The next morning, Harry was shaken awake gently by Mrs. Weasley. He rolled over and stretched before collapsing back onto his pillow, wishing he never had to get up. He had only fallen asleep a few hours ago, having stayed up through most of the night pondering what had happened, and wondering who the double crosser in their midst might be. "Come on Harry dear, time to get up, we're going to get everyone's school things today, got a lot to do. Your trunk has been brought up by one of the bell hops, and Ron, your father has gone to get some of our things from home. Come on you two, everyone else is already dressed and downstairs having breakfast. Let's go. Harry. RON!" "Allright! Allright." grumbled Ron as his mother shook him violently. Harry sat up and groped for his glasses. "By the way Harry," said Ron, pulling on a tee shirt, "What NEWT classes are you taking this year?" Harry explained about his OWL grades, even his peculiar Potions one, and Ron exchanged his grades as well. It turned out they would be taking everything but Potions and History of Magic together, as Ron had received very similar grades as Harry, but not done up to NEWT standard in his Potions exams. Ron seemed extremely disgruntled that Harry didn't have to continue in History of Magic (which was easily their most boring class). Harry had fallen asleep and been forced to miss most of his exam because he'd had a terrible vision while dreaming. "How did you manage an O in Potions?" asked Ron, now pulling on his shoes. "I dunno," replied Harry, "I didn't think it went all that well." "Dodgy..." said Ron, "Anyway, Hermione of course passed everything with flying colors, 10 OWLs, and she's furious that she didn't stay with that overloaded schedule and get 12, but I think she'll get over it. We'd better go if we're going school shopping." he said looking at Harry as though he himself had been up waiting for hours. They went down to breakfast in the dingy Hog's Head bar room. Five little tables had been pushed together along one side of the room, and everyone was already sitting, eating bowls of porridge, and trying not to offend Aberforth as they hurriedly wiped their filthy spoons on their equally dirty napkins. "Allright Harry? Ron?" asked Tonks as Harry and Ron sat down across from her. "Sorry I didn't get much of a chance to say hello last night," she said, picking a speck of dirt out of her orange juice. "s'ok" said Ron, who was now wrinkling his nose at his breakfast, earning himself a reproving look from Mrs. Weasley, who seemed to have composed herself since last night. "How was your summer Harry?" asked Tonks, "Bearable with the muggles?" "Barely," replied Harry. It was true, he thought, though not for the reason Tonks obviously suspected. "So you'll be starting your NEWT classes this year, I suppose?" She asked. Harry nodded, but was distracted by the door opening and a shreik from Mrs. Weasley "Boys!" Charlie and Percy, the second and third eldest Weasley children, had just walked into the bar. They greeted everyone, and Harry notcied Percy looked rather uncomfortable; he had temporarily disowned his family last year while he believed they were consorting with the wrong crowd (Harry and Dumbledore) . "Everyone allright?" Asked Charlie, greeting his father. There was a murmur of assent. Percy moved over right next to Harry and extended his hand formally. Harry, halfway through a bite of poridge, looked up, rather surprised. Percy was very straight faced, and was looking at Harry as though he were a nobleman. "I would like to apologize for my actions and words last year." he said in a very mature sounding voice. Harry tried not to grin. "Don't worry about it," he said, and he took Percy's outstretched hand. In truth, he was a bit more reluctant to forgive Percy than he let on, but couldn't help but laugh as Fred pretended to vomit into his porridge, and Percy sat down looking impressively around. Harry had just finished his breakfast when an owl swooped into the bar and dropped a letter on Mr. Weasley's morning paper. He read it, scowling, and then stood rather abruptly. "There's been a sighting of a couple of death eaters, not far from here." he said, and already he was standing to leave. "Arthur, really, you're not an auror, this hasn't got anything to do with your department and we're all going to Diagon Alley today, can't you just-" She was cut short by Mr. Weasley impatiently who said, "Molly, they spotted them in a muggle town. They need people to deal with the muggles and help the muggle please-men!" Harry grinned. He knew Mr. Weasley found the prospect of going to a muggle town and working first hand with its inhabitants much more enticing than going school shopping. Mrs. Weasley sighed. "Oh go then, if you really must Arthur." She turned snapishly back to the stairs and stomped up irritably. Mr. Weasley picked up his wand, and said, "Now you lot behave yourselves." And then, looking terribly excited, he Disapparated. "We'd better get going, if everyone's finished." said Lupin, checking his watch. "Professor," said Harry suddenly. "My Aunt and Uncle..." "I'm sure Moody found them," he said moving towards the door. Harry shrugged. They all moved toward the fire place. "Well be coming back," said Tonks, "and we'll get everyone's things. I suppose you