Diagon Alley
by: Kat
8/1/89
Lufia woke early in the morning, determined to get a head start on the breakfast. Severus had made breakfast for the past three mornings in a row, and they were supposed to be taking turns. Granted, the man was usually up before the sun, and was probably hungry enough not to wait for her, but it still wasn't very fair. She threw on her dressing gown and headed down the dark, narrow stairway which led to the main floor of the house.
"Good morning, Lufia," Severus Snape said. He stood in the doorway, a pile of letters in his hand. Post came early.
"Good morning, Severus. My turn at breakfast," she replied, sliding past him. She took her wand from the table in the sitting room as she passed through into the small, yet well-stocked kitchen. Severus followed her, glancing through the post idly.
"Your letter came this morning," he remarked, setting it down on the small table in the corner. "It's no thicker than last year. And remember, no magic whilst cooking."
Lufia paused, her wand raised and already pointed at the cooker. She tucked it behind her ear, then went and turned on the cooker properly, before grabbing a few eggs out of the fridge. "Is that bad?" she asked, even though she knew what that meant. It would be a little thicker if she'd been made a prefect. There would have been a note congratulating her, and a bulge from the badge she'd have worn on her robes.
"Not necessarily," Severus said from behind the morning paper. "Unless you think so." He glanced at her over the edge of the paper.
Lufia didn't even look up from the scrambled eggs she was frying. "No." Truth be told, Lufia had no desire whatsoever to be prefect. Too many extra responsibilites, and extra time away from classwork. Plus, she might have to deal with Miranda if she were a prefect. Prefects received a lot of attention at school, and attention wasn't something Lufia actively sought.
A few minutes later, while both were tucking into breakfast, Severus passed her the Hogwarts envelope. "What texts are required this year?"
Lufia scanned her letter. "Standard Book of Spells, Grade 5, The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self Protection, and Spellman's Syllabary are the new ones. When can we go to Diagon Alley?"
Severus took a swallow of his tea and flicked through the mail again. "I'll let you decide, once you've read your letter from young Mr. Nott."
"Jeremiah sent me a letter?" Lufia asked, nearly choking on her egg. She'd never told Jeremiah her address, not even what part of England she lived in. How had he sent her a letter?
"It seems to have been forwarded from your parents' home," Severus said, replying as if he'd read her mind. "How kind of Mr. Metallium to send it on and not burn it at once." He passed it over. "Go upstairs and read it; I'll do the clearing up."
Lufia smiled at him and dashed up the stairs, Jeremiah's letter clutched in her hand. She flung herself down on her bed and tore the letter open eagerly.
"Dear Lufia - You wouldn't believe the trouble I had to go to in order to send you this! Luckily Father was willing to humor me. He says it does seem pointless to be out of touch with your best friend over the holidays. I hope this finds you okay, given that the address was so difficult to track down. But, considering your Dad runs the post, it should get to you, right?"
Lufia chuckled at that. It was rather more likely to not reach her at all, since her father no longer considered her part of the family.
"I expect our Hogwarts letters will be arriving any time now. I've usually got mine by the first of August. Father wants to take me into Diagon Alley on Saturday 5th August. Do you think your father will let you meet me? You can meet my little brother Theo; he'll be starting Hogwarts in 2 years, and he's really excited.
"Send me an answer as soon as you can, and let's say if it's yes, we'll meet at Fortescue's Ice Cream Shoppe around one in the afternoon. We've got loads to catch up on, so I hope your father's agreeable to this!
Hope to see you soon,
Jeremiah"
Lufia looked over at her calendar near the window. Since it was already the first of August, Jeremiah must've written the letter over the weekend. The idea of walking around Diagon Alley with the aging, stern Mr. Nott didn't seem very appealing, but spending the day with Jeremiah did. She was mildly surprised that Mr. Nott consented to the idea. She always got the impression that he didn't like her very much. Of course, this was assuming that Severus would let her go. Then again, the way he'd answered her at breakfast made it seem like he'd already given permission. She knew better than to just assume it was okay, though. She bathed and dressed quickly, then headed back downstairs.
She found Severus seated on the old armchair near the front window, engrossed in a letter of his own. He was scowling, deep lines forming on his forehead. Lufia didn't need to ask what was wrong; he wore that look every year at this time. It was also from Hogwarts, and it was from Professor Dumbledore, kindly saying that his application for teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts was rejected, but that Dumbledore looked forward to him returning for another year as Potions Master. She'd also long since given up asking why he continued to apply for the job if Dumbledore was going to be so thick about it.
He looked up as she approached him, and his scowl vanished immediately, replaced by a neutral expression. "Good news from Mr. Nott?"
"He wants to meet me in Diagon Alley on Saturday at one. Can I go?"
"Is he meeting you alone?" There was the faintest hint of danger in Severus' voice, which struck Lufia as odd.
