Chapter Seven
"Diagon Alley!"
Much to Harry's relief, he came out of the right grate this time. He tumbled out of the fireplace in the leaky Cauldron covered in soot, much to everyone else's amusement. He fixed his glasses right on his nose, glaring.
Remus flicked his wand at him, clearing away the soot. "Off to Florish and Blotts then," he said with a chuckle.
Harry glared at him again and stomped off on the way to the bookshop. He actually wasn't so angry about the fireplace, but more that everyone had forgotten his birthday. He walked past the Owl Emporium, and remembered that he'd gotten Hedwig there.
He looked at his book list, checking the books he needed. Finding them quickly, he then went to pay for them.
In front of him in line was none other than Luna Lovegood. She turned around, facing him. "Oh, hello," she said in her dreamy tone. She gestured to a girl next to her with rather icy blue eyes and blonde hair nearly as long as Luna's with blue and bronze streaks. "This is Sandrine Dallas, same year as me. She's a Ravenclaw too."
The girl, Sandrine, giggled a bit and gave Harry a wave. Luna abruptly lost her dreamy mood. She leaned over to Harry and whispered, "She's a bit smitten with you." She rolled her eyes, glancing over at Sandrine.
"Who isn't?" Harry muttered. He turned to Sandrine and said politely, "Hello."
Sandrine giggled again and disappeared behind the tall stack of books she was carrying.
It was Sandrine and Luna's turn to check out then. They both paid for their books. "Bye Harry," Luna said, walking off.
"Yeah, bye!" Sandrine giggled once more, waved, and left the store. Harry paid for his own books. He was unpleasantly reminded of Marietta Edgecomb, one of Cho's giggly girlfriends. Except now, the giggling had been directed at him.
He took his books and saw Remus, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny at the end of the line. He went around it to stand with them.
"Finally, we've been calling you for five minuets!" Hermione said impatiently when he reached them. "Who were you talking to? Was that Luna? Who was that girl with her?"
"Hermione, breath," Harry said, chuckling. "Yes that was Luna. The girl with her was another Ravenclaw, Sandrine Dallas. Ginny, you wouldn't happen to know her, would you?"
Ginny looked up from reading the back of one of her textbooks. "Sandy? Yeah, she's in my care of magical creatures class. She's er." Ginny trailed off, but Harry interrupted,
"A bit smitten with me? I've heard." Ginny nodded.
"Yeah, smitten sounds good."
"She'll be joining Colin's fan club any day then," Ron butted in. Harry blushed a bit.
The line shuffled forward and it was the group's turn to pay, which they did. They walked back out into the sunshine, squinting a little after the rather dim lights in the store.
"You four can go off, but be back in an hour," Remus said to them. "Behave, please. I don't want to have you all wreaking havoc."
"When have we ever done that before?" Harry demanded. He was still rather sore at Remus.
Remus sighed. "You're right, you haven't. James and Sirius couldn't go anywhere with out pulling something." he seemed to realize what he was saying, and changed the subject. "Off you go then!"
Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny spent the next hour going through shops, and getting things they would need for the next year. They were done with ten minuets to spare and decided to look around in Quality Quidditch Supplies.
When Ron was looking at a new broom in the window, Harry went up to him. "Er, Ron, you wouldn't happen to know what day it is, would you?"
Ron looked up sharply at that. He saw Harry's confused expression and replied, "Er, Thursday I believe, why?"
"Is anything going on today?" When Harry asked this, he could see Ron turn decidedly nervous.
"Uh."
"We've got to go meet Remus!" a voice interrupted brightly. Harry saw that it was Hermione.
"Hermione, what's today?" Harry asked. They couldn't have all forgotten his birthday, some one had to know.
"Thursday," Hermione replied. "Come now, Ginny, Ron, let's go." Once Hermione had gathered everyone, she started towards the door.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't Potty and his little friends." It was Malfoy.
"Bugger off Malfoy," Harry snapped. He was in no mood to deal with him at the moment. He felt forgotten.
