Home is where the heart is

Home is Where the Heart Is
Chapter Seven - Diagon Alley and A Stranger
For the next month, Harry spent as much time as he could with Sirius and Remus. He had realised how precious the time they were together was. Once Harry went back to Hogwarts, he wouldn't see either of them for a long time, and this was depressing.

Sirius obviously felt the same way, because now he was forcing Harry to do all his homework together. Of course, this might have had something to do with the fact that Sirius didn't want Harry to fail in any subject either.

"No, no, Harry. It's a sliver of Gillyweed, not Boomslang skin," Sirius was telling him, when Harry attempted to do his Potion's homework.

"And the correct colour of an aging potion is green, not purple."

Harry sniffed in disgust. "Stupid potions......if I could I would have dropped it by now," he said, frowning at his homework disdainfully.

"Been there, felt that," agreed Sirius, "I was never fantastic at potions, either. My worst subject, actually. But it's compulsory, so you may as well learn it. Then again, Snape's the teacher........" Sirius scowled darkly. His hatred for Snape rivaled Harry's hatred of Draco Malfoy. He then shook his head and sighed.

"Done your History homework yet?" he asked, cringing at Harry's glare.

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One of the best parts of Harry's holiday was when Ron came over for the day because Hermione couldn't make it. He had almost peed himself laughing at Sirius' bedroom (which had somehow acquired even more pillows) and was jealous of how Sirius and Remus were so easy-going.

"It must be awesome, living here!" Ron exclaimed, when he and Harry were alone. "Sirius and Lu- I mean, Remus, let you do anything!" Harry grinned.

"Yeah, I know. It's great with them..........almost like a whole family," he added, looking a bit wistful. Ron rolled his eyes.

"Look, you can borrow my family anytime you want. Pesky lot," he said, flopping onto Harry's bed. Harry knew that Ron didn't really mean what he said - Harry had seen Ron in protective-brother mode over Ginny too many times.

Harry's fifteenth birthday came and went, with Sirius and Remus throwing a three-person party, with mountains of food and quite a pile of presents.

From Remus, he received a hand-made book, full of sketches of magical wildlife - from dragons to house-elves. Each sketch was highly detailed, and Harry was stunned at how much thought and effort was put into the gift. Sirius gave him his own set of Quidditch balls, with special engravings on each, which read 'H. J. Potter' in tiny writing. He also got his own foe-glass.

"You can never be too careful..." Sirius said, ruffling his hair.

From Ron, he got a whole shoebox full of chocolate and sugar quills. Hermione sent him a special snow-globe, which when you shook, a 3D image of Hogwarts appeared, complete with real moving figures. Harry enjoyed watching the daily life of the castle, which included Filch sleep-walking on the grounds, much to Harry's amusement.

The days passed pleasantly, as Harry experienced what it was like to live in a home where people actually loved you and looked after you. Despite himself, Harry sometimes pretended that Sirius was, in truth, his father. He shared so many stories of James Potter with Harry, that Harry felt as though he had actually known his father, all his life.

But pretending never changes reality, and Harry secretly spent many times wondering if he was doing the wrong thing - forgetting that he didn't have his real parents. Filled with confusion, Harry never mentioned this to Sirius or Remus, and instead tried to put such thoughts as far out of his mind as he could.

All too soon, it was time for Harry to visit Diagon Alley to buy his school things. Because it would look suspicious and was basically impossible for Sirius to be with him, even transfigured, he ended up going with Remus.

"Don't forget to buy some new robes!" called Sirius behind them, as the pair disappeared into the fire, using Floo powder. They spun around and around, with fleeting glimpses at the insides of people's homes, before stumbling out of the fireplace in the Leaky Cauldron. Harry coughed and dusted himself off, taking off his glasses to clean them.

"Shall we go?" inquired Remus, who also looked slightly windswept. Blinking, they exited the pub and Remus tapped the correct brick. An archway appeared, and they strode through.

