Honeydukes Hazard

Chapter Four – Honeydukes Hazard

Sighing softly to herself, she stepped out of the fireplace and quickly brushed herself off, the Floo powder clinging to her dark, blue robes. She reached up to gently brush back a few stray strands of hair that fell out of place before reaching to raise her cloak's hood.

"Good morning, sir." Hermione swiftly greeted the proprietor of the Leaky Cauldron, not waiting for a reply before making her way out of the back of the establishment and into a small alleyway.

Reaching into her robes, she withdrew her wand and tapped the worn, moss-covered bricks in front of her in a rhythmic series of taps. Within moments, the bricks began to shift and split apart, revealing the entrance into Diagon Alley. She couldn't help the awe and excitement that seemed to wash over her every time she was here. Even though she had been submerged within the Wizarding world for almost five years now, it had not yet lost its luster for her.

Stepping out into the alley, she began to easily stroll down the cobblestone paths, taking in all the people around her. Witches and wizards alike milling about, going about their day; she couldn't help but notice how they were so much like Muggles and yet so different.

She then took notice of a small gap in the crowds of people; one storefront seemed to be fairly open to the street while the others had hoards of people in front of them. It was then she realized it was the Apothecary. Her eyes lit up when she saw a small sign tucked in the corner stating that there is a sale on unicorn's hair and firewire. She decided to make a quick stop in before heading back to Hogwarts.

Continuing on her way, she was more than content to observe her surroundings and the people around her. Ever since she was young, she had enjoyed what some might call people-watching. Passing Flourish and Blotts, she realized that Scribbulus Everchanging Inks was right next door, and though it was a practically a little hole in the wall, it contained some of the finest parchment and ink Galleons could buy. Again, she made another note to not only stop in the Flourish and Blotts but also Scribbulus and the Apothecary on the way back.

Easily weaving her way down the narrow cobblestone path and through the crowds, she finally arrived at Gringotts. Stopping just in front of the massive building, she couldn't help but look up and take in its rickety and odd-shaped pillars. The structure reminded her of the Burrow in a lot of ways. Her eyes darkened when she realized that there would probably be no more holidays or summers spent at the Burrow or with the Weasleys. No don't go thinking about that now, she chided herself silently.

Suddenly, she was roughly shoved forward and fell gracelessly to the ground, which jarred her back to the present. Some street peddler was swiftly making his way into Knockturn Alley, his parcels clinging and clanging behind him. It soon became clear why when an irate wizard came barreling down the path, tripping over Hermione who was still sprawled out on the ground, though that did nothing to deter him, as he was still hot on the vendor's heels.

Sighing heavily to herself, she clamored to her feet and began righting her robes once more. Reaching up, she went about fixing her hair, though much to her surprise, there wasn't all that much to fix, thankfully. Her eyes widened in fright when she didn't feel the thick envelope that had been pressing up against the underside of her breast, hidden within one of her cloaks' many pockets. She immediately went about shaking out her robes, and after a moment or two, a thick envelope made of heavy stock came tumbling forth.

Catching the package with shaky fingers, she swiftly turned her back to the crowd facing the wall. She opened the envelope, making sure that everything was accounted for before breathing a sigh of relief. She then quickly pocketed the envelope once more. Once settled, she looked up, and she couldn't help but notice that she was no longer in Diagon Alley per se.

Through all the jostling and movement, she had been pushed underneath a small overpass that led right into Knockturn Alley. That was the moment she should've immediately turned around headed back toward the bank, which in reality was only a few feet away, but her natural curiosity had gotten the better of her.

And with that, she stepped fully into Knockturn Alley.

The entrance to the Knockturn was shrouded in shadow and quite narrow. Surrounded by nothing but dark, damp, moss-covered bricks, it was fairly silent except for what was now the dull roar of people passing by from Diagon Alley. The gentle click of her heels and her steady breathing only seemed to intensify the sound of her own heart pounding within her ears.

