Chapter Text
The dizzying, rushing roar of green wind spun around them for three loud seconds before it suddenly ground to a halt with a soft whoosh.
Harry’s small knees buckled, but Moony held him tightly against his chest, stepping smoothly out of the massive stone fireplace of the Leaky Cauldron pub. Harry blinked his bright emerald eyes open, coughing just a tiny bit as he rubbed a speck of silver soot away from his glasses. He instantly squeezed his baby stuffed rabbit close, his jaw dropping in absolute shock as he looked around.
The pub was warm, dark, and filled with the strangest people Harry had ever seen. Men and women in long, sweeping velvet cloaks were sitting at wooden tables, laughing and gossiping over steaming mugs of tea. In the corner, a self-playing violin was floating in mid-air, bowing out a cheerful tune entirely on its own.
"Perfect landing, team!" Padfoot cheered loudly, stepping forward from the shadows of the pub. He gave a sharp tug to his leather jacket and reached out, scooping Harry out of Moony's arms with a proud grin. "Come on, pup. The pub is cozy, but the real magic is right out back. Hold onto your rabbit!"
Padfoot carried Harry through a narrow back door and into a tiny, high-walled brick courtyard that seemed to lead to a complete dead end. There was nothing here but a dusty old dustbin and a solid, ordinary brick wall.
Harry blinked, looking up at Padfoot in confusion through his messy fringe. "Is... is the secret street invisible?"
Moony stepped out behind them, a warm, knowing smile on his scarred face as he drew a slender wooden wand from his sleeve. "Not invisible, cub. Just locked. Watch closely."
Moony stepped up to the blank brick wall. He raised his wand, tapped a specific brick right above the dustbin three times, and stepped back.
Clack. Clack. Clack.
For a second, nothing happened. Then, the brick he tapped gave a sudden, magical shudder. It twisted entirely around, creating a small, square hole right in the middle of the wall. Harry gasped as the bricks began to move on their own, sliding, shifting, and rolling away from each other like a giant puzzle rearranging itself. Within seconds, the solid wall had completely dissolved, opening up into a massive, beautiful archway.
And stretching out as far as Harry's eyes could see was a bustling, cobblestone street packed with hundreds of colorful shops under a bright blue sky.
"Welcome to Diagon Alley, pup," Padfoot whispered proudly right next to his ear.
Harry’s green eyes were dinner-plate wide as Padfoot set him down onto the cobblestones. The street was alive with sound—owls hooting from the Eeylops Emporium windows, cauldrons clinking, and street vendors shouting about fresh dragon liver. Harry instinctively reached down to grip Moony’s hand, keeping his stuffed rabbit tucked under his other arm as they began to walk.
As they passed a shop filled with strange, bubbling glass jars, Harry suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. His little nose twitched. A rich, earthy scent of damp soil, crushed mint, and sweet, magical flowers was drifting out of an open doorway. The sign above read Slug & Jiggers Apothecary.
"Moony, look," Harry whispered, pointing a small, muddy finger toward a wooden crate sitting on the shop steps. Inside the crate were tiny, shimmering silver pouches labeled Gillyweed Seeds: High-Spirited Growth. "They have plant seeds! Can we get some for the garden?"
Remus blinked, a deeply touched smile breaking across his scarred face as he knelt down. "Of course we can, cub. I told you your gardening knack was special. We’ll buy a whole selection of magical seeds so you and Pip can plant a proper wizarding garden at the manor."
After loading up a basket with rare silver seeds and a beautifully illustrated copy of One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi, Sirius aggressively steered them toward their next stop: Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions.
"Time to get you out of those awful Dursley rags, pup," Sirius declared, pushing the shop door open with a cheerful jingle of a bell.
The shop was warm and smelled heavily of linen and lavender starch. Madam Malkin, a bustling witch in mauve robes, instantly smiled when she saw the tiny toddler. But Harry didn't notice her at all. His emerald eyes locked entirely onto a small wooden stool in the center of the room.
Sitting on the stool, having his robes pinned by a measuring tape that was floating in mid-air, was a tiny four-year-old boy. The boy had pale, smooth skin, sharp features, and hair that was a bright, white-blonde color.
Harry’s heart gave a sudden, rhythmic thump against his chest. He froze, his small fingers tightening around his stuffed rabbit as his brain scrambled. It was the exact, light blonde color he had drawn with his scrap of yellow crayon back in Surrey.
The blonde boy turned his head, his cool, slate-gray eyes narrowing slightly as he looked at Harry’s oversized clothes and messy black fringe. But instead of sneering, the blonde boy tilted his head, looking just as baffled and drawn to Harry as Harry was to him.
"Hello," the blonde boy said, his voice carrying a proud, aristocratic little ring to it. "Are you getting your robes done too?"
Sirius froze mid-step, his hand locking tightly onto the leather of his jacket as his gray eyes locked onto the elegant blonde woman standing just behind the boy’s stool. Narcissa Malfoy looked as regal as ever in her tailored emerald robes, but the moment her eyes met Sirius's, the cool, aristocratic mask cracked, revealing a flash of genuine, relieved warmth.
