The Warning Pt. III

In Which There is Shopping

"So where are we going shopping?" Harry asked as he put on his coat.

"Diagon Alley," He informed him. "London."

"Will we be back in time?" Harry asked as he climbed into the sidecar on Sirius' old Motorbike and strapped on his helmet. They had made plans with the Granger's for a party for Harry's birthday that afternoon.

Sirius let out a loud bark of a laugh. "Just wait," he chuckled. Their house was outside of town, and surrounded by tall trees. Sirius had made sure that no one could see in for just this day. He kicked the bike to roaring life and then hit a button just above the gas cap. The bike, the sidecar, Sirius, and Harry vanished. Or at least as far as Harry could tell they had vanished. Harry couldn't see anything, which is why he accidentally hit himself in the face. "Invisibility Booster," Sirius told him.

"But why are we invisible?" Harry asked.

"Because of this," Sirius said, and Harry felt a lurch in his stomach as the bike lifted off and they flew into the morning sky.

As they flew high over the country side Harry asked Sirius a question that was nagging at him. "What do you think Hermione will say?"

Sirius bit his lip. "I don't think you should tell her Harry," Sirius called over the roaring engine and rushing wind. "Strictly speaking, you aren't supposed to tell muggles about magic unless they're your family." It hurt Sirius a bit to tell Harry this; to know that Harry wouldn't be able to share a part of his life with his best friend. He could only imagine

"But she's..." Harry began.

"I'm sorry Harry," Sirius cut him off.

Once above cloud cover, Sirius turned off the invisibility booster, and carefully handed Harry his letter again.

Harry was quiet for a few moments, then opened his letter and read through it. "This says I can't do magic outside of school," Harry called to his godfather.

"Don't worry about it," Sirius replied, they were getting close now.

"But, won't I get in trouble?"

"Trust me," Sirius called back to him, "they won't know. My brother, Regulus, used to do stuff all the time during the summers. My Sainted Mother," Sirius grimaced as he thought about her. "Always said that that rule was for m... for muggle-borns."

"Sirius," Harry called, wanting to get an answer to another of his old questions. "Why did you hate your family?"

This had always been a subject that was sure to get Harry an "I'll tell you when you're older" remark. Maybe today though, Harry hoped, Sirius would be willing to talk about it.

"We're on final approach," Sirius called, changing the subject as he turned the invisibility booster back on. "This is going to be a heck of an entrance." Once they were low enough that they could only be seen from Diagon Alley, Sirius fumbled for a moment before finally turning off the invisibility booster. They made a loud and bumpy entrance into Diagon Alley, bypassing the leaky cauldron by landing there out right. Sirius parked it in front of Gringott's. "Blood hell," Sirius sighed. "Been forever since I've been in here." he smiled at Harry.

He took Harry down to the vault. Harry had been shocked by the amount of money that was in his trust vault, and Sirius said that this was only the tip of the iceberg. The Potters had been a wealthy family, and his parents had done a good deal to increase the wealth. Next they went to purchase Harry's wand. Sirius waited patiently and proudly as Harry seemed to wave half the wands in the store. Finally the fateful holly/phoenix feather wand chose him. When Mr. Ollivander explained that this wand was brother to Voldemort's wand, both Harry and Sirius exchanged significant looks. Harry didn't feel ashamed though. He felt that his wand's relationship to Voldemort's was something it couldn't help, much like Sirius' relation to his despised family. They next went to get Harry's robes, and there Harry met his first schoolmate. Sirius slipped off, promising to return with a fine surprise for the boy. Harry had to endure the pale-blonde-haired boy's comments on blood purity by himself. But knowing what Sirius had said, Harry didn't reply. The only thing he'd said at all was when Malfoy had asked for Harry's family name. Harry turned to him coldly as Madame Malkin told him he was finished. "Potter," Harry said strongly. Sirius showed up outside with a beautiful snowy-white owl in a cage.

"Dead useful, owls," Sirius commented. "They deliver magical mail. I chose this lovely lady," he complimented the owl, "Because she was professionally trained.

"She's beautiful, Sirius," Harry whispered in awe. "Thank you."

Next were the apothecary and cauldrons. After that Sirius spent a few moments staring at a display in a shop window showing brooms. Harry was confused, but didn't admit it. Finally they decided to go and get the books.

