"Mum! Come on!" Albus exclaimed from the living room where he was standing impatiently by the fireplace.
"Alright, I'm ready," Ginny said, hurrying into the room, her hair still damp from her morning shower.
"About bloody time," Ron muttered under his breath.
The group, consisting of Harry, Ron, Hermione, James, Lily, Albus, Rose, Hugo, Dudley and Alexandra were already gathered around the fireplace as Ginny took the space next to her husband.
"Alright," Ginny said, pulling down the pot filled with Floo powder. "Harry, you go with Lily, and Ron you go with Hugo. Then Alexandra and then James. Rose can go with Albus, and then the rest of us will follow."
"Sounds good," Harry said, grabbing a handful of the powder from Ginny. He took Lily's hand with his other and the two crouched into the fireplace.
"Diagon Alley," Harry said loudly, and was then engulfed by the green flames.
Alexandra had seen this process enough times, but she was still uncomfortable traveling with it. After Ron and Hugo went, she took the powder with a shaking hand and stepped into the fireplace.
"Diagon Alley," she said, and just like that, the green flames erupted and she was traveling at a speed so fast it made her eyes sting.
The one good thing she could say about traveling through the Floo network was that it was quick. She only had to suffer through trip for a few seconds before she was deposited on the hard floor of the Leaky Cauldron. As she got to her feet, she noticed that the bar looked far more crowded than it had been on any of her other visits. She looked over at Ron and Harry, who were discussing something in hushed voices.
As the others arrived, Tom, the owner of the Leaky Cauldron walked over to the party.
"Morning there," he said. "Anything to drink there?"
"Not right now," Harry answered.
"Looks like business is good," Hermione commented.
"Yes, no one wants to stand outside, so they all wander in here," Tom replied. "The only good thing that comes from having those monsters wandering around outside."
"Yes, well," Ginny said. "We'll need to get going. It was nice seeing you, Tom."
"Er, what monsters are wandering around?" Dudley asked slowly as the party headed out back.
"Dementors," Harry said heavily. "They're on the look out for a wanted witch, Claridina Wretermoust."
"Wait," Dudley said, stopping dead in his tracks. "Those aren't those things that-"
"Yes," Harry nodded. "But this time they don't have orders to attack us. Just keep your distance and you'll be fine…Or rather, relatively fine. I won't lie, you'll still feel their presence."
Alexandra knew what Dementors were; she came across the terms a few times in reading, but she had never actually seen one up close. She knew that they were supposed to make you feel awful, though.
Once the brick wall dematerialized to reveal the shopping center, Alexandra immediately began looking for one of the creatures, fearful and curious all at the same time. It wasn't until they turned their first corner that Alexandra spotted them.
Hooded and dark, they seemed to float on air. Alexandra noticed a change in the others. They stiffened and hurried past. Even James had a glazed expression.
From what everyone had ever told her, and from what she read in books, dementors were supposed to make you feel cold inside; as if you were living in your worst nightmare; absolutely helpless. She, however, was feeling an almost opposite effect. A warm sensation crept through her veins, and something, she didn't know what, was drawing her closer to the creature…
"Alexandra," Dudley said sharply. "What are you doing?"
"I-I thought I dropped something," she said quickly. She hurried to catch up with her father.
"Ghastly things, aren't they?" Dudley whispered to her as she came to his side. "I can't see them, but I can feel them…"
Alexandra nodded.
The group stopped in a nearby shop that sold quills and parchment.
"Here," Hermione said, pulling a large slab of chocolate out of her bag and breaking off pieces for everyone.
"Well, I suppose we should split up right about now," Ginny said, accepting the chocolate from Hermione. "Harry, why don't you head over to Ollivander's with Albus?"
"Yes, we'll go over too with Rose," Hermione nodded.
"Finally," Albus grinned excitedly.
"We'll meet you at Flourish and Blotts in an hour," Harry nodded. "Come on, Al."
"Don't you dare copy me and get phoenix feather!" James called after his younger brother.
"Well, then," Ginny said. "James, you need new robes. You've grown nearly a foot this summer. Alexandra, how do your robes fit?"
"Er, they're a bit short."
"Let's head down to the robe shop and get you some new ones, then," she said kindly.
After purchasing a handful of quills from the shop, they headed down to the robe shop, luckily not passing another dementor.
Alexandra remembered Madam Malkin from her first trip to Diagon Alley.
"Back again are we?" the elderly witch said brightly. "Yes, yes, up on the stools, dears."
James and Alexandra complied.
"You lot have been my only customers all morning," she said, taping her tape measure with her wand, causing it to jump to life.
"Really?" Dudley frowned.
"It's those damn dementors," she sighed. "People don't want to walk around."
"Tom seems to be getting a pretty good business," Ginny commented.
"Yes, well," she mused, fiddling with the hem of the new set of robes she draped over Alexandra. "Not all of us are as lucky. But I'm not too concerned. It was like this back when Sirius Black was on the lose; people will come eventually."
After finishing up with the new robes, the five left the shop.
It seemed that the dementors were affecting everyone. Each time they would pass by one, she noticed everyone around her try not to stare at it as they clutched their robes close to their chests and held tightly to the hands of small children.
Alexandra, however, only had one question.
"What's under a dementor's cloak?" she asked as they filed out of the Apothecary.
"Under its cloak?" Ginny repeated. "I've never seen it, but from what I've been told, it's sort of featureless face. The dementor only lowers its hood as its last defense."
"What's its last defense?"
"A kiss," James replied.
"A kiss? Isn't that what it's called when it sucks out your-"
"Yes," Ginny nodded gravely.
"How do you know so much about dementors?" James whispered.
"Reading," she said quickly. It wasn't a lie. She just chose to leave out the fact that book that she got the information from was The Era's Darkest Wizards and their Downfall.
James seemed satisfied with her response, though, and dropped the matter.
Alexandra turned back around to look at the dementor they just passed, trying to ignore the urge to run up to it.