I think I know you

What a horrible day to be shopping in.

Frankly, it hadn't been that bad of a day, but the humidity and the heat combined didn't exactly make it into a fun shopping experience. Why Danny was at Diagon Alley, he wasn't sure. It was the first time he had been back at Diagon Alley only a couple of days before the platform left. He felt a little hollow at the thought that he wouldn't be able to board that train and head back to Hogwarts, but then again, he was also a little relieved he wouldn't be allowed on there. He didn't want to lose most of the freedom he had now, even if it meant never going back to a place like Hogwarts. He had made it his second home after all. But, things change and he was determined to really press on with his life.

As he walked down the street, he began to look intently at the window dressings, seeing many different types of brooms and potions available for the new students. He saw a broom he had never heard or seen before on display, the pricing sounding a little ridiculous from a sign that sat next to it. He had gotten his Firebolt for a pretty good bargain, and that thing just seemed way too expensive for a student budget, especially for the times they lived in now. Prices seemed to be going up in Danny's eyes, something he never liked to see. Especially in a wizard community. He tore himself from the sight of the broom though, temptation ringing at him to go and buy the broom.

He stopped down at a corner as he looked up at the sign of one of the shops. Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. God, he hadn't been there in years. With a smile on his face, he quickly walked towards the entrance, throwing himself into the store. It looked just the same as the last time he had been there, everything looking...uhh..neat and orderly for a joke shop? Well, whoever ran the place sure did a good job at it. Nearby, he heard a sharp scream, Danny immediately turning his head towards the occurrence. Apparently, a kid had fed his sister some nosebleed nougat, and now her nose was spewing blood, much to her alarm. Danny chuckled a little, feeling a little worse about himself, yet not caring at the same time. He turned his head back around and began to grab a couple of things to buy.

Once he had everything he needed, he walked up to the front desk, dropping a couple of items carefully on the desk, as to not accidentally ignite one of the jokes. "Uh hi," he said, trying to get the attention of one of the people running the store "I'd like to buy this." Hopefully he didn't sound too odd about that. Then again, it was a joke shop.

Jack typically didn't work the counter anymore, what with all that was going on. Between working two jobs at the Ministry and having to watch over Poe, Jack was fairly booked solid. Her life was going right now, but she could not really define the state of it. Everything was hecktic; sleep was elusive; and there were so many issues going on that she simply did not seem to be strong enough for. Had she not just yelled at her friend Matt, the leader of the Order? She couldn't even explain why, just that emotion had took her over. And what emotions?

Getting behind the counter was different though. However crazed the state of the store was, it was something to distract herself from. She could concentrate on menial tasks, on simple things, ideas without emotion. This was good.

A man brought up items and she began to tally the cost, before glancing up to give him the cost. Her voice caught in her throat. He looked like- no. She had thought- but of course not. If he were older- but he wasn't. Jack shook thoughts of her Hogwarts friend from her head.

"Seven galleons. Sorry." She had paused and stared, and that was to be apologized for. She did not want people thinking she was ogling strangers.

Danny reached into his pocket, fiddling around with a couple of coins to try and find the right amount. He pulled out four galleons, irritation on his face. "One second," he said as he began to dig into his other pocket. "Aha!" he said softly as he pulled out three more galleons and set them next to the others. Glad he was still loaded in terms of cash. He looked back up at the woman to complete the transaction, when he noticed she was staring intently at him. He blinked a few times, his brow shooting up in bewilderment. "Uhh, it's no problem?" That sounded awkward.

He pushed the coins slightly towards her, his uneasiness growing slowly. "Uhh, may I ask why you're staring?" Even though she had stopped, he still felt a growing uneasiness about her. Hopefully he wasn't listed as a missing person and put his face on posters or something. But then again, only a paranoid person would think that...or someone who had just disappeared for two years. "I guess I'll just take this and go," he said, grabbing the contraptions he bought and began to walk towards the door.

Jack stared down at the till and distracted herself as he fished out some coins for starting up the Reusable Hangman display, drawing around a huge crowd of younger kids- they always loved the Hangman. One of the kids asked how it worked and she smiled. "You never explain your magic." She winked and the kids rolled their eyes, displeased with her answer.

He asked her why she was staring as she reached out to take his money and enter it into the till. She shrugged and said nothing until he was about to walk away, quietly saying, "You look sort of like an old friend of mine. A boy named Andrew. Have a nice day."

