A/N: Craw/Brad: What's the point of having all that money if you don't
spend some???? Besides, shopping is fun- and I don't think you can will
stuff like CDs into existence. Copyright infringement and all.
However, our wonderful Slytherins have to teach Harry the joy of blowing 2 grand in three hours. So, without further ado, enjoy!
Chapter 10
With a cough, Harry stumbled out of the Floo in the Leaky Cauldron. Tom, the bartender, grabbed his arm to steady him. "Alright, there, Mr. Potter?" he asked. Harry nodded and moved out of the way. Draco strode easily out of the Floo right after him. He saw Harry, still stumbling, and chortled.
"What, can't you even walk without tripping?" he asked, sniggering. Harry shot him the glare of Death. Draco pretended to die on the spot and collapsed, laughing hysterically. Professor Snape strode out of the Floo to see his Godson on the floor and his nephew standing over him. Remus, Bill, and Ceily came through in rapid succession behind him. They all slammed into him and fell in a heap on the floor.
"What is the meaning of this?" Severus asked. Harry pouted.
"Dumbass here was teasing me!" Draco pouted from the floor.
"I'll have you know that I am very smart, Potter. It's you that can't even get out of the Floo without tripping and falling all over yourself." Draco stretched and stood up.
Harry glared daggers at the Floo, and, inadvertently Ron and Hermione, who were exiting the Floo one right after the other. "Stupid invention. I hate traveling by Floo" Harry grumbled, earning a snort from Severus and strange looks from two very confused Gryffindors. Fred, George, and Ginny walked calmly through to see the three adults on the floor.
"Did we miss something?" asked George as he surveyed the scene. They moved as Dudley and Petunia stumbled out of the Floo, tripping on several people in their way. Dudley crashed into a table, reducing it to kindling and shaking the whole building. Harry calmly repaired the table, and they left the Leaky Cauldron, everyone except Petunia and Dudley heading to Gringotts. Petunia and Dudley left Diagon Alley altogether to go to Petunia's bank. They would meet up with the rest of them when it was time to return to Hogwarts.
Harry and company walked through the solid gold doors of Gringotts. Immediately, two goblins in expensive looking robes approached them.
"Mr. Harold Potter? I am Balderdash, Chairman of Gringotts. This is my personal assistant, Bugger." Draco blanched, and Harry was extremely confused and disturbed. *What does Bugger mean?* Draco refused to answer him.
If you and your associates would come with me, we can settle the matter of your inheritance at once." With a slight smirk, Harry and everyone else followed Balderdash into a large conference hall. Seated at a forty foot table were two other goblins, who both stood and bowed.
"These are my associates, Hoodwink and Nincompoop." Balderdash led them to seats and gestured for them to sit down.
*Can we really take seriously someone named Nincompoop?* Harry asked Draco privately. Draco choked back a laugh and glared at Harry before his face slipped back into impassivity.
"Mr. Potter, if you could sign these documents" Hoodwink placed half a dozen papers in front of him, "then you will have full access to your vaults." The goblin placed similar packets in front of Bill, Severus, Draco, and Remus.
Harry read over the papers quickly. They looked straightforward and everything seemed to be in order, so he signed them. Everyone else signed, and Bugger collected the documents. He then pulled out three keys, and handed one each to Bill, Remus, and Harry. They rose, and Balderdash led them back out into the main lobby.
"Griphook!" Another goblin came scurrying over to them. "Take them down into their vaults, and be quick about it!" Grumbling under his breath, the second goblin, Griphook, led them to two conjoined carts waiting for them.
"Come on, we haven't got all day." The goblin ushered them into the carts: Severus, Harry, Ginny, Draco, Bill, and Ceily in one and Fred, George, Ron Hermione, and Remus in the other, and they were off. The carts rushed headlong down the rickety track at what felt like ninety miles an hour. Hermione whooped, loving every minute of it. Everyone else glared at her, disbelieving that anyone could enjoy the insane ride. Hermione shrugged.
"I love roller coasters. This ride is better than any roller coaster I have ever been on."
Draco and Severus asked Harry *What's a roller coaster?* Harry shrugged, having never been to an amusement park in his life.
After three minutes, they suddenly slammed to a stop in front of two large vaults. Griphook grabbed two keys and hopped out of the cart. "Mr. Weaseley, Mr. Lupin, these are your new vaults. All of your previous accounts have been moved into here as well."
Remus and Bill slid out of the carts and looked over their inheritance. They both nonchalantly filled a sack full of Galleons, as if they had that much money every day. *Oh WOW!* they thought. *Oh my GOD this is a lot of cash!*
Once they had returned to the cart, they continued down the track for more than five minutes of gut wrenching twists and turns at breakneck speed before stopping again. This time, it was Harry's turn to hop out after Griphook. Harry walked to his vault, Draco and Severus at his heels.
*OH MY GOD* was the only thought running through his mind as he stared at one continuous pile of gold that filled the entire vault. He stood at the entrance, unable to see the back wall or even walk more than a foot into the vault because of the sheer amount of money. Griphook stood a foot behind the three of them, tapping his foot impatiently.
"Griphook, is this just the Potter Fortune, or is this both combined?" Severus asked the goblin.
"This vault is the largest of the Gringotts bank vaults, and it houses both Merlin's fortune and the Potter Fortune, as the late Mr. and Mrs. Potter had requested at the time of their marriage."
*Harry, as a word of advice, I would put your other account in here, since you are the only one drawing money from this account.* Severus counseled as Harry filled a bag to bursting with Galleons. *Are you sure you are going to need so much money?* Severus asked. *The exchange rate is ten pounds to the Galleon, after all. You have almost L2500 there.* Harry picked up four more Galleons, and nodded.
*You did tell me I was going shopping. Besides, what's the point of having so much money if I can't have some fun?* Shrugging, Harry turned and tripped over Ron and Hermione, who had slipped out of the cart behind them. Both of their jaws were hanging open so wide that Harry could see their tonsils.
"Is that- that all YOURS???" Ron managed to squeak, his voice nearing the pitch of a dog whistle. Draco smirked, enjoying his discomfort and incredulity.
"Of course, Weaseley. Merlin's Fortune was rumored at over 30,000,000,000 Galleons. Potter could buy a small country with that kind of money." Draco polished his nails on his leather pants. Ron turned to him, still gaping.
Draco yawned. "Harry, are you done? I want to visit my vault, and I imagine Uncle Sev would like to make a withdrawn as well." Ron shut his mouth with a snap as Harry strolled out of his vault.
"What? Ron, you look pale. What's wrong?" Harry asked, then realized. *Oh shit, he's never seen so much money in his life. No wonder he's freaking out.* Ron didn't even hear him, he was engrossed with the enormous amount of gold spilling out of Harry's vault.
Draco stared at him then started laughing. *Harry, none of us have seen that much money. Merlin's Fortune makes you the richest wizard in the world, possibly the richest PERSON in the world. The rest of us aren't freaking out, so why should he?*
They got back into the cart, and traveled at breakneck speed back up to the higher levels. They stopped a level below Bill's and Remus's new vaults. Draco and Severus got out of the carts, producing keys. Griphook took the keys from them and opened the vaults. Draco and Severus went into their respective vaults, and Harry stood where he could see into both vaults.
*Draco, you are not to take more than one hundred galleons. Your mother would kill me.* Sev's amused voice filled Harry's and Draco's minds.
*Fine, I'll put some back* Draco grumbled. The sound of more than 'some' Galleons hitting other Galleons filled the air as Draco emptied more than three quarters of his bag. *Spoilsport* he groused, glaring at his Godfather. Severus snickered and ruffled his hair. Draco ducked away from his hand and climbed back into the cart. The cart stopped, the last stop, at Fred and George's vault. Fred and George, having earned already a considerable amount from their business, scooped Galleons by the handful into a bag.
They left the vaults, and Harry, Draco, and Bill exchanged their money for Muggle Pounds. Bill slipped L500 into both Ron and Ginny's pockets, assuring them that it was a gift. Hermione already had several hundred that she had taken from her bank account at the beginning of the summer.
They walked out of Gringotts. "So, where are we going?" Harry asked.
"I really don't want to go into Muggle London," Remus answered. "I have a lot of shopping I have to do in Diagon Alley as it is." Fred and George agreed with him quickly, anxious to get more supplies for their joke business.
Severus and Bill turned to the five teenagers. "Draco, Harry, behave yourselves. We are letting you go together to the mall of your choosing. STAY together. Contact me when you decide to come back, and we will meet you back at the Leaky Cauldron." Harry and Draco nodded dutifully. *I mean it, you two. Do NOT torment them, and if you split up, make sure you have a meeting place.* To his surprise, Ginny nodded along with Draco and Harry. *Why is Ginny nodding?*
"Because I can hear you. I'm a mind and fire elemental, silly."
Severus blinked at this new bit of information, then nodded. *You are going to have to tell me how you discovered your powers.*
Draco and Harry stood next to her, dumbfounded. *I'll tell you after our trip.* Severus nodded.
Next to them Bill was giving the same instructions to Ron and Hermione, with a different twist. "Ron, if Harry and Draco report to me that you two skipped out on them to find a secluded corner of the mall to make out, I'm gonna personally hex you into the middle of next week. Have fun, and stay together. Oh, and Ron? Ginny has far different taste in clothing than you do. Do NOT embarrass her or there will be hell to pay." Ron rolled his eyes, but grumbled his agreement.
Harry, Draco, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione, anxious to go, quickly said their goodbyes and left Diagon Alley. Bill and Severus watched them quickly blend into the throng of Muggles walking about their business. "I think they'll be fine" Bill remarked.
"And, if they aren't, Draco and Harry both know some incredible hexes. They can take care of themselves." Severus smirked as they turned and walked, eager to do some shopping of their own.
Hermione and Harry led the way, both of them having been in Muggle London before. Draco, Ron, and Ginny stared, wide eyed, taking it all in. Hermione herded them towards a bus stop.
"If I remember correctly, the biggest mall in England, the Queen's Court, is about five blocks from here. It is totally awesome. We can take a bus to the mall. It should come by in about five minu- RON, GET OUT OF TRAFFIC!" Ron looked up and waved to her from the middle of the street. A car inched behind him, blaring the horn. Finally, the driver rolled down the window.
"Hey, kid, what are you, crazy? Get your ass out of the road!" He swerved around the flabbergasted Ron and sped off.
"Did you see that? Cool! Those are better than anything my dad ever had! Ginny, get out here! This is awesome!" Ron skipped in the middle of the busy intersection. Horns blared and cars had to swerve to avoid him. Hermione let out a shriek of anger and exasperation and dashed into the road, almost getting run over in the process. She grabbed Ron's arm and dragged him back to sidewalk. Someone sped past them, flipping the bird out the window.
Hermione screamed back. "EAT SHIT, YOU FUCKER!!!!" Ron and everyone else in proximity gaped at her.
"'Mione, was that really necessary?" Ron inquired, staying put on the sidewalk where Hermione had put him.
