Chapter Four: The Weasley's Joke Shop
Harry woke up the next morning with no immediate recollection of the night's previous events. When he turned and looked at Ron's bed and noticed he wasn't there, it all came roaring back to him. He still wouldn't believe Ron's dream was real. How could they be? Ron had no connection to Harry's father as Harry did to Lord Voldemort. Harry didn't want to ponder on this, so he stood up, got dressed, and walked outside the room and downstairs.
Everybody was sitting around a table eating breakfast when Harry walked in. He pulled up a chair and joined the group.
"Mornin' Harry." Fred said with his mouth full of toast.
"Good morning," he said to everybody. He noticed Ron was avoiding his eyes.
"Hey, Harry. After you buy your school supplies you should come by the shop." George said, grinning.
"Would you like anything to eat, dear?" Said an old witch behind Harry's shoulder. Startled, he swung around and looked at her.
"Oh, yes, just. Eggs and toast please," He said. The witch wrote it on a note pad, ripped the paper off, and threw it towards the area of the table in front of Harry. It fluttered back and forth before landing. There was a 'pop' and Harry's food appeared on a plate where the paper had landed.
An owl swooped in carrying a newspaper in its talons. He dropped in on Hermione, and she put some money in its pouch. She unfolded it and gasped.
"I don't believe it. Copper, Jeffrey Copper, was supposed to be our Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher this year." She explained.
"The one that died?" Ron asked.
"Yeah." She replied, her eyes scanning the article. "Wow, he was important."
"Yeah, great man, Copper." Said George. "Also one of the few people who had a sense of humor equal to ours."
"He constantly went into Auroring school, but never passed because he was 'reckless and dangerous.'" Quoted Hermione. "But he single-handedly caught three death eaters and turned them to the ministry of magic.
"Yup, that's Copper." Said Fred. "He went to You-Know-Who's side as a spy without anybody asking him to. Wanted to do anything he could to stop them. He betrayed the three Death Eaters when they broke into somebody's house to kill them."
"Well, it doesn't mention that here." Said Hermione.
"It wouldn't." George said. "They kept it quiet. There was a small ceremony where he was given the Order of Merlin. Dumbledore was good friends with him. Of course, after that incident, Copper had to lay low. Turning in three death eaters isn't something that goes over well with You- Know-Who and his followers."
"They're probably celebrating as we speak." Fred added.
"Will they find another Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?" Asked Ginny.
"I'm sure Dumbledore will find somebody suiting." Replied George. "Now that everybody knows the truth."
"Whoa, George, look at the time." Said Fred, looking at his watch. "Store opens in five minutes."
"All right, drop by everybody." Said George. There was a crack as the twins dissapparated.
There was an awkward silence. Harry assumed Hermione knew about Ron's dream because she was nervously flicking her eyes between the two of them. Ginny had a confused look on her face as she looked at the three of them in silence.
"What's going on?" She eventually asked.
Ron opened his mouth to say something, but Hermione stopped him.
"They had a disagreement." She said.
"Oh," Ginny said in a voice that hinted that she hadn't gotten enough information.
"Well, I guess we should get ready to go, then." Hermione said.
"All right." Harry said. They all made their way upstairs when Hermione pulled Harry back.
"Ouch! Hermione!" Harry said.
"Harry, listen, don't be mad at Ron." She said urgently.
"He has a dream and he thinks my dad's a death eater. And then he insults me on the thing he knew I hated myself for." Harry replied.
"I know, I know he was wrong there, but he knows your dad was not a death eater, too. So, could you talk to him?"
"What about his dream? You didn't mention that." Harry said. Hermione's jaw dropped slightly and she averted her eyes.
"He still thinks it happened, doesn't he."
"Well. Yes, I think he does. And you can understand this Harry, it's happened to you."
"Yeah, because of my scar. This is just Ron trying to get attention." He snapped.
Hermione's face changed for a second. It showed nothing but anger, and for a second Harry thought she was going to slap him.
"I can't believe you'd say that Harry," She said.
"So what do you think?"
"I think. that Ron wouldn't do that to get attention, especially to you."
"But what do you think about the dream?"
"I think that it was probably just a dream." She said. Harry was relieved, but she continued.
"But. He might be right."
"What?!"
"I doubt he is, Harry, but it was a very peculiar dream and- I don't know how he would get your father's memory into his head-but I think, maybe that you two have such a strong bond of friendship that it connected you both some how. And maybe in connected you both, it connected Ron to your father." She said.
"How can Ron remember something about my father that I don't remember?" Harry asked, completely furious at what Hermione was saying.
"I know it sounds insane Harry, but we know that there is certain magic that is created without a wand. Like your mother dying to save you; that love that protected you after she was gone. Maybe strong friendships have a magical bond between them as well."
"But you're my friend and you don't have visions of my grandparents or anything." Harry said. Hermione looked at the ground.
"Yeah, but. I mean, you and Ron are. You and me are. We're just." She muttered nervously. Harry's anger turned to pity. He knew what she was talking about. Ron and Harry were best friends, and while Hermione was his best friend as well, it wasn't the same. How she hadn't mentioned this before was astounding to Harry. He wondered if she thought she was just tagging along.
"But. I mean, that's how it should be. You sleep in the same room and play the same sport."
This was the second awkward silence of the day for Harry.
"Listen, I'll talk to Ron." Harry said.
She looked up. "Okay." She said awkwardly. For a second they looked into each other's eyes, and for the first time Harry saw how pretty she was. Hermione blinked and shook her head.
"I guess I'll go get ready." She said.
"Yeah, ok." Harry replied. She walked up the stairs, and Harry waited a moment before following her, confused at what had just happened.
When he walked into his room, he and Ron looked at each other for a moment.
"What kept you?" Ron asked.
"Ron, I'm sorry I got mad at you. I'm not saying I believe or agree with you, but I won't hold it against you if you think your dream was real." Harry said. He realized this did not sound like a good apology, but Ron seemed to take it all the same.
"All right, cool. I bet you're right, though, it probably was just a dream." Ron replied, although Harry could tell he didn't think that. But Harry wasn't done explaining things. He still hadn't asked Ron about his test scores. He had been avoiding the question ever since he'd first seen Ron. He didn't want to find out what classes he would be taking without him.
