Chapter 6: Draco's Detour

Harry remained within the confines of the Burrow's garden over the next

few weeks. He spent most of his days playing two-a-side Quidditch in the

Weasleys' orchard (he and Hermione against Ron and Ginny; Hermione was

dreadful and Ginny good, so they were reasonably well matched) and his

evenings eating triple helpings of everything Mrs. Weasley put in front of

him.



It would have been a happy, peaceful holiday had it not been for the

stones of disappearances, odd accidents, even of deaths now appearing

almost daily in the Prophet. Sometimes Bill and Mr. Weasley brought home

news before it even reached the paper. To Mrs. Weasley's displeasure,

Harry's sixteenth birthday celebrations were marred by grisly tidings brought

to the party by Remus Lupin, who was looking gaunt and grim, his brown

hair streaked liberally with gray, his clothes more ragged and patched than

ever.


"There have been another couple of dementor attacks," he announced, as

Mrs. Weasley passed him a large slice of birthday cake. "And they've found

Igor Karkaroff's body in a shack up north. The Dark Mark had been set over

it... well, frankly, I'm surprised he stayed alive for even a year after deserting

the Death Eaters; Sirius's brother, Regulus, only managed a few days as far

as I can remember."


"Yes, well," said Mrs. Weasley, frowning, "perhaps we should talk about

something diff..."

"Did you hear about Florean Fortescue, Remus?" asked Bill, who was

being plied with wine by Fleur. "The man who ran..."


"Is the ice-cream place in Diagon Alley?" Harry interrupted, with an

unpleasant, hollow sensation in the pit of his stomach. "He used to give me

free ice creams. What's happened to him?"


"Dragged off, by the look of his place."


"Why?" asked Ron, while Mrs. Weasley pointedly glared at Bill.


"Who knows? He must've upset them somehow. He was a good man,

Florean."


"Talking of Diagon Alley," said Mr. Weasley, "looks like Ollivander's

gone too."


"The wandmaker?" said Ginny, looking startled.


"That's the one. Shop's empty. No sign of a struggle. No one knows

whether he left voluntarily or was kidnapped."


"But what'll people do for wands?"


"They'll make do with other makers," said Lupin. "But Ollivander was the

best, and if the other side have got him it's not so good for us."

The day after this rather gloomy birthday tea, their letters and booklists

arrived from Hogwarts. Harry's included a surprise: he had been made

Quidditch Captain.


"That gives you equal status with prefects!" cried Hermione happily.

"You can use our special bathroom now and everything!"


"Wow, I remember when Charlie wore one of these," said Ron, examining

the badge with glee. "Harry, this is so cool, you're my Captain... if you let

me back on the team, I suppose, ha ha..."


"Well, I don't suppose we can put off a trip to Diagon Alley much longer

now you've got these," sighed Mrs. Weasley, looking down Ron...s booklist.

"We'll go on Saturday as long as your father doesn't have to go into work

again. I'm not going there without him."


"Mum, d'you honestly think You-Know-Who's going to be hiding behind

a bookshelf in Flourish and Blotts?" sniggered Ron.


"Fortescue and Ollivander went on holiday, did they?" said Mrs. Weasley,

firing up at once. "If you think security's a laughing matter you can stay

behind and I'll get your things myself..."

"No, I wanna come, I want to see Fred and George's shop!" said Ron

hastily.


"Then you just buck up your ideas, young man, before I decide you're too

immature to come with us!" said Mrs. Weasley angrily, snatching up her

clock, all nine hands of which were still pointing at "mortal peril," and

balancing it on top of a pile of just-laundered towels. "And that goes for

returning to Hogwarts as well!"


Ron turned to stare incredulously at Harry as his mother hoisted the

laundry basket and the teetering clock into her arms and stormed out of the

room.


"Blimey... you can't even make a joke round here anymore..."


But Ron was careful not to be flippant about Voldemort over the next few

days. Saturday dawned without any more outbursts from Mrs. Weasley,

though she seemed very tense at breakfast. Bill, who would be staying at

home with Fleur (much to Hermione and Ginny's pleasure), passed a full

money bag across the table to Harry.


