Scrimper Saver Wizard Saviour

Harry had very little possessions to call his own…no, scratch that, Harry had NOTHING to call his own. The clothes he wore formerly belonged to Dudley, the food he ate was bought with Vernon's money, even his toothbrush came from a pack of four his aunt bought as a cheap holiday item, reluctantly handing him the pink one since no one else wanted it.

One would think that having no possessions would make Harry yearn for stuff of his own. Well, they'd be wrong.

By age of six everything Harry had could easily fit into a carrier bag, and that was the way he liked it. Why buy loads when you could gain access to most things for free? He had the library for books, free lunch and milk in school, and the play park wasn't that far away. Why bother with gaudy jewellery, expensive toys and flashy cars, what was the point?

But Harry did want to say that his clothes were his own, that the food he ate was bought with his own hard earned money. So not long after turning eight, he began to really earn his keep. On days where Vernon and Petunia just couldn't stand the sight of him, he spent mowing nearby neighbourhood lawns and walking dogs for a few pounds. When he wasn't at school, doing homework or completing his numerous chores, he was washing windows for the elderly and pulling weeds for the disabled like that nice Mr Patterson down the street. More importantly, he was doing this without the Dursleys knowing. If they learned of his savings the money would vanish faster than a donut on Dudley's plate.

Harry also wanted to spend his cash wisely, none of those fancy robots with the shooting hand motion all the neighbourhood boys had, or sweets and crisps children are prone to buying or begging for. He really didn't need them, nor did he really want them. So he sat down in the cupboard under the stairs late one night with a borrowed notepad and pen, and the first thing he wrote down was to get his own stationary, to save him using something bought by his uncle, followed by something to hold his money in and something to eat and drink on the days the Dursleys decided not to feed him. He also wrote down a number of clothes, mainly underwear since he knew his relatives would get suspicious if he was seen with new clothes they hadn't bought him, and toiletries. Lastly, he realised he'd need something to put his stuff in, knowing his schoolbag, which he also needed to replace as it formerly belonged to Dudley, wouldn't hold all he wanted. His school clothes he didn't bother listing, as they were the only things that hadn't once belonged to Dudley, and he wouldn't need them forever. That and he quite enjoyed seeing his aunt's expression when she was forced to buy them, knowing that they at least had to look decent otherwise people would suspect. Things like jotters and schoolbooks the school provided so he was happy to continue to use them.

Other things like the rest of his clothes he would buy when he was older and more able to defend himself against the Dursleys if they gave him hassle for buying his own clothes. However one thing he needed immediately was a pair of his own shoes, Dudley's were far too worn and far too big for him and they hurt his feet. He was also going to get a cheap jacket that could fold into his bag, he knew it would be handy to have.

All in all his list amassed to a fair amount, with only tops, trousers and pyjamas to get when he was older

Pencil case/pencil/pen/rubber/sharpener/ruler/calculator/notepad

Bag for money

Food/drink

10 socks

10 pants

Shoes

Hat/scarf/gloves

Towel

Jacket

Toothbrush/toothpaste

Soap/shampoo/brush

Schoolbag/water bottle

Something to put them all in.

A few blocks down from the Dursley house was a really cheap shop that sold things for just a pound each. There, with sixty five pounds well earned from his hard work of the last month jingling in his pocket, Harry eagerly picked up a basket and filled it with items he needed, checking off his list as he went. A pack of four notepads, a calculator, a pencil case and a stationary set with pen, pencil, rubber, ruler and sharpener, in they went. A fold up blue jacket, ideal for rainy days and easy to hide away, perfect. Socks and boxers, they were desperately needed. A hat, and a scarf and gloves set, in the basket. A pack of toothbrushes, some toothpaste, soap and a nice sized bottle of shampoo, sorted. And a good strong fold up shopping bag to put them all in, with room enough for more. In the bargain bin he found a purple coin purse and a brush for fifty pence each, happily adding them to his lot.

He debated for a little while over the food and drink section, before picking up three packs of different flavour juice cartons, three to a pack, and a small loaf of bread and some jam and chocolate spread. Then, upon thinking about it, he nipped round the corner and picked up a pack of cutlery, a pack of hand wipes (to clean the cutlery and of course his hands), a water bottle and some toilet roll, which would save him wasting any of his relative's precious money on such luxuries as tap water and their own pricey high brand loo roll (entirely unneeded, really they were only going to wipe their bum with it). At the last minute he decided to pick up a small sewing kit, that way he could make his things last longer by patching any damage. By the end he'd spent forty four pounds, giving the lady behind the till the rather truthful excuse that he was learning about money and daily essentials. Packing everything into the shopping bag and Dudley's old school bag, and popping his leftover money in the purse, Harry left the store with people believing he was such a clever little boy for wanting to learn that stuff so early. They'd be shocked to know that he practically had to raise himself over the years.

A few doors down he was able to pick up a bath towel for four pounds and a hand towel for three, a pair of shoes and school bag for six pounds each in the shop across the street. He had two pound left in his purse by the end of his shopping spree, and unlike Dudley who would have used that money (along with the rest of it given the chance) to buy sweets, Harry kept it in his purse for a more sensible purchase once he had more to add to it.

Harry made his way back to the Dursleys in record time given that he was carrying a heavy bag, snuck in the door and hid his purchases in the furthest corner of his cupboard. The bag he chose to put his things in was a deep blue, and almost impossible to see in the gloom of the cupboard. Vernon couldn't fit in, Petunia only ever went in for the cleaning supplies on the opposite side, and Dudley was at a stage where he was finding it hard to squeeze himself into the small space. Harry hoped they wouldn't discover the bag, and wished he knew of a way to carry it on him at all times without them seeing.

Hiding his toiletries from his relatives was easy, just tuck them under Dudley's oversized top each time he went to the bathroom. Hiding his new schoolbag and shoes was a bit harder, however the things he'd bought were quite similar to the stuff Dudley had (just less worn), and since his aunt and uncle rarely paid much attention to him, so long as he was doing what he was told, then he was able to pass them off as hand me downs.

So the years went on. Harry earned well and spent wisely, and apart from his glasses (something he knew would be really expensive to get) he could now claim everything he had was HIS and HIS alone. Any of his own clothes he grew out of he set up a small table in the park and sold them off cheaply, anything he couldn't sell he discarded into a clothes bank (making sure they were clean first, of course). He was quite happy with his lot in life.

And then that blasted letter came and mucked everything up.