Chapter Four: A Shock of Gold
As soon as they stepped inside, Harry's eyes went wide. The store, which looked so small from outside, was amazingly huge. There were shelves upon shelves of foreign objects that obviously were potion ingredients. Harry saw crazy shapes and sizes of these magical things he had never seen before. But what really caught his eye was in a glass case. He walked up close to it and gasped. Inside the elegant case was the most beautiful broom he had ever seen. It was finely polished with lined bristles and had a grip handle. On the sign in front of it, he read:
The Thundershock
It's time the Firebolt was kicked up a notch.
The Firebolt's brother! Harry didn't think that there was a broom as fast or as sleek as his own, but then remembered what Krum was riding at the World Cup last year. Krum owned a Thundershock, and that was why he was always successful with catching the Snitch.
"Hey Ron, check this out!" Harry yelled, carelessly throwing his hand back, still looking at the broom. "Ron?" He wheeled around and looked all over for his best friend when he suddenly spotted him in the back of a HUGE line.
"What are you waiting for?" Harry asked.
"Its on our supply list as recommended, so I figure I'd get it," Ron replied.
"Recommended?" Harry questioned. "I never saw a recommended section. And since when are BOOKS recommended?"
"I don't know, but it should help us through. I wonder why this line's so long anyways."
Just then, Fred and George appeared beside Harry, laughing.
"Can you believe that twit?" yelled George.
"What a fool!" chuckled Fred.
"Who?" asked Harry and Ron simultaneously.
"Diony."
"Diony?" laughed Ron. "What kind of name is that?"
"A beautiful one," interrupted Hermione dreamily. Ron's face screwed up. She and Ginny looked as if they were possessed.
"What's his last name. Something terrible, I expect."
"That's the funny part!" said Fred.
"It's Lockhart!" yelled George. Harry and Ron stared at each other again, and smiled.
"You don't think……?" started Harry.
"It couldn't be……!" said Ron. Suddenly, they heard someone swoon. They looked behind them to see Hermione and Ginny falling into Mr. and Mrs. Granger's hands.
The line had moved, and Harry and Ron could see what the fuss was all about. There stood Gilderoy Lockhart, the 2nd Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher they had had. He was quite a charmer, but had lost his memory due to a ricocheted memory charm. However, he seemed to have regained saneness and was now holding a book in his hands entitled, "A Charm For A Charmer". Harry snorted.
Gilderoy Lockhart was a complete phony, a sham. He hadn't done ANY of the things he had said in his previous books. Hermione, of course, didn't know this, and was head over heels for the blonde wizard.
"But who's Diony?" asked Ron. A few more people had moved, and, sitting at a table signing books, his question had been answered. Another blonde wizard that was identical to Lockhart sat there. Except for the difference in height, Harry wouldn't have been able to tell which was which.
The line had moved very quickly, and soon, they were standing in front of Diony and Gilderoy Lockhart.
"I see you would like a copy of my book, 'A-Ttractive A-Travels'. Catchy name, isn't it?" Diony was just like Gilderoy. He spoke like him, looked like him, and made stupid jokes like him. "You see, I added an A- before travels so it would sound like Attractive!"
"We know," snapped Ron, taking a copy and leaving the line.
"Don't you want me to sign it?" asked Diony sweetly.
"I'd prefer not to." said Ron.
Next, Harry stepped forward.
"Could it be?" gasped Diony. "Harry Potter?" Harry should have seen it coming. Just like Gilderoy, Diony made a big scene when he saw Harry. Diony immediately got up, snatched Harry, and took hundreds of pictures with the press all around him.
"Let me have a couple," said Gilderoy timidly.
"WHAT!?!?!?!?!?" Harry had just heard Diony shout as loud as he could, louder than Uncle Vernon. "HOW DARE YOU!!! I TOLD YOU NOT TO SPEAK!!!" Diony was filled with rage at something as little as that.
What had happened to Diony's sweet voice and attitude? Harry thought. This was very, very strange.
"Now," said Diony suddenly, in his mild voice again. "Let's take some more pictures, shall we?"
Harry was scared to say something in fear that he might be scolded at. As the pictures were over, Harry took his book and stepped outside with Ron, who was holding two bags.
"Here," he said, handing Harry one of them. "I got the rest of the things on the list, except for the clothing."
