Well, everyone, Happy New Year! I kept my word when I said I'll publish it at the end of this year, hope you'll enjoy it!
Chapter One：Getting Ready
Hermione De Granger was rarely displeased, correction, she had never been so irritated in her entire life, until now, that is. She hated being left out. Yep, to her knowledge, which was plenty, the adults were having a private meeting, a meeting without the interruption of children, or so they call them. It was really so unfair!
Hermione hated it.
The door of the bedroom she was staying in opened, and Draco popped a head in.
"Still sulking?" He smirked at her, and she glared back. He was laughing at her expense! Hermione was not so happy about it.
"Shut it, Malfoy."
"Oh, so it's Malfoy now, is it? What happened to 'dear Draco'?" He teased.
"There was am and will never be a 'dear Draco', Malfoy, so don't get your hopes up."
"Oooh, that burned, and here I thought I was special." He feigned a hurt expression, doing his best puppy dog eyes at her.
"Well obviously, you thought wrong." Hermione retorted dryly.
"Humph."
The bedroom door opened again, and this time Pansy walked in.
"Good news, Mione, they say that we will be going to Diagon Ally tomorrow. You know what that means." She waved the little black book in her hands.
Hermione's eyes widened," you mean… you mean that…"
Blaise suddenly showed up behind Pansy." Yep, that's exactly what they meant, turns out the Weasleys rescued Potter by a flying car Weasel's father invented, and they're all going to Diagon Ally to pick up their school stuff tomorrow. What we do is to somehow slip the diary into little Miss Weasley's cauldron during Lockhart's book signing at Flourish & Blots."
"How did you know all that." Draco asked, amazed. Pansy rolled her eyes at him.
"Because, we were waiting outside the parlor and the Dark Lord told us what to do."
The next day was bleak, dark grey clouds covering the sky, blocking out the rays of sunlight. The four had opted at grey clothing, better for concealing themselves on such a muggy day.
It was about one o'clock when they reached the book shop.
"Gilderoy Lockhart?" Pansy snorted, barely concealing her disgust," don't tell me he's going to give us a lecture again on how to tame a banche." The others laughed, remembering the time when their parents had invited him to a tea party, and all he talked about that day was…himself.
"He's not even that good-looking," Hermione said, her nose in the air.
"Then pray tell, dearest Mione, who's good-looking in your mind?" Pansy asked with a sly smile, smirking. The boy's ears perked.
Hermione coloured a little, not enough to be noticed, though." No one."
"Really?" smirked Pansy, her voice tilting just a little, yet enough to get the boys' interest.
"Yes really." Hermione deadpanned, a steely look in her amber eyes. And they headed down the street.
The rooms of Flourish & Blots were blocked full and spilling, hundreds of people squished into that small space, shoulder to shoulder and toe to toe. The four walked around to the back of the shop where the back door was left open for them by Lucius, who had already entered. The back of the shop was completely empty, with all the commotion up at the front. They walked down a dimly lit hall way to the door that is connected to the front of the shop. One by one they entered the shop and stood behind the many bookshelves, listening to the chaos and watching silently through the blanks.
They watched as a reporter from the prophet snapped photos of the golden-haired, blue eyed celebrity, who had the trick of showing all his gleaming white teeth just in one smile. The camera wafted purple smoke over the crowd, the smell isn't too good. The photographer hopped from one foot to another, here to there, snapping shots and busily shouting at the crowd" this is for the prophet!" Until he stepped on the large foot of Ronald Weasley.
"Ouch! What the hell!"
Blaise snickered quietly.
"Out of the way, there," he snarled at Ronald, mov ing back to get a bet ter shot. "This is for the Dai ly Prophet —"
"Big deal," said Ronld, rub bing his foot where the pho tog ra pher had stepped on it.
Gilderoy Lock hart heard him. He looked up. He saw Ronald — and then he saw Potter. He stared, blinking like a goldfish. Then he leapt to his feet and pos itive ly shout ed, "It can't be Har ry Pot ter?" Pansy rolled her eyes." Honestly."
The crowd part ed, whis per ing ex cit ed ly; Lock hart dived for ward, seized Potter's arm, and pulled him to the front. The crowd burst in to ap plause. Potter's face burned like a tomato as Lock hart shook his hand for the pho tog ra pher, who was click ing away mad ly, waft ing thick smoke over the Weasleys." I feel so sorry for them." Draco whispered.
"Nice big smile, Har ry," said Lock hart, through his own gleam ing teeth. "To geth er, you and I are worth the front page."
"Yes, the front page of idiocy." Hermione muttered, the others laughed, quietly.
"Having fun, children?" said a voice behind them, they jumped, turned around, their wands drawing from their pockets, to see Lucius, smirking at them, eyes twinckling.
"Father!" Draco yelped.
"It's time to start work, son."
Hermione took the diary from her pocket and handed it to Lucius." Just slip it in," she told him." We'll be outside standing guard, common guys." The three left.
Draco looked at his father," let's do it, father."
"I have faith in you, son." Lucius smirked a little." Common."