"Ron, didn't your mother tell you NOT to play in traffic?" Harry asked, laughing his ass off. He watched Draco use cleaning after cleaning spell to remove every trace of dirt from the bus stop bench before sitting down. Ten seconds later, that proved to be a waste of time because the bus pulled up to the stop.
The driver opened the door. "Where ya goin?" he asked.
"Excuse me, sir, does this bus go to Queen's Court?" she asked politely. The driver nodded, and they walked inside.
"That'll be a pound a piece." Harry handed the driver a five pound note, and they headed to the back of the bus.
"Hey, I want to go up top!" Ginny squealed. Harry nodded.
"That sounds good. Hey, let's go." Everyone climbed the stairs and sat in the very top of the double decker bus.
"The wind is mussing my hair!" complained Draco. *I wonder how it looks windblown?*
Harry and Ginny laughed hysterically. Ron and Hermione were already ignoring everyone, wrapped up in, ahem, each other.
*Do they ever come up for air?* wondered Draco, staring at them in fascination. *So far, three minutes and fifteen seconds and not one breath. How do they do it?* Harry gagged, not even wanting to picture it. He turned around to see Ginny gagging as well.
*I wish they would knock it off. Do they have any sense of propriety? That is so gross.* Ginny rolled her eyes, grimacing. Harry and Draco sniggered.
*She is priceless! How did she wind up in that family? God, I wish I had a little sister like her.* Draco thought, envious of Ron for the first time in his life. *Harry, Ron really has no idea how utterly cool she is, does he?*
*Nope, he still treats her like a baby. It's really sad.* Harry mentally groaned, remembering all to well the fights about Ginny trying to get her family to treat her like a normal fourteen year old, not a three year old.
*Yeah, and I HATE it! They treat me like I'm two! It's ridiculous! Ron freaked when he found out I was dating Michael, and when he found out I was with Dean, he tried to kill him!* Ginny scowled at the memory.
*That little- DAMN IT he should realize that you don't need a sitter!* Draco snapped, for some reason completely pissed off.
*Draco, I didn't know that you cared so much.* Ginny batted her eyes at him. Draco groaned and shook his head.
*I don't know why, but I care. So sue me already.* Harry laughed at him.
*Dude, you are feeling my feelings for her, compounded by your realizing that she is pretty cool to hang out with.* Harry stared at a smirking Ginny. *She's like a sister to me, the only sister I have ever had.* Ginny sniffed comically and sat on his lap. He wrapped his arms around her waist.
Ron looked up and gaped at them. "Harry, get off my sister!!!" He started to get up but Hermione pulled him back down and started kissing him. He didn't even protest and exuberantly kissed her back. Ginny turned green and buried her head in Harry's shoulder.
*Make it stop, please make it stop. I can't take it any more. They've been like this all summer and I want it to stop!* Harry hugged her and Draco patted her back comfortingly.
*There, there. If they are making out, they can't treat you like you're three, can they?* Ginny sniffed and nodded her head slowly, grinning wickedly. Draco and Harry grinned back at her.
*FREEDOM!* she shouted gleefully. They laughed the rest of the way to the mall.
*Harry, can I adopt her?* Draco asked him as they exited the bus. Ginny grinned at him.
*How about you both adopt me?* she asked cheekily as they entered the mall.
Draco's head shot up and he stood stock still for a second. *Harry, is this heaven?* he asked, in awe of his surroundings. *Have I died and gone to heaven?* He gazed hungrily at the four stories of shopping mall in front of him. Harry stared at him, increasingly worried.
*Uh-oh.* Harry really didn't like the gleam in Draco's eyes or the manic excitement he could feel through their ever present bond.
Draco grabbed Harry's hand and dragged further into the mall. "Come on!" he yelled back at Ron and Hermione, who were staring at him in shock. "I want to SHOP!"
Draco dragged them through the first level of the store, chattering like a three year old who had discovered (and eaten) the entire contents of a candy store. Harry and Ginny walked with him, Harry acting as a tour guide for their many questions.
Harry, how do these- what are they called- exeltators- work?" Ginny asked as they stepped onto the escalator going to the second floor.
"Escalators, and there is a moving tread underneath that electricity runs in a big loop, so it moves us upwards." They hopped off, Ron and Hermione rolling their eyes so fast they were on permanent spin cycle.
"How do they do it without magic?" Draco asked, genuinely confused. *How do they get it to run without an ever last spell?*
"It continuously uses electricity, which, well I'm not sure how it's generated or how to explain it. It's like the Muggle version of magic. It runs everything."
Draco slowly nodded. They all jumped as Hermione let out a squeal. "Abercrombie and Fitch!" she shrieked and rushed into at large store across the hallway. Ron followed her eagerly.
*Don't you mean Abercrombie and Bitch?* wondered Ginny. Draco snorted.
"Come on, Harry, they've got some really cool stuff in here!" Hermione grabbed Harry's hand and bodily dragged him into the store. Harry gulped, suddenly surrounded by very preppy, wholesome clothing.
"Hermione, this really isn't my style of clothing."
"Oh hush. You need some better stuff than that crap you have on. Come on, just try on some outfits for me. It'll be fun." She started picking out clothing at random and shoved it into Harry's arms. "Go on, the changing room is over there." She pointed at the back wall.
*Where's the black? Where's the chains? Draco, HELP!* Grimacing in slight disgust, Draco and Ginny resolutely followed the protesting Harry into the store. They arrived just in time to see Hermione shoving Harry, arms full of khakis and polo shirts, into a changing stall.
"Um, Hermione, do you see us forcing you to wear chains and tube tops?" Ginny asked, coming up behind the other girl.
"No, and you couldn't make me wear that if you tried." Hermione crossed her arms with a sniff.
"Then why are you doing that to Harry? He likes the way he looks. You are really hurting his feelings by making him feel like something is wrong with him because of the way he has chosen to dress himself. Besides, Alanna and Xander dress like that, and they are really cool," Ginny pleaded with her.
"But he looks so weird. Why can't he look normal? Why does he actually want to wear that? All that black isn't healthy. It's making him depressed." Hermione tried to justify her actions.
Draco smirked behind Ginny. "Actually, Granger, he's happier than he has ever been in his life. And, he isn't suicidal any more, which is a step up from before." A sales representative sidled up to Draco.
"Um, sir, will you be purchasing anything here?" Draco sneered at her.
"Of course not. Do I look like a loser?"
"Um, would you leave, then? You're scaring away all our customers." Draco looked around, snickering. What people that were left were staring at him as if he was the epitome of evil and edging for the door.
"Come on, Harry. We're too evil for this place." Harry walked out, scowling, dressed in a light blue polo shirt and a pair of stone khaki pants. Draco did a double take then started laughing hysterically. Ginny stared at him, terrified.
"Oh hell, Potter, you look like the poster boy of Wizarding Weekly!" Draco sniggered. Harry's scowl deepened.
"Honestly, Harry, please change back. You're scaring me," Ginny whispered, hiding behind Draco. Harry let out a sigh of relief and scurried back into the changing room, reemerging thirty seconds later in his previous clothing.
Hermione pouted. "But, Harry, you looked good! I think you looked much better in the clothes I picked out."
"Whatever, Hermione. You aren't my mother and I'm not a doll. Stop trying to dress me." Harry spat, angry at his so called friend. *Who does she think she is, anyway! I'm sixteen, not two! I can pick out my own clothing, thankyouverymuch!* Hermione's eyes welled up with tears. *Oh great, now she's going to cry and tell me how little I appreciate what she does for me. What did I do to deserve this?*
"Harry Potter, that was rude! I'm just trying to help you and you snap at me!" Harry jerked his head at Ginny and Draco and they turned to walk out of the store. "Don't you walk away from me! I'm talking to you!"
Harry turned back around. "Well, maybe I don't want to talk to you. Did you even think about that? I'm tired of this, Hermione. You don't respect who I am and you think that everything I'm going through is some phase. This isn't just a phase. I'm finally happy with who I am. Why can't you accept that? We'll find you when we are done shopping. That's the one thing telepathy is good for." With that, Harry, Draco, and Ginny strode out of the store.
They walked back to the escalators, where, right in front of them, Harry noticed a directory. "Hmm, this is interesting. Let's go to the basement, which for some reason, someone scrawled, in magic marker on the label, 'the Dungeon'." They stepped onto the escalator, determined to find this "Dungeon".
Harry, Draco, and Ginny wandered the first floor of the mall, searching for an access to the basement level. All around them, the Muggles were giving them a wide berth. *What gives? Do we really look that scary?* Harry asked. Ginny smirked, and Harry did a double take.
*Oh Harry, I don't know- if you saw someone who looked as pissed off and dangerous as you do right now, I think you'd give that person space as well.* Ginny continued to smirk at him and sent him a mental image of the expression on his face. Harry's eyes glowed a deep viridian, and he looked angry enough to make Voldemort and his Death Eaters turn tail and run.
*Oh damn* he chuckled, sneering slightly. *that is bad. I probably should try to look a little more cheerful.* Draco stared at him, incredibly disturbed by the sneer.
*Harry, please tone down the sneer. It makes you look really creepy.* When Harry tried to paste a cheerful grin on his face, it looked so evil that a random girl watching him passed out from fright. Harry saw her topple over. *What the hell?*
*You really should tone that down, Mr. Potter. That could become lethal, if you aren't careful.* A new voice broke into their conversation. The three of them whipped around, looking for the source of the voice.
*Who are you?* Ginny and Draco asked, staring suspiciously at everyone around them. Harry just closed his eyes and focused.
*Where- THERE! I found you!* He directed his gaze at a woman who looked to be in her late twenties. She, strangely, looked like Alanna, but had waist length curly black hair, a deep mocha tan, and PURPLE eyes. She was dressed in a black and silver tube top, an extremely tight pair of leather hip huggers, black knee high platform boots, and a black leather, floor length trench coat. She grinned and sauntered over to them.
"Hello," she all but purred in a deep, throaty voice.
*Damn* thought Ginny as she raised her eyebrows in surprise. *I wish I could talk like that.*
The strange woman laughed. "Thank you, I'll take that as a compliment. Mow, Mr. Potter, Mr. Malfoy, and Miss Weaseley, what are you looking for?"
"How do you know our names?" Harry asked warily. Ginny and Draco also stared at her, suspicious.
"Simple. My grandmother told me to expect you. She said that it's Harry's birthday and I needed to make sure you had fun. But, I only count three of you. Where are the others?"
"Um, Ron and Hermione are shopping elsewhere and-" The woman cut him off impatiently.
"No, not those two. I'm talking about Severus, William, and Cecilia." Draco cocked an eyebrow, impressed.
"They stayed in Diagon Alley, why? And you have us at a disadvantage. Who are you?" He asked, trying to be as polite as possible. Chuckling, the strange woman led them to a secluded area away from the crowds. Harry and Draco followed her, with Ginny slightly lagging behind.
