(Green Pig:- this chapter's real short, well, the shortest so far. I thought it was about time to post this because I think you've waited long enough ^_^. Hey I've really got into doing that recently, making an ickle smiley face – I think it's cuz I.C. Fire does that all the time too – HER STORIES OF SNAPE ARE DA BOMB!!! You must read 'Purveyor of Poisons' and 'Natural Veritaserum', there's just so many kewl stories of hers you MUST READ!… anyhoo, enough advertising, I'm only doing that because she is my best friend and her stories are kewl.
I guess I shouldn't keep you waiting too long, please I think you'll like this chapter even more than the last two because Draco does go school shopping in Diagon alley and well, things just get a little funny ::sniggers:: okay so see ya later with chapter 4 later okeis? Please don't forget to review, I don't care if it's a flame I just really love to read reviews! ^_~ ß smiley face again hehe)
Disclaimer: This Harry Potter ain't mine okay? I just like to write stories of the characters for my own entertainment blah blah blah you know what I'm trying to say.
Chapter Three
Day out in Diagon alley
"Now we will get your new robes and the books that you need, then we'll wait for your mother and your sisters to meet us down Evisnep alley. You're not to wander anywhere Draco, Draco!" Draco stopped looking through the window of a women's robe shop and at all the giggling women inside, smirked, winked at them and turned away to follow his father looking most peeved.
"Yes sir."
"Don't act like that, I've told you before." Draco shrugged and sighed. "Right, I've had enough of that kind of behaviour from you!" Lucius spun round to his son with one wagging finger.
"Oh puh-lease. What can you do? Let's not make a scene now, father." Lucius fumed, Draco folded his arms and stared back conceitedly at his father. Eventually Lucius gave up and carried on down the alley, followed by Draco at a swaggering pace who occasionally stopped to grin at some well dressed girls showing off all of his perfect white teeth in the most dashing of smiles. Lucius rolled his eyes. Hopefully that's not really him, he never acted like this before. It must be something to do with Voldemort – what has he done to him? It was starting to really worry him now but what could he do out here in public?
"Draco, I would really appreciate it if you did not carry on like that." He said over his shoulder.
"Sorry." Lucius knew he didn't mean it.
"Well let's get your new robes."
"I don't need them, the ones I wore last year fit me perfectly well."
"Don't be ridiculous you can't wear those old things another year!"
"I can and I will, I'm going to spend my money on other worthier things." Lucius turned round to tell him that he couldn't but found that the boy had disappeared so quickly he had no chance of finding out which way he'd gone.
"Damn!" He cursed under his breath and disapparated to Diagon alley to start searching – the boy should not be left alone anymore.
"So where shall we go now?"
"I dunno, we done all our school shopping so let's go to the Leaky Cauldron and have a meal."
"I'm not hungry Ron…" Ron and Hermione stopped still in the alley and looked apologetically at Harry.
"Sorry, Harry." Hermione whispered gently taking his arm and hugging him. Harry didn't return the hug, he just smiled sadly and pushed his hands into his trouser pockets.
"Yeah, sorry mate." Ron patted him on the back. They all made an agreement at the end of their sixth year that they'd not mention ever again what had happened to Harry in their last year. Since their fourth year things had been growing worse around the wizarding world. A sighting here, there, someone dead somewhere else while the Ministry was investigating the sightings back over here. The Aurors were working hard and so was Dumbledore to prevent Voldemort's entry into Hogwarts or Hogsmeade, but his forces were growing stronger. All over the Daily Prophet on most mornings there would be reports of Vampire groups, Giants, ghouls, ghosts, all sorts of evil creatures moving from their native countries and slowly making their way to England, the Ministry were managing to hold them back so nothing could advance, reaching a rotten stalemate.
Charlie, Bill, Percy and Ron's own dad were not at home very often; they were at one end of the country one night and at the other the next night helping in the defence against Voldemort's great growing army. People were already saying that this time, Voldemort's new rule would be far worse than it had been over eighteen years ago before any of them were born, but still the Ministry said that that would never happen again and that anyone caught bringing everyone's hopes down would be fined a heavy toll if discovered. But they went to school, as if nothing was wrong, students just left or preparing to leave were already certain that as soon as they could they'd go to the front line and help protect the peace they'd kept for over sixteen years.
