Shopping and Kings Cross
Up in the highlands of Scotland, a certain headmaster was sitting in his office, grinning to himself. He had the boy grow up in conditions that would force the kid to see him as a savior. Not only that, he made sure that the school list was the bare minimum for Hogwarts. Minus some important textbooks, winter clothing, and other miscellaneous items students can bring to the school. Everything was going as planned; he sent that oaf Hagrid to help him with getting Potter's supplies, knowing that the giant’s lack of knowledge and prejudices against Slytherin House will rub off on the boy. He even contacted the Weasley family to use the Muggle entrance at Kings Cross. Yes, he thought as he stroked his beard.
Everything is going as planned.
The first thing they did was go to the wizarding bank, Gringotts. Ran by the goblins, whom Hagrid told him they were nasty folk, and that you’d don’t want to mess with them. Hagrid and Harry went to the main teller, who asked Harry for his key; which Hagrid pulled out of one of his ginormous pockets. He gave it to the teller; who glared. After one harrowing ride down to the vault, Hagrid pulled out the assortment of coins that Dumbledore told him to get for Harry. “ The gold ones are Galleons; silver ones Sickles and the bronze are Knuts”. Harry nodded; he was just surprised that he had money. They went to one of the deeper vaults where Hagrid placed a small parcel into his pocket.
When they resurfaced, Hagrid pointed him to Madam Malkins Robes for all occasions and went off to a nearby pub. Harry stepped into the shop, “ Hogwarts, too?” asked a witch who was helping a boy with pale blond hair. Harry nodded, and she gestured to a pedestal and threw on a set of robes onto Harry. The boy next to him looked over, “ You’re heading to Hogwarts too?” Harry nodded as the witch pinned the hem up the boy’s school robe. “My mother is down the street getting my books, and father is getting all my potion ingredients”, the boy looks around “ so where are your parents?” Harry looked down before answering, “ Both my parents have been dead since I was a baby”.
The boy frowns, “ I’m sorry. I’m Malfoy by the way, Draco Malfoy.” He reaches over a hand over to Harry. Harry shakes it, “ I’m Harry…Potter” in almost a whisper. The boy gasps “ Are you really?”, Harry stood there still not used to all this attention. “Yes,” he replied but was looking forward to making a friend his own age. “Alright Mr. Malfoy, you are done,” said the seamstress, and Draco took off the robe. “ I’ll get the full set,” he told the seamstress; as a woman with blonde hair walked in, “ I guess I’ll see you on the train?” he asks and Harry nods. With that, the boy turns and walks out with the woman.
After he was done with the robe shop, Hagrid finally came blundering over carrying an owl cage. “ There ye are Harry. Sorry I’m late, went ter get you an owl, isn’t she beau’fil”, the owl was in fact a beautiful Snowy owl. Harry quietly thanked Hagrid and they headed off to Ollivander's.
Harry and Hagrid entered the shop and an elderly man came around one of the many shelves. “ Ah, I was wondering when you’ll be stopping by Mr. Potter” he greets as he went to a nearby shelf grabbing a box, and came back to them. “ It seems like yesterday, that your parents came in and bought their first wands. Hagrid, oak, sixteen inches …” he stated. “ Yes sir” answers Hagrid. “ Pity the snapped it,” he eyed the pink umbrella hanging from Hagrid’s side, “ You’re not using any of the broken pieces are you, Hagrid?” the man quizzically asks. Hagrid swings his arms looking out the window answering “no” unconvincingly.
Returning his attention to Harry he hands him the wand from the box, “ Here Mr. Potter, Willow and dragon heartstring” Harry takes the wand with a questioning look in his eyes. “ Well give it a wave” Ollivander encouraged. Harry flicks his wrist and a nearby vase shatters to the floor. Ollivander takes the wand, muttering “ No. No definitely not” he goes back to a shelf grabbing another box, “Let’s try this one, Oak and unicorn hair” Harry takes it, and the light overhead pulses and bursts. “ Sorry,” he said, placing the wand on the counter. They tried at least twenty more wands; and with each one Harry was getting close to tears. “ It’s alrigh’ Harry,” Hagrid said as he placed a comforting hand on the boy’s shoulder, “ When I first came in: I set one of the shelves on fire, turn’ my guides hat bright pink an’ broke one of the store window’s. I think I tried ‘bout fourteen wands meself before we found one that suited me”. Harry sniffs as they hear Ollivander rummage in the back, “ But do you know wha’ that means Harry? You’re a powerful wizard”.
