"Hurry up!" Harry called. Seeing that his sister was still apparently lost in thought, and did not seem to have heard him, Harry walked back towards her and grabbed her wrist, tugging her forward, along the paved street in Diagon Alley.
Lia couldn't help frowning as she walked with them towards Flourish and Blotts. She was still remembering the scene she had seen in Borgin and Bourkes.
She hadn't meant to end up there of course. She'd gone into the fire with Harry, gripping onto his arm, so that they'd be transported together. She knew that she should've been the one to take the Floo powder. Her fool of a brother had gone ahead and said something vaguely like 'Diagonally', instead of "Diagon Alley." Really, Diagon Alley wasn't even hard to pronounce!
She'd seen Malfoy there in the shop too. She didn't know why she was also running into Mopefoy. It was getting annoying. But there at that shop, seeing the way his father talked to him, she'd sort of understood why the boy was the way he was. She'd felt a bit bad for him, if she was honest.
As she expected, Malfoy hadn't been able to restrain himself from complaining about her brother at first.
"What's the good of that if I'm not on the House team?" he'd said, when his father offered to buy him a racing broom. What an ungrateful prat. "Harry Potter got a Nimbus Two Thousand last year. Special permission from Dumbledore so he could play for Gryffindor. He's not even that good, it's just because he's famous ... famous for having a stupid scar on his forehead ..."
He'd bent down to look at a shelf that was full of skulls. They looked human, which disgusted Lia.
". . . everyone thinks he's so smart, wonderful Potter with his scar and his broomstick -"
"You have told me this at least a dozen times already," Draco's father had said. The look he shot Mopefoy, then, was controlling, a look that said 'stop' wordlessly. Lia thought he appeared rather like a dictator, seemingly having no qualms at her with dominating over people and governing them through any means necessary. "And I would remind you that it is not - prudent - to appear less than fond of Harry Potter, not when most of our kind regard him as the hero who made the Dark Lord disappear - ah, Mr. Borgin."
Later on, Draco had pointed his hand at a withered hand lying on a cushion. Lia, who had previously already been revolted, almost gagged.
"Ah, the Hand of Glory!" said Mr. Borgin, who had then quickly hurried over to Draco. "Insert a candle and it gives light only to the holder! Best friend of thieves and plunderers! Your son has fine taste, sir."
Lia thought Borgin was really selling it thick. 'Fine taste'? More like no taste.
"I hope my son will amount to more than a thief or a plunderer, Borgin," Mr. Malfoy had said in a cold voice. Lia wondered if he ever showed affection.
Mr. Borgin, quick to placate, had said quickly, "No offense, sir, no offense meant -"
"Though if his grades don't pick up…" said Mr. Malfoy, his voice had grown even colder, if that was even possible. Lia had felt entertained then. So Mopefoy hadn't down that well on his exams? Ha! Served him right. She'd never seen him do homework once. She was pretty sure he bullied the Hufflepuffs into writing the essays for him.
"…that may indeed be all he is fit for -"
Lia's pleased feeling had died down. It was a bit of a rude thing to say about your own child. She mused on a though then – if Mr. Malfoy was this derogatory to his own son, what would he be like to others?"
"It's not my fault," Draco had countered quickly. "The teachers all have favorites, that Hermione Granger -"
"I would have thought you'd be ashamed that a girl of no wizard family beat you in every exam," snapped Mr. Malfoy.
Lia had felt like giggling then, but then she'd seen the angry, slightly downcast expression on Mopefoy's face. He really looked like he was moping then. She grasped then, that Draco must really value his father's opinions. She'd thought Malfoy was incapable of love, but perhaps, he did love his father?
She realised that Draco was a bit like Dudley. She'd once thought that Dudley was the product of his parents spoiling and pampering him. If that was true, then Draco was the product of his parents brainwashing and indoctrinating him. It was evident that his father was a pureblood supremacist, and had passed on his views to his son. She remembered once how Dumbledore had told her that no one was ever born evil. Perhaps it was true for Malfoy too?
