AN: Thank you for the reviews. I am hoping to reach 100 by chapter five or six, but I'm not sure how likely that is. This chapter is the longest so far, and I'm not sure if future chapters will be this long. I just felt that this information was needed for the reader to understand the future events. I hope you enjoy it and please review and let me know what you think.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to the Harry Potter world. Chapter Edited 7/4/14.
Chapter Four: Last Days of Summer
Harry stepped out onto Charring Cross Road, moving quickly to get out of the street. He scanned the surroundings from behind his new sunglasses, searching for a clothing store of some type, as it was ordered by his mother to get a new wardrobe, in both Muggle and Magical items. He had already finished shopping for his school supplies and new robes the day before, and now he was concentrating on the Muggle apparel.
Spotting a promising looking store, he moved towards it, making sure to keep his head down. Even with the dark lenses covering his eyes and the temporary charm that Lily had taught him that changed his hair to a sand blonde, he still wasn't comfortable moving about without more cover.
He knew that his shaggy hair covered most of his scar, but he wasn't sure if someone magical would be in London, and Harry really didn't want to have to deal with the questions. Especially since Fudge had said not to wander around, since Sirius Black was apparently out to get him.
Walking into the store, Harry was shocked to see that it was a lot larger inside than he had thought. It seemed to be evenly divided down the middle, with the male attire on the left and the female on the right.
As he made his way over to the left, he noticed that the section was further divided into age groups and sizes. He had never been clothing shopping before, and Harry wasn't exactly sure what he should be looking for or what his proper sizes actually were.
Not wanting to appear as if he was stupid, Harry grabbed a few jeans in different sizes and moved to the designated changing room.
After several trips to the changing rooms, Harry discovered his sizes and grabbed a cart and loaded it up with jeans, slacks, sweats, dress shirts, t-shirts, a few tank tops, and a few sweaters. He then moved over to the sock and underwear section and got several packages of each. Harry was about to move towards the checkout aisle when the shoe section caught his eye.
Harry looked down at his taped sneakers and back at the displayed shoes, his mind made up to buy some more. He chose several pairs of running shoes, as well as two pairs of dark dress shoes and a pair of sandals. Once the teen was happy with his choices, he moved to check out.
The girl behind the register was surprised that such a small boy would be buying so many items. She wasn't certain if he would be able to pay for everything she had to ring up, since he looked so ruddy.
Yet, not wanting to get another 'talking to' from her manager, she silently rang all the purchases and hoped that her work was not in vain. She was pleasantly surprised when Harry paid for his purchases via debit card before exiting the store.
Harry carried them outside, where he hid in a side alley and shrunk the bags down and put them in his pocket.
'Don't forget you wanted to look into getting some pens and pencils for school.'
Harry walked around the street, figuring that if there was a clothing store located there, there would also be other shops. He was about to give up his perusal when he saw an Office Depot sign (I have actually seen one in High Wycombe, England). He quickly made his way over to the store, ready to be done with his summer shopping.
Entering the store, Harry was bombarded with movement and noise. The clothing store, while large, had not been extremely busy. But this store seemed to be packed with adults and children, all pilling school supplies into carts and chatting.
'Muggle school must also be starting.'
Harry grabbed a cart and started down the first aisle, stopping to examine the items. He was apparently down the aisle that had different types of markers, and Harry grabbed a few packages of different kinds, although he wasn't sure what he would do with them.
Turning to face the other side of the aisle, Harry was met with pencils, pens, and highlighters. He smiled to himself, thankful his quest had been so easily accomplished.
Grabbing several packages of mechanical and traditional pencils each, Harry made sure to grab a deal of erasers and a pencil sharpener. He again grabbed several different packages of pens, while also grabbing some different colored highlighters.
Moving to exit the aisle, a parade of colors snagged his gaze and had him walking down the next one, where he found post-it notes of every color and size.
'I feel like I'm going to be here awhile.' (I love school supplies, lol. Also, this isn't just filler; I'm trying to show how Harry is going to combine the Muggle and Magical)
By the time Harry got out of the school supply section, he had a few of everything: pens, pencils, folders, binders, page protectors, sectionals, note cards, etc.
He made his way to the electronic section, interested in seeing what the Muggles had come up with. Harry never understood why the Magical world seemed to be so far behind in certain aspects, while being ahead in others.
