Concrit is love.
Mr and Mrs Weasley led them rapidly towards Flourish & Botts in the hope of avoiding the crush of Lockhart's book signing.
They weren't in luck, even though it was barely 11 o'clock there was a crowd outside the door and large banned stretched over the upper windows proclaiming, 'GILDEROY LOCKHART will be signing copies of his autobiography MAGICAL ME today 12:30-4:30 pm'.
Reading the sign with some relief Mr Weasley noted, "He probably won't be here yet. We'll just get the books and go."
A fair wizard with two teenaged girls looking bored next to him said, "That's what we were trying to do Arthur. They're not letting anyone in until 11:30 when the signing is beginning early."
"Oh, for-" Mr Weasley looked down at Luna eagerly listening, "Thanks Martin. We came early to avoid this. Come on Weasley's I'll pick up the books after work tomorrow."
"7 books for 7 years and this crowd," Martin observed, "Do you think they'll have stock tomorrow."
The crowd was growing around them. Mr Weasley sighed and settled into a conversation about the rising cost of flop powder with Martin. One of the girls with him rolled her eyes, "I'm Margareta Edgecomb and this is my sister Marietta." She introduced herself and sister to the twins, Ginny, Harry, Hermione, Luna and Ron before turning to Percy and falling in to an esoteric conversation about uses of conlang runes in transfiguration.
Marietta stumbled around conversation topics until she questioned the Tornados' ability to win a match even against the Canons' this season. They were all cheerfully arguing the relative merits of their team when the queue started to move. As they were shoved and prodded through the door Percy and Margareta broke of their conversation to collect money from Mr Weasley and Mr Edgecomb respectively and start pushing through the crowds to collect the required books.
The crowd kept moving the flow pulling them apart until Ginny, Hermione, Harry, Luna and Ron found themselves unable to see Mr and Mrs Weasley and in front of an irritated looking man with a large black camera emitting clouds of purple foul smelling smoke with every blinding flash. He stepped back into Ron, standing on Ron's foot and shoving him backwards, "Get out of the way, there" he snarled, "This is for the Daily Prophet." Unable to move with the man standing on his foot Ron tumbled back into Luna who fell with a cry.
Gilderoy Lockhart heard the cry and looked up. He saw the tangle of Ron and Luna on the floor and looked past them to smile for the camera, then he saw Harry. He leapt to his feet and positively shouted, "It can't be Harry Potter?"
The crowd parted enough for Lockhart to dive forwards, seize Harry's arm and pull him to the front. The crowd burst into applause over which Harry could just hear Mr and Mrs Weasley's voices pushing closer. Seeming not to care that Harry was trying to get away Lockhart held one of Harry's biceps in a vicelike grip and shook his other hand for the photographer who was clicking away surrounding a choking Ginny and Hermione in a cloud of the foul smelling smoke.
"Nice big smile, Harry," said Lockhart, through his own gleaming teeth. "Together, you and I are worth the front page."
"My guardian didn't give permission for this." Harry glowered at Lockhart trying to pull away.
Lockhart let go of his hand to throw and arm over his shoulders and clamp Harry tight to his side. "Ladies and Gentlemen," he said loudly, waving for quiet. "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 in to Flourish and Blotts today, he only wanted to buy my new autobiography - which I shall be happy to present to him now, free of charge -" the crowd applauded again, "- he had no idea," Lockhart shook him, Harry stood hard on his foot. Sounding slightly strangled Lockhart continued, "that he would soon be getting mum, much more that my book, Magical Me. He and his school fellows 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 Defence Against the Darks Arts teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!"
The crowd cheered and Harry took the opportunity as the entire works of Gilderoy Lockhart were presented to him to kick Lockhart in the shin and stagger away under the weight to the books.
When they'd all managed to fight their way out of the store and back to each other, Mr and Mrs Weasley previous speed seemed like a gentle walk as they were removed from Diagon Alley, post-haste. It wasn't until they reached Beggars Way that they stopped at a little second hand shop, Hogarts' Hand Me Down's, where Harry was allowed to relieve himself of the unnecessary Lockhart books and Percy returned the unspent money. The money from selling the excess books and not needing to buy four sets of Lockhart books, Mr and Mrs Weasley were far more relaxed.