Then, out of a small hidden alcove, a shadow appeared, causing Hermione to yelp in surprise. Hermione eyed the shadow warily before it stepped into the light, revealing a tiny, old, yet haggard-looking woman. She was fairly short in stature, barely five foot one, and her long, silver hair fell around her wrinkled and pinched-up face in stringy strands. Catching the look on Hermione's face, her cracked and dry lips curled up into what might be considered a smile, which revealed a few dirty, yellow, rotten, jagged teeth. Hermione couldn't help but recoil back, not in disgust but more in fear than anything else.

"Mornin', dearie," she rasped out.

"Ah... good morning, ma'am... If you'd excuse me, I really must be going," Hermione said as politely as possible, already figuring on a polite way to make a mad dash back to the relative safety of Diagon Alley.

"Why the rush, dearie... I'm sure I've got somethin' here that could..."

"I don't think so, but thank you. Now, if you'll excuse me," Hermione said quickly before turning on heel in an attempt to escape, suddenly realizing that this little adventure wasn't such a good idea after all.

A startled yelp escaped her throat, as the old woman was suddenly standing in front of her. Hermione's hand curled tightly around her wand just in case; it was times like these when Hermione cursed her Muggle upbringing.

"Dearie..."

"Excuse me, but you will remove yourself from my path this instant if you know what is good for you," Hermione said hotly, brandishing her wand.

The old woman's eyes darkened considerably, but all she did was nod her head and bow in a form of mock submission. She hitched up her parcels and then slowly stepped to the side keeping her eyes cast on the ground. "I be beggin' your pardon, ma'am," she murmured softly.

Hermione eyed the woman warily before swiftly making her way past the woman and down and back out of the alley. Her steps slowed slightly when she looked back over her shoulder and found the woman melting back into the shadows. Reaching the entrance back into Diagon Alley, she collapsed weakly against the cool stone. Panting heavily, she shakily placed her wand back within the fold of her robes.

She began to shake her head at her reaction to the old woman. Merlin, that was foolish of me; it wasn't like she was trying to hurt me or anything... probably just wanted to sell me some useless bauble or charm, and I was downright rude to the poor woman. When she looked back down the alleyway, it was empty, all evidence of the woman gone.

Biting her lower lip, she then resolved to make another trip into Knockturn Alley, and then she wouldn't let herself scare so easily. Perhaps she might even run into that old woman again. Shaking her head, she realized that she had better get about her business before Dumbledore became concerned.

Swiftly, she made her way out of the small alcove and back into Diagon Alley and Gringotts Bank. Slowly, she made her way into the large ornate building. When she first had been accepted to Hogwarts, her parents had traveled with her to Diagon Alley to exchange their Muggle money into Galleons and to purchase the needed items for her first year.

Shaking off the melancholy feelings, she squared her shoulders and swiftly made her way over to one of the Goblin tellers.

"State your business," he said with a bored look on his face, obviously not happy with having to look up from a roll of parchment, which previously had all of his attention.

"Ah, yes, I need to have this amount exchanged," she said politely while pulling the thick stock envelope from her robes and placing it up on the high counter.

The goblin grunted in response and removed the contents of the envelope. He didn't even blink at the large amount of Muggle money that was in front of him. He merely went about counting the large bills, and when he was finished, he recounted them again before placing it all back in the envelope. With a snap of his gnarled fingers, it was gone, and in its place were two fairly large black velvet pouches.

He then began writing out a small piece of parchment noting the transaction. Again with a snap of his fingers, it duplicated itself. He then asked for her signature on each, and with a flick of her wrist, her signature appeared on both pieces of parchment. He quickly scanned them, then suddenly his eyes glowed briefly, and with a swift nod of his head, one of the copies disappeared.

"Will that be all?"

"No, sir, I'd actually like to deposit half of it and take the rest with me."

He nodded curtly, and once again, his eyes glowed for a brief moment. It wasn't too long after that that another goblin was at her side looking up at the teller for his orders. The two pouches shimmered from their place on the desk before appearing in the other goblin's hands. A silent exchange occurred between the two before the one summoned jerked his head and muttered, "This way, please." Hermione was left to simply follow.

