"Harry! Harry, over here!" called Hermione. I instantly looked towards her and smiled as I saw a familiar green-eyed, black haired boy with glasses come towards us. Hermione and Harry walked towards me and I ran to hug Harry. Then, I smacked him.
"HARRY JAMES POTTER! Why did you not answer any of my letters! I was worried!" With each word, I smacked him.
"Jeez, sorry Em, it's just-" Harry started, but Hermione interrupted us. "What happened to your glasses? Hello, Hagrid - Oh, it's wonderful to see you two again - Are you coming into Gringotts, Harry?"
"As soon as I've found the Weasleys," said Harry."Yeh won't have long ter wait," Hagrid said with a grin.
Harry, me, and Hermione looked around: Sprinting up the crowded street were Ron, Fred, George, Percy, and Mr. Weasley.
"Harry," Mr. Weasley panted. "We hoped you'd only gone one grate too far . He mopped his glistening bald patch. "Molly's frantic - she's coming now -""Where did you come out?" Ron asked"Knockturn Alley," said Hagrid grimly."Excellent." said Fred and George together."We've never been allowed in," said Ron enviously.
"Uh, which Weasley are you?" Harry asked, looking at Fred. I smirked at Fred, I thought we had the same idea. "Mr.Weasley" Fred said, in a deep voice, that sounded nothing like his father. I instantly cracked up.
"Oh Harry, can you not see? Let me help with that" Hermione said, concerned "Oculus Reparo" she chanted, and his glasses were instantly better.
Mrs. Weasley now came galloping into view, her handbag swing ing wildly in one hand, Ginny just clinging onto the other.
"Oh, Harry - oh, my dear - you could have been any where -" Gasping for breath she pulled a large clothes brush out of her bag and began sweeping off the soot Hagrid hadn't managed to beat away. The Weasley's had explained the missing Harry perdicament as well to me.
"Well, gotta be off," said Hagrid, "See yer at Hogwarts!" And he strode away, head and shoulders taller than anyone else in the packed street.
"Guess who I saw in Borgin and Burkes?" Harry asked me, Ron, and Hermione as we climbed the Gringotts steps. "Malfoy and his father."I gasped. "Did Lucius Malfoy buy anything?" said Mr. Weasley sharply behind us. "No, he was selling"
"So he's worried," said Mr. Weasley with grim satisfaction. "Oh, I'd love to get Lucius Malfoy for something ...... " he trailed off. I would love to get Malfoy's son for something.
"You be careful, Arthur," said Mrs. Weasley sharply as they were bowed into the bank by a goblin at the door. "That family's trouble. Don't go biting off more than you can chew -"
"So you don't think I'm a match for Lucius Malfoy?" said Mr. Weasley indignantly, but he was distracted almost at once by the sight of my parents, who were standing nervously at the counter that ran all along the great marble hall, waiting for me or Hermione to introduce them.
"But you're Muggles!" said Mr. Weasley delightedly. "We must have a drink! What's that you've got there? Oh, you're changing Muggle money. Molly, look!" He pointed excitedly at the tenpound notes in Dad's hand.
"Meet you back here," Ron said to me and Hermione as the Weasleys and Harry were led off to their underground vaults by another Gringotts goblin.
We waited for a while, but soon started laughing. It was great to be back with everyone.
Back outside on the marble steps, we all separated. Percy muttered vaguely about needing a new quill. Fred and George had spotted their friend from Hogwarts, Lee Jordan.I was sad to see them go. I wanted to laugh with them, but they were 4th years.
Mrs. Weasley and Ginny were going to a secondhand robe shop. Mr. Weasley was insisting on taking Mum and Dad off to the Leaky Cauldron for a drink.
"We'll all meet at Flourish and Blotts in an hour to buy your schoolbooks," said Mrs. Weasley, setting off with Ginny. "And not one step down Knockturn Alley!" she shouted at the twins' retreating backs. I snickered at this.
Harry, Ron,me, and Hermione strolled off along the winding, cobbled street. The bag of gold, silver, and bronze jangling cheerfully.
Harry bought four large strawberry-and-peanut-butter ice creams, which we slurped happily as we wandered up the Alley, examining the fascinating shop windows. Ron gazed longingly at a full set of Chudley Cannon robes in the windows of Quality Quidditch Supplies until Hermione and I dragged him off to buy ink and parchment next door.
In Gambol and Japes Wizarding Joke Shop, they met Fred, George, and Lee Jordan, who were stocking up on Dr. Filibuster's Fabulous Wet-Start, No-Heat Fireworks. They promised to buy some for me as well.
