Let's Try That Again Redux - Chapter 4

Dobby turned out to be a very fast learner. The elf thoroughly trounced both boys in Street Fighter 2 and had grown quite attached to Zangeif. Harry, Dudley, and Dobby stayed up late into the night taking turns playing Super Mario World. Technically, Harry was in his forties, but this was the most fun he had ever had with his cousin. Harry fell asleep on the floor to the sounds of Dobby muttering about ice stages.

He woke up the next morning to find he had been tucked into his bed. The smell of freshly cooked bacon drifted through the house. Harry changed into some fresh clothes before making his way to the kitchen. Aunt Petunia was at the stove. A plate piled high with pancakes rested on the counter beside her. Next to it was one with bacon and another with sausage.

Dudley and Vernon weren't down yet. The most surprising thing was the stack of mail waiting for him in the living room. They were neatly sorted into stacks. Maybe he had been a little impulsive taking down all of the wards.

"Good morning, Harry." She gave him a broad smile. "Take a seat, it's just about done."

"I can still help." Harry took his place at the table. "I enjoy cooking."

"That would be wonderful, dear." Petunia put a plate of pancakes before him. She kissed him on the top of the head before getting back to the stove. "Eat up. We have a long day of shopping ahead of us."

Harry sighed. He knew he needed new clothes, and he looked forward to sleeping in his new bed, but an entire day of shopping sounded tiresome. Out of habit he reached for his coffee cup, only to find it wasn't there. He had taken to drinking it his first year as an auror. Tea was great for a slow release of caffeine, but coffee had that punch he needed to wake up.

"Aunt Petunia?" He turned to look over his shoulder at her.

"Yes, dear?" She asked.

"Is there coffee?" He asked.

"Coffee?" Petunia blinked. "They let you drink coffee at school?"

"Kind of." Harry chuckled. "Dobby!"

"Yes, Harry Potter?" Dobby popped into being next to him.

Petunia jumped at the sound. Dobby turned to look at his aunt. The little elf's face went hard.

"Dobby is to be doing the cooking." The elf turned back to Harry and waggled a finger at him. "Dobby is a good elf, Dobby be doing the cooking, cleaning, and gardening."

"Thank you, Dobby." Harry said. "I'm more than happy to let you take care of the cleaning, but I enjoy cooking and gardening. Plus, we're in a muggle neighborhood, we can't have people seeing."

"I'm sorry, Dobby." Petunia spoke up. "I didn't realize you wanted to cook. If you would like, you could handle dinner tonight."

"We're going to have a lot of bags from shopping to bring in and sort later." Harry added. "I saw how good of a job you did with the mail."

This seemed to mollify the elf. Dobby nodded. "Dobby sorted them by name, removed the charms and curses, and gave Mistress Hedwig plenty of water and treats."

"You are an excellent house elf, Dobby. That wasn't why I called you." Harry continued. "Do you think you could make me a pot of coffee?"

"We don't have a coffee maker." Petunia cut in.

Dobby shot her a look. "Dobby will."

The elf disappeared. Vernon came in a moment later. He gave Harry a nod as he sat down. The man had the morning paper tucked under his arm. It was something so small, but it hit Harry deeply. He had countless memories of being yelled at over the morning paper. To go get it, blame for it being wet, missing, or late. His uncle had got it on his own since all the spells and compulsions were removed.

"Once we're done with breakfast, we'll head to the shopping center to get you sorted." Vernon said. "Dudley should be down shortly. Don't mind if he tags along, do you?"

Harry shook his head. "Not at all."

Petunia froze. She opened her mouth to speak but was silenced when a new kettle appeared on the stove. A jar of ground coffee beans rocked into place on the counter next to it. Harry smiled as a freshly poured cup slid into place before him.

"Thank you, Dobby." Harry said.

"That was the… elf?" Vernon asked.

"Yes." Harry nodded. "That isn't what it was about, but I should have mentioned him. Dobby, would you come here for a moment?"

"Harry Potter calls?" Dobby appeared next to him. "Harry Potter does not like the coffee?"

