"Ok, so we know for sure that no one will be there?" Amy questioned once again.
Draco and Mattheo had just been given their first mission which included them going into Diagon Alley.
"Enzo's family are staying at their summer house in Cornwall so there's no chance of him being there" Theo informed them.
"Well, Iris' dad is an Auror so they're going to be under protection of the Order." Amy told them but she was mainly talking to Mattheo who nodded to her appreciatively.
"And I know mother has been talking to Miss Zabini so she won't let Blaise go anywhere." Draco added.
The reassurance of their friends being far away made them feel slightly better.
"I just don't understand what Ollivander has to do with any of this." Amy spoke truthfully as she rested her head against Theo's shoulder.
"I guess we're gonna find out." Mattheo said blankly as he got up. He patted Draco's back signalling that it was time for them to go.
Draco wasn't as good at covering up his fear and he hesitated before getting up.
They made their way to the door when Amy told them, "Be careful, okay?" She tried to cover up the anxiety in her voice.
The two boys managed to give a reassuring nod or smile before they left the room.
The silence in the room was filled with worrying thoughts about how it could all go wrong. Amy had to break that silence to stop her imagining the worst scenarios.
"When do you go home?" She asked in a quiet, some-what sad voice. She had avoided the topic of Theo leaving ever since he arrived, but as summer was ending she knew he would be going home soon so she couldn't avoid it anymore.
Al though Theo's face did not replicate the same sadness. He smiled and said, "Well, love, hopefully you'll be glad to hear that I'm not." As though he had been waiting to tell her.
She sprung up straight away. "Seriously?" She asked in excitement and disbelief.
Theo laughed at her excitement, "Seriously. I saw my dad last time he was here and told him not to expect me back."
"How did he take it?" Amy questioned cautiously.
"Don't know." He answered, "didn't stick around to see his reaction." He smiled at the memory as he was proud of disrespecting his father.
Amy smiled as she wished she saw the interaction. However she stopped imagining it as a voice on the other side of the door spoke,
"Cissy, I don't trust him!
The unusual seriousness in the tone made it take them a second to recognise it as Bellatrix.
"I don't care, Bella." Narcissa's voice seemed to be more composed but even more stern. She had no fear in challenging her sister.
Amy and Theo looked to each other with confused faces. What were they talking about? They remained silent in the hopes that they could find out.
"Ask one of the others like Avery or Mulciber!" Bellatrix told her.
"He is the only one who can protect them. Once they are back at school I cannot be there for them but he can. And he will help them, I will make sure of it." Narcissa snapped, her voice rising slightly.
She must have walked away as it went silent and the only thing Amy could hear were the questions in her mind. Was Snape going to help them? How could Narcissa guarantee that?
*
"He what?" Amy asked in disbelief.
Mattheo and Draco had returned from their mission and told her and Theo about Yaxley, Alecto and Amycus taking down the bridge.
"And Macnair went and recruited giants that destroyed a town in the West Country." Draco uttered as though he was still processing it.
Amy felt her heart sink. How many innocent people had been killed in one day at the hands of death eaters. She wanted so badly to find Snape and make him take her back to the Order so she could fight against Voldemort and his followers.
But this was a war, a game of survival. And if she has to fight on the other side to keep herself and her friends alive then she will.
There a was light knock on the door and they all turned around to see Narcissa holding four letters, the scarlet markings on them told her that they were their Hogwarts letters with the list of things they will need this year.
Narcissa gave them a small, forced smile as she handed one to each of them. "I'll take you all down to Diagon Alley tomorrow to get you everything you need." She didn't hover and left almost straight away. Amy didn't know if it was because of Mattheo and Draco not wanting to be around many people, or because of what she was talking to Bellatrix about earlier.
"We can stop by Borgin and Burkes so I can show you something that I think can help us" Draco told them, which they all nodded silently to.
Amy didn't bother to open her letter. She knew that all the supplies that she would need for her school year wouldn't be found in Flourish and Blotts.
The boys opened theirs thought in hopes of finding a letter that announced them as Quidditch Captain. However, the lack of excitement and Mattheo throwing his letter to the side told her that none of them got it.
