Elisabeth stared. Witches and wizards filled the street, surging in
and out of small shops and businesses. Owls swooped low over everyones
heads and cats and rats and other creatures slunk around ankles and legs.
Harry smiled as Elisabeth gripped his hand tighter. "We should head on down to Gringotts before we do anything else."
Everyone agreed and the walked over to a tall white marble building. "Ron." Elisabeth said worriedly, "What on earth is that?"
"A goblin, they run the bank. You don't need to worry about them."
"They only eat babies." Harry said.
"You two! Don't worry about the goblins at all. Just don't try to make conversation. They aren't the nicest of creatures." Lavender said kindly.
Elisabeth nodded and stepped into the bank. "I would like to make a withdrawl."
"And you are?"
"Harry Potter. I have my key right here." He handed a small key to the goblin who nodded and called for another goblin to take them to their vault. On the cart ride (which Elisabeth found rather exciting) her father explained the monetary system in the wizarding world.
"Key please." The goblin grunted. Harry handed the key to the goblin and he opened the door. Elisabeth gasped.
"Daddy! You're rich!" There were mounds of shiny gold galleons, piles of bright silver sickles and more tiny knuts then Elisabeth could see at one time. Harry shrugged.
"I inherited some of it, got some of it from the Ministry." He shrugged again. "I was going to give it al to the Weasley's when I left, they weren't always as well off as they are now but Arthur got the Ministry job and they probably wouldn't have taken it anyway." He gathered up some money and his wand. He then crouched in front of a chest and opened it. He moved sme things around and looked closely at others. He did not invite Elisabeth to look and she did not invite herself. He took something from the chest and stuck it in the pocket of the robes Ron had lent him and they climbed back into the cart.
They met the others in the lobby. "I suppose we should go meet Malfoy now."
Ron nodded and they left the building. Lavender and Hermione were discussing and article in a magazine Elisabeth had never heard of, Anna and Will were arguing about some stupid thing that they probably couldn't even remember anymore, Harry, Ron and Neville were talking and joking (Elisabeth wondered how her father could talk and joke so freely with someone who's wife he had just slept with) so she fell into step next to Moira and Daniel.
"Scared?" Daniel asked. He had pegged it but Elisabeth wasn't sure if she should tell them.
"A little?"
They smiled kindly, "Don't worry about it. The first time Anna came to Diagon she started crying and Auntie Hermione had to take her home."
"Well, I'm not that scared."
Daniel smiled, "I didn't figure so, but it would be okay if you were."
"Especially since the people here are so weird."
Elisabeth laughed. "I can't believe that I'm one of these people."
"I know how you feel. Our great-aunt Helen isn't magical and we went to visit her once. She made us go to this Muggle restaurant with her and Daniel and I barely said a word the entire time because we couldn't believe that people like those Muggles were in our blood. It was absolutely insane."
"Well if it isn't the famous Harry Potter, back from the dead I see."
"Nice to see you too, Malfoy."
The pale faced man smiled and extended his hand. Harry shook it all the while looking as though he completely distrusted the other man's intentions. "For chrisake Harry, I'm not going to jump at your throat."
"Sorry, I have a slight inability to trust somebody who killed his own father."
"If I hadn't you would've. Can we just put it behind us?"
"Right, sorry." They shook hands again, looking a little more relaxed.
"So this is Elisabeth?"
Harry nodded and glanced at his daughter.
"Hello Elisabeth. Since your father deigned to introduce us I'll do the honours." He glanced at Harry who rolled his eyes. "My name is Draco Malfoy, and this is my daughter Apacia." He gestured to a tall thin girl with long brown hair. Despite what Harry had said the girl was not ugly, with her grey eyes and tan skin. She smiled warmly and leaned forward to shake Elisabeths hand. Draco did the same and Elisabeth noticed something on his arm. It was a skull with a snake coming out of it's mouth but it wasn't a normal tatoo, it semed to pulse, as though branded there. Draco noticed her staring. "As much as we like to we cannot entirely outrun our pasts."
"Sorry-I didn't mean to-to stare I'm really sorry."
He shook his head, "Don't let it bother you. I've met adults who are more blatant about it."
He coughed and it sounded suspiciously like "Rita Skeeter" and fell into place next to Harry.
They were talking about Quidditch, it seemed Draco had been assigned as manager to the Wasps. "I just can't get away from you Malfoy."
"And it's always been my fondest wish to work alongside Harry Potter." Despite their constant teasing it was clear the two of them had nothing but the utmost respect for each other, they just didn't know how to show it in any other way.
"My dad has been scurrying around for the past two days trying to make sure that he'll look Impressive and Stately next to Harry Potter."
