Chapter three

When the two Malfoys stepped onto the cobblestoned street of Diagon Alley, they found the place to be nearly deserted. Some of the shops, Draco saw, were boarded up and nearly all of them, even the open ones, had large Ministry posters pasted to their window fronts. It was as if someone drained the color from the street, leaving it with a dark, ominous vibe. The pair stopped in front of the window front bearing the black and white face of Bellatrix Lestrange who was sneering back at them with her teeth bared and her eyes oddly bulgy.

"She really likes this picture," said Narcissa contemplating her sister's photograph for a moment, frowning. "But she seems a bit deranged to me." They both smirked at each other and Draco was pleased to see that her blonde hair was, after long weeks, once again neatly combed at the back of her head, the expression on her face somewhat calmer. It seemed that wherever she and aunt Bellatrix disappeared to that night resulted into her returning to her dignified, composed self.

After he had gotten his new books at Flourish and Blotts, the two of them walked over to Madam Malkin's shop to buy new dress robes. Draco noticed that nobody shopped alone anymore. People were moving about in tight groups looking anxious, hurrying from shop to shop in order to finish their arrants quicker. Draco felt a rush of superiority flash through him, as he crossed the street carefree, for he knew he had nothing to fear. He was on the right side.

"New dress robes," he said, coldly, as Madam Malkin hurried to the front of the shop to greet them. "Slytherin."

As the woman was fitting the robes on his shoulders, Draco stood before a mirror, gazing at his reflection. He liked what he saw; the deep, dark green robes suited his tall and slender built.

"Watch where you're sticking that pin, woman," he snarled, retracting his left arm as if she had scorned him. He turned his eye to the mirror once more… and then froze.

Just a few feet behind him stood the trio, watching him, rooted to the spot. Draco's eyes narrowed and he felt his back tense. His gaze went to Harry first, who stood in the middle, as he almost always did. He was nearly as tall as he was now, though still looking a bit skinny in his wornoff and overgrown muggle clothes, a reproachful look on his face. The weasley boy, who stood on his left, had his long, freckly face screwed up in a grimace, the Granger girl on his right, with her lion maned hair, looked anxious at the boys as if afraid the fight is going to break of.

Draco turned around slowly. He knew he must not seek a conflict though he had at least ten insults at the tip of his tongue. Even if his plan concerning the Granger girl was not yet formed in his head, he knew any rushed, uncontrolled events would only worsen his chances of getting the job done.

"Come on," he murmured to his mother. She too, has been glaring at the trio. "We'll come to pick things up when they're done."

He followed his mother's step toward the door without even looking at them, although he could have sworn he saw Potter's hand twinch a little as though he was about to reach for the wand.

"See you at school," snarled Draco, just before exiting the store, not quite being able to stop himself, and the door closed loudly behind him.

After that, the pair of them headed to the Apothecary, where Draco purchased some potion supplies, but they left fairly quickly, driven by the horrible smell of bad eggs and rotted cabbages. They ran to Mrs. Knott, Theodore's mother just outside the Flourish and Blotss. She was a tall, bony woman with short, jet black hair and rather weak jaw. Her husband has been amongst the death eaters caught at the ministry a few months ago.

"Narcissa," she said, stopping on a sidewalk. "How have you been?"

"Good," replied Draco's mother indifferently. "We are just finishing our shopping." Mrs. Knott's eyes traveled to Draco and then back to Narcissa.

"You might want to postpone your trip to Gringotts," advised mrs. Knott, nodding toward a white marble building, casting a long shadow on the street below it. "It have waited for three hours to withdraw my gold," she said, shaking her head disbelief. "I fear, Narcissa," she said, lowering her voice slightly "the old, respectable family names means nothing anymore to those foul creatures…"

The two women broke off in a conversation while Malfoy peared toward the darkened narrow street on the left of the Marble building, above which there was a shabby looking sign which said: Knockturn Alley.

"Listen, mother," he said. "I still have to buy some quiddich supplies."

"Alright," she replied, absorbed in the conversation and Draco left them silently, disappearing into the darkened street, looking over his shoulder to make sure nobody saw him.