Chapter Three
"Where should we go now?" Angelina asked as soon as she and Georgie were done with their robe fittings and were headed out of Madam Malkin's shop. "I think I'd fancy some ice cream!" Georgie cried. "You two go on without me," Angelina's mother said. "I'm going to be late for that meeting at the ministry if I don't leave now!" she gave Angelina the rest of her shopping money, kissed her on the forehead and then apparated into thin air. "Well that was fast," Angelina said, holding the sickles and knuts in her outstretched palm. "Well now that Chuckles is gone I suppose we can do whatever we'd like!" Georgie said happily, and she bounded off down the street, leaving Angelina to hurry after her. "But what about the ice cream?" Angelina cried. Georgie threw back her head and gave a thick laugh. "Oh really! I never wanted ice cream, silly!" "Then where ARE we going?" Angelina asked. She flinched as she stubbed her toe on a crevice in the street. In fact she was so overcome by the pain at her foot that she didn't notice Georgie stopping suddenly, and she ran right into her. "Ouch! Blimey! Would you watch where you're going for once?" Georgie cried. "Sorry," Angelina said, grinning sheepishly. "But why on earth have you stopped?" Georgie grinned, and pointed forth at a blood-encrusted sign that hung gingerly from the corner of a shabby old building. "Knock Turn Alley," Georgie said, grinning in a sly way that always suggested she was up to no good. "And.what about Knock Turn Alley?" Angelina asked, her voice sounding slightly worried. "Have you never been curious about what kind of shops they have down there?" Georgie asked, putting her hands on her hips like a stern mother. "I mean, think of all the wicked curses we could find there!" "I'm just worried about all the 'wicked' curses that could find us first!" Angelina said, peeking over Georgie's shoulder at the dark alley beyond. "Oh get over yourself you wimp!" Georgie cried, and before Angelina could argue Georgie grabbed her hand and lead her onward, into the shadows and dim lights of Knock Turn Alley. Neither Angelina nor Georgie had ever been down Knock Turn Alley-in fact they'd never even been passed the old shabby building with the sign posted to it. But now, as they walked down the cobble stone street, wide-eyed and nervous, they realized this was really no place for two teenage girls. There were lots of dark shops that lined the street, each with a shortage of light. Some of the shops weren't lighted at all, causing Angelina to wonder how anyone could see the merchandise. Black candles hung from tattered brackets up and down the shabby alleyway, though very few of them were even lit. The people who mingled in the street were no more suspicious then the shops Angelina and Georgie passed. A lot of the people mumbled as they limped by, others even came up and grabbed you by the arm when you were least expecting. There was one witch at the corner of the street who screamed at people as they walked by, Georgie was nearly surprised out of her skin when she and Angelina had turned the corner and the woman had shrieked, "I KNEW YOU'D COME BACK YOU LIAR! YOU FILTHY LITTLE LIAR!!! YOU'LL PAY! THE DARK LORD WILL FIND YOU! HE'LL MAKE SURE YOU PAY!" "See Georgie," Angelina whispered. "This place is creepy, let's get out of here before something really terrible happens!" "Oh, come off it," Georgie replied. "Just let me look around a little more, then we'll be off." Before Angelina could say anything more Georgie turned towards a shop and cried, "Ooh! Look at these shrunken heads! Aren't they just a laugh?" "No," Angelina replied shortly. "Oh, come on, let's have a look see!" Georgie started into the grubby little shop, Angelina closely following her as she didn't want to be left out on the street by herself. The shop was almost completely dark, save for a few small candles here and there that cast an eerie green glow over small portions of the room. The dark shop smelled of musk and decay, accompanied by a strange scent that reminded Angelina of strong perfume as it tickled her nose. The walls of the store were lined with rows and rows of shelves, covered in odd objects, many neither Angelina nor Georgie had ever seen before, most they had never wished to see. Off at the back of the room was an old counter with a single silver bell atop it; from what Angelina could see there was no shop owner or cashier in sight-not that she wanted to see one. In the center of the room was a large display table, protected beneath dusty glass that had been cracked and chipped in a few places. Beneath the glass was a number of weird items that Georgie marveled at. "Look at that!" she cried, pointing to an odd sort of mask. Angelina walked over to Georgie and looked at the little white tag set neatly beside the mask. "'The Maské of Imséledriana'," Angelina read. "'This mask once belonged to an ancient pharos's clairvoyant, Imséledriana. But Imséledriana was power mad and her ability to see the future drove her to insanity. So she killed the pharos and his daughter and placed a curse on the entire oasis she lived in; including the people, the land, and the mask. But the entire oasis was sucked beneath the earth's surface by the Goddess Isis, leaving not but the mask, which has cursed many lone explorers for centuries." "What a silly load of