Flourish and Blotts
"Can you believe we get to meet him? He must be brilliant, he's written so many books." Hermione squealed with excitement.
It seemed to Harry that Mrs. Weasley must have been just as excited from the rush of crimson across her face as she came into view. Nor was she alone in her excitement, the bookstore was lined with dozens of women around Mrs. Weasley's age, all pushing excitedly, giving a haggard looking wizard quite a time corralling them.
"Please ladies, a single file line, everyone will get their time with him, mind the book shelves."
Harry spotted the rest of the Weasley's further up in line, their hair a sea of flame among the witches. The trio pushed through the crowd to where the Weasleys and Grangers were patiently waiting.
"Do you reckon this will get his attention for mum?" Fred asked Harry mischievously as he pulled a grey lump out from his pocket.
"What are you doing with Scabbers? You'll get him killed in here, give him back Fred!" Ron irritably told his older brother as he pulled Scabbers away from him. Some of the witches in line around them began to shriek, alerting Lockhart. As his aqua blue eyes travelled over the line to see what the fuss was about, his eyes widened in astonishment. He jumped out of his seat. "Why it's Harry Potter." More eyes turned to where Harry stood, he felt himself turning red from the attention.
Gilderoy quickly walked over to Harry, who was vainly trying to hide behind his lanky friend. Lockhart plunged through the crowd with his beaming smile and eyes positively glowing When he was close enough he started pulling on Harry's arm in an attempt at dragging him to where they'd be more visible. At that moment Ron, who had just saved his pet stepped in to save his best mate, grabbed his arm and started pulling Harry towards him like a hen protecting her eggs.
Lockhart didn't miss a beat. "If you'd be a good boy and let me borrow your friend for just a moment, I promise I'll return him. It'll be a picture worthy of the front page of the Daily Prophet." Lockhart said smiling roguishly and giving a roar of good natured laughter a moment later. Some of the middle aged witches giggled, awed at his demeanor.
Luckily for Harry, Ron was primed to be argumentative. "Big deal." He said looking straight into Lockhart's eyes.
"Ronald Weasley, I'm so sorry Mr. Lockhart I don't know what's gotten into him. We're all very big fans of yours. Just the other day my boys were reading your book to properly de-gnome the garden." Mrs. Weasley started, a mixture of embarrassment, annoyance, and awe struck written across her red, red face. The effect made her freckles glow like the stars Harry had studied last year in Astronomy.
Lockhart spent a moment looking at Harry and the crowd watching as it didn't turn out like he'd planned. "Ah young fans of course. Should've known I'd cause some jealousy if I wasn't careful. Lockhart clapped his hands together and straightened up, his posture reminding Harry of Woods before giving a Quidditch pep talk, with more enthusiasm than seemed possible. Alright then how about you lot all get a photo with yours truly. There's enough of me to go around." He smiled his toothy smile again and winked at some witches in line. Their shrieks let harry know he had turned what could have been an embarrassing snarl into an opportunity to showcase his apparent charm.
The Weasleys lined up with Percy in the back beside Arthur and the twins, with Mrs. Weasley and Ginny on either end. harry and Lockhart were in the front and center, with Ron and Hermione still on either side of and behind Harry, but in front of the twins. The elder Grangers merely stood by the side, looking unimpressed by the show Lockhart was putting on, and their daughter's enthusiasm for it. Harry noticed that Hermione had turned rather pink and was looking adoringly at Lockhart. Several poofs of purple later and the cameraman gave a thumbs up for the initial pictures
When they finished Lockhart gave a final wink to Mrs. Weasley, who giggled out what a fan she was again. Mr. Weasley looked like he had eaten a whole box of bad Bertie Bot's all flavor beans.
