HARLOW STOOD NEAR THE fireplace next to her brother. mr. weasley and his children stood behind them watching their mother. mrs. weasley picked up a pot that was to the right of the fireplace.
mrs. weasley motioned to harry, "right. here we are harry, you go first dear, then harlow."
"but they've never traveled by floo powder before mum," ron told his mother.
"floo powder?" harry inquired.
"what's that?" harlow asked.
"oh, well you go first ron, so that they can see how it's done. yes, in you go that's it." she said motioning ron into the fireplace. she held out the pot to ron and he took a handful of it.
ron extended his arm that held the powder out in front of him, "diagon alley!" he yelled and let go of the powder in his hands. the moment the powder hit the floor the fireplace filled with green fire that lasted only for a moment, when the fire cleared the spot where ron was standing was now empty.
"you see? it's quite easy, dear." mrs. weasley said to the potters.
"um, is he okay?" harlow asked.
"of course he is dear, that's how floo powder works." clarified mrs weasley.
harlow gulped, remembering the sight of the flames, "oh cool."
"it's your turn harry," mrs. weasley said, mr. weasley patted harry on the back in encouragement. "don't be afraid. come on. come on. in you go. that's it, mind your head. that's right. now take your floo powder."
harry extended his hand and reached into the pot taking the same amount of floo powder as ron.
"that's it, very good. now, don't forget to speak very, very clearly." instructed mrs. weasley.
"diaganilly" shouted harry, throwing the powder down at the floor, making harry evaporate into thin air.
"what did he say, dear?" mrs. weasley asked.
"diaganilly." responded mr. weasley.
"i thought he did." sighed mrs. weasley.
"he's helpless," harlow whispered to ginny, who nodded in a agreement.
"well, i suppose it's harlow's turn now." mr. weasley pointed out.
"oh yes, come my dear." mrs. weasley said, taking harlow hand and guiding her into the fireplace. mrs weasley stepped back and held the pot out for harlow.
harlow grabbed a hold of the powder, it was softer then she imaged it to be. the texture reminded her of the flour that she'd use to bake cakes for dudley's birthdays back in surrey. she tried to ignore the memory as soon as she thought about it.
she smiled nervously, "well, wish me luck."
harlow cleared her throat, "diagon alley." she released the floo powder that was in her hand and let it fall to the ground. the green fire engulfed her body, harlow flinched.
when she opened her eyes she was standing in the busy street of diagon alley. she looked over to her side and ron was standing there patiently.
"where's harry?" ron asked.
"that's the million dollar question right now, ron." she said.
minutes later the rest of the weasleys appeared next to them. ginny first, then the twins, then percy, then mr. and mrs. weasley.
"where to first?" questioned fred.
"flourish and blotts." told mrs. weasley.
harlow followed the weasleys to flourish and blotts, which was the largest bookshop in diagon alley.
harlow looked the bookshelves in the store up and down, she saw a curly haired brunette crouching down in the nonfiction section.
harlow approached the girl and tapped on her shoulder, "hello, can you tell me where the spell books are."
when the girl turned around her face lit up, the girl wrapped her arms around harlow.
"harlow!" the girl said.
"hey hermione," harlow smiled.
"who are you here with?" hermione asked, pulling away from the hug the she inflicted on harlow.
"the weasley's" harlow replied, "and you?"
"oh my mum and dad." hermione pointed to a normal looking couple who were looked around the building. "where's harry?"
"i don't know," she admitted, "he said the wrong place when he threw down his floo powder."
hermione scoffed, "only harry can mess up traveling by floo powder."
harlow laughed, "that's what i said!"
"i'll be right back, i want to look at the owls outside for a moment." said hermione. harlow saw hermione disappear through the door directly to the outside.
harlow looked around for the weasley's and spotted their red hair standing around a crowd by the front of the book shop. harlow walked up to them and stood next to ron.
"good your still here, i thought we lost you too for a minute." remarked ron.
"you can get rid of me that easily, weasley." harlow smirked. "did you know hermione's here?"
"figures she'd be here on a nice summer's day."
harlow laughed, "we're here too you know?"
ron scoffed, "yeah but that's like totally different."
harlow laughed again and shook her head. harlow heard footsteps coming up behind her, she turned around and saw hermione walking in with harry.
"oh, harry! thank goodness! we'd hoped you'd only gone one grate too far." mrs. weasley sighed in relief.
"look who decided to show up." harlow teased her brother.
"better late than never." he replied sassily.
another voice coming from the front of the room interrupted the twins' conversation, "ladies and gentlemen, mr. gilderoy lockhart."
a man emerged in the front of the bookshop. the man had blond hair, blue eyes, and was probably in his mid-thirties.