"No, his father's going to take us round the shops. And his little brother Theo's coming too." It seemed very important to say this, although Lufia couldn't be sure why.
"Then I suppose it will be acceptable," Severus replied. "Just be sure to not wear any muggle clothing on Saturday. It will offend Nott senior. And I suppose we'll have to travel by floo as well. I'll give you an Imperturbable Charm to make sure you're not covered in soot when you get to that foul Leaky Cauldron."
"Thank you, Severus!" Lufia said, smiling. She bent down and wrapped her arms around his neck in the briefest of hugs before straightening up again.
"Now, if I'm not mistaken, you still have quite a bit of reading for Potions class to finish this summer. And I warn you, 5th year is particularly difficult. I expect nothing less than an outstanding OWL from you." He smirked as he said this, but Lufia knew he was very serious. She quickly turned and headed back up the stairs to study, because really, the Potions Master's ward should be getting all outstandings on her work.
***
The week seemed to fly by, thanks to studying and the occasional jaunt to one of the London museums Severus didn't mind accompanying her on. Before Lufia had even had time to think about what she'd need aside from her books, it was Saturday, and she found herself fussing over clothing in front of her slightly-tarnished mirror.
Severus stood in her doorway, an amused expression on his face, as she examined herself from several angles. "Is this good enough?" she asked him. "I mean, it's not muggle clothes at all, but...."
"It will do fine," he replied as she fiddled with the sleeves on her violet robes. "Now hurry up. Do you have your list?"
"List?" Lufia repeated, still adjusting her outfit. "What for?"
"Ceremonial daggers. Your school supplies, silly girl. I have a list of potions ingredients you need to replenish, but I don't know what you need apart from that."
Lufia leant over, snatching parchment and a quill from her desk. Pressing the parchment against the mirror, she began to scribble what she thought she'd need. Severus stood over her like a vulture waiting for it's turn at carcass while she wrote. When she'd finished, she passed it to him for inspection. One thing he was very good at was assessing the value of things on her lists. He always managed, just by reading the list over, to work out how much gold she'd need, and slip her a few sickles extra, so she could get something for herself.
Severus passed the list back to her, then turned and went downstairs, presumably to take the money from his safe. He didn't like making frequent trips to Gringott's, and, Lufia suspected, felt his money was safer with him than under the keep of goblins. She read over her list, just to make sure it was indeed legible, then went downstairs herself. It was nearly one, so she'd have to leave soon.
Severus stood by the small fireplace, waiting for her. In his hands, he held a sack of gold, and his wand. She threaded her way through the cramped room and over to the fireplace. He tapped her head with his wand, and Lufia felt a tingling race across her skin. "That should keep the soot away, at least going," he said, giving her the bag. "Stick to your list, remember. I shall be in Diagon Alley as well, for a time, but...."
"I know, Severus," she said, slipping her money bag into an inside pocket of her robes. "I'll see you tonight."
Lufia took a handful of floo powder from the dust-covered jar on the mantle, and tossed it into the fire. "The Leaky Cauldron!" she said as she stepped into the flames. The floor dropped out from under her, and she was sliding along the floo network, feeling like she was being flushed down a drain. She held her arms tightly at her sides, not wanting to bang her wrist like last time, and was grateful when she finally slid out into the common room of the wizards' pub.
Tom, the barman, looked up as she stepped out of the fire, but no one else paid any attention to her. Comings and goings by floo were very common. "Can I get you anything, miss?" he asked, leaning forward across the bar.
"No thank you," Lufia said, turning toward the back of the pub. "Just passing through. Might get a pumpkin juice on the way back," she added as Tom's face fell. She slipped into the back alleyway and tapped her wand against the trick stone, allowing herself access to the street beyond.
Diagon Alley was bustling with people. Witches and wizards crowded the streets, talking, shopping, and generally enjoying themselves. The weather was fine, there was no great hurry for most people. Lufia turned onto the street properly and began winding her way toward Fortescue's Ice Cream Shoppe. A few years ago, a crowd this size would have greatly intimidated her. But, she'd gotten used to traveling the streets alone, and she no longer felt overwhelmed by the vast numbers of people.
As she reached the ice cream shoppe, she heard a boy call her name. Jeremiah was standing near one of the sidewalk tables, waving at her. Lufia smiled. He'd grown another few inches over the summer. He had to be at least two heads taller than her now. "Hello, Jeremiah!" she called back, making her way over to him. "Had a good summer?"
"Excellent," he said, clapping her on the shoulder. "You?"
"Bit more academic than I'd have liked," Lufia admitted, "but not bad."
"You remember my father?" Jeremiah said, indicating the elderly-looking wizard seated behind them at the table. The elder Nott inclined his head as Lufia said a polite "how do you do?" to him. "And this is Theo."
