Melody Riddle and the Chamber of Secrets

Chapter 3: Gilderoy Lockhart

The next morning, I woke up at around ten and got ready for the day. I got dressed, took the Gringotts vault key out of one of my drawers and placed it in my pants pocket.

I checked my school robes to make sure that I could still fit them. Perfect fit. No need for stopping by Madam Malkin's Dress Shop.

At around eleven o'clock after I'd had breakfast, there was a light knock at the door. I quickly ate up my cereal and rushed to the door to find Draco and his father.

"Are you ready?" Mr. Malfoy asked.

"Yeah," I said, turning around to call out to the house, "I'll be back!"

"Do us a favor and don't!" Uncle Gerald called back.

"Bye, honey!" mom called out. "Thank you, Lucius! Shut it, Gerald!"

To avoid more shout outs, I quickly walked outside and closed the door behind me. "So, how will we get there?"

"We'll Disapparate," Mr. Malfoy said, holding out his arms for me and Draco to take.

Inwardly sighing, I took his left arm while Draco took his right. When Mr. Malfoy Disapparated, I found at first glance that we weren't actually in Diagon Alley. Mr. Malfoy had taken us somewhere else, somewhere that looked a whole lot darker and more mysterious. My need to throw up felt worse than usual.

I swallowed the urge as best as I could. "Where did–?"

"This is Knockturn Alley... I have some business to attend to here, and then we'll go to Gringotts and Flourish and Blotts to get your school books." Mr. Malfoy said, walking along.

"Usually the adults are only allowed down here," Draco whispered to me excitedly as we followed his dad, "It's because it's so dangerous. It's best to keep close to father."

"How close is Knockturn Alley to Diagon Alley?" I asked.

"There's a path directly linking them!" Draco said with a laugh.

I nodded, smiling. Okay, I'm sure this won't be too bad so long as mom doesn't find out that Mr. Malfoy took me somewhere dodgy. She'd never let me go to Draco's again.

Mr. Malfoy walked us into a shop that seemed to be the largest out of all the creepy shops around us. The name was Borgin and Burkes. A bell clanged as Mr. Malfoy opened the door, allowing me and Draco in first.

Inside I saw some very disturbing sights... yeah, mom would not be okay with him taking me here. Evil-looking masks stared down at us from the walls; rusty, spiked instruments hung from the ceiling... and there were so many other things in there that I didn't even want to learn about for fear of finding something to evoke the worst nightmares imaginable.

Draco walked over to a case with a glass eye in it. I followed him to see what else was in there and didn't enjoy the sights; neither the bloodstained pack of cards, nor the withered hand that lay on a cushion.

Mr. Malfoy rang a bell on the counter and told us, "Touch nothing, you two."

Don't have to tell me twice, I thought as I walked over to lean against the counter.

"I thought you were going to buy me a present," Draco whined.

Mr. Malfoy drummed his finger on the counter impatiently. He had no trace of patience to have this conversation with Draco. "I said I would buy you a racing broom."

Draco looked sullen, and I knew this would be yet another of his 'Harry Potter' complaints. He did it a lot with Becky, Vincent, Greg, and I. It got so annoying at times that Becky would throw something at him, and not even I would stop her.