Chapter Two

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Lunch was a fairly uneventful meal, with the exception of the twins setting off a handful of Filibuster's Fireworks. After the meal Mrs. Weasley gathered Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny and the twins for the trip to Diagon Alley. Before they went through the floo network Harry brought up his dream from a few weeks ago. He told the Weasleys about the Death Eaters that were supposed to be waiting for him to go for his school supplies. It was Hermione that came up with the simple solution.

“ We could put a glamour spell on him. He wouldn't be recognised.”

Mrs. Weasley took out her wand and waved it over the Boy-Who-Lived. Seconds later a 15 year old blond boy with sparkling blue eyes stood in his place. The round chunky glasses were replaced with rather stylish thin silver frames, and most important of all, his scar was gone. Grinning in thanks, Harry moved to take a pinch of floo powder. Before he had chance to leave, Ginny brought up the obvious problem.

“ It's all well and good disguising Harry, but if there are Death Eaters waiting, and they the six of us turn up with a strange boy, they'll work it out. They may be evil, but I doubt they're stupid.”

A quick notice-me-not spell took care of the last problems, and before he knew it Harry was stood in front of the Burrow's main fireplace. I hope I don't end up in the wrong place again, he thought as he threw the floo powder in the grate and called out, as clear as he could, “Diagon Alley.”

The Leakey Cauldron was as busy as ever. The noise level dropped at the new arrival but quickly went back up when they realised it was no-one interesting. Harry revelled in his disguise. Finally, I don't have everyone staring at me. This must be what it's like to be normal.

Seconds later, the fire turned green as Ron toppled out of the network and fell into Harry. Both went crashing to the floor. It was as they were picking themselves up that Ron noticed a dark figure with platinum blond hair trying to stay inconspicuous in the corner. The redhead poked his friend and nodded in the man's direction. Harry recognised him immediately.

“ Lucius Malfoy.”

“ We'd better be careful, he might recognise you.”

Too late, Harry thought as realisation spread over the elder Malfoy's face as the rest of the Weasleys tumbled from the fireplace. Even with the charms he had recognised them. Taking a quick look around, he realised that if he wanted to keep his `respectable' façade intact he couldn't make a move. I just hope that the other Death Eater, the one outside Gringotts, would be able to grab the boy, he thought.

Mrs. Weasley, by this time, had realised where the boys were looking and quickly caught on. With an ease born of many years practice she herded the gaggle of children out the back of the pub and in front of the wall leading to Diagon Alley.

“ Now, I want you in groups of at least two, and I want to see you back here in two hours. No more. If I have to come looking for you, you'll be grounded for the rest of the holidays. And Fred, George, NO going down Knockturn Alley. It's dangerous. Do I make myself clear?”

A round of “ Yes, ma'am” could be heard as the six students disappeared into the bustling crowd.

As the six entered Gringotts, Ginny grabbed Harry's arm and pulled him to one side. Checking no-one was listening; she quickly whispered, “ I think you should take more money out than you would normally.”

Harry gave a funny look, and asked, “ What makes you think that, Gin?”

The young redhead shrugged and mumbled, “ I have a feeling you'll need the take out quite a bit of extra money. I can't explain it; I just feel that you'll need it. Not necessarily now, but maybe soon.”

Harry just gave her a confused look, nodded his head at her, and got into the cart. When they finally reached his vault, he grabbed several stacks of gold galleons instead of his usual half a stack. If Ginny thought he'd need it, there was no harm in taking it out. As long as he was careful not to lose it, he didn't see any problem.

After the Weasleys had gotten their money and Hermione had changed her Muggle money, they headed back out of the bank. The twins quickly ran off towards a joke shop, leaving Hermione and Ginny counting their money, Ron perusing his school list, and Harry looking around. He could feel a prickle on the back of his neck, as if he was being watched. Finally, Harry located the pair of eyes boring into him. A small rat was sitting in a gutter next to the bank. A rat with a silver paw. Harry began to panic, not because there was a Death Eater watching him, but because he knew that if he could somehow catch the little rodent, he could free Sirius. He would able to have a family and a proper home. Knowing that he, Ron and Hermione had been given permission to do magic over the holidays, he sidled up behind the bushy haired girl and whispered in her ear, “ Conjure me up an unbreakable jar; I have a rat to catch.”

As soon as Hermione nodded he moved away from the others. Wormtail's gaze didn't follow him, so he knew he hadn't been recognised. Moving around behind the traitor, he whispered a quick `Stupefy' and summoned the rat to his hand. Running over to his friends he dropped him into the newly conjured jar and slammed on the lid. Before anyone else noticed, he shrunk the container and put it in his pocket. At the looks he got from the others he clarified.

“ I want to keep him safe. If we give him to Mr. Weasley or take him to the Ministry ourselves Fudge'll cover it up. He doesn't want proof that Voldemort is back. I'll keep him till we get to Hogwarts and give him to Dumbledore.”

Ginny was still looking confused. She didn't know what had happened in Harry's third year, so she didn't know about Pettigrew. After a quick explanation they moved away from the bank to get their school supplies.