"Where's mine?" demanded Ron at once, his eyes wide.


"That's already Harry's, idiot," said Bill. "I got it out of your vault for you,

Harry, because it's taking about five hours for the public to get to their gold

at the moment, the goblins have tightened security so much. Two days ago

Arkie Philpott had a Probity Probe stuck up his... Well, trust me, this way's

easier."


"Thanks, Bill," said Harry, pocketing his gold.


"E is always so thoughtful," purred Fleur adoringly, stroking Bill's nose.

Ginny mimed vomiting into her cereal behind Fleur. Harry choked over his

cornflakes, and Ron thumped him on the back.


It was an overcast, murky day. One of the special Ministry of Magic cars,

in which Harry had ridden once before, was awaiting them in the front yard

when they emerged from the house, pulling on their cloaks.


"It's good Dad can get us these again," said Ron appreciatively, stretching

luxuriously as the car moved smoothly away from the Burrow, Bill and

Fleur waving from the kitchen window. He, Harry, Hermione, and Ginny

were all sitting in roomy comfort in the wide backseat.


"Don't get used to it, it's only because of Harry," said Mr. Weasley over

his shoulder. He and Mrs. Weasley were in front with the Ministry driver;

the front passenger seat had obligingly stretched into what resembled a two-

seater sofa. "He's been given top-grade security status. And we'll be joining

up with additional security at the Leaky Cauldron too."


Harry said nothing; he did not much fancy doing his shopping while

surrounded by a battalion of Aurors. He had stowed his Invisibility Cloak in

his backpack and felt that, if that was good enough for Dumbledore, it ought

to be good enough for the Ministry, though now he came to think of it, he

was not sure the Ministry knew about his cloak.


"Here you are, then," said the driver, a surprisingly short while later,

speaking for the first time as he slowed in Charing Cross Road and stopped

outside the Leaky Cauldron. "I'm to wait for you, any idea how long you'll

be?"


"A couple of hours, I expect," said Mr. Weasley. "Ah, good, he's here!"


Harry imitated Mr. Weasley and peered through the window; his heart

leapt. There were no Aurors waiting outside the inn, but instead the gigantic,

black-bearded form of Rubeus Hagrid, the Hogwarts gamekeeper, wearing a

long beaverskin coat, beaming at the sight of Harry's face and oblivious to

the startled stares of passing Muggles.


"Harry!" he boomed, sweeping Harry into a bone-crushing hug the

moment Harry had stepped out of the car. "Buckbeak... Witherwings, I

mean... yeh should see him, Harry, he's so happy ter be back in the open

air..."


"Glad he's pleased," said Harry, grinning as he massaged his ribs. "We

didn't know 'security' meant you!"


"I know, jus' like old times, innit? See, the Ministry wanted ter send a

bunch o' Aurors, but Dumbledore said I'd do," said Hagrid proudly, throwing

out his chest and tucking his thumbs into his pockets. "Lets get goin' then...

after yeh, Molly, Arthur..."


The Leaky Cauldron was, for the first time in Harry's memory, completely

empty. Only Tom the landlord, wizened and toothless, remained of the old

crowd. He looked up hopefully as they entered, but before he could speak,

Hagrid said importantly, "Jus' passin' through today, Tom, sure yeh

understand, Hogwarts business, yeh know."


Tom nodded gloomily and returned to wiping glasses; Harry, Hermione,

Hagrid, and the Weasleys walked through the bar and out into the chilly

little courtyard at the back where the dustbins stood. Hagrid raised his pink

umbrella and rapped a certain brick in the wall, which opened at once to

form an archway onto a winding cobbled street. They stepped through the

entrance and paused, looking around.


Diagon Alley had changed. The colorful, glittering window displays of

spellbooks, potion ingredients, and cauldrons were lost to view, hidden

behind the large Ministry of Magic posters that had been pasted over them.

