Snakes and Sanguine

Year 2: Knockturn Alley

CW: Gory Themes

The next morning the three of us ate breakfast in silence. The unspoken tension that surrounded us was unbearable. It was suffocating. All of us were trapped in our own mind, running circles around our thoughts. Though, there was one thought that we all unquestionably shared; if the mirror was in Malfoy Manor that meant that either someone in his house had sent me the mirror or that someone had been there that wasn't supposed to be. We weren't sure which one was more unsettling. The last thing that we had said to each other last night was to vow to never tell another soul about the person we saw in that mirror, since it could be used against us. 

When Astoria and Draco had entered the room I felt a sense of relief, and a weight being lifted off of my shoulders. This meant that it was time for us to go to Diagon Alley. The three of us all knew that we needed some time on our own to process our thoughts and feelings.

Diagon Alley was bustling with witches and wizards as usual. I easily spotted my parents standing in front of Flourish and Blotts and parted ways with my two best friends, thanking the Malfoy parents for having me.

My parents were holding the books that I needed for the year as well as a Thunderbolt XX, the fastest broom in the world. I walked up to the two, and they gave me a weak smile, as usual. 

"What's the broom for?" I asked them, after returning their smile with an almost real one.

"Well, we saw Harry Potter in Gringotts when we came to extract some Galleons and we were complimenting his son's new Quidditch broom. The son had mentioned that you were quite good at Quidditch yourself and that he hopes you make the Slytherin Team this year." my father said proudly. Although, I wasn't quite sure if his pride was from the fact that his daughter was good at Quidditch, or that he was now acquaintances with The Chosen One.

"So, we thought that it would be nice for you to finally do something with your time  and try out for the Quidditch team." said my mother, ruining an almost sweet moment.

"Well, thank you." I thanked them respectfully, ignoring my mother's snide comment.

"I have to pick something up, I'll be back soon." my father said vaguely, handing me the brand new broom. "Why don't you two go to the Menagerie, pick out a pet for yourself."

"Be safe." I heard my mother whisper to him as she gave him a quick hug.

My first instinct was that it probably had something to do with his illegal potions business. I watched as my father made a turn into the shadows of Knockturn Alley. Curiosity was tempting me to go and follow him, but I didn't give in. Maybe if my mother hadn't been there I would have. I followed my mother to the Menagerie instead, to go and find a pet instead of trouble.

"Ah, Mrs. Cedar, welcome." a fairly young woman smiled, standing behind a counter.

"Hello Ilhcar, nice to see you." my mother replied with a genuine smile, as we walked farther into the shop. "My daughter is looking for a pet to bring with her to Hogwarts this year. Second year is a good year to get your first pet, don't you agree?"

"But of course! What kind of pet is she looking for? We have all sorts." she replied, moving out from behind the counter, now pacing around the perimeters of the store where all the animals were displayed. "We've got toads, cats, hamsters, mice, turtles, doxies...."

"What in Merlin's name are bowtruckles?" I asked, looking at one of the signs on the wall, intrigued by the odd sounding name.

"No swearing." my mother snapped, jerking her head towards me. "And fix your posture, it's horrendous."