Author's Note: Thanks again to Radical for beta-ing this fic, guys thank him for enduring my bad writing. lol
Author's Note2: Again from here on out there are some minor changes that you'll notice. In addition, I'm sure that my beta is tired of seeing me flood his inbox with inquires and non-sense, so I'll try to be better next time.
Chapter 1:
The incident at Diagon Alley and the arrival at the Dursley Residence …
The walk to the headmistress' office was a long one. It seemed that the room with the crest was located at the uppermost level of Hogwarts, in one of the spires that crowned the heights of Hogwarts.
On the way there, Harry noticed that the castle, without its usual crowd of bustling students, seemed more daunting. It gave the impression that the castle itself, which had stood for nearly a millennium, died along with the passing of its former headmaster. Harry, felt his resolve to change everything back strengthen even further.
Harry did not notice that their group had already reached the gargoyle guarding Professor McGonagall's new office. He also did not notice the disappearance of a certain over-excitable house-elf. He was so deeply immersed in his thoughts that it took a gentle nudge from Saber to remind him where they were. Harry gave the password and the gargoyle moved aside, revealing the spiral staircase leading to the headmistress' office.
They both climbed the staircase and as he reached the closed door, Harry took a deep breath, knocked, and heard a muffled 'Come in,' He was not quite sure how he would leave Hogwarts. He would rather not take the Knight Bus with Saber, anyone with eyes could seen her and know that something was up, and he did not want to attract undue attention.
'I could see the headlines now,' Harry thought humorously, "HARRY POTTER, RIDES THE KNIGHT BUS ALONG WITH A GIRL LOOKING ARMED-AND-DANGEROUS: exclusive interviews from people who saw the duo!"'
He managed to refrain from chuckling as he entered Dumbledore's former office. What Harry missed was the frown, which graced his former head of house's face when she saw Harry and Saber walk in.
"Mister Potter," her Scottish accent clearly relaying her disapproval "What are you still doing here? The Express left a few minutes ago…" she stopped when she noticed that Harry was not alone. An eyebrow rose, ever so slightly.
"Professor, this is Saber, it seemed that professor Dumbledore asked me to look after her in the letter he left for me."
Harry, felt that he needed to pat himself on the back for that smooth delivery, he did not want anyone else to be involved in this new war of his. 'Too many people have already been sacrificed because of me…
If the new headmistress bought Harry's lie at face value, she did not show it. Saber sensed that Harry wanted to keep the truth from McGonagall, and quickly added,
"It seemed that Professor Dumbledore made sure that I was taken care of after his death. An owl came to me, with a letter. It said that, in the event of his death, an owl would deliver the letter to me so that I could seek out a boy named Harry Potter and seek his protection. He also stated that being with Harry Potter would be the safest, during the up coming war."
It seemed that the Headmistress took her time assessing what Saber said. She gave the emerald-eyed girl a once over and finally sighed. Harry felt quite relieved that the new Headmistress believed their hastily crafted lie.
"Now Mr. Potter," McGonagall told him, "I'm assuming the reason why you're here is that you're looking for a way to King's Cross…"
Harry did not expect was McGonagall thinking he wanted to go to King's Cross; Harry had this whole plan of going to Diagon Alley and getting Saber some normal looking clothes, well normal according to the wizarding world anyway, rather than parading in her armor. He would think about getting Saber muggle clothes later. The important thing now was to think of an excuse so that he could go to Diagon Alley, and Saber noticed his distress and saved him again,
"Headmistress, pardon me for interrupting, but I think Harry and I would like to go to Diagon Alley instead of King's cross."
Again the Headmistress' eyebrow rose, it seemed that her feline form was strongly influencing her curiosity when she asked,
"Why would you want to go to Diagon ally?"
She said it to no one in particular but Harry could feel that the question was directed at him. He immediately tried to think of a way to get out of this conundrum but once again, Saber saved him.
"I came here as soon as I received the letter from Dumbledore, Headmistress. The former Headmaster told me to travel to a different location every other week so that I would elude the people who wanted to do harm to my physical being. He also told me to travel light and therefore the only clothes I have are the ones on my person."
The look on the professor's face was that of disbelief, but then Saber added,
"He also said that every time I changed my location I should destroy anything that could be traced back to me, therefore I would burn the clothes that were provided for me in that town before moving to another town. Professor Dumbledore always provided me with a new set of clothes for the following week that were bought from the town I was residing in."
It would seem that Saber's excuse was airtight. Even Harry could not argue with Saber's reasoning. It would make sense that, if you wanted your pursuers not to find you, you would burn anything that would leave any trace, which could lead back to you and carrying all those extra clothes was not exactly the definition of travelling light. The old Professor reluctantly nodded her head and told them that she would contact a few remaining members of the Order so that they could keep an eye on Harry and Saber at Diagon ally.
