Harry Potter and the Amulet of Hogwarts, Chapter Three
By ~Misty~
Harry twisted and turned until he saw the Weasley's kitchen appear before him. He felt himself falling and put his hands out in front off him, his glasses slipping down his nose as he crashed to the floor.
"Harry, dear! My goodness, how are you?" Mrs. Weasley said, helping Harry up and brushing the soot off of him. "I just told Ron to degnome the garden, they've been really pesky lately!" Harry smiled, wishing Ron was there. His wish was granted as a sweaty, red-faced Ron Weasley raced through the door.
"Harry, didn't… hear you come from outside, Dad just told me," Ron gasped. "How about a go on that broom of yours, Harry?"
"Sure! Let's go!" Harry agreed, grabbing his broom and running out the door with Ron. Harry filled Ron in about what Dobby had said on the way.
"Well, Harry, I think I remember that Amulet of Howarts being mentioned in some Nursery story book. Maybe Fred or George will remember," Ron suggested.
Once they reached the paddock with tall trees surrounding it, Harry felt excitement shoot through every bone in his body. He loved flying.
"Can I go first, before George and Fred get here?" Ron asked eagerly. Harry nodded and handed Ron the broom. "Thanks!" Ron grinned happily as he mounted the broom and shot off into the sky.
"Oy! Harry!" Fred Weasley shouted, skidding down the dirt path and stopping next to him. "Ron's already snatched your broom, I see. Well, how have the Muggles been treating you this summer?"
"Fine, for the Dursleys anyway. They're going on a vacation to Hawaii, so they thought they'd just dump me off here early," Harry answered as Ron did a loop-de-loop, nearly crashing into a tree.
"Hey, Harry!" George Weasley joined them. "Ron needs practice, eh?" he added as Ron narrowly missed a tree branch.
"He'll be fine, but he really ought to wear a helmet," Fred remarked, chuckling.
"Hey, have either of you ever heard of the Amulet of Hogwarts?" Harry asked.
"Yeah, there was a story in a book, something like 'Hogwarts Ye bright never gave of a fight, because the mighty lion fought mightily a lot'," George said, cracking up. "Something like that."
"No no no! It was like this 'Hogwarts, Oh Hoggy-warts is a nice little crack pot school go there to have a wizards duel', something like that" Fred said, bursting into laughter. Harry laughed weakly, wondering what the Amulet of Hogwarts was.
Just then Ron came down and, with Harry's consent, Fred hopped on and took off.
"Harry, what'd they say?" Ron asked.
"Not much, but they remember something about it in a book too," Harry answered, frowning. "What's it got to do with destroying Hogwarts?"
"Dunno, but maybe we'll go up to the attic, it'll probably be there if it's anywhere." Ron shrugged.
"Boys! Dinner's ready, I've made all Harry's favorites! Hurry, come and wash up!" Mrs. Weasley's voice boomed out. Immediately Fred landed and everyone dashed up to the house.
After a dinner of roasted chicken everyone was stuffed as full as possible and Harry was beginning to feel very sleepy. "Well, the whole lot of you should really get in bed, tomorrow is a very, very special day!" Mrs. Weasley said, grinning.
"So march upstairs, see you in the morning," Mr. Weasely said, clapping Harry on the back. Harry followed Ron up three twisty flights of stairs to Ron's room.
"Hey Ron, do you figure we can look for the book tomorrow?" Harry asked, lying down on a squashy green sleeping bag on the floor.
"I dunno, maybe. But they probably have something else planned. See you tomorrow, Harry." Ron yawned. Harry lay down and fell asleep instantly.
The next morning Harry was awoken by the sunlight streaking through the window into his face.
"Wake up, Harry!" Mrs. Weasley's face emerged in front of his unfocused, sleepy eyes. "Up! We've a lot to do today!"
"What, what, what?" Ron muttered sleepily rubbing his eyes. "It's to early!" He promptly rolled over and started to snore.
"Ron Weasley! Get up this instant!" Mrs. Weasley said shrilly shaking the unmoving lump huddled under his blankets. It squeaked. "I know you're in there, Ronald Weasley!"
"It's too early!" Ron protested, pulling the covers farther over his head. Mrs. Weasely pulled them off and pulled his feet over the edge of the bed.
"Get up! Breakfast in a few minutes, Harry dear," Mrs. Weasley said kindly "and Happy Birthday!" Ron attempted to roll over, except he rolled over the bed and landing with a big BOOM in a splayed leg position.
Breakfast was very satisfying and Harry was led in the living room by Mrs. Weasley to find a small heap of presents waiting for him. "Happy Birthday Harry!" Ginny said shyly. Percy arrived in the room with a very sleepy expression on his face.
Harry couldn't believe it. For once in his life he was actually accepted as a human being on his birthday. It was just about the best birthday present he could ask for. "Go on, Harry, open the small green one!" Mrs. Weasley urged. Harry picked it up and ripped the wrapper off to find a book on Quidditch, called Best Quidditch Moves of All Time. The next present was one from Ron; a Chudley Cannons Quidditch robe.
