XI. Occult
Beyond the range of ordinary knowledge or understanding, mysterious.
The house looks as though it had once been a large stone pigpen, but extra rooms have been added here and there until it's several stories high and so crooked it looks like it's held up by Magic, which it probably is. Four or five chimneys are perched on top of the red roof. A lopsided sign sticks in the ground near the entrance that reads, THE BURROW. Around the front door lies a jumble of rubber boots and a rusty cauldron. Several fat brown chickens peck their way around the yard. "It's not much." Ron says, looking at his home.
"It's wonderful," Harry replies happily, thinking of Privet Drive - his boring Muggle home - and the boys leave the car and head for the front door.
"Now, we'll go upstairs really quietly," Fred informs the others, "and wait for Mum to call us for breakfast. Then, Ron, you come bounding downstairs going, "Mum, look, who turned up in the night!" and she'll be all pleased to see Harry, and no one else need ever know we flew the car."
"Right." Ron nods. "Come on, Harry, I sleep at the - at the top -." He goes a nasty greenish colour, his eyes fixed on the house. The other three wheel around, all seeing the same thing. Mrs Weasley. She marches across the yard, scattering chickens, and for a short, plump, kind-faced woman, it is remarkable how much she looks like a sabre-toothed tiger.
"Ah," Fred mutters in fear of his mother.
"Oh, dear," George mumbles along with his brother as Molly comes to a halt in front of the four boys, her hands on her hips, staring from one guilty face to the next. She wears a flowered apron with a wand sticking out of her pocket.
"So," Molly hums, staring at them, making the boys sweat, wondering what she'll do next.
"Morning, Mum." He replies in what he clearly thinks is a jaunty, winning voice.
"Have you any idea how worried I've been?" She whispers in a deadly voice, sending chills down their spines.
"Sorry, Mum, but we had to -." Her son tries to tell her, but the glare she gives them makes them cower under her rage, even if they are all taller than her.
"Beds empty! No note! Car gone - could have crashed - out of my mind with worry - did you care? - never, as long as I've lived - you wait until your father gets home, we never had trouble like this from Bill or Charlie or Percy -." Mrs Weasley fumes, smoke coming out of her ears.
"Perfect, Percy." Fred mutters, rolling his eyes.
"YOU COULD DO WITH TAKING A LEAF OUT OF PERCY'S BOOK!" Molly yells, prodding a finger into Fred's chest. "You could have died, you could have been seen, you could have lost your father his job -." It seems to go on for hours. Mrs Weasley shouts hoarsely before turning to Harry, who backs away, wondering if she'll start shouting at him next. "I'm very pleased to see you, Harry, dear." She smiles, her demeanour changing drastically. Molly is now lovely and kind. "Come in and have some breakfast." She turns and walks back into the house, leading a nervous Harry inside and he glances over his shoulder at Ron, who nods encouragingly at him, following them inside.
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑵
Inside the Weasley house, the kitchen is small and somewhat cramped. A scrubbed wooden table and chairs are in the middle, and Harry sits on the edge of his seat, looking around. He has never been in a Wizard house before.
The clock on the wall opposite him has only one hand and no numbers. Written around the edge are things like "Time to make tea", "Time to feed the chickens", and "You're late". Books are stacked three deep on the mantelpiece, books with titles like "Charm Your Own Cheese", Enchantment in Baking", and "One Minute Feasts - It's Magic!" And unless Harry's ears are deceiving him, the old radio next to the side has just announced that coming up is "Witching Hour, with the popular singing Sorceress, Celestina Warbeck". Harry remembers her because of Jayla, who hums the songs often.
Mrs Weasley is clattering around, cooking breakfast a little haphazardly, throwing dirty looks at her sons as she throws sausages into the frying pan. Occasionally, she mutters things like "don't know what you were thinking of" and "never would have believe it".
"I don't blame you, dear," Molly assures Harry, tipping eight or nine sausages onto his plate. "Arthur and I have been worried about you, too. Just last night, we were saying we'd come and get you ourselves if you hadn't written back to Ron by Friday. But really," She adds three fried eggs onto his plate, "flying an illegal car halfway across the country - anyone could have seen you -." She flicks her wand casually at the dishes in the sink, which begin to clean themselves, clinking gently in the background.
"It was cloudy, Mum!" Fred argues, his mouth full.
"You keep your mouth closed while you're eating!" Molly snaps.
"They were starving him, Mum!" George adds, defending his brother.