For having such short legs, goblins moved fairly fast, Hermione thought, as they moved deeper into the bank. Suddenly, the goblin stopped in front of a large ornate door with an even more complicated-looking lock. There was a large desk off to the right, which he made a beeline for, and with a jerk of his head, he indicated for Hermione to follow. It took the creature a moment to clamor up onto the seat, but once settled, he was all business.

"Now, you wish to deposit half of what is here... yes?" he asked brusquely.

"Yes, sir."

"Your name," he murmured.

"Hermione Jane Granger"

"Ah, yes, here we are: Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, vault 3980 in trust for Hermione Jane Granger. You are not of age yet..." he said, trailing off, the question clear.

"Oh, no, not as yet, but it clearly states that the account is mine. Just because I am not of age yet doesn't mean that I am not able to deposit and..."

"Yes, yes, of course. I was just checking to make sure that everything was in order."

He then rose from his seat and handed the parchment receipt and both pouches to Hermione. Moving as swiftly as his short legs would carry him, he moved back in front of the large double doors, and after a moment, they swung wide open; he then stepped inside with Hermione hot on his heels.

Once both were inside, the doors slammed shut, and torches flared brightly with life. "Follow me please,"came the high-pitched yet authoritative voice of the goblin in front of her as they slowly made their way down a short spiral stone staircase.

He then stopped at the bottom on what looked to be a platform. It wasn't long before what could be considered a trolley car pulled up, and the goblin climbed in before waiting patiently for Hermione to follow. Once both goblin and witch were settled, they were on their way.

The trolley shot out of the station with surprising speed. After a few twists and turns, the trolley came to an abrupt halt before announcing that they had arrived at vault 3980. The goblin then climbed out of the car, then turned to Hermione and requested the key. Reaching into her robes, she produced a large gold skeleton-like key.

Nodding in response, he swiftly made his way over to the vault, and the large door swung open. Hermione slowly made her way out of the car and into the vault. Sighing softly, she looked around at the contents of the vault before tossing one of the pouches in with the rest of the lot. She then turned around and quickly made her way back to the trolley stating that her business was indeed finished.

They then quickly headed back the way they came. Hermione bid the goblin a good day and quickly exited the bank. Heaving a heavy sigh, she hadn't realized that entering the vault would cause such a reaction. Shaking it off, she again realized it wasn't the time or the place for such thoughts.

Double checking to make sure that she had everything she needed, she stepped fully out of Gringotts and back into the street, only to slam directly into a dark solid wall, causing it to let loose a curse. While apologizing profusely, she looked up, and her eyes widened considerably at the sight before her:

There stood a very annoyed and irate-looking Professor Snape.

"Pro... Professor Snape," she stammered.

"You seem to be stuttering quite a bit as of late, Miss Granger," he drawled softly.

"Oh, well, yes – hold on a second... What are you doing here?" she asked curiously.

The Potions master's already stiff stature stiffened all the more before he drew himself up to his full height. Crossing his arms over his chest, a brow rose in question as he looked down at her disdainfully.

"What am I doing here? I think the real question is what you are doing here. Though this is a Hogsmeade weekend that does not give Hogwarts students the right to make their way into Diagon Alley whenever they see fit... I suggest you start explaining yourself."

"I had some business to attend to; Professor Dumbledore gave me permission to use the Floo from his office to the Leaky Cauldron. I was just finishing up and was about to make my way back to Hogwarts. ... I have the identifica..." she said, already reaching into her robes.

"No, that won't be necessary. However, I suggest that you do not linger for too long."

"Of course, sir," she said.

Giving her one last lingering glance, he bid her good day before brushing past her. Curious as to where he was going in such a hurry her eyes widened in shock and surprise as she watched her professor swiftly make his way through the entrance to Knockturn Alley. What on earth could he want in there? she thought silently.

