Chapter 21
In which Lucius got into a brawl
Harriet opened the door to the Leaky Cauldrons and smiled as she heard Daphne's complaints from where she stood. Draco and Theo were there, silently enduring the torture. The boys stood up when they saw her.
"My Lady" they greeted.
She was rather disappointed when only Lucius and Narcissa were there to chaperone them.
"How's Thomas, then?" she asked Lucius.
"Still recovering, My Lady, he had to make do with small animals for now, but Severus is confident that he will get stronger soon." Lucius answered.
"Walk with me, Lucius" she said as she fell to the back of their group on their way to Gringotts.
"Your elf paid me a visit." she said matter-of-factly.
"Oh?"
"Dobby? I think he's Draco's elf" Harriet said as Lucius held the door open for her. "He was trying to prevent me from going back to school because of a dangerous plan you have with Thomas."
"It wasn't…well, it might be a tiny bit dangerous, but My Lord wished to be at the school in some form to continue with your courting, My Lady." Lucius said abashedly. "It was supposed to be a surprise for you."
"Oh? Alright then, don't tell me. Just this. Will it endanger the other students?" She asked worriedly.
"Well, it's a bit unpredictable at the moment, but we will strive to keep the danger at the minimum." he said as an afterthought.
"Right. Also, about Dobby. He seemed unhappy at your employment. Would you be willing to release him to me? My cousin Dudley took a liking on him." Harriet smiled slightly at the memory of her cousin reminding her to talk to the Malfoys.
"I feel that I must warn you that that elf is undisciplined and not loyal. But if you want him, i don't see why not, my Lady." Lucius said.
After they finished their business at Gringotts, Lucius told them to continue with the shopping while he did business in Knockturn Alley. That piqued Harriet's interest, and she ended up tagging along, with Draco coming with her to catch up on their holiday.
Borgin and Burkes was a new experience.
"Don't touch anything, children." Lucius intoned before calling for the proprietor.
Harriet wrinkled her nose at the dusty looks of the display and hold Draco's sleeve when he tried to touch a skeletal hand. Not a moment too soon, it seemed, as the hand clasped shut, as if catching something in its palm. They looked around the shop curiously as Lucius haggled with the proprietor, and Harriet saw a few volumes of books she was interested in. Two of the books were on the list in the Ravenclaw's library, so she took them and brought them to the cashier.
Mr. Borgin and Lucius were still debating about a diary, of all things.
"...I will pay you twenty galleons for the book." Borgin offered.
"No, thank you, this one is personal property, not to be sold..." Lucius said.
Harriet waited patiently for them to bicker about before peeking at said diary out of curiosity. Her eyes widened at the words, 'T.M. Riddle, Jr.'
"Really, a Diary?" she shook her head in amusement.
Lucius coughed in surprise.
"And what do you want, little lady?" Mr. Borgin eyed her with gimlet eyes.
"She's with me," Lucius quickly said.
"Oh, ho…really now? Those books are hardly appropriate for a girl this young." Mr. Borgin frowned. "I don't want to get in trouble with the DMLE."
"Then you're lucky I'm here, aren't you. Put them on my purchase." Lucius drawled impatiently.
As soon as Mr. Borgin rang up the sales, he half dragged the two children back to Diagon Alley.
"What are you going to do with the books, My Lady?" he asked cautiously on their way to Flourish & Blotts.
"Read it" Harriet deadpanned. "But it was on the list in my Common Room. you don't need to worry, though, the content of Ravenclaw's Library is only open to Ravenclaw students. Is it just me or is it really crowded here today?" she looked around, trying to catch Narcissa, Daphne and Theo.
"It can't be…Harriet Potter?" a pair of hands appeared at both sides of her shoulder, and tried to steer her to the center of the crowds. A flash light almost blinded her from where the camera took a picture of them.
"Unhand me this instant, please." She shrugged the hands off her shoulder and quickly went behind Lucius.
"Who might you be?" Lucius asked sternly as he held Draco's shoulder to cover for their Lady.
The man gulped at the Malfoy patriarch's stern visage and straightened up.
"I am the one and only, Gilderoy Lockhart! Order of Merlin, Third Class, Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defence League, and winner of the Witch Weekly's Most Charming Smile Award five times in a row." he tried to sneak up to get Harriet to the front with him. "Today is my book signing. I wanted to give you a set of my books as a gift!"
Lucius used his cane to push him away.
"Thank you, but no thanks." Harriet said from behind Lucius. "I'm not really interested in fiction."
"Oh, but you must have been mistaken! My books are autobiography, and as the books would be your mandatory handbook for next year's defense class, I must insist!" he said jovially. "Let this be a surprise, because I, Gilderoy Lockhart, will be your Defense Against the Dark Art teacher for this school year!"
The whole room erupted in claps, but Harriet rolled her eyes.
"You must be joking." she muttered and pulled on Draco's and Lucius' robes as the blonde author preened under the attention of his admirers, allowing the three to move discreetly behind a tall shelf.