Danny immediately froze where he stood, his mind taking a second to process what she said. Andrew? Looks like? This was more than a coincidence. He even heard the word around town that he hung out with two girls with red hair, this had to be more than a coincidence. He quickly did an about face and approached the counter again, a solid determination plastered on his face. He set the pranks back down and asked in a normal tone "You know Andrew?" He knew this had to lead to somewhere, he couldn't just disappear for no reason.

Before she would ask, Danny quickly explained "My name is Danny Thompson. I'm his brother. And it's important that I find him. I've been trying to track him down ever since I returned here, and I can't seem to find him anywhere." Judging by how she reacted to Danny, the family resemblance must've been strong. He could use that to his advantage later on if he needed to, but now it was proving to be a valuable tool.

The man stopped and identified Andrew. Jack stared at him with a forced blank expression- her best defense was lack of emotion. No. Andrew had moved on; he was off somewhere, safe and happy. He was okay. Jack could not handle the idea that both Andrew and Chase were hurt. But this man looked worried. And his next words forced fear deep into Jack's being. No, no, no...

She glanced around and spotted Gary strolling by. "Gary! Take the register. You," she looked at this man Danny. "Follow me." She walked through the store to her office. She closed the door behind him and said, "What do you know?"

That got her attention.

In the next couple of seconds, he followed the woman to what apparently was her office, his mind fluttering with thoughts now. She had to be connected to his little brother, she just had to! No one would go to the effort to try and make this look like a joke...but then again, he should probably check where he was standing. But this seemed honest enough. When the woman demanded to know what he knew, he quickly responded "My brother was last seen up in Diagon Alley several months ago, he was just apparently minding his own buisness. But when he was scheduled to go to an interview at St. Mungos for an internship, he didn't show up. That's when they go nervous."

He sighed. "I haven't seen or heard from him. I'm afraid he's following me on my path of shame. I came back to stop him. I know what he's going to try to do, and I know what he wants. But the thing is, we Thompsons are always really good at hiding ourselves. He could be anywhere in the world and I couldn't know." He took several deep breathes, realizing he said all of that in nearly one continuous sentence. He felt guilty to say the least, if Andrew was doing what he thought he was doing, it could take him forever to reveal himself. Yet in the end, they always did.

Jack realized she was being quite mysterious and she really wasn't revealing any of her own information. She was terrified though. Vito had killed Chase and, just because he couldn't remember it, didn't mean that he couldn't have killed Andrew too. No, Jack forced that thought from her head. Andrew was stronger than Chase, less ignorant, Merlin rest her soul. Jack had to trust in him.

"What path?" she repeated from him. She knew she was probably making him nervous but she needed this information. She could only think of the worst and her mind began scouring her memories, trying to figure out where she had last seen him. "What are you afraid he's going after?"

Danny took a deep breath as he began to collect his thoughts. In a way, this was sort of revisiting his own past, but he knew that this woman need to know. She seemed to be close to Andrew. "Okay," he said, taking a seat in one of the available ones near her desk "This may sound a little crazy, but bear with me. When I was 'killed', I went into an extreme depression that lasted for a while. I lived off the land and I wanted to just make things clear in my head. That happened due to a battle when my friend, Kingsley Shacklebolt, was killed by Vincent Majere. I had let the headmaster down, and he was dead because of it. I couldn't handle things churning in my head, so I left. Thing is, when I left, I was attacked by aurors, and Andrew probably told you the rest. Was he being followed or attacked by someone, someone who would cause him harm?"

He hated the thought of someone wanting to hurt Andrew, he was a peaceful kid. Sure, Danny picked on him a lot, but he was still a kind and gentle soul. Someone you could trust in a heartbeat. But he was impressionable, always wanting to be more like his brother. "I have a feeling that if someone is chasing after him, it could be because he's trying to protect someone...or to just save his own skin. He's following what I've done, and I can't let him do that. It's a bad road to follow."

Jack stared at the man. Was he joking? Did he think it was funny to bring Andrew's name up and then spin random tales? Better question: did he have any idea who he was talking to? "You're saying you died... And so did Kingsley Shacklebolt. I just saw Kingsley a few days ago, and you are right here. Andrew never mentioned having a brother at all. You expect me to believe this bull? He's following you into what- death? Are you teasing me or something? Because if you are trying too you will really regret it."