~ At Flourish and Blotts ~
Life in the Burrow was a world away from what it was in Privet Drive.
The Dursleys liked everything neat and ordered; the Weasley house was full of oddities and surprises.
When Harry first looked in the mirror above the kitchen fireplace, he jumped when a voice said: "Tuck your shirt in, scruffy!"
The ghoul in the attic would howl and drop pipes on the floor if he thought the house was too quiet, and nobody cared about the small explosions in Fred and George's bedroom.
What Lucy found most unusual about living in Ron's house, however, wasn't the talking mirror or the noisy ghoul: it was plain and simple that they all seemed to like her and Harry. Mrs. Weasley fussed over the state of their socks and tried to force them to eat fourth helpings at every meal.
Mr Weasley liked to have Harry by his side at dinner and then bombarded him and Lucy with questions about Muggle life, like how Plows worked and the post office.
"Fascinating!" he would say when Harry told him how to use a phone, "Ingenious, really, how many ways Muggles have found of getting along without magic."
Lucy had used the time and written to Louisa and Ophelia that she and Harry were now with the Weasleys and that they were fine.
~~
One sunny morning, just over a week after the Potter twins arrived at the Burrow, they received a letter from Hogwarts.
Harry had gone downstairs with Ron for breakfast, where Mr and Mrs Weasley, Ginny and Lucy were already seated at the kitchen table.
The moment Ginny saw Harry, she knocked her bowl of porridge off the table, and it landed on the floor with a loud clatter.
She dove under the table to pick up the bowl and when she came up again her face was glowing like the setting sun.
Pretending not to notice, Harry sat down and took the piece of toast that Mrs Weasley offered him.
"Letters from school," Mr Weasley said, handing Harry and Ron matching envelopes of yellowish parchment, addressed in green ink.
"Dumbledore already knows you're here, you two - doesn't miss a trick, that man. You two've got them, too," he said to Fred and George, who just stumbled in, still in their pyjamas.
They read their letters and there was silence for a few minutes.
Lucy's letter said they were to take the Hogwarts Express from King's Cross station as usual on the first of September.
Also included was a list of new books for the following school year:
SECOND-YEAR STUDENTS WILL REQUIRE:
The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2 by Miranda Goshawk
Break with a Banshee by Gilderoy Lockhart
Gadding with Ghouls by Gilderoy Lockhart
Holidays with Hags by Gilderoy Lockhart
Travels with Trolls by Gilderoy Lockhart
Voyages with Vampires by Gilderoy Lockhart
Wanderings with Werewolves by Gilderoy Lockhart
Year with the Yeti by Gilderoy Lockhart
Fred had checked his list and was peering over at Lucy's.
"You've been told to get all Lockhart's books, too!" he said. "The new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher must be a fan – bet it's a witch."
Fred caught his mother's eye at the same moment and quickly turned to the marmalade.
"It could also be Lockhart himself," Lucy suggested, putting down her list.
"That lot won't come cheap," said George, giving the parents a quick look. "Lockhart's books are really expensive..."
"Well, we'll manage," said Mrs. Weasley, but she looked worried. "I expect we'll be able to pick up a lot of Ginny's things secondhand."
"Oh, are you starting at Hogwarts this year?" Harry asked Ginny.
She nodded, blushing to the roots of her flaming red hair, and put her elbow in the butter dish.
Luckily no one but Harry saw this because at that moment Ron's older brother Percy walked in.
He was already dressed and had the Hogwarts prefect badge pinned to his turtleneck.
"Morning, all," said Percy cheerfully, "lovely day."
He sat down in the only free chair, but immediately jumped back up and picked up a ruffled gray feather duster - at least that's what it looked like to Harry until he saw the feather duster breathing.
"Errol," said Ron, taking the lame owl from Percy's hands and pulling a letter out from under its wing. "Finally - he's got Hermione's answer. I wrote to her saying we were going to try and rescue you from the Dursleys."
