A/N: Written for the Philosopher's Stone Competition.
Assignment: Diagon Alley: Write about a character visiting Diagon Alley.
The Big Diagon Alley Adventure
20 December 1981
"Bill, Charlie!" called Molly Weasley, while wrestling her young son into a high chair. "Hold still, George, or you won't get any sugar on your strawberries. And don't you dare throw that at me, Freddie!" she sighed as the carrot bounced off George's head onto the floor.
The two called on boys, now eleven and nine years old, came running into the kitchen. "Good, I need you two to go to the Alley for me, I haven't got these groceries for dinner, and your grandparents are coming."
Bill and Charlie looked at each other in amazement. They had never been allowed to go to Diagon Alley by themselves!
"Diagon Alley, mum? Really?" Bill asked. Even though he had been to Hogwarts already, he was surprised his would let him do this.
Molly gave her sons a stern look, "Yes, now you know the rules: no straying from the main Alley; everything I need can be found there. If written down the shops you need to visit and what you need from them. If you can't find something, ask the shopkeeper!"
The boys nodded gravely. They would do their very best!
Giving the two boys a nod of approval, she pressed a Galleon into Bill's hand. "Be polite, and pick out something for all you boys to enjoy after dinner." The boys looked gleefully at each other. "It shan't cost more than thirteen Sickles altogether, so I expect some change back, you hear?"
Handing them their coats, she saw them off at the fireplace, giving them both a kiss on the cheek. At the last second, Bill remembered to grab the pouch of Floo powder for their return trip. Proudly Molly watched her two biggest boys step into the green flames, shouting their destination. "I expect you back in fifteen minutes!" she yelled, just before they spun out of sight. That would make sure they were back in half an hour, she guessed.
In another room a child called for her. "Oh, Ronnie, your brothers are getting so big! Thank Merlin I still have you to baby!" picking the twenty-two month old child up, she took him into the kitchen to find the peas and carrots of the terrible twins (three years old already!) all over the floor and in their hair. "that's it boys, no dessert for you two, today!" she quickly spelled together another lunch. "Do you think your brothers will be able to get the groceries alright, boys?"
The twins looked at each other and burst out laughing. "Oh you little rascals!"Molly laughed, "They'll be fine, don't you doubt that!" As she lifted little Ron into his chair, she levitated two new bowls of mashed potatoes and veggies to the twins' chairs. "Now finish that, or you won't get any sugar on your strawberries!" Under their mother's watchful eye the two boys finished their bowls in record time: twenty minutes later they were ready for the promised strawberries with sugar.
As Molly took the kids into the front room for playtime, she glanced at the clock. It was just about time for the boys to be coming back. Though it might be busy, as it's almost Christmas, she thought. I'll give them a bit more time.
The twins started playing with the miniature Quidditch set. The little players zoomed around on their brooms. Molly hardly noticed as Fred directed one to fly into her hair. His "Mummy, the broom is stuck!" prompted her to untangle it from her hair. The little England player smiled at her as it zoomed past, this time under George's control. She just stopped Ronnie, as he was able to catch it and bring it to his mouth. Usually she caught them earlier! She really was distracted by her worry. The boys had been gone for an hour already.
Trying to calm her nerves, she read a favourite book of the twins, all about Harry Potter's adventures in the muggle world. Though not much was known about the circumstances surrounding the whereabouts of The-Boy-Who-Lived, it was obvious he was somewhere in the muggle world, as nobody knew where he was. Well, wherever he was, Molly was grateful to him, for making the wizarding world safe enough to let her children go out by themselves.
At least, she sincerely hoped so, or she had made a grave mistake in letting her two oldest out of her sight!
She jumped as the fire suddenly flared green. For a second she thought it was Bill and Charlie back safely, but it wasn't. It was Percy, being brought home by Mrs Diggory.
Percy, as usual, was full of stories about what he and Cedric had done together. Molly tried to listen, but she couldn't really concentrate on the five year old. Bill and Charlie had been away an hour and twenty minutes, already! She would have to Floo her husband at work so he could go find them.
Her heart hammering in her chest, she grabbed a handful of powder out of the jar, and jumped back as the fire turned green.
For a while she didn't understand what was happening, until she saw a large shape come spinning towards her. She quickly picked Ron up of the floor in front of the fireplace, as the other kids jumped back. Could it be? She so hoped it was Bill and Charlie!
It was Bill and Charlie! As they came stumbling out together, she rushed to grab them up in a big hug. Ron wiggled out from between them. "Thank Merlin you're alright! Let me look at you. No scratches or bruises?"
"Sorry we're late, mum," Bill said, "but you won't believe what happened!"
She pulled them into the kitchen. "You can tell me all about it while I fix dinner. You did manage to get everything, didn't you?"The boys nodded. "Good. Now why don't you start at the beginning?" And molly placed two mugs of hot chocolate before the six boys, the rest having drifted in out of curiosity.
"Well, we landed in the Leaky Cauldron..."
"Which brick was it again? Two up, three across? No that's not it." Bill tried to tap the right brick with his wand. As none seemed to work, he started to wonder if a spell wasn't needed, after all.
"No," said Charlie, "Dad never uses a spell, I never heard one! Here, let me try." He tried to take his brother's wand, who lifted it high above his head.
"It's my wand! It wouldn't work for you anyway; it chose me. Besides, Dad uses his spells silently."Quickly he tried a few more bricks.
Charlie pouted. He wanted his own wand! "Mum says all her spells aloud, and she never says anything, either, so there is no spell. You're just doing it wrong!"