"Thanks," replied Harry, stuffing a very large amount of Galleons into Ron's hand, paying him back for the supplies.
"Harry, they were only a few Sickles, not even one Galleon!"
"Keep them…Otherwise I'd feel tempted to buy the Thundershock."
"Thundershock?"
"Oh, I forgot to show you! Follow me!" Ron followed Harry back into the store and towards the glass case.
"Woah!" shouted Ron. He stared at the finely-built broom, and then at the price tag.
"30 Galleons!!??" he yelled, then looked at the money Harry had put into his hand. "One, two…Harry's there's nearly 70 Galleons in here!"
Harry smiled, and pointed at the broom, then at the coins.
"No…you wouldn't…I can't believe you!" Ron exclaimed. His arm was taken by Harry's and he was lead over to the clerk.
"We'll take two Thundershocks," stated Harry proudly, with Ron's mouth open in shock. It took a while for Harry to pry open Ron's hands and release the Galleons onto the counter. A minute later, after Harry got Hermione to slap Ron, he was holding a large, long, shiny parcel.
"Has everyone got their things?" said Mrs. Weasley. Fred, George, Ginny, Hermione, and Harry (Ron was still awestruck) nodded. She began to lead them to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions when Harry heard a voice behind him.
"Harry! Wait!" He whirled around to see Diony coming out of the store. "I forgot to tell you!"
"Tell me what?"
"I'm going to be teaching at Beauxbatons this year! We'll see each other!"
"Uh…great!" Harry lied, and waved as Diony ran back into the store. "What a loon," he whispered to Fred.
"He sure takes after his brother," giggled Hermione as they walked into Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. Before long, they were walking out with many pairs of long, blue, silk robes.
"Whew, I've had enough shopping!" exhaled Mrs. Weasley. "What do you say we all go home?"
Everyone agreed, waved good-bye to the Grangers, and walked back towards the Leaky Cauldron.
In a moment, Harry would be in the Burrow, the Weasley's house, with all his new supplies and old friends, about to go to China the next day. In his mind, things couldn't get any better, but as Harry was about to experience, they surely could get worse.
As soon as they stepped inside, Harry's eyes went wide. The store, which looked so small from outside, was amazingly huge. There were shelves upon shelves of foreign objects that obviously were potion ingredients. Harry saw crazy shapes and sizes of these magical things he had never seen before. But what really caught his eye was in a glass case. He walked up close to it and gasped. Inside the elegant case was the most beautiful broom he had ever seen. It was finely polished with lined bristles and had a grip handle. On the sign in front of it, he read:
The Thundershock
It's time the Firebolt was kicked up a notch.
The Firebolt's brother! Harry didn't think that there was a broom as fast or as sleek as his own, but then remembered what Krum was riding at the World Cup last year. Krum owned a Thundershock, and that was why he was always successful with catching the Snitch.
"Hey Ron, check this out!" Harry yelled, carelessly throwing his hand back, still looking at the broom. "Ron?" He wheeled around and looked all over for his best friend when he suddenly spotted him in the back of a HUGE line.
"What are you waiting for?" Harry asked.
"Its on our supply list as recommended, so I figure I'd get it," Ron replied.
"Recommended?" Harry questioned. "I never saw a recommended section. And since when are BOOKS recommended?"
"I don't know, but it should help us through. I wonder why this line's so long anyways."
Just then, Fred and George appeared beside Harry, laughing.
"Can you believe that twit?" yelled George.
"What a fool!" chuckled Fred.
"Who?" asked Harry and Ron simultaneously.
"Diony."
"Diony?" laughed Ron. "What kind of name is that?"
"A beautiful one," interrupted Hermione dreamily. Ron's face screwed up. She and Ginny looked as if they were possessed.
"What's his last name. Something terrible, I expect."
"That's the funny part!" said Fred.
"It's Lockhart!" yelled George. Harry and Ron stared at each other again, and smiled.
"You don't think……?" started Harry.
"It couldn't be……!" said Ron. Suddenly, they heard someone swoon. They looked behind them to see Hermione and Ginny falling into Mr. and Mrs. Granger's hands.
