"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!" Uncle Vernon yelled, standing up from the dinner table.
"I didn't say anything." Harry Potter lied, knowing he had just used the "m" word. He wondered why the word magic got him in so much trouble.
"AHH!!!" Dudley stood up and waddled away. Dudley was as plump as ever and was wearing his Smeltings uniform. Harry still couldn't understand why Dudley wore his school uniform even though school had been out for a month. Aunt Petunia covered her mouth as if something horrible had just occurred.
"YOU…" Uncle Vernon began.
"I know, I know. Up to my room, no food, don't come out." Harry muttered, heading towards the staircase. He was use to this punishment, getting it every other week or so. It was already dark and since the Dursley's had just started eating they wouldn't be up for an hour or so. Harry felt disturbed. It had already been an entire month since he had left his school, Hogwarts, and he had only been sent one letter. Hermione sent it to him asking him how the muggles were treating him. He sighed as he opened the door to his room.
"Good," he said to himself, "more time to work on my essay."
Harry had been assigned a four-parchment essay to be turned in on the first day of school. Professor Binns had assigned it the last day of school. It was supposed to be about a great wizard of any time period. Harry chose Morganna. It wasn't that he really cared about her, but all the good ones like Agrippa, Merlin, and Professor Dumbledore had been taken. Harry crawled under his bed and pulled up a loose floorboard. He pulled out a bag filled with all of his wizardry stuff. Under the bag was something that made Harry long to be back at Hogwarts. His broomstick, the Firebolt, lay under the floor longing to be ridden. He pulled the broomstick out and crawled out from under his bed. He held the broom in the moonlight and examined his prize possession. The Firebolt engraving on the side was as shiny as ever. Hedwig, Harry's owl, began to squawk loudly. Harry
The moon was full tonight and illuminated number 4, Privet Drive. A few birds flew from tree to tree, looking for food to bring to their young. Harry looked to the moon again. He admired the beauty of the cracks and craters that sat on the moon's surface. Its circularity amazed Harry. Then, in a blink of an eye, three objects flew past. Harry blinked. Three objects were zooming at top speeds towards Harry's window. He jumped out the window, Firebolt in hand, onto the roof making sure not to make any noise. The objects began to decelerate as they neared the house. Harry began to make out the shapes of these objects. They were fellow wizards riding broomsticks. They reached the house and touched down on the roof. They set their brooms down and began to walk towards Harry. They all wore hooded cloaks. The one in front was considerably shorter than the other two in the back.
"Well, look who it is!" A familiar cold drawling voice said. The other two in the back began to snigger. Harry froze. They pulled back their hoods. Just as Harry suspected.
"Well, long time no see!" Draco Malfoy said, stepping towards Harry.
"What do you want Malfoy?" Harry said, stepping away from Malfoy.
Crabbe and Goyle began to laugh some more.
"Gee Harry, no need to be scared. It's not like we can cast any spells on you. We're not allowed to do use magic on the holidays. Oh, you probably wouldn't know about that Potter. The rules bend for you. You had famous parents. Well, it's a shame they couldn't be here now, because even though we can't use magic, we can still beat the crap out of you!!" Malfoy laughed.
"Not while we're around!!!"
Harry looked up. Three more wizards on broomsticks sped towards the house. They landed behind Harry. Harry didn't even need to look around to know that it was Ron Weasley and his twin brothers, Fred and George. Malfoy's evil look had turned into an upset growl.
"Ugh! You Weasley's make me sick. I'm surprised you got here on your Cleansweep Fives." Malfoy tried to laugh. The Weasley's held out their brooms, revealing Nimbus 2001's. "Same model as yours I believe Malfoy!" George Weasley snarled.
"Hmmm… Wonder how you p-p-paid for those? Sell all your dad's j-j-junk that he makes in h-h-his garage?" Malfoy stuttered his words.
"Get out of here Malfoy before we pound yer head in!" Fred shouted.
"We'll get you at Hogwarts!" Malfoy yelled, taking off followed by Crabbe and Goyle.
"Right then, Harry, how's yer summer been?" Ron asked.
"Same old stuff. Jeez, talk about good timing." Harry laughed.
"Well, we never miss a good rumble." George said.