"And that Lia girl," continued Malfoy's father. Lia's ears had pricked up at the mention of her name. "What was she called? Daliah Agrus or something. I've heard rumors from other Slytherin parents. Did you know that she can do wandless magic already? And you?" His gaze was accusatory. "Sometimes I wonder if you are my son."
"Father," Draco said, looking shamefaced, "Give me time. I've been studying this summer. I probably know more hexes than that girl now."
"I should hope so. But then again. I suppose she is not a halfblood like I originally thought. I heard someone say that her father was a pureblood, a …" He paused, "follower, like us. Perhaps, she may be worthier than we'd thought."
"Lia! Can you please watch where you're going!" Harry's voice brought her back to the present. She had almost walked into a street lamp
Realising that now wasn't the time for analysing, Lia shook away her own thoughts and confusion over Malfoy. All she'd managed to decipher was that perhaps Malfoy wasn't as inherently evil as she'd thought. Perhaps … perhaps he could be salvaged? But, then again, he was an extremely bigoted, spiteful git. He was bullied a bit by his father. Big deal. She was bullied by the Dursleys and she turned out fine. Lia thought that she must be getting too soft.
She saw that now there was a large crowd gathered in front of the bookstore. People were actually pushing and shoving in their haste to get in. It was strange considering how the shop had been relatively empty when she and Harry had visited the previous year. There was a larger banner spread out across the upper windows, 'Gilderoy Lockhart will be signing copies of his autobiography Magical Me today from 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.'
That would explain it. Lia knew from checking the booklist that he was probably a celebrated author. She hoped that he was a good one, she wasn't interested in studying a moron's book, not after the disaster with Quirrell last year. She needed a good Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. And didn't Dumbledore say that there was a chance Voldemort could rise up again? She would surely need to learn spells in case that happened.
"We can actually meet him!" Hermione squealed. "I mean, he's written almost the whole booklist!"
Lia saw with apprehension that much of the crowd gathered up at the front of the store, were mainly witches that were about as old as Ron's mother. She wasn't sure if that was a good sign, but she squeezed in with her friends.
"Oh, there you are, good," said Mrs. Weasley. The woman sounded breathless and she kept patting her hair. Lia had an inkling that Lockhart would be some foolish, moderately attractive, very flirty wizard. Not good. "We'll be able to see him in a minute ..."
Gilderoy Lockhart came into her line of sight – he had very wavy blonde hair, that he kept flicking over his face, and straight, shiny white teeth. His gaze flickered around at the adoring crowd, and rested on Ron, before widening as he saw Harry.
He leapt to his feet, and said in a voice so loud, it was almost a shout, "It can't be Harry Potter?"
Gasps and whispers rang out through the shop. Harry looked a little dumbstruck at the attention and froze, allowing Lockhart to grab him and pull her brother up to the front of the shop. There was a burst of applause. Harry's face was turning red now.
"Nice big smile, Harry," said Lockhart, who was giving the camera a big, toothy beam. "Together, you and I are worth the front page."
"Ladies and gentlemen," he said loudly, waving around to signal for the crowd to quiet down. "What an extraordinary moment this is! The perfect moment for me to make a little announcement I've been sitting on for some time!
"When young Harry here stepped into Flourish and Blotts today, he only wanted to buy my autobiography -which I shall be happy to present him now, free of charge-"
The crowd applauded again. Lia didn't really know why. It wasn't as if they were getting free books themselves.
"He had no idea," Lockhart continued, giving Harry a little shake. Lia snorted when she saw that Harry's glasses were basically slipping down his nose and his hand looked white from how hard Lockhart was gripping on to it. "… that he would shortly be getting much, much more than my book, Magical Me. He and his schoolmates will, in fact, be getting the real magical me."
Lia froze. What? He couldn't be implying…
"Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I have great pleasure and pride in announcing that this September, I will be taking up the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!"
It took all the restraint she had to force herself not to groan. She thought that she already had a clear picture of what Lockhart was like – a poser, a tease and a narcissist. Worse yet, he looked like he even had Hermione's adoration, and Lia had always thought that her friend had more sense than to root for fake strutting peacocks like Gilderoy.
Harry was then presented with the man's entire works. Lia almost snickered. Never in a million years would Harry rifle through that load of junk. He was wobbling as he walked over to them - the collection must have heavy - and as he reached Ginny, he emptied the books into her new cauldron.
