August 1992, summer of 1st year

"Look, Harry! It's the new Nimbus 2001!"

"Wow!" Harry exclaimed. "I have always wanted a broom!"

Draco nodded excitedly. "We could both get one and then they just have to let us on the Quidditch team."

Lynea huffed. "It's only a broom, Draco. Don't you want to be accepted onto the team for your skill instead of your wealth?"

"Of course they will let me onto the team for my skills. I am one of the best fliers out there, after all. 'Only a broom'," Draco mocked. "That is only the fastest broom in existence."

"They said that when the Nimbus 2000 came out, as well," Lynea replied dryly. "There will be another, even faster broom next year. At one point they'll be so fast that no one is going to be able to ride them properly anymore."

Draco scoffed and then turned to his father. "You promised to buy me a racing broom."

"That I did," Lucius Malfoy replied evenly. "But we shall buy your school supplies first. Have patience, Draco."

"Of course, father," Draco said immediately.

Lynea looked around, looking for the apothecary, when she spotted a certain bushy haired girl in the crowd.

"Mister Malfoy?" she asked, going for her most polite tone. "Surely you don't wish to bother yourself with such a mundane task as shopping. Would it not suit us all best if we were to buy all our supplies on our own, maybe catch up with a few of our friends along the way, and then meet you again once we are finished in, say, an hour or so?"

Lucius Malfoy looked at her with an indecipherable look.

"We will, of course, behave ourselves as befits our status, father," Draco added, moving just the right way, so that his father's back faced the Muggle family standing in front of the Magical Menagerie.

"Very well," Mr Malfoy said. "Then I shall see you at Flourish and Blotts in exactly one hour. I trust you to spend your time and money wisely," he let his stern gaze sweep over the children, "all of you."

The three of them nodded nicely and then watched the blonde man disappear into the crowd.

Harry breathed a sigh of relief. "That was brilliant, Lynea."

"And just in time," she said. "Hermione has already noticed us."

"Hello, you three," said girl greeted them. "How has your summer been so far?"

"Your friends from school?" the woman Lynea assumed to be her mother asked.

Draco immediately started looking around to make sure his father was nowhere in the vicinity, while Hermione introduced them to her parents.

"Our respective summer holidays all had their ups and downs so far," Lynea told Hermione. "For one instance, we had to rescue Harry after we noticed he didn't answer any of our letters all summer."

"Oh, really?" Hermione asked. "What was that about?"

Harry shrugged. "I didn't receive any letters, but I don't know why."

"Which you would know," Mrs Granger said gently, "had you written to your friends, yourself."

Hermione huffed. "There is no need to waste our time with inane stories about our respective holidays, when we could just as well dedicate that time to research and studying."

Lynea smiled, but quickly sobered up again. "It is a good thing you only wrote to Harry and me, though. We do need to be careful – there has been another issue with, well, the old issue of pureblood supremacy has risen up again."

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked confused and her parents exchanged worried glances.

"That we can't be seen with you," Draco said, still watching their surroundings. "And I am not saying this to be rude, Granger, but my father would not be pleased to even see me talking to you right now. And he is not alone in that sentiment."

Understanding dawned on Hermione's face. "Oh, why didn't you say so right at the beginning? We don't need to stand around putting you all in precarious positions. We can just as well meet on the train or at school. I will make sure to stay out of your way today."

Lynea smiled. "Thank you, Hermione. We appreciate it."

"Yeah," Draco said. "Thanks."

Harry gave the Ravenclaw a quick hug. "Sorry about this. I don't like it, either. We'll see you at Hogwarts. And don't forget to write, okay?"

Hermione laughed. "Fine. I shall put aside some time to write you inane letters, if it pleases you so."

Then she took her parents by the arm and disappeared.

"I hate this," Harry said. "All this secrecy, just because I am friends with a muggleborn."

"It is what it is," Draco said, seemingly unbothered. "Now, where to first?"

"The apothecary," Lynea replied immediately. "And then Obscurus Books."

Draco fondly rolled his eyes. "Of course, what else?"

Lynea lightly clapped him on the arm and then set off.

