Chapter 3: Veritaserum and Knockturn alley
* * *
With a swirl of light, and wind rushing through his hair Dan landed on a hearth.
"Diagon Alley?" Dan asked with a mouth full of soot. He looked up and stared into the face of a tall greasy-haired man.
"Sorry, is this Diagon Alley?" Dan said as he stood up on the hearth and stared again at the greasy-haired man.
"No, boy this is Knockturn Alley, where were you trying to go?" the man said in a harsh raspy voice.
"I was heading for Diagon Alley but I got a mouth ful of soot," he told the man.
"Well you best be getting out, shoo shoo," he said as he motioned towards the door.
"But, but," Dan stammered.
"I said shoo, boy shoo!!" he yelled. Dan ran to the door a little scared of the man.
He walked out into a dark alleyway with no one but an old hag walking around with a tray in her arms.
"Toe nails, get your toenails," said the hag and she approached Dan. "Hello little boy, would you like some toe nails? Ha ha ha ha!!" she shrieked. Dan ran down the alley away from the hag.
"Harry? What are yeh doing down here? I thought I told ya ta never come down here again," Dan turned around and saw a huge man who was almost two times as tall as Dan and three times as wide, with a black beard that covered most of his face.
"Oh I'm sorry, I thought yeh were Harry Potter," said the man. "What are ya doing down Knockturn Alley anyway, kid?"
"I was trying to get to Diagon Alley, do you know where that is?" Dan asked the man.
"Sure do, c'mon I'll take yeh there," said the man. Dan reluctantly followed behind the big man.
"Sorry fer not introducing meself, name's Rubeus Hagrid, keeper of keys and games at Hogwarts," he said with great pride. "Do you go to Hogwarts? I don't think I ever seen ya before at Hogwarts," he asked.
"My name is Dan Sisent. Well the last four years I attended Harnsworth. But this year the Professors are going to send me to Hogwarts for the exchange program. I'm hear to buy my new school things, but I guess I got sent to the wrong fireplace," Dan said.
"Yes floo powder is a right unsafe way of traveling," he said as they came out of the alley way and into a vast array of little shops and buildings.
"First time in Diagon Alley, Dan?" Hagrid asked.
"Yes, I had always shopped at Lantern Alley," Dan said.
"Ahh, yes I see, I have only been there once in my life. Sort of a crummy place compared to Diagon, here," Hagrid told him. "Here we are the entrance to the Leaky Cauldron, famous place you know," Hagrid said as he pulled out a pink umbrella and tapped a brick. As soon as the umbrella touched the brick a large archway appeared where the brick wall had been. They walked into a courtyard and up a flight of stairs which led into a small musty pub.
"Dan, Dan!" cried Jessica. "I've been so worried about you!"
* * *
"Let me go up to my room and get it," said Hermione, as she rushed up the old rickety staircase. Nepenthe climbed up on Harry's head and onto a tall chair in the dining room.
"Okay I got it," exclaimed Hermione. "Harry tell Nepenthe to open his mouth so I can pour a few drops in," said Hermione.
"Nepenthe, can you open your mouth so Hermione can get the Veritaserum in?" asked Harry.
"Of course," said Nepenthe as he opened his mouth. Hermione took a bottle of clear liquid out of her pocket, and put two drops in Nepenthe's small mouth. At once he seemed to go into a kind of trance.
"Harry, ask Nepenthe some questions," Hermione told him.
"Nepenthe, were you Voldemort's pet when he was a boy?" Harry asked.
"Yes I was," Nepenthe answered.
"Are you still loyal to him?" Harry asked him.
"No I have not seen him for 22 years and to this day I spit on his name," Nepenthe answered.
"How is it that you are 40 years old?" Harry questioned.
"When he was 20 he put a spell on me so I would live for as long as he did," Nepenthe replied.
"It worked, he is not loyal to Vol- sorry, You-Know-Who, and Voldemort put a spell on him so that Nepenthe would live as long as he did," Harry told them.
"Great, then we can trust him, here's the counter-potion," Hermione said as she thrust a green bottle into Harry's hand. Harry took the bottle and poured a thick liquid into a small dish.
"Nepenthe, drink this, it is a counter-potion," Harry told him. Nepenthe drank it and as he came out of the trance-like state said, "Harry, I have no home, will you take me in? I could be of use."
"Sure," Harry said, "I would like that." And so the snake and boy became friends. Harry had Mr. Weasley transfigure an old shoe into a nice cage for Nepenthe.