"Lucius, did you hire him?" She looked at the Malfoy patriarch sternly.
"Of course not, the decision of hiring a teacher is the jurisdiction of the Headmaster." Lucius said, offended that his Lady could think of him doing that menial task. "Out of curiosity, My Lady, why did you say that his books were fiction?"
"There's a collection in the Ravenclaw Library, and it was stored under fiction." she said airily. "The books' stories were so full of holes that I'm surprised they hold. In fact, I sent a copy of Voyages with Vampires to Mr. Scamander, who forwarded it to his vampire friend, and he said that his friend laughed so hard that he cried for the first time in 500 years since his turning. It was a surprise for the Vampire too since he didn't know he could still produce tears."
Lucius and Draco gaped at her.
"Anyways, do you have any idea on how to replace him? I don't really want to waste a school year on his idiocy. I might as well go to a muggle school and take Literature class if I had to take his class." Harriet said, eyes already eyeing the spines of books behind Lucius.
"Short of compromising him, I'm afraid you just have to endure it, my Lady. Defense teachers are hard to come by, as far as I can remember."Lucius said.
Harriet sighed in disappointment. "Let's find Narcissa."
They walked out of the aisle, giving a wide berth to the book signing area, and went up to the second floor.
"I bet you're so proud, Potter, you're so famous that Lockhart immediately recognised you." Ronald Weasley was there, eyeing her with a stink eye. Seemed like the humiliation was enough to turn his ambition to be her friend to hatred. Not that she minded.
Harriet rolled her eyes and ignored him.
"Don't you dare ignore me, you witch!" Ronald howled in frustration and pounced.
Draco stepped in his way, and Harriet flicked a wand lazily, sticking Ronald precariously on the banister.
"What is happening here!" another red headed man barged to their area, followed by a gaggle of red headed children.
"Mr. Weasley, was it?" Harriet asked coldly as the man nodded. " as I have said numerous time. I do not appreciate being intruded, as Ronald Weasley seemed to insist doing. This time, he will stay where he is until he learns his lesson. Come Draco, Lucius, we still have our own shopping to do."
The Weasley Patriarch turned red in embarrassment and muttered something under his breath. Lucius, unfortunately, heard and pounced on the man without thinking. They were brawling until Harriet turned back, having heard the commotion and strode back murderously.
"Lucius Malfoy! What do you think you are doing?!" she asked sternly, using her favorite spell to separate the two adults on separate bookshelves.
"He impugned your honor!" Lucius growled.
Harriet rolled her eyes. "Nevermind that. People are entitled to their opinions. Muggles have this saying, A lion doesn't concern itself with the opinion of sheeps. Whatever the Weasleys thought doesn't have anything to do with us. Anyways, you are both adults. Whatever differences you have shouldn't influence your behavior in public. Brawling, like a savage, in the full view of children and adults alike. What were you thinking?"
Mr. Weasley's wife opened her mouth, clearly about to berate her. Harriet stared her down sternly. "I have no quarrel with you, Mr and Mrs. Weasley. Do not step on me and mine, and I shall not step on yours. Or shall we discuss the burnt fake marriage contract you tried to pass on to my account manager?"
Mrs. Weasley's mouth snapped shut and she tried to avoid her husband's horrified stare.
"Just out of curiosity, who are you trying to pair me with?" Harriet asked with a frown.
Mrs. Weasley didn't answer, but she looked at Ronald, then at her feet with a bright red face.
Harriet shook her head. "This explains so much." she turned to the two Patriarchs.
"Are you ready to act like the adults you are?"
The two men nodded frantically.
"Harriet…" Arthur Weasley started.
"Please call me Lady Potter, or ms. Potter. We are not close enough for you to call me so familiarly. I am also not close with any of your children, so there is no reason at all to call me by my given name." she told him coldly.
Arthur winced, with the recently revealed line theft attempt by his wife, he really can't say anything.
"Lady Potter, House Weasley hereby offered a formal apology for the attempted Line Theft and Insults I have unknowingly rendered."
"Apology accepted, but not forgiven. The Future Lord Potter will be the one to decide on the suitable punishment." she said.
"Future Lord Potter?!" Mrs. Weasley asked loudly.
"My future husband, of course." Harriet examined her nails.
Mrs. Weasley's eyes once again strayed to her son.
"Oh right, knowing the rules and regulations, why did you attempt to submit a counterfeit marriage contract?" Harriet asked.
"Albus assured me that it will be accepted because you're an orphan and he's your magical guardian." Mrs. Weasley sniffed.
"Only that he wasn't my magical guardian. My magical guardian is my godfather, and when he is unable, my Aunt." Harriet said. "And my Aunt loved me, so she would never infringe on my right like you do. Come on, Lucius, Draco." she turned and walked away, leaving the fuming Mrs. Weasley.
Lucius sniffed and stomped past, accidentally into a young girl holding a stack of books and the girl dropped them in surprise. He apologized and helped her to pick up the books, then left.