Percy Jackson and the Locket of Salazar [Book 6]

10) Is It Really Stalking if I'm in Love and My Friends are Weird?

"What are those?" Ginny demanded, pointing toward several round balls of fluff that rolled around in shades of pink and purple.

"Pygmy Puffs," George answered. "Miniature puffskeins, we can't breed them fast enough."

"They're really cute!" Ginny bent down to look into the cage. I would've offered to buy her one were I not still salty about her dating Dean who really should've been dating Seamus (in my professional opinion). It wasn't either of their fault, really, but it hurt to see Seamus in the dumps like that.

"That's three Galleons, nine Sickles, and a Knut." Fred motioned to the impressive amount of stuff Ron had snagged from shelves and displays. "Cough up."

"I'm your brother!" Ron cried.

"And that's our stuff your nicking. Three Galleons, nine Sickles. I'll knock off the Knut."

"But I haven't got three Galleons, nine Sickles!"

"You'd better put it all back then, and mind you put it on the right shelves."

Ron, maneuvering so he didn't drop everything, flipped his brother off. Mrs. Weasley, of course, chose that moment to make her reappearance, and spotted the gesture.

"If you do that again I'll jinx your fingers together," she said warningly.

"Mum, can I have a Pygmy Puff?" Ginny pleaded with her mother.

"A what?" Mrs. Weasley asked warily.

"Look, they're so sweet..."

Mrs. Weasley moved to peer into the cage, and my friends and I suddenly had a perfect view outside. Awfully convenient, if you as me, because Draco was rushing up the street, his mother nowhere in sight. He looked over his shoulder, gaunt face accompanying scrutinizing eyes to paint a picture of horrible worry and watchfulness.

"Wonder where his mummy is?" Harry voiced bitterly.

"Given her the slip by the looks of it," Ron said.

"Why though?" Hermione asked worriedly.

"There's this pretty cool thing that's been recently invented," I said, eye twitching, "something you three need to get a hold of. It's called 'minding your own business,' and it's perfectly free! All you have to do is shut your mouth and look away!"

But Harry had pulled his Invisibility Cloak out of his pocket, eyes scanning our surroundings to ensure we weren't going to be spotted. He looked at me, and in a hushed, hurried voice, asked, "Well? Are you coming or not?"

"Damn you," I said, scooting closer to get under the cloak with my friends. While I was curious as to what Draco was doing, I trusted him completely. I knew his situation as a double agent, and I knew he was going to do some rather unsavory things because of it. I was happy to be out of the loop, knowing that there was nothing I could contribute other than doing my best to keep Draco's cover. I was happy to mind my own business. The issue, however, wasn't in my curiosity; it was Harry's. No matter how annoying and bothersome the precautions we were taking for Harry's protection were, they were in place for a reason. I wasn't going to let him wander off in a potentially hazardous place without me.

No one saw the four of us disappearing. We squeezed out of the door and found that Draco had vanished just as well as we had. I felt a rush of hope at us heading back inside, accepting defeat.

"He was going in that direction," Harry muttered to us. "C'mon."

With the balloon of hope inside me popping, we scurried along, stalking the streets for my boyfriend.

I spotted him, but I didn't say anything, hoping the others wouldn't notice. Sadly, Hermione pointed ahead and said, "That's him, isn't it? Turning left?"