Hey y'all! How's everyone doing? Welcome to the next chapter of the second installment Seth's unexpected magical vacation (though it's probably less of a vacation at this point.) So there will be a lot happening in this chapter, mainly the immediate aftermath of what happened in the prologue and then the events of Diagon Alley. Without further ado, I will let you all proceed forward and I hope you enjoy the chapter!
Like always, I enjoy any comments, except for those that are just full of negativity and not constructive at all. Just give me something to work with instead of just "It's bad." I also appreciate any positive constructive criticism since I'm always looking to improve my writing and storytelling capabilities.
Thanks for reading this story! Virtual hugs and cuddles to y'all.
Disclaimer: I still do not own anything except any OC's that may come up, any world building that has not yet been officially stated by the books or movies, and any plot points/structures that have not been used in the books or movies.
Warning: No beta, we die like Stingbulbs.
Chapter 1: Diagonal Diagon Alley
XXXXXX
Seth spent the rest of his summer at Fablehaven holed up in his secret base, a tree house that was situated a ways away from the main house but not far enough away that the others couldn't provide timely assistance if needed. In the tree house, he spent a lot of time dealing with his emotions any way he could. Through shadow fighting, working on his experiments with the limited equipment he had there, and staring blankly at the ceiling as if the wood grains would have all the answers for resolving his issues.
The only silver lining to it all was that he no longer had chores to do and had been officially un-grounded by Grandpa. Unfortunately, the happiness he could've felt from that was overshadowed by the surveying glances everyone would give him whenever they were nearby. His family and friends walked on eggshells around him, claiming to be afraid of stepping on a landmine that could further push him away from them. But he believed that the true cause was they were actually afraid of him, afraid of what he could or couldn't do.
He burned with rage whenever he caught their eye and they'd look away as if they hadn't been looking in the first place. At the very least, Newel and Doren treated him the same, like nothing had changed as they got up to their usual antics though he could do without the jokes about his height.
When he wasn't feeling angry or betrayed by his loved ones, he'd feel the all too familiar sinking sensations of insecurity. He always felt exceptionally weighed whenever his thoughts brought up the image that he saw in the mirror of Erised.
Every time he walked past a mirror, he couldn't help but stop in his tracks and stare wide-eyed at the image before him. The reflection of his 12-year-old self would be replaced by his confident adult self standing there with a brilliant smile that was almost borderline sinister. There were shadows hanging off of him like a favorite jacket but the figures surrounding him were blurred and indistinct. His mind instinctively shielding him from their true forms so that he wouldn't think about what exactly he'd seen.
"The mirror shows what you think you desire rather than what you actually desire, like seeing the tip of an iceberg and not taking into account the rest of its bulk that's hidden underneath the water…My only advice to you is to take heart and not allow the vision you saw in the mirror stop you from living your life the way you desire."
He'd always repeat Yeshe's words to himself, trying to trick his mind into believing her words but he could never tell if he was succeeding or if it was a futile endeavor.
As for the situation between him and Kendra, it would be entirely accurate to call it a Cold War. He didn't want to hear anything she had to say and she could never say anything without inserting her foot into her mouth so she stopped trying.
Fortunately, he found a distraction from his troubles with Kendra through letter exchanges with Hermione and Ron. Somehow, the three of them managed to set up a messaging system amongst themselves using owls who would travel between them all with pieces of parchment (or paper, Ron, learn to use paper) that they would use to write messages and their responses to those messages. It was like a medieval century owl version of modern day instant messaging, an owl messaging if you will or O.M. for short.
Harry had been suspiciously radio silent the entire time, their messages ignored and sent back despite the many owls sent his way. Hermione couldn't stop fretting, worried that he'd gotten himself killed or worse, expelled. Ron tried to wave off her concern as a "girl thing" and Seth firmly established his position as Switzerland though he did share his concerns whenever he felt was necessary.
As the end of July neared and their concern for Harry grew, Ron suddenly got the brilliant idea to stage a rescue on Harry's birthday. Hermione fretted even more because what if Harry didn't want to be rescued, then she was quickly reminded about the fact that his relatives were right tossers and rescinded that particular concern. Her attention soon focused on how Ron was even going to pull a rescue off in the first place. Ron revealed that his family owned a flying car and she reluctantly began to help him and Seth plan the whole attempt out.
Once there was a solid plan in position, all the trio could do was wait.
XXXXXX
On July 31st, Seth decided to send Harry's birthday present to Ron's home so that Harry could enjoy it once he was rescued from his horrible relatives. Then he spent the rest of the day goofing off with Newel and Doren to distract himself as he waited for news.
