Oh, hey, look who's back?
We're on the fourth chapter of Chamber of Secrets (since chapters 1 and 2 were combined). We get to see Hermione again, and also have some fun in Diagon Alley.
As always, I only claim my OC. I hope you enjoy this update!
The moment Susanna stepped foot inside the Burrow, she knew it would be the complete opposite of life in Privet Drive. Her parents house was decorated as though it had been photographed for an interior design catalog, all show. No mess was allowed - except for in Dudley's bedroom. It all felt so terribly dull.
The Burrow was alive, bursting with the wonderfully bizarre. The ghoul in the attic howled and dropped pipes when he felt it'd become too quiet. The mirror over the kitchen mantlepiece spoke, commenting on everyones' appearances. Small explosions could be heard from the twins' bedroom.
But the strangest part of all was how much the Weasleys liked the cousins. Susanna almost cried whenever she saw Mrs. Weasley fussing over Harry, both happy with the maternal affection he was receiving and mourning the loss of her own relationship with her mother. That wasn't to say Mrs. Weasley didn't do the same for Susanna, but she could at least remember the love Petunia Dursley had once had for her. Mr. Weasley was just fun. He had a great sense of humor, and never ran out of questions to ask the cousins about the Muggle world. "Fascinating!" He declared when Harry and Susanna explained how telephones worked. "Ingenious, really, how many ways Muggles have found of getting along without magic."
Being around the Weasley siblings was a relief for the cousins, who'd only had each other for company the first half of summer holiday. Both agreed that if they'd been confined to their bedroom at Privet Drive any longer, neither of them would have made it out alive. Harry mainly hung out with Ron and the twins. Susanna knew Percy was serious and occasionally standoffish, but she made a habit of having afternoon tea with him, more than happy to have someone to discuss her upcoming classes with. He was more than happy to check her summer homework, much to Susanna's relief as she'd never felt so far behind academically in her life. Percy had even loaned her his copy of Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2 by Miranda Goshawk, only asking she keep it in pristine condition, as he intended to give it to Ron since the twins' copies had long been lost. He'd even sworn her and Ginny - who always joined them - to secrecy about why he'd been hiding in his room all summer. Two words: Penelope Clearwater. Ginny's third oldest brother had told the two girls enough about his crush to fill an entire book.
While Ginny was certainly shy around Harry, constantly running anyway from the confused boy, in the privacy of her room, she was as bold as the twins. They talked about what she might expect her first year at Hogwarts, Susanna making sure to tell her that whatever house she was sorted into - though she doubted she'd be placed anywhere but Gryffindor - she could always come to her and Hermione. She loved listening to Ginny talk about growing up at the Burrow, surrounded by magic. How annoying her older brothers could be, how much she missed Bill and Charlie.
That wasn't to say Susanna didn't spend time with her cousin, Ron, or the twins. She did. A large bulk of her time, in fact. Mainly in the paddock on the Weasleys' property, learning how to play Quidditch. It was during these long hours of practice that they all learned she'd make a fair Chaser, though the twins constant reminding that the Gryffindor team "needed all the help they could get, Chasers are always the first to get injured" made her less enthused to try out. While she wasn't a natural like Harry, she'd proven herself a strong flier in their first year.
A week after arriving at the Burrow, they finally received their letters from Hogwarts. They'd been delivered on an especially sunny morning, just before breakfast. Susanna had already been in the kitchen, sitting beside Ginny as had become the routine. The girls often whispered to each other, the older of the redheads not wanting her to feel left out, especially with how shy she'd become around the Boy Who Lived. Ron and Harry were the last to join them, the red-haired girl smiling at how relaxed her cousin looked.
As soon as she saw Harry, Ginny knocked over her bowl of porridge, the whole thing clattering loudly. She dove under the table to grab it while Susanna glowered at the twins, who were chuckling at their sister's plight. Thankfully, Harry - and by some miracle, Ron as well - had more tact, pretending to have not noticed what happened, instead sitting with the rest of the Weasleys.
"Letters from school." Mr. Weasley announced once everyone was present. He passed the yellowed envelopes around, the twins switching theirs. "Dumbledore already knows you two are here, doesn't miss a trick, that man." He told Susanna and Harry as he handed the cousins their letters.
The kitchen was silent as they read the contents of their envelopes. Susanna's reminded her to catch the Hogwarts Express at King's Cross on September 1st, before eleven. A list of new books was also included:
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
"You've been told to get all Lockhart's books, too!" Fred cried out, having read Harry's list from over the boy's shoulder. "The new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher must be a fan - bet it's a witch." When he noticed his mother's expression, the older of the twins returned to smothering his toast with marmalade.
"That lot won't come cheap." George pointed out, glancing quickly at his parents. "Lockhart's books are really expensive."
"Well, we'll manage." Mrs. Weasley murmured cheerfully, but Susanna noticed how her eyes were filled with worry, and the girl felt her stomach tie itself up in guilty knots, wondering if hers and Harry's presence had impacted their funds. "I expect we'll be able to pick up a lot of Ginny's things secondhand."
