"I will hold on hope and I won't let you choke
On that noose around your neck.
And I'll find strength in pain and I will change my ways.
I'll know my name as it's called again."
-The Cave (Mumford & Sons)
Dudley had never in his life witnessed such a display of insanity as greeted his eyes when first he stepped into Diagon Alley. His eyes bulged out of his head as he observed owls hooting and flapping their wings to general disinterest, fireworks being launched from shop windows, and men and women dressed shamelessly in attire that would barely pass as appropriate at a Halloween party.
"I don't think I can do this," Dudley muttered, turning on his heel and beginning to scurry back to the dodgy pub he had come through.
Parvati placed her hand on his arm-a motion that sent goosebumps down his spine and reminded him of the kiss she had surprised him with earlier-and cried, "Wait! Come back!"
Dudley sighed. "All those freaky costumes and birds. It's not- I don't think... It isn't for me."
"No one here will hurt you," Parvati insisted. "Just think of it as a game. You know, like those comp-pewter games Muggles have. I've read about them. It's just a challenge in an electronic game."
She smiled, clearly proud of herself for having finally learned the proper pronunciation of the word "electronic." Dudley could not help responding to that smile, and so he faced the brick archway leading into Diagon Alley once more and crossed it.
"There, that wasn't so hard, was it?" said Parvati encouragingly. Dudley gulped.
They walked together along the winding cobbled path between brightly lit shops for some time, with Parvati commenting on cleaning implements that could fly and all sorts of nonsense, and with Dudley concentrating with all his might on breathing steadily and averting his eyes from all passers-by. At length they came to a shop that looked more daunting than all the rest put together. A colorful banner hung above the front door read Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes: Grand Re-Opening.
"I've been wanting to pop by all week," Parvati exclaimed, beaming.
It's only a video game, that's all, just a game, Dudley told himself firmly.
The inside of the shop contained all manner of flying, whizzing, popping, whirring objects that filled Dudley's ears with a dreadful cacophony of magical noise. After he had gotten over the initial shock, Dudley noticed a small silver cage in a corner of the main room wherein a pair of odd little creatures with potato-shaped heads were fighting viciously while shouting unintelligible streams of insults. They looked like no domesticated pets he had ever seen, and someone had placed miniature boxing gloves on their fists.
Trained Fighting Gnomes- Entertain your friends, place your bets, watch them go! read a sign near the cage.
If nothing else that day had gone at all how he would have liked, Dudley had to admit that the sight of the fighting gnomes gave him a small thrill, calling back memories of his glory days as a boxer.
Parvati kept up a near-constant commentary as she steered Dudley away and led him around the shop.
"They've only just re-opened, you know. Of course after what happened with Fred, everyone felt ever so sorry for the Weasleys and then when George closed down the shop we didn't think he'd come back to Diagon Alley again. But I've been hearing that Ron Weasley-you know Ron, Harry's best friend-he helped George loads and now they've started up again with the shop. It's the perfect place for you to get a wedding gift because they have these lemon cream pies that turn into snidgets after you take the first bite. And Quidditch players used to use snidgets instead of snitches, you see, a long time ago, so since Harry and Ginny were both seekers they would love that."
Dudley did his utmost to follow along and to file away the information thrown at him for future reference (A family of weasels, lemon cream pies, and something about Snickers). They had arrived near the front counter and Parvati had picked up a large yellow box, which she handed to the clerk, a pretty young blonde woman in a bright purple dress.
"Is that it?" Dudley asked. "I mean, is that the, er, present for H-Harry?"
Parvati nodded, then suddenly hit the palm of her hand against her forehead and said, "Oh of course, you don't have any money, do you?"
Dudley reached into his jacket pocket and produced a twenty pound note, but Parvati laughed at him.
"No, no, not Muggle money," she said, showing him a handful of fat gold and silver coins that gleamed magnificently. As she paid she asked the clerk, "Is George here today?"
"Mr. Weasley isn't in today," the clerk replied. Dudley's eyes, meanwhile were riveted to the few gold coins which remained in Parvati's hand. He supposed that the wizards who ran this shop could do worse than mounds of gold and pets who played at boxing.
They stepped out of the shop shortly afterward, for which Dudley was extremely grateful. Parvati gave Dudley the tote bag she had purchased containing Harry's gift, her remaining gold still clinking in her pocket.
"I ought to have paid," Dudley muttered, reddening at the thought of his ungallant behaviour.
"You can pay me back by taking me to lunch," Parvati told him with a sly twinkle in her eye.
That was when the shop's banner burst into flames over their heads.
***
Delilah Savage, senior member of the Auror Office, sat across from Harry Potter in the trainee Aurors' lounge, holding a thick sheaf of parchment and wearing a worried look. Harry could not fathom why he had been called into a meeting on his lunch break, but he had heard a great deal of muttering all through the Department that day and his misgivings had only increased when he had seen the expression on his superior's face.
"Harry, you should know that this is not standard procedure as you are still in the late stages of training," Delilah began. "However Gawain Robards and I are in agreement that you may have experience pertinent to the matter at hand, and so I have called you in to reveal some sensitive information."
Harry shuffled uncomfortably in his chair; a feeling of deep unease and foreboding was growing in the pit of his stomach.
"As you are aware there has been increased dark wizard activity in central England these three months now," Delilah went on. "Head Auror Robards spoke of Fenrir Greyback's break-out from Azkaban at the recent conference in Edinburgh. Earlier today our fears were confirmed. A young witch by the name of Verity Sinistra was abducted from Diagon Alley by Greyback and two unidentified associates."
"I know her," said Harry, appalled. "She works at Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes. Is anyone else missing? How did Greyback get into Diagon Alley unnoticed?"
Delilah opened the parchment file in her hands and handed Harry the first page, adding, "No others have been reported missing. I think you'll be relieved to know that George Weasley was not on the premises at the time. Greyback's associates are reported to have caused a distraction outside the shop in order that access might be gained inside. Have you any idea as to who might be traveling with Greyback?"
"The Carrows," Harry murmured, as much to himself as to Delilah. It would be just like them to come out of hiding now that they had the chance to rally to a more powerful ally. "Hang on," Harry exclaimed suddenly, his eyes scanning the lower part of the report in his hands. "Is this right? A Muggle called Dudley Dursley was found at the scene of the attack?"
Delilah nodded absently. "Mr. Dursley has been detained by the Obliviator's Squad and is scheduled for routine memory modification this afternoon once his questioning is complete."
Harry stared at her for a full ten seconds before his senses returned to him. He felt as though the world had been turned upside down all of a sudden.
"I'm going to need to speak to him," Harry said.
The Phoenix Or The Flame by GinnyRULES
Chapter Notes: I haven't updated this story in forever! If anyone is still reading, I salute you. Enjoy the new chapter. Things are about to get interesting.
Chapter Endnotes: I love me some cliffhanger endings! Reviews are always appreciated. Cheers!