Harry Potter and the Slytherin Truth: Year One

Chapter 5

Thoughts: ‘Blah. Blah. Blah.”

Flashback: Blah. Blah. Blah. ( [END]FLASHBACK before/after them)

Hedwig: “Blah. Blah. Blah.”

Parseltongue: {Blah. Blah. Blah.}

Letters/Articles/Writing: Blah. Blah. Blah. 

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Chapter 5

Harry and Hagrid now stand in front of a worn brick wall. The clock had just struck noon; The journey from the Dursleys had taken about 3 hours. 

“So, now what?” Harry questions as he looks back at Hagrid. As he focuses on the large man, Harry notices something that he had only ever seen around himself and the odd stranger that would randomly greet him on the street. A white, shimmering ring of light outlines Hagrid's body, which is different to Harry's own grey coloring. Harry realizes that it must have something to do with their magic because he has never seen one around his relatives. He snaps out of his thoughts as he realizes that Hagrid hasn’t given him an answer, and as content as he was to stare at the occasional wall or observe random people all day, he would much rather be learning as much as he can about the intriguing world (like the strange rings of light he’s been seeing around Hagrid and himself, for example) he had just been thrust into.

Instead of answering, Hagrid looks at Harry with a twinkle of mischief in his eye. He turns away and whips out the pink umbrella he’s been carrying around with him the entire day. Not that Harry was going to comment on it. ‘You do you.’ Harry had thought when he’d first noticed it in the house. He sticks by this statement. Pink is fabulous. And the umbrella has a glossy shine that draws him to it. What can he say, he likes shiny things. Hagrid raises the umbrella to the wall and taps out an intricate pattern on the brick. Harry pays close attention and commits the pattern to memory. ‘Just in case.’ he justifies. Suddenly, the bricks begin to peel away one by one, creating a gap in the wall. Harry is stopped dead in his tracks by the sight that greets him. Diagon Alley is incredible.

Rows of shops line both sides of the street, making the area look smaller than it actually is. Children and families meander from one shop to the next, likely looking for school supplies just as he is. Hagrid ushers him forward and his vision explodes with color. It’s everywhere. The bright oranges and reds radiating from some of the buildings that fade into the elegant greens and blues of others. Not to mention all of the light outlines surrounding the people he sees, further enforcing his earlier theory. Usually, Harry would find himself in a panic when faced with a scene like this. And, although he is a little overwhelmed, he is so full of wonder and astonishment that it doesn’t even cross his mind. ‘How could something like this stay hidden from the world so successfully? And why?’ Of course, Harry understands that there are reasons the wizarding world stays separate from the muggle world (Hagrid had explained part of it to him and Harry had filled in some of the blanks on his own), but it just seems wrong to hide something so full of life away for any reason. Least of all out of fear. 

Harry suddenly realizes that he has no money on him, and begins to wonder how he will pay for everything on his list. He turns to ask Hagrid, when he realizes that Hagrid has been speaking to him for quite some time, narrating the street as they walk. He tunes back in. 

“Oh! An’ over there is Olivander’s. Tha’s where you’ll be gettin’ yur wand.” Hagrid is prattling on cheerfully. There is no trace of the fury Harry saw on his face back at the Dursleys. 

“I really am excited to get my wand!” And it’s true. Receiving his wand is what excites Harry the most about today. It seems like a rite of passage. When he gets his wand, he will no longer be the sad little boy who has been abused by his relatives. He won’t be defined by his trauma anymore. He’ll finally just be Harry James Potter. That’s all he ever really wanted, anyway.