Exhibition is a Right: Chapter 9 Early Release (Patreon)

A new school year means new books. And a new Diagon Alley means new stores. Time to find out more about this timelines history...

Familiar Streets, Unfamiliar Stores.

All Individuals depicted in this story are over the age of 18 and are consenting adults.

Harry huffed and rested his hands on his knees, recovering from his latest lap around the Burrows field. His breath rose in plumes of mist, the morning being crisp despite it being the middle of summer.

Several days had passed since the Hogwarts letters arrived, and Mrs Weasley had since thrown a large celebration for the three of them that had received badges. Though the twins had teased Ron endlessly about his new role, they had seemed pleased that Harry would be their Quidditch captain.

Unfortunately, since the day that he and Ginny had accidentally missed dinner due to their own ‘celebrations’, Mrs Weasley had obviously suspected that they had been up to something. While she hadn't said as much, she was keeping a far closer eye on them.

Every time the two found a moment alone, Molly would appear as if by magic. She would only ask a question or make it seem to be a coincidence that she is in the same part of the house, but it had happened on more than one occasion by now…

Ginny was getting frustrated, and he wondered how long it might be before she dragged him into her room, slammed the door in Molly's face and damn the consequences. Harry also hadn't had the chance to talk to Hermione regarding her…habits. As she hadn't changed her behavior towards him in the slightest, he hadn't felt a pressing need to do so. Though he would have to at some point, he was sure.

Still, the upshot of the letters arriving meant that they would all need to visit Diagon Alley, a trip being planned for later today.

Harry had woken early, and felt he needed to burn some steam. His new physique, something he was sure was a result of that ‘tea’ his Mother gave him in Kings Cross, might well have required no effort, but he did not want to risk losing it due to laziness.

After fully recovering, he was about to head off for another lap when the back door to the Burrow opened. From inside, Ginny emerged, and Harry cast an appreciative eye over her current attire.

She was wearing a tight sports bra combined with an equally tight pair of shorts. Her feet had white trainers up on them, and her hair was held back in a single ponytail by a large scrunchie. Her midriff and toned legs were left bare, allowing Harry to see the hard work she had clearly put into her body.

She jogged up to where Harry was. “Started without me, captain?” she asked with a teasing grin. Harry raised a brow and smiled back. “I've got to lead by example…what, no chaperone?” he joked, looking around her in search of Molly.

Ginny rolled her eyes. “Mum can't stop me exercising with you…well, not this kind of exercising, anyways.” Harry chuckled. “Besides, I do have a chaperone…” Ginny added with a chuckle, as the door to the house opened once more and disgorged Fred and George, also wearing their Quidditch attire.

The two jogged up to them, before snapping off mock salutes. “Gred and Forge, reporting for duty, captain!” Ginny shook her head, but held a fond smile. Harry just chuckled, “Very good, team. Shall we?”

The four then proceeded to jog together for several more laps, laughing and joking as they did. And if Harry chose to slow his pace so that he could run behind Ginny’s perfect bum, then none of the others commented on it.

After returning, showering and eating breakfast, it was not long before the whole family was gathered within the living room, preparing to take the floo to the Leaky Cauldron.

Ginny had changed out of her workout attire into an equally tight set of leggings paired with a tube top. Still sexy enough to draw the eye but nothing you wouldn't likely see on any muggle street at the height of summer.

Hermione, however, was wearing something Harry suspected belonged in only certain bars and clubs. She had leant into the punk aesthetic again, wearing a short skirt with noticeable metal spikes sticking from the belt. Her top was a completely sheer crop top, with black pasties covering her nipples. The pasties had a spike each where her nipple would be. Finally, she had changed her nose piercing to be the same silver spike…all in all she looked dangerous, yet incredibly attractive. 

As they lined up to take turns at the fireplace, Harry pondered this trip. “I need to make the most of this visit. A trip to Flourish and Blotts is a must…there are some books I need that aren't standard reading”. Harry planned to be prepared this time around, and that meant learning a few more defensive and offensive spells.

Blinking, he realized that while he had been thinking, Ginny had stepped into the fireplace and it was his turn next. As Molly held out the pouch of floo dust in his direction, he took a pinch and stepped forward. “I really hope I'm not quite as bad as I was before at this…”

He looked up in hope, before saying “Diagon Alley” clearly and dropping his dust.

It turned out he was worse….way worse. In his attempt to control his dizziness as he spun, he closed his eyes. This meant he wasn't ready when he was finally spat out the other end. Unfortunately, he somehow had quite a bit of momentum, exiting at speed with a bang!

He had just enough time to tuck into a roll to soften his landing. He did not have enough time to stop himself from rolling into the nearest table with a thunk, however. 