In a tiny junk shop full of broken wands, lopsided brass scales, and old cloaks covered in potion stains they found Percy, deeply immersed in a small and deeply boring book called Prefects Who Gained Power. 'A study of Hogwarts prefects and their later careers, " Ron read aloud off the back cover. "That sounds fascinating . . . ." "Yeah I know right, we totally need to know that." I said sarcastically. Harry laughed at this. "Be respectful" Hermione snapped, but I could tell she was laughing too.
"Go away," Percy snapped.
"Course, he's very ambitious, Percy, he's got it all planned out .... He wants to be Minister of Magic. . . " Ron told Harry, me, and Hermione in an undertone as we left Percy to it. An hour later, we headed for Flourish and Blotts. We were by no means the only ones making our way to the bookshop. As we approached it, we saw to our surprise a large crowd jostling out side the doors, trying to get in. The reason for this was proclaimed
By a large banner stretched across the upper windows:
GILDEROY LOCKHART will be signing copies of his autobiography MAGICAL ME today 12:30 P.m. to 4:30 P.m.
"We can actually meet him!" I squealed. "I mean, he's written almost the whole booklist!"
The crowd seemed to be made up mostly of witches around Mrs. Weasley's age. A harrassed-looking wizard stood at the door, saying, "Calmly, please, ladies .... Don't push, there ... mind the books, now . . . . "
Harry,me, Ron, and Hermione squeezed inside. A long line wound right to the back of the shop, where Gilderoy Lockhart was signing his books. We each grabbed a copy of The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2 and sneaked up the line to where the rest of the Weasleys were standing with Mum and Dad.
"Oh, there you are, good," said Mrs. Weasley. She sounded breathless and kept patting her hair. "We'll be able to see him in a minute ......
Gilderoy Lockhart came slowly into view, seated at a table surrounded by large pictures of his own face, all winking and flashing dazzlingly white teeth at the crowd. The real Lockhart was wearing robes of forget-me-not blue that exactly matched his eyes; his pointed wizard's hat was set at a jaunty angle on his wavy hair. I almost fainted at his beautiful face.
A short, irritable-looking man was dancing around taking photographs with a large black camera that emitted puffs of purple smoke with every blinding flash.
"Out of the way, there," he snarled at me, moving back to get a better shot. "This is for the Daily Prophet -"
"Big deal," I said, rubbing my foot where the photographer had stepped on it. Gilderoy Lockhart heard me. He looked up. He saw me. My heart melted. His beautiful blue eyes were staring into mine. He eyed my half Gryffindor half Ravenclaw shirt and gasped.
And then he saw Harry. He stared. Then he leapt to his feet and positively shouted, "It can't be Harry Potter, and Emma Granger?"
The crowd parted, whispering excitedly; Lockhart dived forward, seized Harry and my arm, and pulled us to the front. The crowd burst into applause. My face burned as Lockhart shook my hand for the photographer, who was clicking away madly, wafting thick smoke over the Weasleys. I almost fainted again.
"Nice big smile, Emma, Harry," said Lockhart, through his own gleaming teeth. "Together, you, Miss Granger and I are worth the front page."
When he finally let go of my hand, I could hardly feel his fingers. Harry and I tried to sidle back over to the Weasleys, but Lockhart threw an arm around our shoulders and clamped us tightly to his side.
"Ladies and gentlemen," he said loudly, waving for quiet. "What an extraordinary moment this is! The perfect moment for me to make a little announcement I've been sitting on for some time!
"When young Harry, and Emma here stepped into Flourish and Blotts today, they only wanted to buy my autobiography -which I shall be happy to present them now, free of charge-" The crowd applauded again. "They had no idea," Lockhart continued, giving Harry and I a little shake that made his glasses slip to the end of his nose, "that they would shortly be getting much, much more than my book, Magical Me. They and their schoolmates will, in fact, be getting the real magical me. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I have great pleasure and pride in announcing that this September, I will be taking up the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!"
I gasped. No way. The handsomest man on Earth would be teaching me.
The crowd cheered and clapped and we found ourselves being presented with the entire works of Gilderoy Lockhart. Staggering slightly under our weight, we managed to make our way out of the limelight to the edge of the room, where Ginny was standing next to her new cauldron. I smiled at her and she smiled back.
"You have these," Harry mumbled to her, tipping the books into the cauldron. "I'll buy my own -"
"Bet you loved that, didn't you, Potter? You too Granger?" said a voice I had no trouble recognizing. I straightened up and found me and Harry face-to-face with Draco Malfoy, who was wearing his usual sneer.