They finished all their shopping in less than half an hour, thanks to Draco and Harry dragging Lynea out of first the apothecary and then the bookshop, when they had gotten their necessities and she still did not want to leave. They met Pansy in Scribbulus Writing Implements and then accompanied her to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, where Daphne and Tracey were already enjoying a cone of ice cream each.

"Did your parents ditch you, too?" Pansy asked.

"They didn't think it necessary to subject themselves to the insanity that will be Lockhart's signing," Daphne said. "We already finished all of our shopping."

"And I came with Daphne," Tracey shrugged.

"We had to escape Mister Malfoy," Lynea said, which made the girls laugh.

"I would have wanted to escape him, too," Daphne said at which Draco made an indignant sound they all ignored.

"So you all want an autograph from this Lockhart guy?" Harry asked.

"Definitely," Tracey answered. "The man is a legend."

"His books are good," Daphne said with a shrug.

All eyes went to Pansy, who raised her hands defensively. "Hey, I only want one, because I think they will increase in value later on. Can't pass a chance to make money that easily, now, can I? Besides, the man is the most talked about topic from all of my gossip sources."

"When does his signing start, anyway?" Draco asked.

"At twelve thirty," Daphne answered promptly.

"Oh no." Draco turned around to Harry and Lynea with wide eyes. "My father asked to meet with us at Flourish and Blotts at twelve thirty. We will be caught right in the middle of the signing."

"Ohh," Pansy cooed with a wicked grin. "Then you can come right with us. It will be so much fun!"

"Surrounded by fanatical middle-aged witches in a cramped bookshop," Lynea muttered. "Can't imagine a better way to purchase my schoolbooks."

They all chatted on for a bit until it was time to make their way to the bookshop, in front of which a large crowd had already assembled. A shopkeeper was trying to bring the witches (and the few wizards) to form an orderly queue, but without much success.

"Do you think we can move past them, if we just want to buy some books?" Lynea asked.

"No way," Pansy said gleefully. "You are going to line up with us. The more autographs I can get my hands on, the better."

Lynea groaned and accepted her fate.

At exactly half past twelve, the shopkeeper began letting the first customers inside and the crowd started moving. Although Lynea and the others were right in the middle of the whole mess, they should have still been able to notice Lucius Malfoy, who seemed to be uncommonly late.

"Maybe father probably is putting his plan into action," Draco muttered to Lynea and Harry. "I think we will find him outside after we manage to survive this."

"If we manage to survive this," Lynea muttered back and Draco gave her a wry smile.

Harry was looking around the shop. "What could his plan be, if he needs this crowd for it?"

Draco shrugged. "That's the mystery, isn't it? I just know that there is a plan and even that I only found out by chance."

"Maybe he's going to slip some dark object into an unsuspecting student's bag?" Harry mused.

Draco frowned. "I don't want to imagine my father stooping so low, but you might be on to something there."

Harry craned his neck. "I still can't see him, though."

"See who?" Pansy asked loudly.

By that point, they had already moved forward considerably and were able to see the man of the hour, himself. Gilderoy Lockhart looked astonishingly identical to how he was usually portrayed in the numerous magazines he so often appeared in – he had golden locks and bright blue eyes and wore robes in a similar colour and he kind of reminded Lynea strongly of a peacock.

At Pansy's question, Lockhart looked up from the book he was signing and looked around. His eyes fell on Harry, who instinctively took a step back. For a moment, the two of them just stared at each other. Then Gilderoy Lockhart leapt to his feet.

"It can't be Harry Potter?"

There was some shoving and whispering and suddenly Harry was pushed to the front, where Lockhart immediately seized his hand started calling for the Daily Prophet's photographer, who had apparently been lurking around the shop somewhere.

"Peacock," Draco said. "He looks like one of father's albino peacocks."

Lynea laughed lightly. "I thought exactly the same thing."

She didn't say out loud that Draco's father reminded her very much of a peacock, as well.

"Oh, look at poor Harry," Pansy purred. "Getting special treatment. I wonder whether his signed copy will be even more valuable than the others."

The Parkinsons were a fairly wealthy family, so there was no need for Pansy to make money like that, but they were also known for their innovative and resourceful ways of making money and Lynea supposed it just ran in the family.

