The Anti-Heroine || A Harry Potter Fanfiction

Chapter XIX

Chapter XIX:

Hermione's POV:

Tox enjoyed the feeling of being invisible as Harry cut unseen through the throngs of people swarming around the Alley, expertly weaving his way through the crowd. It wasn't long until they were standing by the entrance to Knockturn Alley, McGonagall left far, far behind them. ::It'll be okay, Harry:: she hissed, comfortingly, rubbing her head against his cheek.

::I hope so:: he hissed back. Tox held herself poised and ready to attack at a moment's notice as Harry crept, unseen, down the creepy as hell Alley before stopping in front of the shop labeled 'Wendelin's Wands'. ::This is it:: he hissed softly before crouching down and placing the back-pack he'd been carrying on the cobbled ground. He sifted carefully through it before pulling out the Diary and standing back up. The pages fluttered and Tom joined them, the older boy stooped under the cloak.

"Can we get out from under this infernal thing?" He drawled, raising an eyebrow. Tox hissed wordlessly at him and he sighed in a heavily put-upon before holding up an arm so that she could slide from Harry's shoulders into his grip. Tom then carefully placed her on the ground and Tox flowed back into Hermione.

"Get changed, Harry," she ordered, pointing to the backpack.

"Yes, your Majesty." Harry said, rolling his eyes good-naturedly before crouching back down and pulling out the robes that had been stuffed in there. With much shuffling, standing on toes, bumping and cursing, Harry was finally dressed in full wizarding robes just like Tom and Hermione, albeit Tom's were several inches too short despite both his and Hermione's best efforts to wandlessly lengthen the material. Harry was a short boy, his growth stunted from a decade of malnourishment, and despite Tom's own slender build the sixteen year old was still much taller then Harry was.

Pulling off the invisibility cloak, Hermione felt the slight tugging as Tom drew strength from her magic to make himself look fully corporeal. The older boy then led the way, sweeping into the shop with a regal air.

The shop inside was small, dusty and cluttered and Hermione scrunched her nose slightly, hoping she wouldn't sneeze. "Naughty little boys and girl, creeping down the bad, bad alley." The thin lady with strange, pale lilac eyes and long dark hair standing behind counter cooed at them. Her voice was high and reedy and her wide smile was disturbing as she peered across at them. "Come to buy one of Wendelin's special wands, have you?"

"We have the money," Tom's voice was smooth, "seventy-five galleons a wand, if I'm not mistaken. We'd like three." Hermione nudged Harry in the ribs and he jolted slightly before getting her meaning and pulling out the pouch from Gringotts.

The witch– Wendelin– peered inside the pouch, at the gleaming gold coins it contained and her smile widened enough to reveal all her gleaming white teeth. "It looks like the naughty little boys and girl can afford Wendelin's special wands," she murmured. "Well come forwards, my little ones, come forwards and find which wand picks you."

Almost an hour later they left the shop, two hundred and twenty-five galleons lighter and the owners of three very illegal wands.

"I think I need a shower. A long one. With lots and lots of soap." Hermione muttered.

"Or a bath." Harry mumbled, looking equally as uncomfortable. Tom, meanwhile, was twirling his new wand between his long, slender fingers with a triumphant look on his face.

"Yew, eleven inches, with a Basilisk heartstring core." She murmured, as she looked over at Tom's wand.

"Acacia, ten inches, cockatrice feather core." Tom replied. He raised an eyebrow as she shot a flat look at him. "You mean we weren't stating what each other's wands are?" he asked, dryly.