On the bustling street of Diagon Alley, Hermione Granger was trying to squeeze through a group of excited men and women.
The sunlight was blinding, and the summer heat dampened her forehead. She tucked a strand of her damp hair behind her ear and awkwardly squeezed out from the narrow gap between the two girls.
Not far away, a young boy was shouting at the top of his lungs, "Is that the fastest broom in the world, Dad?"
"Son, I do not think you need this yet—" the father said awkwardly.
"Firebolts! Just the samples—" the Quality Quidditch Supplies shop owner shouted to the potential customers around him.
Draco would be very interested. She glanced sideways at the crowd and caught sight of a corner of a broom. The broom's branches were neat and even, and the workmanship was exquisite, more refined than any broom she had ever seen. He would definitely like it.
Though a thousand thoughts raced through her mind, her steps did not falter. Her gaze swept hurriedly over baskets of bat spleens and eel eyes, and over a general store piled high with spellbooks, quill pens, rolls of parchment, medicine bottles, and moon globes, before finally peering and peering into the window of Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions.
A pale-faced boy with a pointed chin was standing on a footstool, waiting for the shop assistant to come and take his measurements.
"Draco!" Hermione smiled radiantly. She called his name loudly and skipped lightly into the store.
"Hermione." His eyes lit up, and he jumped off the footstool to greet her.
"Ron was not lying to me! He told me he thought he saw you around here, so I came to try my luck." She said happily, "I thought you would not come to Diagon Alley. Are your parents not worried about your safety? They even banned communication."
"They are making a fuss over nothing. But it is all right today. My father said almost all the Aurors have been sent to Diagon Alley. It should be the safest place in all of England right now," Draco explained to her.
"Oh, that makes sense. I have always felt there are some suspicious people in the Leaky Cauldron; they are always looking around furtively." Hermione suddenly realised.
"Are you staying at the Leaky Cauldron tonight?" Draco asked astutely.
"Yes, Harry and Ron are staying there today too. Mr Weasley is so kind; he offered me a lift to King's Cross Station. I have not seen Harry yet, but I expect he will be there soon…" Hermione said excitedly.
"Very good," Draco said dryly.
It seems that she had a fulfilling month without him—she felt no emptiness at all.
"Are you staying at the Leaky Cauldron too?" Hermione asked, scrutinising him curiously. He looked rather pale; had he not been getting enough rest lately? He was a completely different person from when she saw him in Bath.
"No, my family owns property in London," Draco said, his tone sombre.
"So—you came by yourself today?" Hermione looked around.
"My mother is buying me books, and my father is buying potion ingredients and such," Draco said casually, glancing out the shop window. "Where are Mr and Mrs Granger?"
"Oh, they dropped me off at the Leaky Cauldron and then went back. Well, after you get your measurements taken, shall we go and get some ice cream? Ron and I have already agreed to meet there," Hermione said cheerfully.
"I am afraid there will not be enough time. I will have to leave as soon as I finish taking my measurements. Enjoy your meal," Draco said, looking somewhat disappointed.
He did not know what was causing that sudden feeling of loss. He wanted to smile at her, but he felt a lump in his throat and could not manage a smile.
Hermione gave him a sympathetic look.
Just as she was about to say a few more words to comfort him, a thin female shop assistant came over with a measuring tape and safety pins, ready to take Draco's measurements.
"Those who are not interested in buying clothes, please go outside. It is too crowded here!" the female shop assistant said angrily.
"What kind of attitude is this?" Draco gave her a cold look. "Is this how you treat customers?"
The female shop assistant was about to say something when Hermione interrupted her.
"It is all right, Draco, I am off now." She shook her head slightly at Draco, signalling him not to get angry. She waved to him, "See you on the train tomorrow!"
Then, the girl apologised to the shop assistant and hurriedly left Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions.
Draco watched Hermione's departing figure; her long, wavy brown hair stood out in the crowd.
She came and went like the wind, leaving after saying only a few words.
She seemed quite happy, whether he was around or not.
He stood on the footstool again, absentmindedly as the female shop assistant put a dark green robe on him.
Through the shop window, he saw Harry walking towards him from the other end of the street. Hermione seemed delighted and rushed over to hug Harry.
They hugged for several seconds. Then, they said something, grinned, and happily walked together towards Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour.
She did not even hug him. She just smiled at him. Draco thought grimly, feeling as if a weight was hanging over his heart.
He was stiffly manipulated by the clueless female shop assistant, feeling as if he were being pricked with needles.
"Where are you going to poke that needle?" he said curtly.
"Excuse me. Do not get so angry!" The female shop assistant was startled by him and then said.
"Watch out!" he said arrogantly, watching Hermione and Harry gradually disappear into the crowd.
"I understand." The female shop assistant nodded silently, giving the short-tempered young customer a disdainful look behind his back.
Right now, the people who caused Draco's depression were sitting in Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, watching Ron's new wand.
"It is made of willow wood and has a unicorn hair core." Ron carefully put it away with delight. "It is much more convenient than Charlie's old wand."
"It is beautiful! I have heard that willow is particularly good for casting high-level non-verbal spells," Hermione said.
"My mother used to use a willow wand," Harry said. "Mr Ollivander once told me that willow wands are good for Charms work."
Hearing them say that, Ron was overjoyed.
A group of friends were enjoying large portions of ice cream in the sunshine, updating each other on their summer holiday progress.
The conversation shifted from "the twins almost locked Percy in the Pharaoh's tomb" to "the strange objects in the Black family mansion at Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place," and finally, Hermione spoke with concern about Draco.
"I think he must be really bored at home. I just ran into him, and he looked so listless and pitiful," she said, frowning.
After they parted, she was a little worried about him; he did not look well.
"I can probably understand how he feels. When Uncle Vernon locked me up, you chaps were completely out of touch, and that was a terrible feeling," Harry said sympathetically.
"He will be free soon. He can go back to Hogwarts tomorrow," Ron reassured them, taking a big, happy bite of ice cream. "Let me see your Gobstones set," he said to Harry. "I have wanted to play with it for ages."
Harry temporarily forgot about Draco's frustration at being cooped up at home. He excitedly pulled out his birthday present and showed his best friend his Gobstones set, which shone brightly in the sun. Before long, the two best friends were engaged in a fierce battle.
Hermione's attention was not on Gobstones.
She thought for a moment, opened her purse to check her allowance, and said to the boys who were fighting, "I need to leave for a whilst. I want to buy myself a birthday present."
"What are you buying? Books?" Ron asked, feigning kindness.
"I will buy a pet." She glared at Ron, annoyed. "I want an owl too. Harry has Hedwig, you have Pigwidgeon, I want one too… to deliver post or something…"
Instead of waiting for other owls to deliver her letters so she could conveniently bring them back herself.
"Look, there is the Magical Menagerie over there," Harry said, dodging the slime spraying from the Gobstones. "Do you need us to go with you?"
"No need, you chaps play." She glanced disapprovingly at the stinky slime in the Gobstones, left a sentence, and hurried towards the shop door.