The Headmistress stood and went to the fireplace to make a few floo calls. As the Headmistress stood, Harry was about to protest about her arrangement, claiming that he could take care of both of himself and Saber, but one stern look and a frown from Saber told him to shut up before he ruined everything.
"You're in luck Mr. Potter. It seems that there are Order members there. I assume that you and Miss…err, Saber here would like to have your time there uninterrupted, but if there is danger, they will immediately move you out of there, no questions asked, is that clear?"
Both nodded, thinking that they would clearly get away with it, but as with everything else in Harry James Potter's life, it came with a slight complication. He remembered that he still had his trunk up in Gryffindor tower, and the fact that he forgotten to tell his friends what he was going to do after his meeting with Professor McGonagall, much less how he would catch up to them at King's Cross. He knew that his friends, especially, a certain brown-eyed, bushy-haired girl would be more than worried.
Sensing that her Master was in a panic, Saber told the Headmistress, that they would return after they had gotten Harry's things from his dormitory. As they left the Headmistress' office Saber was about to ask what was bothering him, when Harry blurted out,
"Bloody hell, I forgot to tell Hermione and Ron what's happening!"
Saber raised one of her eyebrows. It seemed that her Master had forgotten to inform his closest friends. She decided to humor him and asked,
"If you are going to tell them our current situation, Harry, how do you plan to do it? If I remember correctly, you were alone when you summoned me. Well you did have that house-elf you called Dobby…"
Once again, Saber saved Harry Potter from a difficult situation. He called for Dobby, who arrived with his usual popping sound.
"Harry Potter needs Dobby, sir?"
"Dobby, I want you to tell Hermione and my friends that I'm alright and they don't need to worry about me. Tell them that I'll meet them either at Bill's wedding or earlier, and I'll send Hedwig if I need to contact them."
Dobby was about to ask if that was all, but Saber added,
"Dobby, tell Harry's friends that under no circumstances should they try to find Harry and, as Harry said, he's fine. Also, when they ask if he's got company tell them that he's alone and the Order is looking after him."
Harry was amazed at how Saber managed to read his mind. 'Must be the whole Servant and Master thing that she was talking about…'
After Harry told Dobby to add what Saber told him, he sent him on his way. Then the duo made their way to the Gryffindor dormitories so that Harry could arrange his things and finally get out of the now desolate castle.
As Harry walked along the corridors of one of the places that he considered home, he wondered whether he was going to see these halls bustling with life again, and whether he would survive the war that Voldemort had started. As they approached the painting of the fat lady, Saber stopped and placed a hand on Harry's shoulder and said,
"Harry I've said that I'll be your sword, so do not fret about survival. I will make sure that you survive any war. Be it your war or the Holy Grail's."
Harry could not help but be amazed at the tone of her voice, so calm and determined, and as he gave out the password to the Fat Lady, for the first time that day, he thought that he just might survive both wars with Saber's help
'No, not just with Saber's help, I can't forget Ron and Hermione as well. They've been part of this from the very first time I set foot in this world, and I'm sure that they'll want to be there when I finally liberate it.'
As they entered his house's common room, he saw that nothing had changed, as if the incident, which crippled the hopes of the wizarding world, not even twenty-four hours ago, had never happened. How he wanted to live in this moment frozen in time, but he realized that he could not… not after witnessing death after death of the people closest to him. He made sure that he committed to memory every corner of the scenery in front of him. Not leaving an inch unobserved.
'I will return to this place…I will return to this place victorious!'
All the while, Saber could sense Harry's thoughts but did not act on them. She sensed that he needed time for himself before everything else. She knew that the times ahead were going to be dark, darker than anyone could ever imagine.
~~~
As Harry stepped out of the fireplace in the Leaky Cauldron, he noticed that there were little to no patrons in the pub. Harry saw Tom, the barkeep, and waved at him. Tom noticed him and waved back. Harry felt a gentle squeeze applied to his right hand. He told Tom that it was nice to see him again, but he needed to go, and as he exited the pub, what he saw outside was even more depressing than what he saw in the pub.
Diagon Alley, one of Harry's first experiences of the wizarding world, a once lively and thriving part of Britain's wizarding world, was now a deserted place with a few people scurrying about, going from shop to shop, and doing their business as quickly as possible. Harry tried to ponder on his thoughts for a moment, but he felt another squeeze, this time though, it clearly meant that they needed to be on their way. Harry once again looked around and sighed, his first stop was Gringotts.
On his way in to the bank, he thought of his idea of making Saber wear his invisibility cloak, so that no one would see Saber. He could clearly remember their conversation about it…
~~~
As Harry was packing his things, Saber got an interesting view of Harry's things as it was being tossed inside Harry's trunk. Then Saber spotted something peculiar, it was a cloak. It wasn't any kind of cloak. When Saber picked it up it seemed to make her hand vanish!
