Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
Expedition
We had never really been last-minute shoppers. Mum's need to plan saw us completing our school supplies list long before the start of term. But this year, thanks to the family taking a vacation, we ended up navigating the loud and crowded streets of Diagon Alley with every student and parent that had put shopping off until the last minute.
Mum was flustered more than usual as she tried to keep all of us organized. But nothing she was doing worked. Mostly because, with the exception of Ginny, we were all at an age where we wanted to organize ourselves. "Mum", Ron called to get her attention. "I see Harry and Hermione. Can I go now?"
It took Mum a few seconds scanning the crowds before she was able to spot the familiar faces Ron was referring to. But when she spotted the two waiting and chatting patiently outside Florean Fortescue's Ice-Cream Parlour, she reluctantly agreed. "Alright". Ron started for his friends before Mum even finished speaking. "Buy only what's on the list! And stay together!" She called after Ron's retreating back; shaking her head as he clapped hands with Harry and greeted Hermione. Turning to us, she started up the process of mental math once more. "Fred and George can go together", Mum started to pair us off. "Percy with Holly. And Ginny will go with me and Dad", she decided.
Except that didn't work for most of us. "Sorry, Mum", Percy broke in more polite than Ron had. "I'm supposed to be meeting with Penelope in front of Flourish and Blotts in fifteen minutes".
Sighing, Mum readjusted her plans again. "Okay", she said as she dismissed Percy. "Have a nice time". As Percy disappeared into the crowd, Mum's focus landed on me. "Holly, you may go with Fred and George", Mum started before turning to stare at all of us triplets so she could give us a warning. "But if you three cause any mischief or spend all of your time in that joke shop, you'll be de-gnoming my garden until it's time for you to leave for school". She pointed a finger at each of us, in turn, to express how serious she was.
Fred and George both looked at me; their eyes sparkling with the promise of some illicit fun. Shame I already had plans. "Actually-" I tried to break in.
But Ginny beat me to it. "I can go with Holly", she volunteered. I don't blame her. Shopping with me probably sounded a lot more fun than shopping with our parents. It was probably hard for her to watch all of us older siblings being allowed to supervise ourselves when she was the only one Mum didn't allow that independence to.
Mum looked at Ginny, her mouth open and ready to refuse. But Dad spoke up before she could. "That would be nice", he said from where he was standing behind his youngest. "That would give us some time for just the two of us". Dad kept his words directed solely at Mum; smiling when she started to blush a little.
Which made me feel bad when I had to spoil their short-lived plans. "Actually", I tried again. "Adrian and I are meeting up". The look Fred and George sent me told me exactly what they thought about that. I tried not to let it bother me. We used to be glued together and it wasn't like I didn't want to spend time with them; engaging in activities that would give Mum more gray hairs. But… I have a boyfriend. A boyfriend with whom I am currently planning on stopping a war. "We're meeting in front of Gringotts", I continued as I tried to shake the feeling that I was being a bad triplet. "For a date since we didn't get a lot of chances during the summer".
The look on Mum's face held understanding and I knew I was going to get my way. Fred and George must have known that too. "We'll watch Ginny", Fred piped up; smiling at the thrilled grin Ginny gave him.
"Yeah", George agreed. "It'll be fun". And then at the sharp look Mum adopted, he added, "and we'll follow our school lists exactly and won't make any detours".
It was a lie. I knew it was a lie. I'm sure Mum knew that it was a lie, but she relented anyway. Maybe it was due to the hopeful expression on Ginny's face or maybe it was due to the matching one on Dad's but either way, we all split up into our prospective groups after that.
"You're late", Adrian said once I was standing in front of him. He was wearing his school cloak over a simple slack and sweater set. Causing a bit of a contrast to what I was wearing; my school cloak over old jeans and a T-shirt that I think belonged to Percy. Adrian had his back against one of the white pillars of the bank; ignoring the shifty-eyed goblin on guard duty.
"Sorry", I said even though I was vaguely sure I was right on time. "I had to convince my mum not to make me responsible for Ginny".
Accepting my answer with a small incline of his head, Adrian offered me his arm. And once we were joined, Adrian led the way up the steps of the bank, nodding to the goblin that had been scrutinizing him seconds before. We must make an odd pair. Him in his Slytherin cloak and me in my Gryffindor cloak. It was something that still garnered us stares in public places. But In Gringotts, it was less so. Mostly because the Goblins didn't give a rat's ass to the rivalry between Hogwarts' houses.
