Prologue: The Boy Who Lived
Molly Weasley smiled at her youngest son and her infant daughter. Little Ron's mop of red hair was untidy again, and Virginia's was near to non- existant. Arthur would be home soon, she hoped: he had worked overnight and would be exhausted, but he would be home all the same, and she would feel safer.she had just woken up herself, Ron had seen to that.
Fred and George would be awake in a few minutes, she supposed, chattering away and seeing to it that she hurried breakfast. Percy would ask his solemn questions and tell her that he dreamed about.something strange and exciting. And Charlie would come down last and run out to play with the gnomes and pretend to hunt for dragons.
She was also hoping for a letter from Bill, but he was a teenager and apt to have forgotten. She smiled fondly, imagining him writing up in his dormitory, talking to his friends, trying to find somewhere more exotic to put his prefect badge.
She jumped as a whirring noise came from behind her, but it was that new, wonderful clock; Arthur's hand spun around to 'Travelling' and then to 'Home,' and he walked in briskly, strode over and hugged her tight.
"Arthur, what -?" she asked, startled. "Oh, no.was there.has there been another attack?"
Her husband pushed her back to an arm's length away and nodded slowly.
Her heart sank, and she shuddered. "Who?" she asked faintly. "Who, this time?"
Arthur opened his mouth and tried to find the right words. "I.oh, I hoped you had heard.it's so hard to explain, the Ministry's in an uproar.no, no, it's.oh, I don't know where to start."
"Start with who," she pressed, trembling. Rarely had she seen him so upset. Ron seemed to sense something was going on. He walked over to his father and raised his arms in the air. "Up," he said insistantly.
Arthur bent over and picked his son up. "It's Lily and James Potter," he said finally. "But -"
Molly took a deep, shaking breath and sat down. "And the boy? Their son, too? Oh, no."
Arthur shook his head firmly. "No, Molly, that's what I'm trying to say. You-Know-Who couldn't kill him. Harry, he's still alive, and You-Know-Who is.is.well, he's gone. Vanished. His power broke."
Molly's mouth was open. "What do you mean, he's gone?"
"He's gone. Wherever he is, he's not.well, he.disappeared, but they think he's really gone. Maybe not for good. No, he's not dead. But.it's just so unbelievable."
"What's happening to Harry Potter?"
"There's a rumor he's going to live with his aunt and uncle."
"I thought," Molly said after a long pause, "that there was some sort of plan to protect the Potters. The Fidelius Charm?"
"I don't know. That's one rumor. But there are many others."
The two of them were silent for a long time, and then their day began.
Chapter One: The Letters From Someone
Someone knocked on the door.
Ron closed his book and stuffed it under the bed. "Yeah? What d'you want?" he said in what he hoped was a sleepy voice.
"Ron, are you awake yet?"
"No, Perce, I'm answering you in my sleep."
"Well, you'd better come downstairs. I think the Hogwarts letters are here. And it's breakfast time, anyway."
What are we having, Ron wanted to say. But he already knew. Oatmeal and orange juice. As always.
And he would have been a lot more excited about getting his Hogwarts letter if it weren't for the fact that Percy was almost certainly going to be made a prefect, and would be a smug git about it for the next five weeks. And he knew that in the next seven years, whatever he did would be a repetition of what Bill and Charlie and Percy had done.
On second thought, since Bill and Charlie were out of school and Percy didn't play Quidditch, and there was no chance that Fred and George woud be prefects or Head Boy, maybe he'd be the first one to be both Head Boy and Quidditch captain.
But being Head Boy would be no fun.
He could just see himself taking a hundred points from that Malfoy boy. Or some other Slytherin. But then Fred and George wouldn't like him, they'd say he was stuffy and boring. Unless he acted like Bill had as a Head Boy.
And yet, he could never be like Bill. He could never be that cool, that smooth. Bill had a calm, unruffled manner, and he was always polite. Ron was a bit to clumsy, a bit too slow, a bit too fumbling, and definitely not Head Boy material.
On the other hand, being a Quidditch Captain would be great, if he could get a spot. Fred and George said that the only position not yet filled was Seeker, and Ron was only good at being Keeper.
He smoothed his precious Chudley Cannons quilt, a gift from Charlie from Hogsmeade, and headed downstairs.
***
Ron leapt over the last two stairs and glanced around the kitchen. Ginny was yawning and helping herself to some lumpy oatmeal, Percy was tapping his foot impatiently and waiting for the owls to come, not touching his breakfast, his mother was sitting in a chair by the stove reading the Daily Prophet, and Fred and George were throwing oatmeal at Percy while he wasn't looking.
Dad was in the garden. Ron could see him through the window, talking to something (probably a particularly conversational gnome) and laughing.
Ron took his place at the table between Ginny and Fred. There was a thwack, and oatmeal dripped down Percy's back. Fred and George smothered their laughter at his indignation, pretending they hadn't noticed, hiding their smiles with gulps of orange juice. Mum didn't notice Percy's splutters, just kept reading her newspaper.
A solemn looking barn owl flew through the open window, and Percy practically tackled it, looking something like an American football player. He straightened with a letter in his hand and tore it open.