"An invisibility cloak!" She exclaimed.
That got Harry's attention. He was planning to tell her that she was going to wear that so that, no one would see her with him during their visit to Diagon Alley.
"That's what you're going to wear to keep people from seeing you." Harry told her, "You'll wear that when we get to the fireplace in professor McGonagall's office."
No response came from Saber. She was still stunned, and was in awe from seeing something so rare, so valuable, that she heard, during her time, that there were only a few in existence.
"…invisibility cloak."
Harry raised his eyebrow at Saber's expression, and thought, where did the calm, collected, and determined girl go. Saber noticed his confusion and explained why she was in a shock.
"I assume that this cloak is yours Harry. What you have here is rare, priceless, and useful. It is so rare that I've heard that there is only a handful in existence, because of their difficulty in production and the rarity of the materials used…"
Harry raised an eyebrow at her, and thought that she was joking. He never even considered his cloak as something extraordinary. He just thought that it was something he had inherited from his dad. He never even considered how much that cloak was worth. All he ever thought about since he got that cloak was that he was just a little bit closer to one of his parents.
"…no one can see me. We can still set up the façade that you're still travelling alone."
That snapped him out of his reverie. It seemed that Saber already guessed his plan as he caught what she said. He nodded at her and said that was the plan. Harry also told Saber that they would first visit Gringotts to withdraw some galleons and exchange some into pounds so that she could also get muggle clothes. Seeing as she could not run around in robes while in the muggle world. He then explained that he might be forced to reveal her presence in the bank. He told her that he would not want to break any rules that the goblins had set up. Harry then explained to her that he would ask for a private room so that he could do his business while hiding Saber from the public's sight.
After their visit to the bank, they would go to Madam Malkin's to get Saber outfitted with some wizard clothes. He told her that she would wear the robes for the meantime seeing as they were still in the wizarding world. Then Harry proceeded to tell her that once they got to the muggle world, he would ask someone from the Order, and he made a mental note that 'someone from the Order' meant Tonks or Hermione, to take Saber clothes shopping.
~~~
As the duo went up to the steps of the bank, Harry thought of their future encounter with the metamorphmagus.
'If Tonks asks too many questions about me and Saber, I'll just rely on Saber. She's been saving my ass in the last few conversations…'
If Harry was paying attention, he would have noticed the goblin guards were eyeing him rather suspiciously as they passed. As they entered the building, Harry noticed that even though Diagon Alley was deserted, the bank was busy. It seems that people would do anything, even brave the threat of a sudden Death eater attack, to get their money and do their business.
As Harry noticed that there were people in the bank, they too noticed him. As Harry got in queue, someone lightly tugged on his robes. Harry looked down and spotted a little girl, no older than ten or maybe younger, still holding his robe, looking rather hopeful.
"Aren't you Harry Potter?" the little girl asked.
Harry kneeled down so that he was at her eye level, and answered,
"Err…Yeah, I'm Harry Potter." Harry nervously answered her, feeling everybody's eyes on him, "How about you, what's your name?"
The little girl's eyes widened in surprise, as the Harry Potter, was standing in front of her. She quickly recovered from her shock and told Harry that her name was Penelope Ann, and that she was there with her parents. Harry smiled at Penelope. He wondered if Voldemort had not killed his parents would he have been this innocent at her age, would he be going with them on errands, would he be going around tugging on other people's robes asking them this or that? So many possibilities, all shattered just because some lunatic decided that he wanted to be immortal.
"Uh, Harry, are you okay?" Penelope asked him with a worried face.
That shook him out of his introspective state. He smiled and nodded to her and just like that, her face shifted from being worried to being delighted. They talked about things that a normal child would ask to someone famous, like what was his favorite food, ('treacle tart'), or did he have a favorite toy, Harry thought about this for awhile then went for the safe answer, and said that he considers anything from the Weasley Wizard Wheezes shop his favorite. This went on for about a minute or two until Harry was next in line in front of the teller, and then Penelope asked something that you would not expect from a child her age.
"…will we win this war against You-Know-Who, Harry?"
This shocked Harry, as he was not expecting that question, especially after a whole lot of nonsense questions, and particularly from a girl not even old enough to be admitted to Hogwarts. As he thought of his answer, he didn't notice Saber giving him a gentle squeeze on his hand and that the people around him leaned further, trying to hear what he was going to say to the little girl, and as the goblin in front of him shouted 'next' he answered Penelope with a very confident,
"Yes, Penelope, we will win this war. We will defeat Voldemort and his Death eaters. I'll make sure that you'll be old enough to get into Hogwarts and live a peaceful life."