Turning out of Beggars Way the street opened up to a similar breadth as Diagon Alley announced as Diurn Alley by a friendly looking sign. They walked down the alley Mr and Mrs Weasley's comfort and familiarity with their surroundings showing as the loosen the protective circle allowing the twins to dart in to this shop or Luna to dawdle past the Menagerie. Their first stop on Diurn Alley was a higgled-piggledy second hand book shop run by a stooped man with more hair coming out of his ears than on his head who greeted Percy happily. There Percy brought his required books and the twins, Ginny, Harry and Hermione frittered their birthday money on interesting sounding books like, An Introduction to the Healing Arts, Warding - The Rights and Wrongs, Tables of Ingredients - Organised by Reaction and Action, A Beginners Guide to Experimental Potions or The Compendium of Common Curses and Their Cures.
Further down Diurn Alley there was fabric shop, Elsware's Threads, selling brightly coloured cotton, wool and silk. Mrs Weasley took them all in and told them, "Pick a fabric or wool that you like. I can't promise I'll buy them all now or that you'll get each get something made of your fabric before Easter but you will get something."
Eager to get their own clothes they spilled out between the rolls of fabric while Mrs Weasley chatted with the shopkeeper buying yards of a thick brown woollen fabric, for winter robes, balls of wool, cream cotton and lace. Percy came up to her first with a deep green fabric. Stopping the others could see Mrs Weasely run her fingers over it, look around the shop catching Harry and Ginny's eyes then nod to Percy and buy at least 5 yards.
Emboldened the girls when with their selections of a golden brown, mossy green and sky blue in light fabrics again Mrs Weasley felt the fabric this time she didn't look around the room simply purchased a large quantity of each. Smiling the twins walked over with a heavy rich wine purple fabric covered in spiky stars picked out in golden brown. She sighed looked at them and then at the golden brown the girls had brought up before laughing and buying it.
Harry and Ron came up last a ball of emerald green wool in Harry's hands and Chudley Cannon orange poplin in Ron's. Smiling Mrs Weasley pointed to the same wool already on the counter, "Great minds think alike." She said giving Harry a quick hug, "No Ron love, it will clash horribly."
Ron shrugged. "She always does this," He grumbled to Harry as they left the shop heading to a stall selling mouthwatering burgers in buns, "I don't care and Ginny always picks good stuff."
Harry shrugged around a mouthful of bun, he'd enjoyed being given a choice about what he would be wearing.
Once lunch was eaten and they were once more clean and presentable they continued down Diurn Alley. Diurn Alley wasn't seedy and somewhat scary like Knockturn Alley but it didn't gleam like Diagon Alley. There were second hand bookshops and furniture shops interspaced with an apothecary selling readymade potions, fabric shops like Elsware's Threads, a blacksmith hissing smoke, a greengrocer selling bright blue fruit and a butcher selling dragon steak for 3 sickles and 5 knuts per pound. It was there buy dragon mince for supper that they bumped in to Draco and a tall blond man who must have been his father. Ginny swore he put out his cane making her trip and spill her books.
"A pleasure to see you, Arthur," Mr Malfoy said, looking down at Ginny's inelegant sprawl and sounding like it was anything but a pleasure.
"Lucius" Mr Weasley said, nodding coldly.
"Busy time at the Ministry, I hear," said Mr Malfoy, "Such bad timing when you've just expanded your family." He casted an eye over Harry and Hermione looking almost jealous. With one graceful sweep he gathered up Ginny's spilt books and shoved them in to Fred's chest. "Come along Draco. We have to go to the Lockhart signing." He sounded if possible more disdainful and swept away Draco scurrying to keep up.
Draco's plaintive pleas of "Why do we have to go today?" echoed down the street behind him.
Sighing Mrs Weasley helped Ginny to her feet and healed her scuffed knees. Mr Weasley grabbed the dragon mince and they were on their way again. Marching down Diurn Alley until they reached a passage way under an ornately painted wooden sign swaying in the breeze. The sign read, "Oblique Alley" proud home of Master Oakham's Wand Workshop.