Harry examined a laptop and asked an employee to explain it to him. The woman looked at him as if he had been living under a rock, but she told him everything there was to know about computers, and then about cell phones. Harry desperately wanted a laptop, but he knew that electronic items didn't tend to work at Hogwarts, or at least that's what he thought. He'd known about PCs, but a laptop had so much potential!
'It would be so convenient though! I mean, she said that there is a World Wide Web and that people can communicate instantly by email! I might not be able to get it to work, but maybe I can come up with a magical form. I should talk to mum and dad about that.'
Harry checked out and made his way back to the Leaky Cauldron, grateful his mum had told him how to shrink his packages. Grabbing dinner from Tom, Harry ate quickly before making his way up to his room.
"Are you decent?" Harry stuck his head just inside the door, his eyes firmly closed.
There had been an extremely embarrassing moment the fourth day he had the portraits when he walked in and his parents were in different degrees of undress. He had stammered an apology and rushed back downstairs, where he had stayed for two hours out of mortification.
But he had to do his homework, which was upstairs and he had knocked on the door before entering. The Potters had all been embarrassed and the incident was never mentioned again. The days after the event, Harry always took precaution before entering the room.
"Yes Harry dear, we're fine." Lily's voice held a laugh as she observed her son enter the room cautiously.
"Well, hopefully I am done shopping for the rest of the summer. I got a little carried away." Harry explained has he pulled out his purchases and set them on his mattress before enlarging them.
"Yes, I think you might have, Harry." James chuckled as Harry had to use his quick seeker reflexes to keep a few of the bags from falling off the bed.
Harry's face reddened, but he just rolled his eyes at his father before beginning to place everything in its proper area in his school trunk. His special trunk still wasn't ready, and Harry had decided that he would hide it in the bottom of his school trunk so that no one knew he had it. He knew how valuable it was and didn't want anyone to get sticky fingers.
"So how was your day? Besides buying too much, did you have a good outing?" Lily asked. She was currently in James's frame, where they were cuddled up.
"It was a beautiful day, perfect weather. I had lunch in a park and just relaxed. Trying to get through my homework in the last two weeks has been tiring. But at least I'm caught up now, so I can just concentrate on getting familiar with Wizarding traditions." Harry pulled out a pack of pens and was about to go to the desk when he was reminded of the laptops.
"Blast! I can't believe I forgot! Harry, there is a special watch in the vault that allows you to…well I never actually understood it. But it sort of puts you in a…alternate dimension or something.
"Basically, time stops and you can get caught up on all of your studies. Now, you cannot go backwards or forwards, and it only works for a few hours, but it's a lifesaver. I can't believe I actually forgot about it." James shook his head at his lapse. Harry's eyes were wide at the thought of something that powerful. Lily, on the other hand, had a look of outrage on her face.
"You mean you had a way of completing all your work without losing any time and you didn't share this with me?"
"Well now, were would be the fun in both of us having the device?" Lily scowled as James threw her words back in her face before she huffed at him and turned back to her son, annoyed with her husband.
"Well, I wished you would have remembered this a long time ago, but I'll take all the help I can get. But before I go get the watch, I have a question for you two. I don't think they had them when you were…anyway, Muggles have things called laptops now. They're basically miniature computers that you can take anywhere. They have a keyboard and number pad and a screen so that you can type up everything instead of writing everything out.
"But what interested me most was that apparently they can connect to the World Wide Web; a person can send an email to someone else, who will get it a few minutes later. Just think about how much quicker communication would be! And we wouldn't need to send owls anymore. So do you think we could come up with something like this?" Harry rushed out in one breath.
"Harry, take a breath. I'm not sure what a computer is, but I've often thought there needs to be a faster mode of communication in the Wizarding world. I mean, we have two-way mirrors, but they only work for the two people who have the mirrors so it's very limited. Maybe you could create…a journal or something that could be a form of this email." James shrugged, not sure if he had helped. Lily's face held a look of concentration as she thought over the matter.
"I think you're dad's right. Until we can develop a better system, I think linking a group of journals together is going to be the easiest way. So let's get started…"
/*/
"HARRY!"