"Oh yeah, they really seem fond of each other."
"You'd be surprised, that's the way he talks to people he likes. You should see the way he talks to Pansy."
"Pansy?"
"My mum. Well, my biological mum. I live with Draco though. My dad was killed in the war and from what I know he wouldn't have been able to take care of me anyway. He couldn't even feed himself. Dad was prepared to be raising an illiterate squib."
Elisabeth laughed. "You appear to have received the better genes of your parents."
"What better genes?"
That was the way it went through most of the day, the steady banter and cheap shots at everyone including themselves. They went from shop to shop, buying school books and cauldrons, scales and parchment. Elisabeth got the desired owl altough her dad didn't go in with her. ("He was absolutely devastated when his owl died.") but Ron did and they picked out a beautiful eagle owl that Elisabeth named Penny.
"Last stop wands." Harry said. The two of them stepped into a tiny shop (Ollivanders Makers of Fine Wands Since 382 B.C.) where they were met by an incredibly old man with pale blue eyes.
"Mr Potter, I wondered when I would be seeing you again."
"That's odd, everyone else has been wondering IF they would see me again."
"Of course. And the young Miss Potter will be wanting a wand I suppose?"
"Yes. That would be why we're here."
"Dad!" Elisabeth whispered when he went into the back of the shop.
"Sorry, his eyes bug me. He stares at me and it's like they're going to jump out of the sockets and start dancing or something."
Elisabeth rolled her eyes. "Aren't you the one who taught me to always be polite?"
"Those guys bring out the worst in me."
"As we saw this morning." Elisabeth said without thinking.
Harry looked at her, eyes wide but before he could say anything Mr Ollivander returned with a wand.
"Try this one shall we? Dragon heartstring, willow. Very flexible."
Elisabeth waved it and instantly regretted pointing it in the direction of the flower vase.
"Perhaps not.what about this one? Phoenix feather ebony. Rigid, good for transfiguration."
Elisabeth waved it and immediately volunteered her services to help clean up.
Mr Ollivander shook his head and grabbed another box. After twenty minutes and a dozen wands they finally left with a match (phoenix feather, ceder, 10 inches.)
They returned to the Leaky Cauldron where they would be spending the days leading up to September 1st. Dinner was a noisy affair and Elisabeth enjoyed herself imensely.
"Okay, where is everyone sleeping?"
"I can share a room with Malfoy. The two boys can share a room, Elisabeth and Moira can share a room and Apacia and Anna can share a room."
It was agreed upon and everyone took their things to the room s they would be staying in. There was a knock on the door.
"Moira, can I talk to Elisabeth alone for a minute?"
Moira nodded and left them alone.
"Look, Lis, what happened with me and Hermione was stupid and we shouldn't have done it but we did. Hermione and Ron are very happy together and I'm honestly not sure why we did it. You're welcome to tell Ron but I think it would do more harm than good."
Elisabeth nodded curtly.
"Elisabeth, I'm not going to leave until you're finished being angry with me."
"Tell moira to go sleep in someone elses room then."
"Lis, you're being ridiculous. Completely ridiculous."
"Elisabeth the most important thing in the world is honesty. Hypocrite."
"Fine." He leaned out the door and called Ron in. "Ron, I slept with your wife last night."
Ron looked at him. "Oh. Umm.really. Well, thank you for telling me." He turned to leave.
"Wait!"
"For what?"
"It was an incredibly stupid thing to do and I'm really sorry and it'll never happen again. I just don't know what got into me."
"I forgive you."
"Really?"
"Absolutely. Just so happens I slept with your wife."
"What!?? How could you? How could she?"
"I don't know. You could ask her but she's kind of well-"
"Dead." They both said at once and burst out laughing.
"Good night Lisbet, see you in the morning." Both Harry and Ron gave her a kiss good-night and left the room laughing.
Moira came back in. "Moira?"
"Yes?"
"You know a lot more about these guys then I do. And I was hoping you can answer my question."
"Shoot."
"My dad just told Ron that he slept with Hermione, Ron said it was okay and he had slept with my mum. Am I the only one who thinks there's something wrong with that?"
"The six adults out there aren't exactly adults, if you haven't noticed. It's very much like Alice In Wonderland. Nothing is as it seems. They're mature enough to take care of us but they married and had children early, and they've still retained their childlike feelings about the marriages. Often, in teenage relationships affairs are forgiven and life moves on. These guys have not left a certain part of their lives behind and therefore have not left their immaturaties behind."
"You sound like a psychologist."
"I know. But the point is the acceptence of infidelity remains within the bounds of those six people, it's not a wizarding thing."
