Chapter One;

Harry was quite happy. His relatives had gone on holidays, giving him (almost) free reign of the house. The list of chores was quite extensive, but he was happy to simply be able to do each individual chore without threat of punishment if he didn't finish it fast enough... or do it well enough. He was eating at the moment, another benefit of being alone. As long as he didn't take too much food every day, the Dursleys were not going to notice the absence- after all, a 3 week holiday does do wonders for making them forget exactly how much food they had stocked before they left. He was onto his second piece of toast when Harry heard the mail click. Putting the toast down for later, he walked into the hallway. There they were. A postcard, something that looked suspiciously like a bill... and two letters for him. Harry's heart jumped. No one had ever writtn to him before, but the letters were there, and there was no mistake. They were both written on a haevy, yellowish type of envelope. The first had curly emerald green ink adreiing it to him... down to his cupboard! The second one had more formal black ink, and it was solely adressed to; Mr. Harry Potter. Excited and slightly nervous, Harry carried the mail back into the kitchen. The bill and postcard went on the stack of mail for the Dursleys to open when they arrived home, and the letters for him he kept, flipping them over wondering if the letters were a joke or if someone had indeed written to him.

By the time Harry had finished his breakfast, he had decided. It was time to open the letters. He picked up the first one, the one with the emerald green ink and slit it open. The contents shocked him.

HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY

Headmaster: ALBUS DUMBLEDORE

(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc, Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. Of Wizards)

Dear Mr. Potter,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Please find enclosed a list of all necesary books and equipment.

Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.

Yours Sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall,

Deputy Headmistress

Harry stared at the letter.

"Witchcraft and Wizardry? What is this? Is this a joke?" he whispered quietly. Even as he said it, though, images of every time he had done something to warrant a long punishment floated into his mind. The glass, appearing on the school roof, the jumper, the teachers hair, the plate, his hair... they all came crowding into his mind.

"Is that it?" he whispered, "Is it wizardry? Am I a wizard?" He shook his head and pulled out the second piece of parchment.

HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

UNIFROM

First-year students will require:

1. Three sets plain work robes (black)

2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear

3. One pair protective gloves (dragonhide or similar)

4. One winter cloack (black, silver fastenings)

Please note that all pupil's clothes should carry name tags.

COURSE BOOKS

All students should each have a copy of the following:

The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk

A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot

Magical Theory by Aldabert Waffling

A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch

One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore

Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander

The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble

OTHER EQUIPMENT

1 Cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)

1 set glass or crystal phials

1 telescope set

1 brass scales

Students may also bring and owl OR a cat OR a toad

PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS

"Wow," Harry breathed, "I don't think the Dursleys have much of an imagination, but this is so weird..." Shaking his head, he pulled the second envelope towards him and slit it open.

Dear Mr. Potter,

We are pleased to inform you that you have met the requirements to attend the Ancient Phoenix School of Opportunity. We are aware that this school is seen as a myth in the magical community, but the truth is we are particular about knowledge of our school getting out, which is why were have a cover name of Salem Institute of Magic. If you choose to accept your position at our school, please place your finger on the red mark at the bottom of this invitation. If you regect, please do the same on the black mark. Please note that in the case of regection, this invitation will burn and you will have no recollection of it for our own safety.

Should you choose to acccept, a school representative will be at your place of residence in an hour to assist you in preparing for school.

Congratulations on achieving a place at our prestigious school,

Sincerely

Ancient Phoenix School of Opportunity.

Harry gaped at the letter. An invitation to two different schools of magic... and Dudley didn't get one! If they were real, he would be able to work as hard as he could because his marks couldn't be compared to his cousins. What did he have to lose? He was thoroughly ridiculed daily, surely accepting one of these invitations if they were fake would be no worse. That got Harry thinking.

The second letter provided a means of acceptance, Hogwarts didn't. Surely pressing his finger to a splotch of ink wouldn't be noticed if it was fake... but for some reason he thought that it was a real letter. It had to be. The second one sounded like a better school, too... Harry braced himself and pressed his finger to the red spot at the bottom of the second invitation and felt a shoot of warmth flow through his arm for a brief second before it was gone as though nothing had happened.