Most of these somber purple posters carried blown-up versions of the

security advice on the Ministry pamphlets that had been sent out over the

summer, but others bore moving black-and-white photographs of Death

Eaters known to be on the loose. Bellatrix Lestrange was sneering from the

front of the nearest apothecary. A few windows were boarded up, including

those of Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor. On the other hand, a number

of shabby-looking stalls had sprung up along the street. The nearest one,

which had been erected outside Flourish and Blotts, under a striped, stained

awning, had a cardboard sign pinned to its front:




AMULETS

Effective Against Werewolves, Dementors, and Inferi!


A seedy-looking little wizard was rattling armfuls of silver symbols on

chains at passersby.


"One for your little girl, madam?" he called at Mrs. Weasley as they

passed, leering at Ginny. "Protect her pretty neck?"


"If I were on duty..." said Mr. Weasley, glaring angrily at the amulet

seller.


"Yes, but don't go arresting anyone now, dear, we're in a hurry," said Mrs.

Weasley, nervously consulting a list. "I think we'd better do Madam

Malkin's first, Hermione wants new dress robes, and Ron's showing much

too much ankle in his school robes, and you must need new ones too, Harry,

you've grown so much... come on, everyone..."


"Molly, it doesn't make sense for all of us to go to Madam Malkin's," said

Mr. Weasley. "Why don't those three go with Hagrid, and we can go to

Flourish and Blotts and get everyone's school-books?"

"I don't know," said Mrs. Weasley anxiously, clearly torn between a

desire to finish the shopping quickly and the wish to stick together in a pack.

"Hagrid, do you think...- ?"


"Don't fret, they'll be fine with me, Molly," said Hagrid soothingly,

waving an airy hand the size of a dustbin lid. Mrs. Weasley did not look

entirely convinced, but allowed the separation, scurrying off toward Flourish

and Blotts with her husband and Ginny while Harry, Ron, Hermione, and

Hagrid set off for Madam Malkin's.


Harry noticed that many of the people who passed them had the same

harried, anxious look as Mrs. Weasley, and that nobody was stopping to talk

anymore; the shoppers stayed together in their own tightly knit groups,

moving intently about their business. Nobody seemed to be shopping alone.


"Migh' be a bit of a squeeze in there with all of us," said Hagrid, stopping

outside Madam Malkin's and bending down to peer through the window. "I'll

stand guard outside, all right?"


So Harry, Ron, and Hermione entered the little shop together. It appeared,

at first glance, to be empty, but no sooner had the door swung shut behind

them than they heard a familiar voice issuing from behind a rack of dress

robes in spangled green and blue.


"... not a child, in case you haven't noticed, Mother. I am perfectly capable

of doing my shopping alone."

There was a clucking noise and a voice Harry recognized as that of

Madam Malkin, the owner, said, "Now, dear, your mother's quite right, none

of us is supposed to go wandering around on our own anymore, it's nothing

to do with being a child..."


"Watch where you're sticking that pin, will you!"


A teenage boy with a pale, pointed face and white-blond hair appeared

from behind the rack, wearing a handsome set of dark green robes that

glittered with pins around the hem and the edges of the sleeves. He strode to

the mirror and examined himself; it was a few moments before he noticed

Harry, Ron, and Hermione reflected over his shoulder. His light gray eyes

narrowed.


"If you're wondering what the smell is, Mother, a Mudblood just walked

in," said Draco Malfoy.


"I don't think there's any need for language like that!" said Madam

Malkin, scurrying out from behind the clothes rack holding a tape measure

and a wand. "And I don't want wands drawn in my shop either!" she added

hastily, for a glance toward the door had shown her Harry and Ron both

standing there with their wands out and pointing at Malfoy. Hermione, who

was standing slightly behind them, whispered, "No, don't, honestly, it's not

worth it. "


"Yeah, like you'd dare do magic out of school," sneered Malfoy. "Who

blacked your eye, Granger? I want to send them flowers."

"That's quite enough!" said Madam Malkin sharply, looking over her

shoulder for support. "Madam, please!"


Narcissa Malfoy strolled out from behind the clothes rack.


"Put those away," she said coldly to Harry and Ron. "If you at-tack my

son again, I shall ensure that it is the last thing you ever do."


"Really?" said Harry, taking a step forward and gazing into the smoothly

arrogant face that, for all its pallor, still resembled her sister's. He was as tall

as she was now. "Going to get a few Death Eater pals to do us in, are you?"