The next day on August 1st, he finally received news in the form of Hedwig who'd sent the letter to Hermione first who immediately sent it back to Ron before it made its way to America,
Dear Seth and Hermione,
Me and the twins were able to rescue Harry without any trouble. Of course, mum lectured us for a bit since we took the car without telling her and dad but she forgot to be mad at us once she heard how horrid Harry's relatives were and spent the rest of the day baking cakes and a birthday feast for him. It was bloody brilliant! Here, I'll let him take over now.
Hi Seth and Hermione!
Harry here. I had no idea how the three of you planned it but thank you for getting me out of my uncle's house for the rest of the summer. I think I'll finally be able to enjoy myself completely without them hovering around. Anyways, thank you both so much for the presents! Hermione, the broom care kit is brilliant and Seth, I love the assorted American snacks and sweets. The Weasley's especially are getting a kick out of the pop rocks you sent. Once we get our Hogwarts letters, we should pick a day to meet up to do our shopping together.
Cheers!
Harry and Ron
Dear Ron, Harry, and Seth,
I'm glad that everything went alright and that Harry is okay and hope that you really didn't do anything illegal to get him out, Ron, because that would get Harry in trouble too. I'm sending the letter back since I believe it would probably be better if you used a different owl to send the letter to Seth, maybe Harry's, because I think another delivery, especially an international one, might finish yours off, Ron. I'm very busy with schoolwork of course and we're going to London next Wednesday to buy my new books so why don't we meet in Diagon Alley then. Let me know if that's alright and pass the parchment onto Seth so we can finalize our plans to meet up. Looking forward to seeing you all soon!
Love from Hermione
Dear Hermione,
Firstly, we did not do anything illegal, cross our hearts and all that junk. Mum says we can meet up with you next Wednesday though my siblings who're still in school will be joining us too. Secondly, who enjoys doing homework during the holidays? Are you mental or something? Why-
(the rest of the words are scribbled out and a quill was clearly knocked out of someone's hand)
Hi Hermione, Harry here,
I don't think your mental for doing homework during the break since you reminded us that we should probably get that done too. However, I will question your well-being for enjoying it since we're supposed to be relaxing and homework isn't exactly relaxing but whatever, you do what you like I guess. If everything works out on Seth's end, we'll be seeing you both next Wednesday!
Seth made sure to quickly pen out his responses to the trio before sending Hedwig back to Britain. To Hermione, he reassured her that she can like homework as much as she wants and no one should be shaming her for that. To Ron and Harry, he confirmed that next Wednesday would be fine since he was eager to see them all again. He also sensed an opportunity to spend the rest of his summer away from his family and with the boys if the Weasleys and his parents were amenable to that. He'd need to bring it up later at dinner.
After sending the letter off, he went through his Hogwarts letter with the new list of school supplies for the second year and was interested to find that most of the books on the list were from the same author, one Gilderoy Lockhart. That meant either one of the professors was a huge fan of the man's work or the man himself would be teaching and he'd be either a really knowledgeable man or a complete narcissist. Probably the latter given how pretentious and corny the titles of his books were.
During dinner that night, Seth announced his intention to go to London for a meet up with his friends next Wednesday and that he wanted to stay with the Weasleys for the rest of the summer. Of course, Kendra raised her objections, wanting her brother to stay where she could keep an eye on him until school began. Predictably, Seth objected to her objections, wanting her to butt out of his business since she was clearly content to keep him out of hers. Before the whole thing could escalate into a full blown duel of honor, their grandparents agreed on the grounds that Warren would travel with him to make sure he made it and was safely handed off to the Weasley's.
Seth readily agreed though he was quietly seething, as this was just another nail in the coffin that showed his family didn't trust him. Logically, he knew that they only added the condition because he physically looked like a 12 year old and the world was still a dangerous place for kids regardless of how kick ass he was. But emotions weren't logical and Kendra's betrayal of trust was still a wound that had yet to heal and his grandparents knew he needed more distance else it would fester even more.
The rest of the week passed without incident and the siblings somehow managed to avoid each other more than they had all summer. Then Tuesday arrived before they knew it and he and Warren boarded the plane after giving a tundra cold goodbye to Kendra and a promise to come back for winter break.
XXXXXX
Seth and Warren arrived at the Leaky Cauldron in the morning hours of London where Warren reluctantly handed Seth off to Hermione and her parents when they arrived only a moment later. His cousin told Seth to be good and not to give his family a heart attack anymore. The distance to travel may be easily made up by certain artifacts but they'd like to not have to use them regardless.
Seth agreed without protest only because Warren didn't speak to him in a belittling tone and only with the concern one family member had for another. He said his farewells and promised to return for winter break before going to join the Grangers.