* * *
* * *
With a swirl of light, and wind rushing through his hair Dan landed on a hearth.
"Diagon Alley?" Dan asked with a mouth full of soot. He looked up and stared into the face of a tall greasy-haired man.
"Sorry, is this Diagon Alley?" Dan said as he stood up on the hearth and stared again at the greasy-haired man.
"No, boy this is Knockturn Alley, where were you trying to go?" the man said in a harsh raspy voice.
"I was heading for Diagon Alley but I got a mouth ful of soot," he told the man.
"Well you best be getting out, shoo shoo," he said as he motioned towards the door.
"But, but," Dan stammered.
"I said shoo, boy shoo!!" he yelled. Dan ran to the door a little scared of the man.
He walked out into a dark alleyway with no one but an old hag walking around with a tray in her arms.
"Toe nails, get your toenails," said the hag and she approached Dan. "Hello little boy, would you like some toe nails? Ha ha ha ha!!" she shrieked. Dan ran down the alley away from the hag.
"Harry? What are yeh doing down here? I thought I told ya ta never come down here again," Dan turned around and saw a huge man who was almost two times as tall as Dan and three times as wide, with a black beard that covered most of his face.
"Oh I'm sorry, I thought yeh were Harry Potter," said the man. "What are ya doing down Knockturn Alley anyway, kid?"
"I was trying to get to Diagon Alley, do you know where that is?" Dan asked the man.
"Sure do, c'mon I'll take yeh there," said the man. Dan reluctantly followed behind the big man.
"Sorry fer not introducing meself, name's Rubeus Hagrid, keeper of keys and games at Hogwarts," he said with great pride. "Do you go to Hogwarts? I don't think I ever seen ya before at Hogwarts," he asked.
"My name is Dan Sisent. Well the last four years I attended Harnsworth. But this year the Professors are going to send me to Hogwarts for the exchange program. I'm hear to buy my new school things, but I guess I got sent to the wrong fireplace," Dan said.
"Yes floo powder is a right unsafe way of traveling," he said as they came out of the alley way and into a vast array of little shops and buildings.
"First time in Diagon Alley, Dan?" Hagrid asked.
"Yes, I had always shopped at Lantern Alley," Dan said.
"Ahh, yes I see, I have only been there once in my life. Sort of a crummy place compared to Diagon, here," Hagrid told him. "Here we are the entrance to the Leaky Cauldron, famous place you know," Hagrid said as he pulled out a pink umbrella and tapped a brick. As soon as the umbrella touched the brick a large archway appeared where the brick wall had been. They walked into a courtyard and up a flight of stairs which led into a small musty pub.
"Dan, Dan!" cried Jessica. "I've been so worried about you!"
* * *
"Let me go up to my room and get it," said Hermione, as she rushed up the old rickety staircase. Nepenthe climbed up on Harry's head and onto a tall chair in the dining room.
"Okay I got it," exclaimed Hermione. "Harry tell Nepenthe to open his mouth so I can pour a few drops in," said Hermione.
"Nepenthe, can you open your mouth so Hermione can get the Veritaserum in?" asked Harry.
"Of course," said Nepenthe as he opened his mouth. Hermione took a bottle of clear liquid out of her pocket, and put two drops in Nepenthe's small mouth. At once he seemed to go into a kind of trance.
"Harry, ask Nepenthe some questions," Hermione told him.
"Nepenthe, were you Voldemort's pet when he was a boy?" Harry asked.
"Yes I was," Nepenthe answered.
"Are you still loyal to him?" Harry asked him.
"No I have not seen him for 22 years and to this day I spit on his name," Nepenthe answered.
"How is it that you are 40 years old?" Harry questioned.
"When he was 20 he put a spell on me so I would live for as long as he did," Nepenthe replied.
"It worked, he is not loyal to Vol- sorry, You-Know-Who, and Voldemort put a spell on him so that Nepenthe would live as long as he did," Harry told them.
"Great, then we can trust him, here's the counter-potion," Hermione said as she thrust a green bottle into Harry's hand. Harry took the bottle and poured a thick liquid into a small dish.
"Nepenthe, drink this, it is a counter-potion," Harry told him. Nepenthe drank it and as he came out of the trance-like state said, "Harry, I have no home, will you take me in? I could be of use."
"Sure," Harry said, "I would like that." And so the snake and boy became friends. Harry had Mr. Weasley transfigure an old shoe into a nice cage for Nepenthe.
* * *