A/N: Sorry for the delay in updating but the lack of reviews for this story has made it disheartening to post weekly.

Once again, this story in unbetaed.

Disclaimer: I do not own the fantastic world or characters created by J.K. Rowling but I will use some of her words and ideas to further my plot. :)

Chapter 4 - Diagon Alley

Over the next few weeks, Draco remained at Spinner's End. It was far from the peaceful, lazy holiday that he had longed for. He awoke every morning at the crack of dawn, ate all of his meals with his godfather, spent hours on end practicing Occlumency, non-verbal magic and listening to necessary lectures. He fell asleep early every night after reading a few chapters in one book or another.

He made it to the Manor fairly regularly to visit his mother. He could tell that she was worrying about him but not a hair on her head was out of place and she was acting as if her husband wasn't in Azkaban and her son wasn't conspiring against the Dark Lord with secret Order of the Phoenix member Severus Snape. His mother was a poised, incredible woman. Unfortunately, trips to the Manor meant the unpleasant company of his Aunt Bella. She constantly spoke of how proud she was of him for serving the Dark Lord at such a young age. She was highly suspicious of Snape but as his godfather had predicted, the Dark Lord was thrilled with their arrangement. In light of his father's recent failures, Snape had become the Dark Lord's most trusted advisor and Draco couldn't believe how seemingly easily Snape deceived him. Draco's respect for the older man had grown over the weeks along with his magical ability.

Draco kept up with the news that the Daily Prophet was reporting while knowing the real explanations behind the disappearances, odd accidents, and deaths. Most notably, Death Eaters had kidnapped Florean Fortescue and Ollivander. He had asked Snape what the Dark Lord wanted with Ollivander and he had responded by telling him that the Dark Lord wants to know everything about Potter and his wand.

One morning over breakfast, Snape gave him another healthy dose of reality when he told him that a few Death Eaters had hunted down and killed Igor Karkaroff, a traitor. Another reminder of what would happen to him if he was discovered.

On the first of August, he received his Hogwarts supply list, a reminder that he would have to go back to school on the first of September…in a month. These times seemed too dark and dangerous for something as normal as education but maybe exactly what he needed was some normalcy.

On a gloomy Saturday, Draco accepted his mother's invitation to go to Diagon Alley to buy his things for school. She needed an excuse to get out of the Manor and spend time with her son and Draco couldn't begrudge her the trip.

As they walked down the cobbled street, Draco scrutinized their surroundings. When he was a little boy he used to love going to Gringotts with his father on business and going into all the different shops with his mother. She always bought him a sweet at the end of her shopping trips. The street in his mind, which was colourful, vibrant, and energetic, was so much different from the one that they were on now. Shops were boarded up and there were wanted posters and Ministry notices posted everywhere. He saw his Aunt Bella sneering at him from all directions. There were stalls set up along the street selling so called "protection" from the Dark Arts. Draco couldn't help himself from sending disgusted looks towards the lowlifes who were trying to profit off of people's fear. No one stopped to exchange pleasantries; people did their shopping in small groups and kept to themselves. It was very disheartening to see a street that was once so lively and full so depressing now.

For Draco, the current state of Diagon Alley was another example of why this war needed to end.

"Didn't you want new robes, Draco?" Narcissa asked suddenly.

"Oh, yes," he answered. He had momentarily forgotten that he had asked for new dress robes for his birthday and they hadn't had a chance to look for what he wanted…for obvious reasons.

They walked into Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions and were pleasantly greeted by the witch owner. "Good day! How can I help you today?" Draco figured that she was thrilled to see customers because her business couldn't be as steady now as it used to be.

"My son is looking for a set of new dress robes," Narcissa told the witch.

Madam Malkin smiled and waved them forward. "Follow me." She led them to the large selection of wizard's dress robes. Draco looked through all the racks of dress robes in every shade and colour. "Are you looking for anything in particular, dear?" She asked him.

He shook his head while Narcissa answered, "You look lovely in green, darling."

He spotted a set of dark green, glittering dress robes. "I'll have these," he announced.

Madam Malkin beamed, giving him the impression that these dress robes must be quite expensive. "Excellent choice! Let's get you fitted!"

