Chapter 2 – Secrets of the Mind
The next day, the doorbell rang. "I'LL GET IT!" Liz called. "It's my friends, Mum. The ones that came last year?"
"Oh, I remember them," Mrs. Smith replied. "They're very nice people. You said you're shopping for school supplies?"
"Michael! How's your summer? How've you been?" Liz said after she flung the door open with enough force to undo the hinges.
"Pretty good. You?" Michael asked. He had grown two or three inches over the summer.
"Wow, you got tall!" Liz said, craning her neck to see his head.
"Really? I thought you shrank," he teased with a grin. "Wow, I really am tall."
"Hello, Liz!" Jessica said, entering. "I still can't believe you live with Muggles, wow..."
"Hello, Professor...Mrs.....uh..."
"You can call me Mrs. Weasley until term starts," Michael's mother responded. "I should want to have a chat with your parents, make sure they're all right with us taking you for today—"
"Oh, they're fine," Liz put in eagerly.
"No, I really should—"
"Liz is right, Hermione, we really ought to be going," Mr. Weasley called from outside. "It's hard to hold four brooms at once—"
"Brooms?" Liz gasped, stricken. Her one and only experience with brooms had been disastrous.
"I tried to tell Dad, but he wouldn't listen," Michael told her. "He says you can ride on the back of my broom."
Liz whimpered, unconvinced. She was dangerous on broomstick, whether she was steering or not. "B—bye, Mum," she called halfheartedly. She'd rather walk.
Still, she clambered on behind Michael when they got outside. Mrs. Weasley came around and tapped each of them on the head, putting a Disillusionment Charm on them. Then she performed the spell on herself, and they were ready to fly.
"Up, up, and away!" Michael yelled as they kicked off.
"Shut it, someone will hear you!" Jessica scolded, whacking her brother in the face with the tail of her broom (at least that's what Liz supposed; they were all invisible at the time). "Don't you think a disembodied voice will be a little conspicuous?"
"Gets more like your mother every day, son," Liz heard Mr. Weasley's voice say.
After a quite enjoyable ride with no unpredicted bumps, bruises, or falls, they landed before a tiny shop in London. Once inside, Liz blinked. Why in the world were they here, of all places? It was a shady sort of pub, and all the customers leered at them unpleasantly. But Michael and Jessica seemed unperturbed.
"What is this place?" Liz asked, sticking close.
"It's the Leaky Cauldron. The only entrance to Diagon Alley if you don't use Floo powder," Michael answered.
"Maybe next year we can stick to Floo powder?" she squeaked hopefully.
By then they had reached the other end of the building, if you could call it that. As they crouched and came through a small opening, they found a solid brick wall with a tired, rusting trashcan in front of it.
"Maybe we took a wrong turn," Liz helped.
But Mr. Weasley took out his wand and began tapping bricks and muttering under his breath. "Two up, three over...or is it three up and two over?"
"Two up and three over," Mrs. Weasley told him.
He touched the trashcan, tapped two bricks up and three bricks over, and tapped that one three times. The wall opened into an archway big enough for all of them to fit through at once.
"This," Michael said triumphantly, "is Diagon Alley."
Liz looked at him. "I know what it is. I've been here before, remember?"
"Where to first?" Mr. Weasley said, stepping into the broad sunlight.
"Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream!" Michael said.
"We're school shopping," Mrs. Weasley reminded them.
"Quidditch supplies?"
Mrs. Weasley sighed. "Fine."
They headed off to Quality Quidditch supplies, where Michael purchased a second broom polishing kit. Then they went to Gringotts to restock on money. Next they took off to Flourish and Blotts. A long line snaked out the doorway and across the path.
"What's everybody in line for?" Liz said, bouncing up and down, trying to see. Michael had better luck.
"Look, there's a sign on the window! Mum, can you hold our places for us while we go see what it says?"
Mrs. Weasley consented. The two of them ran to check the sign.
THE MUCH ANTICIPATED BOOK OF PENNY NILWORG, SECRETS OF THE MIND, IS ON SALE NOW! HURRY AND GET YOUR COPY BEFORE THEY SELL OUT!
"Secrets of the Mind?" Michael snorted. "How corny can you get?"
"No, it sounds pretty interesting. I want a copy," Liz said. "I wonder how much it is?"
They went back to the Weasleys, who were still in line, and explained. Jessica perked up instantly.
"Secrets of the Mind? I've heard of that! It's supposed to be really good. I want a copy."
"You'll have to use your own money if you want to buy it," Mr. Weasley said.
"Fine," Jessica said.
"Me too?" Michael said.
"You too," Mrs. Weasley agreed.
The line went fairy quickly, considering its length. People wanted to get out of there and read the book as quickly as possible. At last, Jessica got to the front desk.
