Wishmaster

Chapter Nine - Muggle Money

The first thing he registered as he appeared in the street was the overwhelming bustle of activity around him. The second thing he registered was Luna’s hand, still gripping his own. He looked round at her, for a moment bewildered, then saw that she was crying. He put his arm around her, and scanned the crowd for any witnesses of their arrival. An equally bewildered stare met his own from a man sitting across the street.

A passer by jostled him and he nearly stumbled. As he regained his balanced he noticed that other people were staring at them and with a jolt he remembered that both he and Luna were still wearing robes.

"Come on." He pulled her into a brisk walk.

"They attacked us..." Luna exclaimed as they hurried into an empty looking alleyway.

"I know," Harry replied, his mind strangely numb. "They think I’m mad"

They stopped next to a set of concrete stairs and Harry let go of Luna.

"Are you all right?"

She nodded.

At that moment a hand grabbed the scruff of Harry’s robe and he was pulled off guard onto his back. Looking up he saw a grinning face covered in pimples. Several other faces appeared and Harry heard a scuffle from nearby followed by an electric crackle and a yelp.

The hand holding Harry's robe let go.

"Stupid sluts gotta gun or sommin!" One of the thugs yelped.

Harry scrambled to his feet in time to see Luna stun another boy before she was tackled to the ground. A tide of fury knotted Harry’s stomach as the other thugs turned back to Harry, grinning.

Slowly he drew out the Elder Wand and aimed it at the pimpled face in front of him.

"Wazatt?" The man sniggered "Gonna beat me to death with it?"

"Something like that," Said Harry flatly.

"Don’t Harry" Said Luna quietly from the ground "Is it worth doing that to yourself?"

The men snickered loudly. One began to imitate Luna in a high voice that grated across Harry’s already frayed nerves, and inside of him his anger at the world in general boiled. He had let it out.

For a moment there was an uneasy silence as Harry scanned his brain for something suitably nasty to do to this person who had volunteered to be his punch bag.

Another scuffle drew his attention back to Luna and with disgust he saw that the boy on top of her was trying to put his hand up her robes. He pointed the Elder Wand at the man.

"Corpus Mobilie."

With a yell of fear the man was jerked up into the air. Harry felt his mouth stretch up into a smirk as the rest of the boys began to yell and back away. With a violent jerk of his wand, Harry threw the man across the alleyway to smash into his chosen target. Both men crumpled to the ground. Harry turned to the other men, who stood gaping.

"Get lost, now, before I kill you."

For a moment he expected them to leave but then a bulky man at the front lunged wildly at him with a hoarse yell. With another flash of light the man crumpled next to his unconscious companions. Luna aimed her wand at one of the last two boys and Harry, relieved to see that she was unharmed, pointed the Elder Wand at the one remaining.

"I suggest you leave," She told them.

Footsteps echoed loudly off the dirty brick walls; the men were already running.

Harry turned to Luna.

"Are you ok?"

"That’s twice you’ve asked me that," She said, giving a wan smile. "Are you?"

"Yeah, feel a lot better actually" Harry answered, kneeling beside one of the unconscious men. Carefully he began to rifle through the limp figures pockets.

"Harry!" Exclaimed Luna, glaring at the wallet Harry had just extracted from the mans jeans.

“We need muggle money," He explained. "Were outlaws, remember?"

Luna sighed.

"I almost forgot living back at the cottage, everything was so nice and normal," She said, bending down to help Harry search the second thug.

"Why did you bring us here anyway?"

"It was the first place that occurred to me where we could blend in."

Harry snorted as he extracted a ten-pound note and some loose change from the third mans jacket. Luna punched him on the arm.

"I really did!"

"I believe you!" Harry laughed. "And now we can get some muggle clothes to do that with," He added as he emptied the wallet of several credit cards and put the combined money in it.

"And we need something to eat," Agreed Luna.

"And a bag for our stuff and-"

"-And we need to get out of here fast" Gasped Luna looking over his shoulder

Harry jerked his head around.

At the entrance of the alleyway, the man Harry had seen across the street was aiming a wand at them.


-----------------------------------------------

Authors Note : I seemed to have turned Luna into Hermione somewhat... Oh well...

Thanks to Danni and Vyrein for reveiwing, and to answear your question Danni, Mabe.