Chapter 22
The cat is out of the bag
24th August 1992, Diagon Alley, London, England
Diagon Alley hadn't changed much in the space of a year, thought Alexandra.
The young witch had come several times, but at each occasion she crossed from the Leaky Cauldron and tapped her wand to open the archway she was greeted by the same sight. Same strange shops. Same strange odours. Same strange wizards and witches walking with their strange clothes indifferent to the fashions of the twentieth century.
The only thing which changed today was that there was a lot more people than usual; to the point the irregular street along the multitude of shops was literally packed with people and she had real difficulties to manoeuvre in the direction she wanted. She had believed at first the large number of people in this infernal means of transport called the Knight Bus were the norm, but the crowd which was cluttering the archway and the Leaky Cauldron proved it was not so.
"I suppose I waited too long to make my school purchases." She sighed. "Everyone must have decided today was the good time to come with his family."
It was not an exaggeration: there were so many children, teenagers and young adults accompanied by the older generation the racket was properly crazy. To Alexandra's great surprise, however, not all this young wizards and witches were familiar faces. Some harboured black robes with unfamiliar coat of arms, while others were wearing completely different uniforms.
Internally, Alexandra wondered what the names of these schools were and why she had never heard of them in Hogwarts: A History. There were only two mentions of foreign schools in the history books: Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, both of which along Hogwarts were considered 'the three greatest schools of Europe'. Given that one was located in France and the other somewhere in Eastern Europe, she was sceptical its students would go here to do their school shopping.
Arriving to the quill shop, she turned her musings to other subjects, in particular what she had the time to do this morning before meeting Hermione and Nigel at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour. Initially, it had been her plan to buy everything save the school books before she met them at the point they had decided at midday, but it was not going to be humanly possible. There were too many wizards, goblins, witches, hags and other strange species in Diagon Alley, a fact made abruptly clear by the quarter of the hour she spent in the quills shop, not because she needed time to decide upon a quill, but to reach the vendor with her purchases. Buying the potions ingredients was a bit easier, as the odour in the apothecary was such no one in his right mind wanted to spend an hour in it, but Alexandra renounced seeing the long column of persons waiting in front of Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions.
The green-eyed girl still had an hour before going to Fortescue, but apart from the books at Flourish and Blotts and the robes of Madam Malkin's she had not much to search for Hogwarts. She had bought a magic pouch from Accountant Grimjaw which allowed her to withdraw two hundred galleons before going to the disastrous expedition of Brise-Roc, so going to Gringotts was not needed as she had still had plenty of margin before reaching that limit. Anyway, after what having witnessed the fanaticism and the suicidal thinking of this race, she was really not eager to be in their presence again. Moreover, she preferred delaying the explanations of the travel inside the mountain for another day. Alexandra supposed it was a bit cowardly, but as long as she didn't shout her version of events in public, the beings who had destroyed the expeditionary force wouldn't hunt, track and kill her. If only the salamander ceased to pursue her in her dreams too...
"Mum, I want an owl!" Screamed an eight-old or so kid passing on her right.
"You will have one when you will go to school!" Replied a middle-aged witch, who seemed to be one second away to have a nerve crisis, latching on the kid's arm as the child wanted no better to abandon the guard of his mother.
Alexandra smiled at the spectacle, before frowning in contemplation. As the library and the clothes shop had way too much people inside and outside of them, she could very well go make a trip to a menagerie. Atalanta owl treats were fast nearing the end, and she had also to find a present for Hermione and Nigel's birthday, which were coming respectively on August 29 and September 19.
Both her friends had sent her presents by owl on July 28 while she was on her way to return to Britain. Nigel had offered a book titled Diplomacy in the Wizarding World for Dummies, while Hermione had gifted her The Curses of the Irritable Witch, both of which had been rather enjoyable to read. The birthday cake sent along with Hermione's book had also been delicious, and not only because it was the first one she had received in her life.
An animal would be an original present, and Nigel would have finally an excuse to leave his old-fashioned toad at home. Turning in an alley less-presented, she slalomed between the crowds to go to the Northern streets where animal shops were concentrated.