Penelope's eyes and everyone's eyes, who heard his proclamation, widened as Harry said Voldemort's name and told them that he would make sure that he would win. Some even had violent reactions to what Harry said, but Harry paid no mind to them as he noticed that there was someone beckoning Penelope to them, Harry assumed that they were her parents and he waved at them. As with other people who was not Penelope's age, they were shocked when the Harry Potter waved at them. He gave Penelope a quick hug and a pat on the head as she went to her parents, as they exited the building Penelope looked and waved back to him in an effort to say goodbye. Harry did not manage to wave back as the small family already got out of view. He walked up to the teller and greeted the goblin,
"Good morning, I'm here to make a private transaction, may I request a room to conduct said private transaction?"
The goblin in front of Harry raised his eyebrows at him. Harry rehearsed that line in his head since he and Saber left Gryffindor tower. The goblin teller asked for his key first before anything else, Harry gladly obliged and when his identity was confirmed, the goblin teller called for another goblin to show him to a private room, but before Harry was whisked away to the room he turned around to face the teller and said,
"Thank you, err, I'm sorry I didn't catch your name…"
Once again, the goblin's eyebrows rose. Never before had a wizard asked for a goblin's name. The goblin answered, after recovering quickly from his shock, that his name was Ironfang.
"Well then, thank you, Ironfang."
~~~
Once Harry and a cloaked Saber were inside the room, accompanied by a goblin, Harry asked what his name was and he replied that his name was Bronblade. Harry told the goblin that under no circumstances would he wish harm to Gringotts and the next thing that the goblin would see was a necessity. Bronblade gave him a look of confusion, and was about to inquire what was he talking about. But, as the goblin was about to ask, Harry already told Saber to remove the cloak. Bronblade, startled by Saber appearing out of nowhere, grabbed his whistle and was already taking a deep breath so that he could sound the alarm.
"No, stop!" Harry cried out but it was too late, Bronblade already blew on his whistle and a net was dropped upon Harry and Saber. Saber immediately raised her guard and in a flash sliced the net descending on them. Bronblade was about to give his whistle another blow when a contingent of goblins burst through the door wielding weapons which looked like it would hurt in twenty different ways after they've been used on someone.
"Wait!" Harry exclaimed, "Before anyone draws anything else, I wish to explain what's happening here. Please give us a chance to explain."
Bronblade was about to tell Harry off, until a very regal looking goblin, accompanied by the goblin teller called Ironfang, walked in the room. Bronblade and the goblin guard immediately noticed the new arrival and quickly bowed down to the goblin. Harry was about to ask why they were kneeling when he noticed that even Saber was kneeling down. Saber noticed his confusion and quickly pulled him down into a kneeling position, and then she explained in a whisper,
"Didn't you notice the air of superiority that goblin gives off? Even the guards are bowing down to this one, obviously this certain goblin out ranks every one of them here!"
It was Harry's turn to be surprised. He was not expecting this. He was expecting things to be smooth from the time he got in the bank, to the time he left. It was stupid of him to think anything in his life would go over smoothly.
"Get up Mr. Potter; you do not need to kneel." the regal looking goblin told Harry.
When Harry looked up, what he saw was a goblin with attendants on either side of him. It seemed that he was the only one who was commanded to get up. When he did get up from his kneeling position, he met discerning eyes. It seemed to Harry that he was back in front of the Wizengamot being judged. If this goblin was above all the rest, he should be on his best behavior. He wouldn't want to upset this high ranking official. Before Harry could talk to the stately looking goblin, he spoke first with Bronblade then with Ironfang, in a language he clearly didn't understand, and then turned to him and said,
"Mister Potter, care to explain why there was a charmed, hidden person that came along with you?"
Harry took a second for him to steady his nerves and answered the goblin.
"Sir, the girl beside me wasn't going to cause harm to your institution. In order for me to keep up appearances that I was alone, I had to hide my companion. Add to the fact that currently unknown forces are chasing my companion here, that it even required Dumbledore to hide her identity. My minders were informed that I was alone. In addition, sir, she wasn't charmed invisible; she was wearing my invisibility cloak…"
The goblins around Harry looked surprised as Harry mentioned his cloak. The regal looking goblin spoke once again with Bronblade then looked to Ironfang and seemed to order him to accompany Bronblade to, Merlin knows where. This time it was Bronblade's turn to show shock. When the regal looking goblin snarled Bronblade immediately went outside along with a scurrying Ironfang right behind him. Then the goblin turned to Harry and said,
"Mister Potter, may I take a look at your cloak?"
Harry looked at the goblin with a rather confused face then said,
"I am sorry, sir, but I don't think I would let you borrow my cloak, as it's the only thing my father left for me, more so because I don't know who you are."
The regal looking goblin paused then looked at Harry with an impassive gaze, and then all of a sudden, the goblin laughed. It sounded like cross between the sounds of a dog's bark and a pair of iron bars grinding against each other. When the goblin stopped, all the other goblins looked amazed, and then Harry wondered, if the goblin who was talking to him was a rather serious fellow, seeing as his subordinates were so amazed by his laughter.