"No matter, but I had hoped to meet all of you. We will be working together in the battle and it would be nice to meet everyone who will be commanding the troops." In unison, three jaws dropped open, then snapped shut. The three of them stared at each other.
"Commanding troops?" Harry carefully, neutrally asked. *ME??? YOU??? What is going on????*
"Forgive me, I have been rude. My name is Claudette, and I am Alanna's granddaughter. She has told me all about you, and how competent you are. It is a relief that some good has come out of the human race. Now, where did you wish to go?"
*She isn't human?* Ginny thought anxiously to her two 'brothers', as she affectionately thought of them.
*She's the granddaughter of a demigoddess. She could be anything.* Draco thought back to her.
"We were hoping to go to the Dungeon, but we can't find it." Claudette laughed.
"Well that is a surprise. I am the proud owner of said establishment. Come on, it's this way." She led them to a door that said 'Basement Access". Opening the door, she waved them inside, and they walked carefully down the stairs.
"The management doesn't like my store, but since I pay a very nice amount of rent and give them access to other than Muggle clientele, they don't want to kick me out. So, they let my have the entire basement, and if anyone asks how to get into my store, the security guards lead them down here. All in all, it's a sweet setup. No annoying posers or teenyboppers get offended by the real Gothic deal, and I get a fair amount of customers." As they headed into The Dungeon, smoke and mist drifted up the stairs, and a thudding bass beat could be felt, shaking the walls.
Claudette pushed open a door, and they stepped in after her, plunging into shadows. Loud heavy metal music- *Rob Zombie's Dragula* Harry thought roared through the speakers. Widely spaced candles illuminated the football field sized room barely past twilight. On the right side of the store, mannequins modeled leather, vinyl, and lots of silver chains. Past them were racks upon racks of all sorts of women's, men's, and androgynous clothing, shoes and accessories. Along the back wall, there were six aisles of CDs and four aisles of DVDs. On the left, the entire wall had swords, daggers, and other items of lethal nature, and in the center was an entire makeup and piercing counter.
"Harry, I have found it. We are in heaven!" Draco dashed over to the racks of clothing, a maniacal grin of glee on his face. Harry and Ginny followed, sharing in his exuberance. They spent the next two hours trying on clothing, with Claudette helping them pick out enough clothing to fill Harry's entire room at the Dursleys'.
Harry had accumulated enough clothing to pile almost eye level on three chairs pushed together. Finally satisfied, he strolled over to try on several pairs of boots and look for a decent belt. Draco had a chest high pile on a chair next to Harry's, and Ginny had the same.
"Claudette, I don't mean to be rude, but who and what are you, exactly? You aren't human, and I was wondering why your magic feels so funny." Ginny asked her quietly, while modeling a pair of leather hip huggers and a blood red tube top. Claudette raised her eyebrows questioningly.
"How can you sense my magic? I thought that trait had been bred out of humans. To answer your questions, I am half Drow Elf and half Born Vampire. I also have the full powers of a demigoddess, but I refused that path many years ago. My mate is a mortal, and we would have been separated for all eternity. I didn't want that. I use several concealing charms to hide my fangs and ears." With a sigh of relief, she let the charms fade, her ears lengthening and tapering to a point. Ginny nodded slowly, absorbing the information. Draco came up behind her and hugged her from behind, putting his chin on the top of the petite redhead's hair.
"So, you're a bloodthirsty elf. Sounds cool." Ginny cheekily replied with a grin. Claudette laughed, appreciating the humor. "I am a mind and fire elemental, and some rather traumatic events in my second year opened me to doing wandless magic." Claudette raised her eyebrows, impressed. "I also realized, around that time, that I could sense other people's magic and manipulate it to do what I wanted." Draco gasped, staring down at her in shock.
"You can do what?" he asked, incredulous. He called over to Harry, "Hey, Potter!" he quickly asked Claudette "Is anyone else here?" She shook her head, eyes dancing merrily. Harry sauntered over, wearing an ankle length leather trench coat and had changed his shirt for a crimson mesh shirt.
"What?" he asked, admiring the coat. Ginny's eyes widened.
"Ooh, I want one of those!" she squealed.
"First, Potter, do something magic, and Ginny screw with it." Harry nodded, intrigued. He carefully transfigured a nearby mannequin into a large black panther. It prowled around the room, then curled up by Harry's feet. Ginny concentrated, and the panther reared up on its hindquarters and danced the Macarena, while singing 'I'm a Little Teapot'. Harry stared at her.
"How did you do that?" he asked, amazed. "It felt as if I had completely lost control of my spell. She actually used my magic to do it." He hugged Ginny. "That was really cool, lil sister." He snapped his fingers and the cat disappeared.
"Hey, Claudette, how much are piercings?" Harry asked, turning to the vampire Drow. She grinned cagily.
"You aren't old enough to get them. You have to be eighteen or have a legal guardian present. Sorry, you three." Draco laughed.
"That isn't a problem." *HEY, UNCLE SEV!* he shouted, grinning hysterically. Harry started laughing.
*Yes?* came the bored reply.
*Wanna do something fun? Apparate over here, and bring Bill and Ceily too! This place is great!* Severus, Bill, and Cecilia appeared in the middle of the store. They gasped as they looked around. Draco, Harry, and Ginny ran over to them.
"PLEASE, please! You're our guardians, so let us get some piercings! We'll pay for them!" they begged in earnest. Severus rolled his eyes, sighing.
"The things I do for you two," he shrugged his shoulders. "Just don't come running to me if they get infected, and no really painful ones." Draco and Harry gagged at the image.
"Who'd want to pierce that?" they asked, completely grossed out and in pain at the thought of piercing themselves /ahem/ down THERE.
"As legal guardian for both of them, I give my consent." he told Claudette, shaking his head. She laughed.
"Hello, Severus, Grandmother has told me so much about you all. I'm Claudette, by the way, a Vampire Drow." Severus shook her hand, bowing slightly.
"Charmed. Who is your grandmother?"
"Alanna. Guess how old I am."
"That could get me slapped, but I'll guess twenty four."
"Wrong. I am seven hundred and eighty five." Everyone's jaws dropped. She laughed at their expressions.
"Um, ok. Ginny, what do you want pierced?" Bill asked hoping it wasn't her nipple or anything like that.
"Belly button, nose and four in each of my ears. No, Draco wants the nipple stud."
Sev turned to his now embarrassed godson. "Oh really?"
"Yes, and Harry wants a tongue bar." Harry grinned.
"I also want three in my left ear and two in the right. Two cartilage in both ears and one in the lobe." Claudette nodded, pulling out a clipboard. She quickly filled out three forms, and handed two to Severus and one to Bill.
"Sign on the dotted line, please." They signed, and she sat Harry down first. "Birthday boy gets the honors. What do you want done first?" Harry thought a minute.
"Ears first, please."
"Do you have a gauge you want?" Claudette pulled out a gun and several packaged needles of varying sizes.
"Um twelve for the lobe and eighteen for the cartilage." She nodded and prepared the gun. Less than a minute later, Harry was admiring the five new holes in his head, and she was preparing the gun to pierce his tongue.
"Fourteen gauge all right?" she asked him. Draco looked slightly nauseous from the piercings.
"Claudette, do you make tattoos?" Severus asked. She absently nodded and summoned a binder.
"All the designs I have made are in here, so either pick one or design your own on the paper over there." She pointed to the end of the counter where a ream of paper sat.
*Harry, are you SURE you want this?* Draco asked him. Harry nodded.
*Draco, if you are going to be sick, please don't watch. I don't mind, honestly.* Draco nodded and turned away. He walked over to the CDs and, picking a CD at random, put the headphones on. Hoobastank's The Reason played at mid volume. His eyes widened as he listened to the lyrics.
I'm not a perfect person As many things I wish I didn't do But I continue learning I never meant to do those things to you And so I have to say before I go That I just want you to know
I've found a reason for me To change who I used to be A reason to start over new and the reason is you (The Reason, Hoobastank)
*Wow- oh my - wow.* He hastily found the CD and grabbed a copy. He jerked, feeling the white hot pain in his mouth and felt dizzy. *Damn it, Potter, I can still feel the damn piercings.* He grimaced and swallowed, cursing. *And I wanted to be a healer* the blond groused quietly. *I didn't know that the sight of blood or feeling pain really affected me this badly.*
He listened to several more CDs before choosing Simple Plan, all of Bon Jovi's four CDs, the newest Nickelback CD, and Matchbox 20's Mad Season. He levitated his eight CDs and walked them over to his chair full of clothing. He set the CDS on top and wandered back to the piercing counter just in time to see Ginny grimace in pain as Claudette pierced her bellybutton.
*Oh great, room stop spinning.* he ordered weakly. After a few nauseating seconds, the room righted itself. Ginny hopped down from the chair and it was Draco's turn. Gulping, he sat down and removed his shirt.
A group of teenagers and young adults walked into the store and started shopping. Harry and Ginny watched them from the corner of their eyes. *Are they- oh ok* they thought to each other as all but one removed concealing charms. Six of the group were Vampires, three were Drow, four Veela, and one still looked normal. They watched the large group and the large group finally noticed that there were other people in the store.
"Hey, is that Harry Potter?" a Vampire asked a Drow. The Drow nodded excitedly, staring discretely at Harry's scar. Harry and Ginny rolled their eyes and continued to comfort Draco, who was hyperventilating over the nipple stud.
"I swear, Harry, the ears weren't too bad but this one feels weird!" Draco complained. Harry chuckled.
"Quit being such a baby, Malfoy. I swear, if I didn't know that you were a Slytherin, I'd call you a Hufflepuff." Draco swatted him, pouting. "Hey!" Severus and Bill walked over to them, the binder marked at several pages. They handed the binder back to Claudette, and Severus stood in front of the chair, anxious to get his tattoo.
Draco hopped down, and he and Harry walked back over to the CDs. Ginny continued looking for a leather trench coat in her size. Harry, already knowing what CDs he wanted, closed his eyes and stretched out his hands. Slowly, a copy of every Metallica CD produced floated in midair and then flew towards him. He did the same with Marylin Manson, Shinedown, Godsmack, Disturbed, Papa Roach, Nine Inch Nails, Smashing Pumpkins, Iron Maiden and Korn. Copies of Linkin Park's Meteora and Hybrid Theory, Rob Zombie's Hellbilly Deluxe, Trapt's Trapt, Saliva's Every Six Seconds, and Incubus's Megalomaniac joined the already massive pile floating in midair. He and Draco carefully walked the CDs over to Harry's pile and set them down on top, careful not to topple any over.
Ginny finally found a trench coat, but knew it was too expensive. *DAMN IT!* she yelled mentally, *I really wanted this one, but I want CDs too, and DAMN IT!* She put down the trench coat and walked over to the CDs. The trench coat disappeared from behind her and reappeared, unknown to her, on Harry's pile.
Draco looked at it strangely and nodded. *When's Ginny's birthday?* he asked quietly, hoping she wouldn't hear them.
