Harry Potter and the Book of Shadows

A Visit to Diagon Alley

He couldn't move. Limbs held tight, straight, and stiff, the only motion he could manage was a blink and a minute shift in gaze. Fear tore though him, not only because he was incapable of defending himself, but because he knew something was about to happen that would make him wish he could. Heart pounding as shadows moved closer, a dull roar of terror filled his ears. His mind shrieked at him to fight, to struggle, to run, but he could only lay motionless, silent pleas echoing in his head, as useless as if he had cried them aloud. Robed figures. A glowing red point of light loomed closer. Desperately, he tried to urge his dead limbs into action, knowing it was useless. Completely helpless, his eyes widened in unbelieving terror, a thousand horrific screams trapped in his mind, his motionless body unable to even afford him that much relief. Red-hot light inches away. He thought his heart would explode from the pure fear that flooded it. Knowing, yet not yet fully comprehending the full measure of pain and suffering that burning light would bring him. Drawn out fear, the enjoyment it brought the robed figures, until finally closer, closer, until the glow filled his vision. Burning red light disappeared and instantly became white-hot pai -

STOP!

Harry sat bolt upright, chest heaving, drenched in cold sweat. Frantically searching around the room, fear gripped him as he tried to reconcile the unfamiliar surroundings. Thrashing the covers away, he scrambled out of bed, grabbing clumsily for his glasses. Still panting, he finally remembered he was in one of the bedrooms of Number Twelve Grimmauld Place, and obviously in full control of all his limbs. For a moment, he stood shaking in the middle of the room, taking erratic breaths of air, struggling to make them deep and even, to slow his racing heart. Going to the window, he pressed his forehead against the cool glass, and looked out to the small, snow-covered patch of grass behind the house. He had not noticed the cramped, fenced-in yard the year before, not having been allowed out of the house and only interested in the goings-on within the walls. A small weather-beaten shed stood in one corner, housing Harry knew from what Lupin had told him the previous night at dinner, Sirius' flying motorcycle among various and sundry other items Harry would eventually have to sort through and decide what to do with.

Though wanting to be rid of the fright they caused, Harry closed his eyes and held onto the images from this new nightmare, trying to memorize everything he could before it faded away. This had been much more like the first, a distinct, coherent event unlike the rush of discordant images and feelings. Harry understood now, that these were not simply nightmares; these were someone's real memories, buried deep until the vulnerable state of sleep allowed them free rein. Whether this was a common occurrence for the other person and Harry was only dreaming with them since progressing in occlumency, he did not know. He (they) had been about to be tortured, Harry was sure, though by what or whom he also did not know. The Cruciatus Curse did not involve a glowing wand tip. Harry also realized whoever the memory belonged to must have been in the Full Body Bind, only able to move their eyes. Figures in robes told him nothing. Most people in the wizarding world wore them, and he hadn't been able to raise his eyes enough to see faces. He shuddered with the memory, fear still singing through his veins. More so now than ever, Harry wanted to know who the nightmares belonged to. Who else might be awake at this very moment, struggling as he was to tell themselves that they were no longer trapped in that place of nightmares? Dumbledore and Snape seemed convinced it was someone in Harry's dormitory, but Harry wasn't so confident. Proximity did not seem to be a factor for him. After all, he was alone in this bedroom. Silently, he went to the door and slipped into the hallway.

The house was dark and still. Harry crept from door to door, listening to see if anyone else had awakened, fear-drenched and breathless. Harry had insisted Ron take the master bedroom, since Lupin had settled into one of the third floor bedrooms earlier in the summer and didn't seem interested in taking it. There was no indication Ron was anything but sound asleep. Creeping further down the hallway to Hermione's room, silence met him there and also at Ginny's doorway further along. Hesitating at the bottom of the staircase leading to the bedrooms on the third floor, Harry told himself it was very unlikely Lupin was the nightmare's source, since he hadn't been anywhere near the castle on the previous occasions. Turning to go back to his own bed, Harry convinced himself it could easily have been one of his friends and they were simply not making a loud fuss about it.

His heart stopped, then began again in faster tempo when one of the murky shadows near the stairs moved. Wishing he had been smart enough to carry his wand with him, Harry stared into the darkness.

"Who is it?" he whispered loudly.

"The new Master asks Kreacher who he is as if he deserves to know. The new Master is no better than the last..." The croaky voice of the house-elf sounded from the darkness. He addressed Harry in an oily, hateful tone, "It is only Master's servant, Kreacher."

Harry could hear the contempt in the house-elf's voice, as loathing filled him. "Come in the light where I can see you."

The sullen house-elf stepped into the watery patch of light that shone through the window in the stairwell, every movement had the appearance of grudging compliance. In the quiet moments before sleep had claimed him, Harry had pondered which rules to give Kreacher to keep him from doing damage like he had done before. Now wished he had given it more thought before drifting off.

"What are you doing wandering around in the middle of the night?" Harry demanded to know. Kreacher seemed to consider his answer carefully and Harry narrowed his eyes. "From this moment on, you are never to lie to me. Or anyone in the Order for that matter. Do you understand?"

Glaring hatefully, Kreacher replied, "Kreacher understands, Master." His voice dropped and he muttered, "Having to take orders from this boy, what would Kreacher's-"

Harry cut him off, "And you are not to mutter to yourself as if we can't hear you. You will only speak when asked a question and only answer the question asked. Do you understand?"

"Yes." The single syllable was drawn out, as if to make Harry fully aware of the contempt Kreacher felt.

"Good," Harry said. "Now, what were you doing in the hallway in the middle of the night?"

"Kreacher was..." the house elf struggled then finally said, "walking."

It clearly wasn't a lie. Exasperated, Harry understood that with the strictures he'd just given him, Kreacher's answers would always be no more than absolutely necessary and finding out anything of use would be a long and tedious process. Still, he would not relent. "Where were you going?"

