Miscalculation - Chapter 6

Harry stepped out of the bank humming a song that wouldn't come out for another twenty years or so. It was one from the Muggle side of the world, the Weird Sisters had inspired a generation of musicians, but that didn't equal quality.

"Potter!" A voice called out to him that wasn't Auror Longbottom.

He turned to see James Potter striding toward him. Harry felt a little hitch in his throat. Logically, he knew there was a chance that he would encounter his parents. In truth, with his current plan it was practically inevitable. He locked his mental shields down tight on instinct.

"Potter?" Harry asked in reply.

"Who are you?" James came to a stop not too far from him.

"Harry Potter." Harry inclined his head just a bit. "You?"

"Lord James Potter." His father replied.

That made him pause for a moment. No one had ever told him that his father had claimed his Lordship. In fact, he was pretty sure that it had made a point that James Potter did not. That was something he was going to have to figure out. Either it was mis-information or a straight out lie. It was never clear when it came to dealing with Dumbledore. The record keeping toward the end of the war was a big mess and the old man didn't help matters at all.

"Good for you." Harry smiled at him. "Is this an official conversation?"

James studied him for a long stretch of silence. The two Potters looked like they were around the same age. His body might have been younger, but he had a good twenty years on the man.

"Not yet." James narrowed his eyes. "I don't know you."

"I don't know you, either." Harry shrugged.

James continued to study him.

"You're not making this easy." James said after a moment.

"I'm not sure what you're trying to do." Harry flashed him a smirk.

"I'm trying to figure out who you are." James casually shifted his feet.

Harry recognized the motion for what it was. James was following standard escalation protocol for Aurors when the subject was uncooperative. Present a smaller target, keep your outward appearance neutral while clearing a path for wand-work. His wand-hand was placed toward the side facing away to keep it out of a direct line of sight.

"I'm Harry Potter." He held out his hand to shake. "I just got back from a long trip a few days ago. You're the first other Potter I've ever met. It's a common enough name on the Muggle side. I'd say it's a good chance we're related considering the resemblance."

James nodded. He let out a sigh.

"Sorry." James set a practiced smile. "Things have been crazy lately. Not sure it was the best time for you to come back."

"Truer words, my friend." Harry gave a dry chuckle. "This wasn't part of the plan. Well, I can't change it now that I'm here."

"Do you live around here?" James kept his voice casual.

"I've been staying with a friend the last couple of days." Harry shook his head. "They left the country, as they should, so now I'm looking for a place of my own. I was thinking of renting a place in Hogsmeade for a while."

"The market is in the buyers favor." James offered. "You might be able to get a place for less than it would cost to rent."

"I don't know." Harry grimaced. "Buying a place now feels wrong. The people who left will need a place to live once the war is over." He paused. "And the properties that are open due to less-pleasant reasons do not sound appealing."

James nodded.

"It was nice to meet you." Harry gave another friendly nod. "If you'll excuse me, I have some errands I need to run. Is Nocturn open?"

"If you're brave enough." James shook his head. "We're done with the investigation. Just be careful. There aren't enough Potters to lose another."

"Same goes for you." Harry patted the man on the shoulder as he walked on by.

Harry held it together until a few stores ever. He stepped into the closest doorway and tucked out of the way. His mental shields dropped, nearly sending him into an emotional breakdown. The only thing that kept him from bursting into tears was the fact that he was in public. He took a few deep, calming breaths. It took a few moments to get his emotions under control. The dangerous thing about Occlumency was that it could mute things too deep of a degree.

 With the mild panic handled, he stepped back out into the street. He had no idea what the shop had been that he had taken as a brief refuge, but no one seemed to pay attention to him. Everyone kept to themselves and that was the wonderful thing about Nocturn Alley. He found the wand-maker easily enough. The location hadn't changed in the future. Nocturn hadn't been spared from the impact of the war, but it hadn't been hit as hard. If anything, it felt the brunt of the unrestrained ire in the aftermath.

Technically, he could have gone to Olivander. He would need to get the Elder Wand back. Until then, he'd need something to use until then. The phoenix feather wand would be there. Unfortunately, the connection with it had faded once he owned the Elder Wand. Harry wasn't sure if it was the fact that his magic had changed once the horcrux was gone, the fact that he had all three Deathly Hallows, or if it was as simple effect of reaching his full power. There was also the small fact his wand-arm had been rebuilt using the biological matter from a basilisk and with special Dwarven Mithril alloy as the bones.

"How may I help… Auror Potter, what brings you here?" The clerk swapped from their customer service for to a guarded one with hardly a pause.

"Wrong Potter." Harry replied. "And I'm here for a wand."

The clerk, an older woman by the name of Muriel Krauss, studied him for a long, tense moment. She had been attractive in her youth but that had been years ago. Remnants of her beauty hung on her like the light from a failing lamp. She appeared to be in her mid-seventies, which meant she was closer to ninety. Magic was a wonderful thing. Muriel survived the war and still ran the shop in the future. She wore black robes that were of good quality without being ostentatious.