*In two days. August 2nd.* Harry grinned. *I'm getting this for her.*
*What should I get her?* Draco asked, scratching his head in bewilderment. Harry motioned for him to follow then led his soul mate over to the jewelry section. He picked up silver and onyx tiered choker with a large ruby in the center. *I think she would love it.* Draco thoughtfully picked it up, and noticed dangle earrings and a bellybutton ring in the same colors and basic design, and picked that up as well.
*Ok, I'm set gift wise, now I want some too.* They spent the next ten minutes picking out various studs and hoops for their new piercings.
Ginny wandered over by the Early rock section, looking for *THEY HAVE IT! MERIDETH BROOKS!* She happily grabbed the CD and grabbed Melissa Etheridge's first CD as well. She found The Darkness, and lastly grabbed a Pat Benetar CD. As she turned around to look for more, a hand clamped down on her shoulder. She squealed in fright and jumped, crashing into whoever was behind her. She turned around slowly and stared into a pair of chocolate eyes.
"Hello, beautiful. My name is Evan, are you an angel?" the man asked with a flirtatious smile. Ginny looked him up and down, mentally swooning. He was GORGOUS! He had a light tan, chocolate eyes, and white blond hair. He towered over her by almost a foot, and was incredibly well built. Ginny sighed and shook her head.
"I'm sorry, Evan is it? How old are you?" She picked up her CDs and started to walk towards her 'brothers'. *Draco, Harry, I think I might need some help over here.* Slowly, Harry and Draco made their way over, chatting aimlessly.
Evan rested his arms on either side of her, effectively blocking her in against the CD cases. "I'm 22, love. So, what is your name, or should I just keep calling you Angel?" He playfully twirled a strand of her scarlet hair around his fingers.
Ginny pushed his hand away from his face. "My name is Virginia, I'm 15, and taken. I really am not interested." *HARRY, DRACO HELP!* She tried to push past his arm, but he grabbed her shoulder and spun her around.
"Virginia, angel, do not piss me off. I won't tell if you don't." He pushed her against the case and lowered his face to hers. His eyes flashed a golden yellow and he grinned widely. Ginny watched, in detached fascination, as his teeth elongated into massive fangs. He gently brushed her nose with his own, and kissed her.
"Get off my sister" came two growls from right behind him. Harry and Draco stood there, snarling at him. Evan smirked and his fingernails elongated into black claws and he backed away from the case, pulling Ginny sharply to him.
"What are you going to do if I don't?" he asked, smirking. Harry grinned evilly and Evan stared at him, a tiny bit of doubt edging into his expression. He fractionally relaxed his grip, and Ginny slammed her fist into his gut. "OOF" he wheezed, letting go of her completely. She slid away from him and Harry pulled her to their sides. He and Draco flared their powers, grinning widely. Evan whimpered as they lifted him into the air and threw him across the room. He slammed into the wall almost fifty feet away and slid to the floor, stunned.
Harry hugged Ginny. "Are you all right?" She nodded and wrapped her arms around both of them.
"Thank you. I thought I had it under control, but he changed and I don't know what he was!" Harry stroked her hair.
Claudette spoke up from behind them. "He's a born werewolf. They have greater control over their transformations, and can partially transform at any point in time. However, they also must transform at the full moon just like your friend Remus." She hugged Ginny. "Did he hurt you?"
"No, just scared me." Ginny shook her head and grinned at them. "I'm fine. Come on, it's been almost three hours. We should definitely get going." The three of them gathered their merchandise.
Harry went first, and levitated his pile to the checkout. Claudette totaled him up quickly, raising an eyebrow at the total. "All right, that is one trench coat, forty CDs, a spiked belt, six regular shirts, two tunics, and three mesh shirts, leather pants, one black pair and one indigo pair of jeans, six packs of FuckMe bracelets, three spiked bracelets, a spiked watch, two talon hoops, three silver regular hoops, assorted studs, and-" Harry shushed her, inclining his head at Ginny. Claudette got the hint and just totaled him. "That is L1375, even. How will you be paying for this?" Her eyebrows disappeared into her hair line as Harry calmly handed her three L500 notes. "Your change is L125. Have a nice day and come back soon."
Harry quickly shrank most of his clothing bags and disappeared into the changing room. Claudette quickly rang up Draco's purchases, and he handed her a L500 note to cover it, receiving some change. Ginny handed over L400 for her purchases and also received change. They rushed over to the changing rooms and put on some of their new clothes.
Harry and Draco walked out together, trench coats snapping around them. Harry was wearing a deep emerald mesh shirt and leather pants underneath with his boots, an arm full of FuckMe bracelets and spikes around the base of both wrists and his neck. Draco wore a dark silver mesh shirt and leather pants, boots, a spiked collar, and two spiked bracelets. Ginny walked out just after them in a blood red tube top, skintight leather pants, spiked bracelets and a collar, and her knee high black boots. They strode together over to their guardians, who stared at them with approving grins.
Severus removed his robes, still wearing the Harry Potter original tunic underneath. Claudette walked over, admiring the shirt. "Where did you get this?" she asked, fingering the material lightly.
"My nephew, Harry, conjured it. Isn't it incredible?" Claudette stared at Harry in shock.
"You made that? How?" she asked impressed with the craftsmanship.
Harry shrugged. "I just pictured what I wanted and made it. It was nothing, really."
"Harry, if you every want a job in clothing design, talk to me first, all right? I could make a fortune selling stuff like this." Harry blushed.
Claudette strode over to them. "Now, the clothing is excellent, you three, but you need some finishing touches." She removed Harry's glasses and studied his face critically. "I have a wizard friend that works at Towne Vision upstairs. Tell him that Claudette sent you and he'll hook you up with some wizarding contacts. The glasses have to go." She ran her hands through Harry's hair, muttering a spell. His hair instantly spiked. She waved a hand absently, and the top quarter of an inch turned a bright emerald. Another wave of her hand, and the tips turned silver. She let go of him and looked him over, satisfied.
"You're done. Next, Draco, get over here." She studied him critically, and waved a hand over his face. Black eyeliner traced his upper lids and he blinked, startled. She added two thick, brilliant blue streaks the front section of his parted hair, framing his face in blue. She added tiny, lighter blue and silver streaks to the rest of his hair then looked him over with a critical eye. "Ok, you are done. Ginny, come here, now!"
Ginny walked over, smirking. Claudette did a full face of makeup on her, from black eyeliner and steel colored eye shadow to full crimson lips. She added also deep crimson and black streaks and undertones to Ginny's hair, making it lusciously darker. "Ok there isn't any more to do to you. You three look so good!" They stared at each other. Harry was loathing putting on his glasses, but he kind of needed to see where he was going.
Severus and Bill paid for their tattoos in Galleons and shrank their robes, putting them in Draco's bag for safekeeping. Ceily brought over several swords and dagger sets and paid for those. They left the store after promising to come back often, if only just to chat.
They quickly found Towne Vision and, after dropping Claudette's name, Harry was taken care on immediately. It also helped matter that her friend immediately recognized him as being 'The Boy Who Lived'. Harry sighed, sliding in his new contacts. They were expensive, but he would never need to buy another pair again. They were self correcting, and never needed to be taken out, either. He threw his glasses into the nearest trash bin.
They quickly walked into Circuit City and bought three CD players. Harry also bought a speaker system that he promised to share.
"I'm going to borrow your CDs too, you know." Ginny told Harry and Draco as they walked out of the store. They both laughed.
"Sure, Ginny, that's fine. Just don't scratch them or let anyone else scratch them. That would suck." Harry cautioned. He smirked then probed for Ron and Hermione.
"Ron and Hermione are in the food court just around the corner" Harry announced quietly after mentally locating them. The six of them strode around the next corner and spotted the two Gryffindors immediately. They were sharing a chocolate sundae and were feeding it to each other. Harry, Draco, and Ginny mentally gagged.
*Oh my God. Can they be any more sickeningly sweet? He can feed his girlfriend a sundae, but Dean can't help me with my homework using the rewards system- It's so unfair.* Draco and Harry looked at each other, sniggering.
*Rewards system? Does it work well?* Harry asked mischievously. Ginny scowled.
*I wouldn't know. Ron jumped Dean before we could study.* Draco laughed.
Ron and Hermione looked up at the sound of his laughter. Their jaws hit the floor in shock. "Harold Potter! Virginia Weaseley! What the HELL did you do to yourselves???" Hermione screeched. Ron stared at them speechless.
"I wash my hands of you, Potter! This is too much and I can't handle it!" She turned to Severus, gasping slightly at his Gothic clothing, spikes and sneer. "Can we go now, sir? I want to go back to Hogwarts." Severus nodded tersely and they stood up, clumsily gathering their bags.
Severus led them all to an empty store and they stood inside in a circle. Relying on Harry and Draco for the needed power, Severus apparated all of them to the Leaky Cauldron. Bill and Ceily followed them.
Draco, upon arriving, grabbed Harry's hand and dragged him to the door. "Uncle Sev, could you do that thing that I asked you to do earlier today?" Severus smirked at him.
"It's already been done. Where are you going?"
"Harry is the richest wizard, if not person in the world. He needs to be able to dress the part. I'm going to open him an account at Armani. Come with us?" Draco tugged Harry out the door and into Knockturn Alley, Severus following them.
After about a block of seediness, Knockturn Alley morphed into an upper crust shopping district. Draco pulled an amazed Harry into a bright, low key shop to their left. A man came out of a back room and stared at them.
"Gentlemen, I assume you are lost?" he asked in a heavy French accent. Draco scowled at him, irritated.
"Jacques, it's me, Draco Malfoy." The man's eyes widened almost comically and he bowed.
"My deepest apologies, Master Draco. Have you come for a fitting? Your measurements have changed." He led them to the back of the store and gestured for both of them to stand on stools. They complied.
"My associate is Harry Potter, the Heir of Merlin's Fortune. I would like to assist him in opening an account with you." Draco, bored, examined his fingernails. Jacques's eyes widened again and he bowed in gratitude.
"Do not worry, Master Draco, Master Harry, I will take care of the account for you." He waved a hand and two tape measures spun around the teens as Severus watched, faintly amused.
"Master Severus, do you wish to order any-" A loud crash interrupted him and he jerked his head to the door, scowling. A cloaked figure stood in the doorway, leaning slightly.
"What do you- Oh MY, come in, quickly." Jacques ushered the figure in and helped to remove the cloak. An exhausted Blaise Zambini stepped out, followed by a miniature female version of Blaise. They sagged, and Severus and Harry caught them as they collapsed.
"Draco, you have to help us" Blaise groaned. "Voldemort is here. He has our parents and wants us as leverage to make them cooperate. You have to help."
A/N: Well, there it was. 21 pages. Damn, and it would have been posted sooner but I somehow deleted half the chapter and had to retype. Oh well, what can ya do. Anyway, chapter 11 will be up in about a week, if not sooner. I am both typing and betaing my own story for right now, as my lil sis has too much homework to beta. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, and to the several people who have told me to write my own stories, thank you and I am currently doing that. See y all next chapter! Luv much, Laura
However, our wonderful Slytherins have to teach Harry the joy of blowing 2 grand in three hours. So, without further ado, enjoy!