After five minutes of avoiding the flow of persons coming, the young witch saw a shop named Magical Menagerie which seemed to have almost no people in it. Narrowly missing a crash with a person who looked like a hag and smelled like it, Alexandra crossed the street and entered the shop.
When the Potter Heiress took her first steps inside, the evidence jumped to her eyes: this shop had not a lot of place available. There was not an inch of place left on the walls; every single emplacement was covered in cages. And as every single occupant was doing his best to attract attention, be it by hissing, jabbering, squeaking or jabbering, the atmosphere was really nosy in spite of being only three persons inside the shop: the witch owning the place, a rather young wizard who was in the process of buying a grey owl and Alexandra herself.
In the instants she had, Alexandra examined the cages around her. There were toads of every colour, orange snails, cats, rabbits of unlikely characteristics (like horns and odd numbers of paws), ravens, rats and a few other animals she had never met before, either in book pictures of at the television with the Dursleys.
The young wizard left, and she was free to approach the counter.
"Good morning," Alexandra told the witch. "The birthdays for two my friends is next month, and I want to offer them an animal."
"Certainly," smiled the witch. "Do you have an idea about what sort of animal they would like?"
"A cat for the first, I think." She said, being fairly certain Hermione had never manifested a fondness for any species of owl. "And...OUCH!"
Alexandra had not the time to say one more word. Her reflexes of duelling, honed by Flitwick's training, were barely enough to catch in time as a lightning of orange fur jumped in her arms.
"NO! CROOKSHANKS!" Shouted the witch.
Catching her breath, Alexandra noticed she had now a huge ginger cat looking straight at her, purring loudly in her arms. Posing it on the counter, she studied it, remarking the big orange eyes, the fluffy ginger fur, the face which looked a bit grumpy and the very large tail. But it was the orange colour, the size and the loud purr that were indeed the most remarkable.
"I'm very sorry, Miss." Said the witch. "This cat has posed problems since he arrived here years ago, and no one has wanted to take him."
"How much for him?" Asked Alexandra.
The witch harboured a surprised expression on her face. "You intend to take him?"
"Well, I asked for a cat and he was enough intelligent to jump to the call." She said in a humorous tone. "Besides, he seems affectionate and appreciates my caresses."
The ginger cat raised his ears hearing her speaking, and purred loudly in approval.
"It's your choice." Said the vendor in a relieved voice. "But you said it yourself, he's extremely intelligent, especially when it is time to make trouble. Half-Kneazle breed, very rare. He was only a kitten when he arrived here, the menagerie he belonged to was sold at the end of the last war."
"Figures."Alexandra said, giving a last look at the cat. "I was also looking for another animal. My other friend can be very absent-minded and clumsy, so an animal which is very resistant and faithful would be best."
"I believe I have what you search." The witch nodded, and walked to a rather large cage where there was a ... tortoise?
"Here it is." Told her the woman, posing the animal on the counter next to the cat, which neared to sniff at it. Only to make a rapid retreat, as a flicker of flames went out of the rear of the tortoise. Okay, definitely not a normal tortoise. There were also two beautiful ruby gems on the shell of the not-tortoise.
"This is a hybrid between a Muggle tortoise and a Fire Crab, "explained the witch when she saw Alexandra's interrogative expression."Fire Crab are XXX creatures, so you wouldn't be able to own one, Miss, but crossing it with a tortoise reduces the power of its flames and the number of jewels on its shell. The animal is still highly resistant, however, and will follow his owner at his own rhythm. It has a fondness for lettuce but do not tolerate being plunged into water very well." Giving a sardonic look at Crookshanks, the woman added "and it will not let itself intimated by this good-for-nothing piece of ginger fur."
An offended meow arrived to both witches ears. Crookshanks did not like his new nickname.
"Fine, I will take both of them." Loud purr of approval. "How much for the two?"
"Two Galleons for Crookshanks. Seventeen for the half-Fire Crab."