He carried Errol to a perch by the back door and tried to set him down, but Errol couldn't hold himself, so Ron put him on the dish rack.
"Sad," he murmured.
Then he tore open Hermione's letter and read it aloud:
Dear Ron, and Harry and Lucy if you're there,
I hope everything went all right and that Harry is okay and that you didn't do anything illegal to get him out, Ron, because that would get Harry into trouble, too. I've been really worried and if Harry is all right, will you please let me know at once, but perhaps it would be better if you used a different owl because I think another delivery might finish your one off. I'm very busy with schoolwork, of course–
"How can she be?" said Ron, horrified, "We're on vacation."
–and we're going to London next Wednesday to buy my new books. Why don't we meet in Diagon Alley?
Let me know what's happening as soon as you can.
Love from Hermione.
"Well, that fits in nicely, we can go and get all your things then, too," said Mrs Weasley, beginning to clear the table. "What're you all up to today?"
~~
Harry, Lucy, Ron, George and Fred headed to a small Weasley paddock on the hill behind the house.
It was surrounded by trees blocking the view of the village below and as long as they didn't fly too high, they could practice Quidditch there.
They couldn't use real Quidditch balls, though, because it would be hard to explain if the balls were to bounce off and fly over the village.
Instead, they threw each other apples that they had to catch.
They took turns flying Harry's Nimbus Two Thousand, which was by far the best broom; Ron's old shooting star was often overtaken by butterflies flying by.
Five minutes later they were moving up the hill, brooms over their shoulders.
They had asked Percy if he wanted to come along, but he said he was busy.
Lucy and Harry had only seen Percy at mealtimes before; the rest of the time he stayed in his room.
"Wish I knew what he was up to," said Fred, frowning. "He's not himself. His exam results came the day before you did; twelve O.W.L.s and he hardly gloated at all."
"Ordinary Wizarding Levels," explained George. "Bill got twelve, too. If we're not careful, we'll have another Head Boy in the family. I don't think I could stand the shame."
Bill was the Weasleys' eldest brother.
He and the second oldest, Charlie, had already left Hogwarts.
Lucy and Harry hadn't met either of them but knew that Charlie was in Romania studying dragons and Bill was in Egypt working for the wizarding bank Gringotts.
"Dunno how Mum and Dad are going to afford all our school stuff this year," said George after a while. "Five sets of Lockhart books! And Ginny needs robes and a wand and everything..."
Lucy said nothing. She was a little embarrassed about the subject.
Deep down in a vault of London's Gringotts bank lay a small fortune that her parents had left her and Harry.
They hadn't told the Dursleys about it either.
~~
The following Wednesday, Mrs Weasley woke them all very early.
After each quickly devouring half a dozen ham sandwiches, they put on their robes and Mrs Weasley picked up the flowerpot from the kitchen mantel and peered inside.
"We're running low, Arthur," she sighed. "We'll have to buy some more today... Ah well, guests first! After you, Harry dear!"
And she offered Harry and Lucy the flowerpot.
All eyes turned to the two and they stared back.
Lucy realized there was no dirt in the pot, but she couldn't tell what it was.
"W–what am I supposed to do?" he stammered.
"They never traveled by Floo powder," Ron suddenly chimed in, "Sorry, you two, I forgot."
"Never?" said Mrs Weasley. "But how did you get to Diagon Alley to buy your school things last year?"
"We went on the Underground–" Lucy answered.
"Really?" said Mr Weasley curiously. "Were there escapators? How exactly–"
"Not now, Arthur," said Mrs. Weasley. "Floo powder's a lot quicker, dears, but goodness me, if you've never used it before–"
"They'll be all right, Mum," said Fred. "Lucy, Harry, watch us first."
He took a pinch of the powder from the flowerpot, walked over to the fire and threw it into the flames.
The fire turned emerald green and shot over Fred's head with a loud rumble. Without hesitation, he stepped into the middle of the fire, shouted "Diagon Alley" and disappeared.
