Chapter 1
For the record, getting lost was NOT on Harry’s to-do list today. But that just goes to show that plans change. Sometimes, you just gotta make the most of it. Instead of focusing on how lost she was, Harry was paying attention to the sights and buildings surrounding her. Italy was truly beautiful and she’s found several places she will be returning to explore later on. She has all summer to do so after all.
You are probably wondering just how Harry ended up in Italy of all places. Wasn’t she supposed to be going stir crazy while locked up in Privet Drive? Well, the story starts a little something like this. Harry got off the train at King’s Cross, said goodbye to her friends with the promise to keep in touch, and left to find her relatives.
The first sign of something being off was that it wasn’t her uncle who was there to pick her up. Instead, Aunt Petunia stood there, sneering at anyone who looked “freakish”. The second clue was that Petunia didn’t drive them in the direction of Privet Drive like Harry was expecting. Actually, she went in the complete opposite direction. To an airport. Harry was just happy that the lady at baggage check believed Harry’s excuse about a cosplay event when she saw all her wizarding stuff. “Clay figurines, food color, and slime” explained some of her more...interesting potion ingredients. Luck was on her side (for once) and she got onto the plane with no issues. Though based on Petunia’s scowl, she was hoping for a different result.
It was only when the plane was in the air that Petunia explained anything. Vernon had gotten a promotion at work. However, with it meant that they had to move to Italy. Harry worried about how she would get back to Hogwarts, but pushed the thought out of her mind for now. She had plenty of time to figure that out and if all else failed, she’d ask Hermione and Ron for help.
“Are you listening to me Girl?” Aunt Petunia snapped, pulling Harry from her thoughts.
“Yes Aunt Petunia,” Harry answered immediately. She wasn’t listening at all but she wasn’t going to admit that to her aunt. Petunia seemed to know anyway, for she huffed and then returned to her explanation. Harry was to hide any and all signs of her being a freak. She was to behave and not draw attention to herself. If she did this, and left the Dursleys alone, then she would be left alone as well. They’d simply pretend the other didn’t exist. That suited Harry just fine.
The remainder of the plane ride was spent in silence. Now that Petunia’s explanation was over, she was happy to begin ignoring Harry’s existence. Taking the very obvious hint, Harry turned her attention to staring out the window. She spent the next hour and a half (Petunia’s explanation took over thirty minutes because she kept droning on instead of getting to the point) mentally planning what she would say in her letters to Ron and Hermione. Then the plane landed in Italy and Harry was ushered to her new “home”.
That was two weeks ago. Harry was loving Italy and adjusting well to living here. She didn’t interact much with her relatives, preferring to spend her time exploring or in her room. Hermione had given her directions to getting into the magical enclave, which had Harry visiting there several times this past week. After getting access to her vault Harry got set up with a magical credit card that worked in both the magical and muggle world, along with a new key for the vault itself since she was never actually given her old one. As far as she knew, Hagrid still had it in one of his many pockets.
Harry registered with the Italian ministry the same day she had went to the bank. She didn’t even know she would need to do that until the goblin she was with explained things to her. He was a lot nicer than the goblins at the English branch. He actually helped her with registering and explained about magic usage for underage children. He gave her a pamphlet (the Italians used actual paper instead of parchment. Harry was loving them more and more each day.) about certain rules she’d need to know about magic usage in Italy. He even gave her directions to a store that sold enchanted bags so she wouldn't have to worry about her things being stolen.
Anyway, Harry now had access to more than enough money for a shopping spree. Her first order of business being a whole new wardrobe. Harry may have overdone it just a smidge, as she ended up with enough clothes that she could wear a new outfit every day for summer vacation and not wear the same thing twice. She couldn't help it. Getting clothes that actually fit her and didn't look like rags held together by duct tape was amazing. She actually felt like a whole new person after changing into the first outfit. The lady at the shop had a blast finding clothes for her too. Said she always wanted someone willing to be given a complete makeover. A human Barbie doll, she had called her.
Her second purchase came in the form of a new trunk from the shop the goblins recommended. It was a three compartment trunk, with each compartment being the size of a large room. She got this specific type for a few reasons. The main being that she wanted an area solely to herself. The trunk was locked onto her magical signature, meaning she was the only one who could open it. If anyone else tried, they would get shocked. First a minor one, then getting a little stronger for three times before ending with a stunner. The shocks would act as a warning and hopefully deterrent but if not, then the stunner would stop them for sure. There was also wards on the trunk that would alert her to anyone trying to gain access to the trunk.
