The bright light illuminated Diagon Ally and stung Harry's eyes. Reaching
into the leather jacket he pulled out his shopping list.

All first year students need:

Books:

Standard Book Of Spells Grade 1
Most Potente Potions For The Beginner
Basic Transfiguration: Animals in to Every Day Objects
Charms: A Way of Life
History of Magic: The Goblins Way
Herbology: The Care Of Household Plants
The Night Sky: A One-Year Story

Equipment

One wand
One type 3 Pewter Cauldron
One pair Dragon Hide Boots and Gloves
One set first year potion ingredients
One scale
Five sets Black Robes
Please remember that first years are not allowed brooms.

Lifting his head form the sheet of parchment Harry looked around for a shop
where he could find some of the things from his list. A sign about three
shops down caught his eye reading Boxes, Trunks and Vaults.

Piled in the front of the shop were many different types of trunks, from
dark wood to light wood, and thin to wide. Looking closely at the detail on
the front he noticed that the workmanship that must of gone into the trunk
must have been very long. While he was looking at the trunks an old woman
had come out of the main door and had walked behind him.

"Can I help you?" A croaky voice startled Harry out of his viewing. Turning
around he saw a woman behind him, her white hair was long and wavy, her skin
was wrinkly and was covered with liver spots.

"Oh, er yeah. I was looking for a new trunk to use at school."

"Well if you follow me I'll show you the collection we have inside. Are
there any special features that you require?" Her voice came out in the same
croak as before.

"Well, I was hoping it could have more then one compartment that are varied
sizes and be keyed to only open to me or anyone I choose?"

"That can be arranged. "…Did you have any idea how many
compartments, or the sizes of them, or how large you want the trunk to be?"

"I was looking for about 7 compartments, one the same size as the outside to
store some of the basic things needed for everyday life at school. The next
I wanted about double the size as the first to store some of the less needed
things, the third I was hoping would be very large and have bookshelves in
because I would like to turn it into library. The forth I would like to turn
into a bedroom and the fifth in to a training room while the other two as
large store rooms for anything I may like to put in there. I was hoping for
it to be about 2 feet long, 1 foot from front to back and about 1½ feet
deep, and the ability to be shrunk into a smaller size for easy movement."
Harry informed the woman.

The woman smiled revealing yellow stained teeth. "I have just the thing for
you, but it will cost a pretty Knut," the woman replied.

"How much?" Harry inquired.

"With all those features, the trunk will come to 150G."

"Very well, I'll take it, do you accept these?" Harry asked, while taking
out his Gringotts card.

"Why, yes, young master," she said, taking it from him, while showing a
little more respect. Sliding the card in a little slot on the counter a
small pool of silver liquid appeared. "Could you place you thumb in here,
please?" she asked Harry, who started to walk towards her. Placing his left
hand over the bowl, he inserted his thumb in the mixture and felt a slight
tingle run through is hand. The silver turned blood red for a moment
signifying that he was allowed to use the card.

"OK, follow me, young master," she said, leading him into the back of the
shop by a long corridor. "OK, this is the trunk that you have just paid for.
If you would just place your hand on the panel, you should feel a slight
prick at the fingers where it takes a sample of blood."

Harry following her directions placed his hand were indicated and when a
pain ran through his hand he knew the trunk now saw him as the owner.
"Thanks. Now how do I shrink it and then make it big again?" Harry asked.

"To make it shrink you just say small and to make it big you just say large.
You can, of course, change these by placing your hand on the panel and say
small change to then whatever you want it to be."

"Thank you, you've been a great help." Harry said, once he had shrunken the
trunk and put it in his pocket with his Gringotts card and walked out of the
shop in to the busy street.

Looking down at his list again he noticed that he would need to get his potion ingrediants. Harry turned his head around and looked down the street untill he saw a shop that may sell the items required. 'Aesop's Dead Man's Apothecary' was printed onto the window. The building looked dark and grimey, while also having a smell that was detecterable even from the distance he was standing.

Taking a deep breath he walked up to the dirty door and pushed it open with his hand. The inside of the shop was covered with couldrons hanging from the celing, and rows of shelves with boxes and glass jars containing ingrediants from newts eyes to bats ears, and frog spleen to lema tounge as well as a collection of herbs.

