Diagon Alley
“Why didn’t you tell me that something like that happened?!”
“Aw!” Harry chuckled when Eleanor hitted his chest in annoyance after telling her everything that happened at Hogwarts that he did not include in his letters— namely, the Philosopher’s stone, the hurdles that he, Hermione, and Ron encountered before he can get to Quirrell, and Quirrell having Voldemort’s face on the back of his head. “It hurts, Eleanor.”
Eleanor pouted before putting her hands back to his hair and resumed playing with it. Eleanor likes playing with his hair before sleeping. The moment he got back from Hogwarts, Eleanor spent at least until midnight before she went to sleep, and that went on until now. “I was right with him. The first time we saw him, he looked so out of place, you know,” she said, burying his head to Harry’s chest as she got closer to him while Harry enveloped his arms around her tiny body. “Didn’t know he has some psychopath wizard on his head. It’s creepy.”
Harry nodded, still feeling the way Eleanor tugged on his hair. It’s soothing to her. He whispered, “They said mum’s love protected me from him; mum died protecting the both of us from him.”
“What else did you knew about them?” she asked, whispering. Harry fixed his position as Eleanor’s eyes became droopy with sleepiness.
“Dad was once a seeker, the same position I have at Quidditch,” he answered. “And mum is bloody brilliant, they say. Bloody smart.”
He felt his sister smile through his shirt. “Hey, anyways, why do you think that house elf wants to keep you from going to Hogwarts? He’s hurting himself.”
Harry sighed. Last night, they were surprised to find a tiny creature, with a long crooked nose, wearing a dirty pillow cover over himself that just popped out of nowhere in their bedroom. The elf introduced himself as Dobby, and apparently, he has been keeping letters from Ron and Hermione all summer. It’s telling them that they should not, in any way, go back to Hogwarts, and then he hurt himself, but when Harry said that they are going whether he likes it or not, he used magic on the Dursleys’ visitor, much to anger the older Dursleys. Uncle Vernon had placed metal bars on their windows to prevent them from escaping and locked his things into the cupboard.
“That, I don’t know,” he answered. “We might know once we’re back at Hogwarts, yeah? You already packed all of your things, right?” Eleanor nodded with both of her eyes already closed. He smiled before leaning down to kiss her forehead. “Good night, El, love you.”
Eleanor yawned before answering. “I love you, Harry, good night.”
Harry swears it’s only been hours since he had fallen asleep when he was woken up by a strong source of light from outside their window. “Please, I'm still sleeping,” he murmured before finally opening his eyes to see what is happening.
A bright light shone from outside their window and there were a lot of snickering and bickering noises, and a pair and a certain redhead he knew.
Ron Weasley and his brothers are outside their window.
“Ron,” he breathed. He carefully pulled out of Eleanor’s embrace as he stepped out of the bed to rush to the window. “What are you doing here?” he whispered in a hush tone as to not wake the girl still sleeping on the bed.
“Rescuing you, of course!” answered Ron as he leaned on what they are riding on.
Harry dropped his jaw upon seeing what it was exactly outside their window. Ron and the Weasley twins are inside a freaking flying car. At midnight. Parked in midair. “Alright there, Harry?” George, one of the Weasley twins, asked with a smirk on his face.
“What’s been going on?” Ron asked. “I’ve asked you to stay about twelve times, but you never answered— the Dad received the news that you used magic on your house—”
“That wasn’t me.” His brows furrowed in confusion. “How did you know?”
“He works for the ministry,” they shrugged. “You know we’re not supposed to do magic outside of school—”
“You’re one to talk,” he said, looking at their flying car.
“Oh, this is not counted,” Ron said, recalling how they only borrowed their dad’s enchanted car to go to them. “Now, grab your things and let’s go! We’re going home!”
“I can’t! See, my uncle had put bars on them!” he said but the twins only scoffed.
“Not a problem,” Ron said, gesturing at the twins. “Have you forgotten who we got here with us?”
“Tie that around the bars,” Fred said as he threw the end of a rope on Harry.
“If the Dursleys catch us, we’re dead,” Harry said.
“Don’t worry,” said Fred. “And stand back.”