In their fourth year Harry had come face to face with Voldemort newly resurrected, nearly been killed, had his wrists slashed, witnessed the death of Cedric Diggory and came back to Hogwarts needing comfort only to discover that Mad-eye-Moody was really Barty Crouch Jr in disguise using the Polyjuice potion a nd about to deliver Harry directly back to Voldemort to be killed. Dumbledore had summoned Mungdungus Fletcher, a very strong warlock, to get in touch with all the animagus' around the world and be his spy around the countries as the Ministry at first refused to believe that Voldemort could possibly be back. Lupin returned to be the Defense against the Dark Arts teacher for two years, Snape had returned to Voldemort's ring to be a spy and pretend allegiance to the Dark Lord and Harry, Ron and Hermione stayed at school worrying. But no more so than Harry, who still had the odd nightmare about the night when Voldemort rose again.
Year five had been hard too, yet again Harry almost died, then in their sixth year Harry suffered the worst blow so far.
They didn't want to even remember anything of it.
"Let's just wander about a bit yeah?" Ron said.
"Yeah." They walked on in awkward silence down the alley towards the Leaky Cauldron anyway because they couldn't think of anywhere else to go.
"I know!" Hermione said aloud completely ruining the silence as if she'd taken a sledgehammer to a mirror. "We can go down Evisnep alley!"
"Where?" The two boys both said as unenthusiastically.
"Evisnep alley, it's pensive backwards, you know, meaning thoughtful, deep in thought."
"Like Dumbledore's Pensive?"
"Yes, it means the same thing Harry. But! That's what the alley's like, full of rich stuff - a place where you can just walk about and think for ages! Shopping! With lots of rich things in every window! Chocolate for a Galleon each or something! Rich stuff!" Ron shook his head at her.
"In case you haven't realised, but we are neither rich or have enough money to spend Galleons on one chocolate bar. Especially not me, I had to do with the robes from last year again this year."
"We don't have to have money, we can just wander around and look at it all…dream about what it would be like to have the money to buy it all."
"Where'd you find out about this alley? I've never heard of it before and I've been coming down here for over ten years now, with my mum when Fred and George started school."
"I read it at the tourist information board by the Leaky Cauldron, honestly you two never pay much attention to anything around you do you?"
"When did you read this?" Ron said incredulously.
"Only, only last week."
"So you never heard of it before have you? So you can't go calling us thick okay?"
"Fine, but are we going there or not?" Ron looked at Harry, who thought about it for a bit and shrugged his shoulders.
"Yeah, fine. Cool." They didn't move.
"Try and be a bit more… happy, Harry?" Hermione said.
"What? I am happy! Near enough as much as I can get are you happy? I'm fine! Let's just get going shall we?" He strode through between them and went on ahead.
"Er, Harry, you don't know which way to go!" He stopped, looked stupid and then let Hermione pass him leading through the alley back the way they came, past the cauldron shop, the apothecary, Eeylops Owl Emporium, shops full of strange telescopes and other weird stuff and onwards until they made it to Gringotts.
"Just through here." Hermione took them to a squat little building next to the towering white walls of the bank and they went through the doors that looked old at first but proved strong and new, into a well decorated square room with a large iron gate taking over a whole wall. The gate was shut and was the barrier between the house and the cleanly swept road on the other side that was as bright and cheery as Diagon alley was now. Well-dressed men and women strolled along browsing past the windows of the old high built shops in the distance. Harry, Ron and Hermione were impressed. The gate bars were so smooth and made up as a design of a fiery dragon standing on top of England's royal coat of arms. Above it was the words 'Evisnep alley' in loopy writing.
"Excuse me, please step away so I may pass through." It was an old lady with her grey hair tied tightly in a bun, she looked very Malfoy-ish. Harry, Ron and Hermione stepped back and she opened the gates herself and stepped out into the bright alley.
"Well let's go then!" Hermione went to the gate and pulled it back. "Well come on then!" She motioned them with her arms and they unsurely walked through.