"And you!" She turns to him, but it's a slightly softened expression that she starts cutting Harry's bread and buttering it for him. A small redheaded figure in a long nightdress appears in the kitchen, creating a diversion, who gives a slight squeal and runs out again.
"Ginny." Ron says in an undertone to Harry. "My sister. She's been talking about you all summer." He leans to his friend, not wanting his brothers to overhear. "Like someone else we know. With blond and black hair." Harry blushes, thinking of the said girl.
"Yeah, she'll be wanting your autograph, Harry." Fred jokes with a grin, but he catches his mother's eye and bends his face over his breakfast without another word. Nothing more is said until all four plates are clean, which takes a surprisingly short time. "Blimey, I'm tired," He yawns, setting down his knife and fork. "I think I'll go to bed and -."
"You will not." Molly snaps. "It's your own fault you've been up all night. You're going to de-gnome the garden for me; they're getting completely out of hand again -."
"Oh, Mum -." He whines, the lack of sleep catching up to him.
"And you two," She says, glaring at Ron and George. "You can go up to bed, dear." She adds, looking at Harry. "You didn't ask them to fly that wretched car -."
"I'll help Ron. I've never seen a de-gnoming -." Harry replies quickly, feeling wide awake.
"That's very sweet of you, dear, but it's dull work." Mrs Weasley tells him. "Now, let's see what Lockhart's got to say on the subject -." She pulls a heavy book from the stack on the mantelpiece, making George groan.
"Mum, we know how to de-gnome a garden -." George argues, and Harry looks at the cover of the book. The words "Gilderoy Lockhart's Guide to Household Pests" are written across it in fancy gold letters. There's a big photograph on the front of an attractive Wizard with blond hair and bright blue eyes. As always in the Wizarding World, the picture is moving; the Wizard, Harry guesses is Gilderoy Lockhart, keeps winking cheekily up at them. Molly beams down at him.
"Oh, he is marvellous." Mrs Weasley muses. "He knows his household pests, all right, it's a wonderful book…."
"Mum fancies him." Fred jokes in a very audible whisper.
"Don't be so ridiculous, Fred." Molly scolds her son, her cheeks going rather pink. "All right, if you think you know better than Lockhart, you can go and get on with it, and woe betide you if there's a single gnome in that garden when I come out to inspect it."
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑵
Sometimes later, after de-gnoming the garden, the front door slams, alerting the Weasley boys to the arrival of their father. "He's back!" George shouts. "Dad't home!" The Weasley sons hurry through the garden and back into the house to find Mr Weasley slumped in a kitchen chair with his glasses off and eyes closed. He's a thin man, going bald, but his little hair is as red as any of his children's. He wears long green robes, which are dusty and travel-worn.
"What a night," Arthur mumbles, groping for the teapot as they all sit around him. "Nine raids. Nine! And old Mundungus Fletcher tried to put a Hex on me when I had my back turned…." He takes a long gulp of tea and sighs.
"Find anything Dad?" Fred asks eagerly.
"All I got were a few shrinking door keys and biting kettle," Mr Weasley yawns. "There was some pretty nasty stuff that wasn't extremely odd ferrets, but that's the Committee on Experimental Charms, thank goodness…."
"Why would anyone bother making door keys shrink?" George questions, frowning.
"Just Muggle-baiting," He sighs. "Sell them a key that keeps shrinking to nothing so they can never find it when they need it. Of course, it's very hard to convict anyone because no Muggle would admit their key keeps shrinking - they'll insist they just keep losing it. Bless them. They'll go to any lengths to ignore Magic, even if it's staring them in the face… But the things our lot have taken to enchanting, you wouldn't believe -."
"LIKE CARS, FOR INSTANCE?" Molly shouts, appearing, holding a long poker like a sword. Arthur's eyes jerk open. He stares guiltily at his wife.
"C-Cars, Molly, dear?" Arthur questions, feigning confusion.
"Yes, Arthur, cars," She growls, her eyes flashing. "Imagine a Wizard buying a rusty old car and telling his wife all he wanted to do with it was take it apart to see how it worked, while really he was enchanting it to make it fly." Mr Weasley blinks.
"Well, dear, I think you'll find that he would be quite within that law to do that, even if - er - he maybe would have done better to, um, tell his wife the truth… There's a loophole in the law, you'll find… As long as he wasn't intending to fly the car, the fact that the car could fly wouldn't -." Arthur explains nervously.
"Arthur Weasley, you made sure there was a loophole when you wrote that law!" Molly shouts. "Just so you could carry on tinkering with all that Muggle rubbish in your shed! And for your information, Harry arrived this morning in the car you weren't intending to fly."