Alexandra paid without hesitation, adding a few Sickles in owl treats for Atalanta by the same occasion to reach a price of twenty Galleons. She had no doubt Hermione and Nigel were going to love their presents!
The witch put Crookshanks and the other animal back in their cages before giving them to Alexandra, who winced a bit under the sheer weight. Fortunately, Fortescue was not far from this shop and she would not have to carry them all day.
"Excuse me," Alexandra said before opening the door and leaving the Menagerie, a thought coming to her mind. "By pure curiosity, what was the name of the shop who owned Crookshanks before you?"
"Potter Pets and Companions." Replied the witch, in a bitter tone. "Turned really bad, that business. Didn't shed a tear when they got sold."
"Of course not," said Alexandra once in the street. "The wizarding world never cries, even for its heroes."
Glancing back at Crookshanks in his cage, she knew it was anything but a coincidence. The ginger cat had recognised her. Had her parents brought her once in Diagon Alley before their family was destroyed? Possible, very likely even. Grimjaw had used her blood to know her identity at Gringotts last year so perhaps her mother or her father had brought her in the menagerie owned by the family the same day. Alas, with all witnesses unreachable or unable to speak, it was doubtful she would know the details of the story.
Carrying the two cages, she hurried in direction of Fortescue. She had taken a lot of time to go to the Menagerie with the crowd, and now she was slightly late.
"Alexandra! Alexandra!"
Here they were, both Hermione and Nigel, sitting outside the Ice Cream Parlour. Hermione had brought her parents with her, and Nigel was in the company a very old man, who sent her from the start a direct and intimidating stare. Funnily enough, she had believed once ago Nigel had overestimated the behaviour of his grandfather. Now after a few seconds of acquaintance she knew the stories about him were the truth.
"You're a bit late you know." Stated Hermione, standing up to hug her in an endless embrace. "What were you doing? Tom at the Leaky Cauldron told us you passed quite earlier than us!"
"Let her breath Hermione!" Said Nigel. "Our school Dark Lady's was certainly recruiting minions for the new year."
Hermione loosened her embrace, and Alexandra could send a glare at her Gryffindor friend.
"Very funny, Nigel. I am already called this constantly by half of the school, I don't need you too to join the crowd."
"But if you must know, "She affirmed putting the cage of the half-Fire Crab on the table."I was buying your birthday presents. A bit in advance, I'm afraid, but still. Happy Birthday Nigel."
The face of her friend lightened as he opened the cage, taking the tortoise-lookalike with both hands and began examining it.
"Thank you, Alex, thank you."
"This is a hybrid of Fire crab and a tortoise so do not try to plunge it into water. He loves lettuce and I suppose he can eat quantities of vegetables."
Nigel's face was brilliant with joy, and he rose to hug Alexandra before trying to find a proper name for the animal. His grandfather, on the other hand, was on a good way to suffer from a heart stroke seeing how red and agitated he was, giving a certain similitude to Vernon Dursley. So it was him who had bought Glob the Wandering Toad to Nigel, huh. Once more, her opinion of this grey-hair old fossil fell even further.
"And for you, Hermione... meet Crookshanks."
Opening the cage, Alexandra could only laugh when a thunder of orange-ginger rushed out and jumped in the arms of Hermione in two bonds.
Throwing a look at Hermione's parents, she saw the two of them laugh when Crookshanks started to deploy all his arsenal of seduction, which consisted in purring loudly in the arms of his new mistress and encouraging her to do more caresses.
"They are made for each other." The Potter Heiress said in a pious tone which she knew fooled no one.
"Yes," laughed Nigel, evidently not fooled by her assertion. "This is going to cause problems you know." He said in a lower and more serious voice, as Crookshanks took a slobber-position on Hermione's lap and purred like a cat about to enter its own version of paradise.
"Why?" Asked Alexandra. "Last time I check, cats are on the list of animals you can take with you at Hogwarts without having to demand the permission to your Head of House." An idea burst in her mind. "Or is any Gryffindor girl in our year allergic to cats?"
