Chapter 21: Diagon Alley

At 9 o'clock the following day, the children and a number of Order members gathered in front of the living room fireplace. It had been decided that for security reasons they would go as two separate groups. The Blacks, Harry and Hermione would travel with Tonks and Remus as their guards while Moody and Kingsley accompanied the Weasleys.

Lissa and Ben watched carefully as Remus took a pinch of glittering powder out of a small box, threw the powder into the flames, yelled, 'Diagon Alley!' and vanished.

Harry went next, after what seemed like an eternity of spinning he arrived in the stone fireplace of the Leaky Cauldron, falling face forward onto the stone floor. He got gingerly to his feet, praying the pub was empty; to his great relief, only Remus had witnessed his less than graceful exit and was politely pretending not to have noticed.

Hermione, Lissa and Tonks soon joined them; Remus had to grab Tonks by the shoulders to keep her on her feet as she almost stumbled into a table upon her arrival. Sirius (disguised as a nondescript blonde) and Emily followed with Ben and Laura.

Lissa glanced around at the dark and shabby interior of the pub. 'Didn't you say this was a famous place, Harry?' she whispered. 'It seems deserted.'

'It is famous,' Remus explained, 'but these are dangerous times, few people are willing to venture far away from their homes.'

'I thought no one believed that Voldemort had returned,' Harry said, confused.

Tonks grimaced. 'Well, no they don't, but there have been suspicious attacks. The Ministry is blaming rogue Death Eaters. We'd better get a move on, Mad-Eye would have my head if he knew we had remained in one place for more than twenty seconds. 'Constant vigilance' and all that.'

Everyone who had meet the paranoid ex-auror grinned as they followed Tonks through the bar and out into a small, walled courtyard, where there was nothing but a trashcan and a few weeds. They waited as she tapped a brick three times with her wand. The brick she had touched quivered — it wriggled — in the middle, a small hole appeared — it grew wider and wider — a second later they were facing a huge archway that opened onto a cobbled street that twisted and turned out of sight.

'Welcome to Diagon Alley,' Tonks announced dramatically, almost hitting Remus on the nose when she waved her hand theatrically.

As they stepped through the archway, Harry and Hermione grinned at the astonishment on the younger kids' faces, remembering their own first glimpse of the busy Wizarding street. Lissa and Ben were looking around at everything with wide eyes, their heads moving so fast they were in danger of obtaining severe whiplash. Their eyes nearly popped out of their skulls when they entered Gringotts and read the ominous warning written on the door.

'Of finding more than treasure there…' Ben gulped. 'What exactly does that mean?'

'Some things are best left unsaid,' Tonks replied delicately.

'Know from experience, do you?' Sirius asked shrewdly, ignoring Remus' warning glare.

Tonks blushed scarlet. 'It was an accident! I didn't mean to trip over and knock the doors open. Mad-Eye managed to smooth things over in the end. He told them we were there on business to check the strength of their protective spells.'

Sirius grimaced. 'I bet that went down well. The goblins hate to have their security questioned.'

'Yeah… they were a bit mad… you know, maybe I should stay outside… for extra security.'

'Extra security?' Sirius sniggered. 'You mean you're afraid they'll see you and arrest you on sight?'

'The extra security couldn't hurt,' Remus cut in, silencing Sirius' teasing.

Emily nodded. 'I agree. Why don't you and Tonks stand guard outside? Come on, Sirius.' She grabbed her husband by the sleeve and dragged him through the front doors; the kids followed, the girls trying not to smile at Emily's obvious effort to get Remus and Tonks alone.

A goblin was assigned to show them to the vaults. Emily stopped short as she remembered Sirius had concealment charms on him; they would set off the alarms if he went down to the vaults. Thinking quickly, she suggested to Sirius that he stay in the lobby with Laura, whom she insisted was too young for 'those foolhardy carts'.

Once they had retrieved the necessary amount of gold Galleons, silver Sickles and bronze Knuts, they stood blinking in the sunlight outside Gringotts. Ben had loved the wild cart ride but Lissa was looking a bit green, still clutching tight to Emily's arm. They set off down the winding street and visited several shops such as Madam Malkin's and the Apothecary. Hermione and Lissa kept them in Flourish and Blotts for almost an hour; apparently they had exhausted the Black library (or at least the books that Sirius hadn't burnt immediately because of the horrific Dark magic they covered).

They had just reached the Magical Menagerie when they noticed a tall man with sleek blond hair and a pointed, pale face striding out of the neighbouring shop. His cold grey eyes narrowed and fixed upon Harry's face.

'Well, well, well… Potter has finally scraped together enough courage to walk the streets again,' said Lucius Malfoy coolly.

Harry felt winded, as though he had just walked into something solid. He had last seen those cold grey eyes through slits in a Death Eaters hood, and last heard that man's voice sneering at him at the orphanage while sending a barrage of curses at him and his family. On top of that, he still remembered the man jeering in a dark graveyard while Lord Voldemort tortured him. Sirius seemed to understand Harry's discomfort because he nudged him toward the Menagerie. Malfoy was not to be put off that easily.

'You managed yet another lucky escape and lived to tell, Potter. Quite astonishing, the way you continue to wriggle out of very tight holes… snakelike, in fact.' His gaze switched to Lissa's face, flickering between her and Ben. 'Ah, here are the brats you were unable to defend… how's your leg?' he asked Lissa nastily.

Harry couldn't do more than glare at the man before he and the other kids were shepherded into the shop by Sirius and Emily. Through the large window he saw Lucius fling a few words at Remus before stalking off. By the time they exited the Magical Menagerie with Lissa clinging to her new owl's cage, it was almost midday. Their final stop was Ollivanders; Lissa was skipping with every alternate step in her excitement, chattering excitedly with Hermione and Remus about the different properties of wand cores.

