"How come yeh never wrote back ter me?" Hagrid asked, looking back and down as they rushed to keep up.
Amisty shot Harry an expectant look, green eyes sparkling.
He took the hint. It didn't take long for his story to finish of Dobby and how his family had locked away all his school supplies over the summer.
"Lousy Muggles. If I'd've known --" Hagrid muttered lowly, coal black eyes flashing.
"Harry! Amisty! Over here!" A familiar voice called.
Amisty whirled around, a grin spreading across her face.
It was Hermione. Their friend was racing toward them from the steps of Gringotts bank, hair flying behind her.
"What happened to your glasses? Amisty, I've missed you!" Hermione enveloped her into a hug before turning to the tall man standing behind them, "Hello, Hagrid -- Oh, it's wonderful to see you all again -- Are you two coming into Gringotts?" She asked, speeding through the questions like no tomorrow.
"As soon as we've found the Weasleys," Harry replied.
"Yeh won't have long ter wait," Hagrid grinned, glancing over their heads.
Five familiar, fiery red heads were racing towards them.
"Harry, Amisty," Mr. Weasley gasped as he skidded to a halt ahead of them, "We hoped you'd only gone one grate too far. Molly's frantic -- she's coming now --"
"Where did you come out?" Ron asked excitedly.
"Knockturn Alley," Hagrid replied before either of them could open their mouths, voice bitter.
"Excellent!" The twins chorused in unison, matching mischievous smirks on their freckled faces.
"We've never been allowed in," Ron explained, jealousy tinting his tone.
Why any of them would want to go down that horrid street, Amisty didn't know.
"I should ruddy well think not," Hagrid growled.
A few seconds after the words left his mouth Mrs. Weasley sprinted into view, Ginny barely clinging onto her hand.
"Oh -- oh, my dear -- you two could have been anywhere," She panted heavily, withdrawing a brush from her handbag and sweeping away the soot that had covered the two.
Mr. Weasley, with a tap of his wand, fixed Harry's snapped glasses.
"Well, gotta be off. See yer at Hogwarts!" Hagrid bid them farewell, once again towering over everyone crowding the street.
"Guess who we saw in Borgin and Burkes?" Harry asked Ron and Hermione, scaling the steps to Gringotts.
Amisty slowed her pace, interested to see where the conversation would lead. "Malfoy and his father."
"Did Lucius Malfoy buy anything?" Mr. Weasley asked suddenly, his voice sharp as a knife.
"No, he was selling --" Amisty replied, thinking back to the store.
She still felt uncertain about being entirely hidden in that cabinet.
"So he's worried. Oh I'd love to get Lucius Malfoy for something..." Mr. Weasley's voice trailed off, his voice laced with contempt.
"You be careful, Arthur. That family's trouble. Don't go biting off more than you can chew --" Mrs. Weasley scolded, leading the group as they all walked into the bank properly.
"So you don't think I'm a match for Lucius Malfoy?" Mr. Weasley retorted, annoyed before his mood shifted entirely at the sight of Hermione's parents. "But you're Muggles! We must have a drink. What's that you've got there? Oh, you're changing Muggle money. Molly, look!"
"Meet you back here," Ron whispered to Hermione as the rest of them were led off to their vaults.
Once again Amisty clambered into the cart, burying her head into her knees at the sickeningly fast pace the cart moved.
Harry placed his arm on her shoulder comfortingly, to which she was thankful.
When it finally screeched to a halt, she followed after the Weasleys unsteadily. Their vault was almost empty, only a sparse amount of Sickles and one Galleon.
Mrs. Weasley walked around the whole room, reaching into the corners before picking it all up and dropping it into her handbag. Next was Harry's vault, in which he hurriedly shoved coins into his leather bag.
Amisty dragged her feet as they walked over to hers, lagging in the back of the group even though it was her money.
