4 4. Changing Destinies

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Harry picked up the golden coin that fell on his head and looked left and right, wondering who dropped it.

"Hey!! Over here, mate!" Happy waved both his hands from above.

Harry looked up and noticed a slightly taller, black-haired boy waving at him. Harry tilted his head, looking at the odd goose poking its head out from the balcony railings.

"Come up!" Happy shouted while gesturing with his hand.

Harry nodded and went straight into the café.

Reaching the first floor, Harry saw the boy, who looked about his age, sitting at a table, being served tea and all kinds of small cakes on a fancy-tiered cake stand. There were sweets on the top tier, scones placed on the middle tier, and sandwiches and other savory items placed on the bottom tier.

Happy's eyes lit up as he saw Harry Potter himself, walking over to him.

"Harry! Please sit. I never thought I'd be lucky enough to meet you so soon." Happy tried to act friendly. This was someone he saw, read about, and admired growing up. How could he not be giddy?

Harry looked at the empty seat, then at the goose, which was eating something from a bowl on the floor beside the table.

He then looked back at Happy without sitting down, "How do you know my name?"

'Argh! I forgot to be careful! Don't be a fangirl, Happy.'

"Um...well. Who wouldn't know that scar? You're the famous Harry Potter, the boy who lived!" Happy awkwardly eyed Harry's scar.

"Scar? Oh ..." Harry felt awkward. It felt like there was more to the story than Ollivander had told him about his scar. He didn't know what 'the boy who lived' meant yet, but he did know he was known in the wizarding world.

Harry took note of it, thinking he would ask Hagrid later. He pushed forward the golden coin on the table, "This must be yours?"

"That's right. I accidentally dropped it. My name is Happy, by the way. Happy Lestrange." Happy happily stood up and held his hand out to him.

"I'm Harry, Harry Potter." Harry shook it.

"I know." Happy smiled wider, "So, you're out on a bit of shopping, are you?"

"Yeah, getting things for Hogwarts."

"Hogwarts! Of course! I'm going to Hogwarts too! It's going to be amazing. You're going to love it."

"Really? Have you ever been to Hogwarts?" Harry was instantly interested and sat down across Happy.

"No, not really. Tomorrow will be my first day, but who doesn't know Hogwarts?! It's the best! The Great Hall's feasts are to die for, the juicy-looking roast ribs, the goblets that refill themselves, the yummy deserts..." Happy almost drooled while shoving a macaron into his mouth.

Harry chuckled at his answer, noticing that it was all related to food, "Sounds like a nice place."

"Harry, you look quite thin. Here, eat this last piece of pumpkin pie." He offered and continued the chat. "So, where do you live?"

"I'm not from around here. I live in Little Whinging, England." Harry answered while taking a bite of the pumpkin pie.

Happy acted like he knew nothing about Harry's family life, "Oh, so you live in the muggle world? Well, no worries. I will feed you all sorts of magical delicacies and fatten you up in no time."

But just as Harry was about to reply, he remembered something and quickly stood up.

"Sorry, Happy. I really have to go. Hagrid's waiting for me. I need to go back to the Leaky Cauldron."

"Oh, yes." Happy also stood up, "I'll go with you."

"You will?"

"I don't know; I'm kind of bored by myself. We'll need to get on the train tomorrow anyway. What's a little adventure before school?"

"But, won't your parents say something?" Harry asked.

Happy chuckles and shook his head, "It's alright. I got no family, Harry. They were horrible people and got punished by the Ministry of Magic. So now it's just me, a boy with lots of money but no friends to speak of."

Listening to him, Harry felt pity. He saw that Happy, although cheerful, was as lonely as he was. There were a lot of similarities that made him warm up to the other person he had just met.

"Alright, let's go."

"Come on, Koko!"

"Woof!"

...

"Harry! yeh took some time, ey... where were yeh?" Hagrid's booming voice called out as he saw the boy enter the pub.

"I met a friend. Hagrid, this is Happy. Happy, this is Hagrid." Harry cheerfully answered as the two boys and one goose approached the half-giant half-human at the table.

"Rubeus Hagrid, nice to meet ya!"

Happy met the big humble giant for the first time and, excitedly, hugged him. Happy remembered that the last thing related to 'Harry Potter' he saw in his past life before entering coma was the actor Robbie Coltrane, coming to meet him, dressed as Hagrid.

"Happy Lestrange, nice to meet you too!" Happy cheerfully said.

When Happy told him his name, Hagrid paused for a moment. Happy noticed that the hand on his shoulders was a little tense.

"Lestrange?"

'Is he going to be hostile? I need to change the subject!'