"ah! here he is!" mrs. weasley cheered.
"mum fancies him." ron explained to the twins. mrs. weasley gave his shoulder a slap.
"he's dreamy." harlow gushed.
ron rolled his eyes, "you say that about everyone."
"oh really? i've never said it about you." she teased.
"ouch."
harlow looked at him and smirked while clapping for gilderoy lockhart.
"make way there. please! let me by, madam. thank you. excuse me, little girl. this is for the daily prophet." shouted a reporter while pushing through the crowd.
lockhart smirked as the camera flashed, taking a picture of him. he looked around but stopped abruptly at the potters. lockhart's eyes darted between harry's forehead and harlow's neck.
a smug look appeared on his face, "it can't be- the potters?"
everyone turned to look at them, harry's eyes threw wide.
"harry and harlow potter!" the reporter exclaimed, he grabbed the both of them by their arms and pushed them both to the front near gilderoy lockhart.
lockhart tugged harlow and harry by the arm to each side of him. harry on his right and harlow on his left. "nice big smile, both of you. together you two and i rate the front page! ladies and gentlemen, what an extraordinary moment this is."
lockhart slung his arms around harry and harlow pulling them closer to him as the cameras flashed taking their pictures, "when young harry and harlow stepped into flourish and blotts this morning to purchase my autobiography, magical me, which, incidentally is currently celebrating its 27th week atop the daily prophet bestseller list, they had no idea that they would, in fact, be leaving with my entire collected works, free of charge." lockhart handed harry a stack of his books and pushed the both of them aside "now, ladies?"
harlow and harry walked back to the weasley family, mrs weasley took the books from harry. "harry, now you give me those, and i'll get them signed. all of you wait outside. that's it, ron."
the four of them moved to the back of the store, they stopped near the stairs that left to the second story. a boy came down the stairs and walked over to them. it took harlow only a moment to know who the boy was, he was draco malfoy.
"i'll bet you loved that, didn't you, potter's" draco spat.
"hello to you too, draco." harlow smiled sarcastically. ron, ginny, fred, and george had caught up to the potter's. they watched draco from behind harry and harlow.
"famous harry and harlow potter! can't even go into a bookshop without making the front page."
ginny walked in front of harry, "leave him alone." she ordered.
harlow raised her eyebrows at ginny's sudden display of affection for harry. her raised eyebrows turned into a smirk when she realized the way ginny worded it, she didn't say them, she said him.
"oh look, potter. you've got yourself a girlfriend." draco spat out.
a man came up from behind draco and pushed him to the side. he had the same platinum blonde hair and even the same eyes as draco. the only difference between them was hair length and age. this man having hair beyond his shoulders and being draco's elder by at least twenty five years.
"now, now draco, play nicely. mr. potter... lucius malfoy." he held out his hand to harry, harry shook it abruptly. he turned to harlow, "how could i almost forget, miss potter." he extended his hand to harlow, which she shook hesitantly. "we meet at last. forgive me," he said, and touched harry's scar. "both of your scar is legend," he brushed harlow hair out of the way and inspected her scar. "as, of course, is the wizard who gave it to you."
"voldemort? legend? that's a funny way of putting it." the potter girl retorted.
"voldemort killed our parents. he was nothing more than a murderer." harry shot at lucius malfoy.
"hmm. you two must be very brave, to mention his name or very foolish." smirked lucius.
"fear of a name only increase fear of the thing itself." a voice snapped from behind harlow. she turned around. it was hermione again.
lucius's attention turned to hermione, "and you must be miss granger." lucius looked at his son, then back at hermione, "yes, draco's told me all about you, and your parents. muggles, aren't they?" lucius turned to ron, "let me see, red hair, vacant expressions, tatty second hand book. you must be the weasleys."
mr. weasley approached his kids. "children, it's mad in here! let's go outside."
"well, well, well. weasley senior." addressed lucius malfoy.
"lucius."
"busy time at the ministry, arthur, all those extra raids? i do hope they're paying you overtime, but judging by the state of this," he pointed to the second hand book "i'd say not. what's the use in being a disgrace to the name of wizard if they don't even pay you well for it." lucius said disrespectfully.
"we have a very different idea about what disgraces the name of wizard, malfoy." spat mr. weasley.
"clearly. associating with muggles, and i thought your family could sink no lower. i'll see you at work." lucius said, walking out of the store.
"see you at school." smirked draco, and followed after his father.
harlow rolled her eyes and muttered, "douche bags."