"Listen, Ron, I was wondering, how you did on your OWLs." Harry asked nervously.
Ron looked up wearing the face that told Harry he was not the only one nervous about asking the question.
"I-I did all right." He replied.
"What did you get in potions?"
Ron shifted a little. "I-I got an O. I'm sorry Harry."
Harry breathed a sigh of relief. Ron looked confused. "Thank God. I got an O too. I was worried we'd have to split up."
Ron wore a look of surprise, relief, and happiness at the same time.
After Harry changed into different clothes, Ron and him met Hermione and Ginny outside the Leaky Cauldron. Harry walked to the seemingly solid brick wall in front of them and pulled out his wand. He didn't need to count the bricks to find the one that opened the wall. Having spent part of his summer prior to his third year here, he had tapped the brick so often he knew exactly where it was and what it looked like. He tapped it with his wand. The brick quivered and eventually the archway leading into Diagon Alley was fully open. They walked through the arch. Even still Diagon Alley took Harry's breath away. A crowd was already forming and people were bustling down the street and in and out of the old shops selling all sorts of magical supplies for everything imaginable.
"Hey, Harry, let's check Quality Quidditch Supplies." Ron suggested excitedly. Harry noticed Ginny liked the idea as well, but Hermione shot the plan down.
"I think we should get our school supplies first." She said sternly.
There was no point to argue this, so nobody did.
They walked through the crowd to Flourish and Blotts, where they would get their schoolbooks. Harry hadn't bothered to look at his booklist when he got it, so he brought it with him in his pocket. He pulled it out and scanned it to see what books he needed.
"Wait a minute. 'A Further History of Magic.' I didn't sign up for History of Magic this year. Why do I need the book?" He asked Ron.
"I don't know. You'd better get it just in case." He advised.
"Are you taking it?"
Ron looked at his list. "Nope, I dropped it, Herbology and Divination."
"So did I."
"But Hermione's taking it, so you'll have somebody in there."
"Taking what?" Said Hermione, spinning around from looking at the books.
"History of Magic. Harry's taking it, but he didn't sign up for it." Ron replied.
"Huh. That's odd. But I hear sixth years the best, so maybe Binns can finally get a class a little less bored." She said.
Harry hoped so. Professor Binns was the most boring of Harry's teachers. He nearly put everybody to sleep with his drawling voice. He also happened to be the only ghost that taught.
Harry grabbed the books that he needed and went to pay at the counter. The four of them went outside.
"All right, Quidditch now?" Ron asked Hermione jokingly.
They walked into Quality Quidditch Supplies with expressions on their faces that resembled a little kid entering a toy store. Hermione went to the books they had on Quidditch, but Harry, Ron and Ginny went eagerly to the new broom in the display case. Harry noticed it was put up in a fashion similar to the Firebolt that was here when Harry came here the last time.
"Wow. I don't think anybody could afford that." Ginny said, reading the notice posted on the glass.
"How much?" Ron asked, his eyes transfixed on the broom.
"Fourty Galleons," replied Ginny.
Ron whistled, but still hadn't blinked. "Still, it's a Thunderbolt."
"A Thunderbolt?" Harry asked. "Yup, second broom created in the Bolt series after the Firebolt. Accelerates faster then any broom ever made, and if done properly there's a loud bang that sounds like thunder. It's also got all sorts of charms on it, anti-slipping, water-resistant, anti-burning, and it can turn at a sharp angle without slowing down due to its flexible wood. The front would start turning before the back would." Ron said. Harry was amazed at how much he knew about the broom. He looked at it with longing. "It seems to have out-sold the Nimbus 2005." Ron said, looking at some broomsticks on a regular shelf next to them. "There was a big hype over the competition between the two brooms." Harry didn't want to look at the Thunderbolt any longer, so he browsed through the store looking at the less popular broomsticks, books, the servicing kit that Hermione had given him for his thirteenth birthday, and practice Quidditch balls. There were Bludgers that stopped an inch before they hit some one, Quaffles that were slightly heavier to work on shooting and passing power, and a snitch that was exactly the same except it had a charm that made it come back to you if you said "Amanum." He would have bought the Snitch but he decided he would never practice alone, and during practice the real Snitch was fine. He joined Ron who was looking at some display of signed Quidditch robes of old professional players.
"Wow, look at these, Harry." Ron said, mystified.
"Hey, I have to get some new robes, my old ones are getting too short. Meet me Florean Fortescue's in thirty minutes." Harry said. Ron nodded, but was still gazing at the robes, so Harry told Hermione as well.
The walk to Madame Malkin's wasn't a long one; it was just a block down and around a slight curve. As he turned he saw a large crowd standing in front of a store a few down from where Harry was going. He had never been in it, and wasn't even sure if it had been there last time he was there. And then he remembered. This was Fred and George's joke shop. He walked up to the crowd, who Harry noticed were mostly kids, and looked up. The sign was a gold arch that said "Weasley's Wizard Wheezes" In large, shining letters. Many people were carrying sacks filled with joke products they'd already bought. Some people were testing certain pranks on themselves, and often somebody would turn into a canary or growing what seemed like small trees out of their heads. Harry wanted to go in, but knew he didn't have time right now so he proceeded back to Madame Malkin's.
He was about to open the door when it almost hit him in the nose. Somebody walked out of the door.
"Oh sor-." Draco Malfoy said before noticing it was Harry. "I should've pushed harder." He sneered. Harry ignored him and pulled the door open to walk in, but stopped.
"How's your father?" Harry asked. Draco's eyes narrowed.
"It's a matter of time, Potter." Draco replied quietly. "And speaking of father's, how's yours?"
Now Harry's eyes narrowed. "Better then yours, I'd bet."
"Ha! You think death is better then Azkaban?"
Something odd flickered in Harry's mind. He remembered Dumbledore saying it when he was fighting Voldemort in the Ministry of Magic: "Your belief that there is nothing worse then death will be your downfall."
"I think it could be." Harry replied.
"Then why were you so sad when your poor godfather died."
He had gone too far. It happened quickly; Harry swung his fist and knocked Malfoy onto the ground. Harry wasn't sure how Draco knew about anything what happened in the department of mysteries, but he figured he'd heard it from one of his father's friends.