Harry spent the next hour doing his chores feverishly, getting them done faster than ever before in his excitement. He just knew that the letters were real, though he still couldn't come up with a good reason for it.

Exactly and hour had passed since he pressed the button when there was a knock on the door. Harry rushed to answer it and there was a man standing there. He was tall, with bright amber eyes and long dark brown hair that fell in waves to his collarbone. There were scars all over his body and he was tanned and well muscled. Harry gulped. He was intimidating.

"Come in, sir," he said quietly when he got his voice back. The man inclined his head.

"Unless your guaridans are here, that would be unnecessary. My name is Charles Thomas, and I am a representative from the Ancient Phoenix School of Opportunity. You are Harry Potter?"

"I am, sir," he said, and Charles nodded.

"Hello, Mr. Potter, you can call me Charles if you like. Do you need to get anything, or can you come now?"

"Um, Sir, I don't have any money," he said.

"Not to worry, your parents left you quite a lot of it- they left it in the bank. How much do you know of the magical world?"

"Nothing... uh... Charles," he said, "I'd never heard of the magical world until an hour ago."

"Oh, this will take some explaining," he said quietly to himself before turning to Harry, "Can I take you up on your earlier offer of coming into the house?"

"Of course, Charles," he said, stepping out of the way of the door.

"Thank you," he nodded as he crossed the threshold and Harry led him to the sitting room.

"Harry, first off, the magical world is very real... as you might have guessed. Your position in it is larger than you know as well. You see, Harry, there was a man, about 40 years ago that started to become quite famous as a very dangerous man. He had certain ideals and thought that anyone that disagreed with him should end up dead. One of those ideals was that muggles- people that have no magic- should die as well. He started a war, Harry, similar to the one Hitler began but in the magical world. People with even one muggle parent- or grandparent- were being killed for no reason. People with magic in their family for ages but disagreed were being murdered as well, and he sent raids to terrorise all people. His terror was so great that people trusted no one. Your best friends were soon as terrifying as your worst enemy as you had no idea who was following the man. No one celebrated, people went around with their heads down hoping that they and their family would live through the day." Harry gasped, and Charles nodded grimly.

"It was a terrible time for magical Europe, Harry. Your father had magic in every family member for hundreds of centuries, but he disagreed with the Dark Lord- his name was Voldemort. Your mother had two muggle parents, and that made them both targets. They had you and went into hiding, but it wasn't enough. On Halloween about 10 years ago, Voldemort came to your house. He killed both of your parents, before turning on you. He said the deadly curse that had neverfailed before at you, Harry. You would have died, but it rebounded and hit Voldemort instead. He died, and the magical world celebrated in a way they hadn't been able to for years. They crowned you- a one year old baby- as their champion and gave you the title of the Boy-Who-Lived. Everyone in magical Britain knows your name, and your scar is ledgendary as well- as that it where the curse hit you and left it's mark. When you enter the magical world, Harry, if people see your scar you will be mobbed like a celebrity." Harry gasped, shocked.

"Did he really die?" Charles shook his head.

"And here I was hoping that you wouldn't ask that question. No, Harry, don't apologise, it was a very good question. The answer is no, he didn't though most people think that he did. At school, we have a book of prophecies. When the prphecy is fulfilled, it disappears from the book. We have a habit of checking the book for any prophecies regarding a new student, and there was one about you, Harry- and Voldemort. It said; 'The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives...' I'm sorry that this got heaped on you so young, but you do have a right to know that," he said gently.

"So," sniffed Harry, "you are telling me that I either have to murder him, or be killed?"

"No! No, Harry. Voldemort is a murderer, he kills people for fun. The person that kills him- not murders- is saving the lives of hundreds of people, not murdering him. He is not human anymore, anyway, and he should have theoretically died years ago. You won't be a murderer," he said.

"I think I get it," Harry said a little more brightly, "if he goes away then he can't kill more people. But he won't go away by himself, so I need to help him do that."

"That's an interesting way of putting it, Harry, but essentially yes, he needs to be killed to stop him from murdering lots of people and when you have worked hard and learnt more about magic and combat, you will be able to do that." Harry nodded solemnly.

"I will work really hard then," he said. Charles held in a chuckle.

"Don't forget to have fun, though, Harry," he said. "Now, are you ready to go and buy your school things?" Harry nodded eagerly.