"Harry, we need to talk big time! We need to go now. I know you don't want to stay here with those… things inside, so grab your stuff and come on." Ron said. He then pulled a gigantic cargo net from his pocket. This cargo net had obviously been tampered with as it was way to big to fit in Ron's pocket. He proceeded to latch it on each of the brooms. Harry ran into his room and began throwing all his things into a trunk. It took him about ten minutes before he placed the last thing in the trunk. It was a notice that allowed Harry to go to Hogsmeade on the weekends. It was signed by Sirius Black. Harry shut the trunk. He pushed the trunk onto the roof and climbed out. Ron and George helped Harry push the trunk onto the cargo net while Fred kept watch, making sure Draco and his friends didn't try to sneak up on them.
"So, where are your muggles anyway?" George asked, smirking.
"Well, they should be finishing up dinner right now. So let's hurry." Harry said, finally pushing the trunk onto the cargo net.
"Guys, we got trouble!" Fred shouted, looking to the sky. Harry, Ron and George looked up to the sky. Another broomstick rider sped towards the house.
"Oh, no!" Ron said.
"What?" Harry asked, looking down from the sky to Ron.
"It's Hermione." Ron said, obviously disgruntled.
"Uh… I'd rather have Voldemort show up right now than her!" Harry said.
"Would you quit saying his name?" George shouted.
"Oh, yeah, sorry." Harry replied. Hermione touched down on the roof. Amazingly, she didn't look mad.
"Hey guys." She said.
"Shouldn't you be yelling at us for risking muggle discovery of the wizard world?" Ron said, rolling his eyes.
"On a day like this it's hard to be mad." She said, smiling.
"What happened?" Ron asked, discontinuing his sarcasm.
"Oh, well, we can't talk about it here. Too close to the muggles. Let's go to your house, Ron. Maybe we can talk in the forest behind your house?" Hermione said, giving Ron a very evil look. Ron looked shocked.
"You know?" Ron questioned.
"Oh, yeah. Don't worry. No one else does. He wanted to talk to me so he sent me and owl.." Hermione stated. Harry was very confused.
"Excuse me? What do you mean 'he wanted to talk to me.' Who is he?" Harry asked.
"As I said, I can't talk here because it's too close to the muggles. I don't want anyone to hear it… for your godfather's sake." Hermione smiled. Your godfather's sake!?! Sirius Black? What was he doing behind Ron's house in the forest?
"Let's go right now!" Harry said, jumping on his broomstick. They all jumped on their broomsticks.
"OH NO YOU DON'T" A voice yelled from inside the house.
"Let's go!" They took off. Harry turned around to see Uncle Vernon halfway out the window shaking his fist.
"Whoo!!! That was close!" Ron shouted. They flew up past the clouds to stay out of muggle view. After hours of uneventful flying, they landed at the Weasley's house.
The house was the same as two years before except his garage was empty. This made Harry feel a little guilty because he knew it was his fault there was no car. The Weasley's house was a huge building that would definitely be lying in ruins if it magic wasn't in effect. The garden was still gnome infested and covered in weeds, the way a garden should be. Beyond that, the forest sat. Somewhere in there, Harry's godfather sat waiting for them.
"We can't go in 'til night fall. My parents don't know yet. I need to explain to them that Sirius in innocent." Ron said. Harry looked at the forest in a trance. He couldn't wait to go and see his godfather. The five went into the house. Fred and George went off test out their new Filibuster fireworks while Ron, Hermione and Harry stayed in the kitchen.
"Do you have anything to eat and drink? I've been flying for two days and I'm nearly dead." She joked.
"Did you come all the way here from the States?" Harry asked, shocked.
"Oh, yeah. Let me tell you. It is not fun." She said.
"Well, look in the refrigerator." Ron said. Hermione and Harry walked over to the fridge and opened it. Harry was not shocked to see some very varied food in the refrigerator. The first thing to catch his eye was a live rooster nearly iced over. Hermione let out a gasp. It began to squawk loudly so Harry grabbed something quick and shut the door. Harry looked at the label on the jar. It read "Recarze's Jam."
"What is 'Recarze's Jam'? Harry asked.
