Charlie and Harry led the troops into town. Hermione giggled. They must look rather odd to the Muggle citizens of Dowling-on-the-Green. "Seven hooded characters arriving on foot" she thought with a laugh as the group dodged Muggle vehicles.
"Do any of you actually know how to get into Actu Alley?" Neville asked uncertainly.
"I'm sure we can figure it out." Charlie said nonchalantly.
"Or…we could ask for directions." Lorelei offered.
"Ask a Muggle where the magic side of town is? Are you mental?" Exclaimed Ron.
"Do I look stupid?" Lorelei asked. "Cause I feel like you think I'm stupid." Charlie chuckled. "Of course I wouldn't just ask any Muggle. But you have to admit that wizards aren't the best at blending in, so if you spot anyone peculiarly dressed, it's a fair bet they know the way."
Hermione looked down at her dark robes. "Dressed more peculiarly then us?" Lorelei made a face and stuck her tongue out. "Aye…and you're the mature one of this bunch?"
Ron suddenly dropped Hermione's hand and advanced on a man wearing white platform disco shoes, a kilt and a white furry vest. "Excuse me sir?" Ron said. "But do you happen to know the way to Actu Alley?"
The oddly dressed man squinted at Ron. "What is it with you bloody tourists? Fifth ruddy person who's asked me that self same question this week. Directions to a place that doesn't exist. I want to see the brochure the Board of Tourism put out about this place." He shook his head. "Aye, for chrissake…off with you." He finished with a wave of his hand.
Ron returned the huddled group and gave Lorelei a hateful look. "Ok, so not every strangely dressed human is a wizard." Lorelei said with a shrug of her shoulders. "I suppose there's no accounting for taste."
They walked about three blocks more before Lorelei stepped forward. She gingerly approached an older man wearing argyle socks, swim trunks, and a woman's pink ruffled shirt. She was opening her mouth to speak but the man cut her off.
"Five blocks east, one block north in Katzmann's Diner. It's in the women's restroom. Just tap the commode three times." He said, acknowledging her vaguely. Lorelei was slightly confused by the abruptness of this encounter. "THANK YOU!" She yelled after him as he proceeded down the sidewalk.
Katzmann's Diner was an old fashioned short order place. Ron sniffed the air with relish as the aromas of bacon grease and maple syrup wafted from the kitchen. "Do you think we could stop and have a bite?" Ron asked hopefully.
Lorelei shook her head and Ron visibly deflated. They all headed to the back of the restaurant, following the giant finger that read 'Restrooms'.
"Hey! The restrooms are for paying customers only!" The hostess yelled at them.
Charlie tipped his hat to her. "We'll be purchasing something on out way out." He said with a disarming smile. The hostess blushed. "I suppose that'll be alright." She giggled. Lorelei shook her head in disbelief. "You'd think he was part Veela the way they swoon after him."
"Well you should know. I mean, you fell for him, didn't you?" Ron said. Hermione elbowed him in the stomach. "Way to be sensitive Ron." She said through gritted teeth.
"It's ok, Hermione. He has a point." Lorelei conceded. "But not a very good one." Charlie interrupted. "It took me a whole year to get her to go out with me." He said emphatically. "She was very good at resisting my charms. I think, at one point, she may have even preferred Bill."
Charlie opened the door to the single stalled ladies room and they all squeezed in. The gentleman coming out of the men's room gave Harry a scandalized look at Harry moved to shut and lock the door.
Lorelei laughingly replied to Charlie's comment. "I only like Bill better because he actually talked to me like I was a human being." She remembered. "Neville dear, tap the toilet three times. I probably would have agreed to go out with you earlier if you had quit tormenting me with the 'Swiss Miss' comments. I wore braids once and you made it an annoying running joke."
The back wall of the restroom started to change. The toilet flipped upside down and then somersaulted into nothingness. The grimy white bathroom tiles slide on top of each other in a clatter, creating a gaping hole in the lavatory wall. Lorelei and Charlie led the way through the passageway. Actu Alley was much cleaner then Diagon Alley had ever been. Hermione gasped in pleasure. "It's just so pretty!"
Harry rushed past the rest of the group. "Ron, Neville, look!" He shouted back. The three boys were soon glued to the front window of Bloom & Bluster's Sporting Goods Store. Charlie paused to look over their shoulders. "Impressive…" He said, staring at the new Nova 2005 broomstick. "Why don't you go in? I'm sure they would prefer you buy something then leave permanent nose smudges on their display windows." He chuckled. The young men didn't need a second suggestion, dark mission briefly forgotten. "Bloody hell, look!" Charlie heard Ron exclaim as he turned around. Lorelei was being dragged forcibly to Candelari's Texts and Treats by Hermione. Luna nearly got run over by a horse-drawn carriage because she was airily staring up at the bright, new buildings. "Careful there." Charlie admonished as he steered Luna towards the bookstore. They arrived to find Lorelei and Hermione in a raptured silence. "This is my mecca." Hermione said in a hushed tone, as she stood mesmerized by five stories of books.
"It is quite remarkable." Lorelei said reverently.
"Oh look! They sell Daddy's paper!" Luna squealed as she ripped a copy of the Quibbler off the magazine rack.
