Disclaimer: I swear I do not own some bloke called Harry Potter!
Chapter 3: Unusual Behaviour
The next morning Ron and Harry were woken by Mrs Weasley, 'Up you get. Breakfast is ready and then we'll be off to Diagon Alley'.
'Hmm…ok mum we're up' grumbled Ron from under his Chudley Cannons duvet.
'We'll be down in a bit Mrs Weasley' added Harry, only slightly clearer than Ron's answer.
Ten minutes later Ron and Harry entered the kitchen to find the twins, Ginny and Hermione already at the table munching on toast.
'Morning' muttered Harry who received a chorus of 'morning' in reply.
'Wh...what he said' yawned Ron, who also received a chorus of 'morning'.
After breakfast, at which Mr Weasley and Percy joined eventually, everyone got ready to go to Diagon Alley. Mr Weasley took the jar of Floo Powder off the mantelpiece. Harry's stomach churned. He was about to travel by his least favourite mode of transport. 'Ok. Fred and George you go first, and then Harry and the rest of us will follow. Harry watched as Fred, and then George, took some of the Floo Powder, threw it into the fire, step in and yell 'Diagon Alley' and disappear. Harry stepped up to the fireplace taking off his glasses and putting them in his pocket, took a pinch of Floo Powder, threw it into the fire, stepped in and yelled 'Diagon Alley'. Harry suddenly felt himself being pulled forwards. The Burrow had disappeared and various grates were flashing past him. Previous experiences told him to keep his elbows tucked in but he still felt as if he was about to be sick. Eventually he saw Fred and George through one of the grates. Harry stepped out of the grate and was surprised to find himself both upright and in Diagon Alley.
'Harry you'd better get out of the way, the others will be arriving exactly where you're standing' said George
'Oh right', and with that Harry moved out of the way and stood next to Fred and took his glasses out of his pocket and put them back on. Ron appeared next, then Mrs Weasley who was followed by Hermione, Ginny and lastly Mr Weasley.
'Right then' said Mrs Weasley, 'you three can go off and sort your stuff out and we'll meet you in the Leaky Cauldron in three hours. Fred and George you two can go off as well but please, please, don't get into any trouble. Ginny you shall come with your father and me. Right then, see you in three hours'.
Fred and George ran off and disappeared into one of the shops. Harry, Ron and Hermione went off to Gringotts so Harry could get some money. Mrs Weasley had already given Ron some money and Hermione, well she always seemed to have some. Inside Gringotts Harry told his two friends to wait for him in the lobby as he felt really self conscious about the amount of money he had, especially when Ron was around. Twenty minutes later Harry emerged from the depths of Gringotts, his pocket considerably heavier and his heart lighter when he noticed that his two friends had managed to stay friends during his absence. 'Hi guys' called Harry, 'lets go. Where do we need to go first?'
'Well we need to stock up on potion supplies, and we need our new books, oh and more parchment, ink and stuff' replied Ron
'Well where do you want to go first?' added Hermione.
'How about we get the lighter stuff first and then go and get our books?' said Harry
'Ok then lets go' answered Ron. All three of them made their way down the steps of Gringotts and out into the street. Around them were wizards and witches wearing robes of every colour imaginable. The trio set about buying their school supplies and also had fun looking in the other shops. Eventually they had everything they needed, as outlined by their lists, and they decided to have an ice cream before they made their way to the Leaky Cauldron. Ron and Harry sat outside Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour while Hermione went inside to get their ice creams. The three sat outside Fortescue's once they had finished their ice creams. Ron had, what appeared to Harry and Hermione, become rather quiet. He had been looking up and down the street a lot as far as Harry could tell. Ron stood up 'I'll be back in a minute' he said and walked off and disappeared into the crowd, rather like Fred and George had when they first arrived.
'What's the matter with him' asked Hermione
'I don't know. I was about to ask you the same thing' replied Harry, craning his neck to see if he could spot where Ron had gone.
'He's been acting strange all day, ever since we split up in that odds and bobs shop' added Hermione.
'Yeah now you mention it. Wonder what's wrong? Anyway he'll never tell us even if we ask, you know what he's like' said Harry.
So he and Hermione sat there waiting for him to come back. Eventually Ron reappeared. 'Hi guys' said Ron rather cheerful, Harry and Hermione shot each other a puzzled look, 'shall we go to the leaky Cauldron then? My mum and dad will be waiting for us'. So the three of them got up and, lead by Ron, made their way to the Leaky Cauldron. Inside they found the rest of the Weasley family sat at a table. The family plus two sat down and enjoyed a meal together before making their way back to the burrow. Harry spent most of the night talking to Mr Weasley about Muggles and their ways of living without magic. Every so often Harry looked across at Ron just to make sure he was ok. He seemed to be fine, chatting and laughing with Hermione and the twins. Inevitably the evening came to an end and everyone, shopping and all, made their way back to the Burrow. On arrival back into the Weasley's home Harry decided that he would never enjoy travelling by Floo Powder.
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Next chappy on it's way!