"Look for us on the front page tomorrow my boy." He said to Harry in his cocksure way before turning to address the audience. "If I may have you attention my good wizards and witches. There is an announcement I have been keeping quiet in hopes of not overwhelming the hearts of the young, such as these lovely folks in line waiting for my autograph. You see when Mr. Potter here came in today he only hoped to get a signed copy of my auto-biography Magical Me, he had no idea" he paused while an assistant ran over with his works "he would be getting all seven of my books absolutely free."
He stopped for a moment appreciative of the applause from the middle aged witches. "That's not all however, in addition to getting the full set of my books, Harry and all the other Hogwarts students will be getting the real magical me. This September I'll be putting my adventuring days behind me to teach the Defense Against the Dark Arts classes up at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." During the thunderous applause he took a moment to catch his breath and give another dazzling smile to the camera.
"As a man of greatness I can see the potential in my future pupil..." Lockhart continued for a few more minutes, and when he finished was looking very please with himself and his words. Harry turned green as Trevor, all of the attention was simply too much to bear, but Lockhart kept his iron grip on Harry's shoulder.
He gave a look to Ron, who seemed to understand what to do, and he whispered a few words with the twins. They started making a scene of being star struck and swooning over Lockhart that let Harry slither to the back of the bookstore where Ginny was standing, and then he dumped his books into her cauldron.
"Here, I can buy my own set." Harry mumbled, looking over his shoulder warily in case Lockhart decided to come get him for another round of photos.
"Oh is there anything you can't do." Fred sighed dramatically, pretending to faint into George's arms when Lockhart's beaming face turned to him. Ginny let out a small giggle of appreciation, Harry caught Ginny's eye and they both smiled, though Ginny quickly turned away blushing to the roots of her hair.
"Can't get enough attention can you Potter. Must have loved it." Harry recognized that voice, Draco Malfoy. He turned around and found himself face to face with the blonde Slytherin.
"Famous Potter, everywhere he goes people fall at his feet, his every action deserving the front page." Draco sneered, a poor imitation of Professor Snape.
"Leave him alone you jealous prat, he didn't want any of that with Lockhart." Said Ginny, glaring at Draco, it was the first time she had spoken a complete sentence around Harry.
"Got yourself a girlfriend eh Potter? You really have a thing for blood traitors." Ginny turned red from equal parts embarrassment and anger. Her brown eyes flickering with a hint of danger behind them. She started to draw her wand until she saw her dad walking over pulling along the twins.
But before Mr. Weasley could intervene Ron seemed to materialize by Harry's side. "What are you doing here Malfoy?" Ron asked, looking annoyed at having to deal with Malfoy before the school year even began.
"Getting my school books Weasley. Unlike some families I can afford new books each year. Did your parents have to sell your house to afford all those?" Ron turned as red as Ginny's hair, tossed his books into her cauldron, and would have jumped at him if his father hadn't finally arrived.
"Ron!" Said Mr. Weasley, pulling Fred and George with him, preventing them from continuing making a mockery of Lockhart.
"Stop that, I expected better out of all of you. We're going to the next shop." He said, sounding exasperated.
"Well, well, well, what do we have here. Ah the savior of the Wizarding World... Mr. Harry...Potter." Drawled an aristocratic voice, Harry looked up, standing behind Draco was what appeared to be his father. Mr. Malfoy was tall and thin, with long silvery-blonde hair flowing behind him. He had the same grey eyes above his long pointed nose as Draco, but much colder and focused on Harry's lightning bolt scar. In his right hand was a black cane, with a silver snakes head and two gleaming emerald eyes that gave Harry a feeling of foreboding.
Harry looked warily as Lucius extended his hand to shake with Harry. Harry reluctantly took it, frowning up at the tall man. "It's so good to meet you" Mr. Malfoy drawled "we've all heard so much about your exploits... Such a pity where you've ended up Potter... though one can hardly blame children for the mistakes they make out of ignorance. Surely if you understood more about our society you'd come to see things more like a proper..."
"Hello Lucius" Mr. Weasley said coldly, his eyes scanning the tall blonde man. Lucius Malfoy looked up and away from Harry, drawing himself up to his full height, and gave a disdainful look.
