Here is the new chapter! Happy Easter everyone!
"Dementors" Blaise announced taking his seat on the terrace table in front of her.
"Good morning to you too. I slept splendidly thank you, and you?" she said sarcastically
"Yes, yes, good morning, bellissima" 'beautiful' he said
"Now, what were you saying about dementors?" she asked perplexed
"Potter. It seems that dementors attacked him in his muggle neighborhood" he explained "He sent them away with his patronus, but his muggle cousin was there too. Hence the trial for underage magic"
"What were dementors doing there? Was it my father who sent them?"
"Nope, my sources said that it was someone in the Ministry"
She blinked surprised
"He was lucky Dumbledore interrupted the farce of a trial Fudge had put on and saved his arse. But with all the slandering Dumbledore and Potter are getting from the Ministry and the papers, they should have expected something like this happening"
"This is so.. ridiculous."
"The Ministry is ridiculous." Blaise corrected her "That and Hogwarts"
"Speaking of school.. I need to buy my supplies for the coming year" Alya mused
"Me too. We could go today, there won't be a lot of crowds this early. Somehow they all wait the last minute to go shopping and add the muggleborns visiting for the first day, Diagon Alley in late August is madness."
"I've never been to Diagon Alley" she whispered somewhat sadly.
"Never?" he asked surprised
"No, never. Uncle Lucius said it was too dangerous for me to be seen anywhere in Great Britain. So they always did my shopping for me. The few times I was allowed to go, it was in Paris only"
"That's.. stupid" he deadpanned, making her look at him with wide eyes
"A little glamour and no one would have recognized you" he said "Merlin if they made you blonde they could even pretend you were their own daughter!"
She blinked. Many times she had thought the same things, it would have been so easy for her to go out and mingle with the rest of their world then. But Lucius always dismissed it, saying that she was too young and didn't know what she was saying. That a glamour would do them no good.
The question then was: was she being too naïve and reckless or had he been too proud to admit he was wrong? Or maybe too strict in keeping her hidden?
"Go on, finish your breakfast" Blaise said "We're going to Diagon right after"
"Are you sure I shouldn't put on a glamour?" Alya asked clutching Blaise's foreharm in her hands
"I'm sure, Tesoro" 'darling' he reassured her "Britain is an hour behind Italy, so by the time we get there, the shops will just be opening. I can assure you that there's very few people around that early in the morning. I hate shopping with crowds, so I always do like this. Plus, it's not like you have a sign stuck on your forehead saying 'Dark Lord's daughter, beware!'" he said
She wanted to smile, recalling that she had screamed something exactly like that to her Uncle when he refused to take her to the World Cup along with everyone else.
"Alright, I trust you"
"Wonderful!" He cheered "Now, we need to floo to the Leaky Cauldron"
"Um, Blaise?" she interrupted him "I'm not very good with floo" she admitted
"How come?" usually pureblood children were taught how to use the floo connection from a very early age, so they would not make a spectacle of themselves in public
Alya shrugged "Not going out much, you know?"
He sighed. For all they cared and loved Alya, the Malfoys could be so stupid sometimes.
"Alright, we'll go together then" he decided "Just hold on tight to me and keep your eyes and mouth closed" he instructed, walking in the fireplace and placing her arms around his waist before hugging her to him.
Alya closed her eyes, tucking her face against the cool silk of his shirt, a light dusting of red gracing her cheeks. For his part, Blaise reveled in the chance to have her so close to him, he inhaled deeply, her sweet strawberry and vanilla smell filling his senses.
Throwing the powder in the flames he called for their destination, preparing himself to land. It was only thanks his good balance and strength that he managed to keep them both upright instead of barreling on the floor or against some table.
"Here we are" he announced "Come on the Alley is this way" he said guiding her to the back on the pub "Mind the trash"
"Eww" she shuddered at the overflowing rubbish bin stowed in the corner, edging closer to the older teen.
Once the bricks opened though, she was fascinated by the sight. For a moment she could imagine how muggleborns felt when entering their world for the first time.
"Picturesque right?" he asked "And wait until I show you the Italian magical alleys!"
"I honestly don't know where to look" she admitted "I wish I had five more pair of eyes"
Blaise let out a deep laugh "Don't worry, Tesoro. We have all the time to explore every nook and cranny." He promised with a smile.
Their first stop was the robe shop. Apparently Blaise had outgrown his school robes and needed new ones.
"Mr. Zabini! Good morning!" Madam Malkin greeted them "What can I do for you?"