The line had moved, and Harry and Ron could see what the fuss was all about. There stood Gilderoy Lockhart, the 2nd Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher they had had. He was quite a charmer, but had lost his memory due to a ricocheted memory charm. However, he seemed to have regained saneness and was now holding a book in his hands entitled, "A Charm For A Charmer". Harry snorted.
Gilderoy Lockhart was a complete phony, a sham. He hadn't done ANY of the things he had said in his previous books. Hermione, of course, didn't know this, and was head over heels for the blonde wizard.
"But who's Diony?" asked Ron. A few more people had moved, and, sitting at a table signing books, his question had been answered. Another blonde wizard that was identical to Lockhart sat there. Except for the difference in height, Harry wouldn't have been able to tell which was which.
The line had moved very quickly, and soon, they were standing in front of Diony and Gilderoy Lockhart.
"I see you would like a copy of my book, 'A-Ttractive A-Travels'. Catchy name, isn't it?" Diony was just like Gilderoy. He spoke like him, looked like him, and made stupid jokes like him. "You see, I added an A- before travels so it would sound like Attractive!"
"We know," snapped Ron, taking a copy and leaving the line.
"Don't you want me to sign it?" asked Diony sweetly.
"I'd prefer not to." said Ron.
Next, Harry stepped forward.
"Could it be?" gasped Diony. "Harry Potter?" Harry should have seen it coming. Just like Gilderoy, Diony made a big scene when he saw Harry. Diony immediately got up, snatched Harry, and took hundreds of pictures with the press all around him.
"Let me have a couple," said Gilderoy timidly.
"WHAT!?!?!?!?!?" Harry had just heard Diony shout as loud as he could, louder than Uncle Vernon. "HOW DARE YOU!!! I TOLD YOU NOT TO SPEAK!!!" Diony was filled with rage at something as little as that.
What had happened to Diony's sweet voice and attitude? Harry thought. This was very, very strange.
"Now," said Diony suddenly, in his mild voice again. "Let's take some more pictures, shall we?"
Harry was scared to say something in fear that he might be scolded at. As the pictures were over, Harry took his book and stepped outside with Ron, who was holding two bags.
"Here," he said, handing Harry one of them. "I got the rest of the things on the list, except for the clothing."
"Thanks," replied Harry, stuffing a very large amount of Galleons into Ron's hand, paying him back for the supplies.
"Harry, they were only a few Sickles, not even one Galleon!"
"Keep them…Otherwise I'd feel tempted to buy the Thundershock."
"Thundershock?"
"Oh, I forgot to show you! Follow me!" Ron followed Harry back into the store and towards the glass case.
"Woah!" shouted Ron. He stared at the finely-built broom, and then at the price tag.
"30 Galleons!!??" he yelled, then looked at the money Harry had put into his hand. "One, two…Harry's there's nearly 70 Galleons in here!"
Harry smiled, and pointed at the broom, then at the coins.
"No…you wouldn't…I can't believe you!" Ron exclaimed. His arm was taken by Harry's and he was lead over to the clerk.
"We'll take two Thundershocks," stated Harry proudly, with Ron's mouth open in shock. It took a while for Harry to pry open Ron's hands and release the Galleons onto the counter. A minute later, after Harry got Hermione to slap Ron, he was holding a large, long, shiny parcel.
"Has everyone got their things?" said Mrs. Weasley. Fred, George, Ginny, Hermione, and Harry (Ron was still awestruck) nodded. She began to lead them to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions when Harry heard a voice behind him.
"Harry! Wait!" He whirled around to see Diony coming out of the store. "I forgot to tell you!"
"Tell me what?"
"I'm going to be teaching at Beauxbatons this year! We'll see each other!"
"Uh…great!" Harry lied, and waved as Diony ran back into the store. "What a loon," he whispered to Fred.
"He sure takes after his brother," giggled Hermione as they walked into Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. Before long, they were walking out with many pairs of long, blue, silk robes.
"Whew, I've had enough shopping!" exhaled Mrs. Weasley. "What do you say we all go home?"
Everyone agreed, waved good-bye to the Grangers, and walked back towards the Leaky Cauldron.
In a moment, Harry would be in the Burrow, the Weasley's house, with all his new supplies and old friends, about to go to China the next day. In his mind, things couldn't get any better, but as Harry was about to experience, they surely could get worse.