"What's the matter, did your girlfriends forget a date?" Malfoy sneered.
Harry narrowed his eyes suspiciously. How did Malfoy know about that? Or was it just a coincidence?
"Oh go bother someone who cares, Malfoy," Hermione said, walking around him. The rest of the group followed her, leaving Malfoy in the store.
They made their way back to Florish and Blotts to meet Remus. Rather desperately, Harry went up to him. "Remus please tell me you have some idea as to what today is!"
"Thursday, last time I checked," Remus replied. His eyes twinkled, and Harry got the feeling there was something he wasn't telling him.
Remus just sheparded the teenagers into the fireplace and back to number twelve, Grimmauld Place, ignoring Harry.
Harry tumbled out of the fireplace, thankfully not covered in soot this time. Grinning, Remus led Harry downstairs to where Ron, Hermione, and Ginny had just run off too.
"SURPRISE!" yelled the group of people. The room was decorated in red and gold with a large banner draped from one side to the other. It read, "Happy Birthday, Harry!"
Harry gaped at them, nearly dropping the packages he was carrying. He set them down just in time.
"No way." Harry whispered. Out loud, he continued, "But I thought you'd forgotten."
Mrs. Weasly bustled forward and gave him a big hug. "Of course we hadn't forgotten! We wanted to surprise you!" she said when she'd let go.
"Well, I'm definitely surprised." Harry looked around. Most of the order was there, along with all of the Weasly's, bar Percy. In fact, it was the first time Harry had seen Fred and George that summer.
"Okay, time to open presents!" Mrs. Weasly shouted, shuffling everyone into a circle around the table. Harry looked over at the table, which he now noticed was laden with gift-wrapped parcels.
"You didn't have to do this!" Harry muttered to Mrs. Weasly, blushing furiously.
"Oh, I know, but I'd heard from Ron that you'd never had a decent birthday, so I thought it was about time to start." Mrs. Weasly replied. "Now you go sit at the head of the table, and open your gifts!"
"Diagon Alley!"
Much to Harry's relief, he came out of the right grate this time. He tumbled out of the fireplace in the leaky Cauldron covered in soot, much to everyone else's amusement. He fixed his glasses right on his nose, glaring.
Remus flicked his wand at him, clearing away the soot. "Off to Florish and Blotts then," he said with a chuckle.
Harry glared at him again and stomped off on the way to the bookshop. He actually wasn't so angry about the fireplace, but more that everyone had forgotten his birthday. He walked past the Owl Emporium, and remembered that he'd gotten Hedwig there.
He looked at his book list, checking the books he needed. Finding them quickly, he then went to pay for them.
In front of him in line was none other than Luna Lovegood. She turned around, facing him. "Oh, hello," she said in her dreamy tone. She gestured to a girl next to her with rather icy blue eyes and blonde hair nearly as long as Luna's with blue and bronze streaks. "This is Sandrine Dallas, same year as me. She's a Ravenclaw too."
The girl, Sandrine, giggled a bit and gave Harry a wave. Luna abruptly lost her dreamy mood. She leaned over to Harry and whispered, "She's a bit smitten with you." She rolled her eyes, glancing over at Sandrine.
"Who isn't?" Harry muttered. He turned to Sandrine and said politely, "Hello."
Sandrine giggled again and disappeared behind the tall stack of books she was carrying.
It was Sandrine and Luna's turn to check out then. They both paid for their books. "Bye Harry," Luna said, walking off.
"Yeah, bye!" Sandrine giggled once more, waved, and left the store. Harry paid for his own books. He was unpleasantly reminded of Marietta Edgecomb, one of Cho's giggly girlfriends. Except now, the giggling had been directed at him.
He took his books and saw Remus, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny at the end of the line. He went around it to stand with them.
"Finally, we've been calling you for five minuets!" Hermione said impatiently when he reached them. "Who were you talking to? Was that Luna? Who was that girl with her?"
