Chapter Two: New Friends, New Enemies

Once everyone had finished breakfast and gotten dressed, they all were instructed to gather around the fireplace. Harry, Tony, and the male Weasley children all wore their Hogwarts robes, with normal clothing beneath them, while Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and Ginny wore different colored robes. Each of them all wore a sweater, but each a different color, and had their first name's initial on the front in gold-colored thread. Prof. Gabriel was the only one in the group who had not worn any robes, but wore a silver sweater like his son's.

Mrs. Weasley stepped forward and picked up a pot full of charcoal-colored powder, and stood back.

"Right. Here we are, Harry." she said, "You go first, dear."

"But Harry's never traveled by Floo powder before, mum." Ron reminded her. "And neither has Tony and his dad."

Harry, Tony, and Prof. Gabriel stared at Ron, confused.

"'Floo powder'?" repeated Harry.

"Oh, well, you go first, Ron, so that Harry can see how it's done." Mrs. Weasley instructed her son. "Yes. In you go."

Ron stepped forward and grabbed some of the powder from the pot, then walked into the fireplace. He held up the hand holding the powder, and spoke in a loud, clear voice, while everyone else stepped back.

"Diagon Alley!" he shouted.

Upon thrusting the powder to the ground of the fireplace, a burst of green flames shot up, enveloping the place where Ron was standing. When Harry, the Gabriels, and the Weasleys looked back into the fireplace, the fire had settled down, and Ron had vanished.

"You see?" asked Mrs. Weasley. "It's quite easy, dears."

She stepped forward towards the fireplace again, holding out the pot of Floo powder.

"Don't be afraid, come on." Mrs. Weasley encouraged the others.

Harry and Tony looked at one another, and Tony started to walk forward, but felt his father pulling him back.

"Now, son, how about we wait until someone else goes next?" asked Prof. Gabriel.

"Aw, no fair." groaned Tony.

"I'll go next." offered Harry.

He walked forward, nervously, and headed towards the fireplace.

"Come on, in you go." Mrs. Weasley told the boy. "That's it. Mind your head. That's right. Now take your Floo powder."

Harry took a handful of Floo powder from the pot after entering the fireplace, and gripped it tightly.

"That's it, very good." said Mrs. Weasley.

As she stepped back a little, she paused to remind Harry to speak very clearly. Why she did that, you'll find out soon. Harry held up the fist holding the Floo powder, and spoke his destination.

"Diagonally." he called.

Upon throwing down the Floo powder, he was thrusted upwards into the fireplace, and sent to his destination, leaving the remaining Weasleys and Gabriels behind.

"What did he say, dear?" asked Mrs. Weasley.

"'Diagonally'." replied Mr. Weasley.

"I thought he did."

It was then that Tony raised his hand eagerly.

"Now can I go next?" he asked.

Mrs. Weasley looked at Prof. Gabriel for confirmation, and received a nod in return, then motioned for Tony to get his Floo powder. Tony did so, and quietly chanted his destination under his breath. The Slytherin boy stepped into the fireplace, and looked at the others, as he held up his Floo powder.

"Diagon Alley'!" said Tony.

He threw down his Floo powder, and felt himself shooting up into the fireplace. After a long moment of flying, he felt himself sliding out onto the ground, sending up a cloud of dust.

"Well,...that was fun." Tony coughed, as he sat up.

"Welcome to the party." joked Ron.

He helped his friend up and saw Tony looking around.

"Where are we?" the latter asked.

"The Leaky Cauldron." replied Ron.

"Has Harry shown up yet?"

"No."

"...Oh, no..."

Meanwhile, Riley Cross and Hermione Granger, two fellow Gryffindors who were attending Hogwarts, were already shopping in Diagon Alley for their school supplies. Riley wore his blue shirt with a red and yellow Superman logo on the front, a pair of dark blue jeans, and his work boots. Hermione wore a blue long-sleeved shirt, a brown pair of capris, and black boots. Her long bushy brown hair was down as usual, but with a small braid tied in the back. Both of them had worn their Hogwarts robes over their clothing as well, at Hermione's insistence. Hermione's parents and Riley's mother, Dr. Cross, were walking along behind their kids, as they marched down the road. Dr. Cross was wearing a red turtleneck sweater under an open emerald green jacket black pants, and white tennis shoes with white socks.

"Hey, Hermione, I'm gonna go and see if Tony's made it to the Quality Quidditch Supplies yet." said Riley.

"Meet me at Flourish and Blotts when you're done." Hermione told him.

"Got it, buddy."