"Recarze's Jam? My mum never buys good stuff like this!" Ron shouted, excitedly. He took the lid of the jar and dipped his finger in. When he pulled it out, it was covered with a sort of neon orange goop. He placed it in his mouth and licked the goo off. Harry saw that Hermione was just as disgusted as he was.
"That's disgusting." Hermione said.
"It's actually really good." Ron said, taking some more.
"So what are we gonna do until night time?" Harry asked?
"Oh! Ireland is playing Chudley today!" Ron ran out of the kitchen. Harry and Hermione followed after. Ron ran up two flights of stairs and into a small room. On one side of the room was a huge TV, on the other, a huge couch. Ron picked up a remote control and turned the TV on. The TV was already tuned to the Quidditch channel. This was a new channel, invented within the last month.
"…and that's 50 points to Ireland. I'm sorry but Chudley does not stand a chance against Ireland, and since this is a semi final match, Ireland is taking no prisoners…"
"Yes, that is certainly correct Gregory, the Chudley Cannons are terrible under pressure. Then again, they are terrible with out pressure. How did they get into the Semifinals anyway?" The announcer pondered. Harry looked to Ron. Ron had a look of pure anger on his face.
"WHAT ARE THEY TALKING ABOUT!?" Ron yelled, angrily.
"Oh, come off it, Ron. How could you stick to that team even though their so terrible?" Fred asked, appearing at the door with George.
"Anyway, your Irish. You should be rooting for Ireland!" George said, rubbing Ron's red hair. Ron settled down and sat in his seat.
"Still, they should stop giving the Cannons such a hard time. Chudley is a very talented team." Ron stated, obviously still peeved.
"Yeah, whatever you say, Ron." Fred laughed.
"Oh yeah, I forgot. Padfoot wants to talk to you." George said, nodding towards Ron. Hermione, Harry, and Ron stood up in unison.
"You went down there in the middle of the day?" Ron asked.
"Don't worry. Mum and Dad aren't even home. They went to a Ministry of Magic convention. Something about dragons." Fred reassured them.
"Does he want us to go now?" Harry asked, filled with confusion.
"Wait a second, why didn't anyone tell me that mum and dad were leaving?" Ron asked.
"Well, guess they don't love you as much," Fred laughed, "and yes, he wants to see you now." Harry ran out of the room. Ron and Hermione strained to catch up with him but it was nearly impossible. They flew down the two flights of stairs and through the kitchen. They then blasted through the doors and headed towards the forest. They reached the forest, when finally Harry began slowing down.
"Where is it from here?" Harry asked
"Just ahead." Ron said, bending over to pant. Harry kept running though. Hermione followed. Ron finally got enough air then continued sprinting. After running for less than a minute, they arrived at a clearing. In the middle of the clearing was a white house. It was pretty small, and looked very homely. Harry ran to the front door and knocked. The door opened.
Sirius Black stood in the doorway with a huge smile on his face. The two embraced for a while but it seemed like an eternity to Hermione and Ron.
"Come in! Come in!" Sirius beckoned them. They walked in. Harry saw that the Quidditch semifinal was on the TV. Ron immediately walked over and sat on a chair in front of the TV. The house had a white interior and was filled with clothes and food. It also had a kitchen. Another person was in the house and was sitting on the kitchen sink. Harry noticed his face…
"Lupin!" Hermione said, walking over to him.
"Hello. How are you?" He asked, giving her a hug.
"How'd you get here?" Ron asked, looking from the TV.
"Have you forgotten? I am a wizard." Remus replied.
"Apparation, I assume. Well, why are you here?" Ron asked.
"Yes, well, you do seem to have lots questions. I am sort of on the run. The A.W. came after me after they heard I was a werewolf. I am going to Hogwarts this year to make sure the groups cannot reach me." He replied.
"What's the A.W. group?" Harry asked.
"A.W. stands for Anti-werewolf. The group goes throughout the wizarding world in search of werewolves and then they… ahem… exterminate them." He said. Hermione had a look of horror on her face.
"Jeez… that's pretty bad." Ron said.
"It' s terrible. Isn't that illegal?" Hermione asked.