"Thanks!" Harry said enthusiastically. "They're great!"
Mr. and Mrs. Weasely beamed. "After all you've been through you deserve a good birthday party for once. We're happy to give you a proper birthday for a change!" Mrs. Weasely exclaimed, crushing Harry in a gigantic hug. Fred and George smirked.
"Hey, Mom, if you crush all of his bones, how can he live for another birthday?" Fred asked, still laughing.
"Oh hush up, you!" Mrs. Weasely said letting Harry go. His ribs ached.
The next present was from Hagrid, a big tin of pumpkin pasties and a new quill, "A quick note quill, copies all of your notes perfectly!" A present wrapped in silver wrapping paper had Hermione's neat writing on it.
Dear Harry,
Hope you are well, I will see you at Diagon Alley, how about a week before September first? Happy Birthday! I got you this Charms Dictionary, it lists the 1000 most popular and useful Charms know to wizard kind and a summary of each one, hope you like it!
Love,
Hermione
"Wow," Harry said as he took a two foot thick book from the silver wrappings and stared at it in awe. "It's huge."
"That's some book!" Ron exclaimed, picking it up and immediately dropping it. "It's way too heavy." He glared at George and Fred as they tried to muffle their snickers behind pillows.
"Yes, I do say, quite a remarkable book!" Percy said, interested.
After they had all gotten dressed and come back downstairs Mrs. Weasley gathered everyone in the kitchen. "I've got a few more surprises for you, young man," she said, smiling at Harry. "This is one of them, Ron said you were looking for it." She handed Harry a very worn looking book called "Myths, Nursery Stories, and Fables"
"Yes, I was, thanks," Harry replied, gratefully accepting the book.
"Well, the next surprise should be here any minute," Mr. Weasley said, smiling.
All of a sudden there was a bumping sound and the fire in the fireplace turned green. Hermione Granger walked out, covered with soot and smiling.
"Harry! How nice to see you!" Hermione cried, running over and hugging him. Then she hugged Ron, who looked pleased but blushed. Hermione also looked a little red as she broke apart.
"Hi, Hermione," Ginny said, giggling at Ron's red face.
"Hi Ginny! How've you been?" Hermione asked brightly.
"Great, thanks," Ginny answered.
"Well, what are we going to do today…" Hermione began, cut off by a snowy owl swooping right over her head.
"Well, happy birthday Harry, but Dad and I have to get into work," Percy said, Apparating on the spot, followed by Mr. Weasley.
"Good bye, see you all later!" Mr. Weasley said, popping out of sight.
"Hedwig!" Harry exclaimed, "She's got more than one package, no wonder she took that long!" Hedwig landed on the kitchen table with two long packages with notes attached to each leg.
"This one's from Sirius, but who's this one from?" Harry asked, looking puzzled at a big package with purple paper. He ripped open the note.
Dear Harry,
We are giving you a gift that will hopefully be very interesting for you, we though it would be very cool, hope you like it!
From Claire & Marissa Underwood
Harry unwrapped a little round package. It was a glass globe filled with water, with a clam shut tight and merpeople floating around it. They looked like the ones in the Hogwart's lake Harry had met last year. There was an old fashioned key in its side. Harry turned it many times, it began to play music, and a pretty voice sang:
Even in the worst peril the lion shall
Fight in the name of Gryffindor
And prevail in the might that Godric
Possessed
Ravenclaw so swift on wing
Could spot an enemy miles away
Sound the alarm and bring the
attack
The faithful Hufflepuffs gathered all
the creatures to fight, for Hogwarts was
in danger and they needed to
unite.
The Slytherin serpent went as a spy
Sliding behind walls, through pipes
Down into the darkest dungeons and deepest caverns
To find out more for
Hogwarts
Hogwarts will never prevail in a
dark time without me, but if evil's claws shall grasp me
I will be turned against Hogwarts and all that
believe in it. But never fear for help is here,
figure out this riddle and come and find me:
I lay underneath glass, yet it can be penetrated,
Where I am no sun reaches, there are many fierce
Creatures whom protect me, hand them the key and then
I shall be free to save Hogwarts from all its enemies.
If however I am destroyed, Hogwarts will die with me,
and evil shall smother the light.
"Wow, pretty song" Hermione said, looking carefully at the water globe. The merpeople were now circling the clam, protectively jabbing their tritons at Hermione's fingers on the glass.
"Yeah, that was really cool!" Ron exclaimed examine the globe in awe.
"Yeah, um, lets go upstairs, so we can talk in private, now," Harry whispered to Ron.
"Oh, yeah, Mum, we'll just be upstairs for a bit," Ron said.
After a long climb on the stairs, Hermione plopped down on Ron's bed. "So what's the matter? What do you want to talk about that's so private, Harry?"