Chapter 10
With a cough, Harry stumbled out of the Floo in the Leaky Cauldron. Tom, the bartender, grabbed his arm to steady him. "Alright, there, Mr. Potter?" he asked. Harry nodded and moved out of the way. Draco strode easily out of the Floo right after him. He saw Harry, still stumbling, and chortled.
"What, can't you even walk without tripping?" he asked, sniggering. Harry shot him the glare of Death. Draco pretended to die on the spot and collapsed, laughing hysterically. Professor Snape strode out of the Floo to see his Godson on the floor and his nephew standing over him. Remus, Bill, and Ceily came through in rapid succession behind him. They all slammed into him and fell in a heap on the floor.
"What is the meaning of this?" Severus asked. Harry pouted.
"Dumbass here was teasing me!" Draco pouted from the floor.
"I'll have you know that I am very smart, Potter. It's you that can't even get out of the Floo without tripping and falling all over yourself." Draco stretched and stood up.
Harry glared daggers at the Floo, and, inadvertently Ron and Hermione, who were exiting the Floo one right after the other. "Stupid invention. I hate traveling by Floo" Harry grumbled, earning a snort from Severus and strange looks from two very confused Gryffindors. Fred, George, and Ginny walked calmly through to see the three adults on the floor.
"Did we miss something?" asked George as he surveyed the scene. They moved as Dudley and Petunia stumbled out of the Floo, tripping on several people in their way. Dudley crashed into a table, reducing it to kindling and shaking the whole building. Harry calmly repaired the table, and they left the Leaky Cauldron, everyone except Petunia and Dudley heading to Gringotts. Petunia and Dudley left Diagon Alley altogether to go to Petunia's bank. They would meet up with the rest of them when it was time to return to Hogwarts.
Harry and company walked through the solid gold doors of Gringotts. Immediately, two goblins in expensive looking robes approached them.
"Mr. Harold Potter? I am Balderdash, Chairman of Gringotts. This is my personal assistant, Bugger." Draco blanched, and Harry was extremely confused and disturbed. *What does Bugger mean?* Draco refused to answer him.
If you and your associates would come with me, we can settle the matter of your inheritance at once." With a slight smirk, Harry and everyone else followed Balderdash into a large conference hall. Seated at a forty foot table were two other goblins, who both stood and bowed.
"These are my associates, Hoodwink and Nincompoop." Balderdash led them to seats and gestured for them to sit down.
*Can we really take seriously someone named Nincompoop?* Harry asked Draco privately. Draco choked back a laugh and glared at Harry before his face slipped back into impassivity.
"Mr. Potter, if you could sign these documents" Hoodwink placed half a dozen papers in front of him, "then you will have full access to your vaults." The goblin placed similar packets in front of Bill, Severus, Draco, and Remus.
Harry read over the papers quickly. They looked straightforward and everything seemed to be in order, so he signed them. Everyone else signed, and Bugger collected the documents. He then pulled out three keys, and handed one each to Bill, Remus, and Harry. They rose, and Balderdash led them back out into the main lobby.
"Griphook!" Another goblin came scurrying over to them. "Take them down into their vaults, and be quick about it!" Grumbling under his breath, the second goblin, Griphook, led them to two conjoined carts waiting for them.
"Come on, we haven't got all day." The goblin ushered them into the carts: Severus, Harry, Ginny, Draco, Bill, and Ceily in one and Fred, George, Ron Hermione, and Remus in the other, and they were off. The carts rushed headlong down the rickety track at what felt like ninety miles an hour. Hermione whooped, loving every minute of it. Everyone else glared at her, disbelieving that anyone could enjoy the insane ride. Hermione shrugged.
"I love roller coasters. This ride is better than any roller coaster I have ever been on."
Draco and Severus asked Harry *What's a roller coaster?* Harry shrugged, having never been to an amusement park in his life.
After three minutes, they suddenly slammed to a stop in front of two large vaults. Griphook grabbed two keys and hopped out of the cart. "Mr. Weaseley, Mr. Lupin, these are your new vaults. All of your previous accounts have been moved into here as well."
Remus and Bill slid out of the carts and looked over their inheritance. They both nonchalantly filled a sack full of Galleons, as if they had that much money every day. *Oh WOW!* they thought. *Oh my GOD this is a lot of cash!*
Once they had returned to the cart, they continued down the track for more than five minutes of gut wrenching twists and turns at breakneck speed before stopping again. This time, it was Harry's turn to hop out after Griphook. Harry walked to his vault, Draco and Severus at his heels.
*OH MY GOD* was the only thought running through his mind as he stared at one continuous pile of gold that filled the entire vault. He stood at the entrance, unable to see the back wall or even walk more than a foot into the vault because of the sheer amount of money. Griphook stood a foot behind the three of them, tapping his foot impatiently.
"Griphook, is this just the Potter Fortune, or is this both combined?" Severus asked the goblin.
"This vault is the largest of the Gringotts bank vaults, and it houses both Merlin's fortune and the Potter Fortune, as the late Mr. and Mrs. Potter had requested at the time of their marriage."
*Harry, as a word of advice, I would put your other account in here, since you are the only one drawing money from this account.* Severus counseled as Harry filled a bag to bursting with Galleons. *Are you sure you are going to need so much money?* Severus asked. *The exchange rate is ten pounds to the Galleon, after all. You have almost L2500 there.* Harry picked up four more Galleons, and nodded.
*You did tell me I was going shopping. Besides, what's the point of having so much money if I can't have some fun?* Shrugging, Harry turned and tripped over Ron and Hermione, who had slipped out of the cart behind them. Both of their jaws were hanging open so wide that Harry could see their tonsils.
"Is that- that all YOURS???" Ron managed to squeak, his voice nearing the pitch of a dog whistle. Draco smirked, enjoying his discomfort and incredulity.
"Of course, Weaseley. Merlin's Fortune was rumored at over 30,000,000,000 Galleons. Potter could buy a small country with that kind of money." Draco polished his nails on his leather pants. Ron turned to him, still gaping.
Draco yawned. "Harry, are you done? I want to visit my vault, and I imagine Uncle Sev would like to make a withdrawn as well." Ron shut his mouth with a snap as Harry strolled out of his vault.
"What? Ron, you look pale. What's wrong?" Harry asked, then realized. *Oh shit, he's never seen so much money in his life. No wonder he's freaking out.* Ron didn't even hear him, he was engrossed with the enormous amount of gold spilling out of Harry's vault.
Draco stared at him then started laughing. *Harry, none of us have seen that much money. Merlin's Fortune makes you the richest wizard in the world, possibly the richest PERSON in the world. The rest of us aren't freaking out, so why should he?*
They got back into the cart, and traveled at breakneck speed back up to the higher levels. They stopped a level below Bill's and Remus's new vaults. Draco and Severus got out of the carts, producing keys. Griphook took the keys from them and opened the vaults. Draco and Severus went into their respective vaults, and Harry stood where he could see into both vaults.
*Draco, you are not to take more than one hundred galleons. Your mother would kill me.* Sev's amused voice filled Harry's and Draco's minds.
*Fine, I'll put some back* Draco grumbled. The sound of more than 'some' Galleons hitting other Galleons filled the air as Draco emptied more than three quarters of his bag. *Spoilsport* he groused, glaring at his Godfather. Severus snickered and ruffled his hair. Draco ducked away from his hand and climbed back into the cart. The cart stopped, the last stop, at Fred and George's vault. Fred and George, having earned already a considerable amount from their business, scooped Galleons by the handful into a bag.
They left the vaults, and Harry, Draco, and Bill exchanged their money for Muggle Pounds. Bill slipped L500 into both Ron and Ginny's pockets, assuring them that it was a gift. Hermione already had several hundred that she had taken from her bank account at the beginning of the summer.
They walked out of Gringotts. "So, where are we going?" Harry asked.
"I really don't want to go into Muggle London," Remus answered. "I have a lot of shopping I have to do in Diagon Alley as it is." Fred and George agreed with him quickly, anxious to get more supplies for their joke business.
Severus and Bill turned to the five teenagers. "Draco, Harry, behave yourselves. We are letting you go together to the mall of your choosing. STAY together. Contact me when you decide to come back, and we will meet you back at the Leaky Cauldron." Harry and Draco nodded dutifully. *I mean it, you two. Do NOT torment them, and if you split up, make sure you have a meeting place.* To his surprise, Ginny nodded along with Draco and Harry. *Why is Ginny nodding?*
"Because I can hear you. I'm a mind and fire elemental, silly."
Severus blinked at this new bit of information, then nodded. *You are going to have to tell me how you discovered your powers.*
Draco and Harry stood next to her, dumbfounded. *I'll tell you after our trip.* Severus nodded.
Next to them Bill was giving the same instructions to Ron and Hermione, with a different twist. "Ron, if Harry and Draco report to me that you two skipped out on them to find a secluded corner of the mall to make out, I'm gonna personally hex you into the middle of next week. Have fun, and stay together. Oh, and Ron? Ginny has far different taste in clothing than you do. Do NOT embarrass her or there will be hell to pay." Ron rolled his eyes, but grumbled his agreement.
Harry, Draco, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione, anxious to go, quickly said their goodbyes and left Diagon Alley. Bill and Severus watched them quickly blend into the throng of Muggles walking about their business. "I think they'll be fine" Bill remarked.
"And, if they aren't, Draco and Harry both know some incredible hexes. They can take care of themselves." Severus smirked as they turned and walked, eager to do some shopping of their own.
Hermione and Harry led the way, both of them having been in Muggle London before. Draco, Ron, and Ginny stared, wide eyed, taking it all in. Hermione herded them towards a bus stop.
"If I remember correctly, the biggest mall in England, the Queen's Court, is about five blocks from here. It is totally awesome. We can take a bus to the mall. It should come by in about five minu- RON, GET OUT OF TRAFFIC!" Ron looked up and waved to her from the middle of the street. A car inched behind him, blaring the horn. Finally, the driver rolled down the window.
"Hey, kid, what are you, crazy? Get your ass out of the road!" He swerved around the flabbergasted Ron and sped off.
"Did you see that? Cool! Those are better than anything my dad ever had! Ginny, get out here! This is awesome!" Ron skipped in the middle of the busy intersection. Horns blared and cars had to swerve to avoid him. Hermione let out a shriek of anger and exasperation and dashed into the road, almost getting run over in the process. She grabbed Ron's arm and dragged him back to sidewalk. Someone sped past them, flipping the bird out the window.
Hermione screamed back. "EAT SHIT, YOU FUCKER!!!!" Ron and everyone else in proximity gaped at her.
"'Mione, was that really necessary?" Ron inquired, staying put on the sidewalk where Hermione had put him.