Madam Malkin squealed and clutched at her heart.


"Really, you shouldn't accuse... dangerous thing to say... wands away,

please!"


But Harry did not lower his wand. Narcissa Malfoy smiled unpleasantly.


"I see that being Dumbledore's favorite has given you a false sense of

security, Harry Potter. But Dumbledore won't always be there to protect

you."


Harry looked mockingly all around the shop. "Wow... look at that... he's

not here now! So why not have a go? They might be able to find you a

double cell in Azkaban with your loser of a husband!"

Malfoy made an angry movement toward Harry, but stumbled over his

overlong robe. Ron laughed loudly.


"Don't you dare talk to my mother like that, Potter!" Malfoy snarled.


"It's all right, Draco," said Narcissa, restraining him with her thin white

fingers upon his shoulder. "I expect Potter will be reunited with dear Sirius

before I am reunited with Lucius."


Harry raised his wand higher.


"Harry, no!" moaned Hermione, grabbing his arm and attempting to push

it down by his side. "Think... You mustn't... You'll be in such trouble..."


Madam Malkin dithered for a moment on the spot, then seemed to decide

to act as though nothing was happening in the hope that it wouldn't. She bent

toward Malfoy, who was still glaring at Harry.


"I think this left sleeve could come up a little bit more, dear, let me just..."


"Ouch!" bellowed Malfoy, slapping her hand away. "Watch where you're

putting your pins, woman! Mother, I don't think I want these anymore."


He pulled the robes over his head and threw them onto the floor at Madam

Malkin's feet.

"You're right, Draco," said Narcissa, with a contemptuous glance at

Hermione, "now I know the kind of scum that shops here... We'll do better at

Twilfitt and Tatting's."


And with that, the pair of them strode out of the shop, Malfoy taking care

to bang as hard as he could into Ron on the way out.


"Well, really? said Madam Malkin, snatching up the fallen robes and

moving the tip of her wand over them like a vacuum cleaner, so that it

removed all the dust.


She was distracted all through the fitting of Ron's and Harry's new robes,

tried to sell Hermione wizard's dress robes instead of witch's, and when she

finally bowed them out of the shop it was with an air of being glad to see the

back of them.


"Got ev'rything?" asked Hagrid brightly when they reappeared at his side.


"Just about," said Harry. "Did you see the Malfoys?"


"Yeah," said Hagrid, unconcerned. "Bu they wouldn... dare make trouble

in the middle o' Diagon Alley, Harry. Don' worry abou1 them."


Harry, Ron, and Hermione exchanged looks, but before they could

disabuse Hagrid of this comfortable notion, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and

Ginny appeared, all clutching heavy packages of books.

"Everyone all right?" said Mrs. Weasley. "Got your robes? Right then, we

can pop in at the Apothecary and Eeylops on the way to Fred and George's...

stick close, now..."


Neither Harry nor Ron bought any ingredients at the Apothecary, seeing

that they were no longer studying Potions, but both bought large boxes of

owl nuts for Hedwig and Pigwidgeon at Eeylops Owl Emporium. Then, with

Mrs. Weasley checking her watch every minute or so, they headed farther

along the street in search of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, the joke shop run

by Fred and George.


"We really haven't got too long," Mrs. Weasley said. "So we'll just have a

quick look around and then back to the car. We must be close, that's number

ninety-two... ninety-four..."


"Whoa,"said Ron, stopping in his tracks.


Set against the dull, poster-muffled shop Fronts around them, Fred and

Georges windows hit the eye like a firework display. Casual passersby were

looking back over their shoulders at the windows, and a few rather stunned-

looking people had actually come to a halt, transfixed. The left-hand window

was dazzlingly full of an assortment of goods that revolved, popped, flashed,

bounced, and shrieked; Harrys eyes began to water just looking at it. The

right-hand window was covered with a gigantic poster, purple like those of

the Ministry, but emblazoned with flashing yellow letters:

WHY ARE YOU WORRYING ABOUT
YOU-KNOW-WHO?
YOU SHOULD BE WORRYING ABOUT
U-NO-POO--
THE CONSTIPATION SENSATION
THAT'S GRIPPING THE NATION!


