Chapter 55: A Shocking Turn of Events
As I walked through the bustling alley, I finally spotted them inside Flourish and Blotts. George and Fred were engaged in a conversation with Jordan Lee, while Luna was engrossed in reading an old book. However, my attention was drawn to Hermione Granger, a dark-brown-haired girl, who was having a serious discussion with Ron. Her curly hair had been replaced with smooth and flowing locks, and her previously prominent teeth were no longer visible.
"So, that's why she wanted to surprise me... well, good for her because she succeeded," I thought to myself with a small smile. Lowering my presence, I stealthily made my way behind the group. It seemed that Luna had noticed me because she stared at me with her mischievous smile, to which I responded with a similar smile. Sneaking up behind Hermione, I covered her eyes with my hand, causing her to squeal in surprise.
"Guess who?" I playfully exclaimed. Ron also looked shocked at my sudden appearance, but he and the others had grown accustomed to my unpredictable nature, so they simply ignored it and exchanged amused glances with Hermione.
"Moses!!??" Hermione exclaimed, surprised by my arrival, as she turned around and hugged me with excitement.
"Where were you?" she asked, looking at me somewhat annoyed.
"Gringotts," I answered simply, while taking note of her changes.
"We were there too, but we couldn't find you, mate," Ron remarked.
"Yeah, I was in a private room. I had some business to take care of, so it took quite some time," I replied to Ron. Deciding to change the topic, I looked at Hermione again.
"You look beautiful, Hermione," I commented, smiling at her. Hermione had always harbored some insecurities about her appearance, but I doubted anyone would make a big deal out of it. She was perfect before, and she is still perfect now.
As soon as she heard my comment, a blush spread across her cheeks, and her eyes widened in surprise. She blushed in a rather comical way, causing me to chuckle at her reaction. I knew she had feelings for me, but we were still children, and I didn't think it was normal for a 12-year-old to be involved in a romantic relationship. Well, at least I didn't have any understanding of it. Besides, I wasn't even sure about the difference between liking someone and loving someone. If liking or loving someone meant protecting them unconditionally and caring for them throughout life, then wasn't that the same as being a friend?
'Love... it truly is a complicated matter. It perplexes my very existence. After all, did my parents even love me? If they did, then why did they leave?' My thoughts were abruptly interrupted when someone suddenly appeared by my side and took hold of my left hand.
"Oh... Hey, Luna. What's going on?" I asked her, curious about her actions.
"Nothing, I just thought you might need it," she answered while looking at me with her dreamy gaze. She held my hand tightly and playfully swung it. I laughed at her playful gesture.
"You're weird," I commented, laughing joyfully.
"I know... we both are." After saying that, she walked towards the still-dazed Hermione, dragging me along.
"Why is there a long line there? Is there some event or something?" I asked Luna. I was supposed to ask Hermione, but I think she isn't in her right mind yet.
"Gilderoy Lockhart. Mrs. Molly was in line there too. You should've seen Harry earlier; the look on his face spoke murder when Lockhart suddenly grabbed him for a publicity stunt. I suspect he even stepped on his foot then, though Mr. Lockhart managed to hide the pain in front of the camera," Luna replied with an amused smile. She also sounded really disappointed when saying her last words.
"Where's Harry, by the way?" As soon as I said that, someone suddenly grabbed my shoulder from behind.
"Moses! Finally! Where were you!?"
It was Harry. He looked weary, and his clothes and hair were a mess.
"I was at Gringotts. Something came up! Chill for a minute, will you?" I answered him, a little irritated. He was right in front of me; he didn't need to shout.
"Never mind that, did Ron and Hermione already tell you?" he questioned.
"Tell me about what?" I asked, looking questioningly at Hermione behind me.
"You didn't tell him, Hermione?" Harry asked the girl behind me, causing her to widen her eyes in realization.
"I was going to, but then he—he—never mind that! I'll tell him right now," Hermione muttered as she stepped in front of me with a serious look on her face.
"Well, firstly, the Malfoys were here, and Mr. Weasley got into a scuffle with them." She started while waving her arms around nervously.
"What?! Is Mr. Weasley all right?" I asked, panicky. That old man was a good man; it would be bad if something unexpected happened to him because of some man who wears a long white wig.
"Yes, yes, he's all right. He's fine," Hermione assured.
"That's a relief. After that, what happened?"
"Daphne," Harry interjected, looking at me gravely.