He looked around, dazed, as several of the Weasley's chuckled at his predicament. Hermione stepped forwards to help him up. As this caused her breasts to swing down in their top, he genuinely considered staying where he was…still, he accepted her offered handshake, and rose to his feet while patting himself down.

“Still no good with magical travel, are ya mate?” Ron grinned from nearby. Harry shook his head ruefully. “I'm just fine with a broom, thanks” he retorted, causing fresh chuckles from the group.

Harry gazed around the familiar scene of the Leaky Cauldron. Little has changed, something Harry found he was thankful for. There was still the timeworn bar, Tom the barkeep wandering around the place passing out food and drinks.

It was fairly quiet this early in the morning, only the occasional last minute breakfasts being ordered. Most of the crowd seemed to be doing exactly what they were, heading through to the Alley via the back.

As the group trooped through to the back, the brick wall portal was opened, and soon they were walking along the main street of the alley.

Harry found himself experiencing the same sense of awe as he had at the Quidditch campsite. As he looked around, he was struck by several noticeable changes.

There were several familiar shops, including “Quality Quidditch Supplies” and “Fortesques” (thank Merlin…no ice cream would have been a disaster). But interspersed between them were numerous new shops. Some were just ones he may have simply missed when he visited before, like “Fundamental Gubbins”, a shop that appeared to sell various enchanted knickknacks.

Others were more…interesting. There was a store that sold nightwear and lingerie, based on the animated mannequins proudly showing them off in various seductive poses. There were far more clothing stores than he remembered too, mostly catering to the witches than the wizards. It looked very much like a high street Harry would see had he walked out the front of the Leaky Cauldron instead.

The final shop that drew Harry's attention was actually fairly nondescript. It was painted in light pinks and white, with the windows mostly obscured by some form of blur created by magic. Its name, “Private Pleasures”, hung from a sign above the equally obscured door.

Harry was curious…but not enough to wander in himself when he was surrounded by the rest of the group. Besides, they were nearly at Flourish and Blotts.

As they waited for a group of giggling witches to cross in front of them and enter the pink shop, Harry admired the various outfits they wore. There was no doubt the Empowerment Act had had an effect on the Alleys retail presence.

Soon, they were entering Flourish and dispersing to each find the various books they needed for that year's lessons. And wasn't inspecting his book list an eye opener, in regards to the changes his timetable had taken versus his previous one.

His core subjects were, of course, the same. But the books for at least History of Magic gave him pause. Normally Binns wouldn't have even given them any texts, relying on his dull lectures about goblin rebellions. Instead, there was a text required this year, and as far as Harry could tell, had nothing to do with Goblins. Titled “Recent and Distant history: Both Cultural and Political.” It sounded…well, boring still, if he was honest. So maybe it matched Binns in this timeline.

It was his electives though, that caused him the most confusion. As he'd discovered from his homework, he was now doing Muggle Studies rather than Divination, a change he was quite content with. He'd much rather see what the wizarding world considered current affairs for muggles than hear his death foretold twice a week.

The biggest shock though, hadn't been his own electives. While he was unsurprised that Hermione had tried to take all the electives as she had previously (and then been forced to drop some), he was not expecting Ron to have taken Ancient Runes rather than Divination.

He had been hesitant to ask Ron why, given that he was probably supposed to know. However, a conversation they were having about their homework had allowed him to ask discreetly. It seemed that Ron too, found Divination too boring to keep up, and had decided that if Bill could do Ancient Runes, so could he.

The fact that he had already done the homework for the subject suggested that he had been right.

It took Harry less than half an hour to gather his needed texts, purchase them, and have them shrunk to allow him to pocket them. This then left him free to explore and find his own choices to read.

As Harry was wandering towards the back of the store, seeking the defence section, he was distracted by a small room that offshoot the main store. As he poked his head in curiosity, his brows raised in surprise.

Flourish and Blotts had always acted as something between a shop and a library. While all the books could be purchased, there were also sections with tables, desks, chairs and sofas where customers could settle down and simply read. While the shop probably joined you would then buy the book, it was not a prerequisite.

What Harry hadn't expected, however, was a circular room that, instead of having numerous bookshelves, instead had stacks of newspapers surrounding the outside. In the middle was a small desk with a couple of armchairs.

“Well…this is fortuitous. I could do with finding out what has happened recently”. Entering the room and reaching for the top copy of the nearest “Daily Prophet”, he saw that it was that morning's copy. He placed it back, before running his hand along the stacks.

It didn't take long to determine they were in date order, with each stack being a different year. Trailing along the stacks, he zeroed in on a particular year. 1983. “Time to find out exactly what the deal is with that act”.