Harry started to laugh. He heard a weak sort of moan beside him and

looked around to see Mrs. Weasley gazing, dumbfounded, at the poster. Her

lips moved silently, mouthing the name "U-No-Poo."


"They'll be murdered in their beds!" she whispered.


"No they won't!" said Ron, who, like Harry, was laughing. "This is

brilliant!"


And he and Harry led the way into the shop. It was packed with

customers; Harry could not get near the shelves. He stared around, looking

up at the boxes piled to the ceiling: Here were the Skiving Snackboxes that

the twins had perfected during their last, unfinished year at Hogwarts; Harry

noticed that the Nosebleed Nougat was most popular, with only one battered

box left on the shelf. There were bins full of trick wands, the cheapest

merely turning into rubber chickens or pairs of briefs when waved, the most

expensive beating the unwary user around the head and neck, and boxes of

quills, which came in Self-Inking, Spell-Checking, and Smart-Answer

varieties. A space cleared in the crowd, and Harry pushed his way toward

the counter, where a gaggle of delighted ten-year-olds was watching a tiny

little wooden man slowly ascending the steps to a real set of gallows, both

perched on a box that read: Reusable hangman - spell it or he'll swing!

"Patented Daydream Charms"


Hermione had managed to squeeze through to a large display near the

counter and was reading the information on the back of a box bearing a

highly colored picture of a handsome youth and a swooning girl who were

standing on the deck of a pirate ship.


"One simple incantation and you will enter a top-quality, highly realistic,

thirty-minute daydream, easy to fit into the average school lesson and

virtually undetectable (side effects include vacant expression and minor

drooling). Not for sale to under-sixteens. You know," said Hermione,

looking up at Harry, "that really is extraordinary magic!"


"For that, Hermione," said a voice behind them, "you can have one for

free."


A beaming Fred stood before them, wearing a set of magenta robes that

clashed magnificently with his flaming hair.


"How are you, Harry?" They shook hands. "And what's happened to your

eye, Hermione?"


Your punching telescope," she said ruefully.


"Oh blimey, I forgot about those," said Fred. "Here..."

He pulled a tub out of his pocket and handed it to her; she unscrewed it

gingerly to reveal a thick yellow paste.


"Just dab it on, that bruise'll be gone within the hour," said Fred. "We had

to find a decent bruise remover. We're testing most of our products on

ourselves."


Hermione looked nervous. "It is safe, isn't it?" she asked.


"Course it is," said Fred bracingly. "Come on, Harry, I'll give you a tour."


Harry left Hermione dabbing her black eye with paste and followed Fred

toward the back of the shop, where he saw a stand of card and rope tricks.


"Muggle magic tricks!" said Fred happily, pointing them out. "For freaks

like Dad, you know, who love Muggle stuff. It's not a big earner, but we do

fairly steady business, they're great novelties... Oh, here's George..."


Fred's twin shook Harrys hand energetically.


"Giving him the tour? Come through the back, Harry, that's where we're

making the real money...pocket anything, you, and you'll pay in more than

Galleons!" he added warningly to a small boy who hastily whipped his hand

out of the tub labeled:


EDIBLE DARK MARKS----THEY'LL MAKE ANYONE SICK!

George pushed back a curtain beside the Muggle tricks and Harry saw a

darker, less crowded room. The packaging on the products lining these

shelves was more subdued.


"We've just developed this more serious line," said Fred. "Funny how it

happened..."


"You wouldn't believe how many people, even people who work at the

Ministry, can't do a decent Shield Charm," said George. "'Course, they didn't

have you teaching them, Harry."


"That's right... Well, we thought Shield Hats were a bit of a laugh, you

know, challenge your mate to jinx you while wearing it and watch his face

when the jinx just bounces off. But the Ministry bought five hundred for all

its support staff! And we're still getting massive orders!"


"So we've expanded into a range of Shield Cloaks, Shield Gloves..."


"... I mean, they wouldn't help much against the Unforgivable Curses, but

for minor to moderate hexes or jinxes..."