"No," said Nigel, shaking his head negatively. "Not as far as I know. Lavender has a rabbit but it stays at her parent's house. Fay, Parvati and Thelma have owls."
"So what's the problem?"
"The problem is Ron." Nigel affirmed.
Alexandra tried her very best not to grimace. Ronald Weasley was not on the list of persons she could stand the company of at Hogwarts. He was far from the students she downright hated, of course, but his disgusting manners at table and the behaviour he generally manifested in the classes were more than enough to stay far away from him.
"He's allergic to cats?" Alexandra asked.
"No, he has a rat. An old thing named Scabbers one of his older siblings gave him."
"That's disgusting." The black-haired witch was forced to admit with a frown. "You have a rat in your dormitory?"
"Yes." Was forced to admit the Gryffindor boy.
"Remind me to never come into Gryffindor tower. I don't think it's very healthy in there."
For once she was not kidding. Alexandra had learnt enough of the Middle Ages in the history books of the libraries to know rats carried with them a lot of diseases. There were a reason cats had been in such high demand at one period, and it wasn't for their milk drinking habits.
After a few minutes of idle chatter and Hermione joining the conversation by sharing horror stories of the terrible state of the Gryffindor boys' dormitory while still caressing an ecstatic Crookshanks, they ordered the meal to Florean Fortescue and ate in a convivial manner. Alexandra had already met Hermione's parents in June, and she was happy to meet them again. Overall, they were a far more pleasant couple, if a bit absorbed in their work during the year which left them only holidays to spend with their sole daughter. By comparison with the Dursleys, though, they were very much the ideal family.
Nigel's grandfather stayed nevertheless on the sidelines during all this time, and he didn't participate in any way in the conversation. The grey-haired old wizard was grumbling to himself sometimes in a bitter tone and the few worlds Alexandra heard had too much coherence with anti-non-magical slogans for her to consider the aged grandfather in a positive light.
Having ended their meals and profiting from a lull in the torrent of wizards and witches in Diagon Alley, the group as a whole raced to Madam Malkin's robe shop, minus Nigel's grandfather who sent them a glare and continued his meal, refusing nonetheless the offers the Grangers or Alexandra paid for it.
The clothes and robes shop was definitely the easy part of the afternoon, however. After a quarter of an hour spent in Madam Malkin's being fitted for the new year, when the group of five went out back in the street, the crowd was back again with a vengeance.
Worse, their next destination, which was the library Flourish and Blotts, was perhaps the most crowded place of the entire Alley. There were wizards and witches pressing everywhere, in fact a lot were witches of middle-age. As they came near the doors of the books shop, the reason of this gathering became clear. Across the upper windows of the building, a large banner stretched.
GILDEROY LOCKHART
will be signing copies of his autobiography
MAGICAL ME
today 12.30 – 4.30 pm
"We can actually meet him!" Hermione shouted, giving a reason for Crookshanks to groan in his cage. "I mean, he's written almost the whole booklist!"
Alexandra took in her pocket the list of book requirements Hogwarts had send her, and realised her friend was right. When she had been in France she hadn't really thought about it, but the list literally required her to buy every book of the author's for her new year at Hogwarts! On the paper in her hands was written:
Second-year students will require:
The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2 by Miranda Goshawk
Break with a Banshee by Gilderoy Lockhart
Gadding with Ghouls by Gilderoy Lockhart
Holidays with Hags by Gilderoy Lockhart
Travels with Trolls by Gilderoy Lockhart
Voyages with Vampires by Gilderoy Lockhart
Wanderings with Werewolves by Gilderoy Lockhart
Year with the Yeti by Gilderoy Lockhart
"What kind of professor would require us to buy seven books for one single class?" The Ravenclaw girl asked incredulously Nigel. "Even Potions or Transfiguration last year didn't require more than two!"
Hermione didn't seem to hear them, though; she was apparently in love with the idea of someone ordering her to buy more books than the norm.