"So", I started as we entered the bank, making our way to one of the tellers. "Should we get our shopping done first or should we…" I had to pause as I thought about how to describe the real reason we met up today. "Go on that expedition first?" The sound of our shoes slapping against well-polished marble floors was a bit distracting. As were the tall ceilings and rich chandeliers. But I managed to keep my focus anyway.
Quirking an eyebrow in humor, Adrian asked in a teasing tone, "Expedition?"
Shrugging, I dropped my voice into a low whisper as we were only a couple of steps away from a teller. "I'm trying to be more subtle".
Adrian didn't respond to me as we came to a stop in front of a desk. With his free hand, Adrian dug into his pocket and pulled out a small drawstring bag that jingled when he moved it. "I would like to have this exchanged for muggle currency", He said before the goblin teller could greet us or ask us what we wanted.
With his lip curling back in a scowl, the goblin stared down at us from around his long-crooked nose. A pudgy hand with fingers attached to claw-like nails reached over his desk to take the bag from Adrian's outstretched hand. "Very well, sir", the goblin said. The words themselves were kind but the tone was anything but. It reminded me of why I rarely came into the bank. Partially because I didn't have any money, but also because of the oh so warm atmosphere.
Once the goblin left to do as Adrian asked, Adrian turned to face me. "You are a long way from subtle". I frowned, but Adrian continued before I could argue with him. "Let's have this 'expedition', as you've described it, first".
The goblin returned with Adrian's drawstring bag a moment later. He handed it over to Adrian and waved us away from his desk without a word. Almost like we were bothersome flies. But Adrian wasn't rushed. He opened the bag and peered inside. Gone was the wizarding currency we were both familiar with, and in its place were paper notes and coins that made up the British Pound Sterling. Satisfied, Adrian closed the bag with a nod before he started leading the way again; heading for the doors. "Do you think the Leaky Cauldron will be busy at this time of day?" Adrian asked casually as we strolled down the steps of Gringotts bank.
Watching the crowds roaming on either side of us, I took my time answering. "It's the lunch hour, so I imagine it will be fairly crowded".
"Good", Adrian said as maneuvered around all the shoppers. Out of the corner of my eyes, I spotted a flash of red. Hurriedly, I looked to the right. Hopefully, it wasn't a family member. Adrian and I hadn't done anything we shouldn't be doing… yet. But still, with my luck, a Weasley would intervene; making today's mission impossible. But when I looked there was nothing red to see. No red hair. Not even red clothing. So, I looked forward again.
"Here", Adrian said as he handed me the bag of money. I accepted it but eyed him with confusion. It wasn't like I minded. It always felt nice to be handed a bag filled with money. But still, why? At my confused look, Adrian explained as we drew closer and closer to the pub. "I trust you know what to make of that better than I". He said, gesturing to the bag of muggle money in my hand.
Comprehension struck like lightning. Oh, right. "Sorry, I haven't got the foggiest", I replied.
The look Adrian gave me in response was filled with frustrating disbelief. "You were a muggle", he hissed as the brick wall that would allow us to enter the Leaky Cauldron came into view.
I shrugged; unbothered by his tone. "I was An American Muggle. The money I used was different from British muggle money". And it wasn't like I had ever traveled abroad as Jessie.
Luckily the brick wall was already open as someone had just stepped through. We made it to the door of the Leaky cauldron and Adrian sighed, as he reached out to open the Leaky Cauldron's front door. "That's unfortunate", he said as he gestured for me to enter first. "I guess we will just have to figure it out". The door closed behind him; encasing us in the dark dingy room of the pub. As we predicted, it was crowded at this time of day. A group of cackling witches with warts on their faces sat at one table with a teapot sitting between them. A young family was seated on the other side of the room. The mum was busy trying to get her toddler to stop screaming while the dad was trying to wave down a waiter for the bill. All around, staff were running to and fro. Some were levitating trays stacked with food. While others were spelling tables and chairs clean so they would be ready for the next guest. And behind the bar stood Tom the barkeep; busily slinging drinks down the bar top to be caught by the customers who had ordered them.