"Daphne, why? What happened to Daphne? Was she here?" I questioned him continuously. I had only been gone for over an hour, and it felt like decades already. This is annoying!
"Daphne, she arrived just before Mr. Weasley and Draco's father got into a serious fight. Moses, did you know?" she questioned, staring into my eyes.
"Knew about what? Just get to the point, Mione," I said to her. I'm really curious now. Daphne took care of me for a week, and naturally, I became her friend. Though we weren't able to talk more because Madam Pomfrey always shushed us and talked about me needing rest and such.
"Well–well, we found out that she–she..." Hermione stuttered nervously. However, just before she could finish her sentence, Harry and Ron interrupted her with a yell.
"She's engaged to Draco!"
With her shout, my brain short-circuited. Daphne with Malfoy? How? Why? And so young? What's happening in this world? All those questions bombarded my mind, but the only question that my mouth managed to let out was...
"What!?"
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"Political marriage!?" Hermione, Moses, and Harry questioned Mr. Weasley at the same time.
The Weasley family and the Granger family, along with Harry and Luna, had already finished all their shopping in Diagon Alley. They made their way to the Leaky Cauldron, where Moses continued their talk about Daphne's engagement to Draco Malfoy. Somehow, Mr. Weasley was able to overhear their conversation, which led him to explain the possible reason why Daphne had to marry Draco Malfoy at the age of twelve.
"Yeah, lads. It's normal among the families in the Sacred 28 to have a political marriage between families. It has been a tradition for some families, especially those who indoctrinated themselves in pure-blood supremacy. The Greengrass family has always been quiet, which is why they earned the title as one of the leading figures amongst the grey family, but I guess it was bound to change someday..." Mr. Weasley said with a grim expression. The Grangers and kids were listening to him intently, while Molly was quietly sitting beside him.
"What do you mean it was bound to change, Mr. Weasley? Did something happen for it to change?" Moses asked, with a confused expression on his face.
"...Yes, young Moses. Something unfortunate happened," Arthur replied solemnly.
"Lady Apolline Greengrass and the Greengrass family head, Apollor Greengrass, died right before their two daughters' eyes..." Molly said with a sad tone in her voice. Arthur and she heard it from Dumbledore himself inside their special circle. When she heard it, she immediately volunteered to take care of the girls, but Dumbledore declined her by saying, "Young Daphne is now the official Lady of the Greengrass Family, and any decisions concerning her family shall be made by her alone. It will be hard for her, but helping her can do more harm than good to the Greengrass family. If any sign of weakness is seen in their family, some may interpret it as a sign that none of us would want to happen."
"Poor girls..." Mrs. Granger whispered, leaning on her husband for support.
Moses pondered to himself, a confused expression adorning his face while reminiscing about the joyful smile of a certain white-haired girl. "What...? But she looks so..."
"Dumbledore was the first person to see their manor already demolished. Fortunately, the two young girls were still alive when he arrived," Mrs. Weasley added with a saddened look.
"Did someone also attack their house?" Harry asked, looking into Mr. Weasley's eyes.
"No one knows, maybe except for Dumbledore. He was the one who arrived there first." Molly answered.
"In any case, after that tragic event, the other grey families became a little hectic in usurping some of the Greengrass family's business—" Arthur added, but before he could finish, Moses interrupted him.
"So they were engaged because Daphne...no...the Greengrass family needs protection against those families...?" Moses questioned while clenching his fist.
"It is a possibility. Or maybe Lady Greengrass did indeed fancy Draco Malfoy—" Mr. Weasley responded with an unsure expression, then Ron interjected, "That's bollocks." Ron interrupted, earning a nod from Hermione, Moses, and Harry.
"She was the only Slytherin in our school who can be said to be a good person. I'm also puzzled about why she was in Slytherin, considering her personality, but I guess the hat logically placed her there because she needed to be in there."
"Like I was in mine..." Ron muttered to himself while looking at his family.
"Don't let her know that we know her circumstances, okay? It will get awkward really quickly. We need to support her in what she plans first, and only then can we take action. Just the thought of someone doing something they don't want to do makes me sick to my core. We'll help her... if she wants to be helped," Moses said with finality, looking at the others with great resolve.
After their enlightening conversation, the Weasleys and the Grangers decided that it was already time to go home. They bid their goodbyes to each other, and then Moses, Luna, Harry, and the Weasleys traveled back to their hometown through the fireplace of the Leaky Cauldron using Floo Powder.
BOOOSH!
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