Chapter 5 Diagon alley
Once everyone had finished their breakfast and had gotten dressed they headed for the fireplace. They very rarely went to Diagon Alley with the children, after an incident which led Sirius and Remus to nearly punched a few Daily Profit reporters only a few months after that awful Halloween night. Instead, they used smaller alleys in Britain or Owl ordered anything that they could only get in Diagon Alley. However that day was different, they would be getting stuff for Hogwarts and they wouldn’t be able to get wands that way Ollivander’s and it is the best place and a tradition for children to get their first wands from Ollivander’s although there are other places to get a wand, but none were as well made as Ollivander’s wands.
So, with everyone ready and gathered around the fireplace, Remus went to grab the floor powder so that everyone could leave when there was a knock at the door. Thinking that it was maybe it was the Tonks who had come early for the birthday dinner that they always have with family. Each year for the children’s birthdays they have a family dinner with the Tonks and in the past before they ended up in St Mungo’s the Longbottom’s. After Neville came to live with them, they traded the day that they have the big family dinner each year for Harry and Neville so one year they would have it on the 30th July then the next year they would have it on the 31st. They would still celebrate their birthdays on their birthday but there would not be two big birthday dinners in a row.
Sirius looked at the door confused; they weren’t expecting anyone for another 8 hours. “I’ll answer it, it might be Minnie coming to say happy birthday,” Sirius said walking towards the door. “it's about time you answered the door. Do you expect me to stand here forever or are you going to let me in?” Augusta Longbottom stood at the door parcels in her arms. Sirius moved out of the way, not wanting to get on her bad side. Augusta Longbottom was Neville’s grandmother and was a formidable woman, when she found out that her only grandchild would be raised by both Sirius and Remus she was outraged and tried to get custody of him. However, once she saw him with the two men and how they comforted him after the attack on his parents. She allowed him to stay with the two men, however, she wanted to be a part of Neville’s upbringing like she would have if Alice and Frank were not ill. As the years went by, she started to see the two Potter children as her grandchildren as well and loved being able to teach them pureblood traditions and manners along with her grandson.
“Augusta what are you doing here so early,” Sirius asked surprised that she was here before the birthday dinner. “Well, I'm assuming that the boys got their first Hogwarts letters and that you were going to go to Daigon Ally today so I thought that I could come and help,” she said. “That’s lovely Augusta, we were about to leave.”
As they all stepped out of the fire, with each adult taking a child with them, Sirius with Harry, Remus with Katie and Augusta with Neville they made their way to Gringotts bank, to withdraw money so that they could buy items from the shops. “Ok why don’t we split up, Katie can you take the boys to Madam Malkins to get their robs while me, Sirius and your grandmother go and get your books since we have the list and it seems pretty crowded in there and we don’t want what happened last time to happen again do we?” Remus said, pointing towards the bookshop that was bursting with people trying to get their books for Hogwarts. “Yeah ok, but afterwards can Sirius take me to the quidditch shop, I need new gloves and a new jersey my old one is too small now.” she said pulling out her own puppy dog eyes. “fine” he relented, he knew how important quidditch was to her and that she was just as quidditch mad as her dad was.
So as the kids split up from the adults to get their books, the kids walked into madam malkins to get their robes. “Here for school robes dears” a kind woman who was measuring another boy for their robes. “Yes, my details should be on file but my brothers, it's their first year.” katie said. “Ok I only have one stool left just know, which one wants to go first,” she said. “Ok rock paper Sizers, whoever wins goes up first,” she said to the two of them. After playing three rounds because they kept pulling rock, Harry won and stood on the stool next to the blond boy.
“You going to Hogwarts too,” he said having the poshest accent he had ever heard. “yeah” Harry replied smiling at the young boy. “I'm looking forward to transfiguration the best what about you,” Harry said. The blond boy looked at him funny but replied “Well I'm looking forward to potions, my godfather is the potions teacher and he's the head of Slytherin, that's where I'm going to be. My whole family has been in Slytherin so I'm obviosity going to be in Slytherin. I'm Draco, Draco Malfoy”. looking smugly as he said it.
Harry looked at him and was curious, so he asked “Is your mum named Narcissa?” the blond boy looked at him with a weird expression on his face “Yes, she is. Why do you want to know” he said. “My uncle is Lord Sirius Black of the House of Black, meaning that not everyone in your family was in Slytherin because Narcissa's cousin was in Gryffindor and her niece your cousin was in Hufflepuff along with your uncle,” Harry said annoyed that he didn’t count those who weren't in Slytherin.
“But they were disowned, meaning that they are not my family,” Draco said looking sheepish, “they are, your mum was my uncle's favourite cousin because she cared for him but as soon as she got married, she stopped talking to him. And my aunt Andromeda still loves your mum because she is her little sister and they grew up together”. “I couldn’t” a tall woman with bright blond hair, she held herself with great poise but looked like a strong wind would knock her down at any moment. “I was not allowed to, my husband forbade it, I tried at first but”. She cut her self-off as if she was scared that something would happen.
Just as she was about to begin Sirius walked in. “hey we finished getting … Narcissa it's good to see you” Narcissa looked between the kids and her cousin, her dear cousin who had so much mischief in him, who made her laugh all the time, who was so so kind and pure, who never let his parents get to him. “I need help” she whispered just loud enough for Sirius to her but not her son.