Harry and Professor McGonagall arrive at the Leaky Cauldron. Naturally, everyone is excited to see Harry, but McGonagall keeps the mob of adoring fans at bay. As they leave through the back, Harry notes a rather foreboding aura about Professor Quirinus Quirrell.
McGonagall inquires whether Harry is familiar with the circumstances of his parents' deaths; Harry insists that his real parents are still alive, and callously refers to Lily and James Potter as his genetic parents. This does not sit well with McGonagall, though Harry goes on to explain that it would only make him sad to think about how his life could have been. McGonagall only says that Lily and James died protecting him.
As Harry enters Diagon Alley for the first time, he is awestruck by the bazaar of assorted merchants and shops. He makes a beeline for a book shop, and mentions to McGonagall that it's a family rule to always browse a book shop you've never seen before. McGonagall makes an offhand remark that Harry would fit right in in Ravenclaw.
Harry pries McGonagall for more information about how Lily and James died. McGonagall describes Voldemort's reign of terror in Magical Britain, and how Harry's parents inadvertently put themselves at the top of the Dark Lord's hit list. They took Harry, then an infant, and hid away, but a traitor gave up their location. Voldemort killed Harry's parents, yet when he came to kill Harry, the Killing Curse rebounded, instead destroying the Dark Lord himself.
Harry is quickly overcome with guilt for having denounced his birth mother and father all his life. In the back of his mind, Harry notes that the story doesn't quite add up, but he is too emotionally distraught at the moment to care.
Tropes present in this chapter:
