MARVEL [draco malfoy]

Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight: Return to Diagon Alley.

~*~

It had been three and a half weeks since summer had begun. And those were among some the most boring times Emma had ever had to face. Even though it was Alexandrine's and Emma's tradition to get to exploring the country in the summer, they'd stayed put in Marvel Manor. Alexandrine had said something about taking a trip to the country sometime in August, but that still hadn't come to pass.

Even now, Emma was in her room, where she usually was these days, lying on her stomach, flicking idly through the pages of a novel. An empty glass of soda was placed on the little table besides her bed, and an open packet of crisps was sitting beside the book on her bed.

Her hand was deep inside the bag, her mind completely engrossed in the adventures of Nancy Drew, when Nelly's voice called up the stairs. "Darling, would you come down here for a minute?"

Emma groaned to herself as she sat up and dog-eared the book, before closing it. She picked up the half-empty packet of crisps as she called back down. "Be right there!"

Taking the crisps with her, she climbed off the bed, and picked up the empty glass of soda, as she began walking out of the room. The hallway light was turned on for some reason and she flicked it off as she made her way towards the staircase, and instead of taking the steps like a normal person, she took both the crisps and the glass in one hand, climbed the banister and slid down the grand length of the staircase, holding on with just one hand. She found Alexandrine in the kitchen, neatly cutting up vegetables. She also found Whoo-Lio, Pansy's owl, sitting on the edge of the marble counter-top, a letter tied to it's leg. Emma placed the glass and the crisps on the counter, and began untying the letter from Whoo-Lio's leg. Then she softly petted his back, and he immediately flew off.

Emma watched him leave through the wide-open back door and turned to Alexandrine with wide eyes, "I don't know why he acts like that, and avoids affection on a total."

"Must have taken after Gilliam Parkinson." Nelly suggested, raising her shoulder in a shrug.

"Who?"

"Gilliam Parkinson is the father of your friend Pansy, and her little brother Pierce. Davina Rowle-Parkinson is their mother." said Alexandrine, as she turned towards the refrigerator and got out a bottle of peach juice. She poured a glass for Emma, and then one for herself. "You should know things like this about your friends. Do you know anything about Blaise Zabini?"

"They aren't really my friends, Nelly, I only met them last year. We'll see how to next school year turns out for us, and then I'll decide whether they're my true friends or not." said Emma nonchalantly as she hopped on a bar-stool and grabbed a handful of peeled baby carrots from the plate. "And yes, I do know a little something about Blaise, I reckon I know the most about him out of the rest."

Alexandrine smirked at her over the rim of her glass, "Clever girl."

Emma smiled back at her, before asking, "What's for lunch?"

"Oh actually I was thinking of heading to Diagon Alley before lunch, or we can just have lunch at the Leaky Cauldron, whichever you'd prefer." replied Alexandrine, taking a sip from her glass.

Emma bit a baby carrot in half, before she nodded, "We can have lunch at the Leaky Cauldron. But if we are going to Diagon Alley, why are you cutting up vegetables? And why are we going there anyway?"

"I was planning on making those chicken and cucumber sandwiches that you love so much, I knew you'd be hungry before we left. And we're going because we're almost out of groceries, and I need to go to Gringott's, as well. I thought why not kill two birds with one stone, and buy groceries from the Alley, so I don't have to pop into Town later. And while we're visiting the Alley, we'll pick up your school supplies for next semester. Better early than late."