Harry Potter gets smart and takes control - The Goblet

Chapter 45 Yule Gifts

He got up and hurried over to his desk and pulled out two wrapped packages, "Winky, Dobby?" He called softly.

"Thanks for the socks!" He said when they popped in.

He pulled one of Dobby's socks on and one of Winky's, causing Dobby's eyes to leak with happiness.

"It's really nice having my own socks you two! I really appreciate it," Winky's eyes welled too and Dobby said, "Dobby is pleased you is liking them, sir,"

Harry handed them both a package.

"I made these for you. I don't know if it will do strange things with your elf magic, but it shouldn't," Harry said, hoping they'd like them. He caught a teary but pleased expression on Winky's face before she popped away, embarrassed. Dobby burst into happy, hysterical tears and hugged Harry's knees.

*

Harry woke early the next evening and went for a run through the alley. Nocturne Alley was an endlessly fascinating place he thought as he ran down the main street, and a lot bigger than Harry had initially thought. It was made up of lots of little lanes and alleyways that all connected back to the bigger central alley.

This main street was called Nocturne Proper by the locals and broke off from Diagon and spiralled wide, then back into the centre of Nocturne. Despite being dark, creeping, old and gothic, as if it should be drab and dreary, it was full of life; the bustling heart of the Nocturne Alley district.

The main Alley seemed to house a lot of the main shops, cafe's and deli's, as well as being where many Pubs and Inns were. A lot of the shops had apartments on top of them, Harry noted, as he ran past. Though not all of them seemed to be used as apartments.

#7a Nocturne Proper was Markus Scarr's Skin-wear. They sold makeup, charms and glamours on the bottom floor of #7. In the apartment above it, #7b, however, was 'Inkredible Indelible Tattoos & Scarification.' Then in the attic of that same building, #7c was Little Kraken Piercing. Of course, not all shops had a second (or even third) shop above them, some were indeed just apartments that the shop owners lived in.

Nocturne Proper also had apartments, a small general healers office, a small hospital, the bank, a legal office and even a small school. The street spiralled around the outside of Greater Nocturne, before circling in to meet all the other alleys at the centre of the community. In the middle, where all the lanes met, was a park and a town square. Both seemed to be used as a meeting place, a monthly market, and where all the festivals were held.

Kids were running around the alley already, chasing each other, hitting each other with sticks, throwing things around and wrestling with each other. Some were playing a game of pickup quidditch with some engorgio-ed stones and rather old and wobbly looking brooms that Harry thought some of which might be made themselves. It was clear that some of the kids were street kids, and some had homes and parents living and working in the alley.

There were several more significant side alley's branching off Nocturne.

Reverse Alley was where many of the vampires lived. This was where many of the shops catering to vampires sat, such as, 'Broken Rose Bloodletting - buyers and sellers welcome' and 'Tortured Tornequet - Fang Cosmetics.' Harry had to avoid a lurking vampire who had tried to proposition him last time he'd run past. Most of the denizens of the alley still tried to make trouble for 'the newbie,' but could be dissuaded with either a well-paced threat (promise), a good hexing or if need be, his knife.

The first time, he'd used spells and the threat of his knife to get the vampire to leave him alone. The second time, he'd used his knife on the vampire. The third time, he sensed the vampire coming. He was ready, with the threat that the basilisk venom still flowing through Harry's veins would really not being very good for the vampire's constitution.