently had a lot of, and to pick up something special for Dumbledore. I was curious for a moment, but I quickly clamped down on my curiosity knowing it was none of my business what was in that highly secured vault. I learned a couple things from my time in Gringotts though, wizards are quite rude to Goblins and don’t cross the goblins they will happily hurt you given the opportunity.
After we were done at Gringotts, Hagrid told me to go ahead and get my uniform squared away while he apparently needed a pick me up at the Leaky. I hope Hagrid doesn’t get any alcohol while he’s there, Vernon would drink sometimes and while Hagrid seemed to be a nice person I didn’t have enough faith in him to hope he won’t act the same way as Vernon while drinking.
I made my way into the shop and looked at the uniforms for a moment. The girls uniform caught my eyes for a moment and I found myself wondering what it would feel like to wear before quickly shaking the thoughts from my head. A seamstress quickly helped me get fitted for my uniform while some blonde guy tried to talk to me, he reminded me too much of Dudley though so instead I just shyly pulled the hat down a little further and ignored him. Judging by the scowl he shot my way as he left he wasn’t very happy about being ignored. After what felt like forever I made my way out of the shop where Hagrid found me, apparently I had spent long enough in there that he was able to collect the rest of my supplies all except my wand which apparently I needed to be present for. He led me to Olivanders where he informed me that I’d have to go in alone as he apparently didn’t fit inside the shop.
As I made my way into the shop I couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable. Not only was everything covered with a thin layer of dust and grime but the air felt thick and seemed to radiate with power. I stood there for a second looking around wondering where the shop keeper was before shrugging and deciding to wait, maybe they were in the back working on a new wand or something.
Suddenly a hand clasped my shoulder and an old breathy voice filled my ear, “Ah what do we have here?”
“Aahh,” I yelped in shock, quickly jumping away from the stranger and scurrying over to a corner in fright. Once I calmed down enough to get a clear look at the person across from me I saw an old man with crazy white hair reminiscent of Einstein and milky white eyes looking at me curiously.
“Ah Mr. Potter, sorry about the fright I’ve been told I should stop sneaking up on people,” the old man told me with a sympathetic yet sad expression crossing his face, “I’ve looked forward to the day that you would come into my shop. I still remember your parents' wands. Your mother favored a willow wand 10 and a quarter inches long, excellent for charms work while your father on the other hand held a mahogany wand 11 inches long, a bit more powerful and excellent for transfiguration. Now I say favored, but it’s actually the wand that chooses the wizard Mr. Potter. Now which is your wand arm?”
I looked at him confused and held out my right hand before asking, “I’m right handed, is that what you mean sir?” He gave me a quick nod and with a swish of his wrist a tape measure quickly started taking measurements of my body each weirder than the last.
The tape measure and just finished measuring between my eyes when suddenly Ollivander called out, “That’s enough!” and the tape measure fell to the ground all magic seemingly vacating the strange measuring tool.
As time passed Ollivander kept handing me wands to try sometimes ripping it out of my hand the moment it was in my grasp other times waiting until after I had waved it getting largely disastrous effects such as the spindly chair in the corner catching on fire and the vase holding a dead flower exploding. The more wands rejected the me the more I worried wondering if perhaps a mistake was made and I wasn’t magical after all, like Mr. Ollivander was going to suddenly shake his head sadly and tell Hagrid to take me back to the muggle world and leave me their, but from what I could tell instead of being upset like I would’ve thought Ollivander seemed to instead get more and more excited every time a wand rejected me. Suddenly the old shop owner looked like he had a eureka moment as he grabbed a noticeably dustier box than the rest and held the wand out to me, “Perhaps this one Mr. Potter,” he told me, holding out the wand, “a rather unusual combination of holly and phoenix feather 11 inches nice and supple.” I took the wand and automatically could tell this wand was different. There was a connection that I didn’t feel with the others, I gave it a hesitant wave and gold and red sparks shot out of the wand. Mr. Ollivander opened his mouth seemingly about to congratulate when the wand suddenly got incredibly hot in my hand.
“Yowch!” I yelped in pain as I dropped the wand, my hand was suddenly red and blistered, reminiscent of how it would get when Aunt Petunia would hold my hand on the lit burner over the stove to punish me for burning the food. I whimpered holding my hand to my chest glaring at the wand in betrayal, for a moment it had felt so warm and comforting so right in my hand, only for it to burn me instead.
“Hmmm perhaps not,” Ollivander said, frowning for the first time since I started trying the wands. He reached over and gently took my hand healing it with a wave of his wand before turning around, “you certainly are an interesting customer Mr. Potter.” Ollivander went behind his counter for a moment looking at me like he was Dudley trying to solve what 2 plus 6 was, in other words like I was a question almost too difficult to answer. Out of nowhere he got up and walked over to a cabinet in the back corner of the store, “Perhaps this one,” I heard him say as he grabbed a box from the cabinet that unlike the other in the store seemed to be a polished wooden case with beautiful designs etched into it, “it couldn’t hurt to try I suppose.” He walked back over to me and opened the beautiful case and gestured for me to look inside, where I saw a beautiful wand that immediately felt like it was calling out to me. It was mostly made of a beautiful warm light wood but there was also a swirling inlay around the wand in a darker reddish brown of another wood that almost looked like branches and cherry blossoms. I picked up the wand and was filled with an automatic warmth and almost a feeling of being loved as the wand emitted a bright array of lights that danced around the shop almost like the northern lights I read about at school.
If I had been paying attention I would have seen Ollivander giving me a shocked look but instead all I heard was, “curious very curious indeed. I could’ve sworn she said the wand was meant for a girl, no matter I must be remembering wrong.” The man shook his head and gave me that same piercing yet vacant stare as earlier, “that wand Mr. Potter was entrusted to me years ago by a woman who said it would be picked for someone this very year. Imagine my surprise and slight disappointment that the wand would be made for you when none of mine work, it is an odd wand made with dual woods of rowan and cherry 11 and a quarter inches long and incredibly flexible the core is one I have never tried a tail hair from a kitsune braided with hair of a mysterious dark creature without a name. Now usually this is where I would charge you for the wand, but as the creator told me it was a gift for the one chosen by it the wand is already rightfully yours. I daresay Mr. Potter, you will be an interesting wizard to watch.” With that he handed me back the case and I rushed out of the shop, very thankful to never be going back in.
Back on Diagon Alley I quickly found Hagrid who seemed to be hiding something behind his massive body an excited look on his face as I approached, “Happy birthday ‘Arry!” he excitedly whispered, shoving a bird cage in front of me that held the most beautiful animal I had ever seen, she was a small snowy owl with big almost glowing amber eyes. Without even thinking I opened the cage and the owl flew into my waiting arms where I softly held her to my chest as I looked up at Hagrid with tears in my eyes suddenly knowing that no matter how big and scary Hagrid he could appear he was now my best friend.
“Th-thank you Hagrid, I love her!” I exclaimed, “no ones ever gotten me a present before, thank you so so so much!” The owl suddenly flew up onto my head nuzzling into the hat like a nest as I hugged Hagrid as best as I could.
Hagrid blushed and assured me that thanks weren’t necessary and that he was happy to give me a present. After that he took me to get a quick bite to eat before dropping me off at privet drive. As I watched Hagrid leave I was excited and felt like I couldn’t wait for september first to come, not only because I would be leaving the Dursleys or so that I could learn magic, but because I would be able to see my new friend again.