The Potter Timeline
Chapter 22 - Encounters Pleasant and Otherwise
Harry tapped his wand against the indented brick on the back wall of the Leaky Cauldron. The archway appeared and Diagon Alley opened up before him. Wizarding folk of every shape and size buzzed past him along the cobblestone street. The familiar storefronts with faded wood paneling and glazed windows still offered a dazzling array of magical items for nearly every wizarding need or want. Overhead, smokestacks gave off gray or sometimes purple plumes and a variety of owls fluttered up and down the old alley, clutching everything in their talons from single letters to parcels that seemed impossibly big for the birds. The magical street was as busy and hectic as Harry remembered. The twelve-year-old smiled.
He was home once more.
This was the world where he belonged...
Upon settling into Room 12 of the Leaky Cauldron's guest quarters, Harry followed McGonagall's instructions and ate a hearty lunch. Due to subsisting on meager rations the last three days, it seemed the most delicious one he'd ever eaten: roast beef au jus with thick chips, roasted vegetables, and several glasses of ice-cold pumpkin juice, a chocolate pasty thrown in to boot. Afterwards, Harry left Hedwig in his room, letting the poor creature out of her cage and giving her extra portions of food to help her get back to normal. He then headed to the famous alley with a pocket full of galleons ready to be spent.
His main order of business was school supplies. But Dumbledore had withdrawn enough money for him that he could buy something special too - not just for himself, but also for his friend. Hermione's note via Professor McGonagall informed him that the girl and her parents would meet him at 1:30 sharp in front of...Flourish & Blotts, of course. Harry chuckled when he read this. He would make sure to be there when Hermione arrived. In the meantime, he strolled along the alley to see what it had to offer.
Entering Ziggly's Sweets & Treats, Harry gawked at the mountain of candies on display, stocking up on Chocolate Frogs and even willing to give Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans another go. He sized a couple of new Gryffindor robes from Madam Malkin's as his current ones were roughed up from all the crazy adventures of his first year. He bought Hedwig some treats from Eeylop's and gazed at Ollivander's, remembering the eccentric old man and the curious things he told Harry about his phoenix-feather wand.
As he walked along Diagon, Harry received numerous stares from wizards and witches passing by. Some smiled at the boy and waved, others whispered to their companions, clearly recognizing Harry by his scar and glasses. A couple of first-year girls passed, beaming at him.
"Hi, Harry!" they uttered with doe eyes before running off giggling. His cheeks went pink. He'd hoped his famous name wouldn't be such a big deal any longer. But apparently his "celebrity" status, as Professor Snape would derisively call it, had been renewed for some reason. Harry tried to ignore the attention and continued on.
Among all the fascinating shops in Diagon, Harry looked forward to one in particular and when he saw it, he ran to the window display in wonder. There, front and center of Quality Quidditch Supplies, sat the latest version of his broom with a descriptive card underneath.
The Nimbus Racing Broom Company proudly introduces the new, deluxe model...
Nimbus 2001
Made from Ironwood Oak for exceptional durability, shaped with more aerodynamic edges, coated in a magically-sealed lacquer for scratch and dent-free use, the all new Nimbus 2001 will give Quidditch players and stock racers higher speed and maneuverability than any broom on the market...including our own!
Buy yours today!
As Harry stared at the sleek brown handle, the slick broom sweep with triple brass bindings, and the impressive gold lettering on the tip, he seriously contemplated trading in his two thousand for it. But considering his current broom was a special gift from Professor McGonagall, that she had his name and the emblem of Gryffindor embossed on it, not to mention Harry had won his first Quidditch matches with the two thousand, the boy decided against it. His Nimbus meant a lot to him due to all he had used it for, and not just Quidditch. He didn't want to give it up just yet. Nevertheless, the twelve-year-old went inside and pored over any number of Quidditch supplies and accessories, buying a pair of Magically Water and Frost Repellent Racing Goggles that fit perfectly over his glasses. He then left the store and moved on.