Ron saw him skimming it, then glancing in the envelope, dumping a shiny- looking something out into his hand. With a yell of triumph, he threw the letter down on the table. It bounced off the owl's head and landed in front of Ron. Percy ran yelling into the garden. "Yes! Yes! I'm a prefect!"
Ron heard his father's voice, "Well are you, Percy, that's wonderful.oh, don't go! No, the gnome, not you Percy." Ron came to the open door with the owl on his arm and watched the gnome turn around and scurry back and start circling Percy screaming, "Moron! Moron!"
"Oh, how irritating," Percy sighed, "I'm a prefect, will you please leave me alone - oh, blast. Father, can you make this damned thing - aaaah!" The gnome bit him, hard, on the ankle and ran off screaming, "Prefect! Prefect!"
"And you'd better remember it, too!" Percy shouted after it, hopping on one foot. The other one was bleeding hard. "Father -"
Dad hurried up to him and tapped Percy's ankle, and Percy sighed and walked back in. He held up his badge in his mother's face. "I know, dear, isn't it wonderful?" she said to him, smiling broadly. "I'll have to write and tell Bill." Percy glanced at the newspaper, looked momentarily startled, and sat down, forgetting the oatmeal on the seat of his pants.
"Here's your letter," Ron said grimly, handing it to him. "And yours, Fred, and George, yeah, you too.no, Ginny, you're too young, there's nothing for you.Mum, what are you reading?"
He had noticed that his mother's eyes were fixed on one spot. She started and looked innocently up. "Nothing, dear, you wouldn't be interested."
Fred had snuck up behind. "Mum!" he said, horrified. "You do fancy him, don't you!"
"Oh, Fred.don't be ridiculous."
"She's staring at a picture of Lockhart," Fred informed them, looking disgusted. "Mangy brainless git's won Witch Weekly's Most-Charming-Smile Award.God, it's his fourth time in a row. What an airhead."
"He is not," Mum said sharply, "you look at his books, he's done wonderful things -"
"His name is Gilderoy. This was all I needed to know. How can anyone like someone whose name is Gilderoy Lockhart? I can just see that moron at a romantic dinner. 'Oh, Gilderoy!' Honestly, Mum."
"Yeah, he's marvolous and charming and handsome, don't you think Ginny?" said George sarcastically. He had made his way over to Fred's side. Ginny, looking trapped, squeaked and shook her head violently. "He's dumb," she said breathlessly, "and an airhead and all that."
"Ginny, what nonsense.come look at this picture." Fred and George gave their mother dirty looks and went back to their seats to open their letters.
Ron glanced at his list and handed it to Mum, who had stashed the paper in a drawer. "When are we going to Diagon Alley?" he demanded.
"Today, I suppose.Arthur? Arthur, come in, the oatmeal will be cold."
"One moment, Molly.I have to check something in the garage."
"Oh not your charmed Muggle things again! Not now, Arthur, check your illegal things after breakfast! Better yet, wait until this evening.we've got to go to Diagon Alley, come on!"
"All right. And they're not illegal, Molly, I've told you, there's a loophole."
"You made that loophole so you could tinker with your things in peace."
"Pass the orange juice, Fred," Dad said shortly, sitting next to Ginny, and began to eat.
***
"Mum, you said we could get new brooms this year, we couldn't keep up with the Bludgers."
"I know, Fred dear, we have to go to Gringotts first."
"If we don't get them we'll be chucked off the team. Oliver will probably physically toss us out, and some amateur brats will get our positions."
"We saved up, George," Dad said, exasperated, "we have enough and we will get you Cleansweep Fives."
Percy turned to his mother. "Must I stay around? I would prefer to go somewhere where people are less childish." He gave Fred and George a belittling, smug grin.
"No, Percy, you need new things."
"I could meet you in front of Gringotts in fifteen minutes."
"Twenty, Perce," Mr. Weasley yawned.
"Twenty, then. Mum?"
"All right, dear."
"Mum, can we meet you then too?" Fred said, nudging George. George nodded eagerly. Mum hadn't seen it, nor did she see the smirks they gave Ron and Percy when she agreed.
Ron, having nowhere to go, followed his parents and Ginny into Gringotts.
***
"Here you go, boys," Mr. Weasley said, handing the twins gleaming Cleansweep Fives. Fred and George nodded to each other, grinning. Ron could tell they were planning to do something dangerous or somewhat illegal, but didn't mention this to his parents. He didn't want to spoil the fun.
Percy had gotten new robes, but Ron just got basics. It was rubbish. A cauldron, a secondhand telescope, books, and set of scales. A new set of phials. A new set of gloves and a cloak. Basic Potion ingredients. Parchment. Quill. Ink.
He watched jealously as the other boys and girls walked into Ollivanders' and Madam Malkin's and the animal shops. He didn't hear his mother apologize to him when she saw him staring at the owls. He blinked several times and tried to tell himself it wasn't his parents' fault.
He knew Percy would be giving him Scabbers, and Bill's old robes were already stored in a closet. Charlie's first wand was in a locked drawer in the kitchen.
"Mum," he heard Fred say, and glanced over, "we'll meet you in a while."
