After their visit to Gringotts (Harry and Y/N felt horrible when the Weasely's had seen their overflowing vaults compared to their small pile of Sickles), they all separated. Mrs Weasley had told Harry, Ron, and Hermione to meet them in Flourish and Blotts in an hour, completely ignoring Y/N. Annie had gone with Mrs Granger back into the Leaky Cauldon to chat, and Mr Granger was unfortunately dragged off with Mr Weasley, who had insisted on getting him a drink.
Y/N, Harry, Hermione, Ron and Ellie wandered around, exploring and examining the fascinating shop windows, Harry, (much to Ellie's delight) had bought them all ice cream, which the five children slurped happily.
Hermione and Ellie were hitting it off, they hung back a little, chatting and giggling while the three boys caught up.
"So, why didn't you get our letters?" Y/N asked Harry.
Harry explained the House Elf named Dobby who had stolen all his letters to stop him from attending Hogwarts.
"What a strange elf..." Y/N pondered.
As they went from shop to shop, buying their necessary equipment, they met Fred and George in Gambol and Japes Wizarding Joke Shop, and Percy in a shabby old shop full of broken wands, immersed in a small and deeply boring book called Prefects Who Gained Power.
"He should learn how to be a proper Prefect before reading that..." Y/N mumbled, remembering Percy's unfair punishments given to him the previous year. Ron grimaced in agreement.
"Course, he's very ambitious, Percy, he's got it all planned out... he wants to be Minister of Magic." he said.
"Let's hope that never happens."
An hour later, they headed for Flourish and Blotts. They found a large crowd of people jostling outside the doors, trying to get in. The reason for this was proclaimed by a large banner stretched across the Upper window.
GILDEROY LOCKHART
will be signing copies of his autobiography
*MAGICAL ME*
today 12.30 - 4.30 pm
"We can actually meet him!" Hermione squealed. "I mean, he's written almost the whole booklist!"
Y/N kept rereading the banner. "'Magical Me?'" he scoffed. "Well this guy's the epitome of modesty, I can already tell." he said sarcastically.
The crowd seemed to be made up mostly of witches. A harassed-looking wizard stood at the door, saying, "Calmly, please ladies... don't push, there... mind the books now..."
The five children squeezed inside. They each grabbed a copy of Break With A Banshee and sneaked their way up to the line where the rest of the Weasley's were standing with Mr and Mrs Granger and Annie. Y/N managed to overhear Mrs Weasley and Percy attempt to give some bad information about him to Annie, who thankfully wasn't listening.
At the sight of him, Ginny squeaked and hid behind her mother, which gave him the impression that she was afraid of him. He didn't exactly blame her.
Gilderoy Lockhart then 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 which matched his eyes, his pointed wizard's hat was set at a jaunty angle on his wavy blonde hair.
Y/N immediately disliked him. He had an aura of pride and snobbishness about him, as if he was better than anyone else.
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 Ron, moving back to get a better shot. "This is for the Daily Prophet."
Ellie suddenly tugged at Y/N arm. "I don't like that man." she told him, pointing towards Lockhart. He nodded in agreement, proud of his little sister.
Lockhart seemed to have heard her, because he looked up. He saw Ellie - and then he saw Harry. He stared. Then leapt up to his feet and positively shouted," It can't be Harry Potter?"
Y/N knew exactly what was going to happen, and knew Harry wouldn't like it.
The crowd parted, whispering excitedly. Lockhart dived forward, siezed Harry's arm, and pulled him up to the front. The crowd burst into applause. The photographer clicking madly as Harry's face burned red.
Y/N felt extremely annoyed. Lockhart had no respect for Harry's privacy, and simply wanted to make the front page.
When Lockhart finally let go of his hand, Harry tried to sidle back over to them, but Lockhart threw an arm around his shoulders and clamped him tightly to his side. Which further aggravated Y/N.
"Ladies and Gentlemen," said Lockhart loudly, waving for quiet. "What an extraordinary moment this is! The perfect moment for me to make a little announcements I've been sitting on for some time!
"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 -" the crowd applauded again, "he had no idea," Lockhart continued, giving Harry a little shake that made his glasses slip off the end of his nose, "that he would shortly be getting much much more than my book, Magical Me. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I have great pleasure and pride in announcing that, thus September, I will be taking up the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!"
Just as the crowd began to clap and cheer, Y/N's voice called out," Harry's more famous than you without trying!"
Lockhart's head whipped at the sound of his voice, as his eyes fell upon Y/N, he smirked slightly.
"Ah yes of course, you are young Y/N," he said. "I was unfortunate enough to run across your mother during my travels. She ended up begging me for mercy, I do hope you will go down a better path than she did, of course, it'll be easy with me tutoring you."