"This, and this," Harry replied, pointing to the water globe and the worn storybook. "Let's try and find the story, then, shall we?" They flipped through the pages until they found a short paragraph about the amulet.
The Amulet of Hogwarts and the Dark Lord
A long time ago, four powerful wizards built a school called Hogwarts to teach young wizards and witches and stand against the Dark Arts. Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw, Helga Hufflepuff, and Salazar Slytherin. But soon a dark wizard named Heriton grew in power and used his black magic to destroy the lives of anyone who didn't serve him. One day he attacked the house of a powerful witch named Elana, killing her parents and her younger brother. Elana enchanted her most treasured necklace, a pale blue diamond, with the spirits of the Hogwarts mascots: the Gryffindor lion, the Hufflepuff badger, the Ravenclaw eagle, and the Slytherin serpent. The Dark Lord Heriton coveted this powerful amulet, so he attacked the young witch with all his forces of evil; werewolves, giants, banshees, basilisks, and many more terrifying creatures. But Elana hid the Amulet of Hogwarts in a special place that one could enter but her and those she allowed. Her protective spells could be broken only by very powerful dark magic, such as Heriton possessed, but the Amulet remained hidden, and Elana fought the Dark Lord for the rest of her days. The Amulet remains hidden, and Elana's spirit lives on to protect it.
"Cool, I wonder if Elana is still alive," Ron said thoughtfully.
"Ron, this is a storybook! It's fiction, never really happened," Hermione informed him, rolling her eyes. "Besides, she'd be several hundred years! Hogwarts was founded centuries ago."
"Well she could be a ghost!" Ron said defensively.
"Well, yes, it's possible of course," Hermione agreed, frowning, "but what do we care? She's a fictional character!"
The rest of the day they went swimming with the rest of the family in the small pond on their property. Mr. Weasley and Percy had to leave partway through to go to work. Fred and George eventually wandered off to continue inventing, Mrs. Weasley left to start supper, and Ginny went inside to tend to her sorely burnt nose, so they were left alone to discuss the Amulet for several hours.
Mr. Weasley and Percy still weren't home by suppertime, and Mrs. Weasley was getting worried. "Now, go upstairs dears, and happy birthday, Harry. I hope you enjoyed the party. Fred, George, get up those stairs this instant!" Mrs. Weasley ordered, hugging them all.
"Thank you for the best present ever, Mrs. Weasley," Harry said with perfect honesty.
"Quite welcome, dear, now up to bed!" Mrs. Weasley said, beaming fondly at him.
They all trooped up the stairs, George and Fred to their room, Hermione and Ginny to Ginny's room, while Harry and Ron went to Ron and Percy's room.
Three wonderful weeks passed at the Weasleys', and soon it was time to go to Diagon Alley. Harry sent Marissa a note telling her when they would be there.
Dear Marissa,
We'll be at Diagon Alley a week before school; can you come at that time? Hermione and Ron will both be there, send an answer with my owl, Hedwig.
-Harry
P.S.- Thanks for that water globe, I loved it!
Hedwig flew out into the early morning light "You'll really like her, she's funny. Not very good at Quidditch, though," Harry remarked, chuckling.
"Great, we'll see her in a couple of days." Ron yawned.
"Hermione, she's a lot like you. She studies in the summer and showed me this cool freezing charm, she froze the rain drops on her window," Harry said.
"Wow," Ron remarked. "That's cool."
"Oh, honestly, Ron, it's not that hard!" Hermione snapped. Ron looked startled. "I'm sorry, but it's not all that amazing, I could teach you it if you like."
"No thanks, Ms. Know It All! Just because I'm not as good at magic as you doesn't mean you can just rub it in my face!" Ron retorted angrily.
"Ron, I didn't mean it that way, it's just not that hard of a charm. The Summoning Charm is ten times harder," Hermione said quickly.
"Oh, well let's play some Quidditch then, shall we?" Ron suggested, embarrassed.
It was the last week left in the summer till school started when Ron, Harry, Hermione, Ginny, Fred, George and Mrs. Weasley entered Diagon Alley. Mr. Weasley and Percy had to work again. "Well, let's start at Flourish and Blotts to get all of your books, then, after we get to Gringotts, shall we?" Mrs. Weasley suggested.
"Harry! Over here!" someone yelled. Harry turned around to see Marissa running toward him, Mrs. Underwood right behind her.
"Hi, Marissa," Harry called, waving to her as she ran up, panting. "Ron, Hermione, this is Marissa Underwood. Marissa, this is Ron Weasley, and this is Hermione Granger. They're my friends from Hogwarts."
"Hi, guys! It's very nice to meet you, Hermione and Ron," she said, shaking their hands and then Harry's.
"Where are we off to first?" Marissa asked. "Hi, Mum. Ron, Hermione, this is my mum, Claire."