"Where are you going?"
"Oh, there's a couple of our friends here. Going to talk to some of them."
"All right."
George was practically skipping. After five minutes or so, Percy excused himself too, and Ron glanced at his Sickle and three Knuts and asked his parents if they could all go into Flourish and Blott's: there were some special kinds of ink in there he wanted to look at.
At that instant, however, Percy sprinted up, holding the backs of the twins' shirts, one in either hand. "What now?" Mum sighed.
"They were trying to get into Knock- "
"Not again!" Mum stormed. "I told you to stay away from there, that's dangerous, the people there - oh, the most terrible sort, and the shops - things that Dark Wizards -"
Fred squirmed away from Percy and freed George too. "It's not like we have enough money to buy anything," he grumbled.
"I don't care, heaven knows who - or what - you could meet there, there are hags and vampires and werewolves -"
"Not all werewolves are bad, Molly," Dad pointed out quietly, as if he was the one being shouted at.
"The ones in there are!" Mum said turning on him.
"Molly.people are staring."
"Come on," she said, breathing hard, "into Flourish and Blott's."
Chapter Two: Arrows, Irishmen, and Child Care
"Ron, look, over here!" Ginny hissed at him. There was an empty bottle of ink. "It refills itself."
"Yeah, Gin," he showed her, "but you have to buy something to mix in every time you want it to refill. And I can't use invisible ink. And anyway, I don't have enough."
"Who's that?" Ginny was pointing at a sandy-haired Irish boy who was standing next to his mother and looking at different signed posters by Quidditch players who also wrote books.
"I dunno."
"Well, he'll be in your year, his mum's holding all the first year books."
The boy glanced over at him from one of the posters and smiled. "Hey," he said to Ron and Ginny. "I'm Seamus. Hogwarts?"
"Er - I am. She's not until next year. Ron Weasley. And Ginny."
"Nice to meet you. Know what house you'll be in?"
"Gryffindor," Ron said, a bit uncertainly, "at least, all my family has been."
"Mum was, too," Seamus said, indicating the smiling woman with him, who nodded, "So I hope I will be."
Ron glanced at the poster. "Oh - are you a Falcons fan?"
Seamus just grinned. "What's your team?"
"Me? I like the Cannons."
"But they haven't.I mean."
"Yeah, I know, I guess they're not as good anymore, but they're still awesome. I like Romdif."
"They have one of him.here."
"Cool! I'm gonna get it.I've got to go. See you at Hogwarts, then."
"Yeah. Nice meeting you, Ron. And Ginny."
Ron walked up to the front and bought the Julius Romdif poster. Romdif beamed up at him and waved at Ginny, winking. Ginny giggled.
"Are you done then, Ron?" Dad asked. As Ron had only a Knut left, he was, and told his father so. "Come on, the others are at Eeylops.I'm - er - buying Percy an owl for becoming a prefect."
Percy had already decided on a tawny, which he named Hermes, and they returned home.
***
Fred and George had bought Filibuster fireworks, and displayed them that evening when the sun was still casting its final rays of orange and pink light on Ottery St. Catchpole. Showers of red and gold blended in with parts of the painted sky. It looked perfect.
Ron smiled. Five more weeks and he'd be at Hogwarts.he really was looking forward to it, but he wondered what would happen when he got there. He had a strange feeling that he would be able to be important too, he would be able to be good.
He had a feeling that he would be able to be proud of what he had done.
***
Ron was downstairs early the next morning. He knew something was going to happen. Maybe nothing big, but he had woken up for no apparent reason, and this was always a good sign. There was something new for breakfast for once, bacon and eggs and sausage, and Percy was the last one downstairs. Fred and George looked bored. This was also off-beat, and confirmed Ron's belief that today was a good day.
Two owls arrived simultaneously, a snowy one that Ron had never seen, and Bill's owl, Cleopatra. Fred and George launched themselves at the snowy, and Cleopatra fluttered onto Ron's knee. Ron's attention, however, was on Fred, who was unrolling the poster that the snowy had brought. "Yes!" George hissed, grinning.
"What is it?" Ginny asked.
"Appleby Arrows poster," Fred sang happily. Percy shook his head in disgust and went back to his bacon.
"We ordered it yesterday," George said excitedly.
Ron knew the names of all the players, he had played with Fred and George enough times as a kid.
"James Imoltrez and Johnathon Bismarck, Beaters, Wesley Spring, Seeker and Captain -" Fred began, and the players that had been zooming around lined up as he said their names.
George cut him off. "Logan Larson, the Keeper, and Daniel, Dap and Derick Matela, Chasers and known for their stunning coordination."
At the last words, the Matela triplets all rocketed into the air and lined up ten feet apart. Dap was ten feet from the goal, with Daniel behind him and Derick behind him. Derick took the Quaffle, tossed it into the air, and hit it with the tail of his broom. Daniel spun and did the same, and Dap's broom twisted around so fast that he was a blur of color. But he did hit the Quaffle, and it soared through the goal dead center. The rest of the team cheered.
Fred grinned and he and George bolted up the stairs to hang the poster up. Ron turned his attention to Cleopatra, and Percy looked up.