"Ron, didn't your mother tell you NOT to play in traffic?" Harry asked, laughing his ass off. He watched Draco use cleaning after cleaning spell to remove every trace of dirt from the bus stop bench before sitting down. Ten seconds later, that proved to be a waste of time because the bus pulled up to the stop.
The driver opened the door. "Where ya goin?" he asked.
"Excuse me, sir, does this bus go to Queen's Court?" she asked politely. The driver nodded, and they walked inside.
"That'll be a pound a piece." Harry handed the driver a five pound note, and they headed to the back of the bus.
"Hey, I want to go up top!" Ginny squealed. Harry nodded.
"That sounds good. Hey, let's go." Everyone climbed the stairs and sat in the very top of the double decker bus.
"The wind is mussing my hair!" complained Draco. *I wonder how it looks windblown?*
Harry and Ginny laughed hysterically. Ron and Hermione were already ignoring everyone, wrapped up in, ahem, each other.
*Do they ever come up for air?* wondered Draco, staring at them in fascination. *So far, three minutes and fifteen seconds and not one breath. How do they do it?* Harry gagged, not even wanting to picture it. He turned around to see Ginny gagging as well.
*I wish they would knock it off. Do they have any sense of propriety? That is so gross.* Ginny rolled her eyes, grimacing. Harry and Draco sniggered.
*She is priceless! How did she wind up in that family? God, I wish I had a little sister like her.* Draco thought, envious of Ron for the first time in his life. *Harry, Ron really has no idea how utterly cool she is, does he?*
*Nope, he still treats her like a baby. It's really sad.* Harry mentally groaned, remembering all to well the fights about Ginny trying to get her family to treat her like a normal fourteen year old, not a three year old.
*Yeah, and I HATE it! They treat me like I'm two! It's ridiculous! Ron freaked when he found out I was dating Michael, and when he found out I was with Dean, he tried to kill him!* Ginny scowled at the memory.
*That little- DAMN IT he should realize that you don't need a sitter!* Draco snapped, for some reason completely pissed off.
*Draco, I didn't know that you cared so much.* Ginny batted her eyes at him. Draco groaned and shook his head.
*I don't know why, but I care. So sue me already.* Harry laughed at him.
*Dude, you are feeling my feelings for her, compounded by your realizing that she is pretty cool to hang out with.* Harry stared at a smirking Ginny. *She's like a sister to me, the only sister I have ever had.* Ginny sniffed comically and sat on his lap. He wrapped his arms around her waist.
Ron looked up and gaped at them. "Harry, get off my sister!!!" He started to get up but Hermione pulled him back down and started kissing him. He didn't even protest and exuberantly kissed her back. Ginny turned green and buried her head in Harry's shoulder.
*Make it stop, please make it stop. I can't take it any more. They've been like this all summer and I want it to stop!* Harry hugged her and Draco patted her back comfortingly.
*There, there. If they are making out, they can't treat you like you're three, can they?* Ginny sniffed and nodded her head slowly, grinning wickedly. Draco and Harry grinned back at her.
*FREEDOM!* she shouted gleefully. They laughed the rest of the way to the mall.
*Harry, can I adopt her?* Draco asked him as they exited the bus. Ginny grinned at him.
*How about you both adopt me?* she asked cheekily as they entered the mall.
Draco's head shot up and he stood stock still for a second. *Harry, is this heaven?* he asked, in awe of his surroundings. *Have I died and gone to heaven?* He gazed hungrily at the four stories of shopping mall in front of him. Harry stared at him, increasingly worried.
*Uh-oh.* Harry really didn't like the gleam in Draco's eyes or the manic excitement he could feel through their ever present bond.
Draco grabbed Harry's hand and dragged further into the mall. "Come on!" he yelled back at Ron and Hermione, who were staring at him in shock. "I want to SHOP!"
Draco dragged them through the first level of the store, chattering like a three year old who had discovered (and eaten) the entire contents of a candy store. Harry and Ginny walked with him, Harry acting as a tour guide for their many questions.
Harry, how do these- what are they called- exeltators- work?" Ginny asked as they stepped onto the escalator going to the second floor.
"Escalators, and there is a moving tread underneath that electricity runs in a big loop, so it moves us upwards." They hopped off, Ron and Hermione rolling their eyes so fast they were on permanent spin cycle.
"How do they do it without magic?" Draco asked, genuinely confused. *How do they get it to run without an ever last spell?*
"It continuously uses electricity, which, well I'm not sure how it's generated or how to explain it. It's like the Muggle version of magic. It runs everything."
Draco slowly nodded. They all jumped as Hermione let out a squeal. "Abercrombie and Fitch!" she shrieked and rushed into at large store across the hallway. Ron followed her eagerly.
*Don't you mean Abercrombie and Bitch?* wondered Ginny. Draco snorted.
"Come on, Harry, they've got some really cool stuff in here!" Hermione grabbed Harry's hand and bodily dragged him into the store. Harry gulped, suddenly surrounded by very preppy, wholesome clothing.
"Hermione, this really isn't my style of clothing."
"Oh hush. You need some better stuff than that crap you have on. Come on, just try on some outfits for me. It'll be fun." She started picking out clothing at random and shoved it into Harry's arms. "Go on, the changing room is over there." She pointed at the back wall.
*Where's the black? Where's the chains? Draco, HELP!* Grimacing in slight disgust, Draco and Ginny resolutely followed the protesting Harry into the store. They arrived just in time to see Hermione shoving Harry, arms full of khakis and polo shirts, into a changing stall.
"Um, Hermione, do you see us forcing you to wear chains and tube tops?" Ginny asked, coming up behind the other girl.
"No, and you couldn't make me wear that if you tried." Hermione crossed her arms with a sniff.
"Then why are you doing that to Harry? He likes the way he looks. You are really hurting his feelings by making him feel like something is wrong with him because of the way he has chosen to dress himself. Besides, Alanna and Xander dress like that, and they are really cool," Ginny pleaded with her.
"But he looks so weird. Why can't he look normal? Why does he actually want to wear that? All that black isn't healthy. It's making him depressed." Hermione tried to justify her actions.
Draco smirked behind Ginny. "Actually, Granger, he's happier than he has ever been in his life. And, he isn't suicidal any more, which is a step up from before." A sales representative sidled up to Draco.
"Um, sir, will you be purchasing anything here?" Draco sneered at her.
"Of course not. Do I look like a loser?"
"Um, would you leave, then? You're scaring away all our customers." Draco looked around, snickering. What people that were left were staring at him as if he was the epitome of evil and edging for the door.
"Come on, Harry. We're too evil for this place." Harry walked out, scowling, dressed in a light blue polo shirt and a pair of stone khaki pants. Draco did a double take then started laughing hysterically. Ginny stared at him, terrified.
"Oh hell, Potter, you look like the poster boy of Wizarding Weekly!" Draco sniggered. Harry's scowl deepened.
"Honestly, Harry, please change back. You're scaring me," Ginny whispered, hiding behind Draco. Harry let out a sigh of relief and scurried back into the changing room, reemerging thirty seconds later in his previous clothing.
Hermione pouted. "But, Harry, you looked good! I think you looked much better in the clothes I picked out."
"Whatever, Hermione. You aren't my mother and I'm not a doll. Stop trying to dress me." Harry spat, angry at his so called friend. *Who does she think she is, anyway! I'm sixteen, not two! I can pick out my own clothing, thankyouverymuch!* Hermione's eyes welled up with tears. *Oh great, now she's going to cry and tell me how little I appreciate what she does for me. What did I do to deserve this?*
"Harry Potter, that was rude! I'm just trying to help you and you snap at me!" Harry jerked his head at Ginny and Draco and they turned to walk out of the store. "Don't you walk away from me! I'm talking to you!"
Harry turned back around. "Well, maybe I don't want to talk to you. Did you even think about that? I'm tired of this, Hermione. You don't respect who I am and you think that everything I'm going through is some phase. This isn't just a phase. I'm finally happy with who I am. Why can't you accept that? We'll find you when we are done shopping. That's the one thing telepathy is good for." With that, Harry, Draco, and Ginny strode out of the store.
They walked back to the escalators, where, right in front of them, Harry noticed a directory. "Hmm, this is interesting. Let's go to the basement, which for some reason, someone scrawled, in magic marker on the label, 'the Dungeon'." They stepped onto the escalator, determined to find this "Dungeon".
Harry, Draco, and Ginny wandered the first floor of the mall, searching for an access to the basement level. All around them, the Muggles were giving them a wide berth. *What gives? Do we really look that scary?* Harry asked. Ginny smirked, and Harry did a double take.
*Oh Harry, I don't know- if you saw someone who looked as pissed off and dangerous as you do right now, I think you'd give that person space as well.* Ginny continued to smirk at him and sent him a mental image of the expression on his face. Harry's eyes glowed a deep viridian, and he looked angry enough to make Voldemort and his Death Eaters turn tail and run.
*Oh damn* he chuckled, sneering slightly. *that is bad. I probably should try to look a little more cheerful.* Draco stared at him, incredibly disturbed by the sneer.
*Harry, please tone down the sneer. It makes you look really creepy.* When Harry tried to paste a cheerful grin on his face, it looked so evil that a random girl watching him passed out from fright. Harry saw her topple over. *What the hell?*
*You really should tone that down, Mr. Potter. That could become lethal, if you aren't careful.* A new voice broke into their conversation. The three of them whipped around, looking for the source of the voice.
*Who are you?* Ginny and Draco asked, staring suspiciously at everyone around them. Harry just closed his eyes and focused.
*Where- THERE! I found you!* He directed his gaze at a woman who looked to be in her late twenties. She, strangely, looked like Alanna, but had waist length curly black hair, a deep mocha tan, and PURPLE eyes. She was dressed in a black and silver tube top, an extremely tight pair of leather hip huggers, black knee high platform boots, and a black leather, floor length trench coat. She grinned and sauntered over to them.
"Hello," she all but purred in a deep, throaty voice.
*Damn* thought Ginny as she raised her eyebrows in surprise. *I wish I could talk like that.*
The strange woman laughed. "Thank you, I'll take that as a compliment. Mow, Mr. Potter, Mr. Malfoy, and Miss Weaseley, what are you looking for?"
"How do you know our names?" Harry asked warily. Ginny and Draco also stared at her, suspicious.
"Simple. My grandmother told me to expect you. She said that it's Harry's birthday and I needed to make sure you had fun. But, I only count three of you. Where are the others?"
"Um, Ron and Hermione are shopping elsewhere and-" The woman cut him off impatiently.
"No, not those two. I'm talking about Severus, William, and Cecilia." Draco cocked an eyebrow, impressed.
"They stayed in Diagon Alley, why? And you have us at a disadvantage. Who are you?" He asked, trying to be as polite as possible. Chuckling, the strange woman led them to a secluded area away from the crowds. Harry and Draco followed her, with Ginny slightly lagging behind.
"No matter, but I had hoped to meet all of you. We will be working together in the battle and it would be nice to meet everyone who will be commanding the troops." In unison, three jaws dropped open, then snapped shut. The three of them stared at each other.