It was clear the house elf was trying to defy Harry's orders, or at least think of a way around them, but he finally spit out, "Kreacher was going to visit his mistress."

The hatred etched in the house-elf's face was due to the fact his beloved mistress' portrait had been shredded to bits, Harry was sure. He spoke in a stern whisper. "You are not to go to that portrait any more. You are not to wander the house at night. Go back down to the boiler room in the kitchen and stay there until I call for you again."

Glowering at Harry, the house-elf shuffled toward the stairs. Harry told himself it was for everyone's good he was strict with Kreacher. He did not feel the least bit sorry for the house-elf. Even Hermione did not defend him as fervently as she had last year, finally admitting that he was in fact, aware of exactly what he was saying and doing. Still, she had taken the time to clean up his place beneath the boiler and replace his nest of dirty rags with a small cushion and blanket. For when he comes out of the attic finally, she had said. It was no longer the dank, unpleasant place it had once been and Harry felt no remorse in confining the house-elf there for the time being.

Making his way back to his room, Harry felt a sudden sleepiness overtake him. The nightmare and Kreacher had left him feeling unsettled, but he felt himself sinking toward sleep as soon as he had crawled back under the still-warm covers. The bed was soft and comfortable, and the heavy blankets laid over him with a comforting weight. Much like the rooms below, all the bedrooms had been redone in soft, neutral colors and simple, but comfortable furnishings Persephone had said they'd selected so that Harry could change what he liked without too much fuss. Harry had chosen the room the girls had shared the year previous, as it held no particular memories for him. Hermione was now in the room with Phineus Nigellus' portrait that Harry and Ron had shared, Ginny sleeping in the front room, which overlooked the entry to the house.

Just as he was about to drift off, a thought came to mind: just as the nightmare had become almost unbearable, his mind had screamed 'stop', and he had woken up. Did this mean he was growing stronger in occlumency? Or was it a coincidence? Allowing himself the hope it meant he was improving, and vowing to think about it more seriously the next day, Harry settled into a deep and dreamless sleep.

Harry awoke, and though the rest of the night had passed uneventfully, the memory of the new nightmare sent his mind buzzing almost immediately. Would one of the others appear at the breakfast table, looking as though they'd had a rough night? Though he hoped the mystery would be so easily solved, Harry thought it unlikely. Since he had no way of knowing if anyone else was yet awake, it wasn't terribly early but he knew Ron at least, would still most likely be asleep, Harry lay under the warm covers and thought.

His first contemplation was Kreacher. Obviously, rattled from his nightmare and still half-asleep, Harry hadn't been in the optimal mental state to issue him new orders and thinking back, admitted he may have done more harm than good. How could he phrase future commands so Kreacher could do the least damage possible, yet still be useful? For a fleeting moment, Harry thought he ought to just forbid him from speaking ever again and banish him to the Hogwarts kitchens and be done with it. Kreacher certainly wasn't helping at Number Twelve and it was less likely he'd get into trouble at Hogwarts. However, the outside chance that Malfoy or one of his friends might find out about him and use the disgruntled house-elf to their advantage nixed the idea straight away. Kreacher had already proven himself untrustworthy. No, he would have to remain at Number Twelve. Harry just had to think of a way to keep him confined and as unproblematic as possible. He thought he might ask Persephone for advice with the house-elf, seeing as she seemed to be getting along with the multitudes at Hogwarts. At least he thought it was a good idea until he remembered Dobby's odd punishment. Though he dreaded the conversation, Harry admitted perhaps Hermione would know what to do, or at least have a helpful suggestion or two. In the meantime, he'd make sure Kreacher had whatever necessities he needed in the boiler room until he figured out what to do with him. Vague plans outlined, Harry's thoughts turned to the new nightmare.

He still had no idea who the memory belonged to, or who the other people in the dream had been. Although, he was sure if he could figure out the latter, he'd have a better idea who the memory-nightmare was coming from. However, Harry's thoughts were not focused on those issues at the moment, as something potentially more exciting was on his mind. Had he stopped the dream simply by force of will? Harry hoped that his improvements in occlumency and the practice he'd had with his friends had been the cause of the abrupt ending to the dream, but he wasn't sure. It could easily have been the other person screaming 'stop' at that moment, either in the dream state remembrance of it, or out loud wherever they happened to be at the time. Harry closed his eyes and cleared his thoughts. Searching through his own mind in hopes of finding a clue, he tried to imagine watching the dream as though he were watching a film.

He struggled for a few moments then gave up. Still not sure if he had stopped the nightmare on his own or if it was simply coincidence, Harry sighed and got out from under the covers. No sense in forcing it, he told himself. Throwing on some clothes, he headed down to the kitchen, figuring he could make himself something to eat if no one else was awake yet. He had cooked often enough for the Durselys.

"Morning, Harry."

Harry was surprised that not only was someone up, both Persephone and Lupin were sitting in the kitchen, the smells of fresh coffee and bacon filling the room. Mumbling a surprised 'morning', he stood in the doorway, not sure what to do.

Persephone saved him the trouble as she folded the paper she'd been reading and stood. "What would you like? Bacon? Eggs? Oatmeal? Toast?"

His protest that she didn't have to make him something was waved off so he said, "Bacon and eggs sounds fine, thanks."

She bustled around setting pans on the stove, and Harry watched as she scooped a large ladle of oatmeal into a bowl and, after adding brown sugar to it, set in front of Lupin. She turned back to the stove and the hiss of frying bacon quickly followed.

Lupin looked past the section of paper he was reading and frowned at the bowl. "Seph, I already had something."

"That's nice." She didn't turn around. "Eat it."

"Seph-"

At his exasperated tone, her head snapped around. Shrinking under her glare, Lupin dutifully picked up his spoon. Harry watched on with amusement. Lupin had thought her ranch nickname unfair, but Harry had to agree with whoever had given it to her that it was rather accurate.