Harry Potter's Pov
When he fi nal ly let go of Har ry's hand, Har ry could hard ly feel his fin gers. He tried to si dle back over to the Weasleys, but Lock hart threw an arm around his shoul ders and clamped him tight ly to his side.
"Ladies and gen tle men," he said loud ly, wav ing for qui et. "What an ex traor di nary mo ment this is! The per fect mo ment for me to make a lit tle an nounce ment I've been sit ting on for some time!
"When young Har ry here stepped in to Flour ish and Blotts to day, he on ly want ed to buy my au to bi og ra phy — which I shall be hap py to present him now, free of charge —" The crowd ap plaud ed again. "He had no idea," Lock hart con tin ued, giv ing Har ry a lit tle shake that made his glass es slip to the end of his nose, "that he would short ly be get ting much, much more than my book, Mag ical Me. He and his school mates will, in fact, be get ting the re al mag ical me. Yes, ladies and gen tle men, I have great plea sure and pride in an nounc ing that this Septem ber, I will be tak ing up the post of De fense Against the Dark Arts teach er at Hog warts School of Witchcraft and Wiz ardry!"
The crowd cheered and clapped and Har ry found him self be ing pre sent ed with the en tire works of Gilderoy Lock hart. Stag ger ing slight ly un der their weight, he man aged to make his way out of the lime light to the edge of the room, where Gin ny was stand ing next to her new caul dron.
"You have these," Har ry mum bled to her, tip ping the books in to the caul dron. "I'll buy my own —"
"Bet you loved that, didn't you, Pot ter?" said a voice Har ry had no trou ble rec og niz ing. He straight ened up and found him self face- to- face with Dra co Mal foy, who was wear ing his usu al sneer.
"Fa mous Har ry Pot ter," said Mal foy. "Can't even go in to a book shop with out mak ing the front page."
"Leave him alone, he didn't want all that!" said Gin ny. It was the first time she had spo ken in front of Har ry. She was glar ing at Mal foy.
"Pot ter, you've got your self a girl friend!" drawled Mal foy. Gin ny went scar let as Ron and Hermione fought their way over, both clutch ing stacks of Lock hart's books.
"Oh, it's you," said Ron, look ing at Mal foy as if he were some thing un pleas ant on the sole of his shoe. "Bet you're sur prised to see Har ry here, eh?"
"Not as sur prised as I am to see you in a shop, Weasley," re tort ed Mal foy. "I sup pose your par ents will go hun gry for a month to pay for all those."
Ron went as red as Gin ny. He dropped his books in to the caul dron, too, and start ed to ward Mal foy, but Har ry and Hermione grabbed the back of his jack et.
"Ron!" said Mr. Weasley, strug gling over with Fred and George. "What are you do ing? It's too crowd ed in here, let's go out side."
"Well, well, well — Arthur Weasley."
It was Mr. Mal foy. He stood with his hand on Dra co's shoul der, sneer ing in just the same way.
"Lu cius," said Mr. Weasley, nod ding cold ly.
"Busy time at the Min istry, I hear," said Mr. Mal foy. "All those raids…I hope they're pay ing you over time?"
He reached in to Gin ny's caul dron and ex tract ed, from amid the glossy Lock hart books, a very old, very bat tered copy of A Be gin ner's Guide to Trans fig ura tion.
"Ob vi ous ly not," Mr. Mal foy said. "Dear me, what's the use of be ing a dis grace to the name of wiz ard if they don't even pay you well for it?"
Mr. Weasley flushed dark er than ei ther Ron or Gin ny.
"We have a very dif fer ent idea of what dis graces the name of wiz ard, Mal foy," he said.
"Clear ly," said Mr. Mal foy, his pale eyes stray ing to Mr. and Mrs. Granger, who were watch ing ap pre hen sive ly. "The com pa ny you keep, Weasley…and I thought your fam ily could sink no low er."
There was a thud of met al as Gin ny's caul dron went fly ing; Mr. Weasley had thrown him self at Mr. Mal foy, knock ing him back ward in to a book shelf. Dozens of heavy spell books came thun der ing down on all their heads; there was a yell of, "Get him, Dad!" from Fred or George; Mrs. Weasley was shriek ing, "No, Arthur, no!"; the crowd stam ped ed back ward, knock ing more shelves over; "Gen tle men, please — please!" cried the as sis tant, and then, loud er than all —
"Break it up, there, gents, break it up —"
Ha grid was wad ing to ward them through the sea of books. In an in stant he had pulled Mr. Weasley and Mr. Mal foy apart. Mr. Weasley had a cut lip and Mr. Mal foy had been hit in the eye by an En cy clo pe dia of Toad stools. He was still hold ing Gin ny's old Trans fig ura tion book. He thrust it at her, his eyes glit ter ing with mal ice.
"Here, girl — take your book — it's the best your fa ther can give you —" Pulling him self out of Ha grid's grip he beck oned to Dra co and swept from the shop, the diary tucked safely in Ginevra Weasley's Transfiguration book.
So, how do you like this one? I hope you'll like it, for I won't be updating the next chapter very soon, the final exams are comming up. :)
~ Jasmine