"You have those," Harry muttered. "I can buy my own." Lia smiled at the look of hero-worship on the girl's face as she looked up at Harry, as if he had just given her the sun. So little Ginny had a crush on Harry then?
Her smile stopped when she heard a familiar voice.
"Famous Harry Potter," said Malfoy. "Can't even go into a bookshop without making the front page."
Ginny, who Lia was liking more and more, replied, "Leave him alone, he didn't want all that!" Lia thought that it must have been one of the first time she had heard her speak. She could tell that Ginny wasn't a shy girl, but just intimidated by her brother's presence.
"Potter, you've got himself a girlfriend!" Malfoy drawled. Ginny's face turned a bright shade of red at that, and Lia thought that it was about time that she stepped in.
"Jealous, Malfoy? It is rather unfortunate that no girl could ever like you. But looks aren't everything. In your case, they aren't anything!"
Just as Malfoy was seething, Ron and Hermione walked over.
"Oh, it's you," said Ron. He looked at Malfoy as if he were something unpleasant on the back of his shoe. "Bet you're surprised to see Harry here, eh?"
"Not as surprised as I am to see you in a shop, Weasley," retorted Malfoy. "I suppose your parents will go hungry for a month to pay for all those."
Ron went as red as his sister, and almost started toward Malfoy. Lia grabbed him by the wrist. It wouldn't do to start a fight here. She didn't want them to get a bad reputation. And she didn't want any books to be damaged. Besides, she knew that Mopefoy was just goading them.
"Oh Draco," Lia said. Malfoy looked a bit surprised, Lia never called him by his first name. "You're just wonderful." His eyebrows had shot up now, Ron's as well. "You bring everyone a lot of joy … when you leave the room."
"Ron!" said Mr. Weasley, with the hordes of people standing in the way, he was struggling to reach them. Fred and George were buy his side. "What are you doing? It's too crowded in here, let's go outside."
"Well, well, well, look who it is," Lia had begun to recognised that cold voice. "Arthur Weasley." Mr. Malfoy was standing there, he had a hand placed on Mopefoy's shoulder. She saw with disdain that they had exactly the same type of sneer.
"Lucius," Mr. Weasley said. Lia had never heard his voice grow so icy before. He gave a brusque nod towards the Malfoys.
"It's been a busy time at the Ministry, I hear," said Mr. Malfoy. "All those raids ... I hope they're paying you overtime for it?"
Draco's father reached his hand into Ginny's cauldron and amidst the glossy Lockhart books, he pulled out a very old, very battered copy of A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration.
"Obviously not," Mr. Malfoy said, eyeing the book with contempt. "Tell me, what's the use of being a disgrace to the name of wizard if they don't even pay you well for it?"
Lia glared at the ill-mannered man. Blood was rising in Mr. Weasley's face, and he was a deep shade of red, his skin even darker than his hair.
"We have a very different idea of what disgraces the name of wizard, Malfoy," he said.
"Clearly," said Mr. Malfoy, his grey eyes glanced over at Hermione's parents, who were watching nervously. "The company you keep, Weasley ... and I thought your family could sink no lower."
She saw Mr. Weasley preparing to launch himself at the wizard, and Lia's mouth acted against her will then.
"I'm sorry," she said. "Was that comment meant to offend us?" Ron's father stopped in shock, just as Ginny's cauldron went flying. He must have smacked into it.
"... Because I think everyone agrees that the only thing that's offensive right now is your face."
She glared defiantly at Lucius Malfoy. She was pretty sure that she could feel dazed eyes looking at her, but she didn't dare break her stare against Mr. Malfoy.
"Lia. Shut. Up," Draco spat out. His voice was angry, but his eyes still looked astounded. He probably wasn't used to people standing up to his father.
"Make me," she said.
"So, this is Miss Agrus-"
"Agorios actually."
"A brave one, aren't you?" His face turned dangerous, but a hint of recollection shone in his eyes. "I knew your mother. She was a fool. And she paid dearly for it. I hope you'll learn, in time, to respect your superiors. Or you might suffer the same fate as her." It sounded like a threat.