"Harry?" He asks blankly. "Harry, who?" He looks around and sees the boy, making him jump. "Good lord, is it Harry Potter? Very pleased to meet you. Ron's told us so much about -."
"Your sons flew that car to Harry's house and back last night!" She shouts. "What have you got to say about that, eh?"
"Did you really?" Arthur asks eagerly, looking at his sons. "Did it go all right? I - I mean," He falters as sparks fly from Mrs Weasley's eyes, "that - that was very wrong, boys - very wrong indeed…."
"Let's leave them to it," Ron mutters to Harry as his Mum swells like a bullfrog. "Come on, I'll show you my bedroom." They slip out of the kitchen and down a narrow passageway to an uneven staircase, which winds its way, zigzagging up through the house. On the third landing, a door stands ajar. Harry catches sight of a pair of bright brown eyes staring at him before it closes with a snap. "Ginny. You don't know how weird it is for her to be this shy. She never shuts up normally -."
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑵
The boys climb two more flights until they reach a door with peeling paint and a small plaque saying "RONALD'S ROOM". Harry steps in, his head almost touching the sloping ceiling, and blinks. It is like walking into a furnace: Nearly everything in Ron's room seems to be a violent shade of orange: bedspread, the walls, even the ceiling. Then Harry realises Ron has covered nearly every inch of the shabby wallpaper with posters of the same seven Witches and Wizards, all wearing bright orange robes, carrying broomsticks, and waving energetically.
"Your Quidditch team?" Harry asks, pointing at the posters.
"The Chudley Cannons," Ron answers, pointing at the orange bedspread emblazoned with two giant black C's and a speeding cannonball. "Ninth in the league." Ron's school spellbooks are stacked untidily in a corner, next to a pile of comics that all seem to feature "The Adventures of Martin Miggs, the Mad Muggle". Ron's Magic wand is lying on top of a fish tank full of frogspawn on the windowsill, next to his fat grey rat, Scabbers, who is snoozing in a patch of sun.
Harry steps over a pack of Self-Shuffling playing cards on the floor and looks out of the tiny window. In the field far below, he can see a gang of gnomes sneaking one by one back through the Weasley's hedge. Then he turns to look at Ron, who watches him almost nervously as though waiting for his opinion. "It's a bit small," Ron says quickly. "Not like that room you had with the Muggles. And I'm right underneath the ghoul in the attic; he's always banging on the pipes and groaning…." But Harry grins widely, looking around the room.
"This is the bed house I've ever been in," Harry replies, making Ron's ears pink.
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑵
Tuesday, 18th Auguest 1992
Dear Journal,
The summer is almost over now. After spending a week at my house, Ron and Hermione went home some time ago. Still waiting to hear from Harry. But I got a letter from Ron a few weeks ago to let us know he'd saved Harry from the Dursleys.
I even got a letter from Harry. I quickly sent one back and his birthday presents from me and my family. A Golden Snitch plushie and the book "Quidditch Through The Ages". He sent a letter back saying he loved it and one from Ron saying he was a little envious, but I promised to get him a good present for Christmas this year.
I received my Hogwarts acceptance letter to return for my second year yesterday, and I have to say I am confused by the list of books for DADA seems oddly scary, and Dad says it's a joke. I don't like the thought of Gilderoy Lockhart as my new Professor. The idea is weird and wrong. I've heard rumours about him from my parents, and they're unpleasant.
We have to go to Diagon Alley for all my new school supplies for the new school year, and we'll hopefully be able to see Harry after no contact all summer. I've been worried about him.
I hope we see him tomorrow at Diagon Alley as I'm meeting Hermione there.
Heiress.
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑵
The next day, Mrs Weasley picks up a pot from the mantelpiece in the Weasley house, the Burrow. "You first, Harry, dear." Molly offers him the flower pot, and a layer of very soft dust is at the bottom. Harry frowns in confusion, never having seen the Magical dust before.
"But Harry's never travelled by Floo Powder before, Mum." Ron argues, seeing the confusion on his friend's face.
"Floo Powder?" Harry repeats, frowning again.
"Oh, well, you go first, Ron, so that Harry can see how it's done. Yes. In you go. That's it." Molly instructs him, and he takes some of the powder into the fireplace.
"Diagon Alley!" Ron yells, throwing the handful of dust to his feet and, with a flash of green flames, disappearing when the fire dies down.