"Hermione, breath," Harry said, chuckling. "Yes that was Luna. The girl with her was another Ravenclaw, Sandrine Dallas. Ginny, you wouldn't happen to know her, would you?"
Ginny looked up from reading the back of one of her textbooks. "Sandy? Yeah, she's in my care of magical creatures class. She's er." Ginny trailed off, but Harry interrupted,
"A bit smitten with me? I've heard." Ginny nodded.
"Yeah, smitten sounds good."
"She'll be joining Colin's fan club any day then," Ron butted in. Harry blushed a bit.
The line shuffled forward and it was the group's turn to pay, which they did. They walked back out into the sunshine, squinting a little after the rather dim lights in the store.
"You four can go off, but be back in an hour," Remus said to them. "Behave, please. I don't want to have you all wreaking havoc."
"When have we ever done that before?" Harry demanded. He was still rather sore at Remus.
Remus sighed. "You're right, you haven't. James and Sirius couldn't go anywhere with out pulling something." he seemed to realize what he was saying, and changed the subject. "Off you go then!"
Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny spent the next hour going through shops, and getting things they would need for the next year. They were done with ten minuets to spare and decided to look around in Quality Quidditch Supplies.
When Ron was looking at a new broom in the window, Harry went up to him. "Er, Ron, you wouldn't happen to know what day it is, would you?"
Ron looked up sharply at that. He saw Harry's confused expression and replied, "Er, Thursday I believe, why?"
"Is anything going on today?" When Harry asked this, he could see Ron turn decidedly nervous.
"Uh."
"We've got to go meet Remus!" a voice interrupted brightly. Harry saw that it was Hermione.
"Hermione, what's today?" Harry asked. They couldn't have all forgotten his birthday, some one had to know.
"Thursday," Hermione replied. "Come now, Ginny, Ron, let's go." Once Hermione had gathered everyone, she started towards the door.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't Potty and his little friends." It was Malfoy.
"Bugger off Malfoy," Harry snapped. He was in no mood to deal with him at the moment. He felt forgotten.
"What's the matter, did your girlfriends forget a date?" Malfoy sneered.
Harry narrowed his eyes suspiciously. How did Malfoy know about that? Or was it just a coincidence?
"Oh go bother someone who cares, Malfoy," Hermione said, walking around him. The rest of the group followed her, leaving Malfoy in the store.
They made their way back to Florish and Blotts to meet Remus. Rather desperately, Harry went up to him. "Remus please tell me you have some idea as to what today is!"
"Thursday, last time I checked," Remus replied. His eyes twinkled, and Harry got the feeling there was something he wasn't telling him.
Remus just sheparded the teenagers into the fireplace and back to number twelve, Grimmauld Place, ignoring Harry.
Harry tumbled out of the fireplace, thankfully not covered in soot this time. Grinning, Remus led Harry downstairs to where Ron, Hermione, and Ginny had just run off too.
"SURPRISE!" yelled the group of people. The room was decorated in red and gold with a large banner draped from one side to the other. It read, "Happy Birthday, Harry!"
Harry gaped at them, nearly dropping the packages he was carrying. He set them down just in time.
"No way." Harry whispered. Out loud, he continued, "But I thought you'd forgotten."
Mrs. Weasly bustled forward and gave him a big hug. "Of course we hadn't forgotten! We wanted to surprise you!" she said when she'd let go.
"Well, I'm definitely surprised." Harry looked around. Most of the order was there, along with all of the Weasly's, bar Percy. In fact, it was the first time Harry had seen Fred and George that summer.
"Okay, time to open presents!" Mrs. Weasly shouted, shuffling everyone into a circle around the table. Harry looked over at the table, which he now noticed was laden with gift-wrapped parcels.
"You didn't have to do this!" Harry muttered to Mrs. Weasly, blushing furiously.
"Oh, I know, but I'd heard from Ron that you'd never had a decent birthday, so I thought it was about time to start." Mrs. Weasly replied. "Now you go sit at the head of the table, and open your gifts!"