"And then we thought we'd get into the whole area of Defense Against the

Dark Arts, because it's such a money spinner," continued George

enthusiastically. "This is cool. Look, Instant Darkness Powder, we're

importing it from Peru. Handy if you want to make a quick escape."

"And our Decoy Detonators are just walking off the shelves, look," said

Fred, pointing at a number of weird-looking black horn-type objects that

were indeed attempting to scurry out of sight. "You just drop one

surreptitiously and it'll run off and make a nice loud noise out of sight,

giving you a diversion if you need one.


"Handy," said Harry, impressed.


"Here," said George, catching a couple and throwing them to Harry.


A young witch with short blonde hair poked her head around the curtain;

Harry saw that she too was wearing magenta staff robes.


"There's a customer out here looking for a joke cauldron, Mr. Weasley

and Mr. Weasley," she said.


Harry found it very odd to hear Fred and George called "Mr. Weasley,"

but they took it in their stride.


"Right you are, Verity, I'm coming," said George promptly. "Harry, you

help yourself to anything you want, all right? No charge."


"I can't do that!" said Harry, who had already pulled out his money bag to

pay for the Decoy Detonators.


"You don't pay here," said Fred firmly, waving away Harry's gold.

"But..."


"You gave us our start-up loan, we haven't forgotten," said George sternly

"Take whatever you like, and just remember to tell people where you got it,

if they ask."


George swept off through the curtain to help with the customers, and Fred

led Harry back into the main part of the shop to find Hermione and Ginny

still poring over the Patented Daydream Charms.


"Haven't you girls found our special WonderWitch products yet?" asked

Fred. "Follow me, ladies..."


Near the window was an array of violently pink products around which a

cluster of excited girls was giggling enthusiastically. Hermione and Ginny

both hung back, looking wary.


"There you go," said Fred proudly. "Best range of love potions you'll find

anywhere."


Ginny raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Do they work?" she asked.


"Certainly they work, for up to twenty-four hours at a time depending on

the weight of the boy in question..."


"... and the attractiveness of the girl," said George, reappearing suddenly

at their side. "But we're not selling them to our sister," he added, becoming

suddenly stern, "not when she's already got about five boys on the go from

what we've..."


"Whatever you've heard from Ron is a big fat lie," said Ginny calmly,

leaning forward to take a small pink pot off the shelf. "What's this?"


"Guaranteed ten-second pimple vanisher," said Fred. "Excellent on

everything from boils to blackheads, but don't change the subject. Are you or

are you not currently going out with a boy called Dean Thomas?"


"Yes, I am," said Ginny. "And last time I looked, he was definitely one

boy, not five. What are those?"


She was pointing at a number of round balls of fluff in shades of pink and

purple, all rolling around the bottom of a cage and emitting high-pitched

squeaks.


"Pygmy Puffs," said George. "Miniature puffskeins, we can...t breed them

fast enough. So what about Michael Corner?"


"I dumped him, he was a bad loser," said Ginny, putting a finger through

the bars of the cage and watching the Pygmy Puffs crowd around it. "They're

really cute!"


"They're fairly cuddly, yes," conceded Fred. "But you're moving through

boyfriends a bit fast, aren't you?"

Ginny turned to look at him, her hands on her hips. There was such a Mrs.

Weasley-ish glare on her face that Harry was surprised Fred didn't recoil.


"It's none of your business. And I'll thank you'' she added angrily to Ron,

who had just appeared at George's elbow, laden with merchandise, "not to

tell tales about me to these two!"


"That's three Galleons, nine Sickles, and a Knut," said Fred, examining

the many boxes in Ron's arms. "Cough up."


"I'm your brother!"


"And that's our stuff you're nicking. Three Galleons, nine Sickles. I'll

knock off the Knut."


"But I haven't got three Galleons, nine Sickles!"


"You'd better put it back then, and mind you put it on the right shelves."


Ron dropped several boxes, swore, and made a rude hand gesture at Fred

that was unfortunately spotted by Mrs. Weasley, who had chosen that

moment to appear.