"Any plans for today?" Lupin asked.

Harry shrugged. "I thought we'd decorate for Christmas. There's the stuff we used last year-" He caught himself too late and hastily added, "I meant, um, are there?"

Lupin pretended not to have noticed his slip, for which Harry was grateful. "There're just the few things. I brought the boxes down and left them in the sitting room. If you want a tree, we'll have to go out for one."

Persephone set a plate in front of Harry. He turned when he heard someone on the stairs. "Morning, Hermione."

She yawned and greeted them. Accepting a bowl of oatmeal, Ginny sat next to Harry. "We're getting a tree today, then?" She was pleased Harry seemed to be in the Christmas spirit.

Harry hadn't meant to dictate the plans for the day and stammered, "Well, if you want, I mean," He looked to Lupin. "If it's no trouble, that is."

"If what's no trouble?" Ginny asked as she descended the staircase.

After insisting she only wanted toast, she sat across from Harry and Hermione, looking at them inquiringly. When Harry mentioned they might get a tree, she brightened. "Any chance we could go to Diagon Alley, too?"

Persephone smiled. "Last-minute shopping?"

Ginny shrugged and grinned. "Just shopping in general."

Lupin frowned at Persephone. "It's going to be busy, with the holidays and all."

She raised an eyebrow at his concerned tone. "Crowds are good. No one would try anything in front of all those people."

Harry exchanged a look with the girls when Lupin admitted she had a point. Not noticing, Lupin added, "Still, I think maybe I ought to ask Tonks or maybe-"

There was a brisk knocking at the front door and Lupin went up the stairs to see who it was. Moments later, he returned to the kitchen, followed by Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. Spotting Hermione, a spoonful of oatmeal halfway to her mouth, Mr. Weasley looked relived and strode over.

"Ah, excellent, you're already up. Your parents' hearing was moved up to today. Kinglsey finally managed to convince them to move the date, what with the holidays coming and all. Just got word. We thought you might like to be there," said Mr. Weasley brightly.

"We'll take you to the Ministry. Arthur has to go back to work, but I'll stay with you until your parents are released," Mrs. Weasley added. Her phrasing made it clear she believed they would be let go immediately.

Spoonful of oatmeal forgotten, Hermione looked as though she might burst into grateful tears at any moment. She gathered herself and said, "Thank you. Yes, yes I would like to go. When should I be ready?"

Mr. Weasley checked his watch. "Well, it's not until much later this afternoon-"

"I'll get my coat." Hermione dashed up the stairs.

Mrs. Weasley accepted a cup of tea from Persephone, though both she and her husband politely refused breakfast.

"Have you seen Tonks?" Lupin inquired, then added, "I was hoping someone else would be able to come with us," Lupin indicated Harry and Ginny, "to Diagon Alley for some Christmas shopping, and I thought maybe she'd like a break."

"Undoubtedly she would," Mr. Weasley agreed. "Unfortunately, they have all the Aurors working on some top-secret project. Very busy."

"Top-secret nonsense, more like," Mrs. Weasley huffed.

Lupin looked disappointed. "Too bad Charlie isn't due in for another few days..."

"I'll go," Persephone volunteered.

"I thought you said you had-" Lupin started.

She shrugged his comment off. "It can wait."

Hermione hurried down the steps, as though worried if she took too long, the inquiry would be over or the Weasleys would change their minds. Harry was suddenly reminded of Mr. Weasley escorting him to his own hearing at the Ministry the year before. He hoped Hermione's visit had a similar happy outcome.

"I suppose we'd best be on our way, then," Mr. Weasley said. He looked to Hermione. "Well, since you can't Apparate yet, we can take the Knight Bus," Harry saw Hermione blanch slightly at the thought, "or take the Underground." Mr. Weasley looked to Harry, and they both recalled the journey the previous year. There was an almost hopeful note in his voice at the last suggestion, and Harry caught Mrs. Weasley's suspicious expression.

"Oh, well...I really don't care for the Knight Bus," Hermione said hesitantly, looking apologetically at Mrs. Weasley.

Mrs. Weasley looked resigned, but said, "Can't say I blame you. All right, the Underground it is."

"Excellent!" Mr. Weasley looked as though he had gotten his Christmas present early. Harry saw Ginny's exaggerated eye roll and snickered.

"How did Kingsley manage to get them to move the day?" Lupin asked as Mrs. Weasley put down her empty teacup and Hermione donned her coat.

Mrs. Weasley smiled at Hermione. "Well, being as they're Muggles and all, and the charges are rather, well, at least the one charge is not really dire, he pointed out the fact it's so close to the holidays and no one should be kept from their family without good reason at such a time. That and the fact they have such and exemplary daughter, top in her class at Hogwarts, prefect and all, they agreed they should get the matter taken care of as quickly as possible." She pinned Harry and Ginny with her gaze. "See what keeping ahead in school can do? I just wish Ron would put as much effort into his studies as-" Mrs. Weasley paused and surveyed the room. "Where is Ron?"

Ginny looked down at her plate quickly, not wanting to draw her mother's fire when she was so close to launching into a tirade, so Harry was the one to answer, "Still sleeping, I suppose."

Frowning as she looked up the staircase, Mrs. Weasley said, "Someone ought to go wake him up. It may be the holidays, but that's no reason to let him waste the day in bed."

Noting Ginny was still staring intently at her toast, Harry said, "I'll get him. Good luck at the Ministry, Hermione."

Mrs. Weasley humphed, but ushered Hermione up the stairs, followed closely by Mr. Weasley. Looking back for a moment as he trailed behind, Harry caught Ginny's grateful look and smiled. When he reached the door to the master suite, he saw it was slightly ajar. Since Ron had been the one to warn him to lock his door the previous year, having had Kreacher poke around his room in the night, Harry was surprised Ron hadn't followed his own advice. Perhaps Ron had thought since Lupin said Kreacher rarely came out, he wouldn't have to bother.

