Familiar Faces

Felix finally visits Diagon Alley, but there's an unpleasant twist to his summer that puts a damp cloth over the occasion.

 Though Felix usually found no problem in getting up in the morning, whilst staying in the Leaky Cauldron he found that once awake he was too excited to even try to go back to sleep. 

 The room was bare and simple, and the muggle railway that passed close to the window was unpleasantly loud whenever a train went by, but knowing he was just a moment’s walk from the magical village of Diagon Alley filled him with a happiness it was difficult to quash. And his smile widened as he remembered it was the day Eliza had said she was coming to London.

 Gently sliding Kazoo off his chest, he got up and dressed, taking care to disturb as little of his packed case as possible, before knocking on Oscar’s door. There was a quiet grumble and then silence, and he didn’t get much more from Cora, so he decided to go down to get breakfast alone.

 “Are you with Garrick Skipton?” Tom the bartender asked as he entered the bar.

 “Yes,” Felix replied.

 “Well you’ll be waiting a while for him, no doubt about it.”

 “One too many Fire Whiskeys?”

 “Ten too many. Drank everyone under the table, he did last night. Then he got under it himself. Took us forty-five minutes to tempt him out. Good job you folks had gone to bed.”

 There were only three other people having breakfast. One was a man dressed all in black with a yellow snake around his neck, whose head turned from side to side as though reading the paper along with its owner. Quite juxtaposed was a woman sat a couple of seats away dressed so flamboyantly that she seemed to illuminate the shadowy candlelit bar. She wore a dress that would have made Mrs. Fernsby’s wardrobe look most ordinary, and on her head was what resembled a fruit miranda, but instead of fruit were placed stuffed animals that peered over the rim of the hat.

 The final person was watching Felix, waiting for him to notice her. She was quite short with her shoulder-length brown hair in a ponytail, and she was someone Felix was overjoyed to see.

 “Eliza!” he said, hurrying over to her table.

 “I thought I’d have to wait ages for anyone else to show up,” she said. “We just got here.”

 “You came early. Have you come with your parents, or did they send you on your own like last year?”

 Felix remembered how last year her parents had told her if she wanted to go to London early, she’s have to go on her own. So she’d done just that.

 “Actually, I’ve come with Brennan and his family. You know Brennan Turpin in my house?”

 Felix did indeed know Brennan Turpin. Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws were usually on pretty good terms, as far as inter-house dispositions went, but even amongst Felix’s friends Brennan Turpin had earned himself a reputation as the boy who ‘always knew better’.

 “Erm… what are you doing with Turpin?” Felix frowned.

 “Well he helped me work on my protective spells for my Defence Against the Dark Arts exam last year, and then earlier in the summer he sent me an owl inviting me to stay with him for a few weeks. Well, I was away at the time visiting my great-grandmother in Stornoway, but he suggested I should come up for the last week of the summer so I could come to Diagon Alley with him. And here I am.”

 Felix knew he should’ve responded by asking her how her summer was, or whether she had enjoyed Stornoway, but suddenly all ounces of small talk had made a beeline out of his brain.

 “But don’t you think Turpin is a bit… well… pompous?”

 “Oh, I know you and Oscar don’t think much of him, but please try your best to be nice whilst he’s here.”

 “It’s not me and Oscar you’ve got to worry about. Cora’s come up with us, and I don’t think even she can keep a lid on what comes out of her mouth.”

 “I’m sure… I’m sure she’ll understand,” Eliza said, but she didn’t sound convinced.

 “So how was staying with Mr Flawless in Perfectville?”

 “Stop it,” she said sternly. “It was actually very nice. He lives in an old hall up north. It’s virtually a castle, and it looks over-”

 “-Over the incomparable green and rolling hills of luscious Northumbrian countryside,” Felix finished for her, doing his best not to roll his eyes.

 “So he’s told you about it, too.”

 “He’s told everybody about it, I’d expect. Where is he, anyway?”

 “He and his parents are taking all the luggage to the rooms.”

 But she’d barely finished speaking when a door somewhere above them closed and three people appeared at the top of the handsome wooden staircase that descended from the guestrooms.

 “Ah, Eliza, apologies for taking a while,” said the tall blonde boy Felix knew to be Brennan. “I abruptly realised I’d packed my nightwear with my day robes so, naturally, I had to sort it out. Oh, hello Fernsby.” He did not smile.

 “I told you him and Oscar would be here,” Eliza said, and Felix was glad to see that she was certainly more pleased to see him than Brennan was. “Are we going straight into town, or were you thinking of having a cup of coffee first?”

 “I think…” Brennan eyed Felix warily. “I think we’ll get coffee whilst we’re out. There’s a lovely place called Rosa Lee Teabags I think we might refquent. Is that alright, dad?”

 “Anything for my boy,” his father said.

 Eliza was just about to join them when she turned to Felix.

 “Why don’t you join us?” she smiled at him. “If you don’t mind, Mr and Mrs. Turpin.”

