The Time-Meddlers [Harmione]

2. Diagon Alley

It took all the force of will Harry had in him not to run straight up to Hagrid and hug him tightly. As it was, he had to blink back tears of joy at seeing his first friend. He quickly got up and nearly lost his balance. He was used to being much taller and was a bit disoriented with his younger body. He grinned as the half-giant picked up the door and put it back in its frame. Harry couldn't resist being the first one to speak as he took a step forward.

"Hello, sir," he said politely. "Might I enquire what your name is?"

"I don't care who you are, sir!" shouted Vernon, enraged. "You are breaking and entering. If you do not leave at once, I shall be forced to fire upon you!"

Hagrid seemed to have not heard the overweight muggle as he responded to Harry's question. "There yah are, Harry. It's good ta' see yah again. I haven't seen yah fer ten years. Yah was just a baby, so I understand yah not rememberin' me. My name is Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts."

"GET OUT!!!" shouted Vernon Dursley, now pointing his rifle at Hagrid, who simply reached out and grabbed it and tied it in a knot, dropping it on the floor with a clatter. Harry's uncle seemed to shrink upon this turn of events and backed away.

The Boy-Who-Lived looked like he was remembering something. "Hogwarts? Isn't that the place where all those letters that Uncle Vernon keeps taking from me and burning are coming from?"

"Burning them?" snarled Hagrid as he glared at the Dursleys. Vernon looked like he was about to pass out from fear. He turned his attention back to Harry. "Yes. They're from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

"He will NOT be going!" Vernon interrupted again, apparently having found his courage once more.

"And I suppose a great muggle like yourself is gonna stop him?" questioned Hagrid sarcastically.

Harry then allowed Hagrid to explain all about him being a wizard like before. Hagrid even gave him the cake as a birthday present, which Harry purposely let Dudley steal so that once more, his cousin would grow a pigtail. Harry laughed even harder this time. The next morning, they took off together for Diagon Alley, where Harry had a few plans on how to begin changing history.

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Since he didn't want Hagrid to get suspicious, Harry did his best to act exactly as he had the first time as they rode the train into London and walked into the Leaky Cauldron. He even happily put up with the fuss made over him at the pub, with everybody shaking his hands. It was hard for him to stop himself from killing Quirrel right there, but he had other plans for him. Harry found it quite easy to pretend to be in awe of Diagon Alley, since he hadn't seen it like this for nearly five years - when he spent a week there after blowing up Aunt Marge. He didn't make it back again until after Voldemort's return had been made public, and it just wasn't the same after that.

He quietly walked into Gringotts with his companion, and let him do the talking as he wondered why Dumbledore would have Hagrid pick up the Philosopher's Stone in front of a student. Whatever the reason, it didn't matter this time because Harry already knew how he'd handle that. He did, however, ask to have a bit of his gold converted to muggle money, "So I'll have a bit of spending money." Hagrid didn't object to that, since it was just a small amount. Once they left the bank, Hagrid left Harry alone at Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, and Harry was about to meet Draco Malfoy for the first time - again.

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While they were being measured for robes, Harry let his first conversation with Draco go the way it had until he asked about his parents, to which Harry replied, "They're dead."