Harry knocked softly and entered. "Ron?"

The room was dim, the drapes still drawn across the windows. A muffled sound came from the bed, though Harry couldn't be sure if it was in response to his call. Having had his share of rude awakenings, Harry called Ron's name quietly again. "Your mum wants you to get up."

Standing next to the bed, Harry saw Ron was still asleep in his characteristic sprawl, taking up a good portion of the large bed. He also seemed to be... purring?

Poking Ron in the shoulder, Harry called him a bit louder, wondering where the odd rumbling sound was coming from. A pair of mismatched eyes slitted open, reflecting the light from the hallway and Harry realized Pest had decided the space between Ron's shoulder blades was a comfortable place to sleep. The kitten yawned hugely, then stood and stretched, arching his fuzzy back.

"Yeow!" Ron half rolled over, looking around in obvious surprise. The kitten leapt away, landing on the carpet without a sound. Casting Ron and Harry a disgusted look, Pest trotted out the door and toward the enticing scent of bacon.

Ron blinked up at Harry. "What you'd do that for? Nasty way to wake someone up, poking them like that."

"Sorry. Didn't think I'd done it that hard," Harry said, confused.

"What'd you use, anyhow? Pins?" Ron sat up and tried to rub his upper back.

Harry laughed. "Oh, that. Wasn't me, Pest was sleeping on you. You'd better hurry if you want breakfast. You've already missed Hermione. Your parents came to take her to the Ministry. Looks like Kingsley managed to get their hearing moved up to today."

Ron looked first surprised then disappointed. "Well, that's good, I suppose. Probably means Mione won't be spending Christmas with us, though."

"Why not?" Harry asked.

"After they're released, they'll probably go home together. Can't imagine she'd want to leave them right away after all this." Ron got up and did a fair imitation of Pest's stretch and yawn.

Harry was inwardly surprised at Ron's insight. He wondered if Hermione's constant exasperation with Ron's cluelessness and subsequent irritated explanations was finally beginning to rub off on him. "Well, we'll still be here, anyway. I thought we might do holiday decorations today. Lupin said he might take us to Daigon Alley for a tree, too."

Ron seemed enthusiastic at the idea, so Harry left him to dress. Upon reentering the kitchen, Harry saw Pest had already arrived and had taken up residence at Persephone's feet as she cooked another helping of bacon and eggs. After several minutes of her resolutely ignoring him, Pest seemed to grow irritated at her indifference to his piteous meows. Reaching one paw up, he hooked a claw into her pants. By her exclamation of pain, Harry figured he'd hooked her leg as well.

"Ow! Scat, you!" Persephone swatted at him in exasperation. "You're worse than Noir."

With a flick of his tail, Pest sauntered over to Lupin and jumped on his lap. All of a sudden, the newspaper Lupin had been holding up pulled out of his hands and fell forward onto the table. Tail flicking back and forth, Pest stretched out full-length on top of it. Solemnly washing a paw, he remained completely indifferent to Lupin's exasperation and Harry and Ginny's laughter.

"I was reading that, you know." Lupin looked to Harry with one eyebrow raised. "See why we named him Pest?"

Holding a plate of fresh bacon, Persephone turned and took one look at the cat on the table. She pulled the wand out of her bun and pointed at him. Pest, unperturbed, playfully batted at it. Raising an eyebrow, Persephone said, "Bath?"

In a split second, the kitten skittered off the table and up the stairs. Lupin shook out the paper and folded it, making room for the plate of bacon.

Still laughing, Ginny asked, "Did you actually give him baths?"

Smiling, Lupin replied, "If by 'bath' you mean 'spritzed water at him' then yes."

"That's mean!" Ginny exclaimed, but she was still laughing. "Oh, I hope he doesn't fight with Crookshanks."

Persephone sat, twisting her wand back up into her hair. "I'm sure they'll get along fine. If Pest is as smart as Crookshanks, they'll just avoid each other."

"Don't you have a proper hair clip?" Lupin asked with an exasperated sigh.

"And deprive you of your favorite pastime?" she asked innocently. "I wouldn't dream of it."

Amused, Harry reached for another piece of bacon, thinking Ron had better hurry if he wanted any. Just as the thought occurred, Ron entered fully dressed, but with hair that bore the look of a less than friendly relationship with a comb. He plopped down next to his sister.

Glancing at Harry's hand, Persephone asked, "What happened to your hand, Harry?"

Snatching his hand back, Harry mumbled, "Oh, nothing. It was just something Professor Umbridge made me do in detention."

Looking down, Harry saw the thin white scars from where Professor Umbridge had made him write 'I will not tell lies' hour after hour in detention. It had faded quite a bit, but if he looked, he could still make out the words.

The look Lupin gave him made Harry realize his wording may not have been the best. "She made you hurt yourself?" he exclaimed.

Feeling uncomfortable under his scrutiny and not wanting to make a big deal out of it so long after the fact, Harry replied, "No! Well, sort of. She made me write 'I will not tell lies' with this special quill. Every time I did, it made a cut in my hand." He didn't mention the fact he thought the actual writing had been in his own blood.

Persephone's face had gone pale. She grabbed his hand and looked closely at it. "How many times did she make you do this?" When Harry replied several hours a night for a number of weeks, she exchanged a horrified look with Lupin.

Harry pulled his hand back, not sure what they were all worked up over. "Well, so what? It's over now and it's fading, anyway. I mean, it wasn't pleasant but it's not like it was some kind of Dark magic, right?" At their expressions, Harry swallowed nervously. "It wasn't Dark magic, was it?"

Persephone looked very worried. "Not as... but it is treading a very fine line, Harry. What did she do with the pages afterwards?"

