Chapter 10:

All the children slept in the following morning and Dominique had to run around waking them all up. Luckily they had all packed the day before, allowing Midori to bring the trunks all down stairs for Nathaniel to tap with his wand and send them each to the Leaky Cauldron.

Meridiem was placed in her cat cage and placed in the kitchen while Leon and Nick had to venture outside to find Reylon and Mitchum. Both birds were put into their cages and placed on the bench with Meridiem. Hedwig was already in her cage and waiting for Harry to close the door on her, for Midori to take her down with the others.

The four children dressed in a daze before going downstairs for breakfast. The food helped wake them all up before Dominique ushered them all to the kitchen. Each reached for their respected animal and moved to stand before the grand fireplace.

"Right, Leon first, straight into the Leaky Cauldron, we need to get you signed in." Dominique said as Nathaniel collected the pot of floo powder and Midori lit the fire.

Leon took his pinch and sprinkled it into the fire, stepped in with his owl cage, and called 'Leaky Cauldron' out before he was whisked away in a flurry of flames. Skylar followed him in the same manner, Meridiem under one arm, followed by Nick with Mitchum and then Harry with Hedwig, Dominique taking up the rear. She kissed her husband who had to go to work before stepping into the fire.

"Leaky Cauldron."

It was still early and the Pub or Alley was yet to fill up. Leon, Skylar, Nick and Harry all stood waiting for Dominique, who checked they were all there before leading the way into the pub's counter.

It was as lighter than usual as the day began and Tom the inn-keeper came bustling towards them.

"Ah, Mrs. Rosenwald."

"Morning Tom, Nathaniel called and booked five rooms for us?" She said.

"Ah yes, yes." Tom nodded and he turned around. "Right this way."

They followed Tom up a handsome wooden staircase and down a hallway. They stopped at a door with a brass number eleven on it, which Tom unlocked and opened for them.

"One." He said.

Inside was a very comfortable-looking bed, some highly polished oak furniture, and a cheerfully crackling fire.

"Harry." Dominique said.

Skylar was given number thirteen, Nick and Leon fifteen, while Dominique and Nathaniel had twenty. Each went into their rooms where their trunks were placed and Skylar pulled out her pyjamas to place on her bed, opened Meridiem's cat cage for the animal to slink out and jump onto the bed, curling up happily, before Skylar walked back out. Nick and Leon were in the corridor before they went to Harry's room. He was opening Hedwig's cage for her before he moved to the three by the door.

"Hopefully the Weasleys aren't far off." Skylar smiled.

"Well, they'll have to get all their books and supplies for school." They turned to see Dominique behind them.

"Which means they'll be here before all the shops close at the least." Nick grinned.

"What should we do until then?" Leon wondered.

They all shared a look before the three children looked at Harry.

Leon beamed. "Yes! Let's go to Quality Quidditch Supplies."

"You lot just want to see the broom." Skylar smirked.

"And you don't? It's a shoe in for the World Cup Sky, even you can't deny your excitement for that." Nick smirked at his sister.

"Well." She shrugged.

"Stay in Diagon Alley, none of you are to go back into the Muggle world." Dominique ordered and the four children all looked up at her. She gave her children all a stern look and they all sighed. Of course, Sirius Black was in the muggle world, Harry wasn't allowed to go near there.

"Come on then." Nick grinned, breaking the sudden tension, and he was first to head back down the stairs and into the pub.

The four children headed out into the small courtyard behind the pub and Nick pulled his wand out from his pocket. He tapped the third brick above the dustbin and the bricks began to wriggle. The entire wall before them moved and rearranged until it opened up and, before them, was the cobblestone path of Diagon Alley.

They moved off up the street until they got to Quality Quidditch Supplies. Leon was first in the door and Skylar was last. It wasn't nearly as crowded in here as it was the last time they had all come to Diagon Alley, but there was still a few people crowded around the new Firebolt.

"It's just so…" Leon sighed.

"Spectacular?" Skylar offered.