"It's great, Dobby, thank you." Harry patted the elf on the shoulder. "Dobby, this is my Uncle Vernon. Uncle Vernon, this is Dobby. He works for me. He's basically a magic butler." He turned to face Dobby. "In the past my family and I did not have the best relationship. We are working to fix that. There were spells and compulsions in place for them to treat me poorly. I'm going to look into setting up protection so it won't happen again, could I have you keep an eye out for any sort of changes?"

"Of course." Dobby nodded his head. "Dobby will protect Harry Potters new family."

"Thank you, Dobby." Harry smiled at him.

Dobby glared at the food on the table, then disappeared.

"That will take some adjustment." Vernon shook his head. "What was it you wanted to talk about?"

"I'm going to setup some wards as protection to prevent others from influencing us again." Harry cut in. "We can't let Dumbledore know we're free of his meddling."

"Isn't he the headmaster of your school?" Dudley asked.

"Yes." Harry nodded. "Unfortunately, moving to a different school would bring too much attention. He would have us all charmed more than ever before to follow his every command. We have to play this safe for now."

"I don't like the idea of having to deal with that bastard at all." Vernon growled.

"Vernon, language." Petunia gasped.

"I don't either." Harry admitted. "Right now, he's too powerful. He holds a high office in the British Magical Government, as well as the international one too. There are quite a few people who don't even think to question him. He has people loyal to him installed in the government, law enforcement, and those among the general populous."

"How does one man hold so much power?" Vernon asked.

"People think he killed the magical equivalent of Hitler." Harry said.

"Did he?" Dudley asked.

"Kill? No. But he did capture him." Harry said. "What people don't know is that they were partners, romantically as well, and that Dumbledore only took action because their side was losing."

"They're side?" Petunia asked.

"He has made sure no one alive knows of his involvement." Harry continued. "Dumbledore has carefully crafted the story of his greatness. Don't get me wrong, he is a powerful wizard. The way he constructed the wards around this house, and the spells he used on me, were masterful. It would take years for me to be able to defeat him in an all-out fight."

"Harry." Petunia grabbed his hand. "You shouldn't have to defeat some powerful wizard."

"We'll be safe here once I get new wards in place." Harry patted her hand.

"Are you sure about setting up new wards?" Petunia asked. "You said you had just started learning about the protection magic."

"My professor says that I'm a natural." Harry lied. "I have books that I can reference as well. If nothing else, I can hire someone to get everything in order."

"Okay." Vernon took a deep breath. "Send the letter once you've got the protection settled. How much will this cost?"

"I'll cover it." Harry said.

"Unacceptable." Vernon cut back. "This is a family expense. Besides, we can use the monthly allowance to pay for it."

"Pardon?" Harry narrowed his eyes at his uncle.

"Ever since you were dropped on our door." Vernon said. "Ten thousand pounds a month."

He had been dressed in rags, given scraps, and forced to sleep in a bed that wasn't fit for an animal, and they were getting thousands of pounds a month. His magic flared, causing the dishes on the table to float. Harry had to take a series of deep breathes to calm himself. He concentrated on lowering the plates slowly.

Petunia and Vernon shared a long look. The woman moved slow and steady, like she was approaching an injured animal. Petunia carefully placed a hand on his shoulder before she leaned in to give him a hug. He could feel hot tears dropping onto the top of his head.

Harry froze.

He had been hugged more times in the last twenty-four hours than he had in the first twelve years of his life. Harry was still adjusting to the sudden influx of hugs from Petunia, but this was too much for his brain to process. She was a lot stronger than he had expected.

"Let's all of us have breakfast, then we can head in to do some shopping." Harry said.

Harry wasn't sure if he had ever regretted his words as much. A quick trip for some new clothes and bedding turned into an all-day event. Petunia insisted on getting him multiple outfits for every season. She seemed to get more affectionate as the day went on. Harry had to clean her lipstick off his cheeks more than once. Dudley then made sure he had the right sort of 'real' clothes. Even Vernon helped him get a couple of business formal type outfits.

It got even worse when they moved on to the bedding. Harry was happy with updating to some simple colors, he stuck to gold and red. Petunia was all too happy to oblige. She picked out sheets, blankets, comforters, pillowcases, and new pillows. Dudley dragged him into a couple of different sports shops for some posters, then a comic store for some more. When he realized Harry had only read the occasional discarded issue, it turned into an hour-long dive into various comics. Vernon, as it turned out, was an avid reader. He pulled Harry into a bookstore, and they came out with a stack that would make Hermione drool.