"If you can prove it belonged to Harry Potter, surely," Daphne said.

"Maybe Harry would sign it just for me," Pansy mused.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Lockhart said loudly, one arm slung over Harry's shoulders, the poor boy looking thoroughly embarrassed by the whole ordeal.

The peacock of a man then launched into a flourished speech about himself that ended with his announcement that he would be taking over the Defence Against the Dark Arts post at Hogwarts. The crowd cheered and clapped as the Slytherins groaned in unison.

"Not another one!"

"What did we expect, of course the person ascribing all of Lockhart's books would be the man himself."

"Come on, guys," Tracey said. "If you read his books, you should know that he is quite capable as a wizard."

The others gave her doubtful looks.

Daphne sighed. "At least he will be better than Quirrel."

"That's not very hard, though, is it?" Lynea said. "Hey, Harry. Welcome back."

"Famous Harry Potter," Draco said, grinning. "Can't even go into a bookshop without making front page."

"We were in a bookshop earlier," Harry mumbled, still red in the face. "And I didn't make front page then."

Draco only laughed.

Harry hefted the load of books he had received from Lockhart in his arms. "Can we go now, please?"

"No, no, no," Pansy said. "I still have not received my autograph and we are nearly at the front of the queue."

Harry sighed.

"Why don't you wait over there?" Lynea suggested, pointing to a corner of the shop. "We'll be with you shortly."

Harry nodded dejectedly and shuffled off, while the others continued waiting in the line. When they had finally all gotten an autograph (Pansy happily accepted Lynea's and Draco's) and retrieved Harry to leave the shop together, the crowd towards the exit suddenly moved in a hurry.

"What's going on?" Draco exclaimed.

"Is that – Is that you father?" Lynea said in disbelief.

There, at the front of the shop, was Lucius Malfoy, brawling with an elderly, red-headed man.

"And that is Arthur Weasley, if I am not mistaken," Pansy said.

The six Slytherins watched in bewilderment as the two adults wrestled with each other. There was shouting from the Weasley children and a woman Lynea assumed was Mrs Weasley. The shopkeeper tried breaking the two men apart and the crowd was not helping matters. In the end, it was Hagrid, who waded through the crowd and pulled Lucius Malfoy and Arthur Weasley apart.

Mr Malfoy pulled himself out of Hagrid's grip, spotted Draco and the others among the crowd and beckoned to them, before sweeping from the shop.

"That was a new low, even for my father," Draco murmured. "I wonder what it was about."

"He insulted the Weasleys and my family," came Hermione's voice from behind them. She made a shooing motion with her hand. "Go on, you can't be seen talking to me. I will tell you about it later."

The six Slytherins squeezed through the crowd and then, once they were finally outside, took a moment to just breathe.

Mr Malfoy was already waiting impatiently for them and Draco, Lynea and Harry said goodbye to their friends, before following him down the street. They made no stop at Quality Quidditch Supplies, although Mr Malfoy assured Draco that he would buy him a broom another day, and briskly made their way to the Leaky Cauldron, where the Malfoys left Lynea and Harry and then disapparated.

"How are we getting back now?" Harry asked.

"Floo powder. Here, let me show you."

Lynea led Harry to the fireplace in the corner and took a pinch of the glittering powder that stood in a bowl on the mantle piece. She threw it into the fire, which promptly turned green.

"Normally, people just step into it and shout out their destination. But Naenia's house is under special wards, so we need to do this a bit differently."

Lynea took out her wand and pricked one of her fingers. Then she said her grand-aunt's address into the fire, which flickered red. Only when she threw a few drops of her blood into it, did it turn back into an emerald green. Lynea nodded, satisfied, and turned back to Harry.

"Now you may go through. Tuck your arms in and close your eyes and then wait until the spinning stops. I will wait a bit to give you time to step out of the fireplace before I follow you."

Harry nodded at her with wide eyes and then carefully stepped into the fire. He vanished not a moment later. Lynea waited for a bit, then repeated the process of calling Naenia's address and letting her blood drip into the flames and followed Harry home.