He looked in the mirror but who stared back at him wasn't himself, not the 21 year old potterhead with dirty blonde hair and striking blue eyes but a boy, maybe ten years old, with blonde hair, several shades lighter than he was used to and eyes as dark as chocolate, though still very striking. His facial features were rat like, angular, with a small nose. Memories were slowly trickling into his mind, the memories of this body. Good news? He was reborn in the Harry Potter universe… terrible news? He was a muggle, none other than Piers Polkiss, Dudley's goon, the same one who had been with the Dursleys at the zoo and had seen Harry speaking with the boa constrictor. Was his luck really that rotten? A whole array of characters which he could've become and he had to be Piers motherfucking Polkiss?
"Piers!", his mother called from downstairs. Ms. Polkiss was a nice lady, not married, raising him as a single mother.
"Coming… mom", Calling her that felt strangely natural. He sighed and walked downstairs, still in his jumper, "What is-"
He saw two figures at the foot of the stairs, his mother, sharp features twisted into a bittersweet smile and… was that Severus Snape? Long, greasy black hair, which looked like it needed to be washed and a prominent hook nose, dressed in black robes, which were tightly wrapped around his slender frame. He looked nothing like Alan Rickman but to a potterhead who had devoured the book, it was obvious.
"This is Professor Snape he is a wizard" she explained, "I- your father was one too. He told me… I didn't believe him but he told me and now- professor Snape has shown me prove- it- I-"
"Show me", Piers pressed.
Snape raised his hand, in which -he only now realised- was a wand. With one swift motion, a nearby plant lifted a meter in the air. Non verbal magic… as expected of a powerhouse like Snape.
"I'm… a wizard? I-", tears of joy filled his eyes. He was no muggle after all. If this was a dream, he didn't want to wake up. Screw his old life, he had no parents, no pets, just the grind at a boring office job. This? This was everything he had ever dreamed of! He laughed. A lifetime of misfortune, losing his parents, his decline in health, all had been worth it. This was the best feeling in the world!
Two hours later, they were at the leaky cauldron, having driven there in his mother's crappy car, which she refused to replace. During this drive, Piers feigned ignorance and asked many questions, most of which he already knew the answer to but one he actually wanted to know. His father had been a wizard, so who was he? Snape didn't have an answer for him. It would remain a mystery for now. There was no goblin bloodline test, like in those fanfictions which he had read. He would find out one way or another, for now though, he was looking forward to diagon alley. As Snape tapped one of the bricks in the alley behind the leaky cauldron, the wall melted into an archway, revealing diagon alley, a winding street, full of life. Shops lined it left and right and up ahead was the large, white gringotts building.
"That is gringotts, there we can exchange your muggle money into wizarding currency", Snape pointed up ahead.
Piers' eyes scanned the whole alley. Seeing this on the screen was nothing compared to living it. To his right, there was a quidditch shop, with children pressed against the glass, admiring the new nimbus 2000, to his left there was a cart selling magical street food and up above, owls were flying, some carrying letters, newspapers or packages.
"Can you believe it? Two galleons! Last wednesday, it was 1 galleon, 10 sickles!" a witch in emerald green robes complained, looking at some sort of vial, filled with a murky liquid.
"Can we go get some ice cream?" a five year old boy asked, glancing at the colorful ice cream parlor whilst dragging at his father's hand.
Piers' eyes were wide as they walked, looking at anything and everything in sight. They walked straight past the entrance to knockturn alley. Even at a quick glimpse inside, he saw plenty of shady looking wizards and witches, hoods up and trying their best -and failing miserably- to look casual. Snape, spotting his gaze shook his head, "Knockturn alley, you shouldn't go in there. It is an open secret that if you want to find anything illegal, you go looking in knockturn alley"
"Why hasn't the government shut it down then?" His mother asked, "Isn't it dangerous to have something illegal in such close proximity of children and teenagers shopping for school?"
"The ministry has tried to squash the illegal trade before but that just meant that the activity went completely unchecked in places which the ministry had no way of tracking. Most of what is in knockturn alley may be dark, illegal and yes, morally corrupt but it is better to trim the truly dangerous things in there than to have it run rampant in some crackshack in the middle of nowhere"
"That is… I still don't like it but it makes sense… I suppose", his mother grimaced.
They arrived at gringotts bank. Two armored goblins stood guard at the door and above the frame stood, in big black letters which contrasted against the white stone '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'
Quite ominous indeed.
They walked inside, where there was a great hall, with goblins and wizards doing business, weighing gemstones, signing contracts, appraising other valuables and so much more. Professor Snape guided them to an open till, where a goblin was fiddling with golden coins between his long, boney fingers, "State your business"
"We would like to exchange some muggle currency", Snape gestured to Martha Polkiss, who took out three hundred pounds from her purse and handed the bills to the goblin, who snatched them from her hand and held them against the light. Finding them valid, he pulled out three purses which clattered with metal coins, "60 galleons"
"Is that… enough?" Martha Polkiss turned to Professor Snape, looking at him questioning.
"More than. The most expensive thing on the shopping list is a wand, 7 galleons, the rest which is required together will take another 10 galleons, 20 if you want quality"
"That is… all things considered pretty cheap. The uniforms at smeltings would cost more than that in themselves and then there is tuition"
"We are magic, of course things are cheaper" Snape rolled his eyes, "Come now, let's get your wand first"
He walked off, his cloak fluttering in non existing wind.
Ollivanders' was right next to gringotts, so they didn't have to walk much. The inside looked as though it hadn't been cleaned in months, dust covered the the surfaces and hung in the air. Garrick Ollivander stood behind the counter, watching Piers enter through the door with his blue eyes, which seemed to shine through the dimly lit shop, "A new face", he smiled, "What is your name, young one?"
"Piers, Piers Polkiss", he stretched out his hand for a handshake but Ollivander didn't take it.
"Right wand hand then, come, lets measure you", with the flick of his wand, a measuring tape flew out, as did a quill and piece of parchment, taking every measurement imaginable. It took a good twenty minutes of frantic quill movements before the piece of parchment flew into Mr Ollivander's hand, "Yes… okay… we can work with this… how about this one", he pulled out a box, "Ash, 11 inches, dragon heartstring core"
As soon as he had it in his hand, Ollivander already snatched it from him, "no, no, no, not that one… how about this one? Apple wood, 11 ¾ inches, unicorn hair core… no… Yew, 12 ½ inches, phoenix feather core… not that one either? A tricky customer I see…"
And so it went on, he tried a good two dozen wands before Ollivander handed him the final wand. As soon as he touched it, he could feel a pulse of warmth which hadn't been there with any of the other wands, a rush of power which felt intoxicating. It was a pink wood, longer than the others he had tested before, "Ah- there it is. Cherry, 14 inches, unicorn hair core. On the larger side, a testament of a strong character"
Piers smiled broadly, this was his wand… he truly was a wizard. He had begun doubting himself when none of the wands matched him but here he was, holding his very own wand. He didn't mind the pink color, he wasn't that insecure in his masculinity. They paid the good man and moved onto the rest of the list. Robes -of high quality-, a cauldron, vials, potion ingredients and finally books. He bought Hogwarts: A history in addition to the regular books. To finish off the day, they ate some food at the leaky cauldron.