It was indeed a posh area; they all suspected strongly that this was where the Malfoys must spend all their time off. Even the cobbles beneath their feet were neat and tidy like when they were built someone had taken special care to get each stone just right, every building along the wide alley, that was wider than Diagon alley by far, was tall and old in design like the place was still back in the Elizabethan times. Ron stopped a few spaces past the first building and turned back.
"Ron?" Hermione tried catching up with him but he ignored her and went on.
"This isn't somewhere someone like me should ever be, I'm not worthy!" He said rather dramatically and disappeared back through the gate.
"Ron? Oh well. Come on Harry, let's see what the robe shops are like down here." So she and Harry went on together and passed the old lady they'd briefly met back at the entrance, walking out of a robe shop with heavy bundles in her arms. Harry wondered whether he should have offered to help but the way that old woman looked at him made it clear that she didn't approve of 'their sorts' around here.
"Gosh they're so uppity round here. Hermione whispered after they'd passed three older gentlemen standing around just looking important and superior. They rolled their eyes and sneered at them.
"Hermione, I reckon Ron had a good idea back then, maybe we should just leave."
"I thought you were in Gryffindor! Gryffindor's are brave!"
"Yes we are, supposedly, but this looks like a Slytherin area and I don't think we're meant to be here at all." She stopped and shrugged.
"You're right… but I do so want to have a good look around! Won't you come with me?" She pleaded, Harry looked round at the standing crowds, all looking at them curiously out of the corner of their eyes. Old wizards with well trimmed beards and long elegant robes of many exquisite colours, younger women wearing flowing expensive robes of a slightly old but fashionable style and marvellous hair that swept over their shoulders finely. Harry thought one of them was quite attractive and he pondered on the possibilities until Hermione noticed his shy stare and turned his head back to her.
"Harry, please?"
"…… Hermione, we can't really stay. Maybe when we're older eh?" she suddenly jumped and smiled wide.
"Oh Harry! You've got money! Lots of it I know! You can come down here, you're rich enough!" The crowd around suddenly grew more curious and Harry shivered under their stares; he didn't like their eyes too much, so sneaky and calculating, just like Snape and Draco Malfoy, two of his worst enemies.
"Hermione, please don't mention that around here I'm embarrassed as much as it is." She pouted her lips.
"Oh well." Then she took the lead turning round and walking back the way they came.
"My, my, what are you two sorry losers doing down here?" A cold drawling voice sounded behind them just before reaching the gate. Draco stepped out from the shadows and Harry and Hermione both stepped back in surprise.
"We're just leaving, Malfoy." Hermione said in a loud clear voice.
"Just as well, I really don't think there's any point in you coming to Evisnep alley, not with your financial records." He sneered managing to slide his way between them and the gate without them noticing until he was there.
"If you think we should leave, why don't you move out of our way?" Harry said.
"I want to ask you some questions, Potter. Granger can answer a few too I suppose."
"We have names, though it's been this way for years now I don't suppose you're intelligent enough to remember them at all." Draco grinned and sighed.
"And here's me thinking we were friends."
"We'll never be friends Draco, and you know it. I'd rather marry Goyle." Draco laughed, but it was a slightly disturbing laugh Harry and Hermione thought, not high pitched or particularly off key one, just a low under-the-hand laugh where they saw every white tooth lined perfectly. Harry noticed something glint in his eye, but he explained it away for the usual way Draco looked.
"Really Granger, that's one of the funniest things I've heard you say!" He mused. She stormed forward, right hand raised.
"Do you want me to slap you again?!" Draco stopped laughing and looked up at her hand, then to her face that was inches away. He began to laugh again but louder this time and looser. Hermione struck, they all were silent.
Draco's head slowly turned back round to her and she stepped back flustered. Already there was a red mark on Draco's left cheek where Hermione had hit, his eyes narrowed and his whole body stiffened with anger.
"Serve's you right." She said. "Now excuse us please." She sniffed pushing him roughly to the side and leaving through the gate back into the little building. Harry was still standing in the same spot looking at Draco with nothing but pure hatred.
"Well go on then! Go with your girlfriend!" Draco snapped stamping up to him. "Are you too brain-dead Potter?! Harry?!" Harry made small thought-out movements and ignored Draco, walked forward and left with Hermione quietly without a backward glance. When they were gone Draco's hand went up to his cheek and he winced. The girl was getting stronger.