"I wonder if you know," Harry said, "That Sirius was your mom's cousin?"
This information didn't seem to faze Malfoy. He stood up and wiped the blood from his lip.
"I wonder if you know that my family's ashamed of it."
Harry would have hit him again, but Madame Malkin called from inside, "Are you going to come in or just hold the door open all day?"
Harry gave Malfoy one more dirty look and stepped inside.
Madame Malkin walked up to him.
"Hello, new robes for Hogwarts?" She asked. Harry nodded.
"All right, just step up here, arms extended.."
Harry obeyed. She pulled out the measuring tape that worked without her. It flew over to Harry and measured his side.
"All right, let's see," Madame Malkin mumbled to herself as she got the measurements. "Yes, all right, I'll be right back." She said, and went through a doorway to the back. A minute later, she returned carrying a stack of folded robes.
"This will be five robes, dear." She told Harry. Harry paid for his robes and carried them down to the ice cream parlor. Ron, Hermione, and Ginny were sitting outside.
"Guess who I ran into." Harry said as he sat down. "Malfoy."
"How was he?" Hermione asked.
"How is he ever?"
"Good point." Ron said.
"Hello sir, could I interest you in our specials?" A young waitress behind Harry said. Harry spun around.
"Okay." He said, slightly taken aback by this sudden appearance.
"Well, we have Bernie Bott's every flavor ice cream where every bite is a different-." She paused, looking at Harry's forehead. "Oh, wow." She gasped. Harry looked down awkwardly. He was used to this by now, but he was never comfortable when it happened.
"Harry Potter." She said, still gawking at him. Somebody from a near table heard her and spun around. "Your money is no good here, anything you want and its yours, mister Potter."
"Please, just Harry." Harry murmured.
"I don't believe it. I mean, last year how everyone was- I mean wow, you actually saw him, didn't you? You saw You-Know-Who!" Harry had no choice but to nod.
"And is it true you saw that boy die?" She asked.
"Do you really think Harry wants to talk about that?" Hermione shot at her angrily. Harry was extremely grateful. The waitress was taken aback.
"Well-I-I just wondered if-." The waitress rambled.
"I don't want free food, I don't want extra attention, just give me a chocolate frog sundae please." Harry said quietly, still looking down.
"Yes, sir, er-Harry, right away." She replied and hurried off. Harry still didn't look up.
"I hate it." He said.
"We know, Harry, we're really sorry." Ginny said.
Hermione was still fuming at the waitress's inappropriate question. Ron's ears had turned pink. Again, there was the awkward silence that had seemed to occur so often recently.
"Well, did anybody get any Quidditch supplies?" Harry asked, half way breaking the tension.
"I bought some Chaser's gloves." Ginny replied. Harry had almost forgotten about Ginny playing Quidditch. In their previous year, Harry, Fred and George had been banned from playing because of Malfoy. The team was in need of two beaters and a seeker. Ginny had gotten the job as seeker. She told Harry that she would move out of his way when he came back and become a chaser, as Angelina and Alicia were graduating.
"Here's your sundae," Said the waitress as she placed it in front of Harry.
"Thanks." He replied, although he knew it didn't sound as though he meant it.
After eating their ice cream, they stood up and walked towards the joke shop.
"It's a mad house," Harry explained, "there's a line to get in!"
"Yeah, that's how it usually is." Ron said. "They're really making money."
Sure enough, a crowd was still outside the shop, and one of the twins was outside trying to get order.
"Please, everybody calm down you'll get your chance to come in, however we ask that you do not test out any fireworks or Terrain-iacs out here in Diagon Alley. Trust us, they work, we've used them." Harry smiled remember the fireworks display and swamp they'd put in at Hogwarts last year.
"Oy! Fred!" Ron called. Fred looked at them.
"And unfortunately these four get to go in now because they're my siblings and one of them paid for the shop!" Fred said, some people groaned in annoyance.
Fred lead the four of them throw the crowd (some who gave them furious looks) and under the golden arch into the shop. It took Harry's breath away. There was a prank store in Hogsmeade, the town next to Hogwarts, called Zonko's. Harry had always been amazed at how much stuff they had, but seeing this was incredible. Shelves up to ceiling that were crammed with joke supplies, people looking through them and hurrying through the crowd. Harry knew their business was good, but this was outrageous. He looked to the shelf on the right. It was bin full of fake wands, one of the original pranks that Fred and George made. There was a sign on top that said, "Buy two, get one free." Next to that was a second bin filled with wands, but the sign over this one said, "Re-usable. Turns back into a wand after two minutes." These were slightly more expensive.
"Take whatever you want, no charge." Fred said to them. "I've got to handle this crowd." He walked back outside. Harry walked further down the aisle. To his left were small boxes in various colors with different pictures on them stacked on a shelf. The sign above them read "Terrain- iacs: Turn that bland room of yours into a miniature beach! Easy removal! You choose how big it gets!" and then in smaller print "Warning, if done properly, this product can make your some people want to kill you." Harry looked at all the boxes. Each one held two capsules of a different landscape. There was a forest, beach, field, desert, swamp, jungle, river, snowfield, and plain. Harry couldn't resist not getting some of these. He remembered the swamp Fred and George had put in a hallway at Hogwarts, and decided that these would be worth it. He grabbed the combo box, which had one of each landscape inside it.