"Hello. Mrs. Weasley, I presume?" Mrs. Underwood asked, shaking Mrs. Weasley's hand vigorously. "It's Marissa's first time at Hogwarts, but she's been in another school and is transferring there to be a fifth year." Mrs. Underwood beamed at Marissa.
"Oh, how nice to meet you! We've heard loads about you from Harry," Mrs. Weasley said, smiling and shaking Mrs. Underwood's hand. "This is my daughter Ginny. She's a fourth year at Hogwarts, and my twin sons Fred and George are both in their seventh year."
"My, my!" Mrs. Underwood said. "That's absolutely wonderful. I'm afraid Mr. Underwood couldn't join us; he works for the Ministry, and lately there's been a lot of work to do."
"Yes, my Arthur too," Mrs. Wealsey remarked. "Well, first we've go to get to Gringotts, care to join us?"
One wild cart ride later the group stood outside Gringotts' white marble steps, Ginny looking quite pale. She was clutching her stomach and looked ready to throw up. Ron didn't look much better, but Marissa seemed to have enjoyed the ride.
"Come on, let's go," Ron said. "Ah, Mum, we'll be getting our school stuff now. Okay?"
"Yes, of course, dears, meet us here when you're done," Mrs. Weasley ordered.
"Marissa, don't spend too much on rubbish, now," Mrs. Underwood warned.
"Of course not, Mother, wouldn't dream of it!" Marissa said, grinning slyly.
They went first to Flourish and Blotts for their books. Rows of bookshelves met their eyes as they roamed the store, searching for the books on their lists.
"Wowm look at all of these books! Mother told me there were a lot, but I never imagined so many books could be in just one place!" Marissa exclaimed.
"Yeah, there are a lot," Ron agreed. "Now where are the Hogwarts books? Oh, here!" Ron led them to a towering stack of books, all on their lists. Once the books were all bought and paid for, they stepped out into the sun to see none other than Draco Malfoy.
"Hey! Potter, nice girlfriend," Draco taunted, laughing softly. "She actually looks like a girl, unlike your friend the Mudblood. Broke up, did you?"
"I'm not his girlfriend, I'm his friend," Marissa snapped, her eyes narrowing. "And it's none of your business, anyway. Besides, where's your girlfriend? Or even your friends? I don't see any.''
"That's because they're in another shop, Miss Know-It-All," Draco retorted. "Looks like you need some help, because those are the wrong people to hang around with. Paupers and Mudbloods, great company."
"Oh, really?" Marissa said "I don't think so. Have a nice day… ah, what was it? Dinko?" The group pushed past him, Fred and George fuming, and Ron as red as his hair.
"That's not true, don't listen to him! Besides, my dad just got a raise," Ron said angrily.
"Oh, you didn't think I'd believe all that pish-posh, did you?" Marissa asked surprised. "I mean, you could tell he was lying right through his teeth."
"Yeah, guys, it's not worth it. He's just jealous because Dad is more respected than his father, especially since that second year incident," Ginny said.
"The mangy coward!" Fred spat.
"Let's go there, I see a Firebolt in the window," Marissa suggested, breaking the silence. She started walking toward a nearby shop, and they followed.
The new and improved Silver Arrows! Remember those spectacular Silver Arrows when you were young? Now they're back and better than ever! It goes thirty mph faster than the phenomenal Firebolt and has an unbreakable braking charm. There is also a rubber grip for the hands so that the rider will stay on and have fun! Price 1,000 galleons.
"Wow!" Ron and Harry said simultaneously.
"That is a ridiculous price," Hermione said, "but it must be quite a good broom, mustn't it?"
"Yes!" Ginny, Fred, Marissa, and George chorused.
The rest of the day they searched different shops, examining strange magical objects and occasionally meeting another student from Hogwarts. Marissa treated them all to peanut butter and jelly ice creams with exploding cherries, one of which exploded right in Ron's face.
"Bye, Marissa! See you at Hogwarts!" Harry yelled, following the Weasleys as they left Diagon Alley.
"She was really nice, wasn't she?" Ron said.
"Yeah, she was," Hermione agreed, nibbling at her cone. She had taken the longest to eat her ice cream, since she swiped at her mouth with a napkin after every bite. Ron had not, and his face was a mask of dripping jelly, peanut butter, and cherry.
"Yeah, she's horrible at Quidditch, though, it's actually quite amusing to watch. Maybe we can try to teach her," Harry suggested, laughing at the memory of Marissa flying into a tree branch.
"So did you have fun?" Mrs. Weasley asked.
"Yes," they all answered together.
"Great, now let's get home. We've only a week more to sort things out," Mrs. Weasley said. "Ron, you've got to get packed early, and you too, Ginny; you're always late."
"Oh, brother, all this planning. You know we're still going to be rushing around like lunatics on the day we've got to go to Hogwarts," Ron muttered.
Harry grinned. This was going to be a fun year.
Well, that's the end of chapter three! Hope you liked it. Please tell me what you think! Thanks.