Looking around Harry noticed a realativly tall boy with dark brown hair siting behind the counter reading a magazein. Upon hearing the little ringing from the bell abopve the door he looked up to see Harry standing there.

"Hello and welcom to 'Aesop's Dead Man's Apothecary,' I'm Oliver Wood how may I help you?" the boy asked with a scottish accent.

"Oh I'm Harry Ackles, I'm just here to get my first year supplies, the thing is I don't know what they are." Harry replied.

"Leave it to me after all that's why I'm here," Oliver said with a wink and a good natured laugh. Laughing with Oliver he bagan to follow him around the room and held some of the things Oliver gave him to hold that were off the shelves.

Once again Oliver returned to the counter and ring up the items he had collected.

"So you looking forward to starting Hogwarts this year?"

"Yeah, I'm just wondering what its going to be like."

"Don't worry it's great, you'll have fun no matter what house you go into. In fact I've almost finished for the day and you look a little out of place on you own, do you want me to come around with you and help you with your shopping?"

"Yeah if you don't mind of course."

"Of course I don't, it will be fun to go shopping and I need something to do for the afternoon now that I've finished for the day."

"Well defenetly then, it would be great cause I'm starting to get lost out there. So how much do I owe?"

"Oh er 10G please." Harry took out his money bag and removed the required amount of coins and handed them to Oliver. Putting his things away in his trunk Harry waited for Oliver to finish talking to the owner. Both the two boys walked out the door while talking to each other getting to know each other better.

Harry was lead down Diagon Ally by Oliver Wood by a friendly arm around his shoulder.

"So where do you want to go now?" Oliver asked with an inquring tone.

"Well, I do need to get some clothes and cloaks for school and other things so where do you suggest?"

"Hmmm, 'Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions' it should be just down here." Wood replied turning the direction they were going slightly to go right at the fork in the ally instead of the origanl left.

Continuing the walk Harry asked, " what were you reading when I came in the shop earlier?"

"Oh that, 'Quidditch World Weekly' it's a game Harry, im the keeper for my team it means I have to keep the quaffel that the Chasers throw at me out of some rings which I'm gaurding."

"Sound cool."

"It is, we play it on brooms and everything! Sorry I was getting a bit excited." Wood finished in a near wisper.

"Its ok it sounds like a good game I wish I could play."

"Well try out next year, its resticted to second years and above but you should be able to play then if your good enough."

"Thanks. I'll look forward to it." Was said as they entered the doors to 'Madam Malkin's'

There were robes hung up on every avaliable surface decorating the shop with a mitch-match of colour and texture. There was bright green next to the darkest of purples, the smoothest of silk next to the roughtness of wool.

"Hello, Hogwarts dears?" the voice of Madam Malkin startled the two young boys out of there conversation.

"What, oh, Harry here has come for his robes, I got mine last week thanks."

"Very well, follow me then sir." Madam Milkin said as she started to walk off to a back room with the two boys following. "Ok, stand up on that stool so I can measure you please."

As soon as Harry had stood on the stool Madam Milkin had waved her wand and a tape measure was flying about taking measurements form his inner leg and outa arm, as well as places like the collar around the neck. All the while Madam Milkin was making notes on a piece of parchment.

"All done dear, if you would just step down for a moment." Madam Milkin said while moving around the shop floor, in and out of store rooms collecting fabrics for him to sample. Handing a few over to Harry he selected two different fabrics for his school robes. One was a light cotton for summer while the other was a more heavy fabric better suited to the winter months of the year.

"Madam, do you think I could have some every day robes made up to please?" Harry asked.

"In what, this fabric?"

"I was thinking of some of these fabrics in dark colours like crimson, navy, black and others like that."

"That wil cost you" Madam Milkin replied "Those fabrics aren't cheap."

"Can you give me an estimate please?"

"I would think, if you are after how many was it?" she asked.

"Oh, er, fourteen every day robes please."

"Well with that amount and these fabrics about 49G." She said while Olivers eyes bulged out of his head.

"I'll take them." Harry said while handing her a cardand repeating the same process as with the other shops. "Can I have them delivered to my home please so I don't have to come back later?" Harry asked

"Certainly, if I could just have your name and address?"

'Harry Potter-Ackles, Ackles Manor, England.' Harry wrote down on a piece of parchment she handed him. Hary and Oliver walked out of the shop together and contiued in this fashion untill it was time to go meet Snape.