"They're brilliant!" Hermione said behind him looking at all the pranks. "What are?" Ron asked her, looking at where she was. ""No, I mean the twins. This is extreme magical talent! They could have done whatever they had wanted if they had tried in school." At the end of the aisle were what looked like normal clothes, but the descriptions Harry read told him differently. Harry saw the Headless Hats, hats that turned your entire head invisible if you wore them, but there were also others. He looked closely at Invisible pants (Make the wearer believe they're wearing pants! He feels and sees them, but nobody else does! Please note that it is highly recommended that you make sure the victim is wearing underwear), Color Changing Cloaks (Confuse somebody by changing the color of your or their cloak when they aren't looking), and Harry noticed there were Legless Shoes, Armless Gloves, and even Torso-Be- Gone T-shirts along with the Headless hats. He grabbed a few items from this section and walked to the end of the aisle. He turned to the aisle on his left. This aisle was crowded with people who looked about Harry age. The sign above the aisle read simply "School Supplies." Harry pushed his way through the crowd to look at the pranks and immediately saw why everybody wanted to be here. There were exploding quills, vanishing ink, Mis-Placement Parchment (watch your friends panic when they can't find their homework! After a minute of searching it appears in the exact spot that they left it), Bottomless Backpacks, color changing ink, Dungbomb ink (smells rotten immediately after opening), the little candy balls that would make you ill in some way forcing you to leave class, then once you were out simply eat the other half and you were cured, and Harry saw to his horror fake potion supplies. He didn't think he would ever do this to anybody under Snape's nose and hoped nobody did it to him. He grabbed many of the items from this aisle, except for of course the potions supplies, and moved on towards the next aisle. Here he was presented with another large crowd, and he understood why. This was where Fred and George had put all of their fireworks. It seemed people had heard about last years display and decided that they ought to get some. There were too many fireworks to look at, so Harry just grabbed the mix-box. He read the side to see some of the fireworks he had. There was the dragon, Sunlight Slammers (don't look directly at it for too long), and Flying Cannons. He didn't want to read the entire list (it took up most of the side), so he put it in his basket and moved on.
Harry walked slowly and cautiously so as not to trod on any one's feet and made his way to the next aisle. Here he found Hermione looking through the small number of prank books that the twins had put in the store, just two shelves about three feet wide in the entire aisle.
"Honestly, Hermione." Harry said sarcastically. She slammed the book shut and put it back on the shelf, slightly blushing.
She joined him and the continued down the aisle. This one was all of the trick foods that Fred and George had made; tubes of Canary Cream (Tasteless, just dab some on anything), Tree-Head-Tasties (Watch your friends grow a forest on their heads), Ton-Tongue-Toffies, Snout Snacks, treats that would change the eater's nose into a different species (pig seemed to be selling the most popular).
Harry grabbed sacks full of these foods and put them in his basket with all the other pranks he'd grabbed. They moved onto the next and final aisle, which was where Ron and Ginny were. This aisle was similar to the first, miscellaneous items that wouldn't fit anywhere else. There were boxes of Dung Bombs, Stink Pellets, noisemakers, unopenable books, and other random items. Harry also noticed a powder called "Hated Trait." It apparently made the trait the person hated most about them more noticeable. For the first time, Harry thought this prank a bit mean, as he knew that this would highlight his scar. He bypassed this prank, and since his basket was all ready full, so he just took a box of stink pellets. The group of them moved to the front of the store. There were four lines of people at the cash registers, and Harry noticed that one of them was run by Lee Jordan, the Weasley twin's friend from Hogwarts.
"Hey Lee, how's it going?" He shouted over the crowd. Harry turned and saw Harry. He smiled.
"It's going all right, Harry, now get out, you know you don't have to pay for that stuff." He replied.
"We know, we're just saying hey."
"All right, now get out of here, I'm busy." He said, and with a wave of his wand sent four sacks their direction. Harry looked at one. It had the golden arch with Weasley's Wizard Wheezes on it, and the faces of Fred and George, one laughing, one frowning in the classic drama symbol under it.
"Thanks, Lee." Harry said, dumping his jokes into one of the bag. The four of them made their way out.
"I don't believe it. The Weasleys making money." Said a cold voice behind them before they got to the doors. They turned to see Malfoy with a shrewd look on his face looking at the fake wands. A bag was thrown over his back, and it carried something long and thin, and a small cut from where Harry hit him was visible on his lip.
"Leave, Malfoy." Ron said.
"Amazing really, this stuffs all junk." He said simply.
"It's more advanced magic then you'll ever do." Hermione snapped.
"This? This is just magic tricks. Put two idiots together and they could do this easily." Draco said. He pulled out his wand. "And I'd watch what you say to me, mudblood. You know they're out there just waiting to kill muggles."
"I suppose you prefer the stores in Knockturn Alley." Harry said. "What's in the bag? Buying or selling today?" Harry said. During his second year, he had seen Draco and his father in a store selling supplies for Dark Magic.
Draco moved closer and spoke quieter. "To be honest, Potter, I've already been. Had some money with me, and with the money I got I bought this." He laid his wand in the bin next to him and brought the thin sack from over his shoulder and opened it. He pulled out, to Harry's surprise, the Thunderbolt he had been admiring at Quality Quidditch Supplies.
"You're dead this year in Quidditch, Potter." Draco said.
"It's just a broom, Malfoy, not a miracle." Ginny said. Harry had never heard her say hardly anything to Malfoy.
Draco looked at her coldly. "Going out for the team this year? For once you'd think Gryffindor would realize having two Weasley's on the team at a time was a terrible idea. Pretty soon I'll have to make lyrics up for Weasley is our Queen." Ron looked at the floor slightly. Last year, when Ron first played Keeper, the Slytherins had made up a song taunting him called Weasley is our King.
Ron suddenly looked up, an odd smile on his face.
"Malfoy," He said, acting confused, "What's wrong with your robes?"
Harry looked down. The bottom of Malfoys robes were torn up and tattered, and they were too short for him. Harry also noticed that if you looked closely enough there were stains on the robe.
"Malfoy, did you not get new robes this year?" Harry asked. Draco was turning red with anger. "What's the matter? Daddy's got no job and you've got no money?"
"But if that were true, how did you get the Thunderbolt?" Ron continued.
"I saw you outside Madame Malkin's today." Harry said. "Were you selling old robes to get some extra money?" Draco was redder then Harry had ever seen him. He reached in the bin that he had put his wand in, pulled out, and yelled "Capitispesca!" There was a loud CRACK and instead of a wand Malfoy was holding a long rubber snake. The four of them started laughing.
"What?!" Malfoy said confused as he looked into the fake wand bin that he had placed his wand in. "Which on is it?!" He pulled out a different wand and waved it. There was a squawk and he was holding a rubber chicken. They laughed even harder.
"Malfoy, you're going to have to pay for those." Fred said lazily as he walked in.
"Uh oh, Malfoy, maybe you can sell your socks." Ron said, gasping for air from laughing so hard. The four of them made their way out still laughing into Diagon alley, their jokes at their side.
"I haven't had so much fun with him since he turned into a ferret." Ron said as they walked back towards the leaky cauldron.