The group left for Gringotts with plans to find Ron and Harry along the way or after they'd completed their business there. Hermione tried to interrogate Seth about the tension she sensed between him and Warren that she assumed extended to the rest of his family given how terse his responses were in his letters whenever he was asked about them.
He assured her that she was reading too much into the situation. That it was just normal family disagreements and that everything was fine and so was he. She didn't believe him at all and was about to dig further into it as they climbed the steps to Gringotts when she spotted Hagrid escorting a very sooty Harry who's glasses were slightly cracked.
She visibly brightened and waved her arms at them. "Harry! Hagrid! Over here!" Then she glared at Seth and pointed at him threateningly. "Don't think I'm letting this go, Seth. You're obviously not alright no matter how many times you say you are."
Seth shrugged and didn't bother to say anything in response. She huffed and returned her attention to Harry and Hagrid who were now by the steps. She ran down to meet them, her bushy hair flying behind her and smacking Seth in the face. He looked a bit disgruntled as he spat out any stray hairs that might've gotten into his mouth and followed after her at a leisurely pace.
"Hello you two! Oh! It's so wonderful to see you again," Hermione cheerfully greeted. Then she noticed Harry's broken glasses. "Harry! What happened to your glasses?"
"He had er minor mishap with the floo. Nothing ter worry bout," Hagrid responded.
"If you say so," Hermione skeptically accepted his answer. "Are you coming into Gringotts, Harry?"
"As soon as I've found the Weasleys," Harry said. He nodded to Seth who'd just walked up to them. "Hello Seth. How are you?"
Seth shot a warning look at Hermione to keep her mouth shut and then turned to grin brilliantly at Harry. "I'm good! Thanks for asking."
Harry blinked in confusion, thrown off by the duality he just witnessed. "O-kay?"
Seth nodded to himself and deliberately changed the subject. "So where do you think the Weasley's are? They're supposed to all have red hair so it can't be that hard to find them in these crowds."
"Well yer certainly won't have ter look far," Hagrid said amusedly as he pointed out something in the crowd.
The three kids looked to where he was pointing and saw Ron, the twins, Percy, and Mr. Weasley sprinting up the crowded street towards them.
"Harry!" Mr. Weasley cried out in relief before leaning on his knees for support as he caught his breath. "We'd hoped you'd only gone one grate too far. Molly's frantic. She's coming over here now."
"Where'd you come out anyways?" Ron asked, eyeing Harry's sooty appearance curiously.
"Knockturn Alley," Hagrid grimly responded.
"Excellent," the twins said with matching mischievous grins.
"We've never been allowed in," Ron said enviously.
Hagrid frowned in disapproval. "I should ruddy well think not."
Mrs. Weasley suddenly came galloping into view with her handbag swinging wildly in one hand and Ginny barely clinging onto the other.
"Oh Harry! Oh my dear! We feared you could've been anywhere," she cried out. She gasped for breath and took out a clothes brush, sweeping the rest of the soot off of Harry with practiced motions.
Mr. Weasley took Harry's glasses and tapped it with his wand. The broken glass was magically mended within seconds. Harry gratefully accepted his repaired glasses and waved off the rest of Mrs. Weasley's fussing with cheeks flushed red in embarrassed delight.
Hagrid took that as his cue to bid his farewell and left the group to complete his errands. Finally, the group climbed up the steps to Gringotts.
Harry gathered his three friends close and whispered conspiratorially to them. "Guess who I saw in Borgin and Burkes? Malfoy and his father."
Mr. Weasley looked at him sharply, having overheard him speaking. "Did Lucius Malfoy buy anything?"
"No, sir. He was selling," Harry dutifully answered.
"So he's worried then," Mr. Weasley said with grim satisfaction, "Oh, I'd love to get Lucius Malfoy for something."
"You be careful, Arthur," Mrs. Weasley sharply warned. They all bowed to the goblin at the door before she continued. "That family's trouble. Don't go biting off more than you can chew."
"So you don't think I'm a match for Lucius Malfoy?" Mr. Weasley asked, puffing up indignantly at her lack of faith in his abilities.
She rolled her eyes and shook her head in exasperation. "It's not so much that you're not a match and more that you shouldn't go looking for trouble when it hasn't found you yet."
Mr. Weasley went to retort but was distracted when he caught sight of Hermione's parents standing around nervously by the counter waiting for Hermione to introduce them.
"Oh! You're muggles!" Mr. Weasley observed delightfully, "We must have a drink! What's that you've got there? Oh! You're changing muggle money. Molly, look!" He pointed excitedly at the ten pound notes in Mrs. Granger's hand.
"What else was Malfoy up to?" Ron quietly asked now that his parents were sufficiently distracted.