The teen turned in surprise, and had to try to balance himself as he was enveloped in a hug. Harry pushed the bushy hair out of his face as he lightly hugged Hermione, still not too comfortable with physical contact. The girl quickly realized what she was doing and moved back, beaming at her friend.
"I'm so excited to see you! And you don't have your glasses! Did you get contacts? Goodness, I have so much to tell you about France! Oh you would have loved it. Have you seen the Weasley's yet? Ron said they should be here by now, I wonder what has kept them. Although, they are usually running late. Oh look, there's one of the twins!"
Hermione pulled Harry along with her as she made her way through the Leaky Caldron, headed for the fireplace. He just shook his head at her rapid speech, but he followed his friend without complaint.
"Heya Harrikins!"
"And look it's Hermione!"
"Oh look how you've grown!"
"Ron's going to have a fit!"
Hermione blushed at the twins' comments and lightly tugged at her shirt, which fit tighter than Harry remembered, but she tried to ignore them as she looked for Ron. Harry shook his head, both to get the thoughts about Hermione's improved bust out of his mind and at the twins' antics.
"Hello, you two. So how has your summer been?"
"Oh you know, making new pranks and-"
"Pranking Ron."
"But look at you!"
"You're going to have to fight off all the girls!"
"Especially now that those pretty eyes aren't hidden!"
Harry laughed at their strange stream of words.
Even though he had known the twins for the last two years, it was still bizarre that they could complete each other's thoughts, as if they shared a single brain. The twins just grinned at the small boy and moved on to head out of the pub, knowing that their mother was going to be arriving soon and they wished to already be gone so she couldn't keep an eye on them.
Harry grinned as he saw Ron stumble out of the green flames, only to be hugged by Hermione. Harry would have ignored or been blind to the interaction before this summer, but with watching the byplay of his parents, Harry could tell that the two liked each other.
'Or at least have a crush on each other.' Harry grinned to himself as he saw the two's faces flush in embarrassment before they made their way over to him.
"Hey mate!
"Hey Ron, how was Egypt?"
"Bloody brilliant! You should have seen some of the curses the buggers came up with. Right nasty ones." Ron clapped Harry on the back, thankful Hermione was speaking with Ginny as she would have scolded him for his language.
"I'm glad you had a good time. I'm going to have to visit once I'm of age I guess. Did you write down any of those curses so we could learn them?" Harry asked in a hushed voice, not wanting Mrs. Weasley to hear. Ron looked startled before he shook his head in denial.
"Sorry mate, I didn't really see a reason to learn them. I mean, they're not covered in school so I didn't see the need." Ron shrugged before he headed over to the bar, where Mr. Weasley was talking to Tom.
Harry shook his head at his friend's lack of initiative. He was about to follow Ron when he saw Ginny walk away from Hermione and stood off to the side, as if she was not an active participant but a mere observer. He took a deep breath and walked towards her, knowing that his mother was right and that Ginny would need friends.
"Hello Ginny, how was your summer?" Harry murmured, startling the small girl.
Harry noticed, with his new awareness of the opposite sex, that she was alarmingly small. He knew that she was shorter than the rest of the Weasleys, being the youngest, but she was also very skinny and she was ghostly pale. When her eyes finally met his, their rich chocolate color was replaced with a dull, lifeless gaze with purple smudges underneath.
"Um…I'm ok. H-How are you? W-What h-happened to your glasses?" Ginny's voice stammered as she tried to stop her face from blushing.
Not only did she have to fight against the embarrassing crush she had, but then he saved her life, which made Ginny even more mortified. She could barely meet his eyes without her face becoming inflamed, especially since she knew what a sight she was.
"I am doing ok and I got lenses for my eyes, but I'm more concerned with you. Why don't we go talk somewhere?" Harry asked, nodding towards a secluded corner. Ginny looked uncertain, but she followed him over to a table.
"I know that we haven't really talked before, but I want you to know that I'm here for you. We're the only two people who have ever faced him and survived, so we need to stick together." Ginny's eyes, as sunken as they were, widened at the very un-thirteenish statement.
"I…you don't have to feel sorry for me, Harry. I know I almost got you killed, and the students killed. I—"
"Stop it, Ginny. You aren't responsible for what Tom did. Yes, you should't have written in the diary, but that's the only thing you're guilty of. Do you think I should be responsible for all the lives Voldemort took before he finally disappeared?"