He entered The Mage's Quill stationery shop and bought a packet of parchments for Hermione for her birthday. The charmed pages would give off a pleasant rose scent when written upon and Harry thought it would go nicely with the quills and cauldron he bought her for Christmas. He had the packet gift-wrapped then headed on.
Not far ahead, the white marble structure of Gringott's stood like an enormous, crooked exclamation point on the end of Diagon. As he had no business there, Harry lazily browsed shop fronts in the direction of the goblin bank, intending to head back to Flourish & Blotts in time for Hermione. But before he reached Gringott's, Harry's attention was drawn to a dark corridor on his right. Bricks from the Terror Tours travel agency on one side of the corridor, as well as those of Obscurus Books publishers on the right, went from a dark cherry color to almost black as the connecting walls disappearing into the corridor seemed to have been tinged by smoke. A worn sign dangling on the left provided a name:
Knockturn Alley
The sign pointed slightly downward as though no one had bothered to adjust it for ages. Harry remembered seeing this creepy-looking corridor a year ago when Hagrid brought him to Diagon, though the giant mentioned nothing about it. Walking to its entrance, the only thing Harry could see was a faded shop sign that read Borgin & Burkes.
His curiosity piqued, Harry figured he still had around ten minutes before he was to meet Hermione. It couldn't hurt to take a look. He started forward, but someone grabbed the back of his collar and pulled him away from the entrance.
"An' jus' where do yeh think yer goin'?" a familiar voice barked at him from behind.
The boy spun around.
"Hagrid!" Harry yelled out with a huge grin.
"Hello, Harry! Professor Dumbledore told me you'd be in Diagon. He asked me teh check on yeh while I was here. Everything goin' alright?"
"Yes, thanks to him, Professor McGonagall, and Hermione," he answered.
A look of anger appeared on Hagrid's face.
"Right. The professor told me what happened at yer relatives' house. Thank Merlin I wasn't there teh see it meself, otherwise I'd likely have pounded Dursley into the pavement fer what they were doin' to yeh. I'm real sorry you've had teh put up with those nasty muggles, Harry."
"Thanks, Hagrid. Though Dumbledore wants me to give them another chance next summer."
"I know," Hagrid said while straightening up, "can't say I agree with him on that. But I've no doubt he has a good reason fer it. Smart man, Dumbledore. Smart man. Anyway, you weren't about teh go into Knockturn, were yeh?"
"I was, actually. What's down there?" Harry asked while turning to look into the dark corridor, happening to notice two pairs of eyes staring back at him from its depths.
"Nothin' good, I can tell yeh. Least not fer someone like yerself. I only go in if there's somethin' I can't find in Diagon, Hogsmeade, or anywhere else fer that matter. I was jus' headin' in to look fer some Flesh-Eatin' Slug Repellent, in fact. But I don't linger if I can help it."
The giant leaned down to Harry and gave him a stern look.
"A devious, devilish lot hangs out in Knockturn, up teh no good an' always lookin' fer someone teh sink their pointy teeth into. You'd do well teh stay out, if yeh know what's good fer yeh."
"Okay," Harry said with a nod.
Hagrid smiled back.
"Right, then. I better be off. Slugs been gettin' into the cabbage crop an' Professor Sprout asked me teh buy some repellent before classes start. So, I'll see yeh at Hogwarts, Harry."
"Alright, Hagrid."
The man started into Knockturn before turning around one last time.
"Oh, an' tell Hermione I said 'hello'. I look forward teh visitin' with you two again this year."
"So do I," Harry responded before Hagrid disappeared into darkness.
Harry looked up at the large clock atop Gringott's and saw he had five minutes before he was to meet Hermione. He hurried back down the alley to the bookstore.
~HP~
Harry sat despondently on the lower step leading into Flourish & Blotts. His chin resting on his hand, the boy frowned. It was nearly 2:30.
Where was Hermione and her parents?
The sound of laughter erupted from inside the bookstore again and Harry glanced back at it before resuming his watch for his best friend. Flourish & Blotts was quite busy this day as they were hosting a special guest. Harry noticed the large banner overhead as he approached the establishment earlier.
