Chapter 47 - 47. summers end. (2/2)

Gilderoy Lockhart heard him. He looked up. He saw Harry. He stared. Then he leapt to his feet and positively shouted, ”It can't be Harry Potter?”The crowd parted, whispering excitedly; Lockhart dived forward, seized Harry's arm as his so called friends abandoned him to his fate, and pulled him to the front. The crowd burst into applause. Harry's face burned as Lockhart shook his hand for the photographer, who was clicking away madly, wafting thick smoke over the Weasleys. All of the sudden Ryan did something he always wanted to do. he inhaled a deep breath and at the top of his lungs yelled 2 words that devolved everything into silence. ”STRANGER DANGER” he screamed pointing at Gilderoy in fear and yelling ”That strange uncle is trying to kidnap that boy quick call the aurors!” Gilderoy had taken critical damage being called both a pedo and a strange uncle he practically was vomiting blood. Harry and the weasley twins lost it. the crowd started yelling and shouting the girls were giggling Mrs . Weasley was giving Ryan a glare. Gilderoy tried to calm the situation down after a quick glance at Ryan.”Ladies and gentlemen,” he said loudly, waving for quiet. ”What an extraordinary moment this is! The perfect moment for me to make a little announcement I've been sitting on for some time!”

”When young Harry here stepped into Flourish and Blotts today, he only wanted to buy my autobiography鈥攚hich I shall be happy to present him now, free of charge鈥?#34; The crowd applauded again. ”He had no idea,” Lockhart continued, giving Harry a little shake as he was still laughing, ”that he would shortly be getting much, much more than my book, Magical Me. He and his schoolmates will, in fact, be getting the real magical me. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I have great pleasure and pride in announcing that this September, I will be taking up the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!”The crowd cheered and clapped and Harry found himself being presented with the entire works of Gilderoy Lockhart. Staggering slightly under their weight, he managed to make his way out of the limelight to the edge of the room, where Ginny was standing next to her new cauldron.

”You have these,” Harry mumbled to her, tipping the books into the cauldron. ”I'll buy my own鈥?#34; Ryan and Fred were making kissing noises at them. much to their embarrasment. ”Bet you loved that, didn't you, Potter?” said a voice Harry had no trouble recognizing. He straightened up and found himself face to face with Draco Malfoy, who was wearing his usual sneer.

”Famous Harry Potter,” said Malfoy. ”Can't even go into a bookshop without making the front page.”

”Leave him alone, he didn't want all that!” said Ginny. She was glaring at Malfoy ”Potter, you've got yourself a girlfriend!” drawled Malfoy. Ginny went scarlet as Ryans group had fought their way over, clutching stacks of Lockhart's books.

”Oh, it's you,” said Ryan, looking at Malfoy as if he were something unpleasant on the sole of his shoe. ”Bet you're surprised to see Harry with his future wife now you can't try to woo him anymore , eh?” ”What do you mean woo him I'm not a poofter,” screamed Malfoy. ”Could have fooled me slicked back hair that probably takes more time than a woman's hair to do spoiled princess personality constantly followed behind by two big boys.”

Malfoy went red.. Ryan dropped his books into the cauldron, too, and started toward Malfoy, but Harry and Hermione grabbed the back of his jacket.

”Ryan!” said Mr. Weasley, struggling over with Fred and George. ”What are you doing? It's too crowded in here, let's go outside.””Well, well, well鈥擜rthur Weasley.”

It was Mr. Malfoy. He stood with his hand on Draco's shoulder, sneering in just the same way.

”Lucius,” said Mr. Weasley, nodding coldly. It's just like the novels insult the little young master and the daddy comes out to play. ”Busy time at the Ministry, I hear,” said Mr. Malfoy. ”All those raids鈥?I hope they're paying you overtime?”

He reached into Ginny's cauldron and extracted, from amid the glossy Lockhart books, a very old, very battered copy of A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration. Even if Ryan had given them vouchers some habits are often kept to save money.”Obviously not,” Mr. Malfoy said. ”Dear me, what's the use of being a disgrace to the name of wizard if they don't even pay you well for it?”

Mr Weasley flushed darker than Ginny.

”We have a very different idea of what disgraces the name of wizard, Malfoy,” he said.

”Clearly,” said Mr. Malfoy, his pale eyes straying to Mr. and Mrs. Granger, who were watching apprehensively. ”The company you keep, Weasley鈥?and I thought your family could sink no lower鈥?#34; There was a thud of metal as Ginny's cauldron went flying; Mr. Weasley had thrown himself at Mr. Malfoy, knocking him backward into a bookshelf. Dozens of heavy spellbooks came thundering down on all their heads; there was a yell of, ”Get him, Dad!” from Fred or George; Mrs. Weasley was shrieking, ”No, Arthur, no!”; the crowd stampeded backward, knocking more shelves over; Ryan had sucker punched malfoy in the face with a satisfying crunch his nose broke it was pandemonium Ryan always wanted to join a good scuffle.”Gentlemen, please鈥攑lease!” cried the assistant, and then, louder than all鈥?/p>

”Break it up, there, gents, break it up鈥?#34;

Hagrid was wading toward them through the sea of books. In an instant he had pulled Mr. Weasley and Mr. Malfoy apart. Mr. Weasley had a cut lip and Mr. Malfoy had been hit in the eye by an Encyclopedia of Toadstools. He was still holding Ginny's old Transfiguration book. He thrust it at her, his eyes glittering with malice.

”Here, girl鈥攖ake your book鈥攊t's the best your father can give you鈥?#34; Pulling himself out of Hagrid's grip he beckoned to Draco whose nose was bleeding and swept from the shop.Yeh should've ignored him, Arthur,” said Hagrid, almost lifting Mr. Weasley off his feet as he straightened his robes. ”Rotten ter the core, the whole family, everyone knows that鈥攏o Malfoy's worth listenin' ter鈥攂ad blood, that's what it is鈥攃ome on now鈥攍et's get outta here.”

The assistant looked as though he wanted to stop them leaving, but he barely came up to Hagrid's waist and seemed to think better of it. They hurried up the street, Mrs. Weasley beside herself with fury. ”A fine example to set for your children鈥?brawling in public鈥?what Gilderoy Lockhart must've thought鈥?#34;

”He was pleased,” said Fred. ”Didn't you hear him as we were leaving? He was asking that bloke from the Daily Prophet if he'd be able to work the fight into his report鈥攕aid it was all publicity鈥?#34; Ryan had sneakily snatched riddles diary from Ginny's cauldron by offering to help carry it for her. it was a subdued group that headed back to the fireside in the Leaky Cauldron, where the group and all their shopping would be traveling back using Floo powder. They said good bye to the Grangers, who were leaving the pub for the Muggle street on the other side; Mr. Weasley started to ask them how bus stops worked, but stopped quickly at the look on Mrs. Weasley's face. Back at home Harry and Ryan were laughing with the girls about malfoy messed up face and the stranger danger prank Ryan had told them every time they see Lockhart to call him strange uncle and wonder how long it takes for him to break. they all agreed except Hermione who didn't want to do that to a professor.