CHAPTER 3: Diagon Alley Dreads
Harry, Dante and Draco where sleeping in the next morning. They had stayed up till one fighting with Harry's new toys and had exhausted themselves, resulting in Remus, Regulus and Sirius straining their backs while carrying the teens up to their room, or so they said as they gave the kids their list of chores that morning after the three teens complained that they were double in length.
"Aren't Cissy and Bella going to help us?" Dante asked his fathers. Remus and Sirius shook their heads. "They went out shopping with Evangeline. Now if you want to go to Diagon Alley tomorrow, you best get all that done." This wasn't the best encouragement for Harry, as he loathed leaving the house, it was his sanctuary outside of which all the evils of the world waited to reek havoc on his life, but Dante and Draco where so excited by the idea they did what Harry put off.
They had gotten their Hogwarts letters at breakfast that morning and Harry had known that a Diagon Alley trip would be in store but it didn't mean he had to like it. He liked his home. He liked curling up with Dante, Draco, Sirius and Remus and watching a movie with Bella and Eva making commentary on the unlikely hood of something really happening to which the males would respond with "You're a witch and you can't believe a car could turn into an airplane when you could change it into a pig?"
He liked how Regulus and Narcissa made dinner, purposefully wafting the undeniably appetizing aromas into the den, till the attention of the five was split between what was going to happen next and food.
He didn't want things to change, and muggles always changed things.
But Harry but on a brave "hero" face and bit his lip till it bleed, and forced himself through Diagon Alley with the others, concentrating on not throwing up his shield. He hated the way the muggles looked at them as he, Draco, Dante and Sirius thundered through the muggle streets on motorcycles. He hated the way the looked at him with pity or disgust when his bangs slipped away from his damaged eye. It was still green like the other, an exact replica in fact, but the long scar that reached down from his eyebrow, over his eye lid and ending at the top of his cheek, made it look so different along with the odd sparkle that appeared when he used it. He often kept it covered with a bandana or eye patch, but such thing got annoying quickly.
He put his helmet on his bike as he followed Sirius into The Leakey Cauldron. All of them were in disguise of coarse, Draco because he was hiding from his father, Harry because he was Harry, Sirius for obvious reasons and Dante because he felt left out. They had taken on the appearance of 18 year olds so they could drive their motorcycles through the muggle streets and not get pulled over. Harry's hair was long and red, Draco's short and black, Sirius' blond and shaggy, Dante's purple and spiked. Everything else stayed the same with the acceptance of height. It was surprising how simple it was to confuse people.
They waved to Tom as they walked through attracting many female eyes. Sirius tapped out the bricks with Regulus' wand, which he'd "borrowed" to take them that day. Once in Diagon Alley, they speed off in different directions. Dante to get books, Draco to get potions, Harry to get trunks, Sirius to get money. Remus had an account that the stores could charge but they planned to make a few purchases that they didn't want the ministry to trace back to them. Of coarse all seven vaults fed into Remus' so it would be difficult to trace the purchases anyway, but they wanted to be safe.
They met back up outside of Madam Malkin's. Shifting into their 11-year-old sizes they walked in and got fitted quickly. They got school robes, everyday robes, and battle robes made from dragon scales, one of many purchases they didn't want traced back to a werewolf, the boy who lived, a fugitive, a dead man, or a Death Eater's wife.
They placed everything into the three compartment trunks Harry had gotten them, each with distinguishing colors and initials printed on the top. After much discussion that morning Dante had gone with D.L so when Draco's mother's divorce of his father was complete, both trunks wouldn't read D.B.
They went for wands next, but were side tracked along the way by the Quidditch store and a rather menacing looking Armory shop. In the end, Sirius promised he buy his kids brooms if they got on the Quidditch team and got them each a set of small knives and amulets that could be easily hidden on their person without attacking attention. As a last thought he'd gotten them strong leather boots with a space to hold a knives at easy access.
Leaving the stores more than content, the three boys where easily swayed into the wand shop, despite the wandless abilities they'd shown since birth. They resented wands, as they restricted magic but they were necessary for appearance. They walked in and turned their collective head up to the far corner where Ollivander was hiding, ready to creep-out his next customers.
"It seems I have been foiled." He chuckled. The children looked at each other and shrugged before await instruction. Then the Great Wand Pilling of 1991 began. Wand boxes stacked up as the wands lay discarded as failed attempts on the table. Finally all three boys found their wands. They shot of sparks into the air one after the other, Draco's green, Harry's gold, Dante's red. They smiled at each other and barely listened as Ollivander explained why Harry's wand was special.
They sauntered from the wand shop, Harry happy enough that he'd forgotten about the floods of muggles around him. Sirius led them to their final stop outside the menagerie and told them each to pick out a pet, but only to get one owl.