"Yes, I'm ready!" he said, "but when does school start?"

"Actually, it starts in a week," said Charles sheepishly, "so you might need to stay somewhere else for a few days. Now, we are going to go to a place in Salem called Corey Town to buy your supplies. We are going to get there buy a mode of transport called apparition, which is where you move from one place to another almost instantly, though it is a little uncomfortable. You will learn how to do this yourself, but for now you just need to hold onto me as tight as you can and not let go until we get there. Can you do that?" Harry nodded nervously.

"Okay, grab my left hand- it's easier for me," said Charles, holding it out for the little boy. Harry hesitated for less than a second before he grabbed hold and was sucked into the horrible sensation defined as 'apparition.' When they landed in Corey Town, Harry paused for a second before he looked up at Charles.

"I've done that before," he said shyly, "I was running away from Dudley and his gang and then I did that and was suddenly on the roof of the kitchens," he giggled, "I got into a lot of trouble for it, but the teachers were really funny. They spent the rest of the term trying to work out how I got up there." Charles stared at him.

"That is very advanced magic, Harry, you are going to be a very powerful wizard one day if you work hard enough," he said slowly, "apparition is also dangerous, so to do it properly without knowing how to is incredible but I don't suggest trying it again for a while, okay?"

"Okay," said Harry softly, looking a little dejected.

"Harry, we need to get some of your money out of the bank before we can buy any of your things. In Brittain, they have a huge bank guarded by goblins and the main vaults are usually there. It's a really amazing bank. Because all of the money is usually kept there, we have a small bank here but it is quite different. You go in there and pick up an empty money bag. We will have to put a drop of your blood on it and wait for the blood to sink in before we hand it over to the goblin in charge. He will use some of his magic to link it to your vault and then you will be able to take money directly out of the bag. Once he has done that, we will pay him a galleon, which is a gold coin, and then we can leave. Do you get that?"

"I get it, " said Harry, "goblins sound dangerous, though."

"They are, so don't get on the goblin's bad side by pointing, or staring or being rude, alright?" Harry nodded.

"Good, let's go!" said Charles. Corey Town was a strange place, in Harry's opinion. The had apparated into the apparition point, which was a patch of grass in the town centre. The streets spread from the town centre, the closest buildings on each were shops and the further ones were townhouses. The main street was all shops, though, and the council building was at the end much larger than everything surrounding it. The bank was on that (admittedly short) street and that was where they were headed. Harry's short legs were not much help, but finally they made it to the french-style building and entered. A small bell sounded and a short goblin that was seated at the counter at the back of the room looked up for a brief second before going back to his book of numbers. There was no one else in there. Charles quickly pointed Harry over to the rack of money bags. There was hundreds of them, all different colours. Harry picked out a silver one with gold hemming and showed it to Charles. The older man then pointed out the small, bronze dagger on the bench beside them. Harry gulped and held out his hand for Charles to take the blood from- he didn't feel like doing it himself. The dagger slid neatly across his palm, stinging a little before it healed as though nothing had happened, and only one drop of blood managed to fall in that time. They waited as it soaked into the bag and them took it up to the counter. Charles cleared his throat.

"We would like to activate this money withdrawal bag, please," he said in a formal tone. The goblin looked up and Harry immediately saw the reason for the formality. He gulped. The goblin took the bag without acknowledging either of them and dipped it in a liquid before beginning to chant in another language that sounded gravelly and strange. A few seconds later the goblin looked up and sneered.

"Which vault are you connecting it to?" Charles looked surprised.

"Harry has more than one vault?"

"There are four, a family vault, one under the name of James Charlus Potter, Lily Evans-Potter and a trust vault for Harry James Potter." Harry's eyes widened. Charles looked down at him and Harry shrugged, his eyes still wide.

"Is it possible to combine all four?" Charles asked finally.

"Yes, however it is only possible to retrieve money, not the aritfacts residing in the family vaults." Charles sighed.

"We will do that then, thanks," he said. Harry watched as the goblin nodded and began speaking in the other language again for a few seconds before he handed the bag over.

"One galleon," he sneered. Harry looked at Charles, confused.

"Just say one galleon, and you will be able to pull it out of the bag," he explained, and Harry nodded.