~Misty~
By ~Misty~
Harry twisted and turned until he saw the Weasley's kitchen appear before him. He felt himself falling and put his hands out in front off him, his glasses slipping down his nose as he crashed to the floor.
"Harry, dear! My goodness, how are you?" Mrs. Weasley said, helping Harry up and brushing the soot off of him. "I just told Ron to degnome the garden, they've been really pesky lately!" Harry smiled, wishing Ron was there. His wish was granted as a sweaty, red-faced Ron Weasley raced through the door.
"Harry, didn't… hear you come from outside, Dad just told me," Ron gasped. "How about a go on that broom of yours, Harry?"
"Sure! Let's go!" Harry agreed, grabbing his broom and running out the door with Ron. Harry filled Ron in about what Dobby had said on the way.
"Well, Harry, I think I remember that Amulet of Howarts being mentioned in some Nursery story book. Maybe Fred or George will remember," Ron suggested.
Once they reached the paddock with tall trees surrounding it, Harry felt excitement shoot through every bone in his body. He loved flying.
"Can I go first, before George and Fred get here?" Ron asked eagerly. Harry nodded and handed Ron the broom. "Thanks!" Ron grinned happily as he mounted the broom and shot off into the sky.
"Oy! Harry!" Fred Weasley shouted, skidding down the dirt path and stopping next to him. "Ron's already snatched your broom, I see. Well, how have the Muggles been treating you this summer?"
"Fine, for the Dursleys anyway. They're going on a vacation to Hawaii, so they thought they'd just dump me off here early," Harry answered as Ron did a loop-de-loop, nearly crashing into a tree.
"Hey, Harry!" George Weasley joined them. "Ron needs practice, eh?" he added as Ron narrowly missed a tree branch.
"He'll be fine, but he really ought to wear a helmet," Fred remarked, chuckling.
"Hey, have either of you ever heard of the Amulet of Hogwarts?" Harry asked.
"Yeah, there was a story in a book, something like 'Hogwarts Ye bright never gave of a fight, because the mighty lion fought mightily a lot'," George said, cracking up. "Something like that."
"No no no! It was like this 'Hogwarts, Oh Hoggy-warts is a nice little crack pot school go there to have a wizards duel', something like that" Fred said, bursting into laughter. Harry laughed weakly, wondering what the Amulet of Hogwarts was.
Just then Ron came down and, with Harry's consent, Fred hopped on and took off.
"Harry, what'd they say?" Ron asked.
"Not much, but they remember something about it in a book too," Harry answered, frowning. "What's it got to do with destroying Hogwarts?"
"Dunno, but maybe we'll go up to the attic, it'll probably be there if it's anywhere." Ron shrugged.
"Boys! Dinner's ready, I've made all Harry's favorites! Hurry, come and wash up!" Mrs. Weasley's voice boomed out. Immediately Fred landed and everyone dashed up to the house.
After a dinner of roasted chicken everyone was stuffed as full as possible and Harry was beginning to feel very sleepy. "Well, the whole lot of you should really get in bed, tomorrow is a very, very special day!" Mrs. Weasley said, grinning.
"So march upstairs, see you in the morning," Mr. Weasely said, clapping Harry on the back. Harry followed Ron up three twisty flights of stairs to Ron's room.
"Hey Ron, do you figure we can look for the book tomorrow?" Harry asked, lying down on a squashy green sleeping bag on the floor.
"I dunno, maybe. But they probably have something else planned. See you tomorrow, Harry." Ron yawned. Harry lay down and fell asleep instantly.
The next morning Harry was awoken by the sunlight streaking through the window into his face.
"Wake up, Harry!" Mrs. Weasley's face emerged in front of his unfocused, sleepy eyes. "Up! We've a lot to do today!"
"What, what, what?" Ron muttered sleepily rubbing his eyes. "It's to early!" He promptly rolled over and started to snore.
"Ron Weasley! Get up this instant!" Mrs. Weasley said shrilly shaking the unmoving lump huddled under his blankets. It squeaked. "I know you're in there, Ronald Weasley!"
"It's too early!" Ron protested, pulling the covers farther over his head. Mrs. Weasely pulled them off and pulled his feet over the edge of the bed.
"Get up! Breakfast in a few minutes, Harry dear," Mrs. Weasley said kindly "and Happy Birthday!" Ron attempted to roll over, except he rolled over the bed and landing with a big BOOM in a splayed leg position.
Breakfast was very satisfying and Harry was led in the living room by Mrs. Weasley to find a small heap of presents waiting for him. "Happy Birthday Harry!" Ginny said shyly. Percy arrived in the room with a very sleepy expression on his face.
Harry couldn't believe it. For once in his life he was actually accepted as a human being on his birthday. It was just about the best birthday present he could ask for. "Go on, Harry, open the small green one!" Mrs. Weasley urged. Harry picked it up and ripped the wrapper off to find a book on Quidditch, called Best Quidditch Moves of All Time. The next present was one from Ron; a Chudley Cannons Quidditch robe.