"How rude of me, Mr. Potter; I apologize, if I remember correctly it is much more courteous to introduce ones self before asking anyone else for anything."
The regal looking goblin gave Harry quite a show of his razor sharp teeth, in the form of a wide grin. Then the goblin spoke,
"I, Mister Potter, am Ragnok the first, the clan chief of the goblins; overseer of all things related to the goblin clans and head of the council of elders in the goblin tribunal, I am glad to meet you, Mister Potter."
If Harry's jaw did not drop from the first of the three titles that the goblin in front of him held, it would drop from the last two titles. He immediately recovered from his shock and immediately got back into his kneeling position, as did Saber when she heard of the titles of the clan chief in front of her. Harry did not dare raise his eyes to meet the eyes of the leader of the goblin clans. It was only when he heard another, if he was correct in identifying it, laugh, that he raised his gaze.
"Mister Potter, I thought I have already told you that you do not need to kneel. It also applies to your partner; Saber was her name, was it not?"
Harry immediately stood; embarrassed that he forgot what transpired just a few seconds ago. Ragnok spoke again, while Harry stood up,
"Now that the proper introductions have been made, Mr. Potter…"
"Harry,"
Every sentient being around Harry were shocked save for the clan chief in front of him. Ragnok raised an eyebrow and said,
"Excuse me?"
Harry was getting nervous now, seeing the goblin guards gripping their weapons, he realized that he just made a mistake.
"Err, clan chief, I said you can call me Harry. Err, 'Mister Potter' sounds like you're talking to my father."
He gave a nervous chuckle after he spoke, Harry wasn't sure if he managed to save his ass from a certain fate, which involved very, very, sharp looking objects.
The room was silent for a while, he felt the tension in the air and heard Saber's armor clinking as she moved closer to his back. The tension was broken when the clan chief suddenly burst out laughing. It seemed that the goblins were not accustomed to their leader laughing. When Ragnok finally calmed down, he finally spoke.
"Highly amusing Harry, I would like to explain why it is so, but I assume that you've got other business to attend to. If you don't mind me asking again, would you care to let me borrow your invisibility cloak?"
Harry nodded and he asked Saber if she could give his cloak to the clan chief. As Saber approached Ragnok, the guards immediately stiffened preparing for what Saber might do to their clan chief; the clan chief waved a hand that seemed to say 'It's okay,' or 'she wouldn't harm me'.
As Ragnok held Harry's invisibility cloak, his eyes grew, the goblin looked like he was holding delicate silk as he examined the cloak. He muttered a few things in that language that Harry did not know and the cloak reacted, and then Ragnok asked one of the guards something. The guard quickly took off and moments later arrived with Ironfang in tow. As the clan chief and Ironfang conversed, Harry's nervousness slowly died down. Then on what would be called a whim, Harry said,
"Excuse me, but my friend and I, are in a hurry, we're only here to withdraw a few galleons and exchange for some pounds."
That got the attention of both Ragnok and Ironfang. Ragnok quickly summoned another goblin and asked Harry how many galleons and pounds he would need. Harry estimated that around a thousand galleons and two thousand pounds would suffice.
"Harry," Ragnok spoke while turning to face him, "Are you sure you want to be carrying that large amount of muggle money haphazardly?"
Harry gave Ragnok a confused look, and asked what was wrong.
"It is just that, there are beings in the muggle world that would, what's the muggle saying," the goblin chief took a slight pause to think about the right phrase, "they might 'take a shine', to your large amount of money."
Harry then asked if there was a safer way of transporting a large amount of money, while having easy access to it. Ragnok chuckled, which made Harry uneasy. The goblin informed Harry that they had business with some muggle banks and that they would be happy to accommodate him. Harry told Ragnok that he would leave the bank things in his hands, which surprised the goblin.
"Are you sure, Harry?" Asked the goblin chief.
"Well," Harry answered, "you goblins have been managing my finances for at least six years, and you work around money, so I assumed that you won't mind…"
Ragnok gave Harry an appraising look to see if he was joking. Seeing that Harry was not, Ragnok spoke in their goblin language to a guard. The guard bowed to him and exited the room in a hurry. After awhile, the guard returned with another goblin, which looked familiar to Harry. He tried to remember who the familiar looking goblin was.
"Griphook," Harry exclaimed. Harry's sudden outburst shocked all the beings in the room. None was more shocked than the goblin that just came in.
"I am honored that you remembered me, Mr. Potter." The goblin named Griphook replied.
Harry gave a little wave, and then shuffled on his feet. His sudden outburst made sure that all eyes were currently on him. After a brief discussion with Griphook, Ragnok told Harry that, with his permission, the goblins would handle his money and that Ragnok would invest it properly.