Searching through the stack, he soon came across the necessary edition. It had a picture of the Minister at the time, Bagnold, standing at a podium and waving to the crowd, the title “New Powers for Oppressed Witches” emblazoned across the page.

Opening the edition, he read the article. Most of it discussed the narrow victory of the act passing through the Wizengamot, or of the likely effects it would have in shaking up the status quo. Helpfully, it had an outline of the act near the end, something Harry was thankful for.

Empowerment Act

Section 1: Witches will be granted equal rights to Wizards in regards to votes, laws and working conditions and pay.

Section 2: Ladies of houses may inherit the title of head of house, if there is no suitable Lord or the family chooses to become a matriarchy.

Section 3: Witches may present themselves as they see fit, so long as they remain decent while in public settings.

Harry nodded. It was pretty much exactly how Ginny had mentioned it had started out as. “This still doesn't explain how we got to where we are now…though the extra rights are a step in the right direction.”

Continuing to search editions, Harry moved towards the current day edition, feeling anything older would be of less use to him. On several occasions, he noted “reforms” to the Empowerment Act. While it always kept the same core tenets, the breadth of the sections often expanded.

In 1897, an addition was added that allowed Witches to adopt if they were in a same sex relationship, negating the need of a Lord to keep a family line going, if they so choose.

In 1920, the definition of “decent” within section 3 of the act was changed to account for any clothes that covered the bust and waist area.

In 1945, a whole new section was added. Section 4, which covered the addition of retail licences tailored to a “Witches needs”. This was likely what jump started the slew of new shops Harry had witnessed outside.

There was then little in the way of changes to the act, though it was shortly after this that Harry noted the beginning of the Prophet having a “Page 3 Witch” each addition. He tried not to get too distracted by the numerous pretty, barely dressed women…

As he reached near the end of the stack, going over the one from just three years ago, he noted a headline that drew his attention. “Fudging the numbers! Cornelius brought in on fraud charges”. The picture showed Cornelius being escorted away by a pair of Aurora, his face nearly the same green as his favored bowler hat.

“Well, couldn't have happened to a nicer bloke”. Harry had little love for the minister that caused so many problems for him in his previous fifth year.

Barely a couple of editions later, another headline jumped out. Beneath a picture of Lucius Malfoy, looking frustrated, was the line “Malfoy. Benefactor or Bribery?” Glancing over the article, it would seem Fudge being arrested exposed some…glaring uses of the Malfoy assets.

Chuckling, Harry looked to the next edition and raised an eyebrow. This time, a different Malfoy took up the front page…Narcissa. She was looking glamorous, wearing a long flowing dress with a plunging neckline that nearly reached her navel, her breasts barely contained by the two lengths in fabric covering them. She smiled and waved regally. “Malfoy back in Black” the title reads.

It seemed that, as a result of Malfoy being arrested, Narcissa had enacted her right to annul their marriage, citing a breach in their marriage contract. Now being referred to as Narcissa Black once more, her and their son, Draco, had moved out and were now considered separate to the Malfoys.

“That explains what Lucius said at the world cup. This would have never been possible, without that Empowerment Act!”. It seemed the act had caused several far reaching consequences, Indeed.

As Harry reached one of the last remaining editions, dated only a week or so ago, a final amendment to the act was listed. Now, “decent” was defined as “nipples and vulva must remain covered”

Harry sat back in the chair he'd been using, rubbing his eyes and absorbing the new information. No wonder the witches all dressed so daringly, if that was the “law” on what was considered decent!

Shaking his head, Harry piled up the papers he'd read in the “returns” stack, the papers swiftly disappearing back into their correct order once more.

Stepping out of the alcove, Harry realised he must have been in there for a little while. None of the Weasley’s were still present, long since gotten the books they needed and moved on. Even Hermione wasn't immediately obvious.

“Just one last thing” he thought, before continuing towards the defence section, as he had planned. Skipping the majority of the lower end basics, he moved straight towards the more advanced texts. As he gathered several he thought would be useful, including one for more advanced shield techniques, a particular book caught his eye.

The book was tucked at the end of the shelf, but the almost ethereal silver colour of its binding made it stand out from the other brown and red leathers.

Taking it from its place, he gazed at a front title that housed a picture of a wisp of light that moved around the whole front. “Patronus Protections” was all that was emblazoned on the front.

“They have a whole book dedicated to the Patronus Charm? Seems…overkill” he thought. Still, he couldn't deny its usefulness, given his most recent use of it.

“Isn't that a little advanced for a Hogwarts student?” came a voice from his left, startling him enough that he nearly dropped the books he was holding.

