To say the three girls were excited would be a vast understatement. They were raging, hyperactive, impatient lunatics, running about the old, grimy house in anticipation, waking everyone up before the sun had risen.
Finally, they stood before the fireplace, bouncing and tapping their feet anxiously as they waited for Sirius and Remus to take them to the wizarding shopping district.
"Ok, ok, how are we getting there?" Ai was saying impatiently, stumbling quickly over the words. "Can we go yet? Come on! Stop being such a slow fucktard!!" she cried, tugging at Sirius' sleeve.
He stumbled a bit at the force of her grasp, but grinned at her nonetheless. "Calm down, would you?" he said, chuckling. He reached onto the mantle of the fireplace for an urn and held it up for view. "This is-"
"Ew, is that a dead person?!" Gemma gasped, nose wrinkling in distaste.
Sirius rolled his eyes, while Remus smiled kindly at her.
"No," Remus replied. "This is Floo powder. You throw it into the fire, and when the flames turn green, you step into them and call out your destination. Like so-"
He reached into the pot and pulled out some of the powder to toss into the fire. The flames turned a brilliant shade of green and he stepped into them before calling out, "Diagon Alley." They flames flashed up around him and then he was gone.
"Whoa!" Gemma sighed. "That was so cool!"
"Someone has a crush," Ai snorted, arm looped with Sirius'.
"Look who's talking!" Gemma snapped back. "Oh, what now?!"
Ai lunged at the petite girl, a murderous glint in her dark eyes. "Why you little cock juggling thundercunt!"
"Girls, girls," Sirius placated. "There's no reason to fight over me. There's enough of this old dog to go around."
To which Ai responded, in a horribly fake British accent, "Sorry love, I don't like to share my toys with anyone else...especially not little white bitches."
"Oh, oh, it's on now, "Gemma seethed, kicking off her heels. "Somebody hold my earrings."
But Ai didn't wait for the girl to remove her earrings. She'd already flung herself across the room and wrapped her hands into Gemma's hair, slamming her head into the hardwood floor.
"Ah-ugh-oof-no-wha-gah-oof!!" Gemma was crying each time her head hit the ground with a sickening smack.
"Ha, take that, bitch! Can't beat that can you?!"
Gemma kicked out, her feet connecting with Ai's stomach. She successfully managed to throw her off, but managed to rip out the rampant cellist's belly ring as she did.
"OW!!!!"
"Girls, separate!" Sirius shouted, whipping out his wand.
"Pssh! Bitch! Please!" Ai snorted in her rage, hand clutching at her bleeding stomach. She swiped his wand from his hand, intending to throw it aside.
Only to have it shoot red sparks and send her flying backwards into a wall.
"Oh, damn. What the hell?" she gasped, throwing the offending stick away from her, eyes wide.
Everyone stilled, staring wide-eyed at her.
Then Amelie leapt into the air with a joyous whoop. "Yay!! Ai's a witch!! I'm not alone in the freakiness!!"
Sirius gave a whoop of his own, looking particularly smug. "And I don't fancy a Muggle!"
Gemma pouted. "I want to be a witch! It's not fair!" She picked up Sirius' abandoned wand and waved it furiously, shouting, "Abracadabra!"
Nothing happened.
"You people suck! I don't want to go anywhere with you people!" she sniffled, and stalked off.
Amelie did her customary happy dance. "So, that means you can train with me, and go shopping with me, and all that happy stuff! Come on, let's go!"
Sirius paused. "Just let me write an owl to Dumbledore about this first. You wait here, and we'll see what he says," he said thoughtfully. Who would have thought the man had a brain?
"But we want to go now!" Amelie whined, stamping her foot down in protest.
To which he ignored and ran off to send his owl.
"Fuck this," Ai said, getting to her feet, cheeks tinged pink in excitement. "Let's go. We know how to use this Floo… Powdery stuff. Think two people can go at once?"
Amelie shrugged. "I don't see why not. Come on, let's hurry!"
Ai threw some powder in the flames and they both hopped in. However, they'd forgotten to choose who would shout their destination, and their voices mingled out of sync, and became an utter mess of syllables.
"Di-dig-an-all-ony!"
The flames rose around them and they spun in maddening circles.
Oh, god, I think I'mma be sick, Amelie thought, squeezing her eyes shut.
And then her and Ai were suddenly chucked from the fire as it stop spinning and spittled out.
"Oh, sick…" Ai moaned.
Amelie whimpered in response. She looked around at what seemed to be a shop. A rocking shop. She closed her eyes again. Her hand flew up to her mouth as she tried desperately to keep from vomiting.
"Hem, hem, excuse me."