"Thank god."
Moira laughed and the two of them moved onto more important topics. Boys for example, and school.
Harry smiled as Elisabeth gripped his hand tighter. "We should head on down to Gringotts before we do anything else."
Everyone agreed and the walked over to a tall white marble building. "Ron." Elisabeth said worriedly, "What on earth is that?"
"A goblin, they run the bank. You don't need to worry about them."
"They only eat babies." Harry said.
"You two! Don't worry about the goblins at all. Just don't try to make conversation. They aren't the nicest of creatures." Lavender said kindly.
Elisabeth nodded and stepped into the bank. "I would like to make a withdrawl."
"And you are?"
"Harry Potter. I have my key right here." He handed a small key to the goblin who nodded and called for another goblin to take them to their vault. On the cart ride (which Elisabeth found rather exciting) her father explained the monetary system in the wizarding world.
"Key please." The goblin grunted. Harry handed the key to the goblin and he opened the door. Elisabeth gasped.
"Daddy! You're rich!" There were mounds of shiny gold galleons, piles of bright silver sickles and more tiny knuts then Elisabeth could see at one time. Harry shrugged.
"I inherited some of it, got some of it from the Ministry." He shrugged again. "I was going to give it al to the Weasley's when I left, they weren't always as well off as they are now but Arthur got the Ministry job and they probably wouldn't have taken it anyway." He gathered up some money and his wand. He then crouched in front of a chest and opened it. He moved sme things around and looked closely at others. He did not invite Elisabeth to look and she did not invite herself. He took something from the chest and stuck it in the pocket of the robes Ron had lent him and they climbed back into the cart.
They met the others in the lobby. "I suppose we should go meet Malfoy now."
Ron nodded and they left the building. Lavender and Hermione were discussing and article in a magazine Elisabeth had never heard of, Anna and Will were arguing about some stupid thing that they probably couldn't even remember anymore, Harry, Ron and Neville were talking and joking (Elisabeth wondered how her father could talk and joke so freely with someone who's wife he had just slept with) so she fell into step next to Moira and Daniel.
"Scared?" Daniel asked. He had pegged it but Elisabeth wasn't sure if she should tell them.
"A little?"
They smiled kindly, "Don't worry about it. The first time Anna came to Diagon she started crying and Auntie Hermione had to take her home."
"Well, I'm not that scared."
Daniel smiled, "I didn't figure so, but it would be okay if you were."
"Especially since the people here are so weird."
Elisabeth laughed. "I can't believe that I'm one of these people."
"I know how you feel. Our great-aunt Helen isn't magical and we went to visit her once. She made us go to this Muggle restaurant with her and Daniel and I barely said a word the entire time because we couldn't believe that people like those Muggles were in our blood. It was absolutely insane."
"Well if it isn't the famous Harry Potter, back from the dead I see."
"Nice to see you too, Malfoy."
The pale faced man smiled and extended his hand. Harry shook it all the while looking as though he completely distrusted the other man's intentions. "For chrisake Harry, I'm not going to jump at your throat."
"Sorry, I have a slight inability to trust somebody who killed his own father."
"If I hadn't you would've. Can we just put it behind us?"
"Right, sorry." They shook hands again, looking a little more relaxed.
"So this is Elisabeth?"
Harry nodded and glanced at his daughter.
"Hello Elisabeth. Since your father deigned to introduce us I'll do the honours." He glanced at Harry who rolled his eyes. "My name is Draco Malfoy, and this is my daughter Apacia." He gestured to a tall thin girl with long brown hair. Despite what Harry had said the girl was not ugly, with her grey eyes and tan skin. She smiled warmly and leaned forward to shake Elisabeths hand. Draco did the same and Elisabeth noticed something on his arm. It was a skull with a snake coming out of it's mouth but it wasn't a normal tatoo, it semed to pulse, as though branded there. Draco noticed her staring. "As much as we like to we cannot entirely outrun our pasts."
"Sorry-I didn't mean to-to stare I'm really sorry."
He shook his head, "Don't let it bother you. I've met adults who are more blatant about it."
He coughed and it sounded suspiciously like "Rita Skeeter" and fell into place next to Harry.
They were talking about Quidditch, it seemed Draco had been assigned as manager to the Wasps. "I just can't get away from you Malfoy."
"And it's always been my fondest wish to work alongside Harry Potter." Despite their constant teasing it was clear the two of them had nothing but the utmost respect for each other, they just didn't know how to show it in any other way.
"My dad has been scurrying around for the past two days trying to make sure that he'll look Impressive and Stately next to Harry Potter."
"Oh yeah, they really seem fond of each other."
