{On Hiatus} Oblivion: a Harry X Voldemort|Tom

The Alleys...

Narrator's POV

After breakfast, Harry was absolutely ready to go to Diagon Alley, watching as Tom put on a glamour that made he look blond and have brown eyes, he seemed shorter and less gaunt, his skin slightly more tan —he looked like an average person now, someone who blends in with the crowd and easily forgettable.

Once finished, Tom grabbed Harry's hand and they apparated to Diagon Alley.

***

They spent a few hours wandering around, looking around shops and even stopping so Harry could have a snack of earl grey and lavender ice cream from Florean Fortescue's.

After their break, Tom and Harry entered the darker section of Diagon Alley: Knockturn Alley.

Tom held his soulmate's hand as they ventured down the street, passing people trying to sell a assortment of dark objects and antiquities.

When Tom stopped —Harry almost crashing into him— when they were in front of a shop called "Borgin and Burkes."

When they entered the both musty and dusty shop, a bell jingled and the shopkeeper entered the showroom, Tom dropping his glamour.

When the shopkeeper saw Tom, his eyes widened in fear and sweat glistened his face.

"You have something of mine I would like back." Lord Voldemort said, his tone commanding and firm

"Y-yes, my l-l-lord, it's in the-the back, I-I'll g-go fetch it." The shopkeeper said, returning to the back room

The shopkeeper returned several minutes later holding a book, "H-here it is, m-my lord."

The Dark Lord tucked the book into a pocket inside his suit jacket, "Since it is undamaged, you will live another day."

"Y-you are m-most m-merciful, m-my lord." The shopkeeper thanked, his clothing covered in sweat

***

Once more in his glamour, Tom and Harry were heading out to leave when they passed Flourish and Blotts, and saw a large crowd outside the doors, trying to get in.

The reason for this was proclaimed by a large banner stretched across the upper windows: "GILDEROY LOCKHART will be signing copies of his autobiography 'MAGICAL ME' today 12:30 P.M. to 4:30 P.M."

"We can actually meet him!" A woman squealed in the crowd

A long line wove right to the back of the shop, where Gilderoy Lockhart was signing his books.

Sitting at the table was Gilderoy Lockhart, surrounded by large pictures of his own face, all winking and flashing dazzlingly white teeth at the crowd.

The real Lockhart was wearing robes of forget-me-not blue that exactly matched his eyes; his pointed wizard's hat was set at a jaunty angle on his wavy hair.

A short, irritable-looking man was dancing around taking photographs with a large black camera that emitted puffs of purple smoke with every blinding flash.

Gilderoy Lockhart looked up and saw a group of gingers near the front of the crowd —far ahead of the Dark Lord in disguise and his soulmate—, he leapt to his feet and shouted, "It can't be Ronald Weasley?"

The crowd parted, whispering excitedly; Lockhart dived forward, seized Ron's arm, and pulled him to the front.

The crowd burst into applause.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Gilderoy said loudly, waving for quiet, "What an extraordinary moment this is! The perfect moment for me to make a little announcement I've been sitting on for some time! When young Ronald here stepped into Flourish and Blotts today, he only wanted to buy my autobiography —which I shall be happy to present him now, free of charge" The crowd applauded again "He had no idea, that he would shortly be getting much, much more than my book, Magical Me. He and his schoolmates will, in fact, be getting the real magical me. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I have great pleasure and pride in announcing that this September, I will be taking up the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!"

The crowd cheered and clapped and Ron found himself being presented with the entire works of Gilderoy Lockhart.

Staggering slightly under their weight, he managed to make his way out of the limelight to the edge of the room, where Ginny was standing next to her new cauldron.

"Bet you loved that, didn't you, Weasley?" Draco Malfoy, who seemed to be there as well with his family, sneered to Ron, "Famous Ron Weasley, can't even go into a bookshop without making the front page."

"Leave him alone, he didn't want all that!" Ginny defended

"Not as surprised as I am to see you in a shop, Weasley," Neville LeStrange taunted, his family present as well, "I suppose your parents will go hungry for a month to pay for all those."

Ron walked toward Louis, hands balled into fists, but Arthur Weasley grabbed the back of his jacket.

"Ron!" Mr. Weasley said, "What are you doing? It's too crowded in here, let's go outside."

"Well, well, well - Arthur Weasley." Lucius sneered

"Lucius." Arthur said, nodding coldly.

"Busy time at the Ministry, I hear, all those raids —I hope they're paying you overtime?" Lucius taunted, reaching into Ginny's cauldron and extracted a very old, very battered copy of A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration "Obviously not," Mr. Malfoy said. "Dear me, what's the use of being a disgrace to the name of wizard if they don't even pay you well for it?"

"We have a very different idea of what disgraces the name of wizard, Malfoy." Arthur replied

"Clearly," Lucius replied, his eyes straying to Dean and Seamus' parents who were watching apprehensively, "the company you keep, Weasley —and I thought your family could sink no lower."

Suddenly a fight began between the two men and Harry found himself being pulled away from the scene, Tom having taken his hand and pulled him towards the exit of Diagon Alley to end their day's fun before anything happened...