"You see? It's quite easy, dear. Don't be afraid. Come on. Come on. In you go. That's it. Mind your head." She encourages him, helping the raven-haired boy into the fireplace. "That's right. Now, take your Floo Powder." Harry grabs a handful of the dust, and she steps away. "That's it, very good. Now, don't forget to speak very, very clearly."
"Diagonally!" Harry yelps, throwing the powder at his feet and disappearing with a flash of green flames.
"What did he say, dear?" Molly questions, looking at her husband.
"Diagonally," Arthur repeats, and the parents look at the fireplace, worrying for the boy.
"I thought he did." She mutters, looking at the fireplace and the rest of her children.
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑵
"Mama!" Mason shouts. "Tell Yazmin to stop pulling on my jacket!" Yazmin gets overwhelmed by the large crowd in Diagon Alley as the Wizarding family come to get Jayla's school supplies for Hogwarts. They've got her new school uniform, as the young Heiress has had a little growth spurt over the summer. Jayla, of course, buys more stuff for her classes and even some accessories for her dorm room.
"Baby, come here." Daniel calls her, picking the young girl into his arms and carrying her around. Jayla laughs, taking Mason's hand as they walk to Flourish and Blotts, the bookshop, to get the random books on the list.
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑵
Meanwhile, Harry falls face forward onto the cold stone floor of a shop, feeling the bridge of his glasses snap from the crash landing. The raven-haired boy gingerly gets to his feet, feeling dizzy and bruised, covered in soot and holds his broken glasses up to his eyes. Harry's alone, but the ravenette has no idea where he is. All Harry can tell is that he's standing in the stone fireplace of what looks like a giant, dimly lit Wizard's shop - but nothing in there is ever likely to be on a Hogwarts school list.
A glass case nearby holds a withered hand on a cushion, a bloodstained pack of cards, and a staring glass eye. Evil-looking masks stare down from the walls, an assortment of human bones lie upon the counter, and rusty, spiked instruments hang from the ceiling. Even worse, Harry can see the dark, narrow street through the dusty shop window is definitely not Diagon Alley.
The sooner he gets out of there, the better. Nose still stinging where it hit the hearth, Harry makes his way swiftly and silently toward the door. Before he gets halfway toward it, two people appear on the other side of the glass. One of them is the very last person Harry wants to meet when he's lost, covered in soot, and wearing broken glasses. Draco Malfoy. Jayla's cousin.
Harry glances around and spots a large black cabinet to his left, shoots inside it, and pulls the doors closed, leaving a small crack to peer through. Seconds later, the bell chimes and Malfoy steps into the shop.
The man who follows can only be Draco's father. He has the same pale, pointed face and cold, grey eyes. Mr Malfoy crosses the shop, looking lazily at the items on display, and rings a bell on the counter before turning to his son and saying, "Touch nothing, Draco."
"I thought you were going to buy me a present?" Draco whines, reaching for the glass eye.
"I said I would buy you a racing broom." His father replies, drumming his fingers on the counter.
"What the good of that if I'm not on the House team?" He complains, looking sulkily and bad-tempered. "Harry Potter got a Nimbus 2000 last year. Special permission from Dumbledore so he could play for Gryffindor. He's not even that good; it's just because he's famous… famous for having a stupid scar on his forehead…." The young Malfoy bends to examine a shelf full of skulls. "...everyone thinks he's so smart, wonderful Potter with his scar and his broomstick -."
"You have told me this at least a dozen times already," Lucius remarks, with a quelling look at his son. "And I would remind you that it is not - prudent - to appear less than fond of Harry Potter, not when most of our kind regard him as the hero who made the Dark Lord disappear - ah, Mr Borgin." A stooping man appears behind the counter, smoothing his greasy hair from his face.
"Mr Malfoy, what a pleasure to see you again," Mr Borgin greets in a voice as oily as his hair. "Delighted - and young Master Malfoy, too - charmed. How many I be of assistance? I must show you just in today and very reasonably priced -."
"I'm not buying today, Mr Borgin, but selling," He cuts the shop owner off.
"Selling?" The smile fades slightly from Mr Borgin's face.
"You have heard, of course, that the Ministry is conducting more raids," Mr Malfoy informs the man, taking a roll of parchment from his inside pocket and unravelling it for Mr Borgin to read. "I have a few - ah - items at home that might embarrass me if the Ministry were to call…." Mr Borgin fixes a pair of pince-nez to his nose and looks at the list.
"The Ministry wouldn't presume to trouble you, sir, surely?" Mr Borgin questions, making Lucius' lips curve at the mention of the Wizarding government.
