Chapter 2: Diagon Discussion
After lunch, Augusta picked up a bowl of glittering powder by the fireplace. "We need to leave, Neville. The Weasleys and the Potters are expecting us in Diagon Alley."
"The Weasleys are going to be there?" Neville asked, picking up on this new scrap of information.
"Errol arrived while you were at the Potters to tell us they would be in Diagon Alley too. We're meeting them at Gringotts. You first, Neville, hurry up."
Neville stepped over to the fireplace, grabbing a fistful of the glittering powder. He threw the powder into the fire crackling in the fireplace. The flames turned emerald at once, shooting higher up into the air within. Neville stepped in. "Diagon Alley!" he shouted.
Neville spun rapidly in place within the flames and he closed his eyes. After several minutes, his rotation slowed and he threw out his arms to stop him from falling. He opened his eyes as he stepped out of the Leaky Cauldron's fireplace.
"Mr. Neville, welcome!" Tom the barman called from his position behind the bar, wiping down glasses. "Good to see you again!"
"Thanks." Neville turned pink as he stepped away from the fireplace as flames rose up again behind him. Augusta stepped out of the fireplace, brushing ash from her robes. "Ah, Tom, how are you?" she asked, bustling over to the bar to speak to Tom.
The flames in the fireplace rose again several more times as the Potters, Sirius, and the Weasley family arrived at the Leaky Cauldron.
"All right, Neville?" Harry grinned, greeting his friend.
"I'm all right, how about you, Harry?" Neville asked, grinning back.
"Mum, I want to get my new wand!" Marie piped up, tugging on Lily's robes.
"Calm down, Marie, we have plenty of time to get it. We need to get some money from Gringotts first." Lily pointed out.
The three families left through the back door to the alleyway behind the pub. A brick wall dead ended at across from the door, the secret entrance to Diagon Alley. James pulled out his wand and tapped the appropriate bricks, causing them to shift, widening until it left a large archway. The magical shopping lane wound into the distance and out of sight.
The three families hurried up the street, Lily having to chide Marie for pausing to look at things along the way. They filled their money bags and headed back out into the street.
Lily passed Autumn to James. "I should take Marie to Madam Malkin's for her robes. Would you take the boys to get their books?"
"Sure, we can do that." James nodded. "Boys day out, right?" He asked his youngest.
"Wan!" Autumn reached for his dad's wand, making James laugh, tucking his wand away.
"I'll take the girls to get the rest of the list if you want." Mrs. Weasley offered. "Arthur and I can handle it."
"Might as well split up to get it done quicker." Arthur nodded in agreement.
"Harry, Neville, Ron!" a voice called from behind them as they started to split ways, James and Sirius taking the boys toward Flourish and Blotts. Hermione, her parents, and a fair-skinned girl Marie's age caught up with them. "How are you?" Hermione panted, stopping in front of them.
"We're great how about you? Is this Callie?" Harry asked, smiling at the fair-haired girl.
"You must be Harry." Callie gave a smile, going pink in the cheeks.
"And you must be Hermione. I've heard so much about you." James smiled, extending his hand to shake.
Hermione beamed, turning pink as well. "I can't believe I am meeting James Potter. I've read so much about how you were integral to the anti-You-Know-Who movement back in the day."
It was James's turn to go a little pink. "You've done a lot of research then. Indeed, I helped Dumbledore fight You-Know-Who before his downfall twelve years ago."
"Do you want to come with us and get your things too? Mum went to get Marie her robes." Harry suggested.
Hermione looked back at her parents. "That would be lovely, they aren't great with Wizard money, honestly." She said quietly. "Have you noticed the signs on the windows?"
Neville looked around and saw for the first sign that many of the shop windows were plastered with a black-and-white picture of a gaunt greasy-haired man. "Who is that man?" He asked, going in for a closer look. He looked vaguely familiar.
"Severus Snape. We went to school together. He chose to become a Death Eater, a follower of Voldemort. Twelve years ago he was caught and sentenced to a life in Azkaban. No one knows how he escaped, no one's ever done it before." Sirius answered, giving the poster a disdainful look. "Biggest greasy git I ever met. Always struck me as a creep from the moment we met."
James shook head. "I agree with you, my furry friend." He led them into Flourish and Blotts. Ten minutes later, they came out of it with their arms full of books for the new school year.
"Daddy!" Marie cried, leading the women down the street to her father. "Look at my new wand!" She held up the box.
"What kind is it?" James asked, eyes lighting up at his daughter's excitement.
"Ten inches, cherry with a unicorn hair." Marie grinned. "It's better than Harry's right?"
"Of course it is, sweetheart." James smiled fondly at his daughter and then up at his wife. "Lily, would you help the kids with the rest of the shopping? I wanted to go look at Quality Quidditch Supplies a moment."
"It doesn't have anything to do with the Firebolt, does it?" Lily asked, in a disapproving tone.
"Firebolt?" Harry piped up, eyes alight with new information. "They came out with a new broom?"
"James Potter, he does not need a new broom. His Nimbus is working just fine. I forbid you from buying him a new broom until his Nimbus is unusable. Got it?" Lily warned James.
"Lil, he needs the best broom there is, he's Seeker!" James protested, while Neville coughed to hide a laugh.
"I mean it, James. No new broom." Lily said firmly, before turning as Mr. and Mrs. Weasley hurried up to them with the other kids. "Did you get everything?"
"I think so." Mrs. Weasley nodded.
"Unfortunately Mum caught us trying to use a Permanent Sticking Charm to stick Percy's Head Boy badge to his forehead." Fred muttered, annoyed.
"Serves you right, it would be terribly inconvenient for you if you were already in detention on the first day of school!" Percy replied haughtily. "Tempt me and I shall!"
"Git." George muttered under his breath, which made Hermione, Ginny, and Marie giggle.
The families returned to the Leaky Cauldron, burdened with their purchases. "Well, we'll see you on King's Cross on the first then." James smiled, giving Mrs. Weasley a hug and Mr. Weasley a pat on the back. "Have a safe trip home."
Neville returned home with Augusta right behind him. It wasn't until he thought over the conversation about Severus Snape, but he felt sure that James and Sirius were hiding something from him. For the first time all summer, Neville felt a deep sense of unease.