A/N: Right, well I know that I've already posted a chapter tonight, but I've decided that I'm in need of a distraction, so I posted this too. Now I'm about to rant a little, so feel free to skip to the next part. The reason I needed a distraction is that I just got back from the hairdressers. The one I usually go to was booked out for the next month or so, and my hair really needed a trim, so I decided to just go to the local one near Coles. Big mistake. Before the cut, my hair reached half way down my back. I asked for a small trim, and it now only just touches my shoulders. I'm sure you're thinking I probably should have stopped her when I realised how short it was, but for some reason, she cut it when it was still dry, and as it had been in a bun all day, rather curly. I stupidly thought the curls were the reason for it seeming so short. So I'm not particularly happy.
Anyway, sorry for making you read that (if you did, and I won't blame you if you didn't) but I had to get it off my chest. I am also sorry for this extremely long author's note and the shortness of this chapter. Now, you will probably notice in the next few chapters, and even in this one, that things aren't going according to cannon. I have decided that it would suit my storyline better if the Chamber of Secrets stuff happened in the trio's first year, as Ginny would have more reason to write in the diary. So those years are swapped around. Enjoy!
Chapter 3:
Diagon Alley was bustling with people as the Potters and Weasleys manoeuvred their way through the crowds. With only a week before school was to restart, everywhere was teeming. Thankfully, they only had Flourish and Blott's left before they would have finished getting everything they needed for Ron, Harry, and Hermione's first year at Hogwarts. The crowds seemed even thicker as they reached the bookstore, and it wasn't long before they discovered the reason why.
"Oh mum, look!" Hermione cried. "Gilderoy Lockhart's here. I can't believe it, he's written practically the whole booklist!"
Molly immediately turned her head to read the sign as Lily nodded distractedly to her daughter. James rolled his eyes at Sirius, who had decided to join them for the day as their "guard". It was hardly necessary, but Sirius said that as a trained Auror, he was capable of protecting Harry from any swarms of reporters who happened to want to interview the Boy Who Lived. When James had pointed out that, as head of the Auror department, he was more than capable of circumventing paparazzi swarms, Sirius had merely shrugged and said it would be a well deserved break from work.
Harry, Ron and Ginny followed Hermione into the store somewhat hesitantly, as the queue of people threatened to push out the door. It was as they were making their way through to the transfiguration section, that Harry heard a loud exclamation, and suddenly found himself pulled onto a small platform.
"Well if it isn't Harry Potter!" the man, whom Harry assumed to be Gilderoy Lockhart, clasped an arm firmly around Harry's shoulders and turned to the applauding crowd. From his place on the platform, Harry could see that Ginny seemed to be struggling to contain her amusement at his predicament. Wondering where exactly his "guard" had gotten to, Harry only half listened as Lockhart began a very long-winded announcement.
"-and that is why I shall be taking over the post of Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor at Hogwarts this year!" this sentence jolted Harry out of his musings, and he was barely able to suppress a groan. Lockhart was looking at him as though he should say something, when Harry was saved by the appearance of Sirius, James in tow, glaring threateningly at Lockhart.
"If you'll excuse us, Lockhart, we have business to attend to." Without waiting for an answer, Sirius grabbed Harry's arm and pulled him back to his friends, before catching sight of a photographer, and moving off to apprehend him.
"Merlin, Harry, you have the worst luck." Ginny grinned. "If you'd been standing just a couple of steps to the right, he wouldn't have seen you when that witch called out for him to marry her."
Harry only grunted, not in the mood to joke about it yet.
"It seems Potter's finally gotten bored of his charity case." The cold drawl caused Harry's neck to stiffen as he turned to face Draco Malfoy. They had run into each other at various functions that the Weasleys and Potters attended, and all four of them had taken an instant dislike to his superior attitude.
"Shove off Malfoy." Harry glared at the blond boy, who merely smirked.
"Bet you loved that, didn't you Potter? All that attention, the photographers."
Ginny, looking incensed, stepped forward.
"Why don't you just crawl on back to your precious manor Malfoy, and save us all the pleasure of your company." She growled.
"Looks like Potter's got himself a girlfriend. Or should I say groupie?" Malfoy's smirk widened as Harry and Ron each took a menacing step forward, while Hermione restrained Ginny with a firm hand on her arm.
"Ron!" said Arthur, struggling over through the crowd with Fred and George. "What are you doing? It's mad in here, let's go outside."
"Well, well, well – Arthur Weasley."
It was Lucius Malfoy. He stood with his hand on Draco's shoulder, sneering in just the same way.
