Chapter 2 ~ The Alley.

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Maxine knew the peace was to good for the summers morning - a few minutes later there was thumping up the stairs and a breathless Lily Potter hurled herself at the door.

''Maxie! Maxie you have to get up right now! We're going to Diagon Alley this morning, remember?''

Maxine smiled to herself and yelled back. ''Okay Lil, I'm coming!'' Her little sister was bound to be excited, for today Lily was being taken to Diagon Alley to get her school stuff. Maxine's smile then turned more regretful. She'd miss Lily when she went off to Hogwarts.

Rising doggedly out of bed, Maxine found a pair of jeans and a pale blue polo neck sweater to wear. She'd be going to the Alley, too, but she had other reasons. Professor Neville Longbottom owned a shop in a lesser-known part of Diagon Alley, and she and him were great friends. She shared his passion for Herbology, and loved the little shop that was crammed to the brim with strange, exotic plants from faraway places across the sea. 

At first Neville Longbottom had been the Herbology professor at Hogwarts, but then had decided to do something more ''worth while'', which meant the adventuring that he did to retrieve the stock for his shop. Surprisingly he made a good living, and many people visited his shop, often from other countries, for Neville could tell plenty of stories involving American, Swedish, French and many more nationalities of magical folk that visited his shop.

After putting on the simple clothing and a small bit of eyeliner, Maxine exited the attic after a fond smile at the room. Her visits to the outside world usually involved Professor Longbottom, the only problem being that he encouraged her to go out more. He was surprisingly friendly and kind, considering the fact that his parents had been tortured to insanity by none other than Maxine's grandmother, Bellatrix Lestrange.

Upon entering the kitchen she was greeted by two boys to many - and sighed. James' friends had come to stay.

Both boys, one blonde and freckled, the other with darker hair, looked at her as if she was a bomb - the treatment she received from them every summer. James himself was talking away to them at the kitchen table, though he had his eyes on Maxine warily. Maxine sighed. She had been close to her brother in the past, but since last year he had been acting differently with her. There had also been an incident in his first year, involving a young Irish woman and supporters of Lord Voldemort's beliefs that Maxine had missed and certainly didn't ask about. She didn't know the details, but Harry and Ginny had explained that nothing could be said, otherwise the media would pounce - and that they would explain when she was older. She had never asked about it again - she had sensed it was better not to. But one thing for sure, James had been her brother back then. Now...now he was her enemy.

This chain of reactions was enough to spoil her mood for the day, but luckily a tactful Albus stepped in and began talking to her non-stop about a Herbology project his year were going to do at Hogwarts when the term began. So, with a final glare at the three fifteen-year-olds across the table, Maxine fell down to discussing the properties of puffapods.

***

An hour later and the eight of them were in the Leaky Cauldron, Harry and Ginny Potter, James and his two dooshbags, Albus, Lily and Maxine. All of them had they're own destinations in the ally; Harry and Ginny would accompany Lily and Albus when buying their gear, James and his friends were heading for Flourish and Blotts to get their new books (though Weasley's Wizard Wheezes was also a destination for the three boys), and Maxine was of course heading for Professor Longbottom's Shop.

Upon entering the Alley they all split up, with shouts of ''Meet us back here in an hour!'' coming from Ginny and Harry Potter as four of them raced off. Maxine tried in vain to avoid James and his two friends, but seeing as they both had to walk the same way down the Alley is was kind of impossible. Her temper began to rise once more as she caught more wary glances and whispers between the three. Usually Maxine was calm, cool and quiet, but when something aroused her hot temper, there was no stopping her. She felt sparks fly from the wand she held by her side. God, why couldn't she just ignore them?

With a parting glare at James, she crossed the street and disappeared into the warm, familiar ''Continental Magical Plants; Rare and Unique'' to be greeted by a rosy-faced, smiling Neville Longbottom.