CHAPTER 5
The days flashed past and at last, it was the day they would be going to Diagon alley to get their schoolbooks and to see Fred and George. They travelled by floo powder and landed with a jolt right outside the Gringotts wizard bank in Diagon Alley. "Well I'll take Ginny to get some new school robes. You two can go and get any new books you'll need," Said Mrs Weasley gesturing at Harry and Ron, "and, Oh hello Bill!" The Weasley's oldest son had just come out of the bank.
"Hi," Said Bill. "I wouldn't advise you to see Fred and George right now, I've just been in there, it's packed with kids."
"Oh, right, well how about we all meet up here in an hour then we'll see how busy the shop is then." So Mrs Weasley, Bill and Ginny went off in one direction and Harry and Ron went off in another.
They bumped into Dean Thomas and his younger sister in the bookshop. "Hi." Said Dean. "Where's your sister, Ron?"
"You're not still with her!" Said Ron sounding utterly flabbergasted.
They bought their school books, new robes and a new cauldron for Ron (he had burnt a hole in the bottom his last one, then at 12 o clock, went to meet Mrs Weasley, Bill and Ginny who were waiting for them outside Gringotts.
"Oh there you are!" Said Mrs Weasley spotting them.
"We saw Dean." Said Ginny, fiddling with Bill's long red hair.
"Yeah," said Bill grinning at his sister, "you know, Ginny's boyfriend!"
"We saw him too," said Ron, sitting down next to the stone statue that stood outside Gringotts.
"Well I thought he looked a bit old for Ginny," said Mrs Weasley disapprovingly. "Anyway, I thought we'd have lunch now, then see Fred and George. They have a lunch break at 12:40."
"Ok." Said Harry and Ron and headed for the nearest sandwich bar.
After lunch they went down the main street to find Fred and George's shop. It was huge and painted bright red. There were still about 50 people milling about in there, most of them, Harry recognised as Hogwarts students. However, George, seeing them, put up a sign on the door saying, 'Back at 1:15' and started shooing the customers out.
Harry and the Weasleys entered the now deserted shop. "Fred, George!" Shrieked Ginny and ran over and hugged her brothers.
"Hi," Said the twins. "Can we interest you in any of our goods?" Said Fred grinning as he tried to pull Ginny of himself.
"We've nearly sold out of miniature swamps! They're going like mad!" Said George, "But we're in the process of making some more." He grinned at Fred.
As Mrs Weasley, Bill and Ginny chatted with Fred and George, Ron and Harry browsed round loaded shelves of absolutely everything, there were skiving snackboxes, Fred and George's home-made fireworks, magic quills, fake wands and all sorts of tricks.
"But where's out favourite brother of all time?" Said Fred loudly, making Ron and Harry turn. "Don't tell us dear Percy couldn't spare five minutes off work?"
"He went into the office with Arthur." Said Mrs Weasley. "If you two worked at the ministry then maybe you'd make a bit more gold."
"But we have tonnes of gold!" Said Fred indignantly. "It comes pouring in!"
"Yeah," Said George, pulling a sack out from under the counter. "Look at all this!" He emptied it on the counter and dozens of galleons came flooding out.
"Well," Said Mrs Weasley still not looking entirely convinced. "Isn't that the stuff Harry gave you?" Harry looked away. He had given Fred and George his 1000 galleons triwizard winnings at the end of his fourth year.
"No!" Said Fred; "we used that to buy the shop."
"Well, as long as you've got enough," Said Mrs Weasley smiling faintly.
"We've got more than enough." Said Fred, "Oh and Ginny, we had Dean Thomas in here looking for you half an hour ago!" Ginny blushed. "We've had loads of other customers!" Fred continued. "And Lee Jordan was in here earlier helping us."
"Can I work here too when I leave school?" Asked Ginny excitedly.
"I don't think..." Mrs Weasley began, but Fred interrupted.
"You can help." He said grinning at her.
"Wow!" Said Ron gazing longingly at a very thick brown quill. "I've always wanted one!" Harry looked over at the quill. The packaging read, 'The answer to your queries.'
"What does it do?"Asked Ginny to Fred.
"That," said Fred proudly, "is a quill that knows ever answer to every question. You can adjust the volume on it so the whole class knew the answer. If that's really what you'd want." He grinned and turned to Mrs Weasley who looked very disapproving. "Of course," he said to her, we had to disable it from working in exams though."
"How much?" Ron asked the twins eagerly, but Mrs Weasley interrupted,
"I don't think that's a very suitable thing to have in school." She said. Ron groaned.
They left the shop at 1:15 and after getting a few more bits and bobs such as a new quill for Ginny, said goodbye to Bill and headed for the leaky cauldron. Tom the barkeeper was there as usual, "Ah, there you are!" He said when they entered. "I hear there'll be a new Hogwarts student this year."
"It's strange isn't it?" Said Ginny looking thoughtful.
"Yeah," Said Tom scratching his head thoughtfully. "I know, it's never happened before. Usually they get a letter from the nearest school and stick with it. I'm amazed Dumbledore allowed it actually."
After leaving the Leaky Cauldron through the big open fire, and saying goodbye to Tom, they arrived once more on the hard floor of the Weasley's kitchen and climbed the stairs to Ron's room. They were in the middle of unpacking when there was a knock on Ron's door and Percy came in, wearing his work robes and looking important. "You're wanted downstairs Harry." Said Percy pompously adjusting his tie. "Why?" Asked Harry getting to his feet. "It's about-" Percy began, but seeing Ron, stopped in mid sentence. "What?" Asked Ron, also getting to his feet. "Why can't you tell me?" "You wouldn't understand Ron," Percy yawned, "well come on Harry." Harry left the room uneasily, grinning wearily back at Ron who was sitting on his bed looking furious.