Harry hadn't been in Diagon Alley for a while, and it took him a moment to adjust to the huge crowds of witches and wizards bustling along the narrow alleyway.

"Where first?" asked Harry, consulting the list he had received from Hogwarts.

"Madam Malkin's," said Remus, edging through the swarms of people. "We'll get your school books last." They eventually made their way to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, for some new school robes for Harry. He had grown out of his ones from first year.

When Harry had tried them on, they had stopped two inches from his ankles. "No good. You'll need some new ones," Sirius told him. "Looks like you've hit a growth spurt."

So Remus and Harry entered the shop, which was much quieter than the busy street, and were greeted by Madam Malkin herself - a bustling little witch who was always dressed in the latest wizarding fashions. "Hello, dears. How can I help you?" she asked, giving them a kind smile.

"Er, I need some new school robes," said Harry, glancing at Remus.

"Oh, yes. Just stand up here," Madam Malkin ushered him onto a stool. Harry stood there as the dumpy witch started to pin and adjust a black robe for him.

"I'll get some more of your money from Gringotts," Remus said to Harry. "We'll meet outside Flourish and Blotts in half an hour?" Harry nodded, and Remus winked, before exiting the shop.

It was quite boring, just standing there without moving, and Harry's eyes wondered around the shop. Along the walls were stacked bundles of cloth, dress robes of every colour and size hanging on racks, and pointed hats of varying colours and styles along a wall. Harry silently thanked whoever it was that destined him not to have to get some dress robes. His green ones were still sitting at the bottom of his trunk, untouched since the Yule Ball. Remembering that uncomfortable night, Harry winced and hastily sought for a distraction.

It was then that Harry noticed another customer in the shop, nearly hidden by the rack she was browsing. It was a young woman with light brown hair, inspecting some blue dress robes near the store display window. From atop the stool, Harry thought she looked quite short and sturdy. He could see her obvious discomfort at being in the shop - she didn't look any more pleased to be there than he did. From the side of her face, Harry saw her screw up her nose in disgust as she inspected some horribly bright yellow robes, before sighing in almost a comical manner, and withdrawing the blue robes she had seemed to like.

Almost as if she could feel his gaze, the woman turned around and found him staring at her. She had a pretty face, with a little nose and, to his surprise, a few scattered freckles. She blinked, before staring back at him in uttermost disbelief. Her eyes flicked to his forehead, before taking in the rest of him. Feeling like a bug on a plate, Harry quickly looked away and stared up at the wall, still aware of the strange woman gawking at him.

The famous Harry Potter can't even go into a shop without being fawned over, he thought gloomily. Just once, it would be nice to go somewhere and not be recognised....

Madam Malkin had finished her fussing over the robes. "There you go, dear. How many?" she asked, stepping back as he hopped off the stool.

"Two sets, please," replied Harry, glancing at the woman again. She had disappeared into the changing rooms. He paid his money and left, with the robes wrapped in a package under his arm.

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Danielle had been forced to go into Madam Malkin's, for the sole purpose of getting suitable robes for school. Arrrrgggghhhhhhh, she thought, with feeling. I hate clothes shopping! It is the spawn of all evil. But if there's one thing worse than clothes shopping, it's shoe shopping. Still, no doubt it'll take me ages. I wish I didn't have such a damn awkward size!

Resigned, she pushed open the door to Madam Malkin's, and mentally steeled herself as Madam Malkin came over, smiling at what she dubbed to be a possible customer. "Oh, good morning!" the witch said in an annoyingly cheerful voice. No, it is not a good morning. Where should I begin? Oh, yes. The fact that I'm in here is good for starters.........

"Um," Danielle said aloud, glancing around the shop uncertainly. "I'm looking for some new robes.....a few pairs, actually."