"I hope you will too, Mr. Malfoy. If you're smart, next time you'll hold your tongue when you speak to Mr. Weasley."
"The Weasleys?" His voice was indignant. "Superior … to me? The filthy, poverty-stricken blood-traitors?" He snorted. "I wouldn't be surprised if their next child died of malnutrition, with the way they breed like rats. Pathetic. Don't make me lau-"
He didn't get to finish. Lia had launched herself at him. She pushed him into a bookshelf and as Lucius Malfoy was knocked backwards, about a dozen books plummeted precariously down. Lia threw her fists around, the older Malfoy was grabbing at her arms, but she was fast.
She heard Fred and George yell, "Get him, Lia!". Harry and Hermione were yelling, "No, Lia, don't, no!" The crowd had moved backwards and she thought that some people were taking photos of them.
It wasn't often that you saw a twelve-year old girl wrestling a middle-aged man.
She gasped as Lucius' hand found its way up to her throat. He was squeezing the air out of her. She kicked him roughly, but his grip didn't stop. Panicking, she thought that she might just have to use some underage magic and send a stinging jinx his way. It was fortunate that Hagrid had finally managed to shuffle over. It only took one move of his arms, and she and Mr. Malfoy were shoved apart.
Lia tenderly touched her neck. She could tell that it was going to bruise. But it was worth it. Lucius was wearing a new black eye. He was glaring at her with a fury that spoke of torture and death. She smirked at him. For all his bark, the man's bite wasn't that bad. Fist to fist, he'd been a really average fighter.
Mr. Malfoy all but threw Ginny's tatty Transfiguration book at the youngest Weasley, with eyes radiating malice.
"Here, girl - take your book - it's the best your father can give you -" He pulled himself out of Hagrid's grip and beckoned to Draco, who still looked flabbergasted, and together they swept out of the shop.
"This isn't over," he said to Lia as he left.
Lia stared after him. The realisation of what she had actually done struck her. She was going to be killed by Lucius Malfoy. She just knew it. Through all the adrenaline and rage she'd felt, she hadn't stopped to think. She must be as dumb as her brother.
"Lia!" Harry said, his eyes hysterical. "What was that? The way you flew at Malfoy … Do you have a death wish? My god, I thought I was the reckless one here."
"I hate him," Lia said aloofly. At her brother's look of exasperation, she continued, "Oh, don't look at me like that! I don't know. I just lose my mind every time I'm near the Malfoys, it's like I just get too ... too angry to think. And besides, he deserved it."
"Yes, but hitting him like that? What happened to my sister? You always used your words, not your fists!"
"Shut up, Harry," said Fred. "That was brilliant."
"Funniest thing I've ever seen," said George.
"He had his hand around her neck!" shrieked Hermione. "How is that funny?"
"Lia," Mr. Weasley's voice rang out. "That was very irresponsible."
"You were going to throw yourself at him too," grumbled Lia.
"But, that's different. I'm an adult. You're still a child. Lucius is dangerous. He could have seriously hurt you. And now … he won't forget this."
"Yeh should've ignored him, Lia," said Hagrid. "Rotten ter the core, the whole family, everyone knows that - no Malfoy's worth listenin' ter - bad blood, that's what it is - come on now - let's get outta here."
"What in Merlin's name happened?" a witch asked her as they were on their way out.
Lia set her face into a pitiful, frightened expression. "He was threatening me, miss." She made her eyes tear up. "I just didn't know what to do." A tear trailed down her cheek now. "I thought he would kill me! Look at my neck! And I'm just a little girl! He didn't have to be so violent."
The woman looked disgusted. "Well … I always thought the Malfoys were a proper bunch. But attacking a twelve-year-old girl? What was he looking to get out of that? Lucius should know better!"
"I thought I saw you launch yourself at him first, though?" A stony faced wizard said.
Lia had to think fast. "You didn't hear the things he was saying," she said. "If I didn't have the element of surprise, my body would probably have been sent to the morgue already."
Lia gave a small smirk as she walked out the door. She had won herself another point against the Malfoys. But little did she know that her war with Lucius Malfoy was just beginning.