Charlie grabbed Lorelei by the arm. "Let's leave them to their reverie." He whispered in her ear. She smiled at him and followed him out the door. They strolled down the street, passing a confectioner's shop, a new Zonko's and a shop that looked like a carbon copy of Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop. As they passed Branch's Superior Wands, Lorelei caught a glimpse of a familiar head and pushed Charlie aside to enter the shop. She approached the counter wearily.
"Excuse me?" She said. A jovial little man with puffy white hair popped up from behind the counter. "Oh, I'm sorry. I though you were someone else." She said disappointedly.
The kind man smiled. "I suppose it was the hair that gave it away." He shook his head ruefully. "I can never seem to transfigure it completely."
Charlie and Lorelei exchanged a look and then greeted the elderly man loudly. "Shh shh." He quieted them. "I went to a lot of trouble to hide out here and I don't need you to blow my cover." They nodded in silence, looking around suspiciously.
Mr. Ollivander ushered them into the backroom for a cup of tea. As he was serving, Lorelei leaned in close. "How exactly did you get away from the Death Eater's sir?" She asked.
"It wasn't easy." Ollivander explained. "Thankfully Dumbledore gave a bit of warning that they were coming. There wasn't time to take anything. I had to leave my shop – all my wands, my reputation – and start over as someone else completely different." He ended with flourish that exposed the scarlet velvet vest he now sported. He fell into a sigh. "How is old Dumbledore by the way?" He asked over his teacup.
Lorelei stared at the sugar bowl and tried to think of a tactful way to answer that question. Charlie put down his cup, clasped his hand together and just said it. "Unfortunately, the headmaster is dead, Mr. Ollivander."
Ollivander gasped. "No! It can't be."
"But sadly, it's true." Lorelei said sorrowfully. "Killed by his Potions Master."
"Snape! Well, I never. I remember getting him his first wand." The old man sat back, reminiscing. "Peculiar child that. But I never would have thought him capable of cold blooded murder."
Lorelei answered slowly. "Me neither."
"This is very distressing." Mr. Ollivander said, pacing back and forth and wringing his hands. Charlie and Lorelei got up to leave. "I'm sorry children…" Ollivander apologized. "I'm not very good company right now."
"We totally understand." Said Lorelei. "We'll just show ourselves out."
Back in the summer sun, the couple tried to the shake the gloomy mood that had fallen upon them.
"I didn't even get to finish my tea." Lorelei pouted at Charlie. He laughed and ran down the sidewalk. He opened the door of "The Rosebud Tearoom" in a sweeping motion and escorted her in.
"This reminds me of my first Hogsmeade trip." Lorelei said nostalgically.
"You mean your first trip with me." Charlie corrected.
"No I'm talking about the time Marcus Ellison brought me to Madam Puddifoot's for Valentine's Day." Lorelei remarked. "He mistook a doily for a cookie and nearly choked to death." Charlie snorted, looking both amused and disturbed. They sipped their tea in silence. Lorelei finally broke the mood. "Why are you so quiet all of the sudden?" She asked.
Charlie shrugged. "I guess I thought I was the first guy to take you to old Muddifoot's place."
"Oh come now. Surely you're not pouting about that!" Lorelei exclaimed in disbelief. "That's just stupid. It's…it's just not the Charlie thing to do." Charlie just shrugged again. "Really now…how many girls did you take on their first Hogsmeade trip? Why does this matter so matter to you?"
Charlie thought for a minute. "I guess it's because I loved you." Lorelei was stunned, but saved from making any reply. The five young adults burst through the door. "Death Eaters coming down the street." Hissed Harry. "Malfoy!"
Teacups abandoned, the seven whisked toward the kitchen's back exit. "Wait!" Lorelei screamed into the heads of her companions. "Shall we listen?"
Malfoy entered the tearoom with two surly cohorts. He sauntered up to the old lady proprietor. She turned to face him and made a steely face. "I don't serve you kind here." She said venom and spit dripping from every word.
"I don't really care, you old hag. I don't want tea, I want information." Malfoy said with bravado.
"Well you can't have that either." The sturdy old granny said. One of Malfoy's thugs pointed his wand at her and she jerked into the air. "He said he wanted information." The brute muttered through thick lips.
The old lady gave the trio a hard look. "And why do you think a fine old lady such as me could help you? All I know is a few excellent crumpet recipes and I doubt that would be a lot of help to the lot of you." Her levitator shook her slightly. She took a breath and smoothed her hair.
"I'm looking for Potter." The floating lady tilted her head at him. "I suppose you refer to him as 'The Boy Who Lived'." Malfoy smirked. "What a crock! Anyway, someone said they thought they saw the little weasel run in here."
"The nerve, calling me a weasel. Ferret Boy!" Harry whispered hatefully. Lorelei sshhed him quickly.
The silver-haired lady glowered down at Malfoy and his buddies. "You're pitiful, you lot." She raised one arm. A chair raced across the floor and knocked the legs out from under her captor. She muttered a short incantation that caused the second thug to start batting at his face, swiping imaginary mosquitoes from his eyes. Malfoy turned from his associates self flagellation back to the old lady. "Why you old…" He raised his arm to curse her and flew backwards instead, through the plate glass window. The proprietress grabbed the other two Death Eaters by the ears and threw them on top of Malfoy. "And please stay out!" She dusted her hands on her frilly apron.
She walked back to the kitchen and thrust her hand into Harry's face. "The name's Rosalie Peachpreen. If there's anything else I can do for you sir, just ask."
"Brilliant!" Ron exclaimed.