Draco took the dress robes off of the rack and pulled them over his head. They were quite long and rather big in the collar and sleeves. Madam Malkin took a handful of pins and a tape measure out of the pockets of her robes and began to hem the large sleeves. His mother watched his fitting patiently. He kept still and quiet while the seamstress did her work until she pricked his left forearm with one of her pins. The skin surrounding his Dark Mark was still incredibly sore. "Watch where you're sticking that pin, will you!" He snapped. Narcissa shot him a reprimanding look and he quietly muttered an apology. "Sorry, I have sensitive skin."

He heard the door to the shop open and close but paid no attention as Madam Malkin toyed with the sleeves a bit more before telling him to have a look in the mirror. He turned, spotted the large, full length mirror and strode towards it. He carefully examined how the robes looked on him before he spotted the reflection of three familiar faces over his shoulder. Potter, Weasley, and Granger had just walked into the shop. He sneered, narrowed his eyes, and felt a nicely placed insult rest on the tip of his tongue before he decided to keep his mouth closed. He figured that since he would now be working with the Order, he would at least have to refrain from insulting the trio at every turn. He certainly didn't have to like them though.

He noted that Potter and Weasley looked ready and eager to trade words with him, as well as hexes as they instinctively reached for their wands, but they stayed quiet too and were led to the other side of the shop by Granger. She seemed to have taken on the task of keeping the two Neanderthals' tempers in check.

He watched the three Gryffindors out of the corner of his eye. Potter and Weasley headed to the racks full of Hogwarts uniform robes while Granger looked through witch's dress robes. Potter and Weasley had both grown over the summer but he was still taller than both of them. Potter was still as skinny and untidy looking as ever while Weasley had added some weight and muscle to his frame.

Granger seemed different too but he couldn't quite put his finger on what had changed. She still looked like a prim, proper, snobbish know-it-all. He had to admit that with some of her characteristics she would fit in perfectly with the aristocratic, pure-blood society…well, if she wasn't a Mudblood. His eyes followed her as she moved on to another rack of robes. Her hair was less of a bushy mess but that couldn't be it, could it?

Madam Malkin was putting the finishing touches on his new robes and reached for his left sleeve again. "I think this sleeve needs to come up a little bit more, dear."

She stuck a pin into the material, and it was barely even making contact with his skin but he yelped. "Ouch!"

"Got a problem there, Malfoy?" Potter asked suspiciously.

"Not one that's any of your business, Potter," he retorted. He clutched his wand inside his robes.

Madam Malkin noticed this movement and she also noticed that Potter and Weasley had their wands ready in their hands. "I do not want wands drawn in my shop."

He couldn't help himself from goading them on, "Yeah, like you two would dare do magic outside of school."

His mother came to stand by his side and gently placed a hand on his shoulder. "Now Draco," she told him warningly before turning to the other young men. "Put those away. If you attack my son again, I shall ensure that it is the last thing you ever do."

Draco rolled his eyes. It was an understatement to say that Narcissa had grown even more overprotective of her only child since June.

"Really?" Potter began as he strode forward towards the two Malfoys and Madam Malkin, his wand still clutched in his hand. "Going to get a few Death Eater pals to do us in, are you?"

"Harry!" Granger scolded while Madam Malkin gasped.

"Why don't you just have a go now?" Potter continued. "I'm sure they'll be able to find you a cell in Azkaban close to your loser of a husband!"

Draco growled loudly and made a move to turn and advance towards Potter but his mother's grip on his shoulder tightened. "Don't you dare talk to my mother like that, Potter!"

Finally, Granger sidled up to Potter, grabbed his right arm, and forced him to lower his wand. She whispered something into his ear and pulled him to the other side of the shop. Weasley followed his friends obediently with one last glare at Draco.

Madam Malkin seemed to ignore the situation in the hope that nothing else would happen. "Okay, you're all done dear," she told him as she put her tape measure and pins away.

He looked one last time in the mirror, and satisfied with his appearance, he pulled the robes over his head and handed them to Madam Malkin for her to fold and package.

He trailed behind his mother as she moved towards the counter at the front of the shop to pay for his robes. He passed Granger along the way. She was a reasonable distance from her two bodyguards so he stopped and quickly whispered, "You seem different, Mudblood."