They trundled down the narrow covered passage until it opened out into a small courtyard packed with shops. Mrs Weasley led them across to an well maintained old shop front with a closed door and knocked twice. When a small shutter in the door opened she said, "Weasley here for a 3 o'clock appointment."
The door opened revealing a bald freckled young man with a crooked smile, "Hi, Molly," He said blushing slightly, "Master Oakham says it will be the twins and Percy today and asked me to help."
"Thank you Albert." Mrs Weasley said.
The twins and Percy stepped forward each holding a small leather bag. "Our components' Percy said.
Albert indicated that he should tip the bag out on to the counter and Luna squeezed forwards to see better. Albert separated each item and examined it, "Kneazel whisker, do you feel a connection to the whisker, the cat or both?" he asked.
"Both," Percy answered, " Crooks is our cat, he adopted us, and the whisker makes my magic hum. I almost think I could use it as well on its own as this wand."
"Good," Albert said moving on to the next item, "Petals, not from a magical plant." He got out a book, and flicked through humming. "Oh, that goes together. You feel a connection to the Veronica petals?"
"Yes," Percy said fidgeting, "I gave my girlfriend a bouquet of Veronica among other things. When I held the veronica and the kneazel shisker it felt right."
"A very loyal wand you're creating. It will be 7 galleons." Albert said smiling broadly and putting Percy's items back in their bag. "Which one of you is next?" He asked the twins.
The twins shrugged and then stepped up together tipping their bags out as one movement. Albert blinked his smile fading somewhat. The first thing he picked up was the two long branches, "This is wand wood?" He asked, "Where did you find it? Does it call to you?"
"We were exploring this summer before we left Hogwarts." One twin began.
"And found this tree that sang to our magic," the other twin continued.
"So we got the bow truckles to let us take some." They finished together.
"Right," Albert said looking bemused. He moved on to the next item. "Leprechaun's hair enough for two wands. Billywig stings?"
"They're mine." One twin said and Albert separated the wood, leprechaun's hair and billywig stings into one pile.
"Fairy wings?"
"Mine." Said the other twin.
"That's 5 galleons apiece." Albert placed the twins items in separate bags and rang bell. As he turned round to greet the rotund middle aged man entering the room from a bright back room he bumped into Luna.
"That was fascinating." Luna breathed wide eyed. She bounced eagerly pressing close enough to see the notes Albert had made.
"Miss Lovegood," The rotund man said, "Your scaring my journeyman. Why don't you bring Albert's notes over and you can watch me match young Percy to his wood."
Mrs Weasley handed the required amount to Albert who took the money and the twins bags in to the back room. He came out with a large wooden chest that he placed on the counter back to Master Oakwood and tapped with his wand to open to show a shelved top, sides and bottom currently empty.
"Do you know young Percy's birth date?" Master Oakwood asked Luna.
"August 22nd." Luna said. "That's hazel by the celtic calendar."
"It can also be cedar," Master Oakwood said tapping the chest which filled with slim lengths of rich warm cedar wood. "Which I think we should begin with in this case."
Percy's shoulders relaxed and his face drooped with a limp hand he reached out and grasped one piece of wood. "This maybe." He said becoming alert again.
"Any others?" Master Oakwood asked his quill writing obscure notes about the source and age of the blank Percy had selected. When Percy shook his head Master Oakwood tapped the chest again and at once it was full of hazel, dark and light.
Percy again relaxed this time grasping six separate blanks before coming alert. "One of these six." He said confidently.
"Clearly." Master Oakwood said.
Albert closed the chest again and carried it out of the room this time returning with a tape measure rather like the one used by Mr Ollivanders.
"Your wand arm." Albert said. When Percy held it out he measure from thumb to wrist, from wrist to elbow, from elbow to shoulder, wrist to the tip of Percy's pointer finger and the spread of Percy's closed fist.
As Albert took the measurements Master Oakwood's quill scratched across parchment. When all the measurements had been taken Master Oakwood took two blanks and placed them in Percy's bag. He cast a charm on the parchment and placed it inside the same bag before closing it.