Ginny was startled and shocked that Harry could say his name without batting an eye. Most grown adults shudder and get scared anytime that name was even partially muttered.
"Of course not, Harry! Why would anyone blame you for that? You were an innocent baby!"
"Well, if he would have come after me sooner all those people would have been alive. My parents might be alive today. So I think sometimes, that if Voldemort would have just come sooner, when my parents were away, that so many more people would be alive."
"Oh Harry, that's absolutely ridiculous. None of that makes any logical sense." Ginny rolled her eyes at the boy, surprised that he was in rivalry with Ron for stupidity. She had always thought that he would be so smart, but maybe she would be proven wrong.
"Exactly, so how can an innocent 11 year old be held responsible for being manipulated by a master con-artist?"
"Well…but I nearly got people killed! Not to mention I did get people petrified!"
"Yes, but you were possessed! You can't be held responsible for what happened when it wasn't you doing the things you're blaming yourself for. So forgive yourself and know that I'm always here if you need to talk. Ok?"
"Ok I'll try. Wait!" Ginny quickly grabbed Harry's hand to pull him back to his seat, as he had risen to join the others. Harry sat back down and watched her as Ginny's face flamed again at the physical contact and the strange warmth that engulfed her hand before she took a deep breath and locked gazes with the teen.
"I wanted to thank you for saving my life. No, stop, don't say anything, and just listen. I know you don't think anything of it, as I know you would've done the same thing for anyone. But, I owe you a life debt now, and I will try my hardest to repay you. I said don't talk. I know you don't know me very well, and that's my fault with that crush I had on you."
Ginny's voice had started to lose the meekness as she continued, her old, preHogwarts personality showing a little. Harry was surprised with the change, but he hoped that he would be able to draw that side of her out more often in the future, as well as getting her back into a healthy state.
"But, I have thought about this all summer, and I wanted you to know that I'll always be in your debt for what you did. If you ever need anything, I will be happy to help. I know you don't really need any more friends, but know that I'm here if you want one." Ginny's face was as red as a fire engine by the time she was done, and she desperately wanted to run away in embarrassment, but she knew that she had to get this out.
"I can always use more friends. I mean, until Hagrid, I never even had a friend, so I would be happy to call you one as well. I mean, as long as it's not going to make you…uncomfortable to be my friend."
"Why would it…oh…I've realized that you aren't that fairytale hero, you're the real thing. I know that embarrasses you, but you are my hero Harry, and I can't change that. But I, hopefully, won't be putting my elbow in the butter dish. I'll try to be myself around you, I promise." The end of her statement came out a little cheeky, surprising Ginny.
All summer she had barely spoken to anyone, and the nightmares had been a never-ending companion, but she was somehow able to speak more openly with someone who she definitely should not be able to.
"Good, now let's go catch up. I know you guys have so much shopping to do." The two children stood and headed over to the door, where Mrs. Weasley was waiting with Ron and Hermione.
She gave Harry her customary hug, while thanking him for speaking with her youngest, causing Harry's cheeks to heat. Molly had been extremely worried about her daughter, as she had lost a good twenty pounds since the start of the summer, giving her an almost skeletal appearance.
Molly and Arthur had been at a loss of how to help her, and they could only try to sooth Ginny after her nightly terrors. After the first month of the family not getting any sleep, Arthur had placed a silencing charm on Ginny's room upon her request, giving the rest of the family peace, but Molly knew that her nightmares had continued. So it thrilled her to see her youngest smiling slightly and her face alive with color.
Ron gave him a questioning look but when Harry shook his head, he turned and followed his mother out to the brick wall that led to Diagon Alley. Hermione gave Harry a pruod look, which caused Harry to shift his gaze somewhere else before the three too went into the back, where the arch was appearing.
"Alright, we need to stop at Gringotts first, and then we need to get your new wand Ronald." Mrs. Weasley said, herding the four towards the bank.
Harry knew that their vault had barely any gold in it, and he wished that he could come up with some way to get them what they deserved. The Weasley parents had taken him in as one of their own, without even really meeting him, and Harry thought they deserved all the gold in the world.
As if the gods were listening, a thought popped up in his mind. He quickly moved to walk next to the plump woman, whispering so only she could hear him.