She raised her head and looked at him curiously. She raised an eyebrow and waited for him to explain what he was referring to but he walked away. He smirked at her over his shoulder. He would figure it out.

His mother paid for the robes that cost over thirty Galleons and they strolled out of the shop.

They went in and out of other various shops as they picked up things that Draco would need for the new school year. They bought ink, parchment, quills, ingredients for his Potions kit, all his new textbooks, and owl treats for Orion.

The young man knew that all of their shopping was done except for one very special stop. His mother called for a house elf and the creature Apparated their purchases back to Malfoy Manor.

Draco took one cautious look up the street before he slipped into Knockturn Alley with his mother beside him. The dark, dingy street off of Diagon Alley was a place that no witch or wizard could afford to be seen these days, especially the Malfoys. Their house had already been raided for dark objects by Ministry officials once. They walked into one of the oldest shops on the street and the only one within sight that had lights on inside and an 'Open' sign on the door. Borgin & Burkes was quite familiar to the Malfoy family.

Borgin scuttled out from behind the counter and bowed in front of Narcissa. "Mrs. Malfoy, what a pleasure," he turned to Draco and bowed as well. "And young Mr. Malfoy. What can I do for you?"

Draco moved towards the object of his interest, a Vanishing Cabinet, while his mother talked to the oily, sly shopkeeper. He ran a hand down the smooth, carefully crafted wood. A story that his housemate and Quidditch teammate, Graham Montague, had told him had inspired him to consider using the damaged Vanishing Cabinet in Hogwarts as a way to fulfill the Dark Lord's wishes. He had brought his idea to Snape and his godfather thought that it could work but it would be time consuming and exhausting.

"My son is interested in your Vanishing Cabinet," she told Borgin coolly.

Borgin looked startled. The Vanishing Cabinet in his possession was very old and it would be a rather odd and expensive purchase. Surely the man had studied the object for many years and knew that it was temperamental and unpredictable.

"Why?" He asked distrustfully.

"That is none of your business, Borgin," Draco stated coldly. "It has a sister that is damaged. Do you know how to fix it?"

Borgin stepped closer to the younger Malfoy and twiddled his fingers in front of him. "Possibly," he stated unsurely. "I'll need to see it, though. Why don't you bring it into the shop?"

Draco shook his head. "No, it has to stay put. I just need you to tell me how to do it."

Borgin looked from the young man to Mrs. Malfoy and licked his lips nervously. "Well, without seeing it, I must say it will be a very difficult job, perhaps impossible. I couldn't guarantee anything."

He sighed; it was exactly what Snape thought too. It was a long shot but it was the best shot he had. It was the only idea that he had managed to come up with and it's not like he could take his time to think these things through. The Dark Lord was quite impatient. He plastered his trademark, condescending sneer on his face and walked towards Borgin menacingly. He had never been fond of the old shopkeeper and didn't care if one of his incentives for helping him was fear. "No? Perhaps this will make you more confident," he said as he slowly revealed the fresh Dark Mark on his arm. Borgin swallowed nervously and his beady eyes widened. "Tell anyone and there will be retribution. Well," he began in a voice full of fake cheer. "I'd better be off. And don't forget to keep that one safe, I'll need it." He took one last look at the Vanishing Cabinet before he turned to his mother. "Ready Mother?"

"Perhaps you'd like to take it now?" Borgin interrupted.

Draco let out a bark of a laugh. "No, of course not, you stupid little man, how would I look carrying that down the street? Just don't sell it!" He pulled a bag of Galleons out of his trouser pocket and dropped it in Borgin's hands.

"Of course not…sir."

Borgin made a deep bow, not unlike a house elf, and Draco sneered before turning and escorting his mother out of the shop.

"Keep an eye on him, Mother," he whispered.

"Of course, dear," she replied.

He smiled smugly to himself. At least the first part of his plan had been put into action.

A/N: So, I went to this website that converts currency to Harry Potter currency and that's what I used to determine the cost of Draco's dress robes and let's just say that 30 Galleons is a lot. Lol.

Questions of the chapter: 1) This chapter is shown from Harry's perspective in HBP, how was it from Draco's? 2) And what do you think is so different about Hermione?

Please review! :)