"Oh, are you starting at Hogwarts this year?" Harry asked Ginny, who's face became as red as her hair. No one but the cousins saw her put her elbow in the butter dish, Susanna discreetly using her napkin to clean Ginny's arm when the others became distracted by Percy's arrival.
"Thank you." The younger girl whispered.
"Us girls have to stick together." Susanna murmured back, even though the girl's crushing was slightly annoying to bear witness to.
"Morning, all." Percy greeted in a plain tone. "Lovely day." He was already dressed, Prefect badge pinned proudly to his vest. He began to lower himself onto an empty chair, but shot up like a rocket with a grey, molting owl in hand.
"Errol!" Ron cried out, taking the owl from Percy so he could extract a letter from under its wing. "Finally. He's got Hermione's answer." The boy announced to his friends. "I wrote to her saying we were going to try and rescue you from the Dursleys." He walked away to place Errol on a perch inside the back door, attempting to stand the old creature on it. The owl flopped straight off, so Ron rested him on the draining board instead, shaking his head. "Pathetic." He returned to the table, opening the letter and reading it out loud as he took a seat. "'Dear Ron, and Harry and Susanna, if you're there. I hope everything went alright and that Harry and Susanna are okay, because that would get them into trouble, too. I've been really worried and if they're alright, will you please let me know at once? But perhaps it would be better if you used a different owl, because I think another might finish the one off. I'm very busy with schoolwork, of course -' How can she be?" Ron interjected, horrified. "We're on vacation!"
"Don't act like I'm not about to make you two sit down and complete your own homework." Susanna warned. "If Hermione finds out I didn't, I'm just as dead as you two."
"Whatever." Ron rolled his eyes, then continued reading from the letter. "'And we're going to London next Wednesday to buy my new books. Why don't we meet in Diagon Alley? Let me know what's happening as soon as you can. Love from Hermione.'"
"Well, that fits in nicely, we can go and get all your things then, too." Mrs. Weasley said as she began clearing the table, shaking her head sternly when Susanna and Harry attempted to help. "What're you all up to today?"
"Quidditch." Ron replied quickly. "You two up for it?"
"I am. You know I am." Harry flashed a large smile at the redhead before turning to his cousin. "Suze?"
Seeing the loneliness in Ginny's eyes, Susanna shook her head. "Maybe later. Gin and I have plans."
"Y-yes, we do." The younger girl looked at her, relief clear on her face.
"I'll write Hermione back, I don't want her to think I've been ignoring her." Susanna told the boys. "I'll use Hedwig."
"That's probably for the best." Ron muttered, staring warily at a dozing Errol.
Mrs. Weasley woke them early the following Wednesday, filling everyone up with bacon sandwiches before urging them to put on their robes; Ginny wore a purple cloak. Susanna made sure she and Harry had their Gringotts keys, tucking them safely in her mini shoulder bag.
It was something the cousins had spoken about quietly together, their awkwardness about the small fortune Harry's parents had left him, as well as the piles of gold coins mysteriously stored in Susanna's vault. Here they both were, barely twelve years old, and they were somehow better off financially than their selfless hosts, who'd yet to ask anything of them. Of course, they only had wizard money - in the Muggle world, they had nothing. God forbid Susanna's parents were to learn about their vaults.
But then again, hadn't her mother said something to her the previous summer, when the cousins returned from Diagon Alley? How did only Petunia Dursley know? Why hadn't she told her husband?
Those were questions for a later time. For now, Susanna eagerly gathered with her cousin and the Weasleys in front of the fireplace. Mrs. Weasley grabbed a flowerpot off the mantel and looked inside, frowning. "We're running low, Arthur. We'll have to buy some more today. Oh, well, guests first! After you, Harry, dear!"
Susanna watched as the woman offered her cousin the flowerpot, just as confused as Harry. "W-what am I supposed to do?" The raven-haired boy stammered out.
"He's never traveled by floo powder. Neither has Susie. Sorry, I forgot." Ron apologized to his friends, who waved him off.
"Never?" Mr. Weasley blinked. "But how did you get to Diagon Alley to buy your school things last year?"
"We went on the Underground -"
"Reall?" The Weasley patriarch asked, cutting Susanna off. "Were there escapators? How exactly -"
"Not not, Arthur." Mrs. Weasley stopped her eager husband. "Floo powder's a lot quicker, dears, but goodness me, if you've never used it before -"
"He'll be alright, mum." Fred said. "Watch us first." He told the cousins. Taking a pinch of the glittering powder from the pot, he stepped inside the fireplace. "Diagon Alley!" The older of the Weasley twins shouted, throwing the powder onto the burnt logs beneath him. There was a great roar as emerald fire suddenly burst around him, and then Fred was gone. Susanna's eyes were wide with fear, a soft hand taking hers. Ginny smiled reassuringly, then let her go.
"You must speak clearly." Mrs. Weasley informed the anxious cousins while George stepped into the fireplace. "And be sure to get out at the right grate -"
"The right what?" Harry asked with a slight yelp as George disappeared into the green flames.
"Well, there were an awful lot of wizard fires to choose from, you know, but as long as you've spoken clearly -"
"He'll be fine, Molly, don't fuss." Mr. Weasley tried to soothe his worried wife.
