Just Another Normal Day in Diagon Alley

Part 2

Draco Malfoy stood on the steps of Flourish and Blotts waiting patiently for his wife to emerge from the store's depths. His blue, gray-speckled, eyes watched the comings and goings of witches and wizards as they passed with dry interest.

The laughter and shouts of young children in the dense Saturday crowd could be heard. Gossiping witches as they strolled by talking of the newest publishing in The Daily Prophet could also be made out.

Knowing that she would probably be in the store for sometime in the store, he decided to walk across the street and buy himself some ice cream. As the young Malfoy stepped off the stone steps leading into Flourish and Blotts and onto the cobble pavement of Diagon Alley, a jumble of arms and dirty-blonde hair creamed into his chest.

Grasping the arms of the young woman to stop her from hitting the pavement, due to the force, he began to mumble under his breathe about how people should watch where they are going. He released her and took a step back; she moved the hair covering her face and laughed at him.

Draco smirked at her and motioned to the right of her. She just shrugged in response and latched herself onto his neck. Once she had placed a kiss upon his cheek, she initiated the movement of removing her arms from around his neck. As she completed this task, her chaser ran through the crowd. He glanced at the man standing in front of his wife.

"Malfoy, hold her."

Draco did as he was asked by placing his hands on her waist to keep her in place as the other man come toward them. The young woman just waited quietly as he approached her from behind. Once the other man had his hands firmly around her waist, Draco released her from his hold and stepped away. Upon seeing the opportunity in the situation, he decided to speak.

"Potter, you should really keep a leash on her."

Harry just glanced at the ex-Slytherin facing him and smiled. "I really don't see the point, since she'll just keep escaping." A snort was heard from the below their heads. Harry set his gaze upon his wife and hugged her closer to his chest. She struggled against his arms, but his hold upon her only tightened.

"Come on, Luna. Let's go home." The ex-Gryffindor picked up his wife and threw her over his shoulder, giving a small gesture of gratitude to the other man, then disappeared into the throng of people.

Moments later, warm arms encircled themselves around his waist as words were whispered into his ear. "What was that about?" Draco twisted his head to the back as the impression of a face was pressed into his back.

"The Potters were being just that." His wife just giggled and came around to his left side. He grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze. She sighed and looked toward the clock on one of the buildings. Lunchtime was here and she was starving. Draco followed her gaze and pulled her along as he walked toward Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor.

The shop's bells signaled their entrance into the establishment. Not until the two were seated at a small table next the window with their ice cream did they talk. "So did you find anything at Flourish and Blotts, Ophelia?"

Ophelia shook her head, "No, I did get into an argument with the manager. He said that I had no right to be in his store. Dumb asshole." Draco watched her facial expressions as she talked, knowing that it didn't bother her, but just made her mad. He turned his attention back to what she was saying. "I mean, my people died to help this world, and this is the kind of thanks we get, shunned because we are different. So what if my ears are pointed and I have the ability to perform what you call 'wandless' magic. Big deal that has nothing to do with my personality."

As his Elfen wife continued to rant about how prejudice some witches and wizards could be toward her people, he focused his attention upon the way her Southern drawl seemed to go on forever, and how her dark purple eyes would flash red with anger at certain points in her ranting. Near the end of her rant, the shop's bells tinkled once again, and Ophelia looked toward the doorway to see who was coming into the ice cream parlor. A smile came across her face as she waved at Neville and Ginny Longbottom.

The couple split up with Neville heading for the counter to order and Ginny making her way toward their table. Ginny picked the table near the other couple's and took the seat that was diagonal from Ophelia's. Draco's head nodded in her general direction as he continued to eat his ice cream. Ginny chose to be the first one to speak.

"Did you see Harry chasing Luna through the streets?"

"No. I was in Flourish and Blotts at the time, but I did see the end of it. Luna ran into Draco, and he stopped her long enough for Harry to come get her. I realize that the healer told her to exercise during her pregnancy but running through Diagon Alley is a little extreme, even for her."

