THE WITCHING HOUR ➸ h. potter

19 - chaotic days

The next second, I was standing in the fireplace of a shop I didn't recognize.

Fred and George were waiting there.

"Is Harry here?" I asked them immediately.

When they shook their heads, I groaned. "He said something wrong and now we have no idea where he is!"

The rest of the Weasleys joined us soon, and we decided to split into two groups and look around incase he was somewhere nearby.

No one said much as we walked around, but I could tell everyone was worried.

Around fine minutes later, Ron spotted Harry - covered in soot and wearing broken glasses - standing with Hermione and Hagrid around a corner, looking confused. Ron, Fred, George, Percy, Mr. Weasley and I sprinted towards them.

"Harry," Mr. Weasley panted. "We hoped you'd only gone one grate too far..." He mopped his glistening bald patch. "Molly's frantic—she's coming now—"

"Where did you come out?" Ron asked.

"Knockturn Alley," said Hagrid grimly.

"Excellent!" said Fred and George together.

I glared at them.

"We've never been allowed in," said Ron enviously.

"I should ruddy well think not," growled Hagrid.

Mrs. Weasley now came galloping into view, her handbag swinging wildly in one hand, Ginny just clinging onto the other.

"Oh, Harry—oh, my dear—you could have been anywhere—"

Gasping for breath she pulled a large clothes brush out of her bag and began sweeping off the soot on his face. Mr. Weasley took Harry's glasses, gave them a tap of his wand, and returned them, good as new.

"Well, gotta be off," said Hagrid, who was having his hand wrung by Mrs. Weasley.

"Knockturn Alley! If you hadn't found him, Hagrid!" she had been saying.

"See yer at Hogwarts!" And he strode away, head and shoulders taller than anyone else in the packed street.

"Guess who I saw in Borgin and Burkes?" Harry asked Ron, Hermione and I as we climbed the Gringotts steps. "Malfoy and his father."

I shook my head. "But why . . .?"

"Did Lucius Malfoy buy anything?" said Mr. Weasley sharply behind us.

"No, he was selling—"

"So he's worried," said Mr. Weasley with grim satisfaction. "Oh, I'd love to get Lucius Malfoy for something..."

"You be careful, Arthur," said Mrs. Weasley sharply as we were bowed into the bank by a goblin at the door. "That family's trouble. Don't go biting off more than you can chew."

"So you don't think I'm a match for Lucius Malfoy?" said Mr. Weasley indignantly, but he was distracted almost at once by the sight of Hermione's parents, who were standing nervously at the counter that ran all along the great marble hall, waiting for Hermione to introduce them.

"But you're Muggles!" said Mr. Weasley delightedly. "We must have a drink! What's that you've got there? Oh, you're changing Muggle money. Molly, look!" He pointed excitedly at the ten pound notes in Mr. Granger's hand.

"Meet you back here," Ron said to Hermione as the Weasleys, Harry and I were led off to our underground vaults by another Gringotts goblin.

The vaults were reached by means of small, goblin driven carts that sped along miniature train tracks through the bank's underground tunnels. I enjoyed the breakneck journey down to the Weasleys' vault, but felt dreadful when it was opened.