When he had gotten the letter untied, Cleo flew over to the window and perched. Ron opened it and read it out loud.
"Dear Mum, Dad, Percy, Fred, George, Ron, and Ginny,
How are you all? I know it's been a while since I wrote, but we've been working on this one huge vault breaking curses for days. When we got in the door, there was this skeleton hanging from a golden chain from the ceiling, but it was tied to his foot. His hand brushed Eirren's hand, and Eirren yelled and spun around. Well, the chain fell down on Eirren's head and tied itself around his foot and hung him up on the ceiling and we had a time getting him down without touching the chain, it wouldn't respond to any spells. So we had to get Geba up to the dome to try to make it collapse a bit so the chain would come loose. There was a huge thing, I guess like some kind of magnet for the chain, embedded in the ceiling, a big quartz crystal or something.
"And Giba tried to use the Killing Curse on it. On a quartz crystal. Eirren thinks he's insane, but we just left the crystal where it fell on the floor and got all the treasure out.
"I'm sorry, but I won't be able to visit like I thought before Ron and Percy and the twins leave for school. Eirren's going instead of me, because he's freaking out here, jumping at little noises and all, and honestly we can't blame him. Things like hanging by your foot from the ceiling by a demonic gold chain for four hours will do that to you, I guess.
"I will be able to visit for a very short time in October, but probably just a day, not an overnight. I'll owl you the date when I find out, but it depends on how long it takes us to break into the next vault.
"And let me guess. Percy's a prefect! Congrats, kid.
"Love, Bill. And Ron, don't worry about going to Hogwarts, you'll learn quick enough, and the food is as good as Mum's."
Ron looked up. Ginny was paying rapt attention, Percy was smirking about the prefect remark, and Fred and George, who had returned right before "And let me guess," but had obviously heard more of it, were still grinning. Fred took the letter so he and George could read all of it.
Ron finished breakfast and went outside. Today was certainly different.
***
Fred and George had been in their rooms most of the day, and for the last hour, for reasons beyond Ron, there had been loud explosions coming from behind the closed door.
Ron finally decided to see what they were doing, and asked Ginny to come with him. "You're my second," he whispered on their way up the stairs, and his younger sister laughed.
Ron stopped in front of the door. Another explosion made the door rattle, and Fred's laugh came from within. Ron raised his fist and knocked.
Fred answered the door, only opening it a crack. "You whacked?" he said, grinning.
"What.erm.what are you doing?"
Fred's smile grew. "Whatever do you mean?" he said with an evil hint in his voice.
"The noise," Ginny said, "the explosions.what are you doing?"
"We like noise," George offered helpfully from somewhere out of sight, and there was another loud bang.
"What are you really doing?" Ron demanded.
"What," George said, appearing from behind his twin on tiptoes, "you mean you don't believe we like noise?"
"What are you hiding?"
Fred grinned and opened the door. The room was perfectly clean, with nothing unusual except a few sweets and two wands. The Cleansweeps leaned against the wall, and the bunk beds were the only untidy thing.
Ron and Ginny looked at each other, convinced. "Okay," Ron shrugged, "whatever." He got a last glimpse of James Imoltrez laughing his head off before the door closed.
***
That evening, Mum and Dad went out somewhere to do something. They were very inspecific, and didn't even know when they'd be back, but had left Percy babysitting.
Fred and George had finally come out of their rooms and were doing their best to tickle Percy to death.
"No, please!" Percy shreiked through gales of laughter. "Stop it, stop, this is so unfair, stop!"
Ginny was standing by and laughing almost as hard as Percy, tears of mirth streaming down her face. "Ginny, help!" Percy laughed. "Ginny.Ron, make them.quit it!"
After almost ten minutes, Percy, still laughing and now lying on the floor, was picked up, Fred with his shoulders and George with his feet, and taken slowly upstairs. On the third floor, Fred set down his end of his older brother and got out an old swing from a Muggle swingset. He attatched it to the open window, and they tied Percy to it and very slowly lowered him out the window.
Percy's laughter cut off. He was now high in the air tied to a swing and hanging out a third story window.
"Fred?" he called up. "George? Let me up, this isn't funny. Pull me up! Come on! Ginny? Ron? Is anyone up there? Pull me up! Now!"
Fred's head appeared out the window. "Why?" he asked, concealing his urge to laugh hysterically.
"NOW!" Percy yelled. "YOU CRUEL, DIRTY LITTLE KIDS HAD BETTER GET ME INSIDE THIS INSTANT!"
"Why?" Fred repeated.
Percy looked down. "I'm afraid of heights," he said finally.
"What was that, sorry, Perce? I didn't hear."
"I'M AFRAID OF HEIGHTS."
"Oh, are you? How inconvenient."
"I'm telling Mum and Dad when they get home!" Percy shouted. Fred disappeared. There was a long silence.
"Fred? George?" Percy said at last. "If you let me up I won't tell them. Please? I promise, I swear."
Fred appeared again. "By what?"
"Um.my father's name?"
"Your prefect badge."
"All right!"
"What? Say it!"
"I swear by my prefect badge I shall not tell Mum and Dad, either one. Let me up, let me up now!"