"What do you mean I can't bring them all?" Harry heard a familiar voice whine.

"Well... er..." tried the thick voice of Rubeus Hagrid. "Strictly speakin' Firs' years aren' supposed to be bringin' materials for a third year."

"Hermione?!" Harry called. The two hugged each other quickly and confessed in unison that they were magical. Sirius chuckled at the two of them and waved at Dan and Emma Granger, who came over full of questions that, sadly, Hagrid couldn't answer.

"Thank ye' Sirius," Hagrid said quietly.

Sirius gave the half-giant a pat on the arm. Sirius remembered a part in the Potter's will "Be wonderful to Hagrid"

Hermione introduced Harry to Hagrid. Harry liked Hagrid, despite Hagrid's fearsome looks. Hagrid didn't stumble over himself talking to Harry like most of the witches and wizards he'd met that day.

"I was afraid I'd have to lie to you," Harry confessed to Hermione.

Hermione laughed and said. "Well I couldn't wait to talk to you about this..." She opened one of her books to show a baby picture of Harry blinking up at them. Harry recognized the picture, as it was one of the five pictures Sirius kept by his bed.

Once they purchased their books, without the advanced texts Hermione sadly had to leave behind, Sirius announced his intention to go shopping in a wizarding appliance store, inviting the Grangers to come along and take advantage of their daughter's disposition. The Grangers agreed, only if Sirius would do the installation and help with the paper-work.

Harry and Hermione were allowed to wander about examining things for themselves. Suddenly Harry ran right into a girl about a year younger than him. He stood up and the girl gawped at him. He offered her his hand to help her up. "Ginny," the girl yelped suddenly. She had meant to say, "I'm Ginny, every so pleased to meet you," However it just hadn't come out correctly.

"I'm Harry," he said. He was blushing slightly from the way Ginny was looking at him, and Hermione was getting an almost wicked expression. "This is my best friend Hermione," he said, introducing the muggle-born.

"GINNY!" came a loud voice and Molly Weasley, trailed by four of her seven children, came up quickly. "Thought I'd lost you for a moment," she said. "Who are your friends dear?"

"Hermione," Ginny said, but then more eagerly said, "He's Harry Potter mum."

"Really?" asked Ms. Weasley. "Pleased to meet you Harry, Hermione. I'm Molly, you met my daughter Ginny. These are my sons, Percy, Fred, George... no thats George and that's Fred. And this is Ron."

Percy shook his hand stiffly, and ignored Hermione. The twins however made a point to both give Hermione a kiss on the cheek, causing the young girl to blush madly. Ron shook Harry's hand and smiled. The twins and Ron and Ginny taught Harry about Quidditch right there and then. Harry believed from this moment on he would be friends with at least these four Weasley's, but he also liked Mrs. Weasley because she was polite and caring.

A thought suddenly struck Harry. His birthday parties were always small affairs, as he didn't any friends besides Hermione. He grabbed Sirius' arm and called, "Sirius,"

The older wizard turned away from Hermione's parents. "What's up, Pup?"

"Can I invite more people to my birthday party today?" Harry asked, a bit of begging in his voice.

Sirius faked tearing up. "Pup... you have no idea how long I've waited to hear you say that. Invite everybody, anybody."

Harry turned to Molly and her children. "Can you all come to my birthday party today? We live in Glasgow, and four twenty two Tureen Drive."

Sirius leaned in, "We're on the floo," he told Molly. "Password is 'Kennel'."

"We would be honored," Molly said with a bright smile. "Such a sweet, polite boy. Would it be alright if my husband came?"

"Please bring him," Sirius begged playfully. It had been a long time since he had talked with any adult wizards aside from Remus.

Harry turned to Hagrid, "You can come too If you like." Harry smiled at the large man.

Sirius thought the groundskeeper was going to cry. "Y' sure abou' tha' Harry?" Hagrid asked. "I'm a bi' noticeable."

"We insist," Sirius added. "Lily and James spoke highly of you in their will, and I, frankly, remember you saving my tail on more than one occasion."

Hagrid looked at Sirius confusedly. Of course Hagrid wouldn't remember the event, Sirius had been in his dog form at the time when Hagrid had saved him from an acromantula hunting party.