"Thanks!" Harry said enthusiastically. "They're great!"
Mr. and Mrs. Weasely beamed. "After all you've been through you deserve a good birthday party for once. We're happy to give you a proper birthday for a change!" Mrs. Weasely exclaimed, crushing Harry in a gigantic hug. Fred and George smirked.
"Hey, Mom, if you crush all of his bones, how can he live for another birthday?" Fred asked, still laughing.
"Oh hush up, you!" Mrs. Weasely said letting Harry go. His ribs ached.
The next present was from Hagrid, a big tin of pumpkin pasties and a new quill, "A quick note quill, copies all of your notes perfectly!" A present wrapped in silver wrapping paper had Hermione's neat writing on it.
Dear Harry,
Hope you are well, I will see you at Diagon Alley, how about a week before September first? Happy Birthday! I got you this Charms Dictionary, it lists the 1000 most popular and useful Charms know to wizard kind and a summary of each one, hope you like it!
Love,
Hermione
"Wow," Harry said as he took a two foot thick book from the silver wrappings and stared at it in awe. "It's huge."
"That's some book!" Ron exclaimed, picking it up and immediately dropping it. "It's way too heavy." He glared at George and Fred as they tried to muffle their snickers behind pillows.
"Yes, I do say, quite a remarkable book!" Percy said, interested.
After they had all gotten dressed and come back downstairs Mrs. Weasley gathered everyone in the kitchen. "I've got a few more surprises for you, young man," she said, smiling at Harry. "This is one of them, Ron said you were looking for it." She handed Harry a very worn looking book called "Myths, Nursery Stories, and Fables"
"Yes, I was, thanks," Harry replied, gratefully accepting the book.
"Well, the next surprise should be here any minute," Mr. Weasley said, smiling.
All of a sudden there was a bumping sound and the fire in the fireplace turned green. Hermione Granger walked out, covered with soot and smiling.
"Harry! How nice to see you!" Hermione cried, running over and hugging him. Then she hugged Ron, who looked pleased but blushed. Hermione also looked a little red as she broke apart.
"Hi, Hermione," Ginny said, giggling at Ron's red face.
"Hi Ginny! How've you been?" Hermione asked brightly.
"Great, thanks," Ginny answered.
"Well, what are we going to do today…" Hermione began, cut off by a snowy owl swooping right over her head.
"Well, happy birthday Harry, but Dad and I have to get into work," Percy said, Apparating on the spot, followed by Mr. Weasley.
"Good bye, see you all later!" Mr. Weasley said, popping out of sight.
"Hedwig!" Harry exclaimed, "She's got more than one package, no wonder she took that long!" Hedwig landed on the kitchen table with two long packages with notes attached to each leg.
"This one's from Sirius, but who's this one from?" Harry asked, looking puzzled at a big package with purple paper. He ripped open the note.
Dear Harry,
We are giving you a gift that will hopefully be very interesting for you, we though it would be very cool, hope you like it!
From Claire & Marissa Underwood
Harry unwrapped a little round package. It was a glass globe filled with water, with a clam shut tight and merpeople floating around it. They looked like the ones in the Hogwart's lake Harry had met last year. There was an old fashioned key in its side. Harry turned it many times, it began to play music, and a pretty voice sang:
Even in the worst peril the lion shall
Fight in the name of Gryffindor
And prevail in the might that Godric
Possessed
Ravenclaw so swift on wing
Could spot an enemy miles away
Sound the alarm and bring the
attack
The faithful Hufflepuffs gathered all
the creatures to fight, for Hogwarts was
in danger and they needed to
unite.
The Slytherin serpent went as a spy
Sliding behind walls, through pipes
Down into the darkest dungeons and deepest caverns
To find out more for
Hogwarts
Hogwarts will never prevail in a
dark time without me, but if evil's claws shall grasp me
I will be turned against Hogwarts and all that
believe in it. But never fear for help is here,
figure out this riddle and come and find me:
I lay underneath glass, yet it can be penetrated,
Where I am no sun reaches, there are many fierce
Creatures whom protect me, hand them the key and then
I shall be free to save Hogwarts from all its enemies.
If however I am destroyed, Hogwarts will die with me,
and evil shall smother the light.
"Wow, pretty song" Hermione said, looking carefully at the water globe. The merpeople were now circling the clam, protectively jabbing their tritons at Hermione's fingers on the glass.
"Yeah, that was really cool!" Ron exclaimed examine the globe in awe.
"Yeah, um, lets go upstairs, so we can talk in private, now," Harry whispered to Ron.
"Oh, yeah, Mum, we'll just be upstairs for a bit," Ron said.
After a long climb on the stairs, Hermione plopped down on Ron's bed. "So what's the matter? What do you want to talk about that's so private, Harry?"