GILDEROY LOCKHART
will be signing copies of his autobiography
MAGICAL ME
today 12:30pm to 4:30pm
Harry also noticed that besides Hogwarts students and their families entering the store to buy textbooks, there were numerous middle-aged witches hurrying in to get a glimpse of the man who had written most of the books he'd need for second year. Lockhart was apparently famous in the wizarding world, though Harry had never heard of him. But that didn't matter. The boy was worried about Hermione and wondered what happened to her. It was uncharacteristic for her to be this late...
"Harry!" two familiar voices called out at the same time from his left.
He turned and smiled. It was Fred and George. Harry rose to greet them and saw they weren't alone.
Almost the entire Weasley clan stood before him. Alongside the twins were their parents, their brother Ron, and the young girl Harry remembered crying on the platform the year before. Percy stood behind them all with a frown as though he had better things to do than hang out with his family. He waved at Harry, nonetheless. But Harry was puzzled as the clothes and hair of each were covered in bits of ash, their faces smudged with black as though the entire family had gone chimney sweeping.
"Hey, guys! How's it going?" Harry asked cheerily.
"Not too bad, there, Harry," George said.
"Yeah, out to buy our school stuff, like you," Fred added, "by the way, this is the fam, if you didn't guess that from our hair."
Harry chuckled.
"Harry Potter! What a pleasure to finally meet you! I'm Arthur," the Weasley patriarch stated enthusiastically while shaking Harry's hand with vigor.
"Hello, Harry! I'm Molly! Fred, George, and Ron told us all about your heroics last term!" the plump woman stated with equal enthusiasm, "of course, you were already well known, so we're pleased to finally make your acquaintance!"
"Thank you. Nice to meet you both," Harry responded.
"Hello, Harry," Ron said with a smile and uncertain look.
"Hey, Ron," Harry replied pleasantly. The lanky redhead then brightened up.
"Not sure if you knew, but you were all over The Daily Prophet, Quibbler, and Witch Weekly for what you did that last match with Slytherin."
"Yeah, Harry, if you weren't already famous, now you're even more so!" Fred added.
"Really?" he asked with concern.
"Of course, dear!" Molly let out with a huge smile, "such a fine thing you did, taking that Bludger for a fellow student!"
"And from Slytherin at that!" Arthur said, "you can rest assured the Weasleys are right proud of you!"
Most all nodded at Harry, his cheeks burning. Now he understood the renewed attention he was getting in Diagon.
"Thanks," he muttered before his face scrunched up in curiosity at the dirty lot, "what happened to your clothes?"
"Oh, we travel to Diagon through the Floo Network, dear," Molly told him, "ever used it before?"
"No," he replied and didn't think he'd like to by the looks of it.
"You wind up a bit dusty, but it gets you there in the end!" Arthur added cheerily.
"By the way, this is our younger sister, Ginny. She's starting her first year at Hogwarts," George informed him.
"Hi," Harry said to the petite redhead with a smile.
Ginny's eyes went wide, her cheeks turned pink, and she looked down and away from Harry as though frightened to stare him in the eye. Harry was mystified. Ron leaned in close with a smirk.
"You might well know, Ginny fancies you something awful."
The girl's face turned to something severe as she slapped her youngest brother on the shoulder.
"I do not!" she protested, still looking wide-eyed at Harry, her face turning redder than her hair.
"Oh my!", Molly Weasley uttered while glancing back at the clock on Gringott's, "look at the time! We'd better hurry into Flourish before the signing's over!"
"We've still got two hours, mum," Fred said.
"Well...there...might be a long queue! We don't want to miss out!" the woman replied flustered.
"You might well know too, Harry, mum fancies Gilderoy Lockhart something awful!" George stated. Fred, Ron, Arthur, and Harry all laughed.
"I do not, George Weasley! And don't you dare tell me you're Fred! I'm onto the both of you!" the woman complained red-faced while shooting the twins a glare, "now, enough bantering. In we go!"
"Care to join us, Harry?" Arthur asked him pleasantly, "no doubt you need to buy books for term also."
