Chapter 8

Smiling back, the shopkeeper said, "Excellent! And, I hope, if someone asks where you acquired them - except if they're a pureblood - you let them know they can come to me to acquire a pair of their own?"

"Yeah, I can do that," Harry said enthusiastically.

"Excellent," said the shopkeeper. "Now, I take it you want all three pairs?"

"Yes, please," replied Harry.

"While I adjust these to match the needed corrections to your natural eyesight..." he said handing Harry a folder with brochures made of parchment, "... I want you to skim through this and take note of what charms within it you'd like me to apply to your new spectacles."

The old man walked out through a door marked 'No Admittance' while Harry went back to the semi-reclined chair to rapidly skim through the folder.

After ten minutes the man came back with the three pairs of glasses and asked, "Picked out what charms you want me to apply to these for you?"

"Yes, thank you," replied Harry as he handed him the folder back. "Can you put on all five of the Impervious, Anti-fog, Self-Cleaning, Anti-Legilimency and Anti-Memory Charm charms on them?"

"I can," replied the old man, "But, if you have the Self-Cleaning Charm on them, you don't need the Anti-Fog charm. The Self-Cleaning charm will do the work of the Anti-Fog charm so it becomes superfluous."

Nodding, Harry said, "I can see that, yeah. Okay, then I'd like those four placed on them."

"Very well, Mister Potter," replied the shopkeeper. "Come back after lunch and I'll have your new spectacles ready for you."

Getting back up, Harry said, "That's great, thank you. How much do I owe you?"

"I don't have the full tally yet," he replied. "However, I suspect it will be in the range of - say - eighty galleons?"

Harry drew ninety galleons from his coin pouch and handed them to the old shopkeeper. "Keep it and just give me the change when I return this afternoon," he said when the man expressed his concern it was too much.

Back out of the shop, Harry continued building his mental map of Diagon Alley.

He was just about to enter a dimmer and somewhat grmier side alley when an elderly witch tapped him on his shoulder. When Harry turned to see who had accosted him, the elderly witch kindly but sternly said, "Do not go in there, young man. That's Knockturn Alley. I'm sure your parents would be most wroth with you if they learned you had entered that place."

"I'm sorry, I don't know what you mean?" replied Harry. "What's so bad about it?"

"Knockturn Alley is full of dark creatures, wizards and witches; and they generally only sell dark artefacts and the like," she said. "It is not a place for a young one, such as yourself."

Harry gave a nod, thanked her for her concern, and skipped it. He'd wait until he had better control of his magic before venturing down that particular Alley.

Instead he moved across the mouth of the Alley and continued his mapping. Mapping Knockturn Alley would be left until he actually had a legitimate reason for entering.

His next delay occurred at Flourish and Blotts. After reading the short blurb on Legilimency and Memory Charms, such as the Obliviate Curse, he wanted to learn more about that side of the mind arts. He prided himself on his eidetic memory; and the thought of someone messing with it outside of his own control somewhat frightened him.

After a bit of advice from the bookstore shopkeeper's assistant he purchased a general tome on the Mind Arts, 'An Introduction to the Mind Arts', and one that focussed specifically on Occlumency and Legilimency, 'Protecting Your Mind and Invading Others'. While there he also acquired a book on formal writing within the British magical community, 'A Formal Guide to Letter Writing' that he hoped would cover how to write to the Heads of the allied Houses regarding the alliances. He knew he had only a few weeks, at the most, before he wrote to them as his father requested. All three books were packaged and shrunk for him once he paid for them.

'Damn!' thought Harry. 'Even more studying to do, and we're not even at school yet.'

His last stop before stopping for an early lunch was at Eeylop's Owl Emporium.

Walking into the store he felt as if he was being pulled or called to the rear of the shop. And there, just over head height, was the most beautiful bird he'd ever seen; a Snowy Owl. The owl just stared right back.

Taking down the gilded cage in which the bird was housed, Harry took the cage to the front counter.

"You needs be careful with that owl, young sir," said the older sales clerk from behind the counter. 'She's a right nasty one, that one is."

"Thank you for your concern, sir," replied Harry quietly. "However, I just have this strong feeling this bird is for me."