Harry shrugged. "Dunno. His father was doing all the talking. He honestly looked like he'd rather be anywhere but there. Got asked what he wanted for his birthday and he said he didn't want anything from the shop."
Ron nodded in understanding. "Probably because he knows it'll get him in trouble and maybe even arrested if he gets caught bragging about it at school."
Seth frowned disapprovingly at Ron. "Or maybe it's because he's not into the dark arts like his family. People are allowed to not be like their families, you know."
"But mum and dad always say the Malfoy's are a rotten lot," Ron argued.
"So you're just going to follow along with everything they say just cause they're your mom and dad?" Seth asked, skeptically.
Ron shuffled uncomfortably. "Well they're my parents, aren't they? They're supposed to know everything and mum says family always looks out for each other and they only want what's best for everyone."
"Not all families," Harry scowled darkly, "My aunt and uncle would like nothing more than for me to go away and never come back. And they always say they know everything when they really don't know anything"
"Exactly," Seth nodded in agreement. "They're only human and humans make mistakes and have prejudice and bias," he explained with his tone growing increasingly bitter, "Like when your family makes rules and restrictions and punish you for breaking them. Some of those rules make sense but most don't. And if you try to argue, they'll punish you for arguing, saying that it's for your own good and because they know better than you but really it's just because they're ignorant or scared or both."
Hermione, Ron, and Harry all exchanged concerned looks at the end of his mini rant.
"Are you sure you're alright, Seth?" Harry tentatively asked.
Seth took in a few deep breaths and slowly released them, calming at the meditative motion. "Yes, I'm fine. Never better in fact, and if you ask me again, I'm only gonna answer the same way so don't bother."
"Er, alright. If you say so," Harry hesitantly accepted.
"What crawled up his pants and died?" Ron muttered.
Hermione smacked Ron upside the head. He shouted in pained surprise and looked at her indignantly. "What was that for?"
"Don't be insensitive, Ron," she said tersely, "Anyways, your parents are waving for you. Meet you all back here when you're done?"
Harry nodded in agreement and the group split with Hermione going back to her parents and the boys joining the Weasleys for an excursion to the vaults. The Weasley's vault was only the size of a broom closet and held a small pile of sickles and one galleon that all got swept into a bag. It made Seth and Harry feel somewhat guilty when they arrived at their respective vaults, Harry more than Seth considering Harry's vault was ninety percent galleons and ten percent other valuables while the Fablehaven vault was mainly made up of artifacts.
While Harry was busy shoving coins into his bag as quickly as possible, Seth subtly reached into his own and grabbed hold of as large of a handful of sickles as he could. He used the shadows within the bag to allow his hand to travel into the inside of the Weasley's moneybag. He quickly deposited the handful of sickles and pulled his hand away, acting like nothing happened. Mrs. Weasley frowned as she felt the weight of the coin bag change but shook her head, thinking nothing of it.
However, Fred and George eyed their mother and Seth suspiciously. Seth smiled innocently at them and slipped a few galleons into their pockets to buy their silence.
"Just helping out your parents and little sister," he quietly whispered, "My vault's a community vault anyways and you need the money more than I do."
The twins nodded, not happy to be accepting charity but old enough to understand their financial situation with startling clarity. Fred clapped a hand on Seth's shoulder, nodding in thanks for his help, and George passed him a hastily written IOU note for any contraband or pranking materials he may want in the future.
They returned to the lobby where the Grangers were patiently waiting for them. Then they all exited and split up. Percy muttered something about new quills, the twins spotted their friend, Lee Jordan, Mrs. Weasley and Ginny left for a second hand robe shop, and Mr. Weasley invited Hermione's parents for a drink at the Leaky Cauldron.
"We'll all meet at Flourish and Blotts in an hour to buy your school books," Mrs. Weasley reminded the quartet before they left. "And not one step down Knockturn Alley," she yelled at the twins in warning.
The quartet strolled off down the winding cobblestone street with money clinking in their pockets. Harry bought them all strawberry and peanut butter ice cream from Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor that they happily ate while window-shopping. Ron stared longingly at the Chudley Cannon robes while Harry drooled over the different models of brooms on display at Quality Quidditch supplies until Hermione dragged them off to buy parchment and ink next door.
They stopped by the Owl Emporium to get treats for everyone's owls and browsed the wares of Gambol and Japes wizarding joke shop where they ran into the twins and Lee stocking up on Dr. Filibuster's Fabulous Wet Start, No Heat Fireworks. They dropped by the apothecary to restock on potion ingredients and had to drag Seth away from the new stock that came in fresh that morning from South America. In a tiny junk shop full of broken wands, lopsided brass scales, and old cloaks covered in potion stains, they found Percy immersed in a small and deeply boring book called 'Prefects who Gained Power.'