"Sirius?" Narcissa murmured, her voice a hushed whisper so she wouldn't draw the attention of Madam Malkin. She glanced down at the tiny, messy-haired toddler clutching his stuffed rabbit, and a soft, knowing gasp escaped her lips. "You... you actually did it. You brought him home."
"Cissy," Sirius breathed out, a rare, nervous smile breaking across his handsome face. He rubbed the back of his neck, glancing over at Remus who was already calmly nodding in greeting. "Yeah. We got him out. We were literally just about to owl you tonight to set up that tea we talked about, but... well, I guess the universe had other plans."
While the adults stood in a stunned, hushed circle, the two four-year-olds completely ignored them.
Harry cautiously took a step closer to the wooden stool, his bare toes peeking out from Dudley’s old, massive trousers. He stared up at the bright blonde hair, his little heart hammering rhythmically against his chest. He slowly reached up with his free hand, his small fingers brushing a stray black curl away from his forehead so he could see better through his glasses.
The blonde boy looked down from his stool, his slate-gray eyes wide with immense curiosity. He didn't look mean at all; he just looked deeply fascinated by the wild, untamed black hair in front of him.
"I'm Draco," the blonde boy announced proudly, puffing out his tiny chest just a little bit, though his eyes never left Harry's. "Draco Malfoy. What's your name? And why are your clothes so big?"
Harry shyly tucked his chin into his oversized shirt, lifting his baby stuffed rabbit just a tiny bit so Draco could see its velvet ears. "I'm Harry," he whispered softly, his tiny voice full of a sudden, deep comfort he couldn't explain. "My clothes are from Dudley. But Uncle Sirius is buying me real wizard robes today."
Draco’s eyes lit up at the name. "Harry? Like... Harry Potter?" He turned his head to look at his mother, then back to Harry, a bright, genuine smile breaking across his pale face. "Mother told me about you! She said we were going to be best friends and play in the gardens together next week!"
Harry’s jaw dropped slightly. He looked up at Narcissa, who was smiling down at him with immense tenderness, and then back to Draco. The drawing of the little blonde boy in his notebook finally made complete sense. He wasn't a stranger at all.
"I like gardens," Harry whispered back, a bright, beautiful smile cracking across his small face. "I can grow lilies. And I can talk to the snakes, too."
Draco gasped, his gray eyes sparkling with absolute wonder. "Real snakes?! That is the coolest thing ever! Mother, look! Harry can talk to snakes! He has to come to the manor right now!"
Narcissa let out a soft, elegant laugh, her porcelain fingers resting gently on Draco’s small shoulder to calm his bouncing energy. "Patience, dragon. We have a scheduled tea next week, remember? But for today, I believe Sirius and Remus have quite a large shopping list to get through to settle our little cousin into his new home."
"Tons of things, Cissy," Sirius chimed in, his gray eyes shining with pride as he stepped forward to stand beside the robes stool. "We're completely starting from scratch. First up is getting him out of these awful Dursley rags, and then we are hitting the bookstore for moving paint and sketchbooks."
"Sketchbooks?!" Draco’s eyes lit up again, looking down at Harry with absolute delight. "Do you like to draw? I have a massive set of enchanted silver charcoal pencils at home! You can use them when you visit!"
Harry nodded shyly, his little fingers loosening their grip on his stuffed rabbit as he offered Draco a bright, genuine smile. "I draw snakes. And trees. I have a whole notebook in my rucksack."
Madam Malkin stepped out from the back room, her mouth full of pins, but she immediately paused when she saw the sudden, massive gathering of high-society families in her shop. Remus stepped forward smoothly, using his calm, gentle voice to take charge before any gossiping ears in the alley could notice them. "Good morning, Madam. We require a complete, everyday wardrobe for young Harry here, as well as some proper toddler-sized bedding for Starwood Manor. Heavy green silk duvets, if you please."
"Right away, Mr. Lupin," the witch murmured, her floating tape measures instantly whizzing over to Harry to take his proportions while Draco proudly watched from his own stool.
While Harry was being fitted, Narcissa slid closer to Sirius and Remus, her voice dropping into a tight, urgent whisper under the soft whirring of the floating magical measuring tapes. "Lucius is currently at the Ministry meeting with Fudge. He has no idea I am in the alley today. Sirius, you must be careful. Dumbledore's people have been searching the non-magical sectors for days. The moment they realize Harry is gone from Surrey, the Prophet will be in an absolute frenzy."
"Let them look," Sirius growled softly, his handsome face hardening into a dark, defensive scrawl. "They won't find a single trace at Starwood. The wards are locked tight. He's safe with us, Cissy."
"And he will be safe with the Malfoys as well," Narcissa murmured, her eyes softening as she looked back at the two four-year-olds who were already completely deep in a hushed conversation about the flying brooms they wanted to buy. "The bond between them is already quite clear. Draco hasn't stopped smiling since you walked through the door."