 “Well I’d rather thought it would be just the four of us,” Brennan said awkwardly. “It might be a little crowded if there’s a bigger group.”

 “It’s fine,” Felix said. “We might meet up with you a bit later.”

 She waved before following after the Turpins, and leaving Felix in a worse mood that ten minutes ago he wouldn’t have thought possible.

 

 “What’s wrong with you?” Oscar asked when he came down half an hour later. “You’d think you were taking our exams in two days, not starting the schoolyear.”

 “Nothing,” Felix lied. “I was just bored waiting for you to get yourself down here.”

 “Cora’s on her way. And Eliza said she’d be here today, but I’m not sure what time.”

 “I’ve already seen her,” Felix explained. “She came with Turpin.”

 “Turpin?!” Oscar said in a disgusted tone. “What’s she doing with him?”

 “Apparently they’ve spent half the summer together.”

 “I know they were getting on well at the end of last year, but I thought she was just trying to leech a good grade out of him. Even half the Hufflepuffs can’t stand him.”

 Just then Cora came down and they told her what had happened.

 “Typical Hufflepuff,” she said.

 “Heard anything from Augustus?” Oscar asked.

 “Nothing in the last few weeks,” Cora said. “It’s a bit worrying, really. I was hoping we’d see him in Diagon Alley, but if we don’t see him today then I might send another letter.”

 “He’ll be fine,” Oscar said with a wave of his hand. “He’s a big lad. He can look after himself.”

 “I hope so. Are your parents up yet?”

 “I’ve seen one parent and one grumbling duvet. ‘It’s going to be a while before I can get your sorry excuse for a father up’, he imitated, ‘so if you want to head out early we’ll catch you up!’”

 “Well what are we waiting for, then?” Cora said. “Last one to Gringotts is a Gryffindor!”

 “Hey!” said Oscar.

 

 Once out of the Leaky Cauldron and into Diagon Alley, however, Felix’s mood lifted somewhat. They tapped the bricks lining the small back yard of the inn with their wand and the wall magically parted to form a tall, stone archway, and the wizarding village they had come to London to visit was revealed.

 Old-fashioned buildings lined the cobbled street, the jettied storeys overhanging the road so much that some of the taller establishments almost kissed above the road. Even so early in the morning, chattering crowds gathered before the sash windows which displayed the wondrous and magical artefacts inside. The triangular beamed gables reminded Felix of the houses of St. Sherwin’s Court, and perched on their edges were owls of every size and colour.

 They were barely able to go ten paces without having to stop join the gabbling congregations around the shop windows, so odd and peculiar some of the displays. There was Gambol and Japes Wizarding Joke Shop and Wiseacre’s Wizarding Equipment, Twilfitt and Tattings robe shop and TerrorTours Agency which showcased travels from yeti-skulked mountains to shrake-infested cruises. Cora had to seize both the boy’s ears when they past Quality Quidditch Supplies to steer them away from the gleaming woodwork and polish kits arranged inside, but when they past Sugarplum’s Sweet Shop they all had to stop and take in a deep breath of sugar infused with the warm scent of melted chocolate.

 Their first port of call was the goblin-run Gringotts Wizarding Bank at the far end of the alley. They were escorted by a rather fat-looking goblin named Lagraff to a cart which, once they were sat down and holding on tightly, descended down through the caves beneath London where the many-thousand vaults of witches and wizards were kept and guarded. As they went deeper, the cave walls shimmered and sparkled, and streaks of red, silver and gold shot past them as they careened deeper into the mine.

 The trip took much longer than usual, with their vaults all being situated in different sections of the cavern. But eventually Lagraff brought their cart to an abrupt halt by the ornate platform they had entered from. And with their pockets now heavy and jingling, they made their way back outside to begin their shopping.

 “So where shall we go next?” Oscar asked, once they’d recovered their dizziness.

 “Not there,” said Felix automatically, seeing Brennan Turpin shepherd Eliza into a posh-looking ice-cream parlour.

 “Why not? I could fancy some ice-cream.”

 “Well we’ll go to the other one just down here. I’m sure it’s less busy,” Felix finished, desperately making up an excuse.

 The other parlour was called Florean Fortescue’s, where they each got themselves an ice-cream. Felix declined Oscar’s dare of getting a Ghost-Chilli-Gateaux flavour. Once they’d finished they went to Scribbulus Writing Instruments to stock up on quills, ink and parchments, and then to the Magical Menagerie to stock up on owl and cat food, and also to gawp at the strange and faraway creatures they had in. As they entered, they had to duck to avoid a Frisbee thrown in their direction by what looked like an oversized ferret.

 “I’m sorry about him,” said one of the employees, who appeared to be trying to levitate five giant snails at once. “We’ve had a few things on our plate today.”

 “What are they?” Cora asked, looking at the snails with a mixture of curiosity and disgust.

 “Streelers,” the wizard said. “Just got them in from Bolivia. What they didn’t tell us is their slime trails can burn through just about anything we put down for them. Sizzled through the bottom of their cage in minutes.” He juggled his wand to catch one that looked as though it was about to fall. “This is the best we can do to stop them burning the shop down until we get advice from Tienda Mascota in La Paz.”