"And the professor certainly won't be here next year." Continued Nigel in a tone which sounded a lot like his stammering of last year, as they tried desperately to squeeze in the shop. "We heard plenty of rumours last years the position is cursed."
"Wouldn't surprise me a bit. I heard some rumours too." Said darkly Alexandra, groaning as she realised an even longer queue was going to the back of the shop where the author was signing his book.
One of the employees was also feeling the brunt of the crowd, the wizard at the entry, who was looking about to shed tears.
"Calmly, please ladies … don't push, there … mind the books, now …"
"This is going to last at least an hour." Sighed Hermione.
"Then no point in all of us staying in the queue." Alexandra declared. "I'm going to search the Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2. I believe all the Miranda Goshawk collection is on the first floor."
"I'm coming with you." Said Nigel.
"We'll take your Lockhart books until your return." Assured Carl Granger, Hermione's father, with a large smile, which suddenly vanished when he saw his wife Mary Granger return with a pile of rather large and heavy books.
Alexandra and Nigel thus climbed the stairs with no particular hurry. The long file of witches wasn't going to disappear any time soon.
Turning on their immediate right, the two came face to face with the Neville Longbottom derived products wings.
"Is it me, or is the number of Boy-Who-Lived books augmenting year after year?" The green-eyed witch asked to the Gryffindor. Nigel shrugged in ignorance. "Hey. Look at this: Neville Longbottom and the Philosopher's Stone."
"You're kidding, right?"
"Afraid not."Said Alexandra, seizing one copy of the book and leafing through the pages. "Yep. Everything is here. Huh that's new."
"What?" Asked Nigel, who looked about to vomit in disgust at this sickening display built at the glory of the Boy-Who-Lived.
"You might be astonished to know, but Neville Longbottom vanquished last year a mountain troll, a baby dragon, all Slytherin House and two dark wizards by the name of Quirell and Devkins.
"But..." Stammered Nigel, "that's not true!"
"Of course not." Alexandra said sarcastically. "If it was, we would have been already forced to swear allegiance to Emperor Neville Longbottom the First, King of Gryffindor and all of that."
"You're just jealous!" Screamed a young red-haired girl, who nearly knocked down Alexandra from behind at the speed she was coming. "Neville Longbottom is a hero!" And she raced down the stairs of the library.
Alexandra raised an eyebrow. "That was..."
"Ron Weasley's younger sister Ginny? Yes." Replied Nigel.
"Wonderful." Alexandra stated, curbing her left hand with one hand and marching towards the school books of Miranda Goshawk. "One more recruit for the Boy-Who-Lived fan-club."
Arriving to the row they searched, the Ravenclaw and the Gryffindor saw one boy of their own year had preceded them.
"Zabini."
"Potter."
The dark-skinned boy had not changed a lot, Alexandra reflected. He had still the same bored and unfeeling expression he had harboured on the Hogwarts Express a year ago. The clothes he wore were different, but one look at them was enough to know they had not been bought at Madam Malkin's, and not with the money range she used for her own clothes, whether magical or non-magical. The Slytherin boy threw a glance at them, and then set a foot aside to let them take their own books. One year at Hogwarts had apparently not made him more talkative.
She had taken her future spell book and the one destined for Hermione under her right arm, when a voice behind her stopped her in her tracks.
"Are they your friends, Blaise?"
Alexandra turned, and had her breath taken away. Next to Blaise Zabini, was one of the most beautiful women she had ever seen. Long black hair, with a fairly suntanned skin but not up to Blaise's dark colour, the woman was easily in the same class as a top model. Long legs, taller than the norm, she stood clearly with a grace and a power that she had never seen anyone manifest in the Alley today. Unlike all the adult witches she had met until there, the woman in front of her had the clothes to emphasize her beauty, wearing a long dark green dress which unveiled far more than what the wizarding society no doubt considered as acceptable.
Throwing a look on her right, Alexandra saw Nigel was one inch away from literally drooling over the beauty of the woman.
"No, Mum." Said Blaise Zabini. "But we are in the same year at Hogwarts." Was it her imagination or the pure-blood boy looked really ill-at-ease?