"Oh I want one!" Leon muttered.

"I don't think I've ever wanted something so badly before." Harry confessed, "Too bad my Nimbus Two Thousand is so perfect." He said with a half grin.

"You'll want to upgrade one day." Nick assured him. "I'm on my second broom now."

"And he's not even on the team at school." Skylar reminded Harry. "Your's gets a lot more wear."

Harry was on the Gryffindor Quidditch team at Hogwarts, and held the position of Seeker. He was an excellent flier and it was the one thing at the school that had come to him instantly.

"You're Nimbus is pretty good." Leon sighed.

"If you're not careful my mum'll buy you one regardless." Skylar whispered to Harry and he smirked. "I think she likes that she can spoil you, despite not being her child."

"It's not like she spoils us." Nick rolled his eyes.

"Depends how you count 'spoil'. If I want something mum'll give it for my birthday or Christmas."

"It's a bit different though." Leon confessed. Skylar rose an eyebrow at her brothers before she rolled her eyes.

"If you say so. Now can we think about lunch? I'm kinda hungry." She admitted.

"You think Mum'll want us to go back for lunch?" Leon asked.

"I don't think so, she didn't say anything about that before we left." Nick confessed. "There's got to be all sorts of places around, let's take a look.

So the three ventured out of the Quidditch shop and down the street. They wondered for a while, looking at every shop on the block, one's they'd never taken much notice of before and ventured into ones they'd never yet had the chance to investigate.

They were venturing down the street trying to agree on something for lunch when Harry and Skylar stopped, their names having being called.

"Sky! Skylar!"

"Harry! HARRY!"

Turning around they all saw Ron and Hermione sitting outside Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour. Ron was looking incredibly freckly and Hermione very brown, both were waving frantically at them.

"Ron! Hermione!" Skylar called and she ran towards the table they were at, flinging her arms around Ron's neck. "It was so boring without you!" She said pulling away. "You are never allowed to go on Holiday again."

"You had Harry for the holidays." He rolled his eyes as Nick and Leon joined them.

"Three weeks out of five." She argued.

"Still majority." Ron said and Skylar scowled at him before she turned to hug Hermione. "Hey Leo." Ron grinned.

"How was Egypt!?" Leon demanded grinning.

"Hot." Ron nodded, earning a chuckle as Skylar turned to Hermione

"And how was France?"

"Oh it was fascinating. So much interesting local history of witchcraft." She smiled.

"Harry said you rewrote your entire History of Magic Essay." Skylar confessed.

"There was just so much to write about." Hermione said grinning and Skylar chuckled at her.

"Hey Ron, where's everyone else? We haven't run into any of them?" Nick confessed.

"The twins are with mum, she had a lot to do and commandeered them as slaves." Ron confessed, earning a snicker from the two Rosenwald boys. "I think Percy and Ginny are with them too, if not we're all going back to the Leaky Cauldron for dinner. Where're you parents?"

"Dad's at work but will be here this evening and Mum was in the Leaky Cauldron but wouldn't be surprised if she went back to the Ministry also." Skylar admitted.

"So you've been here by yourself?" Hermione asked.

"Only for a few hours, we left mum at the pub earlier." Nick shrugged.

"Almost instantly after we got here." Leon nodded.

"Well, we were starting to worry we wouldn't see you." Ron said to them all, looking at Hermione. "We knew you were here somewhere. We went to the Leaky Cauldron, but they said you'd left, and we went to Flourish and Blotts, and Madam Malkin's, and —"

"Sky and I got all our school stuff last week," Harry explained.

"We didn't know when you'd be getting back to the country exactly, so we went without you." Skylar shrugged. "Just like we did all our homework together. Harry's a much better study partner than you Ron. Thank god he came over." She chuckled.

Hermione's expression changed at the reminder and she turned to the black-haired boy. "Did you really blow up your aunt, Harry?" She said in a very serious voice.

"I didn't mean to," said Harry while Ron, Nick and Leon all roared with laughter. "I just — lost control."