"That was good, more."
Draco nodded, putting the stinging pain out of his mind easily, and walked through the gate into Diagon alley. Outside the old building people rushed by with their shopping and paid him minor attention. He walked through the crowd until he could see the backs of Harry and Hermione's heads, with Ron who had joined them again to ask about what Evisnep alley was like. He got closer, then surprised them suddenly arriving in the middle of their circle of conversation.
"Sod off Malfoy." Ron hissed.
"Piss off yourself." Draco replied with a smirk.
"What do you want now? Can't you delight in anything else other than being a slimy little stuck-up snob?" Hermione returned. The verbal war had started again and Hermione had just counter-attacked Draco's gunfire with a bomb. Harry reached for his wand.
"Forget it, I don't want to bother myself with you three idiots much longer. I wanted to ask you some questions."
"Then ask and leave us alone." Hermione had had years of practice fighting Malfoy with words rather than fists like Ron did, Ron had actually been practicing fist fights at home in preparation for the yearly brawl with Malfoy, though neither Harry nor Hermione knew about it.
"First, what were you doing down Evisnep alley?"
"Having a wander, what's it to you?"
"But I noticed that Weasley was not with you, I wondered if you had fallen out? Would be such a shame after years of being friends, am I right?"
"You jealous Malfoy?" Ron was getting angry; his face was getting redder.
"Jealous? Of you three? Don't make me laugh."
"Then why are you here?"
"Pure curiosity Weasley, that's all. I just wanted to know why you two were friends still, I mean, If Hermione had done something like that I'd have been angry with her forever." Both Harry and Ron spun round to Hermione and looked questionable.
"Like what?" Ron asked cautiously. Draco's lips curled into a devious little grin. Then he walked away so quickly they couldn't catch up with him and immediately Hermione was the subject of their gazes.
"What Hermione? What was he talking about?" Ron exclaimed.
"Nothing! I haven't done anything! You can't believe anything he says, you know that!"
"Hermione."
"Ron, leave her alone!" Harry silenced them. "Draco's lying, you know that don't you?" Ron gaped like a fish.
"How can you tell? She could be hiding something from us!"
"Ron!" They both said shocked.
"Ron, you trust the words of Malfoy over me?" She said sadly. Ron peered down shamefully into her hazel eyes and softened.
"…Sorry Hermione." He hesitated briefly but bent his head and sweetly pecked her on the lips. "Forgive me?" He wooed.
"Sure." She returned the affection with a gentle kiss and with their fight resolved turned to Harry who shook his head smiling and they walked back together to the Leaky Cauldron to return home. Hermione going back through into London to find her parents and Harry following Ron to the Burrow where, he had to admit, was like his home since his second year, all laden down with their last ever Hogwarts school new year shopping.
Draco met up with his father at the entrance in Evisnep alley, after being told sternly how angry he had made Lucius they went through the gate to find his mother, Darklis and Cecelia hanging next to her each holding a bag with their new robes inside.
"Had a nice day angels?" Lucius said bending over slightly to speak to them. Cecelia smiled and nodded, Darklis smiled and shrugged.
"They don't seem to like the idea of wearing black, darling," Mrs Malfoy said. "They told me it was too dark."
"Cecelia, Darklis, now that you're going to school you have to wear school uniform and that means black robes." Lucius sweetly spoke.
"Well I don't like them." Darklis sniffed, Cecelia gasped and tried to look very happy with it all.
"Darklis, we've had this discussion many times before and I've always told you to be happy with everything you get. This is a matter I cannot control unfortunately so black is what you're going to wear whether you like it or not." She pouted her lips and narrowed her eyes but made no attempt to argue.
"I bought them some black gloves, to compensate on having to lose their white dresses and gloves. I think they're happy now." Narcissa whispered to her husband.
"Very well, let's return home then and prepare these two for school next week." The family walked off together to find a building that provided the Portkey service to all the rich in Evisnep alley.
(Green Pig:- Next chapter: 'Sinking and Sorting' and it's a LONG one… whew! I've yet to really grasp Chapter 5 yet and get writing it. Please, don't forget to review! ^_^)