Chapter Three: Shopping and Shocking

Dear Mr. Potter,

We are expecting you back to Hogwarts on the 1st of September. You will find an enclosed list of supplies needed for this year.

Harry looked inside the envelope to see the familiar list of supplies he would need to buy in Diagon Alley with the Weasleys.

However, due to certain circumstances, Hogwarts will not be in session this year. It is our regret that school will be taking place at Beauxbatons Academy of Magic in the east, near France, for security reasons. Please do not be surprised by the new list of supplies needed for this year. Also, you will not be taking the Hogwarts Express to get to Beauxbatons. On September the 1st, go to King's Cross Station at 11 o'clock sharp to Platform Nine and Three Quarters. Your ride will be there when you arrive.

-M. McGonagall

Harry's eyes went wide. Beauxbatons? he thought. But that's so far away! What were these security reasons? But Harry still wanted to know what the supply list everyone was talking about had on it. Carefully, he unfolded the parchment and stared down at it. It looked very different from all the other lists he had had. Then Harry realized that it wasn't the usual Hogwarts list, but the Beauxbatons supply list for regular students! He read:

SUPPLY LIST FOR BEAUXBATONS STUDENTS

YEAR FIVE

One (1) pair blue dress robes

Recommended five (5) pairs regular school robes, blue, silk

One (1) winter hat, optional

One (1) winter cloak, optional

Two (2) brass scales

Three (3) creature leashes

AND THE FOLLOWING BOOKS:

Weather for the Young Wizard/Witch by Kassi Spontet

Standard Book of Spells, Grade 5 by Miranda Goshawk

Getting to know Your Crystal Ball by Ella Natt

The Advanced Book of Runes by Mikal Ovisheen

The Ferocious Book of Monsters by Fawn Wenwill

Decoding the Past by Emerson Bitz

The Study of Quidditch by Emmie Kwala

Harry was as surprised as Ron and Hermione. This was all coming out as a HUGE shock to him. But then again, the experience would be astounding. He had only visited as far as Hogsmeade, so going to another school near China would be interesting, and he would just have to wait until it would happen.

***

Days had gone by, but they felt like weeks, and he still hadn't told the Dursleys about the Weasleys coming to pick them up. Especially after the incident last year, he was sure they would say no, but he was in such a good mood today that he walked into the television room where Petunia and Vernon were sitting watching the news and he flipped off the television, standing in front of it.

"What in the hell are you doing, boy?!" roared Uncle Vernon. "Turn that damned television back on or I'll hit your head in!"

"My godfather mailed me," lied Harry, holding up Ron's letter. Suddenly, Vernon fell quiet as Harry continued. "He asked if I could go to the Weasleys house. You remember them, right? The ones who came in through the fireplace?"

Vernon nodded, but scowled. He kept thinking in his mind that he wouldn't let Harry go no matter what.

"Well, actually, he didn't really ask. He kind of demanded. I mean, he wants me to be happy, right? He said its no trouble for him though if he comes to pick me up himself…"

Vernon's face changed, and Harry knew he had been successful. Since his godfather, Sirius Black, was a convicted murderer (though Harry, Ron, Hermione, Dumbledore, and Ron's mother Molly knew he was innocent), Uncle Vernon feared for his life every time he was mentioned.

"Alright, when are the freaks coming?" Uncle Vernon grunted.

"Tomorrow," said Harry. "So I trust you'll get my things out of the cupboard?"

"ONCE MY SHOW'S OVER!" he yelled. Harry grinned and tapped the letter, which, of course, wasn't even Sirius'.

"Oh, fine," he grunted. He got up, opened the cupboard door lock, and sat back down.

"Thanks!" said Harry, and he hurried to the cupboard. He was going to miss it since, next month, they were going to install an elevator for Dudley to get up and downstairs easily. Actually, he wouldn't miss the cupboard that he grew up in, so it would be very easy to say goodbye.

***

Harry sat on his bed and looked over all his belongings, making sure he didn't leave anything behind. Hedwig, his snowy owl, was back in her cage. His wand, Firebolt, and books were stored in a trunk, and his Omnioculars were in his pocket for when he got to Beauxbatons. He had already unboarded the fireplace, just in case they traveled by Floo Powder.