Shrugging it off, she turned and quickly made her way back up Diagon Alley. Once at Flourish and Blotts, she popped inside and quickly purchased her book, Great Potions Masters Through the Ages. She smiled politely at the proprietor of the shop before dropping two shiny Galleons on the counter and taking her leave. As soon as she had stepped out of the bookstore, she entered the stationery shop right next door.

Wandering the isles, she picked out two new large rolls of parchment. She spent so much of her time note taking and studying that extra writing materials always seemed to be needed. Heading up to the counter, she paused when she noticed a display of beautiful ornate bottles containing some high-quality ink.

Normally, she'd never think of buying something so frivolous since she could easily charm her quills with an everlasting ink spell. However, she had just broken up with her first long-term boyfriend. Shopping was supposed to be some sort of therapy... right? She did have a few extra Galleons swimming around in her robes that morning. Shrugging and smiling to herself, she picked up two large bottles and placed them up on the counter with the two rolls of parchment. Smiling brightly up at the merchant, she dropped six Galleons on the counter before heading back out into the street once more.

As she made her way back up Diagon Alley, she realized that contending with her rather large packages all the way back to Hogwarts was probably not the best way to go. She whispered a charm softly, and the packages shrunk down to such a size that she easily slipped the book, rolls of parchment, and ink into one of the many folds of her robes.

Coming up on the Apothecary once more, she quickly made the decision to bypass the shop; she had spent enough time in the alley as it was that morning. It was time to get back to Hogwarts; she still had to meet with Dumbledore upon her return before she could head into Hogsmeade.

Again, she repeated the pattern on the brick wall before it cracked and shifted, allowing her back into the Leaky Cauldron. It took a minute for her eyes to adjust to the dim lighting of the pub before she could make her way over to the fireplace. Just as she was about to toss some Floo powder into the hearth, she heard a raspy voice calling to her from the direction of the bar. Turning, she was surprised to see Tom, the owner of the establishment, waving her over.

"Sir?"

"Aye, I've got somthin' here for Professor Dumbledore. I'd normally just owl the damned thing, but since you're headed straight back to him, I figured you could just take it instead... You can do that, can't ya?" he said passing an envelope over to her.

"Of course, sir, I'll see he gets this," she promised.

"Well, off you go then." And with that, he went back to wiping down the bar.

Eyeing him for a moment, she turned and headed back toward the fireplace. Tossing in a fair amount of powder, she announced her destination. "Hogwarts: Headmaster's Office." And in a puff of powder, she was gone.

Within moments, Hermione reappeared in the Headmaster's Office. Stepping out of the fireplace, she brushed off her shoulders and shook out her robe. Sighing, she reached up to fluff out her hair. The Floo is definitely not the way to travel, she thought. Once settled, she looked up and smiled in greeting.

"Hello, Hermione, I trust your trip went well," he asked serenely.

"Oh, yes, I made it to Gringotts just fine. I exchanged the full amount and made the deposit. I did, however, keep half; I had a few things I needed to get, and I still would like to head into Hogsmeade... if that's all right?" she asked.

"That's all more than fine; go and enjoy the rest of your day."

Hermione smiled in thanks and began to take her leave when she suddenly remembered the letter she had received from Tom at the Leaky Cauldron. Turning, she walked back to the desk and removed the envelope from her robes.

"I almost forgot... Tom from the Leaky Cauldron asked that I give this to you."

"Thank you," he said simply as he accepted the envelope from her.

At her look of concern, he merely smiled and said that it was only a social letter and nothing more. Even with the war being over, it wasn't that long ago simple letters caused great worry. Hermione lingered a moment longer before heading out of Dumbledore's office. Making her way down the halls, it was surprisingly silent. Although it was a Hogsmeade weekend, first years were still restricted to the castle and Hogwarts grounds.

She quickly made her way into Gryffindor Tower and to her rooms. Crooks greeted her with a soft mew before returning to his mid-morning nap. Sighing, she pulled the miniaturized book, parchments, and ink from her robes, and with a few whispered charms, they all returned to their normal size. She left them on the bed to be dealt with later before exiting her rooms once more.

