Chapter 2
- Borgin & Burkes -
Fred and George's store was brilliant and alive with laughter. Teddy had no idea how the twins were able to keep on top of it all. Kids were trying out the strange devices, sweets and other materials left and right.
Hermione was seen scolding Ron who'd been standing by the Skiving Snack-boxes while Teddy stood in the center of the store, looking up at the fireworks, kites and Fanged Frizbees flying across the ceiling. He laughed satisfactorily at the small Umbridge mannequin, dressed in her usual pink cardigan and skirt, that was peddling furiously on a pink unicycle, balanced on a very thin string going from one side of the shop to other. Across her shoulders she carried a heavy carrying pole with a full bucket of water on each end. "I. Will. Have. Order." The mannequin repeated over and over in Umbridge's shrill voice.
"Thought you'd like that." Fred and George said together, crouching either side of him.
"How do you come up with all these?" He asked in wonder.
"Well, you did inspire one or two of them."
"I did?"
"Yeah!" Their voice mashed together in unison. "Follow us." They led him through the crowd of giggling teens until they reached a large shelf, stacked with pranks. They handed him a small tub with a picture of a very large hand on the container. "Monster Moisturizer." He read aloud and let out a sudden laugh as dark thick hand began to grow on the picture of the hand.
"What d'ya think?"
"I think it's brilliant!"
"Just dab it on your professor's quill and BOOM! Instant hairy fingers." George explained.
"It can also be used on yourself, for those times when you just can't wait for that first chest hair." Fred continued. "And lucky for you, they're half off too!"
"Nah, that's okay." Teddy put the tube back on the shelf. "Once a month is fine for me. I am interested in those flameless fireworks I heard you used to scare Umbridge last year."
Both twins raised their eyebrow mischievously. "Come this way."
After buying the fireworks, Teddy was able to track down the others and tell them he was going to get the last book on his book list. Soon he was walking towards the counter of Flourish and Blotts, where a tall lady watched him hesitantly from behind the counter. "Sorry, would you happen to know where the Standard Book of Spells, Grade Six is?"
She looked him up and down and Teddy pretended not to notice how her hand was resting only inches from her wand. "In the shelf by the staircase." She pointed toward a shelf where a girl was already standing, wearing a long warm cloak and flipping through one of the books.
"Thanks." He walked over to the bookshelf searching for his textbook.
"Teddy?" He looked down at the cloak-wearing girl who was standing next to him.
"Arkie, what are the chances? You here for school books too?"
"Yeah," she held up a book with the title, 'Flesh-Eating Trees of The World'. "I got a letter telling me I got into the NEWT Herbology class."
"That's so great! I'm proud of you."
"What are you looking for?" She turned back to the bookcase.
"Ugh... Standard Book of Spells, Grade Six."
"Here it is." She handed him the red covered book and then looked around the store. "It's so quiet, even for a book store." He followed her gaze. She was right, the place was practically abandoned except for a shifty-looking man scanning the fair bookshelves and the lady leaning sadly on the counter. The air in the store was sad and scary. "My parents are waiting for me around the corner, will you walk with me?"
"Sure." He walked up to the counter, bought his book and then took Arkie's hand, walking out of the store. "It's scary here."
"I know what you mean." He said, looking slowly around the alleyway. The streets were abandoned and most of the stores had massive closed signs on their windows. A few of them were completely destroyed after the Death Eater attack. The only sound came from the brightly coloured joke shop, 'Wizard Wheezes', at the end of the street behind them. "How is it Fred and George are doing it? Half the alley's closed down." Arkie asked, looking at the giant joke shop.
But Teddy wasn't focusing on the joke shop. "Olivander's." He mumbled sadly. The shop was almost unrecognizable now. The windows were shattered and chunks of wood covered the street. A large missing poster was plastered on a nearby lamppost, decorated with Olivander's smiling face. 'If Spotted, Please Contact Ministry.'
Teddy tried to remember the first time he'd walked through the door, that were hanging off their hinges, staring at the hundreds of wands pilled up against the walls in little neat boxes. "Hello, there." Olivander had said, climbing down his rather large ladder and standing behind his desk covered in un-scrolled pieces of parchment. Teddy, quite shy at the time, had watched him cautiously. "I'm Olivander, and what's your name."
"T-Teddy."
"Well, it's nice to meet you Teddy. Now, I won't waste your time, you're here for a wand aren't you? Let me have a look." He trotted back to the shelf, a strange sort of energy in the man's step. His hand had run over the many wands. "Maybe... give this one a try. Aspen, Unicorn hair core, 10 inches..."
Teddy had flicked the wand which had given a deflated soft of crackle than flung out of his hand, the tip burying into the wall where it stayed, stuck. "Hmm, let me try again. Here we go, Oak wood, Pheonix tail feather, 15 inches, reasonably flexible... give it go."
That time the scrolls on Olivander's desk had caught on fire and were nothing but ash in seconds. Teddy had jumped. "I'm am s-so sorry!"
"It's okay, it's okay. Those were just my bills." Olivander had chuckled. "You might've done me a favour. One more time I say, I feel like this is the one." He'd gone so far back into the store that Teddy could no longer see him until he returned. In his hand had been a long wand, about 13 inches, made out of light willow wood that was almost white. The handle had several curved bumps were his fingers would hold, making it easy to keep a firm grip on the smooth wood. The wand blade hadn't been completely straight but was cut unevenly.
Teddy pulled the same wand from his belt, turning it over in his hand.
He turned around when he heard footsteps approaching. Harry, Ron and Hermione were also staring at Olivander's in dismay before walking inside. "Everyone used to get their wands here." Hermione sighed.
"Guys." Ron said, staring out the paneless windows. "Is it just me? Or do Draco and Mummy look like two people who don't want to be followed?" Teddy stared out at the street. Sure enough, Draco and his Mother, Narcissa Malfoy, were standing by an empty alleyway, looking left and right before disappearing into it. All at once the five of them followed after the two neatly dressed figures. The alleyway was dark and the stone brick wall were covered in wanted posters. Bellatrix Lestrange, Fenrir Greyback, Antony Dolohov.
A man, dressed in a shabby red cloak, was facing the wall sobbing to himself, but they kept walking past. Dogs barked in the distance as they weaved between the buildings. Draco and Narcissa glided into an old, hidden store, Borgin & Burkes. The door shut and locked behind them. "This way." Teddy whispered, pointing to a low hanging roof.
He grunted as he pulled himself up then helped the others. "Maybe you should go back, your parents will be worried." Teddy whispered to Arkie who helped herself up on the roof.
"And leave you to spy on people alone? No way."
"I'm not alone." He whispered.
"And you never will be." She said, shuffling towards the edge of the roof that hung near one of the windows of the shady store. Through the dusty window they saw Draco, Narcissa and several cloaked figures, gather around a large closet. They were all staring at it intently. Teddy and the others all climbed slightly to the right, trying to get a better look when suddenly someone walked past the window.
Teddy recognised the gruesome face of Fenrir Greyback. Fenrir, even though it wasn't a full moon, looked wolfish, with his long, slick hair, sharpened nails and teeth. Teddy could scarcely believed that this was the man that's bitten his father when he was just a child. "Teddy!" Arkie hissed, pulling him down so he was hidden from view.
"What's going on in there?" He said, peeping over again and was happy to see the loathsome criminal was gone, but he wasn't the only one. Everyone in the shop had disappeared. "Where'd they go?"