Giving a shrug, the old shopkeeper said, "They're your fingers she's likely to bite off. She's got a real nasty bite on her."

Giving a shrug right back Harry said, "Nevertheless, I'll take her."

The shopkeeper then suggested Harry purchase some owl treats and a perch for her to 'hopefully convince her not to bite yer fingers off', and gave him a pamphlet on the care of a personal owl.

After paying for his purchase, Harry dropped the treats, shrunken perch and pamphlet into one of his pockets while he carried the cage outside.

With his latest purchases, Harry crossed the Alley and took table outside Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour. He lreft the caged owl sitting on the small table.

In there, he ordered a three scoop ice cream sundae and a coffee.

Returning to his room in The Leaky Cauldron Harry set his new pet owl - who he named Hedwig - up on her new perch near the window, so she could enjoy the sunlight. Then he set to work reading the various texts he'd acquired, before he returned to the Alley a couple hours later to pick up his new glasses.

After the first two fun-filled days wandering about Diagon Alley and getting both his supplies and bearings, Harry then spent the next few weeks mainly hunkered down in his room studying. He had to assimilate quite a significant amount of information in a short space of time before he felt confident enough to start contacting people based on the request of his father.

His only break was to return to the bank early on the morning of his eleventh birthday, 31st July, to take up his Head of House ring for the House of Potter and to read his parent's Will. For the ring, it was only a simple matter of placing the ring on his right ring finger. The magic of the ring flashed before resizing itself, signifying he was the rightful Head of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Potter.

Immediately afterwards his parent's Will was read. In it, it was confirmed who Harry's rightful guardians should have been; and still should be. He asked for the Will to be executed but stated that neither the Order of the Phoenix, nor Albus Dumbledore, should receive their bequeathments. He asked the goblins to file paperwork to that effect immediately who would, in turn, file it with the Ministry.

He also asked for, and received, a certified copy of the Will for his own possession. And the goblins partly reactivated the Potter vaults.

After leaving the bank he returned to The Leaky Cauldron to continue his studying.

By Sunday, 4th August, Harry felt he was ready to start sending out his formal letters re-establishing alliances with the various Houses. His first was to the current Regent for the Noble and Most Ancient House of Longbottom, Madam Augusta Longbottom. He also knew the Scion of the House was a boy the same age as he, Neville Francis Longbottom, and that there was only a single day between them in age.

As soon as he finished writing that letter, using the best parchment and ink he could procure from Scribbulus Everchanging Inks, he set to writing a similar letter to the Regent for the Noble and Most Ancient House of Bones, Madam Amelia Bones. As with Neville Longbottom, Scion Longbottom, the Heir Presumptive for the House of Bones was someone his own age, Susan Bones.

By the time he'd finished, Hedwig had returned and he sent off his second letter.

To both he introduced himself, as was required, and invited them to contact him for a meeting to formally re-establish the alliances. The prose was formal, as per tradition. So, he knew the response would come in a similar fashion. And that it wouldn't be rushed. As they were both considered 'light' families, he asked each for a meeting at their convenience in any location they desired. He hoped the sign of trust he gave doing that made the meetings that much easier. And that neither would be concerned when he was not accompanied by a guardian. He also asked for the meeting to occur near the end of the month just before he left for Hogwarts to stop them from making enquiries before he was able to confront Dumbledore.

His own research into the Blacks, learned through gentle probing questions of shopkeepers within the Alley - they were always the biggest gossipmongers and, therefore, the best source for information of the Houses - led him to believe the Headship of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black was currently vacant. The position rightfully belonged to Sirius Black. However, with Black in the wizarding prison, Azkaban, and Black unable to take the Headship while he was incarcerated, it was believed Dumbledore had been acting in Proxy for that House since the death of Arcturus Black a few months earlier. Harry had no intention of contacting Dumbledore.

He had raised the matter with Bloodfang of the goblins when he next visited. It was clear the old goblin knew some important information regarding the Blacks, and Sirius Black in particular, but was implacable in providing information claiming client confidentiality. What bothered Harry was why the goblin clammed up when asked about Black. He wondered why the goblins would refuse to divulge the identity of the Head of House Black when that information was readily provided for the other Houses.

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