Molly Weasley smiled at her youngest son and her infant daughter. Little Ron's mop of red hair was untidy again, and Virginia's was near to non- existant. Arthur would be home soon, she hoped: he had worked overnight and would be exhausted, but he would be home all the same, and she would feel safer.she had just woken up herself, Ron had seen to that.
Fred and George would be awake in a few minutes, she supposed, chattering away and seeing to it that she hurried breakfast. Percy would ask his solemn questions and tell her that he dreamed about.something strange and exciting. And Charlie would come down last and run out to play with the gnomes and pretend to hunt for dragons.
She was also hoping for a letter from Bill, but he was a teenager and apt to have forgotten. She smiled fondly, imagining him writing up in his dormitory, talking to his friends, trying to find somewhere more exotic to put his prefect badge.
She jumped as a whirring noise came from behind her, but it was that new, wonderful clock; Arthur's hand spun around to 'Travelling' and then to 'Home,' and he walked in briskly, strode over and hugged her tight.
"Arthur, what -?" she asked, startled. "Oh, no.was there.has there been another attack?"
Her husband pushed her back to an arm's length away and nodded slowly.
Her heart sank, and she shuddered. "Who?" she asked faintly. "Who, this time?"
Arthur opened his mouth and tried to find the right words. "I.oh, I hoped you had heard.it's so hard to explain, the Ministry's in an uproar.no, no, it's.oh, I don't know where to start."
"Start with who," she pressed, trembling. Rarely had she seen him so upset. Ron seemed to sense something was going on. He walked over to his father and raised his arms in the air. "Up," he said insistantly.
Arthur bent over and picked his son up. "It's Lily and James Potter," he said finally. "But -"
Molly took a deep, shaking breath and sat down. "And the boy? Their son, too? Oh, no."
Arthur shook his head firmly. "No, Molly, that's what I'm trying to say. You-Know-Who couldn't kill him. Harry, he's still alive, and You-Know-Who is.is.well, he's gone. Vanished. His power broke."
Molly's mouth was open. "What do you mean, he's gone?"
"He's gone. Wherever he is, he's not.well, he.disappeared, but they think he's really gone. Maybe not for good. No, he's not dead. But.it's just so unbelievable."
"What's happening to Harry Potter?"
"There's a rumor he's going to live with his aunt and uncle."
"I thought," Molly said after a long pause, "that there was some sort of plan to protect the Potters. The Fidelius Charm?"
"I don't know. That's one rumor. But there are many others."
The two of them were silent for a long time, and then their day began.
Chapter One: The Letters From Someone
Someone knocked on the door.
Ron closed his book and stuffed it under the bed. "Yeah? What d'you want?" he said in what he hoped was a sleepy voice.
"Ron, are you awake yet?"
"No, Perce, I'm answering you in my sleep."
"Well, you'd better come downstairs. I think the Hogwarts letters are here. And it's breakfast time, anyway."
What are we having, Ron wanted to say. But he already knew. Oatmeal and orange juice. As always.
And he would have been a lot more excited about getting his Hogwarts letter if it weren't for the fact that Percy was almost certainly going to be made a prefect, and would be a smug git about it for the next five weeks. And he knew that in the next seven years, whatever he did would be a repetition of what Bill and Charlie and Percy had done.
On second thought, since Bill and Charlie were out of school and Percy didn't play Quidditch, and there was no chance that Fred and George woud be prefects or Head Boy, maybe he'd be the first one to be both Head Boy and Quidditch captain.
But being Head Boy would be no fun.
He could just see himself taking a hundred points from that Malfoy boy. Or some other Slytherin. But then Fred and George wouldn't like him, they'd say he was stuffy and boring. Unless he acted like Bill had as a Head Boy.
And yet, he could never be like Bill. He could never be that cool, that smooth. Bill had a calm, unruffled manner, and he was always polite. Ron was a bit to clumsy, a bit too slow, a bit too fumbling, and definitely not Head Boy material.
On the other hand, being a Quidditch Captain would be great, if he could get a spot. Fred and George said that the only position not yet filled was Seeker, and Ron was only good at being Keeper.
He smoothed his precious Chudley Cannons quilt, a gift from Charlie from Hogsmeade, and headed downstairs.
***
Ron leapt over the last two stairs and glanced around the kitchen. Ginny was yawning and helping herself to some lumpy oatmeal, Percy was tapping his foot impatiently and waiting for the owls to come, not touching his breakfast, his mother was sitting in a chair by the stove reading the Daily Prophet, and Fred and George were throwing oatmeal at Percy while he wasn't looking.
Dad was in the garden. Ron could see him through the window, talking to something (probably a particularly conversational gnome) and laughing.
Ron took his place at the table between Ginny and Fred. There was a thwack, and oatmeal dripped down Percy's back. Fred and George smothered their laughter at his indignation, pretending they hadn't noticed, hiding their smiles with gulps of orange juice. Mum didn't notice Percy's splutters, just kept reading her newspaper.
A solemn looking barn owl flew through the open window, and Percy practically tackled it, looking something like an American football player. He straightened with a letter in his hand and tore it open.
