Chapter 6
Diagon Alley, and Draco Malfoy
Several weeks passed after Harry's birthday, and everything in the Weasley household settled down to a gentle routine. Harry wrote a letter to Charlie, thanking him for the present he and Ginny had given him. With Charlie being so far away, it took Hedwig nearly a week to make the trip. Harry also sent several letters to Hermione, which meant that Hedwig was seen flying to and from the Burrow almost as much as she was seen on her perch.
Just the same as before Harry's birthday, most days were spent playing Quidditch with Ron and the twins, sometimes with the other Weasley children joining in. Ron, far more than the others, played with a great deal of determination, as he was planning to try out for the vacant Keeper position on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. This meant that the games were extremely fast paced, which helped to take Harry's mind off what was going on in the wizarding world.
Percy spent almost all of his time either at the Ministry of Magic or working in his room, even to the point where he missed meals, much to Mrs Weasley's dismay. Both he and Mr Weasley were extremely busy at the Ministry, and Harry believed that this wasn't entirely because of their jobs. He knew that Professor Dumbledore was gathering allies to help him fight Voldemort, and that the Weasleys were among the most trusted of those allies. Both Percy and Mr Weasley were probably trying to spread word of Voldemort's return at the Ministry, and gather support for Dumbledore.
Fred and George spent increasing amounts of time in their bedroom, which led to a variety of different coloured explosions emanating from the room. In one notable incident, a red-furred rabbit hopped into Ron's room and hid under Ron's bed. A moment later, Fred and George came running down the stairs, looking for it. It was some time before a very red-faced Ginny poked her head out from under the bed, asking if it was safe to come out.
Ginny, like Percy, seemed to be noticeable by her absence on many occasions, but Harry didn't notice this as anything particularly unusual. Ginny had always been shy around him, and she tended to spend as much time alone in her room as she did with the others. When she did come out of her room, Ginny was enjoyable to spend time with, even if she did have a habit of blushing occasionally, and Harry sometimes wondered why she spent so much time away from everyone else.
As the weeks trickled past, Harry began to get more and more excited about the start of the school year. He was looking forward to spending his nights in his four-poster bed in the dorm in Gryffindor Tower, and he was especially looking forward to playing Quidditch with the Gryffindor team again. Last year, the competition had been cancelled to make way for the TriWizard Tournament, and even though Harry had been busy with the three tasks, he had missed Quidditch matches greatly.
As well as the Quidditch team, Harry also missed his other friends at Hogwarts. These friends included his friends from his dorm, Dean, Seamus and Neville, and his other classmates. Although Harry got on with them well, he never heard from any of them outside of school, and sometimes, Harry wished he heard from them more. Much as he valued his friendship with Ron and Hermione, it would be nice to hear from his other friends as well. Another thing Harry was looking forward to was seeing Hermione again, although he expected to see her before he returned to Hogwarts.
One night, Harry was playing Wizard Chess with Ron. Ginny and Bill were looking on, both silently rooting for Harry. Both knew exactly how it felt constantly losing to Ron, and felt only sympathy for the predicament Harry was now in. Just as Ron captured Harry's last remaining Rook, Hedwig returned from his latest delivery to Hermione, carrying a reply. Harry quickly untied the letter from Hedwig's leg, and Ron and Harry gathered around the letter to read it, all thoughts of the game forgotten.
two aren't wasting all your time playing Chess and Quidditch. After
all, the OWLs are at the end of the year, and I don't think Harry
will be excused this time, no matter what happens...
said I can stay at the Burrow after that, so I think she's planning
to come and buy your school things on the same day. I'll see you
both on the 22nd!
Ron took his eyes off the letter long before Harry had finished reading, and ran into the kitchen, presumably to find Mrs Weasley. Harry was left in the room with Ginny and Bill, who were both looking at Harry inquisitively. Harry hurriedly explained the content of the letter to them both, which led Ginny to brighten with excitement, before rushing upstairs. Bill, on the other hand, only gave a knowing smile, and when Harry asked him to explain why, Bill just laughed and walked away.