"Before moving on to other matters at hand," said the very pleased goblin chief, "which of the four banks we deal with would you prefer, Harry?"
Harry jokingly told Ragnok that if he was rich enough that the goblins should choose all four. When Harry noticed that no one else was laughing with him, he immediately told the clan chief to do what he thought was right.
"Now that's settled," Ragnok seemingly satisfied with Harry's answer "I apologize for the inconvenience, Harry, but I would like to have a sample of your blood. I just need to make sure that my hunch is correct."
Harry raised an eyebrow at Ragnok; Harry was thinking why would the goblin want his blood? Seeing no harm in this he agreed and as Harry extended an arm, Ironfang grabbed it and collected a blood sample. Ragnok nodded to Ironfang who bowed and left. As Ironfang exited the room, the goblin that Ragnok called earlier came back with a stack of pounds and a bag full of galleons. The unknown goblin handed Harry the bag, the stack, and his key. Harry was going to thank the unknown goblin but the very same goblin scurried away before Harry could even open his mouth. As the transactions were complete, Ragnok said,
"Harry, you'll be hearing from us in the future, pertaining to the blood sample you've given us, the business with the banks, and of the former Supreme Mugwump's will…"
Anything that Ragnok said after 'Supreme Mugwump', were lost to Harry. He thought that by denying the fact that greasy haired git killed Dumbledore it wouldn't be true, but hearing someone from Gringotts, more so, the clan chief say that he was actually dead sealed the deal.
'I must be going through what Hermione said, something about stages and grief…she said that the first stage was denial, and if I remember correctly the next stage was anger. If someone was going to feel my anger, oh please, please, if there's anything fair in this world, make sure that greasy haired bastard is in front of me!'
What he failed to notice was that the conversation with Ragnok had ended and everyone, save for Harry and Saber had left the room. Saber placed a hand over his shoulder and told him that they better be going. Harry nodded and placed his thoughts in the back of his mind, he would ponder on those later, now he needed to find Saber clothes that are more appropriate so that no one would be suspicious of them. What he did not count on was meeting Bill Weasley after exiting the room.
"Harry!" exclaimed Bill. It seemed that, he too was not expecting to see Harry after the funeral. Bill noticed that Harry wasn't alone and glanced at Saber.
'The message that was given to me by McGonagall that he wasn't alone was true!' Bill thought, 'This girl looks like she could kill anyone twice over!'
Sensing the awkward moment, Saber introduced herself.
"Hello, I am known as Saber, and you are?"
Bill was amazed with Saber's formality, he estimated Saber was around Ginny's age and didn't expect to be greeted in such a formal way.
"Uh, hi, Bill, Bill Weasley, it's nice to meet you."
Harry's ass was once again, saved by Saber, as she was the one who broke the ice. Harry immediately told Bill that once they were out of the building he was to make sure that no one sees Saber as she was hiding from some unknown enemies.
Bill looked doubtful at first, but when Saber confirmed the story, he believed it, albeit with much skepticism. Then Bill asked about where they were headed, and Harry told him that both he and Saber were going to Madam Malkin's first then head to the Dursley's next. Then Harry told Bill that they better get going, and as Harry gave Saber his invisibility cloak, Bill said,
"I'll be seeing you at the Burrow right? For the wedding I mean."
Harry was not sure if Bill heard that he and Ginny broke up and he would not be the person to tell him, and as Saber wore Harry's invisibility cloak, he nodded to Bill and said that he would be there. It seemed that Harry didn't notice the shock on Bill's face as Saber just disappeared right beside Harry, and as Saber held Harry's hand, Harry waved and told a shocked Bill goodbye and that he would be seeing him at the wedding.
~~~
As they left Gringotts, he noticed that there were a few more people scurrying back and forth. On the way over to Madam Malkin's, Harry felt a tingling sensation on his left arm, and then, he noticed a little girl with hair as silver as the moon running towards him. He had little time to react and as he and the little girl bumped into each other he felt Saber let go of his hand, and that gave the opportunity Harry needed to reorient himself so that he and the girl won't fall.
He felt the impact of the girl and gave a small 'Oof!', then the girl looked up and then looked behind her, Harry followed her sight and saw two very annoyed looking women heading towards them, and when the two women got close enough they said in a very annoyed manner,
"Illyasviel von Einzbern! Get away from that boy, we need to get going or we'll be late!"
The girl scurried behind Harry and shook her head. Harry could sense that Saber was around so he supposed that she was okay, so he decided to know what's going on here.
"Excuse me miss, but what seems to be the problem?" Harry asked the irate women. One of them looked at Harry appraisingly, then was about to say something but the girl behind him interrupted her,
"They won't let me have some fun! All I wanted was to go into that funny looking shop. All we're going to do is buy some stuff today!"