They made it home around dinner time to find a large meal waiting for them. Dobby had pulled out all the stops for his first night cooking for them. The elf packed away the new clothes and made the bed while they ate. Harry was too tired to think by the time he fell into his new bed.

~§~

Harry woke up early the next morning. He felt a warm weight pressed against his side. Looking down he discovered Petunia cuddled up against him. At some point in the night, she had joined him in bed. She had even managed to slip under the covers with him. He stared at her for a long moment, trying to process what he was seeing. After a moment, he slipped out of bed, leaving her there to sleep.

There was a fresh set of clothes hanging on the back of the door and a steaming cup of coffee waiting on the kitchen table. A nice breakfast was already complete with slight shimmer in the air above the dishes let him know they were under stasis charms. It wouldn't be going cold any time soon. From experience he knew that after a couple of hours it lost a bit of flavor, but it should be fine for now.

He finished his cup of coffee and gave the growing stack of mail a passing glance before heading outside. Setting new wards were too important to put off any longer. He started by walking the property, marking it in his mind. Once that was completed, he began to work on the spells and charms he wanted to place. Harry started with a simple set of protection wards. They would track any unmarked magical signatures that entered or exited the area. Then he set about layering obscuring and confounding charms targeted to Death Eaters he knew of, Dumbledor, and his most loyal minions. It wasn't on the level of a Fidelius charm, but it didn't need to keep everyone away. With that layer finished he started working on a more complex set. These were targeted for defense against compulsions. It wouldn't hold up against the Imperius curse, but anything short of that would get pushed off.

Once that was all finished, he headed back inside for breakfast. Dudley looked up at him as he sat at the table. The boy looked half asleep.

"I've got new wards in place." Harry said as a fresh cup of coffee appeared before him. "Thank you, Dobby."

Dudley grunted something that almost sounded like 'morning'.

"Why are you so tired?" Harry asked.

"Dobby wanted to play more videogames." Dudley yawned. "I had him turn down the sound, but he's just so loud."

Dobby gave a small blush as he stood next to the table.

"Dobby is sorry, Dudders." The elf said. "Videogames are the most fun Dobby has ever had."

"We'll get you your own TV and system where you don't have to keep Dudley awake." Harry patted the elf on the shoulder.

Dobby hopped around the room making loud, happy noises.

"Dobby." Harry said firmly. "You're being too loud."

Dobby stopped, his shoulders slumped, and his ears drooped. "Sorry, Master Harry Potter, sir. Dobby will be quiet now."

"Oh, stop it." Harry shook his head. "You don't have to be silent, just turn it down a little. It's early."

Dobby perked up. He continued his hopping dance around the room, this time mouthing the yells instead of letting them out. Harry chuckled as he finished off his food.

"Now." Harry wiped his mouth off as he stood. "I need to look through some mail."

Harry braced himself as he sat down in the living room. He floated the first stack of letters over and began to sort through. Very quickly he came up with three piles: fan mail, official business, and others. The first two categories were easy to spot, but the third was tricky. Once the war was over and he had moved into his own home these types of letters started to appear. They look like official documents, but they were actually business proposals. In his previous life he hadn't paid much attention to them. He had been happy with his little piece of things and was more than rich enough to worry about things. This time, though, it didn't hurt to look.

First, he opened the fan mail. That pile got separated into another subset of stacks: fan mail, love letters, and book fan mail. Someone out there had taken the opportunity to write a series of books about his life. He had read them once the war was over. They were great stories but in no way did they have anything to do with his actual life.

"Dobby." Harry called.

The elf walked into the room. His large eyes scanned the letters with a hungry look.

"I have a job for you." Harry didn't wait for the elf to speak. "I've sorted my mail into different categories." He took a moment to point them out. "Could you please set the rest of them in the same way? Let me know when you're done. I need to write some responses for these. Make a list of names so

I can send them out." He turned to look to Hedwig. "I'm sorry, girl, but this is going to be too big of a job just for you."

Hedwig ruffled her feathers and pointedly looked away from him.