"I have not been visited yet. The name Malfoy still commands a certain respect, yet the Ministry grows ever more meddlesome. There are rumours about a new Muggle Protection Act - no doubt that flea-bitten, Muggle-loving fool Arthur Weasley is behind it -." Harry feels a hot surge of anger at the disrespect from the blond prat. "- as you see, certain of these poisons might make it appear -."
"I understand, sir, of course," He nods. "Let me see…"
"Can I have that?" Draco interrupts, pointing at the withered hand on its cushion.
"Ah, the Hand of Glory!" Mr Borgin exclaims, abandoning Lucius' list and scurries over to the boy. "Insert a candle, and it gives light only to the holder! Best friend of thieves and plunderers! Your son has fine taste, sir."
"I hope my son will amount to more than a thief or a plunderer, Borgin," Lucius remarks coldly.
"No offence, sir, no offence meant -." He says quickly.
"Though if his grades don't pick up," Mr Malfoy warns the boy, more coldly still, "that may indeed be all he is fit for -."
"It's not my fault," Draco retorts. "The teachers all have favourites, that Hermione Granger -."
"I would have thought you'd be ashamed that a girl of no Wizard family beats you in every exam." Lucius snaps. "Your cousin does the same. You should follow in her footsteps."
"Ha!" Harry accidentally says under his breath, pleased to see Draco looking both ashamed and angry, knowing who he's talking about. Thinking of the blond and black-haired girl.
"It's the same all over," Mr Borgin comments in his oily voice. "Wizard blood is counting for less everywhere -."
"Not with me," Lucius snaps, flaring his long nostrils.
"No, sir, nor with me, sir." He stutters with a deep bow.
"In that case, perhaps we can return to my list." Malfoy says shortly. "I am in something of a hurry, Borgin. I have important business elsewhere today -." They start haggling. Harry nervously watches Draco draw nearer and nearer to his hiding place, examining the objects for sale. The young Malfoy pauses to look at a long coil of hangman's rope and to read, smirking, the card propped on a magnificent necklace of opals.
Caution: Do Not Touch, Cursed - Has Claimed the Lives of Nineteen Muggle Owners to Date.
Draco turns away and sees the cabinet right in front of him. He walks forward - stretching out his hand for the handle. "Done," Lucius announces at the counter. "Come, Draco -." Harry wipes his forehead on his sleeve as Draco turns away. "Good day to you, Mr Borgin. I'll expect you at the manor tomorrow to pick up the goods." The moment the door closes, Mr Borgin drops his oily manner.
"Good day yourself, Mister Malfoy, and if the stories are true, you haven't sold me half of what's hidden in your manor…." Mr Borgin mutters darkly and disappears into the back room. Harry waits for a minute in case he comes back, then, quietly as he can, slips out of the cabinet, past the glass cases, and out of the shop door.
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑵
Once outside, Harry fits his broken glasses to his face and spots a street sign that reads "Knockturn Alley". The vendors in the dark alley cater to the Dark Arts. Harry looks around in fright and sees a window teeming with spiders as he glances around. "Not lost, are you, my dear?" An elderly Witch asks the frightened boy as he wheels, looking into the mossy teeth of a decrepit woman as she holds a tray of human fingernails.
"I'm fine, thanks. I'm just -." Harry mutters, looking for a way out.
"Come with us." She coos, scaring him as he gets surrounded by others. "We'll help you find your way back.
"No, please -." He pleads, seeing nowhere out when a giant shadow looms over them from the top of the stairs.
"HARRY!" He hears a familiar voice shout and spins around to see Hagrid standing at the top of the stairs. "What d'yer think yer doin' down 'here?"
"Hagrid?" The ravenette exclaims in happiness, and Hagrid knocks the tray from the cursing woman, then seizes Harry by the scruff of his neck and steers him away from the dark alley.
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑵
Inside Flourish and Blotts, it's packed with Witches and Wizards of all ages. Jayla looks around, seeing most of the people inside are Witches and spots Hermione standing with her parents. "Hermione!" Jayla calls to her, making the Muggle-born turn around to face her, and they race to each other, meeting in the middle. "I've missed you, but what is going on?" She asks, looking around the shop.
"Gilderly Lockhart is here to sign his new book, Magical Me. Isn't it exciting!" Hermione gushes, making Jayla shake her head at her friend's excitement.
"Hermione, Jayla!" Ron calls to the girls, and they turn to see the Weasley clan walk inside, looking a little flustered. "Have you seen Harry?" He asks them, stepping over, a bit dusty from using the Floo Powder, and the girls shake their heads.