"Yes, but it is hard to find them in action. They hold rallies all in wizard towns once and a while, but it is not illegal. They are led by a man named Andy Phillips. His mother was a werewolf and it supposedly caused him so much pain that he doesn't want another to roam the earth ever again. Codswallop in my opinion. I think he's just nuts." Remus stated.
"Well, if anybody's after you, Hogwarts would be the safest place to be." Hermione said, crossing her arms.
"Where's Buckbeak, Sirius?" Harry asked.
"He's in Ireland. I saw a group of them and I left him with them. He's happier there." Sirius said. Harry walked over and sat on the couch in front of the TV.
"…that's another fifty points to Ireland. One cannot help but feel bad for the Cannons. It's too bad they're so terrible…" The announcer stated. Ron's face showed anger, but he didn't say anything.
"With this new channel, we can reach out to all kinds of wizards and witches. That's why this year we will begin to televise Quidditch games around the globe. We will even begin to televise Quidditch games from the four main wizard schools. That's right, Azoniane in China, Kackteno in Ireland, Mirental in USA, and Hogwarts in England's games will all be filmed and aired on this channel. This will go on through out the year and at the end their will be a tournament to decide the best school…" The announcer kept talking. Harry and Ron jumped up from their seats and began cheering. Hermione watched them laughing. This was great news. Not only would the matches be televised, Hogwarts would be playing schools from around the globe. Harry was slightly worried. Would the kids from the other schools know who he was? Was he that famous?
"This is going to be rad! I'm going to try out for the keeper position since Wood's gone." Ron said. Wood. He was gone. Oliver Wood was the keeper for the Gryffindor team and had been for the three years Harry had attended Hogwarts. Oliver was the captain of the Gryffindor team and was the backbone of the team. There had to be a new keeper… and a new captain. Harry thought about this while. Could he make it as the captain?
"Well, you should start practicing the keeper position. You only have a month left until school starts." Sirius stated.
"Let's go play." Harry suggested.
"OK, we have to go get our brooms and balls. Hermione, stay here with Padfoot and Moony, we'll be back in five minutes." Ron stated, walking towards the door. Harry followed. They walked up to the house and went inside. They grabbed the brooms and went to find Fred and George. They walked up one flight of stairs and into Fred and George's room.
"BOOM!!!" Harry walked right into a Filibuster firework.
"Eww… Sorry 'bout that Harry. Should have knocked." George laughed.
"And what do you need?" Fred asked them. Harry's face was black with ashes.
"Ugh… We need a quaffle." Harry said. A quaffle was a ball used in quidditch.
"Hmm… Let's see. We got one around here." Fred began to look around. He began to open different cupboards. Many of the cupboards stored many weird things. From one cupboard, a little fur ball jumped out.
"What is that?" Harry asked.
"Oh… that's a… um… tiger." George stated.
"You have a tiger?" Ron asked.
"Technically, it's a pygmy tiger. This is the biggest it will grow." Fred stated.
"You keep it in a cupboard?" Harry asked.
"Hey, are you here to get a quaffle or to keep badgering me about sleeping arraignments?" George asked.
"Here it is." Fred said, pulling a basketball sized red ball out from under his bed. He threw it to Harry.
"Mom, already knows so you can't get us in trouble." George laughed.
"What are you going to do when you leave for Hogwarts?" Harry asked.
"We're taking him with us." Fred said.
"To Hogwarts? You can't do that." Ron informed him.
"We've already had special clearance from Professor Dumbledore. He says we can take Ezriel with us because it isn't very threatening." George said.
"Ezriel… nice name." Harry said.
"Time to go, bye." Ron said, leaving the room. Harry left with him. Harry rubbed the ashes off and returned his face to normal. Once they were outside, they flew the rest of the way to the house. They landed on the doorstep and walked in.
"We're back. Do you want to go play with us?" Ron asked Sirius and Remus.
"Uh, sure. I was a beater back in the day. Padfoot?" Lupin asked.
"No thanks. I'll stay here with Hermione." Sirius said.
"Alright. Back in two hours." Ron said. The trio set off deeper into the woods until they reached another clearing. It took them about ten minutes to reach it. To the further side of the clearing, there was a ten-foot pole with a hoop at the top. The three of them lifted up in the air. Ron flew in front of the goal post while Remus and Harry shot at him with the quaffle. Ron was a natural. Only three got by him. He was so pumped up for the season, the three stayed out until it was almost nightfall. The sun was beginning to set when Harry began to think. What day was today? He thought about it for a while. He decided it was July 3rd. Full moon.