When the door opened, her jaw was practically on the floor. It was nothing like Harry's, but there were three Galleons, a small mound of Sickles, and a decent pile of Knuts.
She held back her surprise, instead walking in as calmly as she could manage and scooping up half the money.
"Was this your doing?" She asked Harry as she walked back out, her voice as quiet as a mouse.
"Maybe... maybe not," He shrugged discreetly, a grin tugging on the edge of his mouth.
She glared up at him, though her smile betrayed her true feelings.
"Thank you... I guess. You didn't have to do that, though," She replied, crossing her arms as the group set off toward the carts yet again.
"And you need to start accepting people's help," He retorted, raising an eyebrow.
She rolled her eyes, nudging him with her elbow. He laughed quietly. One more awful cart ride later and they were back at the entrance of Gringotts with Hermione.
Already everyone was setting off to their separate ways.
"We'll all meet at Flourish and Blotts in an hour to buy your schoolbooks. And not one step down Knockturn Alley!" Mrs. Weasley called, seizing Ginny's and walking off to a secondhand robe shop.
The four friends wandered around the street, gazing into the windows of the wondrous shops lining the edges.
Harry, his pockets jingling, bought them all strawberry-and-peanut-butter icecreams, which they all ate with a smile.
Ron's gaze was captured by a set of flaming orange Chudley Cannon robes before Hermione pulled them over to go buy ink and parchment.
At Gambol and Japes Wizarding Joke Shop, Fred, George, and Lee Jordan were buying a suspicious amount of Dr. Filibuster's Fabulous Wet-Start, No-Heat Fireworks.
Amisty caught Fred's gaze, to which he grinned and winked mischievously.
Next, they found Percy in a junk shop, his nose buried in a book. Prefects Who Gained Power.
"A study of Hogwarts Prefects and their later careers. That sounds fascinating," Ron teased, reading off the back cover.
"Go away," Percy hissed, glaring over the top. Amisty turned away, struggling to keep her laughter at bay.
"'Course, he's very ambitious, Percy, he's got it all planned out... He wants to be Minister of magic..." Ron whispered to them as they left the store.
After an hour more of wandering, Amisty racing off to the Owl Emporium and stroking all the birds in turn.
The shopkeeper had recognized her, asking about Echo. She had just about wrapped up their conversation when Harry, Ron, and Hermione, all with matching amused looks, dragged her off to another shop.
Soon enough, their hour had passed and they were making their way back to Flourish and Blotts. To their surprise, a large crowd had formed outside the doors of the shop. Amisty looked around, catching sight of what was most-likely causing all the commotion.
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 mean, he's written almost the whole booklist!" Hermione's voice squeaked in excitement.
Amisty glanced over, smiling slightly. The crowd bustling around mainly consisted of older witches, all scrambling to get a glimpse of the famous writer.
"Calmly, please, ladies... Don't push, there... mind the books, now..." A very distressed looking wizard was blocking the entrance, his desperation clear in his voice.
The four of them squeezed into the shop, keeping clear of the winding line, and grabbing a copy of The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2 from one of the many shelves.
It took a few more 'excuse me's and 'pardon me's before they made it to the Weasleys and Mr. and Mrs. Granger.
"Oh, there you are, good. We'll be able to see him in a minute," Mrs. Weasley smiled as they came into view, touching her hair.
Amisty fidgeted, her ears filled with the dull roar of the crowd so she could barely focus as Gilderoy Lockhart properly came into view.
He was surrounded by posters of himself, all smiling and winking like the man himself. His robes were a bright blue, the same color as his eyes. A tall wizard hat rested atop his head, bent at an angle that accented his wavy blonde hair.
Another wizard was bouncing around, camera puffing out clouds of purple with each flash. He, very rudely, bumped into Ron.
"Out of the way there. This is for the Daily Profit," He growled, taking a few more steps backward and lining up the camera.
Amisty's eyes widened, shocked at the sudden rudeness.
