Bruce Wayne and the Chamber of Secrets
Chapter Two: Back to Diagon Alley
After arriving at the manor, Bruce felt confident that the evening could not get any better. It was then that he noticed two owls flying straight towards the window. Quickly opening it, the birds came in and deposited two letters. One was a yellowish parchment, with letters written in green ink. It was from Hogwarts. Opening it, Bruce found that it contained a list of books he would need for the upcoming year.All of them save for one were written by a man named 'Gilderoy Lockhart'.
"This Lockhart fellow seems to be quite popular." Alfred had come in and noticed the parchment in Bruce's hand.
"I read about him in Famous Wizards of the Twentieth Century. He's supposedly one of the greatest wizards alive. Some are willing to even rank him with Dumbledore."
"Apparently, he has a very good press agent to help him along." Alfred remarked with the usual sarcasm.
Choosing not to respond to that last bit, Bruce turned his attention to the other letter. It was written on plain parchment and could only have come from a certain female Gryffindor. Opening it, he found that his suspicions were correct – Hermione Granger had indeed contacted him. Hoping it was not some pointless bit of fluff (the various false sentiments he had endured over the years removed his desire for anything of that sort) he began to read the letter.
Dear Bruce,
Your last letter made it very clear that you're not someone who enjoys idly passing the time in conversation, so you needn't worry about me taking up your time sentimental platitudes. It's simply that it has been such a long time since I've heard from you that I felt the need to write, if only to see that you haven't dropped off the face of the earth.
"You know, Master Bruce, letter-writing is a valid way of improving one's vocabulary and writing style." Bruce could only roll his eyes at Alfred's needling.
I suppose you haven't bothered to keep in touch with either Ron or Harry, so you'll be unaware of Ron's plan to rescue Harry from his relatives, who have apparently been keeping him from getting any mail. I do hope Ron doesn't try anything illegal that could get him and Harry in trouble.
Bruce fought the urge to smile. Knowing Weasley, 'something illegal' was exactly what he was going to do in order to retrieve his friend. Gryffindors could be so incredibly foolish at times.
I've been very busy with schoolwork, as I expect you have been as well. My parents are taking me to London next Wednesday to buy new books for the upcoming year. Could you meet us there? I'm going to write to Ron and Harry about it and I think it would be wonderful if we could meet up before the start of term.
Sincerely, Hermione
Bruce had to stop and think for a moment. While the idea of 'meeting up' with the Gryffindor trio was not exactly his idea of a rousing good time, it would be a good idea to keep an eye on them. If last year was any indication, they would surely be right in the middle of whatever notable events occurred at Hogwarts. Not to mention that it would be interesting to see how Potter himself was doing several months after the battle with Quirrell and Voldemort. The opportunity to take stock of Harry's mental condition was certainly valuable, if only as a way of assessing the boy's capabilities and willpower.
"Shall I make the necessary arrangements, Master Bruce?" Alfred had, of course, read the letter over Bruce's shoulder. It was obvious that the butler saw this as a chance for the boy to open up to others around his age, especially considering the time they had spent together last year.
"Yes Alfred, I think I will meet Hermione and the others." Alfred smiled.
"Very good, sir. I shall have us in London by tomorrow."
With that, the butler set off to make the necessary phone calls. Bruce, meanwhile, continued to muse over how he should react to the Gryffindor trio. He had certainly earned a place in their confidence, but he could not honestly predict how quickly their goodwill could run out. He was, after all, still a Slytherin, which was the traditional rival to Gryffindor, in addition to having a notorious reputation for churning out a number of dark wizards. What did not concern him were the possible reactions the members of his house would have to the sight of one of their own associating with the three star members of Gryffindor. He had gone an entire year with only minimal interaction in regards to the other members that populated Slytherin and could easily do so again. Putting such thoughts out of his mind, Bruce pulled out his copy of Notable Wizards of the Twentieth Century and set about checking up on Gilderoy Lockhart. After the Quirrell debacle, he was going to carefully research every future teacher he had.
It was cloudy when Bruce and Alfred arrived in London, which was to be expected. They had arrived a day early of the appointment in Diagon Alley, so Alfred hailed a cab to deliver the two to the residence in England that Bruce had spent six months of last year in. They unpacked their materials, had a spot of dinner, and went to bed.