"Mhhhh..." The witch purred with a sensual voice which made the poor Nigel stutter in force. "Maybe, I should ask them..."
"Please, Mum..." The unfeeling expression of Blaise had disappeared, and he was looking at his mother with a supplicant expression.
"Oh, very well." Said Mrs Zabini in a magnificent voice which contained enough seduction to damn a common wizard instantly. "But if you have not solved your issues at the end of this year, then I will take the matter in my hands." Advancing a step in their direction all in grace and fluidity, the elegant witch stared with a look she would have qualified of predatory.
"I do not believe we have been presented, young Miss. I am Lady Stella Zabini."
"Pleased to meet you." She replied. "Alexandra Potter."
Stella Zabini raised her delicate eyebrows slightly, but this was her only reaction and the Zabini's Matriarch only contented to purr an "interesting" before making a movement of her right hand to her son. Then Lady Zabini headed to the exit followed by Blaise with a grace many politicians at the television would kill for.
"Wow. Just wow." Whispered Nigel on her side.
"You had already met her?" Asked Alexandra.
"Two years ago, at a Ministry Ball where my father was invited and the underage wizards had the right to be present." Nigel explained. "Be careful, Alexandra. This woman has married six times, and all her husbands died in unexplained circumstances, leaving her each time a considerable fortune."
"You weren't so difficult one moment ago." Teased him, Alexandra.
"She's beautiful." Admitted Nigel.
Hearing an appalling racket mounting from the ground floor, Alexandra decided that laughing at her friend discomfort could wait until the Hogwarts Express and the travel to Hogwarts itself.
"Should we discover what is making such a noise?"
Descending the stairs, they saw a frightening spectacle. Alexandra knew from the very beginning it would haunt her to the end of her life, no matter how brief or long that length would be.
A man was standing in the middle of a crowd, surrounded by female admirers and photographers, and he was shaking deeply Neville Longbottom by the hand like a consummate man of state with a diplomat. His hair were wavy blond, his eyes were a deep blue and his face was showing a seducing smile with perfect teeth. The man was wearing flashy blue robes who complimented his eyes.
"Ladies and gentlemen," the man said loudly, waving for quiet moment of silence. "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 Neville here stepped into Flourish and Blotts today, he only wanted to buy my autobiography – which I shall be happy to present him now, free of charge –" the crowd applauded again, "– he had no idea that he would shortly be getting much, much more than 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 Dark Arts Senior Teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!"
Alexandra left her mouth wide open under the shock. This...this... buffoon was their new Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor? It was a joke right? No, no, no there had to be mistake. There was no way she was going to be in the same room with this man twice a week! Slowly she felt her mind falling into the horror of an endless pit at the very idea.
The crowd didn't share her misgivings however, and cheered and clapped even more loudly at the announcement. The Potter Heiress saw Neville being presented with the entire works of Gilderoy Lockhart. Staggering slightly under the weight of the books, the Boy-Who-Lived managed to make his way out of the limelight to the edge of the room near the stairs where Alexandra was positioned, where the young Weasley girl was standing next to a cauldron.
"You have these," The Ravenclaw girl heard Neville mumbling to the young red-haired witch, tipping the books into the cauldron. "I'll buy my own –"
"Bet you loved that, didn't you, Longbottom?" Affirmed a voice she had no need to search to recognise. Draco Malfoy. Of course, the imbecile of Slytherin was going to darken the day by his very presence. With his usual sneer, the pure-blood idiot came face to face with Neville Longbottom.
"The famous Neville Longbottom," Affirmed Malfoy in his best pompous tone. "Can't even go into a bookshop without making the front page."
"Leave him alone, he didn't want all that!" Said Ginny Weasley, glaring at Malfoy. On this point, Alexandra herself wasn't so sure. Neville hadn't been exactly shy to accept the popularity and the renown of his title at school. Here, on the other hand, he seemed clearly uncomfortable and embarrassed. This Lockhart had managed to press enough buttons to overwhelm his thirst of fame. How...remarkable.