"Secrets of the Mind, by Penny Nilworg, please," she requested.
"You're lucky," the sales clerk said, pulling out a copy of the book. "It's the last one."
"What?" Michael cried in disbelief. "That's not fair! Jessica, can I borrow your copy?"
"Of course not. It's mine."
"You know, Jessica," her mother said, "I think you should save it for school. Then you'll have something to do in your free time."
"Fine," Jessica pouted.
They purchased their needed schoolbooks and left to buy the rest of the school supplies. Then they stopped for ice cream. Liz' favorite was chocolate, so she got two scoops, one on top of the other. She was about to take the first big lick when—
"Michael! Liz! Over here!"
Liz's head whipped around. Rachel was over at another table, enjoying an ice cream with her parents and sisters, waving at them.
"Rachel!" Liz said. "Have you gotten all your school supplies?"
"No, we just got here. How about you?"
"We just finished," Michael said. "We're leaving now."
Rachel frowned. "Oh." Then she perked up again. "I'll see you on the train, then?"
"Definitely," Liz answered. "I can't wait!"
"I can," Michael sighed. "But that's because you're better at school than me."
"We'd better go," Jessica butted in. "Mum and Dad are waiting."
Liz and Michael waved goodbye to Rachel and followed the older Weasleys back outside the Leaky Cauldron. Mrs. Weasley performed the Disillusionment Charm on all of them again, and they were off into the sky.
Michael kept pestering Jessica about the book. "Please can I read it?"
"No."
"Please?"
"No."
"Why?"
"Because."
"Because why?"
"Because I said so."
"But why'd you say so?"
"Because! Now shut up!"
This earned her a reproving, yet invisible, glance from her mother. Her brother, on the other hand, grinned secretly behind her. "Y'know, Jessica, I think there are a couple of people who didn't hear you in South Africa."
"Quiet, worm," she muttered.
They landed almost silently in front of the Smiths' house. "See you on the train, Liz," Michael told her. "Till then, if your sister gives you trouble—"
Liz instinctively clutched her wand behind her back. "I'll let you know," she promised. "See you."
Emma had been watching TV in the living room; when Liz slammed the door closed, she shot up the stairs, two at a time, up to her room. Liz shook her head.
"Have a good time, dear?" Mrs. Smith asked.
"Yes," said Liz, taking a seat at the table. "Now if only school would start."
The next day, the doorbell rang. "I'LL GET IT!" Liz called. "It's my friends, Mum. The ones that came last year?"
"Oh, I remember them," Mrs. Smith replied. "They're very nice people. You said you're shopping for school supplies?"
"Michael! How's your summer? How've you been?" Liz said after she flung the door open with enough force to undo the hinges.
"Pretty good. You?" Michael asked. He had grown two or three inches over the summer.
"Wow, you got tall!" Liz said, craning her neck to see his head.
"Really? I thought you shrank," he teased with a grin. "Wow, I really am tall."
"Hello, Liz!" Jessica said, entering. "I still can't believe you live with Muggles, wow..."
"Hello, Professor...Mrs.....uh..."
"You can call me Mrs. Weasley until term starts," Michael's mother responded. "I should want to have a chat with your parents, make sure they're all right with us taking you for today—"
"Oh, they're fine," Liz put in eagerly.
"No, I really should—"
"Liz is right, Hermione, we really ought to be going," Mr. Weasley called from outside. "It's hard to hold four brooms at once—"
"Brooms?" Liz gasped, stricken. Her one and only experience with brooms had been disastrous.
"I tried to tell Dad, but he wouldn't listen," Michael told her. "He says you can ride on the back of my broom."
Liz whimpered, unconvinced. She was dangerous on broomstick, whether she was steering or not. "B—bye, Mum," she called halfheartedly. She'd rather walk.
Still, she clambered on behind Michael when they got outside. Mrs. Weasley came around and tapped each of them on the head, putting a Disillusionment Charm on them. Then she performed the spell on herself, and they were ready to fly.
"Up, up, and away!" Michael yelled as they kicked off.
"Shut it, someone will hear you!" Jessica scolded, whacking her brother in the face with the tail of her broom (at least that's what Liz supposed; they were all invisible at the time). "Don't you think a disembodied voice will be a little conspicuous?"
"Gets more like your mother every day, son," Liz heard Mr. Weasley's voice say.
After a quite enjoyable ride with no unpredicted bumps, bruises, or falls, they landed before a tiny shop in London. Once inside, Liz blinked. Why in the world were they here, of all places? It was a shady sort of pub, and all the customers leered at them unpleasantly. But Michael and Jessica seemed unperturbed.
"What is this place?" Liz asked, sticking close.