"Don't be like that." Harry said. "I'm going to make enough copies to send out to each of these letters. You'd drop from exhaustion before you got through the first stack. I care too much about you to let something like that happen."

Hedwig turned her head slightly to look at him.

"You are my girl, Hedwig." Harry cooed. "You know that. If I could, I'd have you carry every letter I ever write. Actually, that's not true."

Hedwig hooted.

"I would want you with me." Harry smiled at her. "When you weren't hunting, you could ride around on my shoulder. You'd live a life of luxury like a queen deserves."

Hedwig settled down, preening ever so slightly.

"Do you want to come with me while I write the letters?" He asked.

Hedwig hopped off her perch and glided to rest on his shoulder. She took extra care not to squeeze too tight as her claws were deadly.

"I love you, Hedwig." Harry leaned his head against her.

She nipped at his hair.

"Come on." Harry laughed. "I've got letters to write."

He returned to his new room. Petunia was gone and the bed was made. He wasn't sure if she did it or if Dobby got to it first. This new Petunia certainly was an adjustment. He paused in front of his desk to give Hedwig a chance to decide where she wanted to go.

Hedwig hopped off his shoulder and settled nearby. Harry arranged three pieces of parchment. He set to work getting a standard reply written for each category. Hedwig would listen to him read the drafts out. She would give a little hoot if she liked them or nip at his hand if it wasn't good enough. Once they were complete, he tucked them into a pocket and returned to the living room.

"Dobby, do you have the list ready?" He asked.

"Right here, Harry Potter." The house elf held up a long sheet of parchment.

Harry sighed. He poked his head into the kitchen to find Petunia drinking a cup of tea.

"Aunt Petunia?" Harry said.

"Harry dear." She turned a bright smile to him; she waved him over.

He stepped in, knowing what was coming. She pulled him into a hug. Harry wasn't sure if he imagined it, but he could have sworn her hands drifted a little lower than they should have.

"I need to make a trip to Diagon Alley." Harry took a step back, but she didn't let go. "I don't know how long it will take. I'm going to be sending a lot of mail and setting up a few filters to slow things down."

"Thank you for letting me know." Petunia kissed him on the cheek before finally letting him go.

Harry took a step back. He gave her a little wave before disappearing with small pop. A moment later he appeared in the designated area in Diagon Alley. Harry tucked his glasses in his pocket and took a quick look around. There were a decent amount of people roaming around, but it wasn't as crowded as the school rush. Luckily, he blended in with the crowd easily enough. He was dressed in fresh muggle clothes, wasn't wearing his glasses, and didn't have any of his usual group with him. Spotting his black hair among the horde of Weasley gingers was almost as iconic as his scar.

It was a short and uninterrupted walk to Gringotts.

"Excuse me, master goblin." Harry inclined his head. "I have need of mail services. I also need to speak with my account manager."

"Name?" The goblin at the desk asked.

If there was one thing that Harry had learned through his life was that the goblins were not to be annoyed. They have proven themselves a powerful force multiple times through history. Plus, there were three types of people never to piss off: those who controlled the money, those who made the food, and nurses. Some people would say doctors, but they were wrong.

"Harry Potter. Lord of House Potter and heir of House Black

The goblin didn't even blink. He held out a silver dagger. "Drop of blood."

"Don't let it touch you." Harry held up his hand.

The dagger blurred, stabbing into the outstretched palm, and back in a moment. Harry watched as the wound on his hand closed instantly. A line of blood slid up the length of the knife. The goblin studied the blade.

"They will be with you shortly." The goblin turned to face the next customer.

It was dangerous to claim all titles, but he needed access to hit family vault. The influence wouldn't hurt either. Usually, a wizard couldn't claim their lordship until they were at least sixteen years of age, but there were exceptions when they were the last member of their bloodline. It was yet another thing he had learned after the war and one of the many, many things Dumbledore had kept from him. He could trust the goblins to keep it quiet. They didn't care about wizard politics.

"Mister Potter." A familiar voice said.

Harry turned to see Ragnok. He had to school his face and remind himself that this was the first time that they had met.

"Master Goblin." Harry inclined his head. "Are you my account manager?"