Soon she had made her way out of Gryffindor Tower, out of the castle itself, and onto Hogwarts grounds. As she made her way down the dirt path towards the school's gates, a large tentacle came up out of the lake and waved merrily at her. She giggled in response and waved back before continuing on her way. The gates to the school were already wide open, just as they were every Hogsmeade weekend since the students were allowed to come and go as they pleased.

It wasn't long before she crossed the tracks of Hogsmeade station and entered the small Wizarding town of Hogsmeade itself. As she came up upon the Three Broomsticks, she quickened her steps in hopes of avoiding just about everyone. Though Honeydukes usually had a student or two inside, it was the local tavern that most students flocked to. Making it past with no problem, she began to breathe a bit easier and made a beeline for the sweets shop.

Once inside, she soon lost herself in the isles of sweets. Her eyes lit up at the sight of the large display of Chocoballs. Grabbing a pouch, she reached into a bin and took out three or four scoops of the sweets...in the end taking about a quarter of a pound. Continuing on her way, she grabbed three large packages of Fizzing Whizbees and five canisters of sugar quills. She then reached up and grabbed a sixth canister deciding that she did go through them rather fast when studying.

She continued to wander the isles, eyeing each and every one of the sweets with bright eyes. Coming upon a large display of bricks of chocolate, she greeted the bouncy house-elf who cut the piece of the rather large slabs. The young elf eagerly hopped up and took Hermione's order of half a brick, which equated to about half a pound. The brick of chocolate was quickly wrapped up in Honeydukes signature paper. Hermione was once again making her way through the shop.

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a sale on lemon drops and just couldn't resist. She reached for another pouch and filled it up till she had nearly a pound of the sugary sweet and sour candy. Now loaded down with more candy than a girl her size should know what to do with, she headed up to the counter to purchase her findings. She quickly paid the woman and bid her a good day with a bright smile.

Just as she had done in Diagon Alley, she whispered a few charms, and once again, her packages were small enough to place in the folds of her cloak. Settling herself, she realized that there was nothing else for her to do in Hogsmeade and that she was rather hungry. It was then she decided to just head back to the castle and get something to eat from the kitchens.

"Hermione..."

Her eyes fluttered shut as if in pain when she heard her name being called and the hesitancy that colored the voice calling for her. She looked up and came face to face with the two people she hated most at that particular moment in time. Squaring her shoulders, she merely looked at both of them defiantly, refusing to even acknowledge them with words before she quickly brushed past both of them.

"Hermione... please wait!" Harry cried out.

Her steps didn't falter; if anything, she began to walk faster.

"'Mione, please!" Ron's distress could clearly be heard.

At the use of the once affectionate nickname, Hermione turned to face both boys, her eyes aflame with a furious fire. She stalked up to Ron and smacked him clean across the face.

"Don't you dare ever refer to me as Mione again," she bit out.

She then again turned on heel and began to make her way back toward Hogwarts. Once out of the village, she thought herself free, and her steps began to slow once more, though her anger was still present. However, when she heard the sound of quick moving feet behind her, she realized that she just couldn't be that lucky.

Without a word, she turned and waited for the two obviously distressed boys to catch up. They stopped, panting heavily as they leaned against one another, both trying to catch their breath. They stared at her longingly, searching for the words which would supposedly magically right everything between the three former friends.

"'Mione..."

He never got to get out the rest of his plea. For with a few quick fluid movements, Hermione drew her wand and cast a Jelly-Legs Jinx on both boys, leaving them to collapse against each other and down to the ground from the sheer strength of the curse. With a satisfied nod, Hermione made her way back up the road and into Hogwarts.

End of Chapter Four

Author Note: Again many thanks to my betas who make my ideas flow better; you guys know who you are. Also, thanks go to Southern Witch for giving this another read through.

Next: We follow Snape and see how he spends his Saturday

Southern's Notes: I'm quite intrigued by all this business she's conducting and these powers she has. I do hope she gives Harry a chance, but I don't know that Ron deserves one...at least not yet.