"A study of Hogwarts prefects and their later careers," Ron sarcastically read off the title, "That sounds fascinating."
"Go away!" Percy snapped at him.
Ron shrugged, having no problem with that request. "He's very ambitious, our Percy. He's got it all planned out. He wants to be Minister of Magic," he explained like that was the most boring career goal anyone could ever want to have.
"Well I think it's an admirable goal. As the Minister, he can enact all sorts of changes that are necessary for improving the Wizarding World," Hermione said in Percy's defense, " Maybe I can help him compile a list of issues that he can use as a starting point for his campaign when he runs for office."
"It sounds like you should become the Minister yourself, Hermione," Harry jokingly suggested.
Seth nodded with an amused grin. "Yeah. Why have someone else take care of things when you can just do it yourself?"
Hermione looked thoughtful at the idea and the boys realized that they probably did an oopsie but it was too late to take it back now.
"Better look out Percy, else Hermione's going to become Minister first and you'll be stuck as her assistant," Ron called out mockingly.
Percy turned red and stormed away. Hermione also turned red but for an entirely different reason.
"Ron!" She admonished, though she also looked secretly pleased.
"What?" Ron asked in confusion, "I thought I was being encouraging."
She shook her head and sighed. "Never mind."
Harry and Seth exchanged long suffering looks, already aware and resigned to their future of being stuck as the third wheel with their two friends.
XXXXXX
When the quartet arrived at the bookstore, there was a huge crowd growing at the entrance. They pushed their way to the front and saw a large banner stretched across the windows announcing 'Gilderoy Lockhart will be signing copies of his autobiography 'Magical Me' Today - 12:30pm to 4:30pm.'
Hermione squealed in excitement. "We can actually meet him! I mean, he's written almost the whole book list."
"Oh brother. Not you too," Ron groaned.
"I take it your mom's a fan?" Seth rhetorically asked with a sympathetic smile.
Ron looked pained as he waved towards the crowd that seemed to be made up of mostly women around Mrs. Weasley's age and lo and behold, Mrs. Weasley was at the edge of the crowd with poor Ginny still held hostage by her as she tried not to drop her things. They all took pity on Ginny and went to extract her from Mrs. Weasley's hold.
Then the quartet plus Ginny squeezed inside the bookstore, maneuvering their way around the long line winding all the way to the back where Gilderoy Lockhart would be signing his books. They all grabbed a copy of the 'Standard Book of Spells Grade 2' and helped Ginny search for cheap, second hand but still in good condition copies of the books on her list. They also did a little browsing on the side, grabbing a few books on various subjects that struck their interest, Hermione more so than the boys.
Then they made their way back to the line where the Weasleys and the Grangers were.
"Calmly please, ladies," a harassed looking staff member shouted over the loudly gossiping crowd, "Don't push there. Mind the books now!'
"Oh, there you are," Mrs. Weasley said, waving for them to hurry and join them, "Come on. We'll be able to see him in a minute."
As if on cue, Gilderoy Lockhart came into view. He seated himself at a table surrounded by large pictures of his own face that were all winking and flashing dazzlingly white teeth at the crowd. The real Lockhart was wearing robes of forget me not blue that matched the exact color of his eyes and his pointed hat was set at a jaunty angle on his artfully wavy hair.
Hermione blushed at the sight of him. Mrs. Weasley squealed and waved a hand at her face to try and remain composed. Ginny squinted at him, not understanding what her mother or Hermione saw in the man. Harry and Ron grumbled miserably from the crowd's shrieks, covering their ears with a grimace. Seth rolled his eyes and scrutinized the man who clearly enjoyed the attention he was getting.
"That's one puffed up puffer fish of a narcissist," he muttered sarcastically, "Wonder how he managed to fit in here with a head that big."
Ron and Harry snorted in amusement at his comment. Ginny giggled and Hermione glared at him.
A short, irritable looking man was dancing around nearby, taking photographs with a large black camera that emitted puffs of purple smoke with every blinding flash. The smoke caused Ron to cough and step back, only to stumble into the short man who stepped on his foot. Ron shouted in pain and the man snarled at him, "Out of the way! This is for the Daily Prophet."
"Big deal," Ron grumbled miserably as he rubbed his abused foot.
Unfortunately, Lockhart managed to hear him and he looked up. He saw Ron and was about to look away when he spotted Harry. His eyes widened in recognition and he leapt to his feet. "It can't be! Harry Potter!"
The crowd immediately parted like the Red Sea, whispering and pointing at Harry who shrunk from the sudden attention. Lockhart rushed away from his table and dived to grab at Harry who flinched back from his initial grasp. Seth quickly stepped in between them before Lockhart could make another attempt.
