Beyond Appearances

Title: Beyond Appearances


Author: Liadyn Malfoy


Archived: Fanfiction.net & adult-fanfiction.org


Summary: Harry and Draco are returning to Hogwarts for their seventh year. Though this year is different. Alliances are formed and together they learn that there is always something beyond the appearance and that everyone wears a mask.


Rating: NC-17


Pairings: Harry/Draco, Ron/Hermione...may be others!!


Beta: Candlewyk


Disclaimer: Hey There Guys!!! I know you already know this but I have to tell you again. I don not own Harry Potter or anything related to him. I'm not making money off of any of my stories. I just do this for the fun of it.




Chapter Four


Muggle London




"Rise and shine, Harry." Hermione cried, bouncing into the room. "The sun is up, the stores are open and we have a lot to do."


Harry groaned and buried his head further into the pillow. "What time is it?"




"8 o'clock am." She chirped, pulling the blankets off the bed, exposing Harry to the cool morning air.


"Ugh...you're lucky I don't sleep in the nude!" Harry grumbled. "Are the stores even open this early."


"I would still do it whether you slept in the nude or not." Hermione grinned. "Some of the stores are open but by the time that you get up, dressed, and ready it will be well into the business day."


"Fine, fine, I'm getting up." Harry yawed, pulling himself out of bed.


Hermone picked out some clothes for him and placed them into his arms, leading him into the bathroom. "Now hurry up."


Harry nodded sleepily and closed the door. Hermione grinned and headed downstairs to make breakfast. Mrs. Weasley and Ginny had left to do some of their own shopping in Diagon Alley and Ron had left with the twins earlier.


About 15 minutes later Harry plodded down the stairs and into the kitchen.


"Mmm...smells good."


"It's not Mrs.Weasley's cooking but it'll do." Hermione smiled, setting a plate down in front of him.


"Where is everyone?"


"Mr.Weasley's at the ministry, Mrs.Weasley and Ginny are in Diagon Alley and Ron left with the twins earlier."




"Ron up early? Imagine that."


Hermione laughed. "I know."


Harry finished and stood up, putting his plate in the sink. "I suppose we should get started. I will have to stop at Gringott's though."


"That's fine with me. I have to have some money changed as well. I don't think that they'll appreciate being payed in sickles and galleons." Hermione chuckled, throwing on a sweater. "So we'll floo to Diagon Alley, stop at Gringott's and then head for London."




"Do we have to use the floo network?" Harry pouted. "I hate using floo powder. It's so messy."


"Well we could apparate but there is a good chance that we will get splinched."




"We did it yesterday?"


"Yesterday I had Ron's help." Hermione explained. "I'm not sure that I could apparate with you by myself and I would personally not bother trying to find out."




"I really need to learn to apparate." Harry said, glancing over at the fireplace.




"I'm sure once you get back to Hogwarts either Remus or Professor Dumbledore will teach you." Hermione added, picking up the bag of floo powder. "After you."


Harry took a handful of the powder and stepped into the fire. "Diagon Alley!" A second later he was spinning quickly, surrounded by green light, and had hundreds of fireplaces rotating around him. Tucking in his elbows he closed his eyes.


No sooner had he grown accustomed to the feeling of spinning he found himself being shot out of the fireplace at the Leaky Cauldron, laying flat on his back. With a groan he sat up and started dusting off the soot.


There was another flash of green and Hermione stepped calmly out of the fireplace dusting off the small amount of soot that had settled on her shoulder.


"Why in Merlins name do you survive that looking all prim and proper when I come out laying on my back and looking like a chimney sweep." Harry glared from his spot on the floor. His glare would have been impressive had there not been a smudge of soot on his nose.


Giggling Hermione reached down and wiped the soot from his face before helping him up. She quickly cast a cleaning spell over the Gryffindor in order to clean him up. "You’re not doing it properly. You have to slow down before you get to your destination otherwise the momentum will push you out before your feet make contact with the floor."


"Slow myself down?" Harry asked, incredibly. "I can barely manage to keep from vomiting, let alone slowing down."


"All the more reason to learn to apparate."


"You just like to rub that in, don’t you?" Harry accused, following her out the back door and into the alley leading to Diagon Alley. Using her wand she tapped out the appropriate combination on the wall. The two of them taking a step back as the wall slid open to reveal the busy streets of Diagon Alley.


"I’m your best friend, Harry. It’s my job to torture you."


"Well you’re doing a good job of it."


"Cheer up, Harry. We have money to change and shopping to do."




"Why are you so cheerful, you never liked shopping before?"


"I don’t enjoy shopping for school. It’s a necessity, and Christmas is such a bother 'cause I never know what to get you."


"That explains the books."


Hermione glared but continued. "This my friend, is neither. This is a full out shopping spree."