"Oh, Arthur how rude of me. Didn't even notice you were there. One would have thought you'd be at work, what with how active the ministry has been lately I'm surprised you aren't off invading more people's homes... I do hope they've paid you overtime for all the effort?" He looked over and went into Ginny's cauldron, grabbing her battered old copy of A Beginners Guide to Transfiguration.
"Obviously not... Perhaps if someone were to have a word with them it might change their mind." Mr. Malfoy's eyes glinted with malice. Mr. Weasley screwed his jaw shut tightly and turned pale. "After all what's the use of being a disgrace to wizard-kind and not even being paid for it.".
"We have a very different idea of what it means to be a disgrace Lucius." Mr. Weasley said turning a deep scarlet.
"Clearly... and with the company you keep," his gray eyes filled with disdain going over the Grangers, "who could have thought your family had any further to sink."
There was a thud and a crash as Mr. Weasley charged over Ginny's cauldron and smashed Mr. Malfoy into the bookshelves. Books collided with their heads like bludgers. "Yeah dad, get him!" Shouted either Fred or George. "Stop it Arthur!" Shrieked Mrs. Weasley. The Grangers stood back, looking appalled.
"Gentlemen please, this is a bookstore not an arena. Stop this madness before you cause any more damage." Huffed the haggard looking wizard from earlier coming over, frustration leaking from his every pore.
"That'll be enough now you two" boomed Hagrid coming as he walked through the store, towering over the other customers.
When he pulled the two men apart, Mr. Weasley was sporting a cut eyebrow and a swollen lip, while Mr. Malfoy had a bump rising from where a book had fallen, and some blood trickling from his nose, his white- blonde hair disheveled.
Mr. Malfoy thrust Ginny's transfiguration book back into her cauldron. "Here girl, your second hand book." He snarled, his eyes twinkling with malice. "Come Draco" and they stormed out.
"Come on then, le's get out er 'ere" grunted Hagrid. Nearly knocking over the haggard looking wizard who looked like he wished the day could just end.
They walked back out of Flourish and Blotts and onto the crowded street. "Honestly Arthur of all the irresponsible things you've done recently" said Mrs. Weasley, who looked like a volcano about to erupt, "and what must Lockhart think? Never felt so humiliated..."
"Yes dear, I'm terribly sorry I just let him get to me it won't happen again. "Mr. Weasley said, looking quite abashed.
The Grangers stood looking quite flustered with the fighting and then with Mrs. Weasley yelling at Mr. Weasley. Ron, Harry, and the twins started to snicker at their father's plight, until a sharp look from Mrs. Weasley shut them up. "Don't think for even a second that any of you are off the hook for all those antics. When we get home..." She chewed them out for some time before they were able to split up and wander across Diagon Alley.
After a few hours of shopping and admiring the wares, Hermione and her parents went off to the metro, while Harry and the Weasleys took the floo back to the Burrow.
Author's Note
I am one of the people that believes that Mr. Weasley was imperiused, and has a family disposition to easy control, based on Ron still being twitchy after Moody's demonstration in book 4 and his seeming to have gone to Azkaban for a short while. And I think Lucius either knows about his control or did it himself.
And just another thought it seemed to me that if the Purebloods were worried about dying off or being supplanted that Mr. Weasley actually did the most to improve the pureblood situation by having so many babies with Mrs. Weasley. I am a proponent of large families however so I am rather biased in the matter. Also I may later post a sketch out of what I see as the Wizarding World's demographic woes, as happily I've worked on demography before.
If you want to know more about either check out the redhen-publications website. It's many well thought out essays on a number of aspects of the Wizarding world. While I didn't come to all the same conclusions (such as the number of witches and wizards in Britain), I've been deeply influenced by the writer's thoughts and felt confirmed of many suspicions I'd had after reading these very thorough essays.