"What happened?" Jayla demands, glaring at him.
"I had to rescue him from his Muggle aunt and uncle who put bars on his windows, and well, we used the Floo Powder, but apparently, he said Diagonally instead." He explains rapidly, and she shakes her head.
"We should split up and then meet up back here in 30 minutes." Hermione orders them, and they leave the shop quickly after telling their parents before splitting off.
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑵
Hagrid pulls Harry out of the dark alley into the light of Diagon Alley, the half-giant swats the dirt off Harry's robes, but it doesn't get it all off. "Yer a mess! Skulkin' 'round Knockturn Alley. Dodgy place, Harry. Don't want no one ter see yeh down there. People'll be thinkin' yer up ter no good." Hagrid warns him.
"I was lost. I - Hang on. What were you doing down there?" Harry asks him, frowning.
"I was lookin' fer a Flesh Eatin' Slug Repellent. They're runnin' the school cabbages." He answers, holding up a green tank full of the deadly liquid.
"Harry!" Hermione yells, spotting her friend with the half-giant as she exits the pet shop. Harry looks up to see her jogging towards them. "Hagrid!"
"Hello, Hermione." Hagrid greets her with a fond smile.
"Oh, it so great to see you!" She smiles.
"Oh, it's great to see you too." Harry replies, glad to see another of his friends and wonders where Jayla might be. His mind was on the young Heiress, his crush having intensified over the summer.
"What did you do to your glasses?" The young witch asks, seeing the cracks and bent frame. "Oculus Reparo." She waves her wand around, and a spark emerges, fixing his glasses instantly.
"I definitely need to remember that one." Harry remarks with a smile, moving his glasses from his head, amazed.
"You'll be all right now then, Harry?" Hagrid asks, looking at them, and they nod. "Right. I'll leave you to it, then."
"Thank you. Bye." Hermione waves.
"Bye." Harry smiles, and Hagrid walks off, leaving the tweens.
"Come on, everyone's been so worried." She tells him, leading him to Flourish and Blotts, where everyone awaits them.
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑵
Jayla can't find Harry and walks back to the bookshop with Ron, but there's no sign of Hermione but sees her parents with Molly and Ginny Weasley in the cue waiting to get their books. Sophia holds the large assortment of books, and Daniel laughs at his wife's misfortune as he carries Yazmin. "Couldn't find him?" Sophia asks, seeing her daughter and Ron alone.
"No." They shake their heads.
"I hope he's all right. He's had an awful summer." Ron comments, making Jayla look at him.
"What do you mean?" Jayla asks him, but before he can say anything, Hermione and Harry step inside, joining the large group, and Molly fusses over him.
"Harry. Oh, Harry! Thank goodness! We'd hoped you'd only gone one grate too far…." Molly comments, dusting him off, and Jayla walks over to him as they stand behind their parents.
"You had us worried." She mutters, looking at him.
"Ladies and gentlemen. Mr Gilderoy Lockhart." The shop owner announces, and everyone starts clapping as Lockhart swags out from the back with a smug look. Sophia even claps for him, but Daniel doesn't look overly happy.
"Ah! Here he is!" Molly gushes, prepping herself.
"Mum fancies him." Ron teases his mother, who lightly shoves him playfully, repeating what Fred said earlier that morning.
"Make way there. Please! Let me by, madam. Thank you. Excuse me, little girl! This is for the Daily Prophet!" A report pushes through the crowd to the front, and Gilderoy sucks up the attention, posing for the camera, but his smile falls, spotting Harry within the group.
"It can't be - Harry Potter?" Lockhart questions, and he flashes another smile, coming up with an idea.
"Harry Potter! The reporter gushes and grabs the boy, pulling him from the crowd. "Excuse me, madam." He pulls the famous young Wizard toward the blond man, who draws Harry into his side, loving the publicity.
"Nice big smile, Harry. Together you and I rate the front page!" Lockhart comments, and the reporter takes photos of the two famous Wizards. "Ladies and gentlemen, what an extraordinary moment this is. When young Harry stepped into Flourish and Blotts this morning to purchase my autobiography, Magical Me…." Everyone claps, cheering for him.
"Fake…" Daniel coughs into his hand, making Jayla giggle, and Sophia rolls her eyes.
"Silly, Daddy," Yazmin giggles.
"...which incidentally is currently celebrating its 27th week atop the Daily Prophet bestsellers list, he had no idea that he would, in fact, be leaving…." Lockhart announces to the public, and the shopkeeper hands him a stack of books and then hands them to Harry. "…with my entire collected works. Free of charge." He pushes Harry away, now wanting the full attention again as they applaud. "Now, ladies?" Gilderoy sits at the table, ready to sign books, and Harry walks to the others with his arms carrying the large set of books.