Ron saw him skimming it, then glancing in the envelope, dumping a shiny- looking something out into his hand. With a yell of triumph, he threw the letter down on the table. It bounced off the owl's head and landed in front of Ron. Percy ran yelling into the garden. "Yes! Yes! I'm a prefect!"
Ron heard his father's voice, "Well are you, Percy, that's wonderful.oh, don't go! No, the gnome, not you Percy." Ron came to the open door with the owl on his arm and watched the gnome turn around and scurry back and start circling Percy screaming, "Moron! Moron!"
"Oh, how irritating," Percy sighed, "I'm a prefect, will you please leave me alone - oh, blast. Father, can you make this damned thing - aaaah!" The gnome bit him, hard, on the ankle and ran off screaming, "Prefect! Prefect!"
"And you'd better remember it, too!" Percy shouted after it, hopping on one foot. The other one was bleeding hard. "Father -"
Dad hurried up to him and tapped Percy's ankle, and Percy sighed and walked back in. He held up his badge in his mother's face. "I know, dear, isn't it wonderful?" she said to him, smiling broadly. "I'll have to write and tell Bill." Percy glanced at the newspaper, looked momentarily startled, and sat down, forgetting the oatmeal on the seat of his pants.
"Here's your letter," Ron said grimly, handing it to him. "And yours, Fred, and George, yeah, you too.no, Ginny, you're too young, there's nothing for you.Mum, what are you reading?"
He had noticed that his mother's eyes were fixed on one spot. She started and looked innocently up. "Nothing, dear, you wouldn't be interested."
Fred had snuck up behind. "Mum!" he said, horrified. "You do fancy him, don't you!"
"Oh, Fred.don't be ridiculous."
"She's staring at a picture of Lockhart," Fred informed them, looking disgusted. "Mangy brainless git's won Witch Weekly's Most-Charming-Smile Award.God, it's his fourth time in a row. What an airhead."
"He is not," Mum said sharply, "you look at his books, he's done wonderful things -"
"His name is Gilderoy. This was all I needed to know. How can anyone like someone whose name is Gilderoy Lockhart? I can just see that moron at a romantic dinner. 'Oh, Gilderoy!' Honestly, Mum."
"Yeah, he's marvolous and charming and handsome, don't you think Ginny?" said George sarcastically. He had made his way over to Fred's side. Ginny, looking trapped, squeaked and shook her head violently. "He's dumb," she said breathlessly, "and an airhead and all that."
"Ginny, what nonsense.come look at this picture." Fred and George gave their mother dirty looks and went back to their seats to open their letters.
Ron glanced at his list and handed it to Mum, who had stashed the paper in a drawer. "When are we going to Diagon Alley?" he demanded.
"Today, I suppose.Arthur? Arthur, come in, the oatmeal will be cold."
"One moment, Molly.I have to check something in the garage."
"Oh not your charmed Muggle things again! Not now, Arthur, check your illegal things after breakfast! Better yet, wait until this evening.we've got to go to Diagon Alley, come on!"
"All right. And they're not illegal, Molly, I've told you, there's a loophole."
"You made that loophole so you could tinker with your things in peace."
"Pass the orange juice, Fred," Dad said shortly, sitting next to Ginny, and began to eat.
***
"Mum, you said we could get new brooms this year, we couldn't keep up with the Bludgers."
"I know, Fred dear, we have to go to Gringotts first."
"If we don't get them we'll be chucked off the team. Oliver will probably physically toss us out, and some amateur brats will get our positions."
"We saved up, George," Dad said, exasperated, "we have enough and we will get you Cleansweep Fives."
Percy turned to his mother. "Must I stay around? I would prefer to go somewhere where people are less childish." He gave Fred and George a belittling, smug grin.
"No, Percy, you need new things."
"I could meet you in front of Gringotts in fifteen minutes."
"Twenty, Perce," Mr. Weasley yawned.
"Twenty, then. Mum?"
"All right, dear."
"Mum, can we meet you then too?" Fred said, nudging George. George nodded eagerly. Mum hadn't seen it, nor did she see the smirks they gave Ron and Percy when she agreed.
Ron, having nowhere to go, followed his parents and Ginny into Gringotts.
***
"Here you go, boys," Mr. Weasley said, handing the twins gleaming Cleansweep Fives. Fred and George nodded to each other, grinning. Ron could tell they were planning to do something dangerous or somewhat illegal, but didn't mention this to his parents. He didn't want to spoil the fun.
Percy had gotten new robes, but Ron just got basics. It was rubbish. A cauldron, a secondhand telescope, books, and set of scales. A new set of phials. A new set of gloves and a cloak. Basic Potion ingredients. Parchment. Quill. Ink.
He watched jealously as the other boys and girls walked into Ollivanders' and Madam Malkin's and the animal shops. He didn't hear his mother apologize to him when she saw him staring at the owls. He blinked several times and tried to tell himself it wasn't his parents' fault.
He knew Percy would be giving him Scabbers, and Bill's old robes were already stored in a closet. Charlie's first wand was in a locked drawer in the kitchen.
"Mum," he heard Fred say, and glanced over, "we'll meet you in a while."