A young boy of about nine or ten looked up at her through dark eyes over his ice cream. He was stringy, like his older brother. He'd be another tall one, once he hit puberty. "Hello, Theo. I'm Lufia."
Theo looked up at his brother. "Is this your girlfriend?"
Lufia blushed and looked over at Jeremiah. He was red as well. "No, Theo, she's not my girlfriend. She's my best mate." He laughed in a stilted manner. "Are we ready to go?"
Lufia nodded, eager to change the conversation as well. "All set. Where shall we start?"
They turned up the street, heading first to the apothecary to collect potions supplies. "Have you heard from anyone?" Lufia asked.
Jeremiah nodded. "Julius Rodanski. He's prefect this year. So's Sally Moran. Here, I'll carry that for you." He took the shopping bags from the apothecary from her as they stepped out onto the crowded street again.
Lufia tried to imagine Julius Rodanski as a prefect, and found it very difficult. Sally, she completely understood. It would have been a crime for her not to have been prefect. "Interesting choices," she replied. "Anything else interesting?"
"Our favorite person's also a prefect, Julius says."
"Not Smythe," she groaned. Romulus Smythe was in Ravenclaw, and was a pompous git. Her own cousin ignored her, yet Romulus Smythe followed her round, making comments about being the black-sheep of the Metallium family. She dearly wished to trip him in the halls. Now, she'd never get the chance.
They made short work of their school supplies, thanks to Lufia's lists, and found themselves wandering toward Madame Malkins. Mr. Nott bade them goodbye at this point, taking Theo to get some new robes, leaving Lufia and Jeremiah alone together on the street.
"Where to?" he asked. "We seem to have got everything."
"Can we look at the pet shop?" Lufia asked.
"Thought your dad didn't like animals, aside from owls?"
"He doesn't," she replied. "I live in hope. Can we just look?" She looked up at him with wide eyes.
Jeremiah gave a theatrical sigh. "I suppose." He wrapped his free arm around her shoulders and steered her down the street. Lufia noticed that his face had turned red again.
"You okay?" she asked.
"Hmm? Yeah, why?"
She shrugged. "Just making sure."
The pet shop was surprisingly uncrowded, so Lufia could take her time looking at the animals. She skipped the more exotic pets, like the baby crups and kneazles, and headed for the more mundane animals. Jeremiah followed along behind her, carrying her packages so she'd have an easier time looking. She stopped at the hedgehogs briefly, before moving to her true goal, the mouse cages.
"What you see in those little things, I do not understand," Jeremiah chuckled, shifting the packages in his arms to get a better grip on them.
"They're adorable," she said simply, staring down into the cages. Mice had to be Lufia's favorite animals. They were small, very clean, and very bright. The one time she'd convinced the shop keeper to let her hold one, it had run right up her arm and perched on her shoulder. She'd liked the funny tickling feeling its paws left on her bare skin, like a very mild tickling charm. The creature was so tame that it had sat on her shoulder while she walked around the whole of the shop, and then let her pet it before the witch on duty had finally made her put it back. She'd been tempted to buy one and hide it, but she knew Severus would be extremely upset if she did that. He was not fond of animals, and rodents in particular seemed to give him the creeps. She sighed. Perhaps when she was of age he'd be more willing to entertain the idea of a pet.
"Lufia, not to rush you, or anything, but these are getting a bit heavy," Jeremiah said.
"Sorry." She took her packages from him and gave one last longing look at the mice before turning to leave.
"You know if your father'd let you have them, I'd buy you a pair," Jeremiah said suddenly as they left the store. "The mice, I mean."
"Good afternoon Miss Metallium, Mister Nott." Lufia looked up. Severus was standing near the shop window, looking down his nose at them oddly.
"Professor Snape," Jeremiah said, nodding his head.
"Professor," Lufia said. What in the world was he doing near the pet shop? He never went near the pet shop.
"Got your school things, I see?" Severus remarked.
"Yes sir," Jeremiah replied. "All set for start of term."
"We've just been looking at the animals," Lufia said, watching him carefully.
Severus raised an eyebrow. "Thinking of getting a cat, Miss Metallium?"
"No sir, mice," she replied. "But father doesn't like them, so I have to console myself with just looking at them."
"I see," Severus replied. His gaze flicked from Lufia to Jeremiah. "Do not forget your essays when you return to school. I expect them the first day of class." With that, he strode away.
"That was odd," Jeremiah said, watching him leave. "Don't you think so?"
"Yes," Lufia replied. "Very odd." She shrugged, knowing if she started dwelling on Severus' behavior, she'd get very quiet, and then Jeremiah would ask her what was wrong. She smiled up at him. "I never did get an ice cream," she said, waving a finger at him.
For some reason, this comment made him look at the ground awkwardly. "Sorry. Shall we go?" Again, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders as they walked. The crowd had gotten quite thick, and Lufia was sure she'd have fallen behind if he wasn't gently steering her round the clusters of people.