rubbish!" Georgie cried, laughing, and breaking the eerie silence that had filled the room. "The oasis was 'sucked' under the ground!? Yeah right!" Angelina shrugged. "Who knows, I mean, if magic exists then why can't Egyptian gods?" "Oh please, don't tell me you believe this load of crap!" Georgie cried, but she didn't wait around for an answer and she moved towards the next item beneath the glass. "Ooh! Look at that severed hand!" She squealed, pointing at a hand set on a golden platter. "It's disgusting!" Angelina cried, wrinkling her nose. "And look at that ring!" Georgie cried, gesturing towards a ruby encrusted ring set beside the severed hand. "I bet that ring looks much more exuberant when it's not locked behind this dirty glass!" "What? Are you thinking of buying that thing?" Angelina asked. Georgie shook her head. "No, no, no, of coarse not! I wouldn't buy anything from one of these shops! It'll probably kill me in my snooze!" Angelina laughed. "Oh now look who's scared!" she chuckled. "May I help you?" Angelina and Georgie nearly screamed at the shock of the oily voice that had abruptly sounded right behind them. They both spun around to find a short balding man with jagged teeth and a curved back standing right behind them, staring up at them with electric blue eyes that made shivers run up your spine. "Ummmma-ummmm," was all Georgie seemed able to say. "Erm.no thank you," Angelina replied, trying to cover up for her friend's rudeness. "We're just-uh-looking around." The balding man gave a little nod of his head. "Well feel free to call me if you need anything," he said in his oily voice. Then he departed, returning to the counter he'd been sitting behind the whole time-hidden from the girl's view. Georgie tried to suppress her giggles as she leaned into Angelina's arm and whispered, "I cannot believe he was there ALL that time!" Angelina smiled, she too tried to hold back laughter; how embarrassing. They moved around the display, now trying to seem like polite shoppers. "Ooh, look at that," Angelina would frequently say. "Oh, that's awesome!" Georgie would reply, in an over-enthusiastic voice. Angelina was getting really tired of acting like a fake, and was guiding Georgie towards the door, when it suddenly opened and in walked a blonde boy who looked very bored. Angelina immediately recognized this boy as the cruel Slytherin who had devoted all his time at school to "dethroning" Harry. It was Draco Malfoy, the pure blooded wizard who had always tormented Hermionie for being "half- blooded". Draco had always been the main harassment for Harry and his friends at Hogwarts, but he had never seemed to notice Angelina. And in return Angelina had never paid much attention to him; he didn't bother her, and so she never bothered him. Of coarse she hated him, but this was only because her friends hated him, and because she'd seen him sneer at Hermionie and Ron. Georgie had only been bullied by Draco once, but that had been in their second year when Georgie had stood up for Hagrid, saying he wasn't the Heir of Slytherin-and Draco and his goons Crabbe and Goyle always made sure to bully anyone who befriended the half giant. Now Draco paused and stared at Angelina and Georgie, as if trying to remember if he'd ever seen them before. Then he his lips curled into a kind of triumphant sneer. "Aw yes, if it isn't Georgia the giant oaf's friend," he said in a deep drawl. Georgie's eyes narrowed, and her brow furrowed; not only did she hate it when anyone called Hagrid an oaf but she also despised being called by her original name, Georgia. From the corner of her eye, Angelina saw Georgie's hands curl into tight fists, and her shoulders rise, indicating she was getting very mad. Draco raised his eyebrows at Georgie and grinned maliciously, then his eyes fell on Angelina. He looked her over for a moment then said in a single tone's difference, "And who are you? Another one of Harry Potter's Mudblood friends?" Angelina couldn't believe him! Calling someone a Mudblood in the wizarding world was extremely rude and wasn't something you heard often in the more public areas and alleys. The man behind the counter seemed to jump at the word 'Mudblood' and then stared at Angelina with narrowed eyes, waiting for her response. "She is not a Mudblood!" Georgie cried. "She's a pure blood, thank you very much! Now if you'll excuse us we have more important places to be than in your unwanted company!" Georgie grabbed Angelina's hand and pulled her toward the door. Angelina stared at Draco as she passed, she couldn't believe she was thinking it but she realized with a start that Draco was not half bad looking. His light blue gaze was rather charming and his crooked smile as he stared back at her made a whole flurry of butterflies explode in her stomach. In fact she wasn't sure she wanted to leave Draco's presence, but Georgie had a strong grip for such a small person and she was determined on walking out the door. There was no saying no. Georgie and Angelina hurried down the street, rushing passed all the queer people looming out at them in a surprising fashion. Soon they were emerging into the bright, sunlit streets of Diagon Alley, back into the crowds and sweet smelling fumes coming from booths lining the side of the alleyway. Back where they were safe, protected, and wanted. Back where they belonged.
