Note: Now, I might be experiencing comp lossage depending how today or tomorrow goes, so I decided to go double time on the chapters of my fanfics, which are really spread out as it is. So yeah, typed this at word pad and snuck on to quickly post it, hope you guys aren't let down.

As the twins got into yet another argument about which one of their creations was better, the exploding wand or the apple that turned into a frog, Harry and his two friends managed to separate themselves from the group. Harry was the first to take a slow step backwards, soon followed by Hermione who caught this action out of the corner of her eye and began to slowly inch behind him. Ginny soon spotted this and took a step away from the quarrelling twins, but a sharp hand movement from Hermione in the action of stopping traffic caused her to halt with a rejected frown. Tugging on Ron's sleeve, Hermione then gained the third friend's attention and he soon began to follow.

Moving as one on their tiptoes the three friends were reaching the doorway of the Leaky Cauldron, the twins quarreling becoming more and more distant. Closer... Closer... Closer still... And then the door was swung open by a few scraggly looking men with patches in their faded wizard hats, tattered robes, and a mug of ale and butterbeer in each hand, collapsing onto one another as they attempted to use each other for balance. The fall breeze hit the three friends head on and with widened eyes looked back to Fred and George whom had stopped fighting and were staring at them with angered looks on their faces, silence pursued for a few moments as the tattered wizards made their way to the opposite end of the room drunk.

"Eh 'Arry!" Fred called, narrowing his eyes.

"Where are you goin'?" George finished the sentence, which really didn't have much intimidation, especially with his tie flickering on and off.

Harry looked from Ron to Hermione with nervous eyes, and then back to the twins trying to cover. "Uh... Fred we were just going to..."

"Which do you think is better?" George cut him off, his cheeks reddened from the 'argument'.

"Excuse me?" Harry asked confused, his fingers pulling his glasses down some; unsure of what exactly they wanted.

"Which is better? The exploding wand?" Fred asked, hands crossing across his chest.

"Or the apple that turns into a frog?" George finished yet another sentence, mirroring the same action his brother had done.

The two twins stood side by side, arms crossed across their chest staring. Both began tapping their feet at the same time, their eyes intently narrowed on the three in the doorway in anticipation. Harry exchanged glances with Ron and Hermione once more before speaking in a somewhat relieved, yet breathless and hurried tone.

"Oh... oh... The exploding wand... definitely," and with that he grabbed both his friend's arms and dragged them out the door of the Cauldron, all three of them panting as they stood outside from hurrying, but they could however still hear the commotion inside.

"HA TOLD YOU SO!"

"YOU DID NOT YOU TWIT! WHAT DOES POTTER KNOW?"

"OH I DON'T KNOW... HE ONLY DEFEATED YOU KNOW WHO AT THE AGE OF 2! WHICH IS MORE THAN I CAN SAY FOR YOU!"

"THIS COMES FROM THE KID WHO WAS TOO BUSY FALLING ON HIS FACE AS A CHILD!"

"WHY I OUTTA..!"

Harry had his head between his knees; Ron was hunched over trying to catch his breath, while Hermione was stretching her back. And all three reddened faces looked up at the same time. Hermione's concerned eyes making contact with Harry's behind his glasses, she knew a herd could probably follow.

"We better get going..." She warned as she panted, both boys nodded dizzily in agreement and they began on their way down the street.

The closest shop was the Cauldron shop, which brought Harry memories of his first time wandering the streets of Diagon Alley with Hagrid who once was the Keeper of Keys at Hogwarts, then part time Care of Magical Creatures professor, who's future was now unknown, after Umbridge's reign as High Inquisitor. What a disaster that was, a chain of events Harry prayed were over. He still couldn't wash away the feeling of hurt from Sirius' death, and the undying question of where he may be, and was he gone for good? Secretly he made a silent plead in his head that this year would be far better, and at least somewhat normal, if that was even possible.

As he walked in between his two friends, Ron on Harry's right looking dreamily ahead in an attempt to ignore a certain someone, Hermione on his left jabbering about some 'cause' as usual, his green eyes reading the wooden sign that hung above a stack of multicolored cauldrons, all making out a rainbow. Just In!-Rainbow Style Pewter Cauldrons! A few small witches in purple and magenta robes quickly surrounded the display, blocking Harry's view and causing him to go back to listening to Hermione's jabbering.

