Headstrong

Chapter 9

She then offered the pot to Harry, who looked confused. Amanda chuckled. "Allow me to demonstrate Harry."

Harry glanced, relieved at her. She grabbed a pinch of the powder and stepped into the fireplace. She threw the powder down and yelled, "Diagon Alley!"

She vanished up the Floo network. She stepped out of the shop's fireplace and waited for the Weasleys. Percy, Fred and George came out, then Ron, Ginny, Arthur and Molly.

Amanda looked around and asked the family where Harry was. They looked around, confused, as he left before Ron. Amanda smacked her head in frustration and marched out of the shop.

She didn't blame the Weasleys, but she probably should have gone with him.

On the street, they finally found him. He stood with Hermione and Hagrid, covered in soot and quickly explained that he landed in Knockturn Alley. The twins and Amanda grinned at each other.

Hagrid left, and the large group quickly made their way to Gringotts.

As they walked in, Amanda took Harry by the hand and the two siblings walked up to the desk, to go together to their vault. Amanda presented the key and a goblin led them away.

Molly told Amanda to wait for them at the entrance and smiled fondly at the two children.

...

Back outside on the marble steps, they all separated. Percy muttered vaguely about needing a new quill. Mrs Weasley and Ginny were going to a second-hand robe shop. Mr Weasley was taking Hermione's parents to the Leaky Cauldron for a drink and Harry, Ron and Hermione strolled off.

Amanda, Fred and George saw their friend Lee, and went to meet up with him. Before everyone had left, Mrs Weasley and told them to meet at Flourish and Blotts in an hour. As an afterthought, she had told the twins and Amanda to not go down Knockturn Alley.

"And why would we do that?" Amanda had muttered innocently, making Fred and George laugh.

Lee laughed as he walked over to them, seeing the three in a comical argument, debating whether it specified if Lee could go into Knockturn Alley for them.

The four of them walked to Gambol and Japes Wizarding Joke Shop, where they stocked up on Dr Filibuster's Fabulous Wet-Start, No-Heat Fireworks. Amanda winked at her brother as she saw him and then picked up a prank item that looked amusing.

She then took all of the products for her and the twins and paid for them.

"Amanda, no, we can pay for them." The twins said to her.

"You are not paying for them. I've already given the money in, so there."

After an hour, they walked to Flourish and Blotts, where they found that it was extremely crowded.

"Since when have books been so popular?" George asked.

"There must have been an intake of Hermione Grangers in the wizarding world." Fred muttered under his breath. Amanda just laughed.

Then they saw the reason.

GILDEROY LOCKHART
will be signing copies of his autobiography
MAGICAL ME
today 12:30-4:30pm.

Amanda groaned. Amanda and the twins pushed their way in to meet the rest of the Weasley family, while Lee disappeared to find his family.

Eventually Harry, Ron and Hermione came over too, holding copies of "Break with a Banshee".

Gilderoy Lockhart slowly came into view, wearing robes that matched the colour of his eyes and flashing a big, (what seemed faux to Amanda) smile at the crowd.

A reporter was bouncing in front of him, taking what seemed like a million photos a minute. He stepped on Ron's toe while snarling, "Out of the way there, this is for the Daily Prophet."

"Big deal." Ron said, while rubbing his toe.

Unfortunately, Gilderoy Lockhart had heard him. He looked up and positively shouted, "It can't be Harry Potter?"

The crowd parted while Lockhart dived forward and seized Harry's arm, pulling him forward. He turned his head and, spotting his sister, mouthed "HELP!"

Lockhart noticed that too. As Harry reached the stage, he said, "Who were you talking to, my boy?"

"My sister?"

"Your sister! Oh, we must get her up with you, now, of course!"

Hearing this, Amanda dived to the floor, just as the crowd parted once more. As she looked up at the confused faces surrounding her, she excused, "Uh, sorry, I was just picking up, my book?" She quickly picked up a random book off a shelf.

Fred and George gently shoved her forward, and she glared at them.

She walked up to the stage and stood next to Harry. Lockhart shook their hands for the photographer. After he had finished, the siblings tried to make their way back to the Weasleys, but Lockhart grabbed them back, putting an arm around their shoulders.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he said loudly, "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 and...his older sister stepped into Flourish and Blotts here today, they only wanted to buy my autobiography," Amanda snorted, but he continued.

"Which I shall be happy to present to them, free of charge, they had no idea, that they would be getting much, much more than my book, Magical Me. They and their school fellows will be getting the real, magical me. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I have great pleasure in announcing that, this September, I will be taking up the post of Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!"

The crowd cheered and Amanda muttered to Harry, "We're not going to learn anything valuable this year."

The siblings then found themselves being presented with the complete works of Gilderoy Lockhart.

They slipped off the stage and gave the free books to Ron and Ginny.

"Bet you loved that, didn't you Potter?" said a voice behind them. They straightened themselves up and found themselves face to face with Draco Malfoy.

...

The family bustled up the street, Mrs Weasley yelling at her husband for the fight he got into with Lucius Malfoy.

Amanda and the twins chuckled, laughing at the statements Lockhart had made after the fight, and the twins chuckled, as they told Amanda what her expression was like when she was standing next to him.