"I swear if Urquhart got it." Theo said shaking his head.
*
Amy pulled her sleeves even further down as they walked through Diagon Alley. Although it seemed like the place they were walking through was a whole new street.
The colourful, glittering window displays of spell books, potion ingredients and cauldrons were lost to view, hidden behind large Ministry of Magic posters that had been pasted over them. There was also moving black-and-white photographs of Death Eaters known to be on the loose. Amy unintentionally shivered as they passed one of Bellatrix.
The five of them headed inside of Madam Malkin's first as Draco needed new robes.
He was getting these fitted as Amy, Theo and Mattheo stood watching feeling bored. Amy suggested that the three of them could go and get their books while they waited but Narcissa didn't want them splitting up.
The bell above the door ringing pulled Amy out of her trance as she turned to see three people walking towards them and it just so happened to be the three people Amy wanted to see the least.
Harry, Ron and Hermione hadn't noticed them yet as they looked around then froze as their eyes landed on her and they looked as though they were seeing a ghost.
Theo instinctively stood next to her as he looked Harry up and down and smirked. Amy had forgotten that the last time the two boys interacted was when he and Theo had a fight.
"See you got your nose fixed." Theo said with a smirk.
Harry was about to speak up when Draco cut him off. "If you're wondering what that smell, is, Mother, a Mudblood just walked in."
Harry and Ron immediately drew their wands and pointed them to Draco. Not even a second later, Theo and Mattheo had theirs out and pointed them at Harry and Ron.
"I don't think there's any need for language like that!" Said Madam Malkin, scurrying out from behind a clothes rack holding a tape measure and a wand.
Amy wanted to have a go at Draco for saying it too, but then she remembered her new status and bit her tongue.
"And I don't want wands drawn in my shop, either!" She added hastily.
Amy could hear Hermione whispering to them, "No, don't, honestly, it's not worth it..."
Amy couldn't help feeling bad for the girl. She also noticed that she seemed to have a bruise around her eye.
"Yeah, like you'd dare to do magic out of school," sneered Draco. "Who blacked your eye, Granger? I want to send them flowers."
Amy heard Theo let out a quiet laugh.
Narcissa then strolled out from behind the same clothes rack. "Put those away," she said coldly to Harry and Ron. "If you attack any of them, I shall ensure that it is the last thing you will do."
"Really?" said Harry, taking a step forward causing Mattheo to move next to Narcissa protectively. "Going to get a few Death Eater pals to do us in, are you?"
Madame Malkin squealed and clutched at her heart. "Really, you shouldn't accuse - dangerous thing to say - wands away, please!"
"And what are you going to do?" Theo spoke up. "Get Neville Longbottom on us?" Harry turned to him angrily. "Remember how you ended up after your last fight." He added him.
Amy couldn't help but smile as Theo was getting so much joy out of reminding Harry of how he kicked his arse. She was still annoyed that she didn't get to see it.
Harry was about to snap. He began walking to Theo and Amy quickly stood infront of him and pointed her own wand at him. Harry stopped with a look of disbelief. "I wouldn't." She told him.
Hermione grabbed Harry's arm and pulled him back. "Harry, let's just go, come on."
"I think this sleeve could come up a little bit more, dear, let me just -"
Amy quickly turned to Draco seeing Madame Malkin about to lift his sleeve up. Her heart dropped, this was quite possibly the worst time for a dark mark to be exposed.
Without thinking she spoke up, "No, let's just go." She said sternly and glanced at the three Gryffindors. "Don't really want to be near these lot."
Draco immediately pulled the robes over his head and threw them onto the floor.
Ron was glaring daggers at her whereas Hermione looked upset. Harry couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"You're right, Amy," said Narcissa, "we'll do better at Twilfitt and Tatting's".
Everyone put their wands away as the four of them strode out of the shop. Theo and Mattheo made sure to barge into Ron as they walked past. As Amy passed them she felt a hand grab her upper arm. "Amy -" Harry said.
She immediately pushed him off. "Get lost, Potter." She told him harshly.
It felt like first year all over again. Hanging around with Draco and treating Gryffindors poorly. However, she knew she couldn't have any form of communication with them this year. So she was going to become the person that everyone thought she was.