She only scowled at him. "But, dear, if they get lost, how would we ever explain it to their family?"
"They wouldn't mind." Harry huffed, Susanna nodding. "Dudley would think it was a brilliant joke if I got lost up a chimney."
"Yeah, and my dad would probably throw a party if he realized he didn't have to factor Harry and I into the budget." Susanna added with a wry grin, taking the Weasleys aback - even the usually aloof Percy seemed as though he wished to give the cousins a hug.
After an awkward moment of silence, Mrs. Weasley cleared her throat. "Very well. Do you think you're ready?"
"Yes." Harry tried to look confident, but his hand shook as he grabbed the floo powder and stepped into the fireplace.
"Say where you're going. Remember, very clearly." Mrs. Weasley reminded the Boy Who Lived.
"And keep your elbows tucked in." Ron advised.
Mrs. Weasley nodded. "Yes. Shut your eyes as well. The soot -"
"Don't fidget, or you might well fall out of the wrong fireplace." Rod added.
"But don't panic and get out too early, wait until you see Fred and George." Mrs. Weasley finished.
Harry sent Susanna a horrified expression, eyes wide. She smiled back as brightly as possible, but felt dread rush through her body as Harry spoke too quickly, saying, "Diagonally."
Like the twins, he vanished from sight with a roar of emerald fire. "What did he say, dear?" Mrs. Weasley asked her husband, who grimaced.
"Diagonally."
"Oh. Thought as much." Clearing her throat, Mrs. Weasley turned to Harry's cousin. "I'll go after him. Susanna!" The woman was too slow to catch the redheaded girl - the one who wasn't a Weasley - as she burst into the fireplace.
"Don't worry, I've got him. We'll meet in front of Gringotts. Diagonally!" Susanna cried out, throwing down her floo powder and tightening her stance as the green flames shot up around her, dragging her from sight.
She expected the fire to make her skin itch with heat, but all she felt was nauseous as she was spun around like water sinking down a bathtub drain. She tried to keep her eyes shut, but found herself opening them out of curiosity and instantly regretting when the flashing scenery made her even dizzier.
Finally, the spinning stopped, and Susanna found herself toppling out of a fireplace. Before she could crash face-first on the ground, familiar hands kept her upright. "Suze?"
"Christ, Harry!" She growled harshly, pulling her cousin into a tight hug. "I can't believe you did the one thing Mrs. Weasley said not to do!"
"I was nervous. And so were you, clearly, if you ended up with me." Harry hissed back.
Susanna scoffed. "No, actually, I chose to come after you."
"Why would you do that? Are you mental?" Her cousin hissed back.
The redhead narrowed her eyes. "Why? Because you're my family, idiot. Besides, who would you rather have found you, me or a horribly guilty Mrs. Weasley?"
Harry huffed. "Mrs. Weasley. She'd only fuss over me. You're scarier."
"Good." Susanna grinned, then punched her cousin in the shoulder. "Git." Looking over Harry, she frowned at his broken glasses, bloody nose, and the bruise on his right cheek. "At least you're in one piece. 'Diagonally', honestly. Whoa." The girl paused, looking around the dim shop straight out of an old horror film. There was a bloodstained pack of cards, evil masks, a glass eye that seemed to follow her around, human bones laid out on a counter, spiked torture instruments, and a glass case which contained a withered hand on an old cushion. "Where exactly are we?"
"How should I know?" Harry sniped, then nodded towards the dusty windows, to an unfamiliar narrow street. "The sooner we get out of here, the better."
"Definitely. I told the Weasleys we'd meet them at Gringotts." Susanna informed her cousin, then grabbed his arm to pull him towards the door. He forced her to stop halfway to their destination, pointing shakily at the two figures on the other side of the glass window - tall, thin, and incredibly blonde.
"C'mon." Harry urged, hurrying them towards a large black cabinet to their left. It was a tight squeeze, but the cousins managed to both fit inside. They left a small crack in the doors to watch Draco Malfoy and who could only be his father step inside the grim shop, bell ringing to announce their arrival.
Mr. Malfoy had the same pointed chin, pale complexion, and gray eyes. The only differences seemed to be his long hair, lack of a widow's peak, and the cane he walked around with. It probably wasn't even to provide support, he probably just used it to whack people. He and his son shared the same entitled walk, staring down their noses at the rest of the world.
The older Malfoy was currently staring around the store with disinterest, ringing a bell on the counter before turning to his son. "Touch nothing, Draco." He warned, voice exceptionally posh and equally as grating, a bit like chalk scratching against a chalkboard.
Draco's hand dropped from where it was reaching for the glass eye. "I thought you were going to buy me a present."
"Such a whiner." Susanna couldn't help but hiss at Harry, who scowled her into silence - still, she could tell that he agreed.
"I said I would buy you a racing broom." Mr. Malfoy corrected as he drummed his fingers impatiently on the counter.