"Oh, really? Then perhaps I can interest you with some of these delightful designs - only came in last week - the latest fashion, you know........" Danielle followed Madam Malkin over to a rack which said New Arrivals. "I do think that blue.......oh, and dark green would flatter you quite well, dear. Maybe wine purple?" Madam Malkin continued, firing suggestions at Danielle rapidly.

"Well, I was thinking plain black or grey," Danielle admitted.

Madam Malkin tutted. "Plain black? Grey? Honey, you can do much better than that! Why, some ladies would kill to have your lovely complexion!"

Lovely complexion? What, freckles splattered all over my face?

"I'm not into anything too fancy. These are just work robes - I'm going to be teaching so it's all from there. I'm not trying to impress anyone," Danielle insisted. Madam Malkin looked at Danielle in unabashed surprise.

"You're a teacher?"

"Yeah," Danielle said offhandedly. She waited and enjoyed the look of surprise that faded to a calculating frown, and then to a rather predatory smile.

"Oh, it's just that you look so young," Madam Malkin gushed in falsely bright voice. Danielle inwardly grimaced. Oh, salespeople were so easy to see through. Only interested in getting as much money out of you as fast as they can.

"Thanks. Still, I think I'll just stick to the good old grey. Unless you don't have any......?"

This got Madam Malkin's attention. She drew herself up indignantly. "Of course I do! This shop has the largest collection of materials in the country! If you'll come right this way....." Smiling to herself, Danielle followed Madam Malkin and thanked her profusely, before settling down to choosing some nice, boring, suitable robes that would fit her.

Looking through the rack, Danielle chose two sets of grey robes that looked like they'd fit her awkward body - no way to tell until she tried them on. Then she moved on to inspecting some black sets. As she browsed, Danielle heard the tinkle of the doorbell, and listened with only one ear as someone asked for school robes. Madam Malkin was probably smothering them in her enthusiasm. Danielle heard the tinkle of the doorbell again, as one of the people left the shop.

Danielle scrutinised the choice of robes, before picking some black ones that looked quite comfortable. But despite herself, Danielle couldn't help but look back over at the New Arrivals rack. True, she wasn't very vain, and held absolutely no interest in her appearance, but still......it might be nice, to own some pretty robes once in a while. And it wasn't like she would wear them for anyone else - just for herself. Yes. Why not? It couldn't hurt.

Warily, Danielle went over to the colourful robes and hesitatingly started to look through them. Hmm.....the dark forest green ones were really nice. She hadn't ever considered herself to be a 'green' person, but they were cut well and modest. Oh, and the murky blue ones reminded her of a stormy day. They were a more....revealing type of robe, but Danielle suddenly felt adventurous.

And.......oh my God. Is that.......fluro yellow?! Ack! Bright! Too bright! My eyes! Hell no. Even I wouldn't be caught dead in that. And that's saying something! Grimacing in a mixture of horror and disgust, she quickly averted her eyes from the monstrous robes, and frowned. The hairs on the back of her neck were standing up, as she felt someone watching her.

Turning, she found herself staring back at a boy who was being measured for some robes. He was watching her in interest. He looked oddly familiar.......too familiar. Is that..........?

Danielle blinked and paled. It was. It was Harry Potter, looking anything like an exact copy of his father, James. And.......was that his scar? She gawked at him, trying to take in every little detail of his appearance. He just stared right back. He must think I'm a weirdo or something, one part of her brain said with a snort. Aw, he's still has those green eyes.....just like Lily's.... Another part thought dazedly.

Suddenly, Danielle felt extremely self-conscious. Madam Malkin finished fitting his robes and went to speak to Harry, taking his attention off her, and giving Danielle a chance to slip into the changing rooms. She quickly locked herself into a stall and leant against the wall heavily. The one reason why she had come back had confronted her - in a clothes shop.

Gee, how ironic, said the sarcastic and normally quick-witted part of her head. And here you are, hiding in the changing rooms like a wuss. Get a grip on yourself, girl!

Shut up, she told the little voice firmly.

