Oh yay! The most number of reviewers for a chapter! Lol yes, sweetazzhoney, Reine's feeling exactly like that. She doesn't meet people very often and gets awfully tense and nervous especially when there's an extremely hot guy talking to her. Yeah, and I'm sure you can guess who that person we're going to meet is!

Chapter 9

Madam Malkin was waiting for me to step onto the stool. I stepped up and her measuring tape began taking measurements by itself. Madam Malkin emerged from the back of the store a while later with a robe wrapped neatly in thin paper. She took it out and threw it over my shoulders.

"It looks fine," commented Sirius. "Maybe just a bit off the sleeves there..."

Madam Malkin whipped out a wand and poof, the sleeves were an inch shorter. Then she took the robe off me, folded it back up, went to the back of the shop once more and returned outside with a white shirt and a skirt already wrapped.

Sirius and I headed outside. I assume he was heading towards the shop where James went to buy his quills. I don't know my way around so I just followed.

A couple of ladies with large hats were cooing at a baby in a pram at the corner of the street. The baby cries were drowned by the hustle and bustle of the crowd. There were many people walking in every direction, cutting in front of me to get to the shop on the right, some going the other direction does pushing me back a few steps. Sirius though was firmly pushing his way through the crowd.

"Here," he grabbed my hand firmly and pulled me through the crowd. I felt the strong fingers grip around mine, smooth and confident. When we emerged from the crowd to the less crowded street lower south, Sirius let go of my hand. Oh, I wished he could've held on to it just a bit longer... But a girl shouldn't expect much.

"Must be another celebrity book signing or something," he wheezed and then shook his head in a dog-like manner. His fringe fell over his dark eyes casually, like it knew where it should be. We continued strolling down the path towards the quill shop. I could see it by the enormous metal-shaped quill hanging over the door.

"So your dad really owns Nimbus Co?" He asked again.

"Uh huh," I replied, giggling slightly at him. He's just so cute.

"That's cool! The previous model was awesome," he said with enthusiasm. "Think your dad can give me a discount on your next model?"

I laughed. "Sure, I'll uh... ask him."

"Right on! So are you going to be in the same year as us?"

My voice didn't seem to be able to reply, so I nodded. What? I'm getting tongue-tied in front of him. That's so horribly cliché.

"Uh huh, it's our NEWTs year..." he added.

"Um, yeah... nerve-wracking huh?" Yet another lame reply. I could've smacked myself in the forehead.

"Not really, not to be bragging, but me and James are the brightest in our year."

"Really?" Sirius... ah, clever, nice and very good-looking I might add. Perfect.

"There's James," he said pointing. James was just emerging from the shop, looking into a small plastic bag with a large purple quill on it. James joined us and we walked down the street again.

"Where are we going now?" I asked.

"To get your scales and cauldron..." replied James in a bored voice.

"But I already have my scales and cauldron," I said.

"Oh good then," he said in a mock cheerful voice. "C'mon Sirius, let's go to Florean's to have some ice-cream."

I made to follow them but James stuck out a hand blocking my way. I looked up at him.

"What?"

"I don't remember asking you..." he said, narrowing his eyes.

I frowned at him. And he stared back, his lips curled into a smirk. Those carefree hazel eyes gazed back without a care in the world, full of youth, energy and laughter. Yeah, and then he laughed.

"James is just joking," laughed Sirius, pushing away James' arm. "Come on, your treat James."

James laughed harder than ever and they headed down the street. They entered a cheerful looking ice cream parlour. It's door was flanked with daisies and sunflowers bordered by white picket fences. They went up to the counter and exchanged highly intricate handshakes with a guy in a white hat as if they were old friends.

"Hey," said James. "Has Remus been to Diagon Alley already?"

"Yeah," replied the boy. "I saw him a few weeks ago... you know Remus. Always the hardworking type. I'm sure he's completed reading all of his books now eh?"

James laughed and ordered the ice cream while Sirius brought me to an empty table beside that kid with the pink hair from the robes shop. A slight chilly wind was blowing and I wrapped my arms around my body tightly. The sun frequently disappeared behind a cloud, and for a while it looked like it was going to rain.

There was a sweet aromatic smell of flowers around the shop, and a gentle clinking of spoons against glass as people of all ages indulged themselves with ice creams.

And then suddenly, a pair of hands slammed onto the table and I saw a girl around the age of 12 or 13 sporting violent pink hair.