"Where are you going?"
"Oh, there's a couple of our friends here. Going to talk to some of them."
"All right."
George was practically skipping. After five minutes or so, Percy excused himself too, and Ron glanced at his Sickle and three Knuts and asked his parents if they could all go into Flourish and Blott's: there were some special kinds of ink in there he wanted to look at.
At that instant, however, Percy sprinted up, holding the backs of the twins' shirts, one in either hand. "What now?" Mum sighed.
"They were trying to get into Knock- "
"Not again!" Mum stormed. "I told you to stay away from there, that's dangerous, the people there - oh, the most terrible sort, and the shops - things that Dark Wizards -"
Fred squirmed away from Percy and freed George too. "It's not like we have enough money to buy anything," he grumbled.
"I don't care, heaven knows who - or what - you could meet there, there are hags and vampires and werewolves -"
"Not all werewolves are bad, Molly," Dad pointed out quietly, as if he was the one being shouted at.
"The ones in there are!" Mum said turning on him.
"Molly.people are staring."
"Come on," she said, breathing hard, "into Flourish and Blott's."
Chapter Two: Arrows, Irishmen, and Child Care
"Ron, look, over here!" Ginny hissed at him. There was an empty bottle of ink. "It refills itself."
"Yeah, Gin," he showed her, "but you have to buy something to mix in every time you want it to refill. And I can't use invisible ink. And anyway, I don't have enough."
"Who's that?" Ginny was pointing at a sandy-haired Irish boy who was standing next to his mother and looking at different signed posters by Quidditch players who also wrote books.
"I dunno."
"Well, he'll be in your year, his mum's holding all the first year books."
The boy glanced over at him from one of the posters and smiled. "Hey," he said to Ron and Ginny. "I'm Seamus. Hogwarts?"
"Er - I am. She's not until next year. Ron Weasley. And Ginny."
"Nice to meet you. Know what house you'll be in?"
"Gryffindor," Ron said, a bit uncertainly, "at least, all my family has been."
"Mum was, too," Seamus said, indicating the smiling woman with him, who nodded, "So I hope I will be."
Ron glanced at the poster. "Oh - are you a Falcons fan?"
Seamus just grinned. "What's your team?"
"Me? I like the Cannons."
"But they haven't.I mean."
"Yeah, I know, I guess they're not as good anymore, but they're still awesome. I like Romdif."
"They have one of him.here."
"Cool! I'm gonna get it.I've got to go. See you at Hogwarts, then."
"Yeah. Nice meeting you, Ron. And Ginny."
Ron walked up to the front and bought the Julius Romdif poster. Romdif beamed up at him and waved at Ginny, winking. Ginny giggled.
"Are you done then, Ron?" Dad asked. As Ron had only a Knut left, he was, and told his father so. "Come on, the others are at Eeylops.I'm - er - buying Percy an owl for becoming a prefect."
Percy had already decided on a tawny, which he named Hermes, and they returned home.
***
Fred and George had bought Filibuster fireworks, and displayed them that evening when the sun was still casting its final rays of orange and pink light on Ottery St. Catchpole. Showers of red and gold blended in with parts of the painted sky. It looked perfect.
Ron smiled. Five more weeks and he'd be at Hogwarts.he really was looking forward to it, but he wondered what would happen when he got there. He had a strange feeling that he would be able to be important too, he would be able to be good.
He had a feeling that he would be able to be proud of what he had done.
***
Ron was downstairs early the next morning. He knew something was going to happen. Maybe nothing big, but he had woken up for no apparent reason, and this was always a good sign. There was something new for breakfast for once, bacon and eggs and sausage, and Percy was the last one downstairs. Fred and George looked bored. This was also off-beat, and confirmed Ron's belief that today was a good day.
Two owls arrived simultaneously, a snowy one that Ron had never seen, and Bill's owl, Cleopatra. Fred and George launched themselves at the snowy, and Cleopatra fluttered onto Ron's knee. Ron's attention, however, was on Fred, who was unrolling the poster that the snowy had brought. "Yes!" George hissed, grinning.
"What is it?" Ginny asked.
"Appleby Arrows poster," Fred sang happily. Percy shook his head in disgust and went back to his bacon.
"We ordered it yesterday," George said excitedly.
Ron knew the names of all the players, he had played with Fred and George enough times as a kid.
"James Imoltrez and Johnathon Bismarck, Beaters, Wesley Spring, Seeker and Captain -" Fred began, and the players that had been zooming around lined up as he said their names.
George cut him off. "Logan Larson, the Keeper, and Daniel, Dap and Derick Matela, Chasers and known for their stunning coordination."
At the last words, the Matela triplets all rocketed into the air and lined up ten feet apart. Dap was ten feet from the goal, with Daniel behind him and Derick behind him. Derick took the Quaffle, tossed it into the air, and hit it with the tail of his broom. Daniel spun and did the same, and Dap's broom twisted around so fast that he was a blur of color. But he did hit the Quaffle, and it soared through the goal dead center. The rest of the team cheered.
Fred grinned and he and George bolted up the stairs to hang the poster up. Ron turned his attention to Cleopatra, and Percy looked up.
