The Quibbler was the
next paper to put out a new headline about Harry's Godfather's
alleged child. Although, Ron and Hermione, had done well to secure
the copy of the issue and hide it from Harry, he'd gotten wind of
it from Ginny. She'd taken the time to read it before Ron seized
it, and carefully informed Harry upon the new news.
"Said she's
branded with the Dark Mark." She'd chatted comfortably while
reclining backwards over the small bed of hers. She lay with her head
dangling over the edge, hair like a waterfall, staring at Harry
upside down.
"I doubt that." He mumbled miserably. He wasn't
sure that Sirius's daughter would be a Death Eater, especially
since Sirius had been the only Black family member to betray the Dark
Lord.
"Why don't we go find her?" Ginny asked fiddling with
her small pink pigmy puff, Arnold.
"Because…we don't know
where she is?" Harry thought out loud. Ginny sat up in a bright
flash of orange flying hair.
"Oh yes we do!" she beamed at
him, shoving a copy of the Prophet to his chest.
"No…we…"
she cut him off, pointing to the last few lines of the Prophet's
article.
"France." Harry shook his head caught in her
determination for a strange moment.
"Ginny." He began, but
before he could finish burst into the room carting Ron
and Fred in foot.
"Hurry up then you two! It's off to Diagon
Alley today…" she chanted as if brandishing a silver sword of
mother hood. Fred seemed a bit unnerved with Ron, while Ron was
smugly smiling for once. George was downstairs, or so Harry assumed
seeing as a loud voice was booming with laughter.
Once
downstairs, Harry got a better look at the situation. Not only had
Fred and George managed to bewitch the kitchen into beating anyone
over the head when they waked through it, but the front door to only
let you through if you knew the secret word. If you didn't happen
to know the word, you received a nice right slam in the face as the
door swung backwards. Mr. Weasley had apparently been the first to
get hit, and by the looks of George's facial expression, hadn't
found it all that hilarious. They were as normal traveling by Flu
powder, and Harry was the second to go through, following Mrs.
Weasley and Ginny. Mr. Weasley followed him, Fred and George after
that, and lastly Ron and Hermione. Harry stood still strung out from
the original feel of Flu powder and dusted the green ash from his
shirt. He slid his glasses back up the bridge of his nose and looked
forward to the familiar brick wall. Mr. Weasley tapped it three
times, and the bricks began to turn and twist away opening up to the
alley in which could only be known as Diagon Alley. Thanks to the all
too recent forgery of Sirius Black's daughter, there were purple
Ministry of Magic flyers covering the shop walls and windows. They
were labeled with the words "Black's Daughter! Armed and
Dangerous! If Seen Contact the Ministry of Defense Program
Immediately!" Harry couldn't help but notice Ron and Hermione's
glance at each other in mute horror. Mrs. Weasley tutted like a bird,
clearing her throat, and pushed the children forward.
simply shook his head and tried to steer Harry clear of almost all
the pictures of the alleged girl. However, thanks to Ginny, who
accidentally tripped into her father, Harry was able to grab a quick
stare at the girl's face.
It was a new picture that adorned the
poster. She was facing forward, with a shocked look on her face, and
turned very quickly from the photo so her back was to him. The
problem about it all was that there was an unmistakable resemblance
between herself and his godfather. There was no longer any doubt
within Harry's mind that this was not Sirius's daughter. Mr.
Weasley recovered and quickly moved in front of the picture.
"Well
Harry, we ought to be getting you new school robes, or Molly will
have my neck." He said with a brilliant smile. Ginny smirked,
standing up as well, and walked lazily beside Fred and George.
"Ron
and Hermione can go with me." Harry answered smartly.
"I'm
not sure you should go alone without an adult."
"Aw come on
dad? We're how old?" Ron blurted out rolling his eyes. "Blimey,
you let Fred and George go anywhere they like." He finished. After
a hard look from Mr. Weasley, he shooed them off to the robe store
and away from his sight, to catch up with Ginny and the boys.
Madam
Malkin was in a rough mood, swinging and swooshing about the shop in
a fussed hurry that wasn't normally her. Hermione was the first she
grabbed, putting her on a pedestal and shoving a robe down her back
to start tapering it. Harry and Ron appeared to be walking idly
through the shop, but Harry had some better ideas for
conversation.
"You saw the pictures Ron." He said numbly, and
although Ron was hesitant to answer, he nodded first.
"Aye, I
did. Wut of it?" he said trying not to catch Harry's eye.
"She
looks exactly like him!" He huffed out in a hurried whisper, angry
at Ron for avoiding him.
"Yeah but come off it mate! It had to
be someone else's daughter…like…Bellatrix." He murmured
looking ashamed. Harry shoved half the rack at Ron's face, a couple
robes falling on the floor, and stomped back over to Hermione.
Bellatrix Lestrange would not have had any daughters, nor would any
girl that resembled his Godfather be that woman's daughter.
Hermione stared at the two of them as Ron gasped in shock and bent to
pick up the robes.
"PLEASE stand still!" Madam Malkin uttered
yanking Hermione's hand down to hem the sleeve. Hermione nodded her
head humming a small apology, while the door swung open and a woman
and another boy walked in. Harry watched the two with great distaste
noticing that it was none other than Narcissa and Draco Malfoy. He
seemed all too reluctant to pull his wand and throttle the two, but
contained himself because that was useless. Draco caught his eye,
smiling smugly, and announced his entry in the way of an insult, like
always. Hermione hopped down from the stool, angering Madam Malkin,
who simply took the robe off of Hermione and began marking it from
memory.
"Look mother, it's more of Black's scum running
around." He laughed as Narcissa smiled.
"Shut your bloody
mouth Malfoy!" Ron jeered raising his wand. Hermione quickly
grabbed his arm shoving it back down, as Harry shoved past him and
out the door. He didn't need school robes as badly as Ron did, and
he didn't care, it was at that point that he decided he was going
to track down Sirius's daughter, with or without anyone's help.
It was because of people like Malfoy who made him decide these
things, and people like Malfoy he'd someday show the better side of
his wand too.
Hermione rushed out the door, dragging Ron in toe
to catch up with Harry's fast steps. They were joined however
disdainfully, by a horde of reporters for the Prophet. Just over the
tops of their heads, Harry could see Mr. and Mrs. Weasley trying
their best to break through the crowd to them, but to no
avail.
"Harry Potter! Godson to Sirius Black! Tell us, what do
you think of his daughter?" a burly looking reporter chanted from
his left, crashing into another woman with her familiar floating pen
and pad.
"Do you know her?" Rita asked smiling sweetly at him.
"Who is she?" a man to his right shoved in front of him.
Harry had had enough; he grabbed Ron's shoulder and started pushing
his way through them all, Hermione struggling to scramble her way
through as well. When they got home, he was going to go to bed and
sleep, for three days, he thought. Anything to get away from this.