"And whose money are you spending?" Harry asked, suspiciously.


Hermione broke out into a grin. "Mom and Dad had created a university fund for me. It was signed over to me on my seventeenth birthday and seeing as I won’t be needing it for university it is mine to do with what I please."


"Shouldn’t you be keeping it for when you get a place of your own?" Harry asked, holding the door to Gringott’s open for her.


"Considering how much University costs I think that I can afford a little shopping."


After talking to the goblin at the main desk Harry and Hermione were guided through the many tunnels that was Gringott's. The first stop was Hermione's vault. It looked exactly as everyone else’s did. Sickles, Galleons, and knuts littered the floor.


"I thought you said your parents made you an account?"


"They did but seeing as I spend so much time in the magical community I thought it would be best if I had it changed to wizarding currency. It makes my life a whole lot easier." Hermione explained, filling her money pouch.




"Unless of course you wish to make a couple of stops at a muggle shop."


"Don't be so bitter!" Hermione scolded, climbing back into the trolly. "Honestly, after being locked away at your Aunt and Uncles you'd think you would be dying to get out."


Harry sighed and got back into the trolly. "I'm not bitter. I simply dislike the fact that the wizarding community has nothing better to do then gawk at me. At least when I am at the Dursley's I didn't have people following me around and picking up things that I've touched in order to sell it on the wizarding equivalent of Ebay."


"Actually, Ebay is run by a group of wizards. They have a contract with the ministry." Hermione said, holding onto the side of the trolly tightly as it sped off towards Harry's vault. "As long as they don't sell anything magical to the muggles they can consider them their main force of consumers."


"You see they're even infecting the muggle world with their nonsense."


"From bitter to melodramatic." Hermione said, rolling her eyes. When they finally stopped outside Harry's vault she hustled him out. "No one is following you around and selling your things."


"What about all those quills that disappeared and my scarf?"




"Harry, have you seen the boy's dorms?" Hermione asked. "They are disgusting. You would lose your head in that mess if it wasn't attached to your shoulders. Now will you stop whining and get some money."


"How much will I need."


"Just open the door and I will do it."


Harry moved to the door and turned the key until the door swung open. He then stepped aside and allowed Hermione entrance, while he waited outside. He didn't like going in there more then he had to. The room was littered with reminders of his parents


"Hey I didn't know you had your parent’s wedding rings! Well they would have been glad to know that you have them." Hermione chirped, coming back out of the vault. "Why do you have them locked up here?"


"Besides the fact that I have no where else safe to put them, wearing them would only bring up bad memories. Memories that I'm not ready to face." Harry responded getting back into the trolley.


Hermione crawled in after him, choosing her words carefully. "I know it must be difficult for you, Harry, but you have to face them sooner or later. Keeping your emotions locked away is not healthy."


"Then I chose to face them later." Harry called over the noise of the trolley, as it sped back to the main floor.


"But Harry..."


"Drop it, 'Mione." Harry sighed. "I'll deal with them when I'm ready. Right now all I want to do is go shopping with one of my best friends." The trolley pulled to a complete stop and the door swung open to allow it's passengers to leave. Harry jumped out and held his hand out to her, a hopeful smile on his face. "So how about it?"


Hermione smiled gently at him and accepted his hand. "Let's go shopping."


It only took a couple minutes at the counter before their money was converted to muggle currency. With Hermione in the lead they made their way out into the busy streets of muggle London.


"Do I honestly need this much money, Hermione? I feel like I'm going to be mugged."


"No one is going to mug a couple of teenagers." Hermione replied, pulling him down the street. "And if you don't mind me saying so, at the moment you look like you wouldn't have more than five bucks in your pocket."


"How kind of you to notice." Harry stated, rolling his eyes. Personally he thought that his clothing were fine but as Hermione had so kindly informed him previously, he had no sense of fashion what so ever. "So where first, oh fashion guru?"


"The nearest optometrist. It's about time you got rid of those terrible glasses."


"What's wrong with my glasses?"


"They're insufferably tacky. They make you look like a little boy and I hate to inform you but you haven't been able to pull of the innocent look sense you were about twelve."


"Yes, well almost dying can have that effect on you." Harry replied. "Hey, what about the deranged lunatic look? I bet you ten galleons I could pull off that look no problem. The Daily Prophet would have a field day."


"Oh look," Hermione smile, "while melodramatic Harry ranted I found an optometrists office."


Harry sighed and allowed Hermione to drag him into the shop. After stopping at the desk and speaking to the receptionist, they were directed into the waiting room.


"I think you should get contacts, Harry."


"Why?"


Hermione blushed slightly. "Well...you have really nice eyes and when you wear your glasses you don't notice them as much."