Remus, Tonks and Hermione elected to remain outside, as the small shop was only large enough for a few people at a time. A tinkling bell rang somewhere in the depths of the shop as the Blacks and Harry stepped inside. Lissa immediately stopped skipping; it seemed that she, just like Harry had, considered this a place where one needed to be quiet. Harry managed not to jump when the sudden 'Good morning' came from the shadows of the many shelves, but it was a near thing.

Mr. Ollivander walked forward, his pale, unblinking eyes glittering like moons in the dimly lit shop. Lissa unconsciously moved closer to Sirius.

'Good morning, sir. How have you been? It's been years since I was last here,' Emily spoke up politely.

'Not too bad, my dear. I must say I am pleased you and Mr. Potter have been reunited. I daresay Mr. Black is thrilled to have his family back.' He nodded toward the disguised figure that was Sirius.

Harry moved in front of his godfather, grasping his wand still in his pocket.

'No need for that, Mr Potter,' the old man said in his wavering voice. 'I have no intention of handing an innocent man over to the Ministry.'

'What?'

'I remember every wand I've ever sold, Mr. Black, every wand – and every buyer. The young lad who walked into my shop all those years ago witih James Potter was not capable of the evil for which he was later accused. Fool boy almost killed me after I threatened to jinx Mr. Potter's fingers together for drawing in the dust of my store. Rest assured you are safe here.' Ollivander turned his silvery eyes onto Harry. 'Your loyalty to your godfather is commendable, Mr Potter. Don't lose that quality, I'm afraid times are approaching where it will be of the essence – You, lad!' Ollivander rasped at Ben, who had been about to draw in the dust himself, 'keep your fingers to yourself.' Ben edged back toward Emily and Sirius, trying and failing to look innocent.

Harry exchanged a nervous look with Emily and Sirius just as the man noticed Lissa. 'Ah, Miss Emerson, it is a pleasure to meet you… oh my, yes… if you could hold out your wand arm… good.'

Lissa tried not to stare at the odd man as he measured her from shoulder to finger, then wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit and round her head. The tape measure suddenly crumpled into a heap on the floor as he flitted through the shelves pulling out box after box. The others looked on in interest as the girl picked up ten wands in turn, only to have them snatched away almost immediately by Ollivander. On the eleventh wand however, a stream of red and gold sparks shot from the end and illuminated the dreary shop like a flash of lightening. Harry was rather shocked when a string of sparks circled him, giving him a warm and powerful feeling, before doing a loop around Ben, then Lissa, before disappearing into nothing.

'Oh bravo! Yes, marvelous, my dear,' Ollivander cried happily. With a flick of his own wand he sent the other wands zooming back to their shelves. 'Maple and phoenix feather. Ten and a quarter inches long, nice and flexible… Yes, yes, I should have known! Dear me, yes.'

He looked between Harry and Lissa proudly, gazing at them so long that Emily felt the need to clear her throat pointedly.

'Oh, so sorry, my dear… I forgot myself for a moment…' He beamed at the children. 'They share a bond, am I correct? Yes, yes, I thought so, both their wands share the phoenix core - not from the same bird though… it's quite apparent these two will go far… the young Mr Black as well, I shall look forward to seeing him again next year to find his wand.' He suddenly turned serious. 'Don't underestimate what you three are capable of when together… remember that, won't you… work together, not against and you will achieve great and honourable things.'

Harry was relieved when they paid seven gold Galleons for Lissa's wand and joined the others outside. He didn't relax completely until they got back to Grimmauld Place. The Weasleys had returned an hour before them; Molly was waiting in the living room.

She gave a sigh of relief when the last person had come through the fireplace. 'Oh, good, you're back. Dumbledore left a message for Sirius and Emily.'

Emily shook the soot off her robes and gently dusted Laura's clothes. 'Really? What is it?'

'He wants to talk to you. He should be here any minute.'

Sirius removed his disguise with a wave of his wand. 'What about?' he asked, shaking back his long mane of black hair.

'He didn't say, but he wanted the three older kids present for the discussion.'

Emily and Sirius exchanged a glance. Everyone jumped as the persistent mooing of a cow split the silence.

Several moments later, Dumbledore strode into the room. 'I see someone has put their Charms skills to good use. Very amusing.' His eyes twinkled merrily.

'Thanks,' Emily said, not a trace of embarrassment on her face.

'Well, we'll leave you to talk,' Mrs Weasley said as she shooed Remus, Tonks and Hermione into the corridor.

Everyone followed Emily's lead in making themselves comfortable on the couches.

Dumbledore got straight to the point. 'It's only a matter of time before Voldemort discovers that Harry has forged a bond with Lissa and Ben. I feel it would be prudent if they all received training.'

There was a brief pause. 'What kind of training?' Harry asked curiously.

'I'm sure you have all noticed that you can provide aid to each other when you are in close proximity. However, I believe it would be a good idea if the bond could be strengthened even more, to the point where you can communicate over greater distances.'

Sirius nodded thoughtfully. 'So if one was captured or in danger, the others could help us find him?'

'Yes, that is one of the advantages. They will also be trained in stealth and defense strategies so they would have a higher chance of avoiding capture in the first place.'

Emily tilted her head. 'Where would the training take place?'

'Hogwarts,' Dumbledore answered. 'They'll have a lesson once a week. Ben would need to be brought to the castle, of course.' He paused for a moment, as if deciding how to best phrase his next sentence. 'I feel it would be best if this were done in utmost secrecy, we must be careful with whom we trust, even at Hogwarts.'