CHAPTER TWO: DIAGON ALLEY
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ALEX SQUEALED EXCITEDLY as they got ready to go to Diagon Alley. It had been a week since she received her acceptance letter to Hogwarts. Excited was an understatement. She couldn't wait. The four of them stood in front of the large fireplace. Alex had used Floo before, it's how the Malfoy's usually traveled.

"Draco and Lucius go first," Narcissa told them. "Alex and I will follow."

Draco nodded and looked at his dad, Lucius just nodded. Lucius stepped in first, grabbing some floo powder. "Diagon Alley," he said loudly, throwing the powder at the ground. Green flames erupted and Lucius disappeared.

"Go Draco, dear," Narcissa told him. Draco grabbed a handful of Floo powder and stepped into the fireplace. "Loud and clear."

He nodded. "Diagon Alley," he said, throwing the powder just as Lucius had done moments before. Draco as well disappeared.

Alex watched, before looking up at her aunt, who nodded. "Go on," she pushed Alex gently towards the fireplace.

The ginger grabbed some floo powder and stepped inside. "Diagon Alley," she said loudly, throwing the powder on the ground. The next thing she knew she appeared next to Draco and Lucius at Diagon Alley. Narcissa appeared moments later, four lists in hand.

She handed one to all three of them. "These are the supply lists, whatever we need to get you," she explained. "Assuming we'll split off and make this quick."

She looked at Lucius for approval, who nodded and reached into his pocket. Alex glanced at the list, lots of books, robes, a cauldron, a wand, a telescope, phials, and a telescope. She didn't recognize many of the books, and she had always considered herself a reader.

Lucius pulled out two bags of money. "Here's some change for you two, Narcissa and I will get the books and robes for you guys. You guys are in charge of the other stuff alright?" He asked. "Don't buy anything extra. We'll meet you hereafter." He added, handing them the small bags.

Alex and Draco took one each and set off on their way. "What do you wanna get first?" Alex asked.

Draco shrugged. "It doesn't matter to me. I wanna check out the brooms at some point."

"You can't get one."

"I know," he said. "For next year."

"There's gonna be 100 new brooms before next year," she pointed out.

He shrugged. "Still fun to look at them."

She shrugged. "Okay." She said as she looked around. "I see some cauldrons in there, let's go."

They walked into a small shop, cauldrons were stacked around, along with some other potion-related things. "I think we can probably find phials in here as well." He told her.

Alex nodded, looking at the cauldrons before picking one out, that followed the size requirements listed. Draco was off getting his. She grabbed a set of glass phials before turning to Draco. "Ready?" She asked.

He nodded. "Yeah, let's checkout." They walked towards the register, where a skinny old woman was working.

"Hello," she said softly. She grabbed the stuff Alex set on the counter. "First year?"

Alex nodded. "Yeah."

"Assuming you need a brass scale then?" She asked. Alex glanced down at her list and nodded. "Are you both first years?"

"Yes ma'am," Alex said with a cheeky grin.

The lady reached down into what Alex assumed were cabinets below and grabbed two brass scales setting them on the counter. She rang up Alex first, and then Alex paid her. Draco did the same.

They walked out and the blonde turned to her. "All we need now is a wand and telescope. I know where the telescopes are cmon."

Draco started speeding up in one direction and Alex quickly followed behind him. He led them to another small shop; Alex looked around.

This one was more colorful and more crowded. Students that looked older were here as well, with their parents. Alongside confused first years.

Alex just shrugged and began to look around. "Hmm." She mumbled to herself before a toad jumped out. She jumped herself, frightened by the sudden thing.

"Sorry!" Someone said and ran over a picked the toad up. It was a boy, with brown hair and brown eyes. He smiled sheepishly, his cheeks going red. "That's Trevor. I'm Neville Longbottom."

Alex stood frozen for a moment. Longbottom. She recognized the last name from Lucius mentioning it. She couldn't quite remember what it was about, but she remembered how she felt bad for the boy even though she didn't know him.

"Alex R-" she stopped herself. "Alex Thornbury. Are you a first year? I am."

He nodded. "Me too!" He suddenly exclaimed. He had a big cheeky grin on his face. "Is Alex a nickname? Seems nicknamish."

Alex chuckled at the boy but nodded. "My feel name is Alexis, I don't like it though."

"It's a pretty name," he complimented. "Well, it was nice meeting you!"

"You too, I'll see you at school," Alex said, watching the boy walk over to an older woman. A woman who looked a tad too old to be Neville's mother, she assumed it was his grandmother though. She grabbed the things she needed and checked out with Draco.

Alex had spent her whole life basically hidden from anything in the wizarding world. This was her first time around anyone that wasn't her family. Lucius always took Draco places, but Alex could never go. She was always told it was to keep her a secret, so people think Voldemort's daughter wasn't around. Or something like that. It never made sense to Alex.

Or it sorta did, the idea that everyone would be able to recognize her if she was out and about all the time. After today, no one would ever see her with the Malfoy's again. She would have a fake name, with a fake family, and basically a fake life.

Alex and Draco walked out of the shop and pulled their lists out once again. They had almost everything they needed, besides a wand. "To Ollivander's?" Draco questioned.

"Who?"

"He's the wand maker, makes almost everyone's wands, c'mon," he said, grabbing her hand and running towards where Ollivander's were. Alex stepped inside, only three other people were inside, and then Ollivander himself.

It was another family, two parents with dark hair, they had darker skin. Then a little girl, with curly dark brown hair, and big brown eyes. They looked confused like they didn't understand the whole wand thing.