She was pointing to the Weasley's joke shop, and then he had a bright idea, which would satisfy everyone.
"Why don't I take uh…?"
"Illya,"
"…right, why don't I take little Illya here to that joke shop and let her look around while you ladies go on with your errands? After which you two could just enter the joke shop and fetch her there or if we're not there we'll be at madam Malkin's."
The two women looked astounded at Harry's idea, they were about to protest when Illya squealed and said,
"Really, you're going with me to that funny looking shop? Alright, let's go Mister Harry Potter sir!"
Harry was not surprised as to how the little girl knew him. It was common knowledge, what to look for if you are looking for Harry Potter. The women in front of him didn't share the same idea though. They were shocked to find out that the 'boy' in front of them was the Harry Potter.
Illya did not wait around any longer for them to recover from their shock. She immediately grabbed Harry's hand and led him inside the store, and of course, observing everything with a silent but amused demeanor, Saber followed her Master into the store leaving the two flabbergasted women in their wake.
~~~
If the alley outside was deserted, the Weasley Wizard Wheezes' store wasn't. The place was jammed with people, mainly little kids running around trying what ever they could get their hands on. It seemed that aside from money, the wizarding world would not let anything stop them from having their fun.
Illya looked amazed at all the goings-on around her. There were kids running around throwing what looked like little multi-colored balls. Illya found out what these balls did when one of them exploded on the child on her far right. It turned the one it hit a random color and from what she observed it could be any color from corn yellow, to puke green, to hot pink, to a rainbow colored one. A sound took Illya's attention. Her eyes widened at the sight of indoor fireworks near the ceiling.
Harry chuckled at the chaos of the joke shop. He could feel Saber's jaw dropping at the sight of the mess, which was happening right in front of her eyes. He assumed that she never seen such a chaotic sight. He kneeled down beside Illya and told her that if she wished to explore then it's fine with him. Illya's eyes grew wide, when she asked him if he was serious, he nodded and Harry said that if she needed him, all she needs to do is to find a store clerk named Verity or find the owners who were twin red heads and weren't that hard to miss. After that, she dashed right off to the nearest shelf and tried out some of the products.
"Harry, are you sure that we're supposed to be doing this? We do need to get to that robe shop," Saber whispered to him.
"Don't worry Saber; in all honesty, I need a good laugh after all that's happened," He whispered back to her.
As Saber was about to reply Harry was pulled into an aisle, he was about to shout at the one who pulled him but thought twice as it was one of the owners, specifically, George Weasley.
"Harry, what in Merlin's name were you doing there standing talking to thin air? Welcome, welcome, you should've called in advance so we could clean up," said George as he ducked one of their patented Whiz-bangs leading Harry the back room of the store.
"I'm just accompanying someone because she wanted to check this place out," Harry replied.
George's ears perked up as he heard the word 'she' and then started to interrogate Harry as to who this 'she' is. Harry thought that he was going to die of embarrassment as George asked question after question. Harry thought he was saved when he spotted Fred walking towards them.
"Dear brother, it seems that our dear business partner is here with the female kind," said George to Fred.
"Really now, George, so what does this female look like? Does she have flowing, long hair? Does she have a body that could launch a thousand ships?" replied Fred.
The banter went on and on, as the twins tried to guess what Harry's lady friend looked like. Some of their descriptions, Harry felt, got him red as a tomato. He could also feel Saber's embarrassment as they were somehow connected. This continued, for a couple of minutes until there was a knock on the door. His savior now came in the form of Verity holding a multi-colored, grinning, Illya.
"Ah, lookie here Fred, it seems that one of our valued customers got hit with more than one of our Chameleon balls," quipped George.
"Quite right, dear brother, now little girl would you mind telling us who you came with so that we could inform them that you would like to buy a pack, you know to get back at the ones who pelted you," added Fred.
Illya was still grinning when she pointed to Harry, and as Fred and George followed Illya's pointing finger their eyes grew wide with mischief. Harry sensed this and tried to explain but Fred and George beat him to it,
"So this-"
"-is the girl-"
"-who you're with-"
"-and we thought-"
"You liked the ladies a little bit older" they finished together. Harry's ears immediately went red with embarrassment. Verity and Illya had a look of confusion on their faces as Fred and George laughed their asses off. Harry could even feel Saber's amusement at his situation through their connection. He knew that the twins would not let this opportunity pass as this was excellent teasing material but Harry managed to squeeze an explanation in,
"Now guys, this is Illya, she's the one I'm showing around the shop, and clearly that we're not together in the sense that you're thinking of," Harry explained.
This went on even after the twins heard Harry's explanation, even after they have removed the stray colors that were on Illya. After removing Illya's colors, Verity took Illya so that she could play in the store again. After Verity and Illya left, Fred and George showed Harry their latest inventions.
