An Unlikely Love

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Chapter Two

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Diagon Alley

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Hermione followed her parents into The Leaky Cauldron and out the back door. They were headed for Diagon Alley to buy her new school books.

With her wand, Hermione tapped the correct bricks and magically a door opened through the wall. With her father leading, the Grangers walked down Diagon Alley and into Gringotts, the wizarding bank. Once inside, Mr. Granger handed over a hundred dollar bill to the goblin and in return gained silver sickles, gold galleons, and bronze knuts.

Her parents were planning on going home as soon as she was in the safe hands of Mrs. Weasley, so they headed to Flourish and Blotts to meet up with her and the family.

Today was the last day of school shopping so the street and stores were packed with running children, panicked mothers, and happy looking teenagers. Behind her, Hermione thought she felt someone watching her, but she wasn't sure. She looked behind her and saw a bunch of children running with their fuming mothers trying to calm them. Not seeing anyone looking her way, she turned back around to forget about it. But the feeling of being watched didn't go away.

The bell above the door chimed as they pushed through the door to Flourish and Blotts and past the crowd. At the counter stood a heavy set, red haired, red cheeked woman…Mrs. Weasley. At first she didn't see them, but her eyes flickered back over them and a smile of reorganization hit her face and she came bouncing over to them.

"I almost didn't recognize you," she said cheerfully hugging Hermione to her bosom.

Hermione smiled happily and asked, "Where's Ginny?"

"Oh," her smiled quickly turned into a worried frown. "She's caught the Galley Bottom. It's horrible, she's been laying around in bed all week, coughing and wheezing. I do hope she'll be alright for tomorrow. I don't know what I would do if she had to miss school because of this."

"What's…Galley Bottom?" Mrs. Granger asked horrified at the sound of such a strange name.

"It's like having a cold," Hermione answered her mother.

"Oh…" was all Mrs. Granger could say when two figures came running up to the group.

"Hermione," Ron said with a big grin over his face.

"All right?" Harry asked also grinning.

"Yes," she answered. "Oh, I'm so happy to see you," She said grabbing them both into a big hug.

"You didn't bring crookskanks again did you?" Ron asked after he had been released.

"No, I couldn't. Mum said he has to go to the vet, later next week so I won't have him this year. That is unless…"

"Unless what?" Harry asked.

"Unless they could send him to me after?" She said looking hopefully up to her parents.

"Not a chance," Mrs. Granger said.

"Please," she asked giving her puppy dog eyes to them.

"Well see," Mr. Granger said.

"Honey!" Mrs. Granger said under her breath.

"What!?" He asked innocently.

"Don't contradict me," Mrs. Granger said grabbed a hold of her husbands sleeve and pulled him off to the side. Mrs. Weasley followed at a trot saying something about her husband doing it all the time.

"What happened to you?" Ron asked eyes wide suddenly noticing the dramatic changes that happened to one of his best friends over the summer.

"I had a little makeover is all," she said nonchalantly.

Harry and Ron stared at her as though seeing her for the first time.

Remembering something, Ron held up the a bag he was holding. The bag was from Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes.

"Look at these," Ron said pulling out a pair of sun glasses from the bag he held. He put them on and suddenly his head disappeared. "Aren't they great?" he asked.

"No," Hermione said her eyes scrunched up. "I don't see how you would be interested in them…I mean…what's the point of them."

"Well…you give them to a friend…or possibly an enemy and tell them they can keep it…or borrow it. And their head'll disappear." His hand reached up and pulled the glasses off and his head appeared again. "Everyone'll be looking' at him and he won't understand why. He'll look into a mirror and he'd still intact."

"Put those back on Ronald." Hermione said suddenly.

Ron looked confused for a moment the slid the glasses back on.

"Oh that's much better," she said with a hint of a giggle in her voice.

Ron took the glasses off again and threw them in the bag again. "That's not funny," he said sulking.

She giggled saying, "I thought so."

Harry pulled a box out of his bag.

"What have you got there?" Hermione asked as Ron crossed his arms, still sulking.