"You'd be surprised, that's the way he talks to people he likes. You should see the way he talks to Pansy."
"Pansy?"
"My mum. Well, my biological mum. I live with Draco though. My dad was killed in the war and from what I know he wouldn't have been able to take care of me anyway. He couldn't even feed himself. Dad was prepared to be raising an illiterate squib."
Elisabeth laughed. "You appear to have received the better genes of your parents."
"What better genes?"
That was the way it went through most of the day, the steady banter and cheap shots at everyone including themselves. They went from shop to shop, buying school books and cauldrons, scales and parchment. Elisabeth got the desired owl altough her dad didn't go in with her. ("He was absolutely devastated when his owl died.") but Ron did and they picked out a beautiful eagle owl that Elisabeth named Penny.
"Last stop wands." Harry said. The two of them stepped into a tiny shop (Ollivanders Makers of Fine Wands Since 382 B.C.) where they were met by an incredibly old man with pale blue eyes.
"Mr Potter, I wondered when I would be seeing you again."
"That's odd, everyone else has been wondering IF they would see me again."
"Of course. And the young Miss Potter will be wanting a wand I suppose?"
"Yes. That would be why we're here."
"Dad!" Elisabeth whispered when he went into the back of the shop.
"Sorry, his eyes bug me. He stares at me and it's like they're going to jump out of the sockets and start dancing or something."
Elisabeth rolled her eyes. "Aren't you the one who taught me to always be polite?"
"Those guys bring out the worst in me."
"As we saw this morning." Elisabeth said without thinking.
Harry looked at her, eyes wide but before he could say anything Mr Ollivander returned with a wand.
"Try this one shall we? Dragon heartstring, willow. Very flexible."
Elisabeth waved it and instantly regretted pointing it in the direction of the flower vase.
"Perhaps not.what about this one? Phoenix feather ebony. Rigid, good for transfiguration."
Elisabeth waved it and immediately volunteered her services to help clean up.
Mr Ollivander shook his head and grabbed another box. After twenty minutes and a dozen wands they finally left with a match (phoenix feather, ceder, 10 inches.)
They returned to the Leaky Cauldron where they would be spending the days leading up to September 1st. Dinner was a noisy affair and Elisabeth enjoyed herself imensely.
"Okay, where is everyone sleeping?"
"I can share a room with Malfoy. The two boys can share a room, Elisabeth and Moira can share a room and Apacia and Anna can share a room."
It was agreed upon and everyone took their things to the room s they would be staying in. There was a knock on the door.
"Moira, can I talk to Elisabeth alone for a minute?"
Moira nodded and left them alone.
"Look, Lis, what happened with me and Hermione was stupid and we shouldn't have done it but we did. Hermione and Ron are very happy together and I'm honestly not sure why we did it. You're welcome to tell Ron but I think it would do more harm than good."
Elisabeth nodded curtly.
"Elisabeth, I'm not going to leave until you're finished being angry with me."
"Tell moira to go sleep in someone elses room then."
"Lis, you're being ridiculous. Completely ridiculous."
"Elisabeth the most important thing in the world is honesty. Hypocrite."
"Fine." He leaned out the door and called Ron in. "Ron, I slept with your wife last night."
Ron looked at him. "Oh. Umm.really. Well, thank you for telling me." He turned to leave.
"Wait!"
"For what?"
"It was an incredibly stupid thing to do and I'm really sorry and it'll never happen again. I just don't know what got into me."
"I forgive you."
"Really?"
"Absolutely. Just so happens I slept with your wife."
"What!?? How could you? How could she?"
"I don't know. You could ask her but she's kind of well-"
"Dead." They both said at once and burst out laughing.
"Good night Lisbet, see you in the morning." Both Harry and Ron gave her a kiss good-night and left the room laughing.
Moira came back in. "Moira?"
"Yes?"
"You know a lot more about these guys then I do. And I was hoping you can answer my question."
"Shoot."
"My dad just told Ron that he slept with Hermione, Ron said it was okay and he had slept with my mum. Am I the only one who thinks there's something wrong with that?"
"The six adults out there aren't exactly adults, if you haven't noticed. It's very much like Alice In Wonderland. Nothing is as it seems. They're mature enough to take care of us but they married and had children early, and they've still retained their childlike feelings about the marriages. Often, in teenage relationships affairs are forgiven and life moves on. These guys have not left a certain part of their lives behind and therefore have not left their immaturaties behind."
"You sound like a psychologist."
"I know. But the point is the acceptence of infidelity remains within the bounds of those six people, it's not a wizarding thing."
"Thank god."
Moira laughed and the two of them moved onto more important topics. Boys for example, and school.