"So this year, despite some events from the past five, I plan on working twice as hard, twice as much. I'll need plenty of research, that way I can start a protective group and imagine this, with members being students of Hogwarts. Once the Ministry sees that students care, they surely will put up a foundation for it!" Hermione rambled, though the seriousness and determination in her face proved she meant every word.

"A flobberworm?" Ron questioned somewhat hesitantly with a raised brow. "Hermione I doubt the Ministry cares about the only creature in our Care of Magical Creatures book with a M.O.M. classification of X.!" Ron added as Hermione turned her nose up in the air, pretending she couldn't even hear him.

Harry decided to help out his friend, because from what he could see, it was the truth. Hermione often became carried away with her mission to save the world and all of its living things, or nonliving for that matter. Harry would put a bet that Hermione would defend a rock if it gave her the satisfaction of doing so, or an O on her report card.

"Hermione," Harry started, trying to bring Hermione's eyes back on him and Ron, though she still kept up her ignoring them act. "Ron has a point," he added hesitantly. "The flobberworm isn't exactly that in trouble of extinction. We have worms just like it back home, and... and..."

"IT'S A WORM!" Ron chimed in with widened eyes as the group walked; turning to face Hermione who had lowered her glance to the ground she was walking on.

"How would you like it if you were stepped on Ronald?" Hermione interrogated with a sharp glance.

"I guess I'd mind a little, but if I was in the way I rightfully deserved it!" Ron smiled and patted Harry's back as the two boys enjoyed their laugh.

"Ron, you're hopeless," Hermione sighed. "You too Harry..."

"Looks like I'm rubbing off on my buddy here!" Ron chorused, putting his arm around Harry's shoulder and shaking him back and forth, causing Harry's glasses to slip down to his nose.

Harry lifted his hand and pressed his glasses back into place, looking towards Hermione who was walking as if nothing had happened between the three. "You think people will really join your cause Hermione?"

"I can see it now, on the membership cards: Flobberworms equal Unity Care and Kindness," Hermione smiled with a dreamy sigh, however Ron nearly choked on his own spit.

"You're going to abbreviate that?" He forced out in a raspy voice, pulling at his collar, unsure if laughter or a word put forth would be of any help.

"Of course I am silly. It's much too long to put on a little card," Hermione softly laughed and shrugged as she brought her hand through her bushy brown hair, returning to glancing about the shops, and at her quickened pace was now walking ahead of the two boys.

"Should somebody tell her?" Ron whispered, Harry's green eyes met his friend's and they both shared a silent smile... Maybe later...

A soft, low hooting came into hearing range which only could mean that Eeylops Owl Emporium was near by. And sure enough Hermione had stopped in front of the darkened shop, bending forward in her jean pants and pink, zip-up, sweater top, peering in a thin, metal cage containing a curious looking Barn owl, whom was waddling back and forth.

"I wish I could buy one, but I spent my allowed limit at the Quidditch Cup," Hermione sighed forlornly, as she poked her finger between the bars, gently stroking the brown, feathered back.

"You have a limit?" Ron questioned with a comedic quirked brow, almost in amusement as Hermione huffed and pulled herself away from the cage, hurrying away as if embarrassed.

Harry and Ron had to jog in order to keep up with Hermione's fast paced walk, passing by Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, where a small, stout, woman dressed in mauve waved cheerily at them, though they didn't have time to return the quick greeting.

Both boys however came to a sliding stop when a familiar store caught both their eyes. Slowly turning around they faced the familiar site, the Quality Quidditch Supplies.

Hermione, when she realized her two friends weren't behind her, looked over her shoulder only to roll her eyes. Of course, those two and Quidditch were like rabid fans at a soccer game. Sighing to herself she slowly back pedaled until she was in between the two, hands on her hips, as she looked to the shop with far less excitement.

"So I take it you have extra money to spend," Hermione smiled a bit, for once amused. "The both of you..." The two boys didn't respond and continued staring at the window display which was currently being changed by a wizard in a brown robe. "Well, let's get this over with," And no sooner said the boys had taken off into the shop.

The little bell atop the doorway tingled as Harry pushed it open, walking inside as warmth, as if produced by a fire though there was none in sight, welcomed him, Ron, and finally Hermione into the store. Three aisles made from the setup of wooden shelves, hid the wooden main desk on the other end. On one wall many different models of broom sticks were on display, resting on metal nooks, the earliest models on the left, the latest (and most expensive) on the far right.

"'Arry... It's like heaven..." Ron spoke in awe, and grabbing his friend by the sleeve dragged him to the center aisle. "Keeper gloves! Come on! This way!"