"I need two sets of new robes" He said, adding quietly to Alya "No need to waste more money if I'm going to shot up like a weed again"
"Of course, of course" she said ushering him forward to take his measurements "And who is this pretty lady? Hogwarts too, deary? You look familiar, somehow. Are you related to .. let me see…"
"Mi scusi. Non parlo inglese" 'I'm sorry, I don't speak english' she said shooting a worried look to Blasie
"Madam Malkin, this is a friend of mine from Italy. I rather doubt that you've seen her or her relatives before" he said smiling.
"Oh? If you say so. I must be mistaken, so many people passing through and age must be catching up to me" the woman laughed "So, out for a date?"
Alya did her best to ignore the woman and not blush, busying herself with looking around the shop. Blaise laughed at her reaction, even though the shop keeper took it for a confirmation
"Such a cute couple you make" she cooed "Did you announce the engagement yet? Oh, maybe you are still courting! I remember when I was your age…"
As soon as Blaise was done paying, she pulled him out of the shop quickly, her face flaming red
"Crazy old gossipy woman" she muttered while the boy laughed amused
"Ow, come on! Is that the way to treat your boyfriend? I need that arm you know?" he asked trying to repress his chuckled
"Shut up!" she snapped "And you didn't even deny or correct her! You made her go on and on about it!"
"It was funny" he shrugged
"You mean it was funny to watch me slowly die of embarrassment" she grumbled stomping ahead of him
"Calm down, tigre" 'tiger'
Their next stop was for writing supplies. They both stocked up on parchment, quills and inks. Alya bought several diaries she used to fill with her notes too, a new carving kit for ancient runes and wards classes and lastly a planner otherwise she would be driven crazy from all the different lessons and sheer amount of work to do for her NEWTs.
Stopping at Flourish they combed through the shelves trying to find books among the clutter. Unfortunately Alya wasn't able to buy her course books, like always she had to wait until school began when the teachers would hand them out. In many countries the subjects they studied were banned or the books couldn't be found, so they had decided that all students would receive the materials together on the first day of the class, the cost included in the year fees.
It irritated her something fierce, being unable to read ahead on her work during the summer, but there was nothing she could do apart from trying to find additional books on her own to study. It usually worked, giving her a basic knowledge of the material, so she must be doing something right.
She rifled through Blaise's school books, wrinkling her nose
"I know, useless crap." He said quietly "It's mostly for show, I have my own things to study from"
"Good. You're too smart to be forced to study this little kids books" she said convinced making him laugh
"Wait until I tell you who's the new DADA teacher" he whispered "Dolores Umbrisge"
"Who? The pink toad that always follows Fudge like a lost puppy?"
"The very same." He nodded "look at the book she choose. Next she'll treat us like little kids and tell us that using a wand is too dangerous"
"You just jinxed it" she stated, making him blink and then curse in Italian.
Alya giggled, happy that she didn't have to deal with so much drama at the Academy, skipping towards the apothecary. Just like the books, they received prepared kits from their Master and were allowed to use school stores for the potions they made during lessons, but she liked to have her kit full and prepare every kind of potion she could need during the year. Pepper ups, bruise salves, pain relievings and nutrient potions were a must. The last one was to help her stay healthy.
She studied entirely too much, a lot of times what she ate wasn't enough to sustain her with all the energies she expended using magic and dueling, sometimes she had to admit that she was so taken by her assignments or studies that she just forgot to eat so she needed to make it up somehow.
Brewing her own potions meant that she would always have them on hand, without wasting time going to the hospital wing to ask for them, she just needed to show them to the Potion Master or resident Healer to approve of them and she would even get additional credits for them. It was a win win situation for her.
They stopped at Florean Fortescue for some ice cream once their shopping was all done. They decided to share a sundae, since she wasn't too hungry and he could easily finish the rest alone.
While sitting outside the shop, sharing their sweet treat, Alya couldn't stop her mind from recalling the words Madam Malkin said that morning. If this was a real date, she could easily say she would have enjoyed it. But it wasn't a date, though she almost wished otherwise.
It was difficult to understand the boy in front of her sometimes. He acted all flirty with her, making her think that he liked her, but it never went anywhere. She almost pouted at her own thoughts.
Why did boys have to be so difficult? Either he liked her or he didn't! He should make up his mind, she decided.
Laden with bags, metaphorically since they were all shrunk and safely tucked in Blaise's pockets, they decided it was time to go back home before the Alley go too crowded.
Just like earlier, she wrapped herself around him for the trip, a traitorous part of her brain imagining they were going back from a date and that maybe he would kiss her goodbye.
And.. wait for it... Cause there's a another chapter right after. A little special treat for Easter.