"Commanding troops?" Harry carefully, neutrally asked. *ME??? YOU??? What is going on????*
"Forgive me, I have been rude. My name is Claudette, and I am Alanna's granddaughter. She has told me all about you, and how competent you are. It is a relief that some good has come out of the human race. Now, where did you wish to go?"
*She isn't human?* Ginny thought anxiously to her two 'brothers', as she affectionately thought of them.
*She's the granddaughter of a demigoddess. She could be anything.* Draco thought back to her.
"We were hoping to go to the Dungeon, but we can't find it." Claudette laughed.
"Well that is a surprise. I am the proud owner of said establishment. Come on, it's this way." She led them to a door that said 'Basement Access". Opening the door, she waved them inside, and they walked carefully down the stairs.
"The management doesn't like my store, but since I pay a very nice amount of rent and give them access to other than Muggle clientele, they don't want to kick me out. So, they let my have the entire basement, and if anyone asks how to get into my store, the security guards lead them down here. All in all, it's a sweet setup. No annoying posers or teenyboppers get offended by the real Gothic deal, and I get a fair amount of customers." As they headed into The Dungeon, smoke and mist drifted up the stairs, and a thudding bass beat could be felt, shaking the walls.
Claudette pushed open a door, and they stepped in after her, plunging into shadows. Loud heavy metal music- *Rob Zombie's Dragula* Harry thought roared through the speakers. Widely spaced candles illuminated the football field sized room barely past twilight. On the right side of the store, mannequins modeled leather, vinyl, and lots of silver chains. Past them were racks upon racks of all sorts of women's, men's, and androgynous clothing, shoes and accessories. Along the back wall, there were six aisles of CDs and four aisles of DVDs. On the left, the entire wall had swords, daggers, and other items of lethal nature, and in the center was an entire makeup and piercing counter.
"Harry, I have found it. We are in heaven!" Draco dashed over to the racks of clothing, a maniacal grin of glee on his face. Harry and Ginny followed, sharing in his exuberance. They spent the next two hours trying on clothing, with Claudette helping them pick out enough clothing to fill Harry's entire room at the Dursleys'.
Harry had accumulated enough clothing to pile almost eye level on three chairs pushed together. Finally satisfied, he strolled over to try on several pairs of boots and look for a decent belt. Draco had a chest high pile on a chair next to Harry's, and Ginny had the same.
"Claudette, I don't mean to be rude, but who and what are you, exactly? You aren't human, and I was wondering why your magic feels so funny." Ginny asked her quietly, while modeling a pair of leather hip huggers and a blood red tube top. Claudette raised her eyebrows questioningly.
"How can you sense my magic? I thought that trait had been bred out of humans. To answer your questions, I am half Drow Elf and half Born Vampire. I also have the full powers of a demigoddess, but I refused that path many years ago. My mate is a mortal, and we would have been separated for all eternity. I didn't want that. I use several concealing charms to hide my fangs and ears." With a sigh of relief, she let the charms fade, her ears lengthening and tapering to a point. Ginny nodded slowly, absorbing the information. Draco came up behind her and hugged her from behind, putting his chin on the top of the petite redhead's hair.
"So, you're a bloodthirsty elf. Sounds cool." Ginny cheekily replied with a grin. Claudette laughed, appreciating the humor. "I am a mind and fire elemental, and some rather traumatic events in my second year opened me to doing wandless magic." Claudette raised her eyebrows, impressed. "I also realized, around that time, that I could sense other people's magic and manipulate it to do what I wanted." Draco gasped, staring down at her in shock.
"You can do what?" he asked, incredulous. He called over to Harry, "Hey, Potter!" he quickly asked Claudette "Is anyone else here?" She shook her head, eyes dancing merrily. Harry sauntered over, wearing an ankle length leather trench coat and had changed his shirt for a crimson mesh shirt.
"What?" he asked, admiring the coat. Ginny's eyes widened.
"Ooh, I want one of those!" she squealed.
"First, Potter, do something magic, and Ginny screw with it." Harry nodded, intrigued. He carefully transfigured a nearby mannequin into a large black panther. It prowled around the room, then curled up by Harry's feet. Ginny concentrated, and the panther reared up on its hindquarters and danced the Macarena, while singing 'I'm a Little Teapot'. Harry stared at her.
"How did you do that?" he asked, amazed. "It felt as if I had completely lost control of my spell. She actually used my magic to do it." He hugged Ginny. "That was really cool, lil sister." He snapped his fingers and the cat disappeared.
"Hey, Claudette, how much are piercings?" Harry asked, turning to the vampire Drow. She grinned cagily.
"You aren't old enough to get them. You have to be eighteen or have a legal guardian present. Sorry, you three." Draco laughed.
"That isn't a problem." *HEY, UNCLE SEV!* he shouted, grinning hysterically. Harry started laughing.
*Yes?* came the bored reply.
*Wanna do something fun? Apparate over here, and bring Bill and Ceily too! This place is great!* Severus, Bill, and Cecilia appeared in the middle of the store. They gasped as they looked around. Draco, Harry, and Ginny ran over to them.
"PLEASE, please! You're our guardians, so let us get some piercings! We'll pay for them!" they begged in earnest. Severus rolled his eyes, sighing.
"The things I do for you two," he shrugged his shoulders. "Just don't come running to me if they get infected, and no really painful ones." Draco and Harry gagged at the image.
"Who'd want to pierce that?" they asked, completely grossed out and in pain at the thought of piercing themselves /ahem/ down THERE.
"As legal guardian for both of them, I give my consent." he told Claudette, shaking his head. She laughed.
"Hello, Severus, Grandmother has told me so much about you all. I'm Claudette, by the way, a Vampire Drow." Severus shook her hand, bowing slightly.
"Charmed. Who is your grandmother?"
"Alanna. Guess how old I am."
"That could get me slapped, but I'll guess twenty four."
"Wrong. I am seven hundred and eighty five." Everyone's jaws dropped. She laughed at their expressions.
"Um, ok. Ginny, what do you want pierced?" Bill asked hoping it wasn't her nipple or anything like that.
"Belly button, nose and four in each of my ears. No, Draco wants the nipple stud."
Sev turned to his now embarrassed godson. "Oh really?"
"Yes, and Harry wants a tongue bar." Harry grinned.
"I also want three in my left ear and two in the right. Two cartilage in both ears and one in the lobe." Claudette nodded, pulling out a clipboard. She quickly filled out three forms, and handed two to Severus and one to Bill.
"Sign on the dotted line, please." They signed, and she sat Harry down first. "Birthday boy gets the honors. What do you want done first?" Harry thought a minute.
"Ears first, please."
"Do you have a gauge you want?" Claudette pulled out a gun and several packaged needles of varying sizes.
"Um twelve for the lobe and eighteen for the cartilage." She nodded and prepared the gun. Less than a minute later, Harry was admiring the five new holes in his head, and she was preparing the gun to pierce his tongue.
"Fourteen gauge all right?" she asked him. Draco looked slightly nauseous from the piercings.
"Claudette, do you make tattoos?" Severus asked. She absently nodded and summoned a binder.
"All the designs I have made are in here, so either pick one or design your own on the paper over there." She pointed to the end of the counter where a ream of paper sat.
*Harry, are you SURE you want this?* Draco asked him. Harry nodded.
*Draco, if you are going to be sick, please don't watch. I don't mind, honestly.* Draco nodded and turned away. He walked over to the CDs and, picking a CD at random, put the headphones on. Hoobastank's The Reason played at mid volume. His eyes widened as he listened to the lyrics.
I'm not a perfect person As many things I wish I didn't do But I continue learning I never meant to do those things to you And so I have to say before I go That I just want you to know
I've found a reason for me To change who I used to be A reason to start over new and the reason is you (The Reason, Hoobastank)
*Wow- oh my - wow.* He hastily found the CD and grabbed a copy. He jerked, feeling the white hot pain in his mouth and felt dizzy. *Damn it, Potter, I can still feel the damn piercings.* He grimaced and swallowed, cursing. *And I wanted to be a healer* the blond groused quietly. *I didn't know that the sight of blood or feeling pain really affected me this badly.*
He listened to several more CDs before choosing Simple Plan, all of Bon Jovi's four CDs, the newest Nickelback CD, and Matchbox 20's Mad Season. He levitated his eight CDs and walked them over to his chair full of clothing. He set the CDS on top and wandered back to the piercing counter just in time to see Ginny grimace in pain as Claudette pierced her bellybutton.
*Oh great, room stop spinning.* he ordered weakly. After a few nauseating seconds, the room righted itself. Ginny hopped down from the chair and it was Draco's turn. Gulping, he sat down and removed his shirt.
A group of teenagers and young adults walked into the store and started shopping. Harry and Ginny watched them from the corner of their eyes. *Are they- oh ok* they thought to each other as all but one removed concealing charms. Six of the group were Vampires, three were Drow, four Veela, and one still looked normal. They watched the large group and the large group finally noticed that there were other people in the store.
"Hey, is that Harry Potter?" a Vampire asked a Drow. The Drow nodded excitedly, staring discretely at Harry's scar. Harry and Ginny rolled their eyes and continued to comfort Draco, who was hyperventilating over the nipple stud.
"I swear, Harry, the ears weren't too bad but this one feels weird!" Draco complained. Harry chuckled.
"Quit being such a baby, Malfoy. I swear, if I didn't know that you were a Slytherin, I'd call you a Hufflepuff." Draco swatted him, pouting. "Hey!" Severus and Bill walked over to them, the binder marked at several pages. They handed the binder back to Claudette, and Severus stood in front of the chair, anxious to get his tattoo.
Draco hopped down, and he and Harry walked back over to the CDs. Ginny continued looking for a leather trench coat in her size. Harry, already knowing what CDs he wanted, closed his eyes and stretched out his hands. Slowly, a copy of every Metallica CD produced floated in midair and then flew towards him. He did the same with Marylin Manson, Shinedown, Godsmack, Disturbed, Papa Roach, Nine Inch Nails, Smashing Pumpkins, Iron Maiden and Korn. Copies of Linkin Park's Meteora and Hybrid Theory, Rob Zombie's Hellbilly Deluxe, Trapt's Trapt, Saliva's Every Six Seconds, and Incubus's Megalomaniac joined the already massive pile floating in midair. He and Draco carefully walked the CDs over to Harry's pile and set them down on top, careful not to topple any over.
Ginny finally found a trench coat, but knew it was too expensive. *DAMN IT!* she yelled mentally, *I really wanted this one, but I want CDs too, and DAMN IT!* She put down the trench coat and walked over to the CDs. The trench coat disappeared from behind her and reappeared, unknown to her, on Harry's pile.
Draco looked at it strangely and nodded. *When's Ginny's birthday?* he asked quietly, hoping she wouldn't hear them.