"This, and this," Harry replied, pointing to the water globe and the worn storybook. "Let's try and find the story, then, shall we?" They flipped through the pages until they found a short paragraph about the amulet.
The Amulet of Hogwarts and the Dark Lord
A long time ago, four powerful wizards built a school called Hogwarts to teach young wizards and witches and stand against the Dark Arts. Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw, Helga Hufflepuff, and Salazar Slytherin. But soon a dark wizard named Heriton grew in power and used his black magic to destroy the lives of anyone who didn't serve him. One day he attacked the house of a powerful witch named Elana, killing her parents and her younger brother. Elana enchanted her most treasured necklace, a pale blue diamond, with the spirits of the Hogwarts mascots: the Gryffindor lion, the Hufflepuff badger, the Ravenclaw eagle, and the Slytherin serpent. The Dark Lord Heriton coveted this powerful amulet, so he attacked the young witch with all his forces of evil; werewolves, giants, banshees, basilisks, and many more terrifying creatures. But Elana hid the Amulet of Hogwarts in a special place that one could enter but her and those she allowed. Her protective spells could be broken only by very powerful dark magic, such as Heriton possessed, but the Amulet remained hidden, and Elana fought the Dark Lord for the rest of her days. The Amulet remains hidden, and Elana's spirit lives on to protect it.
"Cool, I wonder if Elana is still alive," Ron said thoughtfully.
"Ron, this is a storybook! It's fiction, never really happened," Hermione informed him, rolling her eyes. "Besides, she'd be several hundred years! Hogwarts was founded centuries ago."
"Well she could be a ghost!" Ron said defensively.
"Well, yes, it's possible of course," Hermione agreed, frowning, "but what do we care? She's a fictional character!"
The rest of the day they went swimming with the rest of the family in the small pond on their property. Mr. Weasley and Percy had to leave partway through to go to work. Fred and George eventually wandered off to continue inventing, Mrs. Weasley left to start supper, and Ginny went inside to tend to her sorely burnt nose, so they were left alone to discuss the Amulet for several hours.
Mr. Weasley and Percy still weren't home by suppertime, and Mrs. Weasley was getting worried. "Now, go upstairs dears, and happy birthday, Harry. I hope you enjoyed the party. Fred, George, get up those stairs this instant!" Mrs. Weasley ordered, hugging them all.
"Thank you for the best present ever, Mrs. Weasley," Harry said with perfect honesty.
"Quite welcome, dear, now up to bed!" Mrs. Weasley said, beaming fondly at him.
They all trooped up the stairs, George and Fred to their room, Hermione and Ginny to Ginny's room, while Harry and Ron went to Ron and Percy's room.
Three wonderful weeks passed at the Weasleys', and soon it was time to go to Diagon Alley. Harry sent Marissa a note telling her when they would be there.
Dear Marissa,
We'll be at Diagon Alley a week before school; can you come at that time? Hermione and Ron will both be there, send an answer with my owl, Hedwig.
-Harry
P.S.- Thanks for that water globe, I loved it!
Hedwig flew out into the early morning light "You'll really like her, she's funny. Not very good at Quidditch, though," Harry remarked, chuckling.
"Great, we'll see her in a couple of days." Ron yawned.
"Hermione, she's a lot like you. She studies in the summer and showed me this cool freezing charm, she froze the rain drops on her window," Harry said.
"Wow," Ron remarked. "That's cool."
"Oh, honestly, Ron, it's not that hard!" Hermione snapped. Ron looked startled. "I'm sorry, but it's not all that amazing, I could teach you it if you like."
"No thanks, Ms. Know It All! Just because I'm not as good at magic as you doesn't mean you can just rub it in my face!" Ron retorted angrily.
"Ron, I didn't mean it that way, it's just not that hard of a charm. The Summoning Charm is ten times harder," Hermione said quickly.
"Oh, well let's play some Quidditch then, shall we?" Ron suggested, embarrassed.
It was the last week left in the summer till school started when Ron, Harry, Hermione, Ginny, Fred, George and Mrs. Weasley entered Diagon Alley. Mr. Weasley and Percy had to work again. "Well, let's start at Flourish and Blotts to get all of your books, then, after we get to Gringotts, shall we?" Mrs. Weasley suggested.
"Harry! Over here!" someone yelled. Harry turned around to see Marissa running toward him, Mrs. Underwood right behind her.
"Hi, Marissa," Harry called, waving to her as she ran up, panting. "Ron, Hermione, this is Marissa Underwood. Marissa, this is Ron Weasley, and this is Hermione Granger. They're my friends from Hogwarts."
"Hi, guys! It's very nice to meet you, Hermione and Ron," she said, shaking their hands and then Harry's.
"Where are we off to first?" Marissa asked. "Hi, Mum. Ron, Hermione, this is my mum, Claire."
