Delays, Disappointment, and Dating - Part 9

"We should go back to the inn and get some sleep," Harry said. "Tomorrow we'll see if we can find Hepzibah Smith's former address. I bet it's on file at Borgin and Burkes."

"How do you propose getting them to give it to us?" Hermione asked.

"A distraction and the Invisibility Cloak ought to work," Harry said with a grin. "Let's get some sleep."

A sudden noise at the far end of the storeroom startled them all.

"Who's there?" a child's voice called into the darkness.

They extinguished their wands, and Harry raised the cloak in front of them like a curtain just as the boy flicked a switch. Ron flinched when the bright florescent lights lit the room.

"I know there's someone in here," the child said shakily. Harry could see him now. He was young – eight or nine – and wearing pajamas two sizes too small. He strode through the storeroom with a confidence that hinted, despite the waver in his voice, this wasn't his first time out of bounds after hours.

The boy began walking up the row, peering underneath some of the furniture. If he got too close, he'd be certain to see them.

Harry raised his wand and sent a spell in the other direction. A scurrying sound clearly emitted from a crack in the wall.

"Just rats," the boy mumbled. "Someone's probably been sneaking food down here." He turned and quickly hurried up the stairs, dousing the lights as he left.

"That was close," Ron said. "Nice distraction, Harry."

"We can't just leave him," Hermione said. "He's wandering around on his own, and he could get hurt. I'm certain that's against the rules."

"He's not hurting anyone, Hermione. I don't think this was the first time he's done this. Didn't you ever do some midnight prowling when you were younger?" Harry asked, again remembering the countless times he'd done the same thing. Sometimes, it was the only bit of freedom he'd managed to get.

"I still think we should ensure someone finds him," Hermione said, worriedly twisting her hands. "He was really young to be all alone."

"He's fine; we're not turning him in," Harry said, feeling a kinship with the rebellious boy. He Apparated out of the storeroom before anyone could argue with him about it.

The four returned to the inn and slept well into the afternoon the next day. Once they'd risen, they plotted how to discover the location of Hepzibah Smith's former address. Harry and Ron went into Diagon Alley under the Invisibility Cloak, barely getting through the crowded streets without being seen. It wasn't as easy for the two of them to fit beneath the Cloak as it had once been.

Harry felt a guilty pang when they passed Fred and George's shop. There was quite a crowd gathered around it, but he didn't spot either identical red head. He hoped the rest of the Weasleys weren't in too much of a panic over their disappearance. Ron walked past the shop, keeping his eyes focused directly ahead, and Harry knew he was worried too.

When they reached Knockturn Alley, Ron slipped out from under the Cloak and entered Borgin and Burkes, holding the door open long enough for Harry to enter unnoticed. Ron poked around inside for several moments while Harry edged towards the desk. The shop had only one other customer, and the clerk kept a wary eye on Ron the entire time he was there.

When the other customer asked a question of the clerk, Ron took advantage of the distraction and knocked over a display of biting coins. The clerk hurried over, scowling at Ron and the two of them tried to pick up the coins without getting their fingers chomped off in the process.