She gazed around in awe and slight terror, as a glass case nearby held a withered hand on a cushion. Another held a bloodstained pack of cards and a staring glass eye. Evil-looking masks stared down from the walls, an assortment of human bones lay upon the counter. Rusty spiked instruments hung from the ceiling, and even worse, the dark, narrow street Lyla could see through the dusty shop window was not Diagon Alley.
The sooner she got out of there, the better. Nose still stinging where it had hit the hearth, Lyla stumbled forward towards the door, only to run headfirst into a tall sturdy someone. She staggered backward and fell, landing harshly on her leg.
"S-sorry," she said, trying to stand. "I'm sorry, I wasn't looking—"
"Lyla? Are you alright?" said a familiar voice above her. "What are you doing in a place like this?"
Blinking the stars from her eyes, she looked up and was surprised to find very familiar gray eyes gazing down at her.
It was Draco Malfoy, a fellow Slytherin, and friend. It appeared she'd run straight into him. As their gazes met, their eyes widened in recognition.
"Dr-Draco," she breathed. Blushing furiously at her clumsiness, she staggered once more to her unsteady feet. "It— it's so good to see you Draco! Aha, I—"
Someone snorted behind him and Lyla had to hold herself back at the sight of Pansy Parkinson, who looked down in cruel glee.
"Lyla, you look terrible," Draco began, holding out an arm to steady the redhead. "Just what—"
"Care to introduce your friend, my son?" interrupted a cold voice from behind her friend. Her gaze shifted and came to rest on a tall man just as pale as Draco, long blonde hair tied back neatly and chilled gray eyes gazing at her in silent calculation. Though she had never met the man, she had seen him only once before. His appearance had hardly changed.
"That's Lyla Potter, Mr. Malfoy," answered Pansy with a sneer, "one of the oh so famous Potter girls. Draco's a bit too friendly with her, aren't you, Draco?"
Draco scowled and Mr. Malfoy nodded.
"And what, Miss Potter, do you think you're doing inside Borgin and Burkes?"
"It-it was an accident," she stammered, feeling highly unnerved around the man. "I was trying to get to Diagon Alley but I— I must have—"
But Mr. Malfoy was no longer listening.
"Draco, stay outside with Miss Potter. It would not do to leave her here unaccompanied, and I have some rather important business to attend to. Miss Parkinson, if you would accompany me."
Pansy grinned delightedly as she swiftly followed the adult further into the dim store. Once making her way out onto the dim and dank street, Draco turned and gazed at his friend skeptical.
"Why didn't you or Arabella respond to any of my letters over the summer? You'd promised you would."
The question took her by surprise. Draco actually looked and sounded quite hurt.
"Oh! I— well, We've been having some issues with mail recently. We didn't get any letters from anyone over the summer."
"What do you mean?"
"Um, it's difficult to explain… I don't really understand it myself… What's Pansy doing with you and your father? I didn't— well, frankly, I didn't think you liked her much."
"That's because I don't," he said with a shake of his head, "but our families are close, and so I'm stuck with her trying to be best friends with father. But that's not important, what are you doing in Knockturn Alley? This is the last place I'd expect to see you."
Lyla could feel her lips quirk upwards but forced it down.
"I was using Floo powder," she explained, heat flushing to her cheeks. "I don't know— must not have said Diagon Alley correctly."
He smiled at that.
"Yeah, the Floo Network's like that sometimes. You have to really annunciate your words. Thank goodness you came out in one piece."
Catching sight of her startled expression, the gray-eyed boy only laughed harder.
"I'm only teasing," he grinned, leaning forward and brushing soot from her hair and shoulders. "The worst that can happen is exactly this. Don't worry, Diagon Alley isn't far from here. Is Arabella with you?"
"I hope she's with the Weasley's in Diagon Alley," she said with a small shrug. "I don't want to imagine where she could have ended up if that's not quite the case.
"Ah, so Weasley was being serious."
At her blank look, Draco only shrugged.
"He sent a letter claiming he was going to go to Previte Drive and get you himself. Didn't think he'd go through with it. How'd he manage it?"
As she finished explaining what had happened, the door was flung open and Mr. Malfoy stepped out. Pansy was right behind him, sneering as she met Lyla's gaze with her own.
"Come along now, children," said Mr. Malfoy in a soft but demanding voice. "To Diagon Alley, we go."
Pansy intertwined her and Draco's arms together before Lyla could even step forward, to which Draco bit his lip and marched forward with meeting his friend's curious gaze. This left her to stagger behind the two with Mr. Malfoy as company.
"So," he began as they passed a nasty window display of shrunken heads, "you are quite a curiosity in the wizarding world, my girl. Tell me, have you been able to integrate yourself comfortably considering your, excuse my bluntness, but your very plain Muggle upbringing?"
Two shabby-looking wizards were watching them from the shadow of a doorway, muttering to each other. Feeling jumpy, Lyla swallowed hard before replying.
"I think so," she said lightly. "Despite being raised by Muggle parents, I think Arabella and I do well enough."
"So, you truly do consider those Muggles your parents," mused the pale man thoughtfully. "How curious, how curious indeed… for a girl to be so famous yet not understand the reactions of such claims… hmmm…"
An old wooden street sign hanging over a shop selling poisonous candles told her she was in Knockturn Alley. How could she have confused Diagon Alley with Knockturn Alley?
