Wizards were rather free-spirited. Or rather, rather wild.
They paid no attention whatsoever to rules common in the ordinary world, such as keeping quiet in bookshops-in the story's second year, Lucius Malfoy and Arthur even came to blows inside one.
Tris found that absurd, but wizards considered it perfectly normal.
It was the same now. Ron charged in, shouting excitedly, but the shop assistant merely glanced at him and, seeing that he was a child, paid him no further attention.
Percy, however, came over with a frown. "What are you doing? Is that any way to behave, shouting like that?"
Ron disliked Tris, his twin brother, but compared with Percy, Tris was considerably more likable.
At least Tris never put on a stern face and lectured people.
Right now, though, Ron had no time to worry about that. He was so excited that he was practically trembling.
Seeing Ron's face almost as red as his hair, Tris was puzzled. Ron could be excitable, but he did not usually get this worked up so easily.
Had he met a Chudley Cannons player?
Ron was a diehard Chudley Cannons fan. Although he had only watched a few matches in person, he followed the team's fortunes closely.
Tris could not really understand that.
In fact, it was not just sports fans. He could not really understand any kind of fan behavior, especially since the Chudley Cannons were currently one of the worst teams in the league.
They had won twenty-one championships in their history, including three in a row, but that had been nearly a hundred years ago.
Ron took a deep breath, pulled Percy and Tris close, and lowered his voice. "You'll never believe who I met at the robe shop."
"Who?" Percy looked indifferent.
Ron glanced around to make sure nobody was watching them, then lowered his voice again. "Harry Potter!"
"Ha-" Percy froze, then nearly cried out. Fortunately, Ron reacted quickly enough to clamp a hand over his mouth. "Keep it down! Do you want everyone to hear? Mum and Dad are talking to him. Want to come over?"
"Of course!" Percy said excitedly, immediately heading for the door-he had quietly returned his book to the shelf when Ron arrived.
They had met Harry?
Tris was surprised. He clearly remembered that, in the film, the Weasley family first met Harry at King's Cross Station.
Why had they met him early this time?
Hmm...
Tris thought it over and realized the reason.
Charlie.
Originally, Charlie had left for Romania as soon as his N.E.W.T. results arrived, rather than staying home this long. This time, however, Tris had suggested that he write to Dumbledore. Between Dumbledore writing to the Dragon Sanctuary, the sanctuary replying, and the job offer arriving, several extra days had passed.
And because everyone had been preoccupied with Charlie's situation, the family had put off going to Diagon Alley for school supplies.
Charlie had only received his offer yesterday, so everyone had come to Diagon Alley today to shop and celebrate.
That meant their visit had coincided with Harry's. His aunt and uncle's interference had delayed his letter by several days, and he had only been able to visit Diagon Alley after Hagrid came to fetch him.
Looks like this little fluttering moth has stirred up a chain reaction.
Thinking that, Tris could not quite decide whether it was a good thing or a good thing.
Still, the chance to meet the Boy Who Lived early did leave him feeling a little excited.
Following Ron and Percy out of the bookshop, Tris reached the entrance to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, where all three stopped short.
The robe shop had a fairly spacious storefront, but right now it looked particularly cramped.
It was not because there were too many people, although there certainly were quite a few inside. The main reason was the enormous man standing there.
He really was enormous!
He was more than twice an adult's height and three times as broad. Despite the summer heat, he wore a fur coat made from some unidentified hide, and his build looked more than capable of wrestling a full-grown brown bear.
"Merlin's kneecaps, he's tall," Ron said in astonishment, staring at the giant man.
Tris immediately recognized him as Hagrid.
He had known from the films that Hagrid was huge, but seeing him in person had a visual impact far beyond his expectations.
Good grief. No wonder all those vicious Fantastic Beasts look like little sweethearts to him. Anyone faced with a hulking creature like this would try their hardest to show their cute side, wouldn't they?
"Hagrid?" Percy naturally knew Hagrid. Although surprised, he was not nearly as taken aback as Ron and Tris. "He's the Keeper of Keys at Hogwarts. Oh..."
His gaze fell on someone else inside the shop.
Tris looked at the same person.
He was a tall, elegantly dressed middle-aged man with platinum-blond hair. Beside him stood a pale boy with the same hair color.
Could those be the Malfoys, father and son?
As Tris remembered it, Harry and Draco Malfoy had first met inside Hogwarts Castle.
Little Dragon had come running over to Harry, hoping to get close.
Harry had turned him down, wanting nothing to do with him.
Rejected, Little Dragon's love had turned to hatred, and so...
Wait, no. That was one of those slash videos I watched in my previous life.
Tris hurriedly banished those ridiculous thoughts from his mind.
But surely Draco and Harry did first meet in the castle? Why were they meeting here now?
Our family came to Diagon Alley late because of Charlie, and Harry was always supposed to come today. But what about Malfoy?
Strange.
Unable to work it out, Tris set it aside. Never one to torment himself, he pushed open the shop door and went inside.
"Oh, three more Weasleys? Arthur, you can't even maintain the bare minimum of dignity expected of a wizarding family. Why produce so many children just to make them suffer in poverty along with you?" The platinum-haired man glanced at the three newcomers, identifying them from their hair alone.