"What's the good of that if I'm not on the House team?" Draco sulked, as bad-tempered as ever. "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." Harry and Susanna struggled to keep from snorting at his obvious jealousy. "Famous for having a stupid scar on his head." Draco added as he crouched to examine a shelf full of skulls. "Everyone thinks he's so smart, wonderful Potter with his scar and broomstick -"
"You have told me this at least a dozen times already." Mr. Malfoy stopped his son's tirade. "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 man with posture that would make Madame Dulaine faint on the spot appeared behind the counter. He ran his fingers through his greasy hair, pushing the thin strands off his face. "Mr. Malfoy, what a pleasure to see you again." His voice dripped with oiled pleasantries, like when Susanna's mom pretended to compliment the neighbors' gardens. "Delighted. And young Mr. Malfoy too, charmed. How may I be of assistance? I must show you, just in today, and very reasonably priced -"
"I'm not buying today, Mr. Borgin, but selling." Mr. Malfoy interrupted plainly.
Mr. Borgin appeared disappointed - Susanna was sure he was used to being paid handsomely by the aristocratic family rather than having to pay them in return. "Selling?"
"You have heard, of course, that the Ministry is conducting more raids." Mr. Malfoy removed a roll of parchment from a pocket inside his black robes and unraveling it so Mr. Borgin could read the contents. "I have a few - ah - items at home that might embarrass me, if the Ministry were to call."
The shopkeeper fixed a pair of pince-nez to his nose as he stared down at the list. "The Ministry wouldn't presume to trouble you, sir, surely?"
Mr. Malfoy's lips curled in distaste. "I have not been visited yet. The name Malfoy still commands certain respect, yet the Ministry grows ever more meddlesome. There are rumors about a new Muggle Protection Act - no doubt that fleabitten, Muggle-loving fool Arthur Weasly is behind it," both Harry and Susanna struggled to hold each other back, snarling silently at the tall blonde, "and as you see, certain of these poisons might make it appear -"
"I understand, sir, of course. Let me see…"
"Can I have that?" Draco interrupted the two slimy men, pointing at the withered hand on the cushion. Susanna wrinkled her nose, once more wondering if she'd run into his secret twin on the Hogwarts Express, because this was not the boy she recalled first meeting.
Mr. Borgin perked up, abandoning Malfoy senior. "Ah, the Hand of Glory!" He scurried over to Draco. "Insert a candle and it gives light only to the holder! Best friend of thieves and plunderers! Your son has fine taste, sir."
Mr. Malfoy sneered. "I hope my son will amount to more than a thief or a plunderer, Borgin."
"No offense, sir, no offense meant -"
"Though if his grades don't pick up," Mr. Malfoy continued, voice now ice-cold, "that may indeed be all he is fit for -"
"It's not my fault!" Draco was quick to retort. "The teachers all have favorites, that Hermione Granger and Susanna Dursley -"
"I would have thought you'd be ashamed that two girls from no wizard family beat you in every exam."
"Ha!" Harry said under his breath, nudging his cousin.
"Only Granger has no wizard family. Dursley's -"
"Related to Harry Potter, and yet she's still a Muggle-born, is she not?" Draco looked away, angry and abashed.
"It's the same all over." Mr. Borgin spoke up. "Wizard blood is counting for less everywhere -"
"Not with me." Mr. Malfoy announced with flaring nostrils.
Mr. Borgin bowed deeply. "No, sir, nor with me, sir."
"In that case, perhaps we can return to my list." Mr. Malfoy responded impatiently. "I am in something of a hurry, Borgin. I have important business elsewhere today -"
As the two men began to haggle, Draco walked closer to the cousins' hiding place, examining the items for sale. He paused to smirk at a long coil of hangman's rope, then moved onto an extravagant opal necklace. The Slytherin boy eventually turned away from reading the necklace's warning card to approach the cabinet in front of him. Harry and Susanna froze, beginning to sweat as he stretched out his hand to grab the handle -
"Done." Mr. Malfoy announced. "Come, Draco." The cousins exhaled quietly when the blonde returned to his father's side. "Good day to you, Mr. Borgin. I'll expect you at the manor tomorrow to pick up the goods."
As soon as the Malfoys left, Mr. Borgin dropped his oily facade. "Good day yourself, Mr. Malfoy, and if the stories are true, you haven't sold me half of what's hidden in your manor." He muttered darkly to himself as he disappeared into the backroom. The cousins waited for another minute to make sure he hadn't returned. Then, putting in their years of sneaking around the Dursley house to good work, they quietly hurried out the shop door and into the narrow street.
It was more of a dingy alleyway, the shops lining it seeming to all be dedicated to the Dark Arts. The one they'd just escaped - Borgin and Burkes - was the largest. The store across from it had a gruesome display of shrunken heads, and another two doors down boasted a large cage filled with gigantic black spiders. Harry had to drag Susanna away from it, as she paused to admire the great arachnids.
Two suspicious looking wizards watched the cousins from the shadows, muttering to each other. Jumpy, Harry held his broken glasses to his face with one hand while the other grabbed Susanna's wrist as he led them further from the conversing men.
An old sign greeted them at the shop on the corner, promoting both their poisonous candles as well as the location of the shop - Knockturn Alley. This didn't help them, as neither remembered hearing anyone mention it. Susanna swallowed nervously, trying to smile at her cousins reassuringly. "Just stay calm, Harry, we'll -"
"Not lost are you, my dearies?" An old witch asked, appearing in front of the two Gryffindors. She held up a tray of whole human fingernails, smiling at them with mossy teeth.
