He shivered slightly as the wind slapped angrily against his tan face, almost tripping in his hurry to catch up with Hermione and Ron. He truly disliked the fact that they could easily forget him at times, especially when they were too busy flirting with each other to notice him.
Most times, he just wished he would hurry up and find himself a girlfriend to occupy his free time, just so he wouldn't have to watch them swap saliva. He never knew how revolting and just plain wrong it could be to watch two of his best friends snog in his face until now.
He thought by offering to join them on their trip to Diagon alley for school supplies, they would have time to bond. It seemed they mistook his idea for a chance to ditch him and spend even more time together. Harry already did his school shopping a few days ago, alone might he add, because everyone had been too busy and his best friends had a date scheduled that day.
Molly was always knitting for some unknown and unexplainable reason, and Ginny spent her summer with her Hogwarts friends. Arthur was just busy with the Ministry, working on getting a raise that would boost their income. Fred and George were occupied with their store, their product's sales having blasted through the roof after the war.
Unlike the others, Harry had nothing to distract him from the cold hard dread that the war had left him with. He'd been trying so hard to reconnect with his friends - to rebuild the friendship torn apart by the war. But at the moment, he had no one.
That left Ron and Hermione, but they were being busybodies in their own romance dazed world. They'd found an escape in their new relationship, spending every second in the others presence. Other than Luna, who told him that he could join her on her quest to expose the 'Qornakle Quakers' existence, all of his Hogwarts friends were all too busy.
Harry slowed down in his run to catch up with them, agitatedly watching their shapes disappear into the thick crowds. He let out a puff of angry air and turned, ready to head back to the Weasley household.
His foot crunched down on the main road, stomping away in a fit of fury to heaven knows where. Harry just walked - borderline running - around Diagon for a few minutes. Finally, after aimless wandering, he managed to calm himself down enough to glance at his destination.
He practically panicked for a full five seconds, wondering whether he should run away in fright or walk away calmly. Either way, the Daily Prophet would have a fit if one of their photographers were to find him in a place like this. Harry has learned by experience a long time ago, that photographers were everywhere.
Even at Knockturn alley.
He quickly turned, ready to high-tail it out of there and deal with a lecture from Hermione tomorrow, only hesitating when he heard the sound of crying coming from out of the path. It may have been the result of a person being on the wrong end of dark wizard's wand.
Or the cries of an adolescent being on the wrong end of a dark wizard's wand.
It was another round of those heart wrenching cries that spurned him to run towards the noise, completely leaving all sense behind. He'd only slipped around two buildings when he caught the sight of a dark shape sitting on the ground against the left building. It's shoulders were shaking in what Harry assumed were sobs, judging by the sounds that continued to attack his ears in the wretched way it always did. He really hated the sound of a child crying.
"Hey," Harry called out, quickly wincing afterward as he realised how intimidating he could sound to a child. The figure briskly stood up with a whimper of fear and stumbled away, leaving Harry to watch its shadow disappear with his jaw dropped in shock. Had he really frightened the kid that badly? "Come back!"
Christ, now he sounded like a child predator. The next thing to come out of his mouth will be 'I've got some pasties' or 'I just wanna talk'.
Hurrying after the shadow in frustration, he looked for the small traces of the kid in the dark alley. He stared intently at the gap between two shady buildings, swiftly walking down the space as quickly as possible.
His eyes squinted into a thin slit, rapidly adjusting to the bright green light due to his circular glasses. Unconsciously, he blinked once and lifted his frames with his index finger to read the glowing neon sign.
The Found
At the bottom in a squiggly pink neon font, it stated 'Lost Antique Shop' and the sign altogether could damage a person's eyes permanently. Even with it's tacky sign and weird name, Harry was intrigued; what was a tiny shop doing behind buildings like these?
When Harry said tacky, he meant what he said. There was a peeling gold frame surrounding the bright sign, and in the window sat ripped stuffed animals and broken clocks on sea blue cushions. It was an odd sight that made Harry almost burst with curiosity.
Harry dashed to the glass door, with such an unusual eagerness he could easily be mistaken for Hermione, and twisted the rusted handle. He truly did not know if the peculiar store was open or not, so he was astounded that the door had opened that easily. Harry snapped out of his daze when he heard a feminine and motherly tone call out to him.
