CHAPTER TWO
❛It's like a mini tiger❜
Breakfast at the Lupin household usually consisted of bickering and yelling. But, today it was dead silent. Hope stared at her food, not taking a single bite. While Alfie looked into a book.
"Why aren't you eating?" asked Remus, as he looked up from his newspaper. "It's pancakes, you're favorite."
"Not hungry." she mumbled in return as she moved the food around the plate.
The father looked at the plate. "You haven't even taken a bite--"
"I want to eat at Diagon Alley anyways." said Hope, before taking a long drink of orange juice.
"Diagon Alley?"
Hope furrowed her eyebrows before realizing she hadn't asked. "Oh, right. Can I go?"
"Me too?"
Remus looked from his son to his daughter. "Why do you two want to go to Diagon Alley?"
Alfie shrugged. "I need a new book."
"Hermione wants to go shopping." explained Hope. "And I want girl time."
"You actually have female friends?"
Hope threw a piece of pancake. "Shut up, Nerd."
"My hair!" he wiped the syrup covered pancake out of his blond hair. "That was rude."
"Stop it, you too." Remus scolded, taking his wand to remove it out of Alfie's hair. "Besides, Alfie. Your hair is fine. It was one piece of pancake."
Alfie looked up. "It takes a lot to maintain good hair, Pops. This is a lot of work."
"Pops?" he questioned. "You know, whatever, you two can go. As long as you're home by dinner."
Hope walked down the streets of Diagon Alley, looking for the bushy hair of Hermione Granger. It wasn't but five minutes before she saw Hermione looking around the same way she was.
"'Mione!" called out Hope.
"Hope!"
The two greeted each other with a hug, and they wore giant smiles. Hope laughed before looking around. "Are you ready for a fun day of shopping?"
"So ready, I've needed girl time all summer." Hermione smiled. "Mum isn't very good with this stuff."
"Trust me, I understand. I've been cooped up with Papa and Alfie all summer. And if I did get out, it was with Cedric or Cormac." she sighed before continuing. "And they all hate shopping."
Hermione let out a chuckle. "Anyway, how was your summer?"
Hope shrugged. "It's been okay, pretty boring with Ron in Egypt."
The two girls looked around Diagon Alley, shops lined both sides of the walkway. All with different things inside.
"Where do you want to go first?"
"I'm not sure." said Hermione. "I have a lot of early birthday money from my mum and dad."
The Lupin girl put on a thinking face before grinning. "I've been wanting to look at owls for awhile. I mean, I have a family owl, but it's not the same."
"Me too!" she exclaimed. "Should we go look at them?"
"Let's do it."
The two teenage girls wandered down the streets of Diagon Alley, taking a look at many different windows. Even though the two had been to Diagon Alley multiple times, the shops still amazed them greatly.
At last, they had stopped at Magical Menagerie. A magical creature shop across from Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor.
As they walked in, they saw many different types of animals. From cats, to toads, to owls. Hope was quick to walk over to pet a giant orange cat.
"Do you see any you like?" questioned a lady behind the counter.
"We're not sure--"
Hope cut off Hermione by picking up the cat. "Hermione, look at this thing!"
As soon as she said that, the cat jumped out of Hope's arms quickly, scratching up her forearms in the process. The Lupin girl just looked at her bloody arms and chuckled.
"Crookshanks, no!"
"Crookshanks? Cause he shanks you with his claws?" she joked, trying to get a laugh from her friend.
Hermione just stared at the cat in awe. "Hope, look at him!"
"It's like a mini tiger."
"I want him." said Hermione, picking up the giant orange ball of fur.
Hope shrugged. "Then get him. It's up to you."
The shop owner jumped up in glee. "Take him, please, for free even!"
Hermione and Hope sat in the Leaky Cauldron, drinking small glasses of tea. It wasn't long before Hermione took in a huge whiff of Hope's leather jacket and made a disgusted face.
"You smell like smoke." she commented. "Like a weird smoke?"
"Do I?" Hope pretended to be oblivious before sipping more of her tea. "Strange."
The Granger girl didn't seem convinced. "It's not a fire smoke, but a different kind--"
"Drop it, please?"
Suddenly, a voice interrupted both girls, they turned to see Ron running over with Scabbers in hand.
"Hope, Hermione!" he called out.
Hope smiled. "Ronald."
Crookshanks took one look at Scabbers and leaped up for him. Ron made a terrified expression while Hope and Hermione tried to hold the cat back.
"Crookshanks, no."
"What is that beast?" asked Ron, eyeing it carefully, as if he was afraid it was going to attack him.
The Lupin girl rolled her eyes, before cracking a smile. "It's a cat, obviously."
"More like a monster." he replied. "It tried to attack my Scabbers."
She shrugged. "Maybe Scabbers looks like a good snack. He is shaped like a lumpy round carrot."
"He's brown." commented Hermione. "He is nothing like a carrot."
Crookshanks tried to leap out of Hermione's arms once again but she just held him still. The two pets scurried across the wooden floor quickly.
"I'm warning you, Hermione. Keep that beast away from Scabbers." he said. "Or I'll turn it into a tea coaster!"
Hope laughed loudly. "You can't even do that, have you seen your Transfiguration work?"
"Besides, he's a cat! It's in his nature, what do you expect?" defended Hermione, as she held the cat in her arms.
"But he went after my rat--"
"Ron--"
The Granger girl glared. "He is a cat!"
He let out a fake laugh. "A cat? More like a pig with fur if you ask me."
"You own a rat, a rat. Dare I say more?" Hope shot back. "Besides, Crookshanks is a cute little tiger."
All three teenagers looked up at the staircase that led down, sensing a presence. Only to see Harry, staring at them in shock.
"Harry."