A/N: I guess this is a kind of long chapter to make up for the last two. Sarah Maxwell is kinda like me in a character, except that im not as pretty as her. *Sigh* I wish I was but….
Sarah Maxwell:
Before they knew it, summer was over, it was the last day of summer and they were making their yearly trip to Diagon Alley. After they had all arrived by Floo Powder, they made their way to Flourish and Blotts. They found the books they needed in minutes, and then helped Harry rummage through the shelf filled with Defense Against the Dark Arts books. Soon they found a big book, filled with all sorts of spells and incantations and such, that would be perfect for DA meetings. They also found a book titled, How To Become An Animagus, which had a detailed description of practice methods, the spell, and the aftermath.
In line to pay for their things, Hermione stated, "I think we should go to Gringotts next, and then to Madam Malkins. I need some new robes, my others are too small. We should also go to your brother's store, to see how they are doing."
"Good idea." said Ron.
"Yeah," said Harry, looking down and noticing his robes were about six inches too short, as well, "I need new robes too."
They left the store and walked down the road to Gringotts, seeing many other Hogwarts students doing their shopping, and waving at some. After a long cart ride down to Harry's vault, he noticed more money in there then he had had last time. He turned, surprised, to the goblin.
As if reading his mind, or his facial expression, the goblin said, "The gold from vault 752, belonging to the deceased, Sirius Black, has been transferred to your vault.
"Oh," said Harry, a little less happy about the extra gold, now knowing its whereabouts.
"A note," the goblin continued, "was left for a Mr. Harry Potter. Is that you, sir?"
"Yeah," he said. The goblin handed him the note and Harry read:
Harry,
I made sure that when I die, all my gold get transferred to your vault. Buy yourself something nice with it.
From,
Sirius
Harry, holding back tears, grabbed a couple large handfuls of gold, put them in his gold bag, and ambled back into the cart. The trio went back up to the lobby, where Hermione traded in some Muggle money for wizard money. They walked out into the sunshine.
After Madam Malkins, where both Hermione and Harry were fitted for new robes, Ron looking as red as ever, they set off to get the rest of their things. They went to the Apothecary, to refill their potions ingredients, Quality Quidditch Supplies, where Harry bought a Snitch to practice with, and another shop to buy some new ink, quills, and parchment.
Then they headed to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes to see Fred and George, and stock up one jokes and such for the coming school year. As they entered the store, in replacement of a bell, a lard farting noise was emitted from out of nowhere. They scanned the room, which was filled withal sorts of jokes and pranks. There was a rack on one side with the ink cloaks Fred and George had described over the summer. There was a bunch of shelves in the back of the store by the counter, filled with Skiving Snackboxes, Canary Creams, lollipops that change your tongue colors, and other assorted joke candies. Towards the front of the store there was another bunch of shelves, dedicated to fake wizarding equipment. It held fake wands, leaking cauldrons, brass scales that measured wrong, ink that an hour after writing disappears, and parchment that turns invisible as soon as you write on it.
As soon as they entered, Fred and George, and their new partner, Lee Jordan, came to the front of the store to meet them. Ron and Hermione browsed the store, while Fred gave Harry a detailed description of how business was going. Apparently, businesss was going so well that they put a three person loft above the store for him, George, and Lee. They also had doubled the Triwizard Tournament money, and given a lot of it to their mom.
"She never would have accepted straight out, silly woman," explained George, "We had to deposit it in her account. We have our own account now. Positively brimming with gold. But were gonna have to spend a lot of it. We're developing a broomstick charm that bucks off everyone except the owner. We'll sell the potion separate from the brooms, but we have to buy a bunch of brooms to test. And we have to buy semi-expensive ones too, because the older models, buck you off anyways."
"Oh, and we got the best idea from you Harry, in second year," interjected Lee, "Rogue Bludgers, y'know like the one that chased you. We're making up a whole line. There's also going to be disappearing Snitches, and Quaffles, with little holes filled with a liquid that makes it really slippery. Oh, and Beater clubs, that look and feel real, but when you go to hit a Bludger, you would be better off with a piece of string. It gets really soft, like a pillow. We are actually pretty far into that line. Just a couple of adjustments to make, before we put it out on the market."
Harry nodded to all this, and the three of them left, after saying good bye and buying some candy, and a bottle of disappearing ink. They walke back out onto the street, and decided to go get some ice cream. As they sat down at a table in front of Florian Fortesque's ice cream parlor, a beautiful girl, who was obviously a waitress, came over to them. She had long dark hair, that went down almost to her hips, and was shining in the sunlight. She had deep hazel eyes set in a perfect olive-skinned face. She was smiling brightly, and Harry saw that her teeth were all perfect, as well as the rest of her. She was tall, almost as tall as Harry, and she was curvy.
"Hello, What can I get you?" she asked sweetly, flashing her brilliant smile again.
"Three raspberry and peanut butter cones," said Hermione, stifling a giggle at Ron and Harry's behavior, both of which were staring at her mouths open. "Snap out of it," she said to them after the girl had left to get their ice creams.
"Sorry," said Harry shaking his head, as if bringing himself back to reality, but still staring in the direction which she had left.
"She looks like she could be our age," said Ron, also staring in that direction
"Well why don't you ask her?" retorted Hermione, clearly not liking the fact that their attention had been stolen away by the girl. Soon she had returned and Ron asked if she went to Hogwarts.
"I do," she replied, "This is my first year though, I just moved here from New York." That explained the evident non-British accent.
"Well what year are you in?" asked Hermione.
"Sixth," she replied, "And I'm in Ravenclaw. I already got the notice from Dumbledore. What year are you in?"
"Sixth too," said Harry, coming out of a sort of trance, as she had obviously directed this question at him, "but we are in Gryffindor."
"Well, I guess I'll be seeing you around. By the way, my name is Sarah Maxwell. What's yours?"
"I'm Harry Potter, this is Ron Weasley and this is Hermione Granger," Harry pointed to each of his friends in turn, and noticed that Sarah did not do the usual glance at his scar. He liked it.
"Nice to meet you, Harry, Ron, Hermione, but I have to get back to work. Bye."
They said their good byes, finished their ice cream and left, Harry still gazing longingly at the ice cream place, watching Sarah walk around, doing her job. "Have you finished drooling," asked Hermione, snapping Harry back to reality, "Seriously, the two of you together could fill a lake."
"Sorry," they both said, and headed back to Flourish and Blotts, where they were meeting Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and Ginny.
What they saw when they got back to the Burrow that night was a huge surprise. Laying there on Harry's bed was a Firebolt X.
"Where did you get that?" asked Ron, a mixture of surprise and jealousy on his face.
Hermione, looking very suspicious, said "I wonder who gave you that."
"I did." They turned around to see Mr. Weasley in the doorway. "Well, not actually me, Sirius. Before he died he told me that he always wanted you to have the best. He told me he planned to buy you the newest broomstick everytime it came out. And so, when this new model came out, I took some of the money from is vault, not yours, before they moved it, and bought you this. Hope you like it."
"I do," he said looking it over, "Well, Ron, you're a lucky kid today , because you get my old broom."
"Wow!" said Ron, thanking him numerous times, and picking up the Firebolt and running it along his fingers. They had a quiet last night of summer dinner. Well, quiet exceot for the numerous thanks of Harry to Mr. Weasley, Ron to Harry, and Ginny to Ron, she had acquired the Cleansweep 11 that was Ron's. Lupin had come by to tell them that he would be the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, to much rejoice, and that he would see them tomorrow.
Finally they all went upstairs to do some last minute packing before bed.