"You must speak clearly, dears," Mrs Weasley said to Lucy and Harry, while George now put his hand in the flowerpot. "And be sure to get out at the right grate..."
"The right what?" Harry said nervously as the fire roared and whipped George out of sight, too.
"Well, there are an awful lot of wizard fires to choose from, you know, but as long as you've spoken clearly–"
"They'll be fine, Molly, don't fuss," said Mr. Weasley, taking some of the Floo Powder as well.
"But, dear, if they get lost, how would we ever explain to their aunt and uncle?"
"They wouldn't mind," Harry assured her, "Dudley would think it was a brilliant joke if we get lost up a chimney, don't worry about that–"
"They would probably even be glad to be rid of us," Lucy added.
"Well... all right... you go after Arthur," said Mrs. Weasley. "Now, when you get into the fire, say where you're going."
"And keep your elbows tucked in," Ron advised.
"And your eyes shut," said Mrs. Weasley, "The soot–"
"Don't fidget," said Ron, "Or you might well fall out of the wrong fireplace–"
"But don't panic and get out too early; wait until you see Fred and George."
Struggling to keep everything in her head, Lucy took a pinch of Floo Powder from the pot. Then she stood at the edge of the fire.
She took a deep breath, threw the powder on the fire, and took a step inside; it felt like a warm breeze.
"Diagon Alley," she said.
It was as if a giant drainpipe was sucking her in.
Apparently, she was spinning rapidly – all around her a deafening roar – blinking through her glasses she saw a blur of a stream of chimneys and briefly the rooms beyond–
Then she stumbled out of one of the chimneys. Before Lucy could fall, someone caught her.
"You ok?" asked Fred. The black-haired girl nodded.
Dizzy and scratched, covered with dirt, she stood up again.
Then, one by one, the other Weasleys stepped out of the fireplace. Harry seemed to have caught another chimney, so the group split up to look for it.
~~
"Harry! Harry! Over here!"
Harry looked up and saw Hermione Granger and Louisa Lassiter standing at the top of Gringotts' white steps. They ran towards him and Hagrid.
Hermione's bushy brown hair flew in the breeze while wore her hair in a ponytail.
"What happened to your glasses? Hello, Hagrid – Oh, it's wonderful to see you two again – Are you coming into Gringotts, Harry?" Hermione said immediately.
"As soon as I've found the Weasleys and my sister," Harry said.
"Yeh won't have long ter wait," Hagrid said, grinning.
The three friends turned around; Lucy, Fred, George, Percy, Ron and Mr Weasley ran towards them through the busy street.
Lucy was glad Harry was ok. At the same time she was happy to see Louisa and Hermione again.
And while they hugged in greeting, Harry spoke to Mr. Weasley.
"Harry," panted Mr. Weasley, "We hoped you'd only gone one grate too far..." He rubbed his glistening bald spot on his head, "Molly's frantic – she's coming now –"
"Where did you come out?" Ron asked.
"Knockturn Alley," growled Hagrid.
"Excellent!!" Fred and George said in unison.
"We've never been allowed in," said Ron enviously.
"I'd like to fucking think so too," growled Hagrid.
Now Mrs. Weasley came hopping along, the handbag flapping wildly in one hand and Ginny in the other.
"Oh, Harry – oh, my dear – you could have been anywhere–"
Gasping for breath, she pulled a large clothes brush from her purse and began brushing off the soot Hagrid hadn't managed to beat away.
Mr Weasley took Harry's glasses, tapping them lightly with his wand and handed it back to him as good as new.
"Well, gotta be off," said Hagrid, waving the hand clutched at Mrs. Weasley ("Knockturn Alley! If you hadn't found him, Hagrid!").
"See yer at Hogwarts!" And he strode off, head and shoulders towering above everyone else in the crowded street.