"Did he say anything to you?" Theo asked as she got out.
"No, I didn't let him." She replied.
Theo smiled proudly and put his arm over her shoulders as they walked to the next shop. Amy noticed people were either cowering and running away from them or nodding to them respectfully.
She also noticed how when they walked past Olivanders, Mattheo and Draco looked in every direction other than the destroyed shop.
Their shopping was completed very quickly as the workers that were left didn't want to take up too much time and probably wanted them out. So they began heading to their last stop.
"Did you see that joke shop?" Theo asked Amy.
"It was pretty hard to miss." She replied, "I can't believe they finally opened it." She smiled at the memory of her last summer when Fred and George would tell her about their plans for a shop. She suddenly felt a wave of sadness as she remembered that she promised them that she would be their first customer.
"Down here." Mattheo said as they got down a side street which had a sign that read : Knockturn Alley.
Theo immediately took Amy's hand and put her between him and Mattheo.
Amy had never been down here. The dingy alley was full of shops selling things like, poisonous candles and shrunken heads. Amy questioned how this place had been allowed.
Much to her relief, the street was deserted much like Diagon Alley.
They eventually reached Borgin and Burkes which seemed to be the larger shop there. She tried to seem confident as she walked in and she tried not to look around too much as all the items were quite disturbing.
"Ah, The Malfoy's" Said an oily-haired man. Amy assumed that this was the shop owner.
Narcissa simply glanced at the man and replied, "Borgin."
He looked behind them and saw Amy and Theo. This caused Theo to squeeze Amy's hand slightly in reassurance. "Welcome, Mr Nott and Miss Griffin." Amy wasn't surprised that he knew her name but it still made her feel uneasy.
"How can I help you all today?"
Mattheo then walked out from behind one of the shelves holding bottles of what seemed to be poisons. Borgin's smile dropped immediately. "Oh! Mr R-Ridle, I didn't see you there." He cowered.
"Draco what is it you wanted to show us?" Mattheo asked, ignoring the shop owner, who seemed quite glad.
"You're vanishing cabinet." Draco demanded, turning to Borgin
He paused for a minute before answering, "R-right this way." He began leading them to the back of the shop.
Amy turned to Theo who seemed to be looking just as confused as her. They were even more confused when they stopped infront of a tall, triangular, black cabinet with several locks on it.
"I assume you know how it works." Borgin asked Draco. "And you know where the twin is located?"
"Do you know how to fix it?" Draco fired right back.
"Possibly," said Borgin, in a tone that suggested he was unwilling to commit himself. "I'll need to see it, though. Why don't you bring it into the shop?"
"I can't," said Draco. "It's got to stay put. I just need you to tell me how to do it.
Amy saw Borgin lick his lips nervously.
"Well, without seeing it, I must say it will be a very difficult job, perhaps impossible. I couldn't guarantee anything."
"No?" Said Draco sneering. "Perhaps this will make you more confident.
Amy wanted to hit him. He had taken a step forwards and lifted his left sleeve up revealing his dark ink.
Amy couldn't help but look out of the windows. Anyone could have been watching and saw.
"Tell anyone," said Malfoy, "and there will be retribution. You know Fenrir Greyback?" Amy felt a chill at the sound of his name. "He's a family friend, he'll be dropping in from time to time to make sure you're giving the problem your full attention."
"There will be no need for -"
"I'll decide that," said Malfoy. "We'll be off, and don't forget to keep that one safe, we'll need it."
"Perhaps you'd like to take it now?"
"No, of course I wouldn't, you stupid little man, how would I look carrying that down the street?"
Amy tried not to laugh as she pictured it.
"Just don't sell it."
"Of course not...sir." Borgin bowed deeply.
"Not a word to anyone, Borgin, understand?"
"Naturally, naturally," murmured Borgin bowing again. He then looked up to Mattheo who was still holding the bottles. "Oh! Don't, uh - worrying about paying for them, on the house" he said quickly.
The four made their way out of the shop and Mattheo immediately turned to Draco. "The fuck was that?"
"Our school supplies." Draco replied.
————————————————————————
a/n: bros are finally back at Hogwarts next chapter !!!