1 : IMPERIO

CHAPTER 2: DIAGON ALLEY

Word Count: 4223

Snape apparated her to the Diagon alley. Kara was wrapped around her neck, but was invisible due to the charm Snape had put on the turtleneck she wore. It was unnecessarily thick; and heavy; and warm.

"Stay still Kara" and so the snake did.

Making first stop to Flourish and Blotts, she saw Harry and him being photographed. Oh how much she hated him. Gilderoy Lockhart. A scum, fake and an absolute arse.

Setting the first foot in, she saw Lockhart's mouth moving, but no voice reached her. I'm not going deaf, am I? No of course not. It has to be the sound in my head that's cursing him which is louder than his own. Yes, that makes sense, her head told her.

Harry walked away from the blonde adult – if he was an adult – and placed the set of books in a red-haired girl's cauldron. Ginny Weasley. Looking up towards Charlotte, she saw Harry's face break into a huge smile. She smiled and started walking towards him, when another voice interrupted the meeting.

"Bet you loved that, didn't you Potter" she turned towards the platinum blond haired Slytherin standing on the old wooden stairs she had failed to notice before. "Famous Harry Potter –" said Draco and Harry turned to the blond boy who hadn't seemed to notice his best friend. "– can't even go into a bookshop without making the front page"

"Leave him alone" said Ginny Weasley walking beside the dark-haired boy. Charlotte observed from a distance, almost in shadows. Ginny was exactly how Charlie had described her. Fiery red hair, freckles and quite bold. "He didn't want all that" said Ginny glaring at Draco.

Draco on the other hand had a disgusted smirk on his face as he turned form the red-haired girl to the black-haired boy.

"Potter, you've got yourself a girlfriend!" Charlotte saw Ginny go red, as Ron and Hermione walked behind Harry. She knew very well that this might end up in disaster, and she was not ready for fights before school.

"Oh it's you" said Ron glaring at Draco.

Charlotte blocked out the rest as her attention was diverted towards someone walking towards the shop. Lucius Malfoy. She knew Harry had seen her, but no one else, and hoped that he would not call her to join them, especially when the older Malfoy was going to join too.

She took a few steps back in a small corner, even more in shadows. It would be better for her to just slip out and visit the shop later.

She saw Lucius Malfoy join the group and talk about something. Eldest Weasley had joined the conversation, and out of nowhere he had flung himself on Lucius Malfoy.

Arthur Weasley has to be either the bravest or the stupidest man to do that. Malfoys had big political connections. It would do Weasleys' no good going publicly against the Malfoys' even more.

Next thing Charlotte knew was that the fight had been broken up and Kara hissing in her ear. The snake wasn't talking, no; she was viciously hissing and staring at Ginny Weasley.

Charlotte knew better than to talk to the snake right now, and said nothing.

"Where is Miss Crawford?" asked the elder Malfoy to her best friend. Draco looked around. Till the time he did, Lucius Malfoy glared at the Weasleys'.

Charlotte's metallic grey eyes met his post storm grey. she knew he couldn't see her as a whole, just a part of her face, but there was recognition on his face. Draco opened his mouth to answer to his father, but Charlotte gave him a firm shake of her head. His eyes darkened, a little angry but he turned to his father with intent.