"Uh oh," yelped Harry suddenly. "They're going to be here any minute!"

Just then, Harry heard an extremely loud grunt, obviously by his Uncle Vernon. He grabbed his items and trotted gleefully down the stairs past Dudley who was reaching into a high cupboard in an attempt to get some food.

Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia looked nothing like they had the year before, when they thought that Harry's friends were Muggles. Today, he was still wearing a bath robe and slippers while Aunt Petunia was in her nightgown. Last year they had dressed in their Sunday best, but, although humorous, it was not needed.

Sure enough, the grunt signified that the Weasleys were here. As he went towards the fireplace, he could hear the shrill voice of Mrs. Weasley.

"Harry, dear!" she screamed, giving him the biggest, motherly hug he'd ever had in a while. "How have you been?"

"Fine," he chuckled and hugged back.

"It is a pleasure to have your acquaintance yet again," joked Fred in a casual voice as everybody laughed. He and his brother George were identical twins, always pulling pranks.

"Hast thou not missed us?" chimed in George.

"Oh, I've missed you plenty!" Harry said out loud so that the Dursleys, who were cowering in the corner, could hear. "How's that joke shop coming?"

"You'll find out soon enough," said Fred in a mysterious way, and he exchanged expressions of stifled laughter with George.

"Hey Harry!" shouted the next in line, Ron. He held out a small book. "Happy Birthday!" Harry had completely forgotten that he had turned 15 earlier that day. "It's from Hermione and I," he said, turning pink. "She insisted we get you it." Harry looked at the cover, which read 'A Beauxbatons Past'.

"Harry!" yelled Hermione, coming up behind Ron. She gave him a hug and a smile. "Do you like the book? I picked it out myself. We thought it would be nice if-"

"Did you hear what's happening at Beauxbatons?" Ron interrupted, causing Hermione to scowl. "The Quidditch season?"

"No, tell me!" said an excited Harry. Quidditch was a sport played on brooms, of which Harry was a player on in his Gryffindor team. There were three kinds of balls: the Quaffle, which Chasers would get through three golden hoops, with the Keeper guarding them, the Bludgers, which would knock players off their brooms, handled by Beaters, and the Snitch, which was worth 150 points when caught by the Seeker (Harry's position). He hadn't played at all last year due to the Triwizard Tournament, so he was excited to hear about it.

"There's four Beauxbatons teams, and four Hogwarts teams! It's going to be huge, with more games!" said George, who was on the team too, as a Beater.

Harry looked down behind George to see Ginny Weasley, a fourth year whom he had saved her life in his second year at Hogwarts.

"Hey Ginny!" he said.

"Hi," she piped timidly.

"Now now, no more hellos," said Mrs. Weasley. "We'd better be going through the fireplace!"

Without even saying goodbye to the Dursleys, Harry took some Floo Powder from Mrs. Weasley's hand, threw it into the fire, yelled "THE LEAKY CAULDRON!", and before he knew it, he was standing in Diagon Alley's pub. A few moments later, the rest of the Weasleys and Hermione (her parents hadn't gone through the fire) were all set and headed to the courtyard in the back. Tapping some bricks very fast, Mrs. Weasley had split the brick wall in half and opened the entryway to Diagon Alley, a wondrous street filled with shops that sell all sorts of things, from owls to broomsticks to ice cream to clothes.

"Well, we'd best be getting your money out from Gringotts," said Mrs. Weasley. Gringotts was the wizard bank, run by goblins. Harry felt ashamed when he was there with the Weasleys because they were very poor and Harry had a huge fortune. After they had done that, they all wondered where to get their new supplies.

"So, Harry, where do you suppose we get all this stuff?" Ron asked.

"Maybe there," he pointed to a sign ahead that said Hogwarts/Beauxbatons over a small building.

"I've never seen that before," said Fred.

"Well, it looks like the right store," squeaked Ginny. "Maybe its brand-new just for this occasion!"

"What have we got to lose?" said Hermione. They all looked at each other, nodded, and walked into the store.