Amelie looked up again. Her vision was still swimming, but she could just barely make out an oily looking man in wizard's robes staring down at them in disgust.
"What?" Ai growled, a little cross-eyed, but looking a lot better off than her slightly green friend.
"Having you lot dirtying up the floor of my shop is not good for business," he said.
"Whatever, dude," Amelie said, shakily getting to her feet alongside Ai.
She fastidiously brushed soot off of her clothes, ignoring the man.
He coughed again.
"Oh, what now?" Ai said, exasperated. "We're off your fucking floor, what more could you possibly want?!"
The look on his face was nothing less than appalled. "I don't allow Mudbloods in my store. If you'd kindly remove yourselves…"
Ai snorted. "Oh, we'll remove ourselves. Just not so kindly."
She gave him a disturbing smile, turning it on and off in a flash, before raising her fist and slamming it into his face. With a low chuckle, the girls ran out of the shop and onto the cobbled street.
"Nice shot," Amelie said appreciatively.
Ai shrugged. "I'm guessing he insulted us. Whatever a Mudblood is, it didn't sound too good."
"It's new, not having everyone know who we are and catering to our every whim, huh?"
The dark-haired girl grimaced. "I'll miss those days."
"Well, we'll still have our loverly concerts, at least. We're too stubborn for Dumbledore to take that from us," Amelie was saying smugly, looking over at Ai and not paying attention to where she was going.
"Am, look where you're-" Amelie ran into two people and then proceeded to tumble over them. "Nevermind, then."
Amelie was up in a flash, hands balled into fists at her side as she glared up at her offending attackers.
"Do watch where you're going, Mudblood," the older male said sneeringly."
He fastidiously brushed nonexistent dirt off of his robes, and then flicked long white-blonde hair behind his shoulder.
Amelie growled in frustration. "I'll have you know, I am NO Mudblood-whatever that may be- you overgrown ferret!"
She pulled her hand back and slapped him across the face as hard as she could. His head whipped to the side, blood rising in his cheek.
"You impertinent little chit! Just who do you think you are?!" he spat, face contorting in rage.
His cane raised up, but before he could do anything, a hand wrapped around his wrist, holding him back.
"I'd watch who you insult, Lucius," the greasy git from the study warned, dark eyes glittering dangerously. "She's a Peverell."
The blonde shoved away from him, contemplating Amelie through narrowed eyes. He took her hand and kissed it lightly.
"Forgive my rudeness, Miss Peverell," he murmured. "I did not realize who you were."
Amelie scowled. "And you would be?"
She pulled her hand away and wiped it on her jeans.
Anger flared in his eyes again, but he controlled himself saying, "I am Lucius Malfoy." He gestured to the boy beside him, who had hair just as blonde, a face just as pointed, and a smirk that seemed permanently affixed to his mouth. "And this is my son, Draco."
"Pleasure," Draco said, his smile growing more smug by the minute.
"And you've already met my dear… friend, Severus, of course."
"Actually," Severus interrupted, arms crossed over his chest, "we have not. I am to be her professor this year. She's transferred from the Salem Witches Institute for her 7th year."
"Ah," Lucius said jovially. "Draco is also a 7th year. I'm sure he'd be more than happy to guide you while you are there. You would, of course, be sorted in Slytherin, being a Peverell and all. Though, I must say, you look unerringly like a Malfoy."
"I believe my mother was a Malfoy. Eris."
Understanding dawned on his face, and there was a wicked gleam in his eye. "Of course. She was a distant cousin. Her death was dreadful." But he didn't sound like he cared. "So you must be her missing daughter!"
Amelie just nodded, feeling uncomfortable.
"Well, it certainly is a pleasure to have you back in England's Wizarding community. But what brings you to Knocturn Alley?"
"I'm here to get school supplies with my friend, Ai." She pulled the girl to her side and clung to her arm. "She's transferring to Hogwarts as well."
Severus sneered at her from behind Lucius' back, one bushy dark eyebrow raising sardonically. Obviously he felt that should be Dumbledore's decision.
Ai rose to the occasion and smiled warmly at the older Malfoy. "But we had a… mishap with the Floo Powder and overshot Diagon Alley. Being new to England and all."
Lucius returned her smile before gesturing. "Diagon Alley is the next street over. It would be our pleasure to guide you throughout."
"We wouldn't want to waste your time," Amelie insisted. "I'm sure you have better things on your schedule"
"Than helping two such lovely ladies as yourselves? I belive we can make time. Right Draco, Severus?"
"Of course, father," Draco answered immediately, face gleaming with interest.
Severus hesitated a brief moment before murmuring his agreement as well.