It was indeed Lucius Malfoy.
Tris nodded inwardly. He could not think of anyone besides Lucius who could be so obnoxious the moment he opened his mouth while strutting around like an overdressed peacock.
The Harry Potter world had two peacocks: Lockhart, the colorful one, and Lucius, the white one.
Of the two, Lockhart was slightly better. At least he said pleasant things.
Lucius's words left Arthur red-faced, but he was no great speaker and could not immediately think of a reply.
"Excuse me, mister," Tris said, unable to tolerate seeing his father get picked on. "Who are you? Dressed up like that, are you performing in a play?"
The wizarding world had stage plays too, and Lucius's old-fashioned aristocratic outfit really did make him look like an actor onstage.
Pfft!
Almost everyone present burst out laughing, including Harry, who had been left rather bewildered by the sudden turn of events.
Harry had come to Diagon Alley with Hagrid and found everything wonderfully new. The shopkeepers had all been friendly while he made his purchases, leaving him with a very favorable impression of the wizarding world.
But while being measured for his robes, he had met the platinum-haired boy now standing nearby.
Harry disliked the boy's superior attitude, and his subsequent disparaging remarks about Hagrid had annoyed him even more.
Harry had not intended to argue with him, but then a large redheaded family suddenly arrived. They seemed to know Hagrid well, greeting him and chatting warmly.
Then Hagrid apparently mentioned Harry, and the people chatting at the door immediately rushed inside and fussed over him.
Harry had already experienced the wizarding world's enthusiasm for him at the Leaky Cauldron, but the Weasley family's warmth still caught him a little off guard.
Yet it felt wonderful!
Harry was clever and sensitive. He could clearly read the undisguised kindness, sympathy, and affection in Molly's and Arthur's eyes.
The older boys were all very friendly too.
The only person who made Harry slightly uncomfortable was the little girl. Her burning gaze was a little more than he could handle.
Just as Harry was basking in the warmth of being cared for, that white-haired, garishly dressed middle-aged man appeared.
He immediately mocked the Weasley family, who had been so kind to Harry, making Harry furious. He simply did not know who the man was or quite understand the situation, so he had no idea what to say.
Tris's words were immensely satisfying.
Good-looking and pleasant to listen to-Harry instantly took a great liking to him.
"And who are you?" Lucius narrowed his eyes at Tris.
He was deeply displeased with this Weasley brat who had dared to mock him.
"I thought someone dressed so respectably would understand manners and etiquette. Apparently I was mistaken. You really can't judge people by their appearance." Tris shook his head with a disappointed sigh.
"What do you mean?" Lucius's handsome face darkened further.
Tris had all but called him ill-bred outright.
"Introducing yourself before asking someone else's name is basic courtesy. I thought anyone would understand that. Apparently I was wrong. Some people look splendid on the outside but are rotten within." The mockery rolled effortlessly off Tris's tongue.
Lucius felt his breathing grow heavier.
Tris's words infuriated him, yet he could not immediately find a suitable retort.
He could hardly say, "I am the head of the illustrious Malfoy family and a leading spokesman for Britain's Pure-blood clans. If you don't recognize me, that is your problem!"
Saying that to a little brat who apparently had not even started school and was only eleven at most would be far too embarrassing.
Even Lucius could not bring himself to say it.
His son, however, could.
"Hmph. A low-class family is a low-class family. You don't even recognize my father." Draco stepped forward with his chin raised and an arrogant expression.
To be fair, although both father and son were show-offs, Draco was nowhere near his father's level. His arrogance was far too blatant.
Lucius: eighty-five points. An accomplished show-off.
Draco: thirty-five points. A clumsy imitator.
After scoring their respective skills at showing off, Tris shook his head with an expression of pained disappointment and said,
"Well, you've confirmed once again what a failure your family is. It's hard to imagine a properly brought-up child being as ill-mannered as you. Perhaps you don't even know what good manners are?"
"You..." Tris's string of sophisticated terms left Draco momentarily confused. It took him a while to understand what had been said. Then he flew into a rage and immediately tried to rush forward and fight Tris.
Lucius hurriedly grabbed his son.
If this stupid boy didn't look so much like me, I'd wonder whether he was really mine.
Are you an idiot?
There are ten of them plus a Bear-man, and only two of us. You want to fight them bare-handed?
How could we possibly win?
"I am Malfoy. Lucius Malfoy." Lucius gritted his teeth, trying to preserve his haughty composure. Still, saying his own name inevitably restored some of his pride.
"Oh, so you're Lucius Malfoy." A smile appeared on Tris's face.
The Weasley family's expressions immediately turned peculiar. Knowing their son-or younger or older brother-as they did, whenever Tris wore that expression, he was about to do something wicked.
Lucius knew nothing of that. Assuming Tris had become frightened after learning his identity, he said smugly, "You should address me as Lord Malfoy."
"Of course, of course, Lord Malfoy." Tris beamed. "I know you..."
Lucius looked pleased. Even little children knew his illustrious name.
But Tris's next words were, "You're the Malfoy who used to be so chummy with the Dark Lord, aren't you?"
Lucius's expression changed drastically.