Harry woke up the next morning with no immediate recollection of the night's previous events. When he turned and looked at Ron's bed and noticed he wasn't there, it all came roaring back to him. He still wouldn't believe Ron's dream was real. How could they be? Ron had no connection to Harry's father as Harry did to Lord Voldemort. Harry didn't want to ponder on this, so he stood up, got dressed, and walked outside the room and downstairs.
Everybody was sitting around a table eating breakfast when Harry walked in. He pulled up a chair and joined the group.
"Mornin' Harry." Fred said with his mouth full of toast.
"Good morning," he said to everybody. He noticed Ron was avoiding his eyes.
"Hey, Harry. After you buy your school supplies you should come by the shop." George said, grinning.
"Would you like anything to eat, dear?" Said an old witch behind Harry's shoulder. Startled, he swung around and looked at her.
"Oh, yes, just. Eggs and toast please," He said. The witch wrote it on a note pad, ripped the paper off, and threw it towards the area of the table in front of Harry. It fluttered back and forth before landing. There was a 'pop' and Harry's food appeared on a plate where the paper had landed.
An owl swooped in carrying a newspaper in its talons. He dropped in on Hermione, and she put some money in its pouch. She unfolded it and gasped.
"I don't believe it. Copper, Jeffrey Copper, was supposed to be our Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher this year." She explained.
"The one that died?" Ron asked.
"Yeah." She replied, her eyes scanning the article. "Wow, he was important."
"Yeah, great man, Copper." Said George. "Also one of the few people who had a sense of humor equal to ours."
"He constantly went into Auroring school, but never passed because he was 'reckless and dangerous.'" Quoted Hermione. "But he single-handedly caught three death eaters and turned them to the ministry of magic.
"Yup, that's Copper." Said Fred. "He went to You-Know-Who's side as a spy without anybody asking him to. Wanted to do anything he could to stop them. He betrayed the three Death Eaters when they broke into somebody's house to kill them."
"Well, it doesn't mention that here." Said Hermione.
"It wouldn't." George said. "They kept it quiet. There was a small ceremony where he was given the Order of Merlin. Dumbledore was good friends with him. Of course, after that incident, Copper had to lay low. Turning in three death eaters isn't something that goes over well with You- Know-Who and his followers."
"They're probably celebrating as we speak." Fred added.
"Will they find another Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?" Asked Ginny.
"I'm sure Dumbledore will find somebody suiting." Replied George. "Now that everybody knows the truth."
"Whoa, George, look at the time." Said Fred, looking at his watch. "Store opens in five minutes."
"All right, drop by everybody." Said George. There was a crack as the twins dissapparated.
There was an awkward silence. Harry assumed Hermione knew about Ron's dream because she was nervously flicking her eyes between the two of them. Ginny had a confused look on her face as she looked at the three of them in silence.
"What's going on?" She eventually asked.
Ron opened his mouth to say something, but Hermione stopped him.
"They had a disagreement." She said.
"Oh," Ginny said in a voice that hinted that she hadn't gotten enough information.
"Well, I guess we should get ready to go, then." Hermione said.
"All right." Harry said. They all made their way upstairs when Hermione pulled Harry back.
"Ouch! Hermione!" Harry said.
"Harry, listen, don't be mad at Ron." She said urgently.
"He has a dream and he thinks my dad's a death eater. And then he insults me on the thing he knew I hated myself for." Harry replied.
"I know, I know he was wrong there, but he knows your dad was not a death eater, too. So, could you talk to him?"
"What about his dream? You didn't mention that." Harry said. Hermione's jaw dropped slightly and she averted her eyes.
"He still thinks it happened, doesn't he."
"Well. Yes, I think he does. And you can understand this Harry, it's happened to you."
"Yeah, because of my scar. This is just Ron trying to get attention." He snapped.
Hermione's face changed for a second. It showed nothing but anger, and for a second Harry thought she was going to slap him.
"I can't believe you'd say that Harry," She said.
"So what do you think?"
"I think. that Ron wouldn't do that to get attention, especially to you."
"But what do you think about the dream?"
"I think that it was probably just a dream." She said. Harry was relieved, but she continued.
"But. He might be right."
"What?!"
"I doubt he is, Harry, but it was a very peculiar dream and- I don't know how he would get your father's memory into his head-but I think, maybe that you two have such a strong bond of friendship that it connected you both some how. And maybe in connected you both, it connected Ron to your father." She said.
"How can Ron remember something about my father that I don't remember?" Harry asked, completely furious at what Hermione was saying.
"I know it sounds insane Harry, but we know that there is certain magic that is created without a wand. Like your mother dying to save you; that love that protected you after she was gone. Maybe strong friendships have a magical bond between them as well."
"But you're my friend and you don't have visions of my grandparents or anything." Harry said. Hermione looked at the ground.
"Yeah, but. I mean, you and Ron are. You and me are. We're just." She muttered nervously. Harry's anger turned to pity. He knew what she was talking about. Ron and Harry were best friends, and while Hermione was his best friend as well, it wasn't the same. How she hadn't mentioned this before was astounding to Harry. He wondered if she thought she was just tagging along.
"But. I mean, that's how it should be. You sleep in the same room and play the same sport."
This was the second awkward silence of the day for Harry.
"Listen, I'll talk to Ron." Harry said.
She looked up. "Okay." She said awkwardly. For a second they looked into each other's eyes, and for the first time Harry saw how pretty she was. Hermione blinked and shook her head.
"I guess I'll go get ready." She said.
"Yeah, ok." Harry replied. She walked up the stairs, and Harry waited a moment before following her, confused at what had just happened.
When he walked into his room, he and Ron looked at each other for a moment.
"What kept you?" Ron asked.
"Ron, I'm sorry I got mad at you. I'm not saying I believe or agree with you, but I won't hold it against you if you think your dream was real." Harry said. He realized this did not sound like a good apology, but Ron seemed to take it all the same.
"All right, cool. I bet you're right, though, it probably was just a dream." Ron replied, although Harry could tell he didn't think that. But Harry wasn't done explaining things. He still hadn't asked Ron about his test scores. He had been avoiding the question ever since he'd first seen Ron. He didn't want to find out what classes he would be taking without him.