~~~
It was past noon when Illya's minders arrived at the joke shop. As with Saber's reaction, they were aghast at the chaos that was the Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, and even more so, when they saw that their charge was covered in their products. The twins reassured Illya's minders that she was fine and that she would be alright. When Illya asked her minders if she could have some of their products, they immediately said no. Harry noticed that her brilliant smile, which only moments ago graced her angelic face, disappeared. Then he thought of another bright idea. He told Illya that she could pick anything in the shop and he would buy it. Harry could hear five jaws dropping, six if you included Saber. Illya's frown turned back into a smile after hearing Harry, and then she suddenly hugged Harry and told that he was her favorite person in the world. Then she released Harry from her hug, which could rival Hermione's hug or misses Weasley's.
After she went on a rampage, grabbing all she could get her hands on, she went on a counter and smiled at Harry. Harry asked if the twins and Verity could ring up what she chose, which, lucky for Harry, only cost about two-hundred fifty galleons, plus the discount that the twins forced Harry to take. He gladly paid them, and then handed the bags to Illya and her minders. When it was obvious that Illya and her minders couldn't carry the bags, Fred and George immediately placed a lightening charm on their bags telling them to come again, and before Illya left the store, Harry received a hug from her, telling him that she was thankful because she met him and that she had a great time. Harry told her that she was welcome and that if she needed to contact him to ask the twins. Illya and her minders left the joke shop, with Illya looking extremely happy and her minders worried about things to come.
"So Harry, she had fun didn't she?" Fred immediately said.
"So I've heard Fred, so will there be any second date?" immediately added George.
Harry groaned at the twins and to make matters worse, it gave them new material to tease him with, he was having second thoughts about attending Bill's wedding if this awaited him at the Burrow. Before the teasing went into full swing, he told the twins that he needed to go somewhere and that he would see them at the wedding. Verity and the twins saw Harry off. Harry and the cloaked Saber immediately headed towards madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, hoping that they would make it before the shop closed.
As Harry and the invisible Saber went inside, he noticed that there weren't as many people in the store as compared to Gringotts or the joke shop. Harry asked the one behind the counter if he could have a private room for some fittings, and said that he would pay extra for the privacy. The person behind the counter gladly obliged and led them to the back room. When the seamstress arrived, Harry asked Saber to remove the cloak so that the seamstress could see her. If the seamstress was surprised at the sudden appearance of Saber she didn't show it. She quickly let loose her enchanted measuring tape and it got Saber's measurements.
Harry asked if they could buy some pre-made robes in her size, if they had any. The seamstress' eyebrows rose, but didn't say anything. She called for an assistant and gave her Saber's measurements; the assistant took off and after awhile came back with a set of robes that were Saber's size. Harry asked if Saber could change into them and walk out in them, the seamstress nodded and he asked Saber if she could get out of her armor. Saber started to strip down and Harry immediately turned around to give Saber her privacy. After a few shuffling sounds, Saber told Harry he could turn around now, and saw that Saber was wearing some dull brown robes. Harry said that he'll take them and told the seamstress that they'll pay at the counter.
"These robes are rather uncomfortable," Saber commented.
"Don't worry Saber, Hermione would take you for some muggle clothes shopping, those clothes are more comfortable than the ones you're currently wearing," Harry replied.
Harry paid for Saber's robes and headed towards the Leaky cauldron. Inside the pub, they waved at Tom, and he waved back, Tom was surprised that Harry had a companion and asked Harry about her. He introduced Saber and told Tom that they would be on their way. Harry and a now visible Saber walked out of the pub and appeared on the street. He unsheathed his wand and summoned the Knight bus.
On the Knight bus, a new conductor named Norm greeted them. They said hello to him, and Harry told Norm that they were headed to Little Whinging and gave him the proper fare. Harry told Saber to hold on tight, but Saber didn't hear him because she was already screaming her lungs out as the bus sped off to its current destination: the Dursley residence.
~~~
As Harry and a very green looking Saber disembarked from the bus, Harry become aware of the lessening sunlight in the area and thought that they had arrived around twilight, and he also noticed that members of the Order were lurking about. He took a deep breath to relax himself and helped Saber to calm down. Once she was back to normal, they walked down the path towards number four Privet Drive…
Author's Note:
I never expected this one to be really long. Okay, now to clear up some things: one, is the fact that I can't remember/I'm not that sure, what time of day Dumbledore's funeral was held; two I also can't remember the fact if most or if not all of the Order were there.
Guys remember that Harry and Saber are now connected by their Master and Servant thing so Saber can sense when ever Harry's in distress.
If you guys want to see what Illya looks like include it in your reviews. I'll be happy to post a link in the following chapter (if there is going to be one, it all depends on how you guys react to this, meaning I want some reviews people!)
I'll try to update weekly btw.
-tw