[Chapter 5: Many Meetings]
Siruis and Harry booked a room to stay in for the rest of the holidays - Sirius wouldn't say why he hadn't gotten a more permanent location to stay in- and the two were fast asleep as soon as they hit their beds.
The next morning, the two got dressed and headed down to get breakfast. Old Tom the owner of the Leaky Cauldron, served them breakfast. Just then Hedwig swooped down from the windows in the corner, a letter attached to her claws.
"Hey, Hedwig, been wondering what you were up to," Harry said, detaching the letter and giving the owl some bits of bacon. "It's from Hogwarts," he said opening the letter. It contained the usual notice concerning when the schools will start and the supplies they'll be needing.
Harry folded the letter and took out a piece of parchment. He wrote:
'Dear Ron, (and Hermione,)
How's your summer? I've left the muggles and am staying with Sirius for now. He filled me in on what took place the past few weeks. Ruddy muggles wouldn't let me owl post you or Hermione and they wouldn't let me recieve any either. Tell you more later on that. Could you and the gang meet us in Diagon Alley tomorrow by any chance? I've got my school letter and was hoping to shop for my school stuff there tomorrow. Say hello to your family for me.
Harry'
p.s: send this to Hermione afterwards. And we're staying at the Leaky Cauldron.
p.p.s: Sirius says hello.
Harry folded up the parchment and attached it to Hedwig who grunted. " Up for another delivery, Hedwig? It hooted and flew off to deliver the letter.
"So," Sirius started, munching a bit of toast. "What do you want to do today?"
"I don't know. I was hoping to just stick around and stay with you for a while."
"Ok. Sure. I'll show you around."
Harry and Sirius spent the rest of the day window-shopping and Harry, like many boys, goggled at the newest model of the Firebolt series broomstick. 'The Lightning', it outmatched the Firebolt series by not that much, but Harry was mesmerized by it. Sirius had to drag Harry's face, which was plastered to the window, and they stepped inside the all purpose store. Sirius bought some more Floo powder and some more parchment and ink. Harry asked why they couldn't buy all this at Florish and Blotts, and Sirius said, that the owner of F&B doesn't like Sirius much, they got into a bit of a fight.
"Over what though?"
Sirius blushed deeply. "Er, Harry, well, it concerned a lady. Well, you don't need to know anymore than that," he said quickly and hid his face behind a shelf that held some jars, contents of which were very unknown.
Harry smiled at the thought of Sirius having a fight over a woman and concentrated on not laughing out loud. They looked around some more, got some lunch and headed back to the inn. They played some wizard chess and before you know it, the two headed up to bed.
Hedwig had returned while they were out and had dropped Ron's and Hermione's replies on the bed. They both answered yes to coming to Diagon Alley the next day and were happy to hear that Harry was staying with Sirius.
***
The next day, Harry woke up, excited. He was anxious to meet his friends and soon ate breakfast and headed out to Diagon Alley with Sirius. It was 11 in the morning and the place was jammed with parents chasing after their kids and lugging bags of supplies.
"How are we going to find them? I never told them where we're going to meet them..." Harry stopped because behind him, a whole crowd of people were saying his name, a whole crowd of red headed people.
"Harry!!! It's so good to see you my dear," said Mrs Wealey.
"How's it going, mate, " chorused the two Weasley twins.
"Hullo Harry, how was your summer?" said Ginny and behind them all stood Ron, who had grown tall and his freckles had darkened.
"Hullo everyone. I am fine and so was my summer. I am staying with Sirius,"
"Yes dear, Ron's told us all about it. So nice to meet you Sirius, " Mr Weasley said, extending his hand, which Sirius shook. They then got into a deep conversation abotu the events that took place this summer while Mrs Weasley gave Ron some money and took off with Ginny to buy supplies. The twins went off to the common joke shop and Harry, told Sirius that he was gonna go off to Gringotts and then tackled Ron with questions.
"Where's Hermione? I heard your dad's been promoted, eh?"
Ron talked, as they headed for Gringotts, about how well they were now, and that the Weasleys had refurbished the Burrow, and Ron had finally bought new dress robes. They met Hermione at the steps of Gringotts.
"There you are, " she said, now looking a head taller, and changed. Her hair had tamed down and her smile renowned. "Oh hullo, Harry," she said and hugged Harry.
"Hermione!"
"Ron...." she started, "you look so different. Did you grow or something?"