Wednesday morning Alfred woke his charge a little early, in order to arrive in time. A little after breakfast, they drove to the Leaky Cauldron, which was the entrance point for those from non-magical families.Walking through the tavern itself, Bruce had to reflect on the fact that absolutely no one would expect it tobe the place where one could find a way to enter a community of magical wonders. Whoever conceived of the idea for it should have been commended on a particularly clever idea: no one in their right mind would go poking about a place like the Leaky Cauldron for hidden entrances.
After tapping the appropriate bricks and opening the wall, Bruce and Alfred were once again greeted by the commotion that seemed common to Diagon Alley. As was the situation last year,it was filled with witches and wizards of various shapes and sizes going to and fro while carrying a number of objects. Doubtlessly, a good number of them were looking to procure school supplies for their children's new year at Hogwarts.
"Where shall we start looking for your friend, Master Bruce?" The boy performed a quick scan of the crowd, then answered.
"Gringotts. Her parents are muggles, so they'll want to exchange their money for wizard currency."
With that, the two entered the great mass of people, trying to reach Gringotts bank. After what Bruce was sure to be an unnecessary amount of effort, they finally found themselves at the steps leading up to the renowned repository of wealth. Once they reached the entrance at the top of the stairs, Bruce asked Alfred to stay put, feeling sure that Hermione and her parents would be along at any minute. Just as he predicted, the Grangers did arrive after a relatively brief amount of time had passed. The Gryffindor rushed up the stairs to greet the boy she considered to be her friend, albeit something of an especially grumpy one.
"I'm so glad you made it. I was looking forward to getting the four of us together again. Ron and Harry should be here soon. How have you been?"
"Fine." Bruce had to admit (privately and reluctantly, of course) that her enthusiasm was slightly contagious. Unlike the empty greetings of the rich he had endured back in Gotham, Hermione was genuinely glad to see him. It was then that the Slytherin realized something important – she was someone that people would tell secrets to and not even realize it. Such individuals could be useful, but also incredibly dangerous. Moreover, she did not seem the least bit daunted by his surly demeanor and acted as though he were merely another student. Perhaps nearly getting killed together can have that effect upon relationships.
"Let me introduce you to my parents." The two adults had finally made it up the stairs.
"Mum, dad, this is Bruce." The young Slytherin shook hands with Mr. and Mrs. Granger, though they were clearly a bit unsettled by their surroundings.
"So, you're Bruce Wayne. I have to say, it's not every day we meet someone who can keep up with our little girl." Bruce could tell that the man was doing his best to be polite.
"Mr. Granger, Mrs. Granger, this is Alfred." The boy's guardian walked over and shook hands with the two dentists.
"The pleasure is all mine. I take it you're a bit intimidated by all this as well." Alfred had gotten right to the point, obviously trying to make the Grangers feel better.
"Is it that obvious?" Mr. Granger said hesitantly.
"Don't worry, I was overwhelmed as well. Finding out that you're raising a wizard can have that effect." With that, the Gryffindor's parents looked slightly more relaxed, if still a bit uneasy. Hermione began chatting to Bruce about the upcoming year while the Slytherin kept an eye on the crowd, expecting to see more familiar faces. Unsurprisingly, his schoolmate was doing the same. It occurred to Bruce that neither Hermione nor her parents had said anything about his financial status. While he doubted that his fellow second-year had yet to connect him with the "Prince of Gotham" sobriquet, she had apparently not informed her parents of this. It was possible that she had merely asked her parents not to mention it, but their body language did not display any of the usual signs of discomfort that appear when around a child worth more money than the combined total of what they could make in their lives.
Alfred, meanwhile, was keeping the parents occupied with simple conversation, thus continuing his efforts to get them more at ease with their magical surroundings. After a few minutes, Bruce spotted a tall shape that could only be the gamekeeper, Hagrid, and somewhat unsurprisingly, next to him was a thin boy with a scar on his forehead. Something must have happened for Potter to not be with the Weasleys. Though he did not know much about the rest of the family, it seemed odd that Ron would not be at his friend's side if they were sleeping under the same roof.
"Harry! Harry, over here!"
Hermione had obviously spotted him as well. She raced down the stairs to meet him, while Bruce remained at the top, waiting. Soon after, the boy saw a group of red-heads hurry over to the two Gryffindors. Considering the hair, and the fact that Ron was among them, they could only be the Weasleys. Upon a closer look, he did indeed recognize the infamous prankster duo of Fred and George. Judging from the way the man who could only be Mr. Weasley was acting, what happened to separate Potter from them mush have occurred only a short time ago. Relatively quickly, they were all up the steps and Bruce caught the tail end of a comment from the presumed Mr. Weasley.