Bill went red. He knew that! "We'll have to ask the barkeep." he said resignedly.
"And he was busy with so many customers and some of them were scary-looking so Bill was afraid to cut in front, but we only had a little question so I asked him, "Sir, could you help us get into the Alley?" And he said, "Wait just a minute boys." And we had to wait for an hour until he could help us!" Charlie explained, while Molly cut the potatoes into wedges.
Bill scoffed, "I wasn't scared, I was being polite. And it wasn't any longer than five minutes, if that! Anyway, so that's how we got into the Alley, already ten minutes behind,..."
Bill looked at the shopping list. "Three ounces of black eyed peas." He looked around for the shop listed. "This way!" He said to Charlie, who was already drifting in the direction of Quality Quidditch Supplies.
Herman's Herbs and Spices. Didn't sound like a place that would have veggies, but he'd trust his Mum on this.
Bill looked around for Charlie as he came to the entrance, but couldn't find him anywhere. Where has that boy gone of to now? Bill thought, as he retraced his steps and looked in the shops along the way. There he was! What was he doing in the Apothecary?
"Hey, Bill! Took you long enough. Look, you can choose from all different kinds of black eyes! Which should we take? Personally I think the snake eyes are coolest!"
For a moment Bill was confused. Why was Charlie looking at black eyes? "Oh, dummy, we need black eyed peas! From the vegetable shop! Not black eyes!" Bill grabbed Charlie's arm and pulled back to the door of the shop. Charlie struggled to free himself from Bill's hold, and in so doing caused the boys to bump into another customer.
"And aren't I just the luckiest, Mum? It was Professor Snape! And he asked me if I had finished my homework already!" Bill rolled his eyes. "I mean, I just got home yesterday, I've got ages to finish all my homework!"
Molly shook a bread knife in his direction. "Bill, dear, you know with all the Christmas excitement and all the family coming to stay for New Years' as well, you won't have all that much quiet time. You should finish your homework soon!"
Bill nodded, "Yes, Mum. Well after that we went over to Herman's..."
"Three ounces of black eyed peas, please, Miss." Charlie asked the young girl behind the counter.
"Can do!" she said cheerfully. "Oh, hi Bill!" Bill blushed. What was she doing here? "Did you know that this is my dad's shop? I get to help out when I'm free from school. Did you start your homework, yet?"
"Hi, Betty. No, you never told me which shop was your dad's. Of course I haven't started it yet! I've got ages." Charlie looked from one to the other.
"Is she your girlfriend?" He asked Bill, genuinely curious.
Both Bill and Betty looked stricken. "NO!" They answered vehemently.
Bill handed Betty the Galleon, "We really need to hurry, we're already way late. We ran into Professor Snape. Literally." Betty shuddered sympathetically.
"See you at Hogwarts!" She said after packing up the peas.
"Yeah, bye!" Bill called as Charlie waved. Keeping a close eye on his little brother, Bill read their next destination. The Cheesy Meater. For goat's cheese and lamb chops. Thankfully they'd be done after that!
"So how come it took you so much longer, still? You were almost done!" Molly called as she walked to the front door to let in her in-laws. "The boys are just telling a delightful about their adventure today at Diagon Alley!" Molly said to the elderly couple.
"Oh, they went by themselves? Go on, boys!" said grandfather Septimus.
"Well," said Charlie as he hugged his grandparents. "We couldn't find the Cheesy Meater anywhere on the Alley! We walked up and down the street, and we even asked a few people..."
The fourth witch they asked was able to give them their clue. "Don't ya mean tha Meaty Cheesah? That one's righ' there." She said, pointing behind them.
"But Mum's note says Cheesy Meater!" whispered Charlie. As Bill gratefully went for the door.
Bill shook his head. "Maybe she got mixed up. Either it's bound to have meat and cheese and that's what we need." He pulled Charlie inside. "Oh, there's no one here." They were just about to leave and look for another shop after waiting for five minutes, when a door in the back of the shop opened. He was wearing what looked to be a blood soaked apron, and he was holding a very large meat cleaver. Both boys gave a mighty shudder.
"What can I do for you gents?" The butcher asked cheerfully. The boys gave a sigh of relief and told him what they needed. "Will that be all?" Their order was prepared quickly, and soon they were on their way.
"Come on Charlie, let's go home. Mum's probably getting worried by now." Bill said. Charlie followed along, cheerfully looking in the shop windows they passed. Suddenly he pulled on Bill's shirt.
He was looking in at the Magical Menagerie. "Look Bill, they have a dragon egg! A real live Dragon egg! I've got to see this!"
"Charlie, we really have to get home, now..."
"But before I could finish the sentence, he was inside, and it was really difficult getting him away. You know how is about dragons! But after that we came straight home." Bill concluded.
By this time dinner was ready and Arthur had just come home.
"But boys, you forgot one thing I asked you to get!" Bill and Charlie looked shocked. "Dessert!" And out of the pantry she pulled to small cakes, one for Charlie and one for Bill.
"This one's for your birthday, now that everyone's home."Molly told Charlie.
"And for you, son, because we're so proud of your performance at Hogwarts during your first semester!" said Arthur to his oldest child. Both boys got a big hug from their parents and grandparents.
"And now, everybody tuck in!" called Molly, as she magicked the finished dinner onto everyone's plates. After dinner she had another announcement to make, she thought, as Arthur gave her a kiss and rubbed her belly.