*In two days. August 2nd.* Harry grinned. *I'm getting this for her.*
*What should I get her?* Draco asked, scratching his head in bewilderment. Harry motioned for him to follow then led his soul mate over to the jewelry section. He picked up silver and onyx tiered choker with a large ruby in the center. *I think she would love it.* Draco thoughtfully picked it up, and noticed dangle earrings and a bellybutton ring in the same colors and basic design, and picked that up as well.
*Ok, I'm set gift wise, now I want some too.* They spent the next ten minutes picking out various studs and hoops for their new piercings.
Ginny wandered over by the Early rock section, looking for *THEY HAVE IT! MERIDETH BROOKS!* She happily grabbed the CD and grabbed Melissa Etheridge's first CD as well. She found The Darkness, and lastly grabbed a Pat Benetar CD. As she turned around to look for more, a hand clamped down on her shoulder. She squealed in fright and jumped, crashing into whoever was behind her. She turned around slowly and stared into a pair of chocolate eyes.
"Hello, beautiful. My name is Evan, are you an angel?" the man asked with a flirtatious smile. Ginny looked him up and down, mentally swooning. He was GORGOUS! He had a light tan, chocolate eyes, and white blond hair. He towered over her by almost a foot, and was incredibly well built. Ginny sighed and shook her head.
"I'm sorry, Evan is it? How old are you?" She picked up her CDs and started to walk towards her 'brothers'. *Draco, Harry, I think I might need some help over here.* Slowly, Harry and Draco made their way over, chatting aimlessly.
Evan rested his arms on either side of her, effectively blocking her in against the CD cases. "I'm 22, love. So, what is your name, or should I just keep calling you Angel?" He playfully twirled a strand of her scarlet hair around his fingers.
Ginny pushed his hand away from his face. "My name is Virginia, I'm 15, and taken. I really am not interested." *HARRY, DRACO HELP!* She tried to push past his arm, but he grabbed her shoulder and spun her around.
"Virginia, angel, do not piss me off. I won't tell if you don't." He pushed her against the case and lowered his face to hers. His eyes flashed a golden yellow and he grinned widely. Ginny watched, in detached fascination, as his teeth elongated into massive fangs. He gently brushed her nose with his own, and kissed her.
"Get off my sister" came two growls from right behind him. Harry and Draco stood there, snarling at him. Evan smirked and his fingernails elongated into black claws and he backed away from the case, pulling Ginny sharply to him.
"What are you going to do if I don't?" he asked, smirking. Harry grinned evilly and Evan stared at him, a tiny bit of doubt edging into his expression. He fractionally relaxed his grip, and Ginny slammed her fist into his gut. "OOF" he wheezed, letting go of her completely. She slid away from him and Harry pulled her to their sides. He and Draco flared their powers, grinning widely. Evan whimpered as they lifted him into the air and threw him across the room. He slammed into the wall almost fifty feet away and slid to the floor, stunned.
Harry hugged Ginny. "Are you all right?" She nodded and wrapped her arms around both of them.
"Thank you. I thought I had it under control, but he changed and I don't know what he was!" Harry stroked her hair.
Claudette spoke up from behind them. "He's a born werewolf. They have greater control over their transformations, and can partially transform at any point in time. However, they also must transform at the full moon just like your friend Remus." She hugged Ginny. "Did he hurt you?"
"No, just scared me." Ginny shook her head and grinned at them. "I'm fine. Come on, it's been almost three hours. We should definitely get going." The three of them gathered their merchandise.
Harry went first, and levitated his pile to the checkout. Claudette totaled him up quickly, raising an eyebrow at the total. "All right, that is one trench coat, forty CDs, a spiked belt, six regular shirts, two tunics, and three mesh shirts, leather pants, one black pair and one indigo pair of jeans, six packs of FuckMe bracelets, three spiked bracelets, a spiked watch, two talon hoops, three silver regular hoops, assorted studs, and-" Harry shushed her, inclining his head at Ginny. Claudette got the hint and just totaled him. "That is L1375, even. How will you be paying for this?" Her eyebrows disappeared into her hair line as Harry calmly handed her three L500 notes. "Your change is L125. Have a nice day and come back soon."
Harry quickly shrank most of his clothing bags and disappeared into the changing room. Claudette quickly rang up Draco's purchases, and he handed her a L500 note to cover it, receiving some change. Ginny handed over L400 for her purchases and also received change. They rushed over to the changing rooms and put on some of their new clothes.
Harry and Draco walked out together, trench coats snapping around them. Harry was wearing a deep emerald mesh shirt and leather pants underneath with his boots, an arm full of FuckMe bracelets and spikes around the base of both wrists and his neck. Draco wore a dark silver mesh shirt and leather pants, boots, a spiked collar, and two spiked bracelets. Ginny walked out just after them in a blood red tube top, skintight leather pants, spiked bracelets and a collar, and her knee high black boots. They strode together over to their guardians, who stared at them with approving grins.
Severus removed his robes, still wearing the Harry Potter original tunic underneath. Claudette walked over, admiring the shirt. "Where did you get this?" she asked, fingering the material lightly.
"My nephew, Harry, conjured it. Isn't it incredible?" Claudette stared at Harry in shock.
"You made that? How?" she asked impressed with the craftsmanship.
Harry shrugged. "I just pictured what I wanted and made it. It was nothing, really."
"Harry, if you every want a job in clothing design, talk to me first, all right? I could make a fortune selling stuff like this." Harry blushed.
Claudette strode over to them. "Now, the clothing is excellent, you three, but you need some finishing touches." She removed Harry's glasses and studied his face critically. "I have a wizard friend that works at Towne Vision upstairs. Tell him that Claudette sent you and he'll hook you up with some wizarding contacts. The glasses have to go." She ran her hands through Harry's hair, muttering a spell. His hair instantly spiked. She waved a hand absently, and the top quarter of an inch turned a bright emerald. Another wave of her hand, and the tips turned silver. She let go of him and looked him over, satisfied.
"You're done. Next, Draco, get over here." She studied him critically, and waved a hand over his face. Black eyeliner traced his upper lids and he blinked, startled. She added two thick, brilliant blue streaks the front section of his parted hair, framing his face in blue. She added tiny, lighter blue and silver streaks to the rest of his hair then looked him over with a critical eye. "Ok, you are done. Ginny, come here, now!"
Ginny walked over, smirking. Claudette did a full face of makeup on her, from black eyeliner and steel colored eye shadow to full crimson lips. She added also deep crimson and black streaks and undertones to Ginny's hair, making it lusciously darker. "Ok there isn't any more to do to you. You three look so good!" They stared at each other. Harry was loathing putting on his glasses, but he kind of needed to see where he was going.
Severus and Bill paid for their tattoos in Galleons and shrank their robes, putting them in Draco's bag for safekeeping. Ceily brought over several swords and dagger sets and paid for those. They left the store after promising to come back often, if only just to chat.
They quickly found Towne Vision and, after dropping Claudette's name, Harry was taken care on immediately. It also helped matter that her friend immediately recognized him as being 'The Boy Who Lived'. Harry sighed, sliding in his new contacts. They were expensive, but he would never need to buy another pair again. They were self correcting, and never needed to be taken out, either. He threw his glasses into the nearest trash bin.
They quickly walked into Circuit City and bought three CD players. Harry also bought a speaker system that he promised to share.
"I'm going to borrow your CDs too, you know." Ginny told Harry and Draco as they walked out of the store. They both laughed.
"Sure, Ginny, that's fine. Just don't scratch them or let anyone else scratch them. That would suck." Harry cautioned. He smirked then probed for Ron and Hermione.
"Ron and Hermione are in the food court just around the corner" Harry announced quietly after mentally locating them. The six of them strode around the next corner and spotted the two Gryffindors immediately. They were sharing a chocolate sundae and were feeding it to each other. Harry, Draco, and Ginny mentally gagged.
*Oh my God. Can they be any more sickeningly sweet? He can feed his girlfriend a sundae, but Dean can't help me with my homework using the rewards system- It's so unfair.* Draco and Harry looked at each other, sniggering.
*Rewards system? Does it work well?* Harry asked mischievously. Ginny scowled.
*I wouldn't know. Ron jumped Dean before we could study.* Draco laughed.
Ron and Hermione looked up at the sound of his laughter. Their jaws hit the floor in shock. "Harold Potter! Virginia Weaseley! What the HELL did you do to yourselves???" Hermione screeched. Ron stared at them speechless.
"I wash my hands of you, Potter! This is too much and I can't handle it!" She turned to Severus, gasping slightly at his Gothic clothing, spikes and sneer. "Can we go now, sir? I want to go back to Hogwarts." Severus nodded tersely and they stood up, clumsily gathering their bags.
Severus led them all to an empty store and they stood inside in a circle. Relying on Harry and Draco for the needed power, Severus apparated all of them to the Leaky Cauldron. Bill and Ceily followed them.
Draco, upon arriving, grabbed Harry's hand and dragged him to the door. "Uncle Sev, could you do that thing that I asked you to do earlier today?" Severus smirked at him.
"It's already been done. Where are you going?"
"Harry is the richest wizard, if not person in the world. He needs to be able to dress the part. I'm going to open him an account at Armani. Come with us?" Draco tugged Harry out the door and into Knockturn Alley, Severus following them.
After about a block of seediness, Knockturn Alley morphed into an upper crust shopping district. Draco pulled an amazed Harry into a bright, low key shop to their left. A man came out of a back room and stared at them.
"Gentlemen, I assume you are lost?" he asked in a heavy French accent. Draco scowled at him, irritated.
"Jacques, it's me, Draco Malfoy." The man's eyes widened almost comically and he bowed.
"My deepest apologies, Master Draco. Have you come for a fitting? Your measurements have changed." He led them to the back of the store and gestured for both of them to stand on stools. They complied.
"My associate is Harry Potter, the Heir of Merlin's Fortune. I would like to assist him in opening an account with you." Draco, bored, examined his fingernails. Jacques's eyes widened again and he bowed in gratitude.
"Do not worry, Master Draco, Master Harry, I will take care of the account for you." He waved a hand and two tape measures spun around the teens as Severus watched, faintly amused.
"Master Severus, do you wish to order any-" A loud crash interrupted him and he jerked his head to the door, scowling. A cloaked figure stood in the doorway, leaning slightly.
"What do you- Oh MY, come in, quickly." Jacques ushered the figure in and helped to remove the cloak. An exhausted Blaise Zambini stepped out, followed by a miniature female version of Blaise. They sagged, and Severus and Harry caught them as they collapsed.
"Draco, you have to help us" Blaise groaned. "Voldemort is here. He has our parents and wants us as leverage to make them cooperate. You have to help."
A/N: Well, there it was. 21 pages. Damn, and it would have been posted sooner but I somehow deleted half the chapter and had to retype. Oh well, what can ya do. Anyway, chapter 11 will be up in about a week, if not sooner. I am both typing and betaing my own story for right now, as my lil sis has too much homework to beta. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, and to the several people who have told me to write my own stories, thank you and I am currently doing that. See y all next chapter! Luv much, Laura