lot will be going to the Weasleys', but I'm not sure..." Lupin, hand clutched on his wand, pulled a bag of floo powder out and began distributing it to everyone. Harry took a pinch before removing his glasses. Floo powder was not Harry's favorite way to travel. Lupin stepped into the fire and shouted "Diagon Alley!" he was gone in a swirl of flame "Let's see here," said Tonks stepping up, "Ron, why don't you go next, and then Bill, and then Hermione, Percy, Ginny, that's it now" she said lining them up; Harry knew this order had been pre-arranged when she came to him and said very obviously, "Then...how about...Harry! All right, and then everyone else just come on after we go." She ushered Harry toward the fire, and once Ginny had dissapeared, he tossed his floo powder in and stepped into the flames. It felt like a warm breeze around his waist. "Diagon Alley!" he shouted. He began to spin, and squinted his eyes against the soot. He began to feel quite sick, and finally after what seemed ages, he came spilling out of a fire grate, into a busy sidewalk. As Harry looked up through his blurred vision, he saw a sign. He clumsily put his glasses back on and saw that it read "DIAGON ALLEY". "Harry, look out!" called someone, and moments later, George came whizzing out of the fireplace, bowled into Harry, who had stayed still too long, and knocked him head over heels. Once again lying on his back Harry saw another sign that said "Please clear the hearthway quickly to reduce risk of injury". A hand reached out to him, and Ginny pulled him to his feet. "Thanks" he mumbled, dusting himself off, and shooting a look at Ron who was doubled up with laughter. They were at the end of the street, near Gringotts bank. Harry checked his bag and found he had enough money left over from last year's trip to buy his books, and so after Ron had taken some gold from his mother (who came out of the fireplace moments after George), they began to walk up towards Flourrish and Blotts with Hermione. Harry felt himself come alive as he strolled up the crowded road between his two best friends; he found it hard to worry about anything as they looked in shop windows, Hermione dragging Ron away from the quidditch supplies shop after he gazed for ten minutes at an authentic, autographed Chudley Cannons broomstick, even the fact that there was a traitor in their midst. It was only when they were waiting in the long line of students to purchase their copies of "The Dark Arts Recreated" that Harry felt his first less than happy emotion. "Di'you guys know who they found to teach it this year?" "No idea," said Ron, flipping through the first pages of the book. "I expect they'll have to appoint another Ministry Official, unless someone's actually volunteered for it." said Hermione wisely as she too opened the book and examined it. "Dad said no one at the ministry even would take the job, not even for double pay." said Ron, and he closed the book with a snap. "I don't think anyone at the ministry would assign this book," said Hermione, now with her eyes wide in shock. She turned the book around for them to see, and though Harry didn't know much about the Dark Arts themselves, he could see that this particular page was entitled "Chapter One: The usage of spells in persuasion" and the name did not inspire much of a good feeling inside him. "All these chapters are like it," continued Hermione in a hushed whisper. "Look! The Corendier Curse...The Gregorian Carnivore plant!? This book isn't defense...this is really the Dark Arts." "They can't be serious," said Harry, opening his own book in disbelief, "Why..?" "Excuse me," said Hermione, marching up to the counter and putting her book on it under the bored looking attendant's nose, "Could you please tell us who assigned this book?" The attendant wrinkled his nose and picked up the book. "eh...no idea." he said dully. "You three going to buy them or what?" Once they had paid for all their books, and stepped out into the bright sunlit street once again, they were immediatley intersepted by Fred and George. "Come on, we're heading down to the store, gotta make sure that twit didn't burn it down while we were gone," said George." "What twit?" asked Harry as they all set off down the winding road again. "We had to leave someone in charge while we were off in Africa; we were looking for live Ashwinder eggs," he added seeing Harry's puzzled look. Hermione stopped dead. "live Ashwinder eggs!? Those are incredibly dangerous! They set people on fire!" "Relax," said Fred. "We only need them live until we can soak them in Billywig venom. Then we freeze them." Hermione didn't look as though this relaxed her at all, but Harry grinned and said, "And what is the use of all this exactly?" "well, Billywig venom makes you rather...giddy...and Ashwinder eggs, well they're mostly used in love potions and such, so, well you get the picture." said George. Harry and Ron laughed, Hermione however said "Tuh!" and opened the door to Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes as they rounded a corner. "It's quite a good shop you know," said Ron to Harry as they walked in. It was a good sized room, brightly lit, and all along the walls and the inside were shelves and shelves of assorted jokes, pranks, and trick foods, all bearing the same label