Harry didn't have time to respond, or even beg to differ for his friend's grasp had already yanked him away from the doorway and towards the center. "What about Hermione?"

"Tell her to go read some Quidditch books..." Ron panted impatiently, and then Hermione was out of site and hundreds of pairs of gloves surrounded them.

Each pair of gloves, and there were many of them, were sorted by color as they hung by metal hooks from the shelves. From there they were sorted by the size of one's hand, and type of material. Separating himself from Ron, he began to survey the opposite shelf, his fingers feeling down the material. He really missed Quidditch more than anything, not counting Sirius, over the summer holidays.

How he longed to be back on that field, to feel the breeze blow through his messy black hair as he flew around on his Firebolt, that was like home to him. Not the Dursley residence, which had been silent as Harry didn't even have the heart to argue that summer. Harry was sure even their cold hearts knew something was bothering him, but he also knew their personalities would not allow any emotion to be shown. How he wished someone would, towards him, anything...

"Hey Harry! Look!" Ron's excited shout broke Harry from his thoughts as he quickly turned around the face the red head, whom now had a glove stuck to the side of his face. "Gloves complete with extra sticky Quaffle grip..."

"Ron...what are you doing?" Harry asked, a smile starting to spread on his lips as he saw the object stuck to his friend's face.

"Trying out keeper gloves," Ron shrugged, his ears turning a bit pink along with his face, as he lifted his hands to the glove and began to pull. As he grunted, Ron's eyes spotted Harry staring at him, trying his best to hide his laughter at the event. "Oh shut up Harry, it could happen to anybody..."

"I don't know too many people who stick gloves to their faces testing grip Ronald," critiqued a Hermione Granger, who had reappeared in the aisle with the two boys, a few Quidditch books in her arms.

Harry had to hold back a laugh as he ran a hand through his messy, black hair, when Ron scoffed and began to pull harder at the troublesome glove. "You don't know anything about Quidditch Hermione," Ron shot back, though not very rudely, his attention was focused elsewhere at the moment. "Reading about it doesn't make you a scholar in it," he grunted as he gave the glove on his face another hard yank.

"Honestly Ron, you act like a child," Hermione said with a roll of her eyes, as she reached into her jeans pocket, pulling out her wand.

Ron's eyes caught the action of Hermione's, and in spotting the wand he quickly grabbed Harry by the shoulders without warning, and pulled him in front of himself as a human shield. Coincidentally right in front of Hermione's perfectly pointed wand stance, her arm straightly outstretched.

"Don't even think about it," Ron cautioned with widened eyes, the glove now hanging from his face. "I don't want you performing any spells on me, they could go wrong and the next day I could end up with my head double in size! Don't even think about it Hermione!" Ron stammered, Harry still in his grasp, between him and the wand.

"Ron, it won't hurt. It's a simple spell," Hermione reassured, her straightened arm slowly falling to her side.

"Yeah, is that what you're gonna say when my arm falls off or something?" Ron returned, sputtering.

Harry shook his head at his stubborn friend, taking a breath before he spoke. "Ron, have you ever known one of Hermione's spells to go wrong before?" He asked looking over his shoulder at his friend's red face.

"No, I guess not," Ron responded as his widened eyes slowly returned to normal size, and his face relaxed. Releasing his grasp on Harry who moved to Hermione's side, Ron shut his eyes tight. "Make it quick," He managed to get out, sounding like a young child receiving a painful shot.

Hermione looked to Harry with a half smile and roll of her eyes, then looking back to Ron she lifted her wand. "Realisio!" She pronounced carefully, with a swish and flick of her wand.

The glove yanked from Ron's face, who squeaked with pain as it ripped from his cheek. Stumbling back he bumped into someone who had been surveying the gloves on the other side, back to them, knocking himself to the floor. Hermione and Harry silently stared at Ron, who now sat on the floor of the shop, a red mark on his face.

"I thought you said it wasn't going to hurt," Ron commented, placing his palm on his reddened cheek.

"I supposed I lied," Hermione responded with a shrug, regaining her composure with her newly purchased books, slipping her wand back into her pocket.

"You all right there?" Questioned an unfamiliar female, American accented voice from behind Ron, belonging to the person whom he had bumped into, who had turned around.

"Yeah... fine..." Ron forced out in a muffled voice from behind his hand as he struggled to his feet with the assistance given to him by Harry. Turning around his eyes widened in shock as he saw whom he had bumped into.