"It's not funny," said Hermione sharply. "Honestly, I'm amazed Harry wasn't expelled."

"So am I," admitted Harry.

"Come on, am I the only know who knew he'd be let off?" Skylar questioned.

"You didn't think he'd be expelled?" Hermione asked surprised.

"Of course not, it was an accident." Skylar confessed. "They can't expel you for something you can't control, I mean really."

"Forget expelled, I thought I was going to be arrested." Harry looked at Ron. "Your dad doesn't know why Fudge let me off, does he?"

"Probably 'cause it's you, isn't it?" shrugged Ron, still chuckling. "Famous Harry Potter and all that. I'd hate to see what the Ministry'd do to me if I blew up an aunt. Mind you, they'd have to dig me up first, because Mum would've killed me. Anyway, you can ask Dad yourself this evening."

"Everyone's staying then?" Skylar asked, "My parents are too."

"Yeah mum and dad are staying to escort us tomorrow. We can call go to King's Cross together."

Hermione nodded, beaming. "Mum and Dad dropped me off this morning with all my Hogwarts things."

"Excellent!" said Harry happily. "So, have you got all your new books and stuff?"

"Look at this," said Ron, pulling a long thin box out of a bag and opening it. "Brand-new wand. Fourteen inches, willow, containing one unicorn tail-hair. And we've got all our books —" He pointed at a large bag under his chair. "What about those Monster Books, eh? The assistant nearly cried when we said we wanted two."

"Yeah, same with us." Skylar chuckled.

"What's all that, Hermione?" Harry asked, pointing at not one but three bulging bags in the chair next to her.

"Well, I'm taking more new subjects than you, aren't I?" said Hermione. "Those are my books for Arithmancy, Care of Magical Creatures, Divination, the Study of Ancient Runes, Muggle Studies —"

Leon and Nick were gapping at the girl as she listed her subjects.

"Why's she taking on so much work?" Leon whispered to Skylar.

"Cause she's Hermione." Skylar shrugged.

"What are you doing Muggle Studies for?" said Ron, rolling his eyes at Harry. "You're Muggle-born! Your mum and dad are Muggles! You already know all about Muggles!"

"But it'll be fascinating to study them from the wizarding point of view," said Hermione earnestly.

"Are you planning to eat or sleep at all this year, Hermione?" asked Harry, while Ron sniggered.

"I asked her that last year before she made the choice remember. She's screwed." Skylar shrugged.

Hermione ignored them. "I've still got ten Galleons," she said, checking her purse. "It's my birthday in September, and Mum and Dad gave me some money to get myself an early birthday present."

"How about a nice book?" said Ron innocently.

"No, I don't think so," said Hermione composedly. "I really want an owl. I mean, Harry's got Hedwig and you've got Errol —"

"I haven't," said Ron. "Errol's a family owl. All I've got is Scabbers." He pulled his pet rat out of his pocket. "And I want to get him checked over," he added, placing Scabbers on the table in front of them. "I don't think Egypt agreed with him."

Scabbers was looking thinner than usual, and there was a definite droop to his whiskers.

"There's a magical creature shop just over there," said Harry. "You could see if they've got anything for Scabbers, and Hermione can get her owl."

"Oh that's where I got Meridiem from." Skylar grinned. "And you're not the only one without an owl Hermione, it's not the end of the world." She told her.

"Yes, but you live in a Wizarding house where there's four others." Hermione reminded her

"True." Skylar nodded.

"Well, I'm going to go and see if I can find the twins." Nick said.

"They'll probably be in the joke shop." Skylar said pointing.

"Most likely." Nick chuckled before he waved at them and left.

"Coming with us Leon?" Skylar asked him.

"Yeah, I want to talk to Ron about Egypt! Oh and did you see the new boom in Quality Quidditch Supplies?" he asked and began yapping away as Hermione and Ron paid for their ice creams and they crossed the street to the Magical Menagerie.