Hermione took off towards the book shop, with her parents following her, while Riley and his mother headed for the Quidditch shop.

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" asked Dr. Cross. "From what your friends say, the position you're wanting to play seems dangerous."

"If I could survive an encounter with a troll, a three-headed puppy, and a parasite, mom, I can survive this." Riley reassured her. "I mean, I spent the whole summer getting over my fear of heights. I can do this."

"Must be those comic books grandpa keeps sending you."

Riley started to walk into the shop, then stopped when he saw Draco Malfoy standing in the doorway. The two glared at each other for a moment, while an older man stood behind Draco. The man was almost twice Draco's height, and had long hair the same color as his own, with the same piercing gaze. In the man's hand was a cane with a silver ornament on it that resembled a snake's head, and both of them were dressed in dark clothing, but Draco was the only one of the two wearing Hogwarts robes. He shoved past Riley, exiting the shop, with the man following after him, glaring at the Crosses. Dr. Cross returned the glare for a moment, then looked at her son.

"Who were they?" she asked, concerned.

"The kid was my classmate, Draco Malfoy." explained Riley. "I should've known that guy was his dad. I thought he looked familiar." he added, shaking his head.

Dr. Cross knew what he was referring to. Her husband told her that a man, matching the one she had seen moments ago, was glaring at their family and friends rather rudely, and it all began to add up with Riley's assumption that this man was his classmate's father. Pushing the thoughts aside, the two entered the shop and Riley walked over to the counter.

"Excuse me, sir?" he asked, looking at the shopkeeper. "I'd like to buy a Nimbus 2001, please? My friend recommended I get one."

"Sorry, kid." the shopkeeper replied. "We're sold out. Someone came in and bought up the last seven we had."

Dr. Cross watched as her son groaned softly in frustration. Stepping forward towards the counter, she looked up at the man behind it.

"Might I get a recommendation on a broom almost as good as that one?" she asked. "My son is trying out for the Gryffindor Quidditch team at Hogwarts this year."

The shop keeper tapped his chin in thought, then made a gesture that told the parent and child to wait. He went to the back of the room for a minute, then came back out with a broom in his hands. He set it onto the counter for Riley and his mother to see.

"This is the Silver Arrow," the shop keeper explained, gesturing at the broom. "An old model, but very fast. You can't find brooms like these anymore. It's a little faster than the Nimbus 2000, and the handling's good, too."

"How much?" asked Dr. Cross.

"Well, I'd say about...four hundred Galleons."

Dr. Cross paid up the amount in four hundred little gold coins, and Riley was handed his new broomstick, then the two picked out the rest of the equipment, and had them paid for and wrapped up. As the two started to leave, Tony and Ron, both still a little covered in soot, charged into the shop, appearing out of breath.

"Hey, there you are!" exclaimed Riley. "Look, I got my Quidditch gear!"

"There's no time for your silly gear, Ry!" Tony told him. "We've gotta find Harry!"

"We lost him when he tried to travel by Floo powder." explained Ron.

"How do you lose a twelve year old boy?" asked Dr. Cross.

Tony opened his mouth, and closed it again upon seeing the woman's stern glare. Riley and Ron assumed that he was about to say something most likely of the smart aleck variety.

"Look, kids, split up and try to find him." Dr. Cross announced, taking the supplies and broom from her son. "Riley, I'll take this all to the Leaky Cauldron in our room, and I'll meet up you boys in a few minutes."

Riley nodded and followed his friends out of the shop to search for the missing boy. Riley ducked into one shop labeled "Wiseacre's Wizarding Equipment", while Ron went back to Flourish and Blotts, and Tony headed to the Apothecary to see if Harry was still shopping for his things. Riley hurried into the shop and ran into a girl who was on her way out of the store.

"Sorry, I was looking for me friend." said Riley.

He looked up and felt his breath hitch in his chest. In front of him was a girl with long blond hair and gray eyes. She wore a purple plaid jacket over a blue long-sleeved shirt, a black skirt with colorful stars and circles on it over a pair of blue pants, and black boots. The two locked eyes for a moment, then Riley broke out of his trance, feeling embarrassed.

"I-I'm sorry about that. I'm not normally that weird, or that creepy," he apologized again, blushing. "Er, I-I, uh,-I'm usually not this inarticulate, I mean, I talk to girls often. I have friends that are girls, and my mom is a girl, and...I am seriously losing my mind right now."

"Hmm, you must be affected by Wrackspurts," the girl mused, looking at him up and down. "Don't worry, think positive thoughts, and they'll go away."

Riley nodded and focused on his comic books and the thought of returning to Hogwarts with his friends, and took a deep breath.

