Chapter 3
On the way back to Diagon Alley the wheels seemed to be singing, "You're going to see Ron and Hermione!" Harry was impatient to see his friends. This was the first summer since he had started at Hogwarts that he hadn't seen them for two straight months. He knew he should be worried about Voldemort and why he hadn't shown signs of destruction since the incidents at the Department of Mysteries, but all he wanted to was to have fun with his friends for a day, before they went back to Hogwarts.
Harry jumped up as the train pulled to a stop. As fast as he could while carrying the big Muggle bags, he walked through the Leaky Cauldron. As he stopped to say hello to Tom the Innkeeper, he noticed a flash of shadow behind him.
Harry realized that Dumbledore must have sent on of the Order members after him, all the way to Muggle London and back. Of course they would always be following him around, protecting him from Voldemort. For the thousandth time, he wished he was just a regular wizard.
He nodded and smiled at Tom, who grinned back, careful not to give away his identity. Harry hurried into Diagon Alley. It was already three forty-five, and he was meeting Ron and Hermione at 4. He sat down at a table in Florean Fortescue's and fished his wand out from his pocket to shrink the bags and place them in his pocket.
Harry turned his head, searching the crowd for any sign of a tall boy with flaming hair or a petite, bushy-haired girl. He spotted them not far away from his table, staring around as if trying to find him. Harry laughed inwardly. They didn't recognize him! Harry got up and walked towards them. He tapped Ron's shoulder, and the two of them turned around.
"Yes?" Ron asked suspiciously. But Hermione gasped and threw her arms around him in a suffocating hug.
"Er, Hermione," Harry choked, "I...can't...breathe..." Hermione laughed. Ron was staring openmouthed.
"Harry, that you mate? What HAPPENED to you over the summer?" Ron grinned at him, trying to hold back his relief at seeing his best friend safe and sound.
"Just worked out a little. Looks like you grew a little though. Trying to beat Hagrid, eh?" Harry laughed at his friend happily. The three of them sat down at the table. Harry insisted on paying for the three ice creams they ordered.
"So Harry, how are you holding up?" Hermione asked nervously. Harry was irritated. They didn't all have to walk on eggshells around him and he would let them know it.
"I'm fine, really. I've gotten over it. And there are some things I have to tell you, but not now. I'll tell you on the Hogwarts Express. But don't worry about me. Lets just have fun today."
"Sounds good mate," Ron said, his mouth full of ice cream. Hermione looked at him disgustedly, and turned back to Harry.
"I hope you've been brushing up on all of your homework Harry. It's the year before the NEWTs you know, we have to start preparing."
"Relax Hermione!" Harry smiled, glad to have his friends back to their old selves, "I've been going over all the old textbooks. I basically have them all memorized." Ron stared at him.
"Oh no! Not you too! What's gotten into you, Harry?" He looked at Hermione accusingly. Hermione sighed exasperatedly. Harry watched them, amused. When would they ever learn?
The trio headed towards Madam Malkin's first. All of them had grown out of their old school things. They all bought three new sets of black school robes, but Hermione made them go to Gladrags to get new dress robes as well. Ron groaned and Harry made a face at him, mouthing, "Girls". Ron nodded fervently.
Hermione made them comment on all of her different outfits. Harry teased and laughed but noticed Ron blushing when Hermione came out in a low-cut, figure-fitting brown satin robes. Hermione had certainly grown in...other areas. Harry nodded enthusiastically and Hermione paid for the robes. Harry and Ron didn't even bother trying anything on. Harry just bought some charcoal gray ones and Ron some deep red.
Hermione became more and more animated as they stepped into Flourish and Blotts to get their new schoolbooks. They headed to the counter to pay for their new quills, parchment, and books when Harry heard a shriek. He turned around to see Mrs. Weasley fly at him and envelope him in a warm, motherly hug.
"Harry dear, how are you?" She said, tears in her eyes, "We've all been so worried about you. You're looking much too thin dear, although I must say you are getting so grown up." Here her eyes overflowed and Harry hugged, blinking back tears as he thought of how wonderful the Weasleys had been to him.
He noticed Mr. Weasley and Ginny standing behind her, looking eager to greet him as well. He stepped forward and shook Mr. Weasley's hand with a grateful look in his eye. He turned to Ginny and smiled appreciatively.
Ginny wasn't the same shy, clumsy girl Harry had always thought of her as. Her long auburn hair fell to her waist in thick, curly waves; her dark brown eyes sparkled and golden freckles duted her nose.
Ginny stared at this heartrendingly handsome boy standing in front of her, old feelings rushing back. After finally getting over that silly crush on him he had to turn up looking like this to make it all come back. She shook herself.
"Hello, Harry," She said, smiling up at him cheekily. He grinned at her.
"I'm going to need your help this year for something," He said, wiggling his eyeborws mysteriously, turning back to Ron and Hermione and leaving Ginny in blushing suspense.
After that the trio finished up their shopping, loading up on potions ingredients and spending half and hour staring at Quidditch supplies, much to Hermione's distress.
"I wonder who Quidditch Captain'll be this year,"Ron mused, looking at Harry merrily.
"Not me," Harry said despondently, "Not with that cow Umbridge's suspension on me."
"Oh, Harry, Dumbledore'll remove it, don't worry. OH!" Hermione said, fishing something out of her purse, "I forgot to tell you. You and me are prefects this year, instead of Ron and me. I don't know why but Dumbledore changed it." She handed him the prefect's badge. Harry looked at Ron in susprise, wondering how he was going to react.
"Better you than me, mate," Ron grinned.
The three friends made their way back to the Leaky Cauldron, chattering happily, together at last. For the moment, everything was right in the world.