"I don't think so, pal," Seth said, arms spread out as he, Ron, and Hermione shifted to block Harry from view as much as possible.
Lockhart smiled charmingly at him, his too white teeth shining brilliantly despite the average lighting in the store. "Pardon me, young man. But I must have Mr. Potter join me for a photograph."
Mrs. Weasley went wide-eyed from being so close to Lockhart and Hermione almost shifted aside if Ron hadn't nudged her with a scowl. Seth was unimpressed by Lockhart's attempt to charm him. He crossed his arms and refused to budge.
"No can do," he firmly said, "My friend here doesn't like his picture being taken without his consent and considering he's also a minor, you'll need to ask for permission from his guardians. Since they're not here at the moment, tough luck. He's not taking a picture with you."
Harry poked his head out to nod vigorously in agreement before ducking back behind Seth when he locked eyes with Lockhart.
"I really must insist," Lockhart persisted, his smile somehow growing brighter as he refused to back down from the perfect PR opportunity, "This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for your friend after all."
Seth shook his head and frowned when he felt Harry shrink further behind him. "No means no. So make like a tree and leave."
"Now don't be like that, young man," Lockhart said as he tried to get past Seth and the others.
Seth snarled in annoyance and he pulled out his wand, pointing it threateningly at Lockhart who flinched back in response. The crowd gasped at the sight of the wand and quickly gave the group a wide berth in case a duel broke out.
"Back the hell off already," Seth growled.
Lockhart raised his hands in surrender and backed away. He looked like he'd swallowed something sour. Then he quickly put on his most charming smile again. "Very well then. I can see someone clearly woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning!"
The crowd laughed along with him over his little joke and the tension died down as Seth lowered his wand with a frown.
"However, this is the perfect moment for me to make a little announcement I've been sitting on for some time," Lockhart continued. He waved at Harry who'd finally stepped away from his friends' protective barrier and out into the open. "When young Mr. Potter stepped into Flourish and Blotts today, he only wanted to buy my autobiography which I shall be happy to present him, free of charge. He had no idea that he would shortly be getting much more than my book, 'Magical Me.' He and his schoolmates will in fact be getting the real magical me!"
Lockhart spread his arms and puffed his chest out with a grin as the crowd gasped from the implication of his words. "Yes, ladies and gentlemen! I have the great pleasure and pride in announcing that this September, I will be taking up the post of Defense against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!"
The crowd wildly cheered and clapped as Lockhart bowed his head, taking great joy in the attention he was receiving. A harried staff member ran up to Harry and shoved the entire works of Lockhart into his arms as Lockhart gave him a wink and a grin. The grin faltered for a moment under Seth's disapproving glare and when he raised his wand threateningly, Lockhart quickly made himself scarce, going back to the signing table.
Harry grimaced at the books in his arms. "Thanks for that," he said gratefully to Seth as he put his wand away, "I would've died from embarrassment if he'd gotten hold of me."
Seth nodded understandingly. "You and fame never seem to go well together, buddy. Besides, I always do what I can to protect my friends."
"I'll say," Ron said as he slapped Seth good naturedly on the back, "That was bloody brilliant! It would've been more brilliant if you'd been able to hex that Lockhart git though."
"Ron! Seth shouldn't be hexing anyone!" Hermione fiercely scolded, "And Seth! You could've gotten in trouble for performing underage magic! Not to mention that it was plain rude pulling your wand on Professor Lockhart!"
"Well Lockhart was being rude first so I think it's well within Seth's right to help Harry out," Ginny said in Seth's defense.
Harry nodded vigorously in agreement, "Yeah, Hermione. He was being rude first, trying to grab me to take photos with him without asking me first."
Hermione huffed and puffed indignantly. "He was just excited, is all," she lamely said but didn't bother arguing anymore.
"Professor Lockhart, huh?" Ron said, testing the words on his tongue. He shivered in disgust. "That does not sound right at all."
"You're telling me," Seth wryly said, "I'll be surprised if he teaches us anything of substance that doesn't involve his personal beauty routine."
Ron grimaced at that thought. "Wonder if Fred and George have anything to help us skip his class."
"You shouldn't even be thinking of ways to skip class, Ron! Especially not Professor Lockhart's," Hermoine scolded though her words landed on deliberately deaf ears.
"I can ask them," Ginny offered, "They're always willing to help me out."
"Well that's cause you're the baby of the family and the only girl too," Ron stated matter of fact, "They want you to be a troublemaker like them."
Grinny grinned like that was a terrific idea and Ron grimaced at the thought that he might have to deal with three prankster siblings in the future instead of just two.