"You're asking me? Look at yourself!"
They all laughed, embarrassed a bit. Harry wondered whether his friends were beginning to be more than friends...but he threw that thought aside and retrieved some gold and silver from his vault. They stopped to buy some ice creams and then talked about the summer. They discussed the death of Snape and who all the new teachers are going to be.
"You two are looking at Gryffindor's new prefect," Hermione said revealing a glimmering prefect badge.
"Wow, Herm," Ron started. " Just make sure you don't go in over your head like slimy old Percy with all the rules stuff.
"Hey I forgot to tell you. I got a letter from school saying that I'm the new Gryffindor Beater, since the twins are gone ('Good on you, Ron,' Hermione said followed by 'Wicked,' from Harry) and Dad's just told me. Lucious Malfoy had uprooted his son 'cause he doesn't want Draco to go to Hogwarts anymore."
"You're lying!" Harry said beyond joy.
"Nope. Malfoy is going to Durmstrang. Yeah, believe it. I mean, we got rid of Snape and Malfoy during the same time!"
"Ron!" Hermione said, "I don't think we should make fun of Snape. He wasn't that bad you know? He DIED serving Dumbledore. That's nothing we should make fun of."
"Well, we're just joking, Herm, you should relax. Speaking of Durmstrang, did you visit your boyfriend?" Ron said in a sing song voice.
"He's not my boyfriend you know. Victor and I have decided to stay friends. I didn't visit him, we wrote to each other, that's all. (Ron snorted.) Oh and Harry, I'll be staying at the Leaky Cauldron, my parent's have just dropped me off."
"Great. What about you Ron? "
"Well, we still have to fix up the Burrow, but I figure I could ask mum to let me bunk in with you."
They finished their ice creams and went to buy school robes (they had outgrown their old ones) and books. They discussed Hagrid's departure and the new teachers they were going to get. In the end they all admitted that neither one of them could wait till the new year started. It was going to be different for all of them. That night, while Harry lay in his bed, with Ron snoring in his sleeping bag beside him, realised how happy he was. 'Mum, Dad,' he thought. 'I wished you guys were here with me now. Then my life will truly be complete.' Harry fell into a dreamless sleep.
*I know, I know...what a sobfest!*
Siruis and Harry booked a room to stay in for the rest of the holidays - Sirius wouldn't say why he hadn't gotten a more permanent location to stay in- and the two were fast asleep as soon as they hit their beds.
The next morning, the two got dressed and headed down to get breakfast. Old Tom the owner of the Leaky Cauldron, served them breakfast. Just then Hedwig swooped down from the windows in the corner, a letter attached to her claws.
"Hey, Hedwig, been wondering what you were up to," Harry said, detaching the letter and giving the owl some bits of bacon. "It's from Hogwarts," he said opening the letter. It contained the usual notice concerning when the schools will start and the supplies they'll be needing.
Harry folded the letter and took out a piece of parchment. He wrote:
'Dear Ron, (and Hermione,)
How's your summer? I've left the muggles and am staying with Sirius for now. He filled me in on what took place the past few weeks. Ruddy muggles wouldn't let me owl post you or Hermione and they wouldn't let me recieve any either. Tell you more later on that. Could you and the gang meet us in Diagon Alley tomorrow by any chance? I've got my school letter and was hoping to shop for my school stuff there tomorrow. Say hello to your family for me.
Harry'
p.s: send this to Hermione afterwards. And we're staying at the Leaky Cauldron.
p.p.s: Sirius says hello.
Harry folded up the parchment and attached it to Hedwig who grunted. " Up for another delivery, Hedwig? It hooted and flew off to deliver the letter.
"So," Sirius started, munching a bit of toast. "What do you want to do today?"
"I don't know. I was hoping to just stick around and stay with you for a while."
"Ok. Sure. I'll show you around."
Harry and Sirius spent the rest of the day window-shopping and Harry, like many boys, goggled at the newest model of the Firebolt series broomstick. 'The Lightning', it outmatched the Firebolt series by not that much, but Harry was mesmerized by it. Sirius had to drag Harry's face, which was plastered to the window, and they stepped inside the all purpose store. Sirius bought some more Floo powder and some more parchment and ink. Harry asked why they couldn't buy all this at Florish and Blotts, and Sirius said, that the owner of F&B doesn't like Sirius much, they got into a bit of a fight.
"Over what though?"