Hermione gulped as Y/N's face reddened, his E/C pupils dilated and fixed upon Lockhart's face. The crowd had started booing and shouting as his name was announced. "You lying toerag..." he growled quietly.
Y/N then closed his eyes and took a deep breath, his face returned to it's normal colour and as he opened his eyes, his expression had returned neutral, as if nothing had been said.
Ellie then called out, "I don't like you." to Lockhart. Which caused the arrogant man's face to redden slightly, and a few members in the crowd to laugh.
When Lockhart finally let Harry go, presented with Lockhart's entire works, he staggered up to the Weasleys, and tipped the books into Ginny Wesley's new cauldron.
"You can have these," he mumbled. "I'll get my own-"
They were interrupted by a sudden scuffle, Lockhart was sprawled across the floor, laughing madly, he had been hit by the Rictumsempra spell, the tickling spell.
The crowd began looking around for who had fired the spell, no one had their wand out, but Hermione noticed Y/N's wand poking out of his pocket slightly, as if it had been hastily stuffed back inside. She bit her lip slightly but said nothing.
"Bet you loved that didn't you Potter?" said a voice Y/N had no trouble recognising. Harry seemed to have recognised it too, because he straightened up and faced Draco Malfoy.
"Famous Harry Potter." said Malfoy. "Can't even walk into a bookshop without making the front page."
"Leave him alone, he didn't want all that!" exclaimed Ginny. She was glaring at Malfoy.
"Potter, you've got yourself a girlfriend!" drawled Malfoy. Ginny went scarlet as Ron and Hermione and Y/N fought their way over, all of them clutching stacks of Lockhart's books, Ellie following Y/N sheepishly.
"We all know you'll never get one Malfoy." Y/N said. "Poor little Draco, jealous of Harry again?"
Malfoy flushed. "I am not jealous of Potter!"
"Sure, sure."
"Ron!" said Mr Weasley, the adults were hurrying over to them, Annie and Mrs Granger seemed very annoyed at something, while Mr Granger looked downright furious. "What are you doing? It's mad in here, let's go outside."
"Well, well, well - Arthur Weasley."
A man had stepped out from seemingly nowhere, he had long white-blonde hair that flowed gracefully past his shoulders, and the same cold grey eyes as Draco. He stood with his hand on his son's shoulder, sneering just the same way.
"Lucius," said Mr Weasley, nodding coldly, assuming the same hardened face he made when he had first seen Y/N.
"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 pulled out a very battered copy of A Beginners Guide to Transfiguration.
"Obviously not."
He then turned and noticed Y/N, who had his arm around Ellie's shoulder protectively.
"Mr L/N." he said with a sneer. "Its such a shame you had to inherit that name, the name of a muggle-" Mr and Mrs Granger's expressions became stony cold. "-I think Y/N Mandeville has a nice ring to it don't you? Then again, I don't think you mind them do you? Who's this little girl?" he had noticed Ellie's clothes. Muggle clothes.
Lucius attempted to brush some of Ellie's hair out of her face, but he hadn't managed to so much as brush his fingers against her golden locks when Y/N slapped his hand away. Lucius looked at him, his expression still the same.
"Touch one hair on her head," Y/N whispered dangerously. "And I'll make sure you join your old master in hell."
Lucius's eyes narrowed, but her let the matter go, turning his attention back to Mr Weasley.
"The company you keep, Weasley," he started, his eyes swaying to the Granger's and Annie, who glared back at him defiantly. "And I thought your family could sink no lower."
Mr Weasley had enough. Y/N shook his head as he flung himself at Lucius, knocking him backwards into a bookshelf. As the two men fought like schoolchildren, Y/N decided it was time to leave his friends. He, Ellie, Annie and all three Grangers slipped out of the shop and walked down Diagon Alley, heading for the Leaky Cauldron.
"I'm so sorry about that Dad!" Hermione exclaimed, "The Malfoys are a really rotten family, they hate muggles."
"That wasn't 'hate' Hermione," said Mr Granger, still fuming. "That was racism. That man thought he was above us."
"It wasn't just him." Annie pointed out, just as angry. "That red headed family did it too." she said, while Mrs Granger nodded in agreement.
"Wait really?" Y/N said, surprised.
"It was subtle." said Mrs Granger. "But it was there. When Mrs Weasley tried to convince Annie that you were a little devil, she spoke as if Annie was too unintelligent to know any better. And that Mr Weasley kept pestering us on our ways, which, of course, is fine, but with every question we answered, he had some wise retort, as if his magical ways were superior to ours."
Mr Granger was still very angry. "Tell me honestly," he asked Y/N. "Are all wizards like that?"
Y/N thought for a moment. "I really hope not."
All three of them then walked through the archway, and returned to the muggle world.