"Longbottom, you've got yourself a girlfriend!" Drawled Malfoy. Ginny Weasley went scarlet, but in the mean time Leo Black and Ron Weasley had fought their way over the crowd, with large piles of Lockhart books.
"Oh, it's you," Said Ronald Weasley to Malfoy with an expression of plain disgust over his face. "Bet you're surprised to see Neville here, eh?"
"Not as surprised as I am to see you in a shop, Weasley," Retorted Malfoy. "I suppose your parents will go hungry for a month to pay for that lot."
The two Weasleys went redder than tomatoes on the spot, and Alexandra could almost see the smoke coming out of their ears. Ron Weasley dropped his books into the cauldron nearby and started to advance towards Malfoy, an expression of pure rage on his face, but Neville Longbottom and Leo Black restrained him.
"Ron!" Said a man who could be none other than the Weasley patriarch, struggling in the crowd with the Weasley Twins in tow. "What are you doing? It's mad in here, let's go outside."
"Well, well, well – Arthur Weasley." Draco Malfoy's father had arrived, and Alexandra was not surprised to see Draco was more or less a younger clone of his father. Platinum-blonde hair, sneer, expensive clothes, all there was to copy in the older wizard her fellow second year had included it in his character. Malfoys or Male Fois, English or French, the appearances were like reflects in a mirror. Even the posture of unrestrained arrogance was the same.
What was even more surprising for Alexandra, was the young blonde girl half-hidden behind the Malfoy patriarch. So Draco Malfoy had a sister. Hogwarts rumour mill had never gossiped on this subject. By the looks of her clothes, her size and her presence here, she was certainly going to Hogwarts this September. This promised to be... interesting.
"Lucius," Told Mr Weasley to Malfoy Senior in a freezing tone.
"Busy time at the Ministry, I hear," said Lucius Malfoy in a voice too snobbish to be honest. "All those raids … I hope they're paying you overtime?"
The blonde man reached into the cauldron of the Weasleys and extracted a book Alexandra recognised as a copy of A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration which looked to have seen better days.
"Obviously not," The Malfoy Lord said in a smug and satisfied tone. "Dear me, what's the use of being a disgrace to the name of wizard if they don't even pay you well for it?"
The older Weasley flushed redder than both of his children combined, taking a tomato colour.
"We have a very different idea of what disgraces the name of wizard, Malfoy," Arthur Weasley said, his voice shaking with fury.
"Clearly," said Lucius Malfoy, his pale eyes straying Leo Black and Neville Longbottom, who were watching apprehensively. "The company you keep, Weasley … and I thought your family could sink no lower –"
There was a thud of metal as the Weasley cauldron went flying; Mr Weasley had thrown himself at Lucius Malfoy, knocking him backwards straight into a bookshelf without using any magic whatsoever. Dozens of heavy magical books came thundering down on all their heads. The Weasley twins were in pure Gryffindor mood screaming "Get him, Dad!" which made Alexandra wonder if they had goblins in their ancestry.
A plump woman, none other than the Weasley matriarch was shrieking "No Arthur, no!" and at the same time the crowd present inside the store was running in every direction casting spells, with the employee of Flourish and Blotts trying to restore order without any success.
In the middle of the stairs, Alexandra and Nigel watched this outburst of violence like persons caught in the eye of the hurricane.
"And the Professors at school pretend Gryffindor and Slytherin can coexist in real life." Alexandra sighed, pointing to Nigel the spectacle of the Malfoy and Weasley patriarchs trying to strangle each other. "This is going to be nasty when we arrive to Hogwarts on September. The Snakes and the Lions were already at each other throat last year, I bet you ten Galleons one of them is sent to the hospital before the end of the first week."
"I don't take the bet." Replied Nigel.
"Wise choice." Smiled Alexandra.