"Okay, I think they're gone." he announced, looking back at the girl. "Thanks."

"Oh, it was no trouble." the girl responded, smiling. "My name is Luna Lovegood. What's yours?"

"Riley. Riley Cross."

Luna shook Riley's hand, and earning a sheepish smile from the Gryffindor student.

"It's very nice to meet you, Riley Cross." she said, letting his hand go. "Do you attend Hogwarts?"

"I'm in my second year." replied Riley. "Gryffindor."

"Interesting. It's very nice to know one of my future schoolmates is very kind. You see, I'm starting this year, but I'm hoping to go into Ravenclaw, like my mum and dad."

"Cool. Most of my pals are in Gryffindor, but my best friend, Tony, is a Slytherin. But don't worry, he's friendly. Doesn't share in the same beliefs that most of the other kids in his house do."

"I can't wait to meet them then. Your friends, I mean. I should get going, daddy's waiting for me at Ollivander's. See you on the train, Riley."

Riley nodded, and watched as his new friend left. He rubbed the back of his neck, feeling a bit numb. Then a hand grabbed him on the shoulder, surprising him. He whirled around to see Hermione standing there, looking at him.

"You okay there, Romeo?" she asked.

Riley felt his face heat up, and shook his head wildly.

"What are you talking about?!" he demanded, quietly. "Hermione, I'm twelve!"

"And in love." Hermione pointed out.

"Stop it. You're worse than Tony."

The moment Riley said that, he regretted it. Especially when a grin started to form on the female Gryffindor's face.

"Don't you smile-Don't you smile at me, Hermione." Riley started, pointing a finger at her. "Don't you smile right now, or I'm going to-"

Hermione couldn't help it. She started to laugh out loud, as her friend started to get more and more flustered. In the end, Riley gave up, and started heading out the door.

"Women! I can't figure them out!" he grumbled, annoyed.

Just then, something caught Riley's eye. Walking down the road were Rubeus Hagrid, the half-giant gamekeeper at Hogwarts, and Harry Potter, the tween hero of the wizard world, including Hogwarts. Like Ron and Tony, Harry was also covered in soot, indicating that he had indeed also used the Floo powder to travel.

"Hermione, I found him!" announced Riley. "Well, technically, Hagrid found him."

Hermione heard his shout, and followed him out into the street towards their friends.

"Harry!" she greeted, happily. "Hagrid!"

"Well, hello, Hermione, Riley." Hagrid responded, smiling.

Riley waved at him in greeting, smiling back at him, while Hermione started talking to Harry.

"Oh, it's so good to see you." she said.

"It's great to see you, too." agreed Harry. "And you, too, Riley." he added, looking at Riley.

"Have I got a surprise for you when we get on the train today." Riley promised him, grinning. "I'm hoping Tony hasn't told you guys yet."

"He hasn't said much yet. Just that you were babysitting your brother the other night."

Hermione stared hard at Harry's face, noticing one of the lenses in his glasses were broken.

"What did you do to your glasses?" she asked.

"Must've been from when he crashed at the wrong place." guessed Riley.

The female brainiac of the group whipped out her wand, swish-and-flicked it at the glasses on her friend's face.

"Oculus Reparo." she spoke, pointing the wand at Harry's face.

Harry watched in amazement as the cracks in the left lens of his glasses slowly faded away. He took off his glasses to examine them, while his friends smiled at him.

"I definitely need to remember that one." he said, putting his glasses back on.

"You'll be alright now then, Harry?" asked Hagrid. "Right. I'll leave you to it then."

The three kids said goodbye to him, and headed their separate ways. Hermione led the two boys to Flourish and Blotts, where she explained the Weasleys were waiting. On the way there, they saw Tony and Dr. Cross standing in the middle of the road, talking to each other.

"Who's Tony talking to?" asked Harry.

"That's Dr. Cross, Riley's mom." replied Hermione. "She's a veterinarian, and his grandpa Neil's daughter. Tony's dad is here, too."

Dr. Cross and Tony looked towards the trio, and hurried over to them.

"I take it this is Harry?" asked Dr. Cross. "Hello, sweetheart, my name is Sally Cross. I'm Riley's mother. It's good to see you're safe and sound."

"Thank you, Dr. Cross, er, Sally." replied Harry.

"C'mon, we better go tell Mrs. Weasley we found ya, she's on the verge of having a panic attack." said Tony.

He led his friends into the book store, which was nearly crowded with people, mostly women. Dr. Cross lingered for a moment, while the four tweens moved ahead into the shop, and looked around at the people.