Harry moved back into the shadows next to Hedwig, who seemed to have realized how important this was and kept still and silent. The car revved louder and louder and suddenly, with a crunching noise, the bars were pulled clean out of the window as Fred drove straight up in the air. Harry ran back to the window to see the bars dangling a few feet above the ground. Panting, Ron hoisted them up into the car. Harry listened anxiously, but there was no sound from the Dursleys’ bedroom.
“Harry?” He looked around and saw Eleanor rubbing her eyes as she woke so he ran up to her carefully. “What’s happening?” Her voice is still hoarse from sleepiness.
“Get up, Eleanor,” he commanded. “We’re leaving.”
“Where? It’s the middle of the night,” she stated, but stopped when she saw the bar come out of their window. She frantically looked at Harry in panic. “Harry, what’s happening?! Is that a flying car?!” she asked in a hushed voice.
“I’ll explain to you later.” He smiled at her and grabbed her hand. “Let’s go?” He saw the eyes of his sister shone with a little bit of glimmer before nodding and standing.
Harry grabbed Eleanor’s trunk to give the twins, and then Hedwig, and then he stopped. “My Hogwarts trunk is locked downstairs.” Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon stocked his things from Hogwarts under the cupboard and locked it, afraid that he would use magic against them on their backs. He is not supposed to have it back all summer.
“Where is it?”
“Locked under the cupboards in the stairs.”
“Not a problem,” said George. “Out of the way, Harry and Harry's sister,” he smiled at her, much to Harry frowning as his sister smiled at George before pulling him aside.
He watched as George and Fred climbed catlike to go inside their room. They spent a couple of minutes going down the stairs, getting his things upstairs, and actually getting his trunk on the car, until they heard Uncle Vernon coughed twice, and then creaking off the floor.
“Harry, he’s coming.” Harry nodded at Eleanor, before pulling her to assist her in getting the car with the help of the Weasleys.
“YOU RUDDY FREAKS!” He looked behind and saw Vernon Dudley came rushing towards them as he pushed Eleanor towards the car, and jumped in there himself.
Harry was about to settle himself into the car when Uncle Vernon clung onto his feet. Harry wiggled his legs to let the man go off while Eleanor and the Weasleys are pulling him up. “Get off!” he shouted.
He continued wiggling his legs off when Uncle Vernon started floating, his eyes rounding up more as he floated midair, away from the car. Harry’s own eyes widened as Ron pulled him up, and he looked over to his sister, with her hands up in the air.
“Eleanor,” he called her calmly.
The moment his voice reached Eleanor’s ears and looked at him, Uncle Vernon suddenly fell on the ground, almost making Eleanor jump in surprise. Harry laughed at what happened before pulling the confused girl into a hug.
“See you next summer!” he yelled at the Dursleys as the car started maneuvering higher and higher.
—
Eleanor kept herself quiet while the boys around her kept on talking and Harry telling them all about Dobby while fidgeting with her fingers. “Do you know anyone who holds a grudge against you?” one of the twins asked. She thinks it might be Fred, as she can still clearly remember the other twin— George.
“Yes,” Harry and Ron answered.
“Draco Malfoy,” Harry explained. “He hates me.”
She frowned and looked on her lap instead. She still can’t accept that the person she thought was going to be their friend turned out to be a git to her brother. She shifted herself and leaned herself unto Harry before closing her eyes. She might just sleep well while they’re in the sky.
“Hey, El, baby.” She rubbed her eyes and the first thing she saw when she opened them was her brother’s face — smiling at her with his eyes hiding under his round glasses. “We’re here already.”
She smiled and giggled before looking around. Harry assisted her in stepping down and she looked around. The house says The Burrow, and there is a huge background with plans and fat chickens. The house is not much, but it’s much better than the Dursleys. Eleanor can’t help the smile spreading on her face as she watches everything, every bit of magic inside — the knitting with no one knitting, the plates washing themselves, the clock with the spoons and names — Eleanor can’t help but look around to see for more.
“Now, we’ll go upstairs really quietly,” said Fred, “and wait for Mum to call us for breakfast. Then, Ron, you come bounding downstairs going, ‘Mum, look who turned up in the night!’ and she’ll be all pleased to see Harry and Eleanor and no one ever knows we flew the car.”
“Right,” said Ron. “Come on, Harry, I sleep at the — at the top —”
A red-headed woman walked towards them making the Weasleys whisper something under their breath— whispers of panic. The woman— looks like their mother— narrowed her eyes at her sons. “Where have you three been? Do you know how worried I was about all of you?!”