"Yes." The goblin studied Harry for a long moment. "We have needed to speak for quite a while now. You have not replied to any of my messages."

"That's one of the reasons I'm here." Harry smiled. "There was a mail blocking ward on my home. It's been removed, but I have a lot of responses to send. Fans that have gone years without a word, business that need to be handled, and others as well."

"Understood." The goblin turned, motioning for him to follow.

Ragnok paused, once they were alone in the office. "There is a cloud of death around you."

"I was recently bitten by a basilisk." Harry shrugged.

"I do not enjoy jests." The goblin narrowed his eyes at Harry.

"Saved by phoenix tears." Harry rolled up his sleeve to expose the jagged scar on his forearm. "I've been told my blood is just as deadly now."

"Do you know where the corpse is?" Ragnok leaned forward to examine the scar.

"It's in the Chamber of Secrets under Hogwarts." Harry fixed his sleeve. "I would be glad to show you where, if you could recommend a team to harvest it."

"I will have a team assembled." Ragnok wrote a note on a piece of parchment that folded itself up and zipped out of the room. "Now, what can I help you with?"

"A few things." Harry said. "I need to claim my lordship, close out all keys to my vaults other than my own, and claim my heirship of House Black. Once that is done, I need to have my parents will read."

"I will have the Lord Potter and Heir Black rings brought at once." Ragnok wrote another note. "I can handle your vault key presently. Your parents will has been sealed and will require some time."

"Understood." Harry nodded. It wasn't a shock, another one of Dumbledore's little things. "There is another issue I would like to discuss."

"Go on." Ragnok waved a hand.

"Defeating Tom Riddle, or Voldemort as he likes to be called, created a number of horcrux." Harry explained. "One is currently in the Lestrange Vault. By right of conquest, it's mine."

The goblin studied him for a moment.

"If it is located in the Lestrange Vault, then we will bring it here shortly." Ragnok paused. "You understand it needs to be destroyed. We do not meddle in wizard affairs, but that is not magic we will allow to remain."

"I've destroyed three already." Harry summoned his sword. "One was located in my forehead, the other was a diary, and another had been placed in the Ravenclaw Diadem. Riddle has placed a horcrux in an artifact from Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. The Hufflepuff Cup is the one in the Lestrange vault. I will be disposing of them shortly."

"May I inspect your sword?" The goblin asked.

Harry nodded. He placed the blade on the desk in front of the goblin. Ragnok leaned forward. The thin fingers of the goblin traced patterns in the air above the weapon.

"Do you know what sword this is?" Ragnok asked finally looking up.

"The Sword of Gryffindor." Harry replied. "I pulled it from the Sorting Hat to kill the basilisk."

"Interesting." Ragnok muttered. "It has another name: Caliburn." The goblin paused. Upon seeing that Harry did not know what it meant he continued. "It's also known as Excalibur."

Harry stared blankly at Ragnok. "You surprise me, Master Ragnok. I didn't know goblins made jokes during business transactions."

"It's no joke." The goblin replied.

"I thought Excalibur was a myth." Harry sat back in his chair.

The goblin stared at him blankly.

"Merlin and Morgan le Fay are credited as being one of the first magical users in Europe." Ragnok said. "Why would Excalibur be a myth?"

"Does that mean I'm a distant relative to King Arthur?" Harry asked.

"There are many reasons why you would be able to wield Excalibur." Ragnok leaned back in his chair. "We would need an inheritance test to be sure."

"For a fee." Harry added.

"For a fee." Ragnok nodded.

Harry thought for a moment. He was saved from having to make the choice by the arrival of a group of goblins. One held two boxes that he knew from his first time around held the rings for Potter and Black. The group that followed carried a thick glass box with the Hufflepuff Cup inside.

"The rings." Ragnok tapped the desk.

The other goblin set them on the desk. Harry opened the boxes. He slipped the Potter Lordship ring on as well as the Black Heir ring. Once that was completed, he plucked the sword from the desk and stalked over to the glass box.

"Is this box important?" Harry looked over his shoulder at Ragnok.

"Enchanted glass to help contain the tainted magic anchored in the artifact." The goblin replied.

"Take the fee from my vaults." Harry sliced through the box and the cup in one stroke.

I could get used to that. It's a shame that swords aren't practical these days.