"Haha... That's right!" He laughed awkwardly and quickly let go, "Oh, this smells nice! Is that potato and meat stew? I'm going to go get some! It'll be perfectly paired with some bread! Let's go see Koko!"

Happy went to the pub's bar table with large strides. Koko waddled along behind him.

"Harry?" Hagrid looked at the boy standing beside him.

"It's okay, Hagrid. He's just very friendly."

"It's not tha', Harry. He's a Lestrange..."

"Yeah, he told me his family is in prison."

"It's not jus' tha' Harry. They are terrible people who did horrible things..."

"Hagrid, I think he's good. I don't think we should judge someone by the actions of another. Right?"

Hagrid could tell that Harry was talking about himself. If people judged Harry by how the Dursleys were, he probably wouldn't be welcomed in the wizarding world.

Hagrid wondered for a moment, a little worried. He knew that Harry needed a friend of his age, especially when everything was new to him, but Happy was a Lestrange. Although Happy was still a child in his eyes, he didn't know how far that family had educated their children. To be more precise, brainwashed them.

"Here we go!" Happy returned with two bowls of stew and three loaves of bread in his arms. The goose behind him was balancing another bowl of stew on its head and wagged its feathered tail.

"Woof woof!"

Hagrid and Harry were slightly surprised that the white goose was barking, but they quickly understood that it might be magical.

...

As Happy and Harry cheerfully chatted about what they had bought for school, comparing their experience in buying stuff for themselves, Hagrid kept watching the boy. He gradually felt relief as he saw that Happy had no malicious intentions toward Harry. The boy's amber eyes were clear and innocent, and by the way he talked, it didn't seem like he cared about Harry's half-blood origins. If anything, Happy talked more about the food he had tasted today, rather than wizarding politics.

"Alright, both o' yeh, tis' gettin' late." Hagrid noticed the pub's candles were starting to light up and the sunlight shining through the windows gradually dimming.

"But Hagrid, can't we..."

"No, Harry. Yeh must get a room in the inn upstairs before it gets full. Yeh have ter catch the train in the mornin'." Hagrid acted as the 'responsible' adult that he was.

"Oh, come on, Hagrid, no one would even care if I come home late... Oh wait, Harry can stay at my place!" Happy added.

"Your place?" Both Harry and Hagrid looked puzzled.

"I live alone... Oh, I do have five house elves, so we're in good hands."

"I don't think tha' would be appropriate." Hagrid rejected the idea.

"Please, Hagrid, I can also tell Harry about the school in advance." Happy looked at him with puppy eyes.

"Yes, Hagrid... Please...?" Harry followed suit.

Hagrid was a little uneasy, but when he looked at the two boys, he couldn't say no. 'I want Harry to make friends, but I can't leave him alone.'

Hagrid sighed and finally agreed, "Alright, yeh lot, have your fun. But yeh have to remember to be at the train station on time!"

"Especially yeh, Happy. Yeh know your way around, righ'? Bring Harry ter the platform in the mornin'."

Happy gave him a salute, "No worries, Sir!"

Hagrid gave Harry his train ticket, "Strick ter the ticket, Harry."

"Of course!"

"Let's go, Harry! Come along, Koko!"

"Meow!!"

....

At the Lestrange house at the farthest edge of Diagon Alley.

"Marcus! We have a guest!"

Happy shouted into the now clean house as he came in the door.

Harry placed his small leather suitcase and Hedwig's cage down by the entrance and looked at the magical house. "Wow... this place is big. You really live alone?"

"Yeah. Well, not really alone, but you got the idea... Anyway, is that all you brought?"

Pop!

Marcus suddenly popped up in front of them.

"Alright, Marcus, we'll be having dinner now. Make us some Italian food... Do you like Italian food, Harry?"

"I don't know. I have never tasted any."

"Wonderful! You'll love it!"

So ignoring the house elves, they chatted and laughed, telling each other about their lives. Soon enough, the table got decorated with plates. Lots of different pasta, risotto, lasagna, Pistachio Panna Cotta, authentic Italian pizza, and Bistecca Fiorentina, were presented beautifully.

"Come on, Harry! Dig in!" Happy was ready with a knife and fork, as this was also his first time.

Harry gleefully nodded and grabbed his own set of utensils.

It was the first time in Harry's life he was enjoying a meal like that, and he sure loved it.

...

After eating, Harry and Happy talked about the magical and muggle world.

To Harry's surprise, Happy knew more about the muggle world than he did. Even though Harry lived all his life in the muggle world, besides attending the same primary school as Dudley, he never really left 4 Privet Drive.

"Honk! Honk!"

"Woof!"

"Moo..."

Besides the laughter and chatter of the two boys, the two snowy white birds were also getting to know each other.

