I am Tom Riddle Chapter 2
Mum woke us all up early the next morning to get our books. After a few bacon sandwiches (yum), mum got out the Floo powder from the mantelpiece and looked inside.
"We're running low, Arthur," she said to dad. "We'll have to buy some more today." Well, there goes my new journal! "Ah, well, guests first! After you, Harry dear!"
Harry stared at the flower pot. "What am I supposed to do?" he asked.
We kind of stared at him. I mean, I've never met anyone who doesn't know about Floo powder!
All of a sudden, Ron said, "He's never traveled by Floo powder! Sorry, Harry, I forgot."
"Never?" asked dad. I'm sure he was as surprised as I was. "But how did you get to Diagon Alley to buy your things last year?"
"I went on the Underground-" Harry started to say, but dad interrupted him.
"Really? Were there escapators? How exactly-"
"Not now, Arthur," said mum. "Floo powder's a lot quicker, dear, but goodness me, if you've never used it before-"
"He'll be all right, mum," said Fred. "Harry, watch us first." He took a pinch of Floo powder and threw it into the flames. We'd all seen this routine many times before, but Harry was watching with apparent interest. The fire turned green, and Fred shouted, "Diagon Alley!" and vanished.
Harry let out an audible gasp. I'm sure he was nervous. To tell you the truth, Floo powder kind of freaks me out too. That's why I always go with mum.
"You must speak clearly, dear," mum said to Harry as George took a pinch of Floo powder. "And be sure to get out at the right grate…"
"The right what?" Harry asked nervously.
"Well, there are an awful lot of wizard fires to choose from, you know, but as long as you've spoken clearly-"ugh, mum was making Harry more and more nervous, I could tell.
"He'll be fine, Molly, don't fuss," said dad, getting some Floo powder for himself.
"But dear, if he got lost, how would we ever explain to his aunt and uncle?"
"They wouldn't mind," Harry said bitterly. "Dudley would think that it was a brilliant joke if I got lost up a chimney, don't worry about that-" Oh, yeah, I forgot what monsters his aunt, uncle and cousin are. This Dudley person sounds a bit like a muggle Malfoy!
"Well…all right… you go after Arthur," mum blabbed on. "Now, when you get into the fire, say where your going-"
"And keep your elbows tucked in," Ron added.
"And your eyes shut," said mum. "The soot-"
"Don't fidget," said Ron. "Or you might well fall out of the wrong fireplace-" Bloody hell, they were making this seem much scarier than when they told me how to do it!
"But don't panic and get out too early; wait until you see Fred and George."
We all watched Harry as he nervously approached the flowerpot, took a pinch of Floo powder, and walked to the fireplace. He took a deep breath and coughed, "D-Dia-gon Alley," and vanished. Oh, I hoped he'd be okay…
Mum looked nervous, but she said, "Alright, Arthur, you next, and then Percy… and Ginny and I will follow."
After dad and Percy the git had gone, mum and I walked into the grate hand in hand. Ugh, it was so creepy, like we were on one of those muggle roller coasters I'd heard about. I was really glad when we got out at Diagon Alley.
When we got out, we saw dad, Percy, Fred and George standing there looking around worriedly.
"What's going on?" I asked.
"Harry's gone missing," said George.
"Must have fallen out of the wrong grate," said Fred.
Now that Harry wasn't here, there was no need for me to be shy anymore. "Oh, no! Will we be able to find him?" I asked.
Everyone sort of went, "Um…"
"Tell you what," said dad. "Molly, why don't you take Ginny to buy her wand while we wait for Harry?" Oh, yes. MY WAND! YAY! HURRAY! (Also, earlier when I said that I wished I could put a Silencing charm on the door, I would have used someone else's wand.)
So mum and I walked towards Ollivanders. Mr. Ollivander REALLY creeps me out. I know that because I normally go every single time my brothers need wands.
"Another Weasley," Mr. Ollivander whispered softly to me. It seems that only just yesterday you were buying your wand, Molly," he said to mum. She blushed. "Oh, yes… I remember. Unicorn hair, rosewood, seven inches, good for charm work." He turned to me… "And you… you're the last Weasley?"
"Yes."
"All right, then." He pulled out a box. "Try this one. 8 and a half inches, oak, dragon heartstring, good for transfiguration."
Having watched my brothers do this dozens of times, I knew just what to do. I gave it a wave, and as I suspected, nothing happened.
"Tut, tut, how about this one? Phoenix feather, beech wood, 11 inches, springy and light."
I waved it and nothing happened. This happened until finally Mr. Ollivander said, "Unicorn Hair, pine, 6 and a half inches, knobby in the middle," and as I waved it, a warm sensation came over me.
Mr. Ollivander applauded.
When mum and I got back to everyone else clutching my BRAND NEW WAND, Harry was there with Hagrid!
"Oh, Harry- oh, my dear- you could have been anywhere-" mum gasped, sweeping dirt off of Harry.
After we had found out where Harry had been, mum started off AGAIN.
"Knockturn Alley! If you hadn't found him, Hagrid!"