Harry didn't like the feeling that the wrong answer might be something very serious indeed. "Threw them in the fire, I think. Why?"

At this, they both looked a bit relieved. Lupin answered Harry's question, "The charm on that quill, as you probably figured out, had you writing in your own blood." Harry caught Ginny and Ron's disgusted looks. "The kind of spell on the quill itself is not something that had a lot of benign use, but more seriously, there are certain spells, not ones you should know anything more than this about," Lupin looked at them sternly, "that require possession of another's blood to work. That way lies very powerful and very dangerous magic, most all of it Dark."

"Especially for someone like you, Harry," Persephone added. "You're sure she burned them all?"

"I think so," Harry said, hesitantly. He had some idea of how his own blood could be used in spells against him from the tragic end of his fourth year. "I'm not the only one she gave that detention to, though. Lee Jordan had to do it, too."

Lupin seemed reassured at this, though Persephone was still frowning. "I suppose she only did it because of the discomfort it caused you, then," he said. "Why didn't you tell Dumbledore about this, Harry? Or someone else?"

Harry flushed. Last year, before he knew why Dumbledore had been avoiding him, he had childishly refused to ask for help. "I didn't think it was all that important."

"Not-" Lupin looked incredulous. "From now on, if anything like this happens again, you are to tell Dumbledore or someone from the Order immediately," Lupin said fiercely. Harry had never heard him use that tone before. Even Ron and Ginny looked a bit taken aback. Lupin looked to Persephone. "We have to tell Dumbledore about this."

The festive, anticipatory mood vanished as they silently went back to breakfast activities. Ron solemnly ate his bacon, eggs, and toast while Lupin finished the last of his tea, a worried pensive look settling on his face. Ginny helped Persephone clear the other dishes and set out food for the two cats. Seeing how everyone was avoiding further conversation, Harry wondered if they would allow him to go anywhere now. By their expressions, he guessed they were imagining all the horrible things that would happen to him if he left the safety of Number Twelve, just like they had last year. But there was no worry for Ron or Ginny. His expression darkened when he began to imagine them heading out to pick out a tree and buy holiday decorations in Daigon Alley, just like when he had to stay behind in his third year while everyone else had fun in Hogsmeade. They'd give him pitying looks and say how sorry they were he couldn't go too, but they'd go and have a great time anyway. Some friends, Harry thought mulishly. Had keeping him locked up and in the dark about all the goings-on ever worked, anyway? No, Harry thought mutinously. Not that it mattered in the least how much he argued, Harry was certain he wouldn't be able to go.

"Well, Harry?" Ginny's voice broke into his outraged thoughts.

"What?" He glared at her.

She looked back at him, her expression confused and a little hurt, and repeated her question, "Are you ready to go?"

Harry instantly regretted snapping at her. Ron was giving him an odd look as well. Feeling foolish for mulling over the injustice of something that hadn't even happened, he got up, admonishing himself not to let his imagination run away with him like that again.

Once they'd all bundled in coats and scarves, they headed out the front door of Number Twelve. Lupin looked at the group and said, "Well, since none of you can Apparate, either, we've got the same options as Hermione: the Knight Bus or the Underground."

Ron looked decidedly green at the thought of another go on the Knight Bus and so they decided to head to Diagon Alley the same way Hermione and the Weasleys had gone to the Ministry earlier. Only Persephone looked a bit apprehensive at the thought. Harry wondered if she was wary of Muggle things like some wizards he knew.

"Have you ever been on the Underground before?" he asked politely. "It's not so bad."

Lupin started to laugh, which made Persephone shoot him a warning glare. Not understanding, Harry exchanged a look with Ron and Ginny. Seeing it, Lupin said, "Oh, she's seen quite a bit of it, I imagine." He bit back another laugh and added not-so quietly, "Couldn't find her way out of an empty room with a map."

Still pinning him with a glare, Persephone hissed, "Shut up."

Luckily, their trip on the Muggle conveyance was uneventful, though the subway was jammed with holiday shoppers. Arriving at the Leaky Cauldron, they entered, grateful for the warmth of the interior after their brisk walk outside from the Underground station.

The same odd, apprehensive feeling he'd felt in Hogsmeade struck Harry as they walked into the lane lined with shops. Lupin and Persephone seemed to have noticed it too, and when Harry caught his eye, Lupin whispered, "People aren't as stupid as the Ministry would like to believe."

Before they could begin the debate of where to start, Lupin said, "Actually, since we're here, we should go to Gringott's. Harry, there are some things you have to sign." He dropped his voice. "Sirius' accounts. There are more things from the Ministry about the rest of the estate you'll have to look over as well, but those are back at the house. They can wait."

Harry nodded. There was much he didn't know about inheriting houses and things, but having to sign and unending number of tedious forms and papers seemed to make sense whether wizard or Muggle. The others seemed in no rush and so they all climbed the white steps to the entrance. Once inside, Harry looked around the somewhat familiar building, suddenly wondering if they would get a chance to see Bill while they were there. As Lupin led Harry toward a row of low stone-walled cubicles, Harry heard Ginny's excited greeting. Glancing behind him, he saw her hugging her oldest brother. Ron and Persephone exchanged handshakes with him, Persephone pointing in Harry's direction.

Returning Bill's wave, Harry hurried to catch up with Lupin. They sat on a low, uncomfortable bench just outside the small, open offices, waiting to be noticed by one of the goblins. Just as Harry was beginning to feel restless, they were called in to a cubicle further down.

Though the goblin was less than friendly, Harry thought the process wasn't as dull as he'd thought it might be. After hastily glancing over the confusing text, he scribbled his name at the bottom of several pages, as did Lupin. After a few instructions from the goblin, Harry was given thick folio of parchment, outlining the process that would grant him full access to everything in Sirius' accounts upon his seventeenth birthday. Skimming the baffling wording on the first few pages, Harry hoped a year was long enough for him to plow through it all. Thanking the goblin, who only responded with an indifferent grunt, they left the office and rejoined the others.