"Actually Mrs. Weasley, I wanted to get Ron his wand. I just…he's been my best friend for three years now and I've never even gotten him a birthday gift. I was actually hoping to get everyone's birthday gifts for them this year, since I've never gotten them before. Would that be ok?" Harry asked uncertainly, not knowing if the woman would see it as charity or just him trying to help out.
He knew that they didn't like charity, and Harry didn't think of it that way, but he knew that anything he got them would have to be sprung on them or worked out with one of the parents.
"Oh Harry, that's really sweet of you. But we can get Ron's wand, I don't want you spending you money on unnecessary things."
"I think a birthday gift is just the reason to spend money. I mean, I've never had friends before and I would really like to show them that I'm glad they want to be my friends. It was always just me and my relatives, but before Ron and your family I never got any gifts. So if I could…share…I would really appreciate it if you would let me. And Ron's always gotten me something, so it's only right that I reciprocate." Harry didn't mean to reveal so much about his life before Hogwarts, but he felt like it was the only way to get Mrs. Weasley to comply. And when he saw her eyes start to tear up, he knew he had won the battle.
"If you're sure Harry, than I don't mind. Go ahead and head over there, and I'll go to the vault myself. Meet me in the robe shop. You're such a…giving boy. And…please keep an eye on Ginny. She has been…unwell, so I don't want her falling behind."
Mrs. Weasley squeezed Harry in another one of her hugs, until he thought his ribs were going to break. He assured the matriarch that he would take care of her daughter before Mrs. Weasley released him and turned to the others, who had been watching the byplay in confusion.
She told them she was going to the bank and they would go to Ollivander's, before she continued on, trying to wipe the tears from her eyes without alerting her children that she was crying.
"What was that all about?" Ron asked, turning towards Harry, who shrugged.
"I don't know. I just asked her to let me get you guys your birthday gifts."
"I don't need your charity!" Ron snarled, his face flaming. Harry rolled his eyes at his friend's predictable outburst.
"Haven't you gotten me birthday gifts for the last two years? I just realized that I haven't gotten any of you anything and I wanted to let you know that I'm glad you're my friends." Harry said, trying to tread carefully.
Ron was extremely proud and Harry didn't want to offend him. He turned to Hermione for help, who nodded before she moved over to Ron, who had started to walk away in a huff.
"You don't have to get me anything, Harry. I know we're not really that good of friends…yet." Ginny said, the last part coming out more as a question than an assertion. Harry turned away from watching Hermione talk to Ron and looked at the youngest Weasley.
"I know, but I want to. You're family has done so much for me that there is nothing I could do to ever repay them. I don't want to see your family suffer for the Wizarding world's stupidity and prejudices. You're family…Ginny if I could picture a family for myself, yours is the one I would want to have." Ginny blushed at Harry's words and gave a small nod, making the teen grin.
"I'm sorry Harry; I know you're just trying to be a friend. I just don't want you to think I need your money."
"Ron, you're my best mate. And like I told Ginny, your family has done so much for me; I need to find some way to repay that. And if getting you a new wand is a small step towards that repayment, than I'm happy to help."
Ron just nodded before turning towards the wand shop, his feathers still ruffled. Hermione shrugged and followed, and Harry and Ginny too made their way over, the entire group entering the shop with a tinkle from the bell above the door.
"Ah, Mr. and Ms. Weasley, I was wondering when I would see you. The wand choses the wizard after all" Ollivander said in his mysterious voice as he started pulling wands down off the walls.
Ginny went to sit down but Harry pushed her up to the counter alongside Ron and sat down to wait with Hermione. Ginny looked back at Harry questionably, but he nodded and started talking to his other best friend.
Twenty minutes later, Ron and Ginny both walked out of the shop with brand-new wands, a look of wonderment upon their faces. Harry and Hermione followed after them, Harry having to pay the tab.
"Thank you so much, Harry!" Ginny said, turning to him and engulfing him in a hug. The two quickly parted, their face reddening. Ron shook Harry's hand, his amazement at the feeling of having his own wand overriding his pride.
"Your mom told me to meet her in Madame Malkin's." Harry said and the group headed over.
At the end of the trip to the robe shop, Harry had gotten the clerk to charge him instead of the Weasleys and had claimed it was the second gift for the 3 years of nongift giving.
