Melody Riddle and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Chapter 2: Breakout

"No, seriously, don't give me anything for my birthday." I insisted for about the fifth time that afternoon. My birthday was back in May, and I honestly didn't want anything.

"But we have to do something," my mom practically whined. Seriously, she sounds a lot more like a kid the longer we live with her family. "The school year is always about to end on your birthday, so it's pointless to send you something when you're about to come home. And with most of your gifts being books, you can at least have other things."

I sighed, "How about this? When I go to the shop with grandpa, I'll look in the windows of other shops and if I find anything I'd really, really like.. I will tell you."

Mom sighed, "Deal?"

"Deal... all right?"

As mom nodded complacently, all I could think was that I should have said my best birthday present was already from grandpa, being able to work in his shop for the first time. But I was also hoping for the letter and list of books for the new school year. It was about to be my third year at Hogwarts, and we had chosen two elective classes the year before to take from our third year to last year. I had chosen to do Study of Ancient Runes and Care of Magical Creatures.

The other such electives were Divination, Arithmancy, and Muggle Studies... Divination was a fortune-telling class, which I really didn't believe in. As for Muggle Studies, I had already lived like one so there was no point in taking the class, and also because if I took it I would be hated by other Slytherins. Didn't need that. Too much attention always felt like getting hives.

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At the wand shop — after being unable to find anything I wanted from other stores — I sat at the side of the shop. Grandpa wanted me to 'watch and learn' how he picked wands for other students... or adults, heaven forbid.

"Tomorrow you will start doing my job, and we'll see how you do," he had said.

Watching had its interesting parts, but it wasn't my best day. I'd already seen him do it once before, so eventually my eyes started to close. I leaned my elbows on my knees and placed my head in the palms of my hands.

At lunchtime, grandpa nudged me. I startled awake.

"What?" I asked monotonously.

"You aren't enjoying this?" he asked in surprise.

"I think seeing you do it with thirty people today was enough."

"I did about ninety –"

"Exactly," I said, placing my head back on my hands.

"Do you want to go home for the day, and begin selling tomorrow?" he asked.

I stood so I could stretch my limbs, and gave a nod.

He waved to the back, "Go on home, then. I'll see you at dinner."

"Bye," I said with an exaggerated yawn, walking through our wand stock to his chimney.

The way we always got to Diagon Alley was with floo powder. Grandpa disliked Disapparating about as much as I did.

I stepped in, took a handful of floo powder, and held it out in front of me. "Malfoy Manor," I said, throwing down the powder.

As I traveled through what always felt like a windy pipe, keeping my arms tucked in, I thought, I hope I don't get in trouble for doing this first.