A puff of black smoke jumped from the cup. It screamed as it disappeared.

"Three more to go." Harry dismissed the sword. "Now, about that Inheritance Test."

"Unlike a normal Inheritance Test." Ragnok waved a hand at a golden bowl sitting on the desk between them. "This will take seven drops of blood and seven days. Once completed the results will reach much farther than the standard test."

Ragnok produced a thin silver dagger. He offered it to Harry. He took it and held his hand over the bowl. The blade pierced his finger painlessly. Exactly seven drops of blood fell into the bowl. The tip of the dagger glowed, sealing up the puncture with nary a tingle. His blood swirled around, spread along the inside, and covering much more surface than seven drops should have. Ragnok placed another gold bowl atop the first, creating a perfect orb.

"I look forward to hearing from you in a week." Harry offered the blade back to the goblin. "Thank you for your time, Master Ragnok."

"And yours as well, Lord Potter." Ragnok stood.

Harry walked back out into the lobby. He took a look at the time to see that it hadn't hardly been an hour. That left him with plenty of time to explore. It was nice to see the Alley again before the worst of the war. Businesses that he didn't ever remember were open and thriving. If there was one place, he definitely needed to visit it was the bookstore. So many texts were outlawed or simply gotten rid of once things picked up. Tom's people weren't the only ones limiting the available knowledge. The ministry was quite proactive in removing any sort 'improper' material.

He stopped in the doorway when the sounds of a struggle came from inside. Muffled curses, an odd sort of growl, and the occasional tearing of paper made him smile. Hagrid was now the Care of Magical Creatures teacher and that meant the Monstrous Book of Monsters. Apparently, the semi-sentient book was still on the list for Third Years.

Harry strode into the shop. The clerk looked up as he entered, giving the stack of books in front of him just the opening they needed to attack. Harry moved quickly, stroking the spines on the books closest to the clerk. They settled down with a contented purr. He moved on to the rest as the clerk watched in stunned awe.

"How?" The clerk managed to whisper.

"Stroke the spines." Harry tapped the side of the crate. "The instructions are on the box."

The clerk leaned over to see a piece of parchment glued to the crate. It was a bit hard to make out since it was upside down. The clerk blushed as they noticed a large arrow pointing to the floor with text reading 'This Side Up'.

"Oh." The clerk cleared their throat. "Thank you for the assistance."

"No problem." Harry smiled. "I can't imagine what that would have been like once students got their copies."

The clerk blanched. "What can I do for you?"

"Hogwarts Fourth through Seventh Year curriculum for all subjects." Harry picked up one of the, now content, books and began to pet it. "I was going to take a look around as well. Do you have any charmed bags? I'm planning on getting a lot."

"No." The clerk slowly shimmied away from the crate. "There is a luggage store just a few shops over. They have bags, satchels, and trunks with all sorts of charms."

"I'll go grab one while you get my order together." Harry continued to stroke the furry book. "Do you mind if I take this one with me? I'll be right back."

"Go ahead." The clerk sighed once they were a safe distance from the crate. "That one is yours, on the house."

"Thank you." Harry smiled, he was pretty sure he still had a copy, but it needed a friend. He plucked a galleon from his pocket and flipped it to the clerk. "Seems you dropped this."

The clerk caught the coin. They looked from it to Harry and then back at the gold piece.

"I'll get right on that order." The clerk pocketed the coin.

Harry petted the book as he walked to the baggage store. It wasn't all that different now than it was in the future. Once it was rebuilt anyway. Harry grabbed a new trunk with decent storage with a linked satchel. Anything he put in the bag would be organized into the trunk. It only worked with things that could fit through the opening, but it was still incredibly convenient. With that done he returned to the bookstore.

The clerk smiled at him as he entered. They gave a small wave to the stack of books on the counter.

"That was fast." Harry gave an appreciative nod.

"You saved me from death by a thousand papercuts." The clerk chuckled. "You're my new favorite. Morris Morrison, at your service."

"Harry Potter." He shook it.

The clerk froze. His eyes traveled to Harry's forehead then slowly grew.

"Mister Potter, sir." Morris straightened up their hair. "Please, forgive me. I didn't mean any sort of disrespect."