Her wands were perfectly legal, those on display at least. Each one was registered with the Ministry and required paperwork to attach the wand to the buyer. She would even make a custom order, the quality of which even Olivander could appreciate. Those also had to be registered through the Ministry so that the magical signature was added to a data-base in case of illegal activities.

Harry wasn't here for the display wands.

"Welcome, then." Muriel waved a practiced hand at the display cases around the room. "Please tell me if any catch your attention."

Harry strode over to the counter without bothering to give the various cases a glance.

"There's a hole in the restless summer air." Harry stated the code phrase.

Muriel kept her expression neutral. She strode out from behind the counter and continued over to the door. It closed as she approached. She tapped the knob with her wand which made a solid snap echo through the shop as a myriad of locks slam into place and the windows went dark.

Harry waited as she did a slow circuit of the store. He ignored the magic that washed over him. It was a harmless spell used for thorough observation. Any glamours, Polyjuice, or hidden items would be highlighted for anyone to see. The Auror badge had an enchantment that worked as an emergency port key as well as a call for help. Those two additions made them shine like a beacon when touched by the spell.

His glamoured arm glowed but didn't make the illusion fade. Masking a scar or false limb was common enough in Pureblood circles to not raise an issue. Moody was one of the few people who didn't hide his scarring and replacement limbs. Partially due to his own code of conduct and partially because there was just too much to cover for any glamours to be effective. Young Harry would have loved the option to hide his scar, but no one thought to tell him it was an option. Cosmetic glamours were used for a variety of reasons. It wasn't unheard of for Pureblood families employed them to mask the true appearance of their daughters as to not draw unwanted attention.

"Come along." Muriel walked back to the counter.

She tapped a quick pattern on the ornate cash register with her wand. Harry didn't bother trying to learn the pattern. In the future she had confided in him that it was all for show. The real trigger was actually a trip wire that activated with the enchantment on the door. Muriel had a knack for not just wand creation but the application of magical resources in complex rituals. Her knowledge and notes had played a vital role in designing the one that had sent him here. Harry didn't think she had anything to do with the ritual going awry. He had seen the unrestrained joy Muriel had as she worked with the other researchers and other professionals. She made wands because that was a good use of her skill-set, but her passion was in creation. A couple of high-quality bottles of Horntail Vodka broke through her stoic exterior.

The floor behind the counter slid aside to reveal a stairwell. Muriel continued down without a look back. Harry followed a couple of steps behind. He wasn't being paranoid. Muriel was a consummate professional. He just hated crowding people on stairs. The floor slid back into place once his head had cleared the space.

Muriel waited for him on the lower level. She was surrounded by terraced shelves full of various materials. Unlike Olivander, she didn't just use wood to create her wands. Stone, crystal, and bone were just as common in her masterpieces.

"Select the material and a core." Muriel motioned to the materials. "The minimum price is twenty galleons. It will increase depending on your selection."

Harry nodded and started to search through the options. He held out his wand hand to feel if any of the materials called to his magic. It had been a necessary for him to learn how to use his off-hand as well when his new arm attuned to his body. However, he needed a wand that would accept his main-hand. It was still his magic that the wand would resonate with, but the basilisk and mithril complicated matters.

Muriel watched impassively as Harry slowly circulated around the room. He wasn't all that shocked when the Holly wood didn't even elicit a tingle. Thankfully, none of the bones reached out to his magic either. That would have been a hard to explain if people noticed. Glamours on wands didn't hold for long.

He felt himself drawn to a selection of metal. A chunk of cold iron practically leapt into his hand as he approached. With that settled as the main material, he turned his attention to a core. He twirled the iron ingot along his fingers as he strolled around the room some more. Harry closed his eyes and reached out with his magic. He kept it as a casual scan to avoid accidentally activating anything too volatile.

A soft tune teased the edge of his hearing. It was distantly familiar. The source eluded him. He opened his eyes to zero in on the item that called out to him. A jar of thin strips of muscle fiber rested on the display in front of him.

"These two." Harry offered. "What is this?"

"Heart string from a Hungarian Horntail." Muriel replied. "When do you want it?"

"As soon as possible." He placed the two items in front of her. "I'll need a bundle of disposable wands as well. Yew with a Wampus Cat Hair core, if you have them."

The duo was one used by Hit-Wizards, assassins, and wastrels around the world. Muriel summoned an unmarked box and tucked it under her arm. She led him back up the stairs into the shop proper.

"Fifty Galleons all together." She set the box on the counter once he had joined her.

Harry counted out the gold coins without arguing. He popped open the box of wands and slid one into his wrist holster. Harry tucked the box under his arm once it was resealed.

"How long?" Harry asked.

"Come back tomorrow." Muriel replied.

"Sounds good." Harry nodded. "Have a good day."

Muriel unlocked the door and unblocked the windows. Harry stepped back out onto Nocturn Alley. With the wand settled, he needed to turn his attention to something that was becoming more apparent. He needed some new clothes. The borrowed ones from the Room of Requirement lacked the enchantments he wanted and just didn't fit right.Harry headed to another store in Nocturn Alley. The clothing was more expensive, but it was well worth the extra cost.