Next, we were all off to Flourish and Blotts, the bookstore, to buy our new books. As we walked into the store, we saw a huge crowd gathered around the door, on which was posted a poster that said:
GILDEROY LOCKHART
Will be signing copies of his autobiography
MAGICAL ME
Today 12:30 P.M. to 4:30 P.M.
Gilderoy Lockhart is this very annoying pretty- boy author that loads of people I know fancy. For example, Hermione, who turned up when Harry went missing.
"We can actually meet him!" she squealed. "I mean, he's written practically the entire booklist!" Ugh. I mean, why does everyone fancy him? Harry's much better- looking.
Most of the crowd was made up of witches mum's age, because it's mostly middle- aged women who fancy him. We all squeezed inside and snuck up to the line where Gilderoy Lockhart was signing his books.
Gilderoy Lockhart walked out and sat down at the table where all of the copies of his books lay piled on top of each other. I rolled my eyes. Gilderoy could completely have passed for Narcissus from Greek mythology, the way he was looking at himself in the mirror. A photographer was taking photographs of him a mile a minute. "Out of the way, there," he snarled at Ron. "This is for the Daily Prophet-"
"Big deal," said Ron. These are times where I actually admire Ron, because of course he was right. However, Pretty- boy heard him and looked up. He looked at Ron, and then at Harry. He jumped to his feet and said, "It can't be Harry Potter?" People started whispering, and Gilderoy Lockhart grabbed Harry for a double shot. Harry looked so embarrassed, and I could hardly blame him. He really doesn't want all of this publicity. I focused on Gilderoy Lockhart's face without really listening to what he was saying. By the time I came back to Earth, he said, "yes, ladies and gentlemen, I have great pleasure and pride in announcing that this September, I will be taking up the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!" NOOO! NOO! THIS IS MY WORST NIGHTMARE! GILDEROY LOCKHART AS A TEACHER? HOW COULD DUMBLEDORE DO THIS TO ME?
Harry stumbled towards me with the books he had gotten from Lockhart. "You have these," Harry mumbled to me, tipping the books into my cauldron. "I'll buy my own-" You see how noble he is? He knows our family's poor!
"Bet you loved that, didn't you, Potter?" said a cold drawling voice from the corning of the room. What better time than for Draco Malfoy to make a stupid remark to Harry? "Famous Harry Potter," said Malfoy. "Can't even go into a bookshop without making the front page!"
"Leave him alone, he didn't want all that!" I burst out, glaring at Malfoy.
"Potter, you've got yourself a girlfriend!" Malfoy drawled. I turned bright red. Yeah, right! I wish!
At this moment, Ron and Hermione walked over clutching Lockhart's books.
"Oh, it's you," said Ron to Malfoy with disgust. "Bet you're surprised to see Harry here, eh?"
"Not as surprised as I am to see you in a bookshop, Weasley," Malfoy snapped back. "I suppose your parents will go hungry for a month to pay for all of those." He really knows how to strike a nerve in exactly the right place. Ron went as red as me, if not redder. He dropped his books into my cauldron and started towards Malfoy. I was so furious that I sat there watching him, but Harry and Hermione grabbed the back of his jacket. At this moment, dad came over with Fred and George.
"Ron!" he said. "What are you doing here? It's too crowded in here, let's go outside."
"Well, well, well, Arthur Weasley," said a cold voice like Draco's but slightly lower. It was Lucius Malfoy, the spirit of pure evil. He stood with his hands on Draco's shoulders, sneering at us.
"Lucius," said dad coldly, the happy look gone from his face.
"Busy time at the ministry I hear," said Mr. Malfoy. "All those raids… I hope they're paying you overtime?"
I watched as he stuck his arm into my cauldron and pulled out the most ragged hand- me- down book I own, A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration.
"Obviously not," he sneered. "Dear me, what's the use of being a disgrace to the name of wizard if they don't even pay you for it?" I wanted to slap him. You would think that if there had to be a horrible bullying wizard in a family, there would only have to be one.
Dad blushed as dark as Ron and me. "We have a very different idea of what disgraces the name of wizard, Malfoy," he said coldly.
"Clearly," said the devil. "The company you keep, Weasley… and I thought your family could sink no lower-"
The next thing I knew, I was ducking as my cauldron was thrown over my head. Dad had pushed himself towards Mr. Malfoy, and I'm sure you can guess what happened next. Mum was practically in hysterics, but I have to say that I was cheering dad on along with Fred and George. The assistant went, "Break it up there, gents, break it up!" and Hagrid walked over.
I had never met Hagrid before, but I'd heard about him. And besides, how many other men are about eight feet high and three feet wide? He pulled dad and Mr. Malfoy apart in the bat of an eye, and it was probably a good thing, because dad had a cut lip and Lucius had been hit in the eye by a book. He stood there, still holding my ratty old book. He tossed it to me, giving me the evil eye. The book felt heavier than I remembered.
"Here, girl- take your book- it's the best your father can give you-" and he and Draco walked out of the shop. I was practically shaking in angry. I mean, so what if we're poor? So what if we're not snobs who have people waiting on them hand and foot?
We walked back to the Burrow, mum shouting at dad all the way.