"Thank you, Mr. Weasley, but I'm waiting for someone," Harry said staring anxiously down the alleyway again.
"Waiting for Hermione?" Fred asked and everyone perked up at this.
"Yes. You didn't happen to see her or her..."
"HARRY!" a voice called out several storefronts away.
The boy's face lit up as he recognized that voice he'd wanted to hear for months now. He and every Weasley turned to see Hermione standing in the middle of Diagon staring right at the boy with the lightning-shaped scar.
The first thing he noticed was that she seemed a little taller. Her hair wasn't so fluffy as before, but perhaps that was due to the black braid holding it back behind her ears. It was longer, however, and made Hermione look quite pretty, right along with those deep brown eyes of hers. The bright blue coat she wore over a pair of nice khakis added to these features. The twelve-year-old looked less like the first-year girl he remembered and more like a young lady.
Harry beamed.
"Hermione!" he let out before sprinting toward her. A teary-eyed look on her face, she quickly closed the distance between them. Practically everyone in earshot stopped as Hermione threw her arms around Harry tightly, nearly toppling him over. Harry was elated and relieved, closing his eyes, taking in the light vanilla scent of her hair as he embraced her.
After several emotional moments, the pair let go of one another. Hermione stood back, taking Harry's hands with both of hers, staring into his green eyes with an expression both happy and yet worried.
"There you are!" she uttered with concern, "are you okay? I was so worried when I didn't hear from you!"
He smiled.
"I'm fine, thanks to you. I'll have to tell you what happened. But...what about you?" he asked as Hermione's parents approached.
"Our car broke down three times on the way here!" the girl exclaimed.
Harry was astonished.
"Three times? That isn't normal, right?"
"Hello there, Harry," Hermione's father said to the boy with a smile.
"Yes, hello, Harry!" her mother added, "it's nice seeing you again."
"You too, Mr. and Mrs. Granger. Hermione was just telling me about your car."
The couple frowned.
"Yes, oddest thing, really," Mr. Granger uttered, "a flat tyre, dead battery, and faulty wiring one after another. Never happened since we bought it."
"We didn't think we'd make it to Diagon at all today," Mrs. Granger threw in.
"Thankfully, dad's mechanic had a shop not far from where we were stranded, otherwise I'd have to owl Professor McGonagall for getting to Hogwarts late," the girl said while giving Harry a look that told him there was more to this than simply a car breaking down. Harry nodded back at her knowingly.
"But here we are after all," Mr. Granger said, "where do you want to start first, sweetheart?"
Hermione looked at her father then gave Harry a smile.
"Flourish & Blotts, of course!" she answered, "someone gave me a cauldron full of galleons last Christmas, enough to buy all my schoolbooks and something extra."
Harry chuckled as the girl pulled a maroon bag out of her pocket jangling with coins.
"Very well. Lead the way," Mrs. Granger spoke with a smile at Harry.
Harry and Hermione headed for the bookstore, her parents in tow. As they walked, the two second-years looked at one another and smiled, thrilled to be together again. Hermione stepped closer to Harry and wrapped her arm around his.
"You've sprouted over the summer," she told him with a smirk.
"So have you. You look...great!" he replied.
"Thank you," Hermione responded with a blush.
The sound of excited conversation could be heard from inside the bookstore as the four approached the entrance. The Weasleys were already inside, and Mrs. Weasley was fighting for a place in queue for the book signing. Arthur and their children, with the exception of Ginny, had gone off to other parts of the store as the redheaded mother and daughter were eager to grab a signed copy of Magical Me, a poster for which stood just inside the store entrance.
The moving image of Gilderoy Lockhart smiled and winked at passersby. His obviously expensive robes, his stylishly shaped light brown hair, and the swagger in his comportment gave Harry the impression of an overrated, self-important movie star - one who mesmerized witches everywhere.
"Look!" Hermione exclaimed while releasing Harry's arm, "we'll actually get to meet him! I've read all about Lockhart and his famous adventures! It's hard to believe we'll be studying them for class!"