"Famous Harry Potter and Emma Granger" said Malfoy. "Can't even go into a bookshop without making the front page."
"Leave them alone, they didn't want all that!" said Ginny. It was the first time she had spoken in front of Harry. She was glaring at Malfoy. I had the feeling she fancied Harry
"Potter, you've got yourself a girlfriend!" drawled Malfoy. Ginny went scarlet as Ron and Hermione fought their way over, both holding a stack of books.
"Oh, it's you," said Ron, looking at Malfoy as if he were something unpleasant on the sole of his shoe. "Bet you're surprised to see Harry and Emma here, eh?"
"Not as surprised as I am to see you in a shop, Weasley," retorted Malfoy. "I suppose your parents will go hungry for a month to pay for all those."
Ron went as red as Ginny. He dropped his books into the cauldron, too, and started toward Malfoy, but Harry, Hermione and I grabbed the back of his jacket.
"Ron!" said Mr. Weasley, struggling over with Fred and George. "What are you doing? It's too crowded in here, let's go outside."
Fred and George gave me a look, asking what was going on. I gave them another look back, and they understood.
"Well, well, well, Arthur Weasley"
It was Mr. Malfoy. He stood with his hand on Draco's shoulder, sneering in just the same way.
"Lucius," said Mr. Weasley, nodding coldly.
"Busy time at the Ministry, I hear," said Mr. Malfoy. "All those raids ... I hope they're paying you overtime?"
He reached into Ginny's cauldron and extracted, from amid the glossy Lockhart books, a very old, very battered copy of A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration.
"Obviously not," Mr. Malfoy said. "Dear me, what's the use of being a disgrace to the name of wizard if they don't even pay you well for it?"
Mr. Weasley flushed darker than either Ron or Ginny, and both of them combined.
"We have a very different idea of what disgraces the name of wizard, Malfoy," he said.
"Clearly," said Mr. Malfoy, his pale eyes straying to Mum and Dad, who were watching apprehensively. "The company you keep, Weasley ... and I thought your family could sink no lower"
Now, my face was red. Not from embarrassment, from anger.
There was a thud of metal as Ginny's cauldron went flying; Mr. Weasley had thrown himself at Mr. Malfoy, knocking him backward into a bookshelf. Dozens of heavy spellbooks came thundering down on all their heads; there was a yell of, "Get him, Dad!" from Fred. Mrs. Weasley was shrieking, "No, Arthur, no!"
The crowd stampeded backward, knocking more shelves over; "Gentlemen, please - please!" cried the assistant, and then, louder than all
"Break it up, there, gents, break it up -"
Hagrid was wading toward them through the sea of books. In an instant he had pulled Mr. Weasley and Mr. Malfoy apart. Mr. Weasley had a cut lip and Mr. Malfoy had been hit in the eye by an Encyclopedia of Toadstools. He was still holding Ginny's old Transfiguration book. He thrust it at her, his eyes glittering with malice.
"Here, girl - take your book - it's the best your father can give you -" Pulling himself out of Hagrid's grip he beckoned to Draco and swept from the shop.
"Yeh should've ignored him, Arthur," said Hagrid, almost lifting Mr. Weasley off his feet as he straightened his robes. "Rotten ter the core, the whole family, everyone knows that - no Malfoy's worth listenin' ter - bad blood, that's what it is - come on now - let's get outta here."
The assistant looked as though he wanted to stop them leaving, but he barely came up to Hagrid's waist and seemed to think better of it. They hurried up the street, Mum and Dad shaking with fright and Mrs. Weasley beside herself with fury.
"A fine example to set for your children . . . brawling in public . . . what Gilderoy Lockhart must've thought -"
"He was pleased," said Fred. "Didn't you hear him as we were leaving? He was asking that bloke from the Daily Prophet if he'd be able to work the fight into his report - said it was all publicity -"
"Fred's right Mrs Weasley" I agreed.
But it was a subdued group that headed back to the fireside in the Leaky Cauldron, where Harry, the Weasleys, and all their shopping would be traveling back to the Burrow using Floo powder. Us on the other hand, would be going home in our car.
We said good bye, and got in the car. "Em, Mione, why were those 2 men fighting?" asked MUm, still shaking. "Well, I don't know if you knew it or not, but Mr Malfoy was insulting you guys and Mr Weasley got mad" I said bluntly.
No one asked any more questions for the rest of the ride.
~
Sorry for the delay! School has kept me busy. Well, here's a chapter. I'm sorry for keeping you waiting. I also have a new book called Harry Potter texts so please go check that out. Please:
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