"What's with the crowd?" she wondered aloud.

Tony and Riley looked to the side and saw posters of a man with wavy blond hair appearing heroic were placed here and there, with the words "Gilderoy Lockhart" on top, and "Magical Me" on the bottom of them.

"Oy vey." muttered Tony.

"Tony, why do I get the feeling this is going to be embarrassing?" asked Riley.

The two boys made it over to the their friends and families. Hermione and her parents stood in front of Mr. Weasley and Prof. Gabriel, all nearby Harry, Mrs. Weasley, Ron, and Ginny, and the older Weasley siblings were more closer to the back.

"...Thank goodness," Mrs. Weasley was saying, as she tried to clean the soot off of Harry. "We'd hoped you'd only gone one grate too far."

"Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Gilderoy Lockhart." a man's voice announced at the front of the room.

Harry, Tony, and Riley exchanged mystified glances as most of the crowd burst into applause. A man in lavender and silver robes with a matching suit, resembling the man from the posters around the shop.

"Mum fancies him." Ron told them.

As his mother shot him a look, a reporter pushed his way through the crowd, a camera in his hands.

"Make way there, please." he called, shoving his way through. "Let me by, madam. Thank you. Excuse me, kids. This is for the Daily Prophet."

Riley grunted in pain as he felt the reporter treading on his foot, and lightly grabbed Harry's shoulder for support. The reporter held up his camera, and snapped a photo of the smiling celebrity. As Lockhart turned to the side to pose again for the camera, he spotted Harry's face in the crowd.

"Oh, no." muttered Riley.

"Emergency evacuation." agreed Tony.

Before any of the boys could move, the reporter suddenly reached back and grabbed Harry by the arm, pulling him towards Lockhart. Lockhart pulled him over to his side, aiming to have a picture taken with him.

"Nice big smile, Harry." he said, grinning at the camera once again. "Together, you and I rate the front page."

The reporter snapped another picture, then paused so the celebrity could speak. Harry, on the other hand, looked completely stunned.

"Ladies and gentlemen, what an extraordinary moment this is." Lockhart announced, looking at the crowd. "When young Harry stepped into Flourish and Blotts this morning to purchase my autobiography, 'Magical Me',..."

He paused to let the crowd applaud, much to the disgust and annoyance of the Weasley males, Riley, Tony, Prof. Gabriel, and Dr. Cross, before continuing.

"...which, incidentally, is currently celebrating it's 27th week atop the Daily Prophet bestseller list," Lockhart continued, smiling at Harry. "He had no idea that he would, in fact, be leaving..."

The man turned to look at the man in blue wizard robes, who was standing nearby him. The man turned back against the bookshelves, and picked up a stack of books.

"With my entire collected works." the celebrity author announced, while the assistant handed the stack of books to him, and the books were passed to Harry's arms. "Free of charge."

The crowd burst into cheers again, as the reporter took another picture, and Lockhart promptly pushed Harry away. Harry passed the books onto Mrs. Weasley, who wanted to get them signed, and walked with his friends towards the exit.

"Did you see that?" asked Tony. "Dude used Harry as a publicity boost."

"You don't know that." Hermione defended, rounding on him.

"Give it up, Tony." said Ron. "Hermione's gone fangirl on us."

Hermione shot him a glare, as her friends, minus Ginny, laughed quietly to themselves. They managed to catch up to Percy, Fred, and George, when they were met by an unpleasant surprise.

"I'll bet you loved that, didn't you, Potter?" Draco's voice barked from the side.

Harry, Hermione, Riley, Tony, and the Weasley siblings turned to look at their nemesis, as he marched down the staircase at the side towards them.

"Famous Harry Potter, can't even go into a bookshop without making the front page." sneered Draco.

Tony opened his mouth to speak, but saw Ginny step forward, looking angry.

"Leave him alone." she spoke, bravely.

Draco merely laughed at her.

"Oh, look, Potter." he snickered, grinning at Harry. "You've got yourself a girlfriend."

"I don't know about the girlfriend part, but at least he has a life." cracked Tony.

Draco glared at him, aiming to retort to his wisecrack, when he felt something touching his shoulder. He looked at the object and saw that it was the silver snake head ornament of his father's cane.

"Now, now, Draco, play nicely." Mr. Malfoy scolded his son.

He pushed Draco to the side, and looked over at Harry, smiling.

"Mr. Potter. Lucius Malfoy." the man greeted, his smile fading. "We meet at last."

Harry saw that he was offering a handshake, and took it, only to be pulled towards him.

"Forgive me." Mr. Malfoy said, using the tip of his cane to push back Harry's bengs.