"Listen, Ron, I was wondering, how you did on your OWLs." Harry asked nervously.
Ron looked up wearing the face that told Harry he was not the only one nervous about asking the question.
"I-I did all right." He replied.
"What did you get in potions?"
Ron shifted a little. "I-I got an O. I'm sorry Harry."
Harry breathed a sigh of relief. Ron looked confused. "Thank God. I got an O too. I was worried we'd have to split up."
Ron wore a look of surprise, relief, and happiness at the same time.
After Harry changed into different clothes, Ron and him met Hermione and Ginny outside the Leaky Cauldron. Harry walked to the seemingly solid brick wall in front of them and pulled out his wand. He didn't need to count the bricks to find the one that opened the wall. Having spent part of his summer prior to his third year here, he had tapped the brick so often he knew exactly where it was and what it looked like. He tapped it with his wand. The brick quivered and eventually the archway leading into Diagon Alley was fully open. They walked through the arch. Even still Diagon Alley took Harry's breath away. A crowd was already forming and people were bustling down the street and in and out of the old shops selling all sorts of magical supplies for everything imaginable.
"Hey, Harry, let's check Quality Quidditch Supplies." Ron suggested excitedly. Harry noticed Ginny liked the idea as well, but Hermione shot the plan down.
"I think we should get our school supplies first." She said sternly.
There was no point to argue this, so nobody did.
They walked through the crowd to Flourish and Blotts, where they would get their schoolbooks. Harry hadn't bothered to look at his booklist when he got it, so he brought it with him in his pocket. He pulled it out and scanned it to see what books he needed.
"Wait a minute. 'A Further History of Magic.' I didn't sign up for History of Magic this year. Why do I need the book?" He asked Ron.
"I don't know. You'd better get it just in case." He advised.
"Are you taking it?"
Ron looked at his list. "Nope, I dropped it, Herbology and Divination."
"So did I."
"But Hermione's taking it, so you'll have somebody in there."
"Taking what?" Said Hermione, spinning around from looking at the books.
"History of Magic. Harry's taking it, but he didn't sign up for it." Ron replied.
"Huh. That's odd. But I hear sixth years the best, so maybe Binns can finally get a class a little less bored." She said.
Harry hoped so. Professor Binns was the most boring of Harry's teachers. He nearly put everybody to sleep with his drawling voice. He also happened to be the only ghost that taught.
Harry grabbed the books that he needed and went to pay at the counter. The four of them went outside.
"All right, Quidditch now?" Ron asked Hermione jokingly.
They walked into Quality Quidditch Supplies with expressions on their faces that resembled a little kid entering a toy store. Hermione went to the books they had on Quidditch, but Harry, Ron and Ginny went eagerly to the new broom in the display case. Harry noticed it was put up in a fashion similar to the Firebolt that was here when Harry came here the last time.
"Wow. I don't think anybody could afford that." Ginny said, reading the notice posted on the glass.
"How much?" Ron asked, his eyes transfixed on the broom.
"Fourty Galleons," replied Ginny.
Ron whistled, but still hadn't blinked. "Still, it's a Thunderbolt."
"A Thunderbolt?" Harry asked. "Yup, second broom created in the Bolt series after the Firebolt. Accelerates faster then any broom ever made, and if done properly there's a loud bang that sounds like thunder. It's also got all sorts of charms on it, anti-slipping, water-resistant, anti-burning, and it can turn at a sharp angle without slowing down due to its flexible wood. The front would start turning before the back would." Ron said. Harry was amazed at how much he knew about the broom. He looked at it with longing. "It seems to have out-sold the Nimbus 2005." Ron said, looking at some broomsticks on a regular shelf next to them. "There was a big hype over the competition between the two brooms." Harry didn't want to look at the Thunderbolt any longer, so he browsed through the store looking at the less popular broomsticks, books, the servicing kit that Hermione had given him for his thirteenth birthday, and practice Quidditch balls. There were Bludgers that stopped an inch before they hit some one, Quaffles that were slightly heavier to work on shooting and passing power, and a snitch that was exactly the same except it had a charm that made it come back to you if you said "Amanum." He would have bought the Snitch but he decided he would never practice alone, and during practice the real Snitch was fine. He joined Ron who was looking at some display of signed Quidditch robes of old professional players.
"Wow, look at these, Harry." Ron said, mystified.
"Hey, I have to get some new robes, my old ones are getting too short. Meet me Florean Fortescue's in thirty minutes." Harry said. Ron nodded, but was still gazing at the robes, so Harry told Hermione as well.
The walk to Madame Malkin's wasn't a long one; it was just a block down and around a slight curve. As he turned he saw a large crowd standing in front of a store a few down from where Harry was going. He had never been in it, and wasn't even sure if it had been there last time he was there. And then he remembered. This was Fred and George's joke shop. He walked up to the crowd, who Harry noticed were mostly kids, and looked up. The sign was a gold arch that said "Weasley's Wizard Wheezes" In large, shining letters. Many people were carrying sacks filled with joke products they'd already bought. Some people were testing certain pranks on themselves, and often somebody would turn into a canary or growing what seemed like small trees out of their heads. Harry wanted to go in, but knew he didn't have time right now so he proceeded back to Madame Malkin's.
He was about to open the door when it almost hit him in the nose. Somebody walked out of the door.
"Oh sor-." Draco Malfoy said before noticing it was Harry. "I should've pushed harder." He sneered. Harry ignored him and pulled the door open to walk in, but stopped.
"How's your father?" Harry asked. Draco's eyes narrowed.
"It's a matter of time, Potter." Draco replied quietly. "And speaking of father's, how's yours?"
Now Harry's eyes narrowed. "Better then yours, I'd bet."
"Ha! You think death is better then Azkaban?"
Something odd flickered in Harry's mind. He remembered Dumbledore saying it when he was fighting Voldemort in the Ministry of Magic: "Your belief that there is nothing worse then death will be your downfall."
"I think it could be." Harry replied.
"Then why were you so sad when your poor godfather died."
He had gone too far. It happened quickly; Harry swung his fist and knocked Malfoy onto the ground. Harry wasn't sure how Draco knew about anything what happened in the department of mysteries, but he figured he'd heard it from one of his father's friends.
