Chapter 2
Hermione was still feeling a little fuzzy after her head injury, and so she only managed to apparate them to a small alley way around the corner from the Leaky Cauldron, instead of Diagon Alley where she had hoped to get to. Lowering herself to her sisters height, she cuddled the young girl to her, trying to calm her down as she hiccups violently, her crying now silent tears running down her face. Hermione felt guilty. She had never seen her father that bad, Lance usually made sure Melissa wasn't around if he was going to start on Hermione, though he had never been that bad. Hermione blamed his drinking, which had starting getting worse again.
"Are you okay Mione?" Melissa asked once she had calmed enough to talk.
"Don't worry about me button," Hermione forced a smile, using her sisters nickname to try and make things seem a bit more normal, "We're gonna stay away for a few days though, is that alright?" To her relief Melissa nodded, still clutching onto Hermione's hand. With Lance drinking so early, Hermione knew he had no intention of stopping anytime soon, and while she didn't believe he'd hurt his daughter she wasn't taking chances. Dragging her trunk, and carrying both her bag and Melissa's backpack on her shoulder, the pair began walking around the corner.
"The Leaky Cauldron? What a funny name!" Melissa laughed seeing the pub and shocking Hermione. Only magic folk could see the old pub she had thought? With her head still banging, Hermione decided to push the thought away for the time being, and lead the way into the pub and other to the bar, where Tom gave her a nearly toothless smile. "Miss Granger! How can I help you this morning?"
"Do you happen to have a room? With two beds preferably," she asked, realising she wasn't being as polite as she should be but not really caring right now.
"Of course! I'll have housekeeping get it ready for this afternoon for you. If you leave your trunk I'll see that its put upstairs for you."
Thanking the barman and leaving her trunk and Melissa's backpack with him, she took her sister through to Diagon Alley. Melissa's eyes lit up seeing everything, and Hermione was reminded of her mother when Professor McGonagall had taken the two of them here to get her school supplies for her first year. Hermione was immensely grateful that Melissa took after her mother mostly.
"Wow! This place is amazing! Look Hermione broomsticks! And over there has cauldrons! And a book store! Are there magical books there?" Melissa was looking all over the place, trying to take in everything at once, making her sister laugh.
"We'll check out Flourish and Blotts first okay? I need my school books and I'll see if we can find a book about explaining the wizarding world for you if you like?"
After getting her books, quills, potions ingredients and everything else on her list (plus three books and a small quill and parchment set for an insistent Melissa) Hermione fell into a chair at Florean Fortescue's Ice-Cream Parlour, giving Melissa a handful of sickles to get herself something. Hermione's head was now pounding and she felt incredibly wozzy. As Melissa came back to the table Hermione passed out.
When Hermione awoke, she immediately realised she was in unfamiliar surroundings. Jumping up, she reached for her wand looking for Melissa. She was in a room that had been painted turquoise, with three doors obviously leading somewhere. A large chest of drawers and a desk and chair sat by the far wall and a four poster bed was now behind her. She had never seen the room before, and quickly opened the door closest to her, which lead to a hallway. Wand up ready, she stealthily sneaked down the hallway, looking for her sister. She heard a laugh downstairs and she cautiously ran down the stairs, and followed the laughter. She found her sister five minutes later, sitting with none other than Blaise Zabini. What the hell had happened?