Harry's face scrunched up, half-amused, half-bewildered by the girl's enthusiasm. Hermione herself had been mesmerized by the wizard, apparently.
"...and I didn't get rid of the Bandon Banshee by...smiling at her!" the smarmy voice of Lockhart echoed across the store, followed by his own overdone chuckle. Laughter burst from nearly everyone.
Hermione beamed at Harry then anxiously stepped forward to see the man in person, grabbing a copy of his autobiography from a stack on the floor taller than the girl herself. Harry frowned.
"You get your copy signed and I'll go grab two copies of The Standard Book of Spells Grade 2 for us," he told her.
"But Harry..." was all she could say before he scurried away from the crowd of Lockhart admirers. The twelve-year-old ducked behind a group of females, including Mrs. Weasley, and headed for the opposite end of the bookstore. Before he got two steps, he ran into Ron.
"Harry, there you are!" the redhead whispered, "the twins sent me to look for you. They wanted to show you some books in the..."
"Why, it can't be! Harry Potter, here?" the voice of Gilderoy now boomed out.
A look of fright appeared on Ron's face and Harry winced as the two second-years looked at each other like they'd been caught by Snape for some grievous school infraction.
"Sorry, mate!" the redhead uttered, realizing the predicament Harry was suddenly in. The Gryffindor frowned at Ron just before someone snatched him by his collar and hauled him to the front of the crowd surrounding the famous wizard.
Lockhart, in his silky blue robes, threw out an overdone smile as someone shoved Harry toward him. The man wrapped an arm around Harry's shoulders. The boy was red-faced and flustered at the sudden attention.
"My, my, ladies and gentlemen!" Gilderoy uttered smoothly, "what a tremendous occasion! You are getting not one, but two famous celebrities here at Flourish today!"
Cheers and applause exploded inside the space crammed with Lockhart fans. The wizard continued.
"Our famous Harry Potter made an appearance not just to pick up a signed copy of my latest work, Magical Me, but he also asked for signed copies of my entire collection, which, I have the great pleasure to inform him, he will get...free of charge!"
Applause erupted again. Harry was perturbed.
"I did not!" he protested before Lockhart chuckled and tightened his grip on Harry's shoulder. The wavy-haired wizard continued.
"And...I also have the pleasure of informing young Potter here, as well as his fellow pupils, that his new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher this year will be none other than...myself!"
More applause followed as a photographer from The Daily Prophet jumped forward and knelt down to take a photo of the two. Harry tried his best to shrink away from Lockhart, but his grip was too strong.
"Now, now, Harry. No escaping fame today. You might as well get used to being ogled and admired, not to mention...making the front page!"
The wizard gleamed at the photographer who took several shots of the pair with Harry desperately trying to free himself. But after more applause and Gilderoy grinning from ear to ear, it was all over. Harry shoved away from the man and bolted toward the other side of the shop. Lockhart sat down at the table to receive more books for signing as though the boy was never there to begin with.
"Now...where were we ladies?" he asked slyly as several middle-aged witches nearly fell into a brawl to have their book signed first.
Relieved to have escaped one unpleasant encounter, Harry ran right into another.
"Well, Potter, I bet you loved that didn't you!" Draco Malfoy spat at him with that bratty voice of his, appearing from behind a nearby bookshelf.
The Slytherin seemed to have grown over the summer too, his voice a bit deeper even if it still got under Harry's skin. Along with his slicked-back head of blond hair and expensive robes, Malfoy also seemed to have grown in arrogance. But while Harry was perturbed at the sight of the boy, he maintained the calm and patience he'd learned from previous year.
"Sod off, Malfoy," he said, "I really don't have time for you."
Harry started to walk away, but Draco moved to stand in front of him with a severe look.
"Why don't you make me? Let's see if your magical ability is as great as your celebrity, or should I say, notoriety. You're a real joke, if you ask me..."
"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" a small voice piped out, surprising both Harry and Draco.
It was Ginny Weasley. The young first-year, smudges on her face, soot on her robes, and holding a cauldron full of worn-out books, shot forward to stand next to Harry, throwing a mean look at Malfoy. The blond snickered at the girl.