"We're fine, thanks." Harry managed to say as he and Susanna backed away. "We're just -
"HARRY! SUSANNA!" The cousins jumped as Hagrid's roar echoed down Knockturn Alley, the Hogwarts Keeper of Keys and Grounds striding towards them. The old witch cursed and dropped her tray of fingernails - Susanna might have helped, if it weren't for the fact they were human. "What d'yeh think yer' doin' here?"
"Hagrid!" Harry croaked. "We got lost - Floo powder -"
Hagrid seized the cousins by the scruffs of their necks and pulled them away from the witch, who shrieked after them about her ruined products. He led them out of the twisting alleyway and into the bright sunlight. Gringotts Banks shone for them in all of its snow white marble glory, the top of the bank visibly over the row of shops behind it.
Now safe and sound in Diagon Alley, Hagrid gruffly brushed the soot off the cousins, nearly knocking them into a barrel of dragon dung outside one of the apothecaries. "Skulkin' around Knockturn Alley. Dodgy place, don' want no one ter see yeh down there, especially not yeh, Harry -"
"We realized that." Harry shot back, ducking with Susanna when Hagrid made to brush them off again. "I told you, we were lost. What were you doing there, anyway?"
"I was lookin' fer Flesh Eatin' Slug Repellent." Hagrid growled. "They're ruinin' the school cabbages. Yer not on yer own?"
Susanna shook her head. "We're staying with the Weasleys, but thanks to Harry," her cousin blew a raspberry at her, "we got separated. I told them we'd meet them at Gringotts."
"Well, c'mon, then." Hagrid huffed, his long strides towards the bank forcing the cousins to jog alongside him. "How come yeh never wrote back ter me?" As Harry told him about Dobby and the Dursleys, Susanna became distracted by the magical shops surrounding them, occasionally chiming in. "Lousy Muggles." Hagrid finally growled, Susanna nodding in agreement. "If I'd've known -"
"Harry! Susanna! Over here!" The cousins paused and saw Hermione standing at the top of the flight of the white steps leading into the bank, flanked by a frantic Mrs. Weasley and anxious Mr. Weasley. They smiled as their other best friend ran down to meet them, bushy hair flying around in her haste. "What happened to your glasses? Hello, Hagrid - oh, it's wonderful to see you two again." She first threw her arms around Susanna, the red-haired girl squeezing back and laughing as the hug dragged on.
As Harry received the same treatment, Susanna was fussed over by Mrs. Weasley, Mr. Weasley asking if she'd had any difficulty finding Harry, the couple apologizing profusely. "We're fine, honest! It's Harry's fault, really. Oh, don't be upset, Mrs. Weasley -"
"We hoped you'd only gone one grate too far." Mr. Weasley said as he took in the soot-covered cousins, quickly repairing Harry's glasses. "The boys and Ginny ran off before we could stop them, trying to find you -"
"Mum, dad, we looked - Harry! Susie!" Ron sprinted into view, followed closely by his siblings. He beamed when he saw the cousins, forcing himself in between his parents and Hermione to check on them himself. "Where did you come out?"
"Knockturn Alley." Hagrid answered for them grimly.
"Excellent! Oh, Susie-Wusie, we feared the worst!" Fred exclaimed, mocking his mother as he fussed over Susanna.
"You've both given us gray hairs!" George added. "Don't cry, Susie-Q, you're safe now!"
"Ugh, get off me." She griped, shoving the twins away. "Go bother Harry, he's the one who mispronounced 'Diagon Alley'!"
"You ended up in Knockturn? We've never been allowed in." Ron huffed enviously.
Hagrid growled. "I should ruddy well think not."
"Nevermind all that." Mrs. Weasley muttered, pilfering through her handbag to pull out a large clothes brush. She swept off the soot Hagrid hadn't managed to remove from the cousins.
"Well, gotta be off." Hagrid said with a soft smile. "See yeh at Hogwarts!" He strode away, still visible a whole row of shops down.
Finally convinced Harry and Susanna were safe and sound, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley ushered the kids into Gringotts bank. "Guess who we saw in Borgin and Burkes?" Harry asked Ron and Hermione as they walked up the steps. "Malfoy and his dad."
"Did Lucius Malfoy buy anything?" Mr. Weasley questioned from behind them, and Susanna quickly turned her head to address him.
"No, he was selling -"
Mr. Weasley smiled with grim satisfaction. "Oh, I'd love to get Lucius Malfoy for something…"
"You be careful, Arthur." Mrs. Weasley scolded her husband as they were bowed into Gringotts by a goblin at the door. "That family's trouble. Don't go biting off more than you can chew."
"So you don't think I'm a match for Lucius Malfoy?" Mr. Weasley asked, indignant. It faded as soon as he noticed Hermione's parents, their daughter waving them over to make introductions. Upon meeting Mr. and Mrs. Granger, he became excitable. "But you're Muggles!" The red-haired man exclaimed with delight. "We must have a drink! What's that you've got there? Oh you're changing Muggle money. Molly, look!" He pointed to the ten pound notes in Mr. Granger's hand.