"I thought it would be worse," Harry confided as they joined the Weasleys.

Lupin shook his head with a rueful smile. "It will be. But that's much later on. Where's Seph?"

Ginny pointed to where the teller lines stretched along the back wall. Persephone was speaking with a ruthless-looking goblin about something. She took two small leather bags and several sheets of parchment. After another brief exchange followed by Persephone's indifferent shrug, she took an additional sheaf of parchments from the goblin. Walking back toward the group, she stuffed the smaller of the two bags into a pocket and tied the other to her belt loop.

"Well, I'll be sure to see you all soon," Bill said as he turned to go back to work. He gave Persephone a small nod in passing as he headed back to the offices.

Persephone eyed Harry's stack of papers, bound in the leather folio. "They just love giving you pages and pages of useless paper, don't they?"

"Where should we start?" Ginny asked as they turned to head out into the street.

Lupin held the door for them. "Well, we should get the tree last, so why don't we have a look at some decorations first? Penifred's has some nice things."

Having never had a reason to go into the wizarding furnishings store before, Harry was keen to go. They set out down the wide steps. Ron stooped to pick up a sheet of parchment Persephone hadn't noticed had fallen from the loose roll in her pocket. Just as he was about to call out, Harry saw him glance down at it and stop in his tracks, eyes wide. The rest of the group walked on ahead unaware, so Harry sidled over to Ron, curious.

"What?" Harry asked.

Ron looked up, flushing red at having been caught reading her personal bank information. "Nothing," he stammered quickly. "She just dropped this. I was going to give it back."

But Harry had caught sight of the astonishing figure at the bottom and knew why Ron had stopped. "Woah."

"That's not the only account, either." Seeing she still hadn't noticed and the rest of the group was continuing on unaware, Ron pointed to a messy scrawl in the margin, citing another account number and another large figure, followed by "see additional pages".

"Why would she take a job as Assistant Caretaker, then?" Harry asked in a hushed voice as they hurried to catch up. Ron didn't answer as he was trying to think of how to give her back the page without her guessing he'd read it.

Somehow, taking advantage of his sister's conversation comparing school decorations, Ron managed to slip the paper back into her pocket without Persephone noticing. Breathing a sigh of relief, Ron held back a few steps then turned to Harry and whispered, "Not only that, why would she have worked on a ranch for five years? How come she hasn't just bought a house somewhere? Why keep changing jobs? Why work at all?"

Arriving at the entrance to Penifred's, Harry shrugged. He tried to tell himself it wasn't any of his business how much money she had or why she chose to work menial jobs when she obviously didn't need to, but he couldn't help but wonder. Hiding his suspicious thoughts, he smiled enthusiastically as they began perusing the displays of holiday decorations amidst the arrangements of furniture.

"Oh, by the way, Harry, this is where we got most of the new furniture in the house, so if you see anything you like better, they have a pretty good return and exchange policy," Lupin said. "I set up an account link here for you. They'll explain how it works if you like, so you don't have to carry around bags of coins. But you don't ever have to use it if you don't want."

Harry nodded, thinking he hadn't taken the time to really look around the house and decide what he liked or not. Still, he figured there was no harm in seeing if there was anything he wanted for his own. It felt strange to think about furnishing a house that he owned. The only thought about decorating that came to mind was he wanted it to look as little like Number Four Privet Drive as possible. He laughed to himself imagining what Uncle Vernon would think of Harry owning his own house, and one much grander than the house on Privet Drive. On the heels of that thought came a much darker one.

Harry pulled Lupin aside and asked worriedly, "What if my uncle found out about my getting Sirius' house? There's no way he could take it away, is there?" Uncle Vernon was, as far as Harry knew, his legal guardian and therefore in charge of everything Harry owned. It hadn't mattered before because until then Harry hadn't owned anything.

Lupin patted Harry's shoulder reassuringly. "I wouldn't worry about it. I'm sure if he knew his way around wizarding property and inheritance law, he might be able to try to claim it, but I doubt he does." Lupin smiled. "And who says you even have to tell him about it at all?"

Comforted by this, Harry tried to forget the odd start to the day and focus on the cheery decorations displayed all around. Hearing laughter, he peeked around a bookshelf display and saw Ginny draped in Estly's Ever-Fresh Pine Garland. Persephone placed a wreath of bright red berries on her head as a crown. Ginny picked up an Everlasting Icicle and held it aloft. Just as she did so, she caught sight of Harry watching and immediately flushed as deep red as the berries on her head. She put the icicle down hastily. Noticing her sudden discomfort, Persephone turned and saw Harry watching them.

"What do you think, Harry?" Persephone called, still smiling.

Harry laughed, mostly to reassure Ginny. "Looks good." Ginny smiled a little, though she still looked mortified.

"Harry! You've got to get some of this!" Ron exclaimed from somewhere behind a large armoire.

"Some of wha- oof!" Something smacked Harry square in the face, cutting off his question. Spitting it out, Harry took off his glasses and wiped at his eyes. What looked like snow, though it was neither wet nor cold, splattered his front.

"Can I help you?" A stern looking salesperson had noticed their antics and had come to stand just behind Harry. Ron dropped the new snowball he'd made and tried to look innocent.

Dusting off the bits of snow that still clung to his jacket, Harry mumbled, "No. We're um, just looking, thanks."

The man raised an eyebrow, but turned and went back to the counter where another shopper was waiting to be helped. Harry shot Ron a dirty look, but couldn't help laughing when he caught sight of Ginny, free of garland, in silent hysterics just behind him.

"All right, that's enough." Lupin smiled at them.