"I wonder if you know," Harry said, "That Sirius was your mom's cousin?"
This information didn't seem to faze Malfoy. He stood up and wiped the blood from his lip.
"I wonder if you know that my family's ashamed of it."
Harry would have hit him again, but Madame Malkin called from inside, "Are you going to come in or just hold the door open all day?"
Harry gave Malfoy one more dirty look and stepped inside.
Madame Malkin walked up to him.
"Hello, new robes for Hogwarts?" She asked. Harry nodded.
"All right, just step up here, arms extended.."
Harry obeyed. She pulled out the measuring tape that worked without her. It flew over to Harry and measured his side.
"All right, let's see," Madame Malkin mumbled to herself as she got the measurements. "Yes, all right, I'll be right back." She said, and went through a doorway to the back. A minute later, she returned carrying a stack of folded robes.
"This will be five robes, dear." She told Harry. Harry paid for his robes and carried them down to the ice cream parlor. Ron, Hermione, and Ginny were sitting outside.
"Guess who I ran into." Harry said as he sat down. "Malfoy."
"How was he?" Hermione asked.
"How is he ever?"
"Good point." Ron said.
"Hello sir, could I interest you in our specials?" A young waitress behind Harry said. Harry spun around.
"Okay." He said, slightly taken aback by this sudden appearance.
"Well, we have Bernie Bott's every flavor ice cream where every bite is a different-." She paused, looking at Harry's forehead. "Oh, wow." She gasped. Harry looked down awkwardly. He was used to this by now, but he was never comfortable when it happened.
"Harry Potter." She said, still gawking at him. Somebody from a near table heard her and spun around. "Your money is no good here, anything you want and its yours, mister Potter."
"Please, just Harry." Harry murmured.
"I don't believe it. I mean, last year how everyone was- I mean wow, you actually saw him, didn't you? You saw You-Know-Who!" Harry had no choice but to nod.
"And is it true you saw that boy die?" She asked.
"Do you really think Harry wants to talk about that?" Hermione shot at her angrily. Harry was extremely grateful. The waitress was taken aback.
"Well-I-I just wondered if-." The waitress rambled.
"I don't want free food, I don't want extra attention, just give me a chocolate frog sundae please." Harry said quietly, still looking down.
"Yes, sir, er-Harry, right away." She replied and hurried off. Harry still didn't look up.
"I hate it." He said.
"We know, Harry, we're really sorry." Ginny said.
Hermione was still fuming at the waitress's inappropriate question. Ron's ears had turned pink. Again, there was the awkward silence that had seemed to occur so often recently.
"Well, did anybody get any Quidditch supplies?" Harry asked, half way breaking the tension.
"I bought some Chaser's gloves." Ginny replied. Harry had almost forgotten about Ginny playing Quidditch. In their previous year, Harry, Fred and George had been banned from playing because of Malfoy. The team was in need of two beaters and a seeker. Ginny had gotten the job as seeker. She told Harry that she would move out of his way when he came back and become a chaser, as Angelina and Alicia were graduating.
"Here's your sundae," Said the waitress as she placed it in front of Harry.
"Thanks." He replied, although he knew it didn't sound as though he meant it.
After eating their ice cream, they stood up and walked towards the joke shop.
"It's a mad house," Harry explained, "there's a line to get in!"
"Yeah, that's how it usually is." Ron said. "They're really making money."
Sure enough, a crowd was still outside the shop, and one of the twins was outside trying to get order.
"Please, everybody calm down you'll get your chance to come in, however we ask that you do not test out any fireworks or Terrain-iacs out here in Diagon Alley. Trust us, they work, we've used them." Harry smiled remember the fireworks display and swamp they'd put in at Hogwarts last year.
"Oy! Fred!" Ron called. Fred looked at them.
"And unfortunately these four get to go in now because they're my siblings and one of them paid for the shop!" Fred said, some people groaned in annoyance.
Fred lead the four of them throw the crowd (some who gave them furious looks) and under the golden arch into the shop. It took Harry's breath away. There was a prank store in Hogsmeade, the town next to Hogwarts, called Zonko's. Harry had always been amazed at how much stuff they had, but seeing this was incredible. Shelves up to ceiling that were crammed with joke supplies, people looking through them and hurrying through the crowd. Harry knew their business was good, but this was outrageous. He looked to the shelf on the right. It was bin full of fake wands, one of the original pranks that Fred and George made. There was a sign on top that said, "Buy two, get one free." Next to that was a second bin filled with wands, but the sign over this one said, "Re-usable. Turns back into a wand after two minutes." These were slightly more expensive.
"Take whatever you want, no charge." Fred said to them. "I've got to handle this crowd." He walked back outside. Harry walked further down the aisle. To his left were small boxes in various colors with different pictures on them stacked on a shelf. The sign above them read "Terrain- iacs: Turn that bland room of yours into a miniature beach! Easy removal! You choose how big it gets!" and then in smaller print "Warning, if done properly, this product can make your some people want to kill you." Harry looked at all the boxes. Each one held two capsules of a different landscape. There was a forest, beach, field, desert, swamp, jungle, river, snowfield, and plain. Harry couldn't resist not getting some of these. He remembered the swamp Fred and George had put in a hallway at Hogwarts, and decided that these would be worth it. He grabbed the combo box, which had one of each landscape inside it.