“Beds empty! No note! Car gone — could have crashed — out of my mind with worry — did you care? — never, as long as I’ve lived — you wait until your father gets home, we never had trouble like this from Bill or Charlie or Percy —”
“Perfect Percy,” muttered Fred.
“YOU COULD DO WITH TAKING A LEAF OUT OF PERCY’S BOOK!” yelled Mrs. Weasley, prodding a finger in Fred’s chest. “You could have died, you could have been seen, you could have lost your father his job —”
She winced and hid her face on Harry’s chest as the woman’s rants went on, before she spoke. “I’m very pleased to see you, Harry, dear, and also your sister. Come on, let’s have some breakfast.”
After a few seconds, they walked towards somewhere in the house and when she took her face off of Harry’s chest, she realized they were at a dining table. The woman introduced herself as Molly Weasley, told them to sit at the table while she was preparing breakfast.
“I don’t blame you, dear.” Mrs. Molly smiled at her brother, a rather large smile more than she would think normal. “Arthur and I have been worried about you two. We have been thinking about getting you ourselves if you have not written to Ronald by Friday,” she explained, then continued fretting out on her sons.
As she looked at the feast of foods served in front of her, Eleanor can’t think of a time she saw this much in the Dursleys. Well, they do, actually, but much of it is for Dudley. Dudley looks like a pig. Eleanor actually pictures him as one, even as his father, and his aunt, while his mom looks like a horse.
“You okay there, Harry’s sister?” She looked around and saw one of the twins — George, asked her. In a short amount of time, she already memorized their differences. George has a longer face than Fred, and a little bit taller, and even his voice is deeper than his twin.
Eleanor felt the corners of her lips tugged upwards before answering. “I have my name, you know. It’s Eleanor.”
“I know you have your name,” the redhead smiled and sat beside her. “Hello, Eleanor.”
The insides of her cheeks started to burn a little, so she frowned. She opened her mouth to say something in return when a girl’s voice echoed in the house. “Mum, have you seen my jumper?”
She looked around and saw a redhead girl went down the stairs, looked at Harry, then her eyes immediately widened. Eleanor rolled her eyes as the girl squealed and went upstairs again, running.
“Ginny,” she heard Ron. “She’s been talking about you all summer.”
“Yeah, she wants your autograph,” Fred laughed, and she can’t help but to butt in already.
“And why would she want my brother’s autograph?” Her eyes are narrowing at the brothers in annoyance. Her face crumpled at the thought that maybe the redhead girl fancied her brother. “My brother is not a celebrity and I bet she’s also a first year like me. Why would she want Harry’s autograph, then?”
George laughed. “Your brother is really a celebrity at Hogwarts, Eleanor, we believe you will be, too. Don’t mind Ginny, she’ll get over it.”
That certainly did not help to aid her annoyance. She looked over at her brother who was peacefully putting food on her plate and smacked his arm, earning an “Oh!” from him.
“Don’t give her your autograph,” she said, her eyes feeling like they were burning through him before wrapping her hands around Harry’s and snuggling into his side, once again burying her face into his chest.
Harry laughed at her antics. “Eleanor, I’m giving no one my autograph, relax.” She looked at him with her brows furrowed when he pulled her away from him. “You’re the only one for me, you know that. Don’t be jealous.”
That certainly did not helped when the redhead girl went down again and sat across Harry. “Hi, Ginny,” her brother greeted her so she squinted her eyes on him.
“Hi, Harry,” the redhead greeted back, and her voice is so annoying for Eleanor’s ears, as it seems like she’s making it too small compared to her normal.
That time, Eleanor has made her decision. She don’t want the girl a part of her brother’s life aside as a friend.
Another one of their brothers came— Percy Weasley— and their father — Arthur Weasley — and bombarded them with questions about the muggle appliances, until Errol the owl came and ran straight to the window, which made them wince.
“That’s your letters!” squeaked Mrs. Weasley as Percy grabbed the letters from the owl. “Oh, and the Headmaster sent your letters right here, Harry and Eleanor.”
Eleanor’s eyes widened at the sight of her name on one of the papers. Eleanor tugged her lips upward in excitement as she looked at her brother. “Let’s look at this together, can we?” she asked.