Sirius blushed deeply. "Er, Harry, well, it concerned a lady. Well, you don't need to know anymore than that," he said quickly and hid his face behind a shelf that held some jars, contents of which were very unknown.
Harry smiled at the thought of Sirius having a fight over a woman and concentrated on not laughing out loud. They looked around some more, got some lunch and headed back to the inn. They played some wizard chess and before you know it, the two headed up to bed.
Hedwig had returned while they were out and had dropped Ron's and Hermione's replies on the bed. They both answered yes to coming to Diagon Alley the next day and were happy to hear that Harry was staying with Sirius.
***
The next day, Harry woke up, excited. He was anxious to meet his friends and soon ate breakfast and headed out to Diagon Alley with Sirius. It was 11 in the morning and the place was jammed with parents chasing after their kids and lugging bags of supplies.
"How are we going to find them? I never told them where we're going to meet them..." Harry stopped because behind him, a whole crowd of people were saying his name, a whole crowd of red headed people.
"Harry!!! It's so good to see you my dear," said Mrs Wealey.
"How's it going, mate, " chorused the two Weasley twins.
"Hullo Harry, how was your summer?" said Ginny and behind them all stood Ron, who had grown tall and his freckles had darkened.
"Hullo everyone. I am fine and so was my summer. I am staying with Sirius,"
"Yes dear, Ron's told us all about it. So nice to meet you Sirius, " Mr Weasley said, extending his hand, which Sirius shook. They then got into a deep conversation abotu the events that took place this summer while Mrs Weasley gave Ron some money and took off with Ginny to buy supplies. The twins went off to the common joke shop and Harry, told Sirius that he was gonna go off to Gringotts and then tackled Ron with questions.
"Where's Hermione? I heard your dad's been promoted, eh?"
Ron talked, as they headed for Gringotts, about how well they were now, and that the Weasleys had refurbished the Burrow, and Ron had finally bought new dress robes. They met Hermione at the steps of Gringotts.
"There you are, " she said, now looking a head taller, and changed. Her hair had tamed down and her smile renowned. "Oh hullo, Harry," she said and hugged Harry.
"Hermione!"
"Ron...." she started, "you look so different. Did you grow or something?"
"You're asking me? Look at yourself!"
They all laughed, embarrassed a bit. Harry wondered whether his friends were beginning to be more than friends...but he threw that thought aside and retrieved some gold and silver from his vault. They stopped to buy some ice creams and then talked about the summer. They discussed the death of Snape and who all the new teachers are going to be.
"You two are looking at Gryffindor's new prefect," Hermione said revealing a glimmering prefect badge.
"Wow, Herm," Ron started. " Just make sure you don't go in over your head like slimy old Percy with all the rules stuff.
"Hey I forgot to tell you. I got a letter from school saying that I'm the new Gryffindor Beater, since the twins are gone ('Good on you, Ron,' Hermione said followed by 'Wicked,' from Harry) and Dad's just told me. Lucious Malfoy had uprooted his son 'cause he doesn't want Draco to go to Hogwarts anymore."
"You're lying!" Harry said beyond joy.
"Nope. Malfoy is going to Durmstrang. Yeah, believe it. I mean, we got rid of Snape and Malfoy during the same time!"
"Ron!" Hermione said, "I don't think we should make fun of Snape. He wasn't that bad you know? He DIED serving Dumbledore. That's nothing we should make fun of."
"Well, we're just joking, Herm, you should relax. Speaking of Durmstrang, did you visit your boyfriend?" Ron said in a sing song voice.
"He's not my boyfriend you know. Victor and I have decided to stay friends. I didn't visit him, we wrote to each other, that's all. (Ron snorted.) Oh and Harry, I'll be staying at the Leaky Cauldron, my parent's have just dropped me off."
"Great. What about you Ron? "
"Well, we still have to fix up the Burrow, but I figure I could ask mum to let me bunk in with you."
They finished their ice creams and went to buy school robes (they had outgrown their old ones) and books. They discussed Hagrid's departure and the new teachers they were going to get. In the end they all admitted that neither one of them could wait till the new year started. It was going to be different for all of them. That night, while Harry lay in his bed, with Ron snoring in his sleeping bag beside him, realised how happy he was. 'Mum, Dad,' he thought. 'I wished you guys were here with me now. Then my life will truly be complete.' Harry fell into a dreamless sleep.
*I know, I know...what a sobfest!*