~~
"Guess who I saw at Borgin and Burkes?" Harry asked his sister and friends as they climbed the stairs to Gringotts. "Malfoy and his father."
"Did Lucius Malfoy buy anything?" Mr. Weasley asked immediately behind them.
"No, he was selling–"
"So he's worried," said Mr Weasley with grim satisfaction. "Oh, I'd love to get Lucius Malfoy for something..."
"You be careful, Arthur," said Mrs Weasley in a scathing voice as the reception goblins bowed her in, "That family's trouble. Don't go biting off more than you can chew–"
"So you don't think I'm a match for Lucius Malfoy?" said Mr. Weasley indignantly.
But a moment later, he was distracted by the sight of Hermione's parents standing in front of the counter that ran the length of the great marble hall, waiting for Hermione to introduce them.
"But you're muggles!" said Mr. Weasley delightedly. "We must have a drink! What's that you've got there? Oh, you're changing Muggle money. Molly, look!"
Excitedly he pointed to the ten-pound notes in Mr Granger's hand.
Lucy's lips formed a wide smile. Apparently, some wizards were interested in the muggle world the way some muggles were interested in witches and wizards - or at least in stories about magic.
"There's my uncle and Max," Louisa said.
Louisa's Uncle Gavin was standing at one of the counters with another man, Max. Max was slightly taller than Gavin and had short, light hair.
"Meet you back here," Ron said to Hermione and Louisa as a Gringotts goblin walked up to lead the Weasleys and the Potters to their underground dungeons.
Down there they went on small goblin-driven carts that whizzed along narrow tracks through the underground passages of the bank.
Harry enjoyed the breakneck jaunt to the Weasleys' dungeon.
But when the lock was opened, he suddenly felt very strange, even more uneasy than in Knockturn Alley, and Lucy's stomach tightened a little.
A tiny heap of silver sickles lay within, and only a single golden galleon. Mrs Weasley felt every corner before shoving all the money into her pocket.
The twins felt even more miserable when they reached their dungeon. Harry struggled to block the others' view as he hastily stuffed handfuls of coins into a leather pouch.
~~
Back outside on the marble steps, they parted. Percy muttered under his breath that he needed a new quill.
Fred and George had met Lee Jordan, their friend from Hogwarts.
Mrs Weasley and Ginny went to a used robes shop. Mr Weasley insisted on taking the Grangers to the Leaky Cauldron for a sip (Gavin and Max had of course also popped in).
"We'll all meet at Flourish and Blotts in an hour to buy your schoolbooks," said Mrs Weasley, walking off with Ginny.
"And not one step down Knockturn Alley!" she called after the twins.
Lucy, Louisa, Harry, Ron and Hermione strolled off along the winding, cobbled street.
The gold, silver, and bronze coins jingling happily in Harry's pocket just waited to be spent.
The twins bought four large bags of strawberry and peanut butter ice cream, which they happily licked as they strolled down the alley and surveyed the intriguing displays.
Ron stared longingly at a full set of Chudley Cannon robes in the Quidditch Quality shop window until Hermione dragged them on to shop for ink and parchment next door.
At Gambol and Japes Wizarding Joke Shop they met Fred, George and Lee Jordan, who were stocking up on "Dr. Filibuster's Fabulous Wet-Start, No-Heat Fireworks."
In a tiny junk shop full of broken wands, lopsided brass scales, and old cloaks covered in potion stains they found Percy deep in a small and miserably boring book called 'Prefects Who Gained Power'.
"A study of Hogwarts prefects and their later careers," Ron read aloud from the back of the book. "That sounds good fascinating..."
"Go away," Percy hissed at him.
"'Course, he's very ambitious, Percy, he's got it all planned out... He wants to be Minister of Magic..." Ron said meaningfully to his friends as they left Percy alone with the book.
An hour later they made their way to Flourish & Blotts.
They were by no means the only ones who wanted to go to the bookstore. As they turned the corner, they were surprised to see a crowd of people standing in front of the door, all trying to get in.