When the 22nd of August came, the sun was shining, and everybody was up early in the morning, even Ron, who was famous for being difficult to awaken in the morning. It was the sort of bright, sunny day that made everyone want to get up and do something, so it was the perfect day to go into Diagon Alley. After a rushed breakfast, Mrs Weasley took the twins, Ron, Ginny and Harry into Muggle London, and from there into The Leaky Cauldron, which led them into Diagon Alley.
As soon as everyone was safely in Diagon Alley, Mrs Weasley gathered all the children around her, and handed out their equipment lists and some coins, so that they would be able to buy what they needed for school. Soon after that, the twins left to go around Diagon Alley with Lee Jordan, as they usually did, leaving the others to wait for Hermione. Another letter had been sent to Mrs Weasley to make the arrangements to meet, so Hermione was expected at any minute.
"Now, where's Hermione... Oh, look, there she is!" said Mrs Weasley, as she spotted Hermione's long, bushy brown hair flying through the crowd.
"Ron! Harry!" cried Hermione, as she ran toward the Weasleys, grabbing Harry and Ron into a hug as soon as she reached them.
"Hi Hermione..." gasped Harry, as he tried to wriggle out of the hug, which was a little too tight for his liking.
"Yes, hello Hermione... Can we breathe now?" said Ron, after returning her hug with equal gusto. Hermione released them both, and glared at Ron, and for a moment Harry was afraid that another one of their famous arguments might be brewing.
"Just ignore him, dear, he'll come to his senses one day..." interrupted Mrs Weasley, before Hermione could make any response to Ron's remark. "Now, do you have everything you need, you two?"
Both Harry and Ron nodded eagerly, having prepared everything they needed already. Now that Hermione had arrived, they were keen to get away from Mrs Weasley and go around Diagon Alley on their own.
"Alright then... I'll take Ginny around and get everything she needs, and I'll see all three of you later. You know where we're meeting?" asked Mrs Weasley. After another quick nod, she and Ginny left, leaving Harry, Ron and Hermione to their own devices.
They started by walking to Gringotts, the wizard bank, so that Harry could take some money out from his vault. Luckily, Ron and Hermione waited outside the bank to talk about what had happened over the summer, which saved Harry from the embarrassment of opening his vault in front of Ron. The vault was full of money which had been left to him by his parents, and Harry always felt uncomfortable about Ron seeing the money, knowing that Ron's family had so little money, but would be too proud to take any money from him, even if he offered it.
Once Harry had his money, the three of them went into Flourish & Blotts, the bookshop on Diagon Alley. As usual, there was a long list of books required for the new year's lessons, all of which would be available in this shop. As soon as they entered the shop, Ron and Harry went straight for the shelves that contained the books ordered for Hogwarts students, both keen to get the books they needed and get on with more interesting things.
However, Hermione, as usual, became distracted with the piles of books that were all over the shop. She often did this, her natural curiosity overcoming her, making her appear to forget her friends. After a couple of attempts to get her attention, Harry gave up, and resigned himself to a longer stay in the bookshop than he had intended. Ron was more persistent, but eventually he came over to the seat where Harry was sitting, and prepared for a wait.
Harry occupied his time flicking through the latest copy of The Standard Book of Spells idly, occasionally looking up at Hermione to try and see how much longer she would be. But Ron seemed to have decided that if he had to stay in the shop because of Hermione, then he might as well have some fun at her expense. After catching Harry's attention, Ron picked a book off the shelves, and pretended to look at it in interest.
"Look at this, Hermione! An updated version of Hogwarts: A History! Does this mean you'll have to read it all over again?" asked Ron, with a wide grin on his face.
"I should think so... After all, if I don't read it, we all know you never will." replied Hermione, whose voice was calm, although her face was starting to go slightly red.