"If I see you do that again I'll jinx your fingers together," she said sharply.


"Mum, can I have a Pygmy Puff?" said Ginny at once.

"A what?" said Mrs. Weasley warily.


"Look, they're so sweet..."


Mrs. Weasley moved aside to look at the Pygmy Puffs, and Harry, Ron,

and Hermione momentarily had an unimpeded view out of the window.

Draco Malfoy was hurrying up the street alone. As he passed Weasleys'

Wizard Wheezes, he glanced over his shoulder. Seconds later, he moved

beyond the scope of the window and they lost sight of him.


"Wonder where his mummy is?" said Harry, frowning.


"Given her the slip by the looks of it," said Ron.


"Why, though?" said Hermione.


Harry said nothing; he was thinking too hard. Narcissa Malfoy would not

have let her precious son out of her sight willingly; Malfoy must have made

a real effort to free himself from her clutches.


Harry, knowing and loathing Malfoy, was sure the reason could not be

innocent.


He glanced around. Mrs. Weasley and Ginny were bending over the

Pygmy Puffs. Mr. Weasley was delightedly examining a pack of Muggle

marked playing cards. Fred and George were both helping customers. On the

other side of the glass, Hagrid was standing with his back to them, looking

up and down the street.


"Get under here, quick," said Harry, pulling his Invisibility Cloak out of

his bag.


"Oh, I don't know, Harry," said Hermione, looking uncertainly toward

Mrs. Weasley.


"Come on," said Ron.


She hesitated for a second longer, then ducked under the cloak with Harry

and Ron. Nobody noticed them vanish; they were all too interested in Fred

and George's products. Harry, Ron, and Hermione squeezed their way out of

the door as quickly as they could, but by the time they gained the street,

Malfoy had disappeared just as successfully as they had.


"He was going in that direction," murmured Harry as quietly as possible,

so that the humming Hagrid would not hear them...Cmon...


They scurried along, peering left and right, through shop windows and

doors, until Hermione pointed ahead.


"That's him, isn't it?" she whispered. "Turning left?"


"Big surprise," whispered Ron.

For Malfoy had glanced around, then slid into Knockturn Alley and out of

sight.


"Quick, or we'll lose him," said Harry, speeding up.


"Our feet'll be seen!" said Hermione anxiously, as the cloak flapped a

little around their ankles; it was much more difficult hiding all three of them

under the cloak nowadays.


"It doesn't matter," said Harry impatiently. "Just hurry!"


But Knockturn Alley, the side street devoted to the Dark Arts, looked

completely deserted. They peered into windows as they passed, but none of

the shops seemed to have any customers at all. Harry supposed it was a bit

of a giveaway in these dangerous and suspicious times to buy Dark

artifacts... or at least, to be seen buying them.


Hermione gave his arm a hard pinch.


"Ouch!"


"Shh! Look! He's in there!" she breathed in Harry's ear.


They had drawn level with the only shop in Knockturn Alley that Harry

had ever visited, Borgin and Burkes, which sold a wide variety of sinister

objects. There in the midst of the cases full of skulls and old bottles stood

Draco Malfoy with his back to them, just visible beyond the very same large

black cabinet in which Harry had once hidden to avoid Malfoy and his

father. Judging by the movements of Malfoy's hands, he was talking

animatedly. The proprietor of the shop, Mr. Borgin, an oily-haired, stooping

man, stood facing Malfoy. He was wearing a curious expression of mingled

resentment and fear.


"If only we could hear what they're saying!" said Hermione.


"We can!" said Ron excitedly. "Hang on, damn."


He dropped a couple more of the boxes he was still clutching as he

fumbled with the largest.


"Extendable Ears, look!"


"Fantastic!" said Hermione, as Ron unraveled the long, flesh-colored

strings and began to feed them toward the bottom of the door. "Oh, I hope

the door isn't Imperturbable..."


"No!" said Ron gleefully. "Listen!"


They put their heads together and listened intently to the ends of the

strings, through which Malfoy's voice could be heard loud and clear, as

though a radio had been turned on.


"... you know how to fix it?"