"Looks like you've got two girlfriends now, Potter! This...Weasley, by the looks of her hair and filthy clothes, as well as that snotty Granger. Fame really is going to your head..."
"Shut it, Malfoy!" Ron Weasley uttered as he stepped next to his sister. Fred and George now appeared and even Percy moved in, all glaring at the Slytherin. Hermione arrived next to Harry with an armful of Lockhart's books and threw Malfoy a look of disgust.
"Don't make me report you to your House Prefect before term has even started," Percy mouthed fiercely.
Malfoy sneered.
"You don't have the kind of sway you think you do, Perfect Percy! My House mates are behind me one hundred percent! We'll see to it that you..."
"I wouldn't count on it, Draco," a voice uttered from behind Harry, Hermione, and the Weasleys.
Everyone turned to find Terence Higgs and Rory Reeves, the Slytherin Seeker and Beater moving to stand alongside Harry and Hermione, defiant toward their fellow serpent. The Seeker went on.
"You'd keep quiet if you know what's best for you."
Malfoy shot at Higgs, standing in his face with supreme anger.
"You don't boss me around, Higgs! You're the one who'd better watch his back, you traitor!"
Terence and Rory both stepped forward, glaring at the blond. Draco's face suddenly turned white as the Slytherins called his bluff and he nearly stumbled over a book display behind him. The Weasleys laughed.
"Oh no, Draco. We're as loyal to our House as they come," Reeves said calmly, "but we also recognize what Harry here did for Terence. Anyone who'd do somethin' like that's got our support, no matter what House they're from..."
"What's the meaning of this?!" a voice snarled at the group.
Everyone looked to see a wizard with long, whitish-blond hair, regal black robes with a very expensive-looking silver necklace, as well as a black cane topped by a silver serpent's head. Harry could easily guess this was Draco's father, not simply by his hair, but by the arrogance oozing from him like a foul odor. The elder Malfoy glared hard at Terence and Rory who both stood in fear of the man.
"Teaming with rival Houses against your fellow Slytherin? You should be ashamed of yourselves!"
The pair were red-faced but said nothing. The wizard then gazed straight at Harry. The younger Malfoy suddenly regained his confidence and arrogance, like he had the upper hand with his father present.
"Ah. The Boy Who Lived," the man said with a voice concealing rage it seemed as he stepped up to Harry.
"So, we meet at last. Lucius Malfoy," he said while offering the twelve-year-old his hand. Harry looked at the hand but refused to shake it. Some instinct in him told him this was all wrong. The glare in the elder Malfoy's face deepened.
"Careful, boy," he snarled, sounding eerily reminiscent of Quirrell, "you might have miraculously survived an attack from the greatest wizard who ever lived, but that scar is no magic charm. You'd do well to know who you are dealing with."
The man gazed at Hermione standing by Harry's side, looking her up and down.
"I suppose this is the Granger girl?" he asked while glancing at his son. Draco nodded back. Lucius went on.
"And I suppose those are her muggle parents back there. What is this world coming to?"
Harry, out of instinct, moved closer to Hermione and slightly forward of her to protect the girl from this man who had "bad" written all over him.
"Hello, Lucius," Arthur Weasley interrupted flatly as he appeared from behind his children, "is there a problem?"
The Weasleys' father appeared pleasant but held a firm gaze at the wizard before him.
"Arthur, how nice to see you. It's a wonder you've had time to go shopping with your children, considering all the raids your department's been conducting lately. Find anything interesting?" Malfoy asked sarcastically.
"Actually, yes, Lucius. And I don't suppose you have anything stashed in that fancy mansion of yours the ministry should know about, do you?"
Supreme anger appeared on Malfoy's face.
"You wish!" the man uttered through gritted teeth. He pulled a book out of Ginny's cauldron and held it up.
"But despite all that extra overtime the ministry must be paying you, you can still only afford second-hand books and tatty robes for your family. What a pity. What good does it do to be the disgrace of the wizarding world when they don't even pay you for it?"