"Let's go", I said; stepping forward to cross from one side of the room to the other. As active as this place currently was, it felt like the perfect time to slip out into muggle London unnoticed. Adrian followed, his footsteps shadowing mine as we dodged hassled employees and hangry customers. I paused at the door, but Adrian kept going; reaching for the doorknob. "Wait," I said, as I reached up to unclasp my cloak. At Adrian's slightly confused expression, I added, "Muggles don't wear cloaks. At least not anymore. We don't want to stand out".
That was enough for Adrian. As I turned to hang my cloak on a nearby coat rack, Adrian followed suit. When we were both without our cloaks, it became apparent how mismatched we looked. Like Adrian was dressed in his Sunday best, and I had gotten all my clothes out of a bargain bin from a thrift shop.
"Do you think they'll still be here when we get back?" Adrian asked as he eyed the coat rack distrustfully.
My eyes flickered from him to the rack and back again. "Why would anyone want our school cloaks?" I asked, but I didn't wait for a reply as I took a step forward and gripped the doorknob. Taking a breath, I twisted the knob and it opened with a squeak that was muted by all the chattering of the patrons behind us. And with one step, I entered a world I hadn't visited for fifteen years, with the exception of trips to Ottery St. Catchpole or Kings Cross Station, of course.
As soon as I was standing on the paved sidewalk, my head was filled with overstimulating sounds; car horns honking, the footsteps of pedestrian traffic, and let's not forget the raised voices of drivers suffering from road rage. Adrian followed a step behind me; closing the door to the Leaky Cauldron as he went. For a moment, we stood shoulder to shoulder taking in the exotic sight of muggles at large. Adrian looked left and took in the sight of a university-aged man cursing as he stared at the sole of his right trainer. Evidently, he had stepped in gum and had only just realized. Adrian looked right where he saw a middle-aged couple bickering about sales as they headed into an appliance shop. He looked back at me with a quirked eyebrow. "I now understand your behavior a lot better".
Rolling my eyes, I shot him a look. "Don't be small-minded". Glancing around, I tried to get an idea of where we should go. The entrance to the Leaky Cauldron, hidden to muggle eyes, was on a corner, giving us a good view of the two different streets aligned with different businesses; clothes shops, toy shops, and I think that might be a coffee shop. But I couldn't see a single sign of a book store being nearby.
"Which way should we go?" Adrian asked.
"Umm…" I started; prepared to tell him that I didn't have a clue. But the expression on his face had me halting. For the first time, Adrian looked clueless. He, the boy who was usually one step ahead of me, was at a loss. Right, I reminded myself. I had to take the lead on all things muggle. So, I racked my brains; searching for a solution. This wasn't like when I was Jessie living in 2018. I couldn't just whip out a smartphone and search Google Maps for a bookstore. When did smartphones even become common? I don't think flip phones were even in style until the 2000s. A man dressed in a business suit and trench coat walked in front of us, and I saw an opportunity. "Excuse me, sir", I spoke up as I took a step forward.
"Holly", Adrian whispered in alarm; no doubt because I was voluntarily speaking to a strange muggle.
The man turned. At first, he glanced around as if he was unsure if someone was talking to him. But when he saw me and saw I was looking at him, he stood still. "Yes?" The man asked.
"My friend and I are trying to find a bookstore, but we're a little turned around. Do you know if there's one nearby?" I asked; pulling my best manners out for the occasion. From behind me, I felt Adrian step closer. His fingertips ghosted my upper arm; prepared to pull me back in case the man proved to be hostile. Merlin, this boy needed to get out more.
"Yes, love", the man answered good-naturedly; his mannerisms kind of reminded me of Dad. I bet he has kids at home. "You're not far". Pointing in the direction he just came from, the man went on to say, "just walk down that street and around the corner. Merriweather's Books will be on your left".
"Thank you", I said with a smile; waving to the man as he continued on his way. I waited until the man was a hearing distance away before returning to my companion. "Okay, let's go". Taking a step in the direction the man had indicated that we should go, I expected Adrian to follow.
But instead, I made it one foot before being called back by a scolding, "Holly!"
"What?" I asked, feeling a little impatient as I pivoted on my heels to look at my boyfriend.
Taking one or two steps to catch up, Adrian vocalized his concerns. "You can't just go up to a strange muggle and-" Adrian cut himself off as if he didn't know what to say.
"Ask for help?" I supplied; wondering if I guessed right.