“Of course,” Harry nodded and put his letter down on the table before wrapping his hands on Eleanor and helped her in opening the letter.
Ms. E. Potter
She squeaked as they read her letter. It’s the same content as the one Harry had his first year, but this is a different sort of excitement. She’s going to be in the same school as Harry, and they would have all the time in the world.
“I want to be in Gryffindor,” she mumbled, loud enough for the rest of the Weasley family to hear her and looked at Harry. “I don’t actually care what house I am, but it’s your house, and I want to be the same with you.”
“I know you’ll be in Gryffindor,” Harry said with a smug grin on his face. “Of course I’ll always be beside my baby sister, especially now that you’re in Hogwarts already.”
“Your parents are in Gryffindor as well.” They looked up at Molly Weasley as she spoke. “Same as the Potter bloodline, so there would be no way that you won’t be placed in Gryffindor, dear,” she smiled at Eleanor.
If that so, then there's no reason to worry she would be put in another house.
“Where’s Harry?” she asked the Weasleys when she did not see him right where they came out of the floo. She looked around and did not saw him there, but she saw his friend— Hermione. She walked up to her and smiled. “You’re Hermione, right?”
The bushy-haired girl smiled at her as she remembered her. “You’re Harry's sister, right? Eleanor!”
Harry’s cheeks heated up at the recognition. Her brother’s friend recognized her! “Yes, and you’re Hermione. Correct?” The girl nodded. “And you’re here to buy your things? My brother, I, and the Weasleys are here to buy our things as well, but I just can’t seem to find him,” she pouted, still looking around for her brother. “We still need to go to Gringotts.”
“Oh.” The other witch creased her forehead. “Let’s look for him then, shall we?”
She nodded and joined her. The Weasleys are nice, especially the twins, but she’s not too comfortable that there is another girl obviously fancying her brother. Her brother was hers. The two of them walked together for a couple of minutes until they finally saw him— all dirty and with broken glasses.
“Harry!” Eleanor frowned as she ran towards him. “What happened to you? Where have you gone?”
Hermione walked towards them and smiled. “We have been looking for you, Harry,” she smiled. “And what happened to your glasses?” Hermione pointed her wand at Harry’s glasses and muttered an oculus reparo, then the glasses fixed itself. It made her heart jump. Unlike Ginny Weasley wherein she doesn’t feel comfortable being close with her brother, she doesn’t feel any remorse or doubts with this girl in front of them.
She greeted Hagrid before he accompanied them to the Gringotts together— her and Harry going to their vaults to bring out some galleons and Hermione to exchange her muggle money for galleons. “Harry, where have you gone earlier?” she asked while after they went back from the vaults using the awful carts as Eleanor described.
“Uh, just somewhere,” Harry answered, his lips formed in a tight smile, owning a scowl from her.
“It’s not just somewhere, I know you,” she answered and rolled her eyes. “But fine, if you don’t want to say it.”
“I’ll tell you later,” Harry said while holding her hand. “Let’s grab you your things, yeah?”
Eleanor nodded as she felt tingles all around her body at the mention of getting her things. “Where are we going first?”
“Well, for starters, how about your wand?” Hermione asked behind them.
“My wand?!” Eleanor squeaked. “I would love to!”
“Alright, then let’s go visit Ollivanders!” Harry laughed and started walking in a fast pace with her.
“Eleanor Potter…” Mr. Ollivander smiled warily as the three of them entered the shop. He looked at her head to toe before looking at her brother, then back to her. “The youngest Potter… has now come to have her wand.”
Eleanor swallowed before forming her lips into a smile and nodding. The old guy then went frantically towards the stocks of boxes and pulled one from it, then went back to the counter. He opened the box and it revealed a wooden wand— much like Harry’s. “Try it, Ebony with Phoenix Feather, 11 1⁄2 inches,” he said. “Give it a little swish.”
Eleanor gratefully accepted it and frowned when it felt a bit heavy. She tried to swish it into the air, and it caused a whole stock of wands to collapse as she gasped. “Oh my gosh, I am so sorry, mister.”
Mr. Ollivanders held a little laugh before shaking his head. “No worries, Ms. Potter, that just means that that is not destined to be your wand,” he said before walking back to the stocks of boxes.