Ginny laughed. "What are you saying; this is actually what Harry was expecting from her. Actually, I think we were all expecting this from her. I glad Harry married her, she keeps him on his toes."

Neville came at that time with the banana sundae that was going to be split between the two. He sat on the opposite side of Ginny and started to eat the sundae the minute he sat down. Draco rolled his eyes at the ex-Gryffindor in a feeling that was a mixture of disgust and amusement.

The two couples continued to talk for a time longer, until Draco reminded Ophelia that they still had to pick up a few items before they left Diagon Alley. The Malfoys bid the Longbottoms goodbye and exited the parlor.

After the pair strolled onto the twisted cobble path, Draco gestured toward Quality Quidditch Supplies. Ophelia rolled her eyes, but let her husband lead her to the shop. They were greeted upon their entrance, which Ophelia returned to the man at the counter. Draco wondered through the shop with interest, whereas Ophelia looked at the brooms, robes, and other items with disinterest. Ophelia fingered the items as she passed by, but the man at the counter watched her proceedings with great interest. The young elf rounded a display that held quaffles, where she picked up one, tossing it back and forth in her slim fingers before replacing it. Draco continued his silent shopping at the other end of the store, unaware of what was about to happen.

During Ophelia's play with the quaffle, the shop's employee had walked up behind her; he grabbed her arm and pulled her away from the display. She stared at the man, who had a grip on her upper-arm. His hold tightened on the limb and the burning sensation that Ophelia was experiencing intensified. She bit down on her bottom lip to stop herself from screaming out in pain. The employee pulled her closer to him, where he placed his mouth close to her ear.

"Get out of this store, you filthy little whore. Your kind isn't wanted."

He let go of her arm and shoved her back from himself; she stumbled the few steps and turned to glare at the man. She watched as he straightened his robes and bushed off imaginary dirt. The young monarch waved her good hand over the injured part of her arm. The worker watched as the burned print of his hand disappeared from the appendage. Just as the injury disappeared, Draco walked up the pair, with a child's broom in his hand. Ophelia gazed at her husband and took hold of his fingers in hers. Draco met his short wife's gaze, so he missed the worker's sneer. Yet, the sneer was swapped moments later for one of content. Draco handed over the broom for purchasing, which the employee took without comment. The Malfoys walked toward the counter and waited for the item to package up. Draco paid the man his money and guided Ophelia back out of the store.

Draco observed his wife's silence with concern. He had noticed that she had been quiet during his dealings with the worker, when most of the time, she would be voicing her comments here and there. As they passed the little alleyway next to Quality Quidditch Supplies, he pulled her in. She went without a remark.

"O, what happened in there?" He was provided with a shrug.

"Damn it, Ophelia. What did he do to you?"

"What does it matter, Draco? I told you, when you married me, that I would be treated as scum. That is how they see us, us the Elves, the Centaurs, the Veelas, and the Merpeople. We are not your equals no matter what some people, like Hermione, tried to do to change that. The wizarding world may give the illusion that we are, but my people and the Veelas are seen as whores. We are pretty and probably are a good fuck, nothing more, and nothing less. While the Centaurs are desired as cheap labor to be used by wizards, as for the Merpeople, fishing tools maybe or better yet food. Welcome to my world, honey. It's a bitch."

Draco stared in shock at his wife's lecture. "It matters to me. Moreover, I don't care what people think of you. You are my wife; actually, I think it is jealousy on their part. They could not catch or better yet keep a gorgeous elfish maiden. Can we go home now? It is almost time to pick up our son from my mother's. I think she had a date with some wizard she met." Ophelia smiled at her husband and reentwined their fingers together.

As the young Malfoy couple strolled through the crowds of people in Diagon Alley toward the Leaky Cauldron, they watched as the expecting Potters looked at baby clothes in a shop's window. The sun was low in the sky and getting lower as time moved on. But neither of the Malfoys seemed to mind, the day had been fun but now it was time to go home and put their little boy to bed and read him a fairy tale.