Harry Potter : Echoes of magic

"Okay, sir. What's in it?" he asked, entering the vault while Severus and the goblin remained behind. They were not allowed to enter, as it was keyed to only allow Potter descendents.

"Your mother's wand. Unfortunately, your father's wand had not been able to be recovered from Godric's Hollow."

Hearing that, Harry doubled his efforts in finding the box.

"I found it!" he called, his form hidden behind a large pile of old boxes.

"Good, Mr. Potter. Now come on out with it."

Harry did so, carrying it with obvious reverence.

Severus gently removed the lid from the box. "Take it, Mr. Potter. It should be a very good secondary wand for you."

Harry slowly removed it, giving Severus the bottom half of the box as he did so.

An array of colored sparks burst forth from the end of the wand as his fingers wrapped the handle, a bit different from the red and gold from the phoenix wand he had gotten from Ollivander's.

"Wow," Harry breathed.

"I want you to secure this to your right calf and put this wand there. Only use it in emergencies," Severus said, holding out the second holster they had purchased.

Harry knelt down and did so. "Do you think there are going to be emergencies?"

"It never hurts to be cautious, and wizards underestimate opponents they believe they have disarmed."

"Okay. Um, do you know what's in my mum's wand? Ollivander hadn't said the core, just said it was willow and good with charms."

"I don't, unfortunately. Ollivander didn't make your mother's wand. He just sold it to her. Whoever he got the wand from hadn't told him what it held in its core, or at least that is what your mother told me."

Harry bit his lip, before giving his mother's wand a soft pat and pulling his pant leg down to cover it.

"I want you to carry both of your wands at all times, even when you sleep. It is a good habit to have. I put on a few security charms on the holsters before I gave them to you. No one but you can remove them or retrieve your wands. The holsters are also waterproof, so be sure to wash them occasionally. Wands operate best when kept clean."

"Yes, sir."

"And if you want me to repeat anything I've told you today, simply say so. I know this is a lot of information to absorb."

Harry nodded, the vault door closing behind him.

"The rest of the things in there can only be retrieved when you're older. The vault wouldn't have closed otherwise," Severus said, before they went out of the bank and to the Leaky Cauldron.

"Are you going to take me back to the Dursley's now?" Harry asked as the brink wall sealed behind them and they swiftly left the pub before anyone could recognize Harry again.

"After we eat, yes," Severus said, now guiding them through muggle London and motioning to a small restaurant. "We skipped lunch, after all."

"Oh, I hadn't noticed," Harry said sheepishly.

Severus raised an eyebrow. "You need to eat more. What you eat influences the strength of your magic."

"It does?" Harry looked a little worried, and Severus knew why.

Yet another thing he would need to rectify. Last time, Harry's poor diet (thanks to the Dursleys) had detrimentally affected his magic. Every summer, the lack of good, consistent meals prevented his core from developing to its fullest. The summer was an important time for magical children developmentally. It provided time for their core to rest and repair itself after the nine months of casting and learning, but this down time could only be effective if the body received proper nourishment to provide the means to repair. In the original timeline, Harry had not received this true rest, and his core had to cope with enduring year after year of training with no recovery time. It was like a body builder working out but only eating rice and a few carrots. Not going to work.

Had Harry had what he needed physically all year long during his Hogwarts years, the war might have gone differently. After all, vitamins and minerals not only enabled the body to use magic properly, but also aided in physical and mental development. Fortunately, Severus was certain he would be able to reverse the damage done so far and prevent future damage — whether the Dursleys liked it or not.

Severus placed a steady hand on Harry's thin shoulder. He wasn't exactly starving, but Severus would be surprised if he wasn't anemic. He doubted the Dursleys were concerned about Harry's intake of iron, probably never giving the boy much meat, not to mention a full meal.

They headed to a booth at the corner of the homey place, an elderly waitress pointing there with a kind smile. "I'll be just with you," she said, before disappearing into the kitchen.

"Harry, starting today, things are going to be different. You will have what you should have had all along, and you will never want for what you need again — not if I can help it." Severus pinched the cloth at Harry's shoulder, lifting it slightly with a disgusted sneer. "The Dursleys have a lot to answer for."

Harry's eyes widened and Severus internally grew uneasy as tears began to shine among brilliant green.

Realizing his eyes were filling with tears, Harry briskly wiped them away and looked down, his ears turning pink as he sat down at the table. Severus gave him a moment and was grateful Harry managed to collect himself before the waitress came over.

"What will it be?" the woman asked with a smile.

Severus answered first, stating he wanted dark, hot tea with one cube of sugar before suggesting to Harry to have chocolate milk. With a smile, Harry asked for just that.