"Morris." Harry sighed. "Stop."

The clerk froze. Harry reached over and plucked a stray piece of paper that had tangled in his hair.

"Call me Harry." He fed the little slip of paper to his book. "Potter, if you must, but don't freak out. I'm here, alone, and trying to keep a low profile."

Morris nodded. "Got it."

"How much was it?" Harry motioned to the books.

"On the house for you Mister Potter, sir." Morris practically shoved the books at him.

"Morris." Harry tried not to glare at the clerk. "I'm not a 'sir'. Take a deep breath."

Morris did. His face slowly began to turn red.

"And let it out." Harry shook his head.

The clerk did.

"Feel better?"

Morris nodded. "Sorry about that. I've read all of your books."

"Oh." Harry sighed. "The books. They are complete and total fiction." He paused. "I don't actually know who wrote them. Fun read, but not true at all."

"You were trained since birth by the ghost of Merlin?" Morris looked at him hopefully.

"Sorry, no." Harry shook his head. "That would be wicked though."

Morris seemed to shrink just a bit. "You aren't betrothed to a Veela princess, are you?"

Harry shook his head.

"I guess that makes sense." Morris sighed.

Harry patted him on the shoulder. Morris took a deep breath. He straightened up his posture and put his salesman face back in place.

"You said you were looking for some other books." Morris stepped out from behind the counter. "What can I help you find?"

"Spells, information on lordships, and history." Harry counted them off. "Etiquette would be a good idea as well. Do you have anything on Hogwarts that isn't written for Hogwarts students?"

"Follow me." Morris was in his element now. "I hope that bag has plenty of space."

"I do." Harry smiled as he followed the clerk.

~§~

The bag was enchanted, Harry knew that, but he swore it felt heavier. Morris had turned out to be an excellent resource. He guided Harry to everything that he had asked for and more. Books on Pureblood Etiquette, the History of Magical Britain, spell books of all sorts, three different studies on Hogwarts, some on wards that Harry had never seen before, and even a travel guide written by Stephen King. His stories were actually tales of caution, but Muggles loved it as fiction. There were dozens of books that would disappear in the future. Harry got them all.

Luckily, the trunk was enchanted too. He was able to carry it without any issues. He continued on with his school shopping. Last time he had done it while he stayed at the Leaky Cauldron. He didn't plan on running away this time around. The trip went by quickly once he finished in the bookstore.

Harry sighed as he pulled the trunk toward the Leaky Cauldron. Diagon Alley had protection up to prevent unauthorized travel. It wasn't as intense as it was in the future, but it was enough to be annoying.

He strolled through the tavern without making eye-contact with anyone. Only someone looking for him would recognize him without his glasses and his scar no longer inflamed. Harry stepped out into Muggle London and paused. A dark shape loomed just on the side of his vision.

Harry turned to see a large black dog watching him. It sat in an alleyway, staring at him. A mixture of feelings swelled within his chest. Sirius had made it to Diagon Alley. Harry had been so busy settling in his new life that he forgot about the mutt. The wizard had been dead for so long it was hard to think of a world where Sirius was alive.

"Come here girl." Harry bent over slightly and patted his legs.

Sirius cocked his head to the side. He looked around to see if there were any other animals in the area.

"Come on, girl." Harry cooed as he slowly approached.

Sirius let out a little woof and slowly took a step closer. He stayed in character, cautiously sniffing the outstretched hand before leaning in for a pet.

"Good girl." Harry moved in closer, using both hands to pet him. "No collar? You're all skin and bones. What's a fancy lady like you doing all alone?"

Sirius let out a small growl.

"I know it's you, Padfoot." Harry chuckled. "Let's get you home. You need a bath, some good food, and a nice warm place to sleep."

Sirius forgot himself for a moment and hopped up, licking Harry across the face. Harry laughed.

"Okay, okay. That's enough." Harry stepped away. "Brace yourself, this is going to be loud."

Sirius settled back on his haunches. Harry pulled out his want. A moment later the Knight Bus appeared with a loud crack. The attendant and driver were a couple of wizards that Harry had never seen before. They looked like he should still be in Hogwarts.

"Knight Bus, Day Service." The wizard said in a sing-song voice. "We charge extra for pets and familiars."