Ron decided that Harry was going to do what he wanted and that it would be best if he just kept his mouth shut. They got brand new robes out of it, so Ron just kept his opinions to himself.
The group made it to Flourish and Blotts, Hermione almost fidgeting by the time they got around to it. Ron and Harry shared a laugh at their friend's antics before they started to get their school books.
"Ron, I meant to tell you that I decided against Divination. I wrote Professor McGonagall and she let me take Arithmancy and Ancient Runes instead. I just thought about it and there's nothing I can gain from the class. It won't help when it comes time to look for a career, so I just wanted to let you know." Ron looked hurt and outraged at the news.
"But we were supposed to have the same schedule! Why would you want to take a difficult class instead of the easy one?"
"Because I need to think about my future. I mean, think about it Ron. Vol…he has tried to come back twice in the last two years! What is to stop him from trying again? Divination is a waste of time unless you're actually a seer and I think I would know if I was before now. I need to be prepared for anything that happens.
"You could change too if you want, all you have to do is mail McGonagall or wait until we get there and just explain. She was more than happy to move me." Harry explained in a hushed voice. Ron's eyes widened as Harry talked, having never even thought about Voldemort returning for good. It had been ingrained in people that he was gone for good, despite his own experiences.
'But Harry's right. He has tried to come back twice. So what is to stop him from doing it again? And if he does come back, I don't want to be left behind while Harry and Hermione figure everything out. But I also don't want to take a difficult class. But…bullocks'
Harry watched as Ron thought through what he said, hoping that his friend would follow his lead and take a useful class.
"Are you still taking Care of Magical Creatures?" At Harry's nod, Ron felt a little bit better.
"Which class do you think I would do better in? I'm not saying I'll switch, but if I was going to, I would only take one." Harry grinned at his friend before explaining a little about Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, and Muggle Studies, confident that Ron would change his schedule to include one of those instead of Divination.
As Ron moved to collect his school books, Harry walked over to Hermione, who was already in line, and frowned at the books in her hands.
"Why in the world are you taking Muggle Studies?" Harry asked, lifting the book out of her pile. Hermione huffed and shook her hair out of her face as she tried to grab the book back, but she almost dropped the others in the process.
"Because I want to see how it's being taught and what wizards think of Muggles. And I want to get as many OWLs as possible, so that I have a chance at any job, despite my…background."
"Hermione, you're wasting your time. You know way more than what the professor can teach, and you actually understand the stuff. And you've…you're experiencing how the Magical world views Muggles! Why waste your time learning about something that you are already living?
"As for the OWLs, why don't you just ask McGonagall if there's a way for you to take the OWL, even without taking the class? Isn't that mentioned in Hogwarts: A History? Because I seem to remember it saying that a student does not have to be enrolled in a class to take the OWL for it."
"What? Oh…I must have forgotten. But my schedule is already done and I've got it worked out so I'll just keep my classes."
"How can you have it planned out before school even starts? Is that…you're taking Divination too? I didn't expect that! For a class that McGonagall calls 'rubbish and a waste of resources', I'm surprised you would take it."
"Professor McGonagall would never say that!"
"She did in the letter she wrote me when I requested to switch that class for Arithmancy and Ancient Runes. C'mon Hermione, you don't want to take that class. You would just end up…walking out or something." Hermione looked insulted at the implication that she would walk out of any class, but she seemed to give his reasoning a little consideration.
"But what if a future career needs it?"
"I've been reading up on the Wizarding world and also on the Ministry, and there's no profession except for a seer that requires, or even recognizes, it. You should concentrate on courses you actually need, not Muggle Studies or Divination."
Hermione thought about what Harry said as he moved away to speak with Ginny, wondering if she could in fact take exams for classes she wasn't enrolled in. She decided that she would get the books just in case and speak with McGonagall when they got to Hogwarts. She could always return the books.
Harry moved over to Ginny, who was talking with her mother and consulting her booklist.
"You know, you're welcome to have my books from last year. I mean, you'll have to get the Defense books, but the rest are almost like new. I'm not doing anything with them and I could use the extra space in my trunk."
Mrs. Weasley looked up, startled at Harry's sudden appearance. She was about to refuse when their conversation from earlier, and the deal in Malkin's reminded her that he would not take no for an answer. The boy was turning into one stubborn young man.
