Scott arrived in the dining area of The Leaky Cauldron. A large table was sitting in the middle and crowded around it was Harry, Hermione and who looked to Scott to be most of the Weasley family.

"Scott!" Mr. Weasley exclaimed when he saw him. "So good to see you again! Won't you join us for dinner?"

"I'd love to, Mr. Weasley," Scott replied. "It's good to see you again soon."

"Scott, I'd like you to meet my wife, Molly," said Mr. Weasley as Molly approached them. "Molly, this is Scott Peck. He's Shirley Peck's son."

"Oh, you're Shirley's son!" Mrs. Weasley said, her expression lighting up. "I absolutely adore her column!"

Scott grinned. "Well, you may be in luck, Mrs. Weasley. Mum wrote me a note just before I came down here and said she'll be off early tonight and could be here for dinner."

"That would be wonderful!"

At that, Hermione appeared next to Mrs. Weasley.

"Hey, Hermione!" Scott said, hugging her.

"Have a good summer?" Hermione asked.

"Pretty good. It's been different staying here while Mum has been working overtime. But it's been fun to explore Diagon Alley. I swear, it never ends."

"You're telling me," said Harry as he arrived with Ron. "Where's Dubba?"

"Ha, I'll get him," Scott replied. He whispered sharply. As if his whistle were a magnet, Dubba came running down the stairs, his tail wagging madly. Dubba ran right up to Scott and sat next to him.

"How is he with cats?" Hermione asked apprehensively.

"Oh, he loves cats. He likes to chase them around and pretend that he's hunting them. He's completely harmless though. Why, do you have a cat?"

"More of a tiger," muttered Ron low enough so that Hermione wouldn't hear.

Hermione nodded. "His name is Crookshanks. I got him this afternoon and I'll be bringing him to Hogwarts." She glanced behind her and yelled for Crookshanks.

A few seconds later, Crookshanks appeared with his tail bobbing behind him. Dubba stood up as soon as he saw Crookshanks. Crookshanks walked toward Dubba and looked at him as if conducting an examination. Dubba sniffed Crookshanks excitedly, wagging his tail. Eventually, Dubba jumped as if he were going to pounce on Crookshanks, who looked from Dubba to Hermione nervously.

"It's all right, Crookshanks," said Hermione soothingly. "He's a good dog."

Crookshanks looked back at Dubba before quickly turning around while Dubba gave chase, his tail wagging madly. Scott and the others grinned as they sat down at the table, Scott and Hermione sitting next to each other. Once they had placed their orders, Hermione turned to Scott.

"So, what electives are you taking this year?" she asked.

"Ancient Runes, Muggle Studies and Care of Magical Creatures," Scott replied. "How about you?"

"All of those, actually. And Arithmancy and Divination."

"Good lord, Hermione. You're taking literally every class that you can take. How the bloody hell do you plan on pulling it off?"

"I don't know. I'm sure some of those classes overlap and I obviously can't be in two classes at once, but my letter said I needed the required books for all the classes I signed up for last term."

"I'll be amazed if you can pull it off successfully," Scott said. "Which one are you looking forward to most?"

"I think Muggle Studies will be the most fascinating," said Hermione, her face glowing as she talked about academics. "I know my parents are Muggles, but it will be so interesting to study Muggles from a wizarding point-of-view."

"I agree," Scott replied, nodding. "I know quite a bit about Muggles since my Dad was one, but I think it'd be so cool to examine how witches and wizards have interacted with Muggles throughout history and to see how Muggles are able to successfully function without magic."

"What did your Dad think about magic?"

"Oh, he was so mesmerized by it," replied a woman's voice. Scott and Hermione looked up and saw Shirley standing next to them, looking tired, but happy to be off from work.

"Mum!" Scott explained, standing up. "I didn't see you come in. Sorry. This is Hermione Granger," he added hastily. "You know Harry, of course, and I'm sure you recognize this family?"

"Naturally," Shirley said, smiling when she noticed Arthur standing up and approaching her with Molly. "Arthur, my good friend, how lovely to see you again."

"The same to you, Shirley," Arthur replied warmly. "This is my wife, Molly."

"Ah, Molly, we meet at last!" Shirley exclaimed, shaking hands with her. "Arthur has told me so much about you and I'm so glad that we're finally meeting!"

"Oh, it's lovely to meet you, Shirley," said Molly, looking flustered. "I'm such a fan of your work and I read every issue."

"That's wonderful. Would you mind if I sat with you and Arthur?"

"Oh, not at all, dear, not at all," replied Mrs. Weasley. She motioned for Fred and George to scoot over to make room for Shirley to sit with them. "Oh yes," added Molly. "These are the twins, Fred and George, our daughter Ginny and this is Percy, who is the new Head Boy at Hogwarts."

As Shirley sat down with Arthur and Molly, Scott noticed Fred and George pretending to vomit at the mention of Percy making Head Boy. He grinned at them before turning back to Hermione.

"How about that ruddy Monsters book, eh?" he asked.

"No kidding," Hermione replied. "The store assistant almost cried when Ron said we needed two. I wonder why on earth we had to get a biting book."

"Have you had any luck getting it open without getting attacked?"

Hermione shook her head as the food started to arrive. Once everyone's plates were filled, Arthur stood up, holding his goblet.

"Well, I think a new year at Hogwarts merits a good toast," he said. "To a new term."

"New term!" everyone else echoed.

"And to health, happiness and above all, safety!" Arthur added, taking a second gulp from his gulp before sitting back down.

"This should be a fun year," Scott said to Hermione before turning to his plate and tucking in.