"You and I have a very different idea of what disgraces the wizarding world," Arthur stated pointedly while stepping closer to the man. The elder Malfoy gazed at the group before him in disgust while placing the books back in Ginny's cauldron.
"Come, Draco. We have more important things to do," he spoke, seething under his breath.
"Yes, father," the Slytherin replied.
"And we'll deal with you two later," the older Malfoy uttered at Higgs and Reeves, "see you at work, Arthur."
"Lucius," the Weasley father replied.
The black-robed wizard spun on his heels to exit the store. Draco threw a severe look at Harry before following him out.
"Disagreeable man!" Arthur muttered angrily, "I'd really like to get him for some infraction!"
He turned and smiled at Harry, Hermione, and his kids.
"Come boys, Ginny. Looks like we'll need to pry your mother away from Lockhart. We still have the important task of getting Ginny's wand!"
The man started toward the back of the store.
"See you at school, Harry, Hermione!" Fred and George said with a wave.
"Later there, Harry!" Ron added with a smirk.
"Later, guys!" Harry replied.
Ginny, however, threw a mean look at Hermione before hastily joining her brothers. Terence and Rory turned to Harry.
"I never got to thank you proper for what you did," the Seeker told him with a sincere expression.
Harry smiled.
"You're welcome, Terence. And thanks for standing up to Draco with us."
"I wouldn't worry too much about him," Rory said, "he's fallen into disfavor with a lot of Slytherins after last year."
"Yeah, quite a few of us appreciated what you did, though some are keeping their goodwill toward you quiet," Higgs added, "while Draco may not have much influence on our House, his father certainly does. As one of the governors of Hogwarts, he's been known to dictate House terms from the ministry and even Snape can't overrule him. But we want you to know, Harry, that me, Rory, and others from Slytherin have got your back if anything goes down."
Harry was astonished and amazed.
"Wow. Thanks guys. I'll keep that in mind."
The two snakes grinned at the boy.
"Well, we need to finish getting our school supplies," Terence finished, "so I'll see you on the pitch at our next match."
Higgs and Harry shook hands at this.
"Definitely! See you both at school," he told them, still amazed.
The two Slytherins headed to the back of the store. Harry turned to Hermione. The girl beamed at him, still holding two sets of Lockhart's works.
"Got everything we need?" he asked.
"Yes, and they're all signed by Lockhart too!" she said excitedly, "I can't wait to start reading them. They should be really good!"
"If you say so," he teased her. Hermione threw him an annoyed expression and bumped his shoulder.
Harry laughed.
"Let's get our spell books and find your parents," he said as the pair headed off.
~HP~
Harry and Hermione strolled leisurely along Diagon's busy thoroughfare. After buying new robes and all their school supplies, the pair deposited Harry's in his guest quarters and Hermione's in the boot of her parents' car. When Arthur found out the girl's parents were muggles, he invited them both for a drink at the Leaky Cauldron to discuss muggle things, in particular, how lawnmowers work as the redheaded wizard had confiscated several during his department's raids. This afforded the two second-years time alone.
Not long after exiting the pub into Diagon, Hermione wrapped her arm around Harry's as they proceeded down the diagonally-sloped alley. The boy glanced back as though making sure no one could hear him.
"So...what really happened when your car broke down?"
Hermione frowned.
"Just before the tyre went flat, I happened to look into the rearview mirror and saw two large, green eyes staring at me as though someone was in the seat next to me. But when I looked, there was no one there!"
Harry stopped, Hermione stopping after.
"Dobby!" he uttered with annoyance.
"Who?" she asked puzzled.
"He's the House Elf who showed up at Privet Drive. He was intercepting your letters - that's why I didn't get any of them! He kept telling me something terrible was going to happen at Hogwarts and tried to stop me from returning. It sounds like he might be trying to stop you too."
Hermione's face scrunched up in thought.
"House Elves aren't generally known to do something like that unless their master commands them. I wonder who he belongs to."
The pair continued their stroll.