"Ron, let's get out of here!!!" He yelled. Harry could see the moon beginning to rise as he landed on the floor.
"Why?" Ron asked, landing next to him.
"HOWL!!!" A loud howl was heard from above.
"That's why." Harry said. They left the quaffle and their broomsticks and began running towards the house. They had been running for five minutes when Harry looked behind to see if they were being chased. Not more than five feet away, the werewolf that was once Remus was tailing them. They increased their speeds. They nearly reached the clearing, but they were not fast enough. The werewolf pounced on Harry and brought him to the ground. The werewolf almost bit him. Luckily, Ron pulled him off just in time. The werewolf knocked Ron over and sunk his teeth into his leg.
"Ahh!!" Sirius heard Ron's sickly scream. He came bounding in his animagus form, which was a huge shaggy black dog. Sirius pounced on the werewolf and they began to roll around, fighting. Harry grabbed Ron and put him on to his shoulders. He carried Ron back to the white house where Hermione was outside. When she saw Ron's leg, her face was covered with a look of horror.
"Get inside!" Harry yelled. The three ran inside and put Ron on to the couch.
"Oh, god! What happened?" Hermione asked, crying.
"Lupin turned into a wolf and we didn't have enough time to get away." Harry answered, covering the wound with a damp towel. Ron was trying hard not to cry, but the pain was too incredible. He let out little whimpers like a puppy dog.
"Does this mean…" Hermione couldn't finish her question. Harry nodded. A couple seconds later, Fred and George came running into the house. They had scared looks on their faces.
"We heard the screams. What happened?" George asked.
"Oh, no! Please tell me this wasn't Lupin!" Fred said. Harry nodded.
"Damn! Mum and Dad are going to kill us!" George cried.
"Come on. Aren't you worried about your brother?" Hermione said, still crying.
"Oh, right." Fred said, walking over to Ron.
"This is terrible." George said.
The door burst open. Sirius stood, roughed up from head to toe. He had a gash in his right arm that definitely needed medical attention.
"This night just keeps on getting better." Fred said, scanning Sirius's body.
"Ouch." Sirius mumbled, walking in the door. Hermione ran over to the door and shut it.
"Are you ok?" Ron asked through tears.
"You don't look to good yourself." Sirius said, sitting down in a chair.
"This is not good. You're going to be in trouble soon, Sirius." Harry said, worried.
"Don't worry about it. We need to worry about Ron right now. I'll apparate to Hogwarts and talk to Dumbledore." Sirius said, pulling out his wand. He muttered a few incantations and in a quick poof, he was gone.
"Ron, this is all my fault. I should of thought about the date earlier." Hermione cried.
"It is in no way your fault, you weren't even out there. I should have got out of there sooner." Harry said, shaking his head.
"It's nobody's fault, alright? I'm in trouble. I'm going to go through hell once a month for the rest of my life. I probably won't be allowed back at Hogwarts." Ron pouted.
"Don't say that Ron. Remember what Lupin did when he was at Hogwarts? Maybe they'll let you do that." Hermione added. Moments later, Sirius and Professor Dumbledore appeared from clear air.
"This is very unfortunate, you know. Luckily, the tunnel to the shrieking shack is still there and with the new potion that will let you remain calm while you are a wolf, everything should work out all right. You will be fine Ron," Dumbledore stated. Ron was relieved. Dumbledore pulled a six pack of drinks from under his cloak, "If you drink these a night before your transformation, you will be harmless. Where are your parents?"
"Dragon convention, coming back tomorrow." Ron mumbled.
"Hmm… You shouldn't be here all alone. I'll send an owl to your parents, you can go to the Leaky Cauldron, all five of you. You can stay there for the night." Dumbledore said.
"Sounds good. What should I do about my leg?" Ron asked.
"I can perform a spell that will let you walk on it and take the pain away." Dumbledore said, rolling his sleeves up. He pulled out his wand and recited an incantation. Ron stood up and began to walk around.