"One Galleon," he muttered and put his hand in the bag before pulling the coin out. Beaming, he handed it over to the goblin and they walked out, Charles holding a statement of how much he had in the now-combined vault.

"What language was that?" Harry asked when they left the bank.

"Gobbledegook," replied Charles, "Goblin language. Very difficult to understand, even harder to speak." Harry nodded and watched as Charles stopped to read the bank statement.

"Wow, Harry," he said finally, "you could probably afford to buy all of magical Brittain, and that is larger than Magical America. We will definitely be able to buy your school supplies." Harry gaped.

"My family was rich?"

"Very."

"And to think, Uncle and Aunt called them unemployed drunks that couldn't afford to keep me," he grumbled, "thank you, Charles." Charles looked faintly annoyed at what he had just heard, but he nodded.

"We might get your uniform first," he said, "and you might need some more casual clothing as well judging from what you are currently wearing." Harry nodded sheepishly, and thanked him as they walked towards the store labelled 'Corey Town Robbe Shoppe.' It looked almost like a cottage on the outside, but the inside was fairly modern in Harry's eyes, though he had never gone shopping for clothes. Charles pulled a list out of his pocket.

ANCIENT PHOENIX SCHOOL OF OPPORTUNITY

BOYS UNIFORM

Black work robes, silver and purple trimming

Winter cloak, black- gold fastenings, silver trimming

Standard quality wand holster

Plain duelling robes (black, silver or purple)

Protecting gloves (dragon or basilisk hide)

Plain black boots, silver edges.

'Salem standard scarf'

Pointed hat, black, silver and purple edging

Harry stared at it for a few seconds.

"Their uniform is slightly more extensive than the Hogwarts uniform," he said weakly.

"I thought you only found out about magic today?" he said sharply. Harry looked at him.

"The Hogwarts acceptance letter came today as well, but I decided this one... as I could actually see how to respond," he said quietly, and Charles nodded.

"We can get these tailored to suit you, the owner used to attend Ancient Phoenix so we can show him the list," he said and Harry sighed in relief. Almost on cue, the owner came out.

"Charles! Haven't seen you for a while... new student?" He added the last a little sharply. Charles nodded and the owner relaxed.

"So you're here for the new uniform?"

"Yes, Harry here is starting at Phoenix next week and we need the whole thing. I'm thinking msybe 4 of the standard robes, 2 of the cloaks and duelling robes and one of everything else," said Charles and the owned nodded.

"just step up here, Harry, we'll get you sorted out now," he said, "and don't worry, the uniform looks better than it sounds." Harry almost laughed, but held it in. He wasn't sure if the man was trying to be funny or not- why would the uniform look bad?

Very soon, the uniform was done and Charles stepped in again.

"Harry is also going to need... a complete wardrobe." The owner looked surprised, but they ended up leaving the store with many more robes than just the uniform along with a pair of pyjamas and some more cmfortable footwear.

"You only have to wear a uniform to class," explained Charles when they had left, "and you can't really wear that on campus. It's best you get robes, anyway, muggle clothing stands out too much around the magical world and they are more comfortable and easy to move in when you get used to them." Harry just nodded, feeling a little dazed. Another piece of parchment then came out of Charles' robe pocket.

ANCIENT PHOENIX SCHOOL OF OPPORTUNITY

COURSE BOOKS (First Year)

The Practical Charm Handbook- Primer by Sandra Burnwick

Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Gowshawk

Defending against Dark Arts by James Thimble

The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble

Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger

One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore

Runic Alphabets by Stewart Gibbons

Numerology and Grammatica by Thomas Numuric

Transfiguration, Volume I by Griselda Marchbanks

A Beginners' Guide to Trandfiguration by Emeric Switch

Magical Theory by Aldabert Waffling

The Encycolopaedia of Magical Plants by Phyllida Spore

The Culture Of Early Magical Society by John Deminus

A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander

Understanding the Constellations by Sirius Canidus

EQUIPMENT

Cauldron, pewter, standard size 2

Cauldron, brass, standard size 2

Brass stirrers

Potions Knife Set (silver and brass)

Glass or Crystal phials

Brass scales

Standard set potions ingredients

Telescope Set

Standard English Sword (and sheath)

Katana (and sheath)

Throwing Knives (and holsters)

Staff (non-magical)

Wand

Ink, quills and parchment

Notebooks

Students may bring one pet that is not liable to kill other students.