with three interlocked W's. There were a few people inside, a group of little boys all excitedly examining a corner of the shop labeled "For the Dangerous Joke Maker", a woman in a cloak who was stocking up on little bottles of some blueish liquid, and two boys Harry recognized as Ravenclaws from Hogwarts. "Oy! Finally!" came a voice from the back room. A girl a little older than Harry with shoulder length brown hair which had been tied back came into the shop, drying her hands on a cloth. "I was wondering when you two were finally going to give up your little holdiay and come back to work." She hopped up onto the counter and then jumped down on the other side so that she was only feet away from Harry. "Hey there," she said, "I'm Lauren, are you all friends of these two nitwits?" "Er..." said Harry. "Funny Laur," said George, "I'm sure you had fun being in charge while us nitwits were gone, but unfortunatley your little power boost has to end here, so why don't you take that rag and go wash the windows." She gave him a sarcastic curtsy and went outside with her cloth, grabbing a bottle of All Purpose Mess-Remover as she went. Harry couldn't help but notice that though George had been so rude, he was smiling as he too hopped over the counter. "Now then, what can we do for you three?" "Load me up on Skiving Snackboxes," said Ron, taking a bag from the counter and holding it open while ignoring Hermione's irritated glare.
*** A few hours later, loaded down with new books, potions ingrediants, robes, and in Harry and Ron's cases, as much Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes merchandise as they could carry, the three of them made their way towards the Leaky Cauldron, where they had arranged to meet the others. They ran into a few of their fellow Hogwarts students, including the Patil sisters, Neville Longbottom and his grandmother, and when they were almost to the bar, they saw Ginny and their fellow Gryffindor sixth year, Dean Thomas by a shop window, hand in hand. (This made Ron's ears glow scarlet, and it took Harry and Hermiones' combined efforts to drag him away.) Harry noticed, as they walked into the bar, that it seemed to go quite silent as one by one the people there realized who he was. Feeling extremely self concious, Harry flattened his bangs nervously, and began to head straight for the Wealseys and Tonks who were sitting in the far corner. However no sooner had he taken three steps when a little old woman marched up to him and threw her arms around him, giving him a kiss on each cheeck. "You are truly a hero," she croaked, tears swimming her eyes, "So brave. So, so brave!" Harry was dumbstruck. Ron looked revolted, but the rest of the bar seemed to agree with the little old lady. "Mr. Potter, I want you to know that I believed you the whole time. I've always supported Albus Dumbledore, and I admire you so much for sticking to your guns in all that ridicule-" "The article in the Daily Prophet, Mr. Potter, it moved me to tears. All that you've gone through, I've always wanted to meet you-" Pretty soon Harry was smiling as he shook hand after hand, and was strongly reminded of the first time he had set foot in this bar. After a few minutes of this, Harry was able to sink into a chair beside Tonks, who was smiling at him. It was good, he thought to himself, to know that everyone believed him now. Most people in the wizarding community thought he was a liar or was losing his mind last year. He accepted the pumpkin juice Mrs. Weasley was passing him, and was halfway through a gulp when he saw someone that made him spit it out. Professor Snape, Harry's least favorite teacher at Hogwarts, had walked through the back door of the Leaky Cauldron. Harry felt a burning fury rise inside him. He clenched his glass so hard that it cracked along one side, and Hermione shot him a warning look mixed with aprehension. "Ah Severus," said Lupin rather stifly, "Have a drink won't you?" "Afraid not, Lupin," he said equally as stifly, "I must be getting to Gringotts sometime today. I just came by to drop this off with you. You will see Dumbledore gets it." He slapped a thick stack of parchment onto the table, and Lupin put it quickly into a shopping bag. "I'll be certain of it." he said. "Ah I see the Terrific Trio is back from holiday." he sneered at Harry Ron and Hermione. Harry clenched his fist around his wand. Snape picked up the copy of "The Dark Arts Recreated" that Hermione had been perusing and said slyly, "You'll want to read this carefully you three, your new teacher won't like it at all if you're not prepared." He put the book back on the table and nodded goodbye to the others as he departed. "Terrific Trio," said Tonks, laughing, "Has a nice ring to it doesn't it?" "Slimy git," muttered Ron Hermione shook her head and looked quizzically at the book again. "What?" asked Harry. "Snape knows who our new teacher is." She said slowly, "But the way he said it...almost made it sound like..." she trailed off, and glanced at Lupin, who Harry could tell had been listening. "Please...oh no..." she said, leaning towards Lupin. Harry watched Lupin too; he didn't have a clue what Hermione meant. Lupin closed his eyes and nodded. "NO!" cried Hermione. "What?" Harry demanded. "Our new teacher...is...oh my goodness...it's Snape!"