Looking down, Danielle noticed that she had remembered to bring the robes of her choice with her, purely by accident. Relieved at the thought of not going back out, Danielle quickly tried on the different robes, happy that despite being a bit big, they all seemed to fit fine. Which was a first. As for the blue robes, she could adjust them herself. Danielle focused all her attention on the new clothes, trying to ignore the excitement she had felt, upon seeing the boy she had only dreamed about seeing again.

Coming out of the changing rooms, Danielle scanned the shop and found that Harry had gone. Oh well. She would see him at Hogwarts, at least. I hope I don't have any more encounters like that today, she thought ruefully, as she paid for her new clothes and left the shop.

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Back in the bustling street, Harry was about to visit his favourite store, Quality Quidditch Supplies, when a voice yelled out to him.

"Harry! Oy! Harry, over here!"

Harry looked around, and then he saw fellow Gryffindors, Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas, both with ice creams, sitting outside Florean Fortescue's Ice-Cream Parlour. Grinning, Harry moved through the crowd over to them.

"Hey Harry. How are you? Had a good summer?" asked Dean, slurping on his sundae.

"Yeah," said Harry, sitting in the seat next to Seamus. "What'd you do over the holidays?"

Seamus grinned at him. "Dean stayed over for a week. Between us, we managed to scare the daylights out of some Muggles with some filibuster fireworks," At this, both boys began to snigger. "Their faces were priceless. I think they thought they were being attacked by mad leprechauns or something," Seamus added. He had a very Irish sense of humour. "Of course, they ran home screaming about evil pixies living in the woods behind my house."

"Not to mention pots of gold buried all over the place," Dean said, still slurping his ice cream. "After that, Muggle tourists were all over the place. Mrs Finnigan ended up chasing them all off with Mr Finnigan's shotgun. It was brilliant, Harry! But we got in some, erm, trouble for it," he finished, glancing sheepishly at Seamus. Harry started to laugh. Together, Seamus and Dean were almost as bad as the Weasley twins.

"So what about you?" asked Seamus. "What did you end up doing?"

"Oh, it's been okay," said Harry, grinning broadly at the thought of all the food fights between himself and Sirius. "I saw Ron a few times, we did some stuff together." He was just beginning to tell them about the visit to the Weasleys (not including Sirius and Remus) when Mrs Finnigan, a sandy haired woman, hurried over.

"Oh, hello!" she said, smiling at Harry. "Sorry boys, but we have to leave."

Seamus and Dean got up, saying goodbye to Harry. "Well, see you at Hogwarts!" called Dean over his shoulder, as he and Seamus left. Harry waved, and then realised it was time to meet Remus.

Hurrying through the crowd, Harry made it to Flourish and Blotts just on time. He spotted Remus and pushed his way over. "Oh, there you are," Remus greeted him. "It's a madhouse in here - looks like we picked a busy day to come. Just our luck."

"You're not kidding," Harry told him.

"Hmmmmm. Well, let's get your books. What do you need?"

Harry looked at the list. "Um.....The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 5. Intermediate Transfiguration - Revised, A Guide to Finding and Understanding the Dark Arts, Duelling - All you need to know, and The Official Book of Defense Charms," he read off the sheet of parchment.

Walking through the shop, Harry and Remus eventually found his school books, of which few were left, and picked out some new quills and ink. After queuing for a fair while, they managed to pay for their goods and left the store hurriedly, as there seemed to be even more impatient shoppers gathering in the crowded store. Harry checked his list outside. "That's it," he told Remus. "We're done......I don't need any new Potions ingredients, mine are fine."

Remus nodded and began to led them back up the street. "We'd better be leaving," he said. Strolling back up towards the Leaky Cauldron, Harry noticed that the Firebolt still had the most important position in the window for Quality Quidditch Supplies. Although he hadn't had a chance to take a look inside, Harry was quite happy to just glance in the window as he passed. Looks like I still have the best broom ever, he thought contentedly.