He gazed down at the lightning bolt-shaped scar on the boy's forehead, the same scar that was given to him when he was a baby by Voldemort, the infamous Dark Wizard who was behind the murders of many wizards and witches in the past, including Harry's parents.

"Your scar is legend." whispered Mr. Malfoy. "As, of course, is the wizard who gave it to you."

"Voldemort killed my parents." Harry declared, before stepping back towards his friends. "He was nothing more than a murderer."

Mr. Malfoy nodded, amused.

"You must be very brave to mention his name, or very foolish." he said.

"Fear of a name only increases fear of the thing itself." Hermione told him.

Mr. Malfoy then rounded on her, and took a step towards her.

"And you must be...Ms. Granger." he guessed, looking at his son for confirmation. "Yes, Draco has told me all about you, and your parents."

The man and the group of children looked at Hermione's parents, who were conversing with Mr. Weasley, before returning to their conversation.

"Muggles, aren't they?" asked Mr. Malfoy. "Much like these two boys. Yes, I remember them from the platform during break last year." he added, looking at Riley and Tony. "Muggleborn wizards from overseas, and one of them in Slytherin. Tony Gabriel, was it?"

Tony nodded, his gaze steely. Riley pocketed his hands, forcing himself to stay calm, as Mr. Malfoy's gaze fell on him.

"So that makes you Riley Cross, the boy with the unhealthy addiction to superhero comic books." he said, eyeing the symbol on the boy's shirt. "For the life of me, I cannot seem to understand how a man flying around in blue and red underwear and a cape can be so popular. Then again, I could never understand the minds of Muggles."

Riley felt his nails digging into his palms, unable to remember when his hands had clenched into fists, but he did not care. Tony felt his teeth clench together, and felt a surge of anger coursing through his body. Hermione and Harry forced themselves to remain calm, and not give into their anger. That'd be just what the elder Malfoy would want. Mr. Malfoy then looked at the Weasley siblings.

"Let me see, red hair, vacant expressions,..." he listed, looking at each of the Weasleys' features.

The older Malfoy reached out and plucked out the book from Ginny's cauldron to examine it.

"...tatty, second-hand books," he observed, before returning his gaze to the group of redheads. "You must be the Weasleys."

"If you're looking for an easy medal, you'll have to do better than that." Tony quipped, looking at him. "Last I checked, they don't give awards for pointing out the obvious."

The Malfoys shot him a glare, just as Mr. Weasley, Dr. Cross, and Prof. Gabriel arrived to intervene.

"Children, it's mad in here." Mr. Weasley told the group of kids. "Let's go outside."

"Well, well, well," said Mr. Malfoy. "Weasley Senior, and two of his new little playmates."

Mr. Weasley glared back at him.

"Lucius." he acknowledged the older Malfoy.

"Busy time at the Ministry, Arthur, all those extra raids?" Mr. Malfoy asked, sneering. "I do hope they're paying you overtime, but judging by the state of this, I'd say not."

He paused to observe Ginny's book that he had taken, before looking back up at Mr. Weasley.

"What's the use in being a disgrace to the name of wizard if they don't even pay you well for it?" asked Mr. Malfoy.

"We have a very different idea about what disgraces the name of wizard, Malfoy." Mr. Weasley retorted, coolly.

"Clearly."

Mr. Malfoy looked between Dr. Cross and Prof. Gabriel, and the Grangers, shaking his head. He whispered something to himself, before replacing Ginny's book back into her cauldron.

"And I thought your family could sink no lower." Mr. Malfoy spat, looking back at Mr. Weasley.

Mr. Weasley glared at him for a moment, then turned to smile at his family before turning back to glare at his enemy.

"I'll see you at work." said Mr. Malfoy.

With that, he left, but Draco lingered behind to glare at his classmates.

"See you at school." he declared.

Harry, Hermione, the Weasleys, Crosses, and Gabriels watched as the Malfoys left, glaring at them as they departed.

Well, that was interesting, wasn't it? Yes, I'm having both Tony and Riley tryout for their Houses' Quidditch teams this year. I'm just figuring out how to bash Lockhart in the Quibbler for the next chapter since Luna will be making more appearances. If you guys have any ideas how, please, feel free to share.

Disclaimer: I own just the Cross family, and the Gabriels. I don't own the Harry Potter series (books, movies, you get it), or any of the DC comics, books, the Walkman player, any artists or songs that appear in this story. If I did, I'd be richer than Lex Luthor, Bruce Wayne, the Malfoys, you get it. 'kay? Cool. Catch you later.