"That's fine." Harry handed the wizard the fare.

Sirius followed closely as they found a spot. The day service swapped out the beds for dining tables.

"You missed breakfast service." The attendant said. "It's still an hour before lunch. I could get you some tea if you'd like."

"No thanks." Harry shook his head.

The attendant shrugged before take a spot behind the driver. Harry spotted a newspaper nearby with the picture of Sirius Black on the front of it. The old mugshot had been used quite a few times since the escape. This headline read 'Kiss on Sight Order Lifter. Sirius Black Wanted for Questioning'. Sirius huffed and looked away. Harry had to stifle a laugh.

"Can you believe that?" The attendant asked. "They say he's innocent now. Betrays the Potters, kills twelve muggles, and breaks out of Azkaban but now he's innocent."

"Did they say why he's innocent?" Harry asked.

"No." The attendant rolled his eyes. "Keeping the proof private until Black shows up. They don't want to spoil anything."

"Here we are." The driver called out.

Harry looked up. Sure enough, they were outside the house.

"I didn't even feel it moving." Harry blinked as he stood.

"You shouldn't." The attendant shook his head. "The driver on the night shift is a few years past retirement if you ask me."

"Practically drives itself." The driver spoke up. "No clue what that barmy old man does to it."

"Thanks for the ride." Harry placed two galleons on the table as he left.

Harry led Sirius around to the back of the house. They were hidden by a decent fence and the neighbors' hedges. As much as the people in the area loved gossip, they were desperate to avoid it. He pulled out one of his new spell books. It was focused on daily magic. Harry didn't plan on setting up a magically automated dishwasher, but it was always a good idea to have some unexpected spells handy. Most people only thought the 'powerful' spells could hurt people. In truth, with the right application, anything could be deadly. The Killing Curse was scary because it couldn't be blocked by magical means. Dodging it, or physically blocking it would work, but most wizards didn't think like that. Years as an Auror had shown him there were a lot of small things that magical folk overlooked.

Once he found the right page Harry drew his wand. He created a low, wide bathtub from the ground. Harry looked to Sirius.

"You're going to stay a dog until your name is clear and you need a bath before I take you inside." Harry motioned to the tub. "It will be quick."

Sirius sighed and climbed into the tub. He thumped down into a sitting position. Harry smiled. He held out his wand and summoned some water. The warm, clean liquid flowed over Sirius. Harry swore he saw the old dogs' eyes roll back in his head.

Harry created a brush from the nearby grass.

"I can't create soap yet." Harry began to run the brush through the tangled hair. "I could summon some, but that means it comes from somewhere. Can't risk anyone seeing it."

Sirius was lost to the wonders of a nice warm bath.

"You need a name." Harry said after a moment. "We can't chance anyone knowing you and Padfoot are the same."

Sirius snapped to attention.

"You've got big, padded feet." Harry continued. "I'll call you Slippers."

Sirius' mouth dropped open. Harry coughed to his laughter.

"Dog breath." Harry shook his head. "Nah, Slippers isn't right." He went back to cleaning Sirius. "Name. Name. Name. You kind of look like a Grim, but that's a bit on the nose. Midnight would work, but again, on the nose. Could go with something ironic like Tiny, or Snowflake."

"Oh, Harry you're back." Petunia opened the back door. She stopped mid-stride as she saw the dog in the tub. "What is that?"

"It's a dog." Harry replied. "He followed me home. I want to keep him. With Dobby around it shouldn't be any trouble to take care of him. I can take him with me to school too. It would be nice to have some extra protection."

"You're settled on this?" She slowly approached.

Harry nodded. "I'm trying to come up with a name for him."

"Oh?" Petunia came to stand beside him. "He's a regal looking fellow." Sirius gave her a doggy-smile. "How about Prince?"

Sirius gave a small bark in appreciation.

"I don't want to give him a big head." Harry replied.

Sirius looked at his godson and sighed.

"He makes me feel safe." Harry let the joke drop for a moment. "How about Rook? Like the chess piece."

Harry looked to his godfather. Sirius nodded.

"Rook it is." Harry smiled. "Welcome to the family. Let's get you dried off and some food in your belly. I can feel your ribs."