Koko the goose and Hedwig the owl had finally met.

"Quack quack."

"Hoot hoot..."

Koko tried to claim superiority. He barked, quacked, and even made owl noises. But Hedwig just ignored him and silently sat in her corner, grooming herself and sleeping.

Annoyed, Koko danced around her, tapping his cute feet loudly. But, eventually, he got tired and slept as well.

After a short while, Koko woke up to his shock. He realized he had lost the fight, as he found Hedwig sitting on his back and sleeping in triumph.

With that, Koko the goose lost, zero to one. But the vow of revenge had been made. The goose was never going to accept defeat.

Meanwhile, the sounds of two boys cheering and playing could slightly be heard outside the house as a half-giant figure watched from afar, looking at the brightly lit window of the Lestrange house.

'There is still some good left in the Lestrange family.' Hagrid thought as he silently watched the house.

As Hagrid sighed and folded his arms, he noticed an item bulging in his coat pocket. 'Oh, I need to get this to Dumbledore...'

Thinking of his other responsibilities, Hagrid decided to trust Happy this time and left the two boys to their own amusement.

That night, Happy and Harry talked and played board games until they got tired and fell asleep.

...

The next day, the two arrived at the train station on time.

Harry winced as he saw Happy run straight into a wall, but marveled at how he instantly disappeared. He also tried it, albeit while closing his eyes, still expecting an impact and a painful accident.

But nothing happened, and soon they found themselves admiring the fantastic steam engine and the platform full of parents and students.

But then Happy was suddenly stopped there by a man with long blonde hair and a young blonde boy beside him. They looked at him with kind smiles as if they knew him.

"Mister Lestrange, it is an honor to make your acquaintance. I'm Lucius Malfoy, of the Malfoy family. Our houses have been entwined in the bonds of familial relations for centuries, and I must admit my chagrin at having been previously unaware of your existence.

"Nonetheless, I trust that my son Draco, who will soon be joining you at Hogwarts, will have the opportunity to cultivate a friendship with you. We certainly should be keeping up with the traditions of camaraderie that have long existed between our families."

Happy, who knew the man very well by just a single glance, smiled widely and shook hands. He saw no problem in being polite with him, as he held no personal hatred. He even shook the boy's hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I hope we can be good friends, Draco."

The blonde-haired young boy beamed with a smile and nodded. "Me too, Mister Lestrange."

Happy chuckled, "Just call me Happy. I know it's a strange first name, but I can't always run away from it."

"Spoken like a wise man." Lucius butted in with praise, obviously trying to win some brownie points with the last free Lestrange.

"Now, if I may. I must return to the Ministry for some urgent work. I wish you good luck at Hogwarts."

The tall, lanky man slightly bowed, turned, and walked away. He carried his elitist demeanor proudly as he passed by the other families, ignoring most of them.

"So, Draco, this is my friend..." Happy turned to Harry, "Harry Potter."

"Potter?" Draco's eyes widened slightly.

"Harry Potter, nice to meet you." Harry smiled and offered a handshake.

"Draco Malfoy." Draco shook Harry's hand, "So the stories are true. Harry Potter is entering Hogwarts."

Thinking Draco also knew something about him, like those people in the Leaky Cauldron, Harry just smiled and nodded, not wanting to make a big deal out of it.

"My father would love to hear about this, you becoming friends with Lestrange. It's better than being friends with the wrong so..."

Smack!

Happy suddenly patted Draco's shoulder, hard.

"Let's get on. We'll have a hard time finding a seat if we're late!" Happy interrupted, not wanting to hear the long pompous speech a second time.

Draco didn't like Happy's cheerful and intimate demeanor, but he remembered his father's words and decided to simply tolerate him for now.

Soon, Happy led them to an empty cabin and sat down. But then he saw Draco leaving.

"Draco, come here. Why don't you sit with us? I'm going to buy all the food from the trolley. It's time for Harry to fatten up."

Harry shook his head, "Are you using my name to not feel guilty about eating so much?"

Happy looked away, "Oh, I smell the food coming! Draco, tell me about yourself. What's your favorite food?"

Draco sat there silently, looking a bit serious, "I eat whatever is best available. But I'm not childishly picky."

Happy smirked. "Oh, so you're good with anything? Fine, we'll see if you say the same after you try natto."

"What's natto?" Draco asked with interest.

Happy wickedly grinned, "Oh, you will love it."

"..."

"I… think I should change my seat,"

Without anyone knowing, something had changed in the wizarding world. A butterfly flapped its wings and changed the fate of some. What was never supposed to happen, now occurred. Only time would tell if this was a boon or a dangerous debt unknowingly incurred.

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