The days flashed past and at last, it was the day they would be going to Diagon alley to get their schoolbooks and to see Fred and George. They travelled by floo powder and landed with a jolt right outside the Gringotts wizard bank in Diagon Alley. "Well I'll take Ginny to get some new school robes. You two can go and get any new books you'll need," Said Mrs Weasley gesturing at Harry and Ron, "and, Oh hello Bill!" The Weasley's oldest son had just come out of the bank.
"Hi," Said Bill. "I wouldn't advise you to see Fred and George right now, I've just been in there, it's packed with kids."
"Oh, right, well how about we all meet up here in an hour then we'll see how busy the shop is then." So Mrs Weasley, Bill and Ginny went off in one direction and Harry and Ron went off in another.
They bumped into Dean Thomas and his younger sister in the bookshop. "Hi." Said Dean. "Where's your sister, Ron?"
"You're not still with her!" Said Ron sounding utterly flabbergasted.
They bought their school books, new robes and a new cauldron for Ron (he had burnt a hole in the bottom his last one, then at 12 o clock, went to meet Mrs Weasley, Bill and Ginny who were waiting for them outside Gringotts.
"Oh there you are!" Said Mrs Weasley spotting them.
"We saw Dean." Said Ginny, fiddling with Bill's long red hair.
"Yeah," said Bill grinning at his sister, "you know, Ginny's boyfriend!"
"We saw him too," said Ron, sitting down next to the stone statue that stood outside Gringotts.
"Well I thought he looked a bit old for Ginny," said Mrs Weasley disapprovingly. "Anyway, I thought we'd have lunch now, then see Fred and George. They have a lunch break at 12:40."
"Ok." Said Harry and Ron and headed for the nearest sandwich bar.
After lunch they went down the main street to find Fred and George's shop. It was huge and painted bright red. There were still about 50 people milling about in there, most of them, Harry recognised as Hogwarts students. However, George, seeing them, put up a sign on the door saying, 'Back at 1:15' and started shooing the customers out.
Harry and the Weasleys entered the now deserted shop. "Fred, George!" Shrieked Ginny and ran over and hugged her brothers.
"Hi," Said the twins. "Can we interest you in any of our goods?" Said Fred grinning as he tried to pull Ginny of himself.
"We've nearly sold out of miniature swamps! They're going like mad!" Said George, "But we're in the process of making some more." He grinned at Fred.
As Mrs Weasley, Bill and Ginny chatted with Fred and George, Ron and Harry browsed round loaded shelves of absolutely everything, there were skiving snackboxes, Fred and George's home-made fireworks, magic quills, fake wands and all sorts of tricks.
"But where's out favourite brother of all time?" Said Fred loudly, making Ron and Harry turn. "Don't tell us dear Percy couldn't spare five minutes off work?"
"He went into the office with Arthur." Said Mrs Weasley. "If you two worked at the ministry then maybe you'd make a bit more gold."
"But we have tonnes of gold!" Said Fred indignantly. "It comes pouring in!"
"Yeah," Said George, pulling a sack out from under the counter. "Look at all this!" He emptied it on the counter and dozens of galleons came flooding out.
"Well," Said Mrs Weasley still not looking entirely convinced. "Isn't that the stuff Harry gave you?" Harry looked away. He had given Fred and George his 1000 galleons triwizard winnings at the end of his fourth year.
"No!" Said Fred; "we used that to buy the shop."
"Well, as long as you've got enough," Said Mrs Weasley smiling faintly.
"We've got more than enough." Said Fred, "Oh and Ginny, we had Dean Thomas in here looking for you half an hour ago!" Ginny blushed. "We've had loads of other customers!" Fred continued. "And Lee Jordan was in here earlier helping us."
"Can I work here too when I leave school?" Asked Ginny excitedly.
"I don't think..." Mrs Weasley began, but Fred interrupted.
"You can help." He said grinning at her.
"Wow!" Said Ron gazing longingly at a very thick brown quill. "I've always wanted one!" Harry looked over at the quill. The packaging read, 'The answer to your queries.'
"What does it do?"Asked Ginny to Fred.
"That," said Fred proudly, "is a quill that knows ever answer to every question. You can adjust the volume on it so the whole class knew the answer. If that's really what you'd want." He grinned and turned to Mrs Weasley who looked very disapproving. "Of course," he said to her, we had to disable it from working in exams though."
"How much?" Ron asked the twins eagerly, but Mrs Weasley interrupted,
"I don't think that's a very suitable thing to have in school." She said. Ron groaned.
They left the shop at 1:15 and after getting a few more bits and bobs such as a new quill for Ginny, said goodbye to Bill and headed for the leaky cauldron. Tom the barkeeper was there as usual, "Ah, there you are!" He said when they entered. "I hear there'll be a new Hogwarts student this year."
"It's strange isn't it?" Said Ginny looking thoughtful.
"Yeah," Said Tom scratching his head thoughtfully. "I know, it's never happened before. Usually they get a letter from the nearest school and stick with it. I'm amazed Dumbledore allowed it actually."
After leaving the Leaky Cauldron through the big open fire, and saying goodbye to Tom, they arrived once more on the hard floor of the Weasley's kitchen and climbed the stairs to Ron's room. They were in the middle of unpacking when there was a knock on Ron's door and Percy came in, wearing his work robes and looking important. "You're wanted downstairs Harry." Said Percy pompously adjusting his tie. "Why?" Asked Harry getting to his feet. "It's about-" Percy began, but seeing Ron, stopped in mid sentence. "What?" Asked Ron, also getting to his feet. "Why can't you tell me?" "You wouldn't understand Ron," Percy yawned, "well come on Harry." Harry left the room uneasily, grinning wearily back at Ron who was sitting on his bed looking furious.