"Lucius," said Arthur, nodding coldly.
"Busy time at the Ministry, I hear," Lucius drawled. "All those raids... I hope they're paying you overtime?"
He reached into Ron's cauldron and extracted a very old, battered copy of A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration.
"Obviously not," he said. "Dear me, what's the use of being a disgrace to the name of wizard if they don't even pay you well for it?"
Arthur flushed, and from the corner of his eye, Harry could say his father and Sirius making their way towards them.
"We have a very different idea of what disgraces the name of wizard, Malfoy," Arthur replied.
"Clearly," said Mr Malfoy, his pale eyes straying to Ginny's tattered play clothes. "...and I thought your family could sink no lower – "
Before Arthur could retort, James and Sirius, reaching the group, placed a hand on each of his shoulders and glared at Malfoy.
"I think it might be best if you left, Malfoy" James growled.
With a sneer, Mr Malfoy thrust Ron's old transfiguration book out towards him, eyes glittering with malice.
"Here, boy – take your book – it's the best your father can give you –"
With a disdainful glance at Molly hurrying towards them, he beckoned to Draco and swept from the shop.
Ginny sat on Ron's bed, watching morosely as Ron packed his trunk for the journey to Hogwarts the next day. It was their last night together before she would be left on her own, while the other three were off having adventures at school. To celebrate their last day of freedom, the Potters, Remus and Sirius were coming round for tea, but they weren't due to arrive for another twenty minutes.
Ron, noticing her downcast look, paused in his packing.
"Cheer up, Gin," he said in a rare display of sensitivity. "The time will fly by, and we'll be back before you know it."
As he spoke, he lazily waved his arm, causing a small black book to fly out of the transfiguration text in his hand. With a look of surprise, he picked it up and opened the cover.
"It's a diary," he said.
He shrugged and threw it to Ginny. "Here Gin, you have it. Someone must have left it in here and it's never been written in."
Ginny deftly caught the book and glanced at it before placing it on the bed covers next to her.
"Thanks, but a diary won't make up for the fact that you're all leaving," she said.
Before he could reply, Molly called for them to come down the stairs to set the table, and he put his concern for Ginny away for later.
Ron soon forgot about Ginny's earlier mood, however, when the Potters arrived. Harry came tumbling out of the fireplace looking extremely excited, and only spent a hurried few minutes greeting the adults, before pulling Ron and Ginny over to a corner.
He waited for Hermione to reach them and then burst out "You'll never guess what happened to me today!"
Throwing an amused look to Hermione, who merely rolled her eyes, Ginny asked "What?"
"I was attacked by a house elf!" Harry exclaimed, looking pleased to hear the Weasley siblings' gasps of shock.
Ron looked confused. "But Millie would never do that," he said, naming the elderly elf who had been serving the Potters since before James was born.
Harry looked exasperated. "It wasn't Millie. He was called Dobby, and he kept telling me I couldn't go to Hogwarts."
"It doesn't sound like much of an attack." Ginny said dryly.
That's 'cause I haven't told you how he pushed me off my broom!" Harry defended. "Luckily mum was in the garden and cast a charm before I hit the ground. She was pretty furious, though."
Ron and Ginny both winced at the thought of Lily's temper. It rivalled their mother's, particularly when someone was hurt.
"Mum came running up and found the elf," here Hermione took over the story. "She cast an immobilius charm on him and started questioning him, but he just apologised and said he only wanted to hurt Harry enough that he would stay home from Hogwarts. Then, before she could ask him anything else, he disapparated. House elves have their own magic, you know, so he was able to get through the wards easily enough."
Ron and Ginny each took a moment to digest this story.
"So," Ron began "You're telling me that a nutter house elf broke into your gardens and tried to kill you so you wouldn't go to Hogwarts?"
"I don't think he was trying to kill me, exactly," Harry said.
"Wouldn't have made much difference once you hit the ground." Ginny replied.
Hermione looked thoughtful. "What I don't understand is why he wouldn't want Harry going to Hogwarts. Did he say, Harry?"
"He just said it was too dangerous." Harry shrugged.
"Says the one who pushed you off your broom," Ron retorted.
Hermione rolled her eyes. "I'm sure it's nothing. Besides, we told Dad, so there's nothing to worry about."
"I wish a house elf would turn up and tell me to go to Hogwarts," Ginny sighed.
Hermione put her arm around her friend.
"Just four months, and we'll be back for the Christmas Holidays," she said bracingly. "In the mean-time, we'll just have to make the most of tonight."