Harry Potter 02 - Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

entirely of shops devoted to the Dark Arts. The one he’d just left, Borgin and Burkes, looked like the largest, but opposite was a nasty window display of shrunken heads, and two doors down, a large cage was alive with gigantic black spiders. Two shabby-looking wizards were watching him from the shadow of a doorway, muttering to each other. Feeling jumpy, Harry set off, trying to hold his glasses on straight and hoping against hope he’d be able to find a way out of there.
    An old wooden street sign hanging over a shop selling poisonous candles told him he was in Knockturn Alley. This didn’t help, as Harry had never heard of such a place. He supposed he hadn’t spoken clearly enough through his mouthful of ashes back in the Weasleys’ fire. Trying to stay calm, he wondered what to do.
    ‘Not lost are you, my dear?’ said a voice in his ear, making him jump.
    An aged witch stood in front of him, holding a tray of what looked horribly like whole human fingernails. She leered at him, showing mossy teeth. Harry backed away.
    ‘I’m fine, thanks,’ he said. ‘I’m just –’
    ‘HARRY! What d’yeh think yer doin’ down there?’
    Harry’s heart leapt. So did the witch; a load of fingernails cascaded down over her feet and she cursed as the massive form of Hagrid, the Hogwarts gamekeeper, came striding towards them, beetle-black eyes flashing over his great bristling beard.
    ‘Hagrid!’ Harry croaked in relief. ‘I was lost … Floo powder …’
    Hagrid seized Harry by the scruff of the neck and pulled him away from the witch, knocking the tray right out of her hands. Her shrieks followed them all the way along the twisting alleyway out into bright sunlight. Harry saw a familiar, snow-white marble building in the distance: Gringotts bank. Hagrid had steered him right into Diagon Alley.
    ‘Yer a mess!’ said Hagrid gruffly, brushing soot off Harry so forcefully he nearly knocked him into a barrel of dragon dung outside an apothecary’s. ‘Skulkin’ around Knockturn Alley, I dunno – dodgy place, Harry – don’ want no one ter see yeh down there –’
    ‘I realised that, ’ said Harry, ducking as Hagrid made to brush him off again. ‘I told you, I was lost – what were you doing down there, anyway?’
    ‘ I was lookin’ fer a Flesh-Eatin’ Slug Repellent,’ growled Hagrid. ‘They’re ruinin’ the school cabbages. Yer not on yer own?’
    ‘I’m staying with the Weasleys but we got separated,’ Harry explained. ‘I’ve got to go and find them …’
    They set off together down the street.
    ‘How come yeh never wrote back ter me?’ said Hagrid, as Harry jogged alongside him (he had to take three steps to every stride of Hagrid’s enormous boots). Harry explained all about Dobby and the Dursleys.
    ‘Ruddy Muggles,’ growled Hagrid. ‘If I’d’ve known –’
    ‘Harry! Harry! Over here!’
    Harry looked up and saw Hermione Granger standing at the top of the white flight of steps to Gringotts. She ran down to meet them, her bushy brown hair flying behind her.
    ‘What happened to your glasses? Hello, Hagrid … Oh, it’s wonderful to see you two again … Are you coming into Gringotts, Harry?’
    ‘As soon as I’ve found the Weasleys,’ said Harry.
    ‘Yeh won’t have long ter wait,’ grinned Hagrid.
    Harry and Hermione looked around; sprinting up the crowded street were Ron, Fred, George, Percy and Mr Weasley.
    ‘Harry,’ Mr Weasley panted. ‘We hoped you’d only gone one grate too far …’ He mopped his glistening bald patch. ‘Molly’s frantic – she’s coming now.’
    ‘Where did you come out?’ Ron asked.
    ‘Knockturn Alley,’ said Hagrid grimly.
    ‘Brilliant!’ said Fred and George together.
    ‘We’ve never been allowed in,’ said Ron enviously.
    ‘I should ruddy well think not,’ growled Hagrid.
    Mrs Weasley now came galloping into view, her handbag swinging wildly in one hand, Ginny just clinging onto the other.
    ‘Oh, Harry – oh, my dear – you could have been anywhere –’
    Gasping for breath she pulled a large clothes brush out of her bag and began sweeping off the soot Hagrid hadn’t managed to beat away. Mr Weasley took Harry’s glasses, gave them a tap of his wand and returned them, good as new.
    ‘Well, gotta be off,’ said Hagrid, who was having his hand wrung by Mrs Weasley (‘Knockturn Alley! If you hadn’t found him, Hagrid!’). ‘See yer at Hogwarts!’ And he strode away, head and shoulders taller than anyone else