"It's the Leaky Cauldron. The only entrance to Diagon Alley if you don't use Floo powder," Michael answered.
"Maybe next year we can stick to Floo powder?" she squeaked hopefully.
By then they had reached the other end of the building, if you could call it that. As they crouched and came through a small opening, they found a solid brick wall with a tired, rusting trashcan in front of it.
"Maybe we took a wrong turn," Liz helped.
But Mr. Weasley took out his wand and began tapping bricks and muttering under his breath. "Two up, three over...or is it three up and two over?"
"Two up and three over," Mrs. Weasley told him.
He touched the trashcan, tapped two bricks up and three bricks over, and tapped that one three times. The wall opened into an archway big enough for all of them to fit through at once.
"This," Michael said triumphantly, "is Diagon Alley."
Liz looked at him. "I know what it is. I've been here before, remember?"
"Where to first?" Mr. Weasley said, stepping into the broad sunlight.
"Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream!" Michael said.
"We're school shopping," Mrs. Weasley reminded them.
"Quidditch supplies?"
Mrs. Weasley sighed. "Fine."
They headed off to Quality Quidditch supplies, where Michael purchased a second broom polishing kit. Then they went to Gringotts to restock on money. Next they took off to Flourish and Blotts. A long line snaked out the doorway and across the path.
"What's everybody in line for?" Liz said, bouncing up and down, trying to see. Michael had better luck.
"Look, there's a sign on the window! Mum, can you hold our places for us while we go see what it says?"
Mrs. Weasley consented. The two of them ran to check the sign.
THE MUCH ANTICIPATED BOOK OF PENNY NILWORG, SECRETS OF THE MIND, IS ON SALE NOW! HURRY AND GET YOUR COPY BEFORE THEY SELL OUT!
"Secrets of the Mind?" Michael snorted. "How corny can you get?"
"No, it sounds pretty interesting. I want a copy," Liz said. "I wonder how much it is?"
They went back to the Weasleys, who were still in line, and explained. Jessica perked up instantly.
"Secrets of the Mind? I've heard of that! It's supposed to be really good. I want a copy."
"You'll have to use your own money if you want to buy it," Mr. Weasley said.
"Fine," Jessica said.
"Me too?" Michael said.
"You too," Mrs. Weasley agreed.
The line went fairy quickly, considering its length. People wanted to get out of there and read the book as quickly as possible. At last, Jessica got to the front desk.
"Secrets of the Mind, by Penny Nilworg, please," she requested.
"You're lucky," the sales clerk said, pulling out a copy of the book. "It's the last one."
"What?" Michael cried in disbelief. "That's not fair! Jessica, can I borrow your copy?"
"Of course not. It's mine."
"You know, Jessica," her mother said, "I think you should save it for school. Then you'll have something to do in your free time."
"Fine," Jessica pouted.
They purchased their needed schoolbooks and left to buy the rest of the school supplies. Then they stopped for ice cream. Liz' favorite was chocolate, so she got two scoops, one on top of the other. She was about to take the first big lick when—
"Michael! Liz! Over here!"
Liz's head whipped around. Rachel was over at another table, enjoying an ice cream with her parents and sisters, waving at them.
"Rachel!" Liz said. "Have you gotten all your school supplies?"
"No, we just got here. How about you?"
"We just finished," Michael said. "We're leaving now."
Rachel frowned. "Oh." Then she perked up again. "I'll see you on the train, then?"
"Definitely," Liz answered. "I can't wait!"
"I can," Michael sighed. "But that's because you're better at school than me."
"We'd better go," Jessica butted in. "Mum and Dad are waiting."
Liz and Michael waved goodbye to Rachel and followed the older Weasleys back outside the Leaky Cauldron. Mrs. Weasley performed the Disillusionment Charm on all of them again, and they were off into the sky.
Michael kept pestering Jessica about the book. "Please can I read it?"
"No."
"Please?"
"No."
"Why?"
"Because."
"Because why?"
"Because I said so."
"But why'd you say so?"
"Because! Now shut up!"
This earned her a reproving, yet invisible, glance from her mother. Her brother, on the other hand, grinned secretly behind her. "Y'know, Jessica, I think there are a couple of people who didn't hear you in South Africa."
"Quiet, worm," she muttered.
They landed almost silently in front of the Smiths' house. "See you on the train, Liz," Michael told her. "Till then, if your sister gives you trouble—"
Liz instinctively clutched her wand behind her back. "I'll let you know," she promised. "See you."
Emma had been watching TV in the living room; when Liz slammed the door closed, she shot up the stairs, two at a time, up to her room. Liz shook her head.
"Have a good time, dear?" Mrs. Smith asked.
"Yes," said Liz, taking a seat at the table. "Now if only school would start."