Harry stared at the list.

"Phoenix is sounding slightly more relaxed about safety than Hogwarts," he said faintly.

"Hogwarts has to be stricter. Not only does it have larger numbers, the only excercies they offer is quidditch- which first years aren't allowed to play, and they only have the house teams- seven people from each house stretching form second to seventh year. They have hundreds of students, Harry, hundreds, and they only offer excercie for 28 of them. They just don't get rid of their energy! Then, they don't have formal duelling classes, so the students opt to do it in the hallways and sneaking around at night instead! No teachers around make it a lot more dangerous," he said, "and they split the students into houses, so there are rivalries there."

"There's no houses at Phoenix?"

"No, we only accept four boys and four girls each year, so we don't have enough students for a house system. Instead, we have dorm checks and things which earn rewards." Harry nodded.

"What do we geet now?"

"Let's go to S and G Hopkins to get your books," said Charles distractedly. Harry nodded happily.

"You know that it is the same as the Hogwarts books, but with more of them?"

"We tend to do that." They entered the bookstore, and while Charles picked up the mandatory books, Harry went around and picked up the ones that looked interesting or important to him, such as the ones aimed at 'muggleborns' and their entry into the wizarding world, books on jinxes and hexes, Quidditch and another one that he felt might put him to sleep; The Self-Updating book of Magical Laws which was split by international, national and state laws- of each country with a magical society. Charles laughed when he saw it.

"I'm going to need somethnig to put me to sleep," he said when Charles asked why he bought it. For some reason, that made him laugh even harder. Harry sniffed and followed Charles to Potions Stuffs and JR Fletcher's Magical Things to buy his potions things and telescope.

"We need to get your weapons and holsters now," said Charles nervously, "and this will be a slightly different store." Harry nodded, wondering what 'different' meant- everything was already so different to what he was used to! They wandered towards 'Salems Sports and Leisure Supplies' and when they entered, Harry was confused. There was no weapons in here, just brooms and other sporting equipment. Charles seemed to know what he was doing, though, when he walked towards the back wall and whispered 'Phoenix.' Sure enough, an archway opened up and they stepped through it quickly- thankfully, as it closed almost immediately. Harry looked around and was immediately intimidated. Gleaming weapons covered the walls and racks filled the floor space.

"Okay, Harry- each weapon is different as they like to choose their owner. We don't know how or why, but a weapon that calls for you will work much better than picking up any old weapon. It usually suits you completely, the weight will feel right in your hand and it will balance perfectly. So, we will start with the traditional English sword. You need to stand in front of them and close your eyes. Just let the right weapon pull you towards it." Harry nodded and stood in front of them before closing his eyes, wondering what Charles meant- he didn't have to wait long. Almost immediately, he felt something calling to him over the far end. He walked towards it until he was right in front and lifted his hand to pick it up. Once it was in his hand, he opened his eyes and gasped. Charles was right, The sword with its gleaming gold hilt felt perfect in his hand- as though it was merely an extenstion of it.

"It feels perfect," said Harry to Charles, "this is my sword." Charles smiled and held his hand out to take it while Harry searched for his katana. Harry went through the same process while Charles found the matching sheath for each one. The same happened with the wooden staff.

"The throwing knives are different again, Harry," said Charles, "as you need more than one. You find the perfect knife and we will then find the ones closest to it in weight and size and get them as well. Then, we will have to get holsters for them to go on your belt which we haven't bought yet, and your thighs," he said. Harry nodded and repeated the process, picking up a short, extremely dangerous-looking knife and soon Charles helped him find others almost identical to it. They collected the holsters and a belt to hang some of them off. Charles then picked up a bag from close to the entrance and slipped all of the new things into it before telling Harry to leave 20 galleons in the slot. Once the money was in there, the entrance opened up again and they were back in the normal part of the store. Charles let Harry look around for a while before they left.

"The store owner doesn't know about the weaponry there, as it is owned by Phoenix. The bag that you're holding is only visible to people that know about the school, so the owner has no idea that you just bought deadly weapons inside his building," said Charles. Harry nodded bemusedly. It was weird.

