A/N: So far I have gotten ONE review on my last story, so if you read this one PLEASE, and I am begging, REVIEW! Please?


" Harry?" said Ron, knocking on the bathroom door.

" Yeah?" Harry replied.

" Hurry up! I have to brush my teeth too! And Bill will be here any minute to take us to Diagon Alley!" Ron said.

" Okay, okay!" said Harry, coming out of the bathroom." It's all yours!" he said, bowing Ron in.

" Thank you my good man." said Ron. He walked into the bathroom with his chin in the air. Harry snickered and walked down the winding stairs to the kitchen. The smell of fresh bacon, and sausage filled the room. Ginny, Fred, George, Mr.Weasley and Percy were already seated at the table. Harry took a seat by Ginny, and, surprisingly, she didn't knock anything off the table. Instead she actually spoke, which was unusual behavoir for her when she was around Harry.

" Good Morning!" she said cheerfully. Harry kind of gave her a funny look, but quickly smiled back and said," 'Morning Ginny!"

" Oh! And happy birthday!" she said.

" Ah, yes Harry, happy birthday!" said Fred. The rest of the room chimed in.

" Thanks." he said. He then looked at Percy, who was reading the paper. ' Why doesn't he move out and get a life?' Harry thought. He thought it was odd that Percy came home talking about a hard days work and then depended on his parents to give him a home and food.

" Great. Two more people missing." said Percy.

" What? Let me see." said Mr.Weasley. He read over the piece of paper from the Daily Prophet, and then shook his head.

" That Minister Fudge had better start doing his job.What with all these people missing and no one knows where they've gone....." he said.The table went silent.

" It also says that Margot Flung-Fling was caught in her Death Eater outfit, and taken to court." said the balding man, still shaking his head. He put the paper down.

Ron came down the stairs, and, before sitting next to Harry, gave Ginny the same look Harry had. Mrs. Weasley joined the bunch, and they began to eat. The chatter easing the tense atmosphere that came from reading the paper.

" Now, since you all are going to Diagon Alley a bit early this year you should be able to avoid the usual crowd." said Mrs. Weasley.

" When is Bill going to be here?" asked Mr. Weasley.

" Yeah, I want to get going!" said George.

" He should be here any minute." said Mrs. Weasley." Ron, you and Harry need to find Hermione and tell her that if she wants to stay with us the rest of the summer she is welcome to. If her parents approve, then tell her that we will pick her up tomorrow."

" Sure Mum." said Ron. They finished eating quickly, and just as Harry was begining to get up from the table he noticed no one else was. They were grining at him.

" What?" he asked, smiling slightly. Mrs. Weasley sat a huge birthday cake with the name 'Harry' written on it in front of him.

" Thanks!" he said. Everyone sang Happy Birthday to him, and then they got ready to cut the cake. George jumped and almost fell out of his seat. Everyone turned to see what had happened.

" Bill! Don't ever apparate right beside me like that again!" he said.

" Sorry." said Bill, snickering." I'm just in time, too." he said while looking at the cake.

When they were done eating, Bill, Ron, Ginny, and Harry went by Floo powder to Diagon Alley. Mrs. Weasley was right. It was much more quiet and less crowded than it usually was when they went to get their school supplies. The went to Gringotts first and got some money out of their vaults. Then they went to get their books. They each came out with a very heavy load. They had bought their supplies and left them with Bill in the Leaky Cauldron. They then decided to go to the Magical Menagerie to see if they had gooten any new and strange creatures.

When they walked in it was just as cramped and smelly as last time when Ron had brought Scabbers in. They looked at all the different birds and cats and rats, all of them different colors and made different noises. As they made their way to the back of the room, they all got interested in a frog who was doing showtunes, but Hermione walked on into the back. It got dimmer as she went. All of a sudden they heard her let out a screech. The others looked at each other and ran back to find her, but ran into her on the way.

" What's wrong?" Ron asked, holing on to her shoulders.

" It-it----SNUFFLES!" she finally said.

" What?!" Harry asked, running into the back. The rest followed. Harry gasped as he saw the huge cage which held a huge, black dog.