"Yes!" Adrian answered.
"Adrian", I spoke slowly as Muggle London continued to move in a full swing all around us. "We didn't know where to go. I stopped a man to ask for directions. Now, we know where to go. Problem solved".
Unfortunately, that wasn't enough to settle Adrian. "What if that man had been deranged or dangerous? What if he tried to rob us or if he grabbed you?"
I wasn't sure if I should find Adrian's worry funny or discriminatory, because here was a pureblood who had grown up isolated in a homogenous culture in both of his lives who believed the muggle world to be barbaric. But in the end, I decided to approach it with understanding; remembering how out of place I felt the first time I stepped onto Egyptian soil. "Most people aren't deranged or dangerous and are happy to give directions when asked", I said; sounding very reasonable to my ears. "Besides", I continued as I leaned in a little. "That man was a muggle. If he were a danger, I think we'd be able to handle him". I inched back to give Adrian a little space to think. When my words sunk in, Adrian exhaled through his nose and gave a small nod. Assumingly, that means he agrees with me. With a small smile that would have cued Fred and George I was about to mess with someone if they were here, I started in the direction of Merriweather's Books. "That is, assuming he didn't have a gun", I threw over my shoulder.
"Gun?" Adrian questioned.
I smirked a little as I heard Adrian jog a couple of steps to keep up with me. "Holly, what's a gun?" He asked, sounding uneasy.
"Don't worry", I assured him without really meaning to. We were nearing the corner, and I was trusting the book shop would soon be in view. "I don't think guns are legal in the U.K.".
A bell chimed as we walked into Merriweather's Books. It smelled of lint and paper. Adrian softly closed the door behind us; blocking the noise of London's streets. Shelves and shelves of books awaited us. As one would expect in a book shop. Overall, the aesthetic really wasn't all that different from Flourish and Blotts. There were books of all different sizes for sale and organized by genre; travel, young adult, biographies, fiction, etc. The only difference I could think of is that there weren't any magical books that would try to eat you like The Monster Book of Monsters, and Merriweather's Books was a lot more organized than Flourish and Blotts.
Orienting my body in the direction of a brightly decorated corner in the back of the shop, I said, "If they have it, it's going to be in the children's section". And I made my way there as Adrian stayed close to my heels.
With it being in the middle of the workweek, the shop wasn't busy. Which was just as well. I'm not sure how Adrian would manage if he had to have many more interactions with the magicless members of our species. But it did mean we had to be quiet with just the shopkeep present. It would get uncomfortable if anyone overheard something they shouldn't.
The children's section was defined by a large area rug that depicted Humpty Dumpty and other nursery rhythms. It was causing feelings of nostalgia to bubble inside of me as I quickly started to pursue the closest shelf. Adrian moved to tackle the other end of the shelf. Smart; we'd cover more ground this way. Many of the titles I recognized from Jessie's childhood; The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, Dinosaurs Before Dark, and The Knight at Dawn by Mary Pope Osborne, and who could forget The Trumpet of The Swan by E.B. White. All these titles, like high school friends I hadn't seen since graduation, only made my nostalgia worse. So, when I came across a book I hadn't thought about in decades I could help but exclaim, "Merlin!" Feeling more excited than I have in a long time, I pulled the book from the shelf.
"Did you find it?" Adrian asked, from where he was standing in front of what looked to be copies of Dr. Seuss' books.
"No", I said without a care as I traced the letters of the embossed title with my fingertips. "But I used to love this book when Jessie was a kid". I shared as I held up a hardback copy of Mr. Popper's Penguins by Florence and Richard Atwater. "It's about this family that ends up with two penguins as pets. Naturally, those two penguins create more penguins. And the family has to turn their house into the arctic so the penguins can live comfortably. And eventually, they have so many penguins they form an act to perform for the masses. I think the book ends-" At Adrian's pressed together lips and deadpanned stare, I cut myself off. Clearing my throat, I muttered, "never mind", as I put the book back on the shelf.
After that, we continued searching in silence. Combing through the entire children's section, we found nothing written by anyone named Rowling. Just to say we gave it our all, we conducted the same search in the young adults' section, and still nothing. It was 1993. Was that too soon for the first Harry Potter book? I tried to remember. The only problem was that Jessie hadn't started reading Harry Potter when the first book came out. She… I had been too young at the time. I don't think I started reading the series until the fourth book had already been published. So, I had no memory of publication years. "We could ask", I said as I tried not to be distracted by other titles I had long ago forgotten about. "Maybe they just don't have it in stock. But I do think it might be too soon for the first book to be written yet".