A large banner stretched across the first-floor windows proclaimed the reason for this:
GILDEROY LOCKHART
will be signing copies of his autobiography
MAGICAL ME
today 12:30P.M.to 4:30P.M.
"We can actually meet him!" Hermione cheered, "I mean, he's written almost the whole booklist!"
The crowd of people waiting seemed to be made up mostly of witches Mrs. Weasley's age. A weary looking wizard stood at the door and said:
"Calmly, please, ladies... Don't push, there... mind the books, now..."
The friends squeezed in. A long line wound its way to the other end of the store.
Gilderoy Lockhart signed his books there. They each picked up a volume of 'The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2' and snuck into the front of the line where the other Weasleys were standing with Mr. and Mrs. Granger, Stella's uncle, and Max.
"Oh, there you are, good," said Mrs Weasley. She sounded a bit breathless and kept fiddling with her hair. "We'll be able to see him in a minute..."
Gilderoy Lockhart came into view; he was sitting at a table surrounded by huge portraits of himself, all winking. His dazzling white teeth flashed at the crowd.
The real Lockhart wore a forget-me-not blue robe that matched his eyes perfectly; a wizard's pointed hat sat daringly at an angle on his wavy hair.
Lucy looked around the crowd, where most of the witches were staring intently at Lockhart, and wondered what they found so attractive about the man.
A small, angry-looking man hopped around and shot photos with a big black camera that came with belching out a puff of crimson smoke with every blinding flash.
"Out of the way there," he snapped at Ron, stepping back for a better shot, "This is for the Daily Prophet–"
"Big deal," said Ron, rubbing his foot that the photographer had stepped on.
Gilderoy Lockhart heard him. He looked up. He saw Ron - and then he saw Harry. He stared at him.
Then he jumped up and shouted: "It can't be Harry Potter?"
The crowd parted and broke into excited whispers.
Fred stepped aside in front of Lucy, blocking Lockhart's view.
Lockhart lunged toward Harry, grabbed his arm and pulled him forward.
The audience burst in applause.
"Where's your sister?" Lockhart asked.
Out of the corner of his eye he spotted Lucy peeking out from behind Fred.
"Not there. She wasn't feeling too well this morning," Harry lied.
Harry's face burned as Lockhart shook his hand for the photographer, who frantically snapped picture after picture, blanketing the Weasleys in thick smoke.
"Nice big smile, Harry," Lockhart said through his sparkling white teeth, "Together, you and I are worth the front page."
He finally let go of Harry's hand; Harry could barely feel his fingers.
He was about to sneak back to the Weasleys when Lockhart threw his arm around his shoulders and held him tightly to his side.
"Ladies and gentlemen," he announced loudly, raising his hand for silence.
"What an extraordinary moment this is! The perfect moment for me to make a little announcement 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 to the end of his nose, "that he would shortly be getting much, much more than my book, Magical Me. He and his schoolmates will, in fact, be getting the real magical me. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I have great pleasure and pride in announcing that this September, I will be taking up the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!"
The crowd cheered and clapped, and Harry suddenly found himself gifted with all Gilderoy Lockhart's works, once for himself and once for his sister.
Swaying a little under her weight, he managed to slip out of the spotlight and into a corner of the room where Ginny was standing with her new cauldron.
"Well, you were right about who teaches Defense Against the Dark Arts," Fred said to Lucy.
"Are you surprised?" Lucy replied, walking towards her brother and Ginny.
There, Lucy took the books that were meant for her.
"You can have these," Harry murmured to Ginny, tossing the books into the cauldron. "I'll buy mine–"
"Bet you loved that, didn't you, Potter?" said a voice Harry recognized easily. He straightened up and faced Draco Malfoy, who wore his usual smirk.
"Famous Harry Potter," said Malfoy, "Can't even go into a bookshop without making the front page."
