Sea and Serpent (PJO/HP)

Chapter 6. Diagon Alley

Hagrid stopped outside a dark exterior pun with a sign that barely seemed to hang on. “This is the Leaky Cauldron. Through here is where we’ll get to where we need to go. Though I should warn you, everyone, your famous Harry.”

Amaryllis snorted at the distaste on her brother’s face. “Better you than me.”

Harry shoved her lightly to the side. “Sod off, Lissie.”

“I shall ever be grateful to be in your presence and shielded away from the glory you hold,” Amaryllis joked, moving out of her brother’s way before he could swat her again.

“I hate you.”

Amaryllis giggled as she saw her brother shake his head with a small smile on his face.

Hagrid only shook his head and opened the door to the pub. The chatter that drifted outside dwindled to a low mumble as they entered. All eyes had raked from her auburn hair that stood out to her brother’s black hair and piercing green eyes.

They followed Hagrid across, passing tables and faces that followed their every move. As they grew closer to the counter with an even older man behind it cleaning a cup out with a rag she was sure hadn’t seen a washer in decades wiped the water off it.

She scrunched her nose up when he placed it down on a stack of other glasses behind him.

The man turned back to face Hagrid and greeted him with a smile that had a few missing teeth.

“Oh, no. Nothing today, Tom. I’m here to show Harry and Amaryllis Diagon Alley and get their supplies for school.”

Her head turned to glare up at him. She was surprised no one noticed or knew what their so-called ‘famous’ wizard looked like, but she would have thought Hagrid would have known better than to use names and fly under the radar. But that seemed to be a fleeting wish just as a shooting star granted wishes.

The man looked down between them, his eyes slowly growing wider the longer he took in Harry’s features. “I’ll be. It’s Harry Potter.”

If Amaryllis thought the pub could have gone any quieter, she would have been wrong when the noise depleted to nothing that she could have heard a pin drop.

Her brother’s name had begun to be whispered all over in low hushed voices, but so many had passed it around enough that it was low chatter in her ears.

Without holding back, Amaryllis rolled her eyes at the audacity the people had.

“Can we—”

If she had a pound for every time she had been cut off in her life, she felt like she’d be rich at that moment. People had filed up quicker around them, hoarding her brother before she could have Hagrid get them out of there.

Many shook his hand enthusiastically while introducing themselves, though she doubted her brother even remembered their first name. It wasn’t until one had come up with a purple turbine on his head and shook her brother’s hand with a stutter as he spoke that she quickly cut through them all.

“None of you have manners.” Her glare pointed at all the people that gathered around, but it stuck to the man in front of her. Her skin prickled and every part of her gut told her to leave… now. She had never felt something as strong as she had before that she couldn’t ignore it. “We have shopping to do and we’re kids. Whatever my brother did as a baby is just that, but neither he, nor I remember it. So if you would respect human boundaries, that would be ah-mazing.” Amaryllis didn’t bother to hold back the sarcasm that dripped from every word at the end.

“Uh, yes, well,” Hagrid said, clearing his throat and guiding them away from the crowd. “We’ll be going now.”

Hagrid led them down a hallway to a dead end before he spoke again. “Sorry ‘bout that. Should ‘ave not said yur names back there. That’s my fault.”