Pansy was still hanging onto Draco's arm like a lifeline while shooting fervent glances behind her. The smugness about her only made Lyla want to hit her across the face.
Keeping small talk with Mr. Malfoy, Lyla was soon able to pick out landmarks familiar to her. Glancing around, she soon caught sight of very familiar bushy hair.
"Lyla! Lyla! Over here, Lyla!"
It was Hermione standing at the top of the white flight of steps to Gringotts. She ran down to meet them, her tangle of brown hair flying behind her. Without even saying a word, she flung herself over Lyla.
"I've just met with Arabella and she's frantic! Mr. and Mrs. Weasley are also so worried! Oh, hello, Draco! It's good to see you again— and Pansy— Are you coming into Gringotts?"
"As soon as I've found everyone else," said Lyla worriedly. "You don't suppose that—"
You won't be waiting long," said Mr. Malfoy with an upturned nose.
They all turned and looked around: Sprinting up the crowded streets was Arabella, followed quickly by Ron, Fred, George, Percy, and Mr. Weasley.
"Lyla," Mr. Weasley panted out wheezily, "we hoped you'd only gone one grate too far— " He mopped his glistening bald patch. "Molly's frantic— she's coming now—"
"Where did you come out?" Arabella asked furiously. "How dare you disappear on us like that! Honestly, Lyla, I was so—"
"Knockturn Alley," said Mr. Malfoy with a curl of his lip. "It was quite a shock when I stumbled across the poor girl. My word, Weasely, you should know better considering the multitude of children you've—"
Draco coughed very loudly at that moment, while Mr. Weasely flushed darkly.
"I'm okay," Lyla said quickly, crushing her sister into a tight hug before grinning at the Weasley boys.
"Excellent!" said Ron eagerly, clearly not having heard the statement Mr. Malfoy had said.
"We've never been allowed in," said Fred enviously.
Mrs. Weasley now came galloping into view, her handbag swinging wildly in one hand, Ginny just clinging onto the other.
"Oh, Lyla— oh, my dear— you could have been anywhere—" Gasping for breath, she pulled a large clothes brush out of her bag and began sweeping off the soot from her shoulders. Mr. Weasley patted her on her back and examined the bridge of her nose carefully.
"Not broken," he mused. "Perhaps when we return home Molly should make you some tea— it'll keep the swelling down."
"Well, we must thank you, Lucious," said Mrs. Weasley curtly, facing the tall man with a forced but kind smile. "Thank goodness you were there o find her— who knows what could have happened if she'd been by herself—"
"It all worked out in the end," said Draco loudly, shaking Pansy off his arm and grabbing for his father's arm. "We were happy to help, weren't we father?"
"Indeed," replied Mr. Malfoy coolly.
"It was really good to see you," Draco said with a bashful smile before tugging his father and Pansy away. "See you on the Hogwarts Express, alright?"
After the pale blonds had shifted away, Mrs. Weasley took Lyla's chin into her warm hands and tapped the girl's nose gently with her wand. Behind her, her husband looked extremely agitated.
"Did Lucius Malfoy buy anything?" he asked sharply.
"Um, I don't know, though he did seem to have business to attend to inside."
"So he's worried," said Mr. Weasley with grim satisfaction. "Oh, how I'd love to get Lucius Malfoy for something…"
"You be careful, Arthur," said Mrs. Weasley as they were bowed into the bank by a goblin at the door. "That family's trouble. Don't go biting off more than you can chew—"
"So you don't think I'm a match for Lucius Malfoy?" asked Mr. Weasley indignantly, but he was distracted almost at once by the sight of Hermione's parents, who were standing nervously at the counter that ran all along the great marble hall, waiting for Hermione to introduce them.
"But you're Muggles!" said Mr. Weasley delightedly. "We must have a drink! What's that you've got there? Oh, you're changing Muggle money to wizard's gold. Molly, look!" He pointed excitedly at the ten-pound notes in Mr. Granger's hand.
"Meet you back here," Ron muttered to Hermione as the Weasleys and Potters were led off to their underground vaults by another Gringotts goblin.
The vaults were reached using small, goblin-driven carts that sped along miniature train tracks through the bank's underground tunnels. Lyla enjoyed the breakneck journey down to the Weasleys' vault but felt dreadful, far worse than he had in Knockturn Alley when it was opened. There was a very small pile of silver Sickles inside and just one gold Galleon. Mrs. Weasley felt right into the corners before sweeping the whole lot into her bag. The sisters could only stare and steal glances at each other. Lyla felt her stomach drop miles downward when they reached the Potter vault and tried to block the contents from view as Arabella hastily shoved handfuls of coins into two separate leather bags.
Back outside on the marble steps, they all separated. Percy muttered vaguely about needing a set of new quills, while Fred and George had spotted their friend from Hogwarts, Lee Jordan. Mrs. Weasley and Ginny were going to a secondhand robe shop. Mr. Weasley was insisting on taking the Grangers off to the Leaky Cauldron for a drink.
"We'll all meet at Flourish and Blotts in an hour to buy your school books," said Mrs. Weasley, setting off with Ginny. "And not a single step down Knockturn Alley!"
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