Courting destiny

Chapter 1

Word count: 10,192

Harry Potter looked around himself with foggy vision. Not because he had bad glasses. After all, the glasses are still as functional as yesterday. But because he sees something that humans shouldn't be able to see. Harry Potter is what some would call a special child. Let's just call it that because he hates the 'weird' or 'crazy' that people often say about him. His tiny body, malnourished, made it look as if he were drowning in his cousin Dudley Dursley's old shirt, as he strode following Hagrid's giant body down Diagon Alley to Gringotts Bank. Every time he took a step, his gaze scanned the lying bodies with wide eyes that disappeared a second later, replaced by the boys running into the Zonko joke shop.

Hagrid made him look back at the restless man with a forced smile then waved at him to follow. Harry sped up his pace, but not before catching a glimpse of the witches who were fighting - (wands, how interesting, he couldn't wait to get his) - and of course, the scene vanished as soon as he arrived. At one time he wondered; why hasn't he gone mad at all these unusual sights? Maybe he was immune or crazy in some other way. After all, he had long come to terms with fate and accepted the fact that — as the three Dursley's said — he was strange, even by magical standards.

When he walked into the bank, it wasn't the Goblins that surprised him. Rather, the figure of a dragon darting through the floor towards the roof, as if seeking freedom. A few seconds, he was stunned with wide eyes. This was the first time he had seen a dragon! It seemed that he was going to have some wonderful adventures in the future, because never before had his vision cast an even more extraordinary image like this. The shadow that had finally disappeared at the end of the roof, leaving the damaged floor and ceiling intact again.

He glanced at the warning;

'Enter, stranger, but take heed
Of what awaits the sin of greed,
For those who take, but do not earn,
Must pay most dearly in their turn.
So if you seek beneath our floors
A treasure that was never yours,
Thief, you have been warned, beware
Of finding more than treasure there.'

It seems, in the future, he forgot to read the warning once again.

As he climbed closer to vault 687 owned by the Potter family, he had a brief glimpse of the dragon being restrained by its neck. Because the cart was moving so fast, he couldn't see it clearly. But at first glance it is enough to make him sympathize with his poor condition. Curious, would he later release the dragon out of pity or was there some other reason?

It hadn't been a day since he had set foot in the wizarding world, he had seen so many interesting things that he thought there was nothing else to shock him. But apparently he was wrong because seeing his family's vault made his mouth open wider than the dragon's mouth. The pile of gold there seemed endless, towering like the tops of hills. After all, it's just a "Trust Vault" which his parents gave him for snacks and school supplies. Not the main vault!

Griphook, the goblin who delivered him, gave him a small pouch that could be filled near indefinitely. He considered only getting as much as he needed to buy school supplies, but eventually decided to fill it up as much as he could because he didn't want to go to the bank so many times. After filling it to its fullest, he accompanied Hagrid to retrieve a mysterious package on behalf of the headmaster.

It was stored in a dark vault, small and full of stalactites. Instantly, Harry saw a glimpse of the red rock, a vision of red eyes and a purple turban, made him shudder and step quickly away from Hagrid. The man didn't seem worried or suspicious at the head of the school's orders, no matter how mysterious the vault and the pouch he took. Instead, he simply tied the bag around his waist and walked toward the pub where they had lunch; a place where anyone could steal the parcel. Looking at Hagrid with a frown, all he could do was shake his head. Maybe his stupidity was due to giant blood, who knows? It is not his responsibility. After all, who is the adult here? Harry took one last look at the attractive Witch's Bank, before returning to follow in the big man's footsteps.