Chapter 30

Harry couldn't help but think that his own smoother apparition skills had to be something of a rarity in the Wizarding World if someone like McGonagall couldn't pull it off. He was a bit surprised when they appeared in the small warm shop right where he had flooed out of when he was following Dedalus Diggle. His surprise must have shown on his face because McGonagall noticed and commented on it.

"It may seem very exciting now Mr. Potter, but apparition can be quite dangerous when tried unsupervised. I would recommend you to wait till an appropriate age when you can learn it." Harry had to suppress a smirk at that. Of course, when he heard the next part his smirk vanished and all blood left his face. "Many wizards have lost body parts due to faulty apparition. We call it splinching, and while it is reversible, it is also extremely painful."

'Splinching,' Harry realized, 'So that was what happened to Miss Roemmele…Vance…and her hair.'

They made their way along Charing Cross Road towards the Leaky Cauldron. Along the way, Harry read the list and couldn't help but wonder how he was going to pay for all the stuff on the list and whether the dingy run down pub he remembered even sold all this. Sidestepping over a sleeping stray dog, he looked down at his list trying to make sense of some of the stuff in there.

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HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

UNIFORM

First-year students will require:

Three sets of plain work robes (black)

One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear

One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)

One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)

Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags

COURSE BOOKS

All students should have a copy of each of the following:

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

A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot

Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling

A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration by Emetic 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

wand

cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)

Setglass or crystal phials

telescope set

brass scales

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

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

Suddenly a screen popped up

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Quest Alert!

Buy all your school supplies!

Reward,

10,000 Exp

Your very own money vault!

Your personal wand!

Failure,

You guessed it, death

Your goals will forever be unfinished!

YES/NO?

If Harry was a gambling man, or rather a gambling pre-teen, he would've bet that the Game was trying to use the Quests' 'death' consequence as a way to blackmail him into doing stuff. Death for not buying school supplies! Whoever had heard of such a thing?!

With a huff, Harry pressed yes and focused his gaze back on the road.

With some surprise, he noticed that he'd had the Gamer's mind off the whole time after his rage out at Petunia. He quickly snapped it back on and his face lost all traces of the excitement he'd felt since getting out of Privet Drive and all emotions became muted to him.

Through this veil of calmness, Harry noticed that they had reached the pub. Pushing open the door, they entered it. He was a bit surprised by the sheer size of the pub on the inside compared to the outside. He looked around at the robed patrons that were talking about everything and nothing and the warm homey vibe the pub gave out. He decided that he liked the place. Sticking close to McGonagall, he walked over with her to the common counter upon which the barkeep was leaning on.

"Good Mornin' Professor! The regular for ya? Been absolute ages since we saw you outta Hogwarts." He leaned over and noticed Harry, looking absolutely tiny as he tried to stand on his toes and look above the counter, "And who's this lad! What's your na…" His question faded away as he squinted at Harry's face and noticed his scar.

"Bless my soul," whispered the old barman. "Harry Potter... what an honor."

Harry's eyes widened as the middle-aged patron sitting on the stool beside him choked on his drink, before looking down at him with a shocked look.

"My goodness… it really is you," he said, grabbing his hand and shaking it as he cleared his voice and said much more loudly than before, " What an honor to meet you Mr. Potter."

The murmurs spread through the whole bar

"That's enough," Professor McGonagall said to the barkeep. Her hand tightened on Harry's shoulder. "Don't pester the boy, Tom, he is new to all this. Just arrange a private booth for us please."

"But is it him?" an old woman asked, "It's Harry Potter?" With a scraping sound, she got up from her chair.

"Ms. Crockford" McGonagall said warningly, her voice barely above a growl. The glare she shot around the room sent everyone cowering.

"I only want to shake his hand," the old woman muttered as she shakily walked over to him. With a kind smile, she bent low and stuck out a wrinkled hand which Harry, a bit confused and uncomfortable even through his Gamer's Mind shield, carefully shook. She used her other hand and grasped their joined hands tightly. Tears fell from the woman's eyes. "Welcome back Mr. Potter. Welcome back," she whispered to him.

"Thank you," Harry said, sending frightened looks at McGonagall. This was overwhelming to him, and he needed to get out of the situation.

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