That’s when Ollivander came back with a box, “ Let’s try this one, Holly and Phoenix tailfeather”. Harry takes the wand, and warmth flowed through his fingers and sparks shot out of the wand. Hagrid clapped, and gave him praise. “ Very curious” Ollivander whispered. “ What’s curious?” Harry asks as Ollivander took back the wand to wrap it for purchase. “I remember every wand I have sold; it so happens that the phoenix gave the feather for your wand gave just one other feather. Pity that I sold it, what’s curious is that you’d be destined for this wand; while its brother gave you that scar”.
“Who owned that wand?” asked Harry, looking at both adults. “ We don’t speak his name. Now let’s get you run up” Ollivander explained, dropping the matter entirely.
It was a few hours later, Harry now had all his things for Hogwarts. He and Hagrid were having dinner in the Leaky Cauldron; they ate and silence. “ Um, Hagrid?” Harry spoke breaking the silence, “ what’s Slytherin?”. “ Blimey , I forget that you don’ know much.” Hagrid “ Slytherin, is one of the houses at Hogwarts, then there’s Griffindor, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff."
Harry looks down at his half-eaten sandwich, “I bet I’ll be in Hufflepuff”.
“Better Hufflepuff than Slytherin; mind you that there’s no witch or wizard that goes bad in that house.” Hagrid said. Harry frowns; “ Listen Harry, not all wizards are good, few years ago one went bad as you can get, started gatherin’ followers. His name was V..Vol” stuttering the last part. “ Mabey if you wrote it down?” asks Harry. “Nah,can’t spell it. Alright, his name was Voldemort.”
“Voldemort?” asks Harry loudly.
“Shhh, we don’ call him that, bad luck ya know. Anyway, the night he gave you that scar, somethin’ happened that caused the killing curse to rebound. That’s why you’re famous. You’re the Boy Who Lived”.
The last few weeks at the Dursleys was better than usual. Dudley avoided him, Vernon only beat him with a belt, choked him, and threatened him once (for the pig’s tail incident) and Petunia gave him a smaller chore list. Finally, September first came, and the only comment his uncle gave was that it was funny that he had to use the train to get to school as he dropped him off at Kings Cross Station. In his hand, held the ticket with Hogwarts Express, Platform 9 ¾. He looks around lost, one of the attendees thought he was insane when he was asked where the platform was.
It was ten minutes to eleven, and Harry was getting desperate. “ Come on Platform 9 ¾ this way” he heard in the distance. Someone knew where the platform was! “ Ugh, this place is always packed with Muggles…” he heard a woman who was trailed by five children.
“ Excuse me?” he asks the woman, “ can you tell me how to get to platform 9 ¾ ?”. The woman turns around, at first, she looked appalled but then smiles. “ Of course, dear, it’s Ron’s first time to.”
They were at the separation of platforms nine and ten again, the woman gestures for one of the kids “ Alright Percy you first”. The boy, who Harry guessed as Percy, took his trolley and walked briskly at the pillar. One moment he was there, then gone the next. Harry blinked surprised, “ Alright Fred”
“ I’m not Fred, he is,” said one of the twins, “ Honestly woman, and you call yourself our mother?” said the other as both headed to the barrier. When they were gone the woman urges Harry to go, “ Best you do it at a run if your nervous”. And with that Harry ran. On the other side was a train with the words Hogwarts Express.
Harry walked up to the train’s luggage compartment, where the twins from earlier were unloading their trollies. “ Hey do you need some help?” asked one. Harry nods “ Hey, George come help me will you?” the other twin, George, came over. They lifted his trunk and placed it on the train. When they were done the twins turned to Harry. “ We forgot” “ To introduce” “ Ourselves,” they said cohesively. “ My name's Fred” the twin on the left, “And, I’m George”. Harry shakes their hands; “ I’m Harry Potter”. “Wow! Are you really?” the twins said at the same time. Harry nods, “Wow, Fred wait until Lee hears about this.” A whistle blows, “ Well we best be finding our seats,” said Fred, as he hops off the train car, “ See you later firstie” the twins called as they disappeared into the crowd.