"Mum, this is Susanna." Hermione grinned as she introduced the redheaded girl to her mother.
"It's a pleasure, Mrs. Granger."
The woman smiled back, eyes shining with glee. "Hermione has spoken very highly of you - and your cousin, of course. Thank you for taking care of her, I know she was worried about making friends."
"Mum." Hermione blushed at the ground.
Susanna - still wracked with guilt at her behavior when the two girls first met - could only smile. "I think she took better care of me, if we're being honest." She nudged Hermione, who grinned back.
After introductions were made, a goblin impatiently ushered the Weasleys and their two guests over, eager to get them to their vaults before the bank grew even more crowded. "Meet you back here!" Ron called to Hermione as the Weasleys and the cousins were separated from the Grangers. She shouted back an affirmative, then disappeared from view with her parents.
Susanna laughed as they rode the roller coaster-like cart through the underground tunnels, George and Fred joining her in lifting their arms. Percy shook his head in disbelief, but Ron, Harry, and Ginny all laughed at their antics. Still, Susanna's glee faded when they reached the Weasleys' vault, her heart aching when she caught a glimpse of the small pile of silver Sickles and lone gold Galleon. Mrs. Weasley swept all of them into a pouch, tucking it into her bag for safekeeping. Harry's was next, then Susanna's, the cousins doing their best to quickly shove handfuls of coins into their leather bags.
Soon enough, they were back in the sunlight, the Grangers waiting for them on the bank's steps. Percy mumbled about needing a new quill, Ginny and Susanna exchanging sly grins as he ran off. Fred and George left just as suddenly, Lee Jordan having called out to them - Mrs. Weasley made sure to loudly call after them to stay out of Knockturn Alley. Seeing the children were all splitting off, Mr. Weasley turned to the Grangers and insisted on whisking them off to the Leaky Cauldron for drinks, which they happily agreed to do.
"We'll all meet at Flourish and Blotts in an hour to buy your school books." Mrs. Weasley told the cousins, Ron, and Hermione before whisking an excited Ginny off to the secondhand robe shop, stopping to give her other three children the same message.
"Shall we?" Susanna asked once the quartet had been left behind, offering her elbow to Hermione. The girl readily accepted it. "Where to first, Anna?"
"Ice cream. After the mess Harry dragged me into, I want ice cream."
Harry scoffed as he chased after the two girls, Ron laughing next to him. "Oi, I never told you to follow after me!"
"And yet, you'd have been all on your own, terrified." Susanna teased him.
"Be nice, Anna." Hermione scolded the red-haired girl, who pouted jokingly.
"You always take his side."
"Oh, cheer up, Suze. Ice cream's on me." Harry announced. Ron attempted to argue with him about it, until Harry eventually shoved a large cone packed with strawberry and peanut butter ice cream in his hands. Susanna only managed to eat half of her own cone before that cruel little voice - sounding suspiciously like her mother - nagged her for it. Harry and her friends frowned as she offered the rest to them.
"We'll split it, okay?" Hermione asked, Susanna wrinkling her nose. "But you were enjoying it!"
"Yes, well, I'm full now, or is that a crime?" The redhead snapped, then flushed with shame. "Sorry."
"It's alright." The bushy-haired girl smiled back forgivingly, rubbing Susanna's arm as the girl handed her cone over to Ron.
The rest of the hour passed without incident, the four Gryffindors happily wandering through the winding cobblestone streets. Susanna spent almost half an hour visiting each of Diagon Alley's three apothecaries, admiring all of the potions ingredients and wondering just how many more years she'd have to wait before she got to use them. Despite Professor Snape being the instructor, Potions was the girl's favorite subject the previous school year, and one she felt she was strongest in. She hoped that stayed the same this coming term.
Susanna wanted to talk to Hermione about what had happened at her parents' house, having said very little about what had happened to her and Harry. She stopped herself, though, saving that discussion for another time, when they all weren't trying to have fun together. The last thing the red-haired girl wanted was to be reminded of how awful the first half of their summer was - it was bad enough her mother's voice had popped up in her brain, scolding her for indulging in ice cream.
Ron had paused for quite some time to gaze longingly at the full set of Chudley Cannon robes in the windows of Quality Quidditch Supplies while Susanna and Harry admired the Nimbus 2001, the newest broomstick model. It was made of sleek black wood and shining silver, and Susanna was more than tempted to go inside and purchase it. Harry nodded at her encouragingly, until Hermione dragged the three Quidditch lovers next door to buy ink and parchment.
They ran into Fred, George, and Lee next inside Gambol and Japes Wizarding Joke Shop, Susanna having sprinted inside before Hermione could keep the mischievous girl away. Still, Susanna promised to only look, quietly convincing the Weasley twins to purchase her three packs of Stink Pellets after handing them twelve sickles.
Harry and Ron led the girls into a junk shop, which boasted such marvels as broken wands, lopsided brass scales, and old cloaks covered in potions stains. Percy sat in a lumpy armchair in the corner of the store, nose buried in a book titled Prefects who Gained Power. "A study of Hogwarts prefects and their later careers." Ron said as he bent down to read aloud from the back cover. "That sounds fascinating."
