Chapter 2/./ The Aftermath
Platform 9 ¾ was empty, as I assumed it usually was during the school year. Still, it somehow felt desolate and dreary, as though something had happened here that was yet to be known. Remembering the crowds that had formed on this barrier, families watching their children leave, the place seemed too dark for such happy times. I shook my head, breaking myself from my daze.
Watching the train speed away, I straightened my black ensemble. I had worn a turtleneck because it was a dreary morning, but something about the entire 'mission' I was going on screamed "wear all black!". So, I did.
I felt like a mysterious woman in a spy movie.
I carefully stepped through the barrier and into King's Cross. There were barely any muggles around, thankfully, so no one saw me. Getting my bearings and setting off for the Leaky Cauldron, I wondered what this had to do with finding Draco. Would Draco be waiting for me at the Leaky Cauldron? With this thought strengthening me, I sped up. Draco would be there, I decided. He had to be.
The whole town was shrouded in a deep fog. I couldn't catch sight of the Leaky Cauldron until I was on top of it. The sight that greeted me as I stepped in front of the Leaky Cauldron took my breath away. Destruction. The foundation and most of the walls (except for the front one) were still standing, meaning the entrance to Diagon Alley was still safe. But the inside was destroyed. A few chairs still stood, one in the midst of the rubble, and one with a cracked cauldron sitting on it. There were broken boards and glass strewn everywhere. The walls held heavy cracks and scorch marks.
I sank onto the chair in the middle, surveying the damage. There was nothing to be seen here. No people, no real clues.
And Draco was not here. I crossed my arms, tossing my hair back over my shoulders and out of my face. What now? I thought petulantly.What now?
"Oi! Miss Granger?" I stood quickly, turning to face the voice that was calling to me. My hand pulled my wand on instinct. It took me a moment to recognize the face the my wand was threatening.
"Mr. Ollivander?"
"Yes, girl, now put that wand away. You should be at school, it isn't safe here."
"What happened?" I asked, sheepishly putting my wand back into a hidden pocket on my skirt. "This place looks like hell!"
"And hell it's been through," he said, sighing. He sounded every bit as old as he looked. "Let's go into Diagon Alley," he whispered suddenly, looking around suspiciously. "It's not safe for us out here." I followed the man through the rubble, casting a sharp look around myself. There was no one about, not even a muggle. There was nothing but the deep, rolling fog..
When we were tucked away safely into his shop in Diagon Alley, he looked at me strangely. "Why aren't you at school, Miss Granger?"
"I'm looking for… someone who went missing. Can you tell me what happened to the Leaky Cauldron?"
"It was only last night. They say there were werewolves, and not just a couple. Rumor has it there were at least 10 of them. And then, the strangest thing, vampires showed up. Scores of 'em. It's just rumor, but I hear it was a pretty nasty fight. Mortal enemies, they are."
"Just rumor?" I asked, confused. "Weren't you here?"
"Nope, I was off at a wand-making convention. Only got back the morning after the chaos."
"I see. I've never seen a vampire before. What can you tell me about them?"
"Ah, not much myself. I was never very interested in their kind- bloodsucking bastards. My grandpa was murdered by the lot of them. Never really wanted much to do with their kind afterwards. You should stay away from 'em too, and those werewolves, if you know what's good for ya."
"Thanks a lot, Mr. Ollivander. You wouldn't happen to have heard anything about Draco Malfoy, by any chance?" He gave me a sharp look.
"No, I have not."
"Thanks, anyway," I replied, disappointed. "I'll see you later."
As I was leaving, however, he called me back. "I only just remembered! I did hear something about a man who looked like Draco Malfoy, hovering around the Leaky Cauldron in the aftermath of the fight, looking like he was searching for something. Couldn't've been Malfoy, though, he had dark hair."
"Thanks a lot, Mr. Ollivander!" I exclaimed, running out of the store. Not much of a lead, but one none the less. I lost enthusiasm, however, as I headed back towards the Leaky Cauldron, completely ignoring Mr. Ollivander's cryptic warning. I heard a rummaging sound behind me as I got closer to the Leaky Cauldron, but ignored it as rats and whatnot. The fog that had plagued the streets outside had come into Diagon Alley as well. The cobblestone path was nearly invisible beneath my feet. The strange sound came from behind me again, but closer, as though it were following me. I pulled my wand, turning, but there was nothing behind me but the dense fog. I moved towards the sound cautiously, hoping the fog would be a decent cover. There- the sound again. I eased up to it, and then-
"Petrificus Totalus!"
It was a rat.
I sighed, leaving Diagon Alley. Among the rubble that had once been the Leaky Cauldron, wondering what exactly had happened to Draco Malfoy, I sat down heavily on a broken chair, disheartened. The chair wobbled beneath me, but I took no notice of it. Not until, of course, it broke beneath me and I was splayed out on the floor, my elbows and my pride bruised. My vantage point, though, had changed. Aha! I saw it. Beneath a small pile of broken pottery and another broken chair, was a piece of parchment, but not just any parchment.
It bore the Malfoy seal.
A/N: Chapter 2! Sorry it took so very long, my muses abandoned me again. Hope you all like this chapter! Until next time...
In case you're noticing some strange differences from the last time you read this chapter, it has officially been remastered. I'm working on remastering them all to a higher standard in the following week, and then continue writing. Keep Reading!