The trip back to the world of Harry's birth was anti-climactic, to say the least. One moment he and Hagrid were behind the Inverse home, the next they were in a stretch of England forest, heading for a bus stop. It seemed so... simple, for all the powerful magic that had to be involved.
"So," Harry ventured after a few moments of waiting, "where are we going?"
"London." The half-giant answered. "We need to get you school supplies."
"I remember London. A bit." Harry said. "You can buy magical goods there? And what about money? I'm not exactly rolling in cash..."
Hagrid chuckled. "We'll be heading to Diagon Ally, Harry. Its the best place to go to get what you need. As for money... we'll just stop at Gringotts once we get there."
"Gringotts?"
_-=^=-_
Gringotts turned out to be a bank. Run by the local version of goblins... and from what Harry could tell, the only difference between these goblins and the ones he'd encountered back in the world he considered home, was that these goblins were more likely to hit you with a lawsuit than a club.
And while Harry was curious about Hagrid's other chore - going to get the "You-Know-What" from Vault "You-Know-Which," those thoughts were drowned out when his parent's vault was opened and he saw the mound of gold coins nearly as big as he was.
Hagrid smirked. "You didn't think your parents left you with nothing, now, did you?"
Harry swallowed deliberately. "Hagrid... when I go back home, remind me never to tell Lina about this..."
_-=^=-_
Then came the shopping in earnest.
_-=^=-_
Harry wasn't much one for alchemy or potions. So he'd never personally had much use for a cauldron before. But now he needed one. Harry cringed at the thought of the long boring classes of mixing powder A with liquid B to make a moss green color...
But just because he needed one didn't mean he wasn't going to get the best deal he could.
"I don't know... this looks pretty small for the price."
"I assure you," the proprietor replied, "It is quite large enough for your needs... and I challenge you to find a better price for a new cauldron anywhere else!"
Harry snorted. "Really? New? Then where did these dents come from? Even if it's just from mishandling while moving it around - which I doubt - I do believe that that should knock a few coins off the price."
The proprietor humphed. "There isn't a single blemish on one of my new cauldrons. Let me see that..."
While the proprietor examined the cauldron, Hagrid began whispering to Harry. "Er... Harry... why are you doing this. You could afford to buy a new cauldron for everyone in your class at the price he was asking..."
Harry blinked. "And pay a single penny more than I need to?" He shook his head. "I don't think so. Father would be so disappointed if I did that..."
_-=^=-_
And, of course, Wands...
_-=^=-_
Ollivander's was a dusty and cobweb ridden shop that made Harry cringe to look at. His adoptive father was a merchant, and he had imparted upon Harry as much knowledge of bargaining, buying, and selling as he could. From the condition of the store, it was obvious to Harry that either the proprietor didn't care about business... or was so sure about his business that he felt he didn't need to clean up."
"Why do I need a wand, anyway..." Harry grumbled out loud.
"For control, boy." A voice came from the back, and shifted forward as the curly-haired man rolled into view. "Unless you want every muggle around to see you casting spells, you need that control..." The man blinked as looked Harry over, then smiled. "I had wondered when you would come to my store."
"Huh? And what was that about control?"
The man - Harry guessed him to be Ollivander himself - began rooting through the countless boxes that lined every available space. "It's well known that Muggles - people without magic - fear what they don't understand. And try to destroy that which they fear. To keep ourselves hidden from their prejudices, all wizards and witches learn control above all else." He examined a wand for a moment, looked at Harry, then put the wand back. "That way, we never need to use more magic than we must, and that keeps accidental witnesses down." He brought out a wand and handed it to Harry. "Now... don't focus at the wand. Just let your magic flow, and wave the wand."
Harry shrugged and did so. A whole wall of wands collapsed and rolled across the floor.
"Hmmm... this may be a challenge."
_-=^=-_
And finally, Lunch afterwards.
_-=^=-_
Hagrid stared at Harry. "Where... where did you put all that, Harry?"
Harry shrugged, barely seen over the pile of plates before him. "Hey, I was hungry..."
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(Posted Sun, 29 Jun 2003 23:45)
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