"Go away." Percy snapped.
Ron sighed and shook his head, leading the other three back out into the crowded street. "Course, he's very ambitious, Percy. He's got it all planned out. He wants to be Minister of Magic."
"You think he'd be good at it?" Susanna asked, curious.
"Probably. He's smart enough for it." The other redhead shrugged. "I guess we'll find out, yeah?"
When the hour was up, the quartet made their way to Flourish and Blotts, though Susanna's mind was still on the Nimbus 2001 - not that she even needed it. She wasn't on the Quidditch team after all. She grumbled when she took note of how busy the bookshop was, a large crowd fighting to get inside. "Oh, look!" Hermione squealed, pointing to a banner across the upper windows. It read:
GILDEROY LOCKHART
will be signing copies of his autobiography
MAGICAL ME
today 12:30 pm to 4:30 pm
"We can actually meet him! I mean, he's written almost the whole booklist!" The bushy-haired girl added.
The crowd was full of witches around Mrs. Weasley's age, a harassed looking wizard barely able to keep them from tearing each other apart as he called out, "Calmly, please, ladies… Don't push, there! Mind the books, now…"
The four Gryffindors managed to squeeze inside. A long line wound all the way to the back of the shop, where Gilderoy Lockhart would be signing his books. They each grabbed a copy of The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2 - Susanna, having been drawn to it, also reached for the second edition of a book called Advanced Potion-Making.
"You won't be needing that for quite some time." One of the shopkeepers told her as she plucked it off the shelf. "And that's only if you manage to get a high enough score on your Potions O.W.L."
Susanna smiled charmingly. "I plan to." She responded, despite not having a single idea what the shopkeeper was talking about. It was her money, anyway.
"A fan of Potions, eh?" The woman asked, then searched the stacks before grabbing Asiatic Anti-Venoms. "Not many know about this one, but it's incredibly fascinating. Not to mention, extremely helpful for those who wish to pursue a career as a Healer."
"Thank you." Susanna smiled at the woman before an impatient Ron whisked her away.
"Oh, there you are, good." Said Mrs. Weasley as the last four members of their group snuck into the line. The woman was breathless, patting her hair to try and tidy the red curls. "We'll be able to see him in a minute."
Gilderoy Lockhart came slowly into view, sitting at a table surrounded by large pictures of his face, all of them winking and smiling charmingly at the crowd. The real Lockhart wore robes of forget-me-not blue to match his eyes, his wizard's hat set at an angle to not disrupt his wavy blonde hair. He was handsome enough, though Susanna was thrown off by how blindingly white his teeth were.
"Out of the way, there!" An irritable man danced around the line, taking pictures with his huge black camera. It emitted puffs of purple smoke with every flash. "This is for the Daily Prophet -" He grouched as he shoved past Ron, stepping on the boy's foot.
"Big deal." Ron scoffed after him.
Gilderoy Lockhart looked up, having heard the boy's derisive comment. His eyes locked onto Ron, and then fell onto Harry's. He stared, then leapt to his feet as he shouted, "Why, is that Harry Potter?!" The crowd parted at his words, whispering and pointing at Harry - who'd otherwise been anonymous. Lockhart dove forward, seizing the boy's arm and pulling him to the front while the crowd burst into applause. Susanna watched him mutter something to Harry as he shook his hand. At her cousin's obvious discomfort, any attraction she felt about the charming author faded. Especially when the man turned to the crowd, waving them into silence like he was royalty as he threw an arm around Harry's shoulders. "Ladies and gentleman, 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 Harry here stepped into Flourish and Blotts today, he only wanted to buy my autobiography - which I shall be happy to present to him now, free of charge." As the crowd applauded, Susanna scrunched her nose in annoyance, taken aback by how doey-eyed Hermione had become. "He had no idea that he would shortly be getting much, much more than my book, Magical Me. He and his schoolmates will, in fact, be getting the real magical me." Hermione gasped beside Susanna. "Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I have the great pleasure and pride of announcing that this September, I will be taking up the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!"
"Oh, Merlin, no." Ron grumbled, horrified.
As the crowd cheered and clapped at the announcement, Ron was pushed forward by Mrs. Weasley to meet their new professor. Susanna managed to evade the same treatment, staring around for someplace quiet to hide when she saw Ginny standing at the edge of the room next to her new cauldron. Susanna mimed at Harry to follow her, and he nodded before being distracted by Lockhart once more.
"Hey." She murmured to Ginny, who smiled back, clearly overwhelmed. "How's the shopping going?"
"Alright." Ginny smiled, then frowned at her belongings, clearly secondhand. "Do you think people will notice?"
Susanna sighed, not wanting to lie. "Some, maybe. Only the jerks though. And if they do, you let your brothers or me know, we'll sort them out."
"Thanks." The other girl whispered back, then flushed when Harry appeared, struggling to carry what looked to be the entirety of Lockhart's books.
"Here. You have these. I'll buy my own." He murmured to Ginny, tipping the books in the cauldron.