It took them a good five minutes of trying different wands and ruining piles of wands before Mr. Ollivander felt too confident in the wand he gave her. “That is Alder wood with Dragon Core, 12 ¾, slightly springy flexibility.”
Eleanor heaved a shaky breath upon receiving it. It felt light, much lighter than the earlier wands. She looked back at Harry who was nodding encouragingly at her before giving it a swish. Her eyes widened when suddenly, a good hue of air encircled her. “That is a very good wand, Ms. Potter,” Mr. Ollivander smiled. “I can’t wait to see why that wand chose you. I can see that despite being helpful, you’re quite stubborn. I don’t know about being considerate and likeable, the traits of this wand’s ideal owner. Well, goodluck, Ms. Potter.”
Eleanor spent minutes staring at her wand in awe after going out of Ollivanders. Harry beside her chuckled and ruffled her hair. “Do you want to buy a pet, El?”
“Pet?” Eleanor frowned as she looked up at him. “Like Hedwig, you mean?”
Harry nodded. “Yes. There’s a store that sells animals to be your pet to bring to Hogwarts, but maybe Hagrid can accompany you? I still have to buy my books in my schedule. Is that alright?”
Eleanor puckered her lips before nodding. “We’ll also buy my books later, right?”
“Of course, I’ll gather them so you can already have them when you come to Flourish and Blotts.”
As Hagrid accompanied her to the store, she saw a lot of pets she wanted to bring home. She originally thought of an owl but thought that Hedwig is already enough for the two of them, and she likes Hedwig so much to have another owl in the house, so she settled with a black fur cat kneazle upon the staff’s suggestion. She paid them in galleons before saying goodbye to Hagrid as he had other things to settle.
Locating Flourish and Blotts has been an easy task for Eleanor, as she did not even waste a sweat before she heard voices inside the store.
“Famous Harry Potter. Can’t even go into a bookshop without making it to the front page.” She frowned upon hearing that familiar voice. Holding her cat’s cage, she rushed open the shop’s door and went inside, to her surprise to see her brother, Hermione, and the Weasley siblings in front of the familiar blond haired guy.
“Leave him alone! He didn’t want that!” Ginny yelled at him as she stepped in front of Harry. There comes the slow realization of who the man is. 𝐷𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑜 𝑀𝑎𝑙𝑓𝑜𝑦.
“Potter! You’ve got yourself a girlfriend!” Eleanor narrowed her eyes as Ginny went scarlet, obviously blushing.
She rolled her eyes before butting in. She stepped towards them and stopped in front of Harry to face Draco, who appeared to be quite shocked at her appearance. “No, he did not get himself a girlfriend!” she exclaimed in annoyance and defense.
Draco’s shocked face immediately turned to being smug. He grinned at her. “I see you’re about to start your first year, Eleanor.”
“And why do you care?” Eleanor turned her back on him and looked at her brother. She was about to drag him inside when Draco spoke.
“So, I see your brother already told you nasty things about me.” He sounds mad.
“Yeah,” she answered. “And awful things you did. Come on, Harry.”
“How do you know Harry’s sister?” Ron asked him angrily, making her stop dragging Harry. “Bet you’re surprised to see them here.”
“I’m more surprised to see your lots here, Weasley.” Eleanor turned to look at him. He’s all smug and arrogant. He’s really too different to the one she got to be friends with for a few minutes last year.
Draco’s father came right after Mr. Arthur Weasley came to collect them. They had caused a slight bit of commotion after Mr. Lucius Malfoy insulted their family based on Ginny's old and hand-me-down books.
“And you’re Eleanor Potter,” he grinned at her. Harry tried to hide her behind him but Mr. Malfoy pulled her basket from her that Harry gave him the moment she went with him once she was in the shop.
“That’s mine!” she shrieked and tried to have them back with Harry’s help but Mr. Malfoy only stepped back and inspected her books. “Smells new, maybe you two Potters can spare your Weasley friends some galleons for a few new things?” he grinned before putting her things back in the basket and handing them to the siblings. “Let’s go, Draco, we still have errands to go.”
With Draco’s arrogant and annoying face and smirk, he followed his father outside.
“Come on, Eleanor, let’s fetch all of your other things.” She looked at Harry— all irritated and mad about what happened now.
“Okay.”