"Or", Adrian spoke softly as he slid up next to me; his hands coming to hold both of my elbows. He used his thumbs to rub comforting circles on my exposed skin. "You can tell me how you really know about Horcruxes, my past life, and the life of the Dark Lord".
Sighing, I let my head tilt to the side. "Adrian, I did that. Don't you remember? When you cornered me in the bowels of the school. And again, when you kept asking questions after questions. And when you took that strange interest in the scar on Dumbledore's knee". The more I talked, the more I thought which led to me realizing what Adrian was trying to tactfully bring up. My shoulders slumped. "You didn't believe me".
Adrian's grip on my elbows tightened a little. "I did believe you", he tried to assure me. "I know everything you said about Regulus was correct. I believe what you told me about the Horcruxes, the Dark Lord, and Potter's role in all of this". Adrian paused to take a breath. "What I'm struggling with is-"
"How I know these things", I finished for him, narrowing my eyes when he didn't argue that that wasn't what he was going to say. "All those questions you asked after the chamber of secrets, you were trying to call my bluff", I worked out; looking anywhere but at Adrian. I knew that had been too easy. But I hadn't questioned it. At the time, there was too much going on that I wasn't concerned with sounding creditable.
"Holly", Adrian tried. "You have to admit, it is a bizarre tale you were telling".
"And this trip", I continued as if Adrian hadn't said anything. "Into the muggle world. It was just another way for you to test me". Scoffing a little I shook my head as if that would rid me of these doubting thoughts; kind of like an etch-a-sketch. But they were coming in too fast now for me to properly stop them. "You had me fooled by exchanging that money at Gringotts. Nice touch", I said, unable to help it when my words came out sarcastic. When I looked back at my boyfriend, I tried to speak as earnestly as I am capable of, all the while trying to ignore a certain moisture gathering in my eyes. "Adrian, I promise. I am not lying". But what if he still didn't believe me? It's not like I could offer him proof. Not without one of the books. And especially after he had caught me in lies before. I don't think it would be wrong to say that dishonesty ended relationships. Bloody hell! What if Adrian wanted to break up now that he was convinced I had made up the whole thing about the Harry Potter books? That wasn't a causality I was ready to bear.
Adrian opened his mouth, but I never got to hear what he had to say because he was cut off by a different voice. A voice that had no business being here. "Shame, shame Jolly Holly", the voice said; causing Adrian to release me and take a step back. Groaning, I turned around to face the voice; instinctually knowing that the voice wasn't alone. "Sneaking into the muggle world without us. You've disappointed me".
Standing before me were Fred and George with Ginny protectively sandwiched between them. "And me too", said George; clueing me in that the voice had been Fred's. Except they didn't look disappointed. Both had fox-like grins on their faces that they kept directed at me and Adrian. While Ginny was staring at the contents of the muggle bookstore with wonder. As if it held the mysteries of the universe. Please, please, please let that mean that she hadn't overheard anything Adrian and I had just said. Fred and George wouldn't be that careless, right?
"How dare you have adventures without us", Fred said. "Adventures are a team effort, Holls".
"What are you doing here?" I demanded to know as I tried not to explode. I mean, really! How did they even know to find me here? They better not have slipped something with a tracking spell on me like Adrian did with that necklace, because if they had I was going to make sure their left legs were a quarter of an inch shorter than their right legs for a month at least.
"We saw you two slip into the Leaky Cauldron", George answered.
"And we thought that was weird", Fred continued.
"It didn't seem like the kind of place Pucey would give his business to".
Adrian muttered something to himself in the background. Whether he agreed with my brothers' perception of him or not was unclear.
"So, we followed", George said.
"Ginny was game", Fred assured us; causing Ginny to nod eagerly.
"Especially when we ended up on the muggle side of London", George finished their explanation.
"Did you see all of the cars that were outside?" Ginny asked; bouncing with energy. "And all those signs that light up? I think I see why Dad likes muggles so much".
Sighing loudly, I slapped a hand over my face to cover my eyes. This expedition is officially over.