Inside, Harry and Draco went to the back while Dante picked out a snowy white owl from the front and handed her to Sirius pronouncing her Hedwig with a confident manner. Draco looked over the snakes as Harry eyed a kitten, who looked back at him with the same interest.
Hello Prodigy. It came out as a soft mew, but Harry understood the black, amber splotched cat like it was speaking English.
Hello He answered politely.
You seem to be in good health. The creature purred rubbing up against the bars.
Yes, I'm fine. Um…do you often talk to people?
Just my masters.
You've had many masters then?
Yes, I am an Immortal. I pass through the years serving generations of great wizards. You are my next assignment.
What am I to call you?
I have been called many things. He smiled teasingly. After all a name is but a mortal's assessment of something. For instance I call you Prodigy for that's what I see.
Harry growled a bit at the name.
Vexation. He hissed.
The cat laughed.
That is a new one I must admit. I like it Prodigy. Well come along now, bring me down. He pawed at the bars and mewed pathetically.
Harry reached up and took down the cage. Vexation nudged at his fingers through the bars and Harry petted the small kitten.
He took the kitten to Sirius who was debating over the length of a snake with Draco.
"Remus will flip if I let you get a 15 foot python!" Sirius fired at the irritated blond.
"Get him." Harry said suddenly. "He can help you learn Parsaltongue, and teach you magic and defense and stealth." Harry said pointing at a black and silver snake, long enough to be draped over the neck and fall evenly at the waist.
"How do you know that?" Sirius asked.
"He told me." Harry stated simply.
They didn't question Harry, he often had random moments where he thought he could understand creatures but some times, like when he clamed he could understand the thestral that had stumbled through their wards, turned out for the worst.
Draco seemed to hold a silent conversation with the snake then picked it up. "I like her." He exclaimed. "She's sarcastic."
"What do you have Harry?" Sirius asked. Harry presented the kitten for inspection.
"Ah a Kneezel mix. Good choice, and the name?"
"Vexation." Harry muttered to be met with laughs. "Such faith in your pets." Dante laughed. "Draco?"
"Sage." He answered instantly.
Sirius paid and they left. They had lunch in The Leakey Cauldron, where Harry spent more time avoiding eyes than he did eating. They headed home with their purchases and soon all three were curled up on the couch watching movies with their guardians. Bella had decided to stay with Regulus for a bit, that way he could spend time with his daughter and so they could both talking about wedding plans, as Bella wasn't about to let them go another year without one, even if it wasn't recognized by the Ministy.
Harry listened only partially there. He was thinking about Hogwarts and everything that would be changing now that they were leaving. He wondered what people would be like after he was presumed dead for so long then suddenly turning up at school. And what about Draco? The boy and his mother were in hiding from the Slytharins, so what would happen when he joined them, as he was bound to do.
Like all things enjoyed, the weeks leading up to their leave flew by and all too soon it was the night before they left.
Harry, Dante and Draco had finished training in the battle room and showered before coming out tussle-haired and damp. They sat down with their respective adult, Draco with his mother, Dante with his fathers, and Harry between Sirius and Regulus, unsure of where he belonged. Bella sat on Regulus' other side and Evangeline sat in his arms.
"Well, tomorrows the big day." Remus said stretching out as he leaned into Sirius, Dante leaning into him. He kissed his pup on the head and smiled when the youth ruffled his hair in response.
"You okay Harry?" Regulus asked as he noticed Harry's head drop. He shifted Evangeline in his lap so he could get a better look at the youth.
"Fine." Harry answered automatically.
Draco and Dante hit themselves in the foreheads with the heels of their hands.
Fine meant, "horribly mangled" under their roof. The programmed answer of Fine had stuck with Harry along with memories of Number 4 and it was when this word left his lips that he did himself in.
"What's wrong?" Bella asked leaning over Regulus.
"I'm fine!"
Harry got a look in response.
"Fine, I don't want to leave. I'm finally at home!"
"Awwwwww!"
Harry glared at Draco and Narcissa.
"You'll be fine Harry, you can come home for Christmas and well send owls with Hedwig. Your "brother" will be there." Remus assured referring to Dante. Draco raised and eyebrow and Remus added, "As well as your best mate slash brother." Harry smiled.
"See! Better already." Narcissa added as the two boys smiled at each other.
"Besides, we need you three to uphold the Marauder tradition." Sirius added to the groans of Slytharin family members. Eva smiled evilly and rubbed her hands together, not fully escaping the notice of the adults around her.
Harry laughed to himself and to face Draco with a smile. Draco smiled right back. They may fight for unimportant reasons, but they weren't enemies nor where they morons, they knew there was more than friendship between them, but they didn't know what it was. Maybe brotherhood would suffice as a name for it.