"Doesn't that tell you something? The fact that you're the only one in the entire school who's read the thing?" Ron retorted, and he was also starting to go slightly red, particularly at the tips of his ears, which was normal for him.
Ron and Hermione were already having one of their arguments, and Harry, as usual, was stuck in the middle, trying not to get involved. At some point, he was bound to be dragged into the argument, and this usually led to him being asked to take one side or the other. Harry decided to try and escape, and started edging toward the door. He would return to buy his books when the argument was over.
"Only that certain people ought to take their studies more seriously! Just because Hogwarts: A History isn't part of any of the exams we'll be taking, doesn't mean we shouldn't read it!" Hermione's voice was getting gradually louder as she spoke, and a few of the other people in the shop had started to notice the argument.
"You didn't seem too impressed with it last year! What happened to it being Hogwarts: A Revised History that Glosses over the Nastier Aspects of the School? You weren't too happy when it didn't support your specious spew, were you?" Ron shouted, near to the top of his voice. Both he and Hermione had clearly forgotten that they were in a public place.
"S! P! E! W! It's S.P.E.W., Ron! And you aren't one to talk! Remember how you complained about Viktor all last year, then still asked for his autograph before we got on the Hogwarts Express?" A small crowd of people had now gathered around Ron and Hermione, many of whom were sniggering at them openly. With every sentence, the argument seemed to be reaching new heights, but both Ron and Hermione were too involved with their argument to notice any of this.
"Still defending your precious Vicky? But you would; you are the one thing in the world he would miss most!" Ron screamed, his face now a very definite red. One quick glance at Hermione showed that her face was just as red, and she was preparing a response.
"Oh, for Goodness' sake..." muttered Harry, shaking his head as he walked out of the shop, trying not to be noticed. This argument would not be resolved any time soon.
When coming out of Flourish & Blotts, Harry was greeted by a particularly unwelcome sight. Draco Malfoy was walking toward the shop, with Crabbe and Goyle walking in step behind him. Each of the three wore a smug grin on their faces, and when Malfoy saw Harry, his grin widened even further, reminding Harry briefly of a tiger who has come in sight of his prey. It was not a pleasant sight, and Harry immediately regretted leaving Ron and Hermione in the shop, as he was now all alone.
"Scarhead, scarhead, scarhead... Don't tell me you've lost the rest of your little flock? Or have you finally acquired some taste in friends?" Malfoy sneered, with a glint of pure contempt in his eye.
"At least I have friends, Malfoy. You have a team of hired Quidditch players, and a pair of thugs without half a brain between them." Harry replied coolly, not wanting to seem worried about Malfoy. Crabbe cracked his knuckles menacingly, and glared, while Goyle just stared ahead. Harry wondered briefly if he was trying to make out what Ron and Hermione were arguing about in the bookshop.
"Potter, your mouth will get you into trouble one of these days... Just like your ridiculous sense of nobility. That's gotten you in trouble once before, hasn't it? And not just you..."
That was too far. Harry lunged at Malfoy, only to be caught by Crabbe and Goyle before he could reach. As Harry was being held, Malfoy walked forward, and brought his face close to Harry's, so that their noses were almost touching.
"I'm going to enjoy this. I've been waiting four years to do this, Potter..." muttered Malfoy, in an unusually sharp, dangerous voice. Then he punched Harry, hard, in the face. Crabbe and Goyle dropped Harry at the same moment, which left Harry to drop to the floor, clutching his nose. Blood was starting to trickle from it, and tears were forming in the corner of Harry's eyes.
"I wish we were at the Shrieking Shack now... You remember? Your little mud-throwing trick in our third year?" Malfoy continued, before bowing down to the floor, where Harry was trying to stop the blood flowing out of his nose. "If we were there now, instead of next to this crowded street, I'd make sure you learnt a little respect..."
Harry tried not to respond to Malfoy's threats, as he got slowly to his feet. Crabbe and Goyle were still standing by Malfoy, ready to pounce if Harry made any sudden moves. But Harry had no intention of trying anything else; without Ron and Hermione, Harry couldn't hope to stand up to the three of them.