"Bet you loved that, didn't you, Potter?" Susanna huffed, as Harry straightened, the cousins turning to come face-to-face with Draco Malofy. He sneered back at them. "Famous Harry Potter. Can't even go into a bookshop without making the front page."
"Leave him alone, he didn't want all that!" Ginny shouted back, Susanna grinning at her confidence.
Draco smirked. "Potter, you've got yourself a girlfriend." The younger red-haired turned scarlet, and the older stepped forward, smirking.
"Are you jealous?" Susanna asked. "'Cause I'd understand why. There's gotta be a hundred rich boys out there who are just like you, but there's only one Boy Who Lived."
Draco reeled back in disgust, but was unable to respond as Ron came into view, Hermione close behind. "Oh, it's you." The Weasley boy said in a bored tone. "Bet you're surprised to see Harry here, eh?"
"Not as surprised as I am to see you in a shop, Weasley." Draco retorted. "I suppose your parents will go hungry for a month to pay for all those." Ron's face turned as red as Ginny's, and it took the combined strength of Harry, Hermione, and Susanna to keep him from swinging.
"Ron!" Mr. Weasley exclaimed, struggling through the crowd with Fred and George. "What are you doing? It's too crowded in here, let's go outside."
"Well, well, well - Arthur Weasley."
Mr. Malfoy appeared behind his son, sneering in the same way as he placed a hand on Draco's shoulder.
"Lucius." Mr. Weasley said, tone dripping with venom.
"Busy time at the Ministry, I hear." Mr. Malfoy tutted. "All those raids… I hope they're paying you overtime?" He reached into Ginny's cauldron, rummaging around to pull out a battered copy of A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration, holding it up in the light. "Obviously not." He murmured, lips set in a sly smile. "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?"
Mr. Weasley glowered back, face turning an even darker shade of red than Ron's and Ginny's had. "We have a very different idea of what disgraces the name of wizard, Malfoy."
"Clearly." Mr. Malfoy's gray eyes - colder than his son's - landed on Mr. and Mrs. Granger, who watched the scene nervously. "The company you keep, Weasley… and I thought your family could sink no lower -"
Ginny's cauldron went flying, landing in the corner with a loud, metallic thud. Mr. Weasley had pounced on Mr. Malfoy, like Susanna remembered jumping draco, knocking the blonde man into a bookshelf. As books and fists flew, Fred and George shouted for their dad to "Get him!", while Mrs. Weasley shrieked for husband to stop fighting. The crowd stampeded around them, knocking over more bookshelves, and Susanna felt Harry pulling her and Ginny away from the fight, Hermione doing her best to tug Ron away with them.
"Break it up, there, gents, break it up!" A booming voice ordered, and moments later Hagrid waded towards them through the mess. He pulled both Mr. Weasley and Mr. Malfoy apart. The former had a cut lip, the blonde aristocrat's right eye bruised. He still held Ginny's Transfiguration book, the man thrusting it at her with eyes full of malice.
"Here, girl - take your book - it's the best your father can give you." He pulled himself out of Hagrid's grip. "I'll see you at work." Mr. Malfoy scowled at Mr. Weasley, who glared back, then beckoned for Draco to follow.
"I'll see you at school." The boy said to Harry, sneering at the others before scurrying after his father.
"Yeh should've ignored him, Arthur." Hagrid grumbled, nearly lifting Mr. Weasley off the floor as he straightened his robes. "Rotten ter the core, the whole family, everyone know that - no Malfoy's worth listenin' ter - bad blood, that's what it is - come on now, let's get outta here."
The assistant looked as though he wanted to stop them leaving, but he barely came up to Hagrid's waist and decided against pushing for someone to pay a fee for the destruction caused. Still, Susanna and Harry managed to hurry to the counter and pay for their books.
Rushing out into the busy street, they joined the others. The Grangers were shaking with fright while Mrs. Weasley was busy scolding her husband. "A fine example you set for your children… brawling in public… what Gilderoy Lockhart must've thought?"
"He was pleased!" Fred answered, despite not having been asked. "Didn't you hear him as we were leaving? He was asking that bloke from the Daily Prophet if he'd be able to work the fight into his report - said it was all publicity."
"Your dad's awesome." Susanna leaned over to whisper to Ron, who nodded in agreement, staring at Mr. Weasley in awe.
Eventually, the now subdued group headed to the Leaky Cauldron where the cousins, the Weasleys, and their shopping would be flooing back to the Burrow. The Grangers bid their goodbyes before leaving for the Muggle pub across the street. It was only because of Mrs. Weasley glare that her husband let them go without finishing his questioning of how bus stops work.
Susanna grinned as Harry took off his glasses, pocketing them for safekeeping. "For my sake and sanity, please try and enunciate this time."
"Why? You wouldn't follow me again?" Harry asked.
Susanna sighed, shoving him towards the fireplace after Ginny disappeared. "Of course I would. I just wouldn't be happy about it."
Harry grabbed some powder and winked before dropping it. "The Burrow."
Well, Susanna thought to herself as she followed after her cousin, thank God for small favors. That was enough fun for one day.