"They're brilliant!" Hermione said behind him looking at all the pranks. "What are?" Ron asked her, looking at where she was. ""No, I mean the twins. This is extreme magical talent! They could have done whatever they had wanted if they had tried in school." At the end of the aisle were what looked like normal clothes, but the descriptions Harry read told him differently. Harry saw the Headless Hats, hats that turned your entire head invisible if you wore them, but there were also others. He looked closely at Invisible pants (Make the wearer believe they're wearing pants! He feels and sees them, but nobody else does! Please note that it is highly recommended that you make sure the victim is wearing underwear), Color Changing Cloaks (Confuse somebody by changing the color of your or their cloak when they aren't looking), and Harry noticed there were Legless Shoes, Armless Gloves, and even Torso-Be- Gone T-shirts along with the Headless hats. He grabbed a few items from this section and walked to the end of the aisle. He turned to the aisle on his left. This aisle was crowded with people who looked about Harry age. The sign above the aisle read simply "School Supplies." Harry pushed his way through the crowd to look at the pranks and immediately saw why everybody wanted to be here. There were exploding quills, vanishing ink, Mis-Placement Parchment (watch your friends panic when they can't find their homework! After a minute of searching it appears in the exact spot that they left it), Bottomless Backpacks, color changing ink, Dungbomb ink (smells rotten immediately after opening), the little candy balls that would make you ill in some way forcing you to leave class, then once you were out simply eat the other half and you were cured, and Harry saw to his horror fake potion supplies. He didn't think he would ever do this to anybody under Snape's nose and hoped nobody did it to him. He grabbed many of the items from this aisle, except for of course the potions supplies, and moved on towards the next aisle. Here he was presented with another large crowd, and he understood why. This was where Fred and George had put all of their fireworks. It seemed people had heard about last years display and decided that they ought to get some. There were too many fireworks to look at, so Harry just grabbed the mix-box. He read the side to see some of the fireworks he had. There was the dragon, Sunlight Slammers (don't look directly at it for too long), and Flying Cannons. He didn't want to read the entire list (it took up most of the side), so he put it in his basket and moved on.
Harry walked slowly and cautiously so as not to trod on any one's feet and made his way to the next aisle. Here he found Hermione looking through the small number of prank books that the twins had put in the store, just two shelves about three feet wide in the entire aisle.
"Honestly, Hermione." Harry said sarcastically. She slammed the book shut and put it back on the shelf, slightly blushing.
She joined him and the continued down the aisle. This one was all of the trick foods that Fred and George had made; tubes of Canary Cream (Tasteless, just dab some on anything), Tree-Head-Tasties (Watch your friends grow a forest on their heads), Ton-Tongue-Toffies, Snout Snacks, treats that would change the eater's nose into a different species (pig seemed to be selling the most popular).
Harry grabbed sacks full of these foods and put them in his basket with all the other pranks he'd grabbed. They moved onto the next and final aisle, which was where Ron and Ginny were. This aisle was similar to the first, miscellaneous items that wouldn't fit anywhere else. There were boxes of Dung Bombs, Stink Pellets, noisemakers, unopenable books, and other random items. Harry also noticed a powder called "Hated Trait." It apparently made the trait the person hated most about them more noticeable. For the first time, Harry thought this prank a bit mean, as he knew that this would highlight his scar. He bypassed this prank, and since his basket was all ready full, so he just took a box of stink pellets. The group of them moved to the front of the store. There were four lines of people at the cash registers, and Harry noticed that one of them was run by Lee Jordan, the Weasley twin's friend from Hogwarts.
"Hey Lee, how's it going?" He shouted over the crowd. Harry turned and saw Harry. He smiled.
"It's going all right, Harry, now get out, you know you don't have to pay for that stuff." He replied.
"We know, we're just saying hey."
"All right, now get out of here, I'm busy." He said, and with a wave of his wand sent four sacks their direction. Harry looked at one. It had the golden arch with Weasley's Wizard Wheezes on it, and the faces of Fred and George, one laughing, one frowning in the classic drama symbol under it.
"Thanks, Lee." Harry said, dumping his jokes into one of the bag. The four of them made their way out.
"I don't believe it. The Weasleys making money." Said a cold voice behind them before they got to the doors. They turned to see Malfoy with a shrewd look on his face looking at the fake wands. A bag was thrown over his back, and it carried something long and thin, and a small cut from where Harry hit him was visible on his lip.
"Leave, Malfoy." Ron said.
"Amazing really, this stuffs all junk." He said simply.
"It's more advanced magic then you'll ever do." Hermione snapped.
"This? This is just magic tricks. Put two idiots together and they could do this easily." Draco said. He pulled out his wand. "And I'd watch what you say to me, mudblood. You know they're out there just waiting to kill muggles."
"I suppose you prefer the stores in Knockturn Alley." Harry said. "What's in the bag? Buying or selling today?" Harry said. During his second year, he had seen Draco and his father in a store selling supplies for Dark Magic.
Draco moved closer and spoke quieter. "To be honest, Potter, I've already been. Had some money with me, and with the money I got I bought this." He laid his wand in the bin next to him and brought the thin sack from over his shoulder and opened it. He pulled out, to Harry's surprise, the Thunderbolt he had been admiring at Quality Quidditch Supplies.
"You're dead this year in Quidditch, Potter." Draco said.
"It's just a broom, Malfoy, not a miracle." Ginny said. Harry had never heard her say hardly anything to Malfoy.
Draco looked at her coldly. "Going out for the team this year? For once you'd think Gryffindor would realize having two Weasley's on the team at a time was a terrible idea. Pretty soon I'll have to make lyrics up for Weasley is our Queen." Ron looked at the floor slightly. Last year, when Ron first played Keeper, the Slytherins had made up a song taunting him called Weasley is our King.
Ron suddenly looked up, an odd smile on his face.
"Malfoy," He said, acting confused, "What's wrong with your robes?"
Harry looked down. The bottom of Malfoys robes were torn up and tattered, and they were too short for him. Harry also noticed that if you looked closely enough there were stains on the robe.
"Malfoy, did you not get new robes this year?" Harry asked. Draco was turning red with anger. "What's the matter? Daddy's got no job and you've got no money?"
"But if that were true, how did you get the Thunderbolt?" Ron continued.
"I saw you outside Madame Malkin's today." Harry said. "Were you selling old robes to get some extra money?" Draco was redder then Harry had ever seen him. He reached in the bin that he had put his wand in, pulled out, and yelled "Capitispesca!" There was a loud CRACK and instead of a wand Malfoy was holding a long rubber snake. The four of them started laughing.
"What?!" Malfoy said confused as he looked into the fake wand bin that he had placed his wand in. "Which on is it?!" He pulled out a different wand and waved it. There was a squawk and he was holding a rubber chicken. They laughed even harder.
"Malfoy, you're going to have to pay for those." Fred said lazily as he walked in.
"Uh oh, Malfoy, maybe you can sell your socks." Ron said, gasping for air from laughing so hard. The four of them made their way out still laughing into Diagon alley, their jokes at their side.
"I haven't had so much fun with him since he turned into a ferret." Ron said as they walked back towards the leaky cauldron.