"Possibly," said Borgin, in a tone that suggested he was unwilling to

commit himself. "I'll need to see it, though. Why don't you bring it into the

shop?"


"I can't," said Malfoy. "It's got to stay put. I just need you to tell me how

to do it."


Harry saw Borgin lick his lips nervously.


"Well, without seeing it, I must say it will be a very difficult job, perhaps

impossible. I couldn't guarantee anything."


"No?" said Malfoy, and Harry knew, just by his tone, that Malfoy was

sneering. "Perhaps this will make you more confident."


He moved toward Borgin and was blocked from view by the cabinet.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione shuffled sideways to try and keep him in sight,

but all they could see was Borgin, looking very frightened.


"Tell anyone," said Maifoy, "and there will be retribution. You know

Fenrir Greyback? He's a family friend. He'll be dropping in from time to

time to make sure you're giving the problem your full attention."


"There will be no need for..."


"I'll decide that," said Malfoy. "Well, I'd better be off. And don't forget to

keep that one safe, I'll need it."

"Perhaps you'd like to take it now?"


"No, of course I wouldn't, you stupid, little man, how would I look

carrying that down the street? Just don't sell it."


"Of course not... sir."


Borgin made a bow as deep as the one Harry had once seen him give

Lucius Malfoy.


"Not a word to anyone, Borgin, and that includes my mother,

understand?"


"Naturally, naturally," murmured Borgin, bowing again.


Next moment, the bell over the door tinkled loudly as Malfoy stalked out

of the shop looking very pleased with himself. He passed so close to Harry,

Ron, and Hermione that they felt the cloak flutter around their knees again.

Inside the shop, Borgin remained frozen; his unctuous smile had vanished;

he looked worried.


"What was that about?" whispered Ron, reeling in the Extendable Ears.


"Dunno," said Harry, thinking hard. "He wants something mended... and

he wants to reserve something in there... Could you see what he pointed at

when he said 'that one'?"

"No, he was behind that cabinet..."


"You two stay here," whispered Hermione.


"What are you... ?"


But Hermione had already ducked out from under the cloak. She checked

her hair in the reflection in the glass, then marched into the shop, setting the

bell tinkling again. Ron hastily fed the Extendable Ears back under the door

and passed one of the strings to Harry.


"Hello, horrible morning, isn't it?" Hermione said brightly to Borgin, who

did not answer, but cast her a suspicious look. Humming cheerily, Hermione

strolled through the jumble of objects on display.


"Is this necklace for sale?" she asked, pausing beside a glass-fronted case.


"If you've got one and a half thousand Galleons," said Mr. Borgin coldly.


"Oh... er... no, I haven't got quite that much," said Hermione, walking on.

"And... what about this lovely... um... skull?"


"Sixteen Galleons."


"So it's for sale, then? It isn't being... kept for anyone?"

Mr. Borgin squinted at her. Harry had the nasty feeling he knew exactly

what Hermione was up to. Apparently Hermione felt she had been rumbled

too because she suddenly threw caution to the winds.


"The thing is, that... er... boy who was in here just now, Draco Malfoy,

well, he's a friend of mine, and I want to get him a birthday present, but if

he's already reserved anything, I obviously don't want to get him the same

thing, so... um..."


It was a pretty lame story in Harry's opinion, and apparently Borgin

thought so too.


"Out," he said sharply. "Get out!"


Hermione did not wait to be asked twice, but hurried to the door with

Borgin at her heels. As the bell tinkled again, Borgin slammed the door

behind her and put up the closed sign.


"Ah well," said Ron, throwing the cloak back over Hermione. "Worth a

try, but you were a bit obvious..."


"Well, next time you can show me how it's done, Master of Mystery!" she

snapped.


Ron and Hermione bickered all the way back to Weasleys'

Wizard Wheezes, where they were forced to stop so that they could dodge

undetected around a very anxious-looking Mrs. Weasley and Hagrid, who

had clearly noticed their absence. Once in the shop, Harry whipped off the

Invisibility Cloak, hid it in his bag, and joined in with the other two when

they insisted, in answer to Mrs. Weasleys accusations, that they had been in

the back room all along, and that she could not have looked properly.