Master Oakwood set his quill on another piece of parchment. "Which one of you two has billywig sting?"
"Me." One of the twins stepped forward, "I'm Fred."
"Thank you, young Fred." Master Oakwood said, "If you would give Albert your wand arm."
Albert carried out the same measurement on Fred and George before Master Oakwood took the Percy's bag and the twins parchments into his Workroom.
Albert blushed and smiled his crooked smile, "The boys can collect their wands at 5 o'clock next Wednesday." He said, "If Miss Lovegood is interested The Fundamentals of Wandlore is a good primer."
The next morning Ginny stomped down stairs, her face a picture of discontent. Stopping in from of her father she slapped a book down in front of him, "It talks back." She said in an aggrieved tone.
Sitting bolt upright Mr Weasley drew his wand and cast a rapid series of spells his voice becoming more and more frantic with each one. His train of spells finished Mr Weasley jumped from his chair strode in three large steps to the fire. He grabbed a handful of floo powder and called out, "Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Emergency." He waited a handful of breaths and then said, "I need a Dark Object Removal team at the Burrow." Before with drawing his head and throwing a new handful of floo powder into the fire. "St Mungo's, Emergency Assessment." Again waited a few breaths before saying, "I need an Assessment for Exposure to Dark Magic." You could hear the capitals.
Standing Mr Weasley cleared the fireplace returning to his seat and drawing Ginny down in to his lap like she was a much younger child.
He was holding her, Ron had wrapped an arm around Luna, Hermione grasping Harry's had tight and Charlie placing himself between them when there was a whoosh from the fireplace and two men in vivid red robes of on duty DMLE officers stepped out.
"Hello Arthur." One of them said companionably, "Where's this dark object then?"
"On the table," Mr Weasley said pointing to the book still where Ginny and put it.
The two cast a series of spells many of them the same ones Mr Weasley had earlier cast as Mrs Weasley busied herself making mugs of tea and laying additional places.
She placed the tea mugs on the table near each one and received absent minded, "Thank you, Molly" of both men before settling herself between the twins and Percy ruffling their hair comfortingly as she sat.
"You were right to call us Arthur." The same man who spoken to Mr Weasley said fishing a bright white cloth out of his pocket.
Together the two men used a complex series of shielding and levitation arrange the cloth under the book and wrap it tightly about only when they were sure that it was completely covered did one of them reach out and drop it in a leather pouch. "One for the Unspeakables." He said.
Turning the other man introduced himself, "I'm Anton Davis and this my partner Eldred Bulstrode. We work for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. It's us and our colleagues you see on the streets not Aurors like Miss Tonks." He smiled at her. "I'm going to need to ask you all some questions."
Anton Davis' manner was calm and comforting but his face was criss-crossed with well healed scars and they could see sore red cuts and scars on his hands and trailing up to disappear under his robes. Eldred Bulstrode was equally calm but less comforting, an air that he was very dangerous even as he sipped tea and winked at Tonks.
"Arthur, where did you get the artefact?" Officer Davis asked.
"My daughter, Ginny," Mr Weasley indicated Ginny still curled on his lap, "brought it down this morning."
"And you have called St Mungo's?" Officer Bulstrode said. Mr Weasley nodded and Officer Bulstrode walked to the fireplace, "There's been a brawl at the Dragon's Head, imagine your at the back of the queue." Drawing floo powder from a pouch on his belt he knelt at the fireplace.
"Where did you find it, Miss Weasley?" Officer Davis asked drawing attention back to him.
Ginny's voice was quiet when she spoke, "In either An Introduction to the Healing Arts or The Compendium of Common Curses and Their Cures. We got them at The Book Nook yesterday."
"Can one of you get them for me?" Officer Davis asked. Nodding Hermione raced up the stairs to their bedroom and back down carrying the two books.
"Has any one touched these books since you brought them other than you two?" Officer Davis asked Hermione and Ginny.
"Luna." Hermione answered. "No one else I think."
"No remember." Ginny said, "I tripped at the butchers. Mr Malfoy picked up my books."