"Leave him alone, he didn't want all that!" Ginny said. It was the first time she spoke in Harry's presence. She was glaring at Malfoy.
"Potter, you've got yourself a girlfriend!" Malfoy sneered. Ginny turned scarlet while Ron and the others struggled through to them, laden with books by Lockhart.
"Draco, be nice," said a man.
You could tell it was Draco's father since Draco looked like a smaller version of him.
"It's too crowded in here, let's go outside." Mr Weasley suggested as he squeezed through the crowd.
"Well, well, well - Arthur Weasley."
"Malfoy," said Mr. Weasley, nodding coldly.
"Busy time at the Ministry, I hear," said Mr Malfoy. "All those raids... I hope they're paying you overtime?"
He put his hand in Ginny's cauldron and, from among the pile of Lockhart books with glossy covers, pulled out an old, very battered copy of the Beginner's Transfigurations.
"Obviously not," he said. "Dear me, what's the use of being a disgrace to the name of wizard if they don't even pay you well for it?"
Mr Weasley blushed, darker than either Ron or Ginny.
"We have a very different idea of what disgraces the name of wizard, Malfoy," he said.
"Definitely," said Mr. Malfoy, his pale eyes shining over to where the Grangers and Max watched apprehensively. "The company you keep... and I thought your familys could sink no lower."
There was a metallic clang as Ginny's cauldron flew through the air; Mr Weasley had thrown himself Mr Malfoy and knocking him against a bookshelf; Dozens of stout grimoires slapped their heads;
"Get him, Dad," called Fred or George, Harry didn't know.
Max, who could read Gavin's body language very well, had stopped him at the right moment before he could attack Mr. Malfoy. On Max left side Louisa wanted to cheer for Mr Weasley as well, but a look from him stopped her.
Lucy wasn't quite sure what to think. On the one hand violence was no solution, but on the other hand Mr Malfoy seemed like an idiot.
Mrs Weasley shrieked, "No, Arthur, no."
The crowd backed away in a flash, knocking over more shelves.
"Gentlemen, please – please!" cried the salesman, and then, louder than everyone else–
"Gentlemen, please – please!"
Hagrid waded towards them through the sea of books. In no time at all he had Mr Weasley and Mr Malfoy separated.
Mr Weasley was bleeding from his lip and Mr Malfoy had gotten an 'Encyclopedia of Toadstools' in his eye. He was still holding Ginny's old Transfiguration book. With maliciously shimmering eyes he threw it at her.
"Here, girl – take your book – it's the best your father can give you–" He broke free of Hagrid's grip and stepped towards Draco, and they stalked out of the store.
"Yeh should've ignored him, Arthur," said Hagrid, almost knocking Mr. Weasley off his feet as he straightened his robes.
"Rotten ter the core, the whole family, everyone knows that – no Malfoy's worth listenin' ter – bad blood, that's what it is – come on now – let's get outta here."
The assistant made moves to stop them, but he barely reached Hagrid's waist and seemed to change his mind. The Grangers, trembling with fright, and Mrs Weasley, beside herself with anger, hurried down the street.
"A fine example to set for your children... brawling in public... what Gilderoy Lockhart must've thought –"
"He was pleased," said Fred. "Didn't you hear him as we were leaving? He was asking that bloke from the Daily Prophet if he'd be able to work the fight into his report – said it was all publicity–"
"Fred, that's not funny," Lucy said.
~~
It was a dejected little group that made their way to the fireplace in the Leaky Cauldron.
From there, Lucy, Harry, the Weasleys, and all their purchases would travel back to the Burrow using Floo Powder.
They said goodbye to the Lassiters', who wanted to go out for something to eat, and the Grangers, who left the pub towards Muggle Street.
Mr Weasley was about to ask them about bus stops but stopped short at the sight of Mrs Weasley's expression.
Harry took off his glasses and stowed them safely in his pocket before taking a pinch of Floo Powder. It certainly wasn't his favourite way to travel.