"Hello. Mrs. Weasley, I presume?" Mrs. Underwood asked, shaking Mrs. Weasley's hand vigorously. "It's Marissa's first time at Hogwarts, but she's been in another school and is transferring there to be a fifth year." Mrs. Underwood beamed at Marissa.
"Oh, how nice to meet you! We've heard loads about you from Harry," Mrs. Weasley said, smiling and shaking Mrs. Underwood's hand. "This is my daughter Ginny. She's a fourth year at Hogwarts, and my twin sons Fred and George are both in their seventh year."
"My, my!" Mrs. Underwood said. "That's absolutely wonderful. I'm afraid Mr. Underwood couldn't join us; he works for the Ministry, and lately there's been a lot of work to do."
"Yes, my Arthur too," Mrs. Wealsey remarked. "Well, first we've go to get to Gringotts, care to join us?"
One wild cart ride later the group stood outside Gringotts' white marble steps, Ginny looking quite pale. She was clutching her stomach and looked ready to throw up. Ron didn't look much better, but Marissa seemed to have enjoyed the ride.
"Come on, let's go," Ron said. "Ah, Mum, we'll be getting our school stuff now. Okay?"
"Yes, of course, dears, meet us here when you're done," Mrs. Weasley ordered.
"Marissa, don't spend too much on rubbish, now," Mrs. Underwood warned.
"Of course not, Mother, wouldn't dream of it!" Marissa said, grinning slyly.
They went first to Flourish and Blotts for their books. Rows of bookshelves met their eyes as they roamed the store, searching for the books on their lists.
"Wowm look at all of these books! Mother told me there were a lot, but I never imagined so many books could be in just one place!" Marissa exclaimed.
"Yeah, there are a lot," Ron agreed. "Now where are the Hogwarts books? Oh, here!" Ron led them to a towering stack of books, all on their lists. Once the books were all bought and paid for, they stepped out into the sun to see none other than Draco Malfoy.
"Hey! Potter, nice girlfriend," Draco taunted, laughing softly. "She actually looks like a girl, unlike your friend the Mudblood. Broke up, did you?"
"I'm not his girlfriend, I'm his friend," Marissa snapped, her eyes narrowing. "And it's none of your business, anyway. Besides, where's your girlfriend? Or even your friends? I don't see any.''
"That's because they're in another shop, Miss Know-It-All," Draco retorted. "Looks like you need some help, because those are the wrong people to hang around with. Paupers and Mudbloods, great company."
"Oh, really?" Marissa said "I don't think so. Have a nice day… ah, what was it? Dinko?" The group pushed past him, Fred and George fuming, and Ron as red as his hair.
"That's not true, don't listen to him! Besides, my dad just got a raise," Ron said angrily.
"Oh, you didn't think I'd believe all that pish-posh, did you?" Marissa asked surprised. "I mean, you could tell he was lying right through his teeth."
"Yeah, guys, it's not worth it. He's just jealous because Dad is more respected than his father, especially since that second year incident," Ginny said.
"The mangy coward!" Fred spat.
"Let's go there, I see a Firebolt in the window," Marissa suggested, breaking the silence. She started walking toward a nearby shop, and they followed.
The new and improved Silver Arrows! Remember those spectacular Silver Arrows when you were young? Now they're back and better than ever! It goes thirty mph faster than the phenomenal Firebolt and has an unbreakable braking charm. There is also a rubber grip for the hands so that the rider will stay on and have fun! Price 1,000 galleons.
"Wow!" Ron and Harry said simultaneously.
"That is a ridiculous price," Hermione said, "but it must be quite a good broom, mustn't it?"
"Yes!" Ginny, Fred, Marissa, and George chorused.
The rest of the day they searched different shops, examining strange magical objects and occasionally meeting another student from Hogwarts. Marissa treated them all to peanut butter and jelly ice creams with exploding cherries, one of which exploded right in Ron's face.
"Bye, Marissa! See you at Hogwarts!" Harry yelled, following the Weasleys as they left Diagon Alley.
"She was really nice, wasn't she?" Ron said.
"Yeah, she was," Hermione agreed, nibbling at her cone. She had taken the longest to eat her ice cream, since she swiped at her mouth with a napkin after every bite. Ron had not, and his face was a mask of dripping jelly, peanut butter, and cherry.
"Yeah, she's horrible at Quidditch, though, it's actually quite amusing to watch. Maybe we can try to teach her," Harry suggested, laughing at the memory of Marissa flying into a tree branch.
"So did you have fun?" Mrs. Weasley asked.
"Yes," they all answered together.
"Great, now let's get home. We've only a week more to sort things out," Mrs. Weasley said. "Ron, you've got to get packed early, and you too, Ginny; you're always late."
"Oh, brother, all this planning. You know we're still going to be rushing around like lunatics on the day we've got to go to Hogwarts," Ron muttered.
Harry grinned. This was going to be a fun year.
Well, that's the end of chapter three! Hope you liked it. Please tell me what you think! Thanks.
~Misty~