Harry appeared in the dark cupboard under the stairs. The smell of dust and the oppressive feeling were palpable. The absolute blackness told him it was very early, in the early hours of the morning.
[Alert: Negative Ambient Mana. Mana Recovery Rate -5%.]
Harry didn't push the door. He channeled a small amount of Mana. The fragile wood and the bolt silently disintegrated into splinters and fine dust.
Harry stepped out of the cupboard with feline grace.
The house was quiet. The Dursleys weren't home. Harry went to the kitchen. A calendar hung on the wall, marking July 23rd. His birthday, in a week. The System confirmed that eight and a half months had passed in the real world.
Harry moved through the house. He used his perception to quickly locate anything of value. The use of magic was forbidden, so he resorted to enhanced physical strength to pick locks.
He found a safe where Vernon kept 30,000 pounds in cash, some business contracts, and a Browning Hi-Power (GP35) revolver. Harry gathered everything, along with any other valuables in the house, and put it in his inventory.
The search led him to the dusty attic. Through cobwebs, Harry noticed a simple wooden trunk, covered in dust, with a worn label: Lily Evans. Harry felt the magic and a small tear escaped; he finally had something of his mother's. Without hesitation, he put the trunk in his inventory.
Standing in the back doorway, Harry smiled. He channeled mana into his hand, and a reddish-orange magic circle appeared.
"Fireball!"
A silent, concentrated fireball shot toward the door, striking the wood and spreading the magical flames.
"Goodbye, Privet Drive. This was never my home."
When he said that, he felt something break inside him. He didn't realize until years later, when Vernon was found dead after a Death Eater raid, that the Blood Protections his mother had left behind worked both ways: they protected him and his closest blood relatives, the Dursleys.
Harry walked through the early morning to the nearest train station. With the pounds sterling, he bought a ticket and headed to London.
His destination was the Leaky Cauldron. As he arrived, the sun was just beginning to rise. Harry moved cautiously, found the old pub, and with three taps on the right bricks with a stick, the wall opened. Although it was early, there were already witches and wizards moving about in the alley. With a smile and a sense of anticipation, Harry walked toward Diagon Alley.
His first stop was Twilfitt and Tatting. Although the shopkeeper initially looked at him with disdain for Dudley's clothes, her attitude changed when she saw the pile of Galleons.
Harry didn't buy cheap school robes. He chose clothes of quality and utility:
* 7 dragonskin trousers (4 black, 3 maroon).
* 3 moke-skin belts (with 1 m³ compartments).
* 7 Acromantula silk shirts.
* 3 trench coats, 2 dress robes, and 3 dragonskin boots.
Harry left the shop dressed like Van Helsing in high-end clothes, feeling transformed. But 700 Galleons poorer.
Now dressed, Harry headed to Flourish and Blotts.
The smell of old parchment, magical ink, and leather treated with preservation charms enveloped him. Flourish and Blotts loomed before him with its impossibly vast shelves.
His green eyes scanned the titles, sorting them. He wasn't just looking for the Hogwarts list.
He slid to a side shelf, barely touching a volume: Bloodlines of the British Wizarding World. He opened it carefully. Family diagrams, names, magical affinity. He didn't put it back.
Further on, he found: Introduction to Ancient Runes.
"That's not on the Hogwarts list," a nasal voice said.
A clerk had appeared beside him, eyes alert.
"Extracurricular reading," Harry replied calmly, suppressing any hint of intimidation.
The clerk shrugged. Harry continued selecting: Magical Theory, Alchemical Foundations of Magical Potion-Making, The Ministry of Magic and the Wizengamot. All focused on power and structure.
When he reached the counter, the clerk raised an eyebrow.
"First year," he said. Quite diligent.
Harry held his gaze.
"I'd rather not fall behind."
Harry paid almost 100 Galleons for the books.
Harry walked to a nearby alley, putting away the books he had just bought, heading for his next visit.