"Harry, now you give me those, and I'll get them signed." Molly tells him, taking the books.
"All of you wait outside." Sophia instructs the children, and they pass the adults toward the door. Jayla continues to walk outside with the others, holding Mason's hand.
"I'll bet you loved that, didn't you, Potter?" Draco announces himself after ripping out a page from a book. The Darkmore Heiress looks up to see her dear snotty cousin walking downstairs to join them, looking slightly announced. "Famous Harry Potter! Can't even go into a bookshop without making the front page."
"Leave him alone." Ginny warns the arrogant Malfoy, stepping forward with a glare on her cute face.
"Oh, look, Potter. You've got yourself a girlfriend." Draco teases him.
"Enough, Draco." Jayla snaps, surprising her brother, looking between them.
"Hello, cousin. Sticking up with him still?" He glares, stepping in front of her and goes to say something when Lucius places the tip of his cane onto his shoulder, gaining their attention.
"Now, now Draco, play nicely, Mr Potter…." Lucius says, moving his son to the side and stepping before the group. "Lucius Malfoy." He shakes his hand. "We meet at last." He pulls Harry toward him, placing the tip of his cane on Harry's forehead, moving his hair away, and showing his scar. "Forgive me; your scar is a legend. As, of course, is the Wizard who gave it to you."
"Voldemort killed my parents." Harry replies vehemently, pulling away. "He was nothing more than a murderer."
"Hmm. You must be very brave to mention his name… or very foolish." He comments, looking at the boy.
"Fear of a name only increases fear of the thing itself," Hermione adds, stepping over to the other, making him glance at her, and Draco glares at the Muggle-born.
"And you must be... Miss Granger." Lucius questions, looking at his son, who nods. "Yes, Draco's told me all about you and your parents." The older Malfoy looks to see Arthur talking with her parents. "Muggles, aren't they?" He turns to the rest of the group. "Let me see… red hair, vacant expressions… tatty second-hand books." Lucius picks up the book from Ginny's cauldron. "You must be the Weasleys." Arthur walks over to the children, stopping his verbal assault on the children.
"Children, it's mad in here! Let's go outside." Arthur suggests, looking at them.
"Well, well, well. Weasley senior." He greets the man overly smug.
"Lucius." Mr Weasley greets him back a little hesitantly.
"Busy time at the Ministry, Arthur, all those extra raids? I do hope they're paying you overtime, but judging by the state of this, I'd say not." Lucius remarks, showing the tatty book. "What is the use in being a disgrace to the name of Wizard if they don't even pay you well for it."
"We have a very different idea about what disgraces the name of Wizard, Malfoy," Arthur replies firmly, and Jayla respects him for standing up to her uncle.
"Clearly. Associating with Muggles…" He tuts and steps forward, placing the book back in Ginny's cauldron with an added addition that doesn't go unnoticed by Harry. "...and I thought your family could sink no lower." Arthur smiles at his family, trying to assure them. "I'll see you at work." He strolls away, and Draco steps toward the Golden Quartet with a grim look.
"See you at school." Draco sneers and walks away with his usual smug stroll.
"Dracey!" Yazmin shouts, running to the others and through the Weasley crowd toward the blond boy, who stops in the doorway as she hugs his leg. "You didn't say hello! Mummy says that's bad manners!"
"Yeah, cousin, where's the hello," Jayla jokes, feeling the others who don't know looking at her strangely.
"Sweetheart, was that your Uncle Lucius?" Sophia asks, looking at her children and handing Jayla her books, and Daniel seems sour, probably because of Gilderoy Lockhart.
"Yeah, he was his usual delightful self," She comments with sass, earning snickers from the Weasleys, and Sophia gives her oldest daughter a withering look. However, Daniel tries to hide his laugh.
"Enough, Jayla. Wait here." She tells them and walks off, trying to find her older brother, probably to talk.
"Arthur, good to see you again." Daniel says, making the man grin, shaking hands enthusiastically.
"Good to see you too, Daniel." Mr Weasley replies, and Sophia groans, walking back inside.
"That insufferable toerag." Sophia grumbles, surprising the others with her cursing.
"Let's go get some lunch. Mason's hungry." Daniel announces, shocking the youngsters of the group.
"How did he know that?" Harry asks, and Jayla shakes her head.
"Trust me. You do not want to know." Jayla replies, making him frown. "Maybe when you're older."