The pair went back through the archway, and entered the Leaky Cauldron, which was thankfully bare of the seemingly huge crowds that had appeared for the day's shopping opportunities. Walking over to the huge fireplace, Remus made sure that there wasn't anyone waiting, before he drew out a small pouch of Floo powder from his robes and threw it into the fire. It turned a brilliant shade of green.

"After you," Remus indicated that he go first.

Harry was about to step into the fire, when he suddenly spotted the woman from Madam Malkin's, sitting in a corner with a few bags of shopping, holding a butterbeer that she had seemed to forgotten about. She was watching him steadily. Harry stopped and just looked back at her, inwardly feeling uneasy at being scrutinised.

This is getting too weird, he thought warily.

"Harry?" Remus asked. Harry didn't seem to hear him, and didn't even look his way.

Frowning, Remus turned to see who or what Harry was staring at. Then, he froze. The person in the corner was gazing at them openly. And she seemed awfully familiar, despite being hidden under a large cloak. Remus squinted to to see her better in the poor light in the pub. And then he caught sight of her face clearly. And the world stopped.

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Holy crap, Danielle thought in horror, seeing the recognition dawn on Remus' face. He wasn't supposed to be here! I wasn't supposed to run into anyone! Why does this always happen to me? I am so dead. If he comes over.........

However, Remus seemed to be glued to the spot, unable to move. Danielle, despite her numbness, was shocked to see the state he was in. He was tall - taller than anyone else that had been in their year at school. He had always been stronger than the average person, due to his condition that not many knew about. She knew. She remembered. But she didn't remember the lines on his face, and the weariness that surrounded him. He had a few grey hairs - not even forty.

Harry was now glancing from one to the other curiously, confusion evident on his face. "Remus, do you know her?" Danielle heard him mutter to Remus quietly.

But now it was Remus' turn not to hear. He look a step towards her. "You.....?" he whispered in disbelief.

Danielle shrank back into her chair, letting the hood cover her face completely.

Go away, she pleaded silently. Please, just leave! Don't come any closer, don't...

Perhaps luck was with her that day, because someone chose that very moment to break the standoff. The green flames behind Remus roared to a large height, and someone burst through the fire, slamming into Remus and nearly knocking him over. Remus was forced to grab the person to stop them from falling, as smoke completely engulfed the room. There was a general upcry from the few other people in the pub, adding to the overall confusion.

Danielle quickly grabbed her bags and evaporated into the haze, unnoticed by anyone.

"Sorry, mate!" the person gasped, apologising as they stood up and surveyed the mess. It was a man in his fifties, short and obviously a Muggle. "My first go at using this Flee stuff - oh, I'm sorry," he called out to Tom, who was coming over, a disapproving look on his face.

"It's quite alright," Remus said absently, turning back to where Danielle had been sitting. He had a nasty jolt when he realised that she was gone. Remus looked around frantically, but there was no sign of a woman in a cloak. He wasn't listening as the Muggle apologised to him once again, before trotting off to apologise to Tom and the other patrons.

"Remus?" Harry questioned, touching his shoulder uncertainly.

"Oh, er......yes. You go first," he mumbled, still gazing at where the strange witch had been sitting. Harry took one final look at the odd scene, before stepping into the green fire. He was spinning, round and round, before he suddenly stumbled, and fell flat on his face in the cottage's living room, his packages going everywhere.

"Good to see you, too," said Sirius dryly, helping him up, and scooping the packages off the ground. Harry brushed himself off, before looking around at Sirius, who was putting the bags and packages on the table.

"Where's Moony?" Sirius asked over his shoulder, noting that he hadn't arrived.

"He's coming......I think," Harry said hesitantly. "You see, there was this lady-"

"Lady? Remus? Now, this is interesting....." Sirius mused, a gleam in his eye.

But at that moment, Remus appeared with a pop out of the fireplace. He was strangely pale.