"Scrivenshafts next," said Charles, "we need to get you some writing supplies. This is just a branch store, like Gringotts. The main store is in a town called Hogsmeade in Scotland." They entered the quaint little store and Harry immediately liked it. It had a strange smell, but it was nothing like the apothocary. It was nice. They picked up stacks of parchment- the 'Student Package- of it, in fact, which was apparently designed when the store got sick of students rushing in every day when they ran out and then complaining that they were handing in essays too late because of it. There was a similar 'Student Package' for quills and ink, so Harry just bought the more interesting inks and quills seperate from the package. They also found notebooks. They were designed to never run out of pages, and Charles told him that 10 was the ideal number of them, so he got 10 of them each a different colour. He was really enjoying being able to buy his own supplies.

That was the time that the hunger set in, so Charles led him to the 'Colonial Cafe/Cookery' to eat lunch before they continued shopping- Charles had begun to complain about the weight of the bags he was carrying, and Harry was close to it so they bought a trunk and bookbag from the luggage store. Harry liked the fact that they were magically expanded on the inside to fit much more than it looked possible, and the trunk was able to shrink to a quarter of the size on command! It was brilliant.

"Now we just need to get your wand, and a pet if you would like one," said Charles later in the afternoon.

"I'm not sure about a pet, if I have to go back to the Dursleys they wouldn't like it," said Harry nervously.

"Well, we can deal with that later, then," said Charles decisively as they walked towards the wandstore- 'Howland's Wandstore for Multiple of Centuries.' The store felt different from any other Harry had been in so far- the air seemed to tingle and it felt almost like a bookshop- the silence felt like an unwritten rule, breaking it would have a severe punishment. He gulped.

In a huge contrast, the owner was a friendly young woman with chocolate-brown eyes and hair.

"Hello! Who needs a wand?" she asked cheerfully, and Harry immediately relaxed.

"I do," he said and she nodded.

"Are you right or left handed?"

"I'm not sure," said Harry, "no one's ever really told me so I jut use whichever." She glanced at Charles for a second befor turning back to him.

"Okay, I'll get you to hold this in each hand, one at a time and tell me which one feels more comfortable," she said kindly and Harry smiled before taking it in his right hand. It felt awkward and strange, so he swapped it over to his left. There, it still felt odd but he was sure he could get used to it.

"Left," he said finally and the woman smiled at him.

"Good! Now we find your wand." She muttered a strange spell and waved her wand at him and a piece of parchment came out the end.

"This is a character evaluation, only wandmakers are taught it," she explained, "knowing a person's personality makes it easier for me to narrow the wand selections down." Harry nodded in understanding.

"It says that you are abnormally brave and courageous, but it shows through mostly in dangerous or life-threatening situations... the opposite of most people, you perform best under pressure... loyal to a fault with friends, but you don't give out trust like candy, intelligent but not a bookworm... you can be cynical and cunning, too, but not in everyday situations. Interesting, not many people like that. I'm thinking phoenix feather, or griffin claw... maybe both, dual core is for the more interesting personalities, anyway... holly would go well with the loyalty and I can tell that you have power, so it would go well with that as well... intelligent and sometimes cunning when the situation calls for it, performing under pressure... might use an emerald focus... hmmm... I'm going to craft this seperately, we don't stock anything that would work perfectly for you," she mused, "so I will need you to wait for a while while I craft it... or you could come back in an hour or so. Yes, that would work. I think I'll create this properly and use blood to seal it properly, make it work only for you... this is brilliant, I'm going to enjoy the challenge! Thank you for shopping here."

"So... we should come back in an hour," confirmed Charles.

"Oh, yes, sorry about that, I can ramble when I'm excited," she blushed, and Charles nodded.

"Come on, Harry, we'll come back and pick up your wand later," he said and Harry nodded before following him out the door.

"I think we will get you a pet, if you want one Harry, as it can always stay at... school if you go home for the summer. Would you like one?" he asked and Harry nodded enthusiastically.

"I really would like a pet, Charles, Dudley has had lots but he never looks after them properly," he said, "but I'm sure that I could treat it properly." Charles nodded and led him to the menagerie.