"That would be wonderful, Harry dear. Thank you, we didn't even think to ask you." Mrs. Weasley squeezed his shoulder as she moved to see how Ron was doing.
"Thank you Harry, you didn't have to do that. Ron's books are so worn that they are useless now." Ginny murmured.
"I'm happy to help. And there's no reason to waste the money when the only books to have changed were the Defense. Maybe this year we'll actually have someone competent."
Harry looked at the books for DADA and started pursuing the shelves for them. Ginny followed behind him, putting back the used books that were in her hands. Harry found the books he was searching for and handed the new volumes to Ginny, who was about to protest when he shushed her with a shake of his head.
Ginny was left clutching the glossy new books while Harry moved over to speak with the clerk, who was ringing Hermione up. She watched as Hermione started to argue with Harry, but Harry ended the disagreement by handing the clerk the galleons.
She shook her head at Harry's actions, but she knew that Harry did it out of the goodness of his heart and didn't expect anything in return for his generosity. This reason was why when she tried to ring up the purchase the clerk said that it was already paid for. Ginny felt her heart swell with emotion at the kindness Harry had demonstrated and she was determined to be the best friend to him that she could be.
Mrs. Weasley was going to head to the ice cream parlor to meet up with Arthur and the other boys when Harry mentioned needing to get Hermione her final present, since he hadn't gotten her a wand.
He suggested they head to the pet store, which caused Ron to remember that Scabbers hadn't been feeling well. In all the excitement of his new wand and robes and books, he had completely forgotten about his poor rat.
"Harry, are you sure? My parents gave me money to get myself a gift." Hermione said as they walked through the aisles, looking at the various animals.
"Of course I'm sure, Hermione. Spend that money on a new book or something, I insist." Harry said, stopping at a row of owls. Hermione 'oohed' and 'ahhed' over the beautiful creatures, but Harry wasn't really sure if an owl was the best thing.
'I mean, Hermione only sends owls to her family while in school, and with the journals, she won't have to send me or Ron letters.'
"Why don't you get something else, Hermione? I mean, when you're in school, you only send owls to your family and you can use a school owl or Hedwig." Hermione gave a small pout, but she saw the logic in his reasoning and moved over to the aisle with cats, spotting a large orange bundle.
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"I still can't believe you got her that monster! It wants to eat Scabbers!" Ron said as he put his things into his room. Harry rolled his eyes at his friend as he waited for him to finish.
He had just returned from his room, where he had shrunken his parents' portraits and placed them in his school trunk. He felt bad about keeping them a secret, but he felt that it was for the best, at least for right now.
"C'mon, hurry up mate! I have something I need to show you and the girls!" Harry said, moving towards the door, hoping Ron would finish quickly. Ron looked back at his packages, which were on the bed, before shrugging and following Harry up to his room.
They came to the landing and saw Hermione and Ginny already standing outside the door, talking in hushed voices. When the girls saw them, their faces blushed before they moved out of the way so Harry could open the door.
"Where's Hedwig?" Hermione asked, spotting the empty cage.
"She's been coming and going, since she was cooped up before I got here. Ok guys, I have a couple of things for you. Here sit down." Harry said, pointing to the bed and the desk chair. The three quickly sat, Ginny trying not to blush as she sat on Harry's bed next to Hermione.
"I didn't pay for these, so you have to take them." Harry said as he handed out the extra wand holsters he had taken from the vault. He knew that after the day of 'gifts' that Ron was on the edge of his patients with accepting things he saw as 'charity', even when he tried to see it from Harry's point of view.
"Oh, it's beautiful Harry!" Ginny said as she ran her hand over the dark red scales of the dragonhide holster. He smiled at her and showed her how to strap it onto her forearm. He was distressed about how tight he had to make it, since her arm was so thin.
"This way, you'll always have it on you and won't accidently sit on it. I don't understand why they don't make them mandatory for students in first year. They would prevent a lot of accidents. They also have anti-summoning and anti-theft charms on them so that people can't summon your wand."
"Wow Harry, that was very thoughtful of you." Hermione said as she strapped her purple one onto her arm. Ron was staring at his, the same dark black as Harry's, before he smiled at his friend and put his on. If he didn't pay for it, than that was ok.
"If you didn't pay for them, where did they come from?"
