Chapter One: Shopping In Diagon Alley

"Oh, Mum, what about this one?" I asked for what must have been the umpteenth time, holding up the strange little trinket for my mother to see.

She sighed, turning to face me, looking rather tired of my game. She knew I'd been doing it on purpose to impede her business with the man behind the counter. I've done it every time we come here, because he really gives me the creeps. Mr. Borgin glared at me from over my mother's shoulder and I grinned innocently, putting the trinket back on the shelf.

Wandering towards the back of the room, through shelves of nasty looking artifacts, I found myself by the fireplace. A fireplace that looked like it hadn't been taken care of in years, honestly. The layer of dust along the mantle was probably thicker than my nail. I gravitated towards the shriveled hand sitting atop the dust, the one that had been there for as long as I can remember. It certainly wasn't the object of my interest, though. What was sitting in a glass case above the hand was the thing that fascinated me the most.

It was a small telescope only about the size of my hand, and onyx black, bewitched to look like the night sky, sparkling like stars. I've always had a thing for the stars, something which I'd clearly inherited from my mother, but Mr. Borgin charged far too much for the beauty of a telescope, and as such, it still wasn't mine.

Last year I'd tried to pick it up, just to look at it more closely, but the hand…

I shuddered just thinking about it. It had shot out and grabbed my arm, gripping so tight it nearly broke my wrist. I hadn't been able to get out of it, and Mr. Borgin had had to come and make it stop, telling me the "Hand of Glory" wasn't fond of thieves.

"Elena, come on sweetie, we're leaving." I spun towards the sound of my mother's voice, spotting her near the door, holding a small bag. Done, thank Merlin! I started towards her just as the door swung open, dinging and watched as her whole face changed. In stepped a tall man with long, pale blonde hair that fell just past his shoulders, his head high. His cane clinked against the ground, his long black robes billowing around him, and a boy slightly taller than me followed him, his blond hair gelled back.

"Well, well," the man smiled, spotting my mother. "Aurora, so nice to see you."

"Lucius," she dipped her head politely, thin smile playing on her lips. Her hand reached out slightly, and I took it as my cue to go to her, grabbing her hand and sticking close to her side. I didn't like the uncomfortable vibe my mother gave off when the man arrived.

The man who smiled wider upon seeing me, it seemed. "Ah, little Elena. Stocking up for your first year at Hogwarts I see. Draco as well." My eyes drifted to the boy then—his son, I gathered. Grayish eyes looked back, and we broke into simultaneous smiles. I'd never seen the boy in my life, I was sure, but something about him seemed familiar. Odd. "It's been quite some time."

"I'm sorry?" I frowned. "I don't believe I know who you are."

"Of course. You would've been too young when your f—"

"I'm sorry, Lucius, but we really must be off." Mum squeezed my hand, pushing past the father and son duo and out the door, the little bell dinging behind us. I frowned, wondering why my mother had cut him off so rudely. Once we made it out of Knockturn Alley and onto the streets of it's much brighter and busier sister market, Diagon Alley, I stopped.

"Mum?" I called, looking up at her. She turned to face me, hair falling around her face, her eyes shining. A smile broke out on her lips, as clearly she was more comfortable now. Mum had always been pretty. A wilderness that has been tamed, my grandma said. And my complete opposite. The only thing we have in common is our love of the stars. She is tall, with long wavy black hair and bright hazel eyes, whereas my hair is blonde, flat and my eyes are blue. I remembered grandma saying I had my father's looks instead of Mum's, but since I don't remember him, I have no way of being sure. But I think someone else did. "Did he…did you cut that man off because he was about to mention Dad?"

"Lucius Malfoy is a slimy man, Elena, and I don't want him around my daughter. He speaks nothing but rubbish."

"But he said—"

"Elena!" Whatever I'd been about to point out to my mother vanished upon hearing that voice, and I spun, huge smile stretching across my lips, towards the girl it belonged to. She launched herself at me, bushy brown hair clouding my sight.

"Monica, Wendell, I wondered if we might cross you here!" I heard my mother say, and I assumed my friend's parents had come with her. I couldn't tell, mind you, because her hair blocked my view of anything else.

"Hermione, you're suffocating me," I laughed, patting her on the back. Apologizing swiftly, she stepped back, smoothing out her hair. "You act like we didn't visit grandma just last week."

"She's been pouting nonstop since you left Maryanne's," her mother smiled, looking to mine. "You think you could move in with your mother next door to avoid it?"

"Sorry." Mum laughed, shaking her head, while Hermione shot her mother an indignant look.

"Do you blame me?" Hermione asked, taking my hand. "We're finally going to Hogwarts! Magic and classes and—oh, it's just so exciting!"

"You might want to actually get your things first, silly," I chuckled, seeing as they haven't got a single thing from the list that came with our letters. Pulling Hermione along, I headed for the nearest store on our list—Flourish and Blotts, watching Hermione's eyes light up as she spotted it.

Bookworm.

A/N: And there you have it, the first chapter! I'm hoping you guys'll like it and wonder about the few cues I've left in. Since I've uploaded the first two chapters, read on :) and please remember to tell me what you think! Reviews make the world go round.