"Deary, why don't you come inside? I've heard the winds are just quite ghastly today, are they not?" An old women in a jewel studded shawl stated warmly. She stood behind a cluttered mess on top of a maroon carpeted counter. Around the small and equally cluttered shop were other broken things, such as a cracked spine that belonged to dusty latin book and an empty shredded golden box. The shop was as unusual as the outside.
He blinked at her kindness and shut the door noiselessly, wondering whether he should be dubious or thankful. In truth, he'd been freezing his bum off having forgotten his warming charm, though he'd been reminded by several warm-hearted females today.
"H-hello," Harry greeted with a stutter that he wished had come from the cold. She smiled warmly at him, showing one gold tooth and almost melting his nearly frozen heart in the process. "I'm Harry."
He didn't know if he was supposed to give out his name to random strangers, but she seemed kind. It wouldn't have mattered in the end anyway, all of the wizarding world knew his name.
"I know who you are, dear. My name is Elani and I just so happen to be the owner of this shop. May I ask how you're faring this frosty evening, Harry?" Elani questioned him, waving her wand to levitate a silver platter of steaming strawberry strudels into the room. "Would you like one?"
He nodded reaching out a shivering hand to slip one of the steaming strudels into his hand, shivering at the instant warmth it brought his hand. He brought one to his mouth, preparing to shove it down his throat as unmannered as possible, then hesitated. "Are they safe?"
He knew it was an extremely rude question to ask a person, but he had to be sure. It wouldn't do to die by a poisoned strudel in an antique shop.
"I find it highly insulting that you would expect something so barbaric of me, Harry. I can assure you that they are safe to ingest, and I will dissolve your worries by consuming one with you," Elani spoke, grabbing one of the still steaming strudels and dramatically biting into it. Harry chuckled slightly before chewing on his as well. As he had suspected, it tasted like heaven. "Can I ask you something, Harry?"
"Yes?" he replied with a slight smack in his tone, as he was still gnawing on the delicious pastry. He looked up from the strawberry strudel, only to find her staring at him with half-lidded eyes. Her gaze seemed faraway as if she were staring at him, but looking away into another world. It chilled him to the bone.
"If one could speak to the dead, what do you think they would say?" she queried oddly, nibbling at her pastry in a way that reminded him of a rat. Her beady eyes staring at him with so much intensity, he was tempted to look away.
"Well if I could speak to the dead, I'd get to know my mother and father better, maybe even ask if they're alright," Harry answered, becoming more than a little sceptic. The sweet little women he'd known a few minutes ago was turning into a mere fantasy. He saw her look down and whisper something that closely resembled 'He'll do'. "Elani, can I ask you something too?"
"Your always welcome to ask me whatever itches that grown up mind of yours, dear," Elani replied, setting down her barely touched strudel onto the silver platter to lean over her carpeted counter. This action knocked over a plant vase filled to the tip with muggle dice and spilled multi-colored squares onto the brown wooden floor. He didn't bother looking down, seeing as she wasn't fazed by it's noise.
"Did you happen to see a kid zoom by your window?" Harry interrogated, dusting his hands to rid them of their crumbs.
"I briefly saw a shadow, if that's what you mean?" she replied, shifting against her counter, causing a green goblet full of black goo to fall onto the ground as well. He twitched ever so slightly, still not looking at the floor as he nodded. "Can I interest you in something rare, Harry? I feel only you can correctly wield this item."
"I'm sorry, but I didn't bring any money-" he told her hurriedly, as his foot scuffed against the wooden floor in an attempt to take a step back. The look she shot his way made him stop his efforts and any future ones.
"No, no, no, this one is on the house, I assure you, Harry," she reassured him, using one hand to reach down and grab something from under the counter, keeping an eagle eye on him as she did so. She stood up, holding a black rectangular box in her hand. It wasn't a long box, about six inches or so in size. "Don't open it until needed, and when that moment comes, you will know."
The box had little squiggles written around the edges in scarlett. They were so small, that his eyes almost closed trying to see them. The box in all was brilliantly created, the black having a velvety soft texture to it and the squiggles being professionally sewn in. It was fantastic for a box.
"How do I know it's safe," he replied with a slight twitch in his lips.
Elani grinned at him, a twinkle in her hazel eyes. "I put it on my life, Mr. Potter, that my product is indeed safe."