When he had gotten the letter untied, Cleo flew over to the window and perched. Ron opened it and read it out loud.
"Dear Mum, Dad, Percy, Fred, George, Ron, and Ginny,
How are you all? I know it's been a while since I wrote, but we've been working on this one huge vault breaking curses for days. When we got in the door, there was this skeleton hanging from a golden chain from the ceiling, but it was tied to his foot. His hand brushed Eirren's hand, and Eirren yelled and spun around. Well, the chain fell down on Eirren's head and tied itself around his foot and hung him up on the ceiling and we had a time getting him down without touching the chain, it wouldn't respond to any spells. So we had to get Geba up to the dome to try to make it collapse a bit so the chain would come loose. There was a huge thing, I guess like some kind of magnet for the chain, embedded in the ceiling, a big quartz crystal or something.
"And Giba tried to use the Killing Curse on it. On a quartz crystal. Eirren thinks he's insane, but we just left the crystal where it fell on the floor and got all the treasure out.
"I'm sorry, but I won't be able to visit like I thought before Ron and Percy and the twins leave for school. Eirren's going instead of me, because he's freaking out here, jumping at little noises and all, and honestly we can't blame him. Things like hanging by your foot from the ceiling by a demonic gold chain for four hours will do that to you, I guess.
"I will be able to visit for a very short time in October, but probably just a day, not an overnight. I'll owl you the date when I find out, but it depends on how long it takes us to break into the next vault.
"And let me guess. Percy's a prefect! Congrats, kid.
"Love, Bill. And Ron, don't worry about going to Hogwarts, you'll learn quick enough, and the food is as good as Mum's."
Ron looked up. Ginny was paying rapt attention, Percy was smirking about the prefect remark, and Fred and George, who had returned right before "And let me guess," but had obviously heard more of it, were still grinning. Fred took the letter so he and George could read all of it.
Ron finished breakfast and went outside. Today was certainly different.
***
Fred and George had been in their rooms most of the day, and for the last hour, for reasons beyond Ron, there had been loud explosions coming from behind the closed door.
Ron finally decided to see what they were doing, and asked Ginny to come with him. "You're my second," he whispered on their way up the stairs, and his younger sister laughed.
Ron stopped in front of the door. Another explosion made the door rattle, and Fred's laugh came from within. Ron raised his fist and knocked.
Fred answered the door, only opening it a crack. "You whacked?" he said, grinning.
"What.erm.what are you doing?"
Fred's smile grew. "Whatever do you mean?" he said with an evil hint in his voice.
"The noise," Ginny said, "the explosions.what are you doing?"
"We like noise," George offered helpfully from somewhere out of sight, and there was another loud bang.
"What are you really doing?" Ron demanded.
"What," George said, appearing from behind his twin on tiptoes, "you mean you don't believe we like noise?"
"What are you hiding?"
Fred grinned and opened the door. The room was perfectly clean, with nothing unusual except a few sweets and two wands. The Cleansweeps leaned against the wall, and the bunk beds were the only untidy thing.
Ron and Ginny looked at each other, convinced. "Okay," Ron shrugged, "whatever." He got a last glimpse of James Imoltrez laughing his head off before the door closed.
***
That evening, Mum and Dad went out somewhere to do something. They were very inspecific, and didn't even know when they'd be back, but had left Percy babysitting.
Fred and George had finally come out of their rooms and were doing their best to tickle Percy to death.
"No, please!" Percy shreiked through gales of laughter. "Stop it, stop, this is so unfair, stop!"
Ginny was standing by and laughing almost as hard as Percy, tears of mirth streaming down her face. "Ginny, help!" Percy laughed. "Ginny.Ron, make them.quit it!"
After almost ten minutes, Percy, still laughing and now lying on the floor, was picked up, Fred with his shoulders and George with his feet, and taken slowly upstairs. On the third floor, Fred set down his end of his older brother and got out an old swing from a Muggle swingset. He attatched it to the open window, and they tied Percy to it and very slowly lowered him out the window.
Percy's laughter cut off. He was now high in the air tied to a swing and hanging out a third story window.
"Fred?" he called up. "George? Let me up, this isn't funny. Pull me up! Come on! Ginny? Ron? Is anyone up there? Pull me up! Now!"
Fred's head appeared out the window. "Why?" he asked, concealing his urge to laugh hysterically.
"NOW!" Percy yelled. "YOU CRUEL, DIRTY LITTLE KIDS HAD BETTER GET ME INSIDE THIS INSTANT!"
"Why?" Fred repeated.
Percy looked down. "I'm afraid of heights," he said finally.
"What was that, sorry, Perce? I didn't hear."
"I'M AFRAID OF HEIGHTS."
"Oh, are you? How inconvenient."
"I'm telling Mum and Dad when they get home!" Percy shouted. Fred disappeared. There was a long silence.
"Fred? George?" Percy said at last. "If you let me up I won't tell them. Please? I promise, I swear."
Fred appeared again. "By what?"
"Um.my father's name?"
"Your prefect badge."
"All right!"
"What? Say it!"
"I swear by my prefect badge I shall not tell Mum and Dad, either one. Let me up, let me up now!"