Teddy Lupin by Moonlight (Harry Potter Fan-fiction)

Chapter Three

The tunnel led us to a large, well-lit, spacious building with supporting marble pillars and brilliant white stone tiles with various engravings of some kind of ancient language. Stone figures of gods and goddesses adorned the walls and ceiling, accompanied with numerous emblems and heralds relating to their powers and dominions.

Small crowds of wizards and witches huddled around, fervently discussing the latest gossip in the wizarding world. In one corner an old witch stood atop a box, calling in Dutch for people to buy the newest edition of De Dagelijkse Profeet, while flourishing her wand about, conjuring letters in the air with the English translation.

I helped Andromeda down from the step onto the perfectly white tiled floor. She rested her hand on my shoulder and I led her from the building and onto the teeming streets of Verborgen.

We were immediately absorbed into the massive sea of people, it's strong tides forcing us forward in one direction. We let ourselves be pulled and dragged along by the current, marvelling at the shops and restaurants that lined the street on both sides. I noticed the purple robed wizards of the Dutch ministry strutting around with matching briefcases and the occasional black cloak of an auror, watching out for any suspicious looking characters on the street.

The colourful buildings were packed close together and they leaned haphazardly across the road, creating an eerie sense of claustrophobia.

I spotted Bernhard's by the Sea, a world famous tea house that one of the Weasley's had once told me about. A huge pink teapot adorned the front of the building and every so often steam would rise from it and the whole teapot would pour it's brown contents into a similarly sized mug beside it.

A group of people were crowded round a large sports-shop, the green and white rhino of the Rotterdam Rhinos quidditch team emblazoned on the front. Opposite which, a larger group of people were crowded round another sports-shop, with the Rotterdam Rottweilers emblem engraved on front, the white and green dog.

Finally, we were deposited from the horde of people into a quieter area of the street. Andromeda was consumed by an aggressive coughing fit and she pulled out her handkerchief to wipe her lips.

"Where to now then, Gran?" She looked up at the clock tower which was positioned right between the two rival quidditch establishments.

"I have to leave you here for a while. I have... I have some things to do."

"What things, exactly?"

"Just have to look at a few things." She pocketed her husband's handkerchief. "It won't be too long. We will meet at Winifred's Waffles after, okay?"

I shrugged. "Then what am I to do for the time being?"

Andromeda stiffened. A brief expression of nervousness touched her ancient features; her wrinkled cheek twitched, and she batted her eyelid once to many. It was obvious something was troubling her.

"Where am I going to be while you are away?" I repeated. Reluctantly, she pulled out a sheet of crumbled paper from her jacket pocket.

"Take this," She said, offering it to me. "It's a list..." She paused.

"A list of what?" Hesitantly, I took the paper and unraveled it.

"A list of items that need to be bought for the cottage. The tenant has not left us much."

My eyes quickly inspected the items described on the list. "And how am I supposed to pay for all of this?" I demanded. I felt my back trouser pocket and could only feel a couple of silver sickles.

"I'll give you the money, child." My grandmother sighed, brandishing a battered, red purse from her overalls. "It should all come to about thirty galleons, okay?" She pressed the purse into my reluctant hands. "Now, be a good lad for your grandmother, understood?"