"You speak like this was arriving all the time at Hogwarts." Said a girl voice with an aristocratic tone on Alexandra's left. "Surely the professors intervene and punish the culprits?" It was the young Malfoy girl, who looked at Alexandra with an arrogant expression which dared her to prove her wrong. There were hints of a French accent too. Okay perhaps she was not Malfoy's sister. Or had the witch been sent to a French school for her education?
"I would suggest," Alexandra replied. "You don't wait for the Professors to save you at school, oh future Slytherin. They are less than thirty of them, and they often arrive when it's time to send everyone to the Hospital Wing."
"You speak like if those plebeians would stand a chance against me!" Scoffed the younger female version of Draco Malfoy.
Alexandra smiled evilly. Oh, the return to reality was going to be brutal for the spoilt pure-blood blonde. The Valar knew it had been for Draco and his band of brutes, and she doubted Longbottom and consorts were going to feel the least bit guilty in adding another Snake to their hunting collection.
"Believe what you want." Alexandra replied to the blonde pure-blood. "Just don't say I had not warned you."
Nigel following her, they managed to get out of the shop which looked more and more as if someone had decided to improvise one of the catch fights Dudley was so fond of.
Outside they found Hermione and her parents, who carried three piles of large and heavy books.
"We managed to get out before everything fell apart." Said Hermione's father, who looked a bit worried by the experience. "Is this sort of things happening often at Hogwarts?"
Alexandra favourite and trustful answer would have been 'at least once per week', but seeing Hermione's pleading look she answered by a "it's really exceptional, thankfully". Although she really had to ask her bushy-haired friend what she told her parents of the events with the troll and the series of trial in the Forbidden Corridor.
The library was the next to last stop; Alexandra wanted to buy one good flying broom before leaving.
"Why?" Asked her Nigel, as they waited for the vendor of Quality Quidditch Supplies to serve the rest of the clients before them. "At each match, you complain Quidditch is a sport of brutes and is too dangerous."
"Of course." Alexandra agreed. "But it means I don't like Quidditch, not Flying itself. And a good broom can be a very good means of transportation when the alternative is walking. Faster too when I want to escape something."
She didn't add that not having her own broom had forced to borrow temporarily a school broom for her little escapade in the Forbidden Corridor on December 31. Nor that she had been forced to walk across a good part of France between each teleportation in July and August. They weren't things you discussed in public.
Finally, she bought a second-hand Nimbus 1500, a model having dominated the market in 1982, for the sum of sixty Galleons. The Potter Heiress had initially wanted to take a rather more modern broom, but she and Nigel had paled when they had discovered buying a new Nimbus 2000 would cost them the extravagant sum of one thousand Galleons. And there was an even newer broom, even more expensive since July on the market!
"I know Neville got a Nimbus 2000 by his family last September, but are they other players who have such expensive brooms?" Alexandra asked to her auburn-haired friend, leaving Quality Quidditch Supplies behind them.
"Not that I know of from last year, but Malfoy or Nott are surely going to enter the competition on September." Replied Nigel after a few seconds of reflexion.
"Maybe the Slytherins will kill each other on the pitch." Joked Alexandra with a large smile, as the entire group gathered at Fortescue. Last year had seen a deep rivalry develop between the two first-year Slytherin for the leadership of the youngest Snakes, and somehow Alexandra was sure the rivalry hadn't ended with the holidays.
Nigel smiled with her, before his expression turned to a grimace when he saw the grumping and snarling expression of his grandfather waiting for them at Fortescue. Needless to say, an afternoon sitting alone on the terrace's pavement area had really not improved his mood.
"See you on September 1st," Alexandra said to the Gryffindor boy. "I will take a compartment at the rear of the Express."
In the mean time, she had a violet bus with infernal speed to catch. Taking in her arms the large pile of books Mary Granger gave her, she vacillated under the weight and groaned.
"There better be a good deal of useful information in these books." Alexandra said in a prayer, already half-discouraged by the need to carry this plus the rest of her purchases through Diagon Alley. But as the large show made by Lockhart in the afternoon came back in her memory, she was fearing the worst.
One thing was sure, this new school year promised to be several things, but certainly not boring.