"Good as new. Let's go." Ron said. Dumbledore span his wand around and shouted a few words. Next thing they knew, they were in the bar at the Leaky Cauldron. Sirius was in his dog form lying on the floor.
"Six butterbeers." Dumbledore stated, walking up to the bar.
"Hey there, headmaster. Coming right up." The barkeep answered. The six of them sat at the bar for a minute, until the barkeep brought their drinks. Harry chugged his entire drink in one gulp.
"Jeez, Harry. Slow down." Hermione said.
"Whatever. One more barkeep." Harry ordered.
"Alright. Here you go." The bartender answered, handing him the drink. This time Harry drank it slow.
"We're going to need a room, are there any open?" Dumbledore asked.
"Of course, we have a three room, two bathroom available right now. I don't know about the dog. I'm sure we can whip something up. A comfy pad or something. Follow me, I'll show you to the room" He said, hopping over the counter. They followed him through a dark passage lit by a few torches. They stopped at room C-A.
"Well, I'll be seeing you later." Dumbledore nodded towards Sirius. "I'll leave him with you. Tomorrow you can go down to Diagon Alley if you want. There should be a few things you need to buy for the new semester."
"Oh, right. See you later." Fred said, walking into the room. Dumbledore apparated back to Hogwarts. Harry went into the room and plopped down on one of the five beds. Fred and George had huge smiles on their faces.
"What?" Ron asked.
"Oh, nothing. It's just that Dumbledore didn't say anything about going down Knockturn Alley." George giggled. Everyone's faces lit up. Except Hermione.
"We can't go down there. With Harry? Are you kidding? Imagine if one of You-know-who's men were down there. If they saw Harry's scar, he'd be done for." Hermione argued.
"I don't think they would risk it. There are too many good wizards around. I'll be fine. I can put a spell on my bangs to make it stay still." Harry reassured her.
"You've forgotten something, we're not allowed to use magic on the holidays." Hermione said.
"Well, I'll get the barkeep to do it." Harry said.
"Yeah, we need to go down there. They'll have books on werewolves. I'll be able to read up on the symptoms." Ron added. Hermione looked mad.
"Hm… Fine, but if Harry gets filleted by You-know-who's men don't blame me." Hermione retaliated.
"Well, let's get some sleep. It's been a long day." George recommended. So they went to bed. Harry could never imagine who they would meet the next day.
"Get up. Come on. We're going in to the alley. Get up." George's voice woke him up. Harry opened his eyes. Four faces looked down at him. He immediately woke up.
"What time is it?" Harry asked.
"Ten o'clock." Fred answered, slipping on his shoes. All the others were already dressed in their black cloaks. Harry got out of bed and slipped on his cloak. Sirius was in his dog form and was laying on his pad.
"Let's go now." Ron said, opening the door.
"Hold on, would ya? Gosh, I'm not even dressed." Harry complained.
"Well, hurry up. I can't wait to get the books." Ron whispered.
"All right, but just wait a sec," Harry put on his shoes and stood up from his bed, "Ok, let's go."
The five of them and Sirius as the dog headed out to Diagon Alley. They walked through the dimly lit halls and into the bar.
"Hey, can we stop and get a butterbeer?" Harry asked.
"No. What is it with you and that stuff anyway? You've drunken two and we've been here less than a day." Ron answered.
"Well, it's good. That's all. After drinking nothing but water for a month, you would like it to." Harry replied.
"Good point."
"Um… You know, it's real great to hear about only drinking water for a month, but I could have sworn we were on our way to buy school supplies." George added sarcastically. They continued out the back of the bar. To one side of the door, there was a brick wall. In front of the brick wall, there was a trashcan.
"What was it? Three up… four across?" Ron tried to remember how to open the magic door.
"No, it's three up… two across." Hermione said, tapping the brick.
The brick wall turned into an archway and the five walked through.
"Sorry Sirius, have to put you on a leash." Harry said, wrapping a leash around the dog's neck. It let out a whimper.
"Where should we go first?" Hermione asked.
Harry looked around. The first shop was called Cauldrons. There were all kinds of cauldrons: gold, pewter, self-stirring, and collapsible. Harry remembered the first time he had ever stepped into Diagon Alley. When all this was totally strange to him.