"Oh right!" Harry said, suddenly reminded of the Lockhart books in his arms. He held them out to Ginny. "You can have these. I'll buy my own."
Ginny lightly blushed and gratefully took the offered books. She dumped them into her cauldron with a shy nod of thanks that had Ron eyeing her suspiciously.
Suddenly, someone bumped Seth on the shoulder and he turned around to see Draco Malfoy with a sour look on his face.
"Hey Draco!" Seth cheerfully greeted.
Draco scowled darkly at him. "What do you want, Sorenson?"
"What? I can't say hi to a friend?" Seth asked, unperturbed by the other's attitude.
Draco looked like he'd swallowed something particularly bitter and was about to retort.
"What are you doing here, Malfoy?" Ron demanded, cutting Draco off from whatever he was about to say.
"What does it look like, Weasel? Getting books like every other Hogwarts student," Draco spat out.
Seth whistled, impressed by the venom Draco managed to lace his words with despite being a 12 year old kid. "Sheesh. Who spit in your pumpkin juice today?"
Draco's scowl returned and he looked highly annoyed. "If you must know, I was looking forward to a nice shopping trip with mother but instead, father decided to be my chaperone, dragging me all over Knockturn Alley and refusing to let me browse the apothecary instead. Then that blundering idiot Gilderoy Lockhart decided today was the day he wanted to be a bloody peacock, strutting around in his pretentious robes and crowding the store with desperate middle aged women."
Harry and Hermione looked surprised by his admission with the former slapping a hand over his mouth to cover the involuntary laugh that threatened to break through. Ron grimaced, looking like he hated the thought that he and Draco Malfoy agreed on something.
Seth patted him sympathetically on the back. "There, there buddy. At least you have your books though," he said, gesturing towards the overstuffed bag Draco had slung over his shoulder.
"Whatever," Draco scoffed, turning his nose up and away in haughty dismissal.
"Ron! Ginny!" Mr. Weasley called out as he struggled to push through the crowd with Fred and George in tow, "What are you doing just standing there? It's too crowded here. Let's go outside."
"Well, well, well. Arthur Weasley," a slimy voice drawled.
The scowl on Draco's face returned when Mr. Malfoy appeared beside him, putting a hand on his shoulder and sneering at them all. Seth frowned when he felt the presence of darkness on Mr. Malfoy but the presence felt small and scattered, most likely belonging to multiple objects the man had on his person.
"Lucius," Mr. Weasley greeted with barely contained disgust.
"Busy time at the Ministry I hear, all those raids," Mr. Malfoy casually drawled, "I hope they're paying you overtime." He reached into Ginny's cauldron and pulled out a slightly battered copy of a 'Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration.' He smiled smugly. "Dear me. What's the use of being a disgrace to the name of wizards if they don't even pay you well for it."
Mr. Weasley's face turned darker red than the Weasley's trademark hair. "We have a very different idea of what disgraces the name of wizards, Malfoy."
"Father," Draco hissed and tugged at the sleeve of his father's robes, "Let's leave already. I still have more shopping to do."
Mr. Malfoy brushed him off, ignoring him entirely. His gaze went to Hermione's parents as Draco dropped his head into his hands with an exasperated groan. "Clearly, considering the company you keep," Mr. Malfoy scoffed haughtily, "And I thought your family could sink no further."
That seemed to be the final straw for Mr. Weasley as he rushed at Mr. Malfoy with an enraged shout. The two knocked over a pile of books that fell on them. The twins yelled for their dad to "Get 'em!" while Mrs. Weasley shrieked for him to stop. The rest of the kids backed away, not wanting to get caught in the scuffle. The crowd also shrunk back, knocking over more shelves and driving the poor assistants insane.
Hagrid unexpectedly came to the rescue, pushing through the crowd to get in between the fighting men. "Break it up there, gents! Break it up!"
Mr. Weasley and Mr. Malfoy were pulled away from each other with a cut lip and developing black eye respectively.
"Father! Let's go," Draco hissed, grabbing at his father's sleeve and pulling more insistently.
Mr. Malfoy, still holding Ginny's textbook, dropped it into her cauldron with eyes shining with malice. Seth frowned when he felt the dark presence coming from the textbook. "Here girl, take your book. It's the best your father can give you." He pulled himself out of Hagrid's grip and beckoned for Draco who shook his head, muttering about how this was why mother never liked to take him with them anywhere anymore. The two Malfoy's then swept out of the store.
Hagrid straightened Mr. Weasley out and shook his head disapprovingly. "Yeh should've ignored him, Arthur. Rotten ter the core the whole family, everyone knows that. No Malfoy's worth listenin ter. Bad blood, that's what it is."
