The missing boys ✔

Part 6: Knockturn Alley

Harry whipped around staring at the unfamiliar surroundings with wide eyes and a pounding heart. His eyes fixed on an empty side street a few feet away.

"Blimey, that was wicked!" said Ron grinning, "wasn't it, mate?"

He heard a sound behind him and turned around to find his friend losing his lunch in a dead end alley between two buildings.

He grimaced and walked over to where Harry was.

"Er…are you ill?" asked Ron looking worried.

Harry wiped his mouth whirled around and grabbed Ron by the front of his robes. He was shaking.

"Are you mad?! What were you thinking yelling at a guy who had a gun in your face?! He could have shot you!" yelled Harry, and Ron blinked in surprise. The kid sounded angrier than he had earlier, when he was yelling at Ron for taking Dudley's food.

"You mean that blast-y thing? What's the big deal? What's shot mean?" asked Ron.

"You're joking right?" asked Harry disbelievingly.

"Hey, I live in the wizarding world. I don't really know a whole lot about muggle inventions," said Ron defensively.

Harry took a deep breath and let go of Ron's robes, he was still shaking though. He thought for a moment trying to think of the best way to describe what a gun was.

"A gun shoots out bullets," Harry said finally. "Bullets are pieces of metal that go in guns. The guns make the bullets go really fast, so fast that they go through things. If he'd shot the gun when it was pointed at your face it would have blown a hole all the way through your head and you'd be dead," he said quietly.

Ron's eyes widened and he suddenly understood why Harry was so pale. He blanched at the idea that he had been literally seconds away from being killed.

"I'm sorry," said Ron sincerely, looking at the trembling kid who was looking smaller than ever in his frightened state.

"Just—be careful," said Harry, looking disturbed.

Ron put an arm around the boy and gave him a gentle half-hug, the way he did with his sister when she was upset.

Harry went stiff as if he was expecting Ron to punch him. Ron sensed the tension and released Harry quickly.

Harry wrapped his arms around himself protectively, eyeing Ron uncertainly. He couldn't remember the last time someone hugged him, so naturally he hadn't responded well to Ron's affection.

In fact he was confused in general when it came to Ron. Harry took a moment to ponder just why he'd been so quick to trust this kid. He really shouldn't. After all, shouldn't he know by now not to trust people? Nothing good ever came from it.

"Let's find a place to sleep for the night," muttered Ron, motioning for Harry to follow but taking care not to touch him. He didn't know what was wrong with Harry, but he knew instinctively that the kid needed space.

Harry nodded and followed Ron curiously around the alley.

Despite the fact that it was only a little before six in the evening, the street was largely deserted, as Diagon Alley tended to be a bit seasonal. The shops tended to close up around sunset, staying open late in the summer when wizarding children weren't in school and closing up early in the winter months when the cold set in, so there wasn't a whole lot going on at that point.