"Aah, Remus. I hear you've made a friend with a nice girl?" Sirius asked slyly. But Remus didn't rise to the bait. Instead, he glanced meaningfully at Harry.

"Should I leave?" Harry sensed that Remus didn't want him to listen to the conversation. Remus nodded gratefully. Harry ducked into the bedroom and grabbed the Firebolt and his wand, before appearing again.

"I'll be outside," he told the two men in a falsely cheerful voice, before going out the front door.

Once he was out of earshot, Remus turned back to Sirius, who looked utterly perplexed.

"What's going on? Did something bad happen? What exactly is so important that you asked Harry to leave?" demanded Sirius, frowning in concern. "Was it Voldemort?"

Shaking his head slowly, Remus locked eyes with Sirius and took a deep breath. His friend was going to react badly, Remus knew he would.

"I saw Danielle Rivendale," he said quietly, inwardly thinking that maybe he had just gone mad.

The effect that these words had on Sirius was amazing. Sirius went pale, then red, and then pale again. He sunk weakly into a chair. "But....Danielle is.....dead," he stammered. Remus just looked at him sorrowfully. There was a brief silence.

"She's not dead." It was a statement, not a question. Remus nodded, and sat in another armchair.

"I saw her in the Leaky Cauldron, just as we were leaving. She was sitting in the corner and it was hard to see her face at first, but......." Remus swallowed. "It may have been fourteen years since we last saw her, but I'd recognise her face anywhere." There was another silence, as both men recalled buried memories.

"Are - are you sure? Did you talk to her?" Sirius finally ventured.

"Yes, I'm sure. And no. She saw me with Harry. I couldn't just stroll over and start a conversation, after so long, Sirius. And then there was this slight incident that involved a Muggle and some Floo powder....she disappeared before I could even make a move. I have no idea why she's here - or why she's alive."

Remus was watching Sirius carefully. He was staring into the fire, the glow illuminating his brooding face, outlining his ragged profile. There was more silence, before Sirius spoke again.

"All these years.....and we thought she was dead. She should have been dead. But dead people don't shop in Diagon Alley," Sirius gave a short laugh that sounded like hoarse barking. "I sense foul play. There's something very wrong about this."

Remus looked worried. "We never knew for sure that she was dead," he sighed. "No one found her body. But now we know for sure that Danielle is alive. I wasn't hallucinating," he said, leaning over and poking the fire. Sirius was quiet.

"Padfoot.....are you okay?" Remus asked gently. "Do you need to get anything off your chest? I know what a big shock this is........."

Sirius seemed to shake himself out of his reverie.

"Yes. Don't worry about me, Moony. I was just remembering...." he trailed off, and went back to staring at the fire. Remus shook his head. It wasn't a good idea to leave Sirius to brood for a long time. "Alright.....I'll call Harry back in, shall I?" Remus said. Without waiting for a reply, he got up and stuck his head out the front door.

"Harry! Time to come in!" he called. Harry heard Remus calling, and landed carefully outside the front gate. He trooped inside with the Firebolt over his shoulder.

"Finished talking?" Harry asked cheerfully.

"Yes.....I'll make an omelette for dinner," Remus said, jerking his head at Sirius, who hadn't moved. Harry nodded, to show he understood. Sirius wasn't to be disturbed or asked any questions.

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Dinner was a very subdued affair, with Sirius barely talking at all, and Remus lost in his own thoughts. Harry quickly finished his omelette and went to bed early. The atmosphere in the cottage was rather tense. Getting into bed, Harry pondered on the identity of the mysterious woman that seemed to shock Remus so much. Harry had no doubt that whatever Remus had told Sirius, it had involved her.

But he looked so stunned, Harry thought. I've never seen Sirius so somber.

Sighing, Harry removed his glasses and blew out the candle, trying to get to sleep. Sirius came in much later, and the last thing Harry heard before he went to sleep was Sirius tossing and turning, muttering in his sleep.

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