"Nothing to say? Has that knocked a little humility into you? I can't believe it's that easy to beat things into your scarred head. I'll just keep plugging away until I'm satisfied, shall I?" Malfoy sneered, preparing to punch Harry again. Fortunately, Malfoy was distracted by the noise of someone coming through the door behind them.
"Hermione, you can't be-" Ron was yelling, as he stomped out of Flourish & Blotts, but he stopped short when he saw who was in front of Harry. Hermione was following him, and as soon as she noticed Malfoy's presence, she looked at Harry, and saw the blood coming from his nose. Hermione quickly grabbed Ron's arm, to prevent him from going for Malfoy, and the two of them stood behind Harry supportively. For a moment, both groups eyed each other warily, before Malfoy started talking again.
"Ah... The Mudblood, and the Weasel... Potter's pathetic posse, together again. A shame you two turned up. I was just having a very interesting discussion with scarhead about the company he keeps. I warned him about that a long time ago, but he still doesn't seem to have gotten the message." Malfoy said, giving both Ron and Hermione derisory looks as he spoke. But this time neither they, nor Harry, would rise to the bait.
"Nothing to say?" Malfoy continued. "Or maybe you've been thinking the same thing? Maybe you've decided being near Potter is too much of a risk? You could be right - he isn't the safest person to stand next to, is he? But then, a Mudblood and a Muggle-lover aren't much better..." This time, Hermione had to bodily hold Ron back from Malfoy, rather than just clutching an arm. The concern in her eyes was evident. Malfoy had never been this bold with his insults before, and something about that worried her.
"What's the matter, Mudblood? Afraid you'll run out of redheaded friends? Don't worry, there's plenty of spares in the family... At least, for the moment," Malfoy sniped, trying to get a response out of Ron. Luckily, Hermione was still holding Ron back, and the pain in Harry's nose helped him to keep his anger in check.
"No guts, Potter? Did the Dark Lord take those too?" Malfoy said, making one last attempt to make Harry attack him.
"Why don't you go ask your father? He was there. One day, I'll prove it, and he'll go to Azkaban. And then we'll see how you like that," Harry replied, his voice little more than an angry whisper. For a moment, Malfoy just stared at Harry. Then he started laughing, a cold, humourless laugh that convinced nobody.
"Just remember, Potter... When you come to the end a Mudblood-lover like you deserves... Remember that once, I offered you my hand in friendship. And you turned it away," With those words, Draco Malfoy cocked his head, and stalked past Harry, shoving Hermione out of the way as he did so. Before Ron could react, Malfoy was inside Flourish & Blotts, with Crabbe and Goyle following after him. All three friends were silent for what seemed like a long time, until Ron broke the silence.
"Typical Malfoy. Famous for blond, over gelled hair and overly dramatic exits." joked Ron, trying to lighten the mood. Hermione laughed with him, and Harry forced a smile, but Harry's eyes suggested that he was far more worried about Malfoy's comments than he would admit. Something in his voice told Harry that, for all Malfoy's boasts, he knew something more than he was letting on...
Disclaimer: Oh, how much I wish I owned Harry Potter... If I did, then I wouldn't have to keep coming up with a new disclaimer every chapter...
Right, Diagon Alley is done, we've finally seen Hermione... I'm about ready to do something important to the plot now! Remember Voldemort? Ol' Snake Eyes will be back next chapter. And there may be a death next chapter, too - I haven't decided yet. I hope to get Chapter 7 out in the next 2 weeks, but you know how reliable my predictions are...
Well, I got a few reviews last time, so the virtual cookies and gold stars I promised go to DragonShimmer, Tupac, Tabitha B. Potter and ~Aura~. And DragonShimmer, I hope I got this out quick enough for you. ;) If you want to see your name in these rather snazzy pixels next time, then press the button in the bottom left corner of your screen, and follow the on-screen instructions...
