The Truth: BEGINNING

Chapter Three: Diagon Alley

Chapter Three

"Dad, I'm not a kid! Put me down!"

Molly Weasley snapped her head up. She had been talking to her youngest son, Ron, just outside of Gringotts and now spotted a man walking towards the bank. Except for Ron and then her youngest child, her daughter Ginny, the rest of her family had scattered around Diagon Alley. Or rather, she had let them leave in a group. Her two eldest children had their own homes, but the next three, Percy, Fred and George, still attended Hogwarts. Percy was a responsible teen, so she entrusted him with the care of the twins.

Now though she took a good look at the man and his child. The man seemed to be in his thirties with short black hair, pale skin and red eyes (she shuddered upon seeing them), dressed completely in black. If she hadn't been so afraid of him, she would have thought he was rather handsome. He was holding his son, who looked like a miniature copy of him except for enchanting green eyes, secure on his hip while the said boy was trying to get down.

"No, Erus," the man said finally and the child stilled.

"Dad, I'm not six anymore."

"No. You know very well it took me and the help of the goblins three days to find you in there!" the father snapped.

Erus pouted and Molly stared. The boy had been lost inside of Gringotts, and had returned alive?

"It wasn't my fault," Erus said. "Griphook could've just told me to stay near, and I would have!"

"He's not your servant," the man sighed as he began to climb the stairs and walked past Molly and her two children. "Now, will you stay close to me or will I have to glue you to me?"

"I will stay close," the boy said and the man let him down.

Molly noticed Ron look at the boy with jealousy. She couldn't really blame him; the boy, Erus, wore a midnight-blue robe, the seams completed with silver. The boy screamed rich. The man's clothes were simple, but obviously made from a good material.

The father wrapped an arm around his child's shoulders and they walked into the bank. Molly ushered her children down the stairs, not aware she had just met the world's most dangerous wizard.

-o-

Erus stayed close to Voldemort, just as promised. They entered the bank and the Dark Lord steered up to one of the counters. The goblin there looked at them and said:

"How may I help you?"

"Riddle vault," Voldemort said and pushed a key forward.

A lot of people were moving about. Erus pressed himself against the counter, next to his father, watching people mill about. He spotted some children but none of which he knew. When Voldemort began to walk away Erus was quick to catch up, weaving between people before reaching the tall stature of his father. For safety he caught a piece of Voldemort's robe, and was thankfully not picked up in a more undignified way; under his father's arm. Voldemort had done it more than once, but Erus would like to skip it while they were out in public.

Voldemort was muttering under his breath, possibly about the people and the crowds but Erus just made sure to keep up with his father's steps, not saying anything. The Dark Lord was aggravated enough, and Erus wouldn't want the bank to suffer any damage should his father loose his temper.

After a couple of hours they left Gringotts.

"Erus, go and get your robes at Madam Malkin's," Voldemort said later, when they were at the threshold of the bank, money safely with them.

"What about you?"

"I still got some business to take care of," he replied and held out a pouch of money.