In the end, Harry did purchase several bags of the indoor snow, along with yards and yards of garland, numerous velvet bows, strings of bright red berries, and a number of the Everlasting Icicles. Harry thought they would use the same ornaments on the tree they had last year, but seeing Ginny admiring a set of glittery glass balls, bought those as well. They left, Harry carrying two bags that held far more but weighed much less than he would have expected.

Real snow had begun to fall as they left the store and headed down the road. Just as he was going to ask where to go next, Ginny paused in front of Twillfit and Tatting's, an upscale clothing store. A set of deep blue robes was on display in the window, the intricate embroidery around the hem and cuffs changing color every few seconds from black to silver to a deep shimmery green.

Persephone had noticed her stop as well. She grabbed Ginny's hand. "Let's go try it on."

Ginny resisted a little. "Oh, no. I couldn't-"

"Just for fun. Come on," Persephone insisted with a smile.

Harry knew Ginny didn't want to as she would never be able to afford something from that store, but to his surprise, she relented. Ron bore a pained look as Ginny opened the shop door.

Persephone laughed and waved them away. "Go on, go do boy things. We'll catch up." Lupin looked apprehensive, but Persephone ignored him, saying, "It'll be fine. Go."

Ron immediately mentioned Quality Quidditch Supplies and they headed that direction, though Lupin took them for a brief stop into Ollivander's Wand Shop. Harry couldn't imagine what he needed in there, as his wand had seemed perfectly fine, but once inside, Harry saw a display of wand care and accessory items. Lupin picked up a small silver scroll-like item and, after looking it over, brought it to the counter.

As he made his purchase, Ron and Harry examined the display. There were wand polishes, scratch repair kits, decorative clips and display stands. After a moment, Lupin collected them and they walked back into the cold and toward the quidditch store.

"What did you buy?" Ron asked, curious.

"Just a gift for someone," Lupin replied.

Once inside the quidditch store, Ron made a beeline for the broom displays. Keeping a close eye on them, Lupin casually examined some items not far from where Harry and Ron stood.

Looking longingly at the long row of brooms, Ron read over the cards attached to the handles, though Harry knew he had each one memorized. Wondering why he insisted on torturing himself like this, Harry had the brief thought of just buying Ron a new broom for Christmas. He quickly dismissed the idea, knowing Ron would never accept it.

"Maybe I will ask Fred and George for a loan," Ron said, sighing. "Not that the Windtec isn't great, but I would like a broom of my own again. Maybe I can work it off in their shop during the summer." Harry nodded but said nothing. Resigned, Ron looked around. "Maybe I can get Gin something for Christmas in here."

He looked over the rack of shin guards and elbow pads. Harry spied a rack of long-sleeved quidditch T-shirts, each with a small logo of a type of equipment on the front and a phrase relating to the quidditch position on the back. Harry picked one up that had a bludger on the front beneath two crossed Beater's bats. The back read, 'With bludger and bat, I'll knock you Flat'.

Ron looked it over with a smile. "That's perfect! What size, you think? Small?" Harry shrugged as Ron flipped through the rack. Holding another shirt up, Ron said, "Hey, here's one for you."

A small golden snitch was printed on the front with 'Fastest on the pitch always gets the Snitch' emblazoned across the back. Harry flipped through the other side of the rack, trying to find one about Keepers, but instead found the one for Chasers. Laughing he held it up for Ron to read. The front had the red quaffle printed on it, but the back read 'Nothing rhymes with Quaffle'.

"Well, there is 'waffle', but that's not very good," Ron admitted, laughing.

Rifling through the rest of the rack, Harry finally came across one of the Keeper shirts, the three goal hoops pictured on the front, with 'Guarding Hoop and Pole, I'll block your Goal' written on the back. It was even the size he wanted, but how to buy it without Ron knowing?

Lupin wandered over to where they were, though Ron had already made his way toward the counter. Though he had all but forgotten he was there, Harry was suddenly very happy Lupin was with them.

"Can you do me a favor and buy this? I just don't want Ron to see," Harry added hastily, as he handed Lupin a handful of coins.

Smiling in understanding, Lupin agreed. Harry wandered by several displays, wondering what he should get for Hermione. He seriously considered getting her a homework planner like she had gotten him and Ron the previous year, but then realized the meaning would be lost on her and in all likelihood, she already had one. Maybe he'd just get her something in Flourish and Blotts.

"How did I know?" Ginny greeted them with a smug look as they exited, Persephone right next to her.

Harry noted the lack of bags in her hand, though he was not surprised. Ron shifted his own bag slightly, trying not to draw attention to it and failing.

In an attempt to distract her, Harry asked Ginny, "I still have to get Hermione something, any ideas?"

Ginny seemed to think a moment but then shrugged. "Let's go to Flourish and Blott's. She can always use something from there." Glancing over at Ron, she asked, "What did you get her, Ron?"

Harry shook his head quickly, not wanting Ron to tell Ginny in case she might guess she'd be getting the same thing from him. Ron saw him just as he opened his mouth and quickly shut it. "Oh, um, just something."

Ginny smiled slyly. "'Just something', hmmm? I see."

Ron shot Harry a glare, knowing he would have to endure Ginny's teasing about his lack of a straight answer for the rest of the trip. Harry shrugged and whispered with a smile, "Well, just say we're even for the greenhouse thing."

Ron mumbled something about it being months ago, but stopped when they hurried into the warm bookshop. Harry trailed behind Ginny, in the hopes she would be able to offer him some ideas about what Hermione might like, while the others wandered down the shelf-lined paths throughout the store.

Ginny mused aloud as they walked toward the back of the store. "She loves obscure spell books, anything enormous and old would go over well, I imagine. There are always fancy quills and inks. Ooh, here's a nice planner," Ginny picked up the leather-bound organizer, but then put it back down, "but she's probably already got one of those. Did you want to get her something really special?"

Harry didn't know why Ginny was looking up at him like that. "I don't...um, just something nice, I guess."