"Where should we go now?" Angelina asked as soon as she and Georgie were done with their robe fittings and were headed out of Madam Malkin's shop. "I think I'd fancy some ice cream!" Georgie cried. "You two go on without me," Angelina's mother said. "I'm going to be late for that meeting at the ministry if I don't leave now!" she gave Angelina the rest of her shopping money, kissed her on the forehead and then apparated into thin air. "Well that was fast," Angelina said, holding the sickles and knuts in her outstretched palm. "Well now that Chuckles is gone I suppose we can do whatever we'd like!" Georgie said happily, and she bounded off down the street, leaving Angelina to hurry after her. "But what about the ice cream?" Angelina cried. Georgie threw back her head and gave a thick laugh. "Oh really! I never wanted ice cream, silly!" "Then where ARE we going?" Angelina asked. She flinched as she stubbed her toe on a crevice in the street. In fact she was so overcome by the pain at her foot that she didn't notice Georgie stopping suddenly, and she ran right into her. "Ouch! Blimey! Would you watch where you're going for once?" Georgie cried. "Sorry," Angelina said, grinning sheepishly. "But why on earth have you stopped?" Georgie grinned, and pointed forth at a blood-encrusted sign that hung gingerly from the corner of a shabby old building. "Knock Turn Alley," Georgie said, grinning in a sly way that always suggested she was up to no good. "And.what about Knock Turn Alley?" Angelina asked, her voice sounding slightly worried. "Have you never been curious about what kind of shops they have down there?" Georgie asked, putting her hands on her hips like a stern mother. "I mean, think of all the wicked curses we could find there!" "I'm just worried about all the 'wicked' curses that could find us first!" Angelina said, peeking over Georgie's shoulder at the dark alley beyond. "Oh get over yourself you wimp!" Georgie cried, and before Angelina could argue Georgie grabbed her hand and lead her onward, into the shadows and dim lights of Knock Turn Alley. Neither Angelina nor Georgie had ever been down Knock Turn Alley-in fact they'd never even been passed the old shabby building with the sign posted to it. But now, as they walked down the cobble stone street, wide-eyed and nervous, they realized this was really no place for two teenage girls. There were lots of dark shops that lined the street, each with a shortage of light. Some of the shops weren't lighted at all, causing Angelina to wonder how anyone could see the merchandise. Black candles hung from tattered brackets up and down the shabby alleyway, though very few of them were even lit. The people who mingled in the street were no more suspicious then the shops Angelina and Georgie passed. A lot of the people mumbled as they limped by, others even came up and grabbed you by the arm when you were least expecting. There was one witch at the corner of the street who screamed at people as they walked by, Georgie was nearly surprised out of her skin when she and Angelina had turned the corner and the woman had shrieked, "I KNEW YOU'D COME BACK YOU LIAR! YOU FILTHY LITTLE LIAR!!! YOU'LL PAY! THE DARK LORD WILL FIND YOU! HE'LL MAKE SURE YOU PAY!" "See Georgie," Angelina whispered. "This place is creepy, let's get out of here before something really terrible happens!" "Oh, come off it," Georgie replied. "Just let me look around a little more, then we'll be off." Before Angelina could say anything more Georgie turned towards a shop and cried, "Ooh! Look at these shrunken heads! Aren't they just a laugh?" "No," Angelina replied shortly. "Oh, come on, let's have a look see!" Georgie started into the grubby little shop, Angelina closely following her as she didn't want to be left out on the street by herself. The shop was almost completely dark, save for a few small candles here and there that cast an eerie green glow over small portions of the room. The dark shop smelled of musk and decay, accompanied by a strange scent that reminded Angelina of strong perfume as it tickled her nose. The walls of the store were lined with rows and rows of shelves, covered in odd objects, many neither Angelina nor Georgie had ever seen before, most they had never wished to see. Off at the back of the room was an old counter with a single silver bell atop it; from what Angelina could see there was no shop owner or cashier in sight-not that she wanted to see one. In the center of the room was a large display table, protected beneath dusty glass that had been cracked and chipped in a few places. Beneath the glass was a number of weird items that Georgie marveled at. "Look at that!" she cried, pointing to an odd sort of mask. Angelina walked over to Georgie and looked at the little white tag set neatly beside the mask. "'The Maské of Imséledriana'," Angelina read. "'This mask once belonged to an ancient pharos's clairvoyant, Imséledriana. But Imséledriana was power mad and her ability to see the future drove her to insanity. So she killed the pharos and his daughter and placed a curse on the entire oasis she lived in; including the people, the land, and the mask. But the entire oasis was sucked beneath the earth's surface by the Goddess Isis, leaving not but the mask, which has cursed many lone explorers for centuries." "What a silly load of