On the way back to Diagon Alley the wheels seemed to be singing, "You're going to see Ron and Hermione!" Harry was impatient to see his friends. This was the first summer since he had started at Hogwarts that he hadn't seen them for two straight months. He knew he should be worried about Voldemort and why he hadn't shown signs of destruction since the incidents at the Department of Mysteries, but all he wanted to was to have fun with his friends for a day, before they went back to Hogwarts.
Harry jumped up as the train pulled to a stop. As fast as he could while carrying the big Muggle bags, he walked through the Leaky Cauldron. As he stopped to say hello to Tom the Innkeeper, he noticed a flash of shadow behind him.
Harry realized that Dumbledore must have sent on of the Order members after him, all the way to Muggle London and back. Of course they would always be following him around, protecting him from Voldemort. For the thousandth time, he wished he was just a regular wizard.
He nodded and smiled at Tom, who grinned back, careful not to give away his identity. Harry hurried into Diagon Alley. It was already three forty-five, and he was meeting Ron and Hermione at 4. He sat down at a table in Florean Fortescue's and fished his wand out from his pocket to shrink the bags and place them in his pocket.
Harry turned his head, searching the crowd for any sign of a tall boy with flaming hair or a petite, bushy-haired girl. He spotted them not far away from his table, staring around as if trying to find him. Harry laughed inwardly. They didn't recognize him! Harry got up and walked towards them. He tapped Ron's shoulder, and the two of them turned around.
"Yes?" Ron asked suspiciously. But Hermione gasped and threw her arms around him in a suffocating hug.
"Er, Hermione," Harry choked, "I...can't...breathe..." Hermione laughed. Ron was staring openmouthed.
"Harry, that you mate? What HAPPENED to you over the summer?" Ron grinned at him, trying to hold back his relief at seeing his best friend safe and sound.
"Just worked out a little. Looks like you grew a little though. Trying to beat Hagrid, eh?" Harry laughed at his friend happily. The three of them sat down at the table. Harry insisted on paying for the three ice creams they ordered.
"So Harry, how are you holding up?" Hermione asked nervously. Harry was irritated. They didn't all have to walk on eggshells around him and he would let them know it.
"I'm fine, really. I've gotten over it. And there are some things I have to tell you, but not now. I'll tell you on the Hogwarts Express. But don't worry about me. Lets just have fun today."
"Sounds good mate," Ron said, his mouth full of ice cream. Hermione looked at him disgustedly, and turned back to Harry.
"I hope you've been brushing up on all of your homework Harry. It's the year before the NEWTs you know, we have to start preparing."
"Relax Hermione!" Harry smiled, glad to have his friends back to their old selves, "I've been going over all the old textbooks. I basically have them all memorized." Ron stared at him.
"Oh no! Not you too! What's gotten into you, Harry?" He looked at Hermione accusingly. Hermione sighed exasperatedly. Harry watched them, amused. When would they ever learn?
The trio headed towards Madam Malkin's first. All of them had grown out of their old school things. They all bought three new sets of black school robes, but Hermione made them go to Gladrags to get new dress robes as well. Ron groaned and Harry made a face at him, mouthing, "Girls". Ron nodded fervently.
Hermione made them comment on all of her different outfits. Harry teased and laughed but noticed Ron blushing when Hermione came out in a low-cut, figure-fitting brown satin robes. Hermione had certainly grown in...other areas. Harry nodded enthusiastically and Hermione paid for the robes. Harry and Ron didn't even bother trying anything on. Harry just bought some charcoal gray ones and Ron some deep red.
Hermione became more and more animated as they stepped into Flourish and Blotts to get their new schoolbooks. They headed to the counter to pay for their new quills, parchment, and books when Harry heard a shriek. He turned around to see Mrs. Weasley fly at him and envelope him in a warm, motherly hug.
"Harry dear, how are you?" She said, tears in her eyes, "We've all been so worried about you. You're looking much too thin dear, although I must say you are getting so grown up." Here her eyes overflowed and Harry hugged, blinking back tears as he thought of how wonderful the Weasleys had been to him.
He noticed Mr. Weasley and Ginny standing behind her, looking eager to greet him as well. He stepped forward and shook Mr. Weasley's hand with a grateful look in his eye. He turned to Ginny and smiled appreciatively.
Ginny wasn't the same shy, clumsy girl Harry had always thought of her as. Her long auburn hair fell to her waist in thick, curly waves; her dark brown eyes sparkled and golden freckles duted her nose.
Ginny stared at this heartrendingly handsome boy standing in front of her, old feelings rushing back. After finally getting over that silly crush on him he had to turn up looking like this to make it all come back. She shook herself.
"Hello, Harry," She said, smiling up at him cheekily. He grinned at her.
"I'm going to need your help this year for something," He said, wiggling his eyeborws mysteriously, turning back to Ron and Hermione and leaving Ginny in blushing suspense.
After that the trio finished up their shopping, loading up on potions ingredients and spending half and hour staring at Quidditch supplies, much to Hermione's distress.
"I wonder who Quidditch Captain'll be this year,"Ron mused, looking at Harry merrily.
"Not me," Harry said despondently, "Not with that cow Umbridge's suspension on me."
"Oh, Harry, Dumbledore'll remove it, don't worry. OH!" Hermione said, fishing something out of her purse, "I forgot to tell you. You and me are prefects this year, instead of Ron and me. I don't know why but Dumbledore changed it." She handed him the prefect's badge. Harry looked at Ron in susprise, wondering how he was going to react.
"Better you than me, mate," Ron grinned.
The three friends made their way back to the Leaky Cauldron, chattering happily, together at last. For the moment, everything was right in the world.