"Oh, okay." Ginny seemed happy with that answer, though Harry had no idea why. "She's been talking about after Hogwarts so maybe a book on career planning or maybe..." Ginny trailed off and scanned the books on the shelf in front of her.

Harry realized they were headed toward the shadowy back corner of the store, into the sections on the Dark Arts and other occult magic. Struck by sudden inspiration, not about a gift for Hermione, but something far more important, Harry began reading titles in earnest. A few paces down, he pulled a book of the shelf, his heart skipping a beat. The Book of Shadows: Myth or Fact? by Augustus Von Hayden, Harry read silently to himself. Why hadn't this book appeared in the Room of Requirement? Since he wasn't sure exactly how the Room worked, Harry didn't know. He flipped the book open and skimmed the Table of Contents. Excitement built as Harry skipped ahead and read over random pages. Here was real information about the Book of Shadows, theories on content, location, interviews. As he expected from the little he and Ron had already found out, there was much debate over the actual existence of the Book, but the largish volume held promise. Was this one of the books on the list Voldemort had given Wormtail?

Harry jumped when someone poked him in the arm. Turning, he saw Ron holding something out at him. "Here, she'll like this one."

"What?" Harry asked, his mind still buzzing with the hope of something concrete about the Book of Shadows.

"Hermione. She'll probably like this," Ron repeated.

Harry took the hefty book. "Special Creatures, Special Laws: A Compendium for the Regulation, Control, and Legal Defense of Magical Creatures. Sounds, um..."

"Bloody boring, I know. She'll love it," Ron finished for him. He shrugged. "She's always going on about house-elves and laws. Figured it was right up her alley."

"Yeah, thanks," Harry said, surprised at Ron's insight.

After mumbling something about the new Chudley Cannons calendar, Ron wandered off again. Ginny, having grown bored reading titles, rejoined Harry. "What's that?"

Harry showed her the book Ron had given him. Ginny looked impressed. "Who'd have thought? Though I wonder..." Harry gave her and inquisitive look. "Well, if she did decide on a job with the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, she'd be working at the Ministry." When Harry didn't seem to be following, Ginny prompted, "Which is not that far from the Auror Academy."

"Do you really think Ron thought of that?" Harry asked.

Ginny shrugged and pointed to the other book Harry held. "What's that one?"

Handing it to her, Harry said, "Remember I told you I knew what Volde-" Ginny shushed him fiercely, "was after? That's it. The Book of Shadows."

By then, Ron had circled back to where they were. "Brilliant, Harry! Why wasn't that one in the Room of Requirement?" Without waiting for a reply he added, "Did you look in the index? See what books it's cross-referenced." Ginny and Harry turned identical incredulous looks on him. "What?"

Shaking his head but sharing a smile with Ginny, Harry said, "Nothing. Good idea."

Harry saw several other texts referenced one title which was unfamiliar and indicated it was also about nothing but the Book of Shadows. Running her finger down the rows of books on the shelves, Ginny found a copy and slid it off the shelf triumphantly. "They have that one, too."

"Excellent!" Ron exclaimed.

"Found what you were looking for?" Lupin's voice called out as he approached.

Hastily, Harry put the book for Hermione on top of the other two. He was pretty sure he'd get a lecture if Lupin saw him buying books about the Book of Shadows. "Yeah, we're ready."

The witch behind the counter eyed Harry's purchases with a surprised look. "There's a bit of heavy reading."

"It's for school," Harry blurted out, hoping she'd accept that as a good reason.

"Studying Advanced Defense Against the Dark Arts, then?" she asked mildly.

"No," Harry said, the lie forming in his head out of nowhere. "History of Magic."

"Oh," the witch replied. "Well, I suppose there's some interesting things to be learned in that. Never fancied history much, myself."

Harry thanked her and took the bag, hoping no one had overheard the odd conversation. Joining the others waiting by the front displays, Harry couldn't help but hope they were almost done so he could examine the books. As they left, Harry realized they had yet to get a tree and hoped it wouldn't take too long.

The small corral outside the back entrance to the Leaky Cauldron was packed with trees of various heights and widths, shades of green ranging from the silvery-blue spruce to the deep green Norway pine. Eager to get to the books he'd found, Harry pointed out a tall, dark green tree, almost eight feet high.

"How about that one?"

The others seemed happy with it and Harry quickly paid the wizard 7 galleons, 12 sickels, and 12 knuts. As soon as he had, he wondered how they were going to get it back to Number Twelve on the Underground without drawing a lot of attention. Before he could ask, the wizard threw a small burlap sack over the top of the tree, drawing it all the way down to the trunk and tying the heavy twine into a secure knot. He handed Harry flour-sack-sized bag with a smile. When Persephone suggested a quick lunch at the Leaky Cauldron before heading back to Number Twelve, Harry felt a flicker of impatience, but quickly squashed it.

Harry tried not to seem as though he was rushing the others, but even so, he was finished with his lunch before Ginny was halfway done with her soup. In an attempt to distract himself, Harry casually flicked a pea at Ron across the table.

The pea bounced off Ron's nose and landed in front of his plate, narrowly missing falling into his glass of butterbeer. With a sideways glance to make sure Lupin and Persephone weren't watching, Ron reached out his hand and flicked his fingers, sending the pea back toward Harry. He missed completely, instead hitting Ginny just above the eye. Unobtrusively, Ginny moved her hand to the right of her plate and with a flick, sent the pea sailing over the table. Instead of landing somewhere to the left of Ron, it stopped in midair, hovering halfway through its arc.

Lupin was watching them with a bemused expression. "That's enough."

The pea suddenly sprang into motion and smacked Lupin square in the forehead. The trio looked at one another to see who had done it, and though she was looking the other direction, Persephone's snicker gave her away.

Lupin gave her a mock-suffering look and said, "I think it's time to go."

As they stood to leave, Harry saw him slyly aim his wand and send several peas in her direction.