"Knockturn." Fred and George ran off. The other three had to run to keep up with them. What could be that good down there anyway?
They dodged anyone that got in their way. They ran full speed towards the dark alley. Harry kind of felt bad going down there, but he told himself the only reason he was going was to help Ron cope with being a werewolf. They passed many weird stores on the way. They were nearly to the alley when something in a window made them all stop. The Lightning Bolt. The newest broomstick to ever be released.
"Whoa…" The four boys dreamed of having one. Even Sirius drooled at the site. The caption beneath it read:
"The Lightning Bolt, Top Choice of Bulgaria, Fastest Model to Date."
"How would you like to get your hands on that baby?" Fred asked.
"Oh yeah. That's better than even the Firebolt, Harry. Harry?" Ron hit Harry, who was in a daze.
"Huh? Oh yeah." Harry replied.
"Well, let's go. We'll never get one of those." George pouted.
"Yeah, come on." Harry said, walking towards Knockturn Alley. The group was sullen for the rest of the walk. Harry knew that they all wanted the broomstick, but were too poor to get one. Harry felt bad, knowing he had a small fortune underground at Gringotts, the wizard bank.
"Oh, shoot!" Harry said.
"What?" Ron asked.
"I forgot to get money from Gringotts. How can I buy anything? Let's go." Harry said, veering to the right.
In front of them was a big snow white building with a goblin standing on guard. They walked up the stairs and into the building. They walked up to the desk in front where a goblin was sitting.
"Name?" She asked.
"Harry Potter." Harry answered. This got the look of a man standing to the right of them.
"The Harry Potter?" He asked.
"Uh, yeah." Harry reluctantly replied.
"Oh, I'm David Gudgeon. I'll be your new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor." David Gudgeon said, shaking Harry's hand vigorously. He wore a long black cloak with a hood. The inside of one of his eyes was pure black. He must have noticed Harry staring at his eye.
"Ahh, the eye. Magical, you know. I can tell if you're scared, happy, disturbed. Quite useful." He said.
"Oh, hm… that's nice. Gotta go now." Harry said, following a goblin towards the vault. Harry decided to go to his vault alone so he told the others to wait. Harry hopped into the cart with a goblin in it. They sped away going deeper and deeper into the ground. Twisting and turning, they finally reached the vault. The goblin opened up the vault and went inside. Harry followed him in. There was money everywhere. Harry grabbed some money and got up on the cart again. The wild ride began again as he zipped through twists and turns all the way back to the top floor. After a few minutes, Harry arrived back with the group. They walked out of Gringotts and into Knockturn Alley. Everything became dark and murky. The first shop they saw had a display featuring many books and accessories that had to do with werewolves. The group went in to the store.
"No dogs allowed!" The man at the counter yelled to the group.
"Fred and I will stay outside with him." George said, grabbing the leash and following Fred out.
"Hm… Wonder what they're up to." Harry thought aloud. Ron grabbed two books and an orb.
"What is that?" Hermione answered.
"That's a wolf hate meter. It let's you see if your around any one that would kill you if they knew you were a werewolf." A voice said from behind. Harry turned around to see Remus looking down at them.
"Hey! How's it going?" Hermione asked.
"Hmm… Not to well, actually. I woke up deep in the forest and had to stumble around looking for a place to rest. I don't know what happened." He said.
"Oh, well. Let me just inform you on a little of last night's happenings," Ron began shouting, "You bit me! I'm a werewolf!"
Remus's face paled. He looked as though he was about to cry.
"I am so sorry," He said, getting down on his knees, "I should have been thinking, but know that you are one, there are a few things I'll need to teach you. First is, DO NOT GO YELLING IT OUT!!!"
"Oh, sorry." Ron blushed.
"Right this minute, there are A.W. activists down the street yelling out their propaganda. You need to be careful. I have a feeling that we're going to be spending a lot of time together on full moons, so you should start taking my advice." Remus instructed.
"But, Remus…"
"Ron, call me Moony."
"What the heck are they?" Hermione asked.
Outside the door, a group of six people stood. These were the weirdest people Harry had ever seen. He didn't understand when one of them hoisted him up and yelled.
"Cousin!"