mirrorball

chapter three

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Clara remained within the confines of the Burrow's garden over the next few weeks. She spent most of her days watching a two-a-side Quidditch in the Weasleys' orchard and her evenings eating everything Mrs. Weasley put in front of her. Every morning she would wake up extra early to meet Harry in secret, and every night she read anything she could grab. The Weasley's had a small bookshelf in the living room, and by her second week Clara had already finished each book on it. It would have been a happy, peaceful holiday had it not been for the stories of disappearances, odd accidents, even of deaths now appearing almost daily in the Prophet. Sometimes Bill and Mr. Weasley brought home news before it even reached the paper. 

When the time came to travel to Diagon Alley for school supplies, Mrs. Weasley was a frantic mess. And when the group actually arrived, she was no calmer. She spent the first twenty minutes counting and recounting to make sure each child had stayed with her throughout the journey. Once Mrs. Weasley's nerves were finally back to normal, the group was able to enter the lovely street.

Diagon Alley had changed, and it was not quite as lovely as Clara had remembered. The colorful, glittering window displays of spellbooks, potion ingredients, and cauldrons were lost to view, hidden behind the large Ministry of Magic posters that had been pasted over them. Most of these somber purple posters carried blown-up versions of the security advice on the Ministry pamphlets that had been sent out over the summer, but others bore moving black-and-white photographs of Death Eaters known to be on the loose. Bellatrix Lestrange was sneering from the front of the nearest apothecary. 

A few windows were boarded up, including those of Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor. On the other hand, a number of shabby-looking stalls had sprung up along the street. The nearest one, which had been erected outside Flourish and Blotts, under a striped, stained awning, had a cardboard sign pinned to its front: AMULETS Effective Against Werewolves, Dementors, and Inferi!

 A seedy-looking little wizard was rattling armfuls of silver symbols on chains at passersby. 

"One for your little girl, madam?" he called at Mrs. Weasley as they passed, leering at Ginny. "Protect her pretty neck?"

 "If I were on duty..." said Mr. Weasley, glaring angrily at the amulet seller. 

Ginny and Clara rushed to the pet store quickly as the others went into Madam Malkin's shop. They admired the creatures inside before hustling out the door to join the others. The bell on the door chimed as the girls walked in, but it could barely be heard over the raised voices coming from inside the shop.

"I see that being Dumbledore's favorite has given you a false sense of security, Harry Potter. But Dumbledore won't always be there to protect you." 

The voice of Narcissa Malfoy echoed in Clara's ears, and she and Ginny walked towards the arguing group. 

Harry looked mockingly all around the shop. "Wow... look at that... he's not here now! So why not have a go? They might be able to find you a double cell in Azkaban with your loser of a husband!" 

Malfoy made an angry movement toward Harry, but stumbled over his overlong robe. Ron laughed loudly. Clara elbowed him, hard. The laughing stopped immediately.

"Don't you dare talk to my mother like that, Potter!" Malfoy snarled.

"It's all right, Draco," said Narcissa, restraining him with her thin white fingers upon his shoulder. "I expect Potter will be reunited with dear Sirius before I am reunited with Lucius." 

Harry raised his wand at her.

 "Harry, no!" said Clara, grabbing his arm and attempting to push it down by his side. "Don't be an idiot." Madam Malkin dithered for a moment on the spot, then seemed to decide to act as though nothing was happening in the hope that it wouldn't. She bent toward Malfoy, who was still glaring at Harry.