"Apparently my parents left me more than I was told. I have a Family and Holdings vault, and these were in the Holdings vault. But I've also got something else, something that I made." Harry said as he pulled the bundle of notebooks out of the desk.
"These were originally just normal notebooks for taking notes, but I've added some things to them. Now, before you say anything Hermione, Fudge said that any magic I did here wouldn't be able to be traced. I don't think he meant for me to understand what he was saying, but I guess there's so much magic here that it would be hard to trace."
Harry felt bad about lying, but if he was going to keep his parents and extra wand a secret, it was necessary. Hermione shut her mouth as she opened the journal.
"I found a neat book at the bookstore that had a spell to connect two or more items together. It's similar to two-way mirrors; except they are able to show what the other is writing instead of talking. But you can also take notes with them. I made it where you tap the 'Courses' with your wand and it will add those sections. But, what's really neat is that they have never-ending parchment so you can write tons of stuff, but the book doesn't get any bigger."
"What do you mean they're connected?" Hermione asked, flipping through the pages. The only ones with writing on them were the 'Select Courses' and the area designated for 'Talking'.
"Watch this." Harry said as he sat his journal on the desk and pulled out a pen, before he wrote on the designated place. He taped the 'Send' section and looked up to watch as Hermione's face took on a look of shock as what he had written appeared in her notebook.
"H-How in the world did you come up with this? The magic it must have needed has to be far more advanced than that of third year!" Hermione questioned as she peered at him. Harry was trying to come up with a plausible excuse when Ron spoke up.
"Actually, if someone can learn the spell, they just have to have enough power to complete it. It's more about the ability of the caster than if they are at a high enough level. The reason people haven't thought about this before is because it takes a lot of power, or a lot of people with a common goal. And trying to get anyone to agree on anything is almost impossible."
Everyone shared a look of shock as Ron spoke without looking up, having drawn his wand to tap the courses he wanted. The corresponding sections were then added to the notebook.
"You know Harry, you should patent this and market it." Ginny said in a quiet voice as she copied her brother.
Harry looked surprised at her suggestion and she almost laughed at the thought that the boy could come up with something like this, but not think to use the invention to make money.
'That just proves further that he doesn't think like that.'
"What do you mean, Ginny?" Harry asked as he sat on top of his trunk. Hermione watched as, with everyone's journals now open, their names popped up on the 'Online' box.
"I mean, you would probably want to design ones without the chat feature, but if a notebook like this had been available at the beginning of my first year, than I wouldn't have had to buy one for each of my classes. And, if it has endless parchment, than I could actually keep one for the entire seven years! That way I would always have my notes to look back on.
"A simple preservation charm would need to be added so that it would stay like new, and the parchment wouldn't tear. But you should patent it and set up a way to mass produce and sell them." Ginny replied, watching as Hermione, who had gotten off the bed to grab a pen off the desk, started to write in her notebook.
That's a good idea Ginny. – Hermione
"Thanks Hermione. But, what are you writing with?" Ginny asked as she looked up at after reading Hermione's comment.
"It's a muggle pen. Really convenient, because you don't have to carry ink around with you and it has a ball in the end so that ink is only distributed when you write. Here, try it out." Hermione handed Ginny and Ron each a pen while Harry walked around the room, thinking about what Ginny had said.
This is neat! Maybe we could use these at school instead of quills. – Ginny
Yeah, but I still like quills. I feel like I'm back in the eighteenth-century or something. – Hermione
I don't know, I think they're bloody useful. I mean, how many times have you spilt a bottle of ink over or your bag broken and the ink bottle has broken? And quills wear down quickly, especially for someone who does as much writing as you do Hermione. Maybe Harry could get us some so we could see how they work in school. – Ron
Yeah, we'll ask him when he stops pacing. I still can't believe he never thought of patenting this. I mean, without it anyone who sees these could make a fortune off of it when it was his idea. – Ginny
The silent conversation was interrupted when Harry drew their attention.
"You're right, and I still have time to speak with my account manager before supper, so I'm going to head to Gringotts real quick. I'll be back in time for dinner." Harry said before grabbing his wallet and room key and heading out.
The other three looked at each other before they moved to exit his room, not wanting to be in there without him. They each went to do their own thing, excited about discovering all the potential the notebooks held.
AN: PLEASE REVIEW!