"That's not fair, Hagrid," Seth said, feeling the need to come to Draco's defense considering his actions before the fight broke out, "Draco was trying to get his dad to leave before he provoked Mr. Weasley."
Hagrid was taken aback by Seth's call out. "Oh. Er, well, I wasn't trying ter say the kid was rotten too. But the Malfoy's don't have the best reputation so-"
"So you chose to believe the same about their son who's still a child?" Seth interrupted with a disapproving frown, "If you keep saying a child is as rotten as their parents no matter what they say or do otherwise, then eventually they'll have no choice to be as rotten as you claim them to be and it'll all be your fault as you pat yourself on the back for being right about them all along. That's no way to treat a kid who you could be helping to break away from their family's reputation and build a proper reputation that is all their own."
Hagrid looked like he wanted to argue with him but sighed when he realized that Seth had a point. "I suppose yer right. I'll see if I can't get Mr. Malfoy ter stop by fer a cup o tea as an apology."
Seth smiled and nodded approvingly. One of the assistants came over and looked like he wanted to keep them for a scolding or a lecture but Hagrid's size deterred him. They all left the store with the Granger's shaken with fright and the Weasley's with fury.
"A fine example to set for your children, brawling in public," Mrs. Weasley scolded her husband, "What Gilderoy Lockhart must've thought at that shameful display!"
"He was pleased actually," Fred said, "Didn't you hear him?"
George nodded. "Yeah, he was asking that bloke from the Prophet if he'd be able to work the fight into his report. Said it was all publicity."
But that did nothing to reassure Mrs. Weasley who decided to scold both her husband and the twins. Seth took the opportunity to sidle up to Ginny who was struggling under the weight of all her stuff in her cauldron.
"Here, let me get that for you," he offered.
Ginny smiled gratefully at him and handed the cauldron over. "Thanks Seth."
He smiled. "No problem."
Then, making sure that no one was looking, he snuck his hand into the cauldron and slipped it in between the pages of the transfiguration book to pull out whatever was giving off that presence of darkness. He pulled out the object and saw it was a small leather diary with no discernable markings or signs that it was some sort of dark artifact.
He frowned, now feeling that the darkness wasn't as prominent as the rest of the artifacts he felt on Mr. Malfoy's person but had a similar feeling to the sort of magic demons loved to use with unsuspecting mortals to create a binding vow. He could only assume that the owner must've used dark magic to bind the diary to themselves so that it could never be truly stolen with the bond only to be broken upon the owner's death. He quickly tucked it away into his bag for inspection later.
The group went back to the Leaky Cauldron where Seth would join Harry and the Weasley's in traveling back to the Burrow by floo. They bid the Grangers and Hermione farewell, though Mr. Weasley had to stop himself from asking them how buses worked due to a stern glare from Mrs. Weasley. And once Seth had his trunk and bags with him, they floo traveled to the Burrow.
When Seth arrived at the Burrow's fireplace, he managed to do so in a jumble and knocked Harry over on his way in.
Harry grumbled petulantly as he grabbed around for his glasses that had been knocked out of his hands by Seth. "Out of all the magic in the world, that's one of the better ways to travel? Floo is the worst."
Seth chuckled sheepishly as he pushed himself off of a glaring Harry. Mrs. Weasley rushed over to pull the boys up and fussed over them as Mr. Weasley put Seth's luggage off to the side where it wouldn't get in the way.
Then Seth was immediately thrown into the loving chaos of the Weasley family and ended up forgetting about his troubles and the notebook. Later that day, he sent a letter to his family to reassure them that he was fine and with the Weasley's. If he happened to sound a little salty in the letter, well, the return letter from his family made it seem like they weren't taking the salt personally so salt the letters he shall. However, the return letter also said that while they were glad he was alright, they needed to have a serious talk when he went home for winter break. That was something he wasn't looking forward to at all.
But that's also a problem for future Seth. Present Seth will now enjoy the loud and joyful presence of the Weasleys plus Harry at the dinner table and help himself to another serving of Mrs. Weasley's scrumptious shepherd's pie.
And scene! Boy oh boy, was this a somewhat loaded chapter. Given the summary of the story, I'm sure you guys already have an idea about my plans for Tom Riddle's diary so here is the set up for it and how Seth gets it instead of Ginny. I've also changed the bookstore encounter because I know Seth wouldn't stand for some random celeb grabbing at his friend who is distinctly uncomfortable with being famous for something he can't even remember. Plus, now that Seth is slowly worming his way past Draco's stone cold Syltherin heart, Draco's attitude is also starting to change and he's taking more after his mother because you can't look me in the eyes and tell me that kid isn't a mama's boy without outright lying. Anyways, I hope y'all enjoyed the chapter and look forward to the next one. Until then!