Ollivander was explaining it to them. "Muggles," Draco whispered to Alex as they waited behind the family. "Or muggle-born I guess, I dunno. It's an assumption."

Draco didn't use the term mudblood as much as people thought he would. He grew up around it. At least at this young of age, he didn't use it often. Maybe it was because Alex didn't like the term. It didn't make sense to her, discriminating because of how magical their family is.

Alex watched the young girl curiously as she tried a few wands until one glowed in her hands. "That's the one!" Ollivander exclaimed before turning towards the girls' parents. "3 galleons a knut please."

The girl's mother reached into her purse, before shaking her head. "Dear, we're a knut short," she told the man beside her.

He shook his head. "That can't be right, I've been keeping track?" He said, glancing at her.

Alex frowned and started digging into her bag of change. "Alex, what are you doing?" Draco asked.

"Helping them," she told him.

"Dad said not to waste money," he told her. "C'mon I don't want you to get in trouble."

He nudged her, she rolled her eyes in return. "Draco it's a knut. Is it really that big of a deal? I'm helping someone."

"Alex-" he started to say, but before Draco could prevent her she took a few steps toward the family.

"Excuse me?" She questioned, and they turned towards her. "I have quite a bit of extra change, here take one." She put her hand out, revealing the knut in her palm.

Her mother smiled. "Thank you, dear, it's okay. I'm sure we have one somewhere."

"I insist," Alex said, they hesitantly took the knut, before turning towards Ollivander to pay.

The young girl had an eye on the redhead. "I like your hair!" She exclaimed suddenly. "It's very pretty! I'm Tianna Baker, are you a first-year as well?"

She nodded softly. "Thank you and yeah I am. I'm Alex," she said, Tianna shoved her hand out in front of Alex and Alex shook it.

"Do you know that boy behind you?" Tianna asked curiously, her big brown eyes now on Draco. Draco noticed this, so he joined them.

They can't know.

Lucius's words replayed in her head. 'We can't let people know this'

She nodded. "I just met him a few moments ago, we've just been talking since."

Draco twisted his face in confusion. "What?" But he stopped when Alex nudged him. "Oh yeah! I'm Draco Malfoy."

He sounded stiff like he didn't care about anything Tianna had to say. Tianna's mother placed a hand on her daughter's back. "C'mon Tianna, dear. We have to go get you're other stuff for the term." She turned to Alex. "Thank you again, Miss...?" She trailed off, waiting for a response.

"Thornbury," Alex finished. She still couldn't help but laugh at the ridiculous last name.

Tianna's family left and they approached Ollivander's very tall front desk. Alex looked up. "Miss Thornbury eh?" Ollivander questioned, raising an eyebrow.

Alex looked startled, curious even as to how he knew. "What?"

"Don't worry Miss Riddle, no one will find out from me. I have been told by Professor McGonagall to keep your secret safe," he said. "But I always remembered faces. I gave both your parents their wands, yours too Mr. Malfoy."

Alex smiled. "Thank you, sir," she said and looked at Draco. "Wanna go first?" She asked.

"You can."

Draco seemed more nervous than before, but Alex shrugged and her blue eyes shifted to Ollivander, who just nodded and walked back to get a wand.

He held the wand out in front of him. "Here you go, try this one." Alex carefully took the wand and watched Ollivander "Well wave it."

Alex nodded and waved the wand, an ink bottle exploded, and Alex jumped back. "Um..." she mumbled and quickly set the wand back on Ollivander's desk.

"Nope," he said and put the wand back, wiping his clothes which now had ink on it.

"Sorry Mr. Ollivander," she said quickly."

He looked at her. "Oh, it's alright Miss," he said, shaking his hand. "I've seen worse."

"Worse?"

"It's quite often a wand isn't right for a wizard or witch, then stuff like that happens," he explained and grabbed another wand off a shelf. "I have a good feeling like this. 11 1/2 inches, walnut wood, dragon heartstring."

Alex smiles slightly and grabbed the wand from his. Suddenly a small light came from the wand, nothing destructive happened. "Woah," she mumbled to herself.

Ollivander chuckled, "Well, we'll just check you out and then get Mr. Malfoy going," he said and glanced at Draco, who was standing behind Alex.

Alex took out some coins and handed them to him. "Thank you." She grabbed her wand and smiled, as she backed away and watched Draco take a few steps toward Ollivander. Alex turned around and watched out the window as students walked by.

A large group of redheads walked by. A few kids and two parents, who looked like they were in a hurry. Alex looked like she belonged with them, more so than with her family, with her red hair and freckles.

Draco got done and walked over to her. "Let's go meet mum and dad." He said.

Alex nodded. "Yeah, okay." She said as they exited Ollivander's shop. She had her supplies in hand as she looked around, following the blonde.

-

The two found Narcissa and Lucius waiting for them, they were talking to an older woman in green robes. "Alexis, Draco," Narcissa said cheerfully. "This is Professor McGonagall. She's the transfiguration Professor at Hogwarts."

Alex smiled and put her hand out, shaking McGonagall's. "It's nice to meet you."

"You too Miss Riddle," she said, with a slight head nod. "I am to inform you, that it is okay to go by a different last name. I agree for you it would be for the better."

McGonagall didn't agree for the same reason Lucius did, so they could keep their secret weapon hidden. McGonagall didn't want Alex's life ruined because of an last name, this would prevent kids from picking on her, or avoiding her because of her family.

Everything was set for Hogwarts, everything was gonna go perfectly.

authors note

so glad to post this chapter. especially since she meets her besties neville and tianna. i hope you all had a good holiday and have a happy new year.