Looking to the source, he was greeted by a petite young woman that, based on her uniform, was a staff member at Flourish. Her outfit consisted of a flared outfit, thigh length skirt and a frilly shirt with a sizable panel cut out in the middle to show off her large bust. The ornate F and B on her left breast reinforced this initial thought.

Her hair was short and wavy, with a cute round face and a pair of slim glasses upon her nose, she couldn't have been much older than twenty.

Harry frowned down at her. “Er…perhaps. Though I've been able to cast the patronus for a while, actually.” The girl looked at the book in his hand then back at him. “Prove it”.

Harry sighed, before placing his books down on a nearby table. Sure, he didn't need to prove anything if he didn't want to, but he didn't fancy being denied his purchases either.

Drawing his wand and focusing, he heard the girl gasp lightly as his magic flared as it often did when he cast this particularly strong spell. “Expecto Patronum” he intoned, before Prongs burst from his wand.

As there was limited space in the aisle of the shop, the large red deer had little space before it had to stop its charge. It then shook its head in confusion, before attempting to turn around in the narrow space.

It clearly struggled to do so, its body too large to avoid bumping I to the shelves. It nearly knocked a whole shelf over, with numerous books being swept off by the large antlers the deer possessed. Harry winced and looked apologetically at the shop assistant, but she seemed too shocked at the patronus to notice.

Eventually, Prongs turned and walked up to them, giving a short bellow in greeting. Harry just raised his hand and rubbed the deer's nose. “Hello, Prongs”.

The girl blinked, before hesitantly raising her own hand and placing it on the silver deers side. She stroked up and down, feeling the fur beneath her fingers.

“He's corporeal…fully corporeal! How have you managed this?!” Harry shrugged. “Practice? Need? Bit of both to be honest”

The girl looked at him with a calculating look, her hand dropping from the Patronus. Harry then allowed him to dissipate, the aisle going back to being lit by candles.

“Fine. I have been proven wrong. You are welcome to buy that book…in fact, have it on the house.”  Harry smiled, picking up his purchases once more. As he moved to head to the counter, he paused and looked to the witch that was now starting to levitate the books Prongs knocked over back onto the shelves.

“Er…don't suppose you have any other suggestions for a Wizard hoping to survive all manner of dangers?” The woman paused, before smiling at him with a small glint in her eye.

By the time Harry wandered out of Flourish, his shrunken book count had almost doubled. Still, everything the girl recommended seemed a good choice, so he wouldn't complain.

As the sales clerk rang through the pile though, they paused at one and looked at Harry with a raised brow. At the spectacled girls nod though, the clerk shrugged his shoulders and put it through.

Curious, Harry reached into the shrunken pouch and grabbed the book in question. He nearly choked on his next breath when he read the title.

“Sensual Spells: For Her Pleasure” “What the hell am I meant to do with this to defend myself?” he muttered. Noticing a small leaf of parchment sticking out of the side, he withdrew a small note that had been tucked just inside the front cover.

“For the greatest danger of all…an unsatisfied Witch” was scrawled onto the small scrap. Harry shook his head and returned the book to its pouch. “I can't argue with that I suppose” He had asked for help against ALL manners of danger, he supposed.

“There he is! Thought you'd gotten buried in newspapers!” Harry heard from beside him. There, he saw Ginny and Hermione approaching, though none of the rest of the Weasley's. “Even Hermione took less time than you, and she bought half the shop!”

Hermione huffed indignantly. “I did not…I kept to just ten extra volumes this time, I think you'll find”. Ginny just rolled her eyes at her, though she smiled good naturedly.

Harry chuckled, before looking around. “None of the others are with you?” he asked. Hermione shook her head. “They've gone to get their uniforms. I didn't need to, as I hadn't outgrown mine. Unlike Ron has…”

“And while I have, I quite like it being a little bit tighter anyways. What's an extra inch of thigh on show, huh Harry?” Ginny asked with a slow wink. Harry held down a blush and shook his head.

“Ok…well, should we head to get our potion kits topped up then?” The girls exchanged a quick glance. “Actually, we were hoping you would accompany us to a different shop. We want to get some new clothes, other than our uniforms.

Harry nodded, though looked a little apprehensive. “Need me to carry the bags?” he asked. That's what guys did when they went shopping with girls, right? At least according to what he had heard Dean complain about regarding his sister…

Ginny just looked at him in confusion. “Er…no. We can just have them shrank down, same as our books. No, we want your opinion!”

Seeing both her excited look and Hermione’s carefully schooled but still keen look, Harry gave an enthusiastic nod. “Of course, lead the way ladies.” Ginny bounced with excitement, which did interesting things to her tube top, before grabbing his hand and leading him along the alley. Hermione followed close behind.

“The chance to see Ginny and Hermione trying on clothes? Count me in…”