Once Harry was securely dressed in a perfectly tailored set of soft, forest-green wizarding robes—with Dudley's heavy old trousers finally cast aside into a bin—the two families stepped back out into the bustling cobblestone street together.
"Where are we heading first, Precious?" Sirius asked playfully, dropping a hand onto Harry's wild black hair.
Harry looked past the colorful shopfronts until his eyes caught the massive, towering sign of Flourish and Blotts. He pointed a small finger toward the windows where books were literally flapping their covers like birds. "The books! And the moving paint!"
"To the bookstore it is!" Draco cheered, slipping his small hand directly into Harry's as they trotted down the street side-by-side, their mothers and uncles following closely behind in a protective, elegant circle under the bright London sky.
Inside the massive, towering archive of Flourish and Blotts, the smell of old parchment, leather bindings, and faint magical ink filled the air. Harry was in absolute heaven. While Draco ran off to look at a display of The Wonder of Broomsticks, Harry pulled Moony toward the heavy oak shelves at the back of the shop, his green eyes darting hungrily across the titles.
"Moony, look," Harry whispered, his small fingers tracing the spine of a thick, leather-bound volume. It was The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1. "Can we get this one? And the ones about history and potions? I want to know how the words make the magic move."
Remus blinked in absolute surprise, a proud, deeply fond smile breaking across his scarred face. "The first-year Hogwarts syllabus, cub? You’re only four! Most children don't touch these until they are eleven."
"But I want to learn now," Harry insisted softly, clutching his baby stuffed rabbit under his arm while pulling the heavy spellbook off the shelf with his other hand. "If I learn the rules, then nobody can ever lock me away again."
Sirius walked over, a proud, barking laugh escaping his lips as he saw the stack of advanced textbooks Harry was already piling into Remus’s arms. "That's my pup! A total genius. If you want to study the first-year curriculum before you can even reach the top shelf, we are buying the whole set. We'll get you a custom training wand too—the underage restriction doesn't kick in on family estate grounds anyway!"
Narcissa watched from the aisle, a look of immense respect passing over her aristocratic features. "He has his mother’s brilliant mind, Sirius. Draco only cares about flying, but Harry is already looking at advanced arithmancy and spell theory." She let out a soft, elegant sigh, looking over toward the front window where Draco was practically flattening his nose against a glass display. "I swear, all my dragon wants to do is ride a broomstick."
Harry’s ears instantly perked up at the word broomstick. He looked from Narcissa’s fond, exasperated face over to Draco, who was enthusiastically pointing at a miniature mahogany training broom that hovered two feet off the floor.
Slowly, Harry turned his head to look up at Sirius. He lowered his chin just a fraction, making his oversized glasses slide down his nose, and widened his brilliant emerald-green eyes until they looked like massive, shining dinner plates. He clutched his baby stuffed rabbit tightly against his chest, letting out a soft, tiny, completely dramatic sniffle.
"Padfoot..." Harry whispered, his voice pitching into the ultimate, heartbreaking toddler whine. "Can I... can I please have a broom too? Pretty please? So I can fly in the gardens with Draco?"
Sirius’s hand slammed over his heart like he’d been struck by a physical hex. His chest heaved as his cool leather-jacket exterior completely collapsed under the sheer, devastating power of Harry’s puppy-dog eyes.
"Moony! Did you hear him?!" Sirius gasped dramatically, his gray eyes filling with tears of pure devotion. "He called me Uncle Sirius! He wants to fly with his friend! We are buying the broom! We are buying three brooms! Throw it on the tab, Madam Malkin—er, Flourish and Blotts—whatever, take my gold!"
Remus just rolled his eyes, a fond, exhausted smile on his face as he tapped Sirius on the shoulder, quickly cutting off his dramatic spending spree with a knowing smirk.
"Sirius, calm down," Remus reminded him calmly, a small laugh in his voice. "We still need to get gold from our vault, remember? <,>"
Sirius blinked, coughing into his hand as he realized his pockets were completely empty. "Right. Vaults. Gringotts first. Good catch, Moony."
Narcissa offered a graceful, parting nod as she pulled Draco away from the front window, smoothing down her elegant robes. "Well, since you three are heading to the bank, Draco and I will take our leave. Lucius will be returning from the Ministry shortly." She looked down at Harry, her eyes incredibly warm. "We will see you next week at the manor, little cousin."
"Bye, Harry!" Draco shouted enthusiastically, waving his tiny hands as he stood close to his mother. "Don't forget your notebook! We're going to fly so high!"
With a synchronized, elegant crack, Narcissa and Draco Apparated directly out of the alley, vanishing back to Malfoy Manor in a split second.
Left on the cobblestones, Remus scooped a very sleepy but determined Harry up into his arms, while Sirius strutted ahead toward the towering, snow-white marble building of Gringotts Wizarding Bank, ready to unlock the Potter family vaults and officially fund their brilliant little bookworm's new education.