All in the Family

Chapter 22: At Flourish and Blotts

"You have got to be bloody kidding me!" Frank demanded, and Alice couldn't blame him. They'd landed in a book store, Flourish and Blotts she was sure, and wasn't particularly looking forward to combing through all the massive shelves to find the one they were actually supposed to be here for.

This idea wasn't helped along by their invasion having toppled over several displays into each other, creating even more of a hectic environment. Pettigrew was still trying to dig his way out of a Divination display he'd landed in, and Lupin looked pinned beneath several heavy books with Lockhart scrawled across the title.

The Black brother too, seemed distracted at once, having landed in front of a section devoted to dark creatures. The elder one scoffed and kicked a book on werewolves away from him, perhaps he had a personal disliking for them, and then walked towards his friends to help dig them out. The younger one picked out a book on Infiri and began flipping through the pages with a look of mild curiosity. His parents had mentioned those a few times but had yet to go into great detail.

Alice just gave his hand a gentle squeeze, managing to be as exasperated as she was amused at these particular circumstances before choosing to wonder off to the healing section. She wanted to brush up on some things if this was going to continue for the foreseeable future.

Frank watched her go, his eyes lingering with a grin he was confident would never evaporate at the sight of her. He had to drag his attention back to the problem at hand and knew immediately he wouldn't have it, he summoned the book to him again instead of dealing with this nonsense. It came flying out of the children's section of all things, as if this book should be given to kids with all it's disturbing things going on with poor Harry. It even knocked over a copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard on its way to him. He just snorted and flipped it open, easily finding his place where the words began at the chapter title of their current location.

He easily ignored everyone around him, the Marauders now wondering shelves and chatting in quiet mutters near the back of the store, Evans joining Alice and having what at least sounded like a nice conversation, and the youngest Black remaining where he'd landed as if determined to ignore the lot of them and continue as if this were a purposeful visit. Harry's time at the Weasleys wasn't really of much interest, except for how sad it was as the kid compared the two lives of wizards and Muggles.

Nobody else really registered the name of Lockhart, though the name rang a dull bell in the back of Frank's mind. He wondered if that was a student going to school now, but he wasn't quite sure. Either way, the Marauders were getting a kick out of laughing their arse off about it likely being a witch of novels as their next DA teacher. He was just sad the classes standard seemed to be falling with each year, but there wasn't much to be done about that.

Their trip to get to Diagon Alley wasn't as unmemorable as Frank would have assumed. Even with Harry using Floo Powder for the first time, he would have thought it would all just continue rather dully, but nope. The little Potter kid somehow landed himself in the wrong location, and one he certainly shouldn't be in.

Both Black brothers stiffened in surprise the more they heard of this description, the elder one hissing some explanation or other to his friends that they didn't like either. Even Evans was getting fidgety about Harry in such a Dark place, and the company he soon found himself in wasn't helping matters.

"I've heard of being getting misplaced in the Floo Network before, but this is ridiculous on that poor kids part," Alice sighed in commiseration. Thankfully he made it out of there without too much incident, Frank unable to deny he wanted to join in with the Marauders snide comments about how nice it was Malfoy was squirming over something in that meeting.

At least there wasn't anymore incident, as Harry quickly came across Hagrid, then Hermione, and the Weasleys in quick succession. Though Frank was honestly beginning to doubt this kid could go anywhere without something happening to him, he still hoped the rest of his trip in Diagon Alley was peaceable, he certainly wasn't enjoying the young Potter finding incidents everywhere he went.

Sadly it wasn't meant to last, when he did arrive at this particular book store, they were finally introduced to the Lockhart mentioned, Lupin rubbing his head and already scowling at the name, and that was before his grand announcement.

"What a tosser," James scoffed, the four of them having circled the whole shop by now with their wanderings and having made it back around to their original spots. He picked up one of the books again, now taking a closer inspection of the man who they'd clearly be hearing a lot of in this book. He flipped through a few pages of Wandering with Werewolfs, but his expression only grew more dumbfounded as passages leapt out at him.

"I honestly can't see this one going well, but it's got to be better than the last one," Pettigrew agreed. Frank noticed there was an odd bulge at his waistline now, that he was doing a very good job of covering with his arms. Frank wasn't sure what he was bothering stealing, or even if it would leave with them. Perhaps he thought Evans would give him a telling off.

Lockharts preferential treatment to Harry, and literally pulling him into the limelight set all of them in a bad mood for this bloke right off the bat.

"Honesty," Evans was snipping of no one, but her eyes were resting with a familiar scowl on the Potter in here. "The one Potter who doesn't seek out attention, yet it's being shoved on the poor kid."

"If he hasn't fallen for it already, I'm sure this incident won't turn him to enjoying the public," Alice sighed, though she could see how this could go to a kids head easily enough.

Frank didn't particularly enjoy his mental thoughts from earlier being parroted back to him by a Malfoy when they once again put themselves into the conversation, but he wouldn't deny either his respect for Arthur grew tenfold at what happened next.

"Whoo!" Black actually leaped off the ground in his excitement, nearly falling in Lupin's arms on his way back down and hardly seeming to notice. "This is amazing, why didn't I ever think of starting a fight in a bookstore! Ammo as far as the eye can see!"

"As if you'd ever stoop to throwing a Muggle punch," Frank rolled his eyes.

This was a mistake, Black seemed to take this as a challenge, putting his fists up in a mockery of a boxer. Now Lupin kept his hands on him in what almost looked restraining, but there was a slight smile lingering as well, making Frank wonder if he was just going to indulge him if this continued so what was the point?

Frank turned dismissively away from it all, trying to finish. Admittedly the fight was just a bit entertaining, he certainly new a few things his mother would say to a Weasley and a Malfoy getting into a brawl. They were all cheering for the redheaded patriarch by the end, even Evans and Alice were giggling to themselves about him defending his job, his pride like that.

As he finished his final lines, agreeing with Harry Floo powder wasn't the best way to travel, he only just registered Alice yelping at him to duck before the sickening feeling of being torn through time began again.