"I don't know. But I told Professor McGonagall and Dumbledore about him, and Dumbledore said he could find out from the House Elf Registry at the ministry. But in the meantime, we might want to be on the alert in case Dobby tries to 'help' us again."
"Agreed. However, House Elves are very powerful, magically. If he's really determined to stop us from going back to Hogwarts, it could be near impossible to prevent him."
Harry frowned and nodded.
"We'll just have to keep sharp. Maybe there's a way," Harry stated.
He looked at Hermione who gave him that warm, doe-eyed look again. She tightened her grip around his arm, stepping even closer to the boy. Harry blushed.
"I'm so happy to be with you again, Harry," the girl muttered softly, "I really missed you."
He smiled back with emotion.
"I really missed you too. And...thanks again for helping me get out of my relatives' house. I didn't know what to do."
Hermione nodded at him.
"Maybe you won't have to go back there next summer."
"Well, Professor Dumbledore wants me to stay with them again next summer, for my...protection, he claims."
"Really?" Hermione asked with a scrunched expression.
Harry nodded.
"But, he also said that if they don't change their treatment of me, he'd place me with a real wizarding family."
"Wow, Harry! That would be great! Then you could learn magic outside of Hogwarts too!"
"Yeah, we'll see. That's all still a long ways off. For now, I'm really looking forward to the upcoming year, and...our practice in the Spellroom."
Hermione chuckled then gazed at the boy with her soft, pretty brown eyes.
"So am I."
~HP~
A rummaging sound woke Harry in the middle of the night. He fumbled around on the bedstand for his glasses and upon finding them, placed them on his face and grabbed his wand he had stashed nearby.
"Lumos!" he uttered quietly, and the bluish-white light illuminated part of the room.
The rummaging sound continued unabated, however. Puzzled, Harry pinpointed it near his trunk in the corner. Getting out of bed, he stepped quietly to the corner and noticed someone had opened the trunk and was rifling through it. When Harry was close enough, he recognized the person.
"Dobby!" he let out as quietly as possible.
"AAHH!" the elf shrieked, spinning around to face Harry with a look of fright, dropping a pair of socks and the bag of sweets Harry had bought from Ziggly's on the floor.
"HARRY POTTER!" the elf let out loudly.
"SHHH!" Harry replied, placing his hand over Dobby's mouth. The creature trembled. Harry removed his hand and stared at the elf in annoyance.
"What are you doing?" he asked quietly.
"Dobby is sorry to wake Harry Potter," the elf spoke with no compunction as to how loud he was, "but he had to see if it was here."
"If what was here?"
"Dobby cannot say!" the creature cried, "but maybe he placed it in here..."
The elf turned around and began rummaging through Harry's belongings again. Harry grabbed his thin little arm and spun the elf around to face him.
"Dobby! If who put what in there?" Harry asked sharply.
"Harry Potter must not be angry! Dobby only wants to help!"
"Listen...if you really want to help, then tell me what you're looking for and what terrible thing is to happen at Hogwarts!"
The elf leaned over and placed his face in his thin hands with its spindly fingers, crying.
"Dobby must not betray!"
Harry was simply nonplussed. Frowning, he squatted down to the elf's size.
"Dobby, listen to me. I'm your friend, am I not?"
The elf's eyes went as wide as saucers.
"My...friend? Harry Potter, my friend? No one's ever considered Dobby his friend, especially not the great Harry Potter!"
The creature now cried even louder.
"Dobby! Hush!" Harry told him, "just tell me what's going on. You tried to stop Hermione from going back to Hogwarts too, didn't you?"
The twelve-year old didn't think the elf's skin could get any paler or his eye bigger.
"Dobby has to admit...'yes', he tried to stop the Grangy girl. She must not return to Hogwarts nor should the great Harry Potter!"
"But why? What's going to happen?"
Dobby stepped over to Harry and placed his little hand on his shoulder. The elf leaned in closer, trembling.
"Dark things are planned! Bad things...against her! He knows! He knows!"
"Who knows, and what things?"
"The dark one knows! The Grangy girl is in terrible danger!"