No Belonging | Draco Malfoy

Diagon Alley

When Draco and Lucius finally arrived at Diagon Alley it was mid-afternoon, and the shops were packed with students like Draco buying their yearly school supplies. As they walked through the street, Draco silently shadowed his father, whom everybody seemed to avoid. Draco glanced around the streets hoping to see some familiar faces or his friends Crabbe and Goyle. But by the time they reached the first shop he had seen nobody: they had probably come earlier in the day. The shop was quaint and run down but nonetheless there was queue to be served. Draco looked up at the sign reading 'Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions' it was typical of Lucius to bring Draco here first considering he always chose Draco's clothes to make sure they were appropriate.

"The length of this queue is horrendous!" Draco's father stated.

"Yes father" Draco agreed quietly.

"Right, I don't have time for this, I have to visit Gringotts!" he declared.

"O-okay" Draco replied as Lucius turned his back on him and disappeared behind the crowds of wizards.

At a mere 11 year of age, Draco had not been Diagon Alley often as it was his first year of needing proper school supplies, so he was not familiar with his surroundings. The queue was bound to take awhile so Lucius should be back by then. Draco examined the family in front of him: a young girl around his age with long ginger hair; a father very oddly dressed; a mother laughing and teasing with the girl – presumably her daughter. They looked happy.

The girl must have noticed Draco glaring and swiftly turned around and held out her pink sweaty hand. "Hey, I'm Hermione, I'm going to be starting Hogwarts this year and I'm getting my robes. Have you been to Hogwarts before? I heard the Library is massive!".

The girl was very chatty maybe too chatty for Draco's liking. He answered, "I'm Draco...and no I have not".

"Oh, your new like me then maybe we will be in the same house! Mum, dad look this is Draco he is new this year as well!" she remarked.

Her parents reversed around, and he was met with two big grins and blushed cheeks.

"Oh, hello dear, nice to meet you!" her mother commented softly.

"Where's your parents son?" the dad questioned.

"My father – Lucius Malfoy – had to run an errand" Draco confidently stated.

"Oh, how unfortunate, how it would have been nice to meet some non muggle parents we could have done with some advice!" the man chuckled.

Draco had never met muggles before, his father had always described them as hideous and pathetic looking but to Draco they seemed like average people. Suddenly, Draco remembered he should be proud to be a pureblood: that is what his father had always taught him.

"My whole family are Purebloods; in fact, we are one of the Sacred twenty-eight!" Draco declared.

The girl's parents had turned back around and Draco was left studying the girl's face. Draco found it hard to differentiate between muggles and purebloods. How was he meant to tell who he could be friends with?

By now the queue had relaxed and the girl was next to be fitted. She gave Draco a quick smile and left with her parents as they trotted off into the changing room chatting about something called 'TV'. Draco had just met his first muggles and he wanted to tell his father about the strange experience.

"Hello young sir, are you here to get robes fitted? Or collect?" a voice rapidly startled Draco.

He peered up to the desk to see a kind old lady staring down at him.