"Try to get a pet that doesn't have poison running through it," he said before letting Harry explore. Harry looked everywhere, trying to find the one that he really loved. None of the owls or cats really called for him, and he had almost finished looking through the dogs when he saw it. He was a tiny black miniature labrador puppy with bright jewel green eyes. Harry immediately loved him and the sign saying he was 12 galleons wasn't bad either. The name "Midnight" was pinned onto the lonely cage, and Harry opened it and pulled Midnight out.

"Careful!" the assistant called, "that one keeps scratching everyone who tries to..." but he trailed off as Midnight curled up contentedly in his arms.

"Well I never," he said, "that dog's yours, no doubt about it. Would you like to pay or not?" Harry smiled, unsure if that was a joke.

"It was a joke," Charles whispered in his ear, "he doesn't mean it." And Harry nodded. He picked up a lead, food, treats, some bowls, a basket, toys and other supplies before he took them all up to the counter and paid. They registered Midnight as Harry's and had the tracking spells placed on him, and had him checked for any illnesses before Harry took him out of the store happily- Midnight just as happy with his tail waving madly in the air.

"Your wand should be ready now," said Charles after they put all of Midnight's new things in his trunk and re-shrunk it, "we can go and pick it up now." Harry nodded happily and the three of them walked back to the wand store.

"You're back," the owner said happily when she saw them, "I just have to seal it, and I was planning on using some of your blood to make it stronger if you would allow me." Harry looked at Charles.

"If that is all you are going to use it for," he said.

"Of course!" she sounded offended, "I will vanish any blood that isn't used in the wand immediately... you can do that if you don't trust me." Charles nodded.

"Harry, if you are okay with supplying blood, you can do this," he said and Harry nodded. 10 minutes later, a gleaming wand was lying on the counter and the owner- Thalia- was explaining how to take care of it. He paid the 30 galleons for the wand and the cleaning equipment and they left the store.

"Now you have a few options, Harry," said Charles, "the first is that I can drop you back off at your Aunt and Uncles house for the rest of the week..." he trailed off as Harry cried 'no!' in a voice that was not loud, but clearly fearful. Charles nodded.

"We can rent you a room in an apartment that takes dogs, or... you have enough money, you could buy a cottage or flat here in Corey Town and you could stay there in the holidays, but you would need to make sure that you take care of it and yourself properly," he said. Harry looked thoughtful.

"I really want to buy my own place," he said finally, "and I know that I can look after it and myself properly as I always do that at the Dursleys, but would I be allowed?" Charles smiled reassuringly.

"I wouldn't have suggested it if it wasn't allowed. We would put it down under the Potter name for you," and Harry relaxed.

"Can I do that then?" and Charles nodded.

"Great!" Harry cheered, "Never going back to the Dursleys again!" Harry bounced towards the Real Estate agent, dragging Charles behind him.

"Come on," he said happily, "this is so exciting!" Charles rolled his eyes but Harry could still see the smile on his face.

"alright, I'm coming," he said, "keep your hair on!" Harry had too much fun in the Real Estate agent for Charles' liking, trying to decide between a small cottage at the edge of the town and a flat nearer the shops. The cottage won, though, as the wards would allow him to practice magic when he was not at school as well as giving him a better warning if the place was in danger. It was empty, so the only thing they had to so was buy it and they could move in immediately- and it was furnished already. They bought it under the name 'Potter,' then Charles dragged Harry to the wizarding supermarket to buy enough healthy supplies so that he could eat proper meals for the rest of the week.

Finally, Harry was able to go to his new cottage. While he was exploring and unpacking the food and Midnight's belongings, (the rest was staying in his trunk for the week; except for when it was in use) Charles was drafting a couple of letters.

Dear Mr. And Mrs. Dursley,

Your nephew, Harry Potter, has been accepted into Salem Institue of Magic. Congratulations. He has elected to go on a program allowing him to stay at school year round, so we regret to inform you that it is unlikely you will ever have him in your house again.

Kind Regards,

Charles Thomas,

Salem Representative.

Albus Dumbledore,

I regret to inform you that Harry Potter is rejecting your offer to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, having been accepted into another.

Kind Regards,

Charles Thomas,

Representative of Salem Institute of Magic