Regulus Black the Potions Master

Chapter 19

He'd been warned, hadn't he? Harry preferred to completely ignore what the strange elf had said, especially since it had ruined the rest of Harry's summer, right on his birthday. Besides, he'd told Harry not to go back to Hogwarts, and that meant living with his aunt and uncle, and his cousin for the rest of the year. Oh, no, he wouldn't accept that.

But he'd been warned, and he couldn't deny it.

There were signs that this year wasn't going to be a smooth one for him, as if the previous one had been wonderful.

It all started with the house elf, Dobby, who was something close to a magical slave from a wealthy family. Typical pureblood. Well, the elf came into his room to tell him that he couldn't go to Hogwarts that year, but he couldn't say why. And then he revealed that he had stolen the letters his friends had written to him.

Harry had been upset throughout the summer that none of his letters to Ron and Hermione had been answered, but he was used to being alone, not only during the vacations. At least Dudley and his aunt and uncle were leaving him alone, too.

Then the elf dropped a cake on the head of Uncle Vernon's new boss, whom the old man wanted to impress. Harry ended up being locked in his room for almost a week, which was when Ron, Fred, and George came by flying car to pick him up.

As much as the three of them had seemed like his heroes at the time, now he saw that it was just another negative sign. After all, the three of them had committed various crimes, from stealing their father's car to using a magically modified Muggle object in front of Muggles.

Harry was perhaps more oblivious to things than he believed himself to be, and that's why he didn't notice such signs, but meeting Lockhart was a big red flag that he wouldn't learn much at DCAT again.

That day was crazy with lots of lows, despite finally seeing Hermione and Hagrid again. The Weasleys and he, after breakfast, went to Diagon Alley to buy school materials, It was the first time he had used the flu, and considering that he stopped at Knockturn Alley, it wasn't the best of first experiences. He saw the Malfoy in one of the stores selling dark magic products, or at least very questionable things. He only managed to escape because of Hagrid.

It was the half-giant who told him that the place was frequented by wizards of dubious character. Not that Mr. Malfoy, having raised a child who became Draco, didn't need a lot to prove that he was of dubious character.

"But then, why were you there?" Harry asked Hagrid, who was walking by when he found him.

"Looking for carnivorous slug repellent" Hagrid explained, "they're wiping out the cabbage patch."

Harry had never heard of flesh-eating slugs, but after discovering he was a wizard, not much could shock him.

Hagrid accompanied him through Diagon Alley, and it was while passing Gringotes that he met Hermione and her parents. Soon after, running through the many people on the street, he saw Ron, Fred, George, Percy, and Mr. Weasley coming towards him. They were all very relieved that he was okay, or at least intact, almost, his glasses were still broken, and his clothes were full of fireplace soot. But Harry was alive and had no broken bones, so it was a victory.

"Thank Merlin you're all right," said Mr. Weasley, holding her by the shoulders, "we had hoped you hadn't gone too far. Molly is desperate."

"I'm fine," Harry assured all the worried redheads, "Hagrid helped me."

After Hagrid told them where Harry had been found, the adults talked some more. Hermione fixed his glasses with a magic that Harry needed to learn.

Not that he could do it if he broke his glasses at home, now he couldn't even threaten Dudley. Not after the letter from the Ministry.