The streets of Diagon Alley were not as cheery and broght as had been described to them. Many shops were boarded up, the window displays dulled. And the shoppers did not linger for conversations, choosing instead to hurry through the crowds in tightly knit groups in their desperation to get to the safety of their homes quicker.
Severus had explained that it was the fear of the Dark Lord that had them like this. However, Lucius had them strolling through the shops as if there was nothing wrong.
The received the vast amount of their school supplies in this fashion. The shop owners running around at his command as he sneered down his nose at them. It wasn't until they were exiting Ollivanders with their wands in hand (Amelie's wand being 11 inches, and made of willow with a unicorn hair for it's core, while Ai had received a 9 inch holly wand with dragon heartstring at it's core), that a group of shrieking girls had everyone cowering away.
"It's them! It's really them!" one of them was shrieking, pointing in Amelie's general direction.
"Oh my God!" another one was gasping as she ran up to Amelie and Ai, flock of girls right behind her. "Can I have your autographs?!"
Ai chuckled, prodding Amelie in the ribs. "Depends; do you have a pen and paper? Cause we sure as hell don't."
"I-I-" The girls was nodding profusely and shakily rummaged through her bag before producing some wrinkled paper and a pen. "Here, I have it!"
"Oh. Ee," Amelie said flatly.
Lucius was looking on in concern. "Are these girls bothering you?"
"Oh, no." Amelie shrugged. "We're used to screaming fans. I can't believe we're still stupid enough to not carry pens everywhere."
"Fans? You have fans?" Draco pouted. "Why can't I have fans? I'm pureblood too!"
Ai rolled her eyes as she signed the girl's paper extravagantly. "You're not in a famous band, though." She smirked. "Whereas we are."
"What? I've never heard of you before. And I know all the popular wizard bands."
"Non-wizarding, dumbass."
Draco opened his mouth to snap at her, but he was cut off by yet another screaming fan.
"Can you sing a song for us? PLEASE?!" she begged, bouncing on her feet in eagerness.
She was almost as bad as Hermione.
All the girls screamed their agreement. "Yeah! Please?!"
Ai looked at Amelie, who grinned and shrugged.
"Sure, why not?" Ai said. "Can someone conjure up my cello?"
"And me my guitar?" Amelie added quickly.
The lead girl whipped out her wand and flicked it expertly. After a few moment, two rocks had been transfigured into their instruments.
Grinning, Amelie and Ai made themselves comfortable with the guitar and cello, respectively, before bursting into song.
"The child was abandoned The spirits had left her home A godless creation But she says she's not alone In delirium People can dream In delirium Things are not what they seem I am not alone I dream
Don't tell where I'm hiding I don't want anyone to know I'm so far away now A place I can always go In delirium People can dream In delirium Things are not what they seem I am not alone I dream
In the darkness I have a thousand friends And the music plays and it never ends And the midnight owl comes to fly with me And I feel and hear what I cannot see 'Cause I am not alone I am not alone Yes I am not alone I dream
A horse at my window A voice singing in my head Reality beckons But I will stay here instead In delirium People are free In delirium To see what they want to see I am not alone With me
In my paradise all I love is here And I'm not afraid, God is always near And she tells me things I have never known And she doesn't care that I came on my own 'Cause I am not alone I am not alone Yes I am not alone With me
In this backseat I can go anywhere Talk to anyone, close my eyes and I'm there In a world where nobody ever cries Never shouts or hurts and I take to the skies because I'm not under the table I'm not behind your closet door Let go of my hands now 'Cause I'm not here anymore In delirium I don't know when In delirium I will come back again But I'm not alone I am not alone Yes I am not alone 'Til then"
They finished to much applause and a few girls crying in joy.
Lucius clapped as well, smirking. "I must admit, for a Muggle band, you are extremely talented. I may have to enlist a performance from you for one of my many parties"
Snape glowered at Amelie. "I do believe, if you are done showing off, Miss Peverell, that we have finished our shopping for the day. I suggest you make your way to the Leaky Cauldron for your escort home before it grows dark"
Lucius laughed. "Ah, Severus, always the spoilsport. The girls are just fine"
Amelie glared at the greasy git. "Unfortunately, the snark is right. We do have to get going. It was…. Nice to meet you, Mr. Malfoy, Draco"
Lucius took her hand and kissed her knuckles yet again. "No, no, my dear, the pleasure is ours. Definitely ours"
With those words, Severus ushered the girls away and into the dimly lit bar. At that moment, Amelie's cell phone began to ring.
"Ohayo!" she said brightly, waving hello to a worried-looking Remus at the bar.
It was Gemma.
"Amelie… Quinn's been found. He's.. dead"
"Damn."