"Big deal," Ron muttered, grabbing his foot.
The ill-mannered photographer had stepped on it. Gilderoy Lockhart looked up at his words, blue eyes fixed on the annoyed redhead before spotting Harry standing just behind him.
In an instant he leaped to his feet.
"It can't be Harry Potter?" He shouted, his voice carrying over the crowded shop easily.
Suddenly, the chattering changed to whispers and the mass of people parted. The blonde man grabbed Harry and dragged him up to the front.
Applause soon followed after, as well as the clicking of a camera. Amisty coughed as she inhaled a mouthful of the bitter, purple smoke blowing toward her.
"Nice big smile, Harry. Together, you and I are worth the front page," Lockhart seemed to speak while showing his blinding white teeth with every word.
The raven-haired girl looked up at him, sensing a hint of arrogance in his tone. Finally, he released his grip on Harry, but when her friend tried to rejoin them, he through his arm around his shoulders.
"Ladies and gentlemen. What an extraordinary moment this is! The perfect moment for me to make a little announcement I've been sitting on for some time!" He called out, quickly quieting the crowd. "When young Harry here stepped into Flourish and Blotts today, he only wanted to buy my autobiography -- which I shall be happy to present him now, free of charge -- He had no idea that he would shortly be getting much,, much more than my book, Magical Me. He and his 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!"
The crowd burst into applause and cheers and Harry stumbled over to Ginny, all of Lockhart's books in his arms.
Amisty watched, her eyes catching sight of a familiar, though unwanted, head of platinum blonde. Malfoy. Hermione dumped a pile of books into her arms before she could even speak of warning.
Struggling under the sudden weight, she fought her way through the crowd toward them, Ron and Hermione at her heel.
"Oh, it's you. Bet you're surprised to see Harry here, eh?" Ron asked, his voice drenched in disgust.
"Not as surprised as I am to see you in a shop, Weasley. I suppose your parents will go hungry for a month to pay for all those," Draco replied snarkily, a malicious smirk spreading across his face.
Ron turned crimson, his blue eyes flashing as he lunged forward. Harry and Hermione barely grabbed his jacket in time to keep him from punching him.
Unfortunately for them, Amisty was left unchecked.
"Would you look at that, a ferret in the book shop," She hissed, feeling her eyes narrow into a glare at the sight of him.
"Oh, and you've brought the orphan girl along as well. Getting her off the streets at last, are you?" He retorted, turning his steely gaze onto her.
His eyes held a knowing look, as if he knew she had done something she shouldn't have. She had just opened her mouth to rebuke when Mr. Weasley reached them at last, Fred and George right at his side.
"Ron! What are you doing? It's too crowded in here, let's go outside," He ordered, ignoring Malfoy.
"Well, well, well -- Arthur Weasley," Mr. Malfoy appeared behind his son, matching the arrogant expression almost exactly.
"Lucius," Mr. Weasley nodded, his usual warm blue eyes icy.
"Busy time at the Ministry, I hear. All those raids... I hope they're paying you overtime?" He dug into Ginny's cauldron, pulling out a worn, dirty copy of A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration. "Obviously not. 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?"
Amisty felt her jaw drop. She thought Draco had been bad, but she was mistaken. His father was dreadful. Mr. Weasley flushed.
"We have a very different idea of what disgraces the name of wizard, Malfoy," He shot back, his voice as cold as his eyes.
"Clearly. The company you keep, Weasley..." Mr. Malfoy replied, gazing over at Mr. and Mrs. Granger lazily, "and I thought your family could sink no lower--"
Mr. Weasley shot forward, slamming into Mr. Malfoy and a bookshelf and sending Ginny's cauldron flying.
Amisty jolted backward, shocked at the sudden outburst. She watched with wide eyes, unaware of the hand reaching toward her until it was too late.
With a great sense of deja vu, she felt herself be dragged off to the side of the store.
Not again.