The girl looking back to him with a half amused smirk had short brown hair with blonde streaks, her eyes hidden behind a pair of sunglasses. In a pair of khaki pants and a short sleeve light brown shirt that read 'If at first you don't succeed, it's because of me.'

"B...Bloody hell... it's you..." Ron forced out, to Harry's confusion, as he gawked at the girl.

"I guess it all depends on who I'm supposed to be," the girl returned with a friendly smile and nod, bringing her right hand up to remove her sunglasses and place them into her khaki pants pocket. "Sorry I bumped into you," she apologized with sincere brown eyes.

"You're Leah Evans, you can bump into me ANYTIME YOU WANT," Ron spoke in awe and slowly nodded, as the girl still smiled at him. Harry looked over towards Hermione to see she was staring wide eyed as well, same look as Ron except subdued, hidden behind Harry.

"Leah Evans? The Quidditch star?" Harry spoke with widened eyes, suddenly realizing the importance of the situation.

"Well, my name is Leah, if that's what you mean," Leah returned with a nod, her cheeks turning a bit pink in color.

"I'm you're biggest fan," Ron gushed, Harry noticed Hermione shoot a glare towards him, then look away.

"Well, thanks there um...? What's your name?" Leah asked as she slowly set the pair of gloves that had been in her hands back on the shelf.

"Ronald, Ronald Weasley!" Ron blurted out once more, receiving yet another glare from Hermione.

"Oh! Is your dad's name Arthur?" Leah questioned with a wide smile, stepping towards the three friends, hands in her pockets.

"Yeah, that's him... you know him?" Ron blinked with confusion, had his father actually met a famous Quidditch star, and if so, where was he?!

"Know him? He only discovered me about what... 6 years ago?" She seemed to think on it a moment, and then looking over her shoulder called out: "Hey? Six years right Silvestri?"

Just then, yet another person appeared behind Leah, a pack slung across his shoulder. He was about a foot taller than her, with black hair spiked in the front. Even without the dirt Harry had seen on the freeze frame he could tell this was Justin Silvestri, the captain of the American team. Harry quickly looked over towards Ron, whom looked as though he was about to die of shock.

"Yeah, about six..." Justin agreed with a nod, though his glance seemed preoccupied as he studied a pack containing a snitch in his hand, examining it with the closeness of a scientist. Glancing away from it, he looked to Ron with a slightly furrowed brow. "Red hair... freckles..." He noted to himself, but loud enough for everyone else to hear. "You're a Weasley," his serious face turned to a friendly, almost charming, grin. "Your father is a favorite back in the states, though sometimes he treats us like rabbits, since we're all muggles," Justin smiled at the thought as he stood by Leah's side, whom nodded with the same smile in agreement. "And who's the other?" Justin questioned Leah, nodding towards Harry.

"Harry, Harry Potter," Harry introduced himself, sticking out his hand quickly for a hand shake; however, the two Americans froze and just stared.

"Harry Potter?" Justin repeated slowly, biting down on his lower lip, conveying suspiciousness as Harry nodded in response.

Harry brought his hand to his messy black hair, wiping a few wisps of hair away from his forehead to reveal the scar, in an attempt to prove himself. The two continued to eye him suspiciously when he took a chance and spoke up again, as Ron seemed lost for words and Hermione hadn't spoken at all.

"Yes, I'm Harry Potter, and behind me is my other friend Hermione Granger," Harry added a bit shakily, Hermione could only give a glance in response to the two.

"Students at Hogwarts?" Justin questioned, Harry noted that it was very odd the two didn't question him endlessly about his scar, in fact, they seemed to be able to care less.

"Yes, finishing up some last minute pick ups before the school year," Hermione quickly filled in, finally stepping to the side of her two friends defensively.

"Yeah we went to the American wizarding school Dogwarts," Leah nodded as Justin glanced towards his watch, most likely hurrying on his teammate, whom nodded in response and began to follow in his quick footsteps. "Gotta be going, we have a meeting at the local pub..." She told the three, already hurrying to keep up with Justin.

"You graduated?!" Harry questioned with a shout after the two famous Quidditch stars.

Justin opened the Quidditch shop door that tinkled upon contact and he walked out. Leah held the door open and slowly looked over her shoulder with a half smirk.

"Nope..." Was all she said, and she turned around and left, leaving Ron with a vision of Quidditch heaven.