rubbish!" Georgie cried, laughing, and breaking the eerie silence that had filled the room. "The oasis was 'sucked' under the ground!? Yeah right!" Angelina shrugged. "Who knows, I mean, if magic exists then why can't Egyptian gods?" "Oh please, don't tell me you believe this load of crap!" Georgie cried, but she didn't wait around for an answer and she moved towards the next item beneath the glass. "Ooh! Look at that severed hand!" She squealed, pointing at a hand set on a golden platter. "It's disgusting!" Angelina cried, wrinkling her nose. "And look at that ring!" Georgie cried, gesturing towards a ruby encrusted ring set beside the severed hand. "I bet that ring looks much more exuberant when it's not locked behind this dirty glass!" "What? Are you thinking of buying that thing?" Angelina asked. Georgie shook her head. "No, no, no, of coarse not! I wouldn't buy anything from one of these shops! It'll probably kill me in my snooze!" Angelina laughed. "Oh now look who's scared!" she chuckled. "May I help you?" Angelina and Georgie nearly screamed at the shock of the oily voice that had abruptly sounded right behind them. They both spun around to find a short balding man with jagged teeth and a curved back standing right behind them, staring up at them with electric blue eyes that made shivers run up your spine. "Ummmma-ummmm," was all Georgie seemed able to say. "Erm.no thank you," Angelina replied, trying to cover up for her friend's rudeness. "We're just-uh-looking around." The balding man gave a little nod of his head. "Well feel free to call me if you need anything," he said in his oily voice. Then he departed, returning to the counter he'd been sitting behind the whole time-hidden from the girl's view. Georgie tried to suppress her giggles as she leaned into Angelina's arm and whispered, "I cannot believe he was there ALL that time!" Angelina smiled, she too tried to hold back laughter; how embarrassing. They moved around the display, now trying to seem like polite shoppers. "Ooh, look at that," Angelina would frequently say. "Oh, that's awesome!" Georgie would reply, in an over-enthusiastic voice. Angelina was getting really tired of acting like a fake, and was guiding Georgie towards the door, when it suddenly opened and in walked a blonde boy who looked very bored. Angelina immediately recognized this boy as the cruel Slytherin who had devoted all his time at school to "dethroning" Harry. It was Draco Malfoy, the pure blooded wizard who had always tormented Hermionie for being "half- blooded". Draco had always been the main harassment for Harry and his friends at Hogwarts, but he had never seemed to notice Angelina. And in return Angelina had never paid much attention to him; he didn't bother her, and so she never bothered him. Of coarse she hated him, but this was only because her friends hated him, and because she'd seen him sneer at Hermionie and Ron. Georgie had only been bullied by Draco once, but that had been in their second year when Georgie had stood up for Hagrid, saying he wasn't the Heir of Slytherin-and Draco and his goons Crabbe and Goyle always made sure to bully anyone who befriended the half giant. Now Draco paused and stared at Angelina and Georgie, as if trying to remember if he'd ever seen them before. Then he his lips curled into a kind of triumphant sneer. "Aw yes, if it isn't Georgia the giant oaf's friend," he said in a deep drawl. Georgie's eyes narrowed, and her brow furrowed; not only did she hate it when anyone called Hagrid an oaf but she also despised being called by her original name, Georgia. From the corner of her eye, Angelina saw Georgie's hands curl into tight fists, and her shoulders rise, indicating she was getting very mad. Draco raised his eyebrows at Georgie and grinned maliciously, then his eyes fell on Angelina. He looked her over for a moment then said in a single tone's difference, "And who are you? Another one of Harry Potter's Mudblood friends?" Angelina couldn't believe him! Calling someone a Mudblood in the wizarding world was extremely rude and wasn't something you heard often in the more public areas and alleys. The man behind the counter seemed to jump at the word 'Mudblood' and then stared at Angelina with narrowed eyes, waiting for her response. "She is not a Mudblood!" Georgie cried. "She's a pure blood, thank you very much! Now if you'll excuse us we have more important places to be than in your unwanted company!" Georgie grabbed Angelina's hand and pulled her toward the door. Angelina stared at Draco as she passed, she couldn't believe she was thinking it but she realized with a start that Draco was not half bad looking. His light blue gaze was rather charming and his crooked smile as he stared back at her made a whole flurry of butterflies explode in her stomach. In fact she wasn't sure she wanted to leave Draco's presence, but Georgie had a strong grip for such a small person and she was determined on walking out the door. There was no saying no. Georgie and Angelina hurried down the street, rushing passed all the queer people looming out at them in a surprising fashion. Soon they were emerging into the bright, sunlit streets of Diagon Alley, back into the crowds and sweet smelling fumes coming from booths lining the side of the alleyway. Back where they were safe, protected, and wanted. Back where they belonged.