 “I think I’ll give them a miss,” Cora said. “We’re just here for owl treats.” She shook a box to demonstrate.

 “You’re sure I can’t tempt you?” the streeler-handler called as they made to leave. “It’d make my life a lot easier if you’d take one off my hands. They can change colour. They’re even edible!” he called desperately as they made to leave. “A delicacy in the Ardennes, I hear!”

 They were rescued in the doorway by Mrs. Skipton, who explained she had left Oscar’s dad in a stable position and come out to see how they were getting on. Despite Oscar’s objections, his mother dragged him into Madam Malkin’s Robes For All Occasions, insisting she could almost see his knees, let alone his ankles, in his current trousers. Felix, too, decided to get a new set of robes.

 Oscar’s compromise, however, was that he got his new schoolbooks from a second hand bookstore instead of the more upmarket Flourish and Blotts, so that he had more gold left over to spend in the sweetshop.

 “I can’t wait to get to Hogsmeade,” Cora said as Oscar tried to fish out the largest Bone Scone from a jar. “Honeydukes has such a better selection than here.”

 Hogsmeade was the closest wizarding settlement to Hogwarts, and pupils in their third year and over were allowed to visit it on select weekends. Honeydukes sweet shop was the most popular attraction there was.

 After weighing their sweets and paying, Oscar distributing almost half his left-over gold over the counter, they left with bags bulging. They went to Slug and Jigger’s Apothecary to stock up on potions ingredients for Professor Slughorn, Flourish and Blotts for Felix and Cora’s books, Potage’s Cauldrons for maintenance and repair kits and a wandering peddler for a new set of scales after Oscar had dropped his the year before.

 And once they finally had everything they needed they crossed the road to the place that Felix and Oscar had longed to visit.

 “Boys and their Quidditch!” Cora muttered.

 “It’s a woman’s game too, you know,” Felix said.

 “But Cora can’t keep a broom airborne long enough to even injure herself, let alone play sport on it.”

 “Oscar!” his mother cuffed him around the ear.

 But before they could enter Quality Quidditch Supplies they stopped before the large front window. Taking up the whole display was a single broom. Its handle was gleaming mahogany, and its tail-twigs looked so fine they might’ve been brushed with a magical toothcomb. Miniature models zoomed around it, rolling and diving beneath the polished brass footplates. Above the broomstick read the sign: COMET 220.

 They went in to get a proper look, but found that inside the stand was blocked by a crowd of people about their age.

 “What do you think, Felix?” Oscar said. “That Comet 220 could replace your Done-It 180!”

 “You reckon?” He pointed to a rack across the room to a collection of brooms upon which the Australian flag was draped. “Well that Flyabout 40 could replace your Layabout 30.”

 “Cool!” Oscar laughed. “Those used to be the Koala’s national broomstick. Too bad I’ve splurged my savings on these.” He stuffed another Foxtail Fizzer into his mouth.

 Mrs. Skipton turned over a price tag. “I very much doubt your savings could stretch to one of those, even if they were savings.”

 They did buy a small amount of accessories. Felix bought a tub of varnish for his weathering broom handle and a pack of anti-list decals, whilst Oscar spent the rest of his money on a tail-straightening kit. But they had just stepped outside when they heard an unpleasant voice.

 “Oh no, Eliza you don’t want to go in there.”

 Eliza and Brennan and his family were making their way back down the road towards the Leaky Cauldron. She stopped as she saw them.

 “Oscar!” she waved. “Cora!” She ran over and gave them both a hug. “Felix said you were here.”

 “And Felix said he was here,” Cora said, not trying to hide her dislike as she eyed Brennan.

 “I was staying with him so his parents offered to bring me to London. You know he’s got-”

 “The most idyllic Englishshire fortress in all the merry land?” Oscar said in a posh and haughty voice. “I did. Do I care? Na-ah. Anyway, Turpin,” he raised his voice. “What’s wrong with Quidditch?”

 “It’s a most ugly sport, if you can even call it that. I believe you can keep healthy without subjecting yourself to such risks.”

 “You know Chess isn’t a sport?”

 “Oscar!” his mother once more hissed.

 “Come on, Eliza, let’s go and finish our shopping.”

 

 When they got back to the Leaky Cauldron they found Mr Skipton alive, if not well, with four other people looking equally as disreputable, doing his best to finish a bowl of suspiciously green soup.

 “Here we are,” he called, trying his best to give them all a welcoming smile but succeeding only in imitating a monkey with stomach ache. “How are my happy shoppers?”

 “A lot better than you, Darling,” Mrs. Fernsby tutted.

 “I’m going to write to Augustus. And if I don’t hear back I’m going to send one to his parents,” Cora said, and disappeared up stairs.

 Just then a barlady came over to their table.

 “Drink, Garrick?” she said.

 Mr Skipton scowled.