"Leaky Cauldron?" Sophia suggests, and Molly rejoins the group as they agree, walking out of the bookshop, leaving the crowded shop of poor Witches fooled by the pompous faker.
"Older?" Harry mutters, looking at Ron, who shrugs.
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑵
The large Witches and Wizards group makes it to the Leaky Cauldron pub, sitting at one of the larger tables. Jayla sits between her sister and Hermione, facing Ron and Harry, who has her Dad next to him and Mason next to Ron. "I can't believe he's famous. He looks so normal." Yazmin whispers loudly at her older sister, making her smile as Yazmin points at Harry, who can hear and see her.
"That's right, he is famous." Jayla replies, and Daniel glances at Harry with an intrigued look.
"We haven't officially met yet, Daniel Darkmore." He introduces himself to Harry, who shakes his hand firmly.
"That's my Mum, Sophia talking to Mrs Weasley, and next to Ron is Mason, and this is Yazmin." She introduces her family, pointing them out, and Daniel turns his head, looking at Arthur, who sits across from him.
"How many raids was it last night?" Daniel asks Mr Weasley, seeming very interested in the older redheaded man's work.
"Nine. How was work last night? Find anything interesting?" Arthur asks, and the boys look at the young Heiress.
"Dad runs the Department of Unidentified Magical Objects." Jayla answers their unanswered question.
"There isn't one at the Ministry of Magic." Ron scoffs, and she nods smugly.
"Yeah, I know. But they do at MACUS, though." She replies, smirking at the boys, who seem impressed.
"What's MACUS?" Harry asks.
"I keep forgetting how clueless you are about all of this." The young Heiress comments. "Not in a bad way, Harry. It's quite refreshing. See, MACUSA is in America." She explains, seeing the surprise on his face. "It's like our Ministry of Magic. Where my Mum works in the Department of Mysteries."
"That's kind of cool." Ron comments.
"It is. The Department of Mysteries is very fascinating really." Hermione remarks, eating.
"Jayjay, when do you go back to school?" Mason asks his older sister with a pout.
"In 2 weeks, that's why we've gotten my things." Jayla informs him, and Yazmin clings to her arm, not wanting her to go again. "You'll see me for Christmas, like last time. I promise."
"I know, but I'll miss you." Yazmin whines adorably, making Jayla laugh at her clingy attitude. "Do you think the bad thing Mummy said will come true?" This gets everyone's attention, making them turn to Sophia, who blushes at being in the spotlight.
"What did you see, dear?" Molly asks in concern for the children.
"Well, I saw a -." Sophia explains her vision which happened last week.
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑵
A week before, Jayla was walking around the manor on her way to the library when she heard glass smashing downstairs in the kitchen. She raced down the stairs and the long hallway to the kitchen and found her mother standing in a trance with glass all around her feet. Jayla stepped slowly toward Sophia and knelt to pick up the pieces of glass surrounding her feet when Flora raced into the room. "Mistress! Please don't!" Flora shouted, helping the young Heiress with the shards. Sophia suddenly took a deep breath, meaning her vision had ended.
"What did you see, Mum?" Jayla asked her, and Sophia looked down, finally seeing her daughter and House-elf, and knelt down to help them collect the glass shards.
"I don't want to scare you." Sophia replied but remembered her vision and the image of her daughter. "I saw a giant snake in an underground chamber, water and stone, then a shadowy figure, but it's too dark to make out who it was. But I know it's dangerous, and I fear it may be only the beginning." She looked at her daughter. "And I saw you."
"Me?" The young Heiress squeaked as a shiver climbed down her spine at the thought of what that could mean.
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑵
Sophia finishes telling everyone about her vision but leaves out the part about seeing her daughter. "Sorry to worry you, but I'm sure it's nothing too bad." She lies, and Jayla sees her parents share a look.
"Mama, can we get some dessert?" Mason asks, changing the gloomy subject and lighting the mood around the table.
"Sure, but eat all of your veg." Sophia tells him, and he nods, digging into his food, and the rest of them eat, continuing their light conversation.
"Are you excited for Quidditch, Harry?" Jayla asks him.
"Oh yeah." Harry answers, smiling.
"I'd love to play." She replies.
"You can play?" He asks her, and she nods.
"Sure. Mason's pretty good too." The young Heiress comments, and he looks at the boy next to him, greedily eating his vegetables.
"What position?" The spectacled boy questions.
"Chaser. Mason's a good Keeper. Yazmin beginning her training." Jayla tells them, surprising them.