"Candy," he said opening the box. He then offered her the box and said, "Want one?"

"I'll pass thanks," she said taking a step back. "What does it do?"

Ron pulled a blue jelly bean like candy out of the box and plopped it onto his tong. Hermione watched as his nose turned blue and began growing as he chewed. Her eyes went wide and Ron started to panic.

"What…what's happening?" He asked.

"Why…you've got an elephant nose," Hermione said doubling over in laughter.

Ron's ears went red and he pushed the trunk into his shirt, trying to hid it from others view.

"Guess what else we bought?" Harry asked.

"I couldn't imagine," she answered truthfully.

He started pulling something out of Ron's bag as someone bumped into Hermione.

Startled, she turned to face the person next to her. The boy looked a year young then her, but he was just as tall. His hair was grown out hanging down in his eyes. His hair was parted in the middle to reveal a lighting bolt scar on his forehead. Below the scar, the boy had on a pair of glasses, similar to Harry's. His muggle clothing were two times to big for him. The only detail about the boy that set him apart from Harry Potter was that his hair was a light brown and the large camera hanging around his neck. It was Collin Creevey.

"'ello Harry," he said happily. "All right?" he asked Hermione.

"Yes," She answered in an unsure voice.

"Um, hello Collin," Harry answered.

Forgetting about the large trunk on his face, Ron picked his head up and nearly shouted at the boy, "You bought that at my brother's shop, didn't you!?"

Collin stared at Ron for a moment before he began laughing. He pointed at Ron and said between bits of laughter, "You….have a… trun…k…for a…nose!"

Suddenly the trunk turned peach again and quickly shrunk back to its original shape and size. "I got them too," he said grabbing the scar tattoo and Harry Potter look-a-like glasses from Harry. He held them up to show Collin.

Collin stopped laughing and said in a delightful squeal, "cool."

In back of the store a large woman was searching franticly for someone. She looked like she was about to cry.

Hermione, feeling bad for her started towards her, but stopped short when Collin said, "That's my mom. I have to go. See you guys at school." He hurried away to calm his frantic mother.

The three friends looked at each other in amusement.

Then Harry remembered something. "Hermione? You said you wanted to tell us something, member?"

"Oh…I have great news." Pause, "I've become head girl," she squealed.

Harry and Ron looked happy for her, but Ron couldent help but feel a little resentment towards her.

Draco Malfoy gave his parents the slip shortly after he had arrived in Diagon Alley. He was tired to buying everything he was told to get and doing everything up to his father's standards. He wished that he had been born into a normal family, one like the Weasley family. With lots of brothers to play with and a younger sister to protect, though he would never admit this to anyone…EVER! If his father ever found this out, he would be dead meat. Draco shuttered at the thought of what would happen to him if the Dark Lord were to ever find out his deepest secret.

Draco saw a girl walk by and without thinking; he hid behind a crate that held smelly fish. The girl was beautiful. She had long Honey brownish colored hair and a body that one could die for. She turned around suddenly and Draco got a good look at her face. She had large hazel eyes an innocent like face. He watched as she looked around behind her, she looked disappointed for a moment before she turned back straight.

The girl went into Flourish and Blotts. Draco was about to follow her when a cold, chilling voice stopped him. "There you are…Draco," The voice said.

"Father," Draco said his back still turned towards his father. "What are you doing here?"

"It seems that I had lost my son, I don't think the dark lord would be very pleased with me if he found out you went missing, do you?"

"No."

"No what!"

"No…sir," he said almost sarcastically, but dared not to too much. Lucius Gave Draco a warning glare before he stepped aside and there stood his two bodyguards. He didn't really consider Crabbe and Goyle friends…not really; they were more like body guards, and someone to boast to.

Lucius walked away with a sweep of his robe and was gone, leaving Draco the sense that these two lumps were to watch after him. He sighed and hurried after his fathers retreating back with Crabbe and Goyle running after him. Before he was gone, Draco gave one last glance to Flourish and Blotts just as Harry Potter and Ron Weasley ran into the store.