Moving around the alley they quickly gathered their school supplies. Their last stop was Flourish and Blotts, where Harry picked up a few extra books. He was trying to find a book that would tell him about the amulet Hermione had gotten him for his birthday. He couldn't find anything in the book shop and tried to think where else he might find a book on the subject. His mind wandered back to the summer after his first year. There had been a bookshop in Knockturn Alley…

Looking around, he noticed that Ron and Hermione were currently having a heated discussion about the importance of OWL revision, and Ginny was sat in a corner engrossed in a book about Seers. Would they really notice? He doubted it. It's not like I'm disobeying Mrs. Weasley. She told the twins not to go there. And I am disguised…

Before anyone could notice, Harry was back in the crowded alley and heading for the Dark wizard district. Once he reached Knockturn Alley he only hesitated a moment before ploughing ahead through the masses of shady characters. He soon spotted the bookshop he wanted and headed towards it, keeping an eye out for anyone he might know. It wouldn't do to run into Hagrid again. Once he reached the shop he slipped in the door with one last glance behind him.

The shop was very dark, and he had trouble seeing the titles on the shelves. Just as he was thinking about lighting his wand a bony hand fell on his shoulder. Whipping around, the boy saw the haggard face of an old man. He looked to be at least a hundred years old. Before Harry could make a sound the old man was asking him if he needed any help. Blinking at the man, Harry stuttered out that he wanted a book on amulets. Following the man as he moved into a dusty corner, the Boy-Who-Lived saw a whole shelf on amulets and their properties. Leaving him to make his choice, the shop owner disappeared back into the shadows. Harry gave an involuntary shudder before quickly flicking through the books until he found one with a drawing of his amulet in it. Picking it up, he hurried in the direction the owner had gone. On his way he passed a shelf that caught his eye. In particular one book stood out from all the rest. The title read `Useful and Not so Useful Spells Performed with Snakes'. Intrigued, Harry picked up the book and flicked through. Some of the stuff in there looked really interesting. His mind made up, he put the book under his arm and moved towards the desk to pay. The old man glanced over his choices, grinning when he saw the snake book.

“ You can read that, ey?” he said, and Harry looked at him confused.

“ Yes. Why, can't you?”

“ Of course not, lad,” the man grinned, “ that be in parseltongue.”

Harry looked at the book, startled. He hadn't realised. The words looked like English to him. Shrugging it off, he paid the man and made a quick exit. Shrinking the bag and putting it with the rest of his shrunken school supplies in his pocket, he headed back towards the more familiar Diagon Alley.

As he was nearly out of Knockturn Alley he got his eye on a pet shop. Instead of the usual owls, crups and kneazles found in Eyelops', there were much darker creatures on display. What caught his eye was the sign saying `Quality Snakes Inside'. Moving into the shop, he followed the sound of hissing voices until he found the snake display. Well, if I want to do the spells in the book, I'm going to need a snake, he thought as he looked at the different breeds. A small tank off to one side caught his eye. Moving over, he could see two brightly coloured snakes twined together. He turned and went to find some help. Returning to the tank, he showed the owner that he wanted one of the snakes. Looking at the young boy strangely, the owner gruffly said, “ You'll have to take them both. They're rare magical coral snakes. Some people say they're telepathic. Once they've found a mate, you can't separate them for long or they'll die. The red, black and yellow one's the female, and the red, black and white one's the male.”

After a moment's indecision, Harry decided to get them both. Why not, he thought, telepathic snakes could come in useful. When the owner went to get his change, the boy turned to the tank and quietly hissed at them.

*I'm Harry, your new owner. What are you called?*

The female looked up and stared at Harry.

*A human who speaks to us? We are honoured to meet you, master. I am Nirah, and my mate is named Simbi.*

*Please don't call me master, little ones, just call me Harry*, he sent back before the owner came back. Giving him a strange look, the man gave him the change. Harry held both arms in the tank, and one snake curled around each wrist, much to the amazement of the watching wizard. Without looking back, Harry quickly made his way out of the shop and back to the safety of Diagon Alley.

Back in Flourish and Blotts, Ron and Hermione had finished their argument and, having collected Ginny from the Divination section, were actively looking for their wayward friend. As Harry walked back through the door he was jumped by two frantic girls and a glaring best friend.

“ Where have you been, mate. We couldn't find you, and we thought the Death Eaters had gotten you!”

Harry had the good grace to look sheepish. He hadn't meant to worry them. Without a word he pulled up his sleeves and showed them his wrists. All three gasped as they saw the two snakes curled there quite happily.

“ I wanted to get a pet snake. Figured it would give me someone to talk to in the holidays when I'm at the Dursleys'. I wasn't gone long. I had to get two because they're mated and can't survive on their own. They're magical coral snakes.”

Hermione's eyes lit up at this. Before she could start on her inevitable lecture on coral snakes, Ginny gasped loudly.

“ It's time to meet Mum. We'd better get back. I don't feel like being grounded for the rest of the holidays.”

Realising they didn't want to make Mrs. Weasley mad, they all rushed out of the shop and back to the Leakey Cauldron.