Old Mr. Fortescue smiled as they entered the shop, and directed them to a booth near the window. Lufia was grateful to have a place to sit and to set her packages down, and she sank into the bench with a sigh.
"Lots of new things for school?" Mr. Fortescue asked as he took their orders. They both nodded. He returned in a few moments with two fresh cones of chocolate ice cream. Lufia took hers happily. It was warmer than she'd thought it would be, and the ice cream was a perfect way to cool down.
"So, what have you been doing all summer?" Jeremiah asked as they ate.
"Mostly studying for classes," Lufia replied honestly. "I can't believe how much reading we've been set!"
"Nothing fun?"
"Well," Lufia began. This was the part that she most hated about seeing friends again after holidays, the editing. "Father took me to a few museums."
"That's not fun, that's history stuff," Jeremiah said, making a face at her.
"It's fun for me," she replied, making an equally grotesque face back at him. They laughed. "Seriously, it is. Anyway, what did you do this summer?"
Jeremiah shrugged. "Not too much, actually. Hung out with some of the lads from school, did my studying, taught Theo how to ride a broom properly."
"What did you do with the 'lads from school'?" Lufia asked. It seemed odd for him to refer to their year-mates as 'lads' particularly when he was one of the youngest in the year.
"Not much. Guy stuff. You'd find it very boring." He glanced out the window, then roused himself and turned to her. "I meant what I said before, you know."
Lufia raised an eyebrow. "About?"
"The mice." He leant forward. "I know how much you like them. If you do ever get your dad to let you have them, I'll buy you a pair."
"Thanks," she replied. This entire conversation was going very strangely. Jeremiah wasn't acting like his normal self. He wasn't awkward. Perhaps his little brother's comment was bothering him. She looked out the window. "Hey, isn' t that your dad?"
"Yeah. We'd better go, or he'll be upset." He pulled a handful of sickles and knuts out of his pocket and set them on the table.
Lufia scanned the money as she picked up her bags. "I can pay for my own," she began.
"I insist," Jeremiah interrupted.
Lufia looked up at him. He wasn't laughing, or even smiling. His face was tinged with red again. She nodded at him, which thankfully made him relax. Then, she followed him out of the shop, where they met up with Mr. Nott and Theo.
"All new robes, then?" Jeremiah asked his brother.
Theo nodded. "I'm bored now."
Mr. Nott glanced at the clock over the passageway back to the Leaky Cauldron and tutted. "It is rather late. Perhaps we should be going." He looked down at Lufia. "Where is your father meeting you?"
"He's not," Lufia replied. I've got floo powder to get home." He was thinking about Christmas their first year, when Lufia was supposed to meet Severus at Platform 9 3/4. Jeremiah had insisted on waiting with her until her father arrived at the platform, the result being that they waited for over two hours, until finally Severus had come, and made up some excuse as to why he was required to wait with her until her father came because he was her head of house, and the Notts had finally gone home. Mr. Nott hadn't forgiven Lufia's "father" it seemed.
"Excellent. We've got one more errand, boys, and then we'll be off. Let's say goodbye to Miss Metallium."
"I'll walk you to the Leaky Cauldron," Jeremiah said.
"No, I'm fine, thanks," Lufia stammered. "You've got to get going."
"Quite right. You'll see her soon enough at school, Jeremiah," Mr. Nott said, taking Theo's hand. "Don't make a scene and let's get going." He turned to Lufia. "Good day, my dear. Pleasure seeing you again."
"Bye, Jeremiah's girlfriend," Theo said, grinning evilly at her.
"Nice to meet you, Theo," Lufia said, reaching out and ruffling his short hair in retaliation. She straightened up and bade goodbye to Mr. Nott, before turning to Jeremiah. He didn't meet her gaze when she said goodbye, and followed after his father without even a glance back.
Puzzled, Lufia stared after them for a moment. That wasn't like Jeremiah either. The whole day he'd been acting funny. A passing witch jostled her, nearly sending her parcels tumbling to the street. A pair of hands reached out of the crowd and caught her, steadying her until she got a better hold on the bags and boxes. She turned, mildly surprised to see Severus helping her regain her balance.
"It's a good thing you aren't as clumsy at school, Miss Metallium," he said sternly, "or else your grade would be worse than it already is."
"Sorry, Professor," she said, glancing down at the cobblestone street. First Jeremiah, and now Severus was acting funny. "I'm not usually this bad."
Severus sniffed, and continued on down the street. He flicked his wand as he walked past, and a wisp of smoke curled around one of the packages. Lufia watched as it briefly took the shape of the number five, then disappated. He was leaving in five minutes. Meaning she had to go now. She turned toward the Leaky Cauldron, determined to question at least one of the strange people she'd met today as soon as he stepped into the sitting room.
Return to the library.