She decided to turn the first compartment into a wardrobe. Seeing as how Harry just bought all these new clothes, she needed a place to keep them. This even had the added benefit of making it so Harry wouldn’t have to pack any clothes to go anywhere. She just needed to grab her trunk and leave. This room, despite now holding the results of Harry’s shopping spree, was still quite empty. Only about a third had been filled.
The second compartment was turned into a study of sorts. It was the largest of the three compartments and the place Harry spent most of her time when she wasn’t exploring. She could practice her magic or even work on her homework. Hermione would be so proud. Harry had already finished three assignments and she thought she did pretty well on them. At the very least, they were actually legible compared to her chicken scratch when she uses a quill. The Italians have what is essentially a hybrid between a ball point pen and a quill. It was the most amazing thing Harry had ever laid eyes on. She bought many of those. Enough to last her a long while, and enough ink refills to last her a couple years. And whenever Harry got tired of studying, she could relax and read a good book. Due to the size of the study, Harry added a lounge area where she could relax. She had her desk and “study” area taking up a one corner of the room. The opposite side became her “relaxation” area. Complete with a chaise, bean bags, and snack bar.
Harry even found herself seeking out new things to learn about. Like how Italians tended to favor wandless and non-verbal magic. The exact opposite of English wizards. This convinced her to turn the third compartment into a library as a result of Harry’s newfound interest in learning. She didn’t have a whole lot of books yet but at the rate she was going, she’d soon rival Hermione. Although Harry’s books were a mixture of both educational and fiction books. Mostly fiction actually. She had her textbooks and a few new books she bought on her last trip to the enclave but the rest were fiction. What can she say? Harry loved reading about how muggles viewed magic. Their takes on it were always so unique from each person to the next. Especially when Harry came across a creature she had learned about in classes. Muggles have very interesting imaginations. It almost made Harry want to write a book of her own, just to see how the muggles would react to her “fiction” story. Maybe it could be over her first three years at Hogwarts? They were certainly crazy enough to make a good story. Hmmm. She’d have to think about it.
Harry even paid extra to have a muggle decoy compartment added to the trunk. All she would have to do is turn a hidden switch on the handle to the Muggle setting and it would open to a completely normal trunk compartment. Not a speck of magical influence to be seen. Harry would just throw a few things in that compartment to make it appear to be used, instead of empty like it is now, and she’d be set. The cosplay excuse was unlikely to work a second time. This compartment would prevent that the next time Harry needed to go through baggage check.
She spent a few more hours shopping for anything she might need or that caught her interest. By the end of her shopping spree, she probably knew where most, if not everything, was in the enclave. With Translation charms, Harry had no problem communicating with the other magicals and was thusly able to get directions to where she needed to go. Problem was...Harry did not have the same luxury in the muggle world. She didn’t know the charm herself and didn’t think to ask someone to cast it on her before she left the enclave. And in true Potter Luck fashion, Harry was unable to find anyone that spoke English. The ones she did find were tourists and couldn’t give her directions back to the Dursleys house.
So Harry resigned herself to just wandering aimlessly, hoping she’d see something that looked familiar. All she’s succeeded in doing was making herself even more lost. At least it kept her away from the Dursleys for a while. If they saw her genuinely happy with the move, there’s no guarantee they wouldn’t move back to England out of spite.
Harry was snapped out of her thoughts when she collided with a wall. Hang on. It wasn’t a wall at all, but instead a boy a couple years older than she was. If it wasn't for his fast reflexes and strong arms, she surely would have hit the ground hard. Harry realized that the boy was still holding her up and she had made no move to leave his hold. Her face went as red as Ron’s hair and she quickly extracted herself from his hold, apologizing as she did. Now that she was beginning to overcome her embarrassment, Harry took a second to study the boy in front of her. He had blonde hair that covered his eyes and crown perched on his head. He gave off an aura that seemed somewhat otherworldly as well. Something about him was dangerous but Harry’s instincts said he wouldn’t hurt her. Harry trusted her instincts. They’ve saved her life more than once after all. If they said the boy was safe, then he was safe. Simple as that.
“I’m so sorry! I should have been watching where I was going!” Harry said quickly. The boy studied her for a moment before his lips curled into a smirk.
“Ushishishi. Just watch yourself peasant. The prince won’t be around to catch you a second time,” he said. Harry nodded, fighting the blush that threatened to return. Harry nodded and the boy went on his way. By the time it registered that he actually spoke English, it was too late. He had already disappeared in the crowd. The first person she found that spoke English and she forgot to ask for directions because she was too busy thinking about his looks. Harry sighed and continued walking. Although this time she didn’t let her thoughts cause her to run into any more people.