Officer Bulstrode removed his head from the fireplace and walked over to the table. He carried out a series of spells that a had Hermione and Percy on the edge of their seats and declared, "Their fine, no magic. St Mungo's will be sending - "
His words were cut of by the stumbling arrival of a dumpy witch in lime green robes. "Which of you have been exposed to Dark Magic." She said in officious tone barely looking up.
Scowling at her bent head Officer Davis asked, "Who touched the book?"
"Luna, Hermione, me and the twins. " Ginny confessed, "We wanted to see if we could work out where its brain was."
Officer Davis crooked a smile at them and the officious witch strode over. She cast spells looking more at her parchment than them and seemed completely disinterested in the results until she got to Hermione.
"You'll need to take this one to a healer." She said, "some mineral deficientcy." She turned to Harry, "Worse in this one."
Mrs Weasley was steaming when the healer was finished, high spots of colour on her cheeks. As the healer walked back towards the fireplace she paused long enough to say, "No signs of any damage from dark magic. I will have to report the malnutrition. The bill will arrive in 3 to 4 working days." Before spinning away.
Officer Bulstrode said, "Don't worry about her, she never reads the papers. We'll contact you if it looks like charges will be brought against anyone."
Mr Weasley joined Mrs Weasley and Percy in their endless fussing and it seemed that the Burrow had suddenly become a lot smaller. Percy's watchful eyes followed the twins, Ginny, Harry, Hermione, Luna and Ron around the living room, out into the orchard, and around the pond. Mrs Weasley glanced at the clock bearing hands for each one, flicked up from her place at her sewing machine handing out mending to Harry, Hermione, and Ginny, and looked greedily at them over the breakfast and dinner table. Mr Weasley was no longer the quiet calm presence he had been instead he desperately held Ginny, Hermione and Luna, his eyes constantly following Harry, Ron, the twins and Percy.
It was a relief for the mad scramble to get to the Hogwarts Express start and to get away from the oppressive attitude.
This year they were travelling in Mr Weasley's ancient and much charmed Ford Anglia. The car designed to seat five cramped people had been expanded to comfortably seat ten people, eight trunks, two owls and one glowering kneazel in a wicker cat carrier. At Mrs Weasley's instance Mr Weasley had added additional safety features, there were now cushioning charms on the back of the front seats, restraint spells on the seats and a shield spell surrounded the car. As he explained on the journey, "There's also the most interesting modification to this little beauty. She can fly."
"Arthur!" Mrs Weasley scolded him, "Don't encourage them."
"It's perfectly legal." Mr Weasley answered as they came into London. "There's a loop hole in the law. If I used the invisibility or flight capabilities then it would be illegal unless the appropriate papers are filed with the Wizengamot and they declare it a legal use of a muggle artefact."
They drew up to the limited parking at King's Cross 30 minutes before the train. Despairing of getting a spot, Mr Weasley idled on a busy corner while the car was unloaded and Mrs Weasley charmed the trunks to levitate and look like they were on wheels.
Everything finally set she marched them at break neck speed to the barrier arriving 10 minutes before the train was due to depart. Percy took one look at the time and bolted through grabbing Hermione as he went. The twins copied Percy in doing the brotherly thing and grabbed Luna and Ginny. Lifting them of their feet as the twins powered through the barrier intent on getting on the Express.
Mrs Weasley placed a hand centrally on Harry and Ron's back and tried to power them through the barrier. With a loud thud they smacked off the suddenly solid wall.
Mrs Weasley recovered herself with admirable speed checking Ron and Harry for injuries before casting a series of discrete spells on the wall.
"Tampered with." She nodded, "Come on boys. We'll go to the Cauldron. Send word to the Express and Hogwarts, have a nice lunch and you can floo across in time for the feast."
With easy economical movements she gathered them upend out of the station to the car paying no notice to the staring muggles.
"That elf is still around." She said to Mr Weasley as they got in the car. "I promised the boys lunch at the Cauldron. I can drive home after, you needed take of any more time."
"I can shrink the car and floo home, Molly" Mr Weasley smiled back at Harry and Ron before turning to his wife with the soft look Harry and Ron had come to associate with Charlie when Tonks was around.