"Why would I want people to notice my eyes?"




Hermione stared at him strangely for a moment. "You know what? I think I'm starting to see why you don't date. Tell me is it some chronicle disease that causes men to be so completely oblivious or is it just their nature?"


"What?"




"Never mind." Hermione laughed. "We'll just get you both."


After about fifteen minutes of waiting a small Asian women holding a clipboard entered the room.


"Harry Potter?"


With a last glance at Hermione, Harry stood and followed the lady out of the waiting room and into one of the small side rooms.


"Please have a seat here. Dr. McGregor will be in momentarily." the lady smiled, before leaving.


Harry sat down in one of the chairs in the room that were arranged for the patients and glanced around the room. It reminded him of Professor Dumbledore's office. The room appeared to have a variety of strange looking trinkets and equipment covering every surface and the walls were plastered with pictures and posters. He wondered idly who could work in such a cluttered mess, that was until the door opened and Dr. McGregor walked in.


Dr. McGregor was in his late twenties, tall, and had long blonde hair that had been pulled back into a low ponytail. He had several piercing along his left ear and a small Japanese symbol tattooed behind his ear. He was wearing a pair of dark rinse jeans that flared out slightly and a black ACDC t-shirt underneath his official white doctors jacket.


"Hello Harry. I'm Dr. McGregor." he greeted moving further into the room. "How are you?"


"You don't look like a doctor."


The doctor laughed. "Go right for the throat don't you?"


"Sorry."


"That's quite alright." The doctor grinned. "This is how I normally dress. I find it easier to work with the patients if you allow them to see the real you."


"Makes sense."


"Now, I see that you already have a pair of glasses so what is it that you need?"


"My friend was complaining about my glasses so I agreed to get a new pair. The only problem is that now I need contacts as well."


"Well if that's all we can go out and pick your frames." Dr.McGregor announced, standing up and heading out of the room.


"Um..." Harry stuttered, following quickly. "Don't you have to examine my eyes?"


"Why waste time doing that when I can get all the information right from these." he grinned, lightly tapping his finger on the lense of Harry's glasses. "Now which one of these do you like?"


Harry glanced around the room and they had just entered and suddenly felt incredibly lost. "Um...maybe I should go get Hermione ."


"Nonsense." Dr.McGregor scoffed. "I'm sure you can handle it."


"Actually she should come in. She did say that I have no sense of fashion."


"Then I'll help you." the doctor sighed, taking a step forward and taking off Harry's glasses.


Harry's breath caught in his throat as Dr.McGregor slid his glasses of his nose and came nose to nose with him. The brush of the doctor's fingers along his cheek sent a tingling down his spine.


"You know you are probably the only person I've met who has that intensity of green in their eyes. It's rather startling." The doctor chuckled, studying Harry's eyes. "I can see where you might want to wear contacts."


"Uh, thanks." Harry replied, trying to desperately hide his increased breathing rate, while his mind tried to figure out what was happening to him.


"The glasses you have take all the attention away from your eyes so if you're interested in getting more glasses than I suggest a pair of thin, light weight frames." Dr. McGregor explained, moving over to a section of the glasses on the far wall. "Do you have a preference when it comes to the style of frames?"


"As long as they stay on my face I'm happy."




"Well in that case we can steer clear of anything that resembles the old ones."


"I don't see what's so wrong with them." Harry huffed, hating the fact that Hermione had been right once again.


"Well they do say that ones eyes are the window to their soul, therefore wouldn't it make sense to let people see them rather then hiding them behind some pair of glasses?" Dr. McGregor asked. "I mean as adorable as they are they do take a lot of the focus from your eyes."


"The less attention the better." Harry mumbled.


"I completely understand. An attractive guy like yourself probably gets loads of attention." Dr.McGregor grinned, picking out a set of thin black frames. "Here try these."


Harry blushed crimson and accepted the frames. He had no idea what was going on or why he had a sudden case of butterflies but he knew how quickly he wanted to get out of the office.


After an excruciating five minutes they had decided on a pair of thin silver frames that were slightly off from rectangular. Than after discussing contact options Harry finally emerged into the waiting room with the promise that his new glasses would be done in an hour.


"So how did it go?" Hermione asked, putting down her magazine. "Did you pick out your glasses."




"Yeah, I already chose the frames and the contacts. The...uh, Doctor said they would be ready in an hour." Harry explained, heading to the door, effectively hiding his blush from her. "So what do you suggest we do while we wait?"


"Well there really is no time to start shopping now. We'll need more time than an hour." Hermione pondered, stepping out into the noisy London street. "There is an excellent book store just down the street I've been meaning to visit."


"Alright but this is the only book store that we enter today."


"Thank you!" Hermione squealed, practically dragging Harry down the street behind her.