"…..a match for Lucius Malfoy?" Bruce could not help but raise an eyebrow to that, but he was immediately distracated by a greeting from Potter.
"Hello, Bruce. I'm a bit surprised to see you here. The way Ron tells it, the earth may as well have swallowed you whole."
"Yeah, Bruce," Weasley cut in. "You could have at least written once. I was starting to think you had turned into another stuck-up Slytherin." Bruce decided to ignore Weasley's friendly jabs. It was then he realized that the twins were eyeing him suspiciously, which in their case meant that the two were planning on subjecting him to some immature prank.
"So, you're the Slytherin ickle Ronniekins has told us about." Fred said.
"That I am."
"You should consider yourself lucky – according to Ron, you're the only Slytherin we shouldn't consider a target." George said.
"I'll have to thank him for that."
"Fred, George, really. He's their friend and you shouldn't be harassing him." Mrs. Weasley had decided to step in.
"We're not harassing him, mum." Fred replied.
"Yeah, we're just planning on having a little fun with him, that's all." There was a dangerous grin on George's face as he finished the sentence.
Mr. Weasley, meanwhile, had discovered Alfred and the Grangers.
"Why, you're muggles! That's fascinating! We should have a drink together. You can tell me some things I've always been curious about. Tell me, when you're fixing a car, do you-"
"Arthur!" Mr. Weasley was interrupted by his wife's scolding. He immediately looked flustered and gave an embarrassed "sorry". It was then that Alfred came to Mrs. Weasley's attention.
"Why, Alfred Pennyworth! So nice to see you here."
"Molly. Good to see you, as well. I take it this is the rabble you were referring to last year at the station?"
"Oh, that's them alright. Always trying their dear old mum's nerves. I must thank you for that biscuit recipe you gave me, they were excellent."
"It's one of my personal favorites. I've found that children are especially fond of them."
"Oh, little Ginny couldn't get enough of them. She's starting Hogwarts this year, you know."
"Really? Well," he looked down at the blushing little girl. " I wish you the best of luck."
Bruce, meanwhile, was not quite sure what to make of the sight before him and, judging by his expression, neither did Ron.
"You….know each other?" Bruce finally asked.
"I had the pleasure of meeting Mrs. Weasley shortly after your train departed for Hogwarts last year." For once in his life, Bruce was at a loss.
"Well, we had best be on our way." With that, Mrs. Weasley motioned for the rest to follow.
"Meet you back here." Ron said as he and Harry departed with the rest of the Weasleys.
After Alfred and the Grangers obtained some wizard money they returned to the entrance, where the two groups once again reconvened. After some discussion, they all separated off into smaller assemblages. Mr. Weasley practically dragged the Grangers and Alfred off to the Leaky Cauldron while Bruce and the Gryffindor trio decided to wander the streets of Diagon Alley. Harry bought them all some ice cream, despite Bruce's insistence that he did not want any. Over at Quality Quidditch Supplies, Ron and Harry practically drooled over the items they saw on display, but Hermione and Bruce dragged them away to buy ink and parchment next door. After that, Bruce led the rest to a newsstand where he ordered a subscription to the Daily Prophet, despite the fact that the two male Gryffindors could not see a reason why. The next destination was the joke shop, where they ran into Fred, George and another Gryffindor named Lee Jordan, who was quite surprised to see a Slytherin in the company of the three star Gryffindors. Harry finally got around to filling Bruce about the wrong turn down Knockturn Alley, and what he saw the Malfoys up to.
"Hmm." It was the extent of Bruce's reply to the information.
"That's it? 'Hmm?'" Ron was slightly exasperated. "Are you even capable of displaying actual emotion?"
"Sometimes." Harry and Hermione snickered at Bruce's one-word response.
After an hour, the second-years made their way to Flourish and Blotts, where they found a large sign proclaiming that Gilderoy Lockhart would be signing copies of his autobiography. Hermione could barely contain her excitement.
"He's written almost the entire booklist!"
Bruce thought the giddiness in her voice was dangerously similar to the type emitted by Veronica Vreeland at her birthday party.
The four children managed to get inside, where they found an incredibly long line of people looking to get Lockhart's autograph. After acquiring the sole non-Lockhart book on the list, they made their way up the line, where they found the Weasleys, the Grangers, and Alfred waiting. To most people, the butler appeared perfectly normal, but Bruce could tell that the man was a bit exasperated. No doubt Mr. Weasley had barraged him with questions regarding the minutiae of muggle life.
Lockhart himself soon became visible, obviously doing his best to look good in front of the cameras. Bruce was not quite sure what to make of him, and was mulling over the amount of publicity he was receiving when the man himself began to speak.
"It can't be Harry Potter?" The wizard dived forward and grabbed Harry's arm, dragging him upfront. Bruce thought the Gryffindor looked as if he had just been told to wear red in front of a herd of rampaging bulls. The boy was obviously trying to get away, but Lockhart clamped an arm around him.
"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 – he had no idea 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. 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!"
The crowd practically exploded with cheering and clapping while Bruce felt as if he might be ill. Whatever magical ability the man may or may not have, he was clearly a glory hound and was not afraid to take advantage of others. The Slytherin was starting to ponder whether or not it might have been better to have a teacher that was simply trying to kill you when he heard a familiar, and loathed, voice.
"Bet you loved that, didn't you Potter?"
It was Draco Malfoy, arrogant as usual. The blonde Slytherin got into another sniping match with Harry and Ron. Bruce was about to step in and put an end to it when he noticed another figure. He was tall and featured the same pale, pointed face as Draco. It could only be the boy's father, the infamous and influential Lucius Malfoy. Mr. Weasley went livid at the sight of him.
"Well, well, well – Arthur Weasley."
"Lucius."
"Busy time at the Ministry, I hear. All those raid…. I hope they're paying you overtime?" Malfoy put his hand into Ginny Weasley's cauldron and took out a battered copy of a book.
"Obviously not. 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?"
"Perhaps Mr. Weasley has a different view of what constitutes a disgrace." Alfred had decided to step. Malfoy took a step back.
"It seems he does, considering the company he keeps." Alfred and Lucius were now looking directly at each other.
"Well, if nothing else, Mr. Weasley can take comfort in the fact that he does not have to pay others to tolerate his presences, as I'm sure you've had experience with?" The look on Malfoy's face was one of murder.
"I would not expect a mere muggle like you to understand-" Alfred cut him off.
"I understand quite well that there are those who are so miserable that their only happiness is in making others around them just as miserable." After that last statement, Malfoy turned and looked to leave in an indignant manner when Alfred spoke once more.
"I believe you have forgotten to return the textbook to young Ms. Weasley." Malfoy stopped and for a second Bruce thought he saw the man open the book before turning around and placing it in Ginny's cauldron.
"Here is your book, girl. It's obviously the best your father can give you." With that, he stormed out, Draco following close behind. He nearly ran right into Hagrid as the gamekeeper walked in the store. Seeing the expressions on the faces of all assembled, Hagrid decided to speak.
"Did somethin' happen that I've missed?"
Bruce was not entirely sure who started talking first, but soon the three Weasley boys plus Harry started bombarding the man with details about Alfred's duel with Lucius Malfoy. Mr. Weasley, meanwhile, had turned to the butler and was either apologizing or congratulating him, Bruce could not be sure which. It may have been a bit of both, considering that he overheard Mrs. Weasley's scolding tone. It was then Bruce noticed that George Weasley had just told him that Alfred was a "great bloke", an assessment he was inclined to agree with.
Thus, it was a slightly elated group that exited Flourish and Blotts and made its way to the Leaky Cauldron. The Weasleys and Harry said their goodbyes, though Mr. Weasley was still slightly desperate to ask more questions regarding muggle minutiae. After that, Bruce said goodbye to Hermione and he and Alfred made their way to the parked car.
"You shouldn't have been so easy on him." The boy said.
"Don't be silly, Master Bruce. It would be rude to insult someone in public."
Notes:
And here's part two of this sorry excuse for a sequel. After the non-magical focus of the previous chapter, I thought it best to get Bruce back into the wizarding world fairly quickly, and a meeting with Harry, Ron and Hermione in Diagon Alley seemed the best way to do it.
I hope everyone enjoyed Alfred's verbal smackdown of Lucius Malfoy